by Anuradha Bakshi | Aug 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
Recent days have seen a plethora of disturbing images flashed across our TV screens: a 17 year old boy gets beaten to death by his teacher for not sitting properly; 5 disabled men consume poison in public as they lose their source of livelihood; a one day old baby is found in a garbage dump with multiple stab wounds, to name but a few.
These make good copy and TRP rates for the media. They appear for a day or so and then are replaced by other images as the show must go on. In most cases they entail a few shocked reactions are then are forgotten.
However if one chose to ponder a while, one realised that each incident carries within it a disturbing reality that shows the endemic problems that exist in our society and are often the rule rather than the exception. They are cameos of the everyday life of millions of invisible Indians and reflect the plight of poverty, government apathy and many other ailments that plague our society.
It is true that the media reports them for their own purposed but that does not absolve us of the right to take note and react in an appropriate and humane manner.
by Anuradha Bakshi | Aug 1, 2007 | Uncategorized
The sentencing of Sanjay Dutt yesterday once again renewed one’s faith in the rule of law. As the court drama enfolded on TV channels one did tend to feel a surge of sympathy for the actor who has endeared himself in recent times as the genial Munabhai and quite frankly one did hope that he would get the probation he sought.
But as the first words of the judgement were heard one realised that in the ultimate analysis justice needs to prevail and the rule of law has to be respected. What Sanjay Dutt did was indeed a very serious offence and could not be overlooked. Imagine if the same had been done by an ordinary citizen: the very people who were busy trying to find loopholes for SD would have been the first ones to nod their approval to maximum punishment for the culprit.
One has to admire the judge who rose above all emotion and sentimentality and pronounced a just sentence, one that will send the right message to all those who may want to take the law in their hands.
Fame of any kind, or power or money cannot give people the licence to do as they please. It is important for each one of us to know that ultimately the law will catch up with anyone who dares take it in his own hand.
