Nepal, once the only constitutionally Hindu country in the world now sadly neutralized into secular, is seeing catastrophe with covid surge. India, the behemoth, can survive any onslaught, but Nepal cannot. None can deny the cultural connect we Hindus have with the Himalayan kingdom. Ever since Nepal started batting for China, India-Nepal ties are strained. India should be the good samaritan, the big brother it is to the subcontinent, and come forward to help Nepal in this distress. India has the capacity and capability to accommodate Nepal in the scheme of things. Is our PM Modi listening. An earnest plea dear prime minister, let not our Nepali brothers and sisters suffer. Please fly a contingent right this moment to the landlocked nation that is helpless. Nepal direly is in need of corona vaccines. I am well aware, India needs to take care of 1.3 billion. Still, let us not give up on each other. Vaccinating a few more crores of Nepalis won’t hurt India.
Prime MInister Shri Narendra Modi ji. My earnest appeal to you. Please help our brethren in Nepal on warfooting basis putting aside our political and policy differences. Please send a batch of our India made corona vaccines (Covaxin if not Covishield) at your earliest to Nepal, on humanitarian grounds. Please lend Nepal a helping lifesaving hand in this crisis. I am thanking you in advance on behalf of my Nepali friends.
Nepal is family. Whatever the differences, when India can do this for Bangladesh, why not for Nepal.
India never accepted aid whether it was for Tsunami or for the Latur earthquake. One proud third world nation.
But now we have this humbling experience as world rushes aid to the country struck hard by the second wave of Covid 19.
When the US could take in help during their worst hurricane that tore up New Orleans, India need not have to feel guilty or shame when it comes to receiving help when it is really needed. There will always be a time to give back.
I read a Sadhguru quote that said, no nation in the world has endless supply of hospital beds or medicines or oxygen. Only what is normally required on average is stocked up in whichever part of the world as we know.
India could have boosted oxygen production but overconfidence in dealing successfully with the first wave lowered our guards. We did not understand the pandemic in its totally or severity. What a cost of learning!
One billion nation, we were donating/exporting corona vaccines as well without reserving everything for ourselves.
India has flown food and medicines to every other part of the world as aid when hit by natural disasters or war. Not to leave out the Indian Peace Keeping Forces for troubled parts of the world. It is okay to accept help my dear fellow countrymen in present times. India needs no economic aid. Only oxygen cylinders even if oxygen production is wholly boosted in last few day locally.
It is all a give and take. World is responding because world remembers what we have done for them in the past. Just before the double mutant took us by shocking surprise and speed, we had flown batches of corona vaccines made in India to Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada etc., on humanitarian consideration. Our good work speaks for us. India is cashing in on goodwill earnt. When the world wants to lend a helping hand, let us take it dear Indians.
It does hurt me though terribly that we are humbled today to receive this help in this crises. How many aids India threw out.
India is grateful for this timely help. Grateful to our second home Qatar. Your help will never be forgotten. Grateful to France. Russia.
Humbled and most grateful, is all I can say. Thank you world community. Very much appreciate this kind gesture. The favour will be returned with thanks at a later date.
Nobody is infallible, invincible and nobody is indispensable. Nobody is too insignificant or petty either. Siru thurumbum pal kutha udavum as they say.
From the limited art I am exposed to, I guess art never stops evolving.
In Dan Brown’s ‘Origin’ precisely we come across museums of such an unimaginable plane.
After viewing art in 3D, 4D etc., here in Doha at international art exhibitions, I think I can come to accept that art keeps evolving the way we may like it or not. Most Indians I have met do have an issue with this idea. Art to them has to be at a standstill. Necessarily two dimensional. They aren’t even willing to explore further possibilities, anything out of the canvas. This is their comfort zone. (Like they have fixed ideas about everything including our caste system. Just cannot grow out of it. So that’s why we stagnate).
I owe my little and negligible interest in art to my hubby who is an amateur artist. He mostly only sketches, or does water colours (his best) or acrylic. Through him I got exposed to mixed media art and art of different forms. Finger art, Calligraphy, Collage, Charcoal just to name a few. I never knew calligraphy could be so beautiful! Although I cannot understand the arabic in this form of art (we get to see only arabic calligraphy here), I seem to somehow transcend the distance and peek into the artist’s mind. Mostly from war torn nations of the world, the works would appear a silent scream to me. Especially calligraphy. Without deciphering a single word I could hear the plea or desperation. Such is the power of art. I think the alphabets of the arabic language are also well suited and naturally inclined/adaptable for this form of art. From questioning the purpose of the art I started appreciating art with time.
The MF Hussein one was a good one. Contrary to what was alleged by Indian media, in spite of the Hindu God depiction or representation in whatever way, I could only appreciate the genius unquestioningly, never doubting the artist’s intentions. Apparently this man adored Hindu Goddesses, no other way I could see it. His reverence is what led to the art. We saw whatever remained after destruction of the rest in India. I think this is a priceless lifetime experience of mine which cannot ever be had in India.
In one art exhibition, only the sound of a fountain was the art. You have to have a very keen ear. You have to pick up the rhythm. How the fountain is designed to generate a specific kind of musical (not really musical although it did seem to have a beat of sort) pitter patter is what is perceived to be art. In the journey to the fountain, the water races through some exposed plumbing works which all define the final output. Please do not compare this with the Dubai Mall fountain even if I have to agree, even that synchronization is sort of art with its mechanical effects.
Coming to terms with this kind of totally different dimension of art with sound etc., first was baffling to my simple mind. Breaking the jinx about the 2D art that we normally suppose art to be was not easy. Once we are free of these trappings, I guess we can enjoy any art better.
My hubby was also as a scrap artist and kolamlrangoli artist (!) in his univ days so I have heard about this kind of art a 1000 times. The best scrap art exhibit is here executed by an Indian artist Prabodh Gupta.
Photography exhibition: This is good as well but I savour conventional art over photo expos.
Everything practically counts as art. Music, or for that matter any sound as I just said, anything arranged with an idea is art.
I am truly missing art from my life now. Otherwise here in Doha almost every week we go to art exhibitions and galleries that are open for free to the public. First i was not that much into art. But now i very much look forward to it. I view art as kind of meditation!
We spent hours in Paris, Florence and Rome looking at art. Staggering old world art. Exploring museums after museums. Fascinating insight into the medieval world. Unbelievable. Almost as if you are on time-machine transported to another world! I wished I learnt my world history proper! I have had my fill of modern art at the Washington museums were theme representations dominated the canvases. This was art of another kind, totally new and keeping with times. Art as expression of contemporary reality is also relevant. Fascinating was the Air and space museum. To me this too was not only educative and informative but also artlike. I understand American art is another level, evolved with sophistication that is absent in other parts of the world.
I do like the modern art that followed wars of crusade, for the difference it makes to traditional art as we may come to view in museums. Cherish the Picasso moments here in Doha. The master is believed to be behind the modern art scene and he had his share of critics. At least thrice we were there to have our fill of artistic satisfaction. God’s gift so far as I see it. We won’t be getting another chance like this because, to view this batch of work, you will have to shell out hefty fee in any other part of the world.
