Archive for 2016
Pope just Trumped himself
I don’t really like to go after religious figures as faith of a lot of people is concerned. But when Pope Francis on his visit to Mexico took a dig at Donald Trump by saying, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian”, I couldn’t but feel amused.
I have studied in a Christian missionary school for 12 years and have a lot of regard for the faith. But this one was hilarious. More than anyone Christians should be offended by what Pope just said. In fact Pope’s reflection in the mirror should be offended by the man. It was a self-goal. Before I begin, have a look at the image below.
You see a sanctuary surrounded by end to end wall, that’s the Vatican City, where Pope lives. It is the place of Christian faith. I have been there once and it’s majestic. But for Pope to question walls, reeks of bad judgement. To be fair he was just trying to be good to his hosts, the Mexicans, who have taken quite a beating from Trump of late.
Vatican City is 110 acres of walled enclave. And to me it’s fine. But Pope’s blooper seemed to have left a lot of his follower’s red faced. They are having hard time justifying the Vatican wall. In a bid to out-wit Trump, Pope has just Trumped himself here. Well happens to the best of us.
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं
घुट घुट कर के जीना जैसे,
छुप छुप कर के रोना है,
पा कर सबकुछ खोना क्या?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
आहट की राहत है क्या,
उसके चौखट पे आने की,
आँखों पे नमी की चादर क्यों?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
बदल करवटें कटती रतियाँ,
पलछिन, लगे जैसे सदियाँ,
आवाज क्यों अटकी हलक तले?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
खोजा तुझे मैंने कहाँ कहाँ,
बनके फ़कीर माँगा करता,
दिल बन पत्थर टूटा कैसे?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
मैं सिसक सिसक के रोया हूँ,
पर आसूँ न आने दिए कभी,
क्या कसम तेरी मैं खा बैठा?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
न दवा मिले, न दुआ सरे,
अंतर्मन अलग ही सुलग रहा,
है दर्द भरा क्या मन में मेरे?
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
शून्य को बैठा रहा ताक,
नापाक हुआ, न रहा पाक,
जो मन में दबाये बैठा हूँ,
पूछो तो बतला दूँ मैं।
Emotional Weakness: It’s a disease
It’s a disease, It’s a disease. I have an epiphany. My whole life has not been my own life. I have never lived it on my own terms. I was led by a disease. I am an emotional fool. It’s one of the worst diseases out there. Scientists have not been able to find a cause for it and are years from a cure.
This disease, take over your mind and shrouds your judgement. It defines everything you do. It hypnotizes you to make you believe you are the master of your life, but you aren’t. A devil that is always on your back, whispering into your brain. It makes you weak, not kill you, but makes you want to die sometimes.
During tough times, this disease eats up your emotional immunity and shatters you. And it’s next to impossible to diagnose. You feel like you are doing what you believe in. You think you are doing what is right. But no, they are just the symptoms.
So what can you do? You can only take precautions. It’s a genetic disease, imbibed to your DNA. You can only suppress it once you know you have it and are strong enough to fight it. Never take snap decisions when in serious situations. You think you are doing what is correct. Maybe it is, maybe it not. But it is the disease that makes you take the instant decision. Ride it out for a while depending on the situation. Sometimes few hours, few days, few weeks. It lets the emotional fever subside and then you can take a rational decision.
I have struggled my whole life due to this. Recently I have been able to diagnose it. As a first step, I admit to myself that I have a disease. I have promised myself that I will fight and win over it. Don’t want to be the one that destroys myself.
Trump Rhetoric: Vibrant Democracy
There has been a lot of hullabaloo in international media about a phenomenon called Donald Trump. Indian media has called him names; UK went ahead and had a discussion in the parliament deriding Trump. Gulf countries are too appalled by his rhetoric.
I have a different take on this. I believe Trumps rhetoric strengthens the democracy. Don’t start scoffing. Let me explain. First of all I don’t believe democracy has fulfilled why it was conceived. There is no power to people. Money abuse and Corruption has kept power in the hands of top few, both in US (oldest democracy) and India (biggest democracy). Do I have an alternative proposal to democracy? No. At this point we have live with it, but it has not functioned well.
Stating my lack of fondness with Democracy let me explain why I believe Trump’s rhetoric augurs well with it in its current form. After all what is Democracy? Power to people. When power goes to people to elect a leader, run their country, they will choose whoever they like. Now who will the people like? One they understand and who they think will do good for them and the nation. If people are supporting Trump, it means they like what he is saying. In the sense he is mirroring people’s views. Isn’t this what Democracy is?
Now one can argue, if it’s a correct thing for people to choose Trump. Are people doing the right thing? It would be calling the judgement of people in question. This will be to question the concept of Democracy itself. Remember, Power to People!
So you can question if Democracy is good or bad that is letting such a rhetoric from Trump flow. But what Trump is doing is a sign of vibrant Democracy. In the same vein, people berating Trump are also sign of bubbling Democracy.
No Harm, No Foul!
