It isn't about Modi v/s Islam anymore

“We can't be secular till there is politics because it is a religion that hates every other religion...” . Guided by beliefs and morality, India has become a nation where secularism is looked upon with apathy .With various political parties establishing their definition of secularism , the description of the word becomes even more pivotal. Politicians aren't hesitating in acquiring the kind of  charisma which only Gods dared to posses till today . As religion perpetrates into the well of election , Politics becomes more dirtier and dangerous. 

While the entire country is confounded in Modi oriented debates, one barely notices the parallelity between two major Islamic leaders , Asaduddin Owaisi and Mehmood Madani. While the former is the Presidnet of  All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) the latter is the general secretary of Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind, an organization existing since 1919. Known for their dubitable and outright annotation, they have made their interest in Modi quite clear. Critisizing the 'secular parties' for suffusing fear among Muslims about Modi for gaining votes , Madani's ideas about the BJP  prime ministerial candidate Modi seems quite clear . Asad on the other hand has never hidden his feelings for Modi . Often referring to him as 'Mozi', meaning verbatim,  he also signed the US Visa Rejection Policy Petition. 


Not very famous among the Muslim minority for his role in the Godhra riots , Narendra Modi has been experimenting with various propositions to woo them. Kalavati did for Modi what Hasiba Amin did to Rahul Gandhi, the latter's strategy gaining more ridicules than applauds. Modi's failure to serve Jassuben as an arrow for attacking Congress coerced the parent party BJP to subscribe for 'secular' strategies. From organizing conclaves for rich Muslim businessmen to distributing skull caps and burqas for attending Modi's rally , BJP has used all the sashtras signifying the secular nature of their candidate. With two major leaders of the Muslim community pitted aganinst each other , the accomplishment of BJP's agenda seems quite evident. 


Controlling the largest seminary in Asia , Deoband , Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind enjoys enormous political support among both minority and majority. With over 125 lakh active members , the organization has huge influence over people. While Madani has shunned reports of him endorsing Modi , his stating of facts on behalf of Modi hasn't gone down well with the majority of the Muslim population. Not one of those to be wooed by promises , Asad Owaisi is a man with his foot in his mouth . Popular among the Hyderabadi Muslims , Asad Owaisi has never hidden his dislike for Modi. Considering endorsement of Modi as a sign of betrayal of Allah , he went as far as calling Salman Khan 'harami' for flying kite with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Secularism

It isn't just Owaisi , Zahid Ali Khan , editor of Siyasat and politburo member of Telugu Desam Party had earlier expressed his discontent towards the party president Chandrababu Naidu for shaking hands with Modi . While the whole nation is embroiled in 'who will become the PM' debate , the Muslim population is in a dilemma over who to follow . The underbelly of India politics has many such incidents to its credit , thanks to our politicians who have made religion a trump cart to woo voters . As the nation awaits BJP to come up with its ultimate 'sashtra' , seculars are going to have a hard time keeping their ideologies intact.

Image courtesy : 
sathiyam.tv
modibharosa.com 
www.images22.com 
www.rediff.com

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The street beyond art

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”  Art elicits images, emotions and memories in people. Tagged as visual, art takes different forms including edible and audible. While art is an expression, artist is the antecedent, an eye behind the viewer who doesn't let the art specify itself rather allows it to explore its beauty. An impetus for a bigger platform to showcase art gave birth to street art – an art defining the interests of the common man. 

 

A nation deeply entrenched in art and culture, Indian street art was mostly about illustration of religious figures. As an anonymous American scholar puts in “India has well established reputation for violating social scientific generalizations”, the modernization of street art in India unlike its being is not unnatural but surely arduous. The confounding thing about Indian men and women who talk about modernity is that they are rooted in their culture, forming one of the major reasons for the existence of street art in India. While street art has become more rebellious and implacable, questioning the fundamental basis of our country, it has lunged in many ways, bringing voices of the people to the streets. Entwined with contributing factors for social and economical issues, India saw many street artists coming up lately.

