Palash Biswas
Mobile: 919903717833
Skype ID: palash.biswas44
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
I am shocked to see Bengal media blacking out the reliance exposure. A reputed daily like the Telegraph could not manage space for the exposure while modi massala gets full coverage on media. Modi emerged as saviour for the corrupt political class and the ruling hegemony! Meanwhile,Taking the battle to Salman Khurshid's home turf, Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held a rally in this Lok Sabha constituency and asked the voters here not to reelect him for alleged financial irregularities in the trust headed by the exteral affairs minister.On the other hand,following Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's news conference on Thursday where he accused Congress general secretary Rahul and his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi of grabbing Rs 1,600 crore worth of public property and insinuation of perjury, Rahul Gandhi's office has threatened Swamy of legal action through a communication to him.Rahul Gandhi's office in the communication to Swamy said, "Our attention has been drawn to your purported press conference of the afternoon of November 1. The allegations made by you are utterly false, entirely baseless and defamatory ... Your action of calling a press conference is a motivated attempt for reasons, which one can easily discern."
The Manusmriti also known as Manav Dharam Shastra, is the earliest metrical work on Brahminical Dharma in Hinduism. According to Hindu mythology, the Manusmriti is the word of Brahma, and it is classified as the most authoritative statement on Dharma .The scripture consists of 2690 verses, divided into 12 chapters. It is presumed that the actual human author of this compilation used the eponym 'Manu', which has led the text to be associated by Hindus with the first human being and the first king in the Indian tradition.
Although no details of this eponymous author's life are known, it is likely that he belonged to a conservative Brahman class somewhere in Northern India. Hindu apologists consider the Manusmriti as the divine code of conduct and, accordingly, the status of women as depicted in the text has been interpreted as Hindu divine law. While defending Manusmriti as divine code of conduct for all including women, apologists often quote the verse: "yatr naryasto pojyantay, ramantay tatr devta [3/56] (where women are provided place of honor, gods are pleased and reside there in that household), but they deliberately forget all those verses that are full of prejudice, hatred and discrimination against women.
Here are some of the 'celebrated' derogatory comments about women in the Manusmriti :
1. "Swabhav ev narinam ….." – 2/213. It is the nature of women to seduce men in this world; for that reason the wise are never unguarded in the company of females.
2. "Avidvam samlam……….." – 2/214. Women, true to their class character, are capable of leading astray men in this world, not only a fool but even a learned and wise man. Both become slaves of desire.
3. "Matra swastra ……….." – 2/215. Wise people should avoid sitting alone with one's mother, daughter or sister. Since carnal desire is always strong, it can lead to temptation.
4. "Naudwahay…………….." – 3/8. One should not marry women who has have reddish hair, redundant parts of the body [such as six fingers], one who is often sick, one without hair or having excessive hair and one who has red eyes.
5. "Nraksh vraksh ……….." – 3/9. One should not marry women whose names are similar to constellations, trees, rivers, those from a low caste, mountains, birds, snakes, slaves or those whose names inspires terror.
6. "Yasto na bhavet ….. ….." – 3/10. Wise men should not marry women who do not have a brother and whose parents are not socially well known.
7. "Uchayangh……………." – 3/11. Wise men should marry only women who are free from bodily defects, with beautiful names, grace/gait like an elephant, moderate hair on the head and body, soft limbs and small teeth.
8. "Shudr-aiv bharya………" – 3/12.Brahman men can marry Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaish and even Shudra women but Shudra men can marry only Shudra women.
9. "Na Brahman kshatriya.." – 3/14. Although Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaish men have been allowed inter-caste marriages, even in distress they should not marry Shudra women.
10. "Heenjati striyam…….." – 3/15. When twice born [dwij=Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaish] men in their folly marry low caste Shudra women, they are responsible for the degradation of their whole family. Accordingly, their children adopt all the demerits of the Shudra caste.
11. "Shudram shaynam……" – 3/17. A Brahman who marries a Shudra woman, degrades himself and his whole family ,becomes morally degenerated , loses Brahman status and his children too attain status of shudra.
12. "Daiv pitrya………………" – 3/18. The offerings made by such a person at the time of established rituals are neither accepted by God nor by the departed soul; guests also refuse to have meals with him and he is bound to go to hell after death.
