Random thoughts 28032017

The attacks on African students in NOIDA brings to fore the fact that racism is a blatant fact of life in India along with casteism. Basically Indians are enamoured with white skinned people , and behave like doormats in front of them. For many Indians the word "foreign" Europeans or white skinned Americans only. Africans and Asians are routinely treated very badly by the Indian society. It is a shame that the dark skinned people are still equated with low life in this country.

Africa is a place where many Indian origin people live to earn their living and make their pile. By mistreating Africans in India we are only making the lives of these PIOs insecure. We should realise this. Moreover, with the rising incidents of hate attacks in the USA , there was a lot of  hue and cry. Don't we understand that we Indians are largely classified mistakenly as blacks and muslims in that country. At least all these incidents of physical abuse should teach us the value of empathy towards all  and take strict action against all incidents of racism. Or is it our great show of strength , as always to bully underdogs and people coming from poorer countries.

And why should we mistreat anybody for that matter. Do we want to project our country and society as a closed one instead of an open, cosmopolitan place ? Don't we aspire to be the thriving  hub of world culture. As I wrote in a previous post, our country was probably far more cosmopolitan, tolerant and multicultural in the 18th and 19th century than it is today. And surprisingly we were ruled by the Mughals when probably the maximum number of foreigners ( in proportion to the total population) lived in India. 

Some people will still argue that the African students are connected with crime and drugs. This is the same mentality which marks some tribes as Lodhas, Bheels , Pardhis and  Nomads as criminal tribes for their customs and a different way of life. This is the same overbearing mentality and superiority complex that brands all people from North East as Chinkies , little knowing that the difference of a Lepcha from a Bodo or a Naga from a Chakma.

I personally think that all this is happening because of the race and the stress on making children into engineers only . Sometimes I feel that there should be a ban on engineering colleges for the next five years which is making our country into a dustbin of morons for whom the joint entrance test is the only goal of life, both for the ignorant children and their equally, if not more foolish parents. Study and research of History, Geography and other Social sciences like Anthropology are also important. But who is listening ? Who bothers about all this irrelevant thoughts ?

Random thoughts 23032017

Two decisions of the newly installed state government of Uttar Pradesh have generated a lot of discussions on the social media.   The first is the administrative actions termed “Anti Romeo squads” and the second, the closure of illegal Butcheries. Obviously both decisions of the state government find the detractors seeing red and crying foul.  But a word of caution for all those who are going ballistic against the state government on these two counts.  These are of course my personal views on the matter. I don’t presume them to be relevant to anybody. I don’t even think that anybody is serious about what I post on facebook, including myself.

Firstly, one may not like the party in power, the person heading the government or the decisions they have taken with a lot of hyper activity on the ground. You may not like it and some others may not like it too, for various reasons of their own. But it appears that a lot of people across the spectrum are enthused by these decisions and there is a sort of tacit support for these actions from the people on the ground. So it will be foolhardy to believe them or dub them to be anti-people measures, prima facie.

Let us first ponder over the Anti Romeo squads. It is a fact that eve teasing is rampant in smaller towns and places.And sexual harassment has increased in the society.  The society in the vast hinterlands of the country continue to remain feudal, male dominated, unemployed, sexually repressed, lawless and unrefined.  Literacy and technology have not been able to counter these malaise; perhaps it has added to the problem because of the rapid changes. Eve teasing and sexual harassment of females just epitomize the combination of all the backwardness that we have in the society.

Ask any parent of a young teenage girl and you will find how worried they are about the safety of their daughter. Ask the young girl about her experience on the streets unaccompanied and you will understand how it affects the psyche and hampers individual growth.  This is also an issue of law and order and the administration under previous governments share the blame for letting things come to such a pass. There should be some soul searching on why the Indian society is so disrespectful of women on the street and public places. And this cannot be experienced from the confines of our homes in big cities or explained by our liberal minds which often tend to look down upon the regressive ones and dismiss them as deviant.  Women are treated as objects and more damningly as sex objects.  So there is a need for administrative action against the depraved and on that count there should be no opposition to it.

Next, if we examine the decision to close down illegal butcheries, that too should not be a reason for breast beating.  Seen by itself, any administrative action against illegal establishments is not wrong. In fact, the administration is under obligation to prevent the proliferation of illegal activities. Here let me add that this is purely from a legal and administrative point of view, somewhat theoretical perhaps, that I am espousing.  The ramifications of such actions are a different matter and surely needs discussion.

