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| Thursday, March 15, 2001, Chandigarh, India    |
Up and down at BSE Taxman’s dirty
cut Putting careers in
jeopardy |
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Pashtun leadership of Taliban
Birth of another IIT
Laxman — one up, one
down
British Red Cross
under fire
Promoter of truth and
humanism
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Up and down at BSE FUND managers and stock market operators are, by training and temperament, a perennially nervous lot. The slightest sign of risk induces them to act wildly. Herd mentality is the dominant force. Sell, somebody commands the computer, and everyone sells and the market crashes. The reverse happens when there is big buying. And the market either recovers or “creates wealth”, as economic newspapers misreport. This was best illustrated on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the first occasion brokers expected heavy losses as the share index in Tokyo, the Wall Street and Nasdaq dropped like a stone. So they too offloaded the shares they had and brought the 30-share sensitive index (sensex) of the BSE down by 174 points. On Tuesday, the day started disastrously with the sensex opening lower by over 60 points. But after Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha announced a series of measures to tone up the working of the BSE and the index rose smartly. But it dipped to close 227 points below after the tehelka.com expose. What has the scam to do with share prices? Nervousness about political stability and its effect on the economy, this is the answer. But in reality, the bulls, bent on taking the sensex up, and the bears, sworn to the opposite goal, always clash and use any weapon they can find. It is exactly like Ramleela — the Ram fighting the Ravan — in alliance with a lot of abracadabra. The measures to reform the stock markets are good as far as they go but they do not go far enough. Dealers and brokers will be barred from running exchanges and it is an overdue change. Professional management will make the present cosy relationship between the brokers and authorities a bit difficult. But it will not automatically eliminate it. In the BSE it is too deeply entrenched to disappear in the face of a law. Introduction of rolling settlement will slash the volume of trading since it will force every broker to pay his way through every deal at the end of the day. Other ideas are plain spring-cleaning. The RBI’s curbs on banks lending against shares as collateral is a partial answer to the present problem. Mr Sinha finds comfort in the low percentage of bank lending to brokers — a mere 2 per cent of the total deposit as against the prudential limit of 5 per cent. This bald statistic looks appealing. But the impression is that the loans are evenly spread, which is not the case. A few operators using their newly acquired reputation or in the best tradition of crony capitalism corner a huge chunk of the loans and use the money to set the market trend. Mr Sinha has not found it necessary to end this. It is a pity. |
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Taxman’s dirty cut HEN ministers, Generals and other VVIPs of the country are being caught with their hands in the till, is it any surprise that those lower down the rung are also making hay while the sarkari sun shines? What is alarming is that even law enforcement agencies that are supposed to bring the culprits to book are very much involved in the racket. In the latest instance, an Additional Commissioner of Income Tax has been found to have unaccounted assets worth several crores. Hard cash (some Rs 1.05 crore), farmhouses and flats all over the country, plots, bank accounts … he had everything. This kind of loot is going on not only in the income tax department but also in the departments of sales tax, the police, excise and customs. The list is incomplete. It is just that these are the leading lights of the rogue gallery. Besides robbing the exchequer, these government servants cause a much bigger damage. They hound and harass honest citizens to ensure that the hapless people have no option except to grease their itchy palms. In fact, they virtually force them to make money on the sly so that they can get a cut. The message that is conveyed loud and clear is that you cannot fight the system, only manipulate it. To curb them, laws are made with much fanfare, but the daylight robbery goes on regardless. It is estimated that if the functionaries of the various departments can be reined in, the country does not have to worry about its fiscal deficit at all. But how can the rulers who themselves siphon off hundreds of crores enforce their writ? Yes, there are some honest ones too, but they are the exceptions. Whether corruption has percolated downwards or climbed upwards is a matter of opinion, but the fact is that it is all-pervasive. What comes to light does not comprise even the tip of the iceberg. Ironically, nobody is apologetic about what he does. To make money on the sly is taken as a matter of right. Remember the way some Haryana officials sent to Gujarat for earthquake relief work returned loaded with foreign goods meant for the victims? The story leaked out only because the wife of one of the beneficiaries put the prized items on display during her kitty party! The social acceptance has come about because nearly everyone is involved in it. Someone who gets a government job by paying a bribe is bound to make good his investment. Postings at high-yielding police stations, airports and docks are actually auctioned. Every common man is in the know of things which the rulers says do not even exist. Trucks have telling slogans written behind them: “Sau mein 99 beimaan, phir bhi mera Bharat mahaan”. The writing is on the moving wall. |
