Category: Lok Issues

Active Politics Can Be Draining

‘I Won’t Be Comfortable With An 88-Yr-Old CM For My State’

By LokMarg

Prajesh Peter, 38, a software engineer from Kochi, says active politics can be draining and at 90 E Sreedharan will not be able to cope with the obligation required of a lawmaker

E Sreedharan is nearly 90! I totally don’t think it is the right age for him to enter politics. The Kerala voter makes well-informed choices and just bringing in a celebrity or a celebrated personality would influence only those who don’t have the capacity to think for themselves.

A couple of days ago, Mr Sreedharan’s name came up as the Chief Ministerial candidate, but they later backtracked. I wonder why this happened. But it’s good that this happened. I wouldn’t feel very comfortable with him as our CM. Leading a corporate, where everyone is self-disciplined is one thing, leading a town, city, state, with all kinds of people, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

I don’t think Mr Sreedharan’s entry into Kerala politics will change things for the BJP. The pandemic has shown us how important it is for us to have robust leadership at every level, but more so at the local level. I am not sure Mr Sreedharan is cut out at this age for all the actual physical hard-work that is required of a local MLA.

Peter (inset) feels engineering and politics are two different ballgames altogether

Also, what happened to BJP’s rule of not fielding candidates above the age of 75? The party bends so many rules of its own to suit its narrative. But then so many people don’t question anything that the party does.

It is rare that a person who has excelled in a particular field (be it arts, sports or engineering), will also excel in politics. These fields are about individual hard work and excellence, while politics is different ballgame altogether. I don’t see former Rajya Sabha members like Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha having brought any change even to their own fields, forget social issues at large.

ALSO READ: ‘Sreedharan’s Entry Into Politics A Boon For Kerala’

Similarly, for Mr Sreedharan, good reputation isn’t necessarily going to translate into a good political innings. In politics, you have to have a keen understanding of local issues and how they intertwine with national level and international level politics. A politician should be a social worker first.

In June 2019, when the Delhi government proposed free commute for city women in Delhi Metro, Mr Sreedharan wrote a letter to the Prime Minister saying it would set a bad precedent. Why couldn’t the ‘Metro Man’ communicate directly with the state government of Delhi, where the issue belonged? I had an inkling then itself that he might join politics in future.

Many people laud him as the force behind the ambitious Metro projects. But it is not the achievement of Mr Sreedharan alone. The Delhi Metro Project was brought in by the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government. It was the political backing that made everything possible, from the doing away of bureaucratic roadblocks, getting international loans sanctioned to see the Delhi Metro built through heavily-populated areas.

So far in his career, he has to be answerable to only a few. I would love to see how Mr Sreedharan fields questions asked by the media, and would love to know his views on important matters and just how much hard-work he is ready to put in as a political candidate.

As told to Yog Maya Singh

Local Issues Hold Key to Assembly Elections

‘We Will Choose Bengal’s Didi Over Muslim Owaisi’

By LokMarg

Maulana Shahidul Qadri, 45, from Dhankheti, Metiaburj in Kolkata, says local issues hold key to assembly elections and therefore he will prefer Trinamool candidate than a divisive BJP or AIMIM

At a time when many people around the country have given in to the politics of division and polarity, people in Bengal are still standing united, strongly. We Bengalis form an opinion after a lot of deliberation and in-depth understanding and analysis of a matter, and thus one cannot divide us so easily.

As a Maulana and also as an Imam of the masjid at Dhankheti (Metiaburj), I tell people not to fall prey to the politics of hate; firqakaparasti wali baton me mat aaiye. We also tell people through editorials in various newspapers that we should not forget local issues while state elections are underway.

I wonder why BJP makes every election, right down to even the civic body elections, about national issues. Wasn’t our election system created and upgraded so that issues at every level could find adequate voice and be solved subsequently?

BJP might try bringing in the big guns for the elections, but Mamata Banerjee will once again become the CM. We have chosen to support Didi even over a Muslim candidate, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi. It is not about Hindu-Muslim leaders, but rather on who as a leader has an understanding of local issues.

ALSO READ: Battle For Bengal Is The Election To Watch

The BJP-TMC face-off means everyday there’s some new statement from either side, but the electorate is noticing everything. The pandemic has shown us how important it is to have robust local leadership and we will keep focussing on that.

