Indo-Asian News Service
Brussels, November 8, 2006
Nobel laureate VS Naipaul believes that India is heading for a cultural clash between the city-dwellers and the village population.
People in cities are turning their backs to Indian civilisation. They want green cards. They want to migrate. They want to go to England. They want to go to the US, Naipaul told media persons at the Centre For Fine Arts, Bozar, here.
"There is a fracture at this moment of great hope for India. A fracture in the country itself. It is possibly quite dangerous at the moment," and added that the consequences "could be a very radical kind of revolution - village against city".
However, at the same time, Naipaul said that India "is a very dynamic, moving culture."
Naipaul aired similar views during the reading and interview session for the general public as part of the ongoing India Festival at the Bozar Saturday evening.
During the press meeting, Naipaul held forth on various issues, reports INEP agency.
"There is no tradition of reading in India. There is no tradition of contemporary literature," he claimed. It was only in Bengal that there was a kind of renaissance and a literary culture, he said and added: "But in the rest of India until quite recently people had no idea what books were for."
Reading in India, he claimed, was limited to books on wise sayings.
According to him,
"Indians have no regard for museums"
He recalled that Rabindranath Tagore's house and university has been pillaged.
"They stole even his Nobel medal", he said.
"The idea of a museum is a Western idea. It's not an Indian idea. The idea is that these things are old, they are finished."
Naipaul asserted that at the end the British rule in India was "very good."
"They gave a lot back to India. All the institutions that now work in India were given by the British. So the British period was not that bad."
He dismissed Mahatma Gandhi's book "Indian home rule" published in 1909 as an "absurdity." He said:
"Its an absurdity. He knows nothing. He said he wrote it in two weeks. He is against everything that is modern in 1909."
Denouncing multiculturalism as a bad, destructive idea, he said: "Multiculturalism is a very much left-wing idea that gained currency about 20 years ago. It's very destructive about the people it is meant to defend."
He cited the example of Britain where he said there was a large immigrant population, "many of them bending the laws to be able to stay in England."
"They wish to do that but at the same time they don't wish to enter the culture. I think that is parasitic and awful."
He defended the caste system in India, arguing that "caste is a great internal series of friendly societies and in bad times it kept the country going. But people don't understand this. It has to be rethought and a new way of looking at it.
"In India it is having trouble at the moment because it rules politics. Foolish people think that the upper castes are oppressing the lower caste. It is the other way," he said noting that lower castes have reserved seats in education and employment.
Asked if he felt like a European, he replied: "No, not at all. One doesn't have to be one thing or the other. One can be many things at the same time."
Could he live in India?
Naipaul paused for a moment, but his wife Nadira replied:
"Yes, quite happily, if we didn't have a cat. Our cat is an English cat. It is hard for it to live in India, but we can."
Naipaul added: "If you would have asked me this question fifty years ago, I had to say 'out of the question' It would have been impossible. So things are moving and changing all the time."
Showing posts with label Indian Migration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Migration. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Indian human smugglers flourish in EU
Friday, August 18th, 2006
Stockholm - Indians top the list of people smuggled into Sweden, and eventually the European Union, says a top Swedish official. Most of these Indians come into Sweden claiming asylum, complaining that they were victims of New Delhi’s policy of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Jammu and Kashmir or victims of religious persecution.
The females among them may be ending up in Europe’s flesh trade market.
‘India tops the list of humans smuggled into Sweden, and eventually the EU, at present’, Helene Lekstrom, an official of the Swedish Migrations Board (SMB), based at the Stockholm’s Arlanda airport, told IANS.
‘Over a half of the nearly hundred ‘asylum-seekers’ brought into Sweden this year have disappeared without trace, from the Migrations Board’s transit camps,’ Inspector Patrik Pettersson, chief of the border police at Arland, told IANS.
‘We are convinced this constitutes part of a huge smuggling of Indians into the European Union. We are working closely with the Europol and Interpol in this matter,’ he added.
According to police and SMB sources, 10 men, most of them Indians, were arrested at the Skavsta airport, about 100 km from Stockholm, as they sought to flee to Spain.
‘They are being held, suspected for organized human smuggling and use of forged as well as false documents,’ says Pettersson.
Although the police will not disclose identities as per Swedish policy, the Swedish Eko Radio has disclosed that two of the 10, an Indian and a Frenchman, were the ringleaders of the Indo-European human smuggling network.
