PERSPECTIVES ON PAN-ASIANISM

Deconstructing Gandhi- Quit India, Gandhi’s fading influence and Indian freedom(III)

2011-04-12T22:39:00.001+05:30

Deconstructing Gandhi- Quit India, Gandhi’s fading influence and Indian freedom(III)

Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution to building of modern ,independent

India

is immense. But, his hagiographers have overstated the role of Gandhiji in various momentous events. Though, Gandhiji evolved from the loyal British subject into the non-violent Satyagrahi in a course of experiments with his inner Truth and the national movements; he can not be held as the sole source for achieving Indian independence. This belittles the various stalwarts who made as much sacrifice as Gandhiji might have done, nonetheless their contribution has been relegated to the margins within few decades of historic moment. I do not claim to be a historian but circumstances put me in the company of historians, many of them politicized breed who compromise the professional ethics just to receive some favours from the authorities.

I am fortunate to have held discussions with most of the leading Indian historians. It was in the year 1998-99 that I came in contact with Prof. Ravinder Kumar, an authority on modern Indian history and the Director of Nehru Memorial and Teen Murti Bhawan. It was a rainy day of the new millennium year and I skipped my office to be with him in his chamber. I raised my apprehensions about contribution of Quit India Movement or Gandhiji’s role in making India free. He stuck to his belief. I poked him further and raised the pitch- What do you think about mobilization of youth during Quit India Movement? He said, “Tremendous”. I added the twist: Why did Indian youth join British Army to defend the Empire at the same time? He said, This is not true.” I told him the government statistics:- . 2,644,323 Indians served the British Army at the peak strength.” He was not convinced. He questioned my source. I said, this is the figure proudly displayed by the Indian Army in the present decade. He felt perplexed by the information. I asked him,” If Quit India Movement was such a huge mass-movement, the British appeal to Indian youth to join the Imperial forces in defense of Empire should have been met with disdain. Professor Kumar promised me that he would relook into the aspects of Quit India Movement. Unfortunately, he left this world in following months.

The question of Gandhi’s contribution in Indian independence stand naked again like his brahmacharya experiments.

Gandhi & Quit India Movement

The Quit India Resolution was passed by the All India Congress Committee in the Bombay Session on 8^th August, 1942. Gandhiji gave the slogan of “Do or Die”. There was call for mass struggle on non-violent lines ion the widest possible scale. This was a repercussion of the failure of Cripps Mission . The British did not want to fix any date for Indian independence after the end of the War . The Japanese had taken the war to India’s borders and Japanese planes were bombing even the city of Calcutta. After being pressurized by American President Roosevelt, the British felt the need to win Indian support for the war by promising some political solution. But, the Cripps Mission was not willing to offer more than the Dominion Status after the War and the talks failed.

The Quit India movement was widespread. But, it stemmed much from the local leadership and not from Gandhiji’s influence. The series of bomb explosions, storming of Police stations, destroying public property, killing British soldiers do not fit into the Gandhian picture of political movement.

The movement spread to the area where 1857 uprising took place. It was a recurrence of revolt against British in same area like Satara, Ballia, Benaras, Patna. It had to do much with the pre-Ganshi subaltern memory than any Gandhian appeal. Sumit Sarkar has given the dstatistics of the movement in the popular work, Modern India. By the end of 1943, nearly 91thousand people were arrested. Bombay Presidency, U.P. and Bihar stood at top in this figure. 208 police outpost, 332 railway stations and 945 post offices were destroyed buy the end of 1943. There had been incidences of 664 bomb explosions. Maximum police stations were destroyed in Bihar while maximum bomb explosions occurred in Bombay Presidency. Thus, mass mobilization was maximum in Bihar and individual violent action in Bombay Presidency. The Government figure for death is meager 1060 killed in Police or Army firing and 63 policemen dying in the violent upsurge.

It must be emphasized that the programme for Quit India Movement was to be organized in six-stage lie boycott of courts,schools,government services, picketing of foreign cloth & liquor, and no-tax as the last stage. Thus, the Movement which actually took shape was in no way dictated by Congress programme.

It is to further see the parallel growth of the Indian Army during the turbulent phase. At the beginning of the World War-II (1939), Indian Army had a strength of mere 1,94,373 personnel. This figure included State Force troops.But, number of men that India finally gave to the British Imperial Army, was 2,644,323 at peak strength by the middle of 1945.This exposes the hollow claim of some people that Quit India Movement was responsible for grant of Indian freedom.India’s population in 1941 was 31.87 crore. The number of youth in the age cohort of 20-30 would not be more than 5 crore. Only half of them were male. That puts the figure of total Indian male youth at 2.5 crore. If 25 lakh of youth joined the British army during this period, when the penetration of the imperial state was not as vertical or horizontal as today, the local nature of Quit India movement and marginalization of Gandhi’s voice is apparent.

A British political formation,WIL which was formed in 1937 with recruits from the Labour Party, the Communist Party of Great Britain, and the Independent Labour Party was running “Workers’ International News”, In its October-November ,1943 issue with the focus on Theses on Indian Revolution, it accurately examined the consequences of massive recruitment of Indians in British Army.

WIL Theses on Indian Revolution

“The Indian army is 3,000,000 strong and its numbers are increasing day by day. The distinction between martial and non-martial races is removed, and peasants from all parts of the country are being recruited. They are being trained in the use of the most modern weapons. British imperialism, faced with a challenge to its might from the German and Japanese imperialists is creating a mighty instrument that will be torn from its hands by the Indian revolution. With the war reaching further heights of savagery, the strain of battles and the disillusionment will drive then armed forces to the ranks of the Indian revolutionaries. This will be strengthened by the agrarian crisis and the seizure of the land by the peasantry. Armed soldiers, who are mainly peasants, will gravitate towards the peasantry.”

Thus, if The British had to engage 57 battallion of Army to quell the 1942 Revolt and take recourse to machinegun firing from air in Bihar when the majority of Indian youth were seeking recruitment with the British forces, the British authorities would have shuddered at the prospect of militarization of Indian society after the demilitarization of British armed forces after the end of the War. The demilitarized, well trained war veterans Indians would have destroyed every fabric of imperial institutions. The British knew and were afraid of politicization of British Indian Army.

Subhash Bose stuck the kneel in the British chest by mobilizing British Indian soldiers for the cause of Indian freedom. When Subhash reached Singapore and announced the formation of Azad Hind Fauj on 21 October,1943; the British were taken aback Motre than the British, it must been Gandhi who was taken aback since he had already issued telegram of condolence to Prabhavati Devi Bose on reported death of Subhas Chandra Bose on 29^th March, 1942.Nearly, 20,000 out of the 60,000 Prisoner of Wars joined INA. The march to Delhi began. More importantly, the politicization of British Indian Army began.

When the War ended in 1945, the British had no option but to reduce the size of war-time army. The politicized Indian army men after having lost job were sure to make a hell out of weakened and dissipated British authorities. Added to this was the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in February, 1946. The Navy was the strongest and most elite forces on whose strength the British maintained the imperial interest. The development of fissure within RIN was a sure signal that the British could not hold India any longer. The British ahd the best option to not let power transferred in the hands of militant, indigenous elite. The best way was to cultivate Gandhiji who always stood to protect imperial interest as a loyal subject and hence conferred even the title of Kaiser-e-Hind after his arrival from South Africa to India in 1915. Gandhiji made the work easy for the British by sidetracking indigenous voices and hoisting an effeminate, brown British Nehru who even agreed to partition of India as well as the Dominion Status, a proposal which was out rightly rejected even before the Quit India Movement.

Indian independence was a farce. India was mutilated and achieved only Dominion Status. It was only the more militant voices that forced

India

towards full freedom. The Indian Navy remained Royal Indian Navy till 1950 and the control was in the hands of the British as late as 21 April, 1958(Vice Admiral Stephen Hope Caralill).The Commander in-Chief of Indian Air Force till 1954 was a British. General Francis Robert Roy Butcher was the head of Indian Army till 15^th January, 1949-two years after independence. If the co-opted leadership would not have been at the helm of affairs,

India

would have got independence in true sense-free from the corrupt games behind the scenes, nepotism, and favoritism, promotion of sycophants and marginalization of indigenous able voices. India got pseudo-freedom and is still reaping the fruits. True freedom comes only when the leadership learns to stake everything for the cause of the nation and its population.

It is only in the post-Nehru-Gandhi future when the role of Gandhi would be scrutinized painstakingly. Right now, the objectivity has been blinded by the coterie serving the interest of the dynasty controlling the nucleus of authority by deploying the nomenclature of “Gandhi”.

Bring back the focus on true national heroes.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

(Niraj, 2200hrs., 12.4.11)

Victory for Anna in white & black!

2011-04-09T21:39:00.001+05:30

Victory for Anna in white & black!

"White walls,

white day,

white caps,

endless snaps.

Anna on fast

How long did it last?

Black letters,

black mikes,

candle lights

still black nights!

Pigeon-holes at Jantar Mantar

contains the manifold key;

There is winter in summer,

will India be corruption-free?"

(on sabotage of People's movement a la' Jantar Mantar simulation")

Victory for Anna-An evening at Jantar Mantar

2011-04-09T01:16:00.004+05:30

Victory for Anna-An evening at Jantar Mantar

I was there.Jantar mantar has been transformed into a mela ground. The scene was surreal like a Rene Margarete painting. There was huge outpouring of emotions. The blue-collar job youth were rushing after the end of office rush hour from the Connaught Place to have a glimpse of new Gandhi. The students from the private institutes who charge exorbitant fee for courses like BBA/MBA were thronging with the placard highlighting their institutions' name.On one side, the pictures of corporate spiritualists were prominently displayed. Baba Ramdev's banner was hand in glove with Jaggi Vasudev and Sri Ravishankar's huge pictures. There was a huge banner of ex-Servicemen Movement being run by a close friend of mine, Major General Satbir Singh. Anna himself is an ex-Army man and this support stems from the service affinity.

There were all kinds of instruments alien to Indian tradition. The slogans were ill-framed and the yellow sticker distributed appeared to be a publicity material for India's most non-representative and corruption-grooming and favouritist clown Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. What was inscribed on the thousand of stickers which proudly angry youth displayed on their chest-

" Manmohan Singh Vote chahiye?

to Jan Lokpal Kanoon Laiye."

(Manmohan Singh, if you need our vote, then bring the Ombudsman Act.)

This sums up the distorted nature of agitation. Manmohan Singh never won any election , not even election of a local Ward. Neither did he passed in any competitive examination in life to achieve what he did in his bureaucratic career. Everything was ordained for him from being the Finance Secretary to the Prime Minister. The man is apolitical and a loyal foot soldier of Nehru-Gandhi coterie. But, as it happens only in Delhi where slaves could become ruler; the anti-political and non-democratic Singh rose to prominence not for his abilities but for his disabilities. People like Pranab Mukherjee or P. Chidambaram's chances were guillotined in European style .A lame-duck Prime Minister was elevated to the highest chair just to guard the seat till the Prince with natural birth right graduated from his eternal youthfulness into mature leadership.

But, at one stroke the organizers have made Singh a man of masses. Did anyone ever vote in the name of Manmohan Singh? Did he ever realize that he is a representative of people? When in Delhi, a 4-storey house collapsed killing more than 60 persons, the Prime Minister of the country had no time to visit the victims. Ditto the story everywhere. This has reduced the government into faceless government and now the indiaagainstcorruption.orgpersons are toiling day and night to make a political leader out of him.

I am happy that Anna took a right decision to sit on fast. But, it is extremely different thing to support the cause of professional NGO leaders and the cause against corruption. The set of people who will represent the civil society have already finalized in the proposed Jan Lok Pal Bill the way to capture the Super body once constituted. Does it make sense to put a clause that the Nobel Prize winner of Indian origin and the Magsaysay Award winners will be the persons among others to constitute the Selection Committee for the Chairman and the Members of the Lokpal. Look who are those persons-Amartya Sen, Arbind Kejariwal, Kiran Bedi, Sandeep Pandey, Aruna Roy. Magsaysay Award is given by Rockefeller Foundation based in New York and Ford Foundation.It is thus the perpetuation of American lobby in anti-corruption movement to blunt the expose of American involvement in infecting India with corruption. Anna is an innocent crusader .

Does these Award guarantee of good deed? Look what Amartya Sen has done with Nalanda University project. He appointed a novice quiz writer as the Vice Chancellor of an International University in circumvention of every existing norms and indulged in worst form of favoritism that involves vigilance angle. But as per the Jan Lokpal Bill,he will surely be roped to select the members of the Lokpal. The Lokpal Bill will create merely a supercop who will soon learn to indulge in blunting the fight against rampant corruption. I had suggested certain measures like creating an Indian Vigilance Service with provision for lateral entry and their appointment as the CVOs and the appointment of CAG officers as the Finance Advisers in each department. Only when a grid is constructed, any Ombudsman body can operate otherwise it will reduce into the state of NCSC, a Constitutional body which is far away from the visions within one decade of its constitution through Parliamentary Act.

I was happy to find Metro Chief Shreedharan joining the protesters. He is a personal source for inspiration to me.Anna spoke about the conditions. There was no word on corruption, merely on Jan Lokpal Bill.It was in contrast with the mood of the crowd who were displaying slogans against corruption. There were singing for the nation, Motherland and slogan shouting echoing or para-phrasing old slogans like "Anna tum Sangharsh karo, hum tumhare sath hain".

There was no Jasmine Revolution moment, no willingness on part of the crowd to participate in sustained campaign, no freshness, no creative idea to build up a sustained momentum.. It was just a cultural festival kind of gathering. It was yes, the yuppie-the facebook/twitter/SMS generation who are bored of the everyday life of intense mobility with no root to grasp and take rest to enjoy the stillness of life. It was sad to see that there were no peasants, no labourers, no workers from industries.. It was the mobile camera holding upper middle class youth, successful NGO activists, retired bureaucrats, the TV people who wanted some change after the World Cup and the corruption expose coverage. India's tiniest of the segment has now claimed a complete victory for a symbolic step thereby taking the real fight against corruption few year back again.

I am tempted to believe based on observation that this might be part of government strategy to prevent a Summer cocktail of heat, anger, inflation ,corruption causing Tunisia/Libya type condition within India. The Opposition parties had brought the Parliament on stand still. The Supreme Court has come down on the government on the issue of black money and CVC strongly. The Maoists are expected to launch urban campaign this summer on popular issue. In one go, the ruling coalition has dissipated the anger, diffused the issue, silenced the growing voice of violent upsurge and created a Hero of the Middle Class. On the back up of World Cup victory euphoria, the middle class has been befooled in believing that the battle has been won while the inverse has happened. Peoples power has been co-opted. Same Agnivesh who has been accused by the Maoists for derail the movement and getting the leadership eliminated was mysteriously made a hero out of state-sponsored ruckus in Chhatisgarh a few days earlier and with the renewal of credibility, deployed to dissipate the peoples anger and the coalescing of Oppositional forces.He was effectively supported by the embedded activists like KB,AK,AR... all formal government employees winning US -supported Magsaysay Award at a time when the US lost the face in India after wikileak expose.The TV channel which is running the constant coverage is well known for being the Government mouth piece in the most critical times.The suspicion grows stronger by observing how quickly the Government in state-managed way stooped to conquer the "civil society" on the issue of corruption but avoiding to confirm proposal to investigate the black money deposited in foreign banks to a tune of 1000 billion dollar in spite of buying various dates from the highest court, the Supreme Court of India.

