The Dharma Dilemma

This post is in response to Offstumped's Open letter to RSS chief Shri. Mohan Bhagwatji on the recent Hindu/Hindutva terror confessions. Since the blogger in the past like a true seeker of truth has shifted from one goal post of Integral humanism, White Umbrella, Big Tent blah blah blah to Ambedkar Constitutionalism, the following post in with an assumption that the blogger under question is a staunch Constitutionalist, meaning following the constitution tooth and nail is Dharma. :) I am often left confused when the blogger shifts between various goalposts.

The blogger does raise valid concerns about the manifestation of the so called Hindu terror in the wake of Swami Aseemanand's supposed confession infront of a magistrate. The blogger also realizes the possible mischief behind the selective leak of information for political reasons. But there are glaring loopholes that stand at cross-roads with some of the earlier staunch constitutionalist positions taken by liberal friend Offstumped.

"It is abundantly clear that on more than one ocassion certain individuals swearing by Hindutva have committed Adharma."

The blogger would do great service if he could clarify who these individuals are, what these acts of Adharma were. What's the response of constitutional authorities to such acts of Adharma.

" It doesnt matter how sound a legal argument the Sangh forwards, the battle to win hearts and influence minds is being lost every time the Sangh equivocates and speaks in generalities."

But legal arguments are paramount for a staunch constitutionalist, aren't they? Yes the sangh does speak in generalities when it says terror has no religion. I hope the blogger is referring to the same dilemma of the Sangh, especially that of the BJP.

"Sir there is a new demographic generation that is coming of age in India. This generation is impatient for change and is unbounded in its aspirations. This generation needs leadership and direction. But more importantly this generation sees its aspirations linked to a growing economy."

When did the Sangh say it doesn't want a growing economy? A cursory glance at Indian TV channels can tell how popular astrology has become with people. Even the hep liberal champagne socialites talk about kundali, Rashiphal etc (of course not in open :) ). #justsaying that cultural, religious and economic aspirations are not perpendicular to each other. I visited the world sanskrit book fair a couple of hours back, and it had such overwhelming crowd, dominated by youngsters. Its wrong to make such glaring generalizations that economic aspirations aren't coupled with spiritual, religious aspects.

Now on the task list to Shri. Mohan Bhagwatji

"Acknowledge that Adharma has been committed by some in the name of Hindutva"

Isn't it too early to jump the gun, that the judicial proceedings have not yet really taken shape. Isn't it Adharmic in itself not to wait till the court verdicts before Shri Mohanji could issue a statement?

"Demand Accountability for all such acts of Adharma committed in the name of Hindutva from individuals within the Sangh, organizations loosely affiliated with the Sangh and also in the Courts of Law"

Adharma is Adharma how does it matter if one does it in the name of Hindutva or something else? However its good that the author acknowledges that Hindutva isn't bad but people who use it might be bad from his earlier puerile stance on political hindutva. Sangh is more of an informal set-up with loosely affiliated organizations as the blogger says, so how can one Mr. MB answerable when there is no formal agreement at the first place between various outfits?

"Set a an example and a high bar through a clear and visible public purge of such individuals from all association with the Sangh."

Absolutely, but the Sangh should follow the constitutionalist approach of benefit of doubt, till the individuals are convicted in the court of law. Again a constitutionalist perspective.

"Make the first move towards National Reconciliation with an unwavering commitment despite any political provocations from the Congress"

Have no idea what National reconciliation means!! Who should reconcile with whom?

" The Sangh can play a crucial role in setting the direction and in nurturing these Institutions to produce the modern day equivalent of a 1000 Kautilyas in a Takshashila of the 21st Century."

Absolutely agree the Sangh lacks intellectuals barring a few. But if the blogger had some insights on Kautilya I don't think the blogger would indulge in puerile attacks on Sangh on frivolous issues , which he has been indulging with for a while now, especially with all the love the author has since a 3 year old kid for the Sangh. Don't think a Chanakya would flog institutions he respects with such ease,that too when the law of land hasn't yet taken a stand against suspected individuals and institutions.

"Sir this urgent task of Institution Building cannot be achieved by pursuing street politics and agitations on fears real or imagined that play on Hindu Victimhood."

Where doesn't street politics work? Even the USA recently had its street politics shaking the Republican party. Street politics is more rooted in reality, than phony intellectualism and money bag internet activism. Street politics paves way to power in any democracy. How else can one create public opinion? Its upto the political masters to maintain the momentum gained by street politics to fulfill the aspirations of people. Moreso, how does asking for equal treatment on par with minorities qualify as victimhood? This is classic liberal rhetorical argument to blame the victim for his woes. The logic is no different from the conservative pin heads saying outgoing women invite rape. What if the fears of Hindu society are real?

"It is time Sir these Hindu Institutions have been restored to Hindu Civil Society in a Private Trusteeship model and the Sangh can play an important role in bringing together Hindu Civil Society towards this cause."

Sabr karo Bhayya. Its well know fact that its the BJP at the state level that has failed in fulfilling this promise. Its very obvious now that after repeat betrayal by the BJP, the VHP is looking outside, and its taking the services of Shri. Subramaniam Swamy to free hindu temples from the clutches of state governments.

The blogger would probably do great justice if he could write open letters to Binayak Sen sympathizers, the liberal intellectual lot of Amartya Sen, Arundati Roy who have taken an unconstitutional stance. The erudite blogger should also prevail upon the BJP ruled state governments to free hindu temples and set a precedent for other states to follow. It would surely serve Indian National Interest.

Its quite clear however that the blogger finds it difficult to balance his constitutionalist as well as Dharmic roles. On a side note the movie "The Reader" dwells into similar aspects of constitutionalism and swa-dharma. Such dilemma is so very natural when we mix up western constructs with native constructs to make an awful cocktail.

Internet Hindus

This is in reference to the exchange of emails that I had with noted journalist Ashok Malik regarding his column "When the fringe benefits" on Hindustan times, dated March 07,2010. You can find the link here .

I am reproducing the conversation with the permission of Shri.Ashok Malik.

My email to Shri. Ashok Malik.