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Putting careers in jeopardy THE marks scandal at Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, exposed by the Tribune News Service has created a piquant situation for the newspaper. Should The Tribune have gone ahead with the expose or allowed corrupt clerks at PTU to increase the marks of the failed students? Opinion among readers is divided. Those committed to rooting out corruption in at least the temples of learning have welcomed the initiative. But there is the flip side also. The charge being levelled at The Tribune by another section of the readers is that by exposing the marks scandal the newspaper has inadvertently put the careers of genuinely meritorious students in jeopardy. Their argument is that it is not the scandal but the exposure which has given a bad name to the institution. Prospective employers are likely to follow the simple rule of thumb of black listing PTU itself instead of merely giving the rejection slip to the student who managed to have the four marks he had obtained in the fluid mechanics paper converted to 26 by offering a bribe of Rs 5,000 to an attendant in the examination branch of the university. However, there are many "s" which have been converted into "26" by corrupt officials in the examination. In any case, The Tribune merely obtained the information about the marks scandal. The real work of exposing the racket was performed by a team of teachers constituted by the Vice-Chancellor. Obviously, the objective of the academics was to improve the credibility of the technical university by identifying elements which were taking money for helping weak students obtain bogus degrees. The Vice-Chancellor and the team which exposed the racket deserve praise for the service they have rendered in the matter of helping the institution regain some of the shine it had lost in 1998 when large-scale bungling in the merit list for admission was detected. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had to take the extraordinary decision of organising a lok adalat for undoing the damage done by the "merit list scam". The list had to be revised several times before the process of granting admission to candidates having cleared the combined entrance test was completed in September. Had the academic community acted as efficiently then as it has now in exposing the marks scam, PTU's credibility may not have had to behave like the bulls and bears on the stock market. |
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OPINION WHEN the passengers of the hijacked IC 814 were released on December 31, 1999, their only desire was to return from their medieval and austere surroundings in Kandahar to their near and dear ones in Delhi. The hijackers were Pakistanis — members of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen — a terrorist group supported and provided training and other facilities by the Taliban in Khost and elsewhere in Afghanistan. It was quite obvious that the Taliban had been duplicitous in supporting the aims of the hijackers on the one hand, while pretending to be neutral go-betweens on the other, throughout the hijacking crisis. But any student of subcontinental history could not fail to understand the symbolism of what transpired in Kandahar, the seat of Pashtun power, from where the plains of “Hindustan” had been invaded over the centuries. While Mullah Omar has been projected as a puritanical Islamic leader and even assumed the title of Amir-ul-Momineen (Leader of the Faithful), the establishment of Kandahar rather than Kabul as the seat of Afghan power and governance is not without its own significance. It indicates that Omar is also a staunch Pashtun nationalist, not averse to resorting to the use of traditional symbols of power and authority of past Afghan rulers. The Taliban leadership is drawn predominantly from the Pashtuns of the Durrani clan who hail from Kandahar. Omar himself is, however, believed to be from the rival Ghilzai Pashtun clan. The Kandaharis still offer prayers at the mausoleum of the founding father of Afghanistan, Ahmed Shah Abdali. They proudly recall how Abdali pillaged and looted Delhi, Lahore and Multan and established Afghan power in Kashmir in the eighteenth century. Barely a stone’s throw away from Abdali’s mausoleum is the shrine where the “Cloak” of Prophet Mohammed is housed. Mullah Omar emerged before the people of Kandahar with the cloak in 1994, to be ordained as the Amir-ul-Momineen, in order to establish his legitimacy as having been “divinely ordained” to lead the Durranis and, therefore, the whole of Afghanistan. The ISI, that was prominently present, as the Taliban moved into Kandahar, had obviously tutored the good Mullah well. He had been told that traditional symbolism had to accompany his religious fanaticism, if he was to win acceptance and legitimacy as the leader of the Pashtuns. Pakistan’s involvement with the fundamentalist forces in Afghanistan is of long standing. It goes back to 1975 when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto played host to Gulbuddin Hikmetayar in a bid to destabilise the progressive, secular and nationalist Government of President Daud. The USA joined the fray in supporting the likes of Hikmetayar, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The Pashtun youth comprising the