Credit goes to NDA for introducing Indians to the concept of governance based on a minimum agenda agreed between political parties of extreme diversity. There are many vested interests in keeping India as a land of diversity and evolving a stable system of government based on certain minimum agreements becomes a bare necessity then. The methodology of minimum agenda was always an option and the able leadership of NDA could succeed in making it practical and workable during their tenure. The experiment was definitely a pioneering one and, as could be expected, contained its own shortfalls & highlights. Perhaps India would never had had a chance to become a recognised nuclear power but for the historic opportunity utilised by NDA. It is almost certain that no other combination or conglomeration of political parties could have mustered enough guts to overcome external pressure to detonate a nuclear test bomb. Even opponents of our nuclear policy would concede in private that India became a modern nation to be noticed on world stage only after the test blast. It is one thing to be accepted as the oldest surviving civilisation in the world but to be counted as a modern nation is what is urgently required to succeed in the future.
After NDA, the second experiment in minimum agenda is ongoing and by all indications will complete the term thanks to the power glue that holds together any coalition and an opposition in shambles. But it is time for us to think about modifications required in the coming experiments. Putting together a minimum agenda based on discussions among similar parties is no doubt democratic, but making it mandatory in a definite time frame will be the best we can think of. Any minimum agenda put together by the next coalition that comes to power must be mandated for implementation in the next five years. The next Opposition should offer no objection to a pre-declared and mandated agenda that had won the legal and legitimate recognition of majority. Opposition may oppose only the wrongness, if any, in the method of implementation. Independence for India from British Raj opened up the future of many other nations in the world. In a similar way, India can present an ideal democratic model only if we are successful with such a coalition government implementing a mandated minimum agenda within its term.
Indian republic is now 50 years old and following five are the bare minimum that should find a place in the minimum agenda for the mandate to be implemented in five years :-
Drinking Water & Minimum Food for Sustenance
It is a shame for any nation in the twenty-first century not to have provided drinking water facilities for all its citizens at least within 100 metres of each and everyone’s residence. No reason is acceptable even if they are genuine. Potable water, even if it is rationed, must be made available to each and every citizen of India within five years of coming to power with a mandated minimum agenda. There should be a built-in insurance scheme whereby government agencies are liable to pay compensation if they are unable to provide potable water to any. Same must be the case with minimum food for sustenance for all those who have registered their inability to provide food for themselves. With the elaborate hierarchy available under the Panchayat Raj system it is not impossible to ascertain the genuineness of any such application for food. But all cases must be constantly reviewed and reappraised every six months.
Minimum Land and Shelter
Land reforms form the core of legislation in any progressive society and it is long overdue as an all-India policy. Every citizen of the country is eligible for a minimum piece of land and it should be non-transferable. The next government with a mandated minimum agenda must take steps to identify all citizens of India without any piece of land or building in his or her name, whether he/she is an Adivasi living in forest land or a villager in some remote village or an urban in Nariman point. All such people should be assigned at least 5 cents of non-transferable land in the nearest available location at no cost. Ownership of any such assigned but unused land must lapse with the death of the individual. But if he/she has made any construction it can pass on to his/her legal heir. This identification process must be a standing arrangement and must ensure that each and every citizen of the country has at least 5 cents of non-transferable land in his or her name somewhere in the motherland. The allocation process can be automated and randomised within specified parameters so that scope for manipulation is eliminated.
Primary Education
Primary education is another minimum requirement for anyone to survive in the new era. Right to information could have waited but right to education cannot wait any further. Just like potable water, primary schooling facilities must be freely available for all citizens within one or two kilometres. Whether it is in the government or private sector, primary education must be free and compulsory for one and all. The schools must not only teach but should also provide all students with uniform clothes, books and other education materials, free of cost. There must be no excuse, other than medical, for anyone for not going to school till the age of 15. And the type of compulsory education must be truly secular and no substitute religious schooling must be acceptable. This is the one and only way to ensure the secular nature of Indian nation is sustained.
Spending on Agriculture
India has an agrarian background and shall ever remain so. This land having the oldest surviving civilisation in the world can exist only on an agrarian background. It will not be an error in any sense to state that agriculture is our culture. The mandated minimum agenda must contain a minimum ceiling on the percentage of national GDP to be spent on agriculture and related matters. This can include the welfare measures for true agriculturists, research & development in agriculture and price support mechanisms to ensure minimum guaranteed returns for those engaged in agriculture. At any point of time and by any estimates, at least 50% of our population is involved in agriculture and a minimum ceiling of 25% of our GDP to be spent on agriculture is not at all unreasonable.
Cultural Renewal
Last but not the least, any minimum agenda must include measures to sustain our nationhood. And it is time that all Indians realised the simple fact it is not religious or economic or military or geographic factors that has sustained the oldest surviving civilisation. It is only our cultural affinity that has held us together at all times. But for that, British Raj or any other conquerors could have easily split our nation into another Europe or Africa. The most visible and important surviving symbol of our culture is the Sanskrit language. If we do not take care and rekindle Sanskrit language into its past glory, Indians will lapse into history as the biggest fools who were searching vainly for a gram of iron and copper when tons of gold were idling in their own backyard. The amount of knowledge and wisdom embedded in Sanskrit literature is so huge that we are doing great disservice to our own future generations if we are not giving them exposure to the language. Sanskrit language must be a compulsory part of primary education of all Indians.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
RAMANAUT – Indian Astronaut
India’s expedition to Moon, Chandrayaan, will become a reality by 2007 and most probably it will be an unmanned mission. The next logical step in the same direction will be our manned mission to the moon. Americans christened their spacemen as Astronauts and Russians tagged them as Cosmonauts. I wonder what China calls their spacemen. But when it comes to India, can we think of anything better than Ramanauts? Apparently it might look like an attempt to saffronise (which is now a bad word in India) the whole issue. But it is definitely not that. The word we choose is very important because it will directly relate to our national ethos. The name should reflect the trait of adventurism we had in our blood thousands of years ago, but sadly missing in the last few centuries. All foreign masters have taken advantage of this major shortfall in our mental make-up to break our national unity and rule over us. This is an opportunity to redeem our pride.
Chandrayaan in the twenty first century is equivalent to crossing the sea in treta yuga (before 5000BC). Our ancient seers revered nature and considered everything in it as manifestations of the Almighty. To make ordinary mortals understand and respect this noble concept, all major forces of nature were considered as Gods. In this regard, Sea was also considered as one of our Gods and crossing it came to be considered as a sin. There were no compelling reasons to cross the sea because India and Indians have never been interested in conquering foreign lands or in harvesting souls. But we have always ruled over the minds of people by our power of knowledge and wisdom. I am reminded of the words of Hu Shih (1891-1962), a Chinese philosopher diplomat, who said “India conquered and dominated China culturally for two thousand years without ever having to send a single soldier across her border”.
But all this logic changed when a king’s wife was kidnapped by a demon. An ideal king who is also an ideal human being had to show the world how to be virtuous and do one’s duties in trying times. Whatever obstacles that comes in the way will have to be crossed and she has to be rescued at any cost. For those Indians who are denigrating Ramayan as a mythological story, the question remains as to why Lord Ram took all these troubles to cross the sea when he could have transmigrated to Lanka and saved Sita. Instead, what he attempted was a heroic project of immense proportions at that age, the remains of which are being swept clean by the Sethusamudram ship canal project now. If Lord Ram’s adventurous trip to Lanka was to demonstrate to us the inevitable victory of righteousness, Chandrayaan is meant for harnessing unknown frontiers for our common benefit. Both are for the benefit of common man in India.
In short, it is in the best interests of all Indians that we immortalise the Lord’s heroic attempt by naming our own astronaut as Ramanaut. Let the first Indian to walk on the moon be a Ramanaut. That is the best way to show the world our eternal preference for adventure for the sake of upholding righteousness. Chadrayaan will show the world that Indians too can reach the moon and by naming them as Ramanauts we shall signal the world our reverence for national heroes who had the guts to do the impossible when morality was at stake.
Chandrayaan in the twenty first century is equivalent to crossing the sea in treta yuga (before 5000BC). Our ancient seers revered nature and considered everything in it as manifestations of the Almighty. To make ordinary mortals understand and respect this noble concept, all major forces of nature were considered as Gods. In this regard, Sea was also considered as one of our Gods and crossing it came to be considered as a sin. There were no compelling reasons to cross the sea because India and Indians have never been interested in conquering foreign lands or in harvesting souls. But we have always ruled over the minds of people by our power of knowledge and wisdom. I am reminded of the words of Hu Shih (1891-1962), a Chinese philosopher diplomat, who said “India conquered and dominated China culturally for two thousand years without ever having to send a single soldier across her border”.
But all this logic changed when a king’s wife was kidnapped by a demon. An ideal king who is also an ideal human being had to show the world how to be virtuous and do one’s duties in trying times. Whatever obstacles that comes in the way will have to be crossed and she has to be rescued at any cost. For those Indians who are denigrating Ramayan as a mythological story, the question remains as to why Lord Ram took all these troubles to cross the sea when he could have transmigrated to Lanka and saved Sita. Instead, what he attempted was a heroic project of immense proportions at that age, the remains of which are being swept clean by the Sethusamudram ship canal project now. If Lord Ram’s adventurous trip to Lanka was to demonstrate to us the inevitable victory of righteousness, Chandrayaan is meant for harnessing unknown frontiers for our common benefit. Both are for the benefit of common man in India.
In short, it is in the best interests of all Indians that we immortalise the Lord’s heroic attempt by naming our own astronaut as Ramanaut. Let the first Indian to walk on the moon be a Ramanaut. That is the best way to show the world our eternal preference for adventure for the sake of upholding righteousness. Chadrayaan will show the world that Indians too can reach the moon and by naming them as Ramanauts we shall signal the world our reverence for national heroes who had the guts to do the impossible when morality was at stake.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
SOCIAL ROCKETRY
Rockets are vehicles for delivery of useful or destructive payloads to pre-determined destinations and they invariably get destroyed in the process. In a very limited sense they are almost like the suicide bombers who sacrifice their lives for the ‘success’ of some others’ objectives, which they are brainwashed to believe in. Rocketry relates to the technology of rockets and we can define ‘social rocketry’ as the art (or science) of using someone to achieve the objective of someone else. Such objectives can be purely selfish or for a community or even for the success of an ideology. Skilful use of social rocketry is fast developing as a desirable trait among aspiring leaders in every nation and community. Using others has always been a familiar ploy in history but some people becoming voluntary vehicle for others is a new phenomenon. The amount of sophistication involved becomes very clear when we note (with concern) the fact that many of those who become ‘rockets’ are neither uneducated nor ordinary mortals. Social rocketry is taking its toll and even the infallible are succumbing to its latest techniques.
