One of the major offshoots in USA from the recent shooting incident involving a Muslim Major in an American base is the raging debate on political correctness. If we analyse the incident and the issue involved we will be surprised about the lack of such a debate in India where such terrorist incidents are of far greater dimensions and that too when it has been happening for so many decades now. Except for the last few months, it was becoming far more easy to predict serial bomb blasts in India that kills hundreds of innocent people than making weather predictions. At one point of time many of us even believed that Today’s Terrorist Toll (TTT) will become an integral part of all news bulletins like Exchange Rates and Gold Prices. But Indians have become far more disposed to pain and sufferings than our American brothers thanks to our inclusiveness and the special brand of secularism (aptly termed pseudo-secularism) that we have developed in modern India.
In a democracy, being politically correct is far more important for politicians to attract votes in elections. Each and every politician is important in a democracy and capturing power to rule is the foremost goal of political parties. Each political party has a declared objective, but it is hardly of any use when it comes to electoral battles. Hypocrisy is the hallmark of parties and politicians in any democracy and political correctness is the height of hypocrisy. For example, no Indian politician will dare say candidly that religious conversion is nothing but silent terrorism. He or she knows for sure that electoral victory is lost forever if it is said so. The highly powerful organized religious outfits will ensure that such a honest politician never sees the state assembly or central parliament. Thus political correctness is such a treacherous and harmful attribute that runs in all democracies. To reflect its negative quality more markedly it should have been termed as political ‘corruptness’ rather than political correctness.
Political Corruptness
Most of the politicians and autocratic rulers are ultimately concerned only about their own seats. Getting more support than their equally adharmic competitors, capturing and clinging on to power by any means have become the sole intention of those who come to rule. Irrespective of the size and scale, this is the actual situation in any country where elections are held. They always tend to side with their support available enbloc just like the organized religious minorities in India and America irrespective of whatever misdeeds they indulge in. Be it miniscule groups planting bombs and killing innocents under the name of Jihad or religious poachers attempting subversion by demographic conversions, the rulers always tend to side with them because of the solid support base they can command. Politicians in a democracy always forget the fact that enbloc votes are assured from such groups only because of the lack of democracy within them. But only those who can appear politically correct can be assured of victory in today’s elections, especially in democracies having universal adult franchise.
Anything truly correct must pass the acid test of being fair, just and sustainable. This is exactly what is covered under the term of dharma in Sanatana Dharma. Being dharmic is to be associated only with fair, just and sustainable deeds and words. If we can accept such a correct definition for correctness, the correct stand in politics must always be one in support of dharma. Repeating untruth in order not to offend the few who are always offending us and not taking stands that can nurture the positive elements in a society are definitely not part of dharma or correctness. Politicians who go on to become rulers in a democracy must be siding with dharmic forces if their ultimate intention is betterment of society, nation and the whole world. Unfortunately that is not always the case. The real tragedy in all democracies is that political correctness has become an unavoidable pre-requisite for attaining leadership.
Dharmic Politics
Unquestioned political correctness is the single most reason for the fast degeneration of democracy into a not-so-preferred option for governance. If the essence of democracy is rule according to majority will it must support and nurture the dharmic aspirations of the majority. This should always be the case, irrespective of whether it is to the like or dislike of those in minority. Present day phenomena of majority will always yielding to the more organized unjust demands of those in minority may be political correctness but morally adharmic. Electoral systems in most functioning democracies are failing to come up with ideas to defeat the organized might of those in minority wanting to impose their unreasonable demands. Instead of ensuring a rule according to majority will, democracies have become majority rule according to minority will. Practicing dharma in politics is the only way to bring back the losing legitimacy for democratic governments.
Beauty of dharma lies in its applicability in each and every aspect of our life. If something is dharmic it means it is the best option. In politics too it is the best option to rekindle the spirit of democracy that is inbuilt in every human being. Being dharmic in political activities means the words and deeds are for the betterment of society. Those which are required are sustained and those which are blocking our dharmic progress are to be destroyed. This principle of dharma is equally applicable in the case of concepts and individuals. Kauravas and their organized unjust activities were equally adharmic for the betterment of human society at that time and both were eliminated without any other consideration. It is time for considering the same option in the case of democracy and politics as it is practiced today.
India and USA are considered as the biggest and strongest democracies in the world. No wonder that the tragedy of political correctness has taken its biggest toll in these two countries. If it is difficult in USA to get Congress approval for send more troops to crush Jihadi terrorism, it is far more difficult in India to get any law passed in Indian parliament for a complete ban on religious conversion by coercion or a uniform civil code. Both the issues are destroying the very basis of these secular nations, but the will of the majority is unable to do anything because of the pressure on elected representatives to appear politically correct to those holding minority opinion. A totally wrong notion is preventing the duly elected and authorized setup from doing what it is supposed to do. The only way for genuine democracy to flourish is by arranging a deep burial for the abhorrent concept of political correctness.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
‘Sanatinise’ Hinduism
Ideological, demographical and physical threats to Hinduism and Hindus are increasing on a daily basis in its very land of origin. Sustained use of various novel variants of the divide & rule game adopted by alien powers has taken its toll on Bharatvarsha and Hinduism. There is a well planned strategy at work in moving India nation away from the ideological contours of Bharatvarsha, thus isolating Hinduism (and Hindus) from its fountainhead of Sanatana Dharma. The predators are fully aware of the enormous clout of Sanatana Dharma especially in comparison to their own half-cooked cults. The alien religious ideologies are no match for Sanatana Dharma in a purely intellectual and spiritual plane. For that matter, mankind is yet to discover or invent any other better form of civilized life that can sustain human evolution forward. Indian psyche is so much entrenched in Sanatana Dharma that the only chance of success for alien ideologies in India is by clever manipulation of their routes through the same Dharma. The often repeated theory about Sanatana Dharma is not a religion but a way of life is only a clever ploy to enable this strategy.
Earlier threats to our land came mainly on account of the rapid developments in seafaring techniques of the Europeans. Aggressive missionary work for religious conversion, which always comes in during second phase of colonization, was only to consolidate the rule of the colonial masters. Converting a section of the colonial subjects to think like us and work for our interests is a proven technique of any colonial power. The evil of proselytisation by Christians is still continuing mainly due to weakening of its base in Europe and the fast multiplying sects within Christianity, each new one with a new power centre with unlimited money at their disposal. Islam is fast replacing Christianity in Europe and the new oil rich Gulf nations have begun to smell their turn for colonization. Highly effective techniques of religious conversion through love jihad or fear jihad are nothing but innovative ideas of their popular fronts in the sub-continent. The one and only way for Hinduism (and Hindus) to ward off these evil twins of religious conversion is a renewed attempt to re-sanatanise Hinduism.
Organise & Reform Meaningfully
Organisation and reforms are inevitable for any living system that grows. Hinduism is weakening because it is stagnating and India’s ruling system has managed to block its umbilical link with Sanatana Dharma. The inherent strength of Sanatana Dharma which has successfully withstood the combined might of alien ideologies for over one thousand years is legendary. All that is required by us to confront the latest threats is only to re-channelize our links with Sanatana Dharma. What we have essentially lost in our journey from the Dharma to ism is nothing but a vibrant platform for continuous reforms. Sanatana Dharma was a complete picture of happy components, where as Hinduism today is a hanging picture of disparate components, many of them unhappy. In the critical situation that we are now in, it will not take much coercion for all the components to co-operate for collective survival once again.
Sanatana Dharma does not advocate a rigid organizational hierarchy as others do. In an ever changing world, it is nothing but foolishness to think of a hierarchy for faith and belief. Each living individual must have freedom of thought but we need a border security force to protect the borders of our faith. The role of our divine leaders (which includes living avatars like Mata Amritanandamayi, Sai Baba etc., Swamis, Gurus etc.) comes in here. There must be a Dharma Sabha where these leaders interact and deliberate for common good. A highly visible and transparent setup for propagation of Sanatana Dharma must come up preferably within India. And our religious leaders must be able to talk aloud from this platform without fear and fright of terrorists of any kind. Long standing demands for social reforms within our religion must be deliberated and agreed on this platform. Lack of simple reforms is the only drawback in our completely rational ideology that has no systemic flaws and unnatural practices.
Rejuvenate & Popularise Sanskrit
Language is the most formidable weapon in the ideological arsenal and we have seen this several times in human history. In today’s world we find the best example of this in Arab lands. The colonizers in waiting are spending billions of money in propagation of their language. They are fully aware of the future returns from this investment when their army marches into foreign lands. It will not only make their communication easier but will keep other speakers of their language perpetually on the lower grades. This is where our immediate forefathers have erred. Just like Sanatana Dharma being the only complete religious ideology, Sanskrit is the most comprehensive language of all times. Yet we decided to keep it aside and agreed to put our own Dharma on ventilator. Reintroduction of Sanskrit as the first language is the first step in our return to glory.
Wealth of Sanskrit language and literature cannot be measured on any scale. If we want to make Sanskrit a popular language once again the best way is to churn out and serve the best literary works to the common man. Vedas and Upanishads will naturally feed the rejuvenated population for generations to come. Sanskrit is also recognized as one of the most structured and hence most suited for computing devices. If the right incentives are provided, I have no doubt that the Hindu ingenuity will work wonders in this field. Sanskrit will become the most popular language for computers and humans in no time. It will then be no surprise if even robots would prefer to talk in Sanskrit in a futuristic world. And who can underestimate the enormous potential of Yoga, Ayurveda, Astrology, Vaastu, Vedic Mathematics, Mantraas and Yagnas in a world where other faiths have only fundamentalism and terrorism to offer.
Sanatana Dharma possesses all the necessary ingredients for the best alternative for entire mankind. The Dharma possesses everything that is lacking in all other religious ideologies. It has the unique capability and capacity to contain all Indians and Indian religions. The only foolproof way to revitalize Hinduism and prevent its collapse in its sole remaining stronghold is to ‘sanatanise’ it once again. Promote and provoke all Hindu organizations to recognize the alien religious storm that is encircling India in the form of Jihadi Islam and Pentecostal proselytisation. We can survive the storm and even turn the tables on them only if get ready with the impenetrable shields of Sanatana Dharma. And if we can push it further with creative imagination it might be even possible to retrieve the entire lands from malignant cults built on myths about false Gods.
Earlier threats to our land came mainly on account of the rapid developments in seafaring techniques of the Europeans. Aggressive missionary work for religious conversion, which always comes in during second phase of colonization, was only to consolidate the rule of the colonial masters. Converting a section of the colonial subjects to think like us and work for our interests is a proven technique of any colonial power. The evil of proselytisation by Christians is still continuing mainly due to weakening of its base in Europe and the fast multiplying sects within Christianity, each new one with a new power centre with unlimited money at their disposal. Islam is fast replacing Christianity in Europe and the new oil rich Gulf nations have begun to smell their turn for colonization. Highly effective techniques of religious conversion through love jihad or fear jihad are nothing but innovative ideas of their popular fronts in the sub-continent. The one and only way for Hinduism (and Hindus) to ward off these evil twins of religious conversion is a renewed attempt to re-sanatanise Hinduism.
