Tainted India .vs. Maha Bharat

Indian nation is passing through one of the most difficult times. Who is not corrupt? This is the question that is ringing in the mind all ordinary Indians. Those among us who used to feel proud about the credibility of our incorruptible judiciary are also feeling shaky nowadays. Politics and politicians in India have always been dirty and the only the scale of scams have increased. Politicians have always got their livelihood and expenditure for the next elections as the common excuse for corruption. In the long saga of evolution from Mahatma Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi, Gandhism itself has undergone complete transformation and to be known as a Gandhian in India today is not a compliment anymore. Depending upon value of the scam, we can even start designating politicians as nano-Gandhian, micro-Gandhian, mega-Gandhian and even super-Gandhian. I would even recommend different colours for the Gandhi caps worn by such politicians during their annual get-togethers. The tainted adjective is now sticking to all positions like CJI, CVC, CEC and even the King, Queen, Prince and Prime Minister.

Adarsh, CWG and 2G scams have taken our nation to record heights in terms of the ‘scaming’ abilities of our politicians. Aiming for a few thousand rupees in bribe is no more attractive to even ordinary Panchayat members in India. Lakhs and crores of rupees are also not very tempting for many. Lakhs of crores and very soon crores of crores will be the target of national level politicians. Our seemingly unimpressive politicians, especially the capped variety, have outgrown our expectations in terms of identifying all the commodities that can be sold. Who would have thought that they would graduate so soon from their favourite crimes like human trafficking, sweat equity and kickbacks to the unseen world. Not even our top scientists and engineers could have dreamt of making money out of the unseen electro-magnetic waves. Stems cells, human body parts, emotions, values, virtues, relations, nationalism, patriotism etc., are some more items that be ‘sold’ and I am very sure that our politicians will start dealing with them very soon. Indian politicians have truly surpassed their cousins in other democracies.

Sinking Credibility

It is very easy to identify corruption and scams in India now. The RTI (Right-To-Information) act has literarily opened a can of worms and empowered the new brand of RTI activists. Real reasons behind the strong objections by some higher ups in Indian judiciary to the RTI act covering them also has become very clear now. All Caesers’ wives must be above suspicion but many of his wives are shying away from public scrutiny for reasons best known to everyone now. All those who aspire for a public life must bear in mind that they simply lose their right to privacy by this option. In a democracy, public life is the only way to power, but one must be also prepared to stand scrutiny for all their actions. Government officials who migrate into public life display such displeasure very often. As part of the Executive they are protected by suitable laws, but once they are in public life in search a greener pastures, they are answerable. The problem with many byzantine logothets who have come into public life only for the sake of fame lies in here. Manmohan Singh (MMS) is one such.

MMS had a successful stint in official life with Indian government, and he continued to get a lot of patronage and protection as Finance Minister under the shrewdest Indian PM Mr. Narasimha Rao. But ever since he has become a nominated (unelected) Prime Minister under Sonia Gandhi, his real test as a democratic leader has started. He has completely failed in this and has repeatedly shown his lack of skills in handling smarter politicians who work with him. A real leader in a democracy is always near and dear to a majority of public, even if he does not meet them or mingle with them. His words and deeds must match and generate confidence in the common man. But MMS is far away from all this. By not contesting general elections, he has abdicated his moral responsibility to be an elected leader and declared that he is far away from all of us. Impeccable character and unquestionable integrity become mere sycophant adjectives in such a case. Only a democratically elected leader can command respect and feel outraged if a unite opposition goes on the offensive. ‘Scamsters’ are continuing with their loot without any inhibition and fear only because they have sensed a complete lack of moral authority and legitimate leadership.

Golden Opportunity

A completely corrupted ruling establishment in India today is presenting one of the best opportunities for the Right who can easily get into the ruling throne if they are smart enough. Ever since the partition of India on religious lines in 1947, the legitimate owners to Indian territory is an open secret. All that they have to do is to win the elections and present one full term of dharmic rule. It may be easily said than done. Mass leaders with impeccable credentials must be brought into the forefront and given the mandate to rule the country without fear or favour. Temporariness must be the only difference between a democratically elected ruler and a monarchy. Constitution of India, which is considered one of the best in the world, must be implemented in letter and spirit. Equality of everyone before the rule of law is the best tool to bring in prosperity in an inherently rich country like India. Same laws applicable to one and all, irrespective of religion and region, can take India to its glorious heights once again. A tainted India can become Maha Bharat once again.

It is often heard that Mahatma Gandhi was very much in favour of disbanding Indian National Congress that spearheaded our struggle for liberation from the British rule. His logic was perfect and it would have given all the political parties a level platform. People from all sections of the society in all regions of India took part in the struggle and Indian National Congress was the only platform available then. But one single party’s claim now for full credit is nothing but absurd. And the partition of India makes their case completely meaningless in every sense. What they claim to have liberated is only a part of the whole and there is hardly anything creditable about it. In fact this should have been made clear in our constitution itself, that we the people of India have liberated this nation. It is a shame that the opposition parties are allowing the present Congress to make such claims, when it can be legitimately challenged in a court of law and declared illegal. And once their illegitimate claims are annulled, what is it that is left in the present day Congress? It is a mere crowd of family sycophants with no ideology, purpose and sense of direction.

The entire political spectrum is responsible for the mess that India is in today. Those on the ruling side by their uninhibited indulgence and those in the opposition by their inexplicable inaction. Indian opposition parties have been in the opposition for so long that they could have put out draft versions of legislation that reflect their intentions on everything that concerns an Indian. The only such idea that is floating around is the preference for a uniform civil law. In that too, what is preventing the Right from putting out the entire set of acts, laws and rules that needs to be passed by the parliament for this purpose? That would have made their intentions and purpose crystal clear to everyone including their political opponents. If the Right can bring out their real intentions and lay it in front of the Indian public in all such vital aspects of nation building, it is almost sure that they can make their entry into the corridors of power in Delhi with no need for exit in any foreseeable future. A tainted India is waiting for Mr. Right to set it right.

Advaitic Ayyappans

The idea, legend and concept of Lord Ayyappa is a typical one in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD) that symbolically reflects the entire spectrum of its own evolution to the heights of Advaitic thoughts. The story of Lord Ayyappa is very interesting and how it connects the ancient with contemporary provides the best indications about the inbuilt auto-reformation process that is present within the most progressive, rational and secular religion available to mankind. Lord Ayyappa comes literally into the midst of the modern world as a renewed version of Sastha who is a product of the natural synergy of Haran and Hari. Seamless incarnations of the God into various forms with varying intensities and their interactions for the ultimate upkeep of Dharma is the best working model that is available for sustaining humanity. This is in sharp contrast with the destructive models of forcible beliefs about an unseen God who is bent on enforcing strict discipline by punishing and rewarding all humans. It is fear and not love that prevails in such beliefs.

