How Sanjay slapped Indira
I was reading the article about how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira Gandhi (“First person: The story behind how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira six times at a dinner party”). I lived in New Delhi during the Emergency when I was a student.
I witnessed a lot of atrocities. Maybe this demon Sanjay (later killed in a mysterious air crash) is a reincarnation of Duryodhana and Dushasana rolled into one! A magazine saw its leading columnist arrested in the middle of the night for quoting from the Vedas "that a widow ruling a country will be doomed".
They all have become a passing show now! None of them are fit to undertake the duty to progress India. Maha Bharat will survive many Kalyugs. – Bala Harendran
***
The news was a sensation in the '70s but even then a majority of people disbelieved it. Another gossip tried to maintain that Sanjay's accidental death too was a planned conspiracy by his mother. To me, both of these stories are false and fabricated and are given air in view of the gossipy nature of Indians. – Rajeev K Manocha
***
As a common man, we too heard (not six times though) what Sanjay Gandhi slapped his mother. We hate such acts by any son. We also read in some newspapers that after Sanjay’s plane crash, Indira Gandhi visited the site and searched for a key. The Emergency imposed was a black period for our democracy. Of course, people pardoned and elected her back.
I really appreciate your moral and ethical standards which I could read and understand in this story. The present English electronic media is not maintaining that professionalism. – Bharath Kumar KV
***
I read your story and feel that it was a long time ago, and it has less effect on today's politics, though the situation has not changed. I guess Sanjay Gandhi was astonished to see his mother do all this only for authority. Indian politics and the producers of a drama series have the same attitude. Only authority speaks and nowhere is anything being done about it. If you ask why it resembles other parts of the globe, then it may be because the mindset of people has become such that with power alone can one be satisfied. – Anindyya Baanerjee
***
In those days there were widespread rumours that Indira Gandhi had a hand in the accidental death of her son Sanjay Gandhi, I had no reason to believe the same as anything authentic.
The story that you have come out with in black and white after four decades, is for good reasons very well-timed, and something you have taken advantage of. To me it appeared to be in fact, a way-out story. Just gossip unleashed by you that can help any publication house to amass huge sums of money, flying free in this country of ours. – Monojit Mitra Mustafi
Bollywood's golden age
Living in Canada for the past 40 years, my nostalgic window of the Indian cultural scene for the most part has been Hindi filmy music offering a blissful of continuous entertainment. In this regard, Jai Arjun Singh's excellent interview with the writers of Gaate Rahe makes an interesting reading (“A book, 50 classic Hindi songs, some questions, and many answers”). It not only takes one down the memory lane of lively and colourful compositions of Hindi filmy songs, but recognises the talent of all those music directors, singers, the accompanying instrument players and the lyricists. Congratulations to the authors for undertaking this project. Wondering, when the book will be released and if available online. – Promod Puri
***
While everything was nice, I wondered why there has been no mention of Hemant Kumar. Besides being a brilliant singer, he was a music director par excellence. He gave some classics. Movies like Anupama and Khamoshi stand out. Though he may not have given many numbers, I thought he deserved a mention. Similarly, Snehal Bhatkal and Sudhir Phadke too deserve to be mentioned. – PS Ranganath
Arnab unleashed
Arnab Goswami’s interview is the first of its kind by an active media person (“The Arnab Goswami interview: 'I don't believe in a cozy chat among convivial people'”). I haven’t read anything similar in the past few months, which I would really like to.
Most questions reflect the viewers’ curiosity. Looking forward to more such informative and interesting stories from Scroll.in. – Rajesh Raghvani
***
Good revelation, rather openly by Arnab Goswami – Dr S Pathy
Anti-Emergency dynamics
The article about key players aligning with the Congress is not fully true (“Forty years later, the key anti-Emergency players are aligned with the Congress”). Jagmohan, Maneka Gandhi and many Congress leaders who are now in the Bharatiya Janata Party have been Emergency villains. Moreover, do not forget that the then Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Balasaheb Deoras wrote (two direct letters and one letter through Vinoba Bhave) to Indira Gandhi declaring support to the Emergency. Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained on parole throughout the Emergency. The BJP as heroes is questionable. Naxalites suffered the most as hundreds of them were killed in fake encounters. – S Islam
Ramzan and Rashtrapati Bhavan
Come Ramzaan and the President's office of secular India wakes up to a unique event. As such, the President sending greetings to the people of India on important national days, festivals and religious occasions is a matter of routine. However, Rashtrapati Bhawan on its own is not supposed to organise any event related to a religious denomination, as stipulated by our Constitution.
But the highest office of India has exempted itself from this precept in one case. The Rashtrapati Bhawan consciously observes a special event - iftar - an intra-faith part ritual, during Ramzan, seemingly in disregard to the spirit of the Constitution.
A non-Muslim who himself doesn't keep the Ramzaan fast but gives in to holding Iftar with well-fed guests among the invitees amounts to a mockery of a solemn ritual. It’s upscaling to official proportions in a distorted manner by the state functionaries, and amounts to aberrant action not befitting a state that practices no religion. – Anil Kowshik
Exams don't matter
Wonderful article about how marks in exams don’t matter much (“A word of advice for college admission seekers: Be more than the sum of your marks”). As a trainer in personality development and spoken English, this exactly what I tell my students and trainees. – Sudhir Subramani
Traditional midwives
There is an incredible wealth of knowledge and skill that traditional birth attendants have which are probably not written down in any textbook (“Photos: 90 km from Kolkata, traditional midwives are still the only hope for expectant mothers”). We have to also remember that 90% of those alive on the planet today were born at home. – Priyanka Idicula
Hindi cinema, 1957
Thank you for this very interesting article with accurate description of movies and influences of the players during the golden age of Indian cinema (“Film flashback: To understand Hindi cinema of the 1960s, start with 1957”). – Mike Guddoy
The incredible sexual problems that Indians are facing
I have no idea how it works but I really respect you guys for what you’re doing. Well, Indians really need to be educated about sex, starting from the school itself (“The incredible sexual problems that Indians are facing”).
