A must read for everyone

Following are a few extracts from a book I recently read. The book is “Muhammad: Prophet for our Time” written by Karen Armstrong. Armstrong is among the world’s most foremost commentators on religion and an important advocate for interfaith understanding. Her other books include A History of God, Muhammad: A biography of the Prophet, Buddha: A biography, Islam: A short history, and many other bestsellers. After I read the book, I must say that she’s a genius and truly honest to the subject. She tries to provide a ray of hope in this world overshadowed by the dark, gloomy clouds of wars, distrust, injustice and disharmony by focusing on one of the most important aspect of the Prophet’s life: the pluralism that Islam supports. She also tries to make the tenets of Islam (especially the difference between hilm and jahiliyyah) clear, very clear, and accessible for readers of all faiths. These are the extracts from the introduction part of the book:

The history of a religious tradition is a continuous dialogue between a transcendent reality and current events in the mundane sphere. The faithful scrutinize the sacred past, looking for lessons that speak directly to the conditions of their lives. Most religions have a figurehead, an individual who expresses the ideals of the faith in human form…. These paradigmatic personalities shed light on the often dark conditions in which most of us seek salvation in our flawed world. They tell us what a human being can be.

Muslims have always understood this. Their scripture, the Qur'an, gave them a mission: to create a just and decent society in which all members were treated with equal respect [emphasis mine]….

The life of the Prophet Muhammad was as crucial to the unfolding of Islamic ideal as it is today. His career revealed the inscrutable God’s activity in the world, and illustrated the perfect surrender (in Arabic, the word for “surrender” is Islam) that every human being should make to the divine…

The Qur’an is the holy word of God, and its authority remains absolute. But Muslims know that it is not always easy to interpret. Its laws were designed for a small community, but a century after the Prophet’s death, Muslims ruled a vast empire, stretching from a Himalayas to the Pyrenees. Their circumstances were entirely different from those of the Prophet and the first Muslims, and Islam had to change and adapt…. By understanding what had prompted a particular Qur’anic teaching, they could relate it to their own situation by means of a disciplined process of analogy…

As a paradigmatic personality, Muhammad has important lessons, not only Muslims, but also for Western people. His life was a jihad: as we shall see, this word does not mean “holy war,” it means “struggle.” Muhammad literally sweated with the effort to bring peace to war-torn Arabia, and we need people who are prepared to do this today. His life was a tireless campaign against greed, injustice, and arrogance…

Strangely, events that took place in seventh-century Arabia have much to teach us about the events of our time and their underlying significance – far more, in fact, than the facile sound bites of politicians.

Hope the above extracts entice you to read the book. It’s simply a Seerah (biography) of the Prophet but focusing on some of its very important aspects. It’s a page-turner. The language is very lucid and again the price is not much: around Rs. 290/-, available at any book store.

Critique on Indian Middle and Elite Class

Hi,

I have been out and busy with many a work. However, I still take time out and do my bit of reading, without which there are hardly any chances of my survival... lol :-)

Jokes apart, I recently read a book by the name "The Great Indian Middle Class" written by Pavan K. Verma. It's a very compelling book I must say.

Pavan K. Verma has been a member of IFS (Indian Foreign Services) and has worked at Romania, Bulgaria and also at New York at the United Nations. He's done his graduation in history and then obtained a law degree in Delhi.

Talking about the book: the central idea or the underlying idea of this book is a critique (quite insightful and powerful) on the attitudes and behaviors of the Indian middle class. In this critique, the author has shown how and when the contemporary middle class of India emerged, and how it evolved over time, especially during the 50 years after India's independence. (this book was written in 1998). He has shown how the middle class, guided by self-interest alone, has subverted the goal of an egalitarian society or say, a more just society where the gap between the rich and the poor is minimum; how, over the years, its commitment to democracy and the electoral process has declined; and how economic liberalization (after 1991) has only heightened its tendency to withdraw from anything that does not relate directly to its material well-being.

He hasn't talked about the size and structure of this middle and what kind of income-earning people constitute it. A general idea is that it is a class of people who are neither so poor that they can't have 3 times of meal a day or send their children to school nor are they so rich (like capitalists or business tycoons) who own large multinational corporations like Ambanis, Birlas, Tatas, or CEO's of top notch companies. They are somewhere in between these two extremes, but their aspirations are always to be with those few elites on the top.

