Kahmir, the problem is jihad of islamists.
by kv chandran on Aug 01, 2009 04:03 AM | Hide replies
The problem of islamists is that they live in a remote past ie 7th century and not mentally prepared to accept the 21st century democracy, peace, economy as the true values of the nation. Pakistan was for that matter is islamist in nature and are reaping its own fruits for following the islamists ugenda. Islamism is a problem not only for Kashmir, it is for Uighur in China, Moros in Philippines, the southern thailand, the ace province in indonesia, Chechen in russia, Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan and other african countries etc., etc., It is not about human rights. It is about killing indiscriminately by the "freedom fighters" everywhere. They can kill anybody and the lefties exclaim it is for freedom. How can you explain the killing of 3 year boy, other children, women and old for the sake for freedom. Read jihadwatch org freedomfaith international org islam-watch and see the jihad going on in the world.
Forward | Report abuse
Ladakh and Jammu?
by Varun Shekhar on Jul 31, 2009 11:18 PM | Hide replies
I wonder if Baweja can answer a very simple question: if "alienation" of Kashmir is the cause of violence, then why aren't Ladakh and Jammu also affected? Surely, at least Ladakh would be seriously alienated. If you look at a map of Kashmir, you'll notice that Ladakh is located farther away from New Delhi than the Kashmir valley. But there hasn't been one violent incident in Ladakh. I wonder why.
Forward | Report abuse
Please solve Kashmir problem
by patriot on Jul 31, 2009 06:35 PM | Hide replies
Please solve Kashmir problem.
it is like tamils who want their own land in sri lanka. These people should be summarily finished off. India helped us a lot.
It is because of india, we managed to defeat the tamils and kill 20000 of them. Without india supporting us at the international forum, and helping us to kill those people, we would have never won. It is india, who gave us the strategy to herd them into one region and bomb them. It was india, who told us to keep them in a concentration camps and settle sinhalease. out of 300000 people, we killed 20000, another 80000 should die of diseases in the camp and we can release the 200000 people. By that time, we would have settled 600000 in the north, making them a minority in the north.
Our army is too stupid to come up with this great idea. We are greatful to india for giving us the strategy to kill these tamils.
We have a long historical cultural relationship with india. Both countries hate the tamils and both countries want as many to die as possible.
Now it is our turn to help you. if our strategy to kill some and settle sinhalease in the area work, then india will also follow that with settling hindi speakers in kashmir. This strategy is very important to india and that is why india is helping us so india can see whether it will work. I read on the newspaper that india wanted us to finish off 100000 through bombing but our stupid army in lanka couldn't even manage that.
Forward | Report abuse
Re: Please solve Kashmir problem
by Guest on Jul 31, 2009 08:44 PM
What utter garbage this woman has written and rediff is publishing it?
The agitation and "alienation" of some Muslim Kashmiris is not because of genuine grivances but because of intolerance and supremacist mind set.
"freedom" for them is more hell for all of us, espcially to the Hindus,Sikhs and Buddhusts of Ladakh.
This shamelss woman Baweja ....does he have any comparison to the Chinese occupation of Uighur land? There the muslims have to learn Mandarin, the Han chinese have invaded to alter the demographics.
The only way to respond to the likes of this shamelss woman is let us settle some Assamese, Gujaratis, Biharis, Tamils in Srinagar and Sophian.
Either the Islamofascists in Kashmir have to learn to live peacefully or migrate to their promised land and join the refugees in Swat valley.
No question of yielding more land. Utter garbage. And you go to Washington DC to announce this garbage!
Forward | Report abuse
Re: Re: Please solve Kashmir problem
by Varun Shekhar on Jul 31, 2009 11:01 PM
That's a good observation, Guest. I've always pointed out that Jammu and Ladakh have never been a problem; it's only the Kashmir valley, and that's because of religious separatism and fanaticism. That's the only real issue for these violent Kashmiris.
Forward | Report abuse
kasmir
by sudeep sabde on Jul 31, 2009 04:41 PM | Hide replies
a psycheatrist is needed.
