It is completely ridiculous for the Congress to be defensive about Rahul Gandhi’s reported remark that Hindu radical groups are potentially a bigger threat to India than Jehadi terrorists. Hindu communalism can lead to civil war, while Jehadi terrorism cannot, by itself.
If India’s Hindu majority, who are more than four-fifths the population turn communal, the idea of India as a plural, democratic nation that manages to forge unity out of diversity will cease to be even a goal. The idea will not just die; rather, it will be killed in a pool of blood, a very large pool that can drown not just the lives of innocents of all faiths but also India’s promise of prosperity on a fast track.
Radicalisation of small sections of the minorities does not have the same potential. But this does not mean nor suggest that minority communalism deserves kindler, gentler treatment. It needs to be stamped out with vigour. And it needs to be stamped out with vigour precisely because minority communalism becomes a handy justification for majority communal ideologues to spread their virus among the populace at large.
The Congress is allowing the Jehadis free run if not actually promoting them, has been the cry of the Hindu right and its ideologues, ever since the news broke of the Wiki leak on Rahul Gandhi. The implicit juxtaposition of Hindu communalists with Jehadis from Pakistan as mutually exclusive categories is downright silly. A leadership that is aware of the threat immanent in possible communalization of the majority would be doubly determined to guard against Jehadi terror. Jehadi terror can create mayhem of the sort we saw in the attack on Mumbai in November by Pak-trained terrorists, that is bad enough, but it can also give a boost to Hindu communalism, which can lead to civil war.
This should be obvious to all Congressmen who swear by Gandhi, who was killed by a Hindu communalist, and Nehru, who understood the sources of danger to the idea of India with utmost clarity. But, clearly, Congressmen today have no such clarity. And this is the criticism that Rahul Gandhi has to face.
The Congress has degenerated from the party of Gandhi and Nehru to a party of powerbrokers. Since power is more important to the party than the end to which it must be wielded, the Congress compromises with both Hindu and minority communalism. How else can anyone explain successive governments of Maharashtra, led by the government, failing to act against communal actions by the Shiv Sena, for example.
The continued social backwardness of Muslims is not just against the interests of the community but also a source of vulnerability for India’s national security. In the interest of social justice and to strengthen social cohesion and national security, concerted government action to end that backwardness is an urgent imperative. But if that imperative is articulated in a political idiom that tells both Muslims and Hindus that the Congress is trying to curry favour with Muslims, it only serves to feed the threat which Rahul Gandhi rightly identified as being more grave than the threat from Jehadis from across the border.
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Inner Voice - II
In my last post I mentioned about an unusual career-related decision :
Five IITians entering politics.
While the decision was guided by an 'inner voice', clearly what the voice is saying are different things.
What the budding politicians hear is: "Serve your country. Give back to your countrymen". They have no natural 'aptitude' or talent for this. In that sense their decision is far riskier and idealistic. And open to ridicule as well.
Just being IITians does not automatically ensure these young men will make better or more honest politicians. But it does not mean they need to be condemned or written off before they start.
There is a case to be made for youth and idealism. Spending 10 years working in Bell Labs and then entering politics would not make these young men any the wiser or more effective.
We get what we deserve
Indian politics is badly in need of fresh blood. Because the current crop is teeming with rotten apples.
As the Association for Democratic Reform observed during the Bihar elections: Affidavits filed with the Election Commission one in three candidates fielded by major political parties had charge sheets pending against them.
So like I said, the road ahead for Paritrana is very very difficult but let's give them some time and room to make a few mistakes.
Otherwise, we have no business sighing about dynastic rule or criminalisation of politics.
What the party stands for
Jahaan tak rahi ideology ki baat, here's what their website (which appears to have been fixed) has to say:
Sabhi sukhi hon (All should be happy)
Sukh ka mool samriddhi hai (The root of happiness is prosperity)
Samriddhi ka mool rajya hai (The root of prosperity is the governance)
Rajya ka mool dand hai (The root of good governance lies in the system of reward and punishment)
Their website further explains: In less organized society the punishing side of Dand predominates. In more organized society the reward side of Dand predominates. In any case it is Dand that rules. The role of the System, the Government, the State, or that of a King is to "regulate" Dand, not to hold it. And when Dand is not properly regulated it destroys the State and its people. That's what has happened in past and is happening in the present society.
