When the bulletins with stories on the front cover of WhatsApp Data release were making rounds, Twitter was also being dragged to the court by Center, Doctors' associations were planning to hold nationwide protest against Ramdev's pseudoscience. S Jaishankar was about to chair BRICS foreign ministers meeting.
WhatsApp took the matter of breach of privacy of it's users to court question the governments order of revealing the origin or the messages and tracking the sender information.
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Ram Kishan Yadav aka Ramdev's pseudoscience and his claims to cure diseases, even corona virus infection with his concoctions have turned out to be hoax and doctors have protested against his false claims that are misleading and not based on scientific evidence. |
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1,300 doctors sacrificed their lives till now. IMA launches fresh tirade against Ramdev and his 1,300 doctors sacrificed their lives': IMA launches fresh tirade against Ramdev and his false claims related to vaccines and demanded to deem his remarks as "sedition" and prosecute him under Disaster Management Act.
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Doctors are new enemy for Ramdev, biggest anti-vaxxer and tax evader in the country? He doesn’t need vaccine, as he mostly remains high on yoga and Ayurveda.
Now, Supreme Court is to define limits of what constitutes sedition over media's freedom being muzzled. Sections 124A and 153A being slapped on activists and dissenters alike who protest against authorities. Within four years, from 2016 to 2019, cases on activists increased by 160%, according to National Crime Records Bureau while conviction rate dropped from 33.3% to 3.3%. Stats speak for itself because those who speak up, end up behind the bars for life in India as the legal grounds here reek of sycophancy and corruption.
Overwhelming news headlines, left the Month of May, wondering about itself and also about what went wrong with India's vaccination strategy. The digital divide went deeper when the government announced that all vaccines registration will be done online, through app CO-Win (sounds more like the theme for next national elections than vaccine registration platform), stranding the individuals from poor and marginalised communities. The added biases of preferring 45+ for the vaccines while leaving the 18+ group who suffered a jolt after second wave of corona is worth questioning. Even the affordability and availability of the vaccines is in question now.
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'Digital Divide Will Have Serious Implications On Right To Equality & Health': Supreme Court On CoWIN Portal which isn't even accessible to rural population, even with people having disabilities or comorbidities. Discrepancies also include cases where immunized people are not receiving the certificates while those not vaccinated are getting one. |
Also, Kerala government stated in state assembly, how after curbing the voices in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre is now targeting Lakshadweep. Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel, lawmaker from ruling party systemically targeting Lakshadweep's residents by proposing controversial legislations ranging from beef ban, promoting liquor sale in Union territory having majority Muslim population. While the first law proposes land acquisition, the second permits illegal detention of any individual found as a threat to island's security, Ban on cow slaughter and preventive detention law in Island with low crime rate? Cows are safer in India than individuals with a voice and sane mind who are seen as a 'threat to internal security.'
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Local residents of Lakshadweep protesting against government decision of land grab, illegal arrests and beef ban. |
Social media platforms are being forced to comply to the rules, including identification of "first originator" of "unlawful" content whenever government demands. After snooping and surveillance of human right activists and dalit scholars resulting in their unbailable stay in prisons, such 'new rules' are arming the regime with new weapons for muzzling citizens freedom. WhatsApp after being a lapdog of the ruling party has now challenged the traceability requirement in the court citing it breaches the right to privacy of users. Sword is still hanging over Twitter' head.
Besides the conundrum in our country, our neighbours are also grabbing some media attention. Four consecutive years of declining births have prompted the dictatorial ruling party in China, CCP introduced a three-child policy. Can't say, if it's due to flopped 2-child policy or massive death due to corona or mass cleansing of it's own population who spoke about the government failure, the burden will shift on women. Women with careers, who prioritise marriage after stabilising in their fields will find it difficult to manage, due to piled up pressure, ever prevalent societal constraints and now government propaganda. No country for women if we are only seen as child knocking machines.
June already arrived and we were still grappling with mental health issues due to pandemic, dealing with apocalyptic isolation, when within a week we witnessed Tennis World hit by Su'Naomi' wave. Naomi Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros after being fined with $15,000 and being threatened with disqualification, when she refused to carry out 'mandatory' news conference. She had decided against taking part in any media activity to safeguard her mental health. French tennis federation head's response wasn't very cool after the incident. On one hand they've slapped her with a hefty fine, on the other hand (with all brazenness) they released an official statement (more of a backhanded comment) that said -
"We look forward to having Naomi in our tournament next year. We remain very 'committed' to all athletes well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players' 'experience' in our tournament, including with the media, like we have always strived to do."
