Wanted: an International Interlocutor for Iran

It was only yesterday that I came across a thought provoking article in one of the issues of The Speaking Tree from the Times of India and my thoughts on Iran issue crystallized! That the world needs an able international interlocutor to deal with Iran! Now, what should be the qualities of this interlocutor saddled with the immense responsibility to bring Iran to the table?

This international interlocutor should be a Taoist. That’s it! That this international interlocutor should have a comprehensive view of the world, his vision encompassing all possible facets of life. Sounds daunting? Well, no, if the international interlocutor is a Taoist!

International interlocution is an extremely difficult task in which chances of success – sustained success – is rare. We have witnessed many talks fail at the initial stages itself or go on till eternity without any probable solution on the horizon visible ever. Beyond a period the entire exercise starts resembling a time-pass job for the person(s) involved. And with time the matter gets erased from the world’s memory till the topic resurfaces later because of some ‘triggering factor’. And the whole mechanism is reignited… Welcome to the world of international interlocution!

The first UNO Secretary General had famously stated that it is better to jaw-jaw than war-war! He was in his own way defending the infamous state of the United Nations Organization’s reputation of being a place for perpetual talks, and no action! Well, if you take a closer look at the various wars fought in the contemporary times, majority was fought because of gross breakdown of communication between two countries. Though, the intention at the core of conflict predictably & primarily have been the never-satiable desire for wider global control but the igniting force was in almost all instances the breakdown of mutual talks. And if only, and I truly believe in my theory, that if the warring protagonists had decided to sit together and talk majority of the wars would not have taken place.

Now, if you are curiously waiting the unraveling of this much celebrated by now international interlocutor, then here I go, but I want you to simultaneously ponder over this issue.

As we know, international interlocution is an enormously challenging responsibility and the person involved has to be awfully tactful in negotiations. And because the discussions engage humans on both sides, the human angle(s) cannot be overlooked. This international interlocutor is concentrated upon finding a “way out” of the conflicting situation, and there comes the role of his Taoistic capabilities – to look for alternatives. Because while dealing with humans, you cannot afford rigid positions as nothing is black-or-white in life, including in international interlocution. Here comes the belief in Taoism handy as it is based on creating balance amidst imbalance, the latter stemming from the sense of disproportion. And you cannot also rest upon “one-sided” solution for all problems. The attitude of “my way or high way” ruins the process in the beginning itself.

The other aspect is sustenance of the solution reached upon. Because crumbling of peace is almost inevitable in most of the cases - soon after.

Humans, as we know for being one our self, is a complex being. Though all humans share the same DNA sequence but the genes are wired differently in every person. The human behavior and approach are shaped more by the environment and less by the genetic makeup. We see certain characteristics specific to people from a particular region or religion and all is determined by the surrounding ambience. As individuals we may be our own person but when it comes to ‘communities/countries’ we behave in a certain predictable pattern guided by the common belief and value systems – DNA of their country (!). There are cultural factors intertwined. Therefore, same lens cannot be used to diagnose the problem and thus arrive at the solution. The person acting as the international interlocutor has to have in-depth knowledge of the people involved and the historical-cultural background of the countries engaged in the conflict.

And, of course, the international interlocutor cannot have prejudices and biases and predetermined notional approach to the task. The talks have to be conducted in a balanced environment with equal weightage being accorded to both the communicating partners, irrespective of the status of the individual countries on the geopolitical index, keeping the cultural sensibilities of both the sides in view.

The case in point is Iran. So far the world diplomacy has failed to bring this strategically important country to the table. In fact the scenario has become worse and now it has come to the stage of a full blown conflict between both, Iran and the ‘rest of the world’ being positioned exactly opposite to each other. The ‘rest of the world’ – the West led by the US – has pushed Iran to the corner by sanctioning harsh economic and social embargoes and expectedly Iran has reacted by blocking oil supplies to 8 Eurozone countries. Iran has further gone ahead and stationed its missile warheads ready just in case …

Who is to be blamed in this unnecessarily provoked conflict situation? (All conflicts are unnecessary – if you analyze it critically.)

Iran is no saint nation. It has its own sets of problems – not for the ‘rest-of-the-world’ but ironically perpetrated upon its own people, the various manifestations of religious fundamentalists that life of an average Iranian is not something to be vied for. But Iran controls the second largest reserves of liquid gold – Oil! Oil, the life-line of today’s world and which is much more valuable than gold! Ask America and it will be readily willing to swap all its gold reserves for all of the world’s Oil – Saudi Arabia and Iran to start with! The kernel of the ongoing Iran conflict lies here – in the Oil!

