To enjoy the freedoms ranging from Speech and Expression to the Freedom to Movement and others lies the concurrent need for legislation to protect the community. However, protagonists of LGBTI rights are mostly silent on the absence of laws to govern their lives and give meaning to the true sense of their ‘freedom’, observes Manu Shrivastava. Interestingly and contrary to popular notions within India, a while back, joining the Parkfield Community School at Birmingham in United Kingdom were four more schools putting an end to lessons on ‘Diversity and LGBT issues.’ These followed following complaints by, none other than,…
Author: mindworks
Despite the inclusion of the term ‘Secularism’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, the Indian State has, even within the framework of Indian Constitution itself, permitted intervention and legislated on issues that, if applied in the strictest of senses, could be in stark violation of the very term ‘Secular’, argues Gajanan Khergamker. To understand the Right to Freedom of Religion in present-day context, the best indicator would be to analyse the manner the Sabarimala episode played out. The Sabarimala imbroglio was, for obvious reasons, a populist bone of contention for political parties that aligned swiftly despite differences for fear of…
Most of the “forwards” on social media are a menace. They are divisive and meant to stir up trouble. We need to be sensible and responsible while dealing with messages that have abuse of propaganda written all over them, counsels Rashmi Oberoi. There are days when you end up getting so many ‘forwards’ that you are forced to just click the delete button in annoyance and in one swift move get rid of a whole lot of trash. Well most forwards are as good as ‘garbage’ and some are even worse that shouldn’t even be given a few seconds of…
Like truth, Mother Nature cannot be trademarked. Nature nourishes all. Sadly, en route in a rat race to the top of the proverbial garbage pile, university degrees, fat paycheques and unimaginable extents of affluence, tend to make one forget this truth, laments G Venkatesh Silver bullets and panaceas do not exist. At least not on the material plane of existence! Yes, yogis, by communion with the Oversoul and the realisation that ‘Man is Soul occupying a Body and possessing a Mind’ do manage sometimes to find one – a cure for human misery and a ticket to eternal, untarnished divine…
Saraswati Samman winner Sharankumar Limbale’s literary flourish is so evident in the 40 books that he has written, but his work on Dalit critical study has been influential and won acclaim. Prof. Avinash Kolhe sketches the man and his work. Sharankumar Limbale (born 1956) Marathi novelist, poet, critic and short story writer, was selected for the 2020 Saraswati Samman, a prestigious literary recognition conferred annually by the K K Birla Foundation. The news took not only him but entire Marathi literary establishment by surprise. Before Limbale, Vijay Tendulkar got this in 1993 and Mahesh Elkunchwar in 2002. Apart from the…
We are in the numbers game now. ‘Influencers’ on the social media with million-odd followers are sought after instead of authentic media platforms. Political posturing, bias, sensationalism and fake narratives are here to stay as also the expletives and cuss words. Gajanan Khergamker takes a critical look at the New Age Media and says “no one gives a damn”. The barrage of expletives and cuss words hurled on the ‘media’, to an arguable extent, is misplaced yet convenient. The media in India has never vouched against indulging in such acts; a self-righteous public considers an anomaly or an illegal diversion…
Freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed by the Indian Constitution but this right, more often than not, is observed more in breach than practice in the guise of creativity. While the conventional and legacy media is usually known to draw a line, the new age social media and the OTT should learn to exercise restraint, feels Manu Shrivastava. Earlier this year, when the web series Tandav found itself mired in controversy, once again bringing to fore issues of freedom of speech and expression and the need of censorship by the authorities, the Indian government finally decided to address the…
Renuka Goel traces the history and evolution of Indian Media that has survived numerous trials and tribulations in the pre and post-independence period. After the economic reforms of the 90s, the country witnessed a technologically-driven Media revolution with foreign players entering the race. Media has come a long way in India and continues to remain one of the most powerful tools of change and sensitisation in the Indian society. Among the older professions in the world, journalism has remained a strong pillar of democracy in most democracies, including India. The history of media in India is very old and interesting,…
Truth may not be a defence every time when it comes to Defamation. The risk of a court failing to find the statement for the ‘public good’ is too high for comfort. Gajanan Khergamker explains the provisions of law relating to defamation and the role of PIL as a tool of justice and means to settle political scores. The Freedom of Press isn’t an absolute right and does not immunise you from the processes of law particularly if your Freedom borders on either Defamation or isn’t for Public Good. Now, where defamation is concerned, particularly for the media, it must…
The social media is a double-edged weapon. While on the one hand it empowers the common man, it also comes with attendant risks. Popular though because of its accessibility and reach, it also can pose a menace and calls for guidelines that can bring transparency and accountability to its practitioners. Mukti Chawla weighs the pros and cons. On 25 February 2021, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, Ravi Prasad and Communications, Ravi Prasad and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Prakash…