Engaging with the Indian media (specifically Times of India)

…that surely is the worst thing to do: engaging with people who desperately want your attention! Cunning and conniving Indian media have ‘news’ (if ever in the mesh of views) as an afterthought. It’s the moneybags, with ad agency and PR group, doing the round to trap people for profit, as also gain influence and clout. Of course they do some good, they have to, otherwise the spin is too obvious. This then is where liberal values are negotiated and passed with brief appreciation. Before, of course, we go into a break.  That in short is what Indian media is reduced to (regrets to likes of Amartya Sens of the world, who somehow, from their elevated perch, saw some glitter. I must add that the little lady at little mag with supersize ambition with matching ego has taken her rant one notch up. All for the sake of bharath mata). There are of course exceptions but these are rare and occasional. They can carry on with their sacred act of money making but the degradation they cause will be scrutinized. I do flip through different newspapers (mostly English but sometimes Hindi and Malayalam too) and news channels, but must admit the scene is shoddy, they are reduced to peddler of products. The system the market has created is amazingly juvenile, and that this is the basis on which humanity’s development is hinged, or atleast negotiated through, is a shocking realization. It’s a vicious cycle of consumption driven anarchy and degradation. It’s based on common people’s vulnerabilities, they ransack every possible emotions to sell. At one level it is dehumanisation of emotions, decontextualisation of feeling. This then further degrades into crony capitalism, as the family and friends make merry of the opportunities.

PM Modi calls for ‘Made in India’, good intentioned but will it have any impact. This blogger is not sure. Since, a society where physical work is considered degrading cannot bring in culture of manufacturing, it is too deep rooted malaise. Corporate maybe quite upbeat about India’s youth, the ‘demographic dividend’, but they are one of the most sedate and sterile set of youngsters you can come across. It maybe a gross generalization but I am fairly on-money here. They come from deviant/squatter’s framework, the culture and tradition herewith produces unique individuals who crave for white collar jobs, very keen on hierarchy that will turn into vicious form of feudalism at short notice. Indeed their whole intent is to sniff money and clout, everything else, including education, is a minor conduit for this gargantuan appetite. This deviant understanding of success is what market remarkably fuels at every occasion. The reason they could find so much commonality between Indian scripture (Bhagvad gita is the latest fad, which ironically is much subtler) and management thoughts (which in short boils down to how to maximize the suck). There was once a fellow who used to mail me ‘Chanakya as management guru’ nonsense so often that I had to spam him. Later he came out with a book, that I am told ‘has done quite well’, so we have a writer now!!   

Apart from this there is an attitude of entitled domination, that I have observed comes quite entrenched in squatter’s way of life. Organizational hierarchy therefore quite easily morphs these, and within this manufacturing as dictated or to be emulated works. You will be surprised the vicious form of feudalism that seeps into nook and corner of corporate –that is being goaded as harbinger of modernity. I was once working in a managerial position, and as is my wont I told my colleagues not to refer me as ‘sir’, that probably was my undoing. I realize this society is so much dominated (by squatters/ invaders/britishers so on) that it has become a template for working in a group or human relations. If you don’t dominate they will dominate, it’s an aspirational pattern. It is the reason that the majority prefer a ‘benevolent dictator’, that everyone realize this as an oxymoron makes the matter worse. I was also advised by my ‘senior’ (who intended to groom me i.e use me for his narrow ambitions) that I should not roam around too much and do menial works, rather I should be at desk and dictate to others. That is what manager does. It so effortlessly sieve into squatter’s world. The reason some do so well, telling others what to do, in pedaling things, in PR works…manufacturing and innovations (which essentially is connecting to the reality of surrounding and empathy) herewith will have to wait. It needs altitudinal change that this society will take some time to ingrain. In the meanwhile the spin doctors are at the doorstep.  

The dealings and nuances too is much complicated, it is much layered. Once I asked this young lad, an engineer, in an MNC, as we headed for food “whether he is non-veg?” He said with much seriousness that “he is a vegetarian but takes non-veg”. Any other place this would be hilarious but this is his way of establishing his pecking order. With such screwed up minds nothing special can be expected. Yes they will very diligently do the back end jobs. It is too much to expect anything more, indeed it would distress our little fellow.     

In this context the recent attempt by HRD to segregate vegetarian and non vegetarian canteen in colleges is extremely regressive and should be protested. This is heinous, evidently inspired by squatters purity driven muck worldview. Being vegetarian is a culinary choice and not matter of entitled superiority. People should share table, and eat as according to their choice. This culture of disgust on what others eat is deeply ingrained nonsense passed on as tradition. Educational institutions and policy makers have a role to play to remove these. IIT/IIMs have a much broader role to play (anyway they aren’t producing much quality students despite the hype, they rank quite low in world standard, which isn’t unexpected at all).