It is not very surprising that such a human incarnation as Lord Ayyappa has happened in the very land of Adi Sankara who had earlier put the final seal of approval on Advaita philosophy. Any history beyond a few centuries in the past get mixed up with mythology and are to be taken as such. Debates and dissertations to establish its authenticity are worthless, especially when it concerns our beliefs and culture. Lord Ayyappa lived among us and he has left behind a formidable heritage that keeps on reminding us about the inseparability of God from anything including Man. There is an element of God in each one of us and the pilgrimage to Sabarimala signifies this aspect more than anything else. Symbolically all the pilgrims get completely identified as Ayyappans (God) just by putting on a chain worth a few rupees. This uniformity and simplicity may be found in many other pilgrimages, but never the height of philosophical wisdom of realizing the God within. Unlike other religions, it is not the prescribed duty of each volunteer to undertake this pilgrimage, but the natural urge within oneself to identify with his or her true self. There is no compulsion whatsoever, but only the inner quest for a pilgrimage in pursuit of rational truth.

Growing Popularity

The popularity of Sabarimala pilgrimage is growing every year. In the two month period every year, the number of pilgrims is to the tune of fifty million and it is perhaps the biggest annual pilgrimage anywhere in the world. On a rough scale the revenue generated in the region can be placed at above 500 million dollars (2500 crores of Indian Rupees) and the net annual income from this pilgrimage alone to the state exchequer (which controls the temple) is definitely more than 250 million dollars every year. It is crystal clear that the underlying logic for all festivals in Hindu Sanatana Dharma is generation & distribution of wealth, and yet it never happens in our pseudo-secular setup. A simple pilgrimage embodying the heights of Indian spirituality is fast gaining popularity through out India, but the intended churning of wealth is getting pocketed by an ‘adharmic’ setup. But how long can this loot continue remains to be seen. An oganised setup of contradicting ideologies co-operating only for the limited purpose of destroying the temple and the pilgrimage by looting the pilgrims is working overtime in Kerala.

What makes Sabarimala pilgrimage more popular is the geographical terrain that it entails. The mountainous terrain amidst dense forests where Lord Ayyappa finally chose to settle down, again symbolizes the heights of spirituality that is inherent in Advaitic thoughts. God is omnipresent, yet we need continuous ascent in thoughts and deeds to realize the God within us. Legend has it that Lord Ayyappa had Muslim and Christian friends during his times of constant efforts in the upkeep of Dharma. The legend may be true or false. But what it conveys is the message of equality and brotherhood as far as a highly intense divine existence is concerned. We see inequality and animosity around us because most of us are not making any attempt to realize the same God which is present in everyone. Each Sabarimala pilgrimage provides an opportunity to get a feel of the divinity inherent in such Advaitic practices. Irrespective of colour, creed and caste all Ayyappans carry the same God energy within them.

Scheming Animosity

Success of Sabarimala has also drawn the attention of other ideologies, some elements of which are working overtime in defeating Hindu Sanatana Dharma in its land of origin. Hindu Sanatana Dharma puts great emphasis on individual efforts to achieve self-realisation (or moksha) and that has become its main drawback for sustaining itself among the predatory religions. Getting together and organizing have become primary requisites for success in the present day world even for religions. Baber and British could defeat a pre-dominantly Hindu nation like India only because of the lack of an organizational religious structure. Though weak in content, the other religious ideologies made great inroads in India only because of their superior organized missionaries and mercenaries. Increasing popularity of Hindu festivals involving mass participation is viewed with great anxiety by many vested interests. An organized Hindu religion is definitely an oxymoron, but even efforts on the part of some leaders to make ordinary Hindus realize the greatness of their ideology can upset many global calculations.

Animosity of schemers against the success of Sabarimala started decades back. There were even attempts to burn down the temple. One of our secular leaders went to the extent of declaring the burning down as a great achievement. His words like “every temple burnt will bring down evil in our society” are still sacrosanct for the pseudo-seculars in our society. The temple has come up again and the pilgrimage is climbing greater heights every year. Crafty schemers have now joined the stream with the ultimate objective of defeating it from within. There is plenty of money involved in the pilgrimage and attempts are afoot to loot the pilgrims (especially those from outside Kerala) to the maximum extent. As the number of pilgrims is increasing exponentially every year, nothing more than the simple inaction of not providing basic amenities is required on the part of enemies to make it a failure.

But whatever be the schemes or designs of its enemies, the pilgrimage shall continue to progress because more and more people are realizing its underlying message and meaning. Those who are trying to burn down one Sabarimala may end in great distress when they find a dozen more Sabarimalas coming up in other parts of India. It is better for them to remember that Lord Ayyappan is not a Malayali in the narrow context of Indian geography. Anyone anywhere can realize his or her true meaning and another Lord Ayyappan can manifest anywhere in this universe. The natural process of self-realisation with the help of our rational mind is unstoppable. The Advaitic process is formidable and an inevitable necessity for a progressive mankind. All of us will achieve realization sooner or later and it will be a world full of Ayyappans then.

External God Delusion

An organized campaign orchestrated by the organized religions to establish the irresistible delusion regarding an external God that is far removed from all of us is growing day by day. There are powerful forces at play with vested interests to prevent ordinary mortals from realizing the simple fact that there is no such entity as God who is working full time to monitor our activities. There is no God who can give us rewards and punishments. Those who are constantly driving this point into the mind of the poor and vulnerable are doing a great disservice to their own selves. Evolution of man to superman has been stunted by this sort of selfish deeds of a few thousands among the six odd billion humans. Efforts of those few who have realized and are convinced about the non-existence of any God that is external to anyone or anything need to be doubled to get rid of the current delusion. The single hand effort of Prof. Richard Dawkins is admirable and his book “God Delusion” is a must read for all those who are in serious pursuit of the ultimate truth (which we consider as God).

Dawkins has clearly exposed all the existing popular religious theories about God and the organized religions stand completely exposed as a result of his campaign. But he has clearly erred on one point ie. regarding the concept of God in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (HSD). He has mistakenly identified the core of HSD with a few facets of it visible to him in the West. Hindu mythology and Hindu festivals that overflow with the joy of multitude of Gods are only some of its umpteen lower versions that are meant for the ordinary mortals. Variety is the spice in everyone’s life and a religious philosophy that can elevate those who can understand it to an entirely different plane is only providing versions of it for accommodating one and all. But those who really want to go deep into it must not have missed the wood for the trees. Advaita philosophy lies at the core of HSD and if only Prof. Richard Dawkins understood what is Advaita, could he have avoided the few mistakes in his work. Nevertheless he has almost done the impossible by completely demolishing God delusion in his own society and its neighbourhood.

