The Resisting Voice

Publisher: Rupa ISBN:978-81-291-2491-3 Pages:147 Price: 195 rupees only “Think of rising higher. Let it be your only thought .Even if your object be not attained , the thought itself will have raised you” . This is one of the quotes from the book written by the missile man of India and its only people’s president , Mr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam . His latest book , my journey-transforming dreams into reality, is a short and brief auto biography describing his childhood in the temple town of Rameswaram, the people who influenced him the most, the incidents which left their deep imprint on his mind , the incidents and  failures that made him what he is today and the books which remained his best  friends for forever. The book unfolds a story of a boy with an inquisitive bent of mind who found friends in his elders and for whom there was no age- bar for  shouldering responsibilities and whose only hunger and thirst was the hunger and thirst for knowledge...

HEALTHY DAUGHTERS – A MINE FIELD FOR WEALTH. “ My   Daughter has made the darkness in my heart   light up brighter than I ever thought possible. My Daughter gives me a reason to live and try each and every day. I cannot thank our Lord enough for blessing me with her. And as blessings come, so do disappointments. There are trials and rewards throughout everyone's life. My Daughter had helped me through the most difficult times of my life. I can only PRAY she will allow me to be there for hers”. These  lines by Georgene Maciolek  very well explain the emotions of a mother engaged in sexual trade who gets utmost happiness when she gives birth to a child especially if it’s a girl child. However I don’t intend to make a generalization here by saying  that all women sexual workers  are very happy to  give  birth to a girl child. Through some researches conducted in Bangladesh in 1993 for 4 months which  ended in 1994 show that mostly women w...

PEOPLE MAKE SOCIETY OR SOCIETY MAKES PEOPLE ? Last  evening , as I was passing by, sitting comfortably on my brother’s bike and letting the gentle wind, filled with the fragrance of the  festive season,  to play with my hair, lost somewhere, suddenly  realized , there was a group of people on the darker side of the road , one of them shouting and hitting a rickshaw –puller . I got tensed, furious and ordered my elder brother to take a U turn and interrogate the event. He turned his bike around and as  we were reaching closer to the spot, my anger was rising in the direct proportion to what my eyes and my brain were recording and interpreting simultaneously. We reached the spot  and my  brother told the rickshaw – puller (read the victim) to go , “chalo, jao bhai yahan se”. I unfortunately , didn’t get  a chance to ask anyone or enquire what happened, why was he being hit so badly, what were other people doing , why was a lady so tensed and a...

“ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much ; it is whether we can provide enough for those who have too  little” The present UPA  government led by Congress seems encouraged by the above saying of Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt and thus dreams of creating an egalitarian society not just by launching proletarian schemes for the welfare of the poor but also caters to the needs of the well –offs by involving itself in various corrupt practices and thus creates an equilibrium for the two different sections of the society. We all must have heard news anchors shouting at  top of their voices about the recently passed food security bill. Some optimists think that the food security bill will further push our burgeoning current account deficit up  and some pessimists think this is again a political tool for massing votes in the next general election. Many opinions , many voices . So before forming any opinion let us inquire ...

THE CONCEPT OF GAZE “Pleasant it is , when over a great sea the winds trouble the waters , to gaze from shore upon another’s great tribulation ; not because any man’s troubles are a delectable joy, but because to perceive you are free of them yourself is pleasant”. Lucretius has rightly said . Being in the constant gaze of someone makes a person extremely uncomfortable , nervous and often  harbor low self – respect. But the questions that continuously intrigue people are what is gaze, why is it so powerful , what is its politics? So let’s understand the meaning of gaze. In simple terms the word means to look steadily and intently , as with great curiosity, interest , pleasure or wonder. HISTORY Gaze is a psychological term brought into popular usage by Jacques Lacan to describe the anxious state that comes with the awareness that one can be viewed . The psychological effect, Lacan argues , is that the subject loses a degree of autonomy upon realizing that he or she is ...