We really need to get off with the taboos and myth that we have and are very talented in creating. Of course, some of the things are very funny. You can go insane laughing, but at the same time it also shows how much we need to educate such people. – Lakshit Joshi
Niqab debate
It is not so much about whether wearing niqab or chador or burqa is conservative – fundamentalist, secular or liberal – but about the freedom of thought or expression (“On a feminist Twitter handle, liberals debate whether the niqab is oppressive”).
The protests in Egypt – with thousands of very vocal women taking a stand – delivered a very strong and much-needed message of what women need and want. The centuries-old tradition – enforcement of women yielding to the subjugation of zealous mullahs and other religious leaders – has long since outlived its welcome. Whatever happened to the illustrious teachings of the Prophet and his compassion for all of the Muslim world – not just the men who deem it their unequivocal right to proclaim the ordinances of the Quran to suit themselves? – Sharif Shah-Bilal
Interstellar in school
I would caution about the religious dangers of undue promotion of science fiction (“Next up on physics curriculums: 'Interstellar'”). In the 1950s, I saw a sci-fi movie where humans took a rocket to Venus. Later spectroscopic evidence suggested a Venusian surface "hot enough to melt lead". This prompted the invention of "new physics", the greenhouse effect. We now know that "hot enough to melt lead" is no big deal.
If you do not view the new physics of wormholes with some scepticism, some future Roman Catholic Pope is liable to adopt its belief as church dogma. – David Naugler
Monsoon books
I suggest reading the following food books when it rains (“Why books about food are the best things to read in the rains”):
1. Sex Life of Food
2. Table is Laid
3. From Farm to Table
4. Devil in the Kitchen
5. Tampopo (see the film too)
I travel to eat on national highways and roads passing through cities. No season for food for me. – Sheetal Lakhia
***
I wholeheartedly recommend Pamela Timms's Korma, Kheer & Kismet (Aleph, 2014) to this list. A more scrumptious evocation of Purani Dilli, its street food and its dilwale vendors I'm yet to come across! – Abhirami Sriram
SP Mookerjee revival
This Muslim correspondent of yours, Shoaib Daniyal, has vented his ire against the very popular SP Mookerjee (“Revisiting Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Trinamool's latest hero”). What you have written is part truth, thus you have devilishly managed some sort of lies to unfold against the late leader who is one of the topmost leaders of India.
Kolkata would have been in the clutches of the mad Muslim Jinnah had it not been for our SP Mookerjee, who fought Nehruvian spinal cordlesness. The Left has always supported the Raj and not the Hindu Mahasabha, which was never communal as you and your sickularists will argue.
I am a proud Hindu, which according to the author, is communal. Please explain how this "communal" political party has become the largest party in the world. I guess Muslims should be barred from writing as they are always troublemakers. – Arnab Chatterjee
***
Please give proof that Savarkar and SP Mookerjee opposed the Quit India movement and sided with the British. Or apologise. – s4smsm@gmail.com
IIT admissiona
I could relate so much to the article about the IIT (“I sacrificed my health and teenage years to study at the IITs – but was it worth it?”). I feel stuck, although it’s a private autonomous institute in Pune. At this point, life seems like an array of bad decisions and regrets. I wish I too had paid heed to my teacher. I have one more year left in the labyrinth that I’m stuck in. But now after reading what you’ve written, it leaves me with a ray of hope. A small inspiration to pursue what I had originally subconsciously intended as a 13-year-old. – Shweta Honmane
Ironic piece
I wonder if you felt a tingle of irony when you published this piece (“Graphic novel: what if the British had never left India?”). - Akshay Srinivasan
Toilet use
The right video and the right message (“Wrong video, right question: Do people really need lessons in using a toilet?”). The solution needs funding, education, culture change and strict laws. – Dattu Prajapati
Beached whale
We had the greatest joy and experience about 15 years ago. While we were in Mahabalipuram for surfing, we successfully saved a "small" whale, which all of a sudden appeared in front of us (“How did the blue whale in Alibag die? And why were people standing on top of it?”). We managed to put the whale in the direction of the open sea after more than an hour it being stuck in the wet sand. The six of us were working on this, while the rest of the crowd did not seem interested in helping. We had to be extremely careful because of the granite rocks which could have killed the whale if we dragged it. Fortunately, the whale made it out with the help of a small surfboard. While going away it gave us a big "thank you" in the form of a big spray coming out of its head. – Papiko Dubos
Ramadan vs Ramzan
The word Ramadan is itself an Arabic word (“Why are Indian Muslims using the Arabic word ‘Ramadan’ instead of the traditional 'Ramzan'?”). It is the name of the ninth month in the Arabic calendar. I believe that there should not be a fuss about pronouncing an Arabic word in the correct way. – Mohammad Hamzah
***
I don't understand the rationale behind this debate. Every third English word we pronounce reflects the Indian way of uttering words. Do we debate this? – Mastufa Ahmed
FTII strike
The best solution to all the problems: the Film and Television Institute of India should go autonomous like St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, and the control should be in good hands (“FTII’s biggest blessing is also its biggest tragedy – the government”). I am an educationist, and we are trying to put in filmmaking as a subject. As our first step, we are organising media literacy forums and trainings where children are learning filmmaking. – Rita Som
