The Observer
An IIJNM publication
Christians demand probe into Muthalik’s claim of forced conversions and vandalism by them | P 2 Top court puts sedition law on hold till govt takes call By Shristi Achar
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he Supreme Court has ordered that the 152-year old sedition law —IPC’s Sedition 124A — be stayed until the Centre reconsiders the provisions of the law. In an interim order on Wednesday, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana directed that all pending trials, appeals and proceedings with respect to charges framed under Section 124A should be kept in abeyance. It asked the Centre to refrain from registering any further FIRs until the matter is resolved. The opposition accused BJP of misusing the 1870 law to silence its critics. The order further stated: “In addition to the above, the Union of India shall be at liberty to issue the Directive as proposed and placed before us, to the State Governments/Union Territories to prevent any misuse of Section 124A of IPC.”Law minister Kiren Rijiju reminded the court of a “Lakshman rekha” “We’ve made our positions very clear and also informed the court about intention of prime minister Narendra Modi. We respect the court & its independence. But there’s a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ (line) that must be respected by all organs of the state in letter & spirit,” he tweeted. Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan tweeted: “Salute to the SC for this much needed historic order effectively plugging the rampant misuse of the #Sedition law by various govts and their police forces.” Mahesh Jethmalani, a Rajya Sabha member and senior Supreme Court advocate. In a tweet, he said: “PM’s statement that GOI will review the sedition law is welcome. LM Rijuju’s gloss that repeal is ruled out but review is to prevent abuse is important. A modern State needs a sedition law to maintain its integrity; but the law must deter autocrats who believe they are the State.” The Observer had, in its May 10 edition, reported differing views of parties on the sedition law. shristi.a@iijnm.org
Vol. 21, Issue 30
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
https://facebook.com/ iijnmbangalore https://twitter.com/ observer_weekly Epaper: https://issu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in
Fans mourn the demise of Shivkumar Sharma; Satish Vyas says maestro changed his life | P 4
Sexual abuse of boys remains unacknowledged, unaddressed Society thinks only girls are victims of abuse
By Chhavi Vohra
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akesh Sharma (name changed), now 49, was 18 years old when he was first sexually abused. Rakesh forgot to take his quilt on a train journey to Ludhiana with his brother. An old man, in an army uniform, offered Rakesh his quilt as he was feeling cold. Rakesh agreed. A few minutes later, Rakesh felt the man push one of his legs between his legs. This continued for a minute. He stood up, understanding the intentions of the older man. “I was aghast. I told him I’m not like that. He didn’t utter a word,” Rakesh said. According to a report in the Deccan Herald, a study conducted in India, Nepal, Cambo-
There is a dominant perception in society that only girls can face sexual abuse, reveals a four-nation study | Courtesy: Pexels dia and Philippines has revealed that 1 in 6 boys experienced sexual abuse. But the abuse of boys remains unacknowledged and unaddressed due to the perception that they cannot be abused. The study was conducted by partner NGOs in the four countries, which are part of the UKbased Family for Every Child. In India, the study was conducted by the NGO Butterflies. The study revealed the dominant perception in society that sexual abuse happens to girls; if boys are abused, it’s an aberration.
Ranjani K. Murthy, a researcher and consultant on gender, poverty and development, said the number of sexual abuse cases are the same among girls and boys in India, but sexual abuse of boys isn’t talked about. “Some think girls are more vulnerable…. However, homosexuality is prevalent. Sexual abuse can be seen in large, non-nuclear families where even the mother can be the perpetrator in rare instances. In army areas and hostels too, this is prevalent. “Protection is required in ju-
venile homes They are abused and later grow up to be abusers. There are schemes, but for adolescent girls. For boys, there are sessions in schools, but they only talk about what boys can do to girls, but not what they can do to their own kind,” Murthy added. Surupa Gupta, director, women and gender studies at University of Mary Washington, explained the lack of acknowledgement has to do with patriarchy, which is about power and domination. Boys and men are taught not to cry as it’s considered “wimpy and feminine under patriarchal norms”, she said. Asked about complaints of sexual abuse against boys, IPS officer Prashant Anand, who has handled such cases, said: “The police do get such complaints, but not frequently. Generally, such crime gets reported at schools, juvenile homes etc. Sexual abuse of girls is more frequent, and even that doesn’t get reported every time.” ►Continued on page 4
Most waste pickers have Will obey loudspeaker no access to education order: Hindus, Muslims By Ayndrila Banerjee
T In 2011,BBMP launched an initiative to register informal ragpickers and provide them with identity cards | Credit: Namrata Sindwani By Simran Sharma
