लेखक: नामालूम

तारीख थी 11 और महीना था नवंबर का और सन 1675। समय दोपहर का था और स्थान दिल्ली का चांदनी चौंक, लाल किले के सामने।

मुगलिया हुकूमत की क्रूरता देखने के लिए लोग इकट्ठे हो चुके थे, लेकिन वो बिल्कुल शांत  बैठे थे , प्रभु परमात्मा में लीन, लोगो का जमघट, सब की सांसे अटकी हुई थी। शर्त के मुताबिक अगर गुरु तेग बहादुरजी इस्लाम कबूल कर लेते है तो फिर सब हिन्दुओं  को मुस्लिम बनना होगा बिना किसी जोर जबरदस्ती के!

गुरु जी का होंसला तोड़ने के लिए उन्हें बहुत कष्ट दिए गए। तीन महीने से वो कष्टकारी क़ैद में थे। उनके सामने ही उनके सेवादारों भाई दयाला जी, भाई मति दास और उनके ही अनुज भाई सती दासको बहुत कष्ट देकर शहीद किया जा चुका था। लेकिन फिर भी गुरु जी इस्लाम अपनाने के लिए नही माने।

औरंगजेब के लिए भी ये इज्जत का सवाल था। समस्त हिन्दू समाज की भी सांसे अटकी हुई थी क्या होगा? लेकिन गुरु जी अडोल बैठे रहे।

किसी का धर्म खतरे में था धर्म का अस्तित्व खतरे में था। एक धर्म का सब कुछ दांव पे लगाथा, हाँ या ना पर सब कुछ निर्भर था।

औरंगजेब खुद चलके आया था लालकिले से निकल कर, सुनहरी मस्जिद के काजी के पास। उसी मस्जिद से कुरान की आयत पढ़ कर यातना देने का फतवा निकलता था। वो मस्जिद आज भी है, गुरुद्वारा शीस गंज, चांदनी चौक दिल्ली के पास।

आखिरकार जालिम जब उनको झुकाने में कामयाब नही हुए तो जल्लाद की तलवार चल चुकी थी, और प्रकाश अपने स्त्रोत में लीन हो चुका था। ये भारत के इतिहास का एक ऐसा मोड़ था जिसने पुरे हिंदुस्तान का भविष्य बदल के रख दिय, हर दिल में रोष था।  

खालसा की स्थापना तो गुरु नानक देव् जी ने पहले चरण के रूप में 15 शताब्दी में ही कर दी थी लेकिन आखरी पड़ाव गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी ने पूरा किया। जब उन्होंने निर्बल लोगो में आत्मविश्वास जगाया और उनको खालसा बनाया और इज्जत से जीना सिखाया। निर्बल और असहाय की मदद का जो कार्य उन्होंने शुरू किया था वो निर्विघ्न आजभी जारी है।

गुरु तेग बहादुर जी जिन्होंने हिन्द की चादर बनकर तिलक और जनेऊ की रक्षा की, उनका एहसान भारत वर्ष कभी नही भूल सकता । जरा एकांत में बैठकर सोचिये, अगर गुरु तेग बहादुर जी अपना बलिदान न देते तो आज भारत क्या होता?

By: Shreepal Singh

It is reported today that the Election Commission of India is conducting a study for the feasibility of adopting an “On-line voting system” in India. It is a right decision on the part of the Commission. It is the first step towards a momentous decision to adopt such a system.   

The world is moving fast. And, the world is competitive. To keep a pace with this world, one has to move fast; a nation has to keep its eyes open, take hard decisions and take these decisions fast enough, be such decisions in the fields of economy, defence, foreign relations, internal peace and order or stability of the democratic system. 

And, this much is not enough. There is need to keep in check the obstructionist elements within the nation – be they individuals, group of people under any nomenclature, organs of governance like judiciary, executive or legislative or rebellious or secessionist movements – under the strict control of people, who are the ultimate sovereign. How can it be done?

We are republishing here an article, which was originally published on this website in 2013. This is the first article of a series dealing with this subject. Here we go.

Human beings, as they are at their present evolutionary stage, are mostly governed in their personal life by lower impulses, that is, their personal interests formed in ignorance of a higher or better light. In making their crucial decisions humans are not governed even by Mind, that is, reason. They put their lower self – their impulses – at the driver’s seat in making decisions and Mind is employed as an application to accomplish those objectives determined by this lower self. By and large, the majority of human beings are not intellectually a sufficiently accomplished lot. People gifted with mental accomplishments are, as always, still in short supply, in minority. This can be seen from the data of people around the world who made scientific discoveries and inventions. This is the state of human beings’ intellectual caliber at the present juncture that we have to deal with in finding a solution to the problem of managing the elements of drastic social change, a revolutionary change.

  The way out of this problem is to strike a right balance between the pragmatic need of a command center which can take initiative, control and execute the drastic social change and the pragmatic need of a transparent democratic mechanism that is capable to supervise, control, dismantle and replace such command center.

  The only way is to create a right balance between these two pragmatic needs. There was not a way out, till recently, to get out of this unfortunate human situation except by adopting either of the two approaches with all their respective weaknesses; that is, the spiritual or religious way – a preaching that you be morally good – that had played its due role in history but which now in modern times has no efficacy of results; or, alternatively, the Communist way that is tainted with violence and terror.

  Today information technology has come on the scene to solve this problem. It is possible now to employ this technology to ascertain the will of people in the matter of their self-governance. It is but natural that there would be opposition to this techno-legal reformation of democracy. But the change cannot be stopped for ever. Change is the way of history. But the matter does not end here. Obviously, the “vested interests” have their life or death at stake if the “genuine” will of people is allowed to be reflected in the matter of governance. And, there is bound to be bitter struggle on this score. How will it happen? Technology will bring more and more automation; and, such automation will bring in more and more concomitant unemployment, notwithstanding the fire-fighting measures adopted by the keepers of this social order to tame the ill effects of this unemployment. The unemployed population will more and more resent the present social order, which people would identify with this social order. And, if this population is allowed to express their will through technology, it would bring a “World Revolution” through democratic way. Any opposition by the keepers of this social order to this “Democratic World Revolution” would cause an unprecedented global turmoil, bringing in the “profound human moral issues” on the global center stage to be resolved by mankind. Such an eventuality will bring in an unprecedented contest between the “force of violence” and “force of the people’s power”.

  We are sure that, sooner or later, the technologically empowered peoples’ will would win. There will be a change; there will be the change of social order; there will be a drastic change in the social order, which will be to the benefit of people, that is, mankind.

  The whole world, through a very powerful international media controlled by capital, seems to cry hoarse that there is no economic exploitation any more today and that we all are living in a heaven where nothing but freedom reigns – freedom to speak, freedom of choice and freedom to all. It is nothing but a farce, a make-believe freedom, freedom to choose to work and get exploited. Humans deserve a better deal in the matter of their freedom. Humans are enlightened today; they are empowered by science today; they govern themselves through the political instrument of democracy today; all organs of power, viz., executive, legislative and judiciary, are subordinate to them; they are sovereign today.

  Then, what is the way out of this inhuman and immoral exploitation of human by human? The secret lies in the numerical strength of the “ordinary” people in our society. The secret lies in strengthening the democracy and purifying it – purifying it from the corrupt influence of money that is, capital, with the aid of modern information technology. The secret lies in demanding for the application of this technology for electing their representatives at their sweet will as the first step of the purification of democracy – and in the second phase using this technology for recalling their representatives at their sweet will. The secret lies in denouncing the “vested interests’ hoax” that such use of technology by people in constantly electing and recalling their representatives is impracticable.

It is but logical that technologically enabled democracy would truly empower the people and enable the majority to become the reigning class, with all its adverse economic consequences for the class of vested interest, who are in minority. It would ultimately prove to be a death-nail to the exploitative system controlled by money power. And, this all would be possible without shedding a drop of human blood!

How can this goal of a democracy purified by technology be achieved by people?

It requires three imperatives: firstly, educating the people so that they understand what is in their own interest, both economic and political; secondly, empowering them through the employment of technology in democracy; and, thirdly, advancing the cause of science by constant discoveries and ensuring technology’s ownership in the hands of people, as against its ownership in the private hands for being misused in exploitation of other human beings.

Vimal Tiwari

We visited Bharatpur recently and came to know of an eye opening history of the exploits and bravery of the Jats that was  never taught to our students under a calculated policy of Nehruvian regime to suppress truth in the name of promoting communal amity. Though one has heard of their bravery often, but it is mostly in relation to the wars that India fought since Independence. Not much is known of their past exploits. Not much is taught about them in school  history books, except making  a passing reference to Maharaja Suraj Mal. 

Anyone visiting Bharatpur must visit his palace, fort and museum. It is beautifully maintained and an architecture pleasure to see. Actually Fatehpur Sikiri seems quite pale in comparision!

This piece of history has been forwarded to me by someone, which I had not heard before, all thanks to the technology of internet. Our history books keep mum about what is glorious and belongs to India.

In 1398 AD Timur made a ferocious attack on India with 92,000 horsemen. On receiving the news of Timur’s open and total looting and destruction, in Vikram Samvat 1455, kartick badi 5 (1398 AD), Raja Devpala who was born in the village of Nirpura, District Meerut in a Jat family and was in charge of the of the Haryana Sarva Khap Panchayat, called a Mahapanchayat in the jungles in the middle of the villages of Tikri, Doghat, and Daha. These three villages are still existing in district Meerut. The chief committee of the Mahapanchayat passed the following resolutions:

1)All villages would be emptied.
2) The elders and women, and children would be taken to safe places
3) All able-bodied men would join the army of the Sarv Khap.
4) The young women would also take up arms like the men.
5) The army of Timur, which was advancing from Delhi to Haridwar, would be fought with Guerilla warfare, and the water wells and ponds in his way would be poisoned.
6) 500 young horsemen would follow Timur and report his whereabouts to the Sarv Khap army.

The Panchayat Army was to fight under the flag of the panchayat and had 80,000 warrior soldiers (Mulls) and 40,000 young women who had joined together. These heroes also handled all the arrangements of the war material. From hundreds of miles around Delhi Heroic warriors came to the battlefield ready to sacrifice their lives. All the young men and women took up arms.

Dharampal Dev a Jat warrior, who was 95 years old, played a great part in gathering together this army. He traveled day and night on horseback to encourage men and women and gather the army. His brother Karan Pal helped arrange money, grain and clothing for the army.

The choosing of the Supreme General, the deputy general and the other generals. In this endeavor of the Sarv Khap, the hero warrior Jograj Singh Gujar was chosen Supreme General. He was of the Clan Khubar Parmar, and hailed from a village near Haridwar called Kunja.

The general chosen from among the heroic maidens for their army were:

1. Rampiari Gujar,
2. Hardai Jat,
3. Devi Kaur Rajput,
4. Chandro Brahmin, and
5. Ramdai Tyagi.     All of them took a vow to lay down their lives in defence of their nation.

The following two Deputy Generals were chosen:

(1) Dhula Bhangi (Valmiki),
(2) Harbir Singh Gulia Jat,
Dhula Bhangi was a resident of the Village of Hansi, near Hissar. He was a strong and powerful brave warrior. The second deputy general was Harveer Singh Jat, of the Gulia Clan. He was from the village Badli, district Rohtak in Haryana. He was 22 years old. He weighed 53 Dharis (approx. 160 kilograms). He was strong and brave warrior. The names of the generals were:

1)Gaje Singh Jat Gatwala,
2) Tuhiram Rajput,
3) Nedha Rawa,
4) Sarju Brahmin,
5) Umra Taga (Tyagi), and
6) Durjanpal Ahir. 
The deputy generals chosen were: 1)Kundan Jat,
2) Dhari Gadariya, who was a Dhari,
3) Bhondhu Saini,
4) Hulla Nai (barber),
5) Bhana Julaha (Harijan)
6) Aman Singh Pundir, Rajput
7) Nathu Pardar, Rajput
8)Dhulla (Dhandi) Jat, who would lead raids from Hissar to Dadri to Multan.
9) Mamchand Gujar
10) Phalwa Kahaar.
Assistant generals: 20 assistant’s generals were chosen from the various jatis (castes).                         

The hero Bard: the Eminent Scholar Poet Chandrabhutt (Bhat) was chosen as the official Bard. He wrote an eyewitness account of the war with Timur.

The battles with Timur were fought by the Jat Panchayat army at Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Haridwar. The Deputy Commander Harveer Gulia, along with 25,000 warriors of the Panchayat army, made a fierce attack on a big group of Timur’s horsemen, and a fierce battle ensued where arrows and spears were used. There were 2,000 hill archers who had joined the Panchayat Army. One arrow pierced Timur’s hand. Timur was in the army of horsemen. Harveer Singh Gulia charged ahead like a lion on them, and hit Timur on his chest with a spear, and he was about to fall under his horse, when his commander Khijra, saved him and separated him from the horse.

Timur, eventually, is said to have died from this wound when he reached Samarkhand.

The spearsmen and swordsmen of the enemy leapt on Harveer Singh Gulia, and he fainted from the wounds he received and fell.

He was from the village Badli, district Rohtak in Haryana, India. He was 22 years old when he fought this war with Timur. He was a strong and brave warrior. His attack caused the death of Timur.

At that very time, the Supreme Commander Jograj Singh Gujar, with 22,000 Mulls (warriors) attacked the enemy and killed 5000 horsemen. Jograj Singh himself, with his own hands, lifted the unconscious Harveer Singh Gulia and brought him to the camp. But a few hours later, the hero warrior Harveer Singh achieved martyrdom.

After the battle of Delhi, on his way to Haridwar, Timur was confronted, brutally harassed and completely plundered by the Jat Panchayat armies. It was so terrific that on his way back, Timur retreated via Saharanpur to avoid Muzaffarnagar. Timur describes:

“Jats are a robust race, demon-like in appearance and as numerous as ants and locusts, a varitable plague to the merchants and wayfarers” (Mulfuzat-i-Timuri, Elliot, III, 429)

By: Shreepal Singh

(Note: This article was originally published in 2013 at this website. It is again published in view of the Election Commission of India constituting a study team to look into the feasibility of using in India on-line voting for electing representatives.)

Now science has provided the technological capability to make democracy more true to its basic principle. Democracy as it obtains today cannot obstruct for long the far-reaching impact of information technology that is now common place. Democracy is theoretically the ideal mechanism of self governance invented by human beings. It is but natural that in the collective living of a group, all individuals may not always agree while taking decisions.

  Human beings in their evolutionary history have co-existed for long and devised many forms of dispute-redressing mechanism to ensure their continued comparatively peaceful co-existence. And, now we have a dispute-redressing socio-political engineering that we call democracy. Democracy is a form of human self governance. Its basic principle is the rule of the majority over the minority. In the collective living of human beings there are always recurring moments when they are required to take collective decisions, and often, momentous decisions. While taking decisions, the unanimity of decision makers is ideal but almost always elusive. And, therefore, the next best thing possible is to take decisions by majority of the decision makers. Taking decisions by majority that bind majority and minority both is democracy.

  It is natural that the minority, which did not agree to the majority view but found a much disliked-decision imposed on it by the operation of majority rule, would search for some loopholes to thwart and diminish the impact of the unpleasant majority decision. We are not talking here of the mundane routine scandalous politics that intermittently occur in democratic countries. We are up for serious things here.

  The crux is that on crucial economic issues that vitally affect human beings in their collective living, the majority must find benefit in the decision that is taken by the majority notwithstanding the opposition of the minority. However, we find that in economic matters the minority is rich to the detriment of the majority who are poor. This is impeccable proof that here democracy, the rule of the majority, has been thwarted by whoever got illegitimate benefits from this distortion and by whatever means.

  We must purify democracy by the application of science. We are not against anybody. We hold that human beings are mere instruments of forces that guide the course of events, at micro and macro scale in this grand universe.

  We stand for the truly majority rule and surely the majority would benefit by its own rule in economic matters in contradistinction to the benefit accruing to minority. The minority has usurped machine, that saves human labor, from the hands of majority and yoked it in their own selfish service by rendering millions jobless. The minority monopolizes machine so that it may earn private profit by the work of machine with the less human labor needed.  The minority has become rich and the majority has been reduced to poverty, though this majority is still flaunted as the rulers. In the rule of majority, the majority cannot be poor and the minority rich. It is distorted democracy. The science has come, as ever, to play its redeeming role to change the things in a forward movement.

  How the science can be applied to democracy? We elect our representatives for a fixed term. They represent us for this term. We need the application of available technology on this issue in two ways. Firstly, the initial electoral process is presently much influenced by artificial means. The objective image of prospective representative is allowed to be bolstered by lobbying forces. This bolstering needs money that is not sufficiently available with the majority of population and their true aspiring representative is rendered disadvantaged. This could not be helped yesterday; today it can be remedied. The voting must be done only through the suitable device of information technology and without any role for the intervening economic forces in any manner.

