Saturday, February 21, 2009
a dead end?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Decoding the Indian Culture....
Albert Camus
Its been an umpteen number of times I've heard people talk about our culture, traditions, heritage, morals.But apparently I've never been able to understand till now what exactly is meant by this culture and why is it so unique to us?
Our country has a very rich history, with various eras of progress and advancement. There have been periods where people have been seduced by our richness and blinded by our greatness.We were once called the golden bird. Science, art, architecture,literature all have flourished during our glorious periods. We, unlike some past civilizations have survived and advanced. (In this sense I can understand Nehru's initial dissillusionment with China.)
The very recent attacks by the Ram Sene and then the comments of its chief, Mutalik and some non saffron politicians (Rajasthan CM Gehlot), " This is not Indian Culture, this is pub culture), shows some very disturbing trends occurring in the society. The warnings of Mulathik about they marrying off couples on the coming Valentines Day and the violence and the harassment we have witnessed in the previous Valentines Day by the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena forces, does make me question what culture are these people talking about. What kind of moral values are these people talking about when these self claimed custodians of morals and culture engage in violence with absolutely no respect for women.
Amartya Sen has talked about an exotic India that has been a beacon which has attracted multitudes from foreign lands. We have had a great spiritual past, where numerous saints and seers have talked about the mysterious forces of the world and have attempted to decode it in the Himalayas and forests. Our spirituality has sought to provide solutions to the beleaguered people all around the world. It is believed that the Indian way of life is often determined by this underlining spirituality. The beliefs and the values given by the various literatures are the guiding principles by which we humans are supposed to lead their lives.
We are a diverse nation with a mosaic of faiths and beliefs. Akbar and Ashoka were considered the pioneers in nurturing a diverse society. But the growing intolerance today in some sections of the society is really alarming. Even our actions like the closing of the "Karachi Sweet" shop in Mumbai shows where our irrationality and intolerance is leading us.
We seem to have forgotten we are the land of the Kamasutra. Why then so much intolerance at the mere sight of young unmarried couples even holding hands?What is so wrong in expressing love publicly? Why so much anger and anguish at the sight of women wearing noodle straps and tank tops and jeans? Where in our "Indian Culture" is it written that women should be attacked? Our society perhaps has the largest number of goddesses who we worship, Laxmi, Durga, Kali to name a few, but still there seems to be a discontinuity in our beliefs and our practices.
Since when has social mixing been deemed anti- Indian. If these anti-nationals have their way they will end up by talibanising our country. When liberal regions like Mangalore and Mumbai witness such events it really is a scare. What is wrong if women choose to wear what pleases them. Perhaps sari can be the most sensuous dress . Should we now even have a national dress for them? Traditions are fine, but modern thought is about looking at wider and newer horizons. Our society should be the ideal blend of modern and tradition.
Today it seems our culture has become a sore wound. Anything contrary to the personal views of a few seems to harvest only hatred, and against the "Indian Culture".
"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too."
Voltaire
Monday, January 26, 2009
Our Constitutions 60th birthday!!
Saare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan humara....
Since its very first mention by Mr. Muhammad Iqbal( he then swung like a pendulum and proposed a 2 nation theory ), this phrase has been immortalized by the utterances of many.
60 years ago we formally adopted our constitution and the nation presented itself a sacred document that was to guide us into a new era. It promised us a LOT!
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.
Can we proudly sing about the achievement of these ideals?We have been successful in our holding of "free and fair elections". Nehru sowed in us the democratic ideals pretty well and the "fledging and largest democracy" is what we are reaping.
The document has been fairly respected for what it is, but what about the justice, liberty, equality and the fraternity it visions for ALL its citizens. What seems prevalent is the Justice, as talked about by Thrasymachus in Plato's Republic, as "the interest of the stronger" . The Jessica Lall case and then the elevation of the judge S L Bhayana to the High Court,the Saumitra Sen episode and the remarks of our CJI drives home the point.
We do enjoy our Liberty of expression.Mr Hussein has had to flee the country and take refuge in some other nation, exactly because of this liberty that we enjoy and he thought he had. Of course we enjoy our liberty of religion and faith. Are we proud of what happened in Kandhamal and the numerous communal riots that have been waged in our country?Is this the fraternity and secularity our sacred document is talking about?
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Rabindranath Tagore
Geetanjali(1912)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
hmmmm.....
- Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
- Confucius, The Confucian Analects
Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)
Things have become so complicated. People have become so confusing. Chaos and Disorder have been restless and it is absolutely true that both have been making their presence felt more and more. It is inevitable and futile to control them(The second law of Thermodynamics bluntly states it - Entropy increases for an isolated system).
When everybody seems so baffling and everything so complex,is there any hope for an answer?
Here I just want to attempt to sort out my thoughts and ideas. Personally, I hope for more clarity and better understanding of things. The journey may be long and lonely, but thats how it has always been....