As stated earlier, I would like to repeat that I am not any good in international affairs, foreign policy and diplomacy etc nor am I or my country perfect but I want to write about a topic that is very sensitive. I am not writing this article after any research. This article contains my views about what I have been reading/watching in media regarding religious fundamentalism, terrorism and the war on it.

I have been closely following the U.S. war on terrorism and how it has remained an under achiever till now. I try to think very neutrally about the war but I still see this Christianity versus Islam concept in it.

After reading some excerpts from world history I learnt that this is not new. Confrontation of Christianity and Islam had plunged the Europe into a dark age. Crusades have been the bloodiest of battles ever fought for religion and lasted across centuries.

Then after many centuries, there was the abolition of Caliphate of Islam (in turkey after WW1) by the Allied forces. This had also led to a popular uprising in India in the form of Khilafat Movement (started by the brothers Shaukat Ali and Mohammed Ali, this movement marks an era of unprecedented cooperation between Muslims and Hindus in India)

Then there was the partition of India in which the same Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims massacred each other to pieces and raped each other to shame. Millions died in the name of religion.

Then we had the “USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan episode” which saw U.S. side with the Mujaheddin and forced Russia to turn back. I have learnt, that after this war U.S. should have gone back home as well but I guess they didn’t. The Muslim world (or Arabs) understood that on the pretext of helping them fight USSR, the American have gained a back door entry/solution to what the Russian as well as the Americans wanted:

A military presence in the Gulf Region

Irked by this, the soldiers who fought the Red Army used what U.S. has taught them, against the teacher: planning and executing highly sophisticated and coordinated strikes with reconnaissance and surveillance.

And today I stand here a couple of years into the war observing a series of events i.e. cartoons by a Danish artist that shook the world, statements by pope, Bush expecting a religious revolution in America and strong/retaliatory Muslim reactions to each of these event. Alright that’s my piece of mind regarding what I have been observing/reading. Now here is what I would suggest (again based on what I am reading/watching):

America and Allies

1. Pull out of Iraq and Middle East

2. Go home and strengthen your economy. The world cannot afford to have you guys fall apart.

3. Revamp your education. Do not depend completely on immigrants for your supply of engineers and let the wheel of innovation continue turning smoothly. You have been driving it well and you need to continue with the same or better still, enhanced vigor.

4. Set and example for the world. Switch to green and renewable sources of energy. You will automatically stab terrorism in the heart if you do this. (based on Thomas Friedman’s column in NY times)

Arab world

1. Kings must give way to the people and establish republican democracies.

2. Oil has been a boon for you and it has raised your standards of living overnight but it has also been a bane. Know why?

- With the incredible revenue surpluses coming from oil sales, your kings banned taxation. This made life too easy for you and you stopped working hard. Issues that follow are particularly important for you:

Why did you have to call Americans to extinguish oil well fires during the Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the 1991 Gulf war?
Why didn’t you have the technology?
Why are you dependent on others?
Why is the number of technological innovations and patent filings from Arab world abysmally low?
Where are the likes of Algebar-Wal-Mukabalai (father of Algerba)?

3. Build more engineering colleges and schools and encourage your children to learn more. You must have your own supply of engineers, scientists, doctors, techies etc

4. Promote you women and never discourage them. Now don’t misunderstand this. I am only asking you to reduce male domination and eliminate atrocities against women. Get them to study engineering/medicine and encourage entrepreneurship amongst them. Women can be really smart if you let them be.

5. Stop mixing religion with studies (does not mean stop religious studies). Keep religious studies different from school studies. Don’t mix them up and confuse your child.

6. Preach toleration (for those who don’t) and preach what you are.

That’s my piece of mind on whatever is happening around us.

Just yesterday I was watching this serial “Prithvi Raj Chauhan” on TV. In the programme, Prithvi raj (a young student) enters the forbidden portion of his teacher’s library and picks up a book on “shabd-bheydi band kala” (i.e. voice-piercing arrow craft). The moment he read out the name of the book, I experienced goose-flesh and a storm of previously learnt facts, lessons from history and a few portions of the old TV serial “Discovery of India” (based on Nehru’s works) flashed in front of my eyes. It appears, that one word “shabd-bheydi band kala” triggered a sudden complex thought process in my brain where, in an instant (say blink of an eye) I connected a number of things that I had learnt at different places and at different points in time in my life. Here’s what I connected:

1. “shabd-bheydi band kala”, the very word reminded me of the story of Ekalavya. We all know that Ekalavya used to practice archery in front of a clay idol of Dhronacharya as Dhrona did not admit the guy into his academy. It is said that once when Ekalavya was practicing archery deep inside the forest he heard a dog (from far away) barking loudly and coming towards him. This was disturbing Ekalavya and he shot seven to eight arrows in the direction of the dog (which was very far away on the basis of where the sound was coming from. His arrows pierced the inside of the dog’s upper mouth. It was like when the dog had it mouth open (in the process of barking) the arrows hit the inside of his upper mouth such that he could not close his mouth and hence could not bark. This was an incredible show of archery by any standards even till date. It was a show of the “shabd-bheydi band kala” or the voice piercing arrow craft. That dog belonged to Dhrona and when Dhrona saw the dog with those arrows in its mouth, he realized that Eklavaya was a serious threat to Arjun’s number one position in the world. Rest is what we all know!