Now an economist may argue this is simplistic but so far I see no trace of rabid Hindu nationalism - the variety that excludes other communities.
Yes, they've used a quote from the Rig Veda on their website. Why should that 'offend' anyone? It is a part of our common heritage - whatever faith we may belong to today.
The tragedy is that unlike the Greek, Roman or Egyptian civilisations ours did not die out... So any reference to collective wisdom of the past becomes 'anti-secular', anti-the-idea-of-a-modern-India.
There, writing that one line I know will invite comments about me being a fundamentalist. Which is as offensive as people saying that all Muslims who take pride in aspects of their culture or religion are supporters of Taliban or Bin Laden or whatever.
How cynical do you have to be to assume (a) they may not have had a great job in the first place (b) they are probably fundamentalists (c) it's unlikely they are going to be able to do much!! Whatever jobs these guys had, I feel pretty sure it was better than the insecurity of politics. Even seasoned politicians routinely lose so of course novices are going to have a hard time. As for religion : I am an agnostic, don't care much for any religion. But I have no problem quoting the Geeta or the Vedas or the Sermon on the Mount, so I seriously doubt a quotation from the Rig Veda makes u a fundie.
Despite the inherent insecurity and natural fear that the entrenched & corrupt politicians will not let them affect change they have decided to follow thier inner voice and make an attempt to do soemthing good. Instead of being applauded and lauded they seem to be generating cynicism and suspicion.
I for one, salute them and hope they can truly be catalysts for change in our moribund political system. Remember we get the politicians (I would not deign to call our current politicians leaders) we deserve.
I wonder if the leadership makes any difference. Policy framing is done by bureaucrats anyways. In fact it might be detrimental to have thorough intellectuals running the country. a lopsided idealistic view, a tendency that cultured class carries, would be an unnecessary baggage. and by the way who would vote for them?? Who would be able to relate to aerospace engineering when immediate concern is roti, kapdaa aur makaan.
Any IITian with or without experience would be better than the current lot of criminal and illiterate politicians. At least they are educated. Not just educated but quite well educated.
I believe if there is one metric which should decide who would be a better person managing the country, it would be education. For that matter not just managing the country but for doing anything responsible.
As on politics, don't you think people get what they deserve and deserve what they get. Remember people like Manmohan Singh (no less a scholar than an IITian) losing from South Delhi once, supposed to be inhabited by 'educated kind'. We all want clean politics, but when it comes to voting, no one is ready to eschew his own caste/religion interests in favor of a candidate who might otherwise be the 'cleanest'.
Politics in India is a gutter and we hope that these guys will be able to cleanse it to some extent. Whether they suceed or not is a different issue-but the very fact that they have thought and implemented something is applaudable thousands of praise.
There is a saying that "Youth will have its swing" or that most inventions were attempted by youth who at that time did not know that they were inventions. One should still laud the initiative though it is different from Michael Dell of Bill Gates opting out of universities to start businesses.
At stated in the end, the whole issue is one of accountability. It is strange that for management goals we are accountable to our bosses on a daily or weekly basis but people in public life have no such accountability once they are elected.
Rajiv Gandhi with 400 MP's in parliament had stated that only 15 percent of the actual funds reached the poor. So the issue is not what the party stands for but how they are going to implement. Indira Gandhi coined the slogan "Garibi hatao" but it was Narasimha Rao/ Manmohan Singh who actually did it with liberalization. Even Dhirubhai Ambani was great because of implementation.
Anybody can launch a party with idealistic slogans which stalwarts from the film industry also did during emergency with the nationalist party. It turned out to be schoolboy enthusiasm.
Even if just to save our civilisation's past, what we need is a party that makes no bones about being influenced by our history but refuses to blindly follow regional/religious divisions...... If Gandhiji could quote the vedas and follow the Bhagvad Gita yet be act as a messiah for both religions, why can't we?
