Five of family beheaded for "witchcraft" in Assam

[babybunny 2]

well there are good things in india...

indian food- delicous. the fashions and uhm bollywood..

[Melo 1]

I agree that this is a terrible crime, compounded by a community who was obvioulsy threatened by a healer. Black magic is a huge issue for many people's minds in India. Seen as witchcraft and evil.

But please, I don't understand why you are condeming the entire country for it and call it uncivilsed and uncultured. That is not true. That in itself is unfair for the many people who live in India and probably also agree that is a horrific crime and don't agree with the actions of this community.

Most Indians don't care... so long as they are not affected they do not care... which is why a half-naked strumpet will be plastered all over the front-page of a newspaper when miss bimbo india becomes miss bimbo world... but a woman chained to the wall for over 2 years by her husband and his family gets an inside page mention on the same day. Todays India finds college students and home-makers working as prostitutes coz they want luxury items. Stop looking at this country through rose-coloured glasses... and don't talk of the small percentage of women that are treated well... talk of the masses. Untouchability still exists... the gender bias still exists... sati still happens... politicians can still get away with murder... so can anyone who has money... if you truly believe that these issues do not exist then you are fooling yourself. Things many seem more modern... but if you talk to the youth and ask them if they would like a son or a daughter - the answer will be son in 99% of the cases.

This is a country where most people do not say please, sorry and excuse me... how many times have you heard those words said here? I do not recall the last time I heard anyone say these words to a complete stranger. Just yesterday I had gone out to dinner with my cousin; we were waiting for a table... a young couple pushed to get ahead of us and I told them that we were there before them... the woman spent the entire evening glaring at me... and this is not something extraordinary... this is what happens most of the time.

The only time I have heard people outraged was when a Swiss diplomat was raped... but do they care about the Indian women that are raped? Nope... they simply do not want to know.

The Indian today is mercenary (not all but most) which is why the large number of well-to-do prostitutes...

Like I said when you stop looking at India through rose-coloured glasses you might see the real India.

[KarenCee 3]

I agree that this is a terrible crime, compounded by a community who was obvioulsy threatened by a healer. Black magic is a huge issue for many people's minds in India. Seen as witchcraft and evil.

But please, I don't understand why you are condeming the entire country for it and call it uncivilsed and uncultured. That is not true. That in itself is unfair for the many people who live in India and probably also agree that is a horrific crime and don't agree with the actions of this community.

Most Indians don't care... so long as they are not affected they do not care... which is why a half-naked strumpet will be plastered all over the front-page of a newspaper when miss bimbo india becomes miss bimbo world... but a woman chained to the wall for over 2 years by her husband and his family gets an inside page mention on the same day. Todays India finds college students and home-makers working as prostitutes coz they want luxury items. Stop looking at this country through rose-coloured glasses... and don't talk of the small percentage of women that are treated well... talk of the masses. Untouchability still exists... the gender bias still exists... sati still happens... politicians can still get away with murder... so can anyone who has money... if you truly believe that these issues do not exist then you are fooling yourself. Things many seem more modern... but if you talk to the youth and ask them if they would like a son or a daughter - the answer will be son in 99% of the cases.

This is a country where most people do not say please, sorry and excuse me... how many times have you heard those words said here? I do not recall the last time I heard anyone say these words to a complete stranger. Just yesterday I had gone out to dinner with my cousin; we were waiting for a table... a young couple pushed to get ahead of us and I told them that we were there before them... the woman spent the entire evening glaring at me... and this is not something extraordinary... this is what happens most of the time.

The only time I have heard people outraged was when a Swiss diplomat was raped... but do they care about the Indian women that are raped? Nope... they simply do not want to know.

The Indian today is mercenary (not all but most) which is why the large number of well-to-do prostitutes...

Like I said when you stop looking at India through rose-coloured glasses you might see the real India.

It is as I said earlier....people only see what they WANT to see.

[pbgirl 1]

Honestly, I think you need to stop looking through your "all of India is out to get me" point of view. I am not fooling myself in thinking India (or any country for that matter) does not have its share of problems. I think what concerns me is that people lump the country into one stereotype. Like the stupid people that defaced Indian temples and killed Sikh people after 9/11 because they wore turbans and ignorant pricks thought they were Osama worshippers. There is a danger in assuming a person's actions based on the country of their birth.

Interesting how almost everything you list exisits in America or most other countries today... Untouchability still exists... the gender bias still exists... sati still happens... politicians can still get away with murder... so can anyone who has money...

And the line: This is a country where most people do not say please, sorry and excuse me... ...ummm....you ever been to a big city like New York or Chicago?

Obviously, you have had a lot of bitter experiences with Indian people, and living in India right now may contribute as well. I never said anything about sons vs. daughters so I am not sure where that came in for your post. FYI, I grew up in an Indian family where I had one older brother who was treated differently than me.....only because he was older. My parents never made me feel unwanted, they were never unhappy I was born. Just the opposite , where my mother was thrilled to have a daughter and they gave me every opportunity possible. LOL, I think they were more proud of my accomplishments than they were of my brother's! I had a lot of Indian friends where it was the same way for them.

Maybe I have had better experiences. Maybe I have tried to open my eyes to make sure my expereinces were positive and not prejudiced in the first place.