13. "Chandalash ……………" – 3/240. Food offered and served to Brahman after Shradh ritual should not be seen by a chandal, a pig, a cock,a dog, and a menstruating women.
14. "Na ashniyat……………." – 4/43. A Brahman, true defender of his class, should not have his meals in the company of his wife and even avoid looking at her. Furthermore, he should not look towards her when she is having her meals or when she sneezes/yawns.
15. "Na ajyanti………………." – 4/44. A Brahman in order to preserve his energy and intellect, must not look at women who applies collyrium to her eyes, one who is massaging her nude body or one who is delivering a child.
16. "Mrshyanti……………." – 4/217. One should not accept meals from a woman who has extra marital relations; nor from a family exclusively dominated/managed by women or a family whose 10 days of impurity because of death have not passed.
17. "Balya va…………………." – 5/150. A female child, young woman or old woman is not supposed to work independently even at her place of residence.
18. "Balye pitorvashay……." – 5/151. Girls are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are children, women must be under the custody of their husband when married and under the custody of her son as widows. In no circumstances is she allowed to assert herself independently.
19. "Asheela kamvrto………" – 5/157. Men may be lacking virtue, be sexual perverts, immoral and devoid of any good qualities, and yet women must constantly worship and serve their husbands.
20. "Na ast strinam……….." – 5/158. Women have no divine right to perform any religious ritual, nor make vows or observe a fast. Her only duty is to obey and please her husband and she will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven.
21. "Kamam to………………" – 5/160. At her pleasure [after the death of her husband], let her emaciate her body by living only on pure flowers, roots of vegetables and fruits. She must not even mention the name of any other men after her husband has died.
22. "Vyabhacharay…………" – 5/167. Any women violating duty and code of conduct towards her husband, is disgraced and becomes a patient of leprosy. After death, she enters womb of Jackal.
23. "Kanyam bhajanti…….." – 8/364. In case women enjoy sex with a man from a higher caste, the act is not punishable. But on the contrary, if women enjoy sex with lower caste men, she is to be punished and kept in isolation.
24. "Utmam sevmansto……." – 8/365. In case a man from a lower caste enjoys sex with a woman from a higher caste, the person in question is to be awarded the death sentence. And if a person satisfies his carnal desire with women of his own caste, he should be asked to pay compensation to the women's faith.
25. "Ya to kanya……………." – 8/369. In case a woman tears the membrane [hymen] of her Vagina, she shall instantly have her head shaved or two fingers cut off and made to ride on Donkey.
26. "Bhartaram……………." – 8/370. In case a women, proud of the greatness of her excellence or her relatives, violates her duty towards her husband, the King shall arrange to have her thrown before dogs at a public place.
27. "Pita rakhshati………." – 9/3. Since women are not capable of living independently, she is to be kept under the custody of her father as child, under her husband as a woman and under her son as widow.
28. "Imam hi sarw……….." – 9/6. It is the duty of all husbands to exert total control over their wives. Even physically weak husbands must strive to control their wives.
29. "Pati bharyam ………." – 9/8. The husband, after the conception of his wife, becomes the embryo and is born again of her. This explains why women are called Jaya.
30. "Panam durjan………" – 9/13. Consuming liquor, association with wicked persons, separation from her husband, rambling around, sleeping for unreasonable hours and dwelling -are six demerits of women.
31. "Naita rupam……………" – 9/14. Such women are not loyal and have extra marital relations with men without consideration for their age.
32. "Poonshchalya…………" – 9/15. Because of their passion for men, immutable temper and natural heartlessness, they are not loyal to their husbands.
33. "Na asti strinam………" – 9/18. While performing namkarm and jatkarm, Vedic mantras are not to be recited by women, because women are lacking in strength and knowledge of Vedic texts. Women are impure and represent falsehood.
34. "Devra…sapinda………" – 9/58. On failure to produce offspring with her husband, she may obtain offspring by cohabitation with her brother-in-law [devar] or with some other relative [sapinda] on her in-law's side.
35. "Vidwayam……………." – 9/60. He who is appointed to cohabit with a widow shall approach her at night, be anointed with clarified butter and silently beget one son, but by no means a second one.
36. "Yatha vidy…………….." – 9/70. In accordance with established law, the sister-in-law [bhabhi] must be clad in white garments; with pure intent her brother-in-law [devar] will cohabitate with her until she conceives.
