It makes one wonder why France allows radical Islamists a free hand?
How can Radical Islamists mobilise each other on whatsapp and name and shame the teacher? Were they hoping that someone more radical than them will launch such an attack.
France has identified the whatsapp group and it may take action against the people who mobilized the instigators. Is the France Police doing enough to combat Radical Islamism? The French PM has named this is Islamic terror. Why is Europe facing all these terrorism. Last month a Pakistani in France also attacked people. Why do so many lone wolfs from Islam attack citizens. More peace loving Muslims should speak up to name and shame the radicals.
Sure, not all Muslims in France are radicalised, but the french Govt should do a survey or reveal the numbers. Does it estimate 2%, 5% as radicalised people, 10%, 20% or what is the number.
What can the French Government do about the say 5% radicalised people? Will it allow them to keep damaging the good name of Islam or will it take preventive action? What preventive action can it do?
On one side is China which has set up camps to prevent problems due to radicalism. On the other side of the spectrum is Pakistan, where radicalism is encouraged and used as a tool by the army.
Is there a path somewhere in the middle? Who will determine what is the right path? What parameters will be used to make this selection? Saving lives of innocents or allowing innocents to be beheaded like this has happened in France now. How about in Pakistan….the army kills innocents in the name of terrorists. The Pakistani army abducts and kills Baloch people so that it can give their resources to China on a platter.
What needs to be done by Europe and in what amount. Or should they drown forever in future and not take any action and become like the Great Parsis who had to leave their lands from Iran and seek refuge elsewhere.
I work for the media and write anonymously here because that is the only way to write about Critics of Hinduism and BJP without professional consequences. The Critics themselves can do so openly because they are assured of no consequences.
While I mostly read the columns of Tavleen Singh in school, I never imagined I would ever be typing out the critique of one. The romance waned in college and disappeared after her senseless tweet about Priety Zinta’s manhandling complaint. On Twitter, one has only been tolerating her. She mostly, sounds cross and impatient and spouts sermons like a dictator. Her image as the hands on, first hand information, well-researched journalist has all but disappeared. I am not sure if that is really her or just what Twitter does to us. The woman who once, stood up to the Durbar is now acting like the head of one herself with all the self-absorption and superciliousness she can muster.
But this article is not about her. It is about a recent column of hers that someone sent me which I initially mistook for the script of a stand-up routine. Ms Singh has written with great admiration about Bollywood standing up against the ‘malevolence normal.’ I am pretty sure this phrase has been gifted to her by her son Aatish Taseer because it fits his delusional political writings in the American media. Why he bothers about India after being so overwhelmed at being accepted by the Stars and Stripes is almost incomprehensible until one realises that this is perhaps the only way for him to get visibility there. Also, Pioneer Special Correspondent J Gopikrishnan had once, tweeted about how profitable it is to write an India-bashing piece as a native. Of course, British born Taseer would argue that he is hardly, the native, what with his cancelled OCI status. Sorry, he won’t argue, he will just write another piece of fiction and sell it to the Time magazine as news because they don’t seem to be able to tell the difference. Honestly, I feel that Taseer’s problems find their source closer home and are more related to parenting than the Indian Prime Minister. But I won’t go there as it’s a private matter, even if he insists on making it public everywhere.
So we were talking about Ms Singh and Bollywood which she claims that ‘powerful men’ are out to destroy. That is a strange way to present a citizen movement that rose with the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. It was in fact, the apathy with which the industry bigwigs merely shrugged their shoulders with after his death and the suspicious irregularities in investigation of the Mumbai Police that really created it. I never supported the individual name calling but like many did wish justice for his family. The media only picked the story up when the people refused to relent, so maybe she can save the drama for her upcoming film script which I am assuming is the real reason behind this article.
She follows this up with the customary RSS BJP bashing but the charge is so weak that I almost call her an old hag but don’t as I find the term to be terribly sexist. She mentions that an ‘RSS intellectual’s’ words uttered in 2014 have begun to haunt her. The man said that they were training Hindu boys to have six packs to reduce the power of the Khans. Here, Ms Singh fully reveals herself as a privileged one percenter who is haunted by this as if this is an attack. Sigh! Firstly, Ms Singh we can never have enough of six packs. Secondly, most of the Khans are pushing past 50 anyways and Bollywood heroines don’t last beyond 35. How large do you want this age gap to be? She follows this up with another dodgy claim that there are channels out there which peddle the government’s propaganda. They do, only that government is the one that has been out of power for the past 6 years.
The Modi government has taken some momentous policy decisions in these 6 years. How many do you see properly represented on any news channel? Communication is perhaps the weakest point of this government. There are two kinds of news channels in India, the ones that follow Congress propaganda and one’s that follow their own, the third category exists more in the minds of Ms Tavleen and her ilk than real life. She goes on to talk about the defamation suit filed by Bollywood on four news anchors which I feel they have every right to. No one likes being defamed and image is a big part of what sustains the influencers in this business. Though I feel this image is hampered more with their ignorant views and fake campaigns on political issues than the ramblings of a new anchor. But asking a Bollywood star to get a reality check is a stupid idea and star journalist stars are not far behind.
Ms Singh goes on to uphold the industry as having ‘secular values in Hindutva Times.’ This is the line that made me stay up late and type this article. If you have a functioning brain, you know that the word secular is the most abused word in Indian English. Secular here means anti-Hindutva which I know immediately is another word which Ms Singh does not know the meaning of. Secular should mean divorced from religion or atleast about equal treatment of religions and anyone who follows Bollywood knows neither is a value followed here. Bollywood brazenly put Hindu religious leaders in the line of questioning in court in the film Oh My God. The film was a hit and its brazen protagonist played by actor Paresh Rawal has since received an MP’s ticket from the BJP. Is there any film that can do the same for Islam or Christianity? Have we since then seen any film or heard about a film being developed that is willing to take this risk? And yes, Bollywood or no Bollywood, questioning Islam and Christianity is a risk in this country.
So secularism in Bollywood is a farce. In fact, Twitter handle @GemsOfBollywood has exposed Bollywood films espousing polygyny in Islam as a noble pursuit. Bollywood films have stereotyped all communities but these stereotypes have been degrading only towards Hindus and Sikhs. Years ago, when being politically correct was not as big a cult as it is now and the internet was not in the hands of the people, an Indian scriptwriter had confessed in an interview that a bad Muslim character always to be balanced by a good Muslim character in films, it was merely the industry norm. The shared silence on non-Hindu religious issues is a legacy that thrives in Bollywood. The chatty media-styled feminists of Bollywood hardly celebrated the momentous striking down of Triple Talak and remained unfazed by the horrifying actions of Bishop Franco Mulakkal. If in the times of Hindutva, people are still afraid of voicing opinions against Non-Hindu crimes, clearly Hindutva is not a problem.
