OVER A CUP OF COFFEE - BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE

OVER A CUP OF COFFEE - BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE

Shyam and Gopu met over a cup of coffee and their discussion centered around the Internet Game Blue Whale Challenge, which has already started to impact the younger generation of India.  This Internet Game has caught the imagination of the Youngsters of India as a number of challenges are given step by step.  But the unfortunate thing, is the last step, where in the challenge is to commit suicide.  Every right thinking person should be against this game, said Shyam to Gopu.  Already this has claimed the lives of few persons in India and it must be reiterated that it is totally against Indian culture and no has a right to instruct to take the life.  As the number of young people with more spare time without employment and those who think that in the name of challenge get the benefit of support of their deeds which they consider difficult have drawn more and more people of late, taking to this game.

The game goes like this.   A group of administrators give a particular task to be completed on that day and for a period of 50 days and the final act is the committing of suicide.  Paticipants are expected to share the photos of their performance of the task.    These daily tasks start off easy — such as listening to certain genres of music, waking up at odd hours, watching a horror movie, among others, and then slowly escalate to carving out shapes on one’s skin, self-mutilation and eventually suicide. 
Lot of uncertainty remains how the participant gets into this game - whether by means of any special App., or some social media platforms.   A number of different hashtags— #bluewhalechallenge, #curatorfindme, #i_am_whale — act as signals for the ANONYMOUS curators.

From the above itself, it can be seen that people who do not know the actual agency participate in the game and the weak links in the society get drawn to this without knowing the implications.   A totally unacceptable game where it asks for one's life to be taken - though it may be in the last stage - so what?

The general public should rise their voice against this game where in the middle of the game asking people to mutilate themselves, drawing whale in Blood etc.,  As the agency has not carried out its activities coming out in public, hidden are the ways this game continues and one can come to know of this only from people around, from friends, families who have come across the game itself or mutilations and suicides.   



Shyam said in America and Europe advisories have been issued to schools to be in look out of children using social media platforms for the chances of participation in this game.  Origin appears to be in Russia with around 130 deaths related to this and there have been two arrests.  The Government of India would do well by approaching Russian authorities to prevent even before the game starts in India in full scale.   Already, there have been some cases reported.  On July 30, the first case was alleged to have been due to this game in Mumbai, when a 14 year old boy jumped of the building.  On August 10, a class VII student from was pulled away from the final leap to death.  He seems to have recorded all the 50 stages in his school diary.  On August 12, in West Bengal, a class 12 student committed suicide allegedly due to the game.

It appears the Kerala Government is to approach Centre to ban the game in India.

Gopu said the society should voice their concern, the parents of school going children should be watchful of the activities of their children in social media, the State Governments ask for ban of this game and also the Centre should be proactive in banning the game.   The NGOs of this country have no time for raising their voice for such ban of the game, and have all their times only to precipitate matters to go against the present Central Government.  Gopu and Shyam left deciding to meet again.

The first case of alleged Blue Whale suicide in India was reported on July 30, when a 14-year-old boy jumped to death from the seventh floor of a building in Mumbai. On August 10, a Class VII student in Indore was pulled away before he could take the final leap. He apparently recorded all 50 stages in his school diary. A Class X student in West Bengal, allegedly playing the game, committed suicide on August 12. His body was found in the bathroom, his face covered in a plastic bag and with a cord ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/60135835.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The first case of alleged Blue Whale suicide in India was reported on July 30, when a 14-year-old boy jumped to death from the seventh floor of a building in Mumbai. On August 10, a Class VII student in Indore was pulled away before he could take the final leap. He apparently recorded all 50 stages in his school diary. A Class X student in West Bengal, allegedly playing the game, committed suicide on August 12. His body was found in the bathroom, his face covered in a plastic bag and with a cord ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/60135835.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The first case of alleged Blue Whale suicide in India was reported on July 30, when a 14-year-old boy jumped to death from the seventh floor of a building in Mumbai. On August 10, a Class VII student in Indore was pulled away before he could take the final leap. He apparently recorded all 50 stages in his school diary. A Class X student in West Bengal, allegedly playing the game, committed suicide on August 12. His body was found in the bathroom, his face covered in a plastic bag and with a cord ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/60135835.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The first case of alleged Blue Whale suicide in India was reported on July 30, when a 14-year-old boy jumped to death from the seventh floor of a building in Mumbai. On August 10, a Class VII student in Indore was pulled away before he could take the final leap. He apparently recorded all 50 stages in his school diary. A Class X student in West Bengal, allegedly playing the game, committed suicide on August 12. His body was found in the bathroom, his face covered in a plastic bag and with a cord ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/60135835.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

