Daily life is nothing but a series of attempts to find solutions to problems. Quite surprisingly almost all the effective solutions we have found in our lives come from their immediate surroundings. In other words the most effective solutions to any issues are the so-called ‘local’ solutions. This is true in almost all types of issues.
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Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Local Solutions
Daily life is nothing but a series of attempts to find solutions to problems. Every second or every minute we are confronted by one problem or another, some of which get solved automatically and some others cry out for our special attention. Our success or failure on a daily basis is the cumulative effect of our own ability to find (or failure to find) solutions to such problem series. The word ‘problems’ in our daily lives should not conjure up thoughts about all being complicated and difficult issues. It can be just a small concern about a trivial matter or a minor ailment and can extend up to the sudden news about the loss of a dear one. All these are problems that call for a response from our side.
Response to a problem can be either by solving or ignoring or even avoiding it. In a sense all these are solutions to various problems on hand. Some are quick in finding solutions, but many of us are quicker in ignoring or avoiding the issues confronting us. But there is a limit to which this can be done. Sooner or later all the issues will demand a solution and there can be no running away from them. All of us do it voluntarily or involuntarily. Quite surprisingly almost all the effective solutions we have found in our lives come from their immediate surroundings. In other words the most effective solutions to any issues are the so-called ‘local’ solutions. This is true in almost all types of issues in all spheres of operation.
Social Problems
Social problems confront us in a collective manner. This means that we are not always alone in confronting such problems and trying to sort them out. There are multiple brains and skills at work in solving any social issue. Opinions and suggestions will be forthcoming from various quarters, some of which may be unsolicited, provocative and with ulterior motives. But multiple options available for any single issue will always result in a better decision being taken, provided the decision makers are themselves impacted by the decisions thus taken. Democratic decisions are considered long lasting only because of this underlying logic of solutions coming from within and not being imposed from outside by outsiders who have no direct impact as a result of these decisions.
Continuing with the same logic of ‘within’ solutions, the best and most effective solutions will always come from resources which are local to any issue. It may not always be geographically local, but can be on any other basis viz. culture, gender, language etc. As an example, any issue concerning women is best solved by looking for a solution coming from women themselves though they may be in another location or from another cultural background. Those who are looking for solutions to social issues should make it a practice to tap resources and avenues that are local. Always remember that India’s freedom was won by Indians and British colonization succeeded because of the British. Never ever make the mistake of waiting for some others’ to solve our social problems.
Personal Problems
Though the ‘local solution’ technique looks more logical and feasible in social issues, the same holds good in personal problems as well. One can appreciate it more if ever one had survived the trauma of an accident. Very often those who save our lives in any accident are not our own relatives or even friends. It is always the locally available and ‘willing’ witnesses who stand between life and death for us. Whatever is your bank balance and however big is your circle of friends, nothing will help you in an accident except the willingness of the local crowd. It is not unheard of sworn enemies rushing to help out at times of acute distress thanks to our basic humane qualities.
What is applicable for our ‘outside’ problems works well for our ‘own’ problems also. If we are in trouble, our first call must be to our own self. If we develop a habit of depending on others for everything, the most disappointed will be our own self. Expectation is the mother of disappointment and more of disappointment will only bring down the individual’s resource level. What an individual can normally do cannot be achieved by the same individual in a disappointed state. This simple fact results in many people failing to do what they actually can. The results are often very devastating. As a corollary it is worth mentioning that the achievements of determined individuals far exceed their normal capabilities. All that is required is development of a ‘no-expectation’ frame of mind.
Gandhiji’s idea of Grama Swarajya is one of the best illustrations of the concept of local solutions to all our daily problems. If each household, each community and each locality can develop facilities for solving a majority of their own usual problems, the overall quality of our lives will be much better. Instead, if we are always dependent on the state government or central government or even the global institutions to sort out our peculiar problems, most of us will end our lives with unfulfilled dreams and desires. Looking for local solutions for any type of problems is the best option available to a prudent set of individuals, communities and nations. This is all the more true in these times of aggressive globalization that is marginalizing more and more of deprived sections in our society.
Response to a problem can be either by solving or ignoring or even avoiding it. In a sense all these are solutions to various problems on hand. Some are quick in finding solutions, but many of us are quicker in ignoring or avoiding the issues confronting us. But there is a limit to which this can be done. Sooner or later all the issues will demand a solution and there can be no running away from them. All of us do it voluntarily or involuntarily. Quite surprisingly almost all the effective solutions we have found in our lives come from their immediate surroundings. In other words the most effective solutions to any issues are the so-called ‘local’ solutions. This is true in almost all types of issues in all spheres of operation.
Social Problems
Social problems confront us in a collective manner. This means that we are not always alone in confronting such problems and trying to sort them out. There are multiple brains and skills at work in solving any social issue. Opinions and suggestions will be forthcoming from various quarters, some of which may be unsolicited, provocative and with ulterior motives. But multiple options available for any single issue will always result in a better decision being taken, provided the decision makers are themselves impacted by the decisions thus taken. Democratic decisions are considered long lasting only because of this underlying logic of solutions coming from within and not being imposed from outside by outsiders who have no direct impact as a result of these decisions.
Continuing with the same logic of ‘within’ solutions, the best and most effective solutions will always come from resources which are local to any issue. It may not always be geographically local, but can be on any other basis viz. culture, gender, language etc. As an example, any issue concerning women is best solved by looking for a solution coming from women themselves though they may be in another location or from another cultural background. Those who are looking for solutions to social issues should make it a practice to tap resources and avenues that are local. Always remember that India’s freedom was won by Indians and British colonization succeeded because of the British. Never ever make the mistake of waiting for some others’ to solve our social problems.
Personal Problems
Though the ‘local solution’ technique looks more logical and feasible in social issues, the same holds good in personal problems as well. One can appreciate it more if ever one had survived the trauma of an accident. Very often those who save our lives in any accident are not our own relatives or even friends. It is always the locally available and ‘willing’ witnesses who stand between life and death for us. Whatever is your bank balance and however big is your circle of friends, nothing will help you in an accident except the willingness of the local crowd. It is not unheard of sworn enemies rushing to help out at times of acute distress thanks to our basic humane qualities.
What is applicable for our ‘outside’ problems works well for our ‘own’ problems also. If we are in trouble, our first call must be to our own self. If we develop a habit of depending on others for everything, the most disappointed will be our own self. Expectation is the mother of disappointment and more of disappointment will only bring down the individual’s resource level. What an individual can normally do cannot be achieved by the same individual in a disappointed state. This simple fact results in many people failing to do what they actually can. The results are often very devastating. As a corollary it is worth mentioning that the achievements of determined individuals far exceed their normal capabilities. All that is required is development of a ‘no-expectation’ frame of mind.
Gandhiji’s idea of Grama Swarajya is one of the best illustrations of the concept of local solutions to all our daily problems. If each household, each community and each locality can develop facilities for solving a majority of their own usual problems, the overall quality of our lives will be much better. Instead, if we are always dependent on the state government or central government or even the global institutions to sort out our peculiar problems, most of us will end our lives with unfulfilled dreams and desires. Looking for local solutions for any type of problems is the best option available to a prudent set of individuals, communities and nations. This is all the more true in these times of aggressive globalization that is marginalizing more and more of deprived sections in our society.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Risks of Belief
With about five decades of worldly experience, I can state with utmost certainty that those who do not believe in anything will never achieve anything substantial in their lives. This is true in every phase of life. Those who do not believe in parents will never grow up properly and those who do not believe in spouses face the same consequence in married life. While those who do not believe in teachers shall never learn properly, those who do not believe in children will never lead a peaceful retired life. Belief in anything is like a catalyst that would accelerate our efforts towards its benefits. The chemistry of belief and efforts is something that can only be experienced. It can never be explained nor imposed on anyone. Quite often it is this peculiarity of belief that poses as the secret behind repeated successes of a select few and failures of some others.
The question of belief and unconditional surrender is central to all religions and ideologies. Death of any religious or ideological institution is guaranteed if atleast the top 25% of the hierarchy do not have absolute and genuine belief in it. There are numerous examples for this in our long history and it is still happening around us even today. The death of many religions, Soviet Union and so many local establishments in our own neighbourhood are nothing but classic examples of this natural phenomenon. Belief of followers is the ultimate fuel for the growth of any collective movement. But for belief, none of the major religious orders and their colossal monuments would have come up. Does it mean that tendency to believe is a desirable quality for all human being? Yes it is, but it is full of danger if the belief turns out to be for a false one ultimately. It requires a high degree of discretion and luck to finalise on something to believe in and then proceed to reap the benefits out of it.
Belief in Ideologies
All the religious and social ideologies have progressed thanks to the efforts of a minority who believed fully in them in the initial phase. Socialism, Communism and the various religious ideologies have developed only because there were a committed few who found complete identification with them at different phases. All the political and social ideologies originate in the fertile minds of a few individuals. And then the ideologies begin to flourish when these individuals come together and find ways and means to convince others as well. The dark side any ideology begins here. If in the first phase it is getting others to their side by conquering minds, it becomes much more aggressive by forcible conversion in subsequent phases. The proponents of competing ideologies are always forced to devise dubious methods to get people to their side. The game of numbers forces many positive ideologies into negative paths of coercive methods and eventually to certain demise.