Food chain and social linkages are inalienable facets of our existence. None of us alive can survive of our own in this universe. We are all dependent on others and we need other species to survive to ensure our own survival. The underlying logic of any conservation measure is essentially selfish and we are just ensuring that we or our own species survive in the long run. But the interdependency required in all such natural phenomena is mutual and respect for each other facilitates the survival process. It is quite different in the case of social rocketry. Just like a rocket which is created for delivering a warhead or a satellite, the individual(s) or ideology is got ready for the purpose. There is no request, approval or understanding involved in this. The social vehicle which will get destroyed in the exercise is trapped into use without any scruples.
By Individuals
Individuals who are adept in social rocketry are also called climbers. They use others to get what they want. Seldom do they care about what happens to the ‘social rockets’ they use. For achieving their own legitimate or illegitimate goals, they destroy the lives and careers of many others. To a very great extent the political phenomenon of ‘sonrise’ prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent involves very sophisticated use of social rocketry. Many of the rockets used here are volunteers obliged to the Family for one reason or another. The importance of relationships and obligations are too strong in the Sub-continent and hence we find the instances of ‘sonrise’ also high here. It is very difficult to find such obligations and kinship among the Europeans and Americans. For them, merit and expertise become the determining factors and that is what is giving an upper hand to the professionals from these areas. So many undeserving candidates are launched onto the ruling stage by social rocketry in India that we find the complete lack of commitment and expertise at the very top.
By Ideologies
Much more dangerous is the social rocketry involving ideologies. The classic example in our times is the use of Communist ideology by various religious ideologies to establish themselves in many countries. Liberation theology and Brotherhoods, which claim to stress on equality and socialism, are all indulging in social rocketry by using Communism as their vehicle to capture power. Communism being inherently weak and incomplete becomes a natural choice for these poaching ideological variants. The proponents of such mutated religious ideologies are so clever that they easily trap many declining communists to become their ‘suicide bombers’ for propagation. Only a very few of them will even survive to realise that they have been used. It would be malapropos to name the individuals and organisations, but many of the erstwhile Naxal movements, terrorist groups and farmers’ organisations becoming active proselytisation agencies in India are classic examples of this.
In olden days, we used to have only one-time-use rockets. But with the development of technology, we now have rocket casings that be used again and again by refuelling. The same concept is reflected in the field of social rocketry also. The leftist ideologies are classic examples of this concept of reuse. Communism and communists have become vehicles for the launch of many ideological variants which are weak on their own. Deadly warheads for mankind are repeatedly carried by these leftist rockets in the undeveloped world where Communism once flourished on widespread poverty. Now it has become the preferred material of construction in reusable social rocketry.
Food chain and social linkages are inalienable facets of our existence. None of us alive can survive of our own in this universe. We are all dependent on others and we need other species to survive to ensure our own survival. The underlying logic of any conservation measure is essentially selfish and we are just ensuring that we or our own species survive in the long run. But the interdependency required in all such natural phenomena is mutual and respect for each other facilitates the survival process. It is quite different in the case of social rocketry. Just like a rocket which is created for delivering a warhead or a satellite, the individual(s) or ideology is got ready for the purpose. There is no request, approval or understanding involved in this. The social vehicle which will get destroyed in the exercise is trapped into use without any scruples.
By Individuals
Individuals who are adept in social rocketry are also called climbers. They use others to get what they want. Seldom do they care about what happens to the ‘social rockets’ they use. For achieving their own legitimate or illegitimate goals, they destroy the lives and careers of many others. To a very great extent the political phenomenon of ‘sonrise’ prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent involves very sophisticated use of social rocketry. Many of the rockets used here are volunteers obliged to the Family for one reason or another. The importance of relationships and obligations are too strong in the Sub-continent and hence we find the instances of ‘sonrise’ also high here. It is very difficult to find such obligations and kinship among the Europeans and Americans. For them, merit and expertise become the determining factors and that is what is giving an upper hand to the professionals from these areas. So many undeserving candidates are launched onto the ruling stage by social rocketry in India that we find the complete lack of commitment and expertise at the very top.
By Ideologies
Much more dangerous is the social rocketry involving ideologies. The classic example in our times is the use of Communist ideology by various religious ideologies to establish themselves in many countries. Liberation theology and Brotherhoods, which claim to stress on equality and socialism, are all indulging in social rocketry by using Communism as their vehicle to capture power. Communism being inherently weak and incomplete becomes a natural choice for these poaching ideological variants. The proponents of such mutated religious ideologies are so clever that they easily trap many declining communists to become their ‘suicide bombers’ for propagation. Only a very few of them will even survive to realise that they have been used. It would be malapropos to name the individuals and organisations, but many of the erstwhile Naxal movements, terrorist groups and farmers’ organisations becoming active proselytisation agencies in India are classic examples of this.
In olden days, we used to have only one-time-use rockets. But with the development of technology, we now have rocket casings that be used again and again by refuelling. The same concept is reflected in the field of social rocketry also. The leftist ideologies are classic examples of this concept of reuse. Communism and communists have become vehicles for the launch of many ideological variants which are weak on their own. Deadly warheads for mankind are repeatedly carried by these leftist rockets in the undeveloped world where Communism once flourished on widespread poverty. Now it has become the preferred material of construction in reusable social rocketry.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Parallel College for Parapolitics
It was after successful conclusion of Indo-US Nuclear Treaty that the two major democracies started looking for areas of further co-operation in strategic areas. Next to energy, it is freedom that fuels the lives of common man in India and USA. So it was not surprising when there was general consensus on establishing a training institute for politicians, who are the real ‘movers and shakers’ of democracy. And the natural choice for its location was Kerala, where the impossible had happened viz. the world’s first democratically elected Communist government came into power in 1957 under the leadership of EMS. Given the socio-economic and political realities of present-day Kerala, what followed was not unexpected but very interesting. Let us a take a close look at the events that followed and the initial shape of this pioneering institute.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the incumbent government was left oriented and an open co-operation with US government was simply out of question. As expected there were several objections and the politburo met several times every day to sort out issues followed by the state committee, liaison committee, subject committee, all party joint committee, cabinet sub-committee, cabinet and finally the marathon session of the State Assembly. The joint unanimous declaration categorically ruled out an institute under government sector. Also ruled out was a normal college and anything to do with normal politics. But the pudding on top of the cake at stake was too tempting for all parties and it was decided to go in for a Self Financing version of the same in the parallel sector. The institute was thus born under the lengthy name of Indo-US Self Financing Parallel College for Parapolitics (ISFPCP), ‘para’College for short. The Americans were naturally intrigued by the two terms ‘parallel college’ and ‘parapolitics’. But the NRIs and NRKs, who knows their job well, could convince them in no time. An international institution for normal politics will be out of place in a place like Kerala and so it was decided to go in for parapolitics. And someone in US had rightly defined ‘parapolitics as system or practice of politics in which accountability is consciously diminished’.
Since it was an all-party affair, there was not much of a problem in setting up a 151 member Senate for the institute, comprising of 50 from USA, 50 from UDF (United Democratic Front) and 50 from LDF (Left Democratic Front) with a lone seat set aside for the yet-to-be-born TDF (Third Democratic Front). But finalization of departmental structure and curriculum was not as easy. There were several ideas, suggestions, requests and demands put forth by the various parties and groups within parties. Ideologies and personalities from India and USA clashed, and finally it was decided to start the ‘para’College with just four schools. The real surprise came when it was time for finding the right Directors for these schools. Keralites could snatch all the four was a testimony of their expertise in the various sections of parapolitics.
School of Corruption
Quite contrary to the expectations of general public, there was little contest when the question of directorship for the all important School of Corruption came up. Mr. Bandicoot was the undisputed claimant and choice from Indian side. His record in partiality while holding an impartial post, duty evasion when in charge of enforcing the same and bar licensing when implementing a liquor ban were legendary feats in the political circles. Many of the elders considered him as a guru of corruption. And the Americans too were impressed when they heard about his impressive credentials. The alleged connections between their own Dick and Halliburton in Iraq were nothing in front of Bandicoot’s achievements. School of Corruption in the ‘para’College could not have asked for anything better. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the nomination and hoped that the director would train more and more young politicians from India and US in the difficult and dying art of corruption.
School of Doublespeak
The art (or science) of doublespeak was an important element of parapolitics and it can be ignored only at their own peril by any ambitious politicians. It is like being empathetic with the hunted and hunting for the hunter. All those with vote should feel that he is with them and yet he should work his own agenda when elected. The mantle of Doublespeak directorship was just made for one of the longest serving members of the State Assembly. Mr. Encroacher could not only deceive all the members of his constituency for all the time but could successfully allocate land for his own men while steadfastly swearing to protect government land and forest land. Americans who grew up seeing movies like ‘How the West Was Won’ were flabbergasted by the achievements of Encroacher in winning the Malabar region by silent and manipulated migration of his own townsmen. He could deny anything in the Assembly under oath and do exactly the opposite while distributing government land. The entire senate stood up in grand ovation when the living Saint of Doublespeak came on stage.
School of Minoritism
Americans had heard of ‘majoritism’ but were quite taken aback by the importance given to ‘minoritism’ in an international school for democracy. It was quite enlightening for them to know that ‘minoritism’ not only wins elections but can hijack power in a democracy. There was no scope for another claimant for the directorship than Mr. Secular from Kerala. He is a second generation theoretician in this dying art and had even authored a book on what is secularism. In simple terms it is redefining the Western concept of Secularism so as to suppress all attempts of the majority to come together for any purpose whatsoever. Those in minority should be treated as equal and at the same time protected by means of special privileges. Thus all citizens are equal and those in minority will become more than equal.
