Aurobindo's Letter to His Wife

In 1905 Aurobindo Ghosh wrote a letter to his wife Mrinalini Devi. Here are some excerpts:

I think you have understood by now that the man with whose fate yours has been linked is a man of a very unusual character. Mine is not the same field of action, the same purpose in life, the same mental attitude as that of the people of today in this country. I am in every respect different from them and out of the ordinary. Perhaps you know what ordinary men say of an extraordinary view, an extraordinary endeavour, an extraordinary ambition. To them it is madness; only, if the madman is successful in his work then he is called no longer a madman, but a great genius. But how many are successful in their life's endeavour?

Among a thousand men, there are five or six who are out of the ordinary and out of the five or six one perhaps successful. Not to speak of success, I have not yet even entirely entered my field of work. There is nothing then for you but to consider me mad.

I have three madnesses. The first one is this. I firmly believe that the accomplishments, genius, higher education and learning and wealth that God has given me are His.

My second madness has only recently seized me. It is this: by whatever means I must have the direct vision of God.

My third madness is that while others look upon their country as an inert piece of matter – a few meadows and fields, forests and hills and rivers – I look upon my country as the Mother.

Half my life has been wasted – even the beast finds fulfilment in stuffing his own belly and his family's and catering to their happiness. I have three hundred million brothers and sisters in this country. Many of them are dying of starvation and the majority just manage to live, racked by sorrow and suffering. They too must be helped.

The power of the Kshatriya is not the only one; there is also the power of the Brahmin, the power that is founded on knowledge. This feeling is not new in me, it is not of today. I was born with it, it is in my very marrow. God sent me to earth to accomplish this great mission. The seed began to sprout when I was fourteen; by the time I was eighteen the roots of the resolution had grown firm and unshakable. I do not say that the work will be accomplished during my lifetime, but it certainly will be done.

(Link courtesy Nithin)

Right-Wing Indian Blogs

Here are some right-wing Indian blogs I have come across:

1. Offstumped by Yossarin
2. Seriously Sandeep by Sandeep
3. Satyameva Jayate by Shantanu Bhagwat
4. Varnam by Jayakrishnan Nair

Right-wing = Hindu/nationalist/conservative

Conversions: A Priest Confesses

From the 'New Indian Express' (12 March, 2009) – Page 1, Hubli Edition:

Fr Confesses to Lured Conversions in Churches

Express News Service
Bangalore, March 11

In a revelation that could have widespread ramifications, Father Joseph Menengis, priest of St James Church in Mariyannapalya, Bangalore, confessed before the Justice B K Somashekhara Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday that idol worship was being performed in churches to attract Hindus and convert them to Christianity.

The Commission is inquiring into the recent attacks on churches across the state. Menengis said, "Hindus believe in idol worship. So to attract them to Christianity, idol worship is performed in churches."

During cross-examination by Satishchandra, advocate appearing for Hindu organisations, the priest said that "despite idol worship being prohibited in the Bible, we have idol worship in churches."

"The duty of every Christian is to convert non-Christians to Christianity by any means", he told the Commission.

St James Church was attacked by miscreants on 21 September, 2008.

During cross-examination, the priest confessed that "no girl students, including Hindus, are permitted the use of kumkum, bangles or flowers. In our institution, we have moral science textbooks. But it does not contain texts regarding the Bible and Jesus", the priest added. The Commission has requested the priest to submit the textbook to it.

The priest has denied the allegation that St James Church had encroached upon four acres of land on Mariyannapalya and he denied the allegation that the festival conducted in June was only to attract Hindus. "I am not blaming the CM, BJP and Bajrang Dal for the attack on our church", he said.

M Mallesh, inspector of Hoskote police station, and M Giriprasad, constable of dog squad, also deposed before the Commission. During cross-examination, Giriprasad said, "After the attack on St Mary's Church in Bangarpet, Kolar district, I accompanied the dog squad. But the squad failed to give clues about the miscreants who attacked the church. It is false that while inspecting the spot, the dog stopped at the house of a Congress leader from Kolar", Giriprasad said. The Commission has adjourned the hearing to March 12.

Note:
1. As far as I know, no other English newspaper has carried this story. 'The Hindu' has this: "Dog did not lead to Congress office".
2. Even the 'New Indian Express' has not carried this story on its website. That is why I have reproduced the entire article here.

DESTINY

"Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life.

You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot.

What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined.

Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path.

Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence.

Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God."

– Swami Sivananda to Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen (in 1958 at Rishikesh)

ಮಾತೆ ಪೂಜಕ ನಾನು ಎನ್ನಯ

My all-time favourite song...

ಮಾತೆ ಪೂಜಕ ನಾನು ಎನ್ನಯ ಶಿರವನಿಡುವೆನು ಅಡಿಯಲಿ
ನಿನ್ನ ಕೀರ್ತಿಯು ಜಗದಿ ಮೆರೆಯಲಿ ಒಂದೇ ಆಸೆಯು ಮನದಲಿ ||ಪ||

ಎಡರು ತೊಡರುಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ತುಳಿಯುತ ಮುಂದೆ ನುಗ್ಗುವೆ ಭರದಲಿ
ನಿನ್ನ ನಾಮ ನಿನಾದವಾಗಲಿ ಶ್ರಮಿಪೆ ನಾ ಪ್ರತಿ ಕ್ಷಣದಲಿ
ನಿನ್ನ ಗೌರವಕೆದುರು ಬರುವ ಬಲವ ಮುರಿವೆನು ಛಲದಲಿ
ಜಗದ ಜನನಿ ಭಾರತ ಇದ ಕೇಳಿ ನಲಿಯುವೆ ಮನದಲಿ

ನಗುವ ನಲಿಯುವ ನಿನ್ನ ವದನವ ನೋಡಿ ನಲಿವುದು ಎನ್ನೆದೆ
ನಿನ್ನ ದುಃಖಿತ ವದನ ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸೆ ಸಿಡಿವುದೆನ್ನಯ ಹೃದಯವು
ನಿನ್ನ ಮುಖದಲಿ ಗೆಲುವು ತರಲು ನೀರು ಗೈಯುವೆ ರಕ್ತವ
ಎನ್ನ ಕಣಕಣ ತೇದು ಬಸಿಯುವೆ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಜೀವನಶಕ್ತಿಯ

ನಿನ್ನ ತೇಜವ ಜಗವು ನೋಡಲಿ ಉರಿವೆ ದೀಪದ ತೆರದಲಿ
ಎನ್ನ ಶಕ್ತಿಯ ಘೃತವ ಸತತವು ಎರೆಯುತಿರುವೆನು ಭರದಲಿ
ಮಾತೃಮಂದಿರ ಬೆಳಗುತಿರಲಿ ನಾನೇ ನಂದಾ ದೀವಿಗೆ
ಬತ್ತಿ ತೆರದೀ ದೇಹ ಉರಿಯಲಿ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ ಈ ಬಾಳಿಗೆ

ರುದ್ರನಾಗಿ ವಿರೋಧಿ ವಿಷವನು ಭರದಿ ನಾನದ ನುಂಗುವೆ
ಜಗವ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿ ಅದರ ಹೃದಯವ ನಿನ್ನೆಡೆಗೆ ನಾ ಸೆಳೆಯುವೆ
ಸೃಜಿಪೆ ಜಗದಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಪೂಜಿಪ ಕೋಟಿ ಕೋಟಿ ಭಕ್ತರ
ಕೀರ್ತಿ ಶಿಖರದಿ ಮಾತೆ ಮಂಡಿಸು ಅರ್ಪಿಸುವೆ ನಾ ಸರ್ವವಾ

The Spirit of India

'India Today' magazine once ran a series of promos with India as the theme. The first in the series was a beautiful poem on (what I would call) the spirit of India. If memory serves me right it went like this:

In India, to be a complete man, you have to be half a woman.

Opposites are complimentary, not contradictory.
Softness is not weakness. Logic does not conquer love.
Giving is as important as receiving.
And death is merely the beginning of another life...

India has always had a grasp of the immutable Truth.
An all-embracing view of life.
A wisdom that recognises the oneness of man and his universe.
Values that speak not just of a glorious past,
But are also the foundation of an equally resplendent future.
Which, by the way, are one and the same.

Mission: India Superpower

The RSS's mission is to make India a superpower. This sentiment is beautifully expressed in these lines:

Hum ne use diya tha
Samskrutik uccha simhasan
Maa jis par baiti sukh se
Karti thi jag ka shaasan.
Ab kaal chakra ki gati se
Wah toot gaya simhasan
Apna tan man dhan de kar
Hum kare punah samsthapan.

(From the song "Hum kare rashtra aradhan".)

