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Muktipada Lalitaditya- The invincible king

Sanat Bhardwaj
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Muktipada Lalitaditya- The invincible king

Unparalleled incomparable and insurmountable the three words of excellence together can describe King Muktipada Lalitaditya in the world of documented history. The Life and achievement of King of Kashmir which has been erased from the book of history and memory of Sanatan Samaj is as tragic as burning of Great Nalanda University.

The posterity to come one day would realize, the dirt of fake historians and their filthy work which has eroded the memories of valour and military power Indian King and Sanatan Samaj Which they had gracefully achieved and displayed.

The Story of Muktaditya Lalitaditya is unbelievable and of fathomless importance.

The KarKota Empire (625 AD to 885 AD) was the kingdom that flourished in present day Kashmir which ascended on the demise of Kannuj (Famous King Harshvardhan) in 7th century. Karkota dynasty was founded by King Durlarvardhan where later on Muktaditya Lalitaditya became the great warrior King in around 740 AD.

Lalitaditya Muktapida had one of the largest empire of the World. He is rated as one of the finest warrior and martial king the world political History has ever documented. His unbelievable conquest while expanding his political territory can be comparable to few like Alexander from Greece, Romans Empire and Ivan 2nd of Russia. Some of more known and oft repeated Kingdom of Medieval like Ottoman of Turkey, Safavids of Iran, and Mugals in India were pygmies before the might and Valour of Karkota under Lalitaditya.

Lalitaditya begun the political expansion of kingdom after ascending the throne in no time and in all the direction. He went onto cross the Himalayan range of north until then considered to be inconvincible mountain terrain and impregnable northern boundary. Gazni the modern Afganistan fell through in first raid and that was subjugated immediately. The route to Afganistan led him to take complete control over silk route, Gilgit and Baltistan. He defeated the Tibetians king from Gilgit and Baltistan and defined the present day northern frontier.  His martial ability was like as seamless as a poet`s flowing lyrics.

In the east the concept of nation Bharat had never erased from public memory and frontier strategic location like Kucha, Turfan and Assam (Including present day Bengal), which were under the suzerainty of Tibet king in those days, became part of Lalitaditya`s eastern frontiers. The journey that he started from kannuj went on and on up to Assam and Gaud.

His campaign thereafter moved into Central to Southern direction. He went on to his expedition into the territory of modern-day Maharastra (Konkan) in the south west and Pallava as well as Kalinga in South.

Thus in no time and in his earliest expedition itself, he expanded up to boundary of River Cauvery in the South, Afganistan in the West, Gaud (North Bengal) in the East. At this scale he could be called to have matched the resource and might of political Kingdom of Samrat Ashok. But Lalitaditya did not stop here.

On the Eastern front, he went on for another successful raid and conquered the area of Laddakh and portion of north Tibet. Even bold was the move to venture into china and capturing portion of China adjoining that. Tibetans who had by then established into Indian northern territory around Laddakh, Gilgit, Baltisatan and in eastern boundary around assam were pushed deep into their country side and in this process King Lalityaditya defined the boundary of Bharat deep into the present day of China.

On the western front, he led a successful expedition to decimate Junaid one Arab vassal of Sindh, Momin of Bukhara (Uzbekistan), Dardistan and Tukharistan,  Afgani (Gazni) and  Tibbetian from Baltistan. After a brief sojorum in Ghazni (Afganistan) and King invaded and subjugated present day Iran and Badhakshan too. With these victory his westerm bountry touched the Caspian Sea which is presently Bordering Russia of today.

His kingdom was largest by any imagination we had in India ever.  And the fear of his greatness and aura made the left historians so insecure that they systematically purged every words and sentences related to King Lalitaditya and removed him from the curriculum of Indian History.

At its zenith, Lailtaditya`s empire stretched from Iran in the west, Tibets and Parts of China in the North, Turkestan in the North west, Cauvery and Dwarka in the south and South west and Assam in the north east.

Kashmir`s Power and prestige reached its zenith during King Lalitaditya`s rule. The Kashmiri tradition of Sun Worship, Food habits and Sanskrit language spread far and wide. It is construed that large part of Sun worship in the area around Iran had also been inspired by Korkata dynasty presence. Arab who made a brief first raid in 712 AD on Sindh, could never reconcile to the loss they suffered from Lalitaditya.  Arab stayed back within the desert wall of Arabia for next 400 years.

If you examine the boundary of Korkata Empire, you may conclude the Arab were chased to withdraw to their homeland in desert and large portion of Iran were made safe from Arab incursion for couple of century also.

The myth that Indian Kings did not cross Indus and remained a defender in their life time had been a colossal misleading and fake narrative.  Nagabhatam1 of Pratihar, Bappa Rawal of Mewar, Lalitaditya of Korkata and Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa of Maharaja Ranjit Singh decimated Afgani and Arabs in north and subjugated territory deep into central Asia and beyond Gazni.

Kalhan – Ratjtarangani an epic written in Sanskrit now nowhere in the curriculum or even as reference book for Indian student was written during those Korkata Empire days.

Detailed narrative have been documented and preserved by the contemporary authors of medieval about Lalitaditya military expedition, Social structure and religious governance in many a source. The 11th century Persian chronicler Al Biruni mentions a Kashmiri king called Muttai. The word Muttai is connoted as derived from word Muktipada. The glorious work of Literature written in Sanskrit Rajtarangni  by poet Kalhan narrates excellence about  Lalitaditya for his conquer and political acumen. Kalhana further narrated how Lalitaditya led and vanquishing the Turks, Afganis, Tibetans, Bhutias, Kambojas and other central Asian tribes. The Tibetans literature also explains about the Lalitaditya conquering the part of northern Tibet.

The korkata kingdom were ardent follower of Hinduism. He built upon spectacular Hindu Temple in their capital Parihaspur. Along the side of Hindus, the Buddhism also flourished. The kingdom ensured construction of stupa Chaitya and Vihara pertaining to Buddhist religious belief and archaeological significance.

He built upon a Majestic Sun temple Martand Sun temple in the Anantnag district in Kashmir. It is oldest known Sun temple in India and was one of the biggest temple complex in those days in his kingdom. The Sun worship was one of the foremost religious celebration in those days.

Muktipada Lalitaditya was on move all the years, yet he significantly accomplished the art of administrative governance. He amassed fathomless resource and built one of the largest empire of the world.

It is despite expanding deep into heartland of central Asia, his thrust to expand beyond never extinguished. Though no confirmatory archaeological or documentation is available about King`s last chivalrous days. it appears from Kalhan`s work in Rajtarangi that While on his military raid around Gazni (Afganistan), he is supposed to have he set for heavenly abode. 

Lalitaditya is among the few military commander in the World who never lost a Battle in all his Military expedition during Life time.

India’s GDP decline at par with other countries GDP downfall

Dhruv Nyayadhish & Harshita Palrecha
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India’s GDP decline at par with other countries GDP downfall

There is no doubt that India’s gross domestic product or GDP has taken a hit as a result of the global economic slowdown coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in lockdowns and restriction in movement of goods and services interstate and cross border. As per the data indicated by the national statistical office, India’s quarterly GDP has declined by 23.9%. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has forecasted that India’s economy could contract 5.9 per cent in 2020. However, even the UNCTD has attributed the reasons for the decline owing to strict lockdowns and austerity measures. The government’s chief economic adviser Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian has attributed the deceleration to “exogenous factors”, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns it necessitated, while the Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has blamed the dwindling GDP decline “an act of god”.

