I'm not sure if anyone knows. I don't. But I have seen in India among certain communities that marry within - especially some Muslim families some problems that do not kill early but are very debilitating in later life (after children are born ensuring propagation of the gene pool). I am talking about severe diabetes and a proneness to certain complications of diabetes. Sorry that's OT.Lalmohan wrote:^^^ however, if one keeps on concentrating the bad genes... i wonder if that happens in sporadic bursts separated by several decades or centuries?
Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Derkullah, Your whine is OT. Plij to post in proper whine thread onleederkonig wrote:What ever happened to Londonistan these dins? No news, no march of RoP, when o when will the emirate happen?![]()
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Hari, you are wasting your time posting on this forum. Where is the constitution of Britain you were drafting? 

Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
IMHO, the practice occurs when communities have 'siege mentality' (preserve wealth etc..). It is in line with the reports on the economic status of brit-paks. The issue is more of a problem with parallel cousin marriages (marrying dad's brother's daughter) against cross cousin marriages (marrying dad's sister's daughter). In patriarchal societies, parallel cousin marriages mean that 'clans' are not 'mixed'. For Hindus, paternal uncle's (and maternal aunt's) children are brothers and sisters and Paternal aunt/maternal uncle children are 'marriageable'. For muslims it is ulta. So even if you marry your aunt's daughter, the uncle is from a different clan (hence the children are too..they inherent dad's clan/'koottam') and you are marrying into a different clan socially (not genetically). This promotes inter-clan harmony...than marrying within the same clan.Lalmohan wrote:the interesting thing is that this practice must have accelerated in the recent past, or the population would have terminated itself way back in history
In many TN communities, cross (edited) cousin marriages used to be pretty common. I have some in my immediate family..most of them in my grandparents generation, a few in my parents generation and none in my generation. I believe the reason is the going away of the siege mentality and the opening up of the society gradually.
Last edited by Gus on 24 Aug 2010 20:57, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Does that mean that rat-faced people would be visiting India for medical tourism, may be paid by the Queen's purse!Lalmohan wrote:At current trends bradfordistan will create a medical millstone around the UK healthcare system which might collapse it, before the population dies out through (un)natural selection

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
Where have you been
I've been to London
to look at the Queen.
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat,
What did you do there?
I scared a Paki Rat,
under a chair!
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
I have just finished watching the programme on channel 4.
It was very sad, the entire community is in denial, they see nothing wrong, despite the evidence being clear.
Sadly that is the paki/islamic mindset all over, even if presentedwith clear evidence they will stick to their guns, dig in and deny.
It does make you realise why they just do not progress. A total failure to admit any wrong or accept any behaviour as being problamatic.
But I also admit I did laugh alot, some of the kids could have a bright future as paki diplomats and ministers
It was very sad, the entire community is in denial, they see nothing wrong, despite the evidence being clear.
Sadly that is the paki/islamic mindset all over, even if presentedwith clear evidence they will stick to their guns, dig in and deny.
It does make you realise why they just do not progress. A total failure to admit any wrong or accept any behaviour as being problamatic.
But I also admit I did laugh alot, some of the kids could have a bright future as paki diplomats and ministers

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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
the interesting thing is that this practice must have accelerated in the recent past, or the population would have terminated itself way back in history
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
The part of India I hail from, they do not marry cousins. Period. Parallel or diagonal or lateral, does not matter.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Yup unthinkable in any permutation or combination. All cousins are sisters and brothers onlee.Karan Dixit wrote:The part of India I hail from, they do not marry cousins. Period. Parallel or diagonal or lateral, does not matter.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
^^^^ What part of India do people marry cousins? I have heard there are some places where it is not uncommon, but not in my tribe.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
In South India, it is not uncommon. It is usually the father's sister's child or mother's brother's child that one marries. Father's brother's children and mother's sister's children are considered as cousin brothers/sisters , so they don't marry. I know this is the case in Karnataka/TN/AP. Not sure about KeralaCarl_T wrote:^^^^ What part of India do people marry cousins? I have heard there are some places where it is not uncommon, but not in my tribe.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
True but OT. Cousin (or uncle) marriage is not that uncommon in India. It has probably gone on for so long that the worst genetic defects that cause death before a person is old enough to have children have all been eliminated from the gene pool. What remains would be genetic conditions that are not fatal or disabling. In any case inbreeding is rarely so severe as to cause serious problems.putnanja wrote:In South India, it is not uncommon. It is usually the father's sister's child or mother's brother's child that one marries. Father's brother's children and mother's sister's children are considered as cousin brothers/sisters , so they don't marry. I know this is the case in Karnataka/TN/AP. Not sure about KeralaCarl_T wrote:^^^^ What part of India do people marry cousins? I have heard there are some places where it is not uncommon, but not in my tribe.