If these guys can draw crowd and make them listen, and remain focused on goals germane to their conviction, its good. But I fear the convinced-altruism of the IIT/IIM sort might make them think of this as some kind of non-profit start up. Politicians are made in Universities. IIT/IIMs, so far have been notable exceptions.
Notwithstanding my eternal, perpetual cynicism, my Best Wishes are with them.
Go, make a difference!
Getting back to the original topic - the IITians joining politics. My lengthy defence of a group of people I do not know personally is based merely on a matter of principle. Everybody deserves a chance.
Of course, politicians must be accountable, whether they are cowherds or IITians. Magar abhi to innings shuru hi hui hai... what follows may be a series of ducks or some brilliant centuries.
Let's wait and watch.
Five IITians entering politics.
While the decision was guided by an 'inner voice', clearly what the voice is saying are different things.
What the budding politicians hear is: "Serve your country. Give back to your countrymen". They have no natural 'aptitude' or talent for this. In that sense their decision is far riskier and idealistic. And open to ridicule as well.
Just being IITians does not automatically ensure these young men will make better or more honest politicians. But it does not mean they need to be condemned or written off before they start.
There is a case to be made for youth and idealism. Spending 10 years working in Bell Labs and then entering politics would not make these young men any the wiser or more effective.
We get what we deserve
Indian politics is badly in need of fresh blood. Because the current crop is teeming with rotten apples.
As the Association for Democratic Reform observed during the Bihar elections: Affidavits filed with the Election Commission one in three candidates fielded by major political parties had charge sheets pending against them.
So like I said, the road ahead for Paritrana is very very difficult but let's give them some time and room to make a few mistakes.
Otherwise, we have no business sighing about dynastic rule or criminalisation of politics.
What the party stands for
Jahaan tak rahi ideology ki baat, here's what their website (which appears to have been fixed) has to say:
Sabhi sukhi hon (All should be happy)
Sukh ka mool samriddhi hai (The root of happiness is prosperity)
Samriddhi ka mool rajya hai (The root of prosperity is the governance)
Rajya ka mool dand hai (The root of good governance lies in the system of reward and punishment)
Their website further explains: In less organized society the punishing side of Dand predominates. In more organized society the reward side of Dand predominates. In any case it is Dand that rules. The role of the System, the Government, the State, or that of a King is to "regulate" Dand, not to hold it. And when Dand is not properly regulated it destroys the State and its people. That's what has happened in past and is happening in the present society.
Now an economist may argue this is simplistic but so far I see no trace of rabid Hindu nationalism - the variety that excludes other communities.
Yes, they've used a quote from the Rig Veda on their website. Why should that 'offend' anyone? It is a part of our common heritage - whatever faith we may belong to today.
The tragedy is that unlike the Greek, Roman or Egyptian civilisations ours did not die out... So any reference to collective wisdom of the past becomes 'anti-secular', anti-the-idea-of-a-modern-India.
There, writing that one line I know will invite comments about me being a fundamentalist. Which is as offensive as people saying that all Muslims who take pride in aspects of their culture or religion are supporters of Taliban or Bin Laden or whatever.
How cynical do you have to be to assume (a) they may not have had a great job in the first place (b) they are probably fundamentalists (c) it's unlikely they are going to be able to do much!! Whatever jobs these guys had, I feel pretty sure it was better than the insecurity of politics. Even seasoned politicians routinely lose so of course novices are going to have a hard time. As for religion : I am an agnostic, don't care much for any religion. But I have no problem quoting the Geeta or the Vedas or the Sermon on the Mount, so I seriously doubt a quotation from the Rig Veda makes u a fundie.
Despite the inherent insecurity and natural fear that the entrenched & corrupt politicians will not let them affect change they have decided to follow thier inner voice and make an attempt to do soemthing good. Instead of being applauded and lauded they seem to be generating cynicism and suspicion.