Again, on this issue too, we will find that the slaughter of animal and open display of carcasses in the public places without proper barrier is not only indecent but incongruous to a modern civilized society. The psychological effects on children and the softer sensibilities of people need to be respected as also the aversion of vegetarians to such visual pollution.  I am myself a hardcore non-vegetarian and oppose the ban on any kind of meats , including beef and pork but would not like to see carcasses of animals hanging by the side of roads that I frequent or slaughter of animals in the open .  I don’t decry against slaughter of animals for religious rituals but would not like to see goats being openly slaughtered as “Bali” during Kalipuja or “Kurbaani” during Eid . Religion, food habits etc are all personal choices. No one should stop anybody from practicing it according to their own belief or taste but at the same time it can’t be a public spectacle to offend others. Do it within your homes or places of worship and don't poke your nose to see what others are doing.

Not surprisingly the women rights activists are supporting the Anti Romeo actions and Animal activists are too, supporting the action against illegal slaughterhouses. And since no social discourse in this country is complete without bringing the communal angle, let me add that a majority of the Muslims like the Anti Romeo squads because it also gels with and substantiates their notion about the need to follow the obnoxious practice of Burqa .  So the matter of supporting and opposing the government decisions on such issues affecting the society is not one-dimensional. There are layers of complexities that we have to negotiate. Having a liberal outlook does not mean that we can ignore the realities and the go on opposing the establishment for everything they do. There has to be a balance somewhere. Maybe these actions were overdue for the simple reason that the liberty to stand on the roadside and appreciate the beauty of female form was mis-utilised by the perverts, retards and depraved. Maybe the right to eat whatever you want to was degenerated into the ugly display of dead and mutilated animals without any limits. Actions will have reactions and the balance needs to be maintained in everything.

So why it that concerns is are being raised by well meaning people about the actions unleashed by the state government. It is because of the experience which shows that the ideology and philosophy that accompanies the political party running the government. It is because of the miasma of half-truths, untruths, lies, canards and hate-mongering that is associated with the ruling party and its principal office bearers. It is because with time we have lost faith on the politicians and the administration, particularly the insensitive police force to carry out any operation in an impartial and humane manner. It is also the conviction that all these actions are a smokescreen to carry out the agenda of anti people activities which help to perpetuate the capitalist domination and benefit the coterie around power.

The recent action on demonetisation is a pointer, in this regard. Theoretically it may have been really necessary and the objectives that were associated for the exercise were laudable. But how was it executed and at what price? These never come to light. As pointed out by many, it was a simply a high cost exercise utilising public money and patience to project the government as strong and  promote the leader as invincible. The after effects of demonetisation continue to hurt us.

When we see and hear incidents of couples being harassed and high handed police actions, we know how much misuse will happen. If eve teasing is curbed, incidents of rape come down then it is laudable but if it is used to push females indoor, harass opponents, used to break student unions , stifle dissent and protests then it will be far worse. Similarly if the food habits are curbed on the basis of communal lines then that is a danger signal. Already a lot of polarisation has taken place in the last couple of years, both communally and ideologically. Let us not create irreconcilable divides further . 

Contrary to what many may think , this is not a defence or justification of the government actions.  It is an attempt to view the actions in the proper perspective. There is no way that I can support the ideology and philosophy  which spreads hate. But on the flip side there is also a  need to introspect why such ideologies raise their heads.

Poetry Day

Vacant spaces of emotions
long shadows of loneliness.
Yearning sense of loss
deep feelings of gratitude.
Impending reasons for change
unreasonable expectations from life.
Seething rage on injustice
or silent touch of love.
You bring it all my poetry
in you I live my life.

Random thoughts 20032017

He is an educated , intelligent aspiring upwardly mobole upper middle-class young man . Right now employed in a private Bank.  Holds a PG diploma from one of the IIMs . Have lived in many cities and towns of India. Well mannered, well spoken with a nice personality. Kind of person whom you would like to have as your son on law , if you had a daughter. Hope you get the description.

Now when this sort of a person feels optimistic about the choice of the CM of UP and hails the new CM as a strong personality; reposing faith on him to deliver a clean and corruption free administration, then I get worried. Because ,  there must be some problem either with the value system of the society and/ or the education system of the country. Maybe  it has something to do with both.

But there can be a third and chilling possibility too - there is no place for people like me any more in this setup . My thoughts , ideas and ideals are not in sync with the people around me. That makes me afraid.

Random thoughts 17032017

The full name of the person we know as Emperor Aurangzeb was Abul Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad. He assumed the title of Alamgir.

