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Every Indian Muslim had a Hindu ancestor: Here’s why

atruesecular
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Every Indian Muslim had a Hindu ancestor: Here’s why

The idea of Islam had never been indigenous in the Indian subcontinent. It was as alien to Indians as aliens are to humanity today. The first association of Islam with Hinduism or specifically with India took place during the 8th Century AD. The Persian text Chach Nama(translated by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg) narrates the story of the governor of Iraq, Hajjaj helping some people captured by pirates in the region of Debal, now known as Karachi. The governor sent a large cavalry under the leadership of Muhammad bin-Qasim who afterward resorted to attacking Sindhis, Jats, Hindu, and Buddhist kings and looted wealth after desecrating the temples.

It was Muhammad bin-Qasim who made the people of non-Islamic religion pay jizya in place of religious freedom. With Muhammad-bin-Qasim started the persecution of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent and this went on until the fall of the Moghul empire.

In his book named “Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India”, Historian K S Lal claims that the population of the Indian subcontinent decreased from 200 million to 170 million between 1000-1500 AD and it further decreased to 120 million during the establishment of the Moghuls. The main reason K S Lal cited was killing, deportations, and wars. The Muslim rulers attacked the temples and educational institutions of the Hindus and with the killings of the Hindu kings, the ideology of Hinduism started to decline.

Moghul rulers like Akbar let only the Brahmanical education thrive and that Brahmanism became the definition of Hinduism in modern India. The Vedic Philosophy got almost destroyed and the decline of Sanskrit led to the flourishing of regional languages.

With persecution came the forceful conversion of Hindus into Islam. This was actually advised by the Kajis and muftis to these Muslim rulers. Kaji Mughisuddin of Bayánah told Alauddin Khilji “the Prophet has commanded us to slay them, plunder them, and make them captive; saying – convert them to Islam or kill them, enslave them and spoil their wealth and property” (source-Wikipedia).

From Mahmud to Timur, Babur to Aurgazeb the Muslim rulers always resorted to persecution and forceful conversion because of the hollowness of Islam. In a letter to Sri Kalidas Nag, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore said, “ They(Muslims and Christians) are not satisfied with just observing their own religions but are determined to destroy all other religions. That’s why the only way to make peace with them is to embrace their religion”

To be precise, mention may be made of the rule of Tipu Sultan in Kerala. His rule was one of conversion and killings. He took the help of the Mapilla Muslims in order to carry out conversions. In his book, “Kerala under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan” C.K.Kareem pointed out that Tipu Sultan even issued an edict to destroy Hindu Temples. The Hindus living there were called Kodava Hindus. They were either forcefully circumcised or killed if opposed. The number of death may vary but according to various historians, the number ranged between 70000 to 95000.

The same thing continued even after that. Hindus in different parts of India were either converted or killed. A large number of conversions took place in Mapilla riots, Partition of India, Direct Action Day, Noakhali Riots, Killing of Kashmiri Pandits. Such instances took place all around the Indian subcontinent (source-Wikipedia).

Islam had no base in India. Most of the Indian Muslims were once a Hindu before they had been forced or trapped to follow Islam. The traps are many. Some groups distribute free Quran and Pamphlets, some try to find similarities between the two religions, some organize lectures by Zakir Naik, some resort to Love Jihad, etc. The process is ongoing but the facts remain the same that every Indian Muslim had a Hindu ancestor.

Since these Indian Muslims were once Hindus they never resort to attacking their fellow Hindu brothers but the conflict arises when the idea of worldwide Islam permeates into their clan. Swami Vivekananda himself validated the point as is found in the book “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”. The great saint declared, “Mohammedanism in India is quite a different thing from that in any other country. It is only when Mohammedans come from other countries and preach to their co-religionists in India about living with men who are not of their faith that a Mohammedan mob is aroused and fights.”

Thus, these Indian Muslims should understand their past and start the journey back to Hinduism because Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world and is regarded as the mother of every religion. With the disappearance of Hinduism, the whole world will move towards destruction that could never be stopped. In the words of Rishi Aurobindo, “That which we call the Hindu religion is really the Eternal religion because it embraces all others.” (Aurobindo’s Letters, Volume II)

Take a bow our Supreme Court has now become truly supreme

Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
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Take a bow our Supreme Court has now become truly supreme

“Supreme Court of India is the most powerful institution in India,” ran the constant refrain of the late, lamented Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, of the Supreme Court of United States (SCOTUS). Mind you, this was one of The Nine on the Bench for  life. There were have just been 114  Justices of SCOTUS since it was born in 1789. SCOTUS gets to decide which cause to hear and they decide hardly 75 cases annually. Sitting in Mumbai, on the lawns of a Hotel, in 2000s Scalia said this, in response to a news item that our Supreme Court has taken up hearing suo motu, of a public interest cause, based on a news investigation story. He said that his Court had no such jurisdiction as matters had to be escalated to it or come  before it in ordinary course,in the hierarchical ladder. Not even Bush v Gore.

Now, nearly 20  years down the road, the apex court has become far more powerful than it has ever been, in the last 70 years of its existence. We now have a bench strength of 34 which never sits together as one, but split as benches of 2 or more and hears a variety of causes on their Boards, as picked and chosen by the Chief Justice of India as Master of the Roster. Day in and day out ,not only the daily orders of the top court that make the headlines, even the observations of the learned judges, during the hearings go viral on 24×7 electronic media. Caged parrot for CBI Add the social media potion, you have an on your face genre of the Supreme Court, in our lives.

