Institution builder is no more …

Yash Chopra was a colossal figure who significantly influenced the growth and direction of Indian film industry

Get well soon Malala dear…

…the world waits for you

Where acquiring knowledge was way of life

Nalanda’s literal translation would be “give lotus”, which loosely means “offer goodness”. About 1500 years back this was the place that became center of knowledge. It offered space for about 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers, and spread across many kms. I have come here in 1999, and this time too I could feel what this place could have been many centuries ago. Meticulously constructed dormitories with living space, bed, rack for study material, common ground water well and toilet, all these for set of 30 students each that consisted a unit, ventilation, kitchen so on. The library (know as treasure of truth) held huge collection of study material. Those were exciting times, of fervent discussions, sharing and knowing. Exalted thoughts and ideas that had started to grow independent of brahminical stranglehold and obnoxious structure. When you walk through these dormitories you could still feel so much care and compassion that went into building this great center of ancient knowledge. If you put this in context of world history, as barbarians roamed around the world, then we realize the significance of Nalanda.  

Even though structures may be destroyed and forgotten but collective conscience survives, that is what you see in subtleties and sensibilities that exist in certain societies. I see that it in zen, in haikus, in art (mandala or flower art of Thais are only few examples of exalted subtlety)…in peaceful people, in people who pursue knowledge to share, in contemplation and meditation, in worldviews that reflects universality of human spirit. That it couldn’t much percolate into Indian society is another instance of mediocre elites (Brahminical puss that gangrened Indian society), of course one does see shades of Buddhism in pan Indian  thought stream (also kerala murals and temples). Collective conscience of destruction too survives, it does in violent people and their ugly worldview. If Taliban is surviving conscience of marauding muslim invaders then sucking colonizers do trace its conscience through marauding market. The context changes but collective conscience does survive. Attack on 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan is another instance on attack on goodness, on society that seeks knowledge, therefore understanding, therefore compassion. When the marauders burned the library of Nalanda it ember for many months, what a colossal loss to humanity.  

Britain gets some lesson on propriety 

Britain’s arrogance at one point was such that they gave space to scum of earth in the name of freedom of expression and democracy. That these scoundrels caused much misery to people around the world was none of their concern. They even provided interviews of people who had nothing but vicious things to say (even BBC, which in recent times has become quite mediocre). What goes does come back, and sure does. Abu Hamza episode gave them a good lesson. Small grace for us people across the world. 

Deeply saddened…

  

I have never been saddened like this for a long time, few minutes back I came to know from the Net that Wislawa Szymborska has passed away months back. It’s sad that mediocre and crude that Indian elite predominantly is (they control and feed all structures with incredible travesty), it is getting increasingly difficult to chaff rare piece of treasure from overwhelming muck. Don’t know how am I not aware of this…. 

“I don't know” she said “It's small, but it flies on mighty wings. It expands our lives to include the spaces within us as well as those outer expanses in which our tiny Earth hangs suspended.” Without it, she said, Isaac Newton would have gobbled apples rather than pondering the force that makes them drop. Her compatriot Marie Curie would have “wound up teaching chemistry at some private high school for young ladies from good families.” What a brilliant thought!! 

Wislawa Szymborska's poems left deep imprint and is a significant influence. I am so very saddened. Few lines from her poem…

Something doesn’t start

at its usual time.

Something doesn’t happen

as it should. Someone was always, always here,

then suddenly disappeared

and stubbornly stays disappeared.

Bush and Blair should face proceedings in the international criminal court

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says that Tony Blair could have stopped the Iraq war had he decided to walk away from a partnership with the US. He said this after releasing his memoir, hope the book sells. But we people on the street don’t need any insiders story, we knew it all the way.  

Mr. Annan however said he did not agree with fellow Nobel peace prize laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, over his suggestion that Bush and Blair should face proceedings in the international criminal court. Annan says “they were democratically elected leaders acting in what they believed were their national interest”. Really was there a referendum?!! Was it there in their election manifesto? Who admitted to 'sexed up' reports? So wy did they lose the election? Secondly, even if there was referendum, that doesn’t give any nation any right to attack another country. Furthermore it’s now very clear that attack on Iraq was manipulated for selfish interest of few, what is also very clear is that lots of innocent people died.