Organise & Reform Meaningfully
Organisation and reforms are inevitable for any living system that grows. Hinduism is weakening because it is stagnating and India’s ruling system has managed to block its umbilical link with Sanatana Dharma. The inherent strength of Sanatana Dharma which has successfully withstood the combined might of alien ideologies for over one thousand years is legendary. All that is required by us to confront the latest threats is only to re-channelize our links with Sanatana Dharma. What we have essentially lost in our journey from the Dharma to ism is nothing but a vibrant platform for continuous reforms. Sanatana Dharma was a complete picture of happy components, where as Hinduism today is a hanging picture of disparate components, many of them unhappy. In the critical situation that we are now in, it will not take much coercion for all the components to co-operate for collective survival once again.
Sanatana Dharma does not advocate a rigid organizational hierarchy as others do. In an ever changing world, it is nothing but foolishness to think of a hierarchy for faith and belief. Each living individual must have freedom of thought but we need a border security force to protect the borders of our faith. The role of our divine leaders (which includes living avatars like Mata Amritanandamayi, Sai Baba etc., Swamis, Gurus etc.) comes in here. There must be a Dharma Sabha where these leaders interact and deliberate for common good. A highly visible and transparent setup for propagation of Sanatana Dharma must come up preferably within India. And our religious leaders must be able to talk aloud from this platform without fear and fright of terrorists of any kind. Long standing demands for social reforms within our religion must be deliberated and agreed on this platform. Lack of simple reforms is the only drawback in our completely rational ideology that has no systemic flaws and unnatural practices.
Rejuvenate & Popularise Sanskrit
Language is the most formidable weapon in the ideological arsenal and we have seen this several times in human history. In today’s world we find the best example of this in Arab lands. The colonizers in waiting are spending billions of money in propagation of their language. They are fully aware of the future returns from this investment when their army marches into foreign lands. It will not only make their communication easier but will keep other speakers of their language perpetually on the lower grades. This is where our immediate forefathers have erred. Just like Sanatana Dharma being the only complete religious ideology, Sanskrit is the most comprehensive language of all times. Yet we decided to keep it aside and agreed to put our own Dharma on ventilator. Reintroduction of Sanskrit as the first language is the first step in our return to glory.
Wealth of Sanskrit language and literature cannot be measured on any scale. If we want to make Sanskrit a popular language once again the best way is to churn out and serve the best literary works to the common man. Vedas and Upanishads will naturally feed the rejuvenated population for generations to come. Sanskrit is also recognized as one of the most structured and hence most suited for computing devices. If the right incentives are provided, I have no doubt that the Hindu ingenuity will work wonders in this field. Sanskrit will become the most popular language for computers and humans in no time. It will then be no surprise if even robots would prefer to talk in Sanskrit in a futuristic world. And who can underestimate the enormous potential of Yoga, Ayurveda, Astrology, Vaastu, Vedic Mathematics, Mantraas and Yagnas in a world where other faiths have only fundamentalism and terrorism to offer.
Sanatana Dharma possesses all the necessary ingredients for the best alternative for entire mankind. The Dharma possesses everything that is lacking in all other religious ideologies. It has the unique capability and capacity to contain all Indians and Indian religions. The only foolproof way to revitalize Hinduism and prevent its collapse in its sole remaining stronghold is to ‘sanatanise’ it once again. Promote and provoke all Hindu organizations to recognize the alien religious storm that is encircling India in the form of Jihadi Islam and Pentecostal proselytisation. We can survive the storm and even turn the tables on them only if get ready with the impenetrable shields of Sanatana Dharma. And if we can push it further with creative imagination it might be even possible to retrieve the entire lands from malignant cults built on myths about false Gods.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Identity for True Indians
Unique Historical Opportunities (UHO) thrown up during the lifetime of individuals and nations can matter a lot. Indian nation, which has been stagnating with the miserable tag of a ‘developing nation’ for the past six decades, is a best case study for missed opportunities. In the past one hundred years, India passed through at least a dozen UHOs’ when a different decision by those in power then would have made us citizens of a developed nation by now. The whistle blows from visionaries like Arabindo, Rajaji and Ambedkar were ignored by leaders like Nehru to the detriment of our national aspirations and development. The only decision that brought us relief during the period was the historical blunder of an arch communist like Jyoti Basu in opting out as the Prime Minister of India. We would have been in a complete mess by now if that blunder was not made.
For India, the pinnacle of missed UHOs’ in recent history was during the period 1945 to 1950. When the unnatural division of Bharat was forced on religious lines by the Muslim League and the British, surgery of the nation could have been carried out in a much cleaner manner. None of those who were involved then would have objected to a more logical, legitimate and reasonable arrangement for the majority in India. The half-hearted, unreasonable and highly idealistic constitutional arrangement that is India today is making life miserable for the majority in many parts of India. Jihad and religious conversion in many forms have already made grave inroads into the essence of Indian nation. But potential instruments for salvage can present itself in many forms and the current attempts for Unique Identity Numbering (UINING for short) of all Indian citizens is one such UHO for the majority in India. All that is required is a proper numbering system that will capture and record the entire truth.
To start with, a ten digit alpha-numeric coding system can go a long way in protecting the interests of all Indian citizens, especially those of the majority who is currently at the receiving end of all government policies. A broad pattern for such a coding system can be as follows:-
1st digit - Must be “I” that can stand for “Identity” as well as “Indian”
2nd digit - Born in India or outside
3rd digit - Must be a religious one at birth – eg. “H” for Hindus, “M” for Muslims, “C” for Christians etc., which denotes the religion of parents (mother’s if it is different from father’s because mothers should have the first right over any children)
4th digit - Whether SC / ST
5th digit - Can be an alpha code referring to the mother tongue
6th digit - Invalid or normal by birth
7th digit - Blood group
8th digit - Biometric parameter
9th digit - Biometric parameter
10th digit - Biometric parameter
Since all the basic parameters of an Indian at his or her birth are captured in these 10 digits, he or she will be entitled to all his or her benefits under the various provisions of our constitution by the ID number alone. All that remains to be monitored for this purpose is the economic prosperity of the individual which can vary during his or her lifetime. In any case, all citizens irrespective of their religion and caste, who are economically deprived, must be supported by the state till they climb above the poverty line. UIN must not record the transient states of citizens but only those parameters that form part of their permanent identity. And once UINING of the current population is over, it must be made mandatory for all Indians to get such a number as soon as their birth is registered in the local body as per existing laws of the country.
In this whole exercise, the salvaging part for the majority community lies in the 3rd digit. Once an Indian citizen obtains a UIN, which also records his or her religion at birth, it will make the whole process of religious conversion and obtaining another UIN transparent and open. Current practices of religious conversion by dubious means and creation of a silent majority of “cryptos” will be rendered difficult for the schemers of such crimes against Indian nation. Millions of cross-dollars and petro-dollars being pumped into India every year by the competing organized religious orders, each for creation of their own versions of paradise for the poor and hapless Indians, will stand exposed in the process of obtaining new UIN for those who are converted. We will also remain aware and vigilant about the number of UINs being changed every year on account of religious conversions in the country.
Once it has been decided to have a database covering all Indians, it is definitely possible to maintain and make available online the ratio of H:M:C on 24x7 basis. This demographic ratio is of vital importance to the every existence of Indian nation. Our false beliefs about and skewed practice of secularism must not make us blind about the catastrophe that is waiting for India once the H:M:C ratio is altered in line with what happened in our neighboring nations. India will no more be India if the combined might of foreignness outweighs our own “Indianness”. With an almost confirmed Islamic Europe by 2050 and aggressive evangelization from US based missionaries there is very little left for hope or imagination. We might have missed many UHOs in the past, but the UHO in UINING can be missed only at our peril.
For India, the pinnacle of missed UHOs’ in recent history was during the period 1945 to 1950. When the unnatural division of Bharat was forced on religious lines by the Muslim League and the British, surgery of the nation could have been carried out in a much cleaner manner. None of those who were involved then would have objected to a more logical, legitimate and reasonable arrangement for the majority in India. The half-hearted, unreasonable and highly idealistic constitutional arrangement that is India today is making life miserable for the majority in many parts of India. Jihad and religious conversion in many forms have already made grave inroads into the essence of Indian nation. But potential instruments for salvage can present itself in many forms and the current attempts for Unique Identity Numbering (UINING for short) of all Indian citizens is one such UHO for the majority in India. All that is required is a proper numbering system that will capture and record the entire truth.
To start with, a ten digit alpha-numeric coding system can go a long way in protecting the interests of all Indian citizens, especially those of the majority who is currently at the receiving end of all government policies. A broad pattern for such a coding system can be as follows:-
1st digit - Must be “I” that can stand for “Identity” as well as “Indian”
2nd digit - Born in India or outside
3rd digit - Must be a religious one at birth – eg. “H” for Hindus, “M” for Muslims, “C” for Christians etc., which denotes the religion of parents (mother’s if it is different from father’s because mothers should have the first right over any children)
4th digit - Whether SC / ST
5th digit - Can be an alpha code referring to the mother tongue
6th digit - Invalid or normal by birth
7th digit - Blood group
8th digit - Biometric parameter
9th digit - Biometric parameter
10th digit - Biometric parameter
Since all the basic parameters of an Indian at his or her birth are captured in these 10 digits, he or she will be entitled to all his or her benefits under the various provisions of our constitution by the ID number alone. All that remains to be monitored for this purpose is the economic prosperity of the individual which can vary during his or her lifetime. In any case, all citizens irrespective of their religion and caste, who are economically deprived, must be supported by the state till they climb above the poverty line. UIN must not record the transient states of citizens but only those parameters that form part of their permanent identity. And once UINING of the current population is over, it must be made mandatory for all Indians to get such a number as soon as their birth is registered in the local body as per existing laws of the country.
In this whole exercise, the salvaging part for the majority community lies in the 3rd digit. Once an Indian citizen obtains a UIN, which also records his or her religion at birth, it will make the whole process of religious conversion and obtaining another UIN transparent and open. Current practices of religious conversion by dubious means and creation of a silent majority of “cryptos” will be rendered difficult for the schemers of such crimes against Indian nation. Millions of cross-dollars and petro-dollars being pumped into India every year by the competing organized religious orders, each for creation of their own versions of paradise for the poor and hapless Indians, will stand exposed in the process of obtaining new UIN for those who are converted. We will also remain aware and vigilant about the number of UINs being changed every year on account of religious conversions in the country.
Once it has been decided to have a database covering all Indians, it is definitely possible to maintain and make available online the ratio of H:M:C on 24x7 basis. This demographic ratio is of vital importance to the every existence of Indian nation. Our false beliefs about and skewed practice of secularism must not make us blind about the catastrophe that is waiting for India once the H:M:C ratio is altered in line with what happened in our neighboring nations. India will no more be India if the combined might of foreignness outweighs our own “Indianness”. With an almost confirmed Islamic Europe by 2050 and aggressive evangelization from US based missionaries there is very little left for hope or imagination. We might have missed many UHOs in the past, but the UHO in UINING can be missed only at our peril.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Right Indians
Right Indians constitute a formidable majority in India, yet our Right parties have failed miserably in their electoral tactics. Little do they realize the simple fact that a country with more than 10,000 years of uninterrupted civilization can only be Right in its thinking. Starting from the Slave Dynasty around 1000 AD till the time the British were kicked out in 1947 AD, innumerable efforts have been launched to break the Rightness of India during the intervening 1000 years. It has been an international effort of unprecedented dimensions involving almost all shades of isms from outside of India. Their efforts have been highly successful in plundering the material wealth of India. From a share of about 40% of the world’s GDP the thousand-years-plunder reduced India to less than 1%. It is no exaggeration to say that more than 50% of the material wealth in current Europe rightfully belongs to India. But the successive onslaught of all foreign isms has failed completely in their attempts to break the Right mind of India.
