The Supreme Court last week, by 3:2 majority, decided to keep the review petitions in Sabarimala matter pending until a larger bench determines questions related to essential religious practices. The majority of CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra expressed that the issue whether Court can interfere in essential practises of religion needed examination by larger bench. Justices Chandrachud and Nariman dissented.

There is no stay of the September 28, 2018 judgment which allowed entry of women of all age groups to the Sabarimala temple, but the Apex Court said, the same issue arises in respect of cases concerning entry of Muslim women in a Durgah/Mosque as also in relation to Parsi women married to a non-Parsi into the holy fire place of an Agyari. There is also a case pending regarding the legality of practice of Female Genital Mutilation in Dawoodi Bohra community.

A reversal of the Apex Court decision permitting women in Sabarimala Temple would amount to effacement of advancements made in socio-cultural evolution achieved through sacrifices of great reformists in Kerala since early years of the 20th Century.

The last year’s agitation following the September 2018 judgment was, in fact, ill-motivated and well contrived. It was spearheaded by retrogressive forces of patriarchy and de-spiritualized Hindu priestocracy dismayed progressive Keralites everywhere.The image of Kerala society that assimilated and concretized a collective mindset of modernism received an irreparable setback due to the extreme unruly behaviour of those resorting to violence, intimidation and obstruction of young women devotees, who proceeded to Sabarimala Temple following the Apex Court verdict last year.

Champions of Brahminical casteism – varna vyavastha, being disillusioned by LDF government’s decision to appoint eligible Hindus of all castes in priestly assignments in government administered temples – endeavoured to divinize all obscurant traditions and practices, contrary to the letter, spirit and ethos of the Constitution of India, enshrined in the Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties.

RB Sreekumar

The post Sabarimala: Male devotee nurturing unholy thoughts is ‘unfit’ to visit Lord Ayyappa shrine appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Ban on menstruating women entering the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple is a violation of core Indian Spiritual values and the Constitution of India.

 
Perverted practioners of status-quoist traditionalism have been opposing the entry of menstruating women for worship in the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. This ban effectively seeks to curtail entry of the largest denomination of its devotees annually. It is a step that violates, knowingly or unknowingly, the core values of Hindu Spiritualism, postulated in the fundamental, foundational scripture of Hinduism, the Rig Veda (1500 BC). Apart from the transcendent text, the basic ideals of the Constitution of India, the Fundamental Rights, Duties and the Preamble contained within it, have also been violated by this ban imposed on women devotees.
 
Hindu scholars and devotees of the various Hindu sects have been unanimous in emphasizing the imperative of adhering to the lofty ideals contained in the Vedas. The Rig Veda states that the Earth is upheld by the truth while the Heaven is upheld by the Sun (X-85-1).
 
All those opposing the entry of females in Sabarimala temple are obviously going against the truth and logic of Biology. All phenomena of nature are expressions of God’s will; so is the menstruation cycle in women. Holding this as a ground for not allowing women to have Darshan (direct vision) of Lord Ayyappa is a cruel contradiction, limiting both the act of worship and the form of Divinity to a male action and vision. Lord Ayyappa, a symbol of the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God Almighty Mythology manifest in the Dharma Sanstha (Lord Ayyappa) goes far beyond this narrow vision.  
 
Lord Ayyappa has the combined divinity from two of the Hindu Triumvirate Gods – Lord Shiva as father and Lord Vishnu in his female form of enchantress, Mohini as mother. How can a woman, who represents the female aspect of sanctity and motherhood be kept away from offering their pious devotion and spiritual aspirations to Lord Ayappa? The Lord is called Hari (Vishnu) Hara (Shiva) Suta (son).  
 
The restriction of women from visiting Sabarimala Shrine may have initially stemmed from the poor infrastructure and inaccessible roads leading up to the shrine during its inception in the 8^th century AE. Ayyappa worship was started after the advent of Islam in Kerala, in the 7th century, and the deity’s close friend was a Muslim trader – Baber, addressed as Vavar Swamy in Malayalam, whose temple / Dargah is adjacent to the Sanctum sanctorum, the Garbha Griha, of Lord Ayyappa.
 
The Rig Veda exhorts all for being receptive to knowledge. “Let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere (I 89 – 1).”

Science and technology has, over the centuries improved access to the Shrine of Sabarimala. Sabrimala has millions of visiting devotees who return for the worship at the Shrine with overwhelming devotion. Preventing women devotees from offering prayers to Lord Ayyappa on grounds of their feeble physico-mental conditions and citing insufficient safety and security in the Sabarimala hills is utterly baseless.

How can the biological fluids from a women’s body be anathema, while the male devotees voluntarily discharging semen due to pressure of testosterone (night emissions/wet dreams) during their stay in Sabarimala temple premises, be allowed? Are males superior biologically, spiritually and from a religions perspective?
 
If the posturing against women devotees arises from apprehensions that the young women devotees will become objects of temptation for male worshippers, then any male devotee nurturing such unholy thoughts is ineligible and unfit to visit Sabarimala shrine. It is not the women, but the men who need to be restrained.
 
