The World is Round

                                                  The World is Round

Recently I was invited to speak at a conference. Such invitations for the retired people act as occasional oasis in the desert period before the onset of total dotage.  In the seminars and conferences where topics relate to ushering in a new world of peace, harmony, love, compassion etc – to all old world values, in short  a utopian world, most of the invitees are grey haired persons, walking gingerly with strained and pained looks, waiting to flash a flicker of smile  to dispel any perception of their sad looks as an index of their disapproval of the new era that seems to have neither the understanding nor the need to have such a utopian old  world. The only young people around in such conferences are those who look after the arrangements of the conference hall, hand over the bouquets and seminar bags to the invitees, cater to tea and biscuits  and lunch for all those present and usher them in and out of the hall. They do not have the least interest in the proceedings because they are far removed from that old world being recreated by the octo- and septuagenarians besides a few comparatively younger sexagenarians who walk with bolder strides as though they are still in their youth. So basically all these conferences with awesome intellectual captions and headings turn out to be geriatric conferences for the old, by the old and of the old. All the senior participants in attendance are well acquainted with each other for many decades and in every such gathering, they greet each other heartily with great enthusiasm  as though they are meeting after a long, long time. It is like the three Service Chiefs getting introduced to the President on the Republic Day by the Defence Minister as though the President had not known them before.

I had accepted the invitation with alacrity beyond the common impulse of an elderly person to stay at home. Such invitations make me feel wanted and give me the status of an elderly stateswoman recognized for my formidable qualities of head and heart, for wisdom and humaneness (though in my earlier years I had not received any special attention for these qualities). I reckoned that this must be true of all my fellow seminarists assembled in the hall. All of us were waiting for our turn to display those qualities that had got us the invitation. None of us was listening to the other speakers as we were all rehearsing our own words of wisdom. We knew in advance that every speech will attract a round of applause and generous tribute from the chair person- who in turn would receive similar acclaim from each one of us.

It is my custom to mail my speech to my siblings and a few select friends- again in expectation of generous praise from them  which out of courtesy they would lavish on me) for my felicity of expression and for the  profound content of my address. This time around, I sent the speech with the heading “Ripeness is all: Wisdom of the Ages”. The seminar was on “Socio-Religious Scenario, Transformation and Responsibility” – to discuss how to change the existing social and religious order that is fore grounded on conflict among nations, religions and people resulting in mindless violence and genocide in different parts of the world. My approach was what I termed ‘the past forward approach’ – to let bygones be a thing of the past and a move forward to usher in a new order of peace and friendship. To achieve this transformation, the youth must be initiated into study of the great classics that liberates their minds , clears them of past prejudices, helps them  to discriminate between right and wrong and serves as a truly humanizing culture. The youth should recognize the importance of cultivating humanity, forgetting the bitterness of the past and forging forward with ripeness and maturity to a better world order.

 These were grand words offering a utopian solution, but difficult of practical implementation in an age known for its information overload and delimitation of knowledge. The deafening silence that ensued after I delivered my speech was proof of my empty rhetoric. My brother sent me a flattering mail with a caveat “pontificatory…pontification has only a few admirers for adoption and adaptation. This is no criticism of your piece but a reality worth noting. The strong emphasis you have given on Indo-Pak bonding will fall on deaf years both in our neighbouring country and our own”.

How true was his response! For the first time I realized I was living in the past where liberal ideology, golden values of peace and compassion knitting humanity, openness to change with no carryover baggage were instilled in us in our schools and colleges. Extremism was frowned upon and accommodating varied and differing ideas and ideologies were at the core of our study. Education thus was almost a melting pot in which many ideas were intellectually assimilated. Education today is no longer an amalgamation of diversity that enriches the intellectual environment by bringing together individuals with different ideas and ideologies, enabling institutions to offer the youth   a broadening and deepening of knowledge.  No doubt, the truth that hit me was shocking and even devastating to my ego and pride in my intellectualism. For the first time I wondered if I was not letting go of the past with its inhered faith in liberalism, pluralism, humanitarianism and free thinking.  Alan Paton in a lecture at Yale University had stated: "By liberalism I don't mean the creed of any party or any century. I mean a generosity of spirit, a tolerance of others, an attempt to comprehend otherness, a commitment to the rule of law, a high ideal of the worth and dignity of man, a repugnance for authoritarianism and a love of freedom" Even while we were slowly moving towards scientism, materialism and utilitarianism, we were brought up on the great tradition of the classics with its emphasis on virtue, wisdom, honour, and, above all, the truth, connecting education to the search and establishment of the truth of good and evil.  The quest of the classical tradition for the virtues and above all, for the truth was the cornerstone of our education.

