myVENTILATION

Mullaperiyar Dam'age’

2012-02-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

Bharat was dividedon the basis of religion into Indiaand Pakistan (and now Bangladesh).Thereafter Indiawas split into several pieces on the basis of languages. Tamil Nadu and Keralacame into being on the basis of languages, but the umbilical chord that runsthrough the nation in the form of our common culture and civilization cannot beerased so easily. Moreover, Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is nothing butan offspring of Sanskrit and Tamil in almost equal measure. But the horrificpicture of a Mullaperiyar Dam (situated in Kerala for providing water for a fewdistricts in Tamil Nadu) that is about to burst at any time has brought in moredamage to the friendliest of relations that have existed for hundreds ofgenerations. An innocuous dam that is providing lifeline to more than fourdistricts of Tamil Nadu has suddenly become a water bomb that is threateningthe lives of millions in Kerala.

Every dam is apotential hazard and it is definitely more so when it is over a hundred yearsold. Mankind has mastered the science of predicting almost anything except ofcourse a few natural phenomena like earth quakes. They can occur at any placeand at any time. The scientific explanations in terms of fault planes thatoccur later remain as irrelevant and useless as our explanations about thefluctuations in currency rates and gold prices after they occur. But suchunpredictable natural phenomena have never prevented mankind from progress anddevelopment. We have always found reasonable solutions to all our problems byuse of appropriate technology in scientific ways. The same scientific tempershould have taken the lead in finding a solution to the dam issue. But insteadsome known evil forces have taken the lead to misuse the opportunity for theirown petty ends. The damage it has done is much more far-reaching than the reachof life-giving water it provides.

Real Reasons

Biggest bane ofKerala’s political democracy is the existence of ‘needle’ communal parties andits complete polarization into two political coalitions. Though power alwaysshifts from one to the other every five years, these needle parties always finda few slots in the ministries and that invariably results in the undoing ofwhatever good the ministries achieve. It is quite surprising to note how suchrabidly communal parties can operate in a so-called secular country. A nationwhich was divided on the basis of religion can allow the growth of communalpolitical parties only at its own peril. Yet the narrow political objective ofthe so-called national parties is failing the soul of Indian nation once again.There are so many reasons to conclude that the present spurt in dam alarm is onaccount of meeting of minds of two such rabidly communal political parties in power– one with intense local interests and another one because they are indifferentabout the place.

The timing of thespurt in agitation is also very much noticeable. Sabarimala shrine has been aproblem for many for many decades because of its location amidst an unfriendlyenvironment. Its unprecedented growth in terms of number of pilgrims and theresultant potential of evolving into a much awaited unifying force multipliercutting across all forms of man-made divisions within the majority community isa nightmare for many political players in the God’s Own country. The state hasthe maximum number of emigrants and most of the major decisions about Keralanow are taken abroad by collegiums of our own men and international forces withtheir own agenda. It rarely happens but the dam provided a unique opportunityfor all the players to come together and make the best ‘use’ of the dam. Afterthe Sabarimala season the whole cacophony has died down and that makes thesituation much more suspicious.

Real Solutions

But the potentialproblem associated with any water reservoir dam is always existent and it hasto be addressed in normal course in a purely scientific manner. A dam is alsoto be treated as a utility with an economic value associated with it, and likeall utility equipment, its annual depreciation must provide enough reserves torebuild once it passes the allowable age. Mullaperiyar dam has already crossedits limit and technologists must suggest the best solution. India has someof the best technological institutions and brains in the current world and itis not at all an issue to get a study done within a few months. Politics is acurse when it gets mixed with anything else and politicians must be kept out ofthe picture in all such scientific pursuits. This should include even those whohave come into politics from the fields of science and technology. Only‘sitting’ technologists must indulge in such scientific studies. And in ademocracy like Indiathe final decision will always be that of the elected government.

It is also time forall of us to understand that other than unconditional love (which is perhapsonly from parents and spouse), all that sustains our lives has a price.Strictly speaking there is absolutely nothing that is free of cost. This istrue with regard to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the earth wetread on. Whatever be the history behind it, all the beneficiaries ofMullaperiyar dam must realize that they have to pay for the services it isproviding and allow for reconstruction when its useful life is over. It isdrinking water and breathing air, and not oil and gas, that are going to be thepremium commodities in twenty first century. The beneficiary state must bewilling to compensate the rightful owner of dam and its water in the case ofMullaperiyar. Kerala and Tamil Nadu must be willing to finalise a purelycommercial agreement for sale of water, and not in wasting their time andenergy by allowing petty politics (and politicians) to hijack such sensitiveissues.

Butall said and done, the damage caused in the name of dam’s age, is going to takeyears to heal. The mean manipulators have also tasted success by the fall innumber of Sabarimala pilgrims and the sense of insecurity it has created amongthose who visited Sabarimala this year. There is no doubt that the same evilforces will be at full bloom next year too at the same time to repeat theirshow of insane solidarity. They know very well that a few years of repeatedefforts will achieve what they really intended. Barring the laudable levels ofliteracy achieved by the state, all other indications about Kerala are highlyalarming and worrisome. The God’s Own Country in terms of its landscape andnatural resources is slowly slipping into another Valley of Discontent,quite in line with a nasty NRI agenda.

Civilisational Cultures

2012-01-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

In very simpleterms, one’s culture is what one will think and do if one gets lost in anisland with the full knowledge that there is no chance of being rescued. Thetrue self in each one of us will come out only then and that is our trueculture. Culture of civilizations follows the same pattern. Each of thecivilizations has developed in isolation and is truly representative of the cultureof people who constitute them. Many of the civilizations have died out and thefew remaining continue to progress reflecting the core culture that makes themdifferent. Whatever be the changes brought about by progress and development,the essential nature of our culture will always be reflected in whatever we doas a civilization and ultimately as a nation. In very broad terms, we canalways categorise the world civilizations into three types based on their coreactivities during their formative periods viz. Agri-culture, Tradi-culture andColoni-culture.

‘Agri’culture

Indian civilizationis essentially an agricultural one and Indian culture is replete with the nature,symbols and characteristics of agriculture. Agriculture requires great insight,immense efforts and unlimited patience. The essential nature of Indian nationand Indian people still reflect these three unique characteristics. In terms ofculture and civilization, Indiais the only continuing civilization that has survived uninterrupted for theentire recorded past. All others, be it Chinese, Japanese, Western, American orAfrican, have undergone drastic changes (and revolutions) and are not the samethat was one thousand years ago. Agricultural civilizations do not peak so muchand will not die out completely. There will be ups and downs, but within alimited bandwidth. This is very evident in the case of

India

, whose civilization peakedduring the vedic period and waned during the one thousand years of Mughals andBritish rule. But immense patience, tolerance and inherent truth and strengthin its basic beliefs will ensure its continued presence till the end of time. Wedo not know when agriculture began, but we know it will never end. Similar isthe case of agricultural civilizations. They have no beginning and no end(sanatana). So is the case with Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) which is the coreof Indian civilization.

‘Tradi’culture

In sharp contrastto Agriculture, we have Trading cultures which do not produce or own anythingby their own efforts. All they have is some money to buy and sell agricultural andother products. In the process they make profit which is used for furthertrading. The civilizations in West Asia fallunder this category. Their lands are barren and not fit for agriculture. Theynever had settlements and used to spend their entire life as nomads buying goodsfrom one place and selling it at another place. Their relationships weretransient and there was never time enough for studies and producing literaturefor entertainment and enlightenment. Their approach to life was one of completeadhocism trying to sort out issues as they come by. Needless to say that suchpeople had no concept of lasting relationships and never found time tointrospect on the deepest mysteries of nature. It was easier to attributeeverything to a creator and discipline the rogue crowd with fear. The few lastingcontributions to world heritage by these West Asians are limited to those fromsettlements in the present day Iranand Iraq.Unexpected discovery of ‘black gold’ in the 1950s’ that brought in the presentday filthy richness among these people have not touched the basic culture ofthese people one bit.

‘Coloni’culture

Quite differentfrom the other two, the culture of colonial people is always oriented towards theloot they can manage from their colonies. Unlike agriculturists and traders,the colonizers do not carry out any constructive work or make or produceanything at all. They are adept only in usurping the fruits of labour by others,just like what we do with the honey made by honeybees. The case of establishedcolonial nations in Europe exemplifies thisattitude in very clear terms. Europe is rich today only because of the toil andtears of civilizations in Asia and Africaduring yesteryears and even now. Left to them, colonial cultures cannot sustainthemselves on the food and wealth created by themselves. They would always needthe efforts of others for their own benefit and have developed immense skills(now embedded in their DNAs) in management of others. Extra-ordinary adeptnessof the colonizers in managing others by putting ‘friends and enemies’ among‘enemies and friends’ is evident even today in West Asia, Latin America, Africaand South Asia. These people show an exemplary sense of fairness when dealingwith disputes involving other cultures and that makes them the natural choicein world disputes. However, it is very difficult for the ‘coloni’culturists whoare used to an easy lifestyle to come out of it.

It is very evidentthat the one and only truly sustainable culture in this planet is the onerelated to agriculture. No other way of living can provide the food forsurvival and food for thought together in a sustainable manner. In fact theunparalleled continuity of Sanatana Hindu civilization in India for thepast ten thousand odd years without any major change can be explained only onthe basis of its agricultural base. Immense hope, struggle, patience and trulysecular behavior of a ‘Sanatani Hindu’ – Mahatma Gandhi claimed himself to beone – can be directly attributed to his or her cultural background inagriculture which requires all these attributes to succeed. Continuednegligence of the agricultural sector in India by those in power will onlyweaken the cultural foundations of our civilization in the long run.

Corruption, Conversion and Subversion

2011-12-03T04:19:00.001-08:00

Atleast half the citizens of the great Indian nation are involved in one of these three – Corruption or Conversion or Subversion. It is a matter of great concern and shame that the land of Mahatma Gandhi could achieve such a dubious status within half a century of its liberation from the British rule. Prevalence of the three evils in our society makes it difficult to believe that this great nation had once given births to the likes of Lord Budha and Guru Nanak, and Lord Krishna and Lord Rama in the ancient times. We can find solace only by blaming it all on the invaders, conquerors and colonial powers which brought in their filthy ideologies into this pristine nation of Hindu Sanatana Dharma. Situation is so bad in India today that the existence of India as one nation will be called into question again and again in the days to come. Formidable forces are at work in building up conditions similar to 1947 or even worse once again. And the ill designed version of democracy in India where any worthless family member can be sanctified by way of an election is making it easy for the growth of such evil forces.

Corruption

Corruption in India is not only in terms of bribes and money. The curse of corruption has spread into almost all aspects of our lives. There is corruption in values, relations, elections, governance, food, medicines and even in matters of defending the nation. If one needs a simple certificate from any office, one needs either the right contacts or pay the right amount and then wait for the officer to do his duty for which he is paid the salary from the tax payers’ pocket. Thus we are repeatedly punished for getting the officer to do his official ‘dharma’. One of the highly meaningful Sanskrit words (with no equivalent in English) that represent an entire school of ancient philosophy of successful human sustenance is Dharma. It was attributed so much importance in ancient Bharath that even our entire religious ideology came to be known as Sanatana Dharma. Indian nation is deteriorating because its citizens are moving away from Dharma.

It is unrealistic to suggest that ancient India was full of dharma and dharma alone. Even in puranas we had pantheons of Gods and Asuras in almost equal number at all times. These Asuras are nothing but people (equally powerful as Gods) who had a distinct liking for indulging in adharmic activities. And this was equally applicable across all sections (all castes) in the society – we had adharmic Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vysias and Sudras. Remember that the worst Asura ie. Ravan was a Brahmin. But we always had the presence and protection of Gods to ensure the prevalence of dharma and thereby protect the society and nation. It is this unbreakable protective shield of dharma that is missing now. Instead of self attained Gods, we have ‘elected’ Gods now. And virtually all of them have turned ‘asuric’ or become indifferent or willing Sikhandis when it comes to the welfare of our nation. There is hardly anyone in any of our elected bodies who can become a role model for those who want to enter Indian politics.

Conversion

Quite in line with the rapid growth of corruption, the cancer of religious conversion is also spreading throughout our nation. After its earlier aggressive phases during Mughal and colonial rules, the menace of religious conversion is peaking once again in the Southern and Eastern parts of the country. If the monies for conversion activities are coming from Europe and USA, the human resources are sourced mainly from the southern state of Kerala. There is a formidable section of ‘crossers’ in Kerala who have spent their generations in converting vulnerable sections of the country into Christianity. Their expertise in the field of religious conversion is being called upon once again to target mainly the other neighboring southern and eastern states. It is a very good industry with high returns and political conditions are also very much in their favour.

As part of their ‘intellectual’ efforts to justify this heinous action, several Indian descendents of Max Muller and Monier have been active in recent past to establish the historic authenticity of the myth of Saint Thomas’ visit to India. Though it has been out rightly rejected by Vatican, the Mullers and Moniers desperately want this historical fig leaf to hide their evil intentions. Another related attempt is to establish the existence of an ancient port called Muziris in the present city of Kodungalore in Kerala. It does need not much research in history or logic to establish that nobody by the name of Saint Thomas ever visited any part of India in the first century AD and the so-called Muziris port is the present port city of Sur in Oman. Ever since the advent of the new religions in the Arabian peninsula, violent persecution of one section or another was a regular affair and someone by the name of Thomas (Knaya Thoma) might have come over as a fugitive or refugee into the all-accepting lands of Bharath. If he was a welcome refugee then, his unworthy descendents have become disloyal to the land that protected their forefathers from persecution.

Subversion

As if the cancer of religious conversion is not enough, the ulcer of subversion is also troubling and targeting Bharat Mata now. Again it does not need much research to establish that the ulcer is due to an earlier unclean surgery. Islamic Republic of Pakistan will never allow the Indian Republic to be successful and they will do everything possible to keep us down. Following the spurt of wealth in Middle East from Oil and Gas discoveries, the economic well being of worldwide Muslims have improved and their dreams of an Arabian Imperialism as a revengeful antidote for the Crusades has become a reality now. Pakistan is a direct beneficiary of this new found wealth and vigour, and they will multiply their anti-India efforts many fold in the days to come. India can never avoid bomb blasts that are taking place at regular intervals until and unless it can raise the nationalist fervor of all its citizens once again to pre-1947 levels.

Though Gulf countries are willing to spend a substantial part of their easy-gotten money to bring the whole world under their foot, they do not have the human resources and intelligence to do it. Countries like Pakistan have become very important in such a situation. Gulf countries are knowingly providing an arena for close interaction between Indians and Pakistanis so that their agenda can be pushed very easily. It is the classic case of the wily fox setting the two lambs to fight and waiting for its turn to eat both of them. The only difference in this case is that one of the lambs is not purely a lamb, but the unwanted offspring of an earlier interaction between the grand father of the fox and an unfortunate sheep. The illegitimate lamb is more than willing to die for his uncle but wants the other pristine lamb also to die before that.

The state of Indian nation is deteriorating in all aspects at all levels barring a few. If corruption is eating into our bone marrows, the twin evils of conversion and subversion are pricking our national conscience many times daily. In spite of being one of the most liberal nations in the world (with almost complete freedom that one can imagine) and with a very lose judicial punishment system for even treason, if some sections can still legitimize their anti-national activities quoting lack of social justice and opportunities, it is time to think of tough measures to establish the rule of majority as it exists in all modern nations worldwide. It is time for us to realize that any country that is under minority rule or being dictated by the minorities is intrinsically unstable and unsustainable.

Revelation Logic

2011-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Revelations from anomnipotent and omnipresent (yet unknown) God form the very basic foundation ofalmost all the religions in this world. If we define religions as paths towards(realization of) God, we find it interesting to note that the paths are as uncertainand vague as the objective itself. The concept of an external God, the rewardand punishment variety, is almost completely illogical and dead. We do not needanymore proof for an outright rejection than the ever increasing cases ofviolence, deaths, injustice and atrocities all around us. The simple fact that suchatrocities are much more in the ‘centers of God’ highlights the utter failureof such a custodian of Heaven and Hell. He(?) has proved to be an utter failureand the question remains as to why we need such an external God if there is nonet growth in goodness in this world. The only rational and logical thesisabout God that remains is one about a God which is all pervasive and utterly indifferentuntil the individual realizes Him (Advaita).

However, we cannotreject revelations in the same logic as in the case of an external God. It ispolitically incorrect and hazardous to name the revelations, but most of therevelation material is gibberish. But there are parts which make good a readingif we approach them with an open mind. One should read each of them completely andnever attempt any parallel reading or comparisons. By the way, the field of ‘comparativereligions’ is an unwanted and unnecessary discipline, contributing only to themenace of extremism and consequent terrorism. Experts in comparative religiousstudies have done maximum damage to the peaceful co-existence of multireligions in many countries. Though revelation literature is mostly made up ofincoherent text, occasionally we come across materials that may make sense toeach of us depending upon our background. These are the areas where we shouldbe looking for some useful stuff that might help us.

Man’sLimitations

Whatever advancementswe have made so far, the basic limitations of man remains. Scientifically, Man isdesigned only for seeing and hearing within a specific range of frequencies. Weare blissfully ignorant of so many things happening around us at all times.Past centuries of development have no doubt helped us in extending our indirectreach. With special gadgets and software, we can now reach across millions ofkilometers and decipher the earlier unknown signals. Man-made satellites havegone and landed in other planets and through the Hubble telescope we have physicallyseen much more than our predecessors. Our frontiers of knowledge are everexpanding and a newly born child is much more evolved and adapted to modernenvironment than the ones earlier. Yet at one end of the complex system of discoverygadgets, we still find the Homo Sapiens whose innate capabilities are limited.Superman and Batman exist only in our imagination.

Very often theuseful capability that comes to the help of a ‘limited’ Man is his mind and thepower of imagination. Within our minds we can imagine anything, realistic orunrealistic, and human mind is the only tool we have that can claim to be trulyunlimited. Depending upon the extent of knowledge we have acquired, our mindscan conjure up any amount of possibilities and even impossibilities. Many ofhuman inventions in the past have sprung from impossible imaginations thatultimately proved to be truthful on close scrutiny. And if we go by therecorded experiences of the highly evolved Gurus (especially from India), the powerof the sub-conscious mind is even more astounding. Most of the Godlyrevelations have come to mankind through this route. The all-pervasive God reaches out to Manthrough his mind.

God’s Limitlessness

When Man is oflimited capabilities, God has to be of unlimited capabilities. There areseveral ways to prove it. One of the easiest ways to establish the limitlessnessof God is by analyzing the revelations of God. It will not be an exaggerationat all, if such an attempt leads us to the conclusion that some men knew muchmore (or at least as much) in the past than now. The relevance of revelationscomes in here. Revelations in all religions talk about many things which arenot spiritual in nature and often much beyond the knowledge of contemporaryhumans. And when we analyse the revelations now by experts in the field, thereare more rocks of truth in them than specks of untruth. References to sun,moon, stars and cosmos in the holybooks of all major religions are examples ofthis. How did we come to know of such facts thousands of years back when modernscientific discoveries and calculations are only a few centuries old? How isthe whole cosmos described in full details in Bhagavatam of Hindu SanatanaDharma (HSD) when space expeditions started only a few decades back? Andhow is the speed of light given so precisely in Puranas’?

There can be onlyone answer to these types of questions. Whatever is logically beyond man’srealm of knowledge in terms of chronology of human development came to ourpublic domain from elsewhere. Revelations containing such details which havebeen proved true by modern science later on have to be taken seriously. Vedicliterature in Indiacontains treatises on almost fields of human knowledge and the extent ofrevelations contained in many of them is still much beyond the reach of modernscience. The four Vedas (of HSD) areconsidered revelations of God by Hindus and we are yet to analyse fully themore than one hundred thousand mantrascontained in them. Indian Rishis who wrote them had only theirminds as their tools when compared to the complexity of our modern rockets,electronic gadgetry and computer software put together. They could have got suchadvanced knowledge only on the initiative of God through the revelations.

A brief comparisonof what knowledge we have gathered in the past one thousand years as againstthe gist of revelations contained in the various holy books is enough to arriveat the conclusion that the religious revelations cannot be ignored. But what ismore important is the next logical step of opening up these holy texts forfurther studies, interpretations, scrutiny and rigorous analysis. It is heremany of the religions have failed. For purely selfish and political reasons,many of the holybooks are kept out of bounds from those who want to study,analyse and criticize. Even the God who had revealed it to mankind would beresenting the suffocating grip maintained by a few on the holybooks. While openbooks will enlighten and empower the readers, closed books will only kill thenatural urge of knowledge. And ultimately all closed books will degenerate and landup in the dustbins of history is a lesson that misses the moronic clergy.

Overloaded Planet

2011-10-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

It has been quite clear for sometime now, that Earth is an overloaded planet. The six billion human load is unbearable and making life more and more miserable for an increasing number of people every year, though there exists some organisations making a living out of this business of population growth. Sustainability is the hottest topic in every international forum now and it is quite surprising that all of us are missing the fact that our own planet has already reached unsustainable proportions. The utopian concept of Socialism can be thought of in two ways – bringing in ‘equality’ either by trying to make all people rich or by making everyone poor. By increasing the denominator, whatever be its justification, the chosen route seems to be the latter. At this rate one of our future children will definitely step on the destruction button for planet Earth.

India is one of the most overloaded geographical areas in the whole world and within it the state of Kerala presents the extreme limits of population density. Not a single rainy season passes off in Kerala without spurts of Dengue fever, Rat fever, Cholera, Jaundice etc., etc. What is the most important reason for this? Nothing but an unsustainable number of human beings per square kilometre. Kerala has one of the maximum density of population and the ‘safe’ inhabitation land area now available is carrying almost double the advisable number of people. The net result is pollution of all water bodies, lack of safe drinking water, lack of infrastructure to process the human waste etc., etc. Almost three fourths of all human problems relate to population explosion and yet there are no serious attempts to control it. The revered Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer has recently come out with a report recommending strong measures against population explosion and as usual all religious retarders have jumped in.

Discourage Overproduction

There is no doubt and no two opinions about the need for children to sustain humanity. Nobody has ever questioned that. And nobody questions the relevance of marriage and family in human lives. All the questions now center around the number of children each family must have. But invariably the religious retarders always succeed in confusing birth control measures with abortion and pro-life slogans and defeat any initiatives in population control. All they want is license for uninhibited reproduction like animals. All forms of excuses (including God) are drawn into the debate to camouflage and confuse any debate between restrictive reproduction for common good versus wanton reproduction with ulterior motives. Though God often finds a mention in their arguments, the real motives behind increasing ‘tribal’ strength is crystal clear to everyone.

It is always the organized religious groups that oppose any restrictions on population growth. The logic is obvious. The strength of any organization is directly proportional to its strength and all organizations want to be strong and powerful. And all organizations are self-centered and bothered only about their own God, their own office bearers and their own tribe in that order. The point they often miss is that the whole world is interconnected and each of us (including our man-made Gods) are dependent on each other. Any attempt to grow beyond the limits of sustainability will unleash destruction from within our own system. An overcrowded Earth is an unsustainable entity and no amount of organization or religion can remove the limits. Restriction in numbers is one of the basic requirements in any organic system and Earth is no exception.

Encourage Restriction

Restrictions are often positive when compared to complete ban imposed by religious doctrinaires. Like animals, every man is born free and what ultimately differentiates man from animal is due to the reasonable restrictions imposed on him or her by the society. Our culture is nothing but a sum total of the impact of these restrictions. But for these restrictions and regulations, man will go down the evolution chain again to the level of animals and birds. Present condition of humanity is even more precarious. We have in our midst a set of people who are monopolizing the custodianship of all morality and liaison with God. Acceptance of reasonable restrictions, as opposed to illogical do’s and dont’s imposed by such monopolizers, is the need of the hour. If they are not shown their place, perpetrators of such obscurantist ideologies will make our lives unbearable mentally also. While population explosion is putting our physical existence at risk, victory for religious obscurantism will make us animals again.

Imposing reasonable restrictions on the size of families should come natural to any society or government in twenty first century. It is common knowledge that Mother Earth cannot sustain a population of more than say 4 or 5 billion humans, which is just one living species among millions of others in this planet. We simply do not have the natural resources to sustain so many human beings and all natural disasters happening now are indeed man-made in a way. And restricting our numbers is the only way to ensure progress and development with social justice. This has been proven beyond doubt in almost all European countries and states like Kerala in India. The present high standard of living in colony-dependent European countries and self-sufficient Asian states is additional proof for this. The only mistake that happened is the case of some European countries is that they went into a negative growth in population.

Justice Krishna Iyer’s recommendation to Kerala government to impose restrictions, including penalties, on families with more than two children is a progressive step in the right direction. It is exactly what is needed in a progressive society with cent percent literacy, highest rate of family suicides and complete consumerism. Kerala is not producing anything sufficient enough for itself other than children which further increase its needs. Thus it is caught in a vicious circle and the only way to break it is to restrict its population growth. Other than the petty minded religious hierarchy, no one is expected to oppose it. But the famed Kerala elite must speak out and defeat all the religious obscurantism that is overtaking Kerala these days.

Gandhian Mantle

2011-09-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

Anna Hazare’s fast has achieved some consideration from our political masters and the parliament. The parliamentarians have spoken and a resolution has been passed. But we can never be sure of a Lokpal law in place until and unless the bill is passed by the same parliament. Whether it would be the Jan Lokpal Bill or some other bill remains to be seen. Politicians, especially the Indian variety, cannot be trusted and they will have no qualms in breaking their promises. Barring a miniscule few, the entire Indian political fraternity is neck deep in corruption and a sudden turn around to show statesmanship is very doubtful. If everything goes well and the very first Lokpal is someone like T.N. Seshan, the future of the institution is great. Otherwise, it would be one more white elephant and Frankenstein monster, both rolled into one.

But much more important than the Lokpal bill, a majority of the right thinking patriotic Indians feel highly relieved on another point – that a true Gandhian has taken over the mantle of Mahatma Gandhi. The Gandhian mantle has been under threat for almost half a century. Many of the new generation children have began to consider Mahatma Gandhi as the grand father of some ex-PMs and would-be-PMs. Just like our national flag and national symbols, one single political party had almost succeeded in ‘hijacking’ the Gandhian legacy and the entire credit for our outstanding freedom struggle, when Anna Hazare came up from nowhere to claim it. Nothing could have been better for Bharat and its citizens. And its implications will be much more in the days to come than the mere passage of a Lokpal bill.

National Spirit

Anna Hazare has rekindled the national spirit of India once again. Bharat Mata and Vande Mataram have become acceptable slogans once again. All the ‘organised’ groups who refused to join the team stand completely exposed of their real loyalty and intentions. Two generations (atleast one) of Indians have forgotten the glorious elements of our national spirit that forced the British out of India. Indian is such a diverse land that only extra strong elements of national spirit can unite us for a common cause. Mahatma Gandhi could read this peculiar aspect of Indians much more than others and that is why he became the tallest Indian leader though a late entrant. He knew very well that only the most salient features of our common heritage can unite all Indians to fight the British. From time immemorial Indians have always revered their Motherland on equal par with their Mothers. Anna has shown that even in this 21st century, Bharat Mata can inspire the most techno-saavy Indian to the uneducated farmers in our hinterlands.

The Vande Madaram spirit that was in bountiful display at Ramlila grounds and all over the country has given us much more hope than the hope of a Lokpal. Anna Hazare has touched the soul of millions of Indians as some one who can be trusted. He has stirred the national conscience once again following the same path as Mahatma Gandhi. There can be several counts on which the strategy, decision and obstinacy of Mahatma Gandhi had cost India dear, but no one could question his sincerity and dedication to the cause of India and Indians. Anna Hazare has climbed on to the same saddle as the Mahatma. His continued presence in the national scene would definitely give sleepless nights to so many politicians who are looting our nation day-in and day-out.

Silent Revolution

Apart from all around corruption, there are so many other aspects of our national outlook that require corrections. Nothing short of a revolution (preferably silent) can help us achieve this. Pseudo-secularism, vote bank politics, income disparity, lack of food, clothing & shelter, religious & caste discriminations, reservations etc., are some of the areas that require immediate attention and corrections. India is already under the rule of Indians for the last 65 years and we cannot wait any further to make our administration objective, scientific and sensible. Land mafia is in full control and millions of Indians do not have even one cent of land in their name. All Indians must necessarily have minimum food, clothing, education, healthcare and shelter assured throughout their lifetime. If an inherently rich country like India cannot take minimum care of its citizens, what is our greatness in being called the world’s largest democracy, an emerging superpower and the future world leader?

Black money, population growth and terrorism are the three other areas that would require our utmost attention. Experts in the field have already suggested methods to tackle black money. It is very simple and can easily be tackled if there is political will. All that is required is a simple ordinance making it mandatory to declare all foreign accounts held by Indian citizens within a month’s time or be prepared to lose it. However the other two issues would require much more efforts on the part of our rulers to convince, coerce and discipline all citizens for common good and national cause. Our citizens must be Indians first and everything else next. Both population explosion and terrorist explosion are hurting our nation and holding it back.

The rekindled national spirit of Indian masses and the emergence of a true Gandhian leader can work wonders for India. Of course there will be ‘asuric’ forces in full force working against all that Anna stands for. But the spirit of India that has been let loose once again cannot be easily contained by a few evil political leaders. Team Anna must use all the resources and technology that is available in abundance in India to continue the offense against loot of India. All those foreign elements who are hell bent on bringing India down with the aid of some unpatriotic, sycophant and spineless crowd of politicians must be brought to book. That is the only way to take Bharat Mata to the place she deserves among the world nations.

Can Indian Politicians be NOT corrupt?

2011-08-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

Team Anna is asking for the impossible when they demand that Indian politicians should not be corrupt. Forget it in practice, it is even impossible in theory.

Just take the case of an ordinary Indian politician:

Education – Graduate or maximum LLB
Age - 40 (average)
Family – Wife and atleast two children
Monthly Expenses – atleast Rs. 75,000/- (incl. phone bill of atleast Rs 25,000/-)
Monthly Income – NIL

How is this gentleman going to carry on in his life?

A few of them make a living on their wives’ income (if they are employed) or income from ancestral property. But it is not a sustainable proposition.

His only way out is to make maximum money whenever he gets into power. And that is what is happening in India today.

And when the political leadership is corrupt, the clever and educated Executive and Judiciary cannot be expected to keep quiet. They will also take their pound of flesh for facilitating the plunder.

Whatever is happening among Indian politicians is quite logical and even reasonable. Any change can happen only when there is paradigm shift in the nature of our politics.

Can we think of making politics a profession? Start an Indian Political Service, similar to Indian Administrative Service or Indian Foreign Service?

Or restrict the entry into politics only for those who have adequate monthly income from other means?

Or allow only those who have worked till the age of 50 to enter into politics?

S(t)inking Nations

2011-07-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

A few drops of powerful venom are more than enough to turn a vast reservoir of drinking water that sustains life to become a life threatening hazard. And if the poison is long lasting it can be fatal for generations of people living nearby. The case of venomous people and nations is no different. People whose basic instincts are criminal in nature can bring about devastation to their friends, foes and even to the unknown. The effect is same even if it is good individuals brought up in a closed system of constricted knowledge about the non-existent God or under the wrong notion that money can justify anything and everything. People make up nations and the after effect of nations born out of hatred and narrow mentalities are also undesirable. The immediate effect is more on others who preach peace for everyone. Evil nations degenerate and disintegrate in the long run, but their short term contributions to humanity can be devastating.

In the vast array of 200 odd nations that make up today’s world, there are a couple of them that stand out in their threat for others. The contributions of these toxic nations to the development of humanity are minimal but the damages they do continue to be enormous. Pakistan and Switzerland are two such nations that continue to emit and promote negativity even in this 21st century. We claim progress in civilization and culture, but the continued presence of nations like Pakistan and Switzerland in our midst makes our claim doubtful. How can we tolerate nations whose official policy is not the welfare of its own people but making life miserable for its neighbors? How can we claim to be more developed than in previous centuries when millions are still in poverty and millions of dollars looted from them are locked up in a safe haven in our midst? These two nations are an open challenge to the civility and sensibility of modern Man.

Pakistan

The nation was born out of a misunderstanding between two religious communities. And having bid goodbye to each other, the approach should have been one of mutual respect or at least an indifferent neighborhood of each taking care of their own problems. But Pakistan has continued to maintain hatred for Indian nation for the sixty odd years of its existence and the situation is turning worse every day. There were many who thought that the mutual hatred which peaked in mid 1950s would vanish when new generations come on the scene. But Pakistan’s hatred for India has only compounded in the past two decades. As stated by the renowned Indian journalist M.J. Akbar, many Pakistanis may be good but the DNA of Pakistani nation can only breed contempt and hatred for India. The ruling elite in a poor country like Pakistan is spending billions to keep its citizens backward and unliberated.

