Death of a Daughter

She is a mother, battling against the powerful and corrupt forces to get justice for her dead daughter, to lay her down in eternal rest among the lilies grown on a hillside in a faraway land. Long after the demise, she has not been able to give her daughter a decent farewell, instead watched the lifeless body sullied and debased as repeated Post-mortems had to be conducted on it to expose the lie by the very people who are supposed to be the guardians of the law of the land. She has been called names, branded as a poor irresponsible mother, for whose sins the daughter had to die a miserable death, plied with substance, raped, and her head held under water till her thrashing body subsided into death.

Would you suffer this fate for your darling little girl? No….? Then why should Fiona?

After killing her body, even her memory is being assassinated by the perpetrators of the crime to deflect attention from their heinous crime and the media gleefully laps it up! Has the word, ‘compassion’ disappeared from the dictionary in the land of the Mahatma? Even if there was some truth in it, we humans are known to leave the dead to bury its dead. The human action of hurling abuses at a corpse can be interpreted as a desperate attempt to save one’s one own neck!

No mother however negligent deserves this fate- every waking hour a torment by the memory of those vivid bruises on her daughter’s body, each night a torture chamber of imagining the brutal assault and rape of her child by strangers who befriended the hapless girl from the very beginning with ulterior motives. No mother should be compelled to endure the agony of not knowing the thoughts and struggles of her child during her dying moments. No mother should be made to feel guilty for seeking justice on behalf of her dead girl. Then why are those snoopy moles digging into the antecedent of this brave mother? Is it to assist the cover up?

Wordly-wise or not, no young girl deserves the kind of death her daughter was condemned to, by people who had no right to judge her morality. Going by the same standards, the perpetrators of the crime and also thousands of women of such loose character should all be condemned to die similar deaths. Was Scarlett the only girl-woman with the trust of a little girl and the actions of a gown woman, the only one of our times who entrusted her life to a lover, a man no never really loved her? Who will judge the rest of the sinners and pronounce punishment? You or the enthusiastic media?

If poverty is no sin, living in a decrepit caravan can be a decent way to live for the poor, better than begging on the streets. Justifying punishment on the basis of one’s economic status is worse than the primitive law of stoning the adulteress. So, deprive the poor of access to law courts because they have to be punished for being poor!

Since when have a poor mother’s sins to be atoned by sacrificing a daughter at the altar of drugs and lust? Since when have Indians, reputed to be spiritual and homely turned rapists and butchers in the pursuit of pleasure and riches? Who are these hard-hearted fathers of young daughters who untouched by the gruesome death of a young girl of their own daughter’s age, trying to cover up the crime? Is power and wealth so intoxicating that a government goes overboard using its machinery to dodge the simple issue of arresting criminals responsible for the girl’s death?

Each day there is a ‘new twist to the Scarlett case’, apparently leading to more lies to cover up the original one. Where will this sequence of deceit end? Would the ending be different if the parents of the slain girl were rich and influential that they could rattle a few bones in the corridors of power with a snap of their fingers? Why is the government going round in circles, even at the risk of making itself the butt of aversion and ridicule at the hands of the citizens of the land? Are the stakes so high that the ministers are willing to get caught evading questions on national television, than get cracking cleaning up the state?

Everything is linked together. Those who make a few pennies more are gloating over the fact without realizing that the larger picture reveals doom for the state. Renting shacks and feeding a few mouths cannot balance the dangers of rape and fragmentation of the land, degeneration of values to accommodate tourism and the influx of aliens swiftly taking over trade and business from the locals. Can we see beyond our own noses?

- Vera Alvares

The Indian Prime Minister!

Saluting the most qualified Prime Minister in the World!

The Indian Prime Minister seems to be the most qualified PM
anywhere in the world...
RESUME

EDUCATION /Qualification:
1950: Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University, Chandigarh ,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University , Chandigarh ,
1954; Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge,
1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge ,
1957; DPhil ( Oxford ), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India 's export competitiveness

OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience :
Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59;
Reader, Economics, 1959-63;
Professor, Economics, Punjab University , Chandigarh , 1963-65;
Professor,Internati onal Trade, Delhi School of Economics,Universit y of Delhi,1969-71 ;
Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University ,New Delhi,1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi ,1996 and Civil Servant

Working Experience/ POSITIONS :
1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance
1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India ;
Director, Industrial Development Bank of India;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD
November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);
Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission
April 1980 - September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission
1980-83: Chairman , India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee
September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985 : Governor, Reserve Bank of India .
1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors, International Monetary Fund
1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister
1985: President, Indian Economic Association
January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987 : Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
August 1, 1987 - November 10, 19! 90: Secretary-general and commissioner,
south commission, Geneva
December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991 : Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs
March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991 : Chairman, UGC
June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996 : Union finance minister
October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket
June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance
August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce
March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha
June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance
August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules
Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group
June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee

BOOKS:
India 's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -
Clarendon Press, Oxford University , 1964; also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956
Padma Vibhushan, 1987
Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;
Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:
1966: Economic Affairs Officer
1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD
1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on
International Monetary Reform
1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings
1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting
1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting
1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human Rights World Conference, Vienna

RECREATION :
Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre,
New Delhi

PERSONAL DETAIL:
Name: Dr Manmohan Singh
DOB: September 26, 1932
Place of Birth: Gah ( West Punjab )
Father: S. Gurmukh Singh
Mother: Mrs Amrit Kaur
Married on: September 14, 1958
Wife: Mrs Gursharan Kaur
Children: Three daughters

We salute you, Mr. manmohan Singh........but under your regime, how come the poor in this country are becoming poorer while the Capitalists are getting richer and richer? How come your party leaders are acting like the stooges of the big Industrialists? How come those with hand-to-mouth existence are losing their livlihood due to your government's policies?
Moral of the story- More than an impressive resume, one needs to have a finger on the weakest pulse of MotherIndia's millions!

