Aphorism: Ahimsa

Meek shall never inherit the earth.

Personally I believe in giving as good as I get, sometimes more than that.
And I have no compunction in using weapons to save my life or my country.

State of BJP

Via Slimes

BJP to ask for removal of Sonia Gandhi

I am not an admirer of Sonia Gandhi or for that matter Gandhi – Nehru dynasty.
If I had my way I will deport the sorry bunch to Burkina Faso or Ulan Bater.

But that is not the issue. The problem here is that BJP is direction less. It happened as soon as it assumed power at the centre, compulsions of coalition politics meant that it had to put its core agenda on the back burner. It never had any economic agenda to speak of (or for that matter any political party).

However as long as it was in power there was any need for it. But since it lost elections it is running like a headless chicken. From one issue to another issue it is stumbling along the way squandering countless opportunities presented to it on so many occasions. Its reactions in their partisan tenor have been of almost reflexive nature. Unless it formulates a coherent strategy, it will continue to blunder along. That doesn’t mean that it can not come to power, if Indian politics teaches anything, it is that success is remarkably content free and intelligence neutral. However as an ardent BJP supporter I think I deserve more than just another version of Congress.

There is an issue of leadership. I have two names one is Sushma Swaraj. I know libertarians and moral bandits will snicker on the choice, but frankly speaking I could care less about brain dead issues such as sexual liberty and blah blah blah.
Another one is Arun Shourie, I know he is hardly a popular leader, but he posses the intellectual power to forge a coalition.

Blog-A-Thon on Women harassment

There is Blog-a- Thon (by Blank Noise Project) current underway on women harassment such as eve teasing and physical intimidation. I have not much to say about it.
I have read innumerous accounts of this and I find it is detestable. However fortunately, I have never witnessed anything of this nature.
But I have heard few accounts. One was how few students made it a point to grope girls in disco held during our annual spring festival. Second was how at one time one friend of mine felt some one up. As I said I find it disgusting beyond description.

But ultimately if this has to stop, public has to stop take it lying down. While writing blogs about it is something I appreciate, I don't think it will stop the reprehensible acts, as greatbong has pointed out.

There is another point, generally if a girl were to accuse a boy in crowd, the boy will be beaten first and then handed to police and then may be asked for question.

Fortunately speaking, I have hardly experienced (being ascetic and all) or witnessed it. Unfortunately for me, however once I had a rather irritating experience, I and my friends were watching a movie in theatre, next to us a couple was sitting with girl next to my friend.

Now girl asked one of my friends to cut down the noise, since the whole hall was noisily making the comments (including ironically the couple), my friend refused to do so, politely pointing out that the couple was itself noisy.

What happened next was unexpected. The boyfriend misunderstood my friend (who I must say is a honorable man) and started fighting, the girl also joined, soon guys (and girls) in front and back started supporting the couple assuming that we had done something wrong. Ultimately ushers asked us to change the seats, which we refused to do, they were going to throw us out, but then my friend managed to convince them we had done nothing to girl.Ultimately the boy and the girl swapped the seats.

We were lucky as girl also agreed the fact, but if she had said anything to contrary out of annoyance, we would have humiliated for sure or probably beaten, because there was no way we were going to take it lying.

Terror comes to UP

Terror arrived today to the holy city of Varanasi. As has been the pattern, the blast at Sankat Mochan Temple targeted women and children. (Via rediff and Pankaj)

That is the problem that Indian secularist do not understand.
Terrorism or fundamentalism do not start with a bang but it creeps slowly until it reaches a tipping point.
It is in vested interest of our secularist to ignore warnings and when it happens just act shocked.
What a bunch of bleeping morons!

And let us make no mistake this is an attack on Hindus, and for that reason I am sure that either secular apologists will sweep it under carpet or sweeten it (if that is possible) as "attack on nation".

Oh ! it has already started, the irony is that BJP is as much responsible for softening on Pakistan as Congress or our secular dolt in media. The second irony is that if anything it will end up harming Muslims in the end, towards whom apparently media acts so protectively. Ofcourse it doesn't care about Muslims. It has to destroy Hinduism and Muslims provide a shoulder (sometimes unknowingly, sometimes knowingly) for them to shoot.

As soon as this settles the old canard of how there is no Al Qaida in India will start.
My foot it is

I agree with this totally,

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living: “Terrorists are specially attacking the Hindu community. Today, Hindus are feeling completely unsafe.”

Update:
Well thought posts by Cynical Nerd here , here and here.
A brief post by Nitin.
A must read by Greatbong, and when I say must it means must.
Expectedly usual bunch of secularists are either silent or coming up with this.

Another Update:

Sandeep has expressed his frustation with the "secular media".

The priest of secularism has spoken.

The message,

"While India needs to take all possible steps to hunt down the terrorists and to secure our people, we must understand the likely nature of these provocations and not create an excuse for Pakistan's many friends in Washington to snub President Bush's deal with India.
It is India's measured response to even the most extreme Pakistani provocation that will, ironically, emerge as the fitting epitaph for the idea of Pakistan."

In normal language,

"Bend over and grease up. Do not complain. It is a matter of prestige for Dear Leader Sonia Gandhi"

I wonder when it comes to attack against Hindus, why do secularists lose their power of virulent rhetoric and sound so lame. But then Hindus are cheap, I mean how can be there a sob story for the majority.

