The value of a Hindu life

This is one of the "bulk mails" I received some time back. Author provides Intriguing facts to support his case - read and judge for yourself. It's widely believed to have started with, the last Englishman to rule India, Nehru.

By G T Verghese

Consider the following events that took place involving people from Kerala in dangerous situations in the recent past:
A driver with the Border Roads Organization is kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, which threatens to kill him within 48 hours. The state and central governments do practically nothing. E Ahamed (the MP from Kerala), in charge of the foreign ministry since Natwar Singh was sacked, does practically nothing. The driver's decapitated body is found by the roadside. http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/nov/23mani.htm

A prisoner is held by the Americans in an army jail in Iraq. The government of Kerala appeals for his release and the central government intervenes. The prisoner is released and reunited with his family.

A migrant worker in Saudi Arabia is sentenced to lose an eye because in a scuffle he had blinded a Saudi in one eye. The Islamic law in Saudi Arabia states literally that an eye for an eye is the punishment for the crime. However, the chief minister of Kerala pleads for clemency. E Ahamed pleads for clemency. There are questions in Parliament. This has become an international cause celebre.

A few years ago, when a person in Iraq was kidnapped by terrorists, the government quickly established contacts with the Iraqi government, sent a member of the Minorities Commission to Iraq, and secured his release.
Here are excerpts from a report in The Pioneer newspaper ('Government could have saved him, says family'), in relation to Cases 1 and 4:

Many people are also angry that the Central and State Governments failed to save Maniappan's life. Anandan and Krishnankutty, Maniappan's uncles and ex-servicemen, blame the State and Central Governments for having failed to save their nephew's life. They wonder why the State Government did not send a minister to New Delhi to strive to secure Maniappan's release.
The family's neighbours Karthikeyan, Gopalan and Sadanandan and a host of others ask with indignation why the Central Government did not try to establish communication with the Taliban via the Afghan Government. A few Congress workers, who were reluctant to reveal their names, blamed Minister for State for External Affairs E Ahamed. Some others blamed it on top bureaucrats in New Delhi who failed to rise to the occasion.
Some recalled how Samkutty, hailing from neighbouring Mavelikkara, was rescued after a terrorist group abducted him in Iraq a few years ago. At that time, New Delhi had acted quickly by establishing contact with the Iraqi government and also sent Minorities Commission member John Joseph to Iraq secure Samkutty's release. The Union Government's persistent efforts paid off, and Samkutty ( was) brought home safely. In the case of Maniappan, the Union Government did not act fast and effectively, many feel.

Here is an excerpt from a report in the Pioneer ('Naushad issue echoes in Parliament'), in relation to Case 3:

Rajya Sabha members, especially from Kerala, on Wednesday demanded immediate intervention by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to save an Indian national who is facing the threat of his eye being gouged out as a punishment for injuring a Saudi national in a scuffle.

So what is the difference between Cases 1, 2, 3, and 4, other than the fact that the person in Case 1 died a gruesome death, but the others are safe?
Just this:

• Case 1 was a Hindu man, Maniappan Raman Kutty.
• Case 2 is a Christian man, Sijo Jose.
• Case 3 is a Muslim man, Naushad.
• Case 4 is a Christian man, Samkutty.
  

There could not be a clearer indication of the value of a Hindu man's life. To spell out the obvious - a Hindu's life is without value as far as politicians and the Government are concerned. But a Christian man's life, and a Muslim man's eye, are of great value. Ah, the wonders of 'secularism; as practiced in India!

This is eerily reminiscent of the Saudi Arabian system of blood money, see the Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money (or The Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2002): In Saudi Arabia when a person has been killed or caused to die by another, the perpetrator has to pay blood money, or compensation, as follows:

• 100,000 riyals if the victim is a Muslim man
• 50,000 riyals if a Muslim woman
• 50,000 riyals if a Christian man
• 25,000 riyals if a Christian woman
• 6,666 riyals if a Hindu man
• 3,333 riyals if a Hindu woman

This hierarchy is based on the Islamic legal definitions of human rights and is rooted in the Quran and Sharia (Islamic law).
Because of the lure of petro-dollars, everyone accepts this with a shrug, 'That's the way the Saudis are'", although it violates our notions about human rights and egalitarianism.
But it is true that sovereign countries have their laws and they resent outsiders trying to tell them what to do. For instance, Singapore has extremely strict laws about drug smuggling, and those caught trafficking are summarily executed. Just a week or two ago, a Vietnamese-Australian was thus executed, despite pleas for clemency.

Of course, Case 3, regarding Naushad's pending mutilation, is a humanitarian concern. But then, Naushad is a Muslim, Saudi Arabia is the most devoutly Muslim country, and their law is totally based on the Quran and Sharia. In a purely technical and legal sense, is it appropriate for anyone to try and tell the Saudis what to do? Wouldn't that be interference in their internal affairs, and worse, in their religious affairs?

