GAURI LANKESH writes from Bangalore: Recently, three young men were arrested in Hubli and Honnali on charges of vehicle theft. Since all of them happened to belong to the Muslim community, within a day of their arrests, police sources leaked to the media that they suspected the trio might be involved in planning terrorist attacks all over the country.
This was enough to trigger a series of speculative stories in the State’s media. Every publication and television channel, without exception, went into a competitive frenzy, all of them clamouring for a first shot at the most ‘horrifying’ story about the ‘terrorist trio’.
Almost every reporter with imaginative talent wrote reams of articles quoting unnamed ‘reliable police sources’ or ‘police sources who did not want to be named’ and narrated how the three young men were planning to blow to smithereens most of Karnataka’s key buildings, such as the Vidhana Soudha, place bombs on (predictably) the premises of IT giants Infosys and IBM, detonate bombs in public places, destroy Hindu places of worship and so on.
What was remarkable about these reports was their contention that the three young men had links right up to Osama bin Laden and down to the local ‘sleeper cells’ of various outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The men were also suspected of conducting arms training in nearby forests, of flying the Pakistani flag, of possessing RDX, of having already distributed arms and weapons to various ‘sleeper cells’ across the state, of recruiting hundreds of youth to terrorist organisations, of possessing AK-47s, of having procured Israeli manufactured arms, etc, etc, etc.
But how much of the content of these reports, well laced with the terms ‘suspected’ and ‘alleged’, had unsubstantiated and un-sourced ‘facts’ attributed to ‘reliable sources’?
As citizens and discerning readers, can we merely accept in good faith that these reports were genuine?
How much of the information carried (leaked) in these reports was a product of the imaginative powers of local reporters? How much was fed by our increasingly inefficient police force? How much was ‘spiced’ up by senior journalists who are forever looking to increase their TRP ratings or circulation figures?
Having already said that all these reports on the ‘terrorist trio’, without exception, were sourced to ‘police officials who did not want to be named’, let us look at one such report to assess how genuine the overall media reports were.
The Mangalore edition of the Kannada daily Udayavani, which adopts a marked pro-Hindutva stance, carried a front-page report that read: “last December Riazuddin Ghouse, Mohammed Asif, Mohammad Abubakkar and Hafeez held a secret meeting where they condemned America’s treatment of people imprisoned at Cuba’s Montessori (!) jail. A copy of the resolutions taken at the meeting has been seized by investigating officers.”
Udayavani is a leading Kannada daily with several senior journalists on its rolls. What is surprising is that not one of them could tell the difference between the word Montessori, used to describe a system of education, and Guantánamo Bay, the name of the prison run by the American government in Cuba. Apparently, in the race for ‘exclusive’ reports, none of them could be bothered with such minor factual details.
Even if one were willing to overlook this rather glaring slip-up by the reporter who filed the story and the senior journalists who okayed it, giving it prime space on the front page, other important questions remain. For example, since when has condemning American atrocities at Guantánamo Bay become a crime? Does this assumption by the police mean that anyone who condemns the unjust imprisonment of people at Guantánamo Bay is a terror suspect?
Are such questions of no importance to the local media?
Apparently not, for instead of raising these valid and significant issues, they carried on blissfully with their ‘exclusive reportage’ based entirely on police sources.
One report, which appeared in The Hindu, can be summed up thus: The fact that one of the arrested youth claimed before the magistrate that his human rights had been violated by the police made the magistrate suspect that he was no ordinary youth. (Does this mean that knowledge of the Constitution, fundamental rights and human rights are not for ordinary Indian men and women?) On the basis of this assumption, the magistrate instructed the police to subject him to a thorough interrogation. And that was when the terrorist links were revealed.
Another report, this one in The Times of India, stated: A warden at the jail became suspicious of Riazuddin Ghouse and Mohammad Abubakkar’s behaviour in the prison where they were jailed on charges of vehicle theft. The duo spoke to each other in low voices, did namaaz five times a day, spoke to one another in English and did not seem to show respect for the national flag when it was hoisted in the morning.
The jail warden conveyed his suspicions to senior police officials and they subjected the duo to interrogation. That was when the youth spilled the beans about their terrorist plans. Had the warden not been such a keen observer of their behaviour the men could well have been let off by the police.
These reports raise a few fundamental questions. Since when has it become a crime to speak of human rights violations? Or speak in a low voice? Or communicate in English? Since when has offering namaaz five times a day become a suspect activity?
As if this were not enough, most or all of the media reported that “religious books and material” were found in the trio’s possession. The media also ‘arrested’ a number of students in its reports even when the police had not in fact done so! Reporters also labelled as “having terrorist links” people who were total strangers to the arrested trio. The list is endless. The end result of all this ‘hyperactivity’ in the media was that the three arrested men were depicted as the most dreaded terrorists this part of the world has seen in recent times.
This reportage took place even as a senior police officer, additional director-general of police Shankar Bidri, told a television channel:
“So far no proof has been unearthed to label these youths as terrorists. The media is indulging in blatant fabrication of news. What if their case too turns out to be another Dr Mohammed Haneef case? (Haneef, who worked in Australia, was mistakenly arrested by the Australian police after being wrongly accused of links to a failed UK terror plot.) Let us not turn into terrorists those who are innocent.”
Sadly, his words of caution fell on deaf ears as the media made merry about Muslim terrorists.
Surely the police need to interrogate the arrested youth and the courts have to pass their judgements before such serious conclusions are drawn? This is why such institutions exist, why the machinery exists in our democracy. It is their job to catch and punish the guilty. But the media seemed to have no time for such ‘niceties’ of democracy or its institutions. It chose to sidestep the process of law altogether and took it upon itself to ‘investigate’ the so-called crime and then pronounced ‘judgement’.
***
With the media in the grip of this ‘terrorist’ mania, can the saffron brigade be far behind? This time their chosen targets were noted litterateur U.R. Anantha Murthy, and the chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission, C.S. Dwarakanath.
When Anantha Murthy wrote his path-breaking novel, Samskara, more than 40 years ago, there were some who considered it ‘anti-Brahmin’ and sought a ban on it. But since most intellectuals dismissed the allegations, no action was taken against it at the time. In the years since, the novel has not only been made into an award winning Kannada film (the first Kannada film, in fact, to win a national award) but has also been translated into several languages across the globe.
Samskara was also listed as a prescribed textbook at many universities in India and abroad. This includes the Mangalore University, which chose the novel’s Hindi version as part of its syllabus for second year degree students and where Samskara is currently being taught in its colleges.
It must be mentioned here that last year the sangh parivar actively promoted a novel called Aavarana, written by Kannada novelist S.L. Bhyrappa. There have been claims that nearly 20,000 copies of the book were sold, a record breaking figure in the history of Kannada publishing for a work of fiction. (The claims, however, have not been verified.)
For long an ardent supporter of the sangh parivar’s Hindutva agenda, in Aavarana, Bhyrappa conveniently interweaves half-truths with blatant falsehoods and presents this as a work of fiction. Given his claims that the book was based on evidence proved by historical researchers (all of whom belong to the sangh parivar caucus), upon reading the book the lay reader could quite easily form a biased opinion of the Muslim community.
The book portrays the Muslim community as bigoted and out to out-populate the Hindus. It appears to hold the Muslim community responsible for all the sins that Muslim rulers may have perpetrated on Hindus in times past and identifies them as the cause of all the problems the country faces today. In the process, the book aims to whip up Hindu sentiments against the Muslim populace in the country.
Apart from the Muslim community in general and Muslim clerics, writers, filmmakers, etc in particular, the book also targets leftists, secularists and historians who do not agree with the saffron brigade’s version of events past; they are dubbed anti-Hindu. When the book was released, supporters of the sangh parivar hailed it as a great work of fiction while progressive forces denounced it as sheer pamphleteering on behalf of Hindutva forces under the guise of literature.
As this debate raged, Anantha Murthy publicly derided Bhyrappa, calling him a “college-level debater” which, in fact, is exactly what he is. This roused the ire of the rightist forces so much that the leading Kannada daily, Vijaya Karnataka, actually launched an SMS campaign against Anantha Murthy. Vijaya Karnataka (now owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd of The Times of India group) is another sangh parivar mouthpiece that calls itself a newspaper. It came as no great surprise therefore when the paper carried two pages filled with anti-Anantha Murthy opinions sent in by its saffron brigade readers.
Protesting this vociferous attack on Anantha Murthy, some of us got together and published a selection of essays critiquing Aavarana, a selection that was fairly well received.
The reason why Aavarana has been dealt with in such detail here is its growing presence on the Hindutva map. So far 15 novels by Bhyrappa have already been translated from the Kannada into other Indian languages and today work is afoot to bring out Aavarana in Hindi and other languages. Considering the amount of unadulterated venom it spews at a segment of our population, it is necessary that intellectuals and progressives in other states counter the half-truths and blatant lies contained in the book to prevent further damage to the fabric of our society.
Since Anantha Murthy is opposed to the Hindutva agenda and has spoken out against it vociferously in the recent past, and since he attacked the sangh parivar’s favourite writer, Bhyrappa, the parivar were looking for a way to get back at him. To do this they chose to falsely claim that some portions of Anantha Murthy’s most famous novel, Samskara, were ‘vulgar‘. Aware that it would be difficult, in the current context, to label the work ‘anti-Brahmin’, they made the specious claim that the ‘vulgar’ portions in the book made it difficult for teachers to teach it to ‘children’!
The sangh parivar even managed to get some lecturers who were sympathetic to its agenda to sign a memorandum claiming as much and submitted this to the University authorities with a plea that the book be withdrawn as a textbook.
The saffron brigade’s attempt to target Anantha Murthy using Samskara as a pretext came under scathing attack from intellectuals and progressives in the State. For the moment, any move to withdraw the novel from University syllabi has been put in abeyance. But in reality the sangh parivar has merely set the wheels in motion. For, in coming years, universities will no doubt be wary of recommending the works of any progressive writer as a prescribed textbook. And from that point onwards a conscious attempt will be made to avoid introducing any writer who is critical of the sangh parivar to the next generation of students.
