TUESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2011

OPINION

News Updates

Glimpse of Chinas new mobile OS

hinas top search engine Baidu Inc offered a glimpse of its upcoming mobile operating system and launched a mobile application platform aimed at bolstering its presence in the increasingly competitive mobile web market. The platform, named Baidu Yi, will enable third-party application developers to create apps such as games, maps and other tools that they can distribute in a similar way to Apple Incs App store, according to a Reuters report. Baidu Yi is modelled on Googles Android mobile operating system and will be rolled out to mobile devices in the future. The company also launched its new homepage that will add four features, including social networking functions. However, Baidu CEO Robin Li was quoted as saying the new homepage could have a negative impact on its revenue by requiring users to register a Baidu account, reducing traffic on the site. The new homepage, with more links and content, could also affect loading speed. We dont know how negative it will be, Li said in an interview with Internet portal SohuIT. No matter how big the loss would be, this represents the future of the industry. If we dont do it, others might; if we dont do it now, you might be forced to do it in the future; instead of waiting for others to push you, we would rather take the initiative. Baidu currently has around 200 million registered users, Li said. Baidu has built on its dominance of Chinas search market significantly since Googles high-profile exit last year citing hacking and censorship concerns, and now has an over 80 per cent market share. Baidus Nasdaqlisted shares are up nearly 50 per cent so far this year, giving it a market value of around $50 billion.The company has also been aggressively diversifying into ecommerce, online video and online travel to bolster growth and increase competitiveness. An array of Chinese Internet firms and telco gear makers have launched self-developed smartphones in order to gain a foothold in a market still dominated by traditional handsets and lower-end second-generation phones. Alibaba Group, Chinas largest e-commerce firm, launched a smartphone running its own mobile operating system in late July that will feature cloud-based applications and Internet search. Huawei Technologies similarly launched its cloud computing smartphones in August, and Sina Corp recently rolled out a line of smartphones catering to users of its microblogging service Weibo.

BY BIJOYETA DAS

Women seek freedom from abuse

or six years she could not take a shower alone. He watched her shower. When she came home, he searched her intimate parts for signs of infidelity. Her husband sexually assaulted her, harassing her economically and emotionally, day in and day out, she said, wiping away tears. "He did everything to me," said Olga, who was born in Honduras and asked that her full name not be used to protect her privacy. She can speak little English and is undocumented in the United States. Clenching her fist, she said she was scared of being deported and was petrified of her abuser. She found herself locked in a labyrinth of helplessness. Olga was too ashamed to share her story with anyone. Then she mustered the courage to approach Doris Alleyene, a domestic violence advocate at the South End Community Health Center in Boston. Alleyene, who also works at Casa Myrna Vazquez, a nearby domestic violence agency, said she helped Olga obtain a restraining order against her husband, a U.S. citizen. Now, she said, she is teasing out Olga's trauma, assisting her to reconstruct her life "as a free person." Immigrant women - including those who are undocumented and refugees - are more vulnerable to domestic violence and face steep hurdles when they seek help, said Isa Woldeguiorguis, policy and systems advocacy director at Jane Doe Inc., a Boston-based group that works to reduce domestic violence. In Massachusetts, approximately one-in-four immigrant women is a victim of some form of domestic violence, said Richard Chacon, executive director of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. In the general Massachusetts population, there was a three-fold increase in domestic violence-related homicides between 2005 and 2007, according to a report published by Jane Doe Inc. These statistics were enough to alarm the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services into releasing a public health advisory on domestic violence in 2008. Still, new data from Jane Doe Inc. indicates that domestic violence cases continue unabated. Between October 2008 and September 2009, 15 women, five men and three children were killed in cases involving domestic violence in Massachusetts. Statistics from other parts of the country continue to paint a bleak picture for immigrant women, advocates say.

Young women seek freedom from life-controlling issues.

Immigrant women are scared of their abuser and often do not speak up because they fear for their safety. "He is fighting with you and if you take a phone and go call the police, he is going to kill you," she said, her voice becoming indignant.
In New York City, 51 per cent of intimate partner homicide victims are foreign-born, according to a 2004 report by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Sixty per cent of immigrant Korean women nationally were battered by their husbands, according to the National Institute of Justice and the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Alleyene said the statistics don't tell the whole story. "We are reporting on those who step up and