The risk of belief to followers from ideologies is very common sight in the world today. There are millions of followers in various ideologies who do not really believe in them. Most of them are forced to live their lives within these ideologies by birth for the fear of facing the consequences of leaving them. In the highly connected world of today, it is very difficult to convince one’s own conscience so easily of the beliefs each of us inherit by virtue of our birth in a particular religion or community. To understand and comprehend any ideology it definitely takes years of learning and only a few among us get the time and facility to do so. What most of us do is to blindly follow the footsteps of our parents who were following theirs and so on. The situation is all the more pathetic in the case of social ideologies like Communism and Socialism. Invariably most of the virulent comrades realise the hollowness of their ideology late in their lives. It is too late then to do anything. Many of them go into the silent mode, but some others continue hypocritically with the ideology which has become a burden.
Belief in Individuals
Individual attaining the status of institution is a common phenomenon in many of the populous countries, especially in the developing world. In most cases it is because of immense attraction of public to the ideological thoughts initiated by certain individuals in their own lifetimes. Original innovators of extremely appealing ideas find huge following and the institutions set up by them develop in leaps and bounds. Identification of institution with the individual becomes so strong that it would become difficult to differentiate one from another. Individual becoming institution is no doubt something noble, but there is downside as well. The risk of belief becomes too much if such individual turns out to be an unworthy role model in later life.
The ordinary men and women flocking towards elevated individuals is a very common sight in third world countries. Almost all philosophical ideologies originating from Asia prescribe a teacher to guide us in life. Unavoidable difficulties in everyday life and promise of assured relief by easy techniques also provide reasons for so many men and women reposing their full belief in such elevated individuals. There is absolutely no doubt that many of them achieve what they want by doing so. The power of belief and catalytic acceleration it provides drive many people towards their goals without they being aware of it. But in the present day world of competition the believers can only trust in God that their role model survive the lure of evil unleashed by unscrupulous adversaries. Consequences of their icon of total belief falling from grace can be disastrous for many ordinary believers.
It is always prudent to be cautious in everything we do. God has given us the power to think and think we must before we decide to believe in anything. Our scriptures are cent percent right in saying that a noble teacher and absolute belief are must if we want to achieve anything in life. Each of us must definitely strive for both, but very cautiously. Do not fall into the pitfalls of publicity and public opinion while zeroing in on our own guru and ideology. Tread cautiously and find someone with whom we can interact directly as our guru. And our chosen ideology must be something that is cent percent rational and practical for each of us as individuals. Expectation and compromise should have no place in fixing our beliefs.
The question of belief and unconditional surrender is central to all religions and ideologies. Death of any religious or ideological institution is guaranteed if atleast the top 25% of the hierarchy do not have absolute and genuine belief in it. There are numerous examples for this in our long history and it is still happening around us even today. The death of many religions, Soviet Union and so many local establishments in our own neighbourhood are nothing but classic examples of this natural phenomenon. Belief of followers is the ultimate fuel for the growth of any collective movement. But for belief, none of the major religious orders and their colossal monuments would have come up. Does it mean that tendency to believe is a desirable quality for all human being? Yes it is, but it is full of danger if the belief turns out to be for a false one ultimately. It requires a high degree of discretion and luck to finalise on something to believe in and then proceed to reap the benefits out of it.
Belief in Ideologies
All the religious and social ideologies have progressed thanks to the efforts of a minority who believed fully in them in the initial phase. Socialism, Communism and the various religious ideologies have developed only because there were a committed few who found complete identification with them at different phases. All the political and social ideologies originate in the fertile minds of a few individuals. And then the ideologies begin to flourish when these individuals come together and find ways and means to convince others as well. The dark side any ideology begins here. If in the first phase it is getting others to their side by conquering minds, it becomes much more aggressive by forcible conversion in subsequent phases. The proponents of competing ideologies are always forced to devise dubious methods to get people to their side. The game of numbers forces many positive ideologies into negative paths of coercive methods and eventually to certain demise.
The risk of belief to followers from ideologies is very common sight in the world today. There are millions of followers in various ideologies who do not really believe in them. Most of them are forced to live their lives within these ideologies by birth for the fear of facing the consequences of leaving them. In the highly connected world of today, it is very difficult to convince one’s own conscience so easily of the beliefs each of us inherit by virtue of our birth in a particular religion or community. To understand and comprehend any ideology it definitely takes years of learning and only a few among us get the time and facility to do so. What most of us do is to blindly follow the footsteps of our parents who were following theirs and so on. The situation is all the more pathetic in the case of social ideologies like Communism and Socialism. Invariably most of the virulent comrades realise the hollowness of their ideology late in their lives. It is too late then to do anything. Many of them go into the silent mode, but some others continue hypocritically with the ideology which has become a burden.
Belief in Individuals
Individual attaining the status of institution is a common phenomenon in many of the populous countries, especially in the developing world. In most cases it is because of immense attraction of public to the ideological thoughts initiated by certain individuals in their own lifetimes. Original innovators of extremely appealing ideas find huge following and the institutions set up by them develop in leaps and bounds. Identification of institution with the individual becomes so strong that it would become difficult to differentiate one from another. Individual becoming institution is no doubt something noble, but there is downside as well. The risk of belief becomes too much if such individual turns out to be an unworthy role model in later life.
The ordinary men and women flocking towards elevated individuals is a very common sight in third world countries. Almost all philosophical ideologies originating from Asia prescribe a teacher to guide us in life. Unavoidable difficulties in everyday life and promise of assured relief by easy techniques also provide reasons for so many men and women reposing their full belief in such elevated individuals. There is absolutely no doubt that many of them achieve what they want by doing so. The power of belief and catalytic acceleration it provides drive many people towards their goals without they being aware of it. But in the present day world of competition the believers can only trust in God that their role model survive the lure of evil unleashed by unscrupulous adversaries. Consequences of their icon of total belief falling from grace can be disastrous for many ordinary believers.
It is always prudent to be cautious in everything we do. God has given us the power to think and think we must before we decide to believe in anything. Our scriptures are cent percent right in saying that a noble teacher and absolute belief are must if we want to achieve anything in life. Each of us must definitely strive for both, but very cautiously. Do not fall into the pitfalls of publicity and public opinion while zeroing in on our own guru and ideology. Tread cautiously and find someone with whom we can interact directly as our guru. And our chosen ideology must be something that is cent percent rational and practical for each of us as individuals. Expectation and compromise should have no place in fixing our beliefs.
Monday, June 18, 2007
CONSTANCY OF SOULS
There are few who can (and will) contest the fact that human knowledge reached a high point during the Vedic period in the Indian sub-continent. While contemporary civilisations were busy constructing huge pyramids and great walls, Indians were indulging in the pursuit of knowledge. The Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas etc., stand eloquent testimony to this remarkable endeavour of our forefathers. On a closer unbiased analysis, one can easily notice that most of the inventions and discoveries of modern times are in fact re-inventions and re-discoveries of what was known to man during the Vedic period. Much of the finer aspects of the present day Hindu philosophy were also developed during the period, though the religion itself was called ‘Sanatana Dharma’ then. What is left of those glorious days are only some of the ‘eternal pillars’ in what is now called as Hinduism.
Evolution of Souls
If there is one aspect about Hinduism that differentiates it drastically from other religions, it is the unique theory of Karma and Re-births. In essence, this highly evolved ‘Theory of Karma’ propounds that all living beings (souls) are in an eternal cycle of births and deaths, each rebirth decided according to ‘Residual Karma’ of the previous lives. This unique recycle theory offers a logical explanation about why we are born in a particular place and also accounts for the case of children born with severe birth defects. The cycle of births and deaths continues till one reaches the highest form of spiritual existence and ultimately merge in Brahman, the cosmic soul of the universe. Though a majority of Hindus accept this as an axiom never to be questioned, doubts are aplenty in the minds of ordinary about what is ‘Dharma’ and ‘Adharma’, and how Karma gets computed. Trans-migration of souls is another aspect that has passed the judgement of the ordinary but has met with many questions from the ‘doubting Thomases’ who keeps any faith alive and vibrant.
Whatever be the views of believers and agnostics on the subject, there has been strong evidences in the past substantiating the belief of rebirth among Hindus. There have been recorded instances where young children could clearly recollect their deeds and incidents in their past lives. Instead of subjecting such instances to severe scientific scrutiny, the insecure and diffident scientific community have always brushed aside such cases as superstitions and myths. But many a time we notice strong synergy in the much acclaimed scientific theory of evolution and equally strong Hindu belief of rebirths. All the living species are evolving as they adapt to their current environment and I believe same is the case with souls as they evolve over successive lives. It is essential to believe in such a continuum, spread across subsequent lives, to fully substantiate the theory of evolution of species. Otherwise, how could a simple ‘fifol’ (first form of life) evolve into a complicated biological and spiritual entity like a human being. Mere mutation of the gene structure cannot fully explain the ‘spiritual’ evolution of species. At the very beginning, it would have been full of the least evolved ‘fifols’ and as time passed by some of them must have evolved into ‘higher’ forms of existence. Proposing some new ideas about the constancy of these indestructible units of life (souls) may also be not out of place.
