What are Vedic values -- Dr. N. Naveen Chandra

Educating Devdutt Patnaik

Dr. N. Naveen Chandra

Under the lofty heading of “What are Vedic values, aka ‘Indian Ethos’ of the Hindus?”  Devdutt Patnaik (hereafter referred to as DP) tries to define on 27^th August 2016, a subject in a few hundred words (exactly 570) that took Maharshi Vyas 100000 slokas in his magnum opus “Mahabharatam” or Adi Sankara an entire life time in several books, discourses, travels, poems in reviving Hinduism, which he did or Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan several voluminous scholarly books. DP should examine what he wrote and tell himself if he came anywhere closer to define Vedic values. He says, “Sadly, no one is sure what the correct set of rules and values are” and that is why Christians, Jews and Muslims fight.

He says “as we look at the transformation of Hinduism from Vedic to Puranic times” – let us stop here for a moment. WE need a quotation from a scholarly work that there was a transformation of Hinduism between these two periods. Three definitions of transformation are given by Webster: a thorough and dramatic change in form or appearance, a metamorphosis during the cycle of an animal and the induced or spontaneous change of one element into another by radioactive decay.  We take the first definition as the other two are not applicable here. Many define Hinduism as Sanatan Dharma which is eternal without a beginning or an end. That means whatever was there is there and will be there. Sanatan Dharma does not change. Obviously then Hinduism did not change from Vedic times to Puranic Times. What Vedas taught Puranas also taught albeit in a different way. The method of Puranas was to convey a message through a story. The story does not change the concepts elaborated in Vedas. Thus, there was no transformation of Hinduism from Vedas to Puranas.   

DP says Vedic thought obsessed with Ananta, aneka and anitya is opposite of Abrahamic thought which seeks to “fix” the world by a set of fixed “rules/values.” That means Vedas have no rules or valuesin the world of DP. This can be proven wrong by citing few phrases from Vedas.

1. अहिंसा परमोधर्मः  |“Ahimsa Paramodharmah” | “not doing any injury to any thing is the supreme dharma” 
2. सत्यं वद | “Satyam Vada” | “Speak Satyam”
3. धर्मं चर | “Dharmam cara” | “Walk along Dharmam”
4. सर्वेजनाः सुखिनोभवन्तु | “Sarvejanah sukhinobhavantu” | “Let all people be happy”. 
5. ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । OM, asatoma sadgamaya | Lead me from the unreality of Bondage to Reality of Liberation
   तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । tamasoma jyotirgamaya | Lead me from the darkness of Ignorance to the Light of Knowledge
   मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय । mrityorma amritamgamaya | Lead me from the death of bondage and ignorance to the Immortality of freedom and knowledge
   ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥Let there be Peace at three levels. Daivika, Body and Atma.
6. ॐ सहनाववतु |: Om sahanaavavatu | Let us (guru and student) be protected
   
   सहनौभुनक्तु | sahanoubhunaktu | let there be food for us
   
   सहवीर्यं करवावहै  | “saha veeryam karvaavahai | Let us together have competence in our endeavours.
   
   तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु | ,tejasvinavadheetamastu| let there be light in our endeavours

माविदिशावहै maavidvaashavahai” – let us not succumb to hatred.

These teach values and rules. When it says “Speak Satyam and Do Dharmam:’, it is a rule.  When it says “sarvejanaassukhinobhavantu” it is a value. There is a lot of philosophical and metaphysical thinking in Vedas but they are not devoid of rules and values. Will DP revise his opinions on this matter for the good of the world? And there are thousands more phrases and mantras in Hindu Library that consists of 500000 texts majority of them not even read yet.