Ms Singh is infatuated by Bollywood because she hears Hindi songs abroad and has seen pirated Hindi films in Lahore and Karachi which she includes in her list of things she is pleasantly surprised by. If Ms Singh had taken the time to watch an average Pakistani film her surprise would have wafted away itself. Also, yes, cultural exchange is important and Bollywood certainly has its contributions but why single out one Indian film Industry in a country of many others and when the Telugu Industry film Bahubali has made the biggest mark abroad.
Also, the fact that other cultures can listen to our music and watch our films can’t be a reason to give Bollywood a free pass. The Drug syndicate is a dangerous criminal organisation and Bollywood or anyone for that matter would be healthier without these addictions. Ms Singh’s reading of nepotism seems to deliberately incorrect or we have just gotten another gory view of her one percenter mindset. For Bollywood, religion and caste are based on influence. The son/daughter of an industry insider is the right religion and an A-lister is the right caste. Most actresses are still cast on the approval of the almighty Heros and they are the Lords whom everybody needs to please to get work. There is even the right skin colour to be a Bollywood leading lady and those who do not have it have to acquire it through treatments. As for the nepotism debate, denying acting opportunity on the basis of family background in an industry like films should be unacceptable in independent India.
This is not to say that Muslims only troll Muslims but yes, they do brutally troll their own when they steer away from the fundamentalist ideas of being a good Muslim, or just paint their nails, so cut Hindus some slack. During the ridiculous fake CAA protests, Muslim protestors chanted La Illah illallah which translates to there is but one god and that is Allah which is basically trolling every non-Muslim religion. Even Shashi Tharoor faced Islamist trolls when he objected to this and mentioned Islamic Extremism.
The last bit about self-awareness is the one that reads most like satire. While, the news Channels screamed about drugs and nepotism, Ms Singh smelled a Hindutva conspiracy. She and her son are now writing about their delusions and selling their thoughts as news. Ms Singh has failed to rise above the current petty politics of her profession where one has to do the unnecessary and unconnected RSS and BJP bashing to be considered to be a professional of repute. She may make a few anti-Congress mentions to appear independent and balanced but it’s a façade that she can only fool herself with. Others can see through it to recognize that she is now merely another puppet in the media circus of denial.
(Raushan Kumar, Research Scholar, Mahatma Gandhi Central University)
The US presidential election is going to happen on November 3rd. The people of the US would decide either Republican would continue to enjoy as a president or Democrat would replace it. US elections will play a vital role in India because of the current coronavirus pandemic and recent border tension with Pakistan and China. Under the leadership of Trump, India will remain important for the USA. However, the Republican Trump administration is very much supportive of India and their policies, but there is an ambiguity that will India continue enjoys if Joe Biden becomes president. Here, in this article, we will examine how the recent presidential election is so much important for the US and India too.
Trade and Tariff…
In the presidential election 2016, Donald Trump once said: “We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country” and so after joining as US president, the Trump administration has been using tariffs on imported goods from China. The US-Sino Trade war escalated in 2018 when president trump imposed a tariff on goods worth of $200 billion. The US wants China to buy more American goods that will help American companies to compete against Chinese price advantage. This tariff impact is felt on industries in every nook and corner in the world and according to UN trade and investment body, India gained additional exports of $755 million. Though this trade war has bought ample benefit to south East Asian nation including Taiwan and Mexico and the trade diversion between the US and China were also benefited Canada and India too. So, if the president trump would again win his chair, the trade war will continue in future and India could be a major conqueror.
Terrorism….
India and the US both are committed to eliminating terrorism. Repeated attack from Pakistan side in India, PM Modi also tightened his stance and hit back strongly with the first surgical strike. PM Modi took various measures to combat terrorism either diplomatically or rudely. Last year in the event of ‘Howdy Modi’ with 50000 Indian-American’s at Houston, PM Modi gave a standing ovation to President Trump while addressing about ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism. Both India and the US also want to send a message to the world that they’re keeping its community safe and so that both nations are committed towards border safety and security. This year in February 2020, while addressing a huge crowd at “Namaste Trump” event at Motera stadium, Gujarat, the US president told that we are committed to fighting against terrorism and their ideologies. Both Modi and Trump stand in the same arena while defending terrorism. So, therefore India and US defence has received a strong co-operation from both sides which includes the US signed $3 billion defence deal with India at the event of ‘Namaste Trump’.
Geopolitics…
The relations between India-US under the leadership of Trump and Modi marked a shift in geopolitics in Asia. Before Trump administration, China enjoys the biggest trading partner with the US but due to ideological differences, the bilateral relationship between the two countries was turning sour. New Delhi needs Washington support under the president Trump both in respect to two rival nations China and Pakistan. So, many reforms and policies like abrogation of the Article 370 and implementation of Citizenship amendment act (CAA), under the PM Modi have drawn a tremendous criticism from opposition leader of India and abroad but it gained support from the US on all his major decisions. So, in the arena of geopolitics, Trump and Modi stand in the same table. With the help of Washington, New Delhi relentlessly works to minimise the Chinese influence in India’s neighbourhood. South-East Asia has become the new geopolitical ground between India and China. In the decade 2020- 2030, it would be very interesting to see the scores of Modi in geopolitics.
Clearly from this objective India needs Trump support in respect of Trade, Terrorism and Geo-politics. In exchange, the US will get a giant manufacturing market for investment and a strategic pillar for the USA to counter rising China. But right now both New Delhi and Washington have their own problems either internal or external. Future will decide, India could continue walking with president trump on Trade, Terrorism and geopolitics or a tight friendship between US and India would finish.
A smiling mother-in-law in a salwar-kameez leading a Hindu daughter-in-law dressed in a silk saree, adorned with flowers and her wedding finery. Through a house, decked in flowers and large traditional brass lamps, to the front yard. An older man, father-in-law perhaps, in a skull cap decorating the house with flowers. A tall and handsome man, husband perhaps, helping with food arrangements. The daughter-in-law enchanted by the preparation of 'pulikudi', a sour juice made of tamarind, lime and salt served warm to Hindu women in their first pregnancy. At the front yard, decked in flowers, the daughter-in-law is welcomed by a group of women. The mother-in-law lovingly seats her daughter-in-law on a flower-decked swing. Surprised, the daughter-in-law turns to her mother-in-law and asks, ‘These ceremonies do not happen at your house, do they?’ The mother-in-law replies, ‘The ceremony of keeping the ‘bitiya’ happy happens in every house.’ And we all live happily ever after!
The woke-liberals ask, how could one ever have a hateful reaction to such a beautiful example of interfaith harmony? Surely, those having a strong negative reaction are bigots, hatemongers, trolls? An individual’s emotional reaction depends on their cultural background and their lived experience, something advertisers know. The objective of a commercial advertisement is to sell. By enhancing the overall feel-good factor, having a message that is uplifting to all and objectionable to none. In contrast, political messaging has carefully chosen targets. It should appear innocuous to the moderates, but have carefully targeted messages for the supporters and opponents, recognised by both. Exceptional political messaging should appear uplifting to those uninvolved sections, but should have subliminal, cunningly crafted messages which denigrate the targeted sections of the audience. Done in a way that they are not able to logically articulate their emotional reactions, and easily labeled as bigots and hatemongers. The way I perceived it, the Tanishq advertisement is exceptional political messaging — partonising, patriarchial and supremacist.
