The Saint with a Taint

The self styled God man cultivated a following very wide
His followers believed him to be the Almighty personified

Many powerful people considered him their spiritual guide
They sought his blessings for success and to turn the tide

Saints renounce pleasures and power to live a life dignified
But he seemed an exception as these rules fell by the wayside

He made his millions and built an empire of aashrams nationwide
His powerful position ensured his scandals did eventually subside

His response to charges of sexual assault was insensitive and snide
Calling the victim to be of unsound mind, to save his own backside

As he defied calls for his arrest and took the establishment for a ride
Politicians appealed for restraint as though he was the nation's pride

Constant media and public pressure made the politicians stay aside

And when finally arrested, he was brazen and defiant, but terrified

It is now up to the Courts to ensure he is quickly and efficiently tried
So that if guilty, he is promptly sent to jail and has nowhere to hide!

The Migraine of Migration...

The recent gruesome gang rape has again led people to think that one probable reason for such incidents is the frustration creeping in residents arising out of lack of decent employment or self-employment opportunities in Mumbai.

Mumbai has always been India’s perennial cash cow and people from all over try to make their little fortune here. But no one seems to realize that a cash cow can also have its limitations. The growth of new jobs and infrastructure cannot always keep pace with the growth in population. The city continues to burst at its seams with the never ending influx of migrants from various States. But curbing migration is a hot potato no political party wants to handle, fearing loss of vote banks nurtured over the years.

When anyone points out the problem of tackling the issue of migration, politicians across party lines and pseudo intellectuals are quick to quote Article 19 (e) of the Constitution of India, which confers on citizens the fundamental right to to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India. What they conveniently forget is that Article 19 (g) of the Constitution also confers on citizens the fundamental right to to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. Add to that Article 21A which grants the fundamental right to education and mandates the State Governments to provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years.

Is it not the fundamental duty of State Governments to provide infrastructure for education and opportunities for employment so that citizens are able to exercise all the above fundamental rights in their respective States? No one would want to stay away from his / her home and loved ones, if a choice is available. Relocating for a livelihood is a difficult decision to make, unless a State does not offer proper opportunities for education or to carry on any occupation, trade or business or profession and there is no hope in the near future too. Simply stated, people relocate only in search of greener pastures. Birds too migrate from one location to another in search of better food and nesting locations i.e. from locations with scarcity of resources to areas flourishing with resources. The same applies to human beings too, but while birds eventually return home, humans do not always do so.

While the common man from these under developed States always finds his way to bigger cities in search of a life and livelihood which he cannot expect in his village or home town, most local politicians and powerful people not only stay rooted in those States there but prosper too. How many politicians from under developed States can be classified in the lower or middle income group? They have amassed wealth at the cost of the populace they pretend to represent and who continue to live in poverty and misery.

Who will take the State Governments to task for doing precious little towards development in their own States and for ‘ruling’ rather than ‘governing’ the States? Who will pull them up for their inefficiency or negligence in matters of public interest? Experience of all these years suggests that one party’s government may get replaced by another but the inefficiency continues and so does the people’s suffering.

Guess we need a person at the helm who would ‘rule’ as well as ‘govern’ – both his party and minister colleagues as well as the citizens - with an iron hand and lead India towards its goal of being a ‘welfare state’ i.e. where the state plays a key role in protecting and promoting the citizens’ economic and social well-being. It will also create conditions for migratory birds to return to their respective homes and lead much better lives with dignity. In the coming years, if India manages to achieve even 10% of the attributes of a welfare state, that would be enough reason to rejoice!

The Envoy's Confession

For over 20 years, they denied presence of the most wanted fugitive on their soil

Despite clinching evidence, years of sustained diplomatic pressure and hard toil

But now as the recent border killings threaten to throw the peace talks off the boil

Their envoy made a desperate peace overture, disregarding all possible turmoil

He admitted the fugitive had been living in their country, but had been chased out

An unconvincing statement that raised a lot of questions and led to many a doubt

They thought an out of the blue confession would give the world community a jolt

But isn't it obvious that they raised the alarm long after allowing the horse to bolt?

