A freewheeling response

I was travelling the other day and got hold of Sunday edition of a popular newspaper. Abhijit Banerjee was right there “making india proud”, and fortunately for me I also manage to get a seat in the crowded train to settle into getting the nuances of “making india proud” mission. We are so fortunate that he went to US to study poverty (and ofcourse economics), just like the gandhi fellow who went all the way to S.Africa (as a lawyer, interesting choice of career in the circumstance) to know about discrimination and exploitation, and the racist casteist fellow did come back to india with his mindset intact despite his experiences. I don’t understand what a freewheeling interview is.  The dictionary says it’s “not limited by rules or accepted ways of doing things” but the interview had nothing to suggest this definition, so I guess they were just using these as market compulsion to cater to the brand. Intellectually insincere Amartya Sen was a colossal waste of time, so I am not too excited about this fellow, and there are compelling reasons to be extremely wary of cunning Indians where even lawyers pose as economists. And to start with the fellow carries caste reference, and hence by simple logic the putrid pit location is least qualified to give insight, least on poverty. But since I don’t know much about him so got into the freewheeling, and indeed I had ample time through the two hour journey despite the jostling crowd (fertility is another of Senbabu’s insightful interventions which we are so indebted, and this one goes beyond scholastic. When castetva meets hindutva on weekend they call it karmayogi!). Very soon he sets the tone for the interview “We try very hard to be not oracular”. Sure, the blessed in this part of the world are humble about these skills.  They do work very hard to stay humble. Being humble is biggest achievement, and indeed there is well established hierarchy for these nuances.  

It is amazing that when he elaborates on poverty he very conveniently misses the main evidence that surely defines this cannibalistic society and which he is very much complicit. And anyone studying at the grassroot level will be quite aware of this menacing presence that defines all dealings that degrades and dehumanizes. Senbabu too, characteristically and quite cunningly, misses these in his high end famine study (the mainstream posers conveniently blame it on colonists while those with specific agenda on Churchill), it is this skill while exaggerating sanitized indian thoughts that had him besotted by castetva. The “evidence” that is being purposely sidelined while these are normalized for the consumption of West is astounding. It’s like ignoring the knife on the chest in the murder scene and concluding, ofcourse “trying hard not to be oracular”, that it is a case of drowning!! And when it comes to Indians, inbred in cunning ways, semantics is the reality. Everything else we are told is illusion. Hence the arbitrators defines the reality for common people. The ritual of word play is carefully orchestrated. On being asked about pro-poor policies, the fellow elaborates “I think China has done one critical thing which we have fail to do, and that is going for labour-intensive manufacturing. We did create jobs in real estate, services but not in manufacturing. And that's one sector that can absorb millions of people. We missed that bus, and Bangladesh picked it up”. China as a model for labor intensive manufacturing is quite telling. These thoughts emerge from a framework that is still stuck in 1930s, that doesn’t value human. So are humans just cogs to be served for labour intensive meaningless jobs? Is this how we value humans? Or is it meant to control humans so that they don’t become a threat to the system that perpetuates meaninglessness? Its amazingly feudal idea, and coming from a fellow entrenched in caste frame this is quite sinister.

Egalitarian context talks of automation and removing humans from degradation. Policy makers really have to think a world devoid of labor intensive occupations. Where humans are valued for their unique ability. Humans are sentient life forms that need to be respected. We have reached a stage wherein meaningless repetitive jobs can be easily be automated. When asked “Is caste an external constraint that prevents labour mobility in India?” Our man quite cunningly avoids the pitfall and comes out with gem of an answer which negates the question itself and indeed the whole concept of caste and discrimination herein! “When you look at the data, it doesn't look like people are waiting for that Brahminical job to fall into their lap”. He is adeptly playing to the narration that castetva seeks to nurture, unfortunately for him they are not in power and hindutva is very unlikely to entertain him. They will ofcourse entertain labor-intensive gandhian thoughts. Since blessing has to be proportionate to fate. Hard labour is where blessing comes from, if not in this life atleast in the next where there is a possibility of upgradation, is how it is drilled in. This society has always valued dehumanizing contexts. So UBI will not be entertained. It is also not shocking that Banerjeeji doesn’t associate UBI with isolating from dehumanizing jobs but as some exotic political decision, and indeed it is. It is hard to expect castetva to see humans as humans. UBI was a feudal strategy to patronize, positioning “jeneu dhari” as “dhanveer” savior of dark skinned malnourished people with cringe worthy bollywoodian mediocre tag line.