Because Iran controls second largest reserves of Oil, therefore, the world – the US mainly – wants to control Iran! And this is no hypothesis. Otherwise, why will the world – the US – have duplicity in its diplomacy while dealing with various nations, many of them rouge and much more fundamentalists than Iran; nuclear arsenals is just one of the excuse to gain so-called legitimate access to Iran’s vast Oil reserves!

On Nuclear issue too, how can the US and other “nuclear” nations preach nuclear abstinence to Iran when they themselves are armed to teeth with nuclear warheads, with a combined capacity to destroy the complete world at least 15 times over? (Well, one can die only once, sadly!) What legitimacy does all these nuclear nations have which gives them the moral-or-immoral authority to curb an independent nation’s nuclear ambitions when it is repeatedly proclaiming its peaceful intents? Even if the fact that Iran fought with Iraq for almost a decade but that does not make it a global threat! And by the way, we all know that both these neighboring countries were pitched against each other to neutralize each other and create a conflict zone in the Middle East to suit global arms dealers’ desires. Both Iran and Iraq got used and abused by the West, including the US. The intention was only one: to gain forever access to their huge Oil reserves in order to satiate their ever growing energy demands. Saudi Arabia, the world knew, was never going to be easy to target, anyway, and that is the reason it has never been eyed so far in spite of being the largest Oil producer.

The argument that Iran is a terror sponsoring state is also hollow. The world knows the creators of Taliban and Al-Qaeda; stretching the reasoning a bit far, dictators like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak and others, including financially supporting terror crucibles like Pakistan, are the playthings/grounds of the ‘rest-of-the world’ and not Iran. Thus, painting a purposefully bad picture of Iran and using the same against it in the global arena to garner support and buy legitimacy so as to corner it – for Oil, what else?! - is going to be highly detrimental for the world order.

The solution is to engage Iran in dialogue but with an honest intent and not with a prejudiced baggage. The international interlocutors involved have to have a clear picture of Iran as a nation in mind. They have to remember its ancient history and its evolution through the various historic and contemporary periods and its position in today’s world. Iran is the oldest civilized country of the world and it has a rich Persian heritage of which the Iranians are extremely proud of! Okay, it has gone wayward in modern times due to its now adopted fundamentalistic approach in politics and governance but still it does not get categorized as a rogue nation. Iran is an aggressive nation but its current posturing is more because of its international isolation post its West-fuelled decade long Iraq war – which also gave opportunity for the Islamic extremism to flourish further. Its decision to develop nuclear capabilities indigenously also stemmed from these set of problems.

And if the world wants to engage Iran honestly, then the international interlocutors have to have 360-degree knowledge of its history and culture and religion and its people and its heritage and legacy. This is pre-requisite to a successful interlocution between the ‘rest-of-the-world’ and Iran.

To talk absolutely naive, if Barack Obama picks up his Blackberry and calls up President Ahmadinejad, will not the latter agree to an across the table conversation? (Provided the White House warmongering hawks let the President take this initiative!) The venue may not be Washington or Tehran, but the UN Secretary General’s office can just be the best place to talk! Mr. Ban Ki Moon, are you listening?

…………………………………….

P.S: Iran-Iraq: conjoined neighbors?

The Iran-Iraq connection is divine in spite of the divide. Look at the history of both the neighboring nations and you would understand. The emergence of both the countries is ancient, both being the cradle of civilization. And both have shared similar fate in their evolution, as conjoined entities. Looking at the currently active events in the world of global politics and power, it would not be a prophecy to proclaim that it is the turn of Iran to get battered by the U.S. like its troubled neighbor Iraq…

Falak baby, R.I.P :)

Dear Falak, I know I am prophesying the event of your death but this is what I want for you. That may you die soon. ASAP. That may your soul get to rest-in-peace soon; there isn’t any body left anyway which is now resting-in-pieces.

I know you would be wondering at my state of mind which is in total contrast to the nation’s mood. India is praying to see you fight out and live; I am wishing death for you.

You are too small a baby to fully understand the imminent harsh realities that you are sure to face once you are out of that cold and lonely hospital room in the AIIMS. You have already experienced the ghastly and brutal ways of humanity. Just imagine what will happen to you, a little kid, a girl child, who has already been extensively abused and battered and abandoned – when you step out in this big bad world. All alone, an orphan, and nowhere to go.

