<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Five seasoned journalists analyse the Karnataka election results from diverse perspectives and come to the conclusion that the Congress sweep has come as a political jolt to the BJP in general and Prime Minister Modi in particular. They also pointed out that the Congress leadership needs to calibrate, make concrete plans and move carefully to push this advantage in the South Indian State to the national level.&nbsp;

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‘இவரை விட்டால் வேறு ஆளே இல்லையா?’ என்று மத்திய அரசைப் பார்த்து உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் ஏற்கெனவே கேள்வி எழுப்பியிருந்தது. ஆனால் மத்திய அரசோ, மீண்டும் அவரின் பதவிக்காலத்தை நீட்டிக்கக் கோரியது.
எதிர்க்கட்சிகளைப் பழிவாங்குவதற்கு அமலாக்கத்துறையை மத்திய அரசு தவறாகப் பயன்படுத்துகிறது என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டு பா.ஜ.க அரசுக்கு எதிராக முன்வைக்கப்படுகிறது. குறிப்பாக, கடந்த நான்கைந்து ஆண்டுகளாக இந்தக் குற்றச்சாட்டு பரவலாக எழுப்பப்படுகிறது.
இந்த நிலையில், அமலாக்கத்துறை இயக்குநர் எஸ்.கே.மிஸ்ராவுக்கு பதவி நீட்டிப்பு வழங்கியது சட்டவிரோதம் என்றும், அவர் பதவி விலக வேண்டும் என்றும் உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் சமீபத்தில் உத்தரவிட்டது. அதன் பிறகும், அவருக்கு பதவிநீட்டிப்பு வழங்க அனுமதிக்க வேண்டுமென்று உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்திடம் மத்திய அரசு கேட்கிறது.
உத்தரப்பிரதேசத்தைச் சேர்ந்த எஸ்.கே.மிஸ்ரா எனப்படும் சஞ்சய் குமார் மிஸ்ரா, 1984-ம் ஆண்டு ஐ.ஆர்.எஸ் அதிகாரியாகத் தேர்வானவர். டெல்லியில் வருமான வரித்துறை தலைமை ஆணையராக இருந்த எஸ்.கே.மிஸ்ராவை, அமலாக்கத்துறை இயக்குநராக 2018-ம் ஆண்டு மத்திய பா.ஜ.க அரசு நியமித்தது. இவரது தலைமையில்தான், காங்கிரஸ் தலைவர்கள் சோனியா காந்தி, ராகுல் காந்தி, ஜம்மு காஷ்மீர் முன்னாள் முதல்வர் பரூக் அப்துல்லா உட்பட பல எதிர்க்கட்சித் தலைவர்களுக்கு எதிராக அமலாக்கத்துறை நடவடிக்கைகளை மேற்கொண்டது.

ED இயக்குநர் சஞ்சய் குமார் மிஸ்ரா பணி நீட்டிப்பு விவகாரம்; மத்திய அரசு ‘அடம்பிடிப்பது’ ஏன்?!

Five seasoned journalists analyse the Karnataka election results from diverse perspectives and come to the conclusion that the Congress sweep has come as a political jolt to the BJP in general and Prime Minister Modi in particular. 

Karnataka’s Congress Sweep Holds Promise for Opposition Politics in India

We all have different influences on our daily life, but as a rule the impact of politics would be the most predominant. It overrides most other aspects of life. Bernard Crick, in his In Defence of Politics says: “Politics affects everyday life. The decisions made by politicians affect us all, from cradle to grave.” But do people in India or other parts of the world understand the concept of politics clearly and correctly? That moot question was taken up by the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), a renowned social studies Institute in Stockholm. The institution, supported by many democratic countries, conducted a multi-country survey to measure people’s interest in and understanding of politics. The finding across the countries is that a large number of people do not like politics and do not trust politicians as a class.If you are looking for a rented place in Delhi, the national capital of India, the common experience is that the landlords do not like to give it to lawyers and politicians. What could be the reason? There is certainly a trust deficit. However, lawyers could manipulate with legal ‘antics’ their way to a rented accommodation and politicians could use their clout with power centres to achieve the same.Yet, the contradiction is that people are also mad about politics, especially in the developing countries, as obviously they have a stake in it. They talk animatedly about politics. Jonathan Swift, in his ‘Thoughts on Various Subjects” had said: “Democracy (party) is madness of many for the benefit of the few.” To sample a few more interpretations of politics, Otto von Bismarck said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable—the art of the next best. “It is Lord Acton, the British historian, who said: “All power tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” George Bernard Shaw commented: “Politics is the last resort of scoundrels.” Since such commentaries on politics abound even in our curriculum, it is natural for people to be cynical. Cynicism is detrimental to democracy, if not to all forms of politics. It will be better for people and politics, if the people had a correct understanding of politics and had an informed engagement with it.Many historians argue that the French Revolution would not have occurred without the powerful political ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity propounded by the French Enlightenment philosophers — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. So, a correct understanding and interpretation of ideas are important. An incorrect understanding or an inappropriate application creates unfavourable and unhealthy attitudes to politics, which are not good for a democracy. What do the three major stakeholders _ state (read politicians), business, and civil society _ in a country think of politics? Our reference point of course is India.Let us look at the meaning and operational definition of politics, as it is commonly understood. Some common definitions of politics are: politics is the exercise of power; politics is the public allocation of values; politics is the resolution of conflict; politics is the competition among individuals, groups, or states pursuing their interests. There are many other definitions, but all of them include power, and authority. In India, politics is commonly understood as ‘Rajniti’ meaning policies of the king (in the past) or the state. Such understanding of politics has made it the game of royals, feudal lords, elites, and so on, whereas the meaning of a Minister is people’s servant. Ministering means serving. We tend to change the meaning of words in India and Indianise their practice.Let me proffer two new meanings to politics—Rajniti can be understood as ‘king of policies’ instead of king’s policy; second, it should be Sevaniti (policy of service) instead of Rajniti. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while assuming office in 2014, said, “I am the chief servant” (pradhan sevak) of the people”. Operational implications of these meanings should make a profound impact on politics and will make it more acceptable. People will treat politics with respect and engage with it when the interests of individual leaders and parties are taken away. Sevaniti will make politicians service-oriented, not power-mongering, influence-peddling, profit- seeking, and so on. If the top civil services occupations are titled Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Economic Service, why not we call Parliament and Legislative careers as political service?But what do politicians themselves think of politics? Politics for many is a profession and a career. They are into it full time and do nothing else. So, whether they are in power or out of it, they live off politics. Many get into it as their families have made it and they must inherit that legacy. Others enter politics as they cannot do anything else, and they could make a good living by squatting in the corridors of power. Yet some join politics to represent the people and alleviate their conditions, but this lot, sooner than later, gets caught in the vicious circle triggered by “power- influence-survival-revival”. Whatever be their original motivation in joining, a majority of politicians gets stuck in their struggle for survival. They make compromises in the name of compulsions and lose their way toward their original mission.People in business see politics as a tool for developing their business. Ideology is immaterial for them. They would support any party which helps them build their business. It is true that business houses do philanthropic activities, but by and large, the motivation to do so is not political or social, but religious or spiritual, or based on a quid pro quo made with their benefactors. This is sometimes called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) too. We are not running down ethical business practices which stay clear of political patronage or influences.What is society’s understanding of politics? There are many societal actors having diverse perceptions of politics. Civil society organisations like community-based ones use politics to campaign for their interests; others issue-based ones protest or advocate the causes they believe in, and there are protest movements, pressure groups and lobbies like trade unions and so on.And there are peoples’ movements and social movements (interchangeably used) which influence politics by creating new institutions or causing regime-change. Movements are an essential part of politics as they emerge in response to peoples’ needs; that are not met by powers-that-be or for the sake of justice, fairness and right to self-determination (freedom movements). On the other hand, there are movements that capture power with illegitimate use of force. So, movements can be seen as creative attempts to initiate change – social, political, economic or others and there are other movements which are pathological.Qualifying adjectives to refer to movements could be too varied – ‘radical’, ‘messianic’, ‘nativistic’, ‘nationalistic’, ‘fascist’, ‘non-violent’, ‘religious’, ‘secular’, ‘revolutionary’, ‘reformist’, ‘socialist,’ ‘labour’, ‘caste’ (emancipator) and so on. The first textbook on modern social movement to be published in America (J. Davis, Contemporary Social Movement, New York and London, 1930) had a multitude of topics: Plato’s Republic, Thomas Moore’s Utopia, Marx’s Socialism, Mussolini’s Fascism, Gandhi’s Non-Violence, The Cooperative Movement, The Labour Movement, The Peace Movement and so on. The list includes not only collective actions (movements), but the idea systems too. We refer to those movements which translate theories into praxis and contribute to institutional changes that impact the nature of politics.However, there is also a section of civil society organisations that stay away from politics, as they think politics is corrupt, manipulative, and therefore, and it is not meant for ‘good people’. Such people should remember Abraham Lincoln who had reprimanded his fellow-citizens uninterested in politics, “bad politicians are elected by good citizens who do not vote”.Media is deeply connected with politics. It collects news from politicians and feeds it to the people. Media personnel frequent the political corridors sniffing for news, especially breaking news, snatching sound bites and flashing them in TVs, YouTube channels, websites and papers. But the media does not subscribe to any particular politics, nor has any core political beliefs barring some who may have ideological or political affiliation. The situation seems to have changed as the media is largely in cahoots with ruling parties.To sum up, politics is understood and used according to the people’s own interest. That is a normal trend. Such interest can be selfish or selfless, intellectual, or spiritual, ideological or tribal, communal etc. What one is arguing here is, politics is a collective act. Aristotle said, Man by nature is a social animal, in a democracy, wo(man) is a political being as people are sovereign in a democracy and are supposed to be makers of their political destinies. People have to take a collective view of politics and should have collective responsibilities and accountabilities. That is, politics is also a service, helping each other, looking after the common men and women, not making space for ex-royals, feudals, rich and the elite. To actualise such understanding of politics, it has to be made simpler, easier for common people to play it. The role of power, money and mafia have to diminish, instead, ideas, commitment and sacrifice have to come into play. Politics then will be king of policies, and real lokniti, not rajniti.<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">For past releases of Words and Concepts, <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/tag/words-and-concepts/">Click Here</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">.