It is necessary to differentiate between Right and Left in this context. The Right stands for tradition, values, nationalism, progressive reforms to correct the wrongs in society and all that is now known as Hindutva and Dharma. And the Left denotes rejection of our traditional values, mindless internationalism, revolution and support for complete destruction of our society structures. The perverted version of secularism practiced in India now (which dictates equal respect for all religions but special status for the followers of some) and several versions of anti-national forces are nothing but tools of the Left in its efforts to capture power. They have been successful so far in capturing political power and altering the shades of our society in many parts of India, but the overall character of Indian psyche remains unpolluted. Kailas, Ganges, Kanya Kumari, Ramayana, Sanskrit and Vande Mataram will still make any Indian to wake up from his slumber.
Left Over
The latest general elections in India have not been helpful for the Indian Right. Strange combinations of ‘secular’ forces including the notorious EVMs’ have worked against its interests. The net result has been uninterrupted dummy rule with an unelected PM at the helm to keep the seat warm. The prince of democracy is getting ready for the eventual take over, by which time the incumbent could be duped into all the terrible and horrible actions and thrown out as a traitor, thus making the change look logical and in the best interest of the nation. But who will hoodwink whom and whether the grand design will work out as per plan remains to be seen. Much more grandiose plans have failed earlier and many princes have failed to achieve coronation for silliest of reasons in the past. Only time will tell us the final result.
But Left is almost over in India for the time being. When Gorbachev made his famous speech in 1991 advising the world to learn from their mistakes, little he would have expected his brother comrades in India to take it seriously. No one likes to remain poor and be Communists forever. Communist leadership in India has realized this much earlier than their followers. Parliamentary aspirations, international corruption, air-conditioned armchair socialism and lipstick feminism has alienated the cherubic leadership from the dark, ugly and hungry proletariat. The dialectic between a leadership without sweat glands and followers who bleed sweat was getting too much. The wipe out of Left in the last elections was nothing unexpected. Like Gorbachev the great, the current Communist leadership must also be thanked for a bloodless burial of Communist Leftism in India.
Right Time
The great opportunity for Indian Right lies in here. About 50% of Indian population remains poor and they desperately need a political force to talk for them. Genuine communists had handled this role well in the past and the space is now lying vacant. Indian Right who had hitherto stood more for the urban middle class and village traders must now argue more for the unemployed, toiling labour and agricultural workers. Right leaders who should be more rooted in our traditional values must appreciate that ‘daridra narayans’ are the best representation of Narayan and ‘manava seva’ is the best form of Madhavaseva. For the right political party it will be the easiest of exercises to pick up right candidates for leadership from among the millions of its supporters for such a right cause. India’s own versions of trusteeship ownership of capital and dharmic ways of handling labour to usher in a Ram Rajya as envisaged by the nation’s father must not be difficult at all for a leadership with vision.
Time is also ripe at the international scene for a resurgence of the Right forces from India. Pure forms of Capitalism and Communism have failed to alleviate human misery at all levels. What we have in many countries are adhoc-isms which are centered on individual leaders than around any faceless ideology. India’s Integral Humanism provides the best option for ensuring spiritual growth of individuals along with adequate material growth, health and happiness. The innate greed of humans can be controlled only by states run on ideology and not by individual or family charisma. The feeling of equality must be accepted by each and every individual before we can ensure distribution of minimum wealth. Such a feeling was definitely there in ancient India, otherwise there could not have been a peaceful co-existence among various communities. It was lost during the thousand-years-plunder period and the Right forces can bring it back again.
It is golden opportunity for the Right in India to re-emerge. The current façade of stability that is projected by the ‘dy-nasty’ parties is bound to be short lived. How can there be genuine democracy in a country that is run by political forces with no ideology other than the interests of a dynasty? Our nation is one of millions of families and not the private property of a few political families. Political parties and politicians in a genuine democracy must necessarily have alternative political ideologies and clear-cut action plans to implement them. The elected government must implement its own declared action plan based on its own ideology. In this regard there is no better choice for India to put right smiles on every Indian face than the Right way.
It is necessary to differentiate between Right and Left in this context. The Right stands for tradition, values, nationalism, progressive reforms to correct the wrongs in society and all that is now known as Hindutva and Dharma. And the Left denotes rejection of our traditional values, mindless internationalism, revolution and support for complete destruction of our society structures. The perverted version of secularism practiced in India now (which dictates equal respect for all religions but special status for the followers of some) and several versions of anti-national forces are nothing but tools of the Left in its efforts to capture power. They have been successful so far in capturing political power and altering the shades of our society in many parts of India, but the overall character of Indian psyche remains unpolluted. Kailas, Ganges, Kanya Kumari, Ramayana, Sanskrit and Vande Mataram will still make any Indian to wake up from his slumber.
Left Over
The latest general elections in India have not been helpful for the Indian Right. Strange combinations of ‘secular’ forces including the notorious EVMs’ have worked against its interests. The net result has been uninterrupted dummy rule with an unelected PM at the helm to keep the seat warm. The prince of democracy is getting ready for the eventual take over, by which time the incumbent could be duped into all the terrible and horrible actions and thrown out as a traitor, thus making the change look logical and in the best interest of the nation. But who will hoodwink whom and whether the grand design will work out as per plan remains to be seen. Much more grandiose plans have failed earlier and many princes have failed to achieve coronation for silliest of reasons in the past. Only time will tell us the final result.
But Left is almost over in India for the time being. When Gorbachev made his famous speech in 1991 advising the world to learn from their mistakes, little he would have expected his brother comrades in India to take it seriously. No one likes to remain poor and be Communists forever. Communist leadership in India has realized this much earlier than their followers. Parliamentary aspirations, international corruption, air-conditioned armchair socialism and lipstick feminism has alienated the cherubic leadership from the dark, ugly and hungry proletariat. The dialectic between a leadership without sweat glands and followers who bleed sweat was getting too much. The wipe out of Left in the last elections was nothing unexpected. Like Gorbachev the great, the current Communist leadership must also be thanked for a bloodless burial of Communist Leftism in India.
Right Time
The great opportunity for Indian Right lies in here. About 50% of Indian population remains poor and they desperately need a political force to talk for them. Genuine communists had handled this role well in the past and the space is now lying vacant. Indian Right who had hitherto stood more for the urban middle class and village traders must now argue more for the unemployed, toiling labour and agricultural workers. Right leaders who should be more rooted in our traditional values must appreciate that ‘daridra narayans’ are the best representation of Narayan and ‘manava seva’ is the best form of Madhavaseva. For the right political party it will be the easiest of exercises to pick up right candidates for leadership from among the millions of its supporters for such a right cause. India’s own versions of trusteeship ownership of capital and dharmic ways of handling labour to usher in a Ram Rajya as envisaged by the nation’s father must not be difficult at all for a leadership with vision.
Time is also ripe at the international scene for a resurgence of the Right forces from India. Pure forms of Capitalism and Communism have failed to alleviate human misery at all levels. What we have in many countries are adhoc-isms which are centered on individual leaders than around any faceless ideology. India’s Integral Humanism provides the best option for ensuring spiritual growth of individuals along with adequate material growth, health and happiness. The innate greed of humans can be controlled only by states run on ideology and not by individual or family charisma. The feeling of equality must be accepted by each and every individual before we can ensure distribution of minimum wealth. Such a feeling was definitely there in ancient India, otherwise there could not have been a peaceful co-existence among various communities. It was lost during the thousand-years-plunder period and the Right forces can bring it back again.
It is golden opportunity for the Right in India to re-emerge. The current façade of stability that is projected by the ‘dy-nasty’ parties is bound to be short lived. How can there be genuine democracy in a country that is run by political forces with no ideology other than the interests of a dynasty? Our nation is one of millions of families and not the private property of a few political families. Political parties and politicians in a genuine democracy must necessarily have alternative political ideologies and clear-cut action plans to implement them. The elected government must implement its own declared action plan based on its own ideology. In this regard there is no better choice for India to put right smiles on every Indian face than the Right way.
Blinding Books
Like pens and words are mightier than swords and missiles at times, books are far more blinding and binding when it comes to subjugation of humans under the guise of religious isms. Almost all the major isms in the world have a central book and its followers are tied down at all levels with the good and bad messages emanating from the single book. Most times the original author (actually a team of authors) is clever enough to assign a divine presence behind the book and its instructions, thus making it infallible, uneditable and even worthy of worship. Any book contains knowledge related to its times and frozen knowledge is nothing but stale, stagnant and senseless. Followers of such blinding books can create only havoc when they confront seekers of true knowledge which can be realized only with open minds. For sure all future wars will be for freedom from such books, if not for drinking water and fresh air.
In broad terms, knowledge can be classified into two categories – occult and open. The essential difference between the two lies in its openness to debate. Occult knowledge is secretive, frozen, known only to its proponents and invariably with hidden agenda. And open knowledge is free, progressive and open to debate and change. Books containing occult or open knowledge are one of the best ways to influence the literate humans. It is this interesting aspect of books that is being effectively utilized by clever religious leaders for enhancing their own ambitions. All successful religious leaders have put in place their own versions of incoherent and incomprehensible texts as words from God in a well planned manner. Most of such religious books contain occult knowledge which is of little or no use for existence and evolution of mankind.
Body of Occult Knowledge
One of the essential objectives of occult knowledge is its dire need to enforce uniformity among its followers. Uniformity is a wonderful attribute when it is present among a group of people with the same objective. This is more so if the common objective is conquering or destroying something by force or by deceptive means. Enforcing uniformed exteriors is only one aspect of achieving uniformity in a group of people. The more difficult part is attaining uniformity in values, thought and action. The only way to capture the minds of humans is through sustained indoctrination by means of injecting occult knowledge. Compiling book(s) containing desires of the leader, preferably in a style that is more symbolic and seldom descriptive, and assigning divinity to them is a proven method to attempt uniformity among followers. And if the initial few generations of questioners and dissenters are suppressed with an iron hand, the success of such books is assured. Many of the central books containing occult knowledge are best examples of such a “uniforming” process.
There are many more proven recipes for ensuring the success of such central books containing occult knowldge. Selection of its language, topics and narrative methods are the most important. A tone of infallibility must be present throughout the text. Hatred for those who doubt the book and assault on any competing ideologies can enhance its chances of success much more. Scope for deceptive interpretation must also be amply provided for development of successive generations of interpreters. And after a few hundred years, the sheer population of those making a living by interpretation of the book will ensure its sustenance at any cost. Different schools of interpretation will emerge but the centrality of the book of obnoxious occult knowledge and its author shall remain unchallenged. The process will continue to vitiate humanity until another set of much more wicked leaders emerge to pen down their own books of occult knowledge.
