strange names & recollections

Suddenly the other day i remembered a song that would blare fm loudspeakers in India once upon a time. I was a toddler, many were not born then. "Beshaq mandir, masjid todo bulleshaa ye kahataa.." i text Khalid Mohd my dear friend asking the name of the singer...it was at the tip of my tongue, but just couldn't remember...Chanchal was his name... he really could scream well, dunno recollect much of his singing though. Khalid wanted to murder me, bcoz i told him wots his name ya...he called back saying 'Paani don't give me scares, he's ancient chanchal something...!!"

Names of singers are funny, but some sang funnier songs man..we give ample scope to all sorts of creativity in India.

After chanchal we just fast two decades and we have Altaf Raja, who sang "Pardesi Pardesi jana nahi..." which was another screeching bout. Our Hindi films songs give ample scope for all sorts of songs, singers

Some Mehta who sang, "Mein chahe yeh karu, mein chahye woh karun," meaning i may do this, that or the other..wc made it to the songs & silver screen!!

Baba Sehgal though takes the cake for singing, "Aja mere gaadi mein baithja!"

Anand Shinde who sang 'Tava naveen popat ha lagla mithoo mithoo bolaila,' wc was then sung in Hindi.

Among the new ones is Gurudas of Rab De banani Jodi...they all are basically folk singers, NOT supported by godfathers or big shots of music industry so they get picked up for some out of sorts films, tracks & they render passionately their songs. They love singing, music and committed to their profession. They are revered by their local folks, who think even that one song wc has made rounds across the country or abroad is enough. Small pleasures they enjoy.

today, they may be forgotten, but there are some strange ones like me too who recollect these numbers! (People or works that i call as numbers)..they are not lewd people, just could not make it big...

Profile of an rapist

Everytime a rape occurs and the accused is a rich, elite man I get goose bumps & really don’t wish to read the newspapers. Yes, despite the fact that I work for a newspaper.

The reason being simple, I & the rest of millions of readers are forced to read utter crap like how innocent the accused – most often safely addressed as ‘alleged’ accused.

The latest being India’s actor SHiney Ahuja is now serving a jail term, deservingly. The day the information of his heinous act occurred the first reaction of most middle class elite Indians was of shock & disbelief. Why? Because the victim was a domestic worker, cleaner at his house. He had asked her to bring a glass of water, when she did, he locked the door, grabbed her & finished his act of unleashing violence on her.

The young girl a minor couldn’t get out of the house and her friend another domestic worker brought her out of the house. She ofcorz looked dishevelled, trembling with fear. But was the average Indian’s reaction “Oh! Poor Shiney, this one is a gold digger.” “He couldn’t find anyone else? How low could he stoop to rape a domestic worker,” “She must have lured him, see now his innocence will be proved.” Worse things were said of that poor child.

Years ago a sex worker was summoned forcibly into a car of an abso doped, insolent brash drunk driving son of an industrialist. She was raped. So the general India was appalled. “How can anyone rape a sex worker?” “She must’ve only done something to attract this poor boy,” etc etc..blah blah…utter rubbish was published in innumerable reams of expensive newsprint paper.

What I don’t understand is how news reporters of my clan presume the man is always innocent? That the rich can never do any harm, that how the victim is always guilty, while the accused ain’t one till proven so?? There are NO written or otherwise rules that say who is guilty or not….however we continue to presume wrongly.

I shudder to think how reporters agree to go the immediate relatives, family members and neighbours of the accused who ALWAYS say: “We have seen playing with our children, he is so nice, warm, caring, he is very polite. He doesn’t ‘look’ like a rapist!!” who is a rapist? Who looks like a rapist? Can anyone tell what is a profile of a rapist? Is there any rule book, police act or law that says how a rapist looks like, which caste, class, income group? What are their personality defects? Is he clean shavem bearded? Is he from lower, higher caste, class? I mean what are we saying every time a young rookie or more so a wanna be investigative journalist goes & does a reaction based in-put of ‘How neighbours of the alleged accused say he is innocent!’ Absolutely insane things are allowed to be published.

I want to know does anyone know there may be a sexual assaulter sitting rt here next to us? May be within the family, in the neighbourhood. Some are brazen, others not so open, these are predators and get away always because there is a hidden sanction from the rest of the society a bloody license given to someone to be free when he should be sitting behind bars for the rest of his life. Often the people around run to the rescue of the predators who then get escape routes like in Shiney’s case. He had on his side India’s leading film diretor Mahesh Bhatt who promptly said it was ‘consensual sex.’

The another important that worked in the victim’s favour is that she was promptly taken by her friend’s employer to the police. The police in turn sharpened their claws and took her immediately for medical tests. Before the semen could get dissolved or washed in crores of rupees of bribes or hidden in dirty cupboards in form of suppressed police files. The case has all the formula of a Bollywood movie…sadly at the cost of one innocent life – whose innocence is forever lost.

However our faith in a poor, vulnerable girl/woman being innocent has been lost since long…we simply do not faith in ourselves, sadly even women suspect such victims, what makes it worse is that it includes young, up-coming girl journalists!

Ride on Sea Link

I’ve always had one recurring dream, that I am flying…yes I have the immense sense of freedom & although I had to fight for it earlier or now simply get it, I feel the ultimate symbol of freedom is to fly literally…NOT fly a plane as pilot or fly in a plane as a passenger.

I envy birds & after seeing Iron man it gave me more & more the itch to fly. I thought with this sea link my one dream can be fulfilled, sadly it won’t! Recently I went on the Bandra –Worli sea link as I suggested to the editor our auto-journo should take a high-end car and take a test drive across the Mumbai’s new sea link. He first thought I wanted a free ride! I explained in my style I would be paying for the toll & going personally in a taxi don’t need free ride…rather nothing free…when I said it is for the Sunday edition his news sense surfaced!

Finally he alerted the auto journo, she gave me couple of names of cars which really didn’t sound worth the drive. Later she said the Audi showroom had agreed to send the new Q5 vehicle…now we were talking I felt. We left for Bandra in her car, she loves driving is an understatement…anyways, this was the very next day after the launch we were heading to the Sea link. I was quite excited to see how Mumbaikars have received the news of the new link.

We took a little while to get to the sea link, however not as exaggerated as many have stated. It was a village jatra –fair. Mood of festivities & we were the cynosure of all people. Imagine where people have hired cars, taxis, brought out their Hondas, here we went in the Audi Q5 with the hood open & windows all rolled down!

The way people showed us their appreciation was not out of any jealousy, but a positive envy admiring a grand vehicle on a grander sea link…it was amazing, I’d never have imagined. One young exec rolled down the glass of his window and said, “This car’s worth it all,” he clapped his hands. While yet another old uncle, actually must be a grandfather rolled down his window and waved at us.

We had quite a few attractions one being the vehicle itself. Then the fact that my lady colleague was at the wheel was a bigger attraction. I too stood up and looked out of the roof. It was thrilling, my closest to flying, really speaking. I mean if we minus the plane journeys which don’t give you the flying feeling, no way man.

The people’s encouragement and appreciation actually changed this test drive story totally. From an ordinary auto story I am sure it has become a mood piece, it should. Considering this IS the spirit of Mumbai city. The fact that someone else’s luxury is not seen in an evil way. It was admiration in a positive way. I definitely think this positive

I also admire the way the taxi drivers after their gruelling day took their family to enjoy the sea link. Even the otherwise most average middle-class Mumbaikar who is caught in their daily struggle went out of their way to enjoy the ride. Yes, the reason being the Congress politicians got their demand to remove the toll tax for first three days. It is a political decision, so is the inauguration which was rushed, so what. We have had worse political decisions being taken regarding the slums.

Sex over coffee

There is a saying at the Café Coffee Day or CCD as its called here in India – “A lot can happen over coffee.” This is their slogan, which I say is true.

Really a lot happens over coffee. People engage in long conversations, sit staring into each other’s eyes for hours; some others indulge in long drawn out debates or discussions and many simply sit around staring into space. Many others strum guitars, come in groups to chill & enjoy, some for intense personal conversations and generally a lot happens over coffee.

Initially when my friends would force me to go with them because I am not much of a coffee drinker. Rather I detest coffee. I get totally turned on by the brewing smell of tea, chaai. I was most disturbed when I went over to the US. I could smell a Starbucks or any other coffee from a distance of miles…my stomach would churn. It still does, but much less now.

Hence when we would all meet I had to first deal with a severe churning stomach…over a period of time I began adjusting & preparing myself mentally. Coz I think the mind controls all our senses. Last few years even in our office I’ve had to adjust to sipping some absolutely milky (I detest milk) coffee, since I can’t bear to drink ready made milky tea form a machine.

Now this far too milky coffee drinking would go one for hours. I prefer eating at these cafés –one gets good snacks & more so great pastries. Over a period of time I realised one needs to ‘look’ busy at these cafés rather than eat or drink anything. So like in Pune’s Vaishali & Rupali cafés what the Brahmin kids do, is what one needs to do at the coffee shops. Here we all go & buy our coffees or drinks together. Instead like the Brahmin kids one must order one coffee at a time, sit sipping it or like a scotch nurse it for over hours, then according to me we ‘look’ busy & are spending money.

The young college kids know how to wisely spend their money & divide more time at the cafés. They strum guitars, stare for long into each other’s eyes.

I love one hobby & that is to observe people pass on the streets. And with this observation one morning at Andheri opposite fame ad labs Anne & I sat at a CCD. We were waiting on a friend. We were sitting in the air-conditioned section & suddenly we saw a yucky man…the typical pimp, gigolo looking types.