School of Abuse
Abuse of power is an art in itself and there was stiff competition from US nominees for the directorship. One can abuse power for money, sex or some other satisfaction. It is an open secret that even American Presidents are victims of this privilege attached to powerful posts. The American team could easily put on the table half a dozen famous names for the director’s post. But the lone nominee from the Indian side was that of Mr. Scratcher, who could demonstrate enviable satisfaction by mere scratching of fairer sex when suspended at unimaginable positions even in a flight. There was no way this could be challenged by the documented expertise of the American contestants. Mr. Scratcher won the day hands down.
The inaugural function of ‘para’College was a grand affair. Almost the entire democratic world was represented on the dais. Being in Kerala, the highlight of the function was symbolic lighting of a traditional lamp with 50 odd threads, representing all the countries that were interested in the future of democracy. Many of the senate members chose to protest against lamp lighting by walking out of the function shouting slogans and many of the dignitaries representing democratic nations had never won an election in their life bode well for the future of parapolitics as a political ideology on world stage.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the incumbent government was left oriented and an open co-operation with US government was simply out of question. As expected there were several objections and the politburo met several times every day to sort out issues followed by the state committee, liaison committee, subject committee, all party joint committee, cabinet sub-committee, cabinet and finally the marathon session of the State Assembly. The joint unanimous declaration categorically ruled out an institute under government sector. Also ruled out was a normal college and anything to do with normal politics. But the pudding on top of the cake at stake was too tempting for all parties and it was decided to go in for a Self Financing version of the same in the parallel sector. The institute was thus born under the lengthy name of Indo-US Self Financing Parallel College for Parapolitics (ISFPCP), ‘para’College for short. The Americans were naturally intrigued by the two terms ‘parallel college’ and ‘parapolitics’. But the NRIs and NRKs, who knows their job well, could convince them in no time. An international institution for normal politics will be out of place in a place like Kerala and so it was decided to go in for parapolitics. And someone in US had rightly defined ‘parapolitics as system or practice of politics in which accountability is consciously diminished’.
Since it was an all-party affair, there was not much of a problem in setting up a 151 member Senate for the institute, comprising of 50 from USA, 50 from UDF (United Democratic Front) and 50 from LDF (Left Democratic Front) with a lone seat set aside for the yet-to-be-born TDF (Third Democratic Front). But finalization of departmental structure and curriculum was not as easy. There were several ideas, suggestions, requests and demands put forth by the various parties and groups within parties. Ideologies and personalities from India and USA clashed, and finally it was decided to start the ‘para’College with just four schools. The real surprise came when it was time for finding the right Directors for these schools. Keralites could snatch all the four was a testimony of their expertise in the various sections of parapolitics.
School of Corruption
Quite contrary to the expectations of general public, there was little contest when the question of directorship for the all important School of Corruption came up. Mr. Bandicoot was the undisputed claimant and choice from Indian side. His record in partiality while holding an impartial post, duty evasion when in charge of enforcing the same and bar licensing when implementing a liquor ban were legendary feats in the political circles. Many of the elders considered him as a guru of corruption. And the Americans too were impressed when they heard about his impressive credentials. The alleged connections between their own Dick and Halliburton in Iraq were nothing in front of Bandicoot’s achievements. School of Corruption in the ‘para’College could not have asked for anything better. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the nomination and hoped that the director would train more and more young politicians from India and US in the difficult and dying art of corruption.
School of Doublespeak
The art (or science) of doublespeak was an important element of parapolitics and it can be ignored only at their own peril by any ambitious politicians. It is like being empathetic with the hunted and hunting for the hunter. All those with vote should feel that he is with them and yet he should work his own agenda when elected. The mantle of Doublespeak directorship was just made for one of the longest serving members of the State Assembly. Mr. Encroacher could not only deceive all the members of his constituency for all the time but could successfully allocate land for his own men while steadfastly swearing to protect government land and forest land. Americans who grew up seeing movies like ‘How the West Was Won’ were flabbergasted by the achievements of Encroacher in winning the Malabar region by silent and manipulated migration of his own townsmen. He could deny anything in the Assembly under oath and do exactly the opposite while distributing government land. The entire senate stood up in grand ovation when the living Saint of Doublespeak came on stage.
School of Minoritism
Americans had heard of ‘majoritism’ but were quite taken aback by the importance given to ‘minoritism’ in an international school for democracy. It was quite enlightening for them to know that ‘minoritism’ not only wins elections but can hijack power in a democracy. There was no scope for another claimant for the directorship than Mr. Secular from Kerala. He is a second generation theoretician in this dying art and had even authored a book on what is secularism. In simple terms it is redefining the Western concept of Secularism so as to suppress all attempts of the majority to come together for any purpose whatsoever. Those in minority should be treated as equal and at the same time protected by means of special privileges. Thus all citizens are equal and those in minority will become more than equal.
School of Abuse
Abuse of power is an art in itself and there was stiff competition from US nominees for the directorship. One can abuse power for money, sex or some other satisfaction. It is an open secret that even American Presidents are victims of this privilege attached to powerful posts. The American team could easily put on the table half a dozen famous names for the director’s post. But the lone nominee from the Indian side was that of Mr. Scratcher, who could demonstrate enviable satisfaction by mere scratching of fairer sex when suspended at unimaginable positions even in a flight. There was no way this could be challenged by the documented expertise of the American contestants. Mr. Scratcher won the day hands down.
The inaugural function of ‘para’College was a grand affair. Almost the entire democratic world was represented on the dais. Being in Kerala, the highlight of the function was symbolic lighting of a traditional lamp with 50 odd threads, representing all the countries that were interested in the future of democracy. Many of the senate members chose to protest against lamp lighting by walking out of the function shouting slogans and many of the dignitaries representing democratic nations had never won an election in their life bode well for the future of parapolitics as a political ideology on world stage.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
CONCEPTS IMMACULATE
The greatness of a civilisation can be directly measured by the ideas it has conceived. Indian civilisation, especially during its Vedic period, has scaled great heights in this regard. It is one thing to be imaginative in epics and classics, but it is totally a different class to have immaculate concepts on matters affecting common man in their daily lives. Some of the Indian concepts on thoroughly materialistic matters tend to border on philosophy. Equality of man, richness and self-controls are some aspects of day to day life that our forefathers have thought out in great depth. Any impartial student of history would find it truly amazing to discover how the Indian rishis proposed novel concepts on matters so basic to mankind. A brief look at some of our own outstanding concepts will be enlightening for most of us.
Advaita
Social concepts about the essential equality of man have found expression in all civilisations. Yet there has been nothing that can match the profoundness of our own Advaita. If socialism and struggle for social justice aim at highlighting the fact that no one is superior, what can be more meaningful than a belief about the existence of God in everything? Our ancient rishis have realised long time back that life is divine in any form and that there is no primacy about man in the long evolutionary chain of life. Even today, any man would prefer a fierce but faithful dog as companion than an ungrateful and dangerous human being. Then what is so noble and special about any man, just because he has the form of a human being. Equally important are the so called non-living things in this universe. If we analyse carefully, we can clearly establish that each and every one of the living beings is sustaining its life only because of the non-living things around it. Thus the concept about the same God being present in everything in this universe is so elementary and undisputable.
While modern isms like Communism and Socialism strive to enforce the equality of man in an artificial format, the immaculate philosophy of advaita underlines the same in a natural way. If we realise the simple fact that there is an element of God in each and every one of us, there is no approval or acceptance required from anyone. The whole concept is much more appealing when we realise that it is the same case with the apparently dead things around us as well. Everything in this universe is undistinguishable at the micro level and an ancient philosophy that is built on this is truly immaculate. How can things composed of undistinguishable components be considered and treated separately? Advaita reiterates this seminal idea in unambiguous terms. In this context, Adi Sankara, who popularised the concept of Advaita is the foremost socialist in modern times.
Akshayapaatra
There can be an endless debate on who is the richest man on earth. Some say it is Bill Gates, some others George Bush or Pope or King Abdullah or some one else. This question boils down to the concept of richness in the questioner’s mind. Is it the bank balance or peace of mind or health that makes one rich? Or is it a combination of all these? Or still, is it the feeling of richness that makes one rich? I am sure there would be as many answers as the number of attempts to answer it. While the overall picture of happiness is definitely dependent on a whole lot of combinations, what is it that can make one consider himself rich in any situation? We pass through different situations in everyday life and the demand for each situation is totally different. A rich and powerful Saddam was cornered in an underground hole and sometimes even the richest cannot avoid pain in the best hospitals in the world.
It is in this most confusing scenario that we have to appreciate the ingenuity of our ancient rishis who introduced the concept of akshayapaatra, which stands for something that can offer anything what the possessor wants at any time. Imagine the convenience and comfort embedded in this concept of richness. One doesn’t need a bank account nor does he need black cats to protect him from the robbers. An akshayapaatra can provide food, currency notes, medicines and what not whenever and wherever you need it. All that one got to do is to attain one and use it properly. But attaining an akshayapaatra is no easy business. Lord Krishna gave one to Panchali, but only after he was convinced of her devotion. And he was cent percent sure that it will never be misused in her hands.
Lakshman Rekha
There are limits imposed on individuals from various quarters. The legal, moral and social restrictions on individuals in any society are well known. But the most important one is the self-imposed restriction by each one of us based on our own conscience. The concept of lakshman rekha is one without any parallels in this regard. Though first imposed (or suggested) by Lakshman on his sister-in-law Sita, to protect her from the advances of Ravana, the concept is much more meaningful in everyone’s life. Each one of us must be aware of the lakshman rekha in all the transactions or activities we indulge in. What happened to Sita when she did cross the rekha is a warning for all of us. And what is more important is to bear in mind the simple fact that we cannot always expect to have lakshmans to set limits for us. In the modern world, each of us have to define our own lakshman rekha at all times and all situations.
