Fifty years later…today, an undeclared emergency still rules! In a tweet Prime Minister Modi says, “No Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament muzzled and attempts were made to control the courts. The 42nd Amendment is a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted.” Strangely enough, the Prime Minister should realise that under him and under his proto-fascist regime, the people of India are living in an ‘undeclared’ emergency. Today more than ever the poor, marginalised and downtrodden, the minorities, the small farmers, the casual labourers, the migrant workers are particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted. Wonder if he has the courage to sit in a media conference and face direct questions with today’s facts and figures!

Fifty years later…today emergency still rules! Interestingly, in a public meeting the Home Minister Amit Shah said during emergency the governments formed on the basis of people’s mandate were toppled overnight by trampling the spirit of the constitution. The people of the country and especially the young generation should never forget what happens when the dictatorial qualities of a person come to the fore. He said that, today, I ask those who invoke the Constitution whether the consent of the Parliament was taken before declaring the emergency, whether a cabinet meeting was called, whether the countrymen and the opposition were taken into confidence. He said that these are the people associated with the same party who instead of playing the role of protector of democracy, acted as destroyers of democracy. He will certainly not have an answer as to why his party has taken in so many of those former Congressmen and even rewarded them with ministerial posts and/or dropped serious charges/criminal cases against them once they subscribed to the party ideology. Or for that matter, when the Hindutva brigade have framed a new constitution for the country –why hasn’t he unequivocally condemned it?

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! Article 19 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, along with other freedoms. But this right is being systematically throttled today! India is still ranked at a pathetic 151 out of 180 countries, in the World Press Freedom Index 2025, published early in May. The index, in its India section, analyses the state of media in the country stating, “India’s media has fallen into an “unofficial state of emergency” since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 and engineered a spectacular rapprochement between his party, the BJP, and the big families dominating the media. Reliance Industries group’s magnate Mukesh Ambani, a close friend of the prime minister, owns more than 70 media outlets that are followed by at least 800 million Indians. The NDTV channel’s acquisition at the end of 2022 by Gautam Adani, a tycoon who is also close to Modi, signalled the end of pluralism in the mainstream media. Recent years have also seen the rise of “Godi media” (a play on Modi’s name and the word for “lapdogs”) – media outlets that mix populism and pro-BJP propaganda. Through pressure and influence, the Indian model of a pluralist press is being called into question. The prime minister does not hold press conferences, grants interviews only to journalists who are favourable to him, and is highly critical of those who do not show allegiance. Indian journalists who are very critical of the government are subjected to harassment campaigns by BJP-backed trolls”.  

Fifty years later….today, an undeclared emergency still rules! It is an undisputable fact, that today a large section of the Indian media is spineless, godified and corrupt! They spew out falsities and half-truths, platitudes and hollowness, fed to them by their political bosses. Most of the media is owned and controlled by some corporate houses which toe the line of the ruling regime for their own self-interests. The electronic media get their TRPs through debates indulging in shouting, shrieking and slanging; their anchors clearly ‘chamchas’ of the powers. If any journalist dares question the ‘staus quo’, it would mean the end of one’s career. Media, in general, is co-opted and compromised. Many just ignore realities for fear of reprisals. Even the suffering people of Gaza do not get the necessary coverage. Alternative media is hounded and harassed as never before! Authenticity and impartiality, to report freely and fearlessly the plain truth, is no longer the core competency of the media today. 

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! The right to dissent is fundamental to a vibrant democracy, as it allows citizens to express disagreement with government policies, actions, or decisions. In a democratic society, the freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, provides the foundation for this right. Dissent is essential for ensuring that a pluralistic society thrives, allowing for diverse opinions and checks on power. Without the freedom to express dissent, democracy becomes autocratic, as the government would not be held accountable by its citizen. In Parliament, the opposition is not allowed to speak freely: they are shouted down or the mike is muted. The current regime brooks no dissent. Citizens in Delhi and Bombay are arrested for their pro-Palestine stand! Ask a question or for facts on Pahelgam – and one becomes ‘anti-national’! In Ahmedabad, there is a general imposition of Section 144 which prohibits any public demonstration – unless permission is granted. The imprisonment and the institutional murder of Fr Stan Swamy on 5 July 2021 – is a case in point. Besides him there were fifteen others illegally incarcerated in the Bhima-Koregaon conspiracy case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been used selectively to quell every form of dissent. Since September 2020, JNU scholar Umar Khalid has been languishing in jail on trumped up charges. Today (26 June) is the ‘International Day in Support of Victims of Torture’. Torture is a convenient way to quell dissent; to silence opposition. At a Media Conference in Geneva yesterday, India’s leading human rights activist Advocate Henri Tiphagne strongly stated that India has “zero accountability” where cases of police brutality and deaths in custody, are concerned.

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! There is a serious lack of political will to address systemic burning issues which have gripped the nation. There are hurried, biased legislation and prejudiced policies (all carefully designed to decimate the Constitution)like the National Education Policy, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the anti – conversion laws, the anti-farmer laws, the four labour codes, the Universal Civil Code, the ‘One Nation, One Election’, the Waqf Bill, the Imposition of Hindi as the national language, the delimitation plan, the delisting of Tribals/Adivasis who have accepted Christianity or Islam, Constitutional and quasi bodies like the Election Commission, the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the NIA, the police and some in  the judiciary are compromised; they have become ‘Caged Parrots’; they simply follow the ‘diktats’ of the regime.

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! In the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024, India is ranked 105 out of 127 countries, with a score of 27.3, which indicates a “serious” level of hunger. This score reflects ongoing challenges with food insecurity and malnutrition in the country. Whilst India boasts of producing some of the richest persons in the world, the fact is that vast sections of the society still do not have access to roti- kapda- makaan(food-clothing-shelter) and the other basic amenities of life; many still below the poverty line. The gap between the rich and the poor grows wider every day! The Adivasis/Tribals (indigenous people), who constitute a sizable section of India’s population are denied their jal- jungle- jameen (water-forests-land) and other legitimate rights. Thousands of them are displaced because of mega- projects. Primary education in the remote tribal villages is non – existent and so is Medicare for them; a large percentage of Tribals have to migrate to urban areas / other States in search of employment. Besides them, most migrant workers, continue to be excluded and exploited! The plight of the Dalits, the OBCs leave much to be desired; untouchability is practiced everywhere; manual scavenging still exists; the reality of the safai kamdars (those who clean the sewage tanks) is pathetic. These and other vulnerable sections of society are testimony to the fact that today, is worse than the ‘emergency! 

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! The current regime seems to be determined on destroying our fragile ecosystems!  On the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), India is ranked at a pathetically low position of 176 out of 180 countries. The low ranking is due to poor air quality, high projected emissions and low biodiversity scores. The EPI uses 58 indicators to assess a country’s environmental performance. Indicators, include biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste management, emission growth rates, projected emissions, etc., under the three main heads of ecosystem vitality, environmental health and climate change. To assess how well countries are safeguarding their natural treasures, the EPI added a new category this year: biodiversity and habitat. This category revealed a worrying trend – many protected areas are being overtaken by buildings and agriculture. India’s heavy reliance on coal is a key factor hindering its environmental performance across multiple indicators. Coal use not only fuels high greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes significantly to India’s severe air pollution problem. The regime is in nexus with the mining mafia, only interested in profiteering. This is reflected in India’s rankings: 177 for air quality (above only Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal).

