The short term 'king'

I had made a fleeting comment in my last post about the deft ability of our politicians of using the concepts of traditions, values and morals to their advantage. Our dear country is now once again, in the phase of general elections, where, atleast theoritically, the common man is the king. And however brief maybe the timespan, for the few months leading upto the drama of polling and elections, he is the king for most part (he does get a free meal, liquor and sometimes even cash for his 'priceless' vote!)

The USP of every single political party in this country has been their unique strategems employed to gather and harness new or existing votebanks. Lets just give it a very brief overview -:

1) BJP- A self-proclaimed hindu party, concentrating mainly on saving the hindu interest in their own 'motherland' against the onslaught of any foreign threats (Yes, Sonia Gandhi included!).

2) Congress - Ofcourse, the antithesis of BJP, congress is the 'secular' party. Belives in power of pedigree and still milking its reputation from the pre- independence days.

3) Mahastra Navnirman Sena (MNS)- We all know the outrageous comments made by Raj Thackrey. This regional party is for the 'Marathi manoos' or the marathi folks. And sometimes for the well-groomed recently laid off airlines staff.

4) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)- Spearheaded by Behen Mayawati, this party works 'relentlessly' for the welfare of harijans.

5) Samajwadi Party - Presided by Mulayam singh yadav, the SP works for welfare of people from basic sectors of the economy. It is against multinational companies coming to india or their role in development of the country. Also known for sending their most noted emissary(read 'amar singh') to bollywood for cavorting in page three events, awards functions and maintaining personal relations with the bachchan family.

Apart from them, there are countless more regional parties in every corner of the country with strongholds on their own territories for decades.

So, lets just brood over this for a second. As far as i can see, there is a common thread that runs through all the needles. Every single party has conveniently picked up the role as the representative of a particular community, religion or race. They masquerade as the sole guardians of that faith and its people. The ULTIMATE PROTECTOR!! without whom the very foundations of the communities' existence would crumble and be smitten to dust.

The biggest giveaway of their ruse is the simple fact that none of their 'votebanks' overlap. You would not see BJP hitting the harijan votebank or the BSP using any tactics to lure hindu fanatics to their side. There is something called professional courtesy after all.

And this is the stark, disturbing change that has come to our politics over the last decade. What political parties used to do in the dark of the night, now they do in broad daylight. They have assumed their allotted roles and have no qualms in admitting openly that they rally, not for the common man, but for the interest of the community that is their biggest benefactor.

I wonder, which community does a common, hungry man belong to? Well, right now, he has to belong to one. He has to choose his side, if he wants to be the king for the brief period of time.

The short term 'king' may have very few options, for his choice is driven by factors which are primal in nature. He is not priviledged enough to have the knowledge and education that allows him the foresight of his decisions. But most of us DO!!

We all know that however important voting maybe, it is still essentially an act of choosing the lesser of the evils.

It cannot be expected of the political parties to be moral and just in their strategies to lure their votebanks. They will not stop their subtle 'divide and rule' tactics till we keep on subscribing to it. And only but the naive, the desperate and the foolish would succumb to such manipulations, to the claims that their leaders are serving the community's interest and not their own.

How long will we keep subscribing to these socially regressive, jingoistic and divisive policies formulated by politicians that flare up a simmering hatred, a selfishness that might serve their own short term purpose but eventually render a tolerant nation divided into chunks we cannot even count.

It is important that we rise beyond our gamut and see the nation as a whole. So see that we need to vote for the common man, as our intelligence allows. We cannot afford anymore to vote for a leader because he will facilitate building of a temple or safeguard a religion's existence or he belongs to your geographical location.

For those who are fortunate enough to see through the dark mist, it is time to excercise rationality and the only right that can probably make a difference!!

The moral contradictions....

I am quite certain that almost everyone from the current generation must have, at some point or the other, ran into an argument with their family, friends or some other authority over the question of Indian traditions and morality.
It's a big word. 'Traditions'....aka 'Sanskriti'. And i am sure it carries more meaning than one. How many do we know is the question.

Nevertheless, let's take it in its rudimentary form. Exactly the way it is presented to us.
Political parties and organizations use the pretext of moral values and traditions to harness their current vote bank and create new one (current strategies include vandalism, beating up young couples or simply suing celebrities to make a statement). Elders use it to resist change or as a strong argument in their case over discussions (basically to have their way with you). Creative media makers exploit it boost their TRPs or bank accounts.

Diverse as the usage maybe, the concept of 'Hamari sanskriti' is thrown around so casually and so very often that it is almost impossible to ignore it without enquiring a little further.
I have lost count of the number of occassions when i was told to think better of my actions and words for the sake of preserving the dignity of our cultural heritage. And undoubtedly, the most recurrent argument that went against all my logic was, " Have some shame and concern for our culture....the traditions of our homeland. Bhartiya Sanskriti."

I impress upon the fact that here, they depart conveniently from the stark reality that India for a very very long time now, has been a land that inhabits people from diverse faiths and religions. And here, the reference of the word 'sanskriti' automatically shifts to "Ancient hindu sanskriti".
So, establishing this popular assumption as our premise, once again, i grope for answers to my queries. The bigger question of all being - WHAT EXACTLY IS INDIAN SANSKRITI, WHAT ARE THESE MORAL VALUES??