Forward | Report abuse
Kashmir Problem
by Ganesh on Jul 31, 2009 04:40 PM | Hide replies
The Chinese also have an ethnic problem with Uighurs who are muslims. They have been having this problem as long as we have had our Kashmir problem. First the Chinese did not internationalise the issue. They slowly settled more and more ethnic Chinese in these areas so that their poulation has increased to about 40%. Contrast this with what we did. Nehru internationalised the issue by going to UN - the most foolish thing to do. Then not only did we not settle Hindus in Kashmir, we allowed the Hindus to be driven out of the state. The centre spends more money per capita in Kashmir as compared to any otherstate. What is the next result - zero. Why blame Baweja for her rhetoric when the PM himself is out to sell Kashmir to Pakistan.
Forward | Report abuse
What a load of crap
by Kunal Sareen on Jul 31, 2009 03:50 PM | Hide replies
Seperatist kasmmiris are like dogs who kick the plate they are fed in. Instead of exchanging respect and initiaiting peace, they mistreat armed forces and shelter foerign terrorists.
Abolish article 370 and let hindus settle there like we do anywhere in India. Then we will talk about referendum in 10-20 years...
Why does not this author talk about human rights in China, Russia, Middle east, Ireland, Spain and Israel..
We need to have such discussions in India on US civil war and crime rate in US/ UK, hit them where it hurts the most!
Forward | Report abuse
Re: What a load of crap
by Ram Sharma on Jul 31, 2009 04:17 PM
You are abs correct! Some Indians have sold their conscience to the enemies of India..This woman is one of them...
All the valley 1zlamis should be resettled in Chhatisgarh and similar areas..Indians from other states led by the kashmiri pandits should be shifted there...The kashmir issue will be resolved peacefully!
Forward | Report abuse
another puppet
by iluvtaj on Jul 31, 2009 02:57 PM | Hide replies
another puppet HUNGRY for awards and money from west and gulf.
These type of ppl can sell anything for name fame and money.
Why they SEE ONLY ONE SIDE OF COIN?
Forward | Report abuse
These are the paid stooges of PAK through US & UK
by mandar on Jul 31, 2009 02:49 PM | Hide replies
The people talking nonsense on the issue of Kashmir seem to be the paid stooges of PAK through US & UK. Indians do not need any meddling of US, UK, PAK or for that matter any country in this world.
Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so forever. That Islamic creatures are creating problems everywhere in the world is not a hidden fact. Islamists when in minority do not get along the majority and do not become the part of main stream anywhere in the world. When in majority, they do everything to erase other religions living there.
The only mistake India did was Article 370 wherein the others in India can not buy a piece of land and stay in Kashmir. We should scrap it and let everyone in India buy property and stay in Kashmir, thereby reducing the Islamists population to minority. That will solve the problem forever. China has done this in all parts of China.
By the way, who are US & UK to preach us whether it is an International issue or a National one. We, the Indians will decide how to handle this issue. The paid Indian stooges should be shown their place as soon as they come to India. Everyone remember the names of Harinder Baweja, Dr Angana Chatterji, Navlakha and Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai. These people should not be allowed to keep their feet on Indian soil. Let them go & stay in Pakistan or any other Islamist Country.
Forward | Report abuse
Re: These are the paid stooges of PAK through US & UK
by iluvtaj on Jul 31, 2009 02:59 PM
absolutely right.
There are problem all over the world:
US
UK
SPAIN
CHINA ..................
Why these ppl do not say something about these??
Forward | Report abuse
Re: These are the paid stooges of PAK through US & UK
by Stud on Jul 31, 2009 03:00 PM
mandar...spot on. Very nice write up. Thanks dude. But, you will have to wait for 5 more years for any of what you have written to happen.
With Kangress in power they will lock you up for saying this.
