Women, the better half of the more dominant species i.e. men, are still facing the basic question- Are they still better off? Before answering that question, it is very important to understand its contextual relevance in this fast changing world. In present era, which is being governed by the dictum of Globalisation, the opposite gender has made its presence and importance felt considerably. But still, a lot more has to be done in order to bring them at par with men so that they can enjoy the same respect and rights.
In the “shining” India of today, the issue of women empowerment has taken the centre stage and every nook and corner is being looked into in order to provide a strong foundation for the development and empowerment of women. We can celebrate the fact that some things have changed because of the relentless campaigning and struggle by women's groups in India. For example, despite efforts to kill them off before they are born, and after they are born, girls in India are surviving and growing up into confident young women; more girls are now going to school with many of them topping board examinations; women entrepreneurs and managers are making their mark in a world of men; despite the stubborn nature of male politicians with regard to the Women's Bill in Parliament, more women are visible in the political spectrum and in the run up to the general elections. This is just a rough list of the celebrated achievements of the female force in which many others can be added. These clearly reflect the changing persona of feminism in our country that has not remained within the closed walls and has come out to take on the world. It has become a force to reckon.
But, there is also a flip side to this hunky-dory atmosphere. When we sit back and reflect on the rocky road that lies ahead for the majority of the women, we come across some worrying situations like the numbers of women as compared to men continue to decline in India; despite progress in science and medicine, millions of Indian women die each year giving birth; despite changes in the rape laws, the convictions for rape are few and far in between while the incidence of violent crimes continues to grow; despite mountains of words about women's right to participate as equals in politics, the Bill to reserve one-third of the seats in Parliament for women dies an unnatural death in the Lok Sabha. These factors continue to hamper the path of development for the women. So, if the women really have to reach the pinnacle, they have to overcome these.
Fortunately, there have been some success stories that give a glimmer of hope. Recently there was an interview of the daughter of a taxi driver of Mumbai on TV. She, to the amusement of all, spoke in English about her dream of joining the media after her studies, her family and how she plans to fulfill her dreams. Thus, there is not only the likes of Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai or Kiran Bedi who represent the face of the Indian women, it is girls like these that clearly show signs of improvement. Such underprivileged daughters are the real source of inspiration for all those who are not so well off or does not enjoy a good social status. Stories like these drive the development process from the grass root. Yet, the glow from these stories of success, of girls and women who have overcome obstacles to achieve something, should not hide the continuing areas of darkness. The "feel good" motto of the ruling coalition has rubbed off on the media. There is a lot of writing about the achievements of individuals, including women, and institutions. Yet, you hear little about the women away from the media glare, for whom things are not going so well. As a result, it is easy to build an illusionary world, one that highlights the successes without balancing them with failures.
Therefore, we will have to look at both. It is only if we have a real sense of what is happening with women, all women, rich and poor, young and old, can we hope to arrive at strategies and solutions that can make a difference and go beyond rhetoric and tokenism. "Real women" have no problem dealing with both — the celebration and the reflection.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Terrorism: The Changing Face
“Terror terror burning bright, striking the world with all its might!!” This word sends chills down the spine of each & every single human being. Today, it is the most talked about phenomenon across the world. These terrorists have gained considerable power over the years & are today in a position to run a govt. on their own. These minnows of the past have become belligerent giants which are ready to engulf whole of the world and are poised to end the human race if something is not done very soon.
Tracing its origins, etymology takes us to the Latin from where the word Terrorism has been derived. In Latin, it means ‘Fear’ and that is the nucleus around which whole concept of Terrorism revolves. If there is no fear, there will be no Terrorism. The terror gurus know this and that is why they keep on striking in one part of the world or the other to fuel their aspirations and to remind us of their presence. Now when we try to define the term Terrorism, it becomes very difficult in modern context due to various connotations which have evolved over the years by many of our Ignited Minds. Traditionally, anyone resorting to unlawful use of force or violence to coerce any other towards fulfillment of their own goals is termed as an act of Terrorism. But some sections of people argue that “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Going by this definition, no one is a terrorist then. Strange?? But its true. If we consider use of force as an act of terrorism, then what will happen to our martyrs-the freedom fighters? The likes of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev- all of them will then be branded as terrorists. Therefore, it will be apt to define terrorism as Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine state agents, usually to influence an audience. Now, shocks of this influence have been felt all over the world through the large scale attacks carried out in order to make their presence felt.