2. In Ramayana, once when King Dhashrata went out in the jungle for hunting, he could not find any game and went deep into the forest searching for one. Deep in the forest, he spotted a deer, but lost sight of it again. Desperate to get the game, he followed the deer very carefully. He set himself at a point and waited for the deer to emerge from the bushes. After waiting for a while, he ran out of patience and then suddenly he heard some noise from behind the bushes. He immediately shot an arrow in the direction of that sound expecting it to be a deer. But to his horror he realized that it was a boy. This boy was Shravan Kumar (whose examples of obedience are given till date) and knowing of his death his parents had cursed Dhashrata that his sons will not be present at the time when he will need them the most. The arrow that killed Shravan Kumar was again a “shabd-bheydi band” or voice-piercing arrow.

3. In History and even from the TV programme “Discovery of India” (which used to come on DD long before cable TV hit the scene), I have studied that Prithvi Raj Chauhan had lost a battle to the invading army of Mahumad Ghori. Ghori had imprisoned Prithvi Raj and insulted him every possible manner. And he had also blinded Prithvi Raj by piercing his eyes with red hot iron rod. He is also supposed to have ravaged many innocent women and children. This had angered Prithvi Raj but he was helpless as he was himself a prisoner to the invader.

Prithvi Raj’s former courtier Chand Bardai, who was later to compose the Prithviraj Raso, a ballad-biography of Prithvi Raj, came to Ghori to be near Prithvi Raj in his misery. Chand Bardai came in disguise and secured himself a place in Mahmud’s court by purveying his skills as a composer of poems. On the one hand, he earned Mahmud’s regard; on the other, he took every opportunity to meet with Prithvi Raj and urge him to avenge Ghori’s betrayal and daily insults.

The two got an opportunity when Ghori announced an archery competition. Chand Bardai told Ghori that Prithviraj was so skilled an archer, that he could take aim based only on sound, and did not even need to look at his target. Ghori disdained to believe this; the courtiers guffawed and taunted Chand Bardai, asking how a blind man could possibly shoot arrows. In the spirit of their usual barbaric mockery, they brought the blind and hapless Prithvi Raj out to the field. Pressing a bow and arrows into his hand, they taunted him to take aim. Chand Bardai told Ghori that this taunting would avail nothing, for Prithvi Raj would never do as some sundry courtiers bade him do. He said that Prithvi Raj, as an anointed king, would not accept orders from anyone other than another king. His ego thus massaged, and in the spirit of the occasion, Mahmud Ghori agreed to personally give Prithvi Raj the order to shoot.

Thus, Chand Bardai provided Prithvi Raj with an aural indication of where Ghori was seated. He gave Prithvi Raj one further indication of the same, by composing a couplet on the spot and reciting the same in Prithvi Raj’s hearing. The couplet, composed in a language understood only by Prithvi Raj went thus:

“Char bans, chaubis gaj, angul ashta praman,
Ete pai hai Sultan, (Taa Upar hai Sultan),
ab mat chuko hey Chauhan.”
(Ten measures ahead of you and twenty four feet away, is seated the Sultan. Do not miss him now, Chauhan).

Ghori then ordered Prithvi Raj to shoot. Prithvi Raj turned in the direction from where he heard Ghori speak, and, taking aim based only on the voice and on Chand Bardai’s couplet, he sent an arrow racing to Ghori’s throat. Ghori was thus struck dead by Prithvi Raj. Naturally, after this deed, Prithvi Raj was killed by Mahmud’s courtiers. (portions of the text are from wikipedia)

“shabd-bheydi band kala” was the common link between two epics that form a part of mythology and an instance from India’s medieval history which is a fact. “shabd-bheydi band kala” is probably a small part of what the ancients knew about the craft of war and the art of living. Today we remember nothing of what they knew though we say we live in the age of information. Our traditional education and knowledge have been forgotten and we have submitted to the western style of education which I think might cover just a fraction of what the ancients knew.

It is good to know that the dance bars have been reopened. I think this was a quality and realistic decision by our judicial system which otherwise resorts to utterly failed attempts at moral policing and cultural conditioning of the masses (not to forget the role of the polity in pushing the judiciary).

With reference to prostitution, whether the dance bars are open or closed, the prostitution business will not be largely affected. Nor will anybody be able to stop the girls working there, from getting into prostitution because the system lacks that ability. Prostitution is one of the most organized businesses in our country (put some of the big players on test and they might just get an ISO 9000 or other such certification) and only lacks a legal sanction.

It will be impossible to remove prostitution from our society because it’s the society that created it in the first place. How can I say this? A few months ago there was a report on NDTV about nude dance shows in the elite class hotels of pondicherry. Such places are worse when compared to those dance bars. The hordes of men who were visiting such shows were not criminals or anti-social elements but the rich, well-to-do and even the middle class people who wanted to relax after a day’s hard work. I am sure that if these men are asked on camera about prostitution or dance bars they will despise it and talk about how it’s a cancer to the society.

So here is the society some of us want to civilize by closing the dance bars. Ok close the dance bars and these girls will be forced to go to the private parties that many such men have on their farm houses and there the risk they might face will be much higher. How many places are you going to go and how many dance shows will you shut down? What media is showing is just a tip of the iceberg.

Do you think that when dance bars were closed, there were no dace bars operating out there? NO. There were definitely a few dance bars open and working as usual. Needless to say, they were able to exploit the loop-holes in our system and were undetected or intentionally over-looked by the keepers of law (police).

What alternatives do we have for the employment of those girls who will otherwise be unemployed if the dance bars are permanently closed? When we are not even able to satisfy the employment needs of the educated section of the society (of which some dance bars girls may also be a part but a majority of them are not) what alternatives do we have for these girls? If they choose this profession, they should be allowed to practice it.

Looking at the bigger picture, I do not think anyone can be blamed for the existence of such businesses. Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and dance shows are not far behind. It is the biological make-up and psyche of man that is responsible for all this and there nothing much we can be do about it. The arms of law are long and iron but it is after all, blind. Even if you close the bars the show will go on.

I recommend that let the dance bars be, go ahead and legalize prostitution as well so that some sort of order can be brought (including security for the sex workers and their customers) into this business. Not to forget the revenue government can make by way of taxes from all those people who are getting richer by the day from such businesses.

Update: Keeping in mind the wide variety of people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds viewing my blog, I would like to re-iterate that live-in relationships are no less than a taboo in India and hence this topic. Also note that the opinions mentioned here are my own and should not be used to develop a generic view about a place or thing.

Persons who involve in live-in relationships are a part of the society and even if the relationship has no consideration for the law, the law and the society definitely have consideration for them. You see one bad fish can spoil the pond. Any incident considered immoral by law within a relationship (in an atmosphere like India’s which is always at dew point) can have dire ramifications. Yes it might be the same in marriage but marriage is an institution (Live-in is definitely not) where persons involved are bound by lofty obligations and have greater sense of understanding and patience.

Secondly. What point is there in a relationship if the obligations are fulfilled out of insecurity or fear of loosing the partner rather than true love (which in reality is very rarely found).

Live-in relationships might occur to fulfill the Sexual requirements of Human Body rather than “True Love” or search for it. On the other hand people might get into live-in relationship to observe if their partner is capable of satisfying their sexual desires (sounds harsh but is a ground reality in certain cases). In cases where the latter is true I have a quote to mention:

Entering a relationship for the sake of Sex is like buying a Boeing 747 for getting the free peanuts. – Jeff Foxworthy

If one knows that he or she loves someone why not go ahead and marry ‘em? And of course, if there are any problems in the marriage and one finds it really difficult to sort out things go for a divorce. To ensure that this does not happen, pre-nuptial knot is what many are following. In addition, one should not marry because his or her parents are forcing them. One should only marry they think that they are ready for it and do good amount of research before going ahead.

All in all, as Live-in is a concept developed by the members of society, for it to exist in the society without any harm to any member, the society must ensure that no room is left for Live-in to affect our peaceful existence. Therefore, the interference by law is a compulsion for the well-being of the people.

A woman becomes a Mother not by the virtue of giving birth to a child but by taking up the responsibilities to raise it. Similar is the case with a man being father. Have you heard about babies being abandoned in garbage cans or some abandoned babies being killed and chewed by stray dogs? Who knows… they might be the result of such a relationship. This again shows that the importance of law in such cases cannot be over-emphasized. Well designed laws can become the hand that saves or even prevents.

I never meant to imply that Live-ins are against our culture. Frankly I do not know if they are because I have little knowledge of the relevant ancient texts. But I do understand that Live-ins is now a part of the society whether we like it or not. The very fact that we are discussing it on this forum shows the amount of significance that this topic has at least among the youth.

In the course of society’s evolution when radical (today it does seem radical, tomorrow it may be insignificant and widely prevalent) concepts like live-ins arise, it is important for the society to mould this concept in to a right frame as it matures over a period of time. And this is where I think the interference of law is highly welcomed.

