Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Are we living true democarcy?

Religion is the very foundation of Human Beings/existence, when I say I do not believe in any religion, I mean but I believee in some other religion, the way of life!

Perhaps India is the only country, proud of be the largest democracy in the world that is raising the issue after living 66 years of democracy like “Are we living in a True Democracy?” This calls for deep analysis.

Welfare of the society/nation is the ultimate objective of any governance.  Democracy, dictatorship, communism, capitalism, socialism are some of the tools to attain this objective. Individuals are the building blocks of community/society/nation that bear some similarity in terms of way of living, geographical conditions, physique structure, language, etc.  The code of conduct that binds these blocks together can be termed as Dharma or to some extent as religion.

Before 5000-6000 years ago, such concepts/philosophy was evolved in India and some scriptures are as yet available in the form of Vedas, Upanishads, Brahma sutras, etc. The philosophy is based on from part to whole where complete autonomy of individual is assumed to attain the goal of human life, salvation, that is contributing to the welfare of community/nation/human and nor contradicting to the goal. This autonomy has given rise to freedom in all respects to individual creating later many sects, panths (sects), deities, etc., and due to the natural urge of dominance many rituals and restrictions, human/animal sacrifice to deities,  banning education to women and Shudras, caste-ims and their hierarchy, etc.,  were imposed taking society as a whole to some other direction.  Hence Buddha, Vardhaman Mahaveer, Guru Nanak, social reformers like Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswati, Jyotiba Phule, Sami Vivekananda, Gadge maharaja, Agarkar, Veer Sawarkar, Dr. Dabholkar, etc., help arrest  the downfall.

There is a school of thinking that Islam and Christianity are the outcome of Vedanta/Sanatan Dharma imbibing some core principles were surfaced about 2000 years ago to ameliorate the status of people residing in particular regions, far away from India. Islam, Hinduism (the term coined 200 years ago or so) and Christianity are the three dominating religions in the world today. Other religions more or less are the offspring of these religions. These have many things in common. Ramakrishna Paramhansa has shown that these religions lead to the same ultimate goal, who realized it so being a Muslim, a Christian and Hindu. But the core of these religions (that is found to be the same) is covered by the layers that are significantly influenced by the local or geographical (soil) traits, DNA and customs showing as if they are contradictory, against each other. Islam and Christianity because of geographical and other conditions adopted a philosophy from whole to part. Hence we find more social discipline, unity and religious bondage in those countries compared to that found in India. In fact, Nepal is the full Hindu Rashtra, and India is the largest Islam state in the world.

It can be realized that ancient India was perhaps the only fully developed country in the world say 6000 years ago. The individual autonomy is the reason for such a glory.  With the passage of time, autonomy started converting into personal greediness and comforts and war of Mahabharata took place destroying almost everything. In spite of this, one can find some glaring achiements in India like rise of universities like Taxila, Nalanda, caves and temple structure spread all over India, appearance of people having Himalayan height from time to time, etc. Those who could read properly the scriptures rose and did wonders  like Rabindranath Tagore, C V Raman, Sir M Visvesvaraya, to name but a few in the last century.

However, these giant persons are exceptions. The autonomy is abused to such an extent that by 12th Century all universities were destroyed, Mogul won the country, and then British came. A large class of local people helped these invaders that were not bound by any social bondage but complete autonomy to be betrayal. Hence to mention but a few examples of the outcome of individual based autonomy Shivaji was opposed to be an approved king,  Dnyaneswara was outcast, BharatRata Maharshi Karve was outcast from his own village, Adi Shankarcharya was outcaste, Veer Sawarakr was looked down, etc. The latest example is of Dr. Babasheb Ambedkar who could not win or not allowed to win a MPs post in India.  India produces wonderful (ideal) documents the world has ever seen. One can see the ideal provisions through the Indian Constitution, RTI, RTE, RTFood and as a paradox see what happens in real life, corruption, betraying the nation, looting the masses, amassing wealth, some are more equal in the eyes of law, use of force to suppress the voice of others, etc, though one can witness some oasis here and there, not because of the Governance but because some realize the true meanings of Shastras and autonym. Autonomy is more towards sacrifices for the public cause and not for individual gains.
In India we believe more in personal convenience/gains rather than public good giving rise to many pseudo concepts, good in documents but implemented otherwise.

In fact, India had developed the rich concept of GanaTantra that was practiced may be in diluted form at village level till mid-1800th Century that was totally curbed out by MacAulay then.

Unless we do not stop abusing this autonomy under the name of democracy (e.g., not self-disciplined but attaining one’s own comfort zone at any cost) in the name of public/democracy, the history shall be repeating. And therefore simply boasting (visa-a-visa ground reality) that in 1751, India had international market share to the tune of 27% when US and Europe put together had barely 24%, one Rs meant 12 dollars (today 1 $ = 65 Rs), India is the World spiritual Guru, our forefathers were practicing this and that thing just discovered on the globe, India is the largest democracy, India the youngest country, the biggest market, etc., will lead this country Where?   


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