Yes these gigolo, pimp types are recognisable in India. This one was straight out of a Hindi film…the gigolo pimp shady looking character.

Most of the pimps have ugly coloured streaks or colours on their hair, they were gold earrings, they have thick gold bracelet flashy in every sense of the word. They are on their cell phone which is not one…they speak in code language & are loud.

We saw one Russian whore…to be politically correct, a Russian sex worker walk in the porch wt a trolley bag. She was white that’s about it. Not great looks –well ofcourse I am aware looks has nothing to do with sex! Especially as regards many Indian men are concerned, they are more interested in the colour, whatever may be in front of them. The pimp kept himself busy on the cell & was networking all the while. In few minutes we saw a typical Marawari businessman walk in….a fat slob, in a shiny shirt, tight pants, bursting out of his clothes (I’m sure by now he was, considering he was close to fulfilling his dream of sleeping with a white woman) and chewing the famous paan…how can even their wives sleep with them is a question I always have.

Anne & I sat looking bewildered, since the whole sex call unfolded in front of our eyes. We were like she is a hooker & this businessman wants her & the pimp was striking the deal. Yes, hands were shaken, money exchanged between the pimp & the Russian walked away wt the Maru dragging her trolley behind.

Sure besides love, singing & staring, sex seems to have happened over the coffee. Yes, the pimp had ordered a coffee and sat showing he was interested in it!

My tribute if I can say....

Hemant Karkare: Progressive and Secular to the Core
Here is one of the best, and most revealing, obits of Hemant Karkare. It appeared in today's DNA.

Ramakumar

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1210370&pageid=0

'He always led from the front'

Neeta Kolhatkar / DNA

Sunday, November 30, 2008 03:26 IST

Hemant Karkare, the Anti-Terrorist Squad chief was born into a Maharashtrian Brahmin family in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh where his parents lived. His father, Kamlakar worked in Central Railways as a guard and his mother was a teacher.

The family moved to Nagpur when Karkare was in the sixth standard. His mother Kumudini who had both bachelor's and master's degrees in education, after her marriage, taught at D Dinanath School.

Karkare's childhood friends remember the family as warm, simple, rational and highly educated. "Kamlakar and I were worked together. He was an active trade unionist of National Railway Mazdoor Union and All-India Guards Council," recalls Narayan Rao, secretary of Maharashtra unit for All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation, an affiliate of World Peace Organisation.

Kamlakar was a great influence on Hemant. "He inherited his father's qualities of being rational and able to identify with the masses," Rao says.

Kamlakar was close to AB Bardhan, general secretary of the Communist Party of India. "Kamlakar helped the poor, he would give them homeopathic medicines," he added. He was also inspired by his mother's resilience and was his role model.

"The one thing that stands out about the Karkare family is that while they were Brahmins, who were not atheists but were never pro-RSS. His family was far from fundamentalist Brahmins you meet in this city," says Rao.

Hemant studied at the New English High School in Nagpur. "When the bigger boys bullied him, he would just ignore them," says his friend Colonel Rahul Goverdhan.

Hermant later went on to study Mechanical engineering. He then joined Hindustan Lever, appeared for his UPSC exams and joined the Indian Police Services.

Karkare was an excellent sculptor. He made lampshades and artefacts from wood. As SP, Chandrapur, he had learnt these skills from local artisans. He even helped them sell their wares. Hemant would make gifts for his friends and family like photo frames," recalls Avinash Joshi, a friend.

Goverdhan says Karkare liked to take charge of things. "The day he was to take over as SP Chandrapur, there was an attack on the police. Hemant went and opened the police station and lead the attack on the Naxals. He always wanted his men to know they could count on him,"says Goverdhan.

Karkare's colleagues from the ministry of external affairs remember him as a teacher to them. "We worked in Vienna many years ago. He was my guru," says Kamaldeep Khanna, an officer with MEA.

Hemant was just 54 when his career was cut short. He is survived by his wife Kavita, a teacher, the backbone of the family.

k_neeta@dnaindia.net
Posted by R. Ramakumar at 2:49 PM 1 comments
Labels: Mumbai

Thai government changes its approach to the stateless

Thai government changes its approach to the stateless
Neeta Kolhatkar
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 21:01 IST

Bangkok: Boon is a 44-year-old, barefoot lawyer who heads the human rights clinic in Mei Aai district, Northern province of Chaing Rai in Thailand. Aided by UNICEF, she visits villages and district authorities to pursue the cause of stateless people in the country.
Neeta Kolhatkar / DNA
Nasoh is a 12-year-old student, born in Chai Sen. Her parents are Thai, but hold a pink card

Boon herself is a victim of the stateless problem. She was 22 when she learnt that although she was born and lived in Thailand, she had no nationality. "My mother missed the census and although she is Thai by birth, I am not a citizen. In 2002, some of my relatives got Thai citizenship. I got an identity card and then realised I was not a citizen of this country," Boon says.

Boon began making enquiries with district-level authorities, who told her she needed to prove she was a Thai national. "I was frustrated with the system but I did not get bogged down. Instead, I decided to take this up as a challenge. I studied law and began to pursue my citizenship," she says.

She went to her birthplace and spoke to relatives, a midwife, neighbours and relatives who had witnessed her birth. She drew a family tree of those relatives who had received Thai nationality, and was helped by professor Phunthip Sasoonthorn, faculty of law, Thammasat University, lawyers and UNICEF. "They took DNA samples from me and my relatives. The cost was exorbitant, but finally, my case was admitted in court and I won it," says a beaming Boon.

Human Rights Clinic has paid for the families of two of us and it came to nearly 80,000Bahts because of the distance between the relatives.

After 2006, 1,243 applicants could be admitted. There are more than 100 students and a total of 3,000 people who have applied for citizenship. Till now, 100 of them have received Thai nationality.

Apart from Boon, others, like Panee Sukom, 25, are suffering despite being the children of Thai nationals. Sukom's mother came to Thailand from Myanmar over four decades ago; Sukom was born before 1992, and under Thai law, that makes her eligible for citizenship. But her civil registration certificate says she was born in Burma, while her birth certificate says she was born in Thailand.

"In my case it is the local officer who made a mistake in my civil registration. I don't know if it was deliberate, because my mother is illiterate and could not read it at the time and correct it on the spot," Sukom says. Today, she is married to a Thai man, has a child who is a Thai national, but still has a long fight ahead.

"The fact is, not having Thai nationality or citizenship means one is deprived of all rights. I get no voting rights, I can't own land or a house," says a sad Sukom.

Nasoh, a 12-year-old student, was born in Chai Sen. Her parents are Thai but hold a pink card. When the refugee problem escalated, the Thai government came out with a proposal to give refugee cards to Burmese migrants. Nasoh's parents took the card with the hope that they would get benefits, not realising that their citizenship would be nullified.

"My parents took it because they could not read. They thought the pink card was free and would give them some benefits, but it changed our status completely. Today we have zero status," says Nasoh.

Her parents gave her up for adoption to her aunt and uncle, who were childless and who notified her as their daughter. However, last year, when volunteers came to tell her of her status, Nasoh realised she had zero none. "I began to feel different from others the minute I realised I was not a Thai national. In class, nobody treats me badly or excludes me, but I feel odd about this whole experience."

The fact is, the Thai government has been trying to address this issue based on the national security concern. The Thai national human rights commission, civil society organisations and academicians have pressured the government into seeing this with a humanitarian approach. In the last three years, three acts - the Immigration Act, the Nationality Act and the Civil Registration Act - have been amended to solve this problem.

"The stateless people's issue is of concern to the government because they see it as being related to national security. This is the mainstream, conventional way of seeing things," says Dr Amara Pongsapich, anthropologist with Chulalongkorn University.
The shift in this approach, Amara says, came when the sub-commission roped in academicians and human rights groups. However, victims face problems at the district level because officials are not accustomed to the human-rights approach.

"A paradigm shift was pushed by civil society and academicians. However, district officers who work on this issue are caught in a dilemma - whether to follow the law to the letter, or be humanitarian. They don't have an open mind about human rights. Although information has been passed down regarding the amendments to the law, they seem reluctant to implement them," Amara says.

The government Human Rights Commission says one of the biggest hurdles is making other departments and ministries understand the human security issue and help them shed their traditional roles as security officials.

"We are not only the implementing agency, but the monitoring agency as well. Cabinet ministers take our views and reports seriously. It is not easy at the district level," says Ekachai Pinkaew, a senior officer of the Human Rights Commission. "On the other hand, it is equally hard working with other ministries. I have to convince and negotiate with the military and immigration officers. We need their support but this is a typical characteristic of the bureaucracy," Pinkaew adds.

An important development this week was that the Human Rights Commission could get the approval of the National Health Commission to pass the right to health for stateless people. "Ministers are open to new ideas; this week, we discussed the right to health for stateless people as it has already been passed by the National Health Committee. It will soon be passed in Parliament," Pinkaew adds.

