New York: The Consulate General of India in New York will celebrate in a grand manner the centenary of Dr B R Ambedkar joining the Columbia University for a graduate course in legal studies.
Indian Consul General in New York Dnyaneshwar Mulay said Ambedkar joined the Ivy League institution in New York in 1913 to pursue higher studies in law.
He said the contribution of Ambedkar to India especially the drafting of Indian Constitution will remain for centuries to come. The Consulate will celebrate the occasion in a fitting manner, he added.
Addressing the reception hosted by India-America Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mulay said India is more than Hinduness and is home to Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Jains and Zoroastrians.
The basic thread that unites all Indians is the Indianess and not Hindusim alone. India gives the freedom to people from all faith to maintain their identities.
Mulay blamed both the national and international media for exaggerating the incidents of rape and ill-treatment of women and said such a negative coverage has brought a bad name to India in the eyes of foreigners, especially investors.
He said rape is a universal phenomenon not restricted to India alone. He was answering a question from an audience and referring to the half-page article in The New York Times on the increasing incidents of rape in India.
“The media has been unfair. Is rape is not unheard of in any other country; the situation in some African nations is worse and can't be explained in words but they all go unreported whereas any incident in India is blown up out of proportions.
“Look at the spurt of television channels coming out each day. The rape news has become 24/7 news. All these channels need contents and where would they go for news,” said and asked, “Aren't we supposed to look at larger interests?”
Calling for a change in age-old mindset of men that subjugates women and unadulterated equality in sex to reduce the incidents of crimes like rape, he said changes are needed at social and psychological level to stomp out the menace once and for all.
“The Indian Judicial system never fails and has handed in toughest punishment to the perpetrators of such heinous crime and why trial by the media before the judgment? The Government has brought in stringent laws to safeguard women and had maintained vigil to protect their modesty,” he said.
Touching upon general elections in 2014, he said India will witness one of the largest democratic exercises with 700 million people going to the polling booth to elect a new government for the next five years.
“We do not know what kind of government will come to power in 2014. May be a 13-party coalition government will be replaced by a 30-party coalition government but coalition governments have come to stay,” he said.
Rajiv Khanna, president of India-America Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber stood with India from the days of supply of 301 Super Computers to India to the passage Indo-US Civil Nuclear deal.
