Sadda Haq…Jhapad Rakh, The Harvinder Singh-Sharad Pawar Slapgate!

After a million requests, RTI, petitions and pleads; a hundred thousand peaceful protests and a few hundred candle marches, and one Anna Hazare, the common man lost it. A courageous Indian by the name of Harvider Singh slapped the daylights out of the Indian Agricultural Minster, Sharad Pawar at the New Delhi Municipal Centre; you can watch the video here. 

As always, there are divided views as to how can one slap a minister, this is sad and is condemned, and accolades for Harvinder Singh on the awesome job! It would have also been doing the rounds on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and likes. Sachin Tendulkar also must have heard about it during a forced drinks break and decided against his hundredth hundred; or postpone it to Friday. And then there were news that our PM Dr Manmohan Singh, who is in dire needs of a good PR, said he ‘condemns the act’. And now you know why; be it terror attacks, bomb blasts, scams or this slapgate, all our PM does is just condemning the act; and of course, nothing thereafter.

I came across a comment of an eminent news honcho Rajdeep Sardesai saying that ‘All those who justify the slapping of Pawar should be ashamed. Violence of the mind breeds physical violence.’ Whatever little bit I had towards the Indian media simply died off with that comment. Either Sardesai resides outside India, he too has a Swiss Bank Account that’s fed regularly by Indian politicians or is just another double-standard cold-blooded media guy who wants to stay within boundaries and run his channel as well. Does he forget the enormous corruption levels in the country fore fronted by politicians and the violence and vandalism political parties’ lead for their own motives? However, a common man’s slap is VIOLENCE, such is the travesty. And what if this was an act of an 80 year old retired man living on meager pension? Sardesai would have come out in support saying 'the common man has retaliated'. And I wouldn't be surprised if some years ago he loved Rang De Basanti and watch it with great adore!

As far as the slap goes, I’m a little disappointed with Sharad Pawar. If all Indian politicians claim to be avid Gandhi believers, why didn’t he put forth his other cheek and go ‘hit me baby one more time’? As far as Harvinder Singh goes, he’s building quite a name for himself to be a slapgate specialist. First he hurled slipper at Sukhram, the former telecom minister, when he was sentenced to jail for his involvement in a telecom scam and now Sharad Pawar. 

Now as much as I enjoyed the video of he slapping Sharad Pawar, the question that comes to my mind is how? How did Harvinder Singh make it out there and manage to slap Sharad Pawar with that ease? I perfectly understand terrorists coming across the seas and land, beating the shit out of our intelligence and conveniently killing a few hundred innocent people, but Sharad Pawar? Knowing that politicians can stoop to any level of disgust, I won’t entirely be surprised if Harvinder Singh could have been planted. Or may be just the political party came in the mood of vandalism and breaking loose and getting a public holiday and took to course as part of actions against their leader? Or a deep routed political move that we don’t see now?

For now though, I sincerely hope on being wrong on it and without being devil’s advocate, could the Harvinder Singhs please slap up a few more ministers; a lot more?

PS: Anna Hazare, the man who only supports non-violence, had the cheek to say 'Sirf ek hi mara?' (did he hit only one (slap)?); quite contrasting to his own personal belief, isn't it?

 

Hypocrisy lives, Democracy dies!

People are opportunists and even more so the politicians. Politicians and political parties stalk, wait and attack the smallest of issues and ensure that they are blown out of proportion. The intentions could be as ambitions as affecting global politics, taking down the opposition government or simply gaining limelight to show that they exist.

Recent events saw a political party in India come out strongly against the networking group Orkut. They demanded a ban on Orkut because there were defamatory comments and communities against their party leader and a state hero. Along the way, we all may have come across such communities against countries and political leaders because of a certain stand they take/took while addressing an issue. On most occasions, being politically correct and rationally correct seem two isolated concepts. Political correctness might irk a whole lot of us because it seems that the benefactors are only a small section, more often then not, the politicians themselves.

In their protest, members of the particular political party vandalised and ransacked cyber cafes, simply because Orkut was accessible. The abuse could have been from anywhere in the world, but a few innocent cyber cafe owners suffered.

The world has been blessed with the cyber bliss but also doomed with the hacks and crimes. I am sure most of us use networking communities to socialise, catch-up with long lost friends, communicate with friends and family, do business and so on. (Ironically, families of the political party involved in the ‘ban Orkut’ protest, themselves are very active Orkut members.) There can always be the other section of the crowd on these networking sites as well. Sadly, petty matters like these have been taken up to the Honourable President and Supreme Court, when there are bigger and more serious issues to be addressed.

Wouldn’t it be easier to report defamatory communities as abuse and have them blocked rather than ban a site like Orkut; or worse attack cyber cafes and innocent people associated with them? Are these acts of violence justified? Recently, The United Nations (UN) declared 2nd October as ‘World Non-Violence Day’ in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, India’s ‘Father of the Nation’; the man who helped India achieve freedom through non-violence. The very political parties praise Mahatma Gandhi but choose violence in daily practice.

Hypocrisy lives and Democracy dies! Sadly, on most occasions, people BECOME THE ISSUE rather than ADDRESSING IT!

You can support the petition ‘Do not ban Orkut in India’ by signing online at http://www.petitiononline.com/orkutban/petition.html.

Address issues, don't be one!

Referring the link -http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=15&contentid=20070608031030140e5a85652 - Where were these people when similar comments were made on India on Orkut? Some through our neighbouring countries and others via those who suffered due to India’s outsourcing boom? I guess busy fighting for reservations!

Sadly, it seems that Mumbai and Maharashtra are apart from a Democratic India. People cannot express their views and opinions, enjoy freedom and not be afraid of being or having their property attacked. Freedom and democracy are our right; however, they should not be abused.

Expression of love on Valentines and accessing Orkut (namely just two of the many instances) are a matter of choice. Why attack shops and cyber cafés and deny one of a daily lively hood? Will the purpose be met? In case of the so-called defamatory comments, they could be posted from elsewhere in the world. Why ban Orkut for that?

Wise men think that banning Orkut at cyber cafés is a good option. However, Orkut could be easily accessible through the Internet from home and office. Orkut is a modern day wonder of a simplified way of communication and expressions. If there is something defamatory, Orkut supports ‘report as abuse’ to permanently ban it if they receive a certain number of such reports. Why shut cyber cafés and install software to ban Orkut? It is like a classic case where the US invested millions to make a pen that can write anywhere and in any condition, whereas the Russians used a pencil!

Sadly, people wake up to issues of lesser importance rather than the ones that actually need attention. People sleep over these and it is through communities at Orkut where the cyber world awakens. It is sad that on most occasions, people BECOME THE ISSUE rather than ADDRESSING THE ISSUE!