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Secularism or Sickularism?

Harsh Shah
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Secularism or Sickularism?

Secularism is one of the most debated topics in India, one faction believes that it is one of the pillars of modern India and the other faction  believes that it is just a term of loathing in their mouth. Before I explain what secularism is, I will take a sneak peek into the history of secularism in India which majority of us aren’t aware as no media or historian wants us to know it. Majority of the Indians are of the opinion that Dr Br Ambedkar was a pioneer of secularism in India and he was the one who made India a secular nation but the hard and the harsh fact is that he opposed the idea of making India a secular nation and said in the constituent assembly “It cannot be laid down in the constitution itself because that is destroying democracy altogether” (it here refers to the word secularist).

So it was decided by the constituent assembly to not make India a secular and socialist nation as they believed that the people of India should decide how the society should be organized socially and economically. So the constituent assembly mentioned “liberty of faith and worship” on the preamble so that it could not be amended and came up with article 25 which gives fundamental right to profess, practice and propagate their religion hence granting freedom of religion in India. The word “secularist” was added into the constitution by murdering democracy by Indira Gandhi during emergency, 42nd amendment was introduced and passed in the parliament when the whole of the opposition and many activists and journalists were in jail. But the most amusing thing is that Indira Gandhi then PM did not give any meaning to the word secular. Even after 44 years of 42nd amendment in the constitution the exact meaning of secularism is unknown. Since no meaning was given everyone have their own version of secularism  which suits them and their purpose, according to oxford dictionary secularism means “the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions.”

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what is the real meaning of secularism in India because India is full of pseudo secularists and here pseudo secularism is practiced left right and centre without any shame and the beauty is majority aren’t aware about it. Pseudo secularism simply means making of policies and laws for minority appeasement. The term Pseudo secularist implies that those who claim to be secular are not so but are anti Hindu and pro minority (On reading this statement of mine one may feel that I am a Bhakt/Sanghi , but on reading this article even your opinion will change.).

These are the following reasons why I think pseudo secularism is prevalent in India and not secularism:

  1. Temples in India are under the control of the government whereas mosques, churches, gurudhwaras are autonomous institutions and they have control over their wealth and assets. Hindu religious and charitable endowment act allows state government to take over the temple’s vast properties and assets and this wealth can be used for any purposes.
  2. India on an average spent 100 million dollar annually on haj subsidy to enable poor muslims to go to Mecca for holy pilgrimage until 2018 whereas hindus , jains ,budhists ,Jews were never given such subsidy by the central government.
  3. In this beautiful so called secular country government funds Islamic schools (madrasas)  where they are taught quran and these madrasas are affiliated with deeni madrasa board and not Indian educational boards like ICSE, CBSE or state board(though now some are affiliated with state board or CBSE as government made it compulsory) but government does not fund any school to preach Hinduism or any other religion and RTE regulations do not apply to madrasas like 25% reservation for economically backward students.
  4. In this secular country different religions have different law! Hindus have hindu code bill, muslims have muslim personal laws and Christians have Christian personal law. Whereas in a secular country all the people are suppose to have one common law irrespective of different religion.
  5. In secular state government cannot afford to recognise minorities based upon their religion despite of this fact minorities are recognised on bases of religion in India and there is  also reservation for religious minorities.(these are 5 small examples which show that it is hindus who have been discriminated and exploited and not the minority religions)

Pseudo secularism has ended up suppressing the identity of India as many of our cultural activities are considered communal like yoga( there was a case in supreme court whether yoga should be taught in the school), Bharatnatyam, Kathak because of which government cannot promote India’s culture. Ronald Iden writes in his book Imagine India “Independent government implemented secularism mostly by refusing to recognise the religious past of Indian nationalism whether Hindu or Muslim and at the same time by retaining muslim personal law.”

So these are some of the reasons why hindus and right wing organizations criticise secularism in India but the media and the so called intellectuals calls them fascist. Politicians and activists have always used secularism for building their vote bank and gain popularity! Politicians have made secularism a joke in India! Only if politicians stopped fear mongering and ensured minority community that their all rights are secured they will not have to practise minority appeasement. The word secular should not be removed from constitution because then minorities would become insecure and communal tensions would rise up again, in order to stop the blatant discrimination the government should stop such discriminating laws (like make temples an independent institution) and the word secular should be defined in the constitution by the government. Anyways we don’t need a word to tell us how secular in nature we are as India has always believed in “vasudhaiva kutumbakam.”

Secularism is opposed in India because of its inapplicability in Indian context and the problematic ways in which ways it has been applied in India. Since India is a spiritual nation, government may have to interfere with a religion if it becomes obscure and obsolete(example triple talaq) so I am not sure if India can ever become perfectly secular in nature. No one is against secularism but against sickularism which has been going on in India since ages!

Cheers!

Harsh Shah

Asur–Welcome to Your Dark Side: A web series that pits two opposite worlds against each other

shanku1234
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Asur–Welcome to Your Dark Side: A web series that pits two opposite worlds against each other

Voot Select’s recently released psychological crime thriller Asur will baffle you. It has all the elements to be a masterpiece. It will leave asking for more. The excitement, which has been created by the first episodes of the series, will only subside after the release of its second and perhaps last season. That most of us are eagerly waiting for the second season of Arshad Warsi-starrer ‘Asur—Welcome to Your Dark Side’ after the superlative success of its first season cannot be denied. Arshad Warsi (as Dhananjay Rajpoot ‘DJ’) and Barun Sobti (Nikhil Nair) stole the show in the recently released Voot Select’s psychological thriller. Besides their stellar performances in all the episodes, the ambiance, the background music and other related elements of mise-en-scene haunted the audiences.

