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Articles by Elsa Lycias Joel
Institutional Impunity Must End
Protest peacefully, and we may be shot. Demand accountability, and we may be asked to wait for years. Lose a life, and the family may have to navigate a system that seems to have an extraordinary capacity for delay. Protestors continue to be brutalised. A system that has witnessed custodial rape, torture, deaths in custody and the shooting of unarmed citizens repeatedly fails to deliver timely and meaningful accountability.
Hey, you POTUS!
A stare-down from India! I didn't get my hands on the God Bless The USA Bible because you seem to presume and assume God has an exclusive subscription just for your country. Who exactly is supposed to ring the bell and remind you that there isn't one God for America and another for the rest of the world? The same God who created Iran, Palestine, India, China, and every other nation created you, too. No special edition, no VIP access, no divine subscription.
Bob's Banter by Robert Clements The Most Beautiful Women in the World..!
They were the most beautiful women I had ever seen together! Oh yes, I have stared unashamedly at calendar collections of beauty queens gathering at some resort, with some famous photographer cunningly revealing all their vital assets, have even read from underneath those pictures, that these women were the most gorgeous in their country.
Kantheswar Digal: His Legacy Lives on
Late Kantheswar Digal fearlessly witnessed his Catholic faith in the face of anti-Christian violence, brutal persecution and death in Kandhamal. His life serves as a beacon of inspiration, reminding us of the strength and resilience in his unwavering commitment to God. He was a devout Roman Catholic who was born on January 1, 1955 in the hamlet of Bujulimendi, Tikabali block of Kandhamal district in Odisha.
Towards Safe Net for Children
With children getting affected by social media in different ways, for long, health experts have been urging tech companies to make their products safer for young people.
Message from Martyrs
Kandhamal had become synonym for communal carnage. Its land was soaked with the blood of scores of Christians massacred. Its horizon was blanketed with smoke smoldering from the houses and worshiping places of Christians which were set on fire; its air was filled with venom of hate-mongers of Hindutva breed. Fifteen years down the line, 35 stars are emerging from the same place to brighten its gloomy sky.
Politicization of Bureaucracy
Governments and political parties in power often misuse institutions and agencies that are expected to be independent and non-political or non-partisan in a democracy. One among those much-misused institutions is bureaucracy. The BJP government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has outsmarted all other previous governments in the game of misusing institutions and agencies.
In Conversation with Manish Tewari: Civil Liberties, Press Freedom and More
In a freewheeling conversation with Elsa Lycias Joel, Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari talks about his early days, memories of travelling, how capable and visionary governance can complement our diversities to bring about unity and prosperity, why the government must honour the role of a free press in fostering a successful and stable democracy, why the last nine years or so look like a spectre of undeclared “emergency”, a few fundamental revisits to ensure the freedom of speech and expression,...
Precious Gift
In my collection of paper cuttings, I just happened to read a piece which makes me reflect further. Mr. Mohammed Zaini, 70-year-old Indonesian, was found alive after spending 11 days amid the debris of his destroyed house in the tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004. Admitted in the military hospital in Bandas Aceh for chest injury, he said: “The ground shook, the house wall collapsed, it seemed that I was floating as the water carried me away before a wall collapsed on me.
Kandhamal Martyrs: Christian Faith in Action
I encountered her in the Kandhamal forest, diligently sewing a blouse under a makeshift canopy. Beside her tailoring shop stood her humble tree-house where she and her husband lived in isolation, unaware of their grown-up children's whereabouts. When the Sangh Parivar initiated attacks on Christians in their village, the only possession they salvaged was the sewing machine. Amid the chaos, the family became separated, and their children went their own way.
China has outpaced India in economy and other indicators
Shanghai, the financial center of China Image source Wikipedia by Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel July 8, 2023 China outpaced India. It’s GDP of USD 18 trillion is roughly six times that of India. According to IMF China will contribute 34.9% of the global growth. Given our history, we needed to do something to make China feel small. So, we overtook China as the world’s most populous country in April 2023.
The children's President: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s love for shaping young minds
Express News Service CHENNAI: Children witnessed the absolute power of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s story-telling. Almost everything a child heard and saw in Rashtrapati Bhavan is tucked away for remembering. He was the only Indian President who really knew how to tell a story. The more they listened to him, the better they connected with him. Like the stories he told, his life too was fascinating.
Open letter to the Vice-President: Right message to the wrong people
Dear Shri M Venkaiah Naidu Ji, I had a couple of occasions to enjoy your hospitality at your house. Once I invited you as chief guest at a function. Unlike many other VIPs, you gave a prompt reply explaining why the Vice-President could not attend. No, I did not feel offended. Rather, I was happy that you were frank and forthright. On the two occasions that I heard you, I was impressed by the series of witty one-liners you said in quick succession.