Ultimate Realisation

The concept of Advaita which establishes the presence of God in everything and anything that exists (and that we can think of) has been a thread that runs through HSD at all times. There are many even in India who still believes that it is something that was newly propounded by Adi Sankara (considered to be the most intelligent human being ever lived by those who have (bothered) to read and understand his works). Acrimonious and violent debates between strong schools of thought like Dvaita, Advaita and Vishitadvaita within HSD was commonplace in ancient India. Each of them had outstanding supporters and their arguments substantiating their own respective positions are plenty in the so-called Vedic literature. Among the three, Dvaita and Vishitadvaita are nothing but the original wine of what has been presented in new bottles in modern times as organized religions. Theological debates that are contemporary in the Middle East and West had taken place in India thousands of years back.

Adi Sankara immortalized himself by becoming one of the last scholars in ancient India who put the final seal on Advaita. His literary works which elucidates his arguments leaves no doubt in our mind about the authenticity of Advaita. He is the one who settled the longest debate on God by stating the obvious that God is nothing but the spirit or energy or righteousness that is present in everything. Now every religion talks about an omnipresent and omnipotent God, but when it comes to details the same God is external to us and is detailed as someone who is more bothered about our affairs than we are. This is nothing but cent percent contradiction. How can an omnipresent God be NOT PRESENT within you also? So if at all there is an omnipresent and omnipotent God, only Advaita can be true. Who wants a God which is not omnipresent and omnipotent? The defeated isms have made a successful comeback in other parts of the world in the form of organized religions preaching a God which is clearly external to us. And that is what modern Sankaras like Dawkins are now stripping apart. As for mankind as a whole, we have wasted and are wasting our time. If we had continued from where Adi Sankara had left off, the whole mankind would have attained self-realisation. And we would have had a paradise here itself!!

Analogously Digital

Though Advaita is the last word as a religious theory, its strongest proponent Adi Sankara cannot be considered successful because of his failure in building it up as a formidable ideological argument. Almost all the popular religious texts in HSD espouse Advaita, yet when it comes to the level of understanding of a common man, the force of argument and understanding weakens. The ultimate religious text viz. Bhagavd Gita is full of descriptions and symbols about the ‘advaitic’ nature of God. All the characters (and even animals and the inanimate ones) in Mahabharata & Ramayana stand out with the presence of God in varying degrees. While in Lord Rama and Krishna the divine content is almost full, it is the lack of it in Ravan and Duryodhan that makes them unique. Presence and absence of God is almost binary is nature with an infinite number of interim stages of its presence.

A complete emancipation of any human being will only come with his full comprehension about the analogously binary nature of God as espoused by Advaita. All his (or her) doubts will vanish only after a complete realization sets in about the nature of God. Name and form becomes unimportant then. And this exactly is the very reason for weakening of HSD society. All the realized souls and emancipated personalities in our midst take a backseat and tend to vanish from the vanguard of our society after they have realized the worthlessness of names and forms. The isms that have been squarely defeated earlier have surfaced again fully utilizing this opportunity. And the vulnerable, as all of us are at times, always get attracted to the easy ideas and quick-fix solutions like prayers and rituals instead of full application of their innate rationality and reasoning powers to understand God.

We still require all the efforts of all the thinking people in this world to ‘popularise’ Advaita to the entire humanity. The efforts of people like Prof. Richard Dawkins (www.richarddawkins.net) assume great importance in this regard. By effectively pulling down the concept of an external God, he is knowingly or unknowingly espousing the cause of Advaita. All his remarkably convincing arguments exposing the propaganda games of organized religions about a God that makes, monitors, punishes and rewards Man provide good framework for the ultimate success of Advaita concept. An ardent advocate of Advaita and a firebrand atheist are separated only by a veil of ignorance. This systematically arranged universe of ours needs the existence of an all pervading glue of logic, which we call as God. It is present in everything including humans in varying degrees and I have no doubt about its increased presence in people like Prof. Richard Dawkins. Best wishes for his noble endeavour of exposing the two organized religious ideologies.

Kerala Pandits

Kashmiri Pandits and Palestinians share many unfortunate commonalities. Yet whenever the civilized world deliberates on human atrocities, the former community is entirely forgotten. The reasons are obvious and there is very little that Indians can do about it. Bloodshed and bombs are the only proven methods to catch world’s attention and Pandits, being Indians, are inherently incapable of excelling in that option. Second and third generation of Kashmiri migrants are languishing in refugee camps spread over India for reasons unknown to them. Indians have an uncanny knack for suffering and Pandits seem to possess more of it. There may be many more similar refugees in different parts of the world, but the case of Kashmiri Pandits is something unique and worthy of study by others. All that is required is to note that India’s first Prime Minister, who could have done literally anything in India, was a Kashmiri Pandit himself!

What happened to the Pandits in Kashmir did not take place in one month or one year or even one decade. It was a long process which provided enough warning signals and opportunities for remedial action. But the so-called community leaders saved their skins (also their immediate family) and collective conscience of the community became numb when it was supposed to be alert. Action was most wanted when the first signs of trans-border loyalty started showing and the community failed miserably in doing anything. Wishing for divine interventions and unsolicited help from others have not solved the problems of any community anywhere in the world. In critical times, action and even thoughts of each and every individual in a society can contribute to their ultimate victory and survival. Recognising and accepting the reality of dangerous signals is the first requirement for avoiding any catastrophe in the future. Unfortunately this is exactly what is lacking in the case of the many more Pandits in the making. The case of Kerala Hindus, especially the so-called higher castes, is a typical one.

Demographic Disaster

Kerala’s Hindu community is dwindling on account of four major factors – Family Planning, Religious Conversion, Family Suicides and Migration. One of the main factors that resulted in the famous Kerala Model of 1980s was the decreasing denominator trend namely population growth. While all political parties and leaders are claiming credit for Kerala Model, the fact remains that such a decline was solely due to the strict adherence of Hindu community to the Family Planning program advocated by the governments in power. A few of the progressive elements in the other two religious communities might have done the same, but a majority of the minority communities ignored the nation’s need with complete impunity. The net result is the shrinking of majority community from almost 70% to about 55% now. Organisations of the two organized religious communities used the situation to create a demographic advantage by ‘educating’ their masses to shun Family Planning. It would be a great eye-opener if someone can conduct a thorough study on this.

As if one weapon was not enough, organized religious conversion was the other deadly weapon in the rivals’ arsenal to tilt the numbers in their favour. Milkpowder conversion by the missionaries and the newly revealed Love Jihad are nothing but deadly weapons that continue to take its toll in Kerala society. Now it is almost a certainty that in any inter-religious marriage in Kerala, the loser is always the Hindu community. If not the spouse, the organized communities will ensure that atleast the children are converted. And once they are in, there is no question of going back for fear of life or loss of limbs. The situation has become even worse in recent times due to the increasing number of family suicides and migration of Hindu families to other districts and states when they are surrounded by the might of organized communities. The number of electoral constituencies is fast growing in the so-called minority districts and decreasing where there is majority. The impact on government and governance is obvious in the days to come.