I for one, salute them and hope they can truly be catalysts for change in our moribund political system. Remember we get the politicians (I would not deign to call our current politicians leaders) we deserve.
I wonder if the leadership makes any difference. Policy framing is done by bureaucrats anyways. In fact it might be detrimental to have thorough intellectuals running the country. a lopsided idealistic view, a tendency that cultured class carries, would be an unnecessary baggage. and by the way who would vote for them?? Who would be able to relate to aerospace engineering when immediate concern is roti, kapdaa aur makaan.
Any IITian with or without experience would be better than the current lot of criminal and illiterate politicians. At least they are educated. Not just educated but quite well educated.
I believe if there is one metric which should decide who would be a better person managing the country, it would be education. For that matter not just managing the country but for doing anything responsible.
As on politics, don't you think people get what they deserve and deserve what they get. Remember people like Manmohan Singh (no less a scholar than an IITian) losing from South Delhi once, supposed to be inhabited by 'educated kind'. We all want clean politics, but when it comes to voting, no one is ready to eschew his own caste/religion interests in favor of a candidate who might otherwise be the 'cleanest'.
Politics in India is a gutter and we hope that these guys will be able to cleanse it to some extent. Whether they suceed or not is a different issue-but the very fact that they have thought and implemented something is applaudable thousands of praise.
There is a saying that "Youth will have its swing" or that most inventions were attempted by youth who at that time did not know that they were inventions. One should still laud the initiative though it is different from Michael Dell of Bill Gates opting out of universities to start businesses.
At stated in the end, the whole issue is one of accountability. It is strange that for management goals we are accountable to our bosses on a daily or weekly basis but people in public life have no such accountability once they are elected.
Rajiv Gandhi with 400 MP's in parliament had stated that only 15 percent of the actual funds reached the poor. So the issue is not what the party stands for but how they are going to implement. Indira Gandhi coined the slogan "Garibi hatao" but it was Narasimha Rao/ Manmohan Singh who actually did it with liberalization. Even Dhirubhai Ambani was great because of implementation.
Anybody can launch a party with idealistic slogans which stalwarts from the film industry also did during emergency with the nationalist party. It turned out to be schoolboy enthusiasm.
Even if just to save our civilisation's past, what we need is a party that makes no bones about being influenced by our history but refuses to blindly follow regional/religious divisions...... If Gandhiji could quote the vedas and follow the Bhagvad Gita yet be act as a messiah for both religions, why can't we?
If these guys can draw crowd and make them listen, and remain focused on goals germane to their conviction, its good. But I fear the convinced-altruism of the IIT/IIM sort might make them think of this as some kind of non-profit start up. Politicians are made in Universities. IIT/IIMs, so far have been notable exceptions.
Notwithstanding my eternal, perpetual cynicism, my Best Wishes are with them.
Go, make a difference!
Getting back to the original topic - the IITians joining politics. My lengthy defence of a group of people I do not know personally is based merely on a matter of principle. Everybody deserves a chance.
Of course, politicians must be accountable, whether they are cowherds or IITians. Magar abhi to innings shuru hi hui hai... what follows may be a series of ducks or some brilliant centuries.
Let's wait and watch.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Inner Voice: Can you hear it?
"Mani Ratnam's Yuva turned real, with five IITians deciding to join mainstream politics", reported TOI.
The party - Paritrana - was launched in Jodhpur in the year 2006. Paritrana means 'complete relief from various causes of distress and that is what we want to do for our people'.
Brave. Foolish. Idealistic. All of that - and more.
Tanmay Rajpurohit, who's done his MTech from Georgia Tech after a BTech (Aerospace) from IIT B is the party President. Other office bearers include Ajit Shukla, Smit Bisen, Chandrashekhar and Bharat Sundaram - all IIT B and IIT K graduates.
Says Shukla, "My inner voice told me I should invest in my efforts in country instead of making my pocket heavier... People think we are crazy so much so that our families have also failed to understand our motto, but we won't give up."
Deadly thing, this inner voice. That's why most folks pretend they can't hear it. Or choose to drown it out. Because listening to it may mean acting in ways which are strange and unacceptable in society.