It is interesting to note that India's Muslim leaders, who have on occasion declared that their Sharia courts supersede the normal judicial process - most recently in the case of a Muslim woman being raped by her father-in-law and then being told to divorce her husband and marry the father-in-law - are silent about the Naushad case.

Where is Shabana Azmi? Where is Teesta Setalvad? Why aren't they loudly supporting the Saudi Sharia courts in this instance? Is their support of Islam selective - only when it is convenient for them?
There are two lessons to be taken away from these cases, and in comparison, the cases of Rubaiyya Sayeed (1989, Jammu and Kashmir), Tassaduq Dev (1991, Jammu and Kashmir), Nahida Soz (1991, Jammu and Kashmir), and of the hostages in the Indian Airlines flight that was hijacked (1999, Kandahar, Afghanistan).

If you are an upper middle class person or related to a politician, the Indian State will cave in and do whatever it takes to secure your release, including allowing mass-murdering terrorists to go scot-free.An alarming note: Rubaiyya Sayeed is the daughter of the previous chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and Tassaduq Dev is the brother of the current J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. What does this say about their willingness to resist terrorists?

If you are a Muslim or Christian, you get substantially better treatment from the bureaucracy, politicians and the media than if you are a lower middle-class Hindu with no connections as Maniappan Raman Kutty was.

I suspect that Maniappan Kutty also belonged to a lower caste, since the Marxists did not make any noise about him. Compare this to a CPI-M Politburo member personally chivvying on the relatives of Flight 814 hostages to force the NDA government to cave in to terrorist demands.
But then, one might say that 'minorities' deserve better protection than the 'majority' community. However, this laudable goal breaks down in the case of Pakistan. A report from Irfan Hussain ('Conversion Losses') in The Dawn http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/20051203.htm relates the sad story of a Hindu couple in Karachi, whose three daughters, Reena (21), Usha (19) and Rima (17), vanished without a trace on October 18th.

The next the parents heard about the three girls was via a courier package which had three identical affidavits from the girls saying they had voluntarily converted to Islam and therefore couldn't live with their Hindu parents. It is quite possible that they have been kidnapped, forcibly married, and converted under duress, but as helpless minority people in Muslim-fundamentalist Pakistan, the parents have no hope for justice. But the mullahs have generously offered them, too, the opportunity to convert to Islam.

The kidnapping and forced marriage/conversion of Hindu women is intended in part to humiliate the community by showing them that they cannot protect their valued daughters. In a culture where 'honour' is important - as seen in the many 'honour killings' of Muslim women who dare to love non-Muslim men, in the UK, for instance -- this is the gravest possible dishonor. And it is an overt threat that Hindus had better convert.
This sort of violence generally befalls only powerless 'minorities' in most places. So this is yet more evidence that in India, it is the Hindus that are the oppressed 'minority', as I have argued before in 'Who is a minority person?'
For, there was an identical tale - same modus operandi - of the 'disappearance' and 'conversion' of a Hindu girl in October in Hyderabad, India. This did not get much airplay in the Indian English media, naturally. 21-year-old K Pallavi disappeared, and 'reappeared' as 'Sana Fatima', clad head to toe in a burqa, and suddenly spoke fluent Urdu which she did not know before. Her mother was not allowed to see her without the burqa, or to talk to her alone, and she suspects 'Sana Fatima' is an impostor. The girl was escorted to court, curiously, by an MLA and MP of a Muslim organization.
Here is a quote from the Pioneer editorial:

It is entirely possible that Pallavi, if at all she and 'Sana Fathima' are the same person, has changed her faith in an emotional response to the killing of a young Muslim man, with whom she is said to have been rather friendly, last year. But that does not mitigate the possible social impact of her action that must be judged in the context of realities which cannot be wished away.

Her gender is immaterial to the points that are being raised by those opposed to surreptitious conversion by deceit, if not by coercion or inducement. If Pallavi indeed wanted to embrace Islam as an informed adult, she need not have done so in such a cloak-and-dagger manner; if her action had no political or social bearing, she would not have been provided with political cover of the sort that was witnessed in court on Monday.
So what do you think, gentle reader, is the value of a Hindu's life in India.

What's with the Dilbert Land / Weasel world

With due credits to Scott Adams - I feel this is what exists in most organizations. What I admire of Dilbert is that it exaggerates common quirks and flaws that exist in corporate world. There is a beautiful piece about "Dealing with difficult people".
This is how it goes:
Scene - Dogbert's Seminar on "Dealing with difficult people"

Dogbert: Welcome to my seminar on dealing with difficult coworkers
Dogbert: Difficult coworkers fall into one of these sub groups (Lazy, Mean, Smart, Crazy)
Dogbert: The only way to deal with them is to quit your job and become a syndicated cartoonist
Dogbert: Thanks for coming ..

