We hate Extremism in RSS, VHP and Modi

Enough of the recriminations following every blast and riot, enough of this malaise feel and hence generated paranoia. Multicultural composition of India is threatening its image like never before. Every other day we come across heinous crimes like this or see some of the criminals getting acquitted like this

Every community has its own interpretation of the riotsand like this too This one fact shows the hypocrisy of our media
We came across some moderate leaders as well but their efforts getting fructified are yet to be seen but we welcome them. But the most hated campaigns have been that of RSS, VHP and bajrang Dal. The way they supported the riots in Kandhmal, Gujarat is a matter of shame

In all these voices, a more general voice is still unheard. Voice of a Hindu who is proud of its cultural rich heritage, who is well aware of the vote bank politics where Mayawati opposes Nuclear Deal just because it is against Muslims and he finds it difficult to figure out how is it so? He gets impatient when he hears Ram Vilas Paswan saying that all Bangladeshi should be given Indian citizenship since they comprise his vote bank. He gets even more enraged to see unprecedented amount of media concerns over Gujarat riot but no concerns at all for the Kashmiri Pandits. Unfortunately having no voice in media and politics this section has to unwillingly look for RSS, VHP to raise Hindu concerns

But how is this lobby different from these extremist sections. Talking of similarities:

1. We both hate proselytizing poor and backward sections of Hindu society by Christian missionaries and thereby get them converted. Gandhiji wrote: "If I had the power and could legislate, I should stop all proselytizing. It is the deadliest poison that ever sapped the fountain of truth." . Swami Vivekananda during his historic visit to the U.S., a hundred years earlier, wrote: "Part of the Sunday School education for children here consists in teaching them to hate everybody who is not a Christian, and the Hindus especially, so that, from their very childhood they may subscribe their pennies to the missions” . We both agree that conversions should not happen surreptitiously and Christian missionaries should be brought to book as well for this crime. ( All those who don’t know about the missionaries need to read ‘Missionaries in India’ by Arun shourie). If here Karan Thapar believes that he is above Swami vivekanand to say this then we feel ashamed only

2. We both are fed up with vote bank politics. We equally hate Bangladeshi infiltration. We believe that if India was one of the first countries to ban Satanic Verses, then it should ban M F Hussain as well. Any other act raises suspicion.

3. We both hate tolerance towards terrorism. At some point we both believe that some religions need to re consider their fundamental beliefs and nation should always come first and not religion. We both hate the absence of Uniform Civil code where only few communities are expected to go for family planning, society can never uplift if some sections are still orthodox and running on rigid principles created centuries before. Let us all behave equally if we really wish to be called equal. If we are ready to abide by a uniform civil code then others should as well. (Noticeable thing is that rigidity is there in all religions but the degrees differ)


But still there is a drastic difference:
1. We sincerely hate the brutal acts of killing. No matter whatsoever be the issue and plot, killing of every Indian is crime. If they burn trains and force conversion, then we need not resort to violence in any case. VHP, RSS and BJP have sound base, they can raise their voice through various channels. Let the judiciary act and if it fails, nation would itself decide who is more secular in the next elections. This is a democracy and we need to believe in it. If we will also follow the policy of spreading terror, then we are no better than terrorists.

2. Ephemeral, absurd strategies like moral policing sound more like a publicity stunt. A culture which has sustained 5000 years of heritage and came out successfully from 1000 years of so called slavery need not be worried by onslaughts of west. We need to spread our culture just like swami Ramdev brought down the net sales of soft drinks by virtue of Yoga power. Something which is good would always come out victorious in the end

3. Most important of all, why not to renovate ourselves and spend our energy there. Why not to give love to the oppressed ones and give them entry to Jagannath temple where still Dalits are not allowed to enter. Why not to give more rights and freedom to our women and hence grow with virtues. May be some religions are very rigid, but if we are renovating our own self with our rich cultural heritage, may be we can see incidents like this happening in bulk in near future.

4. VHP protest over the illegal occupation of land of Amarnath shrine board was one of those acts which forces us to believe that Hindu right s are being seized. I don’t think that the present unconcerned Hindu population would have come out of their homes to protest. But once again aggression and burning public property isn’t the way in democracy. Though other parties are no better in this regard, but that doesn’t mean that nuisance should be tolerated. What is wrong is wrong

A common trend has grown these days where you talk of your religion and speak truth even, you are looked upon as communal. This is just a media hype and vote bank politics. We Hindus believe in living with peace, living equally and fighting with unjust onslaughts. But if Narendra Modi comes up with carnage, we are never going to support it but at the same time expect from media to investigate into godhra carnage with equal vigor.

