Though the article here http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/A-new-low-India-sinks-in-global-corruption-ranking/Article1-776375.aspx
talks about this new low only in terms of India's image, it strengthens my argument that we are sadly becoming more and more corrupt as a nation.
No doubt some will counter with the question which is meant rhetorically: "But what about the current anti-corruption drive?"
My answer: first, it is not entirely evident that the anti-corruption movement is itself willing to free itself of corruption; and second, it is true that, at the same time as we are becoming increasingly corrupt as a nation, a few hundreds of thousands among us are becoming more actively committed to the fight against corruption.
I hope and pray that the number of those fighting against corruption increases, but that will only happen as each of us recognizes that the line against corruption passes through each of our hearts: what is important is not only to be "against corruption" in some verbal sense or in terms of being willing to go on political demonstrations; rather, what is important is to be willing to face the fact that, in our increasingly corrupt culture, if one is to act against corruption, one must be prepared to pay the cost in terms of delays, losses, inconvenience, ostracism, harassment, and perhaps even violence against one's property and person.
Thankfully, an increasing number are becoming willing to pay such a price. That that is not yet showing up in the rankings is evidence of how small that number is still. May their tribe increase.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Science and Technology in the Vedas
I'm afraid that I have only just got around to reading a book by the above title, published in 2007, Dr. R.V.S.S Avadhanulu.
It exemplifies all the strengths and all the weaknesses of the conservative view.
Strengths: it is clear, well organised, makes excellent distinctions, and is based on sound knowledge of Sanskrit as well as of our traditions.
Weaknesses: it is not willing to question any of our pieties. The problem is that if one is not willing to ask questions, then one cannot really grow that body of knowledge. Further, as there are different traditions in our country, one cannot explore the differences between our traditions in any substantial way.
Here is a simple example of the sort of thing I mean. Dr Avadhanulu provides an instructive (one might even say exhaustive) account of the Vedic and Vedantic views of the importance of the Vedas themselves. He also documents how much of the Vedas have been lost (as far as can be deduced). However, he does not ask how is it that a body of knowledge that was held in apparently the highest esteem by our people came to be lost by our people? Or perhaps it was the case that only a few of our people held the Vedas in that high esteem? If so, how come that even those few did not hang to the most precious thing in their lives? Further, as the majority of the Vedas have been lost, how do we know that what we do have is as important as that which we have lost? If I lose just the last few pages of a novel, that novel is not much use to me; if I lose several chapters from different sections of any book then surelythat book (whether fiction or non-fiction) is not much use to me? Please note that I am not arguing that what we have of the Vedas is not of much use; I am simply raising the sorts of questions that we must ask if we are to grow beyond our pieties.
Naturally, the question also arises: do we actually need to grow beyond our pieties? One way of answering that question is to consider the following.
Though Dr Avadhanulu does not demonstrate this, it is clear from even the most cursory knowledge of the subject, that early Indian technology was developed to a height greater than anywhere else in Asia (perhaps in the world, though that is a different matter, and can be argued about). How come we lost that technological lead? By the way, it is clear that we did not lose that lead simply because others overtook us - we actually degenerated in our level of civilization. I am referring of course to PRE-Vedic technology. Then, in another phase of our history, the Vedic phase, we again developed technology to the highest degree in Asia - but without building on the pre-Vedic technologies at least in some aspects. However, we lost not only Vedic technologies, we lost most of the Vedas themselves! Then we had Buddhist technology (which, again, if not in all aspects at least in many significant aspects, did not build on Vedic technology). At a specific point, perhaps as a result of the violence of the campaign to eliminate Buddhism from among our people, we lost Buddhist technology too. From this simple history, a basic question arises: what is wrong with our traditional way of dealing with knowledge that, highly technologically gifted as our people can historically be seen to be, we have lost our edge again and again? Did we lose it each time for fundamentally different reasons or for similar reasons? In what ways do we need to grow beyond our traditions so that we don't lose again whatever edge we are developing now? Those are the sorts of questions, and they are important for our children and grandchildren, that the conservative approach is not merely uncomfortable with, but specifically forbids one from asking. At the same time, I am deeply grateful to Dr Avadhanulu and other conservative scholars and researchers who have done and are doing so much to preserve and further our knowledge of our traditions.
It exemplifies all the strengths and all the weaknesses of the conservative view.
Strengths: it is clear, well organised, makes excellent distinctions, and is based on sound knowledge of Sanskrit as well as of our traditions.
Weaknesses: it is not willing to question any of our pieties. The problem is that if one is not willing to ask questions, then one cannot really grow that body of knowledge. Further, as there are different traditions in our country, one cannot explore the differences between our traditions in any substantial way.
