The Supreme Court questioning the age old practice restricting of women ( middle aged) to the sanctum sanctorum of Ayyappa Temple is bound to deeply hurt the religious sentiments the world over. Is it not preposterous on the part of the Apex court to ask for proof from the temple board that the women didn't enter sanctum sanctorum some 1500 hundred years ago,? The court found fault with the board against the discrimination as it goes against the Fundamental Rights of a citizen. Again a similar incident happened near Shani Singanapur in Maharashtra where women under the leadership of Trupti Desai followed by hundreds of women activists were prohibited entry into the sanctum sanctorum on the day on which India was declared Republic. It was said 400 years old tradition couldn't be broken. The women were permitted to offer worship God outside the platform which the women activists denied. It may be noted that that there are no such restrictions in many other temples of the country. The Supreme Court must have taken a prima facie view that temples can not bar devotees on basis of gender but agreed to examine. The spiritual temple of Lord Ayyappa has been restricting the entry of women from young girls after puberty to those yet to attain menopause long as the temples be it Ayyappa Or Shani Dev remain religious places par excellence it is up to the devotees to stipulate the rules and regulations. The matters of faith by their very nature are outside the ambit of reason and logic
so the Kerala Govt has submitted an affidavit that banning entry of women of menstrual age in historic Sabarimala temple has been prevailing from the times immemorial and it is for the priests to take view. Infact a temple is not a public museum or picnic place where the right to congregate is unrestricted. There must have been certain unwritten rules and traditions being followed for centuries. For instance one rule observed in the case of Sabarimala is the observance of Vratam for 41 days which can never be changed to suit to a section or some sections of people. Infact it is the prerogative of temple management to impose restrictions while it is to be noted that this is one temple where there is no discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion. A temple is a sacred place for devotees and a devotee is expected to comply with the rules and respect the traditions.
   To me it appears that women in India have

many problems like Dowry, Domestic violence, Eve- teasing, Harassment at work place etc. Agitators like Trupti Desai should focus on such problems instead leading women into a state of unnecessary confusion. Women's dignity will in no way be degraded if they don't enter a temple or a place of worship. Indians have some age old traditions and customs which have to be followed without any resistance. Generally speaking Hindu women who have periods refrain from doing religious rituals. There are few temples in India where the non- Hindus are prevented from entering into the temple. Till Hindu community and Priests are not ready to change the tradition for whatever reasons, is there any need  for any legal intervention and the instant cases of Sabarimala or Shanisinganapur can not be seen through the prism of gender discrimination. All religions enjoy equal amount of respect and status in India. Such age old customs should better be left unquestioned as neither they are a threat to social harmony nor a challenge to the basic human rights.

Few days ago the President Pranab Mukherji released 2nd edition of his book, " The Turbulent Years 1980-1996. " There were lot of speculations about sensational revelations in the book in the media. This piqued my interest to read it but the book was out of stock on Amazon. But as per the available reports, Mukherji, while discussing Babri-Masjid, it seems, pointed out that that its demolition was an act of absolute perfidy which should make all Indians hang their heads in shame. As every one knows, that the demolition of Babri-Masjid indeed has deeply wounded the sentiments of Muslim community, in India and abroad. But after somany years of demolition, why is he raising this issue now? Infact he was part of the Govt, then and what was he doing at that time? I feel it is better not sprinkle salt on the wounds of Muslims and as the President of India, now, he should take concrete steps that no other religious place, be it a Masjid or Church , to be demolished ,
   It was reported that he has accused the former PM P.V. Narasimha Rao with regards to his role in the demolition. Many books on this subject were in the market that time including PV's own book giving clarifications. PVRK Prasad,  former Media Advisor and Additional Secretary who was working closely with him on this exclusive issue also cleared the air by mentioning it in detail, in one of his books.
   PV in his capacity might have failed to avert the unfortunate event but it would not be unfair to dub it as something perfidy and a mistake committed by the then PM? He had sent Para Military troops to Ayyodhya and conducted series of consultations with both Hindu organisations and other stake holders. As a true follower of constitution, he must have hesitated to impose President's rule, as a preemptive measure, fearing to be perceived by some as unconstitutional or anti- Hindu. He can be blamed for his failure to assess the turn of events and gravity of the situation but can not be held guiltiest than the real perpetrators.  Pranab Mukherji should have restrained from hurling accusations on his bete noire who is no more to defend himself.

   It is unfortunate that PV could not get his due for his greatest services from his colleagues and his own party even posthumously.

