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Thursday, October 3, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Bullet losing against ballot Capital move This VVIP
tilt! |
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Words galore on Pak terrorism
Man behind the growth of sanitary industry
When the mood is downbeat Scolding
kids harms as much as hitting
Bill to cut schoolbag weight
Of religious awe & spiritual gaiety
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Bullet losing against ballot THE third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections has passed off with 41 per cent polling. The turnout is more encouraging than that in the previous two phases for two basic reasons. One, the anti-poll forces were well-entrenched in most areas in two of the four districts — Anantnag, Pulwama, Kathua and Udhampur — where polling was held on Tuesday. The terrorist-infested districts fall in South Kashmir where the fear of the gun was easily noticeable. Yet voters came to the polling booths in an unexpected manner not only to exercise their franchise but also to record their rejection of Pakistan-sponsored militancy. Two, terrorists did try to force people to remain indoors by indulging in acts of violence at many places, including the killing of at least 12 bus passengers in Kathua district, but in vain. Their desperate attempts were no match to the voters’ determination to express their defiance of the terrorists’ diktat. A 25 per cent turnout in Anantnag and 28 per cent polling in Pulwama are no small achievements, keeping in view the prevailing circumstances. But for the terrorist attack on the ill-fated bus in Kathua district, the polling percentage there would have been more than 59 as recorded. For the sake of argument, one can agree with the view that the successful elections are no guarantee for peace in the trouble-torn state. Nor will the exercise bring solutions to the people’s problems. But elections rarely produce such results in any part of the country. The exercise of the right to vote is basically the people’s expression of faith in the victorious candidates or party/groups of parties for providing them a better government. When they give another chance to a ruling group, obviously, the voters express their approval of its policies and programmes. This is not the case in Jammu and Kashmir. The very participation of the people in substantial numbers is more important than who wins or loses the battle of the ballot. The announcement of elections in this border state had led to a battle between those opposed to the exercise — militants and pro-Pakistan separatist politicians — and the silent majority yearning for peace and socio-economic progress. The conclusion of the third phase of polling has delivered a clear victory for the people praying for peace. The situation in Kashmir definitely appears to be at a “turning point”, as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Monday at the annual meeting of top police and intelligence officials. The militants and their masters have failed to terrorise the voters into silence. One hopes the silent majority is finally successful in driving scare into the hearts of the terrorists and their sponsors across the border so that they realise the futility of their destructive designs. This is, perhaps, the best way for leaving behind the nightmare of militancy. |
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Capital move THE rate of announcement of new schemes by a government is inversely proportional to the number of days left to an election. In simple words, it means that more and more novel projects are announced as the elections draw near. This universal law is in full flow in Himachal Pradesh these days. Some such brainwaves like the formation of new districts have died a premature death. Others like the announcement of construction in sliding areas and core areas are set to rankle for a long time. And as if all that was not enough, now comes the declaration that Dharamsala will be the second capital of Himachal Pradesh. Ironically, when Mr Virbhadra Singh had launched the initiative in this regard some years ago, the BJP had pooh-poohed it as a political gimmick. In 1998, Mr Dhumal himself announced that the shifting of the Capital would be abandoned. This was ostensibly to curb expenditure. And now comes the old wine in a new bottle. Such U-turns normally qualify to be called a volte-face. So, what has turned the gimmick into a necessity, the approaching elections apart? For one thing, the announcement can take the edge off the criticism of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal within the party that he is not taking good care of the so-called merged areas. Mr Virbhadra Singh had remained enthusiastic about the winter move for a few winters, but after that his visits had become shorter and shorter. Mr Dhumal will have to prove that his interest will be more durable. The question agitating everyone’s mind is whether the move is feasible at this stage when the state is financially in the red. The expenditure is not going to be excessive but it is not likely to be chickenfeed either. Benefits accruing out of it will also have to evaluated carefully. In this age of e-governance, bringing the government to a citizen’s doorstep has stopped being all that glorious an idea. Still, if the move is pursued seriously, people of the Kangra region do stand to benefit. The area may see more development. And what matters greatly to the common man, civic amenities may improve if the government puts necessary infrastructure in place. In Mr Virbhadra Singh’s time, Dharamsala used to get electricity and water for a longer time whenever the Chief Minister used was there. Perhaps, the visits of Mr Dhumal and his colleagues will also ensure the availability of similar “luxuries”. |
