july 2011 - rh

How to Meditate

Islamic Feminism

Damp squib-export export

Article for Third Eye

The Tragic Situation of Sri Lanka

Closer understanding between India,Pakistan & Afghanistan needed

Glimpses Of Europe From Zagreb

A Photo Odyssey

Who needs a philosophy anyway?

—Sam Harris

—Asghar Ali Engineer

—Ved Prakash Agarwal

—S.N. Shukla

—Rajindar Sachar

—Balraj Puri

—Ajit Bhattacharyya

—Dipavali Sen

—Rekha Saraswat

Book Reviews:

From the Editor’s Desk:Founder Editor: M.N. Roy

496

THE RADICAL HUMANISTJULY 2011 Rs. 20 / monthVol. 75 No 4

(Since April 1949)Formerly : Independent India (April 1937- March 1949)

1

THE RADICAL HUMANIST JULY 2011

Adv. C.R. Dalvi passes away

Photographs of speakers remembering Adv. Dalvi during the condolence meeting

held in CSSC, Mumbai on 12th June 2011

I

Obituary for Advocate CR Dalvi, veteran

Radical Humanist and President, CSSC,

Mumbai

who passed away on 24th May 2011

after a prolonged illness.

The sad news that dear friend and one ofour oldest radical humanists at Mumbai,

Mr CR Dalvi had passed away on 24th May, 2011,was given to me by our editor Dr Rekha Saraswatvia phone during my current trip to the UnitedStates of America. It is indeed very unfortunate thatour Radical Humanist fraternity has lost anotherone of it's dedicated stalwarts. I had known MrDalvi for more than thirty years through his brotherdear Mr GR Dalvi who was based in Delhi and wasa regular attendee to meetings at the residence ofcomrade VM Tarkunde. I came in closer contactwith him during the last seven odd years when hewas in-charge of the Humanist House at Mumbaiand was organizing Radical Humanist activitiesthere. I vividly remember, how Mr Dalvi with closecooperation of Mrs Oak had invited learnedspeaker Mr Ketkar, editor of Marathi daily LokSatta to deliver an address on the achievements andrelevance of MN Roy. He organized the installationof the bust of comrade Roy at the Humanist Housein Mumbai. On that occasion I, Mr ND Pancholi,Mr Ugamraj Mohnot and Mr Narottam Vyas werethere to hear the speaker Mr Ketkar. We rememberbeing very impressed by the speech and thereferences to MN Roy and how he came closer toRadical Humanism. Through this introductionfacilitated by Mr Dalvi we subsequently invited MrKetkar to Delhi to deliver MN Roy memoriallecture in April 2010. I and Mr Narottam Vyas hadbeen continuously in touch with Mr Dalvi sinceMay 2009 and used to speak to each other regularlyvia phone about Radical Humanist and IRHAactivities. I remember that he invited us to attendone function in Mumbai earlier this year in January

to mark the release of a book by Hon. Mr JusticeDY Chandrachud of Bombay High Court.

We are yet to come to terms with the demise ofJustice(retd) RA Jahagirdar and against thatbackdrop the sad demise of Mr Dalvi came as a boltfrom the blue. We can only say that we will go onworking for the same cause for which dear MrDalvi toiled all his life.

—B.D. Sharma

President, Indian Renaissance Institute (IRI)

[email protected]

II

Homage To Shri C.R. Dalvi

Indian Renaissance Institute is grieved onthe demise of Shri C.R. Dalvi, who passed

away on 24th May, 2011 at Mumbai after aprolonged illness at the age of 85. He practiced for50 years as an advocate and was guided byconscience to commit himself to common good,especially to the rights of the poor and vulnerable.During Emergency (June-1975-March 1977) hewas in the forefront of the fight againstauthoritarian rule and fought for those who were injails as victims of political vendetta. During hiscareer he appeared in many landmark cases andsecured justice for large numbers of needy.

He was a great admirer of M.N.Roy. He believedin the philosophy of Radical Humanism andpropagated its principles. He was Life Trustee ofthe Indian Renaissance Institute and was one of themain pillars of the Indian renaissance movement.He contributed to the establishment of ‘M.N. RoyCampus’ within the premises of the ‘Centre ForThe Study Of Social Change’ at Mumbai and withthe help of his colleagues installed a statue of M.N.Roy within its premises –the first of its kind inIndia. For several years he managed with devotionthe publication of The Radical Humanist. Under hisstewardship the journal rose to new heights.Demise of Shri C.R. Dalvi is a great loss to the


1

Indian Renaissance Institute in particular and theradical humanist movement in general.

We on behalf of the Indian Renaissance Instituteshare the grief and extend our heartfelt condolenceto the family members of Shri C.R. Dalvi.

—N.D. Pancholi

Secretary,

Indian Renaissance Institute

G-3, Plot 617, Shalimar Garden Extn.I,Sahibabad, Ghaziabad-201005, (M) 9811099532

III

Dear Friends,

Even as we mourn this loss, I believe that our wayof celebrating this great life and democraticcontribution will be a book of essays in his memorybringing fully home very different radical ways ofsocial activism than those now so fully sponsoredby 24/7 global Indian mass media.

—Upen,

Dr.Upendra Baxi,

Emeritus Professor of Law,

University of Warwick & University of Delhi

Phone 22379471, Mobile: 9971314910;

Website: upendrabaxi.net

Current mob. 01637478012, Tel.: 0228 /73 540 46

IV

Dear Members of the Indian Renaisance Institute:

Please accept our condolences for the passing ofShri C.R.Dalvi. His work with the RenaisanceInstitute and his lifetime of support of RadicalHumanism is truly appreciated in North Americaand other parts of the world.

We encourage you to continue your importantefforts on behalf of our common cause.

With all good wishes,

—Prof. Paul Kurtz

Chairman and Founder, Prometheus Books

Chairman, Institute for Science and HumanValues.

[email protected]


2

A condolence meeting of all the members of CSSC was held on Sunday June 12, 2011 at

10.30 am at the CSSC main hall to mourn Adv. C.R. Dalvi’s death.

A notice was sent to us in this regard by Dr. R.D. Potdar (Hon. Gen. Secretary) CSSC.

Although friends from Delhi could not reach there, messages sent by Mr. B.D. Sharma

and Mr. N.D. Pancholi were read out by Dr. Potdar.

The whole Radical Humanist Family remembers him and conveys its heartfelt

condolences to Adv. Dalvi’s near and dear ones.

We sincerely hope that his family members will continue to associate with the Radical

Humanist Movement.......


3

The Radical Humanist

Monthly journal of the Indian Renaissance

Institute

Devoted to the development of the Renaissance

Movement; and for promotion of human rights,

scientific-temper, rational thinking and a humanist

view of life.

Founder Editor:

M.N. Roy

Editor:

Dr. Rekha Saraswat

Contributory Editors:

Prof. A.F. Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr. R.M. Pal, Professor

Rama Kundu

Publisher:

Mr. N.D. Pancholi

Printer:

Mr. N.D. Pancholi

Send articles to: Dr. Rekha Saraswat, C-8, Defence

Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India, Ph.

91-121-2620690, 09719333011,

E-mail articles at: [email protected]

Send Subscription / Donation Cheques in favour of

‘The Radical Humanist’to:

Mr. Narottam Vyas (Advocate), Chamber Number

111 (Near Post Office), Supreme Court of India, New

Delhi, 110001, India [email protected]

Ph. 91-11-22712434, 91-11-23782836, 09811944600

Please Note: Authors will bear sole accountability

for corroborating the facts that they give in their

write-ups. Neither IRI / the Publisher nor the Editor

of this journal will be responsible for testing the

validity and authenticity of statements &

information cited by the authors. Also, sometimes

some articles published in this journal may carry

opinions not similar to the Radical Humanist

philosophy; but they would be entertained here if the

need is felt to debate and discuss upon them.

—Rekha Saraswat

Vol. 75 Number 4 July 2011

Download and read the journal at

www.theradicalhumanist.com

- Contents -

1.Condolence Messages for Adv. C.R. Dalvi:

2. From the Editor’s Desk:

Who needs a philosophy anyway?

—Rekha Saraswat 4

2. From the Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi:

Spiritual Materialism: A case for Atheism 5

3. Guests’ Section:

How to Meditate

—Sam Harris 8

Islamic Feminism

—Asghar Ali Engineer 11

Gautam Buddha:The First World Scientist

—Jugal Kishore 13

Damp squib-export export

—Ved Prakash Agarwal 16

Article for Third Eye —S.N. Shukla 17

4. Current Affairs:

The Tragic Situation of Sri Lanka

—Rajindar Sachar 19

Closer understanding between India,

Pakistan & Afghanistan needed

—Balraj Puri 21

5. IRI / IRHA Members’ Section:

Humanist movement in India (Andhra Pradesh)

—N. Innaiah 24

6. Teachers’ & Research Scholars’ Section:

In Quest Of Freedom —Tarun Patnaik 26

7. Book Review Section:

Impending Destruction of Environment: A Myth?

—Subhankar Ray 30

Glimpses Of Europe From Zagreb

—Ajit Bhattacharyya 33

A Photo Odyssey —Dipavali Sen 35

8. Humanist News Section 37

From Th Editor’s Desk:

Who needs aphilosophyanyway?

They say philosophyhelps in answering

all the curiosities of theindividual’s brain. All kindsof questions that arise in thehuman mind find a plausible

answer in philosophy.

O.K. Agreed. Or we may say all kinds of answersthat we assemble to pacify our inquisitiveness maycollectively be labeled as philosophy. But I askagain, who are those people who are consciouslyinterrogative about the world around them in theontological sense?

The ‘what is’ of Metaphysics and the ‘how is’ ofOntology; the ‘how to know’ of Epistemology andthe ‘what to do’ of Ethics; the ‘why to do’ ofPolitics and Sociology; and above all, the ‘why not’of ‘changing this world according to ourperceptions’ of Aesthetics are questions that areoften asked, but, by how many?

Who are the ones who wait to ponder over the basisof their existence? Is the man on the streetinquisitive enough to waste his time in finding outthe metaphysical sources of his origin? No, by andlarge, no; because he has already found most of theanswers to such concerns in religion, in faith and inmiracles? He is pre-fed, right from his infant stagetill his adulthood that all knowledge has beenaccumulated prior to his existence in the form ofspiritual epics, anecdotes and parables and is beingpassed on from one generation to another ever sincethe human race came on this Earth and that too,through Divine will.

A believer takes refuge in a kind of‘epistemological humility’ (although he, himself,may not even be aware of this term) which says thatthe ‘knowledge of ‘being” can never be complete.

And, therefore, he shuns all systematic scientific

enquiry and mocks the concept of ‘empiricism’which asks us to believe only to the extent our five

senses help us to know.

The modern advocate of religious convictionsposes a bigger challenge to the basic concepts ofphilosophy. He tries to use both ‘reason’ and‘scientific verification’ to justify his trust in superhuman powers. As Wittgenstein says in his‘Language Games’ that same words may getdifferent meanings in different social set-ups andcircumstances the believer tries to evolve a rationalentity in divinity, a branch of thought morepopularly known as ‘Apologetics’ in thepost-modern philosophical era.

Where is the need of philosophy, then, in the realand literal sense of the word?

The basic inquiries of a man’s mind and intellectabout his being and becoming, if are pre-definedthen philosophy naturally becomes a leisure timeactivity of some relaxed minds which need onlysome amount of recreational engagement in lexicalsemantics; because nothing new is to be exploredand known.

After denying the necessity of metaphysics and

ontological speculation through rational,empirical and pragmatic epistemology theremaining two conceptions of philosophy viz.ethics and aesthetics also lose their significance.

Who will decide the proper course of man’s actionand behaviour in society? The society which isguided by scriptures or the State which is itselfcontrolled by this society?

Even the aesthetics is defeated in its meaningbecause man’s imagination is already restrictedthrough such pre-conceived notions which takeaway his freedom to invent and conceptualize newmeanings to his existence!

One can, thus, imagine now, why life has becomeso morose and pessimistic, miserable and gloomy!

Who rejuvenates then? A new philosopher? A newphilosophy? Or a new meaning to philosophy?

A valid point to ponder!!


4

Rekha Saraswat

From The Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi:

Spiritual Materialism – A casefor Atheism

Translated by

—Arundhati Khandkar

[The book Spiritual Materialism – A case for

Atheism, A New Interpretation of the

Philosophy of Materialism written by

Tarkateertha Laxmanshastri Joshi has been

translated by his daughter, Arundhati

Khandkar, who was formerly Professor of

Philosophy at S.I.E.S. College, University of

Mumbai, India. He passed away many decades

ago but his contribution in building up the

philosophical base of Radical Humanism has

been no less. Roy acknowledged it in his life time

and the followers of the philosophy continue to do

so. I had requested Ms. Khandkar to translate her

father’s major works from to Marathi to English

for the benefit of the contemporary readers of RH.

And to our pleasant surprise she informed that

there is already the above mentioned book in

English done by her. It is being serialised in The

Radical Humanist June 2010 onwards. She has

also promised to send us in English, gradually,

more of his Marathi literature.

Laxmanshastri wrote this essay with the title

Materialism or Atheism in 1941. How

meaningful and necessary it is, even now, 70

years later, can be understood by the following

paragraph given on the cover page of the book.

—Rekha Saraswat]

“That religion more often than not tends toperpetuate the existing social structure rather thanbeing reformist and that it benefits the upperclasses. They perpetrate the illusions and are usedfor impressing the weaker sections of the society.Many taboos which might have had somebeneficial effects are given a permanent sanction

and these put a fetter on further progress. Theargument that religion promotes social stability andsocial harmony is examined and rejected. Withoutthe dubious benefit of religion various secularworldly values have been developed and they havebenefited mankind more than the vaunted religiousvalues. With no sops of religion men have labouredhard and the finest admirable qualities of men’sspirit have been developed inspite of religiousinfluence – the scientists and the reformers areexamples. The humility that should force itself inthe presence of the infinite and the unknown ismore to be seen with the scientist, the philosopherthan the religious leaders and often this drives themto fathom the depths of thought in the quest fortruth. Rarely does religion explain the how andwhy. These have become the preoccupations ofpeople in secular fields. With a sense ofself-reliance and self-confidence guiding him, manhas dropped the earlier props of religion. In Indiatoo, the social order was seen as embodying moralvalues.”

Contd. from the previous issue............

Three characteristics of the Living Organism:

The life-machine has three unique characteristics,far more advanced than any other machine.

1) The important constituent substances of the lifemachine are being generated in the machine itself.Using these, such a machine experiencescontinuous becoming. The process of regenerationand destruction of the constituent substances arecalled anabolism and catabolism. It goes oncontinuously.

2) There exists a plan inside the organism, in itsgenetic make-up. This plan initiates theregeneration, development and growth of the entirespectrum of the member parts, the organs. This isimplicit in the genome of the life-machine and theassociated embryological organisation. After theegg is fertilised in the womb, a program for thedevelopment of all the plants is initiated, like theunfolding of the collapsible hand-held fan. Itprovides in advance everything that is required for


5

future development. Everything for the futuregrowth is implicit in the embryological stage.