The plot which is set in the backdrop of the mystical city of Varanasi, is about Nikhil Nair (Barun Sobti), who is a forensic-expert-turned-teacher, and DJ (Arshad Warsi). Nikhil returns to his roots at the Central Bureau of Investigation, and along with his former mentor DJ, finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer. This gripping web series deals with a psychopath who thinks himself as the Kali of Kaliyug and challenges Lord Vishnu to reincarnate as Kalki (Kalki Avataar). The killer (a mystery) goes on killing people randomly who are somehow connected to God (connection yet-to-be-disclosed). The CBI team led by DJ and Nikhil finds out the guy, but they are not sure who is he, how does he looks and above all where he is. It is a fact that people are eagerly waiting for the second season of Asur. Asur is an awesome series with a very different presentation.

It is the debut web net series of Arshad Varsi. Asur features Ridhi Dogra, Anupriya Goenka, Sharib Hashmi, Amey Wagh, Pawan Chopra, Vishesh Bansal and Gaurav Arora. This series has been directed by Oni Sen and wriiten by Gaurav Shukla. Asur takes the audience on a journey of two opposing worlds – forensic science and mysteries of Indian mythology. People want to know who wins in this cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer. The first series has raised numerous intriguing questions in our minds. Who is the real Asur? Who is Subh? Is DJ and Nikhil connected to Subh? Who is the actual killer, and why is he doing so? Did Subh really kill his father? Is it only about a psychopath killer?

According to myths, Asur is a human sans humanity. The intermingling of religion, science, conscience and humanity makes Asur a must-watch. The plot grips you from the word go and will keep you hooked till the end. Miss this season and the next one at your own risk! Will Kalki arrive? Has he arrived? These baffling questions might be answered in the consequent season(s).

Misogyny’s male victims: The inactive members of the Bois Locker Room

Sanjana Saksena
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Misogyny’s male victims: The inactive members of the Bois Locker Room

In one of the Harry Potter books Dumbledore tells Ron, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” The disturbing details that emerged from the Bois Locker Room Instagram group reeked of toxic masculinity and an overbearing sense of male privilege. A group of young adults, from well-to-do families and some of the best schools casually talking about gangraping their female peers shook the moral fabric of Indian society and as a woman it, honestly, scared me.

But while I read the news and scrolled through the many outraged posts a question, a thought came into my mind. These screenshots were shared by an inactive member who seemingly didn’t agree or participate in these horrific conversations. Which brings me to the question, as horrific as all of this is for women and young girls, how does it impact the lives of men and boys who don’t identify with these thoughts but are forced to participate in fear of being shunned, bullied or ostracized. Peer pressure is very very real.

The young man from this group possibly developed a conscience or maybe the conversation simply crossed his threshold of tolerance and he did what he could best, make his female friend aware of what was being shared and said about her. The fight from then on was hers and many like her. The silence of the ‘inactive’ members and this discreet distribution of the screenshot sheds light on another pressing concern, the plight of  the ‘few good men’. Those who know and see the wrong but feel unable to act primarily because popularity precedes morality. The ‘inactive members’ or as we rightfully call them, ‘silent spectators’ to the filth that was shared, were not included in a new group formed once the boys had realized there was a leak among them. They are complicit in their silence and perhaps as much to blame in encouraging, not definitely calling out their friends, not stopping the trash. And here is Misogyny’s other victim, the boys who can’t say No.

While women are subjected to this pervasiveness on a regular, almost daily basis, misogyny claims male victims too. Young boys believe they need to act a certain way to establish that they are in fact boys. Calling out their friends could mean incessant name calling, ‘sissy, pansy, scaredy-cat, weak’, constant bullying and systematic exclusion from a peer circle. While some boys might come out of this unscathed, quite a few of them will succumb to the pressure, unable to handle the mental anguish that it will bring. A few among the ‘few’ good men will participate, more to safeguard their own fledgling egos than because they really want to.

Misogyny targets women but it victimizes young men too. Boys need to be told that it’s okay to cry, to love, to fight. Boys need to be told, at home, from as early as possible, that women are their equals. They need to understand sexuality and embrace it as a cognitive process and most importantly they need to be told about consent. Masculinity needs to be defined as much as Feminism does and in a way that drives home the point that more important and bigger than both is Humanity and Sensitivity.

Boredom is better than martyrdom

prtojha61
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Boredom is better than martyrdom

Ever since lockdown 1.0 came into effect, a large chunk of Indian population has slipped into a state where time is the biggest demon to fight against; the pandemic has taken a back-seat and killing time has emerged as the toughest task on earth. As the pandemic continues to unfold across the globe in different hues, people have realized that violating the norms of lockdown is not only an offence in the eyes of law, but also an open invitation to a host of life-threatening consequences. Therefore, they have chosen to go crazy with boredom even if it means vacillating between hope and despair.

But, hey! Who are these covidiots jumping the queue, on all fours, as if to catch hold of their most prized possession? Well, these valiant souls are tipplers, who, sometime ago, were driving the affairs of shadow economy. Lifting of restrictions in lockdown 3.0 was just what they needed to keep their biological clocks functional.

Needless to say, such people are turning deaf ears to the appeal of maintaining physical distance in public places. But, what intrigues me the most, is the source, these restless people are deriving inspiration from. Are they on a mission to get their names inscribed in golden letters for generations to remember by succumbing to the vagaries of the viral infection? It needs no clairvoyance to say that six people standing in a two kilometre long queue (as against recommended distance of 6 feet between two individuals) will not only invite infection from COVID-19, but can also lead to other tragedies.

Certainly, honor of martyrdom will not be conferred upon such people if they happen to become victim of any such tragedy!

Hence, it is time to revisit and revise all strategies that have been implemented to flatten the curve. Else, in one fell swoop, everything would turn topsy-turvy.

