Friday, May 25, 2018

Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 14


Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 14

P.J. Kurien: - I wanted to write about P.J. Kurien a couple of weeks ago when he retired from the Rajya Sabha and relinquished the office of the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha but could not do so. Being an Indian diplomat, I have had the privilege to meet and interact with P.J. Kurien in Stockholm where he visited in 1992 as a co-Chairman of the India- Sweden Joint Commission in his capacity as the Indian MOS for Industries. I found him a well meaning politician and a competent Minister as well as a good human being. He was relaxed like his Swedish counterpart both at the official meetings and social slots in the programme. The fort was held by my senior colleague Narinder Garg as the Charge d’
affaires and I was handling the visit as First Secretary taking care of the economic and commercial desk at the Embassy. On the last day of the visit, the programme ended in the afternoon after a brief boat tour in and around Stockholm, the city on water. There was no official engagement of dinner that evening. It was informally transpired between me and the C.d’A Narinder Garg that he will take care of Minister P.J. Kurien and Secretary Suresh Kumar and I should take rest of the delegation to my residence for an informal dinner. Narinder Garg was trying to maintain his notion of protocol sensitivities as I understood. Before starting from the hotel for my residence, the then Joint Secretary Siddharth Behuria went to Secretary Suresh Kumar’s room to inform him of the evening arrangement. Suresh Kumar was not inclined to stay back and wanted to go with the rest of the delegation.  We said it was fine and requested him to inform the Minister accordingly. He picked up the phone and told the Minister. Minister Kurien, a calm and quiet man, did not speak his mind and asked the Secretary to send Ramesh Chander, which is me, to his room. I went to the Minister’s room. With his usual pleasant demeanor, he asked in his broken Hindi why he could not come with others to my home. I was stunned and responded, Sir, it would be my pleasure to have you with us and added that these arrangements were made by the C.d’A keeping protocol niceties in mind. With a wide smile on his face, he said no, we will all go together or nobody will go. I was touched by Minister P.J. Kurien’s magnanimity. We went to our home in the outskirts of Stockholm, a posh area called Taby. It was an excellent and enjoyable evening with a frugal dinner prepared by my wife Vidya and my young daughter Vaishali.  It was a happy and pleasant conclusion of the Ministerial visit of Hon’ble P.J. Kurien which we still cherish. I take this opportunity and wish P.J. Kurien, a gem of a man, good health and further success in the years to come.

Sense of Morality: - The recent political happenings in Karnataka have again brought to the fore the issue of morality in politics. It seems the things are going down the drain. Politicians and the election managers are no more interested in means to reach the end as opposed to the thinking of Mahatma Gandhi and other forefathers of our country. The idea of ‘win at any cost’ is dangerous. Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie of India today has rightly
said in one of his latest editorials, “Morality has no place in Indian politics. You play to win.” The sole motivation and purpose of political parties and politicians is to grab power without any scruples. This is exactly what happened in the run up to form the government in Karnataka where the popular mandate resulted in a hung-assembly. It was a sad commentary on the functioning of our democracy which we proudly claim to be the largest in the world. The communal card, caste factor, religious polarization, money and muscle power has completely neutralized the sense of morality. I am reminded of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian constitution, who attached all importance to morality in politics and said, “The education can hardly be the sole qualification for membership of parliament. If I may use the words of Buddha, he said that man requires two things; one is ‘Gyan’ and the other is ‘Sheel’. Gyan without Sheel is very dangerous. It must be accompanied by Sheel by which I mean character, moral courage, ability to be independent of any kind of temptation, truthful to ones ideals. I am very keen to see that no member enters this august assembly who does not possess Sheel in adequate measure.”
We will ignore these lofty ideals of our fore-fathers at our own peril.

Presidential Grace: - President Ram Nath Kovind visited Shimla last week to address the convocation of the Y.S. Parmar Agriculture University. It was reported that he politely declined to accept the Degree of Doctorate- Honorius Causa which the university proposed to confer on him as a traditional gesture extended to other dignitaries too in the past. I think President Ram Nath Kovind did the right thing in doing so. There is no point in adding that Ram Nath Kovind will go down in history as the President of India. Degrees or no degrees will not make any difference. I term it as
‘Presidential Grace’. President Kovind made yet another graceful gesture during the visit. One young student observed that President Ram Nath Kovind and his family’s walk and visits on the streets of Shimla tended to generate undue and avoidable inconvenience to the common man on the road due to traffic diversions and security arrangements. The intension of President Kovind, it is assumed and rightly so, was to go and mingle with his people as the first citizen of India, as far as possible. But our system of bandobast came in the way. I have seen in developed countries of Europe that their leadership easily moves around in metros, bicycles, buses and shopping malls without any fanfare. We are yet to imbibe that culture. Security agencies are needed to adopt innovative methods to provide requisite security to the dignitaries taking into account the civic needs of the common man.  The gratification in the current incidents in Shimla was that President Kovind was gracious enough to express regret and apology for the inconvenience caused to the public for his public moves and interaction. It should be appreciated. Thanks Mahamahim.


