Modern Education

Education is essentially about acquiring knowledge. Due to the present utilitarian culture prevailing all over the world,education has become obsessed with equipping a person for a career rather than helping him to become a better human being! Career,success and money have become the sole criteria in determining the quality of education imparted to a student.
In ancient India,the sole objective of the teacher used to be to awaken the learning instinct in a person. The teacher was the Guru and was regarded as sacrosanct. Every person was left the choice to choose his Guru. The student would stay in the Guru's home and was regarded as a member of the family.There he was taught literature,science,music,martial arts and even domestic chores. His whole life was regulated to the sole objective of acquiring knowledge,At the end of his training,he was expected to give Guru-Dakshina,a token payment,as a mark of his gratitude to the Guru.Students from all over the world came to India to learn.
In Modern India today education has become totally commercialized and has become the exclusive preserve of the wealthy.The culture of capitation-fee has become all pervasive.Children are encouraged to join coaching classes right from a very small age.The pressure to succeed has become so strong that many adolocents are committing suicide every year.Education instead of being a joy and delight has become a burden.A person's qualification has become the criteria for fixing his dowry.
As a result there is hardly any originality or independent thought found in India.The quality of literary works,scientific research or artistic talent  is very poor! The teacher has lost respect in society and is only pre-occupied with receiving his emoluments.The present system suits the ruling class very well as it ensures that only robots are produced and not human beings.

The need of the hour is a revolution to revamp the entire scenario,so that India can take its rightful place in the world as a center of learning!

wild life conservation

The flora and fauna are precious gifts of nature necessary for maintaining the equilibrium of the universe. Mankind should not forget that it has evolved out of the animal and still has its vestiges.Its future survival depends on protecting its ancestors! Due to man's endless rapacity and greed,the flora and fauna face the threat of extinction,Their natural habitat is being encroached by the fast growing population of the world. Due to dwindling farmlands and consequent decline in production of grains,man is becoming carnivorous to satisfy its appetite.Tigers,rhinos,elephants,whales,seals and rare birds are being killed for their meat,skin and bones.There are hardly any sparrows or butterfly's left in India due to the invasion of mobile telephony.
Global warming and its consequent effects are effecting the entire ecology adversely.
The Upanishads,one of India's great scriptures, talk of " All this is the brahman" which means that the entire universe is a manifestation of God! If any of its constituent units is harmed,it harms the whole.The same wisdom is found in all the holy scriptures of the world.

Mankind has to find alternate ways of living to save the universe and itself!

man-woman relationship

The whole universe depends on a harmonious relationship between the sexes! man-woman are indivisible and have a common soul. The problems have arisen because of a false assumption that they are separate having a distinct identity.Indian culture regards man-woman as shiva-shakti,knowledge-power,purush-prakriti,soul-nature,earth-sky; one is incomplete without the other. The Tantra which is one of the many paths to self realization treats the woman as sacred and to be approached with great egolessness and sensitivity,so that she can show the path to knowledge,bliss and the truth!
The man,because of his physical prowess was culturally regarded as the provider while the woman because of her fertility was regarded as the home-maker.The ancient cultures gave a prominent place to the woman because she was thought to be the source of refinement,music,arts,literature,beauty and harmony!
Gradually as property,wealth,power,dominance and commerce started becoming important,the relationship between man-woman underwent a change. The man became the superior and the woman his appendage.The institution of marriage which was earlier a voluntary and free one started becoming a bondage. As a result,the masculine virtues started dominating and the feminine qualities started diminishing. The earlier tranquility and harmony was disturbed. The woman was regarded as a pleasure object,incapable of leadership,thought or creativity.
As science entered the realm,the materialistic paradigm completely suppressed the spiritual aspects of life,which meant the total subjugation of the woman! Gradually,in the West,the women began asserting themselves and started demanding equality.However, in the process they started loosing their femininity and started competing with men for a larger share of the cake. Women's rights,suffragette,equality of pay.equal opportunities and freedom of expression became their prominent demands.Now the division was complete!The result-discord,divorce,sexual violence and harassment. The family was the first victim of this unhappy turn of events.The arts,music,literature and vocations had to bear the brunt of this growing dichotomy.

