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Open Letter to Akshay Kumar : How Padman Publicity Campaign is a big FAIL!

pankajcgupta
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Open Letter to Akshay Kumar : How Padman Publicity Campaign is a big FAIL!

Dear Padmashri Akshay Kumar,

I am writing this open letter to point out a few things that have been bothering me since last few days. I pray to God that you get a chance to read this letter & reply to the points that I raise, however, both are very unlikely to happen.

Your new movie Padman (which is based on the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham) is about to release. It was scheduled to release on January 25 & has now been shifted to February 9. Nonetheless, the publicity campaign for the movie started long back since November 2017. Although movie stars go to any lengths to promote their movies, the kind of campaign that Padman has picked up is very disturbing, to say the least. How? let us see.

1. In an article on Outlook, dated 15 Jan,  you said “Women are going for tax-free sanitary pads, but I say it should be completely free. Cut the five percent money from defence, make one bomb less and give it to women to get the sanitary napkin.”

Cut the defence money by 5% for sanitary pads? Is there even a comparison! I know the line is catchy, but did you even think before saying? National security can go for a toss, why, because you seek publicity for Padman!

Akshay, go on & talk about anything, but DO NOT, at any cost, involve my nation’s national security or defence in this.

Will you care to explain your thought process behind recommending the 5% cut?

2. During the whole promotion of Padman, you & your wife Twinkle Khanna have been continuously demanding that sanitary pads should have “No GST”. 

I don’t understand as to how a “NO GST” will encourage more women to buy sanitary pads and how many won’t buy regardless of GST or No GST. A significant size of women in the urban part of India spends a lot of money on stuff such as makeup items, beauty parlours etc. They are capable enough to pay for the sanitary pads & rightly so.

When it comes to women from Rural India or the ‘urban poor’, the Government’s National Health Mission is already running a scheme where sanitary pads are given at a fixed price of Rs. 7.50/- per pack of six sanitary napkins. Check here.

Over & above everything else, FM Arun Jaitley dubbed critics of GST rate on sanitary pads as “ill-informed” & explained pretty nicely on why this product attracts GST.

Also, on one hand, you ask for “No GST” but you have never mentioned or talked about the tax rebates that women of India get compared to men. Why should I pay for the sanitary pads of a lady who earns much more than me?

Again, this is a clear case of misplaced priorities & pure publicity.

3. Why NO GST when you can do a lot on your own?

You are a big movie star. You earn pretty well. Why cannot you start a small firm which produces sanitary pads for women and distributes them for free? When you are so noble in your intentions, why not start something on your own, however, small the size may be. I am sure you would get a lot of funding & even CSR funds from MNCs if you plan to do so. My suggestion: Take a part of your income & open a small factory. This would also prove that the sanitary pads-gimmick is not just limited to the movie promotions but you are actually concerned. Do something, even if it is on a small scale.

You also said, “Aim Is To Create Awareness, Not Earn Money”. Well, great then. I am most eager to know how you have already planned to donate any & every rupee that you earn from the movie.

4. Toxic campaign against MEN

I have still not understood how the whole campaign for the movie turned into a smear campaign against men. Anything, & I mean anything was & is said about men.

Take this:

DUJr1atUQAAhMdU.jpg

Is she crazy? What has erectile dysfunction got to do with policy making? Her arguments have been thoroughly rebutted here.

She also said, “Sanitary pads are taxed to make women pay for being a woman whereas a man is born free and is even encouraged for his perverse desires by no taxes on Viagras!”. Madam, why are you dragging men into this?

She also said “Apparently, there are no taxes on brooms. I think they feel that women should keep their houses clean but it’s not as important to keep themselves clean.” How did she assume that keeping houses clean is only a women’s job?

She tweeted:

Again, why is she converting this into pro women & anti-men? Can’t both live in harmony? why this misandry & gynocentrism? Why are you people so deep in your women appeasement that you are painting men as villains & creating issues out of nothing. Themyscira much?

5. Again, blaming men for no reasons

In one of your dialogues in the movie, you are seen saying “Bloody Man half hour man bleeding like a woman… They Straight Die…”. 

Why are you blaming men, again? God has given a beautiful gift to women, that is about giving birth to a new life. God did not give that gift to men, just like a lot of other things that God either gave men or women. Why don’t you ask God as to why he/she did not give menstruation to men? Why don’t you complain to God as to why did he/she give the gift of giving birth only to women? Why are you claiming that a man will die if he has to go through menstruation even for half an hour?

There are numerous men, who work tirelessly & endlessly to protect their families and to provide the best of everything to their families. There are men who are at the borders, fighting against enemies in extremely cold weather, having not slept since days. There are men who work as security guards, carpenters etc in Mumbai, Delhi so that their kid can get a good education & facilities in his native village.

How inhuman of you that you chose to pass such a derogatory remark on men! Will you apologize for such a careless statement?

6. Lastly, since you & your team have this opinion that MEN are the villains, I draw your attention to some burning issues men all over the world are facing. These issues receive very little help & I will appreciate if you can speak about this, even 1% of what you are doing for Padman. 

Reports from the UK suggest that the research for prostate cancer is “lagging” due to lack of funds, even though it is the most common male cancer. Another such report says that breast cancer received much more funding and publicity than prostate cancer, despite of the fact that both the cancers have a similar number of victims.

Do we know what the situation on these is in India? Do we need awareness on these issues? Or will no-one pay attention to this since your wife has already mocked 65 year old impotent men?

 You want publicity for your movie, great – grab publicity on merit or by innovative tactics but this way of grabbing publicity by such theatrics is very cheap.

There are still a few days left in the whole publicity campaign. I hope better sense prevails & you + your team don’t indulge in any more non-sense. I also hope that you leave this seasonal cause alignment & actually work on bringing some concrete change.

In case Akshay’s PR is reading this, if you have some spine, send me a reply to the above-raised questions. All the best!

This post first appeared on Jan 22 here.

Anything but fire and fury: A biased writer writes a book on Trump administration

Naagesh Padmanaban
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Anything but fire and fury: A biased writer writes a book on Trump administration

The State of the Union address on 30th January 2018 by President Donald Trump was welcomed by many as a great speech in which he highlighted the achievements of his first year in office. In his speech, Trump called for unity among law makers and urged them to rise above party lines – something which went well with the American public. One would have thought that this would signal an end to political flame throwing which has so far unsettled the administration and kept it on the defensive in a perpetual firefighting mode.

Apparently not so. The book – “Fire and Fury – Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff that came out in early January of this year – has been the latest in a string of distractions for the administration. It has been a hot favorite of major television channels, social media and chatterati. The author has definitely capitalized on the wide publicity on prime-time national television and made it to best seller lists.

Some background on this book will definitely not be out of place. Firstly, the book is well written and offers an excellent read for the discerning reader. Michael Wolff, the author, has spent a lot of time in cherry picking anecdotes and weaving them into colorful fabric to showcase to the world what he calls “the insider’s view of the Donald Trump White House”.

Michael Wolff seems to be convinced that Trump does not deserve to be the President. He is at loggerheads with Trump’s well-known penchant for undying loyalty from his team and highlights this to underscore his unsuitability for the high office. The detailed depiction of the President, his idiosyncrasies, his disbelief at being elected and the purported disdain of his close advisers may all be true. Regardless, the fact remains that, much to the disdain of media pundits and Beltway lobbyists, it is the American people who fairly and squarely elected Donald Trump and put him in office.

Wolff all along gives the impression that he had unfettered access to the White House. But former Press Secretary Dana Perino and others in the know have asserted that it is impossible for someone to be hanging around in the West Wing of the White House even with proper authorization.

The book contains much of what can be adduced as rumors, unsubstantiated anecdotes and water cooler gossips that seemed to play into the agenda of Trump’s political foes. The glaring inaccuracies, insinuations and innuendos expose the true intentions of the author.