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! In its Annual Report 2024, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom(USCIRF) has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ or CPC, or engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The very incisive report details how throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished. These events constitute particularly severe violations of religious freedom. It describes the use of misinformation and disinformation, including hate speech, by government officials to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship. It further describes changes to and enforcement of India’s legal framework to target and disenfranchise religious minorities, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and several state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws. It is no secret that, ever since the Modi-regime, assumed power in 2014, there has been incessant attacks on the minorities of India particularly on the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. Hate speeches denigrating and demonising minorities are the rule of the day even during the election campaign speeches of Modi! Some governments have policies which are blatantly anti- minority. ‘Bull-dozer justice’ is meted out to minorities; regularly in the State of UP and recently over 8.000 homes of Muslims were razed around Chandola Lake in Ahmedabad. Minorities are also denied employment opportunities in the Government. According to a recent report released by an Advocacy group, there are at least two attacks per day on Christians and their institutions.

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! For more than two years now, since 3 May 2023, Tribals (who are mainly Christian) in the State of Manipur have been at the receiving end of a vicious Government! Even today, the violence continues unabated: many are killed and many more are injured; thousands (particularly the Kuki-Zo people) are living as refugees elsewhere. Their houses and places of worship are destroyed. Their land has been taken away from them! That the State and Central Governments are responsible for the ongoing violence in Manipur, leaves no one in doubt. That they have shown not an iota of political will to quell the violence and restore law and order in Manipur is a clear proof that, today, is worse than the ‘emergency!’

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! Transparency International ranked India 96 out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Corruption is mainstreamed in the country; practically nothing can be done without greasing the palms of those in power. Politicians from opposition parties are easily bought up. The ruling regime has made mindboggling amounts of money through demonetisation and the sale of electoral bonds (EB). Corruption has become new normal in India. The massive and unprecedented scam of the Electoral Bonds rocked the nation a short while ago! What about the Delhi Judge who had tonnes of money stashed up in a room in his house, which caught fire recently? People are bought up before the elections. The BJP regime must be the most corrupt amongst the world democracies today!

Fifty years later…. today, an undeclared emergency still rules! On every parameter, the current regime has proved to be fascist and not in tune with the expectations of the people. Yes, they do win elections because they rig electoral rolls, tamper with selective EVMs and even use money to buy up voters and opposing candidates and of course have the Election Commission doing their bidding. The big joke today is that the Government observes 25 June as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’, which loosely translates to ‘the day the Constitution was killed’.  Pathetic indeed! Some time ago, BJP senior leader Subramanian Swamy, wrote a detailed article ‘The Unlearnt Lessons of Emergency'(The Hindu on 13 June 2000). In that he revealed how several leaders (including Atal Bihari Vajpayee) from the RSS and Jan Sangh had engaged in secret negotiations with Indira Gandhi and agreed to toe her line- and were released on parole. They have reached today a low level of fascism that they are unable even to think rationally, factually and objectively! Of course, they are also not willing to see and acknowledge of how they are destroying the sanctity of the Constitution today.

In his path-breaking book, ‘India’s Undeclared Emergency’ (Constitutionalism and the Politics of Resistance), Bangalore- based legal luminaire, Arvind Narrain, presents an incisive and accurate analysis of how the Modi- regime has ushered in, through direct and subtle ways, an undeclared emergency! In his final Chapter ‘What is to be done?’ Narrain gives us a cue when he states, “how does one confront an authoritarian State that openly uses repressive laws to shut down dissent? And what if the State is not just authoritarian but also potentially has totalitarian ambitions? That such a regime is in power in India today makes the insistent Leninist question’ What is to be done?’ very important to ask and very difficult to answer. In some ways, the answer must be gathered from what is already being done. There is dissatisfaction with the actions of the regime, and it has found a voice in acts of resistance, both big and small, spanning every field- from culture to law to politics. Such resistance could draw sustenance both from contemporary forms of activism as well as global histories of dissent, and be nourished by a deeper historical, cultural and political understanding. But this is essential: a strong and united resistance must emerge!”

Narran’s words find resonance with what Dr. B. R. Ambedkar said to the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949, “If we wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principle of Government of the people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of the evils that lie across our path and which induce people to prefer Government for the people to Government by the people, nor to be weak in our initiative to remove them. That is the only way to serve the country. I know of no better.”

Yes, it is fifty years since the emergency declared by Indira Gandhi! But today, we all need to wake up, heed the call of Narrain and Ambedkar by demonstrating unflinching courage and resistance to the terrible reality of an ‘undeclared’ emergency today! 

(The author is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer)

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It is a tragedy of immense proportion! One of the worst in the history of civil aviation in India! An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (AI-171), from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after take-off. The flight departed at 1:38 pm from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday June 12. The failure to achieve the lift happened at a very low altitude of 825 feet, resulting in a crash and bursting into a ball of fire. Just 33 seconds after take- off! The plane had 242 people on board – 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots Videos show the plane struggling to gain altitude before it begins losing lift (upward force that allows an aircraft to stay airborne) and crashes, exploding in a ball of fire. The devastating crash claimed 241 out of the 242 on board!  According to the news agency Reuters, ‘the plane was carrying 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian. Passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 infants’. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion followed by flames and heavy smoke rising near the crash site.

No one, at this juncture, seems to know the actual cause of this terrible accident! There are of course surmises, assumptions, opinions ad nauseam; mainstream and social media are full of them. One thing however emerges on which there is widespread unanimity, is that it was undoubtedly a technical/mechanical problem that caused the crash. Experts say that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is a model that had an immaculate safety record. There are however, opinions which differ and major flaws in the Dreamliner have been pointed out in the past. All this, for the moment is a matter of conjecture. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India officials will have to release more authentic details (as investigations progress), only then will a clearer and more accurate picture be revealed.

The added tragedy is that the aircraft crashed into the residential quarters of the BJ Medical College, just a few metres outside the airport. Many students were having lunch at that time; others in their quarters. At least four MBBS students and a doctor’s wife were immediately confirmed dead speaking to reporters the College dean Dr Minakshi Parikh said,”While four MBBS students living in the hostel died, 19 were injured. Five of them are serious. Two third-year students are untraceable. A doctor’s wife was also killed while two relatives of other doctors were injured. Three members of a doctor’s family went missing after the incident.” The number of those killed on the campus is expected to be much higher.

The moment the tragedy took place – there was a united response from every quarter. Civilians at great risk ran to the spot to be of help, there were emergency response teams (from the military, para –military and police forces), the firefighters were in full swing and so were the medical personnel with ambulances. They arrived swiftly at the scene of the crash even as plumes of smoke billowed from the wreckage. Rescue operations began immediately with the injured individuals being rushed to nearby hospitals. Local authorities cordoned off the area, and aviation experts were brought on-site to assess the situation.

All this makes one realise the temporariness and unpredictability of life. Plenty of memes and quotes are going viral – which include “Life is so unpredictable- you go for a vacation and you are killed by shooters; you go for a trophy victory parade and are killed in a stampede. You go on a flight for work/vacation and it crashes. You are eating / studying in the comfort and security of your home and the plane crashes right on you killing you!” Sad indeed but that is the truth and fact of life!

From the deceased emerge stories of reunions, new opportunities of homecoming and more; several heart-rending ones. There is the story of a family of five – husband and wife and their three children – from Banswara in Rajasthan. Dr Kaumi Vyas, her husband Pratik Joshi and their three children – Miraya, and the twins Pradyut and Nakul – were going to London to start a new chapter of their lives. While on the plane, Pratik took a selfie of the family in which all five of them are seen smiling. While Joshi and his wife Kaumi are seated next to each, the three children are seated beside them on the other side together, all posing for the camera with a smile. Pratik had been living in London for six years. A software professional, he’d long dreamed of building a life abroad for his wife and three young children, who stayed back in India. After years of waiting for due clearances the dream was finally coming true. Just two days ago, Kamini a renowned doctor in Udaipur, resigned from her job. The bags were packed, goodbyes said, the future within reach. They sent the selfie to several a one-way journey to a new life. But they never made it. None of them are alive today!