So much so, there was this joke in a vernacular weekly. Man 1 “Boss, what happened, you are still around here. You were getting married this week, right. How are the preparations?” Man 2, “Hey, what am I to say, Some interloper has filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court and obtained  stay of my marriage.” It is no joke. Instead, the joke encapsulates the power of the top court to directly impinge on our lives. Supreme Court is no longer perceived as an institution, far removed from the common man.

Among the three branches of democracy, what with the Executive and Legislature, suffering depthss in their moral standing, the Supreme Court, after the Armed Forces, has retained  the highest credibility. The kind of issues that escalate  to it show a variety that Gods would feel privileged to handle. Our forefathers had contemplated that under Art.245 of the Constitution of India, it would be for Parliament  ‘to make law’. The role of the Supreme Court would be to ‘interpret the law’.

But, in reality, it is now a matter of common knowledge, not legalese, that the Supreme Court is supremely confident and engaged in judicial legislation. The decade from 2011 to 2019 is a classic period demonstrative of this extraordinary faculty. Just the trashing of the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act in 2014, affirming the creation of Collegium- an institution created by  the apex court, to appoint judges to constitutional courts by itself- is a supreme example. The makers of the Constitution had vested the power of appointment of judges with the Executive, the elected government,  in ‘consultation’ or by stretch of law ‘concurrence’ of the Chief Justice of India. But the top court in a veritable coup, usurped the power and in 2014 dumped the NJAC, a unanimously passed legislation of Parliament, allied with consent of 50% of the State legislatures, as a constitutional machinery.

In the last decade, the robed brethren on the pulpit have displayed an amazing proclivity to grab the jurisdiction of many a cause, at the very first instance. Even those they may rightly belong to the Magistracy. Judicial integrity and discipline which the Supreme Court has always commended as too basic to be discarded, have gone for a toss, by itself, assuming jurisdiction, which may technically belong to the hierarchy below. That does not augur well  for infusing health and confidence in the courts below which are denied and deprived of handling sensitive causes at the lower rungs.

One cannot blindly blame the top court for its inclination to overreach. With the other two arms of the democratic polity, willingly yielding space, ‘the Supreme Court is literally left with no option as judicial restraint may be prejudicial to public interest’ as an academician put it. It is too late in the day to talk of  the limited remit of the Supreme Court ‘not to make law’. Now, the Courts, world over indulge in ‘making law’ and one cannot wish it away. Forget not that the UK Supreme Court had recently  unanimously, all the judges sitting together as one, had overturned the pro roguing of House of Commons, a command of the monarch, Queen of England, in the wake of the Brexit imbroglio. It even led to Boris Johnson, incumbent Conservative Prime Minister, seeking a fresh mandate in Dec,2019. Judiciary has so much impact on the other two branches.

But, the point is our Supreme Court has led the way. Just a couple of instances, may drive home the point. We had Donald J Trump, the US President packing off the FBI Chief James Comey in 2017. There was no litigation mounted by Comey himself or by any pro active NGO. Cut to India. The transfer, removal and annointment of CBI Supremo, are all subjected to judicial review, even if the candidates quietly walk away. Or take the case of Trump’s outrageous refusal to co operate with the House of Representatives, in the Impeachment motion. The House is a co equal branch with the President, representing the Executive. The House is the supreme body vested with the right to initiate impeachment under their  Constitution. The House is  still struggling to exercise its power . Americans are wondering why? Yet, there is nothing any one can do as the doors of the Supreme Court are shut. Incidentally, it is the House that has approached a lower court to compel the witnesses and production of documents and that is awaiting culmination in the hierarchy.

Imagine the scenario  in India, Tom and  Dick and  Harry or Ram, Krishna and Siva would have moved the Supreme Court and the Executive would have been compelled to do the bidding of the Legislature. Or, the Supreme Court itself may have suo motu taken up the lis. Such is the power of our law lords. Decades ago, there was a Krishna Iyer who was known and popular. For he began as a politician and a Minister. But now there are rock star judges, be it branded as liberals or conservatives or middle of the road entities. The public at large are aware of their names and sketchy details of their pronouncements too, for they are coming to our drawing rooms on an  hourly basis. The ideological food fights that take place on the idiot boxes are in the names of the verdicts that tumble out of the top court in an assembly line.

The causes could be as varied as upholding Aadhaar legislation, Triple Talaq, Sabarimala, Rafale Defence deal, Karnataka and Maharashtra Assembly formations, Tamil Nadu local body elections,  and of course Ramjanmabhoomi, which would take its pride of place. 5 Judges sat on a Saturday, after the Chief Justice met even the security officials from Uttar Pradesh. It is impossible to conceive of such  happenings from any other constitutional court in the democratic world.  Welcome. Take a bow, Our  Supreme Court has become truly Supreme.

(Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan-practising advocate in the Madras High Court)

 

India has charted new territories with the Ayodhya verdict: What the future holds now for other temple causes?

Manvendra
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India has charted new territories with the Ayodhya verdict: What the future holds now for other temple causes?

On 9th November 2019, a five-judge a bench led by the former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi settled indisputably one of the longest and most sensitive litigation of modern-day India, in the, now popularly called Ayodhya verdict. It was a long overdue by the Supreme Court to preserve the shaky democratic prism of the nation, which saw a bloodied struggle among the Hindus and Muslims to see a logical end to the Ram Janmbhoomi litigation that started in 1885 with the case of Mahant Raghubar Das. The court concluded the dispute by deciding in favor of Ram Lalla, vesting the whole 2.77 acres of the disputed property and dismissing the claims of other intervening parties. Muslim defendants in the case were decreed to be provided with 5 acres of lands within the precincts of Ayodhya though outside the disputed complex.