I do like the contemporary artists as well. Encouraging them is important Have met dozens of nationalities that way who exhibit outstanding works. Some were already fetching great prices. The younger artists have a completely different perception of ideas and objects. They are not like the old masters. Refreshingly new thought process.
One art exhibition that we visited was that of paint spray work on corrugated sheets in steel (abstract art). Some were folded, some straight, some arranged in patterns like pleats… This meant welding and heat treatment to the artist’s perceptions. Mere transporting the bulky frames in pick-ups was a big headache for the artist who probably invented this kind of art! He was a regular professional who slowly came to discover this art form on his own, trying out his hand over a range of media. He perfected this one even if it was way too expensive and cumbersome and space consuming. Setting up the gallery can be a daunting task. Each piece weighed like a ton and was of huge dimensions! But what a work the artist created. What a mindset. What a creativity. That kind of illusions have to be seen to be believed. I understood, the spray had to be done at controlled temperature etc. Nothing was effortless. The artist was doing great because his art neatly fit into boutique hotels, office lounges etc. We were talking to the artist and he said, he struggled for two decades to convince anyone that this was art indeed. The same galleries that shunned him were now inviting him and clients were buying him out for whatever he quoted.
So why be shy of inventing your own art. What you make is art. Or whatever you make constitutes art.
Because of viewing art in different formats, I am now able to accept music in different genres as well. Music in English language has been an aversion for years now. In teens perhaps enjoyed a little. India is a place full of music. There is a lot to listen to. My first choice is always devotional for morning hours. Then classical Carnatic. After watching ‘The Disciple’ I feel guilty expecting the carnatic vocalists to do the bhakthi ghaana! Never thought about it in this angle. Of course there is always the filmy stuff for light music to ease stress.
More music is emerging. Initially I was not sure about the Carnatic renditions of Ashoka’s edicts or Tamil Kritis of contemporary times. I tell myself now, when I can come to accept art multi-dimensional, why cannot I view music in the same light. Art has not been reduced by the different dimensions it is growing by. Change is inevitable. Fresh blood has to be infused at some point or the regular fare will start sounding stale will time. The classical component will not lose it sheen with the introduction of some new aspects. I think the carnatic can absorb everything and grow from here. This mindset is possible for me because of my exposure to evolving art. I don’t think my fellow Indian citizens can ever think like me. I am not an expert by any means either in art or music. Just a thought…
If Thyagaraja and Dikshikthar were first generation, then Papanasam Sivan and Bharathi come in the next. Who is going to represent the present age in Carnatic world. I’ve thought about it. There is definitely a void. Anything or anyone from after 1970s. We in India always talk about our pazham perumai. Indhiyaavin pazham perumai. Like our ancient temples. Brahadeshwar is over 1000 years old, Kailasa from millennia before, dear Hindus, what do you have to show for this age. What landmark. What fresh creation. (Talking too muchaaah? 😀 Innum konjam vishayam therinja enna pudikkave mudiyadhu!)
Who is a rebel. Anyone with ideas going against the grain of fundamental framework may be labelled one, is it not. What happened to Galileo when he said earth revolved around the sun. Sometimes the time lapse for realization can be pretty long but will eventually serve its purpose. The audience have to mature psychologically, emotionally. Must have an open mind to accept fresh ideas and be sportive to receive and process conflicting theories. In any case, if an art form or music is to be viewed critically, it means a runaway success in my dictionary atleast 😀
As for art, nothing must go free either. Once my hubby was approached by a Brit to do a manual of sketches. He happily agreed because it was like his first (and probably only) professional assignment. He never expected a check but he was paid well for his work. When he refused, his client said that art must never go free and that even if amateur, my husband should charge something so that others would come to know that even that little art they cannot produce on their own. That it needed to be bought over for a price for consumption. After this encounter, we both are pretty convinced that charging for art is reasonable and justified. For professionals this is livelihood.
Art also gives you a great insight into the artist’s mind as I have seen. In middle-east, the visual art form is the only art encouraged. As performing art is not viewed favourably, the total focus is on visual art. This may be the reason I always find art from this region to be the best over our Indian. Some frames I have seen have been from wall to wall. Floor to floor. Staggering array of emotions packed into art. Whatever is repressed finds an expression into art… like way of screams, challenges, bold stances, supplication, surrender etc. Could such an art also serve to be a page from the book of world history? I hope so. Perhaps unwritten, undocumented sadly.
I have viewed some Indian works but mostly find them trivial as far as content is concerned (!) Necessity is the mother of invention, and perhaps this is the reason our local artists may not be that very explorative. When freedom of expression is restricted, then it finds a way in some in solid art forms. However my hubby refutes my statement and says, I haven’t seen much of Indian art and I am talking about something that I have no knowledge about, which is also true.
Inventiveness is the formula to succeed. We fail to invent, we stop with our growth. That much I know! No need to look for acceptance anywhere which will come with time. Audience keep changing. Art is constant. Oh, Art is evolving all the time! What may not be palatable to one gen can turn out to be a feast to the next.
The society or art that cannot unlearn and relearn stops growing. All said, I am a mere connoisseur of art and music! Grateful as a layman, for even this little exposure into this beautiful world that brings so much of peace and happiness to humanity. With even a little more art or music knowledge, I would be having a better perspective of both. Would like to underscore the importance of imparting art and music lessons to kids at an younger age so that they can live life to fullest.
Science for Art’s sake always, not vice versa.
Let’s enjoy anything and everything. Nothing is taboo. No holds barred.
Well, every dog has its day in the sun and today is simply not India’s day. The dogs I can think of include BBC for one thing.
Before going to world reporting, let me analyze what could be the reason for the first world nations turning against India.
India Covid vaccines are cheapest in the world and over 85% effective. Pfizer is many many multiple times more expensive than India made Covishield (for Astrazeneca) and Covaxin (100% India make which is rated the best for the live vaccine it is).
India is unofficially the vaccine capital of the world and the american pharma etc., are losing heavily to India in the business who would like to monopolize corona vaccine industry.. First of all no share in the huge India market of 1.3 billion population. If not for India, there is only China for bulk production of corona vaccines.
India is distributing Covid vaccine mostly free to poorest nations like Bangladesh. Over 100 nations are looking upto India for corona vaccine that cannot be disappointed. All this business is supposed to go to US or Europe.
The richest nations have stocked maximum covid vaccines and the idea of the third world nations having access to corona vaccine is unacceptable to them.
Shortage of Covid vaccines in India could be due to the fact that we are also catering to the world at the same time and not holding back everything for ourselves. It is like a man having housing loan, car loan etc., still supporting someone poorer and down the line. The logic is as simple as that.
Yes, the toll is mounting in India yet it is not as bad as it was in US or UK or Italy. Why do foreign media sensationalize India covid news?
