Indian news & views briefly

NOV 22: Already under Islamist ire for wearing a short skirt and midriff-baring top on court, Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza�s reported comments that she supported Tamil actress Khushboo's views on pre-marital sex stirred a hornet�s nest.

Due to her candid endorsement of pre-marital safe sex, the 19-year-old Muslim then came under attack from both Islamists and Hindu fundamentalists and was forced to retract her opinion when an irate mob burned effigies of her.

Sania reacted to a question by a journalist at a recent press conference in Cochin, and walked out of it after she was questioned on premarital sex, a subject that has already gotten her in trouble with orthodox Islamic clergy in India.

Earlier this month, while speaking at a leadership summit in Delhi, advocating safe sex, Mirza had said, "You don't want me to tell you that you have safe sex, whether it is before or after marriage. Everyone must know what he or she is doing."

With affronted Muslim clerics issuing a fatwa against her dress code and insisting she "covers up" and keeps her mouth zipped on touchy topics � and the contemporary generation supporting her freedom of speech and the right to wear what she deems fit � the debate seems unlikely to end anytime soon.

In a statement to the media, Women's WORLD (India), expressed grave concern over the vicious public crusade against these women: "Personal opinions on the existence or non-existence of premarital sex cannot be taken as insults to communities or cultures. This kind of culture policing and mob censorship has serious implications for freedom of expression � this trend towards targeting women for speaking their minds is a retrogressive step � It is a sign of the bankruptcy of our political action that a remark like this is blown out of proportion to generate hate and rouse public anger when far more important issues of injustice, corruption, livelihoods, and survival are not touched upon ... Forced apologies � should be seen as a blow to a democratic culture of freedom of thought and expression."

In a recent interview, veteran Indian actress Shabana Azmi told Rediff.com, "The Jamiat-e-Ulemai Hind and the Muslim Law Board have both distanced themselves from this. Why should every utterance of a non-entity be projected, as the voice of the Muslim majority? � A fatwa is only an opinion that is sought from a mufti who is considered so well versed in the Shariyat that he should be able to give his opinion. A fatwa is not a diktat, it's not binding."

And so the controversy ploughs on � We conducted a straw poll cutting across age, region and strata and asked people across India and Pakistan for their opinion on the whole sordid controversy.

Here�s what they said:

Emmad Irfani, supermodel, Pakistan: "She [Sania Mirza] has the right to say anything she feels like because it is her point of view. After all, we have the freedom of speech. I cannot comprehend the double standards of mullahs. They are okay with Muslim girls like Tabu and Nigar Khan dancing in minis in movies. But they aren�t okay with a professional tennis player in a sports kit."

Manav Chandna, student, Pune: "Well, she is in trouble because of a few idiots in Hyderabad and that is sad. That said, she is a celebrity and celebrities have to be careful as to what they say publicly. She being a brand ambassador for leading brands cannot afford to let her public image down. So I guess if it makes people happy, her retracting the statement is fine. On the short skirt controversy, as long as she can playing well and keep winning, she can keep their mouth shut! As far as their protests are concerned, she needs to tell them that bombing the whole damn world is unislamic too. Her skirt is not destroying the world!"

Ashwin Sokke, web consultant, Bangalore: "She is Indian first � and a Muslim later � and all she said was �practice safe sex.� AIDS is on a high note in India. I think she should continue to speak her mind! At least the drama around this issue and the media hype will get enough attention on �safe sex� per se and send the message across to the youth."

Sandhya Chhib, television actress, Mumbai: "It�s her [Sania] personal belief, and just as you can have a radical view on anything from sex to Superman, the same should apply to Sania Mirza too. Being a celebrity does not mean you lose your right to express your thoughts! As for people being �allowed� to have pre-marital sex, well, nothing can stop them anyways! It is these stingy, hypocritical norms of society, which encourage people to covertly go to prostitutes, watch porn and create MMS scandals. Did the punishment stop the MMS brigade? No! It only worked to enhance it!"