Gorai revisted!

I see this as response to my blog- The Great Divide- SEZ who? This missive was hand delivered to 20 of us members of the Justice and Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Bombay, at the JPC office, St. Pius College, Goregaon East, on10th March, 2008.
Please take a look.........
PRESS RELEASE

ESSEL GROUP TO DROP GORAI PROJECT

Commenting on the recent agitation against the proposed Gorai SEZ, the Essel group reacted very strongly to activists and vested interests (who have encroached on government land earmarked for the project) for misguiding the locals about the project and about Essel’s ntentions. Some of these activists are rank outsiders to the region. Their statements about the proposed SEZ project, the Essel group and Subhash Chandra indicate that they have not understood Essels’ Gorai SEZ plan, have no idea of Essels track record as a respected business house and they are indulging in unnecessary mud-slinging about a well intentioned, God fearing and respected business icon who has done more for his fellow villagers than any of them singly or jointly.

Essel is a respected Business conglomerate with interests in various businesses such as packaging, education, media, and entertainment. Every time you pick up your toothpaste tube you are holding an Essel product and each time you switch on your TV, chances are you will be watching a Zee program. The Gorai SEZ is just one among many future business projects of the Essel group & the group is re-evaluating its business interests to go ahead with this project. Essel is sensitive to the apprehension of the villagers and has now taken a clear position that is after properly understanding Essel’s proposed SEZ plan, the villager still think the project will infringe on their rights Essel is ready to drop the project.

Commenting on the recent agitation Essel Chairman Subhash Chandra appreciated the concerns of Cardinal Oswal Gracious about preservation of local culture and displacement of ethnic groups. He wished to reassure the locals and the Church that the Gorai SEZ project conceived by Essel, is designed to showcase local culture- not harm it. He believes that sustained development without diluting the local culture and ethnic value systems are crucial to maintain the diversity of cultures in advancing economies such as ours. He said “we recognize this need and hence want to preserve the Gorai region for future generations otherwise it will be taken over by the builder lobby and unscrupulous anti-local elements”.

The activists who are poisoning the minds of locals have not done anything concrete to improve the economic conditions in the villages. Neither are they aware of how deep the relationship is between d Essel and the local population. When Esselworld was being built, the entire material and manpower requirement was procured from the locals and that today 442 locals are directly employed in Esselworld and water kingdom. This does not include indirect employment the Essel projects have created for numerous other villagers.
Essel has always stood for wholesome development of this region and its people. In fact all the earnings from Esselworld during past 20 years have been reinvested in the area. “We are an integral part of the local community and feel that it is the outsiders who are creating disharmony among us” said Chairman Chandra. Ask the locals working in Esselworld and water kingdom about the various schemes implemented by Essel to preserve the local ecology and protect the environment, and you will know the truth about our good work!

It was pointed out that if Essel had not been sensitive to the preservation of the local culture and environment, Esselgroup could have exploited the land to create a commercial hub like the developments across the creek at Borivali and Malad which are a blatant violation of norms. Why have the activists turned a blind eye to this? In fact if Essel intentions were bad it would have sold the land to a leading high profile builder who claimed that since Essel does not have the wherewithal to steamroll local sensitivity, he would develop the land.

Nilesh Mistry, Senior VP- Corporate Affairs stated, “Activists such as Medha Patkar, Ulka Mahajan, Surekha Dalvi and others are complete outsiders to this region. They are clueless on the norms regarding development of the region and we would like to ask them if they have done anything by way of economic development that has benefited the local community in this region? We are open to withdraw from the project, but will the villagers be able to handle the means deployed by the builder lobby?”

The whole belt from Manori to Uttan including Gorai was declared a s a Recreation and Tourism Development Zone( RTDZ) by the government in 1999 and many groups /villagers deposed before the government for and against the proposed development. It is difficult to understand why this agitation is taken up now, 9 years after being passed?

Essel has also clarified that the entire development of the Esselworld, water kingdom and the pagoda has been within rules and regulations laid down by law. The land for the Pagoda is donated by the promoters and it is built with the objective of fostering world peace for people from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed, and community. Use of the Pagoda is free.

Regarding the Essel SEZ project it is categorically stated that the project will remain within the RTDZ regulations by using the wasteland and Essel land. There is no intent to displace any gaothans or heritage precincts in this region. On the contrary, the proposed development would showcase the gaothans, the heritage precincts, and the rich culture of the local fishing community- as the main highlights of the region,

Essel believes that the project as conceived by it will benefit the entire community and provide a better life and a higher standing of living to future generations. Essel appeals to the community to shun the negative approach of the activists and the vested interests who are misguiding them and misrepresenting facts. Let there be a sincere and open dialogue under the auspices of the Church and the Government, and if the community is still not convince Esssel will be happy to withdraw from the project.
Mumbai
21st Feb. 2008