***
Meanwhile, as one section of the sangh parivar was busy trying to tarnish Anantha Murthy’s image, another found it necessary to attack C.S. Dwarakanath, chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission.
Earlier this month Dwarakanath and other members of the commission visited Coorg in order to inspect existing facilities for the backward classes there. Some commission members visited the ‘religious site’ of Talacauvery—the source of the Cauvery river. According to reports, the priest at Talacauvery asked them to bring Dwarakanath along so he could also receive the ‘holy water’.
In response, one of them told the priest, “He (Dwarakanath) is an atheist who does not believe in such things. He thinks the entire Cauvery river is holy.”
While Dwarakanath himself was blissfully unaware of the incident, word soon spread to local sangh parivar activists. The next morning, when Dwarakanath was alone with just two police constables on guard duty, more than a hundred ‘saffronites’, high on local hooch, laid siege to his room. Led by a former BJP MLA from the area, the drunken crowd surrounded Dwarakanath and demanded why he was “insulting the Cauvery river, insulting Hindu sentiments, and being anti-Karnataka”.
Notwithstanding several attempts to reason with them when Dwarakanath tried repeatedly to explain that he considered all of nature holy, the mob remained unconvinced. Apart from pushing and shoving him around, they forced him to drink the ‘Cauvery water’ they had brought with them in an empty Coca-Cola (!) bottle and forcibly applied tilak on his forehead.
Ever conscious of the big picture, the sangh activists took a cameraman and a reporter from a local TV channel along on their drunken crusade.
Having forced a defenceless Dwarakanath to meekly receive the ‘holy water’ and suffer their tilak application, the saffronites made sure that the entire incident was then telecast across the State. As if that were not enough, they also issued a press note to all publications, falsely claiming that “Dwarakanath had apologised to them for having insulted Hindu sentiments and the Cauvery”.
***
These three instances only emphasise the obvious. It is abundantly clear that much of the media in Karnataka today has been saffronised, that Karnataka’s Universities are now being made to bow to the sangh parivar’s unreasonable demands and that the Hindutva brigade, despite its claims that all Hindus are one, will brazenly attack even the head of the Backward Classes Commission in the name of Hindu sentiments.
These developments could perhaps be expected, thought ‘natural’, in a State ruled by the BJP. But as of now Karnataka is under President’s rule. Yet, it is the saffron brigade’s aggressive agenda that dominates the political and public discourse. This pointed shift in Karnataka’s polity is the legacy of a BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition that was in power for all of 20 months.
During this short span of time, a systemic infiltration of the system inflicted grievous damage. Today Hindu progressives are labelled ‘Naxalites’ even as Muslim progressives are targeted as ‘Islamic terrorists’. The same holds true for many pro-people, pro-secularism organisations as well.
It is no wonder then that the police gleefully entertain complaints by saffronites falsely alleging that secularists like Prof Nagari Babaiah of the People’s Democratic Forum ‘insult Hindu gods’ in their public speeches, that Kalkuli Vittal Hegde, leader of the Adivasis living in the Kudremukh forests, has insulted Dalits, that Hegde’s wife is indulging in prostitution, that volunteers working for the rights of the Adivasi people are abetting Naxalites in the area and so on.
Not long ago, the local administration and police rounded up local Muslims, at random, on the basis of specious complaints filed by sangh parivar activists. The same police force turns a blind eye when sangh parivar activists assault Muslims on charges of transporting cattle to slaughterhouses. The same police force coolly releases RSS activists accused of setting a bus on fire and causing the death of two people over the Ram Sethu issue without even a thorough investigation. The list goes on.
Thanks to the police and the administration’s active encouragement of such violent and unlawful behaviour, activists of the sangh parivar enjoy complete immunity and it is they who systematically file innumerable complaints against Muslims and progressive Hindus.
Recently, Pramod Mutalik, leader of the Sri Rama Sena, had the gumption to say, “We have given a list of suspect Muslims to the police at Hubli. It is unfortunate that they have arrested only one person. If the police do not immediately arrest the rest of the people on our list, we will take up widespread protests.”
The sangh parivar has always considered Karnataka its gateway to the south. The last time they were in power, the gates were only partially opened to them but a foothold was all they needed. It was more than enough for them to sow their seeds of hatred. Those seeds have sprouted now and with the elections only a few months away, the BJP will no doubt be reaping a rich harvest.
With the Janata Dal(S) having committed political hara-kiri by supporting the BJP, and the Congress party’s perennial indecision on if and how to counter the sangh parivar, Karnataka, it seems, is unfortunately and irreversibly hurtling towards its new position as the Gujarat of the South.
Rubbish!!!! Just because URA wrote against brahmins, it became a path breaking novel, while SLB wrote against Muslim bhai’s, its hindu propaganda..
Can she dare to go in front of SLB and say any of the facts mentioned are wrong in Avarana ?
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You are probably on the hit list too, they are just waiting for an excuse. As it is, BJP behaves like it has already won the elections.
But don’t ever stop. Keep writing.
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Thank you Ms.Gauri Lankesh, Spoksperson of AL-Qaeda,SIMI,ISI And many other terrorist oops muslim organisations….
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After reading the entire article, I can only sum it up in one word…Stupid.
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Gowrakka….
Namaz five times okay… not respecting national anthem yaake??
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It’s sad to see how both sides (secular progressives and religious right) are showing the same level of bigotry. It’s quite clear from this post by Lankesh.
See, how she conviniently ignores all the Islamic-terrorists, Godhra like incidents and countless bombings that provokes all these ‘religious right’ folks. Instead, she goes on attacking any news paper/organization/political parties, who don’t agree with her far-left views! And, her reference to ‘Gujarath’ (not ‘Godhra’ or ‘Kashmir’) pertty much sums up her views on the issue!
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I am sure all the shrill voices supporting religious fundamentalism will start spouting venom against what they call’ pseudo-secularism’- well all I can ask is whether what the Chaddi gang is representataive of anything good in Kannada culture ?
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Is Gauri Lankesh related to Lankesh of Lankesh Patrike fame. If it is, then Gauri Lankesh has destroyed her fathers legacy with articles like these. Che.
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Some self claimed Intellectual today thinks even those supporting terrorism are innocents, and tomorrow will say that jehadis are right because they are oppressed. Just look at the human history from past 1500 years, you will know who is oppressed and who is oppressor.
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so now we have to read what a third rate human being who has least concern for the citizens has to say.after all is the author not a stooge of the naxalities and other fundamental elements in society.Here the police inadertantly busted the network of terrorists which has been proved by the narco tests and this so called activist brings in irrelavant issues to the fore.It is hime time these people are sent across the border ie either pakistan or bangaldesh. Only then will they realise what is the value of human life and dignity.Until then the foriegn funds wil do the talk.
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ಬೇರೆಯವರ ವರದಿಯನ್ನು ನಂಬಬೇಡಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುವ ಈ ಗೌರಿ ಲಂಕೇಶ್ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ಮಾತ್ರ ಸರಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಗೆ ನಂಬುವುದು??? Gouri Madam, how can we believe ur report? what proof do you have that all the media are wrong and terrorists suspected people are innoncent? U may also be a proclaimed intellectual of karnataka by your pseudosecularist brigade .
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Bhyrappa conveniently interweaves half-truths with blatant falsehoods and presents this as a work of fiction. What’s URA’s Samskara? Non-fiction? It looks like SLB has well and truly cleaned the pretentious ones’ clock! SLB is already the most translated Indian writer of our times, so what if they translate Aavarana into Hindi?
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Even if one dismisses Gauri Lankesh’s diatribe against the sangh parivar as motivated by her own political and ideological inclinations, to give the devil her due, surely we need to look at her pointed criticism of the media coverage of the arrests with due concern?
The Kannada media’s gung-ho coverage of the arrest of the terror suspects has been little short of irresponsible. Gossip, rumor, hearsay are being passed off by newspapers and TV channels with scarcely any attribution or confirmation, and without any accountability.
It might please readers and voters who subscribe to the all-muslims-are-guilty-until-proved-innocent theory of terrorism. But at what cost? Media leaders need to show a bit more leadership than acting as cheer leaders, and the police too need to play a more responsible role than leaking like a sieve.
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Gauri Lankesh & others who wrote here,
I can’t understand why you think what Gauri is saying is wrong. U R Ananthmurhty is a Gnanpith awardee, his Samskara is definitely ground breaking.
There is nothing wrong in a muslim doing namaz but definitely wrong in an established democratic state to put any human to speculative accusations. In our beloved Karnataka, the fore runner of single lottery may be we should start a speculative wager on whether any one who is a muslim is a terrorist or not. I think we could all bet and win 2:1 !!
I am neither a naxalite or a muslim or an atheist. I am an Hindu in my own right. I believe in Maaramma and Doddamma but not your Saraswati or Laxmis, not that I have contempt for its worshippers. I would not give any importance to a priest officiating in any rituals as it is immaterial to me like Dwarkanath. For many centuries the Dalits and even Vokkaligas were treated as dirt by Vedic Brahmins, because the code of religion they followed asked them to do it( like Manu smriti).
Now, Gauri has not said anything out of context, she is only exposing the acts of goondaism that BJP/RSS and ICICI bank rouges follow. The Chintana of RSS is right in unifying India, the same as the naxalites. The only differnce is ideology. RSS and BJP wants unity based on dividing India in to us and them, i.e Hindus and Muslims and the naxalites want to unite in the division of us and them, i.e people and the establishment( of ruling classes).
While both indulge in unity and establishing a divide. The difference is one wants the powerful majority to oppress the powerles as poised by the Hindutva forces whereas the naxalites want the powerless majority to overthrow the powerful minority (govt.of India).
While people can try to crush the voice of people like Gauri Lankesh from the goonda gangs of non-reading, TV literate bumkins who are thinking politics is cheap gimmiking and money making forum, the revolutionary spirit of Karnataka will clamour over such cheap stunts and come on top of everything.
