Why does the BBC make INDIA always look bad for Western eyes???

[krsna 3]

<TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>'Witch' family killed in India

 

 

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=storybody><!-- S BO --><!-- S IBYL --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=466 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>By Subir Bhaumik

BBC News, Calcutta

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<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> 'Witch killings' are common among some tribespeople

 

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Four members of a family have been stoned to death by angry villagers in India's north-eastern state of Assam on charges of practising witchcraft.

Police said that the four, including two women, were possibly buried alive.

The killings in a remote village involved Santhal tribal people, known popularly in Assam as the 'Tea Tribes'.

Such killings are common among immigrant tribespeople whose ancestors were brought to work the tea gardens in West Bengal and Assam by the British. <!-- E SF -->

They are mostly common in the communities of Santhal, Oraon and Munda tribespeople.

'Evil spell'

One of the victims, Lakhan Majhi, 65, was asked to face a "public trial" on Tuesday evening at Koilajuli Milanpur village in Assam.

Hundreds of his neighbours blamed him for casting an evil spell on a villager who died after getting sick.

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Then Majhi, his wife, son and daughter-in-law were brutally attacked with stones and bricks.

Police said the four were dragged to a nearby jungle and buried alive.

More than 500 people have been killed in Assam - and half as many in neighbouring West Bengal - in the past few years because their neighbours thought they were witches.

A study on these killings by a Bengal police officer, Asit Baran Choudhury, suggests that most of those accused of practising witchcraft and then killed are "isolated families" with some landed property.

He says most of those killed are widows.

"Powerful people in the community target them to acquire the land," says the study.

But in some cases, whole families are killed because they have challenged the authority of the community elders.

Police say that was perhaps the motive behind the attack on the Majhis in Assam's Milanpur village on Tuesday. Villages such as Milanpur have little education and healthcare provision, lack electricity and safe drinking water, and face rampant disease.<!-- E BO -->

 

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[Amlesh 1]

It's simple, others progress is not so much welcomed for them.

 

But still, India is neglecting certain aspects which make her Eternal.

 

But I believe it's normal and even then, I don't doubt her being Eternal. That country when needed gives birth to Great Souls.

[theist 1]

Real knowledge eliminates such ignorant superstitions.

[yogesh 0]

natural. They are in the business of selling sensational news. Success or advancement is too boring not fit for crow mentality:rolleyes:

 

Hare Krsna/Krishna

 

Jay Sirla Prabhupada

[SPChela 0]

I have given this much thought and research... Kali, in my opinion understands it is only in India that his identity and activities are to be known. To the Westerner he remaims relatively unknown. Some say he is the devil, some say he is modern progress.

 

Yet we have the knowledge to reveal him, his past present and future. In the Kalki purana he, his family and friends are clearly identified. Srila Prabhupada further explains his activities and modus operandi. We may not know exactly who he is but we know his activities.

 

He is not an idea or nameless fear. He exists in human form and he acts in places of power, influence and money.

 

Of course the full glory and potency of India will be covered over. The media in all its forms is a very powerful tool of nescience. In the British times in India the Indologists fought and succeeded to have the antiquity of our monothestic tradition supressed.

 

The BBC which is staffed by so many Indians yet the real picture of India is always obscured. It is editorial policy that is painting this picture. The same picture is painted by most forms of media, so the BBC is not alone.

 

Vedic India has so many lessons for the west to learn from. Yet they only point out heavily biased and misinformed social issues.

 

Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada

[krsna 3]

 

I have given this much thought and research... Kali, in my opinion understands it is only in India that his identity and activities are to be known. To the Westerner he remaims relatively unknown. Some say he is the devil, some say he is modern progress.

 

Yet we have the knowledge to reveal him, his past present and future. In the Kalki purana he, his family and friends are clearly identified. Srila Prabhupada further explains his activities and modus operandi. We may not know exactly who he is but we know his activities.

 

He is not an idea or nameless fear. He exists in human form and he acts in places of power, influence and money.

 

Of course the full glory and potency of India will be covered over. The media in all its forms is a very powerful tool of nescience. In the British times in India the Indologists fought and succeeded to have the antiquity of our monothestic tradition supressed.

 

The BBC which is staffed by so many Indians yet the real picture of India is always obscured. It is editorial policy that is painting this picture. The same picture is painted by most forms of media, so the BBC is not alone.

 

Vedic India has so many lessons for the west to learn from. Yet they only point out heavily biased and misinformed social issues.

 

Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada

 

Thx:pray:

 

Let Us Unite To Proclaim the Glories Of Vedic India (Bharata) to the World!

[krsna 3]

<TABLE class=datetools cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Saturday, 21 June 2008 05:01 UK

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>India baby girl deaths 'increase'

 

 

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=storybody><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> There is a cultural preference for male children in India

 

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The number of girls born and surviving in India has hit an all time low compared to boys, ActionAid says.

 

A report by the UK charity says increasing numbers of female foetuses were being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die.

In one site in the Punjab state, there are just 300 girls to every 1,000 boys among higher caste families, it says.

ActionAid says India faces a "bleak" future if it does not end its practice of cultural preference for boys.

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Girls 'condemned'

 

ActionAid teamed up with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to produce the Disappearing Daughters report.

 

More than 6,000 households in sites across five states in north-western India were interviewed and statistical comparisons were made with national census date.

 

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=231 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> The real horror of the situation is that for women avoiding having daughters is a rational choice

 

Laura Turquet, ActionAid

 

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Under "normal" circumstances, there should be about 950 girls for every 1,000 boys, the charity said.

But it said that in three of the five sites, that number was below 800.

