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Of Thiru Karunanidhi, Tilak and Secular Fundamentalism

….and a deja-vu moment.

Courtesy Sridhar, this news-item from earlier today: Karuna does it again, flays Hindus for sporting tilaks

Flaying the Hindu practice of smearing ash or saffron or sporting a ’tilak’ on the forehead for yet another time, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi questioned the need for ‘such things in a country which preached equality of all religions’. 

which reminded me of Don’t wear a “tilak” to work ! …

…and of Mark Tully’s memorable quote:

Secular fundamentalism is alive and kicking in India too. 

Next target, Sanskrit? 

P.S. I doubt that Thiru Karunanidhi needs any education in the significance of either a Tilak or a “Bindu/ Pottu” in Hinduism but I thought it would be nice to refresh my own memory.

A brief excerpt from Ten Questions about Hinduism on the “Bindu/ Pottu”:

Question Eight: Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of their forehead?

A: The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark.

Longer answer: The dot worn between the eyes or in the middle of the forehead is a sign that one is a Hindu. It is called the bindi in the Hindi language, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in Tamil. In olden days, all Hindu men and women wore these marks, and they both also wore earrings. Today it is the women who are most faithful in wearing the bindi.

The dot has a mystical meaning. It represents the third eye of spiritual sight, which sees things the physical eyes cannot see. Hindus seek to awaken their inner sight through yoga. The forehead dot is a reminder to use and cultivate this spiritual vision to perceive and better understand life’s inner workings…to see things not just physically, but with the “mind’s eye” as well.

…In addition to the simple dot, there are many types of forehead marks, known as tilaka in Sanskrit. Each mark represents a particular sect or denomination of our vast religion. We have four major sects: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Vaishnava Hindus, for example, wear a v-shaped tilaka made of white clay. Elaborate tilakas are worn by Hindus mainly at religious events, though many wear the simple bindi, indicating they are Hindu, even in the general public.

Related Posts:

“Who is this Ram?” - Will Thiru Karunanidhi look at this evidence? 

If you thought banning a “tilak” was funny, think again 

November 6th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | A Hindu Identity, Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality & Philosophy, Women in Hinduism & India | 7 comments

On “live-in” relationships, “Hindu culture” and Uniform Civil Code

Many of you must have, read about the controversial move by the Maharashtra state government to amend the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) Sec. 125  with a view to legalising “live-in relationships”.  I spent a few hours today gathering links in favour of and against the debate.

The arguments that have been made “for” this move are:

It will protect the interests and rights of the so-called ‘mistress’ or ‘other woman’. We may not admit it but we all know that these women are the worst sufferers in the current system in spite of giving up years of their lives (and more) to one man without any legal protection at all (especially in cases of abuse or harrassment). The move would equate such women to legally married wives in matters of property, inheritance and maintenance

In the words of women’s activist Flavia Agnes:

“…Men, who until now used to deny such a relationship on grounds that the marriage was never conducted as per Hindu rites, shall now have no escape route…”  (and) this will protect the rights of such women who had limited protection under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 [ link ]

As Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research in Delhi said:

You need a law that protects children and entitles these women to a share or property. It is a step forward in recognising the autonomous rights of women [ link ]

Keep Reading…

October 12th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Social System, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Politics and Governance in India, Women in Hinduism & India | 59 comments

What about reforms in Hinduism?

In response to my previous post, a loyal reader emailed me and asked, what about reforms in Hinduism? or did I think that Hinduism was perfect and really did not need any changes?

That question prompted this post…Now, I have written on this subject before (pl. see list of related posts at the end) but I realised there was still some value in enumerating what is “wrong” with Hinduism and what needs to change for the better…

So here is my first cut (and I must say that this is an amateur’s attempt - I am by no means a scholar on Hindu-ism; more an interested observer…and of course a practising Hindu)… Please add your own thoughts and please do comment freely - especially those of you who have read far more widely than me - and are better versed in our philosophical/ religious texts.