A reference to a widely quoted advice in “Hitopadesha” (Gems of friendly advice) epitomising the essence of Hinduism is relevant. The sloka proclaims “A truly knowledgeable person is one who treats other mans’ property as mere clod, perceives other women to be like one’s mother and realizes that his own soul (Atma) is permeating in all living beings.” Are women inferior to men in the eyes of the spiritual Lord? History does not testify to such a contention.
 
Pure and ideal Hinduism, as explained in the Vedas and Upanishads, as opposed to the condemnable lop-sided sub-scriptures of Smrutis by Manu, Parasara, Yajnavalka and so on and the Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, have no incompatibility with post Renaissance modern values of democracy, liberalism, equality, fraternity, dignity and human rights. Non-intrusive Hinduism allows its followers to choose any God and accepts that there could be multiple paths, all equally divine, leading to God. In fact, the brigands who demolished Babri Masjid in 1992 had indulged in a sacrilegious un-Hindu crime.
 
Moreover, it does not specify any dress code, language or prescribed food for worshippers. Non-vegetarianism is acceptable and Lord Ram, Krishna, Saint Rama Krishna, Swami Vivekananda and so on were all non-vegetarians. Hinduism is even accommodative and flexible to Atheism as a view and as a legitimate intellectual pursuit. Atheist religions of Buddhism and Jainism flourished for many centuries in India. There were no serious objections in declaring Lord Buddha as one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, by replacing Lord Balram, the cousin of Lord Krishna.
 
The unequivocal spiritual destination of Hinduism is the utilisation of every moment of life towards one’s self through divine realisation, enlightenment, empowerment and value–addition. Simultaneous efforts to deepen and enhance empathy towards all living beings by enhancing their welfare and well-being are initiated in this religion. The goal of life is not denied to women by the Hindu scriptures. So by denying them the right to worship in the Ayyappa temple, the traditionalists are negating Hindus spiritual laws.
 
The methodology of pursuit of knowledge (Jnana Yoga) paths of self–less action (Karma Yoga) and deep devotion by sacrificing ones ego (Bhakti Yoga) are tools for self-realisation. Many women have proved their merit in all these fields. Avvyar (2^nd Century BCE in Tamil Nadu), Merabai (Rajasthan) Mata Amrutananda May (Kerala) are illustrative instances. The perversions of present day Hinduism is from the exclusivist, pseudo-fundamentalist radical fringe elements, acting as foot-soldiers of the Sangh Parivar and subverting the quintessential Hindus spiritualism, through unethical and even violent means.
 
Similar elements among the followers of Islam, like ISIS, Al Queda and Taliban are de-spiritualising the holy religion preached by Muhammed the Prophet (pbuh) Salallahou Alayhe Wasallam
 
The human physico-mental personality, in the ascending order, is categorized by Bhagavad Gita, as
1. Body 2. Five Senses 3. Mind-centre of emotions 4. Intellect and the Atma (Soul). Bhagavad Gita, Sloka 42 of chapter 3 says “The senses are said to be superior to the body; the mind is superior to the senses, the intellect is superior to the mind; and what is superior to the intellect is Atma.” So the body condition of a devotee is not relevant for his/her seeking self-realisation or divine grace through visits to the temple or any of three yogas.
 
Misplaced sensitivity displaced by sexist, misogynist Hindu orthodox groups, stressing on self-created, ill-founded unscientific menstrual taboos, for preventing women visiting Sabarimala temple is in total violation of the spirit of the Bhagavad Gita.
 
How can the biological fluids from a women’s body can be anathema, while the male devotees voluntarily discharging semen due to pressure of testosterone (night emissions/wet dreams) during their stay in Sabarimala temple premises; be allowed? Are males superior biologically, spiritually and from a religions perspective?
 
No ban has been imposed on the entry of menstruating animals near the shrine of Sabarimala.

In a Bhagavati temple in Kerala – Chenganoor/Alleppy District – as well as in Kamakhya temple (Assam), red spots appear once a year on the robes of the Godess to this date”. So when Mother Godess, in all her physical disposition is worshipped, by what logic and scriptural or religious authority, can women in a similar condition, be deprived of their inalienable right to worship before the Sabarimala shrine?

 
Significantly in “Tripura Sundari Ashtakam”, an invocation of Mother Godess, authored by Adi Shankaracharya, the deity is portrayed as a menstruating woman. The website of Kamakodi Mandala (www.kamakodimandala.com) interpreted the 6^th Sloka of this Ashtakam as follows “The Devi is described as being habituated in a blue sari with red spots, as the first menstrual flow, shows itself when a woman is ready to bear, so on the blue welkin (sky or heaven), the Devi’s raiment (clothing), signs appear, heralding creation.
 
In a Bhagavati temple in Kerala – Chenganoor/Alleppy District – as well as in Kamakhya temple (Assam), red spots appear once a year in the robes of the Godess to this date”. So when Mother Godess, in all her physical disposition is worshipped, by what logic and scriptural or religious authority, can women in similar condition, be deprived of their inalienable right to worship before the Sabarimala shrine?
 
We should endorse a proposal to send the Kerala Temple authorities for a crash course on the basics of Hindu Spiritualism, Tantric worship and attributes of a true devotee (Bhakta) as per Narada Bhakti Sutra. In Chengannor Devi temple, the Godess in menstrual cycle is offered special poojas by devotees.
 