Forward | Report abuse
Re: These are the paid stooges of PAK through US & UK
by sati savitri on Jul 31, 2009 03:14 PM
Very Well Said Mandr.....Excellent thoughts.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
China’s Kashmir
In an opinion piece titled “How does China handle its Kashmir?” in the latest issue of Organiser, S Gurumurthy writes: “That China too has its Kashmir and problem with Islamist separatists identical to India’s Kashmir is not widely known. Xinjiang is China’s Kashmir. Xinjiang actually shares borders with Ladakh in India’s Kashmir. China’s Kashmir is physically 100 times bigger than India’s and therefore its problem too is that bigger. Yet many do not know about it. The reason is that China prevented Xinjiang, its Kashmir, from becoming an international issue like India’s Kashmir. Xinjiang, which had a majority Turkish Mulims [known as Uyghurs] in 1949, had a short lived state of East Turkestan. China invaded it, crushed it, won back its territory. The name Xinjiang literally means ‘old frontier returns to China’! See the contrast. A year earlier, in 1948, India almost won back most of the Kashmir from Pakistan which had invaded it, but, voluntarily offered and turned it into an international issue. It was India, not Pakistan, which went to the United Nations; made it an international issue. It is struggling to say it is a bilateral one! Now, on to how China handled Xinjiang, its Kashmir, and integrated it with mainland China.”
He adds: “Xinjiang has a population of 20 million plus. The Uyghur Muslims constitute 45 per cent; other Muslims 12 per cent and Hans 41 per cent. What was the population of Han Chinese in Xinjiang in 1949? Just 6 per cent; in six decades it has risen by seven times. This change did not occur on its own. China did not just trust army or administrative control of its territory in Xinjiang. It trusted only its people. It ensured that the Han Chinese slowly began populating Xinjiang. The result is self-evident. But the 41 per cent Han Chinese population does not include Chinese defence personnel and families, and unregistered migrant Chinese workers”.
He concludes: “Yes China do have problem with Islamist separatists, extremists and terrorists. But it has, by diplomacy and action, kept that an internal problem of China unlike India which has on its own made the Kashmir an international issue. China has changed the religious and political demography of Xinjiang by ensuring that 41 per cent of the province’s population is non-Muslim. Instead of working to change the demography in favour of India like China has done, the Indian government, in contrast, could not even prevent the expulsion of the Hindus from the Valley. While Xinjiang is half filled by Han Chinese, Kashmir is cleansed of the Hindus. With the result, India has to defend Kashmir by the army instead of by the people. Had India followed the policy which Chinese had adopted in Xinjiang, conquering back Kashmir instead of contracting under Article 370 which prevented rest of Indians from migrating to Kashmir, today Kashmir would have demographically integrated with India. India would be dealing with internal riots occasionally like China does; and not face or fight wars with Pakistan and with terrorists everyday. The lesson for India is: demography — religious demographic balance that is in tune with the national mainstream — is the guarantee for the nation”.
He adds: “Xinjiang has a population of 20 million plus. The Uyghur Muslims constitute 45 per cent; other Muslims 12 per cent and Hans 41 per cent. What was the population of Han Chinese in Xinjiang in 1949? Just 6 per cent; in six decades it has risen by seven times. This change did not occur on its own. China did not just trust army or administrative control of its territory in Xinjiang. It trusted only its people. It ensured that the Han Chinese slowly began populating Xinjiang. The result is self-evident. But the 41 per cent Han Chinese population does not include Chinese defence personnel and families, and unregistered migrant Chinese workers”.
He concludes: “Yes China do have problem with Islamist separatists, extremists and terrorists. But it has, by diplomacy and action, kept that an internal problem of China unlike India which has on its own made the Kashmir an international issue. China has changed the religious and political demography of Xinjiang by ensuring that 41 per cent of the province’s population is non-Muslim. Instead of working to change the demography in favour of India like China has done, the Indian government, in contrast, could not even prevent the expulsion of the Hindus from the Valley. While Xinjiang is half filled by Han Chinese, Kashmir is cleansed of the Hindus. With the result, India has to defend Kashmir by the army instead of by the people. Had India followed the policy which Chinese had adopted in Xinjiang, conquering back Kashmir instead of contracting under Article 370 which prevented rest of Indians from migrating to Kashmir, today Kashmir would have demographically integrated with India. India would be dealing with internal riots occasionally like China does; and not face or fight wars with Pakistan and with terrorists everyday. The lesson for India is: demography — religious demographic balance that is in tune with the national mainstream — is the guarantee for the nation”.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Should India talk to Pakistan ?
