For decades Victoria Falls, where southern Africa`s Zambezi
river cascade down 100 metres into a gash in the earth, have drawn millions of
holidaymakers to Zimbabwe and Zambia for their stunning views.
But the worst drought in a century has slowed the waterfalls
to a trickle, fuelling fears that climate change could kill one of the region`s
biggest tourist attractions.
While they typically slow down during the dry season,
officials said this year had brought an unprecedented decline in water levels. “In
previous years, when it gets dry, it`s not to this extent. This (is) our first
experience of seeing it like this,” Dominic Nyambe, a seller of tourist
handicrafts in his 30s said outside his shop in Livingstone, on the Zambian
side.
“It affects us, because … clients … can see on the
Internet (that the falls are low) …. We don`t have so many tourists.”
Data from the Zambezi River Authority shows water flow at
its lowest since 1995, and well under the long term average. Zambian President
Edgar Lungu has called it “a stark reminder of what climate change is
doing to our environment”.
As world leaders gather in Madrid for the COP25 to discuss
ways to halt catastrophic warming caused by human-driven greenhouse gas
emissions, southern Africa is already suffering some of its worst effects —
with taps running dry and some 45 million people in need of food aid amid crop
failures.
Zimbabwe and Zambia have suffered power cuts as they are
heavily reliant on hydropower from plants at the Kariba Dam which is on the
Zambezi river upstream of the waterfalls. Stretches of this kilometre-long
natural wonder are nothing but dry stone. Water flow is low in others.
Major OTT player Netflix has big plans for the Indian market
in the coming years. It plans pump in another ₹3,000 crore before the end of
2020 to scale up operations in India. The funds will be spent on creating more
localised content and widen its subscription base in India. Globally Netflix
has 160 million subscribers. This was shared by the founder and CEO of Netflix,
Reed Hastings, at a media summit in New Delhi.
The service currently offers 24 feature films and 16 web
series. More content is being outsourced as well. Two of Bollywood’s big names,
Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, are associated through their production houses,
Dharmatic Entertainment and Red Chillies Entertainment respectively. Some of
the new shows to be added to Netflix in India include ‘Ghost Stories’, a sequel
to last year’s Lust Stories; Tribhanga, starring Kajol; Dibakar Banerjee’s
Freedom; and Atul Sabharwal’s Class of ’83, produced by Red Chillies.
The Netflix CEO sees more investments being made by all the
OTT players in the Indian market in the coming days, including the existing
ones like Amazon Prime and Hotstar and the new entrants like Apple TV+ and
Disney+ about to be launched soon.
Hastings pointed out a few programmes on their platform that
have been very successful. He mentioned romantic comedy Little Things, crime
drama Delhi Crime and animation series Mighty Little Bheem — all content coming
out of India. He disclosed that the last named, Mighty Little Bheem, has been
so popular that as many as 27 million homes outside India had watched the show.
Hastings concurred with the general opinion that the OTT
players need to have a self-regulatory mechanism in place and said Netflix
believes in complying with the local laws in whichever country they operate in.
In India, Netflix has around 100 people working for them at
their Mumbai office and another 1,000 engaged in creating content.
The Union Minister of State (IC) for Development of
Northeastern Region ( DoNER), Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office,
Personnel, Pension and Public Grievances, Atomic Energy & Space, Dr.
Jitendra Singh has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the highest
priority to Northeast and to state like Nagaland in the last five years. He was
speaking at the ongoing Hornbill festival at Kisama near state capital Kohima.
Addressing a colourful cultural programme, Dr. Jitendra Singh, while stating that Prime Minister Modi visited Northeast more than 30 times in five years, said the Prime Minister has described Northeast as new engine of New India. He said because of the Prime Minister’s personal indulgence and personal outreach, northeastern culture, food, dance and music have reached every part of the country.
While stating that Nagaland has become the ambassador of
Northeast for the rest of India through the medium of Hornbill festival, Dr.
Singh said the festival has become a new torch bearer of a new cultural journey
of northeast which is going to unite entire India with a message from a state
like Nagaland.
Earlier, Union Minister of State (IC) for Youth Affairs & Sports and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju also attended the ongoing Hornbill festival. Addressing a cultural programme at Kisama, he said the Prime Minister of India is giving special emphasis for Northeastern Region and for the Naga people. He said the Act East Policy is taking shape. Rijiju added that basic infrastructure, which is the foundation for better development, is being laid and in the next few years we will see the result.
Maintaining that Nagaland has the potential to become one of
the hub for adventure activities, ShriRijiju said besides sports, his ministry
wants to promote adventure activities in Nagaland to ensure that youth are
engaged in gainful employment.
Pointing out that Hornbill festival has become a symbol of
Northeast India, the Minister also assured to extend help to promote indigenous
sports of Northeast.
Various Cultural troupe, dressed in their colourful
traditional attires, performed songs and dances during the event.
India with over 50% arable land (compared with 10.7% in Japan and 18.9% in US) was once known as the world’s cradle of civilization. Just a few centuries ago it was a thriving economy, and cannot be termed as a poor nation. The fact that it has remained a largely survival-economy during the past seven decades (post-independence) requires a deeper scrutiny and an analysis of the basic reasons.
Timelines mentioned in different phases are indicative
Enthused with the pride of
independence, Indians of this era worked hard with great sense of integrity and
nation building. Yet, this was the poorest of the periods, as national
leadership made the following errors from wealth-creation perspectives.
1. Enterprise-Infanticide: Policies
formulated were such that it destroyed the urge to enterprise for wealth
creation and resulted in essentially low-end employment that triggered
‘brain-drain’ in later years. The brain-drain continues till date, as the
negative ecosystem built then (that favours sycophancy and mediocrity) still
persists.
The leaders of this era were
highly charged patriots who meant well for all, yet they lacked clarity about the
‘Principles of Wealth Creation’. They wrongly believed that entrepreneurs are money
driven greedy people and the state has primary role as wealth distributor. Due
to their confusion about the role of private entrepreneurs, the nation suffered
due to a controlled economy. Entrepreneurs were required to go through lengthy
bureaucratic processes to obtain permissions to make value-added product or
service. It only discouraged them, and many of them failed in setting up their
enterprises. Harassed by inspectors, they even preferred to shut shop and
eventually took up low-end jobs. Ironically, government considered collection
of high taxes as their right but it killed incentives for doing greater amount
of value-added work. Sadly, India remained poor in spite of the availability of
material and human resources of the highest order, since state policies led to
enterprise-infanticide and destruction of entrepreneurial eco-system at large.