Taliban were drawn from Afghan refugees who had joined the Deobandi Madarsas in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan. These madarsas were largely controlled and run by the Jamiat (Ulema-e-Islam, a NWFP-based fundamentalist party, headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman. The entire strategy of nurturing the Taliban was the brainchild of Benazir’s Interior (Home) Minister Maj-Gen Nasrullah Babbar. While the ISI had used people like Hikmetayar primarily to see that Pakistan installed a compliant regime in Kabul in a quest for “strategic depth” against India, General Babbar had more grandiose plans. He advocated the opening a land route from Central Asia to the Baluchistan coast which would make Pakistan the strategic hub for the exploitation of the immense oil and gas resources of the region. Apart from being religious zealots, the Taliban are also hardcore Pashtun Durrani nationalists who believe that there can be no question of genuinely sharing power with other nationalities in Afghanistan like the Tadjiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. This was, after all, the way successive Durrani rulers from Ahmed Shah Abdali behaved. The ISI evidently believes that for Pakistan to gain abiding “strategic depth” against India the Taliban have to be helped by all means to establish hegemony over the whole of Afghanistan. This ignores the fact that the Pashtuns themselves constitute only around 40 per cent of the population of Afghanistan. Interestingly, General Musharraf himself has publicly articulated the cause of Pashtun hegemony in Afghanistan. It is in the pursuit of this policy that Pakistan now finds itself totally isolated from the international community. It is abhorrence and concern about the policies of the Taliban that has brought together an interesting coalition of forces ranging from Iran, India, China and the Central Asian countries on the one hand, to the USA and Russia on the other. Pakistan has strategically overextended itself both directly in India, with its efforts to destabilise and undermine our secular, democratic and pluralistic structure and in its ambitions in Afghanistan. Any strategy to deal with Pakistan has necessarily to deal with the follies of its Afghan policy. The Taliban are a menace internationally not only because of their resort to medieval, extremist, Jehadi religious zeal, as exhibited by their wanton destruction of their country’s priceless historical heritage, but also because of their inability to respect democratic norms either domestically or internationally. Like their Pakistani ISI mentors, they seem to care little for the welfare of their own people, while pursuing ambitious and unattainable external goals. Lord Curzon had once described Afghanistan as the “Cockpit of Asia”. He realised that the borders of India had to be defended at the Khyber Pass, even as he played the “Great Game” of containing Russian influence, through adroit political and diplomatic manoeuvring, within Afghanistan and beyond. New Delhi does not, however, have to worry about Russian influence today, as it sees Moscow as a partner and not as a rival, in dealing with the menace of religious extremism sponsored and supported by the ISI-Taliban nexus. It is now for us to strengthen the broad-based international coalition that has emerged to deal with this menace. It is imperative that every possible means should be used to prevent the Taliban from exercising its hegemony up to the Amu Darya (river) on Afghanistan’s borders with Central Asia. The Pashtuns will eventually realise that all the help from ISI Generals conducting their military operations will not enable them to fulfil their territorial ambitions in Northern Afghanistan. It would be only natural that they will then turn their eyes southwards towards their borders on the Durand Line — borders that were thrust down their throats by the British. Only then will Pakistan’s strategic Pundits like Gen Hamid Gul and Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and Jehadis like Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed remember that the roads that Ahmed Shah Abdali took to Delhi from Kandahar also pass through Multan and Lahore. The Taliban today have many friends and allies in Pakistan, ranging from Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s JUI party to the virulently anti-Shia Sipah-e-Sahiba — far more friends and kinsmen than Ahmad Shah Abdali had in these places, during his marauding expeditions in the eighteenth century. Pashtun nationalism cannot be constantly exploited by Pakistan under the garb of Islamic solidarity. It is obvious that the Punjabi military elite is going to dominate the national life of Pakistan and especially the conduct of relations with India in the foreseeable future. Given the compulsive hostility of this elite, it would be naive to assume that Islamabad is going to change course in the conduct of relations with India, merely by our uttering sweet words, or by reciting a few couplets of Faiz in Urdu, or by holding candle-light vigils at Wagah. The Rawalpindi will change their policies only when they find that they are paying too heavy a price in pursuing them. Nations that go with a begging bowl to world capitals for assistance to repay their debts and that cannot govern themselves in a civilised, democratic manner are ill placed to entertain exaggerated notions about their influence and power. Dealing effectively with developments in Afghanistan will certainly help us in making this reality clear to the Generals across the border.
