Prime Minister Speaks

PM Manmohan Singh spoke to the nation from the Lal Qila yesterday on August 15 on the auspicious occasion of the 65th Independence Day. It was a traditional speech by the PM which has become a yearly ritual. But this year, I noticed some departures from the traditions. I thought of sharing it with the readers of this lay man's blog.

PM mentioned and referred to almost all important issues and developments like corruption, price rise, terrorism. social inequalities, farmers and land issues, state of the economy, media etc. He also asserted that India has come a long way but still to go a much longer way. It was normal to report to the people the 'state of the nation' at this important occasion. There were two important and significant departures in the speech: i) there was no mention of foreign policy - it was a good skip particularly in the wake of ongoing internal problems of corruption and many other internal issues engaging the attention of the country. I think, foreign policy of any country, is the extension of its internal situation. It is important to set the house in order and foreign policy will flow from that. Anna Hazares, Baba Ramdevs and the self appointed spokespersons of the so called Civil Society shall consider and heed to PM Manmohan Singh who said, inter alia, in his Independence Day speech " The road ahead is long and arduous. Particularly, the prevailing situation both inside and outside the country is such that if we do not act with understanding and restraint, our security and prosperity can get adversely affected." and ii) there was no mention of any other national or international personality or quote from their utterances - I think it was a pleasant departure.PM rightly said " We should also have faith that our democracy, our institutions and our social ideals and values have the capacity to deal with any difficulty. We should all have faith in ourselves. The faith that we can build a promising future for ourselves. The faith, that united we can do the most difficult of tasks. Let us all resolve to build a bright future for our country " May be he has in mind the famous couplet of Dr. Iqbal:

जरा देख जो कुछ हो रहा है होने वाला है,
भला रखा क्या है अहेदे कुहन की दस्तानो में !

A TRYST with DESTINY

India is celebrating the 65th Independence Day today the August 15. GREETINGS & CONGRATULATIONS on this auspicious day. India has come a long way in her development and progress over the decades. It is a matter of satisfaction. But still it has to go a long way in eradicating poverty, hunger and illiteracy in which millions of fellow Indians are living. The scourge of caste and social inequality is still a big blot on the face of independent India. More needs to be done. India, nevertheless, has aarrived, to catch up with the 21st century, but it is yet to reach and bring about cheer to the masses living below the poverty line. Last year on August 15, 1910, I had the honour to hold the flag in Minsk ( Belarus) and host the Independence Day celebrations.

I am reminded of the famous speech of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, at the midnight of August 14-15, 1947, on the eve of INDEPENDENCE, in the Constituent Assembly, in which he said in a poetic tone:


" Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. "

These were the lofty ideals of our leaders. We started at the right path. We came on the rails with all the difficulties on the way. We are on the move. We have hopes. We tend to realise them under the democratic system which we adopted to run the country. The things are getting difficult. The vested interests and the messengers of doom are working over time to derail the process. India needs to ward itself off from the " Grammar of anarchy " as fore warned by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, being spread and propagated by some of the so called leaders under the guise of " Satyagraha " outside the constitutional parameters of such actions.

Let me refer to still another warning of the father of the Indian constitution Dr. Ambedkar. He said in the Constituent Assembly on November 24, 1949:


"Here I could have ended. But my mind is so full of the future of our country that I feel I ought to take this occasion to give expression to some of my reflections thereon. On 26th January 1950, India will be an independent country. What would happen to her independence? Will she maintain her independence or will she lose it again? This is the first thought that comes to my mind. It is not that India was never an independent country. The point is that she once lost the independence she had. Will she lost it a second time? It is this thought which makes me most anxious for the future. What perturbs me greatly is the fact that not only India has once before lost her independence, but she lost it by the infidelity and treachery of some of her own people. .........Will history repeat itself? It is this thought which fills me with anxiety. This anxiety is deepened by the realization of the fact that in addition to our old enemies in the form of castes and creeds we are going to have many political parties with diverse and opposing political creeds. Will Indian place the country above their creed or will they place creed above country? I do not know. But this much is certain that if the parties place creed above country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost for ever. This eventuality we must all resolutely guard against. We must be determined to defend our independence with the last drop of our blood. "

Jawaharlal Nehru's ' tryst with destiny ' and Ambedkar's ' reflections on independence ' shall serve as the guide posts in the march ahead. India shall also not ignore the warnings of Dr. Iqbal:


वतन की फ़िक़र कर नादाँ; मुसीबत आने वाली है,
तेरी बर्वादिओं के मशवरे हैं असमानों में !
न समजोगे तो मिट जाओगे ऐ हिन्दोस्तान्वालो,
तुम्हारी दास्ताँ तक भी न होगो दस्तानों में !