What’s the point in talking to Pakistan?...Tavleen Singh
Why doesn’t the US hold a dialogue with Osama?Obama needs some more lessons in Islam
India will not talk to Pakistan as long as its government continues to nurture and shield those who attack India. Why is it so hard for us to say this? Why is it so hard for us to tell the visiting American Secretary of State that it is not possible to speak to people who talk about fighting against Islamist terrorism but openly support an Islamist reptile like Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed. Pakistan’s war against its jihadis is mercenary and fraudulent. It is being fought to get that $1.5 billion that the American government has promised to give it and for no other reason.
Nothing makes this clearer than the release of the repulsive Sayeed the day before our Prime Minister was due to meet the Prime Minister of Pakistan in Egypt last week. It should have been at this point that Dr Manmohan Singh announced his inability to have even two minutes of conversation with Mr Yousaf Raza Geelani but he chose not to. He sat meekly through a long meeting with the Pakistani Prime Minister and then acquiesced to a joint statement that implied that India was supporting terrorism in Balochistan.
Ever since the attack on Mumbai I have been hearing from Pakistani friends a half-hearted justification for Mumbai on the grounds that ‘you also are doing things in Balochistan’. Whenever I have heard this, I have pointed out that if India had the ability to get up to some serious subversive activity in Pakistan, we would be decimating Islamists, not promoting their activities. Any fool should be able to see that it is in India’s interests for the Pakistani state (such as it is) to remain in control of its nuclear weapons and not let them slip into the hands of bearded fanatics bred on a hatred of ‘Hindu India’.
We would help the Pakistan government fight the Islamists if we could be sure that the fight was sincere. It cannot be if the Pakistani government finds it so hard to keep the founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in jail. The Lashkar was created with the sole purpose of promoting jihadi terrorism. That makes it a terrorist organisation and it makes its founder a terrorist. What more proof is needed to arrest Sayeed?
This is what I would like to have heard our Prime Minister say after the meeting in Sharm-ul-Sheikh. Instead he came up with that puzzling distinction between talking and dialogue. There will be talks between India and Pakistan but no dialogue. So will we be talking to the walls?
Our problem with Pakistan is no longer Kashmir. That movement for ‘azaadi’ was subsumed long years ago by the worldwide jihad and nothing proved this more definitely than the attack on Mumbai. This is why that attack remains so important. There have been other terrorist attacks on Indian soil but what happened in Mumbai was not just another Islamist terrorist attack, it was an act of war. There is evidence that the men who were guiding Kasab and his pals were based in Pakistan and there is evidence that some of them were serving officers in the Pakistani Army. Nobody who has heard the chilling conversations between the terrorists and their Pakistani masters can forget the cold-blooded evil of every instruction. Now stand them up and shoot them in the back of their heads. Kill as many people as you can.
The men who gave these instructions are still alive and free in Pakistan and there is no indication that the Pakistani government is doing anything to bring them to justice.
If we go ahead with ‘talks’, then this is the only thing we need to talk to Pakistan about. Where are these men? Who are they? Is it not true that the attack was planned and executed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba? Is this ghastly organisation being protected only because it is a division of the Pakistani Army?
Unless we get some answers, there is not the faintest possibility of the peace process moving forwards. We cannot talk about Kashmir because there is no point in talking about it when the attack on Mumbai makes it so abundantly obvious that the objective of the jihad is not to win Kashmir but to destroy India. While Pakistan has remained stuck in an Islamic time warp, India has moved on and embraced modernity and the changing realities of a rapidly changing world. We have our problems but they are 21st century problems not problems mired in 7th century Arabia. It is this changed India that Pakistan cannot deal with and this is why the jihad, this is why the attack on Mumbai and this is why there is no point in talking to Pakistan until it provides us with some evidence that it too wants to change.
Why doesn’t the US hold a dialogue with Osama?Obama needs some more lessons in Islam
India will not talk to Pakistan as long as its government continues to nurture and shield those who attack India. Why is it so hard for us to say this? Why is it so hard for us to tell the visiting American Secretary of State that it is not possible to speak to people who talk about fighting against Islamist terrorism but openly support an Islamist reptile like Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed. Pakistan’s war against its jihadis is mercenary and fraudulent. It is being fought to get that $1.5 billion that the American government has promised to give it and for no other reason.
