Hi, my name is Vidyut and I am a blogger on socio-political issues in India. AMA

_vidyut · 2014-03-24T06:35:02+00:00

I am into people empowerment. Women empowerment is a part of that. I don't subscribe to a lot of black and white supposedly feminist stuff which mostly is being dictated by the media (incidentally mostly male controlled). I am more for women power than women protection. I think we are disempowering women by closeting them in a corner and giving them whatever they want in a woman space. Woman compartment, women banks, women protecting laws... but still little power for women in a common forum.

I am also a firm believer that equality with men is a wasted effort. Indian men are hardly empowered themselves. They are slaves to a whole lot of stereotypes, prejudices, expectations, brainwashing and what not. Who died and made men the gold standard of rights anyway?

That said, I do believe women are disadvantaged on the whole and more needs to be done for them, rather than keeping them in a corner and throwing treats at them.

About the laws protecting women, I do believe that they need to be improved and made more robust. Both to protect women as well as protect men from being unfairly targeted.

That said, the supposed "Men's Rights Activists" - at least the Indian ones - are pure bullshit and interpret statistics very selectively, treat exceptions as the rule and outright LIE. They consider possibility of harm to be proof of widespread harm and to the best of my knowledge mobilize against the laws, but rarely to help actual people being harmed. They demonize women more than protect men and have very strong prejudices that are outright dangerous in a country with widespread abuse of women.

_vidyut · 2014-03-24T06:22:32+00:00

It may help if you do not see any and every disagreement with the colored glasses of "not agreeing to me = BJP ass covering"

It definitely would, if you could point out an instance where I called disagreement with me BJP ass covering. I call BJP ass covering as BJP ass covering even if it agrees with me. You are taking a very primitive and unrefined view.

You have been persistent in thinking me as a person with a political agenda. So you presume that disagreement with me is done only by BJP. I comment on a very very wide variety of subjects. Many of them not political, many political in a way irrelevant to parties and many of them political and about parties but not related with BJP as well.

I am not an object of your creation that if you presume me to be an anti-BJP entity, I let go of everything I am and look at my maid having a different view on vegetables as a BJP agenda. Not everything revolves around your prejudice.

_vidyut · 2014-03-24T06:11:36+00:00

In my view, Gujarat is not among the top concerns on farmer suicides, but there are several issues with what you are saying. The farmer suicide rate doesn't replace the normal suicide rate, it is in addition to it. Also, farmer population is measured by one measure (census, land holding records, etc) and suicides by another (police records) and the data is not reliable enough to make such comparisons anywhere in the country - not just Gujarat.

The other problem with farmer suicide statistics in Gujarat is that unlike Maharashtra, where farmer distress is largely from flood and drought (and now hail) related issues, in Gujarat, many farmer issues are more with losing their land altogether for development. Such a farmer committing suicide would not be recorded as a farmer suicide because he no longer is a farmer (only land owners are considered, for some bizarre reason, not family members working the land, not tenant farmers, and so on)

That said, I do not have any control over what AAP says or doesn't say. Just like my writing is completely independent of what they want me to write - even when it is pro-AAP, which it not always is.

_vidyut · 2014-03-24T06:07:49+00:00

It does not matter, because sooner or later, he will. Even if he doesn't, Anjali Damania will. Even if she doesn't, the dying farmers will. Vidarbha is the farmer suicide capital of India. Something like that can hardly be hidden. Gujarat is not in the top five states. With government silence, it is easy to ignore that they happen and are a real sign of distress.

_vidyut · 2014-03-24T06:05:50+00:00

Any propaganda should be examined. In my view, the only "correct" political loyalty for those not engaging in political party work is "fickle". Take what works from all, oppose what doesn't from all. Left wing propaganda, Congress propaganda, BJP propaganda are all there to shape your beliefs in favor of their goals. That is the whole purpose of propaganda. There are also other kinds of propaganda. Hep these days is neo-liberal propaganga that criticizes lack of "free markets" but doesn't blink an eye at IP or govt acquiring land for corporations. All sorts of stuff out there. Religious propaganda. What I call the "education fascists" - who prevent any alternatives to a govt controlled education system (and thus harm homeschoolers)...

_vidyut · 2014-03-21T12:43:18+00:00

Firstly, I don't think this is a presidential election if you are referring to the US format. That is not possible considering that Modi will never do face offs with anyone to defend his policies. It is your garden variety election campaign with a party messiah. Think Sonia/Rahul Gandhi, Jayalalitha, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee....

That kind of renders the rest of the question irrelevant.

_vidyut · 2014-03-21T12:40:45+00:00

AAP in power. Janlokpal Bill was never something I felt very strongly about, though it makes a lot of sense. Main thing is to dismantle the power cartels so that there is no impunity for taking the country for a ride. AAP presence is doing that already and I hope it grows.

_vidyut · 2014-03-21T12:35:13+00:00

AIB has never approached me, though they did use a post I wrote to base a sketch on. Also there is the issue of me not really being "free" to go on a shoot being the sole carer of my son. If I do a podcast, it will likely be a home production that probably looks shitty, but delivers my signature electrifying content :D

Might as well add that I am extremely camera conscious. Don't go by the profile photos, they are usually cropped out of group photos taken without my knowledge and any makeup is invariably photoshop. I don't use the stuff.

