MORPARIA’S PAGE E-mail: [email protected] Morparia.pmd 2 2/24/2016, 10:27 AM Contents MARCH 2016 VOL.19/8 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ THEME: Morparia’s page 2 Women Women, generally speaking 5 V. Gangadhar Stop! No entry! 6 Managing Editor E. Vijayalakshmi Rajan Mrs. Sucharita R. Hegde Between curry, classes and chores 8 Nivedita Louis Editor Cyber hell 10 Reshma Jain Anuradha Dhareshwar Why no access? 11 Malini Chib Assistant Editor Justice at last 13 E.Vijayalakshmi Rajan Shuriah Niazi The world is her oyster? 15 Design Janaki Viswanathan H. V. Shiv Shankar 8 The chimera of beauty 17 Disha Shetty The social entrepreneurs 19 Marketing Surekha Kadapa-Bose Mahesh Kanojia Face to Face 21 Ranajit Ray: Shoma A. Chatterji OIOP Clubs Co-ordinator Know India Better Vaibhav Palkar Art at your feet: The story of a swadeshi tile company 23 Katie Dubey Subscription In-Charge The Kala Ghoda razzmatazz 36 Nagesh Bangera Disha Shetty Features Ranajit Ray The anatomy of waste 41 21 Rishi Aggarwal Advisory Board Sustainable tourism 44 Sucharita Hegde G. Venkatesh Justice S. Radhakrishnan Venkat R. Chary An actor for all seasons 46 Shoma A. Chatterji Before the virus goes viral 47 Printed & Published by Dr. Roopa Vernekar Mrs. Sucharita R. Hegde for Ah-choo! 49 A. Radhakrishnan One India One People Foundation, Mahalaxmi Chambers, 4th floor, Orbiting Venus 51 22, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Column 52 Mumbai - 400 026 Rural Concerns : Bharat Dogra Tel: 022-2353 4400 Economy : Anuradha Kalhan Fax: 022-2351 7544 23 Young India 54 e-mail: [email protected] Great Indians 56 [email protected] Printed at: Graphtone (India) Pvt. Ltd. A1 /319, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate. S. J. Marg, Lower Parel (W) Mumbai – 400 013 visit us at: Ravindra Jain Aroon Tikekar Major Mukund V. www.oneindiaonepeople.com Varadarajan, AC www.facebook.com/oneindiaonepeoplefoundation Contents.pmd 3 2/24/2016, 10:36 AM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR “Excellent work of art” The quality and variety of the articles in One India One People magazine as well as the careful editorial work have indeed made the magazine an excellent work of art. The students and staff of our college are really benefitting (GM crops-the toxic truth). I agree that we should revive from your magazine. and bring back our rich grain stores and seeds, which we – Principal, Milagres College, are losing bit by bit, with each passing day. And we should Udupi District, Karnataka. really research and study genetically modified crops in-depth before we hurry to embrace it. May better counsel prevail! “Good start to the year” I was very happy to read the tributes to Homai Vyrawalla I have recently started receiving your magazine. The January and M.S. Viswanathan in your Great Indian section. Your issue (The Indian food palate) was very nice. It is good to magazine is indeed very informative. I also liked the Know start the year on a nice note! I agree with the writer Kavita India Better feature in the February issue about Bijapur. The Mukhi (The safe food) about the need for all of us to eat food writer has given a slice of history with much passion and that is organically grown, locally grown. If we don’t patronise colour. One feels like rushing to Bijpaur! Best of luck to the our local farmers, who will? That should address the farmer’s magazine and the team. needs. It’s very much connected to your February issue too – M.N. Sankar, Mumbai. Letters should be addressed to Mumbai - 400 026 22, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mahalaxmi Chambers, 4th floor, Foundation, One India People The Editor, 022-2351 7544 e-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] www.oneindiaonepeople.com 022 - 2353 4400 Fax: Tel: 4 ONE INDIA ONE PEOPLE March 2016 LLetter.inddetter.indd 4 22/24/2016/24/2016 110:43:240:43:24 AAMM SATIRE Women, generally speaking Urban women are more than ready to take their place in this world, says V. Gangadhar. In fact, they already have. Will their rural sisters join them soon? ALT, stop there. You have said enough on…Women! American bosses were women and we got along famously Yet, there are lingering doubts. Do women talk all and produced some great editions. They took quick decisions Hthat much as compared to men? Along with the (always correct), never interfered with original ideas, and much-written-about ‘fasts unto death’ in the Anna Hazare (a were quick in appreciating good work. This kind of work man) style, this kind of protest had not proved to be popular environment highlighted the tenure of the Indian women with women. Why? Women may well be