My New Year Hope...

13 years have passed...but they have been unbothered. 13 years of her sacrifice...her heroic struggle, it must come to an end. Her demands be heard. Justice be done. Salute to the Eche Irom...the Iron Lady. 

My prayers for your happiness and healthy life, Ericana and Eludi!

Ericana and Eludi with their mother

Life is full of struggles, challenges and pain for all us. But unfortunately for some people, the struggle is greater. In Tanzania, for two male babies - Ericana and Eludi, the struggle had began with their birth. They were born as pygopagus twins which means that they are conjoined at the buttocks. Since their birth, their mother has been struggling to get them separated and lead a healthy life. The pain suffered by the twins and their mother is unspeakable and unimaginable.

But thankfully, the babies can now be said to be in safe hands. The mother had learnt about Apollo healthcare, one of the most efficient and trust names in modern healthcare today, and came to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai with her two beautiful babies and with her trust and hope.

The Apollo Hospital, on its part, is also doing its best. This case is one of the most challenging cases that not only Apollo but that the world has seen. Conjoined twins is a rare condition and most of the babies with this condition are either still-born or die soon after birth. This specific condition of conjoining at the buttocks known as pygopagus is even more rare. It is also generally found more in females. Till now, only 4 male pygopagus twins have been reported. So this case is definitely one of the rarest and the most difficult. But Apollo is doing all that it can to ensure a normal and healthy life for the babies. For this case, Apollo has appointed a team of 20 doctors from the specialties of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, paediatric surgery and pediatric urology. They have also sought the guidance of Dr. Edward Kiely – Paediatric Surgeon and Dr. Richard Howard – Anaesthesiologist both from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for the safe separation. Apollo has been taking care of the babies for 5 months now and on 16th, it will conduct the most important stage i.e. the separation surgery.

But Apollo has not just been giving them medical care, it has also given the babies and their mother an emotional support. The nurses have developed a bond with the babies. The nurses have nicknamed the babies as 'Ammukutty’ and ‘Chellakutty’. In turn, the babies have also bonded with the nurses. They and their mother have also picked up a few tamil words. But this is not new about Apollo. Apollo has not just been one of the world's most efficient health-care provider, it is actually a "care-taker" and of not just the patients but of the society. Apollo has many social initiatives like Disha, SACHi, SAHI, CURE and other initiatives to care for everyone, irrespective of their economic and social profile. Infact, the babies' mother had learnt about Apollo because of its presence through the Save a child's heart initiative of SACHi in Tanzania.  

So the babies are in efficient and caring hands. My wishes with Apollo. I wish them all success. I also pray that the pain being suffered by the two babies should end and they lead a happy and healthy life. My wishes also for the mother. May God bless all of them. 

Statement by Mission Bhartiyam condemning the the SC verdict criminalizing gay sex

On 11th December 2013, the Supreme Court of India has dismissed the Delhi High Court Ruling of 2009 to uphold IPC section 377 that prohibits “carnal acts against the order of nature”. Doing so, it criminalises the sexual acts of LGBTI community. 

The Delhi High Court in its ruling had held that the provision violated the sexual minorities’ fundamental rights to life, liberty, equality, and discriminating between people on grounds of sex. But the Supreme Court has overturned the verdict arguing that it is not against the constitutional norms. The SC has upheld the allegations of the social and religious organisations that consider non-heteronormativity to be against the "cultural and religious values of the country". 

We condemn the SC verdict. We feel that the verdict is not "non-liberal", conservative or "non-progressive" but is against the fact of nature and is historically baseless. Non-heteronormativity is not unnatural, it is not a choice or a "lifestyle". It is a fact..it is a way a person is. Non-heteronormativity has been observed in several animal and bird species as well. 

Homosexuality and other forms of non-heteronormativity are not against our culture.. they were a part of our culture and for this, there is enough historical evidence. The ban on non-heteronormative forms of sexuality has its origin in the colonial era. But we think that even if we may think it is, it is against our culture just like the ban on sati, child marriage, devdasi tradition and other social evils. 