37. "Ati kramay……………" – 9/77. Any women who disobey orders of her lethargic, alcoholic and diseased husband shall be deserted for three months and be deprived of her ornaments.
38. "Vandyashtamay……." – 9/80. A barren wife may be superseded in the 8th year; she whose children die may be superseded in the 10th year and she who bears only daughters may be superseded in the 11th year; but she who is quarrelsome may be superseded without delay.
39. "Trinsha………………." – 9/93. In case of any problem in performing religious rites, males between the age of 24 and 30 should marry a female between the age of 8 and 12.
40. "Yambrahmansto……." – 9/177. In case a Brahman man marries Shudra woman, their son will be called 'Parshav' or 'Shudra' because his social existence is like a dead body.
Criticising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for calling Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor's wife a "50-crore girlfriend", Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday asked the former to reveal his marital status.Whereas The Delhi Commission for Women today demanded an apology from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his comments against Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar.Setting aside political differences, women organisations in Kerala have condemned the alleged misbehaviour by a Congress worker towards Union minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar at the airport THIRUVANANTHAPURAM.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday condemned and termed as "distasteful" the recent comment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunanda Puskhar, wife of Union minister Shashi Tharoor.
"I condemn his statement. Putting a price-tag on any woman is extremely disrespectful and cannot be tolerated. It pains me even more that the comment comes from a man who has been elected Chief Minister thrice and is a prime ministerial aspirant," NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma told a news agency.
Nobody is likely to predict that Gujarat is about to deliver Narendra Modi any kind of shock in the December assembly election. If anything, the predictions are getting stronger that Modi will make a whopping comeback.
The India Today-ORG poll last week gave Modi an even bigger majority in 2012 than in 2007, projecting a seat count of 128 (against 117 in 2007) on a lower vote share (47 percent vs 49 percent earlier), but the the CNN-IBN poll steers clear of any seat projections and instead emphasises that Modi will simply get more votes than before.
The CNN-IBN pre-poll opinion survey gives Modi a clear 50 percent of the vote, one percent higher than what he achieved in 2007, while the Congress saw a drop of 2 percent. The gainer is Keshubhai Patel's Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), which gains 3 percent. The clear implication is that the GPP has eaten into the anti-Modi vote rather than the core Modi vote. [See table here and here]
Put another way, Modi's overwhelming personality is giving the BJP its biggest ever vote share – matching the hyper-polarised situation of 2002. The Congress is set to hit rock-bottom again with a vote share of 36 percent, down from 38 percent.
Claiming that he had never made personal attacks, but was now being forced to do so after Modi's comment, Digvijay Singh said: "Why is Modi is silent about his wife's name? If you can visit You Tube and search Narendra Modi's wife, you will find the name Yashoda Ben as his wife."
Digvijay Singh further claimed that Modi's remark was not just limited to Tharoor and his wife, but it was an attack on all women.
"Narendra Modi is now trying to move out of Gujarat and become a national leader. So, he now talks less about Gujarat and talks more on national issues. He uses objectionable words against national leaders, I condemn it," he said.
"The comment that he made against Shashi Tharoor was not against him, but against the entire woman community," he added.
He also justified Tharoor's reply that Modi doesn't know how to love a woman.
In an apparent attack on Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar, Modi at an election rally on Monday said: "Wah kya girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai 50 crore ka girlfriend?" (What a girlfriend? Have you ever seen a 50-crore girlfriend)?"
"There was a Congress leader who was a minister. He was accused of amassing wealth from cricket. He had said in Parliament that he is not connected to the Rs 50 crore in the lady's name," Modi had said.
Breaking her silence, Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Minister of State for Human Resources Development (HRD) Shashi Tharoor, has hit out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for referring to her as an 'Rs 50 crore girlfriend'.
In interviews to news channels, Sunanda, who was allegedly linked to the IPL Kochi cricket controversy in 2009, slammed Modi and termed his jibe as 'utterly disgusting' and said that she was "extremely disappointed" at Modi's remarks and wondered, "how can someone stoop to something like that".
Modi made the comment at an election rally in Himachal Pradesh three days ago, after Tharoor was brought back into the union council of ministers. The Thiruvananthapuram MP had resigned from the Union ministry in 2010 over the IPL Kochi episode.