But it is politcally convenient and convenient psy-ops wise to show why Pakis are retards.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
deleted
Last edited by svenkat on 24 Aug 2010 20:38, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
i think this cousin marriage theme is OT, there is a deeper issue to my original post than paquis marrying their cousins, it was more about the malaise in their community and how a politically correct britain is shooting itself in the foot and spending huge amounts of tax payer money in pandering to this minority that will not address its own issues - to the detriment of other more law abiding and enterprising communities
whilst there will be many that find this amusing and just rewards for sins of the past, the fact is that it is a serious contemporary problem that needs to be analysed
Summary of issues from the reporter who made the film
the health care issues sound quite terrible
whilst there will be many that find this amusing and just rewards for sins of the past, the fact is that it is a serious contemporary problem that needs to be analysed
Summary of issues from the reporter who made the film
the health care issues sound quite terrible
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
I thought inbreeding depression was a problem confined to Pakis and Brits only. These are the only two group of people I know who are into incest. Even Americans frown upon it (marrying cousins).
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
^^^ well, well...this inbred packee syndrome ain't merely a passing tamasha that the civilized world can afford to overlook.
IMO, its these inbred retards that are the most promising cannon fodder for the soosai bummers the packees regularly train. I vaguely recall the talibums using mentally unstable children as soosai fodder and buddin' beheaders only.
A few 1000 soosai bummers are all it takes I say. No wonder the ISI and jihadi factories view inbred retards as a strategic asset yielding strategicdepth death only. Truly deserving of halal nurture and manifold replication only.
IMO, its these inbred retards that are the most promising cannon fodder for the soosai bummers the packees regularly train. I vaguely recall the talibums using mentally unstable children as soosai fodder and buddin' beheaders only.
A few 1000 soosai bummers are all it takes I say. No wonder the ISI and jihadi factories view inbred retards as a strategic asset yielding strategic
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Last post on this topic:
As I said before 'cross' cousin marriage is indeed allowed in many TN and possibly some other communities in South India. In fact, it is the cross cousin boy who has the 'first right' to marry the girl (murai maappillai)..it is a romantic angle that is used in hundreds of films and songs.
It is reducing. More and more youngsters are looking far out of their own community for L&M these days...than limiting themselves to marrying within community. 'cross' cousin marriages are very very rare these days.
Oddly enough, even though 'parallel' cousins are marriageable for Muslims, none of the TN Muslims I knew (I went to a Muslim run school and lived in a Muslim majority area) had cousin marriages (although the boys would have that angle and lewd talk...it was weird for me..because for me parallel cousins were sisters but then what I do is weird for them..lol).
I also think that genetic defects show up with 'compounded' / multiple (? don't know right word) cousin marriages running along generations. Even in its hey days, TN communities did not have it all cousin marriages running along generations (I should add, in my experience/observation etc). Brit-Pakis are in the multiple generation category.
As I said before 'cross' cousin marriage is indeed allowed in many TN and possibly some other communities in South India. In fact, it is the cross cousin boy who has the 'first right' to marry the girl (murai maappillai)..it is a romantic angle that is used in hundreds of films and songs.
It is reducing. More and more youngsters are looking far out of their own community for L&M these days...than limiting themselves to marrying within community. 'cross' cousin marriages are very very rare these days.
Oddly enough, even though 'parallel' cousins are marriageable for Muslims, none of the TN Muslims I knew (I went to a Muslim run school and lived in a Muslim majority area) had cousin marriages (although the boys would have that angle and lewd talk...it was weird for me..because for me parallel cousins were sisters but then what I do is weird for them..lol).