The recent killing of Osama Binladen in Pakistani soil shows the extent of threat that this nation pose to the entire humanity. Another cunning nation China has armed Pakistan to unbelievable levels, based on their own grandiose design, and the real threat to a peaceful world by a nuclear armed Pakistan can be ignored only at our own peril. Almost all the hardcore terrorists in the entire world are living in a single territory. Like the heavy duty wild animals, even casual skirmishes among them can kill thousands of innocent people living in this unfortunate land. Theory and practical classes for terrorism aimed at killing innocent Indian citizens are going on unabated with the active participation of visiting ‘professors’ like Binladens, Dawoods and Zawahiris from various parts of the world. What is the final achievement of all this destruction is the question that remains unanswered for ever.

Switzerland

The contribution of Switzerland to humanity is also negative, but for a different set of reasons. In criminal jurisprudence those who abet criminals are equally culpable. By inviting, attracting and facilitating safe custody of ill-gotten wealth from all parts of the world and making money for themselves by the unique method of negative interest, the notorious Swiss banks are aiding and abetting crimes all over the world. One of the main pre-requisites for any crime or criminal is to have a way out, and Swiss banks are providing exactly that to those who are stealing money. The so-called safe havens for investing black money are indeed the real hells on earth. Black money in any form smells of illegitimacy and those who volunteer to keep it secure are committing one of the worst forms of criminal banking.

Bulk of the black money hoarded in Swiss banks belong to politicians from poor developing countries and that makes their crime even more abhorrent. In a democracy, politicians represent their followers and the black money they gather is on account of the breach of faith they commit. In poor countries like India, this represents the blood and sweat of toiling millions who struggle everyday without rest. By cheating them and siphoning their money to Swiss banks is like stealing from the begging bowl of a blind beggar. No law under the sun can justify such acts of these politicians and the Swiss banks which provide cover for their theft. In fact, the name of a beautiful country like Switzerland is getting unnecessarily tarnished by a few of their banks for short term benefits. Swiss citizens must realize such degenerative tendencies and rise upto their duties as citizens of this universe where a majority are still poor and downtrodden.

In the midst of all these unjust and unfair activities, the silence of a world body like United Nations is simply deplorable. How can a world body like the UN keep quiet when they know for sure the safe havens for terrorism and black money? Each day of their silence on these two vital matters will cost us years of loss in the future. Both the maladies are affecting ordinary innocent citizens and their faceless existence is providing the strength for arrogant anti-social elements to act. If the world body cannot provide face and strength for the overwhelming many against the atrocities committed by a few terrorists and black money hoarders, what is the very purpose such an organization? If the formidable few spread over the world can unite against these twin evils over the Facebook, we can bring about many Jasmine revolutions to reform Pakistans and Switzerlands.

Death of a God

2011-06-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

India lost one of its most revered Gods, Bhagawan Sri Satya Saibaba on 24th April 2011 and his absence will be very much felt in the days to come. There is only one all pervasive Ishwar, but we have several Gods reflecting and reminding us of the presence of Ishwar in everything. Indians have always recognized the Gods in our midst at all times. It is the presence of these Gods which makes the Indian nation a unique one with heights of philosophy and lows of poverty co-existing side-by-side within a vast population of over one billion. It is very much easier to satisfy our innate rationality when we have faith in an all pervasive entity whose net quality is in favour of sustaining this universe by natural evolution depending upon the cause and effect of individual actions. The concept of an Ishwar who is ‘wasting’ all ‘his’ time in ‘making’ humans, monitoring, punishing and rewarding us is alien to Indian philosophy. It is almost absurd to even imagine one like that. Ishwar is more of a logical energy and it must be its reflections in the form of Gods who interact with us.

Saibaba was truly such a God who interacted with millions and millions of people directly and indirectly. He could achieve much more for ordinary humans than even governments with huge resources at their disposal. His only asset was love and his only investment was again love. Even his arch detractors have nothing to say when it comes to his unique contributions in the field of health and community welfare. Without any outside support he brought drinking water to many districts in Andhra Pradesh. Compare this with governmental efforts in states like Kerala, with 40 odd rivers and one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world, struggling to provide drinking water even 60 years after liberation from British rule. And Satya Sai superspeciality hospital is perhaps the only hospital in the world which does not have a billing section at all. Those who criticize him must now show the moral courage in trying to do something of social significance in their own neighbourhoods.

Godly Presence

More than a social worker, it is the presence of Ishwar in abundance that stood out in Saibaba during his lifetime. Stories and anecdotes from his early childhood days are plenty. It is upto individual followers to believe or not to believe in them. For his arch detractors, it may be cooked up stories, just like the ‘magic’ he used to exhibit in producing various gifts out of thin air. Some of his bitter rivals have even brought out documentary films to highlight his gimmicks in their never ending attempts to expose him. But all such attempts have failed again and again. More their opposition, more became the number of people who came to see him and even worship him. Thousands flocked to him to get a glimpse of him and listen to him when he used to talk. And when he became physically weak even to talk, the number of people flocking to Puttapurthi became unbelievably high. There is a big lesson for the so called ‘rationalists’ in this. Man is intrinsically rational and a Rationalist Association can never replace the individuals’ rationality. They should leave it to the individuals to believe or not to believe.

But even those (like me) who have not seen the Bhagawan can easily vouch for his divinity. The sthayi (stable) form in his face and monotonous stability in his actions for the past several years are proof enough of his divinity. Try doing nothing for a few days and you will soon realize the greatness of such Indian Rishis. Deep meditation and Samadhi are the next steps in this path to absolutely stability. The inherent entropy (measure of disorder) has to be brought down to the levels of absolute permanence to achieve oneness with the all pervading, indifferent and immovable Ishwar. By his grace of absolute stability he was providing the sense of stability to millions of his believers who are constantly agitated and unstable under the influence of their own worldly problems. The so-called atheists and rationalists cannot provide such solace to the agitated minds who are constantly perturbed by misfortunes, misery and man-made disasters. Saibaba was definitely not an ordinary mortal and the truly rational believers do not need any more proof regarding this. His was a divine birth meant for bringing solace to millions.

Divine Successor

The controversies regarding Saibaba’s successor smell of a deep rooted conspiracy. His was a divine presence and it is not possible to elect or nominate the next Saibaba. He will come in due course. He will establish his presence and command his acceptability over a period of time just like his predecessors. All that we have to do is to wait for the next incarnation to take place. Unlike temple idols we cannot install a new idol and continue the worship. Exactly like his predecessors, the new Saibaba (Premsai as he will be called) will come and establish his divinity within a few decades. Those who are controlling the reigns of Saibaba Trust must show the sagacity to understand their role. None of those who constitute it have the required divinity and it is not expected also. Those who clamor for action by the Trust are more interested in seeing the end of Saibaba’s legacy, rather than the incidence of Premsai in a much more apt form.

There should not be even an iota of doubt in the minds of ardent Sai devotees that the lineage of Saibabas will continue. Spirituality of Hindu Sanatana Dharma needs the presence of such individuals of heightened divinity to provide guidance. Thousands of such individuals with heightened divinity are already in our midst and the true Premsai shall definitely show up at the appropriate time. No amount of impersonation or false claims is going to succeed in the case of Godmen, as they are called. We have seen umpteen cases where the likes of Premanandas have miserably failed. We all have the divine spark within us and we will always realize the truly divine avatars in a short time. And only those who can offer the much needed spiritual solace in the midst of ever growing human misery can sustain their status in the long run.

Exit of Saibaba is no doubt a tragedy for us, but an end for everything but Ishwar is inevitable. Born of ordinary parents in a nondescript environment, the achievements of Saibaba make his life truly remarkable. What more proof is required for his status than this? He not only radiated divinity, but also attracted some of the most creative minds into the field of service for humanity. His absence in our midst will be felt for a long time to come. But the simple fact that such an exalted soul lived among us and he did bring about lot of changes in our society is enough to make us nearer to Ishwar. His dawn in post-1947 India itself was a great boon for us and his messages have highlighted the relevance of Hindu Sanatana Dharma to an international audience. Legends about Saibaba will continue to inspire generations in the path of doing service to the needy.

Dharmic Republic of India

2011-05-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Cynicism is the natural culmination of anyone who attempts to study and analyse India’s problems. Unlike Japan and China, India’s problems are overwhelmingly man-made. It is utter lack of patriotism, national pride and discipline that is churning out most of India’s problems. Our practice of democracy is not an ideal one and it has been hijacked by a select few families. Its current trend will only lead to India’s decay and decadence sooner or later. The incumbent democratic structure is corrupt inside out and the very few Gandhians (Mahatma Gandhi variety) left in our midst can do very little to set things right. The newly advocated Lok Pal will be at best an unsuccessful David against the Goliath of corruption. And what is the guarantee that another Balakrishnan or Kalmadi or Raja will not incarnate as the next Lok Pal? In a society that looks upon money and power as the quintessence of virtue, no amount of whistle-blowing, watch-dogging and judicial-remands can bring about improvement.

There are many Indians, especially the youth, who got excited about the ‘victory’ of Anna Hazare. But their excitement can be short lived. Some clippings from the drama are indicative enough. Anna Hazare has spent his entire life for others and he has been completely apolitical so far. Imagine the plight of such a hard core Indian pleading to ‘Indian’ leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to set things right in India. What is the urgency for them to end corruption in India? It may be the inherent thirst for a virtuous environment that drives true Gandhians like Anna Hazare. But what is the basic motivation factor for people like Pranab, Chidambaram, Sibal etc., to put an end to corruption? It is foolish for any Indian to expect a committee of such people to draft any sensible legislation for ending all scopes for corruption. It would be like expecting Vatican or Saudi setting in motion an exercise to end religious conversion in the entire world.

Worthless Politicians

Politicians of the worthless variety are the cause of all problems in India. We usually hear about the four pillars (and the extended pillar of media) of democracy. But the most important supports for any democracy are the politicians and political culture in the country. No democracy can function without politicians and in India too we need them. The world’s largest democracy of more than one billion people will require at least one hundred political parties and one million politicians to make it function. We have the numbers but what we lack is the political culture that will attract talented people and develop them to seek power to rule over us. Pre-1947 era had produced so many talented and worthy leaders in India. But in post-1947 we are coming across mainly those who have taken up politics because they are not good for anything else. Career politicians are the biggest threat to any democracy and India is a victim of this.

The other main problem that is in many ways unique to India is growth of political clans or family politicians. There need be no better reason to get worthless and unwanted elements into politics than this. Anyone who does not study well or jobless or idiotic in a political family is automatically inducted into politics during the lifetime of the ruling patriarch. Even if the patriarch is unwilling, scores of his or her sycophants will urge and edge such candidates into the political arena. Their idea is to ensure lifelong gratitude of such empty politicians on those who brought them into politics, but the damage to the political culture of the country is unlimited. Many of them learn the nuisances of governance at the cost of our misery and just one such leader in power is enough to retard the entire nation by years if not decades. Imagine the combined damage to the nation if a dozen of such worthless politicians from political families come to power throughout the country. This is exactly what is happening in India today.

Worthy Politicians

It is the nature of politics in India that is making most of its politicians worthless. Things will definitely change if the rules of political game change. Many of the current worthless politicians are innately good and they can become assets rather than liabilities to the nation. India’s post-1947 power elite were living in euphoria in a make-believe world of their own. Having achieved independence quite unexpectedly, some of the most significant leaders wanted to become world leaders in the short span left for them. It would be ungrateful to ridicule their contributions but they should have done much more for setting a better framework for the future politicians. As an example, if state funding and modest campaigns for elections were introduced in 1947 itself, India would have been literally a welfare state by now. Instead, our dirty competitive electoral politics have forced our politicians to become corrupt to earn a livelihood and amaze wealth for the next elections.

It is too late now to think of quick solutions to cleanse Indian politics of worthless politicians. Speedy trial and severe punishments are the only signals that can bring about quick results now. If a dozen of the confirmed corrupt can be thrown into the jail the spin-off results will be tremendous. Assured retribution is the best key to instill the most wanted fear in the minds of those who err knowingly. Investigations must start as soon as there are first reports in the media about corruption and such investigations must be automatic without any sanction. It will be very much in the national interest even if 75% of such investigations result in acquittals. If such a determined action is initiated now, it can be safely concluded that Indian politicians 25 years from now will be a worthy lot. And only a worthy lot of politicians can deliver as rulers in a vast democracy.

An exaggerated version of secularism in India has also undermined our traditions and traditional values. Concepts like dharma and karma have no religious connotations, and it should have been part and parcel of our primary school education. If our children are brought up knowing the correct meaning of their dharma in each phase of their life, profession and karma, the picture would have been entirely different. Despite few aberrations in our history, India still remains one of the few nations in the world where people enjoy true freedom. There is equality in front of the state, at least on paper. This has been possible only because of the accumulated wisdom of our civilizations and the eternal values of our Sanatana Dharma. Rekindling the true dharmic spirit enunciated in our scriptures is the only way to usher in a just and fair society. Only such a dharmic Indian as Lok Pal can help us in building a Dharmic Republic of India.

Tale of Two Tongues

2011-04-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Languages (tongues) are the most visible symbols of regional civilizations and religious culture. No civilization in any part of the world can be considered significant unless it has generated some outstanding literary works at some point of time during its existence. Many of the glorious civilizations are no more, but the differences between Inca and Greek civilizations provide a striking example about the importance of language and literature. While the former exists only in the books of History students, the latter is still a matter of delight merely because of Iliad and Odyssey. Whatever be their achievements in terms of monuments and territorial vastness, the literary content of a civilization far outweighs everything else when it comes to counting its greatness. In the eternal comparison of significance between physical and mental achievements, it is always the mental achievements that matters. The meaning of Akshara (letters) in Sanskrit is ‘that which does not perish’ and literature is its popular form. People of letters are far more respected than those who build monuments.

Language and literature are activities of the mind and it calls for far greater knowledge and capabilities to excel in them than in physical activities like annexing territories and building monuments. A casual comparison between two individuals trying to build up their body and brain respectively in a gym and library is enough to prove this point at micro level. Within an year or two the whole body can be built up to competitive levels, whereas it will take years and years of effort for anyone to reach the level of even attempting a literary work. And if such works are to be of outstanding nature, the amount of calibre and hard work required can be easily guessed. It will take generations of accumulated knowledge, skills and environmental encouragement to generate classical literary works. Perhaps no other civilization till date in the face of earth has produced more such outstanding classical literary works than Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) and its associated Sanskrit literature. An update about its present condition vis-à-vis some richer tongues reveals a shocking picture for the entire human civilization.

Arabic Ascent

Arabic is the language of Arabs and their population is not significant. But Arabic language has become so much identified with Islam because of the simple reason that Koran, the Islamic holy book, is in that language. Muslim population in the world has increased significantly in the last few centuries and the importance of Arabic language is also increasing. Their disciplined uniformity throughout the world makes it obligatory on the part of all Muslims to learn Arabic in order to practice the religion properly. Without a significant knowledge of Arabic language it is almost impossible to offer the daily prayers, refer the holy book and perform their other rituals. Though spoken dialects vary from country to country the written Arabic language remains uniform. Classical literary works in Arabic language are few, but its religious association makes it one of the most prominent languages in today’s world.

The new found richness of Arabs has also raised the importance of their language. Millions of dollars are spent on its propagation and development. Muslim children are memorizing the entire holy book in their young age and the level of encouragement offered for such efforts is unprecedented. Just like the religion, the language has also become a convenient tool for realization of Arabian dreams for international domination. The British and their English provide a very good example of what a language can achieve for imperial dreams. Original speakers of any language remain the ultimate authorities in any language and such an eternal domination provides the psychological upper hand to rule over the new speakers. The goal posts for correctness in the language can always be shifted by its original owners. And it becomes inevitable and unquestioned, if the language owners happen to be rich, powerful and ambitious.

Sinking Sanskrit

In stark contrast to the continuing victory lap of Arabic language, the story of Sanskrit presents one of awful degeneration. The number of classic literature works in Sanskrit language far outweighs all other languages put together, both in terms of quantity and quality. If Islam is cent percent identified with Arabic language, the association of Sanskrit with Hindu Sanatana Dharma is also of very high significance. Almost all its original religious scriptures are in Sanskrit language, though commentaries and interpretations (which are freely allowed in HSD, unlike Islam) are available in many other languages. Sanskrit is considered the mother of almost all Indian languages, yet the efforts for its encouragement and development continues to be abysmally low. India is rich and millions of Indians are more than rich. But the condition of India’s most significant cultural symbol is pathetic with no turn around in sight.

One of the surprising reasons for the current state of Sanskrit language in India is the skewed secularism of Indian state. When India got partitioned in 1947 into a religious Pakistan and secular India, the ruling elite in India took extra efforts in segregating religions from state affairs. In this laudable attempt, they made the fatal error of associating Sanskrit language entirely with Hindu religion. The neglect has now gone to the extent of hatred for the language. Schemers and anti-nationals in the Indian state also used this opportunity to whip up caste feelings among the Hindus by their false propagation about Sanskrit being the language of only high caste Brahmins. The clever among them knew very well that killing Sanskrit language will be best way to conquer India again.

The future of Sanskrit is not at all bright, except for the knowledge explosion taking place over the electronic media and internet. Stray efforts are ongoing in different parts of the world for digitization of all the Sanskrit manuscripts available. There are also attempts to promote learning of the language in various pockets of the world, some of which unbelievably astonishing. Indian efforts in this direction continue to be apathetic, thanks to the overdose of vote bank politics and political correctness in the ‘clanocracy’ of India. Greatest symbol of Indian civilization is being destroyed by planned negligence and official antipathy in a systematic manner. But we should always bear in mind that a Dharmic Republic of India can become a world leader only on the strength of its own Sanatana Dharma and Sanskrit. There is absolutely no other way to reach the top by becoming a Ramarajya once again.

Evolution of Gods

2011-03-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

The truth of evolution is absolute and it is universal. Evolutionary process is an uninterrupted phenomenon applicable to everything. Evolution is taking place every second in all living beings and because of that in the associated non-living environment too. Though God is everywhere at everytime, the concept of God is man-made and it has also undergone evolution. It is very interesting to analyse the different concepts of God and see how it has evolved over the ages into the level of Ishvar – the omnipresent and omnipotent energy that is devoid of any characteristics (nirguna) and hence beyond any man-made definition. In India the various community, caste and sectarian Gods have evolved over ages, sometimes even vying with one another and have eventually surrendered before the ultimate version of Ishvar. It is definitely difficult to think of something that is present in everything, but that is (and only that can be) what can answer all our questions convincingly and provide the much needed rational support for our faith of Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD).

Knowingly or unknowingly we all recognize the presence of God much before we begin to explore, study and attempt to define it. The same must be true among all living species. But we do not know how other species do it and what is the final outcome of their explorations? Man is just another living species (though many among us have lofty pretensions about our uniqueness and greatness) and our exploratory efforts about God also follow the same evolutionary path. From a mere individual feeling it develops into a collective feeling and continues to acquire the form and name of a community or tribal God. As the individuals evolve, their concepts too evolve and the community or tribal God(s) must also evolve into the perfectly logical concept of a universal God. And if it does not happen in any community or tribe, it is either due to the spiritual deficiency inherent in their pursuits or due to the take over of such spiritual pursuits by extraneous considerations.

Best Realisation

Be it Asia, Africa or Europe, the early civilizations have always displayed their zealous enthusiasm for projecting a God or a set of Gods as part of their cultural symbols. The mighty Greek did it and almost all the numerous tribes in Arabia and Africa did this without fail. In India we had our own Gods for almost all communities and castes. This is part of a natural evolution process that concerns the need and definition of God. As individuals we need a God for our worship and we always tend to reach a consensus within a community. And once some collective Gods are established, it becomes rivalry between different Gods that signifies the victory of one tribe or community over others. This process has continued across continents and now we see many such tribal Gods dominating the world scene thanks to the economic and political strength of its supporters (or worshippers). This process will continue without any end until humanity exists.

While most of the civilizations content themselves with the sight of their God or Gods gaining primacy over others, a significant minority of humans have gone further and realized the ultimate truth in this process of Godly evolution. In India we have seen bitter rivalry between Shaivism Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism giving way to Advaitism, Dwaitism and Visishta-Advaitism first and finally accepting the ultimate truth as enunciated by Advaitism. It can be easily stated without an iota of doubt that the realization and recognition of Ishvar in every tangible and intangible part of this universe signifies the height of spiritual evolution that humans have achieved so far. And that remains the best realization that any human belonging to any community or tribe or caste or religion can ever achieve in his or her spiritual pursuits. Most of our inter-personal problems will disappear if this objective gains acceptance as our common target.

Best Practice

The lofty principle of Advaita is complex to comprehend for many and much more difficult to be put into practice. For most of us it will take years and years of effort to reach the level of raised divinity when we begin to see over the wall and start recognizing the divine presence in everything. It is widely believed that a Guru, someone who has already been on the other side of the wall, can guide us in easier ways to achieve the same. But this may not be a necessary condition to reach over the wall. There have been many born and self-made humans who have accomplished the feat. Ramana Maharshi and presently Mata Amritanandamayi are just two examples of the same. Having complete faith and close associations with such realized souls can definitely increase our chances of climbing the wall successfully. In short, climbing the wall is a must but it can be done in many ways. A ladder may not always be required to accomplish the feat.

It is quite interesting and baffling to note that the concept of Ishta Devata (personal god) underlines one of the easier methods of arriving at Advaita. Idol worship forms an integral part of this. In Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) we often hear of the 330 million Gods that make up its pantheon. It is almost certain that this particular figure had come up when we had about 330 million humans in the entire world. The underlying principle is to have a personal god for each of us in the name and form we want. Each and every individual born (reborn and yet to be born) in this world is unique and so his or her method to search for the truth. The concept of personal gods gives such an ultimate liberty for each and every one of us to worship our own form for the one and only Ishvar which is present in all of us. And instead of worshipping one another we have the option to design (and define) our own version of God that symbolizes the ultimate reality ie. Ishvar.

Evolution of Gods must take place in all religious communities to usher in the new era of super humans as Swami Aurobindo had once envisaged. Only the realization that there is only one Ishvar and that it is present in everything can take us individually and collectively into a higher realm. Uncompromising fundamentalism and parochial religious beliefs can lead us only to our mutually assured destruction. Our current situation is akin to a semi lighted room with several individuals, several pieces of rope lying around and a single serpent let loose. We are all sighting the serpent in the piece of rope near to us and claiming it to be the real serpent. Seeing serpents in all the ropes and respecting each of them is not at all bad, provided it is with the full knowledge that there is only one serpent. But realizing the ultimate truth that both the concepts & realty of serpent & ropes are made up of the same Ishvar is Advaita that can give us the ultimate deliverance.

Opportunities in Spectrum & Black Money

2011-02-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

The on-going tussle in spectrum and black money may be turning murkier everyday, but the two ‘resources’ present a golden opportunity in India today. The history of black money is almost as old as mankind and in India too it dates back to ages. But spectrum is relatively new and the recently unearthed spectrum allocation scam has inducted more black money into the Indian economy than any other single exercise in the past. The yet to be constituted JPC may or may not succeed in unlocking the secrets of spectrum allocation and its related scam, but there are immense opportunities for some good offshoots latent in the present confusion. If only our politicians and law makers are imaginative enough, some novel ideas and institutions can be setup for the betterment of Indian nation and society. Let me present just two of them.

Spectrum for Religions

India is a secular nation and as envisaged by its founding fathers, all religions shall be accorded equal respect. Yet we find appeasement of the so-called minority religions and its rights crossing the limits many times. One of the most irritating practices indulged by all factions is the amount of noise pollution generated in the name of religion. Another one is the number of TV channels that have come up in recent times for propagation of religions. Under the guise of so-called comparative studies a major part of time by each religious channel is spent on finding out the demerits and weaknesses of other religions, rather than criticizing and denouncing the evil practices within one’s own religion. All this can be changed by a few reforms.

In the revised allocation of spectrum that is imminent, I would suggest a few MHz to be reserved for the various religions. With a mobile penetration of about 80% in India, all the call for prayers and religious announcements can be easily made over the mobile phones rather than creating noise pollution for the entire society. Each one can setup his or her mobile phone to receive the religious calls depending upon his or her religious preference. And the various mobile operators may also offer it free or at negligible charges. Similarly, the religious TV channels can also be allotted spectrum to operate within a certain range, perhaps at a much lower cost, with the strict conditions to deal with only their own religion. Comparative study of religions is purely an academic exercise and must be limited to the four walls of academic institutions.

National Conscience Fund

Black money of Indians in various foreign banks is estimated to be more than 25 lakh crores of rupees. Most of these accounts have been created by the swindlers themselves, but there are many which are inherited. Even worse is the case of inheritance with out even the beneficiaries being aware of it. Staunch denial by many celebrities is based on this simple fact or by using this as a convenient excuse. The entire civilized world is turning against the Swiss style banking systems and days are not far off when all nations will be willing to share the details of foreign accounts. Indian government will get the longest and most shocking list of illegal account holders in foreign countries. Investigations into the source of such funds must definitely follow, but a simple step before that can prove highly productive.

Indian government must immediately set up an Indian National Conscience Fund (INCF) for various reasons. All swindlers must be given a few months time to transfer their ill-gotten money into INCF if they so desire. And once the swindlers’ list is available from the various foreign countries, all the inherited wealth must also be transferred to INCF under intimation to those who inherited it knowingly or unknowingly. A simple legislation may be necessary to setup INCF and operate it without any unwanted judicial interference. Such a permanent INCF can also go a long way in channelizing a good portion of our black money into nation building activities. But our legislature and legislation must make it double sure that Rajas and Kalmadis do not hijack such an INCF also.

Indian nation would have literally become the world leader and a model democracy for all nations by now if we had erudite and imaginative legislators. The bane of Indian democracy is the growing number of career politicians with no knowledge other than petty politics and conducive family backgrounds. A few revolutionary legislations and innovative administrative steps can bring about unimaginable changes and strengthen our secular democracy beyond all our imagination.

Pranic Engineering

2011-02-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Since time immemorial, Civil and Mechanical have been the two basic engineering fields that have caught the attention of mankind. Both the fields of engineering knowledge have contributed in no uncertain terms to our progress and development from being aborigines to becoming the modern Man. Electrical engineering came in later with the invention of electricity and then followed Chemical, Electronics and Information Technology as offshoots of the existing filelds. And thus for a long time now we are stuck with the three basic branches of engineering viz. Civil, Mechanical and Electrical. Time has come to think of enlarging the scope of engineering to the living world also. We are at the doorsteps of creating life of our own in the laboratory (though a victory over death is almost impossible and far away). We have emerging fields of limited scope like Genetic, Biotechnology and Biomedical engineering, but the need for an all encompassing new field is a necessity now. The Sanskrit word for life is prana and what can be more apt than Pranic Engineering as the best name for such a new field of engineering that deals with all engineering aspects of life and living.

Pranic Engineering can become the fourth basic field of engineering that would complement Civil, Mechanical and Electrical to cater to our entire engineering needs. Atleast a section of our Engineers in the not-so-distant future would be dealing with novel engineering scenarios like ‘living’ tools and fabrication of body parts. As life and living are involved, the question of ethics and values would be of paramount importance in the field of Pranic Engineering. Engineers who have so far dealt with only non-living raw materials will be called upon to handle materials that have life within or that could sustain life. Sustaining life by manufacture, modification and mending of body parts will become a joint effort of engineers and doctors rather than doctors alone as of now. Once we are able to recognize each Man as a combination of three or four distinct systemic parts (Body, Mind and Soul), Pranic Engineers must be dealing with sustainability of the tangible Body part of Man. Doctors were doing this so far, but we definitely need engineering involvement if we are to incorporate the concepts of spare parts, interchangeability, genetic manipulation, cloning, artificial life etc., into the field of Medicine.

Body Spare Parts

For an alien to this world of ours, it would be utterly puzzling to watch the thousands of dead bodies that are buried or burnt away everyday when thousands of others are also dying for want of parts from the very same bodies. It is an unpardonable mistake and an utterly illogical practice to dispense away human dead bodies without making any use of its valuable components that may save and sustain the lives of those who are struggling for life. When Man has even proved his capabilities in cloning and genetic manipulations, the argument of those who attribute God’s involvement in the management of post-death physical dead bodies looks irrational and idiotic. To avoid controversies and religious arguments, let us leave aside the question of Mind and Soul after one’s death. Let us leave it to the secrets of Nature to deal with these two aspects of Human life once the body has been overrun by death. In any case, both are invisible and whatever happens to the invisible components need not bother us in our practical lives. But human body is different and it must be treated so.

Human body is a valuable tangible part and it must be used to the maximum extent just like the dead bodies of all other living beings. Each and every part of a human dead body is invaluable for a limited time and we are still wasting it without putting it to any use. Even in the twenty first century we are directionless when it comes to a scientific way of handling human dead bodies. Religious rituals must concentrate on the Mind and Soul parts of our makeup and leave the tangible body to the doctors and Pranic Engineers to extract all that are useful and dispense off the scrap by incineration. We need only a photograph or mere memories of a person to carry on with the religious rituals. Modern Man must accept Science as an integral part of all religions and wholeheartedly agree for incorporation of scientific elements in all aspects of our lives. In return, Science must accede the entire space of spiritual and after-life affairs to the religious and spiritual leaders, and also stay away from provoking or poking at what is not yet known to Science.

Solving Living Problems

The relevance of Pranic Engineering will be all the more clear to everyone when we enter the age of artificial life. Days are not very far when very crude or primary forms of life will get created in various laboratories across the globe. We need systemic and systematic approaches for dealing with such situations, and only a universally accepted branch of basic engineering can further the healthy development of such a field. Like all new discoveries of tremendous potential, the possibilities of misuse are equally alive in this field as well. Ethical values of professionals in such fields are of great significance for the entire mankind. Evolution of Pranic Engineering as an established branch of Engineering is a must for development of an associated curriculum for training more and more people into this field. Only such trained professionals can control the growth of such new fields of knowledge and avoid its hijack by extremists and terrorists who have very limited and skewed agenda.

On a rough estimate the average life expectancy of a human being now is only about 25,000 days. Of this the last 5,000 days will be the difficult phase with physical ailments and psychological issues. Pranic Engineering can do quite a lot in reducing the difficulties of human beings in this phase by development of tools, equipments and techniques that can alleviate pain and misery. It is not that there are no efforts now. But a focused engineering effort can produce more focused and effective solutions to the current problems and future ones. Well qualified and trained Pranic Engineers forming an integral part of the medical fraternity can deliver much more effective remedies to ailments, both physical and mental. Very effective tools and techniques that are available in the unorganized and off-mainstream communities & cultures can be adopted and developed for common use as part of a modern scientific medical system. No life must be lost for want of timely remedy must be the motto of Pranic Engineers.

Modern medicine which is often wrongly referred to as Allopathic has really come of age and is constantly under evolution. Newer and newer techniques and medicines for treatment are added everyday, but so also the types of ailments and diseases. Designating a basic field of engineering to work along with medical experts to provide cost-effective and easily available solutions to human pain will highlight this vital gap. More focused and dedicated efforts are required to bring in discoveries and inventions in the field of Pranic Engineering to make our lives painless and more fruitful. The role of Pranic Engineers in the coming centuries would become more and more crucial because injuries to human bodies inflicted by the twin evil of fundamentalism and terrorism are also on the increase world-wide. Acceptability of Pranic Engineering as the fourth field of basic engineering is our immediate necessity now.

Sabarimala Solutions

2011-01-16T05:18:00.000-08:00

The callous attitude of authorities in power has taken its toll once again at Sabarimala. More than a hundred lives have been lost in an ‘accident’ that is not accidental at all. In a way we can easily see that it is a disaster by design. It does not need a doctorate in disaster studies to foresee the accident that is waiting to happen when a crowd of 200,000 people are crammed into an open area without lights, barricade, drinking water, police control and with very few exit paths in the midst of a dense forest. Disasters at Sabarimala have become a routine affair every year and even the news media are only waiting to hear the annual toll. And once it happens it is ‘festival’ time for all the electronic media with visuals of dead bodies piled up in lorries and pickups. God’s Own Country and Kerala Model have now become undesirable nightmares that frighten others.

Sabarimala temple at the heights of Western Ghats is a highly symbolic one. It embodies the message of Advaita, which is the very essence of Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD). Advaita philosophy signifies the heights of human philosophy and it takes HSD into the unique realm of Ishwar (the truly omnipresent and omnipotent) whereas all other religious paths are stagnating at the lower level of Devatas, the personal gods of tribes or communities which are vying with one another to become the one and only God or his son. Our ancient sages had their own reasons to set up such a unique temple at a unique place. But time has moved on and Hindu society must demonstrate the sagacity to reflect the same level of resilience that their Hindu Sanatana Dharma has always displayed in history. Solutions to problems at Sabarimala must come from within Hindu society. We respect Nature (of which forests are an integral part) and we live in a noble nation which has adopted a secular constitution, though its implementation has been pseudo-secular in every sphere.