BURULI ULCER When we think of world as a whole , spontaneously a division comes into our mind  i.e; of a developed world and a still developing world . The denizens of the third world countries bear the brunt of corrupt politics, low economic growth , poor record of human rights and above all , no health and medical security. Malaria, dengue , diarrhea ,tuberculosis are some commonly found diseases in the third world countries. But the health problems  of this world do not stop at these above mentioned diseases. Since they are still developing , so every day  they counter new health problems. One such problem is of BURULI ULCER. Now the questions that arise in context to this health hazard are A)      What is it? B)       Which geographical location provides breeding ground for such a disease ? C)       Which part of the  body falls pray to the microbes leading this problem? D) ...

Revolutions have always taken place in respect to give a space or a platform to subordinate voices suppressed beneath the dominant voices. A period of renaissance always arrives when suppressed breaks the hegemony of continuous slavery – by slavery I mean all kinds of slavery mental,emotional and physical. Saturation level for all kinds of injustice arrive but unfortunately no revolution no renaissance take place when it comes to the ill status of Indian women. After 65 years of independence and 64 years of being a democratic republic ,unfortunately no freedom and no self-right have arrived for Indian women.The poor state has continued its legacy of being poor in mental and social well being.Lack of respect and noble manners towards female communities is deep rooted and hugely practised in all institutions of society .The judicial courts don’t hold as much importance as “the court of public opinion does”. The women in this country have always been a suffering agent , no matter whet...

Since the present congress led UPA government would be facing general elections next year this budget had many reasons to be an anticipated budget. But this anticipation just dampened the spirits of many classes of Indian society . It fulfilled neither the hopes and aspirations of business class nor of the poor people. Just like railway budget it was more of political nature rather than populist. This time the tax slab for various income categories has not been revised and has been adopted as it was last year. Tax credit of rupees 2000 for income upto rupees 5 lakh has been provided. Since the fiscal deficit is already too high at 5.2% and lack of high revenue sources and burgeoning expenditure make the situation more worse  , the government instead of providing a tax credit of rupees 2000 upto income of 5 lakh could have provided it upto an income of  rupees 3 lakh. People earning above 3 lakh won’t mind paying  rupess 2000 as tax for the development of the nation. Her...

Whether its Goa or Patna , the eternal truth of 'hegemony' in  the human society presents a very ugly picture of  " the growing and  developing India , the third largest democracy " in the world. POVERTY  is not just  lack of food , clothing and shelter but also a  lack of the " right to lead a dignified life".

The horrific gang rape of a 23 year old para medical student in the national capital on 16th of December 2012 indeed shook the nation. I always used to wonder why revolutions and renaissance were concept of foreign land and not of our own land. Why movements like Arab Spring and Wall Street Occupy took birth in foreign milieu's conscience and not ours'? Why we Indians are so parochial in our views and appeased with our current state of affairs that we don't even reflect what's wrong with the other side of the society. But last year in the chilly cold weather of December , I was proved wrong. Indians proved that revolutions can again emerge on our land also. The mass protests involving thousands of people from all stratas of society standing for a girl whose life was mashed and crushed by some ill minded people made me think that yes, my India is no less active and revolutionary when compared with other nations. The uprising involving slogans for justice, reformations o...

Memories are prints which give not just hints they are like a motion picture ever flowing ever away from departure. They come and haunt us make us desire for a past which no longer can be lived. It is gone into a far away space a space beyond our reach a space much shield. Wish had an erasing system in my brain much like recycle bin in computers all dumped all forgotten never to be looked again never to be sad again. But that's just an imagination out of my empty mind's creation. Now I am locking up my prints in order to move ahead and bring on my face a satisfied grin :):) Happy that past wont come again and that I again won't have to bargain.

Democracy is the name and India enjoys this "false"fame. Proud we are citizens of the largest democracy which as well provides space for hugely - celebrated mediocrity. We have an elected government which lacks in real management. Each election we are promised that previous promises would be fulfilled but we know these promised - promises under power could be whipped. Once again we get back to our daily routine with collapsed expectations we wait for liberation liberation from this corrupt power  liberation from the guilt guilt not of selecting wrong mind guilt of not understanding our own mind. Each session our hopes rise up in the air only to remind ourselves that we are the birds of the ground only the mighty with corrupt mind and power have the right to spread their wings in the air. Oh you are government ,our thee our mighty lord but lies in our hand your chord You cut the corrupt - cake and we shall cut the chord to set up b...