Showing posts with label indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indian. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Levant and Indian Christianity
There is no field in which the Sanskrit slogan “Satyameva Jayathe” is more appropriate than in History. Sometimes the most unlikely of events in remote parts of the world reveal the truth about our own nation which has been manipulated and distorted by organised machinery for generations. The recent crisis and the resultant exodus of Syrian refugees is one such that should open the eyes of impartial Indian historians. India’s history has been completed distorted first by the European historians, then by the Mughal historians and lately by the Leftist ones. It is time to get it right.
For generations the various Indian Christian groups have been trying their best to establish the impossible task of St. Thomas visiting India in 52 AD, despite its complete let down by the official Vatican machinery. In this they have been ably supported by the Leftist historians because the one and only objective of the JNU brand of historians is to debunk anything that is related to Hindu and Hinduism. Along with the other organised religion from the same source, the combined manipulation have found another interest in unearthing the remnants of a mythical city of Muzris, in and around Cochin, only to establish the age old historicity of the two Semitic religions in Indian soil.
But the current Syrian crisis is truly a spoiler for all these dubious efforts. The Levant (Iraq, Syria, Turkey etc) has definitely been a historical region of religions, culture and civilisation. But ever since the rivalry began between the two leading religions sometime in the 7th century and Crusades in the 10th century, there has been frequent efflux of vanquished set of people out of Syria. In 21st century we are witnessing the same to Europe due to the atrocities by ISIS. The same phenomenon happened in the 8th century when a group of refugees (about 70 families led by one Thomas) from a place called Cana in Syria escaped to the Malabar coast in India. Bharat was the most prosperous area then and their attempt is quite understandable. Thus began the organised Christianity in India and all the machinations, manipulations and harvest in India. In short, Indian Christianity began in 8th century and peaked in 15th century when the Europeans started colonising. St.Thomas and Muzris are all mere myths being perpetuated by interested parties.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Dharmic Republic of India
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.
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.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Landless Indians
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
“Historiphobic” Indians
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.
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.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Suicidal Secularism
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.
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.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Indian USP
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Next Chanakya
It is rare in history that we come across situations when the personal agenda of one individual sets the course of an entire nation. In recorded history the case of Chanakya (Vishnugupta) and Indian nation is one such. It was the single point agenda in his life to overthrow the Nanda kings that eventually led him into the forefront of the fight against Romans. From a small desire to seek revenge for his own personal gratification, he went all the way upto uniting a great nation and initiating an entire Maurya dynasty of emperors. Chanakya’s determined contribution to the formation and development of India is a golden chapter in the history of our nation. His manipulative efforts in successfully uniting us against the Roman invasion far outweigh his intellectual and literary contributions in the form of Arthasastra and Neetisastra.
Emotional integration of all those who are living south of the Sindhu river has always been a reality and it continues to be so. It is one of the key reasons for the development of a way of living called Sanatana Dharma. As the name suggests our way of living would always exist irrespective of the existence or not of any particular nation or nations. But creating a geographical space for free and fearless practice and development of such a noble ideology is not a mean achievement. And that is what our first Chanakya achieved by identifying the young Chandragupta and anointing him as the emperor of a newly integrated nation. Their chemistry worked well and the concept of an Indian nation became a reality. Chanakya’s choice of a nation ruler by considering his merit and not birth is highly symbolic for all times. It is indeed one of the basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma.
Former Chanakyas
If it was deft maneuverings by the first Chanakya among warring chieftains of minor kingdoms that helped him consolidate India into a single nation, it was brilliant outpour of intellect by Adi Sankara that cemented the foundations of a Hindu India. He is undoubtedly our second Chanakya. The extra-ordinary efforts and intellectual achievements by a Keralite like Adi Sankara from ordinary background in a short span of lifetime remains unparalleled in human history even to this day. He not only traversed the geography of the entire nation but also conquered the minds of all its citizens by the shear brilliance of his arguments in favour of resurrecting an intrinsically rational and secular religion called Hinduism. Had our second Chanakya lived on for a full lifetime, the glory and status of Indian nation would have reached sky heights.