An SMB source said that so far this year 69 Indians, most of them in their early 20s, have sought political asylum in Sweden.
Some cited ‘atrocious Indian ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kashmir’ while others said they were victims of ‘the countrywide persecution of religious minorities’. All these entered Sweden through Arlanda.
However, after no more than two weeks, most of these did a clean bunk from their transit refugee housing while their applications were being processed, and remain untraceable.
‘Since they show no desire to have their petitions for asylum duly processed, we are constrained to assume that the reasons they cite are not serious and their intentions are far different,’ says SMB’s Helene Lekstrom.
‘We have strong suspicions that most of these youths, especially the girls, are destined for EU’s black jobs and slave markets,’ the SMB source said. ‘Perhaps the red light districts of Germany and Holland.’
However, there is one clear certainty: ‘There is a very powerful and well organized ring behind this trade in humans. Several groups that have been netted in recent years all show uniform patterns.’
Added Inspector Pettersson: ‘It is plainly clear that these people are being horrendously duped and exploited. Most of them are semi literate or not at all and don’t even know which country they presently find themselves in.’
Stockholm - Indians top the list of people smuggled into Sweden, and eventually the European Union, says a top Swedish official. Most of these Indians come into Sweden claiming asylum, complaining that they were victims of New Delhi’s policy of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Jammu and Kashmir or victims of religious persecution.
The females among them may be ending up in Europe’s flesh trade market.
‘India tops the list of humans smuggled into Sweden, and eventually the EU, at present’, Helene Lekstrom, an official of the Swedish Migrations Board (SMB), based at the Stockholm’s Arlanda airport, told IANS.
‘Over a half of the nearly hundred ‘asylum-seekers’ brought into Sweden this year have disappeared without trace, from the Migrations Board’s transit camps,’ Inspector Patrik Pettersson, chief of the border police at Arland, told IANS.
‘We are convinced this constitutes part of a huge smuggling of Indians into the European Union. We are working closely with the Europol and Interpol in this matter,’ he added.
According to police and SMB sources, 10 men, most of them Indians, were arrested at the Skavsta airport, about 100 km from Stockholm, as they sought to flee to Spain.
‘They are being held, suspected for organized human smuggling and use of forged as well as false documents,’ says Pettersson.
Although the police will not disclose identities as per Swedish policy, the Swedish Eko Radio has disclosed that two of the 10, an Indian and a Frenchman, were the ringleaders of the Indo-European human smuggling network.
An SMB source said that so far this year 69 Indians, most of them in their early 20s, have sought political asylum in Sweden.
Some cited ‘atrocious Indian ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kashmir’ while others said they were victims of ‘the countrywide persecution of religious minorities’. All these entered Sweden through Arlanda.
However, after no more than two weeks, most of these did a clean bunk from their transit refugee housing while their applications were being processed, and remain untraceable.
‘Since they show no desire to have their petitions for asylum duly processed, we are constrained to assume that the reasons they cite are not serious and their intentions are far different,’ says SMB’s Helene Lekstrom.
‘We have strong suspicions that most of these youths, especially the girls, are destined for EU’s black jobs and slave markets,’ the SMB source said. ‘Perhaps the red light districts of Germany and Holland.’
However, there is one clear certainty: ‘There is a very powerful and well organized ring behind this trade in humans. Several groups that have been netted in recent years all show uniform patterns.’
Added Inspector Pettersson: ‘It is plainly clear that these people are being horrendously duped and exploited. Most of them are semi literate or not at all and don’t even know which country they presently find themselves in.’
Sunday, June 25, 2006
India is transit hub for human trafficking : UNDP survey
India has become a key destination and transit hub for human trafficking from East Europe and other places, says a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) sponsored study released here Thursday.
Delhi and Mumbai are the favourite destinations for human trafficking from various regions, says the study conducted by NGO Shakti Vahini as part of its project on prevention of Trafficking, HIV and AIDS (TAHA) in women and girls. The NGO works under UNDP India.
'Trafficking occurs from Egypt, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Russia and several other Eastern European countries,' said the TAHA study. Lots of women are brought from these places to India from where they are trafficked to other places, it said.
Shakti Vahini director Ravi Kant painted a gloomy picture of human trafficking in the country.
The study said 72 percent of human trafficking is for commercial sex, 80.26 percent of trafficking of women takes place in Bihar - most of it happening during migration for labour - and 12.36 percent of the total trafficking is due to family traditions.
