Why stop Jagan?

It smacks of Congress Party’s double Standards.


No body disputes that ours is the most successful democracy in South East Asia but this can also not be ignored that its interior is dynastic. We Indians like dynastic subjugation which gets amply demonstrated by the events of last sixty two years of our country's democratic rule. Even where the progenies of the leaders were seen reluctant to enter politics we forced them to occupy the thrones. This is nothing but the old mind set of bowing before the people who already have blue blood rather than to elevate somebody who is one of us. How the reluctant Rajiv, a green horn in politics, was made to assume Prime Ministership of this vast country is still fresh in the minds. Go to any erstwhile state even today people kowtow before the one time rulers and their present generations. So it should not be difficult to understand the clamour of leaders and masses in Andhra Pradesh to install YSR’s son as his successor whose popularity with the masses of the state probably had very few parallels.

To be fair with Jagan, by putting his claim he has not asked for the Moon. He has demanded what people in his position get on platter as these facts will show.
Who will forget that in sixties after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, despite the presence of stalwarts like Morarji Desai, Kamraj, C.B. Gupta, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, Subramanium and many others heavy weights we wanted the so called doll Priyadarshini Indira to be installed as the Prime Minister and once she could find that streaks of dynastic subjugation run deep in our veins she didn’t look back and obliged the Indian masses by projecting herself as the eternal Prime Minister and exercised the hold which even the most powerful Monarch in the long history of our country never had. Having known that this country will not settle for a person other than Nehru Gandhi scion after her death, first she groomed her son Sanjay and after his untimely death it was the other son Rajiv. Events that followed proved that she was right.

But, it is not only with Gandhis. The record of others is equally glorious in maintaining dynastic hold? Thakeray clan in Maharashtra ( father put his son though it meant tremendous loss to the party by the estranged nephew), Mulayam Singh is all set to hand over the party reins to his son, Charan singh to Ajit sing and now he is set to pass on the baton to his son Dushyant, Devi lal to Om Prakash Chautala and now his son Abhay is ready to have his mantle, NTR to Chander Babu Naidu though it was after a brief family battle of succession, , Naveen Patnaik has inherited Biju’s mantle, Vasubndhra Raje is grooming her son. In Panjab, Sukhbir Badal is firmly on the saddle much to the delight of his septuagenarian father. Then we have Chennai Super Kings. M. Karunanidhi who wants to give slice of power to all his family members. Stalin should take his place in Tamil Nadu, son Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi should control at Delhi. Not only this, the tradition of supporting the family successor is evident even in second rung leaders also. Sachin Pilot taking over from Rajesh pilot and Milind are following the footsteps of his father Murli Deora. But this all can not happen without the huge public support who by and large are happy with dynastic succession.

Then we should not forget that Dynastic succession and dynastic subjugation are pan-India phenomenon-kashmir se kanyakumari tak bhart ek hai , not confined to some particular region. If down south Karunanidhi has successfully demonstrated it then in the extreme North we have the Abdullah family in Jammu and Kashmir, Farookh making way to Omar and incidentally their opponents PDP also have same dynastic tradition. In nut shell subjugation to dynastic rule runs deep in our veins.

One can question why Sonia Gandhi has not put Rahul on PM’s chair so far which any other Indian politician would have found difficult to resist. Answer lies in her foreign origin. Had she been an Indian by birth Rahul would have been the PM long back.

Under the situation to restrict Jagan Mohan Reddy is totally un-Indian like. Sonia Gandhi will do well to understand what we Indians like. Democracy is OK for us, but it has to be with a dynastic interior.


Bhartendu Sood

Vedas speak of one God Who has different names

When we want to know somebody it is natural that we look for his name. It holds good for God also. Katha Upanishad says “ He, Whom all the Vedas declare worthy of homage, Whom all devotion and righteous actions lead to, and for Whose realization life of chastity is led, is called AOM.

