Open letter to appeal for appropriate punishment for the brutal 'juvenile'

An open appeal to Sushil Kumar Shinde , Shiela Dixit and all those who have the power to make a difference.

Dear Sir/ Madam 

Subject : Appeal for appropriate punishment as per the crime for the most brutal of the accused who happens to be a juvenile by a few months.

This is in connection to Delhi gang-rape accused juvenile (17+) punishment. We believe laws, rightfully so, are different for juveniles as we expect to correct them not punish for retribution. That is very sane indeed. However adulthood is a grey area and we should consider it in rarest of rare cases

The prospect of a sadistic rapist, getting off with a lighter punishment has shocked all across political and ideological spectrum. We do not endorse any lynch-mob mentality. However, one agrees that along with the girl her family and her fiancé have gone through inhuman trauma, pain, shock. They need a closure. They deserve justice. 

We as a Society need justice.

One of the major reasons we punish, lock up criminals is to prevent him/her from harming the society again. Are we sure, someone who can rape her twice, push an iron rod into her and tear up a girl’s intestine (when he never knew girl the before, therefore didn’t have a personal score to settle) will rectify in a few months? Is it not a travesty of justice? How will the Justice system assure that it is letting off a prospective brute…who is likely to repeat his offense? This walking free will shock the nation.

This case now being keenly monitored by the International Press to. We shudder to think what they will make of our Justice system, if the most brutal rapist/killer is let off because he is a few months below adulthood. In the West too, where Justice is considered to be humane, consider the nature of the crime. Thus in case of heinous crime, juveniles are treated as adult. Rape and murder are heinous crimes…hardly juvenile.

Law is written with benefit to society with mind. Law is in service of the well being of people, as society and people change Law changes likewise. The main intention of Law remains the same, to deliver proper justice which brings closure to the victim and protects society at large. This can be done even without encroaching upon basic Human Rights of the perpetrator. The perpetrator pays for the crime he committed. That is his Justice. Letting him off lighter punishment doesn’t correct his criminality, hardens him more leaving the society at large more vulnerable.

We need our authorities, commissions, political parties, investigating agencies, lawyers and courts to make sure this is brought to its logical conclusion keeping all fairness in perspective. We need them to do the needful and achieve the purpose of the institution of justice.

Thanking You,

Arundhati Bhattacharya

Shilpi Tewari

Please put suggestions and support through comments. We have put this in open to add on your voice to the appeal. We will take this forward to the appropriate platform.

My response to questions about modi and technology

I am a journalist with Ahmedabad Mirror and want your input on a story I am doing.

---- Thankyou for contacting. Will try and make sense as far as I can :) 

[link to the article by @swapnapillai at the end of the blogpost. ] 

What do you think about Narendra Modi's use of technology?

---- there are 3 aspects to it. 

1. The most obvious : Him and the official team communicating with people online. Except for the hangout and when he decided to show support for #GoIblocks, there has been no REAL interaction but they have used the medium as a campaign effectively

2. Common people and supporters like me taking help of technology to understand and then spread what he does. ( there are many who believe we are paid. Though some of us have had a  chance to meet him once atleast. We got a chance only after we put our views on social media. So he did reach out to acknowledge us) 

3. His most effective use of technology is in e-governance. Gujarat has showed how bureaucracy can be overhauled by help of technology. Monitoring systems for projects, Rural connectivity, innovative systems for energy usage and to address public grievances are areas where he has made use of it. So one believes he looks at a holistic usage of technology.

Do you think he has a great connect with youngsters because of technology?

--- use of technology in the correct way will always attract youth. However that is not the real reason but an add on value. He invokes qualities of leadership, decisiveness, positivity, honesty, commitment and hope in the existing system. Yes the youth is excited that someone they admire connects with them at their level.

What about him on Facebook do you like?

--- strangely I do not follow him on Facebook so I have no clue. However on twitter he mostly speaks only about his policies which sometimes is great to read but also may not be clicking with those who aren't his serious admirers. Nevertheless it reflects that he is constantly working on policies of development.

And if Modi wins Gujarat Assembly elections how much of that win would you attribute to his interaction with people on social media?

-- as far as Guajrat Assembly win is concerned I would attribute hardly 5-7% maximum. I don't really believe he 'interacts' on social media. There are far more leaders who do it more effectively than he does. His is a campaign essentially. 

As far as his online supporters is concerned. Some are articulate but not necessarily heard. Others are frustrated with the continuing label of their leader and themselves and crib mostly. And then there are some who retort to abuse to counter. A lot of them are actually hurt, dejected and abused in their real life due to who they support and some chose to throw their frustration here and make it filthy here using the ease of the platform. A very despicable way to do it. It doesn't help the cause or the leader. As most critics chose to use them to just prove their point and label everyone else also.

This medium has helped his message reach people outside Gujarat more than voters in Gujarat. Till just before 2009.. Most people outside Gujarat didn't care what modi was doing and heard only bad things about him. Most of us were indifferent like for most regional leaders. However post that period, results of his practices and policies began to show and that connected with people. We began to look on social media to find more information that was away from the common narrative. Gujarat didn't need that as they felt the difference on the ground. Assembly elections are a different from correcting perceptions

Also, your take on people who criticise Modi without fail?

--- There are two types of people who criticize modi endlessly. One who genuinely believe that 'his eyes have the hatred for Muslims' and the gory scenes from TV remain in their mind and they just can't even hear the fact that he could have been only a bad administrator then as he had just recently become the CM. I sympathize with them cause according to them they may never get the peace they are looking for.