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allikarjun, a 14-year-old boy from a Banashankari slum, feels sad when he sees his friends missing school as they have to stand in lines to collect water. “There have been days when we did not get water for two to three
days so children stood in lines to get it and missed out on school.” Children from his slum have dropped out of school. Some are still involved in ragpicking in his village. “The situation was the same before Covid; later it has been worse,’’ Mallikarjun informed The Observer. ►Continued on page 5
he Karnataka government on Tuesday issued a circular that said users of loudspeakers have to obtain written permission from designated authorities “within 15 days” to continue using them. Reacting to this, Mohammad Firoz, a maulvi in Bengaluru, said: “We will obey any order that comes from the government. We have interpreted this rule as not something that is made just for one community (Muslims). The government has made this rule for all communities, be it Hindus or Muslims or Christians. We can’t go against the law and we trust the government so we’ll go by whatever ruling it gives. We have accepted this order.” Communal disharmony has been around for long, but he nev-
er thought of a community any different from his own. “I have always considered people from different religions as my brothers and sisters. What is happening today is due to the acts of some miscreants who want to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims,” he informed The Observer. ►Continued on page 5
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The Observer Wednesday, May 11, 2022
CITY
Probe Muthalik’s allegation that we converted Hindus: Christians ‘Govt has data, should show us proof we did it’
By Saumyangi Yadav
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hristians in Karnataka have demanded a committee be set up to probe the allegations of illegal conversion made against them. Recently, Pramod Muthalik, chief of the Sri Ram Sene, accused Christians of vandalizing Hindu idols and converting people to Christianity forcibly. The Karnataka Christian Social Welfare Association staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding the arrest of Muthalik and a ban on his outfit. “Muthalik and other members of Sri Rama Sene have made remarks on the Christian committee... allegations of forced conversion. We want proper investigation of the matter. The government has enough data, so show us the proof of conversion,” said Harry D’Souza, president of the association. About 150 people participated in the protest today. Rev. Father Cyril, the representative of Archbishop Peter
Covid Tracker
Karnataka New Cases
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The Karnataka Christian Society Welfare Association has filed many complaints in the past against right wing groups and asked the goverment to take back the bill | Credit: Saumyangi Yadav Machado, informed The Observer: “There is no need for an anticonversion Bill. The government has enough sanctions and law to stop forced conversions that happen . It’s just an unnecessary attack on Christians. Innocents are the ones suffering. People are not able to follow the right to religion. The government has census data, Aadhaar data... show us the records.” The Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, commonly referred to as the anti-conversion Bill, prohibits conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, fraud, allurement or marriage. Father Cyril added that com-
munal disharmony in the state has increased tremendously since the BJP took office. “Why else would we be sitting here and protesting? We’d rather be at our homes or churches.” The association also accused the present state government of not taking any action to protect the minorities in the state. “In 2008, when churches were attacked in the state, Yediyurappa’s government made sure that all the churches were protected. We respect them for that. The current government is not taking any action to protect other communities. That should be their priority,” added Father Cyril. Muthalik has also been in-
“Muthalik and other members of Sri Rama Sene have made remarks on the Christian committee... allegations of forced conversion.. We want proper investigation of the matter. The government has enough data, so show us the proof of conversion,” —Harry D’Souza, Karnataka Christian Social Welfare Association volved in the Hanuman Chalisaazaan controversy. D’Souza said “If the government wants, they can just remove the loudspeakers. Why are they singing Hanuman Chalisa in the morning?” The association has, in the past, filed complaints against right-wing groups and asked the government to take back the anti-conversion Bill. The Observer reached out to Muthalik’s personal assistant, but he refused to give a comment on the matter. In the past, Muthalik and other members of Sri Rama Sene have been in conflict with Christians and Muslims. saumyangi.y@iijnm.org
Citizen’s Voice
Let people have a proper work-life balance
Employees aren’t supposed to work more than nine hours a day, but we Indians lead as a nation with the longest working hours. The result of high workcaused burnouts is deteriorated mental health and interpersonal conflicts. Efforts should be made to help people learn to strike a balance between their career and personal life. Maitri Seth
Will LIC IPO’s bring wealth or erode it?