 The question that haunts me today is should I or should I not continue with my advocacy of old tradition. Is there any value in offering something I consider valuable to a new generation which does not value it? Should I now withdraw (what a wise rule our ancients had followed of vanaprastha , the third and final stage of life in the Vedic ashram system, when a person gradually sithdraws from the world )from participation in seminars, speaking and writing on old world values?  What do I now do- simply see the world moving and changing at lightning speed and not try to  make it reverse its turn?

Ripeness is all. Shakespeare’s line echoed in my mind. Life has to change. The Law of the universe shows that life is forever moving on a curve, a trajectory and the cyclical move will see the world back to the starting point. It is foolish on the part of old timers like me to harp on the past when that past would automatically revert to becoming the present. I had been on a protest move for the last couple of years as the trend has been towards the right, leaving the left in tatters. I could do nothing to halt it because many wiser and greater intellectuals had failed in their attempt. I see the right in ascendancy all over the world- in  US, in Europe, in Britain and in India. The fear of the right is because it  throws up cult leaders who are intolerant of any kind of opposition. Hitler exemplifies this tendency. But if the will of the people is to be so, it has to be so. Que Sera Sera  (Whatever will be, will be) . No point in the slow demise of liberals like me. Liberals unfortunately have come to be equated with elites and elites unfortunately have become suspect and not classified as Rawls did as superior intellects who could use their intelligence in favour of the disadvantaged.

 Change is to be accepted. No need to be despondent. Move on, I said to myself , move on  with the world that can move only in a cyclical orbit.

Jayalalitha – the one and only Ammasses.

                                          Jayalalitha – the one and only Ammasses.

I have been away from my home state Tamilnadu for more than five decades. I have had no opportunity to meet Jayalalitha nor had I been a beneficiary of her welfare schemes even by a fraction. Yet I felt hugely sad and distressed as though a close family member had departed.  I had tears in my eyes as I heard the last post feebly rising out of the din of non-stop commentary the TV channels were giving and saw the lowering of the sandal casket bearing her mortal remains that shall henceforth be her resting place.

I came back to my desk and away from the TV channels which went on and on with comments by the anchors and experts who did not have the minimal propriety to observe a second’s silence when the bugles sounded the last post. So carried away by their eloquence about pre- and post- Jayalalitha that they forgot the solemn present when the gun salute tributes were paid to a truly worthy soul. I could not stop the tears in my eyes even though I was in no way even acquainted with her. She was not “Amma” to me in the sense she was to millions of people in her state.  She has been deified by them as “Parashakti”, the Supreme Goddess, the divine feminine energy often referred to as Adi Shakti, the creator, observer and destroyer of the whole universe. Yet her death struck a tragic chord with me and I know that I am in the league of similar people-though a minority- who would have experienced a deep sense of loss though far removed from Jayalalitha. What is about Jayalaitha- whom Amul fondly refers to as “Ammasses”- that has made many of us tearful?

