DEPRIVED CHILDHOOD

Sixty three years of Independence has changed the face of the country in myriad ways. The lifestyle of the children of our country has entirely changed, but at the same time we have a section of society where despite of laws in India, rights of a child are not safeguarded.

“Child trafficking which makes path for child labour and much more, flourishes and is the biggest peril.”

It can be defined as recruiting children and then transferring or transporting them for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation of a child in several forms is practiced; it can be forced labour, slavery, servitude, sexual abuse, forced begging and removal of organs. “Child trafficking is a crime”.

It’s a severe problem in India and very common indeed. But government with it’s futile efforts has not been able to curb out of this. This practice mars the Rights of children to breathe free, to live according to their own will, their liberty is wrenched away. They are deprived of their most basic right viz. right to education and right to health care. These children lack everything which ensures their healthy growth and holistic development.

These are many reasons which lead to the path of child trafficking, and poverty being the fundamental cause. Economically deprived families lack education, employment and other opportunities as well. People who employ these children get cheap labour and exploit these kids and take extra work from them.

It’s a sorry state that our government has not succeeded to protect children against child trafficking. According to report by The National Human Right Commission of India nearly 40,000 children are abducted every year….poor people send their children for such work in exchange of wages…. their children hardly go to school and generally don’t have any other work to do so the parents consider that its better to utilize them as a bread-earner for the impoverished family.

It’s worth praising that number of NGOs in our country is striving hard to Fight against this menace of child trafficking. When they find such children, they provide them basic education, give them some vocational training so that they may stand on their own feet and support their family. Until and unless government get awakened and step forward to check this adversity and root out the elementary cause ‘Poverty’ things may not change. Even citizens should take care from their part by not employing kids and complaining to the authorities if in their concern any such act is practiced. The target which has to be achieved is difficult but not an impossible one; so let’s hope that the constant efforts may help us see the light at the far end of dark tunnel.

Richa Tiwari

B.A in Media Studies

University of Allahabad

 

Many big fishes in the net

The highly controversial multi-storied Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society scam is spurning out new revelations with every passing hour and a lot needs to be done before the real picture comes in front of the nation. Maharashtra Revenue department has concluded its enquiry in the Adarsh Society scam and handed over all the documents to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The revenue department has said that the land of the Adarsh society is owned by state government. The 100 metre-tall housing society complex, which is spread over an area of 6490 square metres in the highly expensive Kolaba region of Mumbai, has instigated a lot of debate.

The land was cleared to build the society on the condition of housing war veterans but now has 104 members including senior army commanders, a former environment minister, legislators and state bureaucrats, top army officers and Navy officers.  Reports suggest that even Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s late mother-in-law Bhagwati Manoharlal Sharma’s name also features in the list of allottees.

Quite interestingly, the Adarsh society in Colaba, originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war heroes and widows, got converted into a 31-storey tower through collusion of bureaucrats, politicians and top defense officers, violating the coastal regulation limit height of 30 metres.

Former admiral Madhvendra Singh is also one of the beneficiaries in the building.  However, when asked to comment over the issues, he said that he was not aware that the land was meant for war widows and heroes.

On the other hand, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesperson Kanhaiyalal Gidwani has defended the flat owners by saying that all the members have government clearance for the flats.

The Adarsh society is located in one of the world’s most expensive regions, but sees the irony of it- the flats meant for war widows worth Rs 8 crore were sold for merely 80 lakh. Kargil martyrs’ families have expressed their anger over the whole development and have urged for stringent action against those involved in the scam.

CBI has suo moto started probing the scam involving Adarsh Society scam and is looking into various aspects like clearances, possession of land, disproportionate assets of military officers who own flats in the society. It has written to the society, to the navy, and the Mumbai collector in this regard.

Meanwhile, the army has also started an internal probe into the scam that allegedly involves two of its former chiefs along with several other top serving and retired officers of the armed forces.

Aparajita Basu

B.A. in Media Studies

 Semester - I

Commonwealth Games 2010

World champion wrestler Sushil Kumar entered the Indira Gandhi stadium to the sort of deafening applause India reserves usually only for Sachin Tendulkar. When Saina Nehwal smashed her way out of a match point, the celebrations at Siri Fort and in millions of homes across India was no less than when India beat Australia in the nerve wracking, nail biting test match at Mohali.

The run-up may have been tardy but the actual conduct of the Commonwealth Games was superb. That itself is proof enough of the power of public criticism and the vibrancy of Indian democracy. We saw India break into non-traditional sports - especially field events, gymnastics and aquatics.