It is difficult to identify one single individual as our third Chanakya. After the yeoman efforts by the first two there was no acute necessity for further consolidation of the nation. Enemies of the nation were increasing all the time, but so too were the forces that realized and recognized the need for unity. All that was needed was providing guidance and leadership at disparate places and times for the nationalists. Swami Vivekananda, Sreenarayana Guru, Meerabhai, Dayananda Saraswati, Bharatiyar, Mahatma Gandhi etc., etc., provided all that was needed throughout the length and breadth of our nation as and when it was required. All such great souls collectively form the third Chanakya that integrated India into a modern and powerful one among the world nations.
Next Chanakya
In Bhagavat Gita, Lord Krishna had rightly indicated that Ishwar will incarnate in any form (including natural phenomena) he chooses whenever and wherever there is an absolute decline in dharma. Perhaps the advent of our first Chanakya during the days following the first Roman attack was one of those instances. What he could achieve and how the evil Romans were repulsed are part of our proud history. But the Roman attack is far from over. If it was Alexander who tried and got defeated then, the attack against Indian nation still continues in many forms. Silent terrorism in the form of aggressive religious conversion, attempted proxy rule by hijacking of democratic institutions and unholy alliances for power between opposing political parties who have irreconcilable ideologies are nothing but Roman attacks in 21st century. The need for an effective repulsive attack is becoming inevitable in India today.
The next Chanakya must be able to see through the real intentions of the enemies of Indian nation within and without. Since our liberation from the clutches of foreign invaders and their rule lasting about 800 years, the form, nature and strategy of our enemies have undergone paradigm changes. Many a time we do not realize who is plotting against us. We do not recognize who is our real enemy especially when they operate through their surrogates. Enemy of our enemy need not always be our friend. Both can be our enemies. And a helping hand can always be a camouflage for poisonous weapons aimed at the heart of our nation.
The foundations of Indian union are sound and solid, and it will take superhuman efforts to unshackle the bondage between Indians apparently divided over different languages, colour and religions, but with a single unifying culture. Yet we should never underestimate the enemy and the need for a new Chanakya to emerge from the billion strong Indian society is becoming extremely important. The new Chanakya must of a different mettle. His or her qualities, talents and skills are to be entirely different from the predecessors. Our enemies are much more evil, resourceful and capable of dividing us from within. And our Chanakya in 21st century will have to be equally good in defeating them in their own games. Let us wait for the fourth Chanakya with all our hope and prayers.
Emotional integration of all those who are living south of the Sindhu river has always been a reality and it continues to be so. It is one of the key reasons for the development of a way of living called Sanatana Dharma. As the name suggests our way of living would always exist irrespective of the existence or not of any particular nation or nations. But creating a geographical space for free and fearless practice and development of such a noble ideology is not a mean achievement. And that is what our first Chanakya achieved by identifying the young Chandragupta and anointing him as the emperor of a newly integrated nation. Their chemistry worked well and the concept of an Indian nation became a reality. Chanakya’s choice of a nation ruler by considering his merit and not birth is highly symbolic for all times. It is indeed one of the basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma.
Former Chanakyas
If it was deft maneuverings by the first Chanakya among warring chieftains of minor kingdoms that helped him consolidate India into a single nation, it was brilliant outpour of intellect by Adi Sankara that cemented the foundations of a Hindu India. He is undoubtedly our second Chanakya. The extra-ordinary efforts and intellectual achievements by a Keralite like Adi Sankara from ordinary background in a short span of lifetime remains unparalleled in human history even to this day. He not only traversed the geography of the entire nation but also conquered the minds of all its citizens by the shear brilliance of his arguments in favour of resurrecting an intrinsically rational and secular religion called Hinduism. Had our second Chanakya lived on for a full lifetime, the glory and status of Indian nation would have reached sky heights.