3) Consciousness among life-forms that haveevolved in progressive stages also grows in stagesand in unison. Consciousness is not necessary forthe purpose of conducting all the activities of aliving machine. Here are some examples of theactivities in that machine which need no help fromconsciousness: w) circulation of blood, x) digestionof food, y) destruction of the corpuscles responsiblefor diseases, and z) regeneration of the cells andother elementary constituents, including a vastarray of the organic micro-chemicals necessary forsubsistence.

Evolution of Consciousness as Instrument

Consciousness is a means that has developed in thebody for sustaining only a few activities such assecuring food and destroying enemies. It isprobable that in the distant future, a powerfulenough consciousness may develop, capable ofcontrolling most of the activities in a human body!

Breathing does not need regularly a consciouspush; it continues unaided by consciousness. Incase, that process experiences some hindrance orproduces some chemicals in excess by chance, onebecomes conscious of that process. A woman,while knitting a scarf, does it in an automaticfashion with thinking of anything unrelated. She,however, becomes conscious of her act when theyarn gets entangled. Awareness, knowledge,thought and consciousness have come intoexistence for specific purposes of life. This is notonly an extraordinary improvement in a livingorganism but can also be construed as an advance inthe stage of organic life. As the machine can beimproved further, there is improvement in the bodymachine. The body therefore, ceases to be just amachine. It is of a much higher order.

Living Organism and Chromosome

The Core of the nuclear system in a cell of a livingorganism is made of chromosomes, very long coilsof the protein DNA, which not only reside inside abody, but also create the body. There are 23 pairs of

human chromosomes, each made of threadlikelinear strands of DNA and other associated proteinsin the nuclear structure of cells. DNA is a moleculelike a spiral-ladder made of rungs and sides createdout of smaller building blocks called nucleotides.DNA molecule of a human being is made of about 3billion pairs of nucleotides. Human genetic code isbasically made up of 4 different kinds ofnucleotides. One can look at DNA as a word whichstands for triplets of nucleotides. Chromosomalnecklace contains genes, made of nucleotides asword- beads. Human genome is the total genecontent of the complete chromosomal set in ahuman cell. Chromosomes are the physicalfoundation of all the attributes of life. They are alsothe source of all the hereditary characteristics of acreature. There exist millions of beads, theso-called genes in a chromosomal necklace. A geneis a DNA sequence. Each gene stores a singleattribute or a group of attributes. It occupies aspecific location in a chromosome and is ahereditary unit. The recent publication of the entirecode of the human genome, the Holy Grail, is apivotal scientific achievement. If a change occursin a gene, thereafter change also takes place in theanimal body generated from it. Various differentchanges in hereditary attributes in general and alsoin particular as the variations in the features of agiven family over the years, are the result of thecontinuing transition in genes. Even in a given racewithout any mixing of genes, occasionally a strangeindividual is born. Such an accidental mutation iscaused by a transformational transition in a gene.Transformation in a gene can be induced even byartificial means. Scientists have demonstrated suchtransformational changes through experimentalradiation of genes.

24The genes alone,

philosophically speaking are the material causeresponsible for the various different designs andfunctions of a living organism. If X-rays enter intogenes, they induce therein various kinds oftransformations. Once a transformation has takenplace by chance or otherwise, it continues forthousands of generations of a living organism.Again sometime in the future, if a mutationaldisturbance or environmental variation occurs, therace or the next generation of a family experiences


6

diversity.Awareness of ‘I am my Body’ and Philosophy of

Body-soul Identity:

If there exists an object that needs no proof for itsexistence, it is the soul only. Who will doubt thebeing of his own self? Who will say, “I am not.”? Ifany person dares to make such a statement, he thenshould be asked, “Who is making this statement?”He will say, “I.” Thus he is forced to admit his ownexistence even while asserting its denial. “Soul is.”Or “Soul is not.” is not at all an issue for debate.The issue is as follows. What is the nature of thesoul? Is it the same as the body or is it separate fromthe body? This alone is the important issue!

Intuitive Consciousness

All the philosophers of India have made animportant statement in regard to this issue. Theysay that every conscious being conducts himself inall walks of life believing that the body alone is thesoul. The explanation given in this regard by theAdya Shankaracharya in comparison with that ofother philosophers is the best of reasoning. Thisexplanation is related to biology and psychology. Inthe introduction to Sharira-Bhashya and at the endof the Samanvayasutra, Adya Shankaracharya hasstated that ‘No person whosoever he may be,conducts himself bodily with the self disguised.’ Inother words, he says that the awareness that thebody is the soul is the foundation of all the activitiesof life. The Acharya also asserts forcefully that themetaphysicians, who believe that the soul isseparate from the body, conduct themselves asthough the body is the soul.

25All these

philosophers maintain that the awareness of thefeeling, ‘I am my body!’ is the intuitiveconsciousness from birth.Moksha: Salvation

All Indian philosophers except Charvaka are drivenby the desire to prove that self is separate from thebody. They feel that even though it is quite naturalto think that body is the same as the soul it is anillusion to which man adheres right from his birth.Therefore, in order to remove that illusion the study

of philosophy is necessary to realise the nature ofpure self as apart from body. All thesemetaphysicians agree on one point that theawareness ‘I am the Body!’ is universal andnatural. Now the responsibility of proving that suchan awareness is illusory or false, lies with thesephilosophers.

Improbable Discovery: Soul Independent of Body

The evidence of natural experience is totally setagainst these spiritual metaphysicians. They havestated that the soul is independent of the body yet itis extremely difficult to create an awareness that iscontrary to the natural feeling. It requiresexceptional dedication to practise an austere life.This means that the consciousness that the soulexists separately from the body, can be instilledinto the mind with extreme difficulties. No matterhow frequently mind is saddled with it and nomatter how deeply it is instilled into the mind, thenascent awareness that ‘I am my Body’ doesresurface again and again. Scriptures of allreligions, sermonise with shrill and loud voices thatthe great men of spiritual knowledge also do slipand fall back occasionally into the natural state ofthe mind. The essential conclusion that can bedrawn is that the concept of the soul without bodyhas been created despite the predominant evidenceof natural experience favouring materialism. Manhas struggled to discover the concept of theindependent soul against great odds!

References: 24- i) Mark Graubrad, Man the Slaveand the Master, pp. 136-142. Shaareerabhashya1/1/1 English Transcription: Nachaanadhyastaatmabhaavena dehenakashitvyaapriyate. English translation: ii)Philosophers who believe that the soul is separatefrom the body: None behaves during practice withfaith that 'Body is not the Soul'

25- Nyayasutradarshana: An aphorism, Englishtranscription: Veetaraagajanmaadarshanaat |

Translation: From non-observation of a child bornwithout preferences.


7

Guests’ Section:

[Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times

bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a

Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape. The

End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for

Nonfiction. Mr. Harris’s writing has been

published in over fifteen languages. He and his

work have been discussed

in Newsweek, TIME, The New York

Times, Scientific American, Nature, Rolling

Stone, and many other journals. His writing has

appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, The

Los Angeles Times, The Economist, The

Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic,

The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. Mr.

Harris is a Co-Founder and CEO of Project

Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to

spreading scientific knowledge and secular

values in society. He received a degree in

philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D.

in neuroscience from UCLA. The following

article Meditation is taken from his blog, posted

by him on May 10, 2011.

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-

meditate/]

How to Meditate

There are many forms of introspection andmental training that go by the name of

“meditation,” and I have studied several over theyears. As I occasionally speak about the benefits ofthese practices, people often write to ask which Irecommend. Given my primaryaudience—students of science, secularists,nonbelievers, etc.—these queries usually comebundled with the worry that most traditionalteachings about meditation must be intellectuallysuspect.

Indeed, it is true that many contemplative paths askone to entertain unfounded ideas about the nature ofreality—or, at the very least, to develop a fondnessfor the iconography and cultural artifacts of one oranother religion. Even an organizationlike Transcendental Meditation (TM), which hasspent decades, self-consciously adapting itself foruse by non-Hindus, can’t overcome the fact that itsstudents must be given a Sanskrit mantra as thefoundation of the practice. Ancient incantationspresent an impediment to many a discerning mind(as does the fact that TM displays several, odioussigns of being a cult).

But not all contemplative paths kindle the samedoubts or present the same liabilities. There are, infact, many methods of meditation and “spiritual”inquiry that can greatly enhance our mental healthwhile offering no affront to the intellect.

For beginners, I always recommend a techniquecalled vipassana (Pali, “insight”), which comesfrom the oldest tradition of Buddhism, theTheravada. The advantage of vipassana is that itcan be taught in an entirely secular way. Experts inthis practice generally acquire their training in aBuddhist context, of course—and most retreatcenters in the U.S. and Europe still teach itsassociated Buddhist philosophy. Nevertheless, thismethod of introspection can be brought within anysecular or scientific context withoutembarrassment. The same cannot be said for mostother forms of “spiritual” instruction.

The quality of mind cultivated in vipassana isgenerally referred to as “mindfulness” (the Paliword is sati), and there is a quickly growing


8

Sam Harris

literature on its psychological benefits.Mindfulness is simply a state of open,non-judgmental, and non-discursive attention tothe contents of consciousness, whether pleasant orunpleasant. Cultivating this quality of mind hasbeen shown to modulate pain, mitigate anxiety anddepression, improve cognitive function, and evenproduce changes in gray matter density in regionsof the brain related to learning and memory,emotional regulation, and self awareness.

Programs in “mindfulness-based stress reduction”(MBSR), pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn, havebrought this practice into hospitals and otherclinical settings. The Inner Kids Foundation (forwhich my wife, Annaka, has volunteered) teachesmindfulness in schools. Even the Department ofDefense has begun experimenting with meditationin this form.

The practice of mindfulness is extraordinarilysimple to describe, but it is in no sense easy. Here,as elsewhere in life, the “10,000 Hour Rule” tendsto apply. And true mastery probably requiresspecial talent and a lifetime of practice. Thus, thesimple instructions given below are analogous toinstructions on how to walk a tightrope:

1.Find a horizontal cable that can support yourweight.

2.Stand on one end.

3.Step forward by placing one foot directly in frontof the other.

4.Repeat.

5.Don’t fall.

Clearly, steps 3-5 entail a little practice. Happily,the benefits of training in meditation arrive longbefore mastery ever does. And falling, from thepoint of view of vipassana, occurs ceaselessly,every moment that one becomes lost in thought.The problem is not thoughts per se but the state ofthinking without knowing that one is thinking.

As every meditator soon discovers, such distractionis the normal condition of our minds: Most of us fallfrom the wire every second, toppling

headlong—whether gliding happily in reverie, orplunging into fear, anger, self-hatred and othernegative states of mind. Meditation is a techniquefor breaking this spell, if only for a few moments.The goal is to awaken from our trance of discursivethinking—and from the habit of ceaselesslygrasping at the pleasant and recoiling from theunpleasant—so that we can enjoy a mind that isundisturbed by worry, merely open like the sky,and effortlessly aware of the flow of experience inthe present.

Meditation Instructions:

1.Sit comfortably, with your spine erect, either inchair or cross-legged on a cushion.

2.Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and feelthe points of contact between your body and thechair or floor. Notice the sensations associated withsitting—feelings of pressure, warmth, tingling,vibration, etc.

3.Gradually become aware of the process ofbreathing. Pay attention to wherever you feel thebreath most clearly—either at the nostrils, or in therising and falling your abdomen.

4.Allow your attention to rest in the mere sensationof breathing. (There is no need to control yourbreath. Just let it come and go naturally.)

5.Every time your mind wanders in thought, gentlyreturn it to the sensation of breathing.

6.As you focus on the breath, you will notice thatother perceptions and sensations continue toappear: sounds, feelings in the body, emotions, etc.Simply notice these phenomena as they emerge inthe field of awareness, and then return to thesensation of breathing.

7.The moment you observe that you have been lostin thought, notice the present thought itself as anobject of consciousness. Then return your attentionto the breath—or to whatever sounds or sensationsarise in the next moment.

8.Continue in this way until you can merelywitness all objects of consciousness—sights,


9

sounds, sensations, emotions, and even thoughtsthemselves—as they arise and pass away.

9.Don’t fall.

Those who are new to the practice generally find ituseful to hear instructions of this kind spokenaloud, in the form of a guided meditation.UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center hasseveral that beginners should find helpful.

In future articles, I will discuss the logic ofmeditation, the kinds of first-person insights it candeliver, and how it can contribute to our scientificunderstanding of the human mind.Other Resources:

Books on Vipassana Meditation:

Mindfulness in Plain English, by BhanteGunaratana

The Experience of Insight, by Joseph Goldstein

Wherever You Go, There You Are, by JonKabat-Zinn.Retreat Centers:

There are many places where one canpractice vipassana intensively on retreat. Suchretreats are conducted in silence—apart from anevening lecture and occasional interviews with ateacher to guide one’s practice. There is also amethod of walking meditation that is as deceptively

simple as the sitting practice described above, andone generally alternates an hour of sitting with anhour of walking throughout a retreat. In this way,one can practice for 10-14 hours a day without toomuch physical hardship.

In my experience, there is no substitute for doingextended periods of silent practice. In my 20’s, Ispent 2 years on retreats of this kind, ranging inlength from one week to three months.

There are many centers that hold vipassana retreatsthroughout the year. On the East coast, Irecommend the Insight Meditation Society; on theWest coast, Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

As mentioned above, almost all serious instructionin vipassana comes in a Buddhist context.Nevertheless, one need believe nothing on faith toengage this practice. It stands to reason that if thereis something of interest to notice about the nature ofsubjectivity in the present moment, one shoulddevelop one’s powers of observation. Meditation,in this form, is simply a means for doing this.

(And for any readers who may worry that I havebeen insufficiently critical of the religion ofBuddhism, I recommend the followingessay: Killing the Buddha)


10

The Radical Humanist—Rates Of Advertisement/Insertion-

Journal Size:18cm x 24cm-Print Area:15cm x 20cm

Ordinary Special Ordinary Special

Second Back Cover Rs. 2,500 Rs. 3,000 Third Back Cover Rs. 2,500 Rs. 3,000

Last Cover Rs. 3,000 Rs. 3,500

Ordinary Page: Full Page Rs. 2,000 Rs. 2,500 Half Page Rs. 1,000 Rs. 1,500

Quarter page Rs. 600 Rs. 900

For One Year 2nd

Back Cover Rs. 20,000 Rs. 30,000 3rd

Back Cover Rs. 20,000 Rs. 30,000

Last Cover Rs. 25,000 Rs. 30,000

Ordinary Page: Full Page Rs. 15,000 Rs. 20,000 Half Page Rs. 10,000 Rs. 15,000

Quarter Page Rs.6,000 Rs. 9,000

[Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, is a reformist-writer

and activist. Internationally known for his work

on liberation theology in Islam, he leads the

Progressive Dawoodi Bohra movement. The

focus of his work is on (and action against)

communalism and communal and ethnic violence

in India and South Asia. He is an advocate of a

culture of peace, non-violence and communal

harmony, and has lectured all over the world. He

is presently the head of the ‘Institute of Islamic

Studies’ and the ‘Centre for Study of Society and

Secularism’, both of which he founded in 1980

and 1993 respectively. He currently contributes

to The God Contention, a website comparing and

contrasting various worldviews.He may be

contacted at Centre for Study of Society and

Secularism, 9B, Himalaya Apts.,1st Floor, 6th

Road, TPS III, Opp. Dena Bank, Santacruz (E),

Mumbai-400055, India]

Islamic Feminism

Often people object to the term ‘feminism’as being a western terminology. One

Maulana, when invited to speak in a workshop ofthis title refused to come as feminism is un-Islamic.Is the use of this terminology objectionable fromIslamic viewpoint? Not at all. In fact Islam is thefirst religion which systematically empoweredwomen when women was considered as totallysubservient to man. There was no concept of her

being an independent entity and enjoying equalright with dignity.