2. Survival
as Goal: Policies were such that the price of basic needs remained high to
an extent that most people spent all of their time to acquire survival income,
with no surplus time and little surplus wealth to pay for value-added products
and services. This kept the nation trapped, near survival-orbit, unnecessarily.
Lack of surplus wealth also
meant lower capital generation within the nation. This restricted the ability
to invest in creating efficient infrastructure and connectivity across the
nation. In the absence of smooth and efficient transport and mobility, the
progress of further wealth-creation remained sluggish. India failed to leverage
advantages of natural resources, by big-ticket initiatives, such as
inter-connecting of its rivers despite flooding in one part and famine in
another.
Price of basic needs remained
high because of artificial shortages or systemic inefficiencies.
Public institutions and
private businesses both remained constrained. India suffered with the greatest
tragedy: There were people who could produce value-added goods, but majority of
people as customers had little or no purchasing power, beyond survival needs.
Thus, wealth that could be created was lost forever, and prosperity was denied.
Such self-killing policies
led nation to suffer from two unfortunate consequences: One, majority ended up
wasting their time in mundane ways, due to a lack of growth opportunity;
Two, national-wealth remained
stuck at survival levels. Thus, options to grow surplus wealth remained minimal–the
root cause of poverty-in-perpetuity.
Phase-2 (13 years / 1967-1980): Initiation of the Corrupt-Economy at Root Levels
While Phase-1 of India represented a time when people were poorer yet worked with commitment and integrity, Phase-2 defined a decline in basic values towards manipulative practices.
During the years from 1967 till 1980, corruption had began to take deep roots within the ecosystem of Indian Economy
During this period,
leadership began to justify ‘a little corruption’ as ‘minor issue’ and the
corrupt-economy set in at the roots. This was when systemic and institutional
damages began to happen. When a nation suffers from shortages and is a
survival-economy, nexus among manipulative people in politics, administration
and business is a natural outcome.
In a large nation like India,
where complexities are huge, locations are distant, communications and
infrastructure weak, this loss of integrity became the greatest enemy of future
wealth creation. So the new trends favoured manipulators over genuine business entrepreneurs.
Gradually, integrity was
relegated to the background and manipulators took over the driving seats, at
all levels.
Phase-3 (10 years/ 1980-90): Rise of Corrupt Force as Leaders Across All Walks Of Life
Any society is generally
driven by three forces: One, ‘Creative and Positive Force’, that facilitates
prosperity for all; Two, ‘Corrupt and Negative Force’, that concentrates and
misuses the power of money & governance; and, Three, ‘Complacent Crowd
Force (masses)’ swayed by the dominant force between the first two.
Phase-3 in India was simply an extension of the trends set during Phase-2. Due to a lack of leadership having absolute conviction for integrity, the nation succumbed to greed which led to a rise of full-fledged corrupt economy. This happened because manipulative pragmatism was equated to practical smartness; and integrity with impractical idealism. Wealth creation suffered immensely as sanctity of systemic parameters such as institutional integrity and public accountability became major victims, from this phase onward. This gave rise to blatant corruption in all aspects of economy, which spared no one. Need of survival justified loss of integrity, while power of any form became key instrument to seek undue gains, through hidden agenda.
The web of corruption had spread across all walks of life during the years from 1980 to 1990
We thus saw a total collapse
of integrity and distinct rise of negative manipulative forces as leaders in
all walks of life. People of high integrity became mute observers or isolated players
and the negative forces dominated. This happened because pressures of economic survival
prevented people from standing up for what was right. Majority preferred to
follow what and who could ensure their survival, instead. Sycophancy took over
self-respect among common people. Power of money, thus, became largely
concentrated with negative and manipulative forces within the society. People
of integrity were required to work much harder for much lesser gains.
Integrity nurtured in Phase-1
largely gave in during Phase-3, to make ways for the manipulative forces by
this time.
Indian economic growth since the 1990s is generally considered to be good. However, when we compare this phase of Indian economy with the initial twenty years (Phase-1, as explained above), these two phases appear to be reverse images of each other. The first twenty years reflect integrity intact, yet the nation was largely at the survival levels only. Whereas, the past twenty years or so—Phase-4, represents increased prosperity for a sizeable part of population with integrity conspicuously absent. It almost makes anyone to conclude, albeit wrongly, as if prosperity and integrity are inversely proportional ! As stated, this is far from truth. Everyone in any society has two opposite routes to become rich: Earned-money, which is through Creation of Wealth (CoW) versus easy money or say theft through manipulating, which is Transfer of Wealth (ToW). The newly found riches in India during the Phase-4 is largely dominated by Transfer of Wealth (ToW) activities and its champions, while responsibility of Creation of Wealth (CoW) is tied with poorer masses and hardworking middle class. As we see today, prosperity achieved through this ToW (Transfer of Wealth) route is nothing to feel happy about, as it’s anyways being lost with grave and painful damages, such as loan defaults, lost jobs, increased crime, crashed-bubbles in the stock markets etc.
Prosperity came to India after 1990 but it also led to the rise of blatantly corrupt forces in all walks of life. (Photo: Indiatimes)
Key
factors of Phase-4: Positives & Negatives
Controls instituted during
Phase-1 were removed during Phase-4, which in effect cleared the hurdles for
entrepreneurial initiatives, thus triggering opportunities for exponential rise
of economy. This was like unchaining of India, tied down unnecessarily during Phase-1
due to economic ignorance of the leadership of those times.