We hate extremism to the maximum possible extent but at the same time we wish to preserve our values as well just like any other community

True Legends on this 26th January

Our heroes and freedom fighters have repeatedly set examples of the right attitude towards caste. I give here one particularly moving instance of this. When the most celebrated martyr of them all- Sardar Bhagat Singh – was to be hanged he asked to touch his mother’s feet before he was killed. The British government, it may be recalled, was hanging him a day earlier than scheduled and so did not permit this. Bhagat Singh then said that he would like to go to the gallows after touching the feet of the lady who cleaned the prison toilets for she was like a mother to him. His mother used to clean him up when he was a child because she considered him her own. But the cleaning lady was no worldly relation of Bhagat Singh but yet cleaned his toilet and hence was as venerable as his mother. He was allowed this wish of his. Such is the example that the torch bearers of our freedom struggle have left for us and if we ignore it, We do so at our own peril.

THEORY OF PROFESSIONALISM

Disclaimer

Theory of Professionalism puts forth the culture in corporate life avoiding excoriations, blame game or demonizing pertinent modus operandi employed. Neither it is an attempt to outrage the sanctity of whatsoever measures one employs to taste success and nor it is an effort to testify someone’s innocence. Theory of Professionalism is a lurking approach for those only who didn’t know the art of management (they might have learned it afterwards), and prodigies with in-built talent won’t find it a real revelation at all, unfathomable. It has not been written under a paranoiac state of mind. Views discussed here have been echoed many a times by most of my acquaintances. None has ever denied its existence. But once again it depends on the discretion of an individual, how much truthful he wishes to be in his emotions. The solutions intend to salvage naïve novices who waste their professional associations just because of their background which taught them of a Utopia; got sentimental, demoralized and jeopardize their valuable limited years of career making while the outside world was always ruthless enough not to get apprehensive of pure emotions.




Theory of Professionalism endeavors to behold the life of a professional and expose the existent code of practice in a professional life. It quests for it’s chasms with personal life. Personal life implies day-to-day homely life of an individual where true feelings are nurtured at any cost. When a simple person leaves his family (but not his values) and enters a life where associations are defined as per hierarchy of occupation, he confoundedly witnesses an anomie. Ideally there shouldn’t be any such cognizance. (since humans are involved in either of the cases and humanity demands some core human values to be present in everyone every time).


How actually an individual lives and behaves in his family; conducts with all those who are not directly competing with him? In personal relations, most of us follow (at least) some ideals. Most of us hate lies, over-acting, over-smartness, bad habits (drinking, smoking blah blah) and reprimand our own sibling if found guilty. Driven by self respect, we don’t mind entering into a neutral relation if natures don’t match and usually don’t patch up unless an official regret is made; prefer those relatives who believe in living with love and peace and detest arrogant ones even if they are extravagantly rich; Never support any wrong idea of our uncle just because he earns/spends a lot. Appreciate all friends having a strong character and will power and strive getting their emotional support. Any wrong cause is opposed primarily on ethical grounds. (Even these attributes may sound antediluvian; such is the order of encroachment)


Surprisingly, upon entering the professional world, either one finds it difficult to adapt or changes his very root beliefs. Perfectly contrasting things happen in a professional life

1. In personal relations, everyone who opposes us over a right cause earns our wrath. Exactly divergent is the observation in a professional life. Here openly disagreeing antagonist is the most reliable one. At least, he had the guts to protest against what he thought was wrong. Others generally remain under cover; never completely disagree with you in public so that business with you is not hampered. Run as soon as they can to a leader; cajole him to wage the war. Or if voting is being done, they would never let you know which side they are going to take. So quite astonishingly, the most truthful/reliable person in a professional life is the one who openly contests and differs.

2. Ephemeral, opportunistic allegiances are the most visible characteristic of a professional life. The same two persons who were unknowns to each other just a few days before may become the most talked about duo within no time once they find each other mutually beneficial. Many a times you are surprised to think-“What happened to that old friend of his? Have they both underwent any break up” Very soon you find out that no official break up has occurred, it is just that both of the old friends have find new associates and are perfectly OK in their new lives, neither they do miss each other the way they used to just a few days/weeks/months before.