This was a parody of genuine movement, a simulation for catharsis of the discontentment. Slogans, caps, speeches, acts, songs..a Disneyland of civil protest aided and abetted by embedded news channels with the Government. Kiran Bedi could not be pushed as CIC, Kejariwal didn't succeed in becoming an Info Commissioner. Now some of same motley crowd earned a table to drumbeat their achievement. Anna Hazare , the innocent crusader was reduced as a tool in hands of professional anti-democracy gang!

I wish I could be wrong. But, it has never happened. Anna, I am sorry. You were the bait in the trap game. Momentary congratulation to you and the young who came with you with hopes in heart.and I had promised to sit on fast at Janatar Mantar on Saturday. I lost the chance. I save the energy for battling the corrupt within the government machinery as well as those who wear the cloak of civil society and work as operator for power. The power is ubiquitous, Anna. The only way to escape the trap of power and hence the associated corrupt practice is to short-circuit power. I see only lights, camera and action......! The young were being turned away . There was only one announcement from the stage--Media men, come forward..light, camera, action......! The Bollywood adept in the 'light,camera, action" game added glamour to the simulacral protest. The minuscule festive crowd didn't allow dissent. This does not augur well for the renewal of democracy.

(Niraj,0100hrs.9.4.2011)

We support Anna Hazare

2011-04-08T00:10:00.001+05:30

We support Anna Hazare

Anna Hazare is on fast unto death at Jantar Mantar. He is determined to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed. The demand is simple-issue notification to incorporate at least half member from the civil society to draft the Ombudsman Bill. The Government has drafted a Lokpal Bill,2010 but it is toothless, advisory body with enough loopholes to initiate any action against the corrupt public servants. A group of eminent citizens drafted the Jan Lokpal Bill which has tools to protect the honest civil servants and take effective measures against the corruption rampant in each and every corridor of power.The comparative chart of two Bills are reproduced herein:

Draft Lokpal Bill 2010 Jan Lokpal Bill

Lokpal will have no power to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It can only probe complaints forwarded by LS Speaker or RS Chairman.	Lokpal will have powers to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public.
Lokpal will only be an Advisory Body. Its part is only limited to forwarding its report to the "Competent Authority"	Lokpal will be much more than an Advisory Body. It should be granted powers to initiate Prosecution against anyone found guilty.
Lokpal will not have any police powers. It can not register FIRs or proceed with criminal investigations.	Lokpal will have police powers. To say that it will be able to register FIRs.
CBI and Lokpal will have no connection with each other.	Lokpal and anti corruption wing of CBI will be one Independent body.
Punishment for corruption will be minimum 6 months and maximum up-to 7 years.	The punishment should be minimum 5 years and maximum up-to life imprisonment.

Source:Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lokpal_Bill

The Government caught from every side in running a corrupt system has addressed the demand with arcane disdain. The Government is afraid of building such an institution lest the officials who are running amok with amassing wealth get caught by mere public complaint and the guilty men of India’s growing disembodied citizenry are brought to the natural and effective justice . Certain more suggestions has to be added to bring weight to the movement against corruption.

The Government has formed institutions like National Commission for Scheduled Castes with complete autonomy and power to take suo moto action against atrocities inflicted upon the members of the scheduled caste communities. In fact, the Commission enjoys the power of the Civil Court and has power to investigate, lodge an FIR, take action against errand persons. Though, with time judicial pronouncements have diluted many of the powers and the Commission lost its sheen when a thoroughly corrupt government decided to enthrone corrupt politicians to chair the highest post in the Commission; the NCSC presents a functional model of institution for effective anti-corruption and grievance redress systems at centre so that effective deterrent is created against corruption and to provide effective protection to whistleblowers. If any member of the Scheduled caste can lodge a complaint even by post and the same is taken to logical end by the Commission, why is it difficult for the Government to create an effective institution to address the issue of growing corruption. This reflects dishonesty and nothing more.

I am of the view that the corruption in the system can not be eliminated by even building new institutions. The problem lies in the monopoly of the All India Services in the governance structure. Today, an IAS is the official responsible for purchases; another IAS vets the procedure as the Finance Advisor. Third one is the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department. The fourth one sits in the DOPT and controls the CBI, the only dedicated agency designed to tackle corruption. The system is such that the same set of official make merry and in spite of all odds, get scot free. One can just jog the memory a little bit and remember how a Vice Chairman of the DDA was arrested for corruption .Though he was suspended from the service upon his arrest, the same was revoked on exactly after the expiry of 90 days, because the Review Committee within DOPT consists of his colleagues in the cadre. What’s the way out? The whole procedure requires to be decentralized. Involve the independent dedicated cadres in the decision making. I am putting forward two proposals:

I) The Comptroller &Accountant General Office is autonomous from rest of the Civil services. There is less fear of IAS trampling honest CAG officials since their service is not regulated by the Department s manned by the IAS &their siblings. Let the post of Finance Adviser(FA) who vets any new purchase or tender be from the CAG cadre.

II) To create a cadre of Indian Vigilance Service(IVS). The Government has cadre for little things like statistics and information, but none for monitoring and eliminating the corruption. The Government can create this new cadre and put the cadre under control of the LokPal. The CBI has become too much overloaded with the big political cases and pander to the political masters. The IVS cadre officials will be autonomous from the control of the DOPT .The IVS shall maintain the post of the CVO in each and every department /Ministry. Many honest, sharp persons can be included in the IVS cadre through lateral entry just as outsiders like Manmohan Singh or Montek Singh were included in the Government as Finance Secretaries. The honest persons are the asset of a rising power. Even if they want to stay away from humdrum of active public lives after their brief stint in their own sphere, they have to be selected by a Selection Committee under the Lokpal system.

III) The whistleblowers are often at the receiving end. Their cases should be heard before the Lokpal and they should be financially compensated. The Government need not pay the money from the Consolidated Fund of India. Those who victimize Whistleblower should be made to pay from their gratuity or even GPF. This will discourage the crooked officials in each department from crating reign of terror and facilitating open corruption by the few and the mighty.

I am a part of this campaign to weed out corruption from the system. In my 14 years of service, I was transferred 14 times, put under suspension for 7 years, have run to Courts hundreds of time, have faced prosecution, raids by the agencies, denial of single promotion in spite of Court Orders, malicious campaigns in media by the corrupt coterie, threats, humiliations. It is very simple to explain the witch-hunting. I take up mighty and the corrupt. I don’t buzz from the rules. I must have blasted half a dozen corrupt political figures and a dozen corrupt bureaucrats. I believe in working for my people, nation and Constitution. I believe in non-hierarchical democracy. The corrupt gangs are afraid and mutter that I am a romantic, fit to be activist and not a public servant. To be honest who work to create honest neighbourhood has become the hallmark of an unbecoming government servant. I believe in the power of the people. Thousands are marching towards the sacred spot at Jantar mantar where Anna Hazare is radiating hope through millions of glittering stars this spring. Indian Spring has begun. Without thunder, can Anna score a victory against a faceless government?

For detailed study of the draft Jan Lokpal Bill, please visit:

http://www.annahazare.org/pdf/Jan%20lokpal%20bill%20by%20Expert%20(Eng).pdf

Jai Bharat!

(Abhay Doot, 0010hrs, 8.4.2011)

Cricket and Mahakal-Can future be predicted with certainty?

2011-04-07T00:00:00.003+05:30

Cricket and Mahakal-Can future be predicted with certainty?

Source for Picture:http://www.kapalika.com/biomahakaal.html

Recently, India won the Cricket World Cup Final. It was a historic win after a long gap of 28 years. The whole nation and its incumbent leadership suffering from corruption-stroke went into frenzy. Each match India played after Qualifying Round was fraught with uncertainty. There were speculation about a weak middle order in batting line up , poor fielding and the lackluster performance of the bowlers. Yes, Sachin Tendulkar, the living legend of Cricket and Yuvaraj Singh were excelling in individual performances. But, that was no guarantee for a sure success in achieving the ultimate victory.

India

had to face arch-rival and the strongest contender for the World Cup, Australia in the Quarter Final matches. Australia had been maintaining the dominance in the cricket world for more than a decade. It was the reigning champion.

India

had received defeat in the Qualifying round. Could India win? There was no speculation at all. A Hindi news channel, India News organized a live discussion on prognosis of the match. There were participants from various walk of lives. Cricket is the secular religion of India. And when it was the matter of World Cup in home country, the religious leaders were as much enthusiastic as the entertainment or the political honchos. Among the participant, the black-robed saint with a vibrant aura stood unique. He was none other than Mahakal Kapalik Bhairavananda Saraswati. He is the only surviving Kapalika master and is an ocean of wisdom on tantras, art, iconography and Indian culture. Many eyebrows might have raised to find a Kapalika(carrier of skull-bowl) commenting on cricket. What does a Kapalika know about nuances of Cricket? Is cricket a ritual? But, the serene saint spoke vigorously, “India will sail through the Quarter Final”. The prediction hit the bull’s eye.

Now, India sailed into Semi-Final and had to face Pakistan. This was touted as a war of nations, a match of greatest magnitude. Indian Prime Minister sent invitation to the Pak Premier. It was readily accepted. The whole nation was preparing to witness the meta-match, match of all matches. Again, India News arranged a live discussion on TV channel. The black-robed saint was invited to predict about this meta-match. Kapalik was more certain than any other commentator. He again stood for India. India defeated Pakistan and the match as well as celebration might have surpassed the celebration following India’s independence from the colonial rule. Bhairavandaji was able to predict witrh certaintly consecutively.

India

had to play finals against the best team in the tournament, SriLanka.If India had Sahin, SriLanka had Muralisharan and Malinga, two shrewedest bowlers of current period. If India had a cool captain ,Dhoni, Sri Lanka had much cooler, Sangakara. Dice was set. Match was equally matched. No one could predict with certainty who would be the victorious. Therefore, newspapers ran headlines that in either case the Cup will come back to Asia. India News again invited a panel to discuss on the World Cup Final. Mahakal again predicted that India would be the ultimate victor. He proved right not once but consecutively in three matches, that too on live news channel. Though, there is a crazy crew of rationalist in India being led by a foolish, scientifically under trained person who would vouchsafe that it was just a coincidence. But, why do rationalists not able to predict with similar certainty? The rationalist tele-hooligans would put forward the statement that scientists can predict with certainty the motion , the eclipses, the medical diagnosis. Thus, there is no scope left for the human brain to short-circuit the rational trajectory and anticipate the future with certainty.

There are two issues involved. First, there is latent racism inherited by the English speaking rationalist tele-hooligans. The story of Octopus Paul is still fresh in our mind. This tiny octopus in a German aquarium used to rightly predict the winner of the matched in the World Cup involving

Germany

by moving towards the corresponding flag. The animal was perfect in prediction. The real hero of the World Cup Football was this Octopus Paul, which is engraved in the memories of media, entertainers and public at large. Paul is a legendary names I the entertainment industry and Quizzes. Mind it, Paul never communicated in human languages. But, here the whole nation watched with amazement a Saint accurately predicting the outcome of the match consecutively. But, still there is no mention in the mainstream media. Is this not the continuation of the colonial hangover? A silent animal in the western borders have greater wisdom than the Wisom-Purusha in the Orient!

The other issue pertains to wider philosophical issue. Can humans know the future through mind? Can our neural-grid anticipate all possible outcomes in a fraction of time and rightly anticipate the trajectory of events out of infinite possibilities? Can human mind telescope future?

Why does human mind have propensity to both memorize and anticipate? Human minds speculate over past and generate legends, myth and history by telescoping past events. Historians claim truth by taking recourse to memory as the bedrock of authenticity. The memory is not only engraved in human minds but for historians also in material universe exterior to mind. If human mind can retrieve Truth from the past, can it not anticipate truth in future? The physicist will say, Never. Time is linear and the flow of time is unidimensional and linked with entropy arrow. There is a symmetry-breaking in Time variance. Thus, time is not same if one moves from past to future and the other from future to past. But, the issue of symmetry breaking arises only when one postulate a uniquie western paradigm of linear time. What if the physicists substitute multi-dimensional time in understanding of the physical universe? The mathematicians in France’s National Science Centre have worked with model of 2-dimensional time and found astonishing results.(Francis Bailly, Giuseppe Longo, Mael Montevil: A 2-Dimensional Geometry of Biological Time, April, 2010, National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris). What if one pits the Asian model of cyclic time! Will normal western science come for a handshake with the Asian teams of soothsayers?

These are serious issues to wrestle with at leisure time. Right now, I am astonished with the spiritual genius of Mahakal Bhairavananda Saraswati. Indian spiritual tradition has fixed number of limbs. Through my personal acquaintances, I feel strongly to note that he is one of surviving ashtanga personality of esoteric India.

Jai Ma!

(written at 0000hrs, 6-7 April,2011)

Deconstructing Gandhi- Early dalliance with British women(II)

2011-04-05T01:04:00.000+05:30

Deconstructing Gandhi- Early dalliance with British women(II)

Gandhiji with Miss Sclesein, South Africa,1903

Source:http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/HU026596.html

Mahatma Gandhi remains the most acclaimed personality of twentieth century. If the century would be remembered for the two World Wars, rise of totalitarian ideologies like fascism and communism, wars of national independence and the long Cold War, the name of Gandhi will appear as the Morning Star of hope. He influenced the world’s second most populous nation to attain independence without recourse to brute force. He inspired the oppressed to take up the Soul force of Satyagraha rather than the oppositional force rooted in hatred. He inspired many a great personalities to attain their objective by the method of non-violence. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama,Vaclav Havel, Aung Sang Su Kyi,Steve Biko and many more were directly inspired by Gandhi’s thought & action. His namesake continues to govern the world’s biggest democracy either directly or by proxy for more than half a century. Gandhi has become a legend. The deification has smoothened Gandhi into some kind of homogenous, motionless paragon of virtues. This has made Gandhi increasingly redundant for the new generation of social and electronic media who longs for hyper speed and extreme configurations. Gandhi himself would have disapproved the freezing of Gandhian quest into a nano-perspective. While writing the Preface for the much celebrated book containing every dimension of Gandhian thoughts, he mentioned:-

“I would like to say to the diligent reader of my writings and to others who are interested in them that I am not at all concerned with appearing to be consistent. In my search after truth I have discarded many ideas and learnt many new things.”