Sorry! President, your actions contradict the words you've released on behalf of your federation. Threatening the player by calling her decision to prioritise her mental health and inner peace , as a 'phenomenal error' in her career. The white men with utmost callousness and I'll intent leave no opportunity to harass her, not only mentally but also indulging in her character assassination, vilifying her move and taking away her authority of self protection, from a champion sportsperson, right in front of media and the world. The four Grand Slams shouldn't have threatened her in their joint response. Their one-upmanship, sense of entitlement and privileges is shameful.
I think, we should remember the clip of a hostile exchange between an interviewer and young Venus Williams and the one of Marshawn Lynch repeatedly answering journalists questions when he replied “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”
The blatant voyeurism shown by insensitive media houses is evident, how they want to see athletes crumble and break down into tears and putting them repeatedly on a pedestal, not even giving them a chance to lead normal social lives, all while facing intense scrutiny and pressure.
Media has a right to ask questions, to press coverages, but a person too has a right to protect themselves when confronted with a crisis. Moreover, we all are aware how the media proceeds with the questions when confronting high profile athletes. After the initial few questions about their game, It's more about personal life, their hookups, controversial statements and appearances in the past. To threaten expulsion for choosing to not speak to the media, disrespect her contribution to the game as a global athlete.
Such a culture that doesn't always provide athletes the support they seek in times of mental distress and harasses them when they try to speak up for themselves, in their most vulnerable and raw emotional state, needs a revision.
Legendary tennis icon Serena Williams, expressed her support to Naomi by saying she too had to face media during some difficult moments of her life.
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| Naomi Osaka, standing as U.S. Open champion and first-time grand slam winner, pushed her visor down to cover her eyes, and cried heavily. She had just played outstanding tennis against her idol, Serena Williams, and she had won. But the shameless crowd was booing loudly. Williams arm were around Osaka’s shoulders and hugging her tightly. Osaka's victory was overshadowed by the battle between Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos. Ramos called a series of violations against Williams, resulting in game penalty at crucial moment during finals of grand slam proving the inheritance of gender inequity within the sport. The punishment was “sexist" lot more harsh than male players. Umpires are often seen giving informal warnings, sometimes no warnings, no leeway, no soft landing, telling the woman that resist as much as you want but this is what you deserve! why? because she is a woman, a proud Black Woman! |
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Though the support came after huge outcry, it's good to see Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, Kyrie Irving of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, gymnast Laurie Hernandez, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love, WNBA star Elizabeth Cambage, backing Naomi's mental health revelation including prominent athletes of color - Stephen Curry, Venus and Serena. Osaka, who has Japanese mother and Haitian American father, drew headlines last year when she wore the names of Black victims of police brutality on her face masks during U.S. Open. Racial discrimination in sports can't be ignored in her case, the way she's demonised for being woke and vocal about systemic racism and police brutality. In 2020 Western & Southern Open (a warm up for the U.S. Open) was suspended after Osaka decided to default her semifinal match in protest of police violence.
Once Irving and now Osaka both had expressed through protest and outright declarations about how much George Floyd's death affected them, while the media portals in all self indulgences, carried headlines like, "Kyrie Irving's Excuse on Why He Missed Thursday's Game: 'I Just Didn't Want to Play'"?
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Memorial in loving memory of George Floyd who suffered police brutality and died succumbing to his injuries. Family and supporters paid respect at his memorial by leaving placards with prayers and slogans. |
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Black lives matter movement is getting stronger. The resistance to police brutality, gun violence, systemic racism is not slowing down now. |
Irving was nearly pelted with a water bottle by a fan(read as anti fans) once for not being in his best form and dealing with severe anxiety. I hope we aren't waiting to see the day when someone's suffering takes the form of clinical mental health disorders or one has to get picked up from the road side and checked into a rehabilitation facility. The visuals can be heartbreaking for their loved ones and leave the one who's suffering, scarred for the rest of their lives.
When Naomi posted online about suffering long periods of depression and how the post-match media inquests were no different than “kicking people when they are down” she also opened up about it's detrimental effect on her mental health and how she had a hard time coping with the reality.
No doubt, if an outstanding athlete of Naomi's stature, four-time Grand Slam title winner has to face such a treatment what ordinary women trying to excel and make the world feel their presence, have to face on daily basis. From sexul harassment to severe form of bullying. From devious gaslighting to mean behaviour, negative aggression to cancel culture.
Also makeshift mental health lookalike programs run by corporate giants aren't helping at all. Appointing a psychologist to a nondescript panel, holding weekly group sessions for meditation and chanting 'Om' and 'Nah-maas-tay', sending out weekly emails and newsletters ordering employees to ‘destress’, preaching 'work life balance’, occasionally dissing them and telling them to shut up and ‘relax’. Pretending to band aid scars infected by their own organisational set up is indeed a laughable cover up.