Hindu Nationalism and Economic Freedom

I had suggested that Hindu nationalism and economic freedom are (or should be) the two key components of right-wing Indian politics. The first provides the political-cultural agenda, while the second provides the economic agenda. What is the nature of the relationship between the two? Is it just a marriage of convenience between the alternatives to the Nehruvian system (secularism + socialism)? Or is there a more natural and harmonious relationship?

If there is one value that Hinduism has stood for in its 5000 years of history, it is freedom. Freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of practice and freedom of worship. This freedom was not confined to religion and philosophy. Hinduism being a holistic way of life, this central value of freedom permeated other spheres of human activity as well – including politics and economics. True, the political and economic freedom enjoyed by people in ancient India was very limited by today's standards. But it was the best that could be achieved in the monarchical state of the agricultural era.

Freedom is a central Hindu value. And freedom includes not just political freedom, but also economic freedom. So Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) and economic freedom are perfectly consistent with each other. The two are complimentary ideologies/doctrines. Together they form what should be the core of right-wing politics in India.

Right-wing = Hindu/nationalist/conservative

Rise of the Indian Right

In 1947 India became free after a thousand years of foreign rule and slavery. It was a golden moment, and an opportunity to reclaim our lost genius and resume our civilisational mission. But it was not to be. Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, was an Indian only in name. Mentally, culturally and intellectually he was a Westerner. So instead of building a modern nation on the foundations of our ancient civilisation, he foisted two alien ideologies on us: socialism and secularism.

Socialism and Nehruvian secularism were the two great frauds perpetrated on Independent India. Socialism denied us our economic freedom, shackled our entrepreneurial energy, and kept us poor. Nehruvian secularism completely disregarded Hinduism's tolerance and universality, deprived Indian nationalism of its positive content, and gradually degenerated into pseudo-secularism (anti-Hinduism).

It took us more than four decades to even begin to get rid of these two plagues. Two cataclysmic events (in two consecutive years) struck decisive blows against the great Nehruvian consensus. The first blow, against Nehruvian secularism, was the rise of Hindu nationalism – expressed in the Ayodhya movement of 1990. The second blow, against socialism, was the economic reforms of 1991. The Ayodhya movement of the late 1980s reached its climax in 1990 with L K Advani's rath yatra. The movement – and the response to it – marked the awakening of a nation. Indians became aware of their identity and proud of their history, culture and heritage.

Together these two events signalled India's shift to the right: the first one politically, and the second one economically. Note that these two developments are independent of the fluctuating political fortunes of the BJP. The BJP will continue to win some elections, and lose some others. But Hindu nationalism and economic freedom are here to stay. Victor Hugo said, "The invasion of an army can be resisted, but not that of an idea whose time has come." Hindutva and economic freedom are ideas whose time has come.

Achin Vanaik wrote an insightful article in 2001 on the rise of the Indian Right. Though it is a Leftist critique, it is still worth reading.

RSS Pracharak

Job description of an RSS pracharak ~

Work:
1. Start new shakhas
2. Improve existing shakhas
3. Bring new people to shakhas
4. Spread RSS's ideology (nationalism)

Salary: Rs Zero

Facilities:
1. Food, clothing, shelter
2. Basic expenses (soap, paste, etc)
3. Travel expenses (bus, train, etc)

Location: Anywhere in India

Duration: As long as you wish

Marital status: Single

(There are currently 2000 RSS pracharaks all over the country)

Pracharak = full-time worker with more than one year's experience
Vistarak = full-time worker with less than one year's experience

Dr Shivakumar Swamiji

Siddaganga Mutt is a religious institution near Tumkur. Here 8000 children from poor families are fed, clothed, sheltered and educated (all free of cost). These children come from all religions, castes and languages. The Mutt also runs 130 schools and colleges in Karnataka.

The man behind this modern-day miracle is Dr Shivakumar Swamiji. Swamiji became head of the Mutt in 1930. Since then his life has been a saga of struggle, sacrifice and service. Through education he has helped to lift lakhs of people out of poverty in Karnataka (my father is one of them). A silent revolution indeed.

Today Swamiji is 101 years young and still going strong. He is the embodiment of Basavanna's teachings: kAyakavE kailAsa (work is worship) and dayavE dharmakke moolavayya (the source of Dharma is compassion). Saint, scholar and servant of humanity – my humble salutations to this great soul.

NDTV and Freedom of Speech

On 27 November 2008 an amateur blogger named Chyetanya Kunte wrote a post criticising NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt for her coverage of the Bombay terrorist attacks. The post later disappeared from the blog. On 26 January 2009 an unconditional apology to Barkha Dutt and NDTV appeared on the blog.

What happened? Did NDTV threaten Chyetanya Kunte with legal action? If the matter had gone to court I think the blogger would have won. But the last thing an 'aam aadmi' wants is a long and expensive law suit. So he did what he thought was best for him and his family (he is married with two kids).

Does this look like a case of arm-twisting and goondagiri? Did NDTV resort to the same tactics it accuses far-right groups of using? This is the channel that lectures the Right on freedom of speech.

I am reproducing in full Chyetanya Kunte's original blog post:
(No, I don't have written permission from him. But I doubt if he is in a position to give such a permission; so I'll go ahead anyway.)

Shoddy Journalism

Appalling journalism. Absolute blasphemy! As I watch the news from home, I am dumbfounded to see Barkha Dutt of NDTV break every rule of ethical journalism in reporting the Mumbai mayhem. Take a couple of instances for example:

In one instance she asks a husband about his wife being stuck, or held as a hostage. The poor guy adds in the end about where she was last hiding. Aired! My dear friends with AK-47s, our national news is helping you. Go get those still in. And be sure to thank NDTV for not censoring this bit of information.

In another instance, a General sort of suggests that there were no hostages in Oberoi Trident. (Clever) Then, our heroine of revelations calls the head of Oberoi, and the idiot confirms a possibility of 100 or more people still in the building. Hello! Guys with guns, you've got more goats to slay. But before you do, you've got to love NDTV and more precisely Ms Dutt. She's your official intelligence from ground zero.

You do not need to be a journalist to understand the basic premise of ethics, which starts with protecting victims first; and that is done by avoiding key information from being aired publicly — such as but not limited to revealing the number of possible people still in, the hideouts of hostages and people stuck in buildings.

Imagine you're one of those sorry souls holed-up in one of those bathrooms, or kitchens. A journalist pulls your kin outside and asks about your last contact on national television, and other prying details. In a bout of emotion, if they happen to reveal more details, you are sure going to hell. Remember these are hotels, where in all likelihood, every room has a television. All a terrorist needs to do is listen to Ms Barkha Dutt's latest achievement of extracting information from your relative, based on your last phone-call or SMS. And you're shafted — courtesy NDTV*. If the terrorists don't manage to shove you in to your private hell, the journalists on national television will certainly help you get there. One of the criticisms about Barkha Dutt on Wikipedia reads thus:

During the Kargil conflict, Indian Army sources repeatedly complained to her channel that she was giving away locations in her broadcasts, thus causing Indian casualties.

Looks like the idiot journalist has not learned anything since then. I join a number of bloggers pleading her to shut the f••• up.

Update: In fact, I am willing to believe that Hemant Karkare died because these channels showed him prepare (wear helmet, wear bullet-proof vest) in excruciating detail live on television. And they in turn targeted him where he was unprotected. The brave officer succumbed to bullets in the neck.

Update 2 [28.Nov.2300hrs]: Better sense appears to have prevailed in the latter half of today — either willfully, or by Government coercion**, and live broadcasts are now being limited to non-action zones. Telecast of action troops and strategy is now not being aired live. Thank goodness for that.

Update 3 [30.Nov.1900hrs]: DNA India reports about a UK couple asking media to report carefully:
The terrorists were watching CNN and they came down from where they were in a lift after hearing about us on TV. — Lynne Shaw in an interview.

*Oh, they have a lame excuse pronouncing that the television connections in the hotel has been cut, and therefore it is okay to broadcast. Like hell!

**I'm thinking coercion, since Government has just denied renewing CNN's rights to air video today; must've have surely worked as a rude warning to the Indian domestic channels.

Right-Wing Commentators (contd)

I had once ranted about the paucity of right-wing commentators in India. In America also the mainstream media (MSM) is predominantly liberal. But they try to do a balancing act (or assuage their guilty conscience) by regularly giving some space to the opposing/conservative viewpoint. New York Times and Washington Post – the two most prominent (and liberal) newspapers in America – have a tradition of featuring a couple of conservative columnists. The New York Times has David Brooks and William Kristol, while the Washington Post has Robert Novak and Charles Krauthammer.

It looks like the Times of India – India's #1 liberal-secular newspaper – was trying to emulate its American cousins when it hired Swapan Dasgupta and Tarun Vijay.