Divine Constant
An Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro successfully postulated (in mid Nineteenth century) that one mole of any substance shall contain 6x10*23 units of that substance at standard conditions. The said postulate was with specific reference to the field of Chemistry. But given the fact that Avagadro could establish such an unbelievable uniformity underlying an unlimited number of substances in this universe, it is not unreasonable to believe that the constant he had tumbled upon is just not another one of those numerous constants in theoretical science. We have seen that all fundamental aspects of Nature, be it principles or entities, are symmetric. There is striking resemblance between the molecular structure at micro level and solar systems at macro level. Natural laws of fundamental nature are equally applicable at all levels of existence. I wonder whether Avagadro was postulating such a fundamental natural law when he was trying to explain a simpler chemical problem. Avagadro, quite unknowingly, might have unravelled one of most important secrets of nature when he accidentally provided a theory for a very limited purpose. It is very much possible that the “divine constant” of 6x10*23 also pertains to a ‘higher’ truth, like the total number of living beings (souls) at any given time in this whole universe. As in the case of other elements, the constant may be denoting the number of units in the case of souls. The continuous extinction of species and evolution of new ones offers enough clue about the existence of an overall constant. As mankind increases in number so are the other species becoming extinct. Mother Nature maintains the constancy of souls by invoking natural forces at its disposal to limit the overall count to the divine constant.
Presently we have 6x10*9 human beings in this world and further drastic increase seems highly unlikely given the fact that every 6 seconds someone somewhere is getting infected with HIV. If the divine constant is true, we can have a trillion each of a total of 600 billion more living species apart from human beings. Even if Avagadro number is not exactly the divine constant we are looking for, we are for sure somewhere near it.
Evolution of Souls
If there is one aspect about Hinduism that differentiates it drastically from other religions, it is the unique theory of Karma and Re-births. In essence, this highly evolved ‘Theory of Karma’ propounds that all living beings (souls) are in an eternal cycle of births and deaths, each rebirth decided according to ‘Residual Karma’ of the previous lives. This unique recycle theory offers a logical explanation about why we are born in a particular place and also accounts for the case of children born with severe birth defects. The cycle of births and deaths continues till one reaches the highest form of spiritual existence and ultimately merge in Brahman, the cosmic soul of the universe. Though a majority of Hindus accept this as an axiom never to be questioned, doubts are aplenty in the minds of ordinary about what is ‘Dharma’ and ‘Adharma’, and how Karma gets computed. Trans-migration of souls is another aspect that has passed the judgement of the ordinary but has met with many questions from the ‘doubting Thomases’ who keeps any faith alive and vibrant.
Whatever be the views of believers and agnostics on the subject, there has been strong evidences in the past substantiating the belief of rebirth among Hindus. There have been recorded instances where young children could clearly recollect their deeds and incidents in their past lives. Instead of subjecting such instances to severe scientific scrutiny, the insecure and diffident scientific community have always brushed aside such cases as superstitions and myths. But many a time we notice strong synergy in the much acclaimed scientific theory of evolution and equally strong Hindu belief of rebirths. All the living species are evolving as they adapt to their current environment and I believe same is the case with souls as they evolve over successive lives. It is essential to believe in such a continuum, spread across subsequent lives, to fully substantiate the theory of evolution of species. Otherwise, how could a simple ‘fifol’ (first form of life) evolve into a complicated biological and spiritual entity like a human being. Mere mutation of the gene structure cannot fully explain the ‘spiritual’ evolution of species. At the very beginning, it would have been full of the least evolved ‘fifols’ and as time passed by some of them must have evolved into ‘higher’ forms of existence. Proposing some new ideas about the constancy of these indestructible units of life (souls) may also be not out of place.
Divine Constant
An Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro successfully postulated (in mid Nineteenth century) that one mole of any substance shall contain 6x10*23 units of that substance at standard conditions. The said postulate was with specific reference to the field of Chemistry. But given the fact that Avagadro could establish such an unbelievable uniformity underlying an unlimited number of substances in this universe, it is not unreasonable to believe that the constant he had tumbled upon is just not another one of those numerous constants in theoretical science. We have seen that all fundamental aspects of Nature, be it principles or entities, are symmetric. There is striking resemblance between the molecular structure at micro level and solar systems at macro level. Natural laws of fundamental nature are equally applicable at all levels of existence. I wonder whether Avagadro was postulating such a fundamental natural law when he was trying to explain a simpler chemical problem. Avagadro, quite unknowingly, might have unravelled one of most important secrets of nature when he accidentally provided a theory for a very limited purpose. It is very much possible that the “divine constant” of 6x10*23 also pertains to a ‘higher’ truth, like the total number of living beings (souls) at any given time in this whole universe. As in the case of other elements, the constant may be denoting the number of units in the case of souls. The continuous extinction of species and evolution of new ones offers enough clue about the existence of an overall constant. As mankind increases in number so are the other species becoming extinct. Mother Nature maintains the constancy of souls by invoking natural forces at its disposal to limit the overall count to the divine constant.
Presently we have 6x10*9 human beings in this world and further drastic increase seems highly unlikely given the fact that every 6 seconds someone somewhere is getting infected with HIV. If the divine constant is true, we can have a trillion each of a total of 600 billion more living species apart from human beings. Even if Avagadro number is not exactly the divine constant we are looking for, we are for sure somewhere near it.
ULCER AND CANCER
Ulcer and cancer are highly undesirable conditions that can manifest on any human body. But the peculiar nature and treatment of these two diseases can provoke interesting thoughts in anyone’s mind. In fact, the terms –cancer and ulcer- can conjure up many ideas to many people in many fields. More than mere physical conditions that can harm our body or even kill us, their distinct characteristics are highly representative of a wide variety of disorders in other fields as well. Something being cancerous or ulcerous explains quite a lot about it. This is equally true whether one is talking about an ideology or person or organisation or issue. Let us take the two terms out of the realm of doctors for an interesting study. Since we are outside the field of medicine, a little bit of imagination is also allowable in the usage of these terms.
Cancer represents a malignant growth caused by uncontrolled cell division and it can spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic or blood streams. And an ulcer is a circumscribed inflammatory and suppurating lesion on the skin resulting in necrosis of tissue. In simpler terms, cancer is caused by the uncontrolled multiplication of cells by themselves and ulcer is something that results from an unwelcome external intervention. While both result in discomfort for the victim, the progress and end results can be quite different. Both are caused by external agents and both are undesirable as far as the victim is concerned. On a broader perspective, the victim can be a family, society, nation or even humanity as such. And the external factor that initiates a cancerous or ulcerous growth can be an ideology or organisation. It may be noted that the cells that become cancerous or ulcerous are those present in the host’s body itself and not brought in from outside. Only the influence or reason has come from outside. But once a substantial number have turned cancerous or ulcerous, there is absolute disaster that awaits the victim. The progress to discomfort is much faster in the case of ulcer than cancer and there are cases where repeated ulcers at the same location can lead to fatal cancer.
Ulcer and cancer have more striking differences than similarities. Ulcers are ugly, localised and easily noticeable. Quite in contrast, cancer usually escapes notice for a long time and it is something that shakes the entire edifice of the victim. Years ago, some Indian doctors had concluded that cancer has a ‘herdity’ factor attached to it. People of a particular herd fall easy prey to cancer and individuals in a herd get drawn into cancer by the ‘herdity’ factor. Ulcer develops only in a location that has been hurt but cancer can manifest on any location. And ulcer does not usually spread to other locations but cancer can spread unnoticed and eventually tie-down the victim in a fatal grip. The secondary attacks of cancer on the vital organs always take the victim’s life and it is often the sad price for neglect or complacency.
There is also a lot to be learned from the way the two maladies are treated. In comparison, ulcers are much easier to treat and cure the victim. The best option for treatment of ulcers is clean surgery and removal of the undesirable parts. Ulcers may look ugly but the surgical method of removing them leaves a healthier body and makes the life of what remains much happier. In contrast a cancerous attack would leave the victim half dead if not full. Surgery for a cancer victim is only a part solution. Spread of the disease is so silent, systematic and strong that nothing short of full fledged radiation can save the victim. The collateral damages due to such a treatment can turn out to be more damaging than delivering. The best solution available to potential victims of ulcerous and cancerous ideologies is prevention. If you are wounded by an external force, the first thing to do is to clean it up. If proper care is taken at that stage the wound will neither turn ulcerous nor cancerous. But if it is left unattended or allowed to aggravate, the consequences can be much damaging. Ulcerous tendencies operate more openly and it is easier to recognise them. They are not much resourceful and can be easily tackled by shear physical force especially in the beginning. A quick and forceful wash at the very beginning by a good antiseptic can kill all the ulcerous tendencies that may be eyeing a fresh wound. But one has to be much more careful to avoid the cancerous tendencies. They are tactful, treacherous, silent and sophisticated.
Ideologies that influence our individuals and society operate on similar lines. There are ideologies that are ulcerous which takes out a part of our mind. Unchecked growth of such ideologies often ends up in surgical separation of the ulcerous part. But the cancerous ideologies that spread in organised but silent ways can cause internal damage, weaken and eventually destroy the whole society. The sheer diversity of our Indian nation is giving easy refuge to many such ulcerous and cancerous ideologies. One can easily notice cancer cells spreading on almost all the vital organs of our democracy through the loopholes of electoral politics and disaster is not far away if we are not vigilant.