So many people have suggested so many solutions, most of them well intentioned, for solving the problems involving deficit of infrastructure and resources at Sabarimala. But given all the constraints and opportunities (which are well known to be listed again) that exist in HSD and Indian nation, I see only TWO plausible solutions to the Sabarimala issue:-

1. Spread the Season:

All the present problems at Sabarimala are essentially because of visit by about 50 million people in a narrow window of 60 days time. It is almost impossible to acquire more and more forest land to set up facilities for such a big population for a mere 60 days usage every year. The more we encroach into forest land the more damage we are inflicting on the forest and its animals, which is very much against the ethos of HSD. There must be a complete freeze on the forest land already acquired and the human corridor must be completely segregated by providing frequent underpass for the passage of animals. And the temple authorities must decide to spread the Sabarimala season to atleast 6 months (October to March) instead of the present two months. If this is done, the present infrastructure is more than sufficient for the expected pilgrim population. All that is required is constant upkeep of the available facilities and infrastructure.

2. Setup more Sabarimalas:

Setting up a few more Sabarimalas is the next solution. Tantris (parent priests) of Sabarimala Ayyappan are clearly designated and they should take the initiative in setting up more temples for Sabarimala Ayyappan at different places in similar terrains. To make a beginning, Sabarimala Ayyappan temples can be set up on hill tops in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is definitely not a pre-requisite to do it in the midst of thick forests or game sanctuaries for wildlife. The surrounding areas can be nurtured into thick forests at the temple expense in due course. This would be immense help for our environment also. Pilgrims can avoid the ordeal of train / bus travel and loot by unfriendly vendors like in Kerala. The name and fame of Sabarimala Ayyappan will also spread to more areas.

The number of Sabarimala pilgrims every year is bound to increase whatever be the scale of disaster this year or any other year. This is inevitable because the concept of Advaita, which the Sabarimala temple essentially represents, is the most cogent concept of God that can satisfy the innate rationality of any free thinking human being. Those of us who are bonded by the various types of organized religious thoughts, some of which are more political than philosophical, are bound to break free some day. More and more Advaitic spaces like Sabarimala and Oachira are the need of the hour and we can only hope that the authorities in power now will open their eyes to our spiritual demands.

Tainted India .vs. Maha Bharat

2011-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Indian nation is passing through one of the most difficult times. Who is not corrupt? This is the question that is ringing in the mind all ordinary Indians. Those among us who used to feel proud about the credibility of our incorruptible judiciary are also feeling shaky nowadays. Politics and politicians in India have always been dirty and the only the scale of scams have increased. Politicians have always got their livelihood and expenditure for the next elections as the common excuse for corruption. In the long saga of evolution from Mahatma Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi, Gandhism itself has undergone complete transformation and to be known as a Gandhian in India today is not a compliment anymore. Depending upon value of the scam, we can even start designating politicians as nano-Gandhian, micro-Gandhian, mega-Gandhian and even super-Gandhian. I would even recommend different colours for the Gandhi caps worn by such politicians during their annual get-togethers. The tainted adjective is now sticking to all positions like CJI, CVC, CEC and even the King, Queen, Prince and Prime Minister.

Adarsh, CWG and 2G scams have taken our nation to record heights in terms of the ‘scaming’ abilities of our politicians. Aiming for a few thousand rupees in bribe is no more attractive to even ordinary Panchayat members in India. Lakhs and crores of rupees are also not very tempting for many. Lakhs of crores and very soon crores of crores will be the target of national level politicians. Our seemingly unimpressive politicians, especially the capped variety, have outgrown our expectations in terms of identifying all the commodities that can be sold. Who would have thought that they would graduate so soon from their favourite crimes like human trafficking, sweat equity and kickbacks to the unseen world. Not even our top scientists and engineers could have dreamt of making money out of the unseen electro-magnetic waves. Stems cells, human body parts, emotions, values, virtues, relations, nationalism, patriotism etc., are some more items that be ‘sold’ and I am very sure that our politicians will start dealing with them very soon. Indian politicians have truly surpassed their cousins in other democracies.

Sinking Credibility

It is very easy to identify corruption and scams in India now. The RTI (Right-To-Information) act has literarily opened a can of worms and empowered the new brand of RTI activists. Real reasons behind the strong objections by some higher ups in Indian judiciary to the RTI act covering them also has become very clear now. All Caesers’ wives must be above suspicion but many of his wives are shying away from public scrutiny for reasons best known to everyone now. All those who aspire for a public life must bear in mind that they simply lose their right to privacy by this option. In a democracy, public life is the only way to power, but one must be also prepared to stand scrutiny for all their actions. Government officials who migrate into public life display such displeasure very often. As part of the Executive they are protected by suitable laws, but once they are in public life in search a greener pastures, they are answerable. The problem with many byzantine logothets who have come into public life only for the sake of fame lies in here. Manmohan Singh (MMS) is one such.

MMS had a successful stint in official life with Indian government, and he continued to get a lot of patronage and protection as Finance Minister under the shrewdest Indian PM Mr. Narasimha Rao. But ever since he has become a nominated (unelected) Prime Minister under Sonia Gandhi, his real test as a democratic leader has started. He has completely failed in this and has repeatedly shown his lack of skills in handling smarter politicians who work with him. A real leader in a democracy is always near and dear to a majority of public, even if he does not meet them or mingle with them. His words and deeds must match and generate confidence in the common man. But MMS is far away from all this. By not contesting general elections, he has abdicated his moral responsibility to be an elected leader and declared that he is far away from all of us. Impeccable character and unquestionable integrity become mere sycophant adjectives in such a case. Only a democratically elected leader can command respect and feel outraged if a unite opposition goes on the offensive. ‘Scamsters’ are continuing with their loot without any inhibition and fear only because they have sensed a complete lack of moral authority and legitimate leadership.

Golden Opportunity

A completely corrupted ruling establishment in India today is presenting one of the best opportunities for the Right who can easily get into the ruling throne if they are smart enough. Ever since the partition of India on religious lines in 1947, the legitimate owners to Indian territory is an open secret. All that they have to do is to win the elections and present one full term of dharmic rule. It may be easily said than done. Mass leaders with impeccable credentials must be brought into the forefront and given the mandate to rule the country without fear or favour. Temporariness must be the only difference between a democratically elected ruler and a monarchy. Constitution of India, which is considered one of the best in the world, must be implemented in letter and spirit. Equality of everyone before the rule of law is the best tool to bring in prosperity in an inherently rich country like India. Same laws applicable to one and all, irrespective of religion and region, can take India to its glorious heights once again. A tainted India can become Maha Bharat once again.

It is often heard that Mahatma Gandhi was very much in favour of disbanding Indian National Congress that spearheaded our struggle for liberation from the British rule. His logic was perfect and it would have given all the political parties a level platform. People from all sections of the society in all regions of India took part in the struggle and Indian National Congress was the only platform available then. But one single party’s claim now for full credit is nothing but absurd. And the partition of India makes their case completely meaningless in every sense. What they claim to have liberated is only a part of the whole and there is hardly anything creditable about it. In fact this should have been made clear in our constitution itself, that we the people of India have liberated this nation. It is a shame that the opposition parties are allowing the present Congress to make such claims, when it can be legitimately challenged in a court of law and declared illegal. And once their illegitimate claims are annulled, what is it that is left in the present day Congress? It is a mere crowd of family sycophants with no ideology, purpose and sense of direction.

The entire political spectrum is responsible for the mess that India is in today. Those on the ruling side by their uninhibited indulgence and those in the opposition by their inexplicable inaction. Indian opposition parties have been in the opposition for so long that they could have put out draft versions of legislation that reflect their intentions on everything that concerns an Indian. The only such idea that is floating around is the preference for a uniform civil law. In that too, what is preventing the Right from putting out the entire set of acts, laws and rules that needs to be passed by the parliament for this purpose? That would have made their intentions and purpose crystal clear to everyone including their political opponents. If the Right can bring out their real intentions and lay it in front of the Indian public in all such vital aspects of nation building, it is almost sure that they can make their entry into the corridors of power in Delhi with no need for exit in any foreseeable future. A tainted India is waiting for Mr. Right to set it right.

Advaitic Ayyappans

2010-12-09T00:59:00.000-08:00

The idea, legend and concept of Lord Ayyappa is a typical one in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) that symbolically reflects the entire spectrum of its own evolution to the heights of Advaitic thoughts. The story of Lord Ayyappa is very interesting and how it connects the ancient with contemporary provides the best indications about the inbuilt auto-reformation process that is present within the most progressive, rational and secular religion available to mankind. Lord Ayyappa comes literally into the midst of the modern world as a renewed version of Sastha who is a product of the natural synergy of Haran and Hari. Seamless incarnations of the God into various forms with varying intensities and their interactions for the ultimate upkeep of Dharma is the best working model that is available for sustaining humanity. This is in sharp contrast with the destructive models of forcible beliefs about an unseen God who is bent on enforcing strict discipline by punishing and rewarding all humans. It is fear and not love that prevails in such beliefs.

It is not very surprising that such a human incarnation as Lord Ayyappa has happened in the very land of Adi Sankara who had earlier put the final seal of approval on Advaita philosophy. Any history beyond a few centuries in the past get mixed up with mythology and are to be taken as such. Debates and dissertations to establish its authenticity are worthless, especially when it concerns our beliefs and culture. Lord Ayyappa lived among us and he has left behind a formidable heritage that keeps on reminding us about the inseparability of God from anything including Man. There is an element of God in each one of us and the pilgrimage to Sabarimala signifies this aspect more than anything else. Symbolically all the pilgrims get completely identified as Ayyappans (God) just by putting on a chain worth a few rupees. This uniformity and simplicity may be found in many other pilgrimages, but never the height of philosophical wisdom of realizing the God within. Unlike other religions, it is not the prescribed duty of each volunteer to undertake this pilgrimage, but the natural urge within oneself to identify with his or her true self. There is no compulsion whatsoever, but only the inner quest for a pilgrimage in pursuit of rational truth.

Growing Popularity

The popularity of Sabarimala pilgrimage is growing every year. In the two month period every year, the number of pilgrims is to the tune of fifty million and it is perhaps the biggest annual pilgrimage anywhere in the world. On a rough scale the revenue generated in the region can be placed at above 500 million dollars (2500 crores of Indian Rupees) and the net annual income from this pilgrimage alone to the state exchequer (which controls the temple) is definitely more than 250 million dollars every year. It is crystal clear that the underlying logic for all festivals in Hindu Sanatana Dharma is generation & distribution of wealth, and yet it never happens in our pseudo-secular setup. A simple pilgrimage embodying the heights of Indian spirituality is fast gaining popularity through out India, but the intended churning of wealth is getting pocketed by an ‘adharmic’ setup. But how long can this loot continue remains to be seen. An oganised setup of contradicting ideologies co-operating only for the limited purpose of destroying the temple and the pilgrimage by looting the pilgrims is working overtime in Kerala.

What makes Sabarimala pilgrimage more popular is the geographical terrain that it entails. The mountainous terrain amidst dense forests where Lord Ayyappa finally chose to settle down, again symbolizes the heights of spirituality that is inherent in Advaitic thoughts. God is omnipresent, yet we need continuous ascent in thoughts and deeds to realize the God within us. Legend has it that Lord Ayyappa had Muslim and Christian friends during his times of constant efforts in the upkeep of Dharma. The legend may be true or false. But what it conveys is the message of equality and brotherhood as far as a highly intense divine existence is concerned. We see inequality and animosity around us because most of us are not making any attempt to realize the same God which is present in everyone. Each Sabarimala pilgrimage provides an opportunity to get a feel of the divinity inherent in such Advaitic practices. Irrespective of colour, creed and caste all Ayyappans carry the same God energy within them.

Scheming Animosity

Success of Sabarimala has also drawn the attention of other ideologies, some elements of which are working overtime in defeating Hindu Sanatana Dharma in its land of origin. Hindu Sanatana Dharma puts great emphasis on individual efforts to achieve self-realisation (or moksha) and that has become its main drawback for sustaining itself among the predatory religions. Getting together and organizing have become primary requisites for success in the present day world even for religions. Baber and British could defeat a pre-dominantly Hindu nation like India only because of the lack of an organizational religious structure. Though weak in content, the other religious ideologies made great inroads in India only because of their superior organized missionaries and mercenaries. Increasing popularity of Hindu festivals involving mass participation is viewed with great anxiety by many vested interests. An organized Hindu religion is definitely an oxymoron, but even efforts on the part of some leaders to make ordinary Hindus realize the greatness of their ideology can upset many global calculations.

Animosity of schemers against the success of Sabarimala started decades back. There were even attempts to burn down the temple. One of our secular leaders went to the extent of declaring the burning down as a great achievement. His words like “every temple burnt will bring down evil in our society” are still sacrosanct for the pseudo-seculars in our society. The temple has come up again and the pilgrimage is climbing greater heights every year. Crafty schemers have now joined the stream with the ultimate objective of defeating it from within. There is plenty of money involved in the pilgrimage and attempts are afoot to loot the pilgrims (especially those from outside Kerala) to the maximum extent. As the number of pilgrims is increasing exponentially every year, nothing more than the simple inaction of not providing basic amenities is required on the part of enemies to make it a failure.

But whatever be the schemes or designs of its enemies, the pilgrimage shall continue to progress because more and more people are realizing its underlying message and meaning. Those who are trying to burn down one Sabarimala may end in great distress when they find a dozen more Sabarimalas coming up in other parts of India. It is better for them to remember that Lord Ayyappan is not a Malayali in the narrow context of Indian geography. Anyone anywhere can realize his or her true meaning and another Lord Ayyappan can manifest anywhere in this universe. The natural process of self-realisation with the help of our rational mind is unstoppable. The Advaitic process is formidable and an inevitable necessity for a progressive mankind. All of us will achieve realization sooner or later and it will be a world full of Ayyappans then.

External God Delusion

2010-11-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

An organized campaign orchestrated by the organized religions to establish the irresistible delusion regarding an external God that is far removed from all of us is growing day by day. There are powerful forces at play with vested interests to prevent ordinary mortals from realizing the simple fact that there is no such entity as God who is working full time to monitor our activities. There is no God who can give us rewards and punishments. Those who are constantly driving this point into the mind of the poor and vulnerable are doing a great disservice to their own selves. Evolution of man to superman has been stunted by this sort of selfish deeds of a few thousands among the six odd billion humans. Efforts of those few who have realized and are convinced about the non-existence of any God that is external to anyone or anything need to be doubled to get rid of the current delusion. The single hand effort of Prof. Richard Dawkins is admirable and his book “God Delusion” is a must read for all those who are in serious pursuit of the ultimate truth (which we consider as God).

Dawkins has clearly exposed all the existing popular religious theories about God and the organized religions stand completely exposed as a result of his campaign. But he has clearly erred on one point ie. regarding the concept of God in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD). He has mistakenly identified the core of HSD with a few facets of it visible to him in the West. Hindu mythology and Hindu festivals that overflow with the joy of multitude of Gods are only some of its umpteen lower versions that are meant for the ordinary mortals. Variety is the spice in everyone’s life and a religious philosophy that can elevate those who can understand it to an entirely different plane is only providing versions of it for accommodating one and all. But those who really want to go deep into it must not have missed the wood for the trees. Advaita philosophy lies at the core of HSD and if only Prof. Richard Dawkins understood what is Advaita, could he have avoided the few mistakes in his work. Nevertheless he has almost done the impossible by completely demolishing God delusion in his own society and its neighbourhood.

Ultimate Realisation

The concept of Advaita which establishes the presence of God in everything and anything that exists (and that we can think of) has been a thread that runs through HSD at all times. There are many even in India who still believes that it is something that was newly propounded by Adi Sankara (considered to be the most intelligent human being ever lived by those who have (bothered) to read and understand his works). Acrimonious and violent debates between strong schools of thought like Dvaita, Advaita and Vishitadvaita within HSD was commonplace in ancient India. Each of them had outstanding supporters and their arguments substantiating their own respective positions are plenty in the so-called Vedic literature. Among the three, Dvaita and Vishitadvaita are nothing but the original wine of what has been presented in new bottles in modern times as organized religions. Theological debates that are contemporary in the Middle East and West had taken place in India thousands of years back.

Adi Sankara immortalized himself by becoming one of the last scholars in ancient India who put the final seal on Advaita. His literary works which elucidates his arguments leaves no doubt in our mind about the authenticity of Advaita. He is the one who settled the longest debate on God by stating the obvious that God is nothing but the spirit or energy or righteousness that is present in everything. Now every religion talks about an omnipresent and omnipotent God, but when it comes to details the same God is external to us and is detailed as someone who is more bothered about our affairs than we are. This is nothing but cent percent contradiction. How can an omnipresent God be NOT PRESENT within you also? So if at all there is an omnipresent and omnipotent God, only Advaita can be true. Who wants a God which is not omnipresent and omnipotent? The defeated isms have made a successful comeback in other parts of the world in the form of organized religions preaching a God which is clearly external to us. And that is what modern Sankaras like Dawkins are now stripping apart. As for mankind as a whole, we have wasted and are wasting our time. If we had continued from where Adi Sankara had left off, the whole mankind would have attained self-realisation. And we would have had a paradise here itself!!

Analogously Digital

Though Advaita is the last word as a religious theory, its strongest proponent Adi Sankara cannot be considered successful because of his failure in building it up as a formidable ideological argument. Almost all the popular religious texts in HSD espouse Advaita, yet when it comes to the level of understanding of a common man, the force of argument and understanding weakens. The ultimate religious text viz. Bhagavd Gita is full of descriptions and symbols about the ‘advaitic’ nature of God. All the characters (and even animals and the inanimate ones) in Mahabharata & Ramayana stand out with the presence of God in varying degrees. While in Lord Rama and Krishna the divine content is almost full, it is the lack of it in Ravan and Duryodhan that makes them unique. Presence and absence of God is almost binary is nature with an infinite number of interim stages of its presence.

A complete emancipation of any human being will only come with his full comprehension about the analogously binary nature of God as espoused by Advaita. All his (or her) doubts will vanish only after a complete realization sets in about the nature of God. Name and form becomes unimportant then. And this exactly is the very reason for weakening of HSD society. All the realized souls and emancipated personalities in our midst take a backseat and tend to vanish from the vanguard of our society after they have realized the worthlessness of names and forms. The isms that have been squarely defeated earlier have surfaced again fully utilizing this opportunity. And the vulnerable, as all of us are at times, always get attracted to the easy ideas and quick-fix solutions like prayers and rituals instead of full application of their innate rationality and reasoning powers to understand God.

We still require all the efforts of all the thinking people in this world to ‘popularise’ Advaita to the entire humanity. The efforts of people like Prof. Richard Dawkins (www.richarddawkins.net) assume great importance in this regard. By effectively pulling down the concept of an external God, he is knowingly or unknowingly espousing the cause of Advaita. All his remarkably convincing arguments exposing the propaganda games of organized religions about a God that makes, monitors, punishes and rewards Man provide good framework for the ultimate success of Advaita concept. An ardent advocate of Advaita and a firebrand atheist are separated only by a veil of ignorance. This systematically arranged universe of ours needs the existence of an all pervading glue of logic, which we call as God. It is present in everything including humans in varying degrees and I have no doubt about its increased presence in people like Prof. Richard Dawkins. Best wishes for his noble endeavour of exposing the two organized religious ideologies.

Kerala Pandits

2010-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Kashmiri Pandits and Palestinians share many unfortunate commonalities. Yet whenever the civilized world deliberates on human atrocities, the former community is entirely forgotten. The reasons are obvious and there is very little that Indians can do about it. Bloodshed and bombs are the only proven methods to catch world’s attention and Pandits, being Indians, are inherently incapable of excelling in that option. Second and third generation of Kashmiri migrants are languishing in refugee camps spread over India for reasons unknown to them. Indians have an uncanny knack for suffering and Pandits seem to possess more of it. There may be many more similar refugees in different parts of the world, but the case of Kashmiri Pandits is something unique and worthy of study by others. All that is required is to note that India’s first Prime Minister, who could have done literally anything in India, was a Kashmiri Pandit himself!

What happened to the Pandits in Kashmir did not take place in one month or one year or even one decade. It was a long process which provided enough warning signals and opportunities for remedial action. But the so-called community leaders saved their skins (also their immediate family) and collective conscience of the community became numb when it was supposed to be alert. Action was most wanted when the first signs of trans-border loyalty started showing and the community failed miserably in doing anything. Wishing for divine interventions and unsolicited help from others have not solved the problems of any community anywhere in the world. In critical times, action and even thoughts of each and every individual in a society can contribute to their ultimate victory and survival. Recognising and accepting the reality of dangerous signals is the first requirement for avoiding any catastrophe in the future. Unfortunately this is exactly what is lacking in the case of the many more Pandits in the making. The case of Kerala Hindus, especially the so-called higher castes, is a typical one.

Demographic Disaster

Kerala’s Hindu community is dwindling on account of four major factors – Family Planning, Religious Conversion, Family Suicides and Migration. One of the main factors that resulted in the famous Kerala Model of 1980s was the decreasing denominator trend namely population growth. While all political parties and leaders are claiming credit for Kerala Model, the fact remains that such a decline was solely due to the strict adherence of Hindu community to the Family Planning program advocated by the governments in power. A few of the progressive elements in the other two religious communities might have done the same, but a majority of the minority communities ignored the nation’s need with complete impunity. The net result is the shrinking of majority community from almost 70% to about 55% now. Organisations of the two organized religious communities used the situation to create a demographic advantage by ‘educating’ their masses to shun Family Planning. It would be a great eye-opener if someone can conduct a thorough study on this.

As if one weapon was not enough, organized religious conversion was the other deadly weapon in the rivals’ arsenal to tilt the numbers in their favour. Milkpowder conversion by the missionaries and the newly revealed Love Jihad are nothing but deadly weapons that continue to take its toll in Kerala society. Now it is almost a certainty that in any inter-religious marriage in Kerala, the loser is always the Hindu community. If not the spouse, the organized communities will ensure that atleast the children are converted. And once they are in, there is no question of going back for fear of life or loss of limbs. The situation has become even worse in recent times due to the increasing number of family suicides and migration of Hindu families to other districts and states when they are surrounded by the might of organized communities. The number of electoral constituencies is fast growing in the so-called minority districts and decreasing where there is majority. The impact on government and governance is obvious in the days to come.

Political Hypocrisy

Hallmark of petty politicians is arch hypocrisy and current Kerala politics is infested with such a variety. The words secularism and communalism have lost their meaning completely. Each individual politician has his own meaning and interpretation for the two and that too varies with situation and times. Division of India on communal lines affected the north of India mostly and people there still retain some spirit of true secularism and realize the horror of communalism. But it is not so in Kerala. The future Pandits of Kerala are now in a self-destructive mode being lectured on secularism by political parties like Muslim Leagues and Kerala Congress. Some of their leaders have even written books on what is true secularism (sic). Just like Family Planning, the charlatans have quietly discovered the next platform to deceive the lotus-eating majority. While the foolish lot will watch the debates and seminars on top of the platform, focused and determined work will be done underneath to subvert the entire edifice.

In the reality of today, liquid money is the root cause of everything good and bad. Things have started going bad in Kerala ever since a cunning few from the minority communities identified their goldmines in the Gulf and the West. What they have promised their sponsors abroad can be easily guessed, and containers of money are flowing into the state for consolidation of vote banks to capture power democratically. And once it is achieved, it is known to all about what will follow. The trap of political correctness has mimed the few sincere politicians who are anyway considered ‘misfit’ in contemporary politics. Erstwhile imperialists in the West and new aspirants in the form of Arab imperialism are eagerly waiting to land in the shores of God’s Own Country à la Vasco-De-Gama in 1498AD. If it was East India Company then, it will be outright communal corporations that will penetrate the whole of India through Kerala this time. For any close Kerala watcher, the minority grip on politics, government, police, judiciary, business etc., is so very evident and any relief is not easy.

But Kerala Hindus are fast asleep and their snoring is growing day by day. Communities that produced the likes of Adi Sankara, Sree Narayana, Chattampi Swamikal, Mata Amritanadamayi are clueless and lost in direction. Leaders of their prominent community organizations have fallen for slush money and now they spent more time proving their secular credentials in front of minority leaders than in their organizations. While some of the ‘secular’ leaders refuse to light even ceremonial lamps, the petty majority leaders are waiting in front of their palaces and majlises for an appointment. We can only pity the Kerala Pandits who have reposed their faith on Communism to save them from the impending disaster. Remember that the ‘greatest’ communist EMS was a Kerala Pandit and he did exactly what Nehru did to his own people. With his landmark land reforms act, he not only destroyed his own folks but made the poaching communities richer by excluding commercial crops from its purview. Kerala’s Hindus, like Kashmiri Pandits, will end up in refugee camps sooner or later if they cannot secure their position. It is now or never.

Ubiquitous Ayodhya of Eternal Ram

2010-10-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

Few Indians have realized the truth that the present High Court verdict is regarding a civil law suit involving three parties about the ownership of a piece of land. It is only natural for the concerned judges to think of legitimate solutions strictly based on the law of the land, facts presented in the court and the legal precedents in such cases. The present verdict needs to be viewed only in such a context. With the immense possibilities of appeals and counter appeals, the civil suit will take another 60 years to reach any conclusion, if at all. And even if there are no further appeals, the current division of 2.7 acres of land into three equal parts can never provide enough space for any major monument to come up. The entire land can be either left barren or all three parties can get together and grant it to one of them (or another outsider) to construct a single grand structure. Though attractive, chances of the latter option are almost negligible in the present prevailing air of suspicion and mistrust. We cannot expect those who support ‘invaders’ and ‘converters’ to compromise with the natural owners of the land.

But even if a grand Ram’s temple does not come up at Ayodhya, the relevance of Ram and Ayodhya shall remain unchallenged and undiminished forever among Indians, nee the entire humanity. Sanatana Dharma remains the oldest religious path identified by mankind and Lord Ram remains the first ideal human being who prompted the then evolving homo sapiens to think in terms of an ultimate reality (named as God) that lies further in the path of human evolution. The concept of incarnation (avatar) of God in the form of humans was prompted by none other than Lord Ram, though many earlier avatars have been recognized later on. Those who ridicule Lord Ram as a myth are only feigning blind under the influence of inferior ideologies who cannot challenge Sanatana Dharma either in terms of its robust content or its ever vibrant rationality. The poor duplicates know that over 5000 years of uninterrupted and unchallenged heritage is too overwhelming when compared to their own mere 2000 and 1500 years. Deception and ridicule have always been the chosen tools of the less evolved when confronted with such challenges.

Eternal Ram

Importance of Lord Ram in the lives of Indians for the period till the arrival of foreign invaders needs no evidence for any student of Indian history. Perhaps that is exactly why the immediate descendents of the first invader (Baber) chose to confront Lord Ram by targeting Ayodhya. Forcibly erasing all the monuments related to local heroes is always a priority item for invaders to weaken the invaded. But Lord Ram was already a hero in the minds of all Indians living and yet to be born. The herd of skewed historians who doubt the reality of Ram and propose an Aryan Ram being unacceptable to a Dravidian South India need only to visit Sri Lanka and places like Rameswaram, Jadayumangalam etc., which lie in the south of India. Sensible and scientific among Indian historians can easily accept the reality of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Vedas, Epics, Upanishads etc., when each and every district of the Indian geography contains proof of India’s past as depicted in Vedic literature. Ordinary Indians do not need anymore proof for the existence of an eternal Ram in our midst.

India is no doubt a confluence of unlimited number of cultures, religions, tribes, opinions and even nationalities. But there are a few super threads that run through the entire fabric of Indianness – the so-called Hindutva which has been accepted by even the Supreme Court of India. The most ideal human Lord Ram and complete human Lord Krishna are integral components of what is Hindutva. The entire humanity cannot even think of a more ideal human being than Lord Ram and more complete human being than Lord Krishna. Our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata may be highly exaggerated stories about such superior humans who are correctly designated as incarnations of the ultimate reality. But the fact still remains that we cannot think of more ideal or complete forms of human behavior even now. Message to mankind from the words and deeds of Lord Ram remain unsurpassed in terms of its content and motivation. Men trying to become Rams and nations striving for Ramrajya are still part of ultimate idealism that our universe can still imagine.

Ubiquitous Ayodhya

It is a welcome relief that the skewed historians are not questioning the geographical authenticity of Ayodhya though they side with our enemies about the existence of Ram. These historians who have no doubt at all about the various sons of God and prophets in other parts of the world have always been casting doubts about the authenticity of Ram and Krishna. According to them the entire Indian history prior to Baber’s invasion is mythology and is somewhat clear only when it comes to the migration of Aryans from central Asia. Crooked historians like Thapar and Paniker could find no other way to deny India and Indians the credit for their unparalleled glory during the Vedic period. But their dirty tricks are no more working and the whole world has accepted the falsehood of the Aryan Migration Theory. For the young historians who have genuine doubts about Ram, Krishna, Ramayana and Mahabharata, just one all-India tour and a quick trip to the neighbouring countries are enough to clear their doubts. One of the dirtiest historical conspiracies of dividing Indians into Aryans and Dravidians will also become crystal clear to them.

Ayodhya literally refers to a land without war and it would be foolish for anyone to look for one outside India. It could never have existed nor could it ever exist in the Middle East, Africa, Europe or the Americas. Even hypothetically, it could have existed only in a land ruled by highly evolved rulers like Lord Ram and Lord Krishna where people enjoy freedom of thought, expression and action. Among people who are not tied down to a single ideology or book or hero. There must be no restrictions on criticizing the ruler or even the God, there must be freedom to question practices and there must be unlimited freedom to challenge religious beliefs. Learned men must write commentaries on the sacred books and rewrite them if required to suit contemporary times. The one and only ideology or religious belief that has allowed its followers to do so is Sanatana Dharma. An Ayodhya can exist only in such an environment and the whole of India is an Ayodhya belonging to an eternal Ram.

The truth of Ram and Ayodhya are thus very clear to Indians. The whole geographical entity called India belongs to Lord Ram and it is irrelevant whether a Ram temple can finally come up in a place called Ayodhya in modern times. Crores of people worship Lord Ram at millions of places. Addition of one more temple will not make any difference to the reverence and esteem of Lord Ram to Indians. But the attempt of some vested interests to position a barbarian invader like Baber against a divine incarnation like Lord Ram can be termed only as absurd. All invaders are our enemies and if someone claims that it belongs to Baber, then it is the first plot that should be taken over under the Enemy’s Property Act, 1968. Thousands of acres of our land are under enemy’s possession in Kashmir, but how can we allow an enemy territory right in the middle of India? That should be the concern and spirit of all Indians.

Deendayalism – a Right Opportunity

2010-09-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

Communist ideology is dying in India and communists are on their way out. The process would be almost complete with the coming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala during 2011. Though Communism is long dead in the land of its origin, it could survive in the poor nations only because of the wrong notion that communists are pro-poor and they will always stand with the poor. But this misplaced hope has been exposed completely. In China, the communists have long abandoned genuine Communism, as proposed by Karl Marx, and are excelling in the practice of ‘Capitalistic Communism’. In many other places, Communism is no more pro-poor but more into the business of keeping the poor forever poor in order to maintain their relevance. In India we have degenerated to a situation of witnessing scotch whisky and lipstick being arranged during Polit Bureau meetings in place of tea-without-milk and road-side snacks, and the more hypocritical scenario of a party of toiling workmen being led by a set of people who have never worked in their lives. Though Communism is dying the relevance of Leftism is still alive and might continue to grow in countries like India.

The relevance of Leftism is eternal if we mean by it the collective conscience of all those who care about the weak and deprived in our midst. All those who are physically, economically or socially handicapped need a prop and leftists are those who provide the same. It has long been falsely assumed that only a handicapped can understand another handicapped and will help them. But this is not at all true. Communism survived for a century on the wrong notion that only workers care for other workers and all workers would like to remain struggling forever. Marx clearly missed the point that inside each struggling worker there is a desire or hope to become a capitalist one day. The basic instincts of human beings were overlooked while theorizing an ideology for governance. The intentions were good but whatever is built up on a flawed foundation cannot sustain. The relevance of an alternative derived from an ideology that has survived for multiple millennia becomes important here.

Dharmic Leftism

The concept of dharma is very basic to the instincts of any human with a positive outlook. In short, dharma is that which sustains and anything being dharmic means it is sustainable. The whole of mankind at any time can be considered as a single group in a journey. This is true at the micro and macro levels. All of us are trying to survive in a background of constant efflux of time. In this mass transit we are all duty bound to help all our co-travelers who are weak and tired because of any reason. The case of all those who are poor, deprived, unhealthy and subjugated is identical to this. Innocent men who are maimed in terrorist blasts, women who are raped by invaders and children who are dying of hunger are all our co-travelers who deserve to be helped. While all other isms try to differentiate between us and them, in one form or another, there is one in India which has all along been advocating the equality of everything in this universe on the basis of a common origin and the presence of the same entity in everything. Advaita can very well become the basic foundation of what can be called as dharmic leftism – an innate responsibility of the haves towards have-nots.

No one has propounded a similar theory in better lines than Pandit Deendayal Upadhaya in his Integral Humanism. It is not surprising to note the interesting presence of Deen (sufferer) and Dayal (sympathy) in his very name. I find no better name than ‘Deendayalism’ for a wonderful combination of Leftism and Rightism, in the universal glue of dharma, to bring about an era of dharmic socialism in the world. The millions of poor in India are the best starting point for a convincing demonstration of the applicability of dharma in their upliftment. With the strong sense of dharma that is inherent in an overwhelming majority of Indians, the combined relevance of Dharma and Leftism in the form of Deendayalism can make a very meaningful intervention in Indian society. Right wing parties in India will be making a big mistake if they cannot seize this opportunity. Death of Communism in India is perhaps their last chance for a resurgence to eternal glory.

