My interaction with Jatin Sheth, who claims to come from Gandhian family

Today I was called for lunch by Jatin Sheth, who runs a citizens' organisation, seeking to address people's common issues ranging from poor roads to gutters going berserk. After I told him about my Soviet experiences on his insistence, he said, he wanted a person who could help him out with everything that he was doing -- from writing letters to authorities in English to representing before them. He said he could pay "up to Rs 50,000."
Since I was surprised at the amount he said he would pay, out of utter curiously I asked Sheth if his organisation was registered and from where he would be collecting funds, and whether it was registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act ((FCRA), and he said no. Registration, according to him, is a big botheration, adding, he "managed funds". Belonging to a Gandhian family attached with the Congress in Kalol, a town about 35 km from Ahmedabad, it seemed to me he wanted me to help him out. Before he could make a direct offer, I told him, the days have gone when I was interested in working post-retirement. I just do my Counterview, and relax. I don't want to be tied up for any work, I added. It don't know if he got the message.
We talked a lot -- ranging from my Moscow experience, my maternal links with 1942 martyr Vinod Kinariwala to why he finds portions of Quran -- as translated by Maulana Maududi -- problematic. He even showed me the Gujarati translation of Quran by Maulana Maududi, whose antecedents we used to question as student activists. Was it a Quranic interpretation? I don't know.

He was surprised when I told him Bible and Quran had similar stories. However, he regretted Gujarat's progressive Muslims refuse to criticise the manner in which women are treated as second class citizens in Islamic countries. I agreed, problems existed. They had failed to come out of the mullah grip.

Living in a sprawling flat of three bedrooms off Drive-In Road, quite big according to current standards, he said, he got the flat after the old dilapidated apartment in which he lived went in for re-development.

"I was quite active for taking up citizens' cause when I had a shed in the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) estate in Naroda. I was secretary of its association. Ramnikbhai Ambani, Dhirubhai Ambani's brother, helped us a lot... That experience has helped me. I brought a good builder for redeveloping this apartment", he told me.

Comments

Disappearing schools: India's education landscape undergoing massive changes

The other day, I received a message from education rights activist Mitra Ranjan, who claims that a whopping one lakh schools across India have been closed down or merged. This seemed unbelievable at first sight. The message from the activist, who is from the advocacy group Right to Education (RTE) Forum, states that this is happening as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which floated the idea of school integration/consolidation.

'Shameful lies': Ambedkar defamed, Godse glorified? Dalit leader vows legal battle

A few days back, I was a little surprised to receive a Hindi article in plain text format from veteran Gujarat Dalit rights leader Valjibhai Patel , known for waging many legal battles under the banner of the Council of Social Justice (CSJ) on behalf of socially oppressed communities.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. I don't know who owns this site, for there is nothing on it in the About Us link. It merely says, the Nashik Corporation site "is an educational and news website of the municipal corporation. Today, education and payment of tax are completely online." It goes on to add, "So we provide some of the latest information about Property Tax, Water Tax, Marriage Certificate, Caste Certificate, etc. So all taxpayer can get all information of their municipal in a single place.some facts about legal and financial issues that different city corporations face, but I was least interested in them." Surely, this didn't interest...

When a telecom giant fails the consumer: My Airtel experience

Initially, I was not considering writing this blog about why I found Airtel —one of India’s premier communication service providers—to have an outrageously poor sales and customer-service experience, at least in Ahmedabad , Gujarat ’s business capital. However, the last SMS I received from Airtel regarding my request for a Wi-Fi connection in my flat in the Vejalpur area left me stunned.

Varnashram Dharma: How Gandhi's views evolved, moved closer to Ambedkar's

My interaction with critics and supporters of Mahatma Gandhi, ranging from those who consider themselves diehard Gandhians to Left-wing and Dalit intellectuals, has revealed that in the long arc of his public life, few issues expose his philosophical tensions more than his shifting stance on Varnashram Dharma—the ancient Hindu concept that society should be divided into four varnas, or classes, based on duties and aptitudes.

RTI framework ‘nuked’? SHANTI Bill triggers alarm, grants centre sweeping secrecy powers

Has the Government of India finally moved to completely change important provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, that too without bringing about any amendment in the top transparency law? It would seem so, if one is to believe well known civil society leaders' keen observations on the nuclear energy Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. Senior RTI activist Amrita Johri has sharply criticised the recently passed Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, saying that it has effectively “nuked” the Right to Information (RTI) Act through the back door.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

Would breaking idols, burning books annihilate caste? Recalling a 1972 Dalit protest

A few days ago, I received an email alert from a veteran human rights leader who has fought many battles in Gujarat for the Dalit cause — both through ground-level campaigns and courtroom struggles. The alert, sent in Gujarati by Valjibhai Patel, who heads the Council for Social Justice, stated: “In 1935, Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti . In 1972, we broke the idol of Krishna , whom we regarded as the creator of the varna (caste) system.”

Search This Blog