The RSS was born out of nationalism. But there was another element in its DNA: Brahmin guilt. The RSS was founded by Brahmins who were not just nationalist but also happened to be guilty about the historical role of Brahmins in Indian society. In their view, Brahmins had been ivory-tower philosophers who had cut themselves off from the rest of Indian society and buried themselves in Vedas and Shastras – while India was being conquered and ruled by foreign invaders. And that is why India was under slavery for 1000 years. So the two sins of Brahmins were elitism and intellectualism. Thus the RSS has, since its birth, tried to make amends for these two sins by giving primacy to:
1. Action over knowledge
2. Quantity over quality.
28 August 2018
24 August 2018
How To Change A System
HOW TO CHANGE A SYSTEM
Is a system best changed from inside or from outside? The answer is that both internal and external stimuli help to change a system. But the nature of the two stimuli - and the role they play - are different. The external stimuli will be direct assaults demanding immediate and fundamental change - based on first principles. Whereas the internal stimuli will be indirect pushes towards gradual and incremental change - based on the rules of that system.
Is a system best changed from inside or from outside? The answer is that both internal and external stimuli help to change a system. But the nature of the two stimuli - and the role they play - are different. The external stimuli will be direct assaults demanding immediate and fundamental change - based on first principles. Whereas the internal stimuli will be indirect pushes towards gradual and incremental change - based on the rules of that system.
18 August 2018
Greatest Strength/Interest: True Potential
1. Every person has a certain greatest strength/interest.
2. Our greatest strength/interest is our true potential.
3. When we exercise our true potential:
a) We are at our happiest
b) We are of maximum use to society.
4. So success is:
a) Discovering our true potential
b) Doing work that exercises our true potential.
2. Our greatest strength/interest is our true potential.
3. When we exercise our true potential:
a) We are at our happiest
b) We are of maximum use to society.
4. So success is:
a) Discovering our true potential
b) Doing work that exercises our true potential.
16 August 2018
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A Tribute
ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE: A TRIBUTE
Yes, we knew you were old
Yes, we knew you were sick
Yes, we knew it was a matter of time
But still . . .
When the news finally came
It took some time to sink in
And when it did sink in
A heaviness descended on our chests
An emptiness filled our hearts
A darkness wrapped around our souls
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father.
Suddenly after all these years
Of a long silence
And a longer forgottenness
Your voice rings in our ears
Your face shines in our eyes
Your smile lights up our hearts
We hear you again
We see you again
We feel you again
Just like it was yesterday
All these years of separation
Filled up in a mere instant.
Leader, poet, philosopher
You built a modern Brahmastra
And adorned Mother India's arms
You built modern necklaces
And connected India's corners
You built modern airwaves
And connected Indians all over
You freed our economy
And unleashed prosperity
By slaying the demon of socialism
You ruled us for 6 golden years
A rule that ended too soon
Cut short by our own stupidity
If only we had given you more time
If only we had given you more power
Today we would be in a different place
For you did not need us
But we needed you.
So this is what it feels like
To lose someone
Whom we thought was far away
But was so close to us
Indeed was a part of us
The wise tell your achievements
And contributions to the land
But somehow none of that
Really matters to us now
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father
We are your orphaned children
We now have only your memories
To console us in this darkness.
We lost you in 2004 itself
2018 is just a technicality
How you must have laughed then
At our monumental stupidity
No doubt you would have said
"Forgive them, Father
For they know not what they do"
For the loss was not yours
But the loss was ours
We, your foolish children.
The most painful words are "What if"
What if we had been wise
What if we had given you more time
What if we had given you more power
What if . . .
But gone is gone
And the past shall not return
How do we fill this emptiness?
How do we lift this heaviness?
How do we dispel this darkness?
How do we bring back the light?
People miss the light
Only after it goes out
We will now miss your smile
Because we will never see it again.
A selfless child wishes peace
For his departed father
But we are selfish children
All we see is our loss, our sorrow
We, your selfish children
Why did you have to be so good?
Why did you have to be so kind?
Why did you have to be so gentle?
If only you had been like others
This would not hurt so much
We would have thrown a flower
And walked on ahead
Without looking back
But this time is different
Because you were different
A poet among rogues
A saint among sinners
A philosopher among knaves.
There will never be another like you
None with your heart
None with your voice
None with your words
None with your smile
And above all
None with your love
Farewell, our beloved father
Go to your Divine Father
Let your wisdom be with us
Let your strength be with us
And above all
Let your love be with us
We, your orphaned children.