Hindus cremate the dead and the image of cremation can be grotesque unlike plain burial in islamic or christian societies. You can bury a hundred in quiet but a single cremation can be indigestible. Its a very very ghastly sight. Which is why women are not allowed for cremation in India ever (traditionally). Now the metropolitan cities and second tier cities have completely switched over to electric crematoria, still the villages etc., go for woodpyre only. If you take the case of Delhi, the capital is surrounded by UP villages from where patients descend upon the city for major medical treatments. Their rural dwellings have no electric crematoria mostly. A cremation makes for most horrific picture. Sight of more than a couple of cremations at the same time can be visually upsetting. A cremation also consumes more or maximum time over burial. It is therefore understandable that when there are more deaths than usual, there can arise a contingency situation unlike in the case of christian/islamic burials. You have to have real courage to look at the cremation pictures. It is exactly this kind of human tragedy that BBC is cashing in on. One has to be a sadist to cover these things round the clock. Sensationalizing death and disease. UK reported maximum deaths in second wave, running short of hospital beds but none of us glorified death scene like these Brits are doing now. Same goes for America.
All you have to check is the World meter on coronavirus for facts. What is India’s population count. 1.3 billion. What is UK or US population. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Even the current stat on world meter is because of India figure going ballistic in last 10 to 15 days only. Just a week prior to that we were reporting national average of 16,000 fresh cases only per day on 1.3 billion population count.
Undoubtedly in last 10 days, the death statistics in India have gone for a toss. Even in February this year, my hometown Chennai recorded less than 100 fresh cases per day. Situation was perfectly under control. It was as if we had made it without a second wave. April caught the nation by shock and surprise.
The second wave in India is lethal as the coronavirus is airborne now as second mutant and third mutant appear on the scene. These arrived in India from the UK mainly.
BBC and UK/Europe have long held agenda on India They want to christianize India while the arab world would want to islamise us. India is still an unfinished business for them. The one single largest Hindu nation in the world hurts and dents severely the western sentiments. They will do anything to break a Dharmic India headed by our PM Shri Narendra Modi who is Hindu nationalist.
More and maximum rapes in UK and US but how India rape story is media-hyped is well known. UK holds world record for maximum male rape cases in the world and US for maximum female rapes. Have the CNN or BBC ever done lead on their own rape cases. This India covid coverage by them is as intentional as their rape reportage.
Lastly India supplying vaccines to the world is just not going down well with the west. At any cost they would like to wrest the capability and capacity from India sooner or later. First step towards it is this image damage.
Still what went wrong on our part that resulted in this current crisis.
We relaxed our guard going complacent when covid cases hit bottom. We got emboldened and did not learn our past lessons or others’ experiences.
We could have saved the vaccines for ourselves first. Charity begins at home. Our poor are the first neediest over foreign countries.
State Assembly elections could have been postponed. In 1980s, Tamil Nadu was under Governor rule for over 2 years after PM Rajiv Gandhi dismissed the ruling DMK stage government. So why not? In whose interests were the elections conducted.
Why was Kumba Mela cancelled only after assemblage of crores of devotees in these pandemic times. By the time the damage was done.
I did watch the massive massive West Bengal election rallies. I half expected this disaster like my fellow citizens. The scene was no better in Tamil Nadu.
In a controlled measure, the Indian economy was being opened up. I have attended weddings and parties too and flown to another city as well in this pandemic period but following complete covid safety protocol. But I gave the temple car festivals etc., a deliberate miss when thousands gathered throwing caution to winds. Why did our law enforcement allow this.
Who is really responsible for conducting of state assembly polls and ordering of Kumba mela in the first case. Was it the Election commission. On whose advice precisely.
BJP won their last Lok sabha elections easily on social media canvassing. What was the need for huge rallies now for assembly elections. Why could it not have been done via social media as it was done before.
Whoever is directly behind the current heartwrenching condition in the country, must harbour some accountability and responsibility and own up to the truth. This nightmarish situation could have been easily thwarted. We Indians were almost there before all hell broke lose – because of selfish manipulation by some political groups.
Families broken, lives lost, hopes dashed, livelihoods crushed… all for what? Is it just a collateral damage to some vested interests to score an election victory.
Corona does not discriminate dear Indian politicians. Just see the diamond capital of the world/India Surat. The chimney of the electric crematorium broke down when overloaded and overworked. Corona knows no geographical or religious boundaries. It has no age or social status or sex barriers.
Why was not the oxygen production boosted and hospital bed capacity increased after the first wave of covid. Why were life saving drugs superstocked. Why were exports allowed.
Finally guys, as I said, every dog has its day in the sun. Today happens to be your day.
Remember, India is one big nation, strong and proud. We are 1.3 billion. Whether UK or US just check your medical system. Over 30% of your medical staff are Indians by origin. Even NASA employs over 30% Indian scientists. We will spring back and will do good very shortly. We are super shock-absorbent as our history can reveal, and we are simply colossal for anything to jolt us – even if it means corona.
Whereas think of UK or Germany. Can get trounced in no time.
Every single nation in the world that is spewing venom on India and basking in our death and misery remember: one day you will be there too. Not that I wish for. If this can happen to a resilient India that can bounce back with an inherent strength, who can be spared.
I used my Aadhar ID proof for my first dose of Covishield vaccine at a private hospital in Chennai. The certificate was downloadable from Aarogyasetu, the Indian govt app for Covid and also from Cowin website. My beneficiary ID was mentioned in the certificate alongwith my ID proof. Authentication was enabled with QR code scanning.
For my second dose, the hospital informed me that due to some technical glitch, my first used ID would be inadmissible. I was asked to submit a different ID proof. So I presented my Voter ID for final dose upon which I received an SMS alert that I was fully vaccinated with link for download. The latest and final dose vaccine proof certificate was also downloadable from Aaroyasetu apart from Cowin website as earlier. The only problem was that, in my first certificate, as per my Aadhar proof my name is complete with surname. In the second one, the beneficiary ID was different and the name of the vaccinated reflected my first name only without surname, based on my voter ID submitted. (Voter IDs generally give our first names and surnames separately)
Now there seems to be conflict between the two certificates as both mention two different IDs and beneficiaries. Year of birth however is the same although no complete date of birth is mentioned. Also the second and conclusive vaccination certificate proof carries my name without my surname as I have stated earlier. The regular ID most of us use is Aadhar. Voter ID or PAN Card or Driving Licence (DL) or even Passport are mostly viewed as supplementary IDs while Aadhar is mandatory everywhere. I am at a fix now therefore. Does this mean that I have to carry my voter ID as citizenship proof for my foreign travels to flash to the airlines or foreign immigrations. Normally I carry always my Aadhar ID. My passport name and my Aadhar name are identical whereas my voter ID drops my surname. How to prove to anyone that these are all my concrete ID proofs. Variation with my passport ID is a headache.
Hopefully Govt of India fixes this software glitch soon as I understand more number of the vaccinated are concerned about this conflicting certification. A friend who used same Aadhar ID for both doses says she received certification for the final dose that mentioned it as first dose once again.
Covid vaccine certification is going to play a big role in Medical Insurance/Health Insurance settlements in future. Therefore diligent care needs to be taken in certification with proper ID reference and beneficiary ID created for the purpose. One single ID must be taken into cognizance for both doses.
In my case, I wonder if it will be possible for me to correlate both the certificates. Can we add our Aadhar ID proof as well to the final certificate. After all this is digital certification. There must be someway to relate both certificates conclusively.
Lots of confusions persist.