Not just India but other countries have faced a sharp decline in GDP and global downfall in the economy and productivity. The world economic forum pointed out that more than five years of economic growth has been wiped out in the US. The US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic analysis reveals that the GDP has decreased at an annual rate of 31.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 and it also that “the decrease in GDP reflected decreases in Personal Consumption Expenditures exports, nonresidential fixed investment, private inventory investment, residential fixed investment, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by an increase in federal government spending.”

The world’s third-largest economy Japan with GDP worth 5081.77 billion US dollars in 2019 witnessed the worst contraction since World War II with a decline in GDP to 27.8%. Statistics of Canada also revealed similar results for the quarter with GDP contracted at the rate of 38.7 per cent as the worst posting for the economy dating back to when the comparable data was first recorded in 1961. In Germany, the GDP shrank by 9.7 per cent but has been less severe owing to the anticipated better recovery with the ongoing demand and decline in the Covid-19 spread. The United Kingdom shrank by 20.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, the most since comparable records began in 1955. In France, the economy shrank at a record 13.8% on quarter in the second quarter of 2020.

Rising cases of COVID-19 also declined the Spain economy with a GDP shrank of 18.5 per cent in the second quarter. Second-quarter GDP in Russia dropped by 8.5 per cent according to preliminary data with a significant drop in the extractive industry and manufacturing. National Statistics bureau ISTAT stated that “Italy’s economy shrank a downwardly revised 12.8% in the second quarter from the previous three months, the steepest recorded drop in the gross domestic product as the coronavirus crisis lacerated the country.” According to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)  fell 7.0 per cent in the June quarter, the largest quarterly fall on record. The economic affairs ministry (SECO) released that Switzerland has plunged into a recession with a “historic” 8.2-per cent slump in economic activity in the second quarter.

The country which was praised by the entire world for the utmost precision and able handling of the pandemic, namely New Zealand which has entered a recession and has posted a 12.2% second-quarter fall in its GDP. Paul Pascoe at Stats NZ said the GDP fall was “by far the largest on record in New Zealand” and admittedly New Zealand did not have a recession since 1987. 

In the group of developing economies, a Reuters poll showed “Brazil’s economy likely cratered 9.4% under the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the country during the second quarter, the worst three-month period ever”. “Malaysia’s GDP contracted by 17.1% in the second quarter of 2020 (2Q20) mainly due to the movement control order (MCO) enforced during the quarter to stem the spread of Covid-19”, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). 

In Indonesia, the GDP declined for the first time since the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis more than two decades ago. The statistics Indonesia (BPS) determined the contraction of the Indonesian economy at 5.32 per cent year-on-year, the weakest GDP result for Indonesia since Q1-1999. Mexico faced a high GDP shrunk with a fall of  18.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 as stated by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), Mexico. The INDEC national statistics bureau stated that Argentina’s GDP slumped 19.1% in the second quarter of 2020. President Alberto Fernández “has significantly increased spending to stimulate the economy, despite having no access to credit markets following the nation’s ninth default. Argentina emerged from default earlier in September.” 

Since the pandemic is still very pertinent the quantum of spending has also reduced until a vaccine or a potential cure could be found for the resolution of the pandemic as investment continues to be a higher risk than ever before. Dr Pronab Sen noted economist and former Chairman of the National  Statistical Commission “There is a growing COVID induced fear psychosis which is impacting both demand and investment. Households have been dis-saving during the lockdown as the economy contracted. But fears of future income losses will force postponement of most big-ticket spending and investment,”. There are several businesses which are still holding back from manufacturing, selling, distribution, etc due to the COVID psychosis. At the same time, the same psychosis has held back people from going to work, thereby causing labour shortages. 

There are several news articles and people claiming that India has been the worst-performing GDP. Not only is that untrue, but comparisons cannot be done on a country to country basis. A developed country’s economy cannot be compared to developing economies. Moreover, a country which did not have themselves under complete lockdown cannot be compared to the ones which did.  The United States of America did not impose a nationwide lockdown but still felt the shackles of the pandemic sharp as evident from the stats above. 

In its global macro outlook amid pandemic, Moody’s says it expects China to be the only G20 country to post growth in 2020 (1% growth in 2020, 7.1% growth in 2021). Moody’s sees India’s GDP contracting 3.1% in 2020, but growing 6.9% in 2021. It becomes quite evident that India is not the only country facing the heat of the pandemic and is neither the worst-performing GDP under the pandemic considering the surge in the economy. 

It becomes increasingly apparent that India’s economy substantially suffered due to lockdowns and series movement restrictions to protect its citizens. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was quoted saying that Pakistan could not afford a lockdown and would be devastating to its economy. Many countries steered away from a complete lockdown for the same reason. 

India at the very outset of the pandemic decided to put citizens before the economy and as predicted had a quarterly decline. 

The surge in the recovery of the GDP post lockdown

The Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) stood at 82.3 for the week ending September 20 from 81.2 a week earlier, recording the second consecutive week of a fresh post-lockdown high. This was credited to the rise in the mobility of goods and services facilitated by the lifting of the lockdown which can be directly cross-referenced with the reasons for the decline of the GDP in the first place.

These are clear indicators that mobility across the country has surged. The credit rating agency ICRA quoted that “toll collections reached 87% of the pre-COVID level in the second fortnight of July, adding that 90% of commercial vehicles are now back on the road”. This, in turn, has seen a 22% growth in loading during the first 25 days of August, earning Rs 7 crore, up 22% compared with the same period last year as per the Railway division. 

The GST collections witnessed a significant drop of 12% as compared to the last year in July 2020. However, with the unlock and ease of restrictions the GST collections have been encouraging with 2% growth in the previous month figures. The Finance Ministry stated that the Goods and service tax (GST) collections for August stood at Rs 86,449 crore with a significant recovery by the increase in domestic transactions revenue at 92% and a decline in imports at 77% during the same month.

Apart from these sectors since the mobility increases coupled with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – COVID relief package hopes to uplift the growth even more. These measures have the possibility to amplify investment and spending. 

The Chief Economic Advisor is hopeful of a V-shaped recovery for India ahead. CEA Krishnamurthy Subramanian said, “India is experiencing a V-shaped recovery after the unlocks have been announced. Core sector output is showing a V-shaped recovery”. 

Amid the lockdown phase, the e-commerce business has significantly boomed the manufacturing activities and services with more and more people preferring online retail purchases on account of fear of the pandemic. According to IBEF “the Indian E-commerce market is expected to grow to US$ 200 billion by 2026 from US$ 38.5 billion as of 2017.” The MSMEs witnessed a major disruption in the business activities facing a major liquidity crunch. MSMEs significantly contribute to the economy, data from 2019 shows that the sector contributed 29% to overall GDP.  Consistent efforts of the Government for the upliftment of the MSMEs such as re-designing the categories, TDS relief for MSMEs, encouraging transactions through the e-commerce platforms, Non-performing assets relief, credit and finance schemes etc have been a major relief for small businesses and overall helped in employment generation and exports.