However, the overpowering
negatives from Phase-4 that still persist are: Great deal of the rise in
entrepreneurship largely remains with manipulative entities empowered during
the
Phase-2 and Phase-3. And these negative forces are present in all sectors and at all levels, from peon to the president. As a result, the growth during this phase remains marred with exploitative pursuits, leading to concentration of capital in fewer hands, widening disparity and persistent poverty for half of the population. Larger share of surplus wealth of the nation remains tied-up in speculative or manipulative acts. Innovations and creative pursuits, which require self-respecting and merit-based ecosystem are still grossly neglected and remain in the back seats. So the brain-drain that was triggered during Phase-1 continued. ‘Money is supreme, no matter how you acquire’ has been the dominant mantra.
Yet, the ultimate positive
relief for the nation is that creative and positive forces have also survived
during Phase-4, thanks to empowerment through internet-based communications technology.
Integrity driven initiatives were on the rise that found grass root support
from a self-inspired new generation. This is the real ray of hope!
During Phase-4, while the Indian economy has been able to undo the damages caused by controls during Phase-1, it has also led itself to become a victim of manipulative forces who still are in the driving seats of economy. Reasons for man made poverty in any nation are driven by wrong policies and due to the nexus between corrupt political systems with manipulative private entities. It can lead to irreparable loss through creating artificial circles of survival, within which majority ends up wasting their time in unproductive activities.
India is a definite proof of man made poverty during the past seven decades. However, the advent of communications technology has become the greatest facilitator of creative leaderships. As such, one can hope to see the rise of creative leaderships with integrity and clarity during the next 20 years.
Seeds of transformation lie in the womb of Anna Hazare andolan (movemnet) in 2011. Nation’s spirit was awakened from within, to shed off dishonesty from governance. Experiencing deep-rooted corruption in daily lives, witnessing political class blatantly misusing power for personal and family benefits, nation was absolutely fed up. It is in this background that nation lost hopes from Congress and other family-driven parties and latched on to new faces who gave them hope. This was the reason Arvind Kejariwal won people’s heart in Delhi at that time, and Narendra Modi of the nation as whole! Nation continues to hope that a new breed of political leaders with conviction to integrity in personal and public life, rises from all corners.
India needs decisive and honest leadership, at all levels in all walks of life, to free the nation from entrenched clutches of deep-rooted corruption. The current central leadership has a strong will and conviction and has attempted to deliver a largely corruption free central administration over the past five years. How this initiative translates at multi layers in times to come, would decide the real fate of the nation. People must keep patience for a few years and apply themselves in doing their own work sincerely. It is also equally necessary for sustained long term correction that the leaderships of all political parties must gradually move into the hands of their honest, sincere, and capable persons.
India is surging ahead with honesty and integrity after 2014. Is this the proverbial ‘light’ after a long dark tunnel?
Challenges
Ahead
Many of these problems,
initiated during the early twenty years post country’s independence continue to
plague a large majority of our population who are stuck at survival-levels till
date.
For instance, even today a
large number of villagers–65% of the India’s total population– are unable to
utilise their time optimally. In fact, 50% of their time remains grossly underutilized
as they have little opportunity to create value-added surplus wealth. Hence, they
are unable to increase their purchasing power, beyond survival-wealth. At the
same time, thrust to a misguided urbanization policy has caused concentration
of 30-40% of national wealth in larger metro cities like Mumbai and Delhi. This
has led to a massive migration of villagers to the filthy slums of cities, in
hopes of a better future. The tragic irony is that villagers remain idle during
their surplus time, whereas people in metros waste three to four hours a day
commuting for work. This unwanted commute everyday keeps the metro people away
from their family for most of their working life.
Further, the rising price of
a house is generally presented as an indicator of growing economy. However, in
reality it reflects a loss in the prosperity of people! Remember, house is a
basic need and its cost is merely a component of survival-wealth for computing
prosperity. An average Indian may require whole life’s earnings to buy a small
cage-like flat for Rs 50 lakh (say) of less than 300 sq ft in a metropolis like
Mumbai. The high price of such apartments in large cities is only a notional
feeling of being rich for the most and gives some psychological solace to the
urban sufferers. They need to wonder whether they can ever afford to add an extra
room from their earned income at such exaggerated price levels. How and who all
are allowing such gross policy-errors or manipulations is an issue of concern.
Everyone’s prosperity is affected negatively, for a lifetime.
The net effect is that
majority of villagers may not have sufficient surplus-wealth, whereas nation’s
surplus-wealth is converted into survival-wealth in cities to support the
exorbitant cost of living in these cities. Worse still, the urban population has
poorer quality of life due to paucity of space and natural environment. This
colossal wastage of time and abilities is the prime cause for continuance of
poverty in India.
In fact, conditions of our cities
have become hell, while villages are deserted. Creation of entrepreneurial
opportunities in villages is the only way out.
If misplaced policies of
urbanization that lead to such existence for majority is not wealth-destruction
then what it is. Imagine how much better it would be when villagers live where
they belong and have opportunities to use their time to create surplus-wealth.
Quality of life and prosperity of people in both cities and villages would be
much greater then.
Reversal of migration, rather excessive
urbanization as it exists today, is the policy need of 21st century. Does the
new generation have conviction to see this transformation for a better tomorrow
is the real question? Are people of India truly willing and ready for this
litmus test? Time will tell.
Celebrating the spirit of change, innovation
and social good, the annual Karmaveer Awards were presented recently to individuals
and organisations in categories ranging from activism and education to volunteering,
communications, rural development and healthcare. News Intervention Associate
Editor Narender Yadav and renowned culinary historian Ashish Chopra are
among the recipients of this year’s awards. Verghese Kurien known as father of
the white revolution of India, was the first recipient of Karmaveer lifetime
achievement award.
The Karmaveer Chakra Award is the global civilian honours given by the international confederation of NGO (iCONGO) in partnership with United Nations to the people across the globe for relentless courage. The award is a tribute to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India, who had offered to be the ambassador for the awards and international volunteering olympiad.
Senior journalist Narender Yadav has
been a relentless crusader towards minimizing the communication deficit and
information gap among people living in socially disadvantaged situations.
During the last one-decade, as a media professional, academician, media
trainer, and child rights expert, he has been exploring and experimenting with
myriad forms of communication to facilitate sustained dialogue amongst various
stakeholders and thereby bridging the information gap, particularly in the far-flung
areas of India. He was awarded the Rex Karmaveer Award and global fellowship.