able to avoid food political leaders. and can well observe more ‘religious’ fasts than me. But ask I was fortunate to be a journalist at the time of Indira them to keep silent and fast at the same time. They find Gandhi who was acknowledged as the only ‘male’ in the it more difficult, not the fasting, but observing silence. The Indian cabinet and stood up to the arm twisting of the history of the freedom struggle mentions many instances of notorious Nixon-Kissinger clique and the khadi-clad Gandhiji fasting and keeping maun vrat, he hypocrites who thronged the Morarji crowd was way ahead of women who excel in this Women may well of supporters. At the dozens of journalism double achievement. be able to avoid schools and colleges where I taught, almost These conclusions are drawn after food and can well 90 per cent of the toppers were girls. At the years and years of study of women. Such observe more job market, the situation remains the same. The news rooms of publications are again an experience is invaluable. I was born ‘religious’ fasts packed with girls. The situation is the same and brought up in a female-dominated than me. But ask environment both on the paternal and in business schools, medical colleges…. And them to keep silent maternal sides. Grandparents on both the I am made to wonder, where have the boys sides who lived to ripe old ages, uncles and and fast at the same gone? Mind you, some of these avenues were aunts of the same category, cousins who time. They fi nd it not even open to women. Even in progressive could not be ignored and four formidable more diffi cult, not homes, parents were reluctant to allow girls sisters who did not have to pull any punches the fasting, but to opt for journalism and advertising where to prove their superiority. The gesture of my observing silence. they had to interact with boys and stay out grandparents to feed the entire village and till late hours. At least in cities like Mumbai, celebrate the birth of a son did not cut much the walls had crumbled, though the other ice with my sisters and female cousins, who, when parents cities have not done much for women’s safety. were not on the scene, referred to me as a spoilt brat, though The urban Indian population is marching ahead, the I assure you, I was never one. question of competing with girls is almost a dead issue. My strategy was clear cut, respect the majority and Sometimes it is difficult to give a satirical twist to the Man- follow the leader. To draw a literary parallel, at the Eatanswill Woman issue. Mind you the battle is very much on. Women election attended by Mr. Pickwick and his friends, they are ready to take their roles as fighter formed the strategy of supporting and shouting with the pilots, submariners and several other larger mob. But, what if there were two mobs, a large one skilful and risky jobs which were not and a small one? Mr. Pickwick came out with the gem of an open to them. In future, when they idea, ‘Follow the larger one’. Effective strategy, which gave are joined by their rural sisters, the me no trouble for the rest of my life, and never failed me. sky will be the limit for them. Mind you, women domination never hurt me. At Reader’s Digest where I worked for more than a decade, most of my V. Gangadhar is a well-known satirist. ONE INDIA ONE PEOPLE March 2016 5 LLetter.inddetter.indd 5 22/24/2016/24/2016 110:43:240:43:24 AAMM WOMEN Stop!Stop! NoNo entrentry!y! Women in India have opened yet another frontier in their battle for equality. They have laid siege to temples like Shani Shingnapur and Sabarimala, which are traditionally closed to women. Will these agitations lead the temples to open their minds and doors? E. Vijayalakshmi Rajan examines the issue. ROM ever since I can remember, there But as I said, up until my generation, conformity was a have been many taboos associated valued quality. Fwith women and temples. Starting from the one on Two events in the recent past have brought this issue to ‘No entry’ into temples on the days you menstruate. Now, the fore. And have forced even women like me to question my generation liked to conform, but we were not goongi our beliefs and customs. First, the unfortunate comment by gudiyas (dumb dolls). But even some of us fire-brands didn’t the Sabarimala Devaswom Board chief Prayar Gopalakrishnan think twice about following the temple rules. We weighed it who said, ‘Till the day a machine is invented which can against the startling stories told to us by our mother and detect if a woman is menstruating or not, women can’t be grandmothers’ generation, of women being physically segregated allowed to enter the holy precincts’.