The pandemic paradox

ohmi
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The pandemic paradox

–By Dr. Aishwarya Rohatgi & Dr. Amrita Priyadarshini; Pursuing Master’s in Public Health, Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi(PHFI)

Well paradoxes are truth of life. The fight between the good and bad or beautiful and ugly has been since their birth. Usually, one side dominates the other. And when it’s the negative side that dominates, it becomes a matter of concern. Covid-19, a pandemic, also reflects a curious paradox. While at one end due to the lockdown imposed during the pandemic, there is enough time for ourselves and our family, there is decrease in rapes, murders, thefts, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, illegal animal poaching, unlawful encroachments and deforestation, on other end it is taking a heavy toll on human lives, impacting multifarious dimensions. At the other end the pandemic has almost paralyzed all the vital sectors of societal organization like trade, commerce, education and transport. The psychosomatic or the mental frame has faced a huge blow in the ongoing pandemic. The notions of physical distance, isolation, stay at home and social distancing have become the gospel truth but not without the demerits. 

The socio-psychological spheres of human life are in crisis. There is a tremendous increase in the trends of domestic violence, domestic fights, psychological traumas, depression, anxiety, paranoia, short temperedness and irritability. There has been a great surge in the number of conflicts and brawls amongst people. While the stress surrounding everyone is vast, the major heat is faced by the women. 

Women are struggling between the household chores and the office work with no support staff and very little help from their partners. This is resulting in greater emotional and physical trauma. In the marginalized sections, where women, who faced the abuse, escaped the violence by spending time at work. Now, they are spending 24 hours inside a small house with uncertainty of food and essentials, and bearing the brunt of the lockdown the most.  Women who are facing the maltreatment have no idea how to break the existing shackles and escape from this situation during these days. Besides, this women are facing healthcare challenges like access to quality of reproductive, maternal and child health services. All these caveats take a toll on their mental and social wellbeing. Despite being the gender lesser in number to fall sick or die of covid 19, it is the gender that is facing more brutalities within the confines of their so called safe abodes.

The virus doesn’t differentiate between the privileged or less privileged. It doesn’t discriminate between the lives it affects, however, one may argue that the magnitude and kind of issues people face across different social and economic classes may differ, highlighting the inequities of the society.

Man being a social animal, a harsh & absolute measure like a lockdown spells doom for all humans who crave for social interaction every now and then. The impacts are that they spiral into anxiety and depression or resort to binge watching, binge eating which indirectly harm their physical as well as psychological wellbeing. And when the curtains of lockdown raise, we may see a rise in the already rising non communicable diseases or commonly known as lifestyle diseases.

Another major side effect of the current crisis is fear of losing jobs, salary cuts and delayed appraisals. Unemployment is on the rise and the economic losses also contribute to anxiety and stress. The emotional challenges employees of all sections are facing have increased manifold. The employees who are still working on site in industries such as food services, healthcare and other essential services have different concerns and stress levels from those working from homes. They fear the lack of sufficient workplace safety and being infected by co-workers. The above mentioned problems might sound like a   leaf out of the book of complexities that the pandemic brings with it, however they are layered and deep rooted

One more aspect that needs dire attention is the rising number of suicide attempts and cases of suicide among people who apparently think they are covid suspects, and due to the innate fear around being stigmatised or ousted and disregarded by family, friends and the society as a whole, they are compelled to take their lives. This comes under the ambit of psycho social wellbeing, which is an indispensable part of encouraging holistic health during this time. 

If we turn our gaze from the privileged towards the other side, which is what the word paradox wants to denote, we have the lower quintile of our population, who work each day to make their ends meet. The burning need of roti, kapda aur makan push them towards cities from their far off villages. Their concerns are either made negligible or highly politicised. It is heart-breaking to see that even in the 21st century poverty and hunger can be more barbaric than a pandemic can. The daily wage labourers, migrant workers have been rendered jobless, homeless and crippled by inequitable society. They have been stripped off the right to go back to their homes to their loved ones in their remote villages. For them, the lockdown means spending hours in the jam packed cowshed converted rooms with no sanitation or water. They are marooned in the cities, unsure of their sustenance and safety. 

Some were so desperate to leave the cities that they braved hunger, thirst, scorching heat, police harassment and the threat of disease and death, and took the long march on foot in scores, to their villages. Their illiteracy was used to catapult conjectures around a disease which fuelled misinformation and aggravated their situations to an even larger extent. While many were fortunate enough to avail the measures taken by the government and with the help of good Samaritans could reach their homes safely, many were stuck at the border, stranded and sprayed with disinfectants. In a matter of hours, the unanticipated public health crisis led to a large humanitarian catastrophe. 

The senior citizens, who constitute the 9% of the population and the often neglected ones, are facing all the more difficulties during this mandatory phase of social distancing. A Help age India survey estimates that 6% of elderly live alone. With no domestic help around and no transport system, it’s getting difficult for them to leave their houses even for the essentials and medicines. And the heightened risk of being susceptible to the infection is making the elderly more anxious. In addition to the virus threat, elderly are coping with abuse, fear of being duped and loneliness.  

This pandemic has opened the otherwise hidden Pandora’s Box of paradoxes in the society, one cannot run away from. And has uncovered an unattended wound, turning it into a bleeding open wound. Where, nothing except mutual understanding, patience and cooperation can come to our rescue in this crisis situation. Collective response and social solidarity is the way forward. 

Here we would like to say that a holistic approach is required. Or we can put it this way that strategizing against the most attacking player in the team doesn’t win you matches, tricks against all the playing eleven with a collective team effort does. Hence attacking the virus alone won’t be the solution to the much larger public health mishap. Simultaneously, catering to the determinants and problems plaguing the society, which deter an effective response, is essential. Otherwise we  can’t  foil the catastrophic collapse of our health, social and economic framework. 