speak. What about those who don't do it because of their culture, because they are afraid? There are many untold stories." Of course, awareness building - especially through walks and protests - is a tool that the various organisations working with immigrant women have used to highlight the increase in domestic violence. For example, Saheli, a Boston-based group that works to end abuse among South Asian women, periodically organises 'Walk Against Domestic Violence'. Many events are also scheduled during the Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October every year. The goal is to send a message to immigrant women who are afraid to seek help, because of language and cultural barriers, "that there is help out there," said Rita Shah, who is on Saheli's board of directors. There is also relief available for immigrant women under the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, which was enacted in 1994, informed Hisham A. Leil, an attorney at Western Massachusetts Legal Service in Springfield, Mass. Battered immigrant women, including undocumented women, may petition for U-visas, which grant legal residency for themselves and their children without the knowledge of the abuser. Victims of physical or mental abuse and aggravated assault can also request a work permit under VAWA. However, because of misinformation among victims as well as administrators of shelters, many women are unaware of their rights and benefits, Leil added. Among undocumented women there is also the perennial fear of deportation, he said. According to Paulette, a domestic violence survivor who also asked that her full name not be used to protect her privacy, immigrant women are scared of their abuser and often do not speak up because they fear for their safety. "He is fighting with you and if you take a phone and go call the police, he is going to kill you," she said, her voice becoming indignant. At the same time, the victims are wary of the police because they are frightened the police will report them to immigration officials, she added. The fear of deportation and social stigma are forever etched in their minds, said Paulette, who was born in Haiti. She now volunteers at the Association of Haitian Women in Boston, based in Dorchester, Mass. Today, she goads other women to speak up against abuse, learn English, get a job and seek freedom. WFS

VIGNETTES OF LIFE

Kaloji: the peoples poet

arangal conjures up visions of the mighty Kakatiya Empire. One of the great men produced by this capital of that empire was Padma Vibhushan Prajakavi Kaloji Narayana Rao; not an individual but an institution. Popularly known as Prajakavi (Peoples Poet), he was not only a great poet but also a great social activist who had always fought for the cause of the downtrodden. He was a pioneer of the renaissance movement in Telangana during 1930s and 1940s. He fought against the autocratic rule of the 7th Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan who was the king of Hyderabad State from 1913 to 1948. Kaloji was sent to prison several times for participating in the freedom struggle. A man of high principles and a non- conformist, he, during the freedom struggle and later, Kaloji had always taken an anti-establishment stand. He never aspired for any positions of power in the government or elsewhere. Born to a Maharashtrian father and Kannadiga mother at a place in Karnataka on 9th September, 1914, Kalojis parents migrated to Warangal. They lived for some time at Madikonda, a nearby village, and then shifted to Warangal proper. Kaloji was a two-year- old child when his father Ranga Rao shifted from Maharashtra to Warangal. Kalojis elder brother was Rameshwar Rao, who too was a social activist and a popular Urdu poet. Elder Kaloji, as he was known in Warangal, used to write poetry in Urdu under the pen- name SHAD. He was responsible for bringing up Kaloji and, because of his patronage, Kaloji grew into a social activist and a great poet. Since his college days, Kaloji had participated in social activities and social reforms. After taking his law degree from Osmania Univeersity, he never practised as a lawyer. His heart was always in movements for freedom and the wellbeing of society. He joined the pioneers of those days, like Madapati Hanumanth Rao, Suravaram Prathap Reddy, Gadicherla Hari Sarvotham Rao, Kodati Narayana Rao, Valti Kota Alwar Swamy, Ravi Narayana Reddy and many others who led the great renaissance movement. Thus Kaloji was one of the forerunners instrumental in bringing revolutionary movements like Andhra Mahasabha, Grandhalaya Udyamam, Telangana Peasants Armed Struggle, etc. Though Kaloji welcomed the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 as it brought all the Telugu-speaking people together, very soon he was disillusioned by the merger of Telangana with other Telugu-speaking regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. His disillusionment turned to indignation when all the agreements for safeguarding the interests of Telangana were violated by the powers that be. The culture and language of Telangana people

Gujarat Lokayukta divides Jurists

were insulted at every juncture by the rich people of Coastal Andhra. Kaloji was convinced that people of Telangana were subjected to incalculable insults, injustices and discrimination in every field by rulers from coastal districts. So he plunged into the separate Telangana movement spearheaded by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi during the late 1990s. It is a pity that he breathed his last on 13th November 2002 without seeing his cherished dream of a separate Telangana State being fulfilled. Kaloji will be remembered by posterity as a great poet. His poetry had always evoked a chord in the hearts of common readers. He titled his first anthology of poems Nagodava (difficult to find an exact English equivalent of the word; but My Agony or My Concern may convey its nearest meaning) which was published in 1953. While releasing this book at Alampur in Mahaboobnagar district, Mahakavi Sri Sri said; Kalojis poems reflect the silent hearts of the people of Telangana. It is not the agony of Kaloji alone as the title of the book conveys but the agony of all the people. Kaloji is the poet of all Telugu-speaking people. Kalojis diction was very simple and clear. The message goes straight into the heart of the reader. If at all any comparison has to be made, he can be compared to another great peoples poet Vemana. For Kaloji, his poetry and life were never different. His poetry was born of his life. He lived his poetry. He did not write poetry to please scholars and connoisseurs of literature. When one goes through his poems, the message would immediately sink into his heart and mind. He would identify himself with the ideas and the message conveyed. This spontaneous identification of common people with Kalojis poems made Kajoji a true peoples poet or Prajakavi.He wrote a mini poem on Jayaprakash Narayan.

