On memoir

Here are two good articles on Shri L. K. Advani's memoirs, first by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and second by Swapan Das Gupta. Both have their merits.

Swapan Das Gupta is naturally more sympathetic to the memoir, but he has limited the scope to focus on Kandhar episode. This episode of course put national security credentials of BJP under permanent question mark. Blaming secular establishment for being fifth column, while theoretically with merit is for political purpose futile. The only way to reclaim the credentials is to accept the mistake and formulate a coherent and strong security policy with firm commitment to follow through.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta's review of the book is more edifying, in emphasizing Advani's role in transforming Indian polity in fundamental way. Ram Janam Bhoomi movement altered the political landscape permanently by creating a political awareness among Hindus as Hindus thus ensuring the discourse at least at political level will have to take cognizance of Hindu identity.
Of course this is hardly the end of road for cultural right, as I have pointed out earlier much of intellectual discourse as well as information dissemination and education infrastructure is still a secular monopoly and which must be dismantled before nationalism as a project may succeed.
This goal doesn't sit easy with demands of electoral politics, that and absence of substantial debate are the reasons why BJP finds itself in an intellectual stasis.

A glaring example being this fascination with Gandhian socialism, which contradicts even the earliest position of Jan Sangh which was pro market.

Saving Indian Tiger

Dear minions, I am ashamed to admit that for once I find myself in agreement with insufferable Jerry Rao when he argues that best way to conserve tiger is allowing its commercial exploitation
Sometime last year the fallen one had raised essentially the same point, at that time I vehemently disagreed. Looking back, I can't figure out my reason for doing it, but I kind of feel stupid about it.
On the other hand Ritwik has disagreement with it and makes a convincing case.

God is dead

Celebrate Earth hour. What a sad spectacle ! And even sadder cult.

Myself ? I choose hour of power.

By George !

There is a good case that George Fernandes should be kept in margins, somehow he seems to relish it. Behold George firing on all cylinders. Flip side ? Well it gets really nasty when he turns on his side.

"India has surrendered to China and is not taking any bold stand on the independence of Tibet," Fernandes said, while speaking at a function organised by the Regional Tibet Youth Congress, in Vadodara in Gujarat on Sunday.

Now this is rich...

via rediff.

"Over a dozen policemen, including Superintendent of Police and ASP Bijnore Gyan Singh and Man Singh Chauhan, were injured in Sisoli village when police tried to arrest Tikait, who had made derogatory statement against Mayawati at Kisan Swabhiman Rally held in Bijnor on Sunday," Assistant Director General (Law and Order) Brijlal told media persons in Lucknow.

An FIR had been registered against the BKU leader under the SC/ST Atrocities (prevention) Act (Emphasis mine).

Why Indian blogosphere suck

Desi John Galt and some other dude engage in sissy fight for Nth time (N being a large number).
Goat lover links to the fight and does some stereotyping of his own. The idiots at DP link to whole silliness. I am left with commenting upon whole silliness.

Hey Bhagwan !

Politics Of Mahatma

I have been meaning to address a minor point raised by xyzji in this comment. The point was that Mahatma was a clever politician. To be sure, I have heard this comment many times earlies, but never agreed with it, for one, Congress before independence was more of a platform for freedom movement and less of a political party, but even where there was political side to Congress there is hardly any evidence that Mahatma was involved in political process and maneuvering. He was not concerned with organizations or elections as well. His involvement in Congress was mostly restricted to mass mobilization. i.e. as a movement leader.

Now its true he did intervene in rare cases, but that was hardly for political reasons and more due to ideological ones. In fact his action of nuking Subhash Chandra Bose betrays absence of political sensibility.

Now there is another charge less often heard which has some merit, that Mahatma was a demagogue, nevertheless it is also incorrect. While it its true that the movement led by Mahatma was a mass movement, one which supplanted the earlier middle class he never pandered to the masses. If the masses followed him it was because they were attracted to his ideals, not the other way. In fact as the example of Chauri Chaura shows he stood up to the masses when he felt that they were on wrong path.

I think my earlier analysis stands. Mahatma was a fanatic but not necessarily of any ideological bent, but consumed by desire for spiritual cleansing, a desire which turned his outlook increasingly self focussed, to the exclusion of any other perspective. A common failing for a Hindu.