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This column will deal with words and concepts and their changing and nuanced meanings. Indeed , many more interpretations and value additions are possible on the words and descriptions that figure in this series. The AIDEM invites further discussions on these words and concepts from readers.

Words and Concepts- 4: Politics

“Turned out you were just like us.So, it turned out you were just like us!Where were you hiding all this time, buddy?That stupidity, that ignorancewe wallowed in for a century –look, it arrived at your shores too!Many congratulations to you! “(तुम बिल्कुल हम जैसे निकलेअब तक कहाँ छुपे थे भाईवो मूरखता वो घामड़-पनजिस में हम ने सदी गँवाईआख़िर पहुँची द्वार तुहारेअरे बधाई बहुत बधाई )This was written by noted India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Fahmida Riaz three decades ago, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on December 6,1992, by the Hindutva oriented Karsevaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) led Sangh Parivar. Thirty years have passed since then and the Hindutva extremists who once occupied the fringes of Indian society have not only moved on to the centre stage of polity and society, but have a stranglehold across these domains. In many ways, contemporary India looks a mirror image of Pakistan, where religious fundamentalism has been the domineering trait of society and politics for decades, right from its inception. However, there is considerable churning happening in the Pakistan civil society in recent times and in the following nuanced observation, Resmi P Bhaskaran, Policy Analyst, points out how the civil society’s response to sexual abuse in the neighbouring countries is significantly different. The analysis specifically takes into consideration the situation that exists in the country in the context of the agitation of the female wrestlers against sexual abuse. Resmi points out that the civil society in Pakistan seems to be moving towards a positive and judicious response, the Indian civil society is getting engulfed more and more by sectarian positions, marked by total absence of compunction and sense of probity.Read on – Editor, The AIDEMScene 1: Pakistan “Tere Bin” is a popular Pakistani drama starring talented actors such as Yumna Zaidi, Wahaj Ali, and Bushra Anzari. It has garnered over 30 million views per episode and has recently sparked a social media debate due to a controversial scene depicting marital rape.“Tere Bin” distinguishes itself through the portrayal of an alpha male character’s evolution into an understanding husband of a forced cousin marriage within a feudal family. Husband signs a contract based on his wife’s terms, agreeing to a marriage that exists only on paper. Their conflicting personalities and growing feelings for each other create a continuous struggle throughout the narrative.In one intense conflict scene where the husband angrily closed the bedroom door, implying his intention to force himself on his wife. The writer’s public justification for including this portrayal of marital rape as a necessary for the story’s progression; sparked a heated debate on marital rape. Viewers strongly rejecting violence and emphasizing that rape remains rape, even when committed by spouse.Viewers criticized the writer, content team and even actors for portraying normalization of marital rape and the problematic nature of story’s portrayal of a happy ending between the victim and the perpetrator. Critics argued that such portrayal reinforces the perception of marital rape as a normal occurrence in a patriarchal society like Pakistan, despite being unacceptable by law or religion.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_06_01_112917484_768x377_1_9600fd6249.png" alt="image_2023-06-01_112917484-768x377 (1).png"> Screengrab from Tere Bin (TV Series, 2022)Furthermore, the popular male lead character, initially seen as a role model, as he respected the wife’s rights and sought her consent; being scrutinized for embodying toxic traits prevalent in society. These discussions shed light on the suffering of women in forced marriages and the importance of consent.People expressed the opinion that the media should reconsider endorsing such crimes as plot devices, especially when it sacrifices the dignity of the female characters. Discussions indicate a positive shift in societal awareness in Pakistan, prompting conversations about marital rape prevalence and the significance of consent in relationships. The discussions also serve as a reminder that rape is a heinous crime that cannot be forgiven under any circumstances.However, it is important to consider whether the public would react similarly if the story involved different social class and power dynamics. Additionally, discussions undermined legal or religious recourse for victims, despite the absence of criminalization of marital rape in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the ongoing debate on marital rape in “Tere Bin” contributes to raising awareness and challenging societal norms, reinforcing the idea that consent should always be prioritized in sexual relationships, and condemning forced behaviour.Scene 2: India Six internationally accomplished women wrestlers, including a minor, have accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP Member of Parliament and President of the Wrestling Federation of India, on seven charges of sexual abuse. Despite reporting the incidents, their pleas were ignored by authorities. Since April 23, 2023, they have been protesting on Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The allegations against Singh are severe, with the victim facing threats of murder if they spoke out. The wrestlers, celebrated for their international achievements, lived in fear, humiliation, and continuous trauma while the authorities turned a blind eye.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_06_01_113319992_2_5db7ecd5a4.png" alt="image_2023-06-01_113319992 (2).png"> Brij Bhushan Sharan SinghThe wrestlers had no choice but to take to the streets, demanding justice and the arrest of the accused. Unfortunately, their efforts were met with a lack of response and intimidation from the government. The involvement of the Supreme Court compelled the Delhi police to file an FIR on April 27. However, even now no investigation or look-out notice has been issued, disregarding law especially the POCSO law. The complacency of the law-and-order system in this case, despite the victims being national icons, is evident. Meanwhile, the accused has a criminal record, including charges of murder and rape.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2023_06_01_at_11_51_03_1_300x300_2_d36b428bcd.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2023-06-01-at-11.51.03-1-300x300 (2).jpeg"> Women protesters being stamped on with police bootsAlthough the protesting wrestlers have received support from opposition parties and other sources, it is insufficient to awaken civil society’s consciousness. Unlike the media’s fervent coverage and public support during the 2012 Nirbhaya case, the media’s role in 2023 has been muted, leaving raising questions about why the accused remains free and why the ruling party ignores grievances of the wrestlers. This further diminishes public’s trust in the media.Furthermore, according to the POCSO Act and sexual harassment Act, it is crucial to remove the accused from their positions to prevent manipulation or influence over the investigation. Why has the government and the BJP not taken steps to strip Singh of his positions? This failure to act indicates that members of the ruling party can evade the legal process and potential punishment. It grants culprits immunity in similar cases, reinforcing the belief that the law-and-order system favours the powerful. In this case, the victims cannot be considered ordinary individuals as they are public figures.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_06_01_112000594_2_c410f5c415.png" alt="image_2023-06-01_112000594 (2).png"> Wrestlers Protest in New Delhi (2023)On May 28, 2023, the wrestlers were forcefully arrested and their protest site was dismantled by the Delhi police. However, the public outcry remains minimal, and only a few people speak out against these abuses. This raises questions about the shift in public perception regarding sexual harassment between 2012 and 2023. Has the severity of the crime become less significant when it involves a habitual offender who represents ruling party in the Lok Sabha, compared to the Nirbhaya case involving slum dwellers?Today, despite legal provisions and complaint processes, the wrestlers have to protest to get justice. Does this indicate social and judicial consciousness is determined by the dynamics of socio-economic and political status of both the victims as well as perpetuators? Can we conclude that the public response to sexual abuse in India is influenced by the hierarchical position of who inflicted the crime on whom, in other words the public outcry for righteous justice depends less on the gravity of the crime, but more on who committed it? The role of media in shaping such public consciousness is visibly evident and which is dangerously leading to a lawlessness condition.Marital rape to sexual assault at work placeIndia, in comparison to Pakistan, is known for its modern legal system that upholds principles of social justice and equity. The enactment of the POCSO Act in 2012 and the Nirbhaya case shed light on the issue of sexual harassment of children and women in India. The legal framework provides clear definitions, particularly addressing sexual abuse of minors and workplace harassment. However, the Supreme Court is still deliberating on defining and criminalizing marital rape, lacking a definitive stance on the matter. India has yet to witness a widespread public debate on marital rape similar to the “Tere Bin” moment in Pakistan. <img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_06_01_112413657_2_9494ec6526.png" alt="image_2023-06-01_112413657 (2).png">Representative ImageWhile there is clarity within the judicial system regarding sexual assault, actual discharge of justice is often denied and delayed, especially when the perpetrator holds positions of power. At the same time, the victims are further victimized by the system and society at large. The Nirbhaya incident (2012 gangrape of a girl in Delhi, the national capital) served as a wake-up call, raising public awareness on such issues. However, in the past decade, many sexual harassment cases have received mixed responses, particularly when the perpetrator comes from the top echelons of society and the victims belong to lower social classes or marginalized groups. This suggests that a society striving for equality and social justice compromises its values by responding to crimes based on the social status of the involved parties. Erosion of the public’s moral and social values has, eventually, resulted in weakening of the implementation of judicial provisions.The plight of wrestlers seeking justice is all the more disconcerting and agonizing in a polity and society that claims to honor the “daughters of the nation.” Yet, the civil response to this incident, even after nearly 40 days, is a grave concern. It highlights a fractured consciousness and a society divided at various levels, leaving individuals isolated in their own worlds. This creates an ideal environment for authoritarianism and a socio-political climate that helps cement the privileges of the privileged. The unravelling of the social fabric is a perilous sign of a failing State and a lost society.When it comes to harassment of women, response of neighbouring countries may vary on the basis of social development. Factors such as cultural norms, legal frameworks, and societal attitudes can influence the prevalence of and response to harassment. India and Pakistan are at different levels of gender development. Nevertheless, the recent incidents indicate that Indian civil society’s sense of awareness and responses towards gender-based violence and discrimination are muted, while Pakistan civil society is showing signs of waking up.<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Read this article in <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/hi-policy-analyst-looks-at-civic-responses-towards-sexual-abuse/">Hindi</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">, <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/ml-policy-analyst-looks-at-civic-responses-towards-sexual-abuse/">Malayalam</a>