Aurangzeb died at the ripe old age of 88 years in 1707 AD after ruling for 49 years. The Mughal empire started losing its grip over *Hindostan* even during his rule and gradually disintegrated after him. But the Mughal dynasty continued for another 150 years till 1857 AD. There were 14 Mughal emperors after him. But most of them except the last one, Bahadur Shah Jaffar were not famous like their illustrious predecessors , who are known as the Great Mughals. The period after Aurangzeb saw rise of regional powers and also the consolidation of European colonial powers culminating in the British rule over India.

Aurangzeb spent a large part of his life in the Deccan and also breathed his last in Ahmadnagar. He spent most of life in military campaigns to spread the empire and neutralising rebellions. During his rule the Mughal empire had the maximum coverage in terms of area and probably overstretched itself . This was the real reason for the empire disintegrating with the contributory factor of in competencies of his successors.

Though little is discussed about the later Mughal rulers , the history of the period is quite well documented by historians , both Indian and foreigners.

Random thoughts 14032017

Sometimes or rather most of the times, the significance of an event is lost because  of  its inability to influence the outcome of other events as a chain reaction. The victors generally write the history and it is celebrated , everywhere. But it is always interesting to dwell upon the chain of events that might have taken place in case of an alternate outcome Of course these hypothetical conjectures are in the realms of romantic speculation, no doubt.But they often give us  glimpses of parallels , elsewhere.

In August 1798 the British Navy under Admiral Nelson( who was not yet the Lord, as he is known in history) faced the French Navy and defeated them, stopping their progress from the Mediterranean sea towards Asia. This famous sea battle between the French and English is known as the Battle of Nile and  has been made famous in the poem Casablanca which many of us may have read as a child. Remember those famous first line- The boy stood on the burning deck.The Battle of the Nile was a major blow to Napoleon's ambitions in the east.

The significance of this battle is the unrelated non event of history which did not happen due to the defeat of the French forces. Napoleon Bonaparte was preparing to progress through Asia with plans to invade India and defeat the British there. The French already had a substantial military presence in India during those times. Though the British forces and The East India company controlled the trade and a large part of the territory, the Mughal dynasty was still the reigning power , even if nominally so. India was ruled by different princely states who were quite powerful and the British aligned them by various treaties. They included the big states like Scindias, Holkars, Nizam , Patiala, Lucknow, Jaipur and Mysore. Most of these states had foreign mercenaries working for them , in addition to the British protective force.

Tipu Sultan was the ruler of Mysore then . He had many French soldiers on his payroll and also French generals commanding his army. So did the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha rulers. Tipu was in regular touch with Napoleon and they both exchanged letters. He wished for an alliance with Napoleon . Napoleon had promised help to Tipu in his letter personally . He assured him and other Indian rulers of defeating the British in India and sought their support. Tipu in his letter had extended a very warm welcome to Napoleon to the shores of India. Actually, India was a part of the "Great Game" then too, as it still remains.

Napoleon wanted to invade India and liberate the country from the British rule . The defeat at the hands of the British in the Battle of Nile  put paid to his grand plans of emulating and surpassing Alexander the Great. Had he not been defeated by Lord Nelson in the Battle of the Nile, he would definitely have reached India by landing up somewhere on the Malabar coast where Tipu already had a strong naval presence too.The British identified Tipu Sultan as their principal obstacle in India and attacked , defeated and killed him soon in the famous Siege of Seringapatanam in 1799. The Nizam of Hyderabad helped the British in the battle. Thereafter, the British faced only two big challenges, first from Marathas and later Sikhs to expand their hold over India till the uprising in 1857.

Most of the Indian  rulers of different provinces were at loggerheads with each other, as usual. But they were all eagerly waiting for Napoleon to invade India hoping that he would get them rid of  the British . The British always followed the Divide and Rule policy and fueled rivalry among the Indian rulers . Only once, in 1857 did some rulers of North India come together and fought against the British.

What actually would have happened had Napoleon  won the Battle of Nile , can only be speculated upon but definitely the history of India would have been written in a different way or maybe in a different language.

The British ruled India ,divided it, partitioned it  and it took a lot of efforts by our leaders to unite the country and then make it a true republic by removing the feudal vestiges of power. But surprisingly enough, probably it is the English language that keeps us bound as a nation . We may not like it or ignore it but that is a fact.

Random thoughts 16032017

The allegations of EVM tampering cannot be just laughed away or ignored. It is so interesting to note that in this country you can demand and have a forensic test to determine whether the meat inside refrigerator was beef or mutton. But the moment you doubt EVMs you are laughed at.