Cancer represents a malignant growth caused by uncontrolled cell division and it can spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic or blood streams. And an ulcer is a circumscribed inflammatory and suppurating lesion on the skin resulting in necrosis of tissue. In simpler terms, cancer is caused by the uncontrolled multiplication of cells by themselves and ulcer is something that results from an unwelcome external intervention. While both result in discomfort for the victim, the progress and end results can be quite different. Both are caused by external agents and both are undesirable as far as the victim is concerned. On a broader perspective, the victim can be a family, society, nation or even humanity as such. And the external factor that initiates a cancerous or ulcerous growth can be an ideology or organisation. It may be noted that the cells that become cancerous or ulcerous are those present in the host’s body itself and not brought in from outside. Only the influence or reason has come from outside. But once a substantial number have turned cancerous or ulcerous, there is absolute disaster that awaits the victim. The progress to discomfort is much faster in the case of ulcer than cancer and there are cases where repeated ulcers at the same location can lead to fatal cancer.
Ulcer and cancer have more striking differences than similarities. Ulcers are ugly, localised and easily noticeable. Quite in contrast, cancer usually escapes notice for a long time and it is something that shakes the entire edifice of the victim. Years ago, some Indian doctors had concluded that cancer has a ‘herdity’ factor attached to it. People of a particular herd fall easy prey to cancer and individuals in a herd get drawn into cancer by the ‘herdity’ factor. Ulcer develops only in a location that has been hurt but cancer can manifest on any location. And ulcer does not usually spread to other locations but cancer can spread unnoticed and eventually tie-down the victim in a fatal grip. The secondary attacks of cancer on the vital organs always take the victim’s life and it is often the sad price for neglect or complacency.
There is also a lot to be learned from the way the two maladies are treated. In comparison, ulcers are much easier to treat and cure the victim. The best option for treatment of ulcers is clean surgery and removal of the undesirable parts. Ulcers may look ugly but the surgical method of removing them leaves a healthier body and makes the life of what remains much happier. In contrast a cancerous attack would leave the victim half dead if not full. Surgery for a cancer victim is only a part solution. Spread of the disease is so silent, systematic and strong that nothing short of full fledged radiation can save the victim. The collateral damages due to such a treatment can turn out to be more damaging than delivering. The best solution available to potential victims of ulcerous and cancerous ideologies is prevention. If you are wounded by an external force, the first thing to do is to clean it up. If proper care is taken at that stage the wound will neither turn ulcerous nor cancerous. But if it is left unattended or allowed to aggravate, the consequences can be much damaging. Ulcerous tendencies operate more openly and it is easier to recognise them. They are not much resourceful and can be easily tackled by shear physical force especially in the beginning. A quick and forceful wash at the very beginning by a good antiseptic can kill all the ulcerous tendencies that may be eyeing a fresh wound. But one has to be much more careful to avoid the cancerous tendencies. They are tactful, treacherous, silent and sophisticated.
Ideologies that influence our individuals and society operate on similar lines. There are ideologies that are ulcerous which takes out a part of our mind. Unchecked growth of such ideologies often ends up in surgical separation of the ulcerous part. But the cancerous ideologies that spread in organised but silent ways can cause internal damage, weaken and eventually destroy the whole society. The sheer diversity of our Indian nation is giving easy refuge to many such ulcerous and cancerous ideologies. One can easily notice cancer cells spreading on almost all the vital organs of our democracy through the loopholes of electoral politics and disaster is not far away if we are not vigilant.
SILENCE OF BHEESHMAS
Our epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, have the unique quality of being relevant at all times and all scales. There are Rams, Ravans, Krishnas, Arjuns, Duryodhans, Yudhishtirs, Bhishmas etc., in every society and inside every individual. We see striking resemblance of these characters in our society every day and when we are alone we can recollect these characters in our own actions and thoughts. Nature is symmetric & cyclic in all its manifestations and it is no wonder that Valmiki and Vyasa could bring out this feature in our epics as well so beautifully. Such was the calibre of our ancient rishis that they could even define values of eternal relevance and develop an eternal way of life called Sanathana Dharma. This unique contribution of India has stood the test of time and it is bound to emerge stronger in the current Century of Knowledge.
However, conditions are not helpful in the immediate future and the turn of events in contemporary India is fast developing into a re-enactment of Mahabharata. Almost all the state institutions in India have been hijacked by vested interests and their efficacy & efficiency have deteriorated. The situation is far worse in the case of individuals. There are parts of India that are with the nation only on a map and there a growing number of citizens who have only the passport. Descendents of Hitler & Mussolini are capturing power in various parts of the world and regrouping to target Indian nation once again. Unprincipled and unholy alliances to capture power are the rule of the day. Government without authority and parliament without debate are the visible symbols of India today. Yet we are far better than a situation in which one of the ‘ruling’ princes could attempt to strip an ‘opposition’ queen right inside the ‘parliament’ in front of all the elders. It is worthwhile taking a closer look at the days and events that led to that epic war about 5000 years ago.
Opinions can vary, but for me the four important factors that ultimately led to the war at Kurushetra are:-
• Arrogance of Duryodhan
• Vengeance of Draupadi
• Blind Love of Dritharashtra
• Silence of Bheeshma
Duryodhan was a spoiled brat who misunderstood the world and misjudged his strength. His arrogance led him from one mistake to another though history gave him many opportunities to correct himself. We have more number of Duryodhans in contemporary India and every ‘sonrise’ in every political party is increasing the tally. Meritocracy has given way to Family Democracy in the whole of South Asia and the number of Duryodhans is bound to go up in such a scenario. More the number of blind Dritharashtras, more would be the number of arrogant Duryodhans. And together they would hasten their own destruction in any war of Dharma. Whenever and wherever Duryodhans abound, the plight of Draupadis will be miserable. And for each and every Drapaudi that is stripped, there will be hundreds of warriors willing to pick up the sword to fight for her honour. Such is the inherent strength of womanhood that nations have vanished in front of her tears.
But the most outstanding reason that led to the epic war was the silence of Bheeshma at all important occasions and I am afraid history is repeating today. While the original Bheeshma was silenced by his bounden oath, the contemporary ones are doing it for peanuts or out of fear. Our current Bheeshmas are keeping quiet when electoral mandates are made meaningless by opponents coming to power on the basis of post-election understanding to loot the nation. They are keeping quiet when marginal parties not in the government dictate government policies by pressure tactics. They are keeping quiet when Indian citizens vote for electing the head of another sovereign nation in the full glare of media attention. They are keeping quiet when guardians of a secular nation declare several days of state mourning on the death of a foreign religious head and ignore the demise of a revered Indian religious head a few days later. They are keeping quiet when the ‘unelected’ rulers are planning to destroy our 1.7 million year old heritage (Rama’s bridge) under the guise of a useless ocean canal project. And they are keeping quiet when our rulers are even planning to finance our arch enemy’s military for ‘protecting’ a fictitious pipeline. I wonder whether we need anymore indications about the shape of things to come in the near future.
For most Indians, the foremost symbol of confidence and hope is the renowned picture of Arjuna in the Kurushetra battle field led by the all powerful Krishna. Quite in contrast, the worst we can think of is the picture of helpless Bhishma led by a deceitful Shikandi in the same battle field. We can only pray that Indians are not forced to degenerate into accepting the latter as their symbol even if for a brief while.
However, conditions are not helpful in the immediate future and the turn of events in contemporary India is fast developing into a re-enactment of Mahabharata. Almost all the state institutions in India have been hijacked by vested interests and their efficacy & efficiency have deteriorated. The situation is far worse in the case of individuals. There are parts of India that are with the nation only on a map and there a growing number of citizens who have only the passport. Descendents of Hitler & Mussolini are capturing power in various parts of the world and regrouping to target Indian nation once again. Unprincipled and unholy alliances to capture power are the rule of the day. Government without authority and parliament without debate are the visible symbols of India today. Yet we are far better than a situation in which one of the ‘ruling’ princes could attempt to strip an ‘opposition’ queen right inside the ‘parliament’ in front of all the elders. It is worthwhile taking a closer look at the days and events that led to that epic war about 5000 years ago.
Opinions can vary, but for me the four important factors that ultimately led to the war at Kurushetra are:-
• Arrogance of Duryodhan
• Vengeance of Draupadi
• Blind Love of Dritharashtra
• Silence of Bheeshma
Duryodhan was a spoiled brat who misunderstood the world and misjudged his strength. His arrogance led him from one mistake to another though history gave him many opportunities to correct himself. We have more number of Duryodhans in contemporary India and every ‘sonrise’ in every political party is increasing the tally. Meritocracy has given way to Family Democracy in the whole of South Asia and the number of Duryodhans is bound to go up in such a scenario. More the number of blind Dritharashtras, more would be the number of arrogant Duryodhans. And together they would hasten their own destruction in any war of Dharma. Whenever and wherever Duryodhans abound, the plight of Draupadis will be miserable. And for each and every Drapaudi that is stripped, there will be hundreds of warriors willing to pick up the sword to fight for her honour. Such is the inherent strength of womanhood that nations have vanished in front of her tears.
But the most outstanding reason that led to the epic war was the silence of Bheeshma at all important occasions and I am afraid history is repeating today. While the original Bheeshma was silenced by his bounden oath, the contemporary ones are doing it for peanuts or out of fear. Our current Bheeshmas are keeping quiet when electoral mandates are made meaningless by opponents coming to power on the basis of post-election understanding to loot the nation. They are keeping quiet when marginal parties not in the government dictate government policies by pressure tactics. They are keeping quiet when Indian citizens vote for electing the head of another sovereign nation in the full glare of media attention. They are keeping quiet when guardians of a secular nation declare several days of state mourning on the death of a foreign religious head and ignore the demise of a revered Indian religious head a few days later. They are keeping quiet when the ‘unelected’ rulers are planning to destroy our 1.7 million year old heritage (Rama’s bridge) under the guise of a useless ocean canal project. And they are keeping quiet when our rulers are even planning to finance our arch enemy’s military for ‘protecting’ a fictitious pipeline. I wonder whether we need anymore indications about the shape of things to come in the near future.
