Source: Organiser - Weekly

Sonia: So secretive, still in public life!

First it was her religion, then her relatives and then her illness and now her income tax returns. Sonia Gandhi has consistently refused to reveal details regarding these.

The latest first. According to a report in The Times of India, Sonia Gandhi refused to provide the details of her income-tax returns of the past ten years, demanded by V Gopalakrishnan, an RTI activist from Chennai. She claimed that this information, submitted to the IT office was confidential and disclosure of this would amount to “unwarranted invasion” of the individual’s privacy.  She even cited security reasons for not furnishing the details.

She had earlier refused to reveal her religion, claiming it was a personal matter and need not be made public. This, when the government routinely has this column in all the forms. Even in nursery school admissions, one has to mention the religion. Her educational qualifications (if any) too are closely guarded secrets.

When Sonia Gandhi “fell ill” and went abroad allegedly for treatment apparently on government expense, any information was denied to the public on the ground that we must respect her “privacy.” The media played along in such reverential obedience. If public money had been spent on her, it has to be accounted for and the citizens of the country have a right to know how much and why the money was spent; if the treatment she received abroad was not available in India etc.

Some time ago, a RTI had been raised demanding to know the foreign relatives who are staying with Sonia Gandhi in her official residence and their periods of stay in India. The issue was suppressed, taking the plea that it was a “private issue.”

Subramanyan Swami, who has constantly sought to bring to light the several instances of abuse of power by Sonia Gandhi has been rebuffed time and again by the courts and other agencies. On 23 February the CBI, before whom Swamy’s plea for investigating Sonia Gandhi’s role in Bofors scandal was pending, dismissed it saying that a closure report has been filed in the case and it cannot be reopened. The CBI also gave a clean chit to her saying “no connection whatsoever” was found between the case and Mrs Gandhi.

Not only she, but all her immediate relatives enjoy amnesty from law. The police did not carry any investigation worth its name into the cases of unnatural death of at least three family members of Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadhera. His brother, sister and father died untimely and unexplained. The matter was hushed up with even our blood-hound media maintaining silence.

All these things raise the valid question: Is Sonia Gandhi above the Indian law? (FOC)

 http://organiser.org//Encyc/2012/2/25/Sonia--So-secretive,-still-in-public-life!%EF%BB%BF.aspx?NB=&lang=4&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=

Shaping the social mindset through visual media

By Rajan Khanna

Source: Organiser - Weekly    

The role of visual media in shaping the social mindset is becoming increasingly vital with every passing day. In order to take the inputs and to know about the future expansion programmes of the Zee network— the largest in India—I met its group chairman Shri Subhash Chandra Goel. In recent days, media has been abuzz with the stories of the scandals of various hues; from CWG to 2G and from Adarsh Housing Society to NRHM, the information about the above stated frauds wouldn’t have reached the public domain had the visual media not adopted a proactive approach in unearthing the scams.

My first question to Shri Subhash Chandra was about the support having been rendered to the anti-corruption movement of  Shri  Anna Hazare by the news channels. To my question that why all of sudden the media stopped covering the anti-corruption events of the team Anna, he replied, “The unscrupulous elements are present in every sphere of life and they don’t want the Anna  movement to succeed, may be their pressure tactics are making the media refrain from giving that much coverage to the said movement as much it was giving earlier. Besides, some kind of fissures are appearing in team Anna itself.”

Zee group had promoted ICL in India before the BCCI-controlled IPL came into picture; today, Indian cricket is in dire straits and many experts attribute the poor performance of  team India to the IPL version of the game promoted by the BCCI. When Shri  Chandra was queried about the recent dismal performances of the Indian cricket team, he said,  “Through ICL we wanted to create huge bench strength in the sport of cricket but our initiative was thwarted by the unimaginative governing body of the sport in India. Today, we can’t see many deserving youngsters around who can step into the shoes of ageing members of the team India.” On being asked how the media can play its role in promoting various other sports in the country so that we can hope to get some medals in the Olympics also, his reply was curt,  “Unless, the politicians stop meddling in the governing bodies of the sports, the overall scenario is not going to improve substantially.”

There are many spheres of life in which the media can play a very positive role; maintaining the cleanliness and aesthetics in  public places, is one of them. When questioned about the possibility of the media’s participation in  dissemination of messages of civic importance and producing and telecasting programmes in this respect, he affirmatively replied, “Yes, in this regard a lot can be done by the media and more efforts can be put which can result into cleaner and greener environment.”

Zee group has its presence in the field of education also; with quality education getting more and more expensive, his views were sought about affordable education for the underprivileged. His reply was analytical, “In order to give appropriate attention to all of them, you cannot have more than twenty five students in a particular class room and the exercise has its bearing on the cost factor, therefore, in private institutions it is going to be very difficult to manage without charging adequate fees. However, it is incumbent upon the government to provide good quality  education to those who cannot afford to study in private institutions.”

