Telangana X: Congratulations!

[The previous articles in this series are: Telangana - A New State, Telangana II, Telangana III, Telangana IV, Telangana V: Political angle, Telangana VI: Hyderabad State?, Telangana VII: Political Drama, Telangana VIII: You need to make a case, History of Telangana I, Telangana IX: Riots turn ugly]

Last night, P Chidambaram, Home Minister of India, has announced that the Central government will take steps towards creation of a new state called Telangana. With that announcement, there was lot of rejoicing last night on the streets of Telangana. KCR, the head of TRS political party, has decided to end his fast. The ball is now set rolling; and looks like there will be a Telangana state this time around.

A word of caution

India has been ambivalent when it comes to any division. It is because they fear the unknown – they don’t know what will happen. With each division, they get nightmares of country getting divided and broken up into pieces. Back in 1969, there was a major Telangana agitation in which more than 350 people got killed, but the movement was forcefully suppressed. That was exactly 40 years ago. In 2004, TRS-Congress alliance swept the polls in Telangana wherein TRS had a single point agenda – of creating Telangana while Congress agreed to such a demand. And yet, there was no Telangana. Congress Party blatantly betrayed people of Telangana by going against their promises.

Now, we have seen for the first time New Delhi conceding to entertain the creation of new state of Telangana. Does that mean Telangana is guaranteed? Not really. There are many hurdles and obstacles to cross - and anything can happen. Hopefully, the momentum and the prevalent moods are such that all obstacles will be cleared.

Mass movement

Unlike in 1969, which was a movement that was confined to educational institutes and few government employees, now the movement has reached the common people and has become a mass movement. There is a greater awareness of the this movement amongst all sections of society in Telangana- students, housewives, administrators, educationists, government employees, bank officials, and so on. Even remote villages of interior districts of Telangana have joined this movement by calling for a bandh in the last 10 days. As someone said on TV yesterday, it reached a ‘critical mass’ where there is no turning back.

In the last few days, there were waves of protest in Hyderabad city and other parts of Telangana. More than 15,000 students from Osmania University and Kakatiya University and other colleges participated in the current agitation. The police had to resort to arrests and lathicharge to quell the uprising. Section 144 that bans assembly of five or more people was imposed in 9 districts of Telangana including Hyderabad. For 10th December, Telangana people had organized a major rally converging into Hyderabad, and it was seen as a major threat to law and order. More than 12,500 armed policemen and paramilitary forces, some of them coming from other states, have been deployed. The government has started to realize that this movement will not be curtailed like before.

Added to this problem was the fast of KCR. What if something happened to KCR? The fear was that there would be an even bigger uprising in the region. The government had to act quickly to avert this. It was the fear that drove the lawmakers to sit around and discuss the plight of Telangana – not genuine concern to address their political aspirations within legal confines of Indian Constitution.

Indian democracy has flaws

Why does it always come to this in India? Why should people get onto streets, protest, pillage, vandalize, beat up, destroy, before the government concedes to their demands? Why should the people hold government at ransom before the government starts making sense? Why can’t it be proactive and take necessary measures to alleviate concerns of various groups and identities? In some cases, where the people did not even make loud demands, the Center swooped down and created new states – such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarkhand. So, how come a 60 year old movement in Telangana was continuously suppressed?

Though I am happy with the current announcement from P Chidambaram, I am not very happy that such big decisions of creating new states should be an outcome of a knee-jerk reaction to popular uprisings on the streets. Though we are all happy that we got what we wanted, we should ask ourselves if this is the only way to set things right in India. What about those who are not able to rally people to their causes and still are facing injustices? What about those who are not in a position to create such mass movements, and do not have leaders who go on fasts, what about their rights? Shall we continue to be reactive in our doling out of justices? There are serious questions that India has to answer.

Telangana Movement is one of the oldest movements in the history of Independent India that sought a separate state and yet it took sixty years to realize it. How are we protecting certain people’s rights and political aspirations against the onslaught of other people’s ambitions? How are we taking care of group identities, their aspirations, their representations in politics, education and employment? How are we addressing the plights of certain sections which are getting marginalized because of their identities? Shall we always wait for another uprising? Or shall we address these issues proactively?

