వాగుడు

ఉన్నదొక్కటే  ప్రపంచం
నా ప్రపంచం నీ ప్రపంచం ఒకటి  కావు

జరిగిన వాస్తవం అద్వైతం
చరిత్ర పేరు తో ఎన్నో భాష్యాలు

పుట్టుక ఒకే విధం
చావు పరి పరి విధాలు

నేను మొత్తుకునేది ఒకటి
నువ్వు గ్రహించేదొకటి

Between the lines

In the midst of the Telangana Samaikyandhra turmoil,  very victim - common man from the village and small town is jettisoned out on whose name the battle is being fought by two sides.

It is termed "barbaric act" and gets media attention showing 1000 times a day shattered glass panes of a posh mall. The same section has remained wishfully oblivious to millions of broken lives and shattered households. We care more for a canceled show and broken glass at a cinema hall than people killing themselves in utter despair because they are into unfashionable profession of creating food.

Hyderabad losing its brand image is now causing concerns. Not a minuscule share of this concern has been noticed in all these years about the living conditions in the same city. Municipal drinking water had to be toxic enough to take lives to grab the eyeballs.

I see ferocious arguments on the news channel shows; on social networking sites, newspolls. Ironically one hardly hears the voice of the core majority who form the nucleus of all the discussion. We enjoy arguments, making statements, passing conclusions while steering away the topic of debate. The arguments and battles have become more important than issues for which the former were originally taken up.

Invincibles

Of late I have understood (though not completely yet) about an astonishing breed of people. Theirs is the only other path to invincibility apart from Howard Roark's. Even though the below traits are present in all of us in varying proportions, there is an increasing number championing these qualities to perfection.

> There shall be nothing that is objective. Never say a blank yes/no when there is a conflict. This is how one can always have power and responsibilities and never be convicted.
> Do everything and anything to impress the "boss".
> Uncanny ability to dilute an issue, attribute enormous importance to banal issues and fabricate stuff beyond recognition.
> Art of manipulating people. A fine balance between "using" others when required and discarding whenever not.
> Capability of sugar coated speech and sweet tone as well as threatening and intimidating tone and the        knowledge of when to use what.
> Should be able to deliver the same content in different versions to different audience.
> Skillfully cover your ass when there is a question about wrongdoings.
> Flock with the same "kind".

I never fail because I never have a  firm stand and am flexible, on any of my commissions and omissions. 
Every one has their own definition  for morals, ethics, standards aligned to ones own balance sheets; since we are humans invariably these differ.
Going by the pragmatic world's most commonly agreed definitions of success, the above listed are the indispensably  its prerequisites. Look around, you will see them everywhere.. at work; in media, politics, corporates...in you and I.... its omnipresent trying to become omnipotent.

PS: I do not intend or wish that readers perceive this piece in the same way as I do. This is more of an introspection of a half-tainted in pursuit of "reason".

ప్రతిబింబం

పొద్దున్నే చెవులకింపుగా  కీబోర్డు టక టకలు 

ప్లాస్టిక్ ముఖాల పై అతికించుకున్న చిరునవ్వులు 

తినడానికి తీరికున్డదొక రోజు 

చెయ్యడానికి పని ఉండదు ఇంకోరోజు 

తిప్పలన్నీonsite కోసమే 

మరి మార్కెట్లో బాగా "రేటు" పలాకలి కదా 

మనకు మంచి రేటింగ్ వస్తే అలుపెరగకుండా  కష్టపడ్డట్టు 

పక్కనోడికి వస్తే మానేజర్ని కాకా పట్టినట్టు 

సంవత్సరం తర్వాత దోస్త్ call చేస్తే 

పది నిముషాల్లో పది సార్లు 

"ఇంకేంట్రా ... చెప్పాలి మామా.."

తెల్లారితే అబ్బా మళ్ళీ వెళ్ళాలా అని ఈసడింపు 

బయటకి  గర్వంగా S/W జాబు అని డప్పు 

చచ్చి సాధించింది ఏంటి ?

పిచ్చి తల్లీ !!
వైకల్యాన్ని ఎదురించడం సులువేమో
         ఏలిన వారిని సంతృప్తి పరచడం కన్నా
 నిలువునా దహించుకుపోవడం సులువా
           ఒత్తిళ్లకు ఎదురీదడం కన్నా

ఎవరూ పట్టిన్చుకోలేదనుకోకు .......