Pavan Verma has divided his book into 5 chapters: The Relevance of beginnings, The Age of Hope, The End of Innocence, The Inner Landscape, and The Writing on the Wall. Each chapter depicts a major shift or phase in the evolution of this class.

Let me give you a brief extract from the book which I feel, sets the tone of the book. It's the first part of the very first chapter:

It was the night of 14th August 1947, hot, muggy and full of the dense moistness that comes with the rains at this time in New Delhi. It was not an ordinary night. For, at the stroke of midnight, India was to become a free country, putting an end to two centuries of British rule. All over the country, through its vast and sprawling plains, its verdant coastlines, and in the towns and villages nestled amidst its mountain ranges, ordinary people, largely illiterate, ill-clad, and mostly malnourished, waited with a sense of heightened anticipation for the fruition of an even long fought for and awaited. In the bigger cities, specially the capital, Delhi, animated crowds milled around, hugely excited by the imminent event. Again, these were ordinary people, aware of the momentousness of the event, but still a little fuzzy about what it would mean for them in real terms in the years to come. They were there to celebrate, and to hear their beloved leader Jawaharlal Nehru speak to them. And, at the stroke of midnight hour, Nehru spoke. In English. [emphasis mine]

'Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny,' Nehru said. ' And now the time has come to redeem our pledge...' He spoke with passion and feeling and a transparent sense of destiny. He was heard in rapt silence by the representatives of the Indian people.... Unfortunately, the elegance of his prose and the content of his speech inspired only a minuscule number of Indians, mostly from the middle class, who had access to a radio and, more importantly, could understand English. For, to the overwhelming majority of Indians... English and the way of life of which it was both a symbol and an instrument were incomprehensible and alien.

The question that arises then, quite logically, is why Nehru, who had spent a lifetime struggling against British colonialism, and who had, indeed, acquired the stature of an icon in the Indian freedom movement even in the estimation of the masses, choose to speak to them on such a momentous occasion in language they did not comprehend?

The answer to this question provides the key to understanding the nature of the impact of British colonialism on India, the genesis and content of the Indian national movement, and the emergence, as a result of the interaction of these processes in decades leading up to 1947, of the Indian middle class.

Perhaps, now you can get an idea of the kind of critique and analysis you can find in this book, and also understand its relevance and importance.

Finally, the author argues that the project of 'secession of the successful' is as dangerous as it is unrealistic in a country like India. For, if the middle class remains insensitive to the needs of the vast number of Indians who live in extreme poverty and not to mention, with the least opportunities, it does so at the risk of considerable political instability which will militate against the very prosperity that it desires.

I don't want to write much in this post. I hope people reading this post would take some time out and try to read the book. It's just 200 pages long and would cost around 250/-, available almost at every book store in any mall.

I will mention some important points in every chapter that the author has written to give you an overview of the book, but that would be in my next post.

Au revoir!

A Real Student

Who is a student? Who qualifies to be a real student? What are the qualities or rather say properties of a student? These are the few real questions, I think, a student or in general, a person ought to think about; look for the answers. Is it only the person who studies in an educational institution and completes a curriculum?

Simply, a student can be defined as one who studies. Let’s see what etymology (the study of the origin of a word) has to say:

The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb "studēre", meaning "to direct one's zeal at"; hence a student could be described as 'one who directs zeal at a subject'. In its widest use, "student" is used for anyone who is learning. (Wikipedia)

Let’s see what the dictionary has to say:

• A person formally engaged in learning, esp. one enrolled in a school or college; pupil: a student at Yale.
• Any person who studies, investigates, or examines thoughtfully: a student of human nature.

(dictionary.com)

We can see that it is not only a person formally engaged in learning but also the one who studies, investigates, or rather explores knowledge that can be called a student.

These are only general definitions, but if we look at the history we get a complete picture of what a student really is or what is he really meant to do. Accordingly, there are three basic and fundamental aims of a student which were propounded by my friend, Musab Iqbal.

One is thirst for and exploration of knowledge. A student does not feel satisfied by any amount of knowledge he/she gets. This thirst leads him/her to further the exploration. The knowledge, apart from books, can also be gained through our surroundings, our neighborhood, our society, towns, villages, our elders, peers and friends. This habit of digging for it is what makes a “student” the student.

Second aim of a student is to contribute to the advancement or prosperity of human civilization. He/she shares what he/she has learnt. A student works for the betterment of the world he/she lives in and is a part & parcel of. Contribution can be in various fields/disciplines – art, science, music, technology, social sciences, ecosystems, etc.