Jayalalitha’s death signals the end of an era- an era known for its punctiliousness in speech, action, conduct and observance of social conventions. It is an era far removed from the present selfie era characterized by brashness, vanity, self praise, narcissism and bragging. This is the era of social media. Facebook and Twitter are the technological means to keep up the pretence of connection while they serve to distance us from reaching out to others. Jayalalitha, not the reel-life but the real life person belonged to the era that valued well groomed looks, was always perfectly attired with not a strand of hair out of place. She was elegant without being flashy and a picture of dignity.  She spoke when she had to and spoke softly and used words with clarity and precision. She was economical with words but remarkably facile in her expressiveness and articulation. She was a woman of action and her actions spoke for her. Unlike the present generation, she had no use for the social media and she could easily connect with people through her actions. The “I, me, myself” tenor of the new brand of politicians was altogether missing as she did not have to boast about what she had done. It was manifest in all the welfare schemes she piloted that reached the public without the need for an interface through social media between her and the public. She was publicity shy and she remained aloof because of this psychological inhibition to be in the limelight. What should have been hailed as a self effacing quality was misconstrued as haughtiness and arrogance. That era of Jayalalitha was laid to rest last evening. In many ways, she had a striking similarity with Indira Gandhi, who was an extraordinary woman of few words and of dynamic action. Indira Gandhi was also a private person who kept a clear distinction between her official status and her personal life. Jayalalitha never allowed any kind of media snoop into her private life and she faced the backlash for her privacy when she was vilified with equanimity, silence  and a determination to get her back on the vilifiers.

Amma to her masses, a Durga to her vilifiers. Jayalalitha was the despair of her adversaries because of her razor sharp intellect and her remarkable ability to feel the pulse of the poor and the needy. Like Indira Gandhi, she was also called the only man in the cabinet. But Jayalalitha was not a feminist despite her schemes for women’s development. Her exclusive focus on women was due to her perception that the key to the welfare of society and the well-being of man lies in the welfare of women. Amma food, Amma water, Amma pharmacy, Amma health projects, Amma seed for the farmers, Amma scholarship were not for women alone, but for both men and women. More importantly , she  recognized that society, still patriarchal in the modern world, accepts women only as mothers, wives and daughters. Having personally suffered slander and abuse as a single woman, she took on the role of Amma, the Mother of all by providing food at subsidized rates, by caring for the sick and suffering, by taking special interest in the education and development of young women. She also understood her people’s religious faith irrespective of whether they were temple visitors or church goers or worshippers in the mosque. She renovated places of worship and provided the priests regular salary. For the first time a state dogged by the professed  atheism of Dravidian politics, Jayalalitha introduced the study of Vedas and temple rituals to pujaris and temple priests and upgraded the quality of Sanskrit scholarship. All this she did without proclaiming any Hindutva ideology. She in many ways represented the earlier era where great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajaji  combined the pride of an openness for the Hindu civilization with the openness of a catholic, liberal and tradition- unbound modern civilization. She succeeded because she had supreme self confidence in her ability to carry out what she felt was right and doable. Despite being born in a Brahmin family she was accepted by all classes notably the large majority of non Brahmins because she proved her to be beyond caste, class and creed. There have been many charges against her of corruption, but they have to be proved. She showed no trace of anxiety, embarrassment and fear when she was sent to prison twice. But she came out and bounced back to be the Chief Minister on both occasions. 

No one is a wingless angel in this world. Jayalalitha is also one of us. But when in the final analysis, we look at her life, her struggles, her forced entry first into the film world and later into politics and her determination to succeed despite her initial reluctance and her gradual evolvement into an ace administrator, a leader of the masses, a dear and revered  “Amma” to millions of Tamils who came to pay their tributes on her final journey, they  stand as a testimony to her efforts to realize her true human potential.

As I wrote these words, I gradually understood why I and many others so distantly removed from her were moved by her death. This is not just a tear for the dear departed nor for the end of an era, but for the tragic fact that the evolution of a progressive human life had to be cut short before it could realize its full potential.   But as we know that life has to move on and there will be someone to step in and carry out the unfinished work of Amma on a more magnified scale.  I looked at the sky and found the stars shining.

Demonetisation of Indian character

A lot of words have been spoken and written about demonetization. I am neither an economically literate person to say anything new- for or against- nor am I a crystal gazer to predict what this whole process would mean to India in the future. The only thing that anyone, literate or non-literate can foresee is that in any process involving men and money, there will be some gain and some pain but which side the balance will show up and which side down, only time will tell.