Ashish Chopra, who has done
remarkable work in preserving ancient Indian culinary traditions has been bestowed
with Rex Karmaveer
Puraskaar Jyoti Award. He has been tirelessly documenting
and preserving India’s rich and diverse food traditions, for several decades
now. An authority on tribal cuisine, during the last one decade, he has
traversed more than 4 lakh km, experimenting and documenting cuisines, culture,
and traditions of more than 250 tribes pan-India. He is of the firm belief that
food, music and culture transcend all boundaries of caste, conflict, creed and
religion. He believes that to respect food, tradition and culture is the
best way to respect and understand humanity. His relentless spirit for food and
travel has now led to a unique initiative to safeguard, promote, and teach our
ancient culinary practices. For this purpose he has recently established
India’s first School of Ancient Culinary Arts (SACA) in Dehradun. In his
endeavor to preserve and share the traditional knowledge of culinary arts, he
has been organising dedicated culinary tours, heritage food walks and curated
food festivals specializing in lost and heritage cuisines. He is also the
Culinary Advisor for popular channels like Travel XP and Food XP.
The Karmaveer Puraskaar Jyoti award were constituted in 2013 as a
tribute to Jyoti Singh Pandey, the hero of the Nirbhaya incident.
According to Jeroninio Almeida, founder of the awards,
“The Rex CONCLive was launched in 2006 and has been driving change with simple
ideas for action ever since. A number of these ideas which were popularized at
the Rex CONCLives have become huge movements today. Over the past few years, we
have created a powerful momentum to address issues of pressing importance for
the society at large. Ideas discussed at the REX forum over the years, have led
to action for educational reforms, climate change, humane capitalism, dignity
for people living with HIV etc.”
Over the past 15 years, International
Confederation of NGOs (iCONGO) has created and founded The Joy of
Giving, Right every Wrong, Swachh Bharat Mission, Karmaveer Awards, One Billion
Rising andREX – Not just TALKS and Ideas for ACTION knowledge -sharing and
wisdom-transfer CONCLiVE.
Scott
Douglas Jacobsen: In interaction with some of the literalist believers in the
obscure and obscurantist fundamentalists of the Christian faith, one can gather
a sense of feeling unheard in the midst of the conversation. These come from
the university students to the professoriate, even into the higher-order
leadership – not as character analysis, but as a way of thinking as simply
thoughting in mechanical (rote) form.
In
that, facts are scorned. Basic human compassion is thwarted for attempts at
conversion in the hopes of a hereafter. Unreason is raised above or over
reason. Attempts to correct misconception or illogic, or denial of baseless
(faith) claims, gets the retort, “You lie. Those are complete lies”
(because anything not of Christianity comes from the Devil, who comes to
believers and unbelievers alike, supposedly, as the “father of
lies”). Thus, anything one does or says gets met with suspicion, as,
basically, essentialization of distrust in the individual (you).
These
modes of unthought truly warp human mentation – to me – for the worse, much
worse – leaving aside the six Jesuit intellectuals, and other similars,
murdered for working for peace: Ignacio Ellacuria Beas Coechea, S.J.,
Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., Segundo Montes, S.J., Juan Ramón Moreno, S.J.,
Joaquín López y López, S.J., and Amando López, S.J.
In
Canadian society, we have a number of religious – Christian – universities and
colleges, including Columbia Bible College, Heritage College &
Seminary, Horizon College & Seminary, Prairie, Providence University
College, Redeemer University College, Rocky Mountain College, St. Stephen’s
University, Trinity Western University, Tyndale University College, Tyndale
University College & Seminary, and Vanguard College.
These
institutions of higher Christian learning espouse principles found at the start
of this nation’s population dans l’ensemble. If not ‘by and large’
in some part, then, by and large, forced or coerced onto them in good time. One
of these institutions, at least, harbours a previously mandatory covenant for
all. Now, only mandatory for staff and optional for students.
That
is to say, an obvious – though not stated in this fashion – mechanism for the
prevention of critical inquiry and scrutiny of the acts and thoughts within the
institution to the institutional representatives or to the external community
surrounding it. A clear operation of control through signage of the community
pact because, apparently, the first two divine covenants did not suffice for
the community of the faithful.
Similar
to the United States of America, its history, as noted by you, jumps forward,
bumps back, while showing a trendline towards a wider circle of inclusion and
separation between religion and government with the current Trump
Administration period as a bump back.
All
these prior sessions dealt with sectors without much status or consideration as
people – simply as “unpeople” – in American law and policymaking,
except over time. Marie Alena Castle – a late writing partner on some articles
– whose commentary was on point and on time noted the center of the current
battle exists in women’s bodies, reproductive systems, and their autonomous
choices in either matter.
What
can build bridges of communication between fundamentalist religious believers
and freethinkers? What underlies the ideational trance of not even listening to
the other side by literalist interpreters of faiths? How many religious
institutions exist in America? What political influence comes from them? How do
the institutions of higher learning ground themselves in religious belief in
the history of the United States and continue to exert control over the minds
of the young? Why women’s bodies – ‘because the Bible tells them so,’ as Annie
Laurie Gaylor might state the matter? How have these forms of misogyny, control
of the rebellious positive curiosity and inquisitiveness of the young, and
politicking played out and converged in the current American political
imbroglio?
Dr. Herb Silverman: You ask how we can talk to Christian fundamentalists when their
worldview is so different from ours and they don’t accept evidence. I’ve found
that we can’t reason people out of a belief that they didn’t come to through
reason, but we still might be able to find some points of agreement.
For instance, I might start with
“Love your neighbor,” and point out varieties of the Golden Rule from Buddhism,
Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Confucianism that predate Jesus. Another
thing we could probably agree on is that all other faiths are wrong. I do say that
every educated person should read the Bible, because it’s an important part of
our culture. I also mention some secular
books worth reading. If I’m asked for biblical quotes I like, I can
mention Matthew 7:16: “By your fruits you shall know them.” I also like John
8:32: “The truth will set you free,” which it did when I became an atheist. If
they tell me that they support blasphemy laws, I say I might, too, if the
offended deity personally files charges.