It is difficult to identify one single individual as our third Chanakya. After the yeoman efforts by the first two there was no acute necessity for further consolidation of the nation. Enemies of the nation were increasing all the time, but so too were the forces that realized and recognized the need for unity. All that was needed was providing guidance and leadership at disparate places and times for the nationalists. Swami Vivekananda, Sreenarayana Guru, Meerabhai, Dayananda Saraswati, Bharatiyar, Mahatma Gandhi etc., etc., provided all that was needed throughout the length and breadth of our nation as and when it was required. All such great souls collectively form the third Chanakya that integrated India into a modern and powerful one among the world nations.
Next Chanakya
In Bhagavat Gita, Lord Krishna had rightly indicated that Ishwar will incarnate in any form (including natural phenomena) he chooses whenever and wherever there is an absolute decline in dharma. Perhaps the advent of our first Chanakya during the days following the first Roman attack was one of those instances. What he could achieve and how the evil Romans were repulsed are part of our proud history. But the Roman attack is far from over. If it was Alexander who tried and got defeated then, the attack against Indian nation still continues in many forms. Silent terrorism in the form of aggressive religious conversion, attempted proxy rule by hijacking of democratic institutions and unholy alliances for power between opposing political parties who have irreconcilable ideologies are nothing but Roman attacks in 21st century. The need for an effective repulsive attack is becoming inevitable in India today.
The next Chanakya must be able to see through the real intentions of the enemies of Indian nation within and without. Since our liberation from the clutches of foreign invaders and their rule lasting about 800 years, the form, nature and strategy of our enemies have undergone paradigm changes. Many a time we do not realize who is plotting against us. We do not recognize who is our real enemy especially when they operate through their surrogates. Enemy of our enemy need not always be our friend. Both can be our enemies. And a helping hand can always be a camouflage for poisonous weapons aimed at the heart of our nation.
The foundations of Indian union are sound and solid, and it will take superhuman efforts to unshackle the bondage between Indians apparently divided over different languages, colour and religions, but with a single unifying culture. Yet we should never underestimate the enemy and the need for a new Chanakya to emerge from the billion strong Indian society is becoming extremely important. The new Chanakya must of a different mettle. His or her qualities, talents and skills are to be entirely different from the predecessors. Our enemies are much more evil, resourceful and capable of dividing us from within. And our Chanakya in 21st century will have to be equally good in defeating them in their own games. Let us wait for the fourth Chanakya with all our hope and prayers.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
True Minorities of India
Though typical of the Western mindset of first knowingly committing sins for their own short term selfish ends followed by repentance after ages, the recent scenes from Australian parliament of their new Prime Minister apologizing to Australia’s indigenous population was a highly symbolic act. A similar apology is long overdue from the British to the Indian people for their atrocities and plunder during 200 years of loot, but is yet to happen. The Australian apology makes sense within India too. Adivasis - the descendents of original tribes of India who decided not to change their lifestyle with the times - are facing very high discrimination and neglect in a modern democratic India. The socio-economic status of Adivasis in India is pathetic and all other Indians are equally responsible for their horrific conditions. In every sense, Adivasis happen to be the minority community in our society and they alone should qualify to enjoy all protection as the minorities in a democratic secular country like India.
A recent news item about an Adivasi tribe settled in the forest suburbs of the capital city of Kerala, one of the most socially developed states in India, is enough to highlight the levels of misery they have fallen to. A visiting journalist noticed an incomprehensible reluctance among all house owners while stating their most difficult concerns. He was expecting lack of food or clothing or sanitation facilities in response. But to our greatest horror we can hear lack of burial ground as the answer. Due to lack of land, the dead are buried within the ramshackle houses and there are already a few such burials inside each house. Only those of us with no conscience at all can listen to such truthful statements without any pain inside. Some of them went on to say that as soon a member falls sick the whole family starts worrying about the lack of space in their overcrowded burial hut cum house. It is a shame that we are unable to find a solution to the land problem of these original owners of our entire land.