Nothing makes this clearer than the release of the repulsive Sayeed the day before our Prime Minister was due to meet the Prime Minister of Pakistan in Egypt last week. It should have been at this point that Dr Manmohan Singh announced his inability to have even two minutes of conversation with Mr Yousaf Raza Geelani but he chose not to. He sat meekly through a long meeting with the Pakistani Prime Minister and then acquiesced to a joint statement that implied that India was supporting terrorism in Balochistan.
Ever since the attack on Mumbai I have been hearing from Pakistani friends a half-hearted justification for Mumbai on the grounds that ‘you also are doing things in Balochistan’. Whenever I have heard this, I have pointed out that if India had the ability to get up to some serious subversive activity in Pakistan, we would be decimating Islamists, not promoting their activities. Any fool should be able to see that it is in India’s interests for the Pakistani state (such as it is) to remain in control of its nuclear weapons and not let them slip into the hands of bearded fanatics bred on a hatred of ‘Hindu India’.
We would help the Pakistan government fight the Islamists if we could be sure that the fight was sincere. It cannot be if the Pakistani government finds it so hard to keep the founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in jail. The Lashkar was created with the sole purpose of promoting jihadi terrorism. That makes it a terrorist organisation and it makes its founder a terrorist. What more proof is needed to arrest Sayeed?
This is what I would like to have heard our Prime Minister say after the meeting in Sharm-ul-Sheikh. Instead he came up with that puzzling distinction between talking and dialogue. There will be talks between India and Pakistan but no dialogue. So will we be talking to the walls?
Our problem with Pakistan is no longer Kashmir. That movement for ‘azaadi’ was subsumed long years ago by the worldwide jihad and nothing proved this more definitely than the attack on Mumbai. This is why that attack remains so important. There have been other terrorist attacks on Indian soil but what happened in Mumbai was not just another Islamist terrorist attack, it was an act of war. There is evidence that the men who were guiding Kasab and his pals were based in Pakistan and there is evidence that some of them were serving officers in the Pakistani Army. Nobody who has heard the chilling conversations between the terrorists and their Pakistani masters can forget the cold-blooded evil of every instruction. Now stand them up and shoot them in the back of their heads. Kill as many people as you can.
The men who gave these instructions are still alive and free in Pakistan and there is no indication that the Pakistani government is doing anything to bring them to justice.
If we go ahead with ‘talks’, then this is the only thing we need to talk to Pakistan about. Where are these men? Who are they? Is it not true that the attack was planned and executed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba? Is this ghastly organisation being protected only because it is a division of the Pakistani Army?
Unless we get some answers, there is not the faintest possibility of the peace process moving forwards. We cannot talk about Kashmir because there is no point in talking about it when the attack on Mumbai makes it so abundantly obvious that the objective of the jihad is not to win Kashmir but to destroy India. While Pakistan has remained stuck in an Islamic time warp, India has moved on and embraced modernity and the changing realities of a rapidly changing world. We have our problems but they are 21st century problems not problems mired in 7th century Arabia. It is this changed India that Pakistan cannot deal with and this is why the jihad, this is why the attack on Mumbai and this is why there is no point in talking to Pakistan until it provides us with some evidence that it too wants to change.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Arunachal: Don't sleep, act India act
Alankar Srivastava
Published on Fri 10th Jul 2009 12:06:53
July: Let's start with a short story. After creating this world and different countries, God was explaining his disciples how he maintained balance. God said, “Africa is rich in natural resources but has climatic variations. America is rich and powerful but there is a sense of insecurity”.
Then he described India as his most prized possession. God said, "This is the most amazing with wonderful people. It has got rich culture, tradition and is blessed with natural resources".
When asked about the ‘balance’, God replied, “Look at the neighbours I gave them”.
India is surrounded by hostile neighbours from all sides. This is a major impediment on the road to progress and prosperity. China is one such problematic neighbour which has been a pain for India.