 వరద ప్రలయాన్నే వినోదం చేసిన మీడియా
      నీ విషయంలో ఎలా ఉపేక్షిస్తుంది
పాలక ప్రతిపక్షాలకి
     నిందారోపణల  ఆటలో నువ్వో  కొత్త బంతివి
జనాలకూ పాపం ఎవరూ చెప్పలేదు
     కొన్ని ఆత్మ హత్యల వెనుక హంతకులు ఉంటారని
ఈ చావు వెనక చేతకానితనం ఎవరిది
నీదా మనందిరదా

Woman official commits suicide; names MLA, two other public representatives in dying declaration
http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/19/stories/2009101950090100.htm

నేరము - శిక్ష (Crime and Punishment)

Man, a social animal formulated rules on the basis of ethics, law, religion which are to be adhered by an individual for the attainment of peaceful and progressive society. To err is human. Hence a method of punishment is devised in case of violation of the rules ie committing a crime. Here the words "crime" and "punishment" are used in wider context of any societal rule violation and the response against it respectively. The prime objective of such punishment is a) to abstain an individual from committing a crime in the first case and  b) if committed once due to ignorance or arrogance, imposed punishment would make him not repeat it second time.  Obvious inference is that this concept has been refined and improved over the centuries, since we are supposed to be thinking beings. On the contrary, a lot of contradictions glaringly point out deficiencies.

A couple of examples ... attempting to close the case of Bofors scam, after years of investigation, costing more than the alleged corruption payments and defreezing the accounts of the accused; no check on corruption in judiciary itself while letting allegedly tainted judges to sit in Supreme Court through an irrational and opaque selection procedure. We live in a complex society where such incidents have multiple perspectives and definitely do not have a majority acceptance aligning to one particular angle. Leave complexities, lets simplify. Here lets discuss a few real time examples which would help us look at the situation at an atomic level.

A school going kid, when fails to work on an assignment, fearing punishment bunks school for a day or two after which the assignment becomes a history. The punishment definitely induces fear but, the purpose gets deviated. On the other side it acts against the objective of student to attend school, and when seen holistically it moulds the mindset to evade punishment and commit a bigger mistake.  I vividly remember such practice of bunking on the pretext of ill health during my schooldays and is prevalent even today. This appears to be a silly and unrelated argument but I particularly chose this one to emphasize how our attitude is getting shaped right from the formative age.

To ensure safety of two wheeler commuters, Govt has proscribed travel without wearing helmets. Punishment for violation - a fine of Rs 50 - 500 which is mostly received as bribe. If one can afford to pay 50 bucks everytime when he gets caught, can comfortably break the law. The law itself prompts to commit the same mistake any number of times and get away.

Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad has recently legalized illegal constructions in the name of regularization. You construct a building without the following the prescribed MCH guidelines and you can still get an acknowledgement from the corporation by paying fine.

China is questioning Indian Prime Minister visiting a state, by claiming it to be a disputed territory, while the purpose of visit (election campaigning) is in itself a testimony that it is an integral part of India. Foreign entity questioning the soveriengty of India is a crime according to our broad definition above, and the reaction or punishment, is it atleast heading in a direction where in future no such ridiculous accusations will be made.
Almost an year after Mumbai attack(crime), are we sure that our approach ( ie punishment in our purview) guarantees no such attack in future.
The attitude towards "Crime and Punishment" is distorted in all spheres ranging from an individual to community behavior  or society response to local governing body to the Govt of the nation. As stated above these are complicated and complex situations, leave the future outcomes. Question is about mindset, approach, attitude towards minimizing violations or crimes and devising response or punishment which would ensure no repetition of such crime.

Skewed

From public opinions to Policies of the nation, we as a society have a skewed approach. Non existing utopia has been a desperate want since times unknown. But the widespread dumbness has made it indecipherable for us a subtle understanding that ideals while in implementation have to be followed more in spirit than in letter.

A lot of debate is steaming up in media and concerned sections of society about the declaration of assets by the Judges of this land. All the hue and cry that they are not above the society is all fine. The question is not about them making public their assets but the amount of importance attributed to it. With the selection process of the Supreme Court judges itself not aligned with the constitution, one cannot be 100% sure about the worthiness and integrity of judges. Declaration of assets in these circumstances will result in better earnings for those "intelligent" accountants. How will this be different from declarations of personal assets and election expenditure by our politicians?

