Gripevine

The Mahabharata one of Hinduism's greatest epic, the other being the Ramayana, does not belong to India alone. As Hinduism spread beyond the subcontinent, so to did the exploits of the Mahabharata heroes. In Bali literally the last bastion of Hinduism in Southeast Asia, one cannot help but notice how the Hindu culture of this island is influenced by this epic tale. If you know the story and all its characters, you will know what I mean. My brief sojourn in Bali right after Diwali in November 2013, reminded me of this story, from the places I visited to the beautiful statues found around the island. The view from my room at the Astana Kunti Suite Apartments in Seminyak, Bali, where we stayed. "Astana" means palace, and Kunti is the mother of the famous Pandava princes of the Mahabharata epic. A statue of Arjuna who was famed for his prowess in archery. One of the heroes of the Mahabharata. A statue of Ghatotkacha, the demon son of Bheema or Bhima ...

At about 5pm on Wednesday October 17, as I was running through a list of stories submitted by reporters that day, one particular headline caught my eye - Abused 4-year-old-girl flees from home. There are many cases where very young children are abused, but rarely does a child that young actually leave! I read the raw copy submitted by the reporter and found that there was an accompanying photo to go with the story too, as police were hunting for the girl's parents. The story would definitely make an interesting read, and a quick search revealed that other news websites had not published the story yet, plus 5pm to 7pm is the peak period when the website experiences heavy traffic. In short this was a story that would definitely garner a lot of reads. However I decided not to put up the story just yet. In journalism sensitivity is key Anybody who works in journalism, and even those who don't, must surely know that when reporting on cases of violence and abuse agains...

Pakistani girl-wonder Malala Yousafzai and Congolese rape trauma surgeon Denis Mukwege have emerged as strong contenders for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize to be announced today. Both are championing the cause of women. Malala wants girls to be able to get an education and better their lot, while Mukwege has treated thousands of women raped by militias and soldiers in Congo. His Panzi Hospital has been a refuge for rape victims for many years now. Vocal activists and critics of systems that don't recognise the rights of women, Malala and Mukwege both escaped death by a hair's breath but never quit in championing their respective causes. Escaping death On Oct 9, 2012, Malala was shot by gunmen for her activism against a Taliban campaign to close schools in Pakistan's Swat Valley. Since her recovery she has travelled widely, giving powerful speeches advocating the right for every girl to have an education. Recently she has expressed a wish to return to ...

 Friday the 13th marked a milestone for India, not because they won a cricket championship, not because a new leader came into power or a new law was passed in Parliament. It was because four men were sentenced to hang for a brutal gang rape in December 2012 that repulsed not just India, but the world. So what is the milestone that has been achieved here.....? First was the way the men and women of India reacted to the crime, they thronged the streets of New Delhi and brought the capital to a halt as they demanded for justice. The President, Prime Minister and the top police personnel must have heaved a sigh of relief after the funeral of the 23-year-old student whom the people called "Brave heart" and "India's daughter" was concluded without incident in the early hours of Dec 30, 2012. The funeral itself was conducted under heavy security presence, in attendance were cabinet ministers and prominent politicians. When she lost her brave battle to liv...

I am not highlighting this story in my blog because of my empathy towards my canine friends. Naturally this story stood out when I first read it in August, because of the kindness shown to helpless animals. I wanted to write about it then, but I got busy.  It's been a month now, but stories like this one never goes stale, plus the struggles of the hero in question is ongoing. He's a 50-year-old cop in Beijing who rescues dogs confisticated in a crackdown on oversized and unregistered dogs. How does he rescue them? He steals them. Yes, he goes back to the police station late at night when there are less people around, removes the dogs from the cages and sneaks them out. He keeps several dogs at home in defiance of regulations allowing only one dog per-household, several more at an office guardhouse and actively goes online to find new homes for the rescued dogs. Why does he go to all the trouble at the risk of losing his job and facing the full force of the...

 In the first study of its kind, more than 10,000 men in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka were interviewed on the prevalence of rape. The study by South Africa's Medical Research Coucil revealed the following: Almost one in four men surveyed in Asia said they committed rape at least once. One in 10 men said they had raped a woman who wasn’t their partner. Just under half of the perpetrators said they had raped more than one woman. The most common reason men gave for the violence was sexual entitlement, followed by entertainment and the wish to punish the woman. Men with a history of physical violence against a partner, or who had paid for sex or had had a large number of sexual partners were more likely to rape someone they didn’t know.    The study which aims to create a safer future for the next generation of women and girls was published by the Lancet Global Health Journal. Read more of this grou...

 It was a Sunday May 19, I was actually going to light the prayer lamp at 7pm, but since I had only eaten a light lunch, I decided to get some dinner at the Chinese restaurant near my apartment.  The square in which the restaurant is located, is familiar territory to me as I usually go there for my meals. That evening as I entered the square, I heard a cat meowing very loudly, I looked around, but there was no cat to be found.  As I approached the restaurant, the meows got louder, it was then that I saw a little orange kitten sitting a few feet away from the restaurant, meowing at the top of his lungs. From the distance where I stood, he seemed fine, I assumed that he was probably looking for his mother who must be in the vicinity. At this point, one of the restaurant workers came out and was about to kick the little fellow, but the kitten swiftly hopped down the stairs near the back of the restaurant. I went to the stairs and peered over the railing,...