And no, it is not about "what I want to see" and the cliche of rose colored glasses. I see India's poverty and its corruption and its caste wars. You walk down any Indian street and you'll see it. I am Indian, I have lived in India. But I also see a rich history, a community that is proud and a culture that the rest of the world is just starting to tap into. So forgive me for trying to be positive.

Enough for now. I really hope you enjoy the rest of your time in India.

Edited March 20, 2006 by pbgirl

[Fuzzness 2]

I have no knowledge of indian affairs, so I'm just going to sit back and watch the fireworks.

[Peggy 1]

me too

[babybunny 2]

I saw on discovery times. a story about ladies being killed over their Dowrys. some man set his wife on fire. some ladies getting acid tossed at them. GOOGLE it if you dont belive me. the police cant do anything about it. so I can understand where melo is comming from.

at the same time. there are parts that have some good in there too.

like anyplace.

JAMONS.. I love jamons.

I wish i knew how to make them..

Edited March 20, 2006 by shonjaved

[Melo 1]

Well, I may not have lived in Chicago or New York (as I have never wanted to go even visit the USA till Paul and I got together and would even now be happier to live in the UK instead of the USA), but I am a Londoner and I do believe that London could be termed a big city. We still say please, thank you and excuse me there.

Sati exists in other countries??? Give me a break!!!! How many countries burn widows on the pyre of their dead husbands?

For those interested check these sites out:

http://www.thp.org/reports/indiawom.htm

http://www.infochangeindia.org/WomenIbp.jsp

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1591

http://www.indianchild.com/sati_in_india.htm

http://www.indianchild.com/sexual_harassment_india.htm

http://www.dancewithshadows.com/rapes_india.asp

http://www.indiatogether.org/women/violence/violence.htm

[Sister Fracas 5]

Last week Muslims...this week Indians.... *sigh*

[Fuzzness 2]

I'm sorry but... what is sati?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I'm sorry but... what is sati?

Hindus used to burn widows on the same funeral pyre as their dead husbands. The idea was a widows life wasn't worth living so she had to end it. Was very prevalent in northern and eastern India for a very long time until the Brits banned the practice. Today it is rare. I think I've heard of 2 or 3 instances in my lifetime. Maybe there are others that the media didn't report. They all seem to happen in Rajasthan, a desert region in Western india.

Dowry burnings are much more common though. This is also in the north primarily. When I lived in the north, the local newspaper had at least one report every day. At least one every day in a small town. Multiply region-wide and the numbers are staggering.

Edit: forgot to mention.. dowry burnings are basically crimes where the husbands family burns the new bride. The guy typically remarries, gets another dowry and then burns her too. There are some families in India where the men are serial dowry murderers. This is particularly problematic in the north.

Edited March 20, 2006 by Agent Smith

[Melo 1]

Sati is the now supposed to be outlawed practice where a Hindu widow is burnt (willingly or unwillingly) on the funeral pyre of her husband.

[KarenCee 3]

I'm sorry but... what is sati?

Hindus used to burn widows on the same funeral pyre as their dead husbands. The idea was a widows life wasn't worth living so she had to end it. Was very prevalent in northern and eastern India for a very long time until the Brits banned the practice. Today it is rare. I think I've heard of 2 or 3 instances in my lifetime. Maybe there are others that the media didn't report. They all seem to happen in Rajasthan, a desert region in Western india.

Dowry burnings are much more common though. This is also in the north primarily. When I lived in the north, the local newspaper had at least one report every day. At least one every day in a small town. Multiply region-wide and the numbers are staggering.

Edit: forgot to mention.. dowry burnings are basically crimes where the husbands family burns the new bride. The guy typically remarries, gets another dowry and then burns her too. There are some families in India where the men are serial dowry murderers. This is particularly problematic in the north.

Dowry burnings????? And that's supposed to make India look like a place I'd want to visit? How can that happen and nothing be done about it? That's murder...plain and simple. Don't need any kind of glasses to see THAT!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

And that's supposed to make India look like a place I'd want to visit?

No, that's not supposed to make India look like a place you'd like to visit. When's the last time you heard someone ask you to visit India so you can watch a dowry burning?

[chri'stina 190]

I highly doubt any tourist would actually witness a dowry burning unless they ventured into the more rural areas or less visited areas by foreigners. I agree India has lots and lots of problems, but I have visited India and it's not as scary as this article portrays. Assam is not a tourist area, at least not that I know of.

What I saw in India was lots of poverty, and staring men. That's why a woman from the west doesn't need to go walking around alone in India. If you are with a man, you would most likely be fine. My father and Sujeet were with me at all times, and I felt nervous on occasion not because of being afraid of being killed or anything, but because I had never encountered that level of poverty or have ever had little girls begging me for money on the streets. You almost don't know what to do in that occasion, you want to give them money, but you have to do it so secretly so that you don't get surrounded by others wanting money too. That was overwhelming.

But I'm still going to be visiting India many times during my life. One day we may even live there for months at a time or longer. Instead of just criticizing, I'd like to help people who need food, love, and etc. When visiting India, use caution, but don't avoid India if you'd like to see it.

Edited March 20, 2006 by stina&suj