Here is a simple example of the sort of thing I mean. Dr Avadhanulu provides an instructive (one might even say exhaustive) account of the Vedic and Vedantic views of the importance of the Vedas themselves. He also documents how much of the Vedas have been lost (as far as can be deduced). However, he does not ask how is it that a body of knowledge that was held in apparently the highest esteem by our people came to be lost by our people? Or perhaps it was the case that only a few of our people held the Vedas in that high esteem? If so, how come that even those few did not hang to the most precious thing in their lives? Further, as the majority of the Vedas have been lost, how do we know that what we do have is as important as that which we have lost? If I lose just the last few pages of a novel, that novel is not much use to me; if I lose several chapters from different sections of any book then surelythat book (whether fiction or non-fiction) is not much use to me? Please note that I am not arguing that what we have of the Vedas is not of much use; I am simply raising the sorts of questions that we must ask if we are to grow beyond our pieties.
Naturally, the question also arises: do we actually need to grow beyond our pieties? One way of answering that question is to consider the following.
Though Dr Avadhanulu does not demonstrate this, it is clear from even the most cursory knowledge of the subject, that early Indian technology was developed to a height greater than anywhere else in Asia (perhaps in the world, though that is a different matter, and can be argued about). How come we lost that technological lead? By the way, it is clear that we did not lose that lead simply because others overtook us - we actually degenerated in our level of civilization. I am referring of course to PRE-Vedic technology. Then, in another phase of our history, the Vedic phase, we again developed technology to the highest degree in Asia - but without building on the pre-Vedic technologies at least in some aspects. However, we lost not only Vedic technologies, we lost most of the Vedas themselves! Then we had Buddhist technology (which, again, if not in all aspects at least in many significant aspects, did not build on Vedic technology). At a specific point, perhaps as a result of the violence of the campaign to eliminate Buddhism from among our people, we lost Buddhist technology too. From this simple history, a basic question arises: what is wrong with our traditional way of dealing with knowledge that, highly technologically gifted as our people can historically be seen to be, we have lost our edge again and again? Did we lose it each time for fundamentally different reasons or for similar reasons? In what ways do we need to grow beyond our traditions so that we don't lose again whatever edge we are developing now? Those are the sorts of questions, and they are important for our children and grandchildren, that the conservative approach is not merely uncomfortable with, but specifically forbids one from asking. At the same time, I am deeply grateful to Dr Avadhanulu and other conservative scholars and researchers who have done and are doing so much to preserve and further our knowledge of our traditions.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Poem written some two years ago, on approaching my 60th birthday
THE BANIYA, CALCULATING SIXTY
My hairs are counted down
As I am counted up
What when they both reach zero?
An eye is on that sparrow!
So when I, ripe, fall
I will find (imagine!) the ground beneath it all:
Is there a friend who is closer than a brother?
Anyone who cares when no one is around?
Can the scales ever balance for those who are poor?
Cloudless skies, will those really be found?
Well, at least I know that he
Who up-ends tables, uses the whip,
Arranges, where the weights are imponderable
And the books can no longer be cooked
For even my hairs to be counted up
While I am gently counted down
And neither will amount to zero (imagine!)
When I can touch and kiss him, who is
the ground beneath it all.
______________
Prabhu Guptara
7 June 2009
My hairs are counted down
As I am counted up
What when they both reach zero?
An eye is on that sparrow!
So when I, ripe, fall
I will find (imagine!) the ground beneath it all:
Is there a friend who is closer than a brother?
Anyone who cares when no one is around?
Can the scales ever balance for those who are poor?
Cloudless skies, will those really be found?
Well, at least I know that he
Who up-ends tables, uses the whip,
Arranges, where the weights are imponderable
And the books can no longer be cooked
For even my hairs to be counted up
While I am gently counted down
And neither will amount to zero (imagine!)
When I can touch and kiss him, who is
the ground beneath it all.
______________
Prabhu Guptara
7 June 2009
Poem written in April 2011: "On a Visit, near Lucknow"
That chandelier you see, Sir, is Belgian.
True, one bulb is missing, some are cracked,
And all are – ahem – dusty
From the labours of servants who were ignorant or overenthusiastic.
That clock, sir, like this simple toast rack, doesn’t work any more.
But in our heyday, Sir, can you imagine how much it would have cost
How many years’ labour for how many of our people
Not only to buy these beloved things, but to transport them from Belgium to London
From London to Calcutta, thence by boat to Kanpur
(The river is blocked, nothing comes that way now)
And then by road the half-day journey to Lucknow.
Today, Sir, we can get anything everything direct from Sharjah.
By air. Direct.
But, Sir, Naseeruddin, Naseeruddin, Naseeruddin Haider!
He was something else!
What a vision he had of linking the Gomti and the Ganga!
