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Tuesday,
March 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Gujarat still traumatised Bailing out SEBs “Lagaan” in “No Man’s Land” |
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Election victories and after
‘The Old Gold’
Disturbed allies, few options Bypass surgery through a new method AN Australia-based cardiac surgeon recently performed a bypass surgery at the Sir Hurhisondas N Hospital Mumbai, through an ‘endoscopic approach to vein harvesting’ — a minimally-invasive technique that ensures rapid recovery.
Smoking can make teeth fall out
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Gujarat still traumatised TOMORROW it will be full one month since the Godra massacre occurred leading to a spree of killings, arson and lootings in most parts of Gujarat, including villages. How and what happened exposed the failure of the state government at all levels. What is, however, more shameful is that there is no normalcy even today and Chief Minister Narendra Modi continues to remain in the saddle to justify his actions or inactions. His claim that his government brought the situation under control within 72 hours has been controverted by no less a person than the National Human Rights Commission Chairman, Mr Justice J. S. Verma (retired). Three weeks after the Godra carnage the commission chief saw the people belonging to all religions suffering from a "sense of insecurity" during his three-day visit to the riot-torn state. Thus, there is urgent need to instil among the people the confidence that their lives and property are safe. But is it possible when the law and order enforcing machinery ( the police in short) is highly politicised or not allowed to function without caring for the wishes of its political masters? It is unfair to blame the police alone for the shameful incidents in Gujarat where the government is alleged to have come in the way of the force performing its duty as assigned by the statute. After all, it is not without reason that senior police officials have met the Chief Minister with the request that they should be allowed to function freely and independently. Perhaps, their conscience has pricked and they are now out to save the police image. If this is the reason for the assertion of the right of the police under the law, it must listen to Mr Justice Verma's sane counsel that the "perpetrators of the crimes were all criminals and offenders, and must be classified according to the offences committed". He also wants a "fair, impartial and thorough" probe into the gruesome developments and that "there should be no distinction of victims on the basis of religion". This is, no doubt, a highly tricky job when the entire atmosphere is vitiated and the Chief Minister is busy justifying his failures quoting Newton's law. Before the communal frenzy gripped Gujarat it was rated as the most industrialised state of India. Today it is the most traumatised part of the country. It has lost not only hundreds of precious human lives but also property worth crores of rupees with its industrial base almost shaken. It is difficult to believe that foreign investors (institutional and others) will prefer Gujarat again after all that has happened. It is common knowledge that industrialists do take into account social and political stability, besides other factors, before deciding to put their capital at stake. The law of accountability must operate to enable Gujarat to repair its badly tarnished image. |
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Bailing out SEBs THE
Centre’s new carrot-and-stick scheme for one-time settlement of outstanding dues of the state electricity boards (SEBs) to central power, coal and rail utilities needs to be examined in the larger context of power sector reforms. Its apprehensions over major private investment if the functioning of the SEBs do not improve are not misplaced. Under the new scheme, the SEBs’ outstanding dues of Rs 41,473 crore till February, 2001, will be cleared through the issuance of tax-free bonds by the erring states. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has evolved a mechanism to ensure that the SEBs do not fail to clear the dues in the future. Accordingly, defaults in payment for power or fuel will attract a graded reduction in supplies from central power stations and coal companies. If the defaults exceed 90 days, the Union Finance Ministry will recover the dues by withholding the Central Plan assistance and other devolutions. Even though the scheme merits a fair trial, it is not clear to what extent it will work as six states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa, have expressed reservations while 14 states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat are yet to sign the tripartite agreement. Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have given their consent. The new scheme is an improvement over the Montek Singh Ahluwalia Committee’s recommendation for the transfer of dues to the balance-sheets of the erring state governments. But whether it will help make SEBs commercially viable is still in doubt. Undoubtedly, the new scheme reinforces the Centre’s commitment to bail out the sebs. Already, it has been lending a helping hand to the states through the Accelerated Power Development Programme (APDP). It has, however, done little in strict financial terms. Nor has it allocated adequate funds to them to upgrade their power generation equipment and improve the average plant load factor. Some states have initiated measures to modernise their power plants. Others are aware of the need but have baulked at committing themselves to any specific measure for the lack of funds. While the World Bank has helped the states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, some states are not ready to fulfil the former’s terms for loan grants. All this has led to power supply shortages, voltage fluctuations and opposition to tariff revision. There are also problems with power regulatory commissions and 100 per cent metering because of political considerations. Whatever the style and approach adopted in individual cases for achieving results, short and medium-term, the major bottleneck will relate to the availability of financial resources. The Deepak Parekh Committee on restructuring the SEBs, which is expected to submit its report to the Centre on June 30, needs to examine in greater detail the resource factor and the funding pattern upon whom the future of the SEBs seems to depend. |