The writer is India’s former High Commissioner to Pakistan. |
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IN THE
NEWS INDIA has two most admired jewels in its crown: the world-famous IIMs and IITs. There is a new entrant to the ranks of IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology)——the University of Roorkee. Next year the prestigious centre of technical education will be rechristened with an amendment to the IIT Act by Parliament. This, however, does not mean that the engineering institution at Roorkee (earlier in UP, but now in Uttaranchal) was in any way inferior to the five IITs of the country. Throughout its existence since 1847 it has maintained an enviable reputation. Set up as Thomson College of Engineering, when there was no other institution of its kind in Asia, following the efforts of a military engineer named Cautley, it later came to be known as Roorkee College of Engineering. With the dawn of Independence, it was accorded the status of a university on January1, 1948. The technical university, housing India’s best-known Earthquake Engineering Research Centre, could have been the first IIT of the country but for the pleading of then Chief Minister of UP, Gobind Ballabh Pant. When the Government of India established its IITs following the recommendations of the Sarkar Committee constituted in 1945, the name of the college at Roorkee was on top of the list, but Pant refused to hand it over to the Union Government. At one time during the 1980s it was felt that Roorkee University must be converted into an IIT to ensure that it had adequate funds needed to maintain its standards. Somehow the efforts of those behind the idea could not bring the desired fruits. The creation of Uttaranchal, a new state carved out of mainly the hill areas of UP, came as a blessing in disguise. Uttaranchal’s precarious financial position was feared to come in the way of proper maintenance of Roorkee University. Hence the latest plan. Isst is better late than never. Israel's new PM Contrary to expectations, the new Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, has lifted the five month-old blockade imposed on four West Bank towns under Palestinian control. Though the West Bank's Ramallah town and many Gaza Strip areas continue to remain virtual "detention camps", even this small gesture at the beginning of his tenure makes one hopeful that Mr Sharon will think twice before killing the peace process as generally feared. The Palestinians regard his election to the top executive post in Israel as "the most foolish thing in history". It is Mr Sharon's recent visit to an East Jerusalem shrine, sacred to Muslims, that resulted in a fresh "intefada" (uprising) in Israel, leading to the loss of scores of Palestinian and Jewish lives. But he has no regrets. He is firm that there can be no peace talks so long as the Palestinian leadership does not stop violence against Israelis. His agenda is clear: to retain the whole of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, to keep intact all the existing Jewish settlements and to hold on to the Jordan valley areas captured from the Arabs. In his opinion, the commitments made by former Labour Prime Minister Ehud Barak are not binding on the new government. Thus, the anti-peace forces in both Palestinian and Israeli camps must be feeling emboldened. And if the new Prime Minister, a right-wing hardliner, sticks to his unreasonable views, in complete disregard of Israel's basic requirement — peace — the West Asian region may experience a fresh wave of intensified violence. A dreadful scenario, indeed, but that is what hawks like Mr Sharon love to see. Born in 1928, Mr Sharon worked for the underground Jewish army, Haganah, even when he was in his teens. He could not become the army chief because of his involvement in a serious controversy, but he reached a fairly high level to enable him to enter politics later on in a big way. He has had the reputation of being always in a combative mood. Perhaps, he draws strength from his past which includes his prominent role in Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the blood-curdling massacre of Palestinian refugees in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila camps. His attitude to human lives was condemned by the world community, but he showed no signs of remorse as this brought the then Defence Minister into the international limelight. So, he can go to any extent if his actions strengthen his political base. Peace may be Israel's problem; it is not his! |