Suhana Shridhar, legal transcriber, New Delhi: "The self-appointed morality brigade may be objecting to Sania Mirza's wardrobe, but there's nothing in the Indian law that prohibits a woman from dressing the way she wants. It is entirely up to the individual. A woman should use her own discretion to decide whether she should wear a salwar kameez, jeans, miniskirts or shorts."

Yatin Malik, fashion stylist, Kolkata: "Are we still living in the Dark Ages that women are taking such treatment lying down? And why are religious bodies interfering in the sports arena? If the rules say that you must wear a skirt while playing tennis, then what is one supposed to do? Sania Mirza is a national level player and cannot go on court wearing a salwar kameez! This is ridiculous! If she caves in to pressure, it is only a matter of time before someone prohibits swimmers from wearing a bikini."

Amin Kuttir, student, Bangalore: "I am appalled by the media's obsession to turn a non-issue into an issue. I personally feel Sania�s opinion was not wrong. If India calls itself a developing nation, one has to move along with the changing times and accept such things."

Kidnapped driver found dead

NOV 23: The body of M Raman Kutty has been found in southern Afghanistan.

Ramankutty Maniyappan, a driver with state-run Border Roads Organization, went missing in the Afghanistan's southern province of Nimroz on Saturday. The Taleban said on Tuesday they killed him.

Three Afghans were also seized.

Maniyappan's body had been dumped by the roadside. India's government called the killing "inhuman and barbaric".

State-run Border Roads Organization are building a strategic 218km road linking Delaram on the motorway connecting Kanadahar and Herat and Zaranj on the Iran border. Some 300 Indians, mostly from southern India are working on the $83m road project.

Indian kidnapped near Kandahar

NOV 20: An Indian driver involved in construction of highways in Afghanistan has reportedly been kidnapped along with three co-workers by the Taliban from the Nimroz province.

Suspected Taliban rebels kidnapped the driver and three Afghans working on a road construction project between the Southern city of Kandahar and Herat in the West.

The driver was among some 300 Indians working on a strategic 218km road linking Delaram on the motorway connecting Kanadahar and Herat and Zaranj on the Iran border. Some of them belong to state-run Border Roads Organization, where Mr Kutty works as a driver. A number of Afghan and Iranian workers were also working on this $83m road project.

Diamond�s as good as Viagra

HYDERABAD, Nov. 19: You need not pop a Viagra to pep up that flagging libido. You can achieve a similar result by wearing a diamond on the ring finger of your right hand. If you are a woman, wearing a diamond on the ring finger of your left hand will cure you of sexual debility.

These are prescriptions of Vedic medical astrology, which is fast becoming popular in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and other parts of the State. Vedic medical astrology differs from other astrological disciplines in that it uses the moving zodiac. It is based on ancient Hindu religious texts.

�Yes, it has an antidote for every health problem,� says practitioner Ch. Venkatasubbaiah. �Of course, the astrologer should know his scriptures. Every disease and every part of the human body is linked to some heavenly body.�

According to him, venereal diseases, skin problems and low sperm count are caused by the �bad placement� of Venus in one�s birth chart. The cure lies in gemology, an integral part of Vedic medical astrology. Vedic medical astrology is itself a branch of the sprawling system of Vedic astrology. The system of medicine was practiced by saints and sages of yore.

A Vedic medical astrologer assesses a patient by drawing a horoscope based on time, place and date of the birth. The practitioners believe that men and women suffer from different kinds of diseases. �It works on the well-established system of bio-energy movements,� said Mr Venkatasubbaiah.

Brain-related disorders and emotional imbalances are traced to the bad placement of the moon in one�s birth chart or by an unfavorable transit of the moon. The cure is simple: wear a pea-sized natural pearl on the little finger of right hand. Women, as usual, should wear it. (Source: Deccan Chronicle)