pubdate: cmyk 12 an ecstasy of ideas monday,...
TRANSCRIPT
SacredspaceTotally Free
Free from attachment andhatred, looking upon this (world)like a mere spectator, he who hasunderstood how to abandon all
ideas of acceptance and rejectionand who has realised the
consciousness which is within the innermost heart – his life
is illustrious. Yoga Vasishta
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad’s alleged assault on an Air India staffer last week has led to a nationwide outcry – againsthow politicians with a bloated sense of entitlement expect to be
treated as much more special than the public they serve. Delhi Police has filed an FIR against Gaikwad under sections 308 and 355of IPC. It’s very important that the police probe be expeditious, rigorous and free from political interference. A clear message mustgo out that no politician can flout the country’s rules or demand special services at will, and with violence.
After the incident, the unapologetic Sena MP from Osmanabadcould be seen on TV boasting about how he hit the airline employeewith his sandal 25 times. It seems he was angry because he had beenmade to fly in an all-economy flight from Pune to Delhi. Whatever
the merits of his complaint, Gaikwadshould know he has no right to assault anyone. Afterwards, IndiGo,Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir, AirAsiaand Vistara closed ranks with Air Indiato stop Gaikwad from flying on theiraircraft. He was forced to travel backto Pune by train.
Government must respect that the airline industry has the right to safeguard its passengers and crew. After all the Union civil aviation
ministry is working on creating institutional mechanisms to checkundesirable flight behaviour or unruly passengers. Current rules of India’s aviation regulator DGCA are unclear on the concept of ano-fly list, whereby passengers on such a list can be denied issuanceof tickets. The provision that comes closest is section 3 of DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements, which was invoked by the airlinesin the case of Gaikwad. Under this, passengers who are likely tobe unruly can be off-loaded or refused embarkation if they pose athreat to the safety and security of the flight, fellow passengers orstaff while on board aircraft.
The more it has been fed taxpayers’ money the more Air India hasallowed elected representatives to treat it as their personal handmaid-en. The more they throw their weight about, the more the remainingpassengers shun Air India. It’s unusually bold of it to send a messagethat it will treat politicians the same as the people they represent. Government must recognise that only this kind of independent thinking can get the airline out of its dismal financial state.
Unruly GaikwadPoliticians are not above the law and
Air India is not their personal property
After jaati ki rajneeti in Uttar Pradesh, it’s now chaati ki rajneeti of the 56 inch kind. With Yogi in the saddle will UP-itesbe able to do the new political yoga? With the ban on buffalo meat, folks in UP might have to forgo tunday kabab for paneerkabab and be forced to sing aa laut ke aaja mere meat. The pathto power in UP was once through galli and mohalla but now it’s
through math and mandir. What does this say about the temple of democracy?Janta janardhan hai!
Anti-Romeo squads might mean a crackdown on romance, leaving UP’s lovers asking why they can’t be Lord Krishna with his gopis? Would Krishna’splayfulness with Radha be regarded as unlawful behaviour by the moral police? With so much religious hate around, it’s a good idea to love religiously.But there’s no scope anymore for Ishq Ishq Ishq in UP. Are the Uttar Pradesh police aware that to be anti-Romeo is to be anti a man who gave up his life for hislove, namely Juliet?
The saffron clad Yogi Adityanath follows a long line of bachelor politicianswho are married to their cause. From Jayalalithaa to Mamata Banerjee to
Naveen Patnaik to Manoharlal Khattar to PM Modi these are (were)single-minded netas. Why do so many Indians vote in single file? Because too many netas have double vision when it comes to theirown families. Single leaders don’t have to deal with shame and
scandal in the family. The parivar though is another matter. Governance Yogi-style is certainly turning out to be quite singular.
For family-less netas, there’s less risk of the kitchen cabinet or of in-lawsbecoming out-laws. Sometimes politics becomes a mom and pop shop forcingsome netas to plaintively ask, am I my brother’s keeper? While Modi spoke ofchai pe charcha, Akhilesh could only counter with chacha pe charcha. WhenModi unleashed his mann ki baat, Rahul Gandhi’s retort was only mummy kibaat. That’s why these elections became a case of pati, patni aur woh.
However Rahul need not lose hope. After all he is also a bachelor like the Yogi and has shown that he is single and still ready to mingle with voters. Ofcourse he’ll have to shed his ma-baap complex and resist the temptation to singpapa kehte hain bada naam karega. Instead to appeal to voters he can alwaysclaim that his favourite song is ekla chalo re.
