I just came across a rather upsetting article in the New York Times about the Right to Information Act and corruption: A Law Empowers Indians, but Some Pay a Price. The Right to Information Act is an amazing piece of legislation that gives anyone in India, from the rickshaw drivers to the slum-dwellers, access to information that is generally off limits. Stories about its effectiveness are common, and it's a point of pride among my Indian friends. This article exposes another side to the story. Although I would say that the "feudal lord" paragraph is a little exaggerated if not downright condescending/racist, the article makes some bold statements about the probable role of local politicians in the murder that I don't think you would find in Indian media. Newspapers here write about corruption on a daily basis, but I have never encountered stories about corruption-linked killings.
That this tragedy occurred in Gujarat, an Indian state bordering Pakistan to the north and Mumbai to the south, is not altogether surprising. Despite being both a prosperous state and Gandhi's birthplace, Gujarat has recently been one of the most radical regions of the country, witnessing a major outbreak of communal violence in 2002. While my knowledge of modern Indian history and politics is fairly limited, that a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been implicated does not surprise me too much either. In saying this, I'm not being entirely fair. First of all, the BJP is very popular in Gujarat, which means most politicians there would be members anyway, and second of all, I have a personal gripe with the BJP because it is in power in Bangalore and is responsible for the rule that shutters all pubs and bars at the ridiculous hour of 11:30 p.m. Nevertheless, in contrast to Congress who are and have been the most powerful party in India since Independence, to me, the BJP represents the wrong sort of change. While Congress is ineffective, slow, corrupt, and have a far-from-spotless past, they seem at best unifying and at worst relatively harmless. On the other hand, the BJP has roots in a violent, revolutionary organization called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that was actively involved in the massacres following Partition, and the BJP retains something of this radical character to this day. Besides being right-wing, the BJP is closely associated with Hinduism, playing off India's long history of communal strife and thereby, whether directly or indirectly, encouraging future episodes.
On a separate note, I was missing home a little and rediscovered this song and wanted to share it. Basically, I'm making a shameless plug for my good friend Ben's awesome new band called "Beecher's Fault." I have no idea why they go by that silly name, but they are about to release an EP and make it big, so get on the bandwagon while there is still room.
That this tragedy occurred in Gujarat, an Indian state bordering Pakistan to the north and Mumbai to the south, is not altogether surprising. Despite being both a prosperous state and Gandhi's birthplace, Gujarat has recently been one of the most radical regions of the country, witnessing a major outbreak of communal violence in 2002. While my knowledge of modern Indian history and politics is fairly limited, that a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been implicated does not surprise me too much either. In saying this, I'm not being entirely fair. First of all, the BJP is very popular in Gujarat, which means most politicians there would be members anyway, and second of all, I have a personal gripe with the BJP because it is in power in Bangalore and is responsible for the rule that shutters all pubs and bars at the ridiculous hour of 11:30 p.m. Nevertheless, in contrast to Congress who are and have been the most powerful party in India since Independence, to me, the BJP represents the wrong sort of change. While Congress is ineffective, slow, corrupt, and have a far-from-spotless past, they seem at best unifying and at worst relatively harmless. On the other hand, the BJP has roots in a violent, revolutionary organization called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that was actively involved in the massacres following Partition, and the BJP retains something of this radical character to this day. Besides being right-wing, the BJP is closely associated with Hinduism, playing off India's long history of communal strife and thereby, whether directly or indirectly, encouraging future episodes.
On a separate note, I was missing home a little and rediscovered this song and wanted to share it. Basically, I'm making a shameless plug for my good friend Ben's awesome new band called "Beecher's Fault." I have no idea why they go by that silly name, but they are about to release an EP and make it big, so get on the bandwagon while there is still room.
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