FOOD for THOUGHT

WITHOUT COMMENT

a)Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's reply to speech of the Leader of BJP Yashwant Sinha in the Lok Sabha on the recent debate on the issue of inflation and price rise:
Yashwant Sinha said ' Go, for God's sake go' using the words of Oliver Cromwell in 1653 to the then British Prime Minister. What happened afterwards ? Pranab Mukherjee said reminding the BJP leader Cromwelss's skelton was dug out from the grave and hanged by the parliament for destroying democracy. There is no point in making such statements.

b) Jan Lokpal Bill goes elitist - Dipankar Gupta in The Times of India:They took their eyes off citizens and concentrated almost exclusively on big people in important positions. What tempted them to take this stance ? Is it because enemies in high places are better ego boosters than humble friends.

c) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly on the Comptroller and Audit General, as said by a legal expert in one of the speeches:
During the 30 May 1949 Constituent Assembly debates, Dr BR Ambedkar described the Comptroller and Auditor General as “probably the most important officer in the Constitution of India” with duties “far more important than the duties even of the judiciary”, one who should have “far greater independence than the judiciary itself.” That is a remarkably strong statement and underscores the unique position of the CAG. It is a constitutional post, and the holder of that office can only be removed in the same manner and for the same reasons as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

THE CIVIL SOCIETY & THE DALITS

AS IT COMES

I have been writing on the agitation of Anna Hazare and the Civil Society on the issue of corruption and accountability. The bill on the subject which has been termed as the ' Sarkari Lok Pal ' , I don't know whether there could be a ' Non-Sarkari Lok Pal also, has been introduced in the parliament. The debate goes on. But a new aspect of the issue has been introduced to the debate and controversy which I would like to refer. One of spokespersons of the so called Civil Society has slammed the bill as " weak, anti poor and anti dalit. " I myself saw on the TV channels that the said statement of Arvind Kejriwal was high lighted. I was wondering as to what was the import and relevance of inclusion ' dalits ' in the debate at this late stage. It seemed to me, as if, the dalits were neither poor nor civil and were separate element of the society. I think to include dalits in the controversy is a after thought. It would be better if Anna Hazare and the self appointed civil society enlighten the dalits at least, if not the society at large.

The Government constituted a joint drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill। Neither the Government nor the Civil Society thought it appropriate to take a dalit on the Committee. Chief Minister of UP, Mayawati, commenting on the composition of the drafting committee said "“not even one member in the 10-member joint drafting committee... is from the Dalit community. It’s intriguing that the UPA government and civil society could not find even one competent person among the Dalits who is well versed with the Constitution after 63 years of Independence.” The civil society did bot care. What is the compulsion now ? I expect that somebody answers this. Dalits continue at the receiving end. The civil society may like to consider and agitate for the rightful and dignified space for the millions who are condemned to remain underdogs of the society. It would justify the appendix ' civil ' to their group's name. Otherwise, the dalits shall not be used - by firing the shots from someone else's shoulders - दूसरे के कंधे से गोली चलाना .

In my last blog ' The Grammar of Anarchy ', I quoted a couplet of Dr. Iqbal and here I complete the stanza:

इकबाल बड़ा उप्देसक है मन बातों से मोह लेता है;
गुफ्तार का तो यह गाजी बना किरदार का गाजी बन न सका.