This crisis has given us the opportunity to reconnect and strengthen the lost relationships and embark on a journey of self-reflection as an individual, as a society and as a system.  We have suddenly been compelled to shift gears and enter the Great slowdown mode from the Great acceleration mode that defined our lives since the last few years. The world won’t be the same at the other end of the crisis. We need to be a caterpillar and learn to transform within the cocoon to emerge a beautiful butterfly post the pandemic.

इंटरनेट: अपराध का उत्प्रेरक

vikash98
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इंटरनेट: अपराध का उत्प्रेरक

Story- साउथ दिल्ली में कुछ 16-17 साल के कुछ स्कूली छात्रों ने इंस्टाग्राम पर group बनाया जिसमे लड़कियों की नग्न फ़ोटो share के साथ रेप -गैंग रेप की planning करते हैं।

आप च च की आवाज के साथ इसकी निंदा करते हैं पुरुषवादी सोच स्त्री द्वेष मानसिकता की बात करते हैं सजा की मांग करते हैं समाज के चरित्रपतन की बात करते हैं लेकिन कुछ समय बाद भूल जाते हैं इस सबके बीच नहीं करते तो समस्या के मूल कारण पर बात या यों कहिये कुछ ताकत है जो हमें मानसिक गुलाम बनाकर बात करने ही नहीं देती।

बदलते इस दौर में 1 अजीब सी गति पैदा कर यह इस दौर में पुरुष को पुरुष और स्त्री को स्त्री की पहचान तक सीमित कर दिया गया अन्य कोई पहचान उसके लिए कोई मायने नहीं रखती युवा होते उम्र के जिस पड़ाव में बच्चा को रिश्ते समाज व्यवस्था सम्मान आदि मूल्यों को सीखते हुए बड़ा होना चाहिए  वहीं वो internet पर पोर्न देखते हुए तथा TV पर ऐसी ही फूहड़ता देखते हुए बड़ा हो रहा है।

internet पर porn type करने पर एक क्लिक में desi, young, amateur, gangbang जैसे tittle के साथ लिंक मिल जाएगी। जहां एक अलग तरह की काल्पनिक दुनिया बसायी गयी है। जहां एक महिला अनेक पुरुष के साथ या एक पुरूष अनेक महिला के साथ काम क्रिया करते दिखते हैं। यह दुनिया अविकसित मन में गंद भरना शुरू कर देती है। अगर आप मैच्योर हैं तो आप सामाजिक अनुभव भय प्रतिष्ठा सूझ बूझ से खुद को संतुलित रख सकते हैं लेकिन उस अविकसित मन के लिए यह अत्यंत कठिन कार्य है जहां उसमें न सूझ बूझ है न अनुभव है न प्रतिष्ठा की  चिंता है यह गंद अन्दर तक घर कर जाती है जो  उम्र बढ़ने के साथ कुछ लोग तो इसे छोड़ देते हैं लेकिन कुछ लोगो के लिए यह मुश्किल कार्य होता है। और पैदा होता ह अपराध जिसे पैदा करने का  जिसे पैदा करने का अपराधी पूरा समाज है।

हम कभी इस सामाजिक पहलू पर कभी बात ही नहीं करते अगर बात करते भी हैं तो विद्वान भाव मुद्रा में कहते हैं गंदगी तो दिमाग को होती है इन सबका क्या दोष। असल में कुछ ताकतें हैं जो हमें प्रत्यक्ष या अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से हमको गुलाम या मानसिक गुलाम बनाकर हमारे मुंह में हाथ डालकर कहलवाती है इन ताकतों की ताकत का अंदाज़ा लगाने के लिए कुछ आंकड़े देता हूं। विभिन्न source के अनुसार porn industry का annual turnover $10-90 billion है, जो नेटफ्लिक्स से कहीं ज्यादा है. adult toys का turnover $25 बिलियन, erectile drugs industry का $10 billion के लगभग है। यह आंकड़े इधर उधर हो सकते हैं, लेकिन लगभग हैं। यह आंकड़े इन ताकतों की ताकत का परिचय देने में पर्याप्त हैं।

ये ताकतें right to choice, progressive attitude, learning, education आदि का नाम देकर अपने प्रपंच को बखूबी भी चलाती हैं और आप इन ताकतों के आगे मानसिक गुलाम बनकर धीरे धीरे हाँं में हाँं मिलाना शुरू कर देते हैं अपराधी पैदा करते रहते हैं किसी बड़े अपराध के बाद हलकी सी नींद खुलती है और फिर से सो जाते हैं। इस तरह लगे रहते हैं अपराधी पैदा करने में। और छोड़ देते हैं समाज को बिकने लूटने कटने और मिटने के लिए।

COVID-19, is it repercussion of cruelty towards animal kingdom?

Dr Bipin B Verma
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COVID-19, is it repercussion of cruelty towards animal kingdom?

Dr Bipin B Verma, Retd. Prof. of NIT Rourkela

Email: [email protected]

Abstract: The worldwide epidemic COVID-19 has put several question marks on human civilization. Most of the resent flus are Zoonotic diseases and are usually deadly. In many cases the Zoonotic diseases have emerged from the wet animal markets. The wet markets put people, and live and dead animals in close contact.These conditions facilitate a virus to jump from one species to another animal species and then to human. Deforestation on massive scale, mostly for farming and other acts of damaging the ecosystem are also responsible for pandemic in the world. The killing of wildlife for food is the second most important reason for their extinction. It is well established that our survival is just not possible without the existence of wildlife and natural vegetation. We are rapidly running out of time, and it is uttermost important to stop cruelty against the animal kingdom.