If Kanpur and Lucknow had been connected, what a city Lucknow would have been!
Who would have cared for Lahore, Delhi and Calcutta?
Or even London, New York or Beijing?
Would there have been aircraft?
Might we, using ancient knowledge, have leapfrogged to a different propulsion system?
But, Sir, our nawaabs and thaakurs may be no more, their propulsion was the same
As that of our netas, only we are faster and harder - and more devious.
They all thought, Sir, they all think, themselves to be masters of the universe.
It is like - you know the story of the Naag Temple down the road, Sir?
No? Ah, then you must know! The most incredibly rich Jaat of the area
Had a dream in which he was granted a vision of the Naag Devta.
You must be knowing, Sir, Naag Devta, Shivji, Vishnu?
Yes yes of course, you live abroad but you are Indian, my apologies!
I’m sorry, Sir, but I must ask, I must not assume!
Nowadays, Sir, even Indians living in our own country don’t know anything about our traditions!
Anyway, the visionary demand was that a temple be built to the Naag Devta.
In the morning, trembling, the Jaat went to a pundit he knew a bit
And retailed the story, whereupon the wily pundit demurred:
building a temple is no small endeavour!
The terrified Jaat fell at the pundit’s feet and offered to sell everything he owned.
So, today, a beautiful cobra’s head overshadows the road, as you have seen,
The temple is splendid, overpowering. The pundit does very well.
The Jaat? I wondered if you would ask.
He volunteers at the temple, surviving gratefully on whatever is offered to him.
Yes, indeed, Sir, so what is the point of the story? That is what I am telling only.
This Jaat, Sir, was also a master of the universe.
All these masters of the universe had dreams.
And their dreams required them to sacrifice themselves and all they had.
But even at the height of their success, Sir, they were merely poor servants of their dream
Only imagining their mastery of the universe.
I am sorry, Sir, I fold my hands, I am an aged servant, not a philosopher
But we who've lived an age, even if we are uneducated, sometimes do reflect.
Many thanks, Sir, you are very kind. The master is good
But we have fallen on hard times, and everything is so expensive nowadays,
Thanks to today’s masters of the universe.
ENDS
True, one bulb is missing, some are cracked,
And all are – ahem – dusty
From the labours of servants who were ignorant or overenthusiastic.
That clock, sir, like this simple toast rack, doesn’t work any more.
But in our heyday, Sir, can you imagine how much it would have cost
How many years’ labour for how many of our people
Not only to buy these beloved things, but to transport them from Belgium to London
From London to Calcutta, thence by boat to Kanpur
(The river is blocked, nothing comes that way now)
And then by road the half-day journey to Lucknow.
Today, Sir, we can get anything everything direct from Sharjah.
By air. Direct.
But, Sir, Naseeruddin, Naseeruddin, Naseeruddin Haider!
He was something else!
What a vision he had of linking the Gomti and the Ganga!
If Kanpur and Lucknow had been connected, what a city Lucknow would have been!
Who would have cared for Lahore, Delhi and Calcutta?
Or even London, New York or Beijing?
Would there have been aircraft?
Might we, using ancient knowledge, have leapfrogged to a different propulsion system?
But, Sir, our nawaabs and thaakurs may be no more, their propulsion was the same
As that of our netas, only we are faster and harder - and more devious.
They all thought, Sir, they all think, themselves to be masters of the universe.
It is like - you know the story of the Naag Temple down the road, Sir?
No? Ah, then you must know! The most incredibly rich Jaat of the area
Had a dream in which he was granted a vision of the Naag Devta.
You must be knowing, Sir, Naag Devta, Shivji, Vishnu?
Yes yes of course, you live abroad but you are Indian, my apologies!
I’m sorry, Sir, but I must ask, I must not assume!
Nowadays, Sir, even Indians living in our own country don’t know anything about our traditions!
Anyway, the visionary demand was that a temple be built to the Naag Devta.
In the morning, trembling, the Jaat went to a pundit he knew a bit
And retailed the story, whereupon the wily pundit demurred:
building a temple is no small endeavour!
The terrified Jaat fell at the pundit’s feet and offered to sell everything he owned.
So, today, a beautiful cobra’s head overshadows the road, as you have seen,
The temple is splendid, overpowering. The pundit does very well.
The Jaat? I wondered if you would ask.
He volunteers at the temple, surviving gratefully on whatever is offered to him.
Yes, indeed, Sir, so what is the point of the story? That is what I am telling only.
This Jaat, Sir, was also a master of the universe.
All these masters of the universe had dreams.
And their dreams required them to sacrifice themselves and all they had.
But even at the height of their success, Sir, they were merely poor servants of their dream
Only imagining their mastery of the universe.