Mostly those who are not concerned with foreign travel have not much to complain. In India, all ID proofs are valid generally.
But those of us who may need to travel abroad in future are now concerned as any name mismatching can put us into trouble leading to unnecessary quarantine procedures despite our vaccination. In short, the discrepancy can invalidate our vaccine certification.
I hope everyone pays attention to this vital info.
For second dose of your covid vaccine, please take a different ID compared to your first submitted ID. I suggest we can consider our passport ID for this purpose if we have travel in mind. Please do not present any ID that will be in conflict with your passport ID (for the final dose). As the final ID is what will reflect in our final vaccine certification, it will be prudent to present our passport ID for the second dose.
How to differentiate between the first and final dose vaccine certificates in India: The first dose certificate mentions the date for the second dose vaccination. If there is no such data in your certificate, then it must be the final certificate.
Was watching a critically acclaimed/awarded documentary last evening. Time ran out so I had to give up half way through. Its never possible for me to watch any flick at one go. In between will have a 1000 chores and errands to complete even if people may think I am jobless.
Can’t agree or disagree with the picture totally. Its a very heavy subject. Such controversies used to be of great interest to me once upon a time. Nowadays I want only peace at any cost. May be signs of ageing.
But I am clear on one thing. No Hindu is terrorist. Maximum you can blame Hindus for hooliganism. If you have the cheek to call Hindus extremists for sporadic incidents of violence, and if you can go blind on Islamic terrorism that has been bleeding this country for centuries (from historic times) and the cultural mayhem unleashed by foreign-sponsored Christian evangelists/missionaries bent on breaking up India, then you are an intellectually dishonest lot who will never win public sympathy. I shall never have an ear for this kind of flawed philosophy. I have my sympathies for Dabolkar, Pansaar etc., but there the buck stops. These are isolated cases. Justice must be served and the assailants brought to book no doubt. These communists seem to be good men with right ideals. Their idea of universal brotherhood is really the way forward. I totally agree with the injustice of casteism etc. But above all that, India reigns supreme for me and comes first. Some collateral damages here and there. Unavoidable. Do these guys really think that we can create that perfect Utopia where nothing will be out of place one hundred percent. Just who are you kidding.
We Hindus are not aspiring for a Hindu rashtra in America or Australia or Africa or Arabia or Antarctica. India is the birth place for Hindu Dharma and the branching Buddhism. We have every right to strive so as to remain a predominantly Hindu nation to eternity because we are vested with such an onerous responsibility of passing on the Dharmic traditions without a break. Other (follower)s are welcome but when a guest outstays hospitality shown by the hosts, then issues are bound to crop up. The hosts have every right to prove assertive to the guests. How can nationalism be wrong in such a case. You are talking about a nation that has suffered from invader-marauders since the 7th century CE. Is this new self-defence so abhorrent. No society is flawless and we Hindus have our own inherent flaws on which we are working right now.
But I appreciate the sincerity behind the efforts in making of the picture. I only hate the condescending tone on the Hindus. Hindus could be hypocrites and passively aggressive, but at least Hindus give you a stage to speak your mind. I wish this Anand Patwardan or whoever has the guts to produce a similar story on Islamists. Haha you cannot even scribble a cartoon remember!
All these intellectuals today are talking without mostly having NOT lived as a minority in a theocratically islamic state. I have. I do. That’s what it will take for some good sense to rub into you. You are welcome to live in Saudi or Pakistan for 1 year, why even 1 month as a free secular and democratic individual (the way you live and talk in India) and post your reviews. In this one month or so in that Islamic heaven, I dare you to munch a packet of salted peanuts during Ramzan fasting hours in full public view. How about asking muslim women to forego their black veils and speaking on their suppression and rights in their mass media.
Why should justice, equality etc., be only a Hindu’s moral responsibility. All said, I am for social justice always. I am equally concerned about casteism but at the same time I brook no nonsense when it comes to pointing out to islamic terrorism. Or christian conversion mafia. I have been blogging that India’s democracy is incumbent on India’s demography first and foremost. Suvar Irundhaal Thaan Chithiram Ezhudha Mudiyum.Only in Hindu India can you come up with this ‘reason’ or any reason for that matter!
Why such a hue and cry about Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Why should everyone accept him as father of the nation. I am an admirer of Gandhi as well at the same time. But Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose to me are equally important in Indian history. One man’s terrorist is another man’s martyr. World juggles and champions such converse logics. Why can’t these leftists come to accept that contrary views exist? I am divided on Gandhi at times. Not comfortable about all his decisions. Just who was he to solely represent India. Who was Nehru. Why should these two come to unanimously represent entire India. They probably filled a vacuum, perhaps.
Undoubtedly Mahatma Gandhi spearheaded the Harijan movement that marked a paradigm shift in the way the Hindu society functioned. Gandhi was the influence perhaps for the Dravidian movements at a later stage. Over his role in India’s freedom struggle, I respect Gandhi more for his contribution to social change in Indian society.
However, I am not for this naming and shaming of any particular community. All the upper caste Hindus are in equal measure responsible for the cruel caste prejudice that is prevalent in our midst even today. Some are passively aggressive and rare few take to arms (resorting to hooliganism). Not all the forward castes have been prosperous as well. Quite a number of them have languished in poverty over centuries. The upper castes also bore the brunt of the islamic invasions paying a heavy price. I strongly believe Dharma can take care of itself and establish an equilibrium over time. Balance always gets restored. In Tamil we say, ‘muppadhu varusham vaazhndhavanum illai, muppadhu varusham thaazhndhavanum illai.’ Everything is a cycle. Gene pools go stale for the most forward castes/races in course of time as lethargy and complacency set in. We see this in UK now 😀 Fresh infusion of knowledge in the most backward communities releases locked potential and bright ideas. You see the surge of scheduled castes/tribes sports people etc., in India presently. Africans in athletics, etc.
Changes are happening as we are seeing. It can’t be said that nothing is happening. Groundbreaking transformation is on already. Maximum awareness is there at grassroots level. If anything smart phones etc., quickened the timeframe for awareness and change.
What was established practice for 2000 years cannot be undone in mere 50 to 70 years time. Give some time for the society to mature. We do see seeds of social justice perking up in every quarter. The educated are thinking.
In my personal view though, casteism as of now takes a back seat to classism in India. Casteism is done in. What we have in its place is now classism. Wonder what the leftists have to say on this.
Chanced upon this interesting and intriguing argument on casteism and racism prevalent in India and across the world in general, in social media recently. Apparently racism as well as casteism meant economic prosperity to a section of community at the cost of others’ (subjugated). Never thought of it this way until now but then, how come we missed something that was right before our eyes all these years…
Racism in America led to American prosperity with the African blacks brought to the continent as bonded slaves to work their ranches and cotton fields. Cheap labour was also the need of the hour when the great American railway was laid across the country for thousands of miles. It meant, a section of humanity (or was it humanity at all) prospered at the expense of the most vulnerable and gullible.
Same holds true for colonization of most Asian nations and African countries and Latin America by Europeans. Paying bare minimum and extracting maximum became the economic principle for profiteering for which playing the racial card suited best. Substitution of native faiths and belief systems with Abrahamic Christianity and Islam made the colonized develop low self esteem.