  It is possible. And, it must be done to redeem democracy from the hands of minority and accumulated money. Secondly, we must employ the information technology once again to constantly approve or disapprove our initially elected representatives. Of course, we need stability of the term of representation. Also, our representatives need insulation from momentary passions of the electorates who may disapprove leader’s unpopular decisions under the heat of the moment but may later on approve them on their cool calculations.

  These are some of the problems that the technology enabled true democracy would have to resolve. There may be fixed a critical approval index below which a representative must quit. However, the technology should be used to constantly elect our representatives. Our leaders should be our representatives and they should be so at every moment. There cannot be anything like fixed secured term in true democracy. The fixed or secured term must be provided only to offset the undesirable impact on the cool decisions of our representatives. In fact, the real remedy of this problem lies in educating and enlightening our people and not allowing our representatives to continue despite electorate’s disapproval. Theoretically, the electorates know their interest best and the elected representatives cannot continue in the face of disapproval by their electorates.

  For the democracy to become true today, the application of technology is necessary. For a democracy to become vibrant and healthy, it is necessary that its citizens should be educated, informed, empowered and enlightened.

By: Shreepal Singh

This is the third, and concluding, part of this series of articles on ‘Electing Parliament: The On-line Way’. It was orginally published in 2013 on this website and is being re-published again in view of the initiative being taken by the Election Commission of India for studying the feasibility of using on-line voting for electing people’s representatives in India. Here we go:

Human beings may manage their business of self-governance under the imperatives dictated by the force either of mind – that is, reason – or of desires. Reason and desires are two totally distinct dimensions of human consciousness. Rarely, the two coincide and support mutually. Most often, what is reasonable in a given situation, finds itself in conflict with one’s desires. And, what one desires in a given situation, most often offends the reason. The explanation for this conflict lies in the difference of their respective origin. Desires originate from the cosmic bubbling energy – a conscious dimension of the ultimate reality – that seeks to find space to enable her to manifest and materialize. Reason originates from the universal symmetry of that source that seeks to impose discipline on that anarchic energy.

  In the affairs of management of human self-governance, one has to accord a place of primacy to either of these two generically different organizing forces that issue from from that ultimate source and manifest here on Earth. From the life’s evolutionary point of view, the force of reason is higher than that of the desire. The lower life’s kingdom – from plants to animals – is organized in its working by this lower force of desires, which has a wide spectrum ranging from the basic instincts of self-preservation to dominance. In human beings also, this lower force of desires plays a greatly significant role. However, human beings have evolved the faculty of reason that tends to rein in these desires when they go unreasonable, push them to the secondary place in a dark remote corner of the sub-conscious domain of mind and usurp the place of primacy for itself. Organizing the affairs of human self governance on the “principle of the working of desires” belongs to an inferior civilization, under which we are living today. A reasonable – a better – civilization cannot be guided and inspired by desires. It has to be in essence a better and reasonable one, however harsh and unpalatable it might look to our secretly lurking desires. Such a civilization is the demand of human evolution. It is the demand of our times. It is crucially needed to resolve humans’ serious disputes and for their survival against the danger of self annihilation caused by those disputes. It is the demand of our Earth.

  Reason dictates that people, who are now comparatively more enlightened, should govern themselves – that is, they should organize their collective life on the democratic principle. Reason also dictates that Earth is our single common home in this vast universe and the interests of mankind are common. We also know that the secrets of Nature – that is, the scientific knowledge – and the exploitation of these secrets in the form of technology – machines and tools in the hands of mankind – are the common property of mankind. In fact, all knowledge belongs to the humanity in general and to nobody in particular – no matter who discovered this knowledge or where it was discovered; for, an individual draws much from the society and, in return, is always indebted to the society. Knowledge and its begotten fruit in the form of technology – a miraculous and force-multiplier lever in the hands of humans in their war against Nature – cannot be allowed to be usurped by a few for their own private use and benefit. This force multiplier lever – that is, machine – must be solely employed to the benefit of mankind as one race. Human beings now must be afforded freedom from long, routine and laborious productive work. They must be afforded complete leisure, except for a short working period. Science informs us it possible, technology makes it possible and reason dictates us to organize our affairs on this principle.

  There are three elements – and all the three belonging to humans – that work to negate such an organization of human beings in their collective life, that is, their civilization. Firstly, a few of human beings who profess to own machine wean  its use away from the common good of mankind towards their own personal good; and these few, by this unholy diversion of machine, accumulate unearned wealth, which they morally justify in the name of incentive or profit. Secondly, this accumulated wealth is used by them to distort the normal collective consciousness – humanity’s culture – by justifying a dismal and unfortunate condition of humanity at large. And, thirdly, in doing their this unholy and unjustified work, they bring in to their aid the scientific knowledge – the uncovered scientific secrets, which are the wealth belonging to humanity at large – to advance their own selfish interests and to the detriment of general humanity. It works as a vicious circle.

  This vicious circle can be broken by bringing in the information technology in the affairs of democratic self-governance. It would ensure the elimination of the evil impact of wealth in the matter of self governance. Utilizing this technology amounts to organizing the humans’ collective life on the principle of reason. It is pushing the desires out of the seat of driver of our civilization and placing the reason thereat in a forward movement of life’s evolutionary course. It would be ushering of a new civilization on Earth.

  The potential of modern information technology in bringing such a change in the life of a nation’s democratic self-governance is unparalleled. Science and technology are the driving force of history. They work constantly and bring in a silent change in society. Information technology would be employed, sooner or later but surly, in the field of democratic self governance and that moment would certainly spell the death of today’s money-driven democracy. It would be purging of the money power out of democracy.

The application of modern information technology to the field of  democratic election of a government, which government is usually out of sync with the popular mandate now a days, would empower the ordinary citizens beyond imagination. This empowerment of ordinary citizens would inflict a death blow on the current socio-political set up and would pave the way for crafting a new civilization.  The current socio-political order is an old edifice. Its inherent weakness – the weakness of the way we elect our representatives in people’s democratic self-governance – portends the coming of its demise.

     It is axiomatic to say that in the matter of their democratic self-governance people should be allowed freedom to choose their representatives. What is this freedom from? There may be restrictions on this freedom. And these restrictions may be direct or indirect; or these may be crude or subtle. This freedom should be secured against all such restrictions. An individual is physically restricted by the use of violence from choosing a representative of his choice. It is a crude restriction and there should be freedom from such restriction. You allow decisive advantages to one candidate for election and disallow these advantages to another one; it is subtle restriction on the freedom to choose one’s representative. There should be freedom from such indirect restriction also.

     You allow a person to let him project himself in a favorable light which in fact s/he is not; and, you disallow another one to have this undue advantage. It is subtle restriction and there should be freedom from this restriction. You let the electorate remain uninformed of the vital issues concerning their short-term or long-term welfare or you allow a candidate for election to misinform the electorate on those issues and disallow another one to correct that misinformation. It is restriction on citizens freedom to exercise their right to make an informed choice of their representative.

  Hitherto it was not possible by any democratic means to secure this freedom to every citizen against all these restrictions because these restrictions operate through subtle and indirect means since these advantages are not equally available to all. Today it has become possible to remove these subtle and indirect restrictions with the help of available information technology. It is desirable to secure freedom from all these subtle and indirect restrictions to all citizens, whether they possess or not possess such advantages. It is need of the hour. It is a step forward towards a new social order.

The subtle and indirect restrictions on citizens’ freedom operate on a minor scale through psychological means (like taking advantage of religious, caste, national or domicile sentiments) and on a major scale through the economic advantages. Both of these kinds of restrictions on one’s freedom are condemn-able and desirable to be eliminated by democratic means, which was not possible before but which is now possible with the aid of technology.

  In a democratic country, a candidate has the economic advantage to project his image in a positive manner, which in fact is not the case in reality. Money is pumped to bolster his candidacy. He is touted through print and electronic media, because he has the economic means. Like a supernova explosion, his hitherto hidden qualities (which in fact were never there in his personality) are presented in brilliant colours. All psychological tools are employed (which need money that he possesses) to create his positive image, which is untrue to the reality. Electorate is misinformed and mislead by money. It is wrong to project a person which he is not. It is misinformation, which may include even disinformation. This is restriction on the citizens’ freedom to make an informed choice of their representatives. This restriction should be eliminated by democratic means.

     One way of eliminating this restriction is to make all the contestants equal in economic means to take on each other so that the electorates are informed of the positive and negative qualities of all of them and are enabled to make a free and informed choice. But it is not possible to provide an equality of economic means to any and every one who may fancy contesting election. Always there are those who are the strongest in these economic advantages; there are those who are lesser in strength; then, there are weak; and there are also weakest. It is not the reality that the weakest in the economic strength is the worst candidate in quality; he may be the best; and he may be the first choice of the electorate if he is put on equal keel in publicity with all the rest of candidates. But the weakest cannot be put on equal keel. Then, what is the way out of securing equality to all who are unequal in money? It is the information technology that offers the solution to the problem here.

  The crux of the solution in information technology lies in the fact that in its psychological impact, money becomes counterproductive in its yield at a certain point. You pump money to bolster one’s image in positive manner; you can pump more and more money in this exercise and you would have its incremental effect on its result. But there is another factor – the factor of duration of time – that has its own psychological effect. If a candidate is asked to remain the choice of his electorate twenty-four hours of four weeks of a year and is thus obliged to pump money constantly to bolster his image, this very strength of money becomes his weak point. The time factor turns this money’s ‘cozy effect’ into ‘rogue effect’. This factor exposes the crude face of money. In this way the money is fatigued out. It becomes vulgar; it boomerangs on the person who pumps this money and looks apparent attempt to bribe the electorate. It turns into transparent moral wrong. Its own strength becomes its weakness. This phenomenon of turning the “money-advantage” into “money-disadvantage” is the result of a well known economics principle called the principle of “diminishing return”.  

  But can you ask a candidate to remain the choice of his electorate twenty-four hours of all the weeks of a year? Hitherto such a demand was not possible. There was no way but to hold elections only periodically and by manual counting. But now, it is not any more so. Elections can be held on internet constantly on daily basis and candidates may be asked to remain the choice of their electorates continuously and indefinitely till they lose the mandate as determined by the website maintained by the Election Commission.

  It is possible that we enact laws that cast a legal duty on citizens, under a penal provision for neglect, to express their choice every day on the internet in favor of their favorable candidates, which candidacy may be open to all citizens. It is possible that we may design a program that permits a citizen to use internet services only when he first exercises his legal obligation of marking his or her choice of a representative. No banking, buying, e-mailing, or anything on the internet could be done unless the citizen performs his legal duty to express his choice of his representative. There may be constant tallying of citizens’ votes and the moment a representative falls below 50% of votes, he may be shown the door. It is nothing but making the democracy true. It is nothing but empowering the majority who are ordinary citizens and without voice today.  The secret of this rectification, of which we have been speaking here, lies in the progress in three, and only three, fields of human activity. These are firstly, the development of science, secondly, educating people, and thirdly, empowering people through information technology to constantly elect and recall their political representatives in the matter of democratic self-governance.

The development of science and technology is already on the verge of bringing an almost total automation of production of commodities and services. To stay in the competition – to make products cheapest and best, which is required to stay in the competition – industries are already moving towards such automation, which is today technologically possible. An almost total automation of production and services would almost totally eliminate the need on the part of employers – owners of production facilities – to employ humans – working people – in industrial production and service industries. This would result in almost complete unemployment in the society. It is estimated that by the middle of this century – 21st century – 2% of jobs would require human employment – like in the fields of scientific research and research in controlling human beings. It means that 98% of the present day jobs would be go out of the market. This situation is the one – the most crucial – constituent of a deadly mix of an explosive. The second constituent is of this mix is the democratic empowerment of people by their adoption of information technology – the internet – in the matter of electing their representative government. The people would be, for the first time in social history, free to really self-govern themselves. Such empowered people cannot and would not allow a situation in the society where almost all of them are rendered unemployed – without work – amid plenty of products owned and produced by a few persons in automated plants.

  The second element – namely, educating the people – enables them to understand more and more what is good and what is not good for them. At the time when the moments of taking decisions come about matters, whether such matters are trivial in nature or momentous, not all people take uniform and equal decisions.  People more often than not take decisions on the uninformed basis, which includes lack of correct data and lack of correct fundamental premises or assumptions. Here comes the crucial role of education in bringing a change in the way we think and live.  Education is used here in the widest possible meaning, which covers acquiring knowledge relating to all spheres of human experience.

 The third element – the empowerment of people through the adoption of information technology in electing their representatives – is the key to bring a new social order. This empowerment of people in their democratic self-governance is the gift of science, which was not possible before. Human beings have come a long way on the social evolutionary path from the savage society to the modern society where we govern ourselves.

There are millions of people living in democratic countries, who self-rule by electing their representatives. But these millions cannot sit together at a place, take decisions and rule themselves. They have to elect their representatives to govern, who sit together at a place on their behalf and deliberate. They take decisions on behalf of their electorates and run the people’s government. For a member of people, the journey from the status of a mere voter to that of a powerful representative is possible only when he has his own huge money – or he gets this money from those who have it but give it on the conditions attached to it.  This constraint is for those who dream to change their own political status from the mere electors to the elected ones. What about those people who do not wish to get elected but wish to elect the representative of their choice? It is not anything better.

The electors are presented with ready-made prospective representatives by the money-wielding powerful political parties, who are mostly committed to serve the interests of those who give them this huge money. Those who matter in this system come out in strength in support of their chosen candidates and use all weapons in their possession – media, campaigns, promotions, psychological rules of influencing electorates – to ensure the victory of their chosen ones.  

It is a stark reality of modern democracy. All political theories that deny this reality are motivated and false ones. The truth of this stark reality of modern democracy has long been understood by us all. But hitherto there was no way to cure this deficiency except by way of violence, which too ultimately fails to serve the ideal – provide justice.  In this respect, the technology is perfectly capable to cure this defect of democracy. What we need is to make certain preparations. These preparations would include the necessary constitutional and legal changes, which should make it legally obligatory for every citizen, under legal provision for a harsh penalty for violation; spreading internet and mobile phones (which should be integrated with internet) covering all citizens; putting in use a software that enables a computer or mobile to work only when the first prop-up for casting vote to elect, continue or re-call the representatives is answered by the user; framing of legal rules which prescribe constant process of electing or recalling representatives; provisions are made that allow all political parties, and not individuals belonging to them, and other desirous persons to be put on a government website for voting by electors on a daily basis; and other relevant and necessary provisions.

All that is required is an awareness on the part of the people and the need on the part of the State to adopt it. Will the modern democracy committed to private capital adopt this new modern political system? It may be suicidal for the private capital. But it will be the victory of people. No cost is high for this change. True democracy is the people’s demand; it is progressive in nature; it is just urge of people that they are empowered by technology in this way. There is no logical ground to oppose this demand and the elements that make it impracticable today may be removed by taking necessary steps in that behalf. This is the only solution to the age-old problem of economic injustice and in a peaceful manner. This is true self-governance of people. This is true democracy.

By: Kalavai Venkat

A Chinese scientist claims success in the first gene-edited baby. None of us would know whether the claim is exaggerated. However, the angry denials originating from the West and the concerns westerners raise about the ethics of gene-editing imply that there is a ring of truth to this claim.

However, that is not the theme of my post.

Over the last decade, China has marched ahead in every emerging technology field (e.g., CRISPR, nano-computing, super-computing, biotechnology, network protocols, social media). The Chinese government has invested heavily in R&D labs, experimental hubs, and tech parks where the research can be translated into products. There is a thriving partnership between these labs and the industry.

China’s English language newspapers do an outstanding job of highlighting these in detail so that Chinese public are geared to embrace the emerging world and form the right perspective. China would generate wealth and emerge as a super power. I anticipate it to surge ahead of all western countries in the next 30 years especially given the superior average IQ of Han Chinese.

Contrast this with India. We are still content with putting western CEOs on a pedestal (even when they abuse our hospitality by taking a dump on us) and expressing gratitude that they’re opening their shops in India. Indians measure success by India’s ability to become the low-skill outsourcing hub of western corporations.

Nobody realizes that none of these translate into long-term wealth; nor make India a super power. Hardly any research lab has been commissioned in the last few years to pursue these emerging fields.

India’s English language media is terrible and indulges in sleaze and sensationalism. Ignorant Indians are elated when some westerners tell then that India is doing better than China because India is a democracy. Nobody pauses to think that there is no correlation between democracy and wealth generation. We buy the democracy snake oil westerners sell and proudly apply it on ourselves.

If India doesn’t wake up now it would be a terribly weakened society – if not a balkanized one – very soon. Are Indian listening to what it conveys? Do Indians understand the emerging world? Will India wake up to the challenge and not celeberate their products in the persons of Sunder Pichais, Indira Nuis and a whole crop of that kind?

By: Vinesh Nair

Creation / Creator:

Christianity – God, who resides in the highest heaven is the Creator of this world. He is essentially separate from his creation.

Islam – Allah, who resides in the Arsh (above the 7th heaven), is the Creator of this world. He is essentially separate from his creation.

Hinduism – Brahm (ब्रह्म), who remains before and after creation, transforms himself into this vast creation, as a leela (लीला) or play. He is not separate from his creation, thus everything in this universe is divine.

