Pseudo-secularism vs. Communalism

The year 2009 is an election year and this will be the first Lok Sabha elections in my adulthood. So it is only fitting that I write my first post in 2009 about it. Post 26/11 attacks, the right-wing have already started campaigning against the soft stand of the Congress-led UPA government on terrorism. Terrorism will be one of the major election issues for the BJP. The campaign is not without substance as pseudo-secularism was seen in its worst forms during the UPA government’s tenure. The government has failed on many counts but most visibly it has failed to protect us from the constant lingering threat of terrorism. They certainly don’t deserve to get a new term. If not the UPA, who else? The China-empathizing Left are far worse in such issues. So will the BJP-led NDA provide a more credible government? Not really, if the BJP suddenly realizes out of the blue just before the elections that they have a Ram Mandir to be built.

The leftist or left of centre parties denigrate the right-wing organizations by saying that terrorism has no religion and sympathize with the innocent muslims, who at times are targetted because of the mistakes of a few in their community. But when some of these parties also support the fanatic muslim organizations in an attempt to woo the muslim votebank, it enters into the territory of pseudo-secularism. Pseudo-secularism can be said to be a form of communalism. These parties can go to any extent to preserve the muslim votebank.

On the other hand the right-wingers may feel that the liberal media unfairly label activities by any fanatic who happened to be a hindu as hindu terrorism and don’t follow the same yardstick for muslim fanatics. While the media do have their biases, some of the right-wing supporters in the online fora also have a tendency to call anyone opposing them as pseudo-seculars or the now fashionable term “sickulars”. While the political parties have votes to be won by appeasing the minority and people related to these parties have lots to benefit, common people who have nothing to do with politics have no such incentive. Such rants only show the frustration of some of the right-wingers. They believe that hindutva will help tackle the problem of pseudo-seculars and bring justice to the majority population. However such a pro-hindu attitude only alienates the muslims making them prone to pseudo-secularism, which the pseudo-secular parties easily exploit. Thus pseudo-secularism only increases. It would do a lot good to its credibility if the BJP can dissociate itself from the far right. The people support the concept of hindu rashtra anyway have no other alternative in mainstream Indian politics. But the hindus who are more casual about their religion will actually be able to relate with BJP as a party with a difference as compared to the dynastic Congress.

Most of the inclinations towards a party are developed not because of good governance and policies shown by the party but rather because of hatred towards the ideology shown by the other party. In this respect pseudo-secular and communal parties feed over each other. One wouldn’t have existed if not for the other. While people can argue which is reactionary, it’s like arguing the chicken came first or the egg. And let us assume if one can be established as reactionary, even then can it be justified?

The sad fact is that today there is no secular party in mainstream Indian polity. For many, it becomes a case of supporting the lesser evil. To oppose pseudo-secular parties, people support communal parties and vice-versa. Those who claim to be secular would invariably have some other votebank to appease based on region or caste, if not religion. However we must realize that it is we who make the votebank. During election time the parties get into campaigning for their votebanks because votebank politics succeeds. How many would be able to overcome their party loyalties and vote for the party that may be presenting with the right issue? How many would be willing to support Congress in one state and BJP in the other depending on the performance? The onus is only on us to vote on real issues.

Yes We Khan!

Firstly, I hope Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor forgive me (keeping in mind the good times we’ve had!) for not giving space to their current beaus. But this is about the much-hyped SRK vs. Aamir. We don’t know whether there is any substance in the stories related to their rivalry; or whether it is just a creation of the media and bloggers like me and uhh…..(never mind), who have nothing better to write. They may give their politically correct statements in interviews like “I am competitive only with myself and I just try to outdo myself with each movie.” But the timing of their releases Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini have both of them hitting straight into each other’s market during this New Year season.

SRK, who was earlier seen in 6-pack abs, is trying to target the average Indian males for a change. The nerdy average Indian male with a moustache, who is always seen in white shirts and has little life beyond office, would feel inspired by the movie that even he can be a hero. Aamir on the other hand has got yet another hairstyle for his movie, which he’s trying to cash in by becoming a barber. He also retorts, “If you can get 6-pack abs, I can get 8-pack abs. Take that!”