A reservation of 50% for women at all levels in panchayatraj is laudable step. But cant we ensure women's presence in political scenario in a much better and fruitful manner. On what grounds is it logical that one particular village should be represented only by a woman and not by any body else who could be more capable? Instead of reserving the seat, it would be wise to have political parties field minimum percentage of women candidates in any of the constituencies. Such a step would not be taken for the obvious reason that winning seats is more important than empowering women for any of the political parties. Also it is a widely acknowledged fact that many women representatives ( especially in rural areas ) are puppets in the hands of their husbands. Empowering weaker sections of the society is a must, but something else has got higher priority. That is electing capable individuals with integrity no matter what their gender or caste or religion is. Because without ensuring the latter, former will always remain a dream.

Another hot topic these days is the test results of Pokhran-II. Whatever might be the yield 15kt or 50kt, it will cause immeasurable damage which would be much higher than what was seen in Hiroshima. So China or for that matter any other country is so dumb to discard the nuclear potential of India. In the age of de-nuclearization, debate about the new tests or assessing the yield again is obsolete.

A recent government decision to issue ads in newspapers which portray the naxal menace and causalities they inflict, proves our skewed approach once again. Today the educated populace of this country is more than convinced that naxalism is anti-social and should be treated with an iron fist. Gone are the days when naxal recruits comprised of intelligentsia. It is the discarded, under privileged, destitute sections of society who in their disgust are fighting for the movement. So what is the point in wasting taxpayer's money on ads?

Pride and Honour

One the most honourable end one can possibly achieve- die fighting for tickets of new Telugu movie. It should be a matter of pride that one is a part of such society.

What a great honour to die crusading for a movie tickets of favourite star.. no no demigod. This is what purpose of life means. The intelligentsia will never understand the adrenalin rush. Its a pity that they name it senseless, immature . Family, education, life itself .... a fitting tribute to all these. We have raised the standards. Now the movie's success will not be judged by its collections, hundred day centres, but by the count of the martyrs.

Producers and "Heroes"... poor people what can they do. Production costs and remunerations are skyrocketing. Is it sin to create hype. To compensate costs one has no option but to lobby for higher ticket prices. Netas and Babus .. they take their share but never co operate well. Even in such dire situations they pay ex-Gracia out of their own pockets. Government needs to do somehing about the deaths.

Now don't argue.It is outrageous, preposterous to ask fans to wait. How can anybody,.. even a "Hero" request his followers to restrain from watching the movie on the first day. It is denial of a fundamental right.

It is Distributors who bid high for the movie, there is always competition for quality. So obviously theater owners get the boxes at the premium prices. Now to get their share of returns, they are help less but to sell black tickets. Do you think this is easy, not at all. Manage police, fans associations, chota mota galli leaders.

Yeah they were mere unfortunate incidents, who can predict a stampede or an accidental electrocute. Yes yes bade bade deshon mein aise chote chote baatein hote rahte hain.

Idiosyncrasies of power shifts

Who is the next leader for Congress(I) ?--- Rahul Gandhi. A school going kid would have answered that. On the other hand many are scratching their heads trying to guess who could be the next after Advani in BJP. The electoral defeat and the ongoing internal differences in BJP have dented the ground of the party but it was back from the brink surviving such situations in the past. The fight for the future top position also hints a different point altogether.

When it comes to power transfer in political parties family is the best option. It is an established fact that in family run parties, an outsider can never aim for the top spot. On the other side in other parties transfer of power is neither smooth nor planned, mostly.

Is there any one who could be considered a future alternative for AIADMK after Jayalaitha. Murky feuds among its leaders marked Andhra Pradesh Congress for decades. Kanshiram to Mayavathi, MGR to Jaya could be considered as exceptions, but they are different for their own distinct reasons. It is imminent that parties like DMK, NCP etc would be led by Stalin, Supriya Sule, Abdullahs, Owaisis, and the list is ever increasing and endless like Hanuman's tail. Bingo that is the advantage with family, no confusion, great combination.

It is omnipresent, take Kennedys, Clintons, Bush clan in US of A, but we have championed it. After every election whatever might be the outcome they say, voters are intelligent and they can’t be fooled. We wishfully get fooled trying to choose a known exploiter to an unknown.

