Mangalore Morning Mist Home Stay Attack: Shooting the messenger

01 Dec. It is over four months since the notorious Morning Mist Home Stay attack by goons of Hindu Jagaran Vedike, a right wing fundamentalist group, took place in Padil. Some of the perpetrators -specially the ‘brains’ behind- of attack are still at large, while a few frontal attackers like Subhash Padil are behind bars. Good enough?
No. there are reasons to worry. Disappointing is the fact that Mr Naveen Soorinje, journalist with Kasturi TV, who exposed the brutal attack on young girls for partying, is languishing in jail! It is ridiculous that a person whose TV coverage of the brutal attack on and molestation of girls in Padil home stay attack, is the only witness, is accused of the crime he is witness to!

No doubt, there is the entire right wing behind it. Worse is the fact that the police force is out to finish off Mr Naveen Soorjine and secular and value-based journalism. This tells a lot about the corruption, saffronization, and ulterior motives of our police force.

It is high time that all in Mangalore, and the saffronized state of Karnataka, voice in unison their concern for human rights across the state and the country, and stood up for Mr Soorinje – against the police atrocities and Hindu right wing, which is out to tarnish the image of the tolerant majority religion as well as our national secular, pluri-religious, social culture.
Let youngsters live in peace!

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Shooting the messenger.

Wanted: intellectual leaders, not CEOs

01 Dec. What is education and education administration? In my experience and opinion, many students think education is imparting/ building up competence, teaching skills and ‘to-do’ things. I beg to differ.
And what about educational leadership? Just getting into the power-chair by hook or by crook as many of our vice chancellors and principals would do? Acquire power in the name of reservations, political connections, ‘privilege of private institutions’ and exercise it at the expense of others and the very system which invested it in you? Unfortunately, educational leadership has been translated into dictating terms, by our so-called ‘academic leaders’ who fail to understand their duty.Many of them don’t even fit into that chair for their un-academic roles, for their primary concern never seems to be education, but profit-mongering, show-of power, and endangering students’ future.
Here, in this article in The Hindu, Apoorvanand and Satish Deshpande go into the dynamics and critique of educational leadership in India, and also a basic understanding of education, itself.

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Wanted: intellectual leaders, not CEOs.