Hello Sagarika Auntie! Trolling Gujaratis, eh?

Rejoinder or open letter to Sagarika Ghose for her nonsensical blog Su che? Saru che!. 

Dear Sagarika,

First of all let me draw your attention to the title of your article- Su Che? Saru Che!- and humbly submit that it’s an UNGRAMMATICAL title. I know that besides twitter, you do not know how to use the marvel of technology called internet. Not knowing perfect English grammar may be a crime, but being an illiterate of the technological advances certainly is not. So I would not unleash any Fafda eating demon Gujju (that’s the term you use for the people who live in Gujarat, right?) upon you. But on a serious note, let me tell you that it should have been “Shu Chhe!” and “Saru Chhe”. Nevertheless, your title would still not have made any sense. But I’d not hold any grudge over your buffoonery.

Now what kind of nonsense is, At home and abroad, Gujarat has never loomed larger? Let me introduce you, without taking the help of Google (You may wonder what the eff is this Google), to Gujarat. If you have seen the map of India, you must know that Gujarat is a coastal state. It may amuse you that it was a Gujarati sailor, (કખગઘચછજઝ), who guided Dom Vasco da Gama to India from the Cape of Good Hope. You may not appreciate (or understand either), but Gujarat has always believed in वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम, something which our Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Yeah He’s from BJP) has emphasized in his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly. It was Gujarat to grant refuge to Zoroastrians (Remember Fali Nariman?) who escaped from the onslaught of the sword of Islam. A north Gujarati boy, Khusro Khan, ruled the Sultanate of Delhi for a year at the age of only 19 years. You must know who Dadabhai Navroji is. Don’t you worry if your knowledge of history is poor; just take help of your dear friend Ramachandra Guha. Also ask him who Jamshed Tata was and what he contributed to the progress of India, you must also know about JRD Tata as well. Now you must have heard the name of Ambani, right? After all, how can you forget the one who was responsible for your removal from the channel your husband built from the scratch?

You must also know that both Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah were Gujarati. I know that you don’t like him, but the Bismarck of India (I know that you’re a champion of the European history) Vallabhbhai Zaverbhai Patel also was born in India only. Heard about Morarjibhai Desai? Oh just forget that, have you heard of Amul? You must know Mallika Sarabhai, but do you know her father, Dr Vikram Sarabhai? IIMs, PRLs, and ISRO (MOM, remember?) too were his vision. And guess what, he was a Gujjubhai only.

This much of introduction should suffice I believe. And as promised, I didn’t take the help of Google.

This much of introduction should suffice I believe. And as promised, I didn’t take the help of Google.

Now let’s come to Narendra Modi. May I ask you a simple question- Which parliamentary constituency does Mr Modi represent in the Lok Sabha? What??? Did you just say Vadodara? Wrong answer honey! Narendra Modi represents Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh (unfortunately people of India are no different from effete Gujarati people, you see) in the Lok Sabha. I am sure that you don’t want to talk about the nightmare called 16^th May, 2014 anymore. Yet just to refresh your memory, BJP won a whooping majority, securing 282 seats, in the Lok Sabha. Even your home state West Bengal elected two BJP MPs, namely S.S. Ahluwalia and Babul Supriyo. Now just tell me one thing- Would you vote for an effete Gujjubhai, who according to you, can connect only to Gujjus? Or let me make it simpler to you- Do you think that people would have preferred Narendra Modi over Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar in Bihar if he was only a Gujju sensation? Let alone Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, even Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh too preferred Narendra Modi over whatever other options they had. So was it all because of his Gujjuness? When will you grow up, Sagarika auntie?

You may loath your grandparents, but NRGs don’t. They know that whatever they are is only because of their parents’ and grandparents’ hard work and hence they try their best to render all the comforts of the world they can afford to their aging parents and grandparents. But in order to understand the family values, you must know what a happy family means. Someone who is still craving for an orgasm would never be able to understand it. By the way, I heard that Rajdeep was used to beat you up and you guys had to change your address quite often as you guys used to create scenes. Is it true?

Neither Rajdeep nor you really deserve the ‘stature’ and ‘position’ that you’re enjoying. I do remember that your father was an influential person who managed to launch careers of Rajdeep and you. So to expect that you’ll respect the hard work is like expecting peace from Pakistan. Hey, don’t take it personal honey; it’s just my freedom of expression. By the way, I’m just wondering whether your ‘jerkometer’ would blast if at all you come to read this rejoinder.

You must be remembering your proud coinage “Internet Hindus”. I’m glad to inform you that Hindu Nationalists wear that title as a badge of honour. And you were right in a way; internet is one of the reasons of the resurgence of Hindutva. Nevertheless, I was saddened to learn that of late you’ve completely stopped using that phrase. I’m now glad that you’ve coined not one but two phrases- Long Distance Nationalism, and Internet Nationalism. Of the two of them, Internet Nationalism seems perfectly ordinary and hence I’ll not talk about it. I’d rather wear it as a badge of honour when you call me that name. But this Long Distance Nationalism has intrigued me. Tell me honestly Sagarika, have you ever been in an LDR (Long Distance Relationship you silly)? Anyway, let’s not get personal, and let me leave it to the twitter.