It has been argued that non-heteronormativity is against the religious norms. Some religions like Islam and Christianity have prohibited it but there was a certain context to it. In Islam, all the obligations were made in a certain socio-political context which needs to be studied. Other religions like Hinduism cannot be said to be against non-heteronormativity and there is enough evidence in the scriptures to prove it. We also feel that even if the religions do not permit it, it does not mean that it is wrong. We must remember that religions also promote several other forms of discrimination and inequality. 

We also think that even if a certain religion does not permit non-heteronormativity, it should be concern only for the people who ascribe to that religion. The individual following that religion should decide if he/she wants to leave his/her religion or suppress his/her sexuality. Their religious values and opinions should not be imposed on others. 

We state that people with non-heteronormative sexuality are not "abnormal", "diseased" and deviants.. what is abnormal, unnatural and a "mental disorder" is this homophobia. As we know, the nature loves and celebrates diversity. The non-heteronormative sexualities represents these diverse forms of sexuality. 

This verdict is a verdict against the nature, against knowledge and against humanity. 

Is homosexuality really an import?

The Gulf nations are planning to conduct "gay tests" for foreign tourists. It is claimed that the test will "recognise" gays and transgenders who will be then denied entry.  This will be applicable in all the GCC or Gulf Cooperation Council countries that includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. In all the GCC countries, homosexuality is outlawed.

While this news is becoming a talk of the world, I fear that it will be largely discussed as a symbol of conservatism and related to a particular religion. I feel that the focus needs to be shifted to the accusation that homosexuality is an important. My article intends to burst this myth.

The proposal of GCC is inherent with the assumption that homosexuality is an import of the west. It is not a practice of the land. This assumption and notion is true not only for the Arab countries but is also quite widespread in many South Asian countries. However, this is not corroborated by facts.

The movement for the rights of the LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex) community is not very old. It was only in 2003 that all the states of America had legalised homosexuality. Marriage equality is banned in countries. Many states of USA are yet to legalise it. Russia has recently passed the anti-Gay bill. Even if western countries have some provisions, there is still social stigma attached to people of LGBTI community. In a recent news, it was reported that a Christian College in California had banned a student after it was found out that she was a transgender. Infact, it has been argued that homophobia or fear of homosexuality and diverse sexualities was a product of colonialism. Thus, it would be more apt to say that homophobia, not homosexuality, is an import of the west.

Homosexuality as an "import" also conveys that homosexuality is a kind of trend or lifestyle. It is generally believed that like the concepts of a nuclear family and an individual life, homosexuality has also "come from the west".  It is not true because homosexuality is not a concept. It is not a trend that can be followed. It is the way a person is. What can be said to be imported from the west is the acceptability and recognition that some western societies have shown for diverse sexualities.

Related with this concept is the basic assumption that homosexuality is "unnatural". This assumption has been long challenged through inter-disciplinary researches. The fact is that if homosexuality is unnatural, then why is it found in about 1500 species ranging from primates to parasites? Homosexual behaviour is found to be quite widespread in the animal kingdom. One quarter of black swans engage in homosexual unions.

If homosexuality and diverse sexualities are unnatural then why do we need religion, culture, media, law and the state to enforce this "fact"? Diverse sexualities are reflective of the beauty of the nature. We are mesmerized by the diversity in flowers, animals, birds, landscapes but then why do many of us reject and condemn diversity in the sexual orientation of human beings. There is enough literature available on the history of sexuality, about a more accommodating past followed by the period of suppression of sexuality. There are reasons that explain the suppression. In the past, due to the existing political circumstances, many societies lay emphasis on fertility and so they condemned any union that was not productive. They had intertwined this with the moral and social. It was incorporated in many religious systems. However, even when the situation changed, the moral and the social was not adequately challenged. Thus, the taboo remained.

This move to bar the entry of gay tourists shows that there is a sense of "fear" and we must inquire about it. Who is fearful and of what? How is someone's sexuality affecting a society or people around him/her? Homosexuality is being seen as a threat to the "moral good". When a homosexual person is brutally harassed, where does the morality go? There are many incidents of rapes of people of LGBTI community. This proposed move to "control" homosexuality by barring the "agents" of homosexuality makes some sense if we accept that homosexuality has buyers in the land.

