India’s Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) is perhaps the oldest surviving and the most misunderstood religious ism in the whole universe. It will be quite surprising to note that it is more misunderstood in India where officially 80% of the population is born into the religion. More astonishing will be the fact that it is more misunderstood among the so-called educated Hindus than among their illiterate brothers and sisters in the villages of India. There is only one reason for the sad state of affairs in HSD – the strange phenomenon of secularism as implemented in post-liberated India.
For those who are in the know of things about religions understand that there is only one religious philosophy that has undergone the complete evolution of rational discourse and it is none other than Hindu Sanatana Dharma. The evolutionary process has taken about 5000 years and finally what has won the approval is Advaita – the theory of non-duality. As it stands now, the four principal Mahavakyas of Hindu Sanatana Dharma are:-
• prajñānam brahma - "Brahman is Prajña"(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
• ayam ātmā brahma - "I am this Self (Atman) that is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
• tat tvam asi - "Thou art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
• aham brahmāsmi - "I am Brahman", (Brahadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)
In short, HSD is the only religious philosophy that advocates the omnipresence of God. This means that God did not create Man in HIS own image but IT is present in everything in this universe. Logically it means that IT can be present in all of us, but definitely in varying degrees at various times. A direct result of this belief is the acceptability of Godmen (and Godwomen) in HSD. Also the belief in evil forces indicating complete absence or negative concentration of divinity.
Semitic religions (Juadaism, Chrinistianity and Islam) are built on Creation Theory, they do not accept the omnipresence of God and hence the divine presence in humans. Followers of Semitic religions cannot be blamed for their lack of understanding about the famed Godmen and Godwomen of HSD. But it is time that the followers of Semitic religions also realised and respected (not accepted) this established belief of the vast majority of India. The occasional presence of a few ordinary mortals in the garb of Godmen and Godwomen do not make all of them imposters. We simply cannot accept and allow the minority disbelievers to ridicule the faith of an overwhelming majority of Indians.
Contemporary Godmen or Avatars or Prophets like Sai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi, Sri Sri Ravishankar etc etc cannot be denigrated and derided by a few ridiculously miniscule set of our population with foreign beliefs.They should realise that they are only inviting odium on themselves by such acts.
Showing posts with label hinduism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hinduism. Show all posts
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Development to Disaster – Kerala Model
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
‘Sanatinise’ Hinduism
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.
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.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Democratic Faiths
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.
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.
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