Books Read in 2003.

BOOKS READ IN 2003

1. Shodh by Taslima Nasrin.

The story in Bangladesh but it may be anywhere else in the subcontinent. May be Muslim but it could happen in a Hindu family as well. The story argues for gender equality and in a strange way asserts it when the young wife takes revenge on her newly married suspecting husband by getting pregnant by another. She fosters on all that it was from her own husband. There are other aspects of life in an orthodox family. The protagonist’s father though otherwise modern in outlooks and practices causes the heroin to marry her boyfriend on societal norms. She analyses the status of an unmarried girl in love. She turns out to be a daughter in-law. No independent existence. Then a mother elevated in the family but still without any independent identity. She slowly turns out to assert her own identity when she takes a job as a school teacher without anyone in the family knowing. Then they accept her bold decision. Taslima tells the story without any effort or any clitch. Not high but average.


2. Sights and Sounds of the World
by Kushwant Singh.

This is a collection of articles by the author during his several trips at home and abroad. But it is not about travel as such. Most of his trips are in connection with conferences, seminars, anniversaries and observations. Even in his so old an age the naughty sardar has an eye for young buxom or nubile young ladies and he describes his encounters with them in his own racy language. Also there is a lot of roaming about the gullies in places visited. The whole book is of enjoyable reading.


3. Asylum U S A by Boman Desai.

The name is unfamiliar to self. From the blurb from publishers it looks like his second novel. Mr. Desai displays a flair for American use of language so typical. The language used in his narration resembles the language used by Gopal in his Toast Masters’ sermons. The novel is based mainly on the travails of an Indian immigrant, to get settled in the states. Some shade of Gopal in this. Nosheer the protagonist in the novel is one matured, philosophical and un-assuming. Except at certain parts the narrative is convincing enough to be truth as fiction or fiction told truthfully. May be it is only one facet of American reality at a lower level, reality of the marginalised. We are not introduced to high or middle class life. May be that a young man from Bombay has no easy chance to mix with middle or higher classes unless by dint of efforts he raises to that levels. Mr. Desai dealt with people at a lower level, most of them are diligent, honest and hardworking. They also show a kind of dignity in life, whether she is waitress, casino dancer or clerk. Of course there are crooks, extortionists and exploiters but they don’t mar the happy go lucky life pictured in the novel. They are hinted at the casino scene Still it is a success to the protagonist if not for of others. All his young loves fade away in course of years except for Lisa, who establishes herself to a respectable middle class life. Wholly it is a readable book by Boman Desai. There is no value judgement on any group of people that he portrayed in his novel. A lesson thru out is that being free and independent is the recognition of the same in others. No one should judge another with one’s own values.


4. Naked Ape by Desmond Morris.

Self bought a copy of this book when it was first published way back in 1979. Due to unfamiliarity with this subject, I was not able to read it with full understanding. It was kept but lost in the several shifting from place to place. This time I completed reading. This is too fascinating a treatise to say that biologically; man is still an animal in the group of primates.

There are certain points. Biological evolution was too slow and millions of years past before any perceptible change is noticed. More over Morris transcends this in case of naked apes. There is the idea that western and specifically Christian west that includes US are much advanced in this biological/cultural evolution while the tribes in Asian and African world are either stilted in their evolution and or still evolving. These thoughts may not be accepted universally.

There seems to be lot of speculative reasoning for which no concrete facts are adduced.

Adducing some evidence the author says that the present day American society and individuals are on top of the evolutionary pyramid. Most of the tribes and nations around had to strive to attain the height. Not getting there, will stultify them, as in the case of Australian aborigines which did not evolve further in the last thousands of years.

With all that it is most engaging treatise so far made available to us. The book re-issued after 30 years still holds attention.


5 Tibet, Tibet by Patrick Frank.

This book is about Tibetan history no ancient as a travelogue. Most of it is current history. According to the author Tibet of yore is lost. Under the Chinese communists the religion and culture of Tibet is being trampled under. The old generation is marginalised and the new ones are outgrown and meshed in consumerism. The Tibetan landscape is changed through industry and commerce. At times he is outspoken about the strange religion followed by people. His main concern is that the religious identity of Tibet is eroded to the point of losing it.

The narrative at places seems to rely upon the assumed superior position of the west others. The west especially the British and European had a history of trampling and eliminating entire communities in America, East Asia, Australia also in groups of Pacific islands. With such a historical background where the motivation was avarice and greed. With all that the book gives a good idea of changes creeping in to the Tibetan society. Worth reading.

6. Journey of Man by Spencer Wells.

This book was introduced in one Sunday Asian Age, as evidence of the humans having originated from Africa specifically east of the continent, 50 – 60 million years back, It is not that the humans originated at that time and place. The theme of this book that when genetic analysis is used it is found that all the human communities throughout the world are descent of the man and woman of African origin some 60 million tears back. The descendents journeyed thru various verifiable routs all over the world. There might have been other humanoids communities like the Neanderthals but they did not survive the harsh conditions. The evolution took care of a lot.

Reading this book brought some revelations not familiar with many desperate facts that are connected like in a thread as if by coincidence pointing out to one truth that mankind is one and descended from one ancestor. The facial and other differences were gifts or results of random mutations of the gene chromosomes. DNA and Y chromosomes.

This book re-enforces the theory that there are no indigenous crop of people as self centred nationalists might argue. The author mentions the multi origin theory which basically justifies the racial differences. He also mentioned some Sino centric idea propagated by certain Chinese scientists. I think that the author is not privy to the claims made by hindutva brigades like Bhagwan Gidwani, B B Lal and like that there were separate hominids in India. But their time frame goes back upto 10,000 or BC. Spencer Wells in this book points out that people of South India were the earliest arrivals thru the sea cost from south east Africa who reached Andaman and Australia in those far past time 50 – 60 thousand years. The major part of the north Indians are subsequent arrivals 15 or 20 thousand years. His statements hint at a possibility that the Harrappan and subsequent Aryans were one gene stock, but immigrants at historical times.

Among all the books read recently, the Journey of Man is most significant and important. The language is little difficult but considering the subject one should not complain. In the group of numerous treatises on the oneness of mankind this one is the latest incorporating evidences from genetic research, palaeontology, archaeology, linguistics. But the evidence from genetics is central to it.

This book needs to be disseminated more widely on all our languages. But the basic genetic approach and the language and theme of this book may not get sufficient appreciation. This book is an antidote to all religious fundamentalisms propagated nowadays.

7. HINDUISM and MODERNITY
by David Smith.
This is a scholarly study of modern day India student of Hinduism in a series titled Religion in Modern World.

David Smith is a sympathetic student of Hindu religion. He has almost succeeded in encapsuling the enormous literatures and practices of Hindu religion from ancient to modern Satya Sai Baba cult. He also discusses the political manifestation of this religion in RSS parivar.

