Will of the People Must Prevail

On 19^th November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke about 273 words that eventually became the bedrock of the concept of democracy. Lincoln said:

 “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”[i].

Some 46000 soldiers from Unionists and Confederates had given up their life in the Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln called upon the nation to immortalize their sacrifice in the cause of democracy with the above words.

President Donald Trump, some 157 years later, on 7^th January 2021 said, ““If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,”[ii] Incited by his remarks, a crowd vandalized the hallowed premises of the Capitol Hill, a symbol of American democracy for 250 years now. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the assault on the Capitol was "fomented by Mr. Trump," writing that "his use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice. Our Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country," Mattis added[iii].

Four protesters died on the Capitol giving up their lives to undo what President Lincoln hoped America will become – a nation that is prepared to shed blood to defy, deny and brutalize the representational character of democracy just because one man believes that the system has not favored him for re-election.

America will never be the same again - a nation that has stood as the beacon of democracy, albeit forging its democratic credentials through fire. The Capitol incident is also a worrisome indicator of the nature of politics for power that is surging its head across the globe. A development that ordinary people everywhere must take note of owing to its effect on the fundamental freedoms that are at stake.

There is little need to discourse the merits of democracy. People have a fundamental right to choose the government of their choice through the ballot. It is people will that renders democracy possible. America’s own Constitution so loftily proclaims:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America[iv].

The Constitution of the largest democracy in the world, India, also proclaims:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

 

JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

 

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

 

and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation[v];

 

It needs no convincing to understand that the people are the reason why governments exist. When governments, more specifically the elected representatives of the people who are in power defy the very fundamentals that are necessary for peaceful transition of such power, democracy stands in peril.

The incidents in Capitol Hill may have been brought under control. The pristine environs may be restored in a short while. Vandals may be brought to justice. But the faith of people in democratic process that has been damaged would not be easy to restore. More importantly, the faith in polity that has suffered will take generations of politicians to reinstate.

America is standing at a crucial juncture in its own history. As the sole super power, in a geopolitical climate that is potentially explosive, in a world that is fighting a pandemic of mammoth proportions, in a world economy that needs little encouragement to slide down further, the choices that American people will make would determine whether America will retain its moral supremacy as a democracy.

We must believe that the will of people would prevail. The future of democracy across the world depends on it.  

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[i] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/abraham-lincoln-birthday-gettysburg-address-civil-war-us-president-trump-a8206946.html

[ii] https://time.com/5926883/trump-supporters-storm-capitol/

[iii] https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-us-capitol-secured-dc-protest/

[iv] https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-constitution/#:~:text=We%20the%20People%20of%20the,for%20the%20United%20States%20of

[v] https://www.constitutionofindia.net/constitution_of_india/preamble

A Matter of Faith

The curious thing about history is, it just occurs.

Indian history particularly, appears to be one long occurrence in the course of humanity with as many probabilities and improbabilities; ponderable and imponderable; myths and realities, generously concocted so as to defy an ordinary mind. This is also one such story that may belie belief but for the fact that it is a fact of history.

Yesterday, we happened to drive down to Bhavani, a town that sits on the confluence of two major rivers of South India, the Cauvery and Bhavani. Right at the confluence of both the rivers is the Sangameswara Temple, literally meaning “Lord of the Confluence”. My mother was born in this town, at a mere walking distance from the temple and my father joined school here. The story of their union in marriage is 60 years old, but as full of life as these two mighty rivers to the Tamil region!

So, we were in the temple. As is customary, we prayed to the Lord first and then proceeded to the mother’s sanctum. She is called Vedanayaki, meaning ‘the one who is the soul of Vedas or the one who presides over the Vedas’. After our prayers at her sanctum, as we completed the circumambulation of the inner sanctum, we saw a stone inscription. Frankly, there are so many inscriptions in every temple that one merely passes by them generally. We were about to do the same when a name and date in the inscription caught our attention – William Garrow, 11-01-1804. Now, here is the story:

William Garrow (1776-1815) was the Collector of Coimbatore District. Once he arrived at Bhavani and was resting in the travelers’ bungalow (incidentally adjoining the temple and even today looks every bit colonial!!). Sometime in the night, he felt as though a young girl was in front of him, beckoning him to come out of his room. Being curious and unable to think anything more, William came out of his room. As he tried to follow the young girl, she disappeared into the temple that adjoins the bungalow.