What is feminism? Nothing but women’smovement to empower her and to consider her fullhuman being and not mere second sex as ‘Simon deBouire called her. Thus we see in western countriesuntil early part of twentieth century she did notenjoy an independent status. It was only afterthirties of twentieth century that she won equalstatus legally and various western countries passedthe laws to this effect. Yet patriarchy is loominglarge on her in these countries.

Though Qur’an empowered her and gave equalstatus but Muslims were far from ready to acceptgender equality. The Arab culture was toopatriarchal to accept equality. Many ahadith werereadied to scale down her status and she, in most ofthe Islamic societies became dependent entity andQur’anic formulations were so interpreted as tomake her subordinate to men. One hadith even saidthat if sajdah (prostration) were permitted beforehuman beings, she would have been asked toprostrate before husband.

This is totally contradictory to the Qur’an but whocares. It is patriarchy which influences our laws,not Qur’an. In fact when it comes to patriarchy itprevails over the Qur’an. Either Qur’anicformulations were disregarded or so interpreted asto conform them to patriarchy, Now time has cometo understand the real spirit of the Qur’an. ButIslamic world still does not seem to be ready. Whatis worse due to poverty and ignorance Muslimwomen themselves are not aware of their Qur’anicrights. A campaign has to be launched to makewomen aware of these rights.

Another important question is what is thedifference between Islamic and western feminismor is there any difference at all. If we go bydefinition of feminism as an ideology ofempowerment of women, there is no difference.However, historically speaking Muslim womenlost the rights they had due, mainly, to feudalizationof Islam dominated by patriarchal values. In the


11

Asghar Ali Engineer

west. On the other hand, women had no rights andbut won through great deal of struggle and thisstruggle came to be known as ‘feminism’ i.e.women’s empowerment.

But there are significant differences also betweenIslamic and western feminism. Islamic feminism isbased on certain non-negotiable values i.e. equalitywith honour and dignity. Freedom has certainIslamic responsibility whereas in the west freedomtends to degenerate into licentiousness, though notin law but certainly in social and cultural practices.In western culture sexual freedom has become amatter of women’s right and sex has become matterof enjoyment and lost its sanctity as an instrumentof procreation.

Though Qur’an does not prescribe hijab or niqab(covering whole body with a loose garment andface as well) as generally thought but does laydown certain strict norms for sexual behavior. Bothman woman have right to sexual gratification (awoman has as much right to sexual gratification asman) but within marital frame-work. There is noconcept of freedom for extramarital sex in anyform. Sex is permissible only with maritalframework. Sex, as far as Islam is concerned, is notmere enjoyment but an act for procreations andhence has sanctity.

It is important here to emphasize that in apatriarchal society men decided the norms ofsexual behavior. It was theorized that man hasgreater urge for sex and hence he needs multiplewives and woman tends to be passive and hence hasto be content with one. This is not true as far asQur’an is concerned. Qur’an’s approach is verydifferent. It is not greater or lesser degree of sexualurge which necessitates multiple or monogamous

marriage.

Whole emphasis is on monogamous marriage (inboth the Qur’anic verses i.e. 4:3 and 4:129).Multiple marriages were permitted only to takecare of widows and orphans and not for greatersexual urge and the verse 4:129 gives the norm ofmonogamy and not to leave first wife in suspense orneglected. Thus as far as Qur’an is concernedsexual gratification is a non-negotiable right forboth man woman. And hence a divorcee and awidow are also permitted to marry and gratify theirsexual urge.

Also, in western capitalist countries women’sdignity has been compromised and she has beenreduced to a commodity to be exploited. Hersemi-naked postures and her sexuality is exploitedcommercially unabashedly. It is totally against theconcept of woman’s honour and dignity.Unfortunately western feminists do not considerthis as objectionable but accept it as part ofwoman’s freedom. Some (though not many) evenadvocate prostitution as woman’s right to earn herbread.

This is against the concept of Islamic feminism aswhile sanctioning sexual gratification as muchright of woman as that of man, it prohibitsextra-marital sexual liaison and on one handupholds dignity and honour of woman and on theother, exalts sex on the level of sanctity andrestricts it for procreation.. Thus it would be seenthat discourse of Islamic feminism, while havingsomething in common with modern westernfeminism, it also significantly differs from it.Islamic feminists have to observe certain normswhich modern western feminists are not obliged to.


12

A public meeting on “Emergency: Right to Dissent and democratic processes Today” was held onSaturday, the 25th of June, 2011 at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi at 4 p.m.

It was jointly organized by PUCL-Delhi, Citizens For Democracy, Jan Hastakshep, Champa–TheAmiya & B.G.Rao Foundation and Indian Radical Humanist Association.

Mr. N.D. Pancholi was the convener of the programme.

Details will follow in the next issue.

[Dr. Jugal Kishore is Professor, Department of

Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical

College, New Delhi. He is also affiliated with the

Institute of Science and Human value, USA and

Director (Hony) Centre for Inquiry (India).]

Gautam Buddha: The FirstWorld Scientist

Buddha said, “Do not believe in anythingsimply because you have heard it. Do not

believe in anything simply because it is spoken andrumored by many. Do not believe in anythingsimply because it is found written in your religiousbooks. Do not believe in anything merely on theauthority of your teachers and elders. Do notbelieve in traditions because they have been handeddown for many generations. But after observationand analysis, when you find that anything agreeswith reason and is conducive to the good andbenefit of one and all, then accept it and live up toit.” This is first of its kind statement in the worldhistory for fellow human beings to investigate andstudy to find out the solution of problem. Hehimself investigate the suffering thoroughly andanalyzed various factors associated with it. Causalassociation of suffering was established throughremoving one by one in his experiment over aperiod of 6 years. Once he was certain that solutionis found, he declared that that can be used byanybody who wish to to achieve relief fromsuffering. According to him, every being should be

skeptical to accept things and should he or sheinvestigate the reasons. This helps in removing theignorance which the basic cause of craving leadingto suffering. Buddha said in the Anguttara-nikaya :first noble truth (idam dukkham ti pannapemi

ayam), i.e., life is suffering; second noble truth(dukkha-samudayo ti pannapemi), i.e., there is acause of suffering; third noble truth (ayam

dukkha-nirodho ti pannapemi), i.e., cessation ofsuffering is attainable and achievable; and fourthnoble truth—Eight fold path

(ayam dukkha-nirodha-gamini-patipada ti

pannapemi), i.e., there is path to the cessation ofsuffering.

What is this Noble Eightfold Way? These eightthings, when developed and cultivated lead toNibbâna. The Nibbana was clearly and objectivelydefined by Buddha and declared that that state isattainable.

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to theend of suffering, as it was laid out by SiddharthaGautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical andmental development with the goal of freeing theindividual from attachments and delusions; and itfinally leads to understanding the truth about allthings. Together with the Four Noble Truths itconstitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis isput on the practical aspect, because it is onlythrough practice that one can attain a higher level ofexistence and finally reach “Nibbana”. The eightaspects of the path are not to be understood as asequence of single steps, instead they are highlyinterdependent principles that have to be seen inrelationship with each other.

1. Right View: Right view is the beginning and theend of the path, it simply means to see and tounderstand things as they really are and to realizethe Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is thecognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see thingsthrough, to grasp the impermanent and imperfectnature of worldly objects and ideas, and tounderstand the law of karma and karmicconditioning. Right view is not necessarily an


13

Jugal Kishore

intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just amatter of intelligence. Instead, right view isattained, sustained, and enhanced through allcapacities of mind. It begins with the intuitiveinsight that all beings are subject to suffering and itends with complete understanding of the truenature of all things. Since our view of the worldforms our thoughts and our actions, right viewyields right thoughts and right actions which areother integral components of Eight Fold path.

2. Right Intention: While right view refers to thecognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers tothe volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energythat controls our actions. Right intention can bedescribed best as commitment to ethical and mentalself-improvement. Buddha distinguishes threetypes of right intentions: 1. the intention ofrenunciation, which means resistance to the pull ofdesire, 2. the intention of good will, meaningresistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3.the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to thinkor act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and todevelop compassion.

3. Right Speech: Right speech is the first principleof ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethicalconduct is viewed as a guideline to moraldiscipline, which supports the other principles ofthe path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however,essential, because mental purification can only beachieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct.It is well understood through observationsthroughout world that Words can break or savelives, make enemies or friends, start war or createpeace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1.to abstain from false speech, especially not to telldeliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. toabstain from slanderous speech and not to usewords maliciously against others, 3. to abstain fromharsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. toabstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose ordepth. Positively phrased, this means to tell thetruth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and totalk only when necessary.

4. Right Action: The second ethical principle, rightaction, involves the body as natural means ofexpression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodilyactions. Unwholesome actions lead to un-soundstates of mind, while wholesome actions lead tosound states of mind. Again, the principle isexplained in terms of abstinence: right actionmeans 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings,especially to abstain from taking life (includingsuicide) and doing harm intentionally ordelinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is notgiven, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud,deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstainfrom sexual misconduct. Positively formulated,right action means to act kindly andcompassionately, to be honest, to respect thebelongings of others, and to keep sexualrelationships harmless to others.

5. Right Livelihood: Right livelihood means thatone should earn one’s living in a righteous way andthat wealth should be gained legally and peacefully.The Buddha mentions four specific activities thatharm other beings and that one should avoid for thisreason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in livingbeings (including raising animals for slaughter aswell as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working inmeat production and butchery, and 4. sellingintoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs.Furthermore any other occupation that wouldviolate the principles of right speech and rightaction should be avoided. This is not only appliedto single person but also to community and state.Economy of state based on sealing arms andweapons can’t be considered right and welfareeconomy.

6. Right Effort: Right effort can be seen as aprerequisite for the other principles of the path.Without effort, which is in itself an act of will,nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effortdistracts the mind from its task, and confusion willbe the consequence. Mental energy is the forcebehind right effort; it can occur in eitherwholesome or unwholesome states. The same typeof energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and


14

violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline,honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort isdetailed in four types of endeavors that rank inascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent thearising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. toabandon unwholesome states that have alreadyarisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have notyet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfectwholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness: Right mindfulness is thecontrolled and perfected faculty of cognition. It isthe mental ability to see things as they are, withclear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive processbegins with an impression induced by perception,or by a thought, but then it does not stay with themere impression. Instead, we almost alwaysconceptualize sense impressions and thoughtsimmediately. We interpret them and set them inrelation to other thoughts and experiences, whichnaturally go beyond the fact of the originalimpression. The mind then posits concepts, joinsconcepts into constructs, and weaves thoseconstructs into complex interpretative schemes. Allthis happen only half consciously, and as a resultwe often see things obscured. Right mindfulness isanchored in clear perception and it penetratesimpressions without getting carried away. Rightmindfulness enables us to be aware of the processof conceptualization in a way that we activelyobserve and control the way our thoughts go.Buddha accounted for this as the four foundationsof mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2.contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, orneutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration: The eighth principle ofthe path, right concentration, refers to thedevelopment of a mental force that occurs innatural consciousness, although at a relatively lowlevel of intensity, namely concentration.Concentration in this context is described as

one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where allmental faculties are unified and directed onto oneparticular object. Right concentration for thepurpose of the eightfold path means wholesomeconcentration, i.e. concentration on wholesomethoughts and actions. This can be achieved by thepractice of meditation. The meditating mindfocuses on a selected object. It first directs itselfonto it, then sustains concentration, and finallyintensifies concentration step by step. Through thispractice it becomes natural to apply elevated levelsconcentration also in everyday situations andanalyzing things as they are. This is known asVipassana.

Siddhartha Gautam declared that he is not God anddid not believe in superhuman being which iscontrolling human beings or universe. Everyproblem can be solved through right efforts andactions. He explained his complex philosophy andbasic psycho-social discovery in local language. Hehad taken away the suffering of thousands in hislifetime and of millions through his discovery ofeightfold path after his “Maha Parinabbana”. Hewas physically reborn, mentally enlightened andfully liberated from bodily structure on the fullmoon day which is celebrated as “BuddhaPurnima”.

References:

http://www.thebigview.com/Buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#search/Bhikku+samahita/p4

Jugal Kishore. Salutogenesis: Sustainable

approach: An Indian experience. Paper presentedin International Conference on Health Promotion12 July 2010, Switzerland.

Jugal Kishore.History of Public Health in India:

Seminar on “Health and healing practices inColonial India: Continuity and Changes” held on24-25th March 2011 at Nehru Memorial Museum& Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi.


15

“If atheism is the absence of belief in gods, then many Buddhists are, indeed, atheists.”—Barbara O'Brien

Damp squib-exportexport....

The recent expositionabout India’s export

performance Image to the press,though seemingly very impressiveis in fact very misguiding. Theoverall increase of 37% in our

export trade is misleading and hiding somerealities. In real terms it calls for a rationalassessment. According to the exposition export ofengineering products shows a growth of 84.7%which according to the present writer reflects aprocess of reverse imports.

Let us consider some of the aspects.

1. Degree of inflation, affecting costs and exportvolumes. 2. The value of royalties on technologyand intellectual property, research and specificsophistication. 3. The advantages reaped by foreigncollaborators by way of subsidized or specifiedsupport for acquiring land, energy, raw material athedged monopoly, transportation and assuredsecurity expense. In addition to legal update. 4. Themanifold competitive cost difference of Indianlabour and labour force in their parent country. 5.Many advantages extended to them relating totaxes and duties.

During the course of British imperialism there wasalmost single lane transaction. Admitted that Indianparticipation was to a minimal extent, othercountries had only very narrow lanes and open inthis direction.

But they had to carry their needed raw materials totheir native country, adding to costs-adding alsodue to their far more costly labour and managementcosts, security arrangements all on their own costs.Compare that with our present setup.

The advantages enumerated above are on a widelycontrasting nature. In addition, as at presentoutward draw is a multi-channeled octopus.