Then a question was asked to Esther Duflo (wife and co-recipient) part of her answer had this “…and it made me realise that everything I ever thought about how the poor work and live is completely wrong. These people had a level of sophistication and smarts that was quite impressive”. Mine, full marks on sincerity there but it showcase deep seated prejudices. To start with, and since you are based in US you are expected to be much sensitive, “these people” is the worst description. And yes poor are humans too, and not to be categorized as some sort of alien. People respond to circumstances and contexts they face with ingenuity and creativity they possess to survive. That is natural. There is nothing unique about being poor. And tomorrow if you don't have money and social network you could be "these people". This patronizing coming from a European white woman on slum dwellers in Kolkata is distressing and indeed deeply flawed in its historicity. It is also telling that she didn’t elaborate on her learning on dehumanizing value system that contributes to misery and poverty, how does caste works into hellhole kolkota slums should be obvious.

Do they really study poverty?                

Very strongly protest

Awards does matter and doesn’t matter, its Schrodinger’s paradox. Significantly, those who are awarded can tell. Nowadays people get awarded and praised all the time, it has become a racket that is attempting to make ostentation meaningful indeed deserving. In a mediocrity thriving society every self-justifying morsel matter. Nobel Prize are different matter. Mostly for middle class these are part of general awareness another burden in unending fill in as knowledge to judge merit to clear entrance exams to get job security –hence blessing, while for high end manipulators these are “making india proud” moment. Never matter most of these gave up indian citizenship at the very first available occasion. I tried to understand economics but really couldn’t, and now realize that even economists too don’t know much. It seems to be an assortment of good intention with increasingly fallacious premise ending into consumption driven capitalism. It therefore works out on semantics and positioning while the animal spirit coquettish every loitering money bag. As a concerned person one is on lookout for intervention in this definition of development that has well passed its expiry date. Most people, as also nature, have started to suffer. This rant of elevating people from poverty is based on wrong premise of consumption. The Nobel Prize website has the gumption to celebrate Milton Freidman with the line “There is no such thing as free lunch” while the amazing concepts like the mid-day meal scheme is based on free meal. There is also much discussion on UBI among influential section who are keenly aware of unfolding scene. Indeed egalitarian concepts of religions focus on alms which was taken to highest humanitarian context by Sikhism, to share free food in communitarian gathering. Where free food becomes assertion of humanity like free air, free water, access to free sky...This then was also meant to break the casteist cannibalistic frame, the sickness that had purity of food as defining characteristic of its putrid pit where humans were conceived as defiling. Such a crude society has the temerity to position as lynchpin of peace while rogues are elevated as mahatma. It’s a racket that is being busted. Try saving yourself, the hometruth is in the open. A violent uncouth society shouldn’t be allowed to position as apostling for peace. It’s squashing on the bodies and souls of common people. 

Meanwhile Friedman authenticated neoliberal economic system is the significant reason for exploitation of humans and disastrous outcome for environment. Alfred Nobel’s will clearly asserts “greatest benefit to humankind”, not only is this economist grossly mistaken in perpetuating a system but the audacity of official website is particularly galling. This 'market thinking' has spread untold misery for common people while degrading idealistic intentions of democratic institutions. Infact it made democracy meaningless simultaneously eviscerating the environment. It was therefore crucial that likes of brilliant Greta Thunberg was extended the support. There is no time to waste. The earlier these movements, that are authenticating “greatest benefit to humankind”, are enthusiastically welcomed better it is for everything that is worthy to be valued. The priorities are clear and well laid. It’s amazing that youngsters are being so inspiringly responsible and have seized the initiative, much in desperation of the wayward ways of older generation. It is absolutely amazing and deeply disturbing that Nobel committee had to be told.     