I happened to see both the movies back-to-back. Die-hard SRK and Aamir fans can debate which movie was better. For someone like me, who is neither and yet likes them both, I enjoyed both the movies. Also as the New Year approaches, I could derive a lot of positives from the two movies, drawing a lot of similarities.

Post 26/11, both have been equally quick to express their thoughts about the attacks and terrorism as well. Sources from the two superstars tell us that their movies also had strong messages to convey. SRK tells us that if a seemingly meek Suri can win against a Sumo wrestler and also turn into a flamboyant Raj to woo his wife, then we can have some hopes from the Indian Government who have been soft towards terrorism. Ghajini was a slap in the face for the Indian intelligence agencies. Aamir shows that a person who can remember for only 15 minutes and who knows only the name of the villain, can chart out all the details for his mission in a sophisticated manner in his flat. The Indian security agencies that rarely have any clues about the terrorist activities should take a cue from him. He also unearthed a budding athlete in Jiah Khan who showed her talent while chasing the cop and the monster, and then later while getting chased by the monster. The future of Indian athletics is indeed bright after the dismal performance in Beijing 2008.

As I came out of the theatre, I saw a few politicians buying movie tickets, eager to find the hidden Raj in their Sarkar Raj who could bring smiles to the Indian citizens. It certainly brought a smile in my face as I could hope for new rays of light in the year 2009. Way to go Khans. Yes We Khan!

The hypocrisy of caste

When Arjun Singh announced the increase in reservations for OBCs to 27% in educational institutes like IIMs, IITs etc.; it created a furore. People were angry; some joined Youth for Equality protesting the politically motivated divisive policy of the UPA government while some premier institutes like AIIMS held demonstrations against reservations. I was amongst them who were against this increase based on the 1931 census. I didn’t like it when the policy was given a green signal minus the creamy layer in April 2008 as I wasn’t sure how the “creamy layer” would be excluded. On top of that the government in its order on 13th October 2008 raised the income criterion from Rs. 2,50,000 to Rs. 4,50,000. It is mainly these creamy layers who continually benefit from the reservations and the poor oppressed lower caste people remain so. The Supreme Court had observed, “Reservation cannot be permanent and appear to perpetuate backwardness.” A few days ago, the apex court asked the government to explain the change in criterion, which virtually excludes everyone from the creamy layer and defeats its earlier ruling. But there is something else that also frets me in this issue.

During the protests I saw many people saying things like “Reservations should be banned”, “Caste system should be eradicated from the society”, “Only meritocracy should be followed”. While some might be genuinely espousing these thoughts, I really wonder how many of these people actually follow their words in totality. You would find the same people who say these words following casteism in their personal lives.

In Mumbai there are colleges having quotas for north Indians, south Indians, sindhis, gujratis, muslims, etc. When the Indian Constitution supports reservations for lower castes, it can be questioned; then why not when it supports linguistic minority based quotas in educational insititutes. At least reservations based on caste hold some weight that they have been oppressed for hundreds of years but what weight do linguistic quotas hold? Surely they haven’t been underprivileged! People who say that reservations should be banned when it’s given to the OBCs also willingly take admissions in these colleges with the help of reservations based on linguistic quotas!

Caste system still exists in the Indian society because people make it alive. Even today there are many parents who wouldn’t allow their children to be married to a lower caste. Some might not believe in the caste system from their heart but would give in to the demands of the society. It is especially difficult for families of upper caste women to accept inter-caste marriages. While one should pay heed to what the public may say about you, there are certain issues where one should be willing take a bold stand. Although the instances of inter-caste marriages are seen more now, they are still few and are between and it is still widely seen as a taboo today. This phenomenon exists not only in rural India but also in the urban society, which can be seen from the matrimonial columns which are sectored on the basis of caste. Even today many urban youth have prejudices against the so-called ‘lower caste mentality’ and would never think of marrying them. They even join the communities of their caste on orkut. The same people who said that caste system should be eradicated when it came to reservations for OBCs!

Sheer Hypocrisy! The caste system is bad when it is against you and it is fine to follow it when it favours you! It is fashionable to be anti-reservations and make the aforementioned statements but it is a different thing altogether to practise it in your life.

