Of Political Placards

The catch about Dharma is that it often involves a great deal of balancing and manoeuvering of the tricky shades of grey .Be it for the naive Gurmehar Kaur, who eventually became a pawn at the hands of the Left  or the "nationalists" of the ABVP, realising the art of picking up battles selectively and wisely is something that leaves a lot to be desired.

The Left sermons on liberties and freedom of expression are only laughable considering the deep wrenched idealogical push for greater control, censorship and curb of fundamental human rights - In the local Indian political space as well as internationally.

The classical Left rule assume power proclaiming to be the messiah of the poor masses and the so called "proleteriart" against the ruling class and the "bourgeise", only to metamorphose into political anarchy  which cruelly squashes any form of dissent through the use of force .

From a global perspective, the Soviets have been famous all along for instilling multiple proxy channels to keep a tab over the media content and influence over the daily public life to induce the official ideals and view of the Communist party. Similar patterns are observed in our neighbourhood  where the Chinese, albeit the economic reforms set up by Deng Xiaoping, yet continues to monitor and keep a rigorous control over the media, internet and free expressions.

Closer home, the Indian Left have been single handedly instrumental in subduing any alternative school of thought , not only in academic instituitions but also in the form of political violence in the states of Kerala and West Bengal on a large scale. But i would save the detailing on this for a later day.

Coming back to the art of selective battles and Left opportunism aroud the Gurmehar Kaur incident, it is imperative for the Right to release the idealistic naivete of Ms, Kaur at play here . Drawing a Black & White analogy here will do the cause of the Indian Right no good as there would always be a bunch of people either speaking for the separatists  or branding indigenious religious customs as invalid .

The Right seemed to have lost the battle at the very start - Perhaps, not because it does not present the logically and rationally just arguments but because perceptions matter ! The perception that is presented here portrays a poor young girl being pitted against the "bigoted", "misogynist" violent mob of the ABVP.  Moreover, the foolishly made rape and murder threats by some hot heads on the social media contributes to adding fuel to the fire - All this and more, interestingly at the crucial phase ofthe elections in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, bringing back memories of the intolerance brigade and beef issues during the Bihar polls.

Ms. Kaur's naivete is quite clear when she squarely isolates the ABVP for all the sufferings and perils of the student community in India. It would do justice for her to realise that the AISA and AISF are no epitome of peace and free thought on the college campuses. Though she might not have vested political interests of her own, but her claim that she is not being used is hardly credible since the Left seems to be reaping huge benefits from such incidences to arouse unnecessary "jungs" on college campuses.

Thrashing a naive and perhaps idealistic woman will not help the Right garner any extra mileage even in the case she is 100 percent in the wrong - Ignoring such stray incidences would be the best way forward. 

Of the "Triple"

Modern as well as historical mega-establishments oft referred to as nations have essentially evolved from a sense of identifiable homogeneous social setups. The subtle extension of this theme over the years has seen progressive societies of the modern times to have largely striven to integrate all the disparate groups under a common ambit irrespective of their ethnic identities , race etc or rather have shown the intent to strive to achieve this congruence and equity.

There has been a constant endeavour to do away with archaic laws of the past which were felt to be drawing a wedge between myriad groups , essentially to evolve a truly national identity cutting across diverse cultural setups. However, it is imperative to understand whether such a step ,in effect , leads to further isolation of the minor communities or if it contributes to establishing a truly modern society where the uniqueness and peculiarity of each are given their due space parallel to the modern progressionist and equitable society that is aspired to be setup.

Globally, most of the countries with considerable cultural and religious diversity have successfully implemented a uniform civil code with little or no objection from the minority communities. Moreover, many other theocratic states with a greater influence of misinterpreted religious extremism over governence have also taken steps to abolish such outdated and archaic practices , as far as the official records and laws are concerned. The fact that countries with an official state religion have undergone sizeable reforms is a strong basis to conclude that the practices in question do not form an integral part of the religious system.