Chacha pe charcha
Why voters prefer single minded netas comparedto those practising mai-baap politics
Liberals, predictably,are incensed at the anointment of Yogi Adityanath as chiefminister of Uttar Pradesh. The sight of
the saffron-clad Peethadeeshwar of BabaGorakshnath Peeth in the top seat inLucknow has turned their incredulousdisbelief at BJP’s massive UP mandateinto snorts of self-righteous derision.
The intellectual response to the Yogi has ranged from dire predictions of a looming end of the republic, to renewed calls for a hallowed battle in defence of secularism versus Hindutva,to Rajmohan Gandhi’s evocative invo-cation of Tulsidas and his portrayal of a‘virath’ Raghubeera (chariot-less Ram)girding up in the Ramayana’s final battleagainst a ‘rathi’ (charioted) Ravan.
Talking chiefly to the converted,these angry responses – calling for a renewed defence of what liberals see as a huge breach in the great wall ofIndian secularism – may make them feelbetter about their notions of resistance.But, politically speaking, they miss theplot entirely.
First, highfalutin talk of ideologicalbattles is always intoxicating and comforting to one’s own self-image. Butelection after election has shown that alarge section of Indian voters are not ideological any more. They, and especiallythe younger ones who make up the bulk ofour electorate, vote for what suits thembest materially in a given local context.
BJP’s Hindutva credentials have never been in doubt. With its audaciousgamble on Adityanath, who was amongits most popular state leaders in pre-pollinternal surveys, the party has done nothing more than pin its own colours tothe mast, making a clear play for a Hinduconsolidation leading up to 2019. Criticssaying with horror that the saffron partyis Hindu don’t tell voters anything theydidn’t know already.
With Yogi as its political UP mascot,BJP’s political signalling couldn’t beclearer. Hindutva is not something weuse only instrumentally to get votes, theparty seems to be saying, and then junk
after winning elections. It is intrinsic toits development focus too, with a notionof progress that is intertwined with notions of Hindu-ness. The two are in-separable, not separate compartmentsto pick and choose from.
No appeasement, no apologies, nodouble meaning: this is the political message. The collapse of UP’s castepraxis and the Mandal vote has led to ahard calculation that the party has verylittle to lose from such a gambit.
It is betting that those who don’t like it ideologically will never vote BJPanyway and the rest of the voting publicwon’t care as long as developmental gains keep coming, and as long as Hindutva aims are pursued within thebounds of constitutionality.
Second, the secular versus Hindutvafault line has lost its power as a rallyingcry because of the sheer hypocrisy ofthe secular side of the argument. Mayawati’s unambiguous pursuit ofthe mullah constituency, politically discredited clerical voices like the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid and
criminal types was a case in point. From the notorious Shah Bano case
in the 1980s to the promotion of stereotypedmeat-trader-musclemen candidates in2017, nothing has been more damaging tothe cause of secularism than repeatedcynical manipulations of the Muslim vote by avowedly secular leaders themselves. From Azam Khan to clericswhose only aim is to protect a more obscurantist view of the shariah thanpractised in many Muslim countries –witness the debate on triple talaq – secular-ism has long been an empty slogan.
Its degeneration from its lofty
origins as a principle to defend culturalplurality, to a fig leaf that ended up protecting the backward-looking Muslim religious right, damaged its legitimacy. Little wonder then that invocations to secularism, like critiquesof demonetisation before it, may excitewell-heeled drawing rooms in Delhi butelicit little enthusiasm where it matters:on the political streets.
Third, a saffron-clad monk holdingpolitical office is not new by itself. Uma Bharti preceded Yogi Adityanath.In the end, he will be judged by what hedoes in office.
From leading the love jihad campaignto asking those who didn’t do the suryanamaskar to leave India, the founder ofHindu Yuva Vahini has long been seen as embodying the fringe. But his parliamentary record is interesting.
The five-time Lok Sabha MP hasparticipated in 55 debates since mid-2014and asked 284 questions. The documentedrecord shows only eight of these debates(14.5%) and two questions (0.7%) were related to Hindutva-related causes. Themajority pertained to other issues, on topics ranging from inclusion ofBhojpuri in the Constitution’s EighthSchedule to encephalitis.
This indicates that the firebrandpolitical monk is more than a one-trickpony. The real question is, which side ofhis will be dominant in running UP?
From chasing illegal slaughter-houses to setting up Romeo squads, Adityanath has done nothing so far thatBJP did not promise in its manifesto.His publicly stated course-correctionafter the negative feedback on harass-ment of couples by Romeo squadsshows tactical awareness and most ofhis first detailed speech since taking office focussed on BJP’s developmentalobjectives, including Rs 6,000 crore offarm loan-waivers.