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The main point of this article is perfectly right. Rabble rousers like Togadia have themselves said that they would make Karnataka (Bababudangiri, more precisely) the ‘Ayodhya of the south’. There are many reforms needed in society (education, to name one) and if anything more so in the Muslim section of the population. The easiest way to scuttle such progress is communal polarisation which empowers the most conservative and bigoted elements on all sides.
It is potentially disastrous and utterly sad that people stop using their brains to sift through facts logically and instead indulge themselves in an orgy of hatred. But not too surprising, as “there are only two things infinite, the universe and human stupidity” (Einstein).
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Prashanth,
Interesting thoughts – well written.
There is a real problem of terrorism in Karnataka as witnessed in the IISc shooting. And given the nature of weapons used etc., it could very well be that agencies in Pakistan are involved directly too.
It is imperative that we fight the people who want to build a terror apparatus in our neighbourhoods. It may be necessary to use more force than the law prescribes since this is a matter of national security. There will be a core nucleus of people who are beyond any redemption and there is no option but deal with these troublemaking elements.
This should have nothing to do with people who push agenda like: ‘all people of a religion are terrorists’, ‘if you are not with us you are against us’ etc. That is a different fight. One which some of us dont want to have anything to do it. I believe such thoughts and actions are the root cause of intolerance, hatred and eventually terrorism. Unfortunately some Muslims are swept up by such thinking. Instead of isolating them and dealing with them, some groups supported by sections of the press etc. want us to emulate the very same behaviour.
You are absolutely right when you say:
“Gossip, rumor, hearsay are being passed off by newspapers and TV channels with scarcely any attribution or confirmation, and without any accountability.”
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Judging by the labels Churumuri’s writers slap on their state, Karnataka must be the world’s most elastic piece of real estate. In 2007, it was the “Bihar of the South”. In 2008, it is the “Gujarat of the South”.
Make up your minds, folks.
Do you want to be a poor, caste-ridden, corrupt state which is behind all other states in the social and economic parameters and sends all its people to other states for education and work?
Or do you want to be a rich, industrial but communal state, which is ahead of all other states in the social and economic parameters, and sends all its people to other countries?
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Aatmasakshi,
Can it be a rich, industrial, secular state which is ahead of all other states in social and economic parameters and keeps its people at home (and encourages even its NRI bloggers to return home and further the cause of Karnataka)?
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(The whole post)>/dev/null.
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A Guy,
“Instead of isolating them and dealing with them, some groups supported by sections of the press etc. want us to emulate the very same behaviour”
True. But isolate maDakke biDalvalla neev gaLu. Police navaru yaradru Muslim-na arrest maaDida takshaNa innocent innocent antha koogtheera.
Nimma commentina dhati hegide andre ella 16 crores (14 crore native + 2 crore Bangladeshi immigrants) minorities-nu police navaru olage hakidaare anno haagide.
Since most of the terrorists are Muslims, it is only natural that terror suspects will be Muslims. Sumsumne arrest maaDoke police navarige tale enu keTTilla.
ee gauri Lankesh-u, yaaro saffron tilaka iTTidikke eshTella bobbe hoDiyoru, Naxalite leader Saket Rajan sattaga avanige sympathy torisodu…indirectly justifying Naxalite actions …Nandigram nalli CPI goonDagaLu innocent janagaLanna kondaga yak ee Gauri Lankesh bayi tegililla…oh maybe left is always right..even in killings.
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Software Engineer, (find a proper program below)
/* Kludged code — I’ll re-design this lot and re-write it as a proper
* library sometime soon.
*/
Class dumbcheddis by[sizeof member];
software engineers()
{
goto pub;
pub:
return pissed;
}
Cheddis()
{
goto timbuktu;
timbuktu:
while (1) ; /* you dont deserve to be in civilized soceity */
}
unsigned Poli hudga;
class dismissed : public annoyance
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‘But isolate maDakke biDalvalla neev gaLu.’
Neevu andhre? Neev yaaru, naav yaaru swalpa bidisi helthira?
Nope – I didnt say anything about the police. By and large they are doing a great job in this matter. See Shankar Bidri’s comments in the article.
I was talking about some sections of the media. Who may be influenced by the likes of … Neevu?
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1 Mistake … read timbuktu as “Jhumritalaiya”
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And I didnt sympathise with Guari Lankesh’s commie beliefs either.
I was impressed by what Prashant Krishnamurthy said:
“Even if one dismisses Gauri Lankesh’s diatribe against the sangh parivar as motivated by her own political and ideological inclinations, to give the devil her due, surely we need to look at her pointed criticism of the media coverage of the arrests with due concern?”
But if your eyes are saffron tinted (or green tinted on the other side of the coin), I guess you will can only see 2 ways – with us or against us.
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What is wrong in being Gujarat of the south? Gujarat afterall is a prosperous state having a 12% GDP growth, run by a democratically elected chief minister, giving an excellent administration and improving the lives of its citizens.
It is high time we made Karnataka into a prosperous Gujarat like state.
What is wrong with Aavarana as a novel. Byrappa has done extensive research for this book and most of the research material has come from the official historians of the various mughal kings who have been mentioned in the novel. So how can you say they are fiction. Maybe, they are not written by the JNU Jolawhallah brigade of historians to negate the facts since it is inconveniences them, is it the reason Gauri says it should not be believed. Why is it that we should always rely on the JNU historians version as gospel truth? Read Arun Shouries Eminent historians book and you will know all about these so called intellectuals/progressives and their game plan, and how they are living off of the state funds writing trash that is being passed off as objective history.
Gauri, quotes Shankar Bidri, who took law into his hands to kill Veerappans brother arjun and some 7 poachers in the police van they were travelling to attend a court case in Mysore. At that time the same Gauri and her ilk had shouted against Shankar Bidri for doing this and now quotes him without any shame. Is it not a typical secular behaviour.
The article is full of oxymorons. I quote from the article “Progressive Muslims (?) are branded terrorists and progressive hindus (?) are banned naxals”…what exactly is the meaning of this nonsense.
Gauri here is a piece of advice to you, there is only so much far you can go in your life riding on your dads popularity and fame, after that you have to start thinking originally…grow up girl
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Ree poli,
Goto na? Aadh yeno helidhralli Dijkstra?!
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A Guy,
Neevu andre Teesta, Gauri anthavaru .. the self appointed guardians of human rights and secularism.
Nanna comment ninda naanu Muslim virodhi antha anisirabahudu..but illa. I am really proud of kalam and also all the muslims who are guarding our borders.
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Anonymous Guy,
“Compilers Principles, Techniques, and Tools” book describes the intermediate languages that programs are compiled to in which typically all branches are transformed to goto and if … goto constructions. The idea being that optimizations are done after the program has been transformed to a loopless goto riddled intermediate program. That seals it for me — I say use goto whenever it makes sense.
Tao of goto: knowing when to use it for good and when not to use it for evil.
Moreover, this poli hudga likes goto programming since hez blessed with average programming skills :D … Only mediocrity of enjoyment is allowed to a man.
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Prashant Krishnamurthy writes
>>It might please readers and voters who subscribe to the all-muslims-are-guilty-until-proved-innocent theory of terrorism. But at what cost? Media leaders need to show a bit more leadership than acting as cheer leaders, and the police too need to play a more responsible role than leaking like a sieve.>>
Prashant,
Does media need to show this “sensibility” for muslim cause only or for everybody..can you please clarify. Where were you when Godhra happened, and the self same media pinned the blame on the victims and absolved the culprits responsible for godhra.
How are you so sure that the police are leaking information to the media, if anything, it will be counterproductive to their investigations…no?
Just because Gauri is yammering something does it mean that all of it is true?
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SE,
If I told you that I strongly disagree with what I believe is the religious fundamentalism indulged in by the VHP and RSS would you consider me your enemy? And the same goes with the section of the media who seem to have thrown journalistic honesty away and are just indulging in gossip and kangaroo trials (maybe for TRP, maybe because they are themselves convinced).
Avaaga naanu ‘neevu’ aagthina?
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Poli,
Weren’t you programming in a high level language? One which a mere cheddi-wearing Software Engineer will understand :)
In any case neevu SSE anasuthe!
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A Guy,
Don’t you think there is a fundamental difference between Hindu fundamentalism and other religious fundamentalism as pointed out by Arun Shourie in IE?
I do condemn vandalism and violence by any organization.
As far as the media is concerned, can you point me to at least one newspaper / channel which is neutral in its reports?
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Pub ge hogodu poli aliyodikkintha slightly better ansutte.
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And as regards neutrality, I was not asking for that. We are talking about how some sections of the media in Karnataka are reporting now about the issues described in the blog. How they have taken it on themselves to indulge in gossip and pass judgements. Hopefully just with TRP and nothing else in mind.
‘Don’t you think there is a fundamental difference between Hindu fundamentalism and other religious fundamentalism.’
No.
I believe they are to be despised equally – muslim, christian or hindu. The taliban is as much a terrorist organization as the LTTE which is as bad as a christian soldier trying to eliminate muslims etc. Yella vondhe.
How can you justify your own brand of hatred of others by saying it is superior in some way?! The problem with fundamentalism is the polarizing thought – you are with us or against us. Which will allow a small set of people to control everything as per their world view. What if they want to eventually want to start controlling and censoring my ways of life? Just like the Taliban only in another guise. The RSS hasn’t shown tendencies to do this.
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OOps I meant – the RSS has shown EVERY tendency to do this.
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It is intriguing to see how you twist every thing to suite your anti Hindu line.
Fact: Govt in karnataka is NOT BJP and has never been BJP
Fact: Police hence are also not pro BJP but pro Cong or JDS
Fact: Police say these people are terrorists and NOT BJP/RSS or other hindu orgns.
Non Fact: Your claim that some how all this is the handy work of the Hindu orgns. ????
Dude what joint are you smoking??
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Dude Indian,
I am not going to do battle with your compelling logic.
Really, I dont care.
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And dude – change that to ‘anti-fundamentalist-RSS-hindu’ (or ‘anti-fundamentalist-muslim’ or ‘anti… you get the picture. Take your pick).