Debating Hindutva

3 Indian Take readers have voted that Hindutva is a communal ideology in this month's poll. I invite these 3 readers (and others also) to send me any questions/doubts/queries they have about Hindutva. If you don't have any questions you can jot down your points on "Why Hindutva is a communal ideology" and send them to me. You can either e-mail me or put them up as comments to this post. If you don't want to reveal your name you can put up anonymous comments.

I will try to answer the questions and criticisms to the best of my ability. I want this blog to be a forum for discussing and debating Hindutva; I don't want it to become a one-way street.

Obama, Vajpayee, Leadership

Barack Hussein Obama never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think I have seen the best of him, he goes one better. In the last two years I have read almost every major speech of his. Each time I have felt the same admiration and respect. His inaugural address on January 20th was a classic. The speech was vintage Obama – the breadth of vision, the deep understanding of his country's history and traditions, the lofty ideals, the clear spelling out of today's challenges, and the inspiring call to his countrymen to face them bravely. This was a true leader talking to his people.

As I read the speech I felt happy for America, and a little sad for my own country. I couldn't help wondering: When was the last time an Indian politician spoke like this? In the Indian context I have heard such noble ideas and sentiments being expressed only in the lectures (bouddhiks) given by senior RSS leaders. Has even a single Indian politician given a single speech like this? The only example I can think of is Atal Behari Vajpayee's 'Musings from Kumarakom' in 2001. It was not a speech but an article (part one and part two). And though it did not have Obama's soaring rhetoric, it was inspiring in its own way.

A Right-Wing Revolution

In May 2007 Jonathan Chait wrote a brilliant article titled The Left's New Machine. It was about America's liberal bloggers (the netroots), and how they changed their country's politics.

Excerpt:
Conservatives have crowed for years that they have "won the war of ideas". More often than not, such boasts include a citation of Richard Weaver's famous dictum "Ideas have consequences". A war of ideas, though, is not an intellectual process; it is a political process. As my colleague Leon Wieseltier has written, "If you are chiefly interested in the consequences, then you are not chiefly interested in the ideas." The netroots, like most of the conservative movement, is interested in the consequences, not the ideas. The battle is being joined at last.

As we have seen, the netroots movement has climaxed with the election of Barack Obama. The liberal revolution has culminated in the establishment of a new liberal order.

In India the situation is exactly the reverse of America. Here the Left is the establishment, and the Right is the underdog. Can we hope for something similar (to the netroots movement) to happen here? Can the Indian Right take a leaf out of the American Left's notebook? Can we have a right-wing revolution in India?

*Right-wing = Hindu/nationalist/conservative

The Right-Wing Movement

In May 2007 Swapan Dasgupta wrote an insightful article about the state of the right-wing movement in India. What he said is relevant even today:

"After it first tasted power at the Centre in 1998, the BJP leadership went out of its way to acquire social respectability and shed its outlander status. Dispelling all fears of India being turned into a Hindu fascist state, the Vajpayee Government moulded itself as a conventional Right-of-centre regime.

Looking back, the NDA Government's tenure was marked by many missed opportunities. To my mind, two are particularly glaring. First, in focussing on the co-option of an establishment that had been nurtured by the Congress over five decades, the BJP lost sight of the need to craft a counter-establishment.

Second, in attempting to forge an elusive consensus, the BJP proved incapable of grasping the simple truth that compromises were being made by only one side. The BJP owed its spectacular growth after 1989 to its willingness to question the fundamentals of the great Nehruvian consensus. When it abandoned this combativeness for short-term respectability, it lost momentum.

In the process, the project of evolving a robust, intellectually vibrant Right-wing tradition also fell by the wayside. The Indian Right still awaits its moment."

The New Indian Order

By Tarun Vijay:

"The creators of a new Indian order will certainly do it better. Have power, will win. That's the key to success. India is struggling hard, is bleeding and yet showing winner's traits. This inner strength is essentially the civilisational gift, which runs into our veins. Call it Hindu or anything else. It is the defining life force of all of us. Eliminating terrorism ruthlessly, recapturing land lost to the enemy neighbours, rejuvenating the economy and infusing new blood into our educational and agricultural sectors are the new markers of our unstoppable journey to power-peak.

"I see clearly a rise of the intense Hindu values once the present young generation takes over. To me, the Hindu Right remains the last hope and an instrument to revive the glory and the wonder of India. And we know, the best and the brightest still are found in the various folds and facets of this segment, if we can train our eyes to look beyond the political organisational framework.

"If those who qualify from IITs and IIMs leave their lucrative options abroad to join RSS work in Meghalaya or Port Blair, then we still have hopes for India's rejuvenation. If the youngest force on this earth finds a suitable job to work for scheduled castes and tribes as RSS pracharaks, then no power on this earth can stop the ongoing march of the people who believe in the good of all sans borders of faith, caste or creed.

"The most delighting factor of a new Indian order is the young faces in the camps of Swami Ramdev, in the discourses of Sri Sri, in the congregations of Mohan Bhagwat (the youngest CEO of the largest Hindu organisation on this planet), or glued to the deep knowledge banks of K S Sudarshan (chief of the Hindus' greatest consolidation).

"Temple or no temple, gods or no gods, the only factor that must matter is the survival of a Hindu India – unabashedly, unapologetically assertive and Himalayan in its heights. It means everyone. It means all faiths and colours."

Samuel Huntington and Hindutva

Samuel Huntington, author of Clash of Civilisations (1996), is no more. Before reading his book I had been interested only in philosophy, and not in religion. Some snobbery was at work here: 'high-brow' philosophy vs 'low-brow' religion. But Clash of Civilisations powerfully brought home the importance of religion in today's world. I realised I had some catching up to do. I re-read the Bhagavad Gita and read the Quran. I also brought a Bible from home, but didn't make much progress with it.

Samuel Huntington's achievement was to remind people that our world is made up of civilisations – civilisations based on specific religions/cultures. His book was an important blow against secularists and multi-culturalists. He correctly identified India as a Hindu civilisation. Not that Hindutva needs an endorsement from a foreign scholar. But some Indians accept the truth about their country only when it is stated by a Westerner, especially an American.

PS: "Clash of Civilisations" has an interesting history. In 1989 – the year the Berlin Wall fell – Francis Fukuyama (a student of Huntington) wrote an article in the National Interest called "End of History". The article argued that history had ended with the triumph of free-market democracy. 3 years later he expanded his article into a book of the same name. The next year his teacher wrote an article in Foreign Affairs called "Clash of Civilisations". It argued that history was far from over, and that religion/culture would play a central role in the post-ideological world. The article provoked a lot of controversy and debate. 3 years later Huntington expanded his article into a book of the same name.

India's Greatest Kings

Question: Who were the greatest kings of India?
Answer: Ashoka and Akbar.

Our textbooks and our establishment (i.e., Marxist) historians have been parroting this line for many years. Sometimes explicitly – like the Q&A above. Sometimes implicitly – these are the only two kings whose names are suffixed with 'the great'.

But is this correct? What makes a king 'great' anyway? We can list the requirements that must be met for a king to be called 'great':
A) A reasonably large kingdom
B) A reasonably long rule
C) Military strength
D) Peace and stability
E) Economic prosperity
F) Achievements in arts and science

Even a casual glance at India's history reveals the following kings who meet these requirements comfortably:
1. Chandragupta Maurya (320 - 298 BC)
2. Samudra Gupta (335 - 380 AD)
3. Harshavardhana (606 - 647)
4. Pulikeshi II (610 - 642)
5. Amoghavarsha I (814 - 878)
6. Rajendra Chola (1014 - 1044)
7. Krishnadevaraya (1509 - 1529)
8. Chhatrapati Shivaji (1674 - 1680)
9. Ranjit Singh (1780 - 1839)

So we see that India has had many great kings. Then why this obsession with Ashoka and Akbar? One can guess what the answer is. Amartya Sen does us a great favour by stating it explicitly in his book Argumentative Indian. He says: "India's two greatest kings were Ashoka (a Buddhist) and Akbar (a Muslim). So how can anybody say that India is a Hindu country?"

Yes. That's what this is about. By upholding a Buddhist* and a Muslim as the only two great kings of India, the Leftists seek to deny Hindu India its glorious past and its legitimate claim to greatness. Thereby they seek to deny this country its true heritage and its true identity. What a lie! And what a motive behind that lie! The fraud – and the cynicism behind it – takes one's breath away. But the Ashoka-Akbar myth is not an exception. It is just one of a multitude of lies churned out by the Leftist propaganda machine in its war against this country's soul.

*There's another lie here: saying that Buddhists are not Hindu.

