Thursday, March 14, 2024

Stop weaponizing historical suffering

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

I used to wonder how people could deny the Holocaust. Now that I see people denying the best documented massacre in history that happened just a few months ago, I no longer have to wonder. There's just one thing I don't understand: is this mental illness or pure evil?

https://twitter.com/VerminusM/status/1768083722081882622?t=qcI2XDmNRgd5elXmOOcprQ&s=19

Took me a while, at least a decade to understand how in the digital age of photographs, videos, telephone, newspapers and witness testimonies, the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits and rational Muslims was denied by the "Jagmohan" canard spread by intellectuals, journalists and civil society. 

The pattern never changed. It's always the ones who make a career out of social justice.

https://twitter.com/arshiaunis/status/1768136918212980885?t=jbDxdLz8FuwghTOXZF6AOw&s=19

Historical atrocities like the holocaust should be approached with reverence and a commitment to truth. 

The Holocaust represents one of the darkest chapters in human history, and its unique horror should not be diminished or likened to other events lightly, especially ones that have been fabricated. 

Stop weaponizing historical suffering to evade scrutiny for being shitty.

Eventually, the world will know anyway.

https://twitter.com/MChase00/status/1768104283713495126?t=OJ8Gbg2ko6gyGFhlm1tjKQ&s=19

Nobody knows what Jesus said.

All we have is texts written centuries later. 

Nobody knows what Siddhartha Gautama said.

All we have is texts written centuries later.

Nobody knows what Muhammad heard.

All we have is texts written centuries later.

https://twitter.com/devduttmyth/status/1767790226603168071?t=tyCm8e23Wlk1ghirjhzypg&s=19

To make vegetarians happy, I wrote this factual article.

Eat your jackfruit and read....

https://twitter.com/devduttmyth/status/1767816726924742910?t=XE9neB2l0h4Lg13ypxu-GA&s=19

Right now, new history is being written for Indians. Based on astronomical information from ancient texts,... This, however, is not unique to India, or to the 21st century. In the 19th century, some Europeans argued that the Bible was real history,... In China, there is a movement to prove that the Bible is not a Western text,... Imagined history has always served ideologies. Colonial powers have sought to present pre-colonial states as barbaric and savage to justify their imperial outreach... In India today, the rising tide of Hindutva ideology needs to show that all that happened before its arrival was colonial, Western, and anti-Hindu. Only that will establish the new rulers of the land as saviours, and justify their acts of dismantling institutions.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/devdutt-pattanaik-it-is-not-just-hindus-who-love-an-imagined-past-2934318 

3 days ago — The Nehruvian Consensus which moved the Indian nation-state for almost 40 years, shattered and demolished the ideas of the Civilisational ...In any case, the academic curriculum was manoeuvred to showcase the medieval period in a positive light. On the other hand, the ancient period—when most of the Indian literature was written and arts, culture and science flourished—was deliberately sidelined. The sultans of Delhi were portrayed as the emperors of India though there were many big and independent states flourishing in different parts of India at the same time.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Hindu Dharma is not a nationality

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

We don't need No Thought Control! My piece on Ideological Defiance in #Karnataka #Textbooks

https://twitter.com/madversity/status/1766749156767662514?t=Hp167dXyNceSDK5KBSBJLg&s=19

What we have had in India thus is a see-saw political struggle over education, with different policies being subjected to the winds of ideological preference.

The BJP's emphasis on radicalising educational philosophy towards ancient philosophers rather than modern free-thinkers is a core aspect of the ideological struggle in the field of education. Karnataka and other southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have had reformist thinkers and social movements against social inequities. Karnataka's dominant Lingayat community follows the teachings of heterodox guru Basava, and it has even sought the declaration of anti-caste Lingayatism as a distinct religion.

What is clear is that modern democracy cannot be meaningful without freedom of expression and open-minded debates, and the debates must include the thoughts of those who have questioned inequality and injustice, which have been part of the ground reality of social injustice and conservatism. While words like "ethos" speak of the intended thoughts of ancient teachers, in the here and now, we need to encourage a contextual approach that encourages critical thinking, which goes hand in hand with science.

https://www.thequint.com/opinion/karnataka-siddaramaiah-textbooks-reversal-chandrashekara-kambara-girish-karnad-devidasa-mariappa-bhatta-ananthamurthy-rao#read-more

The Nehruvian Consensus which moved the Indian nation-state for almost 40 years, shattered and demolished the ideas of the Civilisational Consensus and the Gandhian Consensus both of which had spiritualism and the Indian civilisational value system at their core. The nouveau values of the Nehruvian Consensus were popularised by the ruling class, their followers and the intelligentsia of the time to maintain hegemony.11 Nehru himself believed in the socialist and secular value system and tried to propagate it through the educational and cultural realms by appointing people with similar understanding. His daughter continued this tradition. A glance at the education ministers— the ministry also used to include the culture department—reveals a distinct pattern that many find astonishing, even unbelievable. 'Modian Consensus', Swadesh Singh

https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/one-thing-all-education-ministers-under-nehru-aimed-to-do-make-indians-doubt-ancient-values/1995326/

The tension is present in Savarkar himself...a legacy of European territorial nationalism.. which even a deep thinker like Savarkar could not parry fully. Hence, his (unnecessary) tying up of Hindu Dharma to India's territory... Compared to that Dr Ambedkar or Shri Aurobindo have more clarity. Shri Aurobindo is far more explicit... A non-Hindu Bharat loses all meaning for him.

That even the Hindu Mahasabha, under Savarkar, granted cultural educational rights to muslims (Art25-30 of today) is indicative. The pure, mere territory based thinking has been fatal to Hindu civilization. Mere territorial nationalism is a misstatement of Hindu concerns. Deoband too was against Pakistan, but it was for an islami Akhand. Vivek Ramaswamy or Tulsi Gabbard's pitrubhumi and perhaps even punyabhumi is not Bharat. Are they Hindu or not? First is Dharma, next comes territory. Then precisely no? Tying up Dharma with India's territory. Not needed. Hindu Dharma is civilizational. It is not a nationality at all.

https://twitter.com/lalashwa/status/1766353902352605392?t=GJLUdVXnp5iUL0yxfxBamw&s=19

When Hindu thought leaders as Swami Vivekananda or Shri Aurobindo began exposition of Hindu Darshan in western terminologies, the westerners labelled it as 'Neo-Hinduism which draws from western values' claiming actual Hinduism doesnt have egalitarian liberal values.

But here /1 is the twisted side:

The ghulam Hindu (Neo-Hindu in article) who feels decolonised today in the wake of decolonial movement, but still enjoys the occasional pet by the master, has added in 'masala' that these 'western values' were all present in traditional Hinduism to extent /2 the extent that their degenerates practices (touted as liberal) are also claimed reflected in Traditional Hinduism.

Its extremely hard to realise the levels of colonialism & conditioning of Abrahamic framework & euro-centric history with marxist cocktail has inebriated the mind.

https://twitter.com/KuldeepGaurav7/status/1766754668125016361?t=ZpwmPnqxkK2I0C5_XmGwYw&s=19

European Contempt for Hindu Society Ingested by Neo-Hindus:

"The Neo-Hindu was so enamoured and brainwashed by the European model that he knows no way of reform except that propagated by Western Civilisation."