At the entrance of Sabarimala temple, the Upanishadic dictum “Tat Twam Asi – That Art Thou – one of the four Mahavakyas of Hinduism – is prominently displayed. These words from Chandogya Upanishad (6-8-7) tells the devotee that “what you are seeking is within yourself” in the form of Atma (Soul). This also would establish the senselessness in giving any importance to the bodily condition of a devotee, though there are no regulations in fixing the standards of physical hygiene, clothings etc (all within individual control) as a condition for appearing before the deity.
 
Inexorably, the sole imperative attribute of a true devotee is the purity of the heart, as testified by Rig Veda thus, “If the heart is impure and malicious, then the God’s worship will also be unfruitful. Therefore God’s worship must be carried out with a ‘nishpap’ (sinless) heart. “VIII/61/11) Jesus Christ in his Sermon on the Mount declares” Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God! (Bible, ST Mathew 5-8)
 
The famous Sanskrit aphorism, Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktayae, was adopted by Mahatma Gandhi, as motto of the Gujarat Vidyapith, Ahmedabad. Kerala temple managers should opt for liberating women from ‘spiritual slavery’ imposed by male chauvinism for perpetuation of their domination.
 
The above delineated scriptural ethos does not sanction, support or justify any ban on women of productive age from the worship of Lord Ayyappa in the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple. Further, the Constitution of India in Article 13, declared illegal all laws including Ordinances, customs, useage, rule, regulation, order and notification, which are inconsistent with the provisions of Part III (Fundamental Rights).
 
Let us hope that the Apex Court will accept the valid grounds advanced by petitioners seeking entry of woman devotees in Sabarimala temple at par with men. Simultaneously “true Hindus” should campaign for removing gender prejudice and the purposeful implementation of the Vedic vision as noted below.
 
“Come together, all of you, speak in one voice, know with one mind, even like the Gods, who, of yore knew with one mind and together had their share of enjoyment”.
 
“Together may they utter the mantra, may they unite together, may their mind be one and their consciousness mingle. I utter the same mantra with you all, ‘with you all equally I make the offering.”
 
“May your yearning be one, may your heart be one, may your mind be one, so that your union may be perfect. (Rig Veda X – 191-23)

(R.B. Sreekumar, Former Director General of Police, Gujarat)

The post Unholy and Unconstitutional: the ban of women from Sabarimala appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
“While it is necessary to keep alive good deeds, it is also essential

I found bandh supporters freely moving on road equipped with sticks, shouting anti-Muslim slogans, burning tyres and waste material right on the roads and so on. They were forcing the commercial establishments including pan shops and street vendors to close down their business, in presence of inactive and unresponsive policemen, deployed on the spot and patrolling mobiles. I stopped my vehicle at a police static point and questioned policemen on duty, watching public nuisance, in front of them silently as to why no interventionist action, as per their duty obligations, was taken. They responded that they had no instructions in this regard from Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad city.
 
In the afternoon I met DGP K Chakravarthy in his chamber. I found him to be quite perturbed, helpless and stress-ridden about widespread mass violence in the cities of Ahmedabad, Vadodara and many rural areas. He lamented that things were taking a bad shape and activists of VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP were leading armed crowds and police officers, at decisive level on the ground, were not intervening effectively as they were keen to avoid crossing swords with supporters of the ruling party. He hinted that the Chief Minister had convened a meeting of senior officers at his residence after his return from Godhra in the late evening of February 27, 2002. DGP said that the CM told officers in the meeting that “in communal riots, police normally takes action against Hindus and Muslims on one-to-one proportion, this will not do now, allow Hindus to give vent to their anger.”
 
The DGP added that no officer present in the meeting – PC Pande, Commissioner of Police (Ahmedabad city), Ashok Narayan, Addl Chief Secretary (Home Department), Swarankant Verma, the incharge Chief Secretary, Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to CM (now he is the Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi) Anil Mukim, Additional Secretary to CM and K Nityanandam, Home Secretary including himself did not take any objection or speak against the illegality of this verbal instruction from CM. DGP had apologetically admitted that this posture of the CM was a major impediment in initiation of action against communal elements, perpetrating bestial brutalities on the minority community. He added that parading of dead bodies in Ahmedabad city of those killed in Godhra train fire incident, including dead bodies of those who did not belong to Ahmedabad city, had magnified communal frenzy of motivated Hindus.[8] [9]  
 
To relieve myself of the burden of my heart, subsequently I had prepared anonymous notes on, abominable stance of police positioned in sensitive areas acting as facilitators to rioters, higher number of persons from victim community getting killed in police firing and riots, belligerent mobs shouting about police abetment to their crimes thus “it is an open secret, the police is on our side” (Yah Andar ki Baat hai, police hamara saath hai), Muslims steadily losing faith in the integrity and dexterity of State administration.

(The) Apprehension of the DGP proved to be prognostic. From the morning of February 28, 2002 morning until March 3, 2002, when Army contingents and additional personnel from Central Para- Military Forces (CPMF) (actually) commenced effective patrolling in the affected areas, there were instances of horrendous mass murders, wherever police failed to perform their mandatory duties relating to maintenance of law and order. On my return journey from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad residence on the late evening of February 28, 2002, I found many business centres, shops, houses and colonies in minority localities looted and destroyed. Riot victim survivors had been shifted to relief camps, organized by community leaders and activists. By the evening of March 1, 2002, media reported graphic details of targeted mass murders amounting to ethnic cleansing in those areas of minority dwelling pockets surrounded by majority community settlements.
 