THE GRAMMAR of ANARACHY

As I Feel It

I wrote in my Blog on ‘ Satyagraha and Democracy’ and also on ‘ The Corruption Debate ’ with reference to the agitation of Anna Hazare and the Civil Society on the Lokpal and corruption and Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on black money and corruption. Much has happened very fast in intervening months. There are a few lessons to be learnt from the prophetic warnings of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Indian constitution. He said in the Constituent Assembly on November 1949:
Quote
We must hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.
Unquote
We all know the aftermath of Baba Ramdev’s agitation at the Ramlila grounds. Baba Ramdev is in trouble. His close associate Balakrishan is on the run. I think Baba discredited himself and the message on black money. He tried to assume that he was more powerful than the duly established Government and the constitutional set up of the country. Nobody shall undermine the importance of the issue of black money. But the process to address the problem shall have legal and constitutional support. Now Baba Ramdev is busy in proving that the money and property he amassed over the years is white and legal. I think it would be difficult. It would be advisable for the Baba to read and consider Dr. Ambedkar’s reference to the grammar of anarchy in his thought provoking speech.
Coming to the agitation of Anna Hazare and the so called civil society, it is going to be, to my mind, yet another disaster. Anna Hazare is a respected Gandhian. The members of the civil society like Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh, Arvind Kejriwal, Santosh Hegde who are the supporters and instigators of the agitation are also well placed intellectuals. The cause and issue of corruption for which they are agitating is also important and topical. They made their point and the Government of day fell in line. The joint drafting committee on the Lokpal bill was constituted. The duly elected Government has agreed to introduce a bill in the Parliament on the Lokpal. Anna Hazare and the civil society are not satisfied with the provisions of the said bill. There is no problem. They may still have differences with the authorities. But to sort out these differences now, they are expected to go to the Parliament and not to the Jantar Mantar. They shall speak and convince the political parties and the MPs and get their wishes included in the Lokpal Bill. They make the Government agree or if not, may consider defeating the Government on the floor of the house. Thy may even consider amending the constitution to accommodate their wishes not only with regard to the Lokpal but also any other issue. The constitution provides for such arrangements. Anything outside this would amount to subscribing to the grammar of anarchy which the framers of the constitution spelled out. Let us hope that the saner sense prevails and these issues are addressed through constitutional means. Corruption needs to be tacked head on. There are not two opinions about this. But how it could be done ?Certainly by not shouting from the top but by faithfully and diligently working for the empowerment of the society at large though constitutional ways and means. I reminded of an Urdu couplet of Dr. Iqbal:
मस्जिद तो बना दी सव भर में, इमां की हिरार्त वालों ने,
मन अपना पुराना पापी है बरसों से नमाज़ी बन न सका !

THE AARAKSHAN CONTROVERSY - A point of view

I have read with interest the controversy on the forthcoming movie AARAKSHAN. The issue, to me, seems to be unnecessary and uncalled for. The movie produced by Prakash Jha, renowned movie personality, is yet to be released. The controversy that the movie is against the dalits is based on hearsay. The public does know the contents and the message, if any, of the movie. I read some months before that the lead actor in the movie Saif Ali Khan was harassed and threatened by the concerned. I read the other day that some forum has been made in Jalandhar to oppose the movie. Today, I read that P.L. Punia, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Scheduled Caste Commission have desired to see the movie before it is released. The producer Prakash Jha and the Censor Board headed by Leela Samson have not agreed to do so. On intervention by the Ministry of Information, a special screening of the movie was arranged by the Censor Board for a 9 member Panel (5 members of the panel belonged to dalit community) constituted for the purpose. They did not find any objectionable content and intension in the movie. The movie is scheduled to be released on August 12.
I have not seen the movie. Most of the so called activists who have apprehensions about the movie have also not seen it either. What is the controversy then? Is it inferiority complex? Is it fear? Is it ignorance? Is it exploitation or blackmail by the vested interests? We are living in a democracy and shall not be afraid of debate and discussion. Let people speak their mind in a civilized way. The dalits shall prepare themselves to meet them make their point, if there is any. Democracy also provides them the power of vote. Defeat the adversary, if required, at the Hastings. Dr. Ambedkar. became the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly by his own right. Jagjivan Ram could not become the Prime Minister in spite of the fact that he was the most competent and eligible to hold the position. Mayawati is holding the coveted position of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time on the basis of her own strength and ability. Let us shed the fear and get ready for the fight by democratic means in the parliament, legislatures and the society at large. I heard one of the songs of the movie AARAKSHAN which goes something like this:

जरा पंख तो खोलो फिर उड़ान देखना; जरा मौका तो दो फिर आस्मां देखना !

SWAMI GURDIP GIRI of PATHANKOT

I wanted to write about Swami Gurdip Giri, Head of the Swami Jagat Giri Maharaj of Pathankot (Punjab) just to pay my respect to him and in recognition of the good work the Dera is doing, under the stewardship of Swami Gurdip Giri., in and around Pathankot and Jammu ( J & K ) some districts of Himachal Pradesh. I also personally know that Swami Gurdip Giri is not only popular and revered in Jalandhar and many areas of Punjab but also abroad particularly among the dalits and followers of the great Guru Ravidass. The immediate motivation or provocation to do so now is the news item in the daily Tribune “Good Samaritan providing free education to kids of ‘poor’ bootleggers” appeared on May 31. Anyway, it is better late than never. Swami Gurdip Giri certainly deserves full appreciation and support in this noble task.