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What is this? Discussion of Hidutva brigade, by the Hidutva brigade for the Hidutva brigade? BJP had stated long time back that they consider Karnataka as their gateway to the South. Obviously they find some similarity between their forts in the North like Rajasthan, Gujarath and Madhya Pradesh; the cow belt states, known for its crime infested social backwardness. The Samskara’s exposure rankles still in the minds of the mostly Brahmin and Hindutva writers to this pages, judging by their penchant for URA bashing and saffron defense.
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No wonder Lankesh patrike ( Gauri ) has such low circulation :-)
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Okay, here is what’s happening. A very few enlighten people, URA, Gaurakka and clan, have realised the global conspiracy against Muslims by Hindus (aka cheddis/Kafirs), Christians, Jews, Vijaya Karnataka, Udayavani, TOI, Hindu, police, government, George Bush, America, Australia et al. Elders of Zion, new world order ain’t stupid, Islam has to stand against it. 9/11 is not done by a group of terrorists (who coincidentally also happen to be Muslims), it’s done by G Bush himself. If some muslim terrorists are caught planning blasting a place or 2, it is certainly not their fault. It’s the prejudiced police who are behind all these. If you find some jail inmate suspecious, you should not report. Especially if they are muslims. If it results in a few hundred people losing lives, be it so. If you dig into history and try to see Islamic history and scriptures objectively, you are islamophobic or facist. Be it Robert spencer, Salman Rashdie or SL Bhyrappa. Without a doubt RSS is more dangerous than Al Queda, inspite of having no history of being involved in violence or any proof. But they are convinced of the innocense of SIMI. You find muslims killing people not because Quoran or Hadeeth mandates to do so, rather it’s the arrogance and oppression by Americans, Gujjus and Israelis. It’s the capitalist America and ‘eternal Jews’ who are causing the muslim anger and we do not care what impact do Quoran and Hadeeth have on terrorists.
Now here is what is really happening. Indian police, inspite of usual blame assoicated with it, cracked a major conspiracy to bomb a few hundred innocents. Whether it was sheer ‘ajji puNya’ of Kannadigas or efficiency of the police is to be debated. Media is trying hard to portray a ‘benevolent muslims’. Yesterday all newspapers carried the headline – “Muslim clerics call terrorism unislamic”. Since when condemning terrorism a headline substance? Media is struggling to hear the voice of moderate muslims and rarely they succeed in doing so. There is no conspiracy by media to malign muslims. What do you hear more in newspapers – Godhra or post Godhra? Gujarat riots or genecide of Kashmiri muslims? Innocense of Haneef or guilt of thousands of terrorists?
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I am away from Karnataka and had no idea how low the affairs have sunk. Thanks Gauri and Churumuri. This reminds of another instace in 1993. There was supposed to be communal tension in Bhatkal and even a curfew had been declared. There were clearly attempts to fan the flames and some leaflets had been distributed claiming that RDX was found in Bhatkal. Udayavani had “reported” that such leaflets are being circulated. That seemed alarming since this took place soon after the Bombay blasts. I was in the area visiting a Nuclear power plant at Kaiga and decided to visit this new “den of terrorists and Dawood Ibrahim’s gang”. When I reached Bhatkal it was all quite due to the curfew. I went to the police station where the SP from Karwar was camping. I interviewed him about terrorist threat in Bhatkal. He said there was a stabbing and nobody knows who had done that and immediately rumours flew thick and created a communally tense situation in Bhatkal and nothing more. When I asked him about the RDX and RPGs that they are supposed to have captured he laughed away and said what RDX and RPGs this is all some body’s imagination! If you seriously comb this area all that you will get is a few double barrel guns which farmers keep to protect themselves against wild boar attacks. That was quite revealing. Later I found that Bhatkal has a rich history of Hindus and Muslims living together peacefully for centuries. Infact the famous Maruti temple there has a Rath Yatra and according to local tradition, the Rath does not move till the devotees do not get blessings and ‘permission’ from a Muslim family! This is typical of Karnataka’s culture. There are tons of stories about Shishunal Sharief saheb and Savalgi Shivalinga Swamiji, Gharib Nawaz of Gulburga and so on. Who is responsible to the current rotten, divided and charged atmosphere? It is also a fact that for several decades now that Karnataka has not had decent governance. The whole thing makes me sad and angry.
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Abhi,
A super post!
I died laughing!
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Better safe than sorry as far as terrorism is concerned. If anything, India has been guilty of ignoring vital signals and many innocent lives have snuffed (Mumbai train blasts, Hyderabad blasts …) all perpetrated by you know whom. As a result, the whole Hindu population is paranoid and rightly so
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Ms.Lankesh,
Generally, most newspapers and tv channels exaggerate and sensationalize news items to boost their readership and TRPs. Rumors are passed off as “reliable sources” and make their way to the print. But this happens in almost every “newsworthy” case. The media does these things everytime there is a scandal or a riot. Not only that, it is not even limited to the Indian media alone, even the foreign media can be faulted for sensationalizing news.
So is this case of reporting (sensationalizing as you call it) about the youths, any different from other stories? I dont think so – this is not an anomaly where the media has gone overboard just because the youths happen to be Muslims. They would have done the same thing even if these youths were Hindus. If anything, this present story gets murkier each day – with another guy arrested and another terrorist connection established.
The only problem is that leftist-pseudo-secularists like yourself happen to see a grander conspiracy every time a news item appears that implicates members of the minority community.
As far as the glorification of URA and the apparent damnification of SLB is concerned, I am not surprised – URA is another leftist-pseudo-secular and SLB is a writer who does not mind mincing words. If SLB’s book is a compilation of half-truths then why dont you challenge him and falsify him?
There are many cases like that – Sita Ram Goel has written a book giving 2000 cases of temples being razed by muslim rulers and that is derided by “eminent historians” as amateurish. But no one has had the courage talk about the book. Here is a chance to falsify 2000 claims made by the author. But none have been taken so far.
Till that happens, the leftist-pseudo-secularists talk will be seen as dog-bark.
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Whom is this lady trying to save ? What is innocence in her words ? Has she roamed in the night in any of the cities after midnight ? Does she think being awake only in daytime & seeing what happens in daytime is enough proof to say everything is fine?
Dear lady, If you have any bit of journalistic thoughts in your mind, please accompany all of these innocent people for a week. Hear to what their ideologies are ? Interviewing them for half an hour over cup of tea will not give you required information. This info is suitable only for Page 3 types.
Just don’t sit somewhere away from the real world & try to assess things with your tiny mind.
If you feel you have a journalist in you, then contact to see the real world.
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@sumneneeve
Yes Mr.sumneneeve gauri lankesh is the daughter of lankesh of lankesh patrike fame..
A great example to show the respect given to muslims in western world is the ongoing US election primaries where obama is trying as hard as possible to say that he is not a muslim bcoz he knows that if people come to know that he practises islam then his ambition of becoming US president is absolutely NIL.
If Western world hates Islam for one 9/11 incident then why should we encourage muslims when they have carried out attacks more heinous then 9/11 on our country since last 1000 years..
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This is a classic case of pseudo-secularism at its height. We should just ignore the article.
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Shreeram,
Obama is a Christian. His father was a Muslim.
And one of the main planks of Obama’s campaign has been that he will withdraw the troops from Iraq when he is elected. And he hasn’t been dilly dallying on this matter unlike Hillary. And this is seem by some commentators as one of the main reasons for the surge in his popularity.
‘Mr. Obama, campaigning in Columbus, Ohio, responded soon after. “I have some news for John McCain,” Mr. Obama said at a large rally at Ohio State University. “There was no such thing as Al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.”’
Not that it matters to this discussion – just wanted to place your following sweeping statement about the western ‘world’s’ hatred of one religion in perspective.
And obviously Sumne doesnt know much about Lankesh’s writings and views on religious fundamentalism. Dont know what ‘legacy’ he was talking about.
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Gowriji,
You should fight to end the subsidies given to Haj Pilgrims in India. Do you know that it is against Shariat? Pakistan has already stopped doing so. and Saudi hates it. It makes one think that Indian Muslims are against Sharia! Pl help them no?
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When she writes in her own yellow tabloid, Gauri Lankesh is either self-righteous or telling us how her journalist-terrorist Appa saved Karnataka by emerging as the state’s chief intellectual and greatest creative writer.
Her pen sheds more tears than there is water in the Indian ocean when she bemoans the fate of Muslims.
Before I say anything else, I must say she showed great moral courage when she tried to arrange a decent cremation or burial for two people killed in a police encounter.
In this article, for whatever reason, she brings in Bhyrappa and spouts venom at Vijayakarnataka. I am not a spokesperson for either, but why does she not say anything about how her fellow journalists like Sridhar of the Agni savaged Bhyrappa? Yellow journalism, a blot though it is, is also part of the media.
She wasted no time getting a whole bunch of posturing secularists to write articles denouncing “Aavarana.” I cannot help suspecting that she means that she made money when she tells us that the book was “fairly well received.” Wealth is a siren to the Lankesh clan despite its hoaxy socialist sympathy for the downtrodden.
In any case, in her introduction to the collection of vitriolic essays, Ms. Lankesh supericiliously suggests that the title of the book should have been “aa vrana,” a sore. The sundry, commissioned writers all predictably denounce SLB. How this is objective is beyond me. I think there are three or four Muslim contributors, only one of whom writes in a detailed manner about the book.
All right. Bhyrappa writes this nasty, inhumane book. The reprint figures claimed are bogus. SLB is an adiyaalu and mouthpiece of the far right. The Hindu far right is always worse than other far rights. The book is opposed to anything progressive. That is the tenor. (That Sheshagiri Rao and his friends brought out a rebuttal book which is just as self-serving, except for an essay by Garudanagiri Nagaraj, is another matter.)