Let us start again at the beginning. An obviously Hindu bride is led by an obviously Muslim mother-in-law through a flower decked house decorated with brass lamps. However, these lamps are not lit, and the flowers do not adorn images of Gods. They are shorn of their religious significance, they are just secular decorative pieces. There are no murtis, no pictures of Gods, no lighted lamps, no agarbattis, no rangoli, no ceremonial offerings anywhere in the house. Even though the treasured daughter-in-law is a Hindu!
A Godh-Bharai is a religious ceremony, it is not a birthday party. In every Godh-Bharai ceremony, anywhere in the country, a puja is performed before starting the ceremony. The women sing religious songs and perform aarti for the expecting mother. Apart from a warm glass of sour juice, the treasured Hindu daughter-in-law in the Tanishq advertisement has been deprived of all of her religious and cultural heritage, and has been presented with a sham secular charade. The supremacist messaging — in a Muslim household, Hindus have to give up their religious practices, traditions and rituals. And be grateful for any minor beneficence bestowed on them.
Tanishq could truly have been a courageous trailblazer genuinely trying to promote inter-faith harmony. If only the advertisement has shown the woman first performing puja to the murtis in her puja room established in the Muslim household, had said prayers and sung religious songs before being led out, and aarti being performed for her on the swing. But then, an advertisement showing idols in a Muslim household? There is the risk that Tanishq showrooms would have been attacked and vandalised!
The daughter-in-law is then led outside, to a group of waiting women, some dressed in hijabs and some in drab sarees. There is complete absence of joy, laughter, colour, singing, dancing. The women are standing around as though attending a funeral. Not one of whom is wearing sindhoor or jewellery or flowers, as is traditional in these ceremonies. But wait, is it not traditional for an expectant mother to go to her parents’ house for childbirth, and for the ceremony to be performed there? Not only has she not been permitted to go to her parents’ house, but her side of the family is not even present for the ceremony. In this extraordinary example of inter-faith harmony! The patriarchial messaging — the Hindu bride has to be under the control of her in-laws in a Muslim household, and her family and traditions are of no relevance.
When she is seated on the swing, the expectant dauther-in-law asks her mother-in-law, ‘These ceremonies do not happen your house, do they?' (Emphasis mine). She does not even feel the house belongs to her. And she has not had the freedom to conduct her rituals in her mother-in-law's house thus far. But then, the mother-in-law is such a merciful soul, she is willing to perform a caricature of a ceremony for her ‘bitiya’. The patronising messaging — the supplicant ‘bitiya’ is supposed to be eternally grateful for these crumbs!
This messaging is invisible to the that section of Hindu society which is ignorant of the significance of traditions, rituals and practices. However, this would be acutely percieved by at least three targeted sections of the audience. First, the devout practicing Hindus who are culturally attuned to their heritage, and know the significance. Hence the visceral emotional reactions from the sections of the Hindu community. Second, the radical fringe of the Muslim community, who expect submission from Hindus and women as a matter of right, and whose partiarchial and supremacist mindset is reinforced. And third, the woke-liberals and Lutyens elite, gleeful at the denigration of Hindus, and at the opportunity to label Hindus as communal, bigoted and hateful.
India provides employment to around 70% of its rural households primarily in agriculture[1]. But it engages only 5% of the youth of India[2]. This means that the fattest section of the youth population is aloof from the primary production job and doesn’t find the incentives of the agriculture sector sticky enough. The legacy of the Government system in India is synonymous to lethargy and ineffectiveness because of several obvious problems. India is one of those rare economies whose economic journey marks the secondary sector as “skipped” and it was a mistake. Now, when the global power balance is adjusting itself and India is realizing its own weight, the nation is seriously trying to correct the historical mistakes and strengthen the tummy of its economic body i.e. the secondary sector. This revisit is un-ignorable as India cannot afford to leave the hard-earned front-foot in the global developmental chain. But, some of the policymakers in India are perhaps not ready to digest the reality that the changing landscape has made the old calculations increasingly difficult to practice and this is manifested by recent misinformation campaign and undignified behaviour in the parliament.
The Agricultural Reform through two bills namely 1- The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; 2- The Farmers (Empowerment And Protection) Agreement On Price Assurance And Farm Services Bill, 2020 are made the major vehicles of disruption in the work of parliament in the last couple of days by some of the Parliamentarians of opposition parties. The bases of their protesting arguments are two –
1.Acts make farmers more vulnerable as the corporates will now be dealing directly with them. The perceived threat is rooted in a very practical imagination that the cunning corporates may deceive the gentle farmers and that may create life threats. At the time of receiving this argument, one can easily accept it. But the problem pops up when we see from the solution perspective. Are the farmers realizing their full potential in the current establishment? Is Indian agriculture attractive enough to retain a proportionate population and generate enough return? Are farmers not being exploited? – the one-word answer to all the three questions is “NO”. The major long-standing problems of grand Indian Agriculture framework are storage infrastructure, market linkages, technology injection, and investment.
The trade and commerce bill focused on the increased mobility of funds and technology towards agriculture and the intensified flow of farm produce in the supply chain. When it comes to the fixation of price, it seems that the central government remained considerate about the federalism. The constitution has already provided an exclusive mechanism to provide farmers empowerment and safeguard about their rights through states. The Part IXB (Article 243ZH to Article 243ZT) has exclusively talked about the cooperatives which are essential to come into existence as per the law of the state assembly. So, as far as the security of rights of the farmers is concerned, the states have enough room to regulate it through local governments which is exclusively its responsibility. The benefit of this is that the state will be able to increase the depth of its purse and mitigate the grand challenge of unemployment in a partial manner which eventually eases the maintenance of law and order.
But yes, from the political perspective, the representative of states in the Rajya Sabha may definitely feel weakened as the provision is taking a major game away from them. Griffith observes in his book The impasse of democracy (1939) this situation very aptly by saying “Control of economic life and of those social services were two major functions of a state and the local governments. The first one has largely passed into national hands and the latter one is passing by to the local hands. If these both go, what we shall have left of state autonomy will be a hollow shell, a symbol”.
The question that arises now is Shouldn’t the union be considerate about the room for states to play? The answer is in strong affirmation. Yes. It must be. But that does not give it the scope to be indifferent to the failure which may extend the nation’s wait of achieving the national goals. Since the Indian Union is of nature “Indestructible Union with destructible states”, the failure or delay in development makes the union exclusively responsible and that this is the very opportunity which Indian states have been seen exploiting multiple times due to their political angst or corruption. Hence, the union is bound to translate the de-jure unitary provisions into the de-facto situation. And the nation may genuinely expect the members of the upper and permanent house to understand its need at present.