Bengal was a more peaceful place earlier, but now you hear news of BJP-TMC or BJP-Left clashes. I condemn incidents like attacks on JP Nadda; violence shouldn’t have any place in a democracy. We are Bengalis and Indians too, apart from being Hindus and Muslims.

Sometimes I wonder if like Assam, madarsa education will be banned in West Bengal as well! How will we then understand the basics of the faith we practise? There are many other ways in which the Muslim identity and the country’s Constitution and the institutions are being chipped away by the BJP but we have faith in both Mamata Didi and Allah.

NRC-CAA, Shaheen Bagh, illegal Bangladeshi immigrant, purportedly for whom the bill was brought in… was a burning issue just an year ago, do you hear as much of it during Bengal elections? Why? We can see through everything. The Prime Minister is not the leader of a party alone and not only of a particular party or community. He must take the whole country together and walk.

ALSO READ: It’s Bengal Trinamool Vs Outsider BJP

The first term of this government was all about sowing seeds of mistrust between communities that had been mostly living peacefully for so long. The second term was all about interpreting law in such a way that that hatred was normalised. Even though we respect the Ram Janmbhoomi verdict, it would have been nice if the bhoomi-poojan had been a calmer affair.

Triple talaq, Delhi riots, NRC and now the love jihad (which the Supreme Court has said doesn’t hold true because relationship between two consenting adults is their choice), I wonder when will all this stop and when will we begin focussing on issues that really matter for us as a country?

No leader is perfect, and Mamata Banerjee gets angered easily, but we feel ke unka dil saf hai aur hausla buland. She has our interests at heart. We hope in the coming years she will mature into a calmer leader and learn to strategize better, Bengal and the country can truly benefit from that.

First Lady Civil Engineer in The Kerala

‘In Our Times, A Woman Driver Would Pull Curious Crowds’

By LokMarg

Mary George, 80, first lady civil engineer in the Kerala State Electricity Board, tells us what woman empowerment means to her

When people ask me what women empowerment means to me and how much it has changed over the generations, one particular example comes to my mind. I started driving a car in the 1960s at a time when very few women drove cars in Trivandrum. Those days, whenever I ventured out to rural pockets in my car, people would gather on both sides of the road, calling out: “Hey look, there is a woman behind the wheel.” Today a woman driver will not get a second look. This is how women empowerment has evolved over the past few decades.

When I started working, it was difficult for me to manage work and family together. Over the course of my career spanning 34 years in the Kerala State Electricity Board, I went from being the only lady civil engineer in my department to guiding hundreds of young and enthusiastic girls who chose to join the board as engineers. So, the change has been a constant factor.

I am the eldest of the seven children of my parents. In 1958, I got admission into the BSc (Engg.) course in Trivandrum, Kerala. I was one of the 13 girls among the 70 students admitted into the Civil Engineering course. Ours was the second batch in which girls were admitted. The first batch had only two girls.

ALSO READ: ‘How I Turned The (Dining) Tables On Covid’

After completing engineering, I was selected for appointment at the Kerala State Electricity Board as Junior Engineer in the Chief Engineers Office, Trivandrum. At that time, I was the only lady engineer in the Kerala State Electricity Board.

Most of my colleagues and seniors were quite supportive, especially because they found me to be sincere and willing to work hard. But yes, there were a handful of instances where some staff tried to take advantage of me, probably because of the gender.

There was an influential trade union leader who told me he had little time to sign the attendance register. But I was firm and told him: No signing would mean you are marked absent. He got the message that I meant business.

In another instance, I found much discrepancy in accounts of projects and works which had been completed several years prior to my appointment and needed my clearances. I firmly put my foot down and told the staff concerned that these files will get my sanctions only if they are updated correctly. I gave them two months’ time.

I was indeed pleased to see that the boys burned midnight oil to finish the task before deadline. So, the glitches that carried on for several years were brought up-to-date in a matter of two months. An officer only needed to show the intent; discipline flows down.

ALSO READ: ‘Lockdown Gave Me A Home Business’

I strongly believe that this goes to show how much impact one can make through having the right attitude and being sincere in the work one does. If we are sincere, the people who work with us will also become sincere.

