Gandhi-land

Worli sealink has been named after Rajiv Gandhi.

I hereby demand that (upcoming) Nhava Sheva Sea Link be named after Priyanka. Or Rahul. We need young blood, and young names.

Ambitions

The US Senate yesterday passed by unanimous consent the Kerry-Lugar bill.

Some important passages of the bill (Courtesy Newyorker) :

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States— (1) to support the consolidation of democracy, good governance, and rule of law in Pakistan; (2) to support economic growth and development... ; 4) to further the sustainable economic development of Pakistan and the improvement of the living conditions of its citizens, including in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas ...

(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the President, for the purposes of providing assistance to Pakistan under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), the following amounts:

(1) For fiscal year 2009, up to $1,500,000,000.(2) For fiscal year 2010, up to $1,500,000,000.(3) For fiscal year 2011, up to $1,500,000,000.(4) For fiscal year 2012, up to $1,500,000,000.(5) For fiscal year 2013, up to $1,500,000,000.

Lesser nations, when they want to help even lesser nations, fund building of roads, dams, power stations, etc. US of A funds building of a nation. In Pakistan's case, not from a scratch, but from the debris of earlier nation building-efforts. They may succeed even. Ask Iraqis.

Academy

I am in Uttan. To cover inauguration of Maharashtra Judicial Academy. It's two hours' drive from Mumbai. Konkan still survives here, with greenery, palm trees, smell of salt and drying fish.

On the narrow road that leads to the Academy, corrugated sheets, put up along the road's edge, block the view of one side. I thought it was to hide construction, perhaps road expansion work. But people, who didn't look like construction workers, could be seen through the gaps between sheets, watching the vehicles go by. Someone in our jeep said sheets were concealing the slum. The President was to pass. White powder lined the other edge of the road: bleaching powder, someone said.

Inside the academy building, we take our seats, and remain in the seats for two hours. President is to arrive at 11.40, we are early. Behind us, the first batch of 50, which will start its refresher course today, is seated. They are judges, from the lower courts.

High Court judges walk in. Its amusing, for us High Court reporters, to see the judges sans their gowns. A lady judge, wearing Sari, looks sexy. You don't get to see her figure below the neck in the court.

As 11.40 nears, those who are to be on the dais get up to the dais. Chief Justice of the High Court shares the dais with the PWD minister. The CJ -- looking handsome in bandhgala -- is currently hearing a petition which seeks to chargesheet the minister in a mafia-related case.

President arrives. CJ welcomes her. He is the host, she is (today) his most cherished guest. Though even Chief Justice Of India is present. CJ hands her a big candle, to light the "traditional" lamp. Both are smiling.

The function starts. She delivers her speech. Talks about judiciary's contribution, backlog of cases, and the need to make justice "accessible to weaker sections of society." We don't bother to make notes, copy of the speech is promised by government PRO. I wonder: what does she think when she runs into the CJ? Because the CJ is writing -- or has finished writing-- a judgement concerning her brother. The brother is accused of carrying out a political murder in Jalgaon.

Then comes the vote of thanks. Justice N--, the second most senior judge of the High Court, rises.

He says: Good lawyers don't opt for judge's profession, because there is no money in it. So we get third-rate lawyers as judges. Therefore -- we must have first-rate institutions to train them. Let this academy be one such.

The statement shocks reporters, would it make a copy? Then naval band plays the anthem, and we exit.

After three hours in seats, there are lines in front of urinals. It's full of the trainee judges. All of them are wearing blazers. They are from the lower judiciary, their faces and their accents reveal -- to me -- the small town background; lack of confidence, or ability, or both, to do well as a lawyer.

"We are third rate. After so many years, we are third rate," I hear one saying.

A fellow reporter is behind me as we await turn at the urinal. "Huge backlog, no?" he says. I burst out laughing.

Rain

Drops of rain kissed my face
And I thought, Yes! this is heaven

Washing the agony off my heart
And I jumped like I was SEVEN

(By Almas Meherally)

Dilemma of Beedi

Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar's today's TOI column presents a hell of a dilemma.

We have a huge fiscal deficit (Swami says). So Pranab-da must think of taxing what isn't taxed hitherto. Why not tax beedis?

Indians consume an estimated one trillion beedis per year, against only 106 billion cigarettes. So, taxes on cigarettes leave out 90% of smokers. You must equalise taxes on beedis and cigarettes. If you equalise at the rate for non-filter micro cigarettes, you will get an additional Rs 15,000 crore per year. And if you equate at the standard filter cigarette rate, you will get an additional Rs 80,000 crore a year. A bonanza!