India hardly fared better when it came to discrimination among sons of the soil. Whereas the Europeans practised segregation and racism only with the alien they conquered, in India, casteism was thrust upon unsuspecting fellow sons of the soil on basis of birth citing scriptures even as Hindu Dharma remained freewill and not an organized religion. Such a way of life must have only united us more as humans than dividing. I am perplexed that injustice was allowed at all to thrive for millennia. Upper castes hugely benefited by consigning menial and low paying works to the suppressed classes. What are the communities that dwelt in the city center with access to resources such as temple tanks, wells etc., for centuries. There are Agraharas, Vanniya (Baniya) streets, Chetti streets, Mudali streets, etc. typically around any ancient temple (even today). The city/town/village plan was thus devised that the social hierarchy prevailed in the townplanning. Social hierarchy also directly correlated to one’s wealth and landholdings. However the scheduled castes/tribes never were residents of structured city planning in Indian history. Was this not landgrabbing at all, confining the poorest and weakest to the fringes of our civil society. Today we talk of landgrabbing by criminal gangs and vested interestes. Is it really landgrabbing or taking back one’s denied share to prime property. (Here we can find parallels with even reservation in education and government jobs.) Can you find an old mansion that ancestrally belonged to Dalit community in the city center of any of India’s towns or villages or cities. Some hotcake real estate that was in their families for generations like many of us may boast of until today. It has been possible for them to live within city limits only in last 50 years. Bhoodhan movement led by Shri Vinoba Bhave played an effective role in just and equitable redistribution of landholdings to marginal farmers in India’s poorest districts in post-independence era.
Like real estate holdings, education is merely another arena where the privilege of learning was hard fought and won for some communities. Reservation quotas came into force for this reason. But why should that surprise us when even the right to worship had to be legally sanctioned for this lot. The heroes who championed such a noble cause are today character assassinated every single day in our social media, with their good work conveniently brushed under the carpet.
Anyway. Tides are turning. Nature has a way of correcting imbalances with its own checks and readjustments. I am a firm believer in Karma and Dharma. Let not at the same time, asserting and reclaiming one’s rights become justification for vandalization, arson and rowdyism on part of the scheduled communities. Whatever said, one cannot turn back the clock. Frustration and bitterness can well be channelized into beneficial pursuits of development and progress.
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My recommendations:
Twelve year a slave (Hollywood)
Pariyerum Perumal (Tamil)
I respect the way the heroes in these two flicks handled discrimination and injustice and at the same time ensured that they did not get consumed by hate in the process of reclaiming their rights. There is a rare dignity in both of the characters.
Last evening saw a curious trio walking upto our doors. One was holding an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) model even as a lady in sari overlooked me taking a special interest in my octogenarian MIL standing behind. That aroused my suspicion. The tiny team said they were at our place to conduct a mock demo of EVM voting for my MIL who may not be able to/willing to walk to polling booth to vote in upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. (It is another story that my MIL muttered after they left ‘endha porukkikkum vote poda poradhilla!) Postal ballots for the aged and the infirm so that their votes wouldn’t be going waste. How thoughtful really! A certain political party’s volunteers the three visitors, they finally openly asked my MIL to press the button on their election symbol and carefully elaborated how she must ensure that she didn’t commit a mistake allowing her vote to go to null.
I guess this is a first time exercise in India, taking the ballot box door to door. Frankly only the Vadivel joke flashes to my mind! ‘India vallarasu aayiduchu’ he screams and I felt silly wanting to jump up and down like him thinking how smart our political people have become. Who is this desperate not to let even a single vote go waste!!!
I am raring to walk to my polling booth on April 6th to cast my vote. My son ill-advised me to vote for Kamal Hassan party even if I didn’t seek his opinion. How about me asking him to vote for BJP. Can this gen take it from us. Seriously! Looks like Gennext luvs Kamal! My whole family, I mean the younger lot, hooked on to Kamal. To state the truth, I do think he is good and uncorrupted. I was watching Kamal giving names to newborn babies in his election campaign (in tv news bulletins). I am supposed to hate him! I wouldn’t want to squander my precious vote on his Makkal Needhi Maiyam that will divide the electorate without giving a clear majority to any one.
Colourful political campaigns and election canvassing door to door. My DIL who is American is flabbergasted that they beat drums here and blow trumpets as candidates walk through the streets garlanded by crowds! Apparently that will be courting arrest in the US. But not in India! Here sub chaltha hai! After the drum beat again, my MIL feels like fainting. This noise pollution is not good for younger children and the aged and the sick alike. I didn’t expect this fanfare at least in these times of pandemic. This morning tooo a different group came up to meet my MIL but I asked them where their masks were. They were put off by my question and exchanged awkward looks. ‘We want to talk to the patti in the house’ they insisted. Patti Thattha kkum oru time varum!!
(Officials paid a visit by midday with a big ballot box screened from public view on all sides and handed over a printed sheet to my MIL to mark her postal ballot. Two police constables stood guard as she exercised her franchise upon which the paper was asked to be folded by her, then placed in an envelope and sealed to be dropped into the ballot box. Quite a spectacle. I was expecting an EVM at our doorstep really. Casting of postal ballots got over in my constituency today)
I have always voted for JJ. For the first time in over 20 years we don’t have her in election scene. Feels eerie.. At least ‘kattumaram’ old rascal is also no more thank god! Without the two who were running Tamil Nadu between them from 1989 or even earlier, it is again another first time for Tamil Nadu. Feels strange at least to me.
Btw after this postal ballot of taking EVMs door to door for the super senior citizens, why can’t our government consider installing polling booths in our diplomatic missions abroad. My husband and other NRIs have never had a chance to vote for over two decades. Last Lok sabha elections there were rumours that the Indian expats could exercise their rights to vote in Indian High commissions or embassies in their respective resident countries. Instead of asking for voter’s ID or Aadhar card, the passports of NRIs can be considered our IDs for the voting. I expect our PM Shri Modi ji to seriously consider this option. You will be doing a great service to NRI community ji. This community earns valuable foreign exchange for the nation. The frustration in not having their voting rights exercised and not having a say in the nation’s economic/political affairs is building up agonizingly in the NRI communities. Hopefully our Indian govt will do something in this regard soon. PIO cardholders can be exempted from voting eligibility. Only Indian citizens who are NRIs who hold valid Indian passports may be deemed eligible.
Come to think of that, I was wondering how this can be feasible. NRIs come from nook and corners of India, from all sections of society. How many constituencies could be represented in our foreign missions. In how many countries totally. Indian expats have made even African nations their homes, for instance. In some countries there are multiple geographic locations spread out over thousands of kilometers where the Indian diaspora may be dispersed. Classic case the US. Where to take the voting to exactly. What about the timeframe. All these complexities must have stopped the Indian govt from looking into this matter. However, India has been phenomenally successful in personalizing EVMs for every single constituency in the country without hick-ups. By the same measure, we can arrive at a solution to make the NRI vote count. We have to do something about this! Just a thought.