The list of such immaculate concepts that flowered and flourished in the Indian soil centuries back is endless. Little wonder that many historians have admitted India as the cradle of human civilisation. But the sad part is how many Indians, especially children, are aware of this enviable legacy of ours. Our own self-proclaimed historians are vying with one another in denigrating anything and everything that is applauded the world over as unambiguously India’s contribution to humanity. And our own elected governments are spending our own money in teaching our own children that India was a land of aborigines before the advent of Aryans, Missionaries and Mongolians. Do we really need any external terrorists to destroy the Indian nation?
Advaita
Social concepts about the essential equality of man have found expression in all civilisations. Yet there has been nothing that can match the profoundness of our own Advaita. If socialism and struggle for social justice aim at highlighting the fact that no one is superior, what can be more meaningful than a belief about the existence of God in everything? Our ancient rishis have realised long time back that life is divine in any form and that there is no primacy about man in the long evolutionary chain of life. Even today, any man would prefer a fierce but faithful dog as companion than an ungrateful and dangerous human being. Then what is so noble and special about any man, just because he has the form of a human being. Equally important are the so called non-living things in this universe. If we analyse carefully, we can clearly establish that each and every one of the living beings is sustaining its life only because of the non-living things around it. Thus the concept about the same God being present in everything in this universe is so elementary and undisputable.
While modern isms like Communism and Socialism strive to enforce the equality of man in an artificial format, the immaculate philosophy of advaita underlines the same in a natural way. If we realise the simple fact that there is an element of God in each and every one of us, there is no approval or acceptance required from anyone. The whole concept is much more appealing when we realise that it is the same case with the apparently dead things around us as well. Everything in this universe is undistinguishable at the micro level and an ancient philosophy that is built on this is truly immaculate. How can things composed of undistinguishable components be considered and treated separately? Advaita reiterates this seminal idea in unambiguous terms. In this context, Adi Sankara, who popularised the concept of Advaita is the foremost socialist in modern times.
Akshayapaatra
There can be an endless debate on who is the richest man on earth. Some say it is Bill Gates, some others George Bush or Pope or King Abdullah or some one else. This question boils down to the concept of richness in the questioner’s mind. Is it the bank balance or peace of mind or health that makes one rich? Or is it a combination of all these? Or still, is it the feeling of richness that makes one rich? I am sure there would be as many answers as the number of attempts to answer it. While the overall picture of happiness is definitely dependent on a whole lot of combinations, what is it that can make one consider himself rich in any situation? We pass through different situations in everyday life and the demand for each situation is totally different. A rich and powerful Saddam was cornered in an underground hole and sometimes even the richest cannot avoid pain in the best hospitals in the world.
It is in this most confusing scenario that we have to appreciate the ingenuity of our ancient rishis who introduced the concept of akshayapaatra, which stands for something that can offer anything what the possessor wants at any time. Imagine the convenience and comfort embedded in this concept of richness. One doesn’t need a bank account nor does he need black cats to protect him from the robbers. An akshayapaatra can provide food, currency notes, medicines and what not whenever and wherever you need it. All that one got to do is to attain one and use it properly. But attaining an akshayapaatra is no easy business. Lord Krishna gave one to Panchali, but only after he was convinced of her devotion. And he was cent percent sure that it will never be misused in her hands.
Lakshman Rekha
There are limits imposed on individuals from various quarters. The legal, moral and social restrictions on individuals in any society are well known. But the most important one is the self-imposed restriction by each one of us based on our own conscience. The concept of lakshman rekha is one without any parallels in this regard. Though first imposed (or suggested) by Lakshman on his sister-in-law Sita, to protect her from the advances of Ravana, the concept is much more meaningful in everyone’s life. Each one of us must be aware of the lakshman rekha in all the transactions or activities we indulge in. What happened to Sita when she did cross the rekha is a warning for all of us. And what is more important is to bear in mind the simple fact that we cannot always expect to have lakshmans to set limits for us. In the modern world, each of us have to define our own lakshman rekha at all times and all situations.
The list of such immaculate concepts that flowered and flourished in the Indian soil centuries back is endless. Little wonder that many historians have admitted India as the cradle of human civilisation. But the sad part is how many Indians, especially children, are aware of this enviable legacy of ours. Our own self-proclaimed historians are vying with one another in denigrating anything and everything that is applauded the world over as unambiguously India’s contribution to humanity. And our own elected governments are spending our own money in teaching our own children that India was a land of aborigines before the advent of Aryans, Missionaries and Mongolians. Do we really need any external terrorists to destroy the Indian nation?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
I’DAY AND C’WEALTH
India is celebrating its 60th Independence Day (I’DAY) with all pomp and pageantry. The day is meant to remind us of the sacrifices made by millions of faceless freedom fighters to liberate India from the yoke of foreign rule. Maximum involvement of children is ensured in all these I’DAY celebrations with a view to inculcate the spirit of freedom that resulted from a revolution they never participated in. They are reminded again and again about what they would lose if they are not careful in the future. Most of the foreigners came as traders but ended up as rulers by their deft manipulation of our weakness. Few of the natives who collaborated with them at different times made it easy for them to consolidate the rule. Children are told not to become collaborators and tools in the hand of our enemies for petty personal gains.
Perhaps these are broad objectives of our yearly I’DAY celebrations. But isn’t it time to take a detached view of these celebrations and see what really happens in the process? Are the children really getting the message and is it producing the desired results? Are we making a mistake by continuing with these celebrations? I think we are making a big mistake. Arguing further on this line, what is the need and relevance of a British Commonwealth? Are we not conceding our sovereignty by accepting the superiority of a foreign monarchy, however insignificantly symbolic it may be? Here is an attempt for a fresh look at these institutions.
History Must Be Taught Selectively
History & mythology have a symbiotic relationship and they reinforce each other to a large extent. But when a modern nation is teaching history to its own young generation, as part of a curriculum, it is prudent to be selective. There is a strong school of thought that history should not be doctored and everything should be taught as such. There are other sections who want history to be rewritten. And then there are small organised sections who want mythology to be made into history. Though mythological stories about Sage Parasurama throwing the axe to create Kerala and Saint Thomas visiting India in 52AD are both popular, there is an organised effort to make the latter as part of our history. Both have no scientific historical evidence and are to be treated as such. In the midst of all such debates and manipulations, the focus on shaping new generations of our nation is getting lost. What is taught as history should be 100% factual but it is not necessary to teach everything in history. There is absolutely nothing harmful in highlighting the glorious past of any nation and shaping proud citizens, if there are reasons to be so.
Our civilisation is almost one hundred centuries old, but what is now being highlighted in our school history books is about the two centuries of foreign rule. It is about five decades since the British rulers were thrown out of India and we already have two or three generations of people who are born and brought up in Independent India. As per our latest census figures, such people make up about three fourths of our population. These people have not had the misfortune to live under foreign rule and they never struggled to get even their basic rights. Instead they were born into an atmosphere of freedom and enjoyed equality & justice (at least theoretically) from day one. In such a situation, is there any point in first teaching all about the atrocities under the British Raj and then proceeding to remind them every year that we could eject them in 1947. I think it is time to forget the brief ugly immediate past and concentrate on the greater achievements in an earlier period to build a glorious future for India.
Occupation of any nation by foreigners is akin to violation of its modesty. Apart from the physical violence that it entails, the more devastating aspect is the stripping down of national morale. Children born in such an atmosphere will either develop an inferiority complex for survival or tend to take up violent methods to fight. In the case of India, we were extremely fortunate to get a messiah in the form of Mahatma Gandhi who could guide us to freedom in a novel way. Continental nature of our land and its ancient civilisation contributed in large measure to protect our culture even after two centuries of foreign rule. Having survived such bad times, what is the logic in spending public money to commemorate the I’DAY which will only remind us about those unfortunate times? Nobody likes to ‘celebrate’ a tragedy in family but only learn from it and keep in mind. The more we celebrate a liberation day, the more we tend to remember the tyranny that preceded it. Knowing this basic nature of man, it is time to do away with the I’DAY celebrations and redouble our celebrations on some other day of national importance.
Irrelevance of C’Wealth
Any news about the Commonwealth organisation (C’WEALTH) reminds us of a get together by victims of a tragedy under the leadership of the very perpetrator. Imagine an association of Bhopal Gas tragedy victims under the leadership of Union Carbide! It is something like that. What message does any citizen of one of those erstwhile colonies get whenever there is a meeting of CHOGM? Again, we are only perpetuating the memories of an ugly period in our long history by remaining a member of such a club. In modern times it is becoming unacceptable to be xenophobic and nationalistic. But patriotism is a basic minimum requirement of any citizen of any nation. State should encourage patriotic citizens to be proud and fearless by asserting its equality (not superiority) among world nations. If we are targeting to be a developed nation by 2020, one of the first decisions to be taken is to pull out of the C’WEALTH. Once India pulls out, the whole edifice would crumble and only the nations that still accept British monarchy as their heads of state would remain. That looks more logical and relevant.
It is part of recorded history that India had more than 20% of world trade prior to the start of the so-called Industrial Revolution in Europe. And now after all these years of foreign and self rule, our share is down to less than 2% of the world figures. This is what has happened to our wealth and trade. Africans and Americans often say that when colonisers (missionaries) came ‘we had the land and they had the book’ and then gradually ‘we had the book but they took the land’. It is a similar story for Indians too. All the wealth that fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain came from its colonies. What was our own wealth accumulated over centuries became common wealth first and then ended up as their own wealth. There is no point in being bitter about the past but to avoid a repetition we have to get over the past completely.
French Model is Better
India should not only get out of C’WEALTH but also downgrade all celebrations connected with I’DAY. A better alternative exists in the form of celebrating the Republic Day a’ la French. Our current constitution denotes the First Republic of our country attained in a democratic way. We should designate it as such and go for grandiose celebrations on 26 January every year. It is time to get over our memories about the brief ignominious period and look forward to a much more glorious future. At the height of British Raj, one English writer wrote about ‘The Wonder That Was India’ but now we should try to change it as “Eternal Wonder That Is India”.
Perhaps these are broad objectives of our yearly I’DAY celebrations. But isn’t it time to take a detached view of these celebrations and see what really happens in the process? Are the children really getting the message and is it producing the desired results? Are we making a mistake by continuing with these celebrations? I think we are making a big mistake. Arguing further on this line, what is the need and relevance of a British Commonwealth? Are we not conceding our sovereignty by accepting the superiority of a foreign monarchy, however insignificantly symbolic it may be? Here is an attempt for a fresh look at these institutions.