China wants India to settle the border dispute and has been claiming Arunachal Pradesh for long. China officially claims 90000 sq km of land in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
Recently, on a visit to Itanagar, PM Manmohan Singh said that Arunachal Pradesh is India’s land of rising sun.
China lodged its protest on Manmohan Singh’s assertion over this claim of India. China has always said that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.
There have been innumerable provocations from the Chinese in recent past. China even denied a visa to IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh when around 100 IAS officers were going for official visit to China, sometime back.
China had recently objected to Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding an irrigation project in Arunachal Pradesh which is a ‘clear violation’ of the charter of the multilateral lending agency.
In the middle of all these, silence from Indian side has been baffling. Indian officials are numb and prefer sleeping over an issue which has the potential to snowball into a big controversy in the days to come.
We need to react and react strongly to Chinese. We can’t take this lying down and need to give it back to them.
Tibet suffered and continues to suffer by China. We need to protest against Chinese intrusion in Tibet. India must realise that they have some responsibility towards Tibet. India has failed so far to exert any pressure on China.
Today, we have no support or sympathy from the world on the Arunachal issue. And only we are to be blamed for it.
The first thing which India needs to do is to recognise Tibet as an occupied territory, if not for Tibetans then at least for our sake. It would send across the message loud and clear to Chinese that India would negotiate border dispute with an independent Tibet and not China. We should bring Tibet issue to the center stage.
Indian government has not learnt any lesson from Aksai Chin. The time is running out and the silence from New Delhi can cost us Arunachal Pradesh.
Published on Fri 10th Jul 2009 12:06:53
July: Let's start with a short story. After creating this world and different countries, God was explaining his disciples how he maintained balance. God said, “Africa is rich in natural resources but has climatic variations. America is rich and powerful but there is a sense of insecurity”.
Then he described India as his most prized possession. God said, "This is the most amazing with wonderful people. It has got rich culture, tradition and is blessed with natural resources".
When asked about the ‘balance’, God replied, “Look at the neighbours I gave them”.
India is surrounded by hostile neighbours from all sides. This is a major impediment on the road to progress and prosperity. China is one such problematic neighbour which has been a pain for India.
China wants India to settle the border dispute and has been claiming Arunachal Pradesh for long. China officially claims 90000 sq km of land in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
Recently, on a visit to Itanagar, PM Manmohan Singh said that Arunachal Pradesh is India’s land of rising sun.
China lodged its protest on Manmohan Singh’s assertion over this claim of India. China has always said that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.
There have been innumerable provocations from the Chinese in recent past. China even denied a visa to IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh when around 100 IAS officers were going for official visit to China, sometime back.
China had recently objected to Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding an irrigation project in Arunachal Pradesh which is a ‘clear violation’ of the charter of the multilateral lending agency.
In the middle of all these, silence from Indian side has been baffling. Indian officials are numb and prefer sleeping over an issue which has the potential to snowball into a big controversy in the days to come.
We need to react and react strongly to Chinese. We can’t take this lying down and need to give it back to them.
Tibet suffered and continues to suffer by China. We need to protest against Chinese intrusion in Tibet. India must realise that they have some responsibility towards Tibet. India has failed so far to exert any pressure on China.
Today, we have no support or sympathy from the world on the Arunachal issue. And only we are to be blamed for it.
The first thing which India needs to do is to recognise Tibet as an occupied territory, if not for Tibetans then at least for our sake. It would send across the message loud and clear to Chinese that India would negotiate border dispute with an independent Tibet and not China. We should bring Tibet issue to the center stage.
Indian government has not learnt any lesson from Aksai Chin. The time is running out and the silence from New Delhi can cost us Arunachal Pradesh.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Revelations of a sister who stormed out of a nunnery
By Salil Jose
A bright teenage girl of a middle class Catholic family in Kerala attends a retreat programme in the college and realises that the purpose of her life is to be a nun. She joins a nunnery and continues her college education, becomes a nun and an English lecturer in a college run by her congregation. Later, she becomes the principal of the college. The realities in the nunnery shock her. Her liberal views are opposed by her superiors. She is portrayed as insane and forced to resign as principal. As she can`t bear the ill-treatment any more, she leaves the congregation. Once out of the convent, she exposes the life in the nunnery through a book.