An example will make it very clear. A foreignautomobile giant has initiated production of luxury

cars by combining with Indian stake holder;keeping 80% stakes for itself of the total productionit will sell 80% of produce in India. Luxury carsfetch substantial economic advantages by way ofpricing choice. They indulge in reverse exportsunder large number of advantages -say if they hadexported their own produced cars to India - wouldbe much less bulk than the present 80%, the 20%they will carry home or will costing them much lessthan if produced in their own country.

It may be mentioned that brand selling and luxurygoods add a great deal to corruption by buyingelements – and / or adding to wasteful expenditureby V.I.P entrepreneurs/managers affectingindirectly to the cost of their products.

Let us now look to other elements of our exports.Tea, coffee, fruits, agro-products, leather, cottonand cotton wear, drugs and pharmacy. These areflowing through wide drains out on the countrymostly on hedged monopoly. What we are gettingis stem waste and dust of tea, fruit rejection andleather hybrid, cotton wear as manifold priceswithin a very short period of time. The rates, atwhich the common man is paying, are at leastmanifold prices for cheapest varieties. The drainingout of the best products leaves behind even theworst materials in acute shortages resulting in sucha price escalation at which more than 70% of thepeople cannot dream of purchasing.

Lastly the exports we make carry with them ahidden agenda, a huge premium is drained throughunder-invoicing and middleman’s charges; the lootgoing as deposits in secret bank accounts; and thetainted wealth making news as loud scandals! Wewould like to know if our honorable minister isaware of this. This writer does not claim to bespecialist enough to comment as an academicstatistical or as an economist of repute, but ascommon man possessing some common sense atleast, hence, this appraisal.

Mr. Ved Prakash Agarwal may be contacted at:Suniket, Sagar Sarai, GMD Road, Moradabad,244001, [email protected]


16

Ved Prakash

[Mr. S.N. Shukla retired as Chairman State

Vigilance Commission, U.P., after serving as

Industrial Development Commissioner and

Administrative Member Board of Revenue. As

‘General Secretary of ‘Lok Prahri’, he has been

conducting several PILs in Lucknow Bench of

Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court.

He lives at: B-7, Nirala Nagar, Lucknow.

Tel.-9415464288]

Article for third eye

In the context of 8 failures of all

governments since 1968 and gallopingcorruption in the recent years, the demand for aneffective Lokpal without any further delay isunexceptionable. However, while supporting ShriHazare’s deadline of 15th August, Shri ShantiBhushan’s letter to Shri Pranab Mukherjeeregarding the major points of disagreement needsto be taken with a pinch of salt. The provisions ofJan Lokpal Bill (JLB) are NOT entirely in line withthe requirements of UN Convention as claimed inthe letter. The Convention does not covermisconduct and grievance redressal sought to beincluded in the Bill. While the demands to includePM & MPs’ conduct inside the House are fullyjustified as they were included in some of theearlier Lokpal Bills also, the definition of ‘PublicOfficial’ in Article 2(a) of UNCAC does not, byitself, require that everyone from PM to peon becovered by the Lokpal Bill only as made out in the

letter. On the contrary, Article 6 envisages morethan one anti-corruption bodies (like our CVC &Lokayuktas) and Article 11 talks of measures forJudiciary by a country “in accordance with thefundamental principles of the its legal system andwithout prejudice to judicial independence”.Hence, the better course will be to include these inthe Judicial Standards and Accountability Billalready before the Parliament. The objection thatpermission for registering FIR would still be givenby a committee of brother judges can be met byhaving an independent National JudicialCommission, having representatives of all stakeholders, rather than an in-house committee.Tactically also it will not be prudent to risk themuch awaited Act being stayed resulting in bestbecoming the enemy of good.

The note attached to the letter containing views ofcivil society members on some important issuesrelated to the Bill did not deal with issues in theirlogical sequence. The jurisdiction of Lokpal istaken up last though its Model and powers willdepend on its ambit. Also, it contains contradictorystatements on the proposed Model of Lokpal. Atone place it says that “Lokpal members will notdirectly deal with any case” and at another place itsays that Lokpal will have “quasi judicial powers insome high profile cases or against judges andministers”. This raises several other questions. Ifmajority of cases are to be decided by the officers ofLokpal what is the guarantee that they would be anydifferent than those doing this work at present, andhow their accountability will be enforced? Can theybe entrusted with powers of Lokpal regardinginquiry/punishment/prosecution etc? Further, howLokpal members will supervise their work? Willthey have appellate/revisional powers? The JLB issilent about it. The examples of Chairman CBDT &Director CBI are not relevant to Lokpal which issought to be given powers of dismissal &confiscation of property etc. affecting fundamentalrights of the concerned persons. The modelsuggested by civil society members bringing intoLokpal’s fold all employees of central govt. and its

17


S.N. Shukla

undertakings and providing for appeal to HighCourt is prima facie unrealistic and unworkable as,while making Central Administrative Tribunalpartly redundant, it will flood the high courts withsuch appeals clogging their normal work andfurther increasing pendency thereby adverselyaffecting the administration of justice.

The arguments against confining Lokpal to higherlevel corruption are also not valid. The possibilityof junior officials being also involved in a casebefore Lokpal can be easily taken care of byextending its jurisdiction to cover such cases.Examples of other countries are not applicable inview of their size and different setup. The basicreason for failure of Lokayuktas is not that in somestates they deal with only political corruption butthat they are toothless. The contention that“experience shows that honest individuals sitting atthe top could not reduce corruption at lower levels”is also of no help. In that case, how can Lokpalmembers be trusted to check misuse of theirdelegated powers by their own officers for decidingcases of lower public functionaries? Moreover, it isimpractical and naive to assume that Lokpal will beable to take care of the day to day corruption(including misconduct and non redressal ofgrievances ) faced by common man at the lowerlevels in the entire country. Also, to say that aworkforce of 15000 can handle this enormous workis a gross underestimation of the problem.

The demand that Lokpal should have power toimpose punishment requires amendment to Article311(1) of the Constitution which provides that noperson who is a member of a civil service of theUnion or an all-India service or holds a civil postunder the union shall be dismissed or removed byan authority subordinate to that by which he wasappointed. Evidently, Lokpal being an appointeeof the President can not be given this power.Similarly in case of persons holding constitutionaland high statutory positions amendments to therelevant provisions for their removal will benecessary. Hence, the proper course is to make

Lokpal’s recommendation binding on theappointing authority except for reasons to berecorded by it in writing. This would take care ofthe argument given in support of this demand that atpresent two parallel proceedings –departmentalaction and CBI inquiry- are held. In a case inquiredinto by Lokpal both departmental action anddecision to prosecute will be covered by only oneproceeding.

Likewise, since Lokpal will deal with only higherlevel corruption CVC & Anti-corruption wing ofthe CBI cannot, and need not, be merged withLokpal as they will continue to deal with lowerlevel corruption. It may set up its own agencydrawing from various enforcement organizations.The suggestion to include in the Bill Lokayuktasfor states also needs to be examined for itsconstitutional feasibility as the analogy of RTI Actmay not be applicable in the absence of legislativecompetence of the Parliament over statefunctionaries. The proper remedy is to amend theLokayukta Acts to strengthen Lokayuktas byvesting necessary powers in them as proposed forLokpal. Notably, none of the earlier eight LokpalBills provided for Lokayuktas for states.

Lastly, a compromise was possible only if bothsides were reasonable and willing to meet halfway.Telecasting the proceedings of JDC might haveincreased TRP of some members but it would nothave been conducive to arriving at a consensuswhich should have been the real aim. The civilsociety members have a right to record their dissentto the provisions of the government draft, but theirinsistence, under the threat of another fast, that theirdraft must be accepted In Toto is bothundemocratic & unreasonable. In case the Billapproved by the Cabinet does not meet theirexpectations they can try Gujarat Navnirman typeagitation of 1973 to bring around majority of theMPs to their viewpoint and failing that show themight of “We the People” in the next Lok Sabhaelections. There can be no short cuts under ourpresent constitutional setup.

18


Current Affairs’ Section:

[Justice Rajindar Sachar is

Retd. Chief Justice of High

Court of Delhi, New Delhi. He

is UN Special Rapportuer on

Housing, Ex. Member, U.N.

Sub-Commission on

Prevention of Discrimination

and Protection of Minorities

and Ex-President, Peoples

Union for Civil Liberties

(PUCL) India.]

The Tragic Situation of SriLanka

The tragic situation of Sri Lankan Tamilscontinues to shock the nations on surface.

But nothing concrete is being done by U.N.O. or byIndia which has a special responsibility in thematter.

Tragic happenings following the break down ofcease fire in Sri Lanka were enquired into by thePermanent Peoples Tribunal, which held its sittingsfrom January 14th 2010 at Dublin, and published itsreport on 17th January, 2010. I was one of the tenmembers of this panel.

The Tribunal regretted that even after repeatedpleas, and in spite of the appalling conditionsexperienced by Tamils, the UN Human RightsCouncil and the UN Security Council failed toestablish an independent commission of inquiry toinvestigate those responsible for the atrocitiescommitted.

At long last on 22 June 2010, the Secretary-Generalannounced the appointment of a Panel of Experts toadvise him on the implementation of the jointcommitment included in the statement issued bythe President of Sri Lanka and theSecretary-General wherein the Government of SriLanka agreed that it “will take measures to addressthose grievances”. The Panel has now submitted its

report to the Secretary-General on 31st March,2011.

Thus, in conclusion, the Panel found credibleallegations that comprise five core categories ofpotential serious violations committed by theGovernment of Sri Lanka; (i) killing of civiliansthrough widespread shelling; (ii) shelling ofhospitals and humanitarian objects; (iii) denial ofhumanitarian assistance; (vi) human rightsviolations suffered by victims and survivors of theconflict, including both IDPs and suspected LTTEcadre; and (v) humanrights violations outside theconflict zone, including against the media and othercritics of the Government.

All these credibly alleged violations demand aserious investigation and the prosecution of thoseresponsible, including Sri Lanka Armycommanders and senior Government officials. ThePanel has concluded that the Government’s notionof accountability is not in accordance withinternational standards.

The Government has established the LessonsLearnt and Reconciliation Commission as thecornerstone of its policy to address the past, fromthe ceasefire agreement in 2002 to the end of theconflict in May 2009, but it has failed to satisfy keyinternational standards of independence andimpartiality.

During the course of its work, the Panel observedthat there are several other contemporary issues inSri Lanka, which if left unaddressed, will deterefforts towards genuine accountability and mayundermine prospects for durable peace inconsequence. Most notably, these include; (i)triumphalism on the part of the Government,expressed through its discourse on havingdeveloped the means and will to defeat “terrorism”,thus ending Tamil aspirations for politicalautonomy and recognition, and its denial regardingthe human cost of its military strategy; (ii) on-goingexclusionary policies, which are particularlydeleterious as political, social and economicexclusion based on ethnicity, perceived or real,


19

Rajindar Sachar

have been at the heart of the conflict; (iii) thecontinuation of wartime measures, including notonly the Emergency Regulations and theprevention of Terrorism Act, mentioned above, butalso the continued militarization of the formerconflict zone and the use of paramilitary proxies,all of which perpetuate a climate of fear,intimidation and violence; (iv) restrictions on themedia, which are contrary to democraticgovernance and limit basic citizens’ rights; and (v)the role of the Tamil Diaspora, which providedvital moral and material support to the LTTE overdecades, and some of whom refuse to acknowledgethe LTTE’s role in the humanitarian disaster in theVanni, creating a further obstacle to accountabilityand sustainable peace.

The panel regretted that an environment conduciveto accountability, which would permit a candidappraisal of the broad patterns of the past, includingthe root causes of the long-runningethno-nationalist conflict, does not exist at present.It would require concrete steps towards building anopen society in which human rights are respected,as well as a fundamental shift away fromtriumphalism and denial towards a genuinecommitment to a political solution that recognizesSri Lanka’s ethnic diversity and the full andinclusive citizenship of all of its people, includingTamils, as the foundation for the country’s future.During the final stages of the war, the UnitedNations political organs and bodies failed to takeactions that might have protected civilians.

The panel has recommendation that in the light ofthe allegations found credible by the Panel, theGovernment of Sri Lanka, in compliance with itsinternational obligations and with a view toinitiating an effective domestic accountability

process, should immediately commence genuineinvestigations into these and other allegedviolations of international humanitarian and humanrights law committed by both sides involved in thearmed conflict.

The Panel has recommended immediate measuresto advance accountability

The Government of Sri Lanka should implementthe following short-term measures, with a focus onacknowledging the right and survivors in theVanni. Considering the response of the UnitedNations to the plight of civilians in the Vanniduring the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka andthe aftermath:

A.The Human rights council should be invited toreconsider its May 2009 Special SessionResolution (A/HRC/S-II/L.I/Rev.2) regarding SriLanka, in light of this report.

B.The Secretary-General should conduct acomprehensive review of actions by the UnitedNations system during the war in Sri Lanka and theaftermath, regarding the implementation of itshumanitarian and protection mandates.

It is regretted that Sri Lanka Government isrefusing to receive UN delegation. This opendefiance of international protocol can not beaccepted. Govt. of India should, in the cause ofHumanitarian Law insist and also create worldopinion to demand that Sri Lanka govt. must abideand carry out the recommendation given in U.N.Report. To keep silent is not an option to Indiawhich owes not only moral but legal responsibilityto see Sri Lankan Tamils. They are not only deniedtheir democratic, political and human rights butalso the right to dignified participation in Sri Lankain all walks of society and the administration.

20


“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying, This is mine,

and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. From how many

crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not anyone have saved

mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows, “Beware of

listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us

all, and the earth itself to nobody.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

[Mr. Balraj Puri is an authority on Jammu and

Kashmir Affairs. He is Director, Institute of

Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, Karan Nagar,

Jammu-180005 Ph. 01912542687,09419102055

www.humanrightsjournal.com]

Closer understanding betweenIndia, Pakistan and Afghanistan

needed

ISI chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha warned Indiathat any Abbotabad like attack by it would

invite a befitting response from Pakistan as targetsinside the country (India) had already beenidentified and rehearsal carried out. Pasha’swarning came as he addressed the in-camera jointsession of the senate and National Assembly onMay 13.

He repeated the warning the of Pakistan’s ForeignSecretary Quaeda Salman Bashir, who was the firstsenior official of his country to speak to a newsconference on the killing of al-Quaeda chief Osamabin Laden, who had said any country that attemptsto mimic the unilateral act of the US would find “ithas made a basic miscalculation and is indulging inmisadventure.”

Both were reacting to the remarks by Indian ArmyChief General VK Singh that Indian forces had thecapability to mount raids like the pre-dawn assaulton the mansion in garrison town near armycantonment in Abbotabad that resulted in killing ofOsama bin Laden. He reflected rising anti-Pakistan

sentiment in India as many find it a rare opportunityto avenge 26/11 Mumbai attack and target terroristleaders like Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed andZikiur Rehman Lakhvi whose addresses are knownto every body unlike Osama who was living incognitio.

Potentiality of Indian forces is not the question. Butbefore undertaking any such adventure, thedifferences between the roles of America and Indiaand alternatives best suited to the national interestshould be considered. The operation is estimated tohave cost America three trillion dollars. Moreover,its forces and intelligence agencies were operatingin Pakistan for over a decade with the consent of thegovernment. There is admittedly visible resentmentthat may have been caused among the people inPakistan over the secret action of America, inviolating its sovereignty and without theknowledge of its government. But the governmentis trying to offer explanation about its inefficiencyor incapability for not knowing the whereabouts ofOsama and not keeping America informed. ItsPrime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced onMay 9 an inquiry into intelligence failure.Whatever differences might exist between the twocountries, both are keen to maintain their strategicalliance against terrorism. Pak premier attachedhigh importance to relations with America.

India cannot compare itself with the only superpower of the world. Nor it has its net work asentrenched in Pakistan as America had. Any overtor covert action by India within Pakistan will onlyhelp its government to convert anti-Americasentiment of its people into anti-India sentiment.Even America would not approve of such action.Its State Department has already pointed out thevast difference between 9/11, which took a toll of3000 human lives, and 26/11 in which casualty was166. Moreover, war against terrorism has yet to bewon within Afghanistan. Any action by Indiawould only force Pakistan to divert its forces fromWestern to Eastern front. Already it has soundedhigh alert not only along LoC, in Jammu, Kashmirand Ladakh but along the entire Indian border.

21


Balraj Puri

Indo-Pak tension will also push Pakistan closer toChina, where its Prime Minister was assured ofChina’s friendship and offered joint manufacture of50 Jets fighter when he visited China recently.

No doubt India cannot afford to be complacentabout threat of terrorism. So is it to Pakistan only ina much greater degree where according to PakistanPrime Minister, 39,000 persons have been killed byterrorists. It is therefore, also, in the interest ofPakistan to seek India’s support to fight thecommon menace. Even America has supportedIndia’s claim for extradition of Pakistan basedterrorist leaders, responsible for Mumbai attack.

India has a stake in the current fight againstterrorism in Afghanistan. It has made investmentsin many constructive and welfare enterprises. Themain indigenous terrorist force there is that ofTaliban which has Pushtoon ethnic base, on bothsides of the Durand line which divides it fromPakistan. Al Quaeda has no local ethnic base. It wasimported to Afghanistan by USA to provideideological support to Taliban to fight againstSoviet occupation in 1980’s.

Al Quaeda believes in Salfi Islam, the most radicalbrand of Islam which Saudi Arabia is exporting tomany countries, including Pakistan while Talibansbelieves in Deobandi Islam which is of Indianorigin. It was al Quaeda which was inspiring mostof the terrorist groups in the rest of Pakistan whichare posing threat to India. As governments ofPakistan and America might succeed in weakeningal Quaeda with its symbol and source of inspirationgone, it should be easier to deal with Talibans. Ithas not only to be dealt with through arms but alsothrough political means to satisfy their ethnic urges.

Their legendary leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khanwas a close colleague of Mahatma Gandhi and wasalong with him a leader of the non-violentmovement for India’s independence and opposedto the formation of Pakistan. The key to Pushtoonsentiment is provided in a statement of his son WaliMohammad Khan in which he said, “I am aPakistani for 50 years, a Muslim for 1400 years and

a Pushtoon for 5000 Years.” Mere religious appealof al Quaeda was not enough to satisfy theiraspirations.

First step in that direction should be to reorganiseAfghanistan on some sort of federal system wherePushtoon and other ethnic communities shouldhave some measure of autonomy. As far Pushtoonin North West of Pakistan are concerned, theyshould have an easy access to their counterparts inAfghanistan by making Durand line soft. Greatestinjustice to Pakistani province of Pushtoons wasbeing done by calling their province as NWFPwhich only denoted a sense of direction where itlay. Only recently it has been named KhyberPushtoonkhwah. As India has better experience ofdealing with ethnic diversities, its involvement inevolving an Afghanistan policy should be welcomeby America and Pakistan. Indian Prime Ministerhas done well in visiting Afghanistan at earliestopportunity where he received very warmwelcome. He emphasized thousands of years’ oldcommon civilisational links between the twocountries and offered to increase economic aid to itby $500 millions.

While America and Afghanistan are willing toexplore possibility of opening a dialogue with softsection of Taliban India should not have opposed it.There are at the least three known factions ofTalibians. There are Pushtoons in Pakistan who hadbitter memories of atrocities committed on them byPakistan government and had links with NationalAwami Party founded by son of Khan Badshahwhich had ruled NWEP. India should not forceunity on all factions of Pashtoons but deal eachaccording to its response.

It would be in the interest of Pakistan to seekIndia’s help in resolving problems in Afghanistaninstead of accusing it for fomenting trouble there.Likewise peaceful and contented Pakistan shouldbe welcome to India also.

Rightly governments of the two countries havereiterated their resolve to resume dialogue to whichthe two Prime Ministers had committed at Mohali,

22


notwithstanding some sabre rattling at lower andnon-official levels. Any steps we are able to taketowards friendly relations between India andPakistan would not only be of mutual benefit butwould be a source of strength to the entire regionand be welcome to the wider world. ManmohanSingh has rightly assured Pakistan of India’s bestwishes for Pakistan from Kabul as well Delhi.

Saner voices also been raised in Pakistan wheretallest opposition leader Nawaz Sharief had warnedhas country against considering India as their mainenemy.

A closer understanding between India, Pakistanand Afghanistan is the need of the hour and in thebest interest of all of them. As a bigger power in theregion, it is the responsibility of India to take a leadin that direction.

23


Dear Rekha,

I add a short story about a short poem (what else can a haiku be) to what I wrote last time. A famousJapanese poet wrote the haiku:

“Tips of crags

Here is also one

Guest of the moon”

His friends arrived, read it and were enchanted. ‘The harsh crags, the soft moonlight streaming downand you standing alone, a guest in that world’!

The poet seemed embarrassed: “You see, I wrote ‘also’ because I saw another poet standing nearby.He was also seeking inspiration.”

The friends would not accept that. All said together “No! No! Poets standing about here and there, itbreaks the charm. It must be you and you alone.” Musingly the poet said ‘You think so? Well, let it bejust me then.”

Did the poet really change his perception of his own poem? Did he, as time went on, slowly forget theother poet and saw himself standing alone in the silent moonlight bathing the silent crags?

I do not know. But I like to imagine so. Then it would so much more than what I said about some critic’sremarks altering a reader’s perception of a poem – the poet making his own, the perception of thereaders. The sounds of the syllables pronounced by his friends would have then altered the paths takenby the syllables of the haiku in his own neural network. —Amitabha

Amitabha Chakrabarti

IRI/IRHA Members’ Section:

[Dr. N. Innaiah, former Director, Centre for

Inquiry (CFI), India, did his Ph.D on Philosophy

of Modern Science. He is a veteran Radical

Humanist who has translated maximum books

written by M.N Roy as well as other books on

humanism in Telugu.]

Humanist movement in Indiawith special reference to

Andhra Pradesh

Contd. from the last issue.........................

During Second World War Roy and hisclose associate G D Parekh came out

with alternative economic planning under name ofPEOPLES PLAN. This is treated as alternative planto Bombay plan of Birla and rich people. In theSecond World War period, communistsscandalized M N Roy and radicals for supportingBritishers in the war against Fascists and Nazis.Not only that, they were blamed for accepting Rs13 thousand for war propaganda. V B Karnicexplained the whole episode and reasonably toldthe world how and why they support Britishers inthe war. Later communists were proved wrong andRoy was proved right. Similarly M N Roysupported Subhas Chandra Bose for the post ofpresident of All India Congress. Gandhi opposedhim but Bose won. Then Roy advised him not toinclude the Gandhians in the executive lest they

should sabotage. Bose did not heed the advice ofRoy and included Gandhians in his executive. Theypromptly sabotaged Bose and next time Bose wasdefeated. No body received Bose when he wasdefeated .When he arrived at Luck now only M NRoy followers received him and Mr. Avula GopalaKrishna Murty and others hosted him in theiruniversity hostel.

The second all India study camp at Dehra Dunbrought out its deliberations under the title: NewOrientation.

Again the essence was brought out into Telugu.

Radical were attacked by communists in Bengal,especially in Kolkata during war period. Theirstudy camps were disrupted. M.V. Ramamurthywas one of the victims to the violent attacks ofcommunists.

Radical Democratic Party contested the firstelections during 1946. At that time only limitedvoters were there. Those who paid taxes were givenvoting rights. From Andhra few candidatescontested and faced uphill task. They encounteredmuch opposition from political parties but alsonationalist voters. Hence all the candidates lost inthe election. But that was also great opportunity forRadicals to spread the humanist alternative. Mr.Koganti Radhakrishna Murty, Mr. RavipudiVenkatadri, Mr. Bandaru Vandanam contested.Mr. M V Ramamurthy, Mr. Guttikonda Narahari,Mr. Avula Gopala Krishna Murty, Mr. N.V.Brahmam and few others propagated for thecandidates. That was a big turning point in theRadical Democratic Party and after the electionM.N. Roy came out with the proposal that the partyshould be abolished in favor of movement.

Then came out the alternative political philosophyand it came out as 22 thesis. Much discussion wenton and immediately the Telugu version came out. Ithas become very difficult for many to acceptpolitics without parties and power. Philip Sprattopposed the disbanding of Radical DemocraticParty. But Roy stood on his principle.

M N Roy published a small but powerful book


24

Innaiah Narisetti

entitled: Jawaharlal Nehru. It exposed the hamletnature of Nehru in politics. Roy gave fitting reply toNehru. In his criticism Nehru said that he likedRoy’s economics but not politics. Then Royretorted saying that his politics and economics areinterwoven and cannot be separated.

Radicals in Andhra were the earliest batch to catchup criticism of M N Roy on Mahatma Gandhi.Gopichand, Avula Gopalakrishna Murty,Guttikonda Narahari did that uphill task. Royexposed the religious views of Gandhi fromscientific point of view. Mr. Avula GopalakrishnaMurty published articles on Gandhi in Telugubased on Roy’s criticism. Even Racists like AbburiRamakrishna Rao could not absorb it. Abburicomplained against Avula Gopalakrishna Murty toM.N. Roy but Avula Gopalakrishna Murty gotclean chit from Roy and endorsed the criticism ofAGK.

Several of Roy’s articles were brought out byKoganti Radhakrishna Murty in lucid Telugu. Heestablished a printing press and brought out manypublications of Humanist thought.

Roy’s New Humanism was translated into Teluguby Avula Gopalakrishna Murty. It is brief butpowerful thesis.

In Andhra are the communists were very powerfulforce during & after Independence days:

Only Radical Democrats faced them theoreticallywith alternatives. M N Roy and Philip Spratt cameout with the book Beyond Communism. It wasimmediately translated into Telugu. Mr. M.V.Ramamurthy brought out Telugu version. It camehandy to Radicals.

Roy’s magnum opus Reason Romanticism andRevolution was serialized in Radical Humanist andlater came out in two volumes. Erich Frommrecommended this book as a must to understandEuropean Renaissance. (In his book Sane Societyin 1955) This was brought out to the notice ofRadical Humanists by Avula Gopala KrishnaMurty.

Mr. Jasti Jaganadham translated some parts of thebook covering Marxism and Humanism. It wasserialized in Vahini Telugu weekly. Later thewhole book was translated by N. Innaiah andTelugu Akademi published it.

Ellen Roy published the essential speeches andwritings of M N Roy under the title: Politics, Powerand Parties. This was translated into Telugu andserialized in Prajavani weekly from Guntur by N.Innaiah.

Contd. in the next issue..........................


25

A request to Contributors of Articles and Research Papers:

ARTICLES MUST REACH ME BY THE 15th IF REQUESTS ARE MADE TO PUBLISH

THEM IN THE NEXT MONTH.

& PLEASE DO NOT SEND ARTICLES BEYOND 1500-2000 WORDS.

(Also, inform me if they have been already been published or sent for publishing elsewhere.)

And, please try to email them at [email protected] instead of sending them by post.

You may post them (if email is not possible) at:C-8 Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India

Do also email your passport size photographs as separate attachments (in JPG format) as well as a

few lines in your introduction, if you are contributing for the first time.

Please feel free to contact me at 91-9719333011 for any other querry. —Rekha Saraswat

Students’ & Research Scholars’s Section:

In Quest Of Freedom

In the quest for the best government and thebest ruler, Plato suggested the philosopher

king. The difficulty however with this is that, it isvery difficult to choose and empower such apersonality. Further the most knowledgeable kingmay not result in the best government because, thegood king may not be the best capable of collectingthe best colleagues and public servants. History hasshown that with the best of intentions, many rulershave become utter failures.

A second system came in the form of a capableruler with wise ministers who advise the king onmatters of governance and law, so that collectivelythey may form a very good team of rulers. This wastried in many places most successfully in the east,particularly in India. There is a flood of fables inIndia about a good intentioned king assisted bywise ministers performing well for a kingdom.

But how do we judge, whether a government hasperformed well or not? Many people havesuggested that, a state of general prosperityprevailing in the country can tell us that the ruler orthe system of governance has been good, as in thetimes of Harshavardhan or Chandragupta Mauryaor Emperor Akbar. Governance has not till recentlybeen judged by the extent of individual freedom orrights the citizens enjoyed. If the people got enoughto eat, the society was free from large scale theftand dacoits and violence one would say, thecountry did well.

While in the west the monarchy assisted by thearistocracy and feudalism flourished, in China,large kingdoms and a well developed system ofgovernment servants chosen from the society onthe basis of merit through a well administered civilservice examination existed since ancient times.

Historically people (for their well being) havedepended on the benevolence and good sense of thepowerful elite and particularly the wisdom or whimof the king. And the distribution of power hasalways maintained a locus so that, it remained inthe hands of few and at the top of society. Peoplehave enjoyed wealth, knowledge, expertise in fewpockets distributed and accessible to the ordinarycitizen depending on his aptitude, but never power.Power has always been the property of the few.And those few usually at the top of the society.

Power shifted from minority to mass with theadvent of the republican system of government.With people getting the right to choose their ownruler and government, we thought power can bedistributed among the people. We thought peoplecan decide their own life, they can enjoy freedomand choice, with the application of the ballot box.Direct democracy was there in Athens alright but itcould not be applied in a large scale and not till theeighteenth century democracy could come again asa form of government that too in the form ofindirect democracy, of course here it was applied ina large scale.

Uniform law which is a precondition forpredictability of social life, many rulers have triedto achieve in their kingdom. Starting fromHammurabi’s code of law on the road sideengravements, to Ashok’s declarations, manyrulers have tried to codify law but at the last, thesupreme authority rested on the king himself. Weinnovated out of this through the constitutionalmonarchy, whereby the king’s power was curtailedand a written constitution with laws binding on theking came into existence.

Irrevocable law offers special freedom to thecitizens. With law comes predictability to the social

26


Tarun Patnaik

life and with predictability comes freedom andpossibility of choice.

No ruler however good he may be, if is a authorityhigher than the law, can guarantee freedom for hispeople. Only a law which higher than everybody,can offer freedom. If the law is unjust, it can bereformed but the good thing about it is that, it isknown prior to our actions and so our life becomespredictable. But we can not in a similar way dependon the decisions of however a wise a ruler or kingthere may be if we have to depend on his judgment.A written law is better than a most generous mind.So the first step towards freedom was thearticulation and codification of law and the secondstep was its enforcement. The third step which isongoing and still continuing is the legal reform orthe search for just and consistent laws. Justiceneeded definition and justice has been gettingdefined in a variety of ways in different culturesand civilizations. India the country where woman istreated as a goddess and is blessed with the highestof adulations and respect and love as a mother, hasseen the system of Sati’s. And it was “Just” in thosedays. Good thing is it had to be and has beenreformed. So justice is very elusive and unavailableto definition. Every time and age finds its ownsense of justice.

A question arises that is today’s modern manempowered with freedom?

How free are we? How much right do we have togovern our life or at least to have a say in thefunctioning of the institutions that affect us to ourskin?

For example when we go to a bank, we may have tostand in a queue for hours because of themismanagement of the local banker. But of coursehe is not within our control or influence.

Everyday we use the transport system, thecommunication facilities, the banks, the post office,the markets etc..

A peculiar example may be when we go to buygrocery; the price charged may be extraordinarilyor exorbitantly high due to fluctuation in supply or

say due to hoarding or black marketing. What righthave we access to, to avoid this compulsory slaveryfor satisfying our unavoidable physiological need?Either we pay the price or we do not purchase andwe must pay the price for this is a primary need, thedemand being inelastic to price. The businessmanmakes a quick profit with a swift drain out of ourpocket. Our rightfully earned money is suckedaway just like a master drains out the labor of hisslave.

But we are free to buy or not to buy, only we cannotexercise our freedom, we being mundane humanwith definite and unavoidable needs.

So is this not slavery in disguise?

To whom can we turn to help us out of thissituation? The press / the local politician / the policei.e. should we appeal to the morality throughexposing our oppressor to public opinion or shouldwe appeal to the politician’s power and influence orshould we appeal to the law of the land?

Consider for example that everyone is free and nobody has any rights. It is not difficult to surmise thatsoon a highly unequal and most developedcapitalistic society will crop up. A proletariat masswith no resources and average or below averageabilities will find itself at the mercy of a capableclever and powerful resource owners. Exploitationbegins and the minority capitalists using modernmanagement give just sufficient compensation totheir labor to keep off strikes and at worst the classwar of the communist revolution type. This isbecause the modern clever man has learned fromhistory that a overly dissatisfied mass usually findsa leader to organize them for a class war and violentoverthrow of the clever minority.

The clever minority must also show that they arepolitically liberal and start a democracy and a legalsystem that though is subordinate to them, allocatessome eye-washing “rights” to the commonmajority.

“Rights” have been born.

[Historically the strong used to overpower the weakand there was the tyranny of the strong, then came

27


some idealistic thinkers who conceived of freedomof man and thought man has a right and libertiesjust because he is human and so romanticizedequality of man. Then came a revolution of themass, and the tyranny of the minority came to anend. The stage being French revolution and thephilosophers being John Locke, Voltaire,Rosseau….. . The American constitution thought,their citizens should have some inalienable rightsagainst whatever the majority or the democraticruler with the support of majority wanted. So theyincluded a bill of rights in the constitution and aconstitutional republic was created.]

In this way too (to be historically correct) Rightswas born.

Though history tells us that it is the second storythat is true. It is the first story that has come to bethe reality in most modern society. Rights hasmetamorphosed from an ideal to a concessionsanctioned for practicality.

It is however these rights which give us the illusionof freedom. We feel we have over reaching rightsand so are free. Our rights are matched with other’srights who are equally at liberty to exercise theirrights, only they are at the helm of affairs or at thepower centers.

Some are powerful with rights and liberties.

Some have no power but have rights and liberties.

None can interfere in another’s business.

But circumstance will have it that these two groupmust interact – in public utilities, during privatetransactions or in banks, railways, buses, roads,shops etc..

Discern that one group has overpowered another ina free deal entered into by both parties of free will.

So freedom without power is in reality a eyewash.We have to live in society and interact with others,who if powerful than us, will snatch our freedomfrom us of our free will. This is the paradoxbetween power and freedom. Unequal powerusually leads to unequal freedom.

We are said we live in a democracy, we can choose

our rulers. But democracy is not only a system ofgovernance for everybody’s benefit. It is also one ateverybody’s expense. Why modern society haschoosed democracy over other types of systems isbecause democracy promises to empower thecommon man.

But the power structure of the society is notdependent on who the ruler is instead it depends onwhat type of institutions are there to take care of theaffairs of society and how they function.

And institutions are created by human intelligenceand organization and do not flow from the ballotbox. Elections are neither tests of intelligence norintegrity or capability, rather they pronounce onpopularity and are gullible to rhetoric and promises.The totality of institutions takes form of the system.And our freedom depends upon there beingappropriate systems, their consistent functioningand most important, our awareness of thesesystems. This is similar to the three steps of law.Awareness of the systems varies with our level ofeducation. Consistency in the functioning of thesystem comes when the system is well defined andwell articulated, also that the executive authoritiesfunction without corruption. The third step ofsystems being just and appropriate is ensured by thepolitical and legislative process, if it is the publicutility and through the regulatory mechanism if it isa private system/institution.

There are four major factors that determine howfree the public is.

1. The public should be aware of the systemsaround it i.e. it should be well informed andsufficiently educated.

2. The systems should not be corrupted and shouldnot be discriminatory

3. The public should have appropriate control overthe systems and the regulatory mechanisms

4. The common man, the individual citizen shouldhave access to sufficient political power so that hehas a say on public matters.

A government and the system of governance whichcan ensure the above four can be said to have

28


created an environment within which, an individualhas opportunity for freedom. Of course whether hehas the actual freedom or not, will depend onhimself and his capability to harness theopportunity for his favor.

We turn our attention to the current time andreflect, what should be done to improve thefreedom enjoyed by the common man. In thecontext of India, we propose the followingprescription.

1. The system should inform the public throughproper dissemination of correct, complete, andextensive information.

2. The citizens should be aware of his rights andthere should be fast track grievance redressalmechanism, (one example in the right direction isthe consumer courts)

3. The public should be listened to, i.e. if theindividual has a suggestion, it should be givenproper consideration and the individual shouldhave the right to get explanation and discussion on

the applicability of his ideas and suggestions. (thereis hardly any country where there is any systematicprocedure to listen to the public opinions andsuggestions about the state and a mechanism togive appropriate attention to it.)

4. With the proliferation of the mobile phone, somesort of direct democracy should be possiblewhereby the people can have a say on publicmatters through sending in their opinion throughthe mobile. (why should only the TV conductopinion polls, the government can also do it, theUID should help out in discriminating responses)

[Mr. Tarun Patnaik is an engineer byqualification, passed out in 1993 from IITKharagpur. After a short stint in corporate for threeand odd years he resigned to study social sciencevarying from philosophy and psychology toeconomics and management. Currently he isengaged in free lance research residing inRayagada, Orissa.]

29


Rising from the heathen chasms

I soar, clouds wearied with dark

Floating in the mist, my feet left no mark

On the dust of humanity, on the earthy

palms

Victory that crowned the nailed glory

The Cross that stood black and hoary

The speared battle and fatal heel

Claimed my presence

Shields, screeching man’s pestilence

Throne of bones I perched on

The bloodied carpet that led my way

The rustling fire that burnt me anon

My ashes denied the heavenly sway

Pitched in thunder my heart rails

Ambushed in torrents, my voice lost to

gales

Ruddier my eyes fire

Raging in His spirit’s ire

Hangs my soul, so lifeless

Buried in prayers, fury mirthless.

I croon the hymn to my limbs

I sing alone, thus invoking myShe has tried to personify death in

this poem.

(Comments invited.)—Nalini Vyas

—Death's Denied Exalted Journey—

Ms. Nalini Vyas is an EnglishHons. Graduate from Kamala

Nehru College, Delhi University.

Book Review Section:

[BOOK: The Skeptical Environmentalist:

Measuring the Real State of the World (Danish:

Verdens sande tilstand, literal translation: The

Real State of the World) by Danishenvironmentalist author Bjørn Lomborg. It wasfirst published in Danish in 1998, and the Englishedition was published as a work in environmentaleconomics by Cambridge University Press in2001.]

—Reviewed by Subhankar Ray

[Mr. Subhankar Ray is a researcher in

Biochemistry and has been, for a long time,

associated with the Renaissance movement.]

Impending Destruction ofEnvironment: A Myth?

Continued from the previous issue...

Natural Resources:

The information and the opinion that theAuthor presents regarding natural

resources are similar to that of energy. Many of usfear that mineral and other natural resources willsoon be exhausted how these are now being spent;nothing will remain for future generation. Manyspecialists also think alike. In much read anddiscussed book of 1972 Limits to Growth it waswritten that the reserves of gold, silver andmercury, and zinc would be exhausted in 1981,1985 and 1990 respectively. But that did nothappen. This Chapter begins with an amusinganecdote. In 1980 economist Julian Simon made abet that his opponents might choose any rawmaterial the price of which would not be reduced inthe coming year. Environmentalists Ehrlich, Harteand Holdren by choosing chromium, copper,nickel, tin and tungsten agreed to the bet but weredefeated. The Author comments that Ehrlich et alhad no way to win because during that period theprices of petroleum, food, coffee, cotton, wool,minerals all decreased. By mentioning the source

he states that the prices of industrial produce werereduced by 80% in 160 years from 1845 to 1945.According to World Bank besides energy the mostsold items are aluminum, banana and wool, whoseprices were reduced to one third in the last hundredyears.

Both the use of and stored raw materials areincreasing gradually. What is the explanation ofthese apparently contradictory phenomena? Thereasons are, we are getting new sources, using in amore efficient way and recycling. In automobilemany different types of materials such as iron andother metals, glass, plastic rubber are used. Byusing lesser amount of these materials now wecould make it more efficient and durable. Muchlesser amount of raw materials is needed now thanthat was needed in the past to make a bridge ofsimilar durability. Now-a-days a very fine opticalfiber could communicate that number of telephonecalls for which 625 copper cables were neededtwenty years back. The citizens of USA became30% richer but their use of plastic, metal and woodhas declined. The Author arrives at the sameconclusion; if we do not use more resources by notimproving the technology then also the resourceswould be depleted. The main issue is improvedtechnology.

Crisis of Water Supply:

We worry much about water crisis of the presentand future. It is true that the use of water isgradually increasing. However the main problem isorganizing the supply of water to all; there is nodearth of water as such. According to theestimation of International Water ManagementInstitute the use of water is increasing in such a waythat around 2025, 600 cubic kilometers of morewater will be needed. But utilizing extra barrageswe could easily harvest 1233 cubic kilometers ofwater from that are now scattered around.

The present Reviewer also feels that in thosecountries similar to ours where a huge amount ofwater get wasted in the rainy season river barragesare very essential to harness the water resources.

30


There is no doubt that such projects like BhakraNangal; DVC etc brought significant prosperity toour Country. Similarly Narmada project will bringprosperity to the people of draught-prone areas ofGujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and MadhyaPradesh. So we need to mobilize public opinionagainst the movement of Medha Patekar and others.The government should complete the project asquickly as possible by ignoring the movement. Itshould also take up more such projects.

The conclusion of this part is that the improvementwe made in our living could be maintained. Foodwill be cheaper and more people will receiveadequate food. Although forests have beendestroyed still 40% of rainforest are there. Thereare huge water resources but due to lack of propermanagement adequate amount of water could notbe provided to all. Due to improved technologythere is no crisis of energy and natural resources.There will be enough wealth for future generations.In short this progress is sustainable. In thesubsequent Chapters the Author shows that in spiteof this sustained improvement pollution is notincreasing.

Air Pollution:

Amongst all the pollutions air pollution is mostimportant. We generally think that air pollution is acontribution of modern civilization and with itsadvancement this pollution is increasing gradually.The Author by citing the statements of politiciansof yesteryears shows that this problem wasprevalent in the past in Rome, London too. Severalhistorians also corroborated this. The air of Londonwas so polluted that in 1285 King Edward firstintroduced a commission to control air pollution. In1742 Dr. Johnson described the terrible filth andfoul smell in the air of London. Even the poetShelly wrote “Hell must be much like London, asmoky and populous city”.

The main reason of this air pollution was burning ofcheap and highly sulfur-containing coal instead ofwood. British environmental scientist PeterBrimlecombe has made an estimate of air pollution

of from 1585 up to present day, which shows that inthree hundred years from 1585 pollution hadincreased by leaps and bound. But in hundred yearsafter that pollution has decreased very rapidly andin 1980-1990 this pollution was even less than 16thcentury.

Two old Bengalees provided anecdotal evidence tothe present Reviewer that the air in London wasmuch cleaner when they visited it in their olderdays than when in their youth they went to London.Many now tell that the infamous smog of London isnow much less. We provide above the situation ofLondon but it is almost everywhere in developedcountries. The main constituents of air pollution arefine particles, sulfur dioxide, ozone, zinc, nitrogenoxide, carbon monoxide and some volatile organicmaterials. Estimation has been made about its costfrom loses. Estimations of EC, severalorganizations of USA, World Bank show that thiscost had gradually reduced from 1977 to 1999. Theair pollution is gradually decreasing in the big citiesof the countries of OCED, Japan, Canada, Germanyetc. By providing data the Author shows that forthis reducing pollution law and administration havesome role but main reason is advanced technology.

After that the Author raises a very importantquestion. If in developed countries this air pollutionis decreasing in line with the economicdevelopment then why not it will happen indeveloping countries? It is true that the cities ofpoor countries such as New Delhi, Beijing, MexicoCity are worst polluted. But sometime ago Londonwas more polluted than New Delhi or Beijing.Survey of World Bank showed that pollutionincreases with economic development, but that isup to a certain level; but after that pollutiondecreases with development. Pollution is lesser inthe countries that are now very poor, pollution ismaximum in countries who are in the middle, butpollution is minimum in countries who are mostaffluent.

We generally think that pollution will increase withaffluence, but the actual situation is the other way.

31


With economic development it will be possible toput effort and to control pollution. In USA numberof automobiles has increased and mileage is more,still the emission is lesser.

When we think of air pollution we think only ofemissions from automobiles and factories. Butsurvey of WHO shows that death due to indoor airpollution is fourteen times more than death due topollution outside. In poor countries this pollutioncomes mostly from fuel. In closed or limited aircirculating kitchen when wood and cow dung areburned ladies and accompanying children suffermost from the smoke. This pollution is many timesmore than the outside of the most polluting citiesand among the top of the death rate due to pollutionas per WHO’s survey. The Author rightly remindsthat with increasing economic prosperity thispollution will be insignificant because then insteadof wood, cow dung etc cleaner fuel such askerosene, gas etc will be used.

In developed countries this problem is different.The main reasons are radon gas, which is alwaysemitting from under the floor, formaldehydepresent in furniture, asbestos present in tiles, andsmoking. Due to air-conditioning rooms aregenerally always closed in developed countries theamount of these materials has increasedsignificantly. No measure could be taken tominimize radon gas emission. However newproducts are being made, which contain lesseramount of formaldehyde and asbestos and/ormeasures taken so that the emissions are less. Stillindoor pollution in poor countries is significantlyhigher than that of rich countries.

A controversial issue of our country is to ban thecommercial automobiles, which are running formore than fifteen years. However the consequenceof this might not be good, because the transportcosts will be more, as a result and poor people willsuffer most; the pollution will minimize only alittle.

Acid Rain:

In the decade of 1980 acid rain and its purportedconsequence of destruction of forests raised awidespread fear among the people of Europe. Indifferent books, newspapers and magazines it waswritten that as a consequence of this forests inEurope and in other parts of the world would bedestroyed shortly. It had even been termed‘Ecological Hiroshima’. However no such disasterof enormous magnitude did happen. There weresome problems, which however could becontrolled. All rains are acidic, both before andafter industrialization. What is meant by acid rain isthat due to industrialization an extra amount ofcompounds of nitrogen and oxygen, andcompounds of sulfur and oxygen are mixing withair and subsequently reacting with water to producenitric acid and sulfuric acid and reach the earth withrains.

It is true that in late 1970s and mid 1980s in manyparts of central Europe there were many sick andmoribund trees. For this at that time a scientificinvestigation was made under the leadership ofNational Acid Precipitation Assessment Program(NAPAP) in which 700 scientists were engagedand 500 million of US $ were spent. The conclusionof that assessment was that there was no evidenceof large scale damage of forests due to acid rain.The team also investigated what damage was thereon water bodies, buildings and memorial tombs andfound that the damage was minimal. The mainproblem was pollution at local level not that whichspreads many surrounding countries from thesource. A German scientist by showing some oldpictures suggested that in the past similar incidencesuch as large scale shading of leaves and increase insick trees also took place.

Despite the nightmare of acid rain has remained inmany minds the damage has been controlledmostly. Some regulation was necessary to decreasethe emission especially of sulfur dioxide. Overall inthe past one or two decades in large parts of Europetrees and forests have increased largely.

Continued in the next issue...................

32


[Mr. Ajit Bhattacharyya is a history scholar and

writer. He is a trustee in the executive body of

Indian Renainssance Institute. He is also a

veteran member of the Indian Radical Humanist

Association.]

[BOOK: Glimpses Of Europe From Zagreb byMohanlal Chatterjee Published By Sarup BookPublishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1stPublished—2010, Priced Rs. 1250 /-]

Form Raja Rammohan Roy to Nirad C.Chaudhury about half a dozen Bengalees

wrote elaborately on their sojourn in Europe.Except Annada Shankar Roy, a noted Bengaleepoet and writer, all others are internationallyknown. Glimpses of Europe from Zagreb by Prof.M.L. Chatterjee is perhaps the only voluminousautobiography of an unknown Bengali. It is adaring feat for a nuclear scientist, known onlywithin his scientists’ circle, to write a bookcontaining 400 pages. He touched almost everysphere of contemporary and ancient Europe. To acasual reader some chapters may look like a touristguide book. But there are many thoughtprovoking fine catches, in between. It may also beasked whether it is now at all necessary to go intosuch details as was done by the Portuguese travellerFernao Nuniz. He extensively toured theVijaynagar Kingdom in southern India in 1535. Heleft a very informative account of its history andcontemporary political, social and economicconditions of its people. Notwithstanding thevalidity of this argument, Chatterjee has tried toreach at the grass root level. This documentation by

an Indian may likewise become a historical sourcein future.

Dr. Chatterjee, a nuclear physicist went to Zagreb,Croatia in erstwhile Yugoslavia for post doctoralwork in 1968. Thereafter he visited Europe andNorth America many time till 1991. In Zagreb heworked with Prof. Nikolo Cindro in the RudjerBoskovic Institute. Prof Nikola’s analysis (chapter4 & 9) of the then Socialist world spoke of thecollapse of Communism in Yugoslavia and in theSoviet Block. By using it as a simile we may welllink it to the resent Left debacle in West Bengal.Chatterjee wrote, “He would lament that such ahuman ideology would be totally vitiated by itspractitioners by their indiscretions and theirshameless desire to rule through intolerance.... TheParty and its members are prone to treat commonhuman beings as a folk of sheep or string puppets.”

“...the leaders insulate themselves from thecommon people.... in their castle of blissfulignorance the leaders were led to believe that everything was nice and fine and the common peoplewere singing loudly in their (leaders) glory.”

Just like our Indian counterpart they attributed allopposition and malfunctioning to ‘imperialistdesigns’.

According to Nikola, “even a notorious rogue couldbecome a saint to them if he would join the Party.”

Communism collapsed in Europe and recently got adrubbing in West Bengal owing more to internalcontradiction, deceit and misrule than to externalpushes.

We may now turn to other interesting anecdotes.Prof. M.L. Chatterjee tells that Mr. BarinChatterjee was a very dynamic person in theNeutron Physics section of the Saha Institute ofNuclear Physics, Calcutta. The section wasassigned the task of building a Cockroft-Walton(CW) Voltage Multiplier. Dr. Sudhir K.Mukherjee, Dr. Nirmal Mazumdar, Dr. AshimGanguli and Barin Chatterjee formed a close-knitgroup devoted to the building up of theCW-machine to be used for producing the neutrons

33


Ajit Bhattacharyya

using nuclear reaction. But when the paper waswritten, Barin Chatterjee’s name was not includedin the authorship, as he was a technician, not ascientist. Such exceptions are found everywhere.

Nikola narrated one such story. A very renownedsenior physicist whose name was withheld by theauthor had pounced upon a very young student inan international conference to the extent ofdemolishing his work. Nikola was pained and said,“To be a good physicist one needs to be a bad man.After all man’s primary identity is as a human beingand being a physicist is just an extra attribute to thatonly. It is the duty of the seniors to help andencourage younger generations and not to destroythem.”

In another place the author mentioned a 14-year oldZagreb boy’s curiosity. He was a co-passenger ofChatterjee on way to Florence. He asked Prof.Chatterjee about two things both in the realm ofhigh energy physics viz., what were ‘Tachyons’and ‘Quarks’. Till then Chatterjee did not even hear

of Tachyons. Much later he learnt that Achyonswere first discovered in 1967 by Gerald Feeinbargand E.C.G. Surdarshsan. It was a particle that couldmove with a velocity higher than light. It wasapparently violating the special Theory ofRelativity by Einstein. Scientists are still activedoing research in the same field.

Mention may be made of Mrs. Milla Orsulic. Shewas Chatterjee’s landlady at Zagreb. She did nothave the highest levels of urban sophistication andculture. She was not rich by any account. But so faras human virtues and qualities are concerned, shecould be placed at the highest rank, as is seen byChatterjee.

Chatterjee has explained existentialism to anextent. But he has not explained secularism andhumanism, though he has used the words manytimes. The essence of these ideals is, therefore,missing in his writings. But certainly he does notjoin in the mad stampede of modern men in searchof God.

34


[Ms. Dipavali Sen has been a student of Delhi

School of Economics and Gokhale Institute of

Politics and Economics (Pune). She has taught at

Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, and

various colleges of Delhi University. She is, at

present, teaching at Sri Guru Gobind Singh

College of Commerce, Delhi University. She is a

prolific writer and has written creative pieces and

articles for children as well as adults, both in

English and Bengali. [email protected]]

A Photo Odyssey

[BOOK: Nirad C. Chaudhuri Many Shades ,

Many Frames, by Dhruva Chaudhiri; publishedin 2011, by Niyogi Books, New Delhi; hardcoverwith dust jacket; 9.75x8.75 sq inches; pp 180;photographs 168; price Rs 1250]

As the number of photographs statedabove indicates, this is a publication that

combines text with photograph. Photographs hereare not there for the purpose of illustrating the text.Rather, the text is there to explain and supplementthe photographs.

Another unusual feature is that this is a son’s bookon his father. Its creator Dhruva N.Chaudhuri is theson of the very well-known Indian NiradChaudhuri.

Dhruva Chaudhuri, approaching eighty, is arenowned photojournalist. When just eighteen, hebegan his career with The Statesman in Delhi and

Kolkata. He has worked for The Illustrated Weeklyof India and other leading dailies and magazines.His photographs have been published in foreignnewspapers and magazines as well. The

Millennium Book on New Delhi included numerousphotographs by him. Delhi: Light, Shade and

Shadows (Niyogi Brothers) is an acclaimed workon Delhi.

This book is his effort to capture a total image of hisfather. Nirad C. Chaudhuri has written copiouslyon himself and at various phases of his life. Yetthere are aspects of his personality that had not beenfully documented. Those are the gaps that his son’sphotography and writing fill in this book.

He had thousands of rare photographs that hethought had their own story to tell. He also hadmaterial that he had tape-recorded in his father’slast years when he could no longer write.

Collating them and running a biographical accountthrough, Dhruva Chaudhari has really added newdimensions to Nirad C Chaudhari’s ownautobiographical accounts.

For example, Nirad C. Chaudhari was quiteenergetic even in his very late years. In front of hislittle cottage in Oxford, there was a tiny garden.Even at the age of 95, Nirad C. Chaudhuri used totend to it himself and the book photographs him atthat activity.

Nirad C. Chaudhari has admitted himself that heowed a lot to his wife Amiya. Ever since he married(somewhat late for those times), he never had toworry about housekeeping or making ends meet.Amiya Chaudhurani managed the householdadmirably, and steered the family though all sortsof weather. The book carries her photographs andpays due tribute to this most exceptional woman,who at the age of eighty, wrote her own memoirs aswell (Didimar Jug O Jeebon and Prabasini

Didima).

Nirad C. Chaudhari’s rather unusual views hadmade him a controversial figure. Of his prose styletoo, there can be a variety of opinions.

35


Dipavali Sen

But there is no scope of controversy or difference ofopinion as to the worth of this book on him – thathas created a new genre of biography. Interweaveof written, recorded and photographic materialculled by a close relative can create a completelynew kind of book. In this sense, Dhruva NChaudhari’s work is quite pioneering.

Even outside the family circuit, this method or stylecan be applied successfully. For example, DhruvaChaudhuri at present is working on a book onJaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmir, to be published byNiyogi Books. Dhruva Chaudhari had been visiting

these historic places right from 1957. Hisphotographic impressions of them have beenpublished in international photo salons andexhibited by the Desert Cultural Centre ofJaisalmir. It is these that he is energeticallycollating now. They are going to be supplementedby renderings of local legends and myths. It isgoing to be a colourful narration of history. It isgoing to be ‘A Fifty-Year Photo Odyssey’.

So the book under review is not just a book onNirad C. Choudhuri but on a whole new way ofchronicling human history.

36


Humanist News:

PUCL, Gujarat’s Memorandum to The Director General of Police,Gandhinagar, Gujarat:

Subject-Warning for Self Immolation in Kodinar

Sir,

We would like to inform you as per reporting in the news paper Gujarat Today dated 8th. June thatwoman Sarpanch, Vice Sarpanch and the member of the Gohil Ni Khan Panchayat have intimated to selfimmolate themselves on 15th of this month at 11AM.

It is learnt from their letters to the Governor that, a water body came into existence in 1997 spendingseveral lakh of rupees. The water body was a great boon to the villagers in many aspects. But theAMBUJA Cement Company damaged the water body by constructing the road into the water body forcefully to benefit their factory, with out taking any permission from the Govt. Though the villagers havebeen and lodging complain before the Govt. and the administration for last three years, no action has beentaken against the Ambuja Cement, which has angered the people of Gohilni Khan Panchayat.

Being aggrieved and driven by the callous indifference of the Govt. and the administration the womenSarpanch Ms. Hemabenbholabhai Gohil, Vice Sarpanch Ranveerbhai Laxmanbhai Gohil, and themember of the Panchayat Shri Bhikubhai Gohil has given an ultimatum to meet their demand otherwisethey will go for self immolation on 15th of this month at 11AM. The incidents of self-immolation areinfecting the citizens in the state which is a matter of grave concern. We would like to remind you thetragic self immolation of Jabardan Gadhvi in Rapar in last February 2011. The PUCL fact finding teamhas come out with a detailed report of the self immolation of Jabardan Gadhvi. Another self-immolationincident took place in the district of Kutch last month. This ultimatum of the self immolation on 15 th.June must be prevented at all cost and action against the Ambuja cement be taken with out delay.

We hope you will take immediate measures to stop the self immolation.

Thanking You.

Prakash N. Shah, Editor Nirikshak Columnist, Convener, Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD),Working President, PUCL Gujarat- Mobile No-09879919421

Gautam Thaker, General Secretary, PUCL Gujarat, Mobile No09825382556

Dilip Chandulal, Coordinator, Lok Andolan Gujarat & Retired Govt. Officer, 09427310291

D.N. Rath, Coordinator, Lok Andolan Gujarat

Humanist News Section:

I

A letter addressed to Anna Hazare, Arvind

Kejrival, Swami Agnivesh and Kiran Bedi

before their visit to Gujarat dated 23-5-2011 and

released for press on 1-6-2011:

“Corruption Free Vibrant Gujarat”! A Myth ofDevelopment minus Human Face

Sir,

Rising of whole of India against corruption is anextremely rare and unique occurrence. We join thenation in saluting the crusaders against corruption.Shri Anna Hazare has once again risked his life inkindling so many lamps to focus on the issue. Theuntiring and persistent efforts by Shri Kejrival,Kiran Bediji, Swami Agniveshji, have created aglimmer of hope in the hearts of millions of peopleof this country. We welcome you all to Gujarat.

Your visit to Gujarat on 26th May is eagerlyawaited by the people of Gujarat. There is lot ofexpectation from the visit of Anna Hazareji whohas become the icon of crusader against corruption.And look forward to him to take up the causeagainst corruption through out the countryincluding Gujarat. The initial appreciation of theC.M. by Annaji shocked all but after his initialclarification people here that Annaji will be able togive voice to the voiceless people who are crushedunder the wheel of so called development. Thehope of the people has touched the expectation ofJP Movement, who raised the slogan of TotalRevolution. Even People have started comparingAnnaji with Gandhiji also. So people all overGujarat will come to listen to you and to presenttheir views before you.

We are writing this letter to you just to cite someaspects of reality in nutshell such that this may helpyou to ascertain the real picture of Gujarat. Laterduring your visit we will hand over the necessaryannexure to you during your stay in Ahmedabad.

One of the reasons behind rampant corruption is amad rush for so called development. In fact, it is amisnomer to call economic growth, development.

Economic growth signifies expansion in the totaloutput of a country or a state. Economicdevelopment is focused on the human face andinclusiveness of such growth. The main issue inshort is, whether the infants live at least for the firstyear of their life (Infant Mortality rate) and whetherliteracy and health facilities are available to all ataffordable price. It is also possible that state andindustry can connive and take away the means oflivelihood of the simple people. When a state entersinto such tacit understanding with the corporateworld it is a situation of concealed corruption ofdevastating effects, which has been ruthlesslyfollowed by LPG. In the name of development,social indices such as health, especially of womenand children; education; the status of minorities;the economic health of the middle class and thepoor; jobs, livelihoods and environmental concernsare totally ignored which pave the path forenriching the already rich.

Question of Land:

The Land grabbing, demolition of slums, in thestate in the name of industrialization anddevelopment is the worst kind of attack on theframers and the common people. The people’smovement of Mahuva in recent time isunprecedented one. Mahuva March involving morethan 30,000 people, walking nearly 350 kms toprotest against the cement plant bears this out. If theplant is established it will lead to a total loss of25,000 bigha land on which 1, 25,000 people couldsurvive. The cement factory would provide directemployment to only 418 persons.

Apart from it, people are opposing in Jharpara-inthe district of Kutchh against Adani SEZ, againstSIR (Special Investment Region ) in South Gujarat, Paar- Tapi- River linking Project in South Gujarat& Dang District, Also in Mithi Viradi in Bhavnagardistrict against proposed Nuclear Power plant.

People are opposing the demolition of slums,Demolition of Ravivari (Sunday Market inAhmedabad), area for the Riverfront project thoughGujarat High Court has issued the Stay Order. The

37


stay order of High Court in favour of themarginalized are flouted openly without anyprosecution under violation of Court Order.

Here are few cases of Land allotment-

Land allotment with meager rate to industrialists incapital Gandhinagar without auction.

33,000 crores concession to Tata Nano Car project

Land allotment to Adani Group for Mundra Port &Mundra special Economic Zone

Allotment of Prime Land of Navsari AgriculturalUniversity (NAU) without auction for 7 star hotels

Illegal allotment and construction on CoastalRegulation Zone (CRZ) and Forest Land byESSAR Group

Huge land allotment for Salt Chemicals nearPakistan Border to Companies said to be related toVenkaiya Naidu (BJP leader)

Corruption?

CAG has indicted or noted many incidents ofirregularities. There was the Rs.1,700 croresSujalam Sufalam scam in 2009. There is rampantcorruption in running the various schemes of ruraldevelopment or poverty removal. Mahatma GandhiRural Employment Guarantee Programme(MANREGA) is a case in point. Poor labourers arenot paid their dues. Also in 2009 came the Rs.260crores scam pertaining to the National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme The wage ratesgiven to agriculture and other labourers in theunorganized sector are one of the lowest in thecountry as a whole.

Large pieces of land belonging to farmers are takenaway and sold to corporate houses. The corporatehouses, in their turn sell them again to others. Thecream money is channeled into the coffers of thecorporate, who sign big MOUs (which hardlymaterialise), and finance various jamborees likeKite Flying, Navratri Garba Mahotsav and so on.

Issue of Narmada Dam has been blown out ofproportion by various governments. The reason isthat work for the project affected people is notundertaken. Only 29 percent of the canal work is

done. Due to poor construction of the Canals thereare more than 300 breaches in Narmada Canals.

Now it is quite possible that the state may use mostof the water for industrial purpose. On the otherhand, State is suffering from acute crisis ofdrinking water as well as irrigation. In the grandstrategy, the state wants the farmers to be pushedout of the villages by making farmingun-remunerative, then take away their land andthen give land and water to the corporate world. In2010, it was found that the Fisheries Minister hadbeen awarding contracts for fishing in 58 reservoirsacross the State. It was alleged that the irregularitycost the State exchequer Rs.600 crores.

The Victims:

Besides this there are innumerable instances ofalienation of poor and marginalized people. Eventhe ‘communal divide’ has not come to an end afterthe shameful and atrocious behavior of the 2002event. The rehabilitation of 2002 carnage,compensation is a far cry. So also is the case withthe Killer Earthquake 2001. After 11 years of KillerEarthquake many survivors are deprived of properrehabilitation and compensation. Day by day oneafter one corruption is surfacing on EarthquakeDebris Removal.

1. A congenial atmosphere is absent where theHuman Right activist, RTI activists can work freefrom fear. People are scared to come out openlyagainst the administration or the Govt. and prefer toremain silent to avoid risk. Most of the witnesses of2002 Carnage are becoming hostile and lawyersappearing the cases of the victim of 2002 carnageare threatened to lose their Sanad.

RTI activists are facing even threats on their lives.Instances like those of Amit Jethwa, exposing themining mafias was murdered, and JabbardanGadhvi immolated himself in Rapar before theMamlatdar office in broad day light.

Land grabbing with connivance from theadministration is also not uncommon. There arealso instances of farmers committing suicide.

It is shocking to note that the state government is

38


not utilising the funds of scholarship for theMuslims and allows them to lapse. The funds arebeing given by the Central Government with acondition that 25 percent of it will be borne by thestate.

2. The nexus of bootlegger with police is a hardreality. More than 120 died in Hooch tragedy inJuly 2010.

3. Amit Shah the Home Minister of the state wasarrested and not allowed to enter the State by CourtOrder is enough to show the state of affairs. Moreover many more officers are arrested on variouscorruption charges and cases are pending againstthem.

What is dished out to the world as development isnot very far removed from deprivation. A wholeprocess of marginalization of individuals, groupsand communities is at play. Take the measure ofurbanization in Gujarat. According to the 2011census it is as high as 41 percent. Is thisdevelopment? Labourers from many parts ofGujarat as well as the country like Orissa, Bihar,Rajasthan and M.P. are flocking into the urbanspace of Gujarat. They do not have even therudimentary facilities like safe drinking water,affordable health services, and roof over the heads,food and employment. They remain exploited lots.There are no labour laws in SEZ; this also is one ofthe reasons why the corporate world joins thechorus of development paradigm of Gujarat. Thelabour laws are flouted openly and the workers indiamond sector, power loom sector, in AlangShipyard and in other organised sectors areexploited ruthlessly.

Nearly 3000 primary schools, which were so farbeing run by the local bodies, are to be closed downunder the plea of poor attendance and may beleased to private bodies. This shows the dropoutrates of the students from primary schools are goingto increase in spite of Admission Mahotsav by ourCM.

There is no fresh appointment of full fledged schoolor college teachers since last decade and more.

Students desirous of further studies are beinghunted down to enter the private and self-financeinstitutions, which fleece the parents and alsoindulge into unscrupulous and corrupt practices.Bribery is a very common practice for getting anyGovt. employment.

In 2003, Modi initiated the Vibrant Gujarat Summitto attract investors to the State. The first time heattracted proposals worth Rs.69 crores. In 2005, hegot Rs.1 lakh crores. Then Rs. 4 lakh crores in2007, Rs. 12 lakh crores in 2009 and almost Rs. 21lakh crores in 2011. Besides, it also shows thecapacity of the government to use the propagandamachinery for creating an image of effectiveleadership and development. One has to seethrough this grand design of vote catching. Ourconcern is that corruption is indeed a major issuefacing the Indian polity; however, much of suchcorruption is not only passing unnoticed, corruptpractices are clothed into the garb of developmentwhich is not there for any one to see. It too appliesto Gujarat. We would like to inform you that goodnumber of concerned citizens and the members ofcivil society, organisations are taking up thepeople’s cause and joining people’s movement andraising voices against corruption.

People’s Movement –Need of the Hour:

We would like to make it clear that the commonpeople know least about the New Lokpal Bill. Whatthey understand is some thing new act will be therewhich will fight out or remove the corruption andpeople will get the reprieve. They are totallyignorant of the technicalities of the New LokpalBill but we believe it may give them some relief.

Lokayukta in Gujarat:

We would like to inform you there is no Lokayuktain Gujarat for last 8 years. There is an office ofLokayukta at Gandhinagar. The file is cleared bythe Governor and at all levels and yet the CM issitting on it. Here rises a suspicion- is it because theCM has something to hide?

People’s Movement- Call of the Hour:

39


No demand of reform of the administration and thatcorruption can be achieved from the rulers withoutpeople’s movement. You will agree that onlythrough the legal means the corruption can not beeradicated until and unless there is a sharp vigil,surveillance and pressure of people’s movement.People’s committees are to be formed at grass rootlevel to initiate democratic mass movement to fightagainst the institutionalised corruption. Thepolitical will as well as the People’s Watch dogsystem is paramount important. This is the call ofthe hour.

It is in this perspective that the concerned citizenslook forward to your visit.

Thanking You.

Yours

Prakash N. Shah, Editor Nirikshak Columnist,

Convener, Movement for Secular Democracy(MSD), Working President, PUCL Gujarat,09879919421; [email protected]

Prof. Rohit Shukla, Economist

Gautam Thaker, General Secretary, PUCLGujarat, 09825382556; [email protected]

Dwarika Nath Rath, Secretary, Movement forSecular Democracy (MSD), 09426469858

[email protected]

II

People’s Union For Civil Liberties, Gujarat

Unit’s Request to provide basic amenities on

War Footing basis to the victim of River front

To,

The Municipal Commissioner,

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation,

Ahmedabad

Sub:

Sir,

We express our deep concern for the people ofRiver front, who have become the victim ofdemolition by AMC. We may like to recall the visit

of Anna Hazare on May 25th, 2011, who wasshocked to see the condition of the inhabitant onRiver front- children, pregnant women, and agedpeople- living under scorching sun. The place isfull of dirt, dung and garbage.

Now due to advent of monsoon the condition of thepeople will become more precarious and they maysuffer from serious diseases due to absence of basicamenities.

We request the AMC to provide the basic amenitiesto the victim of demolition till the alternateaccommodation has not been provided.

Our Demands:

Provide temporary shelter like accommodating thevictims in Municipality community Halls,Municipal schools etc.

Provide mobile toilets.

Send mobile medical vans for medical check upregularly.

Provide drinking water and Electricity.

Provide regular cleaning for hygiene.

Failing to do this task is tantamount to the violationof human rights.

We would like to represent the case of the victim ofriver Front in person. So please give us suitabledate and time in advance.

Thanking You.

Yours,

J.S. Bandukwala, President, (0265-2783338)

Gautam Thaker, Gen. Secretary, P.U.C.L.,Gujarat (079-26641353, M. 98253 82556)

Prakash N. Shah, Working President, (M.9879919421)

Copies to:

Justice Buch Committee.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Western ZonalOffice, Usmanpura Ahmedabad.

Correspondence Address:

4, Sanmitra Society, Jivraj Park Area, Opp. MalavTalav, Ahmedabad-380 051, Gujarat.

40



—SUBSCRIPTION RATES—

In SAARC Countries: For one year-Rs. 200.00

For two years-Rs. 350.00

For three years-Rs. 500.00

Life subscription-Rs. 2000.00

(Life subscription is only for individual subscribers and not for institutions.)

Cheques should be in favor of The Radical Humanist.

For outstation cheques: Please add Rs. 25.00 to the total.

In other Countries: Annual subscription (Air Mail) $ 100.00; GBP 75.00

Note: Direct transfer of subscription amount from abroad may be sent to:

SWIFT CODE Number CNRBINBBAMHB in the Current Account Number 0349201821034 at Canara

Bank, Maharani Bagh, New Delhi, 1100014, India.

Cheques and money transfer details from abroad may be sent to: Mr. Narottam Vyas (Treasurer),

Chamber No. 111, (Near Post Office) Supreme Court of India, New Delhi-110001, Ph. (Chamber)

91-11-23782836, (Res.) 91-11-22712434, (Mobile) 09811944600

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

The Manager, The Radical HumanistC/o Mr. Narottam Vyas (Treasurer)Chamber No. 111,(Near Post Office) Supreme Court of India,Delhi-110001

Dear Sir,

I/We wish to be enrolled as subscriber/s for The Radical Humanist for a period of one year/twoyears/three years/life.

Name...........................................................................................................Address........................................................................................................ PhoneNo.....................................................................................................E-mail.........................................................................................................

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully,

Published and printed by Mr. N.D. Pancholi on behalf of Indian Renaissance Instituteat 1183, Chatta Madan Gopal Maliwada, Chandni Chawk, Delhi, 110006

Printed by Nageen Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., W. K. Road, Meerut, 250002Editor-Dr. Rekha Saraswat, C-8, Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001

RNI No. 43049/85

Post Office Regd. No. Meerut-146-2009-2011

at H.P.O. Meerut Cantt.

to be posted on 2nd. of every month

RENAISSANCE PUBLISHERS PRIVATE LIMITED

15, Bankim Chatterjee Street (2nd floor), Kolkata: 700 073,

Mobile: 9831261725

NEW FROM RENAISSANCE

By SIBNARAYAN RAY

Between Renaissance and Revolution-Selected Essays: Vol. I- H.C.350.00

In Freedom’s Quest: A Study of the Life and Works of M.N. Roy:

Vol.Ill H.C.250.00

Against the Current - H.C.350.00

By M.N. ROY

Science and Superstition - H.C.125.00

AWAITED OUTSTANDING PUBLICATIONS

By RABINDRANATH TAGORE & M.N. ROY

Nationalism - H.C.150.00

By M.N. ROY

The Intellectual Roots of Modern Civilization - H.C.150.00

The Russian Revolution - P.B.140.00

The Tragedy of Communism - H.C.180.00

From the Communist Manifesto - P.B.100.00

To Radical Humanism - H.C.140.00

Humanism, Revivalism and the Indian Heritage - P.B. 140.00

By SIVANATH SASTRI

A History of The Renaissance in Bengal

—Ramtanu Lahiri: Brahman & Reformer H.C.180.00

By SIBNARAYAN RAY

Gandhi, Gandhism and Our Times (Edited) - H.C.200.00

The Mask and The Face (Jointly Edited with Marian Maddern) - H.C.200.00

Sane Voices for a Disoriented Generation (Edited) - P.B. 140.00

From the Broken Nest to Visvabharati - P.B.120.00

The Spirit of the Renaissance - P.B.150.00

Ripeness is All - P.B. 125.00

By ELLEN ROY

From the Absurdity to Creative Rationalism - P.B. 90.00

By V. M. TARKUNDE

Voice of A Great Sentinel - H.C.175.00

By SWARAJ SENGUPTA

Reflections - H.C 150.00

Science, Society and Secular Humanism - H.C. 125.00

By DEBALINA BANDOPADHYAY

The Woman-Question and Victorian Novel - H.C. 150.00

july 2011 - rh

Documents

mr cr dalvi

mr dalvi sincemay

sad demise of mr dalvi

brotherdear mr gr dalvi

learnedspeaker mr ketkar

mr ugamraj mohnot

mr nd pancholi

mr narottam vyas werethere