Niketa and Harsh Mehta have been in new for the last two days with their 24-week foetus that they want to abort. The High Court has still not decided the fate of the foetus diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The existing law does not permit abortion more than 20 weeks after conception. This has led to quite a nationwide debate as the mother of the unborn child says, “I just want a healthy child. I don’t want it to suffer. Even if you do not consider the suffering me and my family will go through, at least think of the miserable life the child will be forced to lead.” Even their doc Nikhil Datar stands by the appeal with a medical reason. “The child will have to be fitted with a pacemaker the moment it is born, which will have to be replaced every four years.
In my opinion, the Mehtas are not justified in taking the life of their unborn child. C’mon won’t more than half of our nation come forth to abort their female foetuses saying, “Oh, it is so difficult for a girl to have a normal life in our country. They are molested, raped and discriminated against all the time. I don’t want a miserable life for my child.” The argument is as shallow as the one offered by the Mehta missus. Life should be given a chance to take its own course because miracles and breakthrough medicine do happen all the time. I can’t seem to understand what the Mehtas are panicking about? I even hear some activists willing to adopt the unborn kid.

Via CNNIBN

Husbands harassed by their wives under false dowry charges have finally, yelled “charge” as we saw in the recent incident in Bangalore almost a week ago. The banner accompanying them says ‘Save Indian Family Foundation’. For the uninitiated, it is a seven years old organization and has 8000 members.

It has been found that are increasingly being falsely implicated under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and anti-dowry law (of 498a). These Acts have been found to be draconian as they are “non-bailable, non-compoundable (complaint that can’t be quashed) and cognizable (arrests without investigation or warrants) on a report from a woman or close relative. In fact, they have been compared to the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act as it is cognizable. Mind you, POTA was scrapped.
Of course, women groups are refusing to compromise because the crime bureau reports every second Indian woman commits suicide because of dowry demands. However, the time has come when men are not taking things quiet. Why should they when they are being battered by the law without a fault of theirs. A very tricky situation for the law of our country to be in, that too because of those who love to “misuse”.

Read

 
‘Surprises every minute’, the revamped mobile service provider Vodafone’s tagline makes similar promises in that unusual bright carroty red ads that you get to see all around. And they are so true. A blogger shares the completely unexpected surprise she got. Apparently, she received a bill from Vodafone that said she needs to pay 25 rupees for two downloads – callertune from Onmobile for 15 rupees and wallpaper from Hungama at a cost of 10 rupees. Exact dates and times of the two downloads are mentioned. But even that didn’t help with the image of mobile service provider’s, because the blogger had not made any of these downloads. Interestingly, she has had the same caller tune for months now and she doesn’t like wallpapers either. Wonder where did the fake data come from?
No, she did not accidentally click on a link in one of the oh-so-many SPAM messages sent by Vodafone. Now, even wasting 10 minutes on a call to customer care will not guarantee a solution for her because there is always some policy that the customer care rep doesn’t know and so usually reverts later…how much later? So, like million other Vodafone subscribers our dear blogger too gives up. Wasn’t I talking of surprises in the beginning?
Via YouthCurry

 
Do not be disgusted just with the title. The actual act is more heinous. And the latest statistics seems to suggest, asserts Jhoomur Bose, that if the condition of social security doesn’t improve, India will have three women who have been raped. The 2-month-old babies are not being included here because they usually die after having been raped. Or the two-and-a-half year old infant who’s throat was slashed by her ‘friendly’ neighbor after he had raped her.
Even the old are not safe. Hearing tales of grandmothers being raped leave a vacuum of helplessness in us women. How shameful it is that no girl in the country can deny not being misbehaved with at least once in her lifetime. Rape is not necessarily the penetration of the hymen but also rape of innocence, destruction of self-confidence and a future that could have been so much better had it not been scarred by groping hands. Bose says that if situation doesn’t improve for women, we will soon be having Raped Ladies’ Nights at pubs in place of kitty parties. Oh, God!
Via EveEmancipation

Syeda Semim Zahan’s blog entry grabbed my attention immediately. No she’s no celebrity or a writer by profession but an educated, burqaless Muslim woman living with fear. She shares one of her conversations with a stranger, which goes as follows:
“Madam are you a Musalmaan?”
“Yes. But how do you know?”
“Oh, you get letters at the address 2047.”

Imagine the effect this little informal talk had on Zahan, “So they have registered my identity in case there is a riot.” Such is the plight of a Muslim in India, be it a man or a woman. Every one of them is treated with a courtesy as is attributed to an insect. He/she is the centre of the attention and not for reasons that go in his/her interest.

Harmless educated Muslims are either confronted with a blunt “NO because you are a Muslim” by the landlords when looking for a place to live in or they receive comments like, “Hey, you got me there. You no way look like a Muslim.” Now, tell me is that supposed to be a comment or a compliment. I have never heard of anyone exclaiming, “Mmmm…you don’t look like a Hindu/Sikh/Christian!” Then why do we reserve special responses for the ones following Islam?

Via BlogBharti

A 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala, Class XII student, who was missing for last two-days, is now no more with us. Cops have come across his dead-body today evening (20 August) placed in his own vehicle (Skoda). The vehicle was found in the up market Palm Beach road near Panvel, Mumbai. Earlier reports claim that the boy have been strangled to death this morning.

