#221

The five judges of the Supreme Court of India, by delivering such a historic verdict yesterday decriminalizing homosexuality in the country, have not only struck a massive blow in favor of the basic constitutional and human rights of the sexual minorities in India but have also enhanced the prestige of the nation in the whole world.  I especially take my hat's off to the only woman justice on the bench Justice Indu Malhotra, who said that history owes an apology to all the people, who over many many years have been brutalized, ostracized, humiliated, and casually discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.
   What is truly a sad aspect of all this is that it took the highest judiciary to nullify the section 377 of the Indian Penal Code; which has become an instrument of Victorian morality to harass and persecute the members of the LGBT community.  If only our political leadership had taken the initiative in repealing this obnoxious law in parliament, now that would have been a real progress.  But even as their Lordships were enunciating such a remarkable and far-reaching judgment, barring a few honorable exceptions, there was an uncomfortable radio silence from our elected representatives.
     I did not expect the BJP government to come out in support of the striking down section 377, but it's no small mercy that they did not actively oppose it because, in this country, the heavy hand of the state is present in virtually every sphere of a citizen's life.  This is a significant milestone in terms of equality and human rights.  Every battle is important.  Every victory, big or small, matters.  The next goal should be the right to have a civil union between the same-sex couple.  If that were to come to pass some day, then our brothers and sisters belonging to the LGBT community will have been fully integrated into the social fabric of our nation.

#220

81 years-old Republican senator from Arizona, John Mccain has decided to discontinue his ongoing treatment for terminal stage brain cancer.  This is a poignant moment not only for his family but for everyone who believed in the politics based on ethics and conviction.  To say that Mr. John Mccain is an honorable man would be a gross understatement.  He's been the epitome of grace and courage under fire, sometimes literally so.  In October of 1967, at the height of the Vietnam war, while on a bombing mission over Hanoi, his plane was shot down and he was taken POW by the North Vietnamese.  He survived a brutal torture by them until his release in 1973.  The physical abuse he suffered as a prisoner-of-war left a debilitating lifelong impact on the body.
  Mr. Mccain showed a similar bloody-mindedness and defiant streak when he entered politics and ran for public office.  He's been known to be a bit of a maverick in the GOP establishment, which means he would be with them, but not beholden to them.  He would judge each issue on its own merit, and not be constrained by the party's agenda.  I can never forget how despite being sick, he specifically flew up to the Capitol in Washington DC last year in order to vote on the repeal of the Obama care.  Going against the party's stand, he clearly believed that taking away the affordable healthcare from millions of middle-class Americans was an immoral idea.  The way senator Mccain dramatically took the floor and after looking around for a few minutes, made a thumbs down gesture at the chair, signifying his vote against the proposal.  That was pure theater.  It's, of course, another matter that president Trump, in subsequent months, did a lot to undermine the provisions of the act in the name of curbing fiscal profligacy, but he's not been able to repeal the law thanks to that single vote by senator Mccain.  I think he should be remembered as someone who made being socially conservative an attractive proposition.
   Senator John Mccain is at peace with the inevitable and is preparing to be claimed by the Grim Reaper.  One hopes that when the hour does arrive for him to cross over to the other side, he will go away gently and without too much fuss.  John Mccain is a true patriot.

#219

The other day, was able to catch a fine interview of Kamal Haasan on NDTV. I really like him, and have a lot of time for him. I hope he succeeds in politics. What I liked most about him in that interview was that he clearly said that he is an atheist and that he did not believe in any God. So, it follows that religion will have no presence in his political journey. Now, for an aspiring politician in India, it takes some courage to say so upfront. Here's wishing he stays true to his words.

#218

Yesterday, I wrote on Twitter that sometimes, I get the feeling that in my lifetime, I'm not going to see, let alone the end, not even decline of the political dominance of Modi-Shah's BJP in India.  I think it did touch a chord with quite a few people somewhere.  Because in the space ten minutes, a lot of people liked and also retweeted my tweet.  Some also replied to me saying that I am exactly echoing their own sentiment on this.  The prominent supreme court lawyer Mr. Sanjay Hegde, who occasionally appears on TV debates on NDTV, and with whom I am on very good terms on Twitter (we both follow each other), responded by saying that 'the night is at its darkest just before dawn, may your life be long, and their reign short.'  I thought that was quite interesting.  Anyway, it felt good that one of my considered views gained some traction on social media.

#217

One interesting nugget of information that I came across after reading quite an enjoyable memoir of Karan Thapar is that, contrary to her carefully cultivated persona of a jet-setting international relations and human rights lawyer, who is always fighting for the individual human rights and free speech; Ms. Amal Cloony is quite the hypocrite when it comes to applying the same yardsticks when it relates to her personal conduct.

#216

Does Mr. Nitish Kumar's morality only extend to denying people their right to have a quiet drink after a hard day's work, and kill all joy?  His morality is definitely in short supply when it comes to taking action against the concerned minister and the officials on whose watch the sexual abuses of destitute women and children have been going on for months and years in the shelter homes across the state?  Merely conducting an investigation is not good enough.  The Chief Minister should show some spine, and sack the minister Ms. Manju Verma, and suspend the senior officials related to the department pending a thorough, time-bound inquiry into this utterly despicable state of affairs.

#215

Anybody who is saying that we should not politicize mob-lynchings is either being patently dishonest or they just want to keep their heads buried in the sand, Ostrich-like, believing that if you remain oblivious to the sweeping winds of hate against the Muslim community in the country these days, the menace will disappear. No, it's not until and unless we keep this issue at the left, right and the center of politics. It's bloody well a political issue. And it should be.