In predominantly minority-dominated areas of Dariapur, Shahpur and Juhapura, violence was negligible. To relieve myself of the burden of my heart, subsequently I had prepared anonymous notes on, abominable stance of police positioned in sensitive areas acting as facilitators to rioters, higher number of persons from victim community getting killed in police firing and riots, belligerent mobs shouting about police abetment to their crimes thus “it is an open secret, the police is on our side” (Yah Andar ki Baat hai, police hamara saath hai), Muslims steadily losing faith in the integrity and dexterity of State administration and so on. These notes, basing on my personal observation, I had dispatched to the President of India, the Opposition Leader and senior leaders of major secular political parties. I was quite aware that it was an act of misconduct as per conduct rules, but I was forced to do it for getting some solace from the intense agony and tormenting helplessness felt by me in those days, having failed to do anything, due to legal constraints, to contain and control violence against hundreds of innocents though I was moving comfortably in a police flag car with three stars, beacon light and security cover. I heaved a sigh of relief when my friend in the Rashtrapati Bhavan informed me that my anonymous notes were read by the President, who, according to him, would be writing to the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee about his concern and anxiety on demoralizing Gujarat situation.
 
Modern psychology confirms that a person’s mind-set and attitude are formulated by his inherited nature and the ambience impacted on him (upbringing). Indian psychology (has) spoke(n) about ‘Vasana’ (inclination), ‘Samskara’ (acquired culture) and ‘Samsarga’ (human and material surroundings) formulating one’s basic nature and ‘constructed realities’. In retrospect, I did a self-analysis about my extreme dejection and depression about the plight of community bearing the brunt of heinous motivated crimes by Sangh Parivar activists aided by the State machinery.
 
Having brought up in Kerala, historically well-known for communal amity, despite the spread of Semitic religions – Christianity and Islam – contemporaneous to their germination in places of origin, I never felt about the Muslims as people belonging to ‘the other’ – a social segment  alienated from Indian ethos and heritage. My close companionship with my maternal grandfather, late Balaramapuram G Raman Pillai, one of the founder leaders of Indian National Congress in erstwhile Travancore State, his undiluted commitment to secularism and socio-cultural and political camaraderie with the Muslims during the freedom struggle, had germinated in me a deeper sense of fraternity with the community. This had, however, never come in the way of my law enforcement in my police career.
 
Islam and Christianity reached the shores of Kerala along with the merchants and traders like Parsis did in Mumbai and Guajrat. In north India, the message of Islam came along with
invaders and conquerors, the Arabs in the 8th century (Muhammad bin Qasim) and Afghans and Turks (Muhammad of Ghor) in the closing decade of the 11th century. Repeated invasions by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni against Gujarat, had deeply wounded Gujarati psyche, thanks to the coloured presentations on the advent of Muslims by the British and a section of Indian historians. The bitter truth and lesson of history regarding defeat of Indians by all outside invaders, irrespective of their religious persuasion, from the Persians, Alexander the Great in era Before Christ (BC) to Colonial powers of Portuguese, French and British, in modern times, on account of comparative inadequacies of Indian Army, constituted on unmerited and unscientific basis of caste, refusal of Indians to absorb fresh military technology and update the war strategy, tactics and hardware, were the main causative factors for the loss of all battles.
 
Is merely blaming Muslim conquerors for Indian losses, a shrewd strategy of caste Hindus, who are responsible for (the)mediocrity of Indian Army confronting the invaders, from ancient times? Ignoring these facts and condemning merely the Muslim invaders for defeat of Indians, in the medieval times, with a view to treat rulers professing Islamic religion as foreigners, even though no Muslim ruler of India from Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak to Mugal Emperor Aurangzeb (AD 1206 to 1707) had ever sent gifts or paid any indemnity to any political power outside India like Khalifa, is part of a communal political agenda. This strategy is adopted for creation of a sectarian exclusivist pro-Hindutva mind-set – and it was a contributing factor in making of an intense anti-Muslim disposition among all Hindus in Gujarat – cleverly window-dressing the historic failures of caste Hindus. Besides, the persistent communal indoctrination by Sangh Parivar, since the intensification of Ram Janmabhoomi liberation movement in 1980s, had transformed a large section of Hindu population, as carriers of the virus of deep-rooted animosity to Muslims. This must be a driving factor, which propelled many rioters, who inflicted beastial violence against Muslims during 2002 riots, acting like programmed human robots.

(Excerpts from Chapter 2, Gujarat Behind the Curtain, RB Sreekumar, former DGP, Gujarat, Manas Publications, New Delhi, 2016)
 

The post Days of Agony and Despair: former DGP, Gujarat, RB Sreekumar on How the Mob Ruled during the Gujarat Carnage of 2002 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“A depressing fact as revealed in the 2011 census data on households is that an estimated eight lakh people are traditionally engaged in manual removal of night soil—a great embarrassment to the state governments that are still in denial mode,” wrote prominent social healthcare analyst AnurodhLalit Jain in an article in 2013, ‘Let’s help realize the vision of Ambedkar for Dalits—Action, not just offering flowers, will be the real tribute’.
 