STANCES REJIGGED

Following the Ayodhya verdict in favor of a Ram temple, the drama started unfolding in some sore corners which were unfittingly at loggerheads with the judgment of the court. Some of these conjectures have already started gaining traction in the national and global press for raking up fear-mongering in similar movements for Kashi and Mathura where disputed temples turned mosques still stand tall today.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who coined the slogan “Ayodhya to Jhaki Hai, Kashi Mathura Baaki Hain” back during the Ram Janmbhoomi movement in the 1990s has probably added fuel to the fire, with the current working president of VHP, Mr. Alok Kumar being forced to rebuff such claims during an interview in the aftermath of the judgment. He added, “The focus is now on building the grand temple and to create cultural awareness in society. It (the verdict) is not the end of the story but the beginning of a story of building a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya”

RSS has also come out to deny such allegations with Sangh Pramukh, Shri Mohan Bhagwat stating in unequivocal terms that

“Sangh Kisi andolan ko nahi karta, Sangh manushya nirman ka kaam karta hai (The Sangh doesn’t undertake any agitation, the Sangh is engaged in human character building)”.

REMOVING THE INDELIBLE BLOT

With such statements being put across, is a cause for a temple in Kashi and Mathura completely incredulous, well certainly not. Hindu civilization has historically faced the brunt of plunderers, invaders, and tyrants who have tried to subdue the rich cultural legacy and destroy the Hindu heritage. It has been historically claimed although contested that what Babur did to Ayodhya, Aurangzeb did to Kashi and Mathura. In fact, the Gyanvapi mosque in Kashi that is now being disputed unwittingly shares a Hindi name of a real well-named ‘Gyan Vapi’ which roughly translates to ‘well of knowledge’ and has reported imprints of old Hindu scriptures on its rear wall, reminiscent of an ancient Hindu temple. A similar tale is of the Shahi Idgah in Mathura within the temple complex of Krishan Janmsthan, which was built during the latter half of the Mughal era by Aurangzeb after ravenous destruction of temple sites in Mathura, as quoted by Niccolao Manucci in Storia Do Mogor. Most of these structures during the Mughal era have been built on the legacy of cultural domination and consistent subordination of non-Islamic traditions. Denial of the liberal caravan in the post-independence era, to the harrowing temple desecration by the despotic Muslim rulers in the holy cities of India led to a mass feeling of reclaiming justice through a cultural revival and breaking the secular bondage, which finally ended in the Babri Masjid demolition. No claim is being made to correct the wrong of 1992 demolition, but a stronger sense of guilt by the political overlords of the yesteryear governments in renaissance to the minority whining’s did just pave the way for the revivalist Hindu conservative movements to take a violent overturn.

PLACES OF WORSHIP (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ACT

This overturn was summarily criticized by the court in the final ruling, which was marked by repeated invocation of the 1992 Places of Worship Act, in order to give credence to the principle of non-retrogression and secular values of the Act. Additionally, the court noted in Para. 83, that

“Places of Worship Act is an affirmation of the solemn duty which was cast upon the State to preserve and protect the equality of all faiths as an essential constitutional value, a norm which has the status of being a basic feature of the Constitution”

Several commentators are of the view that the apex court’s recognition of the values enshrined under this Act as a basic feature of the Constitution would mean a natural closure to the appeals for a temple in Kashi and Mathura alike. But these comments are not entirely true, the reason being that there are still ways, a temple construction can follow in Kashi and Mathura.

First of these efforts can certainly be initiated by the government through the exercise of an Amendment to this Act for the specific exclusion of Kashi and Mathura issues, from the ambit of the Act. Furthermore, the Government can also move for the abrogation of the Act itself, though chances of either of these happening in the Modi led era looks bleak.

Yet another middle path can be achieved through the judicial channels, by legitimizing the judgment in its totality to open up the pending petitions for the land dispute in Kashi and Mathura. One of the propositions quoted in the addendum, albeit in a passing reference (not enforceable) recognizes Kashi and Mathura as two of the holiest cities for Hindus in Para 32.

“Ayodhya, which is associated with Ram is treated as a holy city by Hindu scriptures. In Brihad-Dharmottara Purana, Ayodhya is referred to one of seven holiest cities along with Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjain) and Dvaravati (Dwaraka) are the seven most sacred cities.”

Alternatively, Muslim law clearly identifies that for the sound validity of Masjid, the land must not be in dispute or vest in any person, other than the almighty Allah and namaz must be offered regularly in the place.

CULTURAL PRAXIS AT WAR

Shahi Idgah at Mathura is again a Masjid of questionable origin in this respect, as it was built on the ruins of the famed Keshavnath Temple as a blatant show of Muslim conquest. The property has since been embroiled in multiple disputes with Allahabad High Court, wherein as early as 1935, Allahabad HC prioritized the rights of the King of Varanasi over the whole disputed property including the temple complex and the Idgah. Later on, an agreement was reached between Seva Sangh Trust of the Krishna Janmbhoomi and Shahi Idgah Committee with the rights of the land vesting in the Seva Trust and administrative responsibility of the Idgah, devolving in the Muslim owners. Sarvepalli Gopal in his books Anatomy of a Confrontation has clearly dictated through a translation of this agreement that,

“Outside the southern and northern walls of the area occupied by Muslim ghosis shall vest in the Seva Sangh and inside shall lie under the management of the Shahi Idgah committee”

Within the annals of the Ayodhya verdict, under Para 77, the court remarked in comparing the theological foundations, the constitutional right, and faith of the people,

“The court, as a secular institution, set up under a constitutional regime must steer clear from choosing one among many possible interpretations of theological doctrine and must defer to the safer course of accepting the faith and belief of the worshipper”

Apex Court has made it clear that in matters as fragile and sensitive as this, it would not overlook the faith of the people. It must be noted that this agreement has been already been placed in question before the courts as the Seva Sangh was not a sole representative for making a decision for the millions of devotees that are the beneficiaries of the ‘Seva Sangh’ trust. In addition to this, an agreement as such cannot ouster the jurisdiction of the courts over the land dispute.