- @dharmadispatch

https://twitter.com/ruchirsharma_1/status/1766737527719776589?t=_iEv1RZ9ydECIVRuvNZhnw&s=19

That there is room for reform in Hindu society as there is in every other society goes without saying. But the Neo-lndian reformer knows no way of reform except that of Western Civilization. Burning with zeal, he loudly proclaims the gospel of female emancipation on Western lines, and girds up to lift up the benighted females by making them race with the males along the paths of University education and Western Civilization little reflecting upon the goal to which they are likely to lead and to which they are already leading in the West.

https://www.dharmadispatch.in/culture/european-contempt-for-hindu-society-ingested-by-neo-hindus

What is it with Jordan Peterson and all his faux piety and anti-rationalism? His old lectures on clinical psychiatry are actually incredibly good, but somewhere along the way he seems to have lost the plot.

https://twitter.com/akazlev/status/1766724359467811254?t=NKavR3u5HXRXV73CyXBzow&s=19

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Human history is about migration

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Why is the West so militant about anti-migration? Are migrants not humans? Are they lesser humans that they do not deserve to live in your country? You benefitted from centuries of colonialism and now you so viciously protect your borders. Borders are unnatural constructs.

Your countries are lying vacant, you don't have that much population, your elderlies do not have anybody to care for them, you have land and resources. So why not just open up the borders let people from poorer over populous nations come and settle. Isn't that what you did?

Human history is about migration and settlement when borders wasn't a thing. Not even calling it colonialism. Just something they did, for his reason maybe. Then they invented borders and closed it. Why? Why it's a big issue if post-colonial people want to migrate and settle?

So what? What's the big deal with nativity? Why are natives superior? And who even is the native? Nobody is orginal. Everybody is migrant from some or the other land.

https://twitter.com/sanjukta/status/1760020876014301226?t=3sn-wB80UgbTVrJNlUmfoA&s=19

Thousands of Indians getting recruited by foreign countries to fight wars at Ukraine or Gaza is nothing but a modern slavery. 10 years of Modi govt has created such a job crises and pushed the youth to such precarious work and life. Every Indians head should hang in shame.

https://twitter.com/sanjukta/status/1761351080129200171?t=weW18400Ndl1Hwi528dx4g&s=19

If Govt can stop you from going abroad to speak at events and conferences, and if it can stop foreigners/NRIs from entering India to speak to you, and if it can stop you from reading/watching content created outside, then you are in a prison. Govt is the jailor.

https://twitter.com/sanjukta/status/1762001351377392096?t=0M7AIIFSgF53ZnYEyir6bg&s=19

puts burden on state. migrants will share resources of natives. there's security and cultural concern as well. take india eg., natives don't like outsiders. and borders are not unnatural. it's always been there, territory most element of state, since ages.

https://twitter.com/lazyelegance_/status/1760025388833747265?t=J_niHdQ9UgvFrEnPcrai4A&s=19

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Culture of hurt sentiments has to end

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

No idea or individual should be above criticism. That includes the great Dr Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Phule, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, etc. I would also add religious figures, whether prophets or devi devatas. This culture of hurt sentiments in India has to end. Draconian laws like 295a, 253a, or certain provisions in the SC/ST atrocities act are anti democracy. Yes, we will have certain individuals saying crass things. But that does not mean we should jail them. Outside of a call to violence (Brandenburg vs Ohio), everything should be allowed. The latest arrest in Maharashtra is another one of those excessive use of draconian laws. But the tragedy in India is both the left and non-left are without principles. They don't want the provisions to be diluted. They just don't want them to be used on their so-called team/individual they like. Until Indians don't understand FOE conceptually this will happen time and again. As my dear friend @ARanganathan72 said once, the only reason why some of us are not in jail is that the state in its wisdom has decided not to use these draconian laws against us as of now. So fight the source itself. Don't tell me the SC/ST act has draconian provisions but 295a and 153a are fine. They are all problematic and need to go.

https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra/status/1756901649350787456?t=BBcWbW-nYN5P3CRFOAlU8Q&s=19

Your discomfort is not a legitimate argument. When someone told the late great Christopher Hitchens that his sentiments are hurt by Hitchens he gave a simple reply. 

"If someone tells me that I've hurt their feelings, I say, 'I'm still waiting to hear what your point is.'

In this country, I've been told, 'That's offensive' as if those two words constitute an argument or a comment. Not to me they don't.

And I'm not running for anything, so I don't have to pretend to like people when I don't."

https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra/status/1756905948806046205?t=q5NOHP2QKs5L_b6uKcLHAQ&s=19

Show me one such tweet. I never said insulting is ideal. I said it should be legal. But you're too unintelligent to get these concepts. I'll mute you and move on because post this tweet engaging with you means I'll lose IQ ppints.

https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra/status/1756906467876331565?t=mqiH2Kr-aH6FMFuDvappvw&s=19

No you morons Modi Ji is not above criticism. But you cannot harm Indian interests by siding with India's enemies and peddling constant fake news and then expect to get an OCI. Go and check what these pieces of human debris have been peddling.

https://twitter.com/kushal_mehra/status/1757344606637740349?t=i9EUlUDYV0bXnPbN7tvpEg&s=19

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Enemies of Dharma lose the battle of ideas

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Politics is a beast that will swallow Hindus whole, perhaps. Gandhi and Ambedkar bhakti is a political compulsion, however, unbridled deification of mere humans, so much so that any discussion amounts of blasphemy, can only take a society back to the dark ages. No human being is above criticism. If such motivations existed a few decades ago, Arun Shourie would have been thrown in solitary confinement for his book “worshipping false gods”. Then, he was attacked by Ambedkarites but the state itself didn’t arrest him. Some of these political decisions of BJP would be and is unacceptable to an average citizens and ideological supporters like me would never be happy about them. I also find myself in a precarious dilemma because I do see the need for the BJP to retain political power and at the same time, my Dharma dictates that I stand with fellow Hindus. Politicians will politik. Their interests might align with Hindus on some occasions and on others, stand diametrically opposed to them. That is a harsh reality that Hindus need to make their peace with.

https://twitter.com/UnSubtleDesi/status/1756276821555900688?t=JdhvRnO2neSv-QrWmB98kg&s=19

The deification of Ambedkar comes from the 2 demographic realities any major party in India contends with:

1. SCs have higher birth rate than OBCs & GC. SC population growth rate is 20% higher than Indian average.

2. SC vote participation is higher than OBC & much higher than GC, whose vote participation in cities is abysmal. Just check South Bombay, South Delhi, South Chennai voting stats. Additionally they migrate more out of country than others too.  

So beyond defending him for who he was or what he represented, Ambedkar has become a buzzword to buy the goodwill of the fastest growing castes, that participate the most in the electoral process.  

With Indian religious minorities already at 21-23%, a Hindu party aiming for Delhi power by maximizing Hindus votes cannot afford to antagonize 26% SC/STs as well. If SC/STs + Minorities fully go against a party, it becomes numerically impossible to win elections.  

The state defends Ambedkar like god, not because of who he was or ideology but because of his current utility as the easiest way to appeal to the fastest growing voter class. It's not an ideology problem, its a demographic problem.

https://twitter.com/shelbyygun/status/1756284061696545147?t=v9cbpqQiCZxpBje1PEpkyg&s=19

A casteist - someone who defends exclusively hereditary based Varna and consequent restrictions - is the first and foremost enemy of Hindu Dharma Sangathan and hence of Hindu Dharma itself. He is a Trojan horse for unlike the external enemy he speaks the language of the in-group and superficially for it, on behalf of it. He is Adharmic even if he calls himself some great Acharya.

This Hindu division is why even when the 1857 revolutionaries tried to dislodge the British, they had to - however symbolically - opt for the Mughal throne as lead. This same division is why the British conquered India in the first place, like the Sultans did earlier.

It was Hindu reform that finally won us a free albeit truncated India - make no mistake about it. People talk about caste slowing conversions - why were we conquered for so long in the first place?

Caste is the antithesis of a modern state, and a modern state is nothing but a collective channelling of resources in an organised manner without the cacophony of civil wars. That accountable, scalable state is what creates prosperity and strength. There is no other known way.

We could not sustainably reclaim even one major Mandir in the plains when we were divided and down. That is the harsh truth. Only and only a civilisational democracy, which keeps us united, gave us that opportunity - a democracy where the amendable Constitution is *the* Shastra for Raj Dharma.

In a system of universal adult franchise, quotas and caste divides are inevitable if society is so divided. Just reflects ground reality. For sooner or later, reservations will go beyond the needy to the numerous. For the real in-group is the caste, though thankfully less so.

The only change that matters then here is socio-religious which exists in reflexivity with the political economy. Any casteist aspects of any Smriti or Sutra must be rejected as any kind of North Star, amended as needed - and if insisted upon, mocked as a core Hindu Sangathan duty.

A modern capitalist democracy with safety nets and mass education will do the rest and then we won’t need any affirmative action - but only and only then, when opportunity has abounded and when Hindus marry across caste backgrounds in larger numbers.

As we get closer to realising our civilisational aims, it is but inevitable that we discuss the fundamentals of Dharma if Dharma is (rightly) the guiding light. Here it must be said that knowledge without compassion is worse than no knowledge. Being a dry pedantic Pundit does not mean anything as Vivekandana himself said.

If Hindu Dharma is to be the guiding light then all our leading Mutts and Mandirs have to be open to all Hindus. That keeps the diversity alive but also strengthens the unity

Once again, make no mistake - a casteist is the first and foremost enemy of Dharma Sangathan and I will do my part to make sure that the enemies of Dharma lose the battle of ideas. We are not going to fritter away our once-in-a-millennium chance, thank the Gods, on petty solipsisms and caste-narcissisms.

https://twitter.com/harshmadhusudan/status/1756325336936075356?t=a1IZ1ao57P6cqLi-aPiBBw&s=19

Translation : all those who hate JSD please come to me I am very nice and don’t bother with things like facts nuance and actual history. I will provide a made to order neo Hindu identity which should be the template for all Hindus from now on. Anyone who opposes is very bad.

https://twitter.com/Nithya2102/status/1756524752058155094?t=eY-nRjTpdqAwFaUQqPHI9Q&s=19

Harsh madhusudan and Abhijit Iyer Mitra, both lose their mental balance, when they hear the word “caste”

https://twitter.com/KaranthNar4649/status/1756583404798366085?t=jDgCNRQBxMg9fjgeXkZqQg&s=19

Harsh has mastered the art of talking a lot but saying nothing. A pretentious prick trying to be articulate using big words w/o understanding their purport (even remotely). Kushal, if that is possible, is worse.

https://twitter.com/AshtonAga1/status/1756584684383838354?t=BDBgvzwFUcBwnOrEckFZ4A&s=19

Monday, January 22, 2024

Our rise will be cacophonous, chaotic and yet transparent

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

On this joyous occasion, heartfelt gratitude to the enormous intellectual contributions of scholars like @ElstKoenraad @davidfrawleyved Sitaram Goel, Arun Shourie, Ram Swarup, Dharampal, @IndicMeenakshi BB Lal, KK Muhammad, KV Ramesh, Dr S. Swamy & several others, known & unknown, who built a strong watertight case, adding intellectual heft to the arguments. It's riding on the shoulders of these acharyas that some of us in the younger generation have taken on the baton. Koti koti pranams to you all 
Also delighted that folks like Thapar, Habib & several others who tried every falsehood to mislead courts & the country are alive to see their lies shattered to pieces today!
#RamMandirPranPrathistha #RamLallaVirajman

https://twitter.com/vikramsampath/status/1749344378970054952?t=T1dmCZjKZEjifvB6Z8P0fA&s=19

The West will eventually realize that Bharat's rise will be on its own terms, and nothing like the West. It won't resemble the malevolent, resentful, aggressive revanchism of China, but it won't be an appendage of the West either. In due course of time, Bharat will establish its own praxis, an order based on the rule it creates, and to truly understand Bharat, the West will need to get rid of its glasses. The West will need to show the humility and curiosity of a student. And since Bharat is a democracy and unencumbered by the language barrier that makes China a dark, brooding, opaque power, our rise will be cacophonous, chaotic and yet transparent. There will be pushbacks to insidious narratives, framing that seeks to exploit its fault lines will be called out. Decoloniality will have to be redefined. Dogs may bark, but the elephant will keep walking.

https://twitter.com/sreemoytalukdar/status/1748787131089313968?t=ICMaING5XeSdFy8N_XduAw&s=19

In those times of Nehruvian rejection of everything Hindu three men stood up, stood out to lead the way with courage and ingenuity!  …without whom we might not have reached here! 

Abhinandan Mishra, Guru Dutt Singh, and KKK Nair.

#RamMandir 

This must read thread.

https://twitter.com/NAN_DINI_/status/1748946411436253302?t=X1EN63ZjnzVU-oEAk4ChsQ&s=19

On the best of days Pratap Bhanu Mehta waffles, meanders and whines through his pieces. Many then proceed to demolish mediocrity passed off for intellectualism with great pleasure. 

But today it’s more like ~Rehnay doh yaar. Abh iss bechare ka kya bachha?!~

#RamMandir

Even when I had the patience to read him, I ended up wondering what exactly did he say … or worse, did he say anything at all?!??

https://twitter.com/NAN_DINI_/status/1749084306188993021?t=80Bt2vHUWVFnEDIgflBitA&s=19

THIS IS THE END. OH, MY FRIEND.

For long, we’ve been sold the story of the Idea of India. The land of Amar, Akbar, Anthony. A syncretic culture where multiple religions thrive, and live with equal respect.  I call this the Dara Shikoh narrative. 

In this universe, Hindi and Urdu are two loving brothers. In this world, Taj Mahal is the stock picture that represents India. In this idyllic country, everyone’s out on the streets singing mile-sur-mera-tumhara sometimes in Hindustani, sometimes in Carnatic. 

We were fed this absurd and unreal cocktail for over 50 years. Anyone who believes this woolly-headed rubbish lives in the la-la land where people speak in Lutyens English and shop in Khan Market. 

On Jan 22nd, India that is Bharat, will say Al Vida to the Idea of India. To me, this is the most significant development of this century. Let me tell you why.

1. THE BEST NATIONS IN THE WORLD HAVE A CLEAR IDENTITY: Israel is a Jewish country. The United States of America was chiseled with Christian values. The new South Africa has been founded on Black Nationalism. The Arabs are proudly Islamic. China is powered by Chinese nationalism. Russia by Russian nationalism. What about India? What is our identity? For decades, we’ve been utterly confused about who we are and what we stand for.  Are we a secular republic? Does that define us? Is that an idea that will get us all fired up? Are we a multi-lingual democracy? That’s like defining Rahul Dravid as merely a right-handed sportsman. Isn’t it an utterly inadequate description of ourselves? So, what are we? Everything falls in place when we pitch ourselves as the Hindu Civilization. Any foreigner will get this summary. Any Indian will get it too. Strangely, the Congress party and its myopic leaders never went down that road. To them, India was a test tube baby birthed in 1947 with no ancestry, antecedence or lineage. That’s because they were too caught up with the question, ‘What will the minorities say?’ And India paid the price for it with a confused and synthetic ‘Idea of India’ that no one bought.

2. CULTURE IS ALL ABOUT PRIDE: Ask a Tamilian or Bengali to describe their culture, they will wax eloquent for hours. Ask a Sikh, about his traditions, he can go on and on. Ask a schoolkid to write an essay on the Culture of India, it will be a passionless piece filled with vacuous words regurgitated from history and geography books penned by liberal folks who were asked to peddle the Idea of India. I am yet to meet a person who owns up Shershah, Akbar, Shah Jahan, or Aurangzeb as their icon. On the contrary, have you ever wondered why a Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sai Baba, Tyagaraja, or Shankaracharya generate paroxysms of awe and reverence across the length and breadth of our country? The answer lies in a four-letter word called ‘Garv’.

3. INDIANS WERE NEVER TAUGHT THEIR CULTURE: Some questions bothered me as a student. Let me place them before you. Why is Illiad considered literature by our professors and not Mahabharatha? How come no one up North knows about the Tamilian who built the tallest building in India in the 11th Century (Brihadeshwarar Temple)? If sculpting was the highest art form in Ancient India, why isn’t it taught at school? Why isn’t there a single Languages University in India where one can learn any Indian language? Why do our museums have lots of artefacts from the British period and nothing from our vedic past? The simple answer for all these questions: Our national leadership of the past was never comfortable with the Hindu religion. They not only knew very little about it, they also ensured very few will know about it by NOT talking about it. And hence, Language meant English. Science began with Newton. Math with Pythagoras. Arts with Da Vinci. History, with the Mughals. Geography, was rarely about Bharat. 

All of this will be given a glorious send off on Jan 22nd. The Idea of India will be given a resounding cremation. 

From the ashes will emerge a saffron proclamation that we are all proud children of the ever-resurgent Hindu Civilization. Irrespective of how we pray, what we eat, or where we are from, we recognize, revere, and celebrate our mothership. 

Hindu has always been our indivisible identity. And it will be the spirit that will guide us through ebb and flow of time. 

If this happens, we will turn the page on years of drift and begin the march of the Great Indian century with crystal-clear clarity.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsAnantha/status/1748752474616607227?t=aK5I5WKKLtLGpCkHL6_rwA&s=19

MANY QUESTIONS. SOME ANSWERS.

While there's joy among millions, one can sense a disquiet among some of my friends - many of them Hindus.

If I have understood where they are coming from, here's what's worrying them:

a) Can a Prime Minister of a 'secular country' use the full force of his government to celebrate the inauguration of the Ram temple?

b) Should the TV media be doing live streaming of the event relegating every other issue? Isn't this a case of going overboard?

c) Isn't the mass mobilization surrounding this hype entirely political?

d) Is it right to reduce a religious function to a political 'tamasha'?

e) Isn't the open flashing of saffron and 'Jai Shree Ram' in Colonies, Gated Communities, and Social Media a little too in-your-face?

f) Are we headed towards a Hindu Rashtra where all the others will be seen and treated as 'less patriotic'?

g) Should the minorities be worried about the future?

All valid questions. It's important for the powers-that-be to calm the nerves. Although I have no connections with the government or the party in power, as an observer of Indian politics for nearly 43 years, I can try and answer these to the best of my ability.

a) Secular doesn't mean being irreligious. In the Indian context, it means 'treating all centers of faith, equally'. In 1981, the Mahamasthakabhisheka Mahotsava of Lord Bahubali of Shravanabelagola was headlined by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It was live telecast on Doordarshan. India Today carried that event on its cover page. If that was ok, what Mr. Modi did today is also fine. In case you classify my argument as whataboutery, you might want to check your definition of secularism.

b) The mainstream media (read TV and newspapers) have long lost their sense of perspective. Yes, they got carried away. They could have tempered the coverage. But it's also possible that they chased TRP/Readership. The Ram Temple is an emotive issue for millions. They probably knew the coverage would be lapped up by the devout. They were also probably overcompensating for the media blackout of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the late eighties and the early nineties.

c) The Ram Janmabhoomi movement has always been political. It wouldn't have become political had the Congress government resolved the issue much earlier. Given the history of struggles and bloodshed, one must compliment the RSS and its sister organisations for not gloating and creating an intimidating atmosphere when the Supreme Court verdict went in their favour. The inauguration of the Ram Temple is a significant victory for Hindus. The RSS and VHP can't be critiqued for going all out to celebrate the moment. Was this all done with a desire to help BJP in 2024? Of course, it was. To expect them to keep quiet about it is naive, no? Any party in their position would have done the same.

d) Perhaps they could have piped down a bit. To be fair to the Modi government, they kept the invitees to a bare minimum. But given the lotus party's urge to make a huge statement to its ardent supporters, I guess the 'tamasha' was unavoidable.

e) Decades of repression led to the moment of upsurge. Some of it might seem in-your-face. Deal with it with empathy.

f) In a political battle, the conservatives across the world have always painted themselves as Super-Patriots. That doesn't mean the rest should feel defensive about their patriotism. Stand your ground. The people on the other side are rational beings too. They might pooh-pooh your liberalism and wokeness. But questioning your patriotism is the realm of extremists. We haven't yet reached that point.

g) One can understand the nervousness of the minorities. Any muscular show of strength by the majority can turn their antennae up. Let's place some perspective. The Hindus have been the sweetest majority community any nation can ask. They had the option of going toxic after the partition. They never exercised that option. In 2014, when Mr. Modi came to power, the doomsdayers were out in full strength. Nothing perilous has transpired. The number of riots has significantly reduced. Yes, the balance of power might have tilted in favour of the majority. In politics, this is par for the course. If, for fifty years, minorities were calling the shots, they must be ready if the needle shifts to the other side for the next fifty. The best way to adapt would be to embrace the change and NOT to fear it.

Here's hoping for a positive discussion on the above points.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsAnantha/status/1749413301564620922?t=qOPkosP-YhGayHbSVcMOLw&s=19

Friday, December 29, 2023

Just two years of hard work

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

The peopling of Oceania was the most impressive settlement in human history. It happened across a huge sea, and relied on knowledge of where the sun, stars, moon and planets rise and set.

Now those skills are being revived among a new generation econ.st/3S4bJ21 

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1740620904810389627?t=YrEBLWgMPeCGMVYWNiCiBw&s=19

Done by Indian origin indigenes of Australia and Polynesian islanders. Similarly navigation across Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean following monsoon winds by Indian sailors. Euros never sailed out of sight of land until sine tables calculated by kerala astronomers were available

https://twitter.com/RajeevSrinivasa/status/1740622635896295848?t=ocdrp0pbzuOpibG_Zm_AGQ&s=19

Worldwide airport food expenses are around 1.5 to 2 times normal price. Indian airports are 4 to 6 times. Organised Loot. Must be going to Electoral bonds.

https://twitter.com/ChandrusWeb/status/1740622580145672566?t=9rqGVCldPqNKg2rdk-IThQ&s=19

It’s SO SO important for anyone to prepare for a competitive exam before your 20s, Just those two years of hard work prepares fighters for life, you might make it to your dream college or could tragically miss it, but that effort, that fight will see you through life. 

Eventually those people always succeed and at least reach the median of the batch of their dream college they missed.

https://twitter.com/GabbbarSingh/status/1740615883305980145?t=AaHztdaXtC2kxBpAgRt5hw&s=19

6-7 yrs of life, between 15 and 22 yrs of age - X, XII, undergrad, post-grad - the crucial-est yrs for anyone not member of the lucky sperms' club (or 20 sigma outliers like Einstein). India offers a grt deal to those kids who make that investment...

https://twitter.com/somnath1978/status/1740622137801797807?t=ZLoZTUKdgGoBcWN-9b0TKQ&s=19

The government funded “hoarding” and manipulation by the Ispahani company was a major factor behind the Bengal Famine of 1943. It was pointed out on the floor of Bengal Assembly by Nalinaksha Sanyal and SP Mookerjee. Barabazaar had nothing to do with it. Here are the records

https://twitter.com/sanjeevsanyal/status/1740321307684725221?t=WBmVKhU5Bfd8nOsx4lOR-w&s=19

My column for @opinion_tt 

“Our struggle today cannot be limited to one political party or its affiliates. Many who cannot be categorised as Right, Centre or Left are showing us their real cards. Cards that are monochrome”

https://twitter.com/tmkrishna/status/1740618183021822127?t=5JEcfadT0wvO_8nROel0dw&s=19

The Bourne Legacy "We are the sin eaters. It means that we take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us, so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible, and absolutely necessary.” The Bourne Legacy, which was kind of spin off is actually my favorite in the Bourne series. Watched it many times. The immorality of Edward Norton, the taking out of a drone with a rifle, the lab, the viral factory in Manila and then the assassin on streets. Top notch stuff. Then there is the key question of how do democratic rule based societies defend themselves against despicable nihilist individuals and groups which exist with a singular aim to destroy our way of life. Someone needs to take it to them.

https://twitter.com/hrnext/status/1740417301403599091?t=t3tFFoW56P8Gc64i5LW8Ng&s=19

Do you feel despondent witnessing the plight of whites? Watch amazing scene from Addio Africa (1966) showing what a "miracle" South Africa was under white rule. Way documentary suddenly moves from black chaos to white female beauty is very powerful.

https://twitter.com/dr_duchesne/status/1740410745018585470?t=Yw80BSfHJwhM44O9Fnqh3g&s=19 

So @JayantBhandari5 was telling the truth: Tribalistic, savagery, and barbarism.

https://twitter.com/marklgangmei/status/1739995015420784970?t=IYjjrk8JfduF_8dvhQ_1jA&s=19

With the institutions that the British left behind hollowed out and social opprobrium now gone, India is becoming Zimbabwe. Indians, as with most Third World people, prefer their own kind of people. This is not because they care about their own kind but because they feel at home with them and know how to exploit them. Indian IQ is 77. That makes anything to do with the mind difficult. The biological instincts are all that is left and assert themselves unhindered from the discipline that the mind could otherwise impose. The only hope was from the opprobrium that the colonizers had instituted. Thanks for the article. I am indeed on the side of those who consider Indians as "primitive, savage, uncivilized, and vicious."

https://twitter.com/JayantBhandari5/status/1739897520850108895?t=wv29CouSNoV58Lg0TyO1eA&s=19

Hindus claim to be tolerant, an image they have created in Europe. In reality, they are perhaps the most intolerant. Their relationships are based on caste, religion, what you eat, language, etc. For example, these questions and many more will be asked if you rent a house. They come across as tolerant because they are fragmented, atomized, and sheepish. They pose a limited risk, but once their jingoism and Hindutava have crystalized, the world will see the truth. From my next article: Across the spectrum of class hierarchy, you see an absence of interest in anything but money, with the bureaucrats and the police, given their lack of accountability, being outright predatory, asking for bribes on every occasion, and without an iota of inhibitions or shame in exploiting, including sexually, those who are weak. I prefer to call the Indian government the Bribe Collection Agency.

https://twitter.com/JayantBhandari5/status/1739112393555542369?t=x6vy4LzyM3BemaRFhL7_bw&s=19

This was indeed true. But I have been to 100 countries and, except for rare cases (North Korea and DRC), have not seen India-kind of lawlessness, oppression, servility, exploitation, etc. But for some shoe-shining of their junkie, braindead brown sahibs is somehow palatable.

https://twitter.com/JayantBhandari5/status/1739483778639430108?t=54KWA8qjH_O1cOw-ruXHKQ&s=19

यह बठिंडा का अजीत रोड है। विदेश भेजने की फ़ैक्ट्री। इस एक इलाक़े में सैंकड़ों की संख्या में कोचिंग संस्थान IELTS की परीक्षा की तैयारी कराते हैं। गुजरात और आंध्र प्रदेश में भी ऐसी फ़ैक्ट्री है। भारत की नागरिकता छोड़ने की अजीब होड़ है। मौक़ा मिले तो लगता है सारे एयरपोर्ट पहुँच जाएँगे।

अच्छे अवसरों की तलाश में ज़रूर विदेश जाना चाहिए और मौक़ा मिले तो बस जाना चाहिए इसमें ग़लत नहीं। लेकिन यह पलायन इसलिए हो रहा है क्योंकि यहाँ के कॉलेज ख़त्म हो रहे हैं। अच्छी सैलरी की नौकरियों की उम्मीद नारायण नारायण हो चुकी है। मूर्ति बनने से अच्छा है कनाडा चलो। 

अब तो भारत सरकार भी विदेशों में मज़दूर भेजने जा रही है। पलायन को पिछड़ापन बताने वाले भी पलायन करवाने में लगे हैं। सही है। 

बाक़ी इस रिपोर्ट में है। 

1. youtu.be/PxMicZnRXU8?si

2. youtu.be/Sp9BsC6-w6Y?si

https://twitter.com/ravishndtv/status/1740423068982624558?t=8cXLnxkdfXdwveXLpMd7AA&s=19

They don't believe in delegating work

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

1. This is true for most of the west, not just the states. 

2. One can engage in such hobbies when one has a decent amount of disposable income, solid infrastructure and availability of all the requisite space, materials, tools and equipment. India hasn’t reached that level.

3. This is also a cultural thing that has developed over the last 150-200 years. In that time, india and Indian society has only seen assault and occupation while the west has had time to develop and create a people who have the free time and money to engage in such activities.

4. Finally, necessity - unlike India, in the west population is limited and labour is expensive. Therefore, people like to do a lot of stuff on their own. This also then becomes an activity, turning a chore/requirement into a fun experience. 

Things aren’t so black and white.

To add to this - I suggest you read about the life of the average American 100-150 years ago. Hunting and fishing weren’t activities, and a father-son duo didn’t make tables to “bond” or “do something together”. Back then, the average American broke his back to feed his family.

https://twitter.com/btchknburrito/status/1740135849172541653?t=E437opY81v9kyHYB3FzDew&s=19

Construct & Repair stuff is not just an American thing - Europe, East Asia, Australia etc have that mentality in abundance too. Labour and those who do it are cheap in the eyes of caste -ridden Indians.

https://twitter.com/whtsmytweet/status/1740025777767547243?t=84tKofqmi704pk-EudQ4WA&s=19

It's not a feudal society. They don't believe in delegating work, unless really necessary. Also the American spirit of building something from scratch.

https://twitter.com/Swapan_Sarit/status/1740024600413839432?t=8_V7kx2_i5rRg_t4SE9mJQ&s=19

To add to this - if you think this is crazy, wait till you see what the average European does in their free time. It is common for everyone from little kids to adults to go for long treks in the mountains, skiing, or backpacking around the world and playing a sport.

https://twitter.com/btchknburrito/status/1740259542678823230?t=gJz0ZhbMojtfgd5zaj8wFA&s=19

I’ve always been fascinated by how outdoor-oriented Americans are. They’ll go fishing and hunting on weekends (??) they construct and repair stuff frequently and they have much less of an aversion to the trades?? We went to the states and one of my dad’s friends- a true white-collar desk job guy who lived here till he was FIFTY- had constructed and polished a dinner table just for fun?? I admire it so much

https://twitter.com/palaknotpaneer/status/1740014393042305373?t=iNhIhjA_vyibAwtbxOixAw&s=19

The US has a lot of issues but dignity of labour isn't one of them. There's no separate lifts for cleaners like our dirty minded apartment owners have here.

https://twitter.com/SiddhantBaner10/status/1740094527409647733?t=2xDUF5zX5icERynDt8ykuQ&s=19

A certain sect of rats abandons art in order to devote more of their time to scrounging for survival. Each generation, a bit less of this sect dies than members of the mainstream, until after a while, no rat composes any art at all, and any sect of rats who try to bring it back will go extinct within a few generations.

In fact, it’s not just art. Any sect at all that is leaner, meaner, and more survivalist than the mainstream will eventually take over. If one sect of rats altruistically decides to limit its offspring to two per couple in order to decrease overpopulation, that sect will die out, swarmed out of existence by its more numerous enemies. If one sect of rats starts practicing cannibalism, and finds it gives them an advantage over their fellows, it will eventually take over and reach fixation. ... 

Like the rats, who gradually lose all values except sheer competition, so companies in an economic environment of sufficiently intense competition are forced to abandon all values except optimizing-for-profit or else be outcompeted by companies that optimized for profit better and so can sell the same service at a lower price.

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Unchecked capitalism is a lawless society doomed to self-destruction

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

I didn’t find this article to be very convincing. But setting all that aside, I’ve always found this to be a weird framing. My sense is that growth or is just the normal byproduct of people going about their business as usual.

https://twitter.com/TheStalwart/status/1739682081590968647?t=3QFB-RITSP0DTQDnnwJ9yw&s=19

That's because you're actually a smart person instead of a weird academic and so you understand that capitalism works because it reflects human nature as selected for through thousands of generations of evolution.

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1739684729782243633?t=l4J6o4VCYLkNF4R8xkWA4Q&s=19

If capitalism reflects human nature, why did Europe have to do imperialism to get Asian and African goods before ww1? Why couldn't they just trade?

https://twitter.com/ppmcderm/status/1739719077093114243?t=R19sKreTze4PbdOj9kL0iw&s=19

Hi Nate--long time, no talk.

Genuine question about your view here:

If capitalism simply reflects our biologically-determined nature as humans, why has it only existed for such a tiny sliver of human history?

https://twitter.com/BenBurgis/status/1739731909385851391?t=qEvP_-gltOSS_fhO3-9i-w&s=19

I think probably the most demonic idea (maybe an actual demon!) to ever inhabit earthly human minds is that "capitalism works because it reflects human nature." Our belief that human beings are just profit-maximizing vice machines is obviously a self-fulfilling prophecy.

https://twitter.com/ThouArtThat/status/1739828231283654912?t=YpM4RlOOrlg5mO6RfsR7uA&s=19

Capitalism has only been around for a tiny fraction of recorded history. So, by the same token, human nature is profoundly non-capitalist, as demonstrated by thousands of generations of evolution.

Unless, of course, one subscribes to the long-compromised “end of history” credo. P.S. I don't actually subscribe to any vision of immutable human nature. The last centuries alone have brought such fundamental changes to humanity and society (morality, class structure, relationship patterns, etc.) that I don't think we can claim to know what human nature is.

https://twitter.com/StaszekKrawczyk/status/1739737900785213560?t=-GVYyhBzwuQCfCqnQU_0pw&s=19

Really? Looking at pre-agricultural societies, it seems human nature has many and varied facets, with a strong tendency towards collective cooperation and sharing.  

Capitalism seems to atomise us into smaller and smaller units, isolate us into smaller and smaller households.

https://twitter.com/anotheranarch/status/1739778534330245258?t=8D_xcRTRjzXDKw825CuLFg&s=19

Persons at 100 B.C. : Slavery reflects human nature

Persons at 1000 A.D. : Feudalism reflects human nature

Persons at 2023 A.D. : Capitalism reflects human nature

Maybe that "human nature" doesn't exist

https://twitter.com/20century_los4/status/1739715436176920732?t=kLrteqjHmKXgHamlfqqclQ&s=19

Capitalism has been the exception rather than the norm. It took over two thousand years of very proactive effort to establish the Social institutions that made capitalism possible.

https://twitter.com/isthisit/status/1739720553605292371?t=oDDcsAHiJk15PPdJOHDP3g&s=19

Human nature is a result of material conditions, not the other way around. Our adaptability and ability to cooperate are major drivers of our success as a species.

https://twitter.com/alcibiades5410/status/1739735074667483355?t=q0k6FdxF7RrlCIeJ1iGWfQ&s=19

Some big assumptions here, Nate. Most of us are motivated by something other than personal profit. Family, duty, community, kindness, faith - none of these are at the heart of capitalism, but they are at the heart of our lives.

https://twitter.com/ScottyBonner/status/1739741748677476634?t=F31QXmiZEnZ25lJI2bzMoA&s=19

I’ve read enough history to know that human nature shouldn’t be used as a model for anything.

It’s why we require laws in our society; to control behavior driven by our baser nature.

A better metaphor for unchecked capitalism is a lawless society, doomed to self-destruction.

https://twitter.com/bluedotcountry/status/1739690049090842748?t=3bhOjGreKvTSTkcejdJCUg&s=19

Mutuality is the rule and not the exception

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

We often conflate science with technology. Science is the study of existing phenomena in the universe. The methods used to carry out this study have been getting narrower by the day. In the past, the greatest of scientists were philosophers first. Sadly, that trend has changed over the last century. With academic studies getting more niche & disjointed, the capitalist world rewards individuals more than the discovery. So, those in charge of deciding what comes under science, academic philosophers, come up with fancier theories each year. Theories published to pamper one's ego make it into the framework of the scientific method, narrowing the outlook of science, putting the best of religious cults to shame. Human perception is limited. We don't even see or hear beyond a range. And why is the rational part of the brain given more importance than the feeling (intuition) part? If one has read the philosophical works of the Netwons, Pascals & Teslas, one'd understand that these men would be labelled pseudoscientists & dismissed in today's world. That's how open-minded they were. Scientists of the past encouraged crazy & ridiculous ideas for us to have this level of technological advancement. What have we to lose by looking into the ancient philosophies? Isn't that the spirit of science? To keep an open mind, no matter how absurd some ideas sound. As for Gurus, no real Guru asks to be admired/worshiped/listened to. They are a humble lot who give wholeheartedly. The problem is of priests who misinterpret the Hindu texts to exploit people. These self-proclaimed Gurus, reeking of pettiness, are only after power & money. 

https://twitter.com/seenandhini/status/1713139766223634832?t=QCz4nTEoszx5y9Cy1-ByGA&s=19

are we animal or are we angel? 

https://twitter.com/ThouArtThat/status/1739831624517419045?t=kVHhPmU_ygLX9he7mveFVQ&s=19

not sure degrowth would work. But there’s no question that the capitalist economy needs to be reined in rather than being allowed to commodify all aspects of human and nonhuman life. Culture and politics ought not to be for sale. Economics should meet needs not invent desires. I'm not opposed to the idea; problem is there is no such thing as the "we" in those sentences. How to take such unprecedented collective action w/o the requisite publics? How to form such publics? The one thing I'd absolutely want to avoid is governments controlling production. They already do to some extent, and it is always bad news (eg, military-industrial complex). Economies cannot be centrally managed without leading to mass starvation and impoverishment (at least, that's the lesson I take from such experiments historically). Threefolding is degrowth by default since it redirects economic activity to the provision of human needs, away from capitalism's need to conjure up evermore new desires in people for products we didn't know we needed until we saw that ad. The creation of new desires is fine, but that ought to be a spiritual/cultural activity, not a for-profit industry.

https://twitter.com/ThouArtThat/status/1739766593360687567?t=R9GAni0CszF05bPV61j6rg&s=19

I'm not trying to put animals down, it's just that if we measure humans by the Darwinian standard, we are doing exactly what we were designed to do (be fruitful and multiply). Also, on that standard, extinction is just how evolution works. Life on Earth will degrow the human. Or, are we spiritual beings? Are we capable of cocreating an economy of virtue instead of vice? And maybe the biological world is not just a competitive blood bath after all? Look again: it may be that mutuality is the rule and not the exception.

Monday, December 25, 2023

We value pedigree dogs more

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

M S Golwalkar aka GuruJi destroyed the original #Hindutva ideology of Dr Hedgewar, gave #PseudoHindutva ideology to @RSSorg and produced zombies who are indoctrinated to parrot the nonsense such as “All Indians have Same DNA”, “All Indians are Hindus”, “Only Upasana Paddhati is different”, “Same Ancestors”, etc.

Watch the video in this quoted posted.
#Vajpayee #atalbiharivajpayeejayanti

https://twitter.com/MNageswarRaoIPS/status/1739237759586635829?t=9cz6xP8w6oM5xajXH1b2_A&s=19

Problem is not Hindutva which is a wholesome Sanskrit term for the linguistic hybrid term ‘Hinduism’.

The existential problem for Hindus and Hindu religion emanates from #PseudoHindutva ideology of @RSSorg which was evolved since the days of 2nd Chief Madhav Sadasiv Golwalkar a.k.a GuruJi.

The RSS remained Hindu only for a very brief period of 15 years of its initial existence during the life Param Pujya Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.

After that it became गोमुख व्याघ्र (cow faced tiger) or wolf in sheep cloth evolving and sharpening #PseudoHindutva ideology by using Hindu language, Hindu idiom and Hindu imagery to promote anti-Hinduism.

Both #PseudoHindutva and its twin #PseudoSecularism are nothing but camouflaged anti-Hinduism. Read this article

swarajyamag.com/politics/from-…

https://twitter.com/MNageswarRaoIPS/status/1739155028768915578?t=rs19V9-W9tQqGYBtIA7Jsg&s=19

We, the Modern Secular Hindus, are bizarre as we value pedigree dogs more than pedigree Hindus.

We insist on pedigree certificate for buying a puppy, but abuse the Brahmins for maintaining their pedigree that is needed to preserve Vedic knowledge and tradition alive through millennia.

While Secular Indian Governments registers Kennel Clubs to issue pedigree certificates for dogs, but give incentives for inter-caste marriages to destroy the pedigree of citizens.

https://twitter.com/MNageswarRaoIPS/status/1738868946491814014?t=U-_Er7eSLXEnF962n2YcYQ&s=19

#Sanghis have successfully put blinkers to Hindus to gaze Hindu religion, society and interests through political perspective rather than seeing politics from Hindu perspective and interests.

And anyone differing with #Sanghis and their #PseudoHindutva ideology are branded, castigated and vilified as Congis, anti-national, etc.

Gullible Hindus have fallen into this #Sanghi trap.

https://twitter.com/MNageswarRaoIPS/status/1739234696767398394?t=oVMKDTrfQuSq0ALyzIqm2g&s=19

Guha and Thapar

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

It’s painful to listen to #RamachandraGuha. 

He’s excitable, eats the last few words of every sentence and speaks at a pitch which can be exhausting to the ear. 

He says he’s a scholar and not in the business of giving advice but proceeds to do just that through his interview with #KaranThapar. 

To encapsulate the roots as briefly as possible of this section of Indians (at the risk of being judge-y) one can safely assume the first poem they learnt was William Wordsworth’s Daffodils having never actually seen the flower. 

Their understanding of their faith is not Sanatan Dharma but Hindu-ism which is as hazy as Cubism or Modernism. 

In this esoteric ‘religion’ everything convenient is allowed only because it’s simpler to fit in. 

The leitmotiv of their faith being lie down and enjoy it on the high moral ground. 

They usually are also a vociferous votary of the nebulous concept - Idea of India because in reality they have No Idea Of India, being completely deracinated from its culture and history. For them everything is vague because their understanding of it - is vague and limited.

And that brings us back to Guha who takes great pains to explain why Hindu -ism is a ‘disaggregated’ religion. 

Completely overlooking the fact as a ‘historian’ that unlike the proud, imposing temples of the South that still stand tall, where people congregated to celebrate and worship our places of worship up North were desecrated and destroyed. In fact after 12th century, Delhi saw a new temple Laxminarayan Mandir only in 1939! 

There is a reason why we worshipped as discreetly as possible in our Mandirs at home, or tucked away in tiny cubby-hole nukkads, in peepul trees. 

Not because we were ‘disaggregated’ but because we were discriminated. 

A people that paid Jaziya understood all that needed to be done to avoid persecution. 

Stay invisible. 

But then to say that for the likes of Guha - is Hindutva. It disturbs his lifelong well ordered nowhereness and the only person in his eyes to blame for this is Narendra Modi. 

Again missing the point - that the man represents at least a billion Indians who unfortunately for Guha, cannot be wished away.

https://twitter.com/NAN_DINI_/status/1737817851682287669?t=kPXNoKCgbVq5o65g95o3jg&s=19

Karan Thapar is no fun either! With the jaws tightly clenched words ground n passed through that sieve is excruciating on the tympanic membrane! It is a death wish to watch an interview by Karan Thapar +guha!

https://twitter.com/NTanjore/status/1738028367461638359?t=SdUfb4wTJNhQVOgOdI7nbw&s=19

I agree. It is decades since I watched more than a video clip of his. His mannerisms were much more pronounced earlier made worse by twisting the wrong end of the argument. Yes, watching them both together was like asking to be whipped :-)

https://twitter.com/NAN_DINI_/status/1738033783251914958?t=Ci-y34IPmcQSlUTdksNlbQ&s=19

[No examples are needed to convey the sheer tedium of NJN’s column: anyone who spent six months walking in the Sahara will know what I’m talking about.]

marketime.blogspot.com/2005/07/dhiren

https://twitter.com/SavitriEra/status/1739203901537329271?t=kVA8RAi1Tlq_rYV9d-rTvQ&s=19

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Fostering a conducive atmosphere at home

 Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra

Stay away from communist leaders like Marx, Mao, and Che Guevara, and also Bhagat Singh, Malcolm X, and similar. Phule, Shahu, Periyar, and Ambedkar were greater revolutionaries than them. Communists are failed people. China turned to capitalism, and there is no communist country worth recognition.

https://twitter.com/nitinmeshram_/status/1735283569474646304?t=kZnTB9-5v-wObKDOXkfRoQ&s=19

I always ask this question and never get a satisfactory answer hence asking again, who was the equivalent of phule periyar ambedkar from cow respecting hindi speaking belt. If not then why ?

https://twitter.com/AndColorPockeT/status/1735562684173848947?t=QQnQUBorAIfA7AYBtsdxDw&s=19

I can offer some a sociopolitical hypothesis (to be proved or falsified with help of recorded or assumed history):

1. Political: In order to have the kind of toxic ideology rooted in hatred for Brahmins (and Rajputs), you need to have folks exclusively from these castes in positions that are either detested or coveted e.g. zamindars, tax collectors, etc. In North, I think presence of Muslims in elite classes (not all Muslims of course) neutralized that effect to an extent.

2. Social: Due to multiple invasions and wars, social structure in the north went through metamorphosis and possibly caste as a system didn’t have the same kind of influence and rigidity as in other places. Furthermore, influences ranging from Sant Ravidas centuries ago to as recent as Neem Karori Baba mainstreamed a belief that hierarchal/rigid caste system was not intrinsic to Hindu faith and thus anti-caste did not necessarily translate to anti-Hinduism.

There has to be a socioeconomic hypothesis too, that experts on X can offer. On my part, I think in the ‘cow belt’ where ‘cow economics’ would be followed, the relationship between various castes was far more symbiotic than in places were economics was totally inverted or newly introduced by the British.

https://twitter.com/rahulroushan/status/1735577160545399254?t=0NS1r4LnM_S7qiez22_TFg&s=19

Hegemony? I said presence. And Muslims were indeed present as nawabs, zamindars, etc. during British rule too, and that's what I pointed out.

https://twitter.com/rahulroushan/status/1735592253484114131?t=IXk-5DRJ8YULaFMQzZEEZg&s=19

Here is my conjecture

1. May be Periyar/Phule/Ambedkar succeeded because land owning dominant castes were polarized against Brahmins

This didnt happen in North.

2. In Deccan, prior to british

Dominant castes were at top of social status

Brahmins were dependent on them

After British

Dominant caste lost their status

And Brahmins with government jobs became prominent

3. This didnt happen in North

Because in North due to Islamic rule, dominant castes had already lost their prominent status

Against Muslims, Hindus were united

https://twitter.com/doubtinggaurav/status/1735596741448056834?t=hdm6lFBxsLhJVtWRTLmSLA&s=19

For adolescent females, the Court suggested following duties

It is the duty/obligation of every female adolescent to:

(i) Protect her right to integrity of her body.

(ii) Protect her dignity and self-worth.

(iii) Thrive for overall development of her self transcending gender barriers.

(iv) Control sexual urge/urges as in the eyes of society she is the looser when she gives in to enjoy the sexual pleasure of hardly two minutes.

(v) Protect her right to autonomy of her body and her privacy.

For adolescent males, the Court suggested following duties

For adolescent males, the Court stressed upon the duty of male adolescents is to respect the duties of young girls and women. They should be trained to respect women's self-worth, dignity, privacy and their autonomy over their bodies.

The Court also pointed towards the need for fostering a conducive atmosphere at home where children grow up with parents playing a central role in ensuring this, reported Bar and Bench.

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/calcutta-high-court-urges-adolescent-girls-to-control-sexual-urges-adolescent-boys-to-respect-women-11697783395934.html

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been accused of using derogatory language in the Assembly on Tuesday as he was explaining the role of education among women for population control. The video of Nitish Kumar explaining his point on population control went viral on social media and several Bihar women MLAs objected to the language used by the chief minister.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nitish-kumar-was-talking-about-sex-education-nothing-else-deputy-cm-clarifies-amid-controversy-101699363987624.html

सीएम नीतीश ने कहा कि बिहार में महिलाएं पहले से ज्यादा साक्षर हैं. बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि लड़कियों के पढ़ने-लिखने से जनसंख्या नियंत्रित रहेगी. अपनी बात को समझाने के लिए उन्होंने कहा, 'लड़की पढ़ लेगी अगर, तो जब शादी होगा. तब पुरुष रोज रात में करता है न. उसी में और (बच्चे) पैदा हो जाता है. लड़की अगर पढ़ लेगी तो उसको भीतर मत ..., उसको .... कर दो. इसी में संख्या घट रही है.'

https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/india/sex-education-in-bihar-vidhansabha-by-nitish-kumar-creates-uproar/1949400

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Transforming ritualistic and seemingly irrational verses into revelations of mystical knowledge

Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra (b. 1956)

12 hours ago — The Mother, a close collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, claimed there was no antagonism between being an Indian and French citizen at the same time.
7 hours ago — Home / Shop. Shop. Showing 1–16 of 175 results. Default sorting, Sort by popularity, Sort by average rating, Sort by latest, Sort by price: low to high ...
9 hours ago — Sri Aurobindo. 'The Mother' · 'Savitri' | Four Editions · First (1950-51) 'Complete ... Email · PrevThe Significance of Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi | TE 530 ...

Sri Aurobindo Death Anniversary: The man who unravelled the spiritual side of Vedas
6 days ago — Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty appointed to prestigious Sri Aurobindo Chair at Panjab Univ. UGC-instituted Chair for one-year tenure with academic interactions.

25 Posthuman Spirituality

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The term “spirituality” has a long history with changing meanings. Etymologically, spirituality comes from the Latin word spiritus, which means variously “breath,”“life,”“soul,” and sits in relation to the verb spirare–“to breathe.” As such, the term “spirit” refers to …

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Philosophical and Educational Thoughts of Sri Aurobindo

DR Sirswal - 2023
… In this book we included 10 papers from academicians, teachers and research scholars on the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo that touches various aspects of his thoughts. The year-long celebrations to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of … 

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P Loni - Knowledgeable Research: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2023
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DC Bhatta - … JOURNAL OF ENGLISH: LITERATURE, LANGUAGE & …
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MUR Abbasi
The particular perspective in question served as a guiding force that spurred the intellectual development of Iqbal, influencing the articulation of his educational axiology. The overarching goal of education is rooted in the fundamental concept of …

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I Hall - 2023
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Rajan - 2023
… KCB’s argument initiates a paradigm shift in Vedāntic philosophy, challenging both classical Vedāntic thinkers and modern stalwarts like Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, and Sri Aurobindo. The notion of an alternative form of the absolute, as …

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GT Kabulniyazova - CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF …, 2023
… For this, it is necessary to rise to another level of consciousness, described by the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, which Ghosh calls intuitive consciousness, and which he believes is present in people who practice meditation. According to …

[PDF] Influence of Gita on WB Yeats: A Study of The Second Coming

M Vinita, DM Mahavidyalaya, M Parveen
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R Mandal - 2023
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JG More - 2023
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Anti-colonial Marxism in French and Portuguese India Compared: Varadarajulu Subbiah and Aquino de Bragança's Theories of Colonial Independence

K Plys - Marxist Thought in South Asia, 2023
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[PDF] The Radical Bengali Woman: Life and Times of

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… 33 Further, she got acquainted with Aurobindo Ghosh. Aurobindo wanted to form a secret society that would infuse more vigour into the revolutionary nationalism in Bengal. Sarala’s Akhras attracted many people who believed in extremism. In 1902 …

[PDF] Periodicals and Nation-Building: The Public Sphere, Modernity, and Modernism in Modern Review and Visva Bharati Quarterly

A Singh - Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and …, 2023
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