Body of Open Knowledge
In sharp contrast, the books with open knowledge open a much more refreshing window for anyone in search of freedom and absolute truth. Indians can be truly proud of their civilization that has propounded Sanatana Dharma which contains some of the best examples in this regard. For the ancient Indians, knowledge was equally important as air and water. The innumerable books produced by Indian Rishis contain knowledge that is open in every sense. It is open to questions, debate and changes if needed. Quite unlike other religious civilizations, there is no single central book in the Dharma. How can one believe in the theories of the omnipresent and omnipotent God speaking to prophets who are all from only a particular region in the world and speaking only a particular man-made language? If it is true, then it must be a limited God who knows only that part of the world and its language.
Books containing open knowledge are known for their logic and coherence. Sanatana Dharma does not prescribe any books that contain the authentic and unchangeable words of God. Even the four Vedas that are available now represent only collective bodies of knowledge in specific areas. The openness of Sanatana Dharma is best represented in a stanza in one of its most outstanding books viz. Bhagavad Gita. Chapter-18, Sloka-63 - iti te jnânam âkhyâtam, guhyâd guhyataram mayâ, vimrsyaitad asesena, yathecchasi tathâ kuru (Thus, I have instructed you in knowledge which is more confidential than the secret knowledge of brahma. Reflect on this knowledge properly, and then act as you wish). The ‘act as you wish’ command is proof enough of its openness.
People’s literacy is increasing tremendously in all parts of the world. But a large section is getting literate only in occult knowledge and not in open knowledge. Most of our problems emanates from this single issue. Even completely indoctrinated people with exposure to only occult knowledge want to raise questions when they accidentally breathe the fresh air of open knowledge. But the mortal fear instilled by their leaders silences such a minority for ever. The captive majority in these communities, however, continue to wreck havoc in the world armed with ignorance as their deadliest weapon. They do not see or read any book that tells them that knowledge can never remain frozen in time. It is only values (Dharma) that remain with no beginning and no end (Sanatana) in our world.
In broad terms, knowledge can be classified into two categories – occult and open. The essential difference between the two lies in its openness to debate. Occult knowledge is secretive, frozen, known only to its proponents and invariably with hidden agenda. And open knowledge is free, progressive and open to debate and change. Books containing occult or open knowledge are one of the best ways to influence the literate humans. It is this interesting aspect of books that is being effectively utilized by clever religious leaders for enhancing their own ambitions. All successful religious leaders have put in place their own versions of incoherent and incomprehensible texts as words from God in a well planned manner. Most of such religious books contain occult knowledge which is of little or no use for existence and evolution of mankind.
Body of Occult Knowledge
One of the essential objectives of occult knowledge is its dire need to enforce uniformity among its followers. Uniformity is a wonderful attribute when it is present among a group of people with the same objective. This is more so if the common objective is conquering or destroying something by force or by deceptive means. Enforcing uniformed exteriors is only one aspect of achieving uniformity in a group of people. The more difficult part is attaining uniformity in values, thought and action. The only way to capture the minds of humans is through sustained indoctrination by means of injecting occult knowledge. Compiling book(s) containing desires of the leader, preferably in a style that is more symbolic and seldom descriptive, and assigning divinity to them is a proven method to attempt uniformity among followers. And if the initial few generations of questioners and dissenters are suppressed with an iron hand, the success of such books is assured. Many of the central books containing occult knowledge are best examples of such a “uniforming” process.
There are many more proven recipes for ensuring the success of such central books containing occult knowldge. Selection of its language, topics and narrative methods are the most important. A tone of infallibility must be present throughout the text. Hatred for those who doubt the book and assault on any competing ideologies can enhance its chances of success much more. Scope for deceptive interpretation must also be amply provided for development of successive generations of interpreters. And after a few hundred years, the sheer population of those making a living by interpretation of the book will ensure its sustenance at any cost. Different schools of interpretation will emerge but the centrality of the book of obnoxious occult knowledge and its author shall remain unchallenged. The process will continue to vitiate humanity until another set of much more wicked leaders emerge to pen down their own books of occult knowledge.
Body of Open Knowledge
In sharp contrast, the books with open knowledge open a much more refreshing window for anyone in search of freedom and absolute truth. Indians can be truly proud of their civilization that has propounded Sanatana Dharma which contains some of the best examples in this regard. For the ancient Indians, knowledge was equally important as air and water. The innumerable books produced by Indian Rishis contain knowledge that is open in every sense. It is open to questions, debate and changes if needed. Quite unlike other religious civilizations, there is no single central book in the Dharma. How can one believe in the theories of the omnipresent and omnipotent God speaking to prophets who are all from only a particular region in the world and speaking only a particular man-made language? If it is true, then it must be a limited God who knows only that part of the world and its language.
Books containing open knowledge are known for their logic and coherence. Sanatana Dharma does not prescribe any books that contain the authentic and unchangeable words of God. Even the four Vedas that are available now represent only collective bodies of knowledge in specific areas. The openness of Sanatana Dharma is best represented in a stanza in one of its most outstanding books viz. Bhagavad Gita. Chapter-18, Sloka-63 - iti te jnânam âkhyâtam, guhyâd guhyataram mayâ, vimrsyaitad asesena, yathecchasi tathâ kuru (Thus, I have instructed you in knowledge which is more confidential than the secret knowledge of brahma. Reflect on this knowledge properly, and then act as you wish). The ‘act as you wish’ command is proof enough of its openness.
People’s literacy is increasing tremendously in all parts of the world. But a large section is getting literate only in occult knowledge and not in open knowledge. Most of our problems emanates from this single issue. Even completely indoctrinated people with exposure to only occult knowledge want to raise questions when they accidentally breathe the fresh air of open knowledge. But the mortal fear instilled by their leaders silences such a minority for ever. The captive majority in these communities, however, continue to wreck havoc in the world armed with ignorance as their deadliest weapon. They do not see or read any book that tells them that knowledge can never remain frozen in time. It is only values (Dharma) that remain with no beginning and no end (Sanatana) in our world.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Doubting Narens
Doubts have a prominent role in shaping the life of individuals, hence society and nations. It is only individuals with never ending doubts and their doubt-clearing gurus that have expanded the frontiers of knowledge thus far. But for them the extent of Science would have remained a few minor islets in the surrounding expanse of unknown and ideologies about God. Dredging of the ocean of ignorance to expand the islets of scientific knowledge is a permanent process powered by the doubts of billions of humans. The process continues and it will go on till the end of our present time. But doubts have a negative side too. If the doubter chooses to remain a permanent one with no attempt being made to clear his or her doubts, it can turn out to be counter-productive. It can weaken their own selves and collectively their society and their nation. The present condition of a large number of ‘educated’ Hindus in India is one such pitiable state of self-defeating doubts leading to shameful indifference and slow death.
Anyone who is interested in Indian affairs is invariably intrigued about the unlimited and unfathomable doubt clearing capacity of our ancient Rishis. Without any hitherto known resources for physical exploration, the amount of knowledge they could so correctly depict in their literary works about the natural symmetry of universe from electrons revolving around nucleus, planets around suns and galaxies around whatnot is amazing if not astonishing. They had crystal clear concepts about the omnipresent and omnipotent energy of God. But they never (mis)led any of their fellow beings by posing as the only knower of God or the latest or last prophet. Though incoherent in the first reading, the entire gamut of ancient literature in India presents a unified picture about Brahman which encompasses everything and anything that we can think of. Yet many Indians, especially Hindus, are opting to be in constant darkness of doubts. They need to look no further than the well known transformation of a Doubting Naren to Swami Vivekananda to salvage themselves and this great nation.
Naren to Vivekananda
Experience & belief are like chicken & egg in the science of God. Without an experience, it is difficult to firm up one’s beliefs and without firm beliefs it is difficult to get any experience of God. This syndrome which is a sure recipe for disaster is being ‘effectively’ used in India’s education sector by the secular mafia that is ruling India for the last one thousand years. In an open society like India, the role of education was always for a free and unhindered pursuit of the eternal truth. But the situation changed when organized faiths (or ‘political religions’ as more appropriately called) came in. First the Mughals manipulated education to impose their own beliefs and then the British (followed now by their remnants) used it to establish their rule. The net result has been a set of deranged people who neither know anything about God nor about their own identity.
Narendra Nath (Naren) is the best such example we can pick up from India’s recent history and listen to his own words when he pestered an ascetic like Ramakrishna about feeling God.
“The touch at once gave rise to a unique experience within me. With my eyes open I saw the walls and everything in the room whirl rapidly and vanish into naught, and the whole universe together with my individuality was about to merge in an all-encompassing mysterious void. I was terribly frightened and thought I was facing death....Unable to control myself, I cried out, What is this that you are doing to me? I have my parents at home. He laughed aloud at this and stroking my back said, All right, let it rest now. Everything will come in time. The wonder of it was that no sooner had he said this than that strange experience of mine vanished. I was myself again and found everything within and without the room as it had been before”.
Naren was not an ordinary and naïve individual who could be fooled. And Ramakrishna was not an educated and sophisticated trainer who could fool others. We know that Naren went on to become Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna become immortal as a Paramahamsa. Yet very few among us are learning our lessons from such incidents and getting cleared of our doubts.
Snobbishness to Wisdom
One of the most regrettable signs of our secular education is the extent of snobbishness that is prevalent among our middle class. Education in a foreign language right from an young age of three can never refine our children. If at all it does anything it is only by way of silent indoctrination of subservience that also promotes snobbishness as a balancing force. Middle class Indians quoting more from Socrates and Shakespeare than from Kautilya and Kalidasa is proof enough for this snobbishness, perhaps even unknown to such individuals. India’s current education system has no Indian content of any value and we are deliberately taught nothing about India that we can feel proud about. The secular framework ensures that we are told more about the atrocious caste discrimination than about its scientific basis which is inevitable in any human society which is at least ten thousand years old. There seems to be hidden agenda behind this deliberate attempt to promote self-pity among Indians in a free India. Most of the ‘best’ schools in India that has produced our current rulers are owned by Christian institutions is a very significant point to be noted.
In the absence of any determined action by the state to promote true wisdom, the only option open is for the enlightened non-governmental institutions to intervene. Only a nation with its children full of self-respect can ensure a better tomorrow. Instead of telling our children that we were slaves for one thousand years, we should tell them that we were leading the world (and never ruling others) for thousands of years before that. India is so much full of untapped wealth that finding resources for any such genuine attempts to promote true Hindu wisdom among our children can easily succeed. Those who want to make an attempt must remember that we Indians have gone through much tougher times earlier. The dharmic concepts of India’s ancient wisdom are indestructible. Like a human liver it can always blossom into a fulsome from even one fragment. Even if all our souls get harvested, Sanatana Dharma will come back with its full authenticity and authority. All that we need is a genuine concern to evolve from being doubting Narens to enlightened Vivekanandans.