Let’s track back to the beginning. URA agreed to speak at a gathering when Shankar’s illiterate, inelegant book was released. Would the professor have agreed to take part in the palaver if he had not already raring to go, mounting an attack that he hoped would destroy SLB? In any case, he said he was friends with Bhyrappa once. SLB participated in a campaign to deny the crown of the Sahithya Academy to our Jnaanapeetha laureate. He had “heard” that SLB in his autobiography had accused him and Alanahalli Krishna of instigating people to stone his house on account of how he treats the jaathi issue in his works. What he did not say was that the book by SLB contains an absorbing satirical portrait of himself, URA, as a self-absorbed academic for whom conscience is an alien thing. Hence the attack and the constant reiteration of the claim that his comments had been misrepresented in the media. ( Laaloo has used the same old stratagem about his supposed comment on us as a dirty people. URA has said nothing about it.) The full text of his speech was made available through many outlets. Yet URA said people did not know what he really said. He said he would refuse to attend any literary function where reporters were present. A few weeks later he was in Shivamogge, perfectly in character, happily applauding a book by D. S. Nagabhushana.
Shrimathi Gauramma’s desire for the safety of non-Hindus is unexceptionable. But that is entirely different from orchestrating a jihad against a writer. If Bhyrappa’s book were as incendiary and as full of falsehoods against a certain community as alleged, why was it that there was no wholesale protest from that wronged community as there was when Rushdie published his “Satanic Verses?” Our minority brothers did not erupt in protest all over the state demanding the book be banned (poor Banjagere!). It is also true that they perhaps could do nothing about the book because most of them cannot read Kannada and hence had no means seeing for themselves if Gauri’s charges are true. This is a result of the calculated move on the part of the Congress Party–not to allow any rapproachement between the two communities. No fatwa on Bhyrappa’s balding head, fortunately.
Gauri’s venom against non-progressive elements in society (she arrogates to herself the authority to name and define these elements) has not helped the community of which she is the Hindu Joan of Arc. It is made harmless by her inability to see the slipperiness of her protectionist mask. So few members of that community have been singing her praise on account of her defence of them. Perhaps another media conspiracy is hiding here.
None of this claptrap is important. Perhaps the only question is how to make Karnataka a happy home for all of its communities, however diverse they are linguistically or religiously. The answer lies in the generosity of the communities concerned. Why always say, “We want this,” or “We demand this?” Why not think about conceding the justness of other people’s needs if they are indeed just? Why not show a willingness to give up something we have?
Before some blogger says that I am speaking the language of appeasement, let me say I understand that religious bigotry in Karnataka and India is volatile, as indeed are all brands of faith promoted by fundamentalist factions. The kind of advocacy that Gauri Lankesh, and many of her kind, practice is nothing but an invitation to those factions to engage in violence. Fortunately, most people in Karnataka do not take her views seriously, anymore than they did her late, posturing father’s. Thank God for our indifference towards elitistic, public self-flagellation.
Any meaningful dialogue in this matter can occur only when the Togadias and the Muthaliks sit face to with the Shahi Imams and the Shah Khadris, over tea, and create a give-and-take scenario.
Hinduism is in no danger of vanishing in India. Islam is a part of our history and life. Our march forward depends on these and every other religion’s adherents being able to live in the proximity of one another without fear. If Gauramma can lead us to that promised land, I am willing to be one of her foot soldiers in the battle for peace.
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Why secularism is always qualified as ‘pseudo’? Only the ones with a ‘trishul’ and ‘lotus’ in their hands are considered genuine? The writers of these ‘posts’ are just patting each other’s back without giving any sensible arguments. As soon as police catches someone somewhere, the media is already out there to hang them and and the writers of these posts cannot stomach anyone asking for any credible evidence for the suspects crime. The interrogatory methods can make anyone confess to anything that happened even in the Jurassic era!
And has narco-analysis been proved as the absolute truth revealing process?
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AnonyMys,
Secularism is attached with the “pseudo” tag because it is applied selectively in the Indian context by our politicians and the self-styled activists. Our politicians have practically transformed secularism into appeasement which is really unfortunate. Yes, secularism is good and should be a fabric of our society but not this way.
Your second point about media sensationalizing news items is true. But it happens all the time and everywhere – this case is not an anomaly – Gujarat riots also had sensational stories some of them plain speculation by the media. Pseudo-secularists like Gauri Lankesh raise their eyebrows only when the minority community is in the news for the wrong reasons.
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Mayura, since tinted blinkers are beginning to prevent us from reading even a couple of simple sentences with clarity, let me spell it out for you. I am not in the predictable “Where were you when Godhra/ Gujarat/ 1984/ 9-11/ Afghanistan/ Germany/…” game. We could all ask these questions till kingdom come and we will be none the wiser except to show our animal instincts of an eye for an eye. But since you are it, where were you when the Inquisition took place? Where were your parents when my parents were getting arrested during the Emergency?
The issue here is of human rights. Those rights are universal, whether you are a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew; whether you are rich, poor or middleclass; whether you are a doctor, mechanic or unemployed; whether you are Indian or West Indian; male, female, gay, lesbian or transvestite. Since all those detained and maligned are Muslim males, I bat here for Muslim males. If Hindus do get detained and maligned, I will bat for them too.
Ditto and likewise for anybody, including you, god forbid, whichever brand your god may be, whatever sex, nationality, socio-economic status, profession, etc, you may belong to. This is not a polemic, just a simple statement of life, which so many of us like to forget when it suits us by resorting to ad hominems.
If the police are not leaking information, the only conclusion to draw is that Gauri Lankesh is right—that reporters and editors are thinking up this stuff on the basis of their political and ideological inclinations, on the basis which you and I are making opinions, on the basis of which votes will be cast, and on the basis of which governments will be formed. For your sake and the sake of my democracy, I hope that is not happening. If it is not, then the media is being supplied information for which the media has created a demand. Which is why the Karnataka police have had to call a press conference yesterday to deny a “communal” angle to the arrests.
Since tinted blinkers have also started preventing us from seeing or debating anything politely without prefixing the label “pseudo” to it, let me also spell this out for you. Human rights do not mean shielding and protecting those plotting against the nation; intent on blowing up trains, lives and buildings; intent on killing men, women and children. All it means is giving due place for the rule of law in the lives of human beings. If held guilty, the terror suspects must be given whatever punishment is deemed fit and is allowed by our Constitution. But till such time, they must be given every opportunity to prove their innocence without being hanged in the court of public opinion, without you and me baying for their head.
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At the end of the day nothing haapens by exchange of these messages. Life will go on while people are busy “obbarigobbaru kesaru erachikoLLodralli”. The same happens in discussions about Pratap Simha’s articles on Thatskannada. Everybody is right and they write while the poor people continue to give their life for no fault.
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I don’t know about URA. But I know it for a fact that SLB always researches stuff well before he writes his novels. I know it for a fact that he put five years of research into Parva and it shows. I haven’t read Aavarana. But knowing SLB the academic, I am sure he would have done a thorough job of research before he put his pen to paper. If someone is calling SLB a college level debater he doesn’t know what a good debater is. If the saffron brigade is gung ho on Aavarana, it’s probably because some of what is written there supports what those folks believe in. It’s not as though SLB wrote it for them or those guys financed it. This piece reeks of malice.
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Accept that youth are involved in these activities. Accept also that they incidentally belong to a particular group. Condemn terrorism on the face and the people indulged insuhc activities. Don’t unnecessarily bring either URA or SLB into picture. Whether SLB is sympathiser of Chaddis and URA the socalled mouthpiece of all the depressed classes is immaterial. People do you have common sense to judge. Don’t think that some paper or media says that crow is white everybody will definitely believe it. No journalist, no TV is impartial, including Gowri Lankesh and Lankesh Patrike. They too close their eyes when they have to see something which is slightly different from their ideologies. Note that they are not illiterate and very poor people. Accept the fact even if they were caught in the act of stealing a vehicle they are thieves.
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it’s hightime,, Gauri embrace Islam and voice her concerns..
Atleast, we’ll get a “Intellectual” who can speak to media from Islam
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Its shame on Churumuri to publish such article. She is a psuedo-secularist. She is a third rated writer. Nasty woman
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People, keep you messages short. Otherwise they will not be read which is what you want!
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Extreme Hinduism and Pseudo Secularism, both are equally dangerous to Karnataka and India.
Pseudo Secularism gives these religious criminals more dare and devilness to persue their idiology and harm the social harmony while extreme hinduism definately devides the society on religion lines and that’s exactly what the instigators at Pakistan want !
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Gauri Lankesh is a pseudo-journalist. The way she has written the article shows that she is a pseudo-secularist as well.
Churmuri, please don’t let your site go to dogs by publishing articles of such quality.
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Communal hatred is a natural instinct. Let us celebrate it. If any proof was needed if Kar was a potential Guj, dear fellow posters, thanks for the affirmation.
Carry on Gauri. There are some of us with you.
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I wish this place is devoid of all these obnoxious religious bigots and is filled with only those ‘pseudo’ secularists! !! Even those ‘pseudo’ secularists are far better lot to live with. Thanks Ms. Gauri Lankesh. At least it helped to expose the thinking of these ………………….
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Prashant
>>Since all those detained and maligned are Muslim males, I bat here for Muslim males. If Hindus do get detained and maligned, I will bat for them too.
>>
Fair enough
>>If the police are not leaking information, the only conclusion to draw is that Gauri Lankesh is right—that reporters and editors are thinking up this stuff on the basis of their political and ideological inclinations, on the basis which you and I are making opinions, on the basis of which votes will be cast, and on the basis of which governments will be formed>>
Prashant, this media speculation is happening every day on every news item. All I am questioning is Gauris agenda in castigating the media only the issue of these arrests. I did not see her do this when Nandigram happened, or people we killed in Akshardham or when Godhra happened. All sorts of media speculation had happened at that time also. So what is Guari’s agenda here to pressure the police and prevent them from doing their job. After at some point these arrested innocent muslim youths have to be presented in a court of law where they can prove their innocence. If media is thinking up stuff now, is it safe to assume that they would be doing the same during other times as well, for example during godhra, during ishrat jahans case? I think Guari’s ire here is misplaced and misdirected towards Sangh Parivar, when she has to be sitting with her media colleagues and educate them about not senstionalising the news.