The time has now come to return to our ancient wisdom and restore the balance between the two poles of existence." Matter is false unless it is a manifestation of the spirit!" Sri Aurobindo

cooperative movement in India

Cooperation has been a salient feature of Indian Culture since time immemorial!Assimilation,dialogue,fraternity,cooperation and tolerance are characteristics of the Indian psyche.
The father of the cooperative movement in India is Lokmanya Tilak who set up the first cooperative unit at Talegaon,Maharashtra.The idea behind the cooperative movement is that the entire society should be the beneficiaries while at the same time instilling a spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie. This tradition was extended to the agricultural sector by Shri Yeshwantrao Chavan and Vasantdada Patil in Maharashtra . The farmers were encouraged to set up cooperatives for the manufacture of sugar,molasses,alcohol and even to the dairy sector and the banking sector. The Cooperative societies Act was suitably amended to encourage the cooperative sector.
 Sardar Patel asked Mr. Kurien to start  the cooperative movement in Gujrat in the dairy sector. As a result The Amul brand has become the most popular brand in India. It has led to prosperity of the farmers in Gujrat.Mrs. Ela Bhatt has pioneered the cooperative movement in the handicrafts sector providing employment to hundreds of women in Gujrat.
In my opinion the time has come to spread the cooperative movement to the rest of the country. Dairy,poultry,horticulture,alcohol, vegetables,fisheries and food grains should be the priority areas.The seed capital required is low since the farmers are the share-holders. Attempts should also be made to extend the benefits to the micro-finance, handicraft sector, hand loom sector and the bee-keeping sector.

I believe the cooperative movement is the key to building a prosperous,strong and progressive India.

India-a federation?

The Constitution of India defines India to be a federation of states.After Independence,it was correctly decided that considering the diversity in languages,scripts,cultures,religions and ethnicity, India should be a federation of its constituent states.It was also felt that to prevent divisive tendencies,India should have a strong centre. Parliament was given the power to alter,merge or create a new state.The Constitution also provides for distribution of powers between the Centre and the States.Some powers have been given exclusively to the centre and the states while in certain areas both have equal say. The underlying theme in the Constitution is one of cooperation between the centre and the states in the larger interest of the nation.
However the experience of the last 64 years has been a usurping of powers of the states by the centre.The centre has been exercising its diktat on taxation,law&order,education,public health,culture,agriculture and other areas which are intended to be the exclusive preserve of the states. This has resulted in lop-sided development,neglect of agriculture,diminishing of the vitality of states,poverty,corruption and illiteracy!The grim reality is that India is now governed at the whims and fancies of the politicians and bureaucrats sitting in N.Delhi-most of whom dont have the slightest knowledge of grass-root realities.The Constitution has been reduced to a scrap of paper and has been replaced by a small coterie of individuals who determine the destiny of India!
The richest period in Indian history was not that of the Mughals,Ashoka or Chandragupta but when India was comprised of extremely small states!Indian culture speaks of rule by Dharma-the eternal law and not by a monarch.The Rishi was supposed to be the custodian of the Dharma and was consulted by the King from time to time.The legislative assemblies were intended to assist the king in day to day matters of government.At the village level,the Panchayat was free to take decisions in the best interest of the villagers.The underling idea was that the Union can be strong only if its constituent units are strong!

It is now desirable that our national polity be restructured and steps be taken to strengthen the states to preserve the diversity,unity and integrity of our nation!Any postponement could have disastrous consequences!

Internationalism

Is internationalism the spirit of the age?There are imminent signs that a paradigm shift of unprecedented proportion is taking place in the world!New ideas,concepts,forms,discoveries and revelations are taking place every day! Every day is bringing to light some new hidden truth. All the old forms and patterns are undergoing change. Today the whole world seems to be moving in tandem. Distance,time,space,geography,language and culture are increasingly becoming irrelevant.
The social media is creating new platforms of art,literature,music and expression. Suddenly there is a spurt of literary activity all over the world! Fame,money,success and popularity are no longer relevant.Ideas and thoughts long repressed are finding expression.There are signs of a world-spring round the corner.
The ancient ideas of light,truth,bliss and immortality are recurrent themes all over the internet!Human unity seems to be a distinct possibility and no longer wishful thinking.
Of course there are tremendous obstacles in the emerging world order.Nationalism,racism,chauvinism,feudalism and parochialism are still strong in most of the world.The forces of status-quo are putting up a tremendous fight to preserve their empire but it it is obvious that their days are numbered. The unholy nexus of politics,business,armaments,narcotics and religion is shaking in its boots!
All over the world people are looking for partners from different parts of the world! International marriages,cuisines,institutions and forms are emerging. English is fast becoming the global medium of expression. A sense of optimism is growing all over the world!