PS: The last two kings in the list may not meet requirement F. But we must remember the special circumstances and the special contributions of these two kings: They established independent kingdoms at a time when the country was in the clutches of foreign rulers (Mughals and Afghans + British, respectively).

Shri K S Sudarshan

I am just back from Bagalkot, where we had a two-day meeting for the RSS workers of North Karnataka province. The meeting was graced by the presence of the Sarsanghachalak (chief of the RSS) Shri K S Sudarshan.

In the last session of the meeting the Sarsanghachalak answered questions asked by the attendees. The questions were on diverse topics ranging from the global economic crisis to climate change and terrorism. The Sarsanghachalak answered each question patiently and in great detail, impressing everybody with the breadth and depth of his knowledge. But for me the real kicker was the last five minutes, in which he spoke about how India is poised to become a great nation once again.

As I listened to him, a strange feeling swept over me. It wasn't just the clarity and logic of his words (there are others who are also clear and logical). It was more. It was the wisdom of a man who had gone beyond knowledge. It was the simplicity of a man who had gone beyond complexity. For the first time in my life I felt I was in the presence of a rishi – a sage. Till now I had only read and heard about rishis. For the first time I felt I was sitting in front of one, seeing his face and hearing his voice*.

Sudarshanji (77) has been a swayamsevak for 68 years, and a pracharak for 54 years. They say great men are not born but made. Made, that is, by years of single-minded service, sacrifice, dedication and devotion. I am not an emotional guy who is swayed easily. But even a hard-nosed engineer like me is forced to admit that this is not an ordinary man.

People usually refer to the Sarsanghachalak as 'RSS leader' or 'RSS chief'. But he is not just a leader or a chief. He is a sage, a rishi.

*The only other person about whom I feel like this is Dr Shivakumar Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt.

Heroes of Modern India

Who are the greatest men/leaders of modern India? Here are my heroes of 20th century India:

1. Swami Vivekananda
For awakening India after 1000 years of foreign rule and slavery.

2. Mahatma Gandhi
For leading India's freedom struggle.

3. Dr K B Hedgewar
For founding the RSS to organise Indians on the basis of nationalism.

4. Guruji M S Golwalkar
For building the RSS into a mighty nationalist organisation.

5. Sardar Patel
For unifying India into a nation-state.

6. Jawaharlal Nehru
For nurturing India's democracy.

7. Dr B R Ambedkar
For being the architect of India's Constitution.

8. Lal Bahadur Shastri
For being the father of India's Green Revolution.

9. M Vishweshwarayya
For pioneering industrialisation in India.

10. A B Vajpayee
For bringing nationalism to the centre-stage of Indian politics.

11. L K Advani
Same as above.

12. P V Narasimha Rao
For converting India from socialism to capitalism.

13. Dr Manmohan Singh
Same as above.

14. A P J Abdul Kalam
For being the father of India's missile program.

Inspiration for this post: This list of Nandan Nilekani's heroes.

Vande Mataram - English

Here is my shot at an English translation of Vande Mataram:

I salute the Mother
She of clear water, delicious fruits and fragrant breeze
She of green vegetation, the Mother.

She of white moonlight and lively nights
Adorned by trees with blooming flowers
She of sweet smile and beautiful speech
Giver of joy, giver of boons, the Mother.

Her billion throats roaring with a fearsome voice
Her billion arms wielding a billion swords
Mother, who says you are weak?
Possessor of many powers, I salute the protector
Fighter of enemies, the Mother.

You are knowledge, you are religion
You are my heart, you are my soul
You are the breath in my body
Mother, you are the strength in my arms
Mother, you are the love in my heart
Your image is worshipped
In each and every temple.

You are Durga, holding weapons in her ten hands
You are Lakshmi, sitting on lotus petals
You are Saraswati, the giver of knowledge
I salute you, I salute the pure and incomparable one
She of clear water and delicious fruits, the Mother.

Dusky, innocent, smiling sweetly and wearing jewels
The earth, the nurturer, the Mother.

Vande Mataram

vandE mAtaram
sujalAm suphalAm malayaja SeetalAm
sasyaSyAmalAm mAtaram

SubhrajyotsnA pulakitayAmineem
phullakusumita drumadala Sobhineem
suhAsineem sumadhura bhAShiNeem
sukhadAm varadAm mAtaram

kOTi kOTi kanTha kalakalaninAda karAlE
kOTi kOTi bhujairdhrta kharakaravAlE
abalA keno mA eto balE
bahubaladhAriNeem namAmi tAriNeem
ripudalavAriNeem mAtaram

tumi vidyA tumi dharma
tumi hrdi tumi marma
tvam hi prANAh SareerE
bAhutE tumi mA Sakti
hrdayE tumi mA bhakti
tOmAra i pratimA gaDi
mandirE mandirE

tvam hi durgA daSapraharaNa dhAriNee
kamalA kamaladala vihAriNee
vANee vidyAdAyinee namAmi tvAm
namAmi kamalAm amalAm atulAm
sujalAm suphalAm mAtaram

SyAmalAm saralAm susmitAm bhooShitAm
dharaNeem bharaNeem mAtaram

The Hindu Phenomenon

I recently came across this remarkable book called "The Hindu Phenomenon" by Girilal Jain. Girilal Jain was the editor of the Times of India during 1978-88. Surprisingly he was a supporter of Hindu nationalism. He was one of the few intellectuals who welcomed the Ayodhya movement of the late 1980s. "The Hindu Phenomenon", a collection of six of his essays, was published in 1993.

The work, though slightly disjointed in some places, is impressive. Ambitious in its scope, it tries to understand Hindu nationalism (a modern ideology) by placing it in the context of the last 1000 years of India's history. Throughout the book the author makes many loaded statements, without giving detailed facts and arguments to support them (possibly due to the posthumous nature of the work). Still, his conclusions are very insightful and offer a lot of food for thought. The breadth of the author's reading is also quite impressive.

History of Hindutva

Though Hindutva is a much-discussed subject, there is hardly any decent material on its history – either on the web or in print. The one exception seems to be Jyotirmaya Sharma's "Hindutva: Exploring the idea of Hindu nationalism" (an anti-Hindutva book; I have not yet read it).

Based on my limited reading, I feel Hindutva – and its evolution – can be best understood by studying the thinkers who shaped the ideology. These are:

1. Raja Rammohan Roy (1774-1833)
2. Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883)
3. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-1894)
4. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886)
5. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
6. Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950)
7. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920)
8. Veer Savarkar (1883-1966)
9. Dr Hedgewar (1889-1940)
10. Guruji Golwalkar (1906-1973)

Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati - 2

Kandhmal's Father

- Was a friend, philosopher and guide for the tribals. Often accompanied them to government offices and police stations so they would not be exploited.
- Pioneered forest conservation in the district. Declared forest as the village property.
- Believed in the conservation of tribal culture. Restored the tribal deity-place (Dharani Penu, or Mother Earth) in tribal hamlets. Conducted several rath yatras among the tribals to create awareness about their culture, traditions and rights.
- Staunchly opposed cow slaughter. Toured Orissa many times taking the message of cow protection to the people. Staged several dharnas, protests and hunger strikes over the issue.
- Was a formidable force against conversions by Christian missionaries in the district. Believed that conversion uprooted the tribals from their culture and their land.
- Convinced repentant converts, who had been converted by fraud or inducements, to go back to their original religion.

Is it any wonder that the tribals of Kandhmal worshipped him as a living God? Is it any wonder that they responded with such fury when their beloved Swamiji was so brutally murdered?

*Source: Truth Behind Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati's Murder (Publishers: Viswa Sambad Kendra, Bhuvaneshwar)

Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati - 1

Here is some information* on Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, whose murder in August triggered the violence in Orissa's Kandhmal district.

Early Life

- 1926: Born in Orissa's Angul district.
- 1951: Became a sanyasi at the age of 25.
- Meditated in the Himalayas for a few years.
- 1968: Returned to Orissa to take part in anti-cow slaughter and anti-conversion movements.
- Decided to stay back in Orissa, at the request of social activists like Bhupendra Kumar Basu, and continued social works among the tribals and Dalits of Phulbani district (now Kandhmal).