(Harijan, 29.4.1933),p.2

I have tried to study Gandhi’s inconsistencies to find out opportunism and the originality of his Quest. An amazing kaladeioscope of events are summarized here. I term this condition as Gandhian flux where there is an unbridgeable chasm between vision and action, vow and betrayal, soul-force and narcissism, sainthood and sexuality;

i) Gandhiji was administered three vows by certain Jain monk, Becharji swami before proceeding to London to study law. These were : Not to touch woman, wine and meat. It was only on this condition that his mother allowed him to leave the young wife and a little baby to pursue studies in Imperial city. But, as soon as Gandhiji landed in London, he was helped by two Indian elders to stay in a widow’s house in West Kensingston. Gandhiji writes:

“ the landlady was a widow. I told her about my vow. The old lady promised to look after me properly and I took up my residence in the house… She had two daughters. They insisted on serving me with an extra slice or two of bread. But little did they know that nothing less than a loaf would have filled me.”

(p.40-41, My Experiments with Truth”)

Gandhiji writes that “it would be impossible for the young men to go about or flirt with the young girls of the family in which they lived”(p.54,ibid.) if Indian youth confessed that they were married. It is to keep in mind that Gandhiji was already a father and someone who took vow to never touch a woman while offshore.

He states valiantly:

“ My landlady’s daughter took me one day to the lovely hills around Ventor. I was no slow walker, but my companion walked even faster, dragging me after her and chattering away all the while. I responded to her chatter sometimes with wghispered ‘yes’ or ‘no”, or at the most”yes, how beautiful.” Gandhi was staying at Ventnor now.(p.54,ibid.)

Now, once Gandhiji went to Brighton, he met another old widow at a hotel. He was not able to decide which one of the menu is vegetarian. Surprisingly, there was a waiter, but Gandhiji was helped by a widow sharing his table. The acquaintance “ripened into friendship”. Gandhiji writes:-

“ She gave me her London address and invited me to dine at her house every Sunday. On special occasion also she would invite me ,help me to conquer my bashfulness and introduce me to young ladies and draw me into conversation with them. Particularly, marked out for these conversations was a young lady who stayed with her, and often we would be left entirely alone together.”

(p.55,ibid.)

Gandhiji learnt to enjoy this friendship with the young girl When he had the thought of impending marriage with this new girl, he gathered courage and wrote a letter to the old lady narrating about his child marriage. He himself narrated this incidence as the Canker of Untruth.(p.55-56,ibid.)

Thus, we see the vows and the allegiance to vow in Gandhi’s evolution as a great Satyagrahi.

2. Gandhiji took another vow in 1906, vow of Brahmacharya-to abstain from sex, in deed and thought. He claimed that though he was following the same since 1900, but the vow was taken firmly in 1906.His wife and children were living with him in South Africa. While in Johannesburg, Gandhiji decided to engage a European clerk, that speaks about much touted experience about racism being inflicted upon Gandhiji. Gandhiji approached a typewriting agent for a stenographer. This is what Gandhiji himself narrates:-

“ There were girls available, and he promised to try to secure the services of one. He came across a Scots girl called Miss Dick,who had just come fresh from Scotland.”(p.236,ibid.)

She joined the work with Gandhi. Look what the great man writes:-

“ She won my complete confidence, but what was perhaps more, she confided to me her innermost thoughts and feelings. She sought my advice in the final choice of her husbands, and I had the privilege to give her away in marriage.”(p.236,ibid.) These are suggestive expressions and confusing also since what made Gandhi to write that he gave her away in marriage!

Never mind! Let us see the anticipated future. Gandhiji needed someone else in her place. Would it be another fresh girl from imperial nation? Here comes into picture Kallenbach with whom the relationship of Gandhiji has caused stirs and one of Indian states have banned the book ,Great Soul(2011). Kallenbach brought another girl, Miss Schlesin. She was just 17 when she came to Gandhiji.Thus, one can see the vow of Brahmacharya going into tatters at its inception .The quest to keep in possession female companions as working associate is as much a transgression as living with his wife and mother of multiple children, Kasturba Bai.

The streak of European women Gandhiji encountered before his vow of Brahmacharya has been complemented by Gandhiji’s experiments with Indian women, married and unmarried at the fag end of life to test his dilapidated vow of Brahmacharya. But, any reader will be fazed by observing Gandhiji’s passion towards British women. How did a dull, uncharming young coloured man attract British widows and the young girls so often? Does similar situations occur in every young student’s lives? Or does this sort of flirtation require investment of energy, money and time? Was Gandhiji a superman whom from early manhood until late seventies woman and girls loved to indulge with?

Charming Gandhi in England!

Source:http://politically-confused.blogspot.com/2011/03/gandhis-strange-private-life.html

Or was it a result of Gandhiji’s own orientations? Was his anti-imperialism mere a cloak to hide his anger for not getting into serious engagement with the women acquaintances due to his early marriage and fatherhood? Was Gandhi a saint or a normal sinner like everyone else deified by a dynasty in his namesake which has appropriated the nomenclature and deployed the same to derive legitimacy for converting democracy into hereditary-cracy?

(written on 5.4.2011,0100hrs.)

Dollar Must go!

2011-03-31T15:50:00.001+05:30

Dollar Must go!

G-20 informal meet at Nanjing has commenced. The meeting was proposed by French President Sarkozy to deflect attention and criticism from Arab forays. The Chinese organizers have confirmed that the main agenda of the meeting is “to discuss international monetary system reform”. There is uproar against role of dollar as international transaction as well as reserve currency. American hegemony has its roots in this bizarre monetary system which came to carve out the international financial and economic system after the end of the Second World War. While

America

is in throngs of economic meltdown, the dollar still maintains its strong position. every American leader swear to maintain a strong dollar and dollar –dominated world financial system. It is a fact of history that when East Asian crisis happened a la’ currency speculators with deep embeddedness in American administration, the Asian tigers were forced to follow a prudent policy of macroeconomic management. The budget deficits were curtailed. Fiscal deficit was to be brought down. Currencies were devalued and in the ensuing melee the cheap assets in these nations were purchased by the western companies. But, when America is facing the crisis of over indebtedness, huge budget deficit, the Government is not doing anything as it advised others and conducted moral posturing vis-à-vis Asian nations. Interest rates have been reduced. Currencies are being printed with no cost to heat the economy. The budget deficit is ballooning. Interestingly, the Government is following the Strong dollar policy and in no mood to devalue its garbage-monetary unit any more.

The shots have been fired. We know how China’s Chief Banker Governor Zhou Xiaochuan raised the issue of making SDR as international reserve currency just before the Yekaterinburg Summit held in Russia to evolve a mechanism to change the archaic international financial system. China has built up the tempo again by pitting one of the best brains to fire salvo against dollar. Professor Xu Hongcai has raised the issue of the dollar's dominance and the U.S. Federal Reserve Board's loose monetary policy that have created international flows of speculative capital and forced developing countries to build up huge levels of foreign-exchange reserves. Hongcai has called for "accelerating yuan internationalization to form a new structure of mutual competition among the U.S. dollar, euro and the yuan.”.Xu is not alone in this pronouncement. Russian President Medvedev has been consistently saying that Chinese yuan be accorded this coveted status. On the other hand, American Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is drumbeating about the maintenance of stronger norms for exchange rates of currencies and has called for appreciation of yuan against the US dollar. This is funny. Americans, if feel threatened by cheap Chinese exports, can always resort to devaluation of dollar. China is maintaining a trade deficit with many of the regions and its revaluation may affect adversely exports from various other economies to China. No one can take a risk to cause contagion of slow down in the global economy after American economy has begun to sink.

But, why the American administration does not want to do this. Let me elaborate. I have been writing and speaking on this bedrock of American hegemony since 2003, and feel elated to find dollar under heavy fire from allies like France, the competitors and compatriots like End the Fed Movement of Senator Ron Paul and the countless ideologues of the Tea Party Movement.

Let us summarize:

The Second World War put America as the forefront of global system. America was the largest producer of oil. The USA orchestrated weakling European powers at San Francisco and Bretton Woods. The UN, IMF, WB and GATT were created to institutionalize American hegemony. Dollar became the international reserve and transaction currency on the precondition of dollar-gold convertibility as prescribed by Harry J.White. John Maynard Keynes’ proposal for an international body to issue bank note, bancor, was turned down. At this juncture, USA ran a trade surplus and accumulated 60% of world’s central bank gold with its private Federal Reserve System that guaranteed the stability of Bretton Woods system.
The first jolt to this dollar primacy occurred during 1960s. USA began to run massive balance of payment deficit and budget deficit due to economic competition abroad and domestic tax cuts during Vietnam War that was targeted to gain domestic legitimacy for an aggressive international posture. French President Charles de Gaulle put up a European vision to challenge America. De Gaulle asked the US to convert Eurodollars for gold.
US shuddered at the horrible prospect. If other European countries decided to convert accumulated Eurodollars earned by running trade surplus vis-à-vis the USA at one go, the Federal Reserve System would have crumbled and so would dollar primacy. Nixon therefore decided to end the gold-dollar convertibility in 1971 and the Bretton Wood System collapsed by 1974, paving way for a flexible exchange rate system, also known as Bretton Woods II system .
Once the fixed exchange rate system was discarded, global trade in currencies accelerated. Capital became mobile and capitalism developed disjunctive spheres within as finance capitalism slowly got delinked from productive sphere. The ultra mobile nature of capital generated excessive pressure on third world countries to succumb to the dictates of international bodies so as to invite capital for nascent industries.
At this juncture, Europe began to seriously pursue an independent European monetary system. The US had other plans to deepen its financial supremacy. In 1973, OPEC countries hiked oil price several times in the wake of Arab – Israel war. America’s oil production had peaked. It needed new source for increasing demand of oil at home.
Henry Kissinger entered into secret negotiation with the OPEC leader, Saudi Arabia to denominate oil bills in dollar. The emergence of oil-dollar axis allowed America to widen its primacy internationally.
There are very few international supplier of oil. Most of these supplies are denominated in dollar. Every oil-importing nation require dollar for its progress in a world where progress is described in terms of high energy consumption.
Dollar can be obtained only in two ways – either as loan from the US and US controlled multilateral bodies or by exporting more and more goods as well as services to the USA.
It is no coincidence that neoliberal philosophy of economic growth emphasizes export led growth. Economic theories have been manipulated to show currency devaluation as a measure to boost export. Rest of the world, particularly developing world, enters into competitive devaluation vis-à-vis dollar to increase its market share in the USA. As a result, the US became the biggest consumer of goods at the cheapest price that brought consumer revolution there.
On the other hand, huge reserve of petrodollar is recycled into American bond market. US derive three kinds of benefit from this recycling. First, American current account deficit is balanced. Second, the surplus capital is loaned to correct balance of payment deficit of those developing countries which face instability in its economy due to mobile nature of capital. Third, share indices and asset prices in the US are kept at maximum which reflects erroneously strong fundamentals in the American economy.
These factors make dollar stable. Devaluation of other currencies vis-à-vis dollar maintains a strong dollar, hence, its primacy continues unabated.
It is paying merely a fiat currency i.e. dollar in lieu of ‘real physical goods’ as dollar can be printed without any limit after the collapse of dollar – gold convertibility in 1971. It is how the USA is exporting dollar at no cost to oil-producing countries. As a result, mere 4% of world population in the US consumes more than 25% of world oil production.
Free oil for fiat dollar has turned US into one of the least productive nations of the world. Non-oil producing nations will continue accumulating dollars by exporting goods and services at cheapest possible price to the US. American public is thereby internationally subsidized for their profligate consumption and continue to abstain from obstructing the administration’s imperial policies aimed at replicating the system in subtler forms every now and then.
US do not want this system to go which is the last resort of the naked emperor.

The developing nations accumulate dollar by hard labour. The profit is recycled into American Treasury market. Now, America is so much indebted that it cannot afford to pay higher interest on its securities and bonds else that will cause higher budget deficit and more constraints over economy. The US has reduced the interest rate to a record low of 0.25%. Again this is contrary to the practice prescribed by Americans during the East Asia crisis. The country like India, China, Brazil are forced to accumulate dollar for uninterrupted supply of oil since oil bills are denominated in dollar. When this much of the forex is parked back in American economies, the return is not only poor but rather negative. Let us see how it functions. India has $303 billion in its forex reserves, much of which is in dollar. The return for the year ending June, 2010 was mere 2.09%. Though, the average inflation in India during same period was 8.31% In India, average term deposit for a year gives as much as 9% return. So, there is at least 4 times less return in this Bretton Woods II System. Now, the RBI purchases dollar from the market to maintain weak local currency under the pressure of exporter lobby. The RBI releases equivalent amount of local currency viz. rupee in domestic economy. So, against the dollar hoarding, local currency is released causing spike in money supply. This also causes inflation in domestic economy. The government comes under the fire for high inflation and takes monetary measures to stem the rising indices. The government issues Market Stabilization Bonds to reabsorb the excess money supply. The government pays 9% of these bonds. So, the local government has multiple losses-low return, high interest payment on Market Stabilization Bonds, high inflation.

Now

India

loses almost 1lakh crore for parking its forex reserve in US and other European economies. One has not taken into account the loss of taxpayers money on market stabilization. Thus, almost 2 lakh crore is annually lost to maintain an archaic and imperial monetary system of dollar dominance. China has accumulated nearly $2.85 trillion in forex reserves. About 2 trillion dollar has been recycled into US Treasury. One can see the magnitude of loss

China

is accruing due to dollar dominance.

The problem with the emerging powers is that they are tied into the game of depreciation blackmail. If China wants to sell some of American bonds, it will cause dollar to devalue and that will cause depreciation of China’s reserve. How can nations be rescued from this game of brinkmanship pursued by American policy makers?

Recently, Federal Reserve has pursued a policy of printing dollar to a tune of hundreds of billions. It is to be noted that the American Administration can accumulate debts by merely raising the debt ceiling. Dollar is printed against Debt, public or private by the Federal Reserve. When the debt accumulates in economy, the Federal Reserve lends to the government as well as the Banks. Now, the Federal Reserve can print dollar against the accumulated debt. It is doing the same. This excess printing of dollar does cause some kickstart in economy. But, the administration does not want the inflation to rise. Therefore, we have seen the longest period of lowest inflation in American history due to intervention of the State. This dollar as well as inflation is then exported out in the name of capital flow. The dollar flows to emerging economies through the FIIs. This causes bullish trend in share markets of emerging economies. The bullish share market causes asset indices move up. Asset bubbles build up that causes consumption spree. On the other hand, the absorption of capital inflow from making the local currency stronger has inflationary impact over the economy. This way the inflation to be caused by printing of excess dollar in

America

hits hard the poor of the emerging economies.

What is the cost of printing dollar for the

? Nothing except more and more debt.

There is no gold or any currency or any asset to back up dollar. Dollar is a mere fiat paper currency. With no cost the

consumes the global resources and production at the cheapest cost. It is the time that dollar be given a good bye. With the US-backed regimes on freefall in the Middle East, the oil-dollar nexus will soon be dismantled. Iran is already using alternative ways to export the energy resources. The GCC went off dollar billing two years back. GCC consists of nations like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Abu Dhabi. Venezuela is pitting for SDR and Yuan. with the democratic revolution sweeping up the Middle East, China has realized that the foundation of Bretton Woods System would wither away. For China, this is the opportune time to hit hard at dollar so that it can extricate itself from strangulation of dollar-blackmail.