Key words:COVID-19; Zoonotic diseases; Flu; Wet markets; Damaging ecosystem

The epidemic COVID-19 outbreak has brought the world to a halt. The worldwide epidemic has put a question mark on our existence and reminds limitations of our knowledge, modern medical science and integrity. The severe respiratory disease that has recently emerged in China is caused by a novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Several facets and angles are proposed behind the spread of this epidemic. However, there is uncertainty about the origination of this epidemic. Many theories suggests deep-rooted conspiracy behind this worldwide epidemic. A group of scientists who analyzed the available genomic data strongly condemn conspiracy theories. In their opinion, COVID-19 virus is not developed in the laboratories. If there is any conspiracy behind this epidemic, it’s a matter of grave concern? Such an irresponsible act can annihilate the entire human race in no time. Though it appears that the present viral epidemic is a natural outbreak and the microbes are not engineered in the laboratories, the indirect contribution of the human in the development of this epidemic cannot be ruled out. 

Epidemics of the Recent Past

This virus is similar to the SARS coronavirus (SARS- CoV), identified in 2003 and affected 26 countries and infected more than 8000 people.The SARS coronavirus is thought to be a virus originated from animal’s reservoirs, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002 [WHO Report]. The new coronavirus is the latest example of a disease that has jumped from animals into humans.  Nearly all viruses and bacteria that infect other organisms are mostly harmless to people. But a very small fraction can infect human and cause diseases known as Zoonotic diseases and are usually deadly.

The 1957 influenza pandemic (the Asian flu) was one of the famous influenza pandemics in history. Based on a report published in Sino Biological, the Asian Flu was a category 2 flu pandemic. That disease was avian influenza and originated in China in early 1956 and lasting until 1958. It originated from a mutation in wild ducks combining with a pre-existing human strain. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus was first detected in the United States in April 2009. This virus was referred to as the swine flu because laboratory testing showed that its gene segments were similar to influenza viruses that were most recently identified in and known to circulate among pigs [Gavin J.D. Smith et al., Nature. 459, p 1122, 25 June 2009 ]. According to a published study the first case of the novel avian influenza, A H7N9 virus was identified on March 30, 2013, and by April 18, 2013 the virus had spread in six different provinces and cities of China [Joseph Nordqvist, Medical News Today, 3 May 2013]. 

Wet Markets of China

The wet markets of China put people, and live and dead animals, such as dogs, chickens, pigs, snakes, civets, bats and more inconsistently in close contact. Such atmospheres and conditions make it easy for a virus to jump from one species to another animal species and then to human. “When you bring animals together in these unnatural situations, you have the risk of human diseases emerging,” Kevin Olival, a disease ecologist and conservationist told the National Geographic. “If the animals are housed in bad conditions under a lot of stress, it might create a better opportunity for them to shed virus and to be sick.” It is also suspected that the bats were the original hosts of COVID-19 virus, alike, SARS coronavirus virus. The bats then infected other animals of wet animal markets, which transmitted the virus to the human population. Bats and birds are considered reservoir species for viruses with pandemic potential, according to Bart Haagmans, a virologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Deforestation on Massive Scale

Humans are clearing forests on a massive scale, mostly for farming and other unsustainable development work. The widespread burning continues even today in tropical forests in the Amazon and some parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. It is the concerns of the experts that the action of deforestation and damaging the ecosystem of the forest may trigger some serious pandemic in the world. As per the opinion of Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio, a disease ecologist at Eco health Alliance, clearing of the forest leads to emergence of infectious diseases in human.   Andy MacDonald, a disease ecologist at the Earth Research Institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara cautioned, “It’s pretty well established that deforestation can be a strong driver of infectious disease transmission.” He argued that “The more we degrade and clear forest habitats, the more likely it is that we are going to find ourselves in these situations where epidemics of infectious diseases occur” [National Geographic, Nov. 2019]. This is also linked with the snatching the habitat from wildlife, depriving them of their food and overall environment.  There are numerous cases observed worldwide prompting the widespread deadly diseases emerging and spreading due to our greed and unsustainable development schemes. Plasmodium knowlesi is a species of malaria parasite found in wild macaque populations. This macaque is the main cause of malaria among human population in Malaysian Borneo. It is reported that the disease spread from macaques to people through infected mosquitoes [Kimberly M. Fornace et. al.,PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 12(6),June 2018].

The deforestation, agricultural expansion and population growth result in changes in the environment. Such actions lead to changes in vegetation, micro climate and alteration in chemistry and biology of the soil. The consequences of these alteration scan affect the species composition in the soil and environment and abundance of some harmful insect and microbe populations resulting transmission of diseases to human and pets.It is now established that many infectious diseases usually confined to wildlife spills over to people in areas undergoing rapid forest clearing. Several scientific evidences suggest that deforestation triggers a complex cascade of events, creates the conditions for a range of deadly pathogens to spread to people [Katarina Zimmer, The Scientist, Jan. 2019].

Annihilation of Wildlife and Marine Species

Humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970. Some of the world’s foremost experts have warned that the annihilation of wildlife is now threatening the entire civilization [Damin Carrington, The Guardian, 30 Oct. 2018]. The ever-growing population of the globe, growing consumption of food and resources by the population is destroying the unexplored and complex web of life and vegetation.It took billions of years to develop life on this planet and the whole human race depends for clean air, water, food, energy, climate and everything else gifted by Mother Nature. We are not just damaging the nature and its beauty, rather we are now jeopardising the future of mankind and writing the last chapter of their existence. By simply protecting some wild species and a few reserved forests, we cannot protect the earth and the humanities. “We are rapidly running out of time,” said Prof Johan Rockström, a global sustainability expert at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “Only by addressing both ecosystems and climate do we stand a chance of safeguarding a stable planet for humanity’s future on Earth?” Recent analyses have revealed that humanity has destroyed 83% of all mammals and half of plants since the dawn of civilization. Even if the destruction stops today, the Earth would take 5 to 7 million years to recover the nature. The biggest cause of wildlife losses is the destruction of their natural habitats on the massive scale and their conversion for farming.