Wolff asserts that the 25th amendment was an issue that was constantly on the mind of the White House. The 25th amendment to the US constitution provides for removal and succession to the office of the US President and Vice President in the event of death or disability of the incumbent. But Wolff admitted on national television (CBS This Morning show) that he never met anyone in the cabinet or the Vice President Mike Pence. If he did not meet or interview any of them nor was he allowed into any of the meetings of the senior leadership of the administration, how could Wolff tell that the issue was on their minds?  No wonder Wolff’s credibility has plunged.

Wolff’s reference to the purported endless discussions on the 25th amendment fueled the media narrative that portrays Trump as mentally unsound and hence unable to discharge his duties as the President. In fact, on the sets of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, co-host Mika Brzezinski bluntly declared that she agreed with a North Korean official’s assessment that President Donald Trump is “mentally ill.”

Throughout the book, the discerning reader cannot miss Wolff’s angst and obvious inability to come to terms with the reality of Donald Trump in the highest office. The author does little to screen the obvious impression that he is an obsessive dirt rat on a mission to dig out half-truths, peddle distortions and blatant factual inaccuracies. Many pundits have expressed the view that Michael Wolff in many ways echoes the deepest disappointments of the Hillary campaign and hence it was no surprise that he became the instant darling of the liberal media.

The delectable presentation of anecdotes that appear to be no more than off-the-cuff remarks by administration insiders in unguarded moments or at the height of frustration must not be mistaken as fair impressions of a sincere author that went awry. It boils down to the work of art of someone who, in the words of Democrat Steve Rattner, the former head of President Obama’s Auto Task Force, “turned out to be an unprincipled writer of fiction”.

But what has rankled many are the outrageous insinuations that Trump and Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, were having an affair. Wolff gives no details or proof, except that the two were in private meetings. Even the liberal media which was using Wolff to take potshots at Trump, suddenly dropped him like hot potato. Mika Brzezinski abruptly ended her show with Wolf when he struggled to defend his innuendos at Ambassador Nikki Haley.

By his own admission Wolff used his proximity to Steve Bannon to open doors to the White House. Much of his writings appears to be a view of the West Wing of the White House through the eyes of Bannon. It is no surprise that in hindsight, Bannon had to leave.

But herein lies an enormous threat to the integrity of the highest office as well as the inner circle of power of the ruling dispensation from seemingly innocent book writers. Senior administration officials have exposed their lack of experience in putting in place the right checks and balances in clearing people like Michael Wolff. To that extent this episode is a costly learning process for the Trump administration. The White House must acknowledge its lapses and quickly revamp the process of providing access the highest office.

Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury too has had its two minutes of fame on national television and is now well on its way to being forgotten. The book has proved to be anything but fire and fury.

Padmavati and the Modern times Khiljis

sgewali
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Padmavati and the Modern times Khiljis

Every community has its own viewpoint on a social issue. That usually varies with the time. What was considered too outrageous some thirty years ago is pretty normal now. Why? Then it calls for a serious introspection vis-a-vis the social changes, and our acceptance of lot many things. Well, we love to consume now anything which is seemingly mouth-watering, even though they may cause social indigestion and spiritual anaemia.

No wonder the almost entire educated world condemned the ‘Karni Sena’ or Rajput community because they vehemently resisted a Bollywood film on Padmaavat. These puritan Rajput folks felt sorely upset because they consider their beloved queen Padmavati in the cinematic screen very sacrilegious. For ages, the queen of Mewar has been held in high esteem, more precisely, as the “paramount pride” of the Rajput, apart from others in the country. What rubbed salt in their wound was when the Supreme Court finally upheld the ‘freedom of expression’ and issued a decree that all states’ governments should ensure the screening of the Sanjay Bhansali’s  film in their respective cinema halls. It seems the judicatory has almost lost its human perspective by paving way for the evil to rear its ugly head.  As expected, this triggered a series of backlashes. The Rajputs lost their sanity. They went on a rampage. They vandalized the public properties, burnt a vehicle, pelted stones at a school bus, which was very uncalled for and inhumane too. In some cases, certain political parties too have incited some of the devious leaders of Karni Sena in order to tarnish the image of the central government.
Yes, historical records also caution us – ‘the fury of inferno and fury of crowds could always be disastrous’ — which our honourable judges fail to analyse and take the decision sensibly. Who will disagree, when the cherished “pride” is hurt the crowds go crazy!

Phew, freedoms of expression and flagrant entertainment at the cost of the social chaos? Is a “fleeting sense pleasure” of Bollywood more important than the social harmony and peace? This is the height of foolishness. How did our judges earn the academic qualification that they miss to understand the language of humanity? Needless to say, our advanced folks are often heedless to the hostile consequences that could arise due to the clashes of opinions and belief systems and basic human values and ethics. Should the educated and leaders in power not strive to create the atmosphere to strengthen the bond of relationship with those we have been living with for centuries?

I am afraid, these days most of the educated believe that it’s no big deal even if the sharp edge of “mutual antagonism” punctures the social fabric. If any controversial issue, we make it legally justified overnight. Our motive is so narrow, our desire so self-centred. We brutally claim that no one has right to disturb our enjoyment of fun and frolic, be it at the cost the values and belief system of our fellow brothers.   This is how we refuge to forgo any short-lived entertainment. In order to meet this ‘demand and supply’, we have a swarm of our skillfully crafty people who churn out a whole lot of titillating cinemas, even by inviting the voluptuous stars from Canada and USA and serve them to us hot. The endless smutty acts of Sunny Leone have long pushed hundreds of millions into the gutter of pornography. Its adverse effect will be more visible after five to ten years from now. But against such depravity we are silent. If ever any protest from any front we will cry to the hilt in their defence. Who else can defeat us? Our defensive vocabulary has been well enriched by the ‘freedom of expression’. We have at our disposal the invincible media and techno academia to bang the table!

Look at how we came out victorious. The film ‘Padmaavat’ got released. And, we all have enjoyed the despotic invader being glamorized here, and many of us have now been applauding this “brutal playboy” through our write-ups. This is how we justify anything outrageous and feel like we are the modern times Khilji!

Now let’s get down to the reality of the matter. At least with a little humane sensibility! Do any of our elites like to be “reminded” about anything ugly concerning their parents/ancestors or ones they hold in high esteem? Does it not upset any children if they would be “reminded” that their father was once very boisterous drunkard and gambler, and the mother was slyly chased after by a number of next door neighbours? Do these children then appreciate if any opportunistic person wants to make a film on that? I don’t think the children will ever tolerate which “remind” them of “past sleaze” of their parents.

 Then how could we expect the Rajputs (genuine, not the devious ones who have been instigated by the political parties) or others to tolerate to be “reminded”, most particularly, through the big-screen, that their “mother of pride” Padmavati was once “madly lusted after” by a lecherous Khilji? How could they endure to be haunted again that their “paragon of virtue and pride” was once about to be amorously desecrated by the over sensual invader from far off land? Could we forget the film PK in which Lord Shiva was literally insulted? Can a self-righteous director Rajkumar Hirani think of making a film denigrating his father and mother in the same manner?

Yes, one’s prudence says, that our mind has been heavily “invaded” now by a whole lot of brutally lustful khiljis.  And as a result of which we have only been becoming less accommodating, and more hurtful to others and human values. Even the Judiciary courts come forward in support of all such wanton Khiljis —- Mahesh Bhatt, R. Hirani, Pooja Bhatt, Sunny Leone,.. there are countless.

Anyway, lastly, one wishes —  may the sacrificial Jauhar of brave Padmavati never fail to inspire the Rajputs and us. At least to uphold the spirit of righteous courage and values and save ourselves from the evil of the modern times playboys.

क्या 2018 के आम बजट में मध्यम वर्ग के लिए कुछ भी नहीं है ?

RAJEEV GUPTA
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क्या 2018 के आम बजट में मध्यम वर्ग के लिए कुछ भी नहीं है ?