Sankho Chaudhry :  Profoundly inspired by  Ramkinkar Baij  , a sculpture artist himself whose art reflected the vibrancy of local life , Sankho Chaudhry  was a traditionalist and an alchemist . Born in Bihar, he didn’t follow any specific school of expression but followed his own style of abstract art altering materials into forms defining sentiments and emotions.   Graduating from Shantiniketan, he did his diploma in fine Arts from Kala Bhawan with distinction in sculpture. While assisting his inspiration Ramkinar Baij , he went to Nepal to execute War Memorial where he also studied Nepalese system of Metal casting .   

Some of his best work include a 5’ Bronze sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi for Copenhagen in 1986, a 5’ marble sculpture for UNICEF in New Delhi and a 4’.6” marble sculpture for habitat in Nairobi . His work for All India Radio, a sculpture name ‘Music’ is an inspiration for music lovers. For his excellent work in the field of art and culture, the President of India awarded him with the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma shri. Recognizing his work as meritorious, The centre of Escolar University, Philippines honored him with D.Litt. Visva Bharathi University honored him not just once but twice, presenting him with Aban Gangan award and Desikottama , an Honorary Doctorate . For all the stellar works he did in the field of art, he was honored with the Life time achievement award, Legend of India in 2004.

Nalini Malni : A leading Asian artist , she has been internationally acclaimed for her outstanding works . Influenced by her experiences as refugee of the partition of India, her art goes beyond the boundaries of stereotypical emotions and conventional narrative. Her works are initiated towards international collaboration, new media and expansion of art as an open space. Her focus on women by highlighting their roles in the Indian society from their emotional and sexual point of view alienates her from other artists. Combining light with shadow in her installations, her interaction with colours intertwines all layers. First woman to receive the ‘Arts and Culture Fukuoka Prize’ she put together the first exhibition of Indian female artists in Delhi in 1985. A writer at heart, she illustrated short stories for newspapers in the later 1920’s and also wrote two books –‘In Search Of Vanished Blood’ and ‘Listening to the shades.’ One of the few artists to have films made on her, she has a lot of exhibitions to her credit. Her interests also include Ephemeral wall drawing, installation, shadow play and multi projection works

Jas Charanjiva:  Having developed an affinity towards art at an early age, Jas Charanjiva, born in UK spent her entire life abroad before settling in India. Considering art as “a creative form of amplified communication”, she believes that graffiti artists can be found only on streets. A lady of her own virtues and principles she believes in authenticity and considers replicating art incorrect .Inspired by David Bowie, every blank space becomes a source of new art for this young artist. Walking around in Mumbai, one can see her quirky characters scattered on the walls, her murals dominating locations like Bandra Café and The Bagal Shop. She owns a company called ‘Life On Mars’ and is looking forward to ‘Kulture Shop’ , a merchandising store that promulgates art by some of India’s best graphic artists . As an artist having certain perspective on art , she has a lot of works to her credit , including Graffiti Stencil Workshop, Hyderabad, The Rolling Stones A Bigger Band Tour , New York , Mumbai Wall to Wall Love , The Art Conspiracy and Underground Art Festival , Bandra . A self thought street artist, she believes that street art has a long way to go.

Roy Sanjib: Roy Sanjib , popularly known as Yantra (machines) is a budding street artist . Inspired by Hindu imagery, his work revolves around a sense of freedom. ‘Free artist’ as he calls himself, he admits that art cannot be restricted. Breaking the limitation of two dimensions in his painting, he loves dabbling with colours, creating a three dimensional effect. While his shelf isn’t filled with major awards , he has many solo exhibitions to his credit , few of them include Academy of Fine Arts , Kolkata , Gallery Zen , Bangalore and Two man show at Artists Centre , Mumbai . 