The long and iron hands of law will ensure that concepts like live-ins, when they surface and threaten the society with unforeseen consequences, do not harm the society in a way that they are capable of.

A very sensitive topic I want to raise here would be the protection of women. When we do not have all encompassing laws with reference to the physical, mental and sexual harassment a woman might face in a marriage, what will govern the same issues in a live-in? I simply mean to says that the books of law have definitions for each of the above-mentioned parameters in a marriage but for live-ins the parameters need to be redefined and written down such that the judicial system appears to be on top of it and is capable of providing justice to an victims of luck who were involved in such relationships.

Updating laws will also help more serious and complicated issues like the sexual harassment of males by females (for those who do not know that, there is a clause which allows usage of the word “rape” with reference to a man) and cases of young lads being set-up and framed by loose women with the help of the concept of live-ins.

Moreover inclusion of law brings our rather old, rigid and outdated judicial system at par with the society and its pace.

With reference to the comparison with marriage, cultural issues apart, I stick to my views and believe that they cannot be treated equally unless the law is updated to handle the issues arising out of live-ins.

Law or legalizing are not detrimental to the existence of live-ins. Prostitution is illegal and yet it is widely prevalent. Polygamy is illegal and yet in this part of the country it is practiced without notice. Therefore live-ins which are not illegal (does not mean they are legal, its status quo), will obviously continue to exist.

Live-ins are in status quo. No book of law states that it is legal. Live-ins where parties involved are in peaceful co-existence cannot be touched by law but the ones where issues arise, law can be used for unfair advantage and that gives rise to the need for an overall “interference” by law.

Another example to show the power of law:

In the not so distant past, law has played pivotal role in changing the mindset of the society. The best example to show this is the “abolishment of the practice of sati” during the British rule. Though we still have people, who believe in it, their number is very minuscule. How was this number brought down? With law’s help. Of course there were other factors like spread of western education and concepts etc but law’s role was major.

As mentioned before, Live-in relationship is a radical new concept and the role of law can be pivotal in the change management process. However, I agree that we will never be able to legalize LIRs as the society is not ready for it. If all are matured and good, every thing is gr8 and no legalization is required as there will be no issues and we all know that. But if you look at the larger picture, it is not perfect. Had it been so, every thing would have been so cool. However, what’s to be done about the weak part of the tree???

One idea: To inculcate maturity amongst the youth regarding issues like LIRs, Sex Education at a pre-decided and appropriate age could be an option. It will help guys and gals get well prepared for facing such situations. I think it’s like mental pre-conditioning. Parents also need to have an active role here. This appears to be a much milder and much practical step when compared to legalizing LIRs.

I was browsing through CL’s website (www.careerlauncher.co.in/prepzone) and found that they have a discussion board for various topics under the sun. I found a topic on the recent announcement by the government to hike the reservation quota and I jumped in and posted this:

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I infer from the Ancient Hindu Texts that Ekalavya was denied the claim to fame by biased Dhrona because he was from a backward caste. According to Dhrona, Arjun was “meant” to become the greatest Archer in the world and he ensured that by asking for Ekalavya’s thumb as Guru Dakshina.

The immemorial texts clearly show how this concept of caste system has been ruining us since a long time. I strongly believe that powerful measures should be taken to remove this cancer from our society and abolish caste system and reservations based on it. For those who think that we do not practice caste system, please note that I think that allocation of seats or quotas based on caste system means belief in and practice of caste system.

In the previous paragraph I have mentioned “Powerful measures”. By this I mean measures that change the mindset of the people and bring all sections of the society at par without doing injustice to any. I do not think that our current political system is capable of doing this. It is all about vote bank and keeping some people happy at the cost of others.

I believe that even if the right person is empowered to do the job, he or she will be unable to perform his or her duties honestly because their primary worry will be securing their position or making the best of it for their personal life before they loose it. Our politicians try to secure short-term gains, sympathy and votes by announcing flimsy policies such as increase in reservation quotas.

I am not sure about this but I had read some where that the drafters of our constitution had introduced reservation/ quota system to ensure that all sections of the society come at par with each other. They expected this system to be abolished as soon as that would happen. The expected date for this was 1980 or so. However, from what I know, the efforts to bring all sections of the society on a level playing field have been dismal. Instead formidable efforts (like reservations etc) are being put in to divide, subdivide, polarize and destroy the very foundations of our already crippling society (in terms of human development index).

I know very few of you will like this, but I think that democracy is the culprit. If we take away the democracy from the people and empower Mr. or Ms “Right”, things will be fine.

Why do I say this? Because I think that every such move or announcement by our politicians, when it polarizes the society, pushes it one step closer to a civil war.

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I have written out my mind and I have lots of thoughts regarding this that branch out over a broad range of topics but this is not the time to discuss them. As my friend had once said:

No one will listen to you even if you are right but have been a non achiever.