People who wish to dismiss the allegations without any consideration appear to forget that rigging of elections in this country has happened regularly. It will be foolhardy to wish away the rigging of EVMs by saying – Such things do not happen. Or even a step ahead as – This is impossible. There has always been a sneaky feeling of unease at the way the whole EVM system works. Complaints have been made earlier too and this is not the first time that questions are being raised on its use, or rather, misuse.

To label the protesting political leaders as whining losers is another way to create an optical illusion and browbeat the opposition. What these leaders are alleging may be false. So why not prove them wrong? Galileo had to face inquisition and was punished for heresy for daring to say that the earth was round, not flat.  But he was subsequently proved to be correct, much after his death. Have we forgotten that?

Cyber frauds, tampering of electronic instruments and fuzzing of data are not unheard of in this country.  In a country where electric meters are often found tampered regularly, can EVM tampering be beyond imagination? The Indian society has never followed the principles of fair play which is more of a planted British concept of old schools. The Indian society and the polity have always functioned over the ages on the basis of Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed, the principles espoused by Chanakya to grab and retain power. So it is not at all impossible that the EVMs have been tampered in a desperate bid to win.

We have seen football, cricket and boxing matches being fixed. Lotteries manipulated and even cricket pitches made to suit the home side. Fake voter cards and ration cards are a fact of life. People openly celebrate two birthdays, one official and the other unofficial. Openly bigamous persons fight elections, even win them and serve as law makers, cocking a snook at the law. Blatantly false mark sheets are provided to prove educational qualifications. So the expectation of a fair play in this setup is juvenile.

Some arguments try to portray the allegations of EVM tampering as casting aspersions on the independence of the Election Commission and intent of the government. Yes, it is that away please, Thank you. The independent institutions have all fallen now and are existing to carry out the instructions of the rulers. Governors, Universities, Censor Board, CBI, Armed forces, Judiciary, RBI,  name them and you take your pick. The defences against totalitarianism as  enshrined in our constitution have all been breached. Every vestige of impartiality has been blown away. In this scenario who can keep faith on the Election commission being neutral?

Ultimately it is a question of belief. Instead of blaming the doubters let us question why there is such a big question mark against the credibility of the government. Fake achievements, false promises, manufactured data, distorted information and the on-your-face trampling of rules and norms have not enhanced its reputation. It is always easy to come out with the oft repeated comparative rant of – “Where were you when…” but it has to be remembered that two wrongs don’t make a right. One may mistake the applause of supporters to be overwhelming vindication of the actions. But it is the silence of the faithful which is dangerous. Some people were dismayed at the huge gathering of mourners at the funeral of Yaqub Memon. Does that absolve him of his crimes? Does the death of Jayalalitha hide the fact that had she been alive, she would be convicted ahead of Sashikala?

And what if, later someday it is proved that the EVMs were actually tampered, as alleged.  Why not initiate an enquiry to remove all doubts.

Random thoughts 14032017

Sometimes or rather most of the times, the significance of an event is lost because of its inability to influence the outcome of other events as a chain reaction. The victors generally write the history and it is celebrated , everywhere. But it is always interesting to dwell upon the chain of events that might have taken place in case of an alternate outcome Of course these hypothetical conjectures are in the realms of romantic speculation, no doubt.But they often gives us glimpses of parallels , elsewhere.

In August 1798 the British Navy under Admiral Nelson( who was not yet faced the French Navy and defeated them, stopping their progress from the Mediterranean sea towards Asia. This famous sea battle between the French and English is known as the Battle of Nile and has been made famous in the poem Casablanca which many of us may have read as a child. Remember those famous first line- The boy stood on the burning deck.The Battle of the Nile was a major blow to Napoleon's ambitions in the east.

The significance of this battle is the unrelated non event of history which did not happen due to the defeat of the French forces. Napoleon Bonaparte was preparing to progress through Asia with plans to invade India and defeat the British there. The French already had a substantial military presence in India during those times. Though the British forces and The East India company controlled the trade and a large part of the territory, the Mughal dynasty was still the reigning power , even if nominally so. India was ruled by different princely states who were quite powerful and the British aligned them by various treaties. They included the big states like Scindias, Holkars, Nizam , Patiala, Lucknow, Jaipur and Mysore. Most of these states had foreign mercenaries working for them , in addition to the British protective force.

Tipu Sultan was the ruler of Mysore then . He had many French soldiers on his payroll and also French generals commanding his army. So did the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha rulers. Tipu was in regular touch with Napoleon and they both exchanged letters. He wished for an alliance with Napoleon . Napoleon had promised help to Tipu in his letter personally . He assured him and other Indian rulers of defeating the British in India and sought their support. Tipu in his letter had extended a very warm welcome to Napoleon to the shores of India. Actually, India was a part of the "Great Game" then too, as it still remains.