I also think that genetic defects show up with 'compounded' / multiple (? don't know right word) cousin marriages running along generations. Even in its hey days, TN communities did not have it all cousin marriages running along generations (I should add, in my experience/observation etc). Brit-Pakis are in the multiple generation category.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
sorry, that was a typo. I have edited it.svenkat wrote:deleted
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
The mosques aren’t working in Bradistan
as usual kamments section-
The far-right English Defence League plans to march on 28 August through Bradford in West Yorkshire, a city still largely segregated along lines of race. Local residents are agitated and fearful that the march could reignite the tensions of the 2001 race riots.According to the last census, 22 per cent of Bradford's population is of Asian origin, mostly Pakistani.
about baki(mirpuris) in ukstan.Altogether, there are nearly a million people of Pakistani origin in Britain, and an estimated 70 per cent of these have links to Mirpur or the surrounding area. Mirpur, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (known as Azad - meaning "free" - Kashmir), is one of the country's least developed regions.
as usual kamments section-
Let's face it Englanistan, YOU created "Pakistan"...remember that?? Started a religious war between them and India as your parting gift from your old colony. Well, it looks like your chickens have come home, to YOUR home, to roost (among other things).
watch the news on august 28.If this Saturday leads to riots in Bradford (which I think there will be) then it is finished as a City. No serious big business has wanted to invest in the City over the last 10 years due to its massive 'social' problems. Sadly I don't see a way to circumnavigate this issue, especially with a spineless shortsighted Council. Sections of the Muslim community in Bradford can see that in another 15 years maximum the City will be 80% Muslim, the first Muslim City in the UK. I think for some this is an unstated aim. But it is a sure fire winner as the remaining affluent Whites flee what will remain is an underclass of White's in the sink-hole estates within a Muslim majority City.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
My heart goes out to poor muslims of white dominated UK. No body is under any illusion that they (muslims) will receive fair treatment in UK but this march through their neighborhood is a blatant taunting. What UK (aka UQ) is doing to its minorities is wrong. Muslims have every right to stand up for themselves.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Partition is nigh! India should send Shri Sarin Raj Kuldeep to draw the border line.krisna wrote:Sections of the Muslim community in Bradford can see that in another 15 years maximum the City will be 80% Muslim, the first Muslim City in the UK. I think for some this is an unstated aim.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
the tactically brilliant will once again precipitate a backlash from the host community which will sweep up everyone else in its wake
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Name it AzamgarhFord in 2015.]s usual kamments section-
Let's face it Englanistan, YOU created "Pakistan"...remember that?? Started a religious war between them and India as your parting gift from your old colony. Well, it looks like your chickens have come home, to YOUR home, to roost (among other things
]If this Saturday leads to riots in Bradford (which I think there will be) then it is finished as a City. No serious big business has wanted to invest in the City over the last 10 years due to its massive 'social' problems. Sadly I don't see a way to circumnavigate this issue, especially with a spineless shortsighted Council. Sections of the Muslim community in Bradford can see that in another 15 years maximum the City will be 80% Muslim, the first Muslim City in the UK. I think for some this is an unstated aim. But it is a sure fire winner as the remaining affluent Whites flee what will remain is an underclass of White's in the sink-hole estates within a Muslim majority City.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
clashes at bradfordistankrisna wrote:The mosques aren’t working in Bradistanabout baki(mirpuris) in ukstan.The far-right English Defence League plans to march on 28 August through Bradford in West Yorkshire, a city still largely segregated along lines of race. Local residents are agitated and fearful that the march could reignite the tensions of the 2001 race riots.According to the last census, 22 per cent of Bradford's population is of Asian origin, mostly Pakistani.
watch the news on august 28.
Bradford: Smoke bombs thrown at English Defence League protest
welcome to the new world.Bradford is about 78 per cent white and 12 per cent ethnic minorities, predominately Pakistani. However, in some areas of the city the Pakistani population make up more than 60 per cent of inhabitants.
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Re:
I'm sorry sir but you seem to have special Khujli when it comes to muslims in UK. While the UK isn't a role model when it comes to sikkularism, it is the intolerance shown by the predominantly Pawki muslim community in the UK which is causing problems for them.Karan Dixit wrote:It is good that newspapers from muslim countries are highlighting the plight of muslims in a white supremacist UQ.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
I am an Indian and we tend to be kind by nature. The humiliation that muslims (and minorities in general) go through in UK (aka UQ) bothers me. I would really like to see the news media in muslim countries highlight the grievances of muslims in UK. Frankly, all the anti islam chanting that took place in the rally was demeaning to muslims. Muslims have every right stand up for their religion when it is being ridiculed by white dominated UQ. UQ has effectively turned islam into a caricature.