History Must Be Taught Selectively
History & mythology have a symbiotic relationship and they reinforce each other to a large extent. But when a modern nation is teaching history to its own young generation, as part of a curriculum, it is prudent to be selective. There is a strong school of thought that history should not be doctored and everything should be taught as such. There are other sections who want history to be rewritten. And then there are small organised sections who want mythology to be made into history. Though mythological stories about Sage Parasurama throwing the axe to create Kerala and Saint Thomas visiting India in 52AD are both popular, there is an organised effort to make the latter as part of our history. Both have no scientific historical evidence and are to be treated as such. In the midst of all such debates and manipulations, the focus on shaping new generations of our nation is getting lost. What is taught as history should be 100% factual but it is not necessary to teach everything in history. There is absolutely nothing harmful in highlighting the glorious past of any nation and shaping proud citizens, if there are reasons to be so.
Our civilisation is almost one hundred centuries old, but what is now being highlighted in our school history books is about the two centuries of foreign rule. It is about five decades since the British rulers were thrown out of India and we already have two or three generations of people who are born and brought up in Independent India. As per our latest census figures, such people make up about three fourths of our population. These people have not had the misfortune to live under foreign rule and they never struggled to get even their basic rights. Instead they were born into an atmosphere of freedom and enjoyed equality & justice (at least theoretically) from day one. In such a situation, is there any point in first teaching all about the atrocities under the British Raj and then proceeding to remind them every year that we could eject them in 1947. I think it is time to forget the brief ugly immediate past and concentrate on the greater achievements in an earlier period to build a glorious future for India.
Occupation of any nation by foreigners is akin to violation of its modesty. Apart from the physical violence that it entails, the more devastating aspect is the stripping down of national morale. Children born in such an atmosphere will either develop an inferiority complex for survival or tend to take up violent methods to fight. In the case of India, we were extremely fortunate to get a messiah in the form of Mahatma Gandhi who could guide us to freedom in a novel way. Continental nature of our land and its ancient civilisation contributed in large measure to protect our culture even after two centuries of foreign rule. Having survived such bad times, what is the logic in spending public money to commemorate the I’DAY which will only remind us about those unfortunate times? Nobody likes to ‘celebrate’ a tragedy in family but only learn from it and keep in mind. The more we celebrate a liberation day, the more we tend to remember the tyranny that preceded it. Knowing this basic nature of man, it is time to do away with the I’DAY celebrations and redouble our celebrations on some other day of national importance.
Irrelevance of C’Wealth
Any news about the Commonwealth organisation (C’WEALTH) reminds us of a get together by victims of a tragedy under the leadership of the very perpetrator. Imagine an association of Bhopal Gas tragedy victims under the leadership of Union Carbide! It is something like that. What message does any citizen of one of those erstwhile colonies get whenever there is a meeting of CHOGM? Again, we are only perpetuating the memories of an ugly period in our long history by remaining a member of such a club. In modern times it is becoming unacceptable to be xenophobic and nationalistic. But patriotism is a basic minimum requirement of any citizen of any nation. State should encourage patriotic citizens to be proud and fearless by asserting its equality (not superiority) among world nations. If we are targeting to be a developed nation by 2020, one of the first decisions to be taken is to pull out of the C’WEALTH. Once India pulls out, the whole edifice would crumble and only the nations that still accept British monarchy as their heads of state would remain. That looks more logical and relevant.
It is part of recorded history that India had more than 20% of world trade prior to the start of the so-called Industrial Revolution in Europe. And now after all these years of foreign and self rule, our share is down to less than 2% of the world figures. This is what has happened to our wealth and trade. Africans and Americans often say that when colonisers (missionaries) came ‘we had the land and they had the book’ and then gradually ‘we had the book but they took the land’. It is a similar story for Indians too. All the wealth that fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain came from its colonies. What was our own wealth accumulated over centuries became common wealth first and then ended up as their own wealth. There is no point in being bitter about the past but to avoid a repetition we have to get over the past completely.
French Model is Better
India should not only get out of C’WEALTH but also downgrade all celebrations connected with I’DAY. A better alternative exists in the form of celebrating the Republic Day a’ la French. Our current constitution denotes the First Republic of our country attained in a democratic way. We should designate it as such and go for grandiose celebrations on 26 January every year. It is time to get over our memories about the brief ignominious period and look forward to a much more glorious future. At the height of British Raj, one English writer wrote about ‘The Wonder That Was India’ but now we should try to change it as “Eternal Wonder That Is India”.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
INDIA DIVIDED
If the age-old saying “united we stand, divided we fall” is the basic mantra that holds a nation together, Indians have the least such spirit in their thoughts and doings. In ancient times it was the Kings and Kingdoms that divided us. Then it was the turn of invaders and occupiers to keep us divided. Among the occupiers, it was the British that excelled in their ‘brilliant’ ways of divide and rule. And when an opportunity presented before us to have our own government, we drafted a constitution that segregates Indians into majorities, minorities, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and what not. Though our constitution makers were kind enough to provide at least some directive principles to work towards national integration, the subsequent law makers rivalled one another in further dividing the society for their own gains. With the latest amendments to our constitution, Indian nation and Indians stand completely divided socially and economically into forward castes, backward castes and even other backward castes. Democracy as practised in India has failed as a form of ideal government for a billion strong people who have the cultural and economic potential to ‘rule’ the whole world. Instead we are fast degenerating into a country where anything can be done at anytime anywhere by anyone, either Indian or foreign. Quite ironically, the only factor that unites Indians now is the physical fear from Pakistan and China.
Politics of Divide
If the colonial British were past masters in their patented policy of ‘divide and rule’, the subsequent breed of Indian politicians peer in the degenerative policy of ‘divide and win elections’. It goes to the negative credit of Indian politicians that none of them have ever presented a draft bill in the parliament which will treat all Indians as equal before any piece of legislation. There are always preambles to divide Indians on the basis of region, religion and nowadays castes. The concepts of minorities and secularism, which are integral parts of western democratic systems, are creating havoc in Indian nation as square pegs in round holes. If all Indians are to be treated as equal in every respect, where is the need and relevance of special provisions for minorities? And if all religions are equal and the Indian nation has no conventional religion of its own, what is the logic of secularism? The only class of people who are interested in these divisive concepts are the politicians and that too for winning the elections. And once elected, these ‘secular’ politicians forget the common man and vie with one another to get maximum benefit for their religion, family and region.
The current politics of divide in India can be overcome only by electoral reforms. If the viewpoint of every one is to be reflected in the parliament, there should be representatives from all sections of the society. The best way to achieve this is to go in for proportional representation. The monopoly influence of some sections over electoral politics, which is nothing but getting votes by hook or crook, is shunning popular voice to be heard in our parliament. Family politicians and professional politicians are nothing but the visible forms of undesirable developments in our electoral system. If major political parties are allotted seats in the parliament proportionate to the votes they could garner, we can expect to have representation from all sections of the society. There would be no need for the state to enact laws reserving seats for women or dalits. It would be upto to the political parties to do so and they will be forced to do it. The only aspect that needs to be ensured is to have regular democratic elections within these parties. And why not make it mandatory to use the same Election Commission to ensure free, fair and periodic elections in each of the recognised political parties? The populist politics of divide can be eradicated once for all from our country in no time.
Pride the Past
There are certain basic facts about successful nationhood that many ‘learned’ Indians do not want to accept. One of them is the pride factor about our own past. Even a small country like Japan could literally rise from ashes after the nuclear holocaust only and only because of their immense pride about their past. It is not that everything about Japan in the past was good and golden. They too had their own self-defeating customs and cultural debacles. But all of them are always proud about the good aspects of their great history. In psychology we have established that no human being without self-respect can become a successful one. Similar is the case with nations. Unless and until all Indians, irrespective of their present status, feel proud about the positive elements of our 5000 or more years old history, India cannot regain its rightful leadership among world nations. Those who do not respect themselves can never expect others to respect them.
For many Indians, the major stumbling block in feeling proud about an ancient India is the religious aspect of it. This can easily be overcome if we realise the simple fact that Hinduism is only a way of life, quite unlike the other established religions which are organised and well defined. For an all inclusive Hindu way of life, anyone who is worthy of being worshipped is considered an incarnation and Ishwar is present in everything animate or inanimate. That is exactly why India and Indians had no inhibitions, nor reservations in receiving messengers, missionaries and migrants from any part of the world. For an impartial observer there is nothing that is objectionable about ancient India in how it treated all the foreign ideologies and men. Indian shores always welcomed new ideas and ideologies, unlike many other nations that are still reluctant to open up. The knowledge based society of ancient India was so proud about its rationality and robustness that it never had any fears about its sustainability. Even today there are plenty of novel ideas lying unexplored in our ancient texts for anyone willing to research with an open mind. All that is required is a bit of pride about our own past.
India and China were at the same ‘bus-stop’ of opportunities twenty years back. Both had the same potential and resources to excel, and India had the added advantage of more exposure to international skills. When the bus of developed nations came by, we refuse to climb claiming so many excuses. Our leftists had problem with the colour of the bus, some influential sections had problem with the driver and some other sections had reservations on the conductor. The communist but nationalistic leaders of China had no such problems. In the interest of their nation, they were determined to get in and take their rightful place inside the bus. What is it that is missing in our political leadership, but found in abundance in countries like China, Japan and Germany? It is not knowledge, skills or expertise. It is only the national spirit and love for the nation.
Politics of Divide
If the colonial British were past masters in their patented policy of ‘divide and rule’, the subsequent breed of Indian politicians peer in the degenerative policy of ‘divide and win elections’. It goes to the negative credit of Indian politicians that none of them have ever presented a draft bill in the parliament which will treat all Indians as equal before any piece of legislation. There are always preambles to divide Indians on the basis of region, religion and nowadays castes. The concepts of minorities and secularism, which are integral parts of western democratic systems, are creating havoc in Indian nation as square pegs in round holes. If all Indians are to be treated as equal in every respect, where is the need and relevance of special provisions for minorities? And if all religions are equal and the Indian nation has no conventional religion of its own, what is the logic of secularism? The only class of people who are interested in these divisive concepts are the politicians and that too for winning the elections. And once elected, these ‘secular’ politicians forget the common man and vie with one another to get maximum benefit for their religion, family and region.