The killing of wildlife for food is the second most important reason for their extinction, Jennifer Bove, 7 July 2019.  As reported, nearly 300 mammals facing extinction and oceans are the victim of overfishing and are half of the marine species are facing their annihilation due to our food habit [Jasmine Aguilera, Time, 18 July 2019].

Nature is very complex, and some of the phenomena are beyond the understanding of our present scientific knowledge. Although, the relationship between the extinction of a few species on the survival of other lives and vegetation on the globe is not yet understood, however ignoring the same will be suicidal for the human race. Increasing pollution also plays a significant role in the extinction of various species worldwide.

It is obvious and well established that our survival is just not possible without the existence of wildlife and natural vegetation. It is proper to realize the fact now and take corrective measures to protect the Earth. The Wisdom encapsulated in the Shanti Mantra (Peace prayer) from Yajur Veda guides us to express our gratitude towards the universe, the earth, water, all vegetations, the almighty and all living and non-living beings.

ॐ द्यौः शान्तिरन्तरिक्षं शान्तिः
पृथिवी शान्तिरापः शान्तिरोषधयः शान्तिः ।
वनस्पतयः शान्तिर्विश्वेदेवाः शान्तिर्ब्रह्म शान्तिः
सर्वं शान्तिः शान्तिरेव शान्तिः सा मा शान्तिरेधि ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Dyauh Shaantir- Antarikssam Shaantih
Prthivii Shaantir- Aapah Shaantir- Ossadhayah Shaantih |
Vanaspatayah Shaantir- Vishve-Devaah Shaantir-Brahma Shaantih
Sarvam Shaantih Shaantireva ShaantihSaaMaaShaantir-Edhi |
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||

Meaning: 
May peace radiates there in the whole sky as well as in the vast ethereal space everywhere.
May peace reign all over this earth, in water and in all herbs, trees and creepers.
May peace flow over the whole Universe
May peace be in the Supreme Being Brahman.
And may there always exist in all peace and peace alone.
Aum peace, peace and peace to us and all beings!

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Are Indian history text books really biased?

writerkumar
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Are Indian history text books really biased?

Many people have pointed out that the history taught in our schools are heavily biased towards Mughal and British history.We examine how true this claim is

The study of history is very important. It gives us valuable lessons in human development. It tells us who we are, how we reached here, and why we do the things we do. In other words, it teaches us our context. But our schools have sadly reduced history to memorizing dates and names. And that too of a very narrow portion of our history!

The school system in India is governed by many different school boards. There are the two big central boards – the CBSE and the ICSE. There is NIOS, the National Open School system. Some schools follow the IB system, and then there are the different state boards. Each board devises its own curriculum. The national boards particularly the CBSE focuses on Mughal and British histories, with some fleeting references to some of the other dispensations. Each state board focuses on its regional history plus the British and Moghul period. If you compare the history textbooks of two different states, you will wonder whether they are of the same country!

The truth is that the British and the Mughals ruled India for a significant portion of its recorded history. Nor did they rule all of our geography. The British era is a maximum of 190 years and the Mughal period is 331 years. The two together lasts just 421 years. And our history textbooks literally jump from the Indus valley civilisation that ended around 1300 BC to the Mughal era that started in 1526! If you go by our text books, it is as if Mauryas, Cholas, Cheras, Ahoms, Pallavas, Peshwas, Marathas, Sikhs, Vijayanagara or the Kakatyas, to name a few, did not exist; or if they existed, their influence on our history was insignificant! 

Table below lists the reigning periods of some of the empires and kingdoms that ruled different parts of India.

NameReign (years)Comments
Indus valley civilisation4200Approximate
Pandya1800not continuous
Chola1580
Travancore1127Approximate
Early Chera980
Chero Dynasty660Approximate
Western Ganga(Karnataka)650
Pallava622
Chalukya613Intermittent
Ahom598
Wodeyar548
Eastern Ganga (Orissa)454
Pala 400Approximate
Mughal331
Hoysala317
Second Chera (Kulashekhara)302
Somavamshi (Orissa)300Approximate
Kalabhra250Approximate
Rashtrakuta247
Vijayanagar229
Gupta220
British rule190
Bahmani180
Maratha169
Sena160
Ghazni154
Deva142
Sikh Empire139Not continuous
Kushan136
Maurya Dynasty136
Peshwa110
Gajapathi107
Lodhi105
Tuglaq94
Slave84
Khilji30
Table: Duration of reign of some of the dynasties and kingdom of pre – Independence India (not an exhaustive list)

Here is another way of looking at the same data. I have plotted each kingdom against the time that they were in power. The Y axis records time from 300 BC to Independence.

Timeline of the reign of some of the empires and kingdoms of pre-independence India.

As we look at the chart above, one thing becomes clear. Our history textbooks cover only a very narrow portion of our rich history. Starting with the Indus valley civilisation, we have a recorded history of 7000 plus years. And our history textbooks cover only a very narrow part of this from recent history. Even for those years, they do not cover the many other regimes that ruled this vast country, and their contributions.

It is also not as if the Mughals and the British were the largest empires and that is why they are being extensively covered.