Let 2013 be the year of change!

whither India?

Today is Republic day! On this day in 1950 India was declared to be a Republic. We , the people of India,gave to ourselves a splendid Constitution which constituted India into a sovereign,democratic,secular and independent nation. The foundations of India were to be built on the basis of freedom,equality,justice and tolerance. The ideal was Swaraj as conceived by Vivekananda,Tilak,Sri Aurobindo,Das and others.In other words Rule of the people,by the people and for the people! Could there have been a greater vision for a modern nation?
64 years down the road,are we on the right path? Is it true that poverty,hunger,malnutrition,disease,illiteracy,sexual violence,corruption,communal strife and feudalism is still rampant?40% of or population goes hungry to bed!The number of poor in India is more than in Africa!The political class and the intelligentsia are intellectually and morally bankrupt!Our educational system is decrepit and obsolete.Money power and muscle power are the sole criteria for getting elected to Parliament and other legislative bodies.Are these the fruits of freedom?
All is not lost yet!If we can revive our cultural roots and r-invent ourselves India can still attain Swaraj within a few decades!However this will require tremendous determination,sacrifice and hard work.The future lies with the brave and the daring!It is the youth,the women and the poor who have the largest stake in the building of a harmonious,just,equal,tolerant and free society.

Let us this day,pledge to dedicate ourselves to building a Modern India which will be a role model for the world!

why is society against the gifted?

Aaron Schwartz,Julian Assange,Charlie Chaplin,Oscar Wilde,Cassius Clay and many others-all victimised by the mighty state. Their fault-they challenged the authority of the state to interfere in citizen's personal lives.All of them had one thing in common-tremendous self belief!
The modern state has arrogated to itself the right to decide how the citizens should live.An authority which the mightiest of the empires did not have. The state has become all pervading,snooping,dictatorial and imposing.No aspect of the individual's life is beyond its purview. Either you confirm or you are sent to Montango Bay.The modern state has become more powerful than Stalin,Hitler and Mao put together!
No wonder more and more people are revolting and saying enough is enough!It is a person's birthright to decide for himself-right and wrong.

The Internet is a God-gift to mankind!It is bringing about a peaceful revolution in people's lives.For the first time in history,there is a tool for people to express themselves freely without any outside interference. No wonder  the people in authority are shaking in their jocks!It is allowing people to exchange views,cultures,art,literature,creativity and love! All facets of life which make it civilised.The 21st century could go down in history as the one that transformed humanity or which destroyed humanity! The choice is ours!

The irrelevance of political parties

One of the drawbacks of modern democracies all over the world has been the disconnect between the will of the people and the legislature and the executive. The political parties which were primarily intended to reflect the aspirations of the people and to further social change have failed miserably in fulfilling their intended purpose. The political parties have become puppets in the hands of the big corporations and the wealthy.Statistics indicate that there has been a massive transfer of wealth into the hands of the rich from the poor and the downtrodden and this process is continuing unabated.
One heartening phenomenon witnessed world wide has been the awakening of the masses to these growing inequalities. The anti-wall street movement,the Arab Spring,the anti-corruption movement in India,the overthrow of dictators,the decline of the US and the growing power of G-20 are clearcut indications of the world-wide disenchantment with the status quo.
The social media and the internet have been in the vanguard to promote transparency,cultural fusion,tolerance and understanding between diverse faiths and cultures and a more open and knowledge based societies! In traditional and feudal societies like India,the internet and mobile telephony is completely changing the social,cultural and economic lives at the grass-roots. There are 800 million mobiles in India and people are getting connected to each other in a big way.

It is obvious that unless the political parties re-invent themselves, they will soon become irrelevant! This could be the beginning of a new era where people's participation in decision making becomes a reality. Democracy could truly become rule of the people,by the people and for the people!