What everyone needs to understand about Telangana

Telangana has been drawing immense attention leading to a much heated debate in AP. Many of them if not all have presumptions and prejudice and this has stopped them from looking at it unbiased. To get a lucid picture we need to go through past times and conditions.

 

Before formation of AP:

Telangana and Hyderabad State: When rest of the country was fighting against British for freedom, there was a peasant rebellion against Nizam rule in Telangana region. Nizam rule exploited people filling the coffers and in turn paying huge amounts to British for military assistance. The brutal feudal landlord system reigned ruthless power over peasants. Telugu was given a second rated treatment and Urdu was the medium in education and governance. There were severe restrictions even to speak Telugu. Education was neglected. The agrarian crisis coupled with identity issues made people revolt against Nizam, which resulted in an armed rebellion against Nizam's Razakars (a force which could be equated to modern day Taliban).  After the police action, Hyderabad state was formed.

 Andhra region: Coastal Andhra was under Madras Presidency, and when the voice for separate state of Andhra was raised after the sacrifice of Potti Sriramulu, JVP (Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Pattabhi Seetaramayya) committee agreed upon a state, provided Andhra gave up its claim on Madras city. This led to formation of Andhra state with Kurnool as capital.Coastal Andhra with Krishna Godavari water was affluent compared to Telangana (but latter had more revenues because of high taxes.)

 Under these circumstances when a call for Vishalandhra (unification of all Telugu speaking people under one state) was made, there were voices of concern over Telangana. A region which has been neglected and denied of minimum privileges was being merged with a comparatively well off coastal region. Development, culture and dialect everything was again at stake. States reorganization committee (SRC) observed that Vishalandhra could be formed if 2/3 majority of Hyderabad state legislature supported it after 1961 general elections. This testifies that the concerns over merging were actually very much real. Telangana always suffered because its leaders never agreed on a single stand.  

Gentlemen's agreement was signed in Delhi by the representatives of both regions, which led to the formation of state of Andhra Pradesh. This agreement had some provisions like

>> Administrative expenditure should be borne separately by the two regions. 

>> Exclusive educational facilities should be provided for students of Telangana

>> Cabinet will consist of members in proportion of 60 to 40 for Andhra and Telangana

>> If CM is from Andhra, Deputy CM will be from Telangana and vice versa.

These were formulated to protect the interests of both regions.

But obviously the subsequent governments breached this agreement. They could not stand for at least a few of the promised provisions. This led to violent protests by students, but the protests were brutally suppressed.

 The reason why all these historical citations are given is that, one - the issue of Telangana is not a recent one, two - it has many a valid reason, and three I strongly believe that it has not stemmed from separatism as many say.

 

The recent times:

The issue which was under current for past few decades was again brought to the fore by the formation of TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) a political party with only aim to form a separate state. It was welcomed with huge support because the issues and conditions during Nizams rule are still persistent. Suicides of farmers, handloom workers testify this. One has to look beyond Hyderabad and its hi-tech development to understand this.

The context differs; now we are a democratic country with elected representatives. If justice is still not done, the elected representatives and the people who do not question them are to be blamed first. Godavari and Krishna flow from Telangana towards Andhra. Irrigation is biggest requirement for agriculture, and Telangana farmer is still looking at skies for monsoons, because we failed to divert and utilize the water.  Nagarjunasagar dam though built in Nalgonda district of Telangana region mostly serves irrigation requirements for coastal Andhra districts of Prakasam, Guntur. Telangana is abundant in natural resources, but it did not help much towards the upliftment. Other key issues are lack of train routes connecting all major towns, no boost to industry despite of huge deposits of mineral resources, lack of enough political representation (cabinet portfolios) in state and center.

The cultural aspect- There are distinct cultural variations in various parts of Andhra Pradesh like multiple dialects, celebration of festivals etc. The dialect especially is still given a second rated treatment even today. Telugu movies in many ways lampooned Telangana. We are still not learning to co-exist respecting the nuances.

Because of all these and many other reasons TRS was able to clean sweep the elections right after its formation. KCR its founder got a whopping majority of more than 2lakhs during an election.

There is also another side to it.  If the power (say CM and key ministries) is vested with people from Andhra and Rayalaseema, all the contracts etc would be granted to the relatives of the people in power who also come from same region. Real estate business in Hyderabad is dominated by settlers from other parts. Such reasons are also contributing factors towards the support for separate state.