The Mirage of Peace

Even as the Prime Ministers of the neighbours are all set to meet for bilateral talks
Their army continues mischief on the borders and keeps giving us periodic shocks

Their government says that the peace process should be put back on tracks
But allows their army to collaborate with terrorists to launch such attacks

In the bilateral relations, they say that mutual mistrust has widened the crack
And harp at every opportunity that normalcy in relations should be brought back

But history suggests that serious intent to deal with the real issues is what they lack
So after shaking hands and smiling for cameras, they always stab us in the back!

Oh My God! Aren’t You Omnipresent?

Bang in the middle of pilgrimage season at Kedarnath, heavy torrential rains led to floods and landslides, which have completely wiped out many villages. Media reports indicate 1,000 dead and even after the armed forces rescuing / evacuating close to 1,00,000 citizens, over 3,000 citizens are still feared missing or stranded. Add to that the loss of public and private property running into hundreds of crores.

Every year, crores of citizens go on pilgrimages to Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Tirupati, Vaishno Devi, Sabarimala, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Benares, Pandharpur and many other holy places. Some of the renowned temples and shrines e.g. Siddhivinayak Mandir (Mumbai), Sai Baba Temple (Shirdi), Golden Temple (Amritsar), Dargah Sharif (Ajmer) and congregations like the Kumbh Mela (held by rotation at Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain), Chaar Dhaam yatra (the four holy sites of Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath) also attract crores of pilgrims every year. Many temples and shrines have, over the years, acquired the reputation of fulfilling people’s wishes, which explains the number of devotees who visit these places.

Pilgrims fall in various categories...from those who have recently entered this world to those who have been here for many decades; from the devout who consider it their bounden duty to visit, pray and pay respects, to those seeking blessings for betterment of their lives or those whose wishes have been fulfilled; from the healthy and able bodied to those seeking divine intervention (for self or near and dear ones) to regain health; from those who wish to commence a new venture to those wanting to atone for the past. Many from the earlier generations believe that a visit to holy shrines helps to attain salvation. People have a multitude of reasons for a pilgrimage and many of them even go every year. To each his own!

Pilgrims often face trying conditions in the form of extreme climate, weather, long and difficult journeys, treacherous pathways, mountainous terrain, terrorist threats (like in Amarnath), health hazards, etc. It is only their faith and belief in the Almighty that gives them the strength and determination to overcome all hardships in pursuit of the divine darshan. The word ‘darshan’ means a ‘glimpse’ and many a time, that’s all they get, because there are thousands waiting in queue for their turn. At some places, devotees are even pushed and shoved if they linger on even for a few seconds more! Imagine such a long and arduous journey for a glimpse lasting only a few seconds! Yet the devout and the faithful continue to throng these temples and shrines undeterred. Faith moves mountains!

Any place where people assemble in such huge numbers is prone to disasters like stampede due to panic or poor crowd management, breakdown of man-made structures due to overload, etc. In fact, mishaps during pilgrimages are common occurrences, leading to death, serious injuries and loss of property. And when ‘Act of God’ disasters strike - like the one in Uttarakhand - it further compounds these tragedies with much serious and long term consequences of enormous proportions. There are heart rending stories of people whose homes have been washed away, of lost lives, people separated from their families and desperate attempts to find the missing. Imagine their horror and helplessness!

One begs to ask...what wrong had these people committed, to be subjected to such a horrific ordeal, including death in some cases? Nothing whatsoever! The pilgrims only wanted a darshan of their Lord, to offer prayers and seek blessings. When they left their homes, all they had in mind was the satisfaction and happiness they would derive from the visit to their Lord and the eternal hope that their prayers would be answered. They knew the hardships they would have to face, but the thought of reconsidering the journey would never have touched their minds. In the end, while some were fortunate enough to survive the disaster and return home safely, others were not so. Some lost their near and dear ones while some others were hoping against hope that their dear ones would be traced and rescued and return home unscathed. Hope floats!

People tend to look for God in shrines, temples and places of worship. Many deeply religious people spend a lot of time in prayers and worship and are regular visitors to various holy shrines. Most of them genuinely believe that is necessary to express gratefulness to the Lord for the blessings bestowed or wishes fulfilled. But does God reside only in shrines and places of worship? Does He wish people to please Him? Can God be pleased only by a personal visit and by the offerings? Here I quote a couplet by the renowned Urdu poet Nida Fazli - “Gharse masjid hain bahut door chalo yoon kar le, Kisi rote hue bachche ko hasaaya jaaye.” [The place of worship (mosque) is far away, so let us reach out to our Lord by bringing back a smile on a child’s face.] 