Political Hypocrisy

Hallmark of petty politicians is arch hypocrisy and current Kerala politics is infested with such a variety. The words secularism and communalism have lost their meaning completely. Each individual politician has his own meaning and interpretation for the two and that too varies with situation and times. Division of India on communal lines affected the north of India mostly and people there still retain some spirit of true secularism and realize the horror of communalism. But it is not so in Kerala. The future Pandits of Kerala are now in a self-destructive mode being lectured on secularism by political parties like Muslim Leagues and Kerala Congress. Some of their leaders have even written books on what is true secularism (sic). Just like Family Planning, the charlatans have quietly discovered the next platform to deceive the lotus-eating majority. While the foolish lot will watch the debates and seminars on top of the platform, focused and determined work will be done underneath to subvert the entire edifice.

In the reality of today, liquid money is the root cause of everything good and bad. Things have started going bad in Kerala ever since a cunning few from the minority communities identified their goldmines in the Gulf and the West. What they have promised their sponsors abroad can be easily guessed, and containers of money are flowing into the state for consolidation of vote banks to capture power democratically. And once it is achieved, it is known to all about what will follow. The trap of political correctness has mimed the few sincere politicians who are anyway considered ‘misfit’ in contemporary politics. Erstwhile imperialists in the West and new aspirants in the form of Arab imperialism are eagerly waiting to land in the shores of God’s Own Country à la Vasco-De-Gama in 1498AD. If it was East India Company then, it will be outright communal corporations that will penetrate the whole of India through Kerala this time. For any close Kerala watcher, the minority grip on politics, government, police, judiciary, business etc., is so very evident and any relief is not easy.

But Kerala Hindus are fast asleep and their snoring is growing day by day. Communities that produced the likes of Adi Sankara, Sree Narayana, Chattampi Swamikal, Mata Amritanadamayi are clueless and lost in direction. Leaders of their prominent community organizations have fallen for slush money and now they spent more time proving their secular credentials in front of minority leaders than in their organizations. While some of the ‘secular’ leaders refuse to light even ceremonial lamps, the petty majority leaders are waiting in front of their palaces and majlises for an appointment. We can only pity the Kerala Pandits who have reposed their faith on Communism to save them from the impending disaster. Remember that the ‘greatest’ communist EMS was a Kerala Pandit and he did exactly what Nehru did to his own people. With his landmark land reforms act, he not only destroyed his own folks but made the poaching communities richer by excluding commercial crops from its purview. Kerala’s Hindus, like Kashmiri Pandits, will end up in refugee camps sooner or later if they cannot secure their position. It is now or never.

Ubiquitous Ayodhya of Eternal Ram

Few Indians have realized the truth that the present High Court verdict is regarding a civil law suit involving three parties about the ownership of a piece of land. It is only natural for the concerned judges to think of legitimate solutions strictly based on the law of the land, facts presented in the court and the legal precedents in such cases. The present verdict needs to be viewed only in such a context. With the immense possibilities of appeals and counter appeals, the civil suit will take another 60 years to reach any conclusion, if at all. And even if there are no further appeals, the current division of 2.7 acres of land into three equal parts can never provide enough space for any major monument to come up. The entire land can be either left barren or all three parties can get together and grant it to one of them (or another outsider) to construct a single grand structure. Though attractive, chances of the latter option are almost negligible in the present prevailing air of suspicion and mistrust. We cannot expect those who support ‘invaders’ and ‘converters’ to compromise with the natural owners of the land.

But even if a grand Ram’s temple does not come up at Ayodhya, the relevance of Ram and Ayodhya shall remain unchallenged and undiminished forever among Indians, nee the entire humanity. Sanatana Dharma remains the oldest religious path identified by mankind and Lord Ram remains the first ideal human being who prompted the then evolving homo sapiens to think in terms of an ultimate reality (named as God) that lies further in the path of human evolution. The concept of incarnation (avatar) of God in the form of humans was prompted by none other than Lord Ram, though many earlier avatars have been recognized later on. Those who ridicule Lord Ram as a myth are only feigning blind under the influence of inferior ideologies who cannot challenge Sanatana Dharma either in terms of its robust content or its ever vibrant rationality. The poor duplicates know that over 5000 years of uninterrupted and unchallenged heritage is too overwhelming when compared to their own mere 2000 and 1500 years. Deception and ridicule have always been the chosen tools of the less evolved when confronted with such challenges.

Eternal Ram

Importance of Lord Ram in the lives of Indians for the period till the arrival of foreign invaders needs no evidence for any student of Indian history. Perhaps that is exactly why the immediate descendents of the first invader (Baber) chose to confront Lord Ram by targeting Ayodhya. Forcibly erasing all the monuments related to local heroes is always a priority item for invaders to weaken the invaded. But Lord Ram was already a hero in the minds of all Indians living and yet to be born. The herd of skewed historians who doubt the reality of Ram and propose an Aryan Ram being unacceptable to a Dravidian South India need only to visit Sri Lanka and places like Rameswaram, Jadayumangalam etc., which lie in the south of India. Sensible and scientific among Indian historians can easily accept the reality of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Vedas, Epics, Upanishads etc., when each and every district of the Indian geography contains proof of India’s past as depicted in Vedic literature. Ordinary Indians do not need anymore proof for the existence of an eternal Ram in our midst.

India is no doubt a confluence of unlimited number of cultures, religions, tribes, opinions and even nationalities. But there are a few super threads that run through the entire fabric of Indianness – the so-called Hindutva which has been accepted by even the Supreme Court of India. The most ideal human Lord Ram and complete human Lord Krishna are integral components of what is Hindutva. The entire humanity cannot even think of a more ideal human being than Lord Ram and more complete human being than Lord Krishna. Our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata may be highly exaggerated stories about such superior humans who are correctly designated as incarnations of the ultimate reality. But the fact still remains that we cannot think of more ideal or complete forms of human behavior even now. Message to mankind from the words and deeds of Lord Ram remain unsurpassed in terms of its content and motivation. Men trying to become Rams and nations striving for Ramrajya are still part of ultimate idealism that our universe can still imagine.

Ubiquitous Ayodhya

It is a welcome relief that the skewed historians are not questioning the geographical authenticity of Ayodhya though they side with our enemies about the existence of Ram. These historians who have no doubt at all about the various sons of God and prophets in other parts of the world have always been casting doubts about the authenticity of Ram and Krishna. According to them the entire Indian history prior to Baber’s invasion is mythology and is somewhat clear only when it comes to the migration of Aryans from central Asia. Crooked historians like Thapar and Paniker could find no other way to deny India and Indians the credit for their unparalleled glory during the Vedic period. But their dirty tricks are no more working and the whole world has accepted the falsehood of the Aryan Migration Theory. For the young historians who have genuine doubts about Ram, Krishna, Ramayana and Mahabharata, just one all-India tour and a quick trip to the neighbouring countries are enough to clear their doubts. One of the dirtiest historical conspiracies of dividing Indians into Aryans and Dravidians will also become crystal clear to them.