For the Vedas nature came first, before culture, before humans even. What does DP understand of Nature? Aren’t humans part of nature? Inanimate world and animate world are parts of nature. Plants, animals and humans are part of animate world. Per DP “and nature functions as per “law of jungle” where might is right, only the fittest survives and so driven by hunger and fear animals establish food chains, pecking orders, and territories.” Therefore, nature is jungle and there is law of jungle where might is right. Whereas “Humans don’t have to subscribe to this jungle way, thanks to our ability to imagine”. This betrays ignorance without comparison. Where might is not right, can DP give examples? In the “cultured” world of man also might is right. As a matter of fact, humans murder other humans because of “our ability to imagine.” Humans do mass murder because of “our ability to imagine”. Humans enslave other humans because of “our ability to imagine”. Tamerlane, Genghis Khan, Sikander, Gazni, Ghori, Ourangazeb, Clive, Napoleon, Hitler, Pol Pot, Papa Doc, Hiroshima-Nagasaki, Vietnam, Iraq wars, Pakistan, Terrorism, Colonialism, Imperialism, Holocaust, Racism, Oppression, Suppression, Monotheism, rape of ecology, manmade extinctions of species- all happen because of “our ability to imagine”.  Vedic thought is contrary to this mayhem created by West. That is true. Count of Monte Christo and Les Miserables show how “our ability to imagine” makes us inferior to animals. Humans have fear and hunger on a scale unheard of in history. We do establish our own food chains, pecking orders and territories.  We are the experts in doing this. Your greatest leaders are liars, cheats and murderers.

On the other hand, Nature is the most orderly thing in the universe. Earthquakes, Floods, Volcanoes, Tides and myriad other things are explained by science. There is a rhythm to nature. Falling bodies, rising gases, flowing rivers, erosion of land, deserts are all explained. Evolution is not a jungle law whatever is meant by the phrase “jungle law”. Anytime I prefer nature over human who established an asphalt jungle.

DP analysis of Mahabharata is completely baseless. He says Duryodhan is a villain who obeyed the laws. Duryodhan was manifestation of kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya.  He tried to kill Pandavas from the childhood. He was a hood from the beginning. He stole the Kingdom of Pandavas by lying and cheating. Why did he not throw dice? Why Sakuni threw dice? Why did he try to disrobe Draupadi? Why did he renege on the word that after twelve years of Aranya vaasam and one year of Ajnaata vaasam Pandavas will be restored to their kingdom? He said he would not accede even a needle end area of land. He prepared for the war from the childhood. He made friends with the rogue Karna form the beginning in preparation of war. He was not rule abiding- he broke every rule in the book. Now DP seems to have a thing for Krishna. What rules did Krishna break? He gave vastrams to Draupadi. He protected Pandavas from the beginning. He fought against adharma. He established dharma. He punished Sisupala and Dantavaktra and Kamsa and Jarasandha and other bad people. Dharma Raja was embodiment of Dharma. He praised Krishna. Bhishma, Kripa, Drona and Vyasa were devotees of Krishna. Why? Because Krishna was Yogishwareshwar. Only ajnaanees fail to understand Krishna. Giving ten thousand great fighters with astras and sastras to Duryodhan for his war and unarmed Krishna sat as charioteer in Arjun’s ratham as Parthasaarathi. Where else you will find this samadrishti?

It is true the fundamental Vedic rule and value is “know thyself”. Does DP understand this?

size of the black economy in India

Some estimates of the size of the black economy & black money in circulation.

Demonetisaion in India-- -myth and reality

by--Sukumar Mukhopadhyay

The amount of tears that the rich have shed for the suffering of the poor for their difficulty in standing in queues in banks will easily make a vast ocean.

I went about with a friend asking many people, those in the queues in banks ,and others in the market for their opinion on it . They all agreed there was inconvenience but they supported it. For they know that it will not hurt them. It will hurt only the rich will quietly take 10 0r 40 or 90 lakh rupees of cash extra along with a cheque while selling house on the ground that the buying side was insisting on it. It is all bogus claim. Is is pure and simple greed on their part. Demonetisation will hurt the doctors and lawyers and real estate agents and corrupt people in general who simply take the cash and not give a receipt. Black money shines in our society. And some of the shining writers have got black money.

While the suffering public has supported demonetisation , some of the economists have expressed reservation .Raghuraman Rajan has said, good fiscal policy is better. He has not said why demonetisation is not advisable or why both cannot be done. Similarly Kaushik Basu has said that demonetisation is not good but he did not say why. Prabhat Patnaik has said ,"....government which has embarked on an undeclared “Emergency”: it is as fatuous as it is against the people".Arun Kumar, a writer of a book on black money has sent a note to me but is not available for comments. His note has a lot of data but is inconclusive,as best. On the other hand very many economists have supported it. So it is better to go into each issue on its merit.