Netaji Declassification

The release of100 files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has not set the India/ New Delhi on flames.True it has evoked huge response but the declassified papers haven't thrown any new light on the  circumstances surrounding Bose's disappearance or death. Prime Minister Modi has surely fulfilled his promise given to Bose's family members about declassifying all files related to him. However it would have been better had the whole bunch of files been released at one go. In such case Modi Govt could have escaped criticism that the periodic release is politically motivated.
  Though the move has garnered accolades from die-hard fans of the INA chief and his family members, it has also served to ruffle the feathers of those within the Congress .Even then,the declassification was welcome move by the Modi Govt. But my friend gave me different perspective to the whole affair. He was of the opinion that ever since the present Govt came to power, a concerted campaign has been launched to denigrate Nehru, and thereby the Congress. After appropriating Sardar Patel's legacy as a foil against that of Nehru, it is now using Netaji's communications, was my friend's opinion. 
   The three commissions set up so far have failed to give a conclusive explanation on the circumstances leading to Netaji's death.The most plausible theory that still holds is that he died in a plane crash. However according to some, this theory is a trash, while some say that he was not in that plane at all, while according to some others, the crash of an airplane in that area , on that date never took place. There are also rumours that he resurfaced in India in the guise of Sadhu, as per some others theory he was spotted in China in his later years.
   After reading some articles in news papers recently and also after listening to the observations of some intellectuals, on this subject on TV, what I have understood that the declassified files have confirmed what one had always believed --- that Jawaharlal Nehru was too noble a soul to allow his political differences with Netaji to influence him at a personal level. Witness the steps he took to ensure the financial well being of Netaji's widow and decision not to bring the mortal remains of Netaji from the Renkoji temple out of the regards for the sentiments of his kin. It was Nehru who donned his barrister gown after a long gap to put up spirited defence of the arrested INA officers at the famous trail at Red Fort and on the other hand Netaji too had such a high regard for Nehru, that he even named o

ne of the brigades of INA as "Jawahar Brigade."
Welcome as the declassification is, it must have disappointed those who were clamouring for it to find documentary evidence to support their allegations of wrong doing against Nehru. The truth be told, hardly any one who can be spoken of in the same breath as Gandhi, Nehru, Patel or Netaji. To overcome this handicap they have gone about planting stories. Unfortunately the statements of some of Netaji's kin have only aided this game plan.
   However, the declassification will only give room for fresh research leading to needless controversies. What really happened to him is anybody's guess and stale subject to the common man as of now. The emerging truth is of no use and will have very little impact on the lives of the ordinary Indians. Both the earlier classification and the recent declassification were purely political acts.
   To me, the Govt has better things to do instead of wasting time and energy in a pointless search for resurrecting incriminating documents as evidence of Nehru's role in Netaji's death. Let it focus on pressing issues of the day, like the growing menace of terrorism, price rise and atrocities against weaker sections etc and think hard on why " Acche din" promised by our PM during the elections, still elude the common man.

MRINALINI SARABHAI, HER LEGACY

With the passing away of Mrinalini Sarabhai, the legendary dancer and an inspiring dance teacher, a glorious chapter in the history of cultural India came to an end. We all know that the whole country, we are all proud of her achievements. As I read, her father , Swaminathan, was a renowned Barrister in Madras High Court. She was the daughter of Ammukutty Swaminathan, a social worker and political activist during independence movement,a member of the constituent assembly, and the Rajya Sabha, and the president of the Bharath Scouts And Guides.
  Mrinalini married Vikram Sarabhai, a renowned Physicist, and a member of renowned industrialist family of Sarabhais from Ahemadabad. It is known fact that Sarabhai ( Vikram) is considered to be the Father of the Indian Space Program. Our Late President, Abdul Kalam, in his autobiography "The Wings OF Fire""paid rich tributes to Sarabhai couple. It seems she has founded and nurtured Darpana Academy of performing arts and continued the lineage of Bharata Natyam, established by Rukmini Devi Arandale and Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai. Mrinalini died full of age, honours and glory. I would have been happy had her death been condoled by our PM. This Ofcouse pinches me a bit for Mrinalini, the dance( she excelled both in traditional Bharat Natyam and Kathakkali dance forms) was not merely an art form to be pursued like a student but its a like penance (Tapasya). Her singular achievement was she brought contemporaneity into both these forms of dance. There can not be more poignant tribute to this artist par excellence than the one paid to her by none other than her own daughter Mallika: My mother Mrinalini has just left for her eternal dance".  May her soul rest in peace. 