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ANALYSIS IT was the best of time for one Laxman and the worst of time for another Laxman in the land of Lord Rama. One Laxman was leading India from a position of defeat to a possible victory at the cricket paradise called Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The other Laxman was leading the country and the party of which he was President to humiliation and dishonour in what was once the spiritual and temporal capital of India. Meet V. V. S. Laxman, who has seldom received fair treatment at the hands of the selectors of the Indian cricket team. Also please meet Mr Bangaru Laxman. He was plucked from obscurity and made president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the hope that his Dalit background would help the BJP win Assembly elections in states under the influence of Mandal. The political tehalka caused by a dotcom company in the national capital should make all honourable Indians wonder why the Laxman who plays cricket is not addressed as “Mr” and why the other Laxman should continue to be addressed with the respect he evidently does not deserve. The Laxman at Kolkata sent the nation into a state of boundless ecstacy through his cover drives. The Laxman in the former Indraprastha, from where the fair and mighty Pandavas perhaps ruled the world, was caught playing “undercover drives”. VVS deserved the double-century he scored against the best bowling attack in contemporary cricket. In the process he became a worthy successor to the Indian record score of 236 made by another legend, Sunil Gavaskar. The best bowling attack of the time when Sunny played cricket belonged to the West Indies. Most of Sunny’s centuries and double-tons were scored against them. VVS on Wednesday earned his place under the glow of Sunny by scoring both the centuries in his 21-Test career against the best team in contemporary cricket. However, most of today’s news would be dominated by Mr Laxman in Delhi. Which is a pity. However, the media would have to appear to be unjust to the Laxman in Kolkata because the acts of misdemeanour Bangaru and other senior politicians and Army officers are accused of having indulged in, if proved correct, would raise serious questions about the security of the nation. And who will live to play or watch cricket if the nation dies. The story associated with the deeds of Laxman in Delhi would continue to hog the limelight for a long time. But the innings which would linger in the memory of the sports conscious people of the country would be the one played by the Laxman in Kolkata. At the end of the day the Laxman in Kolkata was still not out. The Laxman in Delhi was both down and out, although the leadership kept up the pretense of not being ruffled by inviting him to the NDA session for gauging the scale of the political tehalka caused by a dotcom company. The moral of the story of the two Laxmans is simple. Those who have played without being addressed as “Mr” have usually brought glory to the country. Right Mr Laxman? Or do you see a political conspiracy for defaming you in this line of argument? |
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TRENDS
AND POINTERS THE British Red Cross has been reported to the country’s Charity Commission after allegedly talking a hefty donation from Nestle, the international food and drinks company. Baba Milk Action is asking the Charity Commission to take action against the British Red Cross, alleging that it took a donation of £ 250,000 and is promoting a Nestle campaign. Nestle is the subject of a consumer boycott in more than 20 countries because of its aggressive marketing of dried baby milk. Baby Milk Action is the UK member of the International Baby Food Action Network
(IBFAN) which provides first-hand evidence of company malpractice. They say Nestle has violated more baby milk marketing regulations than any other company. Save the Children recently released a report from Brazil which is heavily critical of Nestle’s activities. Said Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator for Baby Milk Action: “We greatly value the work of the British Red Cross, but we are now spending so much time responding to calls from the public about the position it has taken responding to calls from the public about the position it has taken that we are being distracted from our other work. We have had no choice but to take this action. In this instance the British Red Cross appears to be working contrary to its fundamental principle of leviating human suffering.” WFS
AWOL poster girl Lance Bombardier Heidi Cochrane, 24, was the poster girl for the British army. Literally: a photo of her posing in full battle dress with her assault rifle was widely used for recruitment — until Cochrane went AWOL after apparently eloping with her Sergeant. The duo has returned to face charges. Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Roberta Winterton, 20, has been demoted to Private after she appeared in a newspaper as a topless “Page 3 Girl”. Winterton, who wants to quit the army to become a model, says she has been “bombarded” with modeling offers since her Page 3 debut. Reuters |
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75 YEARS