Polemics of Dalit Activism

I am wary of so called Dalit Activists. Chandrabhan Prasad is one such fine example. Going through his columns I fail to understand what is he aiming for.
If it were for upliftment and progress of Dalits I could have understood it.
And yet even a cursory reading will be sufficient to establish the fact that whatever the intentions, the writer spends much of energy and space in ranting against upper caste. I do not deny the fact that there is a sufficient ground for any Dalit Activist to be irate.

I accept that casteism has been a bane of our society and Dalits have been oppressed. I will not speculate the origins or intentions of caste, it might have social stratification or it might have been racism, but let it be said whatever the intentions, the effect of caste has been most pernicious not only on the oppressed caste, but also on Indian society.

However what I do not understand is how a Dalit Activist proposes to resolve this. So far my experience has been that Dalit Activists are more interest in visceral hared against Upper castes, than any constructive program. The ire and anger towards upper caste is so absolute and all encompassing, it makes one wonder that this hostility is more a result of resentment than any serious contemplation.

The language of Dalit Activist is that of a polemicist. His enemy is each and every person belonging to upper caste.
I belong to upper caste, I did not choose to be one, it was just a matter of birth and for me caste identity holds least importance.
Neither I nor any member of family (immediate or extended) has ever discriminated against dalits either consciously or unconsciously.
Therefore I fail to understand ire of Dalit Activist towards me, or my family, because he directs his bile towards, all sparing none. In doing so, by marking me as an object for hatred and contempt, he is perpetuating casteism.
Instead of obliterating caste identities, he is just making them stronger.

But the matter doesn’t stop here, while creating a permanent enemy helps in consolidating the constituency, it does nothing to uplift them. On the contrary by aggravating social division it works against dalits.

Dalit Activist professes to work for Dalits. Yet by slandering Hinduism he causes acrimony and division. Blinded by pseudo – scientific theories of racial division between upper castes and lower caste, it seeks to create separate and antagonistic identities. Neither is this intellectually honest, while caste oppression has been a feature of Hindu society for long time, so is the fact that social reformers and saints have worked against it.

The final result is that it will work against Dalits, but in all probability that is the intention of these activists.

PS To understand his rhetoric, see rig vedic budget, according to gentlemen the lack ofo reform (or industrilization) is not due to obstructionist policies of communist thugs but becauase of brahiminnical conspiracy. Also note the wonderful comparision between Dalits and Dasyus.
The irony is that as far as I remember Chidambaram is hardly a brahmin or for that matter pro- Hindu.

State of West

An interesting post by Amit Ghate concerning western civilization. (via lgf)

I agree for the most past. West is indeed an intellectual descendant of Ancient Greeks, even Roman Empire for most part was extension of Greeks. Where Romans excelled was in modifying the institutions which were robust enough to handle the extent of Roman Empire. If I may be pardoned the geek slang, Roman architecture was scalable.
Here I will beg to differ from the writer, while influence of Greek is most visible on west, role of Judea- Christian ethos is also significant.

Christians were persecuted by Romans for their belief and practice before Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as state religion. Therefore Church developed an early antagonism towards roman ethos. The reason because Church became so popular in the first place because Rome had descended to hedonism, (refer this post). That said early church borrowed a lots of idea from Greeks, especially Plato. That was one of the reason that Greek wisdom survived even if dormant. In addition to this Ten Commandments and Gospels helped establish an egalitarian society. Overall the relation between modern west, ancient Greek and Christianity is complicated.

As I have said before that when Indians think of west, we fail to appreciate the history behind west. West was not built in a day. Further it is my belief that Indic civilization holds as much promise as, if not more than Greek civilization.
Also Indian ethos and Greek ethos complement and compete at the same time.

Lastly more than radical Islam west should be more concerned about itself.
West is again sinking into a state of morass arising out of absolute individualism and hedonism. West might again go the way of Romans.

Party Pooper

There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Although I am not an economist, I think that much of the debate in blogosphere regarding Indian Economy can be summarized in the above quote. I am afraid that much of acrimony regarding prediction of Indian Economy and it's comparison with China while not exactly tarot card reading, is nevertheless an exercise in speculation based on overstretched assumption resulting in expectation which can only be termed as irrational exuberance.

Why do I feel like this? Consider the problem that Indian growth is sustainable or just flash in the pan? Now not being an expert on it, I do not know.

What I do know is that there are significant roadblocks; one is dismal condition of infrastructure. Another is less than flattering education standards, yet another is dysfunctional administrative structures, controlled market and restrictive labor laws.

Sure they are mentioned as a footnote in any essay, but I have yet to see their detailed analysis in either media or blogosphere.

I am afraid that either people have become overconfident or worse assuming that all things will remain constant. And that is what I am afraid of; our competitors are catching up all the time.

Reforms have been stalled at least till 2009, Indian industries are still pygmies compared to global giants and it is not clear to me whether they will be able to scale up or not.

Further the opportunity cost is steadily increasing, for example toys manufacturing. India is suitable placed to leverage as it is possible to acquire technical know how as well as there is a robust domestic demand, however since it is reserved for small scale industry, there is a situation where market is inundated with Chinese imports.

Another example is shipbuilding and ports, both of these industries are labor intensive and as such Indian and them are made for each other and yet there is hardly any movement. These issues are important and in my view serious enough to spoil the party.

That is the reason I remain skeptical of rosy analysis.