The current politics of divide in India can be overcome only by electoral reforms. If the viewpoint of every one is to be reflected in the parliament, there should be representatives from all sections of the society. The best way to achieve this is to go in for proportional representation. The monopoly influence of some sections over electoral politics, which is nothing but getting votes by hook or crook, is shunning popular voice to be heard in our parliament. Family politicians and professional politicians are nothing but the visible forms of undesirable developments in our electoral system. If major political parties are allotted seats in the parliament proportionate to the votes they could garner, we can expect to have representation from all sections of the society. There would be no need for the state to enact laws reserving seats for women or dalits. It would be upto to the political parties to do so and they will be forced to do it. The only aspect that needs to be ensured is to have regular democratic elections within these parties. And why not make it mandatory to use the same Election Commission to ensure free, fair and periodic elections in each of the recognised political parties? The populist politics of divide can be eradicated once for all from our country in no time.
Pride the Past
There are certain basic facts about successful nationhood that many ‘learned’ Indians do not want to accept. One of them is the pride factor about our own past. Even a small country like Japan could literally rise from ashes after the nuclear holocaust only and only because of their immense pride about their past. It is not that everything about Japan in the past was good and golden. They too had their own self-defeating customs and cultural debacles. But all of them are always proud about the good aspects of their great history. In psychology we have established that no human being without self-respect can become a successful one. Similar is the case with nations. Unless and until all Indians, irrespective of their present status, feel proud about the positive elements of our 5000 or more years old history, India cannot regain its rightful leadership among world nations. Those who do not respect themselves can never expect others to respect them.
For many Indians, the major stumbling block in feeling proud about an ancient India is the religious aspect of it. This can easily be overcome if we realise the simple fact that Hinduism is only a way of life, quite unlike the other established religions which are organised and well defined. For an all inclusive Hindu way of life, anyone who is worthy of being worshipped is considered an incarnation and Ishwar is present in everything animate or inanimate. That is exactly why India and Indians had no inhibitions, nor reservations in receiving messengers, missionaries and migrants from any part of the world. For an impartial observer there is nothing that is objectionable about ancient India in how it treated all the foreign ideologies and men. Indian shores always welcomed new ideas and ideologies, unlike many other nations that are still reluctant to open up. The knowledge based society of ancient India was so proud about its rationality and robustness that it never had any fears about its sustainability. Even today there are plenty of novel ideas lying unexplored in our ancient texts for anyone willing to research with an open mind. All that is required is a bit of pride about our own past.
India and China were at the same ‘bus-stop’ of opportunities twenty years back. Both had the same potential and resources to excel, and India had the added advantage of more exposure to international skills. When the bus of developed nations came by, we refuse to climb claiming so many excuses. Our leftists had problem with the colour of the bus, some influential sections had problem with the driver and some other sections had reservations on the conductor. The communist but nationalistic leaders of China had no such problems. In the interest of their nation, they were determined to get in and take their rightful place inside the bus. What is it that is missing in our political leadership, but found in abundance in countries like China, Japan and Germany? It is not knowledge, skills or expertise. It is only the national spirit and love for the nation.
Monday, August 07, 2006
HUMAN HYPOCRISY
The single trait that is common among all humans irrespective of his or her social, economical, religious, regional, colour or any other status is hypocrisy. Dictionaries define hypocrisy as “the practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc., contrary to one's real character or actual behaviour, esp. the pretence of virtue and piety”. In simple practical terms it means believing (and preaching) one and practising another. It is said that ‘to err is human’ but a better one would be ‘to be hypocritical is genuinely human’. All human beings are hypocritical and it can be easily proved that it is impossible to maintain life without being hypocritical. This would inevitably lead us to the conclusion that all human beings ever alive or yet to be born are hypocritical. Yes, it is a fact that all ordinary, abnormal, outstanding and even divine human beings are indeed hypocritical. A full form of the altered saying would be ‘to be hypocritical is genuinely human and to admit it is indeed divine’.
To analyse our own character and realise the hypocritical traits will not be a difficult exercise. I am sure every one can and should do it, if we are to improve as human beings. More difficult would be to identify the trait in others. And dangerous would be to attempt the same in the case of our own leaders, prophets and even in God whenever and wherever incarnated in human form. The more one preaches the more difficult it is to live up to it. This very simple logic makes it almost impossible for any of our leaders and preachers to live up to their preaching. Most of them succeed in covering up their hypocrisy (sometimes for centuries and centuries) does not relieve them from the essential trait of mankind. And even if it is blasphemous, the rational followers are bound to discover and question their hypocrisy sooner or later.
Inherent Reason
It would be an interesting exercise to look for reasons as to why all humans are invariably hypocritical. One need not waste much time in this. It is widely believed and accepted that human beings are the only animals that can laugh when there is grief or pain inside and vice versa. Any tiger would attack if it is stoned but a politician or preacher can shake hands with a terrorist who has shot him. Similarly, a dog will defend his master against the attack of an enemy, but most human beneficiaries of human kindness will inevitably turn against the benefactor. Human history contains more stories about betrayal than sacrifice for benefactors. In the contemporary world, many political dramas in different countries and the relationships among various countries are classic examples of hypocritical attitude of the leaders and nations. Most international leaders are talking in different tones at home and abroad. And eventually what they do will be totally different.
Hypocrisy among mankind has its origins from time immemorial. Among the first humans, those who said that they know the truth of life were the first hypocrites. The vulnerable among the group who believed in these words made them the leaders and preachers. Hypocrisy is always about knowledge and the clever are always the most hypocritical. Claiming to possess the knowledge about God has always been a favourite theme for such people. Man’s inherent quest for the unknown always makes him easy prey for the hypocritical preachers who are clever enough to hide their ignorance. Most of them making up their ignorance by gimmicks and glowing robes are common sights in the present day world. The truly great are silent but the gimmicky always attain sainthood.
Classic Cases
Some of the well known hypocrisies of mankind are very interesting to analyse. People who advocate ahimsa or non-violence are very same who devour tons of meat day after day. And those who say that killing of a particular animal is to be banned have no qualms about killing of other kinds of animals and birds. Then they go to holy places and listen to discourses on how killing is considered a sin and all things alive are dear to God. And they applaud the preacher when he says that God is nothing but life-giver and there is an element of God in everything that is alive. The pro-life activists who can debate for days against abortion are the very same who enjoy eggs, chicken, mutton and beef in the nearby restaurant. Those who say alcohol is not good for health are the very same who need at least a peg everyday in the darkness of night. And those who publicly declare that all religions lead to the same God are same who market their own as the only way. And those who hate idolatry are the ones who have icons for everything and indulge in a whole lot of symbolic activities.
Hypocrisy is there in all realms of life, but it is more in politics and social life. Most of the politicians are arch hypocrites and it becomes their essential trait for survival. In earlier days, though the politicians were hypocrites, their parties had clear objectives and agenda. Those days are gone now. All political parties have an agenda, but they also have a hidden agenda, known only to the top few who hijack the platform. The common men at the bottom of the political ladder are more often mute sheep led by jacketed shepherds who are working for unseen masters. Hypocrisy of political parties is very evident for keen observers who are genuinely non-aligned. As an example, the anti-secular policies of all the secular parties in India are something infamous. In a true secular democracy, the state should discourage all attempts to discriminate citizens on the basis of religion. But we always find the reverse true in most of the policy decisions and activities of the parties in power and opposition. Be it reservation for government jobs or admissions to professional courses or disbursement of financial doles, the underlying criterion are always based on religion rather than merit.
In a world full of hypocrisy, it is nothing but hypocritical to expect for victory of truth and the truthful. Those who are still interested in experimenting with truth must device ingenious methods to deceive the hypocrites and make them unknowingly work towards the desired goals which are good for the society. Deceiving those who deceive others is the only way to take humanity forward in the kali yuga. Our good leaders must also develop their hypocrisy to achieve this. When everyone is lying in a country, it is up to the ombudsman to correct it by lying about the impending doom. There is no point in being a sanayasi or saint who is silently watching the degeneration of the world. Unlike a silent Bheeshma in Mahabharata, at least a few of our leaders must shout and act to overcome the growing trait of hypocrisy.
To analyse our own character and realise the hypocritical traits will not be a difficult exercise. I am sure every one can and should do it, if we are to improve as human beings. More difficult would be to identify the trait in others. And dangerous would be to attempt the same in the case of our own leaders, prophets and even in God whenever and wherever incarnated in human form. The more one preaches the more difficult it is to live up to it. This very simple logic makes it almost impossible for any of our leaders and preachers to live up to their preaching. Most of them succeed in covering up their hypocrisy (sometimes for centuries and centuries) does not relieve them from the essential trait of mankind. And even if it is blasphemous, the rational followers are bound to discover and question their hypocrisy sooner or later.
Inherent Reason
It would be an interesting exercise to look for reasons as to why all humans are invariably hypocritical. One need not waste much time in this. It is widely believed and accepted that human beings are the only animals that can laugh when there is grief or pain inside and vice versa. Any tiger would attack if it is stoned but a politician or preacher can shake hands with a terrorist who has shot him. Similarly, a dog will defend his master against the attack of an enemy, but most human beneficiaries of human kindness will inevitably turn against the benefactor. Human history contains more stories about betrayal than sacrifice for benefactors. In the contemporary world, many political dramas in different countries and the relationships among various countries are classic examples of hypocritical attitude of the leaders and nations. Most international leaders are talking in different tones at home and abroad. And eventually what they do will be totally different.
Hypocrisy among mankind has its origins from time immemorial. Among the first humans, those who said that they know the truth of life were the first hypocrites. The vulnerable among the group who believed in these words made them the leaders and preachers. Hypocrisy is always about knowledge and the clever are always the most hypocritical. Claiming to possess the knowledge about God has always been a favourite theme for such people. Man’s inherent quest for the unknown always makes him easy prey for the hypocritical preachers who are clever enough to hide their ignorance. Most of them making up their ignorance by gimmicks and glowing robes are common sights in the present day world. The truly great are silent but the gimmicky always attain sainthood.