I was reading yesterday’s Times of India (I am told the largest selling English newspaper in India), now before I get into this let me recall writing about typo in Indian Express, now that may not have been intentional, the attitudinal issue one can gather from this is carelessness, indeed apathy. But TOI has some serious attitudinal issue to work on (not that others are doing well, generally pretentious with high intentions). The editorial (don’t know whether to call one, it has left one dear fellow permanently ‘weebit unhinged’!) had this to say “Fadnavis…is the second Brahmin to hold the CM’s chair after Joshi of Shiv Sena. This suggests that in a changing political landscape merit takes precedence over caste”. Amazing is it not? That is from the largest selling English newspaper in India in its editorial! It’s kind of oxymoronish statement (that morons who wrote it didn’t have the sense to understand). You are mentioning the caste of the person then denying its existence. I gather being casteist goes well in squatter dominating Hindu right, they are our saviors, as they say vasudeva kutumbakam (neighbors not included!!). Being casteist is also heightened state of sickularism. And so despite fratricidal war for poor us they do meet at get together and hug each other longer than usual. It is also amazing that they are equating a person from a particular caste as example of merit. This is market meets merit in action.    

Secondly, the editor (if there is any, or is it the Jain bandhus ‘hand of god’) need to explain what do they mean by ‘brahmin’, I know squatters generally refer to themselves as such, and traditional hindu zombie society has allowed them to squat (occasional respite being the invaders) wherein they should have been evicted and prevented from further degrading Hindu religion. These crude forms of expressions and identities should have been shunned like nazi symbols, because of immense atrocities on common people. The fact that it is being pushed as diversity is where Indian mediocre elite has succeeded and, I believe, invaded the western countries, piggyback riding Gandhi, as nice harmless vegetarian harbingers of peaceful souls. The reality is shockingly opposite.    

Another of intrusion is ‘spiritual’ columns, the attempt-at-making-squatter’s-worldview-palatable-to-market-industry (there are again exceptions, and some smart people who make sense). TOI has this one on the same day as above, Krishna Kops who tries to weave in with Gandhi, Tagore, Foucault, Hegel…in the context of things I can only say: it’s quite a long and impressive list of name dropping to make one singular point: to create market friendly spiritual world. Poorly written and quite simplistically recycled hash this column has these lines that I thought were inching for profoundness! “I remember an interview with an activist and booker prize winner. As usual she was about to rant and rave about capitalistic system, when the journalist asked her, why she was using an iPhone, if this was the case”. He doesn’t mention the name, ah I am so much finding it difficult to guess. Such subtleties is common these days! It’s insightful to discover that products are created by capitalistic system and not collaborative outcome of smart scientists and technologists. So shall we say all that the USSR invented (including the technology for first man in space) were communist inventions? Market created a system of selling, the defect being the sellers pocketing decent cut in the process of weaving on buyers. By this they degrade human intelligence and denigrate people. They also help consolidate regressive norms (TOI in this case being an example). iPhone is a clever example of something of value, our spiritual columnist cunningly avoids the kind of nonsense market brings to suck on people.

Despite the heading of this write up I am not trying to engage with any media. I buy newspapers on random (TOI is only one of them, not that others are much different), and make it a point to return the newspaper once read. If there are good columns I keep it to read again (it is rare these days). We live in a world where even bad publicity sells. Jain Bandhus can carry on with their debauched lives running profitable hereditary family business. Regards.         

Deeply anguishing

I go cycling around RK Narayan’s residence quite often, it’s about a Km or so from where I stay.  The house is in a pitiable condition, half demolished as it was stopped by concerned people (it may be noted that the family wasn’t much bothered and had sold it to some developer), and since then the government has taken over with the promise of converting the house into a museum.  That was few years back. The house seems to have got stuck in time and is an anguishing sight. RK Narayan deserves much better than this. He was an immensely popular writer. His house should be converted into museum at the earliest. This has so much of possibility to be a tourist attraction. Like his Malgudi town, this could be a Malgudi house where all his endearing character can come alive. Already there are enough stunning drawings by RK Laxman in existence that could make the exhibits compelling.