Social Works

- 1969: Set up his first ashram at Chakapada, which soon became the centre of his social service activities.
- Renovated the Birupaksya, Anandeswar and Jogeswar temples with the help of locals.
- Established a Sanskrit school on gurukul pattern (later upgraded to a college).
- Established Sankaracharya Kanyashram, a residential school in Jalespatta for underprivileged girls.
- Was awarded the title of 'Vedanta Keshari'.
- Was awarded the Vivekananda Seva Puraskar.
- Introduced Satsang in all the villages of Kandhmal district.
- Founded Seva schools at Tulsipur and Banki in Cuttack district.
- Founded ashrams in Angul, Koraput and other districts.
- Started night schools for adults and working children.
- Spearheaded anti-liquor movements through his Satsangs. As a result, many villages (like Katingia in Udaygiri tehsil) gave up liquor completely.
- Persuaded tribals and other non-farming communities to take up modern agriculture and grow hybrid crops. Example: G Udaygiri Block in Kandhmal district produces high quality French beans today.
- Formed the Vegetable Cooperative Society for farmers at Katingia village.

Terror Hits The Rich - Finally

That this attack was different from previous ones has been commented on by most observers. Previous attacks were bomb blasts that got over quickly. This time terrorists took over several buildings in a city, and held them for a prolonged period (60 hours). There's another vital difference that few are talking about: This time the victims were rich people.

Among the targets were, for the first time, two luxury hotels. These were places frequented by the creme de la creme of the city: politicians, businessmen, movie stars and media personalities. True, many not-so-rich people (hotel staff, railway commuters, cops and soldiers) died in the attacks. But for the first time a significant number of rich people were also killed.

One can't help feeling that this government has been indifferent to terrorism partly because the victims were always ordinary people. Bombs went off in markets, temples and mosques killing the aam aadmi. The upper crust were safe inside their Z-grade cocoons, offices, mansions - and five star hotels. For the first time, the terrorists have struck where it hurts.

This reminds me of the movie Siege, in which New York City is subjected to a wave of terrorist attacks. The atmosphere becomes especially grim after a fancy theatre is blown up, killing many of the city's high society.

I know it is a little mean-minded to look at this in terms of rich and poor. But the sad truth can't be denied. Hopefully now the political, business, entertainment and media elite will lean on Soniaji and Manmohanji to do something about this existential threat. (By something, I don't mean providing Z-grade security to five star hotels)

S L Bhyrappa on Conversions

Eminent Kannada novelist S L Bhyrappa recently wrote an article on conversions (in the newspaper Vijay Karnataka). The hard-hitting essay, filled with facts and figures, provoked much controversy and debate. You can read the Kannada original or its English translation.

Ends and Means

Do the ends justify the means?

The means are the ends.
- Mahatma Gandhi

The ends is bullshit. The means is what you have to live with.
- The Corruptor (movie)

In the long run, it is only the 'minor' virtues that matter. Politeness is more reliable than compassion, just as fairplay is more important than the abstraction of justice. The 'major' virtues tend to disintegrate under the pressures of convenient rationalisation. But good form is good form. It is immutable in the storm of circumstance.
- Shibumi (novel)

Thoughts for the Day

Till now philosophers have only tried to understand the world. The point, however, is to change it.
– Karl Marx

It is the privilege and the curse of midnight's children to be both masters and victims of their times, to forsake privacy and be sucked into the annihilating whirlpool of the multitudes, and to be unable to live or die in peace.
– Salman Rushdie

Right-Wing Commentators

The English language media (ELM) in India is dominated by leftists, liberals and secularists. The right-wing commentator is a rare species in this country. There are very few writers* who can put forward the Hindu / nationalist / conservative / right-wing view on a subject in an intelligent manner. As a result, educated urban middle class Indians – who get their news and views only from the ELM – are exposed to only one side of the story (the wrong side). So the country's elite is being fed a steady diet of anti-national arguments and assumptions. The long-term effects of this phenomenon are worrisome, to say the least. Articulate spokesmen for nationalism are badly needed.

*The few I can think of are Arun Shourie, Swapan Dasgupta, Tavleen Singh, S Gurumurthy, Sudheendra Kulkarni and Tarun Vijay. Have I missed out anybody?

Madhavana Chittadali

Here is one of my favourite RSS songs (Kannada).

mAdhavana chittadali
araLidda chitragaLe
nannalloo nelesa banni.
jagadagala bittiyali
bhAratiya nettaripa
kAyakava kalisa banni
nannalloo nelesa banni.

rShi avanu naDedidda
sthira pathava hiDididda
guriyeDege neTTa drShThi.
kESavanu kalisidda
sangha sootradi heNeda
yuva manava muTTi taTTi.
avana kAryada tuDita
sarva sparSada miDita
nannalloo nelesa banni.
jagadagala bittiyali...

dESa oDeda A gaLige
naDeda nondede baLige
santa santaisi ninta.
sangha muriva tantragaLige
hiDida gurANi halage
kaTu unDa neelakanTha.
avana maNNina mamate
nOvu nunguva kShamate
nannalloo nelesa banni.
jagadagala bittiyali...

hindu bhAvava basidu
oDeda manavanu besedu
Ekateya kOTe kaTTi.
mElu keeLanu toDedu
naija dharmavu hoLedu
SrEShThateya Sikhara muTTi.
avana samarasa bhAva
jagava gelluva snEha
nannalloo nelesa banni.
jagadagala bittiyali...

It's about Golwalkar Guruji, and is written by Mukundji - pranth pracharak of South Karnataka.

Of Birthdays and the Hindu Calendar

All these years I was celebrating my birthday, like most people, as per the Gregorian/Christian calendar. This doesn't make any sense. We should be celebrating our birthdays, and other anniversaries, as per the Indian/Hindu calendar.

From henceforth I have decided to celebrate (that is, whatever little celebration I can cook up) my birthday as per the Hindu calendar. For the record, my birthday falls on Kartika Shuddha Dashami. You can use this calculator to find out your birthday as per the Hindu calendar.

So what day were you born on? :-)

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama.

Say it out loud.

Then look at the man's face.

This is not some Hollywood movie.

This is the real world.

Take a deep breath.

Let it sink in.

Yes, it has really happened.

Hindutva Vs India's Three Enemies – 2

Note that the three forces are antagonistic to one another. Communism is a staunchly atheistic ideology, opposed to all religion. Islam and Christianity are absolutist faiths, each believing that it alone is the one true religion. But in India they have all come together for one purpose – to fight their common enemy: Hindu nationalism. Sounds fanciful? The next time there is a transgression by one of the three forces, notice how there is a loud silence from the other two. The next time there is even the smallest victory for Hindu nationalists, notice how the three forces condemn it in one voice. Has there ever been a more cynical and opportunistic alliance?

The great tragedy in this country is that secularists and liberals – wittingly or unwittingly – have become part of this unholy nexus. Secularists and liberals happen to dominate the English language media (ELM) in India. Consequently, the ELM has also become a tool in the hands of this unholy nexus. An institution that should be a beacon of modernity has become the handmaiden of the most regressive forces imaginable.

Thus we see Hindu nationalism on one side and Communism, radical Islam and evangelical Christianity on the other side locked in a struggle over the future of this country. Secularists and liberals must be on the right side in this struggle. We Hindu nationalists, for our part, must reach out to them and try to win them over. Hopefully, once they understand the true nature of India and Hinduism, they will join hands with us. But with the three enemies there can be no negotiation or compromise. Only a fight to the finish.

I know this is not a very pleasant subject to talk about. Most of us would rather ignore the problem. But, as I have said above, the facts are there for all to see. Even if we do recognise the problem, we are reluctant to
a) talk about it openly
b) do something about it.
The reason for a) is our Hindu sensibilities. We Hindus are polite to a fault. For us, not offending others has become more important than speaking the truth. But political correctness is a luxury we can ill afford when the very survival of our nation is at stake.

The reason for b) is we think these are abstract and distant threats that will not touch us directly. Let nobody be under any illusion. The danger is here and now. It can strike us any moment. We must act – if only to protect the lives and well-being of our loved ones. As Edmund Burke said, "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

PS: I don't know when – or if – I'll be posting again.

Hindutva Vs India's Three Enemies – 1

Who are the opponents of Hindutva? The people most virulently opposed to Hindutva are:
1. Communists
2. Islamic fundamentalists
3. Christian missionaries
4. Nehruvian secularists
5. Western-style liberals

Let's take the last two: secularists and liberals. The same person is usually both, so this is effectively one group. These are, for the most part, patriotic and well-intentioned people. Their opposition to Hindutva stems from their misunderstanding of India and Hinduism. They see Hindutva as a communal ideology and hence oppose it. This is bad enough. What is worse is they are so consumed by their fear and mistrust of Hindutva that they have turned a blind eye to the real enemies of the nation, and even made common cause with them.

Which brings us to the first three groups. Among these there is no misunderstanding of Hindutva. On the contrary, they have understood Hindutva correctly. That is why they are so vehemently opposed to it. They know that Hindu nationalism is the one force that can resist and defeat their evil designs in India (and also, God willing, the world).