I am sorry, Sir, I fold my hands, I am an aged servant, not a philosopher
But we who've lived an age, even if we are uneducated, sometimes do reflect.
Many thanks, Sir, you are very kind. The master is good
But we have fallen on hard times, and everything is so expensive nowadays,
Thanks to today’s masters of the universe.
ENDS
Monday, 28 November 2011
More and more impressive: Forward Press magazine
The magazine started boldly, struggled to find its voice for several months, but has for about a year now being doing better and better.
The current issue is outstanding:
- Bihar: Who Got How Much Land and for How Much?
- Which castes have what percentage of faculty positions at India's premier university, JNU?
- should one version of the Rama story be imposed on everyone - and if so, which?, by Ram Puniyani
- Is the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr Ambedkar, now outshining Gandhiji?, by Prof Kancha Ilaiah
- Nuclear energy: does India need it? by Ratan Mani Lal
- The monumental dalit response to "national" memorials across the Yamuna from Delhi
- Call for splintered Dalitbahujan movements to come together
- Chandra Bhushan Prasad Yadav, Editor-in-Chief, Yadav Shakti, asks "the Mulnivasi castes... the original inhabitants" of India to read and to think
- Progress-prone versus Progress-Resistant Societies: Why Real Change is So Hard, by Thom Wolf
- review of Jagdeo Prasad's Complete Works, by Dr Sanjay Navle
- Srilal Shukla: a tribute by Prem Kumar Mani
- our national language, Hindi - how was it created?, by Vishal Mangalwadi
- the story of the creation of the first-ever Hindi thesaurus, by Arvind and Kusum Kumar
- should 27% of all government purchases and contracts be awarded to dalitbahujans?, by an Indian professor
- Mayawati and Nitish: Similar Path, Different Destinations, by Rajnikant Vashishtha
- Waman Meshram calls on all SCs, STs n OBCs to oppose the hypocrisy of both the Congress and the BJP
- On Phule’s death anniversary, Truthseekers International's honour to the unrecognized work of farming
- Mahishasura and Macaulay: The Limits of Postmodernity, by Ivan Kostka
- case study of decision-making in a family, by Hansraj and Kasturbai Jain
- and more...
The current issue is outstanding:
- Bihar: Who Got How Much Land and for How Much?
- Which castes have what percentage of faculty positions at India's premier university, JNU?
- should one version of the Rama story be imposed on everyone - and if so, which?, by Ram Puniyani
- Is the father of the Indian Constitution, Dr Ambedkar, now outshining Gandhiji?, by Prof Kancha Ilaiah
- Nuclear energy: does India need it? by Ratan Mani Lal
- The monumental dalit response to "national" memorials across the Yamuna from Delhi
- Call for splintered Dalitbahujan movements to come together
- Chandra Bhushan Prasad Yadav, Editor-in-Chief, Yadav Shakti, asks "the Mulnivasi castes... the original inhabitants" of India to read and to think
- Progress-prone versus Progress-Resistant Societies: Why Real Change is So Hard, by Thom Wolf
- review of Jagdeo Prasad's Complete Works, by Dr Sanjay Navle
- Srilal Shukla: a tribute by Prem Kumar Mani
- our national language, Hindi - how was it created?, by Vishal Mangalwadi
- the story of the creation of the first-ever Hindi thesaurus, by Arvind and Kusum Kumar
- should 27% of all government purchases and contracts be awarded to dalitbahujans?, by an Indian professor
- Mayawati and Nitish: Similar Path, Different Destinations, by Rajnikant Vashishtha
- Waman Meshram calls on all SCs, STs n OBCs to oppose the hypocrisy of both the Congress and the BJP
- On Phule’s death anniversary, Truthseekers International's honour to the unrecognized work of farming
- Mahishasura and Macaulay: The Limits of Postmodernity, by Ivan Kostka
- case study of decision-making in a family, by Hansraj and Kasturbai Jain
- and more...
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Eye-witness account of the situation regarding the current elections in UP
A friend writes from UP:
"All major political parties are now actively campaigning. The amount of money being lavished is visible and frightening. Regular and organized ‘daawats’, distribution of silver toe rings to women, large amounts of cash being given to agents and leaders - these visuals are unabashed and open!" (sic.)
There are many kinds of bribery.
May God grant to our people the elementary commonsense to see that anyone who is willing to bribe you to get your vote, is not the kind of person for whom you should vote...
"All major political parties are now actively campaigning. The amount of money being lavished is visible and frightening. Regular and organized ‘daawats’, distribution of silver toe rings to women, large amounts of cash being given to agents and leaders - these visuals are unabashed and open!" (sic.)
There are many kinds of bribery.
May God grant to our people the elementary commonsense to see that anyone who is willing to bribe you to get your vote, is not the kind of person for whom you should vote...
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