Expanding the logic, a timely help extended – however small - to someone in dire need or distress is likely to please God equally or even more than a pilgrimage, the offerings and the paeans. Such a distressed person is likely to believe that it is a God sent help in answer to his prayers. We learn from media reports of some outrageously high amounts or precious objects of considerable value donated by devotees to prominent (but far off located) shrines/ temples. Creditable gestures indeed, but the donors may never know for which particular noble cause it will be used and when will it be used. It possibly does not matter to them because they might quickly move on to some other noble deed. But wouldn't it be great if such people directly spent such amounts – or at least a part of it – for the betterment of the underprivileged, deprived and needy around them? We have heard of wealthy businessmen who have dedicated a part of their fortune (running into many crores of rupees) for philanthropy and are personally overseeing its deployment. Does this not mean worship in another more meaningful and effective form?

Now let us consider the contrary facet to this discussion. We all have a ‘pooja ghar’ in our houses with idols and images of Gods and Goddesses. There are also some nearby temples where we can go. Can we not offer prayers before them instead of traversing miles and negotiating unfriendly climate and terrain? The Gods and Goddesses residing in our ‘pooja ghar’ or in nearby temples and those residing in the temples / holy shrines are the same! Our prayers will definitely reach the Almighty as He is certainly not rigid to respond only to those who personally visit the holy shrines where He is known to reside. And at home or in the neighbourhood temple, you can converse with your Lord for as long as you wish; no one asks you to hurry up! Granted that the atmosphere of a holy, sacred and revered place is indescribable and one may feel much closer to his Lord, but what really matters are the feelings and sentiments of faith and devotion. So as long as you have the right feelings, should it really matter whether you pray at home or elsewhere? To quote Marathi poetess Vandana Vitankar, "Shodhisi maanava raauli mandiri, Nandato dev ha aapulya antari!" [Why does man look for God in temples and shrines? God resides right within you!] 

So simply close your eyes and pray. God is omnipresent; He is ubiquitous!

_____________

Note: Religion and faith are sensitive subjects. This piece only puts forth some practical aspects and is not intended to hurt religious sentiments.

Remakes or Rehashes?

Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag (Sholay), Umrao Jaan, Karzzz (Karz), Nayee Padosan (Padosan), Victoria no.203, Bol Bachchan (Golmaal), Himmatwala and now Chashm-e-Buddoor... Aren't these enough reasons to permanently ban remakes of classics and cult films? As if these weren't enough, remakes of Zanjeer, Satte Pe Satta, Chupke Chupke, Angoor, Amar Akbar Anthony and many more all time favourites are also understood to be on the way. This begs an important question: "Should classic and cult films be remade?"

Should classics be remade?

I strongly feel that classics and cult films are not meant to be remade. They are supposed to be watched and admired, again and again. Such films are etched deep in public memory and remakes have a huge responsibility to live up to expectations of high quality standards in all departments of film making. While it is extremely difficult to surpass or even emulate any celebrated work of art, it is ridiculously easy to go wrong and end up with a below par product!

Of late, most of the remakes have been substantially below par products and were rightly flogged by film critics and movie goers alike. The commercially successful remakes in recent times viz. Don, Bol Bachchan and Agneepath were not even a patch on the originals in terms of sheer quality and entertainment value. In fact, ‘Bol Bachchan’ was so bad, it was an insult to Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Golmaal (1979)! It is difficult to compare Bimal Roy’s 1955 classic 'Devdas' with the 2002 remake, being made almost 50 years later...in a completely different era.

Why remakes? 

It is a no-brainer why remakes of classics and cult films are attempted. Film making is big business with plenty of crores at stake. Ideally, the producer would want a winning formula for his ‘investment’ in a business more risky than most, where no one can predict the box office outcome of a film. A proven, time tested and successful story and screenplay are therefore seen as half the battle won! Many a time, a producer thinks of this as a passport to surefire success, not realising that there cannot be a winning formula in works of art. The real reasons such as dearth of potentially good and different storylines, the producer’s inability or unwillingness to risk commercial failure with a new and untested story are usually substituted for more acceptable ones like "it is our passion to offer a tribute to original" or "this story needs to be retold to the present generation or in today's context" etc.