Somnath Hore: Born in 1921 in Chittagong, Somnath Hore lost his father at a very early age.  Influenced by socialist ideas in the early phases of his artistic career, his sketches, sculptures and prints are mostly based on unbending subjects of human affliction and emotions. ‘Mother with child’ is one of his most colossal sculptures, orbiting around the subject of American war in Vietnam.  Most of his works were a reaction to major historical crisis and events in 20^th century Bengal (Bengal Famine 1943 and the Tebhanga movement).  Recognizing his love for art, The Lalit Kala Academy honored him with National Award (Graphics) for ‘Dream’ and ‘Birth of a white rose’. He was also honored with LN Gupta Memorial Award.  He died in 2006, leaving behind a tale of beautiful sculpture making and art.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” While Thomas Merton defined art on the lines of time, street artists believe that defining art would restrict them to the four letters, disabling them to expand beyond their capabilities. Taking into account the ardor of modern street artists, unbound by any religious or political boundaries, Indian street art has a long way to go.

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It isn’t about Science v/s Religion anymore

 “What the mind doesn’t understand, it worships or fears.”   An alibi to avoid bad omens obligate men to experiment , not just with faith but life too .  The provenience of these inspections is fear , an unpleasant emotion caused by beliefs yielding to pain or threat which  for decades has held the human race in abeyance , perforating them to practice things that otherwise would be inappropriate . 

In the backdrop of Maharashtra Assembly passing the Anti-Black Magic Bill , the question over its feasibility and variableness comes into picture . Revised and amended more than 20 times since 2005 , the bill aims at bringing social awakening and awareness in society . As an ordinance passed on 21 August 2013 , it did manage to bring cognizance  but as a whole  remained a mere ordinance governing people rather than protecting them . 

Introduced in 2003 as Maharashtra Eradication of Black Magic, Evil and Aghori Practices Bill , the bill saw anti-superstition activist and the founder of  Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti ( MANS) Narendra Dhabolkar losing his life to an age old battle against black magic . Unlike its name , the clause defining the bill has a lot to its reference . The concern over its praxis to harm people belonging to a particular religion has lead to confrontation and opposition by the BJP , the  Shiv Sena and other religious organizations on various occasions. Touted as ‘redundant’ and influenced by ‘foreign ideas’ the bill saw a massive protest , not just in favour of the bill but also in its opposition .

Inspired by Anti- Black Magic ordinance , The Karnataka government proposed  Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman Evil and Gory Practices and Black magic Bill which unlike the former  would have no ambiguities in its legalization .  Taking into account the brutal killings of witchcraft practitioners and cut-throats , the Maghalaya government too has contemplated an ‘anti -superstition bill’ . While the state governments are doing their bit by advocating laws , the corporation between the police and the public and mass awareness  is crucial for their implementation . 

“If you believed in Christianity or Islam it was called 'faith', but if you believed in astrology or Friday the thirteenth it was Superstition!” – Was Jostein Gaarder right ? While demands of law and morality have escalated, the probability to reflect more deeply into the depths of faith have diminished . The thin line between faith and atheism has blurred , confusing people , sending mixed moral messages .  Inspite of Anti-witchcraft bill being legalized in Jharkhand , cases of deaths due to witchcraft have raised over decades , questioning the credibility of these laws backed by various IPC sections . 

Whether China or India , our blind faith in power of law have failed us all the time . As a country entrenched in religion and culture , the battle with self to adhere to the customs by blindly following beliefs established by the former or to fight lest you be withdrawn of your rights , the possibility of laws functioning is minimal . As Johann Wolfgang puts in, “superstition is the poetry of life” , It is no longer about ‘Science vs religion’ but ‘mind vs soul .’

Image source : http://www.blackmagic.ws/

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Homophobia – When and Why?

 www.drugsandstuff.co.uk

 "All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.”  While loneliness drives individuals towards the terminal, there is one community which has always lived in segregation , the LGBT community . Often addressed as abnormal or unnatural, the community has always been condemned by the society to avow their true identity, forcing them to form secret societies and indulge in prostitution.

Prevailing delusions about Homosexuality gave birth to ‘homophobia’, which means indulging in extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality . While Science has gained ground , the society is still stuck with the age old thinking , believing homosexuality is chosen and an amendable preference . Laxmi Narayan Tripathi , a controversial transgender believes that there is no particular age to realize that you are a transgender , you are born like that . Homosexuality is not a disease which can be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, it is natural .