Dear Sir,
For long I have been following your articles and I have to say I have always found your crisp analysis apt. But I have to say, that I am not convinced by your article in Hindustan Times "When the Fringe benefits" dated March 07,2010. Please find my objections below.

1. I completely agree that the voice of a perceived internet hindu is becoming increasingly shrill. But does that warrant the net-savvy bloggers and tweeple who take pains to collect evidence to the contrary to be put in the same bin as Shiv Sena and the Taliban?

2. Most right wingers have a streak of passion. Young. Mostly graduate students and many have Ph.D's from reputed institutions. They have carved successful career for themselves. How valid is to portray them as a bunch of loonies?

3. Does filing a petition violate norms of democratic freedom? why should that be perceived as hooliganism? Is it that only journalists have the right to opinion, the general masses don't have?

4. You point to a half-baked online petition and run down a whole set of people who are fighting it out. I am sorry to say this, but there are umpteen number of people who have written reviews exposing Doniger's version of history over the internet. Isn't it well within the democratic right ? Moreover dont you think we need to set some standards in thought and literature?

5. Now regarding MFH, all that the internet hindus were asking was clarification on the interpretation of the nude paintings. If you had the patience to have read the blogs of some of the well know internet hindus, none refuted that indian gods were sculpted nude, unlike the ram sene or bajrang dal. The issue here is of what interpretation one draws from those paintings. An artist paints a work, with a concept with an idea, with a message. what message does a nude sita rubbing against a nude hanuman depict? I am sorry, till now we have got no clarification from any of the freedom of speech activists or the journalists or Mr. MF himself. Please enlighten us on what nude sita on hanuman's tail depict.

6. will you stand up if Doniger's version of Indian history becomes the norm in academic discourse? You must also know that Doniger is least respected even amongst people from her own fraternity. This is not the first time that her book has been in news. Even previously people reacted to the misrepresentations peacefully, democratically as well as intellectually and have been largely succesful in expsoing Doniger's half baked knowledge. Why is it that now there is a voice to curb that right to protest?

7. This is Rajiv Malhotra's rebuttal to Doniger http://rajivmalhotra.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30:risa-lila-1-wendys-child-syndrome&catid=20:american-education-reform&Itemid=26#10, This one from Swami Tyagananda from RK mission to one of Doniger's graduate student's thesis on Ramakrishna's sexual ways. http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/s_rv/s_rv_tyaga_kali1_frameset.htm There are umpteem number of such expose of Doniger's works over the internet and Sir, all you got is a small petition to crib about?

8. The most lucid and analytic exposure of the women's reservation bill as well as Right to education bill has come from the internet hindus. I haven't found a single critique of any governmental policies from any of the eminent journalists. So i feel its very ill conceived on your part to come to conclusions on the hindu right on the internet as professionally frustrated, bigoted and intellectually inadequate.

Let me elucidate my personal experience. Burkha Dutt and Nidhi Razdan from NDTV made a documentary on Kashmiri Pandits, where in they said "Mosques pleaded with Kashmiri pandits to leave Kashmir", She also gave a socialistic touch saying KP's were rich and muslims poor, the reason for backlash. Nowhere did it figure that it was an Islamic backlash as most KP's describe. All i did was ask them a question in the most dignified way to provide evidence of Mullahs pleading their heart out for KP's to leave Kashmir? End result i was hurled with a bunch of abuses by both Burkha and Nidhi. they called me a right wing loony, mobster etc and blocked me. Isn't it my democratic right to ask? Did i deserve such a tag from 'respectable' journalists? We come from respectable families, so please don't tag us with political opportunists like Ram sene or Bajrang dal, especially the taliban.

I would be very happy to know your views on the same.

I am also posting the links to few of the hindu right blogs that are read the most.

http://www.sandeepweb.com/
http://www.deeshaa.org/
http://www.vijayvaani.com/
http://barbarindians.blogspot.com/
http://realitycheck.wordpress.com/
http://satyameva-jayate.org/

If you will call these blogs as intellectually lacking, I would like to know the precise reason for so. I will be really happy to know your views Sir. I hope this long rant of mine, doesn't further buttress your belief that we are a bunch of talibani loonies. :) No pun intended.

I am copying a friend of mine, who also had some questions to you which i have incorporated in my mail.

Will be eagerly waiting for your response.

Thanks

-Harish



Shri Ashok Malik's reply

Dear Harish,

Thank you for writing. I am responding to your points in order.

1. I do believe the more shrill and abusive Hindu voices approximate Talibanist modes of expression. This is counter-productive and damages those, including many Hindus/right-wingers on Twitter and the Internet, who prefer a reasoned and rational argument.

2. First, I'm sure you'll agree "most", "mostly" and "many" are not exact, evidence-based descriptions. Second, a "streak of passion" cannot be the excuse for abusing people and offering opinionated nonsense produced without due diligence or rigour. If somebody continues to do this, and makes a habit of doing this, he or she must qualify as a loony in my book, irrespective of institutional affiliation.

3. I have not said any of the things you accuse me of. A petition is a perfectly valid democratic device provided it is logical, well-argued, backed by citation and evidence, written in grammatically correct and intelligible language and seeks action commensurate with the supposed misconduct of the person or object that is the target of the petition. The Doniger petition fails on all these counts.

4. I have no problem with critical reviews of Doniger's book. I wrote a critical review of the book (after having read it cover to cover) in November 2009 in the Hindustan Times.However, I am not willing to condone drivel and accept that as a rigorous review.

5. I am not qualified to answering on Husain's behalf; that is his interpretation and he must explain it himself. I am only suggesting that attacking all exhibitions of Husain and hounding a 95-year-old-artist, whatever his faults, makes a free society look ridiculous. As for your point about a need to "set some standards in thought and literature", I'm afraid I don't just disagree but find it abhorrent and dangerous.

6&7. I am very familiar with this and previous works of Doniger. There is much about her work that I disagree with and have written on this theme previously. However, there is a way to contest her and to win the argument. Further, from my understanding of the academic world, no single text or author can become the "norm of academic discourse". Even if this were to happen, the "norm" would need to be contested, not outlawed.