2. The second bottom line of protest by the protestors is that the demand of members is not heard, and the demand is to take the bill back or send it to a select committee of the parliament on the basis of the fact that the spirit of the Parliament is “Debate and Discussion” with the principle the wisdom of ‘We’ is better than the wisdom of ‘I’. This demand attracts a little bit of attention but it immediately brings embarrassment because the bill is not something new. It has been in the Manifesto of both Congress and BJP and officially in effect since the 5th of June 2020 as an ordinance. Are our parliamentarians in the opposition not aware of it? It’s an impossible situation. So what is it missing which they think needs to be discussed in the select committee or is it just a trick to delay the legislation? Or by riding this vehicle to create ruckus in the house, do they want to prove that this is “knee-jerk legislation”? It can be anything! But if it is, the fact underlines that the legislators are probably unaware of the national interest which will be influenced by their shortsighted goals.
The protests from farmers have also been from very selective geography and there is a high chance of it being motivated politically. Hence, the youth of the country is quite confused amongst questions like:
Is Union government authorized to make this kind of intervention?
Is it really putting farmers on threat?
Is it a topic of national interest?
Let’s answer the questions in their sequence:
De-jure the union government is only temporarily empowered to attain unitary nature. The 7th schedule listed out the items for the union, state and concurrent list and laid provisions for the union and state in Articles 245-255. But the de-facto is quite expanded, and it creates room for the union to go extreme unitary nature at most of the times. This extremism may be understood from the heavy dependence of states on the union, extreme control of the union in legislative processes and the deliberate weakening craft for states.
The economic dependence of states is underlined by the prohibition of external borrowings and their secondary control on tax collection. The states are heavily dependent on the grants of the union government because they do not have enough own source of revenue. Although states have a great say in the GST Council, their recommendations do not have any binding effect on the union.
The union government – in practice – enjoys extreme control on the legislation of states’ assemblies. Apart from the over-riding legislative provisions in case of emergency and incompetency under Article 250 (2), the establishment of the office of Governor gives the union an unchallenged edge. Any legislation at the level of the state becomes a law only if the governor gives his/her assent to the bill passed by one or both the house of the state assembly where the authority to withhold the bill for consideration of president is the most blanket authority having some limitations in the case of Money Bills. The Governor is called an “Agent of the union government in the state” because it is exclusively responsible to ensure that the interest of the union and the High Court remain intact having the scope of ignoring the aid and advice tendered by the council of Ministers of the state assembly. Under Article 156(1), the very existence of Governor is based on the pleasure of the President of India who is bound to function in accordance with the aid and advise tendered by the Council of Ministers as per Article 71 which is not directly open for judicial review. So, if the Governor withholds a bill and sends it to the President for his/her consideration, as per Article 201, there is no exclusive binding provision on the president to provide his/her assent. And thus, the state assembly is completely controlled by the Union.
In terms of implementing the overruling policies by the Union, we must note that the states function by the help of union services only. The nature of public services in India is not divisible. As per Article 312, the public servants have to follow the state and union law at the same time. And when it comes to the state-craft – the whole administration, the law and order and investigation services are provided to the state by the employees deputed by the Central Government. In light of Art 312(A), the Chief Minister cannot dismiss an IAS Officer and can just initiate the disciplinary procedure. In the same manner, the police department is led and managed by the All India Services personnel who are directly parented by the Union. Same is the case with excise and crime investigation.
The states in Indian union are destructible and they do not have their own army to exert their territorial integrity and for that, they are completely dependent on the union.
So, it is but clear that Prof Wheare is apt to define the nature of Indian Federal Structure as “Unitary state with subsidiary federal feature rather than Federal state with a subsidiary unitary feature”.
In the Marburi Vs. Madison case in the USA the Chief Justice Marshall said “The judiciary has the power to examine the laws made by the legislature”. Article 13 of the Indian constitution describes the Judicial Review. And it is a part of Basic Structure of the constitution as per the judgement in the Keshavanand Bharati case (1973) and retrospectively utilized in I.R Coehlo case (2007). In Minerwa Mills case judgement, Justice Chandrachud summarized that “Anything and everything is under judicial review in India”. So, the point is that if the opposition leaders have strong material behind their claim of this bill creating a threat to the farmers, they must knock the doors of the Supreme Court of India invoking the breach of the Fundamental Right to Dignified Life under Article 21. That will eventually take the legislation through a judicial test and the country will be satisfied. Prima facie, the legislation is addressing all the pertinent issues related to the growth of Agriculture in India and is oriented towards opening-up the horizons for the farmers to have a decisive say in the supply chain.
The most controversial aspect of the discussion is that the topic of the legislation does not seem to be an issue of national interest. The reason for this conclusion in September 2020 brings me the smell of pre-COVID framework of deciding the Issues of National Interest. India’s national interest incorporates many things and security of all kinds is one of the elements. The security items very much include economic and strategic security. But it needs to be understood that the items of national interest are not fixed and they change along with the paradigm. Hence, the topics of national interest will be defined by India’s understanding of “Power” in the present paradigm. The current ways to power for the government of India seems to be going through national strength, international opportunities and quality of leadership[3].
Technology, connectivity and trade are at the heart of new contestations. And the new scenario is where the self-interest is naked to the extent where there are friends who differ and competitors who cooperate and both want to remain open-ended on their choices. Perhaps, that is why India has offered 300 Lines[4] of Credit to 64 countries in Africa involving 500+ projects circulating loan worth more than 28 Billion USD[5]. India has harped on the decision of using development partnership as a significant instrument in its diplomatic tool kit. And the opportunities in Africa are necessary because one it realizes its potential, it is bound to change the power equation of the world and India needs to be on the front foot to ensure a better quality of life for its people. So, to provide the nations who are aspirant of development with the good of their necessities, India has no time to lose in building its manufacturing capability. Otherwise, the debt-trap of China is already on the job encircling India and providing with very tough competition in International developmental influence mechanism. In that condition, putting the house in order as soon as possible for the government has to be the highest priority. And the issue of agricultural produce, marketing and innovation is the backbone of any country. How can it not be an item of national interest?
Clearly defined interests of nations are creating a situation where international relation is being built on narrower issues rather than broader approaches. To a large extent, world affairs now look like a global marketplace with less pre-conception and more transaction. Under Article 51 od the constitution of India, the Government is expected to promote international peace and security and India has a major stake in the same being the second most populous country of the world. Hence, the Union government is exclusively responsible to make ways for the state governments so that they may facilitate better standards of life to their citizens making them realize their full potential. The representatives and the nation builders, in general, have to be aware of the fact that the constitution of India enshrines the principle that “in spite of federalism, the national interest ought to be paramount” and hence the lawmakers may like to participate in the processes in a disciplined manner also not doing away with the fundamental job of keeping a check on the government to strike the balance in the national interest.