The organizers of Madrid Pride Week, gay pride parade, a celebration attracting an estimated 1.5 million people each year accused the city of strangling the event. When exactly did the term homophobia come into existence?  Even history refuses to answer this question.  When there is no specification of its provenance, what really defines homophobia? Talking about homosexuality, a list of words generate - Religion, society , AIDS , family , media , social prejudices , girlish tinge and abuse . The list contributing to the rampant homophobia in our country . A country where religion outduels every law and regulation , homophobia is bound to rise . While people appreciate and admire the erotic images carved on the walls of Hindu temples , they deter from appreciating the same in actual society . The grapevine surrounding AIDS is another factor contributing to homophobia . While Kama sutra was discovered in this country , talking about sex is still proscribed. Lack of sex education engenders fear in minds of children against homosexuals , often it encourages them to experiment , leading to more fear .

“People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”  The society and the media go hand in hand , complimenting and supplementing each other . While current media fraternity is becoming sensible to the needs of the homosexual community , movies like pyaar kia toh darna kya , Aaryan did very little to uplift the status of homosexuals in society , rather they projected them as someone with girly tinge and characterless personality . An ongoing daily soap on a national channel , Life OK , showcases the ‘hijda’ community in a grey light . While the boldness of the channel yields appreciation , the concept of a hijda trying to kill a girl instills fear among the audience , especially the younger lot who lap up the media content without really questioning its significance lest their parents might raise question on their sensibility and culture .  

A country where politicians tweet about Homosexuality being a mental disorder , where it takes a Bobby darling so much pain and rebuke to prove her talent and  inspite of homosexuality being recognized as a third nature and fully accepted in the Vedic scriptures , it takes Indian Government 62 years (post independence ) to legalize  homosexuality , homophobia  is sure to find prominence in society . “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting “ , the battle for eradicating homophobia  is a long one and will continue until the tussle between the society and the nature comes to rest .

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Hackers go the 'BOUNTY' way

There is a new drive among youngsters , "the no response drive" . With dollar rate skyrocketing , hackers have a guarantee to warrant . Hackers , as the word signifies are looked upon with opprobrium in the society for the kind of damage they cause to an individual or a company .To deal with the hack-e-mafia, companies known for their cyber competency have come up with an interesting scheme called the bounty . 

 Bounty literally means "present" or a "gift" . Rishal Dwivedi , an independent security researcher who has won several bounties says" I have been into the security field for 3 years and during these three years , i have seen many black hat hackers amending their path and getting into white hate hacking." People earlier took up hacking for gaining easy money and fame but in this process they often got into illegal contrivance and landed themselves into trouble. Bounty commences with ‘responsibility disclosure' which allows people to send vulnerabilities related to a website to the mother company . With bounty coming up as a surrogate, people have now vacillated towards white hat hacking , which doesn't just gain them money and fame but also respect and dignity.

There is a transition in the world of cyber security , black hat hackers who once had immense respect in the encoded society are now looked upon as kids .Thanks to the new metamorphism cybercrime rates have diminished to an optimum extent . Unlike before companies are now responding to the vulnerabilities sent by the security researchers with great enthusiasm for they do not want to see their website defaced with a message written for their employees.  What makes bounty even more special is its value in dollars . Rishal Dwivedi , who recently won 1000 dollars for a vulnerability he sent to a website says " I sympathize with India's state of economy but can't help admiring it ." Money is not the only criteria, the kind of attention bounty brings to a person is undeniable . 

The bounty mania has enforced a major revision in the world of hacking , so much that the cyber war between India and Pakistan on 15th August saw little response from Indian cyber Hunters .Cyber wars which take place at regular intervals to determine the vitality and superiority of a nation has seen a slowdown , thanks to the bug bounties which force ethical hackers to spend all their energy and time into finding bugs . It might seem an old agenda but most sorts of diversion in men are in imitation of fighting. Hackers who earlier fought for fame are now fighting for approbation and reverence . 

Image source :  defensetech.org 

 www.ehackingnews.com

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