People thought the LIC IPO, which closed recently, would be highly oversubscribed, but final data show it was subscribed 2.95 times. LIC’s listing on the stock exchanges in the coming weeks will tell whether it will bring people wealth or erodes it, as the Paytm IPO did. Big IPOs, like LIC’s, have had a negative listing. Applicants sure have their fingers crossed. Mayank Gupta
Killing in the name of religion is abhorrent
Lynching has become a common affair ever since the government of the day assumed office. Isn’t it a shame that we are killing people in the name of religion? Leaders around the world are watching us. Jinit Parmar
Congress targets Ashwath Narayan in ‘laptop scam’, wants him dismissed
Received info via RTI response says Rayareddy By Shristi Achar
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he Congress on Wednesday released information regarding a laptop scam that it claims Minister of Higher Education C N Ashwath Narayan is allegedly involved in. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Basavraj Rayareddy informed a press conference he received the details through an RTI reply. He alleged Ashwath Narayan is accountable for the extra Rs 152 crore spent in the free laptop distribution scheme. “In 2017-18, we had called for tenders to procure laptops from Acer Ltd at Rs 14,290 per unit. We wanted to provide them free of cost for 1.10 lakh students of families with income below Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. However, our government’s term ended before we accepted the tender, giving way to a JD(S)-Congress coalition government under H.D. Kumaraswamy. GT Devegowda
Basavaraj (left extreme) and Ramesh Babu (centre) displayed the RTI reply with the scheme details | Credit: Shristi Achar A then became Higher Education Minister. This government called for another tender from L1 Technologies for laptops at Rs 28,320 per unit. The tender was approved, but the cabinet approval was pending. But before that could happen, the government fell and BJP’s B.S. Yediyurappa
became CM. He approved the tender in the cabinet.” The Congress asked for either a judicial or Lokayukta inquiry against both chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and Ashwath Narayan. “Both the CM and the Higher Education Minister have a moral responsibility to take ac-
countability for the scam. It isn’t that Aswath doesn’t know all this...., so that fact that he isn’t speaking shows he is guilty,” Rayareddy further said. Ramesh Babu, an ex-MLC present at the press conference, spoke about Ashwath Narayan’s alleged involvement in the scam related to appointment of principals and teachers in government colleges as well as the PSI recruitment scam. He had addressed the media on May 9, 2022 on the same matter . About the gravity of the education sector scams, Rayareddy said: “If there is a scam in road construction, one can repair it. But if there is a scam in the education sector, you can’t repair an entire generation.” When reporters raised questions on the validity of his allegations, saying prices would have increased due to inflation and the differences in software services given in the accepted tender, Rayareddy said the price rise should not be as high as double the original price.He referred to his RTI reply and said that the specs of both the laptops were similar and did not warranty any steep rise in their prices. shristi.a@iijnm.org
The Observer Wednesday, May 11, 2022
TECHNOLOGY
Bengaluru’s silk reelers alien to new technology Not aware of
Silk Samagra Scheme, they say By Chhavi Vohra
T
he Silk Samagra Scheme implemented by the Central Silk Board (CSB), which focuses on improving the quality and productivity of domestic silk hasn’t benefited the silk reelers of Bengaluru. Subhash Nayak, director of post-cocoon production at Central Silk Board on the occasion of National Technology Day, said, “Ten years ago, huge amount of silk was wasted during the processing. Today, for every 1 kg of silk, we save 1 kg of cocoon. This means a total saving of upto Rs. 2,500 crore per year. It is only possible through technology.” He further said that the silk industry in India has a turnover of around Rs. 1 lakh crore each year. “It’s a sizable industry,” he said and “the country has suf-
Quiz
1. On which continent have the most dinosaur fossils been found? 2. Roughly how many dinosaur species have been identified since the 1820s? 3. For how many years did dinosaurs rule the earth? 4. How many legs did the earliest dinosaurs walk on? 5. How many species of dinosaur appeared in John Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel, Jurassic Park? 6. What dinosaur fossil was originally mistaken for a type of bison? 7. When did dinosaurs become extinct? 8. What were the direct ancestors of the dinosaurs? 9. What was the lifespan of a T. rex? 10. The meteor that many scientists believe killed the dinosaurs struck in what modern-day country? 11. What dinosaur was, for many years, mistakenly called a Brontosaurus? 12. What is the only dinosaur lineage to survive the mass extinction event? 13. Which dinosaur had fifteen horns? 14. Which dinosaur had the smallest brain for its body size? 15. What fossil hunter theorized that bezoar stones were fossilized feces? 16. What was the first mounted dinosaur skeleton? 17. Which dinosaur was named after a commercial airline? 18. How many teeth did the Nigersaurus have? ►Answers on page 5
India imports Rs 700 - Rs 800 crore worth of silk yarn from China every year | Credit: Chhavi Vohra ficient labor force for doing the same.” Twenty to twenty-five percent of technologies developed by us are turned into schemes that encourage people to join the industry,” he added. Ravi Kumar D, a scientist at Central Silk Board, said: “We are giving training under the Silk Samagra Scheme. Government is sibsidising automatic silk reeling machines. Through the Silk Samagra Scheme, we are working towards the growth of the silk industry.”