Saturday, May 19, 2018

Book Review – Dr. Ambedkar, Human Rights & Graded Inequality



Book Review – Dr. Ambedkar, Human Rights & Graded Inequality

Malind Prakashan of my friend Harmesh Jassal has added yet another book – Dr. Ambedkar, Human Rights and Graded Inequality - to its publications on Buddhism, Babasaheb Ambedkar and matters of concern and interest to the community, particularly to the Buddhists and Ambedkarites living in India and abroad.  I have added a ‘Comma’ on my own after Ambedkar in the title of
the book without observing that, to my mind, the title does not read well. The book is a compilation, as written by the publisher Harmesh Jassal also, of random write-ups of Late Chanan Chahal of the UK which he wrote over the years of his social and community activism beginning in the early 1960s. No one has cared to mention his life span, neither the publisher Harmesh Jassal nor one of his close friends, D.R. Rattu, whose detailed account about Chanan Chahal occupies a prominent space in the book. I understand Chanan Chahal who was an ardent Buddhist and a staunch Ambedkarite passed away at a young age. But his writings and social activities have kept him alive in the memories of his friends and the community at large. Going through the brief bio-sketch of Chanan Chahal and a couple of his books on topical subjects of interest like ‘Why I am not a Hindu’ (Mein
Hindu Kyon Nahin in Punjabi) besides his three books- I) Caste the Curse of India, ii) Dr. Ambedkar and Social Reform and iii) Was Guru Ravidass Proud of his Caste published by Malind Prakashan itself, one can say that he was an enlightened and educated person living far off in metropolitan cities of the UK from his roots in rural Punjab but still maintaining and caring for the legacy of his community and its icons like Guru Ravidass and later that of Gautama Buddha and Babasaheb Ambedkar in the early years of ‘Dalit Chetna’. But by reading his writings and about his personal life I wonder why Chanan Chahal did not mention anything about Babu Kanshi Ram, Mayawati and others, given the awakening and thinking he possessed in the volatile years of dalit assertion. Chanan Chahal, as noted by his friend and associate D.R. Rattu, also spoke at the UNESCO in Paris on the theme ‘Plight of Dalits in India’ and many such organizations with regard to the issues of concern and interest to the under-privileged segments of the society. May be there is more material which would see the light of the day in the coming years. His friends like Harmesh Jassal should listen and carry forward the mission of Chanan Chahal and some more Chanan Chahals living here in India and in foreign lands.

Coming to the book, there are 14 essays or articles of the author Chanan Chahal edited and compiled in the book. These 14 chapters may be divided, subject wise, into three categories – Babasaheb Ambedkar and his contribution to the Indian society and polity, Social inequalities in India and Revival and significance of Buddhism. There is nothing, let me be frank and objective, new in the contents of these write-ups but the fact that Chanan Chahal choose to consider and pick up these subjects to write about when it was difficult to stand and say something on Babasaheb Ambedkar and his mission and that too abroad in the 1960s. In these essays he has quoted extensively from Dr. Ambedkar’s writings and speeches. In the first write up on human rights, he quotes Ambedkar on Brahmanism, “By Brahmanism, I mean the negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” Yet another quote - I don’t know the authenticity of the quote attributed to a Member of the House of Lords of the UK, Bhikhu Parikh, on page 20 of the book, “The untouchables are physical pollution, and moral pollution and they are mental pollution on the society”. It is strange how an MP of the UK can utter this nonsensical formulation. The write-ups clearly register that Chanan Chahal was fully committed to the philosophy and mission of Babasaheb Ambedkar and
Gautama the Buddha. While keeping himself busy in these matters, he tried his best to make a mark back home in Punjab. His active involvement in Buddhist projects namely Punjab Buddhist Society and Takshilla Maha Buddha Vihar in the Doaba region of Punjab are listed in the essays on Buddhism. The idea of writing a review of the book is not any notion of intellectual exercise but to contribute a bit to motivate the younger generation of Ambedkarites and Buddhists to read and step into the shoes of their forefathers like Chanan Chahal. It may also be considered my humble tribute to Chanan Chahal for his untiring efforts to address the issues of interest and concern to the community and the society at large.

I will fail as an objective reader if I don’t say that the book has its shortcomings. The editor and publisher should have paid a little more attention on the trivial details of spellings, language and presentation. I have observed that many quotes and considered important text has been highlighted which was not needed. Nevertheless, I wish the book, launched on the solemn occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on April 14, 2018, will be received well.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Social Inter-Mingling with Dalits


