Posted on by Aranyascope

Secularism – In Indian Context

A very crisp definition of DHARMA is THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Whereas ADHARMA is all that is AGAINST NATURE, IMMORAL, UNETHICAL, WRONG or UNLAWFUL

Recently when the Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said that Secularism is the most misused word in the country…This must stop. Because of the rampant misuse of the word, there have been instances of tension in society”, he was not only right but perhaps the first one to nail it.

 India’s constitution came into being on 26th November 1949, after nearly 3 years of discussions. Dr. B R Ambedkar deserves full credit for drafting a progressive constitution that brought an ancient civilization into the modern world with the stroke of a pen. Of the 389 members in the constituent assembly, 208 belonged to the Congress, 73 to the Muslim League, 93 to princely states and the remaining 15 to other political formations. Muslim Leaguers obviously quit the constituent assembly once Pakistan came into being, leaving the Congress Party in an overwhelming majority in the assembly, hence removing the possibility for diametrically opposite political views to be present in the assembly. The constitution of India is one of world’s most amended, having been amended roughly thrice in every two year’s duration. The words secularism and socialism were added to the Preamble of the constitution through an amendment process in 1976, at the height of Indira Gandhi’s emergency. This is not to say that Ambedkar or other makers of our constitution intended India to be a theocracy of any sort. However, it was this introduction of Secularism in the preamble that has proved to be controversial in India’s political discourse.

Let us examine the theory of Secularism and its origin.

 One must understand the origins of the word secularism and its relevance in the Indian civilization to discuss this issue better. The term secularism arose in European politics in the aftermath of the French revolution that sought to undo the powers of the church and replace them with the powers of the state. In simple terms, Secularism became the war cry for separation of church and state. In medieval Europe, Church was an all powerful institution that possessed land, maintained armies, levied taxes and could throne and dethrone Kings. Secularization was an attempt to break the power of the church and create an alternate power centre in the form of the state. Europe went through a catastrophic process of wars and wanton violence to replace the power of the church. In India, there was hardly any institution that could mirror the power of the church. During the medieval ages, India was ruled by invaders and while the majority of the population might have looked towards local priests or god-men, there was no single entrenched religious structure that towered over them. Added to this was the inherent Indian tolerance for foreigners with varied beliefs and ideologies, which made it very difficult for a single orthodox interpretation of Hinduism to persist. It is probably because of this that India tends to be very confused as far as the terminology of secularism is concerned.

France was one of world’s first secular countries. It enforced Secularism after the French revolution, when it drowned priests in the middle of the ocean, in a rite known as Noyades de Nantes. This was the French way at curbing the church. As early as 1905, France established Laïcité whereby there is absence of religious involvement in government affairs. It especially prohibits religious influence in the determination of state policies. It is because of this policy that France is able to ban religious symbols such as Naqab or Burqa, Skull cap, Christian crosses etc. with relative ease as individuals must appear as simple citizens in public sphere, as opposed to what they do in their private lives. Another example of a Secular state in Turkey that in 1924 abolished the Caliphate and ushered in an era of secularism that continued till almost 2000s when an Islamic party took power. Even now, Turkey is still officially a secular state. Islam, which is the largest religion, is controlled by the state to the extent that Friday sermons have to be state approved. Bans similar to France in terms of open public expression of religious symbols are still in place. Contrast this form of secularism with the one practised in the United States. In the US, the constitution bans governmental interference with the free exercise of religion and at the same time disallows the declaration of a State religion. The Indian form of secularism mirrors the US variant closely in practice. However, the historical context which led to the establishment of secularism (many of the first settlers in the US were victims of religious intolerance in Europe) was missing in India. The western world, in general gravitated towards being irreligious, at least publicly, as a means of undermining the church. Being irreligious eventually became a higher order virtue in Western society.

