“Girls are unsafe on streets? Who is to blame?” – ran the headline. The self proclaimed prophet of the melodramatic corporate news channel blamed a political party. The leader of the political party blamed the opposition. The opposition leader blamed the girls. The feminist blamed the men. An hour of the average Indian television viewer was wasted. One of the reasons I feel blessed in life is that I don’t watch television and am not driven by popular media. Continue reading
Category Archives: Politics
News and not-news
On pamphlet activism
For any idea to work, its dissemination is as important as the inception itself. Undoubtedly, the invention of printing press has accelerated the process of dissemination of ideas. May it be the revolutions or the new ideologies driven by the spirit of equality and freedom – posters, pamphlets and books have played critical roles. It was also the invention of printing press, which marked the beginning of the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression. Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Technology
Name matters
The name of a political party matters. They must not only capture the party’s ideology, but also have a strong emotional connect with people. While most political parties in India have kept this in mind, Kejiriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has taken the most unconventional route. It will be interesting to see if the phrase – ‘aam aadmi’ will click as a party. Continue reading
Yes your honour
We get to hear that our courts are overreaching; that enabling un-elected judges to thwart the wishes of the elected representatives is undemocratic. Well, aren’t we too late to complain? Even after 14 general elections, and all the publicity given to proceedings in parliament, ordinary voters remain dissatisfied. In countries with a written constitution, the reach of judicial power is almost unlimited, and hence the so-called judicial overreach is but a direct result of legislative and executive underreach. Continue reading
Monsanto who?
Created in 1901, they once made synthetic products. Soon, they pioneered in producing toxic substances. They made Agent Orange – a defoliant used during the Vietnam war. They (along with Dow chemical – remember? Bhopal) were the biggest supplier to the US army. They made Aspartame – an artificial sweetener which was proved dangerous for health. They made RBST, an artificial growth hormone given to cows to make them produce more milk. The cows however, became infertile and often, died. Continue reading
सौरभ राय | Sourav Roy 