I just have a few arguments of my own. I do not claim to be a genius on the subject or to be extremely well read about either. But for a starter, let me compare some of the popular habits, considered as vices and immoral conduct with their contradictory existence in our history.

In my personal capacity, since i haven't had the priviledge of practising or reading any other faith, i would limit my arguments to the hindu religion and its contradictions.

All the hindus know the powers of Indra dev and the grand opulence of this court. The mighty Indra commands lordship over the realm of Swarglok and ofcourse, rains. Farmers worship him and so do we, when the weather is getting really hot. Now, Indra dev's court is famous for its immunity to any sorrow, suffering or any mortal fear. And more noticeably for a couple more things....The Dancing fairies (Apsaras) and Somras.

All the depictions of this heavenly court unanimously show the king and his men enjoying the intoxicating somras (roughly translated, scotch with soda and ice) and being entertained by the enchanting dance of the exceptionally beautiful apsaras; whose duty was to please the king and the his men (the job profile is quite ambiguous and open-ended...)

Hmmmm.....let's compare!! A bunch of men getting high on divine hooch and getting "entertained" by pretty dancing ladies.....Looks to me like a very very fancy dance bar!!

Pardon me for my audacity, but the similarity is both hard to miss and ignore. Going by this yardstick dance bars have been around and have been a part of our folklores and traditions.

And not just that, the court of Indra (swarglok) is the place where everyone wants to go after passing their mortal lives and enjoy the 'bliss' for all eternity. It is held in high reverence along with the god himself.

I dare not defile the god and commit sacrilege, but i am curious here....is the depiction wrong here or are we plain and simple confused in our approach?? Intoxication by drinking and watching pretty women and men dance (the court also has 'gandharvas' or male dancers along with apsaras) is obviously a part of the indian sanskriti and that too, from vedic times.

Now, come to the second question (or confusion as you may put it). The world concurs and its quite evident that we are a very productive race. Have no doubts on that. Give us a big patch of land, few able-bodied men, few healthy women and we'd have the land overpopulated in no time. Save for one of our north-eastern neighbour, few can claim to achieve such a feat.

Facts aside, this a country where we don't like talking about sex. Infact, we are discouraged from talking about sex, to the point where talking about it or even to have a natural curiosity for it is deemed immroal or decadent behaviour. And that is perhaps one of the major reason of our fast multiplying population and also for the perversion that prevails.

But here's the fact.....sex is a big hush-hush!! And YET!!
Yet, this is the land of kamasutra!! (Ahhh....there goes the name again!). But leave the cliches aside, think for a minute on it seriously. We are the people that taught the world and are still teaching....how to make sex more pleasurable!! And guess what....the world loves it!! and WE DON'T!!

By my reckoning, this litreature couldn't have been written in a culture where people copulated behind close doors and hid any signs of pleasure they may derive from it (particularly women). It could have only happened in a culture that was much more liberal and allowed for personal dialouge, where sex was not mere copulation or an act necessary to keep the lineage alive. Where is was considered a source of immense pleasure as well as an instinctive response to one of the most basic desires of human nature....and all of it was discussed openly, perhaps with discretion but definitely not with contempt.

We would all agree that talking about sex with respect and understanding can lessen many evils that currently prevail. And atleast the topic should not be avoided with men or women alike, on the grounds of culture and again, sanskriti.....because evidence clearly states that it too, has been around in our sanskriti. It was there without any reservations and existed unabashedly....and we were pretty damn good at it too!!

There are many more contradictions that can be pointed out. Where the current ideologies seem like a convenient excuse and history states otherwise.
Take for example, the state of women in the country, save for a few pockets of urban civilisation, it is nothing but shameful....and on the contrary, our history clearly shows the concept of 'swayamvar', the practice where the women had the liberty of choosing their mates or husbands. History, where mythologically speaking, we have more 'devis', 'matas' and female goddesses than male ones. Our real culture has always been liberal enough to give women the right respect, understanding and equal(if not better) status in the society. And frankly, i am at a complete loss of comprehension when someone uses culture and society as an excuse to give a girl or a woman less priviledges than rightfully deserved.

But having said all that, i am not trying to find a reason to condone alcholism, promiscuity or trying to peddle for women rights either , for that is another issue.

My complaint is against the mindless interpretation and mutilation of our cultural heritage and using it as an excuse to achieve extreme results or to avoid change.
Ancient India perhaps, had one of the most liberal cultures in the world. The evidence to support the claim are plenty. Be it the book of kamasutra or the temples of khajuraho. Be it the brash analogy of Lord Indra's court with the decadent dance bars. Along with many many more.....

Excess of anything is not good, be it on the negative side or the positive. One's personal reasons to avoid alcohol or sex maybe many but the one that based on demands of cultural adhrence really doesn't seem to have too much credibilty.

Personal discretion, moderation and understanding seem to be the key here.....atleast that's what our real 'sanskriti' seems to suggest and what our history has recorded!! Rest ofcourse, is your own perception!! I can just hope it's fair.