Classic Cases
Some of the well known hypocrisies of mankind are very interesting to analyse. People who advocate ahimsa or non-violence are very same who devour tons of meat day after day. And those who say that killing of a particular animal is to be banned have no qualms about killing of other kinds of animals and birds. Then they go to holy places and listen to discourses on how killing is considered a sin and all things alive are dear to God. And they applaud the preacher when he says that God is nothing but life-giver and there is an element of God in everything that is alive. The pro-life activists who can debate for days against abortion are the very same who enjoy eggs, chicken, mutton and beef in the nearby restaurant. Those who say alcohol is not good for health are the very same who need at least a peg everyday in the darkness of night. And those who publicly declare that all religions lead to the same God are same who market their own as the only way. And those who hate idolatry are the ones who have icons for everything and indulge in a whole lot of symbolic activities.
Hypocrisy is there in all realms of life, but it is more in politics and social life. Most of the politicians are arch hypocrites and it becomes their essential trait for survival. In earlier days, though the politicians were hypocrites, their parties had clear objectives and agenda. Those days are gone now. All political parties have an agenda, but they also have a hidden agenda, known only to the top few who hijack the platform. The common men at the bottom of the political ladder are more often mute sheep led by jacketed shepherds who are working for unseen masters. Hypocrisy of political parties is very evident for keen observers who are genuinely non-aligned. As an example, the anti-secular policies of all the secular parties in India are something infamous. In a true secular democracy, the state should discourage all attempts to discriminate citizens on the basis of religion. But we always find the reverse true in most of the policy decisions and activities of the parties in power and opposition. Be it reservation for government jobs or admissions to professional courses or disbursement of financial doles, the underlying criterion are always based on religion rather than merit.
In a world full of hypocrisy, it is nothing but hypocritical to expect for victory of truth and the truthful. Those who are still interested in experimenting with truth must device ingenious methods to deceive the hypocrites and make them unknowingly work towards the desired goals which are good for the society. Deceiving those who deceive others is the only way to take humanity forward in the kali yuga. Our good leaders must also develop their hypocrisy to achieve this. When everyone is lying in a country, it is up to the ombudsman to correct it by lying about the impending doom. There is no point in being a sanayasi or saint who is silently watching the degeneration of the world. Unlike a silent Bheeshma in Mahabharata, at least a few of our leaders must shout and act to overcome the growing trait of hypocrisy.
Wasted Temple Wealth
What is the relevance and use of a Ram or Krishna temple in a locality where Ramachandrans and Ramakrishnans are committing suicide for want of a few thousand rupees? And what can be more ridiculous than spending lakhs of rupees on finding what the God wants (by engaging astrologers) when the piled up wealth in a local temple is providing no comfort for the material misery of the devotees in the locality? Whatever and how strong be the argument for and against these propositions, I am fully convinced that temples became part and parcel of Hindu society only because it served as ‘Centres for Distribution of Commonwealth’ (CDC) in ancient times. Otherwise, an ism advocating the noble presence of God in anything and everything in this universe does not need any specific place for worship. Neither do we need the help of any middlemen in our transactions with God.
The importance of revitalising temples as relief centres for those in distress is becoming a matter of life or death for the believers in a ‘critical’ state like Kerala. The battle for demographic upper hand is in the final phase and the consequences can be fatal for the ‘majority’ community if the leaders do not realise it even now. To do this, we should all realise the simple truth that any wealth that does help in distress is wasted wealth. Most of the temple wealth in India today belongs to this category. Devotees are dying without food, committing ‘family suicide’ because of debt burden and selling children for living expenses, when millions and millions are either lying idle in bank deposits or wasted for gold plating temple masts or making crowns for the temple deity. Time has come for exploring immediate measures to save the vulnerable sections of the society from sure death or falling prey to rival predators with unlimited budgets for ‘soul harvesting’.
Temple Banks & Lands
One of the best ways to utilise the piled up wealth in any place of worship is to set up banking facilities with provision for extending loans to the needy devotees. Any devotee who is in trouble and the temple committee feels need help must be able to get easy loan with no collateral securities at nominal interest. A true devotee will never lie in front of the deity and will definitely return the money in better times. This aspect of faith and devotion must be put to maximum use while extending life saving loans to the needy. In the best traditions of Travancore kings, who used to reign on behalf of Lord Padmanabha, the loan deeds can be executed between the borrower and an authorised office bearer on behalf of the presiding deity in each temple. This would make the transaction more divine and binding on the devotees.
There are temples and temples in our country. Some of them are under the control of the government and some under private management. And there are many with enormous income and many more with little or no income at all. Thousands and thousands of acres of land are falling under these temples in official records, but encroachers are most active in these lands. For a limited geographical entity with growing population there is nothing more priced than real estate in a country like ours. Devotees must realise that protecting temple land is one of their first priorities. Time will soon dawn when rights will be fixed not only based on numbers but also on the basis of real estate held by the different communities in India. Those who are neglecting temple lands will pay a heavy price then. If there is excess land, it can always been given on lease or rent to the devotees but strictly on renewal basis every year. No one should even think of long term lease or any other arrangement.
Religious Education & Exercise
The amount of religious literature and information that is available in India is unparalleled anywhere in the world. For true researchers, it is still possible to dig out unseen works which are from different periods in history even now. Learned men throughout the world have been amazed at the depth and vastness of knowledge that Indian minds are always capable of conjuring. All Indians accept Mahabharata and Ramayana as part of their heritage but no one is willing to teach it to the younger generation in a systematic way for fear of being stamped as communal. In this strange scenario, the least expected of temples is to set up schooling facilities for keeping up these heritages. Temple funds being utilised for public education should be objectionable, especially when public money is not involved in it. Just because the secular state is involved in administration of some temples must not be reason enough for diversion of temple money for public education. Instead, the money should go only into education of those interested in heritage literature, including the remarkable Bhagavad Gita.
Yoga and meditation are the other aspects of Indian heritage that should be eligible for temple funds. Like temple schools, temple gyms must also become commonplace. Unlike modern metropolis gyms, the facilities required for yoga and meditation are very moderate and less costly. What is required in more intensity is interest and commitment on the part of the users. If adequate facilities are provided, such temple gyms alone have the potential to keep the younger folks engaged in constructive activities. As we have always believed, healthy minds are always found only in healthy bodies. And the least destructive ones in any nation are always the most healthy. India is all set to become the youngest nation in the world by 2020 and popularisation of temple gyms can make it the healthiest one as well.
In very simple terms, temple funds, lands and resources that are lying unutilised or wasted should be put to best use for the devotees by the collective will on the part of all those who are concerned about India’s future. Distribution of wealth through temple coffers must become a practice once again if we have to combat the twin terrors of terrorism or take-over. Worship of God in temples must become demystified. Theory and practice of temple rituals must correlate with contemporary realities and relative position of Hinduism among world religions. A golden mast or a sanctum sanctorum in a temple plated with gold will have true meaning if and only if all the devotees of the temple deity are living without misery. If we do not realise this, the famed wall of Indian nation will soon fade off for its real owners to write anything for their progeny.
The importance of revitalising temples as relief centres for those in distress is becoming a matter of life or death for the believers in a ‘critical’ state like Kerala. The battle for demographic upper hand is in the final phase and the consequences can be fatal for the ‘majority’ community if the leaders do not realise it even now. To do this, we should all realise the simple truth that any wealth that does help in distress is wasted wealth. Most of the temple wealth in India today belongs to this category. Devotees are dying without food, committing ‘family suicide’ because of debt burden and selling children for living expenses, when millions and millions are either lying idle in bank deposits or wasted for gold plating temple masts or making crowns for the temple deity. Time has come for exploring immediate measures to save the vulnerable sections of the society from sure death or falling prey to rival predators with unlimited budgets for ‘soul harvesting’.
Temple Banks & Lands
One of the best ways to utilise the piled up wealth in any place of worship is to set up banking facilities with provision for extending loans to the needy devotees. Any devotee who is in trouble and the temple committee feels need help must be able to get easy loan with no collateral securities at nominal interest. A true devotee will never lie in front of the deity and will definitely return the money in better times. This aspect of faith and devotion must be put to maximum use while extending life saving loans to the needy. In the best traditions of Travancore kings, who used to reign on behalf of Lord Padmanabha, the loan deeds can be executed between the borrower and an authorised office bearer on behalf of the presiding deity in each temple. This would make the transaction more divine and binding on the devotees.
There are temples and temples in our country. Some of them are under the control of the government and some under private management. And there are many with enormous income and many more with little or no income at all. Thousands and thousands of acres of land are falling under these temples in official records, but encroachers are most active in these lands. For a limited geographical entity with growing population there is nothing more priced than real estate in a country like ours. Devotees must realise that protecting temple land is one of their first priorities. Time will soon dawn when rights will be fixed not only based on numbers but also on the basis of real estate held by the different communities in India. Those who are neglecting temple lands will pay a heavy price then. If there is excess land, it can always been given on lease or rent to the devotees but strictly on renewal basis every year. No one should even think of long term lease or any other arrangement.
Religious Education & Exercise
The amount of religious literature and information that is available in India is unparalleled anywhere in the world. For true researchers, it is still possible to dig out unseen works which are from different periods in history even now. Learned men throughout the world have been amazed at the depth and vastness of knowledge that Indian minds are always capable of conjuring. All Indians accept Mahabharata and Ramayana as part of their heritage but no one is willing to teach it to the younger generation in a systematic way for fear of being stamped as communal. In this strange scenario, the least expected of temples is to set up schooling facilities for keeping up these heritages. Temple funds being utilised for public education should be objectionable, especially when public money is not involved in it. Just because the secular state is involved in administration of some temples must not be reason enough for diversion of temple money for public education. Instead, the money should go only into education of those interested in heritage literature, including the remarkable Bhagavad Gita.