Aiyar also tells you why beedis aren't taxed: beedi industry employs millions of people. Most of them very poor. People who smoke them too are poor. So the industry is protected.

Aiyar then argues that beedis also contribute, in a big way, to tobacco-related ailments. Since beedis come cheap, more of them are smoked. Moral of the story: tax beedis.

I would not be as definitive as Aiyar. The problem presents a very tough dilemma. Who do you plump for? The poor who die of beedi-addiction, or the poor who keep the wolf away by rolling them?

And most beedi workers live in tribal belts. It's a naxal country. If they were to lose jobs, what would be the consequence?

Promotion

Last week Delhi-based Swaraj group organised a mass-Upanayan ceremony. Over two hundred boys from Valmiki community took part in it. The community's traditional profession is cleaning and scavenging. They are at the bottom in the caste hierarchy, but through the Upnayan, (also called Munj or Mouji-Bandhan), Swaraj group wants to elevate them. Upnayan is a rite unique to Brahmins. Idea is to give them Brahmin-hood, instantly.

Organisers hope that converting them to Brahmin caste will make them touchable, give them dignity. It may seem like an attempt to turn the clock back on the caste-system.

Most likely it won't work. The experience is that caste doesn't go; even after conversion to another religion. Islam, Christianity or Sikhism themselves do not recognise caste, but converts from Hindu low castes could not leave their low status behind when they converted. Caste identity survived.

Read the Indian Express story here.

Shiney: Reaction

This is how my reaction to Shiney's rape story progressed.

Day 1: Poor sod. He is a good actor. There are very few actors among the Bollywood stars. Why would he rape a maid? Something fishy.

Day 2: OK, seems he indeed raped her. Medical report is positive. No conspiracy angle found. But why? Maid? He is a Bollywood star. Could have bedded any girl...

Day 3: Seems he raped her, and there was no seduction on her part. Rapist might by Shiney, who has acted in Hazaro Khwaeeshe.., etc, but it was a rape. She may be a lowly creature, but possibly it has wrecked her, and scarred her for life. Let Shiney go to hell, also called Indian jail, and rot there.

Gandhi Ji Of BJP

Barkha Dutt writes:

There's a story about Varun Gandhi that no one in the BJP will tell you on the record. It goes something like this. A party leader, who shall remain unnamed, rang the controversial young politician to invite him for a party function. "Varun," he said, "could you please come to ..." only to find that he had been cut off midstream by an irate Gandhi at the other end of the phone line.

The 28-year old lit into his senior party colleague and reprimanded him for addressing him so casually by his first name. At the very least, he argued, he should have been called 'Varunji' for being the party's next big hope in Uttar Pradesh.

Or, at the very, very least, he should have been called `Gandhiji'. As it is he keeps saying that he is the real `Gandhi'. What you say?

Courage, Twenty Years Ago

Nicholas D. Kristof in NYT:

That was happening all over Beijing. On the old airport road that same night, truckloads of troops were entering the city from the east. A middle-aged bus driver saw them and quickly blocked the road with his bus.

Move aside, the troops shouted.

I won’t let you attack the students, the bus driver retorted defiantly.
The troops pointed their guns at the bus driver and ordered him to move the bus aside. Instead, he plucked the keys from the ignition and hurled them into the bushes beside the road to ensure that no one could drive that bus away.

The man was arrested; I don’t know what happened to him.

Hang Them

Bride-burners shouldn't be hanged.

They should be burned. Preferably with kerosene.

Justice Markandeya Katju is lenient than me; he wants bride-burners to hang. (Two years ago he said that corrupt officials should be hanged from the`nearest lamp-post'. He likes hanging. )

For those who haven't read yesterday's papers: Justice Katju, of the Supreme Court, said during a hearing: "If people like you are hanged, then only will this barbaric practice stop. We are coming across a large number of bride burning and dowry death cases these days."

Katju, alongwith another judge, was hearing appeal of a man convicted for killing wife. The fellow poured kerosene on her and set her afire. I understand the judge's anger.

My problem with Katju's outburst is: 1. The man here has filed appeal. How could the judge be sure that he is guilty before hearing the arguments?

2. On hanging, we have a certain policy -- laid down by the Supreme Court itself. Capital punishment is to be awarded only in the most rare cases. Justice Katju may have a different view. But is he seeking to change the policy single-handedly?

3. The judge, obviously, was simply venting the anger. But should he, sitting up there?