According to the author the modernity is not
revolutionary but that of reformist. The author has
amassed a large pose of standard works
But along with certain welcome manifestations, the
modern Hinduism in fact regressed to the extend of
revenge and fundamentalism on Hinduism by a large and
assorted scholars and the references and bibliography
included in this authors, from east and west which is
evident from book. The encapsuling of all the references
with which the author observes today’s Hinduism, at
times tended to be one sided. The author did not take into
consideration that a large majority of the high and rich
Hindus take their religious faith and practices in a formal
way, think nothing of their value and or significance. This
attitude of the majority is the real strength of Hinduism.
It allows all kinds of faith and practices to be called
Hindu religion. At one extreme the propagandist of
advaita, an un differentiated void ( who in fact were not
practicing it but follows blindly a traditional way) A
Brahmin who learned and believed in advaita is still a
Brahmin in every day rituals. On other hand non-
Brahmin and low caste guru mouthing advaita
philosophy, is not practicing any Brahmin rituals. They
resort to certain popular community practices such as
Ganapati homam, chanting Lalita Sahasranamam and
reading of Narayaneeyam. The Mata Amritanandamayi
cult is an example. At one time a couple of decades back
the Chinmaya Mission Geeta classes were rage among the
high castes, without learning the meaning of the verses
and without understanding the teachings of
Geeta. It was just chanting a mantra to appear blissful.

In fact the late Kanchi Swamy Chandrasekharendra
Saraswathy explained that Meanings of Vedic verses are
not material. The importance is to learn to chant
Mantra correctly. All bliss comes from the appropriate
tones of the mantras chanted. the Mantra correctly. All
bliss comes from the appropriate tones of the
mantras chanted.
After going thru this book one might ask the author about
the actual practices, followed by the Sangha Parivar
whether they represent modern day Hinduism.
But the great majority of Hindus look at the parivar
differently as a set of cultists.

8. IN TIMES OF SIEGE By Geeta Hariharan.

The subject of this novel is very much topical today. It is a
mirror image of The present day hindutva history
mongers. The attempt at remaking Hindu history for
schools and colleges are on and it seems to be succeeding.
Hindutva portrays it as larger than living. A calendar god
is made a model and history takes a saffron colour.
There must be more polemics against and historians like
Akhilesh Mittal should lead in challenging the saffron
brigade.

Judging from those articles published in news papers, one finds a new respectability to people like Balbir Punj BJP’s hard hindutva ideologue. He is a regular in Asian Age. But except for Akhilesh Mittal no secularist is bothered to rebut Balbir Punj. This lethargic attitude will vitiate the national and secular interests on a long term.

Geeta Hariharan’s novel based on a secular historian and the harassment meted out to him by the hard core hindutva brigade is well intended and timely.


9. Our Amazing Planet A Time Life Series.

This book is well illustrated and explains the basic features of our planet earth. Added to it s information about the planetary system. All factual informations are conveyed thru short sentences. Both doubts and other interpretations are mentioned. There are no dogmatic assertions There is a ready acceptance to say that on several areas factual informations are limited and further research might find something entirely different than that are accepted as truth and only truth today. A healthy scepticism is imparted through out this good book. A must for all ages.


10. TRAVELLER and The ROAD by Com. Mohit Sen.

Whether Com. Sen in his narrative is truthful or not, he has posed a lot of fundamental questions and also tried to answer. I have no specific reasons to disagree with much of his views but would like to state that Sen is too subjective in evaluating the personalities of the early CPI leadership, who accepted Marxism in the later half of forties. I knew about the self sacrificing nature of most of the leadership and therefore I respected them much. A. K. Gopalan is one in point. After becoming MP with maximum votes to first Parliament, he came to Chembur and after a long speech in a public meeting, joined our family to have dinner, at Station Colony i.e. Subhash Nagar. As political personalities they cannot be faulted. They were not opportunists as some later day politicians including the socialist/communist variety. If there were certain factional and unfriendly traits they were the product of circumstances and not inherent. Com. Sen missed to state that many of the Kerala leadership of CPI were well versed in their knowledge of Sanskrit like N.E. Balaram, K. Damodaran, M.S. Devdas and also so many sympathisers there. They tried to instil a secular culture and an inquiring mind. I myself came to the party with such a background of Sanskrit education.

LETTERS.

LETTERS.(No. 1.)After Prophet cartoons the Fitna (29.3.2008) the reports said that the film is based on visuals from terrorist actions during the last few years and alleged texts from Koran that support them. Actions in the name of god and religion. It seems that all reactions are based on the fear of violence that might be resorted to by fanatical groups. Somehow the idea is getting popular that the fringe groups are the real representatives of any religious community at large. Their reactions are "just" and accepted as such. But is it so? Many Muslim countries were reported to have protested to the Dutch Govt. about the intended release of the film Fitna by one of their far right politicians Geert Wilder. When the Govt. is not a party to the act the protests sound political gimmicks to outsmart the fringe groups in their own countries. In the process they are legitimizing the fanatics' call. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are in forefront of fighting against the fanatics in their own countries but at the same time they are on the side of fanatics in protesting against the film Fitna. In the history of religions including Islam there were debates on all contentious issues though no final conclusions were arrived in most issues. Such debates help clarify view points. The film Fitna also calls for more of such debates and not slamming them.
If the Muslim countries are serious about others respecting their religious beliefs they should start practicing it in their own lands. We all know many of the Muslim countries do not accept the right of other religious groups to have their own places of worship or public celebration of religious festivals. Saudi Arabia strictly enforces Islamic codes on other religious faiths. The latest example is that of Malaysia where the Hindu minority feels discriminated on all counts. (There were reports of decades old temples being demolished in the name of infrastructure developments) The European governments has gone far to contain the fanatics by not only disowning Fitna and its producer but influencing the websites from showing and or withdrawing the film from sites.This is in line with what we in our country have been doing to appease fanatical groups. The examples are, Taslima, many Ramayanas and the most recent exhibition on Aurangzeeb at Chennai.Finally all sane persons should agree with the contention of You Tube. "The diversity of the world in which we live - spanning the vast dimensions of ethnicity, religion, nationality, language, political opinion, gender and sexual orientation - means that some of the beliefs of some individuals may offend others." Let us not repeat the history of religious wars of the middle ages. Let us repudiate that legacy by accepting civilized dialogue and debates in this 21st century.K.N.Krishnan.

Dear Daddy,

Very nicely written article! I was discussing the same points with one of my Spanish friend and even with Akhil the other day which you have forwarded to the editor composing so nicely. It is really very much encouraging to see you engaging in such dynamic activities even today.

By the way I some how have my suspicion regarding the European Govts not being party to the act of protests against the Muslim fanaticism... isn't it a deliberate attempt to keep the muslims in dark or not allowing them to come forward in creating their own Voltaires as was asked by Miss Hirsi Ali to one of the host of a TV program on which a muslim scholar from Iran(I don't remember his name right now) had congratulated to Miss Ali saying that she is their little Voltaire. I don't know why but I strongly feel that non of the European Govts do not protest against the Muslim fanaticism not because they fear any revenge in return by the extremist groups but they simply want the muslims to be where they are. Moreover, almost all the major European countries are enganged in multi million dollar business in the middle east with countries like Saudi Arabia, the guardian of strict Islamic code, as you have rightly pointed out in your e-mail below, it means there are a great deal of vested interests of the European Govts which could be seen in jeopardy if protested against the muslim fanaticism. As per my perception, all of us, the ordinary people may have our own hypothesis and surmises as to what should the Europen or the Islamic countries do to straighten the current state of affairs. Like you have cited in your e-mail ..."
Let us not repeat the history of religious wars of the middle ages. Let us repudiate that legacy by accepting civilized dialogue and debates in this 21st century". Do you really believe such possibility? We can do it what you have said? I think it is not in our hands the strings of the marionettes are in the hands of the missionary like people or groups mentioned in the "Davinci Code" who really move the strings and we just keep on surmising. These all are my personal views and would very much like to have your opinion.