With corporate houses entering film making business, each film is  a ‘project’ which is planned and executed in a manner to ensure commercial success. While that has brought in a great deal of discipline and professional approach in film making, the aspects of project planning, financial control, risk management and profitability have become as important as the creative aspects.  

Why remakes do not match up? 

Cult films have always had a good story, well defined characters, intelligent screenplay with beautifully interwoven situations, good music and crisp dialogues. Remakes often go wrong in the planning or pre-production stage when any of the above elements from the classic are tinkered with to make the film more contemporary, fast paced or more in tune with the masses. Quite often, the choice of actors, quality of music and most importantly, the film’s treatment by the director and his sensibilities decide how far the remake would match up to the original. If only the storyline of a classic film is adopted without embracing its essence or spirit, the result is most likely to be a listless product simply hoping to survive on the legacy of the original and to draw crowds solely on curiosity and pre-release marketing hype.

The directors of classic films, who along with the story writer, screenplay & dialogues writer, music director, actors and other crew members had put in their skills and hard toil which led to a masterpiece, may feel justifiably enraged to see the remake years later! It is most likely to cause them a great deal of pain and grief to see their work of art mercilessly twisted and contorted in the name of creative or cinematic liberty, commercial considerations or to make the film more contemporary so that the present generation can relate to it. 

Salim Khan of the legendary writer duo ‘Salim-Javed’ has an entirely different take on this. He feels that a remake is a win-win situation for writers and says, "If it (the remake) works, it proves your story is still relevant. If it doesn't, people will say 'yaar woh original kitni achchi thi!'."  

Conclusion 

Most remakes have the advantage of hindsight to address any possible areas of improvement in the original and more importantly, of a huge budget which may not have been available for making the original. But after having endured so many remakes, why is it that years later, the original is always fondly remembered by the critics and the masses? Is there any remake which has tasted more success or found more adulation than the original? 

It only confirms that a successful story & screenplay, a huge budget, a marquee director and a never before star cast doesn't always guarantee a good, entertaining remake, just as simply having all ingredients, spices, recipes and modern cooking implements doesn't ensure a lip-smacking delicacy and transform a bumbling cook into a Master Chef!

Multiplication Of The Divided Empire

Eight years ago the brothers divided their father’s billion dollar empire and parted ways
Over some ownership issues in the private domain that had been brewing for many days

Division of the empire between the brothers was carefully supervised by their mother
Who ensured the brothers did not enter into business in competition with each other

Shareholders of both sides feared if dividends, bonuses and appreciation had gone for a toss

But the brothers quickly assured the worried shareholders that there would be no value loss

“We will multiply the divided empire in quick time” seemed to be the pledge taken by both
And they plunged headlong to find out ways and means of achieving exponential growth

In the years to come, their businesses prospered and new ones were also started
The brothers' personal wealth multiplied manifold since the time they had parted

Later, they encountered differences over honouring a commitment as per their settlement
Which developed into an all out legal and media war with no sign of reaching an agreement

After spending millions of shareholder funds on their fight, they thought the time was ripe
To end all personal and corporate disputes in ‘public interest’ and smoke the peace pipe

Market pundits wondered if the peace would last long and the unhappy memories would efface
Or whether the brothers had only buried the proverbial hatchet but carefully marked the place

But now as the brothers surprised all by striking a 12 billion dollar deal to roll out services of 4G
Pundits and competitors ask “Didn't I tell you?” but are forced to concede “What an idea Sirjee!”

Telepathy

Telepathy is known as the communication of thoughts between one person (sender or agent) and another (one or more, known as receiver or recipient), without the use of speech, any sensory channel or body language. 

While scientists the world over do not consider telepathy to be a real phenomenon, pedestrians in India seem to strongly differ and feel telepathy definitely exists between them and ALL the motorists and the thoughts in their minds like:

1. The exact moment when he/she, standing on the road divider, will start to cross the road despite the fast moving traffic;

2. The exact spot on the road from which he/ she may unexpectedly and suddenly decide to turn back mid-way while crossing;

3. Whether he/ she will panic on seeing the speeding vehicles and if yes, the exact spot on the road on which he / she may stand transfixed or the direction(s) in which he / she is likely to run helter skelter;

4. Whether a pedestrian who has started to run from the sidewalk on the right side will halt on the divider or continue to run across the road;

5. The exact speeds at which he/ she will walk or run during the course of crossing the road in all the above scenarios;

6. The critical problem or thought process which may be temporarily distracting his / her focus from crossing the road; and

7. Many other thoughts, related and unrelated to the crossing of the road...

- always get communicated to ALL motorists on the road in real time and exactly as they arise in their minds, to enable the motorists to carefully control their respective vehicles accordingly for the pedestrians' (and if possible, their own) safety.