Our communists routinely sabotage any measure that will make India stronger and more prosperous. Meanwhile their masters (the Chinese) continue to encircle our country and arm our enemies. Islamic terrorists have long moved beyond J&K. Now they target the whole country – setting off bomb blasts in our cities regularly, killing hundreds of our people. Christian missionaries have been abetting separatist insurgencies in the North East for a long time. They also aggressively convert our tribals, producing communal disharmony and violence.

So these are the three threats to India (and also the world at large):
1. Communism
2. Radical Islam
3. Evangelical Christianity

Many people dismiss such talk as paranoia and fear/hate-mongering. But the facts are undeniable. One has to be blind not to see them. This is not about fear/hate-mongering. This is about opening our eyes and acknowledging the grim reality. Golwalkar Guruji had alerted us to these three threats long ago. And now we see a new, and alarming, development: these three forces are coming together.

Goodbye!

This is my last post. A change of job (and lifestyle) means I won't be blogging anymore.

A big "Thank you!" to all those who were reading Indian Take, especially those who left comments :-) I really enjoyed writing. In future I hope to write in my own language – Kannada.

Please recommend this blog to all your friends. Do continue to post your comments, questions and criticisms on the blog. I don't know if I can respond to them, but I'll try.

You can check out my home page (Dheeraj) to see what I am up to.

McCain Vs Obama

Who will win the US Presidential elections in November? Most people look at the national polls for the answer. But America does not elect its President by a nation-wide general election. It instead follows a state-wise "electoral college" system. So for the answer to our question we must look at the state-level polls. If the elections were held today, the results would look like this:

State	Votes	McCain	Obama
Alabama	9	58	33
Alaska	3	50	41
Arizona	10	51	38
Arkansas	6	57	33
California	55	38	52
Colorado	9	42	48
Connecticut	7	44	47
District of Columbia	3	na	na
Delaware	3	41	50
Florida	27	47	40
Georgia	15	54	40
Hawaii	4	31	61
Idaho	4	52	39
Illinois	21	31	60
Indiana	11	51	43
Iowa	7	42	46
Kansas	6	52	37
Kentucky	8	57	32
Louisiana	9	50	41
Maine	4	38	51
Maryland	10	37	51
Massachusetts	12	39	50
Michigan	17	43	39
Minnesota	10	39	51
Mississippi	6	50	44
Missouri	11	47	44
Montana	3	48	43
Nebraska	5	49	40
Nevada	5	46	40
New Hampshire	4	45	43
New Jersey	15	41	48
New Mexico	5	43	46
New York	31	38	50
North Carolina	15	45	41
North Dakota	3	44	38
Ohio	20	43	44
Oklahoma	7	62	21
Oregon	7	39	51
Pennsylvania	21	41	46
Rhode Island	4	38	53
South Carolina	8	48	45
South Dakota	3	51	34
Tennessee	11	58	31
Texas	34	52	37
Utah	5	50	39
Vermont	3	29	63
Virginia	13	46	43
Washington	11	39	51
West Virginia	5	53	35
Wisconsin	10	43	46
Wyoming	3	53	40

'Votes' = how many electoral votes the state is worth
'McCain' = % of people in the state voting for John McCain
'Obama' = % of people in the state voting for Barack Obama

Here is how it works. All the electoral votes of a state are awarded to the candidate who wins that state. There is no proportional distribution – it's a 'winner takes all' system*. There are totally 538 electoral votes at stake. To win, a candidate must bag at least 270 electoral votes. As per this table the winner is Barack Obama, but only by a whisker – 272 to 266.

That's not the only thing close about it. Look at Ohio, which is worth 20 electoral votes. Obama is barely winning it (44% to 43%). If those 20 electoral votes go the other way, the winner will be John McCain – 286 to 252. And it's not just about Ohio. In 25 states the 'winning' candidate is ahead by less than 10%. That lead could disappear in the next 5 months. So all these 25 states are "in play". Together they are worth 240 electoral votes. That means anything can happen on November 4th!

PS: Markos Moulitsas (aka Kos) has done a similar analysis. He has chosen the poll numbers in a slightly different way, and hence has arrived at a slightly different result.

*There are two minor exceptions to this rule (Maine and Nebraska).

Books on India

Today I will talk about the books I have read on my favourite subject: India.

1. The Idea of India – Sunil Khilnani
This was the first book on India that I read. A short but impressive work, it is written from a Nehruvian viewpoint. Khilnani uses a lot of difficult words, so keep a dictionary by your side.

2. India Unbound – Gurcharan Das
A paean to the brave new India that was born in 1991. Written in simple language. The only sore point is that the reader is subject to the story of Das and his family too, along with the story of India.

3. No Full Stops in India – Mark Tully
Though a foreigner, Tully has understood India better than many Indians. This collection of essays is a sympathetic look at our country. It had been criticised by some people for its apparent defence of the caste system.

4. Million Mutinies Now – V S Naipaul
The final book in the India trilogy. In this book Naipaul changes his formerly negative view of India. He travels across the country listening to people's stories, and narrates them to us in his masterful prose.

5. Continent of Circe – Nirad C Chaudhuri
This is a classic from the old curmudgeon. Provocative, politically incorrect and sometimes outrageous – this is Chaudhuri at his best. His analysis of India, though fanciful, is scholarly and full of insights.

6. From Midnight to Millennium – Shashi Tharoor
Tharoor is a Nehruvian secularist and an admirer of Sonia Gandhi. Still this book is worth reading – especially for its analysis of how India's institutions decayed and crumbled during the Indira Gandhi years.

Other books on India I haven't read:

a) Heart of India – Mark Tully
b) Great Indian Middle Class – Pavan Varma
c) Elephant Paradigm – Gurcharan Das
d) Elephant, Tiger and Cell Phone – Shashi Tharoor
e) In Spite of the Gods – Ed Luce

Please let me know of any good book you have read on India :-)

Hindu and Indian

I have explained how the words 'Hindu' and 'Indian' mean the same thing. Then the question arises: If the two words are the same, why does the RSS insist on using one (Hindu), instead of the other (Indian)? Why does it talk about Hindu nationalism (or Hindutva), rather than Indian nationalism?

The answer is that the word 'Indian' has come to be associated more with the nation state that was born in 1947, and the republic that was born in 1950. It is not associated so much with our 5000-year-old civilisation, our culture and our way of life. But the word 'Hindu' does have this latter association. Hence it is preferred. (See my essay on Hindu rashtra for why nationalism is primarily cultural in nature.)

This raises another question: Won't this use of the word 'Hindu' exclude and alienate India's Muslims and Christians? No, it should not. The word 'Hindu' was originally a geographic term, referring to a land and its people. In this sense all Indians are Hindus – regardless of the religion they practise. Just because some Hindus practise a different religion (Islam or Christianity) does not mean they are not Hindus. They did not cease to be Hindus when they converted to a different religion. The same blood flows in their veins that flows in ours.

So if India's Muslims and Christians are Hindu only in the geographical and racial sense (but not in the cultural sense) and we equate Indianness with Hinduness, doesn't that imply that they are less Indian than the rest of the nation? Here we must remember that Hinduism is an inclusive and universal way of life. It is not a rigid and exclusive religion. Hindu society gives people the freedom to practise any religion they want to. The presence of people who practise other religions is a testimony to the tolerance of Hinduism.

Once we realise the equivalence of the words 'Hindu' and 'Indian', a lot of our misconceptions disappear. In particular, "liberal" Hindus will stop making asinine statements like, "I am first an Indian, and then a Hindu." What is the difference between the two? And if you take away the 'Hindu', what is left of the 'Indian'?

So, Indian nationalism = Hindu nationalism = Hindutva :-)

Andrew Sullivan

For a blogger, strangely I don't read a lot of blogs. I mostly stick to magazines and newspapers (online editions). The one blog that I read regularly is the Daily Dish, by Andrew Sullivan.

Andrew Sullivan is a 45-year-old British writer living in Washington DC. He has a PhD in political science from Harvard. He is Catholic and conservative. He is also homosexual and HIV positive. An unusual profile, to say the least :-)

Why do I read the Daily Dish regularly? I think it's primarily to do with the wide range of subjects the blog covers. Though Sullivan writes mainly on politics and current affairs, he also writes on other areas like religion and culture. Another reason is the unique insight he brings to each topic. Even when you don't agree with what he says (which is quite often), you will find his arguments interesting. A final reason is that his blog has a lot of links to other excellent articles. Some of the best stuff I've read on the web I found through the Daily Dish.

Of course, the blog is very America-centric. You won't find anything on India there. Even the viewpoint is a highly American one (which can be a little annoying at times). If you are OK with that, you will find the Daily Dish an enjoyable read.

