Homosexuality in India

Homosexuality has  always been there. It was there when civilization first started, it was there when fire was discovered and it was also there when religious texts were written down; labeling it as a sin. But what is new is the approach towards it. And here, by "people" I mean the non-trans-gender people. It is only they that claim homosexuality to be a sin and unnatural. It is because no one knows the sufferings that is imposed on the gay minorities by society ; other than the homosexuals themselves. Recently, a lot of countries have decriminalized gay sex; but government and laws alone cannot do anything. It is the common people's mindset which needs to be changed. In India, the approach towards homosexuality is still on the negative side. Major part of the Indian society considers it as a taboo.But the big question is WHY? Every mindset has a reason for it. No one simply believes in anything without a cause. Even an assassin has a belief and reason to why he kills. So let us look into the reasons why Homosexuality is still considered a taboo in India.

ILLITERACY
A large part of the Indian population is illiterate The picture here from wikipedia gives a brief view of the low literacy rate in the various states.With illiteracy comes ignorance. Most Indians are not aware of the basic facts and scientific findings regarding homosexuality. Homosexuality is run in heredity, at least partially. A research was made and discovered that of two twins one can be gay. So the concept of people born this way, doesn't hold good. But again one's sexuality is not one's own choice.For an evolutionary biologist, homosexuality is something of a puzzle. It’s a common trait, found in up to 10% of the population.

Researchers at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) says  it’s not written in our DNA sequence itself, but  in certain modifications to how and when DNA is activated.
 Here is the full link to their post regarding the findings of the bases of Homosexuality.

RELIGION
It is the most important incentive for homophobia. Most religions have an anti homosexual view. Let us look at them individually.
                                            Hinduism:  Hinduism is the largest practiced religion of India. Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism says Vikriti Evam Prakriti (Sanskrit: विकृतिः एवम्‌ प्रकृति) . Which, according to some modern historians translates to "what is unnatural is also natural". A supposed indication of homosexuality being normal. However, still a major part of Hindus believe homosexuality is a disease. So acceptance -Yes.Approval- No.
                                             Islam: I don't think I need to say anything about Islam. It is already quite evident. Approval-No. Acceptance- No.

The other minor religions' thoughts vary from milieu to milieu, but mostly lean towards negative.

CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS

Customs and superstitions too, however small, have a role in this. Most people think homosexuality is unnatural, simply because their parents think so. They are too lazy to investigate if it is true or not in scientific terms.

In general I think this video pretty much sums it up. It isn't made by me, but the interview reflects a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HgC8jK3fhw&feature=youtu.be

IGNORANCE
Though this comes along with illiteracy, some literate people are ignorant too. The section 337 in Indian penal code which criminalize  any unnatural sexual act, was removed from the constitution after protests from LGBT and social activist communities. This is a huge step on part of the government. But it is pretty sad that most people still are unaware of that. If people are unaware of important laws like this, how can they be aware of the sophisticated biological causes of homosexuality? And then they scream it is unnatural.

Everyday homosexuals are burnt or forced to commit suicide in  remote rural areas. No media can cover that,and no law can change that. We need awareness. In masses. Let's make India free from selective sexual preferences. For we deserve the freedom of sexuality as much as the freedom of secularity. Change your views. It can change someone's life!

Independance Day: India's need to evolve

"Today, India is celebrating the 65th year of its independence. To have sustained a functioning democracy with all its flaws for more than 65 years, in a country of more than a billion people who speak scores of different languages, is something of a miracle. Gone are the days of associating India with snake charmers and elephants."

Over these 66 years, India has undergone unaccountable changes, in both socioeconomic, demographics, population...and every other aspect. Some, however few, have been for the greater good, while most have been for the worse. Apparently, and one might argue logically, that these are inevitable in an independent democracy, but a deeper insight will prove this to be a fallacy.
Ever since the constitution of India was framed in 1948; adopted in 1949; and went into effect in 1950, our country has seen leaders of all types- with extremely eloquent degrees or with no education at all, people from political backgrounds or people who had nothing to do with politics rising to power.  Generalizing them on basics of their educational achievements and or family inhered political experience would only demerit their assets. What I could do, rather, would be to classify them according to their achievements in taking India to one step further in development.  However, I'm not a person that likes to take things personal, especially since that would not yield any successful result whatsoever. So instead, I'd like to focus on THOSE problems, that have remained intrinsic over time, and leadership.

FIRSTLY, the problem of rape seems to be highest esteem. The details of it's incentives I've already stated here.

The next, comes the youth unemployment. India has always had a steady youth population. Today, about 35% of the Indian vast population is under the age of 20, that is at the dawn of youth. In today's world when most nations are facing an aging problem, India, however, seems to have a steady rise in the youth section of the citizens. The very next question that arises is, how can a country with such immense youth power, be crippled with problems like poverty. illiteracy, or worse yet a steady rise in the youth suicidal rate? The answer is also equally simple:
How can the youth give their best to the country when they are already burdened with and pushed to the very edge of their resources by the society, educational system, religious dogmas, government, and a larger part of the "older and mature people" ?