Moreover, at least one historian Madhuri Desai contributed to the literature through her book titled, Contested Holy Cities: The Urban Dimension of Religious Conflicts “that the rear wall of the Gyanvapi Mosque still contains inscriptions and remnants of an ancient Hindu temple”. As per the Islamic dictions, it would signify, that if such inscriptions are not removed or the debris of the ancient temple still lies there, any namaz offered at such a place would be Makrooh, including the building itself.

If this invalidity runs to the initiation of the construction in both of these mosques, then the religious character of the place would have been assumed to be unfettered, remaining entrenched under the Hindu traditions of the pre-desecration period, thereafter lending inapplicability of the 1992 Places of Worship. Interestingly, Allahabad High Court in 2017, has already placed two petitions before a bench for hearing in this matter.

Nevertheless, Under Section 3 of the Act, the only bar is for the conversion of the religious the character of a place of worship of any concerned religious denomination to a different religious character, as it stood on the day of 15th August 1947. On a bare strict interpretation of the letter of law, it would leave no doubt to the fact that litigation may still follow, firstly, if a place of worship is retained to be a place of worship by two different religious denominations and secondly if any suit in respect to a place of worship is centered around the ‘concept of land ownership or acquisition’ and not ‘specific conversion’.

ROAD AHEAD

Cutting the clutter, all of this hullabaloo may sound out rightly farce to the band of self-branded champions of law but the closure on the Ayodhya verdict was not only a ruling to meet the ends of justice, but it was also to correct the wrongs meted to the majority throughout the course of Indian history. So when Stefan Zweig writes in Beware of Pity, “No guilt is forgotten so long as the conscience knows of it”, it applies fair and square to each countryman and may have been the foundation for this ubiquitous ruling of the court. The purpose dipped in honey and cherry might be so to appeal the taste buds of ‘rule of law’, but it will go a long way in establishing confidence and conviction in the civilization for the afflicted majority.

Sita Ram Goel and Arun Shourie have criticized the notion of historians “to place Hindu kings at par with Muslim invaders in the context of iconoclasm” in the seminal text of Hindu Temples: What happened to them, Vol.1: A Preliminary Survey. What these historians really meant was that the temple desecration carried on by invaders had a more communal touch, unlike the one carried on a smaller scale by the Hindu kings for political prowess and financial gains.  Once touted as the litigation of the century, wanting the sacrifice of blood before it can reach a logical end, the standpoints have changed drastically after the verdict.

Both the traditions, Hindu and Muslim alike have accepted the verdict wholeheartedly in spite of the differences in religious spaces, beliefs and most importantly the interpretation of a unified ‘Idea of India’. This has caused a considerable dent in the political shops of communal marketers who were banking on the animosities of the two traditions and rightly so. But one thing is for sure, the majority don’t have to be the apologists anymore, even after being the victims for centuries.

Why UN losing relevancy? R2P, resolutions & US factor

siddharth8
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Why UN losing relevancy? R2P, resolutions & US factor

The primary goal of the UN is to maintain rationality among all the nations and global peace. However, in recent times, things have turned out to be messy. Many times UN is perceived as promoting goals of the USA and consecutively failing to provide peace and security among various parts of the world.

DIGGING CONCEPT OF RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT (R2P)

R2P promotes preventive diplomacy. This concept rose post-cold war, preventive diplomacy is not only about preventing disputes that already exist from escalating into conflicts but also to destroy it even before it rises. Implementation of R2P must be under the umbrella of the UN Charter and should not escalate tensions besides maintaining peace and stability. R2P may not prevent conflict but can help to de-escalate the tensions. Article 51 of the UN charter says that a nation can revert back with force if there is an armed attack upon a state while informing UNSC.

On the other hand, according to article 41, steps should be taken to maintain peace without the use of force.  Whereas article 42 empowers UNSC to use restore peace through force. Only UNSC has the power to take action for world stability (Chapter 7 of the UN charter). What lacks is transparency, what constitute an attack? How UNSC determine if it is a threat or global peace or internal tussle? In 1994, the UN was informed that Rwanda is on the verge of genocide, the UN rejected the appeal stating a lack of official information. However, genocide took place. Army controlled by the Hutus community took complete control of the nation and mass slaughter of the Tutsi community took place, killing 1 million. UN showed regrets but failed to assist.

During brutal crackdown by the Syrian army upon protesters through Arab spring were not addressed as in order to intervene, the mandate of the state is required which is itself very much contradicts principles of self-determination. Arab spring itself was very much due to non-concern of powers. Before the crises, according to the UNDP report, countries like Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and others involved in the Arab spring showed prosperity. But these were not true reflections of what was happening on the ground. These stats overlooked political freedom and the participation of a common man. Consequently, even after the crises in the MENA region, there is a need to address the root causes of the Arab spring-like UNDP helped to organize democratic election once Ben Ali’s dictator government was toppled in Tunisia.