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This was written by noted India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Fahmida Riaz three decades ago, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on December 6,1992, by the Hindutva oriented Karsevaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) led Sangh Parivar.

Reel to Real: Civic Responses Towards Sexual Abuse in India and Pakistan

In an article written ten days after Independence, the Dravidian ideologue lays bare the convergence of caste, class, and religious interests in the Golden Sceptre and its dangerous political consequences.[ Hours before Jawaharlal Nehru was to take over as the first Prime Minister of independent India, representatives of Ambalvana Desikar, the head of the Thiruvaduthurai Aaadheenam, a Saivite mutt in Mayiladuthurai district, presented a Sengol (Golden Sceptre) to him at a simple ceremony in New Delhi. A book titled Saiva Aaadheenangal (authored by Ooran Adigal, a follower of Saivite saint-poet Ramalinga Adigal) records this event like this: “Aadheenam Periya Karubaru Kumarasami Thambiran Swamigal, aadheena Odhuvar Manikka Odhuvar, and aadheena nadaswara vidhwan Thirvaduthurai T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai took the Sengol to Delhi and presented it to Nehru. As Rajarathinam Pillai played the nadaswaram and Odhuvramurthigal recited ‘Arasaalvar aanai namadhe’ [Let the king rule, this is our order], a Paasuram written by Thirugnanasambandar, Karubaru Kumarasami Thambiran handed the Sengol to Nehru greeting him with the words, “Thanga Sengol, Thangal Sengol, Thangal Sengol, Engal Aatchi Sinnam” (Golden Sceptre, It is your sceptre, it is your sceptre, a symbol of our rule).”A similar Sengol was presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a ceremony to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament Building in New Delhi recently. The heads of 19 aadheenams, transported from Tamil Nadu by a special flight by the government, were present at the ceremony. Of them, six mutt heads – Dharmapuram, Madurai, Thiruvaduthurai, Kundrakudi, Perur and Velakurichi _ were specifically asked to present the Sengol to the Prime Minister, who placed it near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair in the new Parliament Building.Sengol was believed to be the symbol of king’s power in feudal Tamil Nadu. Its incongruity and irrelevance in a republic governed by a modern Constitution are too obvious to be missed. So was the presence of Vaishnavite and Saivite religious heads performing rituals to inaugurate an institution that is firmly founded on the principle of secularism.What is the motive behind religious heads blessing a secular government? It has nothing to do with their love and affection for the government or patriotic sentiments. The motive is rooted in the mutts’ interest in protecting their wealth, accumulated from offerings made by unsuspecting believers and from their vast landholdings made fertile by the sweat and blood of lakhs of farmers and agricultural workers over hundreds of years. C.N. Annadurai, the rationalist protégé of E.V. Ramasamy Periyar, founder-leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its first Chief Minister, exposed the points of convergence of class, caste, religious and political interests in a largely feudal India and cautioned Nehru about the dangers of accepting it. He did this in an article he wrote in the issue of Dravida Nadu (August 24, 1947), a weekly founded and edited by him. The article written in a conversational style drips with the wit, satire and sarcasm typical of the great orator-writer and contains the seeds of the political narrative that has become part of the common sense of Tamils – a narrative that has sustained the Dravidian movement for many decades.Annadurai’s article was reproduced in the May 26, 2023 issue of Viduthalai, a Tamil daily edited by K. Veeramani, president of the Dravidar Kazhagam. Here, we present an English translation of the article by R. Vijaya Sankar, Group Editor, The AIDEM ]The head of the Tiruvaduthurai aadheenam has sent a Sengol to Pandit Nehru who has taken over as the Prime Minister of the new government.It is five feet tall, it seems! Made fully of pure gold, it seems! And that looks beautiful too, it seems! Why was the Sengol given to Nehru? As a gift? As an offering? As a share? As a licence fee? Nothing is clear.It was unexpected! Not only that! It was unnecessary too! Even it was necessary, we slowly realise that it is dangerous if we understand its deeper import.We don’t know what the Pandit thought when he looked at the Sengol. Nor we do know whether the aadheenkakarthar had sent a missive along with the Senglol.But we have something to tell Pandit Nehru. Some words to you who have received the Sengol.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_05_30_163209977_e1685444681131_1_d48ee49747.png" alt="image_2023-05-30_163209977-e1685444681131 (1).png"> Original article published in Dravida Nadu (1947)You know the history of many nations. And you know that a crowned king is surrounded by lords who had fattened themselves by exploiting the people’s labour and by those who use religion as capital and who enjoy the freedom and facility to to walk freely in his golden fort. You know the historical fact that these elements have to be removed for democracy to blossom. Apprehending that you might practise in your administration what you know, the aadheenakarthars would come forward to present you with a Sengol that is not only made of gold but also studded with navaratnas. For their survival and self-protection. The Sengol presented to you is not made of the divine graced obtained by singing the praises of Siva. Nor is it created by sanctifiying a piece of iron with a pinch of holy ash and transforming it into gold – a miracle similar to the one performed by a Siva devotee who transformed a fox into a horse. It is made of the labour of others. But he says it is his. Sengol! Is the name apt? Is it relevant?That Sengol – five feet tall! A piece of exquisite workmanship! Made of pure gold!The one who presented it to you is not a common man. Does he belong to the royalty? No. Something above that. Is he part of an ancient tradition? It is not important whether he belongs to an ancient tradition or is he of recent origin. What is important is, it is a disgusting tradition. It is not the tradition of the people who inhabit this earth. It is the tradition of the holy Kailash, the abode of Siva! <img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_05_30_114759745_e1685444117562_1_2609d90391.png" alt="image_2023-05-30_114759745-e1685444117562 (1).png">Jawaharlal Nehru receiving the golden sceptre from Tiruvaduthurai aadheenam’s representativeThambi, are you asking me, “Anna, how come our aadheenakarthar is bursting with patriotism?”‘No, Anna. Isn’t the aadheenakarthar overflowing with emotions an old story? I want to ask you why the aadheenakarthar has set his holy sights on politics suddenly?”“Leave aside the reason Thambi. I am not that interested in finding out the reason. But only when I think of its consequences…”“Why? What will be the consequence?“We do make the Sengol with pure gold. And its workmanship is also going to be of a high standard. We make this, toiling day and night know!”“Alas! Should you get worried thinking of all these things? Isn’t the perspective here different from the perspective there?“It maybe so, Thambi! But isn’t desire the only reason for the different perspectives?”“Yes.”“My question is this – is it good or bad that the aadheenakarthar has set his sights on the new government? That is my fear too. It is an excellent Sengol. And it is designed intricately. But if the government is going to be run holding it…“Thambi, is the gold in it not an offering made by one who laboured without minding his own destitution, who starved day and night, who had not cheated others of their money, who toiled until his heart broke … was it not the offering made by the ones who cut down wages, who deprived farmers of their livelihoods, who earned disproportionate profits, who cheated the loan-lender by drawing a naamam (a Vaishnavite mark) on his forehead, as a means of atonement to deceive even the god and to mask their sins. Is it not that? It must be that also. If the new government assuming office receives a Sengol from those who thrive in exploiting others’ brains, and eventually exploiting their lives, will its rule be proper?”“You are real fun, Anna!”