8. You say you "haven't found a single critique of any governmental policies from any of the eminent journalists". Perhaps you haven't looked hard enough.

Sincerely,

Ashok Malik

My response to this email

Dear Sir,

Thanks for your kind reply. Can you please give me the permission to reproduce this conversation in my blog? Since many of our fellow friends were upset with this stereotyping.

I still have some reservations, listed below.

Firstly i would want a clarification on what the 'internet hindu' means. From your reply it seems you are calling those set of hindus who use abusive language and intimidate people.
I am not sure if you know, but i would want tell you how this term 'internet hindu' arised. It was coined by one of the eminent left liberal journalists unable to counter the cogent arguments made by many of the perceived right wing advocates. That's the definition of an internet hindu that we perceive.

1. Sir, internet is a free medium. You should realize it can't be reigned in. It will be the same with the abusive people regardless of their religion. These are to be best ignored. Did they even deserve attention on national newspaper then? Why run down a huge set of sane voices under these abusive figures. Such people will always exist regardless of their religion and political affiliations. Would suggest you to visit some of the left-liberal blogs, one who doesn't agree will be in for all sorts of gaalis. But i still cant agree that comparison to Taliban. Ridiculous to compare bunch of people shouting at their top of their voices to a bunch of blood-sucking, anti-women retards. If such stereotyping of a huge set of hindus continue, may be young people seriously stand a risk to do so. Sample this, a voice of one such perceived internet hindu.
http://mango-man-an-aam-aadmi.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-i-call-my-self-internet-hindu.html
On a side note, suggest you to check blogs,tweets of internet savvy people of other religions, its scary to say the least. Again I would not generalize them and stereotype them either.

2. Point taken.

3. Thanks for clarifying your take on Right to petition. Point taken. Completely agree on that. I assume you only have objections to the draft of the petition not the system of petitioning.

4. Point taken.

5. Here is where i have an issue, when you try to equate people who vandalize museums with the people on internet. I am pretty sure, you know who those foot soldiers are better than we arm-chair critics. Do you think they are on the internet? If that's the definition of an internet hindu, then I think the people who filed petitions would not qualify to this definition. There is an inherent contradiction. would be grateful to you if you clarified.

6&7. Point taken. Lets leave the decision to the courts,authorities and publishers whether to outlaw a book or not. I tend to disagree, when you say no single text or author can become the "norm of academic discourse". But i assume you agree that a particular ideology can become a norm through institutions, as well as 'eminent' authors. I am pretty sure you agree to this fact atleast, because i remember your article on Veer Savarkar and how ideologues from the Congress party erased his memory. Doniger represents the same phenomenon.Thanks to people of the likes of Arun Shourie, Ram Swarup else we would have been secular foot soldiers peddling hatred towards our glorious past and ignorant of our bloody past.

8. Point taken. Agree I jumped the gun. My apologies Sir. The Taliban comparison just got to my head :)

As expected you didn't respond to the heap of abuses that the eminent journalists from the left-liberal media throw at every perceived right-winger over the internet.

As a final note, Internet is the only medium for the well meaning hindu-right to make their voices heard. A sincere request please stay away from such blatant stereotyping and giving undue attention to people who don't deserve one if they exist. Please don't take away my 'right' to be on the internet right. If possible please also write an article on the well meaning right wing bloggers and tweeple .

On a lighter note, we would be very happy if you could spare some precious time of yours and participate on healthy discussions we have on twitter.

Thanks

-Harish

Final reply from Shri. Ashok Malik

Dear Harish,

Please reproduce the conversation on your blog. I'd also like to clarify that I've been using the term "Internet Hindu" in private conversations for quite some time. Sagarika Ghose has arrived at the same term independently.

Sincerely,

Ashok

Key takeaways :
1. Ashok Malik is pretty unclear as to what an internet hindu is since he clubs the goons who protest at Hussain's art galleries and people ranting it out over the internet. Surely her eminence Sagarika ghose didn't call vandals as internet hindus. If so it only confirms our fears that she is a nobrainer.

2. Our voice is being heard, which surely has rattled the MSM both on the right and left, because the credibility of MSM has touched an all time low. Have met many liberals who feel Indian media is dubious. There is also an inherent fear that the intellectual wars will now be fought on internet not TV studios or newspaper editorials.

3. It also exposes the sheer double standards of MSM, mainly when people who oppose stereotyping of muslims (read MNIK support) end up stereotyping a good chunk of well meaning concerned and educated folks, especially when they wear their culture up their sleeve.

4. Apologies to Reality check India but i am gonna shamelessly quote his comment "large number of ex-elite cant stomach fact that children of bankruptcy are better travelled, better read, dominate internet"

"Cattle class" or "donkey class"

What morons these politicos!! Creating such hue and cry over a small cattle class remark. Indian politicians today belong to donkey class if there is one.

Dr.Kalam under fire

I came across this utter nonsensical post published by Churumuri calling Dr.Kalam names. Its highly unfortunate that people have lost the art of making logical comments.

http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/what-is-so-sacrosanct-about-a-p-j-abdul-kalam/

Some questions:
What were these scientists doing, when the tests were conducted??
Why is it that reverse-engineering so demeaning?
Why is it a scientist ought to have a Dr Appended to his name??
Why is it that IISC must be the yardstick for "scientific credential" measurement??

At the outset this looks a conspiracy to malign the gem called Kalam born out of professional jealousy. None of these egomaniacal scientists can match the personality of Kalam in inspiring millions of Indians.

Where's the room for debate?

Utter nonsense to see someone being kicked for having an alternate point of view. Who's next in line? Arun Shourie for his book on Ambedkar.

The same people who used to cry foul at the "secular" historians for chucking out of debate are acting in the most dictatorial way.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1147507

Bloody Marys Bloody double standards

The loud mouthed bloody mary alias Sagarika Ghose in her latest blog talks of the VIP culture in relation to "Dr.Kalam frisking episode". http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sagarikaghose/223/53711/dont-you-know-i-am-a-vip.html

But some how its dissapointing that she hasn't remained her usual self. :P
I expected her to raise kalam's religion as the reason for frisking him. Or is it because Kalam doesn't have any standing in his community? Kalam is more of a Kafir for he reads the Gita, listens to classical music, visits temple. I am sure if a mullah was meted out the same treatment hell would have broken loose in bloody mary's paradise.