RK Narayan had an abiding influence on me, of course apart from his highly popular TV serial Malgudi days. I started reading seriously only after I had crossed twenty five (previously mostly into comics or encyclopedias), and RK was one of the earliest as he was easy to read. Also, the Sahitya Akademi library (delhi) had a huge collection of RK’s books. In a month or two I finished most of his books, and promptly decided I should be a writer!! Quite akin to some of his impetuous characters that he so charmingly created. In a way it’s a tribute to RK Narayan (or an insult, as you may look at it). Over the years I seem to have lost the innocence, and understand writing is a much difficult process, also in the meanwhile RK’s writings were also being criticized by people who should know better. These puzzled me a lot. As I start to get the grip of things I do understand some serious lacunae in the world of Malgudi. But then it isn’t a reality and is only a fictional microcosm of Indian life. Surely it is the writer’s prerogative to write on what he is comfortable in. Malgudi stands the test of time, and so does RK Narayan as a fiction writer. I need to stress ‘fiction writer’ since some his essays and views I find elitist and amazingly out of place. Well you cannot blame him when your friend circle includes MN Srinivas (who apart from other things even put forth, with much seriousness, that people from higher strata should be paid to stay with people of lower section, as a practical step towards social amalgamation!! If I recall this interview came in Frontline, long time back). 

Mysuru (thankfully Mysore is out, apologies to RK) is a great place to live, quieter and laid back, it goes with my temperament. I sincerely hope they don’t ruin it like they have done to Bangalore (which is now development junkyard, that surely is a huge effort from what was once a garden city), though signs are ominous with homo sapiens reproducing at alarming rate and market pushing from development. You can cycle around the Mysuru city without facing much pollution or traffic issues, overwhelming section is sensitive to surrounding. Three to four kms from where I stay is agriculture land, where things are as it is for centuries with Kaveri river in the back drop and web of canals and water bodies. It is a paradise of wildlife, very few cities can claim of bird sanctuary.  Located right on the tip of Western Ghats Mysuru is enchantingly close to wildlife, so much so that you get tales of leopards and wild elephants, sometimes right in the centre of the town. It is straight out of RK Narayan’s plot!!

Mysuru also has history of valuing excellence, few names of people who have spent substantial part of their life in Mysuru will help to get the context. Former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishan taught in University of Mysore (his birth anniversary is observed as Teacher’s Day), M Visvesvaraya an engineer whose contribution is such that he is even referred to as ‘father of mysuru’ (his birth anniversary is observed as Engineer’s Day). Other names includes, the list is long and I am including only few, Kuvempu, Raja Ramanna, HY Sharada Prasad, RK Laxman, Narayanamurthy so on. Mysuru over the years has become quite an attraction for yoga practitioners. Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar are the names that have connections to Mysuru. For a small town (it’s difficult to call Mysuru even a city) that is quite remarkable. 

There is a restaurant named Malgudi in Mysuru, with sketches from RK’s fictions on the wall, quite a charming effort but I find it too congested for my liking. So I skip it. I prefer breakfast in a laid back place with not many people around or much chattering, it can be quite distressing. They should give me my three idlis or oil less masala dosha with potatoes mashed into small chunks  and hot piping coffee, and forget me for next an hour or so, and I read an agreeable newspaper column that should make me think. Its how the day begins, nobody is rushing anywhere.    

Love Jihad: The elephant in the room

I have been reading with much amusement the write-ups and views of various commentators from the wide spectrum of India’s pretentious intellectuals. They differ according to their persuasions, benefits, and urgency herewith. In most cases they follow the template of mullah-pandering-pompous-sickularism or rabid patriarchal majoritarian rant. The fratricidal war to save us is on. Few centuries back these were fight between gotras, between horizontal and vertical, completely bypassing common people. It’s a rarified field of self aggrandizement, grandeur and nitpicking –also referred to as debate -vaad samvaad parampara -the kind Amartyas of the world expertise in, without any connection with any reality.  

When you divide people in the name of religion then you will have anachronisms of love jihad, to believe that these are fictitious is pushing the issue under the carpet for greater good of sickularism and lovely world constructed herein. Some intellectuals with hand on the heart ask how could love be divided like this? Love should triumph all the barriers, they are unison about it. A kind of mush that market loves to feed on. One writer masquerading as feminist calls it as triumph of women’s right and her right over herself. While another refers to choice of partner as individual freedom and so on. Nobody has problem with these nice words but the intent is questioned. Last few years as I gain understanding of these pretentious people I have become quite careful about their intent, it’s a deep malaise. After all one needn’t forget that these have pupated from squatter’s framework. They speculated grandly on nature of universe and the very next instant cannibalised common people. Nicer words with no intent or compassion, and so secularism becomes sickularism, a potent means for social climbing and liberal exhibitionism. They carry these with flourish these days and market pays them well. What they ignore in their heightened righteousness is my concern here.