Telangana IX: Riots turn ugly

[The previous articles in this series are: Telangana - A New State, Telangana II, Telangana III, Telangana IV, Telangana V: Political angle, Telangana VI: Hyderabad State?, Telangana VII: Political Drama, Telangana VIII: You need to make a case, History of Telangana I]

I am not in Telangana right now – therefore I don’t know what’s happening on the ground. But from what I hear, there was rioting in the streets where petrol stations, offices and hotels were vandalized, that people were stopped right in the middle of the streets and forced to chant ‘Jai Telangana’, and that some ‘Andhra’ restaurants were targeted.

From what I hear, it is clear that this people’s movement has gone out of control. I don’t think KCR is in charge of the events except that he has acted as a catalyst. KCR has always been a catalyst, not the initiator of the movement. The Telangana Movement is nearly sixty year old movement. There was uprising against Nizam even before Independence. And after Independence, Hyderabad State existed independent of Andhra and Rayalaseema – where elections were held and Chief Minister chosen. Potti Sriramulu’s death after his hunger strike led to First Reorganization Committee to divide India along linguist lines and that’s when Telangana was forced into joining another state along with Andhra and Rayalaseema. It was clear even then that Telangana people would lose out on many opportunities that will be created in the independent India.

Telangana people under Nizam had no or little education till then. Those who had were educated in Urdu. Meanwhile the people of Andhra were educated under British – learning Telugu and English. So, when the new state of Andhra Pradesh was formed, the prerequisite languages were Telugu and English, and since people of Telangana lacked education in both these languages all the initial jobs were filled up by people of Andhra causing anticipated anguish to people of Telangana.

In 1969 there was a popular student movement in Telangana and many people were killed and jailed. Following that TPS (Telangana Praja Samiti) won 11 out of 12 Lok Sabha seats on a single plank – of creating new Telangana State. Indira Gandhi snubbed that movement while the leaders of Telangana betrayed their own people by joining the Congress and Chenna Reddy became Chief Minister of the entire state.

Our democracy is flawed

Time and again aspirations of Telangana people were snubbed by the politicians of this country. In 2004 elections, TRS and its partner Congress won most of the Lok Sabha seats. TRS had only one stance for the election – creation of Telangana State. In a country where there are no referendums and where democracy touches people only once in five years through elections – it was a clear indication of the mood of the people – that people of Telangana demanded a separate Telangana. The people did not vote for TRS or KCR for their merits – they voted for them to express their desire for separate Telangana.

And yet, this was completely snubbed by Congress to accommodate Rajshekar Reddy’s government at the center. By 2009, TRS lost most of the confidence in their leaders while other political parties also endorsed Telangana. In these elections, other parties which endorsed Telangana also won.

The people of Telangana are confused – they have no way to expressing their desire in the current extremely flawed democratic setup. Each time they vote a party into power, those parties let them down eventually. There is no way of calling back the leaders after they go back on their word. They can only switch to another wily politician. This democracy does not address the actual opinion of its people.

People of Telangana should have been allowed to vote in a referendum seeking separate state. These elections every 5 years are just not working out. The current tools of Indian democracy that include its electoral process do not allow people to express their demands and aspirations.

Rioting is not the way to do it

Even though I can understand why scores of students have spilled out onto the streets, I do not believe that this is the only way to express one’s anger and frustration with India’s democratic institutions that have failed the people of Telangana again and again.

KCR has used the tools of Gandhi – fasting to create another stir. Let the people of Telangana also use other tools of Gandhi – civil disobedience comes to mind. Instead of beating up and breaking things, the protestors should bring Telangana to come to a standstill – using the tools of non-cooperation with the all the institutes of Central Government. Coercing them to understand the aspirations of Telangana Movement is the way to go – not rioting in streets.

Discoveries and Inventions

On Indian TV, there is a TATA SKY ad that is currently running that offers new TV channel. This TV Channel will allow the viewer to get ‘darshan’ of their deities in different temples while sitting in their homes. The ad says that having this channel at home would give you ‘acche sanskar’ and this acche sanskar is directly correlated to watching the deities on the television. This mindset is very much in tune with what most Indians believe- that religiosity is very important to be moral.