“There is not much fun, Thambi. It is more of a pain. Those who made a lot sengols would not have spoken like this. But this thought would have crossed their minds. <img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_05_30_124301415_265x300_2_7ab6d7d4f2.png" alt="image_2023-05-30_124301415-265x300 (2).png">C.N. AnnaduraiA conversation like this would have happened at the aadheenam:Iyer [Brahmin]: Ahaa. This is praiseworthy! It is a pioneering effort.Everyone will praise it.Aaadheenakarthar: The height of the Sengol?Iyer: It is five feet… made of gold, they say.. your glory will grow fivefoldAaadheenakarthar: Even the newspapers will…Iyer: Leave them aside… they will carry photos… they write stories praising you. But big, big people will come… even from foreign countries… places like America… Europe… They will be stunned to see the Sengol.Aaadheenakarthar: The bhakts have really designed it beautifully…Iyer: Leave alone the craftsmanship. That will be good too. But the visitors woudn’t notice even that. No big rajas of Baroda, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mysore even thought of it! Won’t everyone keep talking endlessly and praising the aadheenam for having shown this kind of affection, concern and respect? They may talk about the Sengol for two or three minutes. But won’t they talk about you throughout the day or not?Aadheenakarthar: Yes. What do you think of my idea?Iyer: Who else could have thought of this? What the raja has in his hand is a Sengol. And who gave it to him? The aadheenam. Every one will say that the new government started working only after the aadheenam blessed it, permitted it and gave his stamp of approval. Not only now. Even in the future.The Sengol was made of pure gold infused with god’s graceAfter praying to our great god Sivato save this government from any troubleand receiving his grace!Who did this? The aadheenam!A poet would have sung like this. But this song of praise would not have satisfied a Saivite devotee. He woud have got angry, with a reason.Saivite: You are singing the Vaishnavite paasuram, with palm leaf manuscripts in your hand. You are doing this not for one or two years. You’ve been doing this for thousands of years. In all these years only your stomach is swollen like ripe pumpkin but there is no poesy in you!The poet: Is there a problem in the poem?Saivite: If that is the problem, I’d have tolerated it. It is no guesswork! Why do you sing the paasuram?The poet: To explain the distinction of the aadheenamSaivite: The distniction of the aadheenam? Is not the making of the Sengol and sending it to the government the additional distinction of the aadheenam today? Isn’t the poem meant for that?**The poet: ** YesSaivite: If that is so, how have you explained it in your poem? Where are the details of the Sengol, such as its weight, height, and beauty? Are they not important here? Only then the greatness of the event would become clear. Correct your poem first. Then your mind.The poet:It is five feet tallMade of pure goldIts workmanship is splendidThe world will praise this dayForever.“Not bad, go now,” saying so, the Saivite would have sent the poet off and presented his poem to the devotees. This is one way of recording the event’s glory.Among the group that came to present the Sengol, you would have noticed a fair-skinned man with artistic eyes playing nadaswaram in a mesmorising manner. What would those who had seen him be talking?Who is this?Nadaswara vidhwan.Oh! Why has he come here?The aadheenakarthanr has sent him here to present the Sengol. How does the Sengol-presenting aadheenakarthar look like?Like a trueblue Saivite.What is his job?Running the aadheenam.How?Shall I say it loudly or softly?Why?Because there are two things to be said in two different voices.They would have spoken like this, laughing.It looks beautiful to the eye.Look at the Sengol again, more intently.What is seen on it is not only the bull. Even the poor who toil like bulls would be visible on it.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_05_30_152543792_169x300_2_9506edf717.png" alt="image_2023-05-30_152543792-169x300 (2).png"> Sceptre with bull on topWhat is not seen is not only the way the Sengol is burnished. One can also see the shine that has been imparted to the toiler’s body in the process of sucking out his labour power. One can see on it the thousand-acre land and the image of the toiler who leads a life of tears after tilling and toiling. One can see the hut in which he leads a life of suffring. And the poverty that has been thrust on him by the Sengol. One can see the feudal lord. And his motor and bungalow. One can see the gold plate in the bungalow and the white dust on it. One can see the dizzy eyes and fatigued bodies of the farmers. One can see the sweat and the blood that has been shed. One can see the image of a man whose mind is confused like churned curd.One can see the mutt – and the Saivite body there. One can see the jewels on that body – and the disease inside that.One can see the garden and the pond in which the aadheenakarthar bathes. And hear the little little stories that the pond might narrate if it can speak.One can see Saivam, and the ones who came up in life using its divine grace.Sparkling rings, oscilating ear buttons, golden footwear, doting devotees – such sights and more would be visible off and on… if you look at the Sengol again and again.One can see on the Sengol the aadheenam’s visitors saying formally, “Aaha! Excellent! Excellent! It is our good fortune that the aadheenam is happy.” This will brighten the faces of the devotee even if they don’t feel happy inside. Many such things will be seen. But one should look beyond the height, beauty and the craftmanship of the Sengol. Even little kings and nobles might feel jittery wondering whether the people’s anger would turn against them. But the Sengol shows that these aadheenams sit on their thrones as the scared people fall at their feet, governments provide them security and the rich offer them all they want. So, the Sengol is not an offering. It is an appeal. It is not a symbol of love. Nor is it a symbol of patriotism. It is an appeal.This is the time when a group that claims to have learnt sundry things says that these aadheenams, which have accumulated unparalleled fame and wealth by making people prostrate before them, have to be dissolved. On the other hand, the aadheenalarthar says that we are very innocent and we have great love for you. If you have any doubt, look at the Sengol once again – five feet tall, great workmanship! Please ensure that our aadheenam is not subjected to abuse by the ones who seek novelty. Grant me the boon of immortality. My God. My great god Nehru! Give me immortality. Grant me immortality at least for the next 20 years. This is the appeal of the aadheenalarthas, the Saivite disciple of Siva. By presenting this Sengol, he wants to delude common people into believing that there is love between him and the new government. The aadheenakarthar, who is already a fan of Siva, has now become the fan of the Nehru government. So, this will make the common man believe that the aadheenam’s dominance will not diminish.All of this is gold! It is a very very small scrap in the huge wealth controlled by the aadheenakarthar who is the legatee of sages who had given up worldly possessions completely.In the aadheenam, navaratnas are kept in decorated containers.The aadheenam has under its rule fertile fields yielding paddy that is superior to the navaratnas. The toilers, the real jewels of humanity, are being tortured there.As cheats hail these aadheenakarthas as Siddha sages, a small portion of the money offered by the cheated living under illusions has come to you in the form of Sengol. The things that have taken the shape of ear buttons, ear rings and anklets are more in number.You can see there a mountain of gold – the gold that is the stuff of the Sengol presented to you with an appeal to grant the boon of immortality. If the wealth of such aadheenams and religious institutions are confiscated, you can make a Sengol that is not only as ornate as the one presented to you but also capable of enriching and enhancing the lives of the people of this country. We request you to look keenly at such a Sengol off and on and learn the lessons it would offer.Source: Dravida Naadu, 24-08-1947<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Read this article in <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/hi-tamilnadu-cm-annadurai-sengol-and-jawaharlal-nehru/">Hindi</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">, <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/ml-tamilnadu-cm-annadurai-sengol-and-jawaharlal-nehru/">Malayalam</a>

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In an article written ten days after Independence, the Dravidian ideologue lays bare the convergence of caste, class, and religious interests in the Golden Sceptre and its dangerous political consequences. 