3. Your real friends would consider your powerful enemy as their own enemy while your professional friends would consider your disputes as your personal affair and would never sacrifice their professional interests. Even if it is a war of ethics and truth, the approach would be-“When he (the powerful) is still good to me, why should I put an end to my relations with him, I support you my friend but I see no point in fighting”.

4. Self Respect may be an extinct attribute. People forget or tend to forget past insults/ignorance claiming open mindedness or may be they don’t have any self respect at all, decadents who don’t feel things.

5. No desire is left to befriend a person with good habits/strong character. Interestingly the name given is Freedom of Choice or No Interference in Personal Life Policy. “You smoke then it is your personal choice and my hatred for smoking would not come in between our relation” – that is a general approach to hide lack of concern for others and bag prodigal brats.

6. Behemoths don’t have to hunt for allies or support. Once you are influential, all middle class friends will hobnob around you. They will laugh voraciously at your PJs and would never react at your outbursts. The theory given is –“I don’t take these things seriously, you are my friend after all”. To make an influential colleague realize that I am the coolest friend to hang out with (therefore please select me as your friend), spicy jokes are nicely innovated, magnificently calibrated and recited to them in a presentable format

7. Highly skilled professionals don’t wail at lack of compatriots either. If you are an old hand in common field of interest, aspirants would themselves come running to you. Like, if you are a top ranker, your room would always be occupied the night before examinations (Mostly by guys making tall claims-“I study just the night before”). These cluster bees might have entered into some sort of tussle with you once, they might have abhorred your attitude. But every time these issues were overlooked saying-“These things are common in a relation, I have forgotten all those disputes”. It is not more than a future investment.

8. Poor (not necessarily by wealth) and devoid has to look for support even while raising a sensible question. If unfortunately that question is against some rich powerful lobby, people won’t even care calling lie a lie. As long as their interests are firm and unscathed, they would follow the policy-“Why to put my ass into?”

9. Stagnant and devoid- the most horrible combination to have in a professional life. May be you would have to die to see some friends around you then. As long as there is ready to sell middle class, ready to spend rich won’t die alone in seclusion, no matter whatsoever is their nature/character/habit. Poor would have to strive. For him, a simple fight may even lead to life term loss of a friend and there is little probability of him coming back as there is nothing to attract him (forget about realizations and accepting one’s fault in a relation).

10. A widely spread tendency is to show off. Just to prove superiority, many show that I listen only to English songs, show that I am pretty rich. These exertions attain perfect resonance in a group. Many groups strive continuously to let others realize of their coolness. Everything is normal beside your room and just before 12 o’ clock; you come to realize that some group is celebrating someone’s birthday with great zeal and hard rock. To get nice photos to be shared on internet and thereby prove that our group enjoys a lot, all sort of poses and tricks are tried. All these activities are not a natural effort in most of the cases; there are many happening groups in existence though. But when they would drink and celebrate, others might not even be able to track what’s happening. They also put cakes at others’ faces, but don’t care for a camera to be there.

11. The most prominent character in a professional life is an open minded wag. He would have jokes to crack every other moment, would forget and forgive easily and would have a healthy vibrant relation with everyone. But very soon everyone realizes that that effervescent relation was just to embezzle every entity possible and the jokes were never meant to be recited in front of powerless batch mates

12. In a highly developed environment, by and large all acts of altruism are a future investment and done mostly to impress/oblige the powerful ones.

13. Professional life is all about fulfilling ambitions at any cost. Direct confrontations are avoided but proxy war through covert slandering is a usual practice. People don’t mind making fun of personal lifestyle once the person concerned is a real threat to their position. The same personal choice in the life of some influential friend may not draw any attention at all in case he is truly valuable.

14. Mandates become so stereotyped that even if cause is infallible, you would find people making their stances based totally on their future benefits and current politics. Very few listen to a call from heart and step ahead to encourage others. Soon you are expert enough to make out who would support you and who won’t, no matter whatsoever is the issue

15. That’s too rude but unfortunately it happens. Some look for bad omens in others’ life. People keep falling ill and small accidents keep happening and this is the time when wicked politicians leave no stone unturned to revive a dead relation.