Concept of time:

Christianity – God created this world 4004 B.C. He created the world in 6 days.
After the judgement day people will be punished or rewarded for whole of the eternity.

Islam – Time started when Allah created this world. On the day of ‘Kayamat’ Allah will reward the Muslims to live for eternity in heaven and punish Kafirs to suffer for eternity in hell.

Hinduism – Time has no beginning or end. There are vast cycles of creation and destruction endlessly repeating with endless variations of forms. It is leela or play of Brahm (ब्रह्म), as he himself turns into this creation and enjoys the play in which events and players never repeat. In this creation each small thing is unique and has a role to play.

Fear of God:

Christianity – It teaches ‘fear of God’. Religious people are supposed to be God fearing.

Islam – It teaches ‘fear of Allah’. The whole religion is based on punishments and rewards given by Allah. Religious people are supposed to act from the fear of Allah.

Hinduism – Hinduism does not have any concept of fear of God. But because of the impact of other religions and English education, now Hindus also started calling themselves as God fearing people.

In Hinduism, one understands that the universe is part of God and he himself is not separate from God. Due to wrong identification with his body, he thinks himself as limited to the body and suffers it’s consequences.

Concept of evolution and mukti (liberation):

Christianity – No concept of evolution and mukti. Salvation in Christianity, is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences. According to Christian doctrine, humankind is considered wayward and sinful. The doctrine of original sin states that humankind is born already tainted by the sin of Adam and therefore separated from God, and in need of a redeemer. According to Christian belief, salvation from sin in general and original sin in particular is made possible only by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Islam – No concept of evolution and mukti. Salvation in Islam is equated with eternal happiness and sensual pleasures. Islam states clearly that salvation is attained only through submission to the most merciful Allah. Islam teaches us that human beings are born without sin and are naturally inclined to worship Allah.

Hinduism – Hinduism has the concept of evolution and mukti (liberation). According to Hinduism, before achieving human form, every jiva (जीव) has to evolve through 84,00,000 different yonies (योनि = life forms like tree, animal, man etc.), during successive cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Before achieving human form, this evolution is almost automatic, but after achieving human form, one has to evolve consciously to attain mukti from the cycles of death and rebirth.

The aim of Hinduism is to help everyone to evolve consciously and ultimately attain mukti. Because every man / woman is at different stages of evolution, Hinduism prescribes different paths / methods (to attain mukti) according to his / her level and temperament.

Concept of Equality of all dharmas (religions) = (सर्व धर्म समभाव):

Christianity – No such concept of equality of dharmas (religions). Christianity is the only true religion and all other religions are false doctrines. You have to tolerate other religions until they are converted to Christianity.

Islam – No such concept of equality of dharmas (religions). Islam is the only true religion and all other religions are false doctrines. If you are in minority, you have to ‘tolerate’ other religions, but when you are in majority, you have to force them to convert into Islam. It is religious duty.

Hinduism – Hinduism has the concept of Equality of all dharmas (religions), which is stated as सर्व धर्म समभाव.

According to the different temperament of people different paths / methods are possible. One can achieve the ultimate goal (of submersion with God, or Mukti – liberation) only by a path which is suitable to one’s own nature.

Hinduism accepts all valid paths to attain the ultimate. The following verse depicts the spirit of Hinduism.

यं शैवाः समुपाशते शिव इति ब्रह्मेति वेदांतिनो ।
बौद्धा बुद्ध इति प्रमाणपटवः कर्तेति नैयायिका:।
अर्हन्नित्यथ जैनशासनरताः कर्मेति मीमांसकाः ।
सोयं वो विदधातु वांछितफलं त्रैलोक्यनाथोहरिः।

On translation, it reads: The one who is worshipped as Shiva, by the Shaivas, as Brahm by Vedantees, as Buddha by Bauddhas, as Karta by Nayayikas (the logicians), as Arhat by the Jainas and Karma (yagna) by Meemaansakas; such a Vishnu, the Lord of the three worlds, may fulfil your desires.

1 of 2: Lesson No. 1- By: Shreepal Singh

It is rightly said, “A people get the government that they deserve !” Here people means the people of India and the government means the governments to be formed as an outcome of five States’ Assembly Elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram held in 2018.

Perhaps, nobody would have the audacity to deny the fact that India is the third world country – full of people with poverty, rampant corruption, political opportunism, criminals in politics, a large number of illiterate population, very low standard of knowledge in comparison to the Western world – low standard of even those who claim to be educated,  backward in science and technology, it’s almost worthless currency (1 Dollar can buy more than 70 Rupees – a shameful position), exodus of intelligent individuals out of this country (called brain drain), nowhere in comparison to China (of comparable size) in wealth and military power – even worse than Singapore in many respects, full of riots born out of religious fundamentalism and miserable lives of its people. These are only some of the fields, where India is a wretched third world country and this list is longer than enumerated here.

And every one of us knows this state of affairs in India.

Who would like in India such a dismal condition of this country? None ! Would people like to change this condition for the better? For sure, yes – without any doubt.

But we do not deserve it ! We deserve to be condemned to this sorry state of affairs – nobody knows for how long. Why is it so?

The answer to this is very simple. Let us understand its reason – and, know our fate that we are deciding for ourselves.

Do we have the common sense to understand:

1. We have been reduced to our this sorry status as a country – not in a day but – over a long period of time spanning to almost 70 years. Do not say, we have not progressed in the last 70 years. It is nobody’s case. The reality is that we have not progressed fast enough to keep pace with the rest of the developed world, and to compete with that world

2. We cannot become a first-rate country – the developed world – over night. It must take long enough period, hard work and firm determination. If we are impatient, want goody-goody results in a score of years – say, within 4-5 years – we lack the common sense. It is never ever possible to so progress over night. It is not a magic thing. Why do we expect results so fast? Why are we not ready to give a due time coupled with our determination and bear hardships with patience?

3. To achieve this great object for India – to make India a first-rate country – do we not need a person to lead this country who is honest, selfless, hard-working and has a national as well as global vision? Do you not know that in India except Narendra Modi almost ALL political leaders – leaders who have the possibility to politically lead India – are below standard in possessing any vision worth the name (refer to what they say in their public speeches of India of tomorrow – they are zero on that test), are corrupt in public life (and, in private life too – it is wrong to say that the quality of private life does not matter in public life), selfish devoted to their family and relations and instead of working hard for the country enjoy their life?

4. For any development to take place, India needs infrastructure – roads, electricity, corruption free government etc. – and investment in latest technology, be it by Indians or by foreigners through Make in India.  But we want immediate benefits – free items, subsidies, loan waivers etc.

5. Do we not know that Congress is enemy of SP, SP is enemy of BSP, BSP is enemy of RJD, RJD is enemy of Congress, Congress is enemy of Trinmul Congress and THEY ALL are enemies of EACH OTHER? They in addition to being political enemy of each other, are proven to be selfish – promoting their family members; corrupt – many scams to their credit; instead of working hard like Modi – 18 hours a day – enjoy their life. How come they have become united? Do we have common sense to understand why they are united as against one person – Modi? If we are not able to understand even this much – have voted them or will vote for either of them or their consortium – then Indian people deserve to remain what they have been so far: miserable people of third-rate country !

2 of 2: Lesson No. 2 – By: Unknown

Another election that proves voters are mostly corrupt and looking for instant gratification and not willing to bite on painful reforms for long-term gain. Hindus are unaware, numb or dont’ care about the existential threats that the united opposition (breaking india forces) will bring to their next generations. I find it amusing when ultra Right Wings suggest that this is due to BJP not taking up the Hindu cause more virulently. Nothing can be more farther from the truth. In 2014 hardly 5% of the 31% who voted for BJP would have voted for Hindu cause – their awareness of existential threat. Isn’t it silly to suggest that they are angry with BJP for not pandering to the Hindu cause and so they decided to vote for those who appease Minorities at the cost of Hindus? It is ridiculous. Their rantings are nothing but the reflection of their own ego.

Once again voters are corrupt and they are looking for instant gratification. In such situation what are the options for BJP?These are the options before BJP in the next 5-6 months before 2019 parliamentary elections.

1. Give freebies, dish out doles which are instantly gratifying. Remember they are largely corrupt driven by self-interest. There is no room to make illegal money anymore. They are hurt with the check on corruption.
2. Build alliances aggressively – woo shivsena, jagan etc., Its pure arithmetic. Opposition is far more united than 2014. Even if the same 31% vote for modi BJP will not cross 200 due to this united opposition.
3. Urge the voters to vote differently between State and centre elections, especially in those states they are not ruling.
4. The possibility of coalition government of mid 90s are in the horizon. Each party will have a PM candidate. Scare the voters with this possibility of confused verdict.

The message is loud and clear: Open the purse; play to the galleries; shamelessly form alliance; play your game hard; no place for morality to defeat the most immoral !!

It’s not about building Ram mandir. It will have little or no impact. It’s a totally different matter that the mandir has to be built. Also it’s not about catching the corrupt like Mallya, PC etc. Though the efforts should continue in this direction and they should be caught. But it will not have considerable impact. It’s like saying if you don’t catch them we will vote for who did it/aided them. These are good/nice to have but not must have.

Here is the worst part of the story. If we lose 2019 (which we are likely to if current status quo continues) the next two terms will be gone just like what happened after vajpayee. All the hard work of modi will be dished out to as doles and inflation will go up. Happy corrupt self-interest driven voters will vote for opposition again. In the 2nd term they will have to indulge in huge scams to make money. After which we will vote for BJP again. But the challenge is by then 10 years would be gone and Hindus will hardly be a majority. Then there will be no debate and discussion. Damage would have been done. All the NOTA walas and ultra RWs can fly kite!! They can post 100 messages and tweets in a day. it will make no sense. Hindu voting as a block is the only way out and today if you like it or not BJP is the only choice. The day you get most of the Hindus to vote as a block you can demand. Today they are not voting . You and your 1000 followers are in your own echo chambers and you are not reflecting the reality on ground. You crying that BJP and congress is same is equivalent to mass suicide.

Consolation prize : Naidu’s kiss of death to Congress, Last bastion of congress in North East goes down. Vasundhara and chauhan did better than expected in exit polls. BJP lost only 1% of vote share in MP.

the real winners are TRS in telangana and Congress in chattisgarh. BJP lost huge share in chattisgarh nearly 20%.

Wake up or perish. There is no third alternative.

1 of 2: By: Shreepal Singh

There is a brilliant child and – because of some unfortunate circumstance – you bring him to your home to make him your domestic servant, proverbial “Ramu”. You lose no chance to tame him – and labour to command, “Ramu, bring a glass of water. You fool, you know nothing. I told you that, but you idiot don’t understand. Do you know, you were to bring cold water, not the one you brought.”; “You can’t do anything properly, always a dumb, why are you lazy?”; “Do this; don’t do that; come here – you stupid, it means, do it as I say”. Within a short time, you will turn that brilliant child into a slave – a human being with a slave mentality. If you suddenly decide to leave that place with your wealth and that “Ramu” to fend for himself with that place and wealth, how would you expect that child to perform? That “Ramu” will still remain a “Ramu”, mis-manage his affairs and behave like a servant, who is acustomed always to get orders and obey orders. As a slave, the child loses his self esteem, capacity to observe the world around him and to take initiative into the unknown future, and his intelligence. The world around him would make out of him a fool and exploit him.

It is an experiment anybody can perform and testify its veracity. It may happen with an individual; but it can also happen with a whole nation. And, it has indeed happened with India.

India was like the brilliant child “Ramu” since ancient times – since Buddha, Mahavira, Chandragupt Maurya, Ashoka and many like them – till 629 AD – till King Shiladitya, popularly known as Harshvardhan (when Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsiang visted India and chronicled what this India was). But it became an unfortunate “Ramu, the slave” since a barbarian in Mohd. bin Kashim invaded and defeated King Dahir of Sindh of India – when the unfortunate Indians living there and elsewhere in India were turned into that “Ramu”. Since then a brilliant India has been reduced to an unfortunate “Ramu”.

These tamed Indians were treated as “Ramus” first by those who had followed    that barbarian Kasim and then by the British imperialists.These “Ramus” joined the armies of their masters and fought against their own countrymen – against those who had somehow realized that it was better to be free than slaves. It is only in this country that when Bhagat Singh was struggling to become a free man of a free country, there were many slave Indians who got him arrested and hanged; it was so with Chandra Shekhar Azad and Subhash Chandra Bose too.

Habits once formed, die hard. We were slave – with the mentality of a “Ramu” – and though we became free in 1947, we still carried this slave mentality – and continue to carry this mentality, this habit, till today. If this were not the case, how come the people of this country allowed them to be ruled in democracy by one single family for so long a period? If this were not the case, how come the people of this country allowed them to remain a mere third world – a third rate – country for so long a period and did not revolt against those who ruled over them in this wretched condition? If this were not the case, how come the people of this country fail to notice that in Narendra Modi there is a man who is spending his life’s  total energy to turn India into a modern and better country and Indians into a happy and proud lot, nationally and internationally both? If it were not the case, how come people of this country fail to notice that all those vying to replace Modi are nothing but time-tested rotten eggs, who are thoroughly  discredited, corrupt and selfishly devoted to the interests of their families and friends?

We may not be able to notice this our apparent slave mentality and admit it. It is but natural. It is well-known that fish live in water but they are not aware of the surrounding water – until they are taken out of the water. Even we live in and breathe air but we are not aware of the presence of this air surrounding us – until we are taken out of this air and suffocate. We are not aware of our slave mentality but anybody coming to India from an outside world – the Western free and proud world – would instantly notice this different mentality, this different reality here in this country. These foreigners would not fail to notice that in India, Indians are a sale-able commodity – of course, with just exceptions. In fact, these foreigners already know this reality of India and exploit it. They have their “Indian sepoys” working for them within India and outside India.

If the people of this country are able to rise above their old habits and apply their common sense, it should become clear to them that today it is a fight – political fight – between Modi and all the rest; it is Modi versus Consortium – called Gathbandhan, rather Maha-Gathbandhan – of Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trnimul Congress, Aam Adami Party, Communist Paty (with all their varieties), Rashtriya Janta Dal …. a long list of all the sundry political outfits.

Many of Indian people may have many grievances – for many reasons – against Bharatiya Janta Party but it should be plain to them, it is not the fight between BJP and this all India consortium of corrupt league – it should be self evident to Indians that it is a fight of this consortium against one person: Narendra Modi.

An honest Indian may have grievances against BJP but no honest Indian could have grievance against Modi. For all Indians – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and the rest of them – who wish to change India for the better, there is no reason not to vote for Modi; there is no excuse not to vote for Modi – be it in State assemblies or in Parliament; if you do not wish to change India – and remain content with what this country is today – then, you may be justified not to vote for him. But who would not like to have India changed for the better? Who would like to remain satisfied with this wretched state of this country – with corruption to the brim, criminals in law making bodies, looters of the wealth to fill the coffers of their families and friends? None ! Then, how come Indians would vote for the sworn enemies of Modi? Are we not proving with our this conduct that we are still behaving like the proverbial “Ramu”?

2 of 2: By: CA Vinod Arya

Hindus can tolerate 500 years Muslim rule; they can tolerate 200 years Britrish rule; they can also tolerate 60 years of a Family rule and10 years of an Italian lady.  But they can not tolerate even 4 years of rule of a person who is burning day and night his energy and life for improving the lot of this country – the mother land of Hindus.

If Modi fails in his fight againt corruption and black money, no PM of India will have the courage to take this issue again on his agenda for next 100 years and corrupt politicians, beaurocrates, police, criminals and businessman will keep looting this country as their birth right. So it is the duty of every resposible citizen to stand in support of PM Modi and frustrate the evil design of corrupt people to incite violence and create anarchy.
If we fail to do our duty today, our children and grandchildren will never forgive us, will hold us responsible for not giving them a clean India.

I was wondering why so many people  are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I noticed that this started after Demonetization and kept wondering who could be the people who were affected by Demonetization.

I realized that there were a large number of categories of dishonest people who are sure to feel the impact more than anyone on this count. They are –

1. Educational Institutions – They used to get all Capitation fee in cash and most of it unaccounted.

2. Terrorist Organisation – Their Funding is under stress.

3. Fake Currency Dealers – With stress on Digital Economy, they are under Major Stress.

4. Real Estate Mafia – We all know that a Big Part of payment had to be made in Cash and now they find it difficult to account for unaccounted cash.

5. Hawala Dealers – With almost all the money in account and a close watch on withdrawals, *they won’t mind killing Modi.

6. Fake Trusts and Charities – They have been used for Money laundering and with the stopping of large donations by cash, they are unable to fulfill their primary agenda.

7. Politicians – Less said, better it is. Just look at almost NIL SCAM in last 3+ years is a Proof that many Politicians including BJP members are unhappy with Modi. They expected Modi to be like earlier Prime Ministers and close his eyes.

8. Rich Agriculture Land Owners – With most of the subsidy connected to Bank accounts, they are getting exposed.

9. Film industry – It’s a well known fact that it uses a lot of Black Money and except for Genuine Film makers, others are suffering.