Yours loving,
Govind

Dear Govind,I went thru your mail and wish to say the following. There must be other reasons for the Euro countries to adopt a policy disowning anti-Muslim moves by their own citizens. I highlighted one that is currently in focus that is the threat of fanatical violence against innocent people both at home and abroad. The most important must be fear of cutting off oil supplies from middle east countries. But that never came to pass in all these years. Even the rabid anti-American regimes like that of Iran are exporting oil to all. There might be other economic considerations relevant. On the question of whether debates are fruitful and timely is one on which reasonable differences could be possible. The truth is that any move other than debates will take us back to the ages when every issue was decided by force of arms and bloodshed. The latest one is in Iraq where the most violent conflict is flaring everyday. It all shows that mutual debates to understand each others views even if they are on the opposite ends will help in pacifying anger. The debates might not bring any conclusions satisfactory to the opponents. But they might bring the realization in the minds of people to tolerate dissenting views without resorting to violence. We could find in history of ideas the fact that even when certain conclusions were arrived at certain times they were revised or even discarded in subsequent centuries and decades. The histories of religions also show how the original initiatives were overturned in later years resulting in factions. One Christianity split into several groups antagonistic to each other. The same happened in case of Islam as well. In India it was worse until the last two centuries. There were cults and groups who believed in the absolute truth of their way of life and worship. There were times when shaivaites and vaishnavites fought each other. In Tamil Nadu there were conflict between one sect of Ayyangars and other. The legend is something like this. The two sects of Ayyangars are: Thenkalai & Vadakalai the difference is in their Namam on their foreheads. One has a U with I inserted in. The other has the same with a tail attached to the U. You must have noticed these in the many TV news and shows. In today’s circumstances such differences doesn't attract attention even though each feels superior to other. Similar sectarian claims could be found among Palakkad Iyers and all other castes. However they have stopped being main differences. So on.
So continue with serious debates on differences at all levels that could pacify the atmosphere. The US elections 2008 are bringing in some such ideas in the democratic political discourse and welcome it. If they get acted by the next elected administration there will be such a vast change in the international situation favoring debates.Yours with lot of love,Daddy.

(No. 2.)
It is unfortunate that Ms. Taslima Nasreen has to run around this secular country for protection against the threat of Muslim fundamentalists who in fact form a miniscule body of the community. What is more shameful is the attitude and acts of the CPI (M) and its govt. in West Bengal. Instead of standing up to the threat of the fundamentalists both buckled and allowed the writer to seek fresh abode in other parts of India. Once in the past the Rajiv Gandhi Govt succumbed to fanatical fringe of the same groups and amended the constitution in order to deny maintenance to divorced Muslim women as ordered by our Supreme Court. The result of such abject surrender to Muslim fanatics paved the way for the Hindu groups headed by BJP to come to power. Similarly the CPI (M) has given up the secular space to communalists. Even if liberal minded Hindus come to the conclusion that secularism is sham idea one may not be surprised. The so called pillars of secularism crumbled at the first test against real communalism. It seems that Islamic fundamentalists became bold to act in West Bengal because of the misguided stand of the left supporting the Islamic regime in Iran in the name of anti-imperialism. The left Govt. in West Bengal banned Tasleema’s book Dvikhandito at the behest of the same forces. Then judiciary stood up to secure secularism and ordered the ban to be withdrawn. When in last year the Muslim fringe protested and threatened death to creators of the Prophet Cartoons communists were prominent in the crowd at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. While our own nuclear projects suffer from lack of technology and material the left constructed hurdles in the way of the Nuclear Agreement 123 again in the name of fighting American Imperialism but firm in supporting the Iranian efforts at becoming a nuclear power. The leaders of CPI (M) like Karat and Yechuri were bending backwards to wriggle out of a situation that is unconvincing. They acted to mollify the anger of communalists at the cost of secular values. The results could be predicted in advance. As in the aftermath of Sha Banu case the Hindu fundamentalists headed by their political outfit BJP will be the party to benefit from the left betrayal. No excuse and or correction could make amends to the situation. A final question. If communists could not stand up for secularism who else will?

However Tasleema is in good company with Rushdie, Hussain, and Ayan Hishie Ali. As in the case of the last who was given space by a far right think tank in US Tasleema is backed by the BJP spokespersons. They in fact demanded giving citizenship to her. Does this mean that only antagonists will protect the dissidents in other’s camp? The religious fundamentalist believe that those who were born in their faith have no choice but remain in it and not speak against it. At the same time they want to convert people from other faiths i.e. speak and act against other faiths. What a monstrous perversion!!

K.N.Krishnan.
(No. 3.)

HT of 16.2.2008 had a letter by Andalib Ahkter claiming that "Most Indian Muslims are neither fanatics nor fundamentalists". Everyone will agree with this. But his next sentence gives a contrary idea. He writes "When somebody hurts their sentiments that too in their mother land, they will not tolerate it." If these two claims are true then the Muslim community is acting against the tenets of our constitution. I hope that only the first claim is true. In my 40 years of service and the another 20 years of retired life I had many Muslim friends and most of them maintained the view that no criticism or even blasphemy could change their faith and they are least bothered. As a fringe group in Maharashtra the MNS is capable of disturbing the life of city and parts of the state and similarly any fanatic group could organize violent demonstrations on the street and claim representative character to itself. Normal peaceful citizens are not carried away by such hate pronouncements. It will be good for this nation if people like the letter writer refrain from spurious arguments in favour of any one outfit that advertises itself as sole representative to speak on behalf of any groups of people. Thou he has not spelled it out his target was the hapless writer Taslima Nasreen. He seems to think that Taslima is expendable at the altar of fanatics in his religion. His reference to Mahasweta Devi, Arundhati Roy and Girish Karnad is frivolous as none of the three are remotely favour the idea propounded by him.

K. N. Krishnan.
(No. 4)
The feature by Shashi Tharoor on Sunday Times 23.3.2008 covered the recent developments that show the dark side of the national ethos. He is right in posing the quarry about the future of this country as secular democracy. More and more groups who for all these decades kept at sides has come out as spokesmen for hurt sentiments especially from the communal angle. There was a report from Punjab that the state govt. is ready to ban a purported Ramayana story going round which is said to be derogatory to Hindu sentiments. It seems to be some follow up to an earlier vandalism organised by the ABVP persons against many Ramayanas. However there seems to be some difference. While the Hindu outfits are indulging in violent acts the minority fanatics are ready to spill blood of dissidents like writer Taslima. Unfortunately there are very few of the well known liberal left who are prepared to cry outrage against minority communalism. It is the majority communalists who are the vociferous protesters against minority communalism.

The reported pronouncements of the SC “against the increasing tendency among litigants to file frivolous complaints against celebrities to garner cheap publicity” should be a warning to all political and non-political outfits who are masterminding such publicity in the press and public life. The people of India should take note of these fringe groups and shun them out of public life by voting them out in the elections. Both the governments and judiciary should castigate the self appointed moral and cultural police who disrupt public life from time to time.

The SC also reported to have observed that “These days unfortunately some people seem to be perpetually on a short fuse and are willing to protest often violently, about anything under the sun on the ground that a book or painting or film etc. has hurt the sentiments of their community.” “These are dangerous tendencies and must be curbed with an iron hand.”