To give an example, “The zenith of Kushān power was reached in the 2nd century ce under King Kaniska, whose empire stretched from Mathura in north-central India beyond Bactria as far as the frontiers of China in Central Asia”. notes the Encyclopaedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan/Historical-beginnings-to-the-7th-century-ce#ref109911)

Here is another example, this time from the south,

“…Rajendracola Deva I (reigned 1014–44) outdid Rajaraja’s achievements. He placed a son on the throne at Madurai, completed the conquest of Sri Lanka, overran the Deccan (c. 1021), and in 1023 sent an expedition to the north that penetrated to the Ganges”(Ganga) River and brought Ganges water to the new capital, Gangaikondacolapuram. He conquered portions of the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago”. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chola-dynasty)

An important role of history is to build pride in ourselves and in our nationhood. A nation needs its citizens to have pride in being citizens. This pride comes as much from current achievement as it does from past glories. We also have to learn from the mistakes of our forefathers. Our history books have to cover the past from all regions and eras of the country. And we have many. Be it the architecture of Vijayanagara, the administrative systems of the Marathas, the stepwells of Gujarat, the exploits of Lachit Borphukan, the literature of the Sangam period, or the part played by the Sikh Gurus, Onake Obbava or Rani Chinnamma. We have a rich history. By skipping all of these, our textbooks are doing a great injustice to us and to future generations.

Don’t get it wrong. The Mughals and the British are very much a part of our history. The argument is not that they must not be taught. The argument is that it is not the only part to be taught, to the exclusion of others. They need to be taught in proportion to what they are of our history. Not more, not less.

The coverage of post-independence history is also narrow. It is more or less limited to political history. There is no place in our history textbooks for our achievements in science, engineering, space research and medicine. There is no place either for the stories of CQMH Abdul Hamid, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Shekhon, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla and the many soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that the country remains. There is almost no mention of the contributions of Mokshagundam Vishweshwaraiya to the building of a modern India.

The end result of all this is that children come out of school with a very narrow and biased sense of India. It would not at all be surprising if our children grow up not fully grasping what the contributions of our forefathers have been.

COVID-19- Life on pause

bkrk2020
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COVID-19- Life on pause

Lockdown has now been in place throughout India for over 30 days. Life is on ‘PAUSE’!

This is good, because people now have an opportunity to reflect on their life – where did you begin; where have you reached and what is left to be done. This is a good time for self-introspection in order to get one’s priorities in life sorted out. Until the Lockdown, everyone’s lives were on a frenetic pace – students preparing for examinations; office-goers on an automated mode of ritualistic travel to and from Office and the monotonous office routines; business owners, small and big, on their ceaseless pursuit of profits; politicians, in their machinations to retain power and last but not the least, housewives left alone at home with their household chores as company.

One important fallout of the Lockdown is that, finally, housewives are reconnecting with their family and strengthen the bond which had frayed due to each one’s busy schedules. So, this is a good time for introspection since we now have time to see what we have done to ourselves and mother earth in the pursuit of material wealth and to achieve ‘happiness’.

Over 200,000 people have lost their lives within the past 1-2 months which includes more than 40% of population below 50 years of age! To them, death has come without a warning leaving chaos and despair among families and friends. These 40% of population were in in the prime of their life and in the midst of intense jostling with their peers to get ahead in life when it all ended with a thud. People, generally view life as on a downward slide only post retirement when they inexorably begin the descent to the inevitable. But those who do not retire – politicians, businessmen, social workers, religious leaders, some even in showbiz etc consider themselves to be immortal and irreplaceable which is why obituaries and eulogies of such people always propound their  ‘irreplaceable loss’!

Hundreds of millions of humans have traversed the earth to be replaced by a succeeding generation. Then, why this insatiable avarice for wealth and power accumulation for self-aggrandisement? As the famous song-writer / singer, John Lennon wrote, “Imagine there’s no countries.. nothing to kill or die for and no religions too. Imagine all the people living life in peace”. But alas, John Lennon himself succumbed to the fanaticism of a maniac. Welcome to the real world!

Fanatics have wreaked havoc in the world over civilizations. Fanaticism combined with martial chivalry and demagoguery has been a sure recipe for conquests spilling blood and spewing hatred in society. Europe bore the brunt of most of these military conquests for centuries causing untold miseries, death and destruction from the medieval times until World War I. After the end of WW I, reparations brought ignominy to Germany which saw the rise of Hitler, the ultimate rabblerouser and demagogue who spat the venom of ethnic cleansing of millions of Jews. This Holocaust and the defeat of nationalism and fascism brought a late realization in the minds of the people in Europe, the futility of these militaristic conquests. Millions of people had lost their lives fighting these wars which brought only absolute misery to those who survived.

Look at the present-day Europe – Germans, Dutch, French, English, Italians, who were killing each other barely 70 years ago, now live in peace and harmony with mutual respect for each other. This has been the longest period in European history devoid of any major wars and conquests! Germans, who had brutally slaughtered, raped, looted and ravaged most of Europe, are now partners in a unified European Union where they are putting their efforts to build a safe and environment friendly world. Europe, finally, seems to have come to terms with the futility of endless wars and conquests of the past which has left indelible scars on the minds of every European citizen. Military adventurism, other than satisfying the egos of a few, only brought misery to millions.

What lessons for India, Asia and the developing world, most of which have never in the past witnessed such horrible crimes against human mankind as witnessed in Europe in the past. The only disaster of any comparable magnitude was the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan which resulted in uprooting of hundreds of thousands of families and the exodus of these refugees across the border. This carnage had religious bigots going on the rampage and bringing death and destruction on a scale hitherto unheard of in Indian sub-continent.

Partition of India took place after the end of WW II, but whereas Europe has reconciled itself to the mistakes of the past and decided to move ahead for the betterment of the younger generation, India and Pakistan continue to spill venom at each other, have upped the ante and are now nuclear rivals awaiting the final solution! It is a pity that these two nations are spending millions of dollars on accumulating military weaponry when millions of their people live pathetic, poverty-stricken conditions comparable to sub-Saharan Africa! Politicians should begin to act as statesmen for the betterment of living conditions of their people and not for furthering their troposherical egos and self aggrandisement in the name of nation building. 

