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guyanatimesgy.com
sunDAY, august 17, 2014
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Editor: Tajeram Mohabir Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com
Editorial
India’s Independence F
riday was the 67th Anniversary of the Independence of India from Britain. As the “Jewel of the Crown” in an empire on which the “sun never set”, the fateful decision of Britain on August 15, 1947 was a signal to the rest of the colonies on three continents that it was not inevitable they had to wage violent wars of liberation to also become independent. Guyana, then called “British Guiana” was one such colony. But India had a powerful impact on what later became known as the “Third World” even before independence in 1947. The Indian Congress Party - which became so well known that it was henceforth known simply as the “Congress Party” – was founded as far back as 1885 and played a pioneering role in demonstrating to nationalists in the colonies the path to creating institutions that could replace the British Raj. It is not by coincidence that political parties in countries as far apart as South Africa (African National Congress – ANC), Guyana (People’s National Congress – PNC) and Ghana (National Democratic Congress – NDC) adopted the name. The British insisted on political parties in its colonies adopt the norms of “Westminster parliamentary democracy” with its insistence on debate and discussion within a largely liberal tradition. In India, however, while the early leaders had become “Brown Englishmen” and quoted Locke and Hobbes with the best of them in England, Mohandas Gandhi introduced a nationalism to Indian politics that was peculiarly indigenous. This was so not only in his method of mobilisation, but also in the premises of his politics, which was based on the ancient notion of “satyagraha” or “truth force” confronting the brute force of colonial role. In Guyana, Cheddi Jagan, in his book, “The West on Trial,” described the tremendous influence the man who was to become a “Mahatma” or “Great Soul” had on him. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was also to follow in the path of the Indian Saint who had actually worked out his politics of non-violence during his long, 20-year sojourn in South Africa (1893-1913). As the other colonies followed India’s independent path after 1947 – Burma, Pakistan and Ceylon in Asia during 1948, Ghana in 1957 (Africa), Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 (West Indies) – they were all affected by the polarising effect of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. India, under its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was one of the pioneers of an alternative effort to create a more neutral and less polarising world order. In 1955, he and leaders of Egypt, Yugoslavia, Ghana and Indonesia met in Bandung in the last century, and launched the “Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In this manner, India’s influence continued unabated. Internally, it also stuck fast to a pragmatic combination of liberal methods of parliamentary politics and socialist insistence on economic planning. While the results in the economic sphere were not exactly stellar, growth was steady and in the present most commentators insist that while its democratic method of selecting its leadership might be somewhat messy, ultimately it should redound to the country’s long-term stability. Since 1990, India began to “liberalise” its economy – but not to the extent of those countries that were forced to do so under the International Monetary Fund’s ideological doctrine summarised under the “Washington Consensus”. Here again, and continuing into the present, India has been able to demonstrate a third way in development to its fellow ex-British colonies. Its conservative banking policies, for instance, have prevented the creation of the “casino-type” banking system that precipitated the financial meltdown in the developed world. Internationally, after the lessened importance of the NAM following the end of the Cold War in 1989, India continued to be very active in multilateral agencies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the UN system, which benefited smaller countries such as Guyana, immensely. In its latest effort to launch a new development bank with its BRICS partners, India continues to promote independence for the less developed countries.
Palestinians perform Friday prayers outside a mosque which witnesses said was destroyed by an Israel air strike during the offensive, on the second day of a five-day ceasefire in Gaza City (Reuters)
Janma-Ashtmi: Festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna Dear Editor, Janma-Ashtmi, which falls this year on August 17 is a Hindu festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu Bhagwan. Krishna Janma-Ashtmi is observed on the eight Tithi of the dark fortnight in the Hindu month of Bhadrapad. Baby Krishna was born at midnight to Vasudev and Devki, who were imprisoned by the cruel Kamsa. Lord Krishna put Kamsa to his demise and re-established peace and stability on the face of the earth. For devotees, this important “birthday” marks the triumph of good over evil. Sweet devotion percolate, permeate, penetrate and saturate, the hearts and souls of Lord Krishna’s devotees all over the world as they extoled His wonderful name and sing His praises on the occasion of Janma-Ashtmi. A birthday is always a special occasion, in that it marks out for us on an annual basis, our growth and development as human beings. It is a day every year, especially as we grow older when we are able to look back over the last year in particular and
the previous years in general and to honestly ask, how purposefully have we used the gift of human existence. How well have I used the gift of my human existence depends on how I see the value of my being born in the first instance. In the Bhagavad-Gita – Chapter 4: Verse 7-8, Lord Krishna gives purpose for his own incarnation when he says: “Whenever there is a decline in righteousness, I manifest myself for the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evildoers and for the reestablishment of virtue and righteousness; I am born from age to age.” Every human being requires an ideal standard against which to judge his/ her behaviours and as well his/her purpose. In defining the reason for his birth the lord also gives us an opportunity to understand the purpose of our births. When we know that purpose we are able to direct the course of our lives accordingly. Lord Krishna gives the following reasons: protection of the good; destruction of evil; and re-establishing righteousness and a virtuous way of life. These reasons are also
given by Shri Ram in the Ramayana: the quality of life we live and the experiences we have are determined by the vision we have of our purpose. If that vision is one of protection of that which is good, eliminating that which is evil and ensuring that virtue, morality and righteousness prevail, then with such an entrenched and ingrainedvision, two things become a reality. Our lives become filled with behaviours that promote and reflect goodness and virtue, and secondly, by being exemplars of goodness and virtue, we provide the model against which others including our children and families would fashion their behaviours. No one wants to experience unhappiness and sorrow, indeed, we all wish to be joyous and have pleasurable experiences. The reality is that by our choices we are the source of our joys and sorrows. All outcomes are created by us and us alone. How to achieve constant and unbroken happiness, even as we continue to live and work in the world is the major challenge to human existence. Life cannot
just be about the satisfaction of wants, needs and desires. If it were, then man wouldbe happy after achieving material abundance. The fact that human beings continue to be dissatisfied despite material abundance, that the human being continues to suffer and experience an emptiness despite pleasure satisfaction, heralds the existence of a higher purpose of human existence, the discovery of which alone can bring unbroken unhappiness. Therefore let us use the occasion of Krishna Janma-Ashtmi for self-introspection, self-analysis and self-examination and quietly ask our selves the question, have I lend purpose to my life? Is there a reason why I came on earth? Certainly we will move to construct a society where people of all shades of opinions and estimations can work in a cohesive effort to build a better world. Lord Krishna’s perpetual grace and blessings. Happy Janma-Ashtmi. Submitted by, Pandit Jagmohan Persaud