To sum up, if there is something wrong here it is with the media of which Gauri is a part and parcel of. So why blame hindus and the hindutva brigade for that. She should be aware that the state is under presidents rule and hence it is not the BJP calling shots here.
>>Human rights do not mean shielding and protecting those plotting against the nation; intent on blowing up trains, lives and buildings; intent on killing men, women and children. All it means is giving due place for the rule of law in the lives of human beings. If held guilty, the terror suspects must be given whatever punishment is deemed fit and is allowed by our Constitution. But till such time, they must be given every opportunity to prove their innocence without being hanged in the court of public opinion, without you and me baying for their head.>>
I am not baying for anybody’s head. All I am doing here is questioning this selective application of human rights for some people and not for others. Incidentally, do the victims also have any human rights or is it reserved only for the perpetrators of voilence. To me it does not appear so. A case in point is Afzal Guru’s case which is kept in abeyance to protect his human rights while the kashmiri pandits wallow in refugee camps in delhi and jammu without any human rights.
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AnonyMys,
You make it sound as though anybody who is not pseudo secularist is a religious bigot. That makes you no different from a religious bigot.
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inspired stuff, pulikeshi. great going.
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Dear All,
A Star is Born and his name is Prashanth Krishnamurthy! What a genius and a philosopher!!
,,,”If the police are not leaking information, the only conclusion to draw is that Gauri Lankesh is right—that reporters and editors are thinking up this stuff on the basis of their political and ideological inclinations, on the basis which you and I are making opinions, on the basis of which votes will be cast, and on the basis of which governments will be formed…”
Exactly PKji, exactly!!! Ole Gauri is making up this stuff based on her inclination and we are making up our stuff based on common sense. Oh thank you, Guruji.
…”For your sake and the sake of my democracy, I hope that is not happening. If it is not, then the media is being supplied information for which the media has created a demand. Which is why the Karnataka police have had to call a press conference yesterday to deny a “communal” angle to the arrests….”
Oh PKji, thanks to strong Gurus like you even the police are cowering in fear. They might have rounded up 1M pashas, bashirs, khans and so on. As long as they have one Ram in their midst then the justice applies for all. Wah Guruji wah!
Since tinted blinkers have also started preventing us from seeing or debating anything politely without prefixing the label “pseudo” to it, let me also spell this out for you. Human rights do not mean shielding and protecting those plotting against the nation; intent on blowing up trains, lives and buildings; intent on killing men, women and children. All it means is giving due place for the rule of law in the lives of human beings. If held guilty, the terror suspects must be given whatever punishment is deemed fit and is allowed by our Constitution. But till such time, they must be given every opportunity to prove their innocence without being hanged in the court of public opinion, without you and me baying for their head.
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Earlier we had J Krishnamurthy. Now we have P Krishnamurthy:)
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A good number of responses to Gauri’s article appear to have been made by zombies fed on the Sangh Parivar’s hate agenda. A good many of them may have turned paranoid after reading the unsubstantiated media reports of the suspected terrorists, attributed to questionable sources.
Just like the police, which is groping in the dark for terrorists, even the people responding to this article, may be seeing terrorism wherever it does not exist. Whatever happened to the person, whom the police arrested with much fanfare as the prime accused in IISc attack in Bangalore more than a year and half ago. Former Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh went on record months after the arrest to claim that there is no evidence against him and the investigation has reached a “dead end”.
Gauri, I think an end to ensuing police action against seemingly innocent Muslim youths will end after a Haneef emerges from among them. But, it would be a test of integrity for the media to stand by that Haneef whenever he emerges even if it has to come by exposing the loopholes in their fantastic and imaginative reportage of suspected terrorists.
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Prashant
Another thing stop making personal attacks on me. I did not do it to you. Let us conduct this exchange of views in a civil way.
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Local Human,
I am still not convinced Dr. Haneef is innocent. He was released on a technicality. The OZ police are not up to speed in cyber stuff it appears. BTW they are still decoding all the Bangalore/Mysore Urdu chat that was going on between these cousins…
Oh BTW the IISc attack case, police have introduced the Red Herring concept. They are playing double bluff so that one of the local ‘boys’ will proudly claim the act very soon. Watch this space for more news in coming months. Thanks.
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Peacock,
Take it easy, Man! A good personal attack is like ‘tonic for the soul’. At the same time a bowl of spicy peanuts (Cajun style) is ‘death for the nether hole’–Shakespeare
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Gaurakka, may god bless you through Osama bin Laden!!
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Pingback: Land of Lime » Whither Karnataka
mayura,
Good thought.
But we have all made up our mind. We arent going to change it due to something written by some stranger. We are just trying to convince ourselves how right we are and how wrong the others are.
There will be some name calling and personal attacks when we try to articulate a point of view which is opposed to others. And since most of us remain anonymous we dont bother about the consequences.
For me (and I am sure for some others), this is a way to do some time-pass in between work. Though it might be taking way too much time away from some other productive work. At least we are getting to read and write a little.
Sorry for the digression, back to religious fanatics and commies and the lot…
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I believe in Maaramma and Doddamma but not your Saraswati or Laxmis, not that I have contempt for its worshippers.
ranadheera… bejaar maaDkobyaaDi but aadare…
making statements like these is the latest in fashion. and is based on the designs of nice-nice theory-walas.
there is no difference between the ladies themselves either in form, function or principle.
i will go on a limb and challenge you to prove to your own self that you believe in maramma, but not in saraswati.
during SSLC exams i went to sarasotamma i i failed. then in PUC i went to maramma i failed. then in college i went to mariamma again failed. finally went to nannamakkalaamma and now i have some peace. mostly because she unlike others ammas provides both the questions and the answers. all i have to say is that is correct and i will pass.
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Prashanth, you may want to use a pseudonym unless you don’t mind some anonymous jokers commenting about it. Ignore if PK itself is a pseudonym.
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AG,
Thanks for your kind words.
I am not interested in personally attacking anybody on this forum. All I wanted to ask PK was what were his thoughts during Godhra, and he goes ballistic :)
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Pulikeshi,
In one post you have condensed more sense than all the trash talk some of us have been indulging in.
Especially:
‘None of this claptrap is important. Perhaps the only question is how to make Karnataka a happy home for all of its communities, however diverse they are linguistically or religiously. The answer lies in the generosity of the communities concerned. Why always say, “We want this,” or “We demand this?” Why not think about conceding the justness of other people’s needs if they are indeed just? Why not show a willingness to give up something we have?’
And maybe come up with some ground rules with regard to population control, freedom of speech with no fear but tempered with some thought for others before printing/saying something in public etc.
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mayura,
hmm, actually I thought PK articulated his thoughts well. But thats my opinion, dont let that prevent you from taking what he wrote personally!
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politics of spirituality, including religion, is very important because spirituality can only survive within the comforts and security provided by politics.
confusing the hola(spirituality) for the baeli(politics) and the baeli for the hola is dangerous.
medieval india, latin america etc are the prime examples of the dangers of confusing hola for the baeli. current day airope and the modern day intellectual perception of india is an example of the dangers of confusing baeli for the hola.
airope started before us and will crumble before us or in trying to save its baeli will rebuild a baeli so wide and so high that it will be impossible to call it a baeli-c civilization. either that or it will replace its hola with a papaskaLLi thota, which, then, will double as a baeli. just as has happenned in arabi kolli.
10s of thousands of years of evolution and there are exactly two types of holas left-and one of them is not even a hola, its a thota. hola is that which breeds the saplings and the fish and then also the frog not to forget the snake and the mosquito — something that also has the potential to attract the singing bird to attract the grandeur of it all. despite the mosquito and the warts, for good or bad we have a hola as a basis of our civilization. Lets do more than to protect it with a flimsy baeli, lest papaskalli start growing , first in the periphery of the hola and then in its entirety. For, irrespective of your theories, oh politically correct sires and learned madams, living systems adapt and react. And when such systems react, nothing else is left – their aint no hola nor a baeli forget papaskalli. Stop treating the baedi, with lomatil, the problem is that the vaata, pitta and kapha are in serious imbalance and swallowing that magic pill of the intellect is not helping.
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TS,
Looks like you swallowed some other pill before sitting down to type…
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Taleharate said — “I don’t know about URA. But I know it for a fact that SLB always researches stuff well before he writes his novels. I know it for a fact that he put five years of research into Parva and it shows. I haven’t read Aavarana. But knowing SLB the academic, I am sure he would have done a thorough job of research before he put his pen to paper. If someone is calling SLB a college level debater he doesn’t know what a good debater is. If the saffron brigade is gung ho on Aavarana, it’s probably because some of what is written there supports what those folks believe in. It’s not as though SLB wrote it for them or those guys financed it. This piece reeks of malice.”
Precisely my point! Aavarana’s detractors’ try their darndest to present it as if the ‘parivar’ put in a work order and SLB the plumber, dutifully complied!
If Gauramma could do a little more than that and display the guts to invite or engage SLB in a public debate, I’d be more willing to sit up and listen.
Reading aavarana (or atleast parts of it), I can emphatically say didnt make me an islamophobe. I wasnt seething with any hatred for my muslim ‘brethern’ after I read it. If anything, it only instils in you a deep resentment against whom Shourie calls ’eminent’ historians. It is the sickening political correctness these historians choose to use as their fig leaf that gets to you. And that, is the point SLB also makes. But blinded as they are, with their own ‘tinted blinkered’ ideologies, the Gaurammas and URAs can do little but hit below the belt. sigh.. i can hardly believe I’m dignifying gauramma’s nonsense with a comment.
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It was the same Gauramma that supported naxalites [and still supports]. Terrorists are just the new addition for her anti-national activities. If the terrorists were to be Hindus, this yamma would have gone shouting to arrest them and to punish them. Its just a beard that makes all the difference for people like Gauri and URA and the cult. And also to the morons who are supporting her here.
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After reading the comments, it is clear, whom the media is courting. We always want to read/hear what we like……..why blame the media/Mangalore Gangs only.
