A review of NL Hafta by Balaji, Ravi, Shibesh, Vikas, Saurabh, Prakash, Richi and others

This is in response to the privilege discussion. First off, let me thank you for having Christina on the podcast. Please don’t read this if you feel this topic has been beaten to death, but I feel compelled to respond to the claim from one of your listeners that affirmative action for one generation should be sufficient. While I was listening to that, I was reminded about Dr Payal Tadvi who committed suicide, while the reason may be unclear, what is certain is that she was bullied for belonging to a Scheduled Tribe.

The fact that this is happening in 2019 in Mumbai should ascertain that casteism is not some rural phenomenon that can be eradicated by modernization and smart cities. It is deeply entrenched by statements like, “if not for reservations I could’ve been in IIT or IIM”, it is reinforced by insensitive teachers who tell students off for getting an admission through reservation. The support structure that one of your panelist suggested cannot exist in an ecosystem where people inherently believe that they get less than they deserve because of someone else.

To extend this narrative I would like to add a thought experiment. Should a doctor such as Dr Tadvi who is bullied because of their caste have a family, can we not definitively say that workplace stress such a doctor faces will bleed into their family life. Will such stress not have an impact on their children? So, from an outsider perspective, this could very well be a middle class family whose children are claiming reservations, despite a parent being a doctor, but this where a lot of intangible privilege is not being accounted for.

Also, in such a fractured society what support structure can the government provide in addition to affirmative actions?

Keep up the good work. Also, thanks for removing the separate podcast for letters.

Balaji Sridharan

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Hi

I am sharing thoughts on the last Hafta episode:

When Christina says  “India is a Hindu country”

She was saying it from the perspective of a Dalit who does not feel like belonging to Hindu religion and see it as portrayal of Brahminical system and its caste biases. And many of us (graduated Dalits) feel the same as we don’t believe it to be “religious representation of Dalits”.

BJP being political face of “the religion’ does not have any appeal to me. But that’s not the case for Dalits living in rural India; they are still very much attached to the Hindu identity when the BJP offers it at national level, and they see it as their representation while there is no other alternative in the picture. BJP may do caste politics or not but most of the orthodox people in the religion themselves are affiliated with the BJPand they find it okay to practice caste discrimination as they celebrate Manu as a great philosopher.The same case is with Godse lovers. Most of them even defend sati here in Rajasthan.

There are organisations raising issues, sharing stories about Dalit issues but most of them are on social media platforms. They are also present in universities and cities but there is complete absence in rural India which gets the first hand exposure to caste system.

Election

These are very obvious election results as there was complete absence of Opposition. It’s not about the face, if the Opposition had a message reaching to the ground the people would have voted differently. Modi became the face of the election because the Opposition was trying to win the Lok Sabha  elections without any national narrative and vision.

Anand sir, election was not about ujjwala, toilets, etc. It had never been about the policies and schemes, it had always been about convincing the people that *we care* and most importantly *we are winning*. In the 2013 Rajasthan state Assembly elections, Gehlot made the health services completely free of cost, there were many other schemes, subsidies etc and the ground effect was evident. Still people voted him out. And same is the case for Atishi losing the elections.

People *create* their own reasons to vote for a particular party just to appear intelligent, but actually they want to be with the majority thought process, it’s called *sheep behaviour*, they behave in herds. The opinions are being controlled by the info we are provided with. And we know how the media is doing its job now a days. It’s rubbish when some one says media is showing public opinions, it’s other way around: they are creating opinions.

It is a shame that the BJP denied representation to 20 million Indians in Parliament and no one is talking about it. I think everyone has accepted it. As we have accepted the atrocities on Dalits as there are incidents of rape and murders each other day.

Reservation

There is a lack of fundamental understanding when you say who is pro- or anti-reservation. First of all it’s about representation. Reservation was there for the last 2,500 years when everything was reserved for a certain class of people and rest were just being there for the service department denied of any basic rights. With Constitution, they got their representation and some access to the resources for their living, which was an incomplete *abolition of reservation*.

When you take something which had been your birthright for centuries, the outcry is obvious. They don’t want to speak about centuries-old familial holdings of market, lands and every resource available which is of course by virtue of caste system. I am of the opinion: let there be reservation for every caste on the basis of population whether it is for general or SC/ST/OBC (in every institution, private or public).

For Madhu Ma’am:

1. There is minimum qualifications required for admission in every educational institution (with some relaxation for ST/SC/OBC).

2. After admission, each one them has to pass the exams with minimum passing marks and there is no caste based reservation for that. THEY ARE LEAVING THE INSTITUTIONS WITH SAME KNOWLEDGE.

3. Merit

The debate of merit is rubbish as it is a multi-factorial phenomenon. In the current system, there is no exam which actually measures one’s ability to perform a certain job.

People are getting admissions in private medical colleges, with much less marks than a reserve category candidate getting admission in a govt college. I have worked for 15 days in one such medical college, there were fake patients hired and trained to tell false symptoms to the inspecting MCI team. And the wages were ₹150-200 per day. There were drills every 4-5 days to train how to conduct the whole process if the MCI team visits. There was duplication of patient admissions from one department to another just to achieve required OPD and IPD counts.