How can we make Hindu-ism “better” or more in tune with our current lives? Here are some thoughts (in no particular order):

• Dowry: Publicly declare that Dowry is illegal and goes against the respect and honour accorded to a woman in Hinduism
• Untouchability/ caste-based discrimination: Unequivocally condemn anyone who indulges in this practice or condones such acts of others.
• Female foeticide: Anyone found guilty of female foeticide must be publicly named and shamed by the Acharya Sabha, the Shankaracharyas and community leaders…
• Temple entry: Seek free and unfettered entry to every temple (subject to regulations established by the trustees - such as no entry during the late hours) for every Hindu, regardless of caste, sex and birth, participation in every ritual/custom and access to every privilege which hitherto was limited only to certain classes (e.g. the “right” to become a priest or to conduct a “pooja”).
• Treatment of Widows: Unequivocally condemn the shameful treatment of widows in society - especially in Vrindavan and Mathura - and do something for the painful plight of child widows. For more, pl. read this post…There is some hope though.
• Cleanliness in Temples: I have written about this before: Why are our temples so dirty? 

Are these things enough? Almost certainly not…

So please add your own thoughts…Looking forward to everyone’s responses, comments and suggestions.

Related Posts:

Hinduism, Caste System and discrimination - Join the debate

Is this too much to�ask?

Utterly shameful and�inexcusable� 

Adjacent Posts: A Valentine’s Day “fatwa” and The last word on “Water”

September 9th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | Debates & Discussions, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Social System, Sanatana Dharma, Women in Hinduism & India | 40 comments

“Does Europe have a Civilising mission in India?” - excerpts

Some thought-provoking excerpts from: Does Europe have a Civilising mission in India?�by�Jakob De Roover*, published on 16 June 2008 - Issue : 786.

*** Excerpts Begin ***�

Recently, the European Parliament hosted a meeting on �caste discrimination in South Asia�. At the meeting, participants stated that �India is being ruled by castes not by laws� and that they demanded justice, because there �is one incredible India and one untouchable India.� The EU was urged to come out with a policy statement on the subject. One MEP, referring to the caste system, said that �this barbarism has to end.� This is not the first time. However, before the EU decides to publish policy statements on caste discrimination in India, we would do well to reflect on some simple facts.

First, the dominant conception of the caste system has emerged from the accounts by Christian missionaries, travelers and colonial administrators. Rather than being neutral, these accounts were shaped by a Christian framework. …Especially the Protestants rebuked the �evil priests� of Hinduism for imposing the laws of caste in the name of religion. They told the Indians that conversion to Protestantism was a conversion to equality. Thus, Indian souls were to be saved from damnation and caste discrimination.

Second, this Christian account of �the Hindu religion� and its �caste system� informed colonial policies in British India…

Building on the theological framework, scholars now wrote �scientific� treatises on Hindu superstition and caste discrimination.

The Christian mission found its secular counterpart in the idea of the civilising mission, which told the West that it had to rescue the natives from the clutches of superstition and caste.

Third, the colonial educational project had a deep impact on the Indian intelligentsia. Hindu reform and anti-caste movements came into being, which reproduced the Protestant accounts of Hinduism and caste as true descriptions of India.

…Political parties and caste associations were created to safeguard the interests of the �lower castes.� The elites of these groups united in associations and received financial and moral support from the missionaries and other progressive colonials.

Fourth, the �Dalit� movement of today is the product of these colonial movements. The notion of �Dalits� makes sense only within the colonial account of India, which had postulated the existence of one single group of �outcastes� or �untouchables� that was supposedly exploited by the upper castes. In reality, it concerns a variety of caste groups, with no criteria to unite them besides the claim that they are all �downtrodden.� Indeed, many of these groups are poor and discriminated against by other caste groups.

…In the name of the downtrodden, these elites establish NGOs and then travel from conference to conference and country to country in order to reveal the plight of the �Dalits� to eager western audiences and secure funding from donor agencies.

Fifth, when present-day Europeans rebuke Indian society for the �barbarism� of caste discrimination, they are reproducing the old stanzas of the civilising mission. Such a stance of superiority perhaps worked in the context of colonialism. But today, at a time when Indians buy some of the European industrial giants and Europe is in need of more collaboration with India, it is ill-advised to continue this type of civilisational propaganda.

In fact, such propaganda derives its plausibility from a series of assumptions that no one would be willing to defend explicitly. It attributes all socioeconomic wrongs of the Indian society to its structure and civilisation. The implication is that there is only one way to get rid of socio-economic wrongs here: one has to eradicate both the social structure and the Hindu civilisation. It is as though one would blame the racism, bingedrinking, pedophilia, poverty, homelessness and domestic violence in the contemporary West on its age-old civilisation.