Few days ago, I have read an article by T J S George, in which he says, most categorically that we learned nothing from Mumbai's terror attack. Will we learn something from Pathankot?" It was indeed an interesting read. It is a fact that we have failed to learn from the past. It is also a high time that our Intelligence Depts, reorganised themselves to keep the country safe from terror.
   The Pathankot assault was rude shock that Pakistan's elected leaders do not have any influence on many things connected with army or militants. This is evident, because our PM's lunch, with Shariff, has met with a setback.The resumption dialogue has been put-off by the developments beyond the control of both sides. Here the blessing in disguise, is that Pakistan tacitly accepts that men who stormed the airbase were probably theirs. Secondly, the Indian response has been very cautious. Even the tone of the opposition was also very moderate .All over the world, every country's Govt has an army but in the case of Pakistan it seems more like, it is the army that owns the Govt. Therefore any parleys between India and Pakistan can be effective only if the signatures of armed forces are appended to any agreement. India may insist upon this and its allies across the world may hold this condition of India as just and the only guarantee for any Indo-Pak agreement to be honoured in word and deed.
   In this connection I have read one more article "to talk or not to talk.." by Rakesh Sood, the developments after Pathankot attack, suggest that policy of "Talk, wait, watch, talk" might work this time in dealing with Pakistan. Pakistan's response was positive, quick and has resulted in some arrests. Also the comments from Pakistan's greatest benefactors, US and China, about the attack are pro -India and persuasive. Going ahead with talks in this scenario will only help mobilise world opinion, in India's favour.
     If you analyse, Pakistan is now on tenterhooks after Pathankot but it is not so much due to India's expected response but because, Kerry of US, called Shariff to get to the bottom of the issue and Pakistan can not afford to play games with US unlike India, as it relies very heavily on US for financial and military assistance. But here again let us remember that the US has an unsavoury reputation of running with hare and hunting with the hounds and India would be making a mistake if it were to rely wholly on US for justice. In the end we may have to fight our own battles and having already given Pakistan a long rope, people feel that the time has come to plan for some serious action.
      While Modi has been very cautiously responding to the situation our Defence Minister said, "pain must be inflicted on those who hurt India." This caters to the emotions of millions of Indians disgusted by Pakistan's policy of exporting terrorism. But what did the Defence Minister really mean by the said statement? Is he pointing out at the Indian policy of promoting terrorism on Pakistan's soil? Every one knows that Pakistan is already making baseless allegations of Indian involvement in terrorist crimes inside Pak. Infact Pakistan is the victim of its own deeds but it wants to blame India.The Defence Minister's statement gives credence to it. A militarised state like Pakistan can only afford to foment cross border terrorism, but democratic India with free press, Independent Judiciary, with multi party political system can never follow Pakistan .
   The Defence Minister's hot pursuit policy recourse was often demanded by BJP leaders while in opposition but in Govt they realise it's complex intricacies. Hot pursuit means, what, India crossing the Pakistan border to bomb the terrorist infrastructure, only US can do this as Pakistan's military establishment is in its control, but how can India enjoy that privilege?
  At a time when Pakistan is increasingly isolated and exposed of its involvement in such acts of terror, any such hot pursuit would only illegitimise India's claims and actions in the eyes of International community .Complex questions like terrorism do not have quick fix solutions?

In India, where faiths and religious traditions take precedence over natural laws and politics prevails over reasoning. On last Tuesday, the Supreme Court put on hold Jallikattu, the controversial, Bull-running sport in Tamilnadu, following strong opposition from animal rights activists eight days after the Central Govt , lifted the ban on this practice. In fact the decision of the Supreme Court to stay the proceedings, should be welcomed as it is a very cruel game, in which the Bulls are tortured by the persons who try to tame them. They are either injured or even some times killed. I fail to understand as to why it is being considered as part of the festival. Should people celebrate, the torture of animals and victory of human beings over animals?
   The bench of justices Deepak Mishra and NV Ramana have raised one very apt question "what is the necessity of a festival like Jallikattu?""
  The fact of the matter is ,the centre has modified the 2011 notification, which prohibited the use of bulls in sports ( the Jallikattu) in Tami Nadu and (Bullock cart race) in Maharashtra. While it is a fact that the animal welfare board and it's own Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi have opposed it tooth and nail. But the Govt chose tradition over welfare.
    Should people allow the Bulls to suffer such  abominable cruelty in the name of tradition? Given the fact that bullfighting has been banned even in countries like Spain, where it was a traditional sport, the move to lift the ban in India certainly can not be justified. All news channels and print media, had openly come out saying that Centre gave clearance, for Jallikattu in poll bound Tamilnadu with an eye on wooing the voters. The strong and very decisive Jaya Lalita, by reviving this sport, has proved once again, that she is the Supreme leader and capable of getting whatever she wants and can make and unmake things to her advantage. As I know, she is the only CM, of non-BJP who has been able to receive such large number of favours from Centre, for the reasons best known to anybody's comprehension.
   As I have read, and whatever little I could understand from various sources, that this notification which was issued recently, is in direct violation of 2014 Supreme Court Judgement and also goes against the ban issued by the Ministry of Enviroment. What is even more distressing is, welcoming of the Centre's notification, by the regional parties of a very progressive state like Tamilnadu and muted response of all the national parties, while public is not gung ho about it. At one stage even JayaLalita recommended the Centre to issue an ordinance ,in order to circumvent the Supreme court's decision which shows that she can go to any extent, to achieve her objective.
      During the arguments on TV, I have seen the other side of the arguments also that if the domesticated Bulls can be used for agriculture and transport, why not for this sport? If we were to accept that using animals for sport amounts to cruelty, we need to apply the same logic to all the animals.The capture and use of Elephants in temple processions and tourism displays should also be banned.
  Only time will tell whether or not the Govt's attempt to reach out to the people in the state politically through such regressive steps without heeding to its own concerned Minister Menaka Gandhi or even for that matter its own Attorney General, would succeed.
Instead of waging battles, the animal activists, should better take it up as a social movement to educate the masses to put an end to this type of  medieval practices.

