Kashmir policy
The entire Kashmir leadership is controlled by Kashmiri-speaking politicians and activists. There is no representation from the other regions of the state such as Jammu and Ladakh.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is extensively diverse linguistically, culturally, religiously and geographically. Somehow, the impression is created that everybody in the state is Kashmiri-speaking. The same applies to 'Azad Kashmir' which is governed by Pakistan. Nobody there speaks Kashmiri nor do they identifiy culturally with the Valley.
Unless a correction in the "Kashmir problem" is made to recognise the diverse realities of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, only then it can be discussed among all the concerned parties. In its present avatar, the Kashmir Issue itself is unrealistic and undemocratic. – Promod Puri
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What we have been witnessing over the past several decades is that India has been continuously committing heinous crimes against the Kashmiri people, violating the LoC. The recent killing of several civilians near the Sialkot border is known to everyone.
Indian involvement in Balochistan and Karachi is very obvious now. What scares India the most is that Pakistan has been making a speedy recovery from "terrorism" by breaking the backbone of the Taliban and massive operations against the MQM, apart from the Balochistan Liberation Army's surrender to the Pakistan government.
India is disturbed by this and overly worried by the "Pakistan-China" corridor. This has jolted the Indian think-tank as they are reluctant to swallow this reality.
India is equally responsible for this breakdown of the peace process. We, the people of Pakistan, desperately want all outstanding issues with India to be resolved through peaceful dialogue. However, on most occasions, it's India which is running away from the discussion table. – Sajjad Khan Bangash
Seeking reforms
Instead of imposing the government's will or that of some fake NGOs having no roots in the community, those who want to improve the condition of Muslims should help spread education and improve their economic status.
They should help to rescue the Muslims from the widespread bias and prejudice against them in all the spheres of life. Any movement to reform the personal law must grow from within the community. – Mohammad Mustahsan
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I have read the 212-page report by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. It has done two things for me. Firstly, I now understand that even a religion-based law can be gender just. Uniform Civil Code need not be the only way. Secondly, the future of the community is in the hands of women. The likes of the Owaisis are useless.
Shoaib Daniyal asks why the Indian state doesn't listen. Well, for starters, the lunatic clerics are the only ones who have systematically engaged with the state. Now that Muslim feminists are attempting an engagement, the state will be forced to listen.
Moreover, the moment the Indian state wants to do something, the "secular" left-liberal media, in cahoots with the Mullahs, will scream "threat to secularism". The international media will pick it up and will say Muslims are being harassed in India.
Just try to remember the kind of Islamic mobilisation that happened after the Shah Bano case. So, unless the left liberal secularists stop being in bed with the most obscurant elements among the right-wing clerics, no govt will have the courage to codify Muslim personal law. – Soumyakanti Chakraborty
Atrocities against Dalits
The general masses seem to get confused between reservation issues and human rights with regard to the Dalits. A section of the society is under the impression that the inhumane treatment meted out to the Dalits is because they "enjoy excessive benefits under quota system".
They fail to comprehend that the quota system continues, or rather that there's a need to continue it, because of the Dalits being denied rights even in the 69th year of independence. A section of society is still unable to digest socio-economic upliftment of the so-called untouchables. It becomes a vicious cycle. – Qudsia Gandhi
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If the Dalits are a soft target for violence and humiliation in a village in which they are large in number, then they are not safe anywhere in India. What is the meaning of independence for them?
To escape this tyranny of casteist Hindus, they convert to Christianity or Islam. But then Hindus start chest-beating. Why then Dalits should not view them as their worst enemies who do not allow them to live a life of dignity?
They also think it is their right to commit atrocities against Dalits and despite this humiliation, expect them to remain loyal to Hinduism. Till the caste system and its genesis is buried as a foundation of Hinduism, it will remain the biggest threat to Dalits and their future. – Sunil Bagde
ISIS' destructive streak
However, the balance is limited to the extent of knowledge about Islam. The Satanic Verses is false, as is the evidence that supports it. In any case, Islam does not permit the destruction of holy places by our own will.
How could a religion that doesn’t permit cutting trees during wartime consider such an act? Everything is clearly and precisely written in Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad. We are supposed to live our lives according to what is written in Quran and by understanding the life of our Prophet and the Shariat.
If some individuals or groups deviate from these teachings, then they are not acting according to Islam. There is no lenient, liberal or extreme side of Islam. Islam is for all humankind. It is the people who distort the meaning of Islam. – Humam
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It is religious tenets, not political drive, that encourage ISIS to commit such acts of desecration against humanity. This perverse action may result in a temporary political victory, but the ancient relics are gone forever.