An estimate of black money -

Black Economy and Black Money are different. The second is the part of the first. The total value of 500 and 1000 rupee notes is 14 lakh crore of rupees .There is no estimate of black economy which consists of land,real estate,jewellery and cash. Only the cash portion is black money. If there is any illegal activity(like under invoicing or building with under declared value of materials) going on, generating black money will be the end product. There is black economy estimate given by chief economic adviser of SBI which is 45 Lakh Crores. He has estimated on the basis of SBI Research and RBI. Dr.Arun Kumar who has written a book about black money has written in his note to me that it is double the amount but he has not given any calculation. He has said that the black money will be a small percentage of the black economy. If you take it as 10 lakh crores then it is comparable to what chief economic adviser has said that the unaccounted black money is one fifth of 45 lakh crores. That comes to 9 lakh crores. So both the estimates of SBI and Arun Kumar agree practically to 9 to 10 lakh crores. So we can reasonably proceed on an amount of 10 lakh crores as black money. Total amount of money in circulation in 500 and 1000 rupees notes is 14 lakh crores. It has been estimated by Chief Economic Advisor of SBI that 4.5 lakh crore ruees will not come back to the system. There is another calculation discussed below.

How much black money will be useless paper--Really how much money can be retrieved--

 Can clever people get round it --- Manish Sabharwal has written that in Mumbai betting pool says that between 20% and 40% of the black money in circulation will not be deposited by December. Two crore lakh rupees will be become useless paper. If this is in Mumbai, then the all India figure will match with 4.5 lakh crore given in the abobe paragraph. The argument of Arun Kumar and Prbhat Patnaik that clever people will get around their demonitization is not correct with this calculation. Earlier in 1978 there was no limit but this time there is a limit of two and half lakh above which government will ask how they got the money, So people will be afraid to enter into any risk . Arun Kumar`s idea that Jan Dhana Yojana accounts will be used is only a pessimistic imagination. So this time the black money that will become useless will be much more than expected or what was in 1978. Already several bags of big denomination money have been found abandoned in Calcatta near Tolly Golf Course and in Bangalore near Banaswadi fire brigade.

Fake Money

- An estimated amount of 400 crores of fake money will be eliminated. Manish Sabharwal chairman Teamlease Services has said that to people born in Kashmir such as him, it is obvious that much of valley terrorism is fueled by money not printed in India.

Black economy will get a jolt--

Middle class beneficiary-I checked up from property agents and house owenrs that property price has fallen and the black money equivalent has vanished. One property owner near my house put up board for rent changing his mind for sale due the latest action of Modi. Now middle class people will find it easier to buy property. Mispricing of real estate had earlier stood on the way to entrepreneurship, global competitiveness and job creation.

Bold policy-

It is a bold policy because it will ruin the black money held by not only all other political parties but also those held by BJP itself. There is a vague hint given by some writers that BJP already looked after it's stock of black money. The only estimate that somebody has given is that 3Crores have been deposited by BJP functionaries in advance. As if 3 crores is the only amount that a party has!

Flow vs stock---

True ,it will destroy the stock and not the flow but it will take long time to create the flow given that the government is also taking steps to stop the flow by GST and several other schemes simultaneously.

Hawala -Arun Kumar says hawala will increase. It will not. For hawala operators will not accept demonetised notes.

Recession --Some economic activity which depended on payment by black money may slowdown but soon they will resume momentum with white money.

Gold--

Assumption that people will buy more gold is wrong as the gold or ornament merchants will not accept old 500 and 1000 notes.

Fall in GDP--

That will not take place.At the macro-economic level whatever is the level of black money coming to banks by December end and into the RBI by March end, and in consideration of what has not come and what cash was issued earlier , RBI will arrive at a calculation of change in liabilities and quantify mismatched assets and liabilities in its balance sheet . It will then return some government bonds it holds thus enabling government to enable spending and in turn restoring the GDP to normal.

Rs 65,250 crore already unearthed-

-Under the Income declaration scheme--One famous economist has said that it could be also the effect of ongoing effort of income tax officers . Nevertheless even if that is true, the unearthing of this much of black money is significant.

Growth----Developed economies have less black money

Developed economies have less black money. An international chart has been prepared by Arun Kumar in his book. This chart is a collection of several studies by international experts. It shows that highly developed countries have less black money than less developed countries. So it follows that less black money is a step towards a more sustainable development.

Ease of doing business will improve with less black money.