It helps in discussions with
Christian fundamentalists to treat them with kindness and respect. We should
assume that they believe what they say, even if it sounds like nonsense. I
ignore personal attacks and stick with the issues. Usually the best I can hope
for in talking to committed Christian fundamentalists is that some of their
stereotypes about atheists will change and they will think I’m a nice guy with
a sense of humor (even though I’m going to hell). Since I came to atheism by
following what I consider to be a sensible evidence-based path, it doesn’t much
matter to me whether others adopt my position, but I understand why it’s
important for Christian fundamentalists to try to convert me: Eternal life is
at stake. And for many of them, that’s more important than life itself. I find
such a worldview odd at best.
That worldview can also be dangerous
if conversion is forced on others. This brings us to your question about
women’s bodies. The Bible was written thousands of years ago by misogynistic
men. The punishment for a man who raped a virgin woman was that the man should pay
her father 50 shekels and that she must marry her rapist because she is now
damaged goods (Deut. 22:28). There are also passages in the Christian Bible
about women not having authority over a man, that the man is head of the
household, that women are created for man, and much more. Some Christians live
this way, but have been unsuccessful in making it the law of our land.
Unfortunately, they have been somewhat successful promoting their political issues.
This includes in some places denying women contraceptives and the right to
choose. Though the Bible is silent on abortion, preventing women from having this
right has become the top issue for Christian fundamentalists, who also try to
pass biblically-based laws against LGBT rights.
You asked about religious colleges
and universities in the United States. There are many throughout the nation. In
my home state of South Carolina, Furman University was founded in 1826 as a
Baptist university, but has become more diverse, not requiring students or
faculty to hold specific religious views. In 1992, Furman separated from the
Southern Baptist Convention in order to exert more control over their
institution. On the other hand, in Charleston, my home city, Charleston
Southern University (formerly called Baptist College) is decidedly Christian, where
it integrates faith with learning, and is in good standing with the Southern
Baptist Convention. Its faculty are required to sign an oath of belief. In
2004, I debated a professor from that institution on the existence of God,
though the debate was not allowed on their campus. The professor later invited
me to speak to his class, but the invitation was rescinded because his administration
refused to allow me on campus. So much for academic freedom.
Many religious schools have
decent academic programs, but quite a few don’t. Even worse, some have political
agendas, including the well-known Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Its president, Jerry Falwell Jr., considers it immoral for evangelicals to not
support President Trump, adding that Trump could do nothing to lose his
support.
I’ll close with some questions I
get from Christian fundamentalists, along with my answers.
Why do you hate God? I
don’t hate God any more than I hate the Tooth Fairy, and I
didn’t become an atheist because something bad happened to me. I became an atheist
because I find no evidence for any gods.
What is the purpose of life? I don’t
need to believe in a god to find a purpose. There may not be a purpose of life, but we can find many purposes in life.
Why be moral? Personal
responsibility is a good conservative principle. We should not give credit to a
deity for our accomplishments or blame satanic forces when we behave badly. We should
take personal responsibility for our actions. I try to live my life to its
fullest — it’s the only life I have, and I hope to make a positive difference
because it’s the right thing to do, not because of future rewards or
punishment.
Why
do you think science is more reliable than religion? Because we know how to distinguish good scientific
ideas from bad ones. Scientists start out not knowing the answer and go
wherever the evidence leads them. Science relies on experimenting, testing, and
questioning assumptions critically until a consensus is reached, and even that
is always open to revision in light of later evidence. This is why scientific
truths are the same in Saudi Arabia, the United States, Israel, and India —
countries with very different religious beliefs.
Don’t you worry that Heaven and Hell might be
real and that you will be going to Hell? Here are questions I
have for you about Heaven and Hell. Why is faith not only important, but
perhaps the deciding factor about who winds up in Heaven or Hell? What moral
purpose does eternal torture serve? If we have free will on Earth, will we have
free will in Heaven? If so, might we sin and go from Heaven to Hell? If not,
will we be heavenly robots? If God can make us sinless in Heaven, why didn’t he
create us sinless on Earth? Can you be blissfully happy in Heaven knowing that
some of your loved ones are being tortured in Hell? And what do you do for an
eternity in Heaven without getting bored? Wouldn’t a loving God who wants us
all to go to Heaven make it unambiguously clear how to get there?
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity
and your time, Dr Silverman.
The big Odisha push in Indian hockey is being welcomed by many, including the FIH (International Hockey Federation), the game’s controlling body, but sports cognoscenti are wondering whether these big buck events are actually worth the effort. More importantly, if there is at all any long-term impact or gain by holding big-ticket events in a state where the actual need is a grass-root push, and not marquee events that only satiate the masses.
For the second successive time, for
the first time in World Cup history, a city, Bhubaneswar, will host the 2023
Men’s World Cup. The matches will be held at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela–a town
known for its steel plant and a small airstrip where only six-seater planes can
land. It has an ageing stadium but no hotels that can cater to international
hockey teams and no infrastructure which is so much required to host a World
Cup. The state government and its bureaucrats are proudly claiming that the
2023 World Cup will change the face of the state. No one has asked Odisha Chief
Minister Navin Patnaik if the World Cup will help improve standards of the game
across Odisha, more importantly in Sundergarh which is the hub of tribal hockey
players. The reality is simple – a Junior World Cup held in Odisha will have a
larger impact than a senior WC. The Jr. WC has all the requisites skills,
excitement and also the tag of a World Cup. Most importantly, it comes at a
much lesser cost and if spread across the state in four venues – the sport will
also get the much-desired spread.
Stadiums and turfs are being gifted
across the state. But the question is: Why Cuttack is out of the scheme of
things? If international cricket can be played in Cuttack to full houses, so
can hockey and it’s an hour’s ride from Bhubaneswar. The teams can stay in the state’s
capital and play in Cuttack. All that is required is a stadium and two turfs.
There are enough sport-crazy fans in Cuttack who will fill up for hockey too.
It solves the issue of travel for many teams. But no one is answering.
As many as 17 new turfs are being
planned for the region where the quality of sand needs to be of a higher grade.