He continued: “DrAmbedkar’s efforts to root out such caste biases were perceived to be advanced by Mayavati, who eventually became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.  However, the census data show that Uttar Pradesh continues to have the dubious distinction of leading the list with approximately 3.2 lakh people still involved in manual removing of human waste.  The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition Act), 1993, has provision for punishment, including fine, for employing scavengers or constructing dry toilets.  However, manual scavengers are continued to be employed to this date by municipalities, the railways and defence establishments. Dr. Ambedkar is considered a messiah for his efforts to bring equal opportunity and social justice to marginalized communities.A real tribute to the great leader would be to continue with his efforts of empowering the scheduled castes and helping them overcome the vicious cycle of caste and cultural barrier, rather than merely offering flowers to his statue on his birth and death anniversaries.”
 
The Union government should launch a special drive to stamp out this sadistic, barbarous, and mentally and physically hazardous vocation,a debilitating profession, imposed on Dalits for their economic subsistence, sanctified by the quagmire of the Hindu caste system. A well-planned socio-economic rehabilitation and re-settlement programme for those cursed to do manual scavenging should be introduced by imparting alternative skills.Considering the mastery and dexterity of the Indian bureaucracy to suppress truth and misrepresent facts, the government should make the chief secretaries of states and secretaries in charge of the relevant central government departments personally responsible for the emancipation, rehabilitation and re-settlement of manual scavengers before the next Ambedkar Jayanti Day on April 14, 2016. 

The Intelligence Bureau (IB), which has an ingenious information gathering system in place across the country, should be tasked to conduct a nationwide secret survey on the prevalence of manual scavenging and provide adequate inputs required for launching a long-term rehabilitation programme. The practice is India’s shame and must be weeded out at the earliest.

The post A Dirty Job: Manual scavenging is an insult to Ambedkar’s memory appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Nearly 2000 temples in Kerala are administered by semi-governmental bodies—Devaswam Boards—constituted under the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950.  It must be remembered that the administrative bureaucracy of these bodies are appointed by the state government, and therefore  have to adhere to the Constitution, especially the principals enshrined in the Preamble, Part-III (Fundamental Rights) and Article 51(a) on Fundamental Duties.
 
Article 13 of the Constitution has declared that all laws which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Fundamental Rights be declared void;such laws include ordinance, order, bylaw, rule, regulation, notification, as well as any custom and usage in force in India. Recently, information about rules and regulations governing the appointment of chief and junior priests in temples under the administrative control of Travancore Devaswam Board was obtained through the RTI Act, 2005 by the author of this article. The data indicated that the posts of priests are exclusively reserved for Malayalee Brahmins. The post of the chief priest of Sabarimala temple is exclusively reserved for a Brahmin family from Chengannoor.  No foolproof, transparent or systematic selection procedure is reportedly followed for the selection of priests in temples. The same for promotions and other professional aspects of the cadre of priests performing poojas.
 
Similar unjust and illegal procedures and practices are followed throughout India in practically all temples and shrines governed by state and central governments or trusts constituted by them. To name a few:Somnath Shiva, Dakor Krishna, Ambaji Devi, and Shymlaji Krishna temples in Gujarat; Kamakhya temple in Assam; NathDwaratemple in Rajasthan; Vaishnav Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir; Kali/Durgatemples in West Bengal; Jagannathtemple in Puri, Orissa; Meenaxi Devi temple in Tamil Nadu; TirupatiBalajitemple in Andhra Pradesh, Siddhi Vinayakatemple in Mumbai.
         
This discriminatory system also goes against specific stipulations in the core scriptures of the Rigveda, the Upanishads, and the Bhagvad Gita. 
 
A few relevant extracts from the holy texts are:
 
“May you move together, speak together in one voice.  Let your minds be of one accord; and like the ancient sages, may you enjoy assigned share of fortune”.
 
“May our counsel or the public prayers be common, and common be our assembly.  May our minds move in accord; May our thinking be in harmony, – common the purpose, and common the desire.    May our prayers and worship be alike, and may our devotional offerings be one and the same.
 
“May your resolves be one; May your hearts feel alike; May your thinking be one; and thus may all of you live happily with thorough union.” (Rigveda, Mandala, 10, Sukta, 191(2 to 4)
 
“Men of self-knowledge are same-sighted on a Brahmana, imbued with learning and humility, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste”. (Bhagvad Gita, Adyaya -5, Sloka 18)
 
“He, who sees Me (universal soul/God) everywhere and sees all in Me, He never becomes lost to me, nor do I become lost to him” (Bhagvad Gita, Adyaya -6, Sloka 30)
 
 

 
The superiority of an individual solely based on his birth (the basis for jati or caste) is unscientific, illogical and unreasonable.  The Sanskrit etymology of the word ‘jati’ is in ‘janmanajati’ that is, caste is based on birth. Since 300 CE (Common Era), the caste system has blocked socioeconomic, educational and cultural mobility in Indian society, thus keeping India backward in most fields.
 