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This VVIP tilt! THE
manner in which Bollywood actor Salman Khan was let off on bail with a
paltry fine of Rs 950 for a grave offence of killing one person and
causing injuries to four others due to rash driving does not speak
well of fairplay of the system. It is most unfortunate that even
though the rule of law is the sheet anchor of our parliamentary system
of government, this doctrine is followed more in its breach than in
practice. Unfortunately, there is one system of laws for VVIPs and yet another for ordinary men and women in this country. Do we expect similar treatment from the authorities if the accused is a common man? Surely, there should be no reason for one to grudge the extension of official courtesies to those who are on the mat, but the manner in which the authorities seek to cross the Lakshman Rekha while extending these courtesies makes the entire system of governance and those operating it a laughing stock. The VVIP treatment given to R.K. Sharma, the suspended Haryana IPS officer and the prime accused in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case the other day, by the police and prison officials in Ambala and Kurukshetra while he was being taken to Delhi, seems to have crossed all limits of official courtesy. Clearly, for the serious crime that he had committed, Salman Khan deserved a tough response from the law enforcement agency in accordance with the normal law of the land. But this was not to be. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s directive to the Mumbai Police to probe the matter thoroughly is welcome. But this is belated as the authorities have already inflicted a severe damage on the system by giving Salman Khan a preferential treatment. It is said that under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code, the film actor can only be booked on charges of causing death due to negligence or rashness. Salman Khan was granted bail under this section for a mere Rs 950! There is an impression that even if the courts find him guilty of the offence after trial, all he needs to serve is just two years in prison. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Javed Ahmed said on Tuesday that the medical test conducted on Salman Khan “has revealed traces of alcohol beyond permissible limits in his blood”. This implies that the filmstar was driving under the influence of alcohol which is a more serious crime, inviting tougher punishment under the law. The actor may have denied that he had consumed alcohol on the day of the accident, but what is surprising is that Mr Ahmed has refused to disclose the
exact percentage of the alcohol detected in Salman Khan’s blood. The issue in question is whether people guilty of a crime of this magnitude are allowed to take advantage of the loopholes or inadequacies in the law and hoodwink the men and the system. When will the country learn to accord equal treatment to all criminals? When will the country treat all citizens including VVIPs, on an even keel and respect the rule of law in letter and spirit? Surely, in Salman Khan’s case, if legal loopholes are actually posing problems, there is need to have a relook at the IPC so that these are plugged and the provisions tightened. In addition, measures like impounding the driving licence of the accused will also act as a deterrent. |
Words galore on Pak terrorism “AMERICA'S pressure on Pakistan (to stop cross-border terrorism) hasn’t worked; we have to fight this war on our own,” declared the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on arrival in New Delhi from Ahmedabad. He had halted there on the way back from the Maldives to inspect the appalling aftermath of the savage terrorist attack on the famous Swaminarayan temple. In Hindi, the language he used, his statement, “yeh ladai hum apne bootay pay ladaingay”, sounded even more emphatic. But, alas, there was a problem with it. On a rough count this was the 37th occasion since the December 13 attack on the temple of Indian democracy, Parliament, that the Prime Minister had used the same or similar words in response to Kaluchak, Kasimnagar and other horrendous activities of Pakistan-backed agents of terror and murder. Add to these the ringing declarations of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, who speaks opener than Atalji, and the number of top-level Indian claims about the “imminent demise” of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism might exceed a hundred. For, according to Mr Advani, every egregious massacre by terrorists, in Kashmir or elsewhere, is a “cowardly” act as also