Writing and expression of thoughts is healthy...

 

 Carl Jung said “Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.”  I would say loneliness is a difficult journey and not everyone  transiting through that phase can survive such an humiliation of being destroyed. Destruction only means recovering and rebuilding as the next thing to attempt. Nevertheless, one has to write even if no one cares to read. Writing is cathartic, helps you get by. 

I started posting in this blog in a light-hearted banter but  slowly my academic interest in subjects relating to climate change and sustainable development got diverted to understanding geopolitical issues relating to the resources for renewable energy, especially in Africa, where the regional conflicts are strategically ignored by USA for whatever reason  and the roles played by China and Russia in Central African countries abundant with  minerals and metals requisite for global  transitioning to renewable energy. China's violation of  environmental laws relating to fishing in the international waters an industry that remains mostly unregulated despite advanced technology in identifying overfishing and the violation of human rights on fishing vessels.  This is how academics  wade into discussions over geopolitical and humanitarian issues. 

Watching Vladimir Putin's aggression  to crush the sovereignty of Ukraine by starting a war against innocent people, his attempt to avenge Boris Yeltsin's drunken behaviour at the Pennsylvania Avenue, D.C., by interfering in America's elections and bring down the political discourse of USA through Donald Trump only shows how some extreme principles of nationalism can affect innocent citizens.  The disproportionate retaliation by the Israeli government  for the October 7th attack by Hamas  went unquestioned by powerful nations. As for  Gazans, their  homes have been invaded due to the callousness of their those who are supposed to protect them and yet, they do not wish give up their land for anything in the world.  Benjamin Netanyahu is holding on to power by colluding with the far right and forming a coalition to avoid answering the people on corruption cases filed against him and his previous government.  These leaders do not care about their people and have no vision for their citizens that entails peace and prosperity. 

The silence of the international community in watching the plight of innocent civilians in Gaza and other regions of Congo, Sudan and Central  Africa  makes one wonder as to how we are going to attain peace on this  planet that is slowly losing its natural resources to climate change and the  implications for future generations.  

 

Movies are not just entertaining...

  

 

Watching movies is a past time and I decided to either watch the movie or miss it within the first few minutes of the same.  I am a movie buff and I enjoy Hollywood as much as I enjoy Mollywood.  I chanced upon a video on Instagram that stated, “take away independence, intelligence and cleanliness from a cat, you end up having a dog”.  In some situations, the dog can turn into a ferocious watchdog that protects what it believes in.   The avaricious desire to crush someone and to reign control over them can be tiring to both the perpetrator and the victim. I was reminded of Robert Redford’s movie ‘The Last Castle’ with James Gandolfini as the antagonist that was based on such an idea. Some people like to take  hostages they wish to control and contain  and enjoy their discomfort. 

 

I like watching horror movies and I definitely enjoyed Nicole Kidman’s ‘The Others’. In reality, what scares me more are movies such as  ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ based on science fiction and mind control technologies and mind games.  These movies open a window into the way in which some people think and  sadistic behaviour of a few who are either politically greedy or fascist in their ideology, making religion, caste and other divisive factors the edifice of their governance. 

 

Now with Malayalam movies reaching their zenith in storytelling and script writing, I must admit that the recent ‘Ullozhuku’ got me crying unabashedly although I watched it with subtitles missing out on the nuances the language offers. A beautiful story about the magnanimity of a mother, her love for her terminally ill son and her yearning for a grandchild  was very touching and humane. It reminded me of the movie ‘Oppol’ that was released in the year 1981. I watched it on television many years ago and  tears just rolled out of my eyes watching the young boy’s deep attachment to his elder sister. It is sad that the Malayalam industry is going through such a churning. Despite the sudden #ME TOO news, I believe Malayalam movies are a class apart. 

 

 

 

Rightful place for women in this world....

 I was recently reading a wonderful essay by Anne-Marie Slaughter and Xanthe Schraff titled “Peace building in the Middle East requires women”. They state the reasons as to how and why women make the best peacemakers and how the Biden Administration has further empowered women in playing crucial roles in peacemaking efforts. 