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I used to be a student of SLB and I’ve also interacted with URA on a few occasions. Those of us who know SLB know that he will never take a political stance. He was a man of books, a recluse who kept to himself most of the times and he never used to mince words when he spoke. Like me, all his students without exception will swear that SLB was a fantastic teacher who had an extremely deep understanding of philosophy and would share with us only facts, not his political or personal beliefs. He was a top class researcher and academic.
I have read his books and they are the works of a literary genius. He was superb at his research.
No doubts URA too is a brilliant writer and Samskara was a great read. But URA by himself, came across as a guy to whom laurels mattered. He came across as someone who would one day contest an election.
It’s sad that he is slinging mud at a soul who wouldn’t even care to respond to the kind of crap this guy is dishing out.
Bhyrappa has been Kannada’s ultimate novelist. There is Vamshavruksha, Parva, Naayi Neralu, Nele and plenty of other works that are universally acclaimed. I read Avarana and I think it is a terrific novel and extremely well researched. Only rabble rousers can find fault with it.
I don’t care much for the saffron types. Or the Commies/progressive types/secularists or whatever they may want to call themselves. But I seriously hate people like this who will do anything for cheap publicity.
Like Sisya rightly noted, I have not started hating my Muslim brethern after reading Avarana, but people want to make issues out of non-issues and get noticed somehow.
Bhyrappa will continue to do what he is good at(writing novels) till he is around. What does URA have to show apart from one Samskara and all this crap that gets talked about in these blogs?
The Samskara URA inherited gave us one good novel and a publicity seeking award winner with a loose tounge. SLB’s samskara gave us a top class novelist, a great teacher and a wonderful human being.
Gauri I can understand your points on human rights etc. But not your prejudices or the ease with which you categorize people into Saffron Brigade, Leftists, Rightists, Secularists etc. You’ve written better stuff than this before.
Churumuri is becoming Swalpa Kahi and lots of Venom.
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[b]Sudhir[/b]
Great post!
But still I would like to differ you on one point of Gauramma’s arguments on human rights.
Whose human rights is she talking about? after all terrorists !
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… and Gory Lankesh is the local version of M/s Teesta Setalvad & Co.?
Looks like Teesta found out that companies are taxed a lot and so she has converted her org. into a trust… where is its branch in Karnataka?
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AG and TS, thanks for the kind words. Subbu, I am glad you are back at this forum with your serious whimsicality. I hope to see a parody of something by you soon.
AG is right. We need ground rules. But how to create a public consciousness that will control itself? Too many persons among us interested in “grinding” whatever rules we have to their own advantage.
AG is also right about population control. Every unfed mouth and uneducated mouth is a loud invitation to violence and terrorism.
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Should be “uneducated mind.” Sorry about the typo.
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DB,
Innu Haneefannu marthillava? :)
His case is a dead horse now. Though that shouldn’t prevent you from whipping it all you want.
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Talibanisation of Karnataka
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, lots of Afghans thought it was a good move, like our fellow Kannadigas think about the chaddi boys.
Soon these very fellows would want them out of their door steps. No doubt in Ram Janma Bhoomi we have a BSP Govt. Even the illitracy rampant North India has chased away the sangh parivar, intelligient Kannadigas are falling victim to it.
Anyway the Gujarathi/Marwari/Bania invaders of Karnataka are taking these guys for a ride. Without any charismatic leadership BJP will fail in Karnataka even if theycome to power. When there is a cake the cats will fight over it. “Hats off” to those who spew venom without hesitation on Gauri Lankesh. She is a fighter unlike the other journalists. Her father is no terrorist but an idealist man who lived and died for principles which was for social emancipation of the common people. What the sangh parivar wants is hatred, which is freely availaible even without its presence in civilisation.
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Randheera,
Dont go personal. I’m damn sure you dad also wears a “Chaddi” to save his lil master from hanging around aimlessly. If you hate BJP you might have a reason. But remember that they’ve ruled India and are bound to come back. So is it in Karnataka. Just wait and see. You can join Gauri and adopt those Topis!
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and how many years it took for Darululoom of Deoband to denounce terrorism. Only when the entire cult is infested and cornerned. As long as they play being vote banks to Gandhis and Mulayalam they’ll never be a part of the mainstream.
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DECLARATION
All India Anti-Terrorism Conference
Organized by: Rabta Madaris Islamiah (Islamic Madrasas Association)
Darul Uloom Deoband, on 17 Safar 1429 H = 25 February 2008 Monday
Chaired by: Hazrat Maulana Marghoobur Rahman Sahib,
Mohtamim Darul Uloom Deoband
& President of Islamic Madrasas Association, Darul Uloom Deoband
Islam is the religion of mercy for all humanity. It is the fountainhead of eternal peace, tranquility, security. Islam has given so much importance to human beings that it regards the killing of a single person the of killing the entire humanity, without differentiation based on creed and caste. Its teaching of peace encompasses all humanity. Islam has taught its followers to treat all mankind with equality, mercy, tolerance, justice. Islam sternly condemns all kinds of oppression, violence and terrorism. It has regarded oppression, mischief, rioting and murdering among severest sins and crimes.
This All India Anti-Terrorism Conference attended by the representatives of all Muslim schools of thought organised by Rabta Madaris Islamiah Arabia (Islamic Madrasas Association), Darul Uloom Deoband condemns all kinds of violence and terrorism in the strongest possible terms. The Conference expresses its deep concern and agony on the present global and national alarming conditions in which most of the nations are adopting such an attitude against their citizens especially Muslims to appease the tyrant and colonial master of the West, which cannot be justified in any way. It is a matter of greater concern that the internal and external policies of our country are getting heavily influenced by these forces. Their aggression, barbarism and state-sponsored terrorism not only in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan but also in Bosnia and various South American countries have surpassed all the records known to human history. Contrary to it, our great nation has always been known for impartiality and its moral and spiritual values. Now the situation has worsened so far that every Indian Muslim especially those associated with madrasas, who are innocent with good record of characters, are always gripped by the fear that they might be trapped by the administrative machinery anytime. And, today countless number of innocent Muslims are spending their lives behind the bars and are forced to bear many intolerable tortures. And, those spreading terror, attacking police stations, killing the police in broad daylight and showing illegal arms are roaming about freely with no effective and preventive steps being taken by the government to check their acts of terrorism and violence. This partial attitude has put a big question mark on the secular character of the government posing great threats to the country. Therefore, this All India Anti-Terrorism Conference strongly condemns this attitude and expresses its deep concern on this partiality of government officials and declares its continuous joint struggles for domination of law, justice and secular system.
This conference strongly demands the Indian Government to curb those maligning the madrasas and Muslims. The administrative machinery should be demanded to conduct impartial investigations in activities disturbing public peace in the country and to punish only those found guilty. It also demands to free the accused if he is found innocent and punish severely those officials who accused him of crimes of terrorism. No person of any particular community should be suspected without solid reasons. In short, the government agencies must fulfill their duty justly without any prejudice and bias so that real peace and security may prevail in the country.
This All India Anti-Terrorism Conference appeals to all intellectuals, writers and media persons to independently and honestly analyze the national and international affairs and avoid to biased and partial attitudes.
Moreover, this All India anti-Terrorism Conference attended by the representatives of all schools of thought appeal to all Muslims to continue, as they always did in the past, their loyalty towards the dear motherland and love and respect towards humanity. It appeals to them to fully understand the present alarming situation, the gravity and intensity of the time, and feel the pulse of the present world so that they might not be employed as tools of evils by anti-Islamic or anti-national forces. It peals to them to live with dignity and pride being faithful to the country, to keep full trust on their leadership, render full support to Islamic madarsas which are valuable assets of the Muslim Ummah, spend their lives in the country following Islamic Shariah and teachings with full confidence. They should always remember that most important things are Islam and practicing it, and, hence, their prime focus should be on enriching their lives with good deeds and noble manners as, in fact, worldly situations deteriorate because of non-practice of Islamic teachings.
Need for holding state-wise conferences against terrorism.
This meeting of working committee of All India madarsas association feels necessary to hold state-wise conferences as it held this grand conference in view of the existing situations. The present situation of the country demands the joint and constant efforts being made to denounce terrorism, biased and discriminatory attitudes of the government against the Muslim community. It needs such conferences to be held in the major places of all the states. This meeting appeals to Darul Uloom Deoband to act as a leader in this direction.
Issued by: Central office, Islamic Madrasas Association
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bjp and its brand of nationalism is the biggest threat karnataka is facing today. bjp ,rss and many of its proxy organisations are hand in glove with the powerful trading communities from the north. stakes are very high for the bjp in these elections, mining ,liquor,hotel,marwari,baniya,bhaiyya lobbies are investing thousands of crores to see bjp win in karnataka.
political decision making abillity of kannadigas is a time-tested power,which has withstood many evil designs. kannadigas will once again destroy bjp-rss sinister plots.
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>> dr ramesh Says:
…kannadigas will once again destroy bjp-rss sinister plots….<<
And we’ll handover the state of karnataka to Mr Gowda and his family.
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Hatred begets hatred, discrimination in the name of Race, sex,religion will only bring in dis-unity. What we need is amalgamation not ethnic cleansing or Talibanisation of India.
Those few priveliged upper-class people with internet access are trying to shove down our throat a coarse form of politics they think is “real politic” as opposed to humane politic. It is also a borrowed hatred not really harboured by us in South India. This Hindu religion which had destroyed itself during the period of Buddhism and Jainism was brough tback to life by the reformists from South India.
By refering to Karnataka becoming the Gujarat of the South, Gauri refers to that brand of Hinduism which destroyed itself due to hate and discrimination in bygone years that is being shoved on Karnataka.
We will welcome the entreprenuer spirit of the Gujarati people, both Hindus and Muslims. The beauty of the Somnath temple but not the ugliness of Moditva.
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No surprise to see all the condemnation and efforts to deny and shut the voice of people like Gauri Lankesh. But the means and words used to shut Lankesh is something which is of concern. Some people are talking of history of only last 1500 years, but can’t they think the ‘VARNA’ system is in place for so many centuries.