Funny! Also spiritual ... After trying to change things around you realize that you're one tiny speck in the milky way. You can't change things around unless youre placed high enough. Either you brace yourself and put up with all the shit till you reach the top or call it quits and do something better off.

Reminds what my professor of chemical reaction engineering (Dr. Krishnaiah if IITM) used to say about people - drawing analogy with particles in a fluidized bed (it's a column packed with small particles that behave like a fluid when fluid is passed from bottom at sufficient velocity). The particles have sharp edges (like people have preferences and opinions), but as time progresses with incessent bumping with other fellow particles during fluidization - they loose their sharp edges and become smooth and rounded (a.k.a. people without any preferences / orientation).

About myself - guess I am half done :o).

Musings about music

How much I like music ... let me count the ways ....

I learnt basis of carnatic music when I was young, dabbled with Violin, mridangam and a bit of veena. At best you could say I know how to hold them ... :o). Later on a learnt a little to make music with keyboards.

While I was learning (well you could say so), I was into popular music - listing to the likes of George Michael (or should I say Wham!), Europe, Phil Collins et al.

As I reached college - my music preferences changed to more evolved kinds like Sting, Lionel Ritchie and later Enigma.

When I listened to Yitzak Perlmann's rendition of Vivaldi's four seasons - I fell in love with western classical music. Started collecting Beethoven's symphonies, those of Mozart and Mendelsohn (you should listen to his Scottish symphony) Strauss (Blue Danube) and Yanni's live at the acropolis.

As I took up my first job towards the end of last century (saying that makes me feel old), stumbled upon Pt. Jasraj's rendition of Miyan ki todi. I liked it - though it was a little heavy. But that was enough to get me Googling for more music online. I came across Ajoy Chakraborthy's Hamsadwani Khayal. When I heard to Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's Brindabai Sarangi (it moved me - all 80+ kgs of me :o). I fell in love with classical music. That was almost 5 years back. I'm still exploring. Latest discovery has been the beauty of Dhrupad - courtesy Gundecha brothers. If you google for Gaoti and gundecha - you'd understand what I mean. Dhrupad music is surreal.

Ive not been able to get hold of their (Gundecha Brother's) albums after rummaging thro shelves of music store here ... shall continue my search. Hope to get hold of some good stuff soon. Though I have a collection of old pop and rock hits in my hard disk, I seldom listem to them.

Here is my list of things I like to hear / hear the most (a mix of Hindustani Khayal, Dhrupad and Carnatic music) -

1. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's - Raga Brindabani Sarangi
2. Gundecha Brother's rendition of Tulsi Bajan (Jaki gati hai) in Raga Marwa
3. Gundecha Brother's Alap in Raga Gaoti
4. Ali Brother's 1960 recording of Darbari Kanada
5. Madurai Mani Iyer's rendition Parimala ranga pathe in Raga malika
6. Ajoy Chakroborthy's Vialmbit, Madyalay and Drut in Raga Ahir Bhairav
7. Aruna Sairam's Jana Bhai Abang (Dalitha Kandita)
8. Bombay Jayashree's Sri Balasubramanya in Raga Bilahari
9. Ut. Rashid Khan's Rag Sohini
10. Dhanajay Hegde's Raga Abogi

Well the list would go on endlessly ... am still exploring. Like what Calvin say's in Bill Waterson's Calvin's last strip - "Let's explore".

P.S.: If any of you happen to know where I could get good recordings of Gundecha Brothers - do drop in a comment.

Sthumby, Me and Gudu at Anoki Adayar

(c) Bala Ram, 2006

Was testing out the new Hello from Picasso to load fotos to my blog site ... works like charm. Well this was shot at Anoki a few weeks before Gudu's wedding.

Another term, another course, another term paper

It is 7:30 PM in chennai (7 Jan 06, Sat), and am in my office trying to work on my term paper for my CBMR paper (Consumer behaviour and market research). Have taken up (comitted to prof. that I would) the case of IA's rebranding attempt.
I guess I need to make a questionnaire, and send out to folks (there is a cool utility called ... well have forgotten the name - twas something I had used for a similar questionnaire based paper for last term - that lets you send out mail merge with attachments). But I gotta get things done .. latest by mid of next week.
Plus I need to pick a good topic for my final term paper.
BTW - am doing certification program in XLRI part time (they bumped me in interview in 1997 ... hate to think abt that now) and all my rantings are abt this stuff I've gotten into.

I don't quite believe IA's rebranding thing would work. Why would someone want to change their choice of airline just because you've changed the name. Especially when the buyer knows its the same old brand? Launching a new brand might be better off idea - but haven't much idea of trade-offs. Hope at the end of my work I'll have some idea about these things.

P.S.: Hope to blog more often. Let's see if I'm able to do that.