As long as he can keep polarisationfrom spiralling into violence, likethat seen at a meat shop in Hathras, demonising the Yogi plays into the oldanti-Modi model. The more you criticise,the more it strengthens his vote base.
Liberals need a new narrative and afundamental rethink, that goes beyondthe old secular rhetoric.
Face Up On YogiLiberals miss the point, framing politics as secularism vs Hindutva alone won’t cut it politically
BJP’s political signallingcouldn’t be clearer. Hindutvais not something we use only instrumentally to getvotes, the party seems to be saying, and then junk after winning elections
Uttarakhand’s new BJP government helmed by TrivendraSingh Rawat has chosen to improve connectivity betweentwo parts of the state, Kumaon and Garwhal, by building a
highway right through Corbett National Park. In the process, Rawatgovernment has foregrounded a false argument. One which saysthat development can happen only on the heels of environmentaldegradation. On the contrary, environmental protection is intrinsicto economic development. It is no one’s case that Uttarakhand’sgovernment should not improve connectivity in the state. But not
at the cost of degrading an iconic national park which contributes to economic activity generated by tourism.
Development needs to be viewed holistically.The weight of evidence is in favour of beingmindful of the environment. It is precisely thisapproach which has influenced the Modi govern-ment’s commitment to mitigating the impact ofclimate change by shifting India’s energy mix in
favour of renewables. In a similar vein, 14th Finance Commissionused a state’s forest cover as a criterion for resource transfer to statesand the iconic Corbett Park, which is India’s oldest national park,served Uttarakhand well. The lesson here is that environmentalmindfulness should be intrinsic to development policy.
Vehicular traffic through the core area of Corbett National Parkwill have an adverse impact on both flora and fauna. Eventually, itwill take a toll on the park. Given the economic resources generatedby the park for the state, it is in the state’s long-term interest to preserve the park from damage. It is also important to remember forests act as carbon storehouses and mitigate local floods. Uttarakhand’s economic devastation on the heels of 2013 floods should be motivation enough to preserve what is left of its forests.Environmental protection has a positive economic spinoff and theRawat government should find an alternative route.
Protect CorbettUttarakhand government must not build a road
right through India’s oldest national park
THE TIMES OF INDIA, AHMEDABADMONDAY, MARCH 27, 201712 AN ECSTASY OF IDEAS
All around us we see chaos, commotion and destruction; wehear about the loss of human
values and moral degradation. As aconsequence, there is concern andworry regarding the future. Such situations are not new. In our shastras,we find similar descriptions. Withoutknowing the context, if one were to readDevarshi Narada’s account of life onearth, one would be convinced it is aportrayal of present times! Likewise,Socrates deplored the indiscipline anddisobedience of the youth of his days.
When we say human values aredeteriorating, we should understandwhat human values are, how they aredegenerating and what we can do torestore them. Many people are addressing the situation at variouslevels through seminars, workshopsand conferences. Deep within, each oneknows what to do, but when it comes to
action, we hold back.Once, a journalist asked me whether
i was alarmed by the present conditionof the youth and was surprised when ireplied in the negative. Human beingshave the free will to destroy themselves;conversely, they also have the abilityto rebuild the damage. This is the beauty of human nature. Thereis no need to be depressed; itdoes not help matters.
One reason for the decadenceis that we have given moreimportance to things than tovalues. The second is: the important things in life are notthings. Every person has aninherent desire to enrich his orher life. First we want security,then comfort, then more comfort and greater pleasure.Those who have materialthings, a higher per capita income andthe ability to spend more money arelabeled as ‘prosperous’.
no competition. We call ourselves superior, intelligent beings, but continue to destroy the very things(plants, trees and animals), on whichour well-being depends. The plant andanimal kingdoms can exist comfortablywithout us, but we cannot live withoutthem. The job of the superior is toprotect the inferior; the more educatedmust look after the less educated; thestrong after the weak.
None of these values are heededbecause we give undue importance tomoney. Things have become more important than values. Can we enrichour lives just by possessing things? Ourouter lives can be made prosperous bythe trappings of wealth and luxury, butwithout the virtues of love, compassionand honesty, there cannot be any long-term sustenance. We must enrichour inner life.
(The writer is an acharya ofChinmaya Mission.)
Post your comments at speakingtree.in
Enrichment has two aspects – outerand inner. To enrich our outer life, werequire a lot of effort and money. However, the basic necessities of life arefree. We can live without gold, silver andjewels, but not without air, water andfood, which Nature gives us for free.They are not ‘cheap’; they are valuable,
but ‘free’. The space we live inis free, but we put a price on theland and commercialise it.Space, air, solar energy andwater are all free.