an “act of desperation”, practically the last flicker of the dying flame. In his latest peroration, he allowed himself to add “we will liquidate terrorism soon”, a noble sentiment he has been voicing for four years. Under the circumstances, is it any surprise that official pronouncements on terrorism that pour out like an avalanche after every horrific terrorist attack and then dry up like a rivulet running into a desert until something equally shocking happens again have bred a high degree of cynicism across the country? People are still mocking the Prime Minister’s declaration after the attack on Parliament about “aar paar ki ladai” (fight to the finish). Sure enough these brave words led to the massive mobilisation of troops and their deployment on forward positions along the border and the Line of Control (LoC). But then the outrage of Kaluchak took place. Apparently, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists blasted their way into a military colony near Jammu and mercilessly butchered the wives and children of the gallant soldiers defending the frontier. This time Atalji went to Kupwara to address the troops to assure them that the country appreciated their services and sacrifices and would stand by their families. He also told them that whether the international community did anything about Pakistani cross-border terrorism or not, this country, on its own, would write “a new chapter of victory”. A day later he went off on a holiday to Manali that clearly indicated that no decisive action was in the offing. That there is widespread disappointment and dismay within the country over the Vajpayee government’s inability to match its brave words with deeds is bad enough. But a lot worse is the reaction in Pakistan. Not only the military regime, headed by General Pervez Musharraf, but also a majority of usually sober analysts in that country have come to the conclusion that in the matter of using the military option against Pakistan, India has “missed the bus”. It was this that emboldened Islamabad to unleash all the forces it could to disrupt the elections in Jammu and Kashmir through reckless violence that has clearly escalated from the first to the second to the third (and penultimate) phase of voting. In its calculations the Musharraf regime has been greatly encouraged by the attitude of the international community (for which read the United States of America). In the first place, the USA that assured India as late as June that General Musharraf would end terrorist infiltration across the LoC “completely and visibly” has changed tack since then. For quite some time it went on claiming that such infiltration had declined considerably though not fully and advising this country to “reciprocate” by initiating once again a dialogue with Pakistan. This insistence on the resumption of the dialogue has persisted even after the US Ambassador, Mr Robert Blackwill, publicly admitted that having declined in July and August, infiltration from Pakistan had increased in September. Secondly — and this suits the Pakistani military regime even more — every time there is the slightest suggestion that Indian patience may be at an end, there is an influx of American and British dignitaries into New Delhi to warn it of the dangers of even the slightest military action. This, they lecture solemnly, would escalate fast and could even lead to a nuclear exchange. Indeed, both America and Britain have carried their propensity to conjure up visions of a nuclear holocaust in South Asia to a ridiculous extreme. In the merry month of May, they issued advisories to their nationals immediately to leave India. The move was patently disingenuous and was meant to be an instrument of political pressure. The bizarre reality was that even the loudest advocates of immediate destruction of the Indian nuclear arsenal did not leave Delhi in panic. In fact, no one here lost a single night’s sleep. In Washington and London, by contrast, the sale of sleeping pills appeared to have shot up. The advisories were, however, cancelled. But the curious Anglo-American attitude to India’s predicament has become curiouser. After President George Bush’s repeated warnings that the USA would take military action to “disarm and overthrow” President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, with the cooperation of the UN if possible, and unilaterally, if necessary, a senior American official bluntly laid down the law for this country. America’s unilateral and pre-emptive action in Iraq, he declared, could not be used as a precedent by India in relation to Kashmir or by Russia with regard to Chechnya. Let us not waste time on the convoluted logic of this worthy in support of his doctrine that India must not do what America does but only what America says it must do. Let us ponder the consequences of the American position. It amounts to a practical veto on any military action against Pakistan by this country while the USA blandly abandons its corresponding responsibility to lean on General Musharraf hard enough to make good his promise to end cross-border terrorism convincingly and credibly. To say all this is not to suggest that a future war would solve the problem that the past three wars could not. No