Friday, July 13, 2018

Sexual Orientation is a matter of Choice


With due respect to the Apex Court, but the Supreme Court's judgment on Section 377 of IP in 2013 which inter alia penalises homosexual relations was quite unfortunate and regressive. Section 377 of the Indian constitution is a descendant of an archaic law from the colonial British rule, which described homosexual acts as “unnatural”. It was incorporated into the IPC in 1860. The judgment discloses an intolerant mindset and which is also insensitive to the real problems of those with a different sexual orientation for which they are not to be blamed nor branded.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community are equal citizens of this country and thus entitled to all the constitutional protections of equality, liberty, privacy, dignity and health. By setting aside the Delhi High Court ruling , the Supreme Court — the supposed protector of fundamental rights of citizens in this country, particularly the marginalized communities — has snatched away from the LGBT community all these fundamental rights.  It more or less brands them as criminals and is grossly unfair.

The right to choose must be left to an individual and cannot be forced upon. As long as it is a consensual relationship between 2 adults, no one has the right to impose their views on them. It defeats the basic principles of equality, freedom and liberty enshrined in the Constitution. Its absurd to believe that relationships must be only between a man and a women. Its a norm laid down by the society in the past. Times have changed, the world has moved on and become more liberal and tolerant to diversity. In these liberalised times, people are increasingly speaking up for the rights of deviants. Even the current Pope who represents the Catholic and who were once terribly opposed to Homosexuality and same sex marriage has openly expressed that its not a sin, which shows changing mindset by religious leaders.  India once again joins the ranks of countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is considered a criminal offence and the penalty is life imprisonment or even death.

Its heartening that this judgement has been opened up for review by the Supreme Court after a huge public debate and seen people from all walks of life expressing their disappointment and disagreement to this judgement. The politicians for once are listening to the voice of the public and are talking about taking corrective action through an amendment to the Article 377. It is against the right to life as it includes one’s freedom to choose one’s life partner. It is an inviolable right of an individual to choose his partner for life. One must have a broad outlook to analyse the emerging trends and the transformation that society is going through. 

Decriminalising sex between consenting adults will help protect the LGBTQ community from social harassment and police action. 

The hearing gives hope to the community as the bench includes Justice Chandrachud, who as part of the nine-judge bench deciding the fundamental nature of right to privacy had on January 8 said that LGBTQ community members' sexual orientation had an inseparable relationship with their fundamental right to privacy and accepted that the SC had erred in denying them that right. 

Homosexuality is a social reality since mythological times, and it has been accepted worldwide. India cannot pretend not to see the reality....

Lets hope that the Supreme Court will heed to the same........



Saturday, January 6, 2018

Dharma - a path to Righteousness


dharma is the religious and moral law governing individual conduct. It’s a way & principle of righteousness

Dharma is the law that maintains the cosmic order as well as the individual and social order. Dharma sustains human life in harmony with nature.
"What you desire for yourself, you should desire for others. What you do not like others to do to you, you should not do to others." (Mahãbhãrata, Shãntiparva, 258)
Bhishma says in his instructions to Yudhishthira that whatever creates conflict is Adharma, and whatever puts an end to conflict and brings about unity and harmony is Dharma. Anything that helps to unite all and develop pure divine love and universal brotherhood, is Dharma. Anything that creates discord, split and disharmony and foments hatred, is Adharma.

In order that we fulfill our role in the divine play we must behave within our Dharma. That is, we ought to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason. By this we attain balance.

Dharma is your purpose. 
It’s what you set out to do in life. It’s the end goal, whereas karma is what you do to get to the end goal (or what you do not do). It’s the path of righteousness and living one’s life according to the codes of conduct as described by universal spiritual teachings.
The purpose of dharma is not only to attain a union of the soul with the supreme reality, it also suggests a code of conduct that is intended to secure both worldly joys and supreme happiness.

The 10 Laws of Dharma

The ancient sage Manu prescribed 10 essential rules for observance of dharma:
  1. dhriti (Patience) – Staying secure in your own inner peace.
  2. kshama (forgiveness) – Letting go of things that don’t necessarily serve you.
  3. Dama (self control) – Knowing that the best things come to those that wait.
  4. asteya (honesty) – This is really more about non-stealing; don’t take that which does not belong to you.
  5. shauch (cleanliness/purity) – Cleanliness in mind, body, and soul.
  6. indraiya-nigrah (control of senses) – Meditation and life force control.
  7. dhi  (reason) – Guiding your life with calm reason leads to great success.
  8. vidya (knowledge/learning) – Gaining skills that significantly add to your ability to offer value is a huge step towards well-rounded success.
  9. satya (truth) -Realizing that truthfulness brings about the highest outcome for you and others.
  10. krodha (anger) – Anger poisons our ability to lead our lives in a positive and powerful way.

These are guidelines that will help you ride on the right track, and help you lead a life that is truly fulfilling.