But the scheme has not benefited silk reelers of Bengaluru. Noorbegh, who works at MB Silk Industry, Ramanagara, said: “We don’t know anything about the scheme and are not even given any training. We do have automatic reeling machines but we don’t know how to use them. They stop working midway and the entire thread gets destroyed. As a result, we have suffered huge losses.” Babu Nimbhayakr, a technician at Central Silk Board, said that the institute does provide
training to the silk reelers. Manjunath, another silk reeler, said: “One machine costs somewhere between Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh. I don’t have enough savings to invest in them. Even if I do, what is the guarantee that they will work for a long term?” Abhilashi Singh, a scientist at CSIR, revealed: “We have many machines here and our produce is good. We have even developed technology to remove impurities from cocoons without the use of chemicals. But I am well aware that not all reelers know about this technology. They haven’t directly benefited from it.” Nayak said China’s silk industry coming down creates a huge scope for the India. India however continues to import silk yarn from China. According to a report in The Hindu, 2,200 to 2,500 tonnes of silk worth Rs 750 crore to Rs 800 crore is imported from China every year. The Silk Association of India (SAI), Bengaluru, seeks a complete ban on all silk coming in from China. chhavi.v@iijnm.org
3 Across the city
Bangalore Arts and Crafts Mela, Art Complex, Seshadripuram, May 6-15 Fast Food and Cafe Convention, The Lalit Ashok, Kumarakrupa Road, Bengaluru, May 10 Google I/O Extended, Google India, Carina East Tower, Bagmane Constellation Business Park, Bengaluru, May 11 Makeover of Sarkari School, Government Higher Primary School, Channasandra, Bengaluru, May 14-15 Namaste NFT Bengaluru 2022, 10th Mile, Tumkur Main Road, Bengaluru, May 14-15 On a Roll, Bangalore International Center, Domlur, Bengaluru, May 14 Bal Utsav, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, May 15 Vir Das Wanted, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru, May 20 9th Bongcloud Open Rapid Chess Tournament, Vega City Mall, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru, May 15 Toast - Wine and Beer Festival, Taj West End, Race Course Road, Bengaluru, May 18-19 D’sire Expo, The Lalit Ashok, Kumarakrupa Road, Bengaluru, May 24 Robotics, OpenHouse, JP Nagar, Bengaluru, May 26
Growing cyber threats worry youngsters
Experts say that awareness on threats is required By Tina Freese
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n increase in cyber terrorism in the country has left Bengaluru’s youngsters worried. India is among the top five nations in Asia that have received cyber security threats. Cyber terrorism refers to mainly the use of the Internet and information technology to spread fear in society. According to a statista.com report, more than 1.1 million cyber-attacks were reported across India. A report in the Business standard said India has the most number of cyber-attacks. Preetpal Singh, 21, an engineering student, feels unsafe due to the increasing number of cyber threats. “There are so many threats like the threat of Carding, in which people steal your card details to take your money. The Internet has its own advantages and disadvantages for youngsters like us who are regularly on the Internet. It is scary to have so many cases,” he informed The Observer. Vishaka M, 23, a student at Bengaluru University, has similar views. “Cyber terrorism is real. Sometimes when I browse the Internet I have this weird feeling that someone’s watching me. I don’t feel the Internet is a safe space. And when I read
India leads the world in cyber crimes with more than 1.1 million reported attacks | Credit: Arshreet Singh news related to cyber terrorism, I feel scared…,” she said. Much personal data is saved online. Many youngsters fear a breach of security. Radhika Gupta, 27, a law student, said: “A lot of my info is online. Cyber security is a big concern. I don’t feel my data is very secure. But I don’t have a lot of options... most work is done online, especially since Covid.” Sagar Singhal, a cyber security researcher and founder of Cysec.in, a cyber-security company, said cyber attacks are increasing mainly because there is no awareness among people. “The Internet is so easily accessible to people of all ages, but Internet security is not readily available. Smartphones are
wonderful gadgets, but they have many downsides. While we are becoming digital, all our information is online. What a layman does not understand is that your data is everything. Think about it, your phone numbers are linked to your accounts and anyone can access it if they catch hold of your data.” Lack of awareness is the key reason for many people facing cyber attacks online. “Seminars in schools and other institutions should be held to make people aware of the various cyber threats. Cyber cells in the country are not very good, so a speedy redressal system is very important. Most common types of attacks are phishing attacks and monetary frauds which can
only be prevented by awareness. The targeted audience should actually not just be young people but of every age group, like older people who are not very technologically advanced. They need education too,” Singhal added. Eugene Freese, an IT manager with a multinational company, said cyber attacks have increased because since the pandemic most businesses and work have shifted online. “Most people worked with compromised PCs and laptops — compromised in the sense that most of them had outdated antivirus applications and most companies could not afford downtime to fix these issues,” he said. Not opening links from unknown sources and having a good and strong antivirus are good ways to save oneself from cyber attacks, he further explained. “We have a ‘First backup, then pack up’ policy at our company to protect ourselves from any loss of data. Everyone, whether a company or not, should have a backup file to prevent complete loss of data.” Freese said. Cyber security has been under threat globally. According to the Global Terrorism Index, cyber terrorism across the world has been on the rise. In 2021, there was a 17 percent rise in cyber security breach cases than 2020. According to a Hindustan Times report, while India did perform well on the Global Cyber Security Index, where it ranked 10th, cyber attacks in the country have been ever increasing. tina.f@iijnm.org
4
CITY
The Observer Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Two-wheelers riding on footpaths hassle B’luru pedestrians no end
It is both illegal and unsafe for people on foot By Swarali Bodas
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ikers and cyclists illegally ride on footpaths in Seshadripuram, inconveniencing pedestrians. The Observer has also noticed people riding cycles, bikes and scooters on the footpath adjacent to the JP Nagar Metro station. Devika Nayyar, a school student, informed The Observer: “Many times motorists come in full speed on the footpath. It is quite dangerous.” To avoid those overspeeding vehicles, “we walk on footpaths, but then twowheelers ride here too”. Sandhya Nayyar, Devika’s mother, is worried for her daughter’s safety. “There should be some discipline maintained by the traffic police. It is their duty to see where the vehicles are going. It is a pity that I have to think twice even before walking on a footpath,” she said. Shashikala Ganeshan, a se-
