The Spirit of Indianness..!!!

It was the "Good Friday" and as usual I was browsing through the channels of the TV set at my PG around 10.15 PM. As I was almost bored and tired of the repititive and monotonous array of programmes all across the channels I had a visual encounter with my favourite, Barkha Dutt hosting the show "The Buck Stops Here" at NDTV.

Considering the tense political scenario with the general elections round the corner the debate was centered around the communal hatred spreading across or I must say, manipulated by our fanatical political brigade to tap the priceless votes. It almost seems to be a fashion to shoot to limelight through hate speeches and assaulting the religious sentiments of minorities and even vice versa. The stupidity of Mr Varun Gandhi started this so called flurry of hate speeches.

But what amuses me the most is that even our fanatical political brigade cannot disrupt the integrity of our nation.Though the hatred springs up once in a while and we witness shameful events, the respect we Indians endow for all the religions in our country is commendable. No other country in the world has existed in such harmony for such a long period baring a few acts of indignation which we all Indians regret. The youth thankfully is far above the religious fanaticism and we have learnt to coexist in a majestic fashion unlike some of our religious extremists neighbours.

One point which I want to bring across to justify my stand is the majestic and glittering event that took place in Los Angeles but which was perhaps celebrated more in India than in any other country in the world. Three Indians won Oscars: A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar. Their victory set off a frenzy of rejoicing. We were proud of our countrymen. We were pleased that India 's entertainment industry and its veterans had been recognized at an international platform. And all three men became even bigger heroes than they already were.

But here's the thing: Not one of them is a Hindu. Can you imagine such a thing happening in our neighbouring country. Can you even conceive of a situation where the whole country would celebrate the victory of three members of two religious minorities? For that matter, can you even imagine a situation where people from religious minorities would have got to the top of their fields and were, therefore, in the running for international awards? On the one hand, you have our neighbouring country imposing sharia law, doing deals with the Taliban, teaching hatred in madrasas, declaring jihad on the world and trying to kill innocent Sri Lankan cricketers. On the other, you have the triumph of Indian secularism. The same people? Surely not.We are defined by our nationality. They choose to define themselves by their religion.

As you probably know, A.R Rahman was born Dilip Kumar. He converted to Islam when he was 21. His religious preferences made no difference to his prospects. Even now, his music cuts across all religious boundaries. He's as much at home with Sufi music as he is with bhajans. Who can forget his Piya Haji Ali and Pal Pal Hai Bhaari.

Resul Pookutty is an even more interesting case. Until you realise that Malayalis tend to put an 'e' where the rest of us would put an 'a,' (Ravi becomes Revi and sometimes the Gulf becomes the Gelf), you cannot work out that his name derives from Rasool, a fairly obviously Islamic name. But here's the point: even when you point out to people that Pookutty is in fact a Muslim, they don't really care. It makes no difference to them. He's an authentic Indian hero, his religion is irrelevant. And his acceptance speech was even more interesting in which he referred to the primeval power of Om in his acceptance speech.

Most interesting of all is the case of Gulzar who many Indians believe is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Sikh. And his real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra. So why does he have a Muslim name? It's a good story and he told it on aTV show some years ago. He was born in West Pakistan and came over the border during the bloody days of Partition. He had seen so much hatred and religious violence on both sides, he said, that he was determined never to lose himself to that kind of blind religious prejudice and fanaticism. Rather than blame Muslims for the violence inflicted on his community - after all, Hindus and Sikhs behaved with equal ferocity - he adopted a Muslim pen name to remind himself that his identity was beyond religion. He still writes in Urdu and considers it irrelevant whether a person is a Sikh, a Muslim or a Hindu. Let's forget about political correctness and come clean. Can you see such a thing happening anywhere else in the world. Can you actually conceive of a famous Pakistani Muslim who adopts a Hindu or Sikh name out of choice to demonstrate the irrelevance of religion.

India was founded on the basis that religion had no role in determining citizenship or nationhood. An Indian can belong to any religion in the world and face no discrimination in his rights as a citizen. It is nobody's case that India is a perfect society or that Muslims face no discrimination. But only a fool would deny that in the last six decades, we have travelled a long way towards religious equality. In the early days of independent India, a Yusuf Khan had to call himself Dilip Kumar for fear of attracting religious prejudice. In today's India, a Dilip Kumar can change his name to A.R. Rahman and nobody really gives a damn either way. So think back to the events of the last few months.