Then there was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal a seasoned pilot who had 8,300 hours of flying experience. A resident of Powai, Mr Sabharwal, had reportedly promised his father that he would quit his job shortly and take care of him full time. Mr Sabharwal was single and lived with his nonagenarian father who used to work with the DGCA. Then there was the Co-pilot a Clive Kunder who had 1,100 hours of flying experience. He, too, comes from a family of aviation enthusiasts, with his mother being a former Air India flight attendant. A popular young man of the Kalina area of Bombay who dreamt of great life ahead!  Then there were the two other flight attendants from Manipur. Nganthoi Kongbrailatpam and Singson Lamnunthem. Nganthoi is a resident of Thoubal district. While Singson, who originally belongs to Old Lambulane in Imphal West, has been residing in Kangpokpi district due to the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state. Both their families had suffered much because of the conflict; the hopes of their families rested on them.

In a matter of seconds, a lifetime of dreams turned to ash. A brutal reminder, life is terrifyingly fragile. Everything you build, everything you hope for, everything you love, it all hangs by a thread. So while you can, live, love, and don’t wait for happiness to start tomorrow. Life after all is temporary and very unpredictable! Even for Ms Bhoomi Chauhan, who was to board the ill-fated flight. The traffic jams in Ahmedabad delayed her and she missed her flight to London by just ten minutes! “My body is shivering” she stated even as she sighs with relief!

Prayers are being said all over; candle light vigils are being held. Messages of sympathy are pouring in from all over the world – including from several world leaders Pope Leo XIV sent a message to express his “heartfelt condolences” to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the crash. Saying that he was, “deeply saddened by the tragedy involving an Air India aircraft near Ahmedabad.” He has assured everyone affected of his prayers for those involved in the recovery efforts, and commended the souls of the deceased to “the mercy of the Almighty.”

Viktor Emil Frankl (1905 – 1997) was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and a holocaust survivor, who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. He was the founder of ‘logotherapy’, a school of psychotherapy which describes a search for a life meaning as the central human motivational force. The autobiographical Man’s Search for Meaning, a best-selling book, is based on his experiences in various Nazi concentration camps. In the book he tells the story of how he survived the Holocaust by finding personal meaning in the experience, which gave him the will to live through it. His ‘logotherapy is based on the premise that man’s underlying motivator in life is a “will to meaning,” even in the most difficult of circumstances. Frankl pointed to research indicating a strong relationship between “meaninglessness” and criminal behaviours, addictions and depression. Dr. Frankl explains: “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible”. 

We are called to reflect on the meaning and purpose of our lives. We live in this world for such a short time. We are just pilgrims! Why then do we have to hate and kill each other? Why should we waste this short while in discriminating and demonising, excluding and exploiting the other? Can we not make of ourselves pilgrims of hope radiating compassion and unity, equity and fraternity to others? Yes, in this temporary and unpredictable life we all must give ourselves and others both meaning and fulfilment! 

In the meantime, let our hearts, minds and lips well up in prayer:

“May all the victims of this terrible plane tragedy –

-those in the plane and those in the BJ Medical College campus –

Rest in Peace!

Our heartfelt and prayerful condolences

to ALL who have lost a loved one

We share in their grief!”

 (The author is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist and writer;  cedricprakash@gmail.com ) 

Related:

Speculation about the cause of Air India crash is rife. An aviation expert explains why it’s a problem

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Plenty of ‘tokenism’ and ‘cosmetic’ action – most of which, will be forgotten tomorrow. Trees are necessary but is there someone who will nurture the saplings and ensure their growth? Public awareness on the importance of the environment is a prerequisite – but then words ring hollow when the ones who wax eloquent are the very ones who are in nexus with the land mafia who cover our waterbodies for their high-rise building and who cohort with the mining mafia to plunder our precious natural resources.

Interestingly, the theme for World Environment Day 2025 is ‘Ending Global Plastic Pollution’. It focuses on the widespread impact of plastic pollution, from visible waste to micro plastics in various ecosystems, and calls for action to reduce and eliminate it. But who cares? Some of the big manufacturers will continue rolling out their reams of plastic without any qualms of conscience – after all, they will always have the protection of the powerful. Our seas and rivers are polluted with plastic waste. There are practically no checks and balances, to ensure that plastics below 120 microns are not used as carry-bags or for that matter there is strict segregation of garbage disposal and nothing is dumped into our seas, rivers and other water-bodies,

On the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), India is ranked at a pathetically low position of 176 out of 180 countries. The low ranking is due to poor air quality, high projected emissions and low biodiversity scores. The EPI uses 58 indicators to assess a country’s environmental performance. Indicators, include biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste management, emission growth rates, projected emissions, etc., under the three main heads of ecosystem vitality, environmental health and climate change.

To assess how well countries are safeguarding their natural treasures, the EPI added a new category this year: biodiversity and habitat. This category revealed a worrying trend – many protected areas worldwide are being overtaken by buildings and agriculture. India’s heavy reliance on coal is a key factor hindering its environmental performance across multiple indicators. Coal use not only fuels high greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes significantly to India’s severe air pollution problem. This is reflected in India’s rankings: 177 for air quality (above only Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal).

This grim reality, cries for Environmental Justice! It is the cry of the poor! The cry of the earth! ‘Environmental justice’ is today a global social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has generated hundreds of studies showing that exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed. Additionally, many marginalized communities, including the LGBTQIA+ community, are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters.

The primary goal of the environmental justice movement, is to achieve agency for poor and marginalized communities (particularly the excluded and exploited) in making environmental decisions that affect their lives. The global environmental justice movement arises from local environmental conflicts in which environmental defenders frequently confront multi-national corporations in resource extraction or other industries. Local outcomes of these conflicts are increasingly influenced by trans-national environmental justice networks.  In India we experience today how mega-corporations and the mining mafia are literally ruling the roost. What is happening in the tribal areas of Manipur and the Adivasi areas of Bastar, Chhattisgarh today are clear examples of how environmental justice is denied to these sections of people!

In a few days from now, the 62nd sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB 62) will convene from June 16 to 26, at the World Conference Centre Bonn in Germany. The outcomes of SB 62 are expected to shape the agenda and inform decisions at COP30 later in the year. The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that is COP30 will take place from 10 to 21 November in Belém, Brazil.  During this climate summit, governments must take new steps to limit the climate crisis and achieve the target of a maximum of 1.5 degrees of global warming.

In the context of the above two meetings, the Society of Jesus have launched globally ‘Jesuits for Climate Justice SB62 and COP30 campaign’ stating that, “the climate crisis can no longer be denied. Its most severe effects are felt in countries where extreme weather devastates communities, rising sea levels threaten coastal regions, and ecosystem collapse jeopardizes livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns of “a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.” This crisis demands immediate and decisive actions, and COP30 is a critical event for the global community in addressing the climate emergency. In the spirit of the Jubilee of Hope, we call upon all people of goodwill to advocate for a just and sustainable future, urging delegates to COP30 and governments to: 

1. Cancel the debt of underdeveloped countries and strengthen the Loss and Damage Fund. Unjust and unpayable debts from underdeveloped nations should be cancelled so that resources could be free for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, and a grant-based Loss and Damage Fund must provide adequate resources to address the devastating impacts of climate change. 

2. Accelerate agreements and set targets for a Just Energy Transition to reduce CO2 emissions. A Just Energy Transition should consider historical responsibilities, respect Indigenous rights, value nature, and prioritize sustainable livelihoods over profit-driven models. 

3. Set concrete targets to build a Global Food Sovereignty System based on agro ecological practices. A system that promotes culturally adapted modes of production, transformation, distribution, and food consumption, applying ecological principles to agriculture. 

The COP process is imperative for making international progress on the climate crisis. Pope Francis stated, “It is a matter of establishing global and effective rules that can permit ‘providing for’ this global safeguarding” (LD, 43). All are invited to join in this important campaign.