The western world criticize Hinduism for the caste system which is unfair because the Vedas subscribe to caste system based only on deeds and occupation and not by birth. Also there have been only few cursory references of castes in the Vedas. However it is a reality today that Hinduism is contaminated with gross misinterpretation of the caste system based on birth. There were Hindu reformist organizations setup like Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj who denounced totally the caste based discrimination. More such efforts are required to get rid of this social evil.

There are those who feel that the current caste system must be eradicated by practising caste by occupation. But even if interpreted by occupation and not by birth, the issue of hierarchy in the caste system would not go. In a recent news, it was said that RSS was striving to reform kids from the lower caste converting them from Shudras to Brahmins by teaching them Vedas. While it is a welcome step, it doesn’t help solve the problem of hierarchy. The word “reform” suggests that Brahmins > Shudras and those kids should be apologetic towards them being Shudras earlier. This superiority complex is unfortunately there in many so-called upper castes. Don’t know how many Brahmins would like to do the work of Shudras or would be willing to be converted to Shudras! Even amongst the lower castes, there is constant infighting on which caste is superior over the other. The hierarchy has been set in over hundreds of years, which makes even the original interpretation of caste system unthinkable.

We may think that the times are changing and people are beginning to move over caste. But even today there are several instances of discrimination at workplace. Lower caste people even resort to hiding their surnames to avoid exploitation. Poor lower caste people are susceptible to be converted to Christianity or Islam for money. Some Christian and Muslim elite also encourage the caste system as it helps them to develop ethnic superiority over these lover caste converts as well. I won’t support the missionaries who convert them but one can’t blame the people who get converted if their life improves financially by being converted. Organizations like Bajrang Dal and VHP would do better to concentrate on achieving equality of castes so that the lower caste people don’t fall prey to conversions than targeting these missionaries. The missionaries at least do a good job providing high quality education. I have done all my schooling in a missionary school and I am certainly proud of it.

Reservations seem to be a necessary evil today but is not a permanent solution and cannot be allowed to exist forever. The effectiveness of reservations can be questioned on whether it really goes to the needy and also whether it helps to improve their social class. Politicians thrive on caste-based vote-bank politics and will never allow the current caste system to go away from India. But instead of always blaming the politicians and the social system, think about yourself first whether you have been casteist in any way. The society being free from casteism, where there are no “upper” or “lower” castes seems to be a utopian world now! But we can make individual efforts to mitigate the effects of casteism in the Indian society by not being casteist ourselves. This will certainly help weaken the argument for reservations so that it can be eliminated once and for all. Maybe not today, but our future generations may not have to fill their caste in school forms. Till then people will be born in India, either to rule or to be ruled.

Murphy's Law

God decided to have a competition in heaven to decide which person has come up with a law that is most universally acceptable. The seemingly obvious result was declared and Sir Isaac Newton was the winner. All came forward to congratulate Newton including Albert Einstein and various scientists who contributed in Quantum Mechanics. However one person was sitting alone in the corner and gazing at the applause generated by Newton, apparently nonplussed by all that happened. He was Edward Aloysius Murphy.

Murphy is amazed why his law didn't win despite the publicity

After seeking advice from his best friend Yhprum, who had come up with his own law "Everything, that can work, will work", Murphy decided to appeal. The Appeal’s committee comprised of Sir Don Bradman, Alexander the Great and the famous Tinkle character Supandi. To make it fair and to get a perspective from the today’s world, it was also decided that there will be some representation from the earth. I, as the author of The World of Uncommon Sense, was invited to be a part of the committee.

The meeting of the Appeal’s Committee was convened where Newton and Murphy were also present. Newton argued that Murphy’s Law is a law for the pessimists. Only those who want to find a scapegoat for their mistakes believe in Murphy’s Law. Bradman was first to rebuff, “I support Mr. Murphy in his appeal. After having an average of around 100 in my career, it had to happen that I get out for a duck in my last innings. Now I am stuck with a career average of 99.94, grrr.”