Ayodhya literally refers to a land without war and it would be foolish for anyone to look for one outside India. It could never have existed nor could it ever exist in the Middle East, Africa, Europe or the Americas. Even hypothetically, it could have existed only in a land ruled by highly evolved rulers like Lord Ram and Lord Krishna where people enjoy freedom of thought, expression and action. Among people who are not tied down to a single ideology or book or hero. There must be no restrictions on criticizing the ruler or even the God, there must be freedom to question practices and there must be unlimited freedom to challenge religious beliefs. Learned men must write commentaries on the sacred books and rewrite them if required to suit contemporary times. The one and only ideology or religious belief that has allowed its followers to do so is Sanatana Dharma. An Ayodhya can exist only in such an environment and the whole of India is an Ayodhya belonging to an eternal Ram.

The truth of Ram and Ayodhya are thus very clear to Indians. The whole geographical entity called India belongs to Lord Ram and it is irrelevant whether a Ram temple can finally come up in a place called Ayodhya in modern times. Crores of people worship Lord Ram at millions of places. Addition of one more temple will not make any difference to the reverence and esteem of Lord Ram to Indians. But the attempt of some vested interests to position a barbarian invader like Baber against a divine incarnation like Lord Ram can be termed only as absurd. All invaders are our enemies and if someone claims that it belongs to Baber, then it is the first plot that should be taken over under the Enemy’s Property Act, 1968. Thousands of acres of our land are under enemy’s possession in Kashmir, but how can we allow an enemy territory right in the middle of India? That should be the concern and spirit of all Indians.

Deendayalism – a Right Opportunity

Communist ideology is dying in India and communists are on their way out. The process would be almost complete with the coming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala during 2011. Though Communism is long dead in the land of its origin, it could survive in the poor nations only because of the wrong notion that communists are pro-poor and they will always stand with the poor. But this misplaced hope has been exposed completely. In China, the communists have long abandoned genuine Communism, as proposed by Karl Marx, and are excelling in the practice of ‘Capitalistic Communism’. In many other places, Communism is no more pro-poor but more into the business of keeping the poor forever poor in order to maintain their relevance. In India we have degenerated to a situation of witnessing scotch whisky and lipstick being arranged during Polit Bureau meetings in place of tea-without-milk and road-side snacks, and the more hypocritical scenario of a party of toiling workmen being led by a set of people who have never worked in their lives. Though Communism is dying the relevance of Leftism is still alive and might continue to grow in countries like India.

The relevance of Leftism is eternal if we mean by it the collective conscience of all those who care about the weak and deprived in our midst. All those who are physically, economically or socially handicapped need a prop and leftists are those who provide the same. It has long been falsely assumed that only a handicapped can understand another handicapped and will help them. But this is not at all true. Communism survived for a century on the wrong notion that only workers care for other workers and all workers would like to remain struggling forever. Marx clearly missed the point that inside each struggling worker there is a desire or hope to become a capitalist one day. The basic instincts of human beings were overlooked while theorizing an ideology for governance. The intentions were good but whatever is built up on a flawed foundation cannot sustain. The relevance of an alternative derived from an ideology that has survived for multiple millennia becomes important here.

Dharmic Leftism

The concept of dharma is very basic to the instincts of any human with a positive outlook. In short, dharma is that which sustains and anything being dharmic means it is sustainable. The whole of mankind at any time can be considered as a single group in a journey. This is true at the micro and macro levels. All of us are trying to survive in a background of constant efflux of time. In this mass transit we are all duty bound to help all our co-travelers who are weak and tired because of any reason. The case of all those who are poor, deprived, unhealthy and subjugated is identical to this. Innocent men who are maimed in terrorist blasts, women who are raped by invaders and children who are dying of hunger are all our co-travelers who deserve to be helped. While all other isms try to differentiate between us and them, in one form or another, there is one in India which has all along been advocating the equality of everything in this universe on the basis of a common origin and the presence of the same entity in everything. Advaita can very well become the basic foundation of what can be called as dharmic leftism – an innate responsibility of the haves towards have-nots.

No one has propounded a similar theory in better lines than Pandit Deendayal Upadhaya in his Integral Humanism. It is not surprising to note the interesting presence of Deen (sufferer) and Dayal (sympathy) in his very name. I find no better name than ‘Deendayalism’ for a wonderful combination of Leftism and Rightism, in the universal glue of dharma, to bring about an era of dharmic socialism in the world. The millions of poor in India are the best starting point for a convincing demonstration of the applicability of dharma in their upliftment. With the strong sense of dharma that is inherent in an overwhelming majority of Indians, the combined relevance of Dharma and Leftism in the form of Deendayalism can make a very meaningful intervention in Indian society. Right wing parties in India will be making a big mistake if they cannot seize this opportunity. Death of Communism in India is perhaps their last chance for a resurgence to eternal glory.

Dharmic Instruments

In a working democracy, success of political parties is determined only by their ability to identify the right instruments for social intervention to alleviate the problems faced by common man. For potential practitioners of Deendayalism the options are very clear. One of the most exasperating problem that the poor in India face is about the ownership of land. How can we call anyone an Indian if he or she does not own even a square inch of the motherland? And how do we expect farmers to produce the basic food that all of us need if they do not own any land? Extensive land reform to empower the poor farmers with land ownership is the first and foremost social intervention tool to be utilized by the Deendayalists. There must be no compromise at all in this. Land fit for agriculture must be preserved at all costs for food cultivation and ownership of most of the agricultural land must necessarily rest with the farmers for food cultivation. The state of Kerala is the best example of a tragedy in waiting for yielding to commercial crops in place of the basic food crops. Fundamentalism and Rubber cultivation has virtually brought the famed Kerala Model to an infamous one.

The other dharmic tools that can help Deendayalists take the leftist space are efforts at rejuvenation of our cultural heritage among the common man. Bharat degenerated into India only because a section of our people restricted the spread of Sanskrit and Vedic literature among the common man. The wide gap that it has created in our society still continues. Deendayalism must address this issue very earnestly even at the cost of defining the so-called secularism that is suffocating our cultural ethos. The rationality and scientific temper intrinsic in Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam must reach the Rikshaw drivers, toiling farmers and industrial workers in our nation. India’s young generations must be made to realize the heights of rationality attained in our spiritual pursuits. Economic development of our country is unstoppable now, but the spiritual health of our people can be elevated only by a conscious effort against enormous odds. Toiling workers, farmers and adivasis must be brought into the very focus of national mainstream, as rightful prime beneficiaries of Deendayalism.

It will be foolish on the part of Deendayalists to believe that Pakistan and China will keep quiet if such a dharmic social revolution takes place in India. The existence of Pakistan is solely dependent on the success of their two-nation theory and they now have so many sympathizers within India. And an introverted China will definitely provide all its help for Pakistan to play the spoilsport. But a strong and determined India that has been through worse times in history is more than a match for these evil nations built on unsubstantiated isms. The element of God present in all humans will ultimately make all individuals, even in Pakistan and China, realize the true path towards growth, development and salvation. A resurgent India led by Deendayalism can truly become the paradise on earth for all those who desire for one and who foolishly believe that there is one such in another heaven somewhere presided over by a non-existent God. Remember that in Bharat it was service to the poor (Manavseva) that was considered as praising the Lord (Madhavaseva).