Long years ago Mahatma Gandhi reminded us that, “the world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not everyone’s greed.” In his path-breaking Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, our beloved late Pope Francis echoes a similar sentiment “we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”  These are genuine cries for environmental justice! But is the world listening? Are we listening? If so, radical and prompt action is demanded immediately – NOW! 

(The writer is a human rights, reconciliation, environmental & peace activist/writer)

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In the death of Pope Francis, the world has lost one of the greatest personalities of modern times! We are saddened that he is no longer in our midst!

He was truly a compassionate pastor with a warm, loving heart for the poor and marginalised, the excluded and the exploited, the refugees and the migrants, the LGBTGIA+ community, the victims of war and human trafficking and in fact, with all sub-alterns and those who live on the peripheries of society.

Pope Francis transcended boundaries and exclusiveness, divisions and discrimination of every kind. He was convinced that humans should build bridges and not walls, to reach out to others, particularly the lost, the last and the least. His Encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’ speaks strongly about this.

Pope Francis was deeply troubled by what is happening to the environment. He cared for our common home and wished that all take responsibility to ensure that our planet earth is liveable for all. His writings ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Laudate Deum’ on the environment, bear testimony to his concern.

Pope Francis was a man of peace! He spoke out unequivocally against every war and the industrial military complex; he took a strong stand against the ‘culture of death’. He spoke directly to the most powerful people on earth reminding them of what they should be doing. His last tweet on 20 April evening began with “I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible…”

Above all, Pope Francis was a man of God, sent to be a pilgrim on earth; to motivate all of us with a newer, deeper and more meaningful hope! He was a complete human being who left no stone unturned to make our world a more just, peaceful and humane place for all! He was and is a SAINT!

Millions all over will miss him! In his death the world is orphaned!    

(The author is a human rights, justice, reconciliation & peace activist/writer)

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“This land is your land, and this land is my land

From California to the New York island

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters

This land was made for you and me”

A special stanza of the song was:

“There was a big, high wall there that tried to stop me

A sign was painted said ‘Private Property’

But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing

This land was made for you and me.”

The song is essentially a protest song, first composed by the American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940. It was a critical response to Irving Berlin’s ‘God Bless America’ Its melody is based on a Carter Family tune called ‘When the World’s on Fire’. The song was a hit then, particularly during World War II; over the years, the lyrics of the song have undergone several changes and adaptations. The essence however remains the same, “this land was made for you and me.” In 2025, it was listed at No. 11 of ‘The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time.’ Given the context of the highly polarised and divided world we live in– this song is definitely all the more relevant today!

About a week ago, on Sunday 2 March, at the 97^th Academy Awards, ‘No Other Land’ won the coveted Oscar for the Best Documentary Film. The film has been made by four Israeli and Palestinian activists (Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor) and is a powerful examination of life under occupation. It is their directorial debut. They describe the film as an act of resistance on the path to justice during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

‘No Other Land’ is a portrait of a West Bank village under Israeli military occupation. The documentary film gets its title from a statement by a long-time Masafer Yatta resident who says, “we have no other land. It is our land. That is why we suffer for it.” For the ones who have seen this path-breaking documentary. ‘No Other Land’ is a breathtakingly powerful chronicle of what it means to live with the constant threat of eviction. The film captures with heartrending detail the relentlessness of Israel’s effort to remove any trace of Palestinian presence in the West Bank. This reality is what the world painfully witnesses today and yet does not dare to address collectively!

The documentary has the friendship between Basel and Yuval as a backgrounder. Their relationship is filled with intense emotions. Basel is very anxious over the fate of his family and village, to the point of exhaustion. Yuval expresses guilt and sorrow over being unable to prevent imminent destruction or to persuade his fellow- Israelis to see reason. There is a sad but grim irony when Basel says that he has a law degree, but can only find work as a construction labourer in Israel. The manner in which the judiciary can be used to redesignate land use and thus enable unfeeling eviction policies points to a familiar playbook predicated on absolute denial of basic human rights.

In their acceptance speech, two of the film’s four directors pleaded for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist who is from Masafer Yatta, a region of the West Bank said, “About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter [is] that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now – always fearing settlers’ violence, home demolitions and forceful displacements that my community, Masafer Yatta, is living and facing every day under the Israeli occupation.…We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.” Adra also described the issues faced by his village, including home demolitions and displacement.

Yuval Abraham, an Israeli investigative journalist, co-director of the film said, “When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law, and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control. Israelis and Palestinians are ‘intertwined’; my people can be truly safe if Basel’s people are truly free and safe.”

In February 2024, at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, ‘No Other Land’ won the Berlinale Documentary Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film. During his acceptance speech then, Abraham criticized Israel saying, “We are standing in front of you now, me and Basel are the same age. I am Israeli; Basel is Palestinian. And in two days we will go back to a land where we are not equal. I am living under a civilian law and Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another, but I have voting rights. Basel is not having voting rights. I’m free to move where I want in this land. Basel is, like millions of Palestinians, locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end”.

Adra chipped in saying, “It’s our first movie; since many years my community, my family has been filming our community being erased by this brutal occupation. I am here celebrating the award, but also very hard for me to celebrate when there are tens of thousands of my people being slaughtered and massacred by Israel in Gaza. Masafer Yatta, my community, is being also razed by Israeli bulldozers. I ask one thing: for Germany, as I am in Berlin here, to respect the U.N. calls and stop sending weapons to Israel.”

Since its release in February 2024, the documentary has won numerous awards and accolades from all over the world. However, for obvious reasons it has not been screened in India. Even its entry to certain Film Festivals here, has been inexplicably cancelled. The fascist regime which rules the country today will not allow Freedom of Speech and Expression to its citizens. A film which shows the Israeli regime in poor light, is in India, a certain ‘no-no’! Even in the United States, the film has failed to find a distributor because it reveals truths that Americans should not see! When the film won the Oscar, it was natural that some Israelis were outraged, using every trick in the book to denigrate the directors of the film and the cast.

‘No Other Land’ is about divisiveness and discrimination, about demonization and denigration, about demolition and destruction! At the receiving end are the Palestinian people – the ‘other’! It is not without reason that Pope Francis has been praying every single day for them and regularly speaking to those affected in Gaza. It is a film which is a powerful manifestation of the terrible reality faced by millions all over the world. Here in India, the Kuki-zo people of Manipur and the minorities (particularly Muslims and Christians) have to face this reality daily!

As the bull-dozers, continue to go on rampage demolishing and destroying the lives and homes of the vulnerable, it is time that the fascist and dictatorial rulers of the world realise that “this land was made for you and me” and wake up to the statement by the Masafer Yatta resident “we have no other land. It is our land. That is why we suffer for it.”  Yes, there is No Other Land! 

(Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/ writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com  )

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The news item highlights that a 501-page document, prepared by a 25-member committee of scholars, draws inspiration from the Ramayana, the rules and teachings of Krishna, Manusmriti and Chanakya’s Arthashastra. The so-called ‘Constitution’ based on the Hindutva ideology, is expected to be unveiled at the Mahakumbh on Sunday February 2, when the Hindus celebrate ‘Basant Panchami’. Whether it will actually take place is anyone’s guess; the painful fact however, is that no one from the ruling regime, who swear by the Constitution of the country, has had the courage to say that very thought of propagating such an idea should be regarded as anti-national!

The committee which has put together this Constitution is known as the ‘Hindu Rashtra Samvidhan Nirmal Samiti’ and apparently consists of so-called scholars of the ‘Sanatan Dharma.’ Swami Anand Swaroop Maharaj, patron of the committee, told reporters at the Mahakumbh, that their target was to make India a Hindu nation by 2035. (their original plan was to make India a Hindutva- nation in 2025 – the centenary year of the RSS- but their plans failed miserably when they did not get the required numbers in the last Parliamentary elections- to make any undemocratic Constitutional changes).