Thus, it is important to realise that homosexuality is neither a threat to any culture or system of 'morality' nor an import of west. It is important to  protest against this illogical and "unnatural" disease called homophobia that still grips many countries. 

Weapon of Miscommunication

Aman Chaupal with Saeeda Diep ji

"Do Hindus live in Pakistan?", asked a young girl to Ms. Saeeda Diep, a Peace activist from Pakistan.

With a smile, she replied, "Yes, my dear. Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and people of many other religious faiths live in Pakistan".

"How are they treated?"

"Why doesn't the Pakistan Government control terrorism?"

"Why did the army behead Indian soldiers?"

These were some of the many questions that students of a school in Delhi had asked the peace activist during an interactive session called Aman Chaupal, an initiative of Aaghaz-e-Dosti aimed towards Indo-Pak friendship. It was a small room with about 50 students heavily-equipped with questions and a lady with a serene and smiling face. She answered all the questions with an unchanging expression of calmness and with a warm smile. This was because she was on a mission. She was out to face the weapon of miscommunication. "We have about 20 Indian channels but you people do not have a single channel so you know nothing about Pakistan. We have not been able to present ourselves to you." So after each question, she would say, "please ask more questions".

Having some level of communication with people from Pakistan, I could not help laughing when the politically-charged questions didn't stop. But I was not surprised at those questions. Infact, I, like Saeeda ji, was happy that they asked these questions because then they won't think that we were there to "pacify" or "convince" them. Yet, I must admit that I was surprised to see that she had a calm and beaming face throughout the session.

Her words as well as those questions have stayed with me. She had emphasised on the lack of communication and the hawkish media that our Indian democracy has granted us. I would completely agree with her on this. The media is the fourth pillar of democracy yet in our country, it is not independent and is biased. It carries the burden of invoking nationalist fervor and in doing so, it often ends up with arousing jingoistic sentiments.

The media was at its worst best during the case of Sarabjit Singh when Sarabjit was made a "national martyr" and the attack on Sanaullah Ranjay was seen as a "reaction". The same can be said for the border clash of January. There was no reporting at that time. The news channels were busy running documentaries. I often find it a little surprising that the media which is desperate to do something 'innovative" does not ever attempt to consult the "other" side. There is a clear divide between what the major newspapers of both the sides report. Yet, no attempt is made by either sides to come up with a neutral source. No-one ever gets to know the "truth" and actually, it seems that no side is even interested to know. Why? There are reasons and the reasons are political.

This is a weapon and a far lethal one. The military clashes are short-lived. There is a ceasefire but this weapon is not short-lived. It is a slower process but much more effective. It allows for the proliferation of hatred to people beyond the direct sufferers. It is effective enough to make peace, a fantasy of the "liberal". A resource for many, it helps to create an unchallenged "need" for war, for hatred. The war mandate rests on the unchallenged assumption that the "other" hates us. Thus, it is an important raw material for what Saeeda ji had said, a "war industry". This also explains why there are attempts to disrupt any efforts to enhance people-to-people communication between the countries. Miscommunication is essential for hatred and suspicion.

In contrast to this is communication. It would be hard to find someone who has been to the other side of the border or has had some level of communication, with a negative opinion about them. With so much to talk about, share, in one's own language (Hindi for us, urdu for them), it becomes difficult at ground level to find differences. Infact, when one meets someone from Pakistan, one is pleasantly disappointed because the image of a different "other" is shattered. Communication is the key to all our problems and so Saeeda ji had concluded the session with the statement,

"We will make efforts to connect you with children of your age so that you can see Pakistan from our eyes, not from your media's eyes." 

The time when children were innocent

As kids, we had a desire to speed up the growing part and become adults. Adulthood meant an escape from the boring homework, having a lot more freedom and the power to decide. Ofcourse, now as adults, we like to laugh on that silly desire. It was silly but it was a very innocent one. We were too innocent to understand what adulthood would really mean. How that “freedom” would mean very little in front of that ever-increasing tension. We realize it now but it seems that parents these days don’t.

