Prejudice runs both ways?

In response to the piece
Humour is by no means exempt from prejudice in The Hindu on June 8, 2012, about Controversial Ambedkar cartoon
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3501903.ece

The most convincing piece in the entire article was the statement -‘The whip is inseparable from violence…’ After reading that sentence, the outlook towards the article changed completely. One can not but agree and sympathize with the emotion in that idea. However, one point still remains unsolved, which is, - Why should dalits take the whip in Nehru’s hand to be falling on Ambedkar? The cartoon actually shows the whip aimed at the snail which is used as a symbol of very slow movement. Ambedkar too is helping the whole process by goading the snail to move faster. Why is Ambedkar invariably seen by Dalits as being responsible for the sluggish pace. Dalits need to offload the psychological baggage which almost borders on paranoia, and see things with a bit more balanced judgment. With such a balance, one can realize that Ambedkar and Nehru together worked for faster progress of the Constitution.

The grounds of Dalit identity and pseudo Abedkarites

Ambedkar, or for that matter no one should be above criticism. This prophet-hood being foisted on the great personality is a sign of how divisive the dalit politics is getting.  It shows a very farsighted strategy to acquire unbridled power without responsibility by the so called spokesmen of dalit interests. An attempt to get away with anything (irresponsible statements, violence etc)  under the shield of dalit identity.

Kancha Illiah can only spew venom at anything even remotely connected to Hinduism or upper caste hindus. These are the people who selectively use or abuse Ambedkar’s ideas for their own ends. His ideas are dangerous and only water the seeds of everlasting hatred among dalits and non-dalits.

The ilk of Illiah just do not want the demolition of caste, lest they be effaced to oblivion.  These are the kind of people who would never allow admbedkar’s ideas like inter-caste marriages to succeed.

Illiah supported the beef  fest recently at Hyderabad. He calls it an assertion of dalit identity. The reason is that hindus do not eat it and because Gandhi’s work for upliftment of ‘Harijans’ included urging them to quit eating beef and carrion. By claiming that beef eating was/is a way of life of dalits, they are nurturing a dalit identity; an identity built selectively on those issues which can pinch and  hurt the caste hindus’ conscience. Gandhi also encouraged education, giving up of unclean jobs, hygiene, etc. Why not also give them up to assert dalit identity, if that is how they used to live. Can they not be called their way of life, going by the logic of beef eating? 

May be it's just that they are not divisive enough!

Do India's Muslims need to be represented by Muslims?

The writer rightly raised an important issue affecting Indian polity now. Today’s muslim leaders are showing the same attitude that prevailed during the times of Independence. History tells us that Jinnah insisted on being the sole representative of all muslims in undivided India; to disallow congress from fielding muslims. The Owaisis in Hyderabad too claim to be the sole representatives of muslims and are determined not to concede any political space to other parties. Muslim vote, or for that matter any vote is not a monopoly of muslim leaders. Its time common muslims realized this and break out of this political warp which is holding the community back.

Another paradox about muslim vote is that, when the Shahi Imam openly endorses politics, it does not raise any eyebrows; in fact, the Congress uses his popularity, but when Baba Ramdev speaks with political overtones, the Congress men cry foul that religious men should keep off from politics.

I, Me, Myself !!!

 

Sex surveys and reality

There have been multiple suverys on this topic my major magazines.

Surveys on sexuality of the population are a perfect example of what Justice Markandey Kadju calls the misplaced priorities of the media. Popular magazines are competing on making these surveys racier. Are there no other real issues to cover than the libidos and eccentricities of a minority of urban India? This is what sociologist Jean Baudrillard called simulacra which is a creation of hyper-reality by proliferation of images and ideas which does not have a referent reality. Media is meticulously proving the critics of capitalism right.

Sent to outlook

FDI in retail

Just as Coffee days and Baristas could not wipe out the tea carts on
our streets, FDI should not throw kirana stores out of business. Not
everyday people go to coffedays but once in a while. Similarly, not
for everything will people go to walmart when setup in India. Going to
such a store will be a planned affair unlike going to a kirana store
to get a bag of sugar or spice, where one can just walk in pajamas
along with their pet dog.

Bharat ratna to ghalib

There was an article recently by Justice Markandey Katju, advocation Bharat ratna for Ghalib in The Hindu and i had sent my below view to the paper which was printed but only a shortened version.

Ghalib contributed greatly to Hindustani culture. Though he is a great philosopher, popular perception did not give him enough credit, but focused more on his views on wine and religion. Ghalib’s views were at least a hundred years in advance of his times. He spoke for a united india rising above the regional differences of Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad etc. He condemned the division of languages as urdu for muslims and hindi for hindus. He exposed hypocrites in the name of religion. Though he believed in unifying spirituality which comes close to Sufism and Advaitavada, he looked down upon rituals. His following couplet gives an idea of his philosophy. ‘Hai parey idraak se apna masjood, qible ko ahl-e-nazar qiblanuma kehte hain’ – The entity I worship is beyond the reach of intellect, for, people with insight perceive of the qibla(mecca) as only a pointer to the worshipped. Speaking of Bharat Ratna, Ghalib never cared for appreciation; he said, ‘na sitaaish ki tamanna, na sile ki parwa; gar nahin hain mere ashar main mani na sahi’ - Neither I care for praise nor for reward, if there is no meaning in my couplets, then so be it. Ghalib said, he was a nightingale of a paradise which was not yet born and hoped that future generations would appreciate the depth of his thought. It’s time we gave the poet his due. Nevertheless, Ghalib would be no lesser a philosopher poet, with or without Bharat Ratna.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2732614.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/article2735936.ece