When the whole world is suffering from the effects of Corona virus attack and the global impact of Lockdown, one should also be aware of the developments in neighbouring China which does not augur well for peace and stability in the world. China’s authoritarian regime has refused to accept the visit to Wuhan of international researchers and experts to study the origin of the virus, which arouses suspicion of its ulterior motives. It has already banned internally, publication of any papers on the subject without the approval of concerned Authorities! Some Chinese scientists who questioned the regime’s duplicity in this subject are either dead or missing.

WHO, which was castigated by US government for being too China-centric, is now cosying upto China. China is slowly moving to centre-stage of world politics taking advantage of the vacuum created by President Trump’s America First Policy of isolationism. China has also begun to invest heavily into Western economies taking advantage of the present  downturn. In the midst of all this havoc was the news that China had recently conducted a nuclear test and its Navy has also been flexing its muscles thereby showing scant regard for world opinion or solidarity with the world in this time of human crisis. 

History has shown that world should sit up and take notice when authoritarian regimes begin to flex its muscles and plan to export its tyranny. Let us hope that the 70 years of peace and prosperity in the world is not stymied by the hegemonistic ambitions of a nation or its Leader. Lockdown is giving us sufficient time to ponder over these developments and ensure that peace, prosperity and stability is not compromised at the altar of political and economic expediency.

When science start worshiping ‘ghost and shadow’ of coronavirus ‘3W Paradox’ becomes the end product

S Ranganathan
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When science start worshiping ‘ghost and shadow’ of coronavirus ‘3W Paradox’ becomes the end product

The novel coronavirus has already reached our community although we sustain our denial of such possibility for indefinite time.

In many countries such as Russia, Belgium, Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, with lockdown stringency ranging from over 63% to 93% with the duration of lockdown period ranging from as low as 6 days to 32 days have shown remarkable decline in coronavirus carriage rate among people.

Whereas in India, the lockdown stringency was 97.35% with over 41 days has only shown increased number of coronavirus positive cases (https://thewire.in/health/new-covid-19-cases-lockdown-india).

The above data clearly shows that the virus has already reached our community, different population and different villages are likely to spread everywhere with or without lockdown. Time has come, India must stop chasing the virus and must start thinking about how to provide the medical support to those develop medical complications due to novel coronavirus.

Viral transmission cannot be stopped in India. Putting people inside quarantine chamber or earmarking the areas as containment zones, preventing people to work for their livelihood, causing irreparable damage to our economy, all are only going end in digging the hole bigger and bigger in our vessel when the ship started to sink.

To save the ship from sinking, we are attempting to stop the waves and later realized that wind is the cause for the wave formation and hence started to stop the wind to learn again that without wind, we cannot survive.

Then our fantastic brain told us, water is the cause for the waves and we started to drain out all water in the sea. Without water man cannot survive. So the final option left before us was to kill all humans in the vessel so no one needs to worry about either waves or wind or water or why even the sinking ship. This is what is happening to India today.

We must rewind our time machine and goes back in time (a few months ago), only then we can realize where we went wrong. Our compulsive fear dominant brain suddenly made us to forbid science and we started to worship ghost and shadow.  We have adopted the basic principle of the western world to contain coronavirus spread and that was to test, test and test and then quarantine, quarantine and quarantine.

What is that we are testing?  Are we testing live virus or viral RNA? If viral RNA and live virus are one and the same, then the viral RNA that was detected by the metro water in sewage in Chennai should concern us more than anything. 

But later it was confirmed that the RNA of coronavirus is different from the virus and cannot cause infection. How many of the people who were tested positive for RNA of coronavirus in India are true carries of live virus. 

Have we simultaneously cultured the virus in appropriate cell lines at least as a part of our research strategy that would help us understand the virus better in future? If a clear correlation between viral RNA in people and the presence of live virus in more than 25% people tested by PCR and then the quarantine procedure is followed that make better scientific justification.

Otherwise are we not punishing people with too little science and too much precaution by running after the ghost or shadow of the virus?

Caution and preparedness are needed. But we must catapult out strategy not to just kill the virus but also to save humanity, life and livelihood. What actually the coronavirus is exploiting in India to spread itself? Is the dense population, poor habit of hand wash or hand sanitation, spitting and sneezing in public place, not wearing mask, not following social distancing? 

None would have contributed as much to the virus to spread than our ignorance and inept science to chase the ghost or shadow of the virus. We imposed lockdown, killed the life and livelihood of people to save them from the virus.  

The virus has used the fear and ignorance of the establishment as its working capital and future savings and started to spread everywhere. 

We have concluded that novel coronavirus carriage is equal to COVID 19. The tragedy was all those who show no clinical symptoms were pushed inside the quarantine zone and those who showed signs were stuffed inside treatment centres. 

The smart coronavirus would have purposefully left its shell (RNA) in some people where the virus could not attack the host, and then moved to a softer target. It made us to go after its shell or ghost or shadow and the real virus entered our community. The above possibility we cannot rule out. 

We must let people and coronavirus to interact with each other and come to peace treaty soon by revoking the lock down and free people, like before. More we go after coronavirus, more slips and misses it would give us and by the way we will be killing our economy and livelihood of millions and millions of people. 

When plenty of host is available, the virus may stop its panic and would accept Le Chatelier’s principle or the tenets of the book -ecological planning written by VN Sukachev, a famous Russian Forest botanist. 

The choice before us is quite simple. People will deal the coronavirus because most of the people have started to follow all necessary norms; not to spread or contract the virus. When we use force and rules to deny the livelihood to millions, only then the problem starts.  Time has come we must stop worshiping and following the ghost or shadow of novel coronavirus and must let people to deal the virus directly. The responsibility of the government must be limited to provide medical aid whenever is needed. 

Let us come out of the wind, wave, water paradox in dealing the virus.  

The virus-man interaction will cease soon or would reach its stability if man is the host or in other words, would attain climatic climax; when we set man and virus to run over each other to introduce and get introduced, familiarize and become friendly.   

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