There would be a few claimants to your saved body in case you are lucky to experience a miracle and survive – which I will call an absolute misfortune. None of those would-be custodians would be there with any love for you. They all would be there like vultures circling over to stake a claim to your leftover body, and soul. Whosoever be that person to get your custody rights, be sure to get further abused – sexually too – and battered beyond repair. Because the chances of you getting back to a normal existence is remote as your brain had been battered to pulp. You will never regain your usual brain functions – even if you come out of the current coma. You will always be like a vegetable – may be only partially – but not at all in a position to defend yourself even after growing up. Your custodial guardians will treat you like a slave and make you do unimaginable things; a servant’s job would seem quite dignified by any standards. Those greedy people would usurp all the government and private grants – I am sure there would be enough - given in your name for your upkeep and upbringing and will leave you without any facilities and benefits. They will continue to live a better life with the money meant for you instead. And no body, absolutely no body, will ever care to ensure if you have a normal life or not. That if you are being provided the basic amenities or not. That if your fundamental rights to education and a dignified life is being respected or not. All sorts of horrible things will be perpetrated upon you in spite of the fact that enough money would have been arranged and put in the hands of those greedy guardians by a few sympathetic souls. Your existence would be hellish by all accounts. While you would be struggling to just be alive, forget about living your life, the world would have progressed to the state of collective and absolute amnesia.

Well, the situation could be absolutely opposite also. But I am sure that even you too, in your state of being a cute little angel, have come to realize now that you turning out to be extremely fortunate in life is highly unlikely. Your life experiences so far substantiate my pessimistic beliefs. And thus, I wish death for you as soon as possible.

Falak, let me describe the situation to you in a bit more detail. You are citizen of a country which is hugely hypocritical in attitude. Here people proclaim to be proponents of family and family life and claim to respect relationships and emotions but in practice they are diagonally opposite. Otherwise why would we be witnessing ghastly abuse of children in hands of adults. We do not feel guilt employing toddlers as servants and making them toil the entire day in service of grown ups. We do not wince seeing small children working as waiters in hotels and restaurants and getting abused both physically and psychologically by all. There are numerous horror tales of small kids being harassed and made to work under inhuman conditions in factories all across the country. We are comfortable reading about sexual torture of innocents. We just don’t bother if scores of our nation’s future are begging and sleeping on streets. That they are living in absolutely hell-like conditions growing up as stunted and stunned souls, with very little left inside to reciprocate – as hollow humans. As humans, citizens of a country called India which prides itself on its family oriented society, we are too busy concentrating on our own lives and shutting out all unpleasant scenes of real life through closed eyes – of other people’s life. As individuals, our love for children is grossly limited to ‘our own’. Rest all are “aliens” – unreachable and untouchable in terms of emotional connect.

I your case too, Falak, we will close our eyes the moment television cameras close their caps.

And, for God’s sake, please do not expect the government of India to do any thing for you beyond a certain point at best. They have already exhibited their limitations – as always – in taking care of you. If it had noble intentions, the GOI would have already succeeded in punishing your butchers (arresting them by now at least) and would have announced definitive plans for your rehabilitation. It would be completely foolish to trust the government in India. It just has too many children roaming around to be bothered about any. For India, its people are just statistics, nothing more. And your absence will certainly not leave any void.

Therefore, I wish death for you – ASAP. May you R.I.P J … Just ask the God why did It close Its eyes upon you? …

…………….

You know Falak, your name means “sky”; I wish your soul an abode in sky – Falak in Falak J

Fan-tastic!

Below illustrated is the ‘anatomy of an admirer’.

Sounds like a biology class! At least it is not a lesson in “postmortem” as the admirer is still alive! …