But one thing very few have commented upon and even if they did, that was not heard in the din of arguments in favour of or against demonetization. The most devastating truth is the whole exercise has shown to the world all over that India is corrupt from head to foot, from man to man, from woman to woman and therefore freezing the higher denomination notes had to be decisive and final to usher in  ‘Swatchh Bharat’. Almost every Indian (barring those who were money hoarders) had to rush to the bank to deposit their 500 and 1000 rupee notes which they had kept aside for an emergency. I had always kept 10,000/- in a small wallet with instructions to my family that in case of an emergency and that too of a fatal kind, they should have easy access to immediate expenditure. My father had done it and so by experience, I followed it for an unpredictable and unforeseen contingency. This 10,000 I had

 kept in ten 1000/ notes. But on the 9^th like many others, some of whom looked distinctly embarrassed, I also had to stand in the queue to deposit my tiny hoard as though I was a black money holder. I felt a sense of shame that everyone was looking askance at me as to why in my grey years, I had to hoard! Every day the government’s unabashed announcement about retrieving lakhs of crores of black money -of which a major portion has been the contribution of small mini hoarders like me- has shown that we Indians are all hoarders- big and small. With one word –demonetisation- the government had painted all Indians black, all their money black. When the banks ran dry of cash and we could not take our own money except in a trickle, it dawned on us that there was hardly any white money we can claim as our own. On top of it, one felt mean and selfish, begging the bankers to give me more of my own money. The government by its well intentioned strategy to catch the black money hoarder red-handed had resorted to psychological intimidation of making everyone seem a criminal for one reason or the other. As for the genuine hoarders- whose cash hoarding was nothing in comparison with their acquiring of gold, real estates and foreign deposits, -they were the least bothered as they could whiten their black currency by many innovative schemes the government was announcing every day. 60% yours, 40% ours became an easy way to make black white. The Indian jugaad was at work with black money distributed in Jan Dhan funds with the understanding :  “Come March, you get 10 or 20% when you hand the money which I now deposit in your account,  back to me.” So the poor got corrupted as the  corrupt rich bribed them with such a tempting offer. The ordinary aam admi joined  the big league by accepting the black money, which by the innovative demonetization alchemy was turned to white. So demonetization has made people financially and corruptly inclusive. The one who laid bare his account to the blackmoney hoarder became equally corrupt. Neither the giver nor the receiver was incorrupt. Is demonetisation rooting out or rooting up corruption? With one fiat declaring all 500/ and 1000/ no longer legally tender, the government has truly brought the PMJDY(PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojana ) as India’s National Mission for Financially Inclusive Corruption.

On top of all this comes the PM’s advice to Jan Dhan account holders not to return the money to the black hoarders, but simply hold to it as their own. Make the black money depositors to your account run to you any number of times and beg you for the money, but don’t give it back. Is the PM wanting every  Jan Dhani(Jan Dhan account holder) to be unethical, immoral and become the new hoarder? Instead of asking the people not to let their accounts open to the Corrupt, the PM’s advice is to accept the money-illegally tendered- and hoard it.

Demonetisation has been devastating to Indian character. We are shown to be great Jugaadis capable of turning black into white and white into black. The Government has given a lot of concessions to the rich, affluent business class people and for fear of being seen as pro rich, the PM turns to the poor to become hoarders on a smaller scale as their rich brothers, granting them the license to cheat and pardoning them of all sins of accepting illegal cash.

Demonetisation has proved that “We are Indians; we are corrupt”. It is a total assassination of our moral and ethical instinct as we are exhorted to cultivate a subversive ethos out of sync with the distinctive spirit of our culture.