The industries namely, Construction, manufacturing, trade, hotels, transport, communication & services which account for 45% of the economy were responsible for this sharp contraction in Q1, 2020-21. Except for agriculture, almost all sectors have shown a contraction in Q1 of 2020-21. Farm sector which is expected to be a key growth driver ahead saw a growth of 3.4% in Q1, 2020-21 vs 5.9% in Q4, 2019-20. 

On the growth in the farm sector, CEA Krishnamurthy Subramanian said, ‘Agriculture sector has grown 3.4% despite lockdown is reflective of several reform measures announced by the govt’. Governments measures are clearly in place in some sectors and are evidently working. 

Since the pandemic and lockdown encouraged ‘work from home’ and ‘social distancing’ the Broadcasting and OTT (over-the-top) companies have seen a jump in growth and new viewership/ subscribers. According to news reports, overall traffic has jumped by 10% and streaming platforms have witnessed a 20% spike in viewership. 

Conclusion

There is no denying that the Indian GDP has shrunk and quarterly growth has been severely affected, but the prime reasons of the same can be attributed to the overall economic slowdown globally coupled with the strict lockdown imposed by the Government of India to curb the spread of the virus which restricted the mobility of the goods and services. Moreover, the same pattern can be seen all over the world for the correlation between lockdown and business being hampered isn’t difficult to infer. The government’s measures to stimulate the economy have to be extended to all sectors effectively to see a marginal growth back up again. Regardless, India is still the fastest-growing trillion-dollar economy in the world and the fifth-largest overall GDP and it would take more than a pandemic to cause significant economic devastations. India still maintains its dominance over the world economy & trade and shall see rapid growth and surge once the pandemic subsides. 

वन्स अपॉन ऐ टाइम इन मुंबई …नाउ इन उत्तर प्रदेश!

bibhutisrivastava
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वन्स अपॉन ऐ टाइम इन मुंबई …नाउ इन उत्तर प्रदेश!

समुद्रतट पर बसा मुंबई शहर 14 जून 2020 की दुपहर एक असामान्य पहचान के संकट में डूब गया। अरब सागर के साथ साथ फैले इस शहर की पहचान सपनो को साकार करने वाली माया नगरी की थी। लाखो लोग हर रोज़ अपनी प्रतिभा को पहचान दिलाने इस अलग सी दुनिया में कदम रखते है। ऐसा ही एक लड़का सुशांत सिंह राजपूत कुछ साल पहले बिना किसी को कुछ बताये चुप चाप इस शहर में आया। नाम कमाया पैसा कमाया अपनी पहचान बनायीं और अचानक एक दिन बिना किसी को कुछ भी बताये चुपचाप इस दुनिया को छोड़ कर चला गया।

सुशांत का जाना एक सामान्य घटना नहीं थी। ना ही सामान्य रह गया है मुंबई का नाम जो कभी सितारों की चमक से चकाचौंध रहता था। सफेद पोशो की काली दुनिया के कई काले कारनामे परत दर परत खुल कर सामने आने लगे। इस रस्सा कस्सी में या यूँ कहे की सुशांत को न्याय दिलवाने की लड़ाई में एक चीज़ जो सबको समझ आयी वो है झूठे क्षेत्रीय अभिमान के नाम पर बिहार यूपी या किसी भी अन्य राज्य के मूल निवासी का अपमान। स्वाभिमान और अभिमान के ये लड़ाई लम्बी खींचती चली गयी। हालाँकि अगर इतिहास के पन्नो को पलटा जाए तो पाएंगे की यह समस्या हमेशा ही रही है। जब भी किसी उत्तर भारतीय ने किसी भी मनमानी को मानने से इंकार किया है, क्षेत्रीय धौस दिखा कर उसकी बेइज़्ज़ती की गयी है। सिवाय कड़ी निंदा के इस मामले पर कुछ भी नहीं किया गया।

उत्तर प्रदेश शासन ने इन स्वाभिमान हनन के प्रयासों को गंभीरता से लिया है। मुख्यमंत्री उत्तर प्रदेश हर मामले को गंभीरता से लेने और सख्त कदम उठाने के लिए जाने जाते है। लॉकडाउन के समय भी प्रवासियों, छात्रों एवं अन्य निवासियों को राज्य में वापस लाने की सुचारु व्यवस्था की गयी। मजदूरो के पुनर्वासन एवं प्रदेश में ही रोज़गार देने के लिए प्रभावी ढंग से काम किया गया। मुख्यमंत्री उत्तर प्रदेश श्री योगी आदित्यनाथ जी ने लॉकडाउन में अपनी छवि एक प्रभावी और जनता के भरोसे पर खरा उतरने वाले शासक के रूप में स्थापित की है।
अब बारी फ़िल्मी दुनिया की थी। फ़िल्मी दुनिया के लोग अपने लिए नयी ज़मीन तलाश रहे थे। यहाँ भी संकट मोचक के रूप में योगी जी सामने आये। त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए उत्तर प्रदेश के जनपद गौतम बुद्ध नगर में देश की सबसे बड़ी फिल्म सिटी बनाने की घोषणा की गयी है। गौतम बुद्ध नगर अपने विकसित एवं आधुनिक संस्कृति के लिए जाना जाता है। फिल्म सिटी का बनना उन कलाकारों के लिए एक वरदान है जिनकी प्रतिभा मुंबई की भीड़ में दब जाती थी या प्रभावी लोगो द्वारा दबा दी जाती थी। उत्तर प्रदेश की फिल्म सिटी भोजपुरी जैसी क्षेत्रीय भाषाओ की फिल्मो के निर्माण के लिए भी एक पुनर्जन्म जैसा है। यह परियोजना एक बृहद स्तर पर रोजगार भी प्रदान करेगी।
संकल्प अगर दृढ हो तो कुछ भी मुश्किल नहीं। जिन लोगो ने जीवन के कठिनतम संघर्षो को पार पाते हुए मुंबई में सफलता हासिल की वो भी इस बात को असंभव मानते होंगे की उत्तर प्रदेश में कभी फिल्मो का निर्माण होगा। लेकिन एक मजबूत इरादों वाले नेतृव्त ने इस असंभव को भी संभव कर दिया है।

सुशांत सिंह राजपूत एक नेकदिल वक्तित्व और संवेदनशील ह्रदय वाले सौम्य कलाकार थे। कई जिंदगियों को उन्होंने प्रभावित किया। उनके कई दोस्त बताते है कैसे सुशांत ने उनकी सोंच को सकारात्मक आयाम दिए। आज सुशांत हमारे बीच नहीं है पर जब जब उत्तर प्रदेश फिल्म सिटी की बात की जाएगी सुशांत सिंह राजपूत का नाम स्वतः ही सबको याद आएगा। मेरी मुख्यमंत्री उत्तर प्रदेश से सविनय निवेदन है की प्रस्तावित फिल्म सिटी में सुशांत के नाम पर कुछ न कुछ जरूर बनाया जाए।

जिस महफ़िल ने ठुकराया हमको क्यों उस महफ़िल को याद करे आगे लम्हे बुला रहे है आओ उनके साथ चले
~ सुशांत सिंह राजपूत in PK

India is watching

Siddhartha Kar
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India is watching

Too much has happened since the 30th of May, 2019 – the second swearing in of Modi. India has perhaps never more keenly watched developments as when they unfolded over the next 16 months since.