Dharmic Instruments

In a working democracy, success of political parties is determined only by their ability to identify the right instruments for social intervention to alleviate the problems faced by common man. For potential practitioners of Deendayalism the options are very clear. One of the most exasperating problem that the poor in India face is about the ownership of land. How can we call anyone an Indian if he or she does not own even a square inch of the motherland? And how do we expect farmers to produce the basic food that all of us need if they do not own any land? Extensive land reform to empower the poor farmers with land ownership is the first and foremost social intervention tool to be utilized by the Deendayalists. There must be no compromise at all in this. Land fit for agriculture must be preserved at all costs for food cultivation and ownership of most of the agricultural land must necessarily rest with the farmers for food cultivation. The state of Kerala is the best example of a tragedy in waiting for yielding to commercial crops in place of the basic food crops. Fundamentalism and Rubber cultivation has virtually brought the famed Kerala Model to an infamous one.

The other dharmic tools that can help Deendayalists take the leftist space are efforts at rejuvenation of our cultural heritage among the common man. Bharat degenerated into India only because a section of our people restricted the spread of Sanskrit and Vedic literature among the common man. The wide gap that it has created in our society still continues. Deendayalism must address this issue very earnestly even at the cost of defining the so-called secularism that is suffocating our cultural ethos. The rationality and scientific temper intrinsic in Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam must reach the Rikshaw drivers, toiling farmers and industrial workers in our nation. India’s young generations must be made to realize the heights of rationality attained in our spiritual pursuits. Economic development of our country is unstoppable now, but the spiritual health of our people can be elevated only by a conscious effort against enormous odds. Toiling workers, farmers and adivasis must be brought into the very focus of national mainstream, as rightful prime beneficiaries of Deendayalism.

It will be foolish on the part of Deendayalists to believe that Pakistan and China will keep quiet if such a dharmic social revolution takes place in India. The existence of Pakistan is solely dependent on the success of their two-nation theory and they now have so many sympathizers within India. And an introverted China will definitely provide all its help for Pakistan to play the spoilsport. But a strong and determined India that has been through worse times in history is more than a match for these evil nations built on unsubstantiated isms. The element of God present in all humans will ultimately make all individuals, even in Pakistan and China, realize the true path towards growth, development and salvation. A resurgent India led by Deendayalism can truly become the paradise on earth for all those who desire for one and who foolishly believe that there is one such in another heaven somewhere presided over by a non-existent God. Remember that in Bharat it was service to the poor (Manavseva) that was considered as praising the Lord (Madhavaseva).

Development to Disaster – Kerala Model

2010-08-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Kerala Model became widely popular in UN economic circles as an ideal one for any developing state in the twenty first century. The huge appreciation and wide publicity it obtained as a desirable economic model for ideal development of human society in an atmosphere of ‘justice and fairness to all’ was mainly due to the efforts of stalwarts like Dr. Amartya Sen and Dr. K.N. Raj. In classical economics, the scenario of any state attaining the highest levels of human development with the lowest levels of per-capita income is unimaginable. And that was exactly what the state of Kerala in the Indian union achieved in isolation in 1980s and 1990s. A lot of known and unknown individual and collective efforts have gone into its making, including the vast influence of leftist ideologies in a society having easier access to education thanks to the mushrooming of Christian missionary schools. But the situation has taken a complete turn since the start of this century.

Rao’s twin social warheads of liberalization and globalization (l&g) have worked wonders with all states other than Kerala. The percentage of people who have benefitted from the goodness of unlimited market forces let lose by l&g is a minimum in Kerala. Atleast two generations of Keralites owe it to the Leftists led by Krishna Pillai, AKG and EMS to have revitalized the left side of their brains to dream of a society full of equality, justice and true secularism. People from all sections of the society listened to them and believed in their words and promises. The unbelievable surge in Kerala’s human development index was a direct outcome of the goodness thus created. But when the ideology itself has failed and its leaders have turned looters, how can the surge continue? The downturn has been equally swift and we are now left with a highly unequal and unjust society which is almost fully communalized into four equal sections – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Communists.

Reasons for Development

In addition to the distinct influence of Communism in Kerala’s social and economic arenas, there are a couple of associated aspects that triggered the development indices in 1980s and 90s. Migration to Gulf countries in significant numbers and the vast remittance of foreign exchange was one of them. The other one was the large scale change in agricultural pattern from food crops to commercial crops. Surprisingly both the factors have been necessitated by or influenced the governments in power. Naxalism was gathering enormous clout in Kerala when the employment relief valve provided by Oil & Gas boom in the Gulf provided an alternative avenue of employment for the youth. And the pioneering land reforms by the government forced the agricultural pattern in favour of commercial crops as an easy way to avoid the land ceiling act. Both these unexpected developments had enormous impact on the social life of Kerala.

The full implications of such a paradigm shift in the social landscape of Kerala took many more decades to dawn. When we analyse these two trails in perspective, the combination of an air of progressive leftism that prevailed then and the new opportunities that opened up all of a sudden took the whole state into a totally unexpected (and undesired) direction. No doubt that there has been an undeniable elevation of social and economic status of a major section of our society within a very short span of time. The quantity and quality of services available in the educational and health sectors improved drastically in a short span of time. Sections of our society could easily walk into avenues of opportunities with the kind of money the two new sources could generate. But the best part of the development picture got over by the end of last century sooner than expected and the nightmare had started.

Reasons for Disaster

Just like the two associated reasons for development, there are some for the disaster as well. The vast employment opportunity in the Gulf was definitely a boon for the huge number of educated unemployed Keralites. But the influence of extraneous considerations started skewing the recruitment pattern very soon. The growing influence of Islam in everything (including even business) in the Gulf was the important factor that upset the growth of a healthy pattern of competition and development. Knowledge of Arabic language, which is again related to religion, was another factor that changed the recruitment pattern for the Gulf. The net result was the disproportionate opportunities available and the sudden economic bonanza for a particular section of our society. Another section of the population utilized a similar set of criterion to get most favoured status in the West. Thus two of the demographic minorities of Kerala suddenly became formidable financial powerhouses.

Another factor that upturned the developmental applecart of Kerala is the spurt in commercial crop cultivation. More and more people turned into plantations of rubber, tea etc., as an easy way to avoid losing land to the landless. It is said that the land ceiling act was sabotaged by the wealthy planters by manipulating the Communists to exclude commercial plantations from its purview. Most of the wealthy planters belonged to a particular minority community and that distorted the social landscape even further. The unorganized majority not only lost large tracts of land but also lost out in their efforts to gain employment elsewhere. Thousands and thousands of acres of food cultivation land turned overnight into plantations with rubber, coffee etc. Successive governments which went full steam with land reforms had no ready made plans for rehabilitation of those who lost their only means of livelihood. Minorities were made happy at the expense of the unorganized majority.

Several decades down the lane, the situation in Kerala state is now a complete disaster. It has become the epicenter of terrorism fuelled by Gulf money, control room for co-ordinated religious conversion through out India with the help of Western dollars and above all a completely unsafe place to live in. Roads are in shambles and infrastructure in lacking in almost all fields we can think of. Distribution of drinking water, electricity and public transport leave much to be desired. Food cultivation is minimal and all Keralites are at the mercy of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for their daily food. Things have come to such a pass that a majority of educational institutions have minority status and even affairs of Hindu temples are controlled by a government that is dominated by non-believers and other religionists. The very same aspects that made Kerala model famous once have turned satanic - Gulf money and Commercial crops - thereby threatening to bring down the state from development to disaster. Kerala Model is now infamous and a laughing stock.

No God, Only Godmen

2010-08-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Godmen is a derogatory word among the so-called Communist intellectuals in India and perhaps their cousins all over the world. One cannot blame anyone who truly believes in the absence of a superior logic to rubbish anything related to God. We should definitely respect true Communists, Marxists and Maoists when they ridicule God and Godmen based on their ideology. But then the question turns to the basis of their ideology itself. Communism has failed completely and what we are seeing in China, Russia and even among Indian Maoists are only dishonest and hypocritical attempts to push the secret agenda of a few in the name of Communism. We too had very many true Communists who were hardcore atheists in their younger days; but ultimately all of them failed in their pursuit and some of them even became prominent Godmen. So how can followers of a ideology that failed in the span of a century ridicule the rationality of our shastras that advocate Godmen and have survived many millennia. It is now proven that Man’s irresistible quest for a rational explanation about God cannot lead to anywhere else but to the spark of Godliness within him as demonstrated by many a Godmen.

The case of the two Semitic religions is no different when it comes to Godmen. Deriding the concept of Godmen has always been a prominent weapon of the two Semitic religions that are competing to convert the whole of India into their folds. Their foreign progenitors were inherently incapable of comprehending the Vedic signals from India that pointed to an all pervading logical entity that can be called God. Instead they believe in a God who lives in another world. All their techniques to convert the followers of Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH) have an element that ridicules the concept of finding God within Man. The clever ones among missionaries and mullahs know that their own existence will be questioned if the truth of an all pervading entity finds any foothold among their followers who are trapped under an ideological slavery. They are hell bent on keeping God away from Man and operating their wholesale agency business. Little do they realize that the eternal truth shall always overcome the transient ones and the truth of Godmen shall be firmly established one day.

No Separate God

The concept of a separate God can hold water only when it is possible to provide proof for separate origins for God and others. Whatever little theology that could be built up by the followers of such religions has been completely shattered when Big Bang started seeing light of the day. So far prophets, messengers and godsons were having a good time formulating faiths with ulterior motives for domination and subjugation. Just the simple fact that their blinding books have many references to non-believers when their separate God is supposed to be all-powerful shows the hollowness of their claims. An omnipotent Creator should at least have the vision to refer to all humans as His followers. Instead the books containing His dictates’ are self-explanatory in revealing His diffidence and inabilities. How can any entity that cannot ensure that all ordinary humans believe and follow it be granted omnipotence? It is only as strong or weak as any of us are.

Another strong argument against the existence of a separate God is the present condition of human race in this universe after almost a dozen billion years of existence. There are religions and religions, each with a version of God of their own. Not all can be true. If any particular one is the real truth, all those who fully follow it should have succeeded in every respect by now. Extreme violence and misery in the Arab world, steady decadence of the Western world etc., points only to the lack of any substance in their beliefs of a separate God, which is all-powerful, compassionate and omnipresent. The utter failure of all Hindu schools in the past that advocated Dvaita and Visishta-Advaita in India also proves this point beyond any doubt. There is definitely a God but it cannot exist outside any of us. Like all forms of energy that needs storage or conductor, God is nothing but a logical energy that resides in each and every thing in this universe. It cannot have any human feelings like compassion, vengeance and benevolence as promised by the prophets and messengers.

Only Godmen & Godwomen

Where the concept of a separate God dies, the relevance of Godmen begins. Given the fact that God is present in all of us and that all of us are different, it is only natural to conclude that we all have different ‘quantities’ of God. The concept of Godmen (and Godwomen) comes in here. Divinity of the entire six billion people can be plotted in a graph and we are sure to come up with a clear bunch at the top. These are the people like Saibaba and Mata Amritanandamayi who have demonstrated their uniqueness without any doubt. A lot of us are confused between divinity and miracles. Most miracles remain inexplicable for those who consider it as miracles and it is not necessary to possess divinity to show miracles. A magician may be able to show it better. Divinity is nothing but the silent radiation of God energy. Even the most unbelieving will feel excited in the very presence of people like Ramana Maharshi, Saibaba and the Mata. I do not think anyone will demand proof for their positive divine capabilities when we compare their achievements to that of the rest among us.

Another equally important truth of evolution comes in here. In the broad spectrum of divinity pattern distributed among us there cannot be any doubt about the slow and steady process of spiritual evolution. Knowingly and unknowingly we are accumulating knowledge through our experiences. Those who have inborn qualities of radiating God energy and those who accumulate the same consciously during their lives go on to become Godmen. Many of their deeds and words point to only one thing – that they have much more of God energy than we have. The basic inequality of human beings is nothing but a reflection of the different levels of God within us. All other inequalities in terms of social, economical and even physical parameters can be altered. An individual’s divinity can be altered by only him (or her) and that too based on his (or her) individual efforts. The one and only way to realize the God within you (and become a Godman) is through strenuous hard work or prayers.

All of us have God within us, but to become accomplished Godmen there is the acid test of sustained acceptability. Many a Nityanandas and Premanandas have failed miserably in this regard. Truly accomplished Godmen in the past like Ramana Maharshi (www.ramana-maharshi.org) were highly indifferent to publicity. But the strength of divine signals emanating from such rare personalities not only overwhelmed the locals but followers from far and abroad. A list of devotees who fell for this seemingly unimpressive saint is truly astonishing. In contemporary times, the accomplishments & achievements of Mata Amritanandmayi (www.ammachi.org) and Saibaba (www.saibaba.org) need no further proof to establish their claims as genuine Godmen. Those among us who are wasting our time in failing to recognize their divinity are making the big mistake of searching for a non-existent separate God when Godmen are readily available in our midst.

Man Make-up

2010-07-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

The simplest solution to all our problems is a constant and sincere pursuit for an answer to the question ‘Who Am I”. It was the self-realised Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) who gave this simple solution. He was the living embodiment of the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta, which focuses on the oneness of God with the human soul and everything else in this universe. For those who are interested in this simple pursuit, it may be equally important to enquire about ‘What Am I’. What is the Self made up of? An equally simple and logical answer is necessary for us to be rationally satisfied. Man Make-up has great significance and it can even ease our spiritual pursuit of striving to understand about ‘Who Am I’. All great sages (and in fact all of us know) very well that we are not this body of ours alone. Neither are we the life energy inside or the mind or the knowledge. In reality we are a combination of minimum four components – body (physical form), soul (life energy), knowledge (intelligence) and mind (consciousness). Perhaps all living beings are of the same make-up and the non-living without the soul part alone. Let us deliberate further on the four parts that constitute Man Make-up.

Physical Form (Body)

Human body is one of the most complicated machines that can be thought of and our knowledge is yet to uncover most of its complexity. Like everything else in this universe our understanding is diminishing as we try to understand more about the secrets of human body. A simple fact like the variety of looks that a human face can take as a permutation and combination of the seven organs (eyes, ears, lips, teeth, nose, eyebrows and hair) is unbelievable. The same marvel holds good for each and every part of the human body. The complexities are much more astounding when we learn about the various systems that keep the body alive. Yet in the final analysis it is only a few grams of a few elements and a huge proportion of water that makeup any human body. And in the ultimate analysis it is again a loose collection of atomic and subatomic particles that forms a human body. All of us are alike in many ways and different in every aspect. All of us are insignificant and unique at the same time.

Life Energy (Soul)

Soul is that which differentiates between a Man in deep sleep and his dead body. Both are motionless and unaware of the surroundings, but still there is a difference. Science and religion acknowledge the phenomenon of soul in different forms. Science is still in the dark about the secret of soul because of its obvious failure in creating one artificially. But all religions are clear about the involvement of God in it. For the top two organized religions, soul is a proprietary item under God’s command and control; for them it is created by God and it returns to God after death for judgment. The one and only religious thought that considers soul as a flash of God itself is Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH – Proud To Be Hindu) and voluminous documentations are available to substantiate such a claim. Since God is eternally present everywhere there is no question of souls coming or returning to God at any time. It is born and born again until it dissolves permanently into God. And our lives are nothing but a series of dramatic effects (including visuals) enacted on the arena of unchanging God.

Intelligence (Knowledge)

Intelligence is closely associated with the spark of life found in all living beings and just like human body our knowledge also grows with us. It is very interesting to note that there is an element of built-in knowledge (like ROM in a computer) that is readily available for all living beings which takes them through the initial period of survival. This is perhaps lowest in the case of humans, but we make it up with the next phase of acquired knowledge (like RAM in a computer). The extent of knowledge accumulation that is possible for humans is truly amazing and needs no explanation when we think of people like Sankaracharya, Albert Einstein etc., and our own Vedic literature. All successful beings (including Man) are those who realize the skills (vasanas) in their ROM and accumulate more of it in their RAM. Evolution is taking us much forward and the days of super human beings, as envisaged by Swami Aurobindo, are just few millenniums away.

Consciousness (Mind)

Consciousness is perhaps the most intriguing part of our make-up. It is definitely a part of us and yet we have not yet identified its exact location. It is truly amazing to note that there is only one instrument that can ‘see’ the entire universe at a time – just close your eyes and imagine. According to me the basis of Big Bang theory lies in here. The entire universe has originated from the explosion of a speck of consciousness that now encompasses everything in this universe. This is exactly what we loosely call as God, which is omnipresent and omnipotent. The capacity and capability of our minds are infinite and its realization is possible only through dedicated efforts, unless it occurs ‘automatically’ like in the case of Sri Ramana Maharshi or Sri Ramakrishna. And those with realized consciousness can definitely guide us (and not show or give us) towards the direction of realization.

Make-up of man is as fundamental as the question of Who Am I, which Sri Ramana Maharshi (www.ramana-maharshi.org) wanted everyone to seek. Realisation of Self is complete only when we have clearly understood our make-up and recognized the true nature of our consciousness. We need to understand the shape and other features of the bottle before we can fully realize the nature of its contents. The three intangibles of Soul, Knowledge and Mind that reside in our tangible body can bloom into their full potential if we make conscious efforts to understand them. And that is what we identify as Self-Actualisation in the hierarchy of human needs in modern management and we Indians know as Self-Realisation in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH).

Career Politicians

2010-07-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Democracy is no doubt one of the best form of governance available for civilized mankind, but a natural breed of mature and talented politicians is a must for making it deliver. For democracy to succeed there should be an established channel for successful people from all walks of life to graduate into political roles. This is not happening in many major democracies and unfortunately India is one among them. Instead, a new breed of politicians is infesting the political arena and vitiating the process of democracy in almost all the developed and developing countries where democratic values have taken strong roots and people are happy with democratic ways of tackling national issues. Politicians are indispensable for the working of any democracy and true democracy can flourish only when politicians are free to operate without any fear and favour. But the new breed of politicians viz. Career Politicians are spoiling the whole concept of democracy. The situation is worsening day by day in all democracies with the advent of a mix of career and hereditary politicians. Both are equally bad and a combination is even more damaging to the best form of human governance.

The success or failure of democracy in a country is solely dependent of the quality of politicians that operate in it. If there are politicians with good intent, there is every possibility of having a good government which will represent majority aspirations. But that alone will not take the country forward. There should be talented visionary politicians to run the government and guide the nation. They will know what is good for the people even when the people themselves may not be appreciative of it. This quality of formulating policies which are for the well being of the society comes out of education and talent. It is not something which is inborn but can only be developed by education and experience. Professionals who are good in one field always find it easy to understand others’ work and efforts. Politics should not become a profession but professionals are needed in politics if development and deliverance are the purpose of governance.

Political Purpose

When we are analyzing politicians it is important to understand what essentially is politics? What is expected of politicians in a democracy? Whatever be its dictionary meaning, in democratic India it has deteriorated to the level of merely taking part in elections and always trying to be part of the government that rules. If one is successful one becomes part of the government and if not, part of the opposition ranks criticizing the government and waiting for the next opportunity to seize power. Most politicians carry out these ‘responsibilities’ well and many of them excel as rulers. The attraction of power is an ever lasting fascination for ordinary politicians and the more they taste it more hungry they become. Nothing succeeds like success and successful Indian politicians are always those who get into the right political party at the right time. It was much easier during the pre-anti defection era. But now also they achieve the same by right mergers and forming new election fronts, before or after the elections to make up the numbers without any rhyme, reason or shame.

Is this all that is expected of politicians in a democracy? Not at all. Ideal politicians must be proficient in so many other aspects apart from elections and governance. I would consider representation and thinking for the well-being of the majority of utmost importance. A good politician must have proper social transducers to pick up the opinion of the majority in his political constituency (not only geographical) on all major issues. Then he (or she) should be capable of articulating this majority opinion in the proper forums including the assembly or parliament or party avenues. But the most critical action that is expected from a politician involves thinking for the majority. It is impossible to get a single opinion from a mob and that is why we have representatives speaking on our behalf. But the representative’s opinion must be in the best interest of the majority even if many of the constituency may not agree. For that to happen the elected political representative must be not only be educated but experienced and capable of taking independent decisions. Only a good professional who can win bread for him and his family can become a good politician in any democracy.

Personal Purpose

There in no doubt that politics is dirty and it is truly difficult to live up to the expectations of others. But it is not at all difficult if one can live up to one’s own expectations. Those who have no self respect cannot expect others to respect you. Most of the politicians fail in this aspect. Many of them are without any formal education and very few are professionals. Most of them do not know any job other than that of the so called public (dis)service. Even professionally qualified politicians like lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants etc., do not take the trouble of practicing their own trained profession even for a day. In the Indian political scene, most of the politicians are lawyers but I am cent percent sure that 90% of them cannot argue properly in any court of law. Quite in contrast we are fully aware of the contributions made by professional lawyers like Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar, Santhibushan, Jethmalani, Nariman, Sibal, Jaitley etc., to the realm of politics. These lawyer politicians were (are) capable of feeding their own families by practicing law. Society and nation are just extensions for them.

Politics as a profession for a career is the worst that can happen in a democracy and that is what is happening in a functioning democracy like India. Degeneration of our democratic framework can be traced back to this dangerous reality. There is no minimum qualification to enter this profession and there are no minimum standards to be maintained for climbing the career ladder. The most unqualified and unscrupulous are proving to be most successful in politics. Those who are more visible inside and outside the parliament are those who do not participate in the law making process and debates about India’s development and future. Most of them are blissfully ignorant of the requirements of a struggling population and the options available in terms of technology, infrastructure and resources for taking India forward. Many are sitting in the law making bodies only by virtue of their heredity or seniority in career politics. Once out of power, many of them will be like fish out of water that will die without oxygen (money). What more justification is required for rampant corruption while in power?

Monthly remuneration of members of Indian parliament has been recommended to be increased three or four fold to more than Rs. 80,000/- per month. The interesting argument is that it should be at least one rupee more than the maximum emoluments of a professional in government because of protocol and hierarchy. This is in addition to so many other perks and an average monthly expenditure on each lawmaker will be definitely more than Rs. 200,000/- of public money. Do all of them deserve so much for their worth and work? Definitely not. Only those who can earn that much money by their own professional merit deserve that much remuneration for being in politics. It is time for democratic India to think seriously about minimum qualifications for being in politics and state funding for elections to encourage successful professionals to venture into politics. Left to career and hereditary politicians, Indian democracy will be in shambles in not so distant future.

Backdoor Brahmins

2010-05-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Be it the Middle East or the West, Indian Diaspora delights in their almost daily ritual of symposiums, seminars and discussions highlighting Brahmin atrocities in India in the past and present. India’s infamous hierarchical caste system dominated by Brahmins has become a pet tool in the hands of so many vested interests. It is interesting to note that while the organizers of all such get-togethers are invariably from minority outfits, they are clever enough to ensure that the main speakers always belong to the majority. It is a pleasure for them to see successors of their past adversaries fighting among themselves to please their present minority sponsors. More than anyone else, the present leaders in these minority communities know the role of erstwhile Brahmins in thwarting their attempts to arabise or westernize the whole of Bharath during their own periods of reign. No amount of muscle power or scheming could match the brain power of a Chanakya or a Sankara in the past and very well they know that it will continue to be so for ever. Real Brahmins and true Brahminhood always referred to the best in terms of brilliance and quality as it was originally conceived.

Brahma, Brahman and Brahmin are three terms that create a lot of confusion in the minds of everyone. The much acclaimed secular education of Hindu children in post-1947 India makes the situation hopeless. For some it is all the same and for many children it is immaterial. The intentional disinterest in everything Hindu that Hindu children are forced to develop by a skewed secular educational system is turning out to be a premeditated attempt for national suicide by Indian nation. While Lord Brahma may not be of much interest to many, the difference and meaning of Brahman and Brahmin must necessarily be known. The all pervading concept of Brahman is always relevant and the ongoing CERN experiments will definitely fuel further interests in the relevance of such theories. But the most misunderstood term among the trio is that of Brahmin. It was never intended to be hereditary and the existence of terms like “Boston Brahmins” denotes a better understanding even in the not-so-distant past. The idea and concept of Backdoor Brahmin dominance started with the advent of foreign influences in India. What has been happening in the Christian and Muslim world for the past few centuries provides amble proof for this interesting claim.

Arab World

In the long years of human civilization, the role of Arabs is only a few days old. And in this too their presence has been recognized by others only because of near monopoly hold over fuel reserves in recent times. It seems the underground layer of hydrocarbon reserves keeps shifting in between the tectonic plates and the Arab world was lucky enough to notice it when it came under their own foot. No one knows how long it will remain under their foot. The Arabs are utilizing the opportunity well not only for promoting their own faith, but also for many wrong causes forming part of their imperial dreams of subjugating all other religions and ruling over the entire world. Quite unwittingly they are also passing through the process of creating a social hierarchy with their own version of hereditary Brahminhood at the very top. This is despite their claim of having developed a modern religion based on equality, brotherhood and justice. All evolving social isms (which include religions also) develop a creamy layer on top and Arabs are no exception when it comes to their own formulation of faith.

Identical to what has happened in Hindu Sanatana Dharma in Indian subcontinent, children of the initial creamy layer who comes to occupy a dominating position in any faith, have gained a backdoor entry into Brahminhood. Arabs are spearheading their religious spread across the world and their own language, attire and customs have acquired a certain higher status. Despite professing equality and brotherhood as being marked specialties of their faith, the truth on the ground points to an overall domination by Arabs in the entire Muslim world. Arabic language has become the chosen language and Arabic dress has become the exalted attire. And whatever the Arabs do has become the correct way for all others to emulate. Richness of Arab nations has no doubt contributed to their dominance in the Muslim world as Backdoor Brahmins. Their co-religionists from other parts of the world now constitute the lower castes and all are trying to mimic their masters in everything they do. What should be attained by merit and hard work is now easily available hereditarily to all Arabs.

Western World

Though Westerners struck the road to civilization quite later than those in Asia, their naive adventurous nature rewarded them with plenty of success in the peace loving parts of the world. Christianity, after its origin in the Middle East, has long been hijacked by the West since the time of Roman empire. And when the Westerners started their conquest of the eastern lands they had this unwanted faith formulation of theirs to offer in return for the loot of material wealth. White missionaries who formed third rung of the invading troops, the first two being businessmen and soldiers, were very clever and cunning. Their role in the grand imperial design was to prepare the natives for eternal subjugation for generations to come. Owners of East India Company knew very well that it is easier to hold on to the British Raj forever if at least half the Indians could be converted to Christianity. Same is the case with all the African countries.

The backdoor entry of Brahminhood can be seen in the case of Christianity too. In the overall scheme of Christian world, the dominant force is that of the Western Whites. They are the ones who formulate and re-formulate the faith. Whites are indeed the backdoor hereditary Brahmins in Christianity. Brownies and Blackies will always remain in the lower castes. Though Obama could become US president, it is impossible for any black or brown Cardinal to become the Pope. Even if there comes one, he will be namesake as a showpiece. Language, attire and customs of Whites have become the hallmarks of the religion. It is upto everyone in the Christian faith to emulate the Whites in their pathway towards God. Merit and hard work have given way to hereditary domination by Whites. Again pioneers of the ism have usurped Brahminhood through their backdoor entry.

Brahminhood in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) was meant to be something highly admirable and it is open to everyone irrespective of his or her background to achieve it. The truth is that no one is born as a Brahmin and Brahminhood is to be attained by noble thoughts and painstaking efforts. Ancient HSD is full of historical figures who have come up from lower ranks at birth to the highest level of Brahminhood. Vyasa, Valmiki, Viswamitra are just a few of them. Gandhi, Vinobha, JP, Ambedkar etc., also made it later in recent times. The heredity hijack happened in between when a few unworthy children of Brahmins thought of an easy way and the society at large kept mum. The same phenomenon is happening in the Islamic and Christian world now. Backdoor Brahmins are leading the world to an early end in all respects.

Bigger Bang

2010-05-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

There is a growing belief all over the world that the year 2012 is going to be a significant one for reasons unknown so far. Some have fear and some others are hopeful and positive as ever. The fear of World War III (WWIII) has been lurking for sometime and the growing defiance of Iran over the most sensitive nuclear issue strengthens our negative fears. A nuclear capable Iran is sure death bell for Israel. It is foolish optimism to expect inaction by one of the world’s most powerful and determined states in such a scenario. In the prevailing international air of terrorism, islamophobhia and aggressive evangelism, it is not very improbable to have a war between two tribes escalate into one between religions and civilizations. The much predicted WWIII for drinking water may get postponed as WWIV, if at all there is scope for another one. However there is still optimism to look forward to a more positive and incredible development in the year 2012.

One of the major ongoing projects that can give some good news by 2012 is the CERN experiment. It is almost a century since the theories of Big Bang started and it would be a grand finale if the experiments could prove it without any remaining ambiguity. It would be a much bigger bang if Big Bang is true and everything indeed started from a single entity. Consequently, so many half cooked hypotheses and card board postulates will have to be thrown out of our realms of knowledge. The effect of a bigger bang can resonate in so many fields other than science and technology. It can shake the entire foundations of beliefs in all walks of human life. If everything that we can think of started with a single big bang, how can there be so much diversity other than with an underlying string of unity. There can be only one truth and only one direction for approaching the truth. Concept of God and religious beliefs will have to be rewritten.

Scientific Shastra

Shastra in India covers a much bigger area of knowledge than its western counterpart of Science. Indians have always considered anything that can be analysed systematically to be Shastra and that included almost all fields of knowledge. Authentic works like Dharma Shastra and Kama Shastra proves this beyond any doubt. While Western Science was over dependent on instruments, Indian Shastra could go much beyond with the help of meditative and instinctive thoughts. If Western Science insisted on solid proof for every hypothesis, Indian Shastra was content with intuition and faith in profound theories. That is one of the main reasons why Indian Shastras have gone much beyond the frontiers achieved so far by modern Science. Modern scientists realized this difference only when Newtonian physics gave way to its Quantum version in the twentieth century. It is no wonder that almost all physicists of the modern era look so reverently towards Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) ideology.

Despite the dubious efforts of our colonial masters and Islamic invaders, a sizeable part of Indian works on various Shastra is still intact and available to us in its original forms. Distrustful commentaries and sinister interpretations by Christian missionaries and colonial experts have not succeeded much in their intentions. It is ironical to note that some of the most virulent proponents of HSD ideological literature in modern times are the present generations of the very same colonial masters. HSD is beginning to flourish in its pristine beauty once again in the West rather than in its land of origin. Almost all of the major works have been digitized and a mere cursory look though them can tell us the vast expanse of knowledge that has been covered. For anyone impartially interested it would be a great surprise to note that HSD literature covers almost all the current frontiers of Science, most of it allegorically in the least expected forms of stories and mythology.

Advaita Again

Truth of Big Bang is bound to re-emphasize many beliefs in Hindu Sanatana Dharma and dismantle with greater intensity the concept of God in all the Semitic religions. If the cause of everything that we can think of is the single big bang, humanity has no choice but to accept the theory of Advaita. A final seal of authenticity on Big Bang will mean that consciousness, energy and matter are all interchangeable and in fact one and the same. This is nothing but a blunt statement that all matter (me, you, animals, planets, stars etc.), all energy (light, sound, heat etc.), all concepts (God, science, shastra etc.), all ideologies (religions, isms etc.), all ideas etc., in fact everything that we can think of, are essentially one and the same, because everything has emanated from the same source. All the so-called creations have taken place from a single source and quite possibly will go back to the same source, for the cycle of bang and collapse to repeat.

Another offshoot of Big Bang is the authentic seal on the Theory of Evolution, which Hindu Sanatana Dharma has always supported on all planes of thought. There is the shade of evolution in everything connected to HSD ideology. God evolves in various forms and Man is always on an evolutionary path to reach God. Since everything has its origin in the same source, the evolutionary path connecting the minutest organism to the loftiest ideal of God makes perfect sense. All those who prophesied creation of Man by a separate entity called God can roll back their theories and accept defeat in the best traditions of a philosophical debate. All theories of creation will prove to be absurd and shall stand exposed as made up theories aimed at subjugation of Man by Man. There can be no sons or messengers of God, but only incarnations of God in various forms. A majority of humans will stand revealed of their mistake and their leaders exposed of deception.

It is possible that after-shocks overdo the original earthquake in their intensity. The after-effects of Big Bang will be in this fashion. A purely scientific discovery is going to upset the entire world of religious faiths and beliefs when it is getting the final seal of authenticity by the year 2012. Centuries old unfounded theories of creation and prophesy will stand completely exposed with no more followers but the uninformed, illiterate and those with vested interests. The entire scientific community and those with scientific temper will have only one choice. Claims of Vedanta as the eternal truth with no beginning and no end will stand completely vindicated. And Advaita which has always expounded the basic oneness of God and Man will take over the entire humanity to lead us to a world of knowledge, peace and complete understanding. All of us will see only one thing encompassing the entire universe – Brahman, made up of Brahmons (http://www.pseudodictionary.com/brahmons).