Loopholes in UN RESOLUTIONS

The actions taken by the UN are through resolutions only. These resolutions can vary from economic sanctions to the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops. However, in recent times resolutions have proved to be somewhat ineffective. On 23rd of December 2016, UNSC passed resolution 2334 aimed to defy Israel’s actions in the Gaza strip with 14-0 votes (Where the USA abstained and did not use VETO because of International pressure. Israel was ordered to stop its settlement projects in the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. This resolution focused to maintain the two-state solution in Israel. But Israel continued its activities with strong support from the USA.

The international court of justice is also a vital organ of the UN. In February 2019, ICJ ruled over the Chagos islands dispute in Mauritius. The ruling was against the UK on the extended rule on the islands, hence the UK was asked to give complete mandate of Chagos islands to Mauritius. The UK ignored the ruling, and ICJ cannot compel member states to follow its orders. Only if both countries agree on the ruling, then the ruling is legally binding. In this case, the UK does not agree on the ruling, hence it is not legally binding. It defeats the sole motive of the UN which is to behave as the peace guardian of the world when nations do not respect its orders.

UN Funding: US factor

All 193 member states are subject to UN funding. There are two types of fundings- Assessed and voluntary. Assessed fundings are mandatory and each nation is made to pay a particular amount of money set by the UN unique for each nation as per country’s GDP, economic front, etc. Without a doubt, the largest funder is the USA. In 2017, the USA contributed more than $10 billion which is itself one-fifth of the UN’s budget. Hence a country like the USA is very important for the UN. Without US fundings, the UN can face crises, hence UN listens to the US. In recent years, according to Trump, the UN has gone anti-America and a large sum of money is dissipated in the UN.

Therefore, Trump decided to cut off the payments. In 2019, only 35 states out of 193 have made their payment, leaving the USA behind. And it very much looks like that under Trump administration the US just wants to abandon the UN. The USA also withdrew from UNHRC and UNESCO. There are payments yet to be made by the UN (sum of $265 million) to various countries, which they are not able to pay. These payments are primarily the UN peacekeeping forces in which different countries volunteer, as the UN does not maintain its own military.

Margazhi Musings: Abhishek Raghuram in a zone of his own

Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
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Margazhi Musings: Abhishek Raghuram in a zone of his own

He is exploring the Raaga. He does it all the time. But every day is a new day. It may be one or another Raaga. Be it Thodi, Kalyani, Kamboji, Sankarabaranam, whichever. Yet, he opens new doors, windows, vistas, crevices, others may not have the key to. And he claims that even he knows not, he has the keys, until he sets upon his surreal journey. Or that there were such dazzling artifacts to discover and lay your hands, sorry throat on. “He is all of 34 years. And sings like a 340 year old”, a friend messaged. He sounds so ‘experienced’. He is a Columbus, a Vasco Da Gama. He has  that  consummate skill, bent of mind and braveness of heart and mind, to go, where others fear to tread or did not even know existed. Today was no different.29th Dec, 2019, at 18.45 hrs. It was Karakarapriya.

Abhishek Raghuram was in a zone of his own. He was squatting alright. In the middle, with his accompanists. Yet, every now and then, he would levitate well above. To  be in his own self made terrain, with a smiling visage, from above, just to show who was in  charge.

Today, he was not only levitating, during the raga Alapana, he went pearl diving to the very depths of the Bay of Bengal. Lesser mortals may have struggled with Abhishek in this mood. Vittal Ramamurthy on the fiddle,  is made of sterner stuff. He literally tied himself to Raghuram and his exquisite  bowing chased him all the time, toe for toe, padam for padam, phrase for phrase, swaram for swaram and even in the pregnant silences. Not letting Abhishek escape. Some ability this. Vittal Ramamurthy made it  an awesome twosome, as if the violin  was singing or as if Abhishek was fiddling. What a fascinating concert within a concert. No wonder, Carnatic music has its devoted  fans and mad, mad ones at that. Such performances literally turn you insane, for more of the same. But they spoil you too, by exposing the lesser gifted.

Abhishek today was on regally splendour auto mode. He tried his level best to let go the accompanists and make it a solo. Vittal Ramamurthy was having none of it. And that enhanced the concert to higher heights only Abhishek was capable of. The result was that the Manodharmic  faculty of Carnatic music- unique and innovative- was on display, at its resplendent best. The Music Academy platform does it  to the best in the business, to rise, rise and rise, and that is why the Academy leads the rest. Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards always claimed Lords ‘does things for him that other venues  can only dream of’. When Abhishek eased into Sangita Gnanamu- Tyagaraj’s musical masterpiece in Dhanyasi, the Vaggeyakara must have been dancing in the aisles of Vaikuntam. For, there was no space,  for him too at the Academy today.

To me, Abhishek today literally replicated Gundappa Vishwanath’s 97 n.o. at Chepauk, against Lloyd’s marauding West Indians of 1974. Who can forget it? No helmet. All alone, as others were being consumed and subsumed by Anderson Montgomery Roberts, the Rolls Royce speedster. Little of height, Vishy that day, was literally levitating to meet the searing bouncers and deep diving to keep the yorkers from crushing his toes. Gundappa was at his Manodharmic  best, using the speed and angles to carve out a performance, which typically rested, without a century, to lend it the deserving evocative romance. It was a class act and chance less at that. India won the test. Abhishek today won the Test today, lock, stock and barrel, every which way. Let us be clear. When he is alone and in such a trance, he competes with himself and it is tough to beat him. He did it. That made the day for the rasika and the Season. A couple of grammarians gossiped he missed a beat or two. Who cares?  Bless the Lord for such sublimation, in the tumultuous times, we live in.