The first example of large-scale terrorism was the 1972 attack on Israeli athletes when all of them were killed. There are loads of other such examples like 1976 Raid on Entebbe, 1979 Assassination attempt against General Alexander Haig by the RAF & the latest 9/11 attack on WTO, New York which clearly describe the wrath which mankind has to bear due to such violence. Going by these incidents, some very important questions arise as to ‘Why these terrorists do this?’ ‘What do they want?’ The answer lies in the fact that these notorious crime masters want publicity & Attention. And what a spectacular way to grab it. The criminal acts are executed by informing the media in advance so as to get a live, spectacular coverage which is viewed by millions across the world. It helps in disseminating their ideology among the frightened, the lonely people who, after watching it, either become insecure or turn towards this heinous profession.
What Next??
The last century has witnessed a phenomenal growth in terrorism & related activities. But the 21st century has more in store! It is standing on the brink of a vicious web of many inter connected terror attributes like WMD, Asymmetric warfare & Information warfare. WMD or the Weapons of Mass Destruction consists of a whole arsenal of Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs and other sophisticated weaponry which are the most serious threat to the human race. USA’s intrusion in the soil of Iraq was backed by the theory of WMD only. Asymmetric warfare is nothing but indirect warfare. It goes by the philosophy that if you cannot defeat your enemy directly, give it a thousand cuts & bleed it white. This is again a very widely used philosophy these days by some of the weaker nations to take on their mighty opponents. And lastly, Information warfare is a pre-cursor to the Cyber war. As almost all of the information today is kept on PCs, so intruding your PC & taking out vital chunks of information is a very good way to make the other side bargain in accordance with your terms and conditions.
Thus, it is seen that once the traditional field of Guns & Bombs, terrorism, has progressed leaps & bounds to reach a level where it has become imperative for whole of the human race to quickly think of some effective measures to stopping spreading of this dreaded plague and give our future generation a better place to live.
Tracing its origins, etymology takes us to the Latin from where the word Terrorism has been derived. In Latin, it means ‘Fear’ and that is the nucleus around which whole concept of Terrorism revolves. If there is no fear, there will be no Terrorism. The terror gurus know this and that is why they keep on striking in one part of the world or the other to fuel their aspirations and to remind us of their presence. Now when we try to define the term Terrorism, it becomes very difficult in modern context due to various connotations which have evolved over the years by many of our Ignited Minds. Traditionally, anyone resorting to unlawful use of force or violence to coerce any other towards fulfillment of their own goals is termed as an act of Terrorism. But some sections of people argue that “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Going by this definition, no one is a terrorist then. Strange?? But its true. If we consider use of force as an act of terrorism, then what will happen to our martyrs-the freedom fighters? The likes of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev- all of them will then be branded as terrorists. Therefore, it will be apt to define terrorism as Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine state agents, usually to influence an audience. Now, shocks of this influence have been felt all over the world through the large scale attacks carried out in order to make their presence felt.
The first example of large-scale terrorism was the 1972 attack on Israeli athletes when all of them were killed. There are loads of other such examples like 1976 Raid on Entebbe, 1979 Assassination attempt against General Alexander Haig by the RAF & the latest 9/11 attack on WTO, New York which clearly describe the wrath which mankind has to bear due to such violence. Going by these incidents, some very important questions arise as to ‘Why these terrorists do this?’ ‘What do they want?’ The answer lies in the fact that these notorious crime masters want publicity & Attention. And what a spectacular way to grab it. The criminal acts are executed by informing the media in advance so as to get a live, spectacular coverage which is viewed by millions across the world. It helps in disseminating their ideology among the frightened, the lonely people who, after watching it, either become insecure or turn towards this heinous profession.
What Next??
The last century has witnessed a phenomenal growth in terrorism & related activities. But the 21st century has more in store! It is standing on the brink of a vicious web of many inter connected terror attributes like WMD, Asymmetric warfare & Information warfare. WMD or the Weapons of Mass Destruction consists of a whole arsenal of Atomic & Hydrogen Bombs and other sophisticated weaponry which are the most serious threat to the human race. USA’s intrusion in the soil of Iraq was backed by the theory of WMD only. Asymmetric warfare is nothing but indirect warfare. It goes by the philosophy that if you cannot defeat your enemy directly, give it a thousand cuts & bleed it white. This is again a very widely used philosophy these days by some of the weaker nations to take on their mighty opponents. And lastly, Information warfare is a pre-cursor to the Cyber war. As almost all of the information today is kept on PCs, so intruding your PC & taking out vital chunks of information is a very good way to make the other side bargain in accordance with your terms and conditions.
Thus, it is seen that once the traditional field of Guns & Bombs, terrorism, has progressed leaps & bounds to reach a level where it has become imperative for whole of the human race to quickly think of some effective measures to stopping spreading of this dreaded plague and give our future generation a better place to live.
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