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“Lagaan” in “No Man’s Land” SO close and yet so far! That has been the fate of "Lagaan". The Oscar best foreign language award has eluded the anti-colonial patriotic saga despite the whole country praying for it and Aamir Khan animatedly lobbying for it like he has never done in his life in India. Everyone expected him to score a sixer on the last ball as he did in the film but the award night was a different ball game altogether. The disappointment is bound to be palpable, but the award has gone to a worthy film, "No Man's Land", a bitter-sweet anti-war tale from Bosnia. No doubt "Lagaan" was a far cry from the run-of-the-mill stuff that Bollywood churns out year after year but let's be dispassionate enough to admit that it was not quite world class yet. There are now two options for Indian film-makers to choose from. One, they can take a cue from the film directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar and cut the umbilical cord that has tied them to set formulas all along. Two, they can continue dishing out wish-fulfilling fare while making one or two good films for international consumption every now and then. Unfortunately, the second course has been followed right since the time of "Mother India" (1957) which was the first Indian film to get an Oscar nomination, followed by "Salaam Bombay" (1987). Indian cinema is in a process of evolution and if the directors of tomorrow learn fully to break the mould, we can hope to grab the moon soon enough. An overall improvement in the quality of Indian films is imperative in the Oscar quest. Where "Lagaan" scored was in its ability to get critical as well as popular acclaim. It was a boxoffice hit and picked up seven Filmfare Awards. Besides, it broke into the top 10 chart in the UK and grossed over $ 2 million in the UK and the USA. It also won appreciation at international film festivals. Still, the fact remains that Oscar is, after all, the award of awards. Now that the ultimate prize has eluded India, it would be churlish to attribute the loss to any kind of bias or the failure of the jury to appreciate the finer points of Indian cinema. Once you compete, you should be ready to take defeat sportingly. Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowarikar, who were there at Kodak Theatre dressed in stunning designer sherwanis, lustily applauded the director of "No Man's Land", Danis Tanovic, who walked away with honours in the first ever entry from Bosnia. It is time for the whole of India to emulate them in an equally large-hearted manner. That will be in keeping with the message of "Lagaan" and a sign that we have matured as film-makers and as a nation. |
Election victories and after FOR several years the Congress has never had it so good. The credit for this should go to Mrs Sonia Gandhi for her leadership and also to the many failings of the BJP governments which happen in a coalition of disparate elements and party members who try to satisfy their own ambitions. The Congress too, election after election, has revealed factions eating into themselves and personalities out to eliminate each other. What encourages the Congress is its command over the allegiance of 14 states, the largest number any party can at present flaunt. The BJP, leading the coalition at the Centre for the last four years, has only four states in its fold. But it has strong allies like the TDP which would generally like to go along with the BJP because in their own states they have to fight the Congress to keep themselves in power. At the same time the Congress can with adjustments create sound equations with the leftists, although they have been thrown out from Kerala by the Congress, and those it uselessly fought in West Bengal in company with Ms Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. When she lost, she returned to the BJP-led NDA. The Congress can also theoretically have alliances with the Samajwadi Party of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Bihar’s Laloo Prasad Yadav, both of whom are sworn enemies of the BJP. But some of them like Mr Mulayam Singh are also afraid of the Congress gaining supremacy because of the fear that it will nibble at his vote bank in UP. At present the AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa would, for her own reasons and to put back the DMK’s Karunanidhi, like to be nearer the BJP. This is the maze of politics through which Mrs Sonia Gandhi is at present going. But she has managed to secure a more comfortable position than in the last general election. One of the fortunate turns for Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been that her powerful critic, Mr Sharad Pawar, who started a fight with her in the organisation itself, has made no headway. Had this not happened he would have been a centre of revolt against her in the party, making it troublesome for her to establish her leadership. He would have been like what Mr Chandra Shekhar was for Indira Gandhi. Mr Pawar is out of the party, finding it difficult to find his feet. He has had to cooperate