Update: NTA is likely to declare NEET 2020 Result for the recently concluded medical entrance exam today i.e. on 12th October 2020. Although NTA has not confirmed that it will be declaring the NEET Result 2020 today, several media agencies have reported that the medical entrance test result is likely to be published today. Along with NEET 2020 result, the apex testing agency will also publish the final answer key for the examination and make the NEET Scorecard 2020 available to all the candidates online on the exam portal ntaneet.nic.in. After the official declaration, the below-given link to check and access the NEET 2020 Result will be activated. Candidates will be able to download NEET Result Scorecard easily by clicking on the link provided below:
Dreaming and Doing
How does a young kid, one of six siblings, born in a lower income family in Vadnagar, Gujarat, schooled in a government school, working in his free time to supplement parental income, find the motivation to develop, upgrade his knowledge, learn multiple languages, to emerge as one India’s greatest orators and a two term Prime Minister. Let’s look at his unique journey. Young Narendra after completing his schooling, left home on a path of self discovery, traversing the Himalayas and other parts of India, spending time at various missions imbibing the teachings of Swami Vivekanand and understanding different cultures. He returned to Ahmedabad and at the ripe age of 17 joined the RSS. Married at an early age he explained to his spouse that his life was dedicated to the nation, and they lived separately thereafter. His sheer hard work, executing assignments without ever complaining, endeared him to his mentors leading him to be made the youngest ever Pracharak for the city of Ahmedabad at the age of 24. He learnt to lead, and work with elders. In 1987, the RSS felt that he had the ability to contribute to the political space, and assigned him to the BJP as General Secretary for Gujarat.
To watch video: PM Narendra Modi: The planned rise to Prime Minister
The emergence of a Challenger
He was a key organiser in the long marches and rath yatras of party doyens Dr. Joshi and Mr. Advani. In the 1995 state elections in Gujarat, as the chief strategist he brought the party victory. In 1996 he was moved by the party as the State head for Haryana, and then in time was given charge of Himachal and J&K also. In 1998 he became the General Secretary Organisation of the BJP and held the post till October 2001, when he was sent to Gujarat as Chief Minister.
Gujarat had been struck by a disastrous earthquake in Jan 2001, leaving over 2 lacs dead and Bhuj totally devastated, and relief work was languishing. Becoming Chief Minister at the age of 52, and having barely settled into the role, catastrophe struck. On 27/2/2002 a train carrying returning Kar Sevaks from Ayodhya had a bogy torched at Godhra leading to 59 charred bodies. This triggered a violent state wide carnage and the state administration and police was overwhelmed for 3 long days and nights with over 2000 dead, and multiple properties gutted. This event was subject to multiple state and centre led enquiry commissions, a Supreme Court monitored Special Investigation, and subsequent prosecution and convictions over the next fifteen years, but Narendra Modi was absolved by the courts of any negligence or wrongdoing.
This singular event changed CM Modi’s attitude and narrative. He transformed the state bureaucracy by empowering officials and plunging into the reconstruction of Bhuj in record time as his redemption. He pushed Gujarat towards rapid industrialization, agricultural growth and rural infrastructural development. Gujarat’s PSU’s were revived and made profitable. New ports, power projects-thermal, solar and wind were set up. A sleepy state became food surplus, and challenged Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in industrialization. A new breed of politician had emerged, one who was administratively competent, had people connect, empathized with the poor, and wanted development of the state as his new identity. He demonstrated the trait of finding the best quality resource, absorbing and learning rapidly across a spectrum of subjects, putting in 16 hour days, and creating a breed of bureaucrats and politicians who could keep pace with him.
The mandarins within the congress identified the long term challenger very early, and used legal, administrative and extra-constitutional means to hound him. They used their loyal media cohorts to keep raising the Godhra riots, globally identify him as a right wing pariah, got his travel visa blocked in a few major countries, and set the NGO armies to tie him down in litigation. Little did they know the resolve of the man. Whilst they understood power, he was a master of oratory and people connect. He converted Sonia Gandhi’s vicious personal attacks like “maut ka saudagar” into attacks on Gujarati Asmita, uniting a global Gujarati diaspora in supporting him. It was truly a David mocking Goliath with an arrogant “bring it on” attitude. He was re-elected CM for three successive terms, setting a precedent in the BJP that administratively competent people should lead states.
This rise to becoming the Prime Ministerial face not an easy one. He had to take on his mentor Lal Krishan Advani, the man responsible for having resurrected the party along with Mr. Vajpayee when it faced political oblivion in 1984 winning only two seats in parliament. Mr. Advani had stood with him in 2002, in the process politically emasculating his friend of five decades. However Mr. Advani had lost the 2009 election to Dr. Manmohan Singh, and was now in his mid eighties. In the Goa conclave in 2013, younger leaders like Manohar Parrikar and Arun Jaitley who had been his strategist for the three Gujarat elections and the Godhra litigations endorsed him, and with cadres sensing potential victory pushed his candidature through.
The Congress led UPA had won 2009 on the back of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tough stand on the nuclear deal with the USA. Thereafter Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council took over the reigns of the country, and we witnessed a wave of nepotism, crony capitalism, loot of national resources, defence needs being ignored, surge in terrorism, and ceding of territory to China. CM Modi led consistent verbal attacks on PM Manmohan Singh for abdicating his duty, who by his silence conceded defeat in the eyes of the public. The shadow PM Modi in 2013 put together a war room with talent sourced globally. Many retired and serving bureaucrats now came out of the closet sensing a major change. A nation buffeted by scams, frauds, incompetence and indifference gave the BJP the numbers to cross the line on its own. The hopes of Modi challengers were over, and a new era in Indian politics began.
Victory in 2014 had been credited to the pull effect of Narendra Modi, but victory at the polls comes from a powerful organizational machinery that delivers consistently in getting committed voters to polling stations. The man who delivered on the ground was his “strike force” from Gujarat, the “chanakya” Amit Shah, tasked with taking on a formidable challenge of Samajwadi and BSP stronghold in Uttar Pradesh and its 80 seats in the Lok sabha. The rout of every other party was so unprecedented that the BJP swept 73 seats and even won in muslim dominated areas. With such a performance the anointment of Amit Shah as party President was a formality. Mr. Modi now had control of the government and the party.
PM Modi 1.0:
PM Modi once again had a baptism by fire. He realized that the coffers were empty, the bureaucracy was used to being a power centre, many had benefited from the previous regime, and were major roadblocks to his plans. New Delhi was dominated by power brokers with deep roots and deeper pockets. He needed something to give him momentum and needed it fast. Dr. Manmohan Singh had conceived the underlying concept of what has become the “JanDhan AAdhar Mobile aka” JAM trinity, brought Nandan Nilekani from Infosys to deliver the creation of a national IT backbone on which multiple applications could reside. Unfortunately he did not display the spine to overrule the likes of Mr. Chidambaram who ostensibly stymied and delayed the project even though the project would save Rs.40000 crores annually. PM Modi took less than 24 hours to issue the administrative orders to get the process moving.
The rest is history. Within 6 months the largest global “financial inclusion” program was implemented by making the Nationalised Banks open 33 crores new bank accounts for the poor who had never entered the portals of a bank earlier. A nationwide exercise to issue Aadhar a de-facto national identity card to every citizen was completed. Citizens already had mobile phones. By linking all three, we had the perfect delivery platform for any Direct Benefit Transfer System. Emboldened by the early success, he implemented the Ujjwala Yojna by providing a free first cylinder and subsidized subsequent ones to 6 crore village homes-50% of them were SC/ST. He created a national furore by addressing the issue of open defecation and had over 9 crores new toilets constructed. Infrastructure sector logjams had a crisis with banks facing nearly Rs.4 lac crores of NPA’s from incomplete projects. He gave Mr. Nitin Gadkari a free hand to resolve and build. Within six months the former party president had all projects moving, and his ministry delivered the construction of roads at 27 Km per day compared to 12 Km in the UPA period. Mr. Modi’s most ambitious project was Aayushman Bharat, a health insurance scheme which covers 50 crores people and provides free hospitalization. Never before was this scale of social security been contemplated or seen even in China the world’s poster boy. Faced with the unique challenge of the Nationalised Banking sector collapsing with over Rs.11 lac crores of NPA’s thanks to fiscal profligacy of 10 years of UPA. The government had to find 2 lac crores to fund capital requirements of banks. It also needed a legal framework which would enforce accountability and change of management. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code implemented in 2016 is path breaking in this regard.
Mr. Modi’s government was fiscally responsible, the deficits reduced consistently and yet massive social welfare and social security projects were executed. Where did the money come from? An absolute no brainer-the brave also need their share of luck. Global oil prices collapsed. Duties collected by the UPA varied between Rs. 3-5 a litre, but the NDA did not pass on the price reduction to the consumer. Duties today are nearly Rs.30 per litre. This oil revenue largesse and plugging the leakages has been the mainstay of government finances. Very early in his term the PM realized that India’s global image had taken a severe beating, and needed work. The PM travelled relentlessly, rallying the Indian community, having their travel pinpricks resolved, created a feeling of confidence and positivity. He engaged world leaders and built relationships. India’s stature with the polity of nations rose as he used Trade & Market Access in a highly transactional world. FDI flows to India started rising, and the government focused on improving our ranking from 140+ in ease of doing business to reaching 60+ by the end of the first term.