Yes, we knew you were old
Yes, we knew you were sick
Yes, we knew it was a matter of time
But still . . .
When the news finally came
It took some time to sink in
And when it did sink in
A heaviness descended on our chests
An emptiness filled our hearts
A darkness wrapped around our souls
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father.
Suddenly after all these years
Of a long silence
And a longer forgottenness
Your voice rings in our ears
Your face shines in our eyes
Your smile lights up our hearts
We hear you again
We see you again
We feel you again
Just like it was yesterday
All these years of separation
Filled up in a mere instant.
Leader, poet, philosopher
You built a modern Brahmastra
And adorned Mother India's arms
You built modern necklaces
And connected India's corners
You built modern airwaves
And connected Indians all over
You freed our economy
And unleashed prosperity
By slaying the demon of socialism
You ruled us for 6 golden years
A rule that ended too soon
Cut short by our own stupidity
If only we had given you more time
If only we had given you more power
Today we would be in a different place
For you did not need us
But we needed you.
So this is what it feels like
To lose someone
Whom we thought was far away
But was so close to us
Indeed was a part of us
The wise tell your achievements
And contributions to the land
But somehow none of that
Really matters to us now
For we have not lost a leader
But we have lost our father
We are your orphaned children
We now have only your memories
To console us in this darkness.
We lost you in 2004 itself
2018 is just a technicality
How you must have laughed then
At our monumental stupidity
No doubt you would have said
"Forgive them, Father
For they know not what they do"
For the loss was not yours
But the loss was ours
We, your foolish children.
The most painful words are "What if"
What if we had been wise
What if we had given you more time
What if we had given you more power
What if . . .
But gone is gone
And the past shall not return
How do we fill this emptiness?
How do we lift this heaviness?
How do we dispel this darkness?
How do we bring back the light?
People miss the light
Only after it goes out
We will now miss your smile
Because we will never see it again.
A selfless child wishes peace
For his departed father
But we are selfish children
All we see is our loss, our sorrow
We, your selfish children
Why did you have to be so good?
Why did you have to be so kind?
Why did you have to be so gentle?
If only you had been like others
This would not hurt so much
We would have thrown a flower
And walked on ahead
Without looking back
But this time is different
Because you were different
A poet among rogues
A saint among sinners
A philosopher among knaves.
There will never be another like you
None with your heart
None with your voice
None with your words
None with your smile
And above all
None with your love
Farewell, our beloved father
Go to your Divine Father
Let your wisdom be with us
Let your strength be with us
And above all
Let your love be with us
We, your orphaned children.
14 August 2018
India's Anti-Knowledge Society/Culture
The 21st century will be the knowledge century. Knowledge will play a central role in this century. A country's success or failure in this century will be decided by knowledge. So to succeed in this century, a country must give importance to knowledge. And all the countries of the world are doing this: China, America and many others. All, that is, with one exception: India.
In no other country is knowledge as disrespected as it is in India. Among professions, research/academics is the least respected profession. And education has neither value in the market nor respect in society. A doctorate has less value/respect than a post-graduate, who in turn has less value/respect than a graduate. An anti-knowledge culture pervades our society. People with knowledge are treated with hostility at worst and indifference at best. In the 21st century, this disrespect for knowledge is suicide. Yet we are doing it. Why?
The reason/cause is simple: Our guilt about the caste system. The caste system was a hierarchical and hereditary social system. And it put the knowledge-workers (Brahmanas) at the top of the hierarchy. When India was invaded, conquered and ruled by foreigners (Turks, Mughals, British) for 1000 years, this system became rigid and led to inequality. When we became free in 1947 and started to modernise, we rightly decided to abandon the degenerated caste system. That (again, rightly) meant giving equal respect to a) people of all castes and b) people who do all types of work. So far, so good. But in our over-eagerness to repair the inequality of the degenerated caste system, we (wrongly) took one more step: We stopped giving respect to knowledge itself. The result is the anti-knowledge culture that pervades our society today.
We must distinguish between a hereditary social group (ie, caste) and a social function (here, knowledge). It is one thing to refuse to give special privilege to a hereditary social group who historically performed the knowledge-function in society (ie, Brahmins) -- which is right. It is another thing to refuse to give respect to the social function of knowledge -- which has always been important and is most important in the 21st century. But this is exactly what we are doing. And its consequences are disastrous.