We take Nature’s gifts for granted. Using her rawmaterials, we turn them intodifferent shapes and makethings expensive and rare. Weascribe value to things andcreate the world of fierce competition. The principle of‘Live and let live’ is replaced by
‘Kill or get killed’. The beauty of air is that we all
breathe at the same time and yet there is
The Important Things In Life Are Not ThingsSwami Tejomayananda
thespeaking
tree
dilbert
Ud
ay D
eb
MORTIMER ZUCKERMAN
Public servants have become the public’s masters. No wonder the public is upset
A thought for today
The Surrogacy [Regulation] Bill 2016,which seeks to radically revamp the legal structure around surrogacy in India is currently being scrutinised by aRajya Sabha Standing Committee, after being introduced in Lok Sabha inNovember 2016. Pinki Virani, author of‘Politics Of The Womb: The Perils Of IVF,Surrogacy & Modified Babies’, spoke toAnam Ajmal about the challenges the legislation raises and the pitfalls that need to be fixed:
■ You were the first to publicly welcome the government’s plan for aban on commercial surrogacy. Why?
This is because international and national research demonstrated, with-out doubt, that worldover the repro techindustry viciously exploits women’s bodies and romanticises this in the name of babies. I support this completestopping of commercial surrogacybecause it favours none. There are manywho are vocal about this, especiallyamong India’s middle-class. They maynot have the right words to articulate itbut they do instinctively understandthat to allow commercial surrogacy is tostreamline a system where their own college-going daughters and sisters, their working wives, can get sucked into it with horrific physical and mentalhealth consequences.■ What are the bill’s inadequacies?
It is riddled with loopholes, mostly
fixable though. However, there is oneclause that has to be deleted because ithas no business being there, it is that insensitive. On assumption of meetingthe other requirements, some of whichneed to be tightened further becausethird-party reproduction cannot be aparade of competing rights over a woman’s body, the husband-wife can avail of altruistic surrogacy if they have a child who is ‘mentally or physically challenged’ or has a ‘life-threatening disorder, fatal illness withno permanent cure’. This completelycompromises the rights of an existingchild, especially since it is more vulnerable than most.
■ While there will be those who would agree, there might also be parents who need a younger sibling tolook after an ill, older one?
Can anyone who insists on retainingthis wilfully prejudicial clause guaranteeall, or even some, of the following: that with the arrival of a ‘proper’ child,in itself an assumption of reason-able health at birth and beyond,the existing child will not be deliberately neglected and willcontinue to receive its parents’ fullphysical, emotional and financial attention? Will this child from third-party reproduction actually look afterits older sibling? Equally, should it beexpected to?
Meanwhile, this clause is in directcontradiction to another in the same billwhich, rightly, forbids the abandonmentof surrogacy children if they are born with medical conditions or thosedeveloping subsequently, since not all genetic ‘defects’ are immediately noticeable at birth. ■ But people with the financial means can still opt for surrogacyabroad. Your comments?
There is very little that can be doneabout genetic greed at any cost. Thiscost is very high – to womanhood, theirfamilies, society at large – be it surrogacy or oocyte use. The latter isthe hyper-ovulating and then harvest-ing of a woman’s body to buy eggs-ova,
so as to lab-make a useable embryo and chemically implant it in the surrogate’s uterus.
Very few states in specific countriesallow commercial surrogacy. Even there, not all permit it beyond husbands-wives. The financial cost in thesecountries can go upwards of $90,000.
India’s commercial surrogates we-re paid much less, even less than$7,000 and that too only if they delivered a ‘take home baby’.■ Isn’t this bill unfair to others
who cannot conceive but still wish tobe parents?
The over-arching discourse aroundthis bill has become that for people to not have a child is to be condemned as‘childless’. Internationally, as also slowly in India, people who voluntarilyor involuntarily have chosen to be childfree are being recognised, and given the environmental weight of an exploding population, even lauded.■ Will this bill, when it becomes law,impact India’s fertility tourism?
This bill only prohibits people fromusing another woman’s pregnancy as a‘service’ and the resulting baby as a ‘product’ to be purchased. It does not impact anyone – Indian or foreign – fromutilising other fertility facilities. For example, a live-in couple can have their own biological baby with their own genetic-work through assisted reproductive techniques.
‘Surrogacy bill riddled with loopholes, mostly fixable… clause on altruistic surrogacy must be deleted’
CCI NG 3.7 Product: TOIAhmedabadBS PubDate: 27-03-2017 Zone: AhmedabadCity Edition: 1 Page: TOIACP12 User: ayaz.daruwala Time: 03-26-2017 21:57 Color: CMYK