For most Indians, the foremost symbol of confidence and hope is the renowned picture of Arjuna in the Kurushetra battle field led by the all powerful Krishna. Quite in contrast, the worst we can think of is the picture of helpless Bhishma led by a deceitful Shikandi in the same battle field. We can only pray that Indians are not forced to degenerate into accepting the latter as their symbol even if for a brief while.
LET’S ALL BECOME BRAHMINS
I am not a Brahmin by caste but I want to become a Brahmin – not the classical variety with a tuft of hair on the head or a couple of threads worn around the body. The intended or actual meaning of Brahmin is one who has knowledge about Brahman, the ultimate and impersonal divine reality of the universe from which all being originates and to which it returns. The very concept of Brahmanism is so noble and attractive that it is time that we decided to keep it above dispute. There have always been deliberate attempts to confuse the concept of Brahmanism with the caste of Brahmins in India. Let us understand the simple fact that all members of the Brahmin caste are NOT Brahmins. Similarly, all Brahmins need not necessarily belong to the Brahmin caste. This is very important especially when we notice the hatred against Brahmin caste that stood out so prominently in the recent events in the south of India.
In India, we have always revered legendary figures like Valmiki, Vyasa, Vidura and Viswamitra who were not born into the Brahmin caste. The fact that these names carry an aura of respect clearly shows that Brahmanism was not a controversial concept in ancient India. It was an elevated status attained only by highly intelligent men through hard work. It became a confusion and controversy only when a particular set of people hijacked the title for their own selfish ends. Even then, we continued to respect the evolved amongst us as Brahmins irrespective of their caste of birth. This is clearly evident in the case of our contemporaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Sree Narayana Guru and scores of others. Even in the present day world, we do the same with many truly great personalities living among us. Thus the cultural strand of accepting the deserving ones as Brahmins is still not dead in India. This is exactly what we have to rekindle in our society for the sake of its growth and glory.
Inequality of human beings by birth is a fact that most of us wish to reject. Man ‘invented’ so many social concepts like socialism, communism, communalism and fascism to alter or subvert the natural hierarchy that exist among us. But all of them failed miserably. It is true that in every society, irrespective of the colour, race or ethnicity, there exists a natural hierarchy in terms of physical strength, intelligence and other capabilities. The original concept of caste system in India is a practical application of this natural phenomenon for the benefit of a society. I do not think there can be any dispute or controversy in this approach adopted by our forefathers. The best among us in terms of positive capabilities must be given due respect. Going by our classics and epics, it is very clear that the original Brahmins were definitely the ones that would command respect in any society. Brahmanism is all about respecting the Brahmins and the real Brahmins are the ones that deserve all the respect of the society. So where is the scope for any controversy and dispute at all?
The current confusion that exists in our society about the caste system and Brahmanism is a direct fall out of the deliberate action by external agencies utilising the grievance of a few non-achievers. For any impartial social scientist, the theory of Karma and castes goes hand in hand as the best ‘justice and reward’ system mankind has ever invented. Being a reward that depends on your deeds, it is clear that your caste cannot be hereditary. It has to be something by design, not by accident. Each one of us will have to struggle and attain a higher position in the hierarchy of castes as we pass on from one life to another. Brahmins are at the apex of caste system and it should be attainable only by a minute few. In a society of a billion, I expect only a few hundreds to be eligible for Brahminhood.
There are at least two ways to bring about uniformity among a set of numbers – either reduce them to the Least Common Multiple or bring them up to the Highest Common Factor. In a society, our objective should be to raise all the members, in both material and spiritual terms, to the highest level ie.Brahmin and not to the lowest level for the sake of achieving uniformity very easily. There are ideologies that thrive on poverty and misery of human beings. Though humanity have experimented, failed and rejected such ideologies that depend so much on bloody revolutions and charity, remnants are still active in Asia and African continents. It is high time that such failed concepts are forgotten forever. In India, we need a LABB (Let’s All Become Brahmins) movement to take our country back to its old status as the light of mankind.
In India, we have always revered legendary figures like Valmiki, Vyasa, Vidura and Viswamitra who were not born into the Brahmin caste. The fact that these names carry an aura of respect clearly shows that Brahmanism was not a controversial concept in ancient India. It was an elevated status attained only by highly intelligent men through hard work. It became a confusion and controversy only when a particular set of people hijacked the title for their own selfish ends. Even then, we continued to respect the evolved amongst us as Brahmins irrespective of their caste of birth. This is clearly evident in the case of our contemporaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Sree Narayana Guru and scores of others. Even in the present day world, we do the same with many truly great personalities living among us. Thus the cultural strand of accepting the deserving ones as Brahmins is still not dead in India. This is exactly what we have to rekindle in our society for the sake of its growth and glory.
Inequality of human beings by birth is a fact that most of us wish to reject. Man ‘invented’ so many social concepts like socialism, communism, communalism and fascism to alter or subvert the natural hierarchy that exist among us. But all of them failed miserably. It is true that in every society, irrespective of the colour, race or ethnicity, there exists a natural hierarchy in terms of physical strength, intelligence and other capabilities. The original concept of caste system in India is a practical application of this natural phenomenon for the benefit of a society. I do not think there can be any dispute or controversy in this approach adopted by our forefathers. The best among us in terms of positive capabilities must be given due respect. Going by our classics and epics, it is very clear that the original Brahmins were definitely the ones that would command respect in any society. Brahmanism is all about respecting the Brahmins and the real Brahmins are the ones that deserve all the respect of the society. So where is the scope for any controversy and dispute at all?
The current confusion that exists in our society about the caste system and Brahmanism is a direct fall out of the deliberate action by external agencies utilising the grievance of a few non-achievers. For any impartial social scientist, the theory of Karma and castes goes hand in hand as the best ‘justice and reward’ system mankind has ever invented. Being a reward that depends on your deeds, it is clear that your caste cannot be hereditary. It has to be something by design, not by accident. Each one of us will have to struggle and attain a higher position in the hierarchy of castes as we pass on from one life to another. Brahmins are at the apex of caste system and it should be attainable only by a minute few. In a society of a billion, I expect only a few hundreds to be eligible for Brahminhood.
There are at least two ways to bring about uniformity among a set of numbers – either reduce them to the Least Common Multiple or bring them up to the Highest Common Factor. In a society, our objective should be to raise all the members, in both material and spiritual terms, to the highest level ie.Brahmin and not to the lowest level for the sake of achieving uniformity very easily. There are ideologies that thrive on poverty and misery of human beings. Though humanity have experimented, failed and rejected such ideologies that depend so much on bloody revolutions and charity, remnants are still active in Asia and African continents. It is high time that such failed concepts are forgotten forever. In India, we need a LABB (Let’s All Become Brahmins) movement to take our country back to its old status as the light of mankind.
HIGHLIGHTS OF HI-FAITH
Gone are the days of meek acceptance and silent suffering. Except the mentally retarded and those who are incapacitated by circumstances, none would spend their entire lifetime without questioning or trying to analyse & understand their faith by birth. Economic development, social empowerment and nationalist movements in Third World countries have rekindled the spirit of rationality in young men and women everywhere. Information (and disinformation) emanating through the electronic media and internet is forcing everyone to be clear about one’s own position regarding faith. To make matters worse or better, the terrific marketing spree unleashed by the organised faith is forcing even the irreligious and agnostic to take up rigid positions in matters of faith. If it is immoral to denigrate another man’s faith, it is suicidal not to know about one’s own.
The world is becoming digital in all respects. Everything needs to be presented in black and white for acceptance. Grey is no more an option in many cases. In olden days, such clarity was required only in scientific matters. But today no one is willing to accept anything that is illogical and insipid. Matters of faith are no exception. People are looking for clear definitions and meanings in all rituals and beliefs. Most of the organised faiths have already documented and systematised their beliefs thanks to the vast official machinery and money power. Unorganised faiths are threatened by the onslaught of ‘faith marketers’ even when the fact remains that being unorganised is the very strength of those unorganised faiths. But the distinguishing pillars of each faith need to be highlighted in this highly competitive field. Each one of us have to list out the USP(Unique Selling Propositions) of our faith to satisfy others and ourselves. Let me attempt one on my own viz. Hinduism (Hi-Faith for me).
All faiths are on firm footing and there are lot of things in common. The difference comes only in the super-structure that is built up to reach the ultimate. There is a big secret behind all that is there in this universe and our faith is the way to crack that secret code. Hypothetically we are building up a structure on the firm ground of reason to reach a certain point in space. The most stable structure is a dome and that is what Hi-Faith is. It can be said that a dome has infinite number of pillars but here we will search for the salient pillars that distinguish it from others. If I am asked to list a minimum number of axiomatic pillars of my faith, I would produce the following five:-
• Ishwar is one and Gods are its manifestations
• There are many ways to realise Ishwar
• There is no hell or heaven
• Rebirths are inevitable based on karma
• Mankind has evolved and not created
The first two in the above list is what makes Hi-Faith the most progressive, accommodative and democratic faith. Unlike other faiths, it declares that there are options available. In a way it exhorts individuals to think, to study and to develop his/her own method to realise the truth. I have always felt that in an ideal world there would be as many faiths as the number of human beings and Hi-Faith provides the blueprint to achieve it. Like in other faiths, Hi-Faith is clear about the uniqueness of the omnipresent and omnipotent power that is Ishwar. But it leaves enough provision for each individual to develop his/her own God based on the particular quality or manifestation of Ishwar that he/she likes most. That is why it seems there is an innumerable count of Gods like Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesh etc., etc. The idol worship is nothing but a logical extension this aspect of Hi-Faith. All of us carry photographs of our beloved ones in our wallet. And an idol of God is nothing but an image of Ishwar to our own liking. It helps us to focus our efforts and thoughts in reaching it.