Some people say that our lack of respect for knowledge is due to our systems -- ie, we don't have the right systems in place. (Example: We need more money for research -- both from government and industry) True. But who will build those systems? The Chinese? The Americans? Nobody will do it for us. We have to build our systems ourselves. And we can build the right systems only if we have the right mindset/culture (because everything begins with mindset/culture). So first we must change our anti-knowledge mindset/culture to a pro-knowledge mindset/culture. That is, we must start giving knowledge the respect it deserves in the 21st century world.
PS: A parallel phenomenon (which has the same root-cause) is our attitude towards excellence/quality. We think excellence/quality is anti-equality and mediocrity is pro-equality.
In no other country is knowledge as disrespected as it is in India. Among professions, research/academics is the least respected profession. And education has neither value in the market nor respect in society. A doctorate has less value/respect than a post-graduate, who in turn has less value/respect than a graduate. An anti-knowledge culture pervades our society. People with knowledge are treated with hostility at worst and indifference at best. In the 21st century, this disrespect for knowledge is suicide. Yet we are doing it. Why?
The reason/cause is simple: Our guilt about the caste system. The caste system was a hierarchical and hereditary social system. And it put the knowledge-workers (Brahmanas) at the top of the hierarchy. When India was invaded, conquered and ruled by foreigners (Turks, Mughals, British) for 1000 years, this system became rigid and led to inequality. When we became free in 1947 and started to modernise, we rightly decided to abandon the degenerated caste system. That (again, rightly) meant giving equal respect to a) people of all castes and b) people who do all types of work. So far, so good. But in our over-eagerness to repair the inequality of the degenerated caste system, we (wrongly) took one more step: We stopped giving respect to knowledge itself. The result is the anti-knowledge culture that pervades our society today.
We must distinguish between a hereditary social group (ie, caste) and a social function (here, knowledge). It is one thing to refuse to give special privilege to a hereditary social group who historically performed the knowledge-function in society (ie, Brahmins) -- which is right. It is another thing to refuse to give respect to the social function of knowledge -- which has always been important and is most important in the 21st century. But this is exactly what we are doing. And its consequences are disastrous.
Some people say that our lack of respect for knowledge is due to our systems -- ie, we don't have the right systems in place. (Example: We need more money for research -- both from government and industry) True. But who will build those systems? The Chinese? The Americans? Nobody will do it for us. We have to build our systems ourselves. And we can build the right systems only if we have the right mindset/culture (because everything begins with mindset/culture). So first we must change our anti-knowledge mindset/culture to a pro-knowledge mindset/culture. That is, we must start giving knowledge the respect it deserves in the 21st century world.
PS: A parallel phenomenon (which has the same root-cause) is our attitude towards excellence/quality. We think excellence/quality is anti-equality and mediocrity is pro-equality.
10 August 2018
The "Biggest Mistake Of Your Life"
At any point of time in your life, the "biggest mistake of your life" is the decision/choice you made that took you away from the path (that you now think) would have taken you to the point that you now want to be at.
08 August 2018
Secret Of Happiness?
SECRET OF HAPPINESS?
Happiness comes from work - not from money. Yes, we need money to live. So the equations are:
1. Work you like + Enough money to live = Happiness
2. Work you don't like + Lot of money = Misery
So what will your life be? Equation 1 or 2? The choice is yours. In the 20th century, option #1 was not available. But in the 21st century, it is definitely available. You just have to search for it.
Your passion should be your job - it shouldn't be your hobby. If you say "I do X from Monday to Friday because it pays me a bomb. But on weekends/holidays I do Y because I love it." then you are living in hell. If you love Y, then why on earth are you doing it only on weekends/holidays? You should be doing it Monday to Friday! You will say "Y doesn't pay any money". That was true in the 20th century - not today. It may not be immediately obvious - but with imagination and experimentation, you can definitely figure out how to make money (enough to live) out of your passion. Or you can continue living in your hell. The choice is yours.
Happiness comes from work - not from money. Yes, we need money to live. So the equations are:
1. Work you like + Enough money to live = Happiness
2. Work you don't like + Lot of money = Misery
So what will your life be? Equation 1 or 2? The choice is yours. In the 20th century, option #1 was not available. But in the 21st century, it is definitely available. You just have to search for it.
Your passion should be your job - it shouldn't be your hobby. If you say "I do X from Monday to Friday because it pays me a bomb. But on weekends/holidays I do Y because I love it." then you are living in hell. If you love Y, then why on earth are you doing it only on weekends/holidays? You should be doing it Monday to Friday! You will say "Y doesn't pay any money". That was true in the 20th century - not today. It may not be immediately obvious - but with imagination and experimentation, you can definitely figure out how to make money (enough to live) out of your passion. Or you can continue living in your hell. The choice is yours.
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