country should consider military action lightly which only underscores the utter irresponsibility of the Minister of State for Home, Mr I.D. Swami, who has informed the world that war on Pakistan “remains an Indian option.” If this is really the well-thought-out strategy of the government then the statement ought to come from the Prime Minister or, at most, from his Deputy. But almost everybody, irrespective of his or her position in the unwieldy and motley Vajpayee Council of Ministers, feels free to shoot his or her mouth. Of the statements routinely made by the Hindutva hotheads within the Sangh Parivar the less said the better. It is in this context that the cacophony of the most casual and often contradictory pronouncements on the identities of the two terrorists who attacked the temple has to be viewed. Some have given the definitive finding that the two marauders were Pakistani nationals. Others are content to argue that the “finger of suspicion” point to Pakistan. Yet others assert that the terrorists were local people. And so on. The pertinent point is that if the killers belong to Pakistan why can’t the much-vaunted intelligence agencies establish the fact conclusively and present it to the “international community” and, of course, Pakistan. And if our spies and spooks are unequal to the task, what has become the much-trumpeted Intelligence-sharing between this country and the USA under the banner of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism? Is this so-called “intimate cooperation” a mere sham? Or here again, are we learning by bitter experience that this battle, too, we will have to fight “apne bootay pay”? |
Man behind the growth of sanitary industry THE new President of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Mr R.K. Somany, takes over at a time when a lot of churning is taking place in the domestic manufacturing sector. In his new avatar as Assocham chief, Mr Somany will have to forcefully project the views of Indian industry in an intensely competitive global environment. On his part, he is often credited with changing the very face of the Indian sanitary industry. Hindustan Sanitaryware Industries Limited (HSIL), of which Mr Somany is now the Chairman and Managing Director, was the first company in India to manufacture vitreous china sanitaryware and is the market leader commanding a healthy 41 per cent share. Little wonder then that the captains of industry have chosen Mr Somany as their spokesperson for a year, especially when the industry association has decided to devote 2002-03 to “excellence of manufacturing”. His experience in corporate leadership will come in handy, as he has single-handed brought Hindustan Sanitaryware on the map of organised industry from its rudimentary beginnings in Bahadurgarh. A stickler for prudent corporate governance norms, Mr Somany believes that “to make the Indian manufacturing sector globally competitive, it is imperative to adopt world class internal trade practices and open up the country’s trade channels for Indian companies”. He believes that adopting correct trade policies can go a long way in increasing the GDP growth rate to about 8 per cent. This is not the first time Mr Somany has been chosen by his peers to be their spokesperson. He has been the President of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Chairman of the Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles and Sanitaryware, a member of the Executive Committee of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, CII Expert Committee on Economic Affairs and the General Council of Mr V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. He is also the founder-President of the Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bahadurgarh Management Association. Sikhs in Britain There are worrisome signals from the UK. A group calling itself the Sikh Secretariat in Britain is trying to revive the Khalistan agenda though the issue appears to be dead and buried. Judging by the reports reaching India, the Sikh Secretariat is telling the British leadership that it wants to enter the community’s ethnic origin in the official data as Sikhs and not as Indians. The British Home Office estimates that there are 3.5 to 5 lakh Sikhs forming part of the 1.2 million Indian diaspora. The worst fears are that one change in the census form can bring about a sea change in the Indian population figure in Britain. The move by the British Sikh Federation to seek a separate identity in Britain apparently has an insiduous separatist agenda for India. The Sikh Secretariat claiming a population of 7 lakh Sikhs has declared that they will vote for parties that deliver what they want. That is no small number in electoral politics anywhere and especially in Britain. Conservative and Labour Party leaders as well as the Liberal Democrats, the third force in the U K, are sitting up and taking note. The brain behind these quiet and dangerous moves to lobby with the British leadership are said to be personages in lounge suits owing allegiance to the British Sikh Federation as well as a retired civil servant. |