Sengol: Annadurai’s appeal to Nehru

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Ear to the Ground is a special feature by The AIDEM that reports on offbeat field reports on people’s lives and livelihood issues.

Homeless in Prime Minister’s Varanasi…

The Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) marks a new beginning in the contemporary history of the Indian National Congress (INC), says KC Venugopal the party’s General Secretary (in charge of Organisational Matters). He said this in an interview with Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, The Managing Editor of The AIDEM as the BJY reached the national capital of New Delhi and was preparing for the onward journey to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of January 2023. The following is the English translation of the&nbsp;<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"> <a style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/kc-venugopal-interview-bharat-jodo-yatra-birth-of-new-age-for-congress/">interview</a> conducted in Malayalam.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:Welcome to The AIDEM Interactions.The Bharat Jodo Yatra is certainly perceived as a remarkable initiative in contemporary Indian politics both by political observers and activists.Today in The AIDEM interactions, we have K C Venugopal who is one of the chief organizers of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, former national President of the INC. He has an important role in the Yatra as the General Secretary in charge of organisational affairs in the party.Question: Venugopal, 107 days 2800 km, you have been in this prolonged Yatra with Rahul Gandhi and now it has reached the capital city. How would you sum up this 107 day’s Yatra experience, in terms of its progress and impact?K.C. VENUGOPAL:This Yatra is an unforgettable experience for us. When we were planning it, we never expected this Yatra to have this much impact or popularity and we took it as a challenge. None has carried out a Yatra (on foot) from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, so we knew the challenges, but still we decided and started. But today at this point we can say it has had a great reaction and that people have accepted it and taken it to their heart going beyond divisions of caste, religion, political or region. Indeed, this is a great achievement.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:Of course. we are noticing the responses of the people, even from unexpected quarters. Also, from a demographical point of view the positive response has been from people of all categories and age. But can \you tell me which category was more attracted o this Yatra as compared to other sections?K.C. VENUGOPAL:Youth. To be frank, Congress was lately concerned about the diminishing presence and participation of youths. But the Yatra has taken away these apprehensions. For example, even in places like Madhya Pradesh, 80% of people participating in the Yatra was below 30 years. Women were also participating in huge numbers. Indeed, it is normal for people to come and witness a Yatra in a casual manner, driven by a sense of curiosity, but this time it is not like that. There is tremendous sense of involvement from all sections of the population.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:But there is also the view among many political observers based in Delhi, that despite the BJY being an important programme for the Congress and in a long time, there is also dichotomy, or a contradiction, inherent in the way it has advanced. On the one side, it has helped the Congress develop some sort of a national narrative for the first time after 2013 and in the process the party and Rahul Gandhi have been able to develop some specific binaries like, the huge burden unemployment one side as opposed to economic policies that help multinational corporations and crony capitalists. The Yatra has also brought up a contradiction between the values represented by Mahatma Gandhi and Savarkar, as also the contradictions between religious fanaticism and secularism. But, in spite of all this, there is the big question whether the Yatra will result in a concrete electoral outcome for the Congress ….K.C. VENUGOPAL:The transformation of this response into Electoral outcomes is something thar we should wait and watch for, but the positive factor is that, through this Yatra we were able to consolidate a host of communities, which had left the party in the recent past and bring them back to the Congress. More importantly, the Yatra has had an electrifying impact on our workers, the rank and file, who were disappointed with the election results in recent times.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:Yes, it is a fact that the Congress has consistently garnered a minimum of 20% vote share on an average in all national elections. But looking back to the period from the beginning of the 1990s we can see also that many from your core support base such as the OBC communities have left the party despite your victories in the national elections of 2004 and 2009…K C. VENUGOPAL:This Yatra is turning out be a big step in retrieving some of the eroded categories. Certainly not all, but some important communities….VENKITESH RAMAKRISHANAN:KC, I have observed that even you said in a recent byte that your vote share will be significantly increasing but, you have not mentioned about the seat share….K.C. VENUGOPAL:Talking about seat share, it will not be based only on this Yatra but also on its follow up. We are planning to conduct another campaign soon, ‘Haat Se Haat Jodo’ (join hands across the country). This will be yet another grassroots campaign, approaching every house in India. Many other follow up programmes have been planned but they are in the process of being finalised. So, if we continue with these campaigns, there will definitely be a change in terms of seats.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:Does Congress have what it takes organisationally to carry out such continuous campaigns? To conduct this Yatra, the Congress did amass huge resources and enhanced itself organizationally but the doubt remains whether the Congress can continue campaigns in a regular, systematic manner?K.C. VENUGOPAL:We have a great leader like Rahul Gandhi, who has made a lot of sacrifice, it is not simple to cover so many kilometres waking up at 5 o clock day after day. It has awakened our workers and leaders. It was indeed a challenge to wake up and start the Yatra at 5 o clock in the morning, but still so many people took part in huge numbers. This has not happened in the recent history of the Congress. See, we are not a cadre party but still we made it possible. It has strengthened our level of confidence. In places like Assam, where we never had done a padayatra the party leadership and workers have covered 850 kilometres. Jharkhand and West Bengal have also planned on their own padayatras.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:But in Uttar Pradesh a small geographical territory covered by the Yatra ….K.C. VENUGOPAL:We have specific plans regarding Uttar Pradesh. For covering the entire state like you said even 100 days will not be enough. We are facing criticism for not including Uttar Pradesh in a big way in the Yatra but actually we could not have conceived such an all-encompassing route. So, a route had to be fixed keeping practical considerations in mind. That is what you are witnessing now.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:There is also another dichotomy. Throughout this Yatra Rahul Gandhi has portrayed or projected himself as somebody not interested in power. He even went to the extent of saying that ‘power is poison’. But as leaders and workers of the party you are all aiming at power. But at the same time Rahul Gandhi makes such grandiose views harping on sacrifice. But, should not all politicians target power ….K.C. VENUGOPAL:Now, there is no relevant environment for this question. The simple fact is that he is not a leader who is craving for position or power. In contemporary politics, a majority of people aim for a political power and I am not saying that is a bad thing but Rahul Gandhi himself has a certain perspective, that does not mean he is into asceticism. I know for a fact that he is interested in promoting new faces to come to power. Finally, such matters are decided by party. The new Congress president (Mallikarjuna Kharge) has stated publicly that the next general elections would be fought under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. This was stated in the presence of Rahul Gandhi. So, be rest assured Rahul Gandhi is not going to take political sanyas. There is little doubt that the country needs a regime change. If the current Modi led regime is allowed to continue the whole country will be destroyed. That is the clear vision that the Congress party has.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:In Maharashtra, the former ruling coalition the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi came as joint entity to support the Yatra but in places like Telangana, Rahul Gandhi was seen criticizing the Telangana the Rashtra Samithi and its Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. You have also invited Samajwadi Party Leader Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary leader of Rastriya Lok Dal to join the Yatra in Uttar Pradesh. So there seems to be a kind of partisan and selective choices in your approach in bringing e opposition leaders together….K.C. VENUGOPAL:It is not selective and it is meaningless to call it selective. The other day Rahul Gandhi himself have sent invitation letters to all opposition MPs including those from Trinamool Congress, BSP, SP, TRS and even Aam Aadmi party. So, the motive is to bring together everyone who agrees fight against the BJP on the basis of principles. The message we are trying to give is to take away the hatred in politics and to fight against the ruling government. In Telangana, the context of Rahulji’s speech should be understood, he was opposing Chandra Shekhar Rao of TRS for his support to the BJP, including in the case of the three controversial farm bills. We are dutybound to expose this. But beyond all this our aim to bring together the parties that stand against the current regime.VENKITESH RAMASKRISHNAN:So, basically the Bharat Jodo Yatra is focusing on an ideological thrust ….K.C. VENUGOPAL:Yes. we have to wait and see what effect it will have, as we have said before the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not designed for electoral gains but for raising our country’s major problems like unemployment among youth, economic distress. sectarian politics and so on. During this Yatra Rahul Gandhi is constantly interacting with common people, especially the youth. Rahul Gandhi is not only walking but also calling out to hundreds of people and talking and listening to their problems. It is after these widespread interactions you see the concluding speech at a venue. The other day in Delhi, during the Yatra, one youth came running and said that, I am mentally disturbed, and when he was asked the reason for it, he said “I don’t have any job, I am not able to live and I cannot find stability of mind. “We called and arranged a doctor for him. I am relating just one case, but there are so many other significant interactions with common people that came up during the Yatra. We are getting very important inputs on the problems that this country is facing let it be Unemployment, rising prices, divisive politics or the communal atmosphere.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:But the domestic problems inside Congress are not yet sorted. Even the Bharat Jodo Yatra is of no help here. For example, look at the Rajasthan situation ….K.C. VENUGOPAL:As a democratic movement that imbibes different sections, the Congress will definitely witness difference of opinion but that is nothing new for the party. In fact, it is natural in a democratic party. But the enthusiasm that the Yatra has inspired is unmistakable. I saw during the Yatra that every leader, even an 85-year-old Sushil Kumar Shinde walked for 3 hours even though he was not well. Shivar Patil is close to 90 years old too did the same. Every leader from top to bottom have participated keeping aside the differences they have. In other words, what we saw was a collective of people working together for a common cause following a leader. But at the same time, I also feel a sort of distress that some other people, who were giving us advice and telling us privately that this nation needs to be changed with a movement like the Yatra but were not brave enough to participate in this Yatra. Even in Kerala there were some people who said they would like to participate but did not. You understand what I am telling, right?”.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:But there was also the phenomenon of many well-known figures such as Raghuram Rajan, Kamal Haasan and T.M. Krishna crossing all social, political and cultural factors and joining the Yatra. When Raghuram Rajan came, the BJP’s reaction against him was that he was having dreams of becoming the Manmohan Singh of Rahul Gandhi …K.C. VENUGOPAL:This is the what the BJP is all about. They cannot see the positive side of anything. They believe in the politics of terrorising and blackmailing. Raghuram Rajan is a person who reacts on issues. But instead of going into the merit of his arguments they criticize the man. However, Raghuram Rajan has the capability to handle such criticism. But what I found in Kerala was that there were many who did not know how to withstand criticism as Raghuram Rajan could do. I never expected such people to be there in Kerala, which as a State is strong and resolute in its fight against communalism.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:The Congress witnessed a democratic election for the post of party President even as the Yatra was shaping up, and Shashi Tharoor was a significant personality who made such a democratic exercise meaningful. But after the elections, what we see is a repetition of the age-old coterie culture in Congress. Tharoor has been side-lined to such an extent …K.C. VENUGOPAL:Venkitesh, you are significant journalist who has played bold and brave role in mainstream media in India, and in this era, it is difficult to find such journalists. But while asking this question, you too seem to have been taken in by the present convoluted narration in the media, which is focusing on how to weaken the Congress. When I came into politics as a student what I learned was, the duty of fourth estate was to strengthen the opposition and to expose the weakness of the ruling party and its government. It is for helping the people. But as we all know the contemporary national media takes up no discussions questioning the governments’ weakness or the real concerns of the people. With regard to the question you asked, let me clarify that once the Congress President election takes place, the current national level body is continued without any change, unless the new President formally initiates the process to select a high-level committee. That will happen in February last week at a special plenary session to be held in Raipur (in Chhattisgarh). It is at the plenary that a new working committee will be formed and after that a new team will come. Then only we will be able to decide who all will be incorporated in the top bodies. Let me assure you, nobody is excluded from this exercise at the plenary. Congress is not a party like that, nobody will be punished or politically beheaded for sharing their opinion or participating in the election. As you know, there are many other parties like that.VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN:Thank you very much KC for this interaction. We will continue to have our dialogue in the future too on many issues.K.C. VENUGOPAL: Thank you and all the best.<hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Excerpts of the Interview Translated and Transcribed by Alida Shahid. <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/kc-venugopal-interview-bharat-jodo-yatra-birth-of-new-age-for-congress/">Watch full interview in Malayalam, here.</a>