PS: Proud to have a dear friend serving for years as election officer in Kerala. What a mammoth exercise this is. For state assembly elections, the workload is halved. For Lok sabha elections, this is truly a backbreaking exercise. Starts over 6 months to 1 year in advance with initial preparations and tasks assigned apart from manpower training. So much responsibility and accountability. Not to leave out the security aspect. I recommend the mallu picture ‘unda’ starring Mamooty for the season. Chanceh illa. How seriously India takes our democratic status. You will have an idea with the film.
In the times of corona pandemic, maximize your spending habits and bills and consumerism for the sake of humanity. Just don’t go selfish and minimize !
Where and when Minimalism is way of life than cultivated, do we even have the need to talk about it.
Asian way of life. Stripped to the bare minimum for existence, mostly up until the turn of the century at least. Forced to change by globalization pressure.
Eating by hands. 99% of Indians have no business with spoons or forks or any other form of cutlery. Imagine my consternation at table etiquette they show you in the ‘Titanic!’
Who is to teach what is culture. Sitting cross-legged on the floor on the straw mat and eating out of banana leaf is my native culture. This is good for your knees. Except for eating with hands, only for writing do we scoop our fingers together for anything. This is a Mudra, a form of Yoga by itself. Up until at least 1993 this was my way of life even if we had had a dining table at home.
We don’t hoard chinas and crystals in our homes in India. Mostly we use stainless steelware now after having grown out of copperware. Copperware is picking up again. In south India especially, even the grandest wedding feasts are still served on BANANA leaves. Eating from banana leaves with your bare hands. Feeding the cattle with the used banana leaves. Drinking water from cups made from palm or lotus leaves. Well, this was our lifestyle just until a few decades earlier. Now even the leaf cups and plates are patented in the west I believe! I can still remember the weddings when kheer always used to be served in leaf cups only. At least banana leaves are still in use.
And then came the ceramic and teflon companies trying to sell their ware for us and we fell for their gimmicks. Most harmful to health, fellow Indians are now going back to traditional cookware such as stoneware, ironware, clayware etc. The minimalism we practised right in our kitchens stood us in good stead until there came foreign interference.
Brushing teeth with neem picks. Until now in India, rural Indians do not use plastic tooth brushes but use neem twigs and have healthy teeth for a lifetime. The MNCs of the west said it was unhealthy and denounced everything native and good for entirely selfish business purposes.
Returning to desi toothpastes packed with cloves and neem oil over the branded Colgate etc these days.
A brief time in Andhra even delighted me with the warm sight of cow being milked in front of my eyes early in the morning. Coffee in that frothing warm milk boiled for first time is heaven. Which Starbucks can offer you such a luxury. Coffee freshest from plantations of India, packed just a few days before. I guess contrary to what outsiders opine, we have a fairly better standard of living in India in true sense. If you discount the sedans and party circuits and aerated drinks and theme parks that is.
We being a certified third world country, still enjoy star comforts (as far as food and clothes are concerned) that we take for granted for which we have to pay through our nose in the west. Farm fresh veggies not much laden with chemicals and sprays – at least not the way they come in other parts of the world. What a stunning range of spices, veggies and greens and pulses and millets. Why should we even restrict ourselves to a singular repeated meal for life. Then what is the purpose of living at all. This is ridiculous and not at all healthy.
Until my 12th year at least, I used only besan (gramflour) instead of chemical soap for bath after soaking in coconut oil (coldpressed and unscented). The west forced the synthetic foaming cosmetics into India calling Indians barbarians. Anything that did not lather and was unscented was declared unhygienic. Going back to organic soaps of India now.
Our kitchens had only coconut oil, gingely oil and groundnut oil and mustard oil, never the sunflower or vegetable oils prescribed and marketed by the western companies. Cold pressed oils good for the heart. We learnt our lessons and are turning back to origins now.
Rice and wheat are staple for us in last 60 to 70 years only. Unpolished native grains and millets and pulses were our original diet. Embracing old ways yet again throwing out the Kelloggs cereals and Quaker oats. India has no place for this junk.
Sleeping on straw mat/mat hewn from coconut leaves on hardfloor did our spines a lot good before the polythene derivative filled foamed mattresses from west came into vogue. In India, even for mattresses we used either coconut coir or silk or cotton fillings for foams. Never the rubber or synthetics. Minimalism is truly this. Sleeping on floor on straw mats with your spine erect like we did in our younger years. All this was accounted cheap in others calculations. The day we changed ourselves for their approval is the day India started plunging into disaster.
Not the least is the Asian habit of using a water faucet in our toilets. From Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia to India, Pakistan and Arab countries, water was what that’s used which these westerners thought was crude and filthy and gloated about the toilet papers and tissues for which they fell and keep felling forests over centuries. I don’t think any Asian country fell for the toilet paper nonsense. You saw the toilet paper fights when corona broke out from places as far as Australia and America.
That brings us to the question of diapers. There weren’t baby diapers available in India until 2000 like the way they do today. We used only cloth handmade napkins or those cottony napkins washable and reusable for newborns. Now the diapers from western companies are flooding the Indian markets. The clean habit of rinsing soiled clothes and drying out the washed ones in the sun was touted as unhygienic and unhealthy, unsafe for babies. Chemical stuffed baby diapers made with synthetic was touted as healthiest choice even if that bruised the babies with nappy rashes. Imagine tons and tons of diapers, tissue papers produced in America and Europe and these guys who cannot give up this literal colossal waste of paper destroying Earth every minute talk big about minimalism.
Who uses dryers in India? Its Americans and Europeans who use dryers and washing machines maximum. These operate at very high degree as also the dishwashers. What about the electricity consumed for these chores that can be easily manually managed. Maximum global warming. How about minimalism here. No wonder these guys are so OBESE!
Asian climatic conditions require us to shower more than once a day. Still we don’t indulge ourselves in bathtubs like those in the west do. Washing clothes and donning fresh clothes every time is not a luxury but a necessity born out of sweaty humid conditions. Which in turn raises demand for cotton clothes which are organic produce, unlike the polythene based nylon or crepe or georgette fabrics which use synthetic yarns as used in the west. Even our textiles have mostly handblock prints, silk weaving is handloom or sometimes part mechanized with more manual participation. The dyes are invariably vegetable dyes such as indigo. And these guys who cannot even have a grasp of others’ ways of life lecture about minimalism on clothes in our wardrobes.
In this country of mine, in villages, men still go topless. The simple single piece dhoti is the preferred male garment. Mahatma Gandhi wore only his loin cloth when he went to meet Churchill. This was the way this nation of mine has been for millennia. Women’s saris are single 5.5 meters of unstitched piece of cloth only. We now add a blouse for decorum that’s all, keeping with times. Up until 1940s, women of India went blouseless only covering their torsos with their saris. Such was our simplest way of life.
Today in foreign media, the sari is ridiculed and distorted as a symbol of racial identity of Hindus. For what reason? Only because in spite of all the gimmicks tried by these guys, women of India refuse to give up sari for cheap skirts and trousers and miniskirts.