Coming back to India, there is a difference between being Atheistic and Irreligious in the Indian context. Indic terms will convey this sentiment better. As a person, I may choose to be Panthnirpeksh (free from any sect), but I would not want to be Adharmi. The concept of Dharma in Indic religions is vastly different from what religion means in the Western world. This is where the first discrepancy between Indian secularism and secularism worldwide lies. This is what Rajnath Singh spoke of, when he said the correct translation of Secularism should be Panthnirpeksh (Free from a panth) and not Dharmnirpeksh (Free from Dharma). That he was still booed down is another matter. The bigger problem however is that in India secularism has been reduced to pandering the needs of vote banks. In line with this ideology, majority religion must be limited and curtailed, while minority religions should be appeased at all times as they provide lucrative vote banks. Theoretically speaking, there is nothing wrong with the Indian variant of secularism (except for the Dharmnirpeksh part), but it is the practice of Secularism that has been prostituted to meet electoral requirements. Successive governments (mainly Congress and/or Congress supported) of the day has for years now pandered to vote bank politics. It has used the flag of secularism to indulge in scare mongering among minorities. There lies a very powerful lobby of intellectuals that has been fed and inculcated for decades to sing along these lines, the song of secularism that is not.

If we look at the Indian history, we know that India was never one single country but federation of smaller kingdoms. Chandragupta Maurya & later Ashoka were the ones that brought large tracts of the country under one umbrella kingdom but never the whole geographical land. Even under British rule, India was never one country with small kingdoms and other European settlements scattered all over the geography of the country (see maps).

India under Chandragupta Maurya
India under Ashoka
India under British Rule

Under such a scenario, there was never one philosophy that could enjoy the similar power that the Churches in Europe enjoyed in the medieval period.  The Secularism has been an inherent feature in the deep philosophies that shaped the modern India. We have, if not with open arms, but peacefully accepted all faiths into our folds, made them part of our socio-cultural life. This is one land where not one or two but a number of philosophies viz. Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrian, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity has not only survived but thrived through the centuries. We are as individuals or group very much tolerant and secular in our outlook without the politicians shouting it out at us at the drop of a hat.

Jai Hind.

 

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Kojagori Laxmi Puja 2015

Durga Puja was just two days away when Deepika asked me when is Laxmi Puja. I told her it will be either on Monday 26th October or Tuesday 27th October depending on the appearance of Full Moon. She asked me to confirm the date with the Pandit Ji as she had to apply for leave for that particular day. We have a tradition dating back to my great grandfathers’ time (or even before) that we do Kojagori Laxmi Puja on the fifth day of Dussehra depending on the Full Moon or Purnima. There are no idol but a straw pot with rice, vermilion, small mirror and bangles placed inside and covered with Red Cloth. I have witnessed this Puja since my childhood and loved it because, on this day we had a large gathering of relatives and friends and the food or the Bhog is delicious. My parents, both Mom and Dad used to cook the Bhog and my sisters helped them in decorating the Puja Mandap.  I was just a spectator then little knowing that later on I will have to do the chores myself.

As per custom, no celebrations including puja happen if someone in the family passes away. So when my mother departed this world, we did not celebrate any festivals for one year. The following year I told Deepika that let’s stop this Laxmi Puja thing at our home since my elder brothers are doing it at their home, we can surely skip it. She simply said that as long as she is alive, the tradition will continue.

I am, from being a believer to agnostic has now become an atheist. I believe in humans and animals but not God or Ghosts. But then I do not interfere with anyone’s beliefs. In fact I arrange for the materials for the Kojagori Laxmi Puja, decorate the Puja Mandap (Long back I had taken pictures when my mother used to do it, so, now just follow it), I also make the Sinni or Prasad for the Satyanarayan Puja as it is traditionally done by the male member in our family. But that’s about it, after all that I am just a spectator.

This year we had an option of doing it either on Monday or Tuesday and we opted for the latter based on convenience factor. On the Puja day, we got up early and proceeded with our individual assigned task, Deepika along with the maid Savita got down to making the Bhog Prasad. As usual, I was assigned the job of setting up the Puja Mandap; to my credit, most of the setting up I did without referring to past pictures. Once the setting up was done, I settled down to making the Sinni Prasad, the basic ingredients being wheat flour, milk, sugar and banana. Many people have their own proportion of the ingredients but I follow my mothers’ recipe. My father used to mash the bananas with hand (even I did it in the initial years) but then realised, it may be because technology was not available back then; so now I have a hand blender exclusively for this purpose, it has not only made it easy and faster for me but the final product is superior too. After making the Sinni, I went to fetch Pandit Ji from the Mandir.