 
We have seen women become efficient world leaders by thinking for themselves and living life on their own terms. With so much war and conflicts across  the globe America is now poised to choose a woman as its President. The timing is perfect because women tend to show more compassion and diligence without any prompting. 

 

 A woman who takes upon herself the responsibility of children who are not biologically hers tends to be more supportive of them without expecting anything out of them in reciprocity. All that the woman wants is to see them do well in their lives. As for her own children, she may find it difficult to let go of them, since there is a modicum of selfishness when she expects them to  provide emotional  sustenance as she grows old. 

 

Just as it hurts to hear a prominent politician shaming women by calling them “childless democrats”, it is equally hurting to say that a woman is only a stepmother. It takes a great deal of magnanimity to take on the responsibility of her husband’s children without having one of her own. One must talk to those children who accept another woman as a substitute for  biological mother to run their day to day lives and help them to grow as good individuals and try  to understand how a woman thinks when she decides for them while they are still young and how her decisions have benefited them in the long run. 

 

Women are intuitively kind and tough, astute, aggressive and bereft of ego when they need to decide issues involving larger good. Geopolitics needs more women for global peace. Let America give woman a chance, which they missed earlier by not electing Hillary Clinton. Let some peace descend upon earth, let children not suffer from starvation and death. World is giving up on an entire generation of children be it in Africa or Gaza that can have unfathomable consequences in the future. With women, there is no going back on doing what is right for everyone. 

I write what I think....

They say "You become what you think". This is a place where I write that reflects my thoughts while in solitude. 

I was reading the recent edition of the Economist where there was an essay on how malnutrition affects the Intelligent Quotient of children of the world. As I watch the children in Gaza starving, infants struggling with lack of food and nutrition in some of the African nations, it is with disgust that I watched the wedding celebrations of the Ambani family. I believe it was a shameless display of wealth much to the shock of average Indian who is constantly on social media taking in the facts and fake news. Families that are unable to feed their families two meals a day must be utterly dismayed by their own plight.  It is important to place India on a pedestal at a global level, but it must be through generating employment, uplifting local communities and providing help for small scale industries, promoting our handicrafts, handloom and textile varieties and ensuring tribal welfare. A big fat Indian wedding is certainly not the way. Shame on Reliance and its family. I hope the next generation of the Ambanis are more humane and considerate to the Indian population as such. I do not blame the celebrities who attended the wedding as an aspect of a commercial venture. It is a price to pay for fame and popularity, you do get invited I suppose and one cannot refuse or can they? After all, Reliance is also in the entertainment industry. 

 

Now, that elections in India have delivered a verdict, I am presently watching the happenings in the US and other nations.  

 

With Mr. Trump escaping an assassination attempt and was seen showing his fist to the crowd chanting “Fight, Fight……”. I am not sure what that means to people watching the coverage. Did he mean to say fight the gun lobby, fight the physical entity of an enemy of the US who does not exist, or fight the Democrats, especially when he just nominated his running mate a person who had aggressively challenged his candidature a few months ago. Glad that he escaped the attempt to assassinate which exonerates President Joe Biden. 

 

I believe most of the American electorate are not getting the bigger picture by failing to understand the implications of choosing a President who is wise enough to take strategic decisions on their behalf.  I am unable to decipher the debate around President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities while they fail to question the cognitive abilities of Supreme Court Judges who are appointed for life and are reposed with the duty to deliver judgements that set precedents with imminent or long-term consequences. The recent judgement on veracity of Presidential immunity and the overturning of Roe v. Wade are examples of non-application of mind by the highest court of the country. I say this because genetic evolution of girls is much faster than boys as they attain puberty as early as 10 and do not understand terms such as rape and pregnancy. How are the parents of such kids supposed to react to the situation? 

 

American citizenry requires campaigns that  help create awareness on the destruction caused by opioids, the need to equip themselves with forms of vocational training, the need to pursue higher education and be more enlightened on community issues happening not just in their state but also other states and other nations. It needs to empower its rural populations through awareness programs and the reward them with the power of knowledge.   

 

I wondered as to why the case of sexual misconduct by Mr. Trump was filed   while there was no clamor about the fact that Mr. Trump did not place his business assets in a Blind trust when he was elected in the year 2016 and provided a platform for his family members to participate in the governance of the nation. 