In 1995, I became the first lady Chief Engineer of the Civil Engineering Department in the Kerala State Electricity Board and returned to Trivandrum. I continued in that capacity till my retirement in 1996.

I am happy to say that I have continued my family tradition to provide good education to my children. Both our sons are specialist doctors. My elder daughter-in-law is a Professor of Community Medicine and the younger a Professor of Psychiatry in medical colleges in Kerala. I am so happy to see all the women in our family as professionals.

As told To Mamta Sharma

Risk Using Public Transport Amid Pandemic

‘Regular Rise In Petrol Price Has Upset Home Budget’

By LokMarg

Nihar Ranjan Panigrahi, 29, an engineer in Ranchi, says commuting on his motorbike is getting costlier by the day but one cannot risk using public transport amid pandemic

The rising petrol prices have meant that every month we have to keep making new adjustments to our monthly home budget. I am a daily bike user and travel nearly 12 kms for work purposes daily. Believe me, rising petrol prices are a big concern. Where earlier say ₹500 was going towards petrol now we have to set aside ₹700 for it.

Not only that, the prices of many commodities like fruits, vegetables etc have also shot up because of the transportation cost due to rise in petrol prices. So, as a whole, our monthly budget has gone up by a total of around ₹2,000.

I live in Ranchi but I have my roots in Odisha. Recently my wife and I had to go to our hometown there for some very urgent work. Trains and buses had been booked to full and in any case we didn’t feel very safe using public transport for the long distance during the pandemic. So my bike it was! We travelled several hundreds of kilometres on our bike and this trip burnt a big hole in my pocket.

ALSO READ: ‘Health, Defence Vital But What About Inflation?’

What is the common man supposed to do? One can only feel angry when you feel the pinch. But there is little option for us. There are many people who have lost their jobs during lockdown period and so many others who either faced salary-cut or no raise since last year.

Public transport still doesn’t feel like a safe option, what with so many people not wearing masks in public. One cannot risk contracting the virus. Your personal vehicle is costly but at least it is safe.

Nihar says common man has no option but to move on

My wife cycles every day to her workplace. She doesn’t have to worry about the rising petrol prices with her cycle. And she also feels happy that she isn’t contributing towards pollution. Perhaps the rising petrol prices will push many others to use cycles. However, for many, cycle can’t be a mode of family transport.

The government really needs to work on putting a stop to the rise in petrol prices. While the prices of oil and petrol barrels have been falling worldwide, I wonder why our government is not passing this benefit to the consumer! Plus, the government also needs to be really considerate with the pricing of everything: this is the post-pandemic world! Also, public transport needs to be made more robust.

As told to Yog Maya Singh

Voice Against Haryana Factory Owners & Farm Laws

EXCLUSIVE–Nodeep Kaur: You Must Fight To Live With Dignity

By LokMarg

Nodeep Kaur, the 24-year-old Dalit labour rights activist who was jailed for raising her voice against Haryana factory owners and farm laws, says her fight against injustice is far from over

It is rare and difficult for a woman to become a full-time activist. When a woman raises her voice for a cause, it is taken lightly. I learnt this at an early age, when my mother used to work in the fields and raised her voice for a rape victim. Later, I saw this at every stage of my life and most recently at the farmers protest on Singhu border. There were so many women who had come there but rarely were they given a chance to express their views on stage.

My mother taught me that if we were to live with dignity, we must raise our voice. I have seen her struggle, and the discrimination and the torture that a farm worker may face at the hands of big landlords. My mother always said the poor must stand unitedly to get their voice heard. Or we would be crushed.

Two years back, in 2019, I came to Delhi to be with my sister Rajvir Kaur. This was a time when protests were being held in the capital against Citizenship Act and NRC (national register for citizens). I felt moved by its social impact and actively took part in the demonstration.

When the lockdown was implemented, my father lost his job. As our financial situation dwindled, I looked for a job to support our family. Some of my friends in Kundli (Haryana) told me that I could find work in the factories there and I went ahead. I again witnessed how the factory owners were exploiting the labour.

In every industrial area, the factory owners keep a bunch of roughnecks who do not let labourers raise their voice. The labour is not supposed to challenge the factory owners for their due legal rights. There were longer hours and many workers had long pending wages. The proprietors used lockdown as an excuse to hold their dues. I knew the unity was important if the labour had to take on the owners. I joined the (Mazdoor Adhikar) Sangthan there.

