"Ferment and not feni is brewing in Goa this monsoon, after Pramod Muthalik announced his intention to set up a state unit of the Sri Ram Sene, a right-wing Hindu outfit that became nationally notorious five years ago, when its activists attacked youngsters in a Mangalore pub. Muthalik says he wants to end Goa’s culture of “wine, drugs and nakedness.” He told reporters in Panaji last week that “the image of Goa in the rest of India is bad”, after delivering a speech at the All-India Hindu Convention held in Ramnathi village, 35 km from Panaji.
"Yet another controversial statement made by Union Minister for Health Dr Harsh Vardhan has now surfaced, where he suggests that the "so-called sex education” be banned, and recommends that instead Yoga be made compulsory. In a document titled 'Educational Vision for Delhi', available on his website, Dr Vardhan promises that on coming to power, BJP will ban sex education, among other curriculum changes. And in the same line, it further reads, that Yoga will be made compulsory..."
"The Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that he would like the government to focus more on promoting the ‘integrity of the sexual relationship between husband and wife’, which was part of Indian culture, to create awareness about AIDS and HIV rather than promote usage of condoms.
"The Maharashtra Legislature on Friday passed a Bill banning dance bars. The ban will be extended from beer bars to three and five star hotels, which were spared earlier. The Bill proposes a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh and imprisonment of up to 3 years on violators. The licence of such establishments will be cancelled... Meanwhile, women’s groups have said they will approach the court against the Bill, saying it discriminates against the rights of dancers to earn a living in the entertainment industry."
'When Bal Thackeray, a one-time cartoonist turned Hindu fundamentalist leader of India, died on Saturday, the entire city of Mumbai came to a standstill. Over a million people came out to watch the procession, thousands of police, including the Rapid Action Force, were deployed to maintain calm, and commercial businesses chose to shut down. So who was Bal Thackeray and how did his death rally millions to his procession and shut down one of the biggest financial capitals in Asia?