`Amen: The Autobiography of a Nun` by Sister Jesme, who had been a member of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel for 33 years, was first published in Malayalam in February this year. The book has provoked lots of reactions in Kerala. It has been called a `shocking account of the life within the enclosure`. Many consider it a taboo-breaking book while conservative people criticise the book and the author. Some call her a harlot on the basis of an incident narrated in the book.
Penguin Books- India published the English version of the book last June. Contrary to what has been highlighted from many corners, the book is not fully an outpouring of the bad experiences of a nun. On the other hand, Sr Jesme narrates the good aspects of the life in the congregation, too.
STREE: A weekly women's magazine on Sify.com
She narrates how the nuns take care of the aged among them, how they balance the official work and the chores in the convent, how they adjust to all odds and share whatever they have.
People often criticise the nuns for throwing big feasts. But the author says most often nuns forgo one meal for days or weeks to make enough money for such feasts. The author has only good things to say when it comes to nuns and the Vow of Poverty.
But there are incidents of nuns breaking the Vow of Chastity. The author mentions that illicit relations exist among priests and nuns. Lesbianism or `special love` is common among nuns. A nun named Sr Vimy (the author says she has changed many names in the book to avoid hurting people whom she knows) develops such a special affection for Sr Jesme. And they indulge in this special love for a few months till Sr Vimy is transferred to another convent.
The author narrates her journey to Bangalore where she stays with a priest `who is well-known and noted for his celibacy and holiness`. The priest takes her to Lalbagh and shows many couples beneath the trees. He tells her about priests and bishops who `sleep with women`.
Back in his room, the priest embraces Jesme. While she struggle to escape, he squeezes her breasts and asks her to show them to him. When she refuses, he asks her, ``Have you seen a `man`?`` As she shakes her head, the priests undresses himself.
`Now I`m curious enough to watch! I have read in novels about this but have never seen one with my own eyes,` the author says.
`After a while he shows me a milky liquid oozing from there and lectures me on the `thousand lives` it has. Although I resist undressing myself , after repeated persuasion, I oblige, and show him `a female` on the condition that it will be for a twinkle of an eye.`
Nuns take the Vow of Obedience. But Sr Jessme doesn`t believe in blind obedience. She is for responsible obedience. As principal of St Mary's College in Thrissur, her conscience forces her to oppose many of the policies of the management. She is against taking capitation fee or extra fee from students. Her superiors consider it to be serious disobedience on her part.
Sr Jesme is popular among students and teachers because of her liberal views. She encourages students to watch movies and to make campus movies for themselves. She is called a `Cine-Nun`. But her superiors accuse her of forcing the students watch vulgar movies.
Her liberal views and disobedience ultimately result in her being portrayed as insane. She is forced to undergo treatment for insanity. She is asked to step down from the principal`s post.
Sr Jesme turns to Christ for guidance and she says He shows her the way. She is told that her mission is to `lead the lay-religious`.
Though her relatives supported her at the beginning, they are not able to accept her decision to quit the congregation. But she leaves the `formidable fortress`.
Jesme expresses her anger at the way the Church belittles women. She feels the anti-women attitude of St Paul, the most spiritual Apostle, is responsible for this.
If the book is `unputdownable`, the main reason is its style. The author uses simple present tense throughout and it helps her take the reader from one interesting incident to another smoothly. The reader finds himself/herself even in the most restricted enclosures of the convent as witness to the incidents happening there.
Women in News
Autobiographies would always be one-sided, true. The reader is always at the mercy of the author when it comes to facts. Sr Jesme doesn`t narrate the chain of events that led to the authorities branding her insane. All of a sudden, she writes she is asked to meet a psychiatrist and the reader feels some links are missing.
Quoting Emerson, Jesme always says she has the Divine Majority. But she fails to know the sensibility of the real majority. Had she tried to understand the real majority`s point of view, the book would have been more convincing.