Napoleon wanted to invade India and liberate the country from the British rule . The defeat at the hands of the British in the Battle of Nile put paid to his grand plans of emulating and surpassing Alexander the Great. Had he not been defeated by Lord Nelson in the Battle of the Nile, he would definitely have reached India by landing up somewhere on the Malabar coast where Tipu already had a strong naval presence too.The British identified Tipu Sultan as their principal obstacle in India and attacked , defeated and killed him soon in the famous Siege of Seringapatanam in 1799. The Nizam of Hyderabad helped the British in the battle. Thereafter, the British faced very little challenge to expand their hold over India till the uprising in 1857.

Most of the Indian rulers of different provinces were at loggerheads with each other, as usual. But they were all eagerly waiting for Napoleon to invade India hoping that he would get them rid of the British . The British always followed the Divide and Rule policy and fueled rivalry among the Indian rulers . Only once, in 1857 did some rulers of North India come together and fought against the British.
What actually would have happened had Napoleon won the Battle of Nile , can only be speculated upon but definitely the history of India would have been written in a different way or maybe in a different language.

The British ruled India ,divided it, partitioned it and it took a lot of efforts by our leaders to unite the country and then make it a true republic by removing the feudal vestiges of power. But surprisingly enough, probably it is the English language that keeps us bound as a nation . We may not like it or ignore it but that is a fact.

Random thoughts 13032017

Contrary to what we may think or believe, India was perhaps a much more multi cultural and Cosmopolitan place during the 18th and 19th centuries than what we have seen in our lifetime. We only talk about the British but other than them , there were many French, Dutch,Spanish, Portuguese, Armenian,Turk,Chinese,Jews,Arabs,Tibetans,Pathans, Iranians, Africans,Parsee, Anglo Indian and other people who have enriched us by intermingling their cultures with us.

How many foreigners do we meet or get to see  in our daily lives nowadays in places other than Delhi or airports . But 200 - 250 years back , it was not so. Many foreigners were present in even small towns  ranging from Darbhanga, Jamnagar, Vizianagaram   Karaikkal, Jind etc. It was more so because most rulers had foreigners on their payroll as  teachers or advisors. French mercenaries were a common sight in the armies of Tipu sultan (Mysore) or the Nizam(Hyderabad).

The Armenian Church in Kolkata, Jewish synagogue in Kochi , La Martiniere College in Lucknow, Danish and Dutch settlements in the South and East etc. are just memories of this era. 

One can only wonder at the vibrant multi cultural period that must have been then and sigh at the  Hinglsh text type culture that we promote now. But , what happened then must have happened for something good . Likewise, what happens now must be happening for something good too.

Random thoughts 10032017

The World War I  took place between 1914. Britain, Russia, France  were the three main countries which constituted the Allied Powers which fought the war against the Central Powers.  The USA, Japan and more interestingly Italy were also part of the Allied powers. Another interesting point to note was that Japan had fought a war with Russia and had won it just a decade back in 1905.

The Central powers constituted mainly of Germany under the Kaiser and the erstwhile Austo-Hungarian empire. They were supported by the Ottoman empire having its capital at Constantinople , now known as Istanbul , in Turkey. During the period of the war itself , Russian revolution happened,  overthrowing Tsar Nicholas and the monarchy in February 1917.

The WW I was predominantly a war between the industrially developed countries and colonial powers of Europe. During the war and after it the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist.Many new countries sprang up on the map of the world. Some have ceased to exist by now. It brought huge devastation in its wake. Though named as the "War to end all wars" , it was followed by the World War II (1939-1945).

Though many Indians may not know or like to forget even after knowing, the participation of Indians in both the World wars was substantial. In the WW I, about a million of Indians or more fought to save the British Empire in the battle fields of Europe, Africa, Egypt and Mesopotamia (Iraq) . An estimated 74 thousand Indian soldiers died in the war. Indian soldiers were posted in Aden to secure the Gulf against the Ottoman forces and the oil fields. The largest contingent of the Indian army was sent to Mesopotamia. In the far east too Singapore and Myanmar were places where the Indian army was deployed. They were even sent to China where the Germans controlled a port in Tianjin. 

A large number of Indians were recruited in the army during the WW I. It provided employment to many Indians, particularly from the northern states and Nepalis too.  The WW I  also gave an opportunity to many Indians to interact with the world outside the shores of the country and integrate with the world . Also it somehow helped to loosen the rigid caste system and expanded the horizon. But at the same time, the Indians were involved in a freedom struggle against the British rule. So  the  story of the soldiers who joined the army mainly to earn their living  did not get so much importance as it deserved. Whether it was right or wrong, one can't say.