Tharoor Tangle

2010-04-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Tharoor Tragedy (3T) is of great significance for the polity of Indian nation. After years and years of suffering substandard politicians, Shashi Tharoor’s surprise contest from Thiruvananthapuram (TVM) came as a whiff of hope in Indian politics. Since 1960s’ the biggest curse in Indian politics has been the advent and growing control of good-for-nothing politicians (including family members) over the parliament and government. The new breed of career politicians, who are fully dependent on politics for their livelihood, has become the real retardant that is holding back India. Democracy is no doubt the most civilized form for human governance, but it will blossom only if there are well meaning politicians with brilliance and calibre. Whatever be their background, those who decide to be in full-time politics immediately after completing their formal education can never do anything good for the country. The present state of India, especially its most literate Kerala state, is the best example for this. Career oriented leaders in the Communist and Congress parties of Kerala have literally brought down the God’s Own Country to a zero-development state.

Career politicians, who make up 95% in all the major political parties in India, are definitely not doing the country any good. Given their complete dependence on politics, it is not at all surprising to note that all such politicians are at all times striving for the next higher post in their party or government hierarchy. An ordinary member wants to become a panchayat member, then a district panchayat member, then an MLA and so on. Side by side they want income to take care of themselves and their family. Naturally the desire grows with age and so also the monetary requirements. In the process the only sure thing that can happen in the fixed tenure in any elected capacity is a frenzied scramble for amazing wealth for the entire future because of great uncertainty that underlines any political life. Another sinister offshoot is their determined attempts to cut down all prospective competitors while in power. In any case one thing is cent percent guaranteed – any elected career politician will never do anything good for the society at large and the nation. Those who plotted 3T from within Congress party are sad examples of this curse on Indian democracy.

Welcome Change

The entry of Shashi Tharoor in Indian politics was a welcome change because of so many reasons. First of all, he is not one of those career politicians. He volunteered to join politics at a time when all politicians with some ‘transfer value’ were running away from politics which was getting murkier day by day. The quality of debate and law making process in the Indian parliament had come down to ridiculous levels in the recent past. In the age of globalization, there is not even a single Indian parliamentarian who is well known and quoted in other world parliaments. None of them have produced nor have the potential to produce any significant work that will enhance the working of democratic process of governance. Very few had the moral authority to command respect among their peer group for educational qualifications and erudite achievements. Most of them were respected out of fear or for their oratory gimmicks. In such a scenario, Tharoor’s decision to contest for Lok Sabha rather than seeking a back door entry into Rajya Sabha was nothing but a miracle in Indian politics.

Dr. Sashi Tharoor had achieved almost everything that an ordinary middle-class Indian could in his entire lifetime when he decided to enter politics. He was already on top of the world with his foot firmly on Indian ground when he decided to take the plunge in the most politically sensitive state of Kerala. He needed a platform and he chose the Congress (supposedly because of his admiration for Nehru). Many were unhappy with his choice of the political party but all democratic Indians were happy to welcome his refreshing entry into politics. Many were unhappy with his writings but few doubted his erudition and calibre. Many disliked the foreignness in his words and looks, but nobody had any reservations about his intentions. Tharoor was the best that could have happened to Indian politics and all the political parties envied Congress when they offered the TVM seat to Tharoor. And the fact that he won it by over a lakh votes in a four-cornered contest shows the democratic resonance he could establish with the aspirations of ordinary Indians.

Unwanted Fall

Though Tharoor’s name cropped up in so many controversies in the past one year, it was always victory for him at the end. He had the integrity and intention to succeed against all types of allegations and efforts to get him out of the ministry, parliament and politics. Career politicians in all political parties were mortally afraid of the new trend he has set. All of them were afraid of the entry of bright and educated Indians into politics after having achieved something in other fields. If Tharoor succeeds in Indian politics, the consequences can be devastating for the entire system of career politics. Tharoor was using Twitter and speaking on TED platform. It was too much for the street smart dirty politicians who are interested only in electoral victory based on their family name or vote manipulation. None of the career politicians would have slept properly for the last one year because of anxiety. The BPL (Below Poverty Line) addicted communists and BPO (Bofors Pay Off) addicted congressmen are really no match for the likes of genuinely talented Tharoors.

Tharoor’s South Indian background is a major factor that has contributed to his current downfall. Power structure in Indian democracy has always been dominated by Hindi politicians (rather than Hindu politicians), thanks mainly to demography and volume of business in the North. Tharoor touched the wrong nerves when he could snatch an IPL slot from the powerful North lobby. In the past, it was considered almost impossible for any consortium representing a state like Kerala to have raised USD 333 million and beat the competition from the North. Only a Tharoor could have raised so much confidence for anyone to bet so much money on behalf of Kerala. Whether he has any direct monetary participation in the IPL bid is for the enforcement agencies to find out, but to have triggered the confidence and won a competitive bid is no crime at all. And personal relation between Sashi and Sunanda is not for Congress Working Committee or Polit bureau to decide.

It is unfortunate that 3T happened at a time when politicians and bureaucrats from Kerala are supposed to in dominance at Delhi. There has been no time since 1947 when Kerala had so many ministers and powerful bureaucrats in the government. Yet no one came to defend Tharoor for a Kerala cause is something that must not go unnoticed. And the moral credentials of the core committee itself that asked him to step down are highly suspect. It is like a set of shameless pots calling the shining kettle black. It had only the shame of India at the helm and a few family retainers who have entered the parliament through the back door. They have shown it is easy to bring down a Tharoor, but many of them have inadvertently contributed to the premature death of an Indian dream for rapid development through democracy with intelligent leadership and informed consent. And Kerala could have achieved a paradigm change in its development if only it had nurtured talents like Tharoor in its politics. Democratic Indians have failed once again in promoting genuine democracy in India.

Faith Formulations

2010-04-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

It was an eye-opener when someone told me that I am in a world of my own creation. Though he was taking me to task for a questionable doing, I realised that he was cent percent true. All tangible and intangible items in my world are my own which I have acquired through my own five senses and same is the case with all living beings. Anything can make sense to me only if I am aware of it in the first place. And everything in my world cease for me when I am no more. The tangibles include the entire physical world around me including my own possessions, relatives etc. And my own knowledge, concepts, languages and thoughts make up the intangibles. The crux of this irrefutable argument is that each and every one of us is living in a different world, each of our own making. And we make sense to each other only when the commonalities amongst us are substantially high. We should be happy that such commonalities do exist and are increased over a period of time due to accumulation of knowledge from the surrounding environment. If a new born child could be brought up in a completely isolated environment, the world that it will progressively develop will be highly revealing to all of us who take many things for granted.

The isolated child (let it be a male) will survive only if it is cared for till it can manage of its own and let us assume that it shall be arranged. The first impression that he will develop about the world will be his self-primacy - that everything else exist for his use. He seeks no further explanation about why it is so. He feels superior, intelligent and happy. He becomes a truly atheistic Marxist communist. In the next stage he starts bothering about the other things around him, especially the living ones. Invariably he sticks to his own primacy and concludes that other living beings are something lesser and everything is created for him by some unknown Creator. He feels no qualms about harming and even killing others. He becomes a true follower of an all powerful but formless and merciful Creator who rewards and reprimands. He attributes more qualities like compassion and forgiveness to the Creator who can also speak and instruct in human languages. He develops the concept of sin and starts to believe in pleasing his Creator for achievements. But as he grows into more wisdom, he realizes that there is nothing else other than what is already within him and surrounding him that makes his own world. His irrepressible urge to understand the omnipresent God (not Creator) overpowers him. He begins to indulge in faith formulations to achieve the same and becomes worthy of being a human being. My own faith formulations may be of interest to some.

My God

If we are alone in this world we need no culture and no God. When we have one more to share this world with, we need to confront, adjust and compromise in order to live on. Our culture begins at this point and the need arises for a formless, indifferent and an all powerful, super intelligent impersonal entity (God) that can explain everything and for us to fall back on. Though many of our saintly leaders claim to have seen, heard and even talked to God, nobody could ever demonstrate it convincingly to another person. The nearest we have heard of is arranging a feel of God, like what Ramakrishna Paramahansa did for Swami Vivekanand. The underlying truth is that God is not someone who is compassionate, merciful etc., who is directing our actions, keeping a log of everyone’s activities and ever vigilant about what all of us are doing. God has no rewarding mechanism for sending us to heaven or hell after our death. God is something that exists among everything in this entire universe which neither cares nor bothers about what we do. But its very existence must definitely mean something to each one of us. It is entirely upto each individual to reach out and realize God.

Our failure to clearly define something which cannot be defined is not a failure at all. The nearest we can reach in terms of defining God is by analogies. One such wonderful analogy is that of God with Electricity. In today’s world, there is nowhere that is out of reach for electrical and electromagnetic energy. It is invisible, all powerful, but only when used or misused, to each according to their intentions. To me, God is something like this. An all pervasive and all powerful energy that can be used for our own good (misused for our own bad). It is estimated that the number of electric impulses generated in a human body on a single day is much more than those in entire telephone network in the world. In a similar fashion, the energy or logic of God is all pervasive and all our actions call for a reaction that fits into the overall logic of the universe. We are all born with a piece of that logic and what we achieve individually and collectively are based on the fuzzy logical results of all those in interaction. I believe that we are all like metal tops rotating on a magnetized environment. It can collide and fall off or it can rotate till the starting energy gets exhausted.

My Religion

Religions have already been defined as paths to reach God. Having agreed on the existence of God and its nearest analogies it is inevitable to look for a way to understand and reach it if possible. If we analyze the available world history, we can find several ideas, suggestions and concepts for approaching God - some rational and some others purely irrational based on the perceived notions of few individuals. There are those who claim to have heard from God and given us revelations that makes no meaning to ordinary folks. And that bred a set of interpreters who are attempting newer and newer versions of their interpretations of these words, each suiting their own private agenda. The do’s and dont’s in these commentaries exposes their real intentions most of the time. The political and powerful aspirations hidden in these interpretations are making today’s world a very dangerous place to live in. It is time we ignored these doubtful interpretations and each one of us attempted to define a path of our own. The desire to know God is instinctive in every living being, but as humans who are endowed with more intelligence we should create our own paths.

God has always been there and will continue to be there. Given such a nature of God, how can we approve of any suggested paths that contain gibberish words from some olden days making no meaning to many of us. If God can utter words, it must be meaningful, never ending and must continue at all times. It should be theoretically possible for any living being to interact with God at any time without any mediators and agencies. This is exactly what happens in the case of those who demonstrate miracles and unexplained capabilities. Those who desire and strive to establish such contacts with the immense energy reservoir can always look forward to success at some time. The techniques of praying, sacrifices, rituals and practices forming part of the established religions are nothing but some of the ‘proven’ methods to achieve this contact. All may not work for all and it is upto each of us to select the methods best suited to one’s character.

During these long years of attempting formulations about God and Religion, one thing became crystal clear to me – that there is no easy way. Those who are selling easy formulae of just believing in a few words, doing a few rituals, living in particular ways etc., to reach or realize God are only taking themselves and their followers for a ride. Making contact with the vast resource of (God) energy, that is least concerned about us and our affairs, is a rigorous, skilful and intelligent one-way act. Only intense, systematic and sincere efforts (termed ‘upasana’ in Sanatana Dharma) can take anyone nearer to God. And only by a progressive process of approaching God can anyone achieve anything of their needs. All other happenings in our lives are purely on account of the fuzzy logic of constant interactions with others (living and non-living) surrounding us, which we believe as our own destinies. Only a miniscule percentage among us can establish the contact with God and dissolve in it by realization. If the contact can indeed be made, the advantage of divine outpours can be enormous. But those who are unsuccessful continue to be born and re-born again.

Landless Indians

2010-03-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

How can we call any Indian an Indian unless and until he or she owns a piece of Indian land? The question is very relevant both in philosophical sense as well as materialistic. Anyone who professes a sense of belonging to a largely emotional concept like a nation must necessarily have at least one tangible connection with the same. What can be a better choice for this than a piece of land that he or she cannot part with during their lifetime, unless of course one chose to lose the citizenship (like Hussain)? All living Indian citizens must necessary own a minimum piece of land and it should be his or her birthright to own it. If all Indians are going to have a Unique Identity Number each in the not-so-distant future, we should also be thinking of enacting progressive and revolutionary laws that empowers them with a minimum piece of land (and also one bank account). India can truly belong to all Indians only if each Indian alive has atleast a piece of its real estate to set foot on.

Equal distribution of a nation’s wealth among all its living citizens at all times is the most idealistic situation that we can ever think of. No nation has ever achieved this and never can it be achieved. But even when we are fully aware of the impracticality of an ideal setup, we should be definitely trying for working towards its optimum levels of achievement. The food, shelter and clothing formula of Indian politicians for getting votes in elections is now completely outdated. The next promise of electricity, road and water has also become another casual electoral slogan that raises fewer heads nowadays. All these items promised are very basic for any human being in this twenty first century and the act of being promised sounds atrocious. No body likes a promise to be provided with what is legitimately his or her own. The ruling dispensation and politicians in India must be thinking of promising innovatively in the coming elections. Any political party promising drastic land reforms will have tremendous advantage in a country like India with an agrarian economy is a lesson never learnt by many of them.

Land for Living

The very basic use of land is for food cultivation and building shelters. All other uses like commercial buildings, commercial crops, hotels, airports etc., are secondary. Every single individual in this planet who is willing to participate in food cultivation must have access to land. Air, water and food being the only three essential requirements of any living being, it should be the top most priority of any governing body to ensure availability of facilities for their production to anyone who is willing to. In countries like India and China, which are clearly overpopulated, the role of farmers can never be overestimated. Ultimately, every nation has to provide food for its people from within its boundaries and use of land assumes greatest importance in these countries. Land for living must take precedence over land as a ‘real estate’ commodity for trading. Millions of poor people are struggling for food in India when millions of acres of land are lying locked up as tradable commodity. The two realities in simultaneous existence do not make any sense at all in a civilized nation.

All farmers need not have hand under their ownership for cultivation. As far as food production is concerned, land is just one of the essential ingredients and it must be easily available to those who want to cultivate. Unlike tools and manure, land cannot be bought and disposed as and when required. The farmer must either have it in his ownership or must be available on lease or loan. The concept of land banks becomes very relevant in this regard. If agricultural loans can be provided by commercial banks, why not have land banks providing land for cultivation in a systematic and legalized way? Any farmer (or a group of them) must be able to get land and loan for utilizing his or her specialized knowledge for food production. It might sound yet another idealistic situation, but the reality is that unless we have clear cut ideas for highlighting its importance and thereby boost food production, India will again slip back into famines and abject poverty once again. Minimum land must be available under everyone’s ownership for shelter and maximum land must be available to anyone who is willing to cultivate. That is the best policy to prevent any poverty and any revolution.

Land for Investment

In the age of globalization, real estate has truly become one of the most attractive investment areas and it is almost impossible to reverse the trend. Frequent collapse of commercial banks and stock market has made this new area highly lucrative and sensible. With the land area remaining same and the world population exploding, there is bound to be shortage of land at all times to come. Any progressive dispensation for national governance must provide avenues for investing surplus funds. But all such avenues must be regulated from outside if not self-regulated. With increasing greed for profit, power and pleasure, we are witnessing unimaginable attempts to corner more and more of land by individuals even if it meant throwing out human beings from their only shelters. Man’s innate urge for natural justice is tested most at the sight of such atrocities of Man against Man. Minimum land for shelter is everyone’s divine birth right and any one trying to snatch it away can only be inhuman.

The role of governments in regulating land for investment comes in here. In every city and every village it must be possible to calculate the land area available in surplus of the minimum shelter requirement of its population. Even if we provide for ten times this figure as provisions for future requirements, it must still be possible to fix the area available as surplus. The overall limit for investment in land must be limited to only a fraction of this surplus land area. Let those who can afford have the best and most of such real estate depending upon their capacity to generate surplus wealth by legitimate means. But the vast majority of the surplus land available must be reserved only for cultivation. There can be scope for investment in this area as well for those who are willing to operate land banks. Almost in line with other commercial banks, these land banks must be offering land loans to any farmer who is self interested in cultivation. His or her return to the bank must be nominal amounts for land use for specific periods with no destruction of the land.

Indian nation is in dire need of drastic land reforms in order to achieve a more just and fair distribution of its national wealth. Land is an inalienable right of all living human beings and it is high time progressive secular nations like India showed the way to the world by assigning ‘un’transferable rights to all Indians alive at least 5 cents (40.468 m2) of land each at the nearest neighbourhood available. The right to such UMSL (Untransferable Minimum Shelter Land) must be registered in the boy’s or girl’s name when they are assigned a Unique Identity Number (UIN) and must cease when the individual is no more. In addition to such USML, any Indian who is willing to cultivate for food production (for self or others) must be assured of availability of land on lease or loan. Then only can we really call ourselves a progressive sovereign socialist democratic republic nation as claimed in our constitution.

“Historiphobic” Indians

2010-02-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

True history has become an oxymoronic concept desired publicly by all but censored privately by the rulers. Though everyone wants to know the real truth about our own history very few show the extreme courage of wanting to record truthful history as such in black and white. Nobody and no nation can have cent percent glowing history and invariably the undesirable periods get distorted or unrecorded in the official versions. Quite surprisingly this is not the case with post liberation India. Almost all the ‘official’ historians of India exhibit a mysterious desire to record only the distortions, disasters and debacles of our nation. Aryan Migration Theory, Hindu Way of Life (not a religion) and Indian Pluralism (not tolerance) are some of the pet theories of these official historians who show no signs of professionalism or patriotism. A nasty phobia for history (let me call it ‘historiphobia’) seems to have afflicted a large section of Indians.

Professional historians must have no agenda other than pursuit of truth. They must be unaffiliated and must be willing to accept and record history as it is revealed while deciphering archaeological excavations and literature. But many of Indian historians and India’s historians do not fall into this category. Almost all of them are affiliated and their mindset is mortgaged to vested interests. They want history of India to reveal in a particular fashion and hence unwilling to record anything that does not follow the script. But far more damaging than their unwillingness to record undesired discoveries is their mysterious fear for exploration. More and more of evidence is piling up that calls for a re-writing of Indian history. But India’s official historians are afraid of any further explorations to confirm the revelations for fear of antagonizing a political leadership that is steeped in political correctness.

Afraid to Dig

There are vey few civilizations in the world that can boast of a longer period of history of any sort when compared to India. Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Iran and China are just a few of them. While the native and foreign archaeologists in Egypt are busy digging out the useless mummies in dozens, their Indian counterparts are ever afraid to dig. It is now confirmed by way of clues from literary works and some pilot excavations that the whole of India is a priceless archaeological marvel that is to be dug out. Under each of the monuments and victory memorials erected by the imperial and occupational forces, there lies buried several structures of antiquity that denotes a glorious history of India. Be it Ayodhya or Dwaraka, the layers of such historical evidences will no doubt overturn the currently official history to a large extent.

Max Mullers, McCaulays and Mughals had their own reasons to do what they did with Indian history. All of them have contributed their might to spin out a version of Indian history that suits their own personal interests and that of their masters. But why should a liberated and free India stick on with those versions? We know for sure that Ramayana and Mahabharata are written by our own ancestors and almost all the places referred therein are in existence even today. Then who is preventing us from digging and unearthing the archaeological evidences that will establish our history once for all. There is no need of any conjectures and mythologies to keep us guessing always. And there is no need to defend all those illusionary atrocities that are attributed to our forefathers who are depicted as illiterate and uncivilized in current versions of our history. Some Islamic historians are even propagating that Indians were once followers of their Moosa Nabi!!!

Dig to Glory

The single excavation that can seal India’s glory once for all is that of Saraswati river which has now gone underground. Satellite imageries and pilot excavations have already established the existence of such a river and all that is now required is a determined task force to dig out the glorious past of our nation. A large amount of our Vedic literature has been put together in the fertile banks of this great river. Any archaeological excavations along its course have the potential to change even world’s history drastically. What is now claimed by many others as their own heritage can fall and the ‘Marconi-to-Bose’ change can happen in many other fields as well. The twenty first century can truly belong to India, if only our rulers show the determination and courage to dig. If ‘Chandrayaan’ has taken us to new heights, ‘Underyaan’ can take India to still greater heights.

It is said that there is nothing that we can invent that is not available in the Vedic literature. Aeroplanes, satellites, nuclear warheads etc., are just a few of such prominent references. The whole world is in praise of our ancient rishis who are supposed to have developed these ideas and concepts in their mind and imagination alone. But are we cent percent about it? Can it be imaginary ideas that are found only in literature? We can be sure only if we explore history very much below the ground level. All previous civilizations got destroyed by earth quakes or tsunamis or similar natural disasters. But traces of glory and achievements of every civilization are left intact somewhere for someone to discover again. Our story may not be any different from this. The long years of our heritage could have saved some very useful information for our future survival as well.

India’s greatest achievement in terms of history & heritage is its uninterrupted continuance in the path of Vedic Dharma ever since its origin. While its contemporaries like Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Mexico have been weighed down or inundated by foreign religions, language and culture, and China by its own internal misguided revolutions, India has sustained its own religions and culture for the last several millenniums. The combined might of foreign occupiers could capture the minds of only less than a quarter of its human resources. India’s strengths and weaknesses as witnessed during its long history shall remain its unique features forever. But what will sustain our nation is the unbeatable strength of logic, rationality of concepts and allowance for reforms within Hindhu Dharma, despite the degeneration of ‘historiphobic’ Indians who constitute a vast majority among its followers.

Religious Banking

2010-01-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Organised religions are becoming dangerously keen on meddling in everything and anything that is remotely connected with God. The newly evolving trend of religious banking (viz. Islamic Banking) is one such unwanted tendency with far reaching implications. Ever since we started witnessing competitive marketing of religious ideologies with a view to maximize converts and thereby capture political power, many such unhealthy tendencies have raised their heads. For the organized religions it is far more difficult to appeal to the rationale and spirituality of freedom loving human beings and hence the need to conjure up innovative ideas that may appeal to their basic instincts. Eating more food, seeking more pleasure, making more money and reserving their place in the paradise by heinous deeds are some of the catchy appeals that is drawing more of the lazy and lethargic. Nothing succeeds like success and the organizers are never tired of trying new avenues for religious conversion.

If religion and God are inseparable, religion and money must be immiscible if not repelling. There is no doubt that money is equally important as belief in God in today’s world but anything that attempts to see God in money is not only distasteful but unworthy of being propagated. Each intelligent freedom loving individual is trying to define the concept of God in his own way and mixing it up with money is the best way to spoil such laudable efforts. God who deals with money and talks about it is Man’s nemesis and not savior. How can an omnipotent energy that is spurring Man’s spiritual quest make him even think of one of the major causes of human worry? Making money, saving money and spending money are solely related to our mundane existence and it is much better to keep God away from such necessary evils.

Collapse of Dubai Banking

One of the best tragedies of mixing God with money is the collapse of Dubai. For quite some time, Dubai has been trying to achieve in a decade what others could do in a century. Be it the tallness of buildings or reclamation of land from the sea or increasing the number of tourists or organizing the biggest & best of events or announcing the biggest of projects, Dubai wanted to beat the world just by its desire and daring. The fact that it lacks human and natural resources did not deter Dubai from aiming for the very top at the fastest pace. It learned very early that tapping money from wherever it is available has got limits. The vast potential of Islamic Banking was a natural discovery in its further efforts to explore all avenues for keeping its money inflow open. A good number of rich but gullible individuals and institutions fell into the trap is something that all of us have learned now, though unbelievingly. Boost up bubble can only burst and Dubai banking bubble has finally burst.

The obvious way to ensure development in any system is by nurturing its positive growth trends. Many forgot the simple fact that the only ways to make money grow is by drawing interest or making profit by putting it to productive use. In an institution dealing with money viz. financial institutions, it is naturally by lending money for productive use of adding value to raw materials. The profit thus generated adds onto the principal and thereby generates growth. The only other age-old principle of money growth is by levying interest on it for keeping it dynamic. Stagnant money indicates death and no country or society can tolerate a dead economy. The concept of interest on money is definitely not anything evil but a time-tested noble method to guarantee growth of money even if it is not put to any productive use. Inflation is a necessary evil in any economy and interest is the natural protection against it.

Need of Dharmic Banking

Like in all aspects of life, anything that is unbridled and uncontrolled can lead us to the graveyard faster than due. The case of interest on money is another good example where moderation can sustain and excess can ruin. And more importantly, lack of it can also ruin. So interest on money is inevitable and indispensable, but must be applied on moderation. The concept of dharmic banking becomes very relevant in this regard. One of the four duties (and privileges) of Man (the other three being Artha, Kama and Moksha), Dharma has been defined as “that which sustains” and banking institutions based on dharma can make a lot of difference in a world full of inequality. As an example, imagine a system where A can get an agricultural loan at 5% interest and B can get the same loan only at 10% interest based on their inequalities. Interest rates in a dharmic banking industry can become instruments for closing the inequality gap in our society.

Many of our puranaas and scriptures contain reference to such a banking industry that once existed in our great nation. The concepts of gold loans, chitty kuries, pledging land for loans, farming on loaned lands etc., are remnants of a highly innovative and dharmic financial system that once prevailed. Money on interest was easily available in our country at varying interest rates for various applicants depending upon their status and purpose. That is why we could control upto 40% of the world’s GDP at one stage in the not-so-distant past. Money lenders were an integral part of our society carrying out their dharma in the best interests of the society with reasonable rates of interest. Then what went wrong was the intervention of a foreign value system that considers interest in anything as sin.

The concept of dharmic banking is not to be confused with that of any religious banking. It is not on the basis of any instructions from God or on the basis of do’s and don’t’s related to religious rituals. Financial institutions that follow the concept of dharmic banking must be capable of lending according to need and charging interest on loans according to the current economic status of the taker. Current economic status of the loan taker must be a definite criterion while deciding on the interest charges on his or her loan. It is by judicial and dharmic use of the best financial tool mankind has ever invented namely interest on money that we should bring in economic equality in the present world. Avoiding it and trying to bring in more returns by undue profiteering is definitely not intended by an omnipotent God. Such concepts are only part of some other sinister agenda being pushed on by imperialist forces.

Tragedy of Political Correctness

2009-12-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

One of the major offshoots in USA from the recent shooting incident involving a Muslim Major in an American base is the raging debate on political correctness. If we analyse the incident and the issue involved we will be surprised about the lack of such a debate in India where such terrorist incidents are of far greater dimensions and that too when it has been happening for so many decades now. Except for the last few months, it was becoming far more easy to predict serial bomb blasts in India that kills hundreds of innocent people than making weather predictions. At one point of time many of us even believed that Today’s Terrorist Toll (TTT) will become an integral part of all news bulletins like Exchange Rates and Gold Prices. But Indians have become far more disposed to pain and sufferings than our American brothers thanks to our inclusiveness and the special brand of secularism (aptly termed pseudo-secularism) that we have developed in modern India.

In a democracy, being politically correct is far more important for politicians to attract votes in elections. Each and every politician is important in a democracy and capturing power to rule is the foremost goal of political parties. Each political party has a declared objective, but it is hardly of any use when it comes to electoral battles. Hypocrisy is the hallmark of parties and politicians in any democracy and political correctness is the height of hypocrisy. For example, no Indian politician will dare say candidly that religious conversion is nothing but silent terrorism. He or she knows for sure that electoral victory is lost forever if it is said so. The highly powerful organized religious outfits will ensure that such a honest politician never sees the state assembly or central parliament. Thus political correctness is such a treacherous and harmful attribute that runs in all democracies. To reflect its negative quality more markedly it should have been termed as political ‘corruptness’ rather than political correctness.

Political Corruptness

Most of the politicians and autocratic rulers are ultimately concerned only about their own seats. Getting more support than their equally adharmic competitors, capturing and clinging on to power by any means have become the sole intention of those who come to rule. Irrespective of the size and scale, this is the actual situation in any country where elections are held. They always tend to side with their support available enbloc just like the organized religious minorities in India and America irrespective of whatever misdeeds they indulge in. Be it miniscule groups planting bombs and killing innocents under the name of Jihad or religious poachers attempting subversion by demographic conversions, the rulers always tend to side with them because of the solid support base they can command. Politicians in a democracy always forget the fact that enbloc votes are assured from such groups only because of the lack of democracy within them. But only those who can appear politically correct can be assured of victory in today’s elections, especially in democracies having universal adult franchise.

Anything truly correct must pass the acid test of being fair, just and sustainable. This is exactly what is covered under the term of dharma in Sanatana Dharma. Being dharmic is to be associated only with fair, just and sustainable deeds and words. If we can accept such a correct definition for correctness, the correct stand in politics must always be one in support of dharma. Repeating untruth in order not to offend the few who are always offending us and not taking stands that can nurture the positive elements in a society are definitely not part of dharma or correctness. Politicians who go on to become rulers in a democracy must be siding with dharmic forces if their ultimate intention is betterment of society, nation and the whole world. Unfortunately that is not always the case. The real tragedy in all democracies is that political correctness has become an unavoidable pre-requisite for attaining leadership.

Dharmic Politics

Unquestioned political correctness is the single most reason for the fast degeneration of democracy into a not-so-preferred option for governance. If the essence of democracy is rule according to majority will it must support and nurture the dharmic aspirations of the majority. This should always be the case, irrespective of whether it is to the like or dislike of those in minority. Present day phenomena of majority will always yielding to the more organized unjust demands of those in minority may be political correctness but morally adharmic. Electoral systems in most functioning democracies are failing to come up with ideas to defeat the organized might of those in minority wanting to impose their unreasonable demands. Instead of ensuring a rule according to majority will, democracies have become majority rule according to minority will. Practicing dharma in politics is the only way to bring back the losing legitimacy for democratic governments.

Beauty of dharma lies in its applicability in each and every aspect of our life. If something is dharmic it means it is the best option. In politics too it is the best option to rekindle the spirit of democracy that is inbuilt in every human being. Being dharmic in political activities means the words and deeds are for the betterment of society. Those which are required are sustained and those which are blocking our dharmic progress are to be destroyed. This principle of dharma is equally applicable in the case of concepts and individuals. Kauravas and their organized unjust activities were equally adharmic for the betterment of human society at that time and both were eliminated without any other consideration. It is time for considering the same option in the case of democracy and politics as it is practiced today.

India and USA are considered as the biggest and strongest democracies in the world. No wonder that the tragedy of political correctness has taken its biggest toll in these two countries. If it is difficult in USA to get Congress approval for send more troops to crush Jihadi terrorism, it is far more difficult in India to get any law passed in Indian parliament for a complete ban on religious conversion by coercion or a uniform civil code. Both the issues are destroying the very basis of these secular nations, but the will of the majority is unable to do anything because of the pressure on elected representatives to appear politically correct to those holding minority opinion. A totally wrong notion is preventing the duly elected and authorized setup from doing what it is supposed to do. The only way for genuine democracy to flourish is by arranging a deep burial for the abhorrent concept of political correctness.

‘Sanatinise’ Hinduism

2009-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Ideological, demographical and physical threats to Hinduism and Hindus are increasing on a daily basis in its very land of origin. Sustained use of various novel variants of the divide & rule game adopted by alien powers has taken its toll on Bharatvarsha and Hinduism. There is a well planned strategy at work in moving India nation away from the ideological contours of Bharatvarsha, thus isolating Hinduism (and Hindus) from its fountainhead of Sanatana Dharma. The predators are fully aware of the enormous clout of Sanatana Dharma especially in comparison to their own half-cooked cults. The alien religious ideologies are no match for Sanatana Dharma in a purely intellectual and spiritual plane. For that matter, mankind is yet to discover or invent any other better form of civilized life that can sustain human evolution forward. Indian psyche is so much entrenched in Sanatana Dharma that the only chance of success for alien ideologies in India is by clever manipulation of their routes through the same Dharma. The often repeated theory about Sanatana Dharma is not a religion but a way of life is only a clever ploy to enable this strategy.

Earlier threats to our land came mainly on account of the rapid developments in seafaring techniques of the Europeans. Aggressive missionary work for religious conversion, which always comes in during second phase of colonization, was only to consolidate the rule of the colonial masters. Converting a section of the colonial subjects to think like us and work for our interests is a proven technique of any colonial power. The evil of proselytisation by Christians is still continuing mainly due to weakening of its base in Europe and the fast multiplying sects within Christianity, each new one with a new power centre with unlimited money at their disposal. Islam is fast replacing Christianity in Europe and the new oil rich Gulf nations have begun to smell their turn for colonization. Highly effective techniques of religious conversion through love jihad or fear jihad are nothing but innovative ideas of their popular fronts in the sub-continent. The one and only way for Hinduism (and Hindus) to ward off these evil twins of religious conversion is a renewed attempt to re-sanatanise Hinduism.