Sage Patanjali in his Prastut sutra has referred to God by the name ‘Pranav’ which is nothing but synonym of AOM. Our sages of yore also referred to God either by AOM or by Pranav. But, in Vedas and Upanishads God has been referred mostly by the name AOM.

AOM is the highest name of God; it is composed of three letters A, O and M. This one name comprises many other names of God. A stands for virat, Agni and Vishwa etc. O stands for Hiranyagrabha, vayu and yaijas etc. M stands for Ishwara, Aditya and Prajan etc. Rig Veda says, “He is one, but the wise call Him by different names; such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Diviya and many others which manifest his qualities and attributes.”

For example, He is called Shiva being Blissful and benefactor of all. Being Creator of the Universe He is called Brahma. Being All pervading he is called Vishnu. Being Protector of all and All-powerful many call Him Inder. All glorious, some call Him Agni. He illuminates this multiform universe so many call him Virat. Many call him vishwa because all the world and worldly objects dwell in Him. He is called Taijas because He is resplendent and gives light to the Sun and other luminous bodies. Being embodiment of all true knowledge others call Him Manu. Since He is the source of life, many call Him Prana. He punishes the wicked many call Him Rudra. Many know Him as Akshara because he is immortal and omnipresent. We call Him Swarat since He is Self-effulgent: Kalagni-because he is the cause of the dissolution of the world and regulator of time; Chandrama-the true source of happiness
.
Similarly He is called Varuna because he is the greatest among the great; Holiest among the holy and purest among the pure. He is called mitra because He loves all and is worthy of being loved by all.

Because His qualities, nature, attributes and activities are infinite so He has infinite names. Generally we call Him by the name what we look in Him. For example when a man is in trouble and seeks His support, he calls Him Data and dayalu( the one who is kind). Those who look to Him as source of Power to scare the wicked call Him Shakti. This behaviour can be best understood when we look in to the way we call our beloved child or any of our bosom friends. Most of the times out of love we call them by the quality which strikes us utmost in him, likewise different people call Him by the attribute which appeals to them. But, God is one though has different names depending upon the qualities and attributes we look in to Him.

Therefore, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj has described God like this -He, who is called Brahma or the most High; who is Parmatma or the Supreme Spirit, Who permeates the whole Universe; who is a true personification of Existence, consciousness and bliss, whose nature, attributes and characteristics are Holy; who is omnipresent, All glorious, resplendent, All knowledge, All holy, formless, All pervading like ether, Unborn, Infinite, Almighty, just and merciful; Who is the author of the Universe, sustains and dissolves it; who awards all souls the fruits of their deeds in strict accordance with the requirements of absolute justice and is possessed of all like attributes, Who is Lord of all and is above all devtas. I believe Him to be the great God and He alone should be worshipped.

Differentiating between devta and God, Vedas say whosoever possesses useful and brilliant qualities is devta and he who is the sustainer of all devatas is the adorable God. They are greatly mistaken who take the word devata to mean God, though in Vedas he is described as Devata of devatas.

Yajur Veda xiii 4 says “O men, God existed in the beginning of the Creation. He is the Creator, Support and the Sustainer of the Sun and other luminous worlds. He was the Lord of the past creation. He is the lord of the present. He will be the Lord of all future creations. He is eternal bliss. May ye all praise and adore Him as we do.”

It should set aside the notion being carried by many especially in foreign countries that Hinduism speaks of countless Gods. All great men like Rama and Krishna were great souls and devata but not God as God is one who is unborn.


Bhartendu Sood

Austerity Bug

We should thank Sonia and our PM



Without trying to win brawny points in the art of cynicism, we should thank Sonia Gandhi and our PM that they have made a start some where. It is the first time in last fifteen years that somebody thought it necessary to check ever burgeoning govt. expenditure. Coming to Rahul Gandhi, we don’t have many politicians left who can match his humility and simplicity.