One way to bring about change as envisaged by Ambedkar would be for the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to introduce suitable legislation for the constitution of a state-wise temple service cadre (for instance, a Gujarat State Temple Service, a Kerala State Temple Service, a Central Temple Service) on the pattern of existing state and all-India services.  Those currently serving as priests could suitably be absorbed in the proposed service structure.
 
Allowing all qualified Hindus to enter the priestly order in temples will be in line with the direction in the Rigveda which recommends sticking to the path of justice. The Vedic Sukta exhorts, “Oh men! Just as the sun and the moon move on the prescribed path with regularity, similarly men also should go on the path of justice”. (Rigveda, Mandala-5, Sukta-51-Sloka-15).The Bhagvad Gita (Adyaya -16, Sloka-24) says, “Let the Shastras (laws) be your authority in deciding what you should do and what you should desist from doing.  Having understood what is ordained by the laws, you should act accordingly.”
 
Ambedkar had spoken against exactly the sort of inequality that is prevalent in the country’s temples in his concluding speech in the Constituent Assembly after the adoption of the Constitution on November 25, 1949. He said, “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it, social democracy, that is, a way of life which recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as principles of life.  They form a union or trinity.  Without equality, liberty would produce supremacy of the few over the many.  Equality without liberty would kill individual initiative.  Without fraternity, liberty and equality could not become a natural course of things…
 
The Sanskrit etymology of the word ‘Jati’ is “JanmanaJati”, that is, caste is based on birth only.  This social construction is devoid of any appraisal of physical, psychological, emotional, mental, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of an individual personality.

“We have a society based on the principle of graded inequality, means elevation of some and degradation of others.  We are entering into a life of contradictions.   We have political equality; but in social and economic life, we will have inequality.  In politics, we follow one man, one vote and one vote one value.  In society and economics, we deny principle of one man, one value…
 
“Those who suffer from inequality, will blow up the structure of democracy…Fraternity envisages a common brotherhood of all Indians—being one people—giving unity and solidarity to social life.  (Casteism is) anti-national, (castes) bring about separation in life, generate jealousy and antipathy between caste and caste.  Without fraternity, equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paint…
 
“Many in India are beasts of burden, but also beasts of prey.  The downtrodden classes are tired of being governed.  People are tired of government by the people.  They are prepared to have government for the people and are indifferent whether it is government of the people and by the people.  If we wish to preserve the Constitution in which we have sought to enshrine the principles of government of the people, for the people and by the people, let us resolve not to be tardy in the recognition of 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.”
 
It would be more productive to pursue this line of thinking rather than retrogressive and counterproductive programmes like ‘GharVapasi’ ( reconversion of Christians and Muslims)  and the controls being exercised on food preferences of citizens by  banning the consumption of beef. These are a distraction from the effort to remedy discriminative practices in the social, religious and cultural lives of Hindus. 
 
By absorbing the ideas of Ambedkarin public life, the country’s elite can liberate itself, as envisaged in the Vedic prayer, “Oh Lord! We have fallen in a dark cave.  In this severe darkness, many demons are harassing us.  We pray to you to destroy this darkness and bless us with donation of brightness, so that we can be liberated from these enemies”. (Rigveda, Mandala-1, Sukta-86, Sloka-10)
 
(The author, a retired IPS officer, is a former DGP of Gujarat)
 

The post Appoint priests from all castes, follow Ambedkar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
The highest number of informal slaves (bonded labourers) in the world is in India.The country is categorized in a higher position than sub-Saharan African nations and many other underdeveloped places for volume of corruption, stashing away of black money in foreign banks,and gender prejudice. The triad of corruption,nepotism and abusive exclusivity has become an acceptable subculture among the political-administrative class at the Centre and the states, pushing the country into condemnable depths of degradation. The inclusion in school curricula of the classics of Indian literature, which contain ideas for the empowerment of the weakest, would be one way to remedy the country’s current climate.
 
The Indian education system has often been criticized for its failure to impart the essential values of life—ethics, compassion, inclusive thinking and broadmindedness—to students. This has resulted in a situation where highly educated people, who are engaged in public service, display little empathy for the real sovereigns of India—the common people. Thirukkural, by saint-poet Thiruvalluvar,should be incorporated in the school curricula across the country: the Tamil classic will help the coming generations to grow up as thinking, feeling, gentle citizens.
 
Sanskrit and Tamil are two classical Indian languages.Thoughboth have produced voluminous and enlightening literatures, encompassing practically all facets of human life, Sanskrit ceasedto be a vibrant and popularly spoken language from around 1000 AD. Even Buddha, who lived almost a millennia and a half before that, preached in Pali and not Sanskrit. Tamil, on the other hand, has sustained its literary eminence, depth, vitality and greatness with unbroken continuity and vibrancy from the 3^rdcentury BCE.
 
Thirukkural, authored by Thiruvalluvar (estimated to have lived between the 3^rd and 1^st century BC), is one of the most remarkable books of Tamil literature. It is the synthesis of the best of Indian religions at that time. The poet has codified values evolved in the thoughts of Vedic Brahminism, Buddhism and Jainism, after filtering out religious, ritualistic, exclusivist and sectarian ideas. In this way the book can be seen as a secularism-based treatise, with sound logic and reason.
 