So what is that simple wisdom that is sadly lacking in many Indians in today’s world? It is the simple understanding that nothing is to be assumed or taken for granted in the pursuit of knowledge for the eternal truth. So many times it has been revealed to us that God can manifest in the least expected of place and time. Our much desired self-realisation can take place due to the least significant incident in our life triggered by the least sophisticated man or woman we know of. All that we need to do is to shed our snobbish ego and repose faith in the goodness of fellow humans. For each and every doubting Naren among us there is a simple unsophisticated and perhaps uneducated but realized soul (like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) who can guide us to the ultimate truth. All that is needed is the willingness to seek the vehicle without any pre-conceived notions and accept wisdom to reach our destination.
Anyone who is interested in Indian affairs is invariably intrigued about the unlimited and unfathomable doubt clearing capacity of our ancient Rishis. Without any hitherto known resources for physical exploration, the amount of knowledge they could so correctly depict in their literary works about the natural symmetry of universe from electrons revolving around nucleus, planets around suns and galaxies around whatnot is amazing if not astonishing. They had crystal clear concepts about the omnipresent and omnipotent energy of God. But they never (mis)led any of their fellow beings by posing as the only knower of God or the latest or last prophet. Though incoherent in the first reading, the entire gamut of ancient literature in India presents a unified picture about Brahman which encompasses everything and anything that we can think of. Yet many Indians, especially Hindus, are opting to be in constant darkness of doubts. They need to look no further than the well known transformation of a Doubting Naren to Swami Vivekananda to salvage themselves and this great nation.
Naren to Vivekananda
Experience & belief are like chicken & egg in the science of God. Without an experience, it is difficult to firm up one’s beliefs and without firm beliefs it is difficult to get any experience of God. This syndrome which is a sure recipe for disaster is being ‘effectively’ used in India’s education sector by the secular mafia that is ruling India for the last one thousand years. In an open society like India, the role of education was always for a free and unhindered pursuit of the eternal truth. But the situation changed when organized faiths (or ‘political religions’ as more appropriately called) came in. First the Mughals manipulated education to impose their own beliefs and then the British (followed now by their remnants) used it to establish their rule. The net result has been a set of deranged people who neither know anything about God nor about their own identity.
Narendra Nath (Naren) is the best such example we can pick up from India’s recent history and listen to his own words when he pestered an ascetic like Ramakrishna about feeling God.
“The touch at once gave rise to a unique experience within me. With my eyes open I saw the walls and everything in the room whirl rapidly and vanish into naught, and the whole universe together with my individuality was about to merge in an all-encompassing mysterious void. I was terribly frightened and thought I was facing death....Unable to control myself, I cried out, What is this that you are doing to me? I have my parents at home. He laughed aloud at this and stroking my back said, All right, let it rest now. Everything will come in time. The wonder of it was that no sooner had he said this than that strange experience of mine vanished. I was myself again and found everything within and without the room as it had been before”.
Naren was not an ordinary and naïve individual who could be fooled. And Ramakrishna was not an educated and sophisticated trainer who could fool others. We know that Naren went on to become Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna become immortal as a Paramahamsa. Yet very few among us are learning our lessons from such incidents and getting cleared of our doubts.
Snobbishness to Wisdom
One of the most regrettable signs of our secular education is the extent of snobbishness that is prevalent among our middle class. Education in a foreign language right from an young age of three can never refine our children. If at all it does anything it is only by way of silent indoctrination of subservience that also promotes snobbishness as a balancing force. Middle class Indians quoting more from Socrates and Shakespeare than from Kautilya and Kalidasa is proof enough for this snobbishness, perhaps even unknown to such individuals. India’s current education system has no Indian content of any value and we are deliberately taught nothing about India that we can feel proud about. The secular framework ensures that we are told more about the atrocious caste discrimination than about its scientific basis which is inevitable in any human society which is at least ten thousand years old. There seems to be hidden agenda behind this deliberate attempt to promote self-pity among Indians in a free India. Most of the ‘best’ schools in India that has produced our current rulers are owned by Christian institutions is a very significant point to be noted.
In the absence of any determined action by the state to promote true wisdom, the only option open is for the enlightened non-governmental institutions to intervene. Only a nation with its children full of self-respect can ensure a better tomorrow. Instead of telling our children that we were slaves for one thousand years, we should tell them that we were leading the world (and never ruling others) for thousands of years before that. India is so much full of untapped wealth that finding resources for any such genuine attempts to promote true Hindu wisdom among our children can easily succeed. Those who want to make an attempt must remember that we Indians have gone through much tougher times earlier. The dharmic concepts of India’s ancient wisdom are indestructible. Like a human liver it can always blossom into a fulsome from even one fragment. Even if all our souls get harvested, Sanatana Dharma will come back with its full authenticity and authority. All that we need is a genuine concern to evolve from being doubting Narens to enlightened Vivekanandans.
So what is that simple wisdom that is sadly lacking in many Indians in today’s world? It is the simple understanding that nothing is to be assumed or taken for granted in the pursuit of knowledge for the eternal truth. So many times it has been revealed to us that God can manifest in the least expected of place and time. Our much desired self-realisation can take place due to the least significant incident in our life triggered by the least sophisticated man or woman we know of. All that we need to do is to shed our snobbish ego and repose faith in the goodness of fellow humans. For each and every doubting Naren among us there is a simple unsophisticated and perhaps uneducated but realized soul (like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) who can guide us to the ultimate truth. All that is needed is the willingness to seek the vehicle without any pre-conceived notions and accept wisdom to reach our destination.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Democratic Faiths
General elections, whether rigged, manipulated or impartial, are the most vital and visible signs of life in any functioning democracy. Be it presidential or parliamentary, democracy has been widely accepted as the nearest form to minimum acceptable governance embodying the vital elements of liberty, human rights and equality that are ‘beyond-bargain’ parameters for dignified human existence. The harsh reality that many world nations are still suffering from greedy monarchies, military dictatorships and religious theocracies makes a mockery of all our claims of progress in this 21st century. There are several reasons for the flourishing or floundering of democratic institutions in different parts of the world. The latest elections in India and Iran provide a very good opportunity to look at some of the reasons for the sustainability of democracy in the current world.
Though various forms of democracy are under trial in different nations, we can easily notice that it is showing signs of survival only in certain environments. The very spirit of democracy, especially in countries offering universal adult franchise, seems to be compatible only with certain types of people and faiths. The strengthening or weakening of democracy as a form of government among 200 odd nations with 6 billion people gives some clear indications about the real faith of democracy. One can also draw very good conclusions about the thought process, mentality and behavior of the people, nation and faith of those who prefer essentially democratic arrangements for governance. In contrast we can also get glimpses about why certain faiths are incompatible with democracy. There must be underlying reasons for both.
Conceding Spirit
Enough and more clues about the reasons for success or failure of democracy in different nations can be obtained by analyzing the happenings in their recent elections. In the last one decade we have seen presidential elections in USA (2000, 2004, 2008), general elections in India (2004, 2009) and different types of elections in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afganistan and Nepal. It will not take much effort to prove that the 2000 election in USA, 2009 elections in India and Iran were neither impartial nor fair. All these elections have been rigged in one form or another. Rigging of elections need not always be in the form of duplicate voting or over printing of ballots or even false counting of votes. It can be in the form of manipulating the tools for elections, including the election commissions that conduct the elections, or even by hijacking of mandate obtained in any election. In India the popular mandate in 2009 elections in favour of a particular political formation has been hijacked by installing an ‘unelected’ leader.
No election is perfect and the success of any democratic arrangement emanates from the spirit and willingness of contesting parties to accept defeat. Only if equanimity exists to accept defeat or victory on the part of each and every contesting party, prior to any election, can the democratic process end conclusively. Extreme contrasts in this regard are provided by the reactions of an erstwhile Indian Prime Minister as against the current stance of the ‘defeated’ Iranian leaders in the recent elections. “Our party may have been defeated but India has won” were the famous words of a statesman like Vajpayee when he got defeated in 2004. And Al-Gore and Advani went many steps further when they conceded defeat in elections which they have morally won for furthering democracy in their own nations. The fact that these leaders had the support of their followers (in India it is in hundreds of millions) shows the general characteristics of their faith. However, the unhealthy trend of certain families hijacking the rule under the guise of electoral victory in successful democracies is another factor that merits the attention of all those who value genuine democracy.
Basic Incompatibilities
There are certain basic incompatibilities between some dominant faiths and the essential spirit of democracy. The bare minimum belief that is needed for any favorable thought on democracy is the concept of equality of human beings. To accept anyone becoming the nation’s ruler, its majority must strongly believe that all of them have equal rights (even if they are not equals in every sense) and hence eligible to rule. In the case of genuine communism and theocracy, this concept of equality is non-existent. If workers are more equal than others in a communist setup, it is the rights of clergy to be more than others in a theocratic arrangement. No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. The exhibition of universal brotherhood by hugging, singing, praying and preying together are only skin deep rituals in such societies.
Conceding equality to others is easy to preach but difficult to practice. It needs a strong underlying principle to accept equality as a natural concept. In Hinduism it is easily available in their belief of having the very same God present in everything animate and inanimate. And in Christianity it is provided by the belief that all are born as sinners. But having the very same starting point does not provide a good reason for considering other competitors as equal in the subsequent race for living. The belief that all are made by the same God does not automatically confer equality on everyone. Products can be of different value even if they are manufactured in the one and only producing company. It is difficult to consider them equal but there is no harm in having brotherly feelings that can subsidize, promote or confront the enemies together.
In very general terms it is easy to conclude that democratic process succeeds only amidst some of the world’s dominant faiths, and fails miserably in the case of others. The current turbulence in Iran and successful transformation from monarchy to a democratic republic in Nepal provide living examples for this argument. And in Pakistan, democracy has failed to make any foothold even after 60 odd years of free rule. In Iraq and Afganistan it has miles to go before we can conclude that it is acceptable. There is a great message to humanity coming out of all these. It is about the misery and turbulence that awaits us if one of those undemocratic faiths comes to dominate the world. Silence of graveyards will be the only sign of equality that will be present among all nations then. Only by considering and respecting all others as our equals can we nurture democratic principles and that requires nothing less than the acceptance of same God’s presence in everything.
Though various forms of democracy are under trial in different nations, we can easily notice that it is showing signs of survival only in certain environments. The very spirit of democracy, especially in countries offering universal adult franchise, seems to be compatible only with certain types of people and faiths. The strengthening or weakening of democracy as a form of government among 200 odd nations with 6 billion people gives some clear indications about the real faith of democracy. One can also draw very good conclusions about the thought process, mentality and behavior of the people, nation and faith of those who prefer essentially democratic arrangements for governance. In contrast we can also get glimpses about why certain faiths are incompatible with democracy. There must be underlying reasons for both.
Conceding Spirit
Enough and more clues about the reasons for success or failure of democracy in different nations can be obtained by analyzing the happenings in their recent elections. In the last one decade we have seen presidential elections in USA (2000, 2004, 2008), general elections in India (2004, 2009) and different types of elections in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afganistan and Nepal. It will not take much effort to prove that the 2000 election in USA, 2009 elections in India and Iran were neither impartial nor fair. All these elections have been rigged in one form or another. Rigging of elections need not always be in the form of duplicate voting or over printing of ballots or even false counting of votes. It can be in the form of manipulating the tools for elections, including the election commissions that conduct the elections, or even by hijacking of mandate obtained in any election. In India the popular mandate in 2009 elections in favour of a particular political formation has been hijacked by installing an ‘unelected’ leader.