The Satyanarayan Puja started in earnest with Deepika and two of my sisters and brother-in-law in attendance. Just for information, Laxmi Puja is preceded by Satyanarayan Puja in our home (or is it universally??), why? I don’t know neither do I care. As the Puja progressed, many friends and relations joined in, like a good host I welcomed them all with cold drinks and juices. One unexpected guest was my niece. Unexpected because she has become extremely busy, working practically 18-20 hours every day and making her online media portal very successful. Even her parents hardly see her most days in the week. She came along with her boyfriend and co-owner, a very nice young man but very shy in front of me, maybe she has told him stories about me and my temper which are not very pleasant, perhaps.

It took almost two hours to complete the twin Puja of Satyanarayan and Kojagori Laxmi, then it was time to enjoy the Bhog Prasad. As per custom, the Bhog is given to all including the guards and drivers in the neighbourhood. I checked with the guests if their drivers are around and if they could call them up to accept the Prasad. My niece said her driver Irfan is downstairs but not sure if he would take the Prasad owing to his religious beliefs. I must say, I have never considered food by their religion; I enjoy this Satwik Vegetarian Bhog as much as I enjoy my Biryani at the Pir Baba Masjid and the Plum cakes that my friend sends me every year at Christmas. I consider food as personal choice same as the ritualistic religion. I told her to call Irfan and if he has any inhibition, then not to force him. Irfan came up and not only accepted the plate full of Bhog but devoured it without any hesitation making my belief stronger that food has no religion.

Later, once all the guests had departed and I was enjoying my daily peg of Nectar of Life, my thoughts returned to Irfan. I have noticed that some of my friends and relatives while referring to people of other faith cannot hide a subtle snide, though, if confronted, they will deny. In reality, we have forgotten that we are human beings first and practically have similar needs for food, clothing and shelter. We have in course of time erected walls of religion around us that prevent the light and air of wisdom to reach us to enlighten our souls. We have stopped appreciating fellow humans for what they are and instead judge them on the basis of their beliefs. I refuse to believe that any teachings can actually call for blood of the non-followers. On that day, Irfan with his limited education but huge humanity in accepting the Bhog Prasad made the twin Puja of Satyanarayan and Kojagori Laxmi truly meaningful for me and my family.

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Anondomela

Recently, someone asked my wife, Deepika who is a non-Bengali, to name one thing each that she dislikes and likes in Bongs. She took time to answer what she likes and came up with a standard answer that Bongs are multi-cultured in a way that they like to read, watch theatre and are generally very knowledgeable. However, she was very quick to point out her dislike for Bong’s obsession with food. She said, “When I got married, the only thing I remember was that the first thing in the morning when I wake up was that my mother-in-law was already in the kitchen preparing elaborate breakfast for everyone. And then the lunch, followed by evening snacks and dinner. The whole house was centred on food!!!” She hasn’t changed but I have. Most days we have one sabji, one Dal and chapattis. Only on weekends, do we make food that has some similarity with a Bong household!

The conversations made me think are we, the Bongs really obsessed with food? The answer is a simple YES. And we are proud of it. I remember in my childhood, my mother used to make at least two sabjis (one dry & gravy), Dal and one non-veg item for both lunch and dinner. The same is true in most middle class Bong homes even today. Our indulgence with food is legendary. I have read that Rabindranath Tagore, although was a small eater, would insist on being served with a lavish spread so that he can choose what to eat at that particular meal. We Bongs are also very adventurous with food and would like to sample out a variety of regional cuisine. If we like something, we would cook it at home and make it our very own.

Having said thus, Durga Puja, the greatest festival of Bongs is also a culinary festival. We splurge and gorge food like there is no tomorrow. We may afterwards take a handful of digestive medicines but that never deter us to enjoy the moment with our food. The Culinary Festival begins with Anondomela (Anandamela) usually on the Panchami (fifth) or Shasti (sixth) day of the Navratri. In my childhood days, this was reserved for the Mashimas of the locality to showcase their culinary expertise and make some earning in the process. However, these days with the commercialisation at its peak, when the Puja Committees are spending thousands of rupees to build and decorate the pandals and protimas (idols) to show their superiority over others, the Anondomela too is no longer the exclusive bastion of the Mashimas but has given way to all and sundry. It is no longer a FOOD ONLY mela but brings in sellers of handicrafts, junk-jewelleries etc too.