Another distinguishing feature of Hi-Faith is the absence of concepts like Heaven or Hell. The drama of life is played out only in this universe which we have discovered so far and what is yet to be discovered. If Heaven is where people live in luxury and happiness, we already have it in this world. Same is the case with Hell. Anything blessed (or cursed) with life has to play it out in this universe only and there is no running away from it. Perhaps those humans who are aspiring or preparing for a stint in heaven (or hell) are in fool’s paradise unable to utilise the spark of rationality that exists in all living beings. For any discerning human, there are people around leaving in happiness and peril. And sometimes, these conditions are irrespective of his/her economic or social status is something for the proponents of heaven and hell theory to ponder about. More often it is one’s own making that puts one in hell or heaven in this same universe. While our destiny defines our start (place & time of birth and parents) and end, it is left to the actions of the individual during the lifetime to improve or lose out in the race towards ‘moksha’ – the absolute bliss. No one is born a sinner but those who sin cannot escape punishment. There is no scope for confession and repentance in Hi-Faith, only acceptance of punishment and avoiding further sin.
The most distinguishing feature of Hi-Faith is the belief in rebirths. I would rate it as the best system of rewards and punishments that Man has ever discovered. In this dome of existence, the cycle of rebirths provides repeated opportunities for individuals to climb towards Ishwar at the celestial pole. The surface is slippery and only those with determination & right dogma can aspire to reach the very top and escape the life cycle. Most of us are trapped inside the dome and it takes innumerable lifetimes of good karma to come on the surface of the dome for the final climb. The immediate fallout of this realisation is the irrelevance of fear of death. The physical body is only a vehicle for the imperishable soul and it should not be given any more importance than what it deserves. This explains the practice of burning away our dead bodies, which is also the best method of disposing waste in modern times. Elaborate rituals to remember the dead ones have never been a part of Hi-Faith but it is creeping in thanks to the machinations of the priestly class. In fact, the mass prayers for the forefathers during specific days of the year address only those of our predecessors who could attain ‘moksha’. It is common knowledge in Hi-Faith that only a few of us can achieve that, while most of our souls jump from one birth to another in no time.
And lastly, the most progressive feature of Hi-Faith is its 100% compatibility with Science, especially the most modern variety wherein we reach the conclusion that everything is just Maya and the truth is only one ie. Ishwar. Perhaps Hi-Faith is the only one that explains an evolutionary feature of Man in clear distinction from the creation theory of other faiths. Evolving avatars of Gods and a caste system based on the inborn faculties of men are clear expressions of this evolutionary theory. It is also unambiguous in the belief that Man is just one of the species and a spark of the same Ishwar is there in everything that is alive. In other words, there is no primacy for Man in Hi-Faith and Man has no sacred rights to kill or harm any other form of life. The abiding belief in non-violence and vegetarianism are manifestations of this simple realisation about the meekness of mankind.
The world is becoming digital in all respects. Everything needs to be presented in black and white for acceptance. Grey is no more an option in many cases. In olden days, such clarity was required only in scientific matters. But today no one is willing to accept anything that is illogical and insipid. Matters of faith are no exception. People are looking for clear definitions and meanings in all rituals and beliefs. Most of the organised faiths have already documented and systematised their beliefs thanks to the vast official machinery and money power. Unorganised faiths are threatened by the onslaught of ‘faith marketers’ even when the fact remains that being unorganised is the very strength of those unorganised faiths. But the distinguishing pillars of each faith need to be highlighted in this highly competitive field. Each one of us have to list out the USP(Unique Selling Propositions) of our faith to satisfy others and ourselves. Let me attempt one on my own viz. Hinduism (Hi-Faith for me).
All faiths are on firm footing and there are lot of things in common. The difference comes only in the super-structure that is built up to reach the ultimate. There is a big secret behind all that is there in this universe and our faith is the way to crack that secret code. Hypothetically we are building up a structure on the firm ground of reason to reach a certain point in space. The most stable structure is a dome and that is what Hi-Faith is. It can be said that a dome has infinite number of pillars but here we will search for the salient pillars that distinguish it from others. If I am asked to list a minimum number of axiomatic pillars of my faith, I would produce the following five:-
• Ishwar is one and Gods are its manifestations
• There are many ways to realise Ishwar
• There is no hell or heaven
• Rebirths are inevitable based on karma
• Mankind has evolved and not created
The first two in the above list is what makes Hi-Faith the most progressive, accommodative and democratic faith. Unlike other faiths, it declares that there are options available. In a way it exhorts individuals to think, to study and to develop his/her own method to realise the truth. I have always felt that in an ideal world there would be as many faiths as the number of human beings and Hi-Faith provides the blueprint to achieve it. Like in other faiths, Hi-Faith is clear about the uniqueness of the omnipresent and omnipotent power that is Ishwar. But it leaves enough provision for each individual to develop his/her own God based on the particular quality or manifestation of Ishwar that he/she likes most. That is why it seems there is an innumerable count of Gods like Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesh etc., etc. The idol worship is nothing but a logical extension this aspect of Hi-Faith. All of us carry photographs of our beloved ones in our wallet. And an idol of God is nothing but an image of Ishwar to our own liking. It helps us to focus our efforts and thoughts in reaching it.
Another distinguishing feature of Hi-Faith is the absence of concepts like Heaven or Hell. The drama of life is played out only in this universe which we have discovered so far and what is yet to be discovered. If Heaven is where people live in luxury and happiness, we already have it in this world. Same is the case with Hell. Anything blessed (or cursed) with life has to play it out in this universe only and there is no running away from it. Perhaps those humans who are aspiring or preparing for a stint in heaven (or hell) are in fool’s paradise unable to utilise the spark of rationality that exists in all living beings. For any discerning human, there are people around leaving in happiness and peril. And sometimes, these conditions are irrespective of his/her economic or social status is something for the proponents of heaven and hell theory to ponder about. More often it is one’s own making that puts one in hell or heaven in this same universe. While our destiny defines our start (place & time of birth and parents) and end, it is left to the actions of the individual during the lifetime to improve or lose out in the race towards ‘moksha’ – the absolute bliss. No one is born a sinner but those who sin cannot escape punishment. There is no scope for confession and repentance in Hi-Faith, only acceptance of punishment and avoiding further sin.
The most distinguishing feature of Hi-Faith is the belief in rebirths. I would rate it as the best system of rewards and punishments that Man has ever discovered. In this dome of existence, the cycle of rebirths provides repeated opportunities for individuals to climb towards Ishwar at the celestial pole. The surface is slippery and only those with determination & right dogma can aspire to reach the very top and escape the life cycle. Most of us are trapped inside the dome and it takes innumerable lifetimes of good karma to come on the surface of the dome for the final climb. The immediate fallout of this realisation is the irrelevance of fear of death. The physical body is only a vehicle for the imperishable soul and it should not be given any more importance than what it deserves. This explains the practice of burning away our dead bodies, which is also the best method of disposing waste in modern times. Elaborate rituals to remember the dead ones have never been a part of Hi-Faith but it is creeping in thanks to the machinations of the priestly class. In fact, the mass prayers for the forefathers during specific days of the year address only those of our predecessors who could attain ‘moksha’. It is common knowledge in Hi-Faith that only a few of us can achieve that, while most of our souls jump from one birth to another in no time.
And lastly, the most progressive feature of Hi-Faith is its 100% compatibility with Science, especially the most modern variety wherein we reach the conclusion that everything is just Maya and the truth is only one ie. Ishwar. Perhaps Hi-Faith is the only one that explains an evolutionary feature of Man in clear distinction from the creation theory of other faiths. Evolving avatars of Gods and a caste system based on the inborn faculties of men are clear expressions of this evolutionary theory. It is also unambiguous in the belief that Man is just one of the species and a spark of the same Ishwar is there in everything that is alive. In other words, there is no primacy for Man in Hi-Faith and Man has no sacred rights to kill or harm any other form of life. The abiding belief in non-violence and vegetarianism are manifestations of this simple realisation about the meekness of mankind.
THE GREAT REALISATION
We often hear the saying that one cannot be more knowledgeable than knowing about his or her own limitations. This is true for a community as well. The majority community in Kerala is slowly but clearly waking up to the realisation that they are no more the majority in any sense of the term but have serious limitations to overcome. The Clever and Muscular communities (CC and MC respectively) have beaten the Humbled community (HC) so squarely that the great realisation has come as rude shock to many. In a way it was destined to happen. Most members of HC have been highly complacent about the future and the so-called creamy layer (of HC) was arrogantly unsympathetic to less fortunate brethren within our own fold. Enjoying the sunshine in an entire coastline of our own, we found pleasure when sand was harvested out from under our own feet. And unwilling to respond to our wailing neighbours under assault, we are now finding our few houses trapped in a new unfriendly neighbourhood. We have been sleeping and this slippage to minority status is the price we have already paid. Now that the great realisation has taken place, it is time to think about how it happened and what needs to be done in the short and long term to survive in Kerala as a decent minority.