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When the mood is downbeat NO so long ago, the condition pre-menstrual syndrome was struggling for recognition. As a medical student, I remember attending a gynaecology clinic at the London medical school where I was training. During the clinic, I decided to canvas my (male) consultant’s views on PMS. He described women as `emotional creatures’, and brought the discussion to an abrupt close. Fortunately, in the intervening15 years, attitudes to pre-menstrual syndrome have moved on, and the condition has gained widespread acceptance by the conventional medical establishment. Good job, too, because some reports estimate that as many as 80 per cent of women will be affected by this condition at some point in their lives. And while awareness has grown, so has interest in its treatment, with several studies suggesting that natural approaches have much to offer. There is good evidence that homespun remedies can put a brake on the emotional roller-coaster ride that many women take each month. Pre-menstrual syndrome is a term used to describe a constellation of symptoms that typically occur in the week or two prior to menstruation. Telltale signs include irritability, depression and tearfulness. Physicalsymptoms are common, too, and include fatigue, food cravings,
abdominal bloating, breast tenderness and fluid retention. The precise nature
and severity of the condition is a highly individual affair: while some
women may experience say a couple of pounds’ worth of additional weight in
the pre-menstrual phase, others may experience extremes of mood and behaviour that
precipitate considerable fall-out in their lives and the lives of those
around them. Diet appears to have potential in bringing the symptoms of PMS under control. There is evidence that supplementing with the minerals calcium
and magnesium helps a significant number of pre-menstrual women. It is
perhaps no coincidence that research also shows that many British women’s diets
are deficient in these two nutrients. While many looking for extra calcium in the diet may turn to
dairy products, my preference would be to opt mainly for foods that are likely
to offer better all-round nutritional benefits. Canned fish (especially
tinned salmon and sardines), beans, pulses, sesame seeds (e.g. brown tahini)
and nuts are all good options in this respect. Magnesium-rich foods include beans, pulses, nuts and green
leafy vegetables, such as spinach and darkly coloured varieties of lettuce. Women who feel they may need a little extra help might want to consider supplementation, too. I recommend 750mg of calcium and 500mg of magnesium each day. One natural remedy with a reputation for its PMS-quelling effects is the herb Agnus castus (also known as Vitex and Monk’s Pepper). Agnus castus appears to help balance the hormonal fluctuations in the second half of the cycle that some scientists
believes are at the root of many cases of PMS. In practice I have found Agnus castus (at a dose of 40mg of dried herb or 40 drops of tincture per day) to be very effective in controlling PMS symptoms within two or three menstrual cycles. My old consultant gynaecologist might be interested to know that simple natural approaches can bring welcome relief to `emotional creatures’ everywhere.
The Guardian |
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Scolding kids harms as much as hitting WHEN
parents are driven mad by badly behaved children, most do not smack
them and instead give them a telling-off. But verbal abuse could be as
harmful as beating, according to new Danish research. Psychologists have long known that children who have been beaten are prone to low self-esteem and insecurity in later life. Little research has been done, though, into the effects of scolding. “The feeling of self-respect is hurt when you are punished in one way or another,” said Erik Sigsgaard, the researcher at the Danish Center for Research in Institutions, who carried out the study. As part of the study, children at a nursery were observed and interviewed in the 1994-2002 period. More than half said they hated to be shouted at and believed the grown-up was still angry with them, even long afterwards. The children often felt upset even when parents and teachers did not think they had scolded them, the study showed. “You can’t say that it’s better to scold your child than to beat it. When you punish a child you give it the feeling that it isn’t worth anything,” Sigsgaard told Reuters. One boy said that scolding is when somebody beats you with his voice. Children see little difference between physical and verbal violence. Damaged self-esteem, problems in relating to others and forming close relationships are the most common problems faced by abused children. Although parental smacking has become less common, and even illegal in some countries, most parents and teachers shout at disobedient children, both in private and in public. According to the United Nation’s child rights convention, children have the right to protection from physical and psychological violence and abuse. Sigsgaard advised parents to tell their children their opinion in a normal voice without shouting. “Parents who want to keep a close relation with their children should not scold too much, or they will soon be alone.” It’s silly because we are pushing away what is dearest to us.”