with her in Maharashtra and Manipur in forming ministries. He has lost certain aides who left the NCP to seek refuge back in the Congress. Mr Pawar’s chief lieutenant Purno Sangma is frustrated that he has not been able to mount a campaign against the foreign origins of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and has resigned from the Constitution Review Committee to which he had been nominated by the government. The recent acquittal of Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao has set off rumours that he would become the listening point for anti-Sonia Gandhi comment. But Mrs Gandhi is well established with the rank and file and Mr Narasimha Rao may not go for any adventure. Besides, she has treated him well. At last year’s AICC meeting he was given the pride of prominence. So everything seems to be going well for Mrs Gandhi in the Congress. To this extent she will be able to put up a fight. She cannot, however, forget that not too long ago the Congress found it difficult to make an impact. This happened even after the Congress gained several states like Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. But in the general election it had the mortification of finding that it had gained less seats than it previously had in the Lok Sabha. Almost the same thing happened to it in the UP assembly elections this year. While it did well in Punjab and Uttaranchal, it was not able to make any impact in UP. It came fourth in the line-up in the largest state of Uttar Pradesh. Who rules in UP rules India, said Mr Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party leader. This is believed by others too. The Congress will have to do better in UP during the general election if it wants to make a good showing. In trying to win state after state the Congress will have to keep one major factor in mind. It must know that by the time the general election comes about in the 14 states over which it rules today the anti-incumbency factor would come in. How is the Congress going to fight this? Fortunately for it, its Chief Ministers have generally been good, not creating any major scams. If Mrs Sonia Gandhi has had a hand in their selection, she must be congratulated for selecting by and large young and energetic Chief Ministers. If this impression gains acceptance among the people the anti-incumbency vote will not hurt the Congress much. In Delhi the Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, spent the first two years with almost every day newspaper headlines speaking of a deep rift within the party. This has now almost abated. In Punjab the new Chief Minister gave the impression from the minute he took over that all he wanted to do was to effect transfers of officials. This almost became a joke. Capt Amarinder Singh must not confine himself to distributing the spoils but cut down on corruption and help the farmers and others in smaller towns. Having pliant officers around is not all that an administrator needs. The Congress has not been in power in the bigger states of Tamil Nadu, UP, Bihar and West Bengal for a long time. As an organisation it is not powerful there. What is the Congress going to do to gain the upper hand in the general election in these states? For the BJP as well as the Congress the judgement will come in fighting communalism and fundamentalism. This has to be done most in states like Gujarat and UP. The parties will be judged in their desire to strengthen secularism. The BJP has the difficulty of pulling well with organisations like the RSS, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. How far it can stand up to them is not easy to say because it depends on the vote banks they provide. Also, within its ranks, despite the leadership of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, there are people who would take the fundamentalist path. It cannot go against the pressures of these organisations, as we have seen in the Ayodhya confrontation. But the Congress does not have this kind of ability or compulsion. That means the ways of gathering vote strength and putting thousands of ideological workers in the field is almost denied to it. How will it make up the deficiency? If the BJP wants to win the Hindu vote, the Congress has to see that it does not lose it. The best way for it is to give a programme which will receive the greatest acceptance. Indira Gandhi did it magnificently with her “gharibi hatao” programme. The Congress party’s endorsement of privatisation may tune well with what it wants to do, but it makes one feel that it is seconding the programmes of the present government. If the BJP is supported by allies like the JDU, the TDP, the DMK, the Samata and the Shiv Sena, how will the Congress reach a wider section? The Leftists? Perhaps yes. Also the Samajwadi Party. But it wants its own pound of flesh. The Congress will also have to take care of smaller parties all over the country. It will have to start that process now if it decides that it must not go it alone. |
‘The Old Gold’ THE early sixties. Two of us were travelling from Locknow to Gorakhpur. To participate in an inter-university debate. As students, we were entitled to travel only third class. The large crowd, though a familiar sight, convinced us that it would be impossible to board the train. We got our tickets upgraded. And the small dent in the pocket was worthwhile. It was clean. Less cold. Comfortable. Good company was the bonus. We were sitting next to an old English couple. Made some polite conversation with the foreign visitors. An hour later, the train stopped. The tea vendor was serving hot tea. In earthen cups. He was doing good business. Men and women, young and old, were thronging around him. The lady was tempted to taste. But she also seemed to have decided to remain undecided. In the meantime, there was the loud whistle. Everyone finished the hot brew and threw the earthen cup into the basket. The English couple was watching intently. The lady could not hold herself. She murmured to the man with her: “Who says India is poor? They break the cup after taking tea in it only once”. Four decades later, I was again travelling. This time, to the national Capital. By Shatabadi. A good symbol of country’s march forward. As chance would have it, there was a young European lady. Right next to me. Fair to look at? Yes! At least, from a distance. The skin did not have the youth’s glow. Freckles, in plenty. But she was well rounded. The slacks disclosed stern facts. Like the German Volkswagen, she seemed to have all her weight in the rear. After a while, breakfast was served. Sizzling