Much worse her double standards are well exposed. She doesn't have a single word questioning the "Royal Family" of India and why they are exempt from being "frisked"?

Witzel shown the boot

Micheal Witzel, the contemporary "historian", who has fought all the while for the cause of Aryan Invasion Theory is shown the place where he belongs to. Check this link.

http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=715 . Its quite humorous.

I have not read their books, nor do I care to waste my time on those. 2 well researched books, "Eminent Historians" by Arun Shourie and "Aavarana" by S L Byrappa were enough to convince me of the grave injustice done to millions of Indians by the Nehruvian and Marxist academicians. Interestingly these people and their ilks have not produced any scientific data to counter the arguments of Arun Shorie and S L Byrappa. All they have is expletives like "fascist", "hindutva" etc. Typical "Spit and Run" case.

In fact Dr. B.R Ambedkar though not a professional historian, was the first to propound the theory that 1857 war of Indian Independence was nothing more than a Jihadic attempt to establish an Islamic Republic in India in his book Pakistan. Today things are falling in place and there is a clear case for the same. (Read 1857 Jihad by Prof. SheshRao More).

The underlining point is we need to get these "Eminent Historians" to attend more and more conferences and public debates. Defeat them in their own ball game.

One more funny thing to illustrate how illogical these people can get, when I was discussing the issue of manipulation of Indian History a Gandhian friend of mine during a leisurely talk in office , when he had exhausted all expletives against me said "There are always 50% people on both sides of the argument". :P

Hillary Clinton's Visit and the debate on Education

Recently there was a major event organized by TFI, a discussion on education hosted by Arnab Goswami, the loud mouthed journalist editor-in-chief of Times Now with Hillary Clinton and Aamir Khan participating in it. The choice of Hillary Clinton and Aamir Khan at the first place is quite funny. With all due respects, Hillary might be involved in charities involving education throughout her career, but does she have the understanding on what are the issues plaguing Indian Education system? Don’t we have enough heroes and experts who have worked at the grass-roots all through their life? Hillary at least has a good public profile and can atleast provide inputs based on American education system, but what is more shocking is Aamir as a brand ambassador for education. What’s his contribution to the educational sector? A few photo-op events and Taare Zameen Par should make him a brand ambassador? It sounds utterly ridiculous to me. Much more shocking is Nandita Das. Same question, what’s her contribution to education? Films on liberalism, individual freedom, lop sided views on Gujarat riots?

Since my team lead left his job to join the TFI program, I got to attend a call hosted by a TFI coordinator. The talk was unimpressive because the coordinator was not in a position to answer many critical questions posed by the audience. They have set for themselves lofty ideals of eradicating illiteracy. But they don’t have a time frame to do so, nor do they have resources. They also don’t seem to know that by the time they teach 500 kids the population in the same bracket of illiterate people multiplies manifold. They also didn’t answer my question on what are they planning to do to overcome the general aversion that kids have for studies? Rich or poor I have not come across a kid who is more than happy to study, do his home-work. Everything answer would boil down to “Yeah we know the problem; there are different ways to look at things. Problems are too complex.” If the problems are too complex, they need to split into simple ones. I don’t think it’s any different from the way we solve complex mathematical problems. The underlining point here is not to demean the TFI, but to say that thorough analysis of the Indian education is the first step. They are only looking at one aspect of lack of good teachers, which is just one of the problems out of a pool of many other issues. Moreover it looks like a blatant copy of Teach for America. Why should something work for India, which worked for America?
Now coming to the TFI interacting session, I did find some of the thoughts of Hillary very relevant and most of what Aamir spoke utter nonsense.


Hillary hits the nail on the head, when she says
“But, every child must get that chance to be able to nourish his/her own future and for me education is a great equalizer and a gateway to opportunity. It does start in a family. ”
Exactly, there should be awareness. We don’t see those wonderful rashtriya saksharta mission ads anymore. So where is the awareness?

Her study of the behavioral patterns during Bill Clinton’s governorship in Texas, based on the economic strata is also laudable. Do we have any such scientific studies done in analyzing the problems plaguing Indian education? It’s unfortunate that our over-zealous HRD minister makes lofty statements on introducing grading system, scrapping of 10th board exams, One India One board. All that he can say is that the system has worked in Germany without any study done in Indian context. It’s a farce to say that grading system will reduce the burden and pressure on students. It’s surely a better way of judging students, but it’s bound to increase the pressure on students with weekly tests etc. But, I am surely looking forward for the Right to Education act. Hope Mr.Sibal doesn’t go back on this. He already made a fool out of himself when he said he will scrap 10th board exams and after much uproar he had to swallow his words and limit his experiments to a few CBSE schools.

And now Aamir

“We as a country, as a society should be giving so much importance to teaching that every kid coming out of the college should feel like I want to be teacher. It should be the highest paid job.”
Really!! How will you make teaching the highest paid job dear?? Teachers don’t need money dear; they need social security, state patronage and need to have an inherent quality to serve. Our gurukula system fit the bill in all sense because, the gurukulas got state patronage. The gurus had a sense of duty to the society and the parents of the students made sure the guru and his familys daily needs are met by sending a part of their produce. It’s not to say that we need to have kids begging for alms. But we need to decentralize the education system. Dharmapal records that India had more schools before the arrival of British than after based on his study of British archives. The same proposition was professed by Gandhiji in his newspaper as well. Read Dharmapal’s works here http://www.samanvaya.com/dharampal/ . Can’t we devote some efforts in understanding these works? Can we devote some time in understanding how our ancestors dealt with the issue of education?
One more gem from Aamir: P

“What disturbs me more about education in India is that so much emphasis is given on competition? We have to teach our kids to be loving and caring. ”
The problem is not competition. There shall always be competition in all fields, the best always survive. The problem is too that many people take up “hot” topics. During the pre-independence everyone wanted to become a barrister. Early independence, everyone either wanted to be in civil services or study civil engineering and land a job in the Public works department. Presently it’s no more different we all go with the flow to become IT engineers, Financial Analysts. I will be frank to say that I am also a victim of the same “go with the flow” attitude. I am not to be blamed if I want to go with the flow. Policy makers have the onus on them to invest in the not so hot topics in the larger interest of the nation. How many people want to become archeologists, marine scientists etc? Are we creating quality centers of expertise in all these fields?