China has support of Russia and its neighbouring countries, including Japan. Now, France has given full support for reform of international monetary system,. America is worried. It realizes the days of dollar dominance are few. Though, it wanted to bandwagon all major economies in a global macroeconomic hara-kiri, the world has slowly realized the futility of regarding American posturing.

G-20 has made the agenda of reform of international monetary system as the priority for 2011. With formal declaration of China as the numero uno economic power next year, in all probability, the dollar will disappear from international monetary map as the currency of credibility. Dollar is sinking. Bye, Bye Dollar. Sayonara, dollar.

(Niraj, 1530hrs., 31March,2011)

Deconstructing Gandhi-His men and women?

2011-03-30T00:28:00.003+05:30

Deconstructing Gandhi-His men and women?

Gandhi, Gokhale, Kallenbach-1912

There is scathing criticism against Joseph Lelyveld’s references to erotic relatonaship with Mahatama Gandhi in his new book ,Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India(2011). Joseph is not a run of mill writer. Now himself at the fag end of his life, Joseph is Pultizer Award winner and a former Editor of the New York Times. Indian media and political leadership are baying for his blood to safeguard the well-carved image of Father of the Nation.

Joseph has access to certain correspondences hitherto unknown between Herman Kallenbach,an architect and Mahatma.It seems Joseph has interpreted the verbal exchanges with the erotic suggestiveness to establish Gandhi’s relationship with another male.

Let us explore the history without prejudices. Was Gandhiji aloof from the experiments of Brahmacharya? No, it is well established that he was obsessed with the concept of brahmacharya during his South African days and later during Noakhali days. Much has been written about Gandhi’s women associates. Gandhiji’s associate Nirmal Kumar Bose had to face adverse circumstances for detailing the Brahmacharya odyssey of Gandhiji in his late 70s that too with young girls and married ladies.Bose’s work My Days with Gandhi (New Delhi: Orient Longman, 1974) was banished from Indian discourse. Thence came marvelously researched work by Girija Kumar, Brahmacharya: Gandhi and His Women Associates (New Delhi: Vitasta Publishing, 2006). This book caught attention of the nation and thin bare reporting was done on Gandhiji’s experiments in which innocent. Gullible women were made guinea pig of Brahmacharya with devastating psychological consequences. I would like to refer readers to a well researched work by Nicholas Gier a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Idaho available online at

http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/gantan5000.htm.

I donot see Gandhi’s involvement with women as a consequence of certain experiments in tantra. Gandhi had mentioned that he read the literature on tantra by Arthur Avalon. But, the philosophy of tantra is missing from his thought processes. He evolved as a Karmayogi and it is certain that Swami Vivekanada had greater influence over him than tantra philosophy.He wanted to attain the state of Brahmacharya, a state of abstention from sexual intercourse as well as desire for the same with the goal of preserving vital fluid which could be harnessed for other creative activities. These thoughts sprang in his mind through reading fof rather books on nature-cure by western writers. Nowhere in his writing or speech ,his awareness with tantra philosophy manifest.

Gandhi,1906-On eve of Celibacy vow

He met the architect friend Herman Kallenbach in 1904 in South Africa. Gandhiji took vow for celibacy in 1906.

He narrates about this fascination in his book, Key to Health:-

“I took the vow of brahmacharya in 1906. In other words, my efforts to become a perfect brahmachari started 36 years ago. I cannot say I have attained the full brahmacharya of my definition, but in my opinion I have made substantial progress towards it. If God wills it, I might attain even perfection in this life. Anyway, there is no relaxation of efforts nor is there any despondence in me. I do not consider 36 years too long a period for effort. The richer the prize, the richer the effort must be. Meanwhile, my ideas regarding the necessity for brahmacharya have become stronger. Some of my experiments have not reached a stage when they might be placed before the public with advantage. I hope to do so some day if they succeed to my satisfaction. Success might make the attainment of brahmacharya comparatively easier.

But the brahmacharya on which I wish to lay emphasis in this chapter is limited to the conservation of sexual secretions. The glorious fruit of perfect brahmacharya is not to be had from the observance of this limited brahmacharya. But no one can reach perfect brahmacharya without reaching the limited variety.

And maintenance of perfect health should be considered almost an utter impossibility without the brahmacharya leading to the conservation of the sexual secretions. To countenance wastage of a secretion which has the power of creating another human being is, to say the least, an indication of gross ignorance. A firm grasp of the fact that semen is meant to be used only for procreation and not for self-indulgence, leaves no room whatsoever for indulging in animal passion. Assimilation of the knowledge that the vital fluid is never meant for waste should restrain men and women from becoming crazy over sexual intercourse. Marriage will then come to have a different significance and the way it is treated at present will appear disgusting. Marriage ought to signify a union of heart between two partners. A married couple is worthy of being considered dared brahmacharis if they never think of sexual intercourse except for the purposes of procreation. Such an intercourse is not possible unless both parties desire it. It will never be restored to in order to satisfy passion without the desire for a child. after intercourse which has been performer as a matter of duty, the desire to repeat the process should never arise.”

Gandhiji was adamant to attain this state of brahmacharya at any cost. He seems to have spent lot of time practicing to clean the sexual organ, a luxury for a working ,married man indeed. Let us read what Gandhiji wrote in same work:

“Now about the size or friction bath. The organ of reproduction is one of the most sensitive parts of the body. There is something illusive about the sensitiveness of the glans penis and the foreskin. Anyone, I know not how to describe it. Kuhne has made use of this knowledge for therapeutic purposes. He advises application of gentle friction to the outer end of the external sexual organ by means of a soft wet piece of cloth, while cold water is being poured. In the case of colour. The sheet used for these patients, should afterwards be sterilized by soaking it in boiling water leaving it in it till It cools down sufficiently and then washed with soap and water.”

It requires meticulous time management as well as courage to engage in friction bath of genital organ by an established married man. Interestingly, this is the time when the alleged relationship with Kallenbach was soaring high and Gandhi is said to have described himself as the “upper floor” and Kallenbach as the “lower floor”. Interestingly, this book with elaborate details of sensitiveness of glans penis was translated by one of the most abused women in Gandhi’s life, Dr. Sushila Nayyar.This raises another storm: did Gandhi exaggerate these things so as to be shared by his brahmacharya experiment’s most trusted partner?

Nicholas Gier has compiled the list of women whom Gandhi made bed-partner for brahmacharya experiments culling out details from Nirmal Bose and Girija Kumar’s work. The paragraph is reproduced below from Nicholas Gier’s, Was Gandhi a Tantrik?:_

Of the women closely associated with Gandhi, at least ten were said to have slept in his bed. They can be identified as follows:

 Sushila Nayar was only 15 when she came to the Sabarmati Ashram and then became Gandhi's intimate companion, with some periods of alienation and remove, for the rest of his life. Gandhi claimed that Nayar was a natural brahmachari, having observed it from childhood. They bathed together and even used the same bath water, but Gandhi assured everyone that he kept his "eyes tightly shut."

 Lilavati Asar, associated with Gandhi from 1926-1948, slept in his bed and gave him "service," which meant bathing and massaging.

 Sharada Parnerkar slept "close" to Gandhi and rendered "service." She was very ill in October, 1940, and Gandhi gave her regular enemas.

 Amtul Salaam, whom Gandhi called his "crazy daughter," was a Punjabi from Patiala. She was also a bedmate and masseuse. Gandhi once wrote about the joy he gave Salaam when she received a massage from him.

 Prabhavati Narayan, a Kashmiri, lived in an unconsummated marriage with Jayaprakash Narayan, Indira Gandhi's most famous political foe. Because of her lack of sexual interest or desire, Gandhi thought that Prabhavati would be a perfect married brahmachari. In addition to sleeping with Gandhi, she also gave him "service."

 Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, married to a Rajasthani prince, was India’s first health minister and was a Gandhi associate for 30 years. Although older, she slept right along with the younger women in Gandhi's quarters. She also helped with baths and massages.

 Sucheta Kriplani, a member of Parliament and professor at Benares Hindu University, was a member of Gandhi’s Peace Brigade in East Bengal in 1947. She maintained a brahmachari marriage with J. B. Kriplani, a famous socialist and saint. Gandhi fought their union tooth and nail. Although Gandhi invited Mrs. Kriplani to his bed on a regular basis, he insisted that married couples in his ashrams always sleep in different quarters.

 Abha Gandhi was a Bengali who accompanied the Mahatma in East Bengal. She started sleeping with Gandhi when she was 16; she also bathed him and washed his clothes.

 Kanchan Shah, also a married woman, had a "one night stand" with Gandhi and was banned from brahmacharya experiments because she reputedly wanted to have sex with him. Gandhi gave the following instructions on brahmachari marriage to Shah and her husband: "You should not touch each other. You shall not talk to each other. You shall not work together. You should not take service from each other." But Gandhi of course received "service" from his women on a daily basis. On the hypocrisy of taking what he denied to others, Kumar has this to say: "The vow of brahmacharya was a revenge he took upon everyone else."

 Manu Gandhi was his brother’s granddaughter and she was his constant companion for the last eight years of his life. Interestingly enough, there is a temple to Manu, a powerful rain goddess, in Gandhi’s home city of Porbandar.

Gandhi-15August,1947, Calcutta-Charming defying his age

Gandhi’s Men?

The book Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India(2011) has raised the controversy over Gandhiji’s relationship with Kallenbach. It is to be noted that Kallenbach though a very wealthy person, never married. But, were there other men with whom Gandhiji might have undue fascination. Gandhiji was very close to Pyarelal Nayyar (1899-1982), Sushila Nayyar's brother. He is purported to have mentioned that Pyarelal slept closer to him than his sister did. Pyarelal came in Gandhiji’s contact during Salt Satyagraha and later became his personal secretary.

Indian politics have witnessed the emergence of dynasty politics and favouritism from the old Congress days. Gandhiji’s obsession to see Nehru as the President of Lahore Session of Congress, his insistence to make Nehru the Prime Minister even when provinces had democratically elected Patel as the leader for the role need serious attention of scholars to retrieve objectively the reasons for Gandhiji’s bias and preference for Nehru. It is pertinent to mention that among all the leaders visible in Gandhiji’s company, Nehru was the most handsome guy who always maintained a fresh charming look with clean shaved faces, well dressed with bourgeoisie etiquettes and appeared as a white man in the brown skin. We are yet not sure what motivated Gandhiji to sacrifice great leaders like Subhash Bose, M.N.Roy; but sticking to Nehru by strangulating nascent democracy at its parturition itself.

Gandhi, 1947-An evening walk at Patna

The attack on the Joseph’s book would not have been approved if Gandhiji was alive. But, those who want to maintain the mystique of Gandhi in the nation to harness the appeal of the nomenclature are afraid that without the image of Perfect Gandhi; their misrules would be meted with diffidence by the angry citizenry. Gandhi was not perfect. But, he strived to attain the perfection. He was open to dialogue unlike the censor-brigades trampling India’s hard won freedom and liberty.

(Niraj, oo25hrs.,30^th March,2011)

Retrieving Nalanda history from everyday lives in Magadha

2011-03-29T01:39:00.002+05:30

Retrieving Nalanda history from everyday lives in Magadha

Nalanda International University has become a pet theme for projecting India’s Asian destiny.Nalanda University was one of the greatest monastic University of the world which thrived for more than a millennium and emerged as the centre of Oriental creativity. The University was founded by Gupta Emperor during 4^th-5^th century and destroyed by an Afghan iconoclast, Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 A.D. It is said that all monks were beheaded and the library continued to burn for months. Nalanda was the centre of India’s creative excellence and undoubtedly the Gupta Empire is credited as the Golden Age of India with the Nalanda University as the soft power of the empire. It attracted scholar from as far as Korea, China, Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Indonesia. The Tang Emperors sent many missions to bring the texts of wisdom taught in Nalanda. Nalanda was not only a centre of excellence for philosophy, but it excelled in the hard sciences like metallurgy, architecture,pharmacology.It was the centre of astronomical studies, mathematical treatises were composed and the medical knowledge grew manifold. The Vajrayana sect had origin in the campus of Nalanda. Nalanda was the greatest centre of logic with masters like Dharamkirti, Buddhapalita and secular epistemologists like Dinnaga. Nalanda was the centre of Siddha tradition that has influenced immensely the world view at the folk level. The Apabhramasha originated here which later evolved into modern Indian languages. Take out Nalanda from India’s cultural history and India will lose the most vital chapter of its civilizational treasure. A place sanctified by founders of two world religions, Buddha and Mahavira; a place where greatest Emperors like Ashoka, Harsha Vardhana bowed, a place where the scholars like Aryabhatta, Shantideva, Nagarjuna, Bodhidharma, Kamalshila, Atisha, Santarakshita taught, a place where I-tsing, Hieun Tsang, Naropa studied lies in ruins awaiting the revival of ancient glories. Alas! The hands chosen to accomplish the great mission are not strong enough.

Khusropur, Bakhtiyarpur, Fatwah…the weight of violent history suffocates

I am a native of Khusropur. The small town is situated between Patna and Nalanda. It’s almost at the centre of two major centres of Indian history. While Patna(ancient Pataliputra) was the seat of political authority of the early consolidated Empires in Indian history viz. Mauryas and Guptas, Nalanda was the seat of the blooming of the cultural creativity. Since childhood, I am familiar with other two neighboring towns, Fatwah and Bakhtiyarpur. When I was a child, my grandfather would tell us about the stories of Nalanda. The description about Bakhtiyarpur would catch my imagination. Grandfather used to narrate how Bakhtiyar Khilji encamped at modern Bakhtiyarpur and then went to nearby Nalanda and destroyed the monastery, killed the monk-practitioners and burnt the biggest treasure of knowledge stored at Nalanda library. Bakhtiyarpur was named in the memory of said event. But, it never occurred to me that even my native town has etymological roots in same shameful event of history. Fatwah is 9kn west of my native town ,while Bakhtiyarpur is situated 18 km east. It is at Fatwah that Bakhtiyar Khilji is supposed to have issued fatwa, a religiously ordained dictate against non-believers in Islam, against the Nalanda monastery. Though, now a days the name is getting Hinduized in local usage as Fatuah, the official name remains Fatwah. Khusro was a companion of Bakhtiyar Khilji from whose name, the name of my native town derives. This is a writing of violence over the psyche of proud people of Magadhaa. How is the names commemorating the worst deed of Indian history still being perpetuated in popular psyche ?