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The Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) marks a new beginning in the contemporary history of the Indian National Congress (INC), says KC Venugopal the party’s General Secretary (in charge of Organisational Matters). He said this in an interview with Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, The Managing Editor of The AIDEM as the BJY reached the national capital of New Delhi and was preparing for the onward journey to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of January 2023. The following is the English translation of the interview conducted in Malayalam. 

“Bharat Jodo Yatra marks a new era for Congress in Politics”

In 2022, legal and political observers witnessed a spate of bizarre pronouncements from ‘learned judges’ at various levels of the judiciary. Taken together, these statements demonstrated and underscored how these judges were drifting away from not only basic social sense and sensibility but also the primary parameters of the official code of conduct, law and rationality. In their urge to express emotions and personal opinions while interpreting the laws, they ended up creating major controversies. Here are some instances listed by The AIDEM Delhi Bureau:November 23, 2022: A live stream from the Patna High Court exposed the extent of casteism in the judiciary. The video showed a judge mocking reservations while questioning a district Land Acquisition Officer, Arvind Kumar Bharti. After adjourning the case to grant time to the parties to file their affidavits, Justice Sandeep Kumar was heard saying, “Bharti ji, reservation par aaye the naukri me kya? (Bhartiji, Did you get you job through reservation?)”. As Bharti replied in the affirmative, a lawyer in the courtroom commented, “Ab to huzoor samajhiyega baat (now your lordship will understand the matter).” Another lawyer and then the judge could be seen making a few more comments targeting Bharti and his caste amid peals of laughter.August 12, 2022: A Kozhikode District Sessions Judge S Krishna Kumar created a major controversy while hearing a bail application in a case under Section 354 (A) (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code. Granting anticipatory bail to writer and social activist Civic Chandran in the sexual harassment case, the judge said: “In order to attract Section 354 A (sexual harassment), there must be physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures. There must be a demand or request for sexual favours. There must be a sexually coloured remark. The photographs produced with the anticipatory bail application by the accused reveal that the complainant herself is wearing dresses which are sexually provocative. Section 354 A will not prima facie stand against the accused.”August 11, 2022: Speaking at an event on challenges faced by women in the areas of science, technology, mathematics and business, Pratiba M. Singh, a Delhi High Court judge, described Indian women as “blessed” because scriptures like Manusmriti give a “very respectable position” to them. The comments drew fierce criticism from women’s rights groups. In a statement, the National Federation of Indian Women, said: “Justice Singh seems woefully ignorant of the pathetic condition of women at large, particularly of women from historically marginalised communities, not just in the Indian subcontinent but across the globe.”June 17, 2022: A Karnataka High Court judge observed in a bail order that it was “unbecoming of a woman to fall asleep after rape”. Justice Krishna Dixit was hearing a case relating to the rape of a 42-year-old Human Resources manager, who was said to have fallen asleep after the rape. “The explanation offered by the complainant _ that after the perpetration of the act she was tired and fell asleep _ is unbecoming of an Indian woman; that is not the way our women react when they are ravished,” the judge had observed. However, following a furore, the judge expunged his controversial remarks.May 25, 2022: The Karnataka High Court gently urged love-struck young people to take parents into confidence while choosing their life partners, failing which they could face karmic consequences. “It is high time for the children to know that the life consists of reaction, resound and reflection. What they are doing to their parents today, they would get back exactly tomorrow,” the Court said in its order, while hearing a habeas corpus petition moved by a woman’s father after she eloped with her boyfriend and married him. Quoting the Manusmriti, the court order said, “Even according to Manusmriti, no person can repay his parents even in 100 years for all the troubles that they go through to give birth to him/her and raise him/her to adulthood. Therefore, always try to do whatever pleases your parents and your teachers, because only then does any religious worship done by you will bear some fruit.”May 11, 2022: In the Delhi High Court’s split verdict on marital rape, one of the two judges stated that “sex between a wife and a husband is…sacred”. While he said “legitimate expectation of sex” is an “inexorable” aspect of marriage, the other said the “right to withdraw consent at any given point in time forms the core of woman’s right to life and liberty.” The bench, however, held that the case raises a “substantial question of law” which requires a decision from the apex court. Under section 375 of the IPC, sexual acts by a man with his wife who is not a minor, is not considered rape.March 26, 2022: A Delhi High Court bench while hearing a plea to initiate criminal proceedings against Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for “hate speech” during 2020 Delhi riots, said: “If you’re saying something with a smile, then there is no criminality, if you’re saying something offensive, then definitely [there is criminality]. You have to check and balance. Otherwise, I think 1,000 FIRs may be lodged against all politicians during elections.”The case involved speeches by the two BJP leaders during the anti-CAA movement and the Delhi riots that ensued. Thakur had said, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Kill the traitors)”. In his speech, Parvesh Verma had told a rally that the “lakhs of protestors” who have gathered at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh during the anti-CAA movement would enter their homes to “rape their sisters and daughters and kill them”.February 2022: Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of the Bombay High Court resigned after a series of controversial judgements regarding the interpretation of what constitutes a ‘sexual assault’ under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She was denied an extension of tenure as additional judge and also an appointment as a permanent judge of the High Court. In a slew of judgments passed in January and February 2021, the judge had interpreted the law in such a way that there has to be ‘skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent’ in case of sexual assault against a minor and that ‘holding hands of a minor girl and opening of zip of his pants’ do not fall under the definition of ‘sexual assault’ under the Act.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Report: The AIDEM Delhi Bureau<hr><h4 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Read this article in<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(247, 168, 16);display:block;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/ml-seven-bizarre-things-that-judges-told-us-in-2022/">Malayalam</a>,<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(247, 168, 16);display:block;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/ta-seven-bizarre-things-that-judges-told-us-in-2022/">Tamil</a>or<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);display:block;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/hi-seven-bizarre-things-that-judges-told-us-in-2022">Hindi</a></h4>

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In 2022, legal and political observers witnessed a spate of bizarre pronouncements from ‘learned judges’ at various levels of the judiciary. 

