Musings Own Thoughts

Civilization is a term which means many things in many a context, but we tend to rank a nation, its people and social-religious groups based on its civilization content. As a nation, we Indians justifiably if I may add take great pride in our ancient heritage and civilization. The principle content of this is the concept of the universal consciousness or oneness, which pervades all that exists. These kind of conclusions came from highly advanced and Self realized souls. Thus civilization contrasts with barbarianism or primitive existence. Civil society is governed by laws which address the questions rising out of difficult situations. India is blessed with a visionary constitution which has taken care of many situations. Aruna Shanbaug's case has served as a catalyst to open up a debate on euthanasia. Euthanasia stands for good death "Eu" good and "thanatos" death. It really means a humane end to existence in those undergoing inhuman suffering. This can take th...

First, I do not know Binayak Sen personally, nor do i have any direct knowledge of the issues or the stake holders in this battle. Hence, I plead that I am unable to answer this question based on evidence or facts. Therefore, the next question, you may ask is why write about the issue and waste my precious time and yours. To that pose, I certainly have an answer. In any situation faced in life, we need to make a choice and this choice is based on many factors, the most important of which is "discrimination", known in Sanskrit as "viveka". As a human being, I possess an intellect which allows me to use my reasoning faculty to make a judgment and decide weather Dr. Binayak Sen is an enemy of the state and a traitor. A gold medalist, pediatrician, from CMC, Vellore, gives up a life of comfort and relative fame and glory and chooses to work in a tribal area among the poorest of the poor. Dr. Sen, by his example and by all accounts of his body of work should serve as an ...

In law , sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization , that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent (or resistance ) to lawful authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws. Seditious words in writing are seditious libel . A seditionist is one who engages in or promotes the interests of sedition. (From Wikipedia). Let me confess, I am a fan of Arundhati Roy, but I wish to express my unbiased views on her writings and statements. Arundhati Roy's claim to fame and name was initially derived from her excellent fiction book " The God of small things". From an unknown entity, she became an intellectual and her fine book became best-seller and earned her fame and money beyond her wildest imagination. At this point, it was easy for her to use her skills to writ...

I just saw this movie and and I must say that I have never seen a movie which is so entertaining and at the same time such a brutally hard hitting story. The characters in the movie are so authentic that it is hard to believe that they are actually acting. The issues of farmers suicide, rural indebtedness, caste interplay, women empowerment, center-state relationships, cynical power playing politicians, seeds monopoly, print vs visual media, English vs Hindi media have all been dealt with in this movie. And if this list makes you think you are watching a documentary film, one is mistaken, as this movie is a thoroughly entertaining movie which makes you laugh when you watch it but cry bitterly for your country when one analyzes the film. There are many dialogues which are memorable. The dialogue between Nathu and his brother who while declaring his intentions of dying for his land, cleverly convinces Nathu about the greater profitability of his death to the family. Also the debate of th...

Twenty-six years ago the people of Bhopal were exposed to a lethal gas in one of the world's worst industrial accident. But, was it an accident? The answer is contrary to popular perception a resounding "No". Because we as a nation have rulers who have devalued our lives to such an extent that we have not one but many Bhopals which have occurred in the past, which occur daily and will continue to do so in the future and we will not even notice or see and raise even a whimper of protest any of these events. To just list a few examples I would like to mention more than a lakh suicides by farmers all over the country, sub-saharan levels of hunger poverty and destitution, high infant and maternal mortality due to lack of sanitation and clean drinking water and primary health care facilities, callous displacement of tribals and the poor in the name of large dams, factories, mines, SEZ's, factories, ports. I can go on and on. But is it only the Government who needs to be bl...

In the context of the failure of the Indian team to do well in the T20 format, a lot has been written and I do not want to be repetitive. All teams and countries in all sports have a basic way of playing and certain in born traits and the Indian team is not an exception to this. The T20 format started a few years ago and an unfancied young team under the fresh captaincy of a new leader won the inaugural tournament. They played fearless, uninhibited cricket and were not under any pressure to perform. In those days T20 cricket was a simple slogging affair and the bold fearless approach was ideal. The Indian and Pakistani teams were full of talented wristy players who could play innovative shots and on flat pitches where the ball came on to the bat we could hit through the line and make runs. The IPL tournaments played on the flat slow pitches of India with shortened boundaries on most grounds and heavy wooded bats lulled our players into a feeling of near invincibility, although 10 mont...

Everyday we get up in the morning anxious to begin our day in time, to make sure we complete the tasks which we set ourselves and at the same time create some space for ourselves for personal needs. As soon as the alarm bell rings depending on the adequacy or lack of sleep, more often the latter we get up refreshed and raring to g or tired hoping to catch a few extra winks. Snooze!!! get up Snooze! get up is the sequence till there is no choice left. Then after basic needs, a few minutes of introspection meditation and the race begins, and ends after all the daily duties, rounds, clinics, surgeries, opd's family chores, entertainment reading, browsing etc etc etc. The question is "Is this the purpose of existence?" The answer to this is an obvious and resounding "No". But then there is no clear answer to the next question "What is the purpose of existence?" I wish to attempt an answer to this question, fully knowing that the answer I give today may no...