Upper caste people (not every brahmin, there are human in them still left) struggling to regain the control on the rest of 70% lower cast and minority people after the have lost in present india. Although they have found the ways to control the minds of lower caste people in the name of hindutva.
whenever there are rites, people who kill and get involved in vandalism and barbarism are not these educate RSS workers, they simply sit behind the doors and rest of the things are done by adivasees (in gujrat), low caste people (in Mumbai & orrisa). Now they are threatening people of state like karnataka by ghost of islamic terrorism. These people had not spared Sikhs also, who layed there life in every struggle which India as gone through. (No muslims never struggled for india…. never ;) )
There is so much to read, see & think if someone is really want to see, listen and bothers about the justice.
All this is not going to help Karnataka or india by anymeans. What is going to help is to really integrate people who are left behind and bring justice to people who are in need of it.
Oh no..no what rubbish I am talking of, forget justice, protection and integration of muslims. how can I say that when, Baby thakrey is behind the North indians (good thing is that, he is not doing it on the basis of relegion this time) They are mostly hindus.
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Related stuff:
Reading between the lines of Deoband fatwa – Tavleen Singh
http://www.indianex press.com/ story/279075. html
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She is a great journo. Her column in her paper – Kundi Haage- is a great reading. Everyone should read her paper. So that she can survive
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dr Ramesh,
There are no Kannadigas in BJP is it? Dont be so cheap. What is your definition of Kannadigas. They should be ex farmers and sleeps on the dias is it? and have Mudde for breakfast, lunch and dinner?! YOur statements show how vain you are. BTW are you Mudde Gowda’s son in law. JDS is like Amoeba. It spits and grows and again splits. And those who left Mudde Gowda recently too are not Kannadigas is it? pl give your brain to laundry!
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It has been a little over a week since Gauri Lankesh went off on the RSS. SLB, the TOI, the Vijayakarnataka, the Hindu, the Mundu, the in-between etc.
Have we seen any of the minorities she believes need her protection take out a procession with a life size cutout of Gauramma? None of the persecuted on whom she lavishes so much care and concern with a deft, Machiavellian touch have come forth to sing her praises. This must not be.
Among the five crore or so Kannadigas there must be at least a 100,000 English knowing persons who have contacts with Gauramma’s nemeses. If they have intimated to those monstrous nationbreakers what this intellectual defender of the sovereigh socialist republic of India has said, I am glad that there has been no public strife caused by the objects of Gauramma’s contempt.
The media are to blame, too. Why haven’t any national or regional outlets of misinformation that Gauramma names taken the trouble to defend themselves? Yet another media conspiracy to still the voice of an enlightened leftist intellectual.
Of even greater concern to me is the fact that the UPA government has not brought forth into being a Board of Media censors and made our Gauramma its czarina.
Kannadigara jaayamaanave heege. Ellavudakku adjust maadkotheevi.
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Your article shows how the people can become intellectually corrupt and bankrupt.
Brahmins ask to ban Samskara what is wrong in that. But most intellectuals dismissed the ban, Brahmins kept quit
Why Satanic verses banned in India? To please Muslims.
Why Da vinci code banned in India? To please Christens
What is wrong in above books. Fact is todays so called intellectuals have become intellectually bankrupt.
Who are these Hindu progressives? Communists with guns?
Who are these Muslim progressives? Coimbatore Blast creators?
You can only say these are Hindu / Muslim progressives.
You only can say Karnataka will become Gujarat (you mean Godhra) probably you want it also.
For me Karnataka will become Gujarat in development. If BJP comes to power.
3 Muslims People arrested.
No smoke with out fire
On innocent thinks he will be killed encounter with out involving in anti social activity.
It is not human right violation they are talking about they are afraid, there deeds will come out, because there are some big heads are involved. To secure them selves they will advise police to eliminated these people in an encounter.
It is also reported that some politicians are advising to go slow on these people.
Only you can say these people are innocent.
(Bombay Blast) Momen brothers got gun license from Hubli Who gave them? Who identified them?
Hubli is always communally tense area, why? You mean to say only Sangha Parivar?
Congress and Muslim both are responsible.
In Hubli things are never normal
There is some truth wait and see.
Do not conclude these people are innocent
You are todays intellectual
Give full supporting hand to Police to get rid of anti social elements from India.
.
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Anil,
Why is anything even remotely considered offensive to Lingaayats easily banned in our land? Maathe Mahaadevi, Banjagere, P. V. Naaraayana, etc., have all been victims of censorship. So have we.
BJP unfortunately has put itself in a situation where it has to be one or the other, democratic or fascist. It has always chosen the latter. I am not saying the Congress is any better.
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The JDS has shown us how ignorance can be king.
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Gauri Lankesh, you are on the right path. U may feel difficulties but don’t give up. All these BJP workers are facsist. They are not proper hindus. For the sake of power they have attached the word “Hindutva”. They are making hindu brothers & our society blind. This will not happen till persons like u remain on the earth. I hope we all understand that we have to be united & we have to build our nation.
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Anthu obru muslimaraadru Gauramnorige kaanike kottaralla. Lage raho Gauri beti.
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Indians are funny–it lets an uneducated housewife run the country, but it does not want the BJP. The BJP was liked by the WEst. It had a vision and plan for and strategy for India in terms of defense–but India seems to like the Commies and Congress. Looks like if given a chance they would make Rahul Gandhi’s hispanic girlfriend the leader of a major party in the future….this is the mentality…has India really gotten out of its colonial mindset? Was McCaulay right in saying that Indians are congenitally incapable of self-rule? Most Indians talk about Gujrat as if that’s the only page in INdian history, but they do not care for their own people who have been kicked out of Kashmir by Islamic fundamentalists. 400,000 live in camps as refugees in their own country. Appeasing the muslims and creating caste divisions by focusing on reservations rather than on universal education through college, India will continue to remain backward. Look at China. They have a strategy for their country, including defense….
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Why is no one concerned about providing universal education and why do they focus on reservations. Serious if you had to go to a heart surgeon at Aiims and he was accepted because of reservations would you really want to have him operate on you? Seriously…How about focusing on universal education till college and improving the quality of schools…Reservations will get India nowhere.
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I was encouraged revisit these posts by Churumuri’s replay of Gauramma’s face.
Whatever happened to our Dental Dhanwantari? I miss his unbridled encomiums to the Gowda clan.
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hi everyone,
These people are those who think that if they tell lies at the rooftop for 1000times all will believe them. This is the fact regarding Gauri Lankesh.
Apart from that Gauri Lankesh supports all those who are against the Nation like Naxalites,Terrorists and anti-nationals. She won’t mind if naxalites hit every part of the Nation, terrorists can strike anywhere they want but our own Gaurakka thinks it is all problem with the Hindus and they are all fascists.Though they die of the BOMB ATTACKS
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Noting that minorities need much greater access to professional education, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the Government would open 370 colleges in educationally-backward districts, a large number of which have a substantial concentration of minority population.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May102008/national2008051067284.asp?section=updatenews
What do you call this? How is this secularism? How come no one is calling this balkanization of India?
If the minorities deserve all that India has to offer then what of the rest of the population? According to Sonia above, non muslims dont deserve eual access to education is it?
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The people like Gauri, URA etc speak against Hindutva, India and civilisation just because we tolerate it. Begum Gauri and Mia URA can u dare to criticise the islamic terrorism when it take lives of the innicent or talk aginst the artist who painted godesses obscenely?
Can you still hold on to the same openion if your families are killed in the terrorist attack? or you mother is painted that way?
Your artical is lillogical, anti india its a deshdroh. A time will come soon when such people will also come under anti terror law and get prisoned.
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Nobody should be “prisoned” for expressing his or her ideas in India. This is not Pakistan or Bangladesh, yet.
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Lankesh Patrike was a good weekly when it was run by Lankesh mestru… now under Gauri Lankesh it is a third class tabloid.
it is very well known fact that … after the inception of Komu Souharda vedike… Naxalism entered Karnataka…follwed by Jihadi elements…
she is an antisocial element and…on behalf of the 5+ crores rastrapremi kannadigas…I appeal to Karnataka govt, judiciary..and NSA formed by Central govt…to keep watch on Gowri Lankesh’s activities
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Ok a lot of msgs. Those who DO come to this page after me, sample P. Krishnamurthy and rational opposition from Mayura.
Others can be skipped.
For light-hearted nonsense refer Software Engineer, he/she’s funny especially when serious.
As JT sings “what goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around….”
Intolerance stems from insecurity. People with true faith shouldn’t have to hate others.
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Great story…A permanent reader gowri never criticize her for being muslim biased. She takes same view point in every case where human rights violated; where police excesses are reported.
She is not wrong today main stream media is completely biased and show one side story of any incident like communal riots. This is superbely used by Sangh parivar to build opinions and devide hindus-muslims.
Cases like cattle slaughtering has become a prime issue and my neibhouring friends think as if I belong to a criminal familiy! This is one of the great contribution of sangh parivar and related media!
No muslim supports any terrorist act what so ever it is. Why do you think muslim support 26/11 bomb blast in mumbai? more than 30% dead are poor muslims of mumbai! No media takes acount of this! For BJP and sangh parivar indian muslims look suspicious…!
We need to get back to the society of before 1980’s where we were living peacefully with our neighbours without suspicion
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please gauri stop your foolish letters.ANANTMURTHY IS STUPID PERSON WHO DOES NOT HAVE ANY IDEOLOGY.
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http://indiawires.com/7892/opinion/tehelka-scary-distortion-of-journalism-values/
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gauri lankesh she is a ‘buddhi jeevi’ like URA. kannadigas no need to learn anything from these buddhi jeevis..
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A search for Bhyrappa’s seminal novel Aavarana turned up this site …
I must congratulate you for your wirting.. for it makes me see even more clearly why we need writers like Bhyrappa.
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Gauri lankesh is proud anti national anti army anti india and anti hindu. she is hafiz saeed funded journalist od india !!!
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