Now I am wondering why on the earth have I written a rejoinder to your stupid article! Off to do Yoga so that I can focus on important things and never again indulge in squandering time like this.

RUNNING A GOVERNMENT IS MORE COMPLEX A JOB THAN RUNNING AN NGO

This is the rejoinder to the article, The Modi government’s Hindu agenda ?, by Koenraad Elst in the Swarajya Magazine.

Let me begin by saying that not all the allegations leveled against the Bharatiya Janta Party, which is perceived to be the sole political representative of Hindus, are baseless. The party of course has failed to deliver what it has been promising thus far, i.e. abolition of the article 370, uniform civil code, and the construction of Ram Mandir. But is this what the Hindu agenda is all about? Which Hindu agenda will be furthered by calling BJP a B-team of Congress? Is it necessary to stoop to the level of Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party to criticize BJP or Narendra Modi, because calling BJP a B-team of the Congress will infer that Narendra Modi is a STOOGE of the very Nehru-Gandhi dynasty he’s so vehemently opposed to and Nehruvian consensus which he’s determined to dismantle? 

One of the most important slogans which, I think, helped the BJP immensely to secure as many as 282 Lok Sabha seats was- सब का साथ सब का विकास (Cooperation of all, development for all). Besides, "Development for all and appeasement for none" has been the stated position of the BJP so far as secularism and appeasement politics is concerned. And if this is not enough to convince you, let's discuss symbolism which the opposition often blames BJP and especially Narendra Modi to indulge in. Despite being his home constituency, Modi relinquished the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat and continued being the representative of the Varanasi, which he often calls the spiritual capital of India, in the Lok Sabha.

Soon after winning the General Elections with a thumping majority, one of the first things that Narendra Modi did was to attend the Ganga Aarti. That was, I believe, a strong signal to the core constituency of BJP that his government will not be cowed down by the secular rants and will do everything to uphold and restore the lost glory of India’s Hindu heritage. The sister-city agreement between Varanasi and Kyoto, during his Japan visit, reflects that the Hindutva constituency can rely upon Modi as a doer. Besides, Modi government has flagged the cleaning of Ganga as an issue of top priority. 

Narendra Modi, as the Prime Minister of India, did not host any Iftar party in his official residence. One should not forget that hosting Iftar parties was a precedent which even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee deemed fit to follow. Moreover, Prime Minister Modi did not attend the Iftar Party hosted by the President of India.

Do you recall a Prime Minister of India, other than Narendra Modi, paying a visit to the Pashupatinath Mandir and flaunting the Tilak of Sandalwood on his forehead with pride? So what was that- a face saving gesture? It was the Congress to demand a debate on communal violence and BJP deployed one of its senior most MPs, Yogi Adityanath, as the principal speaker from the BJP. What’s so face saving gesture in this? Yeah, the Modi government did announce to allocate some resources to the Madrassas and while in the wake of rise of global Jihadist activities, one may tend to criticize it, is the criticism really justified? Did Modi not make it amply clear during the campaign trail itself when he said that let Muslims hold Koran in one hand and Computer in the other? So what is this fuss really all about? I do accept that the RTE on is a blatantly communal legislation and the Modi government must get rid of it as early as possible. I would go one step ahead and say that the government needs to do away with the article 30. But should I pass the judgment in mere three months, or say hundred days of the new government assuming the office?

I’m sure that people must have paid keen attention to the appointments approved by the Modi government so far. Be it the post of ICHR, or governors, or the chief of NCW; the appointments themselves are self-explanatory. What’s the use of speaking to people disgruntled for one or the other reason? It is the people of India, and not those individuals, who have elected Modi with such a thumping majority and Modi is answerable to them. The first thing Modi needs to focus on is the economy, because everything but the empty stomach can wait. Do I even need to explain why it is so important to create as many jobs as possible in a very short span of time? Unemployment first shakes the self-confidence and later on lures one to indulge in criminal and sometimes anti-national activities. In order to save the society from becoming a hub of the criminals, Modi has to prioritize the revival of economy and job creation.

While the op-ed space is full of content which amply shows that the work-culture under the Modi-regime has tremendously been improved, to call the BJP under Modi-Shah duo uninspiring one has to either belong to the opposition or disgruntled for whatever reason. From the presence of all ministries in the social media to the feedback mechanism in terms of MyGov portal, everything is exceptionally creative and inspiring.

I do believe that the Hindu temples must be freed from the clutches of the government. And the BJP must devise some way to ensure that the temple committees, while being autonomous bodies, consist of individuals of the highest integrity. But the demand that the government should simply handover the control of temples into the hands of a select people seems impractical and if that happens, the government of the day will be put in the fix over allegations of all kind. This is a serious issue which needs to be deal with extreme care. After all, it is about the wealth worth billions.

