My mind keeps going back to that old man and his ailing wife.  They have not just been defeated by life; they have been mauled by it.  Three of their sons cut down in the prime of their lives by the direct orders of the notorious criminal tuned politician Mohd. Shahabuddin.  Two of the brothers were doused in acid and the third one, though initially let go, was also subsequently gunned down because he refused to be cowed down, and as a sole witness to the gruesome killings of his brothers, was testifying against Shahabuddin in a court of law.  It is nearly impossible to wrap your head around the fact that this savage brutality took place because the family which owned two small time grocery stores was either unwilling or unable to meet the ever increasing extortionate and illegal demands of money by the henchmen of this vilest of Mafiosi. 

   I think anybody who is mature enough to understand the realities of the state in the last 15 years or so is familiar with the ways of Shahabuddin.  In my mind’s eye, I often imagine the town of Siwan, the personal fief and nerve center of his reign of terror.  Now, small towns like Siwan kind of hold a strange fascination for me.  Nothing much happens, a quiet desperation always bubbling underneath the surface.  There is no sense of renewal, only decay.  The place and circumstances are tailor-made for someone like Shahabuddin to emerge as some kind of an intermediary between the state and the people.  And because the modern functional state has been unraveling for a while now, gangsters like Shahabuddin worm their way into the mix and almost by default become the interface between the government and the people.

   A creeping metamorphosis takes place.  The man is courted and patronized by the political class for his considerable ability to deliver votes to the highest bidder in the electoral arena.  You see, we never fail to make such a big song and dance about our democracy.  This is only partly justified; because even though the hardware of our democracy--like regular elections, peaceful transfer of power and a thoroughly autonomous Election Commission—is working fine; but the software of our democracy—like mainly to repeal of inner party democracy, credible source of funding, the near epidemic nepotism and a feudal value system—is absolutely corrupted, and has grievously compromised its capacity to rein in the likes of Shahabuddin.  When you look at his photographs or videos, you can’t escape the feeling that this man actually quite revels in his criminality.  This unadulterated realization that you can’t just intimidate people, but you can crush them to the extent that they are reduced to nothing. 

   Sometimes, I am also mesmerized by the aura of remorseless evil around him, and then I am almost thankful for the kind of vision it provides me with as to how irredeemably diabolical people creep up on society and hollow it out, aided and abetted by the destructive cynicism of the political class.  

One last word on Burkini ban and I will rest my case.  Like my good friend Sweta commented on my previous post, I am second to none in my unstinting support for freedom of choice and women’s right to be who they want to be and live how they want to live.  But you know, every time a Muslim woman fights for her purely legitimate right to put on Burking or any other kind of veil in the name of cultural identity in a liberal Western society, it strikes a blow against thousands of woman who are struggling to discard full body Hijab in the oppressive Muslim world from Arabia to Africa.  Sometimes symbolism becomes more important than substance.  After all, why were so many women burning their bras on the streets of New York and other cities of United States in the 70s during the feminist movements?

In India the moment you achieve even some minor sporting success and PV Sindhu’s achievements are by no means minor, but I hope you catch the drift.  Now everybody in this country wants a piece of her.  Ever since she has come back from Rio Olympics, there have been endless rounds of felicitations, from politicians, to private organizations, to many charities and whatnot.  There have also been some ritual temples hoping thrown in for good measure.   People just want to milk her success for all its worth.  I mean it must create so much distraction.  I just hope all this adulation doesn’t go to her head and she loses focus.

I have no hesitation in admitting that I am a shameless celebrity watcher, not so much of the Indian variety but international one.   But there is one so called ‘’celebrity’’ that I positively loath has to be Miley Cyrus.  I just don’t fancy her at all.  I know and have also seen some of the numerous naked pictures she has posted online.  But seriously, who would be interested in seine Miley Cyrus naked!!  Even if somebody pays me to collect naked pictures of her, I’d thanks but no thanks.   

In the wake of the controversy surrounding the ban on Burkini enforced by the French authorities, I was wondering where do you stand of this.  Personally, I don't have too much problem with this.  I fully understand the logic and desirability of freedom of choice for not only women, but for every human being.  However, this piece of garment is an innovative idea to exercise a kind of trendy control over women's bodies.  Even if a lot of women have adopted this out of their own choice, my point is that they have done so because of the way they have been conditioned in Islamic societies, to regard their physical self as the repository of the family's honor and shame, and I have a major issue with that.  I think anything whether intended or otherwise is able to knock down the hidebound patriarchal edifice is not necessarily a bad thing is it?  People have dissed women in bikini for far too long.  This is a redressing of balance if you will, but for entirely different reasons.