The Bengaluru Traffic Police has built an application called Public Eye that will help citizens to report traffic violations. This is done to reduce such incidents | Credit: Swarali Bodas nior citizen residing in JP Nagar, spoke about how stopped going on morning walks because of this. “Earlier, I used to walk on the footpath every morning. Now, I can’t. This is because bikers just come and ride on the footpath. It was getting unsafe for me. So now I don’t go for morning walks anymore.” According to the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), footpaths are meant for pedes-
trians, not any vehicle riders. Riding by two wheelers on pavements and footpaths is illegal. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, prohibits the use of footpaths and pavements by motor vehicles. Muniraju KS, another senior citizen, recalled how he almost got into a quarrel with a biker nearly a month ago. “The bike came at full speed and I almost lost my balance and fell. I was with my grandson. Instead of
apologizing, the biker asked me to walk nicely. This is very common in JP Nagar.” Officials at the DULT did not respond to any of the questions asked by The Observer. The same is the case outside the Mantri Mall Metro station on Sampige Road. The footpath is at least half a kilometer long and riders sometimes use the footpath to evade traffic, Stalin James, a pedestrian,
said: “It is illegal anywhere in the world. The basic definition of footpath is a path used by people on foot, and not two-wheelers. It is a pity that even educated people do not follow laws.” A Swiggy delivery person who did not wish to be named said: “We have to deliver food on a deadline. So sometimes we overspeed and even have to ride on footpaths to reach faster. I know it is illegal, but nobody has caught me till now.” The Bangalore Traffic Police had launched an application called Public Eye which allows citizens to report traffic violations. Every time a pedestrian sees someone violating a traffic rule, he/she can click and upload a picture on the application. The app was launched in September 2015. According to Google Play Store data, the app has a total of 1.26 lakh downloads and it has 25,000 active users. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, out of the total pedestrian deaths in the country, 13 per cent were reported from Karnataka. Data show the Bangalore Traffic Police collected Rs 126.3 crore in fines in the year 2021. swarali.b@iijnm.org
Lack of acknowledgement is Shivkumar Sharma changed my a reason for abuse: experts life, says santoor player Satish Vyas
►Continued from page 1
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sychologists say that patriarchy and lack of acknowledgement are one of the reasons behind prevalent sexual abuse among boys. Grishma Mehta, a counselling psychologist at Mindfully Sorted, said: “Sexual abuse of boys is not acknowledged because of societal stigma. How can a boy get sexually abused? Most people believe sexual abuse can happen only to girls, not boys.… Until cases get registered or come into the limelight, no one would know whether boys are abused or not. “Furthermore, for parents, it’s hard to believe, support and understand when their son is sexually abused. And thus (they) fail to understand and take steps in order to protect them.” Anushtha Mishra, a psychologist at 1to1help.net, said this is something that is very alarming and should be talked about. “It has deep roots in patriarchy because we have this image that boys are strong, boys cannot be weak, they are the ones who are very sexually active and they’re supposed to be that. I think that notion prevents us from acknowledging that boys can be abused as well, can be vulnerable, especially younger boys. If you look at research, a lot of sexual abuse
happens towards younger boys, and most of it is incest.” She added: “The other side of this is that though boys are abused often, women are abused more often. However, even if statistics show that girls are abused more, the abuse of boys should be taken into account.” Raunak Sharma, 21, revealed: “I haven’t experienced sexual abuse, but my friend has. His tutor, a man, often touched him inappropriately. He ended up leaving the tuition, but didn’t tell even his parents about it.” Shruti Sharma, a parent, said lack of acknowledgement has to do with people’s mindset. “I as a mother have always been protective towards my daughter. I never thought that my son could experience something like this,” she further added. . According to a report in Aarambh India, titled ‘Sexual Abuse of Boys in India: The Story in Numbers’, among children reported as victims of sexual abuse, more than half (52.94%) were boys. Of the children who reported being subjected to severe forms of sexual abuse — assaulted, made to fondle private parts, made to exhibit private body parts, and photographed in the nude — 57.3% were boys. chhavi.v@iijnm.org Read the full report on www.theweeklyobserver.in
By Swarali Bodas
W
hatever I am is because of him,” said santoor player Satish Vyas on the death of his guru, Shivkumar Sharma, the maestro who passed away on Tuesday. Speaking to The Observer, Vyas recounted his first meeting with Sharma. “Being a renowned singer’s (C.R. Vyas) son, music was always in my house. In 1996, I went to a music concert in Mumbai. On the stage, I saw a charismatic man with an instrument I had never seen. I saw the santoor for the first time.” He got curious and decided he would learn to play the instrument. “I got into Indian classical music because of Shivji,” he said. “In 1975, he told my father, ‘The son of such a big person coming to learn music from me is such a big thing’,” Vyas recalled. Sharma thought of him as his own child. “I was more at his place than my own. The love I got from my guru and his wife was equivalent to the kind of love my parents gave me,” he said. “I cannot explain in words how grieved I am after hearing this news. Apart from being a great singer and musician, he was a great person also.” Talking about the maestro’s legacy, he said: “I can never
Legendary santoor player passed away on March 10 due to a cardiac arrest | Credit: Screen grab from a youtube video match what he used to teach his students, but I can and will definitely try to give his teachings to the next generation.” End of an era, say fans Jayant Bhopatkar, a fan and tabla player from Seattle informed The Observer: “Deeply saddened to know of the demise of eminent santoor virtuoso Pt Shivkumar Sharma. His music struck a chord in every Indian’s heart and his collaboration with Hariprasadji (Hari Prasad Chaurasia the flautist) to form ShivHari will live for an eternity. An end of an era, for sure.” Surashree Joshi, a classical singer from Pune, said: “It was a big shock... These are legends, you expect them to live forever. The same thing happened to me when Pt Birju Maharaj expired.