Third, he/she has to understand that a student is the link between knowledge and society. If he fails to do so, or if he is not there as a link, there will be none who can teach moral values, ethics, or guide society in the right direction.

Citizens Statement On The NHRC Clean Chit To Special Cell On Batla House

Citizens Statement On The NHRC Clean Chit To Special Cell On Batla House

Posted using ShareThis

Been off for a while...

Hi everyone...

it's been a while, actually quite a long time, since I put up my last post here. I've been quite busy with my study and other works.

Well, as the saying goes, it's better late than never. Let me add that I'm, right now, reading a book by the great intellectual, Noam Chomsky. This book is called "Manufacturing Consent - The political economy of mass media."

A great book I must say. It's always a pleasure to read Chomsky's books and articles. The last book that I read before the current one was tilted "Hegemony or Survival - America's quest for global power"; another amazing and compelling analysis of the US policies, especially foreign policies, by the genius!

The book that I'm reading these days has been co-authored by Edward S. Herman. I'll come up with a review or a kind of summary of the book once I finish it.

Right now, I'll just give you a brief idea of what this is book about. It's about how the popular mass media (mainstream media) in US help in obfuscating or manipulating facts and what compel or motivate them to do so.

Authors gave a model they call "Propaganda Model", which they first described and then applied to various news that were covered by the media in the past.

Let me leave you with the 5 "ingredients" of the Propaganda Model they made. These 5 "ingredients" have been called as "filters" through which the raw news have to pass through. What remains after "filtration" is deemed fit to print.

The 5 filters are (just the headings):-

(1) the size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the mass media;

(2) advertising as the primary income source of the mass media;

(3) the reliance of the media on information provided by government, businesses, and "experts" funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power;

(4) "flak" as a means of disciplining the media; and

(5) "anticommunism" (in the period this book was written, these days it's "anti-terrorism") as a national religion and control mechanism.

I think this may be enough for you to get an idea and probably even excitement of what this book might contain!

(the same model can also be applied to the mainstream media in our country and analysed since the media here follows the same pattern of organizing their structure).

Academic Excellence

An academic year comes to an end for the school going and almost for the under-graduate students. Some try to get through while some get a backlog or two, and some pass with flying colors. It’s in our country that a system of academic “year” is followed, whereas in western countries a system of “seasons” is followed in universities and colleges. When we study for our examinations, be it BE, B.Tech or MBBS, we see – if we observe and take a note – that most of the books are written by foreign authors. We always prefer foreign, especially European or American authors over Indian in most cases. Why is it that there are very few Indian authors of such caliber and recognition in the academic field?

In India if we take an observatory average, we can see that hardly 10% of the students are such who really study for the love of study and knowledge and wisdom. The remaining, if we do a survey, study only because either everyone else study or to earn and make a better career, following a kind of tradition in academics, and then jump into a multi-national corporation or run abroad for a job. Few also go to foreign countries to do their masters, but again with the view that studying in foreign countries will somehow add to their prestige and make them more “valuable” in the market, more demanding. This is the general mindset of not just a majority of students in our country but also the elders; it has become a kind of culture that knowledge (whatever we get from schooling and graduation) is only for getting more figures in bank accounts. It can’t be denied that education gives us an edge in our careers over the uneducated, and also get us more money. Nor can the importance of money in our lives be denied. The problem is that money is becoming or has become the central focal point of lives for many.

Gaining knowledge and wisdom is in fact so joyful that a person would immerse himself/herself in it and forget the world around him/her for some time. It sets our minds free from worries, ethos, and prejudices, and lets us explore the world around and in one self. What our country lacks is discipline and the kind of students who would love to remain students throughout their life even while they are earning; the students who would not just stop at graduation or post-graduation, but would move ahead in their respective fields towards research. History is a witness that no nation succeeds without the citizens who make it up contributing to the various fields of knowledge and sciences. In recorded history, first, the leaders were the Egyptians, and then came the Greeks, followed by Romans and Persians, then the golden era of Islamic civilization; and eventually Europeans became the torch bearers, and ruled the world for some centuries. They still lead the world. The thing that was common among these civilizations was the R&D. They led because each of them contributed to the wisdom of human, and those who could not do so became subservient and followed the leaders.