Abhishek was not even born in 1974, mind you. He has a long, long way to go. Mind boggling to even imagine the heights, he may reach or the depths he may conquer. This man is a genius. Music is in his DNA as he comes with a matchless pedigree from maternal, paternal, internal, external, nocturnal, even diurnal and eternal connects. It is rumoured that his cries as a new born was a raagamaligai in itself. Who knows? He appears to have not wasted a nanosecond in his mother’s womb. Malcolm Gladwell talks of 10,000 hours of devoted discipline, behind every genius, in his Outliers and it would seem that Abhishek accomplished those hours,  in his mother’s womb itself.

Thiruvarur Bhskthavatsalam and Sree Sundarkumar on the Mridangam and Kanjira, had the best seats in the hall. But they were not letting go the opportunity to join in the musical feast. To let you in on a secret, the Canteen was full of orders  for ‘parcels’ alone. Who was footloose and foolish to miss the concert? Beside any other attribute, this one facet- my friend said- meant that the concert was a colossal success, as Canteen was too hot to beat on any day, even best days. He was not joking, for sure.

You may be born with  a gift in the throat. You may grow in a musical environment. But as John McEnroe, the left handed tennis great  said, “No matter you may say that the racquet seems to be an extension of my arm. It did not and does not come, if you don’t sacrifice your time, to train it that way. What you see on Court, is a few hours of high voltage stroking. But let the children know, it does not come easy, unless you choose to spend time to teach your arm to behave, as it does.Above all, unceasing love and unremitting passion. But, training is everything.” Classic  John McEnroe revelation.

So it is with Abhishek Raghuram, the well informed say. He had many a teacher and continues to be taught. And he himself is a teacher to many an aspirant. What is teaching, if not training. And he spends hours on end to teach himself too and what we see and hear on stage, is the result of hard work (asura sadhanai), discipline, dedication, determination to excel and not to waste the oodles of talent,  the good lord has picked him, among the millions of us, to be bestowed with. And it showed in his celebrated Papanasam Sivan jewel- Srinivasa Tava Charanam. Amazing control, modulation, levitation, deep dive and even his “Aha, Aha” to the accompanists were in mellifluous sync. He was throwing up the phrases and literally toying with them, as they were kept afloat. Never let them fall as he formed colourful patterns and those on the Dias may have well got hold of some, as the concert wound down. Abhishek rich, famous, chivalrous was philanthropic enough to let us all carry the memories of the concert. A concert for the gods not Rasikas alone.

Nani Palkhivala is celebrating his centenary on 16th Jan, 2020. To play on Justice HR Khanna’s tribute to Nani, on his oratorical skills in the Kesavanand Bharathi case, before 13 Judges, in the hallowed First Court of the Supreme Court, “The height of lyrical eloquence which Abhishek rose today, has seldom been equalled and never surpassed even at the Academy”. No hyperbole this. It is a deserving tribute to a class performer born to be one.

(Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan-Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court)

India, ISRO and it’s growing scientific power

Pranjal Chaudhari
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India, ISRO and it’s growing scientific power

At the doorstep of 2020, India’s space program stands strong with all its might & excellence. With aspiration to make it a super power, India’s space research during the tenure of PM Narendra Modi has received accolades from countries across the globe.

Since it’s inception in the year 1969, ISRO has significantly evolved and has entered into the elite global space club, riding on the extensive scientific research. Yet it has not attained the same level of popularity as that of NASA or the Roscosmos.

Any guessings why?

Every time it came to finances, the government always had to justify why spending would be allotted to ISRO versus those in poverty. ISRO has always kept it’s focus point on missions that were developmental in nature. ISRO has been one of the most cost effective member of the effective space industries on this planet. But it’s high time now that we as Indians know the real capacity, significance and importance of space research from our own country’s perspective.

Marketing plays a quintessential role in taking the work of ISRO to the last man standing of our country. When NASA was founded, the US space research was determined with the sole purpose of making it stand differently from the USSR. An aggressive public interaction campaign was designed to connect the citizens of US with the free flowing mechanism of information between the two to keep the citizens well-informed about each and every development in US space research.

Working on similar lines, the NDA govt, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has come out extensively express heaps and bounds to share India’s achievements in the field of space research. He has made the most of his communication model to reach out to the citizens time & over. Be it the entry of Mangalyaan in Mars or the launch of Chandrayaan-II mission, PM made sure he had his words heard by the entire country. Political parties have been critical of the PM’s speeches on scientific achievements asking him, not to seek the credit for scientific research done by our scientists. But, he never shyed away from using his oratory skills to connect with the citizens on various occasions to showcase India’s might in the field of Space Research. India has also joined hands with global nations to explore new avenues of space research.

Even the ISRO has shifted it’s focus to connect the youths now and engage them with India’s upcoming space research programs. The soon-to-come new year 2020 is expected to witness ISRO rolling out new innovative programs to connect itself with the 130 crore Indians across the country.

Alex Carey: Player to watch out for (Ind vs Aus 2020)

devanshu25
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Alex Carey: Player to watch out for (Ind vs Aus 2020)

Australia Tour Of India 2020 is something that everyone’s looking for. Australian Odi team is good enough to beat any team in any condition but can they beat India in India? In Bowling department they are looking good and even in top order but the main problem is their middle order. Their is no Stoinis and Maxwell in their middle order. So all responsibilities are on Handscomb, Labuschagne and Alex Carey.

We saw Handscomb last year in India and Labuschagne’s form in test cricket right is something serious but the question is, Is this Australian middle order will play spin well? Well my answer is not completely 100% yes but 50% is yes because they have Alex Carey factor in their squad. Alex Carey is in good form in limited overs. He has been doing well from world cup. The way Alex Carey plays the spin bowling that’s something which will give satisfaction to the Australians. His Inside out shots are beautiful and sometimes you feel wow. How he plays so beautiful!