Another notable feature was the inclusion of officers of Indian descent. Prior to the WW I , the Indian army consisted of Indian soldiers commanded by officers of British origin. But the casualties in the WW I forced the British to induct Indian officers to command army units . The first time an Indian officer cadet was selected for a training at Royal Military College was in 1919. Remember, the Tata Iron and Steel company and Jmshedpur was already established in 1907, if any reference is required.

Fighting alongside the Indians in the war also changed the perspective of the British who could appreciate the Indian point of view much better and overcome the colonial feeling gradually . It is a fact that without the participation of Indian soldiers and resources, the British would have definitely found it much difficult  to win the two World wars. The presence of the huge Indian army served as a deterrent too.

All these things happened only a hundred years back . Perhaps your grandfather or the great grandfather was alive then . But then how many of us remember the name of our great grand father or even care about it ?

Random thoughts 09032017

Prevalent popular culture often records history better than grand tomes written by eminent historians. Since the last three centuries, the records of events have been steadily improving which helps us to have a glimpse of what happened during various periods of time and then ruminate over them. Sometimes, while reading old books, hearing music or watching movies of bygone days, the details bring the era alive before us. Very often, we look back upon those times with a smile playing on our lips, because however pristine, good or memorable the experience may have been, past always seem to be somewhat foolish place to be.  That of course, is with a lot of hind sight , definitely.

Take music for instance. Whenever I listen to songs dating 70 years back or more, I am struck by the nasal tone of the singers. Maybe it was the style then and perhaps the recording of the songs were more responsible for that. And the sounds of various forgotten instruments like Banjo, Clarionet, Saxophone , flutes and my favourite Piano accordion , to name a few. They just transport me to a different world. One can only wonder how the singers would have fared under the modern techno funk sounds and faster paced music regime.

Not for a moment, I am belittling the songs or the singers. Personally, I like them and feel delighted to hear them. But at the same time the nasal tones of famous singers also makes me imitate them with a slightly juvenile naughtiness. Then, watching the characters in different movies always wearing a lot of suits and smoking pipes and cigars also makes me feel amused. And the clipped accents with slightly affected styles of speech are also quite funny. Or so, it seems nowadays.

Basically reliving the past or watching it unfold always makes us compare with the present and trying to equate or juxtapose the events in the light of what is happening now.  A case in point which I would like to mention is the involvement of USA in Afghanistan. Now this happened during my lifetime and more so within the span of my adulthood. Just three decades and how things have changed. Even the perception of good, bad, friend, enemy, everything changes with time.

The other day I was watching the James Bond movie- The Living Daylights, on TV , for the nth time.  Yes, the one with Timothy Dalton playing 007. By the way, All the James Bond movies have been watched for the nth time, by me; much to the chagrin and dislike of my son and wife. But that is beside the point. What I want to highlight is that, in the movie James Bond helps and is helped by the Afghan Mujahideen . The movie was released in 1987. In another movie Rambo III of 1988  , Sylvester Stallone is on a mission to get his ex-boss Colonel Trautman released from the Russian prison in Afghanistan. Those were the days  when the Afghan rebels were the darlings of the western establishment and the cold war with USSR was on its last leg.  How times change.

Random thoughts 07032017

The Sahayak (orderlies) system followed in the Indian army is feudal and regressive . It should be scrapped forthwith. But the fun is that it does not exist on paper or official records. Jawans are deputed to such duties without any mention of what they are supposed to do . Just like that - Report to so and so officer .

And please don't try to counter my statement with ridiculous theories. I have first hand experience of the plight of these Sahayaks. I lived in Army officers' quarters for about five years in two cantonments and know quite a lot about their lifestyle. I have also interacted with many Army officers and also many such Sahayaks informally too. So, I know about the thing.

Alexander the great

Reading  books on history have always fascinated me. And like many, a historical character who fuels the romantic in me has been Alexander the great. I was recently reading a book and was noting down some points from there. Just thought of recording them with my perspective too.

Alexander the Great and his campaign to India is perhaps one of the most early important events in the history of India which has been recorded by the western historians . Though the European historians have written much about Alexander and his campaign , the ancient Indian historians have not  written much about him . That may be because, to the most Indians he was just like another conqueror from the west who tried to invade the Indian subcontinent. Alexander crossed the Hindukush mountains in eastern Afghanistan in the month of May, 327 BC. He fought for more than a year against various tribes in what is now North Pakistan until he could cross the river Indus in February 326 BC.