Of course the families of these young men would be upset. IIT kya is liye bheja tha? But as Mahatma Gandhi once said: "There are moments in your life when you must act, even though you cannot carry your best friends with you. The 'still small voice' within you must always be the final arbiter when there is a conflict of duty".
Which, ultimately, is what these young men did.
Let's not make too much expectations.....
Let's not be too sceptic either.........
Their effort needs encouragement and support..........
Let's not burden them with more n more expectations.....
It's great effort for great cause......
There must be nothing to regret,no matter what are the results...
Not all the start up succeed in change we wish.....
and more importantly there would be no change if we just wish....
In the end.....Efforts matter as much than the end....b'coz there is no guaranteed ways to success.
I really appreciate the initiative taken by these guys and I m sure many youngsters want to do something good for our country and everybody knows that the main problem lies in this Political system. If we can't take such initiative, at least we should give them the support in achieving their goal.
The fact that they have taken a bold step to give up lucrative careers gives a hint of commitment, passion and objective in them. They are young and may not have everything that's required to run a successful political party. We should help them in anyway possible to help achieve the objective in the best interests of country. With the support of young, educated and passionate people, this party can only get stronger to compete with existing political parties and bring about a considerable change in a positive way. Good politics and governance can make India a superpower. We are not loosing anything by giving these guys a chance to make a difference.
I hope Paritrana will be the answer to India's Future. Lets first stop analzying on whether they would be successful or not.
Deep inside the heart every true Indian wants to do something for India. So lets see how we can help them rather ridicule or doubt them. I can understand where they are coming from. If they are able to give up their career and do something for India, dont you think its our responsibility to see how we can help them and help our country. I can assure there are 1000's of people like me who are sandwiched between the right decision I truly believe that young peopel like them can and will turn the path of India.
Kindly stay away from religion when it comes to politics. I really salute these guys for having so much of guts and passion to follow their dreams. So use our network to make them more powerful. Let's use our students network to gather men and power for the party and see how we can contribute to the country.
I apologize openly to anyone if I had stepped on your toes , so plz dont come back with a rational logic to defend ur negative statement towards the party. I never said you are wrong , I just request everyone to see things with a positive way. I know everyone is true from their perspective. All I am requesting is to help them and not to be a faultfinder.
When will we learn to think positive? Our minds have become so much used to doubting only the positive things. You doubt a person's honesty and you require proofs to believe in his honesty, but believe in his dishonesty almost comes immediately without any proofs. Have you realized this? Greatest of the distances can sometimes be covered by taking smallest of the steps in the right direction. I guess Paritrana is a right step, though small, in the right direction. Kudos to them!! They are at least planning to make a difference in the current scenario of our polluted politics. There are different categories of people:
1.People who accept the things as they are.
2. People who take responsibility to change things and do something good.
3.People who join and follow the second category of people to support them.
4. People who keep passing negative comments about all the other categories of people.
I would definitely not like to be in the last category, rather would like to be in the third category when it comes to Paritrana. Once again, congrats to the founders of Paritrana!!
Segmund Freud had once said that intution should be used to choose major decisions. It is said that "Great decisions are made through the heart, not the head". Even industrialists use more of gut-feel than analysis to arrive at the final decision on whether to go in or not for mega projects.
Good governance cannot come about without competence. There are too many incompetent Indian politicians and that is why we have a bad governance.
Because staying motivated and free of self doubt is always a challenge. One that I am sure both Sidin and the 5 young men at Paritrana will meet head on.
Have you tuned in to your inner voice lately? If you have everything and still feel empty inside, it might be time to slow down. Stop. And listen.
The party - Paritrana - was launched in Jodhpur in the year 2006. Paritrana means 'complete relief from various causes of distress and that is what we want to do for our people'.
Brave. Foolish. Idealistic. All of that - and more.
Tanmay Rajpurohit, who's done his MTech from Georgia Tech after a BTech (Aerospace) from IIT B is the party President. Other office bearers include Ajit Shukla, Smit Bisen, Chandrashekhar and Bharat Sundaram - all IIT B and IIT K graduates.