10. Sports & Other kind of Betting – We know that gambling (Except Lottery) is banned and still there was a turnover of USD 150 Billion.

Please understand that these industries employ some of the Most Brilliant minds in the country and they will leave no stone unturned to make sure that Modi does not get a second term.

Now it’s for us, responsible citizens, to decide whether we want to support the above 10 Categories of people or to support ourselves.

We can together save our motherland for generations to come !

https://transformingindia.mygov.in/all-infographics/

By: K.I.P.

Indians are like babies, who are ailing for long. Indians live in India and India is a third world developing country. Most of the people here are poverty stricken, uneducated, suffering malnutrition, decadent in culture fascinated with Bollywood films, unaware of latest scientific developments and suffering many such disabilities. When one compares this India with the developed world, one would be forced to conclude that we Indians are ailing. It has been so for long – since we commenced our journey as a free nation. India needed a painful medication. It was long overdue.

Most of you have kids who may no longer be babies but you surely remember how it was when they were babies. As baby a human brain is very bhola and nascent. It doesn’t make complex connection or calculation. Using their basic five senses baby emotions are extremely fleety and one moment they can cry like hell and the other moment they are laughing wildly.

Doctor gives them vaccination injection; so they hate the clinic and icrecream man who gives them candy and sugar, they love. They don’t think so deep to understand that doctor though painful is for larger good and sugar though pleasurable is for long term bad. They love ice cream man and they hate doctor. They are a cute baby after all.

A regular Indian mind at civilization level is like a baby. Mind you, not at personal material gain or paycheck level, in which upper class educated ones are quite competent. But I’m talking collective civilization level – a regular Indian is just a small baby.

May 2014 was not an evolutionary leap for average Indian from this baby mind to an adult mind. It was merely a deep but temporary ‘frustration’ with Congress big ticket corruption and ‘fascination’ of a high performing Chief Minister – Chief Minister of Gujrat – who had marketed himself as an agent of change very well. It was merely a unique circumstance of destiny – but for that moment only.

Modi was to have only 3-4 years to act to correct the things before the window of opportunity was to close for him – and then to seek once again another window of opportunity – if elected – for the next five years. He had Lok Sabha office as the Prime Minister of India but not the complete ecosystem of power at his side. He knew that very well but Indians did not know this limitation. He also knew at the electoral hustings that unless he exaggerated his capabilities and promised the sky he won’t even get that 3-4 year window. So he did the right thing by promising moon and stars in election campaign. Else even that 3-4 year window would not have been possible to secure.

Naturally, there was too much rot within the system from not only decades of baggage but also from the immediate last government, which had completely landmined the system before leaving it to the succeeding one.

Additionally, his support base was too diverse – with each group wanting something totally different to test for itself as a measure of success or failure. So it was an extremely complicated task and even after knowing Indians in and out, his task to sell himself for next term in 2019 was not easy.

Additionally, he also knew that to build an ecosystem of power on his side to deliver the goods he promised what he needed was four or five terms and that in the first term there is a lot of learning curve also. So it’s not exactly full five years. He had only two options:

1) be the ice cream man and give candy to Indian babies so they get happy and re-elect him. And that buys him time to work on power ecosystem and civilization aspect.

2) be the doctor and give injections to ensure long term gain but jeopardize short term electoral victory.

He attempted a combination of both things where using socialist freebies ice cream to gamble for a new vote base among lowest strata.

And he played doctor and gave injections in fiscal discipline, taxation and financial prudence to others.

Unfortunately looks like his calculation which are structurally not wrong , didn’t go exactly as per hope and people remembered injections more than candy.

And Indians being babies they’ve voted for the ice cream party that gives the candy of socialist freebies, caste benefits & relaxed cheating rules.

They think that by taking katti with doctor they have shown their kiddish displeasure and are gloating with joy just like babies.

But they are clueless that soon when diabetis, obesity, BP, cholesteol and sickness sets in, ice cream party won’t help and it will be nowhere to be seen and doctor will not be able to do much.

What could have been done instead, on hindsight?

There are three types of candies for Indian babies:

1) for bhakt votebank – Ram Mandir, article 370, UCC, Bangladesh border fence, more surgical attacks in Pakistan, kill Dawood, one or two high profile corruption arrests etc.

2) bhooka nanga new votebank – candies like socialist freebies & caste benefits.

3) personal tax and business candies for middle and upper classes.

He could have just picked the easiest among bhakt candy and delivered just one. Then delivered some practical tax/business candy just for reflection to business.

For whatever reason, he opted for much higher proportion of injection and played doctor a bit more than beneficial.

Maybe that was a slight error. Just maybe. We don’t know. Wait and watch what happens next.

By: Venkat Rao

We won the 1971 war militarily but lost the peace because of the political naïveté of Mrs Indira Gandhi. We are the only nation that gave back strategically located territory i.e. Haji Pir Pass, which we claim is the part of our own land, that is, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Without Haji Pir Pakistan’s control over the Northern Areas would have been strategically untenable.

Shimla Treaty:

Indira Gandhi had concluded the Shimla Treaty with Pakistan and we handed over 1 lakh Prisoners of War (POWs).

But where are our brave-hearts? It is the cry of every single Indian worth his salt. Where are our brave soldiers – sons of mother India, who had fought and won this war but who lost themselves while still alive in Pakistani jails? History is demanding and still awaiting an answer from the political rulers of this country since 1971.

Why has the paid – and the motivated – media managed to hide this shameful neglect from us for so many decades?

On 16th of December 2018 – only yesterday – India has celebrated the 46th anniversary of a landmark event in its modern history. It was celebrated on the day on which during the 1971 India Pakistan war, the Pakistani forces in the east had agreed to a complete and unconditional surrender. It was the day on which the 1971 war had ended. Well, it ended for most of the nation but not for all.

There are 54 families for whom the war and the waiting never ended. The agonizing wait goes on to this day. These are the families of the 54 Indian prisoners of war PoW who were never released by Pakistan after the war. Their names are as follows:

Belonging to Army:

1. Major SPS Waraich IC-12712 15 Punjab

2. Major Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu IC-14590 15 Punjab

3. 2/Lt Sudhir Mohan Sabharwal SS-23957 87 Lt Regiment

4. Capt Ravinder Kaura SS-20095 39 Med Regiment

5. Capt Giri Raj Singh IC-23283 5 Assam

6. Capt Om Prakash Dalal SS-22536 Grenadiers

7. Maj AK Ghosh IC-18790 15 Rajput

8. Maj AK Suri SS-19807 5 Assam

9. Capt Kalyan Singh Rathod IC-28148 5 Assam

10. Major Jaskiran Singh Malik IC-14457 8 Raj. Rifles

11. Major SC Guleri IC-20230 9 Jat

12. Lt Vijay Kumar Azad IC-58589 1/9 G R

13. Capt Kamal Bakshi IC-19294 5 Sikh

14. 2/ Lt Paras Ram Sharma SS-22490 5/8 G R

15. Capt Vashisht Nath

16. L/Hv. Krishna Lal Sharma 13719585 1 JAK RIF

17. Subedar Assa Singh JC-41339 5 Sikh

18. Subedar Kalidas JC-59 8 JAKLI

19. L/Nk Jagdish Raj 9208735 Mahar Regiment

20. L/Nk Hazoora Singh 682211303

21. Gunner Sujan Singh 1146819 14 Fd Regiment

22. Sepoy Daler Singh 2461830 15 Punjab

23. Gnr Pal Singh 1239603 181 Lt Regiment

24. Sepoy Jagir Singh 2459087 16 Punjab

25. Gnr Madan Mohan 1157419 94 Mountain Regiment

26. Gnr Gyan Chand Gnr Shyam Singh

27. L/Nk Balbir Singh S B S Chauhan

28. Capt DS Jamwal 81 Field Regiment

29. Capt Washisht Nath Attock

Belonging to Indian Air Force:

30. Sq Ldr Mohinder Kumar Jain 5327-F(P) 27 Sqn

31. Flt Lt Sudhir Kumar Goswami 8956-F(P) 5 Sqn

32. Flying Officer Sudhir Tyagi 10871-F(P) 27 Sqn

33. Flt Lt Vijay Vasant Tambay 7662 –F(P) 32 Sqn

34. Flt Lt Nagaswami Shanker 9773-F(P) 32 Sqn

35. Flt Lt Ram Metharam Advani 7812-F(P) JBCU

36. Flt Lt Manohar Purohit 10249(N) 5 Sqn

37. Flt Lt Tanmaya Singh Dandoss 8160-F(P) 26 Sqn

38. Wg Cdr Hersern Singh Gill 4657-F(P) 47 Sqn

39. Flt Lt Babul Guha 5105-F(P)

40. Flt Lt Suresh Chander Sandal 8659-F(P) 35 Sqn

41. Sqn. Ldr. Jal Manikshaw Mistry 5006-F(P)

42. Flt Lt Harvinder Singh 9441-F(P) 222 Sqn

43. Sqn Ldr Jatinder Das Kumar 4896-F(P) 3 Sqn

44. Flt Lt LM Sassoon 7419-F(P) JBCU

45. Flt Lt Kushalpal Singh Nanda 7819-F(N) 35 Sqn

46. Flg Offr. Krishan L Malkani 10576-F(P) 27 Sqn

47. Flt Lt Ashok Balwant Dhavale 9030-F(P) 1 Sqn

48. Flt Lt Shrikant C Mahajan 10239-F(P) 5 Sqn

49. Flt Lt Gurdev Singh Rai 9015-F(P) 27 Sqn

50. Flt Lt Ramesh G Kadam 8404-F(P) TACDE

51. Flg Offr. KP Murlidharan 10575-F(P) 20 Sqn

52. Sqn Ldr Devaprasad Chatterjee

53. Plt Offr Tejinder Singh Sethi

Belonging to Indian Navy:

54. Lt. Cdr Ashok Roy

Every single name that you read here is a soldier who fought for India. They were captured in action and spent the rest of their lives rotting in Pakistani jails. Can you imagine the type of mental agony that they must have undergone there?

They must have lived with the hope that their government would make it sure that they are released by Pakistan – after all they had won the war with Pakistan – but slowly this hope  must have been faded away. Just put yourself in the condition of those soldiers and imagine what you would have thought about India – India their own country for which they had fought and risked their life. Since then it has been 46 years. How many of them will be still alive and in what condition? What kind of miserable existence they must have endured over there? What kind of physical and mental torture they must have endured there? One shudders to think of that !

Imagine a loved one from your family in that position. What do you feel? Multiply that feeling a thousand times over. That is what these 54 families have felt every day for the last 46 years.

The evidence:

There is ample evidence for the existence of these 54 prisoners in the Pakistani jails. Consider some of the evidence:

1) Then on December 26, 1974, R.S. Suri received a hand-written note dated December 7, 1974 from his son. The letter contained a slip in which his son had written, “I am okay here.” The covering note read, “Sahib, valaikumsalam, I cannot meet you in person. Your son is alive and he is in Pakistan. I could only bring his slip, which I am sending you. Now going back to Pak.” Signed M. Abdul Hamid.

2) In August, 1975, he received another missive postmark dated ‘June 14/15/16, 1975, Karachi.’ The letter said, “Dear Daddy, Ashok touches thy feet to get your benediction. I am quite ok here. Please try to contact the Indian Army or Government of India about us. We are 20 officers here. Don’t worry about me. Pay my regards to everybody at home, specially to mummy, grandfather – Indian government can contact Pakistan government for our freedom.”

The then Defence Secretary had the handwriting confirmed as Ashok’s and changed the official statement from “killed in action” to “missing in action”!

3) Maj AK Ghosh’s photograph was published in Time Magazine dated 27-12-1971 The photograph is proof that Maj AK Ghosh was in Pakistani custody when the war ended on 17 December 1971. He did not return with the POWs in 1972 at the time of the Simla agreement. He may have died in the interim period in a Pakistani jail. Surely there must be some record of that. The Indian and Pakistan governments can work together to find out what happened to such men. Why were some names not included in the POW list is again a moot point.

4) Mohanlal Bhaskar repatriated on 09.12.1974 writes “Main Bharat ka jasoos tha” or “ I spied for India” Mohanlal Bhaskar, who was in a jail between 1968 and 1974 and repatriated on 09.12.1974 wrote a book in Hindi ( I was a spy for India) and gave a signed affidavit stating that he met a Col Asif Shafi of Second Punjab regt of Pakistan and a Maj Ayaaz Ahmed Sipra in Fort of Attock imprisoned for conspiring against Bhutto in the infamous “Attock conspiracy” . The Pakistani Major Ayaaz Ahmed Sipra spoke of his befriending a Gill of the Indian Air Force and a Captain Singh of the Indian Army as well as mentioning that there were around 40 Pows of the 1965 and 1971 wars in that jail who had no chances of release

In the Attock Conspiracy, several officers of Pakistan’s army and air force were arrested on March 30, 1973, on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The detainees included Major Farooq Adam, Major Nadir Pervez (who later became a federal minister in the Nawaz Sharif government), Brigadier Wajid Ali Shah, Colonel Hamdani, and Major Ayaz Sipra, and a total of 59 officers were declared conspirators. The case is well known as the Attock conspiracy. Fifteen army and four air-force officers were found guilty of conspiracy and were handed jail terms ranging from three months to life. In this conspiracy, 15 officers were sentenced to terms in prison – among them Maj Ayaaz Ahmed Sipra and Col Asif Shafi. Others such as Farooq Adam (a Gallian, i.e. from Lawrence school, Ghoraghali) were also sentenced in the Attock conspiracy. Ayaaz Ahmed and Shafi later apparently moved to the US where Shafi was again traced by Manish Jain (son in law of Sqn Ldr Jain, another Indian officer missing and believed to be in Pakistani jails since the 1971 war) and Shafi confirmed to Jain unofficially that he had met Wg Cdr Gill in Attock in 2000 in a telephonic conversation.

5) A Pakistani General, General Riaz, Governor NWFP who subsequently died in an accident informed Mr Ashwini Kumar, then IG of the Border Security Force as a personal favour to him at the Munich Olympics in 1972 that Major Waraich was being held in Dargai jail, NWFP.

6) In her biography of Benazir Bhutto, British historian Victoria Schoffield reported that a Pakistani lawyer had been told that Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore was housing Indian prisoners of war from the 1971 war. They could be heard screaming from behind a wall, according to an eyewitness within the prison.

7) Pakistani media outlets have also alluded to the men’s existence. The shooting down of Wing Commander Heresen Gill’s Mig 21 on 3 December 1971 was followed that day by a radio broadcast in which military spokesperson claimed that an ‘ace Indian pilot’ had been captured.

8) An American general Chuck Yeager also claimed in his autobiography that during the 1971 war, he personally interviewed Indian pilots captured by Pakistan. The airmen were of particular inertest to Americans because at the height of the cold war the men had attended training in Russia and were flying Russian designed and manufactured aircraft.

9) The families also claimed that on the two occasions when they were allowed to visit the Pakistani jails, the jail guards privately attested to the men being alive – before being ushered away by the prison authorities.

Why?

The question is – Why were these men not released by Pakistan? Was it because Pakistan wanted to extract some sort of revenge for the loss in the 1971 war? Was it because these men had come to know of some secrets that Pakistan did not want the world to know? Did Pakistan want to use them as a bargaining chip of some sort for the future?

Maybe it is all of the above reasons. But the biggest reason is that India forgot them. These men are the forgotten 54 of India. The ruling elite and the bureaucracy of the nation did not find it fit or suitable to keep these men and their release on their agenda.

It was because this was not an issue strong enough to dictate the political, professional or financial fate of any politician or bureaucrat. Nobody in the decision making echelons had time for them. Just suppose, there was a son of the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, participating in this war and catured as one among these unfortunate 54 soldiers ! What would have been the efforts of her to find out her son in Pakistani jail and get him released from there? No doubt, she would have moved heaven and hell to force Pakistan to release him. To a Prime Minister, all soldiers must be like her own sons. But neither she cared nor anybody else cared thereafter.

Who is responsible?

What sort a nation are we that forgets it’s soldiers after the war is over? Was it not the collective responsibility of the nation to pressurize the governments to take this issue more seriously? After all, these PoW are somebody’s sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. Every nation and society is morally obliged to ensure that those fighting for it’s independence are looked after well in their hour of need. There can be no need more urgent than being released from the inhuman captivity of an enemy like Pakistan.

After the war the ruling class and the elite got busy trying to ‘improve relations’, they very conveniently swept this issue under the carpet. Over the years the self appointed elite that has dictated the agenda of the nation has all but deleted this issue from the collective consciousness of the nation.

We are too busy trying to prove that ‘art has no borders’ ‘sports has no borders’ and such nonsense that will never find any reciprocity from across the border. To uphold such thrash, issues like the prisoners of war had to be forgotten and they were indeed forgotten.

The military top brass too should have followed up more aggressively on this issue with the government. They were and are in a position to exert pressure on the government for this. Agreed, there were other pressing issues but this issue too is equally pressing and urgent one. All in all, the entire nation is responsible for this and this is an unforgivable fault.