It is in the same context that economist with casteist reference was deemed suitable. While desperate Indians appropriate a US citizen as authentication of their connection with higher truth, the castetva is meanwhile humbly working on building the background noise that trolls pick up. He is therefore a proud indian, a proud Bengali, we have to now dig deeper into the unity in diversity pit…meanwhile what the theories on poverty will not delve, nor acknowledge, is the crude system as significant factor (indeed in most case the only factor) that is systemic and deeply dehumanizing that gives insight into poverty in this part of the world that has almost 1/5^th of world population with 1/4^th living under abject desparation. That is not the “evidence” they are interested in. The sanitized views presented to West is how castetva normalize caste and in effect themselves as benign arbitrators. From this foundation they have the capacity to theorize to the highest level even characteristically encompassing cosmos. More than two decade back Amartya Sen was in the spot, and I being an earnest naïve was excited about prominent ideas, and not being aware of any reference, or having any background, had deducted that Nobel was definitive beginning. I consumed Amartya’s work with much enthusiasm, all the while reaction lurking in and building its space. There seem to be gap between theory and reality which was blissfully neglected while the protagonists were indeed the proponents. What really broke it was his book on justice (no time to recall the title) wherein he went about elevating ancient India into stratospheric levels in what was essentially a primitive cannibalistic society skimming on plagiarized and appropriated value system into high end sanskrit. When the deep state put money on you then you are but a zombie. He didn’t, indeed from the higher levels tutored subtlety, condescend, to look into the obvious that bursts all the myths of justice (it’s a joke to even suggest) or even any hint of civilized. And not at all out of place the book doesn’t really find much mention of serious contemporary issue of environmental justice. It’s where the economist and communist meet and see nothing but economic value of nature. The ecosystem of pride in mythical ancient India, and its ever greatest achievement (that humanity is yet to understand), is where the castetva has worked to build up the narration for hindutva. And since castetva are sham and pretentious, faking liberal by mimicking West, it’s easy for hindutva to appropriate and build its own brand of exaggeration to reach the mass. Disservice done by intellectual insincerity of likes of Amartya sen is immense. And now we have another one imposed on us. He expertise in theories on poverty without giving any hint on, as much as, the nature of society he emerged from. This neglect is always strategic, it’s a nod to deep state that nurtured him. Now the prodigal son returns not at all diminished as non-Indian citizen.  It is no surprise that castetva are excited and he is, for brief moment in time, in an exponentially declining fortunes of castetva an opportune tool against hindutva and indeed affirmation of high values that creates such merit that they are so much privy to.

There is a crime against humanity happening...

...and this scoundrel is responsible (ofcourse facilitated by uncouth fellow -arguably one of the worst human being, sitting in White house, who should have been kicked out quite sometime back. Market has been churning out these kind of psychopaths in every street corner in garb of professionalism and entertainment). International community must strongly condemn. This is akin to brutalities met to Yazidis. He must be tried for crime against humanity. People in Europe (particularly Britian) must come together to give asylum to these unfortunate people. They are also important presence against spread of Islamists, and certainly a contribution towards positive diversity and vibrant humanity. Protect them before these unique humans are lost.    

