Scribblings of an Oxaanto Electron

I do not believe that a bill or a law or an act can bring abt a major change. India's recent history bears testimony to this unfortunate fact.  Can they guarantee that there will be no incidents of witch hunting and other such crimes after such a bill comes into force? Nobody can say for sure, right? Have they been able to implement in all totality all the bills that have been passed? Superstitious beliefs are handed down generations. They are a part of our tradition. No law, no fear of punishment can guarantee that the people will stop practising superstitions. How many of us drive on without a thought even if a black cat crosses our path? The only solution, as many would agree, is to bring about awareness. Crimes due to superstition are prevalant only among the downtrodden. The standard of living has to be raised. Instead of trying to put into force some new law, right to education must be taken seriously. Not just crimes due to superstition, most ills in the society ...

Even the presence of three women in the three top posts of the Parliament-Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj could not help in the passage of the Women Reservation Bill on the 21st of February last. Feminists believe it to be an unfair deal. They had been fighting for it since 1996! The 18 year old journey had seen high drama, frayed tempers, war of words as it hit many roadblocks. They believed it would be the epitome of Women Empowerment. If we look back, we shall see that this bill was initially rejected by women representatives in the Constituent Assembly. They felt it was unnecessary since the working of democracy in its normal course would surely ensure the representation of all sections of the Indian Society. I am against reservation per se and I have my reasons. Reservation can never be the best way to achieve the goal of empowerment. It just ends up being divisive, deepening the chasm between the different...