They will live through their art.” “There is something very soothing about his music and the way santoor sounds,” Joshi said. Rahul Sarodi, a classical singer from Mumbai, said: “He was one of those who represented our music on a global scale. It is indeed heartbreaking.” Vinod Dwiwedi, a Dhrupad classical singer from Kanpur, said the maestro’s son Rahul Sharma and followers will continue his legacy. Sharma passed away at his Mumbai residence following a heart attack. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, and Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Along with Chaurasia, he composed music for films like Chaandni, Lamhe and Darr. swarali.b@iijnm.org
The Observer Wednesday, May 11, 2022
CITY
Hindus: Loudspeaker issue misinterpreted ►Continued from page 1
Timeline of row over Azaan, Chalisa
T
he notice was issued in the wake of the azaan-Hanuman Chalisa controversy after a group of right-wing outfits threatened to amplify the playing of Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques. Shridhar, a priest, said: “If the rules are implied for all communities, we have no objections to it. But if it’s imposed on one particular community, then we’ll definitely oppose them.” Temples maintain the government-directed decibel level while using loudspeakers, he said. According to the Noise Pollution Control Rules the permissible levels of around residential areas is 45 dB to 55 dB. Last week, members of Sri Rama Sene recited Hanuman Chalisa in temples at various parts of the state at 5 am. Vimala Rangaiah, a visitor at a temple in Russel Market, said that every religious place should maintain the permissible decibel levels. “The namaaz that is read
in the morning at increased volumes has caused me problems sometimes.Having said that, the entire issue of playing azaan in the loudspeakers is completely misinterpreted by the other community due to which an entire row has erupted.” Vimala thinks that the divide between the communities is just an urban phenomenon since people from different communities in villages live in peace and have no problems with each other. The Observer tried to approach residents at the Russell Market, but they refused to comment ayndrila.b@iijnm.org
Govt open to ideas for community problems
lApril 2- MNS chief Raj Thackeray demands loudspeakers be removed from mosques lApril 18- Nashik police issues a circular ordering all religious places to obtain permission to use loudspeakers lApril 23- MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana arrested by Police for declaring their intention to play Hanuman Chilisa outside Matoshree, residencial house of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. lMay 9- Row penetrates into Karnataka. Shri Ram sena launches a ‘campaign’ to counter azaan by playing Hanuman Chalisa at 5 AM. lMay 11- Government of Karnataka issues circular directing all religious places to obtain permission for using loudspeakers.
5 Scooter falls on sludgy road, rider run over By Shristi A and Ayndrila Banerjee
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middle-aged man was run over by a speeding BMTC bus when he lost control and fell on the road. The incident occurred near a school on Mysuru Road on Wednesday morning. The victim was reportedly from Mysuru. Venkatesh, an autorickshaw driver who was nearby when the accident occurred, informed The Observer: “I saw the victim driving a scooter without a helmet outside the school. His scooter skidded on the sludgy road and he fell down. The scooter fell to the left, towards the pavement while the man fell to the right, towards the road.” Head Constable Ashok of the Kumbalgodu police station said informed The Observer: “His family has been informed about his demise. As of now, we are waiting for further information.” Efforts are being made to find the bus driver. More details about the accident will be put out once the investigation is concluded, he added. shristi.a@iijnm.org ayndrila.b@iijnm.org
TRAFFIC DIVERTED AS HANUMAN STATUE IS INAUGURATED AT A TEMPLE IN BENGALURU
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On this day in 330, Constantine I had established Byzantium (now Istanbul) as the new capital of the Eastern Roman. The land had become the pivotal point in history of English Renaissance. It was also transformed into world’s leading city.