Poems of girls

A girl
She suffered in silence
She held herself guilty
What had she done to attract this crime on herself?
She was a young girl, he an uncle

She woke up one night to a hand feeling up her thigh
She threw her blanket and woke up with a start
She felt like a kitten

He had tried but couldn’t penetrate
She was scared but had shown her strength
She transformed her hatred & got empowered

She didn’t want to be a martyr, but she bid time
Her confidence had given her more power
Many looked upon her with awe
By then she had blocked out the past


A Lesson
The girl knocked on the door
Dogs greeted her by jumping with glee
The man came and lost colour on his face
He didn’t welcome the lady at all

The man turned away to the house
But the man’s partner welcomed the niece
Memories came flooding to them all
The uncle remembered the day he had set up the girl

Her escape had emancipated her
She no more feared
She looked up and ignored the man
He shifted around the room uncomfortably

The silence was eerie for them, the girl was serene
The dogs barked in the passage
Finally the uncle spoke on deaf ears

It was a day of reckoning
The stakes had changed
The powerless was empowered
While the philanderer was a loser

India’s mandate

Who said the Indian voter has no brains? Who said that the Indian voter can be easily bought by illicit liquor and money? Who said the Indian voter is predictable? Yes, the sephologists and media had run down all the voters and the Indian mandate.

We did see faces of the poor, malnourished Indians who seemed to have attended many a rally. Those who were paid to mark their presence for ‘crowd’ factor when big wig political leaders came to talk down to them. Huh! Few leaders took that effort to go the extra mile to walk and plead for votes. Most have now got detached. Fewer still like Sonia Gandhi and her children Priyanka or Rahul break the cordon and walk to greet the ordinary people. Most simply step out of their air conditioned cars and wave.

The voter has seen them all. Come, promise, not deliver, come again, promise again and simply disappear. This time the stalwarts came, folded hands and said, “vote.” The voter by now has been used to been taken for a ride. As if this is not enough, the political leaders took advantage of the November 26 carnage and militancy attack on Mumbai city. Some political parties like the Bharatiya Janta Party, Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena tried to emotionally black mail the voters. They actually said go out and vote to prevent militant attacks!

Now I have never heard this before, that if I voted, then elections would protect me any possible terror death in future. Such was the joke of the politicians in these elections. Then us, the media, that nearly put the Congress down. The infilteration of the chaddiwallas or the right wing thought people in our media immense. Right from bottom to the top most level the chaddiwallas have taken over news rooms. So, we had pre-polls predictions saying that the BJP alliance is surely winning.

The voter was quiet. There were new trends in this city of Mumbai. The MNS and its leaders who were fielded. They proved to be fatal to the BJP-Sena combine, they also dug their own graves in some places. Because in their fight they simply lost out on crucial seats.

Yes, I personally would like Maywati to win some day. Only because she is a Dalit. That should not be criteria. I agree, she now needs to do a lot of introspection. She needs better strategy. But the fact is she can be formidable and we do need alternate thought.

Like the right wing extremist thought there exists for donkeys years a left wing etrmist thought, ideological party, Communist Party of India. They need to realise that they cannot hold a government to ransom. One man, Prakash Karat, who is not even an elected candidate heads a party and over the nuclear deal holds the nation and government to ransom, he thought he could get away with it.

The Congress too had to resort to dirty tactics, of horse trading, of bribing, paying to keep the government. Well, better late than never. Finally they woke up to a harsh reality, they needed to change with the modern times. It had to shed a lot.

They woke up a bit late but better they did. They began to give the power mantle to the next gen. So we see more like Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, types who are new faces, brining in new hope.

The old right and left wing candidates began mud slinging match. They called names to stalwarts of other parties. They picked on women –Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka, other women candidates by calling them names. Whatever it is, the Indian voter has heard and seen it. The emotional cords make a difference in this country. For years the male leaders have tried to get away calling names to women in this country. There is a time for change.

The likes of Narendra Modi who now harp on ‘development’ have forgotten vital factor –HUMAN RIGHTS. He was the conduit and abettor for crimes and murder in his state the Gujarat. The so-called Gujarat model was being promoted even in Maharashtra. I agree once my state Maharashtra was a power-excess state. We could have sold the excess power to toher states and made some money, plus initiated projects to add to the existing megawatts. We did NOTHING. We were arrogant with ‘power!’

Today we have to listen to a abettor of murders tell us that he will teach us a lesson. He claims to be the prime minister candidate? All these events and developments made some ‘intelligent’ extra politically wise and enlightened people say that the American model can only work in India. They claimed overnight that India is a shit place to be in, our politics sucks, why? Because the next gen America had voted for Obama dude!

Dude, one needs to understand to this country and its set up. We voters choose a council of ministers who elect one man as Prime minister. But we choose people who are able or at least considered. They and an even more able administration are supposed to draft pro- people policies and ensure the mandate benefits. That many have failed to fulfil this basic right or principle is another matter. That doesn’t make a system redundant. The people elected were wrong or not worth it. Some in fact are the ones who now claim of given a chance they could have made a difference, made a better govt. All have been given a chance. For the sake of petty politics they have sacrificed the whole good. They sacrificed people’s power for their own power – like the BJP and CPI (M).

The people have realised this all petty politics doesn’t work. This time for the first time in years people have reposed faith in the Congress, the old able party. This time the youth came out to vote, the rural and urban voter though alike. We want change. We want the country to go forward, develop and we want policies for ourselves. This clear majority of Congress is definitely a way the Indian voter has rubbished misplaced claims by the elite intelligentsia (who has no bloody clue of people’s pulse), media and regressive right, left wing people that the Indian voter does not understand. We do and we surely know that the issues of the national level are different from local and state.

Being positive in times of Economic Recession

Now I do read financial and economic news, especially because 0ver 10 years ago i used to cover the stock market, economic news & even did stories on the interest rates. That apart, initially i could not differentiate between the Blue chip & other companies...that understanding was as good as my understanding of 'windows' & dos when it first was launched.

According to my sister i was total embarrassment to her IT super speciality types...because when I first heard of 'windows & dos' i thought doors & windows open and some software comes out of it.. now i am a creative, communication person, although highly logical...but that is so different from IT which is unnecessarily complicated and sorry for me these IT types are as good as bank clerks or tech up loaders...similarly was my understanding of the stock market..i never understood why any company was called 'blue chip' company. Chip i always associated with software chips, blue...i thought was to do with blue collared workers. Now that too baffles me, why certain types of workers, managers basically humans were called blue-collared...i know there is colloquialism, but it need not stretch to such an extent.

Coming to the modern economic news - the banks in India were working well, till some dumb white fellows asked us to roll back on nationalism on every front..everything got privatised. Privatisation means NO public service or welfare. This is true, because if you see how the power companies world over have taken consumers for a ride with the pricing of per unit, rates & their total lack of public commitment, this should have given an indicator to the bloody Americans that privatisation has simply NOT worked. Yet, they went ahead & introduced privatisation of banking processes.

So NO people interaction, NO people giving or taking slips, cheques...now over a period of time this whole complicated process got majorly marred by vested interests, greedy officials, so now we landed with major economic recession. In the midst of this recession, me with 21 other fellows got selected for the international rotary course for peace & conflict resolution. I was constantly plagued by only one question that my friends & well wishers had, "How has your office given you permission? What about your job? etc, etc" Their concern was basically how would i survive this job during recession times.

Everyday i saw on Al Jazeera (My sensible window to the world it was), how older & more experienced professionals were being asked to sit at home, losing jobs & facing the worst time of their lives. I do not need to see recession for that, i have experienced it few years ago, for sticking my neck for myself & standing up to my own rights.

On this note, our office i am told was sacking people. I got emails from certain friends who confessed they were asked to put in their papers. The whole sacking was done decently & sensitively, but the persons were asked to leave. Then came the news of pay cuts. Which again has been done with caution & thoughtfulness...they have tried to save our cash component, etc. I am sure no person likes to tell another person to sit at home or tell staff that their pay is being cut. I have no problems to the latter, because if cutting my pay can save jobs i am absolutely satisfied about. Yes, because i also strongly believe if my job has to go it will, if it has to survive it will...but i have also realised a few complications that are beyond my understanding. Like why windows was called as windows for a bloody software programme...

The complications are as follows - the restaurants have NOT increased prices, but they drastically cut down on the portions they serve. They have NOT reduced prices, like our salaries, but you get to eat less. Imagine, as it is we earn lesser now we get to eat lesser...this equation i have NOT understood.

Then some products their prices keep mounting -like the darn Apple products! How their prices have increased when stupid ones like me go to buy them on zero EMI instalments??? I wonder.. they are still bloody expensive...

NO utility has reduced its fares because there is recession. If there is No or lesser money around every sector is affected, the diesel, petrol, CNG rates haven't fallen. A a result the bus & cab fares haven't decreased. So we as consumers continue to spend as much or more than what we have been till now, except the value for what i get in return seems to be decreasing.

Now i thought is a good time the stupid governments announce that the interest rates will increase, so the savings will at least double or become one and a half times...no but we don't get such bonanzas. Our tipping by the way has NOT decreased. If the portions have decreased, salaries have decreased, we continue to be weighed down by the social responsibility & guilt for paying less tips. But how does NO other person get weighed down by the cut in my salary. My working hours have not decreased, the pressures have not decreased, rather they have doubled. My work load has been modified & more has been added. More output is expected...

so the law of economics do not work in our favour, but they work for in those above and below my category. I n all this some bloody evil-minded person stole my expensive Ipod (of 8gb memory), that too a piece i bought on zero EMI on instalments...I'm supposed to forgive that person for his/her misdeed & pray i am able to afford it again?? I cursed the person & said that the person should & will incur 5 & a half times my loss for causing me such immense grief.

I have now given my status line as, "pay cuts, hot weather, no houses at cheap rates, bad candidates, NO better opps & people stealing my Ipod...yet i am told be +, this too shall pass...." i mean i really should be given a meddle for being positive, optimistic & surreal hopeful!

