Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Indian culture

Indian Culture is time tested and represented the progressively refined way of life, that had unfortunately suffered a set back, a sub culture process as it were, drifting from its salutary ways of living. 

Did not Lord Mecaulay say in the UK parliament how the Indians had such a perfect social harmony and faith in their way of life, that they can not be subdued unless they were weaned from their prestige and made to adore the alien way of life, to feel subordinated to a ''superior culture'', wherefore they could be easily subdued and dominated for the best advantage of the colonial rule! That was perfectly achieved and Indians forgot their own merits in a strange infatuation with alien culture!

Foreign culture was best for them, unique to them, deserved respect, but not fit for absorption into our own way of life! Apart from an initiation into new unfolding findings of secular science and technology - which was absent in our nation under colonial subjugation - we had gained least in other spheres, particularly in the social and ethical qualities. We became divided, in the names of religion and castes losing the force of harmony that united us under the princely states!

The increasing divorce culture, night clubs and pub culture, promiscuity and desertions etc among youth, the divide and rule policy among the politicians, the aggressive conversions (against more benign missionary activities a century ago) are the only major impacts in the social domain. 

So except the technological inputs, even economic exploitations under free trade or repressive regimentation under socialist govts that came from the west, have least served the society to achieve equality. Social impacts have been worse. 

The break down of joint family system due to new life styles, uncontrolled deviancies in the name of liberty etc have made youth defy control of society and family in a big way. In a chapter on ''Consequences of Innovations'' in the book by Rogers and Shoemaker entitled, ''Diffusion and Adoption of Innovations'', it is discussed how any change made in any aspect of social sphere - agriculture or medicine or arts or whatever - may end up in unexpected ''side effects'' as well. The chaos in the aborigins of Australia after replacement of traditional stone tool etc make interesting reading!

In India itself, the introduction of rural TV programme for education of people in modern agricultre, health care etc was studied in UP state when Indiraji was Minister of Broadcasting, in 100 villages. The study revealed significant increase in knowledge and attitude of people in modern techniques and the project was cleared for large scale introdcution across the country. After govt project was ended, many behavioural scientists took up studies in change of life pattern in the villages. They came across many critical adverse changes traceable to exposure of untreated ''entertainment'' programmes given by TV apart from the educatinal inputs!

Like that our adoration for the modern knowledge gained from the west, had made us adopt their other life styles as well to the detriment of society. So the demerits have been devastating as we see from the increase of family courts to deal with increasing divorce cases, the skewed development of trade and industy at the cost of other primary enterprises, policy of social divide by politicians for vote bank advantage etc!

In my opinion, we had paid a heavy price for all the technological good we received from the west, by our own unwise emulation of their social perceptions and political strategies as well!

The Marriage Saga



                                   The Marriage Saga

The nine-year marriage of BBC radio sports broadcasters Eleanor Oldroyd and Nick Mullins has hit the rocks - and he has taken up with a glamorous blonde TV reporter.
The couple will find it hard to make a clean break, however. With Miss Oldroyd anchoring Five Live's Sunday sports programme from lunchtime through to early evening, and Mullins part of the BBC's commentary team for next month's rugby World Cup in France, their paths seem destined to cross, at least on air.
Mullins, who is in his early 40s, has substituted 43-year-old Miss Oldroyd, with whom he has two young daughters, for Melissa Platt, who works for rival broadcaster Sky Sports.
She is an ambitious 30-year-old touchline rugby reporter and has also represented England at lacrosse.
If the diminutive and mild-mannered Miss Oldroyd, a vicar's daughter, does find herself on air with Mullins she can probably be relied upon to deal with the situation with the same aplomb that has made her one of the most authoritative sporting voices in a predominantly male industry.
A keen follower of a host of sports, her career has taken her to many of the world's top sporting events, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics - with Mullins.
Their marriage in 1998 was the second for both of them. It is understood the split may date back several months but has just become public.
However, Miss Platt has been telling friends that she and Mullins are now a couple. She began working for Sky in 2002 and within a year was covering rugby union as a touchline reporter, appearing on the Rugby Club.
Working on both Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup matches, her path will have crossed with Mullins. Miss Platt attended the leading independent girls' school St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
She became head girl and landed a place on the England Under-19s lacrosse team.
Scroll down for more...

