Censor Board of India has granted permission to release the film ‘Padmavathi’ with change of name to ‘Padmavath’ and 5 modifications / cut. The changes are made along with the condition that before screening, an announcement should be made stating that it is not based on history. These conditions and restrictions are based on false premises and are completely against the freedom of expression. It is clear that there is full backing of the BJP government to such restrictions.

Mahabharatha and Ramayana are the greatest two epics of Hinduism. There are hundreds of variations to both written by great saints and authors. All are well read and appreciated. The epics or history is written according to the available information and also the view point of the author. The idea of god itself was denied by certain writers of earlier ages. Cinemas are produced and novels / stories written with partial historical facts and further imagination. ‘Davinci Code’ and such famous novels are example. Of course, the Christian Church organised seminars explaining their position, but there was no demand to ban it.

Intolerance to different opinions and expressions and suppression of the same is unsuitable in a democratic society.

Black colour is unpardonably portrayed as some thing ugly, evil, wicked etc. A large number of words are there like Black market, Blackmail, Blackout, Blackleg, Black sheep, black art, black-list, Black mark, black money etc. in English and similarly in other language also.

Why black is discriminated like this? It is only to denigrate the human being whose skin colour is dark or near dark. It is to show the superiority of the white men who became the aggressors and captured free countries and kept them as their colonies. Most of these conquers were white and they despised the conquered people as black and dark. Thus dark became ugly, wicked etc.

However, animals, trees, inanimate things, which are black are appreciated – Black cow, Black dog, Black hair, black cloud, black marble etc. etc.

Black is a beautiful colour as other colours and the discrimination against it should be removed. Black and dark people are also very beautiful just like any other people including white coloured people.

“First Session of the Congress:
On 28 December 1885, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the Indian National Union at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay; the conference was renamed as the Indian National Congress.” (Congress website).

The party, Indian National Congress, which took over the rule of India from the British on 15th August 1947, has completed 137 years of existence since its formation in 1885. The ruling party for many decades, it was completely sidelined in the last Parliamentary elections, paving for a BJP dominated NDA rule. Rahul Gandhi has become the All India President after his mother Sonia Gandhi vacated the post. What is the future of this grand national Party? Let us wait and see.

As many as 3,515 farmers in Karnataka committed suicide between April 2013 and November 2017, out of which 2,525 were due to drought and farm failure, statistics provided by the State Agriculture Department said.”3,515 farmers were reported to have committed suicide from April 2013 to November 2017, and from April 2008 to April 2012, as many as 1,125 farmers were reported to have committed suicide,” it said.
Out of the 3,515 suicide cases reported, agriculture department accepted 2,525 cases which were due to drought and crop failure. (Courtesy: PTI)

Both the Central and state Governments are responsible for this tragedy. They can not wash away the blood of the kisans on their hand. At least implement now the poll assurance of waiving their loans and providing minimum price so that further suicides can be stopped.