Nature’s Children
Adivasis, as their name suggests, are the confirmed descendents of the original dwellers of this land. While most of our forefathers moved out of the forests, the Adivasis stayed on thanks to their insatiable love for Mother Nature. They are Nature’s children and should have the first preference in any land distribution exercise. The case of Adivasis of India is not exactly like the aborigines of Australia. In Australia it was foreigners who deprived the aborigines of their land, while in India it is the rest of Indians who are doing so. Adivasis are reluctant and resistant to change and those who wield power are unwilling to protect them as the real minorities. Many a time they are patronized by the dominant communities only for their own selfish requirements. Adivasis are used as disposable instruments in the land grabbing game played out by the rival migrant communities in many parts of India.
Children have future only if the mother has one. When greedy men are hell bound to grab land at any cost, there is very little that can be done to the forest lands which mothers the Adivasis. And if the whole effort is in an organized manner by organized communities, Adivasis have very little chances of survival. There has been a steady decline in the population of Adivasis since our liberation from British in 1947. As far as Adivasis are concerned, the liberation has been meaningless because only the colour of rulers have changed. Greedy migrant invaders from within India are not only grabbing their lands but destroying their livelihood as well. There are enough reasons to believe that the organized migrant communities have long term agenda and some of them are playing the game at the behest of their international masters.
Nobody’s People
Reason for the present condition of Adivasis in our country is so very obvious. Those without a collective identity are nobodies in an ocean of one billion in contemporary India. Collective bargaining (and blackmailing) becomes the only method of getting what is legitimately due (and more than that) in an unfair system. Universal franchise in a democracy is meaningful only if all beneficiaries are minimum educated to utilise the systems. Each Adivasi in India has a theoretical vote, but most of them do not know how to use and utilize the system to get what is legitimately theirs. Regular political parties and politicians ignore them because they know for sure that Adivasis do not know how to utilize opportunities in a democracy. And it is decades before any crafty politician will rise from Adivasi ranks to demand their legitimate due.
If the current trend continues, days are not far when we have to struggle to find an Adivasi community in India. Just like forest lands and wild animals, Adivasis are also losing out to the clever manipulative skills of modern Indians. These communities are resolute in displacing Adivasis from their lands. One visit to the northern districts of Kerala is enough to learn about this. The migrants have captured everything and their symbols now dominate the landscape of geography, economics and politics of these erstwhile Adivasi areas. The loud voices of looters resonate in lawmaking chambers and not the feeble cries of the looted. The poor and innocent Adivasis have lost their lands to the peanut monies and liquor offered by the clever and manipulative migrants. All that they can expect now is an apology and that too after a few decades.
In a modern secular democratic country like India, the minority status must go to those communities that are socially and economically backward and are also less in numbers. Co-existence of secularism and religious minorities does not make any sense and logic. It is a contradiction in every sense of the term. All citizens are equal irrespective of religion, colour and race – that is the true essence of a socialist democracy. But in India today we find each and every religion and caste clamoring for ‘minority’ or ‘backward’ status. Our politics of short sightedness is encouraging such a tendency which is what keep India undeveloped and underdeveloped forever. Adivasis of India are the lone legitimate minority communities and drastic land reforms are long overdue for giving back their legitimate lands.
A recent news item about an Adivasi tribe settled in the forest suburbs of the capital city of Kerala, one of the most socially developed states in India, is enough to highlight the levels of misery they have fallen to. A visiting journalist noticed an incomprehensible reluctance among all house owners while stating their most difficult concerns. He was expecting lack of food or clothing or sanitation facilities in response. But to our greatest horror we can hear lack of burial ground as the answer. Due to lack of land, the dead are buried within the ramshackle houses and there are already a few such burials inside each house. Only those of us with no conscience at all can listen to such truthful statements without any pain inside. Some of them went on to say that as soon a member falls sick the whole family starts worrying about the lack of space in their overcrowded burial hut cum house. It is a shame that we are unable to find a solution to the land problem of these original owners of our entire land.
