6 Things To Like About The Jaipur Literature Festival 2012
by Ritwik on January 24, 2012
1. Accessibility – in spite of heavy police presence outside the festival venue due to the Salman Rushdie affair, the atmosphere at the festival was relaxed and convivial [maybe not so for the beleaguered organizers!]. JLF is a great platform to interact with writers, publishers and other book lovers. I wonder if those who are casually panning the organizers know of other literary events in India which are designed in such a manner that even celebrated writers are easily accessible to every visitor.
2. (Relative) Lack of Hierarchy - To the best of my knowledge, no event apart from the opening had any reservation of seats. If you are not on time for an event, no matter who you are, you better stand at the back. Similarly the writers’ lounge had no separate enclosure for ‘star’ writers.
3. Variety – Every time slot had a carefully curated set of events, with at least one serious literary event and one somewhat less than serious one taking place at the same time. Visitors of all hues and literary tastes could find themselves constantly engaged.
4. Organization – There were a few glitches, but on the whole the event was superbly organized with good use of technology to speed things up. Remarkably, only one session began late during the 3 days I was at the festival, and that was because Anthony Grayling’s flight had got delayed. To ensure that each session begins and ends on time, with 4 concurrent sessions over 5 full days, is no mean achievement. Large crowds were managed very efficiently, and there were always plenty of volunteers around to help people.
5. Not in Delhi – Delhi hosts a ridiculously disproportionate number of cultural events as compared to other North Indian cities. This festival is a boon for the people of Jaipur and Rajasthan, especially for students. Of course, it is a boon for the state government as well, when it is not busy applying fascism 101.
6. Price – you can’t beat free!
1 lakh people came together for Lokpal? Think again
by Ritwik on December 29, 2011
As the government heaves a sigh of relief and the media makes merry over the sparse crowds seen at Anna Hazare’s latest fast, let us try and go beyond the obvious and look at the Lokpal tangle with a little more clarity.
I have been struck by the complete absence from recent commentary of the reasons for the public support enjoyed by India Against Corruption in August. The huge crowds that were seen at Ramlila Maidan at that time had not assembled just to protest corruption and to demand an anti-corruption ombudsman.
Let us not forget that the central government and its agencies had clamped a set of unfair restrictions on the right to assembly and peaceful protest. These included bizarre mandates such as a limit on the number of cars and two-wheelers which could be parked at the protest venue, apart from seeking to limit the number of protesters, as if protests happen by invitation and rsvp.
Following the midnight crackdown on the followers of Ramdev, the government’s high-handed attitude which saw the preventive arrest of Anna Hazare led to great public consternation and resentment. The crowds that gathered in Ramlila Maidan were asserting their right to protest far more than they were uniting against corruption. This is not new. The Indian public has a long history of punishing those who seek to usurp democracy. Even a leader of Indira Gandhi’s stature lost her own Lok Sabha seat due to the excesses of the emergency.
However, this painfully obvious fact was ignored by the much vaunted strategists of ‘Team Anna’ who allowed themselves to believe that the vast crowds were a result of the topicality of Lokpal and Anna Hazare’s magnetism, not to speak of their own skillful organization.
After defusing the crisis in August by passing a meaningless ‘Sense of the House’ resolution the Government got time to retrace its steps and put its house in order. Having burnt its fingers, the Government learned its lesson from the Anna arrest fiasco and got cracking on taking the wind out of the Lokpal sail through legislative jugglery and good old political drama. The Congress party is a past master at political maneuvering and this is once again in evidence given the sort of Lokpal Bill they have introduced in parliament. Importantly, they did not try and prevent Anna or his team from protesting. By allowing people to protest freely, the Government removed the major cause of people’s anger in August.
The final Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill 2011 introduced by the Government in parliament exhibits the following features -
- It successfully divides the opposition by introducing provision of reservation for minority communities in the proposed Lokpal. Reservations have become a holy cow of Indian politics, with no party daring to bell the cat on this score. The BJP has found itself in all kinds of difficulty by opposing reservation for minorities. Most other parties have to preserve and trumpet their “secular credentials” and hence cannot oppose minority reservation. Thus the government has successfully driven a wedge between the BJP and its NDA partners.
- The bill militates against the federal structure of the Union by mandating each state to have a Lokayukta on the lines of the central Lokpal, thereby taking away the autonomy of states to make their own laws. This is especially piquant as several states like Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Delhi already have Lokayuktas in place through state-level legislation. As such it may be difficult even for UPA partners like Trinamool Congress to pass such a bill. The government wouldn’t be too upset with this scenario – I think the best case scenario for the government [and also for the country] would be if the Lokpal goes into permanent cold storage due to the lack of political consensus.