I have witnessed how the dynamics of power has influenced the nomenclatures in my old town. It was a thriving town for centuries ,but now lies ruined with deindustrialization and shift of business activities westward after India’s independence. There was a thriving population of Muslims in the town and the Provincial chief of the Muslim Leagur, Zafar Imam lived in nearby locality. Zafar Imam organized the Gaya Conference of Muslim League and he was instrumental in fuelling the Direct Action Day in Bihar causing huge retaliation against the Muslim community. He himself migrated to Pakistan as Muhajir and became a prominent figure in the first Government. The communal violence was severe in Khusropur and Mahatma Gandhi himself had to visit the town to pacify the rioters. Gandhiji spoke at T-shaped Toplish High School and the lecture on non-violence is memorable. Even though Muslims left the small town, their properties were not ransacked. The names of the roads and localities remained same. There was one Chak Hussein near railway station. Similarly, there was Altaf Hussein Road. But, increasing radicalization post-liberalization has caused the erasure of old nomenclatures. Chak Hussein has changed into Chakhusen, with Hindu connotations. Altaf Hussein Road no longer exists. It is merely a name less place-Chattipar,just like many addresses in

India

without any proper name(nalapar-on the drain, jhuggipar-in the slum).

But, if the little places have lost their history of connection with Islamic past even though the past does not represent repression or violence; why do the names like Bakhtiyarpur, Fatwah and Khusropur evoke no apathy in the minds of the natives? The social psychologists can work on the politics of nomenclature, the selective effect of political dynamics over memory and nomenclatures and the politics of proper name itself.

Bhuskol and Shantideva

Bhuskol-it’s a very demeaning address to any person in our area. A dull student is called bhuskol. Someone who is lazy and does not make effort is a bhuskol. There is an idiom.Bhuskol vidyarthi ka basta bhari”(a dull student carrying so many books). This is how many of my friends were abused by own parents and teachers for underperformance. Though, I was not a great performer, I always escaped this categorization by sheer power of luck. I still shiver with mere remembering the stories of psychologically devastating address.

Only now, I know the root of the word, bhuskol.Shantideva ,the great Nalanda Master whose treatise on the way of Bodhisattava(Bodhicharyavatara) has great influence on the current Dalai Lama was one of the 84 great Mahasiddhas who lived in Nalanda during 8^th centiry.His nickname was Bhusukapa. It is said that he even won debates with Sankaracharya. The Tibetan hagiographers held him in high esteem. Both Taranath and Buston wrote about him. In recent times, Kunzang Pelden, has narrated his biography in the famous work, The Nectar of Manjushri's speech. (The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech-A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva’s way of Bodhisattava,2007)

Here is an extract from this work that reflects over the concept of Bhuskol:-

Although Shantideva had these great qualities of realization and renunciation, he remained in Nalanda without doing anything outwardly. To the other students, he seemed to be the laziest person there, so they called him bhusuku. Bhu comes from bhukta, which means eating. And su comes from susta, which means sleeping. And ku comes from kuchiwa, which means just walking. So bhusuku is one who just eats, sleeps, and goes out to the toilet.

The students at Nalanda thought that he was a disgrace to them, because everybody else was studying and debating and giving teachings—everybody was busy doing something, and Shantideva was doing nothing. He was just sleeping in his small room, eating their food, and strolling around. They wanted to expel him, but they couldn’t find an excuse to expel him because he had done nothing wrong—because if you don’t do anything, you can’t do anything wrong! So he didn’t break any rules or do anything that was against the law. Since they couldn’t just ask him to go away, they tried to find a way to drive him away.

Then somebody had a great idea and said, “We should make a new system that all the students in the university have to give a teaching. When his turn comes, he won’t know how to teach, so he will run away!” They all agreed to this and they asked Shantideva to give a teaching. But Shantideva wouldn’t agree to teach. He just said, “Oh, please don’t ask me. I don’t know anything.” So they asked his teacher to order him to teach. So Shantideva’s teacher ordered him to teach, and then Shantideva agreed to teach.

By now the other students really wanted to embarrass him, so they built a huge throne and put it at the center of a big open field, and then they invited everybody from the whole community around the university to come and listen to Shantideva. They really wanted to make him run away!

Finally, when the time came for him to give the teaching, Shantideva just appeared on the throne. No one saw him arrive or climb onto the throne, and they couldn’t figure out how he got there. Then Shantideva said, "What kind of teaching should I give? Something that has been given before, or something which has never been given before?” Of course, everybody shouted, “Something that has never been given before!”

Shantideva replied, “I have these three teachings. Compendium of Trainings is too long, and Compendium of Sutras is too short, therefore I will give you the Bodhicharyavatara, which is of middle length.”

Shantideva then recited the Bodhicharyavatara from memory, and it is said that many people saw Manjushri in the sky above his head as he recited the text. Legend has it that when Shantideva reached the thirty–fourth verse of the ninth chapter, which is the most difficult part of the book, he and Manjushri levitated off the ground, and rose up higher and higher into the air until they disappeared. Shantideva's voice could still be heard until he finished the teaching.

Afterwards, everyone was very impressed! A few panditas with extraordinary memory had written down notes, but when they tried to compare their notes, there were two different opinions on what was said. According to the panditas from Kashmir, the text had nine chapters and seven hundred stanzas. But a group of panditas from central India thought it had ten chapters and one thousand stanzas. In addition, they did not know what Shantideva meant by these two books, Compendium of Trainings and Compendium of Sutras, which were referred to in the teaching.

So they searched for Shantideva all over India, and after quite some time they found him at the stupa of Shridakshina, in the south. The Nalanda scholars went there and invited Shantideva to come back to Nalanda and teach. He would not go with them, but he settled their disagreement about the text, and said that it has ten chapters and one thousand stanzas. Then he told them where to find the two other books that he had written: Shantideva had written the texts on palm leaves and hidden them under the thatched straw roof in his room. He also gave them the reading transmission and explanations of these texts.”

The story of great Shantideva as the Bhusku is preserved in local memories as “bhuskol”, even though no one knows about Shantideva in popular memories. For me, Nalanda raises serious doubts over the issue of identity. Do people selectively prefer to appropriate the proud moments of their history to create a communitarian identity? Is the self-esteem propeller of quest for self-identity? Is the worthiness the only criteria for construction of group identity?How is that the people of my region have chosen the stigmas from local history and still feel self-pride in the identity construction? Is this an aberration?

Why are there no legacy of philosophical tradition visible in the Nalanda neighbourhood? How can Nalanda tradition be mere preserved in negativities in contemporary history? These are open-ended questions.

For me, the solace comes from the events in history. Bakhtiyar Khilji ruined Bengal after desecration of Nalanda. He decided to conquer Tibet. He must have been aware that the Nalanda wisdom has spread to Tibet and the tradition can not be decimated by merely burning Nalanda, Vikramshila and Oddantipur Universities. Khilji began to attack into Tibet from the town of Devkot in 1206 A.D. The Tibet expedition ended when he was assassinated by his own clan Ali Mardan Khilji, while he was lying ill at Devkot . Nalanda tradition was preserved in the great land of Tibet for all these years. But, the revival of Nalanda University under the stewardship of one Amartya Sen, who has vowed to keep Nalanda tradition and Tibetan living masters away from the dream project seems to be a recurrence of Bakhtiyar Khilji”s fatwah. Bakhtiyar met the tragic end after poking the peaceful Tibet. I wish Amartya Sen does not lose his life-long acclaims by embarking on a wrong policy.

History swings like pendulum. When Nalanda was destroyed, Bakhtiyar’s master, Qutub-bin Aibak established slave dynasty with seat in Delhi. The Ashokan pillars from Magadha was transported to Delhi. With this shift, the destiny of

India

shifted from being a free and prosperous land to one afflicted by slavery and degradation of social and intellectual life. The pillars of Delhi are crumbling and new pillars of indigenous academic capital is being erected in the eastern half. Amartya Sen and his men must learn to not tinker with this inevitable shift.

(Niraj, 29.3.2011,0120hrs. )

Japan-Chijimizing the crisis

2011-03-27T01:05:00.000+05:30

Japan-Chijimizing the crisis

The world over admiration is pouring in for the orderliness, resolve and the group solidarity exemplified by the Japanese brethren and sisters in this time of catastrophe. Japan is not America where the looters did not spare even the police stations when a calamity of lesser magnitude hit the New Orleans. The incidences of the gangs harassing and raping the hapless women in the Houston Superdome still languishes in memory. Or for that matter, take up the case of food riots, and the hooliganism of football enthusiasts who take to street if the team loses the match all across Europe. But, in contrast, the brave citizens of

Japan

“resolved to endure the unendurable and suffer what is insufferable". (the famous phrase which the Emperor Hirohito uttered addressing the nation in 1945.)

The stoic determination, courage, dignity of the Japanese and the socio-centric behaviour exemplified during the ongoing catastrophe has become an issue of intense debate world across. How does Japanese endure so much suffering and still resolve to overcome by ordered behaviour? Many have pointed to the Taoist and Buddhist influences over their culture. Since Buddhism make people believe in the impermanence of things and the cyclicity of events, the Japanese take the things as it comes. This worldview of mujokan(the sense of impermanence) coupled with the Taoist notions of dynamic change has permeated the Japanese culture with a sense of a pathos towards transitory world, Mono no aware (an empathy toward things or an awareness of impermanence). This gentle sadness is ubiquitous in Japanese culture. The constant awareness of ephemeral nature of the universe makes Japanese stoic.

Many sociologists have pointed to the general attitude of Japanese ,"shikata ga nai," (it can't be helped)," as well as the virtue "gaman" that encompasses the concepts of self-restraint, patience and perseverance in the face of suffering. This attitude itself can be traced to the sense of mono no aware in Japanese society.

Some have pointed to the concept of harmony, or ‘Wa’ as the most vibrant idea in Japanese society to explain the group behavior in the situation of adversity and danger. To maintain the Wa in society, one has to minimize ego-centric behaviour.As part of a group, one can share the success, and avoid the blame in case of failure.

Many have pointed to the impact of the Buddhist and Shinto religious rituals which have carved a collectivist culture in which the self-other dichotomy gets erased. It is true to some extent that in Asian cultures the boundary between self-other is fuzzy as compared to the western culture where an enumerated boundary is created to generate self-identity. It is why the goal of wisdom in Asian civilization in erasure of the self-other sense, to attain the great void –the impregnable unity; whereas in Western culture the goal is to carve out unique identities. I will rather state that Japan being at the extreme east of the Orient exemplifies this extremity of Oriental virtue. The self-other dichotomy is extremy thin leading to emergence of Japan as the centre of innovations in the humanoid technology. The man-machine interface gets social approval evident from even the popular culture of anime and manga in Japan .

The Japanese culture has other amazing characteristics that might explain their behaviour in this hour of crisis. The Japanese culture revolves around the concept of reduction/compression-the Chijimi. This is apparent from the way one finds in material things used by the Japanese. The Japanese fan(sensu) can be folded up. Similarly, origami is the art of folding the papers highly evolved in Japanese culture which has become an important concept to explain the physical and biological properties of matter and organs. Kimono is the folded clothes, Futon is the foldable mattress, Byobu is the folding screen and so on. It is not a surprise that Japanese dominates the post-industrial new technology where focus has shifted from building mega-structures to creating miniature machines. May it be little cameras, small watches, mobile handsets, computers, laptops; the Japanese has excelled in the new technology due to the cultural bedrock of compression.

The compression is seen in non-material aspects of art and architecture. Story telling also. The bonsai tree is contribution of Japan. Japanese haiku and tanaka poetries are examples of this Chijimi in literature. Similarly, zen koan is the prime example of compression of consciousness itself.

I am of the view that the Chijimi encompasses the basic Japanese psyche and they reduce the sense of calamity or crisis with their unique concept of compression. Therefore the Honshu earthquake, tsunami, snow fall ,nuclear blasts, radioactive radiation and the rains could not awe the Japanese people. The grit is visible over every face-young or the old, soldier or the victim. When many people blog that the media is creating a stereotype about Japanese and not letting the public to even vent against the delayed response of the State agencies; they are not even tangentially right. Though tsunami and quake performed a Chijimi upon Sendai and around, the people of Japan responded with Chijimi of the calamity. We salute you, Japan! Rise up again with the next dawn!

(Niraj, 26.3.2011, 0100hrs.)

Towards Disintegration of United States: Census 2010 and Rise of Minorities

2011-03-26T00:47:00.001+05:30

Towards Disintegration of United States: Census 2010 and Rise of Minorities

Source:http://2.bp.blogspot.com

"More than half of the growth in the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population. In 2010, there were 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, composing 16 percent of the total population (see Table 1). Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent—rising from 35.3 million in 2000, when this group made up 13 percent of the total population.

The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million between 2000 and 2010, accounting for over half of the 27.3 million increase in the total population of the United States. The non-Hispanic population grew relatively slower over the decade, about 5 percent. Within the nonHispanic population, the number of people who reported their race as White alone grew even slower between 2000 and 2010 (1 percent). While the non-Hispanic White alone population increased numerically from 194.6 million to 196.8 million over the 10-year period, its proportion of the total population declined from 69 percent to 64 percent.

The Asian population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010. In the United States, all major race groups increased in population size between 2000 and 2010, but they grew at different rates. Over the decade, the Asian alone population experienced the fastest rate of growth and the White alone population experienced the slowest rate of growth, with the other major race groups’ growth spanning the range in between. Of the 27.3 million people added to the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010, the White alone population made up just under half of the growth—increasing 12.1 million. Within the White alone population, the vast majority of the growth was propelled by the Hispanic population. The Asian alone population increased by 43 percent between 2000 and 2010, more than any other major race group. The Asian alone population had the second largest numeric change (4.4 million), growing from 10.2 million in 2000 to 14.7 million in 2010. The Asian alone population gained the

most in share of the total population, moving up from about 4 percent in 2000 to about 5 percent in 2010."

(Source:-

Overview of Race and Hispanic

Origin: 2010 by Karen R.Humes, Nicholas Jones,Roberto Remirez,C2010BR-02,issued March,2011)

United States

2000 2010

Total Pop Non-Hisp White Minority %Minority / Total Pop Non-Hisp White Minority %Minority

281,421,906 194,552,774 86,869,132 30.9 / 308,745,538 196,817,552 111,927,986 36.3%

%change of Non-Hispanic white alone is mere 1.2% while the minorities increased by 28.8%.

States Minority %

2000 2010

Alabama 29.7 33
Alaska 32.4 35.9
Arizona 36.2 42.2
Arkansas 21.4 25.5
California 53.3 59.9
Colorado 25.5 30
Connecticut 22.5 28.8
Delaware 27.5 34.7
District of Columbia 72.2 65.2
Florida 34.6 42.1
Georgia 37.4 44.1
Hawaii 77.1 77.3
Idaho 12 16
Illinois 32.2 36.3
Indiana 14.2 18.5
Iowa 7.4 11.3
Kansas 16.9 21.8
Kentucky 10.7 13.7
Louisiana 37.5 39.7
Maine 3.5 5.6
Maryland 37.9 45.3
Massachusetts 18.1 23.9
Michigan 21.4 23.4
Minnesota 11.8 16.9
Mississippi 39.3 42
Missouri 16.2 19
Montana 10.5 12.2
Nebraska 12.7 17.9
Nevada 34.8 45.9
New Hampshire 4.9 7.7
New Jersey 34 40.7
New Mexico 55 59.5
New York 38 41.7
North Carolina 29.8 34.7
North Dakota 8.3 11.1
Ohio 16 18.9
Oklahoma 25.9 31.3
Oregon 16.5 21.5
Pennsylvania 15.9 20.5
Rhode Island 18.1 23.6
South Carolina 33.9 35.9
South Dakota 12 15.3
Tennessee 20.8 24.4
Texas 47.6 54.7
Utah 14.7 19.6
Vermont 3.8 5.7
Virginia 29.8 35.2
Washington 21.1 27.5
West Virginia 5.4 6.8
Wisconsin 12.7 16.7
Wyoming 11.1 14.1

United States 30.9 36.3

In California, Nevada, District of Colombia, New Mexico and Texas, the population was majority-minority.

