Bhagwad Gita Row – Unnecessary Controversy Over Baseless Claim

by admin | Dec 10, 2014 | General

After Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, it is now the turn of veteran politician Sushma Swaraj to put her party into a false position. Our External Affairs minister has been on the eye of the storm since she proposed last week that the Bhagwad Gita be declared the national Holy Book! In my opinion, no amount of condemnation is enough for such an insensible, politically immature proposition on the part of a union minister.

Over the past few months PM Modi has been seen presenting Gita to his counterparts abroad. Well, it has been entirely a matter of personal choice that he could not find anything more appropriate to share with the heads of the states. But it is plain weird to capitalize in the gesture and make demands that the Hindu holy book be proclaimed as India’s national scripture.

Not only in India, Bhagwad Gita is universally revered all over the world. For ages, both the mass and class in India have drawn inspiration from the message of Gita in their spiritual and mundane discourses. It is absolutely unnecessary to confer an official designation to this universally-admired book as if in an attempt to elevate its prestige. Thus any attempt at constricting the vastness of Gita into the narrow confinement of national symbol was bound to evoke suspicion and treated as nothing but cheap political gimmick. It is hardly surprising that the External Affairs minister’s statement has irked the entire nation, not just the parties in opposition.

BJP has taken a childish stand by insisting that Gita is not a Dharmagranth (religious scripture) but a karma granth (book that strives to guide one’s actions). Holy books of every religion do just that—they preaches the ideal way of leading life for the highest spiritual attainment in lifetime and beyond. Then why impose the holy book of Hindus on the people belonging to other religions? It is clearly against India’s secular spirit. As I told earlier to the press, the Union Minister’s statement is coated with religiously provocative fervor that is hurting the sentiments of the people of other faiths.

Lastly and most importantly, India already has its national book – the Constitution and no holy book – Gita, Quran, Bible or any other can replace it. It is sad that a veteran politician like Ms Swaraj has missed the point. Bhagwad Gita can provide us with the blueprint for a fulfilling life and spiritual experience on a personal plane. But when it comes to the interest of a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-religion nation like India, the Indian Constitution is the ultimate holy book.

And since when has the creation of a national symbol started to fall under the purview of the Ministry of External Affairs? As an ardent follower of the Gita, she should not have forgotten one of the Gita’s fundamental teachings that one’s Dharma or duty involves discharging the divine-ordained responsibilities in the most impeccable manner. In charge of one of the most important offices, Ms Swaraj is thus expected to refrain from meddling in other’s duties and focus more on those of her own.

Holy Man In Commercial Freezer; Punjab Government A Silent Spectator

by admin | Dec 4, 2014 | General

In view of the current frozen-baba fiasco, the gullibility of Indian mass has once again come to the fore. The episode underscores Indian people’s everlasting romance with superfluous spirituality and a lethargic administration’s pathetic failure in taking a firm standing.

Indian newspapers have always dedicated a good amount of news prints for the so called Spiritual gurus. In the recent months, some of them have even made to the international media as well. But this frozen baba controversy seems to overshadow all the previous guru-incidents in terms of drama. In fact it packs so much punch that it can well be the inspiration for the next Bollywood blockbuster or a 12-year long soap opera.

In a true it-happens-only-in-India kind of melodrama, the dead body of this self-styled godman, Asutosh Maharaj has been kept in frozen state for as long as 11 months. When he founded this Jalandhar-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) sect or when he was slowly spinning out this multi-million dollar empire over his decades-long religious career, little did he imagine that one day his mortal remains would be held hostage in the safe confine of a deep freezer inside his own ashram by a regiment of his own disciples! The guru was declared “clinically dead” by the doctors back in January. In a bold defiance of the law and tradition, the ashram inmates have simply refused to part with their guru’s body. A theory of imminent resurrection was upheld to avoid cremation.

The controversy further escalated with the surfacing of a son, hinting at a bigger conspiracy masterminded by the people with top-level connections. A former aide and driver of Asutosh Maharaj also alleged murder. Given that the property value of the godman running in crores, the conspiracy claims hardly surprise anybody.

Just think about it! A dead body is kept in a frozen state for past eleven months, speculations are brewing, the ashram is under media scanner for months, ashram inmates are openly fortifying the ashram in anticipation of a possible clash with the administration. The government officials are barred from entering the ashram premises. And even then, the government continues to provide expensive security cover to the Nurmahal Ashram, where the dead body is kept.

Well, I am not here to narrate a whodunit story or find out who is telling the truth. The question that seems to baffle every sane Indian is: how and why could the government drag the episode thus far? The incident has exposed the state’s callousness in dealing with the issues having roots in religious organizations and the men behind them. With the sensational Rampal incident, the entire nation has come to know about the existence of the parallel power centers called “deras” across Punjab and Haryana. Again, most of these organizations enjoy Z or Z Plus level of security.

Given the current stalemate, there is no denying of the fact that the ruling SAD-BJP alliance has become a mere pawn at the hands of a few spiritual gurus that command enormous influence over a commendable section of the population. In frozen baba controversy, it ultimately amounts to the vote bank consisting of hundreds and thousands of followers, a majority of whom belong to Dalits and other similar castes.

Under this circumstance, the Punjab Government acted quite predictably. Fearing the loss of Dalit votes, the government chose not to take any action and allowed the impasse to continue.

Punjab Government has reportedly wasted crores of taxpayers’ money in providing Z Plus security cover to the frozen deadbody at Nurmahal. No spokesperson from SAD (Badal) or BJP has offered any explanation. As the HC deadline for cremation nears, the nation is waiting with batted breath to see what happens next? Is a Rampal-like incidence imminent? Is yet another multi-crores encounter on the card?

In a digital India, there are only few buyers of the story of a dead man coming back. Still, such bizarre practices take place only because of the strong political backing. Government should be more respectful of the principle of separation of religion and politics. Mission to Mars represents a developing nation’s unbridled aspirations. An attempt at breaking the notorious nexus between electoral politics and religion can go a long way to reinforce India’s brand image among the international communities.