A courageous step for correcting a historical injustice to the religious minorities in our neighbouring countries was taken after 70 long years. Where every Indian should have embraced it with open arms, mobs assaulted the heart of India. Roads were blocked, trains were burnt, religious bigotry was brazenly brandished, sections of intellectuals, media, Bollywood and politicians egged on these mobs. The willingness to burn down cities if the persecutors were not accepted into India along with the persecuted was on shameless display!

India watched.

With infinite patience, even the father figure of India’s civilisation, Sri Rama, became a petitioner in the courts of law. After 500 years of wait, even then celebrations were curtailed.

India watched.

Hundreds, perhaps thousand strong mob lynched and killed two Hindu sadhus and their driver. A police official was seen handing over a 70 year old innocent Sadhu to a bloodthirsty mob in a video. The disturbing video enraged every sane Indian. But, the case was subdued. The Maharashtra government and police displayed very questionable conduct. The young lawyer representing the lynched Sadhus then died in a car accident. 

India watched.

Delhi minorities commission chairman Zafarul Islam’s statements dangerously reminded India of the time when Shah Waliullah Dehlawi invited Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade India or when Mohammad Ali allegedly sent a telegram to the Emir of Afghanistan, inviting him to invade India. 

India watched.

In the month of May this year, YSRCP MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju sent shivers down the nation’s spine when he admitted rampant proselytisation in Andhra Pradesh and across the country and openly admitted foreign funds flowing to the missionaries for conversions in India. 

India watched.

Two young people died in Bollywood. And the state government and police behaved in abnormal, suspicious ways. Sections of the media, intellectuals, and the Bollywood itself behaved disturbingly, almost as if they wanted to perpetuate the abnormalities of conduct and not allow the truth to come out. 

India watched.

The case revealed an ugly drugs angle. In the past, people had spoken of Bollywood, Drugs, Terrorism, Underworld – all in the same breath. But, the extent of rot as it started unfolding scared us. Some even put up a “it is only 1gram of weed” defence! While Bollywood cried to not paint the whole industry in poor light because of a few bad apples, they created film after film, series after series that portrayed the entirety of Indian civilisation disgracefully.

India watched.

A very legitimate claim to freedom of expression to create awareness of suspected global conspiracies to undermine the very sovereignty of India by Sudarshan TV was denied. The Supreme Court made observations and exercised authority in ways that may be seen as a transgression of demarcation of powers. And, that too, very selectively.

India is watching.

Every institution in the country, however powerful, derives its justification from the people. The reawakening in the civilisation is visible. The cause of the yearning is not because Modi is in power. Modi is in power because of the awakening. The expression has just begun. 

The very welcome news of OpIndia, Indic Collective and Upword filing an intervention application in the Sudarshan TV case brings heart. Irrespective of the outcome, our wishes to all of you. You have shown courage to take a truthful and consequently politically incorrect stand. 

For the rest: #IndiaIsWatching

Silence is the digital coffee break!

nimbu
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Silence is the digital coffee break!

Last week, my boss was ten minutes late for our scheduled catch-up on a zoom call. As he settled down and switched on his video, he was candid enough to admit that he had dozed off after a rather heavy lunch. It brought a smile to my face as I realised that its fine to catch a quick nap or go watch a show on your favourite OTT platform for a bit in between hectic work schedule. Spending a few minutes with your children and playing a quick board game is par for the course. It also brought a human touch to the technology that’s already made widespread changes to the way we work.

There is an abundance of ‘lockdown’ wisdom wherever you go. The etiquettes around being more productive on a video call have been debated enough. Corporates have been quick to issue Standard Operating Protocols of what makes for an effective video call. Employees have chuckled at witty memes around how to circumvent each of those protocols. The last thing one needs is a lesson in video call form and manners.

When I reflect over the last few months, I realize that I have adapted my managerial style. There is a sense of something crucial ‘missing’ on video calls. And it is not about eye-contact, not even about a pat on the shoulder or how you decode the crossed arms body language in person. I realize that your sheer physical presence in situations whether of a crisis or a celebratory nature make a lot of difference. Call it emotional quotient or intelligence, teams that work together need to stay together and not just see each other. Have you wondered what would happen to running between the wickets if say a 19-year-old Devdutt Padikkal had to “discuss” opening strategy with Aaron Finch?

There are five things that have worked well for me in this context. I do not know if my team looks at it the same way, but I guess its worth reflecting. So here goes…

Silence is the digital coffee break.

The nature of a video call is inherently agenda driven. The very act of blocking time on the calendar requires you to put down a subject and perhaps send pre-read. Quite often then, the call is preluded with some banter for the first 30 seconds or so and then you plunge straight into the subject. You conclude the arguments or findings and look up in expectation of a verdict, decision or approval.

In real life, you take pauses for a quick coffee break, a bio-break or just look around the room as you collect your thoughts. On a video call though, a few seconds of silence can prompt you to check-in with a terse “Hello, hello…” or fiddle with your internet connection to see if all’s fine. We do not factor in this break for silence. It is important to let silence do its magic in between. Silence provides time to absorb and reflect. Silence helps you to make your point and let it get imbibed. Silence lets you think of related issues and consequences. Silence is as important as the argument.

It is therefore important to stop treating the video call as just a ‘call’ and let it be a ‘meeting’. A meeting gives time for you to scribble some notes, look at reactions of other people and sometimes just balance out the ‘data and analysis’ with some ‘implications and rebound impacts’. A meeting sparks off a bit of humour or some plain old banter that infuses much-needed relief in the decision-making process.

You also tend to close the meeting expecting a closure or a decision. Human beings do not always base their decisions on the strength of the data presented. Think back to regular times. I have often asked someone unrelated to the agenda to come in at the end of a presentation and react to the stimulus. Sometimes, you just want some slack to ‘sleep over it’. And sometimes, a quick look around the room and the affirmative nods helps you close. In a video call, you miss these things. Silence and time for reflection helps make up. Ask for the time and provide the time. It is alright to take time out for a loo break or a coffee interval!

Get that Share button going

Video calls tend to become very formal. A brief prelude and you launch into a prepared deck. Text, graphs and trend lines. In a regular meeting, you supplement the points with some informal cues. For example, a quick reference to a video that has gone viral or a social media post that is relevant.

Provide for opportunities to let people share. Not just decks but also trivia. Sometimes a news clip. Sometimes a You Tube video. Make it conversational. Helps take the stress off both the decision maker as well as the other stake-holders.

I think the trap of a video call is that you tend to ask a question and expect someone to provide an answer that is already processed on the back of data and analysis. In a normal situation, people also rely on anecdotes, gut feel and related incidents. Think about the last time a colleague whipped up his or her phone and insisted that you see a video to substantiate a point.