- The Lokpal as proposed will be little more than yet another body in the vast maze of commissions that already exist in this country. It will make no real difference as far as reducing corruption and penalizing the corrupt goes. The system will continue to work in the ‘show me the man and I’ll show you the rule’ style that we are are all accustomed to. A few more retired bureaucrats and other eminent citizen types shall gain the benefits of lal-batti etc.
However this does not mean that Team Anna’s Jan Lokpal Bill should be adopted. That is a remedy worse than the cure. The Jan lokpal bill envisages the creation of a super authority which would not be accountable to the people or their elected representatives. That is a recipe for fascism. As has been said, “the way to hell is paved with good intentions” and unfortunately the Jan Lokpal bill is a prime example.
The government has played its cards in a very canny manner. If the Lokpal bill is passed, we will see a toothless and largely decorative body which will make much noise but business shall go on as usual – somewhat like the minorities, human rights and sundry noise-making but ultimately toothless commissions that we’ve legislated into existence in the last three decades. At the same time, the Congress party and UPA government would be able to claim that they have worked towards tackling corruption.
If, on the other hand, the Lokpal bill is not passed due to a lack of political consensus, the government can palm off blame to the opposition and lose nothing in the process, as nobody in the political class wants any kind of Lokpal in the first place.
How the Parliamentary Committee has “managed” Lokpal
by Ritwik on December 9, 2011
From this NDTV report on the recommendations made by the parliamentary committee on the Lokpal:
On the role of CBI and CVC vis-a-vis Lokpal, the report recommends a five-stage mechanism. In the first stage, a complaint must be received by the Lokpal who would hold a preliminary inquiry in stage 2. If a case is made out, it would be referred to CBI in stage 3 which will investigate independently of the Lokpal or ministries. In stage 4, the case would go to the Directorate of Prosecution which will be under the superintendence of Lokpal. In the 5th and last stage, the case would go to a special judge or a Lokpal Judge.
There goes any chance of the Lokpal actually doing any good whatsoever. In true Indian way, it has been “managed” …
Maybe not such a bad thing, as the idea of the Lokpal, particularly the so-called “Jan Lokpal” variety, seems to be a cure worse than the disease.
The best way to spend your money this diwali – donate to Wikileaks
by Ritwik on October 26, 2011
Update: The donation page lists a number of methods you can use to help Wikileaks. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as clicking once in Paypal. That’s the point. If it were, it wouldn’t be so important to donate ;)
From the wikileaks donation page
Censorship, like everything else in the West, has been privatized.
As a result of exposing U.S. embassies from around the world, five major US financial institutions, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, Western Union and the Bank of America, have tried to economically strangle WikiLeaks The attack has blocked over 95% of our donations, costing tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue. The attack is entirely political. In fact, in the only formal review to occur, the US Treasury found that there were no lawful grounds to add WikiLeaks to financial blockade .
Your donations are vital to pay for our fight against this and other kinds of censorship, for Wikileaks’ projects, staff, servers and protective infrastructure. We are entirely supported by the general public.
I for one can’t think of a better way of spending my money this Diwali.
Facebook’s data practices – did the delete button work?
by Ritwik on October 22, 2011
Watch this brilliant and informative video about facebook’s frightening data practices:
http://www.youtube.com/user/europevfacebook#p/c/8ED10AB2E76CD62E
“1200 pages? No KGB or CIA ever had that much information on a normal citizen”
[click on the small "cc" button on the bottom right to see English subtitles]
Petition against removal of Ramanujan’s Essay
by Ritwik on October 22, 2011
Please sign and circulate this petition against the removal of AK Ramanuja’s beautiful essay “300 Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts” from the history syllabus of the University of Delhi due to pressure mounted by right wing zealots:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ramanuj/petition.html
You can access the full text of the essay here: http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3j49n8h7&chunk.id=d0e1254
This university is a cola free zone
by Ritwik on October 18, 2011
For the last few months, all shops and canteens in Jawaharlal Nehru University have been banned from selling aerated drinks such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, Fanta etc. While on the surface it may seem like a “revolutionary” step against polluting corporations, closer examination would reveal that products like Minute Maid, Mazaa, etc are easily available. These products are manufactured by the Coca Cola Company, and a message to this end is displayed prominently on the bottles.