JNU: No To Politics but Yes to Dissent
I have been very vocal against politics and strikes in Colleges and Universities across India. Specially when they are being subsidized by the taxpayers. Education and not politics should be mantra in Campus. If education is hampered, it erodes the nation building.
There are a lot of ways to control politics. Student body elections can be abolished. If not, then students getting only Top 1% marks should be allowed to contest student body elections. This will incentivize students to study more, if they want to run for elections. And there are numerous methods by which politics in Colleges can be controlled so that Education stays Supreme.
At the same time, I am also an advocate for dissent at Colleges, if students do not cause physical harm to anyone. What has become of JNU over the years is a mockery of Education. But there is a reason why Police do not enter Colleges and College authorities are the first responders and adjudicator for most issues.
College is a place where most students are developing their identities and gathering their beliefs. College years are the formative years when students search for what they want to be. Students decide what they want to become in life, they decide their political ideology, they decide which economic school of thought they want to follow etc. Students become part of heated debates; dissents etc. to open up their thoughts, get 360 degree view and enhance their understanding in life.
If students at JNU were in touch with sleeper cells or Hafeez Saeed then it is one thing, but the anti-national slogans by students does not mean sedition. They are coming to know of most things that were not known to them. They are understanding the concept of nation, democracy and many are struggling to decide what they believe in. It is an internal upheaval which they are going through. Do I support anti-India slogan. No. But I don’t think it should be sedition for students. To disagree with the Democracy, Constitution and our Nation is also a democratic right. More so for students for whom these are years to explore these concepts.
If there is a proof that students were colluding with terrorists, please take action and put them behind bars. But if it’s a case of slogans and dissent, I would rather say no to police action. Our constitution of which I am great believer, allows us the right not to have faith in it. Not having faith is not akin to committing a crime. Anti-national slogans should not be akin to sedition. Not at least at College Campuses.
Suppressing the peaceful dissent is akin to saying we live in a perfect world with no room for improvement. It’s akin to destroying the space for discourse.
Why I like US Presidential Election Debates
It’s that time of the year again. In US, the primaries are going on to elect respective party nominee for Presidential Election in November. US elect president directly unlike India where MP’s are elected and then they choose a PM from among themselves.
What I like about US system is the Presidential Election Debates. Candidates come together for televised debates. They present their view and are questioned by other candidates. These debates bring out the real inside the candidate. In India we don’t even know what the projected PM really is. They just do election rallies, where they speak one way with no one to question them.
In US Presidential Election Debates, they are brought to shreds. Their policies, beliefs, everything is dissected. They are made to answer what they stand for. This helps people choose a nominee. But what it does most importantly is, take off the masks. Candidates can’t hide behind a well organized media campaign, they are left to defend for themselves.
This election season, which is unique for US in a lot of ways. Frontrunners for both Democrats and Republicans are people who criticize their own party and party men. Unlike earlier, there is a race to project oneself as an outsider. And debates let them do it better.
Debates help admit old mistakes and set the history straight. But for these debates, Republicans would not have accepted that Iraq war was a mistake. They would never have admitted that current ISIS grew out of that mistake. They would never have admitted that country is under 19 trillion dollars of debt. They would never have admitted that American Dream for Americans is dead and need to be revived. Debates helps admit and address.
I have always believed a leader should be a good negotiator. When you are on an international stage, a lot of deals are broken just based on the body language and talks. Here is where the debates are helpful to filter.
Also it’s too much fun to watch elders taking each other for the cleaners.
Gandhi: To be or not to be
Let’s go back to Circa of Aug 1947, when India got Independence. A new republic was born. And there was one man, Mahatma Gandhi around whom the freedom struggle was fought. There has been a debate over the years about Gandhi, what he did and his legacy.
Fortunately I have been brought up with both sides of the spectrum. My Maternal Grandfather (Nanaji) was a freedom fighter who fought alongside Gandhi. My Paternal Grandfather (Dadaji) was a businessman. Both had differing views when it came to Gandhi. Nanaji was a Gandhian in spirit and in practice. He had a big framed photo of Gandhi in his room. He praised Gandhi a lot for what he did for the freedom of the country. “Desh ko ajaadi dilwayi Gandhiji ne”, he often said proudly. He also related me stories as to how the freedom fighters were tortured in jails during British time.
Dadaji had a family business. According to him, life pre and post 1947 was poles apart. He was no fan of Gandhi. No so much for his role in freedom struggle. But what happened post that. Nehru was the damnation which led to destruction of the nation. Steep inflation and rise in crime rate were two things that he saw soon after Independence. “Son, there was a leadership deficit. He made Nehru PM, who had no plan at all. No plan at all”, he told me. Dadaji was not a political person, just a common man. “Ghee, Dal, Atta ka bhaav aasman choo gaya. Chori chakari, aam baat ho gayi. Angrezon ke jamaane mein yeh sab nahin tha. Kya faida hua?”, he often lamented.