Quote
The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it, - good, very good, when you are near or with them — Charles Bukowski
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Maximum temperature:26 °C Minimum temperature:21 °C Humidity: 68% Wind: 26 km/h Precipitation: 4%
Quiz answers
1. North America 2. 700 3. 160 million 4. Two 5. 15 6. Triceratops 7. 65 million years ago 8. Archosaur 9. 20-30 years 10. Mexico 11. Apatosaurus 12. Birds 13. Kosmoceratops 14. Stegosaurus 15. Mary Anning 16. Hadrosaurus foulkii 17. Qantassaurus 18. 500
udge, an NGO, has been working closely with the ragpicking community. As per its report, Bengaluru has 22,500 informal waste pickers. They may be street waste collectors or workers in scrap shops. Around 54 per cent of the community has no access to education, the report said. Devika, 16, said in her village there have been many cases of child marriage and substance abuse. Though the situation is improving, the problem is not over yet. Many children do not want to go to school. The Observer saw a man crying near a ragpicking site near Kumbalgodu. People around said that his daughter had a kidney stone but he did not have enough money to get it removed in a big hospital. So he took her to a local doctor who amputated her leg. Ruchi Kumari, another ragpicker, is a migrant from Bihar. She receives not more than Rs 300 a day for picking waste and segregating it. She said sometimes the payment gets delayed by two months. Jatin Mondar, Deputy Director of Save the Children Foundation, which is working for the community, said: “India has a large population because of which certain issues are subdued. Ragpicking has become the softer one sadly.’’ In 2011, the BBMP launched
This day That year
Ragpickers live in unsanitary conditions | Credit: Namrata Sindwani an initiative to register informal ragpickers and provide them with identity cards. Sameera from Save the Children, an NGO, said the registration has not helped the community. Only a small population of it got registered. She also added that they do not receive any benefits or subsidies from the government. Director of Women and Child welfare, Priyanka Mary Francis, said: “There is a lack of proper infrastructure because of which even anganwadi workers are not given proper amenities. The government alone will not be able to do everything. We are open to suggestions that will help in identifying problems and finding solutions for them.’’ A report in the Deccan Herald said that the ragpickers’ community lives in poor and unsanitary conditions in Bengaluru. simran.s@iijnm.org
Team Observer
Citizens were inconvenienced as former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda inaugurated a 21-foot- tall Hanuman statue at Gali Anjaneya temple in west Bengaluru on Wednesday. Traffic was diverted from Kurdalli Junction in Deepanjalinagar to Devegowda Circle on Mysuru Road. Commuters had to make their way through narrow roads in layouts off Mysuru Road | Credit: Sayli Patil
Editor: Anwesha Singh Reporters: Tina Freese, Swarali Bodas, Ayndrila Banerjee, Chhavi Vohra, Simran Sharma, Saumyangi Yadav, Shristi Achar Copy-editors: Swarali Bodas, Tina Freese, Arshreet Singh, Kashish Sharma Page Layout: Swarali Bodas, Tina Freese, Kashish Sharma, Arshreet Singh Photo editors: Tina Freese, Anwesha Singh, Arshret Singh Supplements: Shristi Achar A, Bansal Shah
Culture Attrition in corporate world: Staff hop a little, jump a little more 6
The Observer Wednesday, May 11, 2022
SUPPLEMENT
Attrition rates in corporate have increased rapidly in last one year, writes Bansal Shah
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eing a corporate employee is dynamic and monotonous at the same time. A corporate job is considered exciting in the beginning, but starts getting monotonous with time. The interest of an employee falls down with passage of time, just as a diminishing marginal utility line graph would. At the same time, it remains dynamic throughout because of the never ending work load, targets and the consistent rat race that can never reach the finish line. Due to the consistent monotony, the employees are seen quitting and changing their jobs quite often. As a consequence, the attrition rates have drastically increased in last one year. The attrition in Insurance industry has been the highest with around 60 to 80 percent across different companies. The attrition rate in IT sector has increased from 20 percent to 25 percent in last year. Whereas, the attrition rate in accounting consultancy firms has seen an average rise from 15 percent to 20 percent. Namrata Mashru, a human resource business partner at a major insurance company explained the causes behind the rising attrition rate. “Post Covid19, major organizations have undergone paradigm shift in the manner how they function. Job market has opened up big time post second wave of Covid-19,
creating more vacancies. This has given job seekers an opportunity to choose their sweet tooth in terms of a job role. Due to delay in hiring replacements and making job positions obsolete, employees are being overloaded with work. This has also pushed them to search for better job opportunities outside the firm.” Mashru further explained about the increasing attrition rate in insurance sector that 60 percent attrition rate is considered to be on the lower side. Currently, he says, the attritions are ranging from 60 to 80 percent in the industry. One of the major reasons for attrition is availability of more alternate options with 36 companies in the industry. Another big reason behind the increase in attrition rate, he says, is the refined login process and policies that have undergone complete digitization. The organizations are, however, he informed, not spending much time and effort on training the employees on these new techniques, leading to frustration among the employees. Another significant reason for increased attrition rate is excessive work pressure. While several employees leave due to excessive work load, a few are also fired due to poor performance. Rajan Agarwal, an HR consultant explained two kinds of work pressure employees experi-
Inadequate attention to employee feedback and excessive workload are causing increase in attrition rate | Courtesy: Vantage HR Blog ence in insurance sector – carat pressure (to achieve targets and gain incentives) and stick pressure (use of harsh and abusive language by seniors). One of the two pressures, he says, results in employees quitting their job sooner or later in time. Another sector where attrition rate is always high, but still increasing is accounting consultancies. The big fours (four biggest multinational consultancy firms) have always been known for high work pressure. However, the pandemic has seen an in-
crease in meetings at odd hours of the day, and impractical deadlines. This has resulted in several employees quitting their jobs and moving to other companies where the environment is relatively flexible for them. Ankita Gurbani, a consultant at a major consultancy firm resigned in October from her position. She said, “I left the job due to unrealistic targets leading to late working hours. People forget that they have a life outside the work-life as well. And this had worsened during the pandemic.”