This ad depicts young and old Indians who are extremely modern in their attire, habits and professions, not your typical saadhus or ascetics who have renounced the material world. Its shows a young boy sporting a goatee and ear stud, a businessman in sophisticated business attire, a modern lady in a beauty parlor, and a young college girl in jeans, they have all embraced tools of modernity, but they show reverence and respect (acche sanskar) because of their religion (in this case it happens to be Hinduism).

It is clear, as Samuel Huntington rightly puts it - most non-Western societies are becoming more religious while embracing tools of modernity with more vigor. This ad only reflects what he has to say.

While I was thinking more about this topic, I came with an observation.

Science usually deals with discoveries, while technology involves inventions (on an exaggerated generalization). Inventions (that is technology) in turn helps scientists to make more discoveries (furthering science) which will in turn fuel more inventions (more technology). So, basically science and technology feed into each other, hence we use the term ‘science and technology’ together. Tough they are used together but they are not same. The fact they are very different comes out more prominently when we bring religion into the picture.

Before I go into that, let’s look at the religion vis-à-vis inventions and discoveries.

Religion easily laps up all inventions and in fact it loves technology. Gurus use technology medium with utmost savvy to reach out to their devotees. TV, SMS, DVD, Walkman, Tape Recorders, Video Cameras, Mobile phones, are used by religion to bring the religious people together, to keep a tab on them, to communicate with them, and to spread their message. Evangelists use TV for promoting their religion and to garner the devotee’s money. Religious terrorists use satellite phones, cryptography, and internet to communicate with each other to carry out their evil designs. Also, you will see that the devotees in very high places use mobile phones and e-mails to carry out their business. Engineers and doctors are actively promoted by the religion. Many religious people embrace technology with utmost ease and vigor without having to understand or appreciate the fundamentals of science.

However religion abhors science. That’s because science enters the realm and domain that is dominated by blind belief. Where science enters, it shines light on the darkness of orthodoxy and superstition. Science dispels myths, stories, lies, and other conundrums concocted to fool ignorant people. It talks about origin of universe which was always a domain in which religion dominated for many centuries. Science explains away nature with a set of easily understood laws while religion likes to keep it mysterious and complicated. Most religions on the planet abhor science - some do it pronouncedly while some do it mildly.

Religion’s attitude towards inventions is a welcoming one while it shuns discoveries. If I were to put it in crude way, religion promotes inventions while it discourages discoveries. Religion invents all the time – of instances of human interventions that become divine, invents stories and fables, invents lies to tie those stories and fables into one consistent story, and so on. So, basically religious people are quite ready to embrace inventions (technology) but are quite averse to discovering anything (science).

While religions and religious people are ready to embrace the byproducts of science that come as a tools of technology, they continue to have skeptical view of science and scientists. This is prominently seen in developing world which have tasted the material benefits of technology without having to toil for it.

Proud Telugu

I could have titled this proud Andhra, because it concerns people of Andhra Pradesh. However, many people living in that state, including me, do not relate to that word. Therefore, Telugu is an appropriate term to generalize people living in that state.

We Telugu are a proud lot. There are certain traits about us that we brazenly flaunt knowing very well that we will derive respect and admiration from others.

Dowries

One day, six years ago, while working for an Indian company in Bangalore, I was given a ride by a coworker in his car. During the course of discussion he asked me where I hail from. When I told him that I come from land of Telugu (amusingly or derogatorily called ‘Gult’), he immediately said, ‘Wow! You must have got huge dowry then’. That immediate reaction surprised me because that was the first thing he thought about me when I said I was a Telugu. Over a period of time, I realized that many people immediately connected a Telugu guy with a huge dowry. At a conference, a lady who got to know that I was Telugu immediately concluded I received a big package when I got married. It became little tough for me to explain that there are some of us who don’t practice that.