The results of the 2010 census has changed the number of seats each state receives in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections. This has adversely affected affected the chances of Republican Party since the states with higher number of minorities who vote for the Democrats has gained these seats.

Eighteen states had changes in their number of seats. Eight states gained at least one seat, and ten states lost at least one seat.Texas and Florida with minority population of 54.7% and 42.1% respectively has gained four seats each.

Gained four seat	Gained two seats	Gained one seat	Lost one seat	Lost two seats
Texas	Florida	Arizona Georgia Nevada South Carolina Utah Washington	Illinois Iowa Louisiana Massachusetts Michigan Missouri New Jersey Pennsylvania	New York Ohio

With the conflict growing over allocation of scarce resources within US, the cleavage along ethnic lines will widen. It is particularly dangerous since these ethnic cleavage superimposes with geographical, linguistic and cultural cleavage. It is more likely that in the run up to the 2012 elections, race will emerge as the main focal point and the conservative new Party like Tea Party with Sarah Palin, epitome of the productive White Mother , will generate the racial discourse to renew the declining America. The 2012 election will be preceded by the sliding of America as numero uno economic power giving fuel to the rhetorics of the ultra-conservatives. Obama will be forced to appease the traditional voters thereby plunging America towards incoherence. Is there any grand strategy of reuniting America, Mr. Brzezinski et al.?

(Niraj,25.3.2011)

Well Being in India : rebuild Happy India

2011-03-25T01:58:00.000+05:30

Well Being in India : disparity across districts

Can we build "Happy India"?

The Tata Strategic Management Group worked out a Well Being index of India district wise to measure the disparities by taking into account various indicators like ownership of basic amenities as well as access to

quality of life factors like hygiene, education and healthcare.

A Well Being Index (WBI) was created for India using eight key categories that broadly cover all aspects of well being. The categories are:

(1) Home amenities,

(2) Kitchen facilities,

(3) Education,

(4) Hygiene,

(5) Entertainment,

(6) Communication,

(7) Transportation &

(8) Healthcare

Using NSSO household surveys data, a rigorous scoring methodology was used to compute the WBI

for each district in India.

Map 1 represents the district wise WBI colour coded for each of the five quintiles (from best to worst).

Eastern and Central India are markedly worse than the rest of India. The Northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are amongst the best. Evidently, some districts are better off than others. Even within the same state there is significant disparity amongst districts. For instance, huge variation across districts in Karnataka is noticeable: while Bangalore is amongst the ‘Best’, Bellary and Gulbarga are ‘Bad’ and Bijapur, Koppal and Gadag are amongst the ‘Worst’

SOURCE:http://www.tsmg.com/

One may peep into other maps like poverty and resources

Mineral Resources and Forest Cover Map of India

It is interesting to see that the region which has least resource has the highest well being and amenities. Though that does not make women more secure, men more creative or behaviors more civilized. If the East has risen in the world politics, it seems likely that the Eastern half of India is gearing up to rise against the huge discrimination meted to them by the centralized State. Will the east of India regain the voice it held for millennia? Will the modern-day plunderers of resources ,prestige and amenities ready to lose their grip easily from the seat of power? It seems an interesting decade ahead for the rise of united multitude of India who may raise the voice against a political system where the plunder-mentality pays at the cost of the enduring and orderly behaviors of the native population.

Well Being in India- Disparity

2011-03-25T01:11:00.000+05:30

Well Being in India- Disparity

- Tata Strategic report maps approximately 600 districts across India on Well

Being and Female Security -

Mumbai, June 15, 2010:

Tata Strategic Management Group, the largest Indian owned management consulting firm, today launched a report on the Well Being Index (WBI) and Female Security Index (FSI) for India. Tata Strategic analyzed the

National Sample Survey Organization household surveys and Census 2001 data to generate the Well Being Index and National Crime Bureau- 2006, 2007 data on crime against women to compute the FSI for each district of India.

The Tata Strategic report puts forth interesting insights to the ongoing debate on the adequacy of per capita income to reflect the quality of life and well being of a person or society.

Tata Strategic has created the WBI using eight 8 critical categories carefully selected to form the index on the basis of their ability to explain the well being of households broadly covering all aspects of well being. The categories are-

1) Home amenities,

2) Kitchen Facilities,

3) Education,

4) Hygiene,

5) Entertainment,

6) Communication,

7) Transportation and

8) Healthcare

Key Findings by Tata Strategic on the Well Being Index:

• Eastern and Central India are markedly worse than the rest of India

• The Northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are amongst the best.

• Even within the same state there is significant disparity amongst districts. For instance, huge variation across districts in Karnataka is noticeable: while Bangalore is amongst the ‘Best’, Bellary and Gulbarga are ‘Bad’ and Bijapur, Koppal and Gadag are amongst the ‘Worst’

While the WBI captures all major material and social parameters, it does not include a very important reality of Indian society – the well being, status and treatment of women. Using Gender Ratio and data on Crime against women, a scoring methodology was used to compute the FSI for each district in India.

Key Findings by Tata Strategic on the Female Security Index:

• There is a clear divide between North India on one side and South & Eastern India on the other

• The ‘Worst’ rating is found in Punjab, MP, West UP, Haryana and Delhi.

• Uttaranchal and Eastern UP fare comparatively better

• Peninsular India is well placed on Female Security

• Some large states exhibit huge disparities among districts for e.g. in Rajasthan, Dungarpur is classified as ‘Best’; Bhilwara is ‘Good’ while Alwar and Kota are among the ‘Worst’.

A comparison of WBI (Map1) and FSI (Map 2) reveals some interesting and contra

intuitive findings.

There seems to be no correlation between these two indices.

o Some of the most well off parts of India (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi & Western UP) as reflected in the WBI have the worst rating in terms of the FSI.

o Likewise, some of the states having districts ranking ‘Bad’ or ‘Worst’ on WBI (e.g. Orissa, Eastern UP, WB, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar) are better placed on Female Security.

Source:http://www.tsmg.com/

(Does economic development entail better living standard? Is urbanization the better future for mankind?Why is it that the area of Indian sub-continent inhabited by the lineage of plunderers have grown disproportionately? Is it the sheer hard work or the opportunities available to them being in the vicinity of India's political capital? Is it because of economic fundamentals or the fact that after the independence, the plunder-mentality of the adjacent settlers forced the weak governments to surrender booty in form of huge subsidies either in the name of compensation for the partition victims, or in the name of Green Revolution? Have any economist calculated the colossal amount of subsidy being paid to only this small region in the vicinity of Delhi in the name of fertilizers? Let economist calculate total subsidies granted district wise after the independence. The myth of economic growth would lie flat. Whatsoever the growth is shown is the result of mere more government inputs and more pumping of cash to the consumers of the area.

It is because the growth is not rooted in the hard work, that we find female insecurity in the most prosperous area. They might earned economic growth, but the same plunder-mentality has made women the worst victims of the richness. Is there any doubt that Delhi itself is the worst city in the etiquettes, cultural refinement, sinew of creativity, and female security .-Niraj, 24.3.2011)

Happy China and Happy Asia

2011-03-23T23:57:00.000+05:30

China

Don't worry, be happy

The government introduces the

country’s new mantra

-17th March, Economist

THE pursuit of happiness, runs one of the most consequential sentences ever penned, is an unalienable right. That Jeffersonian sentiment seems to have influenced even China’s normally strait-laced, rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), which has just wrapped up its annual session. Increasing happiness, officials now insist, is more important than increasing GDP. A new five-year plan adopted at the meeting has been hailed as a blueprint for a “happy China”. The prime minister, Wen Jiabao, however, appeared downright miserable as he described the challenges he faces.

At the end of the ten-day meeting, Mr Wen told journalists that his remaining two years in office would be “no easier” than the preceding eight. Keeping the “tiger” of inflation in its cage would be hard enough, he said (the NPC approved a target of 4% this year, compared with inflation of nearly 5% in February). But corruption was the “greatest danger”. A few days before the session began, the railways minister, Liu Zhijun, had been dismissed in connection with a huge bribe-taking scandal.

The five-year plan called for 7% annual average growth in GDP between now and 2015, compared with a far-exceeded target of 7.5% set in 2006-10. Mr Wen said lowering growth without raising unemployment would be an “extremely big test”. But, he said, China had to change its pattern of economic growth, because it was (using a hallmark phrase) “unbalanced, unco-ordinated and unsustainable”.

The word’s popularity among bureaucrats is more an attempt to please leaders in Beijing and show sympathy for the less well-off than a sign of any real determination to change their ways. Many lower-level governments have continued to set investment-driven GDP-growth targets that are far higher than Mr Wen’s. Some of his goals, such as building another 36m subsidised homes by 2015, will require the co-operation of local governments. They are adept at evading such tasks.
The idea of promoting happiness spread over the country like a huge grin early this year when provincial governments began laying out their own five-year plans. Guangdong province declared it would become “happy Guangdong”. Beijing (which is a province-level administration) said it wanted its citizens to lead “happy and glorious lives”. Chongqing municipality, another province-level area, said it wanted its people to be among the happiest in the country. Officials now often talk of setting up “happiness indices” by which government performance should be judged.

Mr Wen does not see political freedom as having much to do with happiness. In August last year he raised hopes among some liberal-minded intellectuals when he made a flurry of statements about the importance of political reform. Since then, the repression of dissidents has been stepped up. Dozens have been rounded up or put under surveillance in order to prevent them from responding to anonymous internet-circulated calls for an Arab-style “jasmine revolution” in China. To deter any protests, police security during the NPC was even heavier than usual.

At his press conference, Mr Wen repeated some of the language he had used last August on the need for political reform. This included a warning that China’s economic gains could be wiped out if the country failed to reform politically. He also said people needed to be able to “criticise and supervise” the government. But he offered no guide to how this should happen, and stressed the need for change to be “gradual”, “orderly” and “under the leadership of the party”. He said it would be wrong to draw comparison between the situations in the Middle East and north Africa and that of China.

The NPC’s chairman, Wu Bangguo, went further, telling delegates that the country faced an “abyss of internal disorder" if it strayed from the “correct political orientation”. He also declared China had achieved its goal of setting up a “socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics”. The Communist Party said in 1997 that it would do this by 2010, but never made it clear how progress would be assessed. China’s struggling band of independent lawyers, who are often spurned by courts and harassed by police for trying to defend victims of official wrongdoing, are probably not celebrating.

The government’s crackdown on dissent apparently includes a strengthening of China’s internet firewall to make it more difficult to use software to evade blocks on sensitive foreign websites. Some websites in China recently carried a report that 11% of respondents to an opinion poll believed national happiness is boosted when they express themselves freely on the internet. If only they could.

(The slogan has picked up. We coined the motto "One Asia, Happy Asia" to promote our Society for Asian integration, last year. The motto is resonating in the eastern half of Asia.With material prosperity, China is looking forward to quench the existential quest of its brimming millions. Neither communism nor Confucianism has the wherewithal or philosophy to cater to the postmodern aspirations of the new Chinese. The quest for spiritual solace is growing at a fast pace. China is witnessing the proliferation of yoga centres, Taichi centres, buoyancy in art and cultural creativity. Not only this is a great sign for the rise of a dormant giant, it entails opening up of China by removing the hypernationalist and jingoist walls.Though the Government(this year being the centenary celebration of 1911 Republican Revolution) is harping upon the ideas of Sun Yat sen to carve a new philosophy of international engagement by blending Sun's idea of Pan-Asianism and Republicanism; the thirst of new Chinese generation can not be quenched by mere political philosophy. If China is serious to implement the model of Happy China, it must welcome the spring of thoughts across the walls and the mountains and the breezes of reciprocity crossing the oceans. There can not be a Happy China in isolation with Asian neighbourhood. Only One Asia, Happy Asia can guarantee permanency of a Happy China.)

Towards a Greener India

2011-03-23T23:34:00.001+05:30

Towards a Greener India

(www.amrita.edu)

Historically, environmental protection in India was done through the concept of dharma in a ritual-based system. It was obligatory for inhabitants to protect the tress and plants , to plant new trees so that the material requirements of the ritual are constantly replenished. Since, traditional thinking in India was based on similitude(similar structures affect similar forms) and the idea of transference of effect from one structure to another, people believed that their prosperity and progeny growth are inextricably linked with the growth of vegetation kingdom. To maintain their own growth, it was assumed that the fast growing plants and trees are to be worshipped as well as protected. Interestingly, the oldest cults of Indian civilization grew around the Yakshas, the deities of Trees. The yakshas continued to hold prominent role even in Buddhism as well as hagiography of Buddha.

With the advent of the British and the modernity, old system as well as thought-world began to crumble. The ritual-based system were slowly replaced by the rule-based system. What was more important was not the performance of acts but the prohibition of acts. The Indian society and the Indian state entered into growth with contradictions. British conquest in India brought about a massive exploitation of natural resources. There were few enactments aimed at perpetuating the hold over natural resources .Apart from the forest laws, nineteenth century legislations were passed to regulate water pollution and wildlife to some extant.

The Indian Penal Code, enacted in 1860, merely imposed a fine on a person who voluntarily fouls the water of any public spring or reservoir. The Code further penalized negligent acts with poisonous substances that endangered life or caused injury and proscribed public nuisances. But, there never was any act guaranteeing a healthy environment for the subjects.

After independence, the growth model was fixated upon temples of modern development like dams and big factories. The socialist model of development required centralization of production, which affects the local ecology adversely. There was scarce protection available for preservation of the environment. Though in the wake of United Nations Conference on Human Environment held at Stockholm in June 1972, when the Declaration on Human Environment was passed with the main object of overcoming environmental problems related to the development of States and to provide clean & healthy living conditions, the Government of India enacted certain legislations. . The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was passed. It was the first enactment in post-independent India with legal underpinnings for environment protection.

In 1976, the Constitution of India was amended and a separate chapter on fundamental duties was added. This put environment preservation in the framework of Constitution. In the year 1980, the Forest (Conservation) Act was passed for the conservation of forests and to check on further deforestation. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 added significance to environment legislations.. But the main impetus came only in the later decade.