The achievements of sportspersons from small towns and villages showed what India is capable of. They showed how sport can be a great equaliser. Our women sportspersons - some managing a family and children along with their arduous training - did us especially proud by winning a surprisingly large number of medals.In fact, if these games are being considered a success it is because of the stellar performances of our athletes, in no way attributable to the mess that India's politicians landed the country in just before the games began.

Every Indian had to bow his head in shame as story after story broke of gross mismanagement and unimaginable plunder. From the Prime Minister downwards, they are all to be held accountable for having allowed the mess to perpetuate. What was the PM doing when Suresh Kalmadi and company dragged their feet, intentionally allowed the delays to happen and then tried to push all expenses through at the last minute, knowing that the government had no option but to clear the spending because the game were nearing.

Chief Minister Sheila Dixit is already talking about giving the Olympics a shot somewhere during the 2020's. There can be no worse idea. Unless accountability is fixed, unless the corrupt are jailed, unless professionals are brought in, unless the right lessons are learnt, the hosting of no mega sporting event will have the backing of the people of India, who will view them as another opportunity for corrupt netas to line their pockets.  

Prateek Pathak

Student

B.A in Media Studies

University of Allahabad

www.pathakprateek.blogspot.com

Who is this Arundhati Roy ?

Kashmir has never been integral part of India: Arundhati Roy

Activist Arundhati Roy, who created a controversy the other day by questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to the Union, on Sunday harped on the same thing saying that the state was never an integral part of India.

Roy was speaking at a seminar on the theme 'Wither Kashmir: Freedom or enslavement' organised by Coalition of Civil Societies (CCS) in Srinagar.

"Kashmir has never been an integral part of India. It is an historical fact. Even the Indian Government has accepted this," the Booker Prize winner said.

Roy alleged that India became "colonizing power" soon after its independence from British rule.

T

oday, my friend Anoop asked me, who is this Arundhati Roy ? I thought for some seconds and answered Arundhati Roy = ``self appointed rights activist.''

We extol those patriot Americans who led to the protests against American oppression in Salvador, Vietnam and Iraq. Yes I do not support 110 killing my own nation populace in 100 days, I can’t even think of bearing this notion.

Imagine had it been any other place in the country,(barring north east and J&K) it would have been a headline everyday. We as Indians should be ashamed of the killing, much as we should be condemning the violence instigated by the separatists. And arundhati roy is a crap, we all know that.

We need to comprehend what is the main philosophy behind arundhati roy avowal. We should think in a roundabout way she wants to impede the ghastly possessions done to the populaces of Kashmir so that Kashmir can be hold on to India.

The demand of the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley was the early signs, according to the government to take steps in this direction was even thinking. Why the demand of the BJP, the state required. But Arundhati who has said, that definitely need to understand a little well. Maoist bases too secretly and writing long articles in his praise is in the earlier controversy. Which led to his latest statement on Kashmir the discussion has come again, something like that they stand a half - two years ago at K wrote his famous article was another. He was talking to Kashmiri self-determination.

Jaitley is right about the law and the Constitution but he is wrong about the political wisdom of prosecuting secessionists for non-violent offences. Geelani routinely makes speeches in Srinagar that are far more provocative than the one he made last Thursday in Delhi. The fact that he made it in Delhi doesn't worsen the offence. Both Srinagar and Delhi are, after all, in India. 

If the aim of those who organised the convention of secessionists in Delhi on October 21 was to court both notoriety and publicity, they can look back with satisfaction on a very successful venture. Middle India may have been absolutely appalled and horrified at the spectacle of pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani preaching his divisive message in the heart of the Capital, flanked by the intellectual cheer-leader of the anything-to-offend brigade, Arundhati Roy. However, the organisers weren't interested in winning over Indian opinion. Their objective was propagandist.

Lastly, question which I want to ask Arundhati Roy is where was she when Lakhs of Kashmiri Pundits were thrown out of Kashmir. What happened to her crusade for justice then? Where were all these Jhola Wallahs then? However, I don't think Arundhati should be arrested for sedition. It would only be counter productive. Motto of the story writers should stick to writing snag initiate when they begin parleying.

Prateek Pathak

Student

B.A in Media Studies

University of Allahabad

अरुंधति रॉय कौन है?

कश्मीर कभी भी भारत का अंग नहीं रहा: अरुंधति

अपने बयानों से हमेशा विवादों में रहने वाली लेखिका अरुंधति राय ने जम्मू कश्मीर के भारतीय संघ में विलय की वैधानिकता पर प्रश्न खड़ा करने के बाद कहा कि यह राज्य कभी भी भारत का अभिन्न अंग नहीं रहा.