I along with a friend of mine have just started a catering business in the niche market of children. But are yet to be operational in real sense, therefore we wanted to get the feel of the food business and what a better avenue than Anondomela where lots of children are expected (at least that’s how it was in my childhood. I have not been to any such melas for a long time!!). So, we with manoeuvring, we managed to get our first stall at Durgabari, Kailash Colony. We decided on homemade Mutton Shammi Kebabs and Sheekh Kebabs and had externally sourced Roomali Rotis as accompaniment. Both our families were very excited about this and Deepika volunteered to make Pudina (mint) chutney while Sangeeta made very yum Shammis. I mixed the ingredients for the Sheekh kebab and had it cooked in a neighbourhood tandoor (cooking furnace).

On the appointed day, we were all ready with a Microwave Oven to heat up the kebabs and decorated the stall table with flowers and posters enticing the people to come and savour our delicacies. We noticed that everyone else has done it exactly the same way. We felt nervous, what happens if no one comes to us? What will we do with so many kebabs?

But our apprehension was short lived, because, Bongs do not disappoint you, if you are serving them food! Slowly, the crowd built up at the venue and all they have in mind was food. And the splurging and gorging of food started with utmost dedication and zeal. Our stall was next to the drinking water point and that meant most of the people would venture in to that spot eventually and kebabs are truly a weakness with Bongs. We finished our stock of kebabs almost half hour before the closing time and were elated beyond words. We have surely made money but the elation was that we had managed finish our stock completely. With keen eye, one can observe this happiness in all cooks when their offered food is cleaned of the plate by the recipient/ diner.

Later that evening, we calculated our earnings and spending to realise that we have made a decent profit. We were excited and wanted to explore other venues where the mela was being held the next day. One such open option was K-Block, C R Park; where it was first-cum-first occupy the table. We decided to put up our stall but it was a daunting task as we had to buy the material and prepare the kebabs that very morning. We decided to take outside professional help as they would be able to make the kebabs much faster than us. We would provide the ingredients and supervise the process but use the professional kitchen to finish the cooking. The cooks did not disappoint us made the kebabs well in time for us to put up the stall at K-Block Anondomela.

We were told to reach the venue latest by 3 pm to register and occupy the table. We reached on time and not only occupied the table but had it decorated but there was no sign of any organising committee member who would do the registration. They came around 5:30 and thereafter it took a full hour to officially open the business. Unlike, the Durgabari, where all the stalls were allotted to only amateur cooks and too well in advance, here it was free-for-all with some C R Park street vendors also selling their dishes. There were handicraft and junk-jewellery stalls too and they must have been feeling the heat with all the aromas emanating from the food counters!

Anyways, very soon, we realised that our chosen counter is actually quite a distance away from the centre of food actions. It was almost 20/25 minutes after the opening that we made our first sale. May be because of our previous day experience we had overestimated our chances with a much bigger Puja venue at K-Block that we had increased our quantity of kebabs and Roomalis but looking at the pace of the sale at our counter started to feel little panicky. We also realised that the timings of the places were quite different, the Durgabari mela started around 7:30 pm which meant a lot of the people had our kebabs+roomali as dinner while at K-Block, it started at 6:30 which for Bongs was still a snack time and they preferred to have fish fries and cutlets rather than a full meal of kebabs and Roomalis roti.  At K-Block, the organisers had refused to provide any power points for our microwave oven to heat up the kebabs. Though the kebabs were kept in insulated containers but how long can it keep the kebabs hot?

We managed to sell our Shammi kebabs completely and about 60% of the Sheekh kebabs and Roomalis. We also posted a very slender profit for our efforts. In the process, we learned some valuable insights –

  1. Being amateur, you cannot compete with seasoned street vendors.
  2. Must keep in mind the time of the day and offer dishes accordingly.
  3. Keep the bite sizes small as well as the price.
  4. Must have dishes for both Vegetarians as well as Non-Vegetarians.
  5. Must have plan-B ready at all times.

Money making was not our objective for putting up the food counters but gaining experience in commercial aspect of the food business. We divided the left-over Sheekh kebabs amongst us which would serve us for at least 2-3 meals!!

My son Ayush was not expected to come for the Durga Puja due to his university festival that was taking place at the same time but he surprised us with flash appearance for precisely 30 minutes and gladly took the Sheekh Kebabs and Roomalis for his college friends.