Other political parties and state governments should follow it by sublimating their egos. Grandeur should not be allowed to be the definition of power. It is not only politicians but bureaucrats also need this doze of austerity. Most vulgar opulence is visible in states where each bureaucrat has 5-6 vehicles& drivers at his home and even middle level officers are not far behind.

Abolition of 10th board examination

It’s a fallacy that examinations and stress are interlinked. Fifty years back we had more Board examinations but far less stress. Even class 8 exam was a board exam. Putting efforts to give best performance can’t be termed as stress, it is a joy. For example, objective of games is physical fitness but abolishing national championship will take away the zing, fun and sprit of competition associated with it. Every body wants his talent to be tested and the right opportunity is examination. Only section who perhaps will welcome abolition of board examination is our govt. teachers with no yardstick left to assess them. Further with no fear of failure, you will get many in 10th class who’d be not knowing simple multiplication or writing three lines in their main language.



Well who think that by abolishing one examination stress on students can be reduced forget that there are countless entrance examinations which a student face now a days and puts real efforts for these entrance examinations.

Stimulus package for Rich-in the name of tax reforms

There is one Hindi phrase “ andha bante rewrian ( sweets) mur mur( again and again) apno ko de”

This applies to our Finance Minister. First it was the abolition of surcharge on taxable income above Rs 10 lacs, now there is stimulus for rich in the name of tax reforms. I think not even 3% of our population pays income tax and those whose income is above Rs 5 lacs may not be even 1%.

Under the situation to concentrate on this block of 3% by ignoring 550 million in the unorganized sector who struggle to earn even Rs 100 per day betrays of the wrong priorities of UPA Govt.On one side we talk of inclusive growth and on other side we are working to increase inequality between haves and have-nots. Who needs attention-a govt. school teacher getting Rs 30000 salary for just 100 days of a work in a year( with assured Rs 5000 increasae in year with this DA pattern) or a private school teacher who very often doesn’t get even Rs 2000 ( Both working for the same cause)..



Last, let us not forget it is being designed by our babus who keep self interest above the nation’s interest. A country which is the home of one third of the poor in the world earning less than 2$ per day, approximately 78% of our population, is working on tax relief for those who earn any thing between 20- 1000$ per day. We seem to have taken the path which can only bring unrest in the country.



Bhartendu Sood

HOW BUDDHA VIEWED CHARITY

Buddha had just finished his sermons when the king of that province approached him desiring to donate land and huge wealth. Buddha remained on his seat and received that with one hand.. The king took a seat close to Buddha. Then came the wealthiest landlord of that province and he too donated a large amount of money. Buddha didn’t move from his place and took it with one hand. The rich person also sat next to the king. Then emerged a poor old woman from the crowd of large devotees and bowed before Buddha offering a handful of grain tied up in a small bundle. Much to the chagrin of both the king and the rich man, Buddha got up from his seat and took that with both hands. When the king and the rich landlord asked the reason for his differential treatment Buddha explained how they had given a small part of their holdings and their donations were imbued with vanity and expectations, therefore he took them with one hand without moving from my seat. But, that poor woman donated everything what she had and she moved back in to the crowd. She had no desire for being glorified or acknowledged therefore he got up from my seat and accepted her donation with both hands” Give not anything away as yours, but as that which is given to you by the divine power, for dispensing to the needy. He who comes to know this truth is a seer because he rises above ego and the arrogance associated with the donor. True charity is desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense. Charity given from earned money without any intention to earn glory is worthy of reckoning, irrespective of its magnitude.”



If the donor as well as the receiver is particular about this aspect then our religions and charitable institutions will continue to command respect. Buddha did not approve of hoarding wealth with desire and attachment, which is against his fundamental, nor did he approve of each and every way of earning one’s livelihood.