Since this is a blog about the problems of India, I'd not go into details of the aforesaid problems of the youth, but a short description should be enough.

SELECTIVE CHOICES IN EDUCATION:

Not everyone wants to be an engineer or doctor now, do they? But yes, they do, in India. Or at least they are made to do.
No classroom teaches creativity, yet what is education without imagination?
Even people with decent degrees are often denied of a decent life. Is this what we signed up for through Independence and democracy?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/WorldEconomy/Skills-don-t-match-jobs-in-India-s-new-work-profile/Article1-1058778.aspx

Thirdly, the problems of trafficking, child laborers, starving to death are increasing each and every day. But these problems are half-problems based off of the greater larger devil, the POPULATION EXPLOSION.


Fourth and the most important of al of these, to me, is the population explosion. India is said to be the largest democracy in the world. Satirically, Indians tend to take it as a compliment. I am often buffed at how this could a source of pride. The population explosion and illiteracy is inter dependent. Illiterate people tend to unsafe-sex, and unsafe-sex leads to children. These children, often are targets of poverty and they too are deprived of an education.
Another cause of this is the religious dogmas. I mean seriously, how often have we heard that  

"CHILDREN ARE GIFTS Of GODS AND HENCE SHOULDN'T BE ABORTED ?"


Summing it up, this great democracy and independence has begun to lose it's value and pseudo science have the place of science. Re zoning agricultural lands has taken the name of advancement . Elections are being run to compete for corruption. I know we, as simple citizens have a very small stance, but we are what makes this country. Evey small step counts!

Rape: The Hidden Incentives

In India,the problem of rape has always been steadily persistent, but the recent rise is somewhat uncanny and perhaps to some level mysterious. Statistical reports state that, every 22 minutes a girl child and or woman is raped in India; but the surprising fact is that only a few and or almost non existent part of the victims actually report this to the police. Obviously the causes relate from threats by the miscreants to the victim's family to the in born society pressure which somehow gives rise to the victim's psychology- the concept that they might be made a social outcast. The rise in rape has always been steady, but this sky rocketing of this menace is certainly not the outcome of excess media exposure or lowered pubertal age. Whatever it may be, what we do know is that it is a clear indication of the recent exhibition of pedophilia and perversion  in our so called "modern" society. Now, I won't go through the details of these unfortunate incidents and give drastic descriptions about them; because that is even worse than rape itself. It would be a crude advertisement of one's personal and intimate misfortune, in the hope of punishing the unjust; which would most likely only end up as a steamy topic for the suited gentlemen who are the supposedly specialists in these cases. For, I believe, if any of you readers are truly interested in the details, Google is a good option.

So, what we are going to ponder over, instead, in this discussion is the most important question of all time relating to rape. Yes, it is indeed The Causes, which is perhaps even more important than the incidents and their effects. A problem can be solved, but it is best eradicated at the roots. It is not something natural for young men to turn into pedophiles out of the blue. There is always a cause, a misinterpreted concept- a sickly twisted ideology that only makes sense to the offenders. But then, again, that may cause one man to go astray and act inhuman; but it can never cause an epidemic like the one we are experiencing today. The cause is something obvious, yet surreptitious. Something we all know but choose to be oblivious to.

Since the  dawn of era; men and women had lived in harmony, and at times disputes have broken out. It was not because of their differences- be it physical or psychological, but because disputes are a important part of every relationship. But despite being called "equal" on all grounds and rights, the line between them had never been bridged, when it comes to giving respect.Why is it that- only until recently- women were confined to the four walls and entitled to spend their lives doing household chores and pleasing their better halves? Is it really the type of respect one would crave for? We say prevention is better than cure, and yet we look upon women as the weaker sex, the one in constant need of preservation and protection like a precious piece of possession. Why not prepare them to fend their own problems? Or better yet, are they really that insecure as we take them to be?
It is because, everyone loves an upper hand; men are no exception. They are no different than the monarchs or priests that ruled realms centuries ago. However, this concept have been done with, thankfully I might add; but the remnants have been left and is now passed over with time. Truly, some things are just not to kibosh.

Rape is not something someone does out of the blue, it is the outburst of built up sexual tension of long time and the concept of using the easily disposable weaker sex comes into play. This is because from our  grammar book to our hearts, women are still the weaker sex. We have never accepted them as our equal, deep down. Because it cannot be bridged by job or marriage privileges. BECAUSE, deep down we all could never deny that we will always give preference to the insecure girl. For that guarantees dedication, apparently. Insecurity and femininity has become synonymous. From video games to hit movies, a damsel in distress is always a juicy and sensitive spot for the audience.


As a final word, I'd like to say that , dealing with this matter in a hectic way is not advisable. The rapists are not the only potential threats but if this psychology persists new ones will keep emerging everyday. Banning porn sites or covering up women and commenting on their dresses won't help. What we need instead is  a clear idea about sex and sex education, and a society where everyone gets to understand the true potential of this menace. For our goal is to create an environment where people will abstain through their morals and not laws.