In the early 18^thcentury, Western Indologists, highly impressed by Thirukkural, translated it into most of the European languages.  Dr. G.U. Pope, who translated it into English, had ranked it with the best of world literature of all languages.  He hailed Thiruvalluvar as the ‘Bard of Universal Men’.  With reference to this book, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, scientist and writer, in his book ‘Indian Thought and its Development’, observed,“There hardly exists in the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find such lofty wisdom.”  M. Ariel, the great French savant, estimated Thirukkural as “A masterpiece of Tamil Literature, one of the highest and purest expressions of human thoughts”.  Tamil spiritual poetess Avvayar, a contemporary of Thiruvalluvar, who closely studied Thiruvalluvar, spoke in a Tamil song, “Thiruvalluvar bores an atom, pores the seven seas (of knowledge) into its cavity, and cutting the atom, offers its cross-section to us in the shape of the Kural.”  It is remarkable also that there is no criticism or adverse comment about this book whether about its literary style, craft, aesthetics or contents from any critics–spiritual or secular.

Thirukkural does not project an exclusive identity of any religion, ideology, dogmatic doctrines or system of faith. The 1,330 gnomic aphorisms in Thirukkural are comparable to the maxims of Gautam Buddha, the parables of Jesus Christ, the proverbs in the Bible, the Hadith of Prophet Mohammad and the teachings of Chinese philosophers Lao-Tse and Confucius.
 
Thiruvalluvar never took any dogmatic stand that could be seen as violating the laws of biology. Nor did he preach impractical spiritualism and celibacy.  The book has three parts dealing with (1) Dharma (moral code) (2) Artha (wealth code, covering politics and administration) and (3) Kama (love code). Comprehension and internalization of core values in Thirukkural could act as a tonic for the upgrade of the individual, family, community, society, nations and humanity. 
 
A few illustrative inspirational couplets (Kurals):
“Be pure in mind.  That is dharma.  All else is but pompous show.” (Kural No. 34)
“That body where love dwells is the seat of life; all others are but skin-clad bones.” (Kural No. 80)
“The crown of wealth is one’s compassion; all other wealth is found even among meanest of men.” (Kural No. 241)
“Water cleanses the body; truth cleanses the soul.”  (Kural No. 298)
“To track all things to their subtlest retreats is true knowledge.” (Kural No. 355)
“Strict inquiry,and impartial justice mark the rule of a just monarch.” (Kural No. 541)
“Verily the two eyes of a king are espionage and the celebrated code of laws.” (Kural No. 581)
“Those who labour hard, undaunted by obstacles will overcome destiny.” (Kural No.620)
“Most stupid is the learned fool who remains disloyal to his own noble teaching.” (Kural No. 834)
 
Unlike some religions that advocate the anti-biological dogma of  Brahmacharya, Thirukkural never advocated abstention from genuine and legitimate love.  Kural No. 1,102 in the chapter, ‘The Ecstasy of Love’s Union’, observes, “The remedy for a disease lies not in the disease but in some healing balm; but not so the loved one who is at once the disease and cure for the pangs of love.”
 
There has never been any controversy over the authorship or historicity of Thirukkural, which was produced in the historic period, unlike in the case of religious scriptures, which were penned down in pre-historic mythological times. Thirukkural also does not project an exclusive identity of any religion, ideology, dogmatic doctrines or system of faith. The 1,330 gnomic aphorisms in Tirukkural are comparable to the maxims of Gautam Buddha, the parables of Jesus Christ, the proverbs in the Bible, the Hadith of Prophet Mohammad and the teachings of Chinese philosophers Lao-Tse and Confucius
 
The incorporation of this work in the middle and high school curriculawill help instil basic moral and ethical values deriving from our own classics.

The post Empowerment through readings of the Thirukkural appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Courtesy: AFP

Make Ambedkar’s thoughts part of school and college syllabi

A former DGP of Gujarat says that in place of the extravagant token celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti by various political parties, there should be concrete programmes to implement Ambedkar’s thoughts. This articulation is a fitting tribute to DrBabasahebAmbedkar on his 125^thbirth anniversary as also on the 65^thanniversary of the Constitution. The retired IPS officer has written to the Prime Minister that the multi-faceted contribution of Ambedkar can be found in his programmes for the emancipation and empowerment of India’s long-enslaved and marginalised people and in the conception and creation of the Constitution of India.  Implementing his ideas would be the true way forward for the country
 
Ambedkarism should be incorporated in the curricula of all schools at the middle and high school levels. For the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) course, a secondary text book is prescribed for the language papers (English, regional languages or Hindi).  Till now, the Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi and books by Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand (Hindi), Umashankar Joshi (Gujarati), ThakazhiShivashankara Pillai (Malayalam), Thiruvalluvar (Tamil), Ananda Murthy (Kannada), Sharat Chandra Chatterjee (Bengali) and Kalidas (Sanskrit) have been included.
 
As part of Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations, Ambedkar’s epoch-making incisive book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ (1936) could be introduced as an additional textbook for all SSC-level students in India.
 