The key provisions in the proposed ‘Constitution’ include:

• Mandatory Military Education: Every citizen of the Hindu Rashtra will be required to undergo military education.
• Harsher Punishment for Theft: The constitution proposes stricter punishment for theft and other crimes. (apparently there is no word on ‘corruption’ – which is the forte of the ruling regime)
• Tax Exemption for Agriculture: The tax system will be revamped, with agriculture being completely tax-free.
• Unicameral Legislature: The Hindu Dharma Parliament will be a unicameral legislature, with members known as Dharmik Sansads.
• Minimum Voting Age: The minimum voting age has been fixed at 16 years, with only those belonging to Sanatan Dharma allowed to contest elections.
• The Rashtradhyaksh, the chief of the country, would be chosen by three-fourths of the elected members of the legislature

Swaroop reiterated, “Human values are in the nucleus of our Constitution, which has been prepared by 14 scholars from north and 11 from south India. Our Constitution is not against other religions but those who are found involved in anti-national activities will face harsher punishment than what is awarded to them currently…. Over 300 amendments have been made in the Indian Constitution in the last seven decades but our scriptures are the same for the last several thousand centuries. There are 127 Christian, 57 Muslim and 15 Buddhist countries. Even the Jews have Israel. But the Hindus, whose population is over 175 crores across the world, have no Hindu nation.”

The writing has been on the wall since a long time now: the attacks on the Christians in 1998-99, in different parts of India and particularly in the Dangs District and other areas of South Gujarat became International headlines. The Gujarat Carnage in 2002 when more than 2000 Muslims were murdered, many more brutalised and even raped and thousands of others having to leave forever a place they once called their home –was perhaps the blackest chapter in post –independent India.

Over the years, and particularly since 2014, when the BJP seized the reins of power once again – every effort is being made to denigrate and demonise the minorities of India and especially the Muslims, the Christians and the Sikhs; they have also been derogatively referred to as ‘terrorists’, ‘converters’ and ‘khalistanis’, respectively.  There is a systematic move to paint the minorities as ‘anti-national’! Personnel and properties of the minority communities are regularly targeted.

The Judiciary –and in particular, the Supreme Court – has been one bastion of hope for the minorities, given its fundamental role and responsibility in protecting the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. Unfortunately, in the recent past, the Judiciary at various levels seem to have abdicated this non-negotiable duty – of impartiality, objectivity and of not siding with any particular faith and/or ideology. There are facts and other indicators to substantiate this!

Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court is a classic example!

On 8 December, he addressed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) legal cell, in Allahabad High Court on ‘Uniform Civil Code–A Constitutional Imperative’. He argued in favour of a Uniform Civil Code and demanded for changes in the Muslim personal laws. His speech smacked of blatant ‘majoritarianism’ saying that India should function according to the wishes of the “majority,” meaning Hindus! Justice Yadav assured the VHP gathering that as the Ram Mandir was constructed in Ayodhya after years of “sacrifices by our ancestors,” the Uniform Civil Code would also become a reality soon. “Did you imagine seeing the Ram Mandir with your own eyes? But you did see it. Many of our ancestors made sacrifices for it, in the hope of seeing Ram Lalla freed and witnessing the construction of a grand temple. They couldn’t see it but did their part and now we are witnessing it.”. Likewise, he said that the country would get a UCC. “That day is not very far,” he emphatically declared. On 17 December, he was summoned by the Chief Justice of India to appear before the Collegium regarding his remarks. A month later, he writes to the Chief Justice, saying he stands by his remarks which, he maintained, did not violate any principle of judicial conduct.

The remarks of Justice Yadav are just the tip of the iceberg. There was the case of a Christian Pastor who had died, being denied the right to burial in his native village in Chhattisgarh by the village panchayat. After knocking at all doors in his State, his son had to seek justice from the Supreme Court. On 27 January, the two-member bench of the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict in the case. It directed that the body of the pastor be buried at a Christian graveyard 20 km away and asked the State administration to provide all support. Since the body was already in the morgue for almost three weeks, the judgement did not feel it appropriate to refer the matter to a larger bench.

Justice BV Nagarathna, however, strongly upheld the secular character of the Constitution. In her path-breaking judgment she asserted that, “It is said that death is a great leveller and we need to remind ourselves of this. This death has led to divisiveness among villagers on the right to burial. The appellant says there is discrimination and prejudice,” She noted that the High Court accepted a suggestion that displaced the practices being followed in the village. “The death of the person has given (way) to disharmony since it was not solved by the village panchayat. Panchayat has been taking sides which led to the case in high court and Supreme Court.” She pointed to the police affidavit that says a Christian convert cannot be allowed burial on the village grounds. “This is unfortunate and violates Articles 21 and 14 and furthers discrimination on the grounds of religion. The State cannot deny equality before the law. How could ASP Bastar give such an affidavit and what was the authority? it betrays the sublime principle of secularism.” Sadly, however, the other Justice thought otherwise and the Christian Pastor had to be buried far away from his village.

On January 27, Uttarakhand introduced and began implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which most legal and Constitutional experts find highly discriminatory. It is clearly aimed at targeting sections of the minorities- particularly Muslims and Christians. The law, among other things, does not challenge patriarchal provisions in Hindu civil law, for instance, on the guardianship of a minor boy or unmarried girl going to the father, and only after him, to the mother. Strangely enough the law will not be applicable to Scheduled Tribes, with the CM saying, “We have kept our scheduled tribes mentioned under Article 342 of the Constitution out of this code so that those rights can be protected!” So the question being asked is how ‘Uniform’ is this code?

There is plenty else happening all over the country with regard to the rights of minorities and to the cause of secularism. The tribal Christians in Manipur have been suffering since May 2023. In UP, a Christian Pastor and his wife have been convicted under the State’s draconian anti- Conversion law whilst several others are languishing in jail. In every one of them – there is absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing, just that they were conducting prayer meetings or having a Bible in their house. The anti- conversion laws in several states ruled by the BJP, not only violate Article 25 enshrined in the Constitution is but also a blatant attempt to discriminate against the minorities. ‘Ghar wapasi’ which is also a conversion exercise, does not come into the ambit of this law. Amit Shah in his election campaign in Maharashtra promised that such a law would be introduced in that State too!

The list is endless indeed! Mobs stormed the gates and the grounds the Jesuit –run Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada, demanding that they are entitled to use the private premises as per their whims and fancies.  The High Court of Gujarat recently upheld the decision of the Gujarat State for a centralised process for recruiting teachers and principals in religious and linguistic minority educational institutions.  The UP Chief Minister on Republic Day publicly asserted that ‘Sanathan Dharma’ is the religion of the country! Then there is the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 which is supposed to be tabled in Parliament during this current budget session; A united opposition, however, has slammed the government on the passage of the draft report on the Waqf Amendment Bill saying they had no say, and all their amendments were defeated, and that only the amendments presented by the ruling party were taken up and considered. With frightening regularity one reads about how minorities are targeted for what they eat and wear, see and read!

Intellectual and social activist Professor Apoorvanand writes an incisive and hard-hitting article in ‘The Wire’ ( January 29, 2025).  The article entitled, ‘The Loneliness of Being Christian in India’, is replete with incontrovertible facts. He emphatically states, “but as human beings, we must ask: what kind of country is it where only Christians have to worry about attacks on Christians, and the rest of society remains deaf to their concerns? The prime minister of India issues statements about violence against Christians outside India, but in India, Christians are being attacked and arrested for having and distributing Bibles, and churches are being targeted. During Christmas season, he visits churches and meets religious leaders, but lets the blood of Christians flow. Are only Hindus allowed to preach their religion in India? 

What Prof. Apoorvanand states with angst, is an undeniable fact! There is a method in their madness, there is no doubt about it! The rot, we all know, starts at the top! At stake is the secular character of our nation and the future of democracy in our country- which is being destroyed systematically! We must wake up now and act with other like-minded women and men!