This is the story which the present day Charitable and Religious Institutions can take heart from who generally by ignoring the learned persons and devoted workers, go all out to honor the donors who make huge donations from their the money earned by abominable means. Charity made out of the honestly earned money with out any intention to earn glory is worthy of reckoning irrespective of its magnitude.



BHARTENDU SOOD

ALONE MONEY OR LEGISLATION CAN"T HELP THE CAUSE OF LITERACY

No body disputes that in the recent years literacy has been the priority area for the Governments at the center which is manifested by the increasing public expenditure on education and according to one estimate it is more than Rs 60000 crore in a year. That may be fine, but it’s no longer enough which is reflected by India ’s ranking in the fight against literacy which has slipped from 100 to 105. Point is that making funds available for Sarva Shiksha Abhyan or making legislations to make Education a right is just not enough to ensure that everybody irrespective of the financial background, place of stay, cast, creed and religion gets education or in other words education is universalized.



As we see, problem is not with the funds. If the corresponding outcome is not there then the culprit is the failed delivery system. What are the maladies which continue to plague the system? A careful survey brings to light the three main impediments. First, the government schools where the poorest of the poor get education are still bereft of the required infrastructure, the condition in many being nothing short of appalling. Here, it is important to remember that when it comes to infrastructure there is a big difference in the government schools located in the cities and those in the rural and far off areas. For example in city schools there is a surplus staff as all teachers want to be in cities and in rural areas most of the times there are one or two teachers actually present to manage all the classes. To summarize-either building is not there and if building exists teachers are not there. Second, even where infrastructure exists these schools are not allowed to function by our state governments. There is a holiday on the silliest excuse. Impact is horrible. In 150 teaching days available in a year (30-40 days go for conducting examinations etc.) it is just not possible to complete the courses. Those students who stay in cities and are well off make up by turning to the private tutors but others continue to suffer and a stage reaches when they lose interest in studies and their parents in order to save them from idling away their time put them on petty jobs. Third impediment is the very high teacher absenteeism in the government schools ranging from 20-60 per cent in different states, even if government teachers earn thrice or more than the private sector teachers. To make the things worse many cases of sub-letting the jobs by the high paid govt. teachers are coming to light.



But thanks to our growth story of last 20 years, one very heartening development is that even poor and illiterate want to give education to their children including girls even if it means stretching their resources. Under the situation, what can be done to make Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan a grand success?

First, there is an urgent need to change our mind set. Today when we are convinced that education through Government schools is a failed delivery system which gets reflected by the fact that even the government teachers send their children to private schools, there is no wisdom in keeping education in the govt. sector. There is a fit case for handing over the school education to the proven NGO’s on the condition that those below poverty line will continue to get free education and the children of lower middle class families will have a subsidized fee structure. NGO’s will be too happy even if parts of the funds which it spends on Government schools are provided to them.



Second, it is very important to assess teacher’s ability to teach and his knowledge of the content he is expected to teach. How a teacher who himself doesn’t know the subject can do justice with the children. Therefore it is important to introduce written test for the teachers at the time of the recruitment and at periodic intervals say once in two years.

Third, before talking about computers let us first build buildings with roofs, provide black boards and books. There has to be same facilities in all schools whether these are in the cities or villages.



Forth, access to private schools should be available to the poor children as well. Let govt. work out a mechanism under which their fee is paid by the Govt. directly to the private schools. Fifth, schools should be allowed to have their own calendar as industry has. Govt. holidays should not be forced on schools. If a Minister dies why small children are expected to mourn his death? The whole purpose is that unless schools have minimum 250 teaching days, courses can not be completed.





Last it is a fallacy that teachers with ornamental degrees like PhD’s etc are better teachers. Let us not forget that these are for the personal benefit of the teacher and seldom help the students. All that we need is committed teachers who are interested in teaching and are endoed with a skill to transfer their knowledge.



Crux is that alone money and legislations can’t help the cause of literacy; we need to make the schools functional.



BHARTENDU SOOD