Next year, perhaps, wiser with experience, will do it again, may even take up a Food Stall for the entire duration of the Puja days.

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” ― George Bernard Shaw

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What the Fuss?

The year was 1990, the four of us, myself, Deepika Sethi, Jolly Jain and Robin Sethi were sitting in a restaurant in Connaught Place after office. We ordered for beer asked the ladies what they will have. To that Jolly asked, “What is there in the menu?” Just for fun sake Robin said, “Jolly try this root beer, it’s quite good.” Jolly agreed and I asked Deepika if she too would have it, but she refused with her impeccable logic that the drink has ‘beer’ in it, therefore, untouchable for her. She settled for a sweet lime soda. For the main course, Robin and I had ordered Biryani while Deepika and Jolly ordered some vegetarian dishes as both are born vegetarians. While we were cribbing about the workload at the office and long hours, the food arrived and we concentrated in our respective food. Suddenly Jolly said, “Aranjit, can you put the mutton pieces on one side, the Biryani is smelling too tempting, I want to try out the rice part.” I was taken aback for a moment but readily did as requested. Jolly took a spoonful of Biryani rice and said “Its yummy yaar, wish I could eat this without guilt.”

Years have passed since that evening, Deepika and I had tied the knot and till this day she remains a vegetarian but not as staunch as her mother (my mom-in-law) who refused to eat cakes because it may contain egg (even in the eggless variety). Jolly too remains a vegetarian, buys eggless cakes for a festive occasion and laughs when reminded of that evening. Robin and I are hard core non-vegetarians and are omnivorous and so are our children. My son loves non-veg food as much as he loves Paneer preparations and Dal Makhni. In our home, there is an unwritten rule that 5 days in a week, we are Ovo-lacto-vegetarians i.e. egg and dairy is allowed but no meat and fish.

Four months after our marriage, my father passed away and on the sixth month we decided to establish our own home and separated out from the joint family. My mother decided to live with us and we unknowingly rented out a floor in a (so-called) vegetarian colony Soami Nagar next to Pancsheel Park in south Delhi. When we moved in the house, the landlord came to see us and said, “You are Bengali and I know you have non-vegetarian food, just ensure that you pack the bones etc separately and throw it in the garbage dump outside the colony. Also, if you can avoid making fish at home, that will be great.” I assured him that with two vegetarians among the three inhabitants, there will be no non-vegetarian cooking at home except on special occasions and further that I being a non-fish eating Bong, there will be no fish cooking at all. We stayed in that colony of vegetarians for over three years and never had any issues with any of our neighbours with regard to the food habits.

I am told that there are different kinds of vegetarians like –

  • Ovo Vegetarian – includes eggs but not dairy products
  • Lacto Vegetarian – includes dairy products but not eggs
  • Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian – includes animal/ dairy products such as egg, milk, honey
  • Vegans – excludes all animal flesh and products such as milk, honey, eggs besides any other item that is remotely associated with animals
  • Extreme Vegans – includes only fresh and uncooked fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables
  • Fruitarians – includes only fruit, nuts and seeds. Any other plant matters that can be gathered without harming the plants
  • Satviks – Also known as followers of yogic diet, include dairy (not eggs) and honey, but excludes anything from the onion or leek family, red lentils, mushrooms, blue cheeses, fermented foods or sauces, alcoholic drinks and often also excludes coffee, black or green tea, chocolate, nutmeg or any other type of stimulant such as excess sharp spices.
  • Buddhist vegetarianism – Different Buddhist traditions have differing teachings on diet, which may also vary for ordained monks and nuns compared to others. Many exclude not only all animal products but also vegetables in the alliums family (which have the characteristic aroma of onion and garlic): onion, garlic, scallions, leeks, chives, or shallots.
  • Jain vegetarianism – includes dairy but excludes eggs and honey, as well as root vegetables.

I remember my sister telling me that in her in-laws house, they make mutton curry without onions and garlic because these vegetables are considered amish by her father-in-law who was a renowned Pandit Ji. The chicken never entered the household, even today. The children relish it but have it outside at restaurants. Then someone in my office narrated an incidence of a colleague once commenting that he refrains from having non-vegetarian food on Tuesdays because the restaurants might use the same ladle (Karchhi) that he uses to pick up food with onion in it!!! To that, my comment was “What the Fuss?”