Enough is Enough!

The unprovoked killings of Indian soldiers in a manner most barbaric

Was followed by an expected denial from Pakistan; cold and categoric 

Our patience has been tested by such covert attacks at intervals periodic

Which confirms our belief that peace talks with them is a folly very basic

The Indian Government has resorted to its usual and guarded rhetoric

Thanks to its misplaced trust in diplomacy; a problem extremely chronic

The Government should talk tough and be ready to take measures drastic

And shed its image in the world of being soft and averse to go ballistic

It should cut all ties with Pakistan; cultural, trade, sporting and diplomatic

And isolate them in the world community by this never-before-tried trick

Enough of restraint exercised with the carrot; it is now time to use the stick

So stun them with bold surgical strikes and send a message very emphatic!

High Time for Some 'Nirbhaya' Steps!

Justice Arijit Pasayat, retired Supreme Court judge, had in the case of State of Karnataka v. Raju (2007) observed that “While a murderer destroys the physical frame of the victim, a rapist degrades and defiles the soul of a helpless female.” How true! Although the victim lives, her life is destroyed and she may be unable to lead a normal life due to the physical injuries, mental trauma and social stigma.

Unfortunately the 23 year old New Delhi girl succumbed to brutal injuries a few days ago after battling for her life for over 12 days. The media had showered adjectives like ‘fighter’, ‘spirited’, ‘brave’, ‘courageous’, etc. on her and christened her ‘Nirbhaya’ (i.e. fearless) to keep her identity a secret, but she went down fighting, completely unaware of all this. The praise did precious little to offer any solace or help to her or her grieving family. Plain and simple, she is a victim of a gruesome crime and died for no reason whatsoever.

LEGAL PROVISIONS AND SYSTEM:

As per the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), maximum punishment for rape is seven years (ten years for gang rape). But the level of conviction is very low and the cases drag for a long time during which the victim and her family are slowly but surely driven to frustration and they lose interest to fight the case as it constantly reminds them of something they are trying hard to forget. In many cases rape is either not reported at all or not reported in time and hence, no medical evidence is available to establish the rape and the culprits get away scot free or with lighter punishment. The cross examination by lawyers keeps opening the mental scars and at times, makes the girl and her family think whether they made a mistake in reporting the rape? So historical facts and experience suggest the punishment has ceased to be a deterrent for such a serious crime.

In 2006, the Supreme Court had directed that the definition of ‘rape’ under the IPC be widened by including other offences against women e.g. eve teasing, molestation, physical, sexual or mental harassment, etc. and make the punishment more strict. Despite this, for over six years the ambit of the term ‘rape’ was never reviewed to include other comparatively less serious – but more rampant – offences against women, even in the light of changes in social behaviour over the last few decades. Finally, on December 23, 2012 the Government constituted a Committee headed by Justice J. S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India, to review and examine the laws to protect the safety and dignity of women. Yet another instance of the Government doing too little, too late.

SOCIAL SYSTEM:

Shockingly, in India the social stigma associated with being raped is so deeply entrenched that many instances of rapes are never reported. This stigma manifests itself in many forms like complete neglect / boycott of the victim and her family by neighbours/ relatives and even blaming the victim for the incident. There are instances of the victim’s family disowning her due to social pressure or because they too held her responsible for the rape!

Of late, there are many regressive views expressed suggesting that the victims are also partly responsible for it. Sample this... “Such dresses are a provocation to men and an invitation to trouble.” OR “She shouldn’t be staying out late alone / with friends.” Utter rubbish! Why are all questions asked to the females and none to the males? It is shocking that some of these statements were recently made by senior IPS officers, when asked how crimes against women can be curbed! No female deserves or asks to be raped or sexually assaulted. Rape or sexual assault is a pre-meditated act of abuse of power and can have no excuse whatsoever and doesn’t deserve any mercy. If a good looking man walks on the street wearing only half the clothes he usually wears, what is the probability that a woman or a group of women would take him to a remote location and rape him?