They are hiring medical graduates just for the MCI visits to show them that they have required men power (on a daily wages of ₹10,000-30,000 + accommodation). I denied to sign on files of fake patients and then resigned after it.

Discrimination

One of you were asking about untouchability and discrimination. I am 26 years old and I have faced it multiple times. It is apparently visible in the villages but it’s also there in the cities, professional institutes, public offices, etc. Some of which had great impact on my understanding of the world around me:

In 2011 when I was looking for a PG on rent with my father, one landlord asked about my caste and said they would provide tiffin service as they were doing for other students, but I had to wash it on my own (I was in 12th standard).

In 2012 again, I was looking for a flat. Many of them denied just after asking about my caste. (And I was a medical college student.)

In college, every student election had no issue other than caste.

In 2019 I am a government doctor in love with a girl from the Arora community for the last six years. When she told her father, he did not even ask my name. She requested him to meet me but he has not agreed till date and told her it’s her mistake, she should have been careful and at least chosen a general category boy (and he is a lawyer). And it’s not about merit. I have scored more marks than her in premedical entrance 2012, got admission on a general seat. She graduated from a private dental college.

Secularism

It’s in the Constitution, not in the society. It is an ideal situation we have to reach to. The nation is in our mind. In reality, different religions and thousands of castes, tribes are bound by the constitutional identity to live together. They have never chosen it. When they have power, they choose to live among themselves, keep others out from the boundaries of their residential colonies, apartments.

If I may suggest something to read: the last speech of Dr Ambedkar from the constituent assembly. “For in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.” – Dr B R Ambedkar 26 Jan 2019

Ravi Arjun Rolan

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Hi Team NL,

I’d like to remain anonymous.

I’ve been a subscriber for a few months now, and Hafta and A&A are among my favorite podcasts consistently. In fact, the podcasts were the primary reason I decided to become a subscriber. You also take feedback constructively and do your best to incorporate it, which is really admirable. Hafta 227 was a really good one as far as the the environmental topics were concerned.

Having said that, the quality of Hafta discussions suffers when the participants are not equipped to accurately represent the different points of view on the issue. For instance in Hafta 227, there was a discussion on the Hindi imposition debate. It strayed into a frankly surreal discussion on how nobody gives importance to Hindi and how Hindi is disadvantaged.

While the DMK are making cynical use of the draft ed policy, their views shouldn’t be just dismissed without a look at the larger context. This Print article by Yogendra Yadav does a good job of presenting the different sides of the case. He explains why he thinks the three-language formula was a good (and old) idea which is being sabotaged by the DMK, while also acknowledging how Hindi-speaking states found a way to circumvent it.

Though I broadly agree with Yadav, he too is looking at the issue from only the education policy angle. It might be good for a future episode of Hafta to do justice by inviting somebody who has studied the history of the issue. Please take sides if you’d like to (that makes it more lively), but don’t oversimplify or dismiss any concerns or take it into ludicrous territory. This is more than a Tamil vs Hindi issue. It is larger than that as there have been rumblings about this in Karnataka recently (the metro signboards and unequal distribution of taxes) and in this issue, Raj Thackeray too has seen fit to chirp in. The language issue is one important component of the debate around our federalism and must be seen in that context.

There could be logistical difficulties in getting knowledgeable participants for every issue of the week, but then you can leave the issue for the next week. We don’t need a hot take on every issue.

In summary, really good content. It’s often insightful, laced with banter and humor. And at the same time, please try to get people who can comment on the issues at hand knowledgeably.

Regards.

***

Hi,

I’m gonna start with saying: yes, the fascist state is here. And the situation is dire. But I would like us all to consider removing the sentence “Modi has the mandate” from our vocabulary. Mathematically speaking, only about 17 per cent of India’s actual total population voted for the BJP.

This is important because whenever the word “mandate” comes up, it’s usually being used by someone to silence dissenters by effectively proposing “India wanted this”  or “Modi is the popular opinion”.

Modi isn’t the popular opinion. We don’t have any proof to back that claim. We don’t know the popular opinion because literally less than half of our population voted. That isn’t solely because of voter apathy. I imagine a sizable chunk of our population couldn’t vote because of extenuating circumstances. (being migrant labour or basically being anyone away from their home without a “legit” proof of current residence)

And, as discussed with Mr Bharadwaj of Lallantop in Hafta 226, even the number of voters within the BJP electorate who voted not on policy, but personality is sizable. Much like the voters of Brexit who voted based on false claims, not the economic outcomes that would follow.

So, yes, while the fascist state is here and the situation is dire, let’s not give it an opening to lord over us by letting it take “India wanted it” as a default assumption. Let’s not forget the fact that if you were to punch a fascist right now, you just need to punch 1 out of 5 people.

Or perhaps less.

Thank you,

Shibesh Mehrotra

P.S. This isn’t to say whenever Congress won the “mandate”, the use of this argument was justified. I just happen to be alive right now to protest its use.