Manusmirti, Karma, Casteism, Sexism: Seven Bizarre things that Judges told us in 2022

A group of prominent scientists, academics, and concerned citizens drafted an open letter criticising a project by India’s leading scientific research body, The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The project aims to design an assembly of electronically controlled mirrors to ensure that the sun rays will fall on the idol of Lord Sri Ram on Ramanavami every year. It is carried out by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), one of CSIR’s constituent laboratories. According to reports, not just scientists from CBRI are involved in it. Experts from other premier research institutions like the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) also are being consulted. The project became the subject of public debate when CSIR, on November 20, tweeted that CBRI demonstrated how the sun’s rays will fall on the Ramlala’s head in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir on the day of Ram Navami in 2024.
The scientists behind the open letter point out that there is nothing new about devising a way that allows sun rays to enter the inner sanctum of a place of worship on a fixed solar calendar date. But doing so for Ram Navami every year is a tricky proposition as it is based on the lunisolar calendar. Days of the lunisolar calendar do not coincide with a fixed date in the solar calendar. This complication will make the system CBRI design an overengineered resource-heavy complex solution. At a time when scientific research in the country is paralyzed by multiple and severe underfunding issues this is a criminal waste of resources and money, the letter argues.
“Bringing out a cannon to kill an ant” as seen here is not the only issue. The letter says that it is shocking to see the institutions supposed to promote scientific temper as envisioned in the constitution are involved in foolhardy projects like this.
Following is the full text of the letter:
An Open Letter from Scientific Community and Scientifically Oriented Citizens
On Sunday 20th November CSIR tweeted about a new project by one of their constituent institutes (Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee).
<img alt="image_2022-11-24_125402865.png" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2022_11_24_125402865_d79308d356.png" />
Tweet by CSIR (Now Deleted)
More detailed reports about the project were published by several news outlets as seen here: 
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/ayodhya-sun-to-shine-on-ram-with-science/cid/1899477
https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/sun-rays-on-idol-csir-in-row-over-ram-temple-project-1164561.html
The reports also mention that researchers at CBRI claimed that IIA and IUCAA are involved in this project.
Based on reported description of the project, we have following observations:
<ol>
<li>
Installing a door or window at a strategic location such that sun rays reach the inner sanctum on a chosen date is not a novel feature in Indian places of worship. One finds many temples as well as Buddhist caves with such windows and doors. For such an opening, the sun rays will reach a designated spot every year on a fixed date as per solar calendar. However, Ram Navami date is determined by a luni-solar calendar and hence it doesn’t coincide with a fixed date in the solar calendar. Thus, a static opening will not achieve the desired result.
</li>
<li>
The CBRI researchers seem to have correctly realised this practical difficulty. Their solution is to design a contraption which will keep adjusting itself in an automated way to match with the 19 year Metonic Cycle. This approach, although technologically feasible, is against the spirit of scientific process for two reasons:
</li>
<li>
Firstly, this approach overcomplicates the solution. There are other much simpler ways to achieve the falling of sun rays on the idol exactly on the Ram Navami like some temple staff manually turning the mirror. Instead, the CBRI has chosen to design a set of mirrors mounted on a gear assembly controlled electronically to achieve exactly the same effect. 
</li>
</ol>
This is akin to badly designed school level science fair projects that many of us see each year, where purpose is not solving a problem in an elegant way but it is to devise as complicated and as resource heavy solution as possible in a hope to impress the audience / judges merely by the complexity of the solution. Or as is said in a popular idiom “bringing out a cannon to kill an ant”.
1 . Secondly, the chosen approach doesn’t advance our scientific or technological understanding in any way. Engineering such a device may be a good learning exercise for an undergraduate student, but researchers are expected to focus on quests which advance human knowledge. Researchers in a CSIR laboratory wasting time on such trivial pursuit, which does not lead to any scientific / technological discovery or a new insight, is a criminal waste of skilled human resources and public money. Even more so in a context wherein younger science researchers are facing horrendous and demoralising delays in disbursement of their allocated research grants and fellowships.
2 . Scientific institutions of excellence like IUCAA and IIA perforce work in a framework of scientific temper, and spread scientific thinking which is their core value, thus upholding the constitution. It is shocking to see their names associated with such a foolhardy pursuit. It would be in the best interests for these institutes to clarify the air about their alleged role in this project. Their peers deserve to know where these institutes stand on the issue of scientific temper.
Signed by Prof. Aniket Sule, Mumbai, Prof. Prajval Shastri, Bengaluru, Prof. Soumitro Banerjee, Kolkata, Prof. Naresh Dadhich, Pune, Prof. Sabyasachi Chatterjee, Bengaluru, Prof. Nissim Kanekar, Pune, Prof. Ravinder Kumar Banyal, Bengaluru, Prof. S. P. Rajaguru, Bengaluru, Prof. Manoj Puravankara, Mumbai, Dr. Shriharsh Tendulkar, Mumbai, Dr. Ruta Kale, Pune, Prof. Anandmayee Tej, Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Shadab Alam, Mumbai, Prof. Preeti Kharb, Pune, Prof. Pravabati C., Bengaluru, Prof. P. Ajith, Bengaluru, Prof. Arnab Bhattacharya, Mumbai, Prof. B. Sury, Bengaluru, Prof. Gautam Menon, Sonipat, Prof. Sharadchandra Lele, Bengaluru, Prof. Nandita Narain, Delhi, Prof. Rahul Nigam, Hyderabad, Prof. Ayan Banerjee, Kolkata, Prof. Aurnab Ghose, Pune, Prof. Bittu K R, Sonipat, Prof. S. Krishnaswamy, Madurai, Prof. Suresh Govindarajan, Chennai, Prof. Jyotsna Vijapurkar, Navi Mumbai, Prof. Mujtaba Lokhandwala, Pune, Prof. Medha Rajadhyaksha, Mumbai, Dr. Deepshikha Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Prof. Pradeep Kumar Datta, Kolkata, Prof. Anindita Bhadra, Kolkata, Mr. Kollegela Sharma, Mysuru, Prof. Aahana Ganguly, Bengaluru, Prof. Shanta Laishram, Delhi, and 300 others.

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A group of prominent scientists, academics, and concerned citizens drafted an open letter criticising a project by India’s leading scientific research body, The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Scientists Question CSIR Project in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, 

COP27; Hopes and Despair

Geethanandan M, a prominent Dalit rights activist in Kerala, explains why the Supreme Court verdict on the Economically Weaker Section quota raises many questions of constitutional validity.The AIDEM explainer on the Supreme Court Verdict on reserving a quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Listen to this article in English (4 minutes)<span class="mejs-offscreen" 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Geethanandan M, a prominent Dalit rights activist in Kerala, explains why the Supreme Court verdict on the Economically Weaker Section quota raises many questions of constitutional validity.