Re: Re:
It's just tongue in cheek!Mahendra wrote:I'm sorry sir but you seem to have special Khujli when it comes to muslims in UK. While the UK isn't a role model when it comes to sikkularism, it is the intolerance shown by the predominantly Pawki muslim community in the UK which is causing problems for them.Karan Dixit wrote:It is good that newspapers from muslim countries are highlighting the plight of muslims in a white supremacist UQ.
What UK has been preaching to India through its Mulli-in-Bunds, has to be given back with interest onlee!
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Re: Re:
RajeshA wrote:
It's just tongue in cheek!
What UK has been preaching to India through its Mulli-in-Bunds, has to be given back with interest onlee!
Just heard Miliband on Sky news.
"Stable pakistan is in the interests of the world". Shallow moron...didnt explina how and why!
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Karan Dixit,
your post are really begining to annoy me, you are quite frankly IGNORANT.
I have asked you this question before and you have rather conveneintly (or cowardly) never replied to my direct questions.
So I will once again repeat them, can you please answer them???
1/ Have you ever visited the UK?
2/If so, How long were you here?
3/ What were your experiences of "White superamacy"??
Speak up, answer the questions, don't hide like a coward.
your post are really begining to annoy me, you are quite frankly IGNORANT.
I have asked you this question before and you have rather conveneintly (or cowardly) never replied to my direct questions.
So I will once again repeat them, can you please answer them???
1/ Have you ever visited the UK?
2/If so, How long were you here?
3/ What were your experiences of "White superamacy"??
Speak up, answer the questions, don't hide like a coward.
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Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
And, to make the matter worse UQ media (tabloids and so called credible ones) is portraying all muslims as some sort of blood thirsty terrorists.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... -says.html
First, white supremacists go to muslim neighborhoods and piss on Islam and then they engage in image tarnishing exercises. Muslims should hold rallies of their own to counter the injustices forced upon them by bigoted and intolerant UQ society.
Don't get me wrong folks. I am in favor of good relations with UQ but the simple fact is that how muslims are humiliated in UQ on a daily basis concerns me. I mean there are bus loads of white thugs going to muslim neighborhoods and chanting anti islamic slogans. This is a clear provocation.
If the media in muslim countries does not start highlighting what is happening to muslims in UQ then the world would never know the misery of muslims in UQ. Because, white dominated media of UQ will never be fair to muslims. A muslim will never get a fair deal in UQ. It is that simple.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... -says.html
First, white supremacists go to muslim neighborhoods and piss on Islam and then they engage in image tarnishing exercises. Muslims should hold rallies of their own to counter the injustices forced upon them by bigoted and intolerant UQ society.
Don't get me wrong folks. I am in favor of good relations with UQ but the simple fact is that how muslims are humiliated in UQ on a daily basis concerns me. I mean there are bus loads of white thugs going to muslim neighborhoods and chanting anti islamic slogans. This is a clear provocation.
If the media in muslim countries does not start highlighting what is happening to muslims in UQ then the world would never know the misery of muslims in UQ. Because, white dominated media of UQ will never be fair to muslims. A muslim will never get a fair deal in UQ. It is that simple.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Guys, watch the movie "Four Lions"... Hilarious Brit take on local jihadis. You'll die laughing. They have the Brit-Paks down to a T, ditto the convert jihadi.
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Re: Re:
UQ needs to be more sensitive towards the needs of muslims at home instead of worrying about Pakis. Or else, we would find ourselves saying. "Stable UQ is in the interest of the world."Neela wrote:RajeshA wrote:
It's just tongue in cheek!
What UK has been preaching to India through its Mulli-in-Bunds, has to be given back with interest onlee!
Just heard Miliband on Sky news.
"Stable pakistan is in the interests of the world". Shallow moron...didnt explina how and why!
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
JEM,
Chris Morris did a good job with the film. Besides being a wickedly funny satirist I'm told he also sat in on the trials, talked to ex-jihadis, spooks, the works.
While traveling in the Arab Mediterranean last month I met a young, British-Pakistani woman (from Bradford no less!) in hejab studying Arabic and her doctor fiance who had flown in to meet her. She loved the film, and shared its pitying contempt for homegrown wannabe jihadis even though she unhappy about the scrutiny of the general public towards Muslims, Belmarsh and Gitmo, etc
Quite interesting to see her arguing about it with her two French-Algerian roommates, women who wore no headscarves but were ironically far more intolerant of non-Muslims and the idea of living in a diverse society.