The times have changed. As Europeans, we need to reflect on our deep-rooted sense of superiority and how this informs our moralising discourse on human rights in other parts of the world. To appreciate the impression we give to Indians with our statements on caste discrimination, just imagine a possible world in which the Indian government regularly castigates the US for its racism against African-Americans and the disproportionate death penalties, and the EU for the treatment of South Asians in England, Turks in Germany, women in Romania, the Basque movement in Spain, gypsies in Italy �

just imagine Indian members of parliament consistently blaming the very structure of western societies as the cause of all these wrongs. Europe needs to wake up fast. The time of colonialism is over. If we do not change our attitudes, the irritation towards the EU will grow in countries like India and China. So will the unwillingness to collaborate. In the fast-changing world of the early 21st Century, Europe cannot afford this.

*** End of Excerpts ***

Related Posts:

The British �Caste System� -�excerpts�

Hinduism, �Caste System� and discrimination - Join the�debate�

Caste, Varna and Jatis: The need for clarity in intellectual�debate�

* Jakob De Roover is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Research Foundation (FWO) at the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Ghent University, Belgium.

June 26th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | British Rule in India, Conversions, Missionaries in India, Current Affairs, Debates & Discussions, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, Human Rights and Legal Issues | 2 comments

The British ‘Caste System’ - excerpts

Over the weekend, I came across this excellent�critique by Edward Hamala on the “caste system” in India and�how it is misrepresented in the West.� Excerpts below:

***

…The Indian �caste system� that has so outraged Mr. Roger Williams, makes me wonder if he is equally outraged by the British �caste system� that is even more prevalent, although it is well hidden and �invisible� in the British and some European societies, where the nobility still exist, than it is in India today, where all noble titles have been abolished.

I would like to ask Mr. Williams when objecting to birthrights why has he failed to raise the same objection to the British Nobility and the Landed Gentry�s birthright, inheriting their title, social status while they are also guaranteed perpetual political power by inheriting a peer-ship and a seat in the British House of Lords, the highest legislative body of the land?

…May I also remind you that the Indian Social Structure as it was depicted in the Vedas Millenniums ago, made it an edict to leave Tribals and Adivasis alone and not to impose Hindu religion, culture or values on them.

The word �caste� my friend is an English word! The Sanskrit word for �caste� is �Varna� and it means vocation or occupation and does not mean �caste� as it does in the English interpretation or translation of the term!

Likewise, �untouchable� meant not to go near them, don�t touch them, don�t intermarry with them and don�t corrupt their culture don�t try to conform them. Leave them alone!

The unfortunate thing was that Mahatma Gandhi was also British educated, trained as a lawyer and had little or no knowledge about the ancient Vedic philosophy, history or culture.

…

How many societies does Mr. Williams know, where a group of refugees arrived and sought refuge as the Jews did in Kerala, India in 70 AD and were given sanctuary and freedom to practice their religion. This community lived and prospered in India without anyone trying to convert them and many returned to their homeland when the State of Israel was created!

The same holds true for the Parsi refugees arriving from Persia when the forceful Muslim conversion was taking place there and they are still practicing their own ancient religion as Zoroastrians and no one tried to convert them.

Recently, a large number of Tibetians arrived in India along with the Dalai Lama and they were all received graciously and were given sanctuary.

…

So I think, Mr. Williams your indignation is somewhat ill placed and perhaps it would serve a better purpose if you dealt with more dire social issues that you may be more knowledgeable about, and better qualified to deal with.

*** End of Excerpts ***

Related Posts:

Hinduism, �Caste System� and discrimination - Join the�debate�

Is this too much to�ask?

Utterly shameful and�inexcusable�

Caste, Varna and Jatis: The need for clarity in intellectual�debate�

Read Edward Hamala’s�article in full here�(and the letter he refers to is probably this one).

As an aside: Someone mentioned to me yesterday�how Christianity (in spite of a 2000-year history)�still has to come to grips with ordaining women as priests…while some of Hinduism’s best knowns “gurus” have been�(are)�women…(to wit: Mata Anandamayi Devi, Mataji Nirmala Devi�and many many others).

Says something about the status of women in India and the question of discrimination etc, I think.