Reuters |
Bill to cut schoolbag weight CALIFORNIA'S schoolchildren were breathing a sigh of relief after Governor Gray Davis signed the Bill that will limit the weight of the backpacks they lug to school everyday. The legislation will set a maximum weight for textbooks used by elementary and middle school students following medical evidence of rising injuries to children because of heavy backpacks. The Bill also mandates the Board of Education to examine using Internet resources and CD-ROMs to replace heavy books. The load has been steadily increasing over recent years because of more homework and budget cuts which prevent schools from having enough lockers or a double set of textbooks for home and the classroom. Health experts advise parents to limit backpack loads to no more than 15 per cent of their child’s body weight, or use packs that are equipped with wheels and can be pulled along like a
suitcase. DPA BBC offers staff a job switch The 25,000 employees at the BBC are being invited by their boss to switch to another job for 24 hours in a bid to boost morale. “It was one of the things Greg Dyke (the BBC Director General) spoke about to staff” at a meeting last week, a BBC spokeswoman said. “Everybody within the BBC will have the opportunity to spend a day in a different area of the organisation to get a better understanding of the organisation,” she added. John Humphrys, who grills top newsmakers on Radio 4’s agenda-setting “Today” programme, told The Times that he wants Dyke’s job, because “a day is all I would need to put things right.” Reporter Jennie Bond, who covers the royal family, said she would rather host “Top of the Pops,” a pop music show that last week celebrated its 2,000th weekly edition. Jeremy Paxman, the acid-tongued presenter of the “Newsnight” current affairs programme, and author of a best-selling book on England’s identity crisis, said he would take on the role of tea lady, a “key role” in the corporation. As for Dyke, who is often criticised for making the BBC more commercial in tone, he reportedly plans to be a presenter and producer at one of the network’s local radio stations.
AFP If settled, why marry? Single women in their 30s are more likely to oppose getting married or having children than singles across other gender and age groups Interviews with 1,481 people over a five-month period, present a big headache for the Public Education Committee on Family which promotes family life. “Ladies somehow lose interest in getting married and having children once their careers are more settled,” said ChanSoo Sen, Chairman of the committee and minister of state. Government leaders have long urged women with higher education to marry and have as many children as they can afford or a shrinking population will threaten to undermine efforts to build a world-class Singapore. The survey also found single men and women tend to be more accepting than their married friends on homosexuality, cohabitation and divorce.
DPA |
Of religious awe & spiritual gaiety I have in several earlier reflections on the sublime touched upon a wide variety of issues, both conceptual and putative. However, the sublime manifesting itself in a single upright family is a subject that takes us back into the sources of the sublime, and into history. It’s thus that I perceive the sui generis nature of one family in Sikhism — the family of the 9th Sikh Guru, Teg Bahadur whose son, the Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh and his four young sons achieved the heights of martyrdom over 300 years ago, making the sublime a quality in action and sacrifice. To be sure, the question of martyrdom and saintliness forms an integral part of most religious theologies, but I know of no other example that in its reach and splendour achieves the kind of sublime glory I have in mind. I know though, martyrdom as such has many a facet and many a tangled skein. For, if qurbani for a great cause canonises the saints concerned, it can also be misinterpreted and misused to cause a great amount of gratuitous suffering. This is no place for details, but we know from everyday experience that some sectarian groups have debased the concept because of their narrow vision. And to achieve that kind of ‘martyrdom’ they have resorted to the sword and the knife, to the bomb and the gun. Its driven zealots who consider themselves crusaders are, in fact, victims of the political establishment in general. They blow themselves up for their cause and blew up, in the process, all humanist virtues and essences. This kind of qurbani has been denounced by all men of thought and reason. Let me quote a couple of lines: (a) “In the name of religion, the world has witnessed such sinful deeds that even sinfulness per se hangs its head in shame” — Guru Gobind Singh. (b) “The fury of the hate-driven zealot, the meanness of the human weasel who spoke first in the coarse shorthand of the subliminal depths — “Theodore Roethke. This little detour, I think, was warranted by the requirements of the moment, and in returning to the