***

Hi NL Team,

I have been an on/off subscriber since the very early days, Episode 3 to be precise (active subscriber again).

I don’t mean to attack fellow subscribers or guests, but had to pen down my thoughts after listening to Hafta 225-226 .

As Anand Vardhan said, I had the similar prediction about India voters being derided after possible Modi win. Although I myself had the same emotional response when Lalu won in 2015, but in a week or two I came to the term with nuances.

I reckon such binarification is unfair, just as unfair if anyone not supporting Modi is labeled a pro-dynast, pro-corruption, yada yada.

I hope many such responses towards an average voters are knee jerk emotional spikes and probably tapers down in a short period of time.

Even if it doesn’t, remember 56 per cent still didn’t vote for NDA, this alone should calm some nerves.

Anyway, keep up the good work. I can’t imagine a Hafta without Anand Vardhan’s perspective on a variety of issues and Abhinadan’s provocative rants.

Also, I would like to see Shiv Aroor, Rahul Pandita, Praveen Swamy, Rama Lakshmi and Nistula Haber as guests.

Thanks,

Vikas Singh

***

Hi Team

I wanted to thank Madhu for the comments made about resentment and childhood trauma in NL Hafta 224.  It made me reflect my own actions a bit as well

Keep doing good

Saurabh Kumar

***

Hello Hafta team,

Quick anonymous letter from a subscriber.

Last Hafta, it was incredibly amusing to hear Madhu bash Amartya Sen while citing Swati Parasher’s article. She believed that he was judging the general elections through a western lens. It’s amusing that Madhu finds that problematic, when she repeatedly compares everything little thing with the US. Funnily enough, just a mere few minutes later, while talking about Modi’s media management, Madhu brings in Bush and Kennedy. It’s amusing that she doesn’t like Sen using a western viewpoint to analyse India, but, at the same time, her first reaction to Kejriwal getting slapped was “Why couldn’t he avoid it? George Bush dodged a shoe!”. Which, incidentally, happened over 10 years ago.

It is worth pointing out that when multiple subscribers wrote in complaining about Abhinandan’s cursing, it was Madhu who insisted that he should change. But when multiple subscribers write in complaining about Madhu’s US-centric view, she makes the annoying assumption that it was always the same person.

She said that “you have to put your ear to the ground and listen”. With that context, and given that NL Hafta started as an exercise in transparency, I would ask: is Madhu incredibly out of touch with the majority of Newslaundry subscribers by repeatedly bringing the US into every conversation? Or are subscribers like me ignorant about NL having a majority of US subscribers, and Madhu is just pandering to the base.

Regards.

***

Hi NL team,

Been a subscriber for a few years now, love your work.

In Hafta 226, and in quite a few Haftas, Abhinandan said “India is not a democracy” or lacking democratic spirit or words to that effect. If anything with age I have felt totally opposite about Indian democracy. Yes there is some level of feudal attitude still there, but as the cliche goes, it’s all relative. Look around, much smaller countries with much less diversity in Asia/Africa/Latin America/east Europe have struggled to embrace peaceful electoral democracy. For all the poems Abhinandan writes about US FoE and democracy, universal suffrage was only a reality after civil rights movement in 1960s. India for all its casteist sexist history, gave everyone right to vote in ’47. And unlike most or all our neighbors, India has had peaceful transfer of power every five years barring the 18-month Emergency period. Considering the size and challenges of India, this is a mammoth achievement. I am not a typical patriot, but if not pride, this fact should at least inspire some awe. I get goosebumps just looking at Indian elections, its truly a carnival of democracy.

Prakash Iyer

***

Hey team NL!

Greetings from a long time subscriber!

In spirit of writing a short mail I will get straight to the point:

As per my knowledge Lallantop is an advertisement based website. Now in spirit of your motto: “When the subscriber pay subscribers are served and when corporations pay…”

Give me five examples of stories that NL has done that Lallantop could not, because some corporations were giving them advertising? I couldn’t think of any 🙁

During these elections I followed Lallantop avidly, and they never asked me for money, I would have absolutely subscribed to them if they asked me to! On the other hand I paid for NL subscription but I did not read most of your election reports because I do not have patience to read articles (after reading and writing the whole day, the lazy person in me prefers listening over reading when I return home)  and you hardly had any audio/video content on elections. Why was most of your content in form of articles? is it much more costly to make videos  or was it based on the logic that NL subscribers prefer articles over audio/video content?

I remember long time back a subscriber suggested to have audio form of articles which you thought was a good idea too, but you never acted on it. I am no expert so please tell me what is the practical hurdle in doing this? As per my understanding, if a person writes an articles, he/she can read it out record it and upload it, easy peasy :p

In conclusion, I guess subscribing to NL  is not economically wise for me but I simply do it for the entitled opinions of the hosts on Hafta and out of morality. While I can totally get far better content for free.

And I guess even if one is an ad based model, one can do brilliant reporting if one wants.

This was just me thinking out loud, trying to justify my subscription  to NL.

Don’t worry I will continue being a subscriber for now.

Cheers!

Richi Kumar