There was very low protection to the citizen against environmental risks emanating from the temples of mega development. This became evident during the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984. The higher judiciary made various pronouncements deepening the environmental protection law and necessitating the enactment of Acts by the State. The judiciary had failed as the upholder of the right of life of citizens during the Emergency and the new found zeal to extend the right to life by including even right to safe environment emanated as an atonement for their own past wrongs. The judicial activism led to the enactment of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The laws that existed prior to the enactment of EPA focused on specific pollution (such as air and water). Now ,a single authority which could assume the lead role for environmental protection was created through the enactment of EPA.

The Supreme Court, made landmark judgements restraining the state from taking major actions in the name of development if it interferes adversely with the environmental concern of the citizen or the ecology. In Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P. ,M.C. Mehta v. Union of India , the court gave historic judgments putting focus on primacy of environment protection before development. The Supreme Court developed the concept of right to healthy environment as a part of right to life under Art 21 of our Constitution. Art 21 reads as follows:

”No person can be deprived of his life and personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.”

In Subash Kumar v. State of Bihar, the court declared that the right to life under Art 21 includes the right to clean water and air. The Supreme Court further developed new paradigm in environment law. Precautionary Principle, the Polluter Pays Principle and Sustainable Development, were applied in Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India, a case concerning pollution being caused due to the discharge of untreated effluents from tanneries in the state of Tamil Nadu. Similarly, in the Public Trust Doctrine, evolved in M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, the Court said that certain common properties such as rivers, forests, seashores and the air were held by Government in Trusteeship for the free and unimpeded use of the general public. Granting lease to a motel located at the bank of the River Beas would interfere with the natural flow of the water and that the State Government had breached the public trust doctrine.

The impact of international concern for the environment after the Stockholm Conference and the judicial activism carved out a network of institutions to implement environment protection.The National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning within the Department of Science and Technology was set up in 1972 after the Stockholm Declaration. This Council later evolved into a full-fledged Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in 1985. Since the 1970s an extensive network of organizations have cropped up in the wake of the environmental legislations .The MoEF and the pollution control boards constitute the regulatory and administrative institutions in environment protection.

After the the Earth Summit convened by the UN General Assembly at Rio de Janeiro in 1992.,a blue print for the survival of the planet was issued that added a new dimension on the issues of environment and development in international negotiations. Again a decade later, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held at Johannesburg,. The Summit reaffirmed sustainable development as a central element of the international agenda and gave new impetus to global action to fight poverty and protect environment.

The double pressure on the State respectively from judicial activism and international obligation has made sustainable development the main agenda of governance. Now, the Green Development idea has picked up within India. With the boost given to green technology as the next frontier of technology, India Inc has pounced upon the idea. The green development is where the investment has started flowing both in the West and the economic powerhouse ,i.e. China. The developments in the material technology like nanoengineering and artificial photosynthesis has made it possible to look for a greener future for the world. With the recent crisis in Fukushima,Japan; the world over, the voice for green development bypassing nuclear energy is growing stronger. In such circumstances, when the Private sector, international community as well as the national agenda coalesce for green future, the few decade old conflict of environmental law and development is withering away in India. India is poised to create a new paradigm of development and usher its citizens into a greener future. “One India, Green and Happy India” seems the most apt motto for India’s future.

(Niraj,23.3.2011)

Fighting nuclear meltdown

2011-03-17T22:24:00.000+05:30

Haikus by niraj kumar

The old reactor pool

Basho's frog jumps in

radioactive splash!

Fukushima-Daichi plants

old and tired

harakiri!

Fukushima

Ghost town

haunted by half-life.

Nippon

in darkness

shining radioactive rods.

Emperor in dark suit

visible

Dark Japan.

Steam tear shields;

protective gears

moist with human tears.

Spent fuel rods

gulp enormous dew;

Full Moon night.

White masks,

carcinogenic air,

snow-men in summer.

Akihito-Fukushima;

Hirohito-Hiroshima;

The cycle of eternal return.

(composed on 16.3.11)

Note-

Nippon-The land of Rising Sun

Emperor Akihito addressed the nation of nuclear crisis at Fukushima reminding people how his father Hirohito addressed the nation on Hiroshima and surrender.

Basho wrote the famous haiku on frog's jump and the sound of the splash in the pool.

Japan!

2011-03-16T00:22:00.000+05:30

Japan!

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the dawn,

I saw the Morning Star

brightening the eastern sky;

The Moon was galloping away

without warning signs for Sendai.

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the untimely zazen,

I heard the murmurs

coming from residents of nether-land.

The voices were fading away

leaving no sign on Pacific sand.

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the tectonic frown

I smelled the jasmine

wilting away with Libyan hero's fall;

Twin terrestrial quake

perforated Aonae's tsunami wall.

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the meltdown,

I saw towns

sinking in necrophagous arms;

Tandava odori of Pacific

erased Hirose-gawa's charm.

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the cataclysm,

I read online

crop circles in Java

appearance of UFO fleet

and no spewing of Shimoedake lava.

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Before the last yawn,

I shall wrap the Venus

within Kannon's eye;

The crisis shall be overcome,

Rise millions of Samurai!

Japan,

Was Honshu stirred by Satan?

Wear now haori & hakama;

O,Japan!

Mount Fuji stands erect

signalling the new dawn.

O,Japan!

(composed by Niraj, 14.3.2011,3.40p.m.)

Notes:-

(Sendai is the biggest worst affected city.This is a City of Trees and the river Hirose-gawa adds to the charm of this paradise.

Kannon is the Japanese name for the Avalokiteshwar,the Bodhisattva of compassion, also known as Guanyin in Chinese.

Haori & hakama are traditional attire preferred by warriors. The same is used even in martial arts these days.

Odori is the famous sparrow dance of Sendai.)

Largest earthquakes since 1900-Five strongest quakes in current decade

2011-03-14T01:31:00.003+05:30

Largest earthquakes since 1900

Location Date UTC Magnitude Lat Long.

1. Chile 1960 05 22 9.5 -38.29 -73.05

2. Prince William Sound, Alaska 1964 03 28 9.2 61.02 -147.65

3. West Coast of Northern Sumatra 2004 12 26 9.1 3.30 95.78

4. Honshu island, Japan 2011 03 11 9.0 38.322, 142.369

5. Kamchatka 1952 11 04 9.0 52.76 160.06

6. Offshore Maule, Chile 2010 02 27 8.8 -35.846 -72.719

7. Off the Coast of Ecuador 1906 01 31 8.8 1.0 -81.5

8. Rat Islands, Alaska 1965 02 04 8.7 51.21 178.50

9. Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 2005 03 28 8.6 2.08 97.01

10. Assam - Tibet 1950 08 15 8.6 28.5 96.5

11. Andreanof Islands, Alaska 1957 03 09 8.6 51.56 -175.39

12. Southern Sumatra, Indonesia 2007 09 12 8.5 -4.438 101.367

13. Banda Sea, Indonesia 1938 02 01 8.5 -5.05 131.62

14. Kamchatka 1923 02 03 8.5 54.0 161.0

15. Chile-Argentina Border 1922 11 11 8.5 -28.55 -70.50

16. Kuril Islands 1963 10 13 8.5 44.9 149.6

(Source:US Geological Survey)

Certain questions:

1.There was massive Coronal Mass ejection from the Sun on 9th March,2011. Is there any correlation between the solar flare and massive earthquake?

2. Honshu had witnessed a major earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on 10.8.2009, then again an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on 9th March, 2011. Inspite of major earthquakes, why did the 11th March earthquake of magnitude 9 occur? By the prevalent models of plate tectonic theory, it would have taken longer period for tension to rebuild.

3.Why has the frequency of major earthquakes gone up now? There have been five major earthquake of magnitude 8.5 and more within a span of 6 years, though there have been 16 earthquakes of this magnitude since 1900.

4.Every major earthquake in Sumatra is immediately followed by slightly lesser yet powerful earthquake in Af-Pak region. Is there any similar pendulum existing between Honshu and Iran-Turkey border. Will there be a major earthquake in Iran-Turkey region?

5.Are these earthquakes and volcanic eruptions being caused by increased activities within the earth's core?Does the plasma within earth core produce various dynamic forces after earth's magnetosphere's encounter with solar flares?

6.Will we survive 2012?- Geodynamo, catastrophe & Siva! I pondered over the issue in October, 2009 now available at

http://ariseasia.blogspot.com/2009/10/surviving-2012-geodynamo-catastrophe.html

Let us pray that the Mother Earth recreates the balance in her nature! Let the grief of Japanese brethern and families get mitigated with their inherent strength, calm,global support and nature's grace!

(Niraj,13.3.2011)

Rise Japan,rise! Rebuild Sendai.

2011-03-12T21:59:00.000+05:30

Rise Japan,rise!

Haikus by Niraj Kumar

Sendai

Mori ni Miyako

No more.

(Sendai is the city worst affected by the quake and the tsunami.

Mori ni Miyako-The City of Trees, another name for Sendai)

II.

Chijimi

performed

by tsunami.

(Chijimi-the art of compression ubiquitous in Japanese culture.)

(Chijimi jikko tsunami niyoru.)

III.

Yashikirin

Yaksha's left

The City of Trees.

(Yashikirin-the household forest. Very popular in Sendai)

(Yakshas are the guardian deity of Trees who protect the tree-worshippers. The yakshas helped Buddha achieve Enlightenment and the cult was widespread in India at the advant of Buddhism.)

IV.

Fukushima meltdown

koh-do

To scare the seas.

(Koh-do is the art of incense burning. This implies suspension of olfactory stimuli.)

Kokeshi shakes

no limbs to support

washed away.

(kokeshi is the famous wooden doll from sendai. These do not have limbs and signed by the creator at the base.)

VI.

Mud-flotilla

karesansui

suspended landscape in Sendai

(karesansui is the art of creating rock gardens influenced by Zen Buddhism.)

VII.

Naoto Kano

shakes in Diet

ocean odori.

(Naoto Kano , the Japanese Premier was facing charges of corruption of party funding and pressure was mounting on him to resign. He was in the Diet when the earthquake hit Japan.)

(Odori is the famous sparrow dance of Sendai performed during festivals)

VIII.

Basho

Sendai lost

No more haikus.

(Basho visited Sendai in June, 1689. He thought he would never get back to Edo(Tokyo) alive. He therfore willed his possessions before embarking on Sendai journey.He survived and composed the best haikus of his life.)

(written on 12.3.11)

Sack Meghnad Desai from Nalanda Board

2011-03-05T23:47:00.000+05:30

Sack Meghnad Desai from Nalanda Board

Meghnad Desai is a Lord in the British society. He is a Professor Emeritus in the London School of Economics. He represents himself as proponent of liberal democracy and secularism. He talks about equal opportunity and bringing cheers to million. But, the man has refused to say sorry for having steered the Doctorate degree of now gun-totting Saif Gaddafi, the organizer of repression and terror in Gaddafi's Libya.He says India is not a secular society. He attacks Swami Vivekananda for being communal. He defends British patrons in not returning back the booty, particularly Kohinoor diamond, to India.He defends the criminals and the colonizers, but represents himself as the epitome of liberalism and secularism.

Enough of Mr. Desai.He has no understanding of Asian past and philosophy and at best can be described as an Oxbridge bigot in brown skin. But, he got a foothold in the Nalanda Mentor Group a la' Amartya Sen, another economist who is adept in milking his way to authoritative position through friends and women.Now that he has been caught red-handed in this ugliest academic scandal of plagiarism and defending his criminal-student, it is right time that the nation must raise the voice to ask the Government to sack him from the newly constituted Governing Council of Nalanda International University. He deserves an immediate sacking else Nalanda University can never be revived with such lumpen at the helm of affair.Its time to flabbergast him now.

Nalanda University Project-Den of favoritism and corruption,Mr. Leaders of Asia

2011-03-04T23:45:00.003+05:30

Nalanda University Project-Den of favoritism and corruption,

Mr. Leaders of Asia

Mr.Prime Ministers and Presidents,We are the silent majority. Do not take our silence at face value. The breezes coming eastward from Tunisia and Egypt, Libya and Bahrain suggest that the silence is transitory.We gave the mandate to create institutions to rebuild Asia and herald peace and prosperity across the continent. We gave you the right to appropriate our past and tradition to forge new landscape of caring and sharing. Did we ever raise iota of protest when a thoroughly discredited person called Amartya Sen was given the charge to steer Nalanda Mentor Group to work on the modalities to revive this ancient University of yore? Did we utter a single word when none of the scholar associated with either Sanskrit or Pali, science or buddhism, yoga or tantra, art or sculptor, drama or literature, Nalanda tradition or Asian history were included in the OxBridge -froth called Nalanda Mentor Group? Did we ever whisper in your ears when the seven-star partying expert-clowns could not produce any report within the time-limit? Did we challenge the persistent transgression of promises by Sen and his men?

Our silence was viewed as our blindness. The NMG submitted neither any Full Report nor any plan to build the great University even after Rs.1.71 crore of Indian taxpayer's money was spent on entertaining this bunch of clowns. In the very first meeting,two ladies from same centre were appointed as advisor of NMG,one of them happen to be the daughter of the Prime Minister of greatest democracy and another her friend. Do mentors also require young lady advisors?Are there no scholar of repute left in Oxbridge visionaries' perspective who might have done any commendable job on Asian history, philosophy and culture?

Our silence was viewed as our blindness.When the NMG submitted the executive summary after three years of fruitless partying, why was the same not released to the Asian audience? Why was Inter-Government Agreement not signed? Why was the bill pushed through the Parliament on special day surreptitiously? Why was the Bill passed without any financial clause? And why was the same bunch of Oxbridge clowns elevated to the status of the Governing Board?

We are brimming with anger. The leading Buddhists as well as senior culture experts like Padma Vibhushana Kapila Vatsayan has passed a resolution to build Nalanda University in accordance with the Nalanda tradition in a huge gathering on 26-27th February.But, ignoring the protests as well as decency, one young lady called Gopa Sabharwal has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of this great University whose Rectors included the names like Nagarjuna and Santarakshita. She has few quiz books to her credit and three teachers as co-worker . When was the selection process launched? Her elevation as Vice Chancellor smack of the worst form of favoritism ,Mr. Prime Minister. It is learnt that she is being paid a hefty amount of Rs.3.5 lakh a month even though she is not even a Professor because she happens to be a close friend of the Prime Minister's daughter. O! Come clean, Mr.Clean. Your cloak is battered with the appointment and protection of the goons and the criminals, corrupt and the vandals.The rag stinks with the favoritism. O! Mr. Clean, do not insult cleanliness.