But again He’s good against fast bowler as well. He plays ramp shot, plays in V as well and with his remarkable way to plays in covers, I think he is the who will play a vital role for Australia in middle overs against the KUL-CHA and Jadeja. So lets see how this series will go for him but Mark my words “Alex Carey is serious talent”.

Margazhi Musings: All tickets sold out; but where are the Rasikas?

Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
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Margazhi Musings: All tickets sold out; but where are the Rasikas?

Academy always leads the way. While other Sabhas have gone digital, in a practically desperate bid, in tune with the times, in the sale of season and daily tickets, Music Academy has not joined in. One is told that Academy ‘respects’ the rasikas and is inclined to sell only to those who come in person. It makes robust common sense, considering that Academy advertises for sale and insisting on the buyer/representative to come with a Citizenship Photo identity akin to CAA/NRC in news. And the rasikas send representatives who form a Queue, from the night before. A rasika says, “I am reminded of sending a representative to stand in queue, the night before for LKG seat in DAV school in Chennai”. This, notwithstanding the fact that year on year, the school makes it clear that online access was available, and there was no need for parents to indulge in midnight vigils. Allotment of seats was not on First Come First Served route. The anxiety of the parents is the prime cause and no one wants to take a chance. Just in case…

In times of Impeachment of Donald J Trump, President  of US of A, it is akin to those desirous of being in the audience, on the historic occasion, of just the 3rd POTUS to be impeached, in all of 236 years, networking for a seat or sending in ‘paid representatives to ensure a seat’. The Academy counter opens at 09.00 am of 2nd Dec usually. But the gate is generously opened around 07.30 am, if the officials show any mercy. Otherwise, the platform is the space to be seated or standing in line.

Academy distributes tokens to those let in, whenever they choose to, and within a couple of hours or before noon, Notice Board goes up “All Tickets Sold Out”. There are those who risked coming late, not wanting to sleep over outside the Academy, missing out on a season ticket for the lower priced ones. Higher priced tickets as Rs.13,000/- or above are advertised the day next, as “ few available’ and within minutes are grabbed or told as sold out as well.

The reason why Academy has not embraced digital sale is because ‘they are graceful and chivalrous’ as an Executive Committee member was overheard saying. To paraphrase the member, “Rest assured, if we took the sale online, within minutes of its opening,  tickets would be purchased big and early, by all NRIs from wherever they land in Chennai from, come Margazhi season. We therefore want to protect the common rasika like you and others, by offering tickets only  to those who come in body and soul”. Good. One was reminded of the famous fan quote at Lords to Sir Neville Cardus himself, the legendary cricket critic, when his allotted seat was found occupied by an early bird, “Gentleman, It is Butts that gets the seat at Lords. Not hats or things. Sorry.”

The Committee member added, for emphasis, “In addition to insisting on the in person mandate, we also withhold a few tickets for sale on the morning of the concert, to those who may have missed out. We do not want to disappoint them, as times without number rasikas check out the Engagements column of The Hindu and take a last minute call.” Those ‘few tickets’, very few, including those on the Dais, alongside the performer, are picked up for the few top notch artistes, by those rasikas/representatives, forming the Queue, in the wee hours of the concert day

It all sounds so great. Chennai is not on UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2017, for nothing. One feels so good that there is so much of demand for tickets and networking to have access at the last minute is also not unknown. Add the LED screen live telecast of the performance, when the Hall gets full, at Mini Auditorium, which ticket is also made available on concert days. A combined reading of the above, let’s you get your collars up that Chennai is head and shoulders above on the cultural map of India. You feel so good and proud that Magnificent Margazhi Madras Morphs Musically Magical.

Well, Well, Well. It all sounds so hunky dory. But come concert day, except for the concerts of Sanjay Subramanian (typically, on 28th Dec,2019, when the Hall was filled to the brim, spilled over to the Dias and even the Stairs had to be filled with chairs to seat overflowing rasikar kootam), Ranjani Gayathri, Abhishek Raghuram, Ramakrishnan Murthy, Tiruchur Brothers, Sowmya, Aruna Sairam, Bombay Jayshree, Sudha Raghunathan and Nithyashree Mahadevan (to stick one’s neck out,  and  say it like it is- in that very order), the Hall is full of listeners who have the benefit of sold out ticketed seats. The rest have to inspire themselves by closing their eyes  and perform with feelings, passion, emotions and whatever they can muster, that they were on the hallowed Academy stage. For the ‘other performers’, truth to tell, friends and family circle ought to be vast, and have to be inspirationally a disciplined audience.

“All Tickets Sold Out’ means little or nothing to them. Yes, Tickets were and are sold out. But the ticket holders are not there. As a perceptive observer says, “It appears that the same set of ticket holders book them for several Sabhas. They then pick and choose the concerts to attend. They throng to the concerts of the Big 3 or 5, as is your pick, and rest of the performers are left to be inspired by the excellent seats on offer in the refurbished Academy Auditorium. The season ticket holders rarely share for they retain the right to make an entry as is their wont.

As for the instrumentalists performing solo,  the entire audience could be accommodated on  the dais with the performer. The hall and balcony, in particular, sport a desolated look. One is scared to sit alone as the neighbour is nearly 80 seats away, every row. Scarier still that if there is a chance neighbour, in ear shot, you may be asked the Vaggeyakara and Raaga of the Krithi, the performer was essaying. It makes sense to quietly slip away to the Canteen, where there is a provision made for hearing the performance. The Canteen, of course, is full to the brim, almost always,  and if possible, even  the performer may love to be live. before these patrons, for a full house feel.