hot. Good crockery and cutlery. The young lady was quick to start. Her hands wielded the knife and fork in a perfect rhythm. One by one, each of the items had moved from the plate to palate. Even the second helping had not lasted too long. I was still nibbling at the food in front of me. Picking up small bits with my fingers. Savouring each bite. I was aware of her looking at me. Rather intently. Regardless, I had continued. Eventually, she asked: “ Why do the Indians eat with their fingers? Does the country not make any cutlery?” It did not appear necessary to tell her that she had just used the native product. I only said: “Your knife and fork go into every hand and mouth. My fingers are exclusively meant for my own.” Months have passed since then. The world has witnessed many changes. Today, human beings are becoming live bombs. Jet planes with passengers on board have been used to bring down monumental pieces of human effort. The whole world has witnessed the “Towers” crumble like a house of cards. Followed by carpet bombing of Afghanistan. Truly, human ingenuity is unlimited. Man appears to be innovating. Continuously. Today even ordinary items of crockery and cutlery have become potent weapons of offence. Thus, the cabin crew shall no more provide the sliver on the flight. Even plastic is in the process of being put on the shelf. At least on the planes. For fear of being used to threaten the pilot with a slit in his throat. So, forced by the circumstances, the western world is inevitably moving towards the oriental. Opting for what once appeared to be odd and old. Even taking to yoga. For peace. For purification of thought. To soothe the soul. Some solace for the patriotic Indian. But alas! We, in India, are going away from ourselves. Why? Does the old no longer look like gold to the Indian eye? |
Disturbed allies, few options ABOUT quarter of a century back, a bitter political controversy over the dual membership of the then Jana Sangh faction within the ruling Janata Party had wrecked the Morarji Desai government. Socialists like Madhu Limaye had resented Atal Behari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani taking directives from the RSS even while being ministers of the Morarji government. Political players have changed and roles reversed. We are now left with saffron socialists like George Fernandes with Vajpayee and Advani as their bosses. But the ghost of dual loyalty — to the NDA agenda and the RSS parivar — has begun haunting the new coalition with a vengeance. This time the parivar’s challenge is more direct. Some VHP ‘saints’ even said that Vajpayee is not different from Mulayam Singh Yadav, their permanent bete noire. Vajpayee’s ability for the tight-rope walking between the parivar hawks and the secular constituents of the coalition has come under serious challenge. Each time Vajpayee compromises with the VHP hawks and those supporting them within his government, it sends shockwaves among the allies. During the past four years, the regional parties supporting the BJP coalition have made maximum ideological concessions. They willingly compromised on the saffronisation history, text books and a host of academic institutions with Vajpayee’s blessings. The one issue on which some of the allies had acted firm was the assassination of an Australian priest by the Bajrang crowds. This had forced Vajpayee to act firmly though after the initial dilly-dallying. The reassured allies had then taken credit for the decrease in the number of attacks on the churches and nuns. Some of them went to the extent of claiming that it was they, and not the Opposition, could ensure the security of life and property of the minorities. Even a couple of days before the shila nyas confrontation, the NDA allies were sure of Vajpayee’s ability to discipline his parivar friends. However, soon they were shaken by two successive quakes. Vajpayee’s failure to discipline the hatred pedlars of the RSS parivar and his own repeated prevarications on the subsequent events. The allies might have given him more time to set things right in Gujarat had he used his now familiar resignation threat to set things right. His inaction and display of helplessness had further encouraged the fanatic crowds to go ahead with the massacre. A series of developments had added to their fears about the very intentions of the main ruling party. Soli Sorabji’s submission on the shilanyas in the Supreme Court followed by the government’s admission that it too subscribed to the view has been so shocking. They felt deceived by the big brother who had tampered with the NDA agenda without consulting the allies. Vajpayee sending his PMO emissary to accept the pillars from the VHP has been another jolt. Officially the BJP had condemned the VHP attack on Orissa assembly but privately the party leaders were describing it as a ‘human’ response. More shocking, even after the allies’ protests the PMO continued to give concessions to the VHP — all at the back of the allies. Adding insult to injury, some BJP managers