***
Your article is very well written and I am sure resonates with many of us, as it did with me. These are the kind of articles that need to be read, followed by introspection and action. Unfortunately, the press and some people sensationalise things and the real issues get ignored. If it has not been published, it needs to be published. I do hope you are going to do that. – Arunaraje Patil
Maharashtra's new state butterfly
The article about how national symbols are selected is thought-provoking and very interesting (“Maharashtra's new state butterfly begs the question: How are our national symbols selected in the first place?”). But why does everything need to be justified through a moderated, rational purpose? I believe that the best habitat for wild creatures is the human heart. Frankly, any species chosen is linked with the umbilical cord to nature and if the spirit of connectivity prevails, snails could end up saving tigers just as effectively as tigers end up saving frogs. Children find such lateral thinking far easier to grasp than most adults. – Bittu Sahgal
Dogs vs poachers
It's great that the dogs are helping target the poachers (“Meet India's newest anti-poaching warriors: 14 German Shepherds”). I just hope you give them a good retirement plan for their outstanding job. We have seen in the past how badly some police dogs are treated once they have retired. These animals should retire with dignity and should be taken care of once they retire from their job. – Dipika
***
What happens to these dogs after retirement? Are they put to sleep? – sbblore@yahoo.co.in
Monica Dogra's art project
Regarding your critique of Monica Dogra's initiative, I agree with everything you've said, but feel an incredibly problematic point has been missed – who is to say that artists are all powerful and progressive? (“Why Monica Dogra's art project to fight LGBT bias is irking the people she aims to help”) And as "powerful and progressive" islands, does that by default make the rest of us non-artists not powerful and not progressive? Are we less committed to causes because we can't make high art for them? – Toru Jhaveri
John Oliver on Greece
I am a big fan of John Oliver (“Watch John Oliver hilariously explain how Greece has ended up on the brink of economic disaster”). But here he seems to be reinforcing the IMF narrative that the Greeks are somehow totally responsible for this crisis. Tariq Ali and other commentators have shown how the lending private banks were equally responsible and that neoliberal unregulated finance is written into the Greek tragedy. Besides, the Greek government is only implanting its mandate: to end austerity. – Varun Patil
Make in India
I read the article about the US chipmaker with interest (“How a US chipmaker unwittingly became an incubator for Indian entrepreneurs”). Looking at the stroke of good luck some of the later entrants into the job market had, I feel, a great part of my professional life wasted. This is the kind of make in India that our honourable PM should target. But what we have with us are companies which have just taken the next step to body-shopping, which was the in-thing in the 1990s. – Mahadeva Sarmas
Eating chikki
Perhaps keeping the Bihar election and forthcoming one in Uttar Pradesh in mind, the Congress with the support of some media keep on blaming Bharatiya Janata party chief ministers and their governance ("After a year of staying dry, the BJP is being showered with scandal"). All the BJP CMs and ministers by this time have experienced the deteriorated pitch conditions where the UPA/Congress danced with corruption. Now the BJP has two-fold or manifold trouble in taking decisions, so they must be very careful. The truth about both the ministers’ non-involvement may emerge in due course of time, but it is a caution to all of them as they promised good governance - Srirama
Pakistan's Bombay Bakery
Good story, forwarded to my Sindhi friends worldwide for a taste of nostalgia ("In Sindh's Hyderabad, the century-old Bombay Bakery produces Pakistan's most famous cakes").
The irony is that if the Bombay Bakery was in fact in Bombay er... (mumble, mumble) Mumbai, it would have been required to have signage in Marathi as well! Maybe it would have to be rebranded the Mumbai Bakery - alliteration be damned. – Ivan Kostka
Crumbling AIDS programme
Thank you for posting the article (“India is pushing people back into sex trade by dismantling its excellent AIDS programme”). While it is heartening to note the continued interest Scroll shows in examining issues around AIDS and sex work, I must point out that are some glaring problems with this particular article.
The pronouns for a male-born transperson would be she, and not he. There are many transpersons who alternate between male and female identities, depending on the situation at hand, so I’m not suggesting this is an intentional oversight.
The HIV intervention programme is not the bed of roses it is presented as being. This particular statement is informed by research on transgenders recently performed in the districts of North Karnataka (Hubli/Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, etc).
The healthcare services provided are singularly focussed on HIV: treatment for other illnesses generally aren’t provided or even considered, and it is not at all stigma-free in any way. Those who seek, or are advised to seek, HIV-related healthcare are universally discriminated against.
As we have gathered from our work with sexual minorities in Karnataka, the unfortunate side effect of the targeted intervention programme has been the automatic assumption that everyone, even healthcare professionals, make: that you, as a sexual minority, are a carrier of AIDS, and that there can be no other conceivable reason for you to seek medical care.
Calling this programme an “amazing success story” is a stretch. – Aseem Bhargava
***
Very NGO-type this article. An innocent media space has been craftily manipulated by NGOs.