Misuse of public money

Should a constitutional functionary, that too at the highest level, be misusing public money for personal visit or aggrandizements? And even if he or she does shouldn’t these private visit on private matters be kept away from publicity? Significantly, why not visit government schools or public health centers or wildlife sanctuaries? As it is the anachronistic faiths have become last refuge for devious people for control over zombie populace, in recent times these have become urgent. You can see these expressed from Trump to Erdogan to Imrankhan, India too has been victim to these manipulations in the garb of faith for a long time. It becomes much distressing when the person concerned is from marginalized section that is very much orchestrated by value system originating from these very framework that he is authenticating as highest constitutional functionary of the land. I don’t blame him he is only following the framework that has been concretized by castetva forces, and hence emulating these is connecting to the deep state, therefore beneficial. Then complementing porcine feudals as egalitarian rulers is another mischief. Without any capacity to rule or moral strength nor ethical value system these nincompoops always favored symbolic status. The main attention being to exploit as also authenticate the sanctum vacuum value system as culture. Indeed the elite working as deep state is appreciative. So the nincompoops pimped for colonizers by exploiting people and natural resources, meanwhile with falling crumbs created wealth for themselves and coterie. These thick skinned arbitrators constructed luxury for colonizers, and assumed the role of benign host to morph the humiliation of being ruled –the main target being zombie populace through sanctum hold. Annual Dasara is another staid celebration when these are showcased and asserted with fancy dress and regressive practices. Lacking any skills or competence they wallow in symbolic presence, they worked it out by paying huge ransom to colonisers and then as the country gained independence set about blackmailing the elected democratic system, ofcourse the cunning sanctum always an ally to control and authenticate. These has now morphed as representing indian culture! Ofcourse they extended their largesse by helping the nascent country some needed infrastructure, and the spinoff from this is what they are authenticating themselves on, as benign rulers and defenders of 'hindu culture'. As is the wont dominating and exploiting weak is now replicated through elephants and sanctum hold over herd. The vicious reaction on attempts to celebrate Mahishasura is indication of these unease at slipping hold over narration. This blogger sincerely hope that these are asserted with bigger involvement. The attempt to stamp out subaltern –that essentially represents the egalitarian value system, need to be resisted. Control over state machinery and cunning semantics authenticated through ethically bereft sanctum tactics shouldn’t be allowed. President has degraded his position. There is a reason why common people admired Abdul Kalam. 

  

***

There is an art gallery at Mysore that is now upgraded to showcase achievements of these feudal nincompoops. “maharajah of mysore” –essentially a middle man passing on the exploitation to colonisers, was declared as ‘star of india’ by colonizers we are informed with much pride. Then there is constant attempts to civilize themselves as connoisseurs of art -which ofcourse the mediocre society thrives in rarely touching the nuance. The height of cringe (in this art gallery) was when Ravi verma (I am quite convinced that though he held common people captive through painting of gods he was quite limited, he just was incapable to take it to next level of subtlety or abstract expression that touched the deeper recess of conscience. Ofcourse nostalgia of childhood spent on praying ravi verma painted Saraswati will always be there) painting was elaborated through recorded english, the morons in their wisdom pointed the “dark skinned beggar boy and fair skinned brahmin woman” in case you had missed the skin colour or god forbid there is a confusion! This is precisely where caste cannibals  match racism so effortlessly, as also the context of licking the british and exploiting common people. Gandhi took it next level (indeed gandhi’s litter had come all the way to inaugurate that 'art gallery', he really couldn’t protest on these matter). And if you scrutinize further you will realize that the reason why Parsis have done well has much to do with this than any discernible competence. Further, they viciously emulated the west as also kept themselves segregated (so much so that we are told pernicious royalty in Britain too expressed concern for dwindling population) which impressed the caste cannibals sensitive to these posturing.                      

Semantics is everything

You may say data is the new oil, or if you are gold afflicted sick mind (or have disease of heart –you may recall https://depalan.blogspot.com/2017/05/disease-of-heart-and-mind.html) then you see it as the new gold, that maybe true for manipulators but what really works the system is how it is narrated to the people, and to the posterity. Semantics is the oil that lubricates cunning arbitrators and negotiators to bypass facts and workout fiction that suits their worldview as also control the populace. Religions have worked on this rather remarkably indeed managing to turn even fiction into miracles. The hold is such that these anachronistic hurting deviances have made them immune to contradictory critically analyzed evidences presented to them. What is classified as faith is being reduced into mockery of indulgence that is eating away into humanity, and into this fertile grounds market search its consumers while clever leaders nurture their voters. The impasse that we are in wherein majority are reduced to chest thumping zombies –lacking any critical thinking faculties, are adeptly manipulated. Those who care know that the situation is dire. Its always fun to have the story with the tiger but not when it is mauling you. 