had gone on telling the scribes that the allies have been tied to the NDA in such a way that they would never quit the government. Their protests, it was claimed, was only aimed at pleasing their minority vote bank and “English-reading intellectuals”. And hence Vajpayee sent another emissary to the fasting Singhal and ordered relaxation of the curbs on the karsevaks. Many among the NDA allies feel that of late the Prime Minister has been taking them for granted on all crucial issues. This, they feel, was more due to the assured support of new groups like the AIADMK. Some coalition partners even allege motives in the dare-devil attitude of the big brother. According to this section, the BJP leadership is preparing ground for some brinkmanship some time before the next election. The strategy is to allow the hotheads to pursue the hard Hindutva and if it seemed to click with the voters, the government would jettison the allies. If this happens, it will leave the secular allies high and dry. Their only option then would be either to swim or sink with the BJP or plough their own furrow. The problem for most NDA constituents is that they have a composite support base. Each of them has to compete with their local political rivals — the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, etc, Left in West Bengal Laloo in Bihar and Mulayam in UP — to retain their support. The genocide in Gujarat and VHP’s shilanyas have aroused the Indian psyche. It will be suicidal for those with a composite following to disregard the popular sentiment. Seasoned politicians like Chandrababu Naidu knows this. After Sorabji’s pro-VHP submission, the NDA allies have been frequently meeting to discuss their strategy. Initially, the PMO ignored all this because the official agencies had reported that the TDP, Trinamool, JD (U), Paswan and others are only pressing for some more favours from the government. Vajpayee’s managers took note of the protests only when the demands became more shrill and the meetings became more institutionalised. Apart from secular issues, the NDA parties also made joint moves for the rollback in the prices of gas, PDS kerosene and urea, DAP and MOP. Other demands were withdrawal of the surcharge of 5 per cent on income tax and retention of the rebates under Section 88. Mamata Banerjee, Yerran Naidu and Ramvilas Paswan were the main organisers. Even the relatively new entrant Ajit Singh has gathered enough courage to publicly assail the subsidy cut on urea. At the early stages of the coalition, the Prime Minister’s managers had made it a point to take care of the demands of even the “minor” parties. But after the government improved its numerical strength, even Mamata, Paswan and Sharad Yadav began getting shabby treatment. This suppressed ire also seems to have contributed to the allies’ gangup against the BJP. Apart from Mr Vajpayee’s inability to assert himself against the VHP’s agenda of hatred, the BJP’s defeats in state elections and the steady erosion of the government’s image have emboldened the allies to stand together against the main ruling group. Three years back, even the non-BJP parties of the NDA found Vajpayee as a big crowd puller and vote catcher. The recent elections have shown that the government at the Centre has become a liability even in the BJP strongholds. The allies are in a most disadvantageous position. On the one hand, they will have to bear the cross of the government’s unpopularity and non-performance. On the other, the main ruling party would claim whatever achievements the government can claim. In 1978, the dual membership controversy was between two factions of the ruling Janata Party. Now the fight over the dual loyalty has divided the parivar itself. Even if the Prime Minister mollifies the angry allies for the time being, the peace will prove to be short-lived. This is because the fast changing dynamics within the parivar will make Vajpayee and his group further helpless in dealing with the VHP hawks. In any case, freezing of a particular Hindutva issue — like the temple construction — will provide only a brief respite. When Christian bashing decreased, the VHP pushed Ayodhya. Now they can keep the fire burning by whipping up the passion on the Godhra ashes. Such programmes are bound to push the secular allies into a deeper dilemma. |
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Bypass surgery through a new method AN Australia-based cardiac surgeon recently performed a bypass surgery at the Sir Hurhisondas N Hospital Mumbai, through an ‘endoscopic approach to vein harvesting’ — a minimally-invasive technique that ensures rapid recovery. This was the first time the technique was successfully used in India, Dr Suhas Parikh, who trained in minimally-invasive and robotic surgery in Germany, France and the USA, told mediapersons. He said that in the normal course of bypass surgery, the blocked coronary artery is bypassed using the saphenous vein from the leg or radial artery from the arm. Long incisions are required on the arm and leg of about 15 to 40 cms. The patient experiences post-operative pain and discomfort and there are risks of infection too, the physician said. However, the endoscopic approach requires a 2.5-cm incision for insertion of endoscope. “This technique reduces surgical invasiveness. Only one to three small (2 cm-long) incisions are required to harvest the vein depending upon the length of vein required,’’ he added. A small incision is made on a leg, the vein is identified and dissected. Thereafter the endoscope is inserted inside a specially-designed cannula — a small tube. The cannula is later inserted into the incision and advanced over the vein. As the cannula advances, a tunnel is created in the leg. The vein visualised in the tunnel is seen on a television monitor, he added.