Development to Disaster – Kerala Model

Kerala Model became widely popular in UN economic circles as an ideal one for any developing state in the twenty first century. The huge appreciation and wide publicity it obtained as a desirable economic model for ideal development of human society in an atmosphere of ‘justice and fairness to all’ was mainly due to the efforts of stalwarts like Dr. Amartya Sen and Dr. K.N. Raj. In classical economics, the scenario of any state attaining the highest levels of human development with the lowest levels of per-capita income is unimaginable. And that was exactly what the state of Kerala in the Indian union achieved in isolation in 1980s and 1990s. A lot of known and unknown individual and collective efforts have gone into its making, including the vast influence of leftist ideologies in a society having easier access to education thanks to the mushrooming of Christian missionary schools. But the situation has taken a complete turn since the start of this century.

Rao’s twin social warheads of liberalization and globalization (l&g) have worked wonders with all states other than Kerala. The percentage of people who have benefitted from the goodness of unlimited market forces let lose by l&g is a minimum in Kerala. Atleast two generations of Keralites owe it to the Leftists led by Krishna Pillai, AKG and EMS to have revitalized the left side of their brains to dream of a society full of equality, justice and true secularism. People from all sections of the society listened to them and believed in their words and promises. The unbelievable surge in Kerala’s human development index was a direct outcome of the goodness thus created. But when the ideology itself has failed and its leaders have turned looters, how can the surge continue? The downturn has been equally swift and we are now left with a highly unequal and unjust society which is almost fully communalized into four equal sections – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Communists.

Reasons for Development

In addition to the distinct influence of Communism in Kerala’s social and economic arenas, there are a couple of associated aspects that triggered the development indices in 1980s and 90s. Migration to Gulf countries in significant numbers and the vast remittance of foreign exchange was one of them. The other one was the large scale change in agricultural pattern from food crops to commercial crops. Surprisingly both the factors have been necessitated by or influenced the governments in power. Naxalism was gathering enormous clout in Kerala when the employment relief valve provided by Oil & Gas boom in the Gulf provided an alternative avenue of employment for the youth. And the pioneering land reforms by the government forced the agricultural pattern in favour of commercial crops as an easy way to avoid the land ceiling act. Both these unexpected developments had enormous impact on the social life of Kerala.

The full implications of such a paradigm shift in the social landscape of Kerala took many more decades to dawn. When we analyse these two trails in perspective, the combination of an air of progressive leftism that prevailed then and the new opportunities that opened up all of a sudden took the whole state into a totally unexpected (and undesired) direction. No doubt that there has been an undeniable elevation of social and economic status of a major section of our society within a very short span of time. The quantity and quality of services available in the educational and health sectors improved drastically in a short span of time. Sections of our society could easily walk into avenues of opportunities with the kind of money the two new sources could generate. But the best part of the development picture got over by the end of last century sooner than expected and the nightmare had started.

Reasons for Disaster

Just like the two associated reasons for development, there are some for the disaster as well. The vast employment opportunity in the Gulf was definitely a boon for the huge number of educated unemployed Keralites. But the influence of extraneous considerations started skewing the recruitment pattern very soon. The growing influence of Islam in everything (including even business) in the Gulf was the important factor that upset the growth of a healthy pattern of competition and development. Knowledge of Arabic language, which is again related to religion, was another factor that changed the recruitment pattern for the Gulf. The net result was the disproportionate opportunities available and the sudden economic bonanza for a particular section of our society. Another section of the population utilized a similar set of criterion to get most favoured status in the West. Thus two of the demographic minorities of Kerala suddenly became formidable financial powerhouses.

Another factor that upturned the developmental applecart of Kerala is the spurt in commercial crop cultivation. More and more people turned into plantations of rubber, tea etc., as an easy way to avoid losing land to the landless. It is said that the land ceiling act was sabotaged by the wealthy planters by manipulating the Communists to exclude commercial plantations from its purview. Most of the wealthy planters belonged to a particular minority community and that distorted the social landscape even further. The unorganized majority not only lost large tracts of land but also lost out in their efforts to gain employment elsewhere. Thousands and thousands of acres of food cultivation land turned overnight into plantations with rubber, coffee etc. Successive governments which went full steam with land reforms had no ready made plans for rehabilitation of those who lost their only means of livelihood. Minorities were made happy at the expense of the unorganized majority.

Several decades down the lane, the situation in Kerala state is now a complete disaster. It has become the epicenter of terrorism fuelled by Gulf money, control room for co-ordinated religious conversion through out India with the help of Western dollars and above all a completely unsafe place to live in. Roads are in shambles and infrastructure in lacking in almost all fields we can think of. Distribution of drinking water, electricity and public transport leave much to be desired. Food cultivation is minimal and all Keralites are at the mercy of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for their daily food. Things have come to such a pass that a majority of educational institutions have minority status and even affairs of Hindu temples are controlled by a government that is dominated by non-believers and other religionists. The very same aspects that made Kerala model famous once have turned satanic - Gulf money and Commercial crops - thereby threatening to bring down the state from development to disaster. Kerala Model is now infamous and a laughing stock.

No God, Only Godmen

Godmen is a derogatory word among the so-called Communist intellectuals in India and perhaps their cousins all over the world. One cannot blame anyone who truly believes in the absence of a superior logic to rubbish anything related to God. We should definitely respect true Communists, Marxists and Maoists when they ridicule God and Godmen based on their ideology. But then the question turns to the basis of their ideology itself. Communism has failed completely and what we are seeing in China, Russia and even among Indian Maoists are only dishonest and hypocritical attempts to push the secret agenda of a few in the name of Communism. We too had very many true Communists who were hardcore atheists in their younger days; but ultimately all of them failed in their pursuit and some of them even became prominent Godmen. So how can followers of a ideology that failed in the span of a century ridicule the rationality of our shastras that advocate Godmen and have survived many millennia. It is now proven that Man’s irresistible quest for a rational explanation about God cannot lead to anywhere else but to the spark of Godliness within him as demonstrated by many a Godmen.

The case of the two Semitic religions is no different when it comes to Godmen. Deriding the concept of Godmen has always been a prominent weapon of the two Semitic religions that are competing to convert the whole of India into their folds. Their foreign progenitors were inherently incapable of comprehending the Vedic signals from India that pointed to an all pervading logical entity that can be called God. Instead they believe in a God who lives in another world. All their techniques to convert the followers of Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH) have an element that ridicules the concept of finding God within Man. The clever ones among missionaries and mullahs know that their own existence will be questioned if the truth of an all pervading entity finds any foothold among their followers who are trapped under an ideological slavery. They are hell bent on keeping God away from Man and operating their wholesale agency business. Little do they realize that the eternal truth shall always overcome the transient ones and the truth of Godmen shall be firmly established one day.