Economically Weaker Sections Quota Imperils Social Justice

Malayalam (ml)

Tamil (ta)

English (en)

Hindi (hi)

Telugu (te)

Kannada (kn)

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Dancing To Her Tune

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An Unwritten National Autobiography

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_1_6258d15665.jpeg" alt="images-1.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">People who read literature in India knew him, MT Vasudevan Nair. Language was no hurdle for his works to reach out beyond the state borders of Kerala. While Malayali diaspora took a handful of nostalgia along to the places they went, a little bit of MT was also in that.Today, the big business of literature finds translators to translate anything that moves. All tetrapods of literature are given awards that stink of corporate imperialistic nexus. But MT belonged to a different era when blood recognised blood, genius recognised genius. He got translated not once but several times.Basheer, Takazhi and MT were the triumvirate that could transcend the borders and stand tall among the Indian modernist literature. Yes, MT’s literature also had a fair amount of auto-fiction but he hoodwinked it with the magic of text. He was a persuasive minimalist both in writing and in person.An unsmiling MT could generate generations of readers who could smile through tears. MT wrote about a collapsing social structure that divested the old feudal class with their ill-gotten properties. But their social capital remained intact and could exert a lot of influence among the readers by becoming the surrogate emotional ethos of a transition time of Kerala’s socio-political history.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:1196px;" id="attachment_31084" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31084"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg" alt="mt-1024x575.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31084">MT during his Interview with Sabha TV (Watch <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NttnjeaVqn0">Here</a>)</figcaption></figure>When society evolved into a different being altogether, MT turned to the treasure trove of myths and itihasas to eke out allegories that explained the pain of loss, of class, roots and love. His literature spat on the face of bigotry, whether it was religious or familial. He was so stoically poised in his literature that none could have challenged him and expelled him from the world of literature.MT’s literature spoke of love and separation as vehemently as he wrote about the changing social complexions. But he was not sentimental. There was something in his writing that touched some chord in every reader. Before initiating themselves into Ambedkarite politics, the Dalit ideologues also, in their torturous nights of youth, pined for MT’s characters.Those who call the modernists, Dad Vibes, have really lost the sight of the forest while focusing on shrubs and thicket. MT was a forest that moved, as in the great tragedies. He remained a serious writer while the post modernists fell in the trap of publishers and wrote lightning stories and became laughing stokes.MT remains, so is the MT critique. That’s the beauty of a great writer’s life and of course, death.</div></div>

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MT: A Forest that Moved

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An ‘Overture’ Stringing The Pope, Yesudas and the ‘Songster Chaplain’

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/1_cc9df0fe47.png" alt="വലതുപക്ഷവുമായുള്ള-സംവാദത്തിൻ്റെ-വ്യർത്ഥത-1.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_1_cc9df0fe47.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_1_cc9df0fe47.png 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">When old age shall this generation waste,Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woeThan ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.” (John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn)<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/6_904b2e9f2a.jpg" alt="6.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 147w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 470w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Siddharth Tagore, Founder Director of Delhi’s <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/artkonsultindia/photos">Art Konsult</a> Gallery is no more. He cannot be contained in such a cold statement, so matter of fact like death itself. Besides the gallery, he founded magazines such as Art and Deal, Travel and Deal and many other publications. Even when he knew that he wouldn’t make any profit out of the publications, he invested money in them because he knew art wouldn’t survive without the literature surrounding it.&nbsp;Yet another venture of Tagore’s was an auction house, namely Art Bull. The name was perfect for a bullish art market of the 2000s. But the glitch was this: Siddharth Tagore was not bullish. Nor was he bearish. He was cherubic, complete with a benign smile on his face and a burning cigarette between his fingers. Whenever I came out after having a meeting with him, I would ask myself, was he cut for this business?&nbsp;Tagore could have been a poet and dreamer like his internationally renowned namesake of yesteryears.. After the pandemic period I met Tagore after a gap of four years at the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre where Art Konsult had organized a group exhibition. After the inaugural function, I shook hands with him and I realized that his hands had lost the firm grip though the warmth remained. “I have not been keeping well,” he told me.&nbsp;<div class="gallery galleryid-31051 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px -8.96875px 0px;padding:0px;" id="gallery-1"><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg" alt="c-768x993.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 387w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 580w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg" alt="b-768x985.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 122w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 390w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 585w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/a_7888f94e4b.jpg" alt="a.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 385w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 577w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure></div>Then on another occasion, at the same gallery, I met him again, this time without the crowd. He preferred to wear a pair of fading blue jeans and white shirt, a reminder of those romantic 1970s when every youth in West Bengal dreamt of poetry, love and revolution. Jeans and Shirt were the uniform of love and revolution. I think, when Tagore came to Delhi as a young man, he carried those qualities along, plus his sense of dressing. Lovers in those days smoked rather constantly and drank Old Monk Rum.&nbsp;On that day when I met him, Tagore told me that he had quit smoking, which was news to me. I couldn’t have imagined the man without a cigarette between his fingers or at least a packet of cigarettes to fuss with. I understood the gravity of the situation.&nbsp;Then again, we met when Praveen Upadhyay of the Progressive Gallery at Laddo Sarai organized a talk session with art professionals that included Tagore, Prayag Shukla, Vinod Bharadwaj and myself. Tagore was supposed to talk about the art market. When the mike was handed over to him, he fussed with it for a while and said that he always wanted to make it big by promoting young artists, but somehow, he never made huge business.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:689px;" id="attachment_31054" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31054"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg" alt="7-768x511.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 235w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31054">Siddharth speaking to the media at Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>Then I remembered Tagore telling the same during the market boom years that lasted in India for around ten years starting from 2005 to 2015. In 2008, the world market had collapsed, but the Indian art market using its cunning and reserve withstood the pressures and dragged the impending failure for a few more years only to revive itself by the beginning of the third decade of the new millennium.&nbsp;Had Tagore acquired a penchant for failure despite his resilience in running a gallery, publications and an auction house for over three and a half decades ? Did he enjoy calling himself a failure in the art market? Was he romantically involved with the idea of failure even when he kept others who were with him in the business, floating? I don’t know for sure. But Tagore remained grounded and rooted; he tried his best to keep himself away from the nefarious market practices.&nbsp;There were a few people who stood with Tagore in his highs and lows (lows that lasted for not some months but for years together), never deserting him, following his orders. Prashant Seal and Rajula Bisht are two people I remember. These two people have been so close to his heart and even after his twin daughters joining him in the business, both Seal and Bisht never lost their position as the confidantes of Tagore. He loved them like family.&nbsp;I met Siddharth Tagore in 1995. He had started Art Konsult in Hauz Khas Village. Meena Tagore (now Meena Varma) was with him then. Late Vijayan Kannanpally was the editor of Art and Deal. With the growth of art scene, Tagore’s gallery also grew in stature. Art Konsult was one of the few A listed galleries in the city. Tagore took it to South Delhi’s art district, Laddo Sarai during the boom years and later relocated it to Hauz Khas again.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:562px;" id="attachment_31055" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31055"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg" alt="0-768x512.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31055">Siddharth Tagore with art critic and curator Jyoti A Kathpalia at the Art Konsult, New Delhi</figcaption></figure>It was in his Laddo Sarai phase that I joined him as the Editor of Art and Deal. It was the same when he decided to start Art Bull and Travel and Deal. I brought out around ten issues of Art and Deal between 2010 and 2013, with a gap in 2012 when I joined the United Art Logistics to establish the United Art Fair. Tagore literally lent me to the other organization with a promise that I could walk into the editor’s office at any time that I wanted. And I did go back.&nbsp;As a part of Tagore’s team, he gave me full freedom to edit the magazine and curate exhibitions. I curated a few shows and introduced a few new artists of which some are very reckonable names in today’s art scene. The exhibition ‘Merging/Submerging’ was a showcasing of contemporary photography art and ‘R.A.P.E’ (Rare Acts of Political Engagement), an all-woman show responding to the brutal murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi. This exhibition was a super hit and was discussed in all the print and television media. Art Bull did do a couple of exhibitions and auctions. I did not take much interest in it though Tagore hoped that his auction house could change the scenario and also break certain monopolies. Tagore also initiated an Art History Lecture series which I conducted on his behalf.&nbsp;Siddharth Tagore remained true to his calling. With a kind of detachment, he sponsored exhibitions that he knew well, would not bring any business. He was an avid collector of folk and tribal art and together with Meena Varma, he initiated an organization called ‘Art of the Earth’ for promoting the folk and tribal art of India, much before the ‘folkploitation’ of today’s art market became rampant. Tagore helped whoever came to him with a request for an exhibition or an immediate financial relief. &nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:640px;" id="attachment_31053" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31053"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg" alt="3-e1734762508660-669x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 102w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 327w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 490w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 653w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31053">Siddharth Tagore signing the <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amzn.in/d/4TijcgO">book</a> “Ganika- In the visual culture of the 19th-20th Century India” at the Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg" alt="4-560x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 85w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 273w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 410w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 547w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">When artists in Calcutta packed their wares and set out for Delhi, they knew Siddharth Tagore was there if nothing else worked (perhaps he was their primary destination), along with cigarettes and Old Monk Rum. He never discouraged the people who came to him with a clear intention to exploit. He was not cautious about relationships that brought him a fair amount of heartburn. As I said elsewhere, Tagore was a poet in his heart, with a heart ready to bleed for love and art.</div></div>

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