June 9th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | Ancient Indian History, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, Women in Hinduism & India | 7 comments

The great joke that is Indian media - Part V

This is�how an otherwise straightforward news-story gets distorted in reporting:

From rediff, “Do TV serials promote the Hindu way of life?“��

“…The Afghanistan government has banned Indian television serials because they feel it wrongly influences their culture and traditions.

In their words: ‘Indian serials are un-Islamic.’

Most Indian serials are about traditional North Indian families, and tend to celebrate Hindu festivals with more gusto than any other festival.

Do you think Indian telly soaps promote the Hindu way of life? Was the Afghan government right in banning them?”

As a commentator has noted on the rediff board, pl. note�how the last question was artificially framed.

Instead of a straight-forward “Is Afghanistan becoming�Taliban-ised (once again)” it somehow manages to put�the TV serials on the defensive!

Of course for most of us familiar with Indian TV serials, saying that they promote a “Hindu way of life” is at best, a stretch and�at worst,�a joke.

Related Posts: The great joke that is Indian media series:�Part 1,�Part 2,�Part 3�and Part 4.

April 10th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | A Hindu Identity, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, India & Its Neighbours, Indian Culture, Arts and Music, Indian Media, Women in Hinduism & India | 5 comments

12 Lakh Christians to convert?

Some of you probably read�20,000 Christians threaten to revert to Hinduism�but today I came across 12 Lakh Vanniya Christians �contemplating� reverting to Hinduism�(by A.V. Ragunathan):���

VILLUPURAM: Over 12 lakh Vanniya Christians in Tamil Nadu will revert to Hinduism if they do not get a fair deal from the church.

The church, that has not taken any worthwhile measures to abolish caste discrimination, should not put the blame on the Vanniya Christians for creating divisions within the flock, C. Arokkiadas, founder of the Vanniya Christhava Sangham, told The?Hindu.

The Christians were verily divided on caste lines and it became accentuated during the recent Eraiyur incident. Mr. Arokkiadas said while the caste Vanniyas, classified as Most Backward Class, had the backing of political leaders, the Vanniya Christians, categorised as Backward Classes, did not have the support of the church and had to fend for themselves.

Here�is more about�the Eraiyur incident following which�20,000 Christians threatened to revert to Hinduism� (by P Arul).

“…Exposing the deep-seated animosities and divisions within the fold, over 20,000 caste Christians of Eraiyur village have threatened to revert to Hinduism unless a seperate parish was provided to the Dalit Christians there.

A parish in Eraiyur village was devastated by violent clashes between two groups a fortnight ago. It all started with the Arch Bishop Antony Anandarayar permitting Dalit Christians to undertake a funeral procession on Church Road, a privilege they have been denied for more than a century…

Protesting against this, the caste Christians have boycotted prayer sessions at the St Rosary Church for the past three days.

Anandarayar assured that none would be discriminated in church on any ground and this has not gone well with the caste Christians who have accused the bishop of not considering the sentiments of the majority. They have also stated that by the decree an age-old custom and tradition has been broken….”

Beware. All that glitters is not�gold..

Related Posts:

�Why are Christian Missions targetting India?� -�II�

Francois Gautier on�Conversions��

and finally, Utterly shameful and�inexcusable��

See also: Does Indian Christianity allow Untouchability?

April 1st, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | A Hindu Identity, Conversions, Missionaries in India, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System | 11 comments

The other side of Kandhamal…

Came across this very well-researched article last week that looks at the other side of the story of Kandhamal.

It is written by Shri P Chand Dogra, a retired IPS officer who personally spent time in Kandhamal earlier this year to find out the “truth” of what happened in the district.

Shri Chand Dogra makes a few interesting points in the article, namely:

1.�Hindu households and dwellings were also attacked during the violence and in much larger numbers - a fact that has been overlooked by most of mainstream media.

2. The roots of the problem lie in social issues rather than religious ones.

Keep Reading…

March 15th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | Conversions, Missionaries in India, Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, Media Related, Politics and Governance in India, Reservations, Affirmative Action | 54 comments

Let us blow up Khajuraho…

By now most, if not all, of you must have read about the shameful and disgusting incidents of molestations of young women in Mumbai and New Delhi on New Year’s Eve…

What shocked me even more was this ridiculous (I wish I had a stronger word…) statement from one of the accused*:

…Addressing the media, the accused…said that while the newspapers splashed ‘molestation’ pictures, they did not write a word about how the girls in question were drunk.

“The couples were in an inebriated state. They were smooching on the road. What were they expecting?”, they said.