बिहार देश का पहला ऐसा राज्य बनने जा रहा है जहाँ कोरोना महामारी के बीच चुनाव होने जा रहे हैं और भारत शायद विश्व का ऐसा पहला देश। आम आदमी कोरोना से लड़ेगा और राजनैतिक दल चुनाव। खास बात यह है कि चुनाव के दौरान सभी राजनैतिक दल एक दूसरे के खिलाफ लड़ेंगे लेकिन चुनाव के बाद अपनी अपनी सुविधानुसार एक भी हो सकते हैं। यानी चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान एकदूसरे पर छींटाकशी और आरोप प्रत्यारोप लगाने वाले नेता चुनावी नतीजों के बाद एक दूसरे की तारीफों के पुल भी बांध सकते हैं। मजे की बात यह है कि यह सब लोकतंत्र बचाने के नाम पर किया जाता है। हाल ही में हमने ऐसा महाराष्ट्र में देखा और उससे पहले बिहार के पिछले विधानसभा सत्र में भी ऐसा ही कुछ हुआ था।
दरअसल बीते कुछ सालों में राजनीति की परिभाषा और चुनावों की प्रक्रिया दोनों में जबरदस्त बदलाव आया है। जहाँ राजनीति का लक्ष्य सरकार में पद प्राप्ति तक सीमित हो गया है वहीं चुनावी मैदान सोशल मीडिया के मंच पर सिमट गया है। राजनीति से राष्ट्र सेवा का भाव ओझल हो गया है तो चुनावी मैदान से आम आदमी। धरातल पर काम करने वाले नेता से लेकर कार्यकर्ता सभी लापता हैं। सोशल मीडिया पर “का बा” जैसे सवाल पूछे जाते हैं जिनका जवाब सोशल मीडिया पर ही “ई बा” से दे दिया जाता है। यानी चुनावी रैलियों और नुक्कड़ सभा में नहीं ए सी स्टूडियो में मुद्दे तय होते हैं जिनके जवाब नेताजी नहीं प्रोफ़ेशनल लेखक गायक और नायक देते हैं। दरअसल सोशल इंजीनियरिंग जात पात का गणित और वोटबैंक की राजनीति ने लोकतंत्र के केंद्र आम आदमी को इन राजनैतिक दलों के हाथों की कठपुतली बनाकर रख दिया है। बिहार की ही अगर बात करें तो आज़ादी के 70 सालों बाद आज भी वो देश का चौथा सबसे पिछड़ा राज्य है जहाँ गरीबी रेखा दर 34% है। साक्षरता के दर में भी बिहार 65% से भी कम साक्षरता के साथ देश के राज्यों की सूची में अंतिम पायदान पर है। लेकिन आप इसे क्या कहेंगे कि इसके बावजूद देश का लगभग हर दसवां ब्यूरोक्रेट बिहार से आता है। आईआईटी की परीक्षा हो या अन्य कोई प्रायोगिक परीक्षा, बिहार के बच्चे सबसे अधिक बाज़ी मारते हैं। इसके बाद भी बिहार ही वो राज्य है जहाँ बेरोजगारी की दर देश में सबसे अधिक है। यह बात सही है कि “जंगल राज” के उन दिनों से जब बिहार में अपहरण का भी एक उद्योग था, उस राज्य ने आज काफी दूरी तय करी है लेकिन इसके बाद भी आज तक उसकी गिनती देश के पिछड़े राज्यों की सूची में चौथे स्थान पर होती है।
इससे बड़ी विडंबना क्या होगी कि विगत 70 सालों से जिस आम आदमी के नाम पर चुनाव लड़े जाते हैं वो आजतक आर्थिक अथवा सामाजिक तौर पर वहीं का वहीं हैं लेकिन चुनाव लड़ने वाले दल और नेता दोनों की ही आर्थिक प्रगति लगातार जारी है। यह हम नहीं कह रहे बल्कि उनके हलफनामे कहते हैं। इससे बड़ी त्रासदी क्या होगी कि आज भी चुनाव जीतने के लिए राजनैतिक दल हर घर तक बिजली और पीने के लिए स्वच्छ पानी पहुंचाने जैसी मानव जीवन की बुनियादी जरूरतों को पूरा करने के ही वादे करते पाए जाते हैं।
बिहार चुनावों ने एक बार फिर इन सवालों को प्रासंगिक कर दिया है कि आखिर आम आदमी करे भी तो क्या करे? उसके पास विकल्प ही क्या है? बिहार को ही लें। कांग्रेस जो आज बिहार क्या देश में अपना अस्तित्व तलाश रही है उसमें बिहार का वोटर अपना भविष्य कैसे तलाश सकता है। लालू प्रसाद यादव अभी जेल में हैं और उनके परिवार की आपसी फूट जो 2019 के लोकसभा चुनावों में खुलकर सामने आ गई थी आरजेडी और बिहार के मतदाता के बीच की सबसे बड़ी दीवार है। अपने विपक्षी राजनैतिक प्रतिद्वंद्वी से कोई भी राजनैतिक दल लड़कर जीत सकता है लेकिन जब दल के भीतर ही राजनैतिक प्रतिद्वंद्वी से सामना हो तो संघर्ष जीत के लिए नहीं बल्कि अपने अस्तित्व के लिए सिमट कर रह जाता है। महागठबंधन की अगर बात करें तो इसमें शामिल दलों में सीटों के बटवारे को लेकर सहमति अवश्य हो गई है लेकिन उम्मीदवारों की घोषणा इन दलों द्वारा एक सांझे मंच की अपेक्षा अलग अलग करना इनमें आपसी तालमेल के अभाव को दर्शाता है। मोदी लहर पर सवार एनडीए की बात करें तो आम आदमी के पास विकल्प यहाँ भी नहीं है। क्योंकि
नीतीश कुमार जो कि वर्तमान में मुख्यमंत्री हैं और सुशासन बाबू के नाम से जाने जाते हैं उन्होंने जेडीयू की पूर्व मंत्री मंजू वर्मा जो कि मुजफ्फरपुर बालिका गृह कांड की आरोपी हैं और फिलहाल जमानत पर बाहर हैं उन्हें टिकट देकर अपने सुशाशन की पोल खोल दी है। जानना रोचक होगा कि मुजफ्फरपुर कांड सामने आने पर तब उन्हें जेडीयू से निलंबित कर दिया गया था। इसी प्रकार सुशाशन बाबू की जेडीयू ने मनोरमा देवी को भी चुनाव लड़ने के लिए गया से अपनी पार्टी का टिकट दिया है जिनके पति स्थानीय बाहुबली हैं। याद दिला दिया जाए कि 2016 में पूरे देश को हिलाकर रख देने वाले गया के रोड रेज केस के चलते इन्हें भी नीतीश कुमार ने पार्टी से निष्कासित कर दिया था। इस कांड में इनके बेटे को आजीवन कारावास और पति को पांच साल जेल की सजा सुनाई गई थी। लेकिन अगर आप सोचते हैं कि केवल जेडीयू ही अपराध में लिप्त लोगों को टिकट देती है तो आपको बता दें कि भाजपा हो या आरजेडी कांग्रेस हो या वाम दल राजनीति में अपराधीकरण को बढ़ावा देने के दोषी सभी दल हैं।