I fail to see any logic here. Regardless of whether I buy Coke, Mazaa or Minute Maid, the profits go to the same firm. So how this move achieves anything as far as a “war against corporations” goes eludes me.
Perhaps there is a “health” argument here – since aerated drinks are bad for health they should not be sold in universities. There are many problems with such policing:
1) We are talking not of a school, but of a largely postgraduate research university. Surely the residents should be allowed to decide whether or not and how much of aerated beverages they want to consume? Besides students, the campus also hosts teachers, non teaching staff and their families. It seems excessive to deny them the simple pleasure of buying a bottle of cola.
2) The argument that “let the authorities/students union decide what is good for you” strikes at the heart of the concept of a university, especially one such as JNU. A university is supposed to equip people to make rational and enlightened choices – to be able to determine what sort of life they want to lead and how they intend to go about it, as long as it is not actively harmful to others. Freedom is central to making an enlightened choice.
3) Taking off from the last point, unlike smoking, you are not harming anybody else by drinking a bottle of Coke. And if I need to be protected from myself to such a degree, then all kinds of snacks, oily food etc should be banned – perhaps JNU can be converted into a dharmashala offering only sattvik food and goat’s milk.
I conclude that the move is either mind-numbingly hypocritical or absolutely stupid, or both. This is sad, because at one point in time, things in JNU used to make more sense than this.
Atulya Bharat, part 1
by Ritwik on September 22, 2011
Set poverty line at Rs. 31
“Target” subsidy schemes to the “genuinely” poor – those earning less than Rs. 31/day
Make mandatory “hi-tech” id cards to check “pilferage”. After all the non-poor [those earning >Rs. 31/day] are stealing grains allocated for the poor
Allow millions of tonnes of grains in FCI godowns to go waste, year after year due to lack of storage facilities. While people starve of hunger, year after year.
Acquire cultivable land, and build swanky housing complexes, swanky malls, swanky tanning clubs, and swanky hospitals which cater to “medical tourists”
India is well on its way to achieving a place at the “high table” of the “comity of nations”
Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO
by Ritwik on August 25, 2011
Apple’s iconic founder Steve Jobs today resigned as CEO of the company. In his second reign at Apple [1997-2011], he made the then struggling company the world’s most iconic brand and richest corporation. In a stellar business career spanning almost 4 decades Jobs has redefined computing, portable music players, digital music distribution, animated films, tablet computing and smart phones – each time bringing products and services that revolutionized the industry and created new growth areas. He has had significant impact on advertising and retail as well.
However, as John Gruber puts it “Jobs’s greatest creation isn’t any Apple product. It is Apple itself.”
He will continue as Apple’s Chairman, passing on day to day duties to his chosen successor Tim Cook.
A college dropout, Jobs entire career has consisted of taking farsighted decisions that were initially criticized by tech and business ”pundits”. As one of the titans of silicon valley, Jobs both learnt from and helped create its iconic business culture that constantly fosters innovation. I am attaching a few links which make for good reading on him:
Resignation letter - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/aug/25/steve-jobs-resignation-letter?CMP=twt_gu
Jobs Departure is the end of an extraordinary era - http://allthingsd.com/20110824/jobs-leave-a-legacy-of-changed-industries/
Here’s what Apple loses - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/What-Happens-To-Apple-siliconalley-735732266.html?x=0
For Anna: Mumbai’s dabbawalas to take a break tomorrow, first time in 120 yrs
by Ritwik on August 19, 2011
read the story in the Express
this has much symbolic significance, just like the first-time-ever metro protests i saw yesterday, or all-girls march in north campus again which i witnessed yesterday. the issue is not really whether all these people truly understand the intricacies of the lokpal agitation. the issue is that they are spontaneously organizing against the excesses of the political class. and that is a damn good thing. And mind you, I am AGAINST the idea of lokpal, as corruption in my view is inevitable with the kind of crony capitalism we’ve created post 1991. However we shall ignore the importance of this trend only at our peril.
If we are not our brother’s keeper, at least let us not be his executioner – When Brando Refused an Oscar
by Ritwik on July 19, 2011
Sharing with you the full text of Marlon Brando’s speech refusing to accept an Academy award for Best Actor for his leading role in The Godfather.
Unfortunately the essence of his lamentation is as valid today as it was then (and not only in the context of native Americans).
|
The Unfinished Oscar Speech |
For 200 years we have said to the Indian people who are fighting for their land, their life, their families and their right to be free: ”Lay down your arms, my friends, and then we will remain together. Only if you lay down your arms, my friends, can we then talk of peace and come to an agreement which will be good for you.”