One of them actually insisted parroting on what her Imam in Paris said (clearly of the Karan Dixit school of thought) that British Muslims were far too quiet and accepting of discrimination(!) Maybe she meant they were not burning enough cars???
Meeting her again a couple of weeks later after the British girl had to spend time with the largely Italian and French students in her Arabic institute and having been bombarded with negative comments about her presumed beliefs before they even got to know her she said she was starting to get an idea where the French-Algerian girls got their attitudes from...
Chris Morris did a good job with the film. Besides being a wickedly funny satirist I'm told he also sat in on the trials, talked to ex-jihadis, spooks, the works.
While traveling in the Arab Mediterranean last month I met a young, British-Pakistani woman (from Bradford no less!) in hejab studying Arabic and her doctor fiance who had flown in to meet her. She loved the film, and shared its pitying contempt for homegrown wannabe jihadis even though she unhappy about the scrutiny of the general public towards Muslims, Belmarsh and Gitmo, etc
Quite interesting to see her arguing about it with her two French-Algerian roommates, women who wore no headscarves but were ironically far more intolerant of non-Muslims and the idea of living in a diverse society.
One of them actually insisted parroting on what her Imam in Paris said (clearly of the Karan Dixit school of thought) that British Muslims were far too quiet and accepting of discrimination(!) Maybe she meant they were not burning enough cars???
Meeting her again a couple of weeks later after the British girl had to spend time with the largely Italian and French students in her Arabic institute and having been bombarded with negative comments about her presumed beliefs before they even got to know her she said she was starting to get an idea where the French-Algerian girls got their attitudes from...
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Cameron is sticking his neck out to lead the reformist wave:
http://www.economist.com/node/16791720? ... d=16791720
http://www.economist.com/node/16791720? ... d=16791720
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Can you elaborate? I was in UK for six months, and I am non-Muslim Indian. I have not faced any humiliation during this stay. Have travelled quite a bit in UK and in many cases alone. I was not specifically targetted for any special checks, or asked to move out of any place because I am a non-white.Karan Dixit wrote:The humiliation that muslims (and minorities in general) go through in UK (aka UQ) bothers me.
It takes two hands to make a clap. Have these aggrieved Muslims (and their sympathisers) spent some quality time thinking whether the actions of their Muslim bretheren would be acceptable to the Britishers (who were and are the orginal inhabitants of UK, before Muslims came in). Your statement seems to be like every one should bend over backwards so that Muslims feel happy where ever they go, what ever they do.Frankly, all the anti islam chanting that took place in the rally was demeaning to muslims.
My dear sir, UK is going to be white dominated for quite some time. That is because for centuries white people were the residents in UK (and Europe as well). So if people have serious concerns on white domination (in areas where whites are there in large number for centuries), they should slowly think about marching to some place else where. BTW, does this "standing up for their religion" also include activities like hate speeches from mosque (in UK), or terrorism activities?Muslims have every right stand up for their religion when it is being ridiculed by white dominated UQ.
And do honestly think that Muslims dont have any role in this act? If UQ needs to make caricatures they can pretty much do the same thing on every other religion. Any idea why the UK folks only targetted Islam?UQ has effectively turned islam into a caricature.
I request you to also check up why white thugs need to go to muslim neighbourhoods only? They can goto pretty much any other community as well right? Before playing the standard "muslims are poor victims onlee", you need to also check whether these chaps have been exemplary citizens in the places where they migrate to.I mean there are bus loads of white thugs going to muslim neighborhoods and chanting anti islamic slogans. This is a clear provocation.
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
L ET T E R F R O M L O N D O N
Niyamgiri to Delhi, via London
S U D ES H N A S E N
A COUPLE of weeks ago, I bumped into a visiting Indian corporate type. We were naturally chatting about the Vedanta issues. He bet me that its bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri would go through, but maybe its Cairn deal wouldn’t. I bet the opposite. “How can Jairam Ramesh stop it? That whole thing’s been cleared by the Supreme Court,” is what I was told.
Well, yes. That’s precisely the reaction I had a few years ago, when UKbased Survival
International called me and introduced somebody called the Dongria Kondh to me. Like most urban Indians, I’d naturally never heard of them before, or their sacred mountain, and am still mostly fuzzy about where exactly in Orissa Niyamgiri is. Though Bianca Jagger does, she’s been there.