We cannot keep justifying the dastardly acts of fundamental Islamists, who in my opinion are more harmful to humanity than any other extreme and violent individuals. If we keep doing this, then they will be in our backyards before long. – Suresh Krishanan
Potential asset
I think Zakir Naik would be an asset for India because he personally knows the heads of state of 56 Islamic countries and could be of great assistance as an ambassador ("
Why a Saudi award for televangelist Zakir Naik is bad news for India’s Muslims"). Not only could he help in cultivating a good relationship, but he could also help on the economic front too by seeking investment in India, apart from aiding the eradication poverty worldwide.
– Saed J Rahman
Undercooked reportage
This matter of the Italian marines provoked a sentiment of hypernationalism in 2012 and was widely used by the now-ruling political party for propping itself as the protector of the rights of Indians. But the latest developments certainly seem to have no bearing on the conscience of the ruling political class anymore.
I think people should be made aware of the real facts of this case – most importantly, the fact that an international tribunal has now admitted a case brought before it by Italy, which seeks to deprive India of the opportunity to inquire, investigate and prosecute the killings of its fishermen by Italian guards. How the tribunal finally decides this case remains to be seen, but not covering a story – or explaining what it means – is a blatant disservice. – Dr. Mohit Kumar
He's no 'iron man'
Let him study the life and sacrifices made by great Gujaratis. He will only ruin Gujarat and make it a backward state. The country should have very strict laws and not encourage all this nonsense. – baptys on email
Ominous sign
Also, it establishes without doubt the past and present Gujarat government's subversion of justice, apart from indicting the 'not-so-honourable' Prime Minister Narendra Modi – Ahraz Athar
Grey areas
Teaching is not merely a matter of imparting education. There are administrative aspects to the profession. While these may need to be addressed, the fact remains that irrespective of whether you have the no-detention policy or not, children do suffer.
Regular comprehensive tests are not easy for either the children or teachers. This is not to say that end-of-year exams are the solution. I'm merely trying, albeit rather poorly, to state that the matter isn't as straightforward as the writer appears to suggest.
With a little more effort, she could have offered a more comprehensive article that would have given a more satisfying answer or raised more nuanced questions. In its current form, the article simply appears to want to pin the blame on either teachers or administrators. I would hope the editors at Scroll.in agree that matters are not simply black and white. – J Banerjee
Right to die
The Jains call it Sallekhana, which has been practised by great people since ancient times. Some great saints also went into an everlasting trance. – Sham Mangal
Questionable research
Firstly, the writer has failed to do his fair share of research. Has journalism really sunk so low? He unintentionally makes it obvious he has no previous insight of either the life of Ma. Po. Ke or the Cilappatikāram – only what could be garnered from the Wikipedia articles about either. I would say there's nothing inherently wrong about it, but it strongly reeks of amateurism.
Perhaps the only piece of originality on the part of the writer is the stringing together of the Cilappatikāram and the use of it in identifying the Tamil homeland by Ma. Po. Ke. Such being his thesis, the writer should have spent great deal of time outlining the details of his theory, not least of which is to include the exact references in Cilappatikāram to the Tamil homeland employed by Ma. Po. Ke.
The writer should take this as constructive criticism. It certainly is good attempt to shed light on ancient Tamil literature (considering how woefully inadequate its coverage in the mainstream media is) and I look forward to more such articles. – Joseph Sakaya
Extremist leanings
The attempt to impose yoga on the entire country was nothing but forced Hinduisation. How can Pegida not differentiate between the two fascist impositions? If they can tell the difference, they will not call on Modi to attend their Dresden meeting. – Ghulam Muhammed
Pride of the past
I understood by instinct that Sanskrit had well-structured grammar and clearer rules. I assumed that studying those rules and constructs would provide insight into how a language for artificiaI intelligence could be built and nothing more.
But Indians feel particularly proud about anything that the West appreciates or tries to explore, without trying to understand what is being said. Their innate pride just takes over and they feel on top of the world.
Unfortunately, most of the time it is just ancient achievements that give us a boost. Our culture was great, but the question is: are we building on it? – Jay Nair
Balanced view
What I like best is that you refrain from passing your personal judgments and have tried to tell both sides of the story. Most accounts on this issue lack this underrated but extremely important quality. I hope you continue to educate young Indians with your wonderful, unbiased writing style. – Priya Chetty
Yogic insight
