Carl Sab,
I appreciate the eagerness with which both you, Sir and more recently RajeshA have been waiting for my responses. In deference to both of your wishes, I will try my utmost to be as thorough as possible and not "ingore" any of the points you have raised. However, since this would require a fairly extensive response, this post could get very lengthy and I hope you will bear with the "largeness".
Carl wrote:Shivajisisodia ji,
In your reply you have reasonably described the change of material equations and the problems arising from a purely socio-economic compute on historical and present day justice. But I was suggesting that such changes should have gone hand-in-hand with reframing the psychological discourse in the country. And then there is the need for spiritual 'processing' to run out any real abuse there may be on either side, carrying down from the past.
And why, in your opinion, Sir, has this "reframing of the discourse" and the "spiritual processing" not occured ? Is it just an accident ? Or we Indians were so busy with so much else that we never got around to doing it, meaning it is a low priority item? Or has it been the fault of the so called "forwards" ? Have they not made enough effort in this direction ? Correct me if I am wrong, Sir, you seem to think that it is one or more of these things.
Well, Sir, I happen to believe that the reason such "change in discourse" and "spiritual processing" has not occured is for the simple reason that it was never negotiated. In other words, when the "Quota Recipients(QR)", for lack of a better term, were granted these privleges in addition to subsidies, wealth transfer privileges, political power, it was not negotiated with them at the time by anybody, that simultaneous to them receiving such benefits, there will have to be a "reframing of the discourse" and "spiritual processing" in the country. Because these benefits were granted or taken by the QRs, now they have all the political power by virtue of their numbers and also a bulk of the national resources, whether they be public sector jobs, public lands, etc. So, now there is no leverage left with the so called erstwhile "Forward Castes (FC)" to bring about such "change in discourse" and "spiritual processing". Everyday that passes, the relative power balance in India shifts more and more towards the QR. Why would they then even engage in a serious discussion with the FCs for anything. Infact, that is what is happening on the ground. The FCs continue to pretend that they are still the elites and the arbiters between the QR and all good things such as political power, economic power, etc, while the QRs laugh at them in full realization that here is a class living in a parallel universe, having no idea that they have nothing, and certainly nothing to offer to the QRs. The QRs are not stupid. They know that it makes no sense to engage with someone who has lost everything and has nothing to offer to them.
Therefore, Sir, you can beat up ShivajiSisodia all you like about him not making enough efforts to "engage" with the grassroots and making further sacrifices by tolerating this state of affairs for an indeterminate period of time, while the so called "education" will kick in eventually to make a difference, but you will merely be beating a dead horse.
There are fundamental differences between the priorities of the QRs and the FCs of today. The QRs of today want to use their new found power and grab, grab and grab everything to the exclusion of everything else. They have no interest in preserving India as a nation. They have no interest in perpetuating the Hindu religion and traditions, infact they have an interest in destroying it as they hold them responsible for their past oppression and they dont have any aversion to conversion to Judeo Christian religions including Islam, like the FCs do. So, the interests and priorities of the QRs and the FCs fundamentally differ and the FCs have no negotiating power left in India to be able to encourage a reasonable compromise or a meeting of the mind with the QRs. And everyday that passes, like I said, the power equation favors the FCs less and less.
There are only two scenarios that would logically follow. That somehow the FCs collectively work to create some leverage or they lay down and die. Those who believe like RajeshA that the FCs have been the root of all problems with India so far, would find the "lay down and die" option perfectly acceptable or even preferable, and then, even if the QRs have to convert to Islam, thats fine, they were not too invested in Hinduism anyway, or they have totally bought into the narrative already that Hinduism was responsible for keeping them down for centuries. I am trying to use my limited intellect and energy towards "creating the leverage" option.
If you dont believe me, try an experiment on your own. Try to meet with the most enlightened QR leader that you can find. Lemme not even put that condition. Find the most enlightened politician of any caste that you can find. Try to "educate him" and "grassroots engage" with him and present your more moderate views on QR privileges. Report the results to this forum. If you are honest in conducting this experiment, more likely than not, I will be proven right.
Carl wrote:
Of course some sections of people who are benefitting from mandated quotas and transfer of land and other resources may have been swept up in the highly skewed caste-exploitation narrative that divisive forces have planted in the national discourse for political gain. This is a phase of immaturity, and the antidote to this phase is not necessarily another wave of counter-immaturity.