 

All the more perplexing was the application of American jurisprudence in the ‘classified documents’ case against him which had a direct effect on national security issues. I am surprised at the fact that some Americans   are capable of keeping their nation at the top of the global community and exercising their strategy autonomy, the majority of their population are not well equipped to think for themselves and understand the implications of their choices and decisions. I begin to doubt if most of the states in the USA are getting more evangelistic in their approach and believe in white Christian supremacy to believe that a convicted felon and a man who sells the Bible during his campaigns could be a choice to govern the nation that commands a say in keeping global peace. Is the 2024 election the primary reason for President Joe Biden to take contradictory stance in matters relating to the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza? Do the Israel and Russian governments want a stooge in Mr. Trump who aims to downsize the NATO and diminish its importance in a world that is facing the consequences of climate change that could possibly evolve into transboundary disputes over natural resources when peacekeeping is needed the most in the future. 

 

I do believe that there are Americans who understand the capabilities of the Indian Diaspora and treat them with a lot of respect. During one of my trips to the US, I had the privilege of meeting Senator Lautenberg who was completely at ease working with an Indian from South India who also happens to be a popular politician with a lot of good work to his credit. Yet, the question he posed to me when I informed him that I was a lawyer, the first question he posed to me was “Are the court proceedings in India in English?” I concluded that even the elite and intellectuals of America have very limited knowledge on how India actually works. I must admit that this incident was much before the time of Google, Microsoft et al., appointing Indian Americans as their CEOs giving them a pride of place in the tech world. America has so much more to offer the world and it needs leaders who have the wisdom to expand its vision beyond 2050 by investing in public transport within counties and states and increase its manufacturing capabilities. 

 

 

Elections 2024 and its impact on citizens.

Election results have been out and I am yet to recover from the shock of watching Mr. Narendra Modi willing to lead the country despite a clear message from voters that his kind of political rhetoric is not acceptable for a pluralistic nation like ours.   If only Mr. Modi had chosen to act like a true statesman and refused the offer of the post of Prime Minister  as an act of political morality and as an ethical practice in keeping with democratic values, it may not have been ‘business as usual’ with theatrics like celebrating international day of yoga in Kashmir where elections are due. 

 

Adding to this hypocrisy was the speech of RSS leadership after the election results were declared as it was clear their kind of Hindutva will not garner votes as expected and anti-muslim rants are not going to get them the credibility they expected from the majority  Hindu population of India. 

 

The sudden initiation of dialogues over conflict in Manipur after passage of an year  and expressing concerns over urban housing after a lapse of 10 years is to distract the nation from scrutinising the criminal laws  drafted based on a recommendation by a parliamentary committee under the auspices of the Home Ministry and not by the Law Commission as is the norm. India's legal luminaries have been discussing this issue on digital media and it is a shame that these people's voices are not being heard even by the Chief Justice of India. I am truly hoping that NDA alliance partners  ensure that the efficacy of these new laws are debated before the parliament and members are given an opportunity to  voice their opinion on the matter in the interest of natural justice and equity. 

Years after independence, governments have been struggling to find a solution for under-trials languishing in prisons, which is of utmost  priority under criminal procedure laws. It is also disheartening to note that a Court has chosen to adjourn a matter for nearly four months relating to acquisition of disproportionate assets by an erstwhile minister of a regional party. Most of the corruption cases against public officials and ministers do not end in conviction merely because it could be inconvenient for the popular parties and also to be used as an arm twisting tactic by ruling parties.  Essentially, laws should fast track cases relating to public money and  help citizens in deciding what kind of people need to stand for elections and seek votes from innocent and ignorant citizens. The labyrinthine provisions under the Income Tax Act is a double-edged sword that need to be simplified and not render the work of Chartered Accountants as unnecessary or redundant as was the case of removing the benevolent provision of Settlement Commission that could have generated more revenue and less fugitives and lesser black money. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fragility of Democracy in India...