It will be an insult to the wisdom of the Indian electorate, who rose beyond caste, creed, language, and perhaps religion, to suggest that he did not vote for development which was the central theme of the entire election campaign spearheaded by Narendra Modi. Yes, Hindutva undercurrent was there, and no one is denying its contribution. But would the voters have voted in BJP by such an overwhelming majority had Hindutva been the central theme of the election campaign? I guess not.

I cannot resist laughing when someone talks about a Hindu lobby and that too to pressurize BJP to push for the Hindutva agenda. Unlike others, I do believe that RSS is quite competent to push for the Hindu agenda and VHP to provide the muscle necessary to pressurize at least the BJP government to push for the Hindutva agenda. Had it been that easy, I don’t think there was any reason for not penetrating the Congress through such a Hindu lobby; pressurize it to abandon its anti-Hindu policies. Let’s not talk about time till 1998; what stopped committed and influential group of Hindus to form a Hindu lobby and pressurize Congress during 2004 to 2014, i.e. during UPA-I or UPA-II regime? Please don’t tell me that no one could think of it before.

To sum up, the mandate that Modi government has secured is massive, and so are the expectations from the government. The first thing that even a devout Hindu would want the Prime Minister to mend is the economy. Moreover, one shouldn’t forget that the mandate is for 5 years, i.e. 1800 days; it’s hardly been 150 days, not even the 10 per cent of the time-span BJP has been authorized by the people of India to rule them.

PS: While I was about to blog this rejoinder, I came across the news that Rajasthan is undoing the RTE.

Democratic traditions of ancient India

India is the largest democracy in the world and continues to grow despite the predictions of the demons of gloom and doom. It is an ancient land of mind-boggling cultural diversity and plurality; an “eternal India juxtaposed against the India of today” as indicated by High Commissioner Malay Mishra in his recent lecture at UTT. Some commentators are prone to proclaiming that democracy in India is a British inheritance despite glaring evidence to the contrary. The Westminster style of democracy is, without doubt, a British inheritance but the principle of democracy existed as a core value in ancient India. 

A much touted feature of modern democracy is the meeting of citizens by leaders, existing and prospective, to discuss and to receive feedback on issues that impact on community and national life; be they town meeting or consultations. They were also a feature of ancient India. A clear example of this is described in the holy Ramayan of the poet/saint Tulsidas when Lord Ram assembled the citizens to engage in dialogue. He indicated very clearly that they, the citizens, were free to disagree with him but he would very much appreciate their reasons for so doing so as to enable him to fully understand and appreciate their point of view. 

Here is a king of what was probably the most powerful and prosperous kingdom of the ancient world listening to the views of his citizens, even if they disagreed with him. This represents the highest ideals of democracy as freedom of speech, which includes the right to criticise official policy, is the most fundamental democratic right, without which there can be no democracy.  This right to a dissenting view, not tolerated at all in monotheistic traditions, has been and continues to be a core feature of Hinduism which embraces spiritual democracy. 

It could come as no surprise then that Hindus feel very comfortable with democracy. This is evidenced by adherence to the ideals of democracy by Hindu communities wherever and in whichever countries they are domiciled, be they in the majority or minority. There is no founder of or starting date of Hinduism and hence it is named the Eternal Religion (Sanatan Dharma). The Rik Veda, the world’s oldest religious text, which is at least four to five thousand years old, is accepted as the authoritative source by Hindus. 

In light of this, attempts to separate or alienate the Vedas and Vedic traditions from Hinduism are incomprehensible and have no basis whatsoever. To say that there was no Shiva in Vedic times but Rudra, the representation of whom is not found in subsequent Hindu texts, is to display an incredible ignorance of the evolution of Hinduism, the prime mover of which is the right sacrosanct in Hinduism, the right to dissent. This led to the continuing evolution of the concept of the Supreme Being.

This would appear blasphemous to those who adhere to the monotheistic traditions who hold fixed inflexible positions. But the reality that mankind’s knowledge and understanding is ever increasing makes such a position “blasphemous” to those who believe in the right to dissenting views and acknowledge that we must update our views in light of new and irrefutable evidence and that the world is not static. 

Interestingly, the Dalai Lama has indicted that Buddhism should be prepared to accept new evidence even if it contradicts existing beliefs/practices. This is consistent with the position taken in Hinduism that our present knowledge is incomplete. This is vividly illustrated by the cautionary statement in the Vedas to the effect that what is contained in them is not all that there is to know. 

Ancient India, the fountain of the core democratic ideal of the right to dissent, provided the basis and foundation for the democratic India of today. The very idea of a Mother India, the axis upon which the independence movement sat, has its origins in Hinduism. Hindus, since time immemorial, have propagated and practised religious tolerance, even when they were subjected to the onslaught of intolerant invaders. 

It is both ironic and tragic that modern India, in seeking its place in the modern world, seems intent on denying and demeaning the very core values that made it what it is. It is the sincere plea emanating from the depths of the heart of this grandson of India that my glorious heritage be given its just due.

Prakash Persad is the director of Swaha Inc

THOUGHTS

Right to dissent is a core value of democracy.

The right to dissent is central to Hinduism.

Modern India must cease and desist from denying its Hindu roots.