Yoga and meditation are the other aspects of Indian heritage that should be eligible for temple funds. Like temple schools, temple gyms must also become commonplace. Unlike modern metropolis gyms, the facilities required for yoga and meditation are very moderate and less costly. What is required in more intensity is interest and commitment on the part of the users. If adequate facilities are provided, such temple gyms alone have the potential to keep the younger folks engaged in constructive activities. As we have always believed, healthy minds are always found only in healthy bodies. And the least destructive ones in any nation are always the most healthy. India is all set to become the youngest nation in the world by 2020 and popularisation of temple gyms can make it the healthiest one as well.
In very simple terms, temple funds, lands and resources that are lying unutilised or wasted should be put to best use for the devotees by the collective will on the part of all those who are concerned about India’s future. Distribution of wealth through temple coffers must become a practice once again if we have to combat the twin terrors of terrorism or take-over. Worship of God in temples must become demystified. Theory and practice of temple rituals must correlate with contemporary realities and relative position of Hinduism among world religions. A golden mast or a sanctum sanctorum in a temple plated with gold will have true meaning if and only if all the devotees of the temple deity are living without misery. If we do not realise this, the famed wall of Indian nation will soon fade off for its real owners to write anything for their progeny.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
TOXIC TOURISM
Promotion of danger is much more dangerous than dangerous promotion. It is dangerous promotion when tourists are allowed unrestricted access in any country but it is promotion of danger when the rulers of any country say that tourism is the best industry for the country and start believing in it. This is what is happening in India today, especially in a ‘vulnerable’ state like Kerala. What is marketed as God’s-Own-Country in the world tourist circles is becoming a Free-for-All arena for the tourists. The bewitching beauty of land coupled with unlimited freedom is so luring that many tourists fall in love with the place at the first visit and become interested in building long term ‘relations’ with the area. Large parts of Kerala along the sea coast and highlands are already in the hands of these ‘once’ tourists who have decided to settle down with various agenda. These registered holdings by foreigners are only a small fraction of the vast tracts of ‘benami’ lands held by local henchmen for their foreign masters. In recent times, we have also begun to hear about ‘flesh-err’ in house boats and massage parlours. The noose of foreign occupation, both physical and mental, is slowly but steadily tightening around the neck of Kerala.
When Vasco-De-Gama landed at Kapadi beach in 1498 AD, he was not very welcome. But when the Chief Executive of a rejuvenated East India Company decides to land in one of the many airports of Kerala at a not-so-distant future, there would be an unprecedented welcome from the rulers of an erstwhile God’s-Own-Country. This is bound to happen if there is no realisation about the dangerous path we are treading now. Several self designated intellectuals and leaders are declaring that IT and Tourism hold the future of Kerala. While IT may be a late but true realisation about the inherent intellectual calibre of Keralites, any over emphasis on tourism is bound to play into the hands of dangerous foreign elements. Not only the land will get looted beyond imagination but also our heritage and culture will be mutated beyond recognition. We have so many vulnerable elements and tendencies in our midst that a return to safe limits will be an impossible task once the threshold is crossed.
Discourage Foreign Tourism
Almost all political novices who come into offices of power fall easy prey to the smartness of bureaucrats under them. In tourism sector, it takes almost no time for ‘motivated’ bureaucrats to flatten the political leadership with a talk about the remarkable transformation of Singapore in the last 25 years from an undeveloped dirty piece of land to a shining metropolis only because of tourism. In reality it is very much true too. But what applies for a minor piece of land with no centuries-old civilisation and a handful of similar citizens is definitely not applicable for a major country with thousands of years’ heritage and a set of very dissimilar people. The first and foremost aspect about India that is well known to everyone is its diversity and inherent inability for any sort of uniformity. Culturally and politically, we are used to so much of freedom that any talk about falling in line is anathema even if it is for the sake of national unity. And it is this vulnerable aspect that all our foreign invaders and occupiers have used to their advantage.
For anyone dealing with tourism in our country, it is important that these weaknesses and vulnerability are borne in mind at all times. We should remember that India as a nation harbours a very high concentration of ‘Jai Chands and Mir Jafers’ and sabotaging this diverse country from within has always been easy for her foreign enemies. Widespread poverty has only loosened the diversity further, thus leading to acute vulnerability in the face of any determined foreign campaign with adequate resources. Given this background, the security situation can only get worse if we are inviting tourists for unlimited access and pleasure. Quite unfortunately, most of our tourist promotion campaigns are in these lines. It is better for our own sake to remember that any foolish publicity to the whole world about unparalleled beauty existing within our own household will only lead to attempts of rape. Instead, we should be enjoying the heights of mountains and depths of rivers that God has so mercifully bestowed on his own land for his own children.
Encourage Internal Tourism
Tourism can be a powerful tool for a country like ours for promoting national integration. Imagine how people from Kashmir would feel if they are provided decent boarding and lodging facilities at affordable price at Kanyakumari. Same would be the case of Non-Resident Indians and People of Indian Origin, who are much eager to enjoy the beauty of their dream land. Instead of the unabashed pampering of foreign tourists, we should be looking at promotion of National Tourism, NRI Tourism and PIO Tourism as better options. If adequate facilities are provided, our NRIs and PIOs will bring in as much foreign exchange as we get from the foreigners who are on visit only in search of pleasure. The emotional aspect that would bind (and control) an NRI or PIO on a visit to India would be missing in the case a foreigner who will go to any length seeking pleasure. The do’s and don’ts that are an integral part of Indian culture would be completely missing in a foreigner, for whom ‘flesh-erring’ is another value added product of the tourism industry.
Providing considerable incentives to tourism on the basis of it being an industry is a major mistake in every sense. In addition to money that it generates, every industry must produce something and all that tourism produces is waste and immeasurable damages to the environment, both physical and cultural. One look at the people who are involved in the tourism industry, especially those who have invested heavily, is enough to ascertain the true colours of this unwanted industry. Unrestrained freedom for foreign tourists is a dangerous proposition and nowhere in the world do they get as much freedom as in India. There are foreign tourists after our unparalleled bio-diversity, sculptures and artefacts, rarest of rare scriptures and one of most beautiful set of people in the face of this planet. The rules of modern tourism must be very clear – any foreign tourist must (be allowed to) see only what the hosts want to show and nothing more. And in vast and vulnerable countries like India, internal tourists who love the land must take precedence over foreigners who are only after pleasure.
When Vasco-De-Gama landed at Kapadi beach in 1498 AD, he was not very welcome. But when the Chief Executive of a rejuvenated East India Company decides to land in one of the many airports of Kerala at a not-so-distant future, there would be an unprecedented welcome from the rulers of an erstwhile God’s-Own-Country. This is bound to happen if there is no realisation about the dangerous path we are treading now. Several self designated intellectuals and leaders are declaring that IT and Tourism hold the future of Kerala. While IT may be a late but true realisation about the inherent intellectual calibre of Keralites, any over emphasis on tourism is bound to play into the hands of dangerous foreign elements. Not only the land will get looted beyond imagination but also our heritage and culture will be mutated beyond recognition. We have so many vulnerable elements and tendencies in our midst that a return to safe limits will be an impossible task once the threshold is crossed.
Discourage Foreign Tourism
Almost all political novices who come into offices of power fall easy prey to the smartness of bureaucrats under them. In tourism sector, it takes almost no time for ‘motivated’ bureaucrats to flatten the political leadership with a talk about the remarkable transformation of Singapore in the last 25 years from an undeveloped dirty piece of land to a shining metropolis only because of tourism. In reality it is very much true too. But what applies for a minor piece of land with no centuries-old civilisation and a handful of similar citizens is definitely not applicable for a major country with thousands of years’ heritage and a set of very dissimilar people. The first and foremost aspect about India that is well known to everyone is its diversity and inherent inability for any sort of uniformity. Culturally and politically, we are used to so much of freedom that any talk about falling in line is anathema even if it is for the sake of national unity. And it is this vulnerable aspect that all our foreign invaders and occupiers have used to their advantage.
For anyone dealing with tourism in our country, it is important that these weaknesses and vulnerability are borne in mind at all times. We should remember that India as a nation harbours a very high concentration of ‘Jai Chands and Mir Jafers’ and sabotaging this diverse country from within has always been easy for her foreign enemies. Widespread poverty has only loosened the diversity further, thus leading to acute vulnerability in the face of any determined foreign campaign with adequate resources. Given this background, the security situation can only get worse if we are inviting tourists for unlimited access and pleasure. Quite unfortunately, most of our tourist promotion campaigns are in these lines. It is better for our own sake to remember that any foolish publicity to the whole world about unparalleled beauty existing within our own household will only lead to attempts of rape. Instead, we should be enjoying the heights of mountains and depths of rivers that God has so mercifully bestowed on his own land for his own children.
Encourage Internal Tourism
Tourism can be a powerful tool for a country like ours for promoting national integration. Imagine how people from Kashmir would feel if they are provided decent boarding and lodging facilities at affordable price at Kanyakumari. Same would be the case of Non-Resident Indians and People of Indian Origin, who are much eager to enjoy the beauty of their dream land. Instead of the unabashed pampering of foreign tourists, we should be looking at promotion of National Tourism, NRI Tourism and PIO Tourism as better options. If adequate facilities are provided, our NRIs and PIOs will bring in as much foreign exchange as we get from the foreigners who are on visit only in search of pleasure. The emotional aspect that would bind (and control) an NRI or PIO on a visit to India would be missing in the case a foreigner who will go to any length seeking pleasure. The do’s and don’ts that are an integral part of Indian culture would be completely missing in a foreigner, for whom ‘flesh-erring’ is another value added product of the tourism industry.
Providing considerable incentives to tourism on the basis of it being an industry is a major mistake in every sense. In addition to money that it generates, every industry must produce something and all that tourism produces is waste and immeasurable damages to the environment, both physical and cultural. One look at the people who are involved in the tourism industry, especially those who have invested heavily, is enough to ascertain the true colours of this unwanted industry. Unrestrained freedom for foreign tourists is a dangerous proposition and nowhere in the world do they get as much freedom as in India. There are foreign tourists after our unparalleled bio-diversity, sculptures and artefacts, rarest of rare scriptures and one of most beautiful set of people in the face of this planet. The rules of modern tourism must be very clear – any foreign tourist must (be allowed to) see only what the hosts want to show and nothing more. And in vast and vulnerable countries like India, internal tourists who love the land must take precedence over foreigners who are only after pleasure.
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