It is the need of the hour that Indian students step up and give up a little of their wishes and desires in the favor of research & development. It will add to the real prestige and honor of both the nation and the students themselves and their families. Knowledge is power!

Hardware & Software of Democracy

Ramachandra Guha, an eminent historian, recently wrote :

The 'hardware' of Indian democracy, by which I mean the machinery and conduct of elections, is robust and intact. The 'software' of democracy, by which I mean the processes by which we are governed in-between elections, is corrupt and corroded.

sick planet

A century of research in ecology has taught us that the well-being of humans depends not only on freedom from diseases but also on the life-support provided by well-functioning ecosystems.

~ Stan Cox

(Sick Planet: Impact of corporate food and medicine)

Burden of Democracy - The burden of being free

What is democracy??

A school-going kid would answer: "It is the government of the people, by the people and for the people."

It's a simple and easily understood definition in our country. Unfortunately, as is evident by plain observation, we seem to be focused, somewhat, only on the latter 2 phrases - "by the people" & "for the people", and have either completely forgotten or ignored the first one - "of the people".

Let me explain what I mean by that. We people have, in our minds and thought, limited democracy to elections only. Once we cast our votes, we think we are done with our democratic responsibility. There is no doubt regarding the importance of elections; in fact, they are fundamental to a democracy. But, we tend to forget our other major fundamental democratic responsibility without which elections become meaningless gradually.

Many of us keep harping on the irresponsible or unaccountable attitude of the elected leaders and keep complaining about the corruption in our political system. It is true that our politicians are some of the most corrupt people, but the question is: what made them so corrupt, so irresponsible?? Is it that they are born corrupt or criminal minded? May be. But they wouldn't have dared to doing it so openly had we citizens been vigilant and ever mindful of our duty in a democracy.

So, it's that we are mindful of our rights ("for the people") and also elections ("by the people"), but we tend to ignore our duties ("of the people"). In my previous post, I mentioned about the burden of democracy. This is what I meant by writing that the burden lies on our shoulders, on the people of India. 

We demand our rights and worry that they are being abused, but we forget that we will have our rights only when we perform duties. That is, we get our rights by the virtue of our duties. We neglect our responsibility and expect the elected representatives to fulfill theirs'?

Now, what do I mean by the duty or the responsibility? It is that we don't forget our nation right after we cast our vote, but to keep an eye on the policies the Government makes, and let our voices and concerns be heard and, more importantly, be responded to.

Who would dare even think of taking bribery for example, if he/she knew how conscious the people are? After all, the politicians were once normal people like us, and they aren't aliens who came from other planet.

You could say, "Ah! This ain't possible by me," or "who cares what they do?" or "I have many other matters to tend to." But, how can you or I possibly do anything constructive, even for ourselves, if our freedoms get snatched; if we are again subjected to dictatorship or autocracy or monarchy??

Therefore, it's not just a burden of democracy, but rather a burden of being free. If we don't want to pay the price of being enslaved, we better wake up and do what we have to.

I know that decades of our indifference to the politics has left us in a receptive or passive state, and that state terror has taken its toll on many of us. Those who tried to raise their voice against injustice and deceit have been severely dealt with or put down by the arm of force. But, if we do not act now, things will just become worse and worse. 

The choice is ours!

Submerge Subsidies

While writing my SNAP exam, I came across the essay as a reading comprehension passage. I found it quite interesting, and would like to share it with you. Author is unknown.

I've not copied the whole article here, only the important points to be considered. Read till the end....

(If you are feeling lazy to read the whole article, simply read the phrases in bold).

Rajendra K. Prachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is getting nightmares because of the Nano, Tata’s soon-to-be-launched Rs. one lakh car. Sunitha Narain of the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE) says that it isn’t the Nano by itself but cars overall that give her nightmares. The villains in my nightmares are neither Nano nor cars overall, but stupid government policies that subsidize and encourage pollution, adulteration and congestion......

.....More logical would be a protest against big cars that use more space and fuel, or highly polluting old cars. Instead, green hypocrites aim at a new car with the lowest cost, best mileage and least missions. The Nano will not burden us with too many cars. India has very less cars per person by world standards. London and New York have ultra-high car densities, yet have clearer air than Delhi. Our problem is too many bad policies, not too many cars.

We subsidize vehicles on a gargantuan scale invisible to lay folk. Roads and flyovers cost crores to build and maintain, yet road use is free (save a few toll roads). Traffic police and lights are costly, yet are provided free. These invisible subsidies starve cities of funds to expand roads and public transport.