Nodeep Kaur addresses the media during a press conference

When we started helping labourers get their pending wages, the factory owners were alarmed. During one of the protests they even fired at us. And when the protesters retaliated, the police came to their rescue and protection. Law enforcement agencies unabashedly sided by the rich.

Yet, we were able to get the dues of some 300 labourers paid. The factory owners felt the heat. There are thousands of workers in the area with similar cases. Paying their dues would be a financial and prestige setback for the proprietors. Besides, if it worked in Kundli, then they feared that it will have an effect on other industrial areas as well.

Meanwhile, as labourers we lent our support to farmers protesting against Central laws right from November 26, the day when the protests started. We raised a tent at Singhu border from day one and also organized a labour strike to express our solidarity and support to the farmers. More than 2,000 labourers took off from their work and came marching to the farmers protest site.

We thus came across as a threat to both the local industrialists as well as the state. So in a planned manner, when we were protesting peacefully on January 12, the quick response teams of the company came. While I was talking to them, the police began lathicharge on the protesters, including women. They dragged me. It was natural reaction of my fellow labourers to resist the action. But for this, I was charged with unlawful assembly, trespass, criminal assault, intimidation and even attempt to murder. Clearly, they wanted to create a sense of fear in others and keep the factory owners in good humour. That’s why I believe the arrest was all planned in advance and accordingly executed.

As told to Mamta Sharma

Nodeep Kaur At Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Delhi

EXCLUSIVE–Nodeep Kaur Recounts Her Stay In Prison

By LokMarg

Nodeep Kaur says she studied books by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and sang revolutionary songs with fellow inmates every day to keep her morale high

The image of a prison in my mind was different from what I saw in person. I had always imagined jail to be a place inhabited by outlaws and criminals. There was fear also in my mind when I was ushered into the barrack for under-trials. But I soon realized that many of the inmates were languishing because they had rubbed the State the wrong way.

Whoever stands up before the powerful or tries to be the voice of the people, he or she runs the risk of arrest and charges that a judge will find difficult to grant bail for. I feel fortunate that my case was highlighted and concerned citizens raised their voice in my favour. My lawyers too worked diligently. Else, I could be just another labour activist languishing in prison.

I found to my dismay that jails officials disallowed any book to be delivered from outside. Also, you cannot get a pen or a notebook to write down. So whatever books I could get hold of in the jail, I read most of them. There were books on Ambedkar and penal laws. Ironically, I could see it there that the reality of laws in paper and on the ground was so different.

I would talk to other inmates and discuss their cases. I saw that even women had been charged with acts like POCSO and rape. These charges make chances of a bail dismal. There was gloom.

During our protests, I had picked up many songs that talked of revolution, justice and hope. I would sing those numbers with the fellow inmates. It lifted the atmosphere. In a short time, it became a routine. Every evening, ginti band hone se pahle (before the final roll-call) we would all sing together. Thus, talking to inmates, reading, reciting poems or talking about what was happening in the protests outside helped me sail through that time.

Nodeep Kaur during her visit to Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, New Delhi

Punjab and Haryana High Court granted me bail last week (February 26). But achieving bail is not an end in it itself. The fight is far from over, and it is a long fight ahead. My bail doesn’t mean that the condition of the labourers has improved. Workers’ demands have not been met by the factory owners. Many other innocent people are in jail and even today caste and religion divides our society. My fight will continue for a just society.

I will continue to support farmers at the Singhu border and also raise voice for labour rights. My parents have supported me in my fight. Even when I was in jail, they said they want me to continue my fight for the people. Those who fight for the rights of others, leave behind a legacy.

I came to know that some famous personalities highlighted the issue of my arrest and false charges. It may have helped the case, but it is the support that I got from the people makes me humble and proud.

Read Part I – Nodeep Kaur: You Must Fight To Live With Dignity

As told to Mamta Sharma

The Illegal Procedure of Ravi’s Arrest

‘Disha Will Get Justice When Illegal Case Against Her Is Quashed’

By LokMarg

Rajani Santosh, a co-activist of Disha Ravi, rues the fact that instead of highlighting the illegal procedure of Ravi’s arrest, the media was busy vilifying a 22-year-old climate activist

Since August 2019, I have been volunteering for several environmental groups for research and advocacy on local environmental issues like waste management, illegal tree felling, water wastage and most recently the farm unrest. Together, we have been trying to declutter, simplify local environmental-friendly practices and along our journey, we are constantly educating ourselves too.