Under the circumstances it sounds funny that CPI(M) who contributed most to the Taslima saga is proclaiming to form a third front of secular parties as against the Congress and BJP to fight the next elections. Which are these secular parties? DMK, AIDMK, SP, BSP, TDP and many more such as JDU, JD(S) etc.? None of them including communists are worried about safeguarding the enshrined constitutional principles like democracy and secularism. They are mainly concerned with grabbing power by hook or crock. We have witnessed the earlier mentioned parties aligning with one or the other mainline parties at state and federal level also jumping from one to other groups. CPI(M) itself aligned with unscrupulous elements in Kerala, Tamilnadu and other states.

There should be more and more liberal democratic elements coming out and campaigning against all anti-constitutional moves of political parties in order to expose them before the electorate. Then one might legitimately ask as to whom the citizens caste their votes. It is difficult to answer. My view is that the voters should be enabled to select individuals rather than political parties for the time being. This might bring a change in the mind set of politicians and in the long run only deserving outfits remain and others might fade out to the fringe.

K.N. Krishnan.
(No. 5)This is in ref: to A.G.Noorani's feature on 26.2.2008. Noorani has amassed an array of quotes and evidence for his contention that "the issue isn't always about freedom of speech but the refusal to respect diversity". Which or whose diversity? Only Islamic one in the western world? What about respect to diversity in the Islamic world? Are they the ideals to be emulated by the west? He brings about the significance of the veil as the expression of sexual modesty which by implication means that females without veil are immodest if not depraved sluts. Does Noorani believe that the European and American and other females are so. If counted there might be as many immodest females in all communities. Noorani mentioned the Satanic Verses by Salaman Rushdie and adduces evidence to condemn it as anti-Islam. Does Noorani claim that the Prophet had no number of wives and if from the present day standard it is undesirable to have more than one wife no one has a right to say it against the Prophet? Yes, Rushdie used cutting language to depict the scenarios but does it mean that the Islam might disappear from the face of earth by such criticism? Then why the fanatical fury? The same point could be made in case of Taslima Nasreen as well. But compared to Rushdie, she is too small. The argument favoured by Noorani will be a justification to attempts on life of these two authors and many more. I suspect that if that materialises Noorani may not be there to protest. What a fate of our liberal left?Noorani gleefully refers L.K.Advani in his support without bothering to expose the double standard adopted by the BJP and others in case of Taslima Nasreen. He is also blind to the effect of such appreciation towards Advani. Stretch a little the logic employed and one could find the voluminous writings of Noorani on Ayodhya and communalism infructious. He could see that it was the hurt feelings of a large section of our people that facilitated the demolition of the Babri Masjid. If sentiments are the criteria whether there were any solid history behind those claims or not then it is legitimate for BJP & others to demand the demolition of the Kasi & Mathura masjids.Unwittingly or so the liberal left is supporting and justifying the extreme fanatics in the minority community and also at international levels as in case of Iran. As they were making stringent criticism of majority communalism the same criteria should have been adopted in case of minority communalism and their manifestation in violence. Both the Congress and the left are losing secular ground to fanatics which are the worst results of their policies. K.N.Krishnan.

(No.6)
The secular space vacated by the Congress and left is being occupied by fanatical fringe groups. They might be Hindus, Muslims, Christian or others who would like sane persons to shut up their advocacy of free speech and expression. These groups are ready to resort to violence and terror as happened in case of Taslima Nasreen at Hyderabad and Kolkata on the one hand and PM’s daughter at Delhi University as recently happened. In the later case the objection is said to be to the writings of the late venerable Tamil and Sanskrit scholar A.K. Ramanujam. Not all the goons together with their leadership could be compared with the high scholarship of the writer Ramanujam. The perceived slight to their faith is reason enough for them to act violent. At an earlier occasion the SS groups vandalised cinema halls exhibiting the film “Fire” as being derogatory to their Hindu heritage and traditions.

By some strange logic the yesterday’s protesters turned out to be advocates of unlimited freedom of speech such as the MNS group. They were able to gather support from film artists and writers on their plea against the gag order on its leader. What a bizarre situation? Of course there is the analogy of Modi of Gujarat offering protection to Taslima against her tormentors.

There was a time when all the national politicians wanted Hindi to be the only national language when Dravidian parties in south went on agitating against it. That included today’s Marathi manoos group as well. But times are changing and today there is cry against Hindi in BMC. Noticing the fact that more and more regional outfits are claiming representative role and are displacing national and secular parties, one should be too optimistic to view the future of this nation as safe.

K.N.Krishnan.

(No.7)
The other reported pronouncement of SC to the effect that “India is a union of states and there is only one nationality that is Indian” is timely one. It should hasten the decision on the part of the Congress Govt. to prosecute the perpetrators of violence against north Indians and others in the state of Maharashtra. The Vilasrao Deshmukh regime is indecisive even after so many weeks since the violent incidents.

K.N.Krishnan.

THE CLASH WITHIN

by Martha C. Nussbaum.

This book is an exercise in investigating and analysing the current happenings i.e. history of India. It starts with the gruesome and tragic killing of Muslims in the aftermath of Godhra in Gujarat. Thousands were done to death, a deliberate act on the part of mobs motivated by hatred. Most of the victims were women and children. The women were molested, raped and burned. The reports coming out of that state at that time were unbelievable but true. Ms Nussbaum goes thru all available reports, mainly from media since, the commission investigating the happenings have not completed its job and submitted any report.

When this book was coming into the bookstalls, I was in US. Immediately thereafter the author was interviewed for the Diaspora tabloid INDIA ABROAD. She made it clear that her book is a study of the clashes she observed in her days in India, within the society Indian and well Hindu. Nobody could deny that there is a cleavage in our society. The two sides could be recognised, in the Hindu right represented by the RSS and pariavar including its political arm BJP on one side and liberal, secular and left coalition representing the majority of Indians.

In the next issue of the paper, one reader pontificated that Martha Nussbaum is not eligible to talk about Hindus and Hinduism since; she is not a Hindu herself. All the American scholars writing on Hinduism, denigrate Hindus (Ooh, only he can talk about Americans!!) and their religion so as to show western and Christian superiority. This is a most pernicious allegation which could not sustain a serious scrutiny. The letter writer’s prejudice and narrow mind set are clearly visible here. This person has not read the book to access it as anti-Hindu and mouthed ideas from certain prejudiced and dogmatic writings from Hindu right. It has no originality.

No one could disown what has happened in Gujarat after the Godhra incident. Muslims were targeted by the mob motivated by hatred. People mostly women and children were burned and killed. Most of those women killed were gang raped, stomachs of pregnant were ripped open and the foetuses were thrown into fire to be burnt. The media at that time were reporting more gruesome tortures inflicted on an innocent population. Ms Nussbaum opens files and found double speaking on the part of most of the leaders of the govt. The shameless stand of the one time socialist and then Defence Minister Fernandez by equating the rape of women to almost daily happenings of rapes in the country.

A very telling and revealing area of her book is the views collected by her from persons of importance in the VHP in Gujarat, the Hindu historian Ram Swaroop and the then cabinet minister Arun Shourie. From these people she found the most real position of the VHP on riots and specifically post Godhra Gujarat, the manipulating scheme in re-writing Indian history and central govt’s double standards in confronting Gujarat killings.