I’ve been to some of their demonstrations, but to be honest, I’ve not yet met an actual Dongria Kondh tribal. I’ve met street-loads of activists though, of every colour, creed and shape. The lady explained to me that Supreme Court or no, there was still scope to ‘create awareness’ about the plight of the Dongria Kondh. I’ve been tracking this whole episode from that day, right through to now. Gradually, various sceptics like me, and then London-based analysts and investors, and most of us Indians based in UK, began to write off the project. ‘It’s not going to happen’ was the general conclusion. It’s one of those episodes that so highlight the way things are seen differently in different cultures.
Survival began its campaign by portraying Vedanta as ‘British company’ intent on colonisation and decimation of native cultures. At which point, I’d be rolling on the floor laughing. Imagine casting Anil Agarwal in the role of evil colonising Briton. How the world has changed.
Still, the local media lapped it all up. And then came the celebs, high-profile ethical (?)nvestors like the Church of England (?) voting with their feet, and more. Ah, Bianca Jagger and Joanna Lumley. Now that kind of stuff we take intensely seriously here, and so do investors. After all, we’re pretty much aware of what the likes of a Joanna Lumley can do. She’s the one who bullied her way into Downing Street, embarrassed the daylights out of the Labour government, and got the Gurkhas the right to settle in UK, something they’d been denied for years. For those of you who might be interested, some Gurkha regiments continued to be part of the British Army till recently. But in that peculiar form of racism that immigration departments practice, they weren’t given the same rights as other British Army veterans, from elsewhere in the erstwhile empire like Singapore or Australia. Nobody took it a jot seriously in India. Bollywood doesn’t have that breed of celebs who are also serious social activists in their own right, like a Bob Geldof or Joanna Lumley.
Even after Jairam Ramesh’s committee turned in a negative report card, most of the people back home — the kind I talk to — were completely cynical about the eventual outcome. Not to mention a deep suspicion of ‘foreign’ bleeding-heart activists thinking they have the right to put a spanner in India’s ‘internal’ affairs, even after the Supreme Court has had the last word. Step back a bit, and it’s not an unusual attitude. In India, the judiciary has often been forced to intervene in what should be the job of the legislature, and dispense community justice. It’s pretty much the argument that Vedanta itself has been using, except when it’s dismissing the agitation as misguided.
Overnight, everything has changed. Now that the celebrity to beat all celebrities, Rahul Gandhi himself, has weighed in on the side of these tribals, the game’s over. A wee bit of clarification first. I see a lot of coverage in the Indian media that confuses this case with environment. Now just because the environment ministry is in charge, environment isn’t what this is about. Okay, so back when the agitation started, even environment was a ‘Duh? What are you talking’ about concept in India. That’s changed, but this is different.
The Dongria Kondh aren’t agitating about deforestation and things. They’re arguing that the ugly mine and alumina factory will fundamentally change their traditional way of life, much as what happened to native Indians and Australian aboriginals way back, and as a distinct native culture, they have the right to protect their traditional lifestyle, religious beliefs and sacred mountains. It’s like you aren’t allowed to pull down a heritage or listed site just because it might make complete economic sense.
I’m now going to take another side bet with the next visitor I meet. Overnight, every possible and probable NGO, even the ones who haven’t heard of Kalahandi or Orissa in India, will jump on to the bandwagon and take the credit. Urban liberals, now it’s been endorsed by Mr Gandhi, will appropriate the cause. I’m aware that truckloads of serious Indian activists have been fighting as hard as anyone else. But this particular battle was fought, and won, in Britain, however much that upsets national sensitivities.
It’s something every globalising Indian company should keep in mind.
[email protected]
ET, 30th August 2010
Niyamgiri to Delhi, via London
S U D ES H N A S E N
A COUPLE of weeks ago, I bumped into a visiting Indian corporate type. We were naturally chatting about the Vedanta issues. He bet me that its bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri would go through, but maybe its Cairn deal wouldn’t. I bet the opposite. “How can Jairam Ramesh stop it? That whole thing’s been cleared by the Supreme Court,” is what I was told.
Well, yes. That’s precisely the reaction I had a few years ago, when UKbased Survival
International called me and introduced somebody called the Dongria Kondh to me. Like most urban Indians, I’d naturally never heard of them before, or their sacred mountain, and am still mostly fuzzy about where exactly in Orissa Niyamgiri is. Though Bianca Jagger does, she’s been there.