AGO THE Lahore Government College Dramatic Club, that has been staging Shakespeare's well known tragedy "Hamlet" since Thursday the 11th instant, will give its last performances on Saturday at 9 p.m. in the College Hall for the benefit of the gentry of Lahore. It is gratifying to note that unlike other amateur dramatic societies this club tries to produce its plays quite artistically and aims at lifting the drama out of the unwholesome rut in which it has fallen in this Province. Its efforts have, thanks to the indefatigable energy of its Vice President, Prof G.D. Sondhi, M.A., I.E.S., have met with ample success and its annual performances are invariably appreciated by the public which flocks in large numbers numbers to enjoy them. |
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OF LIFE
SUBLIME THOUGH scholars differ in their interpretation of the European Renaissance (1350-1600), no one questions that this unique cultural and literary movement is bound up with something called Humanism, which is quest for soul-searching. The Renaissance, the birth of modern civilisation, is deeply concerned with man's dignity, his powers and capacities. The main focus of this movement is on man as a measure of things, and the search for true standards of intellectual and spiritual importance. It has established guidelines for the great humanistic tradition. The essence of humanism is goodwill as a personal virtue, high respect for the other persons as a fellow human being, the brotherhood of man, and unity of mankind bound by love and sympathy. Humanism is now an integral part of our culture in today’s stormy world, torn by conflicts and tension. Erasmus (1467-1536), a Dutch scholar, represents the finest values of this great humanistic tradition bequeathed by the Renaissance. Brought up in extreme poverty in Rotterdam, Erasmus was invalid as a consequence of his early privations. He was relieved from his monastic vows because he found monastic life inimical to his self-development. After obtaining a degree in Divinity at Turin, he travelled widely in Europe, visiting France, Belgium, England, and Italy, which ripened and enlarged his ideas. He spent a good deal of time in the company of some leading European scholars which greatly benefitted him intellectually. At Cambridge, Erasmus served as Professor of Divinity and Greek Literature, and finally settled at Basel in Switzerland where he died on 12 July, 1536. He followed tenaciously in his life the Greek ideal of the Delphi temple, 'Nothing in excess.' Erasmus stands at the crossroads of two historic movements, the Renaissance and the Reformation, that shaped modernity and inaugurated a new era of social, cultural and spiritual significance. A great scholar of Greek and Latin literature, Erasmus mastered almost every branch of ancient lore. His historical sense was acute, his linguistic equipment sound, his range of interest wide. But he was not a dry-as-dust scholar of the library like Lord Macaulay or Lord Acton, cut off from the universe. He assimilated from the schools of Plato and Aristotle whatever he thought was valuable. His razor-sharp intellect separated the wheat from the chaff, and simplified the profoundest problems in a crystal-clear manner, which astounded even his critics. His colloquies, a collection of 1451 adages, selected from ancient writers sold 24,000 copies, and became the most popular book of his time. Erasmus ridiculed the medieval scholastic approach to philosophical questions which he thought trivial and useless. That is why he made it difficult for any scholar to take seriously the view of Thomas Aquinas, Dums Scotus and William of Ockham who had occupied themselves with metaphysical abstractions. By accepting a skeptical attitude which challenged certainties and uniformities in the mode of thinking, he played a major role in creating the habit of critical analysis among the reading public. Erasmus's humanism was not of the pagan type, anti-religious. Being himself religious in the profoundest sense, there was nothing narrow or dogmatic in his thinking. He refused to be tied to one political class or community. He had eminently an international cast of mind. Lord Acton thought that Erasmus was the first European who lived in intimacy with other ages besides his own. Erasmus believed firmly in the universality of man, and in his moral and spiritual elevation. In an age torn by religious dissensions which he sadly witnessed, he could be easily regarded as a citizen of the world whose devoutly-cherished ideals were the goodness of man, and his freedom from the shackles of superstition and ignorance. According to Erasmus, the main purpose of life is contemplation, which is the vision of God, depending mainly on one's own state of mind. By contemplation he understood a spiritual experience, another name for ecstasy which begins with a distance of our mind from the outside world that proceeds through various degrees of knowledge, and desires, finally culminating in the vision and enjoyment of the good, the beautiful