Nothing can be done for these 54 now except making Pakistan acknowledge that such a thing has happened. But we can and must ensure that such a thing never happens again. Share this information till the 54 are no longer “forgotten and fore-shaken” by India.

By: Shreepal Singh

Here is a wonderful video that shows how a diverse society like Singapore could transform itself from a third world small country – almost a nation-state – to a frontline first world country – miraculously – within one generation only. The miracle was made possible by pragmatic mix of democracy with a little dose of high-handedness – that is another name of authoritarianism. To a question what India could learn from Singapore, the Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minster wisely says, “the Indian middle class must make their elected representatives accountable to their promises they make to the public – in a wise manner.”

It is an example how a country can fast progress – Singapore progressed this way: Do not be fooled by promises of freebies and false impossible promises; ask the political leaders how they are going to fulfil their impossible promises, before they become entitled to your vote; China made fast progress but it is not the way for democracy – for India; the western countries made the progress but it too is not the way for India – the India needs to learn from Singapore and to make its democracy hard, the accountable one with no place for wild promises to fool the electorate; make India a place where all diverse groups – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and all other ethnic groups – get equal opportunities to get educated, get economic prosperity, necessities of life without any discrimination and religious bigotry; invite, cultivate and promote talent and competitiveness. The Singapore Minister says, “It is our first stage. We don’t have yet the best technology and talent competitive to say, Germany. We are to move to the next stage of that competitiveness.” This is how a competent minister should be – clear headed with a vision of future.

These are Singaporean ways to achieve the miracle. Modi is Li Kuan of India when he pursues the program, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.” Modi was recently dubbed by a Singaporean newspaper as “a Li Kuan of India.”

It was a failure of the Indian middle class to ask questions and make political leaders accountable to the seemingly impossible promises they made before electing them in three states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Democracy in India should no longer be a game of fooling the ignorant and get away with the booty of power – democracy should be made accountable. It is the responsibility of the middle class – because they know the things, because they can make the ordinary public aware of the reality.

Let the educated middle class of Indians educate the public for 2019 elections; let them not allow the unaccountable promise-mongers derail Modi – the Indian Li Kuan – in his realistic project of transforming India, like the Singaporean way !

Watch this video carefully:

By: Shreepal Singh

In Indian politics today, it is a state of free for all – anybody can say anything without any accountability for what one says, or has said. It is the nadir point of our democracy. The people are honest and well-meaning but helpless in the face of blatant lies a public figure says – and has the legal right to say. A right without the corresponding duty – accountability – is the sure path to disaster. We all know, a statement made by one in a court of law may send another person to gallows. But, there in the court the person making that statement is tested for its truth; it is called cross-examination. In the matter of electing our representatives – electing our government – anybody aspiring to run the government and rule the public can say – tell lies – whatever he likes, and there is no provision in democracy to test his veracity, his truthfulness.

It has become in our decadent times almost a right to fool the public and get away with the booty of power. One can allege – and flaunt it as true – that Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma is killed in Batla House in stage-managed fake encounter; there is zero loss in coal allocation and CAG is wrong in finding a loss; there is Hindu terrorism in India; Indian army’s surgical strike across the line in Pakistan is fake; CJI is biased and should be impeached; Rafale deal is full of corruption and the judgment of the highest court of the country finding no such corruption in this deal is misconceived; and, there is no way to put him to accountability. It is a dismal condition.

Power may be got this way but nations are not built this way. People must wake up to this danger facing India today and find a solution to this rampant menace before it is too late to cure.

There is a triangle – a vicious triangle – that runs our democracy and has brought a hell to this country. This triangle is: Right to say anything what one likes to say; Leaving public helpless to put faith or not to put faith in what one says; and, Giving power to helpless public to elect their government in ignorance and rule over them.

The net result of this vicious triangle is that the public becomes  an uninformed and helpless lot of people and only they come to get elected and wield power – to occupy the government – who can misinform the most. It was not vainly said decades ago, “democracy is the last refuge of the scoundrels.” How to put a full stop to this dirty game in India?

As it is said, “Light is the best disinfectant”; and a floodlight is still better to yield the result. It is wrong to say that private life has nothing to do with public life. A person’s private life does impinge on the quality of his public life, and particularly it is so in India. For a people’s representative there is nothing like a private life. His life is a public life even in the private affairs.

If he has chosen a life in the service of public, he has to sacrifice his private life. He should be under the constant public gaze in his daily activities to the level of the most minute details possible. It is his choice to enter the public life and sacrifice his private life, or alternatively, to lead a private life and get the right to protect his privacy. It is a choice voluntarily made out of his free will. If he choses the life with  power and privileges, he has to make the sacrifice and accept its stiff conditions; and if he choses the other one – the private life, he has the rights to enjoy an ordinary life and its privileges of privacy well protected by the law.

Now, what is that part of a private life that should become public on assuming the office of a public representative? It  should be the widest one. It includes almost everything of his life. It has become necessary in the modern times where democracy has really become, the proverbial, “the last refuge of the scoundrel”, to put him under day-light glare of public gaze.

The modern democracy has to balance two realities of life; the one reality is: the tongue of a person is very light to wag it the way one likes; he is able to tell lies endlessly; and, the public whom he seeks to represent may – and mostly would – put a faith in what he says with this tongue. The other reality is: what a man thinks in his secret mind, he acts it in his open conduct. Conduct does not tell a lie; and, to know a man what he thinks and intends to do – and not what he says he would do – is to know his conduct.

The public whom he seeks to represent has the right to know what he  intends to do – and not to go simply by what he says. It is the most valuable right of public in democracy and this right cannot be allowed to be compromised, to be diluted by any trick.

Indian people despite having a colossal diversity are gifted with a common element – the deep sense of morality and righteousness, and an urge within their heart to side with the truth. They have the ability to weigh ‘what one says’ with ‘to what extent his conduct verifies the truthfulness of his statements’ and to judge to what extent they should put their faith in what he says.

A public representative needs to be put under floodlight of public gaze. How can it be done in democracy? There is need to create an institution of “Lok Prahari” with the sanctity of Constitution and the power of law. India does not need a “Lok Pal” to keep a watch over the public representatives but it needs an institution of “Lok Prahari” to inform the public what their representative does – in his private and public life – good and bad both, and on daily basis.

This Constitutional institution may  be made to run parallel to the institution of election commission of India, or may be clubbed with it by enlarging mandate of election commission of India. What should be the job assigned to this newly created institution? It should include the gathering of the information of almost every – major and minor – details of daily life – private and public both – of a public representative; and,  to constantly inform this information in real-time to public by utilizing information technology.

This institution must be legally empowered to have the access to the activities of such public representatives, to gather and record this information and to broadcast the same in real-time (with the reasonable time leg for security purposes only) to the public.

These activities would include: where that public representative goes and what does he do there; whom he meets; what he eats and where; what he buys and sells, and for what price; that is, it should include everything minus his strictly very personal family activities only (like meeting his wife and children).

This matter – the matter of inclusion and exclusion – would need an open public discussion and deliberation before enacting a law to place people’s representatives’ life under public gaze and scrutiny.

सिक्ख इतिहास:
1. दस गुरु साहिबानों के नाम तरतीब वार-
गुरु नानक देव जी (1469-1539)
गुरु अंगद देव जी (1504-1552)
गुरु अमर दास जी (1479-1574)
गुरु राम दास जी (1534-1581)
गुरु अरजन देव जी (1563-1606)
गुरु हरगोबिंद जी (1595-1644)
गुरु हरिराय जी (1630-1661)
गुरु हरिकृष्ण जी (1656-1664)
गुरु तेगबहादुर जी (1621-1675)
गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी (1666-1708)
2. उन दो साहिबजादों के नाम जिन्हें जिन्दा नीवों में चिनवा दिया गया था –
बाबा फ़तेह सिंह जी
बाबा जोरावर सिंह जी
3. उन दो साहिबजादों के नाम जो चमकोर की लड़ाई में शहीद हुए थे –
बाबा अजीत सिंह जी
बाबा जुझार सिंह जी
4. सिक्ख पंथ के पहले पांच प्यारों के नाम –
भाई दया सिंह जी
भाई धरम सिंह जी
भाई हिम्मत सिंह जी
भाई मोहकम सिंह जी
भाई साहिब सिंह जी
5. सिक्ख धर्म के पांच ककारों के नाम –
केस
कंघा
किरपान
कड़ा
कछिहरा
6. खालसे के धरम पिता –
गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी
7. खालसे की धरम माता –
माता साहिब कौर जी
8. खालसा पंथ की नींव कहाँ रखी गयी थी
आनंदपुर साहिब
9. जब सिक्ख आपस में मिलते हैं तो क्या कह कर एक दुसरे को संबोधित करते हैं-
वाहेगुरु जी का खालसा
वाहेगुरु जी की फ़तेह
10. जैकारा क्या है-
बोले सो  निहाल
सति श्री अकाल
11. ‘सिक्ख’ शब्द का अर्थ –
शिष्य (सीखने वाला)
12. पांच तख्तों के नाम –
श्री अकाल तख़्त साहिब, अंमृतसर, पंजाब
श्री हरिमंदिर साहिब, पटना, बिहार (पटना साहिब)
श्री केसगढ़ साहिब, आनंदपुर, पंजाब (आनंदपुर साहिब)
श्री हजूर साहिब, नांदेड़, महाराष्ट्र
श्री दमदमा साहिब, तलवंडी साबो, बठिंडा, पंजाब
13. गुरमुखी लिपि पड़ाना सबसे पहले किसने शुरू किया था-
गुरु अंगद देव जी
14. ‘गुरु का लंगर’ की प्रथा सबसे पहले किस ने शुरू की थी-
गुरु अमरदास जी
15. आदि श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब (पोथी साहिब) सबसे पहले किसने लिखी थी-
गुरु अरजन देव जी
16. श्री हरिमंदिर साहिब अंमृतसर में श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी का प्रकाश सबसे पहले कब हुआ था-
सन 1604 में
17. श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी के पहले ग्रंथी कौन थे-
बाबा बुड्डा जी
18. श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी के कितने अंग (पन्ने) हैं-
1430
19. श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी में कितने गुरुओं की बाणी दर्ज है-
कुल 6 गुरुओं की : पहले पांच एवं नोवें गुरु जी की
20. किस गुरु को ‘शहीदों के सरताज’ भी कहा जाता है-
गुरु अरजन देव जी
21. किस गुरु को ‘मीरी-पीरी के मालिक’ भी कहा जाता है-
गुरु हरिगोबिंद जी
22. किस गुरु का सिर धड से अलग किया गया था-
गुरु तेगबहादुर जी
23. किस गुरु को ‘हिन्द-दी-चादर’ भी कहा जाता है-
गुरु तेगबहादुर जी
24. सिमरन कैसे होता है-
सर्वशक्तिमान सर्वव्यापक अकालपुरख को याद करना
25. सिक्ख धरम में शादी को क्या कहते हैं-
आनन्द कारज
26. गुरु नानक देव जी की यात्राओं को क्या कहा जाता है-
उदासी
27. गुरु नानक देव जी के साथ रबाब कौन बजाता था-
भाई मरदाना जी
28. उस गुरुद्वारे का नाम जहाँ वली कंधारी का अहंकार टुटा था-
पंजा साहिब
29. गुरु नानक देव जी कहाँ एवं कब ज्योति ज्योत समाये थे-
1539, करतार पुर
30. गुरु अंगद देव जी का पहला नाम क्या था-
भाई लहणा जी
31. गुरु अमरदास जी ने गुरु अंगद देव जी की सेवा कितने समय तक की-
12 वर्ष
32. उस नदी का नाम जहाँ से गुरु अमरदास जी रोज पैदल जा कर गुरु अंगद देव जी के लिए पानी भर के लाया करते थे-
ब्यास नदी
33. ‘मसंद’ प्रचारक किसने शुरू किये थे-
गुरु अमरदास जी
34. गुरु अरजन देव जी के पुत्र का नाम बताईये-
हरगोबिंद जी
35. गुरु रामदास जी का पहला नाम क्या था-
भाई जेठा जी
36. वहां कौन सा गुरुदवारा है जहाँ गुरु अरजन देव जी को शहीद किया गया था-
डेरा साहिब
37. गुरु हरिगोबिंद जी को कैदी की तरह कहां रखा गया था-
ग्वालियर का किला
38. गुरु हरिगोबिंद जी को जब रिहा किया गया तब उनके साथ उनका चोला पकड़ के और कितने राजाओं को रिहा किया गया था-
52 राजा
39. गुरु हरगोबिंद जी ने दो तलवारें धारण की थी, उनके नाम –
मीरी पीरी
40. अकाल तख़्त की स्थापना किसने की थी-
गुरु हरिगोबिंद जी
41. गुरु हरिगोबिंद जी को जपुजी साहिब के पाठ का शुद्ध उच्चारण किसने सुनाया था-
भाई गोपाला जी
42. बाबा बुड्डा जी ने कितने गुरुओं की सेवा की-
6
43. ओरंगजेब को गुरबाणी गलत पढ़ कर सुनाने के लिये किसे सजा मिली थी-
राम राय, गुरु हरि राय जी के पुत्र
44. गुरु हरि कृष्ण जी की कितनी उम्र थी जब उनको गुरुगद्दी मिली थी-
5 साल
45. मिर्जा राजा जय सिंह के बंगले पर अब कौन सा गुरुद्वारा है जहाँ गुरु हरि कृष्ण जी ठहरे थे जब वह दिल्ली आये थे-
गुरुद्वारा बंगला साहिब
46. गुरु हरि कृष्ण जी की कितनी उम्र थी जब वह ज्योति ज्योत समाये थे-
8 साल
47. जहाँ गुरु हरि कृष्ण जी का अंतिम संस्कार हुआ वहां अब कौन सा गुरुद्वारा है-
गुरुद्वारा बाला साहिब
48. गुरु हरि कृष्ण जी के अंतिम शब्द क्या थे जब वह अगले गुरु जी के बारे में बता रहे थे-
‘बाबा बकाले’ – इसका मतलब है की अगले गुरु बकाला नाम के गावं में मिलेंगे
49. सोढ़ी परिवार के कितने लोग अपने आप को गुरु कहते हुए बकाला में मिले-
22
50. बकाला में गुरु तेगबहादुर जी को ढूंड कर दुनिया के सामने लाने वाले व्यक्ति कौन थे-
भाई मक्खन शाह लुबाना
51. गुरु तेगबहादुर जी की पत्नी का क्या नाम था-
माता गुजरी जी
52. गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के साथ शहीद होने वाले तीन सिक्ख कौन थे-
भाई मती दास जी
भाई सती दास जी
भाई दयाला जी

1. गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के साथ शहीद होने वाले तीन सिक्खों को कैसे शहीद किया गया था-
   भाई मती दास जी (आरी से काट के शहीद किया गया)
   भाई सती दास जी (रुई में लपेट कर आग लगा दी गई)
   भाई दयाला जी (गर्म पानी में उबाला गया)
2. किसके नेतृत्व में 500 कश्मीरी पंडित गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के पास मदद मांगने के लिये आये थे-
   पंडित कृपा राम (जो की बाद में गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी के संस्कृत के गुरु भी बने एवं फिर खालसा सजे  एवं अंत में चमकोर की लड़ाई में शहीद हो गए)
3. गोबिंद राय (गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी की उस वक्त कितनी उम्र थी)-
   9 साल
4. जहाँ गुरु तेगबहादुर जी को शहीद किया गया वहां कौन सा गुरुद्वारा है-
   गुरुद्वारा सीस गंज, चांदनी चौंक दिल्ली
5. गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के शरीर का संस्कार किसने किया-
   भाई लक्खी शाह वणजारा
6. जहाँ गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के शरीर का संस्कार हुआ वहां कौन सा गुरुद्वारा है-
   गुरुद्वारा रकाब गंज साहिब, दिल्ली
7. गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के सीस को आनंदपुर साहिब कौन ले के गया था-
   भाई जैता जी (भाई जीवन सिंह जी)
8. वहां कौन सा गुरुद्वारा है जहाँ श्री गुरु तेगबहादुर जी के सीस का संस्कार हुआ था-
   गुरुद्वारा सीस गंज साहिब, आनंदपुर
9. पीर बुद्धू शाह जी के कितने पुत्र थे और भंगानी के युद्ध में कितने शहीद हुए थे-
   4 पुत्र, भंगानी के युद्ध में 2 शहीद हुए
10. भंगानी के युद्ध में पीर बुद्धू शाह जी की सेवाओं के बदले में गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी ने उन्हें क्या उपहार दिये थे-
    कंघा (कुछ टूटे हुए बालों सहित), किरपान एवं दस्तार
11. आनंदपुर की लड़ाई में शराब पिला कर मस्त किये हुए हाथी के साथ कौन से सिक्ख ने युद्ध किया था-
    भाई बच्चितर सिंह
12. आनंदपुर की लड़ाई के दौरान गंभीर रूप से घायल सिपाहियों को कौन पानी पिलाता था (इस बात की परवाह किये बिना की वो सिक्ख हैं या मुस्लिम)-
    भाई कन्हैया जी
13. माता गुजरी जी और दो छोटे साहिबजादों की खबर सिरहंद के नवाब को किसने दी थी-
    गंगू ब्राह्मण
14. चमकोर की लड़ाई के बाद गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी नंगे पैर कौन से जंगलों में रहे-
    माछीवाड़ा
15. उन दो पठानों के नाम जिन्होंने गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी को मुगलों से बचाया था-
    नबी खान और गनी खान
16. मुक्तसर की लड़ाई में शहीद होने वाले चालीस मुक्तों का नेतृत्व किसने किया था-
    भाई महा सिंह
17. अंमृतसर शहर के पांच सरोवरों के नाम –
    अंमृतसर
    कौलसर
    संतोखसर
    बिबेकसर
    रामसर
18. गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी ने माधो दास को अमृत पान के बाद क्या नाम दिया-
    बंदा सिंह
19. बंदा सिंह ने पंजाब छोड़ने से पहले सिक्खों को क्या दिया-
    निशान साहिब एवं नगाड़ा
20. गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी ने खालसा पंथ का पहला जत्थेदार किसे बनाया था-
    बंदा सिंह
21. मिसल के समूह को क्या कहते थे-
    दल खालसा
22. पहले दल खालसा की स्थापना किसने की थी-
    नवाब कपूर सिंह
23. उस सिक्ख सिपाही का नाम बताईये जिसे सुल्तान उल कौम का ख़िताब मिला-
    जस्सा सिंह आहलूवालिया
24. दिल्ली की उस जगह का नाम जहाँ सरदार बघेल सिंह अपने 30,000 साथियों के साथ ठहरे थे-
    तीस हजारी
25. शेरे-ए-पंजाब का ख़िताब किसे प्राप्त है-
    महाराजा रणजीत सिंह
26. सरदार हरी सिंह नलवा ने कौन से प्रसिद्ध गुरुद्वारा की स्थापना की-
    गुरुद्वारा पंजा साहिब
27. मोदीखाना साखी कौन से गुरु जी से सम्बंधित है-
    गुरु नानक देव जी
28. सुखमनी साहिब के रचयिता कौन है-
    गुरु अरजन देव जी
29. होला मोहल्ला का त्यौहार कौन से गुरु जी ने शुरू किया था-
    गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी
30. गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी के कौन से सिक्ख ने भंगानी की लड़ाई में अपना साथ दिया और अपने दो पुत्र भी शहीद करवाए-
    पीर बुद्धू शाह
31. सिक्खों के कैलेन्डर का क्या नाम है-
    नानकशाही कैलेन्डर
32. नानकशाही कैलेन्डर सूर्य या चन्द्र किसकी गति के हिसाब से चलता है-
    सूर्य
33. नानकशाही कैलेन्डर का पहला वर्ष कौन सा है-
    1469 (जब गुरु नानक देव जी का जन्म हुआ था)
34. भाई लालो जी के घर गुरु नानक देव जी ने किस का भिजवाया हुआ लंगर वापिस कर दिया था-
    मालिक भागो
35. गुरु नानक देव  जी और सिद्धों के बीच मुलाकात (सिद्ध गोस्ट) कहाँ पर हुआ था-
    कैलाश पर्वत (सुमेर पर्वत)
36. माता खीवी जी कौन थी-
    माता खीवी जी गुरु अंगद देव जी की पत्नी थी और वह सिक्ख इतिहास में केवल एक स्त्री हैं जिनका नाम गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी में दर्ज है
37. अकाल तख़्त का क्या मतलब होता है-
    सर्वशक्तिमान, सर्वव्यापक, अकाल पुरख का सिंहासन
38. गुरु तेग बहादुर जी को गुरु नानक देव जी की याद में एक बड़ा टीला क्या स्थापित मिला-
    डुबरी, आसाम
39. किस मुग़ल बादशाह ने गुरु तेगबहादुर जी का सिर धड से अलग करने का हुक्म दिया था-
    औरंगजेब
40. गुरु गोबिंद सिंह जी को अपनी रक्षा के लिये पंज प्यारों ने किस किले को छोड़ने का आदेश दिया था-
    चमकोर का किला
41. सुखमनी साहिब में कितनी अष्टपदीयां हैं-
    24
42. ‘सिंह’ शब्द से आप क्या समझते हैं-
    शेर
43. कौर शब्द से आप क्या समझते हैं-
    राजकुमारी
44. गुरु नानक देव जी संगल दीप मे किससे मिले थे-
    राजा शिव नाथ
45. गुरु अमरदास जी ने कौन सा शहर बसाया था, जहाँ वह गुरु बनने के बाद रुक गये थे-
    गोइंदवाल
46. गुरु अरजन देव जी की पत्नी का क्या नाम था-
    माता गंगा जी
47. श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी में गुरबाणी कितने रागों में लिखी गयी है-
    31
48. श्री गुरु ग्रन्थ साहिब जी में मूल मंत्र कितनी बार आया है-
    33

After the first war of independence in 1857, the urge of Indian people for freedom from foreign yoke was dominantly shaped by yogis, Sufis and saints, that is, by spiritual leaders of India. Prominent among them were Maharshi Dayananda, Maharshi Devendra Nath, Ramakrishna and his disciple Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Anni Besant (sister Nivedita), Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, and several others like them. It is not that other great freedom fighters – who were inspired other than such spiritual leaders – did not contribute to this urge for freedom in any significant manner. They did contribute and contribute in a decisive way, often by making supreme sacrifice with their lives.

  Freedom fighters like Khudiram Bose, Prafulla Chaki, Capekar brothers, Ras Bihari Bose, Kartar Singh Sarabha, master Surya Sen, Shachindra Nath Sanyal, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Kanaklata Barua and Subhash Chandra Bose, and many more like them sung and unsung heroes of struggle for independence quickened the common people’s urge to get rid of the foreign yoke.

  But the collective consciousness of Indian people raring for freedom from slavery was shaped, nurtured and dominated by spiritual leaders. The roots of inspiration of these ordinary people got nurturing strength from saints of varied persuations like Nivrttinath, Gyandev, Sopan, Muktabai, Mirabai, Janardan, Eknath, Namdev, Gora, Gonai, Tukaram, Narshibhai, Sajan Kasai, Sawanta Mali, Kanha, Narhari, Gyaneshwar, Samarth Guru Ramdas etc. The common man found solace and took pride in the heroic deeds of revolutionaries but deep within he was convinced of the morally correct path that the saintly leaders showed to the struggling nation. In fact, only this collective consciousness of the Indian people made it possible for this nation to win freedom – by and large – in the unique non-violent way that was unheard of in the world till then.

  Guided by this spiritual collective consciousness, the people of this country, as if mesmerized by a higher controlling spirit, conducted themselves en-mass almost in the footprints of Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavira and Lord Jesus Christ. It was a rare moment of human history that a nation, composed of millions of people of varied pursuations – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsees Christians etc. – rose as a single man in the cause of freedom of their nation, and conducted themselves in this cause with a morally high sense of truth and love, and acted unitedly in the non-violent manner.

  Such a feat in modern times is considered impossible and later generations would not believe in the truth of such an event having taken place. This is how the collective consciousness of a people, if led to the right path, can perform miracles. Sri Aurobindo and M.K. Gandhi, the two great spiritual personalities, were still living when India got freedom. They both, in their own particular ways, were the fountains of spiritual strength and the guide of that spiritual vision for millions of ordinary and simple Indians.

  Most of those few who happened to be close to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his struggle to make truth and non- violence the foundation of Indian freedom movement, did not understand the depth of Gandhi’s spiritual vision of truth and love sought to be adopted by him (Gandhi) against the avowed enemy of their nation. Gandhi’s conduct – or the rationale of this conduct – of suddenly changing his mind in the midst of thick and thin of the ferocious freedom struggle was beyond their mental grip and comprehension.

  A team of these few political leaders steered free India onto a path that was least sympathetic to the spiritual vision of an unceasing chain of saints that had inspired the people of this country in their struggle for political freedom and as this vision had been articulated by Gandhi in this struggle. None of these politiical leaders of free India was a spiritual practitioner in the way of Gandhi. And even the rare ones who practiced the Gandhian path of spiritualism in their public life (like Vinoba Bhave) were considered  by these political leaders to be not fit enough to lead the country. They were even not considered fit enough to be included in the team of these political leaders. The leaders of this political team regarded Gandhian ideas and path impracticable ones.

  After suffering excruciating pains and  ignominy of the slavery of centuries spanning almost to a millennium, Indian people had ultimately in 1947 got the freedom. Though at the eve of their independence there was much for Indian people to learn from the history of these years – how they had back-stabbed each others on the crucial moments of history, how they had lulled themselves in their foolishness, how they had shamelessly served their masters, how they had disrespected their true heroic countrymen and women who laid down their lives for their motherland – but they seemed to learn nothing from this history.

India had a very long history and extremely rich culture to bank upon in shaping the future of a free India at the so-called “mid night stroke” of 15th August, 1947 and show by their example a blazing path to the humanity that was badly bruised by conflicts and wars. Towards this aim, as the first step, M. K. Gandhi – an undisputed political leader then – insisted that Indian National Congress, the political party poised to rule the country, be dissolved and converted into the “People’s Self Help” group manned by selfless leaders.

But it was not accepted by those who had an eye to rule the country and all was nullified. Even there are suppressed historical murmurs that the calculated moves of those who were to take the reins of free India were governed only by their selfish motives.

A Constituent Assembly was formed to frame a constitution for free India in the urgency of the moment. In this Assembly though most of the members were highly learned, like Bhim Rao Ambedkar, and having European education but none of them had any spiritual inclination or vision. They did not know the epoch-making worth of the Gandhian ideas of village republics, subordination of rights to duties and trusteeship to bring equality among unequal’s in the economic matters. The abode of India’s spirit is village and not city; and the culture of India thrives in villages and not cities.

These learned people thought that neither it was proper nor possible to bring in these and other spiritual considerations (they even did not know the difference between religion and spirituality) in making the constitution for a country that is home to multi-religious, poor and illiterate people. Apart from the spiritual considerations, even the village-oriented cultural and political vision of India was not afforded any significant space in the emerging post-independent new political India.

Instead, these so-called progressive and modern leaders borrowed from the western constitutions the readymade concepts of parliamentary democracy, secularism and fundamental rights without any regard for Indian conditions and history. It was the first step in wrong direction that India fatefully decided to take. Once she took the wrong turn, there was no way of going back to correct the mistake. In the march on her chosen path, India has reached a place today that does not bode well of her future.

  The history of last 50 years of free India is the saga of a nation that seemed to promise at her birth into freedom of a glorious future as the spiritual Guru of the world but that took a wrong turn and degenerated today into a world of dark forces where desires of her sons are playing naked dance. And this unabashed serving of human desires has been taking place under the pretension of Democracy, Socialism, Secularism, Social Justice and (Hindutva) Nationalism.

  Retracing this history is a distasteful work. Nevertheless, to understand the real India, her past and future, and to understand the play of forces, divine and hostile, behind the apparent, it is necessary to look at the present India. Let us have a quick glance on how we started and where we reached today.

  Of the polity, or the Rajya, that was to be established in free India, Mahatma Gandhi was absolutely clear in his mind. He said: “By political independence I do not mean an imitation of the British House of Commons or the Soviet rule of Russia or the Fascist rule of Italy or the Nazi rule of Germany. They have systems suited to their genius. We must have ours suited to ours. What that can be is more than I can tell. I have described it as Ramaraj, i.e., sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority.”

  Constitution is the body and soul of the temporal existence of a people. People and their socio-political institutions at the grass-root level, where they meet face to face with each other and solve their problems, are like living organisms and are evolved over the ages. A constitution of these people may either be allowed to evolve in accordance with their innate instincts or may be imposed on them as an artificial and ready-made gift to them. The former option needs patience and understanding of the ethos of the people and the later one the need of scholarship and intelligence.

  India had the strongest points in favor of the choice of the first. But she chose the latter option. India had evolved a living structure of social institutions that encompassed and admirably governed the entire spectrum of life, and had preserved them since time immemorial and against all odds. At the eve of independence it would have been the natural and wise choice of the Indian leaders to understand these social institutions in our country’s historical perspective, adapt them to meet the needs of the modern times and incorporate them in the national constitution.

Import of a Constitution:

  But India made the choice of importing a political structure from abroad and, after making amendments that seemed suitable to Indian needs, of giving to herself this gift. Indeed this gift, the constitution of India, was excellent as it incorporated all that was historically evolved by Europe and America. Nevertheless, it was an import of foreign institutions that were ill adjusted to Indian social life.

  Did we commit an error in our choice of the constitution? Could there have been any better alternative to fundamental rights and republican polity? Was it possible to replace concepts like secularism and socialism with some better ideas? These are the questions we can legitimately put to ourselves today when our political system is being swamped by materialistic values culminating in crime and corruption, and our national life rooted in spiritual values is being threatened with destruction by consumer culture. We cannot blame west for these values, as a life based on them is their way of life. It is our disease and we have invited it on ourselves.

  Europe, led by England, has evolved, under her peculiar historical conditions, three great social institutions, viz., separation of the state from church, supremacy of Parliament and the co-ordination of three organs of governance (that is, judiciary, executive and legislature). The first is generally known as secularism, the second as democracy and the third as checks and balance. As these institutions have originated and made perfect by adapting them to suit the changing times under European conditions, they are performing superbly meeting the aspirations of Europeans.

  India had evolved over thousands of years of her peculiar history four great social institutions, viz., autonomous village republics, four social Varnas of people, four Ashrams of an individual. These twosome institutions of Varnas and Ashrams are ideally suited to a society that is enlightened spiritually, understands the evolutionary course of consciousness and is devoted to the goals of elevating mankind’s consciousness.

  However, these institutions are retrograde in nature and impediments for a society that is committed to the ideals of sensual and material enjoyment in our life. For a society that has nothing to do with the collective and social goal of realizing the spiritual truth, there is no use of these institutions which are solely geared to such a goal.

  The preamble of Indian Constitution “we, the People, gave to ourselves” puts misplaced values before the Indian nation. This preamble reads:

 “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

  JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

  LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

  EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote   among them all;

  FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

  IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY … DO HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT, AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

  Was it possible for the Indian people with a very ancient history and benevolent culture on their side to devise a better constitutional preamble than we have today? Did we not have any concept better than secularism, republic, socialism, democratic etc. which could be put before our people as ideals and national goals?

  We are putting here a suggestive list of the objectives cherished by Indian wisdom that could have been incorporated in Indian Constitution.

  COLLECTIVE SURVIVAL of all life-species by observing peace, good order, complete and global disarmament and respect for and conservation of Nature;

  FREEDOM of our people from political, economic, cultural and social oppression, within national organizations of our society, by guarding the individuals’ human rights and the interests of the organized society;

  COMMON PROSPERITY of our people by utilizing scientific advancements in technology and management of our national resources in a manner that guarantees that there are less working hours for all rather than workforce rendered unemployed to generate profits, there is equitable distribution of wealth among them all and to avoid waste and natural imbalance by unsustainable exploitation of our natural resources;

  NATIONAL UNITY among different subdivisions of our people by promoting mutual respect for diversity, understanding and harmony in diversity; and

  ENLIGHTENMENT of our people by encouraging them to imbibe the knowledge of science, from material science to psychic science, and encouraging them to remain always open to change of convictions.

  A constitution governing a people who are instinctively spiritual at heart is yet to be crafted by modern India. But a word of caution is needed here. Today, when we as a nation have gone to the bottom in our moral sense of right or wrong and just and unjust, it is dangerous to tinker with the Indian Constitution, whatever its infirmities; to make such a move today would be suicidal to India as a cohesive nation. This nation has to rise first before attempting such a venture.

Village republics, Varnas and Ashrams:

  Every village in India had a benign republican social order based on age-old norms rooted in spiritual values. It was not a brute rule of the majority. It was the rule of majority but tempered by the wisdom of village elders. This great and universal social institution of India faced and successfully endured all odds without much serious damage for thousands of years till the British rulers left India.

  The Indian villages’ polity built with inherent spirit of resistance to foreign influences has been classically described by Metcalfe C.T. He says:  “The Village Communities are little Republics, having nearly everything they want within themselves, and almost independent of any foreign relations. They seem to last where nothing else lasts. Dynasty after dynasty tumbles down; revolution succeeds to revolution; Hindu, Pathan, Mughul, Mahratta, Sikh, English, are masters in turn; but the village communities remain the same. In times of trouble they arm and fortify themselves; a hostile army passes through the country; the Village Community collect their cattle within their walls, and let the army pass unprovoked; if plunder and devastation be directed against themselves and the force employed be irresistible, they flee to friendly villages at a distance, but when the storm has passed over they return and resume their occupation. If a country remains for a series of years the scene of continual pillage and massacre, so that the villages cannot be in-habited, the villagers nevertheless return whenever the power of peaceable possession revives. A generation may pass away but the succeeding generations will return. The sons will take the place of their fathers, the same site for the village, the same position for the houses, the same lands will be preoccupied by the descendants of those who were driven out when the village was depopulated; and it is not a trifling matter that will drive them out, for they will often maintain their post through times of disturbance and convulsion, and acquire strength sufficient to resist pillage and oppression with success.”