There were two actions taken by the PM in the country’s long term interest which could be termed controversial in timing and implementation. The first was the “demonetization” of currency. In an attempt to curb black money or the parallel economy, the government overnight abolished Rs.500 and 1000 currency notes, ostensibly 99 % of notes in circulation by value. Overnight the SME sector collapsed as working capital cycles of these businesses broke. Real estate transactions stopped. The RBI/Bank’s slow execution increased the misery of citizens. Yet 70% of India who had never seen or held such notes exulted. They had found a champion who could stick it to the rich. The political dividend was huge and the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh India’s largest state.
The second was the implementation of GST. The need for “one nation one tax” has been a no brainer, but no one had the political will to finally implement it. The discussions and resolution of issues with states amicably and unanimously was perhaps Arun Jaitley’s swan song. However the hurry to implement without fully testing the system, resolving all Information Technology issues for once showed gaps in project management. This is probably where the PM erred in trusting his friend and lost oversight on a flagship project. Coming immediately on the back of demonetization, it set back India’s SME sector to-tally and led to consolidation in favour of large industry. A decade from today, history will credit Mr. Modi for having the stature and political will to implement a path breaking legislation which is good for India, and was one more of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s conceived but incomplete agendas.
Every Indian PM has the romanticised notion of resolving issues with our rogue neighbor, and PM Modi was no exception. Yet one rebuff was enough for him to recalibrate and change strategy. When Pakistani terrorists killed 17 sleeping unarmed soldiers in an army camp in Uri, the army was given a free hand to cross into Pakistan and in a daring surgical strike the army killed 65+ to send a clear message that rules of engagement had changed. When Pakistan erred by using a suicide bomber to kill 40 CRPF men in Pulwama, another first was initiated and the Indian Airforce hit a terrorist camp in Balakote which media claimed killed nearly 300. These two raised PM Modi’s stature as the second Iron Man of India with the masses. PM Rajiv Gandhi had under pressure from Muslim men in his close circles which included MJ Akbar had reversed the Supreme Court decision on Triple Talaq in parliament in 1986, a cross the Congress carries to this date. PM Modi instructed the law ministry to throw its weight behind a fresh case in the Supreme Court on the same subject, and in a landmark judgement the court has held Triple Talaq illegal, and corrected the wrong done in Parliament in 1986. This was delivering justice to all muslim women in India.
Delivering safety to citizens of India was a key poll plank, and The NSA Mr. Doval was tasked with this, a task he has performed admirably. Working closely with the Defence Chiefs, the critical backlog in our defense arsenal is being filled very quickly. Terrorist activity is now localized in the Kashmir valley, being specifically targeted with many leaders eliminated. There has been a perceptible improvement in India’s relations with Middle East nations to the chagrin of Pakistan, that they get negligible backing in Islamic nations now. The PM also gets the credit for successfully resolving the 43 year injustice to Armed Forces on “one rank one pay”. This sent a very strong signal that the government is sensitive to men in uniform and would overrule the civil services in such matters.
The economy remained a challenge during Mr. Modi’s entire first term. Capital formation was at an all time low due to huge capacity expansions in the preceding decade. The services sector was growing with productivity improvements and incremental job creation was dropping. The economy could be dubbed to be moving in a phase of jobless growth. The government knew that something out of the box was needed. They conceived the Mudra scheme which would give uncollateralized loans to self-employed entrepreneurs upto Rs. 1 lac, so that they could have adequate working capital and grow, perhaps employ one/two helpers each. Over the 5 year term nearly 3.7 crores people were funded. This provided a critical mass of economic activity generation at the bottom of the pyramid. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, a program to complete 1.5 crore dwelling units by providing assistance to weaker sections was a resounding success with great last mile delivery.
In 2018 the global economy started slowing down, foreign trade started contracting, the BJP lost three state elections in a row in MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh where they had incumbent governments. The entire opposition tried coming together as one force to take on the BJP directly or tactically. The BJP faced the scenario of going into elections in 2019 with declining growth rates, high fuel prices, and a globally orchestrated attack on being anti-secular. They structured a strategy which would focus on demonstrated delivery of welfare schemes, India’s security and defence, and the government’s integrity. The opposition fell in the trap of attacking Mr. Modi personally, and the more vicious the attack, the stronger the backlash from the poorer sections across the country. They could identify with the theme of a poor man’s son being attacked by vested classes, because he stood up to their plunder. The landslide victory was now credited to one person only-Narendra Modi. Like it or not, such is his personal charisma and credibility.
PM Modi 2.0
The second term started with the government focusing on correcting pending historical errors. The first act was to abolish Article 370 which gave special status to J&K, and make it “one country, one law, one constitution”. It signaled to Pakistan and the world that we intend to take POK back sooner than later. Excluding China and Pakistan the world accepted it as an internal reorganization in India. The government then brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act to provide all non muslims of Indian origin who emigrated to India under duress post independence till 2014 with citizenship rights. Kapil Sibal admitted in parliament that the Act takes away no one’s citizenship.
The government moved to appoint a Chief of Defense Staff in General Bipin Rawat to improve co-ordination between all wings of the armed forces and development of combined sectoral strategies. This was a much needed structure and had been delayed by decades. Modi watchers were expecting the next step to be the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to correct another Nehruvian blunder in the mid 1950’s when he had unanimous parliamentary support but recanted. But then early this year Covid 19 struck and Chinese belligerence to divert world attention from their culpability has changed priorities.
Covid 19 has resulted in a global economic meltdown with over one crore people infected worldwide. All countries responded with their own versions of lockdowns to prevent/slowdown community spread. India’s shutdown with 70 percent of the population having staying power of less than one week, has been really challenging. The PM has addressed the nation frequently keeping the morale of people up. By extending the free food security for over 800 million poor till the end of November 2020; the PM has recognized that COVID battles are not going away in a hurry and empty stomachs must be taken care of. This social welfare program entails providing free food-grains to 2.5 times the USA’s population for 8 months.
In his latest address to the nation, the PM delivered a firm reprimand to sections of society who have let their guard down on social distancing, wearing masks, and hygiene thereby triggering a fresh wave of infections. Implied was that penalties for non-compliance would come from administrative actions. Recognizing that there is no fiscal headroom to alleviate the honest tax-paying middle class, the PM publicly acknowledged his gratitude to them and the farmers for being the backbone to survive this challenge. He also announced the proposed implementation of a one nation ration card, which would be portable across members of a family unit in multiple locations. This is a clear preparatory signal for bringing migrant workers back to work areas and mitigating the hardship they faced in April/ May. It is also a signal to Industry to get its game plan in place before November so that the economy could get back on the rails fast. In the interim, there is clear engagement by the PM in launching short term employment generation programs in rural areas to ensure that buying power is created, and people are not sitting idle. Unemployment numbers as per CEI fell from 26% to 8.5% in May. So while the PM is personally the face for employment and welfare of the poor, he has let the Finance Minister front end SME and large industry issues.
The face-off with the Chinese in Galwan valley which resulted in 20 Indians and over forty Chinese soldiers dead has crossed another red line. These are the first casualties in fifty years. By taking on the Chinese head-on and helped by the bravery of the Indian Army, the PM has grabbed the opportunity of occupying the global leadership vacuum caused by China’s belligerence. India now is positioned as a key member of the Quad (USA, Japan, Australia, China) and last month become a member of the G10. In his address to the nation honouring our fallen braves in Galwan, the PM was actually addressing the world audiences telling them that the invincibility myth of the People’s Liberation Army had been busted. The contrast in behavior of PM Modi and his Chinese counterpart is truly contrasting. The PM courageously flew to Ladakh with the CDS to honour the fallen army-men and bolster morale of troops who are doing duty in that terrain. His counterpart has not even acknowledged the deaths of his soldiers, and is not visible at a time when his country is being ravaged by floods.
This week India banned 59 Chinese owned telecom Apps on grounds of national security risks and sent global shock waves. Overnight Chinese companies lost 1 Billion Indian subscribers, approximately 30% of their global users. The knock to their business models and valuations is significant. It will also embolden all COVID affected countries to make China hurt if they follow India’s lead. India’s State governments are contributing their bit to add to the pressure by cancelling all infrastructure contracts awarded to Chinese companies. The center has joined the USA led move to eliminate Chinese equipment from the future Telecom and Power sector.