However, the Indian establishment has historically lacked the acumen and perhaps, intent to challenge and reform this inequitable civil legislative arrangement in India. The issue of uniform civil code is back in prominence after a certain Afreen Rehman moved the Supreme Court against the Islamic practice of Talaq-E-Bidat , better famous as "Triple Talaq" ,after being divorced remotely via "Speed Post".

According to the news report published by the Times of India, “Talaq-e-bidat is a practice by which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by saying ‘talaq’ more than once any time in the duration between his wife’s periods. He can also get divorce instantaneously by repeating the word ‘talaq’ three times, a practice called unilateral triple-talaq.”

Time and again, the issue of a uniform civil code has put its neck out in the form of various instances  - the Shah Bano case being one of the more prominent ones amongst others. After the government blunder , back in the Shah Bano case, this is another lamentable incidence which points towards one of the most crucial civil reforms seeking immediate discourse and possible substantial action in the due course.

Muslims comprise of close to 15% of the Indian Population and as per the records have been the laggards when weighed against key social and economic indicators.  If we do see the Indian society progressing as a homogenous entity , it is vital that the lawmakers work in close collaboration with the key stake holders from the community  for further elevating the audience here rather than fear the repercussions of the religion/ caste based politics witnessed in the past by the mainstream players of the political arena.

Doing away with Islamic religion-based polygamy, talaq, halala and inheritance laws, is a necessary and urgent part of all this. In a secular setup akin to ours, it is imperative that the personal laws are in compliance with the constitution and practised accordingly.

Lastly, the government of the day has been accused of communalising the issue and attempting to disturb the socially diverse fabric of the country by trying to “impose” the uniformity in the civil codes.  For starters, the Law Commission has only floated the idea of soliciting opinion across communities and not “impose” any legislation. 

Secondly, on the political front, successive governments in the past have played their parts in reforming personal laws of across communities – Casepoints being  the Jawaharlal Nehru Government bringing about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws, Manmohan Singh Government furthering the  legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family while the  Vajpayee Government amending the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality.

About time that a spade can be called a "spade" without hesitation..

Of the Hindi Heartlands

Amit Shah, the star of the 2014 elections who delivered an outstanding verdict for the BJP in the humongous state of Uttar Pradesh, is up for one of the most arduous battles in the upcoming assemble elections in the state.

After being welcomed to the sight of broken chairs, posters of "Gen.Dyers go Back" and utter chaos in his own backyard of Gujarat , it remains to be seen the next move , BJP's president and seasoned political campaigner, Amit Shah plays to consolidate the upper caste votes while also expand the BJP imprint amongst non-OBC, non-Kurmi Dalit votes in the Hindi heartlands.

Alarm bells have already been clanging for the UP elections for quite some time now, with the local unit of BJP in UP experiencing internal friction amongst the various factions . From old timers such as the seasoned MP, Yogi Adityanath being livid with rage at not being offered the CMship as well as BJP's Bajrangi in UP , Vinay Katiyar adding a communal tinge by making noises about the Ram Mandir is not helping the cause of expanding the BJP footprint with the voters. To add to the woes, Rajnath Singh is adamant in his non-acceptance to take charge of the UP poll campaign.

It would do great good to Amit Shah to pay heed to the local opinion received from the various constituencies - making the sitting MP/MLA accountable for their areas. Sole reliance on the attacks on the incumbent and other parties for the existing issues seems to only fall on the deaf ears of the voters who are looking for tangible practical solutions rather than mere sloganeering of which there is no paucity in any case.

The entire opposition has ganged up against the BJP with attacks being specifically targeted at Modi across the party public meetings. Given the complex caste math, the BJP has not been able to project a local face to drive the leadership home as in the case of Assam. This,in turn, has gradually contributed to turning this contest on the lines of something similar to what was witnessed in Bihar and Delhi.

If the BJP hopes to finish with a medal on the other side of the fence in this electoral race, it is significant that they fatten their existing support base. However, given the current scenario, BJP's over reliance on the upper caste and Kshatriya support seems to be fading away as well with both the communities exploring the possibilities of steering towards the BSP and the Congress.