  

Wonder what more evidence does International Court of Justice wants? Or is it that they are only interested in brutalities by leaders in Africa. The neo-colonial white man’s burden, shall we.  Democracy (secularism/religion, freedom of expression...) have become convenient alibi for lots of disgusting acts in recent times.  

(courtesy Guardian Newspaper)

Correction: in my last blog...the line should read  "...must add here that his fiction does lack, where Naipaul glitter". Pankaj Mishra is amazing as non fiction writer, indeed he is arguably one of the best contemporary writers i have read.

Arab spring spirals dangerously as history repeats itself…

The events happening in Arab world specifically in Libya is not entirely unexpected. The radical elements are gaining much space in this region. Syria too is being sucked into the vortex. All this at the expense of livelihood problems of common people as also issues of environment, biodiversity so on…when stakes are high these are but minor impediments. Some commentators patronize it as “you get what you ask for” or that some societies are “not suited for democracy”.  It’s uncanny how the despots in Arab world hold on to power as the West fed them for immediate gains and the common people suffered. It is something that has happened before …

Pankaj Mishra’s From The Ruins Of Empire –The revolt against the West and the remaking of Asia is remarkable book. He used few significant personalities to weave a compelling history. Indeed a history that rather remarkably gives insights into contemporary happening. The reason why this is quite a major book to be published in recent times.  The life of Al-Din Al-Afghani is an important study on how a very concerned person’s world view gets radicalized as he deals with despots and is now very much exploited by the fundamentalist and competing forces. He is in many ways representation of common people, the people on the street who fight the modern day tyrant whether Mubarak, Gadaffi or Assad. Interestingly these rulers too adopted the western references –the kind al-Afghani was dealing with –to project their liberal credentials for the liking of West. These references were packaged by West to showcase these leaders as acceptable for dealing. People respond to the developing circumstances by negotiating what they think will give secure livelihood and dignity. It is this that is exploited by power brokers and vested interests (the organized section, the space taken over by the fundamentalists), as is happening in Tripoli or Cairo. Al-Afghani a very sane and rational man, his world view “was not a systematic thinker, and seems to have developed his ideas on the run…” The reason why ‘Arab spring’ is so much a legacy of al-Afghani as much it is of the common people. 

As you read the book that traces the history in an entirely new light by chartering lives of few significant people that was sought to be relegated in imperial version of history, you start to get a refreshing context to the contemporary events. The dictators like Mubarak, Assad, Gaddafi (and not very recently Shah of Iran, one may add the Saudi royals too)…were encouraged and patronized by West for their material gain. It was either the western political establishment or the big Corporate, sometimes clandestinely, sometimes openly, in most cases there wasn’t any difference, they never gave a damn. While despots role-played liberalism with rib tickling cadence that made good copy for market media, the profits were filled up in the Scandinavian banks (incidentally these countries consistently top the yearly list of corruption free world!!). Democracy was ruse that was sought to be trickled down. Indeed the dictators actively played on the fears of chaos. Correctly put, the West was an established partner in the loot. If this doesn’t shock what will really shock is the fact that this is repeat play of more than century back. It is a déjà vu moment of deceit. Those were heydays of colonialism and imperialism this is the heydays of democracy and market.  

It is also not ironical that in the last years of his life al-Afghani lamented the fact that he had wasted the seed of his ideas ‘in the salt and sterile soil’ of kingly sovereignty. The book quotes him “for what I sowed in that soil never grew, and what I planted in that brackish earth perished away. During all this time none of my well intentioned counsels sank in the ears of the rulers of the East whose selfishness and ignorance prevented them from accepting my word…Would that I had sown all the seed of my ideas in the receptive ground of the people’s thought”. Undoubtedly it took more than a century for al-Afghani’s ideas to percolate. The Arab spring has all the ideas of al-Afghani, as also the emergence of reactionary forces that can be traced to his experiences. It is an amazing insight on the history of the region. 