Extraordinary…Get out your pickaxes and shovels…Let us smash the Khajuraho temples
.

I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi’s words to the effect that India shall�be independent�the day when a woman can walk the street at�midnight without fear of being harassed…(does anyone have a source, exact quote? - thanks). When will we have this kind of “Ram-rajya”?

* “We are innocent: Mumbai molestation accused”, Zeenews, Jan 09 Mumbai report

Related Posts:

On Jeans, Indian Men and �Indecent�Behaviour��

Exposing �Purdah� � the Truth behind the�Veil�

Who Will Listen to Para�s Silent�Screams?

Also read: On Husain, Khajuraho and moral�policing�and

please also have a look at this whole catgeory of posts on Women in Hinduism and in India

.

January 10th, 2008 Posted by B Shantanu | Current Affairs, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Social System, Women in Hinduism & India | 4 comments

Hinduism, “Caste System” and discrimination - Join the debate

Dear Readers,

I am moving several comments on the Turkey and Secularism post here due to the fact that they are more to do with Hinduism and discrimination and less with the subject of the original post.

Please continue this discussion on this thread.

Thanks

*** COMMENTS BEGIN ***

1. Patriot, on October 8th, 2007

There is this whole positioning about Hinduism (excuse me, VCK) being such a tolerant religion, which has not imposed its faith on others.

I really, really want to question this:

Keep Reading…

October 9th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | Debates & Discussions, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, Medieval Indian History, Sanatana Dharma, Women in Hinduism & India | 117 comments

Is India now officially “Hindu”?

…Wall Street Journal thinks so.

And if the eminent WSJ says so (in a title, no less), it must be true, right?

During last�weekend, came across�this half-baked opinion passing off as a news-story (Note: this article is not available for free viewing; Subscription only) “How a Muslim Billionaire Thrives in Hindu India” - note the last two words.

It is written by Yaroslav Trofimov.

If the name rings a bell, there is a reason.

He tried to better his own record in this piece from a few days ago (Sept 19):� “In India, ‘Untouchables’ Convert To Christianity - and Face Extra Bias” (Note: this article is not available for free viewing; Subscription only).

Do read Retributions’ review of the Azim Premji article and�BarbarIndian’s take on it.

.

UPDATED:�Additional posts that have have some�relevance to this (in the broader context)

Of Turkey, Secular States and�Religion

Hinduism as a secular�concept

P.S. Thanks to “An only mouse” (see comment #4) for alerting me to this article, “A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation“.� I found this sentence very interesting:

“The founders (of US) were not anti-religion. Many of them were faithful in their personal lives, and in their public language they evoked God.

They grounded the founding principle of the nation � that all men are created equal � in the divine. But they wanted faith to be one thread in the country�s tapestry, not the whole tapestry.”

Food for thought, I think.

October 7th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | An Indian Identity, Conversions, Missionaries in India, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India, Hindu Social System, Media Related, Reservations, Affirmative Action | 20 comments

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas - PART II

A few weeks ago, I�wrote a detailed post�examining the various issues with the current system of reservations and quotas.� In that analysis, I�identified the following serious�problems:

1. The present�system does not address the fundamental issue of lack of good quality primary education
2. That there continue to be unfilled seats suggest it may not be working as it should
3. It appears to be mis-targeted and imbalanced
4. It is in danger of becoming self-perpetuating
5. It may fail to create a longer term positive impact and finally,
6. It may be based on faulty, missing, un-validated and inconsistent inputs.

In this post, I will try and look at some ideas and proposals that might help overcome at least some of the issues identified above.

What is the solution?

Let me say at the outset that I am not sure if there is/are any perfect solution(s) to this issue. In fact, I am not even sure whether any/all the ideas�I am proposing (below) are practical and/or can be implemented. And yet, it is not possible to avoid the topic and I believe it is essential�to have a serious debate on this. Please treat the thoughts below as catalysts to that discussion.�

Here are a few ideas worth considering:

