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 :-)