BANE OF CASTEISM (2)

 By Parmanand

Mahatma Gandhi's signal contribution to annihilation of untouchability is unprecedented. Frankly speaking, no serious attempt was ever made to root out the inhuman and senseless practice of untouchability before Mahatma Gandhi. It is beyond our comprehension as from when the practice of untouchability started in the Hindu society. It is also a matter of great surprise that how the Hindu society which considers itself to be so tolerant and magnanimous think of perpetuating this sinful, outrageous and atrocious practice of untouchability?

The present generation may not even be able to imagine that how horrendous it was in nature and practice only a few decades ago. If we go by the historical books written by reformers, we find the hair-raising and heart-rending saga of the nefarious practice. It is said that untouchables were not allowed to tread or traverse on the paths that was being used by caste Hindus. If at all any untouchable thought of going on that path, he or she had to tie a broom in his or her waist from behind so that once he or she had moved on the path, it had to be swept by the broom. So much so, an untouchable was not allowed to use footwear even at the time of festivals or marriages. Untouchables were not allowed to cross the path of any caste Hindus.

If one goes by the Vedic scriptures, one finds that the classification of Hindu society was existent but there is no trace of untouchability in any scriptures at least in theory. Let it be hastened to be added that this does not mean that society as found during Vedic period was in any way the ideal one. It was vicious and rotten to say the least. It is, therefore, difficult to exculpate the Vedic literature or society for perpetrating atrocities on untouchables. In one of the texts has been ordained that if a Shudra was found to be reading Vedas or Vedic literature his tongue should be cut and if he hears it then molten glass should be poured into his ears and there was no harm if he was blinded for witnessing the Vedic rituals. The authenticity of these terrible injunctions is not very confirmed. But if one goes by other sources, one finds its authenticity is dubious. However, this does not in any way exonerates the Vedic society for its rigours against Shudras. Infact, it conducted itself in most intolerable and condemnable manner.

It is yet another enigma how four Varnas got split into thousands of castes, layer after layer, each caste and sub-case considering it superior or inferior in relation to other ones. Over the years it became so fossilized that it was an easy task for any fissiparous force to take advantage of the divisions and sub-divisions among Hindus.

This type of crime can be committed only by a race which is destined to self-destruction. It hardly needs to be said that this weakness of Hindus was the reason for their downfall. Hindus, who have been geographically associated with vast expanse of South East Asia, were defeated and humiliated number of times by the foreign aggressors. The assailants although were never very strong, intelligent or superior in arms as compared to Hindus but they were certainly more cohesive and united vis-à-vis Hindu adversaries. What is even more shocking is that even after repeated aggressions by the external forces, Hindus never realized and analyzed their weaknesses.

This actually requires dispassionate research in most objective manner as to how casteism grew and became monstrously strong. The tragedy is that it is very difficult to find objective researchers. Most of the persons who claim, rather deceptively pose themselves, to be researchers suffer from the disease of heavy jaundice and order to obtain the certificate of secularism they find the easy way of blaming one or the other caste of Hindus particularly caste Hindus.

Their (Researchers) aim is not to root-out the evils but to further perpetuate it by arraigning one section against other and in the process further weaken or divide the Hindus. The need is to annihilate caste with roots and branches. But how to achieve the goal is most pertinent question and is to be seriously pondered over.

Bane of Hindu Society (1)

By: Parmanand Pandey

Division of Hindu society on the lines of Varnas and castes has made it completely hollow. This division, practiced and perpetuated for centuries, has made it so weak that it is unable to withstand any onslaught from outside and that is why myriad of evils and vices have set in this religion.

It is highly disturbing and makes one sick as to why all all great thinkers of Hinduism kept aloof from this cancer which has been eating its elan vital for the last many millenniums.

In this backdrop the advent of Gautam Buddha came as a whiff of fresh air. He could have expurgated the Hindu society by removing the division along the Varna and caste lines. The only drawback which one could find in teachings of Buddha was that laid excessive emphasis on the non-violence, which proved to be disastrous for the safety, security, unity and integrity of the country.

It is all the more perplexing that why even a person of dazzling intelligence like Swami Dayanand Saraswati could not think of breaking the shackles of castes. On the contrary, he advocated for retaining the system of four Varna. However, it must be stated in all fairness that Dayanand Saraswati, who was born nearly four and half decades before Mahatma Gandhi had made blistering attacks on the evils of the Hindu society.

He was very clear, confident and convincing in his thinking and logic that he dared all religions and tore into pieces the bookish religions like Christianity and Islam. Sikhism had not gained the status of separate religion independent of Hinduism till then. However, in his book Satyarth Prakash and Samskarvidhi he appeared to be in no doubt about the efficacy of four Varnas.

It hardly needs to be said that any amount of logic supporting the four Varnas cannot appeal to the reason of any conscientious person. It stands on very weak, fallible and extremely feeble legs. This obnoxious system has completely stopped the growth of society. There is no flow because all the avenues of mobility are stopped. Although it is said that there is no prohibition on the mobility from one Varna to the other but that is only for the namesake. The stark fact is that it is the birth which decides the Varna and caste of a person. Moreover, the trait and quality of a person is completely a subjective matter. We have not seen any person who could have moved from one Varna or caste to other. If anyone wants to leave or renounce his/her caste or Varna to adopt the other caste or Varna, he/she can never be adopted or accepted by the other case/Varna.  We do not find any such example of mobility, at least in the known history. This stagnancy has done the incalculable damage to a society which was so advanced in learning, industry and intelligence.

