The Mindful and the Mindless

The other day at my CAT class I was asked to put forth a topic to demonstrate how exactly a group discussion will take place in a college qualifiers. And the obvious topic that sprung into my mind was Moral Policing in India. Out of my mouth rolled the example of Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty kissing controversy. Shilpa defends the act saying that it was just Richard’s way of “communicating” with his audience, choosing to enact a scene from his movie “Shall We Dance”. Now Richard, having worked with Indian NGOs much earlier, should have realized what he was getting himself into with that simple action. True to the boot, the truck drivers enjoyed the show, but I guess someone should have cautioned Gere about our “Moral Police” whose sense of duty to the nation overwhelms them each time a couple holds hands in public or when a student tries to express his creativity showcasing his skills, or a play that is a little too “loud” for a city’s tastes. Out comes the banners, the effigies and the PIL’s. The sensationalism and the sentimentalism. Where has the secular India disappeared too?

It was Nehru's dream that India should be secular. But the country which is world renowned and accepted as the urn of culture, art and peotic beauty in every form is being shunned by the very people she bears. M.F.Hussain was spurned and a fatwa was declared against him for the obscene drawings that hurt the sentiments of Hindus in India. I being a hindu also, did check out the drawings and somehow did not find anything degretory about them. In fact it all depends on the eyes of the beholder. M F Hussain, as well as the artists who have careved out even more erotic art on the walls of temples and rock sites, are merely expressing their take on things. If the Moral Police is to object to his portrayal of their Gods, then first ask them to have a good look inside their temples and later question a person from another religion.

Perhaps that is the issue. That Hussain is from another religion. Or Chandramohan from Vadodara, though a Hindu, belonged to a clique of people who had a mindset that was never understood by common folks. Being a religious devout does not require you to go up in arms when someone creates a situation where your Gods seem to be in the bad light. At first understand the reason why the represenation was such. Secondly, even if it was in a bad light there is absolute no need for uncalled hooliganism. the only people benefitting from all the action are the TRP ratings of news channels. The people who propogate such anarchy must be ashamed to call themselves Indians. Why dont they first examine their own lives before pointing fingers at others.But more importantly the politicians who do not intefere in such issues counting on the large vote bank are to be blamed. On the outside, India takes a neutral stance when dealing with other countries. Polictians proudly quote Gandhian principles at U.N assemblies. the very same hypocrites now either keep mum or take the stand with the vote bank. Such Shame!

India 2020 was our Presidents dream. Well, Mr. President our country does not need superpower or investements to build up its position as a world superpower. We do not need children who will study and become successful engineers, doctors, agriculturists, scientists, feminists and such. Instead what we all need is a good lesson of Moral Science. What we need is cultured, tolerant people who are able to empathize with creative freedom. People who should watch out for injustice when an Actor goes scot free for killing an endangered species, when a well connected boy escaped with a mere 6 month sentencing for taking the lives of 8 people. The same people who marched against the pure blatant unjustness and bought two killers of innocent women to book. The very nation that prayed for the life of an 8 year old boy who dropped into a well and had little chances of recovery. Not the effigy burners, the celebrity next door making TV channels, not the needless publicity and public outcry. Instead of merely putting up a face on the outside, we should learn to cultivate it from the inside.

A country that was once a not just a dream of one but of many.

Mother, I salute thee!

Rich with thy hurrying streams,bright with orchard gleams,

Cool with thy winds of delight,

Green fields waving Mother of might,

Mother free.

With many strengths who art mighty and stored,

To thee I call Mother and Lord!

Thou who saves, arise and save!

To her I cry who ever her foe drove

Back from plain and sea

And shook herself free.

In thy soul, with jewelled hair

And thy glorious smile divine,

Loveliest of all earthly lands,

Showering wealth from well-stored hands!

Mother, mother mine!

Mother sweet, I bow to thee,

Mother great and free!

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

me delectatio

change the world.
an ambiguous statement.
from an environmentalists point of view changing the world means a better and healthier and cleaner planet.
from a humanitarians point of view, changing the world means a better future of the human race, one that leads a life of diginity and without the ephemeral peace of mind that is being thrown at us.
a communist may want an all for one one for all lifestyle, while a fashion guru takes it on their head to teach the fine art of clothing to the less fortunate masses.
for a student changing the world may mean protests and marchs, for a sadist the end of his hedonism.
but to one individual changing the world can simply mean taking with a smile an inadvertent trod on one's foot on a crowded bus,
wiping off the slush stains with no disregard to the car that took no care for the pedestrian,
picking up a discarded chocolate wrapper while watching the children munch on in glee,
getting caught in the rain to help a neighbour take in the groceries mindless of your new leather slippers,
giving up a seat for an old woman regardless of the half hour journey to be completed standing
chasing a plastic bag along a college road to drop it into a bin happy of the laugh others have at the expense of your silliness
changing the world is just a quiet thing,
just for your own pleasure.

Sedition

The term sedition is a term of law that defines any speech or organization that is deemed by the law as a catalyst that will give rise to insurrection toward established order.

Then where does the factor of freedom of speech come into hand? When a country is termed free, should that apply to freedom within converse limits? I agree. But then to what extent can the limit be stretched?

A person is deemed violating the law when he or she propagates anti- nationalistic feeling or that which patronizes a particular individual/ organization while denouncing another. But when you apply that clause of freedom of speech where does the rule of sedition come into force?

Take the recent case of the BJP organization being accused of a propaganda that will spark anti religioustic fanaticism ( considering the contents of the CD which they released, I am more than ashamed to having them recognise themselves as a pro Hindu party) Their ideals and overall structure of story telling has made the Muslims don the role of the evil terroristic villains ( a cliche ) and a lone Hindu crusading against all odds to save the Hinduvata and the Nation at large. My skin tingled reading the contents that seemed to show a very very poor EQ of the party which boasts of secularism on one end, instigates Islamic hate on the other and still dreams of ruling a nation that is renowned for its religioustic tolerance.

But then do they have a point here? The case of the Ram Mandir construction, the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, the riots, the furore, the hate, the waste of total energy, where is it all leading too? One part of India struggles to come up with lack of space to build homes in whereas a land of 96 sq. miles lies swathed in politics and red-tapism. Reading an article about the history of this mosque, it is actually astounding to learn that both Muslims and Hindus alike have known to offer prayers here, in fact the Ram temple reportedly shared a wall with the mosque. The very mosque that lies in dispute once harboured thirsty Hindus on their Ayodhya Pilgrimage at the famous well, known to have waters of healing nature.

The ultimate solution to this may not be the answer to just this problem. In fact it can speak for the atrocities committed on both ends at several occasions. Seeing yourself as either a Hindu or Muslim is a necessary fact. But do not let that tint your vision in looking out for the brethren around. As a human, one is responsible for the safety of another's happiness. If we are all to turn a blind eye, then there need be no demarcation between whites, blacks, Hindus, aborigines, Muslims, jews, nazis, the ku klux and a pack of dogs. If we are very willing not to assert our sixth sense to watch out for one another, then why are we termed human at all? Humane might be the fictional work of prophets even.

What the government can do ( whichever one in power) is to demolish all the remains and instead build a school at that very sacred site. Education is a path to greatness, in whichever form it is. Instead of biting and barking, give a chance for someone to make a difference in every ones lives.