No election is perfect and the success of any democratic arrangement emanates from the spirit and willingness of contesting parties to accept defeat. Only if equanimity exists to accept defeat or victory on the part of each and every contesting party, prior to any election, can the democratic process end conclusively. Extreme contrasts in this regard are provided by the reactions of an erstwhile Indian Prime Minister as against the current stance of the ‘defeated’ Iranian leaders in the recent elections. “Our party may have been defeated but India has won” were the famous words of a statesman like Vajpayee when he got defeated in 2004. And Al-Gore and Advani went many steps further when they conceded defeat in elections which they have morally won for furthering democracy in their own nations. The fact that these leaders had the support of their followers (in India it is in hundreds of millions) shows the general characteristics of their faith. However, the unhealthy trend of certain families hijacking the rule under the guise of electoral victory in successful democracies is another factor that merits the attention of all those who value genuine democracy.
Basic Incompatibilities
There are certain basic incompatibilities between some dominant faiths and the essential spirit of democracy. The bare minimum belief that is needed for any favorable thought on democracy is the concept of equality of human beings. To accept anyone becoming the nation’s ruler, its majority must strongly believe that all of them have equal rights (even if they are not equals in every sense) and hence eligible to rule. In the case of genuine communism and theocracy, this concept of equality is non-existent. If workers are more equal than others in a communist setup, it is the rights of clergy to be more than others in a theocratic arrangement. No wonder that democracy does not find any foothold in nations that discriminates between believers and non-believers, men and women, masters and slaves and even slaves white, brown and black. The exhibition of universal brotherhood by hugging, singing, praying and preying together are only skin deep rituals in such societies.
Conceding equality to others is easy to preach but difficult to practice. It needs a strong underlying principle to accept equality as a natural concept. In Hinduism it is easily available in their belief of having the very same God present in everything animate and inanimate. And in Christianity it is provided by the belief that all are born as sinners. But having the very same starting point does not provide a good reason for considering other competitors as equal in the subsequent race for living. The belief that all are made by the same God does not automatically confer equality on everyone. Products can be of different value even if they are manufactured in the one and only producing company. It is difficult to consider them equal but there is no harm in having brotherly feelings that can subsidize, promote or confront the enemies together.
In very general terms it is easy to conclude that democratic process succeeds only amidst some of the world’s dominant faiths, and fails miserably in the case of others. The current turbulence in Iran and successful transformation from monarchy to a democratic republic in Nepal provide living examples for this argument. And in Pakistan, democracy has failed to make any foothold even after 60 odd years of free rule. In Iraq and Afganistan it has miles to go before we can conclude that it is acceptable. There is a great message to humanity coming out of all these. It is about the misery and turbulence that awaits us if one of those undemocratic faiths comes to dominate the world. Silence of graveyards will be the only sign of equality that will be present among all nations then. Only by considering and respecting all others as our equals can we nurture democratic principles and that requires nothing less than the acceptance of same God’s presence in everything.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Half-Converted Kerala
Kerala, the most ‘progressive’ state in the Indian union, is more than half converted and religious conversion was unbecoming an issue in Kerala these days. But the recent demise of Kamala Suraiyya (Madhavikutty or Kamala Das) has highlighted the issue once again. The story goes that she was lured into Islam by the tricks and nuptial promises of a much married, learned and cunning lawmaker belonging to an overtly communal party. Madhavikutty’s literary works represent some of the finest aspects of uninhibited and immaculate Hindu culture that had once prevailed in most parts of Kerala. She could easily differentiate between the quintessence of pristine love of ‘gopikas’ for Krishna vis-à-vis the cheap commonplace lust, by deft handling of both in her stories and poetry. The fact that even such a tall literary figure could fall an easy victim shows the reach of proselytization forces in a region of India with the highest literacy rate. What is happening in Kerala today is bound to be repeated in all other parts of India as our skewed version of secular education is spreading everywhere. Like in Kerala today, Hindus are bound to reduce themselves to a minority community in their own nation one day.
The unfortunate saga of conversion in Kerala begins from around 1500 AD when the first European colonizers landed at one of those beautiful beaches of Kerala. Though we had traders, fugitives and tourists landing at Kerala’s long seashore from time immemorial, damages by them remained limited to their excreta in the coastal belts. The highly structured Kerala society then was impenetrable to foreigners who were much below in terms of social and economic evolution. Cooked-up stories about adventures of one Saint Thomas who could convert the forward castes are nothing but mythology invented as afterthoughts. Kerala’s decadence started much later when the naturally symbiotic caste system became rigid and triggered internal revolts. Foreign religions were waiting at the sea and seacoasts for such an internal upheaval for easy penetration into the much coveted God’s Own Country. In 500 years they could convert more than 50% of the population is no mean achievement for the proponents of the two major religions in the world today.
Silent Terrorism
What happened in the last five centuries and what is happening in Kerala today is nothing but silent terrorism in the form of organized and externally fuelled religious conversion. It was Christianity which started first with the intention of conditioning the ground ready for European colonization. In every colony of ‘ours’, we need quite a few of our ‘own’ people. In distant lands the only way to get ‘our own’ people is by way of aggressive and accelerated cultural conversion. Religion is an integral part of culture and religious conversion is the best tool available for easy conditioning of the target population. Increasing rigidity of the caste system provided a golden opportunity for the European missionaries to penetrate into the Indian society. Enemies of India had budgeted big sums for the project and India’s toiling masses could be easily made disgruntled and aggrieved. As most of them were lacking any formal education, tricking them into a new religious system was easy with the help of material inducements in terms of milk powder and rice.
The next predator in Kerala started their work in terms of organized conversion much later. Though we had sizeable number of Muslim population in the coastal areas, especially in the north Malabar region, their intrusion into the interiors of Kerala as an organized religion is only about one century old. The Mapillah Rebellion in 1921 was perhaps the first organized assault aimed at religious conversion under the guise of so many other objectives. Though North India was under Muslim rule for several centuries, its influence in the southern regions of the country was minimal. Also their enmity with the European colonial powers was not helpful in increasing their numerical strength by targeting Hindus. But the situation has changed drastically in the 20th century when millions of Oil money started flowing into Kerala. Increasing their number by all means and capturing power by organized might is high on the agenda of the Muslim mind of Kerala.
Suicidal Indifference
Any nation or people in decay will ultimately have only themselves to blame. The current status of Hindus in Kerala is at a highly critical juncture in this regard. Three or four prominent Hindu sections are totally indifferent about the overall status of the Hindu religion and society in Kerala today. The leaders of these sections are forgetting one of the most important rules of science and history – any culture can survive only if there is the minimum quantity. Most of these sub-sections of the Hindu society namely Nairs, Ezhavas, Brahmins and OBCS are fighting more among themselves than for their combined rights. They have left their weakest brothers (Adivasis) at the complete mercy of the two predators vying for numbers and real estate. Almost the entire five lakh Adivasis of Kerala will either die off or get converted, and their entire property will ultimately lie with one of the predating groups.
Much has been said and written about the suicidal indifference of Hindus in Kerala and the catastrophe impending their community a few generations from now. None of the Hindu community leaders of any significance have shown the courage to speak up for consolidation and caution. It will be only at their extreme peril that the entire spectrum of Hindu society in Kerala can feign ignorance to the following basic FACTS:-
• Hinduism is no more the dominant religion in Kerala. As half of those born as Hindus are genuine communists, Hinduism is only at par with Islam and Christianity in Kerala. And uninhibited religious conversion is still rampant in many parts of Kerala.
• Kerala has the highest (family) suicidal rate in the world and at least 75% of them are Hindus.
• Hindu temples are the only one in government custody. All income from temples (which are only from Hindus) flow into the common government coffers.
• Kerala politics is overwhelmingly dominated by leaders belonging to the two dominant communities and parties which are overtly communal (Muslim League and Kerala Congress).
• There is almost complete monopoly of the two dominant communities in the print and electronic media in Kerala.
• Almost all Hindu families in the current generation have only two children. But one can invariably find three children in all Christian families and four children in most Muslim families. This trend is almost confirmed if they are more educated and richer. This clearly shows a determined and deliberate effort to increase the numbers.
• Christian clergy and Muslim religious leaders are freely indulging in politics in Kerala which is a part of the so-called secular republic of India. Many times they openly challenge the authority of democratically elected governments and the rule of law, with no impunity.
• Ownership of land (especially high valued), number of professionals (doctors, IAS officers etc) and untaxed (and unaccounted) income from abroad are disproportionately high in favour of the two dominant communities in Kerala.
The few critical aspects listed above point to a determined and calculated move by the foreign religious ideologies to establish their superiority over Kerala within one or two decades. Both are now equally organized, resourceful and determined to achieve their ultimate aim. The apparent discordant notes among subsidiary factions within these religious forces are designed and serve as deceptive distracters for those who are opposing the move. In Kerala (also India) today, anything Hindu or Hindutva is condemnably communal, Muslim or Islamic is secularly acceptable and Christian or Christianity is laudably broad-minded. Any one who talks anything about Hinduism or Hindus are ostracized in public life and politically unacceptable. Barring unforeseen developments, Kerala’s Hindu goose will be cooked and eaten with full satisfaction as precisely planned. And once that is digested, the harvest of entire South India is only one decade away and Indian nation a few more. Only organized reforms and determined positive action can save Hinduism from the combined onslaught of its three known enemies.
The unfortunate saga of conversion in Kerala begins from around 1500 AD when the first European colonizers landed at one of those beautiful beaches of Kerala. Though we had traders, fugitives and tourists landing at Kerala’s long seashore from time immemorial, damages by them remained limited to their excreta in the coastal belts. The highly structured Kerala society then was impenetrable to foreigners who were much below in terms of social and economic evolution. Cooked-up stories about adventures of one Saint Thomas who could convert the forward castes are nothing but mythology invented as afterthoughts. Kerala’s decadence started much later when the naturally symbiotic caste system became rigid and triggered internal revolts. Foreign religions were waiting at the sea and seacoasts for such an internal upheaval for easy penetration into the much coveted God’s Own Country. In 500 years they could convert more than 50% of the population is no mean achievement for the proponents of the two major religions in the world today.
Silent Terrorism
What happened in the last five centuries and what is happening in Kerala today is nothing but silent terrorism in the form of organized and externally fuelled religious conversion. It was Christianity which started first with the intention of conditioning the ground ready for European colonization. In every colony of ‘ours’, we need quite a few of our ‘own’ people. In distant lands the only way to get ‘our own’ people is by way of aggressive and accelerated cultural conversion. Religion is an integral part of culture and religious conversion is the best tool available for easy conditioning of the target population. Increasing rigidity of the caste system provided a golden opportunity for the European missionaries to penetrate into the Indian society. Enemies of India had budgeted big sums for the project and India’s toiling masses could be easily made disgruntled and aggrieved. As most of them were lacking any formal education, tricking them into a new religious system was easy with the help of material inducements in terms of milk powder and rice.