People want to add ‘colour’ to the facts. Enabling and encouraging them to ‘share’ information that is not strictly part of the agenda helps move the conversation forward. And helps arrive at a decision having taken an all-round perspective.

Contrary to popular belief, a ten-slide open and shut case does not translate to a slam dunk. The body language, the stories and jokes around the subject and a lot of reflection makes it easier.

Blend the formal and the impromptu.

Work does not always happen inside the board room. And not always at the desk. Impromptu meetings at the cafeteria, pantry or the watercooler are very often the triggers. In a video call scenario, we miss these interactions.

Some managers tend to keep things informal; involving the family or the children are easy ways to start informally and then lean into a heavy-duty agenda. However, this does not always compensate for the quick twosome or threesome gathering over a coffee. These get-togethers help short-circuit organisation protocols and make working more ‘personal’. Many organisations work on the basis of “pre-aligning” an outcome and using the meeting to “ratify” the decision.

On a video call, find time to chat about other topics as well. Some of these do not have to be directly related to the agenda, not require data and reports to substantiate a point. These are quick pulse checks and help you stay in touch with what’s happening. It also gives your team an opportunity to put a few things ‘in your ear’

Allow for the Learning Curve to Kick In

Have you noticed that the first few weeks of the lock-down used the video calls to ‘check-in’ and that was it. Managers used it to do a situational assessment. It was a way of saying we are all in it together and let’s stick together as we confront this unknown situation.

The calls then moved to the next stage wherein the focus was to find projects and themes to stay engaged. Almost as if you needed distraction from the pandemic.

In Stage 3, the focus moved to figuring out methods to get work back on track. You suddenly discovered that you could do most things from home; the video call helped enhance productivity and things around you fell into a rhythm. The children also began to understand that the work table was ‘office’ and out of bounds!

As we move into Stage Four, I think the focus will be on Accelerating the pace of work and doing things smarter and better. People discover new features of the video call, new ways of becoming more productive and at ease with working remotely. This is the stage to watch out for – you could get left behind; you could also be the first to force the pace.

Stay in touch with the wider team

The virtual townhall is no substitute for the various methods that you employ to stay in touch with skip levels, juniors and other stake-holders. The two-minute elevator stories, the corridor catch-ups and the genial bonhomie at the car park are now missing.

Summoning a formal video call with the larger team also doesn’t seem to help. The air of formality to the call does not let people loosen up. Sometimes the humorous and straight-faced comments are more potent than direct statements.

One thing that works then is to find the virtual way to ‘chill’.  Do a Friday afternoon call that is just a quiz show or a puzzle that the team needs to crack? Bring in a facilitator who can moderate a session for you. Let people just hang around. Let your children scream into the camera. Knowing that you are in the same boat helps the team relax and bond. Much like the weekend beer do at the local pub next to office!

The video call is not just a call. It is a platform, a tube that connects you with the organisation. Think of your desk as the office and the video call as the passage to both your conference room as well as the corridor. You need to be present at both places to get that work agenda going!

Farmer bills 2020: Protest or celebrate?

PANKAJ JAYSWAL
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Farmer bills 2020: Protest or celebrate?

Farmer remains one of the pillars of our nation. Majority of our populace is still reliant on farming sector for livelihood. However, farmer’s plight is well-known to everybody, 70 years of liberation and still we are battling to provide a better life to our pillar. i.e. farmers.

They put their soul, time, borrow money for farming, finally, just to realize that their efforts couldn’t materialize even simply to satisfy the basic needs of a family. They do hard work to get best quality food for us. Even after such a hard struggle, when they realise that they are not in a situation to pay back the loan or can’t run the family, they sale their most important asset called land or take worst decision is to end their life leaving family in despair. Who is responsible for the plight of famers even after 70 years of independence? We as a society and the government should own the responsibility and support any decision/action for the welfare of our farmers.

Mr. M. S. Swaminathan has taken many initiatives for the welfare of the farmers and offered guidance/recommendations to government time to time on various issues. Many of his suggestions have been implemented by PM Modi Government in last 6 years. Few actions taken by Modi government:

  • Soil Health Card
  • Kisan Credit Card (loan up to 3 lakhs with nominal interest rate)
  • Pradhanmantri Krishi Bima Yojana. (Benefitted millions of Farmers)
  • Irrigation facilities.
  • Yearly direct transfer of Rs 6000.
  • Technology and technique-oriented farming.
  • Organic farming.
  • Providing e-NAM platform.
  • Providing additional storage facilities.
  • Mass procurement of food grains by government.
  • Fertilizer availability in abundant quantity.

Many such actions have been helping farmers positively, however, I would say, most revolutionary action is bills passed on 19th and 20th September by parliament. It will surely make life of farmers joyful, empower them, making economically sound, improving standard of living and huge decline in suicide rate.

What are the key positives of these bills?

  • It allows free intra and inter – state trade so farmers will have free access to market anywhere in country based on the best price they get. It will help in FDI inflow and improvement in economy.
  • Direct agreement between a farmer and a buyer, farmer won’t be dependent on cartel prices. It will give them assurance about better pricing in advance, reduction in transport cost, stop exploitation by middlemen and indirectly controlled market by political leaders.
  • Regular supply of food items will stop artificial scarcity created by middlemen.
  • Buyer can’t take control of land even if some dues are pending. Farmers are totally protected from exploitation and given complete freedom to sell and make good profits, make contracts, use e-NAM platform and make the best use of technology for more benefits.

I don’t see any point in the bill against farmers, so the people or political leaders opposing these reforms must have some vested interest. It’s our duty to spread facts to each and every farmer so that exploitation masters don’t take advantage of their ignorance if any.

It’s time to celebrate and not protest, as the exploitation masters have been tossed up by these reforms and at the same time empowered and enhanced value of our lovely farmers socially and economically.

Suppressing Maratha history in school textbooks

sainath
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Suppressing Maratha history in school textbooks

Indian school history textbooks have chapter after chapters glorifying Mughal rule, calling it a secular, syncretic empire, eulogizing Akbar as a great emperor. We also have adulatory accounts of other Islamic rulers invading India and establishing empires. What is conspicuous by its absence is an adequate representation of the Maratha Empire (which is cursorily mentioned and then dropped). It is obvious to any intelligent reader that the Mughal Empire like the other Islamic kingdoms was established by invaders who brutally destroyed local kingdoms, enslaving, murdering thousands of local Hindus. It was no secular utopia! This went on for some 500 years, with the Hindus valiantly defending their religion, but never really successfully overthrowing the Muslim rulers, until the emergence of the Marathas under Chhatrapati Shivaji!