BTW, what the eff does Aamir mean when he says we need to teach our kids to be loving and caring? With moral science courses and text books full of Gandhisms we have too many who behave like loving and caring ones.  He speaks as though our schools are breeding terrorists and hate-mongers.

One of my friend said such sheer exhibitionism doesn’t even affect 0.000000000003% percent of the population. The need of the hour is not such arm chair discussions. We have had enough of it. What we need is thorough scientific analysis of our education system coupled with concrete actions.

Interestingly the much reviled Saraswati Shishu Mandirs are doing exceptionally well in Orissa. (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sangh-schools-score-high-in-orissa/483926/0). They don’t have any celebrity endorsements or media sponsors.

DKP no more

Yesterday D K Patammal one of the trinities of carnatic music left for the heavenly abode and none of the Main stream Media channels deemed it fit to telecast the news. They would not mind to telecast some obscure item girl swearning profanities or what the yuvraaj ate for his breakfast day in day out.

DKP's rendition of Shyamala Dandaka - Part I



DKP's rendition of Shyamala Dandaka - Part II



DKP's rendition of Purandara Dasa Devarnama Entha Chaluvage.



May her soul rest in peace.

Liberal absurdity

Recently there has been lot of furore for and against the Delhi High Court verdict sanctifying Homosexual relationship. I was truly appaled at the level of debate on this issue on most of the channels. I somehow feel that tailor made "liberal" audience and spokespersons are got in the studios to further the cause of the "liberals".

I am truly amazed at the double-speak of these "liberals" because they use Hinduism eitherways both to support their claims and defile the Sanatana-Dharma. Its not to say that Hinduism is perfect. Nothing is perfect , world is full of imperfections. I am amazed though at the audacity with which the "liberals" use Hinduism as a pawn to degrade and denigrate Hinduism and Hindus. These are the same people who revile the ancient Hindus as deep down castiest, superstitious people as evident in our text books and these are the same ones who say Hinduism in ancient days was very broad-minded and its evident because of the Kama-sutra, Khajuraho temples. These are the same ones who say drinking is cool and a fad and the next day you have one of their ilks running over some pedestrians. :) These are the same people who would call a bikini clad woman progressive, yet forget that a bikini clad woman by all means is viewed as a commodity by men. Pushing a women into burkha is as blashpemous as pushing one into a bikini in the name of progressiveness.

One of the noted journalists in an article called such people as Page 3s who are jobless and hence they find solace in such activism. True isn't it? To add to this the lack of clarity that the so called upholders of Hinduism have i.e. the VHP and allied organisations in presenting their case.

I was taken aback when one of the supporters of the LGBT movement made a statement that "Hinduism is full of Homosexuality and Bestiality". The statement is akin to saying all Indians are murderers since some Indians commit murders. How can one reduce the Hindu tenets to an erotic temple in Khajuraho and Kama-sutra?

True Indeed that there were homosexual and bestial Hindus. But were they treated as equals. A cursory glance of the manu-smriti will give enough hints on the rules prescribed with dealing with homosexuals. Yes, for every manvantara there is a manu and his presciption for the society. So the Hindu society has had many manu-smritis prescribed over different periods of time . Infact its a candid admission that such sexual orientation exists and it needs to be dealt with in all these texts.

Keeping all religious dogmas aside, the question one needs to ask is how does homosexuality add value to the society? The general argument of the LGBT community and their sympathisers is that homosexuality is harmless. But how does being a homosexual add value to the growth of society? How "liberal" can one get? Where does one draw the line between Individual freedom and societal norms? These are the questions that the "liberals" never answer nor do the people on the other side tend to ask. They stick to a pure rhetoric saying its not natural or the quran or bible doesnt allow such a practice. I am taken aback by the vulgarity in the kind of public protests the LGBT folks have been carrying on. One has every right to voice their opinion, but surely not by carrying placards of dirty talk, men wearning bras etc in public domain. Freedom comes with responsibility, but unfortunately the holier-than-thou "liberals" forget the same.

What next? Sanctify homosexual marriages? Adoption rights to the homosexuals? Sanctify incest and bestiality? Where will it end? Will anybody think of the effects of such "liberalism" on society? Will anyone think of the trauma that an adopted child of the homosexuals will go through? Should a society be held hostage to the whims n fancies of a hostile minority?

These are the questions that everyone needs to ask before we let a judge decide issues related to the society.

Incidentally there seems to be no single case filed under article 377 till date as told by the Chief justice of India. So where is the "persecution" which the "liberals" have been talking of all the while?

BTW I found this news item on the internet http://ibnlive.in.com/news/suicide-tourism-swiss-clinic-helps-uk-musician-wife-die/97155-2.html . I wont be surprised if the "liberals" use Bhishma pitamaha to further their cause next. Its believed Bhishma chose his time of death and the day is celebrated as Bhishma ekadasi. Further more they might equate many of our gurus like raghavendra swamiji, Shridara swamiji etc who went to samadhi when alive as suicidal. Liberals are truly absurd isn't it??

Vasudaiva Kutumbakam

I have always wondered about the validity of this famous verse "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" (World is one family) by most Hindus. What does family constitute here? Aren't there fights in a family? Don't differing opinions c0-exist in a family? Are all members of the family "equal"??

Browsing through the internet I ended up on the following post http://bharatendu.com/2008/08/30/the-hoax-called-vasudhaiva-kutumbakam-1/

It tries to de-mystify the same. Incidentally vasudaiva kutumbakam is found in the hitopadesha (Indian fable) where in a cunning jackal by named kshudrabuddi uses these words "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" to evoke trust in a deer named chitranga. The final aim of ksudrabhuddi was to kill the deer and make a meal out of him. He had to befriend the deer so that he could easily lay a trap for the deer to be killed. Read the link for the whole story.