The next predator in Kerala started their work in terms of organized conversion much later. Though we had sizeable number of Muslim population in the coastal areas, especially in the north Malabar region, their intrusion into the interiors of Kerala as an organized religion is only about one century old. The Mapillah Rebellion in 1921 was perhaps the first organized assault aimed at religious conversion under the guise of so many other objectives. Though North India was under Muslim rule for several centuries, its influence in the southern regions of the country was minimal. Also their enmity with the European colonial powers was not helpful in increasing their numerical strength by targeting Hindus. But the situation has changed drastically in the 20th century when millions of Oil money started flowing into Kerala. Increasing their number by all means and capturing power by organized might is high on the agenda of the Muslim mind of Kerala.
Suicidal Indifference
Any nation or people in decay will ultimately have only themselves to blame. The current status of Hindus in Kerala is at a highly critical juncture in this regard. Three or four prominent Hindu sections are totally indifferent about the overall status of the Hindu religion and society in Kerala today. The leaders of these sections are forgetting one of the most important rules of science and history – any culture can survive only if there is the minimum quantity. Most of these sub-sections of the Hindu society namely Nairs, Ezhavas, Brahmins and OBCS are fighting more among themselves than for their combined rights. They have left their weakest brothers (Adivasis) at the complete mercy of the two predators vying for numbers and real estate. Almost the entire five lakh Adivasis of Kerala will either die off or get converted, and their entire property will ultimately lie with one of the predating groups.
Much has been said and written about the suicidal indifference of Hindus in Kerala and the catastrophe impending their community a few generations from now. None of the Hindu community leaders of any significance have shown the courage to speak up for consolidation and caution. It will be only at their extreme peril that the entire spectrum of Hindu society in Kerala can feign ignorance to the following basic FACTS:-
• Hinduism is no more the dominant religion in Kerala. As half of those born as Hindus are genuine communists, Hinduism is only at par with Islam and Christianity in Kerala. And uninhibited religious conversion is still rampant in many parts of Kerala.
• Kerala has the highest (family) suicidal rate in the world and at least 75% of them are Hindus.
• Hindu temples are the only one in government custody. All income from temples (which are only from Hindus) flow into the common government coffers.
• Kerala politics is overwhelmingly dominated by leaders belonging to the two dominant communities and parties which are overtly communal (Muslim League and Kerala Congress).
• There is almost complete monopoly of the two dominant communities in the print and electronic media in Kerala.
• Almost all Hindu families in the current generation have only two children. But one can invariably find three children in all Christian families and four children in most Muslim families. This trend is almost confirmed if they are more educated and richer. This clearly shows a determined and deliberate effort to increase the numbers.
• Christian clergy and Muslim religious leaders are freely indulging in politics in Kerala which is a part of the so-called secular republic of India. Many times they openly challenge the authority of democratically elected governments and the rule of law, with no impunity.
• Ownership of land (especially high valued), number of professionals (doctors, IAS officers etc) and untaxed (and unaccounted) income from abroad are disproportionately high in favour of the two dominant communities in Kerala.
The few critical aspects listed above point to a determined and calculated move by the foreign religious ideologies to establish their superiority over Kerala within one or two decades. Both are now equally organized, resourceful and determined to achieve their ultimate aim. The apparent discordant notes among subsidiary factions within these religious forces are designed and serve as deceptive distracters for those who are opposing the move. In Kerala (also India) today, anything Hindu or Hindutva is condemnably communal, Muslim or Islamic is secularly acceptable and Christian or Christianity is laudably broad-minded. Any one who talks anything about Hinduism or Hindus are ostracized in public life and politically unacceptable. Barring unforeseen developments, Kerala’s Hindu goose will be cooked and eaten with full satisfaction as precisely planned. And once that is digested, the harvest of entire South India is only one decade away and Indian nation a few more. Only organized reforms and determined positive action can save Hinduism from the combined onslaught of its three known enemies.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Indian 'Democrazy'
India is considered the world’s largest democracy, but does the result of 15th Lok Sabha elections in India corroborate this claim? Yes and No. There is no doubt that an election process with its widely acclaimed universal adult franchise system has been concluded peacefully and some definite results have been announced. But the whole process has been unduly drawn out and the net results do not really reflect the mood of the nation and its people. If the previous two general elections reflected the popular mood for a change of guard in a healthy fashion, what has come out as latest election results portent a potential degenerative tendency in Indian democracy. Our remarkable tryst in 1947 with democratic destiny reached rock bottom in 1975, then started climbing back to glory and now again it looks to be heading for degeneration into a distorted democracy. As in secularism, we are distorting democracy too for formalizing the rule by a dozen families in various parts of India by merely manipulating victory in elections.
Democracy can definitely be considered as the most civilized, progressive and just form of governance in the 21st century. But it must be true democracy involving political parties with definite and different agenda. Otherwise it can become worse than monarchy or theocracy or fascist communism. Ideally, all those who are eligible must be listed, a majority of eligible voters must vote and ultimately those who claim victory must have support of more than 50% of the whole national population. In that sense only those parties or pre-poll alliances that have won more than 500 million votes can claim victory in India. As the voting percentage was only about 50%, this may be too ideal in present day Indian politics. But the simple fact that we have now ended up with an ‘elected’ government headed by an ‘unelected’ leader shows the sham that is enveloping our democracy. Electoral reforms must be at the very top of the agenda of any government in India today.
Doubtful Umpiring & Unelected Leader
The darkest shadow over India’s 15th General Elections has been cast by doubts about impartiality of the Election Commission itself. Election is all about faith & fair play and how can there be confidence on results if there are strong doubts about integrity & interests of those who are conducting the elections. It is not one or a dozen of MPs’ who had pointed fingers at a particular member of the Election Commission. When about half the number of sitting MPs’ had appealed for his dismissal and when the Chief Election Commissioner himself had recommended his removal, the least that could be done was to keep him away from this particular all important elections. We should also remember that the same person was specifically singled out by the famous Shah Commission as not fit enough to hold any public office in India. The extensive use of Electronic Voting Machines - EVMs (not even done in advanced countries like USA) makes the shadows even darker. Post poll audit of randomly picked 10,000 EVMs from all over India, by an independent agency like the Supreme Court, can restore our confidence at least to respectable levels now.
But the ‘most unkindest cut’ to Indian democracy has come in the form of an ‘unelected’ leader for the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha. Writers of our constitution never even dreamt of such a possibility. Otherwise they would have definitely closed such a loop hole which is now wide open and being ‘mis’used for the last several years. The underlying moral strength of leadership in parliamentary democracy is convincing victory in elections and not nomination by party leaderships. What has happened now is complete hijacking of people’s mandate for nomination of someone who never faced the electorate. It is ‘mukhota’ politics of the worst kind. The eminently qualified Dr. Manmohan Singh could have got himself elected from any constituency anywhere in India to avoid such a controversy. That was the minimum he could have done for the sake of nurturing true democracy in India.
Dying Parties & Developing Families
Weakening of genuine political parties offering definite alternatives in all walks of life is another sad feature noticed during the latest general elections. In a true democracy we should be witnessing strengthening of political parties with clear cut policies in economical, social, political and even international affairs. In India this is practiced mainly by the right wing and left wing parties, and hardly by the middle of the road non-aligned political parties. Most of the centrist parties in India indulge in vote-bank politics and have their own captive voters in the form of some castes or belonging to some religion or region. Hardcore supporters of such namesake political parties have blind faith in their evergreen leaders and never bother to read their manifestos. And then there are some monolith parties which resemble more of a mediocre crowd of onlookers than a group of people with specific aims and agenda.
The weakening of genuine political parties is adding to the strength of family oriented political groupings. In fact this is a growing problem in the whole of south Asia and has made a mockery of democracy in these parts. In India it is now Nehru family at the Centre, Dixit family in Delhi, Karunanidhi family in Chennai, Patnaik family in Orissa, Hudda family in Haryana, Badal family in Punjab, Deora family in Mumbai, Abdulla family in Kashmir, Sangma family in North East, Reddy family in Andhra, Maani family in Kerala etc. etc. Every other MP is the son, daughter, nephew or niece of someone big in the same party. It is really a matter of grave concern and shame that the political party, that claims to be the oldest in India, is degenerating into a blatantly family party. Open and unabashed sycophancy is the main trait of that party. Those Europeans who have literarily (re)captured the top party slots must be wondering at the intensity of sycophancy, extend of selfishness and depths of disgrace that some members of the oldest civilisation in the world are capable of descending to. Robert Clive, Thomas Macaulay and Max Muller must be laughing in their graves.
It is most certain that India will retain its essential democratic character thanks to the importance of general democratic principles in the faith of its majority citizens. The moment such a majority is lost, for which efforts in the form of organized religious conversions are in full force, India will also slip into anarchy, monarchy, military dictatorships or hopeless communism like its neighbours. But what is of immediate worry is its degeneration into a ‘shamful’ federal setup of distorted democracy. At this rate, we may need only a few mini-elections within certain families to determine the Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers of India. At least we can save the millions of rupees spend on making a mockery of general elections in this way. It is time for the real majority of India to act in a decisive manner. Their indifference can prove fatal for their children and the Indian nation.
Democracy can definitely be considered as the most civilized, progressive and just form of governance in the 21st century. But it must be true democracy involving political parties with definite and different agenda. Otherwise it can become worse than monarchy or theocracy or fascist communism. Ideally, all those who are eligible must be listed, a majority of eligible voters must vote and ultimately those who claim victory must have support of more than 50% of the whole national population. In that sense only those parties or pre-poll alliances that have won more than 500 million votes can claim victory in India. As the voting percentage was only about 50%, this may be too ideal in present day Indian politics. But the simple fact that we have now ended up with an ‘elected’ government headed by an ‘unelected’ leader shows the sham that is enveloping our democracy. Electoral reforms must be at the very top of the agenda of any government in India today.
Doubtful Umpiring & Unelected Leader
The darkest shadow over India’s 15th General Elections has been cast by doubts about impartiality of the Election Commission itself. Election is all about faith & fair play and how can there be confidence on results if there are strong doubts about integrity & interests of those who are conducting the elections. It is not one or a dozen of MPs’ who had pointed fingers at a particular member of the Election Commission. When about half the number of sitting MPs’ had appealed for his dismissal and when the Chief Election Commissioner himself had recommended his removal, the least that could be done was to keep him away from this particular all important elections. We should also remember that the same person was specifically singled out by the famous Shah Commission as not fit enough to hold any public office in India. The extensive use of Electronic Voting Machines - EVMs (not even done in advanced countries like USA) makes the shadows even darker. Post poll audit of randomly picked 10,000 EVMs from all over India, by an independent agency like the Supreme Court, can restore our confidence at least to respectable levels now.
But the ‘most unkindest cut’ to Indian democracy has come in the form of an ‘unelected’ leader for the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha. Writers of our constitution never even dreamt of such a possibility. Otherwise they would have definitely closed such a loop hole which is now wide open and being ‘mis’used for the last several years. The underlying moral strength of leadership in parliamentary democracy is convincing victory in elections and not nomination by party leaderships. What has happened now is complete hijacking of people’s mandate for nomination of someone who never faced the electorate. It is ‘mukhota’ politics of the worst kind. The eminently qualified Dr. Manmohan Singh could have got himself elected from any constituency anywhere in India to avoid such a controversy. That was the minimum he could have done for the sake of nurturing true democracy in India.