February 1, 2025 

(The author is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)

Related:

Celebrate Diversity

For my birthday, ‘you are organising in my name,’ a point of order: Christmas invite to PM Modi

India Cries for Freedom!

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‘Makar Sankranti’ (traditionally on 14 January) is one of the great Festivals of India. It essentially marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius (dhanu) to Capricorn (makara). As this transition coincides with the sun’s movement from south to north, the festival is dedicated to ‘Surya’, the Sun God. It marks a new beginning as in several places it is also observed as a ‘harvest festival’. Across the country, this festival is spread over a period of days – a true celebration of diversity.

The Festival is known by different names across the country: Uttarayana in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, Sankranthi or Peddha Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Khichari in Bhojpuri region, Magh Bihu in Assam, Maghi Saaji in Himachal Pradesh, Makaravilakku in Kerala, Makara sankranti in Karnataka, Maghi Sangrand in Punjab, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Maghi Sangrand  in Jammu, Sakrat in Haryana, Sakraat in Rajasthan, Sukarat in central India,  Ghughuti in Uttarakhand, Dahi Chura in Bihar, Makar Sankranti in Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal (also called Poush Sankranti or Mokor Sonkranti), Besides these, there are other variations and names given  in other States to this great festival which highlight the celebration of diversity.

In Gujarat, particularly in the city of Ahmedabad the high point is ‘kite-flying’!  There are thousands of kites which dot the skies: all kinds of shapes and sizes, colours and now even texture. It is common belief that a kite is an offering to God, to propitiate ‘Surya’ and thank him for the winter just gone by. The fact is that today ‘kite-flying’ is mainly a source of entertainment (sometimes an obsession), but also one of competition. It is common knowledge that most of the kites and even the manja (kite-string) is made by the Muslim community (they come to States like Gujarat as seasonal migrants from UP and Bihar).

In January 2003, the first Uttarayan after the Gujarat Carnage 2002, the Hindutva elements made an all –out campaign to prevent the people of Gujarat from buying kites made by Muslims. They did plenty of propaganda for ‘kites made by Hindus’! Unfortunately, all their efforts went flat! The people still bought kites they desired too; the ‘Hindutva’ kites had practically no sale – even those sold, were not ‘fly-able’! A pathetic commentary on exclusiveness. The average Indian believes in and celebrates diversity.

What Gujaratis love to eat on this festival is a traditional dish called ‘undhiyu’– it is a mixed vegetable dish. The name of this dish comes from the Gujarati word ‘undhu’, which translates to upside down, since the dish is traditionally cooked upside down underground in earthen pots, termed ‘matlu’, which are fired from above.  There are a whole variety of vegetables which are needed to make undhiyu; some are a must like baby potatoes, eggplant (brinjal), purple yam (ratalu), sweet potato, surti papdi, green bean, unripe banana and methi muthia. There cannot be undhiyu if some of these base vegetables are missing. The tasty dish is a veritable celebration of diversity.

The most popular sweet item (dessert) during this festival season is the jalebi!  People simply love this deep-fried snack which is dipped into a sugar-syrup before being walloped. Its roots are in Arabia; thanks to Mughals who gave us a whole variety of delicious ‘mithai’ (which we call ‘Indian Sweets’ today!). The all –time favourite snack ( the ones fried in pure ghee cost a mind-boggling Rs. 700/- a kilo this year) not only tickle the taste buds of those celebrating the festival, but it has also been able to demonstrate the fact that we need each other: the best way we can do so, is to celebrate diversity!

It is nearing the end of ‘vasi uttarayan’. The dark skies have phantom kites flying high into it; but all along there are lanterns all lit, deftly tied to the string, which makes one just say “WOW!” Soon the string will be cut and the kite will fly into oblivion into the night skies! But the kite is free! One is reminded of the poem ‘Untethered Kite’ written by Squid the Russel; some verses go thus:

I wish I had arms
To reach down
With a pair
Of gleaming scissors
To cut my tether
I wish I had a voice
To tell them what I want
What I think
Because they won’t listen
Won’t pay attention
To my relentless fight
To my constant struggle
Against the confines of my rope
Won’t someone set me free?
Can’t somebody help me?
To become an untethered kite

The plain truth is that if we truly want to Celebrate Diversity, to embrace differences, to enhance pluralism -we will all have to become untethered kites – free, to go where the wind blows and to ensure change! Above all, to have the courage not to allow anyone else to enslave us or to attempt to chain us down! Let us celebrate diversity- it is our right to do so!

(Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation & peace activist/writer. Contact:  cedricprakash@gmail.com )

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Greetings of peace, love, joy and hope- to each one of you, as you prepare to celebrate my birth once again!

I have just come across an invitation, that some of you are planning to celebrate my birthday on 23 December 2024, in Delhi.A great idea indeed – congrats!! My birth as the Saviour of the world must be celebrated! Do go ahead and enjoy yourselves. However, I must confess that your choice of Chief Guest at my birthday party, confuses me tremendously; in fact, I am aghast! Obviously, you will point fingers to me and say to me that during my life on this earth, I was wining and dining with tax- collectors and prostitutes and damned sinners of every hue on the horizon. I have absolutely no doubt that you would conveniently say this to me. Besides, you would also take me on my own words, unhesitatingly quoting me, “I have come for the sinner…!”

Having said this, I would like to state clearly, strongly and unambiguously:

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest…the small farmer/s. You are aware of the suffering that they have been subject to. Their lands have been snatched away from them; they are given a raw deal for the crops they produce; they are being denied a just Minimum Support Price(MSP). Remember the four anti- small farmer laws which are currently in cold storage, designed to help the big corporates who have already built huge granaries? Even today several small farmers are fasting, they want their voice to be heard. I would have been delighted if you had invited one of them for my birthday and given them a voice to express woes, just listened to them. You seem to forget that the first to be invited to celebrate my birthday were the Shepherds. they were the Chief Guests- poor and simple, excluded and exploited, living on the peripheries.They came in haste to worship me! Mummy Mary and Papa Joseph had time for them and received them with the warmth, love and joy which so profoundly defined that first Christmas night.

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest…the Human Rights Defender/ s. Umar Khalid, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and others. My Father had a clear plan, he chose the Magi, the ones who were relentlessly pursuing the truth; the ones who had the courage to follow the Star, despite all odds. The Magi took a stand against the wiles of Herod and refused to toe his line and fall into the trap of his machinations. They took a visible and vocal stand for truth and justice, as they took a calculated decision to go home by another route. There are so many Human Rights defenders who are silenced, hounded and harassed, incarcerated and even killed. Remember our beloved late Fr Stan Swamy? How nice if one of these, who so meaningfully epitomise the spirit of the Gospel, wasaccorded the pride of place at my birthday party!

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest …a peacemaker; someone who has the courage to internalise and actualise peace, justice, harmony, joy and fraternity. There are millions of them in India today – simple, ordinary, voiceless, sensitive people who have a genuine concern for others. who reach out to others. That first Christmas night, the angels sang in one voice, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests” On his first Christmas as the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis referred to thesong of the angels as “a song that unites heaven and earth.”. He invited everyone to join in this little song. He called it “a song for every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty.” Pope Francis said, “the song of the angels gives praise and glory to heaven, while at the same time promising peace to earth and all its people.” It is indeed, a song of peace.

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest, …the ‘other’! Remember the people of Egypt? Theyprovided me, my Mum and my Dad with shelter, safety and security. They accorded us a warm welcome. They treated us as one like them, integrated us in their society, gave us all that we needed. It was not easy being refugees, strangers/ foreigners from a distant land. Today we tend to discard these very people so easily. They are discriminated against, their houses are bull-dozed and the most derogatory language is being used against them. My mother always wore a hijab – it was an integral part of her culture and tradition. Today we have reached the lowest rung of pettiness as we determine what one should wear and eat, see and read. It would be an excellent choice to have one of them as the Chief Guest at my birthday party!