theme of the sublime family, I propose to vindicate the argument. One sees, then, the difference between an atavistic and orgiastic ‘martyrdom’ and a sublime one. Though other Sikh Gurus had elements of piety, even sublimity, in their own families, in some the desire for the gur-gadi or the Higher Seat drove some sons into schismatic evil. For instance, Guru Nanak, the First Preceptor’s sons were found unworthy of succession, and the gurudom passed on to a humble devotee, Lehna rechristened Angad by the Master; the word “angad” denoting limb, a part of one’s body. Again, the 4th Guru Ram Dass, the founder and architect of the Golden Temple at Amritsar had unworthy offspring who tried to thwart the Guru’s wish to leave the gur-gadi to his great son, Arjan Dev. And Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom became an expanding metaphor for supreme, matchless sacrifice in the cause of dharma or righteousness. The compiler of the Guru Granth, a superb, divine poet and singer thus touched the imagination of reverence in a profound way. But when we come to Guru Tegh Bahadur who was beheaded in Chandni Chowk, Delhi when he came to the Moghul Capital to plead the cause of the Kashmiri Pandits in distress and dismay (they are, once again, the subject of religious fanaticism in that Valley of beauty — and shame today mark the ironies of history), proved that his sacrifice was ordained, and had a touch of sublimity about it. His son, the Tenth Guru, in his turn used his heritage and had all his four young sons sacrificed, the elder two killed in battle against the forces of evil, and the younger two bricked up alive when they would not accept Islam to save their lives. Of such stuff, is the holy, sublime family made. The Guru’s own cease or demise came when after his conquests, he was driven to the south to set up his seat at Nanded in Maharashtra, he was stabbed treacherously by a Pathan retainer and after a brief recovery, passed away while stretching a bow during hunting. The cycle of martyrdom of that matchless family had thus come full circle. As I opined earlier, this Saga has no parallel in world history, and that’s why its actions subsuming sublimity cause religious awe and spiritual gaiety simultaneously. And it’s in the light of our argument that we must understand Guru Gobind Singh’s “Doctrine of the Consecrated Sword”. In his Zafarnama, in Persian verse to Aurangzeb, the Moghul Emperor, he wrote: “When the thing is past all peaceful persuasion, It’s one’s moral duty to lift the sword.” |
I am all for eros; I am all for life — because life is the temple of God, the only temple. And eros is the only way God is expressed in the world. — Osho, Unie Mystica
*** The eight good qualities of the soul are: compassion on all creatures, forbearance, freedom from anger, purity, quietism, auspiciousness, freedom from avarice and freedom from covetousness. — Gautmadharma Sutra
*** (To live according to) the rule of conduct is doubtlessly the highest duty of all men. He whose soul is defiled by the conduct perishes in this world and the next. Neither austerities nor (the study of) the Veda, nor (the performance of) Agnihotra, nor lavish liberality can ever save him whose conduct is vile and who has strayed from this (path of duty). The Vedas do not purify him who is deficient in good conduct, though he may have learnt them all together with the six angas; the sacred texts depart from such a man at death, even as birds, when full-fledged leave their nests. As the beauty of a wife causes no joy to a blind man, even so all the four Vedas together with the six angas and sacrifices give no happiness to him who is deficient in good conduct. A man of bad conduct is blamed among men, evils befall him constantly, he is afflicted with disease and shortlived. Through good conduct man gains spiritual merit, through good conduct he gains wealth, through good conduct he obtains beauty; good conduct obviates the effect of evil marks. A man who follows the rules of conduct established among the virtuous, who has faith and is free from envy, lives a hundred years, though he be destitute of all auspicious marks. — Vashisatha Dharmasutra
*** Forbearance, veracity, restraint, purity, liberality, self control, not to kill (any living being), obedience towards one’s gurus, visiting places of pilgrimage, sympathy (with the afflicted), straightforwardness, freedom from covetousness, reverence towards gods and brahmanas and freedom from anger are duties common (to all castes). — Vishnudharma Sutra
*** The conduct of our lives is the true mirror of our doctrine. — Montaigne, Essay (translators C Cotton and W.C. Hazlitt) |
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THE new President of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Mr R.K. Somany, takes over at a time when a lot of churning is taking place in the domestic manufacturing sector. In his new avatar as Assocham chief, Mr Somany will have to forcefully project the views of Indian industry in an intensely competitive global environment.