What sets Chhatrapati Shivaji apart is his immense success, unlike anyone before him. He carved out an independent kingdom for the Hindus, and openly had himself crowned under the ancient Rajyabhishek ceremony-something no other Hindu king had dared to do. Aurangzeb with a million- strong army then descended upon Maharashtra to vanquish Shivaji & his Marathas, but little did he know that he was digging his own and that of his empire’s grave in the process! The spirited Marathas doggedly fought against an enemy 10 times larger than them not for 1 year, not 2 years, but for 27 long years ! Aurangzeb seemed to be winning in the initial phases, he captured and gruesomely murdered Sambhaji, eldest son of Shivaji. This incensed the Marathas so much that they continued fighting and after 10 years, the tide began to turn, with the Marathas making deep raids into Mughal lands in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Aurangzeb had come to conquer Maharashtra, but ended up exposing his empire’s inherent weaknesses to the Marathas. After Aurangzeb died a bitter old man, the Mughal armies returned back to Delhi in 1707. And in a mere 10 years after his death, Marathas under Chhatrapati Shahu had begun making inroads into Delhi politics, attacking Delhi with a 10,000 strong army under Balaji Vishwanath (Bajirao’s father) and installing a new puppet emperor. The next 40 years is a blazing story of the Marathas implanting their saffron flag in regions as far apart as Bangladesh, Peshawar in Pakistan, and Hyderabad in South India simultaneously! At its zenith, the Maratha empire encompassed lands that are part of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India today.

Raghunathrao was the first Hindu general to conquer Peshawar in almost 800 years. They continued to flourish until a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Afghans in 1761. The Afghans, afraid that the Marathas who had driven them out of Peshawar might attack Kandahar itself, decided to counter attack. Though they lost, the Marathas had fought so intensely that a major portion of the Afghan army was decimated and they never dared re-enter India. This weakened Afghan empire was then continuously harassed and humiliated by the later day Sikh hero, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Marathas recovered in 10 years and recaptured North India, reoccupying Delhi, and permanently stationing a garrison there. So, the Maratha Empire continued to dominate India’s politics for almost a century beginning 1718 to 1802 (the 2nd Anglo Maratha war, which they lost and were then reduced to controlling parts of Central India only). The Marathas were also one of the few truly pan-India empire, having conquered most of today’s India, and the only southern empire to capture Delhi.

Only comparable empires are Mughal, British, Maurya, and Gupt. Even the powerful Islamic empires (before the Mughals) had not conquered such vast swathes of India. And even the Mughals took a long time (300 years!) to consolidate their holdings. The Marathas sent armies in the South (Hyderabad), to the West (Peshawar) and to the East (Bangladesh) in the same decade! There is no parallel in Indian history of conquering so much territory in such a short span of time! And most crucially, the Marathas were responsible for putting the Muslim kingdoms on the back foot. From being aggressors, they were suddenly reduced to being defensive. While the rest of Hindu kings tried to defend their own territory, the Marathas (in a cultural, historical & ideological reversal) not only successfully defended their own territory against invasions, but counter- attacked and conquered Mughal lands! Something that had not happened in centuries! And to add insult to the injury, they set out on an Ashwamedh of sorts, invading a region that was majority Muslim (the city of Peshawar populated by Afghans) and threatening to invade Kandahar itself!

It was a homecoming of sorts for the Hindus, who were now ruling a Muslim majority region that was originally Hindu dominated! The Marathas were responsible for hitting back at the Muslims as hard as they were hit! They returned the favour by brutalizing the Islamic kings, carrying out genocidal campaigns against their enemies, defacing, destroying and looting Mughal era buildings (Sadashivrao Bhau had famously melted the silver in the Red Fort), and blowing apart the tombs of their dead enemies. Also rebuilding Hindu temples pulverized by the Mughals (majority of the famed Ghats in Varanasi were reconstructed by the Maratha general Mahadji Shinde), the Gujarat Somanth temple, etc.

Given this glorious history, the question arises, why are their contributions ignored in our school textbooks? Even from a scope perspective, they were more powerful than all the Muslim empires except the Mughals. The answer may be that our founders, ruling a newly independent country, were hell bent on making it secular, and may have preferred to paint a rosy picture of the Mughal times to soothe the Hindus, and ignored the Marathas by relegating their contributions to a footnote. This was a mistake. A nation derives its identity from its past, and a glorious history goes a long way in instilling patriotic ethos in the minds of citizens, that inspires men to achieve great things. Secularism has never inspired anyone to do anything, except indulging in laziness. A nation without history is like a man without soul. We urgently need to recast our history books by focusing on a few critical points –

  1. The successes of the Marathas
  2. The valiant Rajput resistance to Islamic invasions for 300 years
  3. Southern Vijaynagar empire that kept the Muslims at bay
  4. The fact that Hindus successfully defended their religion in the face of genocidal onslaught by the Muslims, whereas the ancient Persian/Iranian & Egyptians empires capitulated and accepted Islam

Open letter to Mr. Julio Ribeiro

chandra298
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Open letter to Mr. Julio Ribeiro

Dear Mr. Reibero

I have been noting with dismay your various protest letters and accusatory petitions directed at the  present regime. It does not require much efforts on the part of anyone with average intelligence to identify the reasons behind the standpoint that elicits such responses from you. From the time BJP,  despite all out efforts by vested interests from both within and outside the country to deny its well deserved entitlement, won the mandate of the people in 2014 there have been unwarranted apprehensions and antagonism in people like you.

The reason for this antagonism is very clearly discernible for an average follower of politics of this country. There is an irrational norm that is being held on to that in a secular country the majority community needs to make all the sacrifices of its rightful claim to maintain communal harmony. Further the onus of maintaining communal peace lies in its forbearance even in the face of menacing and aggressive behavior from other community members. The word secularism had got so distorted under the regime of few political parties, that anyone group or an individual who pointed out the blatant perversions in the secular policies was labeled as communal.

The reactions from many in the wake of BJP decimating the pseudo secular forces in 2014 was as if some disgrace had descended on them and as if their birth right of privileges were violated. Thus the mercenary mouthpieces that represent this shady political forces that got uprooted, engaged itself in 24×7 castigation of the govt  and its policies. Ironically it was a boon time for Anti Modi Journalism because it opened the flood gates of funds for the mercenary left liberal journalists and celebrities. Funds from various covert NGOs of the Open society Foundation type and as well as those from arch foes our Nation poured in to their account to destabilize the govt they were anathematic to.

The mercenary Liberals worked furiously to somehow implicate the govt as communal and intolerant. The policies on cow slaughter ban, triple Talaq, abrogation of article 370, citizen ship amendment act etc were given communal colour. Normal law and order issues involving anti social elements were interpreted as communal acts having blessings of the govt. Police crackdown on arsonists, and Police investigations on unlawful activities had communal insinuations wrapped around it if at the receiving end the subject happened to be a Muslim. Even the judicial decree from highest courts was chastised if it went against the minorities expectations.  

This anti Modi lobby always managed to enlist the support of appropriate noted personalities of the society to add authenticity to their contrived agenda of demonstrating how intolerant and communal the Modi regime is. In a country of a billion population it should not be difficult to short list such persons, on whose opinions the Modi hate brigade can piggy ride their deceitful anti Modi narrative. Some of these  eminent persons short listed by the anti Modi lobby may  belong to that disgruntled lot which  has lost its perquisites and untenable entitlements with the closure of the lobby of privileges that flourished in  the previous regime where as the rest of them would be volunteering to buttress this fraudulent initiative of hate Modi brigade as it perfectly syncs with their pathological aversion to Hindu centric influences .