Confidentiality of rape victim

Yet again a girl has been raped in the so-called 'safe' city, Bombay, alias Mumbai! Guess if some incident occurs frequently it means a few things. Firstly, there is something drastically lacking in the very systems & structures - here its primarily secuirty, law & order; more so self-control & respect for a girls / women. It also means the safety of women in the city has fallen down drastically. The secuirty i mean the whole city. Who is secure? Can anyone of us claim to be? I really don't think so.

It also means that there is some sort of sanction or sniggering approval for such violent acts. Because so many are silent & tight lipped when such incidents occur. Somehow the hypocrisy of the Indian society gets thoroughly exposed. Yes, because the men folk can roam around late at night, they can be arrogant, forceful & flaunt their sexuality. But if women even remotely show similar attitude, they are termed as 'fast' women who deserve the consequences. The very faith they have in the system is destroyed, rather crushed to bits...

Last week an American Indian student from a social sciences college went out with her female friend for drinks. The whole episode till here & thereafter has many a loophole. Was there any breach of trust between these two? Why did this girl go out with 'friends' of her female friends. so on so forth is now coming out. I have a question. Do we not trust our own friends? Do we distruct every person we meet? I travel alone, i interact with people and its interesting what one can see around. I don't drink with strangers except close friends, this is a rule. On tour or travel i restrict myself to only a glass of beer. Plus a BIG lesson, NO mixing drinks...However this has been soemthing i have been able to stick with come what may. Sometimes like in this case of Ms R things didn't go her way.

She couldn't resist the forceful men. They forced her to drink, offered her LSD marijuana ciggie, etc...a lot is being said of what she could have done. I know one thing i can imagine is she could have just shouted out for help. Would she have got it i can't vouch, it would've at least put some pressure on the horny males with her. Poor child, a lot of mixes happened & eventually she landed in a huge personal, emotional & physcial trauma - she was raped.

But as if this wasn't enough. She had the courage to go to her hostel officials & tell them. They went to the hospital, police station, underwent all tests, etc. She filed a 'First Information Report.' Now this is supposed to be CONFIDENTIAL. Interestingly, the media in India has become very 'investigative.' The editors more pushy. so according to what my colleagues told me many news organisations & people had been given by the police the copies of the FIR.

The FIR is a real weapon for the victim. That is also confidential a document. Also if a journalist gets the copy of an FIR, one is NOT supposed to reporduce it verbatim. Here we had an over-excited tabloid newspaper male reporter who went ahead & published all details. Every action that the poor child could remember was described like a D grade sex film! Readers were subjected to the Gory details...instead of publishing the excerpts from this FIR, the whole darn paper was reproduced.

It was the most disgusting & repulsive piece of journalism i have read or seen in modern times. I sincerely believe such journalists should be castrated or flogged...Not for once did the bloody editor of this tabloid stop to think she is a woman & how she is encroaching upon a vulnerable, already shattered girl's privacy. Every word was published as if the reporter & the editor had relished & enjoyed every word that was printed on their paper. It nauseated some of us.

I did write to the network for working women journalists, asking us to file a suit against this third rate paper & its editor, especially since she was a woman. Pathetic is the situation in India i feel. To what extent will journalists go to get a story. In Our paper the bosses acutally pulled up the crime team for 'missing' out on this story. I want to ask do editors forget they too are humans. We all have women in our households. Would we allow something to be written abt any woman or girl we know in our private life? We owuld mover every stone on the way to protect that girl's relative's identity.

Why then do we not follow the same rule? Why do we not do things we'd expect others to follow? The paper failed in its very commitment to send the message of the incident to the masses, or readers. Instead it tantillised the readers, it made them curious and more so it perpetuated false perceptions of girls & women. This piece of tabloid journalism actually made people talk ill about the victim. Except for her name they had gone to town with every detail that the honest victim had recorded with the police.

It definitely brings us to the roles of ; living & suffering in a patriarchial society. The boys are being made out to be 'poor' boys, 'misled inccocents' "who did not rape but only gave the apartment to rapists." Even to know a rapist is a scary thought. How can men go beyond to help him. It is scary...The police first need to go inside the jail. Plus write ups about them need to come out more openly. The editor got her due. The women's organisations from the city went to that newspaper's office & they actually lodged an FIR with the azad maidan police.

We all suppoted this protest. I do hope this makes the editors, journalists realise the true meaning of 'confidentiality & it breach.' i only hope people use the same parametres for others that they will like to use for themselves.

Meeting former 'killers' - meeting with few soldiers of Khmer Rouge bastion

Chamcar Bei village

As a journalist I have met some amazing people from even more amazing backgrounds. Ranging from police, administrative or civil servants, judges, politicians, world leaders, extremely creative people, killers, gangsters, murderers, social workers, ordinary people doing great work...Around the 17th/ 18th of March our Peace fellows group travelled 4 hours from Phnom Penh on a visit to the once bastion of the Khmer Rouge regime. Chamcar Bei is the village.

Rugged, surrounded by forests, it is no wonder then that the Khmer Rouge found solace in that tucked away area, protected naturally from getting hounded from any side. Today there is more civilisation and it is NO wonder. As part of our studies we were to look at, rather analyse the re-integration model. The former Khmer Rouge soldiers were integrated in the Royal Thai Army & in the villages with other Cambodians, as part of the amnesty programme.

In this Chamcar Bei village we sat among villagers who were killers & perpetuators of violence! They were once Khmer Rouge soldiers. These people were being helped by a NGO -Bridge across borders, to help the villagers to adjust, rebuild their lives & become an united Cambodia.

However the fact is there are simmering differences & anger within the people. Our mini group of 5 persons spoke & interacted with the founder of this village, Prep Chem. He is an 82 year old man who was present in 1995. This was the time when the last group of Khmer Rouge soldiers surrendered & gave up their arms in Chamcar Bei village.

Prep was present on the day the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge soldiers laid their arms. It was a forested area, not a surprise, since Chamcar Bei even after 14 years bears the forest look. He recollected that day & told us that they watched soldiers being given the amnesty & welcomed by the Thai army. From being killers, from an extremist insurgent ideology they moved into more official status to kill. Prep told us forthrightly, "Life was harsh in the times of Khmer Rouge. We toiled as labour but today we have machines & life has become easier."

When we asked him how did the Khmer Rouge senior officers recruit the foot soldiers, Prep said their anger was NOT against these lower soldiers. "They were forced. They would have died anyways. The officers would come with the rolls of names like a muster, call out names randomly & simply order people to join them. If they did they were doomed, if they didn't they would have been killed!"

He also added, "Earlier some joined them out of fascination for their ideology. They got attracted to all the talk of working as labourers for the country & the promises they made."I am sure people's expectations were raised. Because like in India, the elite, Brahmins were THE only ones who got access to education, creativity & fine arts. They good jobs & as a result were held in high esteem by the ordinary people. As a result the rural areas or hinterlands were completely IGNORED!

May be for the first time I heard & witnessed what my Communist friends had been saying. I NOWHERE condone the daths & killings or their mentality...what started as a good anti-Brahmin, anti-elitist movement turned into one of the worst genocide crimes in the world. That too NOT ancient, but as recent as 1979-1989!! Our generation was born, educated & graduated by then...

He remembers the past distinctly, like most of the others who survived the horrors of the genocide. For over 2 generations people have suffered & are still struggling to come to terms with this tragedy. However like a majority of Cambodians, Prep refuses to visit his or his country's past. "There is no point going back to the past. It was horrible and we are glad it is over."

We asked Prep & the other villagers who among them was a Khmer Rouge soldier or were among the high ranking officers. They simply did not hear or rather behaved NOT to hear it. Prep told us there were new forms of conflict in their village. They admitted that had only heard of the tribunal but had no clue what it was. One person however said, "There are many killers who still live amongst us. They are not Duche or others."

This form of restorative justice or even the tribunal doesn't seem to have gone down well with a majority of Cambodian people. People here believe spending millions of dollars for 5 accused who they have never met or interacted with is a waste, when the millions in this country are struggling to get a decent living, jobs, food and a roof over their heads. Hu Noon, a volunteer with the Red Cross told me, "We find it difficult to work in the dark. We hear the cities have power 24 hours. We would like to have some electricity."

This speaks volumes regarding their government's priorities. Everyone knows the PM of Cambodia was a former Khmer Rouge & Heun Sung. He was never in favour of this tribunal. In another group a high ranking Khmer Rouge lady soldier was the spokeswoman. In fact she was so dominating that she didn't give anyone an opportunity to put their point across. She infact made it a point to tell the group that is all was well & there was no problem. Later at the time of wrap up she created a furore with murmurs of demanding money. Her logic was simple, we had taken their time & energy & they needed to be compensated. After they were given a token monetary gift, she voiced her opposition.

People feel the real perpetuators have escaped the trial while the country heads are wasting time & resources on those biggies who do not matter

Just some thoughts on terror violence

Is this justice?
Your mind is focussed as you lift the gun
Like a toy in your hand you point at everyone
What makes you want to kill innocent or they a cause for you?
Your silence shows your simmering anger

Your bullets have ripped apart a child
The mother weeps as she too wants to end her life
The father is writhing in ire
he is sure he wants you dead

Your bullets killed a bride
The colour of her mehendi still wet green
Her new husband is now a widower
Her family wants revenge

Your bullet killed an old man
His family is left distraught
His grandchild looks listless
She wants to learn what wrong did her dada do?