There is a huge difference in the sand quality found in Europe and the one in
India. The Indian sand tends to clump together over a period of time. Plus, the
mineral-laden dust of the Sundergarh area will also create issues on a
sand-turf. Nobody would want to spend crores of rupees on turfs which after a
couple of years are not fit for play, right? But wouldn’t it have been better
to import second-hand turfs from Europe which are in a good condition? Or buy
new turfs, cut them in half and install, half turfs across the region? After
all, the idea is to ensure that sub-juniors play on an artificial pitch!
Now, publicity material, videos and
posters will be planned on the lines of Kalinga is the best in
the world which translates into Odisha is the best place on earth.
Remember these campaigns will fill Indian newspapers, magazines and television
channels and then travel across the world, stretching from the giant screens of
Sydney Harbour to those expensive double-decker buses in London and Kuala
Lumpur.
The previous World Cup had cost the
state government of Odisha, according to sources inside the state government, a
whopping Rs 250 crore plus, and this time there are high chances that the
budget would cross almost Rs 400 crore. Remember, mineral-rich Odisha is among
India’s most impoverished states with large tracts of land without water, power
and basic sanitation facility. Why is Odisha pushing hockey, is India’s best
kept secret? Won’t the masses, at some point, ask why are crores being spent on
a sport when the state so badly needs water, sanitation and a programme which
uplifts people from poverty?
At the 2018 World Cup in Odisha, 90% of the advertising came from the state, plus the state paid to host the World Cup. It’s a sweet spot for the FIH. They don’t have to worry about anything. A ready-made host who is using state funds (taxpayers’ money) that could go into grass-root sport but is being spent on high-value World Cup’s, the impact of which has still not been calculated.
The FIH says Odisha is the best. Since the 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar and except for the 2016 Junior World Cup in Lucknow, all the FIH events and two Olympic qualifiers were held in Bhubaneswar, which will also host India’s FIH Pro League in 2020. Hockey India CEO Elena Norman is on record saying no other venue is as good as Bhubaneswar, Delhi is the only other city which is on par. Are we saying that the stadiums in Chennai, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar are worthless? Won’t Hockey India want to spread the game across the country? Does anyone realise that there is an overkill of Himalayan proportions happening in Odisha? When the Indian women’s team played their first Olympic qualifier against USA recently, around 3500 had turned up. That is the warning that even for the fans, hockey is not something that can be constantly thrust down their throat.
Belgium players with the Hockey World Cup 2018
Elena Norman, the big boss of FIH,
has a huge list of demands like four changing rooms, video tower facilities,
broadcast requirements, rooms for technical and FIH officials, mandatory second
pitch as per FIH rules, and of course a world class stadium. Bhubaneswar has
all of it. This is not all, Hockey India had pledged a guarantee of 3.5 million
Swiss Francs (Rs 25.3 crore) to clinch the improbable deal.
But what Norman did not mention is
that across the world, makeshift stands are set up. Big tournaments like the
last 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda was actually played at the BH & BC
club. Temporary stands were set up and the players were happy to use the club
change rooms; then the organisers and FIH did not even raise a finger of
protest. So why push all these conditions on India? Secondly, is the Delhi
facility always occupied by the Home Ministry and other security forces so that
a tournament of the magnitude of the World Cup cannot be organised? Does that
mean India just does not have any other facilities barring these two cities and
if such facilities need to be created, crores need to be raised and spent?
The big question that remains
unanswered is what is the state getting out of these mega-mega shows? The
Odisha government sponsors the Indian national hockey team but the standard of
the game in the state is abysmally low – two players get into the national
team. One can always argue, yes, time is required for talent to blossom. But
isn’t that what we are arguing about – that do you require a World Cup to
initiate grass root development – two consecutive World Cup’s!! By any
standards, Odisha cannot be called the cradle of hockey. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh,
Karnataka produce more players and just for the record, at times, 60% of the
Indian team has players from Punjab; it might fluctuate but that is a safe
assumption looking at the Indian teams over the last decade or so.
Worse, Hockey India does not have a
backup plan in place if the Naveen Patnaik government doesn’t come back to
power after its current tenure. However, the next World Cup is in January 2023,
coinciding well with the state assembly elections scheduled for that year.
And, just for the
record, the 2023 World Cup will be held in its 5th year not 4th as all sport cycles
usually work. In scheduling the World Cup, was an eye kept on the assembly
elections too?
So why push hockey time and again,
just because – so claims the FIH – international players are familiar with the
facilities and infrastructure at the Kalinga Stadium? Then why does the FIFA
rotate the Soccer World Cup, why does the ICC rotate the Cricket World Cup? Why
is the IOC so hell-bent on finding a new city for the Games?
What is more disturbing is the fact
that the state government is the principal sponsor of the tournament for a very
long time, an indication that not too many brands get associated with the show.
It is common knowledge in India that cricket takes the cake and icing both when
it comes to sponsorships and advertisements. But if the state government
bankrolls a venture as big as the World Cup and spends the largest slice of an
estimated Rs 400 crore budget, then Hockey India and FIH have no worries. The
FIH is happy because India hosts a large number of international tournaments in
the hope to promote the game and spread awareness. Strangely no other hockey
playing nation across the world is keen to pump cash into the game like India,
a trend which many hockey experts find extremely disturbing.
The Europeans are disturbed by the
way Odisha is going to host the World Cup for a second consecutive time. In
fact, someone joked on twitter saying that since FIH says they are making money
from hosting it in Odisha, then why not give the World Cup Trophy to India as
winners for 2023, and save the money that teams will spend on travelling and
the organisational money can then be put into the coffers of the FIH! An European
hockey official, who didn’t want to be named said: “If the idea is to ensure
that India win the World Cup, then we all say, give the World Cup to them. At
least, then the other nations can start hosting it.”
The idea of sport is not just money
generation. Yes, it’s not an ideal world. But sport also needs to spread. At
the Olympics, the sword is always hanging on hockey. With Belgium being the
World Cup Champions, it was a great opportunity to give them the World Cup and
enhance the popularity which is already growing at a pace in Belgium that India
cannot imagine. But their bid was rejected. The Belgians are fuming. But remain
quiet.
Look at the way the hockey
nationals are being held. The nationals are hosted in Tier-3 cities. But most
of the time, the top players do not play in the tournament. The Hockey India
League that once started with great fanfare and Bollywood endorsement like IPL being
done and dusted, the tournament now lies like a prostrate, disembowelled
Gulliver. As a result, there is no other way for any aspiring hockey player to
watch top stars in action live unless they travel to Bhubaneswar.
How ridiculous it this?
The question to be asked here is –
why couldn’t Odisha come forward and just sponsor the Hockey India League? That
way, they could have contributed to the growth of the sport across the country
and the brand of Odisha would have spread across the length and breadth of the
nation.
It’s prestigious that India hosts a
World Cup for the second time in a row. But, an intelligent FIH and HI
could have asked other cities to hold the Pool Matches and have Odisha host the
World Cup semi-finals and final. That way, Bharat could have watched the World Cup in stadiums. And not
just Odisha.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra
Pradhan has said that in the rapidly evolving energy landscape, hydrogen offers
an eco-friendly & innovative solution for sustainable & green transport
fuel. He also experienced the test drive of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based car
manufactured by Toyota Kirloskar in Dhyan Chand National Stadium today.
Pradhan expressed happiness on learning that the only
emission from this car is water. He further stated that hydrogen can be
produced from various sources including biomass, renewables, LNG etc. and
possesses high energy density and long time storage.
Calling for greater cost efficiency as the technology
evolves, the minister said that while hydrogen and hybrid technologies are
promising, the manufacturing cost of this high end technology still needs to be
worked upon to make it more affordable in the Indian scenario.
Pradhan also emphasized that it is imperative for auto
makers to develop economical, innovative and sustainable solutions towards
achieving greener and safer mobility ecosystem in the country.
Talking about energy transition, and switch to cleaner fuel,
he said, “India is undergoing energy transition and impacting global energy transition
in a big way. We are exploring new sources of energy to create a sustainable
and responsible model of energy transition. Switch to cleaner forms of energy
will also contribute towards ensuring a cleaner environment for our people”.
The Minister also suggested to plan a workshop for
brainstorming with experts and all stakeholders for a greater understanding of
hydrogen technology in Indian context.
Four woman forcefully abducted in broad day light by the Pakistan Army in two separate raids. The son of one of these abducted women protests, and so this boy, who is a minor, is dragged along with the women, dumped into military vehicles and driven away. Welcome to Balochistan! Rapes, murders, forced abductions and targeted killings by the Pakistan Army are a routine in this land.
Forced kidnappings happened a couple of days ago and the four women and minor boy are still “missing”. Family members fear that the women will be raped and tortured before being killed, and then dumped away. When the women’s neighbours, well-wishers and Baloch local residents reached out to the Pakistan Army to release the abducted women, the men in uniform simply laughed and told the Baloch nationals to wait for another such “raid”.
In fact, these human rights violations happen on a daily basis across this rugged region of Balochistan that’s spread over 3.47 lakh sq. km. comprising almost half of Pakistan’s geographical area. Balochistan is home to $1 trillion worth precious metals, natural gas and minerals. But instead of developing the region, all that successive Pakistan governments at Islamabad and Pakistan Army have done is to loot Balochistan of its natural resources. Both Islamabad and Rawalpindi have milked Balochistan of its resources to fill in their coffers and have denied the Baloch of their basic rights. Even the basic demands of Baloch nationals such as clean drinking water, food, healthcare and education is denied. Any demand for food, water, education or healthcare facilities is crushed with an iron fist. And the most potent weapon that Pakistan Army uses to subjugate Balochistan is Rape and Murder.
Bibi Sakina, Bibi Saeeda and Sajid Baloch (son of Bibi Sakina) have been abducted and “forcefully disappeared” by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan. Over 40,000 Balochistan nationals have been “forcefully disappeared” by the Pakistan Army.
Amidst rising Baloch voices against these illegal and unjust raids the Pakistan Army adopted a new ploy and declared that these women were terrorists. After floating this fictitious story, Pakistan Army soldiers then subjected these women to extreme mental and physical torture for several hours in solitary confinement.
Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, head of Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) who is leading the freedom struggle of Balochistan has condemned this incident in very strong words. He said, “…Pakistan Army considers unilateral implementation of our war rules and Baloch values as our weakness and is now targeting our honour and dignity.”
Dr Allah Nazar added that the forceful abduction of women is not the first of its kind and may not be the last. “Several hundreds of Baloch women have been abducted by Pakistani troops and locked up in torture chambers. My wife and martyr Aslam Baloch’s sister were kidnapped and tortured by the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies with the help of local informants. The entire family of Shaheed Ghaus Bakhsh continues to suffer under military detention in Mashkay. The family is missing for more than a year. The wife of Mir Liaquat Sajidi was abducted last year and kept in secret prison for a few days and released. Bibi Nazal Baloch was abducted and tortured by the same forces earlier. In Turbat, our girls were kept under siege for several days. In Karachi, Bibi Farah was seriously injured after being thrown down from the third floor of a building. Women and children were martyred and injured during the bombing of Mir Sahu’s house in Tank, Mashkay. Women were martyred in bombardment in Kohlu and Dera Bugti. Bibi Halima was martyred after her home was attacked in Basima. The list of such tragic events is too long. The difference is that this time the Pakistan Army has made its arrest public under its new ploy,” Dr Allah Nazar went on to recount several cases of abductions and targeted killings committed by the Pakistan Army on Baloch nationals.
This list of human rights violations, rapes, murders and killings by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan is very long and yet not much is talked about it in international forums. One wonders why isn’t there any uproar over these blatant abduction of women in Balochistan? There are hardly any protests or demonstrations anywhere in the world to free these hapless women. Of course, not much can be expected from the Pakistani media but what about the global champions of human rights organisations. Why do they choose to stay mum on these daily rapes, kidnapping, murders and targeted disappearances in Balochistan?