"We did not expect this from the Gujarat Chief Minister. Shashi was taken aback, I had asked him to ignore the comment," said Sunanda in an interview.
She said that she did not expect an apology from the Gujarat Chief Minister. "No I don't expect an apology…didn't expect from a CM. Nobody should stoop so low. Lot of people got hurt, my young son was hurt…Modi has a track record of disrespecting women," she said.
Referring to the IPL Kochi team issue, Pushkar said: "we have completely sorted it out, answered all questions of the ED (Enforcement Directorate)". "Where is the Rs 50 crore?" asked Pushkar.
"I was highly amused by the figure ... Earlier, the figure was Rs 70 crore, so where has Rs 20 crore gone?"
"The BJP needs to figure it out ... it is an imaginary figure," she said, adding: "Show me the money."
Pushkar claimed there was "no money involved" in her venture in the IPL Kochi.
On BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi terming her husband a "love guru" who should be given the "ministry of love affairs", Pushkar said the remark was "very sad" as she came from an affectionate family that believed in "PDA" or public display of affection.
"The BJP had nothing else to attack ... If they were real men, they would attack on proper issues ... They attack everybody without proof," said Pushkar, adding that "This guy (Modi) wants to win the elections."
To Modi's comment, Tharoor had retorted with a tweet: "My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary 50 crores. She is priceless. But you need to be able to love someone to understand that."
Market economy is full bloom in India with genocide culture changed the scenario making the nation a free hunting ground for corporate India and MNCs. The growth story is just a reflection of the affluency introduced in the elite ruling class as foreign capital is in full control. But the politicians play for the gallery. Corporate Politics nexus is exposed nacked and the political calss is united rock solid to hide the facts.Narendra Modi`s comment on Sunanda Patnaik has diverted the basic issue of economic ethnic cleansing. Personal life and privacy are on the stake to save the system to destroy man and nature. It is just amusing.Keeping in mind the hindutva ideology, laws against women prescribed in so called sacred books including Manusmriti and general status of woman, Narendra Modi`s point of view justifies the patriarchal hegemony outlook. But it has become the most debatable issue diverting the debate of corporate raj. Just see, the foreign investments into Indian markets through 'Participatory Notes', a preferred route for overseas HNIs and hedge funds, rose to a six-month high of Rs 1,46,600 crore (about USD 27 billion) in September, as various reform measures helped boost investor sentiments. But holding that "high" fiscal deficit is a deterrent for domestic and foreign investments, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government will have to overcome constraints to achieve a target of nearly USD one trillion of investment in infrastructure sectors.
Conscious of the fact that the government was working "against the political calendar", he called for a common understanding to work out mechanisms and remedial measures to tackle these "critical deficiencies on a priority basis".
Fuel supply arrangements, security and environmental clearances and financing difficulties were among the "constraints" in achieving a 12th Plan infrastructure investment target, he said.
The Prime Minister was making his opening remarks at the first meeting of the reconstituted Council of Ministers here to share with them "a few thoughts" on the agenda of the government.
"My own view is that while we need not be unduly gloomy about our prospects, we certainly need to redouble our resolve to meet the challenges before us and rise to the task of governance," he said.
He recalled the achievements of UPA government in the last nine years in social and economic policy making, including flagship schemes like MNREGA and Aadhar number, combined with robust economic growth had helped enhanced social sector spending.
"While we should take justifiable pride in our successes, it is important to recognise that we are now also experiencing the fallout of difficult economic conditions worldwide.
"As a result, our growth has decelerated, our exports have fallen and our fiscal deficits are expanding. Of particular concern is the fiscal deficit, which is too high and acts as a deterrent for domestic and foreign investment," he said.
The Prime Minister said these issues have a rippling effect across the economy and on the work of many departments that are represented here.
"One area that is at the top of our agenda and will require particular attention and effort at multiple levels across government is infrastructure. During the Twelfth Plan, we have set ourselves a target of realizing nearly 1 trillion dollars of investment in infrastructure sectors.
"To do so, we will have to overcome the constraints that currently deter or slow down this investment. Fuel supply arrangements, security and environmental clearances and financing difficulties are among these constraints. The growing gap between demand and supply of energy has emerged as a major constraint on our development," he said.
Singh said this was a major factor in widening the deficit on current account of our balance of payments as well as the fiscal deficit.