Did you see the blood & gory stills you left behind on the streets?
Did you see the brains you splintered with such ease?
Did you see how many families you let broke?
Are you finally at peace?

A mother after all
She beats her heart & chokes her breath
This mother has not moved from her son's death bed
All she can see are remains of the son's clothes
Her robe is smeared with her son's blood, which is also hers

The mother is confused as television repeatedly plays the visuals
She is angry as her son is called a 'terrorist'
She , the mother only believes her 'son' is dead
But they won't let her be in peace

Her husband fell prey to a bullet from across
Their lives ended as the death was used by all
Mother was left as the son disappeared
Son wanted justice & used the gun for want of answers

She knew she would have to face this moment one day
But she surely wasn't prepared for such violence
She wanted justice, but all she got was two heart breaks
She believed in peace but all she saw was her son being blown into pieces
She had faith, but felt lost; Finally the mother felt abused by all

Contradictions of Angkor Vat

Thankfully Mr S's eyes are closed. Here i would like to introduce our ever so nice & gentle tour guide. He is 20 something young lad, who has studied Khmer, English, little French & now wants to study Spanish.

Extremely versatile, enterprising...but imagine the situation he is in. He is among the 5000 tour guides at the World Heritage site - Angkor Vat. For many new readers this is the world's first ever Brahma temple. In India the HIndus do NOT make idols of lord Brahma or construct his temples...he is creator of this universe so he is everywhere, i guess...

Angkor Vat is part of Cambodia. The country ravaged by war since eons...first war with Viet Nam, then they were French Colony. Then US carpet bombed Cambodia. By then Hindusim influence was seen at every level & the caste system too pervaded at every level. So the Brahmins became intellectuals & ONLY they studied & were permitted to study, while the lower castes were deprived. As a result, the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, who studied the Frnech Revolution in France & majorly influenced by Mao returned to make revolution in Cambodia. He made everyone march to villages to toil as labourers, the rice they rew & harvested was bought by China for the arms they gave him...men were killed brutally, people were held captive. Women raped, then killed brutally. Children thrown on trees & killed. Ovewr 1.7 million died of both brutality, starvation & fear.

Mr S's family are survivors. The family was separated like many. Since they survived they could give birth to Mr S. Today he has realised he needs to work to study. Interestingly, the govt of cambodia wc is a dual govt (Khmer supported by Vietnamese) & local have opened the country for investments.

So there is China -largest investor, others like Korea & other foreign invesors in different sectors. Heritage sies like Angkor Vat too have investors. Mainly Apsara company wc is Vietnamese. They charge $20 for full day, they have hired staff for security, guides. The Cambodian govt gives guide licence, uniform, rest is all in the hands of this company. The 2nd bigger company is Korean. They conduct the night tour wc is $15 for 2 hours ONLY.

Both these companies keep all the profits. They pay appallingly low salaries to the staff. Mr S said that they get ONLY few $ this is more than doctors who work in govt hospitals. SO you can imagine the levels of salaries. The guide told us that the company doesn't provide any benefits like bonus, leave, medical aid, benefits, insurance or any such benefits to the staff.

The security is posted at nook & corner to check Photo IDs. They si on plastic chairs with NO shed or protection. The guides depend on tips given by tourists...often many are students or backpackers....

The guide told us they have an Union but they would rather be low key...they maintain low profile. Because few years before when some union leaders have spoken up, they were killed. Mr S said that the govt of Cambodia bumped them off. So they all rather keep quiet instead of fighting for their rights.

He said that Apsara also has hotles. Most of the 200 odd hotels in Siem Rep are owned by foreigners. They employ locals, but NO major benefits are given to them. I asked if the union of hotel employees & travel guides are combined or have dialogued & Mr S said NO. I suggested they begin informally some dialogue so that they can grow slowly in numbers. He was overwhelmed..we assured him that this is what we can do as peace felllows to give concrete suggestions to make their lives better...but he said they have to be careful.

The good part is I am proud being an Indian. Was always & after visiting angkor vat, im re-emphasising it. India is THE only country which has given money & funds for restoring this site & is reviving it..for its preservation...unlike the other foreign countries that are fleecing Angkor Vat....i hope Karin & I can start facebook online capmpaign to help guides like Mr S & help save Angkor Vat.

Missing notes

Well, 2 days ago we had another sharing in class. We were to say something ridiculous we missed about our cities back home. For the first time readers, i am attending a course on Conflict resolution & peace at the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

So we have trainers specialised in conflict resolution, game theories, applying theory to groups & so on & so forth...everyone was expected to mention something. Now i have a friend Mr S. He asked me through text if I missed Mumbai. Which I do NOT right now. I am NOT really one of those who misses anyone or anything, not because i am cold, detached or cruel. I live in this moment. I live in the very present. Missing connotes an emotion of weakness, in my analysis functioning & living.

Missing means, you are dwelling on the past & living on the past. Missing according to the dictionary means, "Lacking, absent, failure to accomplish or achieve." That is why i said it is a weakness. I have NOT failed & even if i didn't get something i wanted, today it may NOT be that significant. If you miss someone or person, that also means you are holding onto something that is NOT yours, in your existence. I do NOT miss people as a rule, especially those alive. Sometimes you may reminisce, recollect memories, but that doesn't mean you miss. People are meant to come, go exit & enter your life. One has to learn to live with these happenings.

So i told Mr S that he may not believe it, but I really do NOT miss Mumbai. He ofcourse said he expected this answer as "Miss" doesn't exist in my vocabulary! Which is true. So when i was confronted to reply in the class i was jaw locked! Seriously, i wanted to laugh. I shared it in class that i do NOT miss anyone or anything.

The trainer persuaded me & coaxed me. He said, "Something ridiculous you surely miss neeta." And you know in a brief spilt of a second i said to myself, "Yes Neeta you miss the dirty odour & smells back home!" So i had this absolutely naughty grin on my face & one colleague said, wait you're going to say something really funny. Yes, I said it aloud, "I miss the dirty odours in my city, I miss the dirty body odours back home of men & more so young girls!" The whole class was in splits & making sounds.

An Indian colleague who sits next to me, Ankur looked at me sympathetically & said, "You know Neeta you're right. The people in India really have worse body odours!" Some extra smart will read & say so you go round smelling people is it. No, i Don't do that. One doesn't have to take that extra effort in Mumbai or India. We are just a bunch of unhygienic race.

Men have huge body odour (BO as politely & politically correct i am told) problem. In our DNA office dammit, the young girls smell of BO early in the day! So many journalists have BO. I have already written about it earlier in this blog. In fact Ranjona (A senior in this field& Off) had her ear filled with my daily outbursts about how there is a strong BO in my section. Yes, young PYTs chavlyas matkyas as i call them, dress to the hilt, sex bombs but oh! My god, have such strong BO. It makes me nauseated.

Do i need to emphasise how traumatic it is to travel in a bus or train with strong BO?? eeks. rattling, unnerving, assault on my nose, its my basic right to protect myself. So Ranjona has donated her deo to me. I carry one in my bag, a napkin to cover my face & I am unashamed to hold it on my face as i move around in the city. I carry a fan too now, so that i can get fresh air as opposed to odour filled air.

Mumbai city has a lot of it. It also has a peculiar stink. Now China has a stink through out the country, may be because of their Stinky tofu. It is a peculiar stink, quite unlike the fish stench that coastal or tropical cities have. NOT like Mumbai's beaches where they dry prawns & Bombil.

Thailand has a mix of odours. Bb as in Bad breath is across Asia & Oh! Yes, the true old America, as they use very little water in their lives. Thailand they have all sorts of stinly food prodcuts, their food stinks. plus they use shrim & other fish sauces, so they stink too. Walking on the streets is a pleasure on the feet, as they are clean, NO garbage, drains. But it is definitely an assualt on the nose!

Mumbai has strong sewage, bad drainage & overflowing mahole stench, bad odour problem. There are heaps of garbage & that too gets mixed in the air. So imagine now firstly BO, then mass BO, garbage, drainage, sewage & the famous Mithi river (Nullah) stench problem, mixed with drying fish, odours from slums & lastly but NOT the least coastal sea odour.

Can you imagine how many odours on a daily basis (minus the fragrances of perfumes, deos, food, etc) that we inhale on a daily basis in Bombay?? Gawd, it is a torture, it is also ridiculous. Because these odours are something we can minimise. We all together can identify there is a problem with us so bathe properly, use deos, allum & eat well. These odours are from people who are earning decent salaries or income & can afford to minimise them.

Sometimes ridiculous also becomes a serious ...so the class definitely had a laugh as they said "eeks, that is something outrageous Neeta."

Neeta Unexpectedly....

Strange thing happened in one of our classes recently. We were asked to share with the class something unexpected that each one of us done or have experienced or said. I was unsure what to say? Everything about me is unexpected, come to think of it. I shared this, i told them I am personification of unexpectedness!

My Aai-Baba will recollect how my mother was asked to drop her baby, that is me, when she was carrying me. One gynac had told her that the pregnancy was a risk to her life. My baba sent her to his rakhi sister, a gynac who told my mother (she was my mother's gynac thereafter for me & our younger brother, Madhav), who told her there is NO risk at all.

My aai was 'informed' very confidently that she will get a son & i was conceived as a girl. Before the delivery my mother went for a regular visit to Saroj atya the gynac who checked her & asked her to stay on the hospital. Aai had no problem, except on 20th midnight, the first few minutes of 21st May her second daughter me, was born.