Ahimsa and non-violence are both negative words symbolizing a positive term. Are these words accurate in describing this term? I am not sure. All of us commit violence on a physical, mental and spiritual plane. Our every movement or act of breathing kills millions of micro-organisms. In doing our daily duties we commit violence like a commando killing a terrorist in a war, a surgeon cuts open flesh to do his surgery, a farmer tills the soil and kills the earthworms etc etc. So it may seem that the very basis of our existence is violence. These are overt acts of violence but covert act of the same occur when we hate some one, get angry, become jealous or even think evil about the persons around you. Our craving for material objects and indulgences beyond our needs are all acts of violence since they deprive our fellow humans of what is rightly theirs. So a life dedicated to non-violence is one in which we commit the least violence. Therefore, non-violence is descriptive of the state ...

Austerity by Rahul Gandhi is a farce and an attempt to fool the people with tokenism. The Father of the Nation who they sought to emulate traveled second class all his life in a separate compartment without security, to prevent inconvenience to co- passengers which would occur due to his celebrity status. Even this prompted Sarojini Naidu to comment on the cost to the nation to keep Gandhi poor. Well all this started with two ministers SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor living in five star suites , since their palatial bungalows were not yet ready. Suddenly, someone in the Congress realized that the country was reeling under drought conditions and it would look bad if during these times ministers were living life king size. The root of the problem to me today is a massive disconnect of India Inc. (corporate India) with Bharat (rural India). Merely the fact that is looks bad to live in five-star accommodation and discuss poverty alleviation in the rarefied portals of Delhi durbar is the leas...

While one cannot debate the argument about individual freedom, there is no doubt that biologically heterosexuality is the norm and homosexuality or lesbianism constitutes deviant behavior. This is not a matter of judgment but an accepted scientific fact. But, we are not a perfect society and many imperfections are permitted. Sexual act is meant for procreation and not pleasure. So by that yardstick, birth control and abortion should also be illegal. But if birth control and abortion are not permitted much harm will occur in society. Therefore the state is justified in controlling birth and allowing abortion due to the fact that we live in an imperfect society. But, does the state have justification in criminalizing consensual deviant sex? I think not for this act is in the private domain and is not harming society. But if this behavior becomes a public or publicity act and tends to harm society or impressionable minds then some curbs are in order. Is pedophilia the result of suppresse...

In this age of style over substance every attempt has been made to package an old hypocrite into an energetic man of vision. Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, hit the nail on the head by stating while releasing his party's election manifesto Dr Manmohan Singh revisited the issue and discussed what he thinks to be the 'contributions' of L.K. Advani to public life.According to a newspaper report (Indian Express, 25 th March 2009) While recounting Advani's record as the Home Minister, Singh said "the country must decide whether this person ( Advani ) is fit to be the Prime Minister." The Prime Minister said Advani had played a "prominent role in destruction of Babri Mosque." "What else has he ( Advani ) contributed to the national welfare? When he was the Home Minister, attack on Parliament took place, troops were mobilised for 12 months (on the border) and withdrawn without any reason resulting in losses to the tune of crores of rupees, R...

Well India is back to election season and as in every election we break a world record in the peaceful and relatively free and fair poll we undertake. Since China does not have any such exercise we being the the second largest population break the world record set by ourselves. The UPA seeks a mandate based on performance, the NDA on the basis that they can provide stronger leadership, better governance and stronger performance on issues of security. The Left along with BSP and other former heavy weights constitute the third front. They are hoping that they have the critical minimum numbers while the other two fall well short of the majority and they with outside support form a government. Among all this hubris are symbolic candidates put up by citizen groups who are well meaning and ushers of a change in the polity. They lack resources and lack the mass base and it is rare to see them winning. In Mumbai, Loksatta Party, JNM and Adolf and his group may put some of them up. The UPA has...

As we face the challenge of terrorism in Mumbai I wish to reflect on the vicious cycle of retribution and revenge that has resulted in the present conflagration. It is well said that that those who forget the lessons of History are condemned to repeat it. At the time of the division of the nation India chose to be a secular democracy where we gave freedom to all to follow the religion of their choice without infringing on any other persons rights and subject to the laws of the land. Our founding fathers and Gandhi in particular conducted a freedom movement where they worked to have a social reconstructive program me to prepare the nation and its people for freedom. Our constitution has asked the leaders to make a uniform civil code for the people of India based on the best values of all religions. While a Hindu reform bill was passed after a decade of resistance by right wing orthodox parties our first PM was unable or unwilling to push for a similar reform bill for the minority relig...

Tolerance is a virtue we attribute to our country and we say that we are a tolerant lot. This is juxtaposed against the intolerant races like the elements who resort to violence when they cannot get their way. Is tolerance a positive virtue or is it a negative virtue, a sign of cowardice and weakness. According to the Webster Dictionary and tolerance defined in the context of religious belief is sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own. This makes it a negative virtue and sounding more like sufferance. To my mind this is certainly not the correct meaning of the word. In our earthly existence we come across all kinds of personalities and we mostly react to them on a physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual level depending on our state of knowledge or lack of knowledge about the real Self. There are the seers of the person who are men of peace who are realized souls. To such people we must have nothing but friendly feelings...

In response to the issue of climate change and the global food crisis, the question uppermost in the mind of concerned citizens is what can we as individuals do to prevent the catastrophe looming over our heads. The idea on offer is not my original idea but an amalgamation of some of the ideas practically implemented and implementable without a major upheaval in the life of citizens. I feel that garbage disposal is a major issue and a methodology wherein wet garbage separated from the dry garbage and processed at site can be done very easily. The model envisages daily collection of garbage by women from an organization called Stree Mukti Sangathana. These women can be employed for 100 households paying Rs. 50 per month to these women of which Rs. 3000 is given as pay. They can make extra income from the lazy citizen who either gives up his dry garbage or gives his garbage not separated. I envisage a model of terrace or city farming where this garbage is used to directly grow vegetables...

I am writing to express my views about the controversy regarding conversion which has been raised among the Parsi Zoarastrians. Let me begin by saying that the laws of the universe are truly universal and apply to every cell living or non-living. In these circumstances how is it that we are so unique and different in our outward manifestation? Is this the reason that we have created man made boundaries of religion, language, nation,caste, colour etc.? If these boundaries were rigid and to be followed then God would not have universal laws applicable to all. On the other hand the difference and uniqueness of each one of can be explained as different stages of evolution of each one of us from gross to subtle manifestation from non living to plant to animal to human to divine. Coming to the aspect of religion. I feel that religion is simply mans interpretation of God i.e. Universal consciousness. Essentially all religions stem from one source and at different times the Lord manifested ...

The verdict is out. The people of Gujarat have chosen their leader. While I beleive that in a democratic set up the verdict of the people obtained by fair means is to be respected.  An important distinction has to be made here and I want to draw the readers  attention to it. This victory cannot and does not absolve Modi of the crimes he and  his cohorts have commited against a large section of the muslim population  euphemistically called the minorities. State terrorism is a bigger crime than religious  terrorism. Those of us who complacently stand by with a"not in my backyard" attitude must remember that unless civil society resists and opposes the communal politics of  hatred which Modi and his ilk stand for they too may some day become  victims of state terror. The Congress party has failed the people by not opposing Modi's ideology.  I am certainly not of the view that the Congress erred by calling a spade a spade ie. calling Modi a merchant of death. In fact the apol...

The events in Nandigram in West Bengal over the last few days and the issue as a whole is the focus of my post today. The evidence is damning and the double standards and hypocrisy of the CPM stands thoroughly exposed. To terrorize a population of an area in which people were merely demanding to be left alone and allowed to live their own lives in the way they have done so is totally undemocratic. The CPM is not guilty of merely terrorizing the people but has killed looted and burnt down the dwellings of the people it was supposed to protect. This is being done to make way for Special Economic Zones for corporates and their rich clients. It is not that the land under question is a barren arid desert land. By all accounts Nandigram is a green and fertile agricultural zone. The CPM which swears by the common man and socialistic ideals all over the country are unable to apply the same yardstick to their show piece Government of West Bengal. The CM the so called wise Buddha has the gall to...

The nuclear deal negotiated by the Indian Government with the US has become a bone of contention among the proponents and the opponents of the deal. In this game the stakes have reached sky high and the very survival of the UPA government is now dependent on this issue. Where does the common man or " Aam Aadmi " come in on this issue? To my mind this is a battle between idealism and pragmatism. While I do not believe that our PM is a traitor or a stooge of the US, I do believe that the policies of this UPA government have not been in accord with the welfare of the poor. Debating specifically on the nuclear deal I feel a nation wedded to the ideals of non-violence and renunciation does not need weapons of mass destruction. India has not waged a war in its history and we don't need a bomb. We have enough for deterrence even taking a pragmatic view. Today corporate India has hijacked the development debate in the corridors of power. Providing cheap power to sustain our 8....

An Eye for an Eye Makes the World Blind Although the above statement is an evident truth and therefore must not be desirable, the saga of the Mumbai bomb blast trial is an endorsement of this philosophy. Where do we begin and where do we end? Some may say Babri Masjid demolition, some the December riots, some the January riots. In all the hype of the media over one man we forget that the issues involved are far more complex. In an imperfect society we are both victims and perpetrators of heinous crimes against our own brethren. According to me we have all failed in our duties. While civil society to tackle the menace of terrorism, must have legal mechanisms, they should be humane and such that we see a decline in terrorism. The intransigence of the fundamentalist leadership of the Muslim community over a virtual non-issue of the origin of a piece of land enabled the right wing Hindu leadership to polarize opinions. The Babri Masjid a defunct unused mosque became a live iss...