What A. Bansal Thinks

A widespread chaos has spread in Northern India with the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a case of sexual assault. This has put the credibility of Gurus in different parts of the country to test. Foreign media is questioning how a modern India could be in thrall of these self-styled godmen or Gurus . Here are some excerpts from the coverage of this event by international media houses - BBC - "How a divided India fuelled the rise of the gurus?" Washington Post - "If anything, however, the situation in Panchkula illustrates how intractable the guru world remains in India’s globalizing social and political circles.” France24 - “Like other thousands of gurus in India, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is, above all, a powerful man.” Australia's ABC -   “Some Indian holy men can summon thousands of supporters on to the streets. Their systems of patronage and sermons are hugely popular with people who think the government has failed them.” So, let...

Seven out of the ten people on Facebook have shared the Sarahah screenshots, are you one of them? THE SARAHAH BROUHAHA!! Back in the time, Kings used to disguise themselves and go amidst the folks to know their opinions about the ruler. It helped them gather honest reviews from the people which would eventually help the king in running the state properly. They say ' history repeats itself '. With the advent of technology, this disguise has come in the form of Sarahah , a platform which according to the developers allows users to “ get honest feedback from co-workers and friends” to “help people self-develop by receiving constructive anonymous feedback ”. In simple terms, if you think that a person is blockhead but you are reluctant to say it in the face of person due to social etiquettes, just post it on Sarahah, completely anonymously, leaving the receiver in complete despair! Fun, right ? With the app occupying the pole position for past few months, one can e...

How can a woman think of consenting or not consenting for a thing which a man didn't even intend to do ? About a couple of decades ago, a movement started in India, with sole agenda of countering misogyny . What is misogyny ? It is defined as the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. That movement was a success and was able to bridge some gap between the orthodox (old)  and the younger generations. While that movement is still active and is doing wonders in the country, a new facet of this movement has been observed nowadays and that is misandry. Heard the word for the first time? Don't worry. The word struggles for its existence even in Oxford English Corpus where it has 29 examples while misogyny appears more than 1,500 times. What is misandry ? It is simply, misogyny of men. It is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men or boys. Sounds strange? But it's true. In recent times, what these  ' pro-feminist '...

"We are united, they are divided, we are confident,  they are diffident, we are moving forward, they are  looking backward"  - Venkaiah Naidu on opposition joining hands for nominating a presidential candidate. This statement has many aspects. First, it surely justifies the rise and rise of BJP and the reason behind its grand success in recent scenario of Indian politics.  Second, it reflects the hostile nature of our vice president elect whose sense of belongingness and loyalty to his party is quite strong and is clearly evident. Now, let's see what is the major role of a Vice President   ? To chair the Rajya Sabha , a house that James Madison (Father of American Constitution) described as the great anchor of the government and whose slower processes and higher thresholds for action would guard against the “fickleness and passion” of public opinion (passed in Lok Sabha ). So, this is a post that requires a person to be tact, a good diplomat...

Do you know why atomic bombs are most dangerous and dreaded of all? They implode i.e. collapse violently inwards. But what happens, if a person implodes ?  Let's find out! DIAL 'S' FOR SUICIDE ! For each adult who dies of suicide, there are 20 others attempting it. Acc. to WHO , close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and there are many more who attempt it. What is Suicide ? The society takes this word seriously when a famous celebrity commits it. Latest example being Chester Bennington. It is defined as an act of intentionally causing one's own death. But how an organism as sensitive as human is able to take this extreme step? Who are these people? From where do they come? How do they gather so much courage to end their own life? The fact is, they don't come from any other planet. These are more ordinary people. They could be living in your home, working with you in the office, may be your friend,your sibling and you don't...