Absolutely unexpected! She had an older daughter Smita -round, podggy, great cheeks, bald & absolutely the cutest baby we have seen since then...here aai got a wide-eyed baby girl, who had immense hair on her head, round face but weak child. The contrasts were so evident that they clashed on a daily basis for over 2 decades with the expectations of my parents from me.

Every decision i have taken in my life, had been totally UN CALCULATED...choice of men, choice of career, change of career fm social advocacy to writing or broadcast journalism, choice to remain single, to exert my right to make choices & the method i took them, they all were unexpected & in many ways still opposite to that of my sister's. To assert my choice of NOT wanting to be a mother too is unexpected of me, many of my friends thought here is one girl who get settled, marry & have babies! why on earth they predicted such things from me, they best can answer.

People will find it surprising that i cook well, though hate anything that is a daily chore, like making dal, rotis, fulkas, bhaji, etc etc...haha...I HATE believe me despise washing clothes. Oh! my god here there is NO laundry machine where we can wash our clothes by paying a $. Its surprising that i have NO expectations from anyone in life anymore...i have HOPE NO expectations...so i can enlist a lot of things...
So i just said something that i felt was most natural. I told the class that everything about me from my birth has been unexpected. Yes, i won't lie. For me to have got selected for this course was absolutely unexpected for me. I have travelled to 3 parts of the world, rather continents NOT at my expense, NOT a junket, but on fellowships is absolutely unexpected. so the list of my unexpectedness continues.

Oh! Yes, there are times when i have shown immense sense of humour & laughed off a conflict, while I've run into people, friends & colleagues unexpectedly...the class responded with loud laughter saying yeah, whatever i said they felt was interesting & some said well, it goes with your personality! What it means, they can explain best! Yet, many seem to recall this conversation in class frequently.

Conflict in the group

Now, we are Peace fellows, class of April 2009..having said this i will reiterate that we are 'supposed' to take initiatives to the communities, society at large & more importantly within ourselves to spread the message of peace. I believe that Peace is like our breath which we constantly live by. Now what i am writing is extremely disturbing more so since the whole episode has left bitterness among the whole class. The group is now divided on gender lines - women versus the men.

I am NOT talking of normal tiffs, conflicts due to strong personalities, NO, these are nothing in comparison to what has been happening in our group. But then aren't police supposed to be the ultimate responsible persons for upholding & maintaining law & order? Do they fulfill their responsibility? So if they fail why do i get so disturbed & rattled with my colleagues? Because i thought here are people who have been selected by their countries, to come learn, study about conflict resolution & go back to their countries & implement, internalise what they have learnt here. More so because some earnest tax paying people have bloody well invested in these rascals.

We have among us men in the class of peace fellows. We are in Thailand, Bangkok (eeks i have sooooo many corny names for these 2 places...Thai -Land, Bang -kok!!) so people have conceptions, rather misconceptions & desires or rather fantasies which they want to fulfill after coming to this land. Now i am NOT insinuating that women are incapable of feeling the way like men. But having said that i definitely believe that such women are rare.

For long we had been hearing that some men in our group have gone visiting Pat pong, brothels, slept with sex workers, prostitutes, etc etc...I definitely agree that what anyone does in their personal lives is their own 'fucking' business. We not here to sermonise or convert. However, there are some facts that hit one's face when we speak of Peace fellows are indulging in these practices.
(1) Someone has sponsored them to come here & study
(2) A renowned Internationally acclaimed organisation Rotary has sponsored them. They may be elite but they have a good reputation
(3) They are bloody living on the campus in the 'official' residence
(4) They are indulging in "illegal" business
(5) They represent their countries, dammit they are Ambassadors of their countries

Friends will say whay are you rattled Neeta, let them do what they want. Oh! Sure, infact i had NOT even raised this issue with the management, intially. Though some of my female friends took the initiative.

But what is more infuriating is that one man in our group went & made a sexual advance & proposition for becoming sex mates with another female colleague. This is outrageous, disgusting & he definitely needs to be kicked in his arse & thrown out of this place. More so he even spoke disrespectful of his wife to her. She told me about this & I made her talk more, so that i could get her to express everything. She was like, "Neeta I can just imagine what you would have done & said to him." Well, i am proud to say there are NOT many people like, who will stick their neck out & speak for their rights. I am a minority. This is worse than going to a brothell I asked her to tell Jenn, but she told me she should handle it 'maturedly!!!!' Means, SILENCE.

All what we have learnt in the last 2 months seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The need to stand up for one's rights, handle conflict & resolve it, repsect each other, it seems Greek & Latin when are faced with such people. Well the conflict wasn't resolved. Because after visiting the brothel this man has the gall to go & tell the lady colleague that he visited a brothel. NOW! what does one say to such people??

Meanwhile the women friends & colleagues went & told Jenn about the illegal activities. Till then Jenn wasn't aware. More so i had a long chat with the women. I said I have NO sympathy (Gawd even empathy) for these men, or for their spouses either. I really don't care. But what matters is that they are indulging in activities which they should do after the course is over. Also NOT when they are staying on official college premises. More so, i wanted them to tell of another loud, ill-mannered otherwise nice male colleague who of course wears his country's tag on his chest. What with their newly elected President.

Mr X came with us to Pattaya. He made hotel bookings with us, accompanied us. On the night we women visited the sleaze street, he came along & told me at least thrice. "You know Neeta if i had come with my group of male friends i would've have fucking come here. I would've have done things like sleep with these lady boys." So i was like "ofcourse you still can go." what is it about this place that attracts men sooo very much??

The next day he didn't answer his cell or room land line. We were sure he wouldn't come with us to Koh Samet. We 4 women with Dilshad, wife & daughter enjoyed & returned to the bus stop. There we saw Mr X in a delirious state! His eyes were listless, foam around his lips, aimlessly walking, soiled Bermudas & eeks he was wreaking of alcohol & some substance...god knows what it was. Dilshad called him & brought him to where we sat. We had presumed he had gone off to Bangkok wt Sofia. Please, i have a younger brother who was an alcoholic & i really didnt want to play counsellor to a male colleague who has shown a similar pattern of immature drunken behaviour in the last 3days.

Wendy & Chiara accompanied him for his safety. He paid & got off at MBK for food & by then they were exasperated. They returned to the dormitory. I urged them to talk to Jenn about this just as they would talk about the brothel part. On my part i told Mr X he should take someone along with him the next time he went binging again. coz as a journalist i told him you are bloody white! means, he is the first target, most vulnerable & can get mugged, raped, drugged, or even falsely implicated.

After listening to me, he NEVER once told me he had lost his camera, thankfully i had shared this all with Simon & asked him to get some information out fm Mr X. Yes, we must know details, coz he could have been raped or injected or drugged, more so did he know?? More so dammit he came with us. He at NO point told us that he will go separate ways on our stay & we should NOT be bothered about him. Because that would mean he is solely responsible for his acts or misdeeds. Since he did NOT tell us, had something to happen, we would have had to face the consequences. Well, Mr X has still NOT learnt, he repeated his performance yet again on Tues night.

By now the management is aware of these dealings. I am glad they are. Initially i was of the opinion that we women shouldn't bother. Let these men face the consequences. But then, the legal points i raised would mean, if something has to happen, all of us could get branded. And hell will breka loose if I am branded with these arse holes man.

Worse still, a good, nice, socially committed course will get tainted & blacklisted because of these horrendous men & their misdeeds. It also means Rotary gets tainted, the people who have sponsored, conceptualised this course, the Chulalongkorn University & the authorities here, all will labelled in one category with these sort of men. Of course, it will happen. Just imagine if any of these chutiyas has to get caught in their act, how it can backfire & what a sensational media case this will be! I would have gone all out to unearth it, had i been covering it.

What is worse is that some of these men even approached a Thai male colleague in the group. One who is a monk in the making! He is so very nice, a Buddhist who has undergone Dhamma doctrination. He was distressed & asked me what should he have said to the men who asked him to take them to a brothel. In my blunt way i told him Tony you must say upfront you are NOT a pimp & if they want they can get lost finding brothels for themselves. Also, what the hell do they mean by Thai girls?? Are all Thai girls whores? I mean why do men think below the belt??

Away from this course i give an ant's arse of space to these male colleagues in my mind, life. But their activities has left us all baffled & sickened. I feel sad that what a waste of money to have invested in such men. Tomorrow they will be going out in the huge world, will they continue to behave like this? The vulnerable women in conflict zones will be made to feel further vulnerable.

The Song of Peace

Yesterday was special in our class..Fred is a Phillipino, taught us about Peace Zones & their importance. He asked us to break into groups of 4...quite an interesting group ours was - Ankur, Manolin, Chen & Me...Now none of us have any skill or talent close to Poetry....while giving us the instructions, I picked just one word that Fred said, you can even write a poem. I began writing the first line & Ankur joined & when he saw its a song, he said yes lets write a song...I only initiated writing the first line...ankur & chen just followed in like notes in a tune. They began giving me points - I liked Chen spoke of children going to school, about commuity life, cattle grazing in fields. Ankur said write about women, prayers, jails getting empty, Lastly Ankur being true Indian,influenced b y our Hndi films insisted we write about doves flying over the peace zone...Manolin was little slo yesterday bcoz he was lil under weather.he spoke of respect to all, obey elders...what i did was write it all in a form of song...pl read...

