At the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2017 in Bengaluru.

Ramesh (L) & Rao (R) at PBD 2017

n January 9, 1915, a 45-year old M. K. Gandhi set foot in India after an extraordinary run-in with the South African government. Through a no less extraordinary journey in the next decades, he would be instrumental in the freeing of India from British rule. Mahatma Gandhi is highly, and deservedly, regarded as the greatest Pravasi — प्रवासी — and, since 2004, the Government of India has been sponsoring a yearly convention of प्रवासी भारतीयs, or non-resident Indians (NRIs).

This year, in 2017, my BE classmate & I had occasion to attend the convention together.

The Problem with Bangalore Molestations during the 2017 New Year Revelry: Wrong Leadership.

n the article titled The beasts that roamed Bangalore, author Ira Trivedi writes:

Such statements from elected leaders are not only deeply disturbing, they place the blame on women.

We cannot but agree with Ira Trivedi. In addition to all the actions the society needs to take to prevent such mistreatment of women, we need to take another action: Get rid of politicians who condone, by omission or by commission, undemocratic behavior.

For Mr. Parameshwara, especially, it is a double disgrace. For one, he has no understanding of what democracy means, and in what manner the citizens in a democracy can conduct themselves. Secondly, rather than condemn that animal behavior of the miscreants, he places the blame on women victims; he has thus committed the additional mistake of condoning such uncivilized behavior.

Surprisingly, none of his cabinet colleagues, including the Chief Minister, have publicly commented Mr. Parameshwara's distorted logic. By being silent, they are condoning Mr. Parameshwara's behavior: मौनं सम्मति लक्षणं!

Why has Mr. Parameshwara not resigned yet? If none of his cabinet colleagues come out soon on Mr. Parameshwara's ignorance, I'd even suggest that the Chief Minister himself must also resign.

We don't need political leaders that do not understand democracy.