To neutralize such a phase, best thing is to change the cultural framework of discourse. Shorter-term measures could be a forceful presentation of other points of view. But what you suggest far exceeds the limits of sanity.
So, you think that a "forceful presentation of other points of view" would do the trick. Well, Sir, in Paki, since the day a baby is born, until he dies, he is brainwashed into hating the Hindu. In India since 1947, since the day a baby is born, till the day he dies, he is brainwashed into believing that the FCs are still the elite, they somehow still hold all the power and wealth, the QRs are downtrodden, the QRs are downtrodden because of the evil FCs in the past and even now and now we have an entire population of FCs and QRs who are basically Manchurian Candidates, trained to shoot down and kill anyone who presents this "other point of view" you are talking about. No media, no government, no institution and no people, even the FCs will want to hear or disseminate this "other views" you are talking about, just like in Paki, no one is prepared to hear a balanced view on the Hindus.
Name one person in India who has dared to articulate this "other point of view" since 1947 and has been heard widely or not shot down. You think it is because it hasnt occured to anyone else, until ShivajiSisodia "himself" had to think of articulating this point of view? On the contrary, Sir, it is because those who tried and there were many, were shot down and the for the rest the enviroment was too dangerous to take a risk. Just take a look at RajeshA's post as an example, which you whole heartedly cheer led. I rest my case, Sir.
Carl wrote:
"Nothing" is not quite accurate, it is only relative to the frame of reference you choose to use. I don't know what a cross section of BRF looks like, but I doubt they are all from 'elite' backgrounds. I for one am from a mixed background, though I don't fall into a 'quota category'. Besides, some of my family who are from 'elite' backgrounds were idealists who have spent their lives trying to improve the legal and economic rights of the downtrodden. I think even they would disagree with the completely one-sided picture you paint. It is a fact that many of the communities they helped were indeed living in a more-or-less "hostage" situation to their 'elite' "owners", before they were emancipated via efforts that appealed to the law of the land along with mobilizing communities, and not without suffering some criminal intimidation, too. OTOH, I also have family members from 'elite' backgrounds who have lost a lot. Similarly, I have family from backward backgrounds who were able to go through college due to charitable systems, and then on their own merit (not quotas) graduated from the best universities like IIM. Some of these people went on to become successful in the private sector, and some made a useful contribution to the nation by being part of defense projects like Prithvi, etc. They remain men and women of integrity who gave back a lot more to society than they gained from initial charity, and are not corrupt feeders off other people's wealth. So, "nothing" has certainly not been the result of the last 60 years my friend! You have to see both sides of the picture, on both sides of the equation.
Sir, your kin, if it was truly capable, was fortunate to have succeeded in this current system and succeeded by a combination of disproportionate level of effort and good fortune. They succeeded despite this system, not because of it. You dont think in a better system, there would be more scholarships available and more opportunities in the public and private sector for the meritorious ? There are millions who despite their best efforts have not been as lucky. With 70+% reservations in some cases, this logically cannot be a system where the "meritorious" can succeed. Anamolies and exceptions are always there.
So, I stand corrected. It is not "nothing" that we have accomplished in the past 60 years in terms of social justice and building a meritocracy. It is less than nothing, negative.
Carl wrote:
Only way? Are you serious?
Look, I'm not denying that there is systemic corruption, nobody is denying that. But you are exaggerating things and not looking for changes to the system via the same basic system (which is self-correcting). That can be dangerous.
Are YOU serious ? At the risk of raising your ire for me repeating myself, I will again state the following. As soon as a man wakes up in the morning he starts paying bribe and until he sleeps at night, he keeps paying bribes. You have to pay money in India for drivers licenses, gun licenses, birth certificates, death certificates, electric connections, water connections, registration of a car, registration of real property, hospitalization, ration cards, land records, paying taxes, getting government jobs, getting into schools and colleges and I can go on and on and on. Where do you see the exaggeration ? Forget exaggeration, a proud man like ShivajiSisodia feels humble and small in is inability to describe the gravity and magnitude of corruption in India. I am not worthy, Sir. In India, it is easier to capture Don than exaggerate about corruption. And we all know, that it is not only difficult to capture Don, it is impossible.
You say, the system is "self correcting" ? Where do you see the "correction", Sir, leave aside "self correction" ? Are you meaning those stage managed arrests that the newspaper reports of some honest individuals that the establishment has framed ? Or are you meaning these few and far between and totally ineffectual movements like Ana Sab's ? Or are you referring to our "indpendent" police force and the even more "independent judiciary", Sir ?
Or, Sir, are you talking about a small section of the middle class which lives in major metros, who have good private and public sector jobs and live in "middle class enclaves", where they are a little less exposed to corruption, but only a little. These people are very small in number and have to suffer through other forms of corruption that manifests itself in the form of traffic, pollution, alienation, sanitation, crime, etc.
Carl wrote:
So that phase of immaturity needs to be neutralized by forcefully but maturely altering the social discourse to remove false sense of vicitimization, guilt and pride. This can be done. If you want to mobilize, do it to that end. But when you want to be splittist, then that is an even worse phase of immaturity.
"This can be done", you say, Sir. How ? Let me quess, through "education" and "grassroots engagement".
Carl wrote:
I speak from personal experience, as well as the experience of members of my extended family, as I indicated above. I can't speak for BRF members here, but I gather that there are many others here who do have such 'grassroots' experience. But when they mentioned it, you just scoffed at them. Please note, it doesn't mean that you have to do exactly what they are doing, but you can acknowledge those efforts and the results, and factor that into your considerations. Lots of energy is needed for a new national integration to develop in all its ramifications, and there is a role for anyone who wants to contribute.
Sir, I did not scoff at people who have "grassroots experience". Only a fool will scoff at someone who makes a proactive effort, even if in my opinion that effort is not going to yield much results. However, these people are worthy of respect, not being scoffed at. I want to make this thing perfectly clear.
But when the same idea becomes a dogma, and the practitioners become religious about it and then refuse to open themselves up for a discussion on the matter and then vehemently attack others for suggesting alternatives, then I do succumb to the weakness of scoffing. I will refrain from doing so in the future.
Carl wrote:
Did it really look like I or anyone else here was asking for more of the same? Seriously?
Sir, what exactly are you asking for? With all due respects, so far, I have only heard criticism from you, and dont get me wrong, I am grateful for that. But, Sir, please enlighten me on what you think our strategy going forward should be and how it will be different from what has gone on for the past 65 years. And I am dead serious about this request, Sir.
Carl wrote:
So even going with your line of thought, could you respond to RajeshA ji's suggestion for starting out with Nepal, please?
Oh, yeah, the Nepal issue, which I have been "avoiding" so assiduously.
Well, Sir, again, here I would like to beg your indulgence and seek permission to speak in terms that may potentially upset you. With your permission, Sir, I will begin, with the proviso, that if you withhold your permission, I will go back and delete this portion of my post. Do let me know one way or another.
So here goes. Sir, I cant believe that this was a serious suggestion, until both you and RajeshA accused me of "ignoring" this suggestion. Here is why. This is so typically Indian in nature (no other national can ever conjure up such a suggestion), that I didnt think anyone would try it. But hey, we all, including me, cannot escape our Indianness, no matter what. Only an Indian can offer something to someone which doesnt belong to him. In case the fact is lost on you, Sir, let me remind you that we lost Nepal a few years ago. Nepal is no longer a Hindu nation. It is not ours, mine or yours to give for experimentation to anyone anymore. I am so grateful to you, Sir, that you suggested Nepal and not Paki, or BD, or Burma or SL or even Tibet where I should magically bring out a Hindu revival. After all, as RajeshA said, Lord Rama did it in Lanka, why cant ShivajiSisodia do it in Nepal ? Sir, I am not Lord Rama. I am again humbled into admitting that I cannot bring myself to even imagine doing anything in Nepal. Beyond my capacity.
Seriously though, we have to focus on preserving what we have now, consolidate and then expand outwards. That is as far as I am capable of strategising. So, that means that at least nominally, we still have India. Admittedly, large parts of India are lost to the Hindu ethos and the population there is Hindu only in name, willing at the drop of the coin to convert. That still leaves us with Gujarat, parts of Rajasthan, parts of Maharashtra, parts of MP and a few other areas, where the culture still is conducive for people like us and a Hindu revival is possible there. The rest of the country is doomed. Therefore, I would prefer to protect and consolidate our base which are those areas and then expand outward towards rest of India and yes, then Nepal and then Pak and Afgan and so on.
Dont get me wrong though, I would love to bring Nepal back in our fold, just that I for one, cannot imagine a working strategy to do it without consolidating our base first and using it as a launch pad to get into Nepal and elsewhere. I would, however, be a very happy foot soldier in your strategy for Nepal first, whatever it be.