"Lay down your arms, you army and rebels, come join hands for peace
Let the children play and send them back to school
Let the women tender us with their love as they keep the families together
Let the men go out to the fields to work, so the markets can flourish
Let the bells toll in the Church and we all join in these praises of peace
Let us all bow together as we thank the Lord for this peace
Let the people travel again so that they wear smiles once more
Let us all celebrate this festival of Peace!
Leave your goats and cattle to graze in the fields
Let the jails empty as the police can enjoy a life with their families
Let there be jobs for all so that no one cries anymore.
There is no hunger in this village as there is food for all!Let the people live with each other peacefully as they respect each one equally
Let the doves fly over us to spread this message for peace!"
(Written, conceptualised by : Ankur, Manolin, Chen & Neeta Kolhatkar, Rotary Peace fellows class of Apr 2009 )

American policies & their aftermath

I'm NOT anti-american. But that does NOT mean i will prostrate in front of americans or anything american...in fact i've always stated we copy all rubbish from the west & blame it on the poor americans. I do wish we can ape their power to say NO (well that too they let go of when they re-elected the rocket-scientist bush!!), fact that things move there at sonic speed, the people make things happen, they are at least concerned & focussed on their local area management, they believe in change & make it happen & lastly, they believe in true democracy...its not hypocritical, unlike in India...having said so, i think their policy makers are completely out of sync with the reality.

I am NOT accusing them. Let's not forget the Americans have the last say in the world trade organisations, international relations, organisations, in the security concerns, leading financial institutions, lending banks & agencies like the International Monetary fund & the World Bank. Now in the already poorly developed countries like India...yes, we are not poor & we are developed though it is arbit & lop sided development; we always regarded the IMF & WB as international monsters. When the social activists said this, or scholars too, they were all (including many like me) as anti-american, pro-communist, blah blah...now it does NOT connote and people should NOT interprete it wrongly. I believe they simply do NOT have their bearings in place.

The large dam issue for a change. We in India had our indigenous rustic check dams & small dams in place. Now if we wanted some billion $ loans for some project the WB twisted our arms because we did not have the bloody balls to tell them to Fuck off...unlike china we prostrated. I admire chinese policy makers because told the Americans, if they wanted china to accept international investments it would be ONLY on the Chinese terms & conditions. We are a confused nation. We lap up everything as if it is going out of stock tonight itself.

So let go of our indigenous intelligence & skills & instead we happily adopt some model which is trickle down, NO people's participation & go for dams that are competing with mini skyscrapers. It is a damn joke on part of our ministers & highly selfish bureaucrats who are scared that the grassroots will rule the country one day. So in their monopoly to hold onto to power they follow the ridiculous policies of these American policy makers.

Now extend this to our financial scenario. Mr Manmohan Singh, the magician as Indians believe, who got us from high debts to a booming economy. A financial wizard, agreed to all terms & conditions of the investment advisors & so-called financial experts & bankers from America in 1987. So now we had nationalised banks that gave us at least 10% interest, we had decent credit rates, low loan recovery rates, nationalised saving options. We were buffoons according to the international experts. They said, look you Indians you have weird, rustic banking sectors. If you want our funding, want more American investments then you got to get your act i order. NO government control!! period, remove it at once. Decrease bank interests on savings of your poor people, who now should forget they will ever become rich. Block all traditional avenues of investments, you guys have NO idea how to run banks.

So what did we get? More foreign investments, more investments, low credit rates, low interests on our savings, Private banks & more private banks. Well just because some arse hole Harshad Mehta & Ketan Parikhmade trillions on frauds in stock market, does NOT mean the 99.98 million Indians have the know how & access to become corrupt or get involved in frauds. But NO the banking experts had sealed our future. So Indian bank sector became 90 % privatised. Even the nationalised banks began selling off the govt stake.

We got the 1st American bank coming in a BIG way to India...ya ya Citibank. Oh! It made news & how?? They gave loans to the middle class promised a lot & delivery failure took place on part of the customers, often, i admit. The schemes must have been lucrative, who knows. I ONLY know that on 2 occasions i returned the credit cards because my employer had forced me to take them & i had literally cut the credit cards into tiny bits & returned with a stinking note since they were charging obscene amounts. They would send the receipt for credit card late then charge high late fee, after few reminders to send the receipts on time, i stopped.

So the banks pushed us all for telephonic, Internet banking...all methods for international scams & frauds. Instead of making a 'people' contact they hired more English-speaking rude call centre types customer service officers. Who need to be reminded time & again "you are there because i am forced to invest in Ur bank & that it is why you are being hired...your bank is making money on my savings." If i say this most may dislike it...but I'm sorry, I'm the customer, I'm being charged phenomenal amounts for the services which once were my right, are now seen as if the bank is doing me a bloody favour.

So coming back to the Citibank. Suddenly we got news of suicides, rise in police complaints against the bank & their spokespersons making tall claims in the newspapers in the 90s. Why? Becoz this bloody bank had hired men belonging to various underworld gangs & eunuchs (transvestites, those who are more menacing wt criminal records in India) to be loan recovery agents. So what did we media get? Panic calls fm investors & customers saying there are extortion calls. The officers of this bank needed to be shot...im NOT getting into the morals & policies of loans, repayments, etc...i know one thing for sure, if ur investor is NOT educated he/she needs to be explained all details including the consequences of failure of non-payment of loans. The bank put up its hands saying these are agents hired by their agency...the passing of the buck. End result? Some suicides, police feeling helpless & we media going ballistic. But i tell you many cursed that bank.

Today, after the American policy makers made fools of the many countries like India, saying they had More intelligence & expertise on banking...look at them!! what a bunch of jokers they are man...they need to flogged in public seriously...lakhs of people have invested their lives savings in these banks, they must given so much of their salaries as fees for varied services to these arrogant bankers & what do they do? Mismanage the investments & savings of the people? How can they get away with such fraud? Now these very bloody right-wing arse holes of America who have NO commitment to public service (like most right wing politicians & people), who opposed any form of socialism are breathing the very word -NATIONALISATION of American banks?? They owe us people fm various parts of the world a darn apology. I do feel Citibank deserves a hard lesson. Im also glad that scholars & academicians here in the conflict resolution course have re-iterated that do NOT forget the history of any conflict. I do hope the american policy makers & experts realise the mistakes they have made. The aftermath of their mismanagement in our parts of the world where it takes nearly over a generation to make riches in the proper legal way.

Well, i am always looking for NOT putting my money in the banks...any suggestions?? I always remember Shylock..."Merchant of Venice" Shakespear my friends was a visionary...how many eons ago he showed the true colour of a money lender...i strongly believe any lender is always a crook...that Shylock happened to be a Jew is another matter (hahaha....) that apart banks too are money lenders let's NOT forget that...

The sleaze street of Pattaya

I think this picture is self-explanatory! "Only European girls??" Should have been Russian countries actually..that snide remark apart. This is for my learned readers & friends a part of 'Walking street" as it is called in Phathaya or Pattaya.

Now for some Mumbai's Girgaonkar like me, we'd grown up listening to Pattaya where the nuveau rich couples went to for a honeymoon, or more so for a shopping experience. What they don't tell you & teach you is the harsh reality - this is THE place for cheap sex & flesh trade of the sleaziest kind.

Most of these girls or women are NOT real women or girls. They as called, "Lady Boys." Men mostly in all kinds of fakes - eye lashes to face wc is all facelifts, plastic, boobs that are silicon & it just gets gross by the organ. Sad part is that these women (I'd rather call them so) begin to solicit 'customers' as early as 4.00pm! It is simply pathetic to see the extent to which they are compelled to go. Oh! Yes, i do have sympathy for them & aware a lot of this is forced upon them. Because when we up north & spoke to the hill people, they live in abject poverty. They are told to sell their daughters for a premium so that she will look beautiful & do well, have a fab life & send home money.

It is us educated modern who know things like poverty, borders, flesh trade, illicit trade, sex workers etc...The women are made to do things that are simply unimaginable. to what extent the men & women who trade these nymph girls can go to is simply left to imagination. Once You're in Pattaya it's a welcome to sexland. You're welcomed with a basket of the 'basics!' There is a basket full of alcohol bottles, medicine & thankfully condoms. yes by the way strawberry flavoured if you pl! Now i give it to the hotel owners. They seem to be THE only ones who openly accept that is sex part of their lifestyle in this city & at least are promoting safe sex, I really appreciate that.

Interestingly we were 4 women besides a couple - Dilshad & Susanne who had come wt their toddler daughter Yasna. by the way it was her first ever exprience at sea, she is only 2 yrs old. We women sofia, chiara, wendy & myself got over the first shock of the condoms part (Yes I'm a little prude you see), after dinner we walked along the so-called beach. I mean there was No beach, it was only a series of lamp posts!! Well for the modern ones who have NO idea of this saying, "Standing under the lampost" a sex worker stands to solicit a customer...so as i've described the whole beach shore stretched over few kilometres was lined along with palm trees, these & plenty of other women making out. If some of them opened their mouths it was a total give away! Husky manly voices talking to one another. Indulging in all forms of sex.

While we 4 women walked (Scott had decided to join us later after a kids kick boxing match, yeah more on it in a while). Believe me this is THE most safe place on earth for a girl/woman! Yes, we are NOT the targets, nobody is interested in us. It is revenge for us women..really the men are the targets. Seriously speaking, the men are under immense pressure in this place. I feel bad for those who come with their families & wives..well seeing is believing. Oh! Yes, you will be surprised the number of American families that were walking down that street...in fact while wendy & i walked we saw an Arab family walk past & a man showed these girls to his son (potential customer in the future? who knows), the mother however threw a dirty glance at her husband & warned him not to teach their son such stuff. While other American families walked hand in hand standing to stare at these scenes.