I strongly condemn such horrendous treatment to women and people who suffer health issues, who are repeatedly targeted at their workplace. As women or even men who support women's existence and success in her field, we stand in solidarity with sportsperson for raising their voice on toxic work culture. The larger question here must be, are we leaving our sports players fending for themselves if we aren't questioning the diktats of sports federations and organisations who hardly see women as strong peers, specially from mixed race, from black communities and people of colour. When a top woman athlete speaks for her mental health in light of her working experience, she's speaking for children and young people from our families who'll be raising the bar high and bring laurels for our country.
If there is no moral support for prioritising their psychological health and fitness, no backing for their free expression of thoughts, how do you expect that they will sustain in the arena for too long? If they constantly feel vulnerable, targeted, unable to keep up with their inner self, believe me! hundreds of trophies and medals, enormously lovable fans, media attention or endorsements will be nothing but dust for the athletes.
I think, if bullying is left unchallenged, it will get imprinted in the minds of every budding sports player and the privileged whites dominant in the west and upper caste majoritarians in the east will transform it into legitimate, validated but hideous rule book, on how every novice player of color, those from immigrants, underprivileged backgrounds, will be treated in future. This is what is happening now and that's what kept happening in the past. But guess what? It's time to change, not the rules of the game but the entire rulebook needs to be replaced as it is functionally redundant, with archaic or obsolete terms and set with a colonial, racist and castiest mindset, if it doesn't have athletes and their health at it's epicenter.
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Naomi Osaka with her champions trophy after winning the Australian open 2021. The sky looked brighter that day.
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Also, Tokyo Olympics are round the corner. Pandemic might have delayed them but in a country like Japan where icons are cultural role models, it tends to place burden on athletes with unreasonably rigid standards, from hairstyles to personal lives they are expected to act a certain way and mould into a particular box, adding to their stress and mental burden. We must not forget, approx one-third of athletes suffer at some point of life from depression, anxiety, eating disorders and burnout. With added burden of dealing with personal questions, stigma related to ethnicity, gender issues, Black Lives Matter, Asian hate on surge during and before the pandemic, it will leave anyone on the verge of complete breakdown.
I hope, she does not have to carry the weight of this brutality for too long. As she did something that is courageous, timely and progressive. I would say,
Dear Naomi, you don't owe anyone, including the press, the brands, the federations, an apology. In fact, it's they who owe you one. Proud of you, for protecting your peace at all costs.
May you get enough time to get good sleep, eat your favourite food, laugh often, sing the songs you want, listen to your favourite ones while soaking in a bubble bath, watch trees swinging and birds chirping.
May you get moments to stroll in the lush green gardens, hike in a lonely forest, get wet in first monsoon shower, get to embrace your heartthrob, cuddle with your sister's and nieces, kiss your cats and dogs on their fur, water your house plants because self care is self love and no one will love you better and harder, if you won't love yourself.
Ever smiling, beaming, beautiful, young woman
- Naomi Osaka.
I know, not all are lucky but instead of being surrounded by brands and sponsors hungry to have their share in your success, somewhere one needs to confide into our close friends, our family who know us well and are there for us, rooting and watching out for our well-being. I still remember talking to a long time friend after years, who is now residing in US. He struggled to find the right words to tell me, how difficult it is to find someone to talk to, with whom conversations are bliss and you can open up to them, without being judged or scrutinised. Surprising however it might appear, it's true for people having a hard time being extroverts or well versed with what they've got to say or even being barely expressive.
Sexist bullies and domineering arrogant men like Piers Morgan, host on 'Good morning Britain' always preying on others' vulnerabilities, often getting worked up whenever they see a strong and opinionated woman. He says Osaka’s “cynical exploitation of mental health to silence the media is right from Meghan & Harry playbook of wanting their press cake and eating it.” Remind you, he went after Meghan Markle in a similar fashion when she revealed, how complications in royal household led her to suicidal thoughts, during an interview with Oprah. When Morgan was called out by a “Good Morning Britain” colleague for trashing the Duchess, he walked straight out off the set and ultimately left the show, getting a taste of his own medicine.
These old vindictive men, chairing top posts in federations must apologise for their apathy. If they soon don't come up with practical solutions, then they are losing a valuable opportunity to make an impact that resonates well with sports fraternity. They need to grow up and learn to appreciate our athletes, who are actual human beings and who might as well have real world issues.
To sum up, in words of 16-year-old WTA star Coco Gauff "It's essential people get involved, because they're seeing how much politics can affect their lives and their freedoms," which goes in sync with Zina Garrison when she said "We can't focus on what someone's going to give us, All we can do is be there for so long that you just can't deny it." In other words, we can snatch our freedom right from the hands of the oppressors if they keep denying it. All we've got to do is, to be persistent enough!