Before you start wondering, I would like to narrate a recent incident. I was in Bhopal having dinner at the Jehan Numa Palace’s famed restaurant “Under The Mango Tree” when I saw Jaya Bachchan walk in with a few friends & relatives. Obviously all heads turned in her direction including mine but there was no pandemonium. She sat at the next table, ordered food & drinks and they started having peaceful conversations. Once the dinner was over I decided to go and talk to her which I did. I congratulated Jaya aunty for becoming a grand mother and reminded her of my previous meeting with her at the Delhi airport when she was with Amitabh uncle, Abhishek and Anil Ambani – all returning to Bombay in Anil’s private jet post her (and Anil’s) oath in the Rajya Sabha – which she, of course, did not remember but seemed to be happy talking about – and I genuinely complimented on her still maintained elegance and charm! She thanked me profusely and then I requested for a photograph with her. Jaya aunty very sweetly declined saying “it is an extremely private dinner; there are so many people around who too would like to do the same; hope you will understand and not mind … God bless you.” I understood of course and did not mind also! Three days later when I was returning to Delhi, I again saw her walk inside the airport wearing a beautiful dress looking every inch a “Guddi”! She had a bit of harried expression around her. Had she spent a few minutes around, I would have gone to her again, requesting her to pose for a picture with me – this time at a public place, giving her no opportunity to refuse! … Her departure started a discussion about this entire phenomenon called “celebrity-admirer” relationship. And I decided to pen down my thoughts. So, here I am …

Watching Jaya aunty board the aircraft to Bombay I got reminded of an article by a celebrated journalist more than half a decade back in one of the national dailies in which he (a hint!) lamented the species called “admirers” – a “fan” in popular parlance – and labeling them to be “Goodwill Hunters”! Well, he must have had his own reasons (very flimsy from his account in the piece though) but it hurt me immensely. Because I am also a fan of a very few but have never indulged into “goodwill hunting” – so far!

The “Goodwill Hunting” term hurt me because as an active person with interest in various fields I have met many a celebrities, have interacted with them, taken snaps with a few but I do not think that being a non-celebrity, I have ever tried to “hunt them down for any goodwill”! No way.

Of course, there many people who are real fanatics (fan comes from fanatics!) in their hero-worship but this kind of frenzied behavior is reserved for a select few and that too at select places – few film stars and few cricketers being amongst this coveted club! General public otherwise is so ignorant about most of the things that people – celebrities – in most of the fields other than film and cricket are not even known, forget about being recognized! Thus, the bizarre attitude of a few little known names/faces is so offending that you actually wonder at their fantasy about their own self!

Here is the disclaimer: I admire/respect many celebrities/achievers but am a “fan” of very few; they being authors (Orhan Pamuk, Shashi Tharoor, Ashwin Sanghi), anchor (Arnab Goswami), industrialist (Ratan Tata), social leader (Anna Hazare), film star (Amitabh Bachchan), journalists (Karan Thapar, Vir Sanghvi), politicians (Rajiv Gandhi, Barack Obama), cricketers (MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar), sports (Michael Schumacher, Boris Becker) and my ultimate favorite Mahatma Gandhi! And I have never ever tried “goodwill hunting” with any of them! …

Only a couple of months back I was watching Ranbir Kapoor talk about ‘fans’ on “Frankly Speaking” on Times Now and I found his thoughts to be refreshing! He mentioned about his father’s haughty behavior towards the “approaching fans” and thus his determination as a young kid that if ever he became a celebrity he would always respect his fans because it is because of the fans that a film star is born and sustained! He sounded noble and “hat-ke” though in reality if he really practices it is yet to be confirmed…

I also find one more aspect very odd about many of the celebrities. That if you correspond with famous people (not because you want to trespass/harass but only to share your opinion on certain issues and the celebrity in question need not be from ‘your set of favorites’), they will not respond; or if they do ‘oblige’, most of the time they will not address the person with his/her name. And if they do, they will not use the expression “dear” before the name. Now, prefixing “dear” is just a civilized way of writing/replying; no fool (recipient/fan) will ever believe that he/she has become a “dear” of the personality!

Not that I blame them entirely for their strange attitude. Sometimes admirers can be really rude and unforgiving and crazy but generally they are supportive and understanding. I also realize that they are so hard pressed for time that taking time out for responding to each and every email/letter could become hugely challenging (by the way, how many such personalities would be there in this world?!). I also buy the argument that they are humans too and thus need personal space in their ever-crowded environment in which every person is out there hungry for a piece of him/her! In many instances, their own insecurities and personal troubles could be so overwhelming that they live cocooned and seldom bother to look around and savor the privileges bestowed upon them by virtue of being successful/known in their chosen field! Nevertheless, what I also understand from all this is that they clearly fail to understand the favorite-fan relationship.