Despite the country facing a health, economic, and defense challenges simultaneously, the Central Government has brilliantly positioned itself as a mature, unflappable leadership, which responds to its critics with equanimity. When Delhi CM Kejriwal raised the red flag on COVID going out of control in his domain, the Home Minister quietly stepped in to provide infrastructure and operational support with no politicisation. The AAP who have drubbed the BJP at the hustings twice in a row, and has been their virulent critic, is quietly sharing and ceding the stage to them. Similarly, on the Chinese face-off, all attacks by the Congress have been totally ignored, pushing the grand old party to desperation, and now often making a mockery of themselves. It reached a stage when Congress allies like Sharad Pawar and Mayawati have snubbed them. In Bihar, a besieged Lalu Yadav trying to provide a challenge to the Nitish/ Modi juggernaut is distraught that the glory earned by the Bihar regiment has been insulted by his alliance partner, and till now the PM has not fired a salvo, which comes election season could be an erupting volcano.
In the midst of all the action The “make in India” and “localization” themes, attracting relocating supply chains to India need attention. We need inter-ministerial task forces with specific, measurable, time-bound objectives of getting at least 300 companies moving out of China to India. Every major leader gets into a comfort zone out of his/her language, exposure and experience, but the PM is in this new term broad-basing his key talent resources beyond his home state, a very welcome development. The untimely demise of both Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have left a serious vacuum in the BJP, and the PM will need to nurture youngsters to step up.
The PM is nearing seventy, and 65% of our population is below the age of 35 and communicating with them needs a prominent presence on Social Media platforms with a stated public position on multiple issues. It is also a medium which is unforgiving in terms of error or attacks by trolls. Coming from a generation that did not have computers or internet in their adaptive years, he has proved he is a constant learner. The fact that youngsters turn out and vote for him massively signifies that he has mastered their psyche and connects successfully. It would not be out of place to accept that the PM has a presence that would make any global statesman envious.
With great power and popularity come very heightened expectations. Mr. Modi communicates an image of impeccable personal integrity, demonstrated consistent hard work, a man who is action oriented, a fantastic negotiator, and one who has a mailed fist in a velvet glove. He loves the big stage, loves to win, give him a platform and an audience and you see the Pied Piper at work. What this image masks successfully is also a master strategist who is incredibly detailed both in planning and execution, and the next few months will tell how PM Modi and India’s second “tryst with destiny” moment plays out.
Writer is managing Partner, S&S Associates.
Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. The views expressed are personal. I am stakeholder in my country, and I exercise my constitutional right to vote.
Which One for You? From Chubby Baby to Romantic Dancer to Commander in Chief…
The most colourful and lovable divine figure in Indian mythology is Lord Krishna. The word ‘Krishna’ means the one who attracts, one who is like a magnet and one whose presence immediately creates love in thousands of people.Lord Krishna’s flute indicates celebration, love, song and dance but he has many sides to his identity. Seven of these aspects were selected for a recent survey for a few hundred Osholovers who know of Lord Krishna. Here are the outstanding responses which highlight their personal perception of Lord Krishna. Most women imagine to be Krishna’s Radha. This is the most interesting outcome of this survey. But they overlook two major qualities to follow Radha: total and utter surrender and spiritual progress to identify the divinity instead of just romance, song and dance. These responses make spicy reading.
Next comes Krishna of the Geeta. Their answers displayed their intellect and understanding of the Gita, the song celestial; and, of course, their spiritual quotient. Thus, these answers are enlightening.The most unusual response was from a senior citizen with great knowledge of the Geeta and has delivered many discourses to explain this scripture to others. Most unconventionally, he opted for teenage Krishna who wanted to glimpse the bare breasts of the bathing Gopis.
Osho says, “Krishna is utterly incomparable; he is so unique. Firstly, his uniqueness lies in the fact that although Krishna happened in the ancient past he belongs to the future, is really of the future. Man has yet to grow to that height where he can be a contemporary of Krishna's. He is still beyond man's understanding; he continues to puzzle and battle us. Only in some future time will we be able to understand him and appreciate his virtues.
Which one of these six Krishna personality is YOUR favourite? And why?
‘Baby’ Krishna, the cutest, chubby infant, who stole butter so innocently…
Urvashi: Baby Krishna for his mischief and mischievous looks.
Shweta: The little Krishna as his naughtiness is very infectious. Yet he is so aware.
Archna: As I never thought to like one out of all seven. Basically, I am fascinated by Bal Gopal and also impressed by Krishna who has given Geeta from which I and humanity learn a lot.
Note: All mothers.
‘Cowboy’ Krishna who herded cows and saved them from a massive storm by lifting up a mountain…
Second-year university student, Rhea: My favourite side of Krishna is the cow herding Krishna. I am able to relate to the bond of love between Krishna and the cows, the attachment is really heart-warming. He knew them like the back of his hand, and would go searching in case anyone went missing. When I visualise Krishna in the green meadows with the cows, it fills me with a sense of joy and tranquillity. The silent exchange of humans with animals and nature in general is delicate and blissful. It has the power to take us to a higher plane
‘Teenager’ Krishna who grabbed the clothes of young girls bathing in River Yamuna and returned them only when they exposed their breasts to him?
Rajnish: The Teenager. In all other roles, there is an element of divinity. In the role of a teenager, he is totally human like you and me.
‘Romantic’ Krishna who played his flute and his female friends, including Radha, came running to dance the night away in divine ecstasy?
The first to respond, Richa, a senior surgeon, wrote: Romantic Krishna, of course.
A dialogue followed: Why? Way to samadhi.
Yes, but you go for Romantic Krishna as a woman in love with him... Every woman yearns for a god to love who can completely fulfil her. Does every woman first surrender totally like Radha or Meera?
Does every woman rise to His spirituality to discover his divinity?
A medical student in final year, Kiran: Romantic Krishna is my favourite. In Indian mythology, gods are always seen with seriousness and with pious eyes that make them appear far from human. Lord Krishna's romantic side makes it fun and lively and human yet godly. It’s refreshing.
Can you surrender totally to Lord Krishna to become a Gopi? I don’t think so. Not everyone can let go of the ego and entanglements to totally surrender oneself. But no one is immune to the charms of Krishna. Meera and Radha and many, many women who surrendered were lovers and devotees to him...that devotion is uncommon.
Dance instructor and chorographer Ruchi: Hahaha....it’s hard for someone who understands the intricacies of the human relationships.... but if I had to choose one.... then I would choose.... Krishna as a lover .... as also romance and shringaar (adornment ) is considered the mujadara of human relationships...Krishna's love is spiritual not emotional. Obviously, we know that.... but he is as human (gross)and as spiritual (subtle)......Spirituality is for those with antennae.
Sufi whirling expert Meera: Tough to select the best one.. but if you insist.... Gopis gave him their hearts... with their total surrender. May we dissolve completely. All is Osho. Our Krishna Buddha Jesus is Only Osho. Nothing left of us as we know…
A committed Krishna devotee, Priti: All.... Seems he had done these Lilas. He was just present .... His presence...his love. Manifested in these lilas.. he did nothing.
Mukta: Romantic Krishna. I see my lover in Romantic Krishna. Are you his Radha? I wish.
Yajna: Romantic Krishna because of his charm because women like to be pampered. Krishna's charm is so good.
Keirti: Romantic Krishna… sending lots of love and happiness.
Shraddha: Romantic Krishna. Are you Radha? Not always, some times.
Ameera: I think the Romantic Krishna is my favourite.... Why?? Because of the celebration, the laughter, the dance, the music and the joy.... All so beautiful...
The only male in this category, Rajpal: Romantic Krishna, I think this is your favourite also.
‘Diplomat’ Krishna who delivered messages between two warring groups of cousins to try and avert a war?
Full of laughter, Hasya: My favourite diplomat Krishna. Because in this era, we need diplomat Krishna... His words are like a pep talk. Energetic and shows us how to handle tough situations
‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna who delivered the eternal unparalleled message of Gita on the battlefield to inspire seekers for the ensuing ten thousand years?
Journalist and author Aekta: For me, Krishna is always the Supreme Lord who knows all, sees all and guides me through my hands and eyes and words -- everything I think, speak and do is a manifestation of His Divine Grace. For me, the most challenging dharma has been to surrender to His Will even if it demands supreme effort and sacrifice from me, because as a mere mortal I sometimes shy away from my own true purpose and pretend to 'unsee' what He wants of me. Eventually He wins, of course!
Medial professional Neelam: The answer to this (survey) changes with age. I would have liked romantic Krishna in my younger years but now I like the Supreme Lord.
Medical doctor Sangeeta: Don't know.... He seems to me my beloved. Also, diplomat Krishna... Best one is Geeta’s Krishna....
Chirag: All of them are lovely but if I have to choose one then sixth one is my favourite because in this one, he completes a human journey.
Goldy: ‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna who delivered the eternal unparalleled message of Gita on the battlefield to inspire seekers for ten thousand years because his teachings are the best way to live life in today’s circumstances.
Written a post-graduate thesis on Osho on education Nidhi: As a seeker, I relate to this and Osho’s intense commentary on him gave me many insights to live my life. As a woman, I don’t like Romantic Krishna at all. I need a lover who is simply
mine, not attracting many women with his flute or anything else. As a woman, I like Shiva.
Manda: ‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna for me because he inspired the seekers for thousands of years. Simple!
The males - Jain: The Supreme Lord Krishna because here he says, ‘I am the beginning, middle and end of the creation’. And many greater great things he said in the Gita. And I also love the romantic form of him where he keeps up his promises to love female friends which he claims to be the females which want him in the past births and promised them all to be with them all in the future (and fulfilled their wishes by doing Raas Leela).
Devotional singer Charanjeet: I love all roles, but to choose the best, it is
‘Romantic’ Krishna. Because of course! there is ecstasy there. In this role, he is not rolling, he is as he exists, but in other roles he is in role due to others. I love
Krishna within me while acting all roles. He is continually playing his Anhad Naad flute within me. I always try to keep listening this flute. Osho made me aware me about the real portrait of Krishna. Later, the same explanation about Krishna I found in shapad of Guru Nanak. Today, I will sing a particular shabad about Krishna.
‘Commander in Chief’ of Pandava army who led it to victory without taking active part in fighting, and despite much lower number of soldiers and less outstanding fighters?
No one appreciated Lord Krishna in this role because it is not widely known. Going beyond truth and falsehood, Krishna wins the war. Why? Because he is beyond duality and witnesses the world as a ‘leela’ or a play.
To conclude: Lord Krishna is all these seven identities and many more. He walked this earth at least 5,000 years ago, says Osho, and it will take another 5,000 years to understand him!
Osho has talked extensively on Krishna, particularly in his path-breaking book ‘Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy’ wherein he has answered every possible question on Krishna.
Mumbai Police on the forefront in battle against pandemic
“3820 infections, 55 dead,” read the headline in a popular online newspaper. These figures didn’t refer to the scale of the spread of COVID-19 in a major metropolis or a small country but merely of that within the Mumbai Police. The city’s police force which is perhaps India’s most feted has borne the brunt of the disease due to their roles as frontline actors in the fight against the raging pandemic. The Mumbai Police force is not alone in its misery, police personnel across the country have fallen to the disease, often unsung and almost always unappreciated for the arterial role they’ve performed in meeting the challenge that has brought even the mightiest powers in the world to their knees.
The discourse in popular culture surrounding the police has always oscillated between two extremes, policemen have either been portrayed as either larger than life ‘Singhams’, in pursuit of justice with scant regard for their own safety or indeed, the law, or as potbellied thugs working on behalf of the evil antagonist. The media on the other hand often depicts an image of the police as state backed tormentors suffering from a colonial hangover and at the root of much of the evil that has befallen the republic. Where then does the truth lie? Who is today’s policeman and where does he fit in the gargantuan apparatus of the state? In order to answer these questions it is imperative that we locate the roles that a policeman is expected to perform in today’s day and age. The role of a cop begins at India’s outermost extremities. Every single land border that India shares with another country (with the exception of Myanmar) is secured by a police force designated for the purpose.
Whereas the Indio-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders fall within the area of responsibility of the Border Security Force, the Indo-Nepal border is secured by the Sashastra Seema Bal, and the Indo-China border falls within the AoR of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Each of these borders presents unique challenges to the forces that man them. The BSF, raised in 1965 by the legendary IPS officer KF Rustamji, finds itself engaged regularly by the Pakistan Army in cross-LoC fire and on quieter days by the famously savage Border Action Teams populated variously with army regulars as well as terrorists. It is also our first line of defence against smugglers of an assorted variety and strives to keep the country safe from the, often lethal objects of their trade such as drugs, arms, and the like.
On the China front, the ITBP is often subject to the hostile and uniquely disharmonious shenanigans of the Chinese PLA when its not battling the vagaries of nature in one of the worlds’ most inhospitable parts. Even a peaceful border brings to the police its own challenges. The SSB is on constant vigil against criminal gangs trafficking people, to the designs of the Pakistani ISI which leaves no route unexplored in seeking to infiltrate their malevolent spawn into India in pursuit of what passes for ‘strategic objectives’ in Aabpara. All this merely covers their role in times of peace, each of these organisations have also fought shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces in times of war.
The role of the BSF in training the Mukti Bahini and generating invaluable intelligence about the goings on with East Pakistan cannot be overstated. On the 9th of April 1965, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) achieved a feat unheard of in global military history when a small contingent of the 2nd battalion of the force repulsed a brigade strength Pakistani attack on Sardar Post in the Rann of Kutch, killing 34 and capturing 4 Pakistan Army soldiers. On a different day and a different border a few years earlier on the 21st of October, 1959, affairs took a tragic turn when a combined patrol of the Intelligence Bureau and the CRPF was ambushed and killed by the Chinese PLA in Hot Springs, Ladakh. October 21st has since been observed as Police Commemoration Day, in remembrance of the policemen who gave up their lives in the frigid climes of Ladakh then and those who we’ve lost in the line of duty since.
Coming closer home it is important for us to understand the arterial role essayed by state and central police forces in keeping the Union secure from enemies within. Every single insurgency that has ever been crushed in India has been done through the intervention and under the leadership of its police forces.The CRPF, a central police force has been deployed in virtually every theatre of conflict in India. From the verdant valley of Kashmir to the jungles of Central India as well as the North East, the CRPF has ably assisted state police units in eliminating insurgencies that have, in some cases, lasted for the better part of the Republic’s existence.
In fact, so extensive is the deployment of the CRPF across the country that it is jocularly referred to by its personnel as the Chalte Raho Pyare Force! When it comes to insurgencies the role of the state police forces in ending them cannot be overstated. Any insurgency requires not just the establishment of physical control over territory but also the winning over of the hearts and minds of the people who form its political and material support base. No force that is largely drawn from outside of the conflict zone can hope to comprehensively do both. As the American diplomat Henry Kissinger once observed, the conventional army loses if it doesn’t win, the guerrilla wins if he doesn’t lose. It is important hence, that no element of the insurgency, political or military, is left to thrive. This is where state police forces have excelled. Their roots in their communities have not only helped them build intelligence networks amongst strife torn communities but also helped the counter-insurgency effort remain humane and measured. Ensuring that the process of defeating the insurgency doesn’t create more insurgents. Examples of Police successes in this regard abound across states in India. The state of Tripura for instance, was the worst hit by insurgencies in the 1990s. Far more so than Manipur, Nagaland, or Assam.
This was when the Tripura Police raised the Tripura State Rifles, a specialized counter-insurgent force consisting of locals from social backgrounds similar to that of the insurgents themselves. The result was that Tripura became the first state in the North East to remove AFSPA from the entire state in 2015, due to the comprehensive destruction of militancy there. The role of the Punjab Police led by the formidable KPS Gill in eliminating the pro-Khalistan terror groups has become the stuff of legend. Even the ‘Red Corridor,’ once reputed to have extended from the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal to the Krishna-Godavari basin in Andhra has shrunk to miniscule proportions thanks to the efforts of police forces across states from Bihar to Andhra Pradesh.
The J&K Police meanwhile, has acquitted itself admirably in the manner by which they’ve managed to clamp down on an insurgency whose success or failure has ramifications far beyond the valley. The Special Operations Group of the force has become a byword for operational success and virtually every CI operation conducted there is made possible due to the intelligence gathering as well as operational capabilities of this unit. So deep is its intelligence network that it is rumored to have active intelligence sources within militant groups based in Pakistan! Its clear as day then that the geographical and political boundaries of our country have been kept in pristine order thanks to the consistent and relentless efforts of our police forces. Wars, insurgencies, intelligence gathering etc., are roles that the police performs in addition to their core function of enforcing the law which comes with its own set of challenges. As a developing country we face challenges that are typical of countries such as ours.
Unlike in wealthier nations where every contingency is dealt with a specific agency, where police-public ratios are manageable, where the police are equipped adequately, and training processes are lavishly funded, Indian police forces make do with what they get. Police in India have been historically and remain today, the most potent arm of the state.They are the first responders in every crisis whether it is a personal crisis faced by a citizen or a disaster, man-made or natural. Nowhere has this been experienced as clearly as in the states’ response to the COVID19 crisis. The police have not only enforced what has been dubbed the worlds’ most stringent lockdown, but also found the time to essay their regular functions.
What’s more, they have also gone out of their way to ensure that those who’re alone and vulnerable during the lockdown are made to feel less so by celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries with them. From ensuring that returning migrant workers are fed to celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with senior citizens complete, in some cases, with cakes and party hats.The latter has especially shown the humane side of the police force with netizens across the country lauding them for their kind overtures. The truth however, is this it is not a new phenomenon. Many states have institutionalized mechanisms by which the local police keeps a tab on the wellbeing of senior citizens who live alone and thus, regularly celebrate their life’s milestones with them. What of police apathy then? Or what about their brutal side?
In any democracy the police have to abide by the rule of law and remain professional at all times. But lets remember they are, before anything else, human. 12-16 hour shifts where they have to grapple with crisis after crisis, enforcing the law in a country where even issuing a simple traffic chalan to an errant driver is met with protests and threats, can take a toll. It would make even the most equanimous person irritable. India has made giant strides in the direction of speaking about mental health but this conversation seems to have excluded those who most desperately need to find a place within it. India’s police force is not perfect, far from it, but what it requires more than anything else is to be looked upon with empathy not disdain. A demonized police force is a demoralized police force. And India cannot afford for the members of one of its most critical institutions to be demoralized or feel beaten down. the police response to COVID19 has won them plaudits and many admirers, let’s not allow this moment to pass in vain.
Lets acknowledge the sacrifices that the force makes everyday to keep us safe, lets ensure that the conversation around reform is informed by kindness and understanding rather than by anger and ignorance. Prime Minister Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address on the 26th if April stated, “Our policemen today are feeding the poor, the needy, and providing medicines. The way the police are coming forward to help, the human and sensitive side of policing has emerged in front of us, has touched our hearts.” Lets hope for the sake of our republic that we don’t forget in a hurry the immense work that the police have indeed put in. Now and always.
Sanjay Sharan is a retired Commissioner of Customs & CGST from Government of India. He is a post graduate in History and has also done Management Development Program from IIM, Lucknow. He has also had trainings/interactions with London School of Economics, Cambridge University, Nyenrode University (Holland), LKYSPP (Singapore University), Graduate School of Business of SKK University (South Korea) and IIM(Kozhikode). He is a Master Trainer of GST, and as part of his multifaceted personality, he is also an authentic expert on Life Skills, Yoga & Meditation, Stress Management. He regularly takes sessions on GST, Stress Management and many other areas for a number of institutes and academies. He also takes online training sessions.
He is an accomplished author. He has written a unique book for mankind by name “Householder Ascetic”. This book is available worldwide on amazon-both as e-book and paperback. In India, it is available as e-book and can be sourced from amazon for Rs. 250/- only. For this, Kindle app has to be downloaded from play store or app store on mobile phone or laptop. Once purchased from amazon, it comes in kindle app and the same can be read with convenience.
"Householder Ascetic ", written as a book of fiction for ease of writing and reference only, is a reference book for mankind across the globe giving authentic and eternally valid answers to various questions and challenges that comes to human mind in day-to-day life. The book is mainly based on teachings from Divine Masters from India. The valid answers are given through the replies to a number of questions that the characters of book ask for, as stated in the book. The replies to questions and inquiries are authentic with eternal validity. The replies are also at times supported with quotes from various scriptures. The book derives several congruent, converging and congenial messages from Bhagwat Gita, Holy Bible and Sri Guru Granth Sahab. It also derives from Islam, especially from Sufism.
Although written as a book of fiction to facilitate ease of writing only, the book covers a bit of metaphysics, occult, history, geography and information about the land of India and her teachings for global understanding.
The book discusses, inter alia, the following: -
It may be repeated with all emphasis that clarifications and information given by way of answers/ replies in the book, by way of conversations and dialogues between two or more individuals, shall remain valid for all time to come for the humanity to help and guide mankind.
The author has crafted some beautiful poem in the book, with lot of hidden and suggestive meaning.
Home sweet home,
We emanated from Om,
Om, Amen & Amin,
Is it not the same hymn,
We came from thee,
We merge into thee,
We are birthless,
We are deathless,
Om sweet Om,
Thou art our home,
Why do we roam,
When father wants us home,
When mother wants us home,
Why do we roam,
Om sweet Om.
The larger purpose of book is to help and strengthen the mankind and to remove inter-class and inter-religious strife to make a better and saner world on sound and valid principles of understanding and universal acceptance of all faiths, beliefs and cults.
Mr Sanjay Sharan is available for imparting of training and teaching, even for public lectures. He can explain and answer all questions concerning life of humans. He can be reached on mail id sanjaysharan@hotmail.com
Under the Wildlife Institute of India-National Mission for Clean Ganga project ‘Planning and Management for Aquatic Species Conservation and Maintenance of Ecosystem Services in the Ganga River Basin for a clean Ganga’, Ganga River Dolphin Day was celebrated at six sites along the Ganga river namely, Bijnor, Brijghat, Prayagraj Varanasi, (Uttar Pradesh) Kahalgaon (Bihar) and Bandel (West Bengal). This is a joint venture of WII, NMCG and State Forest Departments, for sustainable tourism linking livelihood through dolphin conservation for ecotourism along the Ganga river. Every year 5th October is celebrated as Ganga River Dolphin Day as this day Ganga Dolphins were declared National Aquatic Animal.
On this occasion through a video message, Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat congratulated the nation and informed that the population of Gagentic Dolphins has increased in recent years. He also appealed to the masses to join Dolphin conservation campaign while emphasizing the importance of biodiversity in rejuvenation of river Ganga.
The highlight of the celebration was the launch of the Ganga river Dolphin Jalaj Safaris by Shri. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General National Mission for Clean Ganga at Bijnor Barrage, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh. Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, pointed out that such initiatives will go a long way in making the people aware of the biodiversity of Ganga river and importance of conserving our National Aquatic Animal. At the same time, the initiative will link local livelihood with Ganga conservation.
The Ganga Praharis in all the sites have been trained in biodiversity based eco-tourism and will take the tourist on boat rides to view Dolphin and other biodiversity present in the Ganga River.
“My Ganga My Dolphin” campaign was flagged off by World Wildlife fund and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in association with NMCG. In this campaign, Dolphin census will be conducted in 250 km stretch from Bijnore to Narora, many community awareness campaigns will be carried out and young volunteers will be encouraged to enroll as Ganga Mitras. This Dolphin Day was an occasion to revive over all biodiversity of Ganga and not just Dolphins, to bring focus to this Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra also released three turtles at Hyderpur wetland and felicitated Ganga Mitras who are part of the initiative. Since 2012, UP Forest Department and WWF-India have been engaging with communities for identifying and rescuing turtle nests from riparian farmland. There was also discussion about making an interpretation center at Hyderpur and make it a Ramsar site.
Also, A Turtle’s Day Out, a story by Jeevanesh Sawhney and illustrations by Malika Arora was launched by Mr. Mishra at the event.
There has been noticeable improvement in the Dolphin population in Ganga river especially in the stretch from Bijnore to Narora. Local volunteers reported seeing many Dolphins in Ballia district during recent cleanliness and awareness drive on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. Namami Gange mission is taking major steps to improve biodiversity of Ganga and her tributaries.
The Commissioner, Saharanpur, Shri Sanjay Kumar and Dr. Ruchi Badola, Scientist and Nodal Officer, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun were also present at the event.
From his struggle for legalising widow remarriage to his emphasis on women’s education, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar laid the foundations of modern India
How many people remembered on September 26 (last Saturday) that it was the 200th birth anniversary of Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar — as the correct English rendering of his name, as spelt in Bengali, would be? One of the greatest Indians ever born, much has been written about his contributions as a scholar, educationist, social reformer and writer. As early as 1841, Sanskrit College — now Sanskrit College and University — in Kolkata (then Calcutta), had conferred upon him the honorific title of Vidyasagar (Ocean of Learning) for his vast knowledge of classical Sanskrit texts and philosophy. He wrote two books on Sanskrit Grammar — Samagra Byakaran Kaumudi and Upakramonika — in Bengali, and translated several books from Sanskrit into Bengali.
Instead of seeking laurels for himself, he dedicated his life to spreading education. In 1864, Calcutta Training School, established by Thakurdas Chakraborty in 1859, came to be known as the Metropolitan Institution, which, in turn, was subsequently recognised by the University of Calcutta (Now Kolkata) as an affiliated college —the first Indian-managed private institution to be given this status. Saradaranjan Ray, a great mathematician whose exploits as a batsman led him to be called “WG Grace of Bengal”, was an early principal; Surendranath Banerjee, stalwart national leader and a founder of the Indian National Congress, was a teacher. The institution, which owed its remarkable growth and expansion mainly to the tireless efforts of Isvarchandra, was named Vidyasagar College in 1917.
An educationist described by Rabindranath Tagore as Bengal’s first Shikshaguru (preceptor of education), Vidyasagar had also opened schools in villages because he believed that sans education the country could neither progress nor become independent. His special emphasis was on children’s and women’s education. Even now, many children learn the alphabets and the fundamentals of Bengali language from his primer Bornoporichoy (Introduction to Letters) first published in 1855. His Kathamala (Garland of Stories) is perhaps the best-known collection of folk tales — each with a moral message — for children. Compiled from several English sources, Bodhoday (Dawn of Understanding) was meant to initiate the readers, particularly boys and girls, into a rational system of knowledge, providing basic ideas about animate and inanimate objects, vegetation, humankind, the senses, shapes and forms of objects, counting numerals, buying and selling, monetary systems and property and labour.
His efforts to promote women’s education, manifested among other things in the opening of a number of schools for them, was based on his firm belief that women were equal to men but suffered grave injustices and inequalities. This, he felt, had to be fought. His unflagging struggle for legalising widow remarriage, in support of which he cited Hindu scriptural texts, particularly the Parasarsanghita and the Manusanghita, led to the passage of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act (Act XV) on July 16, 1856. His exertions led to the enactment of the Female Infanticide Prevention Act (Act VIII) on March 18, 1870, and the Age of Consent Act (ACT X) on March 19, 1891. The title of the first of the above two Acts speaks for itself; the second, passed a little more than six months before his death, raised the minimum marriageable age of girls from 10 to 12 years. His best efforts failed to get an Act enacted for banning hypergamous polygamy, especially of the Kulin Pratha or the Kulin system. Under it, descendants of the five Brahmin families from Kannauj, brought to Bengal at the time of king Laxman Sen (1178-1206), commanded great value in the marriage market and had numerous wives, some of them mere girls. But the moral stigma the evil acquired, thanks to the campaign led by Vidyasagar, tapered it down to an end.
Vidyasagar was a rational humanist whose cerebral psyche went with limitless compassion and a generosity of spirit that instinctively prompted him to help out the straitened and suffering. This had led him to be called “Karunasagar” or “Dayar Sagar” (both meaning an Ocean of kindness) — Karunasagar Vidyasagar is the title of Indra Mitra’s well-researched biography of him — by public acclaim. The cue perhaps came from the famous poem dedicated to him by Michael Madhusudan Dutt whom he had bailed out when the iconic Bengali poet was in severe financial distress.
It would be worthwhile to quote the first four lines of the poem rendered in English alphabet for this column: “Vidyar sagar tumi bikhyato Bharate/ Karunar shindhu tumi, shei jane mone,/ Deen je, deener bondhu! Ujwal jagate/ Hemadrir hem-kanti, amlan kirone.” Its rough English translation would be, “You are famous in India as an Ocean of Learning/ That you are an Ocean of Kindness is known/ Only to the poor, friend of the Poor! Shining worldwide/ In the unfading golden light of the golden mountain.”
Vidyasagar wrote the first definitive grammar that gave form, structure and a highly Sanskritised but intelligible and fluent mode of expression to the Bengali language. Earlier, the latter was used mainly in Chandidas’ songs on the love between Radha and Krishna, Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s Chaitanya Charanamrita, a hagiography on the life of the medieval saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, versified renditions of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in Bengali by Kashiram Das and Krittibas Ojha respectively, Ramprasad’s devotional songs, Bharatchandra’s poetry and Ramram Basu’s prose.
The groundwork laid by Vidyasagar was built upon by the chaste literary language of Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, the distinct style evolved by Rabindranath Tagore, the use of colloquial Bengali by Peary Chand Mitra, author of Alaler Gharer Dulal (A Wealthy Family’s Pampered Boy), and the easy prose of Kaliprasanna Singha’s Hutom Pyanchar Naksha (Sketch by the Owl), both, in their own ways satirical depictions of affluent mid-19th century Kolkata, and Upendrakishore Ray’s simple language meant for children. The result of the interactive and mutually influencing styles and forms led to the emergence of Bengali as a powerful medium of complex and varied articulation in diverse areas like criticism, analysis and argumentation.
An important result of this was the emergence of the essay both as a literary format and a tool of discourse. Besides Rabindranath Tagore and Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, its two other important exponents were Akshay Kumar Boral and Ramendra Sundar Tribedi. Vidyasagar’s two tracts supporting widow remarriage were outstanding pieces, which were more in the nature of long essays than books. It was not just the essay. The evolved Bengali language made possible the production of path-breaking works in it in social, political, philosophical, theological and cultural domains, which made a significant contribution to the unfolding of the Bengal Renaissance.
Like the European Renaissance, which stretched from the late 14th to the late 18th century, the Bengal Renaissance, which had unfolded from the first half of the 19th century and waned gradually in the first half of the 20th, was the result of a multiplicity of factors — the coming of British rule; the introduction of Western education through the medium of the English language; the creation of a strong zamindari system through the implementation of Permanent Settlement; the rise of a trading class from the ranks of the banyas (agents) of the East India Company and its servants, who and others benefitted from the expansion of trade and commerce under British rule; and the rise of a growing bureaucracy to cater to the administrative needs of the East India Company’s expanding regime.
A critically important factor was the emergence of the Bhadralok. In Elite Conflict in a Plural Society: Twentieth Century Bengal, JH Broomfield has described the Bhadralok as “a socially privileged and consciously superior group, economically dependent on landed rents and professional and clerical employment.” He carefully distinguished between the Bhadralok and the middle class. According to him, the Bhadralok were upper and not middle class, if class was taken as a status group after Talcott Parsons. For the category did not include many middle-class elements in the Marxian sense of the latter being an economic group, while encompassing persons from both higher and lower classes.
As a status group, the Bhadralok constituted an elite, which, in turn encompassed several elites comprising landlords, businessmen, government employees as well as professionals like lawyers, doctors, and teachers. They became flag bearers of the Bengal Renaissance through not only their personal achievements but contribution to processes like the spread of education which extended the reach of the Renaissance. Their role in this context was much greater than that of Europe’s emerging bourgeoisie in furthering the European Renaissance.
The many-splendoured achievements of the Bengal Renaissance transformed the province’s intellectual life and was instrumental to the advent of modernity in Bengal, and then India. Vidyasagar’s strivings in multiple fields were a significant factor in its waxing. He was one of the greatest Indians who ever lived.
(The writer is Consultant Editor, The Pioneer, and an author)
The UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 focusses on what needs to be done for humans to survive as a race for another 30 years
If you are living in a metropolitan city like Delhi, the first few months of this year, despite or due to the pandemic, would have made you look up to stare at the clear blue sky. Let’s pause here and think why this phenomenon of a visibly pollution-free sky over a megapolis like Delhi sounds so out of place. Now, let’s switch back to September end, when NASA satellites show red spots of stubble burning fires over Punjab, followed by severe Air Quality Index (AQI) predictions. The residents of NCR are certain to choke on the deadly suspended particles in the air in the next few weeks, if they don’t succumb to the raging pandemic first. The solution to the pandemic and healthier living lies in understanding the benefits of “flattening the curve” of biodiversity’s decline.
The United Nation’s (UN’s) Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, released in September, shines the light on what needs to be done for humans to survive as a race for another 30 years. The report’s one line summary is, “It can’t be business as usual.”
The question is, how has this technologically advanced race fared ever since it became a signatory to a certain agreement at the Rio De Janeiro, Earth Summit in 1992 and most importantly undertook certain goals and targets of achieving balanced co-habitation with nature by 2020?
The results, as seen from the UN’s report, are pretty disappointing. Out of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity targets, 15 remain unachieved, despite an agreement reached between nations a decade back in 2010. These include simple tasks of making citizens in their respective nations aware of the value of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably. Plus setting goals like integrating biodiversity values into national and local development, poverty reduction and policy-making by governments, businesses and stakeholders at all levels. Nations can achieve or show implementation plans for sustainable production and consumption and keep the impacts of use of natural resources well within safe ecological limits. Only two goals meant for this year have been partially achieved.
At this point, it is important to ponder why biodiversity has an impact on our survival? The COVID-19 pandemic has given us evidence to show the delicate linkages between a degrading coral reef in one part of the world and fires in some of the most rich eco-sensitive hotspots, to a zoonotic disease bringing the global economy to a standstill.
Some experts quote an interesting evidence, of the need for another planet about one-and-a-half times the size of our home Earth, equally abundant in natural resources and a hospitable climate, to maintain the going rate of human entrepreneurial activity. The answers may very well lie in waking up now and following the local culture and knowledge systems to enhance efforts towards preserving and restoring biodiversity. An example of this could be restoration of clean, pollution-free inland water bodies, including underground water reservoirs.
The second crucial target could be to keep global climate change in the 1.5 °C range, above pre-industrial levels and developing nature-friendly solutions to prevent catastrophes like flash floods and rising sea levels that are threatening to gulp major citieson the coasts and doomsday forest fires.
Just a degree’s decrease in your air conditioner temperature settings reduces the need for more power to run the device, leading to lesser fossil fuel requirements, thus saving the pristine ice-capped lands so vital for polar bears to survive on planet Earth. All these lifestyle changes may seem like a sand particle in a desert but one must bear in mind that these sand particles together make a storm.
The implementation strategy for conserving power in households just requires some attention towards sustainable, environment-friendly and, therefore, healthier dwellings which tap into abundantly available natural solutions. We must include sustainable, environment-friendly, locally intelligent processes for manufacturing goods and providing services. A big chunk of this can constitute revisiting traditional and organic agricultural practices. The need is to relook at solutions for sustainable farming which preserves the biodiversity while not seeking more land for quelling the world’s hunger pangs.
This also means changing the menu of your breakfast and dinner to more eco-friendly healthier diets and most importantly preventing any form of food waste. If one looks at all of the above suggested solutions by a global group of experts, one finds they are fairly achievable and almost within one’s immediate reach.
That leads us back to the question of a sea of dark pollution clouds over Delhi in the coming weeks due to consistent crop burning. No solution has been found to this malaise despite the Supreme Court’s interventions and one wonders if the end is near. It may not be so if global policymakers and stakeholders (which includes the common man as well) get together to formulate an integrated approach which looks at simultaneous solutions to immediately address the preservation of the Earth’s rich genetic diversity, species and ecosystems. If together they find technology-enabled sustainable solutions, we could enhance the capacity of nature to deliver its wonders of health and prosperity to humans. If we preserve what the UN report highlights as the less-tangible but highly-valued connections with nature, we can define our identities, cultures and beliefs.
(The writer is policy analyst)
Gandhiji tested his ideas practically on the ground. Today, the world sees the path shown by the Mahatma as the best and most enduring
The thoughts and messages of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, are timeless and are proving their mettle all over the globe today. The people of the world are opening the knots of their problems in the sea of the Mahatma’s thoughts. The trust of the world that was getting entangled in an arms race for decades, is now becoming more deep-rooted in Gandhism. People are now forced to understand that wars are not a solution to any problem and violent revolutions around the world have not led anywhere. Time has revealed that “satyagraha (holding onto the truth)” and non-violence are the best paths to take. Be it people, institutions or countries, it is now believed that there is a better, alternative, peaceful and humane way to express dissent and to register protest.
The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas is increasing with time. The issue of environmental protection is fast becoming a major priority for global society these days. Intellectuals and environmental activists have taken to the streets in many parts of the world due to the worsening environmental situation. Mahatma Gandhi, too, had made several discourses on the environment. Although the term “environment” or “biodiversity” was not in vogue during Bapu’s lifetime, the visionary that Gandhi ji was, he began to worry and ponder over the future of the planet Earth and consequently all the species that called it home much ahead of his time.
The far-sighted Mahatma that he was, Bapu foresaw the situation that we face today. He knew that in our greed, we were hurtling towards self-destruction. Gandhi ji believed that “there is enough on Earth for everybody’s needs but not enough for everybody’s greed.” In his article Swasthya ki Kunji, he expressed his views on the importance of clean air. He said that for the survival of mankind and all other species on the planet, three natural resources were needed, namely air, water and food, but clean air was the most important of them all.
Gandhi ji inspired Indians to spin and make yarn with the charkha (wooden spinning wheel) and wear hand-woven clothes. The objective behind this was not only to arouse the swadeshi spirit in the country but also to reduce general wastage of resources and also the waste coming out of textile mills.
Bapu was a great champion of rural development. Advocating the uplift of villages, he wrote in Harijan Sevak in 1946, “There should be development of such art and workmanship in the countryside, (so) that their products are valued outside of villages too.” On one hand, Gandhi ji was fighting a non-violent battle for freedom, on the other hand, he was trying to save the fragmented fabric of Indian society through his creative programmes.
The Mahatma considered education to be a major contributor for building a better society. It was due to this belief that he established the first basic school at Barharwa Lakhansen during the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917. In the context of the importance of education, on May 8, 1937, he wrote in Harijan Sevak that “man is neither entirely intellect, nor a gross body, neither only a heart or a soul. A proper and consistent combination of all these is needed to create a complete human being. This is the true purpose of education.”
Bapu knew that only through swadeshi could India become a self-sufficient and strong country. Today, there is an increasing move towards swadeshi in the nation. This gives an opportunity to small industries to flourish. Rural people from far-flung and backward areas get a chance to become financially self-reliant through this renewed thrust. Gandhi ji wanted the country to become self-sufficient. We have moved in that direction after a long time and this has started yielding positive results. Today there is an awakening among the people for swadeshi and it is a heartening trend.
Gandhiji always wanted that the villages, where the soul of India lives, should be healthy and clean. The Government has started a mass movement to carry out this task and villages and cities are getting transformed with programmes that promote cleanliness. He often said that if cleanliness does not figure in village reforms, then our villages will remain like garbage. Cleanliness of villages is an inseparable part of the lives of the people. It may be difficult to achieve but it is necessary. We need hard work and courage to get over our life-long unhygienic habits.
Gandhiji was equally concerned about the dirt in the cities. In this context he said that “one thing we can learn from the West and we must learn is the sacredness attached to cleanliness in the cities.” We are yet to imbibe this thought of the Mahatma.
His thoughts are eternal. His relevance transcends time. The biggest reason for this is that he tested his ideas practically on the ground. Today, the world sees the path shown by Gandhiji as the best and most enduring.
(The writer is Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism)
The new policy should be incisively scrutinised for how far it would link Indians to their roots and to what extent it would give young minds the freedom to choose
India enters the implementation phase of its new National Education Policy — NEP 2020 — that envisions “an education system rooted in Indian ethos that could transform India, that is Bharat, into an equitable, sustainable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all and thereby making India a global superpower.” It is, indeed, a tall order but a critical necessity to let the benefits of education reach the “last man in the line,” waiting for generations to get the basic human amenities, human dignity and opportunity to make his contribution to the process of national growth and development.
Finalised after over four years and an extensive and intensive nation-wide consultation process, the policy expects the curricula and pedagogy to be radically transformed to instill a “deep sense of respect towards the fundamental duties and constitutional values, bonding with one’s country and conscious awareness of one’s roles and responsibilities in a changing world”. The bonding with the country and an inherent sense of pride in its people is doubly emphasised, not limiting it to only in thought, but extending it to “spirit, intellect and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen”.
Revert to what Mahatma Gandhi wrote in the Harijan of May 8, 1937: “Man is neither mere intellect, nor the gross animal body, nor the heart or soul alone. A proper and harmonious combination of all the three is required for the whole man and constitutes the true economics of education”. Essentially, the emphasis from Buniyadi Talim to NEP 2020 remains on transforming the learner into a personality, a person of strong character. In other words it must be “man-making education”. Gandhi put it like this: “By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man — body, mind and spirit”.
Based upon his experiences and experiments in education, Gandhi finally proposed the idea of Buniyadi Talim, basic education, at the Wardha Conference in the year 1937. Even earlier, he devoted time and energy to envision the shape of education in the post-independence period in India. He wanted art, craft, health and education to be integrated into the process of teaching and learning. Nai Talim, to him, was a beautiful blend of all the four. He found it consistent with the environment in India, which is predominantly made up of villages. Further, he wrote, “it believes in establishing equilibrium between the body, the mind and the spirit of which man is made. It is unlike the Western type which is predominantly militarist, in which the mind and the body are the primary care of education to the subordination of the spirit. This is best done when education is given through handicraft.” He could propose this because of his deep understanding of Indian mind, needs and aspirations on the one hand, and experiences gained through his personal experiments in education at his ashrams.
Gandhi’s historic speech made at the Royal Institute of International affairs at Chatham House, London, on October 20, 1931, articulates the decline of Indian education after the arrival of the British: “ I say without fear of my figures being challenged successfully that today India is more illiterate than it was fifty or a hundred years ago, and so is Burma, because the British administrators, when they came to India, instead of taking hold of things as they were, began to root them out. They scratched the soil and began to look at the root, and left the root like that, and the beautiful tree perished.”
Sir Philip Hartog challenged Gandhi, who remained steadfast in his conviction. Subsequently, eminent thinker and researcher Dharampal established that Gandhi was correct based on factual documentary evidence extracted from the records created by the British officers. The most important strategic intervention in sustaining the British hold over India was through education: destroy the age-old edifice of knowledge creation, transfer the new model to the generation ahead and ensure its application in the welfare not only of the individual but of the people. In the process, the imperialists succeeded in “delinking Indians from their history, culture and heritage.” They attacked the roots of that beautiful tree, and it dried up. The policy succeeded beyond expectations for the alien rulers, as Indians grabbed the bait of Western knowledge, culture, language and its “superiority.” It has not yet been erased.
The NEP 2020 must be incisively scrutinised for how far it would link Indians to India and to what extent it would give young Indians not only degrees and certificates but also the knowledge, skills and a personality to move ahead in life with self-assurance, dignity and spirit of adventure. Let the implementers remember the defects Gandhi had identified in a long article in the Young India of August 1, 1921, just hundred years ago. Declaring the then system as defective, apart from its association with an utterly unjust Government, he points out three of them: “First, it is based on foreign culture to the almost entire exclusion of indigenous culture. Second, it ignores the culture of the heart and the hand, and confines itself simply to the head. Third, real education is impossible through a foreign medium.”
The earlier national policies on education of 1968, 1986 and 1992 made sincere attempts to bring in reforms in curricula, pedagogy and the system of assessment and examination but the craze for more marks and English medium schools shrugged off all such efforts.
Gandhi’s understanding of India and the mind of its people was unparalleled. He knew the necessity of acquiring skills, working with hands, health, nutrition and acquisition of character coupled with the internalisation of moral, ethical, humanistic and constitutional values.
And this would be achieved only when the goal of education is man-making, character development and ensuring a full-blossomed personality. This is the eternal challenge before education and the NEP 2020 accepts it. The implementers of the NEP 2020 must seriously examine the continuity of the epistemological basis and practical realities, right from Buniyadi Talim to the challenges before them. They have before them a policy that is “rooted to culture and committed to progress.” It is easy to locate elements in this policy that could lead to the Sarvodaya that Gandhi had learnt while in South Africa after reading John Ruskin’s book Unto This Last: “First, the good of the individual is contained in the good of all.
Second, a lawyer’s work has the same value as the barber’s, in as much as all have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work. Third, the life of a labour, that is, the tiller of the soil and the handicraftsman, is the life worth living”. The NEP 2020 prominently highlights equity, equality, working with hand and value nurturance, right from the beginning in schooling.
Once the curriculum designers, textbook writers and textual material developers are well-versed in the philosophy behind the formulation of the Buniyadi Talim and its relevance to India and its people, they would really be able to create a generation proud of its history, culture and heritage. All of it appears very prominently in the policy that “envisions an education system rooted to Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India.”
Universal education was considered a ray of hope for one and all. The NEP 2020 endorses it as the “basic right of every child.” It must be correctly interpreted as the right of the child to get support in drawing out the best out of body, mind and spirit. It is his right to make choices of learning areas according to his likings and interests. It would be interference in his personal territory if subjected to a regimen that impedes his “power of ideas and imagination.” This is what the present examination system has exactly been reduced to; the policy envisages drastic transformation in this crucial area. The recommendations on holistic and multi-disciplinary education would permit free flow of fresh air in schools and higher education institutions. It could lead to a surge of curiosity and creativity amongst young minds. That is the need of the current time and of the future. Now onwards, in knowledge societies, progress would depend on the quality of manpower, the measure of entrepreneurial skills and the level of innovative contributions.
(The writer works in education and social cohesion)
The poor have found innovative ways of helping themselves and visionary leaders from among these communities are nurturing a growing industry of good quality private schools
The state of India’s school education continues to be abysmal despite so many high-sounding policy prescriptions being tossed around. There are, however, islands of excellence and even in this bleak landscape there are shoots of green. While Government schools are the mainstay of school education for the poor, some exceptional private schools are affordable even to the extremely marginalised. The accepted wisdom is that private schools serve the privileged; everyone else, especially the underprivileged, requires public schools. This logic is grounded on the assumption that the poor need Government assistance if they are to get a good education. Which helps explain why many school choice enthusiasts believe that the only way the poor can get the education they deserve is through Government schools.
But if we reflect on some of the underprivileged communities, we find these assumptions lacking. The poor have found remarkably innovative ways of helping themselves educationally and visionary leaders from among these communities are nurturing a large and growing industry of good quality private schools. Tikiapara, a sprawling slum in Howrah, is a witness and a willing participant in a quiet revolution led by Mamoon Akhtar that has the potential to turn around the lives of its residents, especially of its children. Mamoon was forced to drop out of middle school because his parents couldn’t afford to educate him further. Three decades later, he is the driving force two schools in Tikiapara with 3,000 students, most of them children of unlettered parents. Mamoon’s extraordinary journey from a victim to champion of the underprivileged started the day he decided that just because his family couldn’t pay for his schooling, he wouldn’t forego education. Mamoon’s passion helped him overcome his deprivation.
His father was keen that his son get a good education. So he put him in one of the area’s leading schools, St Thomas. After his father died, the teenager had to give up his studies and took up a librarian’s job at a private school in Tikiapara, supplementing his income by giving private tuitions. Life would have gone on as usual but Mamoon couldn’t get over the tragedy he suffered on being forced to lose out on education. The young idealist believed in giving direction to the fire within, not in extinguishing it.
In 1991, he started an informal “school”, teaching five to six children in his own house in the Tikiapara slum. Thus began his lifetime romance with education. As the residents of the area became aware of this “school”, more and more children started coming and soon there was no place to seat them. The enterprising Mamoon constructed a room on his own 600 square foot plot of land. In that one room, the Samaritan Help Mission School was born with 25 young and eager children flocking to it daily. The good Samaritan stretched his every rupee and canvassed from door to door to raise Rs 28,000 per annum (in addition to his own contribution of Rs 10,000). The organisation has continued to steadily grow through the years. The catchment area of the school can break the determination of even the greatest optimist but Mamoon is alive and equal to the challenge. The parents come from very poor backgrounds, some are rickshaw-pullers, drug peddlers and daily labourers. But with Mamoon’s effort, their dreams of educating their children in an English-medium school has become a reality.
Social responsibility: As an educationist, Mamoon is also sharply aware of his role of a social reformer. Most children come from families afflicted with social maladies, with a large number of them being children of drug peddlers. Mamoon believes that schools should have the right to exclude pupils only as a last resort and that too, to protect the other children in the class as well as teachers. The excluded children, he avers, can be affected by anxiety, depression and loss of self-worth. There is a decline in their mental health and children become very reclusive. The stress of the exclusion takes its toll on parents, too.
Mamoon knows the pain of deprivation only too well. At a time when there is a widespread practice of pupils being shunted off a school’s rolls in order to manipulate its exam results or rankings in league tables — he is doing his every bit to ensure that children remain at school during the day. There are hundreds of pupils who joined his school after being booted out of another one. Taking in as many vulnerable pupils as possible is the core of this teacher’s mission. His school is single-handedly ensuring pupils remain on the rolls. There are a number of youngsters who wouldn’t be getting an education were it not for the Samaritan Help Mission School. In a world where schools are clearly pushing vulnerable pupils out through the back door with little thought to their next steps and best interests, he is embracing them with a cheerful heart.
With a little help from friends: When he canvassed for help from the community around him, Mamoon reaped a bonus — a strong connect with the community. In 2007, the Samaritan Help Mission School became accredited and recognised by the West Bengal Government. Today, it is a co-educational English-medium school, affiliated to the State Board of Secondary Education, with an enrolment of 1,300. The big thing is that with the school being an English medium one, it makes a major difference to the future prospects of the kids once they go out into the world. However, the odds are stacked against the children of this locality given the inter-generational nature of poverty and the poor developmental outcomes that families face. This impacts the children in many ways. They battle poor academic achievement, inferiority complex, maladjustment, lack of initiative and an underdeveloped personality. Disheartened and discouraged by financial stress and their own inadequacy, parents are ill-equipped to adequately support their children. Sadly, parents in Tikiapara have little motivation to invest in their children’s education. Fortunately, Mamoon’s conviction and commitment are unflagging and his enthusiasm is contagious, sending hope in the community.
Some of the students are orphans; some have run away from home; all are underprivileged. The Samaritan Help Mission School charges them a measly Rs 5 a year, and that too because the teacher believes that people will not value anything that is free. Funds to run the school come from Mamoon’s savings and private donors whose motivation is inspired by the good Samaritan’s devotion. This led to an addition to the original school on Mamoon’s plot, the IR Belilious Institution on Belilious Road, covering two acres of land bequeathed by a Jewish couple, Rebecca and Isaac Raphael Belilious. The school today has a football field, basketball court, a water body, a two-storeyed school building and a bigger one coming up close by. As a child Mamoon swam there, to later see the water body turn into a municipal garbage dump and the Government school that used to run there become virtually defunct, the whole space go derelict and transform into a den of drug pushers. The land on which the second Samaritan Help Mission School stands had thus been a garbage dump for years until Howrah City Police and the Howrah Municipal Corporation got together to create a conducive atmosphere for Mamoon to expand his initiative. The police helped them (Mamoon and his staff) build a wall, remove encroachments and start a school there.
Creating safe spaces for children at risk: Many children studying in the two schools attest to the fact that they have a fun-filled, interactive and encouraging atmosphere and that the teachers are extremely supportive. Children are engaged in creative activities like sports, quiz competitions, picnics and recreational programmes in the local parks. Regular cleaning campaigns in Tikiapara are organised in which students, teachers and other volunteers take an active part. Mamoon has also introduced a paramedic course for senior students. His policy of inclusive education has ensured that the constitutional right to primary education is a reality in this slum. There are schools which identify parents who are not well-educated and living in the slum. They are approached informally and told that it “will be difficult for your child to stay” in the hope that the parents agree to move out or home-school their child. But Mamoon’s schools are a safe learning haven where no one is shunned — either because of creed, low academic scores or poverty.
Innovative approaches: Mamoon says that the process of teaching and learning is an intimate act that neither computers nor markets can hope to replicate. It is a small wonder then that the technology-centric corporate business model has not worked in reforming the school system as there is simply no substitute for the personal element. There is no substitute for a good teacher and nothing more valuable than quality classroom instruction. But we also need more involved parents to make leaning more effective.
The core objective of a school is to provide high-quality instruction: Fostering both excellent teaching and a learning environment in which students can thrive. These schools don’t develop randomly on their own; an essential ingredient behind each of these success stories is transformational leadership.
A lot of good programmes got their start when one individual looked at a familiar landscape in a fresh way. What they did was to simply change the fundamental approach to solving problems, and the outcomes have been truly revolutionary. Thus, people only need to summon their will power the way game-changers like Mamoon are doing to bring about change.
(The writer is a well known development professional)
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