in the name of honour

Honour in some parts of india is defined by defying the means of social and traditional destabilization, and protecting the age old traditional values,  regardless of the means used, regardless of the ends perceived and achieved. Here I am talking about the crime associated with the name ‘honour killing’. Rampant in northern india and also in parts of Pakistan, it has brought the ideas of liberal democracy and modernism at crossroads. The constitution now finds itself helpless in implementing these to over these regions.

Recently a girl from yadav community was brutally killed for eloping with a punjabi boy. After killing, the body was swiftly cremated and all the rituals were followed. the excuses given laughably bizarre. The incident here poses many questions and brings to the fore many issues.

Why are we tolerating these till now? Well no, the supreme court has already in its judgement has pronounced that each individual has the right to choice. Choice here refers to the selecting the life partner according to own wishes. It has severely condemned the practices as derogatory and antithetical to Indian ethos.

What about the khaps? These structures are as permanent as any of the institution you will find in india. Tradition has imbibed the values in the minds and hearts as a rock. Many practices are dismissive, perverse but still are followed. still one just cannot wish away the institution of khap. At the smallest level these are the work mobilizers of the northern india. Any external force contriving to induce change shall be faced with resistance. Even if coercely imposed, these rebel activities will go-on secretively, with beatings and killings and atrocities. Khaps are linked with the lives of people. People have not seen the community functioning without the khaps. So change has to cautious.

What are the choices in front of a girl? The choice statement given by the supreme court, has been followed not in the right spirit, in fact there is no proof that it is even followed. the girl child is often under tremendous pressure to go with customary or filial choices. Perceiving that her decision is inextricably linked to her family’s honour she most often drinks that bitter sip or that rather gulps with eyes closed and fearful and all senses tightened.

The other question arises here is about the liking of girl child with family’s honour. Parents often boast of their daughter married off to a rich business house. The same parents feel ashamed when they couldn’t find a suitable groom(or I should say a family) for her or if she is married in a poor house. Its our society’s menace which still I couldn’t understand till now, probably because I have never delved into it before or may be because I have been away from such influences or may be because I am not of a rural origin where I can experience such cases and extract some reason and causes behind it.

Seriously it’s a hats off to being a female in this country, and that to poor. Talks of india shining and winds changing are a still nonsense in the remote hinterlands of india. Here, starting from her inception in the womb, till she falls on her grave, the number of atrocities that she amazingly accepts and sometimes revolts, resists is phenomenal. I sometimes doubt my courage and question myself as to me having that kind of courage.

The repeated stories like these heartily disturbs me a lot. the very meaning of being Indian is a mix up of various communities. Its been the Indian story dating back 5000 years. Why then people are hell bent to disturb the very indianness of Indian people. Inter-caste were promoted by BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. If these intellectuals are promoting them then our rationale should reflect upon ourselves to propagate their ideas deep in the soils of india.

Having pledged ourselves to maintain the unity and diversity of this holy land its our responsibility, we who are capable and possessed with necessities to educate and correct the malpractices that are rampant in the different parts of india. But mind you, this will be a labyrinth task, will demand enormous time resource and will power.

Any Change that has to come, has to come from within, the people alone themselves have the responsibilities to change, we can only act as facilitators and educators. For it education is must. Inculcation of modern and rational values is imperative. The unlearning has to be incremental, and not radical, otherwise the whole effort goes draining. The government can incentivize schemes that encourage inter caste marriages in the form of subsidies and rebated education of their child and scholarships.

So lets be a little respectful of our nation, lets show some sympathy towards the ‘other’ gender, lets follow ethics enshrined in the constitution and liberal ideas propagated by the nation’s greats. Lets build a strong india. Lets build india for what its known for, for what it has carried itself through ages and epochs.

LITTLE SUCCESS LITTLE FAILURE—a comparative viewpoint

I usually fall to sleep in the afternoon unhelpfully. The will of my resistance is overwhelmed by the sleepy forces dynamic in me. The energy is spent on breaking and digesting the rice inside my stomach. Probably due to this my own epistemological creation I have asked to reduce the rice content in my tiffin box.

Afternoons are a part of dull timelines. Nothing much happens except there is some unusual silence. The voice of chaiwallahs, talewallahs cranks and breaks this silence often. These voices are quite unheard if one is busy in work.

But one day I was contemplating on the idea of success akin to ‘the idea of justice’, I found some exhilarating similarities in me and my talewalla chaiwalla friend. I thought about what could be the definition of success for him and what about me who was preparing for an all difficult IAS exam. Here is the comparision.

Though completely unaware of a daily life of a talewallah seller, I projected my own ideal construct of his dayline. Such is his hard task of screaming day and night, regularly twenty four seven, in want of someone would ever come out of balcony and ask him favour. Usually this doesn’t happen. But occasionally when that happens, he terms that a success. So yes, selling talas (locks) is success for him. He might have some number fixed to sell daily that if achieved, could fill his heart with satisfaction.

Similar is my case. I have to study that same subject time and again, same routine everyday in hope of remembering and producing when it is most important. Also hoping that I will not be the mahabharata’s karna who couldn’t produce what he learnt in his career. My success is the selection in the exam.

But there is some catch. There is vast difference between his and mine ‘duty’. Firstly, it starts with the big ‘fruit’ of his duty. That fruit’s probability falling in his side is highly improbable. Mostly because here the variables are quite high. His screaming strength and tala selling are not proportional in any way. It depends on the street in which he is selling. The people who reside there and the people’s wants. The ferocious competitors are always hawking for any space or move left unpathed.

On my side same many variables are there be it amount of people, there desire and competition (as usual for india). But their weightage in this case is far lower as compared to the former. I can say much remains in my hands, or I have much more maneuverabiblity to pluck the fruit of my karma from a tree. Still I remain generous and humble enough to say in lord krishna’s own words ‘don’t worry for the fruit, for it is not in your hands’.

I always used to fret about the repeatedness of my path, actually sometimes it still happens probably due to brain strokes and its refusals. The same old regular stuff. I used to crave for some independence and something afresh that could beface me through anyways accidentally or deliberately. But that very day, I tried to lens this through his viewpoint. That was the moment I realized my nothingness in his juxtapose. At least I have the privilege of having very new things at my behest. The dynamics of world and nation keep one afresh and change-sticking. But his job still remains the same, nothing new not a bit. Still he has the same tenacity and spiritedness to accompalish his task.

A big Salute to his endurance. In fact he can be source of learning to many. Having patience and persistence is a great quality that a youth of today lacks in an elemental form. A dogged behavior is necessary when one aspires big. So one’s success mantra is hidden in those chaiwallahs and talewallahs selling daily and screaming in the afternoon. I hope and I will try meeting those sources of my inspiration soon, on the other day when I don’t lay unconscious in bed.

 Waiting for that day.

Cheers !!!