OVER A CUP OF COFFEE - ARE MUSLIMS INSECURE IN INDIA

OVER A CUP OF COFFEE - ARE MUSLIMS INSECURE IN INDIA

Shyam and Gopu met over a cup of coffee, reminding themselves that they are meeting after a long time.   The call by Shyam to Gopu was on the subject of the recent comment by the outgoing Vice President Sri Hamid Ansari that the Muslims in India are insecure.   It cannot be taken just as a remark from a person who has not been nominated for a third time, instead from a former Ambassador for various West Asian Countries including Iran, from a former Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, from a former Chairman of the Minority Commission in India.  By holding various posts before becoming the Vice President, as an active person in the upliftment of the Community to which he belongs, his own service seems to be too inadequate for the community to come up in the social life of this country.   Or only people like him have enjoyed the benefits offered by the appeasement policy of the erstwhile UPA Government and not reaching the lower echelons of his clan. Then the serious question comes to the mind, what is wrong with this community that they cannot come up in life in spite of the various concessions being offered by successive governments.   The various points that comes to our mind, also was of concern to Shyam and he called Gopu to disucss it over a cup of coffee.

Shyam first mentioned to Gopu about the comment of outgoing Vice President on the conditions of the Muslims and the insecurity that they are facing presently.   His oblique reference was that his position is that of the Party which brought him as the Vice President and it is more of a political statement to put the present NDA government in discomfort.   For a person who was holding the high office of the Vice President, it becomes imperative, that he is obliged to explain to the people of India, from when a situation has arisen that the Muslims feel insecure, to bring the real  issue and his mindset on the subject.   A former Ambassador for quite sometime in different countries in West Asia, he should have been exercised about the condition of the Yazidis of Iraq at the hands of ISIS and he had no time to comment on the same.   Whoever had suffered at the hands of somebody else should have pained him, instead he has singled out the condition of the Muslims in India, which gets negated by the various high offices that have been held by Muslims either in Central Cabinet or President/Vice President, Dy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Governors and Chief Ministers of State, Chief Justice of the Suprement Court, and judges of various courts, Principals of Colleges, Eminent Doctors and even as personnel in the armed forces.   He has not brought out clearly what bothered him, renaming of roads, position of the government in Triple Talaq, Love jihad, Education levels of Muslims, concessions being given to other communities other than Muslims.   Had he mentioned, it would have been better for people to realize what is bothering this man, who had held several high offices and has also come up in the ladder due to the opportunity he had in joining the Indian Foreign Service.    Obviously, the Prime Minister Modi was right in telling that he could not come out with whatever he had in his mind with the Constitutional Responsibilities with the post of VP and his mindset and earlier association with the services for the Muslim Community has come out now with these comments.

With more time now available to the VP, now that he is more free, he should concentrate on the welfare measures, which it seems could not be done in his long stint of 10 years as VP -

He should concentrate on the 1) Educational requirements of Muslims other than Madarsas 2) A clear commitment for a family norm for Muslims in tune with the economic conditions and not too much lean on the government for the same. 3) A harmonious family with the conditions suited to India and not from the desert culture, in matters of marriage and supporting of family (Multiple marriage concept was not just for social considerations but also people killing people, thus the widows had to be socially supported 4) This would make to educate the Muslim community to accept that Killings are not solutions and they are barbaric and would be condemned whichever part of the world it happens. 5) When 4 above is accepted, not to spread violence in Friday congregations and unequivocally condemn violence.  6) Economic considerations should decide family matters and with all these conditions successfully brought, the hate for others whether they follow idol worship or follow whichever path to salvation, wont bother the vast majority of Muslims who think they are insecure.   Will Mr. Hamid Ansari help bringing these conditions for a safe, harmonious life in India for all sections of Society?   This will bring down the expenditure for the government too which is spending most of the hard earned money of the taxpayers for the  security of the People of this country, including Muslims and all other religions.

Gopu while agreeing with many of the arguments put forth by Shyam, felt it is on the very shoulders of people like Mr. Ansari that the responsibility lies in bringing the correct picture to the last man in his religion and also condemn violence as a source of solution which would help the atmosphere to clear for a happier India.

Mr. Ansari will also dispel the feeling of insecurity in villages/towns of various parts of India whether the Muslims are in majority such as Mallapuram in Kerala.  When an interviewer is biased and does not ask these questions, may be the general public had to intervene through Social Media.   The sold out MSM with biased reporting is no way going to help in bringing harmony and Mr. Ansari with all his academic brilliance, experience of serving in difficult circumstances in his career in the Foreign Service, the experience he has gained by visiting various countries as a VP, his first hand knowledge of the peoples representatives as the Chairman of the Rajya Saba should come in handy for bringing peace and harmony to all sections of Society in India and not just for the Muslim community alone.

Shyam and Gopu agreed to meet again.