Oct 2011 - RH

Vol. 75

No 7

OCTOBER 2011

Rs. 20 / month

THE RADICAL HUMANIST (Since April 1949)

Formerly : Independent India (April 1937- March 1949) Founder Editor: M.N. Roy

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Dashrathlal Thakar 1911-1979 Birth Centenary Year

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Roy’s Group (1942) 1st. Row Fromleft Mr. Mansuri, Dasharathlal Thaker, Champaklal Bhatt, Chandrakant Daru, 2nd. Row left Mr. Durgashankar Trivedi, Bhupendrakumar Shelat

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Dashrathlal Thaker (1911-1979)

Birth Centenary Year Glowing compliments to a Humanist!

(These tributes have been written on the occasion of the centenary year of Dashrathlal Thaker. Mr. Dashrathlal was a veteran Royist and was the General Secretary of Gujarat RDP & Secretary of IRHA in the seventies.)

Mentor of all —by Gopal Bhatt of ‘Royism in Gujarat’ is capable Theof topic being a subject matter of a thesis for Ph.D. because the staunch disciple and loyal friend, Mr. Taiyab Shaikh had once upon a time established a camp and formed a Royist Group here. Socialist ideology of Roy was distinctly different from that of the communists and of the socialists followed by Congress. Chandrakant Daru and Dasharathlal Thaker had remained life-long supporters of Royism. The impression of Royist ideology was clearly visible in the thoughts and conduct of both these co-workers, who were mutually different friends. Many freedom fighters had emerged from the village Borsad from Kheda district which was also Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s field of activities. In the freedom movement spearheaded by Gandhiji, contribution of three young students – Thakorprasad, Dashrathlal, Champaklal has indeed been unforgettable. All the three young students became Royist later on.

Dashrathlal Mohanlal Thaker was born on 2nd October 1911. In Dashrathlal’s personality, I found a distinguished friend and a perennially flowing fountainhead of knowledge and, therefore, during my college days I always preferred to stay in his

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company. I indeed felt a sense of honour and privilege to have enjoyed the companionship of such a valiant, brilliant and visionary person. Also, I had the opportunity of frequently meeting Dashrathlal’s co-workers and eminent personalities personally. Hence, to-day, I wish to recall my fond memories about him from this platform.

Dashrathlal was brilliant right from his childhood.

He had unparalleled command on Mathematics, Sanskrit and English language. He had expert knowledge of labour laws and of fundamental rights. He took severe pains in shaping his physical stature. Doing physical exercises regularly by visiting the gymnasium was his daily chore.

Basically being a teacher, Dashrathlal rode the bicycle all the way from Ahmedabad to Jetalpur (