Says Shukla, "My inner voice told me I should invest in my efforts in country instead of making my pocket heavier... People think we are crazy so much so that our families have also failed to understand our motto, but we won't give up."
Deadly thing, this inner voice. That's why most folks pretend they can't hear it. Or choose to drown it out. Because listening to it may mean acting in ways which are strange and unacceptable in society.
Of course the families of these young men would be upset. IIT kya is liye bheja tha? But as Mahatma Gandhi once said: "There are moments in your life when you must act, even though you cannot carry your best friends with you. The 'still small voice' within you must always be the final arbiter when there is a conflict of duty".
Which, ultimately, is what these young men did.
Let's not make too much expectations.....
Let's not be too sceptic either.........
Their effort needs encouragement and support..........
Let's not burden them with more n more expectations.....
It's great effort for great cause......
There must be nothing to regret,no matter what are the results...
Not all the start up succeed in change we wish.....
and more importantly there would be no change if we just wish....
In the end.....Efforts matter as much than the end....b'coz there is no guaranteed ways to success.
I really appreciate the initiative taken by these guys and I m sure many youngsters want to do something good for our country and everybody knows that the main problem lies in this Political system. If we can't take such initiative, at least we should give them the support in achieving their goal.
The fact that they have taken a bold step to give up lucrative careers gives a hint of commitment, passion and objective in them. They are young and may not have everything that's required to run a successful political party. We should help them in anyway possible to help achieve the objective in the best interests of country. With the support of young, educated and passionate people, this party can only get stronger to compete with existing political parties and bring about a considerable change in a positive way. Good politics and governance can make India a superpower. We are not loosing anything by giving these guys a chance to make a difference.
I hope Paritrana will be the answer to India's Future. Lets first stop analzying on whether they would be successful or not.
Deep inside the heart every true Indian wants to do something for India. So lets see how we can help them rather ridicule or doubt them. I can understand where they are coming from. If they are able to give up their career and do something for India, dont you think its our responsibility to see how we can help them and help our country. I can assure there are 1000's of people like me who are sandwiched between the right decision I truly believe that young peopel like them can and will turn the path of India.
Kindly stay away from religion when it comes to politics. I really salute these guys for having so much of guts and passion to follow their dreams. So use our network to make them more powerful. Let's use our students network to gather men and power for the party and see how we can contribute to the country.
I apologize openly to anyone if I had stepped on your toes , so plz dont come back with a rational logic to defend ur negative statement towards the party. I never said you are wrong , I just request everyone to see things with a positive way. I know everyone is true from their perspective. All I am requesting is to help them and not to be a faultfinder.
When will we learn to think positive? Our minds have become so much used to doubting only the positive things. You doubt a person's honesty and you require proofs to believe in his honesty, but believe in his dishonesty almost comes immediately without any proofs. Have you realized this? Greatest of the distances can sometimes be covered by taking smallest of the steps in the right direction. I guess Paritrana is a right step, though small, in the right direction. Kudos to them!! They are at least planning to make a difference in the current scenario of our polluted politics. There are different categories of people:
1.People who accept the things as they are.
2. People who take responsibility to change things and do something good.
3.People who join and follow the second category of people to support them.
4. People who keep passing negative comments about all the other categories of people.
I would definitely not like to be in the last category, rather would like to be in the third category when it comes to Paritrana. Once again, congrats to the founders of Paritrana!!
Segmund Freud had once said that intution should be used to choose major decisions. It is said that "Great decisions are made through the heart, not the head". Even industrialists use more of gut-feel than analysis to arrive at the final decision on whether to go in or not for mega projects.
Good governance cannot come about without competence. There are too many incompetent Indian politicians and that is why we have a bad governance.
Because staying motivated and free of self doubt is always a challenge. One that I am sure both Sidin and the 5 young men at Paritrana will meet head on.
Have you tuned in to your inner voice lately? If you have everything and still feel empty inside, it might be time to slow down. Stop. And listen.
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