Ban the trade in wild animals!

The pigeons released during the Republic Day ceremony did not fly away - they fell to the ground, most of them dead.   BBMP widlelife volunteers rescued some of them.  It is now reported that these pigeons were sick, and they were bought from the Russel Market.  The BBMP officials have proposed that in future the ceremony of releasing pigeons should be banned.

There is a small issue here.  I was under the impression that keeping and trading in wild animals and birds like pigeons and parakeets is supposed to be illegal.  Am I right or wrong?  If I am right, why is the Govt purchasing these birds from the Russel market, instead of arressting the traders?

Reply from Norwegian Embassy

I am extracting below the reply I just received from the Norwegian Embassy to my e mail re: the child care issue.   Please read it.

Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington emb.washington@mfa.no

12:11 PM (23 hours ago)

to me

Thank you for your email. By contacting us you provide us with an opportunity to respond directly to the concerns of many Indians and others who have reacted to news reports from Norway.

At the outset, let us assure you that the actions of Child Welfare Services in the town of Stavanger are in no way based on cultural prejudice or misunderstanding. Children in Norway, regardless of their nationality, are not removed from their parentsunless conditions in the home are not sufficient to meet a child’s needs.

Due to the sensitive nature of child welfare cases, Norwegian authorities are by law not allowed to comment on individual cases. This makes it difficult to respond to inaccurate news reports.

Reports that the children were removed from their parents because they were fed either by spoon or by hand, or because the children had slept in their parents’ bed, are not correct. These practices are as common in Norway as they are in India. They wouldnot constitute grounds for removing children from the care of their parents.

Allow us to provide you with a link to an article published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway reporting on yesterday’s telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of India and Norway. In their conversation, the two ministersagreed that the case should be resolved through contact between the child welfare services of the two countries in order to find a solution that is in the best interests of the children involved.

http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/ud/aktuelt/nyheter/2012/welfare_case.html?id=670356

The article also features a link to a press release by Child Welfare Services in Stavanger detailing the legislation governing such cases and the steps taken in this particular case. The press release is also attached to this email for your information.

I hope this information will help reassure you that Norwegian authorities, in close collaboration with their Indian counterparts, are working hard to resolve this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Linken Nymann Berryman
Counselor and Head of Communications and Culture Department
Royal Norwegian Embassy
Washington, D.C.

 press release.docx
16K   View   Download


From the link and the press release, it is obvious that the Norwegian govt has been jolted by the response of Indian people to their action. I am, however, puzzled by following:

1.    The press release states that the Child Welfare Dept of Norway took away the kids on 29th November.   They have not mentioned the year, but I suppose it must be 2011.  In that case, is there any truth to the media hype that the kids have been with the foster parents for past 8 months?  I remember the father of the kids specifically stating in a TV channnel that they have been "running from pillar to post for past several months for regaining possession of the children."

2.     If in fact, the kids were taken away 8 or more months ago, our Govt and our Embassy in Norway have to answer what they were doing for past several months.  The embassy has started action only when the media started highlighting the issue.  From the details proided in the link, it appears the embassy babus have met the Norwegian authorities only twice on this issue.  If the embassy had started the rescue work earlier, surely they would have met with their counterparts more than twice?

 

Why this kolaveri?

Christianity is the only organised religious body in the world which aggressively pursues the path of converting others into their faith.  It is very difficult to get converted into hinduism, and while muslims allow other people to come into their fold, they are not on overdrive for this purpose.  Only christians keep counting their numbers every day.  Right from Vatican, the drive to bring in more numbers into their fold is very real.  They allocate funds for it, set targets for very parish, have action plans and review meetings - all to ensure more and more people are baptised into their faith.

Christianity is a lovely religion.  It seeks to promote love, and service to the other human beings.  The bible does not say you can extend love only after they are converted into christian faith.

Then WHY THIS KOLAVERI with conversion?

Brutally Kind Norwegians

The Norwegian Govt seem to be so kind that it intrudes into the lives of people and takes away their children in order to ensure that the children are "treated" well.   After taking the kids away from their biological parents, they entrust them to foster parents who they believe will treat the kids with more kindness.  Instead, the kids who are too small to understand what is going on, lose their moorings and become mental cases themselves. 

I am not surprised at the behaviour of Norwegians.  It is only to be expected from a country whose birth rate is so low, that the whole nation has only a few thousand children at any time.  So, how will they understand how to handle babies? 

But what is surprising to me is :  Why did it take 8 months for the parents to be heard by those in authority?  Did the couple approach the Indian High Commission in Norway, and if so, were the babus there so insensitive to this problem?  I can well imagine they would have ignored the pleas of this couple, because they were not related to any minister or politician!

The government is always blaming the media for sensationalising issues.  God knows where we would be but for the media! 

India cricketers have no "expiry date"

There is a lot of lament about the performance of the "senior" Indian cricketers in the recent tests.  But almost all cricket pundits have no hesitation in inserting an almost sychophantic line in their article which reads "they have given us much to be thankful for".  

Let us leave the question of their real contribution to Indian cricket for now.  Even if you concede they have contributed immensely, does it give them a right to occuppy their place in the team perennially, and block the younger generation's entry?  True they have played for India, but they got paid for it more than handsomely by the BCCI - apart from endorsements.  Nobody can deny that the cricketers have earned more than other sportsmen in India, and even more than criketers of other countries including Australia and England.  Indian cricketers are among the wealthiest sportsmen in the world!! 

And what have they really done?  Except for a centuary here and there, none of these stalwarts have helped us to win a series abroad for the past 2 decades. 

Media has been lionising these people far too long.  It is time they broght to terra firma and encouraged to retire, gracefully or otherwise!!

The Salman Rushdie Smile.

Salman Rushdie must be chuckling to himself. After writing a not so readable book, but just because he disturbed the hornet's nest, he got himself projected as a great writer.  Now, when he was fading away from public memory and royalty from his book sales were bottoming out, Govt of Rajasthan has given him a helping hand by once again raising a controversy over his visit to Jaipur.  I can't understand what the fuss is all about.  Just because one author does not attend, will the Literary Meet become colourless?
What was the purpose of the meet, anyway?  Was it meant to be a junket to boost Rusdhies marketability?  Was it not meant to be a meet to discuss wider issues, and ensure more universal participation?

The Rushdie effect has killed this purpose.  The agenda of the meet has shifted to the book written by Rusdie and its merits and demerits.  How can the learned people who attended the meet read from a book banned in India, rightly or wrongly?   It is evident that some passages of this book has offended the religious sentiments of a lot of people in the world.  Nobody, I repeat nobody, has the right to write and publish which hurts the sentiments of other people. 

I pity the attitude of certain right wing politican parties in this affair.  Here was an opportunity for BJP to extend an understanding hand to the muslim community.  When the "Ban Gita" controversy erupted in Russia, the muslim organisations chose to oppose the ban.  They are equally critical of M F Hussain for depicting Hindu goddesses in the nude.  But our right wing politicians are not returning the favour to them.  They are aligned against Rusdie bahsers, and want to allow Rusdie to visit India and read from his blasphemous book.   I always believed BJP is a party which shoots its own feet.  By their mindless opposition to the Nuclear treaty, they alienated their middle class supporters.  By admitting corrupt Kushwala they lost the golden chance of championing against corruption.  Now they have again done it.  Looks like India will have to wait a little while more for a "party with a