Ofcourse many are right on money but the context is quite messed up. They quite persistently don’t see the elephant in the room. Nobody is against love nor is anyone denying rights of individual, indeed one is glad about female rights being asserted in an overwhelmingly patriarchal society. But we are not living in an isolated grandness. One need to understand that extreme and biased nature of civil laws are the basic cause of these discrepancies. The muslim civil law which seem to have given free hand to blatant patriarchy as religious freedom is the concern here. Primitive practice of polygamy has created lots of problems. One cannot be naïve not to see that increasing the numbers has been the motive of controllers of religions, this give them the clout. Clearly their counterpart in Hinduism (or Sikhism or Christianity) will react hence claims of love jihad don’t go without context. Also, it need be noted that relatively limited nature of freedom accorded to muslim females also go into ‘advantage’ for the patriarchs of the religion, the issue of face cover maybe religious expression for some but it has social ramifications. One shouldn’t be surprised, it restricts space for interaction and acts as a control. How is my expression affecting others cannot be ignored. We are not living in isolation, the happening of the world and increasingly communalization of societies is a known fact. As also the history of the region has some lesson for power brokers. People will be concerned and these genuine apprehensions will be capitalized by vested interests. 

In the patriarchal nature of religion marriages are seen as an instrument to acquire child producers, to increase the numbers. Democracy is not about freedom to explore or opportunity to cherish the world but is just another god granted opportunity to work on numbers. Thus democracy has not improved democratic values instead it has become an alibi for patriarchal norms as traditions and expressions. It is as crude as that. This is the reason why conversion of religion by only woman happens in the marriage. If marriage is about love then why is there conversion of religion? Clearly it means it is more than love. Religion is very much involved.  Also, as long as love leads to conversion through marriages the patriarchal forces on the other side of the spectrum (i.e. hindu right, in this case) will cry foul and create problems. This reaction is expected. Religions are controlled by power brokers who have simple arithmetic and simpler surer dangerous view of world -and even after world. Therefore it becomes incumbent on civilized society to recognize these problems and disincentivise patriarchy in whatever forms they appear. 

Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that is based on egalitarian worldview and seeks to create gender parity is the need of the hour. That is the basis of secularism and democratic rights. Masquerading feminist will ignore the fact that it is women’s right that is curtailed when only women converts in marriage, or that a system recognizes only polygamy as choice. They may try their best to classify this as choice, but cannot ignore the reality that there is crude insistence and dire expressions of patriarchy embedded in the religion. ‘Mixed’ marriages where women convert is not an example of love or egalitarian world of choices, on the contrary it is acknowledgement of primitive patriarchy wherein uncivilised norms are sought to be mainstreamed. This is true for Hindus as well as Muslims or any other religions, deviant norms cannot be sought to define secularism. Indeed, we also need to evolve from limited world of secularism to egalitarian world of humanism.      

Freedom means the right to choose what faith one wants to follow, or better still not to fall for these degradations and anachronistic nonsense that is constant threat to humanity. If marriage is based on conversion then it is violation of that right, or least the freedom is conditioned, also keep in mind the enormous pressure people face in the society, so sometimes the decisions are based on social coercions which ofcourse is an agency of patriarchy. It could also be individual coercion by male member/partner, clearly an extension of patriarchal control. Under these circumstances marriage (what should be an extremely personal issue) no longer remains personal. It becomes focus for arbitration of power. Patriarchal nature of society sees the game plan of the other side, religion becomes fertile source for divisions, and extension of prejudices and stereotyping. Love jihad gains credence.                              

Ebola virus in India !!

Yes that is what is claimed by today’s editorial column of a leading English newspaper The New Indian Express ! Or is it? Read the line…

Though cases have been detected in India, it is important to ensure an afflicted person does not get into the country and move around freely unknowingly. Ebola is a lethal virus with a long incubation period (emphasis mine)….

I was sipping the coffee while reading and almost threw up. What the heck? And so spent next precious moments trying to understand, and reread the lines few more times. Yes, according to the editorial excellence of this newspaper “cases have been detected in India”, then I realize it must be a typo (since I am aware of the issue, otherwise I would have taken it to be true)…or is it a mischief? How such typo error happen that too in the editorial column of a newspaper that has prestigious name ‘Goenka award’ –for excellence in journalism, associated to it? Further the mistake is on an issue which is quite sensitive as also the typo is such that it fuels alarm.

What kind of competence is this? If they cannot even write few lines of editorial properly they have no right to be in the job. Most of these exaggerated positions are paid ransom, while the beat journalist peanuts. Such mistakes are called being highly irresponsible and grossly negligent. It’s like the doctor leaving the scissor in the patient’s stomach. Will the Editors Guild look into these and take appropriate action against the concerned newspaper?