Dressing up is such a beautiful feeling in India because we have hundreds of native weaves of yarns from all over the country, with multitude of organic dyed handblocks which print the same ethnic motifs that our ancestors wore with pride over centuries. Tribal arts survive. These arts are kept alive with demand for clothes. Families of artisans feed on the income generated from weaving and dying and handblocking. Cotton farmers can have a decent debt-free life with cotton selling good with a healthy procurement price in the market. It is a cycle really. Unlike the labels you may find in Milan or New York or London or wherever. Clothes are lifelines for millions in India. These are not just clothes. You have to live and travel in this country and look at our textiles to realize what a treasure trove of natural organic fabrics India is. Silk or cotton. It is all natural yarn not manmade or fake or synthetic.
When you do not create demand, what happens to the society. Markets shrink. Production goes down. Labour gets cut. Unemployment ensues and this becomes a vicious cycle of misery.
I do think of going for vegan leather and vegan silks. But there is another theory going on. Leather and silk are still organic even if not ethically appealing to some of us. Vegan leather and vegan silk still use chemical additives which can inflict more harm on environment in the long run.
I think world will be a far better place to live in if we close the Cocacola, Pepsi and Pizza and Starbucks outlets around the world. Maximum damaging to young lives. Forcing themselves into unsuspecting Asian societies and wrecking damage to the health of younger population. Is this what globalization should be about. In that case, let India opt OUT of globalization. Take back this nonsense, we have far better option.
These guys who ridiculed curry must know that it is curry flavoured with natural vegetables and spices only that bestow us Indians with immunity to fight the corona. Maximizing on desi/native food habits and eliminating the western eating habits will go a long way in restoring health across the world.
Is minimalism only about tossing just a few chairs and tables in your living and hanging two suits in your closet. Then what do you with all that money of yours. What is even the need for money. Where is the logic to work and earn a decent living in that case.
You want to have a good life without contributing to any growth prospect around you: is this not hypocrisy. Even in the times of pandemic, the factory worker, the train driver, the advocate, the teacher, the artist, the housepainter and others have to live. Let us allow them to earn a decent living, not cutting back our demands for their goods and services.
Minimalism to me means living close to natural ways, maximizing opportunities that can result in job creation engaging population as responsible citizen and as a healthy shopper. What we can indeed cut is emission of smoke/pollution, wastages to begin with.
Normally against extravagant lavish weddings but on the other side, look at the employment this can generate. How many arts and crafts flourish. Masses still have to survive. Sometimes I buy things I don’t need because I feel that giving business to the roadside hawker can ignite hope in him/her and could go towards feeding a family.
Who I wouldn’t want to give business is to MNCs, MNCs and MNCs.
Small retailers and sellers and cottage industries are the backbone of Indian economy. What we can minimize upon is doling out licence to malls by booting out those like Disney, Ikea etc., out of our country.
Even in the case of transport, the poorest countries use mass or public transport to a large extent even if out of necessity. Can Americans follow suit. West leaves maximum carbon footprint on Mother Earth compared to rest of the world put together. How about some minimalism here. Can these guys contemplate hopping into a train for a change instead of driving out thousands of miles in their luxury sedans.
So many many of our traditional simple native medicinal practices and eating habits and healthy lifestyle have been ridiculed to the extent by the west that many in Asia thought they must switch over to western ways in order to become more ‘civilized.’
Well, some of us just don’t still!
A lot of rethinking is mercifully going on. A lot of things we are unlearning and a lot of things native and original and healthy we are trying to introduce back into our lives.
Of the things we want to be booted out of India, we have christianity topping the list followed by islam! World will truly have peace in that case. Say a big LOUD NO to the Abrahamic culture that is consumerist and capitalist without a thought to nature.
Still, admittedly it is not entirely possible to do away with anything and everything imported. After all even my family is now mixed. There is a lot of interdependency like never before that the possibility of sealing our borders tight about anything just is not feasible. Wherever therefore foreign participation is unavoidable, incorporation of the same is fine. Minimalize imports and maximize exports and local produce consumption.
What we can do for HONEST Minimalism is:
Reduce softcopies if we cannot cut totally.
Use mass/public transport maximum.
Saying NO to Coke/Pepsi/Burger/Pizza culture and opting for native cuisines
Saying NO to fastfoods
Saying No to synthetic fabrics/textiles and clothes there on. Opting for natural fiber.
Use more of handmade products than machine produced
Saying no to paper and plastic plates and switching over to organic options. In India, we have to go back to banana leaf plates totally. If not totally, at least as much as we can.
Cut tissue paper usage. Switch over to water faucets because water is replaceable with next spell of rains. Nature can balance and make good the water circulated, very easily in no time.
Reduce plastic usage
Reduce tools/add-ons/accessessories in everyday life such as spoons, forks, buttons, straws etc.
Saying NO to GM food (again this is impossible in America)
Say no to clothes dryers, electric chimneys.
Maximizing usage of handmade goods/products
Maximizing use of manual labour wherever possible
Minimizing usage of made-in-china factory-line mass production goods
Saying no to food processing/packed foods
Some of us who don’t talk about minimalism still live life minimalistic way that will never make sense to superficial minimalists.
Minimalism is not something we must be talking about during pandemic. At this point of time, we would like to have masses engaged in fruitful productive activity and contributing to national GDP for it is imperative to keep the wheels of our economy well oiled and rolling. There may come a time in a few years when we can think of shrinking our markets, but right now time is hardly perfect for such a frugal practice.
I would say, go out more, shop for things that you may not want just to create a demand. Set the production line rolling and cash registers jingling. This is not the time to preach and hold back. What a selfish philosophy this is.
We have all taken a lot from our nation, from our economy, from our fellow citizens who may be working in any capacity helping us improve the quality of our lives. It is really time to give back now so let’s not tighten our purse strings in the times of corona virus pandemic.
If you can help being a Maximalist, please be one! World and especially India may have use for you.
Recently I chanced upon a political post in social media that alleged that, a certain Sri Lankan Tamil organization fueled anti-national sentiments in Tamil Nadu joining hands with a Dravidian party (since long). I wouldn’t want to explore the possibility as I am not interested in the outcome for the reason I believe that, the said dravida party could have in fact betrayed any Tamil cause in the long run in Sri Lanka contrary to what is circulated in the media.
In any case, the post reflected poorly on the intelligence and judgment capacity of individuals who are raring to take over the reins of the government in upcoming Assembly elections.
Only one question pops up in my mind. Should the assassination of one prime minister be reason enough to condemn an entire community that is blood related to mainland Tamils.
Secondly, these are not the Rohingyas from Myanmar with no umbilical cord or cultural connect with India. These are our very brethren who did not migrate to the island nation on their own will. Rather these were brought to Lanka and forced to work as bonded estate labour by the British a good century or two ago.
It reminds me of the cruel ‘Bale Kampung’ slogan that used to be raised in Malaysia at the drop of hat during election times. It meant ‘go back home’ to Chinese and Indian migrants who were moved to the south east Asian nation a good three hundred years back by the British occupiers for working the tin mines and rubber estates in the country. It also brings back to memory the American ideology in the past of resettling back the blacks in Africa (sort of ‘passive’ ethnic cleansing?) footing the bills with generous handouts. Good the native Indians do not harbour similar sentiments of sending back ALL SQUATTERS IN AMERICA!