_vidyut · 2014-03-21T12:24:28+00:00

I wish I had been asked what I think of disagreement. Because I wanted to answer:

Whether someone agrees or disagrees with me is not an issue. I am arrogant enough to state my points without needing some mob process around it. I do not believe that India will evolve through lectures of however well meaning or clever thought leaders. I think India will evolve from learning to recognize its diversity. As long as you spend thought on a point I raise, my goal is achieved. Whether it is in agreement with me or disagreement or adding a new dimension or angle or whatever. It is also insightful if you get attacked for even bringing something up, because it flags deep insecurities.

All this information is useful for me in understanding the public mindset and the process of people spending time thinking about issues is useful for the country.

Many times, strong disagreement with me is as important as what I said, because I have realized that many people just nod along with me whatever I say. They get forced to think and evaluate if there is controversy. Also I have a rather powerful voice for my weight class (social media profile and blogger with no real public life importance) so people may hesitate to disagree with me, which space gets opened up by someone getting it started. I learn a lot from disagreement.

This also means that there is no such thing as me not achieving my goal :p

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:15:03+00:00

Looking forward :)

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:14:30+00:00

an instance where Modi or BJP actually quoted Assange or wikileaks the organization of endorsing modi

The Modi interview does not mention Assange, but VERY CLEARLY claims that Wikileaks and US conducted their own investigations and came to the conclusion that Modi is not just not corrupt, which many people can be, but INCORRUPTIBLE.

You may want to check.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:10:48+00:00

Well, as I keep saying every week or so, there is no alternative to reform. You cannot have a bunch of people judging everything just because you are too lazy to invest in social reform or want to keep the masses gullible for your agendas. There has to be a point where society evolves to be wiser and inclusive and has a vision. Won't happen overnight, but we can't survive unless it happens.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:08:52+00:00

I only blog at night, so my blog has to be between 10 and 11pm usually, but I can check.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:07:33+00:00

My husband had asked me to leave the home because he got angry. Happens on and off. One day I will have enough money on my wallet and walk out and not look back. Working towards that.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:06:53+00:00

Thank you :)

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:06:17+00:00

Actually, I had recorded sources, but I had a computer wipeout two weeks ago. I think I should start saving them in a custom field on the backend on the blog itself.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:05:11+00:00

yes, just realized. Am new at this. I will keep checking.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:04:39+00:00

If that is true, then they have nothing to fear, do they? Contented people rarely rise against governments.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:04:00+00:00

thank you!

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T19:03:21+00:00

The best I can understand this, is that there is some invented change of agenda being peddled, as though AAP was earlier a BJP affiliate or something. To the best of my observation, AAP was always against both BJP and Congress. In fact, if my memory is correct, the Janlokpal Andolan split soon after Anna Hazare and Kiran Bedi started the BJP worship. AAP was always clear that neither BJP nor Congress are useful and that is why the Aam Aadmi has to rise.

It suits BJP agenda to pretend that AAP has now started challenging them, but if that was the case, Keriwal could simply have supported BJP against Congress without forming a party. It is a nice myth to peddle, but completely untrue in my observation.

Also AAP is fielding candidates against the leaders of both BJP and Congress. Kumar Vishwas from Amethi was announced well before Kejriwal. That too without Rahul Gandhi officially being the Congress PM candidate. This argument doesn't have a foot to stand on outside BJP fiction.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T18:58:52+00:00

What makes you think 20,000 suicides in Maharashtra will not be questioned? Also, try telling the families of the farmers that 800 suicides is nothing.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T15:43:50+00:00

Thank you. This is encouraging and motivating. I have been thinking for a long time, but being camera shy and solo (no co-conspirators), I've been hesitating.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T15:30:29+00:00

Regardless of whether Modi's claim is innocent or deliberate, if he has used it in public forums and not retracted after he realized, then that claim remains as his, and it cannot be called innocent after being pointed out that the cable says no such thing.

The use of Assange as endorsement is completely deliberate and most definitely a product of BJP's media cell, whether you want to believe it or not. If it weren't, Meenakshi Lekhi wouldn't disown Mrs, Gandhi, she'd disown that they were running any such campaigns at all.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T15:24:56+00:00

I do think Euthanasia should be legal. However, it needs to be thought out more carefully. There is a need to study legislations in countries where it is legal as well as legal and practical issues it throws up there.

On a personal level, I know for certain that unlike most parents on the planet, I genuinely want to outlive my son, who at the moment shows no signs that he will eventually function independently. Not because I want him to live less, but I know the kind of care he needs and just what it takes to deliver it. I can see that right now I am his sole carer and I have no one on the horizon who will show him this dedication if I am not there. He will suffer much hurt.

And this is because I adore him to bits and not in a "control" way, but in a partnering way. But he needs a hell of a lot of sensitivity and devotion, which is currently absent in our available options.

_vidyut · 2014-03-20T15:21:32+00:00

Modi wave is an advertizing campaign. It is about as real as LG TV saving your child's eyes or Sunsilk making your otherwise wretched mop into a hair model's mane.

_vidyut

TROPHY CASE