All I want to state here is that the time is ripe enough that we, the youth wake up and stop the virulent spread of this deadly virus called communalism. We have proved it in the past and we need to carry the spirit of Indianness forever so that no Varun Gandhi or a Vaiko can denigrate the very essence of Indianness which rocks.

We as Indians rock and we will keep rocking forever...

Regards

Dev DC....

Plight of "The Fairer Sex"..!!!

It was a hectic day in my office here in Chennai, courtesy the utopian tasks entrusted on me by my company guide. To do away with my loneliness, which knows me by name, I happened to call one of my juniors from my college in Bangalore. The conversation began in a light hearted mode and gradually got engrossed into complex mythological discussions. To my surprise, I discovered an ardent and a flourishing hue of religious extremism in him. I was deeply shocked and surprised when he said that his sister is a fervid liability for him and he wants her to be married off as soon as possible. He just wants her sister to walk down the aisle despite of her willingness to study further. He is worried about the huge investment in her wedding considering he hails from the “Great Bihar”.

I can well understand a senior citizen or the seemingly old orthodox fraternity to talk in such lines but this sort of a statement delivered by someone who is hardly out of his teens speaks volumes of the sad state of affairs in our country. He further expressed his hatred and his astute unwillingness to mingle with the so called lower castes (Neech Jaati). He cited an instance in his childhood where he happened to devour something offered to him by someone of a lower caste unknowingly and later puking it out after solemn realization. What can we infer from this scenario? Are we still in the uncivilized era? I feel our scriptures have to answer that. He justified his foolish and illogical stand for women and the lower caste citing instances or direct verses in our scriptures which project women as a butt of ridicule created to satisfy and serve their male counterpart. I was deeply agonized and startled after probing his viewpoint. He was certainly true and our so called scriptures posed a striking revelation, something which I have never ever imagined in my wildest dream.

When I started having a look at what our Holy Books have to say, I thanked my parents and the Almighty that I didn’t study them in my journey from a toddler to a youth, who knows even my thoughts would have been polluted. I also wish to present the devastating effects of the caste system on the educational, social, and economical status of Dalit women in modern India. My aim is to highlight the harsh reality of the suppression, struggle and torture Dalit women face every day of their miserable lives. The hardships of Dalit women are not simply due to their poverty, economical status, or lack of education, but are a direct result of the severe exploitation and suppression by the upper classes, which is legitimized by Hindu religious scriptures. Following are certain verses which I want to share with you so that you can also be aware of the extreme sad state of affairs and the plight of ancient Indian women:

Ø A man, aged thirty years, shall marry a maiden of twelve who pleases him. Or a man of twenty-four a girl of eight years of age. If (the performance of) his duties would otherwise be impeded, he must marry sooner. (Manusmitri IX.94)

Ø By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house.” (Manusmriti V.147). Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects (her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is never fit for independence. (Manusmriti IX.3)

Ø Women have no right to study the Vedas. They have no right to know the Vedas. The uttering of the Veda Mantras is useful for removing sin. As women cannot utter the Veda Mantras, they are as unclean as the untruth. (Manusmriti IX.18)

Ø A Brahman, Kshatriya, or Vaishya Man can sexually exploit any Shudra woman. (Manusmitri IX.25)

Ø They (women) make a lie appear as truth, and a truth appear as a lie. The Mahabharata Anusasana Parva, Section XXXIX

Ø A damsel, whose menses begin to appear (while she is living) at her father's house, before she has been betrothed to a man, has to be considered as a degraded woman: by taking her (without the consent of her kinsmen) a man commits no wrong. Vishnusmriti 24.41

Ø Lakshmana (addressing Sita) said: It is the nature of women all over the world to be vicious, fickle, and sharp-tongued and to sow seeds of dissension. Valmiki Ramayana Aranya Kanda, 45.29

Ø A woman who has been unchaste should worship Siva in his calm aspect, Siva who is Kama. Then she should summon a Brahmin and give herself to him, thinking ‘this is Kama who has come for the sake of sexual pleasure.' And whatever the Brahmin wishes, the sensuous woman should do. For thirteen months she should honour in this way any Brahmin who comes to the house for the sake of sexual pleasures, and there is no immorality in this for noble ladies or prostitutes. Matsya Purana 70.40-60 (cf. Mahabharata III, 2.23)