Surely any programme is time-bound and not forever? Instead of complaining how their jobs got axed, these outreach workers could have used the opportunity to build their skills, find jobs, move on. If they find themselves back on the streets, who is to blame? If the point is that nobody is willing to give a transgender a job, then the system should address that, because that is a different issue altogether. – Sumita Thapar
Anand Patwardhan meets Morari Bapu
Morari Bapu has the wisdom to take an anti-orthodox stand on issues ("How agnostic filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and guru Morari Bapu found common ground"). Once on his Haryana tour, I presented him with my feminist poetry volume – Nirbhay ho jao Draupadi – challenging all anti-woman myths and scriptures. To my surprise, he went through the book in one evening and talked about many revolutionary poems in detail the next day, endorsing the ideas presented therein. He also exhorted the creation of a new society and a religion that promotes gender equality! – Rashmi Bajaj
Mughal miniatures
I liked your article ("Astonishing Christmas-themed Mughal miniatures from the courts of Akbar and Jehangir"). I am impressed with the knowledge and your collections from the core of history. But, whatever you mentioned about Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon Him, that he ordered the preservation of Jesus's portrait, even to destroy the idols, is incorrect.
I have never seen any sign or hadith in the support of your argument. Either you should remove this phrase or provide some authentic proof in your support. – Neyaz Ahmad
#SelfieWithDaughter
Another superficial publicity stunt (#Selfiewithdaughter: Can India save 23 million girls?). How can this be seen as a message of treating girls as equal to boys, when many of the photo captions name the daughters after pretty objects like "angel" and "princess"? When will India put in place strong affirmative actions to bring about change for girl children? Actions which will ensure parents see them as valuable members of society? India needs job quotas for females, security and better healthcare for females of all ages, and incentives to ensure that girls complete their education. - Sandy Tatham
J&K minister's brush with doctor
I don't agree with your views on why it is unacceptable for the minister, who happens to be the man, to correct a woman’s collar ("Let's call J&K minister fiddling with young doctor's collar what it is – sexual harassment"). The gesture of correcting the doctor on duty’s collar is not acceptable whether the doctor happens to be a man or a woman.
I’m a doctor and a woman, but this appears to be more a matter of power play than sexual harassment. I wonder if he would correct collars if he was admitted for emergency treatment in a government hospital. – Prarthana Srinivasa
Modi, Manmohan and Vajpayee
While the story idea and write-up were brilliant to deal with "Maun Ki Baat" ("How is Modi different from Manmohan and Vajpayee on the issue of tainted ministers?"), the story lacks some crucial facts from Atal Behari Vajpayee’s era. It was unfair to keep him in the same bracket as Narendra Modi and Manmohan Singh.
The story failed to mention that Dillep Singh Judeo was made to resign as Minister of State after he was shown taking black money for donations in 2003. The story also did not mention Bangaru Laxman, who also resigned as BJP president after the Tehelka expose in 2001 and was never appointed to any key post. Vajpayee had full control of the BJP then, and he exercised his power and influence like a statesman.
One should not forget that Vajpayee’s government had more than a hundred MPs from among the allies, yet he made George Fernandes, the most influential leader of any allied party and the then convenor of NDA, to resign even though he was not shown taking money.
It is also a fact that Modi and Singh are supported and in a way installed by corporates, and hence less likely to be affected by any economic offence or corruption charges. – Sudiep Shrivastava
Lead in Ayurvedic medicines
Your article makes some relevant issues about the general health condition in the country ("Maggi controversy: Millions of Indians face danger of lead poisoning ‒ from Ayurveda"). But what I find most surprising is that you have full appreciation of 1,000-year-old British eye treatment or traditional Chinese cure for malaria but you wholesale degrade Ayurveda with impunity, which indicates that you are a purebred leftist or fake secular intellectual who thinks anything originating from this country is rubbish and needs to endorsed by someone. – Anu Vatsan
Moving out
This is with reference to the article ("The smart way to smart cities: shift state capitals out of overcrowded Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai") by Mohan Guruswamy. I applaud his approach that offices/establishments should be moved out of capital cities so that they become less congested. But I have serious doubts that the bureaucracy will let this happen. I appreciate him for such a good article. But it needs strong political will to carry out these 'urban reforms'. – Dr. Sankalp Srivastava
1984 anti-Sikh riots
For the last 35 years, the same thing has been happening to Muslims and in many cases Sikhs were party to anti-Muslim pogroms ("1984 anti-Sikh riots: who asked the police not to intervene, and why?"). I would think Sikhs should know, at least the police officers among them, who may have instructed the police in Delhi not to act. We believe Congress leaders have been a part of this dirty game throughout and they must have instructed right people what not to do. While Sikhs have been managed to return to the fold, Muslims continue to remain in their shells. Muslims have a long and painful future ahead. Whatever the case, the rogues must be exposed and punished with exemplary punishments. – Anis Mohiuddin
Harappa and Clean India
Rig Veda or the Vedic society for the large part never mention caste ("What the absence of chariots in ancient Harappa means for Modi's Clean India plan"). Caste was a very later addition and there is a very clear divide between Vedic Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism. You can even argue that Purusha Sukhtam, which is a part of Rig Veda, clearly mentions caste. But the Vedas are oral scriptures to which many later additions were made, of which Purusha Sukhtam was one, according to scholars. The style of recital and poetry in that particular hymn too belongs to later eras.
So basically your entire contention that caste was what caused the Ganga to become dirty from the Vedic eras is highly debatable, if not outright wrong.
Yours is a very childish argument and there are those of us who are extremely passionate about history for the sake of history. – Arun Venkat
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
I was reading the article about how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira Gandhi (“First person: The story behind how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira six times at a dinner party”). I lived in New Delhi during the Emergency when I was a student.
I witnessed a lot of atrocities. Maybe this demon Sanjay (later killed in a mysterious air crash) is a reincarnation of Duryodhana and Dushasana rolled into one! A magazine saw its leading columnist arrested in the middle of the night for quoting from the Vedas "that a widow ruling a country will be doomed".
They all have become a passing show now! None of them are fit to undertake the duty to progress India. Maha Bharat will survive many Kalyugs. – Bala Harendran
***
The news was a sensation in the '70s but even then a majority of people disbelieved it. Another gossip tried to maintain that Sanjay's accidental death too was a planned conspiracy by his mother. To me, both of these stories are false and fabricated and are given air in view of the gossipy nature of Indians. – Rajeev K Manocha
***
As a common man, we too heard (not six times though) what Sanjay Gandhi slapped his mother. We hate such acts by any son. We also read in some newspapers that after Sanjay’s plane crash, Indira Gandhi visited the site and searched for a key. The Emergency imposed was a black period for our democracy. Of course, people pardoned and elected her back.
I really appreciate your moral and ethical standards which I could read and understand in this story. The present English electronic media is not maintaining that professionalism. – Bharath Kumar KV
***
I read your story and feel that it was a long time ago, and it has less effect on today's politics, though the situation has not changed. I guess Sanjay Gandhi was astonished to see his mother do all this only for authority. Indian politics and the producers of a drama series have the same attitude. Only authority speaks and nowhere is anything being done about it. If you ask why it resembles other parts of the globe, then it may be because the mindset of people has become such that with power alone can one be satisfied. – Anindyya Baanerjee
***
In those days there were widespread rumours that Indira Gandhi had a hand in the accidental death of her son Sanjay Gandhi, I had no reason to believe the same as anything authentic.
The story that you have come out with in black and white after four decades, is for good reasons very well-timed, and something you have taken advantage of. To me it appeared to be in fact, a way-out story. Just gossip unleashed by you that can help any publication house to amass huge sums of money, flying free in this country of ours. – Monojit Mitra Mustafi
Bollywood's golden age
Living in Canada for the past 40 years, my nostalgic window of the Indian cultural scene for the most part has been Hindi filmy music offering a blissful of continuous entertainment. In this regard, Jai Arjun Singh's excellent interview with the writers of Gaate Rahe makes an interesting reading (“A book, 50 classic Hindi songs, some questions, and many answers”). It not only takes one down the memory lane of lively and colourful compositions of Hindi filmy songs, but recognises the talent of all those music directors, singers, the accompanying instrument players and the lyricists. Congratulations to the authors for undertaking this project. Wondering, when the book will be released and if available online. – Promod Puri
***
While everything was nice, I wondered why there has been no mention of Hemant Kumar. Besides being a brilliant singer, he was a music director par excellence. He gave some classics. Movies like Anupama and Khamoshi stand out. Though he may not have given many numbers, I thought he deserved a mention. Similarly, Snehal Bhatkal and Sudhir Phadke too deserve to be mentioned. – PS Ranganath
Arnab unleashed
Arnab Goswami’s interview is the first of its kind by an active media person (“The Arnab Goswami interview: 'I don't believe in a cozy chat among convivial people'”). I haven’t read anything similar in the past few months, which I would really like to.
Most questions reflect the viewers’ curiosity. Looking forward to more such informative and interesting stories from Scroll.in. – Rajesh Raghvani
***
Good revelation, rather openly by Arnab Goswami – Dr S Pathy
Anti-Emergency dynamics
The article about key players aligning with the Congress is not fully true (“Forty years later, the key anti-Emergency players are aligned with the Congress”). Jagmohan, Maneka Gandhi and many Congress leaders who are now in the Bharatiya Janata Party have been Emergency villains. Moreover, do not forget that the then Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Balasaheb Deoras wrote (two direct letters and one letter through Vinoba Bhave) to Indira Gandhi declaring support to the Emergency. Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained on parole throughout the Emergency. The BJP as heroes is questionable. Naxalites suffered the most as hundreds of them were killed in fake encounters. – S Islam
Ramzan and Rashtrapati Bhavan
Come Ramzaan and the President's office of secular India wakes up to a unique event. As such, the President sending greetings to the people of India on important national days, festivals and religious occasions is a matter of routine. However, Rashtrapati Bhawan on its own is not supposed to organise any event related to a religious denomination, as stipulated by our Constitution.
But the highest office of India has exempted itself from this precept in one case. The Rashtrapati Bhawan consciously observes a special event - iftar - an intra-faith part ritual, during Ramzan, seemingly in disregard to the spirit of the Constitution.
A non-Muslim who himself doesn't keep the Ramzaan fast but gives in to holding Iftar with well-fed guests among the invitees amounts to a mockery of a solemn ritual. It’s upscaling to official proportions in a distorted manner by the state functionaries, and amounts to aberrant action not befitting a state that practices no religion. – Anil Kowshik
Exams don't matter
Wonderful article about how marks in exams don’t matter much (“A word of advice for college admission seekers: Be more than the sum of your marks”). As a trainer in personality development and spoken English, this exactly what I tell my students and trainees. – Sudhir Subramani
Traditional midwives
There is an incredible wealth of knowledge and skill that traditional birth attendants have which are probably not written down in any textbook (“Photos: 90 km from Kolkata, traditional midwives are still the only hope for expectant mothers”). We have to also remember that 90% of those alive on the planet today were born at home. – Priyanka Idicula
Hindi cinema, 1957
Thank you for this very interesting article with accurate description of movies and influences of the players during the golden age of Indian cinema (“Film flashback: To understand Hindi cinema of the 1960s, start with 1957”). – Mike Guddoy
The incredible sexual problems that Indians are facing
I have no idea how it works but I really respect you guys for what you’re doing. Well, Indians really need to be educated about sex, starting from the school itself (“The incredible sexual problems that Indians are facing”).
We really need to get off with the taboos and myth that we have and are very talented in creating. Of course, some of the things are very funny. You can go insane laughing, but at the same time it also shows how much we need to educate such people. – Lakshit Joshi
Niqab debate
It is not so much about whether wearing niqab or chador or burqa is conservative – fundamentalist, secular or liberal – but about the freedom of thought or expression (“On a feminist Twitter handle, liberals debate whether the niqab is oppressive”).
The protests in Egypt – with thousands of very vocal women taking a stand – delivered a very strong and much-needed message of what women need and want. The centuries-old tradition – enforcement of women yielding to the subjugation of zealous mullahs and other religious leaders – has long since outlived its welcome. Whatever happened to the illustrious teachings of the Prophet and his compassion for all of the Muslim world – not just the men who deem it their unequivocal right to proclaim the ordinances of the Quran to suit themselves? – Sharif Shah-Bilal
Interstellar in school
I would caution about the religious dangers of undue promotion of science fiction (“Next up on physics curriculums: 'Interstellar'”). In the 1950s, I saw a sci-fi movie where humans took a rocket to Venus. Later spectroscopic evidence suggested a Venusian surface "hot enough to melt lead". This prompted the invention of "new physics", the greenhouse effect. We now know that "hot enough to melt lead" is no big deal.
If you do not view the new physics of wormholes with some scepticism, some future Roman Catholic Pope is liable to adopt its belief as church dogma. – David Naugler
Monsoon books
I suggest reading the following food books when it rains (“Why books about food are the best things to read in the rains”):
1. Sex Life of Food
2. Table is Laid
3. From Farm to Table
4. Devil in the Kitchen
5. Tampopo (see the film too)
I travel to eat on national highways and roads passing through cities. No season for food for me. – Sheetal Lakhia
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I wholeheartedly recommend Pamela Timms's Korma, Kheer & Kismet (Aleph, 2014) to this list. A more scrumptious evocation of Purani Dilli, its street food and its dilwale vendors I'm yet to come across! – Abhirami Sriram
SP Mookerjee revival
This Muslim correspondent of yours, Shoaib Daniyal, has vented his ire against the very popular SP Mookerjee (“Revisiting Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Trinamool's latest hero”). What you have written is part truth, thus you have devilishly managed some sort of lies to unfold against the late leader who is one of the topmost leaders of India.
Kolkata would have been in the clutches of the mad Muslim Jinnah had it not been for our SP Mookerjee, who fought Nehruvian spinal cordlesness. The Left has always supported the Raj and not the Hindu Mahasabha, which was never communal as you and your sickularists will argue.
I am a proud Hindu, which according to the author, is communal. Please explain how this "communal" political party has become the largest party in the world. I guess Muslims should be barred from writing as they are always troublemakers. – Arnab Chatterjee
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Please give proof that Savarkar and SP Mookerjee opposed the Quit India movement and sided with the British. Or apologise. – s4smsm@gmail.com
IIT admissiona
I could relate so much to the article about the IIT (“I sacrificed my health and teenage years to study at the IITs – but was it worth it?”). I feel stuck, although it’s a private autonomous institute in Pune. At this point, life seems like an array of bad decisions and regrets. I wish I too had paid heed to my teacher. I have one more year left in the labyrinth that I’m stuck in. But now after reading what you’ve written, it leaves me with a ray of hope. A small inspiration to pursue what I had originally subconsciously intended as a 13-year-old. – Shweta Honmane
Ironic piece
I wonder if you felt a tingle of irony when you published this piece (“Graphic novel: what if the British had never left India?”). - Akshay Srinivasan
Toilet use
The right video and the right message (“Wrong video, right question: Do people really need lessons in using a toilet?”). The solution needs funding, education, culture change and strict laws. – Dattu Prajapati
Beached whale
We had the greatest joy and experience about 15 years ago. While we were in Mahabalipuram for surfing, we successfully saved a "small" whale, which all of a sudden appeared in front of us (“How did the blue whale in Alibag die? And why were people standing on top of it?”). We managed to put the whale in the direction of the open sea after more than an hour it being stuck in the wet sand. The six of us were working on this, while the rest of the crowd did not seem interested in helping. We had to be extremely careful because of the granite rocks which could have killed the whale if we dragged it. Fortunately, the whale made it out with the help of a small surfboard. While going away it gave us a big "thank you" in the form of a big spray coming out of its head. – Papiko Dubos
Ramadan vs Ramzan
The word Ramadan is itself an Arabic word (“Why are Indian Muslims using the Arabic word ‘Ramadan’ instead of the traditional 'Ramzan'?”). It is the name of the ninth month in the Arabic calendar. I believe that there should not be a fuss about pronouncing an Arabic word in the correct way. – Mohammad Hamzah
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I don't understand the rationale behind this debate. Every third English word we pronounce reflects the Indian way of uttering words. Do we debate this? – Mastufa Ahmed
FTII strike
The best solution to all the problems: the Film and Television Institute of India should go autonomous like St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, and the control should be in good hands (“FTII’s biggest blessing is also its biggest tragedy – the government”). I am an educationist, and we are trying to put in filmmaking as a subject. As our first step, we are organising media literacy forums and trainings where children are learning filmmaking. – Rita Som
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Your article is very well written and I am sure resonates with many of us, as it did with me. These are the kind of articles that need to be read, followed by introspection and action. Unfortunately, the press and some people sensationalise things and the real issues get ignored. If it has not been published, it needs to be published. I do hope you are going to do that. – Arunaraje Patil
Maharashtra's new state butterfly
The article about how national symbols are selected is thought-provoking and very interesting (“Maharashtra's new state butterfly begs the question: How are our national symbols selected in the first place?”). But why does everything need to be justified through a moderated, rational purpose? I believe that the best habitat for wild creatures is the human heart. Frankly, any species chosen is linked with the umbilical cord to nature and if the spirit of connectivity prevails, snails could end up saving tigers just as effectively as tigers end up saving frogs. Children find such lateral thinking far easier to grasp than most adults. – Bittu Sahgal
Dogs vs poachers
It's great that the dogs are helping target the poachers (“Meet India's newest anti-poaching warriors: 14 German Shepherds”). I just hope you give them a good retirement plan for their outstanding job. We have seen in the past how badly some police dogs are treated once they have retired. These animals should retire with dignity and should be taken care of once they retire from their job. – Dipika
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What happens to these dogs after retirement? Are they put to sleep? – sbblore@yahoo.co.in
Monica Dogra's art project
Regarding your critique of Monica Dogra's initiative, I agree with everything you've said, but feel an incredibly problematic point has been missed – who is to say that artists are all powerful and progressive? (“Why Monica Dogra's art project to fight LGBT bias is irking the people she aims to help”) And as "powerful and progressive" islands, does that by default make the rest of us non-artists not powerful and not progressive? Are we less committed to causes because we can't make high art for them? – Toru Jhaveri
John Oliver on Greece
I am a big fan of John Oliver (“Watch John Oliver hilariously explain how Greece has ended up on the brink of economic disaster”). But here he seems to be reinforcing the IMF narrative that the Greeks are somehow totally responsible for this crisis. Tariq Ali and other commentators have shown how the lending private banks were equally responsible and that neoliberal unregulated finance is written into the Greek tragedy. Besides, the Greek government is only implanting its mandate: to end austerity. – Varun Patil
Make in India
I read the article about the US chipmaker with interest (“How a US chipmaker unwittingly became an incubator for Indian entrepreneurs”). Looking at the stroke of good luck some of the later entrants into the job market had, I feel, a great part of my professional life wasted. This is the kind of make in India that our honourable PM should target. But what we have with us are companies which have just taken the next step to body-shopping, which was the in-thing in the 1990s. – Mahadeva Sarmas
Eating chikki
Perhaps keeping the Bihar election and forthcoming one in Uttar Pradesh in mind, the Congress with the support of some media keep on blaming Bharatiya Janata party chief ministers and their governance ("After a year of staying dry, the BJP is being showered with scandal"). All the BJP CMs and ministers by this time have experienced the deteriorated pitch conditions where the UPA/Congress danced with corruption. Now the BJP has two-fold or manifold trouble in taking decisions, so they must be very careful. The truth about both the ministers’ non-involvement may emerge in due course of time, but it is a caution to all of them as they promised good governance - Srirama
Pakistan's Bombay Bakery
Good story, forwarded to my Sindhi friends worldwide for a taste of nostalgia ("In Sindh's Hyderabad, the century-old Bombay Bakery produces Pakistan's most famous cakes").
The irony is that if the Bombay Bakery was in fact in Bombay er... (mumble, mumble) Mumbai, it would have been required to have signage in Marathi as well! Maybe it would have to be rebranded the Mumbai Bakery - alliteration be damned. – Ivan Kostka
Crumbling AIDS programme
Thank you for posting the article (“India is pushing people back into sex trade by dismantling its excellent AIDS programme”). While it is heartening to note the continued interest Scroll shows in examining issues around AIDS and sex work, I must point out that are some glaring problems with this particular article.
The pronouns for a male-born transperson would be she, and not he. There are many transpersons who alternate between male and female identities, depending on the situation at hand, so I’m not suggesting this is an intentional oversight.
The HIV intervention programme is not the bed of roses it is presented as being. This particular statement is informed by research on transgenders recently performed in the districts of North Karnataka (Hubli/Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, etc).
The healthcare services provided are singularly focussed on HIV: treatment for other illnesses generally aren’t provided or even considered, and it is not at all stigma-free in any way. Those who seek, or are advised to seek, HIV-related healthcare are universally discriminated against.
As we have gathered from our work with sexual minorities in Karnataka, the unfortunate side effect of the targeted intervention programme has been the automatic assumption that everyone, even healthcare professionals, make: that you, as a sexual minority, are a carrier of AIDS, and that there can be no other conceivable reason for you to seek medical care.
Calling this programme an “amazing success story” is a stretch. – Aseem Bhargava
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Very NGO-type this article. An innocent media space has been craftily manipulated by NGOs.