Dying Parties & Developing Families
Weakening of genuine political parties offering definite alternatives in all walks of life is another sad feature noticed during the latest general elections. In a true democracy we should be witnessing strengthening of political parties with clear cut policies in economical, social, political and even international affairs. In India this is practiced mainly by the right wing and left wing parties, and hardly by the middle of the road non-aligned political parties. Most of the centrist parties in India indulge in vote-bank politics and have their own captive voters in the form of some castes or belonging to some religion or region. Hardcore supporters of such namesake political parties have blind faith in their evergreen leaders and never bother to read their manifestos. And then there are some monolith parties which resemble more of a mediocre crowd of onlookers than a group of people with specific aims and agenda.
The weakening of genuine political parties is adding to the strength of family oriented political groupings. In fact this is a growing problem in the whole of south Asia and has made a mockery of democracy in these parts. In India it is now Nehru family at the Centre, Dixit family in Delhi, Karunanidhi family in Chennai, Patnaik family in Orissa, Hudda family in Haryana, Badal family in Punjab, Deora family in Mumbai, Abdulla family in Kashmir, Sangma family in North East, Reddy family in Andhra, Maani family in Kerala etc. etc. Every other MP is the son, daughter, nephew or niece of someone big in the same party. It is really a matter of grave concern and shame that the political party, that claims to be the oldest in India, is degenerating into a blatantly family party. Open and unabashed sycophancy is the main trait of that party. Those Europeans who have literarily (re)captured the top party slots must be wondering at the intensity of sycophancy, extend of selfishness and depths of disgrace that some members of the oldest civilisation in the world are capable of descending to. Robert Clive, Thomas Macaulay and Max Muller must be laughing in their graves.
It is most certain that India will retain its essential democratic character thanks to the importance of general democratic principles in the faith of its majority citizens. The moment such a majority is lost, for which efforts in the form of organized religious conversions are in full force, India will also slip into anarchy, monarchy, military dictatorships or hopeless communism like its neighbours. But what is of immediate worry is its degeneration into a ‘shamful’ federal setup of distorted democracy. At this rate, we may need only a few mini-elections within certain families to determine the Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers of India. At least we can save the millions of rupees spend on making a mockery of general elections in this way. It is time for the real majority of India to act in a decisive manner. Their indifference can prove fatal for their children and the Indian nation.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Yellowing Taliban
In the soccer game of international relations, the yellow card has been shown many times. As usual we will wait till the red card comes up all of a sudden and then there will be no respite. The whole world, especially India and Japan, is going to bear the brunt of a monstrous and mad dragon that will be unleashed after several warnings. Day by day, the over ambitious yellow dragon namely People’s Republic of China (PRC) is growing into an unstable state of gigantic proportions in every sense. Its growth rate and resource requirements will leave its leaders with no option but to outgrow its present borders. It is like a tiny puppy being brought up in a puny cage that went into an unrealistic growth rate. Though we were given enough and more warnings about its ominous portents, the onlookers never bothered to change its chain nor its cage. It is now only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.
Buddhists are the least provocative and aggressive of humans. In fact it was this unique trait of Buddhism that weakened all the states it dominated and fell easily before the onward march of imperial forces. Afghanistan is just one such and blasting of the Bamyan Buddhas in the recent past was a highly symbolic one. Yet Tibet, one of the last surviving strongholds of Buddhism, was the first target of PRC in modern times. The exiled Tibetan ruler, our saintly Dalai Lama has been languishing in Indian soil for the past 60 years. He was honoured with several international prizes (including Nobel) and rubs his shoulders with all the world leaders, but still nobody dares to act for his return to his own homeland. In reality, what is the difference between Tibetans in India and Palestinians all over the Gulf? But the whole world is afraid of the economic and now military might of the Chinese to utter a word.
Growing Twins
PRC and Taliban are two of the dreaded names in the international scene today. Both entities are made up of human beings who are almost robotic in their behavior. Born and brought up in societies that abhor freedom and cloister minds, these adherents are highly disciplined and are more prone to obey first and think (if at all) later. Even after extensive bombardment by full contingents of US and NATO forces, Taliban has been growing from strength to strength. There is every reason to believe that PRC is behind this unusual and unexplained growth of such a dreaded force. Perhaps Taliban is already one of the numerous components of penetrating forces that PRC mandarins have mobilized. Do not be surprised if Taliban returns to power with full backing of PRC and some of the GCC countries that supported it earlier. It might as well be a mutated Taliban with a yellowish tint.
A mutated Taliban can carry out quite a lot of dirty works for PRC. With its religious stamp it can bleed India million times more in Kashmir. Then it can access their brethren remotely in Bangladesh and devastate whatever Bengal that is left with India. Keeping India tied down with its own internal problems is what PRC wants to get more time to prepare for the next onslaught on India. They have already prepared the grounds ready in Pakistan and Nepal for the final push into Indian heartlands. International standing of PRC has been on the rise and it is only one or two decades away from the top slot. Their recent challenge to replace American dollar as the world currency and a recent veto on an ADB loan to India (part of which is to be used in Arunachal Pradesh) are indications of what is in store. These are nothing but yellow cards which Indian authorities are refusing to take note.
Red Crescents
There is no doubt that the symbols of Red Cross and Red Crescent represent the best of human intentions at times of distress. But the two words have much more connotations than what they individually mean. They represent the deadly permutation and combination of the three prominent isms that dominate the world today. If Red Cross was on the ascent a decade back, now it is sunrise time for Red Crescent. Papal activism and liberation theology accelerated the spread of Red Cross philosophy across the globe at one time. But the death of old Pope and unending saga of court cases against the sexual escapades of Catholic clergy all over the world has brought it to a sudden end. Its place is now occupied by the new theology of Red Crescent fuelled by the richness of oil and gas.
PRC is in very good trading terms with all the oil rich sheikhdoms raring to tighten their grips on the world order by a deadly combination of fuel and jihad. These Sheikhs have very few followers in PRC and PRC knows that it will never be a threat to them. This scenario has given one more weapon to PRC in its arsenal against its rivals like India and Japan. For the time being it is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the parties to forge an alliance for weakening democracies like India from within by utilizing the legal avenues like elections, protests and strikes. It can also be energized to provide infrastructural support for the blast series all over India every two or three months. With minimum expenditure, PRC is achieving maximum by weakening the secular fabric of Indian society.
One of the American think tanks had recently predicted a PRC attack on India before 2020. Though Americans may have their own reasons to frighten India into their own traps, such studies can never be ignored. The simple fact that no terrorist attacks take place in PRC and the growth of Taliban from strength to strength are reason enough to believe in the strengthening yellow shades of Taliban. A democratic country like India can survive a growing collusion among Mullahs and Mandarins only if we get a patriotic and nationalist government to rule India. And only a strong alliance between India, USA, Israel and Japan can guarantee the existence of freedom and democracy as the concepts for the civilized world. If the current general elections do not throw up such a strong rule for India, the damages can be far reaching.
Buddhists are the least provocative and aggressive of humans. In fact it was this unique trait of Buddhism that weakened all the states it dominated and fell easily before the onward march of imperial forces. Afghanistan is just one such and blasting of the Bamyan Buddhas in the recent past was a highly symbolic one. Yet Tibet, one of the last surviving strongholds of Buddhism, was the first target of PRC in modern times. The exiled Tibetan ruler, our saintly Dalai Lama has been languishing in Indian soil for the past 60 years. He was honoured with several international prizes (including Nobel) and rubs his shoulders with all the world leaders, but still nobody dares to act for his return to his own homeland. In reality, what is the difference between Tibetans in India and Palestinians all over the Gulf? But the whole world is afraid of the economic and now military might of the Chinese to utter a word.
Growing Twins
PRC and Taliban are two of the dreaded names in the international scene today. Both entities are made up of human beings who are almost robotic in their behavior. Born and brought up in societies that abhor freedom and cloister minds, these adherents are highly disciplined and are more prone to obey first and think (if at all) later. Even after extensive bombardment by full contingents of US and NATO forces, Taliban has been growing from strength to strength. There is every reason to believe that PRC is behind this unusual and unexplained growth of such a dreaded force. Perhaps Taliban is already one of the numerous components of penetrating forces that PRC mandarins have mobilized. Do not be surprised if Taliban returns to power with full backing of PRC and some of the GCC countries that supported it earlier. It might as well be a mutated Taliban with a yellowish tint.
A mutated Taliban can carry out quite a lot of dirty works for PRC. With its religious stamp it can bleed India million times more in Kashmir. Then it can access their brethren remotely in Bangladesh and devastate whatever Bengal that is left with India. Keeping India tied down with its own internal problems is what PRC wants to get more time to prepare for the next onslaught on India. They have already prepared the grounds ready in Pakistan and Nepal for the final push into Indian heartlands. International standing of PRC has been on the rise and it is only one or two decades away from the top slot. Their recent challenge to replace American dollar as the world currency and a recent veto on an ADB loan to India (part of which is to be used in Arunachal Pradesh) are indications of what is in store. These are nothing but yellow cards which Indian authorities are refusing to take note.
Red Crescents
There is no doubt that the symbols of Red Cross and Red Crescent represent the best of human intentions at times of distress. But the two words have much more connotations than what they individually mean. They represent the deadly permutation and combination of the three prominent isms that dominate the world today. If Red Cross was on the ascent a decade back, now it is sunrise time for Red Crescent. Papal activism and liberation theology accelerated the spread of Red Cross philosophy across the globe at one time. But the death of old Pope and unending saga of court cases against the sexual escapades of Catholic clergy all over the world has brought it to a sudden end. Its place is now occupied by the new theology of Red Crescent fuelled by the richness of oil and gas.
PRC is in very good trading terms with all the oil rich sheikhdoms raring to tighten their grips on the world order by a deadly combination of fuel and jihad. These Sheikhs have very few followers in PRC and PRC knows that it will never be a threat to them. This scenario has given one more weapon to PRC in its arsenal against its rivals like India and Japan. For the time being it is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the parties to forge an alliance for weakening democracies like India from within by utilizing the legal avenues like elections, protests and strikes. It can also be energized to provide infrastructural support for the blast series all over India every two or three months. With minimum expenditure, PRC is achieving maximum by weakening the secular fabric of Indian society.
One of the American think tanks had recently predicted a PRC attack on India before 2020. Though Americans may have their own reasons to frighten India into their own traps, such studies can never be ignored. The simple fact that no terrorist attacks take place in PRC and the growth of Taliban from strength to strength are reason enough to believe in the strengthening yellow shades of Taliban. A democratic country like India can survive a growing collusion among Mullahs and Mandarins only if we get a patriotic and nationalist government to rule India. And only a strong alliance between India, USA, Israel and Japan can guarantee the existence of freedom and democracy as the concepts for the civilized world. If the current general elections do not throw up such a strong rule for India, the damages can be far reaching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)