When they laid down their arms, we murdered them. We lied to them. We cheated them out of their lands. We starved them into signing fraudulent agreements that we called treaties which we never kept. We turned them into beggars on a continent that gave life for as long as life can remember. And by any interpretation of history, however twisted, we did not do right. We were not lawful nor were we just in what we did. For them, we do not have to restore these people, we do not have to live up to some agreements, because it is given to us by virtue of our power to attack the rights of others, to take their property, to take their lives when they are trying to defend their land and liberty, and to make their virtues a crime and our own vices virtues.
But there is one thing which is beyond the reach of this perversity and that is the tremendous verdict of history. And history will surely judge us. But do we care? What kind of moral schizophrenia is it that allows us to shout at the top of our national voice for all the world to hear that we live up to our commitment when every page of history and when all the thirsty, starving, humiliating days and nights of the last 100 years in the lives of the American Indian contradict that voice?
It would seem that the respect for principle and the love of one’s neighbor have become dysfunctional in this country of ours, and that all we have done, all that we have succeeded in accomplishing with our power is simply annihilating the hopes of the newborn countries in this world, as well as friends and enemies alike, that we’re not humane, and that we do not live up to our agreements.
Perhaps at this moment you are saying to yourself what the hell has all this got to do with the Academy Awards? Why is this woman standing up here, ruining our evening, invading our lives with things that don’t concern us, and that we don’t care about? Wasting our time and money and intruding in our homes.
I think the answer to those unspoken questions is that the motion picture community has been as responsible as any for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character, describing his as savage, hostile and evil. It’s hard enough for children to grow up in this world. When Indian children watch television, and they watch films, and when they see their race depicted as they are in films, their minds become injured in ways we can never know.
Recently there have been a few faltering steps to correct this situation, but too faltering and too few, so I, as a member in this profession, do not feel that I can as a citizen of the United States accept an award here tonight. I think awards in this country at this time are inappropriate to be received or given until the condition of the American Indian is drastically altered. If we are not our brother’s keeper, at least let us not be his executioner.
I would have been here tonight to speak to you directly, but I felt that perhaps I could be of better use if I went to Wounded Knee to help forestall in whatever way I can the establishment of a peace which would be dishonorable as long as the rivers shall run and the grass shall grow.
I would hope that those who are listening would not look upon this as a rude intrusion, but as an earnest effort to focus attention on an issue that might very well determine whether or not this country has the right to say from this point forward we believe in the inalienable rights of all people to remain free and independent on lands that have supported their life beyond living memory.
Thank you for your kindness and your courtesy to Miss Littlefeather. Thank you and good night.
(thanks to nativevillage.org)
Some Notes on Sophie’s World
by Ritwik on July 13, 2011
Sophie’s World: A novel about the history of philosophy [Written by: Jostein Gaarder]
I had planned to read this book for the longest time. Happily some recent circumstances have dictated that I not only go through it, but even make lots of notes along the way.
The premise is very interesting. It tells us about a teenager called Sophie living in Norway, who almost involuntarily gets sucked into an in-depth course in (Western) philosophy taught by a mysterious philosopher.
Gaarder, who has taught philosophy to school students for many years, has managed to provide his readers a bird’s eye view of the entire history of Western Philosophy- from the early natural philosophers all the way to the mid 20th century, covering along the way classical philosophy, the middle ages, the Renaissance, rationalism, empiricism, the enlightenment, romanticism, nihilism and communism.
The story is well crafted (with an interesting if slightly predictable twist in the middle) and ensures that even casual readers will continue reading on just for the resolution (at least until Kant)
The writing is crisp and the language lucid. The aforementioned twist is also important for the way it illustrates certain philosophical ideas, especially of Spinoza and Berkeley, but I shall say no more on this.
One major quarrel I have with the book is its euro-centricism. There are sporadic attempts to talk about Hindu, Buddhist and Chinese philosophy, but these are nothing but minor asides in the narrative.
I can understand that the author is ill-equipped to talk on this matter, but then he should desist from presenting many important ideas, inventions and discoveries as Europe’s gift to mankind when so-called oriental systems had already grappled with the same centuries earlier.
That aside, Sophie’s World can confidently be recommended to all, even if you don’t have any particular interest in philosophy – the story is rich enough, the writing engaging – and you’ll probably learn much along the way.
