Poverty creation - Maharashtra ishtyle

haideri # 104

Devadasi system accounts for only a small supply of prostitutes. I would guess under 5%. It is not like anyone is actively supporting or defending the system.

If you want to complain about social ills prostitution in general and spread of AIDS are more pressing concerns.

#110
``Bus and truck owners don`t want to pay the toll so you rarely see a bus or a truck on the Bombay-Pune Expressway``

Admittedly it has taken a few years to take off, but when I was there last winter the tollway was used very heavily. It seems that the railways are planning to reduce services as people now prefer take buses on the Bombay Pune route, all of which now use the tollway. Can you imagine that, the Deccan Queen goes half-empty!

With improving roads and cheaper airline tickets the railways are going to increasingly lose their near-monopoly on long distance trave

Ref haideri #89

[Avenger, you can dream on. It is not a fenced highway and your Gao matas can cross it left and right. Pay attention to the pics I posted the highway is fenced.]

No need to fence along most of Bombay-Pune highway. It goes through desolate hilly land with not a human settlement in sight between Panvel and the outskirts of Pune except for the town of Lonavla. I have been on the road several times and never saw any animal, not even a leopard from the hills!

Just FYI.

Ref jang #88

[those expressway pics are amazing.. no hyundai-santros (or any other cars, except for the lonely TRAX milk-wagon) that indian roads are claimed to be full of. whats wrong with this picture?]

Bus and truck owners don`t want to pay the toll so you rarely see a bus or a truck on the Bombay-Pune Expressway. Most car owners have the perverted idea that spending anywhere from 5 - 9 hours on the old rutted roads is cheaper than paying the toll and getting to Pune in less than 3 hours. So the roads are clear for those willing to pay a few bucks of toll and you can zip along at 80+ mph. I guess the Santros are so fast that their image doesn`t register on the film!

Well, maybe I should have taken my camera along this morning to show you a picture of a Ferrari (license plate number TN07AK55) on the East Coast Road from Chennai to Pondicherry. On weekends, you see the Ferrari racing a Porsche and a Jaguar.

A Jaguar!! Does that mean the Headshrinker is in India now?

Haideri, I was just pulling your leg.

Peace.

Re: # 107

MaheshG2,

I don`t need any sanity certification from you. I am sure people on this site understand sarcasm. Also, India is neither ``rich`` nor ``civilized`` with current standards.

Mr. Haideri seems to have gone nuts.

He thinks India is rich and civilized because it has the practice of Devdasi in its society.

No sir. India is rich and civilized inspite of it. Such practices are heinous.

Pakistan needs to be civilized pronto. God knows what kind of society Pakistan is that it looks up to the Devdasi system.

Re: # 105

Jang,

I don`t know the intricate details. This is something which I came to know duing my sojourn in India.

#104.. mr Haideri, considering you are familiar with the trade, you would know the answer. my impression was that the devdasi system contributes very small or negligible % of workers at this point due to various reasons like large influx of workers from nepal and bangla desh and other parts of india, decline in devdasi patronage from traditional landlords and temples in the source villages, which have caused breakdown and migration of devdasi families.

i understand that even lata mangeshkar has devdasi roots?

Re: # 101

cayenne,

I never said India was a banana republic. India is an ancient society with a rich history. I am just trying to send a message that ``Don`t try to misinform people``. I have worked in India during late nineties for an NGO. I know ground realities much better than you are trying to portray. I can`t give you references from my own studies because that would be very unprofessional and against my contract. FYI, I am a US citizen

Re: # 102

Oh!!.Now you`re trying to backtrack and pretend to be nice.Typical pak manouvering.Nice try.You and your puny little country can take a hike.You cannot deny that little boys are molested and sold for sex on the streets of Lahore and Karachi.Ask me and i`ll back it up by pasting a link.I don`t like to wash your dirty in linen in public, unlike your classless self. Isn`t it time you went to bed, `little` one, from the little country on our western flanks.Good night.

Re: # 99

Netizen,

What you just said in few lines makes much more sense than what ``cayenne`` has been spewing for last few hours. I am not a ``Mullah`` Muslim and what Mohammad did was absolutely wrong. This practice is still alive in some parts of rural India and Pakistan.

Re: # 98

Let`s do a comparison, shall we?

PAKISTAN
Area
total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pk.html

INDIA
Area:
total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html

Pakland is 1/4th the size of my country, and this &*^% has the.....!@#$%

haideri,
Just like you are happy with Pakistan, we are happy with India.

By the way, the practise of devadasi though bad is many times better than honour killing.

Re: # 96

``According to some research, child prostitution is socially acceptable in some sections of Indian society through the practice of Devdasi. Young girls are given to the `gods` and they become a religious prostitute. ``

Thanks Haideri for pointing out the decadence in indian society. We have a lot of work to do. Its poverty which is a significant factor which has to be confronted. But its easy said then done.

`` was trying to draw your attention to the ``civilized`` practice of Devdasi. ``

There cannot be any justification for this kind of system. There are laws against it. But in a county like india laws can be broken with bribe/influence/muscle power. I hope you also do not condone Mohammad marriage to little girl, Ayesha with some nonsensical excuse. We need to be rational.

Also, you can point to the AIDS problem that is growing in India.

Re: # 97

I was trying to draw your attention to the ``civilized`` practice of Devdasi. nothing else. I am very happy in Pakistan.FYI, I have lived/studied both in US and Sweden.