Followed by his kidnap, his parents did received a call asking for a ransom amounting Rs2 crore. The whole-plot seems to be weaved in a witty manner. Taking his education from CWC college in Mumbai, the boy was last seen on 18 August at his residence in Oshiwara in suburban (Mumbai). Then minutes after he left to meet his friends and never came back, as a result of which his parents lodged a complaint. Police is suspecting three of Adnan’s friends i.e. Raj, Lala and Himanshu behind this conspiracy. Also sources claim that Himanshu is mastermind behind his abduction.

The above details are the facts behind Adnan’s murder. But how far are these facts correct/ trustworthy?
Eyebrows are raised when one makes an effort to go through his profile at ORKUT, our renowned social community that has become an abode for everyone from students to celebs.
While six-days back, ***AnGeL*** had the following conversation with somebody using a pseudo name ***AnGeL***:

***AnGeL***: Yup m der.. But ver da hell r yu?? I just went on net tat day ven i waz in skool.. I had 2 rep u coz, hmmm
***AnGeL***: U wanna meet me?? lez meet up na! wot say?
Adnan: MEET?? i dont even know you….wer do u stay..,u got a cell phone?
***AnGeL***: U luk damn CUTE in ur pic.. Tats y i wanted 2 add ya 1st..
Adnan: STOP ADDIN MA FRNDS…AND Y DONT U REPLY…..reply fasttt m waitng
Adnan: give me ur no if u can..
***AnGeL***: Sure i dun mind.. Actly u knw wot i seri lkd ur PIC.. ONLY pic!!
***AnGeL***: Dont worry.. m quite gud lukin’..
Adnan: y dont u reply ….
***AnGeL***: HMMM.. Not xactly.. i lkd ur attitude 2.. ne wayz i gotta go nw.. BUHH BYEEE!!!!!

Following is the two-day back conversation Adnan has had with ***AnGeL***:
Adnan: Hiii
wer do u stay?
and i need to c ur pic …if u wanna meet me otherwise FORGETIT
i stay LOKHANDWALA
u wanna meet or no tell me now..
WATZ DAT qutub mean??
okk fine get him along ….than even ill get ma frndz along
ofcors i m deleting urz also
i kn u din like ma attitide…, u jas liked ma PIC RIGHT
i need to c ur pic 1st than ill cum to kn naa who r u…..
no dont go wait

The endless count of prayers at Adnan’s scrapbook has strengthened my belief that majority of good people still exist to overrule the deeds done by minority group comprising of kidnappers and greedy lot. I think the strong voice of Adnan’s well-wishers will surely earn justice for him. Here are few of the condolences made by almost each of his friend, relative, acquaintance and even strangers.

“May god give strength to ur near and dear ones”
“Rest in peace bro may god bless ur soul”
“Feeling sorry for u bro,god will give u another good life ahead, i can just pray for u ,and i m sure god will do justice,and give u and ur family justice by punishing those bastards, by bro ,may god bless ur soul,i hope u will come soon in another way on earth”
“May ur soul rest in peace adnan….i dnt know u buddy bt still feeling very bad….really don’t know what has happen to this world…full of cruel men all around…..”

More than the police investigations, the conversation clearly demystify that ***AnGeL*** has plans to meet Adnan along with her friends that’s why Adnan mentioned that he will also come along with his friends. Now, they call it a driving over-dose or conspiracy by Himanshu, the truth is Adnan is not with us.
I will appreciate all my readers, stand for a minute and give a bow of respect for him and wish peace for his soul.

Women and the India Army have been like chalk and cheese (with the medical corps being the only entry point) until things changed a decade ago. Finally, the ‘other sex’ began to be accepted in the male-dominated watertight fauji compartments. 

So now, one could see the feminine matching shoulders with their male counterparts in the non-combat arms like engineering, signals, ordnance, education and air traffic control. But it’s not exactly as it seems. So reflect the 5 suicides by lady officers in the last 2 and half years.

Brothers in the army, discourage the sisters from joining the forces because at the end of the day ‘you pay the price of being a woman’ exclaims an anguished army man. Apparently, a colleague of the late Capt Megha Razdan (who strangulated herself on 1 July due to pressures of army life), he goes on to say, ‘She paid the price of being fairly good looking. Women in the army do nothing but PLEASE the senior officers’.

With that scathing remark, I wonder what will happen to the young girls who have always dreamt of serving the nation? Is it fair to them?

The extent of risk attached to a journalist’s life can be estimated from figures showing that 42 media workers lost their lives in

Iraq from Jan. 1 to June 26, and a total of 214 were slaughtered while covering conflicts since March 2003.

This is just a small chunk of butchering that is a household affair across the for the media persons. According to

Brussels- based International News Safety Institute, nearly one hundred journalists and media workers succumbed to death on the job in a short span of six months starting from January 2007. This marks an astonishing rise of 32 lives per year in comparison to last year’s estimates, which showed 68 deaths. If the horrendous trend continues at the same pace, 2007 will outshine do 2006 as the deadliest year for the news media.

Another, incident to tell the grim tale of journalist’s non-existent identity is the case of five journalists, who were killed in 1975 in East Timor and are awaiting justice…even after bearing 32 long years of ignorance and insignificance.

Is this the price that the dedicated journalists have to pay for doing what they are supposed to do professionally…spreading awareness?

Just imagine, Swazi authorities have issued a banned against health workers from talking to the media in response to a spate of stories highlighting the impact of a critical drug shortage…now think, who is to be killed? The medical authorities who are hiding the truth from the population, and risking their lives due to lack of medication or the journalists who are doing nothing but making the people aware of the grim reality.