Soli J Sorabjee Former Attorney-General of India
It is reported that Gau Raksha Hindu Dal, a religious group, has issued directives to dhabas and shops to remove chicken and mutton dishes from their menu during Navratri, or face consequences. Last Friday, 12 teams of the group removed non-vegetarian dishes from dhabas in Greater Noida west, Gaur City and surrounding areas. The justification offered—Navratri is a sacred occasion for Hindus, and serving non-vegetarian food may hurt religious sentiments. Obviously, it is forgotten that tolerance is a basic virtue of Hinduism. These intolerant acts foster a distorted version of the Hindu religion and sully the image of the government. It is commendable that a senior police officer in-charge has warned of strict action if anyone takes the law in their hands. Fair-minded members of the civil society, Hindus and non-Hindus alike, must raise their united voice against this menacing intolerance.
US & North Korea’s
Mutual Tirade: We remember our school and college debates where we argued vigorously, but refrained from using abusive or defamatory language. The US President, Donald Trump, in his first address to the United Nations on Tuesday, said that he would totally destroy North Korea, if it threatened the US and its allies, and called North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un ‘a rocket man on a suicide mission’. After announcing additional sanctions on North Korea, Trump further said that Kim is obviously a madman who doesn’t mind starving or killing his people. A furious Kim reacted and complained that Trump had insulted him and his country, and called Trump a mentally deranged US dotard. Pray, who is a dotard? Apparently, it means a person in a feeble or childish state due to old age.
The situation is not funny at all. Kim’s foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said that North Korea could consider a hydrogen bomb test of an unprecedented scale over Pacific Ocean, but told reporters in New York that he did not know Kim’s exact thoughts. It is a moot point whether Kim has any thought apart from bluff and bluster. Japan described the threat as totally unacceptable. China, which has some influence on the North Korean leader, warned that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was complicated and sensitive, and called for restraint on all sides.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told a press briefing in Beijing that if relevant parties meet each other halfway, they can really solve the issue and realise peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The international community hopes and prays that this will not be a fond hope, and that Trump and Kim would act positively as is becoming of international political leaders whose acts or omissions have serious repercussions on the international community.
Nudist Park in Paris
I have always admired the French and the Parisians for their originality and novelty of ideas, and the proposed nudist park for Paris is one such instance. Parisians already have a public pool where they can swim in the buff three times a week, and across France there are 460 areas that are reserved for ‘naked enjoyment’. It is reported that nearly 2.6 million people in France have made nudism a regular habit. And in keeping with its open-minded tradition, Paris will have its first nudist park. According to the deputy mayor in-charge of the city’s parks, the creation of an area in the Bois de Vincennes, where naturism will be authorised, is part of their open-minded vision for the use of Parisian public spaces.
Officials have vowed that no voyeurism or exhibitionism will be tolerated in order to assure respect for those making the most of their natural state. The Paris Naturists Association welcomed the move and said, it shows the city’s broad-mindedness and will help change people’s attitudes towards nudity and towards their values and respect for nature. Ideas and values differ significantly in different countries. Any proposal for a nudist park in any part of our country would be denounced as immoral and against the religious ethos. But what about the explicit sexual sculptures in Khajuraho? Some food for thought indeed. And never forget that India is a land of paradoxes.
solisorabjee@gmail.com