Ripeness is All : Wisdom of the Ages

            

                                                      Ripeness is All : Wisdom of the Ages

             The existing global scenario, haunted by militant fundamentalism, hyper nationalism and impassive terrorism signals annihilation of all values that have till now sustained humanity. It is a now or never situation for a surgical extirpation of the fundamentalist and militant ideology through effective social, intellectual and ideological transformation. What kind of lasting solutions can we find to this festering problem of militancy? Before looking for solutions, it is axiomatic to recognize that  we have to deal with a problem that defies rationality, that is sustained by an emotional appeal that taps into the human primal instincts of fear and anger,  employing identity-based deception that those who do not belong to that base are hostile and manipulative to destroy that  identity. How to counter irrationality through an appeal to rationality?  The role of UN and that of the civil society,  Human Rights based approach,  political and democratic efforts, economic equality and justice have all been tested and tried but they  have not made much dent on the groups that employ militancy and terrorism to subjugate the rest of the world  to their hegemonic control. So back to the question: Where lies the solution?

Though it may seem simplistic and naïve, I believe in Education as a possible means to bring about wholesome transformation and inspire us to assume responsibility to restore peace and harmony in the world. Education opens our minds to existing reality, promotes reasoned thinking, makes us understand that history of Man is a continuum and therefore we cannot rest in the past but move past forward and enables us to enter into dialogue with each other as men and women on equal terms. Learning is truly the essence of a humanizing culture. The past is over and gone; the future is only an idea that is hidden from the present. The only existing reality is the present and it is the only reality we know. To understand the present, to be rid of the optics of the past especially those that breed negativity and to purge the carryover prejudices from the past, we need good and sound education. “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”(Malcolm X, the Human Rights activist)
 When I say education, it goes beyond learning the minimal three ‘R’s- reading, writing and (a)rithmetic. Education is building knowledge and character. Aristotle said: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Let us see how this can happen in the present scenario with special reference to India and Pakistan.

As an independent nation we are now 70 years old. The trauma of partition is also 70 years old. Both India and Pakistan have moved far away from that distressful time. Does it help anyone to keep harping on what happened 70 years back? Won’t it be far more prudent to work towards building the two nations on the basis of shared culture, civilization, thoughts and affinities? The youth and children in both the countries are looking forward to a future un-intercepted by violence, anger, revenge and bloodshed. Many of them go abroad for higher education and employment. They should be educated not to carry seeds of hatred, but carry with them the culture of Asia, a distinct continent from the West-centric perspective.  Art, music, literature, cuisine are common heritage that we share with each other and that heritage is rich, distinctive and unique.  Our young men and women from India and Pakistan should be well educated to forget bitterness and hatred, instead nurture a sense of pride in what they have as shared inheritance. Catch them young and encourage the strengthening of shared interests that the young  can disseminate among those unaware of the richness of Indo-Pak culture. Quoting Rajiv Gandhis’s ill-timed statement on the Sikh riots following the death of Mrs. Indira Gandhi “ when a big tree falls, the earth shakes”, Vikram Kapoor in his new book 1984: In Memory and Imagination, writes : “When the earth shakes, it shifts too, upturning to fertile mud. People are slowly burying seeds of anger into it, and allowing healing to bloom through the shoots of closure”.  We have to make our young people read books that open up their minds and reach out to those on the other side of the Western border. India by virtue of its being a bigger country with deep roots in tradition, culture and epic narratives has to take the initiative and  shoulder this responsibility and start a new narrative on the lines of wisdom that has come to us through the ages.

Education through a deep and incisive study of history and literature can fill the mental vacuum that is currently fed by past prejudices and exacerbated by pseudo nationalism and religious fundamentalism. Today our leaders- leave aside our young students –have no knowledge of the value of the Classics that present History of human civilization  and learn from the past errors and infirmities of mind and draw upon them for future wisdom. Lack of proper education has been the cause for the rise of cruelty and inhumanity all over the world.  Speaking of India, our schools and colleges do not even prescribe our great epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata for study.