The British left Lanka without awarding equal constitutional privileges to Tamils who had to fight for even for their voting rights once the colonists departed. There reportedly was no mention of the Tamil ethnic race at all in the Independence charter. No legal sanction for a community that had made the island their home for over 200 to 300 years. Overnight rendered illegal immigrants. The Sri Lankan Tamil story is heart-wrenching.
I had a firsthand information from my biological mother who went on excursion with her school wherein she worked, in 1980 to Sri Lanka. After a 10 day tour, she came back with minimal shopping. She had said that the Tamils in Sri Lanka were living in fear. The tourists could not visit Kadhirgamam already as they were stopped from going there. A river of blood had flown therein only weeks earlier. It was my mother’s greatest disappointment, having not visited the Murugan temple in Kadhirgamam.
It was an age when social media was still a very distant dream and even mass media was dysfunctional or erratic mostly. Newspapers ran censored lukewarm columns.
Violence of Sri Lanka thus had reached my home a two to three years before it was mainstream media news with international audience. Mid 80s saw Sri Lanka hog the headlines.
In Sri Lanka in 1980, my mother and her Hindu Tamil women teacher colleagues had to wipe their bindhis and cover their heads for their own security until they boarded their ships sailing back to Madras that was a mere three hours away by sea.
My mother never lived to see Lanka erupt into flames. Back when had she narrated the Sri Lankan horrors told to the visitors by Tamil traders, merchants, restauranteers, drivers etc., we had been shocked and numbed into disbelief. The Tamils were now the estate owners and business entrepreneurs igniting insane jealousy in Singhalese with their hard earned wealth.
We were receiving Sri Lankan tv in our home as well until 1982-83 perhaps. It was called Rupa Vahini and it was a far better channel than our Indian/Desi Door Darshan!
I grew up tuned to Sri Lankan radio that was my granny’s favourite that would keep blaring in my home all the time. ‘Ilangai oli parappu koottu stabanam Thamizh sevai irandu.’ Tell me which Tamil kid born in late ’60s or early ’70s missed this service.
The early ’80s saw the refugees in exodus from Sri Lanka arriving in boatloads accommodated into settlement camps in the state. Our school received quite a few Tamil girls who had fled their homes with empty hands and not even clothes to change.
We had meetings when these girls and parents addressed us, relating to us the genocide that was taking place in the island nation. Today none of us want to return to this point of reality sadly. As for as I was concerned, it was the first time ever that I heard of violence and bloodshed of any sort in my life. Very sheltered and peaceful village like life in Madras. Even Indira Gandhi was around then. Kashmir had not yet gone out of bounds. What an idyllic state of existence we have had until 1980 or so.
My aunt’s school saw a wave of admissions as well. One parent promised to come back with more girls rescued from the island but never returned. The clothes we donated. The food and medicines we garnered. The funds we raised. Didn’t this phase roll on for another 2 to 3 years at least.
All this is forgotten history now.
So easily and how heartlessly and crudely do some of us reduce all this to mere bloodshed and militancy. Is it all about Sri Lankan Tamils.
Can one assassination turn upside down an entirely justified cause of a population. Not denying the spate of violence that the said dreaded organization unleased in the island nation as well as in Tamil Nadu (in sporadic incidents). Still what drove men and women to found such an outfit and arm themselves to teeth. Was it in self-defence or in offence. Answering this one fundamental question can make a significant difference to our line of thought.
Was the supposed organization that was hardcore militant, sole representative of the island Tamil community. Or were these extremists the only voice of the beleaguered Tamils.
What a contorted notion this is and how far fetched can this be from truth.
One cannot hold a community responsible for any individual/organization’s actions or misdeeds. This is a very sick and mischievous ideology aimed at only one thing: shifting blame and scapegoating the gullible. Opportunistic.
The Sri Lankan diaspora is spread all around the world today, uprooted from their soil. And they can never go back to their motherland the way we Indians take our country for granted.
What a literate and intellectual society is this Sri Lankan Tamil community. The hardships they faced molded them into one very strong steely stock that struggle to uphold far better the puritanical Tamil culture over mainland (local) Tamils.
It was India who abetted their quest for a separate homeland in the first place that none of us can deny. But India changed tack conveniently and quickly abandoning the cause that we sponsored, leaving the hapless lot lost in confusion and mess. Any mental revisit to Mandapam years in ’70s?
And now we blame the unfortunate and battered island Tamils for stoking anti-national feelings in Tamil Nad?
Such a thinking can point to only one fact: how irresponsible and callous and shallow and insensitive can some of us become without a thought to larger scheme of things. There is always the full picture. If we get to depths of truth that can reveal things for what they are, we can never be arriving at nonsensical, hasty and irrational judgments.
This is what I fear most. A justified cause flagged for a one-off blunder that cost dear a tormented people. The wrong type would exactly latch on to such a weakness which is their trademark operating style. Trivializing aspirations and dashing hopes.
It is precisely this kind of political clout that I detest. Rash in action and judgment.
For how many more rounds of elections would we have Sri Lankan Tamils to use as our Trump card. Shame.
Hopefully, the Sri Lankan Tamil community live in peace at last wherever they are around the world, enriching lives, nourishing Tamil culture in far more meaningful way than merely by paying lip service.
I knew a family here in Chennai that was divided in most horrific way. Parents in Germany. Mother rented a house here in Tamil Nadu. Two boys. The eldest lost his life in a tragic rail accident while crossing over to his engineering college in Kattan Kolathur. The flights to Sri Lanka were rarest. Almost never. The parents made it a point to return to roots but the kids stayed away sadly. Very scarred at heart with a heightened sense of insecurity, this was one family that escaped murder and pillage, seeking refuge in Tamil Nadu/India overnight.
What language did they speak: Tamil. What is their Dharma? Hindu. Who were their ancestors? Hindu Tamils/Indians. And how quickly we judge anyone.
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Few go back now but those who do are resigned to fate, swallowing pride and coming to terms with second class citizenship, as uneasy truce prevails now in Lanka. It is very painful to contemplate this harsh reality which has become the norm of their lives.
Let the bygones be bygones. Sri Lanka is done and dusted. We don’t know what pushed people to edges. I hope this never happens to any citizen of India even in our worst nightmares. Having to flee our homes in the dark of the night… the very thought can chill our spine…
If you meet Syrians or Palestinians or Sri Lankans or even Egyptians or Pakistanis/Afghans or Africans in life, you will realize what a blessed nation you are born into. Let us leave the Sri Lankans in peace.
I have met a Palestinian woman who did not even hold a valid passport. Instead the men and women from her place possess stamped loose travel papers.
I have heard from a Syrian how he walked to safety through a landmine stretch in single piece.
My tourist guide in Turkey was a Palestinian as well. Not knowing where to go next or where he would be allowed to step in at all.
Older and wiser these days. Everyone has a story to tell. If we are lucky enough not to become statistics like them, we must only be using our good offices to bring cheer to unfortunate lives than making more people miserable.
First of all cultivate LOVE. There is so much hatred all around that I find suffocating.
vijiravindran's 