"It is imperative that we come to a common understanding on these issues and work out mechanisms and remedial measures that will enable us to tackle these critical deficiences on a priority basis," he said.
He said the country can achieve the targets that have set for ourselves, provided we approach the task with courage and with conviction.
"I am aware that we are working against the political calendar, but we should not lose sight of the fact that we are also involved in the task of nation-building. Our responsibilities and our commitment therefore need to transcend other considerations," he said.
He said he has no doubt that, in the time that is available to the government, each one of them will bring the best efforts to complete the unfinished task.
Asking senior colleagues to allocate work for junior ministers, Singh said a number of "energetic and younger" people have now joined the Council of Ministers.
"I would also request my senior Cabinet colleagues to make full use of the capacities and capabilities of their Ministers of State by assigning them substantive tasks," he said.
As per the latest data released by market regulator Sebi, the total value of P-Note investments in Indian markets (equity, debt and derivatives) at the end of September is the highest since March, when cumulative value of such investments stood at Rs 1,65,832 crore.
In August, P-Note investments in Indian markets was at Rs 1,41,710 (around USD 26 billion).
The P-Notes, mostly used by overseas HNIs (High Networth Individuals), hedge funds and other foreign institutions, allow them to invest into Indian markets through already registered FIIs, while saving on time and costs associated with direct registrations.
Besides, value of P-Notes issued with derivatives as underlying, was at a Rs 64,221 crore as on September end.
However, the quantum of Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) investments through these P-Notes declined to 12 per cent.
Until a few years ago, the P-Notes used to account for more than 50 per cent of total FII investments, but their share has fallen after Sebi tightened its disclosure and other regulations for such investments.
According to market analysts, after a lull seen in the past few months, overseas entities have come back to India on expectations of fresh initiatives by the government on policy reforms.
The P-Note investments were on a steep uptrend this year till mid-March, but started declining sharply after the government in its Union Budget proposed new taxation regime of General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) and certain retrospective amendments for taxing offshore transactions.
The PNs have been accounting for nearly 15-20 per cent of total FII holdings in India since 2009, while it used to be much higher, in the range of 25-40 per cent in 2008.
However, it was as high as over 50 per cent at the peak of Indian stock market bull run during a few months in 2007.
Karl Marx
On Women
(1818-1883)
Karl Marx wrote little about women's oppression and then only as part of working-class oppression, something that has left a confusing legacy and numerous interpretations.
1845: Revelation of the Mystery of the Emancipation of Women, Or Louise Morel from The Holy Family (a polemic against the Young Hegelians)
1848: Proletarians and Communists from The Communist Manifesto (written by Marx and Engels)
1867: From Capital Vol I part III, The Production of Absolute Surplus Value, Ch X, The Working-day, Section 3 — Branches of English Industry without Legal Limits to Exploitation
1867: From Capital Vol I part IV, The Production of Relative Surplus Value, Ch. 15: Machinery and Modern Industry. Section 2 — The Value Transferred by Machinery to the Product
1867: From Capital Vol I part IV, The Production of Relative Surplus Value, Ch. 15: Machinery and Modern Industry. Section 3a — The Employment of Women and Children
1867: From Capital Vol I part IV, The Production of Relative Surplus Value, Ch. 15: Machinery and Modern Industry. Section 9 — The Factory Acts. Sanitary and Educational Clauses of the same. Their General Extension in England.
From Marx's Correspondence
Marx To Ludwig Kugelmann, 5 December 1868Marx To Ludwig Kugelmann, 12 December 1868
Frederick Engels
(1820-1895)
Though nearly a lifetime theoretical collaborator with Karl Marx, it is Engels that more often took up women's issues in his work, in particular, Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, which became very influential to later Marxist writers such as Bebel and Lenin.
1845: The Conditions of the Working-Class in England
Chapter 8: Single Branches of Industry.
1884: Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
Chapter 2: The Family
Chapter 9: Barbarism and Civilisation
From Engels' Correspondence
Engels to Gertrud Guillaume-Schack, c. 5 July 1885Engels to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, 7 December 1889
Engels to Paul Ernst, 5 June 1890
Engels to Friedrich Adolph Sorge, 6 January 1892
Send corrections, comments and additions to Sally Ryan.
Women and Marxism main page | Marx-Engels Archive
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/women/index.htm
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment