Akan tamatkah perjuangan memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu?

ISU BAHASA : Akan tamatkah perjuangan memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu?

DATUK NOOR AZAM

KETIKA sampai berita sedih "Datuk Hassan Ahmad meninggal dunia" pada tengah hari 31 Ogos 2011, yang pertama terlintas dalam hati saya: "Pada tarikh bersejarah ini, tamatlah sudah perjuangan memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu di Tanah Melayu".

Saya tidak nampak ada lagi pejuang dan pencita bahasa Melayu yang komited, gigih, konsisten dan berhemah seperti Hassan. Yang masih terus perjuangkan bahasa Melayu melalui tulisan hanya Ku Seman Ku Hussain dan Awang Sariyan dan sekali sekala kenyataan Gabungan Penulis Nasional (Gapena).

"Perjuangan bahasa" di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) sudah pun lama sepi. Tidak lagi jadi sumber inspirasi dan pusat gerakan para pencinta bahasa ibunda.

Biasanya pejuang dalam bidang apa pun, termasuk agama, akan 'bersara' setelah tidak lagi memegang apa-apa jawatan atau menjelang umur 70 tahun. Tetapi Hassan tetap meneruskan perjuangan dan usaha yang dilakukannya selama 25 tahun di DBP (1963-1988).

Beliau bukan sahaja berusaha "memartabatkan" bahasa Melayu, dari segi pembinaan dan pengembangan bahasa dan sastera, tetapi juga dari segi penggunaan rasmi dan status politiknya sebagai bahasa kebangsaan dan bahasa rasmi negara. Yang terakhir ini belum juga tercapai setelah 54 tahun merdeka hinggalah beliau meninggalkan kita.

Datuk Hassan bukanlah seorang pejuang yang nampak gagah dan agresif. Tetapi terus berjuang secara tegas dan berhemah melalui tulisannya dengan hujah-hujah ilmiah yang kukuh dan juga berlandaskan sejarah bangsa-bangsa maju di dunia.

Selama 17 tahun bersama beliau di DBP dan dalam gerakan bahasa dan sastera, saya pasti betul, dalam hidupnya hanya satu saja perjuangannya iaitu "memartabatkan" bahasa dan kepustakaan Melayu di Malaysia dan di Nusantara. Dan perjuangannya ini berjalan sepanjang masa, tiada bermusim dan tidak terikat oleh gelora politik, walau siapa pun jadi Menteri Pelajaran dan Perdana Menteri.

Beliau kagum dan sangat menghormati Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, tetapi tidak boleh bersetuju apabila bahasa Inggeris dijadikan bahasa pengajaran Ilmu Sains dan Matematik, kerana ini bercanggah dengan Dasar Pelajaran Kebangsaan (salah satu warisan penting Tun Abdul Razak) dan implikasi sosial-politiknya amat besar.

Bagi beliau bahasa pengantar pendidikan adalah faktor penentu yang utama dalam pembentukan dan survival suatu bangsa yang berdaulat dan bermaruah.

Setelah melihat perjuangan secara berhemah semakin tidak dipedulikan dan martabat bahasa Melayu semakin jatuh - dan yang tinggal hanya dasar, akta, janji dan kata-kata - secara tiba-tiba, Hassan bertukar menjadi pejuang yang agresif. Dengan badannya yang kurus melidi dan kelihatan lemah tak bertenaga, ketika berumur 73 tahun, tiba-tiba beliau muncul mengepalai suatu gerakan bahasa, melanggar arahan polis dan berarak ke Istana Negara.

Perubahan ini mengejutkan saya, kerana itu bukanlah sikap dan watak Hassan yang saya kenal. Lagi pun semangat perjuangan bahasa di kalangan rakyat, termasuk badan-badan bahasa, penulis, guru, mahasiswa dan kebudayaan, sudah tiada lagi.

Maka tidak ada yang merasa gerakan demonstrasi tokoh kerdil ini akan membawa kejayaan. Kerajaan cukup kuat dan di belakang Hassan tiada siapa-siapa pun, kecuali beberapa kawan-kawan lama. Kekuatan Hassan hanyalah keyakinan pada perjuangannya yang benar dan tulus ikhlas tanpa kepentingan politik dan peribadi. Maka beliau rela ditangkap dan dihukum.

Alhamdulillah, Datuk Hassan berjaya mencapai kejayaan yang tak terduga oleh siapa-siapa pun. Menteri Pelajaran berjanji "akan" mengembalikan bahasa Melayu kepada tempatnya, seperti yang termaktub dalam Dasar Pelajaran Kebangsaan.

Namun timbul keraguan, ketika bahasa pengantar Inggeris masih diteruskan, diumumkan pula dasar atau konsep baru MBMMBI (Memartabat Bahasa Melayu, Memperkukuh Bahasa Inggeris). Dasar ini seolah-olah menunjukkan komitmen kementerian terhadap pelaksanaan Dasar Pelajaran Kebangsaan masih goyang.

Mengapa usaha "Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu" mesti dirangkaikan dengan usaha "Mengukuhkan Bahasa Inggeris"? Apakah ini bermakna kalau Bahasa Melayu hendak dimartabatkan, Bahasa Inggeris juga mestilah diperkukuhkan? Pada hal kedua usaha ini tiada ada kaitan sama sekali.

Pengajaran Bahasa Inggeris boleh diperkukuhkan sekukuh-kukuhnya. Tidak ada seorang pun yang menentang, termasuk pejuang Bahasa Melayu. Tetapi penggunaan Bahasa Melayu sebagai "bahasa kebangsaan" dan "bahasa rasmi", masih ramai yang menentang. Syarikat-syarikat besar dan kecil, milik Melayu apa lagi bukan Melayu, SBK (GLC) maupun swasta, masih terus boleh berurusan dengan kerajaan dalam Bahasa Inggeris.

Maka dasar baru - MBMMBI - menyerlahkan keraguan, kekeliruan dan kecelaruan pemikiran Kementerian Pelajaran yang sangat aneh, yang sekali gus menampakkan tidak ada komitmen yang serius pihak kerajaan untuk betul-betul memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu.

Dasar yang aneh ini nampaknya diterima umum. Justeru bersama kembalinya Hassan, adakah perjuangan bahasa pun akan ikut bersemadi juga sudahnya? Tanggal 31 Ogos 2011 menjadi batu nisan.

Penulis ialah bekas Setiausaha Politik kepada Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad ketika menjadi Perdana Menteri.

Sumber : http : //www.utusan.com.my/

Muhammad (Ahmad) bin Indera

MAT INDERA

Muhammad (Ahmad) bin Indera atau lebih dikenali sebagai Mat (Muhammad) Indera merupakan salah seorang pemimpin Melayu yang bekerjasama dengan komunis untuk memerdekakan Malaya dari jajahan British. Dia menjadi terkenal kerana memimpin serangan terhadap pihak Polis dalam peristiwa Bukit Kepong.

Ahmad bin Indera dikatakan salah seorang daripada keturunan Datuk Bentara Husin Lela, Pahlawan Siak Seri Inderapura yang pernah menjadi panglima kanan Sultan Sharif di Siak ^{[perlu rujukan]}. Beliau dilahirkan pada tahun 1920 di Kampung Gombak, Peserai, Batu Pahat, Johor.

Dunia Pendidikan

Mat Indera mendapat pendidikan awal di sekolah agama sehingga tahun 1937. Kemudian beliau menuntut di China.Beliau pernah berguru kepada Kiyai Haji Fadzil Bentan yang menjadi salah seorang guru dan penasihat Sultan Johor, DYMM Sultan Ibrahim. Dia kemudian pernah berkhidmat sebagai seorang guru agama di Sekolah Agama Parit Setongkat, Muar pada tahun 1937. Di dalam peperiksaan Darjah Khas untuk guru-guru agama, Mat Indera pernah menerima anugerah butang perak daripada kerajaan Johor di atas kecemerlangannya di dalam peperiksaan tersebut. Selepas lulus peperiksaan Darjah Khas, beliau bertugas di Sekolah Agama Bandar Pontian sebagai guru agama. Sewaktu pendudukan Jepun, Mat Indera bekerja sebagai peniaga beras. Setelah British kembali, Mat Indera bertugas pula sebagai ketua pengangkut beras di Pelabuhan Muar, Johor.

Politik

Mat Indera kemudiannya terbabit dalam politik apabila menyertai ahli sayap pemuda Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) dengan matlamat membebaskan tanah air daripada penjajahan Inggeris. Mat Indera juga aktif didalam pergerakkan yang dikenali sebagai Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API).

Apabila Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya diharamkan, Mat Indera telah bertindak menyertai pergerakan gerila komunis di dalam hutan, kemungkinannya terpengaruh dengan perjuangan Indonesia menentang Belanda. Beliau bergerak cergas di sekitar kawasan Lenga, Pagoh, Jorak, Bukit Kepong dan Poris. Dia mengetuai pergerakan komunis dibahagian selatan yang merangkumi daerah Muar, Batu Pahat, Segamat dan Melaka.

Peristiwa Bukit Kepong

Mat Indera bertanggungjawab mengarahkan serangan. Akibatnya, Mat Indera menempa nama sebagai pejuang gerila yang paling dikehendaki apabila dikaitkan dengan peristiwa serangan Balai Polis Bukit Kepong. Pejuang gerila yg menentang penjajahan british dan ingin memerdekakan Tanah Melayu.

Adik Mat Indera, Johan Shah pula mendedahkan bahawa abangnya mengaku bahawa beliau (Mat Indera) bertanggungjawab mengarahkan serangan ke atas Rumah Pasung Bukit Kepong . Tragedi Bukit Kepong dijadikan Inggeris sebagai dakwaan keganasan dan kekejaman. Inggeris menetapkan tawaran hadiah sebanyak $75,000 sebagai hadiah tawaran penangkapan. Mat Indera dikatakan kononnya mempunyai ilmu ghaib dan telah beberapa kali terlepas daripada tangkapan.

Namun salah seorang pengikutnya bergelar Mat Tukyo telah ditangkap Inggeris dan dipujuk untuk membelot bagi menangkap Mat Indera.Mat Tukyo berunding dengan 2 orang kawannya yang lain yang dikenali sebagai Beladang dan Misban.

Pada malam 14 Oktober 1952, Mat Indera dijemput ke sebuah perjumpaan di Kampung Seri Medan, dan dihidangkan tempe goreng dan air kopi yang bercampur dgn kecubung ungu,yang boleh menyebabkan rasa mengantuk dan dipukau jika meminumnya. Mat Indera setelah diberi minum air kopi bercampur kecubung itu telah tidak sedarkan diri; maka pada ketika itulah Mat Tukyo mencabut segala tangkal. Di katakan tangan Mat Indera diikat dengan lalang dan kemudiannya dibawa ke Balai Polis Seri Medan.

Beberapa pemimpin Melayu, antaranya Kadi Haji Ahmad Shah Haji Abdul Jabar cuba memujuk Mat Indera supaya bertolak ansur dengan British sewaktu perbicaraan di mahkamah untuk melepaskan diri daripada hukuman mati, tetapi semua ini ditolak oleh Mat Indera yang tidak mahu dibicarakan oleh British atas kesilapannya.

Kematian

Mat Indera kemudiannya menjalani hukuman gantung sampai mati pada jam 11 malam 30 Januari 1953 di Penjara Taiping, Perak. Keesokan hari, mayatnya dikebumikan di Kampung Jambu Air, Taiping.

berdasarkan kisah-kisah yang pernah didengar, ketika meninggal dunia, jenazah Mat Indera berbau harum dan kulitnya begitu lembut.

“Mat Indera dipercayai mempunyai keupayaan keluar masuk dari penjara untuk membeli makanan. Bagaimanapun, kebenaran kisah yang diceritakan itu tidak dapat dipastikan kerana tiada orang lama yang boleh mengesahkannya. Mereka sudah meninggal dunia.-penjaga kubur mat indera.....sumber kamarudin2u.blogspot.com

CAT Stevens (now Yusof Islam) - the father - in the song “father and son”, said:

”It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.”

Those were the words that came to mind when I saw the images of young people battling the police during the weekend’s Bersih 2.0 demonstration in Kuala Lumpur.

I was once like them. Back when I was a poor youth “battling” the ruling class and the capitalists of my kampung, I wrote a poem damning my father for his fanaticism towards Umno and his calm acceptance of the “takdir”, which in those days meant abject poverty and marginalisation.

Then, at 26 I became a father and lived on a salary of under RM800 a month. I had little choice but to conform to the demands of fatherhood. Idealism gave way to reality, but it remained in my subconscious. Thanks to the New Economic Policy, hard work and luck, I am better off now and far away from the poverty and deprivation of my youth.

My father had been gone two years now. My mother, Alhamdulillah, is doing well. In his final months my father said no to newspapers, preferring the Quran instead.

So now, like Cat Stevens, I can tell my children and their peers that:

“I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.”

For good or evil, right or wrong, I believe, I have done my part for my family, my society and country. It’s now for my children and the children of people of my generation to take over. All that I can do is to tell the stories of my past as a guide for them to plot their future.