Ms Nussbaum searched the files of recent history for the formation and development of the Hindu right from the days of Hindu Mahasabha campaign against the nationalist movement represented by the Indian National Congress fighting against the British misrule. The acts of Hindu Mahasabha were disruptive of the solidarity against foreign rule. Some in far right established and nurtured a divisive organisation ostensibly not political the RSS. Till the time of independence and most of the Nehru years the Hindu right was dormant and not effective. The declaration of emergency found disparate elements from right, left and centre combining to remove Indira Gandhi from power. (There could be two opinions on the declaration.) Then much more bungling on the part of the congress and its leaders found the nation with the unwanted Hindu right ascending. The Ram Janmabhumi Babri Masjid movement captured the imagination of a considerable section of the voters resulting a coalition of right and anti-Nehru family socialists coming together to form a Government. The first serious act of this govt was exploding a series of nuclear devises to show it’s might against Pakistan. But it did not last. Pakistan replied with more explosions, cancelling the military equation. But a favourable situation intervened. The Kargil war. The BJP used it effectively to be in government as caretaker for longer than the time for re-election. The govt. took a hard position commanding massive armed forces to the borders. In the election they got an impressive majority. Now the time has come for the Hindutva forces to move in decisively. The Babri Masjid question was made out to be the most important and urgent national issue. They also started to re-write history in saffron Hindutva mode.

All these are brought together and analysed by Ms Nussbaum and she was on the side of liberal and progressive sections. She did not conceal her preferences. But to accuse her book of being anti-Hindu is height of madness. But when did the Hindu right allowed any dissent? She did anticipate the noise being made by the Hindu Diaspora in the US. Re writing history is extensively dealt in this book. Similarly one chapter is reserved to high light the motivated propaganda against American scholars.

Whatever might be the concept associated with Hindutva the real meaning of Hindu could not be arrived at even by a group of people qualified. The Hindu and its traditions are overwhelmingly huge that only parts could be revealed at time. Hindu is such that all kind of contradictions could be found in its traditions. The Hindu traditions accepted the ideas of no god and no sacred, in Lokayata philosophy. Lokayata is one in the shad darsanas, i.e. six systems of thought. Those who found that American scholar as anti-hindu were not aware or keep silent about the profound criticism of the Hindu in Dr. Ambedkar’s writings. They are more stringent and hard hitting. (When his book “Riddles of Hinduism” was published by Maharashtra Govt. the Hindu right spearheaded by the Shiva Sena went on rampage. Violence was used against people and property. When the SS BJP combine came to power they effectively suppressed those volumes critical of Hinduism.) In fact Dr. Ambedkar records death threats received for his advocacy to eradicate castes. That was the reason for Dr. Ambedkar to renounce Hinduism and convert to Buddhism.

The last but not the least important issue discussed by Ms Nussbaum is about the rising power of the religious fundamentalists in the administration under Bush. There are several treatises warning of the dangers to democracy as understood by the founding fathers of American constitution. Indian democracy is facing similar threat just warded off. Still the future is not safe unless more people realise the danger. American democracy faced such threats in the past as well but today’s forces seemed much more organised and well healed.

Whatever might be the views of the Hindutva Diaspora, this book needs attention and reading by a large number. The author specifically mentions that her book is aimed at American audience since the Gujarat happenings are still in focus in our country.

Since, back in Mumbai I found a write up in DNA about the publication of the Diaspora writings not just critical but abusive of the American scholars. I did not get this book but read some laudatory reviews featured in the website of that book. As I remarked earlier the Diaspora is blind to the conclusions of Dr. Ambedkar in his writings and specially his work “Riddles of Hinduism.” Certain points made out by the Diaspora are here.

One point that of Ganesa or Ganapati. After all the pouring out their righteous Indignation, the Diaspora cannot conceal the origin of the Ganesa myth. The god about his sacredness they are concerned is not a natural born son of Shiva and Parvati. The Rig-Veda mantra that is trotted out for his ancient origin is in fact not about any god at all.

Another is Krishna being portrayed as scheming destruction of all in Mahabharata. I heard of such accusation not from any American scholar but Gandhari in Thunjath Ezhuthaschan’s Mahabharatam Kilipatu. It was confirmed later when I had the opportunity to read the Malayalam translation of entire Mahabharata word for word poem by Kodungallur Kunjikutan Thamburan. When Gandhari cursed him and his tribe to get extinguished, Krishna accepted it not as a curse but a boon.

And about teachings of Krishna in Bhagawat Gita. With all the ramifications to be everything to everyone, the objective was for Arjuna to get out of his depression and fight the war to the finish. Arjuna did it in practice, after learning all the philosophy propounded in the sacred book.

The other day there was a news item about the Trishul Deeksha movement organised by Dr.Pravin Togadia international President of VHP. The Alliance for Democracy distributed copies of Bhagawat Gita among people ostensibly to alert the people about Gita teachings. Was it something real? Do these people believe that Bhagawat Gita encourages social harmony, communal peace and or non-violence and secularism?

It will be good to refer back to Togadia for his understanding of the message of Bhagawat Gita. His last lecture in Mumbai extorted his faithful to kill the enemy by hook or crook as advised before the Mahabharata war, by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. There Lord Krishna adopted stratagems that are not sanctified in defeating of Bhishma, killing of Drona, killing of Karna, killing of Jayadradha and killing of Duryodhana etc. In the process the Lord was party to the demise of Ghatolkacha, even Abhimanyu his own nephew and the five sons of Droupadi etc etc. Gandhari accused him of deliberate acts causing all the killings in the war. According to Togadia the Lord himself used tricks to kill his own kith and kin for being enemies and it is well established that the real enemies of hindutva i.e. Muslims, Christians and other minorities deserve worse. Dr.Pravin Togadia was very clear and insistent that teachings of Gita are in tune with his mission.

Some questions. Whether Pandu in Mahabharata is the rightful king while his elder brother Dhritarashtra though blind was ruling the kingdom and Pandu was indulging in hunting in forests (a royal sport)? Whether Pandavas were right in asking to partition the kingdom into two? Are Pandavas were legitimate sons of Pandu? In today’s language they will be called bastards, a too strong word. Is it not true?

About the monkey god Hanuman. He is the son of Anjana and god of winds and air Vayu. Does the god get married to Anjana? Don’t ask questions since it is sacred. But Vayu tried it in another occasion with king Kusanabha’s hundred daughters. See Valmiki Ramayanam Balakandam Sarga 32. In today’s condition he would be charged for forced rape.

Temple devadasies were there in all most all prominent temples in south India for centuries. However shrouded in sacredness they might be, popular view was that they were prostitutes available to high and mighty. If some one finds meanings that invade their sacredness the blame is not on them.

Finally there is the view that nothing is sacred and or divine since everything here is the construct of man from pre-historic time. It is man who created and sanctified myths and it is right for other men in other times to question and if needed to change or discard them entirely. That is what happened to Greek myths, various pre historic myths of tribes of all lands. There was no such overhauling in Indian history. That should not mean that people of today should be forced to feed on those myths. More than any American scholar our own forefathers questioned myths and idol worship e.g. Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj etc. I think that the US based Diaspora should learn more.

K.N.Krishnan.

Invading the Sacred.

INVADING THE SACRED: A Collection of Essays.

The forward by Balagangadhara gives the reasons and the objectives of the Collection. (pp vii – ix)

He says: “The standard text book story which has schooled multiple generations, including mine goes as follows: caste system dominates India, strange and grotesque deities are worshipped in strange and grotesque ways, women are discriminated against, practice of widow burning exists and corruption is rampant.”

May be according to this writer; in India the caste system is an invention of the western indologists’ hallucinations and imaginations. Until these indologists discovered; we in India were one united and equal in status (Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat) and there were no differences among castes like brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra or SC & ST.

We never worshipped strange deities except Bhadrakalies who demand blood (today animal) sacrifices. There are many more at least in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In TN animal sacrifices in temples were banned by the then AIADMK govt. but withdrawn later. Last year there were reports from Maharashtra that so many pilgrims succumbed by slipping in the flowing blood of the sacrificed animals in a hill shrine. These are not strange and grotesque. They are sacred.

Worshipping in strange and grotesque ways is not in India. The TV show Kaal, Kapaal, Mahakaal was a phantasy enacted and not true happenings. I remember my childhood days when the pilgrims to Kodungallur Meena Bharani chant grotesque and obscene songs in the name of the female deity there. I think that those songs are refined today. Plenty of animals are sacrificed in the temple for the deity even today.

As for discrimination against women as gender; everyday news gives ample evidences how women were treated through violence and dishonour to toe their family line in education, marriage, living and faith. In this there is no discrimination of caste, creed, age or education. If there were no discrimination against women until the indologists described them then how is it widespread among both literate and illiterate in rural and urban areas? No tradition could be established by a hundred indologists shouting for it. No one could deny the fact of bride burning in the past. The Hindustan Times of 18^th November 2007 while reporting about widows of Vrindavan referred to records of widow burning in Bengal at the beginnings of twentieth century. They must be planted by indologists indeed. Again invading the sacred.

In my school days in the thirties and forties and again when my children were in school in sixties and seventies also when my grandchildren were studying in nineties and later never came across a text book exactly fitting to the description given by Balagangadhara. Such texts must be exclusive to his school and not found in Malayalam in my days. I don’t think that those books referred might be as negative as described. Yes, there were mention of negative traits in society but there were much more positive points. I learned about Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Narayana Guru and many more of our reformers from then textbooks. Even today after reading the full texts in Sanskrit of Ramayana and Mahabharata, I feel that what I learned from those school texts about Rama, Krishna and others remain true.

To follow Balagangadhara is to accept as fact that there were no critics of cast etc. before the indologists. Might be so. But to belittle the workings of Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, Prardhana Samaj and many more in the then Madras Province as well as Travancore Cochin states who came out against caste and other discriminations then practiced in the society. If there were no castes and therefore no discriminations; they must be tilting at the windmills erected by mainly the English indologists. The trenchant critic of the ancient and as well as the present day Hinduism was Dr.B.R. Ambedkar.

Volume 3. Page 25. Philosophy of Hinduism.

1. Does Hinduism recognise equality?

Dr. Ambedkar examines this aspect with evidences taken from Manusmriti on pages 25 to 38 and he answers the question.

“Enough has been said to show how Hinduism is a denial of equality both social as well as religious and how it is also a degradation of human personality.” (Page 38)

2. Does Hinduism recognise liberty? (Pages 38 to 44 )

“Thus Hinduism far from encouraging spread of knowledge is a gospel of darkness. Taking these facts into consideration Hinduism is opposed to the condition in which liberty can thrive. It is therefore denial of liberty.” (Pages 43 & 44)

3. Does Hinduism recognise fraternity? ( Pages 44 to 66 )

Babasahib made a lengthy discussion on stories and events described in Vedic and puranic literature came to the conclusion on page 66 thus:

“This brief analysis of philosophy of Hinduism from the point of view of justice reveals in a glaring manner how Hinduism is inimical to equality, antagonistic to liberty and opposed to fraternity.” (Page 66)

“Inequality to the Hindu is divinely prescribed way of life, as a religious doctrine , it has become incarnate in Hindu society and is shaped and moulded by it, in its thoughts and in its doings. Indeed inequality is the soul of Hinduism.”

And in this 500 and odd pages collection of essays there is no mention of the name of Dr. Ambedkar or his voluminous writings on Hinduism.

If this is what we encounter at the entrance of this book how can anybody be sure about the promised acadamic rigour in these essays?

I am not qualified to comment on the writings of Wendy Doniger and others who are the targets of criticism in these essays since I have not read any one of them. It also should mean that I am least qualified to evaluate this book. However, some random thoughts come to mind. How could the concept of gods and or scriptures become sacred since all of them were conceived by the man himself? On the one hand the essayists make out case for their scriptural descriptions to be sacred to them and demand others to respect them even if in their own admission those concepts and scriptures are very contradictory to each other. For example talking about Ganesa the writers mention that many Puranas are sectarian (p.200) the Bhagawata is a kavya i.e. poetic and imaginative story and the Devibhagawata (on which basis most of the Devi concepts are evolved) is a sectarian composition. (p.211) The stories about Ganesa in the different puranas vary on the birth and development of the legends.

There are the legends of Shiva cutting off the head of Daksha Prajaaapati, The main as well as the upa puranas tell this story differently and too contradictory fashion. Some seem too absurd and convoluted. Still they are claimed to be sacred. The essayists sometime concede that certain stories have sexual connotations but they should not be explained in terms of psycho pathological methods. One legend that I have heard from my childhood is that of Durvasa gifting a garland of Parijata flower to Indra who was going round the heaven on his elephant Iravata. Indra keeps the garland on the head of the elephant it in turn bothered by the bees crowding the garland throws it down under its feet and crushes the garland. Durvasa angry at this turn curses the Indra and entire gods to be mortals. They were getting old and sick. The gods approach Brahma for resolution. Brahma calls for churning the milky ocean to reach or Amrita. It is said that both Parijata and Iravata did come out of the milky ocean while churning. The question is that if this legend is correct from where Durvasa got the garland of Parijata and which is the real Iravata? Which are sacred and which are not?

In one foot note the book recalls the outrage felt by a person in the audience hearing the lecture on Ramayana by Wendy Doniger at a London conference. He is enraged to hear that Rama is not a historical figure neither he is a god but a human with its all features. The note did not say that according to all historians including that of Hindutva variety Ramayana is not history but faith. At one interview L.K.Advani admitted that the Ramjanmabhoomi is faith even if there is no historical evidence for it. The latest Sethu Samudram row is another based on faith alone.

The critiques have concentrated their ire on the books on Ganesa and incidentally of Shiva, Vishnu, Parvati etc. The Devi Kali gets depicted as a benevolent goddess but did not take into consideration of the gruesome killing of animals at all occasions the more on festival days. The essayists wish to deny such sacrifices being in practice today. They also wish to deny any caste discrimination in present day India. They deny any psychopathological condition in Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda as well.

It seemed that the writers are enraged and object to the depiction of their deities in the light of psychopathological terms with sexual connotations. But in other places they vehemently argue against any critique of their deities. These are in contradiction. If some of the puranas are sectarian and wanted to establish superiority of their own god/s by denigrating others, the academics should have freedom to expose them in terms of the psychology manifest in the stories. If there are hidden sexuality in them that also should get highlighted.

Some writers have taken a stand that nothing in the puranas should be questioned specifically by people outside the religion. This stand impinges on academic freedom as conceived by the university authorities. (p. 217) I entirely agree with their stand.

There are certain claims such as of Upanayanam being performed by all Hindus when the vast majority out side the twice born are not even aware of it. Similar is a claim for performing Ganapathy pooja by all Hindus. This is misleading. Only in ritual conducted mainly by the Brahmins do this pooja on all occasions. Others do not. There are several more ascribed to all Hindus but restricted to groups and areas. Only in the late decades of 20^th century many low castes adopted sankritisation of their ceremonies. In Kerala Nairs and Menons and other did conduct their marriages only in the evenings or nights but nowadays that were shifted to the mornings as for Brahmins. Even today much of the north Indian non-Brahmin marriages are performed at night. I have witnessed so many of them.

One more point that I would like to mention here is about Ganapathy mantra recited by people performing his pooja. It is a hymn from Rig Veda 2.23.1

“Gañanam tva ganñapatim havamahe”. The author says that this mantra has nothing to do with the god Ganesa but addressed to Brahaspati the priest of the gods. (From my childhood days when I was thought to chant this mantra I had doubts came to me about the deity being addressed? I was learning Sanskrit at those days. Only much later I understood the meaning but still I did not question the tradition invoking this mantra to Ganapathy. When I was reading Rig Veda and it translation in Malayalam I saw the translator’s note pointing the wrong use of this mantra to invoke Ganapathy.)

This book also notes that the mantra is not for Ganapathy but did not mention its misuse by Brahmins for hundreds of years establishing a fraud as tradition.

Balagangadhara says that Diwali festival is for Mahabali coming back from his abode once a year. I never heard this story. Mahabali story is connected with the Oñam celebration in Kerala. Mahabali was supposed to have been ruling Kerala.

Mahabali is portrayed as a humble devotee of Vishñu and his father Prahlada was saved from cruel father Hirañyakasipu by Vishñu himself in the incarnation of Narasimha. With such a background Vishñu in his new avatar as Vamana the dwarf tricks Mahabali to lose his kingdom in order to satisfy the Indra who feared for his seat to against occupation by Mahabali. The king stood with his promise even though cautioned by his teacher priest Shukra that the dwarf is really Vishñu in disguise.

Diwali in all sources cited in the media during every Diwali day is connected with Sri Rama coming back to Ayodhya after the war in Lanka. Another story popular in south is that of slaying of Narakasura by Satyabhama the second wife of Krishña and releasing the confined princesses amounting to 16,000 who in turn became so many wives of Krishna.

There are still more problematic questions that have no solution. Some and specifically Balgangadhara questions the principles of secularism in Indian context. He argues that secularism is Christian construct against the then catholic dogmas. Accordingly he wanted India to adopt the so called Hindu version of secularism. He is sour that after Independence the Indian state went for European version of secularism. The concept of sarva dharma samabhava is not truly followed by those who vow on this. They interpret it as equality between Indian faiths that naturally exclude Islam and Christianity.

The entire tome of essays is seems to be emphasising the difference between white European and other coloured. I felt after reading the entire tome that the essayists wanted to claim a separate and superior status to Indians nay Hindus. They are different in their mental and physical stature. Their origin, history, culture and mental functions are some thing unique not shared by any other people. While alleging racial bias to US academics in relation to Hinduism they themselves are mired in finding only differences for Hinduism. Would it not be correct to infer that the essayists are similar racists in comprehending the US academics?

One essayist Aditi Banerji goes deeper into the subject of the colonial mindset of the early immigrants to America their exploits in perpetuating horrible violence and extermination of the original inhabitants of the continent. But all her sources are white. To picture the US academics as racist is deeply offensive today. In the whole book it is shown that Indian Diaspora is a valued minority in US and is racially or otherwise not discriminated in their professions including teaching in universities. Then how come this racial bias? Who is racial?

Foucault &

21.6.2007

FOUCAULT and IRANIAN REVOLUTION

by Janet Afary & Kevin Anderson

Foucault is the messiah of post modernism in the sixties and seventies in European intellectual circles. Though there were predecessors he was the outspoken one. Postmodernism propagated an idea that the science and technology were the products of western cultural constructs and should not be accepted as universal truth. This has devotees in all countries specifically the developing countries like India. Ashish Nandi, Vandana Shiva and others are vociferous in their advocacy of post modernist concepts. The European enlightenment is seen as having deleterious effects in society. The rapacity of capitalist development aided by a state power was the target of their criticism and attacks.

Foucault was considered to be a leftist for his criticism of the existing European social system, in political terms. The present treatise points to all his faults and omissions. It turns out that he was a real ally of religious right, which in fact turned out to be revengeful, racist and authoritarian. Foucault’s self contradictory statements are cited and discussed here in detail. While he opposed liberal left for their tolerance of capitalist authority, he approved the oriental religious discourse as freedom. Religion was accepted as protecting, expanding the traditions and culture that impart an identity for nations struggling for their independence.

Foucault recalls and interprets Muharrum in Islam as willingness to sacrifice life for Islam as it happened to the grand son of Prophet Mohammad, Hussein in the deserts of Karbala. The martyrdom is celebrated with violent self flagellation and feast. The authors on the other hand recall the violent killing of the Prophet’s heirs by opponent Sunnis. There were mutual killings for power. All these could be interpreted as signifying struggle for power by one or other groups of Muslims from the inception of the idea of Islam and its practices.

Foucault’s writings justifiably invited criticism by well known intellectuals of the time. One of it was by an Iranian feminist and another by the French historian of Islam and the biographer of the Prophet, Both found the Muslim fundamentalists taking leadership of the Iranian uprising against the Shah.

Foucault maintained that in Iran it was a new type of revolution where there was no other, meaning that class or other differences were completely discarded. The revolutions in history were one part against other i.e. classes or groups. In Iran Foucault found no division among the population and all were one with the idea of Islamic rule. Foucault did not go thru the intentions and motives of the mullahs heading the revolutionary masses. He mentioned the unsavoury aftermath of Marxian revolution in Russia and China, how they degenerated into dictatorships of the party in power and in fact individuals heading the party.

The Iranian revolution turned out to be another fanatical religious state with all its coercive powers concentrated into the hands of one mullah Ayatollah Khomeini. The medieval concept of an Islamic state was brought into practice. The most affected were the women, minorities. The authors of this book have given a detailed account of the fate of women, non-Muslim minorities, dissident intellectuals, etc. At these times Foucault remained silent. Thus the real meaning of postmodernist cultural construct came out as the acceptance of any kind of autarchy, including religious rule. In this regard the authors did not flinch from criticising left leaning intellectuals such as well known Chomsky.

I remember my political days when all of us were in favour of Iranian revolution just for the fact that it was uncompromising towards all imperialist attempts to chock the movement. But later, I realised that many of the political parties and movements were resorting to reprehensible acts towards others in the name of anti-imperialism. Even now people like Praful Bidwai and other Indian left are uncritically ally with the fanatical mullah rule in Iran in the guess of combating American intervention into sovereignty of Iran. It is bizarre situation.