Two days to go for elections in India and it is surprising to watch Honourable Mr. Narendra Modi taking  questions from  journalists of his choice in the last few days to impress a select few. Although, I did not watch these interviews, I wonder if Mr. Modi would have answered questions such as:

a) What is the current plight of  individuals, small businesses and medium sized businesses  that were forced to fold due to demonetization  and its cascading effects on unemployment, saving potential, and consumption patterns of the citizens?

b) Have the migrant labourers who were forced to flee to their home towns by walking all the way from one end of the country to the other  on a short notice appropriately rehabilitated? 

c) Has the problem of Manipur resolved to total peace and is the state’s economy on the road to revival?

d) How will the recently built  Ayodhya temple help India’s economy? Can a juvenile Ram help bring about Ram Rajya in India? How long does one have to wait for him to grow and help India’s economy?

e) What is the real reason to arrest BRS and Arvind Kejriwal at a time when nation is readying itself to vote a different government?

f) Why is  Mr. Modi promising Statehood to J&K, resolving Manipur crisis and announcing CAA rules just a few days before the elections? Did the visit from East European Senators to the State help build any form of international consensus on the issues of Kashmir?

g) Will the Char Dham project help  China well enough to encroach some more into Indian territory? Can Mr. Modi take questions from environmentalists and experts on the issue of damaging the fragile Himalayan ecosystem? 

h) Are the international incidents including bringing back students from Ukraine, saving Navy personnel from Qatar, and the present issue with Indian sailors being rescued from Iran orchestrated by unknown supporters of Mr. Modi and Adani? Should such incidents find their way into the election campaign of the BJP Party?

 And many more…for journalists to discuss with Mr. Modi before the election results of 2024 are declared… 

Intolerance to dissent...

 As the electoral bonds case was taken up for hearing, the nation was distracted by the treatment meted out to Ms.Mahua Moitra by the Ethics Committee, whose chairman stooped to a new level of questioning Ms. Moitra on her personal life and past relationships just to stop her from raising genuine and serious issues affecting the nation on the Adani-Modi nexus. I remember mentioning Adani’s influence on Mr.Modi to my father a few years ago, somewhere around the time when there was an explosion close to Antilla, the residence of Mr.Mukesh Ambani.

Ms.Moitra must have realised now that politics in India is a difficult terrain to navigate and that she will require all the strength to face this challenge and come out unscathed. It is only becoming more and more obvious that mediocrity is more acceptable in politics. A woman like Ms.Moitra, who exhibits courage and gumption to take on powerful adversaries who she believes are a threat to national security, is targeted by misogynists and mediocre stooges with no calibre. These are new methods to shut down a woman who is not just intelligent but also articulate. Ms.Moitra must remember that people like Mayawati have been elected to be the Chief Minister of a state, and  a close associate of Madam Jayalalitha  feels confident enough to plunge into politics and not many voters in India  understand the difference between voting for good educated candidates and voting for the party based on its symbol alone. This system can be improved only if the right to vote is awarded   to those who have completed high school as a minimum qualification, a condition that can be fulfilled if people in remote villages and tribal areas demand access to schools and basic education. 

I am particularly happy that Mr.Rahul Gandhi has used his time to work his way up by interacting with people at the grass-roots level and has gained first-hand knowledge of the state of the nation. He is a clean and well-meaning politician, and I hope this electorate gives him a chance to prove his authentic political legacy and merit and bring this nation out of the rut that it has gotten into unwittingly over the last decade. As an article in Hindustan Times commented that Rahul Gandhi does not have the body language to become a Prime Minister, it is my personal opinion that we do not need a chest thumping Tarzan, we need someone who has watched two assassinations in his family and yet has courageously chosen to spend his time working for the nation.

 What about allegations of “cash for votes” paid to uneducated, illiterate, and gullible voters living in low-income housing and makeshift homes? Is it true? Where do political parties get their money to pay the bribes? The data that the Apex Court has asked for only refers to how much each party has received but does not seek to disclose to the public who donated how much and to which party. It is a flawed approach serving no purpose, and I believe this matter was taken up now only because India is getting ready for general elections  next year  and electoral bonds may have been encashed and the hearing could be just a formality to reset the system before the introduction of electoral bonds.