They both were good and honorable man who never tried to impress these views on other people. This is what they thought and told to people who came to have a chat. I think both were true in their own regard. Gandhi was a unifier who brought a fractured nation together against British. At the same time, we all know how that freedom withered away with rampant poverty, corruption and breakdown of law of order.
Disclaimer: These are from my childhood memories to the best of my recollection.
How PC culture has destroyed our Culture
Over the years I have struggled with the PC Culture of being Politically Correct in what you say. When I saw politicians doing rampant corruption on the one hand but being praised in media for being PC, I was left puzzled. Discussions were more on what people said, than what they have done. And I never really was comfortable with this.
We have almost become a nation where media and elite hypnotize common people into believing this too. It’s like if you say, “We should not throw trash on roads”, you are a good man. It doesn’t matter if in reality you do throw trash on roads. Just say what is PC.
I think PC culture has destroyed our Culture completely. What PC does is to take you away from reality and not admit that there is a problem. If you don’t admit to a problem, you cannot address it ever. And that is what is happening.
The biggest of the PC was not addressing the rise of extremism. We have become an extremist country in how we think; there is a lot of anger simmering within. For last 20 years, we were too PC to admit to the rise of Islamic extremism. This led to the resentment and have exploded as Hindu fanaticism.
Our being PC has led to what we are saying today. We ignored the rise of extremism in our colleges, in our society; we let in illegal immigrants and were too afraid to admit it was even happening. One thing is very important here, it is mostly the affluent of the society who tends to be PC. And they are ones who are driving the policies.
There is a lot of resentment among common man against PC culture and has led to the regime change in 2014. People want food, jobs, security. PC culture prevents it from happening. Todays corrupt are too PC. They never say a bad thing. They only do bad things. Hence Modi/Kejriwal are berated for using bad words. But people who do bad deeds are celebrated for being PC.
As they say, you cannot fool all the people, all the time. Time for the demise of PC is here.
The Future of Main Stream Media
Last 5 years have been really tough for Main Stream Media (MSM). MSM has always reveled in taking moral high ground and driving their agenda. It got TRP’s by maligning the political class. It fought for the injustice and got public support. “Media Pressure”, it was called. It reaped results and people were happy. In India, advent of AAP was also attributed to the unprecedented media coverage.
This emboldened MSM further and it began to think itself as king maker and agenda setter. However it was able to maintain the veil of neutrality. In reality everyone was driving their own beliefs and policies. Growth of Social Media removed this veil. MSM was found in bed with the same politicians whom it once stood against. People were left aghast.
So where does MSM go from here? Well, as far as I think, globally it has survived by becoming more political. And this should be the case in India too. We will see more and more news channels aligning openly with one or the other political party in lieu of patronage.
We will see political beliefs of media persons coming out in open. They will start flashing it more openly and not under the veil. This is what they have to do. This is what they will do. Social Media has called out their hypocrisy. Currently MSM is in denial and anger more. It is calling people names in return.
Soon we will see the Bargain/Depression stage, which will soon lead to Acceptance of the truth and coming out in open. MSM can survive only by shedding the tag of hypocrisy. The sooner they do the better. MSM will was/is/will be never neutral. Soon it will accept it.
How do Right Wing win when their policies are unpopular?
First of all, to the uninitiated, what is right wing and left wing? Right wing parties are for open economy, no Govt control, no subsidy, no freebies, all private. They believe competition is better for economy. Work hard and get reward. Left wing parties are for equal distribution of wealth. They believe Govt should take control and provide help to the poor. Basic human right to food and shelter. Top 1% should not get all.
If you see Left speaks for the lower strata of economy, which makes the majority as wealth lies in the hands of top 1%. This makes Right wing beliefs unpopular, correct? Only prosperous people should be supporting them. By this logic Right wing parties should never be able to win any democratic election. But as you will see over the years, they do win. How are they able to get popular vote with their unpopular policies?
This question has confounded me too. But as always, there has to be an answer. Below is what I think. Right wing parties can never win a democratic election with their governance and economic policies. So they downplay these policies during elections. All Right (or center-Right), have a secondary poll plank, which they use to win election. It is either Security or God or Morality. Let me give you an example.
In United States, Republicans are the Right wing. Their secondary plank is Fear of Terrorism. They promise to keep the country secure with heavy hand. They stand for anti-abortion and anti-gay (they say it is anti-God). They have been able to drum up support on these issues over the years and have carried out their economic policies easily.
Even in India if you see, BJP, the Right wing, plays Hindutva card (their secondary poll plank), without which it will not be possible for them to win an election. Widespread corruption has also helped them as of now, to drum up support for their economic policies. However it will be tough in the long run.
I am not questioning either Right or Left economic policies here. What my intention is to understand how the Right has withstood the democracy. This has been the case historically. With time the anti-gay and anti-abortion rhetoric will subside. But playing on fear and immigrants will remain.
In last 200 years or so, with the advent of democracy, Right and Left both has started to move towards center. In my opinion they will become identical in due time. BJP’s decision to continue MNREGA and Food Security points to that. Advent of Liberal Donald Trump as frontrunner Republican in US is another classical example.
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