WHY?: PSYCHOLOGY OF A RAPIST:

One wonders what goes on in a man’s mind that makes him commit such a ghastly crime, because no man of sound mind would ever think of that. Does he not know that his pleasure is against the woman’s will, at the cost of her dignity, is short lived and that if caught, he faces a trial and punishment? Is there no fear of the law or he thinks he won’t be caught? Doesn’t he realise his life and career can be finished? Is there absolutely no element of guilt? Is there no fear of the disgrace his family will face when it all surfaces?

So it follows that there is something seriously wrong in the rapist’s mind – either deep rooted or momentary – for him to ignore all possible consequences of his actions. Either he has a disturbed mindset or he is under influence of alcohol, drugs or even unbridled power. Another mindset is of dominance or misplaced aggression which manifests in the use of brute force, violence, coercion or deceit over another person to get what he wants. Some unhappy past history involving wife, girl friend, mother or a close female relative may also lead to a man to resort to rape as an outlet for his anger, with or without provocation. Whatever the reason, unless a man is a certified lunatic, he possesses the ability to differentiate between the right and the wrong and by committing a rape or sexual assault, he willingly makes the choice of the wrong and does not deserve any mercy.

PUBLIC SENTIMENTS AND OUTCRY:

Over the last fortnight, the nation witnessed unprecedented outrage and protests following the gruesome gang rape. Many news channels had women’s rights activists, intellectuals, former cops, eminent citizens and of course, politicians debating on causes of such crimes and measures to curb them. While the politicians indulged in the usual mudslinging on opponents, rhetoric and promises, the other participants were forthright and vocal in expressing their views. There are loud and clear calls for amendment to laws to cover other crimes against women, quicker trials, fair processes, stringent punishment, etc.

The public is equally critical of the Government for waking up only after the massive public outrage following the New Delhi gang rape. People seem to ask why does the Government always drag its feet on critical social issues and act only after the damage is done? Where do the Government’s priorities lie? Why can’t it show the same speed in amendment of laws relating to crimes against women like what they showed in matters of increasing salaries of MPs, FDI in retail, insurance, etc? Is it only a women's problem? Are male MPs not man enough to pass such laws?

WAY FORWARD:

Experts and intellectuals feel that while laws must be amended, social reforms and transformation is the only long lasting solution for the malaise of crimes against women. True, but being a perfect solution, it will take a long time and more lives could be lost or destroyed while in its pursuit. So the need of the hour is two-fold (i) to instill a fear of breaking the law in people’s minds by convincing them that the punishment will be INEVITABLE and SEVERE; and (ii) offering comfort and solace to victims and their families by making the legal process more humane. Some suggestions: 

(i)      Make such serious offences non-bailable, whether during the investigation stage, during the trial or in the course of an appeal by the accused challenging a lower court’s order.

(ii)     Rather than making the victim visit the police station to lodge an FIR, a female police officer should record her statement at her house in the presence of her parents and a female social worker. Don’t we call a doctor for a home visit when the patient is unable to visit the clinic?

(iii)    Have day-to-day hearings in fast track courts, complete the trials within 60 days and hold judges responsible for failure to ensure that. The hearings should be held ‘in-camera’ i.e. no one but the victim and her family, the accused, lawyers, witnesses, judge and court staff should be present.

(iv)     Judges should rein in lawyers who ask uncomfortable questions to the victim. It should be enough to prove whether the crime was committed by the accused or not, minute details should be redundant.

(v)      The punishment should be made certain and severe. The law should provide for castration of the rapist and his accomplices without any exception, in addition to rigorous imprisonment. We can adopt the sophisticated option of ‘chemical castration’ which is equally effective. Capital punishment should be imposed in case of death of the victim. For once, human rights activists can be completely ignored.

(vi)     If the victim is alive, the castrated rapist should live to tell his sorry tale. The ‘name and shame’ approach suggested by some will ensure that people known to the rapist and his family will know about the crime committed by him, the punishment meted out and his consequent lifelong ‘inabilities’.

CONCLUSION:

Any point is best conveyed with the help of an example. So the best way of driving home the point is to ensure a quick trial and a quicker punishment in the case of Nirbhaya and clearance of backlog of other long pending cases. The task is daunting, but so is the menace of crime against women. Desperate situations need desperate measures to be taken without fear or favour. If the Government manages to accomplish this within a couple of months, there cannot be a better gift on Women's Day on March 8, 2013.