Organise & Reform Meaningfully

Organisation and reforms are inevitable for any living system that grows. Hinduism is weakening because it is stagnating and India’s ruling system has managed to block its umbilical link with Sanatana Dharma. The inherent strength of Sanatana Dharma which has successfully withstood the combined might of alien ideologies for over one thousand years is legendary. All that is required by us to confront the latest threats is only to re-channelize our links with Sanatana Dharma. What we have essentially lost in our journey from the Dharma to ism is nothing but a vibrant platform for continuous reforms. Sanatana Dharma was a complete picture of happy components, where as Hinduism today is a hanging picture of disparate components, many of them unhappy. In the critical situation that we are now in, it will not take much coercion for all the components to co-operate for collective survival once again.

Sanatana Dharma does not advocate a rigid organizational hierarchy as others do. In an ever changing world, it is nothing but foolishness to think of a hierarchy for faith and belief. Each living individual must have freedom of thought but we need a border security force to protect the borders of our faith. The role of our divine leaders (which includes living avatars like Mata Amritanandamayi, Sai Baba etc., Swamis, Gurus etc.) comes in here. There must be a Dharma Sabha where these leaders interact and deliberate for common good. A highly visible and transparent setup for propagation of Sanatana Dharma must come up preferably within India. And our religious leaders must be able to talk aloud from this platform without fear and fright of terrorists of any kind. Long standing demands for social reforms within our religion must be deliberated and agreed on this platform. Lack of simple reforms is the only drawback in our completely rational ideology that has no systemic flaws and unnatural practices.

Rejuvenate & Popularise Sanskrit

Language is the most formidable weapon in the ideological arsenal and we have seen this several times in human history. In today’s world we find the best example of this in Arab lands. The colonizers in waiting are spending billions of money in propagation of their language. They are fully aware of the future returns from this investment when their army marches into foreign lands. It will not only make their communication easier but will keep other speakers of their language perpetually on the lower grades. This is where our immediate forefathers have erred. Just like Sanatana Dharma being the only complete religious ideology, Sanskrit is the most comprehensive language of all times. Yet we decided to keep it aside and agreed to put our own Dharma on ventilator. Reintroduction of Sanskrit as the first language is the first step in our return to glory.

Wealth of Sanskrit language and literature cannot be measured on any scale. If we want to make Sanskrit a popular language once again the best way is to churn out and serve the best literary works to the common man. Vedas and Upanishads will naturally feed the rejuvenated population for generations to come. Sanskrit is also recognized as one of the most structured and hence most suited for computing devices. If the right incentives are provided, I have no doubt that the Hindu ingenuity will work wonders in this field. Sanskrit will become the most popular language for computers and humans in no time. It will then be no surprise if even robots would prefer to talk in Sanskrit in a futuristic world. And who can underestimate the enormous potential of Yoga, Ayurveda, Astrology, Vaastu, Vedic Mathematics, Mantraas and Yagnas in a world where other faiths have only fundamentalism and terrorism to offer.

Sanatana Dharma possesses all the necessary ingredients for the best alternative for entire mankind. The Dharma possesses everything that is lacking in all other religious ideologies. It has the unique capability and capacity to contain all Indians and Indian religions. The only foolproof way to revitalize Hinduism and prevent its collapse in its sole remaining stronghold is to ‘sanatanise’ it once again. Promote and provoke all Hindu organizations to recognize the alien religious storm that is encircling India in the form of Jihadi Islam and Pentecostal proselytisation. We can survive the storm and even turn the tables on them only if get ready with the impenetrable shields of Sanatana Dharma. And if we can push it further with creative imagination it might be even possible to retrieve the entire lands from malignant cults built on myths about false Gods.

Identity for True Indians

2009-11-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

Unique Historical Opportunities (UHO) thrown up during the lifetime of individuals and nations can matter a lot. Indian nation, which has been stagnating with the miserable tag of a ‘developing nation’ for the past six decades, is a best case study for missed opportunities. In the past one hundred years, India passed through at least a dozen UHOs’ when a different decision by those in power then would have made us citizens of a developed nation by now. The whistle blows from visionaries like Arabindo, Rajaji and Ambedkar were ignored by leaders like Nehru to the detriment of our national aspirations and development. The only decision that brought us relief during the period was the historical blunder of an arch communist like Jyoti Basu in opting out as the Prime Minister of India. We would have been in a complete mess by now if that blunder was not made.

For India, the pinnacle of missed UHOs’ in recent history was during the period 1945 to 1950. When the unnatural division of Bharat was forced on religious lines by the Muslim League and the British, surgery of the nation could have been carried out in a much cleaner manner. None of those who were involved then would have objected to a more logical, legitimate and reasonable arrangement for the majority in India. The half-hearted, unreasonable and highly idealistic constitutional arrangement that is India today is making life miserable for the majority in many parts of India. Jihad and religious conversion in many forms have already made grave inroads into the essence of Indian nation. But potential instruments for salvage can present itself in many forms and the current attempts for Unique Identity Numbering (UINING for short) of all Indian citizens is one such UHO for the majority in India. All that is required is a proper numbering system that will capture and record the entire truth.

To start with, a ten digit alpha-numeric coding system can go a long way in protecting the interests of all Indian citizens, especially those of the majority who is currently at the receiving end of all government policies. A broad pattern for such a coding system can be as follows:-

1st digit - Must be “I” that can stand for “Identity” as well as “Indian”
2nd digit - Born in India or outside
3rd digit - Must be a religious one at birth – eg. “H” for Hindus, “M” for Muslims, “C” for Christians etc., which denotes the religion of parents (mother’s if it is different from father’s because mothers should have the first right over any children)
4th digit - Whether SC / ST
5th digit - Can be an alpha code referring to the mother tongue
6th digit - Invalid or normal by birth
7th digit - Blood group
8th digit - Biometric parameter
9th digit - Biometric parameter
10th digit - Biometric parameter

Since all the basic parameters of an Indian at his or her birth are captured in these 10 digits, he or she will be entitled to all his or her benefits under the various provisions of our constitution by the ID number alone. All that remains to be monitored for this purpose is the economic prosperity of the individual which can vary during his or her lifetime. In any case, all citizens irrespective of their religion and caste, who are economically deprived, must be supported by the state till they climb above the poverty line. UIN must not record the transient states of citizens but only those parameters that form part of their permanent identity. And once UINING of the current population is over, it must be made mandatory for all Indians to get such a number as soon as their birth is registered in the local body as per existing laws of the country.

In this whole exercise, the salvaging part for the majority community lies in the 3rd digit. Once an Indian citizen obtains a UIN, which also records his or her religion at birth, it will make the whole process of religious conversion and obtaining another UIN transparent and open. Current practices of religious conversion by dubious means and creation of a silent majority of “cryptos” will be rendered difficult for the schemers of such crimes against Indian nation. Millions of cross-dollars and petro-dollars being pumped into India every year by the competing organized religious orders, each for creation of their own versions of paradise for the poor and hapless Indians, will stand exposed in the process of obtaining new UIN for those who are converted. We will also remain aware and vigilant about the number of UINs being changed every year on account of religious conversions in the country.

Once it has been decided to have a database covering all Indians, it is definitely possible to maintain and make available online the ratio of H:M:C on 24x7 basis. This demographic ratio is of vital importance to the every existence of Indian nation. Our false beliefs about and skewed practice of secularism must not make us blind about the catastrophe that is waiting for India once the H:M:C ratio is altered in line with what happened in our neighboring nations. India will no more be India if the combined might of foreignness outweighs our own “Indianness”. With an almost confirmed Islamic Europe by 2050 and aggressive evangelization from US based missionaries there is very little left for hope or imagination. We might have missed many UHOs in the past, but the UHO in UINING can be missed only at our peril.

Right Indians

2009-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Right Indians constitute a formidable majority in India, yet our Right parties have failed miserably in their electoral tactics. Little do they realize the simple fact that a country with more than 10,000 years of uninterrupted civilization can only be Right in its thinking. Starting from the Slave Dynasty around 1000 AD till the time the British were kicked out in 1947 AD, innumerable efforts have been launched to break the Rightness of India during the intervening 1000 years. It has been an international effort of unprecedented dimensions involving almost all shades of isms from outside of India. Their efforts have been highly successful in plundering the material wealth of India. From a share of about 40% of the world’s GDP the thousand-years-plunder reduced India to less than 1%. It is no exaggeration to say that more than 50% of the material wealth in current Europe rightfully belongs to India. But the successive onslaught of all foreign isms has failed completely in their attempts to break the Right mind of India.

It is necessary to differentiate between Right and Left in this context. The Right stands for tradition, values, nationalism, progressive reforms to correct the wrongs in society and all that is now known as Hindutva and Dharma. And the Left denotes rejection of our traditional values, mindless internationalism, revolution and support for complete destruction of our society structures. The perverted version of secularism practiced in India now (which dictates equal respect for all religions but special status for the followers of some) and several versions of anti-national forces are nothing but tools of the Left in its efforts to capture power. They have been successful so far in capturing political power and altering the shades of our society in many parts of India, but the overall character of Indian psyche remains unpolluted. Kailas, Ganges, Kanya Kumari, Ramayana, Sanskrit and Vande Mataram will still make any Indian to wake up from his slumber.

Left Over

The latest general elections in India have not been helpful for the Indian Right. Strange combinations of ‘secular’ forces including the notorious EVMs’ have worked against its interests. The net result has been uninterrupted dummy rule with an unelected PM at the helm to keep the seat warm. The prince of democracy is getting ready for the eventual take over, by which time the incumbent could be duped into all the terrible and horrible actions and thrown out as a traitor, thus making the change look logical and in the best interest of the nation. But who will hoodwink whom and whether the grand design will work out as per plan remains to be seen. Much more grandiose plans have failed earlier and many princes have failed to achieve coronation for silliest of reasons in the past. Only time will tell us the final result.

But Left is almost over in India for the time being. When Gorbachev made his famous speech in 1991 advising the world to learn from their mistakes, little he would have expected his brother comrades in India to take it seriously. No one likes to remain poor and be Communists forever. Communist leadership in India has realized this much earlier than their followers. Parliamentary aspirations, international corruption, air-conditioned armchair socialism and lipstick feminism has alienated the cherubic leadership from the dark, ugly and hungry proletariat. The dialectic between a leadership without sweat glands and followers who bleed sweat was getting too much. The wipe out of Left in the last elections was nothing unexpected. Like Gorbachev the great, the current Communist leadership must also be thanked for a bloodless burial of Communist Leftism in India.

Right Time

The great opportunity for Indian Right lies in here. About 50% of Indian population remains poor and they desperately need a political force to talk for them. Genuine communists had handled this role well in the past and the space is now lying vacant. Indian Right who had hitherto stood more for the urban middle class and village traders must now argue more for the unemployed, toiling labour and agricultural workers. Right leaders who should be more rooted in our traditional values must appreciate that ‘daridra narayans’ are the best representation of Narayan and ‘manava seva’ is the best form of Madhavaseva. For the right political party it will be the easiest of exercises to pick up right candidates for leadership from among the millions of its supporters for such a right cause. India’s own versions of trusteeship ownership of capital and dharmic ways of handling labour to usher in a Ram Rajya as envisaged by the nation’s father must not be difficult at all for a leadership with vision.

Time is also ripe at the international scene for a resurgence of the Right forces from India. Pure forms of Capitalism and Communism have failed to alleviate human misery at all levels. What we have in many countries are adhoc-isms which are centered on individual leaders than around any faceless ideology. India’s Integral Humanism provides the best option for ensuring spiritual growth of individuals along with adequate material growth, health and happiness. The innate greed of humans can be controlled only by states run on ideology and not by individual or family charisma. The feeling of equality must be accepted by each and every individual before we can ensure distribution of minimum wealth. Such a feeling was definitely there in ancient India, otherwise there could not have been a peaceful co-existence among various communities. It was lost during the thousand-years-plunder period and the Right forces can bring it back again.

It is golden opportunity for the Right in India to re-emerge. The current façade of stability that is projected by the ‘dy-nasty’ parties is bound to be short lived. How can there be genuine democracy in a country that is run by political forces with no ideology other than the interests of a dynasty? Our nation is one of millions of families and not the private property of a few political families. Political parties and politicians in a genuine democracy must necessarily have alternative political ideologies and clear-cut action plans to implement them. The elected government must implement its own declared action plan based on its own ideology. In this regard there is no better choice for India to put right smiles on every Indian face than the Right way.

Blinding Books

2009-10-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Like pens and words are mightier than swords and missiles at times, books are far more blinding and binding when it comes to subjugation of humans under the guise of religious isms. Almost all the major isms in the world have a central book and its followers are tied down at all levels with the good and bad messages emanating from the single book. Most times the original author (actually a team of authors) is clever enough to assign a divine presence behind the book and its instructions, thus making it infallible, uneditable and even worthy of worship. Any book contains knowledge related to its times and frozen knowledge is nothing but stale, stagnant and senseless. Followers of such blinding books can create only havoc when they confront seekers of true knowledge which can be realized only with open minds. For sure all future wars will be for freedom from such books, if not for drinking water and fresh air.

In broad terms, knowledge can be classified into two categories – occult and open. The essential difference between the two lies in its openness to debate. Occult knowledge is secretive, frozen, known only to its proponents and invariably with hidden agenda. And open knowledge is free, progressive and open to debate and change. Books containing occult or open knowledge are one of the best ways to influence the literate humans. It is this interesting aspect of books that is being effectively utilized by clever religious leaders for enhancing their own ambitions. All successful religious leaders have put in place their own versions of incoherent and incomprehensible texts as words from God in a well planned manner. Most of such religious books contain occult knowledge which is of little or no use for existence and evolution of mankind.

Body of Occult Knowledge

One of the essential objectives of occult knowledge is its dire need to enforce uniformity among its followers. Uniformity is a wonderful attribute when it is present among a group of people with the same objective. This is more so if the common objective is conquering or destroying something by force or by deceptive means. Enforcing uniformed exteriors is only one aspect of achieving uniformity in a group of people. The more difficult part is attaining uniformity in values, thought and action. The only way to capture the minds of humans is through sustained indoctrination by means of injecting occult knowledge. Compiling book(s) containing desires of the leader, preferably in a style that is more symbolic and seldom descriptive, and assigning divinity to them is a proven method to attempt uniformity among followers. And if the initial few generations of questioners and dissenters are suppressed with an iron hand, the success of such books is assured. Many of the central books containing occult knowledge are best examples of such a “uniforming” process.

There are many more proven recipes for ensuring the success of such central books containing occult knowldge. Selection of its language, topics and narrative methods are the most important. A tone of infallibility must be present throughout the text. Hatred for those who doubt the book and assault on any competing ideologies can enhance its chances of success much more. Scope for deceptive interpretation must also be amply provided for development of successive generations of interpreters. And after a few hundred years, the sheer population of those making a living by interpretation of the book will ensure its sustenance at any cost. Different schools of interpretation will emerge but the centrality of the book of obnoxious occult knowledge and its author shall remain unchallenged. The process will continue to vitiate humanity until another set of much more wicked leaders emerge to pen down their own books of occult knowledge.

Body of Open Knowledge

In sharp contrast, the books with open knowledge open a much more refreshing window for anyone in search of freedom and absolute truth. Indians can be truly proud of their civilization that has propounded Sanatana Dharma which contains some of the best examples in this regard. For the ancient Indians, knowledge was equally important as air and water. The innumerable books produced by Indian Rishis contain knowledge that is open in every sense. It is open to questions, debate and changes if needed. Quite unlike other religious civilizations, there is no single central book in the Dharma. How can one believe in the theories of the omnipresent and omnipotent God speaking to prophets who are all from only a particular region in the world and speaking only a particular man-made language? If it is true, then it must be a limited God who knows only that part of the world and its language.

Books containing open knowledge are known for their logic and coherence. Sanatana Dharma does not prescribe any books that contain the authentic and unchangeable words of God. Even the four Vedas that are available now represent only collective bodies of knowledge in specific areas. The openness of Sanatana Dharma is best represented in a stanza in one of its most outstanding books viz. Bhagavad Gita. Chapter-18, Sloka-63 - iti te jnânam âkhyâtam, guhyâd guhyataram mayâ, vimrsyaitad asesena, yathecchasi tathâ kuru (Thus, I have instructed you in knowledge which is more confidential than the secret knowledge of brahma. Reflect on this knowledge properly, and then act as you wish). The ‘act as you wish’ command is proof enough of its openness.

People’s literacy is increasing tremendously in all parts of the world. But a large section is getting literate only in occult knowledge and not in open knowledge. Most of our problems emanates from this single issue. Even completely indoctrinated people with exposure to only occult knowledge want to raise questions when they accidentally breathe the fresh air of open knowledge. But the mortal fear instilled by their leaders silences such a minority for ever. The captive majority in these communities, however, continue to wreck havoc in the world armed with ignorance as their deadliest weapon. They do not see or read any book that tells them that knowledge can never remain frozen in time. It is only values (Dharma) that remain with no beginning and no end (Sanatana) in our world.

Doubting Narens

2009-08-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Doubts have a prominent role in shaping the life of individuals, hence society and nations. It is only individuals with never ending doubts and their doubt-clearing gurus that have expanded the frontiers of knowledge thus far. But for them the extent of Science would have remained a few minor islets in the surrounding expanse of unknown and ideologies about God. Dredging of the ocean of ignorance to expand the islets of scientific knowledge is a permanent process powered by the doubts of billions of humans. The process continues and it will go on till the end of our present time. But doubts have a negative side too. If the doubter chooses to remain a permanent one with no attempt being made to clear his or her doubts, it can turn out to be counter-productive. It can weaken their own selves and collectively their society and their nation. The present condition of a large number of ‘educated’ Hindus in India is one such pitiable state of self-defeating doubts leading to shameful indifference and slow death.

Anyone who is interested in Indian affairs is invariably intrigued about the unlimited and unfathomable doubt clearing capacity of our ancient Rishis. Without any hitherto known resources for physical exploration, the amount of knowledge they could so correctly depict in their literary works about the natural symmetry of universe from electrons revolving around nucleus, planets around suns and galaxies around whatnot is amazing if not astonishing. They had crystal clear concepts about the omnipresent and omnipotent energy of God. But they never (mis)led any of their fellow beings by posing as the only knower of God or the latest or last prophet. Though incoherent in the first reading, the entire gamut of ancient literature in India presents a unified picture about Brahman which encompasses everything and anything that we can think of. Yet many Indians, especially Hindus, are opting to be in constant darkness of doubts. They need to look no further than the well known transformation of a Doubting Naren to Swami Vivekananda to salvage themselves and this great nation.

Naren to Vivekananda

Experience & belief are like chicken & egg in the science of God. Without an experience, it is difficult to firm up one’s beliefs and without firm beliefs it is difficult to get any experience of God. This syndrome which is a sure recipe for disaster is being ‘effectively’ used in India’s education sector by the secular mafia that is ruling India for the last one thousand years. In an open society like India, the role of education was always for a free and unhindered pursuit of the eternal truth. But the situation changed when organized faiths (or ‘political religions’ as more appropriately called) came in. First the Mughals manipulated education to impose their own beliefs and then the British (followed now by their remnants) used it to establish their rule. The net result has been a set of deranged people who neither know anything about God nor about their own identity.

Narendra Nath (Naren) is the best such example we can pick up from India’s recent history and listen to his own words when he pestered an ascetic like Ramakrishna about feeling God.

“The touch at once gave rise to a unique experience within me. With my eyes open I saw the walls and everything in the room whirl rapidly and vanish into naught, and the whole universe together with my individuality was about to merge in an all-encompassing mysterious void. I was terribly frightened and thought I was facing death....Unable to control myself, I cried out, What is this that you are doing to me? I have my parents at home. He laughed aloud at this and stroking my back said, All right, let it rest now. Everything will come in time. The wonder of it was that no sooner had he said this than that strange experience of mine vanished. I was myself again and found everything within and without the room as it had been before”.

Naren was not an ordinary and naïve individual who could be fooled. And Ramakrishna was not an educated and sophisticated trainer who could fool others. We know that Naren went on to become Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna become immortal as a Paramahamsa. Yet very few among us are learning our lessons from such incidents and getting cleared of our doubts.

Snobbishness to Wisdom

One of the most regrettable signs of our secular education is the extent of snobbishness that is prevalent among our middle class. Education in a foreign language right from an young age of three can never refine our children. If at all it does anything it is only by way of silent indoctrination of subservience that also promotes snobbishness as a balancing force. Middle class Indians quoting more from Socrates and Shakespeare than from Kautilya and Kalidasa is proof enough for this snobbishness, perhaps even unknown to such individuals. India’s current education system has no Indian content of any value and we are deliberately taught nothing about India that we can feel proud about. The secular framework ensures that we are told more about the atrocious caste discrimination than about its scientific basis which is inevitable in any human society which is at least ten thousand years old. There seems to be hidden agenda behind this deliberate attempt to promote self-pity among Indians in a free India. Most of the ‘best’ schools in India that has produced our current rulers are owned by Christian institutions is a very significant point to be noted.

In the absence of any determined action by the state to promote true wisdom, the only option open is for the enlightened non-governmental institutions to intervene. Only a nation with its children full of self-respect can ensure a better tomorrow. Instead of telling our children that we were slaves for one thousand years, we should tell them that we were leading the world (and never ruling others) for thousands of years before that. India is so much full of untapped wealth that finding resources for any such genuine attempts to promote true Hindu wisdom among our children can easily succeed. Those who want to make an attempt must remember that we Indians have gone through much tougher times earlier. The dharmic concepts of India’s ancient wisdom are indestructible. Like a human liver it can always blossom into a fulsome from even one fragment. Even if all our souls get harvested, Sanatana Dharma will come back with its full authenticity and authority. All that we need is a genuine concern to evolve from being doubting Narens to enlightened Vivekanandans.

So what is that simple wisdom that is sadly lacking in many Indians in today’s world? It is the simple understanding that nothing is to be assumed or taken for granted in the pursuit of knowledge for the eternal truth. So many times it has been revealed to us that God can manifest in the least expected of place and time. Our much desired self-realisation can take place due to the least significant incident in our life triggered by the least sophisticated man or woman we know of. All that we need to do is to shed our snobbish ego and repose faith in the goodness of fellow humans. For each and every doubting Naren among us there is a simple unsophisticated and perhaps uneducated but realized soul (like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) who can guide us to the ultimate truth. All that is needed is the willingness to seek the vehicle without any pre-conceived notions and accept wisdom to reach our destination.

Democratic Faiths

2009-07-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

General elections, whether rigged, manipulated or impartial, are the most vital and visible signs of life in any functioning democracy. Be it presidential or parliamentary, democracy has been widely accepted as the nearest form to minimum acceptable governance embodying the vital elements of liberty, human rights and equality that are ‘beyond-bargain’ parameters for dignified human existence. The harsh reality that many world nations are still suffering from greedy monarchies, military dictatorships and religious theocracies makes a mockery of all our claims of progress in this 21st century. There are several reasons for the flourishing or floundering of democratic institutions in different parts of the world. The latest elections in India and Iran provide a very good opportunity to look at some of the reasons for the sustainability of democracy in the current world.

Though various forms of democracy are under trial in different nations, we can easily notice that it is showing signs of survival only in certain environments. The very spirit of democracy, especially in countries offering universal adult franchise, seems to be compatible only with certain types of people and faiths. The strengthening or weakening of democracy as a form of government among 200 odd nations with 6 billion people gives some clear indications about the real faith of democracy. One can also draw very good conclusions about the thought process, mentality and behavior of the people, nation and faith of those who prefer essentially democratic arrangements for governance. In contrast we can also get glimpses about why certain faiths are incompatible with democracy. There must be underlying reasons for both.

Conceding Spirit

Enough and more clues about the reasons for success or failure of democracy in different nations can be obtained by analyzing the happenings in their recent elections. In the last one decade we have seen presidential elections in USA (2000, 2004, 2008), general elections in India (2004, 2009) and different types of elections in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afganistan and Nepal. It will not take much effort to prove that the 2000 election in USA, 2009 elections in India and Iran were neither impartial nor fair. All these elections have been rigged in one form or another. Rigging of elections need not always be in the form of duplicate voting or over printing of ballots or even false counting of votes. It can be in the form of manipulating the tools for elections, including the election commissions that conduct the elections, or even by hijacking of mandate obtained in any election. In India the popular mandate in 2009 elections in favour of a particular political formation has been hijacked by installing an ‘unelected’ leader.

No election is perfect and the success of any democratic arrangement emanates from the spirit and willingness of contesting parties to accept defeat. Only if equanimity exists to accept defeat or victory on the part of each and every contesting party, prior to any election, can the democratic process end conclusively. Extreme contrasts in this regard are provided by the reactions of an erstwhile Indian Prime Minister as against the current stance of the ‘defeated’ Iranian leaders in the recent elections. “Our party may have been defeated but India has won” were the famous words of a statesman like Vajpayee when he got defeated in 2004. And Al-Gore and Advani went many steps further when they conceded defeat in elections which they have morally won for furthering democracy in their own nations. The fact that these leaders had the support of their followers (in India it is in hundreds of millions) shows the general characteristics of their faith. However, the unhealthy trend of certain families hijacking the rule under the guise of electoral victory in successful democracies is another factor that merits the attention of all those who value genuine democracy.

Basic Incompatibilities

There are certain basic incompatibilities between some dominant faiths and the essential spirit of democracy. The bare minimum belief that is needed for any favorable thought on democracy is the concept of equality of human beings. To accept anyone becoming the nation’s ruler, its majority must strongly believe that all of them have equal rights (even if they are not equals in every sense) and hence eligible to rule. In the case of genuine communism and theocracy, this concept of equality is non-existent. If workers are more equal than others in a communist setup, it is the rights of clergy to be more than others in a theocratic arrangement. No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. The exhibition of universal brotherhood by hugging, singing, praying and preying together are only skin deep rituals in such societies.

Conceding equality to others is easy to preach but difficult to practice. It needs a strong underlying principle to accept equality as a natural concept. In Hinduism it is easily available in their belief of having the very same God present in everything animate and inanimate. And in Christianity it is provided by the belief that all are born as sinners. But having the very same starting point does not provide a good reason for considering other competitors as equal in the subsequent race for living. The belief that all are made by the same God does not automatically confer equality on everyone. Products can be of different value even if they are manufactured in the one and only producing company. It is difficult to consider them equal but there is no harm in having brotherly feelings that can subsidize, promote or confront the enemies together.

In very general terms it is easy to conclude that democratic process succeeds only amidst some of the world’s dominant faiths, and fails miserably in the case of others. The current turbulence in Iran and successful transformation from monarchy to a democratic republic in Nepal provide living examples for this argument. And in Pakistan, democracy has failed to make any foothold even after 60 odd years of free rule. In Iraq and Afganistan it has miles to go before we can conclude that it is acceptable. There is a great message to humanity coming out of all these. It is about the misery and turbulence that awaits us if one of those undemocratic faiths comes to dominate the world. Silence of graveyards will be the only sign of equality that will be present among all nations then. Only by considering and respecting all others as our equals can we nurture democratic principles and that requires nothing less than the acceptance of same God’s presence in everything.

Half-Converted Kerala

2009-06-26T06:50:00.001-07:00

Kerala, the most ‘progressive’ state in the Indian union, is more than half converted and religious conversion was unbecoming an issue in Kerala these days. But the recent demise of Kamala Suraiyya (Madhavikutty or Kamala Das) has highlighted the issue once again. The story goes that she was lured into Islam by the tricks and nuptial promises of a much married, learned and cunning lawmaker belonging to an overtly communal party. Madhavikutty’s literary works represent some of the finest aspects of uninhibited and immaculate Hindu culture that had once prevailed in most parts of Kerala. She could easily differentiate between the quintessence of pristine love of ‘gopikas’ for Krishna vis-à-vis the cheap commonplace lust, by deft handling of both in her stories and poetry. The fact that even such a tall literary figure could fall an easy victim shows the reach of proselytization forces in a region of India with the highest literacy rate. What is happening in Kerala today is bound to be repeated in all other parts of India as our skewed version of secular education is spreading everywhere. Like in Kerala today, Hindus are bound to reduce themselves to a minority community in their own nation one day.

The unfortunate saga of conversion in Kerala begins from around 1500 AD when the first European colonizers landed at one of those beautiful beaches of Kerala. Though we had traders, fugitives and tourists landing at Kerala’s long seashore from time immemorial, damages by them remained limited to their excreta in the coastal belts. The highly structured Kerala society then was impenetrable to foreigners who were much below in terms of social and economic evolution. Cooked-up stories about adventures of one Saint Thomas who could convert the forward castes are nothing but mythology invented as afterthoughts. Kerala’s decadence started much later when the naturally symbiotic caste system became rigid and triggered internal revolts. Foreign religions were waiting at the sea and seacoasts for such an internal upheaval for easy penetration into the much coveted God’s Own Country. In 500 years they could convert more than 50% of the population is no mean achievement for the proponents of the two major religions in the world today.

Silent Terrorism

What happened in the last five centuries and what is happening in Kerala today is nothing but silent terrorism in the form of organized and externally fuelled religious conversion. It was Christianity which started first with the intention of conditioning the ground ready for European colonization. In every colony of ‘ours’, we need quite a few of our ‘own’ people. In distant lands the only way to get ‘our own’ people is by way of aggressive and accelerated cultural conversion. Religion is an integral part of culture and religious conversion is the best tool available for easy conditioning of the target population. Increasing rigidity of the caste system provided a golden opportunity for the European missionaries to penetrate into the Indian society. Enemies of India had budgeted big sums for the project and India’s toiling masses could be easily made disgruntled and aggrieved. As most of them were lacking any formal education, tricking them into a new religious system was easy with the help of material inducements in terms of milk powder and rice.

The next predator in Kerala started their work in terms of organized conversion much later. Though we had sizeable number of Muslim population in the coastal areas, especially in the north Malabar region, their intrusion into the interiors of Kerala as an organized religion is only about one century old. The Mapillah Rebellion in 1921 was perhaps the first organized assault aimed at religious conversion under the guise of so many other objectives. Though North India was under Muslim rule for several centuries, its influence in the southern regions of the country was minimal. Also their enmity with the European colonial powers was not helpful in increasing their numerical strength by targeting Hindus. But the situation has changed drastically in the 20th century when millions of Oil money started flowing into Kerala. Increasing their number by all means and capturing power by organized might is high on the agenda of the Muslim mind of Kerala.

Suicidal Indifference

Any nation or people in decay will ultimately have only themselves to blame. The current status of Hindus in Kerala is at a highly critical juncture in this regard. Three or four prominent Hindu sections are totally indifferent about the overall status of the Hindu religion and society in Kerala today. The leaders of these sections are forgetting one of the most important rules of science and history – any culture can survive only if there is the minimum quantity. Most of these sub-sections of the Hindu society namely Nairs, Ezhavas, Brahmins and OBCS are fighting more among themselves than for their combined rights. They have left their weakest brothers (Adivasis) at the complete mercy of the two predators vying for numbers and real estate. Almost the entire five lakh Adivasis of Kerala will either die off or get converted, and their entire property will ultimately lie with one of the predating groups.

Much has been said and written about the suicidal indifference of Hindus in Kerala and the catastrophe impending their community a few generations from now. None of the Hindu community leaders of any significance have shown the courage to speak up for consolidation and caution. It will be only at their extreme peril that the entire spectrum of Hindu society in Kerala can feign ignorance to the following basic FACTS:-

• Hinduism is no more the dominant religion in Kerala. As half of those born as Hindus are genuine communists, Hinduism is only at par with Islam and Christianity in Kerala. And uninhibited religious conversion is still rampant in many parts of Kerala.
• Kerala has the highest (family) suicidal rate in the world and at least 75% of them are Hindus.
• Hindu temples are the only one in government custody. All income from temples (which are only from Hindus) flow into the common government coffers.
• Kerala politics is overwhelmingly dominated by leaders belonging to the two dominant communities and parties which are overtly communal (Muslim League and Kerala Congress).
• There is almost complete monopoly of the two dominant communities in the print and electronic media in Kerala.
• Almost all Hindu families in the current generation have only two children. But one can invariably find three children in all Christian families and four children in most Muslim families. This trend is almost confirmed if they are more educated and richer. This clearly shows a determined and deliberate effort to increase the numbers.
• Christian clergy and Muslim religious leaders are freely indulging in politics in Kerala which is a part of the so-called secular republic of India. Many times they openly challenge the authority of democratically elected governments and the rule of law, with no impunity.
• Ownership of land (especially high valued), number of professionals (doctors, IAS officers etc) and untaxed (and unaccounted) income from abroad are disproportionately high in favour of the two dominant communities in Kerala.

The few critical aspects listed above point to a determined and calculated move by the foreign religious ideologies to establish their superiority over Kerala within one or two decades. Both are now equally organized, resourceful and determined to achieve their ultimate aim. The apparent discordant notes among subsidiary factions within these religious forces are designed and serve as deceptive distracters for those who are opposing the move. In Kerala (also India) today, anything Hindu or Hindutva is condemnably communal, Muslim or Islamic is secularly acceptable and Christian or Christianity is laudably broad-minded. Any one who talks anything about Hinduism or Hindus are ostracized in public life and politically unacceptable. Barring unforeseen developments, Kerala’s Hindu goose will be cooked and eaten with full satisfaction as precisely planned. And once that is digested, the harvest of entire South India is only one decade away and Indian nation a few more. Only organized reforms and determined positive action can save Hinduism from the combined onslaught of its three known enemies.