   

    Clever semantics is how it is played, and as expected in Indian context squatters and caste ensconced camaraderie have occupied this hallowed space to spin words to fit in grandiose. This illness of grandiose is entitled and very much churned in sanctum vacuum where all the skills fine-tuned. An uncouth primitive cannibalistic society is presented as model of unity in diversity. Semantics is worked to literally and metaphorically purify and sanctify narration. Those cunning enough to get the nuance are nurtured and showered with blessing. Castetva forces used democratic institutions for this purpose degrading even institutions that were essentially conceived by colonizers to control while crony capitalism morphed further into nepotism and corruption. Such was the degradation. But the narration was always controlled and presented to awe strike the world. It did work on fattened fluffs in west (specifically Britain) seeking redemption by lazily working on lowest denominator to patronize.

Few columnist I was reading will help to work this further (again, note these are not read by common people, it works on echo chamber but essential since these are powerful arbitrators who have capacity to sway opinion among the powerful). Indeed the real deal is working in this small space while zombie populace are just side show indeed collateral damage –they suffer, they die– and if they do it with much glee then it is success for arbitrators. From the putrid pit they defecate words fine tuning into highest aspiration that is almost mythical. Books get thicker while semantics smoother. They meet at the highest moral grounds to celebrate the success of the venture. Meanwhile the reality pokes in as mask slips. Social media has opened Pandora’s Box. What was white washed and sanitized is now open, the purifying defiled fantasy of sanctum is being ransacked and forced with real world. The western acquired civilized nuances of clever castetva slips into the belligerent hindutva and finds easy acceptance. The futile attempt to save gandhi by “jeneudhari shiv bhakt” and his casteist corrupt sycophants will easily work in favour of hindutva. Since castetva is very much subtext of hindutva. The struggle and sincere attempt here is to remove castetva out of hindutva and to create an egalitarian narration of Hinduism. Its arduous task since the cunning castetva have severely degraded the society and have put minefields that is ready to scuttle. This attempt to create a narration in Kashmir is part of it. Ghettoization and segregation, while feeding radical and selfish few in the garb of secularism is the main cause for the impasse and continuous misery for common people. The present situation is result of complete lack of empathy and competence on the part of policymakers in the last many decades –who took people for granted for their nefarious ways. They patronize the select few and showcased these with fanfare as indication of benign arbitrators (who essentially are aware of much bigger truth that most of us are incapable to comprehend) while exhibited proprietorship over common people and exploited them. This then was the template these uncouth knew and gained sanction from moral depravities of sanctum.