Social Inter-Mingling with Dalits

Indian ethos, mythology and tradition are replete with stories like Sudama-Krishna kinship and Bheelani - Rama sharing of berries (Ber). Even one of the “Sakhis” of Guru Ravidass revealed that when upper-castes refused to sit and eat with Guruji, he agreed to sit separately and eat but it so happened that when they started eating, Guru Ravidass was found sitting and eating with each one of the Upper-caste guests. The Sikh Gurus started the tradition of “Langar, Pangat and Sangat” to register the concept of equality and
brotherhood.  But in spite of all these lofty tales and ideals, untouchability, caste system, ill-treatment of dalits remained a fact of life and living in India. The constitutional provisions to abolish untouchability and caste system and subsequent legislations to prevent atrocities and suppression of socially marginalized sections of the society and to introduce socio-economic-political empowerment of dalits could not make a big dent in the entrenched social evils of graded inequality even after more than 70 years of independence since 1947. It is a matter of great disappointment and concern. The vision of our forefathers, in contemporary times, like Mahatma Gandhi who tried to address the issues of untouchability and caste system by transforming the society by voluntary conduct of magnanimity and embracing of under-privileged and marginalized by the so called upper strata of the society. This approach could not catch up and did not succeed in bringing the desired results in the centuries old social milieu.  Babasaheb Ambedkar handled and addressed the issues from a different and more pragmatic angle. Besides constitutional provisions and safeguards, he pleaded and urged the dalits to stand-up and join the main stream of the society as equal stakeholders on the basis of his dictum “Educate, Agitate and Organise”. Dr. Ambedkar also warned that the political democracy which we had established in the constitution will have no meaning if the political democracy was not transformed into social and economic democracy. Again, as the voluntary approach of Mahatma Gandhi, this constitutional approach also could not bring in the desired results. The social and cultural organizations of the upper crust of the society like, inter alia, RSS and its affiliates, SGPC of Sikhs could not deliver on ground and remained confined to lip service only to take on the issues of discrimination on the basis of caste and ill-treatment of dalits inflicted by the upper castes head on. The caste system and graded inequality is so deep-rooted in the society that it is very difficult to change the social psyche and mindset. The process of empowerment and affirmative action, though slow, is the only option. Social and cultural organizations like the RSS, SGPC, Deras and Sects like Radha Swami Dera Beas,
Nirankaris, Hindu Maths, Swamis, Jain Munis and other religious Gurus that are the clergy class among others should face the challenge of caste and social discrimination head on. The dangers are too potent to be ignored. The warnings of Dr. Ambedkar clearly expressed in his last speech in the constituent Assembly should wake us up before we put our country and independence into jeopardy. 

Inter-dining and inter-marriages, to my mind, should be encouraged as a potent social and civil remedy to address the issues of inclusivity and cohesiveness in the society. The on-going ‘Tamasha’ of visiting the dalit households, eating and staying with them is a mere farce which should be stopped forthwith. It is an ill-conceived idea to encash the so called “dalit vote banks”. I may add hastily that educated and awakened dalits no more like this gimmickry.  Some Dharam Gurus - I have recently heard Swami
Ramdev - are trying to justify the ‘Varn Vyavastha’ of Manu while criticizing and disowning the caste system and untouchability.  He said in one of his recent explanations that the ‘Head (Brahmin)’, in our daily social conduct, always bowed to the ‘Feet (Shudra)’ and not the other way round. I think it is a clear attempt to justify the dictums of Manu by other means. Mahatma Gandhi also tried this superfluous and lopsided thinking but without desired results. The real question and challenge remains whether, in the Hindu Varn Vyavastha, one can become a Brahmin or Shudra by his/her attainment and conduct or not. The answer is no. Brahmins are born and Shudras are born. What Swami Ramdev is trying is to maintain the status-quo which is dangerous.

Much more needs to be done. I conclude by quoting from the famous book of Babasaheb Ambedkar “Annihilation of Caste” which would set the issue in its perspective, “The real remedy for breaking Caste is inter-marriage. Nothing else will serve as the solvent of Caste. Your Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal has adopted this line of attack. It is a direct and frontal attack, and I congratulate you upon a collect diagnosis and more upon your having shown the courage to tell the Hindus what is really wrong with them. Political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny and a reformer, who defies society, is a much more courageous man than a politician, who defies Government. You are right in holding that Caste will
cease to be an operative farce only when inter-dining and inter-marriage have become matters of common course. You have located the source of the disease. But is your prescription the right prescription for the disease? Ask yourselves this question; why is it that a large majority of Hindus do not inter-dine and do not inter-marry? Why is it that your cause is not popular? There can be only one answer to this question and it is that inter-dining and inter-marriage are repugnant to the beliefs and dogmas which the Hindus regard as sacred. Caste is not a physical object like a wall of bricks or a line of barbed wire which prevents the Hindus from co-mingling and which has, therefore, to be pulled down. Caste is a notion; it is a state of the mind. The destruction of Caste does not therefore mean the destruction of a physical barrier. It means a notional change.” He further said, “Criticizing and ridiculing people for not inter-dining or inter-marrying or occasionally holding inter-caste dinners and celebrating inter-caste marriages, is a futile method of achieving the desired end. The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the Shastra’s.”

मसजिद तो बना दी सब्ब भर में, इमां की हरारत वालों ने;
मन अपना पुराण पापी है, बरसों से नमाज़ी बन सका !
इक़बाल बड़ा उपदेशक है, मन बातों से मोह लेता है;
गुफ़्तार का तो यह गाज़ी बना, किरदार का गाज़ी बन सका !