These words have been used everytime by the leaders of this country (left,right and centre) to buttress their claims on the "secular" fabric of India more so "Hinduism".

Are we cheating ourselves by our own scant understanding of our scriptures?

Are we making ourselves vulnerable to the attacks of real kshudrabuddis by getting into this trap of "inclusiveness"??

Why India needs an alternate Mainstream Media

Off late there has been enough clamor for the need for an alternate media in India. The need for an alternate media arises because in India perception matters a lot. Ours is not a mature democracy like the United States, wherein people actively participate along with their leaders in public debates. Unlike the United States where media channels openly profess their support to a political setup, Indian media tries to profess impartiality at the outset but deep down their bias against anything hindu is quite evident.

The biggest irony of a democracy is that people who think and vote are accorded the same status as the ones who vote based on caste, money etc. The Indian media has time and again gone ga ga over Indian democracy without editorials dedicated in the praise of the intellect of the Indian voter. When a pro-hindu party gets elected most editorials read the verdict as triumph of communal forces and hence insulting the intellect of the voters. However when secular governments get elected the same people call it the triumph of secular forces and claim the Indian electorate has buttressed the secular fabric of India. These claims are enough to expose the impartiality of the Indian media. Unfortunately the average Indian voter is fairly illiterate and ignorant to take cognizance of the double standards.

Today’s Indian Media must be reminded of the days of Indira and Pandit Nehru, on how media was gagged all through their rule. Take the example of Indian Express, how Ramnath Goenka and Arun Shourie were regularly persecuted by the Indira Gandhi’s regime. If not for the efforts of Arun Shourie and Ramnath Goenka many misdeeds of the Indira regime wouldnt have come to light. It’s an irony that the media freedom which was ushered in post 1990's i.e. the reform era and strengthened after the NDA government has backfired badly on the country and hindus in particular.

The Indian Media has time and again made an average hindu feel apologetic about his hindu credentials. The Indian media was quick enough to come up with the catch phrase "Hindu terror" when sadhvi pragya was arrested, but it never dared to call terrorist attacks all over India as "Islamic terror", nor did it try to paint the insurgency in the north-east as "Christian terror". The Indian media has never highlighted the double standards of the Babri Masjid committe and how it backtracked on its lofty statements of giving up babri masjid if proven that a temple indeed existed there. Many stories have been written about the attacks on christians in orissa since 1999. Let’s look at the baripada rape case which hogged headlines indicting people of a hindu outfit, but medical tests proved the contrary and it turned out the nun was lying to further the cause of the church. The media never reported the outcome of the case, even though it garnered lot of attention and unnecessarily tainted the VHP. Even in the case of graham staines, the media reported him as a social worker but never talked of his missionary activities. Thanks to Arun shourie and likes who exposed these claims. The killer of graham staines dara singh was linked to the VHP and the general perception is the same till day, but again it needed an Arun shourie to disband the connection. The media even today tries to portray Hindu hriday samrat Shri. Narendra Modi as a mass murderer and never reprimanded the people of the likes of teesta setalvad for fabricating evidence. Vir Sanghvi in has nothing but such words for Sri.Modi, however he doesn’t have the people who were at the helm of affairs when close to 4 lakh kashmiri pundits were rendered homeless. Close to 30% of the people who died in the gujrat riots were hindus. Has the media ever taken up the call for justice for the 4 lakh kashmiri pandits, or the kar-sevaks killed in the godhra carnage? It’s a well known fact that NDTV and The Hindu managed by Prannoy Roy and N Ram respectively owe their allegiance to the Communists. The Rajdeep sardesais, Vir Sanghvis make their love for the secular regimes very evident in their editorials and selective reporting of news. The killings of mostly Muslims in Nandigram didn’t sound communal to these holier than thou secularists. It’s also interesting to observe that the Tehelka magazine doesn’t have a single sting operation conducted against the UPA government in the past 5 years. Instead you find Mr. Tejpal singing paeans on the Gandhi family and MMS. The MSM ignored to report the desecration of 3 temples in Mysore and few channels reported it as a law and order situation, but felt it fit to telecast minor clashes in Bangalore all day long when supposedly carcasses of pig were found in a mosque and called it communal and blamed hindu outfits without prima-facie evidence. Such gross digression from journalistic ethics is a curse on Indian democracy. Its cancerous, and before it spreads it’s important that an alternate responsible media is ushered in the main stream. An alternate medium which acts as watchdog of the democracy as well expose the false claims and agenda of the main stream media. Unfortunately such an alternate pole is missing at the national level both in print and media.

The best example of a state where a significant presence of an alternate media house which has helped citizens form informed opinions has undoubtedly been in Karnataka. Despite Karnataka hogging the highlights in the national media for all wrong reasons be it the attacks by rama-sene, attacks on the church and the charlie chaplin episode the bad press didnt have any impact on the electoral outcome. Reason being a few news papers in Karnataka have time and again exposed the hollow claims of the seculars. During the rama sene fiasco the local newspapers were the first to point out the presence of the husband of a congress councilor amongst the hooligans who hit the pub going females. Papers were vociferous in exposing the double-speak of seculars like Girish Karnad and U R AnathaMurthy. The national media never reported these facts. After the scholarly work of SL Byrappa on Tipu Sultan in Avarana, a secular organization like "KaraVe" had to protest against naming the Bangalore International airport in the name of a Jihadi like Tipu Sultan. A section of media in karnataka had been instrumental in exposing the true colors of missionaries when they clearly exposed the contents of the blasphemous book Satyadarshini, which defiles all Hindu gods and traditions. The National media never highlighted the FIRs and the requests for banning the book that have been lodged since 2006 by the Bajrang Dal. But if someone had made such disparaging remarks on prophets of other religions Rajdeep Sardesais and Sagarika Ghose would have cried foul. What else explains the fact that despite heavy minority turnout and Mangalore being the hub of hindutva politics for close to 2 decades now, the seculars had to face defeat infront a novice like Nalin Kumar Katil. The opposition cried foul when Yeddiyurappa's government took a revolutionary decision to free the Gokarna temple from governmental control and transfer it to the Ramachandrapur mutt. It needed a scathing article by Sri.Pratapsimha to silence the opposition. Unlike the Vir Sanghvis, Tarun Tejpals who have nothing but eulogy for the seculars, the same journalists in Karnataka have been extremely critical of the Yeddiyurappa government on various issues. Such synergy and alternate viewpoint undoubtedly creates a medium of debate and helps citizens to make informed choices.