“Despite such state of affairs in Balochistan all the religious parties have sealed their lips. They create a huge uproar about Kashmir and Palestine. But do they have the spine to tell the truth about what is going on in Balochistan? Can they tell truth to the world about how Pakistan Army is treating the people of Balochistan? These so-called custodians of Islam make a lot of noise at the burning of the Holy Quran in Norway, but they maintain silence on the burning of the Holy Quran by Pakistan Army during their military operations in Balochistan. This is the prime example of hypocrisy of these so-called clerics and federalists. History and the Baloch nation will never forgive them.”
The anger of Dr Allah Nazar is understandable. Atrocities of these type anywhere else creates a furore in the civilized world. And yet the world refuses to take note of the atrocities in Balochistan. The world and the champions of human rights are still maintaining a deafening silence.
“Our boys, girls, and women are not safe. I believe that all the parties, involved in the liberation of Balochistan will have to modify their policies and formulate a comprehensive strategy to prevent abduction, arrest and disappearance of women. The time has come to hit the enemy’s pain-points,” Dr Allah Nazar Baloch said in an obvious reference to Pakistani deep state.
The cavalier manner in which the government of Pakistan proceeded to grant army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa a three-year service extension was rightly struck down by the Supreme Court of Pakistan causing immense embarrassment to the government as well as to the army. The apex court’s verdict has given detractors a handy stick to pommel Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). I am no fan of Imran Khan, and yet I still feel that all the hue and cry being raised is unwarranted and that Khan and his advisors are unnecessarily being hauled over the coals for having followed a precedent rather than going by the law, just like past governments in Pakistan had been doing.
By stating in
its order that “..the learned Attorney-General (AG) has taken pains
to explain that the answers to these questions (on grant of extension to the
army chief) are based on practice being followed in the Pakistan Army but the
said practice has not been codified under the law,” even the Supreme Court of Pakistan too has tacitly accepted
that while what Khan did is illegal, but it isn’t something earth-shattering! Yet,
by advising the government to “…put your house in order…”
and giving it six months to promulgate legislation for service extension, Chief
Justice of Pakistan has minced no words in conveying that the judiciary would
not accept any fait accompli.
This is not
the first time that service extension to an army chief of Pakistan has been
challenged in court. Readers would recollect that in 2010, the Pakistan
Peoples’ Party (PPP) had granted a three-year service extension to Gen. Parvez
Kayani and though this decision was challenged in Islamabad High Court, it was
dismissed as being “non maintainable.” Though this was a hasty judgment that
went in favour of the army chief, yet it didn’t cause any ripples at home or
across the world as people largely agree that Pakistan is rightly referred to
as a nation that belongs to its army and not the vice versa!
Fast forward
to 2019 and we have a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan
(CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa admitting the petition submitted by Raiz Rahi
challenging Gen Bajwa’s extension. The bench found merit in the complaint and when
the plaintiff sought to withdraw his petition, the CJP rejected this request
and instead took it up as a public interest litigation under Article 184. After
deliberation the three-member bench noted that the “AG failed to point
to any existing law” on
the basis of which Gen Bajwa was given service extension.
Also, by suspending the government’s notification granting service extension to Pakistan’s Army Chief (who is incidentally the country’s most powerful entity), the CJP Asif Saeed Khosa has shown that he is not only full of spunk but also possesses exemplary professional integrity. His blunt but incisive observation that “There is no check on the activities that are going on in cantonment or under which law an action is being taken” aptly reflects the sorry state of affairs prevailing in Pakistan for which he deserves due appreciation. His actions may antagonize the military but it was necessary to take this ‘hard’ decision in order to make it clear to one and all, that in a democracy no one is above the law!
But the most assuring thing is Khosa’s rejoinder that “Now
a constitutional institution is examining this matter” as it clearly
conveys the message that henceforth only legal provisions and not precedent or
“practice being followed in the Pakistan Army” would be acceptable to the
judiciary. By giving the government six months to frame legislation for
granting service extension to army chiefs, CJP has added the element of urgency
to this issue. How are Khosa’s observations received by the army is yet to be
seen, but one thing that’s absolutely clear is that he doesn’t seem to be the
type who will let Rawalpindi have its way as far as the judiciary is concerned.
Allegations of the army meddling with the judicial process
in Pakistan are rampant, and even though the army vehemently refutes it, one has
to take these denials with a pinch of salt as evidence to the contrary is
aplenty. In July last year, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High
Court severely embarrassed Rawalpindi by revealing that Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) “personnel get benches (in courts) formed at will.” When
Pakistan Army insisted that this allegation was false and asked the Supreme
Court to investigate the same, instead of doing so, Siddiqui was summarily
sacked by the President on the recommendations of Supreme Judicial Council
of Pakistan.
Needless to say, this kneejerk axing sent out a clear
message to the judiciary that the army had ‘zero tolerance’ for any criticism
of ISI. But just seven months later, in a landmark judgment issued on the Tehreek-e
Labaik Pakistan (TLP) sit-in agitation case, Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez
Isa made a stinging reference to the Pakistan Army by concluding that “The
perception that ISI may be involved in or interferes with matters with which an
intelligence agency should not be concerned with, including politics, therefore
was not put to rest.”
Justice Isa’s misgivings weren’t misplaced because everyone
knows that the agreement between the government and TLP to end this agitation
was brokered by the army and Maj Gen Faiz Hameed of the ISI had signed this
agreement in the capacity of ‘guarantor’. That’s why by stating that “..the
government of Pakistan through the Defense Ministry and respective chiefs of
the army, navy, and air force are directed to initiate action against the
personnel under their command who are found to have violated their oath (of not
engaging in any kind of political activity),” Justice Isa had left nothing to
imagination!
Therefore, even if it rubs Rawalpindi the wrong way, but for
the overall good of Pakistan, Khosa’s endeavour to reassert the judiciary’s
credibility by freeing it from interference from the army and intelligence
agencies needs full public support!
Tailpiece – Pakistan Army may have rejected charges
levelled by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui regarding the ISI’s involvement in
‘fixing’ judicial benches and Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s observation of the ISI delving
into politics. But what does Gen. Bajwa have to say on Gen Pervez Musharraf’s
own revelation in 2016 about the army’s effective influence over the judiciary?
After all, didn’t Gen. Musharraf himself admit that “once he (Gen. Rahil
Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the
courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment”?
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