Thus an award vapasi club sprung up from nowhere to register a protest against growing intolerance over an unfortunate loss of life of a Muslim in a scuffle at a village called Dadri in UP. However strangely in 2010, not far back from 2014, when in Kerala a professor named T.J.Joseph had his hand chopped by college students affiliated to PFI that faulted the professor for setting up a grammar question that involved the name of Mohammad the prophet, did not ruffle a feather in the club of conscience keepers of India on tolerance. This club ignored the dastardly act of the educated students in Kerala but was all  eagerness personified in lambasting the central govt for a law and order issue of a non BJP ruled state. This contradiction in the club’s response is clearly attributed to the catalytic role played by a group of individuals that claims itself to be left Liberals. Volumes can be written to prove that these self acclaimed, left liberals nether subscribe to left ideology nor abide by Liberal values but they just come as slimy intellectual mercenaries.

Thanks to these intellectual mercenaries people like you found motivation in unleashing harsh attack on the Govt through open letters on many issues like- CAA, Facebook supposedly favoring BJP, defending  Mr. Harsh Mandar’s incendiary speech in the wake of CAA bill and in defense of urban naxals. You made a scathing attack on the Govt in another open letter in the wake of spurt of church attack reports in the media. You never had the moral courage or the decency to apologise for your impulsive accusations after it came to light that such acts were part of a conspiracy to discredit the govt.  

It is very unfortunate that Christian leaders fail to see that countries like Syria, Pakistan, Turkey are living examples of what transpires on followers of other faiths when the local populations with its own faith system grows to sizeable majority. The threat faced by many Liberal democracies of Europe is real  and terrifying. Regrettably Vatican seems to be least bothered about the impending threat to global religious ecosystem. The number game in faith conversion seems to take the Prime focus.  

In Indian context as a matter of fact thanks to Hindu community and the Hindu organizations the secularism is still alive in India where other communities can still coexist and prosper peacefully. If the pseudo secular parties had their way they would have perennially pampered the minorities to retain power, least realizing that the very politicians who were appeasing them would become their first target when the appeased would usher in their own set of religious laws.

It is not that the Indian minority religious group only consists of two of the Major branch of Abrahamic religions. There are Parsees, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhist, Jains, who also form part of the minorities but curiously they do not have any such misgivings and abhorrence to Hindu organization or to political parties  that represent the majority community. Interestingly it is only those religions  which profess the superiority of their faith with “This is the only way” kind of proclamation see everything red with BJP  govt. 

Honorable retired civil servants like you have responsibility for the future generation of at least your own community if not for the rest of the Indians. You would not like to be remembered by them as one who was part of a collective which in the name of dislodging a legitimate mandate of majority ended up facilitating the dominance of the very forces which chose to annihilate the rest including their very  proponents. What happened in Kashmir was a portent of ominous future for Indians. There is still time for octogenarians like you to reflect seriously as to what is good for the future generation of Indians.

The world has seen birth of many faiths. On the one side we have those religions which believe in flourishing by invading others in the name of holy war to impose their faith on the vanquished. On the other side you have those religious systems which carried along an atheist too in its lap and which also has a track record of co existing peacefully for centuries with so many other faiths at various points of time. Any intelligent mind should be in a position to evoke this irrefutable facts of historical perspective when they are faced with erroneous indoctrination by their religious leaders.  

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Hindu temples and associated museums

Sriram Kompella
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Hindu temples and associated museums

Samudra Vasane Devi Parvata Stana Mandale Vishnu Patni Namastubhyam Paadasparsham Kshamasvame​. Hindus start their day by chanting a shloka that begs for forgiveness from Mother Earth for having made their presence felt and for touching her with their feet. Such is the reverence of Hindus towards nature and so will be their conviction to not adversely affect nature in any way. As the day progresses, Hindus perform puja chanting: ​Akashat patitam toyam yatha gacchati sagaram, sarva deva namaskaram Keshavam prati gacchati.​ Meaning just like all water falling from the sky as rain reaches the sea through different rivers, all prayers of humans will reach the Supreme Being whichever prayer method one adopts. Such are the Hindu ideals of tolerance and respect for all religions.

On 9/11 of 1893, at the peak of the British colonisation of India, a ‘Hindu fundamentalist’ monk, Swamy Vivekananda addressed the First World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago as “​My dear brothers and sisters of America“​ showing the world that Hindus believe in ​Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam​ even in tumultuous times. Just because the western concept of religion doesn’t bode well with their governance, asking the entire world to give up religion from governance no matter what it teaches is yet another example of coloniality. What is worse is the unconstitutional government control and restriction on Hindu temples under the garb of a skewed western phenomenon of this secularism. It reeks of hatred for idolaters.

Hindu temples for generations before have been a beacon for development, cultural preservation and a socio-economic safety net for the Hindu society all the while being sacred places of worship. It is high time we reclaimed the temples and restored them to the status of such civilisational monuments. We see that lately the movement for freeing temples from government control has gained more momentum. A recent Supreme Court judgment in the case of Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is a shot in the arm for all Hindus who wish to see the sanctity of temples and temple customs upheld. In this short essay, I wish to make the case for the freeing of Hindu temples from government control especially for the political Hindus and Hindutva-wadis not just the pilgrims.

The hunters win in all the stories until the lion starts narrating. We stop being victims in our history only when we start speaking up about the times when we won battle after battle, war after war and defended our culture and traditions from waves of malevolent alien invasions. Until we learn how Maharaja Suhaldev killed the Ghaznavid Salar Masud at Bahraich on the banks of Sarayu and protected the Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya, we will only remember how Babur razed it to the ground. Until we learn how Sri Krishna Deva Raya saved southern India from Islamisation we can’t delete the pictures of the amputated trunk of Lord Ganesha idol at Hampi. Rewriting and correcting our history is the most important part of setting a civilisational narrative. This is in turn important for forming a vision for the future of the country and based on the potential of India, probably the whole world. However this change in the history curricula, when brought in abruptly would attract a lot of turbulence from the remnants of the invading communities. Fearing this turbulence as loss of electoral power, any dispensation would postpone this change in the history curricula as much as possible. In the meantime, free Hindu temples could play a huge role in this given the opportunity.

Anyone who visited the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple would observe inscriptions from before Sri Krishna Devaraya’s time. Based on Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Sastry’s report, V Vijayaraghav Acharya collated 8 volumes of inscriptions deciphered from early 16th century AD. While this is one version of memorialising the history of the land, it might not be the most lucrative way for the current generation. The S V Museum maintained by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam shows the invaluable ornaments offered by Sri Krishna Devaraya to the only Ruler in Kaliyuga, Sri Venkateswara. Shackled by the “secular” governments of Andhra Pradesh, the museum doesn’t do justice to the legend of Sri Krishna Devaraya to whom the credit of building and maintaining the temple is due. Similarly, scores of Hindu temples, developed and maintained by Hindu rulers, once free from government control, could host museums about the history of the place “sthala purana” and about the rulers responsible for the construction and maintenance of the temple. This would warm the pilgrims up to the idea of real history of this sacred land. This will show them how the curricula are skewed and will teach them to take pride in being a Hindu. Along similar lines, the development of museums encourages and sustains more research about the true history of the land providing us more material for when the curricula are ready. This effect on the pilgrims will also catalyse the unstoppable change in curricula and sweeten the pot for the governments.