Disha Ravi has been part of the same group of conscientious citizens in Bengaluru who are trying to make a change. Be it Central farm laws, anti-coal campaigns or local climate issues, Disha has been at the forefront of mobilizing young people for petitioning, demonstrating, forming human chains in an orderly and peaceful way. She is also a vocal advocate for animal rights and a vegan too. Law-abiding citizens of her generation who live simple lives are a rare breed.

Therefore, as a co-activist, the news of her arrest (in the Toolkit Case) came as a huge shock. It was chilling to see her being vilified in the media. The Centre’s manipulations and Karnataka govt’s involvement in her arrest should have been highlighted as an attack on Indian federal structure! But instead of speaking about the manner in which a 22-year-old was picked up by the police of another state, reporters were digging out details about a protest toolkit.

Disha and her band of activists in the Fridays For Future (Bengaluru chapter) have been on ground since late 2018 (when she was in college). Learning the science, economics and politics behind the climate crisis, she saw a role model in Greta Thunberg. She voiced her opinion before the powerful and spoke in a language that motivated youth to speak for themselves in other countries.

They organised walks, plogs, conferences, panel discussions since 2019 on a range of social issues. You can see from the timelines on their social media accounts how these students consulted senior environmentalists like Dr Yellappa Reddy, Dr Harini Nagendra, Leo (ESG) and other experts.

Rajani (inset) feels Disha is a rare example of climate conscious citizen of her generation

I do not think the arrest has dampened the spirit at all. It will only make us work closely with each other. Her arrest has brought one fact in focus: that environmental activists have a stake in farm laws because these laws push for farmland consolidation which will lead to loss of biodiversity-based agri-models of our country.

The bail order for Disha Ravi was a relief. However, what happened was wrong and she will get complete freedom only when the case against her is legally quashed. We are in a climate emergency and very few voices are speaking up. Sadly, environmental cases get attention only when there is loss of many human lives due to unnatural floods, glacial bursts or similar man-made disaster. Soon, the issue gets buried under news TRPs and we move to the next calamity.

For now, Disha is lying low and speaking to very few of us, and I think that is best for her now. But I am in touch with her lawyers and we shall take this case to its logical, legal conclusion.

The Raging Pandemic Over

Watch – ‘Lower Courts Worst Hit, Virtual Hearing A Farce’

By LokMarg

While legal apparatus as a whole was severely impaired by the raging pandemic over last one year, its worst impact was on lower courts in Tier-2 towns. Lawyers, litigants, petitioners all felt the pinch as only bail matters would come for hearing.

LokMarg spoke to several lawyers and appellants at the courts of law to find that there were few takers for virtual hearings and the work remained standstill with little hope in sight for those in search for legal solutions.

Watch the full video here

Sreedharan’s Entry Into Politics

‘Sreedharan’s Entry Into Politics Is A Boon For Kerala’

By LokMarg

Anjali Bhaskar, 37, from Kottayam, Kerala, feels E Sreedharan’s entry into politics can be a game-changer for the state. She stresses that right candidates matter more than the party in Assembly elections

E Sreedharan is the pride of both Kerala as well as India. He has given India a long-lasting legacy that will be remembered for ages. He made public transport easy and accessible and he has shown that he has public interest at heart and also that he executes those public interest works in the easiest, quickest and most efficient way possible. So, personally I am happy that a person with such a level of commitment, discipline and dignity has joined politics.

He is 88, but I believe it’s not his physical age that we should be looking at; we should recognise his mental contributions, his troubleshooting methods that can improve people’s lives. In an age when even political rallies have been digitised (hologram technique), he wouldn’t have to get out of the comfort of his home to interact effectively with people (at least during campaigning). And after campaigning also, he can definitely find digital methods to serve people easily. Also, he is really fit for his age physically.

BJP has broken its own rule of not allowing people above 75 to be a part of active politics in Metro Man’s case but we believe we can work around some rules when it comes to exemplary people, whose dedication to the nation is well known. I also believe E Sreedharan’s entry into politics will change the way the wind is blowing in Kerala. So far BJP hasn’t managed to make inroads into the state.