• Privatise and heavily encourage provision of elementary education by the private sector. Done well, this could also boost entrepreneurship in rural and semi-urban areas and possibly generate some employment too. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
• Heavily subsidise (through scholarships, grants and other means) education at primary and secondary level based on economic criteria. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
• Offer needy and bright students continuing/long-term scholarships to help them progress to higher education. This addresses issues #1 and #2.
• Offer extra incentives to set up educational institutions which will cater only to SCs and STs � or in areas dominated by SCs and STs.� This addresses issue #3.
• Put in a filter(s) to reduce the dominance of the current quotas by those from the �creamy layer�. This addresses issue #3.
• Extend current quotas by a maximum of another 5 years and gradually phase them out (say by reducing 10% every 5 years) until they reach 20% (Assuming 50% reservations of seats/places at the moment, it will take about two decades to get to 20%). Then fill the seats and places that make up the 20% based on income and socio-economic backwardness indicators. This addresses issue #4.
• Limit reservation for OBCs to 20% while re-examining the inputs based on current, validate and empirically verifiable data; Once better data is available, re-assess. This addresses issue #6.
• Make a serious effort to gather�data and�better quality inputs; None of these measures will be very effective unless they are based on sound evidence (Evidence needed not only to justify the measure but to ensure that is well-directed and can make a difference). This addresses issue #6.

I believe a combination of these measures can�create long-term positive impact and, over time, eliminate need for caste-based reservations.

The quota system can then morph into an affirmative action programme that is better able to address the needs of a developing society in the years to come.

Very Important:

I am putting forward these ideas to initiate a discussion. Although most of these views reflect my thinking, this is not etched in stone. The purpose of this piece�is to start a dialogue and come up with a broad consensus on what might actually work.

Better ideas are very likely to emerge from this discussion. For that to happen, we must all be open-minded and ready to hear/think about opposing points of views.

The discussion will be enhanced by the breadth of participation and a spectrum of diverse views.. So please ask everyone/anyone who you think is concerned about this issue to write in.

If someone could get YFE (Youth For Equality) and others to respond, that would be even better.

Additional Ideas:

1. Polite Indian’s Deprivation Certificate�(also suggested in slightly different form by�Dr Vinaya Singh)

2. Purushottam Agrawal�s MIRAA Index

3. Arvind Subramanian�s Graduated Vouchers Scheme

.

Related Posts:

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas�

This, not reservations is the answer

.

Additional Reading (Highly recommended)

Are Brahmins the Dalits of today? - by Francois Gautier

The middle class deserves what it is getting - by Sushant Sareen which has the conclusion:

Frankly, the Indian middle class deserves what it is getting. The basic lesson which they need to learn is that if they don’t shed their supercilious attitude towards politics and don’t vote, and don’t express their outrage with everything that is wrong in this country, they will get by-passed.

Well said.

Comment, views, thoughts, suggestions and counter-points welcome,�as always.

September 29th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | Hindu Social System, Politics and Governance in India, Reservations, Affirmative Action | 10 comments

On Jeans, Indian Men and “Indecent Behaviour”

I stumbled across this news-story �Jeans for boys, seminary tells women students� a few days back and it immediately struck a chord.

The report mentioned (emphasis mine):

�A mufti of the seminary (Darul Uloom), Ahshan Quereshi, told The Telegraph over the phone that women should not behave in a way that attracts undesirable male attention.�

Most of you would know that Darul Uloom is the �spiritual� home of Taliban. However, thoughts and views like these are hardly unique to Darul Uloom.

A few weeks earlier, I had come across this quote and comment (edited for typos and brevity) on an internet forum focused on issues related to Hinduism.

QUOTE (emphasis mine):

“…if they want respect and not to be treated as a ” piece of meat, sex toy etc.” they need to exhibit modesty in their dress and behaviour in public.“

To which a forum member Jit Majumder, responded:

��What is the proof or definition of modesty and dignified behaviour? How then is our thinking different from the Talibans or Wahabis who want to cover up their women head to toe in black or grey burkhas, because they see their women as all ****** (aurat)?

Modesty and dignity is by attitude. how you carry yourself, how you present yourself.

You can appear to be a slut in a sari or salwar, if your wear it and carry it in a particular way. �

On the other hand, you can wear a suit-skirt, or a bikini while on the beach, or a pair of shorts while jogging in the park or in the gym, or jeans and tank tops while going for a movie or going dancing.

But whether men will think of and look at that lady as any else other than just a lady, will depend on how that lady carries herself and what attitude she emanates.

In India men had always this excuse that if a woman dresses in anything other than a saree or a salwar, she has given men the right to ogle at her and think of taking liberties with her, and that she is “inviting” it.