'Madhya Pradesh is prominent among the states where women get into sex work and thus get trafficked because of family traditions. Ninety five percent of the women in Madhya Pradesh in commercial sex are due to family traditions. So are 51.79 percent in Bihar,' said the study.
'Although Mumbai and Goa are the favourite destinations for paedophilic activity, where children are trafficked, tourist destinations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa are also not far behind,' Kant said.
Out of the 593 districts in India, 378 or 62.5 percent are affected by human trafficking. The study found that domestic violence, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, unsafe migration and child marriage are the major reasons for the increasing rate of illegal human trafficking.
While 43 percent of the total women trafficked are minors, 44 percent of the women are into flesh trade due to poverty.
Interestingly, in Kerala, which claims the highest rate of literacy and has a matriarchal tradition, violence is often used to push women into flesh trade.
Of the total women who are into sex work in the country, 60 percent are from the lower and backward class, which indicates the pathetic living condition of the communities. In Madhya Pradesh, 96.7 percent of the women sex workers are from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Although the rate of increase in human trafficking is alarming, Kant said only 7.7 percent of police officials in the country consider it an issue of high priority. 'More than half (54.8 percent) of police officials think that it is not an issue at all,' he said.
While Kant pointed out that the country did not have any effective legislation in place on human trafficking, Manjula Krishnan, economic advisor to the women and child development ministry, said the government would focus on prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and sensitisation to fight the menace.
Sensing the seriousness of the issue, Femina Miss India World Natasha Suri and Femina Miss India Earth Amruta Patki, who attended the function, said they would make efforts to create awareness about the issue.
'I can represent the youth,' Suri said.
TAHA has initiated efforts with local communities in 300 districts across 11 states to create awareness among the people that trafficking is closely linked to the spread of HIV and AIDS.
New Delhi, June 22, 2006, (IANS)
Delhi and Mumbai are the favourite destinations for human trafficking from various regions, says the study conducted by NGO Shakti Vahini as part of its project on prevention of Trafficking, HIV and AIDS (TAHA) in women and girls. The NGO works under UNDP India.
'Trafficking occurs from Egypt, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Russia and several other Eastern European countries,' said the TAHA study. Lots of women are brought from these places to India from where they are trafficked to other places, it said.
Shakti Vahini director Ravi Kant painted a gloomy picture of human trafficking in the country.
The study said 72 percent of human trafficking is for commercial sex, 80.26 percent of trafficking of women takes place in Bihar - most of it happening during migration for labour - and 12.36 percent of the total trafficking is due to family traditions.
'Madhya Pradesh is prominent among the states where women get into sex work and thus get trafficked because of family traditions. Ninety five percent of the women in Madhya Pradesh in commercial sex are due to family traditions. So are 51.79 percent in Bihar,' said the study.
'Although Mumbai and Goa are the favourite destinations for paedophilic activity, where children are trafficked, tourist destinations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa are also not far behind,' Kant said.
Out of the 593 districts in India, 378 or 62.5 percent are affected by human trafficking. The study found that domestic violence, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, unsafe migration and child marriage are the major reasons for the increasing rate of illegal human trafficking.
While 43 percent of the total women trafficked are minors, 44 percent of the women are into flesh trade due to poverty.
Interestingly, in Kerala, which claims the highest rate of literacy and has a matriarchal tradition, violence is often used to push women into flesh trade.
Of the total women who are into sex work in the country, 60 percent are from the lower and backward class, which indicates the pathetic living condition of the communities. In Madhya Pradesh, 96.7 percent of the women sex workers are from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
Although the rate of increase in human trafficking is alarming, Kant said only 7.7 percent of police officials in the country consider it an issue of high priority. 'More than half (54.8 percent) of police officials think that it is not an issue at all,' he said.
While Kant pointed out that the country did not have any effective legislation in place on human trafficking, Manjula Krishnan, economic advisor to the women and child development ministry, said the government would focus on prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and sensitisation to fight the menace.
Sensing the seriousness of the issue, Femina Miss India World Natasha Suri and Femina Miss India Earth Amruta Patki, who attended the function, said they would make efforts to create awareness about the issue.
'I can represent the youth,' Suri said.
TAHA has initiated efforts with local communities in 300 districts across 11 states to create awareness among the people that trafficking is closely linked to the spread of HIV and AIDS.
New Delhi, June 22, 2006, (IANS)
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