Lack of banking preparedness---

Those who complain about less banking preparedness should know that such a secret policy could not be introduced with previous preparation. I have handled three of sudden policy changes in my official life. First, on 6.6.66 devaluation of currency was done. We in the Custom Houses assembled and decided to visit where ever clearance could take place in the night like from oil installations. Also all documents were revised next morning. Second , during Emergency suddenly announcement was made that Customs could preventively detain smugglers under amended MISA . So we worked night and day and prepared dossiers and detained a large number of top and other smugglers.Thirdly, when in 1978 Sikkim became part of India, we immediately moved our customs machinery there . Again in 1980 this happened for central excise. For secret introduction of policy, there cannot be any advance preparation.

Multiple-rated GST--will it create black money?-

-Not significantly. Very little. It will obstruct ease of doing business and increase corruption but black money generation will not be substantial.

Black mentality--The whole black mentality will suffer a jolt. Nobody believes now that you could have a all- white transaction. Really it was still possible. Several people have done it but they are the exceptional persons. People often too easily succumb to temptations and downright greed and then blame the system. Now with this move to severely damage the kingdom of black money, more people will look for all- white deal.

Conclusion---It is a fundamental reform in India. After decades of rhetoric ,some real action has been taken. Demonetisation along with all other policies such as , Jan Dhan Yojana , Aadhar, mobile banking,Bharat bill payment , GST , the Income Declaration Scheme to declare black money, and also next scheme to act against Benami property , will ensure a real impact on black money.

The kingdom of black money will shake at its root.

 

Good idea. In this context, I will tell my experience. I asked many small shops owners and fruits and vegetables vendors whether they are facing any difficulty . Everybody said no problem. One woman selling vegetables takes the  loan from us.  This time she was prepared to give Rs 10 notes or coin in place of five , hundred rupees notes. Whoever has kept Rs 5  coin  and  Rs 10 coins  for giving to poor or as Dakshina  started using  these coins to meet day-to-day  requirements. So common man is not suffering. The majority of Hindu families keeps Rs.5  and  Rs 10 coins. So there is no crisis as projected by the opposition parties 

Tcg

MR. MODI’S DEMONITIZATION MOVE REFLECTS HIS COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE

To the surprise of the country men, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetization of Rs.500/- and Rs.1000/- high value currency notes , all of a sudden.

The anxiety that was caused :

This unexpected move created considerable confusion and anxiety amongst the people immediately, as they have never undergone such experience in the past. Immediately after the announcement at 8 p.m. in the evening,   crowd started queuing  before 0.2 million ATMs all over India. However, the  ATMs had to be closed as the old currency had to be removed before replacing  with the new ones. Further, the ATMS have to be calibrated to meet the requirement of new notes.

As  the banks were closed the next day, and the ATMS too remained closed , there was panic all around. Some people even  started suspecting  whether all their money would be lost.

Mr.Modi explained to the people through television media that demonetization was necessary to   wipe away the black money and fake currency  circulating in the country and eliminate the corruption once for all.

Many people really thought that this exercise would be completed in 3 to 4 days and normalcy  would return  thereafter. But , the normalcy  have not yet returned even after 8 days, though the situation has been gradually improving.  

Mr. Modi and his Finance Minister and officials have been reassuring the country men repeatedly that situation would become normal soon and have  appealed to the people to put up with the discomfitures for few days for the sake of ensuring corruption free India.

Overall reaction of common man favourable :

Common men, inspite of some reservations as to why they were made to suffer when they are not the black money holders, seem to have reacted more favourably , appreciating the need for eliminating black money and punish the corrupt persons.

As a matter of fact, people belonging to lower and middle  income group ,who have been suffering enormously due to prevalence of corruption at all levels of government machinery and even in educational institutions and hospitals have been  hoping that Mr.Modi would  put down the generation of black money and ensure elimination of corruption with great force.  Mr.Modi’s demonetization campaign and his explanation about  the need  for it have largely received positive response from the people.

Vicious campaign of the vested interests:

However,  the opposition political parties who  seem to have developed pledged hatred towards Mr. Modi , called his demonetization  strategy as  ill conceived, lacking in clarity and forward planning and termed it as costly exercise that India cannot afford. 

With 20 percent of the  money in circulation in the country being black money and  most of such black money  being with politicians and business houses and traders ,it is  no surprise to see the manner in which  the  opposition parties  have denounced Mr. Modi’s demonetization drive.

While the government announced several restrictive measures to ensure that the black money would not be converted into white ,the black money holders have tried to circumvent the regulatory measures of the government in a variety of ways, which had forced the government to impose even more restrictions.  Though such restrictions were aimed at  black money holders, common men too have suffered in the process.

Exploiting the situation, attempts are being made to

to kill the initiatives of  the government by  whipping public anger against the move by clever propaganda, by the vested interests, which seem to have been considerably supported by the print and television media.  Day after day, debates have been taking place and photographs of the people standing in queue have been publicized with mischievous headlines and sidelines.

Understanding the mood of the people, opposition parties and vested interests have been saying that they support  the move to eliminate black money  but not the strategy adopted by Modi government that  have resulted in sufferings to the people. Obviously, their aim is to weaken the resolve of the Modi government to putdown black money , as the politicians and the business houses and traders would be the worst affected.

Some media  and politicians have been irresponsibly stating that  civic unrest would take place in India and law and order would become unmanageable  due to the so called public anger of the people.

Mr. Modi’s resolve will take him through :

As Mr Modi has now taken a decision to fight against the black money holders and cannot look back, Modi government  is now facing a great  challenge.  The government  cannot afford to allow a situation  to develop, where the demonetization drive would end half way or fail to yield the type of positive results that are targeted. 

The opposition politicians and the black money holders are likely to become increasingly aggressive and use variety of methods through media to spread an impression amongst the people that Modi government has failed.

As Mr.Modi is now taking an aggressive stand, fear is now haunting the black money holders that he would not spare them and the law would take it’s course soon.

Inspite of such stress , Mr. Modi appears to be determined to take the fight against black money to the logical end at any cost. While meeting the need to implement  his strategies competently with well designed process, Mr.Modi has to take the people along with him   even as the opposition parties and vested interests would strive their level best to derail the demonetization drive.

Mr. Modi is bound to succeed in his efforts as the cause is genuine and people want his efforts to eliminate black  money and corruption succeed. While the demonetization drive reflects Mr. Modi’s commitment to the cause, his strength of character  and determination will take him through.

इस आत्मघाती शिक्षापद्धतिको बदलें।

Nationalize self-alienating education system in India

On Tue, Apr 19, 2016, <chelvapila@aol.com> wrote:

Even if it is taking time, to 'nationalize' self-alienating education system in India inherited from Macaulay, reinforced by hired Marxist distorians should be done as a priority.  Meanwhile on our own every one of us should educate ourselves regardless of age of the individual. Thanks to internet, facilities are available at our finger tips.

Many of us naturally are very concerned about rising tide of Islamic terrorism both in India and abroad, you might have seen recent report of Moslem mobs dancing after Puttugam blasts which killed hundreds of Hindus. For all we know or don't know the explosion could very well be work of Hinduphobes. The point is the Moslems of India were once Hindus, even as Moslems lived with Hindus for centuries, and they were even welcomed as sons in law-Mapillai or Moplahs in Kerala. Yet why the glee at Hindu torment? Why there should be 'Kashmir problem'?  This is clearly due to lack of proper education.  Every body should be Indian first and what ever else, say a Muslim next.

Swami Ramathirtha went to Japan more than a century back. Buddhism was prevalent there. And Sakya munit was held in high esteem and reverence. He met an young man and asked him , what will he do if Sakya muni comes with an army to invade Japan ? The Japanese youth replied, he will break legs of Sakya Muni!  Japan first and what ever else is next. 

And if we advocate similar philosophy of love and affection to fellow countrymen and  to motherland, Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi, immediately shibboleths like 'communal' or 'saffronization' are hurled. It is high time such ilk which produced turmoil in JNU or NIT are put in place and have India march ahead without wasting time to make up lost time due to such anti-national elements masquerading as progressives, liberals and what not. 

 Education system prevented us thus to have world view besides mindset to judge events from our perspective.  Still it is very fashionable to base our views and expressions from point of view of Westerners. Nothing wrong in it per se, but then if we lose our bearings in the process , then we and India will remain as peddlers of second hand goods.

As you know Hinduism is blessed with great deal of original thoughts that are aimed, to truly uplift the world, not just to serve civilization but to make man divine. Instead of reading current events from perspective of a Marx or Hegel,

what prevents us to assess from point of view of Valmiki Ramayana?

  Please note despite all the loud noises made in favor of egalitarianism, liberty and freedom both French and Russian revolutions resulted in loss of those very things for hundreds of thousands of their country men. In fact whether it was Jihads, coming from no-caste peace loving theology or colonialism that arose out of similar category, both have inflicted enormous suffering on perfectly healthy, normal and prosperous people, countries like India, continents like Africa and Asia in general. Thus these man eating man philosophies, the politics based on hypocrisy, against loudly proclaimed 'liberte, egalite, fraternite' but not reflected in action, cannot be equated with our noble ideas that are reflected very much in practice at one time be it was by a king or a commoner for millenniums in India, where not even one Gulag existed nor any genocide was committed. 

Hence in order to deride and berate and drag down India, the distorians had to resort to negationism of any noble history or any such past for India or Hindu civilization. In fact as you know some such ilk do not even consider India was ever a nation.

Right vs wrong, Dharma vs Adharma - we can easily judge if we become familiar with our own predecessors, say how Rama reacted for instance when he faced challenges or what Krishna has advocated or would suggest at any given situation.  Let us hence start unlearning what has been taught, and learn from our own sources. Long before there were any nations in Europe like Germany, England or France, individuals and institutions along with learning centers from Gurukuls to world class Universities flourished in India, in turn bringing out a prosperous, healthy and happy society. We can achieve that state and status again.  

G V Chelvapilla

भारत में इतवे देशद्रोही क्यों -- मे.ज. मृणाल सुमन

Why does India breed so many traitors? 

Major General Mrinal Suman (Retd) 

While studying Indian history in school days, one was repeatedly told that the foreign invaders resorted to ‘divide and rule’ policy to gain control over India. They were painted as unscrupulous schemers who exploited the simple, trusting and gullible Indians.

       It is only at a much later stage that one realised the hollowness of the above assertion. The truth is that we are adept at producing hordes of traitors who revel in India’s ruin. Every victory of the foreign invaders was facilitated by the local collaborators who betrayed their kings for some devious reward or to settle personal scores. No fort was ever conquered without the infidelity of a trusted minister/commander.

         Unfortunately, centuries of slavery has taught us nothing. We carry on spawning throngs of people who can stoop down to any level (even imperil national security) for their petty gains. Our leaders, media and intellectuals appear to have a single point agenda: how to generate innovative issues to keep the nation divided and embroiled in petty bickering and internal dissentions; and thereby impede progress and bring a bad name to the country. They abhor India’s rise. Let me elucidate. 

            First, the leaders: they are the fountainhead of all fissiparous tendencies. For them, vote bank politics take precedence over everything else. One does not have to be a visionary to predict the danger of abetting illegal migration from Bangladesh for garnering votes. But unscrupulous political leaders carry on unconcerned.

         One hangs one’s head in shame when political leaders extend their support to a delinquent student leader who seeks destruction of India. Comparing him with martyr Bhagat Singh is by far the most perfidious act.

                Perhaps, India is the only country that has an ignominious track record of producing Home Ministers who revelled in shaming the country. One concocted theories of saffron terrorism to please his party bosses. In so doing, he presented a convenient propaganda tool to Pakistan. Another Home Minister did the unthinkable. He declared a terrorist to be innocent in an affidavit to the court. The aim was to ensnare the opposition leaders in a false case. Sadly, India’s intelligence gathering apparatus suffered immense damage in the process.

                When a leader declares ‘it's safer to be a cow than to be a Muslim in India today’, he puts the whole country to shame. The world media flashes such headlines with sinister pleasure. India’s image takes a terrible beating. Just to score a brownie point against the government, he presents a convenient propaganda handle to the hostile forces. How low can a leader stoop!

              Recently, a renowned advocate and a former law minister told a TV channel that shouting slogans for the destruction of the country is not debarred in the constitution. According to him, freedom of expression was of paramount importance. Even demand for secession (azadi) was justified. As the interview progressed, one was not only amazed by his perverted reasoning but also shocked to see the brazenness with which he was arguing. Survival of India appeared to be of no concern to him. One wondered if one was watching an Indian or a Pakistani channel.

                Secondly, the media personnel: the less said the better. From their conduct, it appears that many of them are foreign plants and India means little to them. When a leading media house invited a vicious and remorseless enemy like General Pervez Musharraf and groveled before him, it marked the lowest depths of shamelessness to which journalism could sink. Instead of castigating him for the Kargil war, he was treated as a peace loving guest.

              Both the electronic and the print media never report ‘positives’ about the country. Ugly India sells (a la ‘Slumdog Millionaire’); and not progressive India. Remember how a TV reporter failed to digest the popularity of Modi in the US and tried to incite the crowd with provocative remarks. But then they get paid to demean India, and not to extol it.