I fail to understand that how come vegetables and lentils are classified as non-vegetarian items? I am fortunate that in my extended family on both sides are filled with vegetarians, but none is fuss-pots with regard to the foods they have as long as it does not have meat/ egg in it. My wife does not take egg normally but is open to having it if the situation demands it.

I am of the view that food habit of people is determined by nature like so many other things. People living in the coastal areas are habituated in having fish as their staple food while people living in the land locked areas tend to depend on vegetables and other form of livestock. In other words, one cannot force the other to follow a certain food habit. The intolerance shown recently by few state governments of India in declaring Meat Ban during a festival of Jain community is totally uncalled for as was the social media flooding with gory pictures of slaughtered animals just before the Eid festival. In my locality, there is a particular eatery run by a Sardarji and serving mouth watering non-vegetarian fare is closed down voluntarily during the Navratras, twice a year. Then there are a few restaurants which serve complete vegetarian dishes that are without onions and garlic during the nine-day period. Same is true of all the famous restaurants at Pandara Road. All these actions are completely voluntary, no one forces them.

To all those (vegetarians) who claim to be animal lovers and tell us (omnivorous) to convert to vegetarian because one should not kill life forms, kindly remember that it has been proven that Plants too have life and you are killing them for your food. So please stop patronizing and let the Mother Nature decide how she wants to exist. Mother Nature has a unique system of balancing out the excesses that we humans inflict on her, be it the tsunami, avalanches, drought or sudden growth of vegetation in the otherwise arid region. Let us follow the concept of food-chain and not disrupt it in the name of religion, which I feel does more harm than any good to people. The dinosaurs have become extinct because they had no further utility for Nature and shall we humans too will vanish from the earth one day. Till then, let us enjoy our food in the ways we like it, you have your paneer delicacy and let me savour the biriyani. Amen!!

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Moksha

I exist therefore S/HE exists.

Recently my better half Deepika had a big launch of a program for which she had put in lots-n-lots of hard work. Still she was very apprehensive about the success of the launch and kept asking me, “What do you say, will it go well with leadership team?” As if I am the “know all” Almighty! However, just to calm her down, every time I would say, “Don’t worry everything will be alright and the program will be a success.” Honestly, I had absolutely no idea about the program efficacy as her job profile of a Human Resources Trainer was beyond the realm of my understanding. She went to Bangalore to launch the program which was webcast to involve huge number of employees at all corners of the world. I got a SMS in the evening of the launch day wherein she said “My launch went well. Relieved.” I was happy too as if it was the other way round, I would have a tough time! She came back later that night and first thing she said was “Tomorrow I have to go to Sai Temple and the Pahariwala Temple at Moti Bagh.” I asked “Why?” Because she is not a very religious person and her temple visits are very infrequent. Deepika said “Because I made a promise to visit these places if my program launch was successful.”

Last month, we had a get together (night-out) of classmates (friends) at Hotel Rajhans, Surajkund. We were meeting some of the friends after a gap of 8-9 years. The usual merriment started as soon as we checked in to our rooms. It was raining heavily since morning so no outdoor activity was possible. Amongst various topics that were discussed at random was the existence of God & Ghosts. I said “Both are imagination of fertile human minds.” My dear childhood friend (we were together since class 4) Bishu (Biswanath) retorted sharply “What are you talking about, Krishn is very real and so is Shiva and Rama. Don’t you know what Bhagwan Krishn said in the Bhagwat Geeta?” I was little taken aback by his reaction but just to poke him a little more “How can you believe in those stories in this 21st century? Grow-up, the Ramayan & Mahabharat are just stories given the epic status. The generations of Brahmins who wanted to rule the lesser mortals who were ignorant, and the Kshatriyas & Vaishyas helped in propagating these fabled tales, because it suited them too.”  Surprisingly I found there were many takers of my theory though some of them admitted that they do invoke the Blessings of the Almighty of their choice at times of extreme stress or crisis. The flip side of that discussion is, Biswanath is not talking to me since that day!

I gave the above two instances to highlight my point I EXIST THEREFORE SHE/ HE EXISTS. Let me clarify that I am not an Atheist but more of an Agnostic. I do not believe in the rituals of any religion or cult. I do not visit (for the purpose of praying) to any temple, church, mosque, gurdwara etc. because I strongly believe that God/ Almighty simply cannot reside in those places. In fact, I do not pray at all. However, I believe She/ He is everywhere, probably sitting right next to me and appreciating my efforts!