Later on, I realized that how universal this phenomenon was – many Telugu guys openly talk about the dowry they receive, the way engineers compare their salaries or the way project leaders talk about the number of people reporting to them. ‘I got a dowry of 25 Lakhs’ is said in the same vein as someone saying ‘I got into state semifinals for tennis’ or ‘I climbed Mount Everest’. Getting a huge dowry is an achievement like building a home or buying a car.

Telugu guys fail to notice that it’s the girl and her family which has just bought the guy for a price. But then we Telugu people don’t think like that. We think in Silicon Valley terms – more progressive and modern. We like to equate marriage with an exit for a startup. There is nothing to be ashamed of selling one’s startup. In fact one should be proud of it. Don’t startups boast the kind of money they get when acquired by a bigger company? Telugu people see dowry as an exit – for all the efforts they put in while studying for entrance exams, for all the money the parents have put in to give them a good education sending them to top schools. Why else would they send their kid to a convent school or an engineering college if not for receiving the dowry at the time of exit?

During an interview held at the Indian company where I worked, one candidate reportedly said that the prime reason why he wanted to join that company is because he is about to get married and this job would give him much bigger dowry. The guys who were interviewing him got stumped. They called me right from the interview session and asked me whether they should hire him because he was utterly honest though they did not agree with his reasons. While most others may not cite this as a reason though that might the ulterior motive, this guy was blatantly candid about it. Actually I had to think about it – should I reward him or punish him for his honesty? (In the end we did not hire him - because no matter whether he was honest or not, and no matter what his personal tastes about dowry was, we couldn’t hire him because his primary motive for joining had nothing to do with contribution towards the organization.)

For many Telugu people openly discussing the dowry is not a matter of shame. While growing up, the members of the family, relatives and the society talks about it openly and hence the guy does not feel ashamed. It is like growing up in Nazi Germany and talking about distaste for Jews. Nobody thinks it is a matter of shame to hold such a prejudice. It is so common that it is even considered a virtue.

Our brazenness is not confined to taking dowries. When it comes to being deceitful we are not far behind most egregious cultures in the world.

Mark Sheets

Recently a young engineer was taking my ‘advice’ on getting into US on MS program. So I told him in detail about exams he has to write, preparing the statement of purpose, getting the recommendation letters from his professors, etc. He said ‘never mind’ to recommendation letters. Upon further probing he told me they can be tailored the way he wants it. In fact, there are agencies in Hyderabad which can tailor it for you. One doesn’t have to meet the professor at all. The seal, the signature and contents are all forged. And when I told him that’s NOT how it is to be done, he lost all respect for me. He was hoping for ‘gyaan’ on how to do things ‘smartly’ and not the meek advice that I was giving him urging to take the hard path.

It is not uncommon for Telugu people to completely cheat and forge our mark sheets. At one point of time, US Consulate was denying visas to many Telugu students aspiring for MS programs because none of the mark sheets or degree certificates could be relied upon. It had reached such gigantic proportions that if you were from an institute from Hyderabad there was good chance your mark sheets were fake.

Resumes

It is not uncommon for us Telugu to fake resumes either. That’s also the reason why we become such a good fodder for Indian services companies that actually encourage such resume embellishments. There is a good reason why most engineers who are put onsite feel frustrated. The client is told that you have eight years of experience and therefore their expectations are really high. But you just got eight weeks training in that topic and you don’t know what to do. Telugu people thrive in such environments. Working together in groups they make up for lack of experience.

Satyam

No wonder Satyam is a Telugu company. We are masters of forgery like no other. We could create more than 10,000 fictitious engineers with bank accounts and insurance and all that. When Ramalinga Raju et al were convicted of one of biggest white collar crimes in India, there were good number of Telugu people who took his side to profess their faith and allegiance in him. You have to do much more to convince us Telugu people to dissuade us from our loyalties. The fact that our leaders are corrupt, swindling, and degenerate does not change our opinions. In fact, we are proud of our diehard allegiances to our corrupt and swindling leaders and it comes out in times of adversity, such as unraveling of Satyam scam. While it was being unraveled on TV, our support for Rama Linga Raju only grew because we saw him as a victim. Here the victim was a fellow Telugu.

Corruption

The corruption in Telugu land has once again taken on the modern ways – it is the most transparent system found anywhere- transparency in the sense that you know exactly what the other person is paying in any other part of the state. If it is the post of Lecturer it is 5 Lakhs, if it is the post of Professor, it is 20 lakhs, if it is the post of Vice Chancellor, it is 1 Crore. It is standardized across all universities in the state so that in case you balk at paying the amount you are told, ‘Sir! This is what everyone else is taking. If you want, you can go verify at this other university.’

So, it has been standardized so much that one can actually quote the prices openly. Bribes for challan, land registration, ration card, constable position, etc, are all highly streamlined so that you pay the same amount of bribe in any part of the state. That way you know you are not being swindled. It’s being fair in our Telugu sense of fairness.

Am I proud of creating such an open and transparent system? Of course, I am. I am a proud Telugu. With e-governance, we can even streamline the bribes with an option called ‘Pay Bribe now’.

Maturity of Societies

Is there is a clear and established pattern on how different societies act when faced with controversial issues? When The New Yorker magazine published a cartoon of Obamas insinuating links with terrorists, the Democrats condemned it, but they did it in a civilized way, calling it ‘tasteless and offensive’. There were no burnt offices, burnt posters, vandalized buses or beaten up people.

Contrast this with just three events from a span of two weeks in India.

In one case the lawyers of India stormed the courtroom, adjourned the proceedings, threw shoes at the judge, and then went onto beat a TV cameraman and mauled up other lawyers who tried to stop them. These lawyers, who are supposed to interpret and uphold the rule of law, took law unto their hands and went berserk in Bangalore in their protest against the judge Dinakaran, who had allegedly amassed illegal wealth.

In the second case, members of Shiv Sena attacked the offices of IBN, a TV channel and media group, injuring 25 people, beating up journalists, slapping a woman receptionist, and breaking the office equipment and furniture. These Sena members were fuming with anger for the alleged negative portrayal of their leader, Bal Thackeray, who was referred to as ‘old man’ when in fact he is only 83 years young. [1][2]

In the third case, MNS MLAs of Maharashtra attacked fellow MLA, Abu Azmi, when he was taking oath in Hindi during the swearing in ceremony of State Assembly. Nearly 13 leaders of MNAs attacked Abu Azmi, broke the mike and nearby the furniture in a protest against using Hindi in Maharashtra Assembly. [3]

You could easily gather countless examples of Indians resorting to immature tactics to voice their dissent. One look at the video of Indian parliament brawl will emphasize how deep this malaise is in our country. You may think that such immaturity is confined to politicians alone. You would be surprised. This happens across all domains and spheres. You will hear of town people taking up cudgels to beat up an alleged criminal. You will hear of small town meetings ending up as street fights. Even in colleges and universities of India, you will see scientists and professors resorting to such tactics.

Maturity of Groups

Why do certain societies act more immaturely than others? I am not talking about maturity levels of individuals in a society but I am talking about the groups- whom I call ‘cultures’ here. For example, certain cultures get quite upset when ridiculed while certain other cultures ridicule themselves on a constant basis. Certain cultures are more environment-conscious and make efforts to keep their environs clean without affecting it while few other cultures seem to create a garbage dump around them while completely plundering their environs. Certain cultures encourage arts, sports, cinema, music, while few others do not. Some cultures celebrate excellence when they see it, while few others are more concerned about the identity tags before they can show their appreciation. Certain cultures have embraced universal values more openly and made them a part of their culture, while few other cultures resist every attempt in inculcating such values. Some cultures give equal respect to their women, while few others do not.

In many of my arguments here on this blog, I have been highlighting that we as Indians are not very mature as society-

* that we are not able handle difference in opinions with maturity,

* that we are not able to propose ideas and implement them to better our societies,

* that we are not able to respect ourselves,

* that we are not able to encourage arts and sports,

* that we are not able to tolerate books, paintings, music or dance, which is controversial, provocative or self-revealing,

* that we are not able to tolerate criticism of ourselves or our institutions

So, is there a way we can measure maturity of certain societies against others. How about we have a new index called Maturity Index for Societies that measures maturity of societies?

Maturity Index for Societies

To be able to say where we are and where we need to go, we need to compare ourselves with other societies on this maturity index. I intend to propose an index which can give an idea on how mature we are.

Indian values are actually habits II

Eating certain food, dressing up in a certain way, doing certain things at certain times, following a daily routine can all be classified as regular habits. Few of these are cultivated consciously by the individual because he/she has certain idea of what he/she wants to be and they may even be based in values and principles. However, most of our regular habits don’t have a bearing on one’s values or principles. Many of them are mere imitations of one’s parents and relatives, conveniences of certain geographies, and rituals of certain cultures, traditions and religions. These habits are easily inherited while some are indoctrinated by the parents, by the society, by the school, by the organized religion. Normally, wearing chudidaar or a bindi is not an expression of a value or a principle but something you do just because everyone around you has been doing it.

However, some of these habits are so common amongst a group of people that they actually become one’s identity. This is true for many cultures, religions, and nations across the planet. Wearing chudidaar and bindi, in addition to being a regular habit of dressing, also becomes an identity for Indian women. Many Muslims wear a white cap or burqaa as an identity. We can easily identify certain wear with a nation, region or a religion.

That way religion and caste convert even a dietary habit into an identity. You will see two people living in the same geography, living in the same climatic and ecological condition, being in the same economic class, living there for many centuries and yet, having completely different dietary habits – like Muslims not eating pork and Hindus not eating beef. They have derived their eating habits from their religion, and not ecological or economic conditions. Within the same religion, like Hinduism, two castes living in the same geography, same ecological and economic conditions for many generations may have completely different dietary habits – one being vegetarian and other being non-vegetarian. Here we are deriving our dietary habits from our identity called caste.

Though these habits of cuisine and couture are derived from our identity it is very easy to confuse ourselves into thinking that they are actually based in a value or a principle. An Indian vegetarian does not eat meat, not because he has made a conscious decision at some point in time not to be responsible for inhuman treatment of animals, but because he is just sticking to his identity of caste. And yet, many Indian vegetarians rationalize their dietary habit as if it is a virtue when in fact no such thought process has aided him. If that was the case, we should not be seeing dietary habits strictly along casteist lines in India – but we do.

This phenomenon of converting a practice into an identity and then into a value worth upholding for and fighting for is not unique to Indians. Many other cultures, especially those that have gone through post-colonial inferiority complex or feel they have something to prove to others, exhibit the same phenomenon. For example, some Muslim women living in the West hold onto hijab as a demonstration of identity; and it is no longer considered a symbol of oppression.

Can we write off all habits as mere reflection of a culture, tradition or identity? Can’t they be based in values and principles?

A habit could indeed be an expression of a value and principle. Values may induce certain habits in a person. For example, a person who decided not to discriminate people based on caste may stop using those words in his vocabulary that have origins in caste based discrimination. Over a period of time, it may just become a habit. Here, this habit is clearly cultivated by this person based on a principle.

If some habits are indeed based in values, how come I have a big problem when all habits are seen as values?

That’s because many of our habits are not based in values. Some habits may be based on deep rooted prejudices, may be out of tune with the zeitgeist, and may be based in superstition and blind belief. And if we start treating all our habits as values, we run into problems of rationalizing even our prejudices, hatred, and xenophobia into values. For example, Indian villages actively promote prejudice against lower caste people and this prejudice results in many local habits, such as using a different utensils to serve them, forcing them to use different wells, and make them sit on the ground while you sit on the chair. Can we now convert our habit of serving them in a different utensil into a value? I have recently witnessed this habit being practiced even in a city like Bangalore where a tenant verifies which caste other tenant belongs to, and then go about practicing this, serving them in different utensils.

Also, there could be some habits which are specific to certain geography and if we were to make them a value, then we run into danger of justifying them in another geography where that habit could be out of place or even dangerous. For example, some North Americans hunt and eat deer which is quite a legal thing to do, but this cannot be extended to India.

The problem with equating our regular habits into values is that once they become values, we hold onto them no matter what – even those that are born out prejudice or those that are merely inherited. Going to temple regularly, not eating non-vegetarian food, holding fasts, not touching people with their feet, and other myriad habits and practices are all considered extremely important to most Indians, no doubt, and they have may some significance scientifically, morally, or economically. But then they start to believe they are their actually their values.

This particular phenomenon of equating regular habits to values clouds Indians from placing their priorities. If your son is a regular temple visitor you are quite happy even if he is the most corrupt officer in the government. While choosing a life partner for your daughter you are more concerned if he drinks alcohol or not, than finding out if he swindles people of their money. When trying to find out about a future son-in-law few parents have asked me questions like, whether he eats meat, or whether he drinks alcohol, and when I told them that he doesn’t they were quite happy. They are not really concerned if he is ethical, morally upright or has integrity. (Ahem, what are those things? Can you repeat those words?)

Here’s an interesting case that took place in an Indian court.

Ridiculed, British intern breaks down in court

"How many of your room mates smoke?'' "Do you drink?'' Pamela could take it no more. Hurt and humiliated, she broke down in the over-crowded court, pleading for privacy in the trial. This is no scene from a film, but what a 23-year-old British national living in Ahmedabad, went through at a metropolitan magistrate's court which was hearing a case on Tuesday of how she was allegedly molested by a plumber…

Her effort to get justice turned out to be another ordeal as she was humiliated in the open court and ridiculed when defence lawyer Sanjay Prajapati asked her whether she smoked or drank when the trial began on Monday…

At one point Prajapati said, "If I were a woman and behaved like her, one man would go to jail daily.''

The intended effect is very simple. This is how many Indians reason. If you are smoking and drinking then there is a good chance you are morally corrupt. That line of thinking does down well with most average Indians.

Indians have got their priorities all skewed up. Practices like corruption, cheating, swindling, stealing, and even maiming and inuring the other people are considered petty infringements compared to losing one’s caste by eating out a non-vegetarian plate or tasting alcohol even by accident. Again and again, we equate our dietary habits to values and then measure one’s morality.

Indian values are actually habits I

This is a hypothetical conversation between two Indians A and B.

A: We all deeply respect our father. Many others in our society respect him too. He has lot of values and he is a very principled man.

B: So what are his values?

A: Oh, there are many. For example, he never eats meat, no matter what.

B: Really? So how does he go about implementing his values?

A: He does not even touch meat or consume anything that has animal produce. Even when he is traveling abroad he will make sure he eats only vegetarian food though the people in those countries are predominantly non-vegetarian. He even avoids cheese in those countries because sometimes these foreigners use animal fats in their cheese.

B: So, did he become a vegetarian at some point of time in his life after realizing the inhumanness we extend to the animals?

A: Not really. He was a born vegetarian. He is born into a family which has a very long history of being strictly vegetarian.

B: So what you are saying is that he doesn’t eat meat because his parents didn’t eat meat. Isn’t that a habit he just inherited from his parents? How come it is a value?

A: Well. You don’t understand. He has many other values - not just that one.

B: Like what else?

A: He doesn’t drink alcohol. Not even touch it.

B: Let me guess. Your father’s parents don’t drink alcohol. Is that right?

A: Yes. Hear me out. It is a principle he holds onto no matter what. And he really scorns people who eat meat or alcohol and avoids their company. He ensured none of his kids even sniff the smell of alcohol. While growing I was tempted to drink alcohol but he is such a strict man - he forbade me from drinking alcohol. I thank him for that.

B: According to you that makes him principled?

A: Yes. Very much so! If you hold onto your values in all trying circumstances, then you are principled. Many things he does are actually his principles in action. He goes to temple every day and that is not something his parents do all the time – therefore you cannot say he inherited that from his parents. Also, he does many pujas, reads scriptures daily in the morning, and fasts twice a week.

B: Whatever you have told me are his habits, things he does on a daily basis, as a routine. How can you call them values and principles?

A: Look. You are only saying that because you don’t have his values and principles. I know that you drink alcohol and eat meat – and therefore you are not able to appreciate his values. He holds onto his beliefs no matter what.

B: Can you please elaborate?

A: Like when my sister married out of caste, he did not accept the marriage and eventually boycotted her. Even when she got a kid, he refused to embrace the grand kid. He is very determined and he did not waver from his stand. For this all our relatives grew immense respect for my father – they said he is the only true person in our caste. Most others would have succumbed to emotional pressures and relented to embrace the grand kid. Not my father. His values are pretty strong.

B: So what are your values? Eating food on time? Or taking a shower daily?

**

Unban banned books

Good that Gujarat High Court has reversed the state government's decision on ban on Jaswant’s book on Jinnah [Related Post]. But India has been banning books for a long time. What about the books that have been banned in the past? Who is going to unban them?

So far, more than 54 books have been banned by various Indian governments. India has a bad track record of generously misusing its state powers in taking unilateral decisions to ban books it didn’t like or it didn’t understand. India was the first country in the world to ban Satanic Verses, even before anybody read it, and even before any Islamic country decided to ban it. India bans books, plays and movies at the throw of a hat without debate, discussion or reason. 

India has to grow up. One of the sad outcomes of that growing up is to deal with things that are unpleasant. We have to live with the fact that there are homosexuals and lesbians and they have equal rights, just like you and me. We have to live with the fact that people think differently, behave differently, eat differently and dress differently. They go to different places of worship while some don’t worship at all. Some people write books that you may not want to read but that does not mean you have a right to stop him from writing that book or expressing that opinion. And some people paint things that you don’t understand. 

We don’t need to force people into conform to our set of standards, morals and ethics, our set of religious beliefs, superstitions and rituals, our set of dress codes, and our habits of eating. As a nation we need to grow up to live and let live. 

The high court in its ruling said:

Lack of opinion means lack of thinking; lack of thinking means lack of understanding. The state is dealing with the fundamental rights of its citizens and, therefore, a great amount of caution, prudence and care is expected.

Doesn’t that apply to all the books banned previously? Isn’t it a great time to unban all the books we have banned to show that we have grown by a day?

Here’s a list of banned books as compiled by the source listed above. Note that there are many books related to criticism of Kashmir or Indian foreign policy, sex, criticism of Hinduism, criticism of Shivaji, and even books concerning Gandhi and Nehru. 

• Scented Garden (Anthropology of sex life in the Levant) by Bernhard Stern; translated by David Berger. Banned: August 18, 1945

• Dark Urge by Robert W. Taylor. Banned: Dec 29, 1955

• The Jewel in the Lotus (A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East). Banned: July 20, 1968

• The Face of Mother India by Katherine Mayo. Banned: January 18, 1936

• Old Soldier Sahib by Private Frank Richards (memoirs of a British soldier serving in India whose book Old Soldiers Never Die has been described as ‘‘probably the best account of the Great War as seen through the eyes of a private soldier.’’) Banned: Aug 22, 1936

• The Heart of India by Alexander Campbell. Banned: March 11, 1959

• The Evolution of the British Empire and Commonwealth from the American Revolution by Alfred Le Ray Burt. Banned: Aug 9, 1969

• A Struggle between Two Lines over the Question of How to Deal with US Imperialism by Fan Asid-Chu, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1965. Banned: Dec 6, 1969

• Behind the Iron Curtain in Kashmir: Neutral Opinion (author not mentioned). Banned: Aug 27, 1949

• American Military Aid to Pakistan (its full implications) by Salahuddin Ahmad. Banned: July 31, 1954

• Captive Kashmir by Aziz Beg. Banned: April 19, 1958

• India Independent by Charles Bettelheim. Banned: May 15, 1976

• Hindu Heaven by Max Wylie. Banned: April 28, 1934

• The Land of the Lingam by Arthur Miles. Banned: Oct 2, 1937

• What Has Religion Done for Mankind, Watch-tower Bible and Tract Society, New York. Banned: Feb 26, 1955

• The Ramayana by Aubrey Menen. Banned: Sept 29, 1956

• Nine Hours to Rama by Stanley Wolpert. Banned: Sept 1, 1962

• Nehru, A Political Biography by Michael Edwards. Banned: Dec 13, 1975

• Who Killed Gandhi by Lourenco De Sadvandor. Banned: Dec 29, 1979