This celebrity-fan relationship is very interesting. And divine. Though friends of a celebrity are often because of his/her fame, but fans are like stars in the universe: shining for him/her with ‘moral support & well-wishes’ from afar but never crossing their paths to cause eclipses like ‘planets and satellites’! This relationship is absolutely one-sided, without any kind of expectation from the more blessed one, though the latter get taken-for-granted often in this divinely unbalanced equation. And there is no “goodwill hunting”, for God’s sake!

Nevertheless, I remain a fan, forever … J

I, Alien

As the aircraft approaches its landing, and if I happen to be seated at the window, I start getting strange sensations. I feel like an alien. And I am sure that if ever an alien comes visiting the planet earth, she would feel the same. Various divergent thoughts start appearing in my mind. The Life per se seems to be getting cloudier in my thoughts, denser than the clouds surrounding the descending machine.

At that height I don’t only get a 360 degrees view of the earth but also seem to get a new perspective on life. I see the earth below and the sky around, space actually - if I speak in a non-technical term. If the time is before sunset, the ground shows numerous activities, all suggesting a vibrant habitation below. Post sunset the scene is much more beautiful with lights shining all around, concealing the ugliness of humanity superbly. If Capt. Satish Sharma said “saare jahan se achchha” about India from the Space, which we so naively believe to be true, the same is equally applicable to every part of the world. There is hardly any distinction till the earth comes closer. And I could be landing on any planet in the Universe!

At that distance away from the earth and up in the sky, with the space pervading all around, I marvel at the God for having these marvelous ideas about life! I wonder at Its’ creations which are so consistent in every sense of the term. Simultaneously looking at the fast approaching earth below, I wonder at the significance of our earth in Its’ vast scheme of things! With billions of stars and billions of planets and moons strewn all across the Universe, I wonder about this tiny little speck of mass called earth. The earth, a revolving landmass around the Sun, over which we have been fighting ever since having straightened up! Yes, from a bent cave man to a walking being supposedly with a straight spine!

It doesn’t take an eternity for the aircraft to descend but the time seems to be sufficient enough to let my mind race faster than any conceivable time machine. Amazingly my thoughts remain consistent in all voyages. Once having marveled at the God for creating this beautiful Universe, I also wonder at the loss of control It suffered thereafter, especially in case of humans. The biological Evolution, the pre-historic times, the medieval period and the modern and contemporary history flash in my mind as if I were watching a classic movie in fast-forward! From complicated human behaviors to predictable yet weird human traits cross my thoughts. (Looking at a kid I always wonder what kind of a person she/he would finally be.) The man-made geographical divisions, the numerous nations built within boundaries, the thoughts and traditions and cultures and civilizations and philosophies and ideologies and wars and death & destruction and jihad and terrorism and poverty and pollution and politicians and pollution and police and army and brutality and torture and broken hearts and senseless minds and troubles and tribulations and oil and nuclear weapons and religions and regions and skin colors and castes and creeds and genders and intellect and talent and ambitions and dreams and awards and arrogance and emotions and relationships and fights and arguments and daily living and life … everything, absolutely every aspect of life seems so insignificant …

We never seem to realize that we are not even a full dot in the grand scheme of things in the unending and ever-expanding Universe! And we never ever seem to be ready to believe that like us – the so-called intelligent and the evolved creation! – there would be millions of creations much more evolved and intelligent, and humane than us. It is only a matter of time that they would traverse the space and discover us. So far we have not displayed those capabilities to reach out to them – the Aliens! … The co-existing irony, nevertheless, is that we as humans are yet to discover – understand – ourselves and our fellow humans cohabiting on our earth!

If I look at the Life from up in the sky, and think about the Life in general, I fail to understand the purpose of Creation per se. Why did the God make all what he made? Why did he lose all control over Its own creations thereafter? Does It regret having created human beings? From astronomy to astrology, did Its plans go all awry? I think about all the living beings including the ocean dwellers which include the microscopic beings to the visible souls in the animal and the plant kingdom. I think about the food chain and the social pyramid. And the entire thing looks like a grand “time-pass”! Yes, every body aimlessly busy in doing nothing except for doing the basic things in order to sustain its life within the assigned and designed body so as to be able to pass into the next stage of being in form of soul at a designated time. The life which was created to be simple in existence but it becoming hugely complex in practice. Every thing so consistent and predictable and so routine and repetitive that, from a distance, as an alien, I feel disillusioned!

I know that if the Buddha were alive today, and he would have travelled with me in an aircraft seated in a window seat, post the touchdown he would have embarked on a journey yet again in search of enlightenment – renouncing his theory of nirvana. The Buddha too would have felt like an alien …

Wish Russians had met my Grandfather ...