Sullivan is not your usual American conservative. In 2006 he wrote a book called "The Conservative Soul", in which he accused the Republican party and the Bush administration of betraying conservatism. Today he is so pissed off with the Republicans that he is supporting Barack Obama in the US Presidential elections! In fact, he was perhaps the first pundit to predict that Obama could win the Democratic nomination – a prediction that looked insane at that time.

Sullivan's conservatism is, of course, Western conservatism – the political philosophy founded by Edmund Burke. One day I hope to write a post on Hindu conservatism, and how the two philosophies compare with each other.

The Last Samurai: Review

A personal review of The Last Samurai:

When TLS was released in January 2004, I was in Hyderabad. That's where I first saw it. I saw it again after coming back to Poona. Later I bought the VCD.

Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Siege, Blood Diamond), this 150-minute epic takes us to late 19th century Japan. It is set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration – the modernisation of Japan. While Emperor Meiji was a historical person, the other characters and incidents are fictional. Written by John Logan (Gladiator), TLS is an unabashedly romantic look at traditional Japan. (Nobody believes that the medieval period was perfect, or that every feudal lord was just and noble like Katsumoto. But that is not the point.)

An excellent screenplay, brilliantly choreographed sword fights and fine acting all add up to a great watch. Tom Cruise is good enough as Nathan Algren, but it is Ken Watanabe who steals the show. As Katsumoto he exudes dignity, strength, wisdom and compassion – a true Samurai.

The cinematic aspects aside, what appeals the most is the concept of the Samurai. Their life of austere simplicity. Their pursuit of truth and beauty. Their courage and idealism. Their code of duty, honour, loyalty and sacrifice. Their stoic outlook on life. As I have noted earlier, the Samurai were Zen Buddhists, and Zen Buddhism is the Japanese version of Yoga. So the Samurai were Yogis. What Krishna says about Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita find an echo in TLS, and it is not a coincidence.

TLS's loving depiction of traditional Japan makes us nostalgic for what once was. It makes us realise how precious our own culture is. We realise how important it is to preserve our identity and our way of life. That, perhaps, is the most important message we can take from 'The Last Samurai'.

The Last Samurai: Quotes

Quotes from The Last Samurai:

Narrator: I say Japan was created by a handful of brave men – warriors willing to give their lives for what is now a forgotten word: honour.

Nathan Algren: They are an unusual people. From the moment they wake up they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they do. I've never seen such discipline.

Algren: I was surprised to learn that the word 'Samurai' means 'to serve', and that Katsumoto believes his rebellion to be in the service of the Emperor.

Algren: What does it mean to be Samurai? To devote yourself utterly to a set of moral principles, to seek a stillness of the mind, and the mastery of the sword.

Katsumoto: A perfect cherry blossom is a rare thing. You can spend your whole life looking for one, and it will not be a wasted life.

Katsumoto: To know life in every breath, in every cup of tea, in every life we take. That is Bushido – the way of the warrior.

Algren: So you will take your own life, in shame. In shame for a life of service, discipline, compassion.
Katsumoto: The way of the Samurai is not necessary anymore.
Algren: Necessary? What could be more necessary?

Katsumoto: Do you believe a man can change his destiny?
Algren: I believe a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.

Algren: This is Katsumoto's sword. He would have wanted you to have it. He hoped with his dying breath that you would remember his ancestors who held it, and what they died for. May the strength of the Samurai always be with you.

Emperor: You were with him when he died?
Algren: Yes.
Emperor: Tell me how he died.
Algren: I will tell you how he lived.

Emperor: I dream of a unified Japan – of a country strong, and independent, and modern. Now we have railroads and cannon and Western clothing. But we cannot forget who we are, or where we come from.

The Last Samurai: Story

Story of The Last Samurai:

Japan in 1876 – For centuries Japan has been an isolated country, cutting itself off from the world. So it is still a medieval, agricultural nation. The new emperor Meiji decides to modernise his country. He opens up Japan to the world, bringing in railways, telegraph, firearms and Western suits. Not everybody is happy with these changes. A Samurai named Katsumoto revolts against the Emperor. The Emperor hires some American military officers to train his army to fight Katsumoto. One of these officers is Nathan Algren.

Nathan Algren and his colleagues go to Japan. They lead the Emperor's army in a battle against Katsumoto. The Imperial army is routed, and Algren is wounded and captured. He is taken to Katsumoto's village as a prisoner. During his time in the village, Algren gets to see the Samurai and their way of life. Gradually he is converted to their cause. He joins Katsumoto in his rebellion. In the final battle Katsumoto is defeated and killed, but Algren survives to tell the story.

RSS and Muslims

Sudheendra Kulkarni brings to our attention* a little known fact: the RSS's attempt to reach out to Muslims.

"The Rashtriya Muslim Manch is an organisation inspired and guided by the RSS to bring together nationalist Muslims. It was launched four years ago with the blessings of RSS chief K S Sudarshan. Mohammad Afzal, a Delhi-based businessman, is the national convener of the Manch. On May 11, he and his colleagues organised the finale of the Manch's yearlong nationwide campaign to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1857 War of Independence. The concluding two-day meeting at Meerut had nearly 3000 delegates from 16 states.

"Afzal says, "There are many Muslim organisations in the country. Many of them wish to keep Muslims in a ghetto, away from the national mainstream. Our organisation aims to make Muslims aware of their Indian roots. This awareness of the common bonds of nationalism that unite people belonging to different faiths is the surest way to overcome the problems facing Indian Muslims." He and his wife Shahnaz Afzal are full-time activists of the Manch, which now has eight other wholetimers. The moving spirit behind the Manch is Indresh Kumar, a senior pracharak of the RSS, deputed to work among the Muslim community."

The importance of such an initiative cannot be exaggerated.

*"Look who commemorated 1857 in Meerut" – Indian Express, 16th May 2008. Strangely the article is not available online.

Blog Squatting

I started my blog in September 2006. After blogging for more than a year I decided to make some changes to the blog. Chief among these changes were the blog URL and blog name. Since this is an India-centric blog I wanted to have "India" in the blog URL and blog name. I tried out several variations of "India" and found that all of them were taken. But what pissed me off was that all these blogs were inactive. Here's the list:
1. India.blogspot.com – 2 posts
2. Indica.blogspot.com – 4 posts
3. Indian.blogspot.com – 4 posts
4. Indiana.blogspot.com – 4 posts

I was furious. All these cool URLs had been wasted on some dead blogs. Talk about blog squatting! After 1947 we had land reforms that outlawed absentee landlords and gave the land to people who would actually use it. Today we need similar laws that will take away cool blog URLs from undeserving owners.

Anyway, there was nothing I could do about it. I had to settle for "Indian Take". The changes were made on 31st December 2007.

For the record, this was the old avatar of the blog:
Blog title = 21st Century Chronicles
Blog subtitle = A turbulent world seen through the eyes of an unknown Indian
Blog URL = http://psomax.blogspot.com
My display name = Psomax

Zero Tolerance to Terrorism

In the wake of the Jaipur bomb blasts, we are seeing the same sickening drama all over again. Sample this gem from our honourable Home Minister Shivraj Patil: "Their aim (to create communal disturbances) has been thwarted. The people of Jaipur have not allowed their nefarious design to succeed." Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have also made similar statements. This is not new. They sing this same tune after every terrorist attack.

This government seems to believe – and want us to believe – that the sole aim of the terrorists is to incite communal riots. So as long as there are no communal riots after a terrorist attack, everything is fine and we have won. It doesn't matter how many bombs go off or how many Indians are killed. All that matters is that there should be no communal riots. How convenient. How sickening.

Pranab Mukherjee's call for "zero tolerance to terrorism" looks like a stupid joke in this context. All this is testing the patience of Indians. By God's grace (and the good sense of Indians) there have been no communal riots after a terrorist attack till now. With one exception: Godhra. God forbid there should be another Gujarat 2002. But that is exactly what is going to happen if things continue like this.

Here's a suggestion to Sonia-Manmohan-Shivraj. Why not assume that the aim of the terrorists is not to cause communal riots, but just to kill Indians? Period. Because that's what they are doing (and they are doing it very well). With this change in attitude, the picture should look a little differently to Sonia-Manmohan-Shivraj. Every time a bomb goes off, we lose. Every time a bullet is fired, we lose. Every time an Indian is killed, or even hurt, we lose. This is what is meant by zero tolerance to terrorism, Pranabji. This is the mindset needed to win the war on terror.

But the UPA is not interested in trivial things like winning the war on terror and protecting the life of the "aam aadmi". They are worried about more important things like the elections. I repeat: there is a limit to the patience (and good sense) of Indians. If the current state of affairs continues, we will see an eruption that will make the Gujarat riots look like a picnic. No Indian wants that. Let us pray that our rulers come to their senses – before it is too late.