Brave young men are breaking their silence. No, they are not yet jasmine revolutionaries. You never meet them. Your stink does not irritate them. Jasmine is still a distant dream for them since they are battling their own survival with two days of meal, Mr.Clean.One Priyadarshi Dutta has circulated the rule of the UGC on minimum qualification for appointment of a Vice Chancellor

UGC REGULATIONS ON MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT OF TEACHERS AND OTHER ACADEMIC STAFF IN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND MEASURES FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF STANDARDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION, 2010 (The Gazette of India, September 18, 2010 - Bhadra 27, 1932)

7.3.0 Vice Chancellor

i. Persons of the highest level of competence, integrity, moral and institutional commitment are to be appointed as Vice-Chancellors. The Vice-Chancellor to be appointed should be a distinguished academicians, with a minimum of ten years of experience as Professor in a University system or ten years of experience in an equivalent position in a reputed research and/or academic adminstrative organization.

ii. The selection of Vice-Chancellor should be through proper identification of a Panel of 3-5 names by a Search Committee through a public Notification or nomination or a talent search process or in combination. The members of above Search Committee shall be persons or eminence in the sphere of higher education and shall not be connected in any manner with the University concerned or its colleges. While preparing the panel, the search committee must give proper weightage to academic excellence, exposure to the higher education system in the contry and abroad and adequate experience in academic and administrative governance to be given in writing along with the panel to be submitted to the Visitor/Chancellor. In respect of State and Central Universities, the following shall be the constitution of Search Committee.

a) a nominee of the Visitor/Chancellor, who should be the Chairperson of the Committee.

b) a nominee of the Chairman, University Grants Commission.

c) a nominee of the Syndicate/Executive Council/ Board of Management of the University.

iii. The Visitor/Chancellor shall appoint the Vice Chancellor out of the Panel of names recommended by the Search Committee.

iv. The conditions of service of the Vice Chancellor shall be prescribed in the Statues of the Universities concerned in conformity with these Regulations.

v. The term of the office of the Vice Chancellor shall form part of the service period of the incumbent concerned making him/her eligible for all service related benefits.

7.4.0 The Universities/State Governments shall modify or amend the relevant Act/Statues of the Universities concerned within 6 months of adoption of these Regulations.

He has built up a people's case against the wrong-doings in this project. He mentions,"I believe there is a water tight case against appointment of Gopa Sabharwal, a Reader in DU, to the position of V-C of Nalanda University. The violation of the rules with contumacy is also a reflection on Nalanda Mentor Group, led by Amartya Sen."

It is apparent favoritism has killed the souls of the leaders. Sack this quiz writer from imposing like a great Nalanda Master , disband the coterie of Oxbridge clowns cloaked under the guise of the Governing Board of the Nalanda International University. Every excess collapses under its own weight. We do not wish this ugly sight for leaders like Mr. Clean!

Effective and eficient Institutions needed to build Asian regionalism: ADB

2011-03-04T22:48:00.000+05:30

Effective and eficient Institutions needed to build Asian regionalism: ADB

March 4, 2011 4:07 PM AEST

TOKYO, JAPAN - More effective and efficient institutions are needed to complement Asia's market-driven regional integration and to manage the challenges of Asia's expanding role in the global economy, says a new joint study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).

The book, "Institutions for Regional Integration: Toward an Asian Economic Community", takes stock of existing institutions for regional cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific, and discusses the need for institutional innovation and reform in creating an Asian economic community.

Despite a dense network of institutions, Asia remains "institution light" and marked by few formal or explicit commitments from member countries in terms of an agenda for cooperation.

While many institutions of regional integration (IRIs) have served the region well in recent decades, the book argues that the institutional architecture needs to be strengthened to consolidate Asia's hard-won economic gains, extend the benefits of cooperation beyond East Asia, and ensure the compatibility of regional and global integration. It highlights that regional integration remains uneven across sub-regions and sectors.

"Building the right institutional framework for Asian integration is not only important for the region to eradicate poverty and sustain growth momentum, but it is also good for the rest of the world as Asia increases its contribution to the global economy," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda says in the foreword to the book.

The book emphasizes that formulating a strategy to strengthen Asia's IRIs requires strong commitment from political leadership, adequate financial resources, and a supportive knowledge community with a shared commitment to Asian regionalism.

To reform IRIs, policymakers need to tackle issues related to national sovereignty, delegation of authority, the role of secretariats, membership and compliance rules, decision-making principles, and linkages among Asian IRIs and between regional and global institutions.

In calling for the creation of an integrated and effective Asian economic community, the study offers two general principles - openness and transparency. Asia's embrace of open regionalism implies that it does not discriminate against non-members while encouraging regional institutions to make the most of existing global institutions and conventions. Meanwhile, transparency will enhance accountability and strengthen governance.

The book also offers three specific recommendations: (i) strengthening and rationalizing existing institutions for regional integration such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and the Pacific Islands Forum: (ii) further developing existing institutions to exploit functional opportunities; and (iii) establishing new pan-Asian institutions and empowering existing ones.

The book, the final in a trilogy of studies on regionalism by ADB and ADBI, calls for stronger secretariats; adequate financial and human resources, and legal mandates; clear membership and compliance rules; transparent decision-making; and closer institutional linkages among regional arrangements to help strengthen overarching regional institutions.

In some cases, further developing functional institutions at the sub-regional level such as the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program would allow more Asians to reap the benefits of cooperation and integration.

Wider issues may also need to be addressed through building new pan-Asian institutions or strengthening existing ones. The report recommends the creation of new pan-Asian institutions such as a Pan-Asian Infrastructure Forum, an Asia-wide Free Trade Area, an Asian Financial Stability Dialogue, an Asian Legal Advisory Council, and regional public goods forums. The new pan-Asian institutions could be clustered under an umbrella organization such as a Council of Asian Economic Cooperation, which would function as a coordinating body at the highest political level

(Source:International Business Times)
.

Proud to be Asian

2011-03-03T07:46:00.001+05:30

Why am I a proud Asian?

http://www.asianintegration.com/asia_over.htm

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It is the centre of the globe that radiates energy and wisdom towards east and the west, north and the south, above and the below. It covers 29.9% of the earth’s land area and is the land of more than 60% of the world's current population. Asia’s centrality in the earth’s history is established by the contribution Asians have made to the human history. Asia is the mesocosm in the hierarchical nesting of the Universe. It is known that seventy percent of the Universe is dark energy, seventy percent of the earth’s surface consists of water, seventy percent of human body is constituted by water. In cosmic nesting of matter, nearly thirty percent of matter has the centrality and remaining act as the connecting space. Asia’s centrality fits neatly into the cosmic scheme.Asia is the home of deepest trench (Mariana in the Pacific) and the highest mountain peak(Mt.Everest).

Mt.Everest

In fact, the top 10 tallest peaks lie in this continent signifying the standing accorded to the continent in the geological history. Mount Everest ,Qogir (K2) , Kangchenjunga ,Lhotse ,Makalu,ChoOyu ,Dhaulagiri , Manaslu, Nanga Parbat ,Annapurna I belong to this list. The world's longest coastline lies in Asia. The world's deepest lake; Lake lies in Asia. It also includes the world's lowest point, found in the Dead Sea, 392m below sea level .Asia has the youngest mountain range, the Himalayas with a seamless continuity that appears as a spine in the Asian body. In the Himalayas, the most sacred peak of Mount Kailash is located which does appear as a huge body with a spinal back. Thus, Asia is the core, all else mere connecting floating masses. Asia is the land of creative energy, all else mere consumer of this creative outburst. Thus, Asia is most populous continent. The continent includes the world's most populated countries, China and India. While the other continents are moaning at the declining birth rate, Asia is grappling with the rising population. Asia was the centre of world economy till 1840s. It was displaced from that role by machinations of imperial forces which used a grand design of de-industrializing Asia by launching a world-wide plantation-industry economy. The colonial marauders created a network of trade relationship based on circulation of tea-sugar-opium-bullion and in the process, gained a momentary edge. Now, Asia has risen back in its productive realm. China has become the biggest manufacturing nation of the world. Asia has the biggest GDP on Purchasing Power Parity calculations.

Asia has the most diverse gene and cultural pool. It is the home of maximum linguistic diversity that speaks highly about the creative Asian mind. Asians have become the highest applicants of the patents again and in the post-industrial technology of green economy, superconductivity, artificial intelligence, robotics, stem cell research and information technology; Asians have moved faster and farther than most of the world population.

Asia has stood by its cosmic role. It has been the birthplace of all major world religions like Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and Islam. Jesus was Asian, Zarathustra was Asian. Muhammad, Siddharth, Mahavir, Nanak, Padamsambhava, Kabir, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Gorakhnath… every great spiritual practitioner happened to be Asian. From transcendental realm to ongoing creativity in the material world, Asia’s creative march is unparalleled.

There are 49 Asian countries at present if one sees the inevitability of emergence of Palestine as a viable, independent state with the new radicalism engulfing the cradle of Semitic religions. The list is as follows:-

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, China(includes Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau), Cyprus, East Timor, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhastan,North Korea, South Korea, Kyrghyzstan,Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman ,Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

In the oldest and the sacred language of Sanskrit which played a major role in carving a common Asian civilization, there are 49 alphabets-16 vowels and 33 consonants (excluding the conjunction of consonants). The permutation of 49 phonemes creates the world of Speech-the textual reality that constitutes the manifest universe in Asian philosophy. Each of these 49 nations is a bead in the garland of letters. The garland of Asia is immutable. Let us march together hand-in –hand towards the paradise of One Asia, Peaceful, Prosperous and Happy Asia. Only this can guarantee the survival of the Blue Planet, our Mother Earth!

(Source:Society for Asian Integration)

Full Text of comprehensive work on Pan-Asianism,"Arise, Asia!"available online

2011-03-03T07:22:00.000+05:30

Full Text of comprehensive work on Pan-Asianism,

"Arise, Asia!"available online

I have made available complete text of the book, Arise,Asia! available on the website of our Society,Society for Asian Integration ,free online http://www.asianintegration.com/books/Arise_Asia.pdf on the eve of Shivaratri to make it widely accessible to the general readers. Since, this work encapsulates the philosophy of Pan-Asianism, history of Asia from Asian perspective and a blueprint for Asian integration, the work is a must read at this juncture when the processes of Asian integration have been unleashed due to the mechanism of global capital.

(Niraj ,2.3.2011)

Celebrating Buddha’s 2600th Year of Enlightenment

2011-03-01T21:48:00.001+05:30

Celebrating Buddha’s 2600^th Year of Enlightenment

A Preparatory National Workshop for celebration of 2600^th year of Siddhartha’s 2600^th Year of the Enlightenment was organized under the aegis of Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association at Deputy Chairman Hall, Constitution Club and India International Centre, New Delhi. The Programme was inaugurated by Ven. Tsona Rinpoche, a close spiritual luminary of HH Dalai Lama. Presently, he resides at the monastery of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh and has been declared spiritual guardian of the Tameng community in Nepal.

Tsona Rinpoche

He has a unique personality due to his experience with both administration and spiritual teachings. Maintaining the youthfulness and the charm, he speaks chaste Hindi that surprises many of the plainsman in India. He is the reincarnation of the abbot of the Tsona Gontse Monastery, located at Tsona in South Tibet. Venerable Lama Chosphel Zotpa, who single-handedly organized such a grand programme introduced the participants.

Ven. Lama Chosphel Zotpa

There were series of luminaries both from the Buddhist world and culture experts. The Sanghmahanayak Dr. Satya Pal, the Head of Department of Buddhist Studies in Delhi University, Padma Vibhushan Kapila Vatsayan, the czarina of Indian culture history participated in the deliberations apart from people from each and every nook of the country. Buddha has a very strong pull over the minds of rationalist and spiritualists simultaneously.

But, Buddhists seemed divided. The question of forming a joint forum to present a united face was frequently mentioned. There were suggestions to create All India Buddhist Association, though the same could not be brought to the Action Plan since the Hinayana stream of Buddhist practitioners have numerical superiority over the Mahayanist Himalayan Buddhists. Himalayan Buddhists feel that the neo-Buddhists , most of whom are dalit converts, use Buddhism as a mere political strategy to present an aggressive united face against dominant Brahminical Hinduism. Mahayanists trace their lineage from the Sanskritic tradition in Buddhism while the Hinayanists to the Pali tradition. In fact, their address and the thought –constructs were entirely alien to each other. Therefore, when the Hinayanists ,who claim Baba Saheb Ambedkar as Bodhisattava, addressed the issue of reducing the significance of Sanskrit, the Mahayanist Lamas raised the issue of preserving Bhoti language and promotion of even Sanskrit. In fact, they raised the issue of NavNalanda Mahavihara which has established Pali as the only tool to study Buddhism while Nalanda tradition itself was Sanskritist.

Aloof from this strong cleavage,Kapila Vatsayan tried to explore inter-dependence as a theme. She stated that the Himalayas are the youngest geological range with a seamless continuity which is unique in the world. The Himalayas bridges North East India with the North West Asia. She addressed the gathering of spiritual personalities from each corner of the Himalayas as the representative of various holy peaks. She emphasized that the inter-connectivity and dependent origination of the geological landscape of the Himalayas create a suitable environment for the propagation of the Buddhist philosophy with similar thought structure. She also desired that existing institutions must engage in vertical education to deepen the foundations of the Buddhist thought and practise. This was a timely reminder. Many of the senior members of the Buddhist community lamented that the youth are no longer interested in learning and practising Buddha’s teachings which was evident from the audience response. The youth maintained stony silence towards serious dialogue on Dharamkirti and Dignaga, Shantarakshita and Ambedkar.

I am on the edge of this generational cleavage. I felt the pulse of youth and therefore intentionally raised the issue of facebook and blog, websites and visual medium to spread Buddha’s teachings. This did the trick. At least someone was talking in their idiom. I suggested various measures to make the year long event successful. All of those were incorporated in the Action Plan. I spoke on pet theme of Nalanada International University and how the institution has been hijacked by the OxBridge brown troopers. This had a tremendous response. The gathering adopted the issue in the Action Plan which will be submitted to the political authorities. My presentation of layman’s account of Buddha’s enlightenment was funny. This touched young people. They flocked me and sought the written paper. That made me feel so happy. In the presence of nearly a dozen Tulkus and Rinpoches, I spoke on Buddha and it made an instant appeal over the new generation. My faith in the extra-ordinary capacity of the contemporary generation has increased manifold. Our older generation always present a pessimistic picture of the Reality. For them, this age is a Kaliyuga, where there is no dharma. That is not the right perspective. For the first time in human history, we have youth who are technologically connected, who have urge to transcend boundaries of geography, status, culture and race; and who crave for the dialogic society. It is our generation’s youth who have created a string of revolutionary waves in a span of two decades. The first wave ended the Cold War and the Iron curtain. The second wave brought the Colour Revolution in Ukraine, Georgia and other places. This third wave is being termed the Flower Revolution. Our generation’s youth have moved from the role of the existentialist, Being-in –Nothing Flower-Hippie generation of 1960s to ongoing metamorphosis into Jasmine revolutionaries.

I am afraid that if the spiritual leaders do not learn from the current turmoil and continue to maintain the rigid hierarchy of status without allowing participation and dialogue to the younger generation, the next uprising will take its toll within the flourishing spiritual empires. Our generation should not be blamed for the Himalayan Blunders of the supra-human Gurus. Buddha’s thought make the need of gurus redundant. The gurus would never like their paradises to crumble. I do not foresee Masters sharing Buddha’s wisdom with the present generation.

With incense sticks in hand, will the young people overthrow spiritual empires in a tide of Fragrance Revolution?

(Niraj, 1.3.2011)