In the same Padmanabhaswamy temple case mentioned earlier, the Kerala HC’s judgement, ultimately reversed by the supreme court, asked for the display of all the wealth accumulated in the temple vaults which is against the custom of the land. Care should be taken to ensure that such a reduction of the holiness of the temple to mere amusement of the public doesn’t happen. Well curated museums run by the temple administration about the rulers behind the establishment of the temple will not draw attention away from the deity but will add to the historical significance of the temple, of the region and a sense of belonging and pride in the mind of the pilgrim.

Hailing from the place where the Mahabharata was translated into Telugu, I can’t wait to see a museum about Raja Raja Narendra associated with one of the numerous temples along the banks of the Godavari river.

Powerless and insignificant tech savvy fans!

Anant Chetan
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Powerless and insignificant tech savvy fans!

For the past few months, Bollywood industry in India has managed to stay in top headlines for every reason other than creativity, imagination, art or entertainment. This isn’t the first time when it is the case; the industry and the people associated, have a knack of selling their inferior quality products (movies) by keeping themselves wanted in the news. Although, from a cursory glance it does look like we are witnessing a much required crackdown on Bollywood, but as soon as we dive just a little deeper, we find another crafty illusion.

The charade that began with death of an actor is now hovering over drugs. It is true that this episode has once again exposed the uncontrolled industry malpractices. However, there is absolutely nothing new to observe or know, we have known about these malpractices for decades now. But what is new, at least for me, is the way an aam-aadmi (common-man), a tech savvy fan behaves and reacts to such incidents.

SSR is not the first person who died a mysterious death. Why this incessant nation wide uproar? Disha Salian died a mysterious death a week before him, that unfortunate incident did not even make a mainstream news headline until SSR case happened. Why? What changed in one week? Not going too far back in the history, just some time ago, Sridevi died a mysterious death by drowning; well drowning in a bathtub to be precise. We bought it swiftly, no such nation wide uproar. Why? The list is quite long and probably you are well aware of; Jiah Khan, Divya Bharti and god knows how many other people died a “mysterious” death. But somehow, fake sympathy, twitter condolences were just enough.

How do people choose whose life is worthy enough to create a nation wide sensation and whose life is just not worth it. Why this discrimination?

We have come a long way by-passing a variety of conspiracy theories. I wonder how people zeroed on the names of six or seven celebrities responsible for his death through their nepotistic behavior. Those six or seven celebrities, good or bad, mean or not, bully or not, aren’t the only ones involved with nepotism in the industry. Why target only them? Why this discrimination?

I wrote in detail as to how Neportism can’t be the reason. Please have a look at: Is nepotism in bollywood a genuine problem or a propoganda to hide something.

There are literally a zillion gold diggers irrespective of their genders. You can possibly create a diary of the actresses who married wealthy businessmen, successful directors and producers, etc. for every other reason other than love. But all of a sudden Rhea Chakraborty is looked at as a criminal and one and only of its kind. Why target only her? Why this discrimination?

She was recently booked under Section 8(c), 20(b)(ii), 22, 27 A, 28, 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and remanded to 14-day judicial custody. Quite ironically many others from the industry were found with way-way more drugs on them. Why is it that drug users and substance abusers like Sanjay Dutt, Prateek Babbar or Yo Yo Honey Singh and so many more ended up in a rehab center in the US but Rhea in Byculla Jail? After she was booked under these sections, I read the NDPS Act thoroughly, nowhere did I find that if you are a son of a Padam Shri award winner or a son of member of parliament (LS or RS) representing a big political party or a person on whom heavy investments have been made, you will be sent to some rehab center otherwise to a jail. Also, nowhere in the NDPS Act did I find that if you have more than a few million followers on social media for example on twitter, the rules can be overlooked. Why this discrimination?

The point being, if the laws, rules and regulations are same for the people of the industry and the rest of India, then who is responsible for carving out a different set of rules for the popular celebrities in the industry?

Who’s the real devil here?

I don’t mean to infer that the politician fathers, or social media like twitter or the massive fan following are the devils. I really don’t mean that. It is very easy to pass on the blame to a third party by using common phrases like: “Yeah, its the system that’s faulty” or “politicians are corrupt” or “social media is evil” etc. etc. But I think that the real devil here is the inability to look beyond one’s personal liking and disliking. “Fans”, today form their opinions, pass their judgement or even cast their votes on the basis of their liking or disliking of a particular person. Today “who” has become way more important then “what”.

I am not at all surprised the way Bollywood’s biggest superstars are mum on the drug usage in the industry. They know exactly what is at stake. Its their own lives, their own friends and families. It is not their problem if their fans started idolizing and worshiping them. I was not at all surprised when Jaya Bachchan defended the industry in the parliament. She is protecting her own. What I don’t understand is, why the fans, the aam-aadmi continue supporting their favorite stars even when they know what the star is doing/saying is wrong? What is in it for the fan?

It is very unfortunate that the insignificant and powerless fans have some how transformed into a dangerous and threatening mob; the bigger the better. The tech-savvy fans, active on social media did the exact same thing to people like Rhea or Karan Johar or Aalia Bhatt or some other, what Shiv Sena did to Kangana Ranaut. It is just that Shiv Sena has enough power and resources to demolish an office but the fans don’t. It does not matter if somebody likes Kangana or not, if she is a good actress or not, she did not deserve this and should definitely be supported. More importantly it is not necessary that she should be supported for whatever she says. Her fight against drugs and mafia should be supported but her personal vendetta against a particular person need not be supported. Her stand on the role of women in Bollywood should definitely be supported but her personal issues with her boyfriend need not be.

Not many people knew about Rhea before this incident, how many movies did she do so far? Can you name three of her Hindi movies? The reality is that if she had, say for example 10 million twitter followers instead of 2.2 lakh, she would not have been sent to a jail but a biopic on the similar lines like “Sanju” would have been made and she would have been receiving justification for her drug connections.

People are simply venting their angers on the ones they don’t like and supporting the ones they like and no body knows the truth. Only conspiracy theories, and that too flawed. Instead of playing a judge themselves and “lynching” individuals in the virtual environment based on their liking, they should have been venting their anger on the legal system. Just imagine, if this is how the investigation of elites looks like, what would be the status for the investigations for the regular aam-aadmi, the common man like me and you. But I would have to say, Mainstream media, tv debates and social media are creating a terrific murder mystery at least better than the so-called entertainers/artists from the Bollywood industry. May be if Bollywood was not busy with debating on “the idea of India” and using it to market its inferior content but instead focused on creating good content, people would have had something better to watch for entertainment.

There is no space for media trials in fully functional democracy like India. If a large group of people start claiming that it is a night, then it is a night, even if we can very well see a bright sun right above the head. And this is why media trials are always, I repeat, always biased. It is high time that people of India truly embrace this fact.

Thanks for reading!!!

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