It is again baffling that why the successive thinkers after Buddha did not think beyond. They concentrated more on rooting out the Buddhism from the land of its birth than in reforming the Hindism by making it casteless society. It is also equally true that the way Buddha wanted to cast away the treasure of knowledge and wisdom in Hindu religion was shocking to say the least. It is quite possible that Gautam Buddha might have considered over the rigidity of Varna and caste system and might have found himself incapable of removing the despicable evil and hence thought to completely severe the link from Sanatana dharma, which is how the Hindu religion is known today rather than making any effort to reform it. Hence he thought it fit to found a new religion instead of breaking the head against the hard stones of Hinduism.

  

Attacks on Mamta Banerjee in Delhi had streaks of Fascism

 By: Parmanand Pandey

Attacks on West Bengal Chief Minister Kumari Mamta Banerjee and State's Finance Minister Amit Mitra on 8^th April before the gate of the Planning Commission in the high safety zone of New Delhi is not only sad and reprehensible but it also raises some disturbing questions. Firstly; why the goons of the CPI(M) were, at all, allowed to assemble in large number, around 300, outside the gate when prohibitory order under section 144 of the Cr. P.C. always remain in force in the area. Secondly; it happened within the range of 100 metres of the Parliament Street Police Station, which remains fortified round the clock. Thirdly; why did the Delhi police remain so callous as not to foresee the threat to Ms Mamta Banerjee who is an eye sore to the CPM ruffians, who have mastered the art of goondaism and killing their foes and then paint it with some ideological colour.

However, the colour they provide to their organised anarchy is well known to the people and anybody can see-through their nefarious and sinister designs. This is not in the hindsight the people say that the police should have been more alert on such occasions but everybody invariably believes that this is the sheer incompetence of the police and this is how it normally behaves in India.

The CPI (M) cadre is postmaster in telling lies. They try to beguile and befool the credulous people. The Party has earned expertise in blackmailing and bamboozlement. The CPI (M) leaders have said in their explanation that they were demonstrating outside the Planning Commission as they knew beforehand that Mamta Banerjee was coming to attend a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, to protest against the death of a 23 year old Sudipta Gupta, an activist of the Student Federation of India, allegedly under the custody of Kolkata police. The police, on the other, say that he died in an accident while being taken to lock up but the CPM's student wing SFI is not ready to believe and buy the police theory. Both the police and the SFI may be right or both may be wrong. This can be conclusively established after a fair enquiry.

The death of any body, much less of a young boy is being exploited by the CPM. It must be said here that the death of the promising boy is sad but the way the CPI (M) is trying to capitalise it for the Party's revival is deplorable. The fact is that they got very sound drubbing twice in quick succession in the hustings after a long period of 34 years of its reign has still not been reconciled by them.

The CPI (M) strategists think that if could rule West Bengal for 34 long years by the cult of violence; they can again come to power through violence.

But they are sadly mistaken much water has flown through Hoogly in the last three and half decades and new generation has become wiser, more by experience than by analysis. Youngsters can no longer be misguided by polemics and romanticism of phony revolution of the CPI (M). During the unconscionably long rule of 34 years the CPM has virtually destroyed all the fabrics of social values, industry and agriculture. It has thrown the vast populace into drain of abject poverty, backwardness and indolence. Thus, the need is to expose the CPI (M) misdeeds with all the vigour and strength that one possesses to save the country. The attacks on Mamta and Mitra are the matters of concern for the entire country because they tantamount to the naked display of fascism that we often witness in West Bengal by the hoodlums of the CPI(M) and also in Maharashtra by the lumpens of Raj Thakre's MNS party.

The time has come when this fascism should be crushed, pulverised and buried to fathomless depth.

Supreme Court Judgment on Cancer Drugs is Laudable

The Supreme Court of India has delivered a historic judgment which will provide a huge relief to thousands of cancer patients in India. Through this verdict the Court has allowed the suppliers to continue making generic copies of a cancer fighting drug Novartis Glivec. At present it costs more than Rs. one lakh per month but thanks to this judgment is will henceforth cost less than nine thousand rupees.

It is a humane and every inch judicious judgment. The Pharmacentical companies, no doubt, do a commendable job of research and development of medicines for life threatening diseases like cancer and HIV. But once they have invented the medicines and recovered the cost of research they forget their benign duties of serving the mankind and continue to indulge into inexorable exploitation by keeping the cost exorbitantly high. In this the companies, which were claiming the patent rights were not credited with any invention but they have doing certain combinations and permutations in the medicines being traded.

Studies that have been presented before the court clearly suggest that the manufacturing companies have already earned the entire cost of Research and Development within one year of its production. Glivecis is the brand name of Inatinib Novartis which had applied for a patent of a modified drug 'beta crystalline'. The Supreme Court has given a very well- reasoned judgment that the patent for 'beta crystalline' could not be granted because it was not any invention but an imitation with minor changes. In fact, it has been the case of downright cheating by companies which have been charging the unreasonable prices for cancer drugs. This cruelty is condemnable. One of my friends the late Alok Tomar who died two years ago of deadly disease of cancer had written somewhere about the pathetic story of the cancer patients whose disease was aggravated and  advanced due to prohibitive cost of medicines. He had in his imitable style narrated that a great deal of racket was involved in the dealings of cancer medicines.

The judges-Aftab Alam and Ranjana K. Desai— must be complimented and applauded for this landmark judgment and hopefully, the pharmaceutical companies would understand their primary duty of relieving the pains and sufferings of the people instead of raking into the stinking profit by selling of the medicines to helpless and poor patients.