WhatsApp, WeChat, and Line : The pros and cons

 Ever since WhatsApp  was founded in 2009, it has had to strive against a lot of competitors in the messenger field. However, over the last few years, perhaps, WhatsApp has gained quite a great amount of popularity. Just as it's founder's proudly claim, it indeed "has done to SMS on mobile phones, what Skype did to international calling."

WHATSAPP($ 0.99 p.a) 

The main reasons for WhatsApp's brief undisputed reign in the messenger market, perhaps, might be attributed to Nokia.
♦ Nokia with it's launch of the Asha models, on which WhatsApp comes integrated with, has a major role.
♦ The second most important reason is the variety of choice that WhatsApp has to offer  when it comes to mobile platforms. Now perhaps for people in US and UK, with the majority of people using Android, iOS or Blackberry OSes; the compatibility of an app is not an issue. But in India, a lot is still dependent on Symbian or even Java. So WhatsApp is definitely a God-sent for them.

WhatsApp on different platforms.

 Pros:
1. Simple and easy to use UI. Layout is beautiful, and specialized for Android.
2.Audio messages.
3.Multi platform support(Including Java and Symbian).
4.Less to almost no spam, because only people who have your number may WhatsApp you.
5.Push notifications, with significantly less RAM usage. (Also pop-up is available).
6.Unlike Google Voice or TextNow, WhatsApp is available in almost all countries. International texting cost is greatly reduced.
7.I have not mentioned the other facilities like Group Chat,emoticons, stickers, sending pictures e.t.c, as these are common in almost all messengers these days.
8.*Any others which the users might find personally.

Cons:
1. Though I understand that this app was created with the sole objective of replacing chat I think there should be an option for socializing and meeting new people; especially for people like me who love strangers. Perhaps an option to add via email or  name?
2.No option for video or voice call.( I know, I know it is meant to replace SMS).
3. Audio and any other things we send as attachments gets downloaded to the device. Can't we just  view them online and choose whether or not to download?( I'm not sure if this is only happening in my phone*)
4. No way to turn it off completely. (Hey SMS doesn't consume data or battery all the time).
5. No option to send videos or music.



LINE(free)

Line is a comparatively new IM application. It was first launched in 2011, and as of 2013 it has about 120 million users. Like WhatsApp it too provides a multi platform support.


The pros and cons are pretty much the same as WhatsApp, however this app provides an option of audio call via 3G or WiFi network.

EXTRA FEATURES:

1. It provides an option to integrate your account with your email id as well as your phone number. This is a huge pro, because with hacking being this rampant these days and people changing phones too often, it is not very unusual for one to lose his number or phone access. Email security allows them to reclaim their chats,contacts and change their phone number.
2. Voice call facility is surely a feature that boosts up this app to a lot higher position than it's prototypes.
3. More stickers than WhatsApp. (I think so*).


4. Option to follow popular companies and K pop artists.
5. A timeline like view almost like Facebook, but the like and response options are a bit different.











OTHER CONS:
1. As with most things, too much features makes this app a bit sloppy. Android 2.3.xx users might find it a bit irritating to use Line, as the UI is not suitable and keeps force closing when network is weak during a call.
2. The option of audio call surely brings to us the want of video call. Especially now with most people on a WiFi network with unlimited data usages.
3. The Audio messages(voicemails) sent are often sloppy and have to be downloaded as an attachment unlike WeChat.

WECHAT(free)

WeChat was developed by Tencent  and launched in 2011. It was promoted largely in India, and has gained a fair share of users  (70 million outside China as of May this year). This app if hit's the popularity level of WhatsApp; will be hard to stop. This is simply because of the features it has to    

offer .WeChat has almost all the facilities of Line and WhatsApp, including, adding via email, multi platform support, Facebook log in, emoticons, stickers e.t.c. But what makes it stand apart from the others is it's beautiful voice messaging. The voice messages get sent seamlessly in all devices(including Android 2.3.XX and s60).



ADDITIONAL PROS:
1. Flawless voice messaging ( I've tried it on Symbian, Blackberry and Android without any issues).
2. Ability to listen to voice messages instantly, without having to download it as an attachment.
3. The Social section with "Moments" is excellent. Also, only people who are friends can see each others comment. Great privacy move.
4. Meet strangers and socialize via:
         ♦Shake.
         ♦ Look Around.
         ♦ Drift Bottles.


5. Video and voice calls.
6. Live chat option makes conversations  come alive with multiple people voice chatting together.

CONS:
1. No status of "Online" or "Offline". Hard o make out if a user is active or deleted the app from his/her phone.
2. Mostly Chinese users. Yep, the language barrier.


Over time, Science and Tech has advanced to give IMs and Smart Phones a whole new look. all these three messengers are great. It actually depends on which one your friends and family uses, so you can stay connected.

Because, staying connected is more important than having a lot of features but no one to use it with.


Line                 WhatsApp        WeChat