Wealth for the Commons.......

Turn of the millennium...... 65% of India’s population still dependent on agriculture, but contributing to less than 30% of the GDP...... More than 5 lakh farmers committing suicide, every year...... Farmers, holding on to dear life, under the gruesome tyranny of the landowners and moneylenders....... More than 42% of our population below the poverty line........ More than 45% of the population illiterate, and less than 15% reaching high school........ But our very worthy ministers prefer to spend Rs 4318 on a ‘toilet roll’. Welcome to India, 2010.

Today, the Commonwealth Games are in full swing, and our sportspersons are winning numerous laurels. My chest swells an extra two inches, hearing about the pouring in of medals, and India rising in that tally. Yet, my head hangs in shame at how we have failed to tackle so many other fundamental problems in our country, of MUCH greater importance than the Games.

Our Government is more interested in showing off to the world its rising global superiority through an event that seems inconsequential in comparison to all these monstrosities. Say, the Commonwealth Games are a success…. so what? Four years later they’d be hosted in some other country. But agriculture? Education? Poverty? These issues are not 11-day events. They are here to stay!

Let me clarify my stand.... I was only against hosting the games, But, I told and tell everybody, that now that they are happening, its no point in opposing them. I just wanted to bring forward the first part of my statement through this article. I am not criticising the Games. I am not criticising sport. I am just saying that first things first, guys! Now that the Games are finally happening, I agree that I should not be sitting and cribbing about them, but celebrating in the joy of the sport. Trust me, I AM! I do a little jig every time Sania Mirza hits that ace, every time Vijender Singh delivers that brutal punch! My cellphone ringtone is the “O Yaaron....Yeh India, Bula Liya....” anthem, and my PC wallpaper is the CWG logo. And this in no way is "fake" or "hollow" support. It is heartfelt. I am CELEBRATING EVERY MOMENT OF THESE GAMES! But I still can’t stop pitying the lack of maturity on the part of our ministers. Simply, because our country has a lot more to do, before it can start concentrating on hosting international sporting events.

I am not against the development of sports in our country! Not at all! I am only against Rs.35 thousand crore being spent on projects that do not benefit most people! I would be one of the happiest people if our athletes got worldwide recognition and fame. I personally am against the common taxpayer’s money being used for something that doesn’t work for the benefit of every individual in our country, especially when contrasted to something as fundamental as, say, agriculture.

Also, the measures being taken for beautification of the city are shocking!  Outstation students were evicted from their hostels, to house Games officials. Every single hostel, barring three, is EMPTY.  The Delhi Government is clearing off all the slums, to present a beautiful picture of the city to the tourists. So, the new rule for our Government is "If you can’t tackle poverty, hide it." “Garibi Hatao” is being interpreted as “Garib Hatao”.  Those who go back impressed with our city, will be impressed by a body, which has been excessively dabbed with make-up, to hide its physical flaws. Sure, Beijing did the same, but that is a semi-despotic Communist state...last I checked, we were living in a Democracy.

I agree that it is like a golden opportunity for any country, but what I’m saying is that India as a country doesn’t need something like the Commonwealth Games in the situation it is in. We need to prioritize. Maybe 20 years later, when most problems of the agricultural sector have been tackled, then I will be the strongest supporter of the Commonwealth Games!

Being an avid debater, I totally expect that my views would be diametrically contrasting to yours. Yet, I wanted to take this platform to express them. I also apologise to those who think that it was in bad taste to post this article at this stage; I just wanted to take this semi-private platform to showcase my views.

Organised Religion....

Probably the most speculated upon topic these days..... Organised Religion. With the Ayodhya verdict and the revisiting of the case of the Mumbai riots, there has been a lot of discussion about how much religion has really helped us. I mean if we revisit history, we have abundant examples of heroes that were rejected by religion. Juan d'Arc, Galileo, Wordsworth.... These were some of the GREATEST people alive, yet they died outcasts. God is said to be the answer of the unanswered. Yet so many Gods are only creating conflict in a bid for power. There are INNUMERABLE arguments to easily reject the necessity of religion. 


Yet, I realised, there has to be some good in it. Because had it been so bad, religion would have been rejected long, long ago. Hence at a recent debate, I took this stand and spoke in favour of Organised Religion. Here it goes---


What makes my 90-year old neighbour wake up every morning at 6:30, hail, rain or storm, just to go to the temple?... …………………..It’s her faith, her belief.

I think religion is a fascinating and a beneficial survival tool, and that Organised Religion has done more good than harm in today’s time. It is actually the differences in the interpretation of these religions that might have caused the harm. Because I don't think there is any harm in believing in God or believing in answering to a Higher Power for wrongs that we may have committed. In fact, it makes the faithful people to think twice before they cheat, steal, lie or indulge in any other vice.  

Also, talking about whether organized religion as a whole has done more good than harm is like being asked the same question about science. Which religions? When? Under what circumstances? Is the question.

Most organised religions do not promote unethical practices. Instead, it is those on the "fanatical" side, who tend to commit unethical acts in order to promote their beliefs, or distort what the real intentions of the religion were meant to do.  Every religion generally teaches tolerance, kindness, peace and forgiveness certainly not the self-serving and intolerant agenda that the people associate with it. Also, sadly, it is usually the bad and not the good that makes news, thus the good done by religion is often not heard of or ignored, whereas, the bad is highlighted and dwelt upon and that is all the common man hears about discounting the numerous wonderful  things it has done for him/her.  

As far as the role of religion is seen as being used as an emotional weapon-for garnering votes or popularity- we are grossly underestimating the intellect of the citizens. In developing societies like ours, shouldn’t we aim at educating the masses rather than doing away with religion as a whole? Because organised religion helps in providing a foundation for social cohesion, without the structure of social norms and customs, societies tend to come apart at the seams.

Regarding the discriminatory laws for women in most religions, the modern concerns for human rights, the rights of women, and the protection of the vulnerable, have been driven by Christian concerns and the belief that every single individual, male or female, is created in God’s image. This is a far more substantial basis for human rights than any secular theory. I am not comparing religions. Or publicizing certain tenets of certain religions. What I am doing, is comparing the good and bad done by religion, and stating that the good is far, far outweighing the bad. 

We can't ignore the fact that many religious groups do a lot of philanthropic work for the upliftment of the society, like vocational training workshops, ambulances, free health checkups, blood donation camps, educational campaigns etc. We also cannot disregard the high quality of education provided by convent schools started by Christian missionaries. The otherwise infamous MNS, runs The Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena, an institution, which at affordable prices, gives quality education, both scholastic and moral. 

To add to that, the practice of organised religion is good for a person’s physical, mental and spiritual health as it brings about a sense of order and discipline. As was the case with my neighbour!! Organised religion always professes respect for others. Isn’t that the very basis for secularism? So what harm are we talking about?

In the end, I’d just like to leave you with a thought, isn't it mankind that has harmed religion, and not vice versa?

Soch - A Thought. What is it actually? How does it help us? What do we do about it? Many, many questions... Yet nobody will disagree that it is the fundamental step to any action. Lord Buddha said, “The Ancestor of every Action, is Thought.” This “thought” first caught my attention, while reading William Wordsworth’s Daffodils for a competition. He glorifies the concept of “Sit and Stare” in the lines:


“For oft, when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood,


 They flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude;

Yet, the power of this statement was not understood then and nor is it till date. In today’s world, we thoughtlessly live a mechanised life, following our mundane routines. We consider any activity that is not directly productive as “useless” or a “Waste of Time”. Yet, a thought has the power to change the world. They say, “What we think, We become”. Since a thought is what sparks an action, it holds the power to start revolutions. Numerous examples from world history bear testimony to this fact.

Thought also provides a lot of peace and calm to the mind.  If, like me, anyone has ‘sat and stared’ at their surroundings, he/she will know that it has been one of the best experiences of my life. The power to take better decisions is directly proportional to the power of a better thought process. It is thus evident, that great mental maturity is the cause and effect of Thought.

Also, a thought is different from a random idea. I thought that today I will start a blog. I wasn’t just an Idea. It was a well-considered Thought. So the basic difference between an Idea and a Thought is that an idea is a half-baked thought. It is the root of a thought. “I have thought about it”, “I will think about it”...We never take decisions based on ideas...but on thoughts.

This blog is nothing but my Thoughts over issues of everyday life. And hence, I welcome all your contributions and contradictions, which would really help me widen my horizons. These Thoughts will be purely personal and might just be far, far away from the Gospel truth. So stand steady, because I earnestly hope to flow in this river of Thoughts with you. 

:D