Recently, I came across an article in a TOI supplement, Education Plus, dated 12^th January 2012, about preschoolers and little kids learning to cook, wash cars and doing computers. I anyway never understood the concept of pre-schooling as 14 years of schooling is torturous enough for kids but this came as a major shock to me. I wondered what has gone wrong with parenting these days.

I remember how our parents would talk about their ‘golden’ childhood and would totally discard our idea of ‘fun’ in childhood. My mother had a serious disapproval for Cartoon Network and my computer buddies, Dave and Aladdin. They would talk about their vacations back in the villages and the “real” fun, as they used to put it. Every vacation, I was forced to engage in some ‘fun’ activity like dance, music or playing casio. We all grew up being compared with a neighborhood kid or a cousin. This was our childhood. We were more ‘privileged’ than our previous generation but the next and the current generation have a lot more, like cellphones before college, facebook accounts much before their teen years, the obsession with branded and fashionable clothes, in short, an over-exposure!

Now, I think that we were so much better-off. And I don’t feel any kind of happiness as I write this. I feel really sad that what they are losing out on what happens to be what kids are famous for i.e. innocence. Now, when I think of my childhood, I review all the mistakes that I ever made. Some of them were stupid and others, quite serious, yet I don’t feel any remorse because I was innocent. I was not trained enough to see all aspects of things. I realized and learned from my mistakes only with time. I learned all that, at the right age. I was ignorant, immature and imperfect. It was only with time that I started shedding some of them. I now feel that growing up is so beautiful. And as I realize this, I feel sad for these kids.

It’s not their age to learn how to cook or how to wash a car. Why do they need to do that? Are they being expected to be independent? I see kids in reality shows trying to express emotions which they are not even supposed to understand and I have nothing but pity for them. Why are they being expected to behave like adults? Most of the times, the judges don’t seem to know how to talk to kids. They end up discouraging the kids. But Why? Why are kids supposed to be perfect today! They are expected to sing their throats out, dance till their legs give away and express emotions which are way-ahead than their ages. So we have a preteen TV actress playing the role of a wife(not child bride) on a popular TV show. Is there a dearth of better actresses, I wondered. What was the need for playing with the psychological mind-set of the young actress?

I see preschoolers having their ears pierced and I wonder the need. I remember having the ear-piercing done when I was in third standard. I fail to understand why things are growing so fast.

I don’t think one can blame the kids! The questions should be directed to their parents, their guardians and these schools. What are they playing at? The World is moving on very fast… there is an upsurge in technology and one needs to be updated but not at the cost of destroying the beautiful child-like innocence. Why are we exposing them to a world for which they are not yet ready? Why are they taking away from their own kids what they cherish the most… the “golden” childhood? Why are the parents in such a hurry?

The schools consider this as a step to better ‘prepare’ the students. They are ‘preparing’ the students for what? This competitive world? The world is definitely become ‘meaner’ day by day and the competition is a reality. But this does not mean that we end up producing miniature adults, rather than kids. And all this is only worsening the competition. The schools may claim “innovative” methods to make learning “fun” but actually, it is indulging into a lot of “learning” for the kids, with these “extra-curricular” activities. The “Extra-curricular” activities which sometimes also include personality development, a concept which again I fail to accept for kids. If immaturity is bad, so is over-maturity.

Why cant we just let them be themselves… and enjoy their innocent childhood which they will cherish later in their lives, when they will ultimately struggle in this notorious, demonic world? Why cant we let kids be kids again?

Do Hindus live in Pakistan?

Why is there so much of terrorism in Pakistan?

Did the Government know about Osama Bin Laden living in Pakistan?

What do people of Pakistani think about us?

Watch this video wherein a renowned Peace activist from Pakistan, Ms. Saeeda Diep interacts with students of Columbia Foundation Sr. Sec. School. This was an event of Aman Chaupal, an initiative under Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-pak peace and friendship initiative by Mission Bhartiyam.