“A
theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is
untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and
well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust.”
Willy Sen, intellectual torchbearer of Castetva
forces with refined masquerade of liberal tradition that is insistently attuned
to western gaze, doesn’t confine his wiliness to caste normalisation. As a ‘neo-liberal
economist’ his apathy towards environmental issues even in context to justice,
which ofcourse is a major concern in recent times, is also telling, and was
pointed by this blogger few years back. The other day I was reading an incisive
column by George Manbiot, he writes “When
you hear that something makes economic sense, this means it makes the opposite
of common sense. Those sensible men and women who run the world’s treasuries
and central banks, who see an indefinite rise in consumption as normal and
necessary, are beserkers: smashing through the wonders of the living world,
destroying the prosperity of future generations to sustain a set of figures
that bear ever less relation to general welfare” he concludes with an
incisive assertion “We need a different
system, rooted not in economic abstractions but in physical
realities, that establish the parameters by which we judge its
health. We need to build a world in which growth is unnecessary, a world
of private sufficiency and public luxury. And we must do it
before catastrophe forces our hand”.
Economists have failed us, and likes of Amartya Sen emerging intact from
primitive society has failed us doubly. It is an amazing level of disconnect
from surrounding that is so very characteristic. These disconnect spreads to
every level where Indian intellect seeks to establish. Knowledge is keenly sought
to be disconnected, indeed isolated, from realities of the surrounding. As if
to avoid contamination! So as Indians get into higher and higher studies the
gap keeps widening, finally reduced to mediocre shells of humans ready to use
the skills to grab and fatten, as the blessing keeps mounting.
Coming back to Rawl, he evaluates social justice with rare
empathy and insight. The remarkable man wanted to use power of idea to change
the unjust world he was living in. He observes that ‘things as they are now is
patently unfair’. Statistics, studies, all points to unfairness of society. But
we don’t take these unfairness seriously because everything around us tell us all
the time that if we work hard and have ambition we will make it. These seep
into institutions and individual’s ideas on life, as a motto. Rags to rich
stories are rare and exaggerated (and, if ever, it remains a compromise that
least affect the unfairness of the system or it is about being co-opted into
the system. Success is being good at something that helps or consolidates the existing
system with biases. Ofcourse in Indian context much sinister forces are at
play). Indeed, Rawl observes, maintaining these stories was a deceit perpetuated
by powerful forces from the necessary task of reforming society, and to take urgent
steps to make it equitable. But as the last few decades have shown inequity has
accentuated drastically, and in countries like India these are severe, and with
traditional deviant frameworks it is nothing but inhuman. Exploitation of
people and nature goes on with same alacrity all across the world. To understand the situation better Rawl comes
out with a thought experiment. Imagine if you were not you. Rawl asks us to be
in a ‘conscious intelligent’ state before birth but without any knowledge into
the circumstance we are going to be born into. Our future is shrouded in ‘veil
of ignorance’. We are hovering high above the planet earth (needs to add he was
fascinated by Apollo mission). We do not know what kind of society we will be
born into, to what sort of parents? What kind neighbourhood? What kind of
schools, police, judiciary..? How is the world going to treat us? So on. And
here he asks a significant question that forms the crux of his argument. If we
knew nothing about where we would end up what sort of a society would it feel
safe to enter? ‘Veil of ignorance’ will focus us to think about the appalling
level of risks in entering a society. If the society is poverty ridden, unjust,
corrupt, nepotistic, apathy driven will any sane birth lottery player really
want to take the gamble of ending up in such a society? Ofcourse not. So what
will they do? They will fervently insist that the rule of the game be changed
otherwise it’s too risky! And you very well know what need to be fixed, and
urgently so. You will want an equitable society with good schools, excellent
hospitals, fair justice system, decent housing so on to everyone, a society that gives you safety and assuredness to explore
your potential as a human to the fullest without any fear. Our focus therefore would
be what needed to be done to be adequately positioned in worst case scenario. Rawl
concludes that we know we finally made our societies fair if we don’t mind
being born under any circumstance in any place. The fact that we cannot take
such a challenge is a measure of how deeply unfair society is. A society,
ultimately, will have to be hinged on liberty and equality. Basic liberties and
rights for all. Distributive justice on resources and privileges.