Even rape victims are asked question with such implications in court!

This has been one of the most shameful aspect of the Indian society and one of the most contemptible, and shameful failure of Indian men in general!!

Would anyone ask MEN to prove their modesty by demanding that they only wear dhotis and kurtas, or formal shirts and full pants ALL the time and at ALL places and occasions?��

After reading this, it occurred to me that this discussion was almost exclusively being carried out from a male point of view and there was neither any visible input nor any obvious attempt to get a woman�s perspective in all this debate.

So I decided to send out a few emails to some of my acquaintances � specifically asking them what they � as women who probably suffer through this most days � think about this whole issue of �dress code� and unwanted male attention.

But first, I asked my wife.� She had a typically crisp response: �Is it OK to rob a guy driving around in a Ferrari � because he is clearly �asking for it�?

That hit the nail on its head. Should not people (especially women) have the same expectations of civilised social behaviour regardless of what they are wearing/doing?

Next is a snapshot�of comments I received in response to my email.

They offer an unusual and fascinating insight into this issue (emphasis added by me).

Keep Reading…

September 11th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | Current Affairs, Hindu Social System, Women in Hinduism & India | 7 comments

A fresh look at Reservations and Quotas

This has been one of my longest posts in the making…taking almost two months since I first started putting down my thoughts on this issue.

To a large extent this was because I wanted to be able to capture as many viewpoints as possible in writing this post and to get�accurate references.

This has been such a �loaded� subject that I hesitated a lot before venturing into it. At the same time, it is not a topic that any seriously concerned citizen can shy away from.

So please consider this as an humble and modest attempt at trying to understand what may be wrong with the current system. Hopefully this will help us to get it right and really achieve what we�set out to do - viz. improve the lot of under-privileged and deprived sections of our society.

While doing my background research, I came across a number of articles and blogs on this topic but not enough that had a pro-reservation slant. I did come across a few counterpoints � e.g. Sujai�has a series of posts with a pro-reservation slant which make for interesting reading (and no doubt some arguments) and Krish�s blog too has quiet a few posts on the topic (e.g. this one) � but they were few and far between.

So this analysis too may suffer from an intrinsic bias that creeps in after looking at something from only one side of the prism. Back to �reservations� and �quotas�.

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This post was precipitated by the recent disruption and agitation in Rajasthan� regarding the demand of Gujjars to be categorized as Scheduled Castes from their current status as OBCs.�

The demand was an indicator of a fundamental problem with the whole system � it has largely become a system of patronage & dispensing largesse and a way to capture a slice of the �lucrative� government jobs and other benefits.

To an observer who may not be familiar with the reality of caste-based politics and reservations in India, the Gujjar demand may have appeared to be strangely regressive.

If you look at it from a purely rational and logical viewpoint, it appeared absurd. Why would a group wish to reclassify itself as even more backward? � and that too several years after having been the beneficiaries of a system designed to uplift their status?

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August 9th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | Current Affairs, Hindu Social System, Politics and Governance in India, Reservations, Affirmative Action | 13 comments

Redefining Hinduism - Need of the Hour

Tavleen Singh wrote a great piece�in Indian Express a few days back titled, “A dark, distorted Hinduism“.

In that�article, Tavleen talked about how “in these jehadi times, when Islamists run around the globe killing innocent people to prove that their Prophet and their book are the best, now and forever, the Hindu idea becomes even more relevant. What grander idea of faith can there be than that everyone is entitled to their own truth?“.

I was reminded of� �The Dangers of Monotheism in the Age of Globalization�, in which Jean-Pierre Lehmann suggests that India (and the�Hindu tradition) can be the new ethical and spiritual role model for the world.

Sadly, the�only “brand” of Hinduism that does get publicity these days is�either the�”make�Shilpa Shetty�apologise for kissing Richard Gere” variety or the “seeking guidance from spirits” variety.

In her story,�Tavleen writes about her meeting with Rajiv Malhotra�of Infinity Foundation who has made his life’s mission to rectify misconceptions and mis-representations about Hinduism by, amongst others, “highly regarded American professors who have written scholarly tomes on Hinduism that make it sound like a mix of voodoo and pornography”

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July 5th, 2007 Posted by B Shantanu | A Hindu Identity, Distortions, Misrepresentation about Hinduism, Hindu Dharma, Hindu Social System, History, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality & Philosophy | 7 comments