Lack of clarity on the local leadership and snubbing of the community specific representatives may cost the BJP the comfortable position they had gained after the May 2014 elections.

At the moment, Uttar Pradesh is an open field however, sans a front runner.

Of Friends,Social Networks and Dunbar's Number

In the days of the present , WhatsApp, Skype , Facebook, Instagram are central to the lives of most of us. Social media has shrunk the world multi-fold - making connections and keeping in touch , one might naturally gravitate to think , should have become easier and flexible with the host  of options available to our disposal. However in reality, these connections have increasingly become weaker and fragile.

I happened to come across an interesting idea from the world of social sciences - The Dunbar Number. Essentially, its findings conclude that humans are incapable of coping up with a social circle larger than 150 people. As one research goes, the average size of modern hunter-gatherer communities, it’s been calculated, is 148.8. The average size of army companies through history, from the Romans to the USSR, comes close to around 150. And the average number of people to whom any human, from a community would convey their festive greetings ; no surprises, would again come at an approximate 153.5.

To accumulate friends to the tune of close to 1000s is in itself a violation of the law as old as humanity.One would come across innumerable instances where one might be connected on a host of social media portals yet be completely oblivious to the other's existence. Though we are virtually connected, but we seem to be still alone.

Increasingly ,we feel the need to be accepted and wowed for the "sugar coated" moments of our feigned lifestyles. We do this to gain a sense of belonging in a (virtual) world of people, more than half of which really do not matter .We have come to quantify the basis of the relationship on the number of "likes", "shares","tags"  and fancy "check-ins" .

Given the current way of life , especially in the fast paced metro cities, we have unconsciously come to develop a sense of yearning for the weekend splurge. We tend to go a bit overboard with the socializing - perhaps a means to break-free from the lack lustre routine of the 50 hour work week. And this, we think of as friendship -in the midst of all the work timelines and relationship woes.

Most of us sail the same boat and find this getaway over a beer or two as comforting and secure on realizing a similar situation with others . We have come to make do with good temporal company as an unintended replacement for the deeper connect with "Friends"only to repeat the same cycle on subsequent weekends. The same parties, the same boozing and the same fancy check-ins and updates.

Not too long before we might start missing the days of being unreachable.

Of Wani, Kashmir & Secularism

It was the late summers of 1999 when the initial wave of the suicide attacks sponsored from across the border hit parts of Northern Kashmir. This was the same period which overlapped with the Kargil operations being in the penultimate phase with only a few troops left to face the music of the Jehadis. Though the LeT had been an active noisemaker in the valley since the early 1990s, little had been experienced in the form of suicide attacks oft referred to as Fidayeen attacks.

However, the recent rise and fall of the dynamic 21 year old Burhan Wani has sparked of a matchstick amongst a pile of firecrackers. The fully radicalised  Wani has been the propagator of Azaadi amongst the younger populace of Kashmir creating new friction in the Valley with a very distinct "Daeesh"esque flavor in the form of Fidayeen Jehad.

 Wani's message has a distinct transnational imprint and had been instrumental in the current high decibel disturbance in the Indian state. These terrorists are bereft of  any empathy and target the weakest sections of the society.  These suicide terrorists conduct the most bizarre of acts against the civil establishment and end up showing their flags with high profile acts.

The demonstration of this kind of violence is on the uptrend . Case points being the encounters at Mohra/ Uri and attempts on the Brigade HQ at Tangdhar near the LoC . Moreover, the gradual shift in ideology of outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen have given a transnational Islamic radicalism imprint to local Kashmiri militancy.

The death of Wani was followed by a string of encounters leading to a loss of young lives, economic standstill and civil unrest. The outpour of media as well as "liberal" and "secular" support for Wani and his supporters as well as Kashmiri separatism should be a cause of great concern  for the ruling establishment . It remains to be seen how much of this support fuels further violence since if it was out of conviction for the cause , then there was hardly anything such to be found pre May 2014.