As such, I don’t blame young people for pursuing their political and ideological ideals, more so at the time when, the general consensus says, idealism is dead. I wish to disagree and I hope fervently that the youthful idealism is alive and well.

And the older people must not take youthful idealism and rebelliousness for granted. Let them speak out. Let them express themselves beyond “Akademi Fantasia”, “Raja Lawak” and devotion to Manchester United.

Yes, there’s a price to pay and, for that, I consider myself lucky. I received spirit-lifting poems and I also received damning letters and emails from my children. Until today, when I am past 60 and my eldest child is nearly 40, we still laugh and, occasionally, cry together.

Listen to what the “son” in Cat Stevens’ song has to say:

“How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
It's always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.”

The biggest mistake a parent could do is not to listen. If you want your children to listen to you, you must listen to them. Feeding, clothing, sheltering and educating them are your responsibility. They are not the things that bind them to you to eternity, but love and affection do.

The same applies to the government. Providing platforms and the right environment for the people to feed, cloth, shelter and educate themselves are the responsibilities of the government. The government is elected and funded by the people. In return, government is supposed to do good for the people.

So, when the government does a good deed, the people don’t have to say thank you or be grateful. That’s what the government is for – to do good things. Of course, out of courtesy and decency, it’s good to say thank you. We should instead be grateful to God for His guidance and blessings.

But if the government does wrong, it must be condemned. We do not elect the government to do bad or wrong things. If the government makes no restitution or we are unhappy with its apology, our ultimate respond is not to vote for it in the general election.

And neither the father nor the government can keep telling the younger generation “it’s not the time to make a change.” The government cannot, on the one hand tell the people to change their lifestyles to cope with rising cost of living, while on the other continuing with its extravagance in personal spending.

The father: “It's not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through.
Find a girl, settle down,
if you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.”

The son: “All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me.
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.”

There’s a limit to what we, as parents, and by extension government, can do to tell what the young should do. After all, it’s their future that’s at stake. And not all of them wish to migrate or can do so even if they want. Malaysia is still their future – good or bad.

An Bob Dylan said:
"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'."

Footnote: In a 2009 report, Sin Chew Daily Said: The Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Hj Wan Ahmad bin Wan Omar said, Malaysians had become more positive in voter registration after the general elections last year, especially Chinese voters, while the Indians were the least enthusiastic.
He also told Sin Chew Daily, registration assistants appointed by DAP were the most active, followed by PAS, UMNO and PKR, while the assistants appointed by Gerakan and MIC were the least enthusiastic in registering new voters.

The times the are a changing.

From blog Dato Kadir Jasin..

warnings to mankind

“Chernobyl, the Haiti earthquake, what's happening in Japan – are warnings to mankind, reminders of how dependent and vulnerable we are”

Father Konstantin Kravtsov, 47 is a priest of the Annunciation Church in Petrovsky park, Moscow.

In the Judo-Christian tradition, the believers see the vengeful hand of God in any disaster, be it natural or social. It's a Biblical tradition. The prophets of the Old Testament predicted God’s wrath. But not just penance - absolution afterward as well. All ordeals are sent to save – a single man, a people, the humankind. It's done to show how tragic the reality is.

But by seeing God only as punishing judge and executioner, we are creating a false image of him. God’s judgment is not only judgment but also solace. Punishment is not only punishment, but also salvation. As it says in the New Testament: “He who endures to the end shall be saved”. In other words, any disaster is traditionally considered as a “visit” from God.

It's important also to note that everything connected. Let me explain: at the beginning, God created a perfect world, which he gave to man. Man used it for himself, breaking away from the creator. And this break has radically changed both human nature and the world - nature itself.

One disaster is leading to another. By rejecting supernatural, man yields to natural laws, to the blind elements. In short, it can be said that Chernobyl, the Haiti earthquake, what's happening in Japan – are warnings to mankind, reminders of how dependent and vulnerable we are.

They should make him see the world in a more realistic way, and make him start to think of life and death, of the fragility of our world. So we can call it either God's punishment or natural disaster – it’s not the choice of words that matters.

What's more important is what conclusions we make of it, will we become wiser, deeper, more human, will we be able to care for those stricken by disaster, or, – unfortunately that tendency also exists, - will we consider it as a punishment for the wicked. God doesn't punish anybody – it's Man who punishes himself. And, of course, it’s not for us to judge those who have suffered. We should pray for them, both for the dead and for the living.”

Konstantin Kravtsov

****

Lee Kuan Yew menuduh banyak ketidakadilan berlaku di Malaysia

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

New York Times keluaran 1 September lalu melaporkan Lee melemparkan tuduhan kepada Malaysia dengan mendakwa terlalu banyak ketidakadilan berlaku di negara ini dengan bukan Melayu diketepikan, selain warga Malaysia dipisahkan oleh sistem persekolahan, kawasan perumahan dan tidak bercampur gaul.

Senario itu, katanya, berbeza dengan orang Melayu Singapura yang mendapat pendidikan Inggeris dan lebih ‘moden’ berbanding Melayu di Malaysia.

Malah, Lee mendakwa penggunaan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa pengantar di sekolah menyebabkan bukan Melayu terpaksa menempatkan anak mereka di sekolah bukan milik kerajaan. Lee turut membayangkan Malaysia mungkin lebih baik jika tidak terpisah dengan Singapura kerana republik itu kini telah mencapai tahap yang membanggakan dalam hubungan kaum.

Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata Malaysia tidak perlukan nasihat Menteri Mentor Singapura, Lee Kuan Yew kerana mempunyai cara tersendiri dalam mentadbir negara yang penduduknya terdiri daripada pelbagai kaum.

Beliau berkata kepelbagaian dan komposisi kaum serta adat resam masyarakat di Malaysia jauh berbeza dengan Singapura.

"Kita jauh berbeza dengan Singapura dan kenyataan Lee yang mengkritik sistem diamalkan di negara ini tidak boleh diterima kerana Malaysia menggunakan langkah dan kaedah yang berlainan dalam menguruskan hal berkaitan budaya serta perbezaan agama pelbagai kaum," katanya.

Persoalan yang timbul adalah kenapakah Lee masih mempedulikan tentang hal dalaman Malaysia? Adakah Lee menjadi jurucakap kepada Cina di Malaysia yang memperjuangkan ideologi PAP iaitu Malaysian Malaysia? Adakah perjuangan ideologi tersebut sudah tidak mendapat sambutan oleh rakyat Malaysia walaupun ianya diperjuangkan bersungguh-sungguh oleh suku sakat Lee iaitu DAP?

Hubungan kaum yang baik bagi pandangan Lee adalah apabila Cina menguasai segala-galanya dari segi ekonomi, kuasa politik, kekayaan negara, pentadbiran kerajaan, ketenteraan dan sebagainya. Lihatlah apa yang berlaku kepada orang-orang Melayu di Singapura? Adakah mereka diberi keadilan yang sebenar? Masih adakah suara orang Melayu di Singapura? Mereka ditekan secara halus sehinggakan menjadi semakin lemah tidak bermaya.

Strategi menekan cara halus turut dilakukan oleh DAP dan Cina di Pulau Pinang apabila tanah-tanah orang Melayu di sebelah pulau dibeli dengan harga yang tinggi untuk menggalakkan orang Melayu menjual tanah-tanah mereka. Kemudian didirikan hartanah yang dijual pula dengan harga yang tinggi sehinggakan orang Melayu tidak mampu membelinya. Sebaliknya hartanah di tanah besar seperti di Kulim dijual dengan harga jauh lebih rendah menyebabkan orang-orang Melayu Pulau Pinang berpindah ke Kedah menyebabkan jumlah orang Melayu di Pulau Pinang semakin berkurangan dan bilangan orang Cina pula yang bertambah. Apakah ini merupakan strategi menjadikan Pulau Pinang sebagai Singapura Kedua?

Apapun alasan Lee, biarlah Malaysia bergerak dengan cara kita, mana-mana yang baik yang boleh dijadikan panduan kita akan ambil. Saya secara peribadi bersetuju dengan Lee dalam sistem persekolahan di Malaysia. Kita sepatutnya hanya mempunya sekolah kebangsaan dan sekolah-sekolah Cina dan Tamil sepatutnya dihapuskan. Tetapi bila berkaitan dengan ideologi, eloklah Lee simpan saja kerana itulah menyebabkan Singapura ditendang keluar dari Malaysia dahulu. Kita bercerai tanpa ada anak pinak yang perlu dijaga bersama, anak-anak yang kita ada sekarang adalah bukan anak Lee. Tahulah kita menjaganya.

Mitos disekitar keberadaan Kucing

Mitos disekitar keberadaan Kucing

Banyak mitos yang tercipta tentang kucing. Di Mesir, 3000 tahun yang lalu, kucing dianggap sebagai titisan dewa. Sedangkan, di Eropa kucing dianggap sebagai sihir setan atau pembawa bencana. Tak pelak lagi, pada masa abad kegelapan terjadi pemusnahan besar-besaran terhadap hewan lucu ini, hingga menyebar ke Afrika Utara. Padahal, wabah yang oleh masyarakat saat itu dianggap sebagai kutukan adalah jenis penyakit pes yang diakibatkan oleh meledaknya populasi tikus dan penurunan populasi kucing sebagai predator.

Cerita Nabi Muhammad SAW dan Kucingnya.

Diceritakan dalam suatu kisah, Nabi Muhammad SAW memiliki seekor kucing yang diberi nama Mueeza. Suatu saat, dikala nabi hendak mengambil jubahnya, di temuinya Mueeza sedang terlelap tidur dengan santai diatas jubahnya. Tak ingin mengganggu hewan kesayangannya itu, nabi pun memotong belahan lengan yang ditiduri mueeza dari jubahnya. Ketika Nabi kembali ke rumah, Muezza terbangun dan merunduk kepada majikannya. Sebgai balasan, nabi menyatakan kasih sayangnya dengan mengelus lembut ke badan mungil kucing itu.

Dalam aktivitas lain, setiap kali Nabi menerima tamu di rumahnya, nabi selalu menggendong mueeza dan di taruh dipahanya. Salah satu sifat Mueeza yang nabi sukai ialah, ia selalu mengeong ketika mendengar azan, dan seolah-olah suaranya terdengar seperti mengikuti lantunan suara adzan. Bahkan kepada para sahabatnya, nabi berpesan untuk menyayangi kucing peliharaan layaknya menyanyangi keluarga sendiri.

Hukuman bagi mereka yang menyakiti hewan lucu ini sangatlah serius, dalam sebuah hadist shahih Al bukhori, dikisahkan tentang seorang wanita yang tidak pernah memberi makan kucingnya, dan tidak pula melepas kucingnya untuk mencari makan sendiri, Nabi SAW pun menjelaskan bahwa hukuman bagi wanita ini adalah siksa neraka.
Beberapa diantara orang terdekat nabi juga memelihara kucing. Aisyah binti abubakar shiddiq, istri nabi amat menyayangi kucing, dan merasa amat kehilangan dikala ditinggal pergi oleh si kucing. Abdurrahman bin sakhr al Azdi. diberi julukan Abu huruyrah (bapak para kucing jantan), karena kegemarannya dalam merawat dan memelihara berbagai kucing jantan dirumahnya.

Penghormatan para tokoh islam terhadap kucing pasca wafatnya Nabi SAW.

Dalam buku yang berjudul Cats of Cairo, Baybars al zahir, seorang sultan dari dinasti mamluk yang terkenal tegas dan berani, ternyata sangat menyayangi kucing. Bahkan al zahir sengaja membangun taman-taman khusus bagi kucing dan menyediakan berbagai jenis makanan didalamnya.
Tradisi ini akhirnya menjadi adat istiadat di berbagai kota-kota besar negara islam. Hingga saat ini, mulai dari damaskus, istanbul, hingga kairo, masih bisa kita jumpai kucing-kucing yang berkeliaran di pojok-pojok masjid tua dengan berbagai macam makanan yang disediakan oleh penduduk setempat.

Pengaruh Kucing dalam Seni Islam.

Pada abad 13, sebagai manifestasi penghargaan masyarakat islam, rupa kucing dijadikan sebagai ukiran cincin para khalifah, termasuk porselen, patung hingga mata uang. Bahkan didunia sastra, para penyair tak ragu untuk membuat syair bagi kucing peliharaannya yang telah berjasa melindungi buku-buku mereka dari gigitan tikus dan serangga lainnya.

Kucing yang memberi inspirasi bagi para sufi.

Seorang Sufi ternama bernama ibnu bashad yang hidup pada abad ke sepuluh bercerita, suatu saat ia dan sahabat-sahabatnya sedang duduk santai melepas lelah di atas atap masjid kota kairo sambil menikmati makan malam. Ketika seekor kucing melewatinya, Ibnu bashad memberi sepotong daging kepada kucing itu, namun tak lama kemudian kucing itu balik lagi, setelah memberinya potongan yang ke dua, diam-diam ibnu bashad mengikuti kearah kucing itu pergi, hingga akhirnya ia sampai disebuah atap rumah kumuh, dan didapatinya si kucing tadi sedang menyodorkan sepotong daging yang diberikan ibnu bashad kepada kucing lain yang buta kedua matanya. Peristiwa ini sangat menyentuh hatinya. hingga ia menjadi seorang sufi sampai ajal menjemputnya pada tahun 1067.

Ada juga cerita tentang seorang sufi di Iraq yang bernama Shibli, ia bermimpi dosa-dosanya diampuni setelah menyelamatkan nyawa seekor anak kucing dari bahaya. Selain itu, kaum sufi juga percaya, bahwa dengkuran nafas kucing memiliki irama yang sama dengan dzikir kalimah Allah.

Cerita yang dijadikan sebagai sauri tauladan

Salah satu cerita yang cukup mahsyur yaitu tentang seekor kucing peliharaan yang dipercaya oleh seorang pria, untuk menjaga anaknya yang masih bayi dikala ia pergi selama beberapa saat. Bagaikan prajurit yang mengawal tuannya, kucing itu tak hentinya berjaga di sekitar sang bayi. Tak lama kemudian melintaslah ular berbisa yang sangat berbahaya di dekat si bayi mungil tersebut. Kucing itu dengan sigapnya menyerang ular itu hingga mati dengan darah yang berceceran.

Sorenya ketika si pria pulang, ia kaget melihat begitu banyak darah di kasur bayinya. Prasangkanya berbisik, si kucing telah membunuh anak kesayangannya! Tak ayal lagi, ia mengambil pisau dan memenggal leher kucing yang tak berdosa itu.
Setelah melakukan aksi keji itu, tiba-tiba sang pria tersebut tersentak kaget, bagaimana tidak! ia melihat anaknya terbangun, dengan bangkai ular yang telah tercabik di bawah tempat tidur anaknya. melihat itu, si pria menangis dan menyesali perbuatannya setelah menyadari bahwa ia telah membunuh kucing peliharaannya yang telah bertaruh nyawa menjaga keselamatan anaknya. Kisah ini menjadi refleksi bagi masyarakat islam di timur tengah untuk tidak berburuk sangka kepada siapapun.

Adakah manfaat kucing bagi dunia ilmu pengetahuan?

Salah satu kitab terkenal yang ditulis oleh cendikia muslim tempo dulu adalah kitab hayat al hayaawan yang telah menjadi inspirasi bagi perkembangan dunia zoologi saat ini, Salah satu isinya mengenai ilmu medis, banyak para dokter muslim tempo dulu yang menjadikan kucing sebagai terapi medis untuk penyembuhan tulang, melalui dengkuran suaranya yang setara dengan gelombang sebesar 50 hertz. Dengkuran tersebut menjadi frekuensi optimal dalam menstimulasi pemulihan tulang.

Tak hanya ilmu pengetahuan, bangsa barat juga banyak membawa berbagai jenis kucing dari timur tengah, hingga akhirnya kepunahan kucing akibat mitos alat sihir dapat terselamatkan. (dari berbagai sumber)

Indian Dhoti

The dhoti is the most traditional of all dresses for men in India. If you ever see photographs of Indian men before, during and soon-after the independence era, you will find many of them wearing the dhoti dress teemed with a kurta. Earlier the dhoti used to be a casual daily wear of the Indian men. But with modernization of our society, it steadily relegated to being just formal clothing in India, though there are still people especially in the rural belts for whom dhoti is the regular clothing attire.

The dhoti is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth about five yards long, wrapped about the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist. It is known by different names like Laacha in Punjabi, Mundu in Malayalam, Dhuti in Bangla, Veshti in Tamil, Pancha in Telugu, Dhotar in Marathi and Panche in Kannada. In north India, the dhoti is worn in combination with a kurta top, which a long loose fitting shirt. The dhoti kurta dress is called dhuti panjabi in east India. This dhoti dress is different from a lungi as the cloth of the latter is stitched to form a circle.

The dhoti dress may have lost its popularity in modern day India, but it is still worn with a lot of dignity by the many prominent senior citizens, politicians, musicians, dancers and others. Apart from being worn on all important government and family occasions, the dhoti kurta is also allowed to be donned in post upscale clubs, which normally stipulate very stern dress code for guests. The one prominent Indian citizen who gets all credit for popularizing this attire beyond the Indian borders is Mahatma Gandhi.

There are various styles of wearing the Indian dhoti. For instance, the Bengali men usually make pleats in their dhoti. In south India, the dhoti wearers added the angavastram to their attire, which is an extra piece of unstitched cloth kept on the shoulders. For convenience purpose, many south Indian men fold their dhoti in half and tuck it at the waist so that it reaches only till the knees. In certain Indian communities in Rajasthan, wearing the dhoti-kurta is mandatory.

Politik dan sikap penulis

Salman Sulaiman:

Apabila berbicara tentang politik dan sikap para penulis, seniman, wartawan, sasterawan dan budayawan; elok benar kita menelaah semula pidato penerimaan Anugerah Sastera Negara oleh Sasterawan Negara Keris Mas yang diangkat sebagai sasterawan negara Malaysia yang pertama oleh kerajaan Malaysia pada tahun 1981.

Pada awal-awal pidatonya lagi Keris Mas sudah menegaskan bahawa kedudukan sastera dan segala kegiatannya, haruslah dikecualikan daripada kepentingan politik golongan atau politik parti.

Pengaruh dan kuasa politik yang menentukan sastera ini sudah dibimbangi Keris Mas sejak 28 tahun yang lalu. Menurut beliau lagi, apabila sastera telah menjadi kepentingan politik atau mana-mana golongan ia tentu tidak lagi dapat mendokong aspirasi sesuatu bangsa. (Lihat: Keris Mas, Politik Sastera dan Sastera Politik dalam Sastera dan Kemanusiaan: Pidato Umum dan Pidato Penerimaan Sasterawan Negara 1981 – 1996, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka: 1997)

Pidato Sasterawan Negara Keris Mas itu kemudiannya dibahas oleh Muhammad Lutfi Ishak juga dengan pendirian yang hampir sama. Antara lain Muhammad Lutfi membahaskan bahawa, “Keris Mas melihat pemihakan sasterawan terhadap sebarang kelompok kepartian hanya membela dan membenarkan sesetengah kebenaran sahaja, tidak kesemua kebenaran yang seharusnya didukung.”
Muhammad Lutfi mengaitkan tentang apa yang disebutkan Keris Mas itu dengan apa yang berlaku kepada Sasterawan Negara A. Samad Said kini.

Pak Samad sangat lantang mengkritik kerajaan kini dalam isu PPSMI, tapi Muhammad Lutfi menyarankan agar apa yang dilakukan Pak Samad itu wajar dibaca dalam pengertian yang telah disebutkan oleh Keris Mas dalam pidatonya itu. (Lihat: Muhammad Lutfi Ishak, Bila Sasterawan Patut Berpolitik, Siasah, 8 – 14 Mac 2009)

Jika diteliti, Muhammad Lutfi sendiri banyak tersentak dengan situasi politik atau peristiwa-peristiwa dalam politik yang banyak menyentap nuraninya sebagai penulis, yang kemudiannya beliau tuangkan kritikan sinisnya terhadap kebobrokan politik tersebut ke dalam karya-karyanya.

Lebih menarik dan mengagumkan, karya-karya sinis itu kemudiannya diiktiraf untuk memenangi hadiah sastera berprestij di peringkat negara.

Manakala sasterawan yang terkenal dalam penulisan naskhah teater, Dinsman menegur orang politik yang cakap tak serupa bikin dalam kolum mingguannya di Harakah. Secara berterus-terang beliau menegur ahli politik yang sombong dan angkuh.

Kita dapat menyimpulkan dengan jelas bahawa Dinsman bukan hanya memaksudkan tegurannya itu kepada ahli politik kerajaan sahaja tetapi semua ahli politik termasuk dari kalangan pembangkang.

Walaupun kita sedar, beliau menegur semua ahli politik tidak kira kerajaan atau pembangkang, tapi dalam kesimpulannya kita masih kabur untuk menentukan sikap beliau sendiri – sama ada memihak kepada pembangkang, kerajaan atau pun berkecuali.

Maka, tidak salah untuk kita katakan bahawa Dinsman juga berada dalam situasi seperti Pak Samad iaitu menyertai satu-satu kelompok itu kerana atas dasar mempunyai perjuangan yang sama. (Lihat: Dinsman, Orang Politik Jangan Sombong dan Angkuh, Harakah, 9 – 12 November 2009).

Jadi, seperti kata Muhammad Lutfi terhadap situasi diri Pak Samad sebelum ini, maka kedudukan Dinsman serta teguran beliau pun mestilah dibaca dalam konteks Keris Mas juga.

Natijah daripada apa yang diungkapkan oleh beberapa orang penulis yang telah saya sebutkan itu ialah penulis memang tidak boleh memihak kepada mana-mana parti politik tetapi mestilah memihak kepada kebenaran hakiki.

Inilah sikap Keris Mas, Shahnon Ahmad, A. Samad Said, Dinsman, Muhammad Lutfi Ishak dan sekian ramai lagi para penulis serta wartawan.

Sebagaimana sepatutnya wartawan dan juga ulama, beginilah juga sewajarnya sikap penulis – tidak memihak kepada mana-mana parti politik dan juga tidak menjadi alat propaganda kepada mana-mana parti politik yang ada.

Wartawan, sebilangan besarnya kelihatan masih memihak. Apabila bersara daripada menjadi wartawan di mana-mana akhbar kerajaan atau pembangkang, maka barulah kita dapat mendengar suara yang sebenar wartawan itu.

Kerana ketika masih makan gaji serta terikat dengan tugas, mereka hanya banyak menjadi tukang puji dan banyak mengamalkan ampu sana ampu sini saja. Kalau tidak berbuat demikian tentu saja mereka sangat bimbang takut dapur tidak berasap atau senang cakap, dibuang kerja.

Jadi, agar tidak menerima risiko dibuang kerja – mereka jadilah wartawan mengampu yang asyik memuji saja tidak bertempat. Menyuarakan kebenaran yang sepatutnya menjadi tugas penulis dan wartawan tidak lagi dipraktikkan kerana bimbang takut terganggu periuk nasi.

Maka, yang tinggal hanyalah wartawan cari makan bukan lagi wartawan yang menyuarakan kebenaran.

Saya sendiri juga pernah ditegur kerana kelihatannya seperti banyak menjadi Samad Said tetapi takut untuk menjadi Shahnon Ahmad. Tetapi sekarang, tempat Shahnon itu nampaknya telah digantikan oleh Samad Said.

PAS tentu saja sangat gembira dengan keterlibatan Samad Said dalam pelbagai aktiviti dan program mereka.

Tetapi perlu diingat, Pak Samad bukan masuk PAS. Beliau hanya bersama-sama dengan PAS kerana kebetulan apa yang diperjuangkan Pak Samad turut diperjuangkan PAS. Sebab itulah Pak Samad menyertai PAS, tetapi perlu difahami dengan jelas bahawa beliau bukan masuk PAS.

Kepada teman yang pernah menegur itu, ingin juga saya tahu apa pandangannya sekarang terhadap Shahnon dan Samad Said kerana Shahnon nampaknya sudah menjauhkan diri dari PAS. Kerana ketika bersama PAS, terlalu banyak pengalaman yang beliau peroleh untuk mengenal hati budi manusia. Terlalu banyak yang beliau belajar tentang apa itu sebenarnya yang dinamakan politik.

Dan beliau juga dapat mengenal siapakah yang benar-benar jujur dalam perjuangan dan siapa pulakah yang hanya bermuka-muka. Dan Pak Samad pula hari ini menggantikan tempat Shahnon dan kita dapat melihat Pak Samad kini tersangat berani dan tegas sekali mengkritik kerajaan – kritikan utamanya adalah berkenaan isu PPSMI dicampur juga dengan hal-hal lain yang tidak kurang pedasnya.

Beliau kebelakangan ini kerap muncul di pentas pembangkang untuk sama-sama berceramah dengan tokoh-tokoh terkemuka pembangkang. Hinggakan sampai pada satu tahap, beliau lebih selesa dipanggil Sasterawan Rakyat daripada sasterawan negara. Sedangkan gelaran sasterawan negara yang selalu disebut di pangkal namanya itu diberikan oleh kerajaan Malaysia, iaitu kerajaan yang begitu lantang dikritik Pak Samad akhir-akhir ini.

Seperti juga para ulama yang benar dan pendakwah yang ikhlas, kami – para penulis, sasterawan, seniman, pengarang dan sebilangan wartawan pun akan terus berusaha untuk memilih sikap ini. Iaitu berkecuali daripada dipengaruhi fahaman politik mana-mana parti atau mana-mana kumpulan tetapi tetap terus memperjuangkan kebenaran walaupun adakalanya ia bertentangan dengan pihak pemerintah dan pada ketika yang lain ia bercanggah dengan pihak pembangkang.

Maka bertepatanlah seperti mana yang diungkapkan oleh salah seorang Sasterawan Negara Malaysia yang terkemuka, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Haji Salleh dalam serangkap puisinya dalam Salju Shibuya:

aku juga menemui politik

tapi mengelaknya

kerana yang kupilih

batu pengalaman kekal,

makna abadi,

untuk hidup di jalan lain.

Billionaire Warren Buffett bowled over by Indian hospitality

2011-03-23 11:10:00 Last Updated: 2011-03-23 14:55:29

Stocks Ready To Soar Ads by Google Hot News Alert, Huge Profits 1000%+ Stock Near Explosive Breakout Pointwww.otcstockexchange.com

Billionaire financier Warren Buffet speaks at a fundraising event in New Yo... Bangalore: Indian hospitality today received a strong endorsement from the world's third richest man, Warren Buffett, who said he was treated much better here than back in the US. "I am just overwhelmed by the welcome I have received from the moment we got here. They treat me much better in India than they do in the United States," said the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at a brief meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday morning. Buffett's India trip: Here is what the Oracle of Omaha hopes to achieve "I want to transport all this... I believe in free trade," he said in a lighter vein. "We had a great dinner last night... I met some very interesting people, had a great conversation. I couldn't feel more welcome and more delighted to be here," said Buffet, who is staying at Taj West End during his visit to the country. "This is my first trip to India and the first foot I placed on Indian soil was in Bangalore... and it won't be the last," said the 80-year-old billionaire. "When I come back, I will be 100 in 2030," he joked, but quickly added that he planned to come back much before that and was hopeful of seeing business expand here by then. When India prospers, US will prosper better: Warren Buffett "We want to be where the action is and the action is here," Buffett, who yesterday admitted to having made a late entry into India, said. Buffett, who viewed a short presentation on investment opportunities in Karnataka and the Global Investors meet held in 2010, said he was impressed by the speed of implementation of the MoUs signed during the Investors Meet. "... It is very impressive," he said, lauding the efforts of the Karnataka government in facilitating the establishment of a Nestle food processing plant in a short timeframe of barely 10 months. Yeddyurappa extended an invitation to Buffett to be the chief guest at the Global Investors Meet in 2012 during the nearly half-hour-long meeting.

Can anyone out there predict the Future? , 10:11 AM

Mirror, mirror on the wall ......

Our fascination with pundits, predictors and forecasters are well recorded in history, mythology, fairly tales and folklore with Snow White and the Oracle of Delphi among the more popular examples. People like tarot card readers, crystal gazers and astrologers who could tell the future have always been revered and sought after. They were joined by an army of professionals who brought science to the art of telling the future.

All that is changing now.

The world is running short of people who can predict the future. We all looked to experts to tell us which stocks would do best, where to buy our property for highest appreciation, which countries and governments are unstable and pose a threat, what products to make for our consumers, whether eating eggs will harm us in the long term and so on. Now we rely much more on friends and even strangers who write reviews and feedback on social or company sites. Research shows that their advice is sought more than that of gurus, professors and pundits.

Every year in Davos, the World Economic Forum holds a meeting of thought leaders, and sages. However, their track record in predicting the future has been dismal. Unfortunately, they failed to predict the impending financial crises in 2008- almost all of the world's top notch economists had not foreseen the debacle. Martin Wolf of the FT writes that the uprising in Egypt and other countries showed how political experts were as bad as economist in their failure to predict what lay in store even a few days before the jasmine revolution broke out.

Economists are not alone in failing to forecast the future but they do feel the weatherman has an easier job; one because the weather patterns follow certain physical immutable laws and therefore past data and experience play a big role and further more weather forecasts are made just for 4-5 days. In contrast, economists have to make long term predictions and extrapolation of the past is not reliable anymore because everything in the equation - resources, people, natural disasters, technology are changing constantly and rapidly. Unfortunately, science too has had a poor showing in warning us of the South Asian tsunami and the Icelandic volcano eruption.

The science of forecasting has been about extrapolating the past. This worked well when rate of change was slow. It looks like that model is obsolete with so many disruptive changes, technology in particular. The obsolescence rate in every sector is rising because of the technological advances that are changing every industry. Did big record labels predict Napster, and itunes, did book stores see Amazon stalking them from behind under a totally different guise. Digitisation changed photography and nobody knows how to differentiate between a camera and a phone and a music player and now my Nano watch can play my favourite music.

Companies too cannot forecast how markets will change and how new products will change demand patterns. Earlier in Closed Innovation systems, companies had control over their R&D and the new products and services generated. Now with Open Innovation, firms do use external as well as internal ideas. They cannot afford to rely entirely on their own research and instead buy or license processes or inventions from other companies. As a result, final innovations are often a synthesis of two or more ideas originating from different sources. Open innovation creates unpredictability for companies and long term forecasting is difficult if not impossible.

All this change is not without its impact on our values - they are changing too - the lines between right and wrong, hero and villain, evil and good are getting blurred and it is difficult to say when the tipping point will be reached and consumers will rise and march to a different beat.

In the 70s the rise of Japan was a reality and nobody could see otherwise, in the 90s the miracle economies of the Southeast Asian Tigers were a force to reckon with - well, economists have been the worst predictors of the future. Hope they have got the story of Emerging Markets right.

In a world where nothing is as it seems, how does one forecast the future?

Kamini Banga Friday March 11, 2011

Rajaratnam's lawyers grill govt witness

New York: Lawyers for hedge-fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam , the prime accused in the US' biggest insider trading case, attempted to discredit the government's star witness, Indian-American Anil Kumar, accusing him of tax evasion and telling "a monstrous lie" to hide payments.

During the trial proceedings yesterday, John Dowd, Galleon Group founder Rajaratnam's defence lawyer, cross-examined Kumar, a former McKinsey & Co. partner who gave his direct testimony.

Dowd attempted to paint 52-year-old Kumar, who has pleaded guilty and testified against Sri Lanka-born 53-year-old Rajaratnam, as a liar who had concealed his earnings from his McKinsey partners and evaded paying taxes.

"You wanted to hide the fact that you were cheating your McKinsey partners," Dowd told Kumar. "You did not give your McKinsey partners the fees."

Kumar has confessed that he had received more than USD 2 million from leaking information to his ex-Wharton classmate Rajaratnam.

This money was sent to a Swiss bank account and then transferred to an offshore Galleon account, called Galleon Buccaneer Offshore Lt, opened in the name of his housekeeper, Manju Das.

Dowd focussed on the issue that a person opening this account could not be a resident of the US but Kumar had put down an Indian address for Das instead of the one in California where she was staying with Kumar and his family.

"That lie to Galleon turned out to be a monstrous lie," Dowd said.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'monstrous'," Kumar replied. "I obeyed the instructions of Raj Rajaratnam, the managing partner of Galleon."

To this, Dowd sot back, "Did Mr Rajaratnam fill out this form?"

The 69-year-old former military lawyer also suggested that Kumar was jealous of his rich friends. "You were envious of your rich friends?" he said.