Our country is a land of political opportunists. KCR succeeded using the emotional aspects, but failed to realize that it is not possible to use the same trick all the time. People like Vijayashathi yesteryear actress (she can’t even speak the dialect well), who do not even understand the core of the issue also joined the bandwagon.  People supported them purely on the merit of Telangana and not because of their personal capabilities.

Telangana lacks netas with regional interests as a priority. PV Narsimha Rao served as Chief Minister of AP and Prime Minister of the country comes from Karimnagar district in Telangana region. Whole country is indebted to him for opening up the country towards liberalization and globalization, no significant developments happened in Karimnagar during his terms. On the contrast, Pulivendula the constituency of YSR is showered with grants for ring roads, industries. The latter is the definitely a case of regional chauvinism but the point here is, it is expected from politicians to focus on their home towns.

For a new state to be formed, it requires a constitutional amendment with simple majority in both the houses at centre. If we take a pragmatic view this might not be possible in near future, with Congress in rule at centre and state. 

The issues of survival like agrarian crisis take precedence over statehood. This alone is the reason why congress could win some seats in recent elections in Telangana because; people are hoping that irrigation projects started by YSR might some day finish.

But one has to remember that Telangana intellectuals and public still support the cause and no one can deny the fact that injustice is being done to this region. One is making a mistake if one is under the impression that Telangana is an issue which lost prominence. YSR or Chandrababu or KCR whoever it is, its high time ruling and opposition parties proactively get into the root of causes and try solving the issues. A separate status and grant coupled with proper  implementation is the need of the hour. I know it is over optimistic, but Telangana has been waiting for decades, with hope. 

The issue of Telangana is more than that of statehood. It is a struggle for justice, development, preservation of language, culture, identity. It is a shame that many disregard it just as a political stunt.  It is  a serious and sensitive issue with gross injustice being done to a whole region questioning the values on which we built this nation and its constitution and it has to be treated like one such issue.

See it to believe it. Watch this video.

I have tried my best to portray a gray view, critique and comments are welcome.

Naxalism

Some headlines in recent days - encounter of senior cadres of CPI(Maoist) in Warangal, AndhraPradseh ; grant of bail for human rights activist Binayak Sen; political unrest in Nepal; the killings happening in Chattisgarh, these are not interdependent but share a common thing -Naxalism. New age citizen sees Naxalism an old topic without much relevance to the current times but in contrary alarming incidents of violence occured during the recently held elections trace their roots to Naxalism, not terrorism. Prime Minister Mr.Singh has rightly observed it as "the most serious threat to India's national security".

From what started as violent retaliation against landlords in Naxalbari (the name is derived from this village) in the leadership of Charu Mazumdar Shah, has undergone a lot of transformations in the past four decades.  Today they are spread from Andhra Pradesh to Nepal, controlling 20% of the nation's forests, popularly called the Red Corridor.  They are spread in the most neglected, underdeveloped parts, garner support from the discarded sections of the society. 

The Chattisgarh scenario --- Bastar region of this state is the epicenter of Naxal activities. Dantewada and the surrounding districts are rich in natural resources like iron ore, coal but the populace, mostly tribals are destitute.  The heartland of naxalism is marked by unaccounted killings by naxals, police and salwa judum. Salwa Judum (peace march) is a tribal force trained by Government to counter the insurgency. The idea is to sever all the support to naxals from villagers. Over the years this struggle has resulted in scorched villages and displaced people living in dire conditions in camps. Though the state government has been portraying Slawa Judum as right thing, human rights activists have been repeatedly crying out of the gross inhumanities. Scores of innocent civilians were killed, homes looted and villages vandalized. Most of the villagers are now homeless, without farms which used to be their only income source. Who is at loss after these many years of struggle? Is it Chattisgarh government which has signed deals worth more than a billion with firms to extract the resources or the naxalites who operate freely in the so called 'liberated zone'. No it is the devastated civilian.