Bhaskar is impressed by fitness of Mr Sreedharan (inset) at 88

Post retirement, Mr Sreedharan has spent a lot of time living in Kerala and he understands local issues. Even though he will be an MLA if he contests elections and Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Wayanad, Kerala, it will affect both the parties.

I feel it is my duty to choose the right leader. I am very happy with the leadership style of Narendra Modi at the Centre and even Mr Sreedharan has proven leadership qualities. The same Indians, who do not follow rules of hygiene and queuing outside, follow all the rules once inside the Metro.

ALSO READ: ‘Delhi Metro Set An Example Amid Pandemic’

However, when it comes to local issues, I don’t see the party per se as much as I see the candidate in question. An even if an individual’s work hasn’t been up to the mark, I see whether their intention and communication was good. Communication is very important in running a local body, town, city, state and country. And even the family. In Assembly Elections you also have to see how candidates communicate and coordinate with their party members as well as members from other parties.

I voted during the Kerala local body elections in December, even though Covid-19 thread was looming. And I will again vote during Assembly Elections without fear (of course with precautions). If we choose the right leaders at every step from local elections to Lok Sabha Elections, we can handle issues like the pandemic and other important issues more effectively.

Abuse & Harassment At The Workplace

‘Had Priya Ramani Spoken Early, It Would’ve Helped Others’

By LokMarg

Namita Shetty, 40, a trauma therapist in Mumbai, says if a journalist of Priya Ramani’s stature had spoken up against harassment in time, it would have saved many others from similar suffering

In my honest opinion the hashtag #MeToo doesn’t really help when it comes to abuse and harassment at the workplace. In my work as a psychotherapist, I can say that each case is different, and to push them all under the same umbrella (such as #MeToo) is problematic.

Coming to the Priya Ramani case, I frankly am not very proud of her. I would instead hold the example of an IAS officer like Rupan Deol Bajaj, who took on a man of the stature of KPS Gill, considered by many a super cop, a hero, in good time.

I feel sad that that a journalist of Priya Ramani’s standing needed a #MeToo surge to be able to tell her story of harassment. If a journalist of her experience did not have the courage to speak up for 25 years, how could she have the conviction to report matters of gender injustices such as Nirbhaya, Priyanka Reddy, Hathras, or lately Unnao? Having said that, it is still important that these stories be told, the traumas be shared.

Shetty (left) holds the fight of Rupan Deol Bajaj (right) in high esteem

If you feel you have been abused, you are supposed to speak up, not listen. It is the time to have a voice, not an ear to listen to other weaker, more scared voices and stop. I admire the courage of an unlettered woman like Asha Devi (Nirbhaya’s mother) who had the tenacity and the resilience to fight things through and not be embarrassed by what happened to her daughter. That is how we are supposed to react. By hiding our stories, we become victims over and over again.

I say there is a difference between being a victim and moving around with a sense of victimhood when it comes to harassment and abuse. Especially in the workplace you need to take quicker actions because you need to see the person everyday. Don’t wait for workplaces to strengthen the policies. While that is always welcome, work with the tools you have in hand right now and work towards feeling better.

ALSO READ: ‘Ramani’s Case To Be A Precedent & A Deterrent’

Being a victim of harassment is like registering what is wrong and untoward. But victimhood is not the answer. React; act whatever makes you feel empowered, legally or socially. If you are outraged at what happened to your dignity and modesty then walk with that anger and outrage until you feel better. Don’t wait for a revolution to share your story; be the revolution. Your story is as sacred as anyone else’s.

We need to do away with the ‘bechara’ culture in India. Bechara is the language of victimhood. Be a ‘ME’ and not a ‘ME TOO’. Love yourself enough so that the perpetrator cannot find gaps in your personality or gaslight you, be sure of yourself. Own your sexuality and your orientation. Owning yourself fully is the most powerful things you can do.

And while it is okay for people to come out decades later with their stories, it is preferable to come out sooner. You don’t have to carry the pain for so long. The post-pandemic workplace has changed and most of the work has gone virtual, that doesn’t mean you let go of virtual harassment.

As Told To Yog Maya Singh