Number Game

Indian economy is projected to grow over 9.2 percent. At present, inflation is hovering around 6.58 percent. Reserve bank comes up with a quarter percent hike in interest rate. Manufacturing output is expected to cross 11 percent, farming output by 4 percent, population to grow by 2.7 percent.

Those who publish these numbers do it regularly for a specific set of audience. An average Indian family can not absorb these numbers into their daily life.

But never in the recent past (or probably never) have I seen numbers on unemployment rate, national and state wide minimum wages, unfinished infrastructure projects, statistics on malnutrition and severe poverty. Lot more can be added. I feel the government deliberately fails to come up with numbers on those that hurt its image. Self appraisal in these areas is a must.

Land of missing children

I have heard about it, read about it and seen graphic pictures. But this video made me sad about the state of affairs of Indian minor girls. One has to see it to believe it. I thought British Channel 4 is famous for Big Brother but this is a bigger cause.

What intrigues me is that it took a foreign entertainment channel to dig deep into the deplorable lives of these girls in a country that has hundreds of news channels! The disgust trade of human flesh for what is termed as human pleasure makes me sick to my stomach.

Silguri and Nithari are just additions to a list, which we may never know in our life time.

Delayed Justice

The Chennai Corporation Election case and the Dharmapuri Bus Burning case reminds us that violence instigated by political parties are in bad taste and are against the democratic principles. One thing that intrigues me is that the speed in which the former case was settled while the latter took seven year uphill battle.

The courage shown by the victim’s families and the determination of the judiciary has to be saluted. Cowards who seek violence as a means of showcasing their toughness need to be controlled with a firm hand

A speedy trial was denied in the bus burning case because the Judiciary is not entirely independent; it depends on the executive and the legislature to function effectively.

The Salem Court should have gone behind those who had deliberately delayed the prosecution and tried to subvert the criminal justice delivery system. Those who delayed the gazette notification of the special prosecutor and those who helped to arrange the mysterious disappearance of court documents are also guilty of obstruction of justice.

Wearing Helmet

Those who oppose the compulsory use of helmets need to know that "Driving is not a right but a privilege". Enforcement should be very strict and the law should be amended to revoke the driving license for the repeat offenders. This law is a blessing in disguise and should have been enforced a long time ago.

Helmets not only reduce injury and fatalities, but also eliminate the lifelong pain and suffering of the family members of accident victims. In the current scenario where the two wheelers are competing for more space on Indian roads with four wheelers, it becomes imperative that helmets are mandatory. When seat belts are made compulsory in a car, why not helmets? I wish the traffic police strictly enforce the usage of both helmet and seat belt. Helmet, like seat belt saves millions of lives.

Underprevileged

Is it legal nevertheless to mention moral, to display a picture of a young girl presumably a minor as a front page article in the Hindu? No matter what the law says Nazma is a victim of abuse and her identity should have been kept confidential. It is quite clear from the picture that Nazma is semi-conscious (or probably unconscious) and she would not have given her assent to being photographed in a hospital bed. In my eyes, the photo is unjust and immoral. It goes without saying that it violated her privacy.

I am also sure that the Hindu genuinely wanted to bring attention to her plight and not to hype media ratings which are practiced by some irresponsible media outlets. Even though a picture speaks 1000 words, I am unsure if the same would have happened to her if she hadn't been poor.

Check out http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/08/stories/2007020822010100.htm