The king of Takshashila (Taxila) accepted Alexander’s suzerainty without putting up a fight. He proved to be a generous host to the Greeks and is reported to have fed them with the meat of 3,000 oxen and more than 10,000 sheep. Then he also provided the Greeks with 5,000 auxiliary troops so that they could better fight his neighbour, King Poros. King Poros belonged to the tribe of the Pauravas, descended from the Puru tribe mentioned so often in the Rigveda. He joined battle with Alexander at the head of a mighty army with some 2,000 elephants, but Alexander defeated him by a sudden attack after crossing the river Hydaspes at night although the river was in flood. Alexander then reinstated the vanquished Poros and made him his ally.

The river which Greeks called Hydaspes is now known as Jhelum. It was also known as Vitashta in ancient Hindu scriptures. The historical name of Beas is given as Hyphasis by the Greek historians. The surrender of king Poros and his subsequent reinstatement has been romanticised in many novels and has acquired a mythological reference to treatment of captured enemy.

The famous Indian monsoon and the rains are said to have obstructed Alexander’s march east. He was determined to go on, but when his army reached the river Hyphasis (Beas), east of the present city of Lahore, his soldiers refused to obey his orders for the first time in eight years of incessant conquest. It is said that Alexander had motivated them by saying that they were to conquer the lands till the end of the world .  Alexander was convinced that he would soon reach the end of the world, but his soldiers were less and less convinced of this as they proceeded to the east where more kings and war elephants were waiting to fight against them. Greek and Roman authors report that the Nandas, who had their capital at Pataliputra when Alexander the Great conquered north western India, had a powerful standing army of 200,000 infantrymen, 20,000 horsemen, 2,000 chariots drawn by four horses each, and 3,000 elephants. This is the first reference to the large-scale use of elephants in warfare. Such war elephants remained for a long time the most powerful strategic weapons of Indian rulers until the Central Asian conquerors of the medieval period introduced the new method of the large-scale deployment of cavalry.

Alexander’s speech in which he invoked the memory of their victories over the Persians in order to persuade them to march on is one of the most moving documents of Alexander’s time, but so is the reply by Coenus, his general, who spoke on behalf of the soldiers. Alexander finally turned back and proceeded with his troops south along the river Indus where they got involved in battles with the tribes of that area, especially with the Malloi (Malavas). Alexander was almost killed in one of these encounters. He then turned west and crossed, with parts of his army, the desert land of Gedrosia which is a part of present Baluchistan. Very few survived this ordeal. In May 324 BC, three years after he had entered India, Alexander was back at Susa in Persia. In the following year he died in Babylon.

Alexander’s early death and the division of his empire among the Diadochi who fought a struggle for succession put an end to the plan of integrating at least a part of India into the Hellenistic empire. By 317 BC the peripheral Greek outposts in India had been given up. Thus Alexander’s campaign remained a mere episode in Indian history, but the indirect consequences of this intrusion were of great importance. The reports of Alexander’s companions and of the first Greek ambassador at the court of the Mauryas were the main sources of Western knowledge about India from the ancient to the medieval period of history. Also, the Hellenistic states, which arose later on India’s north western frontier in present Afghanistan had an important influence on the development of  Indian art as well as on the evolution of sciences such as astronomy.

The memory of Alexander the Great returned to India only much later with the Islamic conquerors who saw him as a great ruler worth emulating. One of the sultans of Delhi called himself a second Alexander, and the Islamic version of this name (Sikander) was very popular among later Islamic rulers of India and Southeast Asia. The ancient Persian and later Islamic texts also hold Alexander as a truly great conqueror.

There is still a section of India historians and intellectuals who do not rank Alexander of any importance only because he could not or did not invade the Gangetic plain, which still today remains the measure of  India for many. Well, they may be right or wrong in their own way. But considering everything in the context of history, Alexander and his campaign has left their indelible mark on the world and influenced history of Europe and Asia by a very large extent.

Kind acknowledgement - A History of India  by Hermann Kulke and
Dietmar Rothermund

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#Afterthoughts All around us things happen about which we know really know little about. It is as if we are surrounded by a series of phenomena that we don’t understand. When we don't know something, it is natural for us to be curious, ask questions, and explore assumptions. But does it happen that way for all of us ? Don't we shut our senses to all that happens around us ? We feel contented with the mystery of life and let it be that way. This contentment is a way of shutting ourselves. We need to live a life in which we are always  questioning, investigating and wondering.

Unknown to us there are a lot of invisible super forces working incessantly and dispassionately in the background on our behalf . But we need to be curious to feel these forces . And that is the real essence of liberty  When people denigrate the term liberal  they forget that it is the natural result of being curious and understanding these forces.