Even as he tried to follow her, William Garrow was startled to find the whole roof of the room which he just left came crashing down. A shocked and frozen William Garrow could not even hazard to think of his fate had he stayed indoors. In the course of the excitement that followed the collapse of the roof, the reminder of the night passed and the priests of the temple arrived for “ushat Kala pooja” (ritualistic pooja of the early morning). Finding the Collector at a loss, the priests made three holes in the outer wall of the temple facing the deity and asked him to see whether the girl who saved his life was inside [The present wall was constructed much later. At the time of the incident, the wall was very close to the ‘dwaja sthamba’ (flag post) from where one could see the sanctum.

Even as William Garrow looked inside, he realized that the girl who appeared before him in the night was Vedanayaki Thayar (mother), who was present in all her glory inside the sanctum.

Not just grateful, but William Garrow thereon became an ardent devotee of the Mother. He presented an ivory palanquin for the mother on 11 January 1804 and continued to visit the temple for seeking Her blessings.

This story inscribed in the stone plaque took me to check on William Garrow. What I found makes me say what I said in the beginning: The curious thing about history is, it just occurs.

William Garrow was born to Edward Garrow (1751-1820), who joined the East India Company as a junior writer in 1769 at the age of 18. He later served as Mayor of Madras in 1782. Edward Garrow, apart from marrying Sophia Dawson of England in Fort St George, had many Indian women as his begums [Please read William Dalrymple’s White Mughals[1]. It was common among white men to keep many begums, in the style of the Mughals in India]. William Garrow was born to the native women and Edward Garrow. William also had a sister, Myra. Edward and Sophia also had a son, George. Sophia and George spent their life only in England whereas William followed his father and served East India Company with distinction.

William Garrow rose to be the Collector of Coimbatore and is distinguished as an able administrator. His name figures as the first Collector to have sent English shikaris to Nilgiris in 1812, paving way for the English to habitat Ootacamund[2].

It is also interesting to note that while William’s father made his fortunes in India, his uncle, Sir William Garrow (1760-1840), is credited to be one of the most brilliant barristers in English history. In fact, it was Sir William Garrow (the uncle) is credited with the Adversarial System of jurisprudence that many countries follow today[3]. With the BBC TV series Garrow’s Law and this book Sir William Garrow is about to enter the nation’s consciousness for his ‘gifts to the world’ - as the originator of the modern-day presumption of innocence, the right to universal legal representation and access to justice in a criminal court, expert crossexamination and early traces of human rights[4].

The Sangameswara temple is also a treat to art/culture lovers with some extraordinary and exquisite sculptures that reflect the architectural traditions of Tamil Nadu.

Bhakthi as India teaches us, is not just about rituals and practices. It is about faith that transcends cultures.

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[1] Dalrymple, William. (2003). White Mughals: love and betrayal in eighteenth-century India. New York: Viking.

[2] Vijaya Ramadas Mandala (Ed) (2019). Shooting a Tiger: Big-Game Hunting and Conservation in Colonial India, New Delhi: OUP.

[3] John Hostettler and Richard Braby (2009), Sir William Garrow: His Life, Times and Fight for Justice, London: Waterside Press Ltd.

[4] https://www.wildy.com/isbn/9781904380559/sir-william-garrow-his-life-times-and-fight-for-justice-hardback-waterside-press

Christmas is the time for love

Christmas is in the air. In about a couple of hours choirs will fill the air with the name of God, the King of Kings and the Savior who came to help us show the way. Yes, Christ the King is born.

Christmas is the time for love, sacrifice, family and faith.

Christmas is also the time for us to look inside and find our own "Christ" in our hearts. It is a time to contemplate the shortfalls in our thinking, of the numerous ways in which we have taken others for granted or even exploited them, of the times when we have abdicated being our selves for mere material gains. It is a time to atone by redeeming our faith in the Lord and seeking His strength to be our selves.

When He taught from the Mount, He said:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

• Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

• Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

• Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

• Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

• Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

• Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

• Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

• Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

• Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

• Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

• Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Christ taught us to see the light of God in our hearts and therefore shine forth the light on to all of humanity. Today, in every corner of the world we have raging wars, famines and calamities that are consuming lives. Not all these man made calamities are based on ideologies or matters of principle; even those that are, are driven by market forces from behind the scenes channeling private profit into select pockets. Human lives have no value in such scheme of things for common people are considered expendable for profit. We see men of same religion fighting to destroy each other; we see women and children being ravaged and orphaned; we see 'human rights' being the victim of every such violence. The irony is six billion peoples merely watch while few hundred thousands run the puppet show that profits their private treasuries.

Can this chaos come to an end? Not entirely, perhaps. But if each of us believe that the cause of God is to uphold humanity, then things can change for those whose blood is filling the streets.