This experience is true for ‘others’’ concerts than the identified and these are all ticketed concerts, mind you. As for the afternoon concerts, which are of ‘All Are Welcome’ genre, surely the ground floor is packed to capacity and performers  can block their mind to the balcony, to feel inspired. As Subbudu mama cheekily said, as only he can, “If I were on the verge of being elevated to evening ticketed concerts, on the Academy platform, I would rather not be, for I would  be grateful to be singing to rasikas than chairs, if I am not a star performer”. That has remained true all these years with no solution in sight.

(Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan- Author is practising advocate in the Madras High Court).

We need an alternative right of the BJP

akshit
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We must be what the left in India claims to be but isn’t, plus we need to stick to our values
that the libertarians aren’t standing up for. Here are my few suggestions:

-In India we believe in Hinduism.
-India is and will be the HOMELAND for all Hindus.
-We need our very own Breitbart, FOX news, Russia Today to combat anti-Hindu
bigotry.(OpIndia must be what these publications are)
-Hinduism is LIBERAL. Both Christianity and Islam have borrowed from us and vice
versa. So we need to be what they are NOT. The Left claims to be which they aren’t-
-Freedom of speech
-Gay rights
-Pro capitalism
-Anti Fascist (Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions)
-We need to bring Hinduism back in fashion by that I mean we have to market or advertise ourselves in a way in which the youth is draw to us and our values.
-We need make the youngsters of this country realise that they are the future of Hinduism and itself India.
-We must have our Propaganda machine to counter the western media, the Arabic media and the leftist media, which all have anti-Hindu false narratives.
-We must be winning the Culture Wars, which we aren’t.
-We have to be the COOL kids in the class, not these liberals who are driven by their hatred for men especially Hindu men.
-In the liberal colleges of this country It is only the Hindu’s apologizing for everything, these foreign religion’s and their propaganda is breaking our back and making us apologize for it. HYPOCRISY
-We also need to call the west for all its hypocrisy, but at the same time learn from them on how they are protecting, spreading and propagating their culture.
We need to be constantly evolving ourselves to make ourselves better than our critics and opponents.
-We have to tap into the POP CULTURE like the other religions have to spread OUR message. It is the best and effective way to get the masses on our side.

The ‘Right’ must stop the return of fallen ‘Left’

Dipankar Jugran
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The ‘Right’ must stop the return of fallen ‘Left’

Just another day in this so-called Anti-CAA/NRC protests and the left propaganda is in full swing. While the Left around the world always love to see their nation drift into chaos, the conservatives or the right-wing are always there to instill some nationalism into the mind of people and save the day. 

In the post-world war era when poverty was on its peak, left rose to power by feeding off the victimized poor people but as more and more people are being lifted out of poverty and as their standard of living rises, the influence of left on their mind is also decreasing. Left is slowly losing ground in this modern world as the number of people on which the left leach is reducing. This has turned left into a dangerous desperate extremist who will do anything to come back in power. 

The Indian scenario is also the same. Indian left, when in opposition, instead of keeping tabs on the government’s activities and do constructive criticism, is busy in devising ways to overthrow the current establishment. They’re so desperate to get back in power that they are ready to burn this nation and its people to the ground. It is important to understand the part Indian left is playing in the turmoil which our nation is going through right now.

Left is against an act which was passed by both houses of parliament, a humanitarian act, which gives citizenship to the victims of religious persecution of our three neighboring countries. Isn’t that what leftist ideology stands for? ‘Champion of the downtrodden’, Isn’t it the way left portray itself?. But, now as the right-wing government is doing what a leftist always wanted (of course with few restrictions), the left instead of welcoming it, is opposing it. If this isn’t hypocrisy then what is?

“There is massive protest breaking all over India against CAA”, is what the media would want you to believe conveniently ignoring massive support rallies which are also being organized all over India.

Right now there are a number of different types of protests that are happening in the country and we’ll take on them one by one.

The first type of protest is that of the so-called students. Students who are studying in prestigious universities like DU and IIMs but are just illiterate bunch of low IQ people who believe that being anti-establishment is the only way of activism and looking cool. While media is trying very hard to portray these acts as spontaneous student protests, these protests have been exposed several times by opindia for being orchestrated and planned by the student union and political parties under the hood.

The second type of protest is not a protest but a riot. A riot by uneducated Islamic radicals who are on the streets raging havoc against a bill that has nothing to do with them. Most of them do not understand what it is but are just out on the street because of some WhatsApp forward which is being circulated by the political parties to misinform people. Further, the connection of these protests to Islamic terrorist groups such as SIMI and PFI is also being speculated.

And finally the third type, a protest by some Simrans and Rahuls on Instagram just because Alia Bhatt says that this Act is against the constitution. 

Low IQed Left Intelligencia and Urban Naxals are spreading fear inside the mind of people to extract a violent reaction from them towards the ruling government. They’re promoting arsons and vandalism in the name of protest and media is just turning a blind eye towards it and instead showing brainless millennials, who don’t even bother to read about the CAA, distributing roses to police officers. (I would’ve liked this gesture if it was to thank Delhi police to beat those antisocial elements of Jamia to a pulp). 

It’s sad to see how ill-informed and braindead today’s social media generation has become. Left is clearly winning the narrative war against the BJP on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. While Twitter still remains a neutral platform, Facebook and Instagram have become a hub of misinformation and most of the Millenials are on these two platforms only. Given how brainless today’s generation is, they believe anything and everything share on social media, therefore, its very easy to influence them. BJP and the Right Inteligensia should counter the propaganda spread across these platforms if they want to win the war of Narratives.  

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