नवादा से बीजेपी की वर्तमान विधायक अरुणा देवी को एकबार फिर टिकट दिया गया है जिनके पति 2004 के नवादा नरसंहार के आरोपी हैं। 2009 में उनके पति अखिलेश सिंह ने जब निर्दलीय प्रत्याशी के रूप में लोकसभा चुनाव के लिए नामांकन भरा था तो अपने ऊपर 27 आपराधिक मामले चलने की बात स्वीकार की थी। आरजेडी की ओर से वैशाली की प्रत्याशी वीना सिंह पूर्व सांसद रामकिशोर सिंह की पत्नी हैं जिनपर अपहरण से लेकर हत्या तक के आरोप हैं। इन परिस्थितियों में लोकतंत्र के नाम पर जब चुनाव कराए जाते हैं तो आम आदमी अपनी पहचान ही तलाशता रह जाता है। क्योंकि उसके पास तो यह विकल्प भी नहीं है कि वो चुनाव का बहिष्कार करे या नोटा दबाए। क्योंकि चुनावों से पहले एक दूसरे के खिलाफ मुखर होकर लड़ने वाले दल नतीजों के बाद बहुमत के अभाव में एक दूसरे के साथ हाथ मिलाकर सत्ता पर काबिज हो जाता है और आम आदमी ठगा सा देखता रह जाता है। वो जान चुका है कि पार्टी कोई भी जीते उसकी हार निश्चित है।
भारत एक लोकतांत्रिक राष्ट्र है जहां अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता है। लेकिन इस स्वतंत्रता के आधार पर आप किसी धर्म की भावनाओं को ठेस नहीं पहुंचा सकते जैसा तनिष्क ने किया। जैसा कि विज्ञापन से साफ़ था कि ये लव जिहाद को प्रोत्साहन देगा। अभी हमारे सामने ढेरो ऐसे उदाहरण मौजूद है जहां हिन्दू लड़कियों को प्रेम जाल में फंसाकर खास समुदाय द्वारा उनका शोषण किया जाता है तथा धर्म परिवर्तन ना करने पर वीभत्स तरीके से मार दिया जाता है। हाल ही में लखनऊ तथा गाजियाबाद में घटी घटना इसके जीवंत उदाहरण हैं।
जरा आप विचार करिए कि विज्ञापन में दिखाए गए पात्रों के धर्म एक दूसरे से बदल दिए जाएं तो क्या देश में अभी शांति रहती। क्या तनिष्क के शोरूम सुरक्षित रहते। क्या लिबरल तब भी अभिभ्यक्ती की स्वतन्त्रता की बात करते। तो मैं बता दूं ऐसा कुछ नहीं होता, भारत में हिंसक प्रदर्शन चालू हो जाते, तनिष्क के स्टोर तोड़ दिए जाते तथा लिबरल बिलाप करना शुरू कर देते की देश में असहिष्णुता बढ़ गया है। तनिष्क ने विज्ञापन वापस ले लिया क्यूंकि उसे घाटे का दर था और ये सही भी था उसको तीन हजार करोड़ का शेयर मार्केट में नुकसान हो गया था।
लेकिन तनिष्क ने जो पत्र जारी किया उसके अंतिम पंक्ति में उसने धूर्तता दिखाई, उसने कहा कि कर्मचारियों के सुरक्षा के लिए उसे ऐसा करना पड़ा। उसके कर्मचारियों को किस्से डर था जबकि विरोध एकदम शांतिपूर्ण था कहीं कोई हिंसक प्रदर्शन नहीं हुआ। गुजरात से मारपीट की खबर आई पर वो भी झूठी निकली। हिन्दू धर्म की महान परिपाटी रही है कि हम अहिंसावादी रहे हैं। हम वसुधैव कुटुंबकम् और सर्व धर्म सद्भाव को मानने वाले लोग हैं। कुछ लोग हमारे इसी सहिष्णुता का फ़ायदा उठाते हैं तथा हिन्दू धर्म की भावनाओं को ठेस पहुंचाने का अवसर ढूंढ़ते रहते हैं क्यूंकि हमसे कोई खतरा नहीं होता है क्यूंकि हम अहिंसावादी रहे हैं हम किसी पर पहले हमला नहीं करते हैं।
हमेशा से होता आया है कि कंपनियां हिन्दू त्योहारों के अवसर पर विज्ञापन के माध्यम से विवाद पैदा करती हैं ताकि उनके प्रोडक्ट को प्रसिद्धि मिल सके पर इसबार उल्टा हो गया। हमें ऐसे प्रोडक्ट या कंपनी को विख्यात नहीं कुख्यात बनाना पड़ेगा ताकि कंपनियां ऐसे विज्ञापन पास करने से पहले दस बार सोचे।
राजधानी दिल्ली में जहा अरविन्द केजरीवाल जी की सरकार है उसकी नाक के नीचे पी.डब्लू.डी द्वारा सड़क निर्माण में हो रहे घोटाले से सामाजिक कार्यकर्त्ता और आम नागरिक सकते में हैं. मामला बुराड़ी नत्थूपुरा 100 फूटा मेन रोड के निर्माण में कथित अनियमितताओं और मानक के अनुरूप मटेरियल व् निर्माण न होने पर को लेकर स्थानीय लोगो और आर डब्लू ए के लोगो ने सम्बंधित विभाग के अधिकारियो और स्थानीय विधायक ऑफिस से शिकायत करने के बाद भी कोई कार्यवाही न होने पर लोगो ने इस बाबत स्थानीय आर टी आई एक्टिविस्ट श्री विपिन त्यागी जी के पास होनी बात पहुंचे और जसके बाद इस बात को संज्ञान में लेते हुए एक आर टी आई सम्बंधित विभाग में लगाई गयी.
जिसके जवाब में पी.डब्लू.डी विभाग के अधिकारियो ने मौके पर पहुंच कर निर्माण में प्रयुक्त की जा रही सामग्री के सैंपल देने की बात को स्वीकार करते हुए दिनांक १४ अक्टूबर को दिन का समय दिया. स्थानीय लोगो के पुरे दिन इंतजार के बाद बार बार फ़ोन करने पर तक़रीबन ३.३० बजे जब अधिकारी पहुंचे तो लोगो ने वहां हो रहे निर्माण का मुआयना करवाया और वहां की अनियमित और मानक के अनुसार कार्य के न होने की वजह से निर्माण का सैंपल जो की आर टी आई के अनुसार देना था की मांग की. परन्तु अधिकारियो ने घटिया निर्माण के लिए बजाय कार्यवाही करने के लोगो को सैंपल देने से इंकार कर अपनी गाड़ी में बैठ ठेकेदार के साथ चले गए. जाहिर सी बात है कि अधिकारियो के इस रवैये से लोगो में जबरदस्त रोष और चिंता है। ज्ञात हो जिस अरविन्द केजरीवाल जी की सरकार में पारदर्शिता की बात होती है और उस में आर टी आई के बाद भी जनता को इस तरह के भ्रस्टाचार को आँखों से देखना एक अजीब सी स्थिति है.