Often I find that we, or most of us, let the long shadows of tradition and the confined space of authority guide us to understand life around us and form our worldview. We analyse events and utterances in the light of what we have been taught to think as being the right way, instead of reasoning. But the human societies have not evolved that way. No sacred book or set of religious instructions can be said to be the complete guide to life. It is the questions and the journey to find their answers that shape our lives and also the societies that we live in. The voice of reason is what defines progress of the human being. Whenever the society fails to encourage the voice of reason, it goes back in time and impedes progress by evolution. 

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Just note how the conspiracy theory with terrorist angle is used to garner votes and hide inefficiency. Only a few days back , we were told by the Prime Minister at an election meeting that the Kanpur rail accident, in which 143 people were killed was a conspiracy and the conspirators carried it out sitting across the border. Now yesterday, the  DG, Railways, Uttar Pradesh Police, told the participants of n official meeting on rail-safety that the cause of derailment of 14 coaches of the Indore–Patna Express near Kanpur was not an act of sabotage but “fatigue of railway tracks” and they had found no traces of explosives at the accident site.

Because the top leader himself uses mockery,lies, falsehoods, rabble rousing half-truths and untruths in his public speeches day in and day out, the smaller minions have to try harder to be relevant and heard . So we find the instances of  rape threats, trolling etc. happens as we find them today. Forgotten is the accident and any reference to its root cause - safety measures. The people who died will not come back. Is this  apathetic administration lesser than terrorists ?

If you remember – last year around this time the JNU issue hogged the limelight. The Delhi Police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar on 9th February 2016 on charges of sedition for shouting antinational slogans. The young man was castigated by the Bhakt brigade and a wave of faux patriotic upsurge was engineered. He was manhandled by the Police as well as goons dressed as nationalist lawyers inside court premises under police custody. Today after an year , Delhi Police have reportedly not found any comprehensive evidence to pursue its sedition case against him.

The people who shouted the slogans have not been punished till now. When they can’t arrange for punishment ,within a year , of people who shout anti national slogans, how do we believe that this government will be able to do anything effective against those who indulge in far greater crimes of harmful  anti national activities. What do you say now , all you creatures who regularly snigger and use words like sickular, libtard, naxalite, AAPist etc to malign anybody who dares to question the crooked shenanigans of the establishment in favour of the ruling party and its lumpen cohorts? No wonder the people of this ilk are now trained their guns on a student - a mere young girl , who has bravely vented her feelings.

Joining the chorus of some celebrities aligned to the negative mindset of ultra nationalism and jingoistic trash , Shazia Ilmi of BJP ( yes , the same person who used to attack BJP aggressively till May 2014 and contested Lok Sabha election against V K Singh) has blamed Congress and AAP for politicizing the DU – Gurmeher  issue and has dared them by asking if the Congress and AAP ready to take out a rally saying - 'Don't blame Pak' for martyrdom of our soldier and want peace with Pakistan.

Now with due respect to the fact that she was a competent TV anchor , well known social activist of yore and also because she is a lady, I won’t be uncharitable towards her for bringing a political angle herself to what is largely a small  issue of rebellious dissent and emotional outburst by a young girl. And in that too she is missing the point by a mile if not more.

Yes Ms Shazia Ilmi , no political party can position themselves for peace with Pakistan under the present atmosphere. Nobody can take out placards with “Don’t blame Pak’ on them . But then it also does not mean that we complete our patriotic duty by blaming Pak and doing nothing else. You and your party love to blame Pak for almost every woe that we face. But it is your party that is running the government. What have you done other than blaming them ? Your PM by himself visited Pakistan  to gain publicity. It was not Gurmeher, her father or a common man like me. There is still a government level friendly relation between Pakistan and India. We maintain full diplomatic relations with them. It has been highlighted many a times before. If we the people want to have a people to people level friendship , why does it raise the hackles of your party ?

I stand with Gurmeher, I don’t blame Pak. I blame our politicians for keeping the Pak bogey alive in an effort to drum up faux nationalism . Either let us admit officially that Pakistan is an enemy country like USA did for Iran, Libya, Cuba etc. or let us accept them as friends and live with a shared bond of  empathy and connect. It can’t be so that you use them as a bogey to make people fall in line for everything from demonetisation to increase in price of LPG . And when somebody decides to give peace a chance at a personal level, please don’t unleash your fanged dogs of hell upon them as retribution. I know you will never read this or care about it . But like Gurmeher or me, there are many who don’t get carried away by the jingoistic tirades of your party. And we will speak out.