No Separate God

The concept of a separate God can hold water only when it is possible to provide proof for separate origins for God and others. Whatever little theology that could be built up by the followers of such religions has been completely shattered when Big Bang started seeing light of the day. So far prophets, messengers and godsons were having a good time formulating faiths with ulterior motives for domination and subjugation. Just the simple fact that their blinding books have many references to non-believers when their separate God is supposed to be all-powerful shows the hollowness of their claims. An omnipotent Creator should at least have the vision to refer to all humans as His followers. Instead the books containing His dictates’ are self-explanatory in revealing His diffidence and inabilities. How can any entity that cannot ensure that all ordinary humans believe and follow it be granted omnipotence? It is only as strong or weak as any of us are.

Another strong argument against the existence of a separate God is the present condition of human race in this universe after almost a dozen billion years of existence. There are religions and religions, each with a version of God of their own. Not all can be true. If any particular one is the real truth, all those who fully follow it should have succeeded in every respect by now. Extreme violence and misery in the Arab world, steady decadence of the Western world etc., points only to the lack of any substance in their beliefs of a separate God, which is all-powerful, compassionate and omnipresent. The utter failure of all Hindu schools in the past that advocated Dvaita and Visishta-Advaita in India also proves this point beyond any doubt. There is definitely a God but it cannot exist outside any of us. Like all forms of energy that needs storage or conductor, God is nothing but a logical energy that resides in each and every thing in this universe. It cannot have any human feelings like compassion, vengeance and benevolence as promised by the prophets and messengers.

Only Godmen & Godwomen

Where the concept of a separate God dies, the relevance of Godmen begins. Given the fact that God is present in all of us and that all of us are different, it is only natural to conclude that we all have different ‘quantities’ of God. The concept of Godmen (and Godwomen) comes in here. Divinity of the entire six billion people can be plotted in a graph and we are sure to come up with a clear bunch at the top. These are the people like Saibaba and Mata Amritanandamayi who have demonstrated their uniqueness without any doubt. A lot of us are confused between divinity and miracles. Most miracles remain inexplicable for those who consider it as miracles and it is not necessary to possess divinity to show miracles. A magician may be able to show it better. Divinity is nothing but the silent radiation of God energy. Even the most unbelieving will feel excited in the very presence of people like Ramana Maharshi, Saibaba and the Mata. I do not think anyone will demand proof for their positive divine capabilities when we compare their achievements to that of the rest among us.

Another equally important truth of evolution comes in here. In the broad spectrum of divinity pattern distributed among us there cannot be any doubt about the slow and steady process of spiritual evolution. Knowingly and unknowingly we are accumulating knowledge through our experiences. Those who have inborn qualities of radiating God energy and those who accumulate the same consciously during their lives go on to become Godmen. Many of their deeds and words point to only one thing – that they have much more of God energy than we have. The basic inequality of human beings is nothing but a reflection of the different levels of God within us. All other inequalities in terms of social, economical and even physical parameters can be altered. An individual’s divinity can be altered by only him (or her) and that too based on his (or her) individual efforts. The one and only way to realize the God within you (and become a Godman) is through strenuous hard work or prayers.

All of us have God within us, but to become accomplished Godmen there is the acid test of sustained acceptability. Many a Nityanandas and Premanandas have failed miserably in this regard. Truly accomplished Godmen in the past like Ramana Maharshi (www.ramana-maharshi.org) were highly indifferent to publicity. But the strength of divine signals emanating from such rare personalities not only overwhelmed the locals but followers from far and abroad. A list of devotees who fell for this seemingly unimpressive saint is truly astonishing. In contemporary times, the accomplishments & achievements of Mata Amritanandmayi (www.ammachi.org) and Saibaba (www.saibaba.org) need no further proof to establish their claims as genuine Godmen. Those among us who are wasting our time in failing to recognize their divinity are making the big mistake of searching for a non-existent separate God when Godmen are readily available in our midst.

Man Make-up

The simplest solution to all our problems is a constant and sincere pursuit for an answer to the question ‘Who Am I”. It was the self-realised Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) who gave this simple solution. He was the living embodiment of the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta, which focuses on the oneness of God with the human soul and everything else in this universe. For those who are interested in this simple pursuit, it may be equally important to enquire about ‘What Am I’. What is the Self made up of? An equally simple and logical answer is necessary for us to be rationally satisfied. Man Make-up has great significance and it can even ease our spiritual pursuit of striving to understand about ‘Who Am I’. All great sages (and in fact all of us know) very well that we are not this body of ours alone. Neither are we the life energy inside or the mind or the knowledge. In reality we are a combination of minimum four components – body (physical form), soul (life energy), knowledge (intelligence) and mind (consciousness). Perhaps all living beings are of the same make-up and the non-living without the soul part alone. Let us deliberate further on the four parts that constitute Man Make-up.

Physical Form (Body)

Human body is one of the most complicated machines that can be thought of and our knowledge is yet to uncover most of its complexity. Like everything else in this universe our understanding is diminishing as we try to understand more about the secrets of human body. A simple fact like the variety of looks that a human face can take as a permutation and combination of the seven organs (eyes, ears, lips, teeth, nose, eyebrows and hair) is unbelievable. The same marvel holds good for each and every part of the human body. The complexities are much more astounding when we learn about the various systems that keep the body alive. Yet in the final analysis it is only a few grams of a few elements and a huge proportion of water that makeup any human body. And in the ultimate analysis it is again a loose collection of atomic and subatomic particles that forms a human body. All of us are alike in many ways and different in every aspect. All of us are insignificant and unique at the same time.

Life Energy (Soul)

Soul is that which differentiates between a Man in deep sleep and his dead body. Both are motionless and unaware of the surroundings, but still there is a difference. Science and religion acknowledge the phenomenon of soul in different forms. Science is still in the dark about the secret of soul because of its obvious failure in creating one artificially. But all religions are clear about the involvement of God in it. For the top two organized religions, soul is a proprietary item under God’s command and control; for them it is created by God and it returns to God after death for judgment. The one and only religious thought that considers soul as a flash of God itself is Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH – Proud To Be Hindu) and voluminous documentations are available to substantiate such a claim. Since God is eternally present everywhere there is no question of souls coming or returning to God at any time. It is born and born again until it dissolves permanently into God. And our lives are nothing but a series of dramatic effects (including visuals) enacted on the arena of unchanging God.

Intelligence (Knowledge)

Intelligence is closely associated with the spark of life found in all living beings and just like human body our knowledge also grows with us. It is very interesting to note that there is an element of built-in knowledge (like ROM in a computer) that is readily available for all living beings which takes them through the initial period of survival. This is perhaps lowest in the case of humans, but we make it up with the next phase of acquired knowledge (like RAM in a computer). The extent of knowledge accumulation that is possible for humans is truly amazing and needs no explanation when we think of people like Sankaracharya, Albert Einstein etc., and our own Vedic literature. All successful beings (including Man) are those who realize the skills (vasanas) in their ROM and accumulate more of it in their RAM. Evolution is taking us much forward and the days of super human beings, as envisaged by Swami Aurobindo, are just few millenniums away.