Broken up: BBC sport's Eleanor Oldroyd and Nick Mullins
She has represented her country at World Cup events. Miss Oldroyd was educated at public school and Cambridge before starting her career at BBC Radio Shropshire. She moved to London in 1988 where she was a sports journalist at Radio Four before going to Five Live.
She has appeared on a string of programmes including Fighting Talk and as a ground reporter for Test Match Special.
She counts herself a lifelong cricket fanatic and when visiting Lord's proudly wears her Marylebone Cricket Club cufflinks. She is one of the privileged few to enjoy associate membership of MCC.
Her husband's career began on newspapers in Leicestershire before he moved on to BBC local radio then the national network.
He has been part of the radio team at the last three Rugby World Cups. Neither the BBC nor Sky would comment on their employees' private lives yesterday.
Answering the door at her large Victorian terraced family home, Miss Oldroyd refused to comment. Her husband could not be reached and Miss Platt did not respond to messages.
The love triangle brings back memories of another at Five Live when Fi Glover's two-year marriage to BBC editor Mark Sandell ended when he left her for rival presenter Victoria Derbyshire. The affair had developed as the pair chatted about football during breaks between programmes.

मानवाधिकार

भारत में मानवाधिकारों पर अकसर बहस चलती है. ह्यूमैन राइट्स वॉच और ऐमनेस्टी इंटरनेशनल समय-समय पर रिपोर्टें जारी कर मानवाधिकारों के हनन के मामले प्रकाश में लाते हैं.
कहीं मानवाधिकारों का पूरी तरह पालन हो रहा हो, ऐसी रिपोर्ट तो मेरी नज़र में कभी नहीं आई. ख़ैर, वह अलग बात है...
दस दिसंबर, 1950. अब से साठ साल पहले का वह दिन जब संयुक्त राष्ट्र का अंतरराष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार घोषणापत्र अमल में आया.
इसके अनुसार हर मानव बिना रंगभेद, जातिभेद, राष्ट्रीयता भेद के बराबर है और उसके बराबरी के अधिकार हैं.
इसीको आधार बना कर मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता जेलों में बंद उन क़ैदियों के मानवाधिकारों की बात करते हैं जो अपने किए, और कई बार कुछ किए, की सज़ा भुगत रहे हैं.
मैं कुछ समय पहले एक रेडियो सिरीज़ के संबंध में मध्यप्रदेश की एक जेल के बंदियों से मिल. वहाँ बंद विचाराधीन क़ैदियों की तादाद इतनी है कि बंदी चार-चार घंटे की शिफ़्ट में सोते हैं.
किसी को गहरी नींद से जगा कर खड़े होने पर बाध्य करना कितना पीड़ादायक है यह कोई भुक्तभोगी ही समझ सकता है.
यह निश्चित तौर पर मानवाधिकारों का हनन है.
मुक़दमे की सुनवाई या फ़ैसला होने से पहले किसी को दोषी मान कर उसके साथ दुर्व्यवहार या तथाकथित थर्ड डिग्री ट्रीटमेंट निश्चित तौर पर मानवाधिकारों का हनन है.
लेकिन मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता जब सैकड़ों निर्दोषों को गोलियों से भून देने वाले या बम से उड़ा देने वाले चरमपंथियों, या बलात्कारियों या फिर निर्मम हत्या के दोषियों के मानवाधिकारों की दुहाई देते हैं तो कुछ लोग उसे तर्कसंगत नहीं मानते.
क़ानून की नज़र में सब बराबर हैं. यूनिवर्सल डिक्लेरेशन ऑफ़ ह्यूमैनराइट्स भी सब पर बराबरी से लागू होता है.
लेकिन मानवाधिकार के नाम पर सुविधाओं की मांग, जघन्य अपराध के दोषियों की हिमायत कितनी न्यायोचित है यह एक सोचने वाली बात है.
शायद संयुक्त राष्ट्र को अब साठ साल बाद मानवाधिकार घोषणापत्र पर फिर एक नज़र डालने की ज़रूरत है क्योंकि मानवाधिकार मानवों के होते हैं...पर कुछ लोग अमानव भी बन जाते हैं...