Newspaper Analysis and Summary–16Th April 2014
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CURRENT AFFAIRS Newspaper Analysis and Summary–16th April 2014 CULTURE Oxford archaeologists unravel the past of Pattanam – The Hindu Oxford archaeologists working at Pattanam, located 25 km north of Kochi, have confirmed that it was an Indian port frequented by Romans and have put to rest doubts about the antiquity of the site. If the excavations and surveys go as planned, the UK team might also have answers to questions such as why Pattanam was chosen to create a major trading facility and how the once flourishing city disappeared. Pattanam has a long history of habitation dating back to 10th century BCE and its trade links with Rome peaked between 1st century BCE and 4th century CE. Some experts have identified Pattanam as part of the lost port town of Muziris described in ancient Tamil and Roman texts. The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), which has been conducting excavations at Pattanam since 2007, signed a memorandum of understanding with the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, in 2010. Now, a team headed by Chris Gosden and Wendy Morrison have commenced excavations along with experts from the KCHR. The UK experts plan to use airborne surveying techniques such as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to map and understand the surface characteristics of this settlement. Prof Chris Gosden, who is the Chair of European Archaeology and an expert in landscape studies and Eurasian connections, told The Hindu that the focus of their work was to study the formation of the landscape and geomorphological features of the settlement, and, then, contextualise the excavations. They would use data gathered from fieldwork and aerial surveys. Prof. Gosden’s initial impression is that Pattanam probably witnessed fierce monsoon rains in the past and the landscape was considerably volatile. He is of the view that Pattanam was a part of river delta and the presence of sand bars and islands may have contributed to its growth as a trading post. To a question on whether Pattanam was the lost port town of Muziris, he said that it is not a question of utmost importance to him. There is rich evidence to show considerable exchange between two important powers in the world (India and Rome) then. To study the relationship and the process is critical, he said. Dr Wendy Morrison, who has done extensive work in Dorchester, a Roman archaeological site in UK, said that the Oxford team was happy to collaborate with the KCHR and the MoU between them would also enable an expedition from Pattanam to come to UK to excavate at Dorchester. Such exchange of expertise would enrich mutual understanding of archaeological traditions, added Dr P.J. Cherian, Director, KCHR. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE Legal recognition for transgenders – The Hindu In a significant step, the Supreme Court on Tuesday recognised the transgender community as a third gender along with male and female. A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and A.K. Sikri, in separate but concurrent judgments, said “eunuchs, apart from the binary www.indiancivils.com An Online IAS Academy Page 1 CURRENT AFFAIRS gender, be treated as a “third gender” for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under our Constitution and the laws made by Parliament and the State Legislature.” The ruling came on a petition filed by the National Legal Services Authority. The Bench directed the Centre and States to take steps to treat them as socially and educationally backward classes and extend reservation for admission in educational institutions and for public appointments. The Bench said “recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue. Transgenders are also citizens of India. The spirit of the Constitution is to provide equal opportunity to every citizen to grow and attain their potential, irrespective of caste, religion or gender.” By virtue of this verdict, all identity documents, including a birth certificate, passport, ration card and driving licence would recognise the third gender. The Bench said gender identification is essential. It is only with this recognition that many rights such as the right to vote, own property and marry will be meaningful. Transgenders deserve a dignified life: SC – The Hindu Gender identity is one of the most fundamental aspects of life which refers to a person’s intrinsic sense of being male, female or transsexual, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. “The transgender people, as a whole, face multiple forms of oppression in this country. Discrimination is so large and pronounced, especially in healthcare, employment and education, leave aside social exclusion. Now, it is time for us to recognise the rights of transgenders as a separate category and to extend and interpret the Constitution in such a manner as to ensure a dignified life for them,” observed a Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and A.K. Sikri. “All this can be achieved if a beginning is made with the recognition of transgenders as the third gender. By doing so, this court is not only upholding the rule of law but also advancing justice to the class, so far deprived of their legitimate natural and constitutional rights. It is, therefore, the only just solution which ensures justice not only to transgenders but also to society as well.” Expressing its anguish at the plight of transgenders, the Bench said: “Seldom, our society realises or cares to realise the trauma, agony and pain which members of the transgender community undergo.” Nor did it appreciate their innate feelings, especially of those whose mind and body disowned their biological sex. “Our society often ridicules and abuses the transgender community and in public places like railway stations, bus stands, schools, workplaces, malls, theatres, hospitals, they are sidelined and treated as untouchables, forgetting the fact that the moral failure lies in the society’s unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities.” The Bench said: “Social justice does not mean equality before law on paper but translating the spirit of the Constitution, enshrined in the Preamble, the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy, into action, whose arms are long enough to bring within its reach and embrace this right of recognition to the transgenders which legitimately belongs to them.” The Bench gave a series of directions for enforcement. “Transgender persons’ right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or third gender.” It directed the Centre and State governments to operate separate HIV Sero-surveillance Centres www.indiancivils.com An Online IAS Academy Page 2 CURRENT AFFAIRS as transgenders faced several sexual health issues. “The Centre and State governments should seriously address the problems being faced by them such as fear, shame, gender dysphoria, social pressure, depression, suicidal tendencies, social stigma, etc. and any insistence on Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) for declaring one’s gender is immoral and illegal. The Centre and State governments should provide medical care to transgenders in hospitals and also provide separate public toilets. The Bench said: “We are informed an expert committee has already been constituted to make an in-depth study of the problems faced by the transgender community and suggest measures that can be taken by the government to ameliorate their problems and to submit its report with recommendations within three months of its constitution. The recommendations [should] be implemented within six months.” INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS India-born poet wins Pulitzer – The Hindu When it released, published by Greywolf, a small independent publishing house in Midwest America, Vijay Seshadri’s slim volume of poetry slipped under the radar, as poetry, ever beautiful, groundbreaking poetry, is often wont to do. Of course, Mr. Seshadri’s previous works had brought him both recognition and respect as a poet, and The Long Meadow , his second collection, had won him the James Laughlin Award. A Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, though, awarded for his third volume, 3 Sections , brings Mr. Seshadri under the spotlight, highlighting his work for the world and underlining the power of his words. Mr. Seshadri's book was described by the Pulitzer committee as “a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless”. And 3 Sections , a volume that brings together varying forms and displays the ease with which Mr. Seshadri can play with words and rhyme and meter, is universal in its attempt at both the exploration of the human condition, and a philosophical, intellectual interrogation that turns the sight inwards. Mr. Seshadri’s carefully chosen words explore the increasingly blurring lines between different mediums: when does prose flow into poetry, and when does a poem transform into prose? In ‘Pacific Fishes of Canada’, the middle section of the book, Seshadri attempts to ask these very questions, not by invoking them, but by displaying a complete confidence in the form this poem takes. Though laced with a deeper, resonant quality, there is also humour in Sesashdri’s words, spun with a dry, almost quizzical wit. In Surveillance Report , he invokes an everyday radio programme, and writes, “Caller Y wants to share that my fearless candor has given her permission/to become utterly transparent herself./Thank you, Caller Y. Your inner light can be seen from here”. He experiments with style and form, as well as the tone, like one would with spices, trying different combinations, with results that are both surprising and unusual. When he writes, “The soul/ Like the square root of minus 1/ is an impossibility that has its uses,” Seshadri displays the scope and universality of his work, and then, in other poems, like This Morning , he swings the pendulum towards the every day, mundane life.