Surely any programme is time-bound and not forever? Instead of complaining how their jobs got axed, these outreach workers could have used the opportunity to build their skills, find jobs, move on. If they find themselves back on the streets, who is to blame? If the point is that nobody is willing to give a transgender a job, then the system should address that, because that is a different issue altogether. – Sumita Thapar
Anand Patwardhan meets Morari Bapu
Morari Bapu has the wisdom to take an anti-orthodox stand on issues ("How agnostic filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and guru Morari Bapu found common ground"). Once on his Haryana tour, I presented him with my feminist poetry volume – Nirbhay ho jao Draupadi – challenging all anti-woman myths and scriptures. To my surprise, he went through the book in one evening and talked about many revolutionary poems in detail the next day, endorsing the ideas presented therein. He also exhorted the creation of a new society and a religion that promotes gender equality! – Rashmi Bajaj
Mughal miniatures
I liked your article ("Astonishing Christmas-themed Mughal miniatures from the courts of Akbar and Jehangir"). I am impressed with the knowledge and your collections from the core of history. But, whatever you mentioned about Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon Him, that he ordered the preservation of Jesus's portrait, even to destroy the idols, is incorrect.
I have never seen any sign or hadith in the support of your argument. Either you should remove this phrase or provide some authentic proof in your support. – Neyaz Ahmad
#SelfieWithDaughter
Another superficial publicity stunt (#Selfiewithdaughter: Can India save 23 million girls?). How can this be seen as a message of treating girls as equal to boys, when many of the photo captions name the daughters after pretty objects like "angel" and "princess"? When will India put in place strong affirmative actions to bring about change for girl children? Actions which will ensure parents see them as valuable members of society? India needs job quotas for females, security and better healthcare for females of all ages, and incentives to ensure that girls complete their education. - Sandy Tatham
J&K minister's brush with doctor
I don't agree with your views on why it is unacceptable for the minister, who happens to be the man, to correct a woman’s collar ("Let's call J&K minister fiddling with young doctor's collar what it is – sexual harassment"). The gesture of correcting the doctor on duty’s collar is not acceptable whether the doctor happens to be a man or a woman.
I’m a doctor and a woman, but this appears to be more a matter of power play than sexual harassment. I wonder if he would correct collars if he was admitted for emergency treatment in a government hospital. – Prarthana Srinivasa
Modi, Manmohan and Vajpayee
While the story idea and write-up were brilliant to deal with "Maun Ki Baat" ("How is Modi different from Manmohan and Vajpayee on the issue of tainted ministers?"), the story lacks some crucial facts from Atal Behari Vajpayee’s era. It was unfair to keep him in the same bracket as Narendra Modi and Manmohan Singh.
The story failed to mention that Dillep Singh Judeo was made to resign as Minister of State after he was shown taking black money for donations in 2003. The story also did not mention Bangaru Laxman, who also resigned as BJP president after the Tehelka expose in 2001 and was never appointed to any key post. Vajpayee had full control of the BJP then, and he exercised his power and influence like a statesman.
One should not forget that Vajpayee’s government had more than a hundred MPs from among the allies, yet he made George Fernandes, the most influential leader of any allied party and the then convenor of NDA, to resign even though he was not shown taking money.
It is also a fact that Modi and Singh are supported and in a way installed by corporates, and hence less likely to be affected by any economic offence or corruption charges. – Sudiep Shrivastava
Lead in Ayurvedic medicines
Your article makes some relevant issues about the general health condition in the country ("Maggi controversy: Millions of Indians face danger of lead poisoning ‒ from Ayurveda"). But what I find most surprising is that you have full appreciation of 1,000-year-old British eye treatment or traditional Chinese cure for malaria but you wholesale degrade Ayurveda with impunity, which indicates that you are a purebred leftist or fake secular intellectual who thinks anything originating from this country is rubbish and needs to endorsed by someone. – Anu Vatsan
Moving out
This is with reference to the article ("The smart way to smart cities: shift state capitals out of overcrowded Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai") by Mohan Guruswamy. I applaud his approach that offices/establishments should be moved out of capital cities so that they become less congested. But I have serious doubts that the bureaucracy will let this happen. I appreciate him for such a good article. But it needs strong political will to carry out these 'urban reforms'. – Dr. Sankalp Srivastava
1984 anti-Sikh riots
For the last 35 years, the same thing has been happening to Muslims and in many cases Sikhs were party to anti-Muslim pogroms ("1984 anti-Sikh riots: who asked the police not to intervene, and why?"). I would think Sikhs should know, at least the police officers among them, who may have instructed the police in Delhi not to act. We believe Congress leaders have been a part of this dirty game throughout and they must have instructed right people what not to do. While Sikhs have been managed to return to the fold, Muslims continue to remain in their shells. Muslims have a long and painful future ahead. Whatever the case, the rogues must be exposed and punished with exemplary punishments. – Anis Mohiuddin
Harappa and Clean India
Rig Veda or the Vedic society for the large part never mention caste ("What the absence of chariots in ancient Harappa means for Modi's Clean India plan"). Caste was a very later addition and there is a very clear divide between Vedic Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism. You can even argue that Purusha Sukhtam, which is a part of Rig Veda, clearly mentions caste. But the Vedas are oral scriptures to which many later additions were made, of which Purusha Sukhtam was one, according to scholars. The style of recital and poetry in that particular hymn too belongs to later eras.
So basically your entire contention that caste was what caused the Ganga to become dirty from the Vedic eras is highly debatable, if not outright wrong.
Yours is a very childish argument and there are those of us who are extremely passionate about history for the sake of history. – Arun Venkat