From Protected to Privileged
1498 AD is a landmark for anyone analysing the decline of HC in Kerala. That was the year when the European sailor Vasco da Gama set foot in Kerala and was received with great warmth by the people and rulers of Kerala. Had he faced an uneasy welcome and unfriendly crowd, the history of Kerala (and India) would have been much different. Many foreign travellers had visited us in the past but Vasco de Gama was of a different stuff. He was a greedy sailor and a very clever one too. Like his ideological successors in Kerala now (the Daddies & Mummies of Kerala), the brilliant businessman in him quickly noticed the virgin land available for a cocktail of religion, business and power. What followed was a well executed drama of deception and betrayal of faith (of the innocent natives and their benevolent rulers). This unabashed display of manipulative manoeuvring has continued all through colonial days and even after independence when our new constitution came into existence.
Indian constitution is one of best in terms of many aspects. The protection given to religious minorities has been enviable and unprecedented. Though HC is avowedly secular, the founding fathers felt it necessary to have adequate protection for the religious minorities in the constitution itself, just in case the majority community turned around at a future time. Perhaps the division of the country on religious lines made it inevitable. But very soon things started going sour with the dirty designs of electoral politics. Protection gave way to special rights which is complete anathema to the concept of a civilised society pursuing socialism and secularism. Sections of society that needed to be protected became the privileged ones in due course. In Kerala, the situation has become so much distorted that almost 75% of all the institutions in education and healthcare sectors are under the control of 25% of people belonging to CC and MC who have successfully (mis)used the special privileges. Business and trade have been monopolised to more than 80% in favour of certain communities. In the present day Kerala society, social justice and equality are non-existent. Those who look to left for social justice may well remember that the present situation has arisen in Kerala in spite of (or because of) a strong presence of communist forces in the state.
Multiplying Tricks
Coupled with successful distortion of the constitutional provisions for protection to mean special rights, the clever communities have pushed their hidden agenda so brilliantly in the fields of harvesting souls and accelerating the multiplication of harvested souls. Along with organised harvest and migration, the accidental ‘third child’ was a well thought plan to push up the population without being noticed. The rigid pro-life stance of the institution provided a convenient cover for the community members to procreate and beat the competition. Another strategy was annexing lands using settlers in Malabar and Wayanad. Far off lands were conquered by carefully organised migration aided and abetted by those in power under the guise of encouragement for cultivation in barren lands. Encroachment and encroachers were encouraged so much that many successful politicians and political parties owe their existence only to the migrant encroachers. What nature and original owners of the land lost in terms of forest cover and natural wealth was cornered off as private properties by the clever men and their communities. The extent of encroachment is exposed in the visual media year after year during the natural calamities in the form of landslides in the hilly tracts of Western Ghats.
For those who believe that everyone is fair or at least fairer in the twenty first century, the ‘hallabulla’ that followed the tsunamis in our coastal belts was an eye-opener. Hundreds of foreign and Indian NGOs queued up to offer relief and rehabilitation. The sole intention of many of them was the potential scope for harvesting souls. It is this never ending hunger for harvest that is disgusting to many in the civilised world. But the game of marketing religion still pays in the third world and that is why disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and floods bring smile to the face of some ace religious marketers from the west. Some representatives of God in earth still believe that quantity (not quality) of believers counts when their own case comes up for consideration for a place in heaven. What happens to the converted souls is hardly of any importance to them. They are interested only in harvesting by any means and in getting the harvested ones to multiply exponentially.
Strategy for Survival
Survival of the fittest is a natural phenomenon. Only those individuals and communities that can adapt to changing times can survive. The most important pre-requisite for adaptation is the realisation about threats and opportunities. We have made great progress in this regard. During the past ten centuries Indians have realised many things, being at the receiving end of a series of military and ideological attacks. We now realise the simple fact that threats for Indian nation are not solely from the ‘failed state’ or the ‘confused state’ in our neighbourhoods. Bigger ideological threats are emanating from one of the tiniest nations thousands of kilometres away. The missionary missiles targeted at our nation have force multiplier effects with their local variants. Confused communists are fuelling the missiles for their own reasons. It might seem that communism and missionaries are strange bed fellows. But the simple fact that they complement each other in many of their objectives makes them comrades in arms. For both forces, a completely disorganised and disoriented majority community is the best bet for their foreign ideologies to flourish. But they are heavily mistaken when they are facing an enlightened community of few but firm adherents.
The ultimate weapon of defence is offence. It is indeed the last option. But when it becomes inevitable, the war has to be taken to enemy’s camp. That is what Lord Krishna has explained so convincingly in Gita. In our context, the war is regarding harvest of souls. Government after government have failed to legislate on this vital matter concerning even the security and integrity of Indian nation. Leaders who won the elections on a secular mandate have failed the people much more than the pseudo-secularists. The proponents of organised harvest of souls in India must be made to realise the ultimate truth in all natural processes – that reverse osmosis is equally possible as osmosis. It will not take much time and effort to convince those who have been harvested on the false promise of equality to return home. The only thing that needs to be done is to put our own house in order. The ultimate success always lies with those who respect and worship Mother Nature because nothing unnatural can survive in nature.
From Protected to Privileged
1498 AD is a landmark for anyone analysing the decline of HC in Kerala. That was the year when the European sailor Vasco da Gama set foot in Kerala and was received with great warmth by the people and rulers of Kerala. Had he faced an uneasy welcome and unfriendly crowd, the history of Kerala (and India) would have been much different. Many foreign travellers had visited us in the past but Vasco de Gama was of a different stuff. He was a greedy sailor and a very clever one too. Like his ideological successors in Kerala now (the Daddies & Mummies of Kerala), the brilliant businessman in him quickly noticed the virgin land available for a cocktail of religion, business and power. What followed was a well executed drama of deception and betrayal of faith (of the innocent natives and their benevolent rulers). This unabashed display of manipulative manoeuvring has continued all through colonial days and even after independence when our new constitution came into existence.
Indian constitution is one of best in terms of many aspects. The protection given to religious minorities has been enviable and unprecedented. Though HC is avowedly secular, the founding fathers felt it necessary to have adequate protection for the religious minorities in the constitution itself, just in case the majority community turned around at a future time. Perhaps the division of the country on religious lines made it inevitable. But very soon things started going sour with the dirty designs of electoral politics. Protection gave way to special rights which is complete anathema to the concept of a civilised society pursuing socialism and secularism. Sections of society that needed to be protected became the privileged ones in due course. In Kerala, the situation has become so much distorted that almost 75% of all the institutions in education and healthcare sectors are under the control of 25% of people belonging to CC and MC who have successfully (mis)used the special privileges. Business and trade have been monopolised to more than 80% in favour of certain communities. In the present day Kerala society, social justice and equality are non-existent. Those who look to left for social justice may well remember that the present situation has arisen in Kerala in spite of (or because of) a strong presence of communist forces in the state.
Multiplying Tricks
Coupled with successful distortion of the constitutional provisions for protection to mean special rights, the clever communities have pushed their hidden agenda so brilliantly in the fields of harvesting souls and accelerating the multiplication of harvested souls. Along with organised harvest and migration, the accidental ‘third child’ was a well thought plan to push up the population without being noticed. The rigid pro-life stance of the institution provided a convenient cover for the community members to procreate and beat the competition. Another strategy was annexing lands using settlers in Malabar and Wayanad. Far off lands were conquered by carefully organised migration aided and abetted by those in power under the guise of encouragement for cultivation in barren lands. Encroachment and encroachers were encouraged so much that many successful politicians and political parties owe their existence only to the migrant encroachers. What nature and original owners of the land lost in terms of forest cover and natural wealth was cornered off as private properties by the clever men and their communities. The extent of encroachment is exposed in the visual media year after year during the natural calamities in the form of landslides in the hilly tracts of Western Ghats.
For those who believe that everyone is fair or at least fairer in the twenty first century, the ‘hallabulla’ that followed the tsunamis in our coastal belts was an eye-opener. Hundreds of foreign and Indian NGOs queued up to offer relief and rehabilitation. The sole intention of many of them was the potential scope for harvesting souls. It is this never ending hunger for harvest that is disgusting to many in the civilised world. But the game of marketing religion still pays in the third world and that is why disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and floods bring smile to the face of some ace religious marketers from the west. Some representatives of God in earth still believe that quantity (not quality) of believers counts when their own case comes up for consideration for a place in heaven. What happens to the converted souls is hardly of any importance to them. They are interested only in harvesting by any means and in getting the harvested ones to multiply exponentially.
Strategy for Survival
Survival of the fittest is a natural phenomenon. Only those individuals and communities that can adapt to changing times can survive. The most important pre-requisite for adaptation is the realisation about threats and opportunities. We have made great progress in this regard. During the past ten centuries Indians have realised many things, being at the receiving end of a series of military and ideological attacks. We now realise the simple fact that threats for Indian nation are not solely from the ‘failed state’ or the ‘confused state’ in our neighbourhoods. Bigger ideological threats are emanating from one of the tiniest nations thousands of kilometres away. The missionary missiles targeted at our nation have force multiplier effects with their local variants. Confused communists are fuelling the missiles for their own reasons. It might seem that communism and missionaries are strange bed fellows. But the simple fact that they complement each other in many of their objectives makes them comrades in arms. For both forces, a completely disorganised and disoriented majority community is the best bet for their foreign ideologies to flourish. But they are heavily mistaken when they are facing an enlightened community of few but firm adherents.