UNI |
Smoking can make teeth fall out SMOKING cigarettes not only turns teeth brown, it can also make them fall out, German dentists warn. People who smoke up to 10 cigarettes a day on a regular basis are three times more likely to suffer from an inflammation of the gums, said Prof Michael Noack of the Cologne University Dentistry Department. Nicotine destroys the immune system in the mouth cavity, causing deep pockets in the gums and attacking the jaw bones. A smoker’s risk of mouth cavity cancer is also increased fourfold compared to non-smokers, said the Professor. Heavy alcohol consumption can multiply that risk by up to 15
times. DPA Energy out of speed-breakers? A small-scale entrepreneur here has come out with a novel idea of producing power out of speed-breakers on roads. The entrepreneur, Mr V. Narasimha Murthy, says his “hump energy model” works in a way that vehicles crossing speed-breakers would generate power. The device, an improvised version of the shock-absorber, ensures filling of air into an attached storage tank through downward movement of the pistons (due to the weight of the vehicle). The air thus collected could be fed into air turbines and generators for producing electricity, he explained while demonstrating the model to presspersons in Bangalore.
UNI Look before you eat imported food The next time you are lured by those juicy, red apples — fresh from the orchards of Australia — on the shelves of your corner store, scratch its skin before you take a bite, for it may well be “wax-coated”. Also, take precaution before munching biscuits from Portugal as they contain non-permitted colour Allura red, or special pizzas from Thailand that are laced with beef gelatin. A good number of the processed food products imported into the country violate not only the food laws of the land but even international standard specifications, a recent CII survey has showed. About 70 per cent of samples of imported food items did not qualify for Indian food laws it points. While many of these contained non-permitted additives, colours or ingredients, 85 per cent violated the labelling norms, says CII adviser D.S. Chadha. The findings of the report, which were submitted to the Union Health Ministry, have been reinforced by yet another survey by consumer protection organisation, VOICE. About 80 per cent of 457 samples collected by VOICE from different parts of Delhi were violative of provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules,
1995. PTI |
I saw the Friend (God) everything, Sometimes as a Master, Sometimes as a servant. He was smiling In the face of the roses, He was singing in the throats of the nightingales, Here he was sitting on a throne As an emperor, There he had taken the bowl of a beggar. Here he was a devotee, there a preacher. As an emperor, There he had taken the bowl of a beggar. Here he was a devotee, there a preacher. Here a revealer, there a leader. I beheld Him pierced upon the stake For the crime of claiming “An’l Haqq (“I am God”) He is the one who sees, He is the one who hears. I saw no one but Him in the world. ... To say that I saw Him or heard Him Is only a metaphor. — From Yoga and the Supreme Bliss: by Swami Ramatirtha translated
*** That (infinite) indeed is below. It is above. It is behind. It is in front. It is to the south, It is to the north. It is indeed all this (world). Now next, the instruction in regard to the self-sense. I indeed am below. I am above. I am behind. I am in front. I am to the south. I am to the north. I indeed am all this (the world). — Chhandogya Upanishad, Sanatkumar’s instruction to Narada, 25.1 *** You are not confined by time. Time is confined by you. Every paradise exists within yourself. You are not inhabited in any paradise and all the gods that have been worshipped by man dwell within himself and he is not dwelling in any of the God. — Impossibilities
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