Nature’s Children
Adivasis, as their name suggests, are the confirmed descendents of the original dwellers of this land. While most of our forefathers moved out of the forests, the Adivasis stayed on thanks to their insatiable love for Mother Nature. They are Nature’s children and should have the first preference in any land distribution exercise. The case of Adivasis of India is not exactly like the aborigines of Australia. In Australia it was foreigners who deprived the aborigines of their land, while in India it is the rest of Indians who are doing so. Adivasis are reluctant and resistant to change and those who wield power are unwilling to protect them as the real minorities. Many a time they are patronized by the dominant communities only for their own selfish requirements. Adivasis are used as disposable instruments in the land grabbing game played out by the rival migrant communities in many parts of India.
Children have future only if the mother has one. When greedy men are hell bound to grab land at any cost, there is very little that can be done to the forest lands which mothers the Adivasis. And if the whole effort is in an organized manner by organized communities, Adivasis have very little chances of survival. There has been a steady decline in the population of Adivasis since our liberation from British in 1947. As far as Adivasis are concerned, the liberation has been meaningless because only the colour of rulers have changed. Greedy migrant invaders from within India are not only grabbing their lands but destroying their livelihood as well. There are enough reasons to believe that the organized migrant communities have long term agenda and some of them are playing the game at the behest of their international masters.
Nobody’s People
Reason for the present condition of Adivasis in our country is so very obvious. Those without a collective identity are nobodies in an ocean of one billion in contemporary India. Collective bargaining (and blackmailing) becomes the only method of getting what is legitimately due (and more than that) in an unfair system. Universal franchise in a democracy is meaningful only if all beneficiaries are minimum educated to utilise the systems. Each Adivasi in India has a theoretical vote, but most of them do not know how to use and utilize the system to get what is legitimately theirs. Regular political parties and politicians ignore them because they know for sure that Adivasis do not know how to utilize opportunities in a democracy. And it is decades before any crafty politician will rise from Adivasi ranks to demand their legitimate due.
If the current trend continues, days are not far when we have to struggle to find an Adivasi community in India. Just like forest lands and wild animals, Adivasis are also losing out to the clever manipulative skills of modern Indians. These communities are resolute in displacing Adivasis from their lands. One visit to the northern districts of Kerala is enough to learn about this. The migrants have captured everything and their symbols now dominate the landscape of geography, economics and politics of these erstwhile Adivasi areas. The loud voices of looters resonate in lawmaking chambers and not the feeble cries of the looted. The poor and innocent Adivasis have lost their lands to the peanut monies and liquor offered by the clever and manipulative migrants. All that they can expect now is an apology and that too after a few decades.
In a modern secular democratic country like India, the minority status must go to those communities that are socially and economically backward and are also less in numbers. Co-existence of secularism and religious minorities does not make any sense and logic. It is a contradiction in every sense of the term. All citizens are equal irrespective of religion, colour and race – that is the true essence of a socialist democracy. But in India today we find each and every religion and caste clamoring for ‘minority’ or ‘backward’ status. Our politics of short sightedness is encouraging such a tendency which is what keep India undeveloped and underdeveloped forever. Adivasis of India are the lone legitimate minority communities and drastic land reforms are long overdue for giving back their legitimate lands.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
SERVANTS OF INDIA
When Prof. Gopal Krishna Gokhale started the Servants of India Society in 1905, he would not have imagined a situation when servants from India would flood the world. All the imperial powers that ruled India at one time or other have left behind enough traits that make Indians the preferred servants everywhere. English (or Arabic) speaking, cheap, culturally flexible and servile to the core are some of the factors that make all Indian servants the best cost effective option anywhere in the world. House maids who can double as any other requirement of the masters, qualified nurses who can be forced to do even menial works and technicians who are ready for any work are the real images about expatriate Indians. The much acclaimed influx of highly qualified Indian software professionals to Europe and USA has not brought about any substantial change in the overall image. On the contrary, such hardcore professionals do not get the value and treatment they deserve from the hosts when they happen to hold the same passport as the servants at their homes.