16. People forget and they do that willingly. If expunging is removing obstacles, spurting accessibility, then it is a worth to possess characteristic. Friends forget infidelity and collaborations. Truly speaking, no one wishes to have a conquering professional career; everyone aspires to have a smooth flow for which one has to learn the art of forgetting.


These are general characteristics. Exceptions do exist. In fact the venom of professional life is a function of ambiance and composition

Gems are always there who openly reject to serve others on cost of self respect. They are perfectly OK even if others find them boring or a person with nothing to loot. They are focused enough on their career goal. If you are a person of ethics then you are bound to face controversies and altercations. What really helps in bad times is the faith upon yourself and God, faith that whatsoever you are doing is correct and your previous history of being ethically strong. The best thing about professional life is that no one is your enemy; you can bag any person once you sound efficacious and commercially beneficial to him. The worst thing about professional life is that no one is your friend, anyone can leave you once you become static and stagnant.
But for all those who wish to live a happening professional life at any cost, I have tried coming up with certain solutions:


1. Keep burgeoning. Stagnancy might be the death blow to your professional life. Keep networking; keep learning the new methods of survival in your field of expertise. Once you owe a quality which others don’t have, you can be two steps ahead of them. Stay away from pessimism and look for optimistic friends

2. At the very start of professional life, choosing partners purely on the basis of their assets is a worth to take risk. If at start, one gets involved in some ethical reservations like-“I would not abort his friendship, so what if he is poor and cannot celebrate (and thereby spend) every other day”, then you would repent over it for your entire span. In fact, looking for best possible combination is the safest bet. You would never be looked upon with suspicion at interior levels, since the powerful ones require coordinators and admirers and you can easily occupy that place. If you are looked with suspicion at exterior levels by your own old friends(saying-“achha beta, ab woh jyaada achha lagne laga, humein bhool gaye”), then first of all, you need not care of it as you have your new friends firmly in place. Life is big and perhaps at some time in future, your miserable old friends would themselves come to you to have a share of your happening life and increased powers. People forget and intermediate regular acts of philanthropy would give you the safest position in your professional life. Later be altruistic and people will forget that you were originally materialistic.

3. Avoid being a leader in profession. Never dare to come out in public to serve your ambitions. Look for a cover and better incite others rather than doing everything by your own self. Power is dynamic, multifaceted; it keeps on changing its owner and dimensions. If you tried to be a leader in past, the new leaders will deliberately disregard you. While if you fought under cover, the new leaders would assimilate you in their group to embarrass your previous leader. In this way, despite of the fact that you were more desperate and involved equally in politics, you would be the person most benefited.

4. There is another comfort in this evasiveness. Your avoidance of leadership but having same ambitions and good blueprints would promote you as a comrade. Now in order to find out what’s happening in your group, spies of other groups would fraternize making regular visits to you. Your market value would overshoot. Enemy groups do this to extricate whatsoever tactics they can and annoy your leader as well. While despite of the fact that all strategies were made by you only, you would enjoy a high worth.

5. The best way to lead a successful professional life is to keep all groups employed in guessing which side you belong to, thereby having a share in every plate

6. As Kiran Bedi has herself admitted that most of the professional deals are made offline at page 3 parties and over cocktails. To be at the top, one perhaps need to have a strong presence at all such mighty events.

7. Avoid being ideological/rational/original in your views or doing anything which depicts your uniqueness in public, better be modest. People are in the habit of mocking any damn thing they find dissimilar from themselves and jibing all those who are more original/rational by any stretch of imagination, forgetting spirit of tolerance, respect of individuality and love for one’s own culture. Listening to them would only end up in the loss of your distinctiveness and novelty

8. Being a person of self respect, many a times it is difficult to talk to a person who previously tried to be smart or insulted us. This nature is of no use in professional life. One has to learn how to forget everything even if the person being accused hasn’t regretted. Keep smiling, throwing jokes and asking others how they are doing. Flattering is a panacea which sedates even enemies. Regular small dialogues keep a neutral/dead relation alive and might be deployed in future. Keep all options open, you never know who might be your next partner

9. Never publicly express your ill-feelings towards (or underestimate) others. It’s natural to dislike/underestimate others but never let them know. Elections keep happening, may be the same person casts his vote in your favor in future, you never know what turn fate would take.

10. There is no point in following some age old animosity. Always be ready to patch up.

11. If the person in question is really influential, then there is no harm fighting for his ambitions in public. This act of yours would make you loyal before him and perhaps turn out to be the safest investment

12. Unless you are a leader, your personal life would never be dragged for smearing. So just follow the policy of remaining under cover and conversing with everyone, people won’t find time to see into your personal selections.

13. Everyone has soft feelings for his indigenous culture. Formation of clandestine groups based on common origin/alma mater helps getting reliable cohorts. For example, Bihari sentiments are continually employed by aspiring leaders.

14. Most important of all, never ever fail to recognize your true strengths. It could be your family or any of your interest. Never let it go from your hands. Only your family would readily accept you even after all your misdeeds and make you feel like a human being with true emotions. Sacrificing one’s penchant choices and interests in professional would only make life more horrible

With this I come to an end. My only desire is that this theory helps innocent minds in the squall of opportunistic society and ultimately embellishes them to walk pace to pace with the capricious life ahead

(Minor nuance with Chanakya Neeti, as claimed by my close friend, is purely co-incidental)

Are We Emotionally Numb?

How would a moderate Muslim feel upon being distrustfully referred as a terrorist? This happened and they came out in media to protest against it. How would a Hindu feel upon wary accusations of buoying post Godhra riots? This happened and once again we saw many similar acts. We all hate generalizations. But how would a community feel if someone actually alleges them of being duffer, utterly imprudent? Wouldn’t they glare indignantly and contort the person’s visage?


But unfortunately we so called iconoclastic youths have been perennially mocking a community whose rich cultural heritage most of our bollywood movies boast of. We have jibed a community which is known for its verve, valor and vigor. So much is this community pumped with self respect that they would love to die rather than begging. Not even a single national team is deprived of members from this community, be it cricket, hockey and yeah the most important of all- our Indian Army. Most horrible part is that this community got its popular nickname “Sardar” purely because its courageous devout leaders reprieved Hindu women from Muslim vanquishers in medieval history and even then, even then we ungrateful Hindus make fun of our sardar colleagues. But this peace loving community never got publicly riled; never threw any bomb to stop this persecution. It’s high time when we really need to be deeply discerned about removing this silly practice of deriding the “Sikh” community which has taken our entire society under its siege.


Since childhood, I see everyone cracking jokes on sardars. I wasn’t an exception, but was always inquisitive to know the precise reason why we do so. Someone told me that the story goes back to 1984 when a Sikh bodyguard killed Indira Gandhi, our beloved prime minister. That was the most stupid reply one can think of. What about Tamils then, we should make fun of them as well as they were involved in killing of Rajiv Gandhi. I consulted my friends; none was so deeply hurt by the murder of our prime minister to an extent to impose the mistake of an individual upon an entire community. And if we laugh at some of their customs, we have no right of inheriting the Indian culture which assimilates nearly all religions. It’s just an unwitting trend which one gets accustomed to in an Indian society and the regrettable part is that we never gave concern to its repercussions. Our so called enlightened modern youths eschewed to go in the details just like they never thought of Indian culture, they didn’t even consider its ramification just like they overlooked root problems of India. Talking of its insidious impact on Indian society, this practice reveals how much emotionally numb we are. Ruefully, it has alienated us from this community and defeated the concept of united society. Incessant onslaughts have infuriated the youths of this community and somehow aggravated the issue of Khalistaan. I am pretty sure that only few of us might be knowing that Hinduism and Sikhism are so deeply intertwined that even the secular Indian Constitution has considered both the religions identical at many substantial issues though it could have given a special status to Sikhism just like it gave to Islam.


We both go for Vaishno Devi, we both celebrate Diwali. But thanks to our malign maliciousness and vote bank politics, I have never heard even a single politician/religious leader regarding treatment of Sikhism as a branch of its mother Hinduism. I firmly believe that Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are branches of Hinduism and this fact can be verified by any pious devout intellectual. Efforts of Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahaveer were more to remove the orthodox practices in Hinduism. Was there really any concept of separate religions at that time? All these religions basically talk of a way of living.


Anyways, enough is enough. There should be an end to our ruthlessness and callousness. If we would still make fun of sardars then we definitely have no right to allege politicians, we are no better than them. Let’s talk of a united society only then can we talk of a united India. Let’s do something which shows that we are educated. To start the process, I have deleted all jokes in my inbox which talk of sardars.


Lets work in the direction of becoming a part of the solutions