Time to Defend Minorities
The nation is on the verge of a civil war. This is the opinion of those who watch the political scenario of the country today. The reason, they point out, is quite evident to every sensible person. Religious fanaticism with political blessings has raised its ugly fangs threatening to wipe out India’s minority communities. The Muslim community has been the worst affected so far. Open hatred towards them unleashed by Hindu right-wing groups has been creating ugly and horrendous scenes.
People feel lack of level-playing field, says Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Gopalkrishna Gandhi in conversation with Elsa Lycias Joel about India as a Republic and how his experience as an administrator, diplomat and Governor helps him view the past, present and future of this country. Q. Sir, as one whose journey as an administrator, a diplomat, an erudite author, has shown resilience, determination and tenacity, what would you say is the one trait that is non-negotiable in an Indian civil servant? A. Thank you for your kind words about me. I do not deserve them.
Message of Knit India 2021: WE ARE DIFFERENT, BUT WE ARE ONE
If the year 2020 was marked by the tragedies caused by the second wave of Covid 19, the year 2021 will remembered for both for the death and destruction cause by the second wave of the pandemic as well as increasing hate speeches and violent attacks on the minorities, especially Christians. The media had reported the right wing groups burning the effigy of Santa Claus and disturbing Christmas celebrations in a school in Karnataka on the eve of Christmas.
Raising Marriage Age Raises Alarm
The Central Government has introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 in Parliament raising the marriage age of women from 18 to 21. It was in 1978 that the age of marriage for women was increased from 15 to 18 by amending the erstwhile Sharda Act of 1929. Having a uniform marriage age for all women beyond religions and personal laws is welcome.
Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy
Christope Jaffrelot is director of research at CERI Sciences, Paris, professor of Indian politics and sociology at King’s College London, and often writes insightful articles on Indian politics in India dailies. He is one of the top political commentators today, along with Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Aakar Patel, Shashi Tharoor and a few others.
A Culture of Hatred Thriving
No sane person on earth can justify what is happening in India these days; there is violence, hate speeches, bloodshed and insinuations galore, and there is very little noise of condemnation, or even consternation, from those who have the sacred duty and responsibility of safeguarding the secular traits of the biggest democracy in the world.
Watching Dissolution of Secular Republic
“Only Hate was happy, hoping to augment His practice now, and his shabby clientele Who think they can be cured by killing And covering the garden with ashes.” (W H Auden) As a nation, we know we are at a dire tipping point when a powerful religious congregation sounds a clarion call for the genocide of Muslims and vows to turn the country into a Hindu Rashtra; when Christians are compelled to chant “Jai Shri Ram”; when blatantly communal government ads targeting Muslims are on the front pages...
SHISHU BHAWAN TO SHISHU MANDIR?
2022 dawned bleakly. Not just because of the resurgent Covid, but because of the events of 3rd January. On that sad day Mother Teresa’s “Missionaries of Charity’ (MC) sisters handed over their Nirmala Shishu Bhawan, Kanpur, to the Indian Army. Will Shishu Bhawan now become a Shishu Mandir, the term that the RSS uses for the schools it runs? The million dollar question (literally) is, why did the MCs vacate Shishu Bhawan? It was a sad, shocking, and totally avoidable situation.
Civil Society Under Attack: FCRA hanging like a Damocles Sword
Last week when the entire world was waiting for the dawn of the New Year, praying for a better and healthier 2022, Indian NGOs (non-government organisations) were waiting with bated breath for a notification from the government. The heads of NGOs had been having sleepless nights ever since the Missionaries of Charity, the organisation set up by the Noble-laureate, Saint Teresa of Kolkata, faced the heat. Their FCRA registration was suddenly revoked.
Choking the NGO Sector
The sheer number of cancelling of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) renewal applications of NGOs is mindboggling. According to reports, as many as 20,675 permissions under the FCRA have been cancelled since 2011. Surprisingly, 80 percent of these cancellations took place after 2014, coinciding with the BJP-led government, under Narendra Modi, coming to power in the Centre.
Interview: Dr. A. Velumani speaks to Elsa Lycias Joel
Dr. A.Velumani speaks to Elsa Lycias Joel about becoming an entrepreneur, the challenges he faced with creating Thyrocare Technologies Ltd., a chain of diagnostic and preventive care laboratories headquartered in Navi Mumbai, why he holds his mother in high regards, National Health Mission, and his father in law’s award to him. How do you relate the phrase Matha Pitha Guru Deivam to your resounding success as an entrepreneur?
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