Science Meets Spirituality

David Brooks looks at how the latest research in neuroscience is validating ancient spiritual beliefs. Science is converging towards spirituality. He calls it "neural Buddhism". He rightly notes that this poses a serious threat to revealed religions (like Christianity and Islam).

Brooks says, "The self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships". This line really struck me. Why? Because I have been coming around to the same conclusion of late. Just replace "relationships" with "experiences". Relationships are a subset of experiences.

Brooks helpfully gives a list of names for those interested in reading on the subject. Here's a closer look at who these guys are, and what they have written:

Andrew Newberg (associate professor of psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania)
1. The mystical mind: Probing the biology of religious experience
2. Why God won't go away: Brain science and the biology of belief
3. Why we believe what we believe: Uncovering our biological need for meaning, spirituality, and truth

Daniel Siegel (associate clinical professor of psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine)
4. The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are
5. The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of well-being

Michael Gazzaniga (professor of psychology, University of California Santa Barbara)
6. The mind's past
7. The ethical brain
8. Human: The science behind what makes us unique

Jonathan Haidt (associate professor of psychology, University of Virginia)
9. The happiness hypothesis: Finding modern truth in ancient wisdom

Antonio Damasio (professor of neuroscience, University of Southern California)
10. Descartes' error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain
11. The feeling of what happens: Body and emotion in the making of consciousness
12. Looking for Spinoza: Joy, sorrow, and the feeling brain

Marc Hauser (professor of psychology, Harvard University)
13. Moral minds: How nature designed our universal sense of right and wrong

Just reading the names of the books is quite an education :-)

The Vice President

Now that it's more or less settled that it will be a McCain vs Obama showdown in November, attention has shifted to who will be the vice presidential candidates. Salon magazine has an interesting quiz for readers to 'pick' the running mates for McCain and Obama. Accordingly the top 3 picks are...

For John McCain
My picks:
1. Tim Pawlenty (Governor of Minnesota)
2. Fred Thompson (Senator from Tennessee)
3. Wayne Allard (Senator from Colorado)
Salon readers' picks:
1. Colin Powell (we know this guy)
2. Tim Pawlenty (see above)
3. Mike Huckabee (former Governor of Arkansas)

For Barack Obama
My picks:
1. Kathleen Sebelius (Governor of Kansas)
2. Ted Strickland (Governor of Ohio)
3. Chris Dodd (Senator from Connecticut)
Salon readers' picks:
1. Jim Webb (Senator from Virginia)
2. Wesley Clark (former General)
3. Kathleen Sebelius (see above)

For both candidates my second and third picks are way off mark. But my first picks seem to be close to the bull's eye :-)

PS: I have been following the US presidential primaries closely, and have been tempted a lot to blog about it. But I remembered this rap on my knuckles and decided to restrain myself ;-)

The Unbearable Emptiness of Being

What is life? It is a series of moments – each one unconnected with the other. Each moment in itself is meaningless. All the moments taken together also do not add up to any meaningful whole. Any meaning is at best relative, not absolute.

So what are we to do? How are we to live? Most people don't ask themselves stupid questions like, "What is the meaning of life?" and hence do not face this problem. But for those of us who do, what is the solution?

Milan Kundera spoke of the unbearable lightness of being. The fact that life is meaningless should be seen as a blessing, not as a curse. Absence of meaning is nothing to cry about; it is a source of freedom.

How many of us can bring ourselves to look at life in this way? Most of us cannot. We persist in asking the question, even though we may never find the answers. All that we have is the unbearable emptiness of being.

The Year Is 5110

Q: Which year is it now?
A: 2008
Q: How is it year 2008?
A: Because it's been 2008 years since Jesus Christ was born

The calendar we are using is the Christian calendar. It is a relative system, not an absolute one. When the European countries colonised most of the world during 1400-1900, they spread their customs in the lands they ruled. Thus the Christian calendar (along with many other things) became the default for the whole world.

For practical purposes we may continue to use this calendar, or at least be aware of it. But we must also be aware of our own calendar(s). The two Hindu calendars most commonly cited are Vikrama and Shalivahana. The Vikrama calendar is followed mainly in north India. Its zero year corresponds to 58 BC; so according to it the current year is 2066. The Shalivahana calendar is followed mainly in south India. Its zero year corresponds to 78 AD; so according to it the current year is 1930.

All this is very confusing. So instead of these two regional calendars, we can remember one national calendar. According to Hindu tradition, the Kali Yuga began in 3102 BC (when Krishna died). So the current year is Kaliyugabda 5110. As per this, we are in the 52nd century (not the 21st). It also fits in neatly with the notion of India being a 5000-year-old civilisation :-)

Hindu Militancy

The case for Hindu militancy is simple. We have a glorious culture and way of life, yes. But that is not enough. We must also have the strength to defend it. Anything good and beautiful attracts unwanted attention. What is the use of having a refined civilisation if you don't have the strength to protect it? In its 5000 years of history, Indian/Hindu civilisation never attacked other countries. The mistake we did was to think that everybody is like us. And we paid the price for it. We are still continuing to make this mistake.

We are tolerant and peace loving, yes. But everybody is not like us. The sooner we realise this, the better. We Hindus are polite to a fault – we refuse to admit that somebody can be intolerant and aggressive.

Two notes of caution here. First, some people think the answer is to become intolerant and aggressive like the Semitic religions. Absolutely not. We are Hindus. We should remain Hindus. We must think, talk and act like Hindus. We must continue to be tolerant and universal in our outlook. Second, rule of law is supreme. The law must be respected at all costs. Nobody should break the law, or take the law into his own hands. Any effort has to be within the four corners of the law.

Will Durant said it best: "... the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilisation is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without and multiplying from within. The Hindus ... had failed to organise their forces for the protection of their frontiers and their capitals, their wealth and their freedom, from the hordes of Scythians, Huns, Afghans and Turks hovering about India's boundaries and waiting for national weakness to let them in. For four hundred years (600 – 1000 AD) India invited conquest; and at last it came. This is the secret of the political history of modern India ... The bitter lesson that may be drawn from this tragedy is that eternal vigilance is the price of civilisation. A nation must love peace, but keep its powder dry."

The Strength of Hindus

"The Islamic conquest of India shows that Hindus were weak and cowardly."

This is how most people (even patriotic Indians) see our history. But look at the facts:
644 AD – Arabs first attacked Sindh
712 AD – bin Qasim conquered Sindh
1023 AD – Ghaznavi conquered Punjab
1192 AD – Ghauri conquered North India
That is, from 644 AD to 1192 AD, it took Islam more than 500 years to conquer our country.

Compare this with Islam's other conquests. The Arabs started pouring out of their peninsula after the Prophet died in 632 AD. By the end of the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 AD, they had conquered all of West Asia, North Africa and Spain. That is, the Islamic juggernaut flattened every land from the Pyrenees to the Indus in just about 100 years. But we were able to hold off this juggernaut for more than 500 years. Not a small achievement.

There is an untold story here. It is the story of the heroic resistance of India's northwest provinces (Sindh, Punjab, Rajputana). It is the story of the true character of Hindus – one of strength, valour and sacrifice. This story has been left out of our textbooks. It must be written in letters of gold. Every Indian must know it.

PS: I owe this insight to Dr Ravindra, the RSS's Saha Bauddhik Pramukh in North Karnataka.

RSS Training Camps

An important aspect of the RSS that few outsiders know of is the RSS training camps. These were earlier called Officers Training Camp (OTC). Today they are called Sangha Shiksha Varga.

The training camps are held all over the country every year during April-June. There are totally 4 levels of training:
1. Prathamika Shiksha Varga (Basic training camp) – Duration is 7 days. Usually held at the district (zilla) level.
2. Prathama Varsha Shiksha Varga (First year training camp) – Duration is 21 days. Usually held at the provincial (prantha) level.
3. Dvitiya Varsha Shiksha Varga (Second year training camp) – Duration is 21 days. Usually held at the zonal (kshetra) level.
4. Trutiya Varsha Shiksha Varga (Third year training camp) – Duration is 30 days. Held at the national level in Nagpur.

At the training camps, both physical (sharirik) and theoretical/intellectual (bauddhik) training are imparted. Sharirik training includes danda yuddha (combat with a cane), niyuddha (unarmed combat), samata (drill), yogasana and playing games. Bauddhik training includes lectures and group discussions.

The primary purpose of the training camps is to impart the various skills needed for running shakhas. Needless to say, to qualify for any training camp you must have completed the previous level of training! :-)

Philosophy

Philosophy is not meant to be merely studied. It is meant to be lived.
Philosophy is not about reading books. It is about living life.