क्या 2018 के आम बजट में मध्यम वर्ग के लिए कुछ भी नहीं है ?

जिस दिन से २०१८-१९ के आम बजट की घोषणा हुई है, देश की विपक्षी पार्टियां और उसके नेता सकते में हैं. २०१९ के लोकसभा चुनावों से पहले मोदी सरकार का यह आखिरी बजट है और “मिडिल क्लास” यानि कि मध्यम वर्ग भाजपा का सबसे प्रिय वोट बैंक है. २०१४ से अब तक मध्यम वर्ग के लिए अलग अलग बजटों में सरकार रियायत दे भी चुकी है. लेकिन इस बार के बजट में ४०००० रुपये की मानक छूट देने के साथ साथ १९२०० रुपये का यातायात भत्ता और १५००० रुपये के मेडिकल खर्चों के भुगतान को ख़त्म कर दिए जाने की वजह से , मध्यम वर्ग के लोगों को यह लग रहा है मानो यह छूट सिर्फ ५८०० रुपये की ही है, जबकि ऐसा सोचना सही नहीं है. आयकर कानून में इस बार जो ४०००० रुपये की छूट दी गयी है, उसके साथ कोई शर्त नहीं लगी है और वह सभी वेतन भोगियों और पेंशन भोगियों को सामान रूप से मिलने वाली है. इसके विपरीत जो १९२०० रुपये का ट्रांसपोर्ट अलाउंस मिलता था, वह इस शर्त पर मिलता था कि उतनी रकम कर्मचारी ट्रांसपोर्ट पर खर्चा करता होगा. इसी तरह १५००० रुपये के मेडिकल बिल्स देने पर ही मेडिकल के खर्चे मिलते थे. यहां यह ध्यान देने वाली बात है कि पेंशन भोगियों को यह दोनों ही भत्ते यानि ट्रांसपोर्ट अलाउंस और मेडिकल खर्चे के भुगतान उपलब्ध नहीं था. जिन कर्मचारियों को दफ्तर की तरफ से कोई सवारी या आने जाने की सुविधा मिली हुई थी, उन्हें भी ट्रांसपोर्ट अलाउंस उपलब्ध नहीं था. मेडिकल के १५००० रुपये उन्ही को मिलते थे, जिन्होंने वास्तव में यह रकम खर्च की हो और उसके बिल पेश करने पर ही यह भुगतान मिलता था. इस तरह से हम देखें तो अभी घोषित की गयी ४०००० रुपये की छूट की तुलना उन छोटे मोठे भत्तों से करना सर्वथा अनुचित है. लेकिन क्योंकि इतनी बारीकी से लोगों को समझाने में समय लगता है, उसके चलते विपक्षी राजनेताओं और पार्टियों ने इसी को मुद्दा बनाकर दुष्प्रचार शुरू कर दिया और बजट को “मध्यम वर्ग” के विरुद्ध बताने की कवायद शुरू कर डाली.

बजट के तुरंत बाद ही केंद्रीय वित्त राज्य मंत्री शिव प्रताप शुक्ल, केंद्रीय मानव संशाधन राज्य मंत्री सत्य पाल सिंह, भाजपा के नेता श्याम जाजू,ओम बिरला, मीनाक्षी लेखी और भाजपा के राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता और चार्टर्ड अकाउंटेंट गोपाल कृष्ण अग्रवाल , चार्टर्ड एकाउंटेंट्स की एक सभा में बजट सम्बन्धी सवालों के जबाब देने के लिए मौजूद थे. उस मीटिंग में मैं खुद भी मौजूद था. जब इन नेताओं से मध्यम वर्ग द्वारा उठाई जाने वाली इन आशंकाओं के बारे में चार्टर्ड एकाउंटेंट्स ने सवाल किये तो जो जबाब निकल कर सामने आये, उन्हें संक्षेप में इस तरह से लिखा जा सकता है :

१. सरकार के पास सीमित साधन होते हैं और उन्ही साधनों में से उसे समाज के सभी वर्गों का ध्यान रखना होता है. अगर सरकार को सिर्फ कागज़ों पर योजनाओं की घोषणा करनी हो और उन्हें अमल में नहीं लाना हो तो कुछ भी घोषणाएं की जा सकती हैं, लेकिन यह सरकार सभी घोषित योजनाओं को अमल में लाने के लिए कृत संकल्प है और इसलिए सिर्फ ऐसी घोषणाएं कर रही है जिन्हे वास्तव में पूरा किया जा सके.

२. साल १९७१ से ही देश में “गरीबी हटाओ” का नारा चलाया जा रहा है और अब तक किसी भी सरकार ने “गरीबी हटाने ” के लिए कोई ठोस काम नहीं किया है. मोदी सरकार ने आते ही जान धन बैंक खाते खुलवाकर , उन्हें आधार से लिंक करवाकर यह सुनिश्चित किया कि गरीबों को जो कुछ भी मिलना है वह न सिर्फ सीधे उनके खाते में जाए, बल्कि आधार से लिंक होने की वजह से यह भी सुनिश्चित किया कि गरीबों को मिलने वाली रकम किसी गलत हाथ में न चली जाए.

३. मध्यम वर्ग के लिए पिछले बजटों में दो बार रियायत दी जा चुकी है, उस समय समाज के कुछ और वर्ग छूट गए थे, क्योंकि संसाधन सीमित होते हैं. इस बार समाज के अन्य सभी वर्गों को भी रियायत देने का संकल्प लिया गया है, इसकी वजह से मिडिल क्लास के लिए जो कुछ भी किया गया है, वह उन्हें कम लग सकता है लेकिन सरकार ने इसी बजट में जो अन्य कदम उठाये हैं, उनका अपरोक्ष रूप से फायदा भी मिडिल क्लास को ही पहुँचने वाला है. सरकार के प्रतिनिधियों का यह भी कहना था कि किसानों के साथ साथ वरिष्ठ नागरिकों के लिए भी इस बार दिल खोलकर रियायतें दी गयी हैं और सरकार वरिष्ठ नागरिकों को भी “मिडिल क्लास” का ही हिस्सा मानती है.

जब यह सारी बातचीत हो रही थी तो चार्टर्ड एकाउंटेंट्स भी अपने सवाल जबाब सरकार के प्रतिनिधियों से करके उन पर अपना स्पष्टीकरण मांग रहे थे. एक सवाल का स्पष्टीकरण देते हुए सरकार के एक प्रतिनिधि ने इस तरह से जबाब दिया :

” सिर्फ जो लोग वेतन पाते हैं, वही मध्यम वर्ग नहीं हैं. मध्यम वर्ग वे भी हैं जो वेतन नहीं पाते हैं और अपने अपने छोटे मोटे रोजगार या पेशे से जुड़े हुए हैं. अगर देश में शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य और बुनियादी ढाँचे में सुधार होगा तो क्या उसका फायदा मिडिल क्लास को नहीं मिलेगा ? सरकार की कोशिश किसी वर्ग विशेष को ज्यादा या कम सुविधाएँ देने की न होकर, इस तरह के बजट बनाने की थी, जिसका लाभ समाज के ज्यादा से ज्यादा लोगों तक सामान रूप से पहुँचाया जा सके और जिस “गरीबी हटाओ” को १९७१ से सिर्फ एक नारा बनाकर छोड़ दिया गया था, उसे अमली रूप दिया जा सके.”

शेयर मार्किट में होने वाले दीर्घ कालीन लाभ पर १०% कर लगाने के बारे में यह बात बताई गयी कि इस छूट का दुरूपयोग बड़ी बड़ी कम्पनियाँ कर रहित आमदनी बनाने में कर रही थीं. सरकार ने इस पर १०% कर लगाया है लेकिन मिडिल क्लास के लिए यहां भी यह छूट दे दी है कि इस तरह से कमाए गए १००००० रुपये पर कोई टेक्स नहीं देना होगा. इस तरह से मिडिल क्लास को यहां भी छूट मिली है क्योंकि जो लोग गरीबी से तंग हैं, वे तो शेयर मार्किट में काम करते नहीं हैं और जो गरीबी की रेखा से बहुत ऊपर यानि उच्च आय वर्ग में आते हैं, उन्ही से १० प्रतिशत टेक्स लिए जाने की योजना है.

जब इस मीटिंग में से एक एक करके सारे मंत्री और नेता चले गए और सिर्फ चार्टर्ड एकाउंटेंट्स ही रह गए तो जो चर्चा हुई, वह काफी रोचक थी और उसका सार यह था कि जो बजट २०१८-१९ के लिए पेश किया गया है, उससे बेहतर बजट इन इन हालात में बनाना संभव नहीं था और शायद इसीलिये विपक्ष किसी और मुद्दे पर इसका विरोध भी नहीं कर पा रहा है. विपक्ष को थोड़ी सी आशा की किरण इसी बात में लग रही है कि “मिडिल क्लास” के मुद्दे पर दुष्प्रचार करके , भाजपा के वोट बैंक में थोड़ी बहुत सेंध लगाने में कामयाब हो सके. इस बात की भी चर्चा हुई कि ऐसे समय में सरकार को राष्ट्रपति,उपराष्ट्रपति,राज्यपाल और संसद सदस्यों के वेतन भत्तों पर प्रस्ताव नहीं लाना चाहिए था.

मेरा अपना मानना यह है कि “मिडिल क्लास” इस देश में सबसे ज्यादा पढ़ा लिखा, जागरूक और समझदार वर्ग है. कुछ टेक्स में कम रियायत मिलने पर वह यह नहीं करने वाला हैं कि मोदी को पी एम बनाने की जगह वह कुछ ऐसा कर बैठे जिससे राहुल, केजरी,अखिलेश,ममता,माया,मुलायम,तेजस्वी यादव जैसे लोगों में से कोई व्यक्ति इस देश का प्रधान मंत्री बन बैठे. मेरा अपना मानना यह भी है कि २०१९ के चुनावों में भाजपा को बड़ी चुनौती न तो “मिडिल क्लास” है और न ही बजट है. जो सबसे बड़ी चुनौती है वह कश्मीर से आने वाली है. कश्मीर में जिस तरह से देशद्रोहियों के साथ मिलकर भाजपा ने अपनी सरकार बना रखी है और जिस तरह से आम आदमी से वसूले हुए टेक्स को कश्मीरी देशद्रोहियों पर लुटाया जा रहा है, उसे लेकर सोशल मीडिया में काफी आक्रोश है. मेजर आदित्य पर FIR और ९७३० देशद्रोही पत्थरबाजों को बिना किसी दंड दिए छोड़ देना भी देशवासी हज़म नहीं कर पा रहे हैं. हुर्रियत के आतंकवादियों की सुरक्षा पर सरकार जिस तरह करोड़ों रुपये लुटा रही है, उसे भी देशवासी स्वीकार करने के मूड में नहीं हैं. बजट के बाद से ही कुछ विपक्षी नेताओं के इशारे पर जिस तरह से शेयर मार्किट को गिराया जा रहा है, उसे देखकर लगता है कि या तो सरकार का ख़ुफ़िया तंत्र ठप्प हो गया है या फिर सारी जानकारी होने पर भी ऐसे “आर्थिक अपराधियों” पर पर्याप्त सुबूत होने के बाबजूद भी कार्यवाही क्यों नहीं की जा रही है. ४ फरवरी २०१८ के “सन्डे गार्जियन” में एक विस्तार से लिखे गए लेख में इस बात का खुलासा किया गया है कि एक वरिष्ठ नेता और पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री शेयर मार्किट को २०१९ के आम चुनावों से पहले भी गिराने की योजना बना रहा है. इस नेता और उसके बेटे के खिलाफ पहले से ही कई मामले चल रहे हैं, लेकिन सरकार इस नेता से “जेल की चक्की” पिसवाने में किस बात का संकोच कर रही है, यह लोगों की समझ से परे हैं.

(लेखक चार्टर्ड अकाउंटेंट हैं और टैक्स मामलों के एक्सपर्ट हैं.)

Jauhar as protest! If you protest self immolation how come you cheer and support Gandhi’s or Anna’s fast on to death, ‘progressives’?

Chandra Mauli Singh
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Jauhar as protest! If you protest self immolation how come you cheer and support Gandhi’s or Anna’s fast on to death, ‘progressives’?

The release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavat has reignited the controversy surrounding patriarchy and misogyny, a women’s right to life and the glorification of the traditional practices of Sati and Jauhar. A very passionate open letter was written to Mr Bhansali by actor Swara Bhaskar who stated that at the end of the film she felt ‘just like a vagina’. Many other columnists and writers mostly of the so-called ‘progressive’ and the left-liberal hue have come out in support of Ms Bhaskar.

The critics, however, seem to have decontextualized and missed the nuances, when pontificating on issues like self-immolation and a women’s right to life. Ms Bhaskar and other so-called ‘progressives’ rightly argue that a woman has the ‘right to live’ even if she has been raped. Nobody in the right mind would contest that. However, comparing an act of rape with sexual slavery is an illegitimate comparison. Such a comparison completely decontextualizes and obliterates the societal milieu in which these abominable acts take place. Rape is a criminal offence and in all civilised societies, the one subjected to rape is considered a ‘victim’. No civilized society justifies rape, and a rape victim is considered not only as having a right to live with dignity, but also seek legal redressal through the instruments of state like police and the courts. On the other hand, sexual slavery during the medieval times was considered legitimate by the society. It had the religious and societal sanction and women usurped as war booty were subjected to mass rape, forced marriage and sexual depredations. Needless to say unlike a rape in modern society they had no redressal against such depravity and also no way to escape. As a result, they were condemned to sexual slavery forever. In the modern times, the proto-state created by the ISIS is a case in point. It was a state which not only allowed but also justified keeping women as sex slaves. A glimpse of the horrors perpetrated by the ISIS brutes on women subjected to sexual slavery can be found in the book, ‘The Last Girl’ by ISIS survivor Nadia Murad, who called her experience in ISIS captivity as ‘a slow, painful death – of the body and the soul.’ She was repeatedly raped, spat upon and her body burnt with cigarettes. She says that many women captives killed themselves. There were reports of Yazidi women setting themselves on fire to make themselves less attractive for ISIS men.  Would it be fair to brand the acts of these women for attempting suicide or burning themselves as perverse?  Will that not amount to victim blaming? Of course, it would be. Padmavati did exactly what these Yazidi women did; embrace death rather than be completely dehumanised and be reduced to a sexual plaything of the Khilji invaders. The right to life does not mean only the right to ‘exist’ but inherent in it is the ability to lead a life with dignity. What dignity could Rani Padmavati have in a life which condemned her to perpetual sexual slavery till her last breath? So before anyone condemns her ‘choice’ of death with Jauhar, is it not important to understand the context in which the decision was taken? Interestingly the so-called ‘progressives’ have always been at the forefront of protesting against the commodification of women (rightly so) but then, what would Rani Padmavati and other women of Mewar be, other than a commodity in the Khilji harem? They would have been reduced to dehumanised playthings to be enjoyed, traded amongst men, tortured and raped at will.

Let us also not forget that while Jauhar as a form of protest may have formed part of a bygone era, the act of embracing death, either slowly or instantaneously, in myriad forms, continues as a form of protest to this day. The Arab Spring was triggered by the self-immolation of the Tunisian street vendor Tarek al Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi as late as December 17, 2010, in protest against the humiliation heaped on him by the municipal authorities. Isn’t it strange that while ‘progressives’ of one hue condemn Rani Padmavati for her act of self-immolation, ‘progressives’ of other hues (European Parliament) award the Sakharov Prize to Bouazizi in 2011! What about his right to live despite all adversities?

The act of self-immolation as a means of protest has also been a part of Buddhist tradition for long. Who can forget the protest on the street of Saigon by monk Quan Duc on June 11, 1963, against religious persecution of the Buddhists by the Catholic government of Ngo Dinh Diem. This self-immolation shook the conscience of the world and hastened the fall of the Diem government.

(The burning monk Quan Duc. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia)

Similarly, since 2009, 151 Tibetan Buddhist monks have self-immolated themselves in Tibet and China protesting against Chinese occupation and its policies in Tibet.

One interesting fact to note however is the ambivalence shown by these so-called ‘progressives’ in their condemnation of this practice of seeking death. If the right to life is absolute then all attempts at embracing death, whether slow or immediate, should be treated as unacceptable. This, however, does not seem the case. Many of these ‘progressives’ who are at the forefront of condemning the practice of Jauhar were also at the forefront in their support for Anna Hazare’s fast unto death for Lokpal. They also speak pretty glowingly of Gandhiji’s repeated fasts on to death, which brought him close to death many times, during his long struggle as the leader of India’s independence movement. Now, this begs the question as to if indeed they condemn all forms of suicide or their unequivocal condemnation is reserved for ‘Hindu’ practices like Jauhar? So a fast on to death is justified as in case of Potti Sreeramulu, who died fasting for the creation of Andhra but a Jauhar is not?

In this debate on Jauhar, the issue of ‘gender’ too has been mentioned by some, projecting women as victims, for it is mostly they who are subjected to such ‘regressive’ practices like self-immolation. The examples that I have quoted above, however, disproves any such generalizations. Men too have killed themselves. It is also worthwhile to note that in many cases powerful women have played exploiters and served as catalysts driving hapless men to self-immolation. The trigger for Bouazizi’s self-immolation was the public humiliation inflicted upon on him by a women municipal officer Ms. Faida Hamdi. Similarly, on witnessing the self-immolation of monk Quan Duc in Saigon, Madam Nhu, sister in law of Diem and a member of the powerful ruling family in South Vietnam is said to have remarked with a contempt that she would “clap hands at seeing another barbecue show.”

The film has been pilloried by some for glorifying Sati and Jauhar, indirectly implying that the movie may influence people to either commit such act themselves or induce others to do so. Is this not a very elitist way of thinking, infantilizing an average the moviegoer? Unfortunately, the so-called ‘progressives’ of this country have generally infantilized the masses and have appropriated the right to think for them. This author is still to meet anyone so far who has seen the film and seeks to emulate the act of Jauhar in her personal life. Like the release of the ‘Last Samurai’ did not induce the Japanese to restart the process of committing hara-kiri, samurai style, no portrayal of any Jauhar in the film, howsoever glorified, will make Indian women jump in the fire. So relax!

Arrangement of India and Wassenaar

jijabyte
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Arrangement of India and Wassenaar

India has entered into Wassenaar Arrangement in December first week. Wassesnaar Arrangement is one of the four export control dominions. India has became 42nd member of this group, the other countries are Canada, France, Germany, Russia, UK, Japan and US.

Details on algorithm of Wassenaar Arrangement

Exporting of dangerous weapons like Nuclear, Chemical or Mass Destruction in particular but also monitoring their tradings, the materials and technologies used for their manufacture and also the dual use of weapons i.e both military and civilian purposes. The countries in the end of their meet exchanges essential documents and technologies of those weapons with each other (whatever is needed).

The GamePlay

India may use it’s card of entry for making a membership in NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group). Surely it will irk China a lot, as it always had tried out a way to stonewall India.

Another thing is that India has become member without Non-Proliferation Treaty, may be it played risk for it’s entry in NSG.

It’s a well-planned step taken by India also a great achievement to recognize itself among the powerfulls.

Hope Best outcome for future!

Dear Arun Jaitley, just take this one step to make the salaried class happy

hemenvarma
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Dear Arun Jaitley, just take this one step to make the salaried class happy

It’s not just the facts and logic that matters, Mr. Arun Jaitley, you have to take the ‘mood’ and perception into account also.

You and Mr Adhia have explained with impeccable logic why nothing or nothing more needs to be done for the salaried class. So I will not debate that. However, my point simply is that expectations were different, and for more. As a consequence, there is deep disappointment, which is slowly building up into resentment, which will definitely affect votes in 2019 and the 3 upcoming State elections before that.

Do you want to be remembered for having won the admiration of financial analysts for financial prudence, particularly the foreign ones, and forever condemned for making NDA lose the polls?

Please do not dismiss this as some naive alarmist feedback – this is what the bureaucrats will tell you, primarily because election results do not affect them one bit – they will always remain in the corridors of power, no matter which party wins or loses.

If you walk the streets yourself, you will gauge the deep “let-down”  feeling of the salaried class who are your most disciplined tax-payers.

So what is my suggestion – one very simple step.

Just increase Sec 80C limit by Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 2 lakhs.

Of course, this will have a financial cost (albeit not too huge) but the resulting relief and joy it will bring to your “committed constituency” will change the entire perception about the budget and dramatically drown out the voices of the “congenital prophets of doom” who pretend to see not even one good point in the budget because it electorally suits them to paint a dark picture.

This simple move will finesse all these biased opposition voices and give a much needed boost to the morale of the people, of the NDA and, I believe, so also of the stock market.

Do consider this option – low cost but very high returns!

Anger and disappointment in salaried middle class after Budget is alarmingly high

Mantri
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Anger and disappointment in salaried middle class after Budget is alarmingly high

Three days have gone past since our Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the annual #Budget2018 last thursday. I guess it gives all of us enough time to scrutinize it and present our opinion on what was changed, what was introduced, what was taken away and how does it affect us all. With the #Budget2018 being the last full budget of NDA Govt led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was hugely expected that this would be a largely populist budget keeping 2019 General Lok Sabha Elections in mind and to mobilize the traditional voters towards BJP. Shockingly though this was not the case.

I have been interacting with many salaried middle class staunch Modi supporters in the past three days, personally and on various social media platforms, and all of them seem unanimously disgruntled with #Budget2018. They strongly believe that the salaried middle class is pretty much neglected in this budget altogether. And their disappointment doesn’t seem baseless as well.

The Gujarat Assembly Elections especially farmers from Saurashtra gave a clear signal to the Govt that the rural votes cannot be neglected. The Agrarian Crisis needed to be addressed and FM Arun Jaitley seems to have taken cognizance of this in this #Budget2018. According to FM’s budget statement, The Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops is to be set at 1.5 times the input cost to ensure minimum 50% return on farming. This is a laudable step towards addressing the concerns of the farmers where in many cases it was even difficult for them to get back the input cost after selling the farm produce.

Coming to the corporate sector, the #Budget2018 had a big announcement. The income tax for companies with annual turnover of less than Rs. 250 crore is lowered to 25% from the existing rate. In last year’s budget, the government had reduced the income tax for small companies with an annual turnover up to Rs. 50 crore to 25%. This move is expected to benefit almost all of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) according to our FM.

For senior citizens, the #Budget2018 introduced exemption of interest income from Fixed Deposits of upto Rs. 50,000 from the existing Rs. 10,000. The FM also announced its ambitious Ayushman Bharat project to provide health insurance to 10 crore families of upto Rs. 5 lac cover. This definitely is a huge step closer towards a larger Universal Health Scheme (right now this is not UHS since it does not cover every citizen). But the absence of details of this project has left many questioning its feasibility. The allocation of Rs. 2000 crore to cover 50 crore citizens gives us a figure of Rs. 40 per person premium (i.e. Rs 200 annual premium for a family of 5 members). It has not yet been clarified who these insurance players will be and whether this Rs 200 premium is enough for a Rs. 5 lac cover when the general public is paying approximately Rs. 20,000+ for the same cover today. It also needs more clarification on how the govt is going to identify these 50 crore beneficiaries and regarding the capping of sum insured for various diseases, critical and non-critical. It also largely remains vague right now whether Ayushman Bharat project is going to obviate the need of a personal health insurance paid from our own pockets since the Govt has not modified the limits of section 80D which basically provides tax deduction on medical premiums. Hence, it can be speculated that a salaried middle class tax payer will still have to pay for a personal health insurance even after this scheme.

Lets come to the main point of this article. The cause of disappointment and anger among the salaried middle class tax payer for this #Budget2018 comes mainly from following two issues –

  1. No change in tax slabs as promised before 2014
  2. Introduction of 10% LTCG over Rs. 1 Lac capital gain

Talking about the first, Mr. Arun Jaitley had demanded before the 2014 General LS Elections that the Income Tax slab must be raised from the then Rs. 2 lac to Rs. 5 lac. This can be read here. The argument presented by Mr. Arun Jaitley that time in support of his demand was that the savings in the pocket of ordinary citizens will lead to increase in purchase which will lead to increase in VAT and Excise Duty thereby increasing the revenue. While VAT and Excise Duty have been replace with GST today, but his argument of 2014 still holds valid even in GST regime. More the citizens have money in their hands, more purchasing power they get and this in turn leads to increased revenue from GST to the government.

The same Mr. Arun Jaitley is Union Minister of Finance in this NDA Govt led by PM Narendra Modi and has presented all the Budgets of the Modi Govt till today. While it is appreciated that the IT slab has been increased to Rs. 2.5 lac, it is still far from what Mr. Arun Jaitley was demanding when he was in opposition. Add to that now he is already declaring that he has “done enough” for the salaried middle class tax payer in the previous budgets. This not only disappoints the common tax payer, but also gives a glimpse of the arrogance and a sense of being cheated on the election promise of 2014. The opposition has already been addressing the current Govt as “Jumle-wali Sarkaar”. And the FM is further proving them right when he says enough has been done for salaried middle class.

Moving on to second point, the idea of taxing Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) was widely speculated since last few years. If not taxing, then at least changing the time period in the definition of Long Term from 1 year to more was discussed at some point or other. But lets be honest, no one was expecting LTCG to be taxed in this #Budget2018 as this was expected to be a populist budget. Taxing of LTCG has a huge and wide impact on the salaried middle class which I think very few are talking about. Yes, I am talking about equity-oriented Mutual Funds (MFs). The year 2017 saw sharp surge in Mutual Fund inflows at record Rs. 1.3 lakh crore. You can read about this here.

The reason attributed to this surge was because of lackluster returns from other investment options like FDs, real estate and gold. We all must have seen many informative advertisements related to this with tag “Mutual Funds – Sahi Hai” to educate and encourage the common citizen about investing in MFs. Just when the salaried middle class started investing in Mutual Funds more than ever, the introduction of LTCG tax is forcing them to rethink this decision.

A common mode of investment in MFs used by middle class is via Systematic Investment Plans (SIP) wherein a monthly investment of a mere Rs. 500 can accrue into a huge kitty further compounded annually. Hence, MFs have started becoming popular long term investment instruments in which even housewives are investing these days with an aim to create kitty of money for various purposes like daughter’s wedding, a house, or kids’ college education.

Lets consider an example of a 30 year old salaried middle class tax payer who earns Rs 40,000 per month. Assuming that he starts SIP of Rs. 10,000 today with the target of saving money for his daughter’s wedding when she is 21, a simple calculation of returns on SBI Mutual Fund website after applying very conservative rate of return of 15% (MFs have been known to give returns which are upwards of 18%) will give you the amount he expects to get 21 years later, which is as below –

His total investment amount with an SIP of Rs. 10,000 per month over 21 years comes to approx Rs. 25 lakh 20 thousand and the kitty formed at the end of 21 years is approx Rs. 1 crore 77 lakh. Now according to the LTCG tax introduced by Mr. FM in this budget, he has to pay 10% tax on this after applying the Rs. 1 lac deduction that the FM has offered while calculating tax on LTCG. So the taxable LTCG comes to Rs. 1 crore 76 lakh and the person has a tax liability of Rs. 17 lakh 60 thousand. Huge right? It seems this aspect of LTCG has been totally ignored y the policy makers or they have been greedy after looking at how much a salaried middle class tax payer will get someday in future. Let’s not forget that the person was saving up for his daughter’s wedding with the money which was left after paying all taxes on his income legally and the risk he was taking since “Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks”.

Apart from hitting the middle class tax payer really hard, another ramification of this tax on LTCG is on ELSS as tax-saving instruments under section 80C deduction. ELSS are quite popular among salaried class since they carry least lock-in period of only 3 years as compared to other 80C investment options and also the returns at the end of 3 years were tax-free since LTCG wasn’t taxed. But now the returns of ELSS will also be taxed at 10% making them not so popular section 80C deduction instruments anymore.

While the salaried middle class tax payer is extremely disappointed due to the above mentioned reasons, the statements coming from FM Arun Jaitley and Finance Secretary Mr. Hasmukh Adhia which are almost arrogant, are only acting as catalyst to turn this disappointment into anger. One twitter user Abhijit Iyer-Mitra even reminded us of the similarities in justifications of the current Finance Secretary and Pakistani General Zia-ul-Haq in 1978.

Posts of disappointment and rebellion against Modi govt’s policies have started circulating on various social media platforms where even the staunch middle class supporters who voted Modi Govt to power in 2014 are feeling cheated due to lack of adhering to the promises. They are even complaining about the demonization they are being subjected to by the people in the Govt as well as unofficial supporters who say middle class is cribbing about taxes. But the reality is very different. The cribbing about taxes argument doesn’t hold true since the taxes are already being paid by the same people since forever. They are only frustrated because little is being done to increase the number of tax compliant population and more towards generating additional revenue from the existing tax payers. The frustration in middle class is also gaining because the Govt seems to be obsessed with generating revenue by taxing ONLY middle class.

If we all remember the past #Budget2016, FM Arun Jaitley had announced introduction of tax on withdrawal of money from Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and there was huge furor over it by the salaried class. The protest was so much that the FM had to rollback his decision to pacify the growing resentment and rebellion. You can read about this here. This in fact was a huge embarrassment to FM Arun Jaitley, if you think about it. Rolling back a financial policy because the countrymen did not agree with your opinion really damaged his credibility as FM who is connected to the common man. It only floated the idea that the FM is cutoff from the ground realities and does not understand the woes of the common middle class tax payer. It seems with introduction of LTCG tax and failing to keep up to his own word in this #Budget2018, he has only strengthened the perception of his disconnect with the common salaried tax payer class.

At the end of the day, the Modi Govt needs to understand that there is a growing perception in the mind of honest salaried middle class that its a crime to earn money in NDA govt. It definitely needs to be addressed. While Modi Govt came to power with the slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”, the #Budget2018 doesn’t reflect this ethos at all. It only gives an impression of “Middle Class ke Tax ka Saath, Kisan aur Corporate ka Vikas”. Not everyone is poor and not everyone is rich. There are people in the middle who neither ask for freebies from Govt, nor do they live a luxurious life. Their only demand is that let us earn money with dignity. Someone had truly said that the real minority in our country are the honest salaried tax payers.

While all this is true, the real question summing up this whole article was asked by Ms. Shuchi Singh Kalra – “Why can’t BJP be populist when required?”

The celebration of weakness: Eulogizing Karna

kryptonite
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The celebration of weakness: Eulogizing Karna

The Mahabharata has been a subject of many adaptations, discourses and commentaries since its writing. Interpretations highlighting the point of view of every important character have been written, but none has gained as much traction as that of Karna’s.

Ask 100 people who their favorite character from the Mahabharata is, and it is likely that at least half of them will say Karna. He has been painted as the tragic untainted hero, caught in a web of circumstances beyond his control, embracing death meted out to him by a tainted adversary, with a smiling face while fighting for his cause. He is the darling of present day leftist Marxists masquerading as social justice warriors. I write this in response to their slandering Shri Krishna and the Pandavas as perpetrators of upper caste atrocities against Dalits and the eulogizing of Karna and Duryodhana.

Karna is the low-born who fights against the hegemonic societal order, gains Vidya and uses it unflinchingly and generously in the cause of his friend, whose side he never leaves, no matter what. The Marxists use his example and that of Ekalavya to show that Hinduism has always been entrenched in caste rigidity and oppression by the Brahmin-Kshatriya nexus, and many an unsuspecting Hindu subscribes to their view due to dual factors – they have never read the Vyasa Mahabharata; the Marxists present their side in a way that appeals to the sensibilities of any good-natured human, even if their interpretation has no basis in the actual epic. Who really was Karna? Was he unblemished as claimed by the Marxists? Let us look at five of the most defining courses of events in Karna’s life.

Karna wanted to learn archery. He was taught the basic skills of archery (shastra Vidya) by Drona himself (Section 134 of Sambhava Parva of Adi Parva). The text of the Sambhava Parva explains how Drona taught the same concepts to everyone, but only Arjuna was passionate about learning the art of warfare and through sheer determination and practice, becomes good at it and betters his classmates. It also goes on to say that Karna becomes jealous of how good Arjuna is at archery and starts defying his guru and a nascent bond develops between Duryodhana and him.

Drona teaches advanced warfare techniques to his son Ashwatthama. He did not forbid any of his pupils from joining these lessons, however only Arjuna showed the initiative to join in and was able to learn these techniques. Karna asks to be taught these as well, but considering the nature of the Vidya (Astra Vidya) and Karna’s propensity to jealousy, Drona refuses. At this point, Karna leaves the Ashram and seeks Parasurama.

Brahmin according to the Vedas, is any person who seeks knowledge for the sake of knowing and not for any kind of gain, and exhibits the qualities of equanimity and Ahimsa, and teaches what he knows to worthy students. It has nothing to do with birth and everything to do with one’s deeds and qualities. Anyone who ceases to exhibit these qualities ceases to be a Brahmin. Parasurama wanted the knowledge he gained to be propagated while at the same time, establish peace after waging war over Kshatriyas for insulting his father. He thus vowed to train only Brahmins. Hence, at Parasurama’s Ashram, Karna disguises himself as a Brahmin and seeks Astra Vidya. Karna wanted Astra Vidya for profit – he wanted to show the world he was better than Arjuna. He could very well have sought out another guru, but he did not. While leaving Drona’s ashram, he challenges him that he will learn from his teacher and become better than even he! So he lied to Parasurama and by deceit, made him break his vow. Upon discovering the truth, Parasurama curses him to forget the Bramhastra during a single battle which would be the most important one of his life. It is to be noted that the curse applied only to Bramhastra and not to any other Astras learnt from Parasurama or to the Shastra Vidya learnt from Drona.

Karna, as early as his student days, displays the qualities of jealousy and deceit. Today’s Marxists say that a corrupt system made Karna lie to Parasurama. In reality, Karna’s jealousy made him fall out of favor with his first guru, his jealousy gave rise to anger which made him decide he wanted to learn only from Parasurama, to whom he has no qualms about lying.

According to section 189 of the Swayamvara Parva of Adi Parva, at Draupadi’s Swayamvar, Karna wants to win the contest to achieve twin objectives – to win Draupadi for his friend and to establish that he is the best archer. He has no interest towards Draupadi. Draupadi decides she does not want to be won over by him and says she does not want to wed the son of a charioteer. Though Karna is the king of Anga, he lives in a simple house with his adoptive parents and leads the life of Duryodhana’s servant. Draupadi on the other hand, is a princess of Panchala, one of the three most powerful kingdoms of those times. Even today, women have the freedom to choose who they want to marry. When a marriage is performed, the antecedents of the bride and groom are seen as important. Women generally want to marry into a household with better or at least equal income to their birth family, so that they lead a comfortable life. Such a choice of today’s women is respected but the same respect is not accorded to Draupadi’s choice. Is this not hypocrisy?

In one of the most kairotic moments of the Mahabharata, in the Sabha Parva, he calls Draupadi a whore and is gleeful as she is being dragged to court by her hair and laughs raucously as she is being disrobed. When Vikarna protests and tries to convince his brothers to stop, Karna lambastes him and asks him to shut up. When Vikarna realizes he can’t stop the dastardly act, he leaves the hall in disgust.

According to section 47 of the Drona Parva of the Vyasa Mahabharata, on the thirteenth day of war, when Abhimanyu dies in the Chakravyuha, fighting 11 Athirathis simultaneously, Karna is jubilant. He dances cheerfully at the battlefield as the boy takes his last breath and that night, takes part in the festivities with reinforced vigor. Is this behavior befitting a hero to be idolized?

According to the Udyoga Parva of Vyasa Mahabharata, when Indra seeks Karna’s Kavacha and Kundala as alms, he donates them without thinking twice, berates Indra and Arjuna, and then asks for a boon in return for his charity!

Now coming to his biggest defense, that he was a low born who became a king on his merit and decides to dedicate his life to his friend; Vyasa himself and the entire Kaurava lineage is born of a fisher woman. Krishna is called a cowherd his entire life – he embraces this name instead of getting offended by it. Which important character exactly is not low-born in the Mahabharata? There was no merit involved when Duryodhana names him the king of Anga. Karna is made king simply because Duryodhana sees an opportunity to gain an ally who he thought would be his answer to Arjuna.

After becoming the king, Karna does not fulfill any duties of kingship and spends most of his time in Hastinapura, co-conspiring against the Pandavas. He is an active and equal participant in the Lakshagriha conspiracy and in all conspiracies to cheat or kill the Pandavas thereafter. He does not even pay lip service to the poor and downtrodden at any of the court proceedings. He does nothing to change the Daasa (servitude) system and instead contributes to the system by proclaiming himself Duryodhana’s slave, and playing the part even in public. He uses his Vidya to further his friend’s cause at all costs just because he was made king. Isn’t it eerily similar to a politician who does the bidding of his benefactors just to stay in power? Karna basically sold his soul and his knowledge to Duryodhana so that he could remain Angaraja.

I see the phenomenon of eulogising Karna in continuum with eulogizing Ekalavya. Ekalavya learns archery by hearing Drona’s instructions from afar. In today’s terms, it is a breach of intellectual property rights. Ekalavya’s Nishada kingdom was allied with Magadha – an enemy to Hastinapura under whose employ Drona is teaching. It is natural for Drona to cut his losses. According to my study of the original Sanskrit Itihasa, which I have presented above, I see not a single characteristic of Karna that is worth idolizing and eulogizing.

If jealousy, deceit, treating a woman like an object to be won, holding a grudge against that woman and cachinnating at her disrobing, exhibiting cowardice and killing a mere boy in collusion with 10 others and rejoicing at his death are not signs of weakness, I don’t know what is! And if eulogizing a man possessing these qualities is not eulogizing weakness, I don’t know what is! And this celebration of weakness extends to other fields too – for instance, poverty is treated as a virtue and moneyed people are painted as evil. Making money on one’s own effort is a thing to be celebrated, but the Marxists treat such people as the enemy! People holding the Marxist ideology have produced an extensive list of translations and annotations of Hindu texts and have misinterpreted them in a way that justifies their flawed world view. And the average Hindu has predictably fallen prey.

The Smritis including the much hated Manusmriti and the Bhagavadgita state clearly that the Varna is decided by deeds and qualities of a person and not by birth. There are various examples which exemplify this and show Varna was always fluid. Valmiki was an Avarna (outcast) person who became a Maharshi. Vyasa’s example I have already quoted above. Alina was a Shudra who became a Kshatriya. There are many more examples, but quoting them is only superfluous.