Kumar, who did not appear to be rattled by the aggressive line of questioning, replied, "I have a lot of poor friends and I feel very privileged."

During the first part of the trial, prosecutors played a secretly recorded phone conversation

between Rajat Gupta, a former director at Goldman Sachs , Rajaratnam.

International Business

Overheard on CNN.com: Emotional hearings »

Comment of the day: "“We wish Muslims to be free and happy in Canada but we insist they are reasonable. Driving in a burka is not reasonable to us. It is dangerous. Asking for a thumbprint instead of a photograph on a driver's license or passport is not considered reasonable here." -- CanadianPOV

Emotions fly at controversial hearings on Muslim Americans

Many were outraged by a congressional investigation into the “radicalization of Muslim Americans,” launched Thursday. While Committee Chairman Peter King said the hearing was neither “radical or un-American,” many of our readers disagreed.

BubbleKush said, “ The U.S. Congress has deteriorated into nothing but a dog-and-pony show. This witch hunt will go down in infamy.” Plank said, “I am willing to give King his chance, but if the hearings are nothing more than Islam bashing, sorry folks, it is a witch hunt, similar to McCarthy and Nazism. “

Others questioned what the uproar was about. blah9999 asked, “Aren't the people in these hearings just talking about Islamic extremism? What's wrong with sitting around and talking about this? Islamic extremism shouldn't be the elephant in the room.”

lordbyron85 answered, “Maybe we can start by recalling the events after 9/11, when Muslim American businesses were broken into and vandalized, when many Muslim American families' lives were threatened, and when law enforcement merely turned a blind eye to all.”

Kiwimama suggested that if those in Muslim communities were disturbed, they should police their own. “What are the American Muslims doing to help prevent the homegrown Muslim terrorist? Muslim leaders need their ‘congregants’ to reach out in good ways to their fellow citizens, not trying to hide away or keep low profiles.” Slag asked, “How come these Muslims havenever protested against Muslim terrorists?”

sw6blues1905 answered, “Why doesn't the Christian community come out and denounce extremist Christian activity.” AndAarrgghh07 said, “Oh you mean just like the Italian communities stopped the Mafia? Or how the Irish communities stopped the IRA (which this congressman supports), or how the black and Hispanic communities stopped the gangs?”

Fear accompanies road to freedom

Recently, bonded laborers – workers in India bound to those who gave them or their forefathers an advance or a loan -- have been spotlighted in CNN’s series on slavery. Many commenters, apparently Indian, wrote to express horror. Some didn’t believe it. Sampath suggested the laborers could not really understand the interviewer's questions in English and that laborers were necessary to extract natural resources. “If one person has a problem with a supervisor, it's not that everyone has. Correspondent should need more guidance on research.”

Ambika responded, “Do you know anything about bonded labor? Being defensive won’t help! If you don’t believe this report, there are hundreds of reports about this made by Indian media. Go read them! Enlighten yourself. Come to Tamilnadu (one of the states that boasts of high literacy rate), I'll show you. Go to Dharmapuri district and do some research. Bonded labor still exists in India. That’s the ugly truth.” Chirag agreed, “I am an Indian and I know one thing: India is only shining in the big cities. You don’t need to go far from a metro to see this happening all around us. It is one thing to have a child labor law and it’s completely different to enforce it.”

Many blamed the problem on the caste system. Abhishek said, “The people in the picture are from the lowest caste! And in shameless states like Uttar Pradesh such things are continuing in modern India! What a shame!” Loke said, “If Indians can’t shed off this caste system, which deprive the poor and enriches the landowners, India will never be able to catch up to China. I personally encountered a receptionist who is a Brahmin but she can’t attend an engineer friend’s wedding because he is of lower caste.“

Vivek replied, “Loke, wake up, I don’t know which India you have experienced firsthand. I know the caste system is bad, and I am against it. But it’s not as bad as you are portraying it to be.” Sendhilkumar replied, “Vivek, Loke is correct. It is a curse upon Indians, and it doesn't matter what generation we are in. We may not witness people practicing caste system in the ‘world’ we live in unless we see the real world (where poverty prevails). If one person in the world sleeps in hunger, the day is meaningless. We see a lot of people spend their money in posh restaurants and people waste food in the same place where people die of hunger.”

Chirag said, “I applaud the hardworking non-governmental organizations who are trying their best to stop this but without the will and backing from the system, it will be many decades before this young boy will see India shining.”

Vegan diet for dogs: A question of thriving vs. surviving

How we love our dogs. But is it love to eliminate meat from their diets? A story about one person’s path to rid her dog of an ear infection got owners arguing.

Some thought it would work. HealingNews said, “I have had a Dalmatian for five years now. I noticed she loved carrots and tomatoes and enjoys grazing on wild sunflower leaves. After putting her on a vegan diet, her skin improved, ear infection got better, missing fur came back, smelled better, and now at close to 11, is one of the healthiest dogs around!“ chiragp86 said, “I had a Doberman in India that was a vegetarian, not vegan, but he lived a full long life. Never fed him dog food; always gave him what we ate. I swear dog food is hyped up by corporations as a necessity for dogs and they don’t really need it. He was always healthy and energetic.”

Some agreed that any diet would be an improvement over commercial pet food. trav202 said, “It seems to me that most of the benefits noticed in the diet are more the result of it being high-quality whole foods than it being vegan. If you're taking the time to cook meals for your dog, of course there's going to be some nutritional benefits. I'm not convinced that it's the lack of animal products.“

Like Poohbearnb, however, many thought that a vegan diet was “extremely selfish and unhealthy for the animal.”inyourhead00 said, “ Yeah, I can't see my 100-pound dog surviving on lettuce or carrots. Sorry, but that's just ridiculous.“AnonVet said, “This is almost as ridiculous as someone feeding their rabbit or horse a strict diet of animal protein because they believe in the Atkins diet.”

OrUnreality said, “The dog can probably survive on a vegan diet for awhile, but expect major problems later on in life. Note the vet recommended a temporary change in diet, not permanent. And a home-prepared or raw diet for dogs is much healthier than prepared dog foods, so of course, temporarily the dog will show improvement. If you want a pet to eat a vegan diet, get a vegan pet, like an iguana.”

Jimvsmij said, “ I knew a girl who converted her dogs to vegan diets because she thought that the dogs should share her ethical views on killing. She was so proud of them, but later she found out that they got really good at hunting and eating rabbits and squirrels in the woods behind her house. There were carcasses littering the ground everywhere back there!“

Mandozink said, “I can see the upcoming headline: ‘Meat-Deprived Dog Finally Eats Vegan Owner: Dog STILL Lacking Proper Protein.‘ "

Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity