Sunday, December 9, 2012

A fool's opinion on Justice Katju's 90% fool theory !!


First of all I would like inform that I am one among those 90% fool class (passed 1st test : neither communal nor having faith in cast system, passed 2nd test : don't like cricket (the freak show) very much, but oops !! failed 3rd test :  I check regular astrology updates !! so a 3rd degree fool).

I am a huge-huge fan of this gentleman Justice Markandey Katju and seriously adore the way of his thinking, writing, actions and further follow-ups. First of all came to know about him in Asim Trivedi case, afterwards regularly following his updates from Twitter, His blog (Satyam Bruyat ), and media stories. If you search and read his judgments, you will find the excellence, scientific methodology and very frequent references from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavada-Gita and other epics. If you came across Chanakya updesh, Sanskrit Sloks, or Galib sayaries in any Supreme Court judgment, be sure it’s none other than respected Justice Katju.

I will take reference of the Justice Katju’s blog posts to present my views in a point wise manner.

When I said that 90% Indians are fools I said an unpleasant truth. The truth is that the minds of 90% Indians are full of casteism, communalism, and superstitions. Consider the following:
When our people go to vote in elections, 90% vote on the basis of caste or community, not the merits of the candidate. That is why Phulan Devi, a known dacoit-cum-murderer was elected to Parliament merely because she belonged to a backward caste which had a large number of voters in that constituency. Vote banks in India are on caste and community basis, which are manipulated by some unscrupulous politicians and others.

Agree but not completely, would like to add another factor ‘sympathy’, it is another big vote puller, remember Rajiv Gandhi’s landslide victory in general elections, 1984, congress securing 404 out of 506 Loksabha seats (around 80% of total seats), factor being sympathetic votes created by the assassination of Mrs. Gandhi. Public in our country irrespective of social, economical, political, age  group or sexual class, is soft hearted and emotional. Caste system plays important role in fetching votes but castes system gets votes only out of sympathy.

Justice Katju, as per your illustration of Phulan Devi, which u claims to have won elections just because of caste politics, had actually played an emotional politics wrapped in a caste canister.

Phulan Devi was herself a victim of circumstances; she was ravished, tormented, tortured and finally turned into a dacoit and not to forget the superficial roles played by Police, Law and Judiciary. She was even brutally gang raped by police men in a police station. Such continuous victimization can turn any one into a hardcore criminal. Whether it is Pan Singh Tomar or Naxals, all share the same story.

She was not an exception or the only one being tormented, there was, and there is, an endless queue of millions, likes her or in a worse state. Difference being, their dead silence. One in a million of suppressed, raises Rifle as “Phulan Devi” rightly did. After she planned to return the main stream, there was no other choice but the Politics, to resist her old foes, mainly Jamindars, sahukars etc.

Now, she was not an individual but a class herself, a hero of poor and deprived. The symbol of backward class, which elevates her up to the chair anticipating and in disguise that she will improve their state and will provide them protection and security. This fear and insecurity in people’s mind coupled with the positive presentation and campaign (Mala Sen's 1993 book India’s Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi, Shekhar Kapur made a movie Bandit Queen (1994)) of her to present her like a victim and a hero at the same time, which fights the evil, was enough to win her sympathy votes in 1996 Lok Sabha elections on Samajwadi Party Ticket.

Cast system indeed plays decisive role under selfish Indian political catastrophe but along with several other local and circumstantial factors. Change is taking place in the educational landscape and is likely to replace the present system somewhere in coming decades but the process is slow and will remain like that, unless the top 10% intelligentsia of our country forget their selfishness and act as a catalyst in the process of change and the rest 90% see the day light with eyes open.  

 90% Indians believe in astrology, which is pure superstition and humbug. Even a little commonsense tells us that the movements of stars and planets has nothing to do with our lives. Yet T.V. channels showing astrology have high T.R.P. ratings.

At one time India was leading the whole world in science and technology (see my article ‘Sanskrit as a language of Science’ on the website kgfindia.com). That was because our scientific ancestors like Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Sushrut, Charak, etc questioned everything. I read the above lines in your blog. The way you adore Indian Epics, the teachings, the messages, and the way you criticize astrology is itself a paradox. Astrology was and is a science of India, the mother of mathematics and has mentions in all major epics. Agree up to extent, that “planets has nothing to do with our lives” but “Karma does” but calling someone fool just because he has faith on astrology is something difficult to digest.

Cricket has been made into a religion by our corporatized media, and most people lap it up like opium. The real problems facing 80% people are socio-economic ---- poverty, massive unemployment, malnourishment, price rise, health care, education, housing etc. But the media sidelines or minimizes these real issues, and gives the impression that the real issues are lives of film stars, fashion, cricket, etc. When Rahul Dravid retired the media depicted it as a great misfortune for the country, whereas when Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th century it was depicted as a great achievement for India. Day after day the media kept harping on this, whereas the issues of a quarter million farmers suicides, and 47% Indian children being malnourished, was sidelined.

100% agree and loved this line, The Roman emperors used to say that if you cannot give people bread, give them circuses in one of your articles.

Dear Justice Katju, I agree and make a conscience with you on all other relevant points mentioned by you and heart fully thank you for sharing the good works with us and carrying out the kind of campaign of awareness as you are doing.

Thanks a lot Sir and hats off to this great gentleman.

God bless you sir.

Abhishek @918abhi - Twitter 

No comments:

Post a Comment