Pahankot attack

We all know that the Pathakot attack is a part of series of efforts to thwart peace building efforts between India and Pakitan.There seems to have been utter confusion in handling the terrorist attack..There are professionals in our defence establishment with rich experience and expertise They are expected to, in a situation like this, entrust the tasks with right agencies.If they have failed to do so,it only means that the information was not provided on time to the decision makers.This exposes serious lacunae in our preparedness to face emergencies like this, and moreover this shows that the concerned experts were not involved in making decisions.But here I appreciate,Mr Manohar Parikkar ,the defence Minister  for having admitted that there was a security failure., in Pathankot.Those who have followed the developments, must have noticed that , from the hijacking of official car of SP, to the inaction on follow up,on the incident to the death of 7 defence personnel, there has infact been a series of failures . As one notices, the defence establishment didn't have a clue about the presence of two terrorists, till they began striking .The role of the police, the defence establishment and NSG commodes who were deployed, calls for an evaluation .Infact we must stop living in dream world and be prepared for reality.Is it not terrible that despite several alerts and warnings about the possible terror attack , the authorities remain passive.? It was a matter of shame that there was gross mismanagement and ineffiency,in countering the terrorists.With no clear chain of Command,and control, the operation lost its prime element.Infact when the system is incapable of safeguarding the vital installations such as an Airforce base,or even a nuclear plant , how can we be reassured that we are safe?
   After seeing all this , it appears to me , that in real terms, fortunately , the terrorists  couldn't cause any damage to The Indian AirForce Aircraft ,and other vital installations .Nor could they harm any IAF personnel posted there.Seen from this point of view the terrorists failed to accomplish anything substantial  , other than creating suspense,Admitting security failure that has happened is one thing,and taking steps to prevent such incidents in future is quite another .therefore, security has to be tightened at all defence establishments,in the light of the Pathankot experience ,and for this to happen, there should be a clear idea of how the terrorists breached the security at Pathakot.,and then only all the loop- holes could be plugged.Upgradation of security should be the constant endeavour .
    Again here, I must be failing in my duty if I don't recapitulate, or for that matter I want to remind ,what the present dispensation , when it was in opposition , had told,, about the ThenPM.In 2013 May, Mr Modi while addressing in one of the meeting said"" our soldiers are being beheaded by the fugitive country while their PM is being hosted dinner with chicken Biryani , here  and we are being ruled by a weak PM" In the same year, Mrs Sushma Swaraj , it seems, tweeted like this"" Mr PrmeMinister ,please don't indulge in any sort of discussions over the dead bodies of our soldiers  ,please cancel discussions with NawazSharif""
   All this happened only two and half years ago,and I feel it is not too long a period, to remember and these statements would help us in understanding the people in right perspective .our Beloved PM, was only PrimeMinisterial candidate in the year 2013 ,and he used to say in all public meetings right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari , that people to reject the weak administration, under ManmohanSingh ,and elect a very strong administrator ,to teach a befitting lesson to Pakistan..As a part of protocol, when the visiting PM of Pakistan was hosted a dinner , even that was criticised by of Mr Modi.
    Surprisingly , now the whole cabinet is maintaining lot of restraint ,and without naming Pakistan, our PM said that this dastardly act was against the humanity.Therefore it would be better to see all the tweets of our PM between 2011-13, to understand how he had travelled these years,Some say, it is double standard  while some feel, that is the level of maturity .