There has been a gradual build up to this support - the JNU drama being a case point. At its core, the whole episode at JNU very blatantly and deftly advocated Kashmiri secessionism .The media too has gone to the extent of drawing comic analogies between Burhan Wani and the great Bhagat Singh and Ashfaqullah Khan. Another questioned India as a nation, if it had a soul at all!!

For the plastic seculars and liberals drawing analogies between Kashmiri insurgents and our great freedom fighters , should they look up close - the brutality suffered by the Kashmiri Pandits  - They shall be able to draw real analogies to the characteristic traits of Islamic aggression found elsewhere , destruction of basic civil society establishments and display of obscene ideas of oppression associated with Jihad. Case -points being Sara Bhatt, staffer at a medical institute in Srinagar, The Ganjoo family from Sopore, Mrs Tikoo from Trehgam and Zarifa Sultan  from the Valley.

Selective Bias - These stories never make the headlines , not for the lack of reach and connectivity but for the lack of intent and selective bias of the left leaning pseudo secular media houses and intellectuals.  Hero worshipping the likes of Yasin Malik and inviting him to seminars and public gatherings is much more significant and career enhancing than reporting the ground realities .

It is funny how the one thing that every self declared liberal seems to be making the most noise about - secularism , is the same ideal which is being undermined the most by the ignorant support for the jihad in Kashmir. Secularism , it seems , is a very subjective ideal in the manner in which we have made it out to be - applicable only during certain times while not during others, secularism being at the forefront for the violence in Kashmir, but very conveniently brushed under the carpet when it comes to either Sindh, or Kalat.

Pro- separatism and insurgency needs to be thoroughly subdued in the valley, with  an iron fist and the likes of the hawks in the Hurriyat need to be made to realize the journey to their cherished dream of the "Nizam-e-Mustafa" is not far away in Pakistan.

If , secularism, is indeed one of our core values, then Kashmir is  undeniably the most  compelling determinant.

Of Humanoids

Travelling , i realize , can be a great teacher . From the lap of the Himalayas to the bustling streets of Hong Kong ;  from the rocky bed under the stars to the glittering skyscrapers within a span of a couple of weeks was quite the experience to trigger some food for thought for whats gone off with our lives in the midst of the chaotic streets of Hong Kong, or for that matter any other metropolis.

We, in the cities , indulge. We chase and crave for more - not realizing we run the rat's wheel . We are the neo-consumers having unwarranted spending since it somehow helps us derive a sense of empowerment and prominence.  We have traded our most precious commodity - Time ; for the lesser synthetic joys of the modern world.

We have allowed a system of nonessential and cosmetic consumption to take over our spending habits. This very system is nurtured by the vested interests of the big corporate houses - Yes, consumerism is a thought kept alive by the big businesses to entice people to buy way greater than their needs and use the specious sense of satisfaction that one consumer would identify with, to earn their next big buck.

The modern way of life is set to an average of a 45-50 hour work week leaving the major chunk of the population with only limited time to devote to a more alimentary lifestyle. Evidently, this makes us more inclined to indulge in consuming more of the easier conveniences to make up for the lost time.

It would not be wrong to state that one would slowly start excluding the activities which consume more time but very little to no money at all and in turn develop a tendency to be high on consumption but yet be left with very little to no time. Its all about craving and longing for that elusive weekend and splurging when it arrives.

The hypnosis which we are currently under has been designed to keep free time scarce so that to make the most out of this rare commodity , we indulge more in the form of more monetary consumption by over paying for instant gratification - media, alcohol,commercials etc. The answer to every problem is to buy something - to consume more; adding to the income statements of the business houses.

We are kept meek and unassuming outside of our work . We are humanoids  - Tailored and manoeuvred .