One of the fondest memories of my grandfather is he asking me to recite the Bhagavad Gita when we visited him and Naniji during our summer holidays. He would smilingly listen to me struggling as a kid to read those amazing verses from the book most of which I hardly understood. It was only at a later stage in life that I developed the necessary mental capabilities to appreciate the Gita. And, perhaps that is the reason why I find the Gita to be one of the most fundamental thoughts on Art of Living and Life per se!

The Gita is so comprehensive and profound that one marvels at the deep intellect of the civilization which formulated it many thousands of years before the rest of the world could crawl out of the caves! One has to read it to grasp it and it is not complicated at all. The Gita talks in a very simple language to the humanity. The ideology is complete; the belief is universal. And a look at all other philosophies of the world makes one realize that every worldly thought stemmed out of the Gita itself – besides the other immensely intense scriptures on philosophy – and religion - which were incidentally penned down during the thriving era of the Indus Valley civilization and which was the foundation of the later period – now modern - Hinduism.

Therefore to call the Gita a militant book with mercenary motives and thus initiating its ban in Russia seemed hugely novice. Thanks to the timely action by the minister of external affairs and the wise intervention of the Russian prime minister that the bizarre move by one of the courts in the erstwhile USSR could be halted. (Coincidentally, the Indian minister is the Gita’s chief protagonist’s namesake – Krishna!) … Well, Thank you, Mr. Putin; it has saved your country from renouncing a knowledge treasure in absence of adequate exposure to the Gita.

This brings me to the fundamental of the issue: why is the world so ignorant about most of the things it possesses? Why in spite of the so-called shrinking of the planet earth and the boundaries becoming so-called irrelevant in today’s inter-connected world that we still seem to know almost nothing about anything belonging to the so-called “others”? Why has the world remained so myopic in views in spite of being inhabited by the more evolved of the species called the Homo sapiens?

In making humans more civilized gradually, one of the major contributions has been of the various world religions. (I am no proponent of any form of organized/structured religion; nevertheless I firmly believe in the oneness of the creator and It being at the helm of the Life.) And that is the reason why we see religion being at the core of evolution of all human civilizations since the beginning of the time. (I also appreciate the contrary: that the various religions were at the core of destruction of all human civilizations and continue to be the main reason for most of the deaths and defeats in today’s world.) One has to know the religion being followed by a particular human race to understand its behavior and beliefs. Moreover, knowledge of the numerous world religions opens one’s eyes and widens one’s mental horizons. Because then you realize that essentially all religions are the same with a similar central theme and therefore all humans are same. And that it is immensely foolish to fight over narrow ideologies like creed, caste, or colour. And the ways of the world look so absurdly limited that it makes you wonder if we can really qualify to label ourselves as “civilized” claiming to have broader views and basic intellect when compared to the lesser mortals i.e. animals.

Coming back to the principal issue of the proposed Gita ban throws some challenges to us Indians. In spite of Hinduism being the first of the evolved religions of the world, we Indians have not been able to take it to the world. It is high time India took progressive steps to make the world understand the nuances of this great religion. (I also accept its flawed interpretation and practice by many.) Once aware, no one would ever propagate banning and branding of the Gita as violent. (I actually feel like LOL!) Instead, in increasing fractured world, the knowledge of the Gita would show all humans the way to a real Life.

Here I also like to LOL at the fellow Indians. Because howsoever high ground we might have taken upon the news of the pending ban on the Gita and would have felt hurt and betrayed and would have laughed and wondered at the limited general knowledge of the related Russians in the case, we wouldn’t have looked withinwith the realization that we too hardly understand the Gita. In fact when it is discussed – and its verses get quoted routinely – I feel like cringing with horror at the lack of awareness amongst the Indians. Every body has his or her own interpretation of the text and most of them are absolutely faulty and twisted to suit one’s selfish interests. For most of the Indians the Gita is a “religious book” to be “worshipped” but not “practiced” as the former is sufficient to cleanse one of his or her sins. We are famous for meting out the same “revered” treatment to all other supremely authored ancient religious books – whether it is the Ramayana or the Mahabharata or the Upnishads or the Puranas or others. Same is the scene with people following other religions. (And seeing people behave in all other parts of the world as well in the name of religion, I am sure the same is being practiced elsewhere also.)