Indian 'Democrazy'

2009-06-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

India is considered the world’s largest democracy, but does the result of 15th Lok Sabha elections in India corroborate this claim? Yes and No. There is no doubt that an election process with its widely acclaimed universal adult franchise system has been concluded peacefully and some definite results have been announced. But the whole process has been unduly drawn out and the net results do not really reflect the mood of the nation and its people. If the previous two general elections reflected the popular mood for a change of guard in a healthy fashion, what has come out as latest election results portent a potential degenerative tendency in Indian democracy. Our remarkable tryst in 1947 with democratic destiny reached rock bottom in 1975, then started climbing back to glory and now again it looks to be heading for degeneration into a distorted democracy. As in secularism, we are distorting democracy too for formalizing the rule by a dozen families in various parts of India by merely manipulating victory in elections.

Democracy can definitely be considered as the most civilized, progressive and just form of governance in the 21st century. But it must be true democracy involving political parties with definite and different agenda. Otherwise it can become worse than monarchy or theocracy or fascist communism. Ideally, all those who are eligible must be listed, a majority of eligible voters must vote and ultimately those who claim victory must have support of more than 50% of the whole national population. In that sense only those parties or pre-poll alliances that have won more than 500 million votes can claim victory in India. As the voting percentage was only about 50%, this may be too ideal in present day Indian politics. But the simple fact that we have now ended up with an ‘elected’ government headed by an ‘unelected’ leader shows the sham that is enveloping our democracy. Electoral reforms must be at the very top of the agenda of any government in India today.

Doubtful Umpiring & Unelected Leader

The darkest shadow over India’s 15th General Elections has been cast by doubts about impartiality of the Election Commission itself. Election is all about faith & fair play and how can there be confidence on results if there are strong doubts about integrity & interests of those who are conducting the elections. It is not one or a dozen of MPs’ who had pointed fingers at a particular member of the Election Commission. When about half the number of sitting MPs’ had appealed for his dismissal and when the Chief Election Commissioner himself had recommended his removal, the least that could be done was to keep him away from this particular all important elections. We should also remember that the same person was specifically singled out by the famous Shah Commission as not fit enough to hold any public office in India. The extensive use of Electronic Voting Machines - EVMs (not even done in advanced countries like USA) makes the shadows even darker. Post poll audit of randomly picked 10,000 EVMs from all over India, by an independent agency like the Supreme Court, can restore our confidence at least to respectable levels now.

But the ‘most unkindest cut’ to Indian democracy has come in the form of an ‘unelected’ leader for the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha. Writers of our constitution never even dreamt of such a possibility. Otherwise they would have definitely closed such a loop hole which is now wide open and being ‘mis’used for the last several years. The underlying moral strength of leadership in parliamentary democracy is convincing victory in elections and not nomination by party leaderships. What has happened now is complete hijacking of people’s mandate for nomination of someone who never faced the electorate. It is ‘mukhota’ politics of the worst kind. The eminently qualified Dr. Manmohan Singh could have got himself elected from any constituency anywhere in India to avoid such a controversy. That was the minimum he could have done for the sake of nurturing true democracy in India.

Dying Parties & Developing Families

Weakening of genuine political parties offering definite alternatives in all walks of life is another sad feature noticed during the latest general elections. In a true democracy we should be witnessing strengthening of political parties with clear cut policies in economical, social, political and even international affairs. In India this is practiced mainly by the right wing and left wing parties, and hardly by the middle of the road non-aligned political parties. Most of the centrist parties in India indulge in vote-bank politics and have their own captive voters in the form of some castes or belonging to some religion or region. Hardcore supporters of such namesake political parties have blind faith in their evergreen leaders and never bother to read their manifestos. And then there are some monolith parties which resemble more of a mediocre crowd of onlookers than a group of people with specific aims and agenda.

The weakening of genuine political parties is adding to the strength of family oriented political groupings. In fact this is a growing problem in the whole of south Asia and has made a mockery of democracy in these parts. In India it is now Nehru family at the Centre, Dixit family in Delhi, Karunanidhi family in Chennai, Patnaik family in Orissa, Hudda family in Haryana, Badal family in Punjab, Deora family in Mumbai, Abdulla family in Kashmir, Sangma family in North East, Reddy family in Andhra, Maani family in Kerala etc. etc. Every other MP is the son, daughter, nephew or niece of someone big in the same party. It is really a matter of grave concern and shame that the political party, that claims to be the oldest in India, is degenerating into a blatantly family party. Open and unabashed sycophancy is the main trait of that party. Those Europeans who have literarily (re)captured the top party slots must be wondering at the intensity of sycophancy, extend of selfishness and depths of disgrace that some members of the oldest civilisation in the world are capable of descending to. Robert Clive, Thomas Macaulay and Max Muller must be laughing in their graves.

It is most certain that India will retain its essential democratic character thanks to the importance of general democratic principles in the faith of its majority citizens. The moment such a majority is lost, for which efforts in the form of organized religious conversions are in full force, India will also slip into anarchy, monarchy, military dictatorships or hopeless communism like its neighbours. But what is of immediate worry is its degeneration into a ‘shamful’ federal setup of distorted democracy. At this rate, we may need only a few mini-elections within certain families to determine the Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers of India. At least we can save the millions of rupees spend on making a mockery of general elections in this way. It is time for the real majority of India to act in a decisive manner. Their indifference can prove fatal for their children and the Indian nation.

Yellowing Taliban

2009-05-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

In the soccer game of international relations, the yellow card has been shown many times. As usual we will wait till the red card comes up all of a sudden and then there will be no respite. The whole world, especially India and Japan, is going to bear the brunt of a monstrous and mad dragon that will be unleashed after several warnings. Day by day, the over ambitious yellow dragon namely People’s Republic of China (PRC) is growing into an unstable state of gigantic proportions in every sense. Its growth rate and resource requirements will leave its leaders with no option but to outgrow its present borders. It is like a tiny puppy being brought up in a puny cage that went into an unrealistic growth rate. Though we were given enough and more warnings about its ominous portents, the onlookers never bothered to change its chain nor its cage. It is now only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.

Buddhists are the least provocative and aggressive of humans. In fact it was this unique trait of Buddhism that weakened all the states it dominated and fell easily before the onward march of imperial forces. Afghanistan is just one such and blasting of the Bamyan Buddhas in the recent past was a highly symbolic one. Yet Tibet, one of the last surviving strongholds of Buddhism, was the first target of PRC in modern times. The exiled Tibetan ruler, our saintly Dalai Lama has been languishing in Indian soil for the past 60 years. He was honoured with several international prizes (including Nobel) and rubs his shoulders with all the world leaders, but still nobody dares to act for his return to his own homeland. In reality, what is the difference between Tibetans in India and Palestinians all over the Gulf? But the whole world is afraid of the economic and now military might of the Chinese to utter a word.

Growing Twins

PRC and Taliban are two of the dreaded names in the international scene today. Both entities are made up of human beings who are almost robotic in their behavior. Born and brought up in societies that abhor freedom and cloister minds, these adherents are highly disciplined and are more prone to obey first and think (if at all) later. Even after extensive bombardment by full contingents of US and NATO forces, Taliban has been growing from strength to strength. There is every reason to believe that PRC is behind this unusual and unexplained growth of such a dreaded force. Perhaps Taliban is already one of the numerous components of penetrating forces that PRC mandarins have mobilized. Do not be surprised if Taliban returns to power with full backing of PRC and some of the GCC countries that supported it earlier. It might as well be a mutated Taliban with a yellowish tint.

A mutated Taliban can carry out quite a lot of dirty works for PRC. With its religious stamp it can bleed India million times more in Kashmir. Then it can access their brethren remotely in Bangladesh and devastate whatever Bengal that is left with India. Keeping India tied down with its own internal problems is what PRC wants to get more time to prepare for the next onslaught on India. They have already prepared the grounds ready in Pakistan and Nepal for the final push into Indian heartlands. International standing of PRC has been on the rise and it is only one or two decades away from the top slot. Their recent challenge to replace American dollar as the world currency and a recent veto on an ADB loan to India (part of which is to be used in Arunachal Pradesh) are indications of what is in store. These are nothing but yellow cards which Indian authorities are refusing to take note.

Red Crescents

There is no doubt that the symbols of Red Cross and Red Crescent represent the best of human intentions at times of distress. But the two words have much more connotations than what they individually mean. They represent the deadly permutation and combination of the three prominent isms that dominate the world today. If Red Cross was on the ascent a decade back, now it is sunrise time for Red Crescent. Papal activism and liberation theology accelerated the spread of Red Cross philosophy across the globe at one time. But the death of old Pope and unending saga of court cases against the sexual escapades of Catholic clergy all over the world has brought it to a sudden end. Its place is now occupied by the new theology of Red Crescent fuelled by the richness of oil and gas.

PRC is in very good trading terms with all the oil rich sheikhdoms raring to tighten their grips on the world order by a deadly combination of fuel and jihad. These Sheikhs have very few followers in PRC and PRC knows that it will never be a threat to them. This scenario has given one more weapon to PRC in its arsenal against its rivals like India and Japan. For the time being it is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the parties to forge an alliance for weakening democracies like India from within by utilizing the legal avenues like elections, protests and strikes. It can also be energized to provide infrastructural support for the blast series all over India every two or three months. With minimum expenditure, PRC is achieving maximum by weakening the secular fabric of Indian society.

One of the American think tanks had recently predicted a PRC attack on India before 2020. Though Americans may have their own reasons to frighten India into their own traps, such studies can never be ignored. The simple fact that no terrorist attacks take place in PRC and the growth of Taliban from strength to strength are reason enough to believe in the strengthening yellow shades of Taliban. A democratic country like India can survive a growing collusion among Mullahs and Mandarins only if we get a patriotic and nationalist government to rule India. And only a strong alliance between India, USA, Israel and Japan can guarantee the existence of freedom and democracy as the concepts for the civilized world. If the current general elections do not throw up such a strong rule for India, the damages can be far reaching.

Purpose of Life

2009-04-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

We carry out so many actions and indulge in so many activities. But what exactly is the real purpose of our life? A lot of prophets and saints have attempted an answer for this. But none have given a more logical and satisfying answer than the Indian Rishis by way of their theoretical exposition of soul, karma and rebirths in umpteen works of Sanatana Dharma. The concepts of soul and rebirth form part of the core ideology of Sanatana Dharma that stands on very solid foundations. No other religion or ism has given a better answer as to the purpose of life than Sanatana Dharma. Rishis in India have never craved for political power and that is why their Dharma is Sanatana (eternal) that could offer such an unquestionable answer regarding purpose of life. Any ideology designed for seeking power and conquering lands cannot provide answers to eternal questions.

Attaining paradise and redemption for sinners are the unquestioned objectives of two contemporary isms dominating the world today. But a mere pointer to the objective will not provide a satiable answer to our questions about the purpose of everyday life. Voluntarily and involuntarily we are carrying out so many activities in the entire span of our lives. Many a time we do understand the immediate purpose only in the case of our voluntary actions eg. we walk or run when we want to reach a destination. But why do you want to reach that particular destination at all? For that matter, why do you want to reach any destination? Why is our heart working tirelessly or shutting down suddenly without our control? Why do we tend to love something and hate something else? There is no end to such questions and no answer either. Only Sanatana Dharma provides a simple satisfying answer as to the overall purpose of life of each and every human being.

Insatiable Souls

Almost all religious isms accept the existence of a body and soul for each human being and Sanatana Dharma is no exception. But the similarity ends there. We are considered alive only until our body and soul are together. When the soul decides to leave, it leaves behind a dead body. But what is this soul and what is its role? Indian Rishis considered these souls as nothing but indestructible microcosms (jeevatma) of the larger universal force of Ishwar (paramatma). We know Ishwar is present in everything, but what is special about the soul? If Ishwar is present in everything, why is soul not present in everything? The answer is simple and straight forward. It is true that Ishwar is present in everything, but soul is present only in living beings. And that is what differentiates between living and dead bodies. Each soul comes with a partly defined purpose based on accumulated karma from previous lives (which also determines when, where and how it is born), but leaves with the karma accumulated by the actions of the body that carried it.

Presence of life in it makes all souls inherently insatiable. The prime purpose of bodies carrying them gets defined here. It is the solemn duty of each living body to carry its soul to a more elevated plane in the cycle of evolution. Refinement of the soul it carries is thus the solemn duty of each living individual in this universe. And the only tool available at our disposal for achieving this is our action. Each and every one of our actions is important here. Each thought and each movement is vital. Application of the dharma tool, another unique aspect of Sanatana Dharma, becomes unavoidable in this regard. Each dharmic action (including thoughts) refines our soul and each adharmic action will taint it further. And finally when your body’s turn to carry that soul is over, it leaves and may or may not be reborn depending upon the accumulated karma so far. In a way it is the insatiability of the soul inside us that force us through each moment of our life.

Moksha Deliverance

It is clear and evident that we are all born with souls of different characteristics which in turn depend on the intensity of refinement they have gone through in the past lives. Since none of us have any role in our birth that carries along with it the associated fortunes (and misfortunes), the vast differences that exist among us at birth is also something beyond our control. All of us are uniquely different at birth and our actions start to count only after we come of age. And beyond that point whatever we think or say or act will definitely affect our principal task of refining the souls in our custody. That is why it is always stressed by various religious leaders that success or failure of our births is largely in our own hands. One’s life is a success if he or she has managed to refine the soul and it is a failure if it gets more and more tainted in your custody.

And finally what happens after so many cycles of births and deaths. Nature of accumulated karma would carry the soul forward. If the latest one holding it has done well enough, the soul (jeevatma) shall merge completely into Ishwar (paramatma) and shall be relieved of further trials and tribulations associated with births and re-births. Complete liberation or emancipation (moksha) of the soul happens at this point. In rarest of rare cases we have also seen individuals amongst us achieving emancipation (moksha) even during their lifetimes. Ramana Mahirshi of yesteryears and Mata Amritanandamayi Devi in contemporary times are cases of such jeevanmukta. Their actions are so very noble that refinement of the souls they carried outpaced their own lives. It will be a rare honour to interact and be associated with such noble souls.

Purpose of our life and what we all should aim for in the course of our lives is explicitly clear now. Reference material available in Sananata Dharma for finer clarifications and research on this topic is literarily monumental. The logic of soul refinement and rebirths is so unambiguous that all our doubts will evaporate when we dig deeper and deeper into the works of Indian Rishis. No other religious ideology can claim such a credible and convincing repertoire of coherent works and their innumerable commentaries. Genuine followers of Sanatana Dharma have no reasons to be in doubt as to the purpose of their lives. Perhaps the days are not very far when the whole world would realize their mistake of not noticing the truth of their lives that always existed in the cradle of culture that is Sanatana Dharma.

Losing Grounds

2009-04-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

India and Indians are losing Indianness at a much faster rate in the past sixty years than at any other time in the past. We stood our grounds against all types of imperialism ranging from Greeks, Romans, Mughals, Islamists and Europeans in the never ending series of invasions. But we have never done so badly against the new versions of these evil forces than in recent times viz. since our liberation from the British. True Indians are losing their grip on numerical majority, power and real estate in almost all parts of India. At all times we could count on Sanatana Dharma which stood like a solid rock of infinite dimensions to provide us with the necessary motivation and inspiration. Be it Alexander, Akbar or Macaulay, the overpowering enigma of Sanatana Dharma always managed to tie them down with its inclusiveness. There was nothing much they could do with their arsenal. From such heights of impenetrable defense during periods of subjugation, the situation has fallen to pathetic depths during the subsequent period as a liberated and separated as a secular Hindu nation.

The situation is deteriorating at a fast pace now. All the lofty ideals of building a truly secular and democratic republic of India has almost evaporated fully. The dreamy architect’s vision of a land of equality in every sense has given way to forces of skewed secularism and fascist ideologies. Western and Arab imperialism are vying with one another to conquer the soul of our entire nation. Religious fascists are going full steam to convert as many as possible to take over the country (mis)using our flawed electoral system. The electoral verdicts do not reflect our majority’s opinion but the majority opinion of those who can vote. Religious fascist forces are attempting a coup d’etat by galvanizing as many religious converts as possible by luring or forcibly converting them. If the disease was limited to Christianity earlier, the world’s fastest growing religion is not far behind in their latest games in India. Both are engaged in a race to run over Indian nation and soil.

Gaining Grounds

Followers of the two organized world religions are literally gaining ground in India in all spheres of life. If missionary work is in full swing in Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Orissa, the entire coastal and border areas are reeling under Jihadi forces of enormous dimensions. A lot of international planning and money are going into these operations, and both the competing forces are becoming more and more confident of overrunning India in the 21st century. Other Europeans forces had tried out almost all techniques to destroy our nation from outside before the British unleashed their ultimate weapon of divide and rule as a last resort. As a part of it, they tried out different types of geographical, cultural and religious divides to achieve their objective. Yet when they were forced to retreat, they were literally shocked to see India still with a majority of Hindus carrying the whole nation as one even after their “most unkindest” cut of dividing the country on religious lines. Intensive missionary work for aggressive proselytization aimed at capturing power and weakening India is their latest attempt. If we analyse their performance in the last sixty years, it has been nothing but a tremendous success.

Story of the second aggressor is quite different. Arab aggression was at its zenith when they overran the Persian empire in the seventh century. Even then they could not even dream of a similar success over India. Where the Arabs failed, their Mughal cousins could make some inroads. But the status remained very much the same even after about seven centuries of Muslim rule until the British displaced them. Merciless Mughal emperors could not dent the core of Sanatana Dharma and many of them even struggled to avoid a complete surrender before its unparalleled logic and glory. Unlike Iran where they could achieve cent percent annihilation of the native religion, India was like a black hole that would absorb them fully. It was a very sad story of their sway over India when it ended up with division of the country on religious lines. Resurrection in the form of Arab imperialism is of recent origin which has been triggered by the intention of cash rich oil nations to complete what their predecessor could not. Aggressive religious conversion of plane loads of Nepalese and poor Indians working in the Gulf is only one of their tools to penetrate into Indian heartlands. The world-wide success of Jihadi terrorism is giving them immense opportunity and hope of overrunning India. They have literally gained so much grounds in several states like Kerala.

Holding Grounds

Official policies of liberated India in shunning anything and everything related to our own Dharma has disoriented at least three generations of Indians who are completely confused about Indianness. Irrespective of their religion, all Indians who constituted our nation in 1947 had a much clearer vision about India. Simply put it was Indian first and religion next. Freedom, true secularism and equality were part and parcel of their dreams about an India that was to be made. But vote-bank politics has shattered all those lofty ideals. Subsequent generations have thrown up groups of Indians each with their own ideas about nation building. Nobody in India is now thinking in terms of their national identity first and religious identity next. All the so-called minority groups are breaking away from the national mainstream and trying to look alike and think alike their international cousins than national brothers. Under the guise of secularism each group is building up their own institutions which take orders from masters abroad.

Holding on to whatever is left of a truly secular and egalitarian nation is the least that can be done now. We have reached a state of moribund existence with regard to our religious beliefs. In liberated India everyone expected a complete revival of Sanatana Dharma to its past glory after weeding out its dark shades of untouchability and casteism. Many of us even expected a revival of the streak of continuous reformation and improvement that was always an integral part of our Dharma. But the misguided policies of the first few governments have spoiled everything. More than others, it goes to the discredit of several Hindu leaders for their suicidal efforts in disallowing Sanskrit learning and not initiating proper research & development of India’s own epics and scriptures. It is a shame that we could not put together even an authentic history about ancient India instead of teaching our children the British sponsored bogus theories of Aryan migration.

It is still not too late to retrieve all our lost grounds. All of us have a stake in Indian soil and we must do our bit to achieve this. We can never imagine securing an India of our own if we allow our enemies outside and inside to take over our lands legally or otherwise. As a bare minimum, each individual must hold on to whatever is left of his own properties and as a policy it must not be sold to anyone who is a suspect. European and Arab agencies are pumping in billions of dollars through their surrogates to buy up properties in India. As an example, at least 25% of Kerala’s prime properties have changed hands in the last one decade and most of it is in the hands of those with Gulf connections. And a vast proportion is already with the various Christian denominations under foreign administration and with no control of their own laity in India. If we can start holding on to whatever is left with us, there is definitely a chance for our Dharma to flourish once again and regain all lost grounds.

Imperative Imperialism

2009-04-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

In simple terms imperialism pertains to a desire to rule over the entire world. It can prop up in the mind of an individual or a group or a nation. Though imperialism is a hated concept in modern times its value as a perfect tool for propagation of any ideology cannot be overlooked. But for imperialism, Christianity, Islam and Communism would not have spread even a few square kilometers beyond their places of origin. Ideologies adopted by imperialism are carried by its physical and psychological components to unimaginable destinations in no time. If the physical components comprise of armies of warriors and missionaries who enforce and coerce unquestioned acceptance by fear or fraud, the psychological part is made up of mythology or make-belief stories. In India we are witness to this unending phenomenon even today in the form of Missionary proselytization, Jihadi terrorism, Maoist rebellions etc. One thing is common in all these – forcible propagation by imperial forces of the core ideology.

Forces of imperialism operate in similar fashion throughout the world. Rather it is the very nature of imperialism than the design of its users. Imperialism is usually the essential offshoot or necessary component of any ism or dynasty that has become powerful without enough fundamental strength in its foundations. Such ideological shortcomings are offset by shear strength of the forces of imperialism that come to be associated with them. And how do the imperial forces get associated with such weak ideologies? It is always the handiwork of some clever and shrewd individuals who will hide in history forever. Their reasons may be private and quite unconnected with the known highlights of the ideologies. As a very revealing example, we can cite the example of Communism that is being propagated by Maoists. If their real intention is Communism and Socialism we can never imagine the land of Mao ending up in its present form. But the imperative need for a dose of imperialism in defending and propagation of ideologies can never be overlooked.

Red-Roman-Arab Imperialism

We in India came face to face with imperialism when Alexander’s army knocked at our doors. Though Greeks & Romans lost the battle and failed miserably in their mission, the fact that they saw the splendor of India with their own eyes resulted in a saga of never ending desire to conquer India by any means. I believe that the half-cooked mythology about St.Thomas coming to India and existence of Christianity in India anytime before the advent of subsequent European colonizers are products of some highly imaginative minds of very recent generation of Indian Christians with such hidden designs. We gained nothing from these Roman imperialists but have consistently been targeted by the descendents of Roman empire. India is really writhing under Christian proselytization even today. The amount of money pumped into their harvesting business in India was about $ 400 million for the year 2008 alone. Our North East has already been overrun and missionaries are aggressively stalking the entire South India with victory in sight.

Arab and Communist imperialism came to India much later. Unlike their Roman counterparts, the strength of Arab and Communist imperialism is of very recent origin. Wealth of Arab imperialism is only one century old and Communist imperialists have never been rich. But their impact on India is increasing daily by leaps and bounds. All imperial forces want to have a piece of the Indian cake and they are playing their games well. While Communist forces are forcing in through Nepal, Arab imperialism has already gained much grounds in the coastal areas, especially Kerala. Billions of gulf money are being pumped into India for gaining grounds legally and illegally. The stake of Arab institutions in Indian companies and real estate is so high that they will soon be able to dictate the administration in several states of India. Emasculated Communism is already in power in a couple of Indian states and they can always join their masters if and when a Chinese manipulated revolution can work out in Indian soil.

Dharmic Imperialism

In the absence of a formidable imperial force backing an ideology it is almost impossible to survive the current century. This is true even if the ideology is fundamentally strong and can claim to have survived all these ages. Sanatana Dharma is one such religious ideology that has always been under threat and it is more so in the 21st century. There is nobody who has seen the whole universe with inner eyes than an Indian Rishi and there is nobody who has actually seen universe than a European adventurer. Yet when the European adventurers came in contact with the creations of Indian Rishis (in the form of scriptures and classics) their surprise was incredible. Thus started the advent of Roman and Arab imperialism in India which is aimed at nothing less than hijacking our heights of cultural heritage (they have already taken most of our material wealth). And the third one (Red Imperialism) wants to wipe out our heritage altogether so as to perpetuate poverty for Communism to feed on. So much has been willfully destroyed and much more smuggled out so far, but the fundamental strength remains same. I have no doubt that the current versions of these imperial forces will not back off till their goals are achieved.

In a way the weakening of Sanatana Dharma began at the battlefield of Kalinga War. When Arjuna was confused and felt diffident at the Kurushetra battlefield, Bhagawan himself could clarify his doubts and re-activate him to carry out his Dharma. Arjuna was categorically told that elimination of all obstacles in the path of Dharma is his duty and he has nothing to worry about. Bhagawan’s entire advice was recorded in Bhagavad Gita and made available to all future generations to live by. Yet Emperor Asoka failed to get the message properly and ended up repenting his doings as a Kshatriya. Degeneration of a society which was flourishing on the basis of Sanatana Dharma started at this moment. If only he had understood the real spirit behind the unparalleled advice from Bhagawan, the history of India would have been much different and glorious.

It is still not too late to change course and work towards regaining our past glory. The basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma remain rigidly intact and entire stock of its intellectual assets is still not completely unraveled. At any level of comparison, our Sanatana Dharma is indeed way above its competing religious ideologies. All that is required for its domination over the entire world is a vehicle of imperialism. It is not necessary to kill anyone or even apply any force. It is absolutely not necessary to deceive and coerce converts like the missionaries. The only effort that is required is unrelenting commitment to reiterate the concepts and ideals of Santana Dharma to as many people and as many lands as possible. So many agencies are already involved in this process. What is lacking is an imperial mindset to re-convert and convert as many as possible so as to re-establish the rule of Sanatana Dharma over the entire world.

Prahlad, the Greatest

2009-03-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

Alexander, Ashoka and Akbar are the three celebrities enjoying the title of ‘the great’ for right, wrong or no reasons in our part of the world. While the first one was a cruel invader and the second one a clear native, the third one was a hybrid (though he tried to be more of a native but belonged to lineage of invaders). All three have made their own contributions to history that have impacted the life of ordinary Indians and continues to produce social aftershocks even today. Inclusion of one each from Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities in the Indian great-trio seems to be yet another handiwork of suicidal secularism propagated by the dominant folk of leftist-historians in India. Though debatable whether it is mandatory to agree with these worthless historians, let us leave the trio as such for the sake of saving our time. But it is definitely warranted to search for more greats and even the greatest from our own history. I find no better candidate than Bhakta Prahlad to be anointed as the greatest.

Skewed JNU historians will definitely frown on this choice because, according to them, Bhakta Prahlad is part of our mythology and not recorded history. But how is the two differentiated when we have all ‘mythological’ landmarks associated with Ramayana and Mahabharata readily available in front of eyes and none related to the over-publicized ‘historical’ visit of Saint Thomas to India in 52 AD? Yet we are told and taught that Lord Ram and Lord Krishna were mythological figures, but Saint Thomas was a historical truth!! The humiliating effect of such distorted historical studies, imposed earlier by the British and now by the followers of suicidal secularism, has already destroyed the self-respect of three or four generations of Indians since 1947. It is now time for those who love India and its true history to re-discover the true heroes from our own version of history, of which our mythology is an integral part. Scanning back from the heights of human knowledge as of today, Bhakta Prahlad who revealed the eternally truthful concepts of Advaita and Evolution stands out as one of the greatest ever in human history.

Omnipresent Ishwar

It took almost two thousand years of Western history to reach the conclusion that energy and matter are same and interchangeable. But it was a simple truth known to a boy like Bhakta Pahlad during immemorial times. In fact he went a step further when he said that Ishwar is present everywhere. He knew that Ishwar is energy, Ishwar is matter and Ishwar is everywhere and everything. Seed of the supreme and matchless philosophy of Advaita was sown in human mind then and thereon. When Ishwar is present in everything, its presence in energy, humans, animals and inanimate is understood. It took millions or thousands of years for Adi Sankara to pick up the thread again and enunciate it further. And we had to wait until Albert Einstein to put together an expression (e=mc^2) for a part of the grand theory of Advaita. The equation between Ishwar and energy or matter is still awaited.

By declaring to his father Hiranyakasipu that Ishwar is present everywhere, Bhakta Prahlad also made the profound statement that Ishwar is present within him too. According to me, this is the most significant statement ever made by any individual in the history of mankind. By one simple statement Bhakta Prahlad broke the myths of an external entity of Ishwar and the concepts about other worlds. The whole universe including its animate and inanimate is only manifestations of Ishwar and IT is present in everywhere in everything at every time. The recorded revelation of Ishwar in an appropriate form to Hiranyakasipu from the nearest pillar proves this beyond even an iota of doubt. Now it takes only our own efforts to understand this simple truth and realize the Ishwar within each of us to usher in a truly socialistic, secular and sustainable society anywhere in the world.

Evolutionary Narasimha

In the bicentennial year of Charles Darwin who is credited with the discovery of human evolution, it must be difficult for the Western world to digest that the concept of evolution was illustrated to the whole world by a simple devotee during immemorial times in India. The biography of Bhakta Prahlad is too well known for all lovers of our mythology. When confronted by his ignoramus father as to demonstrate the existence of Ishwar everywhere, Bhakta Prahlad had little choice but to point to the nearest pillar. And what came out of the shattered pillar was an eye-opener not only for Hiranyakasipu but to the entire scientific world. The form Ishwar (remember IT is everything everywhere everytime) chose was the form of Narasimha, half lion and half human. This peculiar form not only opened Hiranyakasipu’s eyes, but revealed so many truths to body of human knowledge.

The fearful form of half-lion and half-man is a symbolic combination of the most powerful among animals and humans. The meaningful figure depicts a critical stage of evolution of animal into human form. If Advaita concept connects the inanimate to the animate, the majestic form of Narasimha points to an evolutionary trend from animals into humans. It is indeed difficult for any other religion other than Hinduism to accept the truth in evolution. But for a Hindu like Bhakta Prahlad there was no better way than presenting Narasimha Moorthy to illustrate the truth in evolution. The ten incarnations of Ishwar, some in animal form and some in human form, in an evolutionary cycle confirm the concept of evolution in no uncertain terms.

It is a well known ‘secret’ that the twin concepts of Advaita and Evolution have shattered the very foundations of many established religions in the present day world. Myths of monopoly god, its father, holy spirit, prophets, angels, paradise etc., are completely meaningless in world which knows about evolution of species and that energy, matter and Ishwar are all one and the same. But for the political agenda behind these religious facades, the entire humanity would have discarded them by now. It is now only a matter of time before every human recognize the Ishwar within and try realizing in his or her own lifetime. And when that happens, the first human who can claim to have led them out of ignorance will definitely be etched in human history as Bhakta Prahlad, the greatest.

Gulfdog Billionaires

2009-03-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

Dogs are famous not only for their faithfulness and ferocity, but also for their helplessness and servitude as well. Barring a minority of dogs with European pedigree most of the other dogs in the world fall into the category of either underdogs or now, slumdogs. Both have only sad stories to tell and it is no surprise that their counterparts in the human society are becoming more vocal, visible and violent in recent times. In the bigger canvas of national and international dimensions, all slumdog humans are essentially underdogs in their environment and fields of activity. The simple fact that a few slumdogs from the infamous Dharavi slum in Mumbai could dance onstage in the famous Kotak theatre during the Oscar awards does not alter their ground realities. Those poor children will soon return to their homes amidst all depredation and feeling of unwantedness.

The unprecedented success of slumdog movie will help in focusing our attention of many other types of underdogs prevalent in the current Indian context. One such growing category of underdogs in the last few decades is the case of Indians in the Gulf. The entire Middle East region is now flooded with fortune seekers from the Asian subcontinent and the physical & psychological condition of a majority of them are nothing but that of underdogs. The nouveau riche Arab nations in the Gulf have been enjoying the fruits of highly talented labour force from India at abysmally low charges for almost three decades now. No doubt, India and Indians have benefitted quite a lot in terms of huge foreign exchange remittances and avenues for employment in these Gulf nations. But no one can deny the fact that such prolonged periods of working in closely monitored working conditions have produced a new breed of underdogs and let us name them as ‘gulfdogs’. And many such gulfdogs have managed to become billionaires too.

Slavish Environment

Living conditions of Indians in the Gulf labour camps was a hot topic that was catching up just prior to the start of the current melt down. Flock of politicians and social activists from India were aiming to harvest some attention highlighting the condition of Indian gulfdogs in these labour camps when the meltdown tsunami waves swept away their plans. The biggest concentration of such notorious camps is in UAE and most of them will be deserted in the next few months time. The condition of labour camps in many of the other Gulf states is even worse but it will never attract the same attention as the Dubai charm for Indian politicians. Much tougher access and almost complete opaque human rights conditions will make it difficult for anyone to even witness the reality in these camps. If the notorious Gulf labour camps represent the heights of physical atrocities, the unquestioning atmosphere prevalent in offices and business sector symbolize the peculiar form of modern day slavery that is unique in the Middle East.