However a state like Tamil Nadu presents a different case. The main reason why a state like tamilnadu hasnt been able to overthrow the bigotic karunanidhi is the fact that they control most of the tamil media. There have been repeated attacks on hindus in kanyakumari by christians, There have been repeated protests against removal of hanuman statue in kanyakumari. There have been repeated protests by the locals in madurai against installation of the statue of Ramaswami naiker (a hindu baiter and atheist) in front of the meenakshi temple. But nevertheless people outside these local areas donot know the ground realities. Never was karunanidi reprimanded for his hate speech against the brahmins, but the media is ready to jump the gun and proclaim Varun Gandhi guilty. It needed a brave man like Subramaniam swamy to put a full stop to the anti-brahmin fusillade of Karunanidi. All that Mr. Swamy had to do was to remind ThiruKa that Ravana whom ThiruKa eulogizes was born in Brahmin caste. It was Mr.Swamy who took up the case of kanchi acharya Jayendra Saraswati, it was the same Mr. Swamy who took up the case of rama-sethu and exposed both TR Balu and ThiruKa. Interestingly the main stream media never actively followed the spectrum allocation scam running into crores by the IT minister D Raja. At the end of the day Mr. Swamy is a one man army, you cannot expect any more.

Karnataka and Tamil nadu present contrasting examples of how media can make or mar public opinion. With people like Baba Ramdev getting into media business, it just gives hope at the end of the road that the issues concerning the Hindu samaj and the demonization of hindu organisations like VHP,attacks on hindu institutions, illegal detention and false cases against our dharmic gurus like Asaram Bapu, Acharya Jayendra Saraswati etc are pursued with vigor to protect our dharma from the external aggression. India today needs responsible media which follows by the tenets of “Satyam vada, Dharmam Chara”.

Netaji Bose: Mystery around his death

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has been one of the greatest sons of Mother India. He has inspired millions during and after the freedom struggle . Netaji was the most reviled personality by the British Raj. They saw Netaji as an imminent threat to British supremacy. Netaji through his Indian National Army (INA) set out to do something as different and diamterically opposite as Gandhijis satyagraha. It invoked great response amongst the Indian military cadres in the British raj that formed close to 90% majority. The INA venture is regarded as a big fiasco in our history books which has been written mostly by communists and congressmen to further their ideological cause. Nevertheless the reasons for INA's failure have never been discussed to make an average Indian aware of the impact that Netaji had on the freedom struggle. Indeed INA didn’t succeed in its goal of freeing India, nor did Gandhijis Dandi march or the Quit India movement. INA did set a trend, culminating in Royal navy mutiny of 1946. The reasons the then PM of Britain Clement Attlee enunciated for making India an independent nation does mention the economical instability due to World War-II, loyalty of Indian armed forces etc. Clement Attlee in a debate with Winston Churchill on the issue of Indian independence in the House of Commons asked Churchill if he could assure the loyalty of the British-Indian armed forces to the Raj. Churchill didn’t have an answer. Thanks to the communist and the congress propaganda these facts have never been reported.

It was well known that Nehru and Bose didn’t see eye to eye on various issues. Nehru always considered Bose as a political adversary. Despite immense popularity of Bose in India, the congress governments of Nehru-Indira didn’t consider it fit to unveil the portrait of Bose in the parliament house. It took the janata government headed by Morarji desai and efforts of parliamentarian Samar Guha, a die-hard Bose fan to accord due recognition to Bose 30 years after Indian independence by unveiling his portrait in the parliament house. Even today the pariah status of INA veterans is appalling. It’s also a fact that even after 60 years of Independence Netaji’s death is shrouded in mystery and the subsequent governments never had the urge or political will to enliven debate on the issue and bring a logical conclusion to the same.

I happened to chance upon the book “Back from the Dead- Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery” written by Anuj Dhar when I was casually browsing the internet. This book caught my attention and without much ado I ordered the same from Manas publications. It took close to a fortnight for me to read this book 400 page book carefully. The book is well reserached. Anuj Dhar deserves accolades for his efforts in demystifying the Netajis death mystery. The book also reveals some shocking outcomes of his investigation. This investigation was published in the Hindustan times but nevertheless it never caught the attention that it indeed deserved through other media houses.

I will list some of the important takeaways from the book.

- The myth that he died on Aug 17th 1945 in a plane crash at Taipei is complete farce and no such plane crash took place.

- Why would Nehru always jump the gun and declare Netaji dead, whenever the issue propped up during parliamentary debates?

- Why did the Shah Nawaz and Khosla committe do such a shoddy job on investigating the issue? How could a commission that is investigating the plane crash theory ascertain a plane crash without visiting the site of crash?

- Why is it that all files related to Netaji got destroyed in the governmental archives? Who destroyed them, why and how??

- It’s clear that Netaji orchestrated his death with Japanese help. If so where did he proceed to? It’s likely that he went to Russia through Manchuria to meet Stalin. Why is it that our government has not been willing to approach the Russian authorities now that the communist regime is dead and Russians are more than willing to part with information?

- Why is it that Capt Lakshmi Sehgal, an INA veteran who all through her life didn’t accept the plane crash theory suddenly change color to support the plane crash? Does it have something to do with her nomination for presidential post against Dr.Kalam?

- Why did the government of Manmohan Singh reject the findings of Mukherjee commission set up by the NDA government which clearly ruled out the plane crash theory without citing any reasons?

- Its believed that Netaji died in 1985 as Bhagwanji alias Gumnami baba alias dashnami baba in Faizabad. How is it that Bhagwanji was in possesion of many items related to Bose?