For Kaloji, his poetry and life were never different. His poetry was born of his life. He lived his poetry. He did not write poetry to please scholars and connoisseurs of literature.

Narendra Modi

Kamla Beniwal

PARMOD KUMAR

T
The 97th birth Anniversary of Kaloji falls on September 9

in every individual there is a pigmy and a giant and he will be moving from first to second ; we dont know where he will end. He used to quote his favourite French writer Romaine Rolland who, it seems, said: Every nation creates a myth for itself and will be after it for centuries without knowing that it is a It runs somewhat like this: myth.During his last days, Kaloji was closely Birth is his associated with revolutionary leftists. Some Death is his people were given to understand that Kaloji But his entire life is countrys. was a Communist. During those days, Kaloji put a pointblank In another mini poem, he says : question to me when I took him in my vehicle To think that there wont be sunrise is pesto drop him at his residence: Naveen! do you simism, To think that there wont be sunset is bad opti- think I am a Communist? he asked. I said: No I dont think you are a Communist, sir Then mism. who do you think I am? he again asked. I think you are a liberal democrat, sir I said. In one of his long poems, he says: You are correct, he said patting my back. I Terrible hunger is at one place had had the privilege of observing him from Lot of food is at another place close quarters since my college days. One more quote from one of his poems: Everybody knows that he was honoured with A simple drop of ink Padma Vibhushan. But many may not know That makes millions to think said Byron. why such a great award was bestowed on him. But is it true? The citation simply says: This award is preI have poured drums of ink sented to Kaloji Narayana Rao for his personal But there seems to be no thinking in anybody qualities. Kaloji may be a great social activist Not only in his poems but in his conversations and a great poet. But more than anything else, and speeches also, Kaloji used to deliver some he was a great human being as the citation golden words. He used to tell his audience that rightly says.

he legal fraternity is divided on the manner in which the Gujarat Governor's discretionary powers have been interpreted in the appointment of retired judge R.A. Mehta as the State's Lokayukta. Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) disrupted parliamentary proceedings on two days, seeking recall of Governor Kamla Beniwal over the appointment of Mehta as the State's anti-corruption ombudsman. The Aug 25 appointment by Beniwal has been resisted by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He has accused Mehta of being "biased and prejudiced" against the government, and questioned his capacity to act independently as the Lokayukta. The chief minister has also contended that the Governor has eroded the credibility of the institution of Lokayukta. Supreme Court counsel and former Madhya Pradesh advocate-general Anoop Chaudhary felt that the Governor could act independently under the Gujarat Lokayukta Act in the exercise of discretionary powers. Senior counsel M.N. Krishnamani contended that Section 3 of the Gujarat Lokayukta Act, which provides for the appointment of Lokayukta by the Governor, is unconstitutional as it is ultra vires of Article 163 of the Constitution. While agreeing that Section 3 of the Act does not expressly say that the Governor will appoint the Lokayukta on the recommendation of the State Cabinet, Krishnamani said that the expression "governor" in the section should be inferred to mean the chief minister or the Cabinet. He said that construing the section to mean that the Governor could act independent of the State government would run counter to clause (1) of Article 163 of the Constitution.

The clause reads: "There shall be a council of ministers with the chief minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion." Krishnamani said that no statute could survive if it was contrary to the mandate of the Constitution. Chaudhary disagreed. He said that the apex court had held in several matters that there could be situations in which the Governor could act independently without the aid and advice of the council of ministers. He said that in the case of the Gujarat Lokayukta, the statute itself was explicit that the Governor would make the appointment in consultation with the high court chief justice and the leader of the Opposition. According to Chaudhary, the fact that Modi wrote a letter to Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya, objecting to the latter recommending Mehta for the Lokayukta, clearly showed that he was in the know and even tried to amend the Gujarat Lokayukta Act to take away the powers of the Governor. The senior counsel wondered how BJP leaders could reconcile their action of first moving the high court and then stalling parliamentary proceedings on the issue. He said that if the legality of the Governor's action was in question, it had to be settled legally. Noted jurist and Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee member Prashant Bhushan said that the entire course of events went to show that Modi was not inclined to submit his actions for scrutiny by an independent authority. Bhushan said that for seven and a half years, Modi had not allowed the appointment of a Lokayukta, and now that it was being done, he was trying to frustrate the efforts by making it a political issue.