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest …a tribal/ an Adivasi. The indigenous peoples are the soul of a nation. The natives – the original inhabitants of the land. Their jal, jungle, jameen – all their natural resources are being snatched away from them. Their identity is being destroyed. Actually, having a Kuki-zo tribal from Manipur, would be ideal. Since early May 2023, they have been bruised brutalised and battered; most of them have lost everything. Many are dead, others just surviving in make-shift refugee camps. Their plight is terrible, unbelievable – a classic case of man’s inhumanity to man. Imagine how wonderful it would be if one of them was invited to be the Chief Guest!

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest …the poor and the vulnerable: there are so many of them in the country today: the casual labourers, the migrant workers, the fisher folk and other indigenous coastal people, the vegetable vendors and slum- dwellers, the ones who are trafficked,the unemployed, the Dalits, the OBCs, the women and those from the LGBTQIA+ community, the bonded persons and abused children. the list is endless indeed. Besides you forget that I am born a Palestinian – wow it would have been terrific to have a Palestinian as the Chief Guest and take a stand against the ruthlessness of the Israeli fascists

Sadly, you seem to miss the spirit and message of Christmas – as you concentrate on power, privilege, position, possessions and pride. One can never invite someone as Chief guest, who has tried to destroy the sanctity of the Constitution, prevented people from freely practising and propagation one’s religion and even suffocated freedom of speech and expression. Lies, corruption, hate and violence are mainstreamed in the country today.Minorities and other vulnerable sections of society are at the receiving end of a brutal regime. Don’t fool yourselves; this is neither dialogue nor meaningful interactions.

I took a stand against the Caesars, Pilates and Herods of my time. Can you learn from me? You forget that my birth took place in a stable. I am aware that you will do absolutely nothing to change things. That is the tragedy! Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in  ‘God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas’ reminds us, “Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honour, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”

Finally, enjoy yourself! Sorry, in conscience, I will NOT be in your midst! But of course, you will NOT even invite me for the birthday bash you are organising in my name! No problem! I prefer to be with those, I have truly come for- the least, the lost and the last! Happy Christmas!

Your brother, friend and Saviour,

Jesus Christ

December 21, 2024

(The author is a renowned human rights, reconciliation and peace activist and writer.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sabrangindia.

Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) at its headquarters in the national capital on Monday, according to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday.

This event marks the first time a prime minister will participate in a programme at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in India, the release noted.

The post For my birthday, ‘you are organising in my name,’ a point of order: Christmas invite to PM Modi appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In a fitting tribute to Mother Teresa. the United Nations in 2013, declared every September 5 (that is today -her death anniversary) as the ‘International Day of Charity’ inviting “all Member States and all international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to commemorate the Day in an appropriate manner, by encouraging charity, including through education and public awareness-raising activities.”

Mother Teresa was truly the epitome of compassion. If ever one would dare to give a core competency to her, it is this single characteristic of being a compassionate person. She radiated this quality, when on earth, in a way, few humans could ever do; her love for the marginalized and the vulnerable and particularly for the poorest of the poor and the dying destitute, for the last, the least and the lost- was boundless. She was able to give and not to count the cost. Her ability to be compassionate towards others motivated her to found the Missionaries of Charity. She was effusive in her compassion for the “least of our sisters and brothers” and did not try to hide this fact. 

We witness today hate and violence, wars and conflicts, the consistent denigration, demonization and discrimination of minorities and other vulnerable groups.  Lynchings, rapes and murders seem to have become an accepted thing! The world desperately stands in need of compassion today! A compassion, which reaches out to the unloved, the ostracized, the marginalized and the vulnerable. A compassion, that takes a stand for the poor, the victims of injustice, the refugees and the displaced. A compassion, that is able to negate and overcome the hate and divisiveness; the racism and communalism; the xenophobia and the exclusiveness that has gripped our world as never before.  In India, we need the compassion that Mother Teresa taught us, as never before.

In 1979, awarding Mother Teresa the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wrote in their citation, “In making the award the Norwegian Nobel Committee has expressed its recognition of Mother Teresa’s work in bringing help to suffering humanity. This year the world has turned its attention to the plight of children and refugees, and these are precisely the categories for whom Mother Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly. “Even after almost fifty years, that painful reality of ‘suffering humanity’ still exists. Mother Teresa reminds us, “at the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’”; and on another occasion, “we think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty

On September 4^, 2016, in a very special ceremony at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa as a Saint of the Catholic Church. In his homily he reminded the world of the need and importance to live the values, like compassion, which St Teresa of Kolkata embodied, “May this tireless worker of mercy help us to increasingly understand that our only criterion for action is gratuitous love, free from every ideology and all obligations, offered freely to everyone without distinction of language, culture, race or religion.  Mother Teresa loved to say, “Perhaps I don’t speak their language, but I can smile”.  Let us carry her smile in our hearts and give it to those whom we meet along our journey, especially those who suffer.  In this way, we will open up opportunities of joy and hope for our many brothers and sisters who are discouraged and who stand in need of understanding and tenderness”.

Mother Teresa was also a teacher, having taught in a Bengali Medium Girls School for several years before she founded the Missionaries of Charity. During her lifetime, she taught the world several important and valuable lessons. Compassion however, was her hallmark, her ‘forte’! We need to do our best to imbibe these values in whatever way we can. She would say, “In this life we cannot do great things; we can only do small things with great love!”

As we celebrate today, God’s great gift to humankind in the person of Mother Teresa, let us also pray to her, this great ‘Saint of the gutters’ to give us a compassionate heart, the courage to reach out in love unconditionally and the commitment to give and not to count the cost!

Let us remember the words of Mother Teresa, “Spread love everywhere you go: first of all, in your own home. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbour . . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

Mother Teresa is the Saint who taught us compassion! She walked the talk on this! Do we have the courage and humility to do likewise?

(Fr Cedric Prakash, is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)

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India cries for Freedom from the destruction of the country’s democratic ethos and framework! The V-Dem Institute at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg in its ‘Democracy Report 2024’ says that India is “among the ‘worst autocratisers’ in recent years. Adding that, “autocratisation process has been well documented, including gradual but substantial deterioration of freedom of expression, compromising independence of the media, crackdowns on social media, harassments of journalists critical of the government, as well as attacks on civil society; the “anti-pluralist” BJP government has used laws on sedition, defamation, and counterterrorism to silence critics. The Modi-led government also continues to suppress the freedom of religion rights. Intimidation of political opponents and people protesting government policies, as well as silencing of dissent in academia are now prevalent” India has also been named in the top 10 autocratising countries in the last 10 years; it is placed 104 in the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI).

India cries for Freedom from want, poverty, hunger and deprivation: millions in our country, still live below the poverty line. The country still does not have any official relevant, reliable updated data with regard to poverty. There are at least five different estimates of the number of poor people in India, which put the number of poor in India between 35 million and 375 million; between 2.5% of the population to 29.5%, based on different estimates between 2014 and 2022. In the 2023.The Global Hunger Index, ranked India 111 out of 125 countries with a level of hunger that is serious.

India cries for Freedom from the throttling of the right of free speech and expression. Most print and electronic media are ‘godified’ (lapdog). India’s position in the World Press Freedom Index 2024, was 159 out of the 180 countries ranked. The ‘Reporters without Borders’ (RSF), ranks countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists. The report declares India as one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media. The right to dissent is fundamental to a vibrant democracy. Media personnel who take a visible and vocal stand for truth and justice are harassed, incarcerated and even killed! What is happening in Parliament (both in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) is there for all to see. The Speakers of these Houses, make every effort to curb, to mute, and to stop members of the Opposition from voicing the legitimate cries of the people.