This book is well researched and includes writings and interviews given by Foucault, the texts of criticism from others as appendix. More than 20 pages of notes and a further list of references. This book is a warning to all leftists, intellectuals or other. No one should support or encourage movements without fully understanding their purpose and solely in the name of anti-imperialism. In our country the leftist CPI (M) while vehemently opposing the communal and religious fanatics on the Hindu side, overlook similar or more fanatical groups in other faiths. Their hobnobbing with the Muslim protesters of last year’s cartoon episode is well documented. When are they going to re-think their dogmas and correct?

The Great Theft

THE GREAT THEFT. 13.03.2006

Completed reading the book "The Great Theft" Wresting Islam from the Extremists by Khalid Abou Fadl said to be an Islamic scholar teaching in U.S. Universities. The part one is some history on the two strands of the Islamic theology, jurisprudence and law. The author makes out that in the Islamic world there were always a group of puritans and moderates. Both keep their faith in the revealed truth of Koran and Shariat. Both have enough to quote from these two in support of their contentions and practices. The author labors hard to get thru his message that puritan had hold of power and perks to propagate and convince the majority Muslim especially in the Islamic countries that under today's circumstances Muslim has to adopt extreme postures and measures to keep afloat the faith. They maintain that Muslims shall submit to god’s will and shouldn’t take decisions on their own. For 90/95 percent of the decisions are to be according to Koranic dictate only. The author finds that the puritanical versions of Islamic tenets are accepted by the people at large even though in the day to day affairs extreme Puritanism is not so visible. This shows that today's Muslim masses live a double life. How long this will go on? The author answered in a despondent mind that the future is not that optimistic. At several places the writings seem to be a heavily argued manifesto for moderation in religious matters and modernity in public affairs. The author being a devout believer, could not but defend and justify his position. The assumption that a religion is a necessity to keep moral & ethical life pure is not a new discovery in Islam. They were articulated by much more ancients for thousands of year before the appearance of the prophet. Then why a new religion? As per Koranic saying the first prophet was Moses. When people strayed out and thus corrupted the earth (not Middle East or Arabic lands) the next prophet arrived with a new religion i.e. Jesus. It was time for the next prophet and he discovered Islam. As per this concept Christianity appeared to redeem the world corrupted by Jews. Similar was the reason for the Islam to be born. Assumption here seems to be that before Christ the whole world was Jewish and prior to Islam the world was Christian. Both the assumptions historically incorrect and absurd. It also assumes that the entire world at that time consisted of a small patch of Eurasian last around Middle East. The vast populated part of the remaining world is not to be found in the whole revealed literature of these two people. And, the Jews, Christians as well as the Muslim claim that they are chosen by their gods to inherit everything on the earth. Such claims by themselves expose the sectarian and limited extend of these religions in historical setting. Of course Khalid A Fadl did not venture in this turf. A venture in that direction might derail the entire arguments in the book. The author explains the essence of being Muslim is that keeping faith to five or six tenets of Islamic practices. There is no need to establish the irrational and superstitious nature of those tenets. It is self confessed absurdity to say that Mecca & Medina are sacred and divine cities. If god is all pervasive there is no reason to claim one or two particular locations as sacred and the dictate to undertake pilgrimage at least once in life time for a Muslim. What happens to one who dies before undertaking the pilgrimage. Might be he will go to hell when the god comes on the day of judgement in a future date. There are many more absurdities in Islam just like in the cases all other religions of old and new. It all shows that religions not only divide people and also narrow their horizons. One cannot agree to a creed which proclaims that all people should follow a particular religion. When god himself has bestowed as many varied and claimed revelations to others than ones own. God wants peace but people fight each other to establish the superiority of their own. History is of full of strife between peoples of varied religious persuasions. At one place the author says that Koran is against war and subjugation of not only Muslims but others as well. Also he quoted Koran to support his contentions. If Fadl is correct then the community of Muslims owes a historic apology and renunciation of all conquest by Islamic rulers. They conquered with sword and death a vast territory where people were other than Muslims. If war is justified only in self defence against attack from others then at least people in India from 10th century onwards as victims of violent attacks might expect the present day successors of those earlier Muslims to express anguish and atonement thru renouncing those historical wrongs. Historians of every grain viewed the external invasion and subjugation of India not as religious one. But the Muslim genesis cannot be completely forgotten. The author of "Great Theft" should have rested these historical situations in his denouncing extremists as not true Muslims. Finally the author finds himself pessimistic for the future of Islamic religion under the influence and command of puritan driven extremists. He is not averse to see terrorism bringing nemesis to the good Islam.

The author of "Great Theft" in his concluding remarks calls upon all moderate Muslim to organise demonstration, shout slogans, issue pamphlets, posters, conduct meetings and debates on the un Islamic and anti Islamic face of terrorists using Islam to mask their reprehensible and wild activities thus isolating them among the masses.

By,

K.N:Krishnan.

Hindustan Times of to-day (14.3.2006) carried a very sensible and thought provoking article by Burkha Dutt of NDTV. She questioned the call by Vir Singhvi & others on moderates and secularist of all communities specifically on Muslim to mobilise and rally against terrorism.

The rhetoric headline is something unusual "what sort of loyalty test are we talking about here" gives an idea that there is demand for loyalty test on certain groups or communities. This is far from true. What is called for is action from all communities, to isolate the bigoted extremists from claiming any kind of representative character of any community. If L.K.Advani and his ilk deserve denunciation by all right thinking people so are the actions of the left, SP and like who mobilised mainly Muslims to protest against prophet cartoons under the convenient veil of anti imperialism. There were other columnist like Karan Thapar who expressed their complete dismay at the frenzy of the CPM and others to support divisive demonstrations. Does Ms Dutt believe that the anti bush demonstrations initiated but organised by a section of Muslim community and their violent denunciations of prophet cartoonists, all the west & specifically US has nothing to do with the dare devilry i.e. varanasi bomb blasts. The perpetrators found a perfect situation to act in provocation.

If responsible and secular parties instead of mobilizing their followers to confound the terrorists; have in fact mobilised mainly Muslims as if Muslims alone are anti imperialists. In demonstrations organised in Mumbai, UP & Hyderabad there was little against US imperialism and more on anti Muslim west & USA. The subsequent statements of CPM leadership e.g. Yechuri in HT last week did not dwell on the basic flaw in giving and upholding a platform for muslims fundamentalism with a mask of anti imperialism. Ms. Dutt should have taken serious note of Renuka Narayan's anguished sentiments. I don't view Renuka supporting or approving hindutva response to the Varanasi blasts. She was genuinely concerned about response of well meaning Hindus about terrorists acting in the name of religion without the community denouncing in loud voice. Denouncing terrorism should not be confined to just non Muslim secularists. It is not in term of loyalty test that 'moderate muslims' must speak, not just speak, they must shout, scream, holler, be heard so that there is no backlash." As in case of hindutva communalism when mainstream population come out to check mate, the Muslim community also should join the mainstream to denounce Muslim communalism. Communists failed but others should not.

New developments are taking in the Muslim community leadership. Media reported several clerics from different parts of the country issuing fatwas against terrorist attacks on temples and shrines as un-Islamic and against the tenets of Koran. This belies the apprehension expressed by Ms. Barkha Dutt earlier. I do hope that these fatwas are the first initiative on the road to join the mainstream anti communal forces in mobilizing all people of good will not just secularist or liberals. Believers in faith also should come out in streets and should and yell that they are on the side of sanity and against any kind of divisive activities that help & encourage communalism.

By

K.N:Krishnan. 14 to 16.3.2006