and the sublime. It is the inner state from which freedom comes. He exalted pure and noble enjoyments derived from virtue, which he thought were incalculably superior to the passing pleasures which disturb the peace of mind. It was the quest for spiritual life which mattered most for him. True religion, he thought, came from the heart, not the head, and that intellectual speculations were redundant. It was self-discipline and inner withdrawal that he imposed on himself. However, ascetic’s maceration of the body did not appeal to him. According to him, self-realisation, which he regarded a moment of bliss, could be experienced through the efficacy of prayers for more things are wrought by prayers that this world can dream of. Erasmus valued tradition because he regarded it as an accumulated wisdom of the past, but was unwilling to be fettered by its authority. In no way did he wish to break away from the past. Nor did he wish to follow it blindly. All his life he remained an autonomous individual resisting boldly the constraints, whether temporal or spiritual. It is a terrible thing to find out things for ourself, but he did not spare himself, and worked assiduously in the pursuitof his ideals: knowledge, wisdom and spiritual bliss. Due to Martin Luther's virulent campaign against papal authority, the Reformation became a revolutionary movement. At this critical juncture, both the Roman Catholics and Luther, and his followers pressed Erasmus to take position. By nature Erasmus was a man of moderate and mild disposition, and would have preferred to avoid a controversy. Luther greatly admired Erasmus's integrity of character and erudition, and was anxious to enlist his support for the cause he was fighting. Erasmus sought means for mediation and reconciliation was between the two contending parties, but he found Luther inflexible and uncompromising for negotiating with the Pope. Erasmus thought reconciliation possible, and corresponded with Luther on the issue, and wrote, 'I will put up with Church until I shall see a better one'. On the other hand, Luther was determined to overthrow Papal authority. For Luther, the need was for a surgical operation, but to Erasmas it was a healing touch that could work as a magic, and build bridges of understanding. A great humanist, Erasmus promoted the case of truth and human reason by using persuasive methods in the creation of a strong public opinion through his writings and speeches. He castigated the failings of the Roman Church but believed in the possibility of reform from within the Church and emphasized the promotion of one universal Christian brotherhood. Erasmus found himself in a predicament which exasperated him. The Roman Catholics felt disenchanted with him because he attacked the extant Church corruption, and suggested remedial measures. On the other hand, the Protestants felt let down because he refused to support Luther. Erasmus was not a spokesman of secular values. He had the courage not to bow to any authority, whether temporal or spiritual, if he felt the cause supported by any of the authorities militated against human interests. He set a unique example of sturdy individualism which only men of tearing spirit imbued with lofty ideals can uphold. |
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SPIRITUAL NUGGETS The greatest problems in our world have their root in the breakdown of the family ideal through the misuse of love. If the ideal of the family can be reestablished, then eventually, world peace can be achieved. **** Good families are made from good marriages, and good marriages are made from good men and women. Unless we become people of goodness we cannot bring godness to our marriage and families. Our first obligation as religious people is to achieve goodness within our own lives. At the centre of evil is selfishness. **** It would be ideal if each person were conceived as the fruit of true love between his or her parents. From birth on, every person should be loved and cared for by truly loving and mature parents, parents full of divine wisdom and love. These children the fruit of such parents, would grow to become individuals of good character who would one day meet their own ideal spouse and begin families of their own. **** Throughout history our best guide for self improvement and responsible moral behaviour has come from our respective religious - our scriptures, traditions, and teachers. **** The vast majority of people mistakenly invest only in the welfare of their own families, But for families truly seeking a better world and a secure destiny, a far more reasonable and responsible course is to concern themselves with the larger arena of social stability and world peace. —
Marriage, Family and World Peace, a booklet **** The wise do not grieve over the past but think of the present. —
From Dr Manjula Sahdeva, Maharishi Valmiki Ke Upadesha |
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