I’ve been to some of their demonstrations, but to be honest, I’ve not yet met an actual Dongria Kondh tribal. I’ve met street-loads of activists though, of every colour, creed and shape. The lady explained to me that Supreme Court or no, there was still scope to ‘create awareness’ about the plight of the Dongria Kondh. I’ve been tracking this whole episode from that day, right through to now. Gradually, various sceptics like me, and then London-based analysts and investors, and most of us Indians based in UK, began to write off the project. ‘It’s not going to happen’ was the general conclusion. It’s one of those episodes that so highlight the way things are seen differently in different cultures.
Survival began its campaign by portraying Vedanta as ‘British company’ intent on colonisation and decimation of native cultures. At which point, I’d be rolling on the floor laughing. Imagine casting Anil Agarwal in the role of evil colonising Briton. How the world has changed.
Still, the local media lapped it all up. And then came the celebs, high-profile ethical (?)nvestors like the Church of England (?) voting with their feet, and more. Ah, Bianca Jagger and Joanna Lumley. Now that kind of stuff we take intensely seriously here, and so do investors. After all, we’re pretty much aware of what the likes of a Joanna Lumley can do. She’s the one who bullied her way into Downing Street, embarrassed the daylights out of the Labour government, and got the Gurkhas the right to settle in UK, something they’d been denied for years. For those of you who might be interested, some Gurkha regiments continued to be part of the British Army till recently. But in that peculiar form of racism that immigration departments practice, they weren’t given the same rights as other British Army veterans, from elsewhere in the erstwhile empire like Singapore or Australia. Nobody took it a jot seriously in India. Bollywood doesn’t have that breed of celebs who are also serious social activists in their own right, like a Bob Geldof or Joanna Lumley.
Even after Jairam Ramesh’s committee turned in a negative report card, most of the people back home — the kind I talk to — were completely cynical about the eventual outcome. Not to mention a deep suspicion of ‘foreign’ bleeding-heart activists thinking they have the right to put a spanner in India’s ‘internal’ affairs, even after the Supreme Court has had the last word. Step back a bit, and it’s not an unusual attitude. In India, the judiciary has often been forced to intervene in what should be the job of the legislature, and dispense community justice. It’s pretty much the argument that Vedanta itself has been using, except when it’s dismissing the agitation as misguided.
Overnight, everything has changed. Now that the celebrity to beat all celebrities, Rahul Gandhi himself, has weighed in on the side of these tribals, the game’s over. A wee bit of clarification first. I see a lot of coverage in the Indian media that confuses this case with environment. Now just because the environment ministry is in charge, environment isn’t what this is about. Okay, so back when the agitation started, even environment was a ‘Duh? What are you talking’ about concept in India. That’s changed, but this is different.
The Dongria Kondh aren’t agitating about deforestation and things. They’re arguing that the ugly mine and alumina factory will fundamentally change their traditional way of life, much as what happened to native Indians and Australian aboriginals way back, and as a distinct native culture, they have the right to protect their traditional lifestyle, religious beliefs and sacred mountains. It’s like you aren’t allowed to pull down a heritage or listed site just because it might make complete economic sense.
I’m now going to take another side bet with the next visitor I meet. Overnight, every possible and probable NGO, even the ones who haven’t heard of Kalahandi or Orissa in India, will jump on to the bandwagon and take the credit. Urban liberals, now it’s been endorsed by Mr Gandhi, will appropriate the cause. I’m aware that truckloads of serious Indian activists have been fighting as hard as anyone else. But this particular battle was fought, and won, in Britain, however much that upsets national sensitivities.
It’s something every globalising Indian company should keep in mind.
[email protected]
ET, 30th August 2010
Re: Indo-UK: News & Discussion
Tongue in Cheek...Sarcasm..Irony...Sardonic....Karan Dixit wrote:
It is good that newspapers from muslim countries are highlighting the plight of muslims in a white supremacist UQ.
I am curious.. like Hitesh, I must ask, which part of UK did you see the above?I am curious.. like Hitesh, I must ask, which part of UK did you see the above?Karan Dixit wrote:It is good that newspapers from muslim countries are highlighting the plight of muslims in a white supremacist UQ.
Chill Guys....Karan Dixit is a BRF Mujahid..not otherwise!!