The distortions in the epic retold such that it appears as though Karna, Ekalavya and even Duryodhana are the aggrieved party; and the distorted translation of the Smritis to show Vedic sanction to Jaati (caste) rather than Varna suits the Marxists. They can peddle their lies about Hinduism using such a narrative. The Aryan invasion theory which was an attempt by Max Muller to provide a basis for legitimizing the Nazi pogrom against non Germans, was latched on to by the British as a means of diving Indians and converting them to Christianity. Today, despite being disproved by genetics and anthropology, it continues to be taught in schools as history (not as a theory but as a fact) on the insistence of people like Romila Thapar who have meted out gross injustice to this country by propagating these distortions.

Hindus would do well to read their own Itihasas, Puranas, Smritis and Shrutis or at least make an attempt to hear about them from traditional scholars before forming their opinions on them. Marxists thrive on the laziness of the common man and his propensity for linear and oversimplified information. This is why imposters like Devdutt Pattanaik who admittedly cannot even read basic Sanskrit but has written his own Gita is so popular among the masses. Those who point a finger at the Smritis and Shrutis should at least have the decency to actually read the same. Once they have done that, if they can point fingers, traditional scholars are more than willing to debate. Until then, debating with ignorant haters is counter productive and a colossal waste of time.

भविष्‍य के हाथों में खंजर देकर देख लिया, अब गिरेबां में झांकने का वक्‍त

alaknanda
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भविष्‍य के हाथों में खंजर देकर देख लिया, अब गिरेबां में झांकने का वक्‍त

बच्‍चों में फैलती हिंसा पर पिछले कुछ दिनों में इतने लेख लिखे गए हैं कि समस्‍या पीछे छूटती गई और लेखकों के अपने विचार हावी होते गए। लेखकों में से कोई सरकारी नीतियों को, तो कोई परिवारों के विघटन को और कोई सामाजिक ताने बाने को ध्वस्‍त करते टीवी मोबाइल को दोषी ठहराने में लगा है परंतु क्‍या किसी ने ये सोचा है कि आखिर ये स्‍थिति आई ही क्‍यों?

हमारे जीवनपद्धति में आखिर ऐसा क्‍या बदलाव हुआ जिसने हमारे बच्‍चों के हाथों में खंजर थमा दिया। क्‍यों माता-पिता अपने बच्‍चों को मोबाइल थमाकर, टीवी के कार्टून चैनलों के सामने बिठाकर उन्‍हें मनुष्‍य बनने से रोकते रहे? क्‍यों माओं का कर्तव्‍य सिर्फ प्रिमैटरनिटी से थ्री मंथ मैटरनिटी लीव तक समेट दिया गया? क्‍यों बच्‍चे को पैदा करने और उनकी परवरिश के लिए महिलाओं के घर पर रहने को हम दकियानूसी सोच, पिछड़ापन या स्‍त्री-स्‍वातंत्र्य से जोड़ने लगे?

हम क्‍यों नहीं देख पाये कि भूखे बच्‍चे को मां का दूध जरूरी है, उसका सानिध्‍य जरूरी है ना कि सेरलक और बॉर्नविटा व मैगी की खुराक।
संवेदनाओं का मशीनीकरण हमने स्‍वयं किया है, किसी सरकार ने नहीं। स्‍त्री-पुरुष की बराबरी के द्वंद युद्ध की बलि चढ़ते गए बच्‍चे। पारिवारिक व्‍यवस्‍था की खामियों को दूर करने की बजाय महिलाओं की स्‍वतंत्रता को इस तरह परिभाषित किया जाने लगा कि परिवार ढहते गए और बच्‍चे क्रिमिलन बनने लगे।

ऐसा तब हुआ जबकि पूरी दुनिया ये मान चुकी है कि भारतवर्ष में जन्‍मे ”वेद” और ”गीता” जैसे महानग्रंथ किसी भी समाज को संपूर्ण चारित्रिक बल तथा पूरी स्‍वतंत्रता और अभिव्‍यक्‍ति के साथ जीने का अधिकार देते हैं।

सदियों से आक्रांताओं और उनकी थोपी गई सोच का ‘असर’ हमारे देश पर ऐसा पड़ा कि वेद और गीता की बात करने वाले को कथित बुद्धिजीवी तक अपना विरोध जताने को पुरातनपंथी या कट्टरवादी या हिंदूवादी जैसे विशेषणों से नवाजने लगते हैं। ऋषियों-मुनियों की अनगिनत खोज को झुठलाने में जुट जाते हैं और इस बीच मूल तथ्‍य तिरोहित हो जाते हैं कि आखिर कैसे बच्‍चों को संपूर्ण मनुष्‍य बनाया जाए।

जब मानवीयता से परे ले जाकर हम ही अपनी आने वाली पीढ़ी को उत्‍पाद (Comodity) बनाने पर आमादा हों तो श्रेष्‍ठ से श्रेष्‍ठतर और संपूर्ण मनुष्‍य (संतान अथवा शिष्‍य रूप में) की अपेक्षा करना सरासर गलत है।

इस संदर्भ में ऋग्‍वेद के 10वें मंडल से लिया गया 53वें सूक्‍त का छठा मंत्र कहता है—-

।। मनुर्भव जनया दैव्यं जनम् ।।

पूरा मंत्र इस प्रकार है-

तन्तुं तन्वन्रजसो भानुमन्विहि ज्योतिष्मतः पथो रक्ष धिया कृतान् । अनुल्बणं वयत जोगुवामपो, मनुर्भव जनया दैव्यं जनम् ॥

इसका भावार्थ है-
Become the Human being create the divine people
अर्थात्
मानव को चाहिए कि वह ‘उत्‍तम मनुष्‍य’ का विस्तार करे| अपने जीवन में धर्मपरक मार्गों का आलम्बन करते हुए मननशील होकर ‘उत्‍तम मनुष्‍य’ के निर्माण में यत्न करता रहे || ६ ||

ऋग्‍वेद के इस मंत्र में की गई ‘उत्‍तम मनुष्‍य’ की व्‍याख्‍या आज जैसे कोरी कल्‍पना बन चुकी है। मनुष्‍यता अपने निकृष्‍टतम स्‍तर पर जा पहुंची है। पहले यह ‘उत्‍तम मनुष्‍य’ की जगह निजी स्‍तर पर ‘उत्‍तम संतान’ अथवा ‘उत्‍तम शिष्‍य’ तक सिमटी, और फिर इससे भी नीचे ‘सिर्फ संतान’ व ‘सिर्फ शिष्‍य’ पर आकर ठहर गई।
और अब तो उत्तम मनुष्‍य जैसी कोई व्‍याख्‍या रह ही नहीं गई है। संतान और शिष्‍य को कमोडिटी के तौर पर इस्‍तेमाल करने के इस काल में कमोडिटी को हानि-लाभ के तौर परखा जाता है। फिर इनसे मानवता और मानवीय संवेदना की अपेक्षा करना क्‍या उचित होगा।

बाल सुधारगृह, बच्‍चा जेल की अवधारणा तक आ पहुंचे हम क्‍या अपने गिरेबां में झांक कर देखने की हिम्‍मत करेंगे?

यकीन मानिए कि जिस दिन हम ”अपनी ओर” देख पाऐंगे, उसी दिन से उत्‍तम मनुष्‍य की अवधारणा पुन: प्रत्‍यक्ष होने लगेगी । आज भी जो अपनी ओर देख पा रहे हैं तथा आत्‍मचिंतन करने में समर्थ हैं वे आईआईटियन हों या एमएनसी के सीईओ, सभी अपने देश की गौरवशाली परंपरा एवं आध्‍यात्‍मिक जीवनशैली की ओर लौटते दिखाई दे रहे हैं…बच्‍चों के आपराधिक बनने जैसी विडंबना के बीच यह सुखद परिवर्तन भी देखने को मिल रहा है।
अब बस बाकी है उस पारिवारिक एवं सामाजिक ताने बाने को पुनर्स्‍थापित करना जो समाज के लिए कमोडिटी नहीं, श्रेष्‍ठतर मनुष्‍य उत्‍पन्‍न करने का मार्ग प्रशस्‍त करता है।

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