 The picture in AP--- There was much praise for state government, police, their special wing grey hounds for successfully curbing menace to much extent. Barring a few, no major incidents were recorded in the state in past few years after Candrababu's regime, during which movement suffered a detrimental effect. AP is the only state to have peace talks, though abortive during YSR's previous term, but the way they were let free into the jungle is debatable. Chenna Reddy the then CM, lifted ban on them for about a year in 1990 in the state, which experts say corrupted them and adversely effected the movement. Absence of incidents doesn’t imply their non existence. To cite my personal experiences, my family was threatened over a land dispute by naxals who were involved in land grabbings. My uncle (a local politician) fled away from his village to Warangal town fearing a life threat. Such incidents elucidate the under current activity in the state and if not wiped out completely, it might very well resurface again.

 Only achievement in the history of Naxalism is their accession to power in Nepal, but political turmoil over there raises questions. It is universally agreed that such a thing is impossible in India. Most naxal recruits are from downtrodden sections and a few are middle class intelligentsia. The one widely accepted cause they fight for is the rights over land and forest for rural poor. After decades of struggle, it is understood that force alone is not sufficient. Root cause need to be identified and worked upon. The land reforms legislation of 1950 was brilliant in concept but failed to deliver. Forest rights, rural upliftment await reforms in the effected areas. Centre is formulating National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) , needs to see it through the end. State governments need to throw light on lack of co-ordination among them. Though many a enthusiasts are trying to spread the awareness through NGOs, blogging etc, media takes minimal risk and interest in bringing out the facts barring a few exceptions. Delhi needs to take keen interest, promote research by think tanks, and do everything possible (while preserving the interests of the rural and tribal sections) to annihilate naxalism.

చిల్లర చేష్టలు

వెతుకులాటలూ ఎదురుచూపులూ 

వెర్రి ఆశలూ కోరికలూ  

మాట మాట కూ counterలు  

పూట పూటకూ partyలు  

opposite sex ఓ తీరని దాహం  

ఎంత తాగినా కావలింకొంచం

పగలు కలలు రాత్రి కబుర్లు  

రోజు గడిస్తే అంతే చాలు

NRIPL !!!!

Cricket is more than just a sport, some say its a religion in the country. And here comes the second edition of the much awaited form of the game, T20 --- tantadantadannn --- IPL ( I feel Non Resident IPL would be apt, SAPL also is an alternative name, what say? ).  Its almost halfway through, the TRPs have fallen, but then organisers are happy. The viewers also seem to be contended, for I see everybody around me following it.

I feel something is lacking. The game is certainly an entertainer but much of the excitement and thrill originates from the roaring crowds. As the organisers say more the 90% of them watch the matches through television, but its not just the players who make them stick to the TV sets, its the atmosphere in the stadium, the feeling of the game held in our own cities and towns.  But do the organisers care for all this. IPL needs to learn  thing or two about managing sports from EPL, from which it is grossly inspired.

BCCI the richest board among the cricketing nations, wields indisputable power and influence in circles of ICC. How much thought has Lalit Modi or BCCI put in into the IPL? I wonder how political biggies in board like Sharad Pawar completely forgot about the General elections to be held this year. Because they were too busy making deals with sponsors, (IPL is estimated to bring in $1bn for BCCI alone in 5 to 10 years). The irony --- Sharad Pawar is one of the proposed Prime ministerial candidates. Annihilating ICL, blame game with the UPA are prioritised than the actual game. 

Government and the blame...! There is no doubt that in a democracy, elections come first. Few states were adamant about providing security, but they have got some right reasons if not all. Post Mumbai attacks ( and even before that to be frank) security in this nation is a cause of grave concern. No Government would take a chance, that too before elections. And it has become clear that we are still lacking the drive and the laws enacting stringent security measures, and all that reactions and emotions after the attacks are just out of impulse.

The international image of India which is already pathetic in this aspect has taken a beating beacuse of this whole tamaasha. The other international events (not just sports events) would be definitely effected by this. 

People associated with cricket, news media grandly declare that Cricket is the ultimate winner. Yes it is but at the cost of national reputation, at the cost of revenues that could be generated internally and the way cricket lovers are taken for granted, without a doubt I say at the cost of the sport itself.

Prostitution

Prostitution- civilized society avoids the mere occurrence of this word, leave alone acknowledging its presence. Putting aside the moral, ethical stuff surrounding it, lets look at the other rarely touched aspects. Prostitution as such is not illegal according to our laws, but yes commercialized vice(brothels), exploitation and trafficking are punishable. The current laws are ambiguous and are mostly put to use for wrong reasons. 