Also India, in very ancient times, invented four social classes, or Varnas as they were called, viz., Sudra, Vaisya, Kshatriya and Brahmin, and organized the entire society around this classification. Since then till today she has been practicing this social organization, though much corrupted through ages for various reasons. Originally, these Varnas, or castes as they are now commonly called, were based on one’s conduct and not on his birth. In this social organization, the Sudra, the lowest on the rung, was the one who lived a life at the lowest level of human consciousness and, since his conduct and not the birth decided his Varna, the life that he led was his free choice. He hunted animals for food, killed birds for living, ate eggs of these birds to his taste and pursued his vocation that was not compassionate to other living beings. There could be no lower level of human consciousness than this and lower than this was the animal consciousness only. Sudra was an outcast from society and was subject to no obligation towards the organized society. He voluntarily chose his life of freedom to act in a manner that was not approved by the society. The society also did not impose any social obligation on him except that he would not harm any member of society. Since Sudra was also to live in human society and enjoy the protection of its established order, he was required to contribute towards its welfare by serving it with his manual labor.

  However, as one was Sudra by his conduct and not by his birth, he was free to improve his conduct and elevate his consciousness and thereby become the highest one on the social rung, that is, a Brahmin.

  There are many instances in ancient Indian history of a Sudra becoming a Brahmin and the example of Maharishi Valmiki is one of them. In the same way, a Brahmin could have degraded himself by his conduct to the lowest Varna, a Sudra.

  One who imposed self-restraint on his animal nature and conduct dictated by this nature to some extent was regarded higher on the Varna scale and on him obligation was imposed to serve the society by supply of goods through agriculture, trade and business.

  By his voluntary conduct, he was of Vaisya Varna. A Vaisya was free to hoard and to earn profit, and to cater his desires subject only to the obligation of keeping his words, that is, complying with business agreements.

  He imposed self-restraint in certain matters and therefore lived a higher level of human consciousness in the organized society.

  A Kshatriya was under an obligation to exercise still higher self-restraint on his conduct. He had to lead a life of self-imposed restrictions wherein he was not to be guided by the motives of profit, greed and their associated comforts.

  He had to conquer not only his selfish desires but also his fears of his physical safety and security in wars with the enemy that was his occupation. He was mandated by Bhagavata Gita “Valour, glory, courage, dexterity, not slinking away from battle, gifts, exercise of lordly power, this is the natural duty of Kshatriyas.”

  He was under the legal obligation to protect all, Sudra to Brahmin, and to impart justice to all, caring not for any harm that he may invite on himself in the discharge of his kingly duties.

  Thus, a Kshatriya was living at the still higher level of human consciousness.

  At the highest rung of the Varna scale was Brahmin who, under the legal prescription of this system, was under an obligation to conquer, in his conduct and life, all his desires. These desires might emanate in his mind from normal human nature ranging from Sudra-inclination of licentious conduct to Vaisya-inclination of greed to Kshatriya-inclination of kingly pride. He was to desire nothing, not even his life, and he was to fear nothing, not even the death.

  These onerous obligations were impossible to be successfully performed by human efforts alone, except with the help and grace of supreme power of the universe – Brahman.

  And a Brahmin was under legal obligation to seek and search throughout his worldly life this supreme power -Brahman alone and guide the fellow human beings on to the correct path with the help of this divine light.

  In return, a Brahmin was to be provided by the society free food, if he needed it at all. The Brahmin was to lead a life of extreme poverty.

  This ancient social institution of Varna could have been reformed by making necessary changes in it in keeping with the modern times and needs under indigenous constitutional framework, particularly by abolishing Varna by birth under a penal law. It required on the part of national leaders of free India to have historical understanding of the roots of this institution and sympathy with the Indian spiritual values that this institution addressed in ancient times. Gandhi had hinted at the relevance, in modern times, of this ancient Indian institution. However, Gandhi was the last spiritual leader of India in recent times who had the necessary insight and sympathy on the subject.

  Also India had evolved four Ashrams, viz., Brahmcharya (studentship), Grhistha (household), Sanyas (renunciation) and Vanaprasth (in preparation of meeting one’s death, leaving the human society). If we go through the history of spiritual India, we would find that this system of four stages of individual’s life had been designed to meet the worldly as well as the spiritual needs human beings. There were four goals – or needs – of humans, viz, Dharma (virtuous conduct), Arth (earning money or means to make worldly life happy), Kama (procreation of next generation) and Moksha (obtaing freedom from rebith – merging oneself with the Supreme Being, Nirvana or Kaivalya). Out of all these goals, the greatest value was ascribed to the spiritual development of common people and all the remaining three were merely the helping prepatation for this last goal. And it successfully met the aim of its intended purpose for thousands of years till its destruction by foreign influence around 1000 AD. This system also could have been reformed and perfected to meet the needs of modern times by our national leaders of free India. But again, these leaders lacked the necessary insight and sympathy on this score. They were mesmerized by modern European ideas and had no time or inclination to consider the spiritual ethos and needs of India.

  Indian people since ancient times have held spiritual persons, saints, yogis and sages, in the highest social esteem. They have done so without any regard to religious affiliation of the spiritual person concerned. In ancient times, Buddhist sramans and Hindu saints were held in equally high social esteem by kings and common men alike. During medieval period of Indian history also, likewise, common people equally regarded both Muslim Sufi saints like Auliya Nizammuddin and Kabeer, and Hindu saints like Nanak and Mira, as divine manifestation.

  The latest example of this infatuation of spiritual persons in India is that of M.K. Gandhi and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (known as Frontier Gandhi). They were regarded the ideal leaders of human society and no heed was paid to their different religious affiliation. Such spiritual persons have been exerting decisive influence on the collective consciousness of Indian society and, without being in the place of political power, they have remained more powerful than the most powerful of the time, that is, the kings, Prime Ministers and Presidents. This valuable element of Indian society evolved by history could have been tapped by the leaders of free India to the advantage of society and institutionalized under an ingenious constitutional scheme. For example, saints like Vinoba Bhave could have been given a place above Prime Minister under some constitutional institution. But here also, these leaders lacked the necessary insight and sympathy on this score.

  Then, what option, in terms of constitutional forms, did India have at the eve of her independence? Generally, constitutions may be divided into two categories, dictatorial and democratic. Dictatorial ones may further be subdivided into those that are based on some ideological thinking (like communism and Nazi or Fascism) and that are based on religious beliefs (like Islamic). Communists do not consider their political system a dictatorship although they take great pride in claiming the same a form of better democracy, which they call proletariat dictatorship. They argue that their system is truly democratic. They maintain that the overwhelming majority of people in almost all countries (except in places where people still live in primitive societies) are economically exploited by rich industrialists (or capitalists) and are without any economic means (money) to meaningfully participate in the democratic process. For them, they say, there is no democracy; in the absence of money, their equality with moneyed persons and their freedom to enjoy equal rights is on paper only, and a farce. Communists say, the so-called democracy is the democracy of capitalists, of rich and moneyed people, who are in minority. It is no democracy at all, their argument runs.

  Let us see this problem from another angle. In a dictatorial form of society a man is forced to comply against his wishes with the demands of the system. This compliance is achieved through coercion and threat of violence. In capitalist democracy also a man is forced against his wishes to comply with the demands of its social order. This compulsion is not achieved by the use of violence but by economic means. Notwithstanding the subtlety of means, it is a compulsion. A man is born in a poor family, he is illiterate because he has no economic means to get education (or, in Indian context English education). He cannot establish an industry because he is not only not educated but also because he has no capital to invest needed for the industry. And this vicious circle passes on to his coming generations. Is there much difference in essence between dictatorial and economic compulsions? Difference seems to be limited only to their means.

Economic justice: the Gandhian and the one that we adopted:

  Is there any grain of truth in this? You can’t avoid hard questions, when the matter comes to importing a constitution from abroad and adapting it to Indian needs at the eve of her independence after paying a heavy price for it with the lives of sung and unsung countless heroes. Adoption of a constitution for free India was not a matter restricted to leaders of a single political party who might have led the independence movement. An overwhelming majority of poor, exploited, illiterate people (to the exclusion of a tiny minority of the rich) and their vital economic interests could not have been legitimately ignored in this exercise of adopting a constitution.

  Gandhi was the real spirit of the last phase of independence movement culminating in freedom, and he was the father of Nation also, and he did not like the import and adoption of rich people’s democracy in India.

  Was there any really viable model of constitutional governance possible in India as an alternative to rich people’s democracy? Did Gandhi suggest one? Gandhi proposed the concept of village republic as the basic unit of the national organization. According to him, village republic was to be spontaneous in growth, natural in character and living in function in political organization of its inhabitants. This concept was not only viable (as it had already existed for thousand of years successfully and needed little augmentation and support) but also it was the most natural form of political organization of Indian people (as they themselves had evolved and perfected it over the ages). Gandhian village republic cannot be equated with the dead institution of today’s Panchayati Raj.

  In view of the urgency of the situation that called for possessing a national constitution promptly, Gandhi proposed the concept of village republic as the basic unit of constitutional model of free India. Being a Karmayogi, he did not rest content with his proposal only. Further, he carved out an active political program to establish these village republics (by propelling the Congress Party to a new phase of its activities), nourishing them (by eradicating evil practices prevalent in village institutions) and spreading them to all corners of India by selfless service of Congressmen. This was the first step towards the end of national constitution on this pattern.

  Towards that end, he proposed immediate dissolution of Congress Party as a political organization and transforming it into a band of volunteers dedicated to the service of people. But others did not agree, prominently among them Jawaharlal Nehru. We should not impute motives. But this is borne by records.

  There should not be any doubt on two counts. One, what we adopted as our constitution (or as it says, we gave it to ourselves), in practice, provided dominance of the rich over the poor and rule of the minority over the majority. And two, what we adopted was not that what Gandhi wanted India to have. We would briefly analyze our constitution in order to judge it in the light of Indian spiritual heritage and then refer to the concept of village republics to ascertain its value in founding a modern state on the same.

  When we deal with fundamental issues concerning our national life – constitutional governance of India – we have to put to ourselves sometimes questions that are rather rude, in bad taste and often avoided. But they should be faced by a nation, particularly because India has always tried to live by truth and taught others also to live in the same manner.

  Our constitution, like most other democratic constitutions of the world, provides political machinery for self-governance that is republican, or elected one, in nature. Additionally, it provides fundamental rights that comprise certain freedoms and rights. It is a bunch of all conceivable rights collected from different countries of the world.

  What did we aim at by first granting all these rights and then allowing the state to put all reasonable restriction on them? By granting a right, say, to carry trade, business etc. a citizen was allowed to manufacture or sell, say, wine and amass an unlimited amount of wealth. What is and what is not a reasonable restriction on this right is left to be decided by courts of law in an ad hoc manner depending upon the situation of the moment. Moreover, imposition of reasonable restrictions on these rights necessitated framing of innumerable laws, increasing the state power and more litigation by citizens, which are against the interest of healthy society. This constitutional scheme – inserting a collection of rights – is flawed when judged from the Gandhian perspective.  Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, says:  “In Swaraj based on Ahimsa people need not know their rights, but it is necessary for them to know their duties. There is no duty but creates a corresponding right, and those only are true rights which flow from a due performance of one’s duties. Hence rights of citizenship accrue only to those who serve the State to which they belong. And they alone can do justice to the rights that accrue to them. … And people, who obtain rights as a result of performance of duty, exercise them only for the service of society, never for themselves. Swaraj of a people means the sum total of the Swaraj (self-rule) of individuals. And such Swaraj comes only from performance by individuals of their duty as citizens. In it no one thinks of his rights. They come, when they are needed, for better performance of duty.”

  Was it not a better wisdom to have duties of citizens written in the constitution that were enforceable in court of law and allowing all rights under the sun to citizens without enumerating them in the constitution? In such an event a citizen would have been obliged to abide by with the enumerated duties and have had all conceivable rights only subject to these duties. In the example we have cited above, the citizen would have had the duty to advance the cause of healthy society and would not have had the right to carry the trade of wine. In this eventuality, there was no need to enact a law imposing restrictions on wine trading and the power of the state would have been curtailed resulting in less litigation and corruption. Such a legal provision would have allowed him to carry on any trade etc. except all those that made the society sick.

  What is the nature of “duty”? Would the replacement of duties in place of rights in the constitution make any difference to the society? Duty puts a restraint on one’s desires and checks its unlimited inflation. This restraint is good for the society and it is good for the individual concerned also from many points of view. Desires are the root cause of all conflicts in society, they are prone to inflation without limits and they are insatiable.

  On the other hand, right is a ‘freedom for desires’ to pursue their objective. By putting duties in the constitution, you would emphasize them and call upon citizens to restrain their desires but by putting rights there, you give a signal to desires to go ahead and fight out their way in the society.

  The most fundamental question that arises in this vital respect is of the efficacy and meaning of granting such rights and freedoms to one and all when a huge gap of economic wealth between a tiny minority and a vast majority exists there. Efforts may be made to alleviate the poverty of this vast majority, and these may succeed also to some extent. But, still the gap is not bridged. And equality remains elusive as ever. Rather, this gap widens and, given the human nature, as it is, it is not the material wealth that matters much for the sense of justice but it is the width of this gap between the two rival segments. Also, the essence of equality is not the economic well being of all but the lessening of this gap.

  Unless you have proper mechanism – constitutional norms and framework – to handle this gap, things go for the worse. With this gap in place, you may resort to any means and all will fail. You may achieve literacy for the poor and educate them; they would become more aware of this gap and, not being equal in means to better off, resort to easy methods of crime, violence and corruption.

  Can any constitutional framework bridge this gap? No, because it is ingrained in the unequal nature of human beings. Many philosophers have dreamed of ending the exploitation and inequality between man and man and many politicians have tried to achieve those dreams. On the one side are those persons (like Socialists and Communists) who thought it possible to achieve such society by outer means and on the other end are those (like Gandhi) who believed that such a thing could be achieved only by internal, spiritual, means.

  The constitution that we have adopted and the original sources from where we have adopted it, do not seek to address this basic and eternal problem. But this very problem and its solution are the core of Indian spiritual vision and the raison d’être of Gandhi’s village republics. By importing an alien constitutional system that neither is in consonance with Indian people’s spiritual ethos nor solves the core problem of human antagonism (and which was admirably handled by this spiritual ethos since time immemorial), we have betrayed our ancient heritage and wisdom.

Secularism and Socialism:

  Gandhi was not enchanted by Secularism, or any thing less than Dharma. Of course, his Dharma was not a narrow Dharma of Hindus alone. It was encompassing the all good moral sense of humanity. He says: “The Swaraj of my … our… dream recognizes no race or religious distinctions. Nor is it to be the monopoly of the lettered persons nor yet of moneyed men. Swaraj is to be for all, including the farmer, but emphatically including the maimed, the blind, and the starving toiling millions. It has been said that Indian Swaraj will be the rule of the majority community, i.e., the Hindus. There could not be a greater mistake than that. If it were to be true, I for one would refuse to call it Swaraj and would fight it with all the strength at my command, for to me Hind Swaraj is the rule of all people, is the rule of justice. Let there be no mistake about my conception of Swaraj. It is complete independence of alien control and complete economic independence. So at one end you have political independence, at the other the economic. It has two other ends. One of them is moral and social; the corresponding end is Dharma, i.e., religion in the highest sense of the term. It includes Hinduism, Islam, Christianity etc., but is superior to them all.  Let us call this the square of Swaraj, which will be out of shape if any of its angles is untrue.”

  The leaders of Indian freedom struggle were driven by noble sentiments of all sorts. On the one end were those who were motivated by purely patriotic feelings, individuals like Sardar Patel and Subhash Chandra Bose, and on the other end were persons who were moved by idealism of different kinds.

  The people moved by idealism ranged from Mahatma Gandhi to Communist leaders, like M.N. Roy. In between there was a vast spectrum of varied ideological shades of leaders. Gandhi was a committed spiritual person; persons like Vinayak Damodar Savarkar longed for the past Hindu glory and Communists were committed Marxists revolutionaries. There were people, like Acharya Narendra Dev, Jai Praksh Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, who drew inspiration from Marxist Socialism but tried to correct its deficiencies in the light of human nature. Such leaders were committed to the ideals of International Socialist movement, which was humane and liberal version of Marxism as practiced in the Soviet Union. These persons were active both inside and outside of Congress Party. Jawaharlal Nehru was one such person who, despite being very near to Gandhi, was a socialist sympathizer within Congress Party.