At the university level, BA and MA courses on Ambedkarism could be introduced. Course material should include theoretical concepts as well as practical skill training in social welfare, gender justice and civil rights. To make the students who hold degrees in Ambedkarism eligible for employment in government welfare programmes, the course should include awareness-creation about social legislations on problems like dowry, child labour, drug addiction, empowerment of the marginalized,and qualitative improvements in the delivery of socio-economic welfare schemes for targeted people.
 
Incorporating Ambedkar in curricula should not be a problem as Madurai Kamraj University in Tamilnaduhas been conducting graduate and post-graduate courses on Gandhian thought for 10 years now.
 

Books by Ambedkar
 
(1) Annihilation of Caste, (2) Buddha and his Dharma, (3)  Rise and Fall of Hindu women, (4) Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah, (5) States and Minorities, (6) Who were the Shudras, (7) Riddles of Hinduism, (8) Untouchables, (9)  What Congress and Gandhi have Done to the Untouchables, (10) Revolution and Counter Revolutions in India, (11)  Buddha and Karl Marx and (12) Speeches in the Constituent Assembly 
 

Papers that can be designed for BA/MA courses in Ambedkarism:

(1)     Life and basic work of Ambedkar,
(2)     Ambedkar’s views on the origins and of the evil caste system,
(3)     Ambedkar’s jurisprudence,
(4)     Ambedkar’s ideas on welfare economics,
(5)     Ambedkar’s contribution in the making of the Constitution and other legislations,
(6)     Relevance of Ambedkar’s ideas for social upliftand enlightenment,
(7)     Ambedkar’s ideas on science, technology, development and distributive justice,
(8)     Ambedkar’s political ideology,
(9)     Ambedkar’s vision for India’s future,
(10)   Interface of Ambedkar with his contemporaries in public life,
(11)   Ambedkar’s views on Buddhism and Marxism,
(12)   Critical study of Ambedkar’s book ‘The Riddles of Hinduism’,
(13)   Relevance and applicability of Ambedkarism in today’s India
 

The post Teach equality, remove discrimination appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Courtesy: AFP

Make Ambedkar’s thoughts part of school and college syllabi

A former DGP of Gujarat says that in place of the extravagant token celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti by various political parties, there should be concrete programmes to implement Ambedkar’s thoughts. This articulation is a fitting tribute to DrBabasahebAmbedkar on his 125^thbirth anniversary as also on the 65^thanniversary of the Constitution. The retired IPS officer has written to the Prime Minister that the multi-faceted contribution of Ambedkar can be found in his programmes for the emancipation and empowerment of India’s long-enslaved and marginalised people and in the conception and creation of the Constitution of India.  Implementing his ideas would be the true way forward for the country
 
Ambedkarism should be incorporated in the curricula of all schools at the middle and high school levels. For the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) course, a secondary text book is prescribed for the language papers (English, regional languages or Hindi).  Till now, the Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi and books by Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand (Hindi), Umashankar Joshi (Gujarati), ThakazhiShivashankara Pillai (Malayalam), Thiruvalluvar (Tamil), Ananda Murthy (Kannada), Sharat Chandra Chatterjee (Bengali) and Kalidas (Sanskrit) have been included.
 
As part of Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations, Ambedkar’s epoch-making incisive book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ (1936) could be introduced as an additional textbook for all SSC-level students in India.
 
At the university level, BA and MA courses on Ambedkarism could be introduced. Course material should include theoretical concepts as well as practical skill training in social welfare, gender justice and civil rights. To make the students who hold degrees in Ambedkarism eligible for employment in government welfare programmes, the course should include awareness-creation about social legislations on problems like dowry, child labour, drug addiction, empowerment of the marginalized,and qualitative improvements in the delivery of socio-economic welfare schemes for targeted people.
 
Incorporating Ambedkar in curricula should not be a problem as Madurai Kamraj University in Tamilnaduhas been conducting graduate and post-graduate courses on Gandhian thought for 10 years now.
 

Books by Ambedkar
 
(1) Annihilation of Caste, (2) Buddha and his Dharma, (3)  Rise and Fall of Hindu women, (4) Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah, (5) States and Minorities, (6) Who were the Shudras, (7) Riddles of Hinduism, (8) Untouchables, (9)  What Congress and Gandhi have Done to the Untouchables, (10) Revolution and Counter Revolutions in India, (11)  Buddha and Karl Marx and (12) Speeches in the Constituent Assembly 
 

Papers that can be designed for BA/MA courses in Ambedkarism:

(1)     Life and basic work of Ambedkar,
(2)     Ambedkar’s views on the origins and of the evil caste system,
(3)     Ambedkar’s jurisprudence,
(4)     Ambedkar’s ideas on welfare economics,
(5)     Ambedkar’s contribution in the making of the Constitution and other legislations,
(6)     Relevance of Ambedkar’s ideas for social upliftand enlightenment,
(7)     Ambedkar’s ideas on science, technology, development and distributive justice,
(8)     Ambedkar’s political ideology,
(9)     Ambedkar’s vision for India’s future,
(10)   Interface of Ambedkar with his contemporaries in public life,
(11)   Ambedkar’s views on Buddhism and Marxism,
(12)   Critical study of Ambedkar’s book ‘The Riddles of Hinduism’,
(13)   Relevance and applicability of Ambedkarism in today’s India
 

The post Teach equality, remove discrimination appeared first on SabrangIndia.