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| Madhu Purnima Kishwar’s Blog |
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| “I have a horror of all isms, especially those that attach themselves to proper names”. |
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| Posted on: January 07, 2010 |
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Need to Put Our Own House in Order
Cleaning up the Air We Breathe Ought not to Depend on First World Charity |
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| While it makes sense to corner First World countries into investing in eco friendly technologies to control carbon emissions, as was attempted at Copenhagen, the stand of the Indian Government that India cannot afford to enforce better environmental norms because as a country with a huge backlog of poverty, its first priority is “development” implies that India is obliged to commit all the mistakes that the West committed in its pursuit of economic growth. While for the First World countries the harmful impact of carbon emissions and consequent global warming may represent a future threat for us in In... |
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| First Published in : The Indian Express January 02, 2010 |
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| Posted on: December 28, 2009 |
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Need for a Power Sharing Pact
Hindu Muslim Relations in Post Independence India |
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| The Hindu-Muslim conflict is not a religious or theological conflict between two contrary religions, as is often assumed but a conflict between two differing and opposing versions of nationalism.
However, in the late nineteenth century, the educated elite among the Hindus created a new secular deity —Bharat Mata—as an all-India unifier of Hindus. Unlike goddesses such as Kali, Bharat Mata is herself a benign and a nurturing mother. She is not a fear-evoking deity nor does she turn vindictive when annoyed and is, therefore, never presented in the Kali-Chandi roop. But some of her worshipping sons do n... |
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| Posted on: December 15, 2009 |
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Yes to Decriminalization, No to Legalization
Sex Trade Demeans Men more than Women. |
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| While dealing with a PIL filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan about large scale child trafficking in the country, a bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice AK Pattnaik are reported to have advised the Solicitor General, “When you say it is the world’s oldest profession and when you are not able to curb it by laws. Why don’t you legalize it.?”
It is noteworthy that the judges were not dealing with those women who take to this profession as a choice but children who are abducted, trapped, bought and sold by criminal mafias to be inducted into the flesh trade. I am left wondering ... |
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| First Published in : The Indian Express December 15, 2009 |
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| Posted on: December 18, 2009 |
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Readers' Responses
Yes to Decriminalization, No to Legalization |
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| I am really honoured by the seriousness with which Manushi friends have responded to the debate on legalization of prostitution. You have raised important issues for which I do not have readymade answers. I too am grappling with this issue and therefore welcome your critiques and inputs. My main concern is that the ground realities in each society be taken into account while we propose solutions. What works in Sweden may not be practical in India. I hope this debate will enable us to work towards a more rational, humane and practical approach and legislation on this issue. Madhu Kishwar
Kamal Jaswal
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| Posted on: October 02, 2009 |
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How Not to Remember Bapu
Some Thoughts on Gandhi Jayanti |
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| There could be no greater insult to Mahatma Gandhi’s memory than the fact that the Government of India enforces a compulsory national holiday on 2nd October, his birthday. Among other valuable lessons, Bapu taught us that it is our dharmic duty to disobey bad laws. Therefore, every single year since Manushi was founded in 1978, we have kept the Manushi office open and functioning on Gandhi’s birthday, October 2, as a tribute to the memory of Bapu – the greatest karmayogi of our epoch. I even keep my own office at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies open and working on Gandhi Jayanti... |
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