WOW! Then why blame the Russians alone? They are yet to read the Gita and understand the idea. And that is the reason why I wish all the ignorants of the world – including the Indians and the Russians – had met my grandfather …

Happy reading the Gita J

Nargis, Welcome to this Big, Bad World! ...

Hello, Nargis! Congratulations for being heralded as the 7th Billion Baby on this Earth!

And, sorry for spoiling your 1^st day on this planet by presenting the facts of our world as being ‘Big & Bad”.

I know you are too small to understand the irony of this “distinct status” but I still thought of not being untruthful to you on your first day in life. Actually, I could not summon enough courage to tell you anything other than the truths. But whatever I am going to reveal to you are relevant from the Indian perspective only. If you were born in a more developed part of the world, your could grow to be a true Destiny Child! Not in India, unfortunately.

Nargis baby, let me introduce us Indians to you. We Indians are amongst the most hypocritical of the lot and, therefore, we behave in a manner which could be best described as “unique”. We love to believe that we worship female form of God’s creation by pretending to be worshiping Goddesses – and we have plenty of them, all described and presented as the most powerful & feared ones! But in total contrast we indulge into meting out some of the most despicable treatments possible to a human being i.e. to our women folk – spanning the entire stages of life.

On birth of a girl child we mourn. This is when the female foetus could survive. Else, we finish the root cause of our misery in its inception stage itself and we feel no remorse in practicing female foeticide. And that is the reason India’s sex ratio is pathetically skewed towards males (1000:835 approx.). But this is what we are made to believe based on the internationally established benchmark; for us, a male child is a divine blessing! And, vice-versa for a female baby – needless to repeat.

Then, if a girl child survives in spite of the harshest of the conditions being ensured around her birth, she is ignored completely and allowed to grow on her own. The mother’s contribution is not much besides feeding her with her own milk in the initial few months and then leaving her to survive on a mal-nourished diet comprising of “leftovers” – a diet which is going to stay with her as a “habit” for her lifetime, till whatever time she manages to be alive.

Barely she learns to walk that she is made to do household chores like sweeping, cleaning utensils, washing clothes, graduating to cooking while still a child and contributing to rearing of her male siblings, if the mother is blessed thereafter! (The scene in an educated household is a bit better in terms of facilities and treatment but at the core the disdain is almost the same. Mind you, the female foeticide cases are more in urban areas in comparison to the uneducated rural settings.)

Education for a female child, if undertaken, is taken with great difficulty and is still viewed as a necessary formality. Many of the females still get left out from the ambit of formal education. Even in today’s modern 21^st era, interestingly, education is considered to be an “investment” towards getting a better groom at a lower cost!

Yes, a female – irrespective of her family’s social and financial background – is “sold out” at a pre-fixed price to the prospective groom which is otherwise termed in the Indian society as “dowry”. If the dowry amount is not satisfactory, the bride is burnt without mercy!

And in between her life from being a baby to being a bride and beyond, she is expected to play only “roles” – of a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a mother-in-law, a grand mother. Never she gets to live her own life as “She”. She is always somebody’s something!

This is the simple part of growing up as a female in India as far as that “somebody” is your “own” family. The complexities arise when the “others” start to exercise their “rights” on you just because of your gender. You will understand it fully when you grow up and try to walk the streets outside the walls of your home. Nargis, you would be utterly disgusted to see the other half of the population – males – behave in the most gutterly (gutter-like) fashion! They will ogle at you, pass vulgar remarks at you, try to touch you in public, harass you, physically abuse you and if the “opportunity” presents – or not – many would not even blink before deciding to molest you. And when you protest, you could get killed. And, if you survive, and decide to get the culprit punished, the honourable courts proceedings will make your life so miserable that you would either commit suicide or would end up as a mental wreck forever. You know, Nargis, in India, the onus is on the raped girl to prove her innocence!

Baby Nargis, you would have understood the value of a female life – and body – in our esteemed country which so hypocritically prides itself on being female Goddesses’ worshipers!

And that is the reason I wondered at the hype being created upon your birth as the 7^th billion baby on this earth! Firstly, because Indi as already over burdened with 1.2 billion people and secondly, but most unfortunately, you being a baby girl in India! (Again, mind you, an average Indian male’s life is also nothing to aspire for, but on this later …)

Therefore, Nargis, I wish you were born in a more developed parts of the world where your birth could be “welcome” in the most authentic manner and not as a mere “symbolism” – for what, I am yet to figure out! Where you could get an equal respect and opportunity towards everything in life – from life to life partner(s)! Where you were “you” and not somebody’s something merely.