If one looks at the earliest civilization of the known world, people used to worship the Nature in its many forms viz. sky, air, water, fire, earth etc. The reason is simple, these were the elements that affected them, in their everyday life. Look at Greek or Roman civilization, you will find that they worshiped Gods of elements & issues that were closest to their heart, be it the nature or war or sea or music or love. Similarly, the earliest gods of Hindu mythology were Nature too, Indra, Varun, Pawan, Surya, Agni, Prithvi are some example. As the civilization grew, the number of Gods grew too. If you read the mythological stories about the Hindu God & Goddesses, you will perhaps realize that those are the pure and simple imaginations of a very fertile brain and as the years passed on they became even more fantastic and colorful. In every century, the stories got rewritten as per the demands of that time. The heroes & heroines got painted in more glory and eventually made a Deity.

I remember a story I read in Bangla in my adolescent years, it was titled Birth of a God. The story was about how a man creates a fable of god by using a stone and putting vermilion on it and placing it under a tree. In no time, the place becomes a place of worship and the man himself becomes the priest thereby earning his livelihood. I have seen many such instances in real life living in Delhi and these guys, to earn credibility, often times prefix PRACHIN to the name of the chosen god to depict the place viz. Prachin Hanuman Mandir or Prachin Bhairav Mandir etc.

Then came a period, when people got frustrated with the existing gods and looked towards cult figures which were later transformed into Gods or Demigods. I may get lynched for saying this but this cult figure becoming god perhaps started from time of Buddha followed by Mahavir, Jesus Christ, Mohammed and Guru Nanak et al. What is surprising is that none of these persons in their lifetime called upon their followers to transform him into God. What they preached was a simple basic way of life to live at that time. The main theme of the sermons of these great men can be surmised as –

  1. Love all creatures
  2. Protect the weak
  3. Provide shelter to the homeless
  4. Educate the uneducated
  5. Do not be adulterous
  6. Give alms to the needy
  7. Take care of the elderly and sick persons
  8. Be peace loving at all times

However, as time passed, some of the more opportunistic followers became leaders of each of these cults and decided on a course of action for the rest of them. The primary aim was to rule over the rest. Just like the Brahmins of Hinduism which with the help of successive Kshatriya Kings and ably supported by the Vaishyas (the business class) created a permanent caste system (that was earlier based on the professions) and established their fiefdom, the Priests, the Moulavis and the Monks created their own fiefdom by fear psychosis that if one do not follow their dictate, immense curse will befall on them. In the process the general mass of people has become GOD FEARING instead of GOD LOVING. In all religion, one thing was common, the downtrodden mass of people were neither encouraged nor were facilities provided to them to get educated. Again the reason was quite simple, an educated person will question the authority of the very establishment of these religion/ cults whereas the uneducated will blindly follow the faith, however illogical and unreasonable it may be.

In the modern days, you have some people being called as God Man or God Woman. These people do not project themselves as God but as a source of reaching out to God. In the process, they gather large number of followers and even larger wealth. The general public gets swayed by the sweet talk of these guys when they promise a heaven on this mortal world. These guys play with the fear, anxiety and stress of the people and create a Halo around self. They know that religion is the biggest and most potent intoxicant than alcohol and drugs put together. You can get out of the latter but there’s no way out of the former. They make you a slave of the faith sans any logic and reasoning.

In this world, only one relation provides unconditional love and that is the love of the Parents to the Child. More often it is a one-way traffic that is from parents to child and NOT vice-a-versa. You will see the mother and father lavishing their love on the most rascal son of theirs but seldom the other way round. I consider the Almighty to be my Father/ Mother and I am pretty certain that even if I am doing something sinful, He/ She will continue to love and shower me with His/ Her blessings. The Fear has no place in the Child-Parent relationship.

What will please the Almighty? There are few things, I feel, if we do, it will immensely please the Almighty and He/ She will shower you with His/ Her blessings for all times to come.