ज्ञात हो कि दिल्ली सरकार के मुखिया जो कि खुद एक आर टी आई एक्टिविस्ट थे और उन्होंने १० जुलाई २०१७ में बढे धूमधाम से इ पोर्टल लांच करते हुए आप सरकार में पारदर्शिता की बात की थी उनके विधायक और सम्बंधित विभाग उसी पारदर्शिता की धज्जिया उड़ा रहे हैं .संलग्न वीडियो में आर टी आई एक्टिविस्ट विपिन त्यागी जी का इंटरव्यू सुन के लगता है की दिल्ली सरकार भ्रष्टाचार को पालने और पोसने वाली सरकार बन के रह गई है
Hoysaleswar Temple: Ancient Sanatan Architectural technology in Hoysal Temple
Many people around the world know the Indian Temples because of their splendid carvings and architectural perfection. But, there is even more in these temples. This is the technology used in making those temples.
If I start telling about all those temples, there is a very long list, not only in India, but these Sanatan (Hindu, as per now) architectural marvels are spread all over the globe telling the glorifying history of the Bharatvarsh (name of India in ancient times, whose boundaries included many countries along with present-day India).
But, in this paper, I will tell about one specific temple.
This is called the Hoysaleswar Temple, which is situated in the state of Karnataka, India. Build in the 12th century (according to historians and archaeologist), during the reign of Hoysal Empire of India, in the empire’s capital city.
So, we start the topic.
The lathe-turned Pillars–
Many of us have seen the baseball. Some of us might have noticed the fine circular marks on the baseball bat. Those minute fine circles are made around the bat at the time of manufacturing. Wooden blocks are turned (rotated) on lathe at a very high speed, and a mechanical cutter removes the excess part from the block, by simply being in contact with the block (excess material are removed by their own, as the work-piece rotates at a very high speed). But, can this be done to a stone block which is more than 3 meters in height, and more than 60 centimeters in diameter.
No, certainly not. It is impossible even with modern-day tools. And, according to historians and archaeologist, this temple is about 800 years old. And, according to them, at that time there were only hammers and chisels (ah, I don’t believe it at all). And with such tools, at that time it was far more than impossible to turn such a pillar on lathe. Now, look at this pillar from the temple.
This pillar is made of stone, as you can see it.
You can also notice fine circular marks which go around the pillar.
We can create such circular patterns going round the pillar with chisels and hammers, but such minute patterns are impossible to make with chisels and hammers.
These patterns can be created only if any structure is lathe-turned.
I show you a much clear image of these patterns on the pillar.
This picture clearly shows the marks or patterns on the pillar, and which you can see are very-very minute. To understand how the lathe works, have a look on the next picture. This picture shows how a lathe works. In the image below, a metal object is being rotated on a lathe, and you can notice the similar circular marks arising on the object as a result of lathe-turning. The object is rotated at a very high speed to make it in desired shape.
But, how can be this done to such a huge rock. To rotate such a huge block on a high speed is extremely difficult, or nearly impossible even with modern machines. So, how the so-called primitive sculptors could have built this pillar with their so-called primitive tools. Those sculptors must have the technology of lathe-turning. Otherwise, there is no way these circular patterns can be created around these pillars.
Have a look on some of more pillars in the temple. On observing these pillars carefully, one can clearly understand that there is no way these pillars had been made, other than the turning on a lathe.
Also, the lathe used in making these pillars must had been more advanced than what we have today. Because today, lathe are used to turn small objects like a baseball bat, but to turn such huge blocks of rock, a much advanced and strong lathe is needed. There is another such pillar, as you can see it in the next image.
Wikipedia also confirms this, as you can see it in the next picture. On the page about this temple, Wikipedia also says that it was constructed by lathe-turning. I don’t know if the stuff I have shown you in the next image is still present on Wikipedia or not, as people keep editing the pages on Wikipedia. And, that is why I have taken a screenshot of the page.
But, here a question arises that, did those sculptors have any rotating mechanism at that time, because for turning anything on a lathe, you must need a rotating mechanism.
Have a look on the next picture; it is a pillar inside the temple.
Look how similar it looks like a rotatory gear.
But, archaeologists would deny this by saying that it is just a carved pillar, and it is nothing more than a co-incidence that it looks like a rotatory gear. So, I have more both for them and you. The image below is an idol called the Masana – Bhairava, which means of a sculptor. The idol might be of the head of the sculptors who made this temple. This statue is carved outside the temple.
Look at the tools this idol holds in his multiple hands (this does not mean, that the person had multiple hands, the multiple hands is a depiction to show that he used multiple tools, which are shown in his hands).
Look at one of those tools, I have shown it more clearly in the next picture.
This tool exactly looks like a planetary gear, a type of rotating mechanism. Look at the picture below which shows a planetary gear. There are some differences in both the images of a planetary gear, as the below one is in 3d, and the one in the hand of the idol is made as a 2d.
If still now, any doubt arises in your mind, I have more to show. Look at the picture below, in which you can see how the carving of this planetary gear has 32 teeth on the outer gear and 16 teeth on the inner gear.
If the archaeologists will deny that the similarity of this tool from modern day planetary gears, how they will explain the fact that the number of teeth in the inner and outer gear of this carved tool has the exact ratio of ‘1:2’, similar to the modern day gears.
How can there be so many co-incidences at one place.
And what is more surprising is that, a fastener is going around this tool, just as the modern-day gears.
This is very much surprising, the fastener is going around the tool in the same way as it is in modern-day tools, and also it is locked up in the center.
You can see it in the next figure.
The Stone-Cutting Technology-
Now, look at the image below. This is a 7-foot tall idol of the Lord Shiva inside the temple.
At first instance, looking at the idol, one will just say the idol is very beautifully carved and polished.
But that’s not the strange thing about this idol.
The crown of the idol is adorned with skulls (of stone obviously), which are less than 1-inch wide.
Also, the crown is not touching the head of the idol, unlike the other idols in various temples.
It is very strange, that the crown is not in contact with head of the idol.
There is a very small gap between the crown and the head of the idol.
If we shine a flash light through this gap, the light will pass through the gap, as you can see it in the next picture.
But, if we try to pass a small twig which is about 3 mm. wide, it will pass through the gap, i.e., the gap between the head and the crown of the idol is less than 3 millimeters wide.