Now the question arises why such
thoughts, ideas and concerns don’t emerge from a society that is amazingly
discriminative and terrifyingly inequitable. The data, statistics, observable
realities, points to horrendous levels of disparities that is so much milder –considering
the religio-traditional moral vacuum, than what Rawl –placed as he was in
western context, experienced and observed with his keen sense of intellect and
empathy. The answer is self-evident, this society is incapable to produce such
individuals or ideas, and if ever these will be immediately suppressed. And you
have the same narrations throughout the history of this beleaguered society wherein
egalitarian humanistic forces were undermined, and after the idea of nation
state racist, casteist Gandhians reign supreme as benign overseers, hobnobbing
with primitive elites nurtured in sanctum vacuum, cleverly quelling any hint of
reality of common people while superseding oneself into high moral grounds with
entitled ease, even posturing as a reference for the world. There is an egalitarian
tradition that is being co-opted into casteist narration as signs of diversity,
wherein these enlightened traditions that were anchored by some beautiful human
beings across the centuries from Buddha to Nanak to Kabir (the latter arose during
bhakti era as brahmanical/caste tyranny consolidated) that forms the bedrock
of this society that fiercely opposed caste narrations. Gandhi can easily be
figured as an imposter, a case of attempting to implant morally constructed soul into an immoral
society for immediate gain and attempted normalisation of primitive hometruths.
The nearest they get is patronising as unsolicited guardians, or giving handouts
to seek their own redemption, hence these clever conception of ‘trustees’, ‘dharidhranarayan’
or ‘harijan’ (if you are aware of context then harijan means bastards, if you
understand the origin is children of temple –born out of devadasis –another hoary
tradition). 
To be fair, though Gandhi performed his part adroitly but things changed
as situation went out of hand, his use was over and was dumped by castetva
forces stampeding for power, in the melee of horrendous tragedy that unfolded on
common people, ofcourse brought on by these posturing ego maniacs habituated to
take people for granted, Gandhi did, in his fag end, showed signs of deep remorse,
a hint of enlightened understanding. But nevertheless he doesn’t figure, not
even in the footnote (not even among his contemporaries ranging from Phule to Narayana
Guru to Periyar to Ambedkar) of great souls this society has produced, much so
when he is fiercely promoted by castetva forces. It will be irresponsible not
to resist this encroachment by casteist masquerading as kindred souls. We live
in age of internet enlightenment, and in the age of critical scrutiny and consequences.
Historical figures are not immune, urgently so, when dubious despicable people
are controlling narrations that have severely eroded the moral context of the
society in the last many decades since the so called independence. The other
day I was listening to ‘Redemption Song’ (by inimitable Bob Marley) these lines
are so appropriate for this context How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Social thinkers (the critical areas of sociology is severely compromised,
with lack of intellect and critical consideration, atrophied mind incapable to ask
uncomfortable questions and judiciously seek answers in difficult places) so
called public intellectuals and god forsaken economists can only conjure as narrators
of elite consolidation, manipulated documentations and constant urge to
showcase their blessings by compulsive names dropping, queuing up to claim
their prize and position. It’s pavlovian. They are nurtured to be remarkably
immune to the horrendous realities of surrounding while sprightly ones have
factored in these as amazing case of unity in diversity in what is essentially
a sick society. Meanwhile as Gandhi was elevated into stratosphere, essentially
as representative of wonder that they themselves are, it was also consolidation
of an affliction that these mediocres –lacking as they are in any self-reflective
capacity, attributed entitlements to themselves as blessing in the elevated ordained
status of ‘jagad gurus’. Placed in bleakest of society they orchestrated this
deviousness as overseer of world peace. Indeed any sanctum pit anywhere is buzz
with experts ready with formulae and procedure for world peace. Some even write
long articles pointing to instances of atrocities happening across the world
and lament that Indians are loosing their elevated status as conscience
caretakers of the world. So instead of seeking solutions for horrendous reality,
or even accepting that there is something seriously amiss, that they ofcourse
are complicit, they proficiently set out to position themselves as rightful but
benign overseer of world and universe beyond, nothing else is acceptable in the
conception of gargantuan ego with ever limited intellect. Gandhi was lovingly groomed
and packaged, fiercely defended and rapturously poured as amazement sample for
the world, as a representation of highest possible awe striking miraculous context
that humans are blessed to witness. And as the society putrefied in amazing
level of depravity, that is rarely seen anywhere else among Homo sapiens, caste feudal were scaling tallest of moral grounds from their local putrefying pits in
their brutal quest for wonderful diversity, nonviolence and worldly peace.