India as a nation has made unbelievable progress in its comeback trail (to its old glory) ever since the unleashing of its potential once again during the Rao regime. The diffidence and depression that had accumulated during centuries of rule by foreign nations and foreigners have been overcome to a large extent by the opportunity thrown open by knowledge industry. From time immemorial, Indians have excelled in knowledge and unparalleled expression emanating from unfettered freedom. No other nation or culture would have produced as many literature works toying with ideas and concepts as diverse and complex as in India. Philosophers and scientists could express their complex theories and ideas in precise and concise Sanskrit verses, many of which remain un-deciphered even today. Writers and poets glorified, praised and even condemned arrogant rulers in words of immense erudition. Even God could not escape the scholarly dissertation of genius men who enjoyed their freedom of expression found nowhere else in the whole universe. Yet when we came out of the clutches of British in 1947, the psyche of common man in India had a deep imprint of servility.
Ubiquitous Servility
Indian nation has started looking taller and taller among the world nations. But servility still remains the hallmark of Indians everywhere and it is more so among pravasi Indians. Language skills, hardworking nature and ability to adapt may be the key elements that have contributed to the success of Indians as expatriates. But the single most important feature of pravasi Indians that is being silently appreciated (and misused) by all foreigners is their servile attitude. This servility is all pervasive and expresses itself in all our activities. Whether it is cultural, religious, social, official or personal, Indians are willing to concede and tend to be accommodative in all spheres of life abroad. An average Indian on the streets of Dubai or Singapore or London or New York is easily identifiable by the fear on his face than anything else. And it is this fear that makes him the most pliable worker in his workplace.
Reasons are aplenty to explain our ubiquitous servility. Indian nation never resorted to war and killings to colonize for centuries now. And even in the best or worst of our times we never had slavery as a social institution. The practice or tendency of individuals to terrorize and rule over others was never a need at any time in our civilization and culture. Thus the ‘gene of terrorism’ has always been absent or dormant in the Indian psyche. On the contrary, we had always glorified those who surrender everything and take to penance. In spite of repeated prodding by the likes of Lord Krishna and Swami Vivekanand, we could never abandon our suicidal preference for giving up rather than fight to death for a righteous cause. The successive waves of colonization, cultural subjugation by English and missionary education have only made our condition worse. But we can and we shall overcome if we make a determined move. Centuries of programmed subjugation can be easily overcome in a few decades, if there is a similar programmed action plan and a will to do it.
Rich Responsibility
It was no surprise that the latest list of richest people in the world contained an ever increasing number of Indians. And a determined set of Mittals and Murthys will continue to take over almost all the big conglomerates in the days to come. There is a clear ray of hope for India and Indians in this direction. Money can break barriers and more money can buy anything including respect. All that is required is a little more ‘being Indian’ in all that is being owned by the Indian rich. Simple and symbolic gestures by the rich Indian owners can go a long way in getting the due respect for all Indian employees everywhere. Instead of aping the Western ideas in everything, the rich Indians must start looking and talking like Indians. Give the western employees their forks & knives and sticks to the Chinese ones, but why not clean bare hands for the Indians in a company party? For those in doubt, I suggest a study tour among the richest Arabs in their oil rich countries and companies.
Along with symbolic gestures, there is need for solid action in selective areas. India must put an immediate end to the export of house maids and servants to the outside world. It is easier said than done because of acute unemployment and dire economic reasons. But a determined nation can always find the will and wealth to provide alternate employments for our mothers, sisters and daughters than allowing them to get bashed in alien lands. One of the main reasons for Europeans and Americans getting respected everywhere is the absence of European and American servants outside their countries. It is definitely not because there is no poverty in these countries but because their national psyche has got so adjusted thanks to determined policies of their governments and society. If the richest Indians can root for this cause, it will be one of the best they can do for themselves and all Indians.
Strength respects only strength and no Indian can talk from a strong platform in foreign countries when servants from India are one of the most pitiable sights around. A huge GDP and a double digit growth rate will not make any nation a superpower. We have to do much more before we can get others recognize us as one. And some of the basic things that needs to be done are symbolic than substantial. We must get over the era of Indian servants and ubiquitous servility before we can aspire to be at the very top of world nations once again.