Women-an identity crisis

Whither women? Women world wide are confused and perplexed! They are finding it extremely hard to adapt to the present worldwide crisis-spiritual,moral,economic and environmental. Hence the resort to drugs,stimulants and perhaps violence.
The western paradigm which dominates the world presently emphasizes equality between sexes but in practice expects women to confirm to the masculine notions of equality. Women are unwittingly being forced to tow the line of men. The pressures of the media,books,films, religion and politics is so strong that they have been unable to carve out a space for themselves !
The East which has culturally been more subjective than the West has also been able to do little to alleviate the plight of women. In Asia women have been at the receiving end for centuries! Gender violence,prostitution,organ mutilation,slave trading,starvation,female infanticide and illiteracy are the major issues facing women. Women have no say at all in decision making.
The time has come for women to bite the bullet! They must realize that Nature has endowed them with sensitivity- a virtue denied to majority of men. Culturally women have been far superior to men! They have an inborn sense of harmony,equality,respect,dignity and nurture-values badly needed for the presently battered and bruised world.

I strongly appeal to all the women of the world to squarely face the challenges before the world and carve out a unique identity for themselves! Let 2013 be the year of women power!

Swami Vivekananda

Today is Vivekananda Jayanti. The birthday of one of the greatest sons of India. Vivekananda was a lion amongst men! Sri Aurobindo
Born Narendra in a lawyer family, he came under the influence of Ramakrishna Paramhansa,a devout Hindu priest. Ramakrishna a rustic villager transformed Narendra into Vivekananda! Vivekananda surrendered his mind,body and soul to Ramakrishna who totally spiritualised Vivekananda! At Ramakrishna's behest Vivekananda promised to adopt brahmacharya and remained a celibate throughout his short life.
The India of Vivekananda's time was when the intelletuals were enamoured of the west and saw nothing worthwhile in their own motherland. Bengal which was at the forefront in India was sending its sons to Englad for higher education who returned completely anglicised! They preferred to join the ICS or the legal profession and make a lucrative career for themselves.

Vivekananda was deeply moved at the plight of millions of his countrymen who were reeling under abject poverty. In 1893 he went to Chicago and addressed the world parliament of religions. His speech electrified the mostly American audience who saw in him an extra-ordinary phenomenon. He gave a new interpretation of Hinduism and made it a gospel of works and social service. He ridicuked the priests and the mahants and said true religion is equality,brotherhood and social justice. His words Break all idols.Uplift the poor,starving,downtrodden and the weak started a revolution in India. He stormed through India spreading the message of love,equality,social and cultural upliftment. His words attracted thousands of youth who decided to follow in his footsteps.

He died at the young age of 39 but his spirit is immortal! 

India-Pakistan relationship

The partition was an aberration caused due to hostile forces and shortsightedness of the politicians. It is necessary for the greatness of both nations that the partition should go and a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding be established. The failure to do so could thwart India's destiny and even result in foreign invasion and conquest.! Sri Aurobindo

The great revoltionary,freedom fighter and spiritual teacher was a firm believer in the common destiny of India and Pakistan and consistently maintained that India and Pakistan were one and indivisible and had a common soul and destiny. The entire Indian sub-continent has a sublime role to play in world affairs and show the path to peace,harmony and brotherhood of man! Both religions Hinduism and Islam have co-existed in India for several millennia. Some of the great rulers,thinkers,philosophers,poets and saints had muslim ancestry.Emperor Akbar even tried to propogate a new religion Din-e-Illahi based on the principles of Sufism. Guru Nanak embraced the best features of Vedanta and Islam to establish Sikhism. The true cultural roots of the entire Indian sub-continent can be traced to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Majority of the muslims in India & Pakistan have Hindu ancestors. The grand-father of Mohammed Ali Jinnah,the founder of Pakistan was a Hindu from Gujrat. Jinnah himself was a great nationalist and a staunch follower of Lokmanya Tilak and even defended him in the Bombay High Court in the historic sedition case!

It is now upto the people of India and Pakistan to draw correct conclusions from the past and look forward to a confident and bright future. Let 2013 be remembered as a water-shed year for starting a new chapter in Indo-Pak relations.! Let us unitedly tackle the problems of poverty,hunger,disease,illiteracy and communal discord.