by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
By Ram Puniyani
The turmoil in Kashmir, which got intensified after the fake encounter of Burhan Wani (July 2016), does not seem to abet. It has been worsening as reflected in the ongoing violence leading to low turnout of voters in the by poll (April 2017). Shockingly there was a turn out only of 7.14 percent of voters. The by-polls were also marred by violence in which, many a civilians and security force person also died and lately one witnessed with great horror a Kashmir youth being tied to the military truck to prevent stone pelters from throwing stones on the vehicle.
Those pelting stones don’t seem to be stopping despite the lapse of period of time. These young men are being looked at in various ways. Farookh Abdullah had stated on the eve of elections that those young men throwing stones are doing so for their nation. This statement of his came under scathing criticism from various quarters and section of media and was dismissed by many as a pre election statement.
Another way of looking at those pelting stones; as gleaned from section of media; is that these are pro-Pakistan elements. They are being instigated by Pakistan and that they are doing this for money. As such stone pelting has been used as a method of protest in Kashmir since ages but has become glaringly obvious from last few years. Intimidated by the terrorists-militants on one side and the security forces on the other these young men have been resorting to pelting stones as a form of protest and anguish. One can see the clear pattern in worsening repression and an increase in their activities. As such after every major act of hanging-murder the protests have become more intense e.g. after the hanging of Maqbul Butt (1984), then after the hanging of Afzal Guru (2013) and now after the killing of Burhan Wani (2016).
Who are these boys who pelt stones? Are these merely Pakistan inspired and funded youth? In the aftermath of state crackdown; hundreds have died, thousands have been wounded and many more have lost eyesight! A section of TV and other media is going hammer and tongs about the role of Pakistan and the funding they receive. The question which needs to be introspected is that will young people risk their life, loss of eyesight or other harm to body just for someone’s bidding or some money? Many of them are teenagers, tech savvy and they are so much full of deep hatred that they are willing to risk their lives, not caring about their future. The degree of frustration among them must we horrific.
Only a small section of media has gone deeper into the issue and have interviewed some of them. The stories of their experiences and feelings shatter one’s perceptions about law and order in Kashmir. Many belong to families which have given up hope of any type. Most of these young boys have experienced torture, beating, harassments of sorts and often humiliation For many of them stone throwing comes as sort of catharsis, a feeling of having taken revenge of what has happened to them. It is the only strong way of protest they must be feeling is left for them. Many of them are Pro Pakistan for sure but the basic point remains political alienation which is seeping in deepening. This in turn is due to the suffering and pain to which Kashmir has been subjected due to the prolonged military presence in the area.
Post Burhan Wani murder, the Kashmir based PDP, or even national Conference has been able to see the intensity of the situation. Mahbooba Mufti, the Chief Minister of the ruling coalition, wanted to go for a dialogue with the dissenters, but coalition partner and the party leading at center BJP shot down the idea. Mahbooba Mufti felt that dialogue is the only way out but BJP feels that dialogue is a way to befool the people. It seems the ruling BJP wants to take a hard line to deal with dissidence, regards that dissidence is there only due to Pakistan or ISIS and so repression should be intensified.
What have earlier efforts for peace which need to be recalled in the present damning times? In one of the most significant move UPA II had appointed a team of interlocutors to understand and suggest the way out. The eminent team suggested that the autonomy of Kashmir Assembly, which is part of treaty of accession, be restored, dialogue with dissidents to be initiated and also talks with Pakistan be undertaken along with repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Today there can be two approaches one is to recall the treaty of accession and gravitate towards that and take the recommendations of Interlocutors seriously. Nearly seven decades after the accession of Kashmir to India, there is a need to recall that forcible merger; repression of dissent was never the idea of founders of Indian nation. Let’s see what Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had to say on the matter way back, Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel said at a public meeting in Bombay on October 30, 1948: “Some people consider that a Muslim majority area must necessarily belong to Pakistan. They wonder why we are in Kashmir. The answer is plain and simple. We are in Kashmir because the people of Kashmir want us to be there. The moment we realize that the people of Kashmir do not want us to be there, we shall not be there even for a minute… We shall not let the Kashmir down” (The Hindustan Times, October 31, 1948).
The situation in Kashmir is critical, and worsening by the day due to the high handed dealings from the center. Even the Chief Minister of Kashmir and the people like Sheikh Abdulla need to be listened to, if we want peace in the green valley, peace which is crucial. The deeper peace can only be won through winning the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir, ultranationalist formulations don’t work in the long run.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
Ram Puniyani
BY Ram Puniyani
The Haryana government organized Gita Festival in Kurkshetra with a budget of Rs 100 Crores. This was to celebrate the teachings of Bhagavad Gita. This is the place where Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the sermons that form the core of a version of Hinduism. The celebration of the Gita Festival has been very meticulous to involve most of the districts of Haryana and is replete with seminars and cultural programs around the teachings of this holy book. As such it is a Holy Scripture, which has been most in news from last quite some time. Those taking part in the festival include the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yog Peeth, Ram Krishna Mission, and ISKCON.