 

In four of the five sites surveyed, the proportion of girls to boys had declined since a 2001 census, the report said.

 

The research also found that ratios of girls to boys were declining fastest in comparatively prosperous urban areas.

 

ActionAid suggested the increasing use of ultrasound technology may be a factor in the trend.

 

The document says that Indian woman are put under intense pressure to produce sons, in a culture that predominantly views girls as a burden rather than an asset.

 

It says many families now use ultrasound scans and abort female foetuses, despite the existence of the 1994 law banning gender selection and selective abortion.

 

The charity also blames other illegal practices - such as allowing the umbilical cord to become infected - for the growing gender imbalance.

 

"The real horror of the situation is that, for women, avoiding having daughters is a rational choice. But for wider society it's creating an appalling and desperate state of affairs," Laura Turquet, women's rights policy official at ActionAid said.

 

"In the long term, cultural attitudes need to change. India must address economic and social barriers including property rights, marriage dowries and gender roles that condemn girls before they are even born.

"If we don't act now the future looks bleak," Ms Turquet said.

Some 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India in the past 20 years, the British medical journal the Lancet has said.

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[krsna 3]

<TABLE class=datetools cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Page last updated at 13:31 GMT, Saturday, 21 June 2008 14:31 UK

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>India's elderly face growing neglect

 

 

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<!-- S IBYL --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=466 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>By Tinku Ray

BBC News, Delhi

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<!-- S IIMA --> There are more than 70 million pensioners in India

 

 

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In India's financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay), Laxmibai Laxmidas Paleja lies on a low cot with a thin sheet over her.

 

She's 92 and very frail and there are obvious bruises on her face. She also has swelling around her eyes, nose and mouth.

 

"My grandson and my daughter-in-law started abusing me. And they said, 'I'll kill you, I'll kill you'," she says.

"I'm old. I couldn't defend myself. I was bleeding all over. I've got bruises all over my body. Then they just bundled me in a car and dumped me here at my daughter's house."

 

Grandson Vinay Paleja denies the accusation.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Laxmibai Paleja's face is covered in bruises

 

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"No, I never touched my grandmother. She hurt herself and I don't know why she's making these accusations against us."

While recovering at her daughter's house, Laxmibai Paleja says she now has nothing.

She agreed to sell her land and gold to pay for medical treatment for herself and her son. But none of the money was used for the purpose, she says.

The case will probably go to court, but getting to this stage takes a long time in India. Laxmibai Paleja may not even be alive by the time it is resolved.

Rising abuse

There has been a steady rise recently in reports of cases of elderly being abused, harassed and abandoned in India.

Traditionally older people has been revered in India, signified by the touching of their feet by the younger generation.

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=231 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> They have to make up their mind if they want criminal action - but then they will have to forget their family ties

 

Kewal Singh, Delhi police

 

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Prime ministers and presidents have almost always been senior citizens.

Joint family systems - where three or more generations lived under one roof - were a strong support network for the elderly.

But more children are now leaving their parental homes to set up their own.

Sociologists say the pressures of modern life and the more individualistic aspirations of the young are among reasons why the elderly are being abandoned or, in some cases, abused.

Alarmed by what's happening to some of the elderly, the Indian government recently introduced a new law.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill provides for up to three months' imprisonment for those who do not take care of their parents.

Court orders will also be used to force children to pay maintenance for their elderly parents.

HelpAge India is the biggest non-governmental organisation in the country which campaigns for the rights of the elderly.

It recently launched a helpline in Delhi which has received hundreds of calls since its inception.

The organisation's own research suggests nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their families are facing emotional or physical abuse.

But only one in six cases comes to light, the study showed.

Kewal Singh, of the senior citizens' cell at Delhi police, says it is not easy for parents to prosecute their children.

"First they have to make up their mind if they want criminal action. But then they will have to forget their family ties," he says.

"But if they want to maintain and retain those family ties, then the situation will be different. There's always a conflict between the law and emotions in these circumstances."

Left to die

The problem is not confined to India's cities.

I travelled to the southern state of Tamil Nadu, to a town called Erode. Last year a 75-year-old grandmother, Chinnamal Palaniappan, was found on a rubbish dump just outside the town.

She had allegedly been dumped there by her grandsons and died a few days later.

Palaniappan's daughter, Tulsi, and her husband live in a one-room house with a thatched roof.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> The government is building more than 600 old people's homes

 

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There are two beds, electricity and a government gifted free colour television. But it is obvious their home is the poorest in the neighbourhood.

"My mother was living comfortably with us for a very long period and all of a sudden on one particular night she went mad and she kept on talking through the night," Tulsi says.

"I got annoyed and told her not to shout or speak further. But she wouldn't stop. Suddenly I found her missing and heard she had walked out of the house.

"We did not do anything, people have cooked up stories. My mother was mentally unbalanced," Tulsi insists.

Law steps in

Poverty and search for work are two main reasons rural elders are being left behind. So many of them have to rely on charities for food and medical help.

There are more than 70 million senior citizens in India and the figure is set to grow to well over a 100 million in the next 25 years.

Consequently, the number of old age homes is growing dramatically.

The government has ordered the construction of more than 600 across the country.

This is the first project of its kind undertaken by the government - a sign that it has already recognised the reality that more elderly people will need assistance in the future.

The government also hopes the new law will act as a deterrent.

But Matthew Cherian, chief executive of HelpAge India, says it is not going to prevent families from breaking up.

"You're not going to get back to the joint family system. We have to get into more and more old age homes. "At HelpAge India, 30 years ago when we started supporting old age homes, everybody said this was a Western concept. Today everybody accepts this is not a Western concept, this is the reality."

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