Narrators with clever linguistic skills, specifically in English, were readying
as disseminators of controlled narration as also highlighting special versions of
history into glorious realities. Obviously in such intense stampede moral
context and tribulation of common people was never a concern, so much so that
in the fine tradition of myth making even basic data and statistics are mostly absent
or made unreliable and we have to be constantly dependent on international
input. Truth is what corresponds to reality, but when you can dabble with
reality then truth is manipulated with ease state might and cronyism.
The mindsets and
attitude that seek to understand the surrounding, seeking empathetic solutions
or insight, were singularly absent and hence sought to deal reality through
fatalism and myth making. Temple hopping rituals became a desired trait that
percolated to the lowest base of power structure while those adept in these
manipulative depravities were elevated into
highest of policy making positions as blessings, concurrently as aspiration
model, while bereft of any professional or problem solving skills or even any
discernable basic human qualities. The enlightened traditions were superseded and
encroached, with vicious arsenals of entitlements and, power salivating
uniquely Indian monstrous humbleness, into its fold through state power as
caste feudal ransacked the democratic institutions and power structures that
was transferred and presented as nation state from colonialism. The tardy
nature of democratic institutions, and general apathy, unresponsiveness,
exploitations etc. can be traced to these horrendous traditions that fattened
in moral vacuum. Where everything is ordained and skills confined to sycophancy
to powerful –something that is chiselled and exacted into an artform over centuries
of sanctum squatting deviousness that has percolated as desired trait, meanwhile
an amazing level of depravity against vulnerable. Competence is conceived, understood and
cemented through camaraderie and fine art of patronage dispensing. So lick the
people at top with all blessed earnestness and stamp the people below with
equal blessed earnestness becomes definitive nature of the society. Meanwhile
obvious moral gaps are filled with narrations of fatalism and mythical
subterfuge.
A mindset of person like Rawl emerges from the same society
that nurtures rational enquiry and values open equitable democratic values (that
ofcourse is seriously getting compromised in the debilitating onslaught of
market chicanery and religious miracles). Where primal forces, and notions of nature,
becomes abiding judge of moral bearings and thoughts. These kinds of understanding
needs high level of imaginative thinking and a deep concern, connectedness, to
the surrounding. It’s a combination that Indian elite section, hence the whole
aspirational reference of the society, singularly lacks. It doesn’t happen when
families functions with psychopathic value system and cannibalism as
transactional attribute while they count entitled blessings, and the insular
worldview sustained and judiciously nurtured, emerging from the traditions of moral
vacuum. They can do wonderfully well in crony capitalism, also where charm is useful
to manipulate and only discernible talent. Mostly mediocres with high
estimation of oneself they actively connive to not only deny the realities of
surroundings, lest it intrudes into carefully constructed world, but to replace
it with myths of grandeur and concerns that seeks highest moral grounds, unbounded
by any human borders. It is a spectacular achievement of manipulation from
putrefying pit. There is a deeply disturbing nothingness with these preoccupations
of caste. The inability to grapple the moral incoherence is baffling. Can human
societies fall into such deep pits?