राय विभिन्न सामाजिक संगठनों की ओर यहां कश्मीर से जुड़े विषय पर आयोजित एक संगोष्ठी को संबोधित कर रही थी.

लेखिका ने कहा कि कश्मीर भारत का कभी भी अभिन्न हिस्सा नहीं रहा. यह एक ऐतिहासिक तथ्य है. यहां तक कि भारत सरकार ने इसे स्वीकार किया है. राय ने आरोप लगाया कि ब्रिटिश शासन की समाप्ति के बाद भारत औपनिवेशिक शक्ति बन गया.

मेरे दोस्त अनूप तिवारी ने मुझसे पूछा अरुंधति रॉय कौन है?केंद्र सरकार क्या अरुंधति राय के खिलाफ ‘देशद्रोह’ का मामला चलाएगी? यह मांग भारतीय जनता पार्टी के वरिष्ठ नेता अरुण जेटली ने की थी और शुरुआती संकेतों के अनुसार, सरकार इस दिशा में कदम उठाने की सोच भी रही थी। भाजपा ने यह मांग क्यों की, यह बताने की जरूरत नहीं। लेकिन अरुंधति ने जो कुछ कहा है, उस पर जरूर थोड़ा रुककर समझने की जरूरत है। नक्सल ठिकानों पर गुपचुप जाने और उनके गुणगान में लंबा लेख लिखकर वह पहले भी विवादों में रही हैं। कश्मीर पर दिए अपने जिस ताजा बयान के चलते वह फिर चर्चा में आई हैं, कुछ वैसा ही स्टैंड उन्होंने डेढ़-दो साल पहले कश्मीर पर लिखे अपने एक और चर्चित लेख में लिया था। तब वह कश्मीरियों के आत्मनिर्णय की बात कर रही थीं।

उनका ताजा बयान कश्मीर के भारत में विलय पर सवाल उठाने वाला है और इसी कारण जेटली को ‘देशद्रोह’ का मामला उठाने तथा सरकार को ऐसे किसी कदम पर विचार करने की जरूरत महसूस हुई। कल फिर अरुंधति ने सफाई दी कि उन्होंने वही कहा है, जो कश्मीरी वर्षों से कहते आ रहे हैं। अब ऐसा भी नहीं है कि यह मसला पहली बार अरुंधति ने उठाया हो। गिलानी तो इसी बुनियाद पर राजनीति कर रहे हैं

और भारत सरकार समेत सारे लोग उनसे रिश्ते रखे हुए हैं। हाल ही में जम्मू-कश्मीर के मुख्यमंत्री उमर अब्दुल्ला ने भी यही स्टैंड लेने की गलती की और उनकी चौतरफा आलोचना हुई। लेकिन इन सबकी बातें राजनीति का हिस्सा हैं। 

जबकि अरुंधति के कहने का अर्थ अलग है। पर यह हैरानी की बात है कि आज की दुनिया की हकीकत में किसी की तुलना में अच्छी जानकार लेखिका इस तरह का गैर जिम्मेदारी का बयान दे कैसे दे सकती है। अगर यह मान भी लें कि कश्मीरी भारत सरकार के तौर-तरीकों से बहुत नाराज हैं और पाकिस्तान के हिस्से में गए अपने भाई-बंदों के हाल से भी खुश न होकर ‘आजादी’ की मांग कर रहे हैं। पर आज की दुनिया में छोटे मुल्कों की स्थिति और कश्मीर में अभी चल रहे भांति-भांति के खेल को देखते हुए आजाद कश्मीर की दुर्गति की कल्पना मुश्किल नहीं है। और अरुंधति राय जैसे लोगों को भारतीय राष्ट्र के निर्माण और कश्मीर से भारत के जुड़ाव के हर पहलू का इतिहास मालूम होना चाहिए। कश्मीरियों ने मजहब के नाम पर बने मुल्क में जाने के बजाय भारत से जुड़ने का फैसला किया और तब दोनों ओर के जिम्मेदार प्रतिनिधियों ने विलय के प्रस्ताव पर दस्तखत किए थे। यह सब कहने के बाद भी अच्छा लगेगा कि अरुंधति की बातों को नजरंदाज किया जाए-मुकदमे और हंगामे का मतलब इस मुद्दे को बेमतलब महत्व देना होगा।

                                             

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