  During the turbulent days of the last phase of freedom struggle, especially from 1930 to 1947, most of the communist and socialist leaders were impressed more by the spectacular achievements of Soviet Union than by the ideological books written by Marx and Engles, the founders of so-called Scientific Communism. However, none among the few communists, who might be motivated by intellectual conviction of its philosophy, cared to go to its basic premises to examine their validity in the light of spiritual philosophy and their utility in resolving the eternal problems of exploitation and injustice. Those who tried to do so, like M.N. Roy, Jai Prakash Narayan and Lohia, did not remain communists any longer. Even these people tried to adapt the Marxist philosophy simply to cure its perceived defects and did not examine its basic premises.

  They ended up with a new brand of Indian Socialism and the Radical Humanism. Spiritualism of Gandhi had a philosophic base evolved by India over thousands of years but this revised version of Socialism had no firm base. How thinkers have made their efforts in this direction? We shall have a glance at the philosophic premises of Marxism, as founded by Karl Marx and his collaborator Frederick Engels, which is the mother of all varieties of socialism, and evaluate its worth in comparison to spiritualism.

1. Spiritual Hinduism is the core content of what Hinduism amounts to. Cultural Hinduism is this core content’s merely an outer symbolic manifestation in the form of certain beliefs and habits of life.
2. If these outer symbolic manifestations by way of certain beliefs and living style are added together, even then they do not equal to what that core is.
3. Spiritual Hinduism is a full-time job – an exclusive goal to work for in one’s life. Rather, it is the only job – only goal – worth working for, caring for and attended to in one’s life for a Hindu; rest of the things in one’s life for a Hindu revolve around this pivotal point. Cultural Hinduism is only living an ordinary human life in a peculiar way of habits and beliefs.

4. Spiritual Hinduism is an awakening into a new birth for a human being. In this new birth, the experience and – more than experience – the meaning of life are changed into compeletely something else.  In such a new birth, one’s life and goal are oriented towards the new dimensions of life, which are unknown to ordinary humanity. Cultural Hinduism founded on a certain set of beliefs and habits merely prepares the ground for eventual such awakening into a new birth.

5. Spiritual Hinduism in its pursuit can give – and has given – birth to as many religions as there are / were individuals pursuing this path. Cultural Hinduism being merely a peculiar way of life based on certain beliefs becomes like a religion.

6. Spiritual Hinduism is a living reality for its follower; Cultural Hinduism is only a matter of beliefs and habits.
7. Spiritual Hinduism is founded on inquiry, solemnity, wakefulness and serenity of a scientist; Cultural Hinduism is founded on faith.
8. Spiritual Hinduism calls for bringing a faith in Divine Being as a prerequisite – as a necessary tool needed to be employed – for success in  one’s pursuit of that inquiry. After achieving the success with such helpful contrivance as faith, the achiever is able to demonstrate objective outcomes and facts to the amazement of the whole world – the world that may have or may not have faith in Divine Being. Such objective outcomes and facts include predicting of coming events, like death of a person on certain date.  Cultural Hinduism has no power to demonstrate such objective outcomes to the world at large. Cultural Hinduism may be – or even may not be – a stepping stone towards Spiritual Hinduism but it believes in the existence of such power of Spiritual Hinduism.
9. Spiritual Hinduism is the path for a seeker. It calls for sincerety, efforts and wakefulness on the part of that seeker. Cultural Hinduism is peaceful, contented and ideal style of living for an ordinary human being.
10. Every seeker of the truth is a Hindu by its very definition – whether (s)he be a rationalist or scientist. Every seeker of the inner truth is a Spiritual Hindu and every good human being, who does not advocate violence and seek conversion of people from another faith to his / her own faith, is a Cultural Hindu.
11. As an inner urge of an individual to seek truth makes him / her a noble human being, most of Hindus are by nature loving and good people. As Cultural Hinduism is an outer reflection of the state of Spiritual Hindus’ inner psychological disposition, most of Hindus are harmless and tolerant of the views of others who may not agree with them.

AND THIS TOO:

Leftist Spiritualism?  What is this Left,  Right?

What is there in words?  A nonsense!

To animals,  words may be different notes of sound;  but to humans,  they have meanings.  Words have their historic origin. What are these Right and Left?

Left is that which takes the initiative;  the initiative to take steps to do something.  Right is the reaction to that initiative;  reaction to adjust oneself with the new push of the initiative.

Left is innovative,  demanding,  eager and restless. Right is resisting,  passive,  obstructive,  and unwillingly reforming under compulsion.  Left is revolutionary.  Right is reactionary.

Ordinary people,  world over,  are always in the need of basic necessities,  and that is for many reasons, and they are always demanding.  Ordinary people by their very station in life are Leftists. The people who are in a position to provide them those necessities,  by the very nature of their station,  are Rightist.

Spiritualism is Leftist.  Spiritualism concerns itself with the intentions,  motive and conduct of individuals.  Spiritualism is humanism. Spiritualism is not this-worldly;  it soars for something which is beyond the reach of humans, though yet.  Spiritualism calls for sacrifice;  it calls for renunciation.  And Spiritualism is not religion.

Spiritualism is a seed,  which when planted in different kinds of soil, place,  environment grows into plants and trees of different flavors, though of a single seed.

While the seed,  the inner content,  is one,  it can be grown into plants and trees of infinite flavors.

Spiritualism is revolutionary.  It demands change; the change of drastic nature;  the change of comprehensive nature.  Spiritualism opposes all that which insists for a status quo.

Capitalism is materialistic.  Materialism is Rightist.  It concerns itself with this-worldly reality.  It concerns with the grabbing of the desirable things of this world.  It aims at getting what is not available;  if available,  getting more;  and more. It is greedy.  It opposes change, the moment it gets comfortable with its position.  It is reactionary.

Capitalism is Rightist.  Spiritualism does not approve and support Capitalism.  Those who are on the side of Spiritualism,  let them pay heed to this truth.

There had been, and there would be many great leaders in India. But in the current scenario, India needs Modi. Why?

Reasons are many and I list a few of them hereunder:

1. He is not corrupt like almost all the politicians of all the political parties are/were. This fact can be established only by looking at the condition of his brothers and other family members, while seeing the fortunes other Indian politicians and their families have accumulated. For example, compare it with Vadra, Lalus, Akhilesh’s 22 family members, billionaire Dalit queen Mayawati and scores of others.

2. He is bold enough to take even unpopular decisions for the sake of the future of this nation; yes, only time will tell whether his decisions were right or wrong.

3. I live abroad and know what the reputation of India four years ago used to be. It was at the bottom. But today Modi’s PR has got some of our reputation back. We feel that clearly while living in international community.

4. I don’t think any of his ministers have looted the country in the last almost four years, the way Congress had been doing it for 67 years. This itself is a ‘First Thing’ in  the history of ‘India-since-1947”. This single achievement of Modi is enough to make him entitled to be PM of India again in 2019.

5. His strong image before China, Pakistan and other nations would certainly be getting India a better treatment at the international platform. This will benefit India on many national and international fronts.

6. Ask the poor people of this country who have seen the banks first time in their life!  Today their accumulative savings have touched over Rupees 40,000 crores. This figure speaks for itself and how these people feel today.

7. About 1500, 18th century laws have been removed from the statute books in India. These antiquated laws were being used selectively and in discriminate manner by the officialdom to harass the poor and illiterate people in India.

8. Subsidies are reaching direct to the bank accounts of the poor while in Congress raj, all the money used to be pocketed by the middlemen – that is, by local netas and Panchayati heads.

9. 30 million women are enjoying cooking gas and now not burning their own bones to cook for the family.

10. Forget Demonetization and GST at the moment, next generation will understand what good Modi has done for India by his tough and unpopular decisions.

I can cite several such examples and small things which this government has done and is doing continuously. But keep in mind, seventy years of slush cannot be cleared in mere three years.

However, never forget, that this country, with a history of corruption, religious bigotry, enmity, greed, jealousy, intolerance and full of traitors, would not be easy to control even by a Dictator.

And finally, this is not the question whether BJP or Modi is doing good or bad, the million dollar question is, if Congress was tolerated for 6 decades, why not Modi for at least One?

I think if he wins 2019 elections, India – and you – would have many more plesant surprises in store to encounter.

AND THIS TOO:

“I am a Fakir; I have nothing but a mere bag! What am I to lose (nothing)! I will pick up my bag and go away (from the scene)”, said Narendra Modi.

It was said by him at a public rally recently after his demonetization move. And people in India have seen political activists – particularly of the nationalists and Socialists brands – keeping such bags hung on their shoulders.

India is a strange country; here people worship the ones who renounce the world and its enchanting riches. In contrast, in the West the people take it granted that there is nothing immoral in enjoying the pleasures of this world. If you become the rich and turn into a showy arrogant, it is a normal part of human personality; if you can afford, and love it, you may marry, divorce, re-marry, re-divorce and marry again … perhaps ad infinitum. There is nothing wrong with such behavior. But in India it is not so.

In India people worship those who make it their business to control their desires; subdue their ego while still in power; renounce the world, while they are king; express their humility, while at the top of the world. They hold him in high esteem who has the courage to become a ‘Fakir’ (mendicant), while he is in a position to remain and enjoy as the king. Gautama Buddha was the son of a king – and was entitled to be anointed as a king – and he renounced the world. It required the courage to control his desires – a normal human weakness – and detachment for something that is higher than becoming a king. Buddha is worshiped in India for this courage (and of course, his spiritual achievement in the form of ‘Enlightenment’).  Same thing applies to Mahavira (he was also the son of a king), Vivekanda (he was the son of a renowned father), Sri Aurobindo (he studied in England and qualified ICS, which was equivalent of IAS of today), Mahatma Gandhi (he was a Barrister, almost professionally settled in South Africa). India is an endless store of such great personalities who had all the opportunities to enjoy life but had the courage to willingly renounce the alluring riches of this world, which were at hand.

Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India and is a ruler, a king in the modern democratic context. If he chooses – and becomes a little accommodative not to challenge the status quo – he can continue enjoying his position undisturbed; but see what he is up to! Challenging the powerful ones who hold black money; trying to make this country’s economy transparent like a glass where nothing can be hidden; turning things up side down for those who have the power of money in India.

Naturally, he cannot go unchallenged at the hands of those who are going to suffer by these measures! He has touched the hornet nest; and, these stingy powerful persons, in league with each other like a virtual swarm of hornets, will do whatever they can do.

The opponents of Modi are already doing, whatever they can do. The crest-fallen powerful persons – who hold huge unaccounted money – are shedding crocodile tears by standing in the queue to change a few hundred old currency notes! Getting no favorable response from the public, such people have climbed down in their attack saying, “Demonetization is right, but its method is wrong, which we object to”.

Narendra Modi said, “I am a Fakir; I have nothing but a mere bag! What am I to lose (nothing)! I will pick up my bag and go away (from the scene)!”

It is a public knowledge that Modi has his mother, dearest of all in his life, but he doesn’t bring her to his Prime Ministerial palace, to which he is entitled without any blemish. He often goes to the village where she lives in a nondescript house and seeks her blessings. It is a public knowledge that he has a brother, an equally dear one, who carries on his simple avocation of running a shop in a small town as before as if the Prime Minister of India has no connection with him. These facts are within the public knowledge; there may be many more – the ones who are not so loved-ones or distant relatives – but none of them has been given an access to the most powerful place in India to reap the undue benefit of their connection. It is called detachment; it is called controlling one’s desires and normal human weaknesses. India loves such quality. When common people in this country contrast this feat of Modi with an equally known political fact – debasement – of his rivals where these mighty bigwigs have already anointed or doing their best to anoint their sons, brothers, cousins, daughters, daughters-in-law, relatives – near and distant both – to the high public offices, these common people feel enchanted with the greatness of this man called Modi. It works like mesmerism on the public psyche in India.

In political arena today no bigwig can dare to say what Modi has said; because no bigwig can dare to say that he or she is a ‘Fakir or mendicant’; because no bigwig can dare to say that he has nothing to lose; because no bigwig has courage to say openly that he is ready to go away from the political scene.

In Indian political arena today, most of these bigwigs are not ‘Fakir’ but – far from it – self-indulgent petty personalities. Most of them cannot afford to say that they have nothing to lose because they are politically nursing their progeny and near-and-dear loved ones. And none of these bigwigs can ever say that he or she is ready to go away from the political scene because they do their utmost to cling to the power.

Modi has said it, people have heard him saying it and, as if an amplification by resonance, Modi has emerged a taller leader than before.

There is a brilliant child and – because of some unfortunate circumstance – you bring him to your home to make him your domestic servant, proverbial “Ramu”. You lose no chance to tame him – and labour to command, “Ramu, bring a glass of water. You fool, you know nothing. I told you that, but you idiot don’t understand. Do you know, you were to bring cold water, not the one you brought.”; “You can’t do anything properly, always a dumb, why are you lazy?”; “Do this; don’t do that; come here – you stupid, it means, do it as I say”. Within a short time, you will turn that brilliant child into a slave – a human being with a slave mentality. If you suddenly decide to leave that place with your wealth and that “Ramu” to fend for himself with that place and wealth, how would you expect that child to perform? That “Ramu” will still remain a “Ramu”, mis-manage his affairs and behave like a servant, who is acustomed always to get orders and obey orders. As a slave, the child loses his self esteem, capacity to observe the world around him and to take initiative into the unknown future, and his intelligence. The world around him would make out of him a fool and exploit him.

It is an experiment anybody can perform and testify its veracity. It may happen with an individual; but it can also happen with a whole nation. And, it has indeed happened with India.

India was like the brilliant child “Ramu” since ancient times – since Buddha, Mahavira, Chandragupt Maurya, Ashoka and many like them – till 629 AD – till King Shiladitya, popularly known as Harshvardhan (when Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsiang visted India and chronicled what this India was). But it became an unfortunate “Ramu, the slave” since a barbarian in Mohd. bin Kashim invaded and defeated King Dahir of Sindh of India – when the unfortunate Indians living there and elsewhere in India were turned into that “Ramu”. Since then a brilliant India has been reduced to an unfortunate “Ramu”.

These tamed Indians were treated as “Ramus” first by those who had followed    that barbarian Kasim and then by the British imperialists.These “Ramus” joined the armies of their masters and fought against their own countrymen – against those who had somehow realized that it was better to be free than slaves. It is only in this country that when Bhagat Singh was struggling to become a free man of a free country, there were many slave Indians who got him arrested and hanged; it was so with Chandra Shekhar Azad and Subhash Chandra Bose too.

Habits once formed, die hard. We were slave – with the mentality of a “Ramu” – and though we became free in 1947, we still carried this slave mentality – and continue to carry this mentality, this habit, till today. If this were not the case, how come the people of this country allowed them to be ruled in democracy by one single family for so long a period? If this were not the case, how come the people of this country allowed them to remain a mere third world – a third rate – country for so long a period and did not revolt against those who ruled over them in this wretched condition? If this were not the case, how come the people of this country fail to notice that in Narendra Modi there is a man who is spending his life’s  total energy to turn India into a modern and better country and Indians into a happy and proud lot, nationally and internationally both? If it were not the case, how come people of this country fail to notice that all those vying to replace Modi are nothing but time-tested rotten eggs, who are thoroughly  discredited, corrupt and selfishly devoted to the interests of their families and friends?

We may not be able to notice this our apparent slave mentality and admit it. It is but natural. It is well-known that fish live in water but they are not aware of the surrounding water – until they are taken out of the water. Even we live in and breathe air but we are not aware of the presence of this air surrounding us – until we are taken out of this air and suffocate. We are not aware of our slave mentality but anybody coming to India from an outside world – the Western free and proud world – would instantly notice this different mentality, this different reality here in this country. These foreigners would not fail to notice that in India, Indians are a sale-able commodity – of course, with just exceptions. In fact, these foreigners already know this reality of India and exploit it. They have their “Indian sepoys” working for them within India and outside India.

If the people of this country are able to rise above their old habits and apply their common sense, it should become clear to them that today it is a fight – political fight – between Modi and all the rest; it is Modi versus Consortium – called Gathbandhan, rather Maha-Gathbandhan – of Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trnimul Congress, Aam Adami Party, Communist Paty (with all their varieties), Rashtriya Janta Dal …. a long list of all the sundry political outfits.

Many of Indian people may have many grievances – for many reasons – against Bharatiya Janta Party but it should be plain to them, it is not the fight between BJP and this all India consortium of corrupt league – it should be self evident to Indians that it is a fight of this consortium against one person: Narendra Modi.

An honest Indian may have grievances against BJP but no honest Indian could have grievance against Modi. For all Indians – Hindus, Muslims, Christians and the rest of them – who wish to change India for the better, there is no reason not to vote for Modi; there is no excuse not to vote for Modi – be it in State assemblies or in Parliament; if you do not wish to change India – and remain content with what this country is today – then, you may be justified not to vote for him. But who would not like to have India changed for the better? Who would like to remain satisfied with this wretched state of this country – with corruption to the brim, criminals in law making bodies, looters of the wealth to fill the coffers of their families and friends? None ! Then, how come Indians would vote for the sworn enemies of Modi? Are we not proving with our this conduct that we are still behaving like the proverbial “Ramu”?