A report by Delloite suggested that the financial services and manufacturing industries have seen an upward trend in the attrition, in the corporate sector. Same holds true for IT sector as well. According to a report by hiring firm, Team Lease Digital, one million Indian employees are expected to resign in 2021. These reports show that most corporate jobs are not employee-friendly. Mashru further explained that Surabhi Kanwatia, a corporate analyst in one of the big fours in Human Resource Transformation said, “Major reasons for such higher attrition rates currently are excessive work pressure, and sometimes better opportunities elsewhere. But we see a lot of people leaving organization due to poor work and life balance. He further says that as a former employee of the corporate sector, he has always witnessed colleagues leaving the organization for one of the mentioned reasons. And even when he had left the organization, the primary reason was excessive work load and poor work life balance. During his initial years, he says, he had seen fewer employees leaving the organization. But, once the pandemic caught life, he saw teams getting into a transition phase due to excessive resignations. The situation can only improve if employees are heard. bansal.s@iijnm.org
Jasmine Days: Lens to a divided world In present times where the world is rife with polarization, this book becomes an important read, writes Shristi Achar
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f one ever wondered about the tribulations of an elite person amidst a revolution, stirred by the oppressed people in a country, ‘Jasmine Days’ is the book that can be indulged in. Written in Malayalam by Benyamin, and translated to English by Shahnaz Habib, it follows the story of SameeraPravin, a young radio jockey in the unnamed place called ‘The City.’ A Pakistani immigrant in the unnamed country, Sameera is the family darling who keeps pushing the boundaries to realise her dream, within a conservative family. Residing in Taya Ghar, she is part of the Sunni family that has lived in the country for decades, enjoying the privilege of belonging to the ruling minority, blissfully unaware of the oppression that the Shia majority face in her adopted homeland. While
this might seem like an unnecessary detail to provide about the protagonist, the backdrop of the story justifies it. The story is set against the 2011 Arab Spring, following the Jasmine revolution originating in Tunisia. While the writer has kept the place anonymous, it isn’t a hard detail to locate. The ‘City’ in the story witnesses violent protests, a detail that becomes integral to the plot. And Bahrain was perhaps the only country in the revolution that had seen a similar violent uprising. Jasmine days is written as a letter to Sameera’s childhood friend, Javed. Encapsulating all her thoughts and emotions to Javed, Sameera writes about her experiences post the revolution, and the pre-revolution incidents that led her to this place in time. In the letter, we go along with
Javed on Sameera’s journey. Her friendship with Ali Fardaan, who is part of the Shia community, becomes her doorway to understand the political fractions in the society she engaged with, as are the personal implications of the revolution she undergoes. Grievance is a personal emotion, expressed in varied manners. And more often than not,
the grievance gathers sympathy from those around, mostly because those who undergo tragedy are seen as the ones belonging to a faction that was wronged. But what of that grief, where you personally might be within your right to experience, but has come as a result of larger act that was wrong? Our protagonist finds herself in this very position in this story. One could argue that writing a story from an elite perspective is rather ignorant. But ‘Jasmine Days’ makes the read inclusive, by questioning this place of authority. It does not matter if a reader is in the dark about the Arab Spring or its origins. Because the political incidents drive the mood and emotions of the story, the conversations that Sameera has with her colleagues and family gives insight to the events in
the City. And these incidents themselves form the plot of the book.Each conversation provides some historical information or sociological context to what is happening in the present, enriching the readers’ perspective on the story. With a lucid language and going light on the political backdrop, Benyamin makes this an engaging read. Do not be mistaken that the book is apolitical. It very much is a comment on the pointlessness of religion, social divisions and monarchies. But the author chooses not to burden the reader with factual information, and rather draw the reader towards the sentiments that form such incidents in history, perhaps in the hope that such parallels would make one question authority in their own lives. shristi.a@iijnm.org