Consciousness (Mind)

Consciousness is perhaps the most intriguing part of our make-up. It is definitely a part of us and yet we have not yet identified its exact location. It is truly amazing to note that there is only one instrument that can ‘see’ the entire universe at a time – just close your eyes and imagine. According to me the basis of Big Bang theory lies in here. The entire universe has originated from the explosion of a speck of consciousness that now encompasses everything in this universe. This is exactly what we loosely call as God, which is omnipresent and omnipotent. The capacity and capability of our minds are infinite and its realization is possible only through dedicated efforts, unless it occurs ‘automatically’ like in the case of Sri Ramana Maharshi or Sri Ramakrishna. And those with realized consciousness can definitely guide us (and not show or give us) towards the direction of realization.

Make-up of man is as fundamental as the question of Who Am I, which Sri Ramana Maharshi (www.ramana-maharshi.org) wanted everyone to seek. Realisation of Self is complete only when we have clearly understood our make-up and recognized the true nature of our consciousness. We need to understand the shape and other features of the bottle before we can fully realize the nature of its contents. The three intangibles of Soul, Knowledge and Mind that reside in our tangible body can bloom into their full potential if we make conscious efforts to understand them. And that is what we identify as Self-Actualisation in the hierarchy of human needs in modern management and we Indians know as Self-Realisation in Hindu Sanatana Dharma (PTBH).

Career Politicians

Democracy is no doubt one of the best form of governance available for civilized mankind, but a natural breed of mature and talented politicians is a must for making it deliver. For democracy to succeed there should be an established channel for successful people from all walks of life to graduate into political roles. This is not happening in many major democracies and unfortunately India is one among them. Instead, a new breed of politicians is infesting the political arena and vitiating the process of democracy in almost all the developed and developing countries where democratic values have taken strong roots and people are happy with democratic ways of tackling national issues. Politicians are indispensable for the working of any democracy and true democracy can flourish only when politicians are free to operate without any fear and favour. But the new breed of politicians viz. Career Politicians are spoiling the whole concept of democracy. The situation is worsening day by day in all democracies with the advent of a mix of career and hereditary politicians. Both are equally bad and a combination is even more damaging to the best form of human governance.

The success or failure of democracy in a country is solely dependent of the quality of politicians that operate in it. If there are politicians with good intent, there is every possibility of having a good government which will represent majority aspirations. But that alone will not take the country forward. There should be talented visionary politicians to run the government and guide the nation. They will know what is good for the people even when the people themselves may not be appreciative of it. This quality of formulating policies which are for the well being of the society comes out of education and talent. It is not something which is inborn but can only be developed by education and experience. Professionals who are good in one field always find it easy to understand others’ work and efforts. Politics should not become a profession but professionals are needed in politics if development and deliverance are the purpose of governance.

Political Purpose

When we are analyzing politicians it is important to understand what essentially is politics? What is expected of politicians in a democracy? Whatever be its dictionary meaning, in democratic India it has deteriorated to the level of merely taking part in elections and always trying to be part of the government that rules. If one is successful one becomes part of the government and if not, part of the opposition ranks criticizing the government and waiting for the next opportunity to seize power. Most politicians carry out these ‘responsibilities’ well and many of them excel as rulers. The attraction of power is an ever lasting fascination for ordinary politicians and the more they taste it more hungry they become. Nothing succeeds like success and successful Indian politicians are always those who get into the right political party at the right time. It was much easier during the pre-anti defection era. But now also they achieve the same by right mergers and forming new election fronts, before or after the elections to make up the numbers without any rhyme, reason or shame.

Is this all that is expected of politicians in a democracy? Not at all. Ideal politicians must be proficient in so many other aspects apart from elections and governance. I would consider representation and thinking for the well-being of the majority of utmost importance. A good politician must have proper social transducers to pick up the opinion of the majority in his political constituency (not only geographical) on all major issues. Then he (or she) should be capable of articulating this majority opinion in the proper forums including the assembly or parliament or party avenues. But the most critical action that is expected from a politician involves thinking for the majority. It is impossible to get a single opinion from a mob and that is why we have representatives speaking on our behalf. But the representative’s opinion must be in the best interest of the majority even if many of the constituency may not agree. For that to happen the elected political representative must be not only be educated but experienced and capable of taking independent decisions. Only a good professional who can win bread for him and his family can become a good politician in any democracy.

Personal Purpose

There in no doubt that politics is dirty and it is truly difficult to live up to the expectations of others. But it is not at all difficult if one can live up to one’s own expectations. Those who have no self respect cannot expect others to respect you. Most of the politicians fail in this aspect. Many of them are without any formal education and very few are professionals. Most of them do not know any job other than that of the so called public (dis)service. Even professionally qualified politicians like lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants etc., do not take the trouble of practicing their own trained profession even for a day. In the Indian political scene, most of the politicians are lawyers but I am cent percent sure that 90% of them cannot argue properly in any court of law. Quite in contrast we are fully aware of the contributions made by professional lawyers like Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar, Santhibushan, Jethmalani, Nariman, Sibal, Jaitley etc., to the realm of politics. These lawyer politicians were (are) capable of feeding their own families by practicing law. Society and nation are just extensions for them.

Politics as a profession for a career is the worst that can happen in a democracy and that is what is happening in a functioning democracy like India. Degeneration of our democratic framework can be traced back to this dangerous reality. There is no minimum qualification to enter this profession and there are no minimum standards to be maintained for climbing the career ladder. The most unqualified and unscrupulous are proving to be most successful in politics. Those who are more visible inside and outside the parliament are those who do not participate in the law making process and debates about India’s development and future. Most of them are blissfully ignorant of the requirements of a struggling population and the options available in terms of technology, infrastructure and resources for taking India forward. Many are sitting in the law making bodies only by virtue of their heredity or seniority in career politics. Once out of power, many of them will be like fish out of water that will die without oxygen (money). What more justification is required for rampant corruption while in power?

Monthly remuneration of members of Indian parliament has been recommended to be increased three or four fold to more than Rs. 80,000/- per month. The interesting argument is that it should be at least one rupee more than the maximum emoluments of a professional in government because of protocol and hierarchy. This is in addition to so many other perks and an average monthly expenditure on each lawmaker will be definitely more than Rs. 200,000/- of public money. Do all of them deserve so much for their worth and work? Definitely not. Only those who can earn that much money by their own professional merit deserve that much remuneration for being in politics. It is time for democratic India to think seriously about minimum qualifications for being in politics and state funding for elections to encourage successful professionals to venture into politics. Left to career and hereditary politicians, Indian democracy will be in shambles in not so distant future.