Ø It is the nature of women to seduce men in this (world); for that reason the wise are never unguarded in (the company of) females. For women are able to lead astray in (this) world not only a fool, but even a learned man, and (to make) him a slave of desire and anger. One should not sit in a lonely place with one's mother, sister, or daughter; for the senses are powerful, and master even a learned man. Manusmriti 2.213-215 ( Can you believe this)

There is also a mention of something derogatory to women in the holy ‘Ramcharitamanas’ which is not worth a mention here. So can it be ever imagined that the scriptures of the oldest religion of this earth will propose something as awful as this. I am not only grieved but even ashamed of having such instances inscribed in our scriptures. I feel these scriptures have been manipulated by a certain class of the society only to rule the common people which encompass a major portion of the society. This self proclaimed superior class has designed the plight of millions only to empower themselves. For me God is somebody who resides everywhere in every human being. He is the source of internal strength and he is too glorified and mighty to be confined to a particular religion. He is the Almighty who do not discriminate the human folk on the basis of caste and gender. If He proposes such then He aint God.

All I want to tell is that a major part of the country is trapped by the Superior Minority Brahminical Hegemony which feeds us with all those mythological trash and divides us and rules us. I am not against Brahmins as a caste or community. As I refer the divided subcontinent and never trace the history from any cut off year, I insist upon that the Brahminical Zionist white supremacy is rather a phenomenon correlated to Manusmriti and Zionist Hindu Imperialism post modern Manusmriti.

The cast system divided the society and ensured the Brahminical hegemony in such a refined manner with surgical precision that any resistance whatsoever is immuned immediately. We may see it in entire North East, in Kashmir, in Uttaranchal and all over the tribal parts of the subcontinent as the nationalities are enslaved in a colonial set up of exploitation. All political parties, Left as well as right, are engaged in the persecution of the underprivileged and marginalized people. So all the anti people Acts are enacted and the Parliamentary soap opera is reduced into a Ramp show exposing lot of skin!

I believe until and unless we break the false Myths and come to address the historical reality we may not change the society. Since the society is not going to change in near future we have to ensure equal opportunities for the enslaved outcaste communities as well as the superior gender and the fairer sex, WOMEN. This Nation is bearing Brahminical hegemony for thousands and thousands years. Why the Nation is not ready to accommodate the weakest and deprived and persecuted majority population? That’s because the enslaved people themselves fail to distinguish between myth and reality.

Its high time we ponder over these and dont let this venom pass to the next generation...!!!

Always urs...
Dev DC

Raste raste..Kat jaaye haste..Or is it????
For the benefit of every Tarun, Dev and Hari visiting Bangalore oops Bengalooru and daring to drive on its roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. This realisation gripped me when I was zooming on my fren's bike on the roads of KR Puram, a suburb in Bangalore. This is strictly not applicable in Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.

The road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company. The hints are as follows: Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is "both". Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.
Don't you get discouraged or underestimate yourself except for a belief in reincarnation; the other drivers are not in any better position. Don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back.
Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
Blowing your horn is to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts). Keep informative books in the compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister's motorcade or while longing 4 d signal 2 go green..Mind u..!! u'l get plenty of 'em..N God bless if u happen 2 ride or drive 2wards the Electronic City in peak hours..U can be rest assured to finish reading a novel by the time u arrive .So y not keep a copy of Sidney Sheldon.. Occasionally you might see what looks like a UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrims go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success. Auto Rickshaw, not the official carrier of common sense by any means, carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare. After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage.

Another very familiar site in Bangalore roads is Moped. It looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often "mopped" off the tarmac.

Leaning Tower of Passes: Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension.The Delhi BlueLine has got serious competition.

One-way Street: These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don't stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once.

Least I sound hypercritical, I must add a positive point also. Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a "speed breaker"; two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left untarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.

Night driving on Bangalore roads can be an exhilarating experience for those with the mental make up of Genghis Khan. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes. Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver, and with the peg of illicit arrack (alcohol) he has had at the last stop, his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously. Now dats wat u call geting Bangalored..!!!

Awaiting comments....

Dev DC