India cries for Freedom for Human rights defenders (HRDs), right to information seekers and others who take a stand for truth, justice and human rights. They are at the receiving end of a vicious and vindictive system. They are intimidated, incarcerated and even killed!  These include those in the Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case; Jesuit Father Stan Swamy is a case in point. He worked and lived for the legitimate rights of the tribal people. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 8 October 2020 and died on 5 July 2021 at the age of 84, whilst still incarcerated. His death is regarded as ‘institutional murder’. Highly committed activists like Teesta Setalvad, Arundhati Roy, Prof. G. N. Saibaba, Umar Khalid, Medha Patkar and others, have false cases foisted on them and are victims of vendetta. NGOs who work with the poor and powerless, are denied their FCRA licence.

India cries for Freedom from the demonization, discrimination and denigration of minorities. This is happening today with frightening regularity. Minorities (particularly Muslims Christians and Sikhs) continue to be attacked and are at the receiving end of a communally polarised society. On  26 June, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken  whilst releasing the Annual Report on international religious freedom  of the US Government, noted that a wide array of violence against religious minorities were taking place in India saying, “In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities” The USCIRF’s 2024 Annual Report recommended that  India be designated as a  Country of Particular Concern (CPC), for “engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief”. 

India cries for Freedom from the pillaging of the environment. Fragile ecosystems are being destroyed. The landslides in Wayanad, the terrible flooding in Delhi and several other so-called ‘natural’ calamities all over the country, show how precious little has been done to address serious environmental concerns. Government projects favour their crony capitalist friends, providing them with a license to loot, plunder and rape the environment; the continued use of fossil fuels is a case in point. The Environment is in a shambles! In the 2024 Environmental Performance Index, India was ranked 176 out of 180 countries! The destruction of precious forest lands and bio-diversity, to cater to so-called ‘development’ projects, contribute immensely to the climatic changes one experiences today. The 2023 Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, provides that the de-reservation of reserved forests, use of forest land for non-forest purpose, assigning forest land by way of lease or otherwise to private entity, precious water bodies in the urban areas are land-filled, causing floods. Most major rivers in the country are polluted; there is over-dependence on fossil fuel. Even today, coal blocks are auctioned to crony capitalist friends of the Government. Sections of the corporate sector and particularly the mining mafia–have no qualms of conscience, in depleting precious natural resources, with the sole desire of profiteering.

India cries for Freedom from draconian laws and other anti-people legislation which have been promulgated without due deliberations and debate, with scant respect to the legitimate rights of the citizens. These include the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A regarding Jammu and Kashmir, , the anti-farmer laws ( currently on hold), the four (anti-worker) labour codes, the anti- conversion laws, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 , the Uniform Civil Code passed by the State of Uttarakhand, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ report; the three new criminal laws, the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’ the ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita,’ and the ‘Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam’  which have been made  effective from 1 July 2024.

India cries for Freedom for quality and relevant education. Many (particularly those from the poor and deprived sections of society) still do not have the possibilities to study and the opportunities for a meaningful career and a bright future. They are straddled with a National Education Policy that does not prepare them for life; they are subject to leakages in the NEET; hundreds of students and other youth, commit suicide because of the frustrations they are subject to.  The many millions of those who want to go to study abroad, is a case in point. Education in India, it is evident, does not sufficiently prepare ‘men and women for others.

India cries for Freedom from unemployment. The youth of the country continue to grapple with  unemployment , with nearly 83 percent of the jobless population belonging to this demographic, as per the India Employment Report 2024 jointly published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute of Human Development (IHD) The report (released on 27 March 2024)underscores a concerning trend where the proportion of educated young people, possessing at least secondary education, among the total unemployed youth has nearly doubled from 35.2 percent in 2000 to 65.7 percent in 2022.

India cries for Freedom from corruption. Corruption is today the new normal in India and is mainstreamed; practically nothing can be done, without greasing the palms of those at the control wheels. Politicians from the opposition parties are easily bought up. The ruling regime has made mindboggling amounts of money through demonetisation and the sale of electoral bonds (EB). The last General Elections were also about the manipulation of the EVMs and the fact that in about 70 Constituencies, the ruling regime won only because of their corrupt practices. The most recent Hindenburg Research revelations show that investments by the SEBI Chairperson have been used to amass large stakes in Adani Group companies in violation of SEBI regulations. Transparency International ranked India, 93 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024. The BJP regime under Modi must easily be the most corrupt, amongst the world democracies today.

India cries for Freedom for all Constitutional and independent authorities/bodies. These are patently meant to be non-partisan, objective, impartial, transparent and just! These include   the Election Commission (ECI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Income Tax Department, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the police and even sections of the judiciary. Most of those who belong to these bodies, today seem to have lost all qualms of conscience and are blatantly one-sided, corrupt, compromised, corrupted, spinelessly toeing the diktats of their political masters.

India cries for Freedom for Vinesh Phogat. This woman today epitomises the resilience, the courage and the strength of all women of India. Together with some of her co-wrestlers, she took on the all-powerful don of India’s wrestling federation for his alleged misdeeds. The BJP did absolutely nothing to take a stand on behalf of the victims; they clearly sided with the perpetrator. Vinesh was singled out; despite her prowess she was almost denied a chance to compete in the Olympics. She showed her mettle there – beating the world’s best. She was disqualified before the final round: many questions asked are still being asked. Today she is India’s national heroine; but she has had to pay a price!

India cries for Freedom for the tribals of Manipur! Since May 2023, the tribals there, particularly the Kuki-Zo people, are victims of an insensitive, divisive and ruthless regime – who have sided openly with the perpetrators of this current spate of violence. Hundreds of tribals have been killed, many more injured, and thousands have fled Manipur or live in refugee camps. Their homes and earthly possessions have been destroyed; their lands taken away from them; even their places of worship have been razed to the ground. There is no political will on the part of the State and Central Governments to ensure peace in Manipur.

India cries for Freedom for all to live in dignity and equity, in harmony and peace, in truth and in justice, in acceptance of the other and in the celebration of pluralism; the people yearn for freedom to enhance the democratic ethos, Constitutional values and the secular fabric of the nation. For Freedom from untruth, deceit, lies and ‘feku-isms’. For Freedom from manipulated, selective and biased history. For  Freedom from hate and violence, from rape and killing, from extortion and corruption, from uniformity and monoculturalism, from authoritarianism and subjugation  Freedom for all: the Adivasi’s , Dalits and OBCs, for the minorities and the marginalised, for women and the other Genders, for the small farmers and the indigenous coastal people , for the casual labourers and the migrant workers,  for the excluded and the exploited They all  demand the freedom to be fearless and transparent citizens of our beloved land! As India yearns for that total freedom, we pray in the words of Tagore, from his ‘Gitanjali’ “into that heaven of freedom my Father, let my country awake!”

India cries for Freedom from every from of fear and insecurity. Fear seems to have paralysed large sections of the country. It is certainly not easy to deal with a brutal, vicious and vengeful regime. Though written in the late 19^th century and in the context of British colonialism, Rabindranath Tagore’s hard-hitting poem on ‘Freedom’ is an uncomfortable commentary of the reality and fears which grips India today

“Freedom from fear is the freedom

I claim for you, my motherland!

Freedom from the burden of the ages,

bending your head, breaking your back, blinding your eyes

to the beckoning call of the future;

Freedom from the shackles of slumber

where with you fasten yourself in night’s stillness,

mistrusting the star that speaks of truth’s adventurous paths;

freedom from the anarchy of destiny

whole sails are weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds,

and the helm to a hand ever rigid and cold as death.

Freedom from the insult of dwelling in a puppet’s world,

where movements are started through brainless wires,

repeated through mindless habits,

where figures wait with patience and obedience

for the master of show,

to be stirred into a mimicry of life.”

India cries for Freedom, TODAY!!!

(Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist / writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com )

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