The street has thousands of these women. The sad part is that there are many cops, police officers & volunteers,surprisingly a lot of them whites...yet, NO one bothered. They are like the Indian cops, turned a blind eye to all these happenings. Reminded me of the dancing bars. I can recollect vividly how these lil nymphets, girls forcibly brought from Bangladesh, poverty stricken parts of Bihar & West bengal who were sold here to women & pimps in Bombay. they would be taken to dance bars, which were sponsored by the underworld, some by the police & few by journalists who were close to either the cops or the gangsters.

The girls would dance tantallising the men wt all their evocative steps & actions to famous Bollywood numbers in pitch dark bars, where forget one's food or drink couldn't see anyone's faces either. Everything under the skies would unfold in those dark moments...& the sickest part was that the men would throw money at these girls...who smiled & picked it up. Later it was sex.

Here too i saw the same. Except the dance bar girls were real, here these poor transvestites - put through sleaze & i am sure they too must be going thru' immense suffering to be treated so cheap. I had heard of all this...What i wasn't prepared for is that abso Bulldozer men of my father's gen or even older, squeezing girls of their grand daughters age. Pl kindly see the humangous sizes of these ugly men who have left their wives, spouses or gf's back home for young thai girls!! In fact on one boat ride one of the girls (they ar eall trained to fondle men & arouse them, carass them even in public) kept fondling the bulldozer & that bare chested man's thighs! Interestingly, Chiara & i could see it on a blue screen window! yeah so true a full fledged live blue film unfolded in front of our eyes...the man actually had the balls to proudly show off his wedding ring to this lil girl! In other corner of the boat an uglier looking thai lady was biting the shoulder of another sleazy looking old man & he had given her a thick gold chain. Well these aren't judgements im making about the girls or men, these are facts after speaking to couple of people.

The girls obviously haven't the dime to eat such grand meals like steaks or fillets. They get free hotel stay, travel, good clothes, branded accessories & clothes, gifts & ofcourse sex, sex & more sex, with parting shot, money. So i am sure its ok in the eyes of many...but soooo scary, many are regulars coming here repeatedly. They exchange pleasantaries at breakfast, some fight with the girls, beat them, some may have even exchanged these partners over time, who knows...their girls friends, wives or spouses must be thinking their husbands or male partners are good businessmen!

Illegal is legal

Often there is fun in breaking rules. Especially when u know that it is safe to break rules, point is how safe is it? And who decides the risk factor can be relevant. I'm on a study course - International peace & conflict resolution, at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Till the 8th of Feb we had mentally stiumalting, challenging theory sessions. From Feb 8-15, we were up north of Thailand. Chian rai, Chian Mei, Sai, Chang Khong, Golden Triangle, hall of the Opium -yes to study the illegal human & drug trafficiking. Now apart fm these subjects we were exposed to very crucial isues like the stateless, nationless people, those people who live & move around the hills wc also entails moving across borders. That means although they are the original inhabitants of these hills, long before new countries or states were formed, they are without citizenship, without access to basic amenities like right to puvlic health or even education.

These hill people are fighting for getting their rights (like many other tribals acorss the world), citizenship, some recognition & are clear they do NOT want to be nobody's children...in this we can see that the broders are Porous -pentrable, security is lax and people move around the countries often indulging in various illicit trades.

Now as part of this study is another agro-economist, a PhD, Sevinch. mostly a reculse but im sure the outdoor trips always help to break walls, communication wc with any amount of efofrt & stimulus doesn't happen in classroom sessions. After our breakfast on the 2nd day that we stayed in Chai Khong, we decided to explore this small port town.

We clicked pics as visual evidence plastic sacks that are 'allegedly' thrown by chinese people on the upstream. Earlier we are told by the villagers & later corroborated by the port authorities that the allegation is true -yet this is all from other people, except the chinese, though i completely believe the villagers. Earlier the chinese would throw the bags in the lower stream, wt political pressure & Mekong river commission pressure they began throwing it in the upper stream, but ofcourse it all flows down eventually. They lie around the river shore, wt even Thai auhtorities doing little to salvage the situation.

We were put up at the Nankhong river side place - an amazing hotel wt splendid (eeks sound very American..2 superlatives in one sentence??) view that one can get all along the Mekong river. It is truly breathtakingly beautiful! We decided to enjoy the moments along the river and we did NOT take the official road or motorable road. Instead we walked along the river wc means we jumped few fences of various river resorts or hotels, climbed down the hill to the port wc was off the 'narrow' path. There is a naval guard, i saw them loading their rifles later in the afternoon, but in the morning there presence was NOT felt or seen at all. The only visual evidence of people was, just as the sun was struggling break through the fog, there were hoards of 'pherangs' wanting to go across the river to Laos.

When we first arrived, i walked down the village (please it is like a small hill town, even their poor seem richer than the Indian villagers). We saw innumerable foreigners, as in whits, tourists. What were they doing there was a question we all had? Chaing Khong is NO typical tourist place. It has NOTHING like a national park, or attractive mountains. I snooped around the village & was told the prices of many goods including fares of guest houses had increased over 15 % in the last 2-3 years. It wasn't a sruprise why. every nook & corner there are tour planners, agents who give visas to foreign tourists for Laos.

Sevinch & I continued on our path off the beaten track, & came striaght to the port side which is definitely out of the eye sight of the immigration authorities on the Thai border. We waited & timed the boats that were plying between both the shores. It takes precisely 2 minutes to get across in boat to Laos. The cost being 30 Bahts when going. We decided to give it a shot. She ofcroz played little safe, NOT wanting to get Rotary international into trouble, more so we wanted NO trouble. She reminded me to enquire about the passport. The boatman was straight up NO passport, no bribe, just 30 Baht & sit in the boat . we just made it clear we did not want to roam in Loas, back fm the shore, we just wanted to prove a point reg the border. Had it not been for the course oh ya, sure i would've sneaked in further from the border. But we had to be very responsible and that we were.

In this picture u can clearly see this is the check point on in Laos. We treaded carefully, as we disembarked fm the boat, we looked around. Believe me it was like a kick up ur backside. Felt tremendously overwhelmed, felt the taste of 'freedom' of a different kind. More so couldn't believe it was sooooooo simple to get across. Considering neither of us look remotely Thai, Laos or anywhere near slant-eyed, it was very shocking that nobody thought of asking us for our papers, passport, or any such thing. We in fact walked around taking pics. We went right upto the check point. One immgration officer was in the balcony filling out forms, saw the red colour & stars along his arm. Later another joined him stretching himself fully & yawning as he saw me take their pics, which u can see in the above picture.

Now does this all baffle me? actually no, considering this is exactly what our faculty, speakers (sounds more politically correct:) ) have been telling us. The fact is all this happens with the knowledge and well approval of the authorities/ security. May be we were also lucky that it was one of those days when the security officials had decided to go easy on patrolling. Whatever the reason, we experienced first hand that the borders are porous.

It is something that i have heard, seen on television & read in reports that it is not difficult for people to cross international borders across the world. Well that is what we have seen late at nights in Pilani (close to Rajasthan -Pakistan border), Indo-Pak broder, Kashmir, Bangladesh -india border, US -Mexico, so on & so forth.

The exprience was essential. Not because i got to visit one more country to my credit, but the way i could cross over to this country was interesting. I am not surprised that it is easier on the Myanmar - thai or myanmar- inida border. It is even closer. we went under the cross over bridge in Chiang Mei & saw a militray official on a smoke break. If i was enthusiastic & willing to wade through or swim across some really dirty water it was 2 minutes swimming, unlike the mekong wc has a very strong current & would definitely taken over 30 min swimming.

I shared this wt one colleague who asked us to keep mum. though my colleague wanted me to share this incident wt Jen, the deputy dir of the entre. Eventually i did share it with her. Her concern was that if others heard they would have rushed to do the same thing & may be that would've brought mroe trouble. Yes, i agree completely, too many foreigners would have attracted undue attention.

Intertestingly, when we hung around the Laos shore or at the port, i wanted to collect more evidence, besides pictures. I offered 10 Bahts as exchange & got 2000 the currency of Laos. Their economy is in doldrums rt now. As for the boat ride rate fm Laos was 40 Bhts. I was later told by few people that Laos gives many attractive packages to tourists. Some hotels give good offers like if u buy some amount of chips, which is pittance in dollar terms they are given 3 days 2 nights free stay wt free massage & other offers...wc is best left to our imagination.

Im proud of my profession & to be in a field like journalism, wc helps to broaden our their minds. Learn from the ground to feel the pulse of the people & at the same time face situations head on, take risks too. else one cannot get a good story. It is exhilirating to say the least that i love such adventures & i am able to fulfill them thanks to my profession. Ofcourse that doesn't mean i am being modest, i am aware i love to skirt (or rather flirt) with trouble, but then so do the army, police & even doctors. All of us who are in a field that entails risk....we allned to take some toruble on hand.

So long, this input is special for me. rather this whole exprience of being at the chulalongkorn University & attending the peace & conflict resolution course is an unusually empowering exprience. It makes you question, want to inquisitively explore so many realms of life, of conflict & general facts.

This was a fabulously learning experience besides the adventure. It teaches to be alert, inquisitive, questioning & understanding how the whole system functions.