This is totally baffling. How the sculptors more than 800 years ago, were able to make this gap which is less than 3 millimeter wide, with just chisels and hammers (as archaeologists says). This is impossible.
Someone may say that the crown was made separately, and then was fitted on the idol; but archaeologists confirm this that the whole idol is carved out of a single stone. Also, the temple and the idols are all made of metamorphic rocks, which are really very hard, even harder than marble. So, it is impossible to make such a small gap, with such precision and with zero error.
Now, have a look on the skulls which are adorned on the crown of the idol. These skulls are less than 3-inch wide, as I have already told you, but that’s not the strange thing.
What is more baffling about these skulls is that, these are completely hollow from inside. These skulls also were not separately made, and then attached to the crown, instead, these were also carved on the single stone.
You can see it more clearly in the above picture, that these are completely hollow. The skull is cut out at the place of the mouth, eyes and ears, which can be done with primitive tools. But, how the skulls were made hollow. How the stone was scooped out of the gaps made at the place of mouth, eyes, and ears, which are very-very smaller in size. And also, this is not a soft rock, it is a metamorphic rock.
I mean, how this is possible, without using any modern tool. Even today, if we use modern tools, it is nearly impossible to do such a thing.
If anyone says that it is not completely hollow, here is evidence, in the above picture. The same twig which is about 3-mm. wide was passed through one eye and it came out of the ear. It also passes from one ear to the other. So, it is completely hollow. And, it is possible to do such thing with a metamorphic rock, using just chisels and hammers, and moreover, about 800 years ago. If now, after all this, anyone thinks that it is impossible, then wait.
The Marvel of Polishing Technology-
Now, look at this beautiful stone idol. This temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and this is the bull of the Lord Shiva, whose name is Nandi. Look, how beautifully this idol is polished. But, there is a strange thing. We can do great level of polishing with primitive tools, but, when we polish a stone with modern tools, it reflects light in a way, such that bright and dark patches are made.
And, you can see the bright and dark patches on the surface of the idol, which is clearly visible even after more than 800 years. This is totally baffling. But, what is more strange is that, the idol has such a great level of polishing, that you can see in it reflection of objects like a mirror.
You can clearly see the image of the white paper on the surface of the idol, in the above image. This is impossible. This idol was made more than 800 years ago, and is still reflecting images like a paper. How in the world did the so-called primitive sculpture has polished it?
To find the answer, we think that what we use today for doing such polishing. Today, we use a rotary bud for such polishing. You can see above that what a rotary bud looks like. But, did those sculptors have this kind of tools? To find an answer, let’s go to the walls of the temple. There is an idol on the wall of the temple, which is holding a tool in his hand, which looks like the rotary bud. This is totally surprising, and mysterious.
You can also clearly the patterns on the tool, which is similar to the rotary bud. But, archaeologists will say that this is mere a coincidence. So, there is another image below, which is also exactly similar to the rotary bud, which we use today. Here also you can clearly see the patterns made on the bud.
Also, today we use different kinds of bud to achieve different types and levels of polishing. You can see the images of several rotary buds, which is showing buds of different patterns.
But, do the so-called primitive sculptors also have these things?
In the above picture, you can clearly see that the idols on the wall of the temple are holding different types of tools, which is not exactly similar to the bud, but also have different patterns, which is exactly similar to what we have today.
This is too much. How can there be so many co-incidences? Now, someone may say that these are not tools. These are pine cones. But, as you can see in the image below that pine trees did not grow in India, and not even near the southern India, where this temple is located. This map shows the places where pine trees grow.
Now, after all this I am not going to say anything. Anyone who is reading this; I advise him/her to use his his/her conscience and think carefully. Please think on whatever you have read and try to figure out that, whatever the historians and archaeologists have told us about our history and our ancestors, is that true?
Thank you to all who have read this. And a special thanks to Praveen Mohan.
Disease outbreaks have been prevalent since the dawn of mankind and have caused more deaths than wars and natural disasters combined. However, with medical sciences progressing faster than ever since the 18th century, the mortality number for the COVID-19 pandemic (1,092,124 deaths worldwide as of 14th Oct, 2020) is significantly lower compared to the previous pandemics and global epidemics – about 100 million people succumbed to the Spanish Flu worldwide a century ago (1918-1920). The mortality rates were even more massive before that- The Black Death caused by plague infestation took 200 million lives eradicating one-third of the global population at that time (1347-1351). However, humankind has always been robust and has learned from past experiences and continues to thrive in spite of the many outbreaks throughout the centuries. I have tried to highlight some of the major features of our response to the current pandemic and how our history with pandemics has influenced it.
Via the Berkeley Daily Gazette, 1918. The Spanish flu was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus.
Quarantine and Social Distancing: This idea became widely popular throughout the world in order to curtail the spread of the virus because evidence suggests that it has worked in the past to tackle airborne diseases. The Spanish Flu was ultimately curbed in some communities of the United States after maintaining social distancing codes and those that did not follow social distancing suffered from high death rates. The word quarantine itself arose from the word quarantena used in Europe which meant the 40 days isolation period of ships at shore to ensure that nobody entering the country was infected with plague. As a result, many governments throughout the world have announced lockdowns at various times.
Global Preparedness: A disease outbreak should not come as a surprise, given our history with them. They have been a part of our lives in the past and they will be in the future too. Our preparedness however, improves. Based on the data of previous epidemics, the WHO made a Comprehensive Planning Guide to tackle COVID-19 without much ado, that countries could take help of in planning their response to the pandemic. The aims of the guide included ensuring quick deployment of technical assets and assigning a well-equipped and well-informed task-force among others.
Relying on Science: For the first time in our history of pandemics have we known exactly the identity of the pathogen from the very beginning of the outbreak. If it were not for the progress of science, it is very likely that our mortality rate would be much higher than it is now (mortality rate of course also relies on how deadly the pathogen is). Quick identification of the pathogen resulted in quick development of testing kits, medicinal approaches and research and the race to develop an effective vaccine. Large-scale testing and directional medical treatment has been indispensable in our response to the pandemic. Vaccination has also helped us eradicate diseases globally in the past. Small-pox was the first disease to be completely eradicated by vaccination. Time and again our scientific progress has helped us fight diseases.
Counteracting misinformation: A classic example of how misinformation can aggravate situations is the global epidemic of HIV which rose to high levels in 1981. The public was under the impression that the disease spread only among men having sex with infected men and hence also provoked the already prevalent homophobic outlooks along with an ever-increasing infections. In the wake of the current pandemic, social media served as a platform for useful as well as bogus information. However, there have been large-scale efforts from various official bodies so as to give correct and helpful information to the masses via system generated recordings before phone calls, etc.
On a lighter note, history tells us that this will end. On a darker note, history also tells us that will not be the last pandemic humanity suffers from. But hopefully, we will become more prepared in the years to come and make educated decisions.