Second are those who use him to brand them selves to be on the opposite side for politics, votebank, alliances or for being along with the influential people who mostly carry the same outlook. It helps. Works for social media, media and real life.

I am an entrepreneur and I know that there are organisations where if I spoke my view I would probably lose my work as they would instantly look down upon me and not see me good enough to be along with.

Thus I believe both type of critics are so hardened in their perspective that one can only counter them so that new people have both the opinions to chose from. I don't believe these critics have given themselves the space to even consider listening to people with a different point of view.

Need the answers now. I am writing the story right now.

--- sorry for the long narrative. I am not good with writing so mostly need a lot of words to explain my view. 

The article by @swapnapillai that incorporates bits of this response can be accessed here

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=AMIR/2012/09/23&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar00800&DataChunk=Ar01000&ViewMode=HTML

Debate on Ramanujan's essay

When I initially heard of the controversy on an essay on Ramayan, I was immediately a  little apprehensive of its content. I found myself prejudiced here but quickly questioned myself. So first, I sat through all the tv debates that happened on the topic. The debates detailed out parts from the essay. Sadly, I was even more sure that the essay seems to be maligning the religious text. The reason is simply because of the way the debates were conducted. They made the debate look like a left/right wing fight or constantly called all dissenting voices intollerant. The words used along with limitation of space and time on the show doesn't give you the right picture of the contents. However like most Indians now I have learnt not to form opinion from the media reports. I try an question it's analysis and intellect at every point. So then I read the Ramayana essay by Ramanujan.

The first story narrated sets the tone of the essay and almost eradicated most of my issues. The essay isn't an interpretation or analysis. It's an explanation of differences in the many versions of ramayan. There is no story that has been added on. Thus the short essay tries to pick differences between ramayans and explains along with verses and context. After reading it completely, I am of the opinion that it seems perfectly fine for an educated mature mind to be exposed to the article.

Some possible apprehensions.

I am not completely aware of the apprehensions that have been put forward except whatever little I have read and heard on the controversy. However, I am putting forward some from my own point of view. In so many Ramayans that are known there must have been a thousand differences in each. The essay obviously picks a few for sheer requirement of space and readability. Now the excerpts chosen to be highlighted could be a point of question for some. One can see a repeated occurrence of controversial relationships and character analysis being mentioned. One wonders if the stress on such issues could have been less. Ramayan is so much more than a story of some characters. It aims to explain philosophy and values. Could we have gained more by getting perspectives on them instead?

One also wonders if the words and phrases that have been written to translate and explain the difference could have been different.. Maybe, maybe not.  We may want to think that a scholar of his stature would have weighed most of the words and then chosen the ones which came closest to the explanation of the verses. An essay, a publication has its own value. However when it's part of an academic syllabus specially for undergraduates, it will need to be reviewed differently. One can surely debate the importance of the essay as a syllabus versus a reference text or even the possibility of exposing it to more mature minds of postgraduates. For that I guess the scholars in the subject would know best. We have to consider the long term implication on the evolution of the religious text by making it a compulsory read. That is one of the main causes of dissent.I am for the time being ignoring the fact that sentiments of common people are in question. As that can never be proved unless a survey is done. However I don't think many are willing to take that into consideration anyways.

Main stream media debate.

The controversy has caught the fascination mainly because of it's relevance to the current debate of tolerance in society. So, are the protests to the essay a form of intolerance. Or  are we in turn showing intolerance to views and feelings of the masses and their representatives. Let the debate not take in consideration only those who seemed to have picked it. Let's review it in isolation. It's not only about supporting/opposing a party.

There were people who could not take Mr.Subramanian Swamy's article in spirit or appreciate it as freedom of speech. They made a huge cry about it showing it as an insult..targeted the newspaper that published it and its editor. Fair enough! They are completely in their right to do so. However they have now conveniently positioned them selves as 'liberals' and are advocating hard for the ramayan essay. 

Please realize both need their due space! That is being liberal.

Both essays have immense capacity to hurt people's emotions. To term people who feel hurt and are protesting as radicals/intolerant is a bit too much. One has to realize that this too is a form of intolerance. Respect for all point of views need to be given their due.  Religion and its texts are related to beliefs, faith and emotions of a larger mass and cannot be scrutinized keeping merely the history,science and logic in perspective. Prof. Mukherjee on ndtv in conversation with anchor sonia, showed a perfect example of an intellectual who spoke well in defense of the essay but immediately concluded that protest to this stems from an ideology 'that beats up Prashant Bhushan for his views'.  Certainly she did not beat up anyone but did no less either. Intellectuals questioning the validity of the essay demand the same respect as anyone else. 

The debate was also termed as 'Talibanisation of Delhi university' .  It's become a popular way of speaking for intolerance. Fair? Even if not, I am assuming that they team didn't realize that the decision of removing the article was arrived by voting. It was a democratic solution and not because of pressure from external groups. The 9 members out of 150 who dissented have criticized the AC of not being an academician. One needs to remember that the essay is still valid as a reference document and not banned. Only its inclusion as a syllabus is being disputed.  However I guess the issue is now in court and we shall wait for the decision. Till then I would request all dissenting voices to read the essay before you form an opinion through debates and reports.

Link for the original essay : http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3j49n8h7&chunk.id=d0e1254