- The interesting twist is that the handwriting of Bhagwanji matched with that of Bose. Thanks to Anuj Dhar and Hindustan times for the same. Why has the government not taken cognizance of this fact?

- Why is the government not willing to get DNA test done on the ashes believed to be of Netajis housed in Renkoji temple, Japan?

- Why did the PV Narasimha Rao government jump the gun and declare Bharat Ratna “posthumously” to Netaji when there was no conclusive evidence of his death?

- Did pranab Mukherjee meet Bose's daughter in germany? Did that make her change her stance on Bose's death and comply with the plane crash theory?

- Letters written by RSS chief Golwalkar highly eulogizing Bhagwanji were found. What is the link between an obscure Baba and the RSS chief?

There are many such loopholes that Shri. Anuj Dhar has pointed out and one needs to read the book to get the real feel for it. As they say that "Truth can never be suppressed". Anuj Dhar’s work is the starting point. The need of the hour is to bring awareness amongst fellow Indians about the same and hence coerce the government to take a stance on this issue and close the matter at once and bring a logical conclusion to the same. India deserves to know what happened to the greatest son of Mother India.

Angarakam

Angaarakam Aashrayamyaham

Vinathaa Sritha Jana Mandaaram

Mangalavaaram Bhoomi Kumaaram Vaaram Vaaram ||

Sringaraaraka Mesha Vruschika Raasya-adi Pathim

Raktha-angam Raktha-ambaraadi Dharam Shakthi Soola Dharam |

Mangalam Kambu Galam Manjulatara Padha Yugalam

Mangala-Daayaka Mesha Thurangam Makarotthungam ||

Daanava Sura Sevitha Manda-smitha Vilasitha Vakthram

Dharani Pradam Bhraathrur-Kaarakam Raktha Neethram |

Dheena Rakshakam Poojitha Vaidhyanaatha Ksheethram

Divyoughaadi Guru Guha Kataaksha-Anugraha Paathram ||

Bhanu Chandra Guru Mitram Bhaasamaana Sukalathram |

Jaanustha Hastha Chithram Chaturbhuja Mathi Vichitram ||

Muthuswami dikshitar one of the doyens of karnatik music, known for structured musical quality and the literary weight of his compositions is the composer of this wonderful piece on Angaraka or Lord Mars.

Lets ignore all eulogies in the composition for the time being and take cognizance of these words "Bhoomi kumaram", "Raktangam", "Raktambaraa", "Rakta-netram", "Dharani pradam".

Also look at the Wikipedia description of Mars.

"Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth. "

May be I am becoming too much of a psuedo scientist. :)

Listen to MMI's rendition of the same here though.

Irony of the socialist, anti-feudal "lords"

The "Dirty" Family

The "Maulana" Family

The "ThiruKa" Family

What an irony that the torch bearers of the anti-feudalistic, anti-brahmin, pro-socialistic movements, by setting up their familial fiefdoms end up as victims of the the same mindset they used to abhor or pretend to detest all through their life!!!

Quotable quotes from Chanakya Niti

Interestingly i came across these, when I was skimming through Chankaya Niti. 

Chanakya's take on Education

"One destitute of wealth is not destitute, he is indeed rich (if he is learned); but the man devoid of learning is destitute in every way." 

And Chanakya's take on charity. 

"Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear."

Chanakya's take on wealth, food and education. 

"He who is not shy in the acquisition of wealth, grain and knowledge, and in taking his meals, will be happy"

Education: Capitalism, Socialism and Communism

A few weeks back, I had an interesting conversation with a close friend of mine on Education loans. I explained my views on how difficult its for any under-privileged student to get Education loans. Reluctant managers , amount of paper work,  collateral  and what not. I don't mean to say that you drop into a bank and get out with an educational loan. But its a fact that many people have stopped dreaming big because they cannot afford the dreams. 

I also informed my dear friend about the plan of providing loan @ 4% interest to students as per the BJP manifesto for Election 2009. 

Here are some of the views that my friend had on this issue. I more or less listened to him and didn't come to any conclusions. After a lot of thought. My replies are inline. 

1. Who the hell cares!! Dont act like a communist. You were supposedly right wing capitalist. 

      Oh, Is it Shouldn't the government care about education of its citizens? Don't capitalist countries like USA, Germany award umpteen scholarships to deserving students. Would you term USA, Germany socialistic-capitalistic democracies then?? :)

2. Who the hell came up with 4% number? Yaake helu free ne kotbidtaare. Yaava bhoopa 4% andiddu.  You know there is something called repo rate , market dynamics wont allow this to happen .................. 

Obviously , I was very ill qualified to take on his understanding of the "market dynamics" , having been working on electronic circuits, this surely had to be my Achilles feet. Should we just stick to a discussion of just numbers? I have no idea, how 4% came in. Say its not 4%, its 5-7%. Isnt that good enough? Do we get to know how each paisa of money that we pay as education cess gets used?  What percent of the so-called loan market does education loans constitute to have adverse impact on "market dynamics"? 

3. People who can't afford, can't dream big. That's capitalism. 

Wow. I am not asking you to spend on someone's education from your pocket dear. If I coerced you then you could blame me for being a communist, Socialist. Isn't it the government's responsibility to aid people who have had good credentials and who can make it big? 

Sorry dear. Now look who's behaving like a communist. It's a habit that the communist have to align every view of theirs to their "holy" doctrines, never mind if it's right or wrong. Communists are believed to have jeopardized research on Mendel's genetics because it didn't align with their doctrines. 

4.  Bank's are money making proposition. It's capitalism. 

I didn't know that. :)  Why do we have regulatory bodies like the RBI? Why do we even have a government that controls these regulatory bodies? Let's have some capitalistic fun. No frills attached. That's capitalism isn't it? 

How valid is it to base every argument on text book definitions? I for one believe that Capitalism is the birth right of every individual, Socialism is an advisory. 

I only wish to remind my dear friend that in ancient India, there was no upper limit on the income one could earn. But service to the needed was considered a virtue and its still considered one. 

Do we need to make our government just another "money making proposition" ? Or do we need to re-think the definition "For the people, of the people, by the people" ? Or do we need to redefine "people" itself ?