A bright teenage girl of a middle class Catholic family in Kerala attends a retreat programme in the college and realises that the purpose of her life is to be a nun. She joins a nunnery and continues her college education, becomes a nun and an English lecturer in a college run by her congregation. Later, she becomes the principal of the college. The realities in the nunnery shock her. Her liberal views are opposed by her superiors. She is portrayed as insane and forced to resign as principal. As she can`t bear the ill-treatment any more, she leaves the congregation. Once out of the convent, she exposes the life in the nunnery through a book.
`Amen: The Autobiography of a Nun` by Sister Jesme, who had been a member of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel for 33 years, was first published in Malayalam in February this year. The book has provoked lots of reactions in Kerala. It has been called a `shocking account of the life within the enclosure`. Many consider it a taboo-breaking book while conservative people criticise the book and the author. Some call her a harlot on the basis of an incident narrated in the book.
Penguin Books- India published the English version of the book last June. Contrary to what has been highlighted from many corners, the book is not fully an outpouring of the bad experiences of a nun. On the other hand, Sr Jesme narrates the good aspects of the life in the congregation, too.
STREE: A weekly women's magazine on Sify.com
She narrates how the nuns take care of the aged among them, how they balance the official work and the chores in the convent, how they adjust to all odds and share whatever they have.
People often criticise the nuns for throwing big feasts. But the author says most often nuns forgo one meal for days or weeks to make enough money for such feasts. The author has only good things to say when it comes to nuns and the Vow of Poverty.
But there are incidents of nuns breaking the Vow of Chastity. The author mentions that illicit relations exist among priests and nuns. Lesbianism or `special love` is common among nuns. A nun named Sr Vimy (the author says she has changed many names in the book to avoid hurting people whom she knows) develops such a special affection for Sr Jesme. And they indulge in this special love for a few months till Sr Vimy is transferred to another convent.
The author narrates her journey to Bangalore where she stays with a priest `who is well-known and noted for his celibacy and holiness`. The priest takes her to Lalbagh and shows many couples beneath the trees. He tells her about priests and bishops who `sleep with women`.
Back in his room, the priest embraces Jesme. While she struggle to escape, he squeezes her breasts and asks her to show them to him. When she refuses, he asks her, ``Have you seen a `man`?`` As she shakes her head, the priests undresses himself.
`Now I`m curious enough to watch! I have read in novels about this but have never seen one with my own eyes,` the author says.
`After a while he shows me a milky liquid oozing from there and lectures me on the `thousand lives` it has. Although I resist undressing myself , after repeated persuasion, I oblige, and show him `a female` on the condition that it will be for a twinkle of an eye.`
Nuns take the Vow of Obedience. But Sr Jessme doesn`t believe in blind obedience. She is for responsible obedience. As principal of St Mary's College in Thrissur, her conscience forces her to oppose many of the policies of the management. She is against taking capitation fee or extra fee from students. Her superiors consider it to be serious disobedience on her part.
Sr Jesme is popular among students and teachers because of her liberal views. She encourages students to watch movies and to make campus movies for themselves. She is called a `Cine-Nun`. But her superiors accuse her of forcing the students watch vulgar movies.
Her liberal views and disobedience ultimately result in her being portrayed as insane. She is forced to undergo treatment for insanity. She is asked to step down from the principal`s post.
Sr Jesme turns to Christ for guidance and she says He shows her the way. She is told that her mission is to `lead the lay-religious`.
Though her relatives supported her at the beginning, they are not able to accept her decision to quit the congregation. But she leaves the `formidable fortress`.
Jesme expresses her anger at the way the Church belittles women. She feels the anti-women attitude of St Paul, the most spiritual Apostle, is responsible for this.
If the book is `unputdownable`, the main reason is its style. The author uses simple present tense throughout and it helps her take the reader from one interesting incident to another smoothly. The reader finds himself/herself even in the most restricted enclosures of the convent as witness to the incidents happening there.
Women in News
Autobiographies would always be one-sided, true. The reader is always at the mercy of the author when it comes to facts. Sr Jesme doesn`t narrate the chain of events that led to the authorities branding her insane. All of a sudden, she writes she is asked to meet a psychiatrist and the reader feels some links are missing.
Quoting Emerson, Jesme always says she has the Divine Majority. But she fails to know the sensibility of the real majority. Had she tried to understand the real majority`s point of view, the book would have been more convincing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