Land in cities now costs lakhs per square metre. Yet parking is fee in the suburbs, and often costs just Rs. 10 per day in city centres. A single parking space of 23 square meters occupies land worth Rs. 40 lakhs. A car occupies more space than an office desk, yet the desk space pays full commercial rent while parking space costs just about Rs. 10 per day.

Daily parking charges range from $30 in Washington to $130 in New York. CSE launched a sensible campaign to raise parking gees in Delhi to Rs. 120 per day, but was foiled. So, parking space now exceeds green space, a scathing comment on priorities.

We sanctimoniously lecture rich countries to reduce their green house emissions, yet subsidize our own. Diesel is subsidized to be cheaper than petrol. So, Indian car makers produce the highest proportion of diesel cars in the world. Diesel fumes contain suspended particles that are highly toxic. This subsidy kills.

So does kerosene provided at throwaway prices, ostensibly to benefit the poor villagers. One third of all kerosene is use to adulterate petrol and diesel. That causes horrendous pollution even in the greenest of cars.

What’s the way forward? We must abolish subsidies and raise taxes on vehicles and fuels to reflect their full social cost. The biggest but least visible subsidy is for parking, and we should start there.

Many car owners in the West take public transport to work since parking space downtown is costly and scarce. We should levy parking fees on an hourly, not daily, basis. Rs. 10 per hour could be a starting point in the metros.....

Cities should levy stiff annual taxes on vehicles, not a one-time tax, and use the revenue to constantly expand public transport and roads. This will create economic synergy: Private transport will finance public transport. London and New York have high density public transport as well as high car density (better option will be electric trains like the MMTS in Hyderabad city or like in Mumbai)....

Next, some medicine that will be really bitter, politically. The excise duty on all automotive vehicles should be raised to reflect their social costs. Fuel subsidies should be abolished. Price differentials between petrol, diesel and kerosene should be removed, ending incentives for adulteration. Diesel cars should bear a heavy additional cess to finance improved healthcare for those affected by their emission of harmful particulate matter.

That is long, politically difficult agenda. Only part of it will ever be achieved. Yet that is the way to go, rather than agitate against Nano.

Depression and Hope

Today, I write this post with unhappiness and depression (sometimes hopelessness) over the indifference, sheer indifference of the people of India in general, and in Hyderabad in particular, to the sufferings of the people of Palestine.

Just to note one incident of the apathy and disinterest: Movement for Peace and Justice, a people-politics organisation, held a rally at Indira Park on 15th January '09, protesting the Israel's barbarism in Gaza (which still continues). Hardly 500 people gathered and participated in a city with a majority of Muslim population. (Hope they remember what the Prophet, peace be on him, said about the Muslim Ummah or Community).

Compare this with number of people that got out onto the streets of London protesting Israel's terrorism: around 3500!

One of the very basic and important tool of state terrorism has attained great success, as it seems: Fear.

Fear has struck the Indian citizens (especially minorities), of the state authorities (Govt., military, police, etc). It has got so perfectly instilled, partly thanks to our ignorance, in our hearts - not just by the Governments after independence but also by the one before it - that we are afraid to even speak about the situation in Palestine (even our own problems), forget participating in a rally/protest. This one tool will eventually convert our democracy into a new form of autocracy or dictatorship, with no protest or even voice of concern or opposition against the Government's policies.

The people, especially in Hyderabad city  (except a very small minority), have become so dull, so hopeless, so dead; it hurts and causes indignation. 

I don't say that we don't have any feelings or conscience, or in the case of Gaza, we don't feel the pain of watching and hearing about the many innocents dying there. This was proven by the large amount that was collected for sending to Gaza as funds by the Students' Islamic Organization of India, only on a single day of Friday: reportedly around 5 Lakh Rupees only from Hyderabad.

We feel. But we also need to act. Need to speak out. This is a democracy. And in a democracy the burden is on the people to actively participate in government (not just vote once and forget for a whole term). 

It seems as if we have come under an occupation again, colonialism. Only difference is that there aren't any foreign ruler or troops, but our own "country men" who found the apolitical attitude of the majority as an opportunity to rule over us, control us, albeit in a different form.

Let me quote what Pluto once said: "The price good people pay for their indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

I write this because I hope.... I really hope that one day there will be awakening; and I know that one day there will be reckoning.