Is the current scenario really a cause of concern. First things first, we cannot ignore it, for there are close to 3 million sex workers in our country and is sort of a thriving industry.  Most of them work for brothels which is illegal and are missing in the mainstream. Most of them lead a miserable life both economically and socially and are exploited outright.

 I spoke with one such sex worker, here are a few vital facts about her. Payal comes from a small village in UP, and she works for different agencies and is rotated among them periodically. She is paid a salary of 12k per month, while the agency gets paid at least 80k for her services. The burden of her family of two children ( her husband died) forced her to take up this profession. She has faced a lot of abuse(both verbal and physical) from her employers, customers and police also. Most women in the profession have similar background. 

HIV/AIDS a global threat has prostitution as one of its major causes.  Thanks to various initiatives,  many are now aware of STD and safe sex but this is no reason for contention. More than 50% of sex workers in Mumbai are HIV positive.

Exploitation and extortion are part and parcel of prostitution, while we the citizens of India have promised ourselves the Right against exploitation through articles 23 and 24 of our constitution. Why should this fundamental right be denied to them, who are one of the worst victims.  

Families of sex workers are in abject poverty, which forces their siblings and children again into same profession which is a grave concern.  The other family members do not have a fair education and remain poor for all of their life. Also the number of sex workers has doubled in the past decade.

As it is not a recognised profession for obvious reasons, all the money that flows in the industry is unaccounted.

The primary act dealing with these issues, PITA has to be given more teeth. Issuing identity or license cards to sex workers would bring them out the darkness.  By this we are not promoting them, but acknowledging their presence. There would be hundred Muthaliks  and other so called fundamentalists who would create ruckus, but the Government should not give in to them.

If notoriously popular Amsterdam is slowly showing positive signs after reforms, why cant we replicate such reforms in Mumbai, Kokata or Bengalooru. By recognising the sex workers in the mainstream, their children will get a chance for education. Setting up rehabilitation camps, schools in the redlight areas will give definite results in the long run. NGOs and Government organisations working for such cause need encouragement.

We cant have all this vanished overnight, it could be fought against only by understanding it and working with it.

Media

Television news media in our country has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. The growth is unmatched, at least when we compare ourselves with our neighbors China, Pakistan. Booming economy was an added advantage.The impact is so much that Parvez Musharaff had to encourage the same in Pakistan to stop its citizens from watching Indian channels during Kargil and later also. If such is the impact outside the nation, we need not emphasize the way it revolutionized the minds of information hungry Indians. Now we are far better informed of the happenings around us than ever.

Wait a minute... If we are really well informed then we have to understand our society better. This will eventually result in a better society. But we have lost track.
How well has the media of this nation utilized the much celebrated freedom of press? Are we really informed, in an era where we have exhaustively long list of channels.
How responsible are the designers and hosts of programmes being aired?

Even the most respected channels fail to deliver the right stuff in the midst of sensationalism. Manmohan Singh's heart bypass details in news are no match to the in detailed analysis of Sharukh's minor surgery ( once can easily get a Diploma in medicine by following this one). I agree, there is a lot of room given for real issues provided they are sensational enough. I doubt if we have any other arts and sports apart from movies and cricket.
From terrorist attacks to street murders, all we talk of analysis is the minute details of modus oprandi,but the cultural, political, social aspects, after effects etc are least bothered. We are acting utter foolish wearing masks of genius. When asked the reasons we ( media and society) point fingers at each other, typical Indian behavior. People do watch when something worth is presented, but they have very minimal options.

Regional language channels need a special mention. They have thrashed all the barriers in bringing news to at the door steps of Aam-admi. Also they have successfully degraded and demolished the minimum values and ethics.
TV9 and its CEO and presenter Raviprakash are more interested to have MMS scandals aired during the prime time, when the Andhra Pradesh has got bigger issues like agrarian crisis, corruption etc.
One more news channel Sakshi on the eve of its launch in February 2009 published a full page ad in Sakshi newspaper which has Hotel Taj Mumbai in fire and the caption says "You will be the witness, live - from today". This channel was not existing when the 26/11 Mumbai attack happened. The news channel has shamelessly used the ghastly terrorist attack as an advertisement to launch itself. I am afraid, I might see even worse things.

There is a dialogue in a movie - "Everything in this country is entertainment".
Can't we be in a more civilized society. Can't we have a responsible media.
Yes we can, only if we want to.