I met Swami Gurdip Giri in the summer of 1999 at our small flat in Kalkaji, New Delhi. At that time, I was the Director of Central Asia Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. Swamiji was to visit the UK and required visa. Community activist Ram Dhan of Jalandhar who was known to me accompanied Swamiji. My brother Kishan also spoke and advised me to help swamiji in whatever way I could as he enjoyed a large following and goodwill in the Sialkot community in the Bastis of Jalandhar. They stayed with us. I dropped them at the UK High Commission with my visiting card meant for the visa officer. Fortunately, Swamji got the visa the same day. I was happy and Swamiji was happy. These are some of the small details of our first meeting. I was fully impressed by Swami Gurdip Giri particularly by his unarming simplicity. He earned reverence rather than commanding it. Unlike many spiritual personalities, who except respect, I found Swamiji just natural and simple. But he commanded an aura inviting respect and regard. He beared with me, particularly my not so religious or spiritual orientation and some of the rituals and mannerism attached to such occasions. I think he felt my genuine respect and regard for him. I also fully recognized his high acceptance and position in the society. Swamiji came back from his maiden visit to the UK and again blessed us and stayed with us along with some his close followers who came to receive him. We were happy to further cement our connection and association with Swamiji. Swami Gurdip Giri’s life and mission exactly conforms to the mission and philosophy of the Dera Jagat Giri based on the teachings of Guru Ravidass, as stipulated in the website of the Dera:

Dera Swami Jagat Giri ji Maharaj was founded to spread the mission and follow the teachings of Guru Ravidas ji Maharaj to :-

a) Convert the world into “Begampura” (place free from sorrows & worries) in an environment full of compassion care and commitment.
Begampura Sehar Ko Nawo
Dukh Andoh Nahi Tihi Thauw
b) Provide the best education to all, especially deprived sections of society. For this purpose four schools are running under the expert direction of Dera Swami Jagat Giri Charitable Trust, Pathankot. : -
Madho Avidhya Hit Kien
Vivek Deep Malin
c) Make the society free from Drugs, liquor and social evils :-
Sursari Salal Krit Baruni Rey
Sant Jan Karat Nahi Paan
d) Unite all under the religious flag of Dera Swami Jagat Giri and under the leadership of Swami Gurdip Giriji Maharaj.
Satsangati Mili Rahio Madhau
Jaise Madhup Makhira

The write up ‘Good Samaritan- Providing free education to kids of ‘poor’ bootleggers’ fully endorse the good work of the Dera and his current mentor Swami Gurdip. I join the applaud.

In spite of my diplomatic assignments abroad, I could maintain my connection with Swami Gurdip Giri through my brother Kishan and our other relations in the community who were close to Swamiji. It is a matter of satisfaction for me. I am told that Samiji is a well respected personality not only in the dalit and other poor sections of the society but also the society at large. His satsang sittings are hugely liked and popular by the common man and rightly so.
My next meeting with Swami Gurdip Giri was at the marriage of my daughter Vaishali in December, 2001. I was not physically fit to be active due some serious sickness. Al the arrangements were done by my brothers Kishan and Pammi. Swamiji was also invited to the marriage. I am happy to note with gratitude that he blessed my daughter with his visit to our home at Bootan Mandi, Jalandhar on the eve of the marriage. I and my wife Vidya and obviously my brothers were humbled by the gracious gesture. I distinctly remember that Swami is spoke to my daughter and invoking the sabad of the guruvani of Guru Ravidass “sh kI swr suhwgin jwnY ] qij AiBmwnu suK rlIAw mwnY ]” to bless and advise her. I was further impressed by his sermon and grace. I had an opportunity to visit Swamiji at his Dera in Pathankot along with my wife who was very keen to pay our respects to Swamiji. My brothers who arranged the meeting and the visit also accompanied us. Swamiji was very kind to us. He very kindly and graciously blessed us and honored me with a ‘Saropa’in the congregation. We were further humbled. My mother died in 2006. I came for the final Ardas/Bhog ceremony from Prague where I was posted. On arrival, my brothers told me that Sami Gurdip Giri has been requested to bless us on the occasion and address the solemn congregation. I was happy. Swamiji honored and blessed us. In the process, he remained a source of inspiration and Gods grace on us.
Swami Gurdip Giri is doing tremendous work for the spiritual, educational and social upliftment of the poor masses and weaker sections of the society as rightly brought out in the said item in the Tribune without any fanfare. We all shall support him in his endeavors and wish him God speed.