  1. Instead of feeding the idols in the temple, feed the hungry that lines up outside the temple.
  2. Instead of spending millions of money on different ceremonies, donate some part of it at least to the charity that takes care of the poor, sick and elderly.
  3. Take care of this earth; this is the only place in the whole universe that you can call your home.
  4. Educate the masses and only then you, as humanity can progress.
  5. Consider your parents as God and take care of them at old age when they need you the most.
  6. Be a friend to your child and guide him/ her to the path of righteousness.
  7. Never be afraid to say or hear the truth.
  8. Be tolerant but never doubt your faith in humanity.
  9. Remember, we may not know but all creatures in this world have their utility for the Mother Nature.
  10. Always be thankful that you are alive and enjoying the fruits of life.

You have one life, live it as virtuously as you can. There is no guarantee that there is a next life or even if it is there for arguments sake, you will not remember this life then. It will be a new beginning. Be Spiritual not Ritualistic. Remember all roads lead to One Moksha.

Posted on by Aranyascope · 1 Comment

Reservation… My Foot

Circa 1980….

A batch of 70+ graduation aspirants has just crossed the barrier of CBSE 12th Board Exams. The results are out, as expected, the science stream has done extremely well compared to the commerce and arts. The high rankers in the science stream got in to premier engineering institute, and the rest (most of them) in the north campus colleges of the Delhi University. There was one exception. This was my Langotia Yaar (childhood friend) who had pinned his hope of getting into Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technical University) having missed the IIT deadline. He could have joined any of the Regional Engineering Colleges (now NIT) but did not want to go out of Delhi for personal reasons.

His hopes of getting into DCE came crashing when he was told his PCM marks were short by 0.25%. His marks were 89.5% and the cut off for General Category was 89.75%. The irony came to light when another classmate with just 55% got into DCE based on his Caste Certificate.

He was heartbroken so were we, the last benchers who had managed to get into lesser colleges with our second division marks. After much persuasion from family and friends he went to a distant country to do his engineering and passed out with flying colours. Gained valuable international exposure and is well settled in life today.

So what happened to the other classmate who went DCE flaunting his Caste Certificate? The details are sketchy as to when he dropped out but Drop Out definitely, but after a year or even before are still not known. He eventually did his graduation in Bachelor of Arts (General), got into Govt. service, again flaunting his CC. He is still in govt. job, risen a few steps up the ladder, but that’s it. Will retire in a few years, having done nothing notable for himself or the society.

I mentioned the above to highlight the anomalies of the Reservation Policy being followed in India. It is there for over 60 years and nothing much has changed. Even the proponent of the reservation, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar also did not propose it to be for infinite number of years. Initially, it was expected to last for a decade or two, but courtesy our Vote Bank Politics, the Reservation Policy has become an integral part of our life. The caste politics has created a number of monsters and have been a hindrance to the growth of the country.

I am not against reservation but DEAD AGAINST RESERVATION BASED ON CASTE. The reservation should be SOLELY based on ECONOMIC condition till the SCHOOL level. Thereafter, MERIT should be the only criteria for getting into institutes.

Recently, Roorkee IIT, threw out over 100 students because of extreme low academic performance. But then the latest news says these students have been taken back due to pressure from the political groups that are thriving on reservation. Just imagine these are the ones that will get into govt organisation based on their CC and many would be responsible for making high-rise buildings, bridges etc. Without acquiring any real knowledge, they pose a much greater danger to the society than the terrorists!!! It is same in the field of medicine too, where some just managed to scrape through and become healers in govt. hospitals. No wonder, that so many patients die due to negligence; actually it is not negligence but ignorance of the subject that kill these hapless patients.

No other country in the world has this kind of reservation policy. The govt of the day must take corrective actions on reservation policy immediately if INDIA is to rise as Developed Nation. The country cannot afford to promote mediocrity any more…

Posted on by Aranyascope

First Post – One Liners

Without my bald moments, I wouldn’t be me.

If I do not procrastinate, what will I do tomorrow?

Insanity is the spice of life, embrace your inner crazy self, because that’s what keeps life interesting.

I follow my dog’s advice on stressful situations on life, sniff, piss and walk away.

A large peg of whiskey is always a solution, even if there’s no problems.

Nothing like a large peg of whiskey to put me in mood… for another… and then another…

People don’t hate me for speaking the truth but because they’re not brave enough to listen.

I am now absolutely positive that I have no idea what I’m doing.