Sunday, October 12, 2008

Bright heads behind NGOs

The NGOs and social activists in India are one of the most vocal groups. They take everything from riots to homosexuality in their hands and conduct themselves as if everyone else is out there to perpetrate misery on hapless and voiceless Indians.On CNN-IBN's "War of words" Naz foundation's Anjali Gopalan gave ample proof of her intelligence and depth of knowledge.

Sample this:

panelist 1 put across a strong point against homosexuality.
Anjali: How can something that happens between 2 consenting adults be illegal?
panelist 1: Adultery is between 2 consenting adults. Why is there a law against it?
Anjali(without batting an eyelid) : who said there is such a law

(someone prompts her that there is indeed a law against adultery.)

Anjali: (mumbles in the mic) : oh. there is some law is it? (continues in a strong voice) I am here only for article 377.I do not understand how you can equate adultery and homosexuality.Homosexuality is between 2 consenting adults

She should have either forgotten that this point is already made or her lack of knowledge should have rattled her into blurting something that has already been contested or she must be plain stupid.

Panelist 1 reminds her again that adultery too is between 2 consenting adults.

Anjali: Ok. You have a law. So what? Have you been able to stop adultery?

The absurdity of her argument shocked me. What is her point? Since the law couldn't stop adultery, scrap it?

Panelist 1: we haven't been able to stop robberies and murders. Shall we scrap IPC?

Poor Anjali understood she is making an ass of herself and did a Teesta like high decibel protest and managed to wriggle herself out of the mess.

Anjali Gopalan is not a non entity. She is the executive director of Naz foundation. If an ED can display such shocking naivete, I wonder whether all those NGO activists and the social activists who go around whining are in touch with ground realities.If they base their activities on half truths and half knowledge , they are not social activists they are anti-social activists.

These aren't isolated incidents. Days after the Nanavati commission tabled its first report on the burning of the Sabarmati express, I could hear Teesta howling on a TV channel about continued injustice. This report dealt only with the burning of coach S6 of the Sabarmati express. Where did Modi come in? Isn't he "alleged" to have come into action only during the riots (which of course is after the train burning)?I was wondering why Teesta was baying for Modi's blood at this stage.  Not content with the spontaneous combustion theory, Teesta and her ilk want us to believe that Modi hatched a conspiracy to burn coach S6 to instigate riots against the muslims. I only wish her stupidity stops here. 

The NGOs and the social activists must stop considering themselves as guardian angels. Under the guise  of "service" some of them are spreading half truths and are embarking on a misinformation campaign that even goes to the extent of sullying the nation's image. I am not for a moment advocating a clampdown on them. I am just advocating that their activities be regulated.




4 comments:

tat_tvam_asi said...

Welcome back, Andromeda. Great post!

cbcnn_Pilid said...

The Naz foundation might very well win its case in the Delhi High Court to legalize homosexuality - at this point, the odds seem heavily in its favor. They have made some ingenious arguments in contrast to the government which has been poorly prepared.

Anonymous said...

@Pilid,

Yeah.. that's what makes its ED's gaffe baffling.

Anonymous said...

Where do Testa Setelvad gets the money to run her NGO 'Communalism Combat'. I believe that it is funded by the Muslim Fundamentalist Organisations like Jamaat-E-Islami and the Church. Will somebody investigate into her sleezy operations?