Pankaj Mishra –the “sprightly” fellow carries casteist reference unabashedly, has been desperately seeking high moral grounds in West after migrating from India at the first available occasion, and now is in blessed role of telling us how to behave from faraway sanitized world like the multi-limbed gods showering petals from clouds or admonishing with lightening as the occasion demands. He also is in a unique position to “credibly accuse” others. Judiciously nurtured (paid a ransom for a staid book –Romantics, that he surely owes a moneyback to the readers) he writes –in a desperate attempt to resurrect gandhi, as also the subtext of attempting to cleave our pliable clever gandhi fellow from hindutva attempts to appropriate, “Looking ahead to our own era, Gandhi predicted that even ‘the states that are today nominally democratic’ are likely to ‘become frankly totalitarian’ since a regime in which ‘the weakest go to the wall’ and a “few capitalist owners” thrive “cannot be sustained except by violence, veiled if not open”.  Now this high thoughts from a fellow who authenticated devious and much sinister scheme called casteism. Clever Guha attempts to negotiate these by cunningly posing Schrodinger’s Gandhi –the mickey who squeaks and doesn’t at the same time. Neat. Without getting into the merit of this statement (which ofcourse is a dubious attempt to resurrect casteist racist patriarch, there is existential reason for mishras and guhas at work here. Their whole moral ground and the uncharted world above is dependent on this obfuscation, this “intellectual impairment”) we need to focus on the critical matter here “looking ahead…gandhi predicted”. Predictive power is big deal among primitive Indians and this clever working of mahatma adds to the charm, and mishras are blessed to authenticate on these matter. Go to any goddamn sinkhole village in UP or Bihar (which ofcourse devious gandhi saw as model even hundred years ago –such was the predictive power) ask about mishras of the world the zombies will all authenticate in unison. The attempt to include Ambedkar (no mahatma sobriquet for him, doesn’t measure up I guess) is a calculated concession for the sensitivities of the times that couldn’t be avoided, its always better to appropriate and work into hierarchy for the west. It will be tragedy for the cleverly constructed world of castetva if they found out that its the anti-caste fighter for egalitarian value system and humanitarian context who is the actual mahatma and not the casteist racist nurtured by castetva forces with much help from colonial Britain (who also included some colorful casteist words into english language as an assertion to further bind the sinister ties). Mishra feels characteristically entitled to admonish west “Having laboured to exclude a smelly past of ethnocide, slavery and racism – and the ongoing stink of corporate venality – from their perfumed notion of Anglo-American superiority”. Quite clearly, having placed himself in west, Mishra is now a victim (and ofcourse fattened fluffs encourage every reason for so, indeed brown skin in London is automatically a victim, including that monster mullah), he conveniently forgets stink of casteism which cannot be even be dismissed as past since he himself carries the reference of it (which is well understood in this part of the world, this cannibalistic system not only nurtured him but he is a direct beneficiary). Mishra is relentless “For decades, India itself greatly benefited from a cold war-era conception of “democracy”, which reduced it to a morally glamorous label for the way rulers are elected, rather than about the kinds of power they hold, or the ways they exercise it. As a non-communist country that held routine elections, India possessed a matchless international prestige despite consistently failing – worse than many Asian, African, and Latin American countries – in providing its citizens with even the basic components of a dignified existence”. Now see that Mishra has put the onus on top down problem “how the power is exercised” or “inability to provide it citizens...” he quite conveniently fails to point that it is a reflection of much of primitive value system prevalent in the society that has degraded the institutions while elected politicians are only furthering these mindsets to capitalize. The problem is much deeper. There is persistent effort to see that common people are kept trapped in their putrid pit while all the basic amenities are kept tardy and inefficient. That way it is easy for uncouth moron like Aiyer to pose as liberal secular while guha is a gandhian, mishra is international columnist and yes gandhi easily imposed as mahatma. 

Last 70years nobody ever bothered about as basic as amenity called toilet (open defecation apart from being a source of diseases is degrading and demeaning for a human), while primary education is persistently undermined, the whole education system is a joke meant to create dubious understanding of merit, higher education is a charlatan's route for higher blessing. What kind of fucking society is this? And I have only got started on education system, then there is judiciary, health…and you can easily trace these to dubious values emanating from sinister sanctum that percolated into this primitive society, in which mishra is not only an indelible part but shares a strong camaraderie. His angst positioning may excite fattened fluffs in west (he being classified as victim context immensely helps, enlarged pupil take it to another level of anguish) but hometruth is much compromising. Castetva nurtured hindutva, which is indeed a natural progression. That hindutva seems seriously compromised and is not able to tap into egalitarian context of Hinduism is very much due the degradation that castetva institutionalized.