Anyways, I wish you All The Best and Welcome you again in this Big and Bad World which is India! May God be with you always, baby Nargis … J

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The irony of the name Nargis is not lost on me: Nargis means a flower symbolizing life per se; Nargis was also the name given to the deadly cyclone which devastated Burma in 2008! Hope this baby Nargis always keeps growing like a flower J

Body is Maya ...

“Maya” is “Illusion” in English.

“Body is Maya, then why do we obsess about it?” said MF Hussein matter-of-factly in a private conversation with somebody – I am not revealing his name here – who was close to him and is also known to me. The context was the crazy brouhaha over some of his controversial paintings and his leaving his beloved country – India – and taking up a residence in Dubai.

Watching Mayawati unveil her own statues today in a place touted as her “Dream Park” made me recall Hussein Saheb’s words. I wondered, as always, “Why does Mayawati obsess about her own self – her body – so much that she decided to splurge into an extravagant indulgence by installing her own statues?” Own statues!

Own statues!!?

I am not a fan of Mayawati but I admire her for having risen to her current position of becoming the chief minister of the largest state of India and being hailed as one of the most powerful women on this earth. It is anybody’s guess that Mayawati’s political journey must have been immensely challenging. Not only because she is a woman – India is a staunchly patriarchal society – but predominantly because she belonged to a poor Dalit family. (Dalits, the lowest castes - are rarely rich in a deeply caste-biased divided Indian society.) Therefore, to see her repeatedly squander her chances of “doing something” for her folks – I’m talking about the historically oppressed dalits here – even after acquiring a very powerful political position many times and, in the process, also “doing something” for herself about which she is, as evident, clearly obsessed, is hugely disappointing.

It is also not difficult to understand her anatomy as a politician and as an administrator. She must have seen a lot in her life while growing up as a dalit woman. Life must have been pretty difficult, that’s for sure. Thus, now that she has the power - political power is the maximum level of power anybody can attain at least in India - she thinks – in her own insecure way – that she will take “revenge” – revenge from “manuwadis” – non-dalits – by showing to them that she is their boss now! That she cannot be treated like a dalit anymore. Period.

But this is only one side – and the non-acknowledged core – of Mayawati. The other side of her personality – and that is quite glaring – is her behavior like a typical politician. We all know the side-effects of “absolute power”!

The reason Mayawati has been repeatedly voted into power in the otherwise “backward” state of Uttar Pradesh is because its big dalit populace wanted to have somebody of their “own” who would listen to their voice and “do something” for them ultimately, which they so otherwise deserved as humans. To put it simplistically: Mayawati is the manifestation of dalits’ desire to have their share in the state’s polity. But what the dalits of U.P. have got back in the bargain is for everybody to see.

If I were Mayawati, I would have built schools – and hospitals – and would have given them the so deserved quality education opportunities and would have helped my “folks” – by virtue of being their chief minister - become competent enough for the big-bad world! Because, whosoever anybody is today in this world is primarily due to his/her education – leaving aside the very few God-blessed talented ones. In my opinion this is the only way to uplift any oppressed strata of society. The process could have been a bit time consuming but I would have become the catalyst for change. I, as Mayawati, wouldn’t have been required to repeatedly resort to political rhetorics and exorbitantly built Dream Parks. My people would have ensured that my legacy lives on.

I, as Mayawati, would have simultaneously carried along with the “manuwadis” – the non-dalits – and would have cemented my position in the political landscape of my country. I would have ensured that my state became one of the most progressive and I would have felt extremely proud of my achievements. And, by fulfilling my roles and responsibilities as the chief minister of a highly gifted state, I would have paved my road towards the highest political seat of my country. India, with its elaborate spectrum of caste system, would have felt immensely proud of seeing me become the prime minister!

Honestly, if I were in Mayawati’s shoes (I get reminded of Julian Assange!) , I would have readily seized the immense opportunities – political power – bestowed upon me by my people and I would have ensured that “I did” enough to ensure that I were not required to erect my own statues myself; instead, my people would have happily and respectfully felt the need to remember me – after I was done and gone, of course! – by installing my statues…

Ms. Mayawati, if Hussein Saheb were alive today, he would have told you that “Body is Maya; why do you obsess about it?”…