Of Azaadi - The Left & The Right

Of Azaadi  - The Left & The Right

Kanhaiya Kumar is a rather captivating orator and the manner in which he went about engaging the audience at JNU after his release was simply outstanding. However, the whole saga is not about how he delivered his speech, more so about the content of the passionate sloganeering – Both on the 9^thFebruary by fellow sloganeers at the campus as well as his speech last week , post his release.

As an intelligent politician under the vigilance of the Delhi HC, he very sharply expressed his views of  never wanting  azaadi from India, but within India – at the very outset of the dramatic outburst.  Not wanting to invite the wrath of the left brotherhood in India, he conformed by the usual leftist line by demanding azaadi from bhukmari (hunger), berozgari (unemployment), punjivaad (capitalism/big business),brahmanvaad (brahminism) and manuvaad. It would be naïve to doubt the political intent and acumen of the young man from JNU, however, considering the “krantikaari” and messiah  that he is, he might as well chant a slightly varied set of azaadi slogans.

 “Samaajvaad se azaadi ” - Policy making has suffered for close to 50 years post independence due to the  deep roots of socialism in governance.  The never ending battles with hunger, unemployment , struggling education and health sectors can be attributed to the policy paralysis of the Nehruvian socialism of the bygone era . A quick glance and comparison with the post liberalization data very vividly proves this point.

 “Aarthik Niyantran se azaadi” – Thinkers from all political school of thoughts agree that the poor are not economically independent . However, the differences arise on the ways to alleviate the poor from this swamp – The socialists do not find sense in removing obstacles to economic activity, ease of doing business and free markets as a way forward but insist on economic freedom brought about via government soaps and schemes.

The belief that the state alone had the wisdom to decide on who should produce what and how much, that it should be the sole provider of education and health services, is what is resulted in India lagging not just in economic development but also social indicators.

Kanhaiya might also want to add a couple of more such anecdotes to impress upon the stance for economic freedom – “License raj se azaadi” and “ Daphtar shaahi se azaadi”.  It is amusing how a babu in the Indian bureaucracy decides the destiny of a business – Knowing little about the granularities of the “vyapar”, thus killing the essence of “vyavsai” or entrepreneurship  and thereby  job creation.

Kanhaiya spoke of freedom from capitalism – “poonjivaad”. He surely realizes , atleast we hope, that , economic freedom will open the doors for the establishment of small businesses and industry – effectively reviving job creation and income generation bottom up . Has the absence of poonjivaad and free markets turned the tables for states like Bengal and Tripura? Has it stopped the outflow of talent from Kerala to other parts of the world in search of jobs?  

Look at the China of the late 1970s under Deng Xiaoping and the subsequent reforms initiated thereon. If not that, look closer home in Bengal – The steps taken by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya government to woo industry and commerce after a pathetic 30 years no show.

Aarakshanvaad se azaadi -  Kanhaiya says Rohith Vemula is his idol, not Afzal Guru . He surely realizes that Rohith was a merit student of the university not subscribing to the “aarakhshanvaad” of our times. He might want to give a thought to the current reservation schemes in India and if they hold any relevance.  More than azaadi from manuvaad, you might want to seek this kind of azaadi first. Will his comrades and masters allow Kanhaiya to chant “aarakshanvaad se azaadi”? Perhaps not.

Lastly, farmer suicides in the country is a grave matter of concern given the distressed conditions of the agricultural sector. Kanhaiya could have spared a thought for “kisanon ke krushidhan ki azaadi” , to fight for the empowerment of the small time farmer who fails to repay loans, cope with rising fertilizer and input prices.  The inception sermons of the “laal” comrades surely wouldn’t have educated Kanhaiya of the struggles of the small time peasants since the larger farmers and middlemen( The major votebank for the comrades in the hinterlands of Bengal , Kerala etc) do not allow this azaadi to be passed on.

Hope Kanhaiya is granted this azaadi (abhivyakti ki azaadi??) to chant these set of slogans by his comrades on real issues rather than rhetoric  in order appeal far beyond the limits of the JNU Campus. 

Till then, just another political game play, albeit a powerful one!

Laal Salaam!