Bradman recalls him getting clean bowled in his last innings

Alexander the Great added, “I am regarded as one of the greatest kings of all time and I guess I am undefeated in battle. By the time of my death, I had conquered most of the world known by ancient Greeks. No man could kill me. But it had to happen that I die of malaria because of a stupid little tiny-miny mosquito!” Everyone looked in disbelief over the startling revelation about the mystery of Alexander’s death. God interrupted the silence by declaring, “I summon the mosquito to a hearing after this to decide whether he should be demoted to hell or not.”
Shocked by Alexander's allegation, the mosquito claims that it is a conspiracy by Murphy

Meanwhile everyone looked at Supandi for some inputs. Surprised by the attention he was receiving, he said, “Mmmm...I don’t know what Murphy’s Law is.” Looking at God’s unimpressed face and eager to prove that God didn’t make a mistake by choosing him in the committee, he tried to rack his 'brain'. He explained, “It is not that I don’t know about Murphy’s Law. It’s just that.....that it has to happen that I forget about Murphy’s Law when someone asks me."

I was asked whether in my world of uncommon sense, I have experienced Murphy’s Law. I replied, “It always happens, when I leave out something for the exam, it has to come. The most awaited football matches are always scheduled during my exams. The amount I study is inversely proportional to the time left before the exam. I remember the answers only once I am out of the examination hall. The net always disconnects or my computer always hangs when I am chatting with someone important. My friends are never online when I am. There will always be some disturbance in an important phone call. I receive automated calls only while I am in roaming. The day I have something important early in the morning, the alarm clocks will never work. I am habitually late for class. But when I am punctual, noone is there to appreciate me. In class I am asked a question by the professor, exactly when I have stopped paying attention. I will never get a shortlist in the company of my choice. In chess my opponent never plays the opening I prepare. Err, the worst of it, is Murphy’s Law with girls. Whenever a conversation with a girl gets interesting, someone joins in the conversation. A girl who is beautiful has to be dumb. I would invariably come across a hot girl with her parents. Hot girls are always there in the senior or junior batches but never in my batch, sob sob.” And I dejectedly sat back on my chair.

Murphy concluded his stance by saying that Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation weren’t applicable in heaven. Whereas here he was expecting to win the competition but it had to happen that he won’t win. He thus squealed in disgust, “My laws are applicable even in heaven!”

Justice was imparted and Murphy’s appeal was upheld. As the news of the appeal disseminated across the heaven, taking pride at the sense of justice, God exclaimed, “No wrong will ever happen in heaven!”

The blogging bug

Finally the blogging bug has caught me as well! Alas I overcome my laziness!

I am a fun-loving and jovial person who can chat endlessly. Friendship means the most to me. With my friends I can go on and on and can be the most talkative person you would find. I love to banter along, play pranks with my friends and can persistently tease them to death!

But my friends also say that I am quiet at times. I like my moments of silence and solitude. I generally don’t like to argue, especially verbally - one reason I never took part in debates during my school and college life, not that I was good at it! I have enjoyed many fruitful discussions with my friends on various topics especially in my hostel life and I really cherish all the bakar we had. But I tend to shy away from serious arguments.

I am not fond of people who are very rigid with their views. It’s not that a consensus has to be reached or someone has to change his or her mind for a discussion to be deemed good, but I don’t like it when someone is stubborn and not open or receptive to other person’s views. Thankfully many people are not like that but my shyness deters me from arguments even with them.

Even though I feel I have been very straightforward with my close friends, I am liable to be diplomatic on many occasions with others. Sometimes even being silent can be diplomatic. At times I have also been manipulative. Even with close friends I have been more of a good listener with honest opinions than someone who would voice out my own thoughts and problems.

I do have my views on various issues and through this blog I hope to put forth them in a more unequivocal manner. Writing is something that comes more naturally to me. As a mode of expression I prefer writing over most others as here one can properly channel one’s thoughts and express in one go. So here I come!

Disclaimer: Even though the title of the blog is inspired from the saying “Common Sense is very uncommon”, I don’t intend to be didactic and take a standpoint that my view is the rational view. The word “uncommon” can be rather connoted as unconventional. I would encourage comments from the readers, especially if it’s negative that could open my eyes to the fallacies in my outlook.