India as a nation has made unbelievable progress in its comeback trail (to its old glory) ever since the unleashing of its potential once again during the Rao regime. The diffidence and depression that had accumulated during centuries of rule by foreign nations and foreigners have been overcome to a large extent by the opportunity thrown open by knowledge industry. From time immemorial, Indians have excelled in knowledge and unparalleled expression emanating from unfettered freedom. No other nation or culture would have produced as many literature works toying with ideas and concepts as diverse and complex as in India. Philosophers and scientists could express their complex theories and ideas in precise and concise Sanskrit verses, many of which remain un-deciphered even today. Writers and poets glorified, praised and even condemned arrogant rulers in words of immense erudition. Even God could not escape the scholarly dissertation of genius men who enjoyed their freedom of expression found nowhere else in the whole universe. Yet when we came out of the clutches of British in 1947, the psyche of common man in India had a deep imprint of servility.
Ubiquitous Servility
Indian nation has started looking taller and taller among the world nations. But servility still remains the hallmark of Indians everywhere and it is more so among pravasi Indians. Language skills, hardworking nature and ability to adapt may be the key elements that have contributed to the success of Indians as expatriates. But the single most important feature of pravasi Indians that is being silently appreciated (and misused) by all foreigners is their servile attitude. This servility is all pervasive and expresses itself in all our activities. Whether it is cultural, religious, social, official or personal, Indians are willing to concede and tend to be accommodative in all spheres of life abroad. An average Indian on the streets of Dubai or Singapore or London or New York is easily identifiable by the fear on his face than anything else. And it is this fear that makes him the most pliable worker in his workplace.
Reasons are aplenty to explain our ubiquitous servility. Indian nation never resorted to war and killings to colonize for centuries now. And even in the best or worst of our times we never had slavery as a social institution. The practice or tendency of individuals to terrorize and rule over others was never a need at any time in our civilization and culture. Thus the ‘gene of terrorism’ has always been absent or dormant in the Indian psyche. On the contrary, we had always glorified those who surrender everything and take to penance. In spite of repeated prodding by the likes of Lord Krishna and Swami Vivekanand, we could never abandon our suicidal preference for giving up rather than fight to death for a righteous cause. The successive waves of colonization, cultural subjugation by English and missionary education have only made our condition worse. But we can and we shall overcome if we make a determined move. Centuries of programmed subjugation can be easily overcome in a few decades, if there is a similar programmed action plan and a will to do it.
Rich Responsibility
It was no surprise that the latest list of richest people in the world contained an ever increasing number of Indians. And a determined set of Mittals and Murthys will continue to take over almost all the big conglomerates in the days to come. There is a clear ray of hope for India and Indians in this direction. Money can break barriers and more money can buy anything including respect. All that is required is a little more ‘being Indian’ in all that is being owned by the Indian rich. Simple and symbolic gestures by the rich Indian owners can go a long way in getting the due respect for all Indian employees everywhere. Instead of aping the Western ideas in everything, the rich Indians must start looking and talking like Indians. Give the western employees their forks & knives and sticks to the Chinese ones, but why not clean bare hands for the Indians in a company party? For those in doubt, I suggest a study tour among the richest Arabs in their oil rich countries and companies.
Along with symbolic gestures, there is need for solid action in selective areas. India must put an immediate end to the export of house maids and servants to the outside world. It is easier said than done because of acute unemployment and dire economic reasons. But a determined nation can always find the will and wealth to provide alternate employments for our mothers, sisters and daughters than allowing them to get bashed in alien lands. One of the main reasons for Europeans and Americans getting respected everywhere is the absence of European and American servants outside their countries. It is definitely not because there is no poverty in these countries but because their national psyche has got so adjusted thanks to determined policies of their governments and society. If the richest Indians can root for this cause, it will be one of the best they can do for themselves and all Indians.
Strength respects only strength and no Indian can talk from a strong platform in foreign countries when servants from India are one of the most pitiable sights around. A huge GDP and a double digit growth rate will not make any nation a superpower. We have to do much more before we can get others recognize us as one. And some of the basic things that needs to be done are symbolic than substantial. We must get over the era of Indian servants and ubiquitous servility before we can aspire to be at the very top of world nations once again.
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