South Asia provides the major chunk of labour force and the bulwark of official and business hierarchy in the Gulf countries. A majority of them are Indians and a majority of Indians come from Kerala. Thus Keralites (Malabaris to the Arabs) constitute the bulk of gulfdogs in the Middle East. Thanks to the high literacy levels in Kerala, a significant section of gulfdogs are educated and qualified. Even among the working category, the Malabari gulfdogs stand out as intelligent, literate and skilful. While the slavish hierarchy in the workforce is quite evident, the same mentality is subtle in the office and business. Most of the owners are Arabs but those who wield the real power are either Whites or other Arabic speaking nationals. And at the very bottom of the hierarchy you will invariably find gulfdogs who contribute the maximum but benefit the minimum. Their virtual image (in three piece suits) looks impressive but the real condition of most of them is indeed pathetic.

Crabbish Mentality

Crabs, like dogs, are a set of animals that correlate well with humans in behavior. There is a saying that crabs, held in captivity, in a large glass container need not be covered at all. It is difficult for anyone to climb on glass walls, but in the case of crabs it is impossible because each one of them will pull down the other who is trying to escape. It is quite natural to have this sort of crabbish mentality in any society where the struggle for survival and success is at its peak. Gulf scenario is an opportunity for making quick bucks and the crabbish mentality reaches great proportions among the vast population of gulfdogs. It must be no better among the more qualified tech-coolies in Europe and America as well. But the modus operandi will be more subtle and polished among them when compared to the gulfdogs. Outright cheating, backstabbing and faith betrayal are much more common among gulfdogs than among any other community. Recent instance of one highly successful slumdog billionaire arranging barber training in India for Arabs to backstab his own fellow gulfdog barbers is a revealing one. And the story ends with the said gulfdog billionaire bagging “Pravsai Samman” from Government of India !! Another one has recently been awarded for increasing the fees in Indian schools by a whopping 300%.

There are legendary episodes of betrayals among gulfdogs which are unbelievable. When success or failure of years of toil comes to a choice between standing by or betraying another gulfdog, most of the gulfdogs fall for the devil. Most of the businesses run by gulfdogs are built on such betrayals. It is said most of the hypermarkets, hospitals, hospitalities, money exchanges, gold businesses, contracting companies are built on tainted money which gets more tainted by the sweat and blood of fellow gulfdogs. Many gulfdogs have become lakhpatis, millionaires and billionaires in the process. Just a few examples in gold business (profit margin is merely 1%) where scores of gulfdog billionaires have come up in a span of one decade is good enough to highlight the extent of loot by billionaire gulfdogs of fellow gulfdogs. It is a typical DED(dog-eat-dog) syndrome at its heights.

Kerala has the biggest share of gulfdogs and naturally the highest number of gulfdog billionaires. Every district in the state has atleast one or a few such ‘success’ stories. Many of them have struggled their way up by buttering Arabs and looting fellow gulfdogs. For the Arabs, all Asians are gulfdogs but many of the gulfdogs who understand their language well misunderstand the attitude of masters. Arabs were quick to recognize this opportunity and have institutionalized systems where gulfdogs are employed to spy and pry on fellow gulfdogs. It can be easily established that atleast a few of the gulfdog billionaires have made it thanks to their shameless efforts in betraying their own countrymen and country. Another movie titled ‘Gulfdog Billionaire’ will definitely yield a truck load of Oscars for India.

Suicidal Secularism

2009-02-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

Rulers of any state would like to keep many things undefined. It is one of the proven ways to perpetuate their reign by offering different interpretations at different times for the same provisions even in a written document. When written and approved in 1950, Indian Constitution was one of the best written documents with all its provisions and omissions well deliberated and concluded. But almost all the subsequent amendments have made it ambiguous and dangerous to the majority in the country. Perhaps no other democratic country had so many amendments to its written constitution in the first fifty years of existence. Dirty minds and short-sightedness of some of our so-called national leaders are reflected in the attempted and achieved amendments to Indian constitution. But for a vigilant few in Indian parliament much more damage would have been done by now.

If the religious divide of India in 1947 and the Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) can be ‘credited’ to the cunning Christian mind of the looting British in retreat, the onus of all subsequent drama of distorting our constitution lies squarely with our own political leaders. Complete neglect of Sanskrit and a virtual ban of any governmental involvement in anything related to study of Hindu scriptures was the much highlighted achievement of the first governments in India immediately after liberation from the British. The policy thrust still continues - anything and everything related to Hindu must be discouraged and discriminated against. The guiding principle of almost all successive governments in Liberated India remains the same – that any encouragement for Hinduism or studying its scriptures will only result in bringing back ‘untouchability’, ‘sati system’ and loss of scientific temper of the society. It was the pet theory of the architect of our nation and its damage (perhaps unintended) has been devastating.

Deliberately Undefined

One of the most damaging features that has been manipulated into the round hole of our constitution is the square peg of undefined secularism. A simple search for the word on the net would yield its most common definition as “the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs”. Now close your eyes and search with your independent conscience whether any of our ‘governmental practices or institutions’ follow this principle. Almost all our major temples are under government control, we have several wakf boards and all the government policies are segregated religion-wise or community-wise or caste-wise. Even after 60 years of existence we have made no attempt to evolve a common civil code or even common education system irrespective of the religious beliefs. Yet the dirty politicians would prefer to have the word in our constitution so that all their sectarian and vote-bank politics can carry on without any hindrance.

The real history of India is well known to everyone by now. Even after one thousand years of various onslaughts it is still illuminating the world with ancient wisdom and continues to be perhaps the only guiding light towards a better world. But the plurality of its culture accommodating all religions and all types of people is a stark reality. It cannot be ignored or wished away by anyone whatever be their arguments. The simple reason is that we are dealing with human lives and not inanimate materials which can be rooted out and shifted elsewhere. But at the same time, the identity of India as a sovereign nation cannot be compromised at all. To reflect this in all Indians, the primary requirement is a declaration that our nationality comes first followed by our regional or religious backgrounds. The undefined Secularism that is making a mockery of our ‘Indianess’ is the biggest hurdle in this process. India needs to encourage a common system of social laws and education that is cent percent enforceable on all Indians.

Dangerously Ambiguous

Indians are always proud to announce that Indian Secularism is qualitatively different from its Western counterpart. While the State must insulate itself and ignore religions in the West, it is equal respect for all religions in the Indian context. It sounds perfectly logical to have such noble and lofty attitude towards religions in the land of Santana Dharma. Religions are so much intrinsically involved in our daily lives that ignoring them for carrying out just some of our official duties alone does not sound practical and logical. Equality for all religions is a perfect concept and it should be so irrespective of the number of followers each one of them has. But it is this graciousness of the majority community that is paving the way for its own destruction.

India’s peculiar brand of secularism stands out on one aspect – that all religions enjoy the same status but followers of some are ‘more equal’ than others. That is the only way we can explain the special privileges enjoyed by the so-called minorities. Proponents of vote-bank politics who vehemently argue for perpetuation of these rights must accept the simple logic that a minority set can exist only if there is a majority set in any system. In the context of Indian nation, who is such a majority? None according to the supporters of Indian brand secularism and Hindus according to its opponents. But when everyone knows that Hindu religion itself is divided into so many sub-sets and so also the Muslims and Christians, what is the logic of justifying special privileges for some of the sets. This ambiguity can go away only when the term secularism is defined in Indian constitution.

In the absence of such a clear and unambiguous definition for secularism in Indian constitution the social status of Hindus will continue to decline. All sorts of organised groups under the guise of minorities will continue to enjoy special privileges for their educational institutions, religious schools and personal laws. Their own organizations are garnering millions and now the shortsighted vote-mongers in the government are spending millions of money for their development. The majority who will languish without the protection of any such privileges or even basic rights will whither away in not so distant future. ‘Indianess’ of India is being systematically destroyed by the deliberate negligence of our own elected leaders. We must define very specifically what is secularism in Indian context or do away with that suicidal synonym once for all. And that needs to be done immediately if India is to survive as one single democratic entity forever.

Target of Terrorism

2009-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

USA, Israel, India and their citizens have been declared as the targets by almost all the terrorist organizations in the world. The proclaimed reasons for such extreme animosity are USA for its attacks on Iraq & Afganistan that killed thousands of innocent civilians and Israel for its never-ending conflict with Palestianians. But what for heaven’s sake is India and Indians included in this target list? Is it for maintaining its legal, moral and territorial rights over Kashmir? It cannot be true. Even the few disgruntled Kashmiris have given up their desire to be a part of Pakistan. Nobody would like to divorce an able bodied, handsome and sincere partner for a crooked, handicapped and untrustworthy one. Then why is India and Indians still figuring prominently in the list of targets of all terrorist organizations? There must be a strong and compelling, but unstated, reason.

India in its 10,000 odd years of history has never been described as an aggressor in any war. No Indian emperor or king has ever physically crossed the overall borders of India to attack and conquer any neighbouring country or civilization. And no Indian terrorists have created 9/11 and 26/11 in other parts of the world till date. But the prime target of all terrorist organizations is India and Indians. With all their planning and sophistication, the combined might of international terrorism could make only one 9/11 happen. America’s Homeland Security and Pentagon have successfully thwarted all subsequent attempts within America. Israel as always remains very difficult to penetrate. India continues to the favourite training ground and racing track on which the terrorists are breaking their own ‘records’ almost every month. But why is it so? The reason for India’s failed response is because we have not yet identified and accepted the true target of this terrorism. Their true target in India is not its people and wealth, but India’s own essence ie Sanatana Dharma (or Hinduism in common parlance).

Incredible India

India in all its diversity is truly incredible. And it has always been incredible in its working and dealings as a nation and state. No other country in the world would have voluntarily admitted so many refugees, fugitives and more importantly so many isms with open arms into its territory. It has also been at the receiving end with maximum number of invasions, looting and re-invasions. The incredible nature of India comes in here. In spite of all these voluntary acceptances and forced invasions the essence of India remains intact. India continues to be the fountain head of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal one among all the religions. Eight hundred long years of Muslim rule and two hundred years of European (essentially Christian) rule has not succeeded in diminishing the spirit of our religion. It is still continuing to flourish and stands way above its competing ideologies in an environment of ever expanding contours of scientific knowledge. Its supremacy is so overwhelming that its major competitors are spending billions of dollars for pricking holes into Sanatana Dharma than in reviewing and reforming their own outdated isms.

One of the latest theories put forth by the enemies of Sanatana Dharma is that it is not a religion like other organized ones, but just a way of life. But the truth remains that it is the ONLY religion known to mankind. Any religion should lay out a complete roadmap for each and every individual to realize himself or herself in their lifetime. If not, it should provide a rational explanation for their failure and explain the next stage. For this there should be a methodology for every aspect of life. Which is the religion that has explained the logical cycle of births and deaths (karma), ways of living your lives (yoga and ayurveda), ways of knowing & preparing for future (jyotish) and ways of identifying with the world around you (advaita)? The ONLY answer is Sanatana Dharma. With its unique features like Sanskrit, Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga, Dance & Music, Vaastu, Jyotish, Ayurveda, Arthasastra, Kamasastra etc., etc., it is way above the other Lilliputian religions. And that is exactly what the sponsors of terrorism want to destroy forever and bring in their half-cooked religious theories for subjugation of a majority by a minority.

Increasing Enemies

Like in all isms and all nations there are more enemies for Sanatana Dharma within India than outside. It has been true at all times. The intensity of opposition to any ideology is directly proportionate to its own soundness and integrity. While all enemies of the Dharma miserably failed to convince their short-lived followers, many of the reformers with good intention have succeeded in making their own positive contributions. The case of Lord Mahavir, Lord Budha and Guru Nanak provide convincing evidence for this. But through out history the solid foundations of Sanatana Dharma, perhaps best laid out in a single text in Bhagavad Gita, have remained intact. Sworn enemies represented by Romans and Mughals, who could make substantial loots from India and Indians, have miserably failed when it came to their ideological battle with Sanatana Dharma. Emperor Alexander repeatedly failed in annexing Indian territories, but had he succeeded I am sure he would have ultimately fallen to the incomparable logic and argument of Sanatana Dharma. The history of the whole world would have much better in that case.

Situation has changed drastically since then. Aborigines in all continents have undergone intellectual evolution and have formulated their own theories about life and existence. Clever and ambitious among them have put forth ideologies which are incomplete and irrational, but satisfying their political ambitions. Aggressive propagation by ruling emperors (and not convinced volunteers) in the initial phase of all the three prominent ideologies (Christianity, Islam and Communism) is proof enough for this. But for forced conversion none of the three isms would have got more than a million followers each. The sane faces of Christian missionaries, Sufi saints and socialist leaders came in much later. And finally it is now terrorism all over. With their newfound money and power, each of these contesting isms are forging unholy alliances with each other in their futile attempt to destroy the ONLY truthful, rational, all-encompassing and truly secular religion in its land of origin.

While the final victory of Sanatana Dharma against the evil intentions of these terrorists is without any doubt and obvious, the State of India’s fight against terrorism will not be fruitful unless its rulers admit and accept the truth about the real target of terrorists. It is indeed a bit difficult for the democratically elected rulers in world’s largest democracy (with universal franchise) to accept such unpleasant truths because of its vote-bank implications at home. But the delay in doing so would be much more costly and disastrous. Enemies can be easily destroyed if we know the real reasons for their animosity. And it is absolutely certain when we know that their reasons are motivated, frivolous and unachievable. As it always happens, enemies of the absolute truth shall dig their own graves and will ‘celebrate’ their 9/11 and 26/11 in their own cemeteries.

Arabian Dreams

2008-12-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

British rulers had a dream and they realized it through their East India Company. But the sun that never set in their British Raj had to finally set. In similar lines, most of the Arab nations have started dreaming about an empire of theirs where the sun will never set. And they have unleashed grandiose plans with the help of several companies trading in Oil & Gas to realize their dreams. Our dependence on these nations for our vital fuel needs has reached unbelievable levels that many economies are at the complete mercy of these Arabs. Ambition of Kings, Emirs and Sultans in the Arabian peninsula has also soared to unrealistic levels thanks to the unexpected levels of prosperity achieved in the last few decades. People from all over the world are flocking to the Middle East for making some quick buck and the very sight of first class Blacks, Whites and Browns waiting to take orders from even third rate Arabs have mesmerized many of them. An Arabian empire stretching from Europe in the West to Japan in the East has begun to look attainable for the Arab rulers, especially the Saudi Arabians.

Though the very concept of colonization has undergone vast changes since the decline of British Raj, the underlying attitude of colonizers remains the same. It is not for money alone that colonization is dreamt of, but for the pleasure of suzerainty over the entire world. And now there is the additional connotation of attaining religious superiority through evangelization or establishing a world-wide Ummah. But everything about colonization will boil down to ultimately two factors viz. mentality and money. The foremost requirement for subjugating others without any provocation and deriving pleasure out of their misery is the crux of colonization. Flush with funds and ambitious beyond their capabilities, Arabs are spearheading colonization in the West and East with an unseen frenzy. They have already identified two fool-proof weapons, which they think can rocket them into their desired orbit of supremacy over the entire world. The two deadly weapons are Jihadi Terrorism and Sharia-based Banking.

Jihadi Terrorism

Once it was purely physical manpower that determined colonial victories. Then it became the quantity of gun powder at your disposal. And now it is a combination of so many resources that can make or break any attempt to colonize. As the primary weapon of the new colonizers, Jihadi Terrorism fits the bill in all respects. It can get the best out of a warrior spearheading colonization and at the same time generate the worst fears in the victims. A substantial part of the non-Muslim world is non-violent and very vulnerable to physical assault. Hindu and Budhist nations of the world are overwhelmingly peace loving, and their hesitance for bloodshed has weakened them. The cultural importance of non-violence in these religions has made them very much vulnerable when they confront terrorists. Vulnerability of India and Indians whenever it comes under attack is the best proof for this. The recent slaughter in Mumbai showcased our vulnerability to the entire world. The simple fact that there is no bomb blast or terrorist attack anywhere in the Arabian peninsula completes our understanding of the Arab plot.

If not anything else, the prosperity generated from oil wealth have made the Arabs very clever. More than anyone else, the Arab rulers know that it is very difficult to get any Arab to become a Jihadi warrior to fight for the realization of their dreams. They have cleverly identified the poor and impoverished Muslim nations as the best bet for them. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afganistan have been identified as the best choices for unlimited supply of Jihadi warriors. By clever invocation of religion they have succeeded in putting brothers against brothers in the South Asian subcontinent. It is very easy to make a Jihadi out of a Pakistani or an Afgan or a Bangladeshi by a few weeks of brain-washing and throwing a few petro-dollars. The role played by gun powder in the earlier stories of colonization is being played well by the poor and illiterate Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Afgans now. In addition, the Arabs have also roped in many of their co-religionists within US, Europe and India to provide the ground support for the onward march of Jihadi terrorists fighting for an Arabian empire.

Islamic Banking

If Jihadi Terrorism is the physical aspect of the ongoing campaign for an Arabian empire, Sharia-based Banking systems are its complementary soft weapon. Most of the Arab rulers are far richer than their own nations. The concept of Islamic Banking is a clever bye-product of their conspiracy to keep their riches unattached to their national wealth. The poor people in these Arab nations do not know that they will be left with nothing in the event of a regional catastrophe. The mushrooming Sovereign Wealth Funds, Charity Funds and Islamic variants of financial institutions are nothing but a camouflage to provide funding for colonization efforts of these rulers. When millions of common Arabs are still poor, it is difficult to justify diversion of national funds to fuel Jihadi Terrorism and these new type institutions provide the best option to hide them under a religious carpet.

Disparity of wealth is highest in the Arabian peninsula and ever since the advent of oil money it has become much more wider. Rich Arabs have grown more rich and the poor ones are fully at the mercy of their charity. And there are many surprises if we analyse details of the investments made by the top 100 richest Arabs, which includes many of their rulers in their individual capacity. Invariably a major part of their investment is outside their own countries, either in US or Europe or some other greener pastures. There can be many reasons for this. Many of them do not trust their own countries and wants to get the best returns for their money from outside investments (not Islamic Banks). And much more importantly it can be as part of a larger design to help with their colonization efforts. Custodians of holy places and dispensers of charity are the very same who are sponsoring terrorism and trying to make strategic investments all over the world.

Whatever be the current proclamations and postures of these Arab nations, we must not forget the fact the latest attempt to establish an ultra-puritan Islamic form of government viz. Taliban in Afganistan, was promoted, recognized and supported by only three other countries in the world. They were Saudi Arabia, UAE and Pakistan. Without an iota of doubt, it shows the clear intentions of the rulers in these nations to establish a new world order fully controlled by Arab Islamic forces. In other words, the attempt is only to create an Arabian empire under the rule of Saudi Arabia emperors by virtue of their position as custodians of the holy centres of Islam. But for their haste in attempting the 9/11 episode a bit prematurely, they would have cleared much more ground by now. The civilized world must thank God for getting a preview of the impending peril and do all it can to avoid such a catastrophe. It will be good for everyone to remember that Theocratic Monarchy, Kafir-Killing and Slavery will be the guiding principles of any such Arabian empire.

Indian USP

2008-12-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

Current fears about a sudden global recession looks highly suspicious and only the next few months will prove whether it was all stage managed for the elections in USA. Ordinary Americans are so much insulated from anything other than money that only talks about an impending economic crisis could have influenced their choice in an election. Ordinary Americans are always bothered about their money and with expenditures far in excess of income, they are always vulnerable to the health of their finance providers who are thriving on speculative markets. It is quite possible that someone who wanted a change of guard at the White House could have triggered a false alarm in the Wall Street for a brief commotion.

But the on-going fear about impending global recession provides a credible opportunity for looking at the health of our own institutions and the options available to us to avoid such scenarios again. Each country has to develop its own USP (Unique Socio-economic Panacea) to ensure a glorious future. Sustainable development is the key word in today’s world and it is the secret of stability in all spheres. In India, we had always stressed on considering the dharma aspect of our actions. And it is this very same dharma that we call as sustainability in current parlance. The one and only way to test whether an individual’s or nation’s action or policy is contributing towards sustainability is to ascertain about its dharma. If it is dharmic it will, otherwise it will not. If all the aspects of governance by a government are dharmic then the country will be stable and its economy will not be vulnerable to man-made problems. We will have to fear only the vagaries of Nature.

For anyone looking for sustainable actions that would guarantee progress of India (or any nation), the first and foremost point to note is that social and economic aspects are inter-related and not divorceable. We cannot achieve economic stability without ensuring social justice. Until and unless all sections of the society are assured of their basic minimum requirements (economic, social and now security also) no nation can step into the next phase of accelerated development and progress. Sixty years after liberation from the British, India is still languishing in this pre-phase, waiting for a break. Religions are India’s forte and religions are India’s bane. India cannot progress any further until there is concerted action to make a truly secular polity emerge and sustainable economic policies are adopted. The minimum requirements for emergence of a truly secular and sustainable Indian nation are the following:-

Reservation benefits only on the basis of economic aspects

For the last sixty years we have been spending great amounts of money for the development of Adivasis and SC/ST sections of our population. There are improvements but it is limited to pockets within these target groups. The only reason for this unwanted result is cornering of benefits by those who have already availed them. If the basis of dispensing benefits under any reservation (which can be only for a specific caste or group or section) is purely based on economic criteria the results will be spread out and far more effective in very short time. Thus the basis of reservation can be anything as the government wants but the basis of dispensing benefits under the scheme must be only economic. The target must always be on the poorer sections in any target group.

Only public schools and no religious education till the age of 15

Catch them young is the key word for progress and development of a nation. In India more effort is made on making each child proud of their religion than about their nation. Religion, God and Spirituality makes no sense to any child anywhere in the world. It is wastage of our time and their time to lecture about spirituality to anyone below the age of 15. Instead of making efforts for development of their physique and human values, millions are spent on brain-washing them about the form, size and nature of God. All unwanted aspects of their religion get embedded into those tiny minds at a very young age. In contrast, we need only far less money to educate all of them in public schools where they will learn to be good humans first, good Indians next and good religious followers later on in their lives.

Common civil code for marriages and family planning

I am making this suggestion fully aware of the fact that there are very big objections to enforcement of a common civil code in India. But a simple common civil code covering only marriage and family planning is a must for an overpopulated nation like us to reach for progress. If the population is uncontrolled India can never achieve prosperity whatever be our GDP growth and other achievements. The denominator has to be controlled and a common law for marriage and family planning is the least that all Indians can agree upon to achieve zero-population growth soon.

No profit in retail banking sector

Friendly retail banks in the neighbourhood are the only financial institution we need for most of our transactions. This is true of 90% of Indians. The fact that most of these banks fall in the government sector is a great relief for India during any financial crisis. But an unwanted and unnecessary tendency that has been developing in the case of such vital institutions is the suicidal race for making profits year after year. Banks must concentrate on promoting savings and provide loans to all those who require. They must always operate on no-profit and no-loss basis. Efficiency of retail banks must be measured on how much savings they have promoted and how much loans they have disbursed and re-collected.

Complete ban on religious conversion

India is a democracy and will remains so for ever. Power in a democracy is purely based on numbers and no section of the society will like and allow deliberate and calculated attempts to alter the status. What the Church is attempting to do in India is exactly this. As the upper strata of the Christian society in India is developing and getting richer day by day the emphasis and efforts are going into development of their religion and not on spirituality. Those who have climbed above the prosperity line (like poverty line) are not recognizing their social responsibility towards those stranded below the poverty line. Instead the attempt is to increase the numbers and capture power.

If these five changes are introduced now, India will truly become a super power by 2020. They form the corner stones of an Indian USP. It will no longer be dependent on bail-out plans and adversely affected by melt-downs in foreign countries. The billion strong human resources can become the real asset for a nation and civilisation that has survived all forms of conquests and attacks. No financial or economic crisis can affect a nation of billion strong contended humans. In fact this is applicable for all nations in this world. What is standing between mankind and complete eradication of poverty & misery is human greed and the lone villain of religious overdose.

Saintific Harvest

2008-11-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

The overzealous secular media in India is doing a great disservice to Christianity by harping on mythology that Christianity in India is two thousand years old. Even Vatican has not made such a claim because there is absolutely no historical evidence about it. Interesting fiction about Saint Thomas coming to Kerala and his interactions with the Kings and Namboothiris (Kerala Brahmins) are all very good stories to read. Even his escapades in Madras and martyred burial in Thomas Mount make very good bedtime stories for kids but lacks any sort of historical evidence. For those familiar with the terrain and social setup in Kerala in the heydays of Namboothiris, the stories about one Arab national challenging and changing their religion can be termed as nothing but preposterous. The story about Saint Thomas is nothing but a clever ploy of some Indian Christians to score over their cousins in Europe – a joke that has become serious.

The apex hierarchy of Christianity in Vatican knows this more than anyone else. The simple fact that only very few Indians opted for Christianity in the period preceding the colonial era of Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British, clearly shows lack of appeal of the new religion for the Indians. But the picture changed with the advent of Europeans and much more after India declared itself independent with a secular democratic constitution. Unlike those in the African continent, Indians had their own religions from time immemorial and the new religion of the Europeans never made any appeal to them. Aggressive marketing and coercing could make some impact when the rulers were White. But that too has changed and accelerated efforts are proving counter productive. Vatican has realized that time has come for a more systematic attempt to garner more souls. Hence the new trick of ‘saint’ific harvesting.

Hollow Hallows

Everything about the organized religion is alien to Indians. We worship Nature and see the element of God in everything. But if someone says that God is someone like us sitting in heaven and he made all of us, and that he is monitoring all our activities for reward and punishment, we can only laugh at them. If they still insist that we must join them in their prayers we will. For Indians who could think of millions of forms of God for ease in worship adding a couple of new forms is not a difficult exercise. But when these fanatic missionaries in their misguided enthusiasm for harvest try to slander other religions and other beliefs which are well above their understanding capabilities, there will be reactions and retributions. Those who complain about such natural reactions have only themselves to blame. They are only harvesting what they are sowing.

Increasing failure to attract more and more people by the methods adopted so far has pushed Vatican into the saintific mode now. One helpless Indian nun has already made it and a few more Indian Saints are on their way in the beatification pipeline. The whole exercise is funny and devoid of any logic and conviction. How do we classify someone who has been sick all her life, who did not do any sort of social service nor display any extra-ordinary qualities during her lifetime as a saint fifty years after her death? The argument of divine intervention to work out miracles after one’s physical existence got over is nothing but ridiculous to anyone with minimum intelligence. Within a herd of devout followers it is not impossible to produce proof for any miracle. But for outsiders especially rational Indians most of the newly manufactured saints will have only hollow hallows around their heads.

Evil Intentions

The whole exercise would have been appreciated by the truly secular Indians if the intentions are noble. Knowing Vatican with all its stated and hidden objectives the danger that lies ahead for India and Indians is obvious. The whole idea of creating saints out of Indians is to camouflage the harvest with Indian saints as bait. The poor and vulnerable can be easily cornered into the harvest net if there are local signs in the paths leading to the faith trap. In a democratic country with unlimited freedom the possibilities of coercing or luring people to change faith by denigrating their current one or by supplying milk powder and rice are getting very much difficult. The new episode of manufacturing saints is only an innovative idea for continuing with the old conversion game.

Millions and millions of dollars have been pumped into India for various methods of religious conversion so far. If the money received so far by the various service organizations are distributed among the poor in India, the country’s poverty line would have faded out by now. The evil intentions of the church becomes very evident when we realize the fact that poverty and misery have increased manifold in African continent where the missionaries had a free run for over a century by now. With their simple beliefs and simple needs, the people in that continent led far more happy and contented lives. The same thing happened in Latin America where locals led a far more contented life before another clever ideological ploy of the church namely Liberation Theology wrecked havoc. The liberators have become dictators and poverty has become much more rampant.

All said and done, the ultimate objective of the harvesters is crystal clear – unhindered proselytization and capture power. The mindset of Indians has always been democratic and India shall remain a democratic nation forever. In a democracy it is the number of people that matters. The sole objective of harvesting souls (including the latest version of saintific harvest) is only to get more numbers under the organized banner for the ultimate capture of power. The declared objectives of service to poor and salvation for the individuals are only face saving declarations to hide the real intentions. Once the number is significant enough we can see the next phase of the game in the form of insurgency in Nagaland and Mizoram, and finally sedition as in East Timor. India is very much in focus for intensive religious conversion and the return of White rulers for loot and plunder once again.

Tri-Polar World

2008-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Mishaps or diseases are the ways of Nature for extermination of individuals. And world wars provide the same vehicle for destruction of an existing world order. In the absence of diseases and accidents, there will be too many people around. And without world wars the much needed periodic assessment and correction required in the case of isms will be absent. The highly imaginative and resourceful among humans are always in search of newer ideologies for betterment of humanity. Various socio-economic and religious options available in front of us are nothing but intellectual efforts of such people aimed at providing systematic frameworks for happy and healthy lives. And those who come to believe in each of them make up the contesting platoons that culminate in world wars. Now it is more than 50 years since the previous world war. Time is ripe enough for the next one.

Several ideologies have blossomed and assimilated followers in the last 50 years. The walls that used to separate social, economic and religious ideologies are fast disappearing. Each one of these ideological genres has conquered their ways into one another. Liberation Theology, Islamic Banking, Talibanism etc., are nothing but attempts by religions to conquer and control all aspects of our lives. Very soon our freedom to opt for vastly different ideologies in different realms of our lives will be curtailed. This is much different from olden days when we had option to be a Hindu or Muslim or Christian and yet profess Capitalism or Communism or Socialism. Success or failure of such attempts in ideological monopoly will depend on the credibility and support for the poles that represent them. In the tripolar world that is fast emerging, we need to be very careful while making our choice. And each one of us needs to make our choice very clear to our governments before the battle lines are drawn for the Third World War.

Pole Right

In today’s world the right pole is clearly and firmly under the leadership of USA. Its legendary liberalism that was weakening its leadership qualities has fast disappeared after the mortal jolt on 9/11. America’s war on terrorism is nothing but an enduring statement about its intentions to lead the world from the very front in the path of freedom, democracy and capitalism. It has got most of Europe in its fold but one can never be sure about it when the time comes for a final choice. Europeans have always been a confused and wavering lot regarding ideologies and more so regarding religious ones. Nothing has grown in their soil and everything has come to them from their colonies in Asia and Africa. From being a prime stronghold of the most organized religion it is now reeling under the onslaught of its cousin religion with its might of oil wealth. Arab businessmen and playboys have conquered even the ruling palaces of Europe. It is worth noting that all the wealthy Arabs are more interested in their investments in Europe than in their own countries.

But USA has no choice after the trailer show on 9/11. Any compromise with its internal security and ideological position will take the country to its end. Given its advantageous position in technology and military strength, USA has legitimately inherited the leadership of all those who desire freedom, democracy and liberal thoughts in this world. The onus of such a leadership is much more than that of a single nation and its citizens. A vast majority of all those who are educated and emancipated (from religious bigotry) in the entire world are looking up to USA irrespective of their geography and current ideological moorings. If USA fails in its responsibility, all the wonderful shades of liberal democratic thoughts that are blossoming in the minds of all liberal human beings will be shattered for ever. And that will be a great blow to the entire mankind for all times to come.

Poles Left

The vast space left when USSR fell has now been taken by two pseudo-leftist powers namely Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China. Though Russian Federation has officially abandoned Communism, remnants of the utopian past are still active and waiting for a chance to attempt the failed experiment once again. Haunting illusions about a glorious past and the huge stockpile of nuclear facilities is once again pushing the weak federation into a polar leader. Arch US baiters like Chavez and Castro are propping up the diffident leaders of a fragile setup as world leaders for their own purposes. These misguided leaders of puny nations who are relatively free from terrorist attacks of religious militants are only weakening the fight of entire mankind for freedom of thought and liberty for existence. Their selfish misadventures will prove very costly for their own countries in the long run. The terrorists have already misunderstood these nations as their friends and safe havens for them. And once they settle in, the consequence may prove disastrous.

The new polar star on the left horizon is none other than China. It has been a steady growth and their current position is no doubt achieved through dedication and hard work. As a nation, China has several advantages and its leaders have utilized all such peculiarities to its fullest potential to reach where they are today. Be it the advantages of a single race, religion and language or the pseudo-label of communism or the lack of civil liberties or the low cost of production thanks to rampant use of cheap labour in the form of political prisoners, Chinese leadership who are ruling with an iron fist have achieved an enviable status for the nation in the fastest time in human history. But there is a genuine apprehension among the international community that the Chinese bubble will burst soon and it will cause much damage before it will.

In the tripolar world that is emerging, the choice for India is crystal clear. Democratic and secular can side only with the right pole. Unlike our wasted decades with USSR under the banner of non-alignment, India must take its legitimate position as a leader nation in the right block. Though Indians possess all potential to become world leaders, India as a nation can never achieve that position in its present form. We have much more enemies within us than in the world outside. A multi-religious country can never become a world leader with a democratic and secular form of government in its formative years. This is cent percent true if all the world religions with their worldwide hierarchies and cross border brotherhoods are present and that too in substantial numbers. While siding with the right pole, India would be best advised to insist on specific guarantees from its partners in US and Europe against any support for any form of religious conversion in India.