The ultimate weapon of defence is offence. It is indeed the last option. But when it becomes inevitable, the war has to be taken to enemy’s camp. That is what Lord Krishna has explained so convincingly in Gita. In our context, the war is regarding harvest of souls. Government after government have failed to legislate on this vital matter concerning even the security and integrity of Indian nation. Leaders who won the elections on a secular mandate have failed the people much more than the pseudo-secularists. The proponents of organised harvest of souls in India must be made to realise the ultimate truth in all natural processes – that reverse osmosis is equally possible as osmosis. It will not take much time and effort to convince those who have been harvested on the false promise of equality to return home. The only thing that needs to be done is to put our own house in order. The ultimate success always lies with those who respect and worship Mother Nature because nothing unnatural can survive in nature.
MOTHER TONGUE-TIE
The very fact that I am writing (and you are reading) this piece in English is proof enough of the tongue-tie most of us (Indians) suffer from, thanks to the flaws in our education system. It has become almost impossible to come across any average educated Indian who can talk for at least a minute in his/her mother tongue without using English words. The condition worsens when we look for such a native among the younger age groups. In fact it is worst in the kindergarten where we are supposed to find the freshest & unspoiled of our nation’s citizens. Generations after generations have fallen easy prey to the Macaulay trap and the damage will be irreversible unless remedial measures are initiated without delay.
There are many who would argue that English is as good an Indian language like any other. And there are others who are willing to give all credit for our growth in IT & Industry for the kind of English education that prevails in our country. The first one is indeed a valid argument in the current circumstances. But the second one is absurd when we have in front of us the Japanese and the Chinese. In the first one too, there is no harm in considering English as just one of the many languages and not some sort of a superior lingua franca.
Language of Missionaries
One of the primary reasons for primacy of English is the concept of English medium schools introduced by the missionaries. English has always been the world-wide medium of the missionaries and propagation of the language was a must for them to train an army of native missionaries. In India, the missionaries came as part of the conquering westerners and they always knew that setting up schools is one of the best baits for attracting local talents. Building schools as part of the place of worship formed the first act of communalising a secular society like India’s. A foreign language like English provided the best medium for premature indoctrination of new converts in Sunday schools. It also provided the psychological superiority for the rulers over the ruled. Speaking English like the English became the ultimate objective of almost all the educated Indians. The ruling British utilised the circumstances to their best advantage by timely introduction of English education through the infamous Macaulay Minutes. But these historical facts can never form the excuse for a formidable nation like India to continue with the system. It is time to forget the British Raj as an unfortunate incident in our family history and erase the unwanted remnants. Throwing out English language from the primary schools will form the first step in that direction. In the age of globalization we can never ignore the importance of a global medium like English. In that respect, English should continue as a language to learn in our schools; but the point to note is that it should begin only after the age of ten. Throughout his/her life, every Indian must be able to think in his/her Mother Tongue and then articulate in whatever language he/she wants. I am afraid most of our children are now being trained to do the other way around, which will keep us psychologically enslaved forever.
Learn From Arabs
Regarding language and culture, we have a lot to learn from the Arabs. As in any other civilisation and culture, Arabs also went through their ups and downs. But whenever they went through the ascent, the emphasis has always been on nourishing the symbols of their culture. In the current phase, which is fuelled by the oil boom, the Arabs have invested heavily in advancement of their language and dress. We can never come across an Arab ruler speaking in any language other than Arabic in any international forum nowadays. Also, they will dress up only in their national (or cultural) attire. Compare this with the Asian leaders who always struggle in their three piece western suits and English language with funny accents. The very sight of an Arab leader in full traditional dress speaking in Arabic at the United Nations is definitely more appealing than our own. In this age of visual media, sight and sound plays a very important role in development of our young citizens. Any Indian child who grows up seeing & hearing his/her leaders struggling with foreign dress and tongue will only aspire to become a second grade international citizen at best. He/she will always have the inhibition for excellence in front of the original owners of those foreign tongue and dress.
Weak Will
Though Mahatma Gandhi was fluent in English, he made it a point to write, speak and dress in Indian ways. Most of his so called successors failed to understand and carry the political signals he wanted to convey by those simple acts. The situation is far worse today when the first alphabets most Indian children study is that of English. Our political parties have failed miserably in realising this national folly and correct it before it is too late. In Kerala, one of the most literate states in Indian union, there is a near unanimous political consensus on the need to have the primary education compulsorily in Malayalam. One of the strongest advocates for it was the revered communist leader EMS. Many communist and non-communist governments have ruled over Kerala for the past 50 years, yet none of them could bring the necessary legislation to implement this. This inordinate delay will only make matters worse.
Language is the most visible symbol of any culture and it is a shame for a great country like ours continuing to be confused in expression. We have gone wrong in understanding the concept of a ‘national language’ and the continuing opposition of South towards Hindi reveals the misunderstanding. After all we needed only a language for all our national documents and a link language for communication. And Hindi was indeed the best bet available. Perhaps we made a mistake in designating such a language as the national language. We could have designated all our native languages as national languages and avoided the confusion. Now we have Hindi as the link language in India and English as the international link language. Let us recognise it as such and develop all the fifteen odd full languages we have in our country. Let us spend our money to develop our own languages. Let our children think in their mother tongue and translate for a world audience rather than the other way round as of now.
There are many who would argue that English is as good an Indian language like any other. And there are others who are willing to give all credit for our growth in IT & Industry for the kind of English education that prevails in our country. The first one is indeed a valid argument in the current circumstances. But the second one is absurd when we have in front of us the Japanese and the Chinese. In the first one too, there is no harm in considering English as just one of the many languages and not some sort of a superior lingua franca.
Language of Missionaries
One of the primary reasons for primacy of English is the concept of English medium schools introduced by the missionaries. English has always been the world-wide medium of the missionaries and propagation of the language was a must for them to train an army of native missionaries. In India, the missionaries came as part of the conquering westerners and they always knew that setting up schools is one of the best baits for attracting local talents. Building schools as part of the place of worship formed the first act of communalising a secular society like India’s. A foreign language like English provided the best medium for premature indoctrination of new converts in Sunday schools. It also provided the psychological superiority for the rulers over the ruled. Speaking English like the English became the ultimate objective of almost all the educated Indians. The ruling British utilised the circumstances to their best advantage by timely introduction of English education through the infamous Macaulay Minutes. But these historical facts can never form the excuse for a formidable nation like India to continue with the system. It is time to forget the British Raj as an unfortunate incident in our family history and erase the unwanted remnants. Throwing out English language from the primary schools will form the first step in that direction. In the age of globalization we can never ignore the importance of a global medium like English. In that respect, English should continue as a language to learn in our schools; but the point to note is that it should begin only after the age of ten. Throughout his/her life, every Indian must be able to think in his/her Mother Tongue and then articulate in whatever language he/she wants. I am afraid most of our children are now being trained to do the other way around, which will keep us psychologically enslaved forever.
Learn From Arabs
Regarding language and culture, we have a lot to learn from the Arabs. As in any other civilisation and culture, Arabs also went through their ups and downs. But whenever they went through the ascent, the emphasis has always been on nourishing the symbols of their culture. In the current phase, which is fuelled by the oil boom, the Arabs have invested heavily in advancement of their language and dress. We can never come across an Arab ruler speaking in any language other than Arabic in any international forum nowadays. Also, they will dress up only in their national (or cultural) attire. Compare this with the Asian leaders who always struggle in their three piece western suits and English language with funny accents. The very sight of an Arab leader in full traditional dress speaking in Arabic at the United Nations is definitely more appealing than our own. In this age of visual media, sight and sound plays a very important role in development of our young citizens. Any Indian child who grows up seeing & hearing his/her leaders struggling with foreign dress and tongue will only aspire to become a second grade international citizen at best. He/she will always have the inhibition for excellence in front of the original owners of those foreign tongue and dress.
Weak Will
Though Mahatma Gandhi was fluent in English, he made it a point to write, speak and dress in Indian ways. Most of his so called successors failed to understand and carry the political signals he wanted to convey by those simple acts. The situation is far worse today when the first alphabets most Indian children study is that of English. Our political parties have failed miserably in realising this national folly and correct it before it is too late. In Kerala, one of the most literate states in Indian union, there is a near unanimous political consensus on the need to have the primary education compulsorily in Malayalam. One of the strongest advocates for it was the revered communist leader EMS. Many communist and non-communist governments have ruled over Kerala for the past 50 years, yet none of them could bring the necessary legislation to implement this. This inordinate delay will only make matters worse.
Language is the most visible symbol of any culture and it is a shame for a great country like ours continuing to be confused in expression. We have gone wrong in understanding the concept of a ‘national language’ and the continuing opposition of South towards Hindi reveals the misunderstanding. After all we needed only a language for all our national documents and a link language for communication. And Hindi was indeed the best bet available. Perhaps we made a mistake in designating such a language as the national language. We could have designated all our native languages as national languages and avoided the confusion. Now we have Hindi as the link language in India and English as the international link language. Let us recognise it as such and develop all the fifteen odd full languages we have in our country. Let us spend our money to develop our own languages. Let our children think in their mother tongue and translate for a world audience rather than the other way round as of now.
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