               Immense damage is also being inflicted on the unity of the country by the media through its Machiavellian and skewed reporting. Every news item is deliberately reported with a religious, caste or creed slant – ‘a dalit girl molested in a Delhi bus’ (as if other women are not molested in Delhi buses) or ‘church guard killed’ (in reality an argument between two security guards had turned violent) or ‘Muslim driver runs over a boy’ (as if his being a Muslim is of any relevance). Recently, in a case of cattle stealing, a leading newspaper could not resist the temptation to add that ‘one of the five thieves is learnt to have had connections with a cow protection group in the past’. How cunningly, a simply case of robbery was given a communal taint.

                 Petty vandals are given the coverage befitting a mass leader. It was obnoxious to see two TV channels airing their interviews with a student leader charged with sedition. The worst was the indulgent demeanour of the TV anchors; as if a national hero was being eulogized. The interviews were repeatedly telecast at prime time. Did these channels think of interviewing war heroes or martyrs’ families? Forget it; that would have been a pro-India act and that is an act of sacrilege for them.

                 Thirdly, the self-proclaimed secular intelligentsia: it has done the maximum damage to India’s prestige and standing. Some of them appear to be fifth columnists masquerading as progressive intellectuals. In which country of the world would the intelligentsia write to the US government not to receive their Prime Minister? Honestly, it is simply loathsome: duly elected representative of 1.25 billion Indians being subjected to indignities by a shameless bunch of foreign-educated and foreign-paid anti-national elements. Unfortunately, their protests get huge publicity abroad, thereby undermining all efforts to raise India’s standing in the world forum.

                It can be said with certainty that the well-orchestrated campaign of intolerance was totally malicious in intent. The sole objective was to stall all progressive reforms by tarnishing the image of the government. How else can anti-nationalism be defined? As expected, having dented India’s reputation, sold-out media chose to ignore the true facts as they emerged. 
                        Hundreds of Christians, led by the church leaders, marched in protest on the roads of Delhi against the alleged vandalism of churches and a theft in a Christian school. Routine cases of petty crimes were cited to suggest an anti-minority conspiracy. They ensured extensive coverage of their protests by the foreign and Indian media, thereby damaging India’s secular image. Foreign channels are only too eager to shame India. Unwisely, even Obama got carried away with his uncalled for advice, losing considerable goodwill in India. Reportedly, he said so on the prodding of an Indian leader.

              Soldiers and the national symbols: the national flag, the national anthem and the national salutations are representative of a country’s national identity and pride. They symbolize ancient heritage, current challenges and future aspirations. For soldiers, their sanctity is incontestable.

                 Thousands of soldiers have sacrificed their lives to plant our tricolour on the enemy strongholds, thereby earning the ultimate honour of having their bodies draped in the national flag.

                    Notes of the national anthem make every soldier get goose pimples. The response is instantaneous and the effect is electrifying. Even in their homes, they stand up with their families when the national anthem is played on TV during Independence/Republic Day ceremonies.

                  Similarly, national salutations like ‘Hindustan Zindabad’, ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ make adrenalin surge through their bodies. The salutations act as a rallying call to inspire the soldiers for the ultimate sacrifice. All military functions conclude with full-throated renditions of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.

                   Therefore, the current controversy regarding national salutations is highly painful to the soldiers. They fail to understand as to how an Indian can have difficulty in hailing the country. How can ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ be assigned religious overtones.

                 Finally: history stands testimony to the fact that a nation infested with the virus of treachery, deceitfulness and perfidy has always been an easy prey for foreign subjugation. No one knows this bitter truth better than India. Yet, our leaders, media and intelligentsia keep dis-crediting and harming the country through their seditious utterances and activities. Under the garb of freedom of speech, they support those felonious speakers who vow not to rest till India is destroyed.

                   When Paris was hit by the terrorist attacks, the whole country gave a unified response. Compare it with our Batla House encounter against Indian Mujahdeen where two terrorists were killed and two arrested. A brave police officer lost his life. Yet, many seditious elements had the impudence to term the encounter to be ‘fake’.

                   Therefore, the mystery remains unsolved. Why does India continue to produce so many Jaichand and Mir Jafars? Is India a cursed nation or is treachery a part of our DNA? One wonders.