             How many of our leaders have the perception that The Mahabharata is our story, dealing with the questions that we address or confront daily in our lives? The epic relates what happened, 5000 years ago in the Dwapara yuga, but what happened is not unique to that age. It had happened in the past, it happens today and it will happen tomorrow as the epic deals both with human frailty such as greed, acquisitiveness, ego,  hubris, jealousy, anger, vindictiveness and unrighteous conduct and human nobility characterized by generosity, altruism, selflessness, modesty, peace, tolerance and morality. It is a book that contains the wisdom for all religions and faiths, all cultures and traditions with Man at the centre. More than at any time, we have to centre the Mahabharata in the contemporary world. The clash of religions, clash of civilizations, clash of egos, clash of power hungry leaders and clash of human beings in pursuit of personal and selfish gratification is today a global reality.

      The first thing to note in today’s world is the indisputable fact that almost man to man, woman to woman, we desire peace and harmony. This in itself is an acknowledgement of Man being in a state of turmoil or conflict both with himself and with the outside world.  Like the conflict zones between India and Pakistan, we have many other conflict zones such as the Gaza strip,  the Iraq-Syria border, the Iraq-Iran differences . Today conflict is present everywhere – among nations, religions, cultures, traditions and last but not the least among individuals. It is no exaggeration to say that majority of men and women today are making a choric appeal to live in a world at peace. The terrorists in the name of religion are the new Asvathamas; the latest incident of burning alive 18 soldiers is similar to the incarceration of the Upapandavas( the children of Pandavas) The so called self proclaimed leaders have no understanding of humanity. How many of them can recall the lines “No man is an island, entire of itself”—because everyone belongs to humanity. The death of any human diminishes everyone of us because we are a part of mankind. It makes no sense to ask who has died, but when we hear a funeral bell toll, it tolls for everyone in the human race. “The earth is one country and mankind its citizens”: says Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Bhai faith.

             Where  to find peace?  It is only by a return to our classics that we can understand the essence of righteous living. The Mahabharata provides the required guidance we need today in our present strife-torn age’

             Three important lessons to be learnt from the Mahabharata relevant for our times:

1.      Fight for righteousness- the world should come together as it did during the second World War to put an end to the Nazi terrorism. Time to stand up to fight for the reestablishment of peace and harmony by fighting terrorism . Humanity has forgotten what it is to be human -compassionate, empathetic, kind, caring and sharing. To be human is to be courageous and strong, to fight for truth and justice, to recognize the oneness that binds us as human race.  Krishna s advice to Arjuna enshrined in the Bhagavad Gita makes a strong plea for action in war - to fight unrighteousness, to protect the world from evil and disaster, to uphold and reestablish order when it is on the decline.

2.      Compromise: Value the power of compromise when needed and not stand on one’s ego. Almost every battle, every fight, every conflict today is nothing but an ego clash.  Kurukshetra is no longer a geographical entity, but a metaphor for the internecine feud within family, society, regions and nations. On an international level, the battle is fought for territories and the latest to acquire the Kurukshetra metaphor is the IS wanting large territories panning the Middle East to come under the jurisdiction of the Caliph.

3.       Learn is  to act and not to look for rewards of that action

 The epic ends on a note of peace. The Pandavas realize that their victory is a pyrrhic victory   affirming the futility of violence and war . Yudhishtra hands over the reign of Hastinapur to Arjuna’s grandson and moves out with his brothers and Draupadi through forest fire to ascend to heaven. Krishna also departs. Death is indeed the greatest leveler, sparing none. We come into the world with nothing and we exit taking nothing with us. This is the message of the Mahabharata- what  Shakespeare in the 17^th C summed up at the end of King Lear :

You can’t choose your time of death any more than your time of birth. We live and die when our time comes.

        Men must endure their going hence even as their coming hither.

        Ripeness is all.

I have illustrated through a parallel study of the Mahabharata and our present times, how education alone can give us the wisdom to cultivate humanity. We owe a debt of love and gratitude to the epics and classics which are best defined as “central humanity.  It becomes imperative that we recognize that the study of Classics is the surest insurance against inhumanity. They contain the kernel of practical wisdom to help us deal with the conflicts and complexities of everyday living.  But if these lessons are not learnt, human civilization is in danger of extinction.