The life of Liang Qichao’s is another reference on the development of pan Asian response to imperialism as also how Japan adapted on the lines of colonial power. Even the recent tense situation between China and Japan could be traced back to the travesties of these periods.    

The book gave me insights that Macaulay driven Indian education system miserably failed. I recall in my school in the History subject annual exams we had to shade in the world map the British, French, Dutch colonies and so on. Our intelligence/talent depended on performance in these nonsenses. The teaching didn’t provide the context of depravity in these conquests, atleast a contemporary balance on these historical wrongs (even now the mediocre Indian elite –direct beneficiaries of colonialism, are in awe). Tang Tiaoding quite rightly defined it as “white people’s history”. The book quotes him “They provide plenty of indisputable evidence on the extent of primitive customs and ignorance of the native people, as proof of why these people deserve to be conquered.  This type of praise (of themselves) and condemnation (of others) is done with an eye towards the final judgment of history….but now I know that these books were written by white people, where truth and falsehood are confused…I know one thing for sure; if you seek the truth about Philippines in the history books of the Spaniards, you would not doubt for a moment that the country is ignorant and vile, and you would only wonder why it had not perished sooner…”.

Pankaj Mishra is undoubtedly an exciting writer (for the uninitiated he is the author of wonderful book Butter Chicken in Ludhiana), I have read most of his books. He surely reminds me of VS Naipaul in many shades. Take for instance brilliant crisp lines like “The advance of imperialism everywhere forced Asian elites into sideways glances as well as urgent self appraisals”. Must add here that his fiction does lack, where Naipaul glitter (I feel this as a reader). I have reached a stage in life where I know I really can’t be a good writer (English is too complicated a language!) but still Naipaul remains a reference and Mishra a path! I too have spent few days in JNU to know that the real history is history of common people, that which is being relegated as subaltern. The explosion of communication media in true sense is beginning of history, it is the end of elitist history of Fukuyamas and superstructures. It is in this context we can say that Pankaj Mishra is deconstructing history for us. It is the age of Derrida!!  

Condolences

Varghese Kurian was truly a Bharath Ratna, it is unfortunate that the incompetent government is not able to recognize his contributions. 

Mr.Thilakan was a tremendous actor, arguably one of the best in India. He played some memorable characters over the years, two of my favorite movies are Munnampakkam (legendary Padmarajan) and Perumthachan (scripted by MT)

                        

Paisa ped par nahi ugtha hai

We are quite grateful to CAG and SC for taking initiative to make policy makers accountable for their misdeeds. Corruption is rampant. The coal scam runs into billions of Rupees. This loot has been going on for decades, irrespective of political parties in power. It is not only about wanton greed but also destruction of land/environment in the name of development. This government has been ineffective and should be removed at the earliest, the more they stick around the more misery they create.  Aam admi (indeed Secularism rant) is a convenient ruse for corruption.

The hiroshima girl

It is me knocking at your door
- at how many doors i've been
But no one can see me
Since the dead are invisible.

I died at Hiroshima
that was ten years ago
I am a girl of seven
Dead children do not grow.

First my hair caught fire
then my eyes burnt out
I became a handful of ashes
blown away by the wind.

I don't wish anything for myself
for a child who is burnt to cinders
cannot even eat sweets.

I'm knocking at your doors
aunts and uncles, to get your signatures
so that never again children will burn
and so they can eat sweets.

'Hiroshima Girl' is the english translation of Turkish poem by Nazim Hikmet.

These lines by Oscar Wilde and an infamous image from Vietnam

A child can understand a punishment inflicted by an individual, such as a parent or guardian, and bear it with a certain amount of acquiescence. What it cannot understand is a punishment inflicted by society...

Bolt !!!

This was something you really cannot miss, the world stopped at 2.20am IST and the Bolt at 9.63sec. Effortless?!! Not really...