Media can play a very useful role in creating awareness about the social responsibilities and eradication of those superstitious practices which are ailing the society at large. Shri Subhash Chandra agreed that more programmes by the channels are required to highlight the said factor and the initiative is bound to have very positive effect on the viewers.

Today’s youth is getting disillusioned – because of rampant corruption prevailing in the country – and there is a great need of reinforcing the plummeting structure of the social values; the telecasting of the serials based on the lives of Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Swami Vivekananda and others can motivate the young generation to a larger extent. On the question of how Zee group can play its part in inculcating social values, Shri Chandra informed that they are going to start a separate public service broadcasting channel shortly. The information is quite heartening because the people will be reminded about the sacrifices having been made by our forefathers and the youth will be motivated to contribute in the progress of the nation and not get disheartened by the deeds of the unscrupulous politicians.

http://organiser.org//Encyc/2012/2/25/INTERESTING-PEOPLE.aspx?NB=&lang=4&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=

How Invaders Tried to Stifle Hinduism: Article by Darshan Lal Jain:

Please refer to the brilliant review of the book Battleground India: Prognosis of Hindu-Muslim Exclusivism; by Maloy Krishna Dhar appearing on page 13 of your issue dated 22-01-2012. The reviewer Shri MV Kamath has stated that invaders like Babar ordered the erection of a pillar with the severed heads of Hindu soldiers and has also referred to Aurangzeb’s ordering cartloads of idols  to be spread over the portals of the Jama Masjid for the pious Muslims to trample the Hindu idols under their feet. In between Babar and Aurangzeb’s, I would like to quote from the records of various historians and travellers about the conduct of Akbar in similar situation.

The battle between Hemu and Mughals was fought at Panipat on November 5, 1556 AD. Historian VA Smith gives the following account of the battle, “The armies met in battle on November 5, 1556. At first Hemu was successful on both wings. Probably he would have been the victor but for the accident that he was hit in the eye by an arrow and rendered unconscious. His army, when deprived of its leader, the sole reason for its existence, dispersed at once.” (The Oxford History of India (1923) P.344)

Hemu was captured in an unconscious, almost dead state. Bairam Khan desired Akbar to earn the title of Ghazi by flashing his sword on the captive. Akbar complied with the request and smote Hemu on the neck. Hemu's head was sent to Kabul to show Afghans that he was dead, and his trunk was gibbeted at one of the gates of Delhi.

But the tragedy did not end here. The forces of Akbar conquered the Sarkar of Alwar which was the home of Hemu. The Mughal officer proceeded to the township where Hemu's family lived.

Abu Fazl describes what happened further, “The palace was strong and there was much fighting, and the father (Puran Das) of Hemu was captured and brought alive before the Nazim-al-mulk. The latter called upon him to change the religion. The old man answered, “For eighty years I have worshipped my God, according to this religion. Why should I change it at this time, and why should I merely for fear of my life and without understanding it come into your way of worship. Pir Mohammd treated his words as if he heard them not, and answered him with the tongue of sword.”

The vengeance of the Mughals continued. The clan of Dhusar Bhargavas was hounded throughout the region, brutally beheaded and pyramid of their skulls were built. Such painting of Akbar's time is on display in National Archives, New Delhi and its replica can be seen in the War Museum at Panipat. Such pyramids were still in existence 60 years later during the time of Jahangir, as mentioned by Petre Mundy, a British traveller in his travelogue on India during that period.
 

On the Hindu Muslim exclusiveness it would be of interest to your readers a quote from the book :-

Emergency – Muslims & RSS: My Eleven Years With Fakhrudin Ali Ahmed by FAA Rehmaney app. V Ahmed Sahib,  and an article ‘Jamaat Islami & RSS’, Organiser, 30.05.93 p.9. by  Shri HV Sheshadri. “It was the third quarter of 1975, when certain Maulvis with Pro-Congress leanings met Ahmed Sahib and told him that the placing of RSS and Jamaat Islami leaders in the same jails, sometimes in the same barracks, was proving to be a blessing in disguise for these parties, as they were developing rapport and the deep mis-understandings between them were fading away.

“Ahmed Sahib thought that if is was really true, it was the eighth wonder of the world and certainly carried ominous future for the Congressite Muslim leaders………. On hearing this astounding story. Ahmed Sahib told the Maulvis that he would speak to Indiraji about this dangerous development and ensure that the Muslims remain Muslims” and shortly thereafter the RSS detinues were transferred from Delhi Jail.

(The writer can be contacted at yodhasamarak@gmail.com).

Source: http://organiser.org//Encyc/2012/2/25/FEED-BACK.aspx?NB=&lang=4&m1=&m2=&