Mishra’s rant on hindu “supremacism” is a carefully chosen semantic to match white supremacism, and therefore position himself in the same league with black movement and sensibilities herein. It is a clever ploy that was also tried to authenticate gandhi and match him with Martin Luther king (it’s sacrilegious, only Ambedkar can be equated here. Truth will catch up). The idea of hindu supremacism is very much tied to caste supremacism, and caste supremacism is quite strongly connected to the whole idea of caste. The attempts by casteist feudal posturing as liberal secular to showcase caste as benign identity is ridiculous and is nothing much but an existential strategy to cling to the high moral ground gravy and is meant to showcase west (since most Indians know what it’s all about) to continue feeding. Like mishra there are many casteist who emerged from this cannibalistic society to migrate to west to multiply blessing and have exhibited incorrigible entitled characteristic itch to occupy high moral ground and pose as benign arbitrator (as sant tharoor – the unhinged patron saint of accented english speakers, elaborating on “glorious hinduism” elucidates “we have taken tolerance to higher level of acceptance”. Its obvious that as a scheming politician he has moved from cattle class to cattle mind!). As the semantic power is woefully unable to control the narration and as social media has breached the sanctified putrid pit the truth that casteism is worse than racism begins to strike. Segregating and classifying people based on birth that too within a society, a community (if the primitives understand the true meaning of community), is the worst form of human right abuse that can be inflicted, it gets much depraved with scrotum scratching sanctum squatter’s immoral fantasy. It is therefore but natural for mishras and guhas to cling to dubious gandhi and soulfully snarl against appropriation. Unbecoming for conniving gandhians hindutva have obviously an easy hand here.

Then ofcourse there is Shiv Visvanathan, recruited by Kasturi&Sons, who use semantics with mesmerizing dexterity in riveting turn of sentences. “All the prosthetics on the world does not quite achieve a sense of the body, its iconicity, its sense of the sacred, evoking desire and sublimity, inviting in turn the erotic, the ascetic and the sacramental”. I read these lines and I was like, holy shit no way! Where did it come and where did it go! Quite sure fattened fluffs will get double kick on that one. Groovy stuff churning there. He quickly proposes without any irony that gandhi was carrier of “spirituality of ethics”. This persistence of raising caste icon into higher plain of spirituality is a constant endeavor, indeed it’s an ardent effort to justify ‘mahatma’ and connect it to great pantheon of spiritual leaders (essentially egalitarian anti-caste humanist) hence cleverly usurp the legacy. Such attempts are always appreciated by deep state, and many have made successful career out of this. Now ofcourse the challenge is streamlining from castetva to hindutva needs (some have started to get clear glimpse of gandhi as carrying legacy of Ram avatar!). Shiv, working on liberal secular, is firmly on castetva pitch. The angst is telling since he too is aware that it so easy for hindutva to appropriate gandhi. He therefore quietly takes the safest role of anticipating what gandhi would do if he were to face contemporary challenges. This opens up whole new possibilities of placing gandhi wherever one fancy. This could be taken beyond mahatma with sufficient semantic dexterity (which ofcourse Shiv is blessed with abundantly, if only there was some sincerity –deep state that has put money on gandhi would have chucked him out! He will have to play his role). The fellow who couldn’t even come out of his putrid pit was “a new iconic power, encompassing neighbourhood and cosmos, microcosm and macrocosm”. Its the jagadh guru syndrome at work. Shiv neatly proposes that luddite gandhi -who had unique insight into human frailty as cause of earthquake, would be writing "cyborg manifesto"! He attempts to encompass highly valued world thinkers like Hannah Arendt –who studied subtleties of violence in breath taking candor, into minor role in gandhian conception. Indeed I am so upset with semantics here that wouldn’t allow this to pass. Eichmann was a cog whom Arendt saw as representing banality of evil. It doesn’t require much thought to suggest that Gandhi too was just a cog in caste framework. He was banality of proposed goodness. He didn’t have moral compass nor the ethical strength to dismiss, an inability to think, at the most a banality of cleverness. Shiv ends his column suggesting that with return of gandhi “citizenship becomes not only an invention of the self but a discovery of the other”. Sure, and one must read Ambedkar on gandhi to understand how our man ventured to discover the other. In a society that is adept in creating others this was nothing short of bravery of experimenting with truth. What a sham. 

                

PS: I really wanted to write this about a week back. I had misplaced my laptop, and cybercafé are crowded, noisy and unpleasantly cavernous. To think that first few years of my blogging was done through cybercafé! Incidentally this blog was started exactly 14years back (and this is my 868^th post!). To put it in perspective brilliant Greta Thunberg was two years old!!