This state funded festival comes in the backdrop of the Modi Sarkar coming to power at the centre. Modi, in his innumerable trips abroad has been gifting Gita to the dignitaries overseas. Also his foreign minister Sushma Swaraj had once proclaimed that Gita should be declared as the national book. One recalls that many BJP ruled state Governments like MP have started teaching Gita Saar (Essence of Gita) in their schools. When BJP was in power in Karnataka, the State government had planned to introduce the teaching of Gita in its schools. There is also an attempt to present this holy tome not as a religious book but a book of Indian Philosophy, cutting across different religions. For example Madhya Pradesh High court has ruled (Jan 2012) that “Gita is essentially a book on Indian philosophy, not a book on Indian religion”. This judgment seems to be influenced more by the dominant political ideology than the theological understanding of Hinduism or the principles of Indian Constitution or even by the practices of the Courts themselves. One knows that Gita is used in the courts for administering oath to Hindus before they depose.
The Bhagwat Gita or Gita (Song of God) is a 700 verse scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata. As it is drawn from Mahabharata it can be labeled as Smriti text (from memory). Some sects of Hinduism give it the status of Upanishad, thereby making it sruti (revealed) book. It is also regarded to represent the summary of Upanishadic teachings and so it is also called as ‘Upanishad of Upanishads’. In this Holy Scripture Lord Krishna teaches Arjun about his duties as a Prince belonging to Kshtriya Varna. Arjun was faced with the dilemma of the war, the possibility of killing his own kin. Lord tells Arjun that it is his holy duty to undertake the war. As most holy scriptures are the revelations from the supreme God, in Gita also Krishna reveals his identity as Supreme Being himself (Svayam Bhagvan) and this book is also regarded as the core of Hindu philosophy.
The Gita elaborates on the central part of Hindu theology, the origin of Varnas. In Purush Sukta of Vedas tell us as to how Lord Brahma created four Varnas from the body of Virat Purush (Primeval man). In Gita on similar lines Lord Krishna also tells about the divine origin of Varna’s. Lord says that the fourfold order was created by him according to the divisions of quality (Guna) and work (karma).
One knows that origin of Hinduism is different from the Prophet based religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam. Here there has been an evolution of the Hinduism over a period of time and today while Hinduism is a religion, Gita is its Holy Scripture. To take the stand that it is Indian philosophy and not religious one is far from truth. There is philosophy also in many a Holy Scriptures. Notwithstanding that, they are primarily religious scriptures. From the religion of Pastoral Aryans to the practices of Hindus today, there is a long journey. The communal forces want to introduce this text in schools as not only they want to impose Hindu nation in this country but also through this book, they aim to reinforce the concept of Varna, which is one of the core doctrine of Brahmanical version of Hinduism, and Gita tells this by attributing Varna to the divine creation by Lord Himself. While there are many a philosophical formulations in this divine book there is also the subtle defense of what the Hindutva politics wants to bring in today, Varan- Jati in a repackaged form.
Dharma spoken of in Gita is essentially is Varnashram Dharma, which is a graded hierarchy, which is against the spirit of Indian Constitution, the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Gita’s Varnashram Dharma violates the principles of equality. So here you are showing that violation of norms of equality. Surely, Gita is a Holy Hindu scripture. We are a secular country, where citizenship is equal for people of all religions. So here you violate the secular ethos of our country by state sponsoring a festival in its name. Ambedkar, the Chairman of drafting committee of Indian Constitution, had an interesting take on Gita. In his work ‘Philosophy of Hinduism’ (Critical Quest 2010) where he points out that ‘Bhagwat Gita is a Manusmriti in Nutshell’. His supporting the burning of Manusmriti was symbolic of opposing the hierarchy inherent in the Brahmanical Hinduism. It is also true that what has been asserted as Hinduism from last two centuries is Brahmanical Hinduism. Gita does represent the Brahmanical Hinduism, in contrast to other Hindu traditions like Nath, Tantra, Siddha, Shaiva and Bhakti. These traditions are away from Brahmanical hierarchical values. RSS-Hindutva has made Brahmanical values as the base of their politics.
So while there is a lot of confusion among many who eulogize Gita, the practitioners of Hindutva politics RSS-BJP are very consciously promoting Gita, as the restoration of caste and gender hierarchy is the core agenda of their politics. Gita is not a national book; it is a Holy Hindu Scripture for sure. Indian Constitution is our National book. The verdict of the court needs re-examination as it is not conforming to the belief of millions of Hindus who have been away from Brahmanical notions.