For once, let us pray and pray sincerely, giving wings to our soul so as to reach His ears:

Grant us Lord that we can change what we can, in howsoever minute the way it may be; 

Grant us that we are as loving of men of any faith, as we do of our own; 

Grant us that we can seek and relieve the pain of another so that You may hold my hand in my pain. 

Grant us the will to love and by your grace, Love unconditionally.

Amen.   

Life gives a chance

It happened in a flash of a moment - literally. Barely five feet to go to the exit, the fireball enveloped me. The heat seared through my skin and thick black smoke made it impossible to breath. Five or ten seconds more, I would have become tandoor...roasted alive. Then it occurred to one of my companions to tear open the door and I tumbled out, followed by a huge fireball, movie style, close on my heels.

Rest of the events are pretty imaginable. whisked away to first aid post and transported 200 km to the nearest hospital, twenty agonizing days to substantial recovery, the support and goodwill of my staff, friends and colleagues to my wife and the tender care by hospital staff.... I suppose a mere thank you to all of them would be never enough. I presume Santosh Gupta, Choudhary, Satya, Banu Pratap, Chandrasekhar Y Pawar, Durgaprasad, Brijesh Kumar, Devika, Brinda, Anju Kumari, VK Sharma, SV Syed, Surya Bhattacharya, Ambika, Farah Patil, and my dear Mona have become now part of my living memory. May God bless them all and grant them His liberal grace in all their life's undertakings.

Throughout those twenty days, somethings else kept playing out in my mind like a gramophone record - those few moments when I stood inside the envelope of fire. Strangely, I did not feel an iota of fear. Fully aware that the fireball has me in its grip, I was conscious of just three things: one, I may last a few more moments; two, I should not change the direction in which I was going (towards the exit) for I would get disoriented soon; three, not to look around since my eyes will burn out. Keeping both my fore arms to cover my face, I just proceeded ahead, in time to tumble out of the entrance. In fact my hands got burnt in the process of opening the cover on the entrance when one of assistants also helped to pull me out.

I kept asking myself as to how come I did not panic; how the mind remained absolutely clear and unfazed. While a score of explanations like upbringing, training, attitude, physical stamina, etc, kept popping up, the simplest of the explanations holds the fort - life gives a chance. It always and in every absurdly hopeless situation too, it gives a chance. Like Paulo Coelho says, the symbols are ever present. It is upto us to take it and move forward or ignore and be done with.

Osho in every breath says that it is being aware which is essential. Be aware. Awareness is life and not being aware is death. Life calls for an awareness of our being that is beyond mere physical senses. It is transcendental in nature. Every time there is a close call, believe that life is actually giving us a chance. Take it. 

Imaging our gods - the science behind god-making

One of my friends recently sent me a message asking whether I knew that the Shiv Ling is made as per scientific principles. I asked him to explain the scientific principles. He replied saying he was told emphatically by his guru that it is written in the shastras that Ling is the ultimate expression of divinity and therefore it is the most scientific physical representation. I asked him to find out which ‘shastras’ and ‘what is scientific’. He replied that he felt offended by such agnostic questions coming from me.

I was taken back, though it was nice to see someone so devoted to his guru. While I expressed my sincere apologies to him for offending his sensibilities, I thought I must also share what little bit that I do know.

There are two periods of Indian history when India can be said to have reached the pinnacles of intellectual acumen. First was from 2500 to 500 AD and the next is from 400 to 1500 BC. In the first period came the Vedas and Upanishads as the result of a peaceful pastoral Indian community searching for the purpose of life. The second period saw the birth of Vedanga (the six sciences), mathematics, astronomy, astrology and a host of other sciences. One of the Vedangas is the science of constructing divine images called SHILPA SHASTRA. In fact experts believe though Panini and Patanjali of 500 BC were familiar with images of gods, no evidence exists of constructing ‘pratima’ for worship. The art and science of constructing images for worship grew thereafter and in 1500 AD, the SHILPA SHASTRA was written.

There are very few experts who can be said to know the Shilpa Sashtra now. In the early 1930s, Dr AN Tagore, Dr A Coomaraswami, Mr OC Ganguly, etc were considered to be expert art-critics with deep insights into Shilpa Shastra.

It is Shilpa Shastra that defines what measurements are to be taken in constructing images of gods. Measurements in Shilpa Shastra are in ‘angula’. An ‘angula’ is 1/4^th of a ‘musti’, meaning closed fist. Sukra Niti, Maya Sastra and Matsya Puran further give various measurements and criteria for constructing the images of gods with stone, metal or even painting them.

The measurements are for three purposes – to give aesthetic beauty, to mark the purpose of that particular image and to physically symbolize the god as described in Purans. For example, gods with the thumb of the open palm of either hand touching the chest symbolize ‘protection’. That means the bhakt will seek to be protected by the deity. The image with the palm touching the abdomen symbolizes ‘vardhan’, that means the bhakt will seek boons. There may be deities with one palm near the chest and another near the abdomen. This deity is worshipped for both protection and boons.

Now let us see the construction of Shiv Ling. In the Shiv and other Purans, Shiv is the only god described as TRIMURTHI. Brahma, as we know is just Brahma. In so far as Visnu is concerned, we say ‘Sivaya Visnu rupaya, Siva Rupaya Visnave’ – meaning both are same. So, TRIMURTI is a god who has to be represented as the one carrying out all three functions in equal measure. Also, he cannot be represented in human form as the description of Brahma, Visnu and Siva is quite distinct from each other. Therefore, Trimurti is represented as an oval (all encompassing, the whole), mounted on a circular platform with a base. Each of these segments is to be of equal height to symbolize that He carries on the three acts of creation, protection and destruction equally.

This is the science behind Shiv Ling. Have a great day.

What we find in our self is what we will find in others!

I was not feeling very well. So went to meet our doctor. While waiting in the clinic, I chanced upon a poster that most hospitals display. It was about a hospital in Dieunne (Dijon) run by Sisters of St Martha. The Sisters have been serving the sick from 1443 AD. Wow! What dedication, I said to myself and decided to check upon the same in the net. What I found on the net really set me thinking about life and faith.

Martha, along with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus lived in Bethany, a village about two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus was fond of the family and came to visit them thrice. The first time when Jesus arrived, Martha readily welcomed him in and immediately set about preparing food for Christ. To her dismay She found her sister Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him, instead of helping her. So she complained to Jesus. Jesus smiled and said:

You worry about so many things while she is doing what one must!

Martha, realizing the true implication of what Jesus said, remained devoted to him. During his later visit, she even left the grieving household to listen to him. Later, she went to Avignon (Tarascon), where legend has it that she flayed a dragon and became the patron saint of hospitality.

In many ways Martha reflects the normal humans that we are, always worried about something or other. If the past does not worry us, then it is our future that bugs us. If it is not our wife, then it is the children. If it is not the boss, then it is some colleague. If it is not an enemy, then it is our friends. In the constant process of these worries, there is only one thing that we seem to forget – to have faith and to live today.

Faith is not about God. It is about one’s self. When we do not have faith in our self, how can we ever have faith in God?

What we find in our self is what we will find in others!

If we do not believe this all we have to do is look around.

There are millions of ‘faithful’ we see who go to their temples, masjids and churches without fail.

Just across the fence, we also see thousands of non-believers and atheists.

Both seem to have the same amount of joy and sorrow mixed in their cups.

Is there a case then to believe that there is a God for only those who believe? For the rest who do not, there is a NO-GOD?

Much after the great war, the story goes in Mahabharatha, Kunthi the mother of Pandavas, called the famous charioteer, Vidhur, and said:

Go to Dwaraka and ask Sri Krishna to come here. It has been a while since I have seen him.

So, Vidhur meets Sri Krishna, who readily accepts the invitation.

As the chariot rolled, Krishna noticed that Vidhur was rather silent and withdrawn. When queried, Vidhur simply replied:

Lord, you are omniscient and I need not elaborate.

My dear Vidhur, if there is something that you want to know, then you must ask!

So be it, Lord, then. You knew that brothers would kill brothers and millions would perish on the battlefield. You being the Lord God could have prevented this. All you had to do was to wish it that way and the Kaurava and Pandava clan would have lived happily ever after. Instead you let them kill each other. Why?

Krishna smiled. Tell me Vidhur, what did the brothers ask me when they came to see me before the war?

Well, Duryodhana who came first asked for your army to fight on his side and Arjuna who came later asked for you to be his charioteer.

Did they get what they wanted?

Yes, my Lord. Duryodhana believed that he will win the war, with the army on his side. Arjuna believed that he will win the war with you on his side. Eventually, Arjuna won, for you the Lord God was with him.

Sri Krishna laughed. Vidhur you seem to have missed something.

Insightful and intelligent that Vidhur was, he understood. Yes, my Lord, none of the brothers believed that they could live together in peace. Though both of them came to you, all they believed was mutual destruction. That is what they got!

So, my dear Vidhur, it is not what I want that you will get. It is what you desire from the core of your heart that you will get. Have faith!

Have faith. What we find in our self is what we will find in others!