While words like masturbation, arousal and sexual intercourse have been deleted from the revised version of the training manual for teachers, diagrams which describe the journey from puberty to young adulthood have been done away with. This modified version is set to reach schools in a few weeks.

Source: Times of India

This is what the “educationalists” have been saying in defense. My reaction to each of them was “What the…?”

[...] Don’t impose degenerate western culture on Indian schools [...]

[...] India has not given HIV/AIDS to the world. If the world had followed the Indian tradition of one wife or one husband, this disease would not have developed at all. [...]

[...] if the sex education was introduced in any form, episodes like Nithari village would repeat in every school and locality of the country. He said just withdrawing students from the schools where sex education is being introduced is not enough, we need to firmly ensure that it is not introduced at all in any school [...]

[...] It is claimed that the objective of imparting sex education is protecting the students from HIV/ AIDS, but the syllabus prepared for it is so much indecent, damaging and obscene that it will increase the disease on a much higher speed. We don’t want that abortion centres should be opened in schools like that in Britain, morning pills need to be given to teenage girls like that in France, increase in number of unmarried mothers like that in America and teachers sexually exploit their students like that in New Zealand [...]

Source: Organiser

Face the nation (hosted by Sagarika Ghose, CNN-IBN) has the script of the debate between, as I put it, realists and educationalists.

To put it mildly, I am outraged. Are these “educationalists” idiots or are they idiots? More importantly, in their childhood, did they look down at themselves and figure out there was a “branch” growing out of them that stiffened on its own accord?

UPDATE: Sree narrates an incident in her life that took place recently. Death of someone because of AIDS – her husband was infected. May be it could have been avoided if people knew more about HIV/AIDS than they do now. How unfortunate.

Nationalism – He cut it, she wore it.

First it was Sachin Tendulkar.
Now it’s Mandira Bedi.

There was a cake that had the Indian flag on it.
A saree was designed with 16 flags of the countries participating in the CWC 2007.

He cut that cake.
She wore that saree, with the Indian flag located near her feet.

Verdict:
He disrespected the country.
She disrespected the country.

And now there are charges against both of them. Are the law enforcers in the country succumbing to the whims and fantasies of the ones seeking publicity? After Tendulkar’s cutting-the-cake came the Gere-Shetty episode and now Bedi’s insulting-the-flag is the limelight of the so called moral police.
It would fall on deaf ears if I mention the unending list of things that need fixing in the country. Corruption, rape and female infanticide to name the top few. And while I was writing about this – a thought crossed my mind – the moral policemen have decided that the reason for rape in the country is actually provocative dressing by women. So the main culprit is not anatomy of the male genitalia, instead it is the choice of dressing by women.

Is the country’s attitude slowly becoming irreparable?
Have we veered off the path to overall development by defining obscure and ridiculous things as a basis of discipline… what’s happening of this country where whistle-blowers are being mercilessly killed or having their lives ruined by the ones in power?

On a completely unrelated note, the sari looks awful.
And my comment on Tendulkar and the cake – when we put a birthday boy’s picture as icing on his cake – are we insulting him?

This news article appeared in the daily published newspaper (The Daily Collegian) of my university – staring at everyone in big bold letters.

Aaaargh! Don’t publicity seekers (the judge, in this case) in India EVER realize what a big fool they are making of themselves voluntarily? A silent satirical mockery has been made of “publicity seekers” and frankly, many of us are plain EMBARRASSED that it has been printed in a paper with a readership of over 40000 students from all over the world. I actually tore it off and scanned it so I could just put it up here… my emotions are a mixture of ludicrousness, sympathy and embarrassment at the same time.

Spotted in this article -

“their kiss at a public function transgressed all limits of vulgarity and have the tendency to corrupt the society”

What tendency to corrupt is this judge (the one issuing the arrest warrant against Richard Gere) talking of, in a society riddled with fiscal corruption, rape, child trafficking and atrocities to womankind? A playful peck on the cheek to compliment someone is NOT corruption of social customs! Don’t even get me started on that age-old argument of “hurting the religious customs and culture of India”. Who gave them the license to rule what is the right culture? Isn’t culture and open-mindedness a relative thing?

I came across this particular advertisement on contraceptives. They depict a few babies being messy (which I find adorable, by the way). A female voice then says, “There’s so much more to look forward to. Get your contraception … at your local pharmacy.”

There are better ways to spread public awareness about contraception and birth control than showing babies, the most beautiful things on earth, in a negative light.
It is NOT good humour.
It is NOT good advertising.

“A donkey is like a housewife … In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents’ home, you’ll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master,” the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds.
The book was approved by the state’s ruling (party name deleted) government but has sparked protests from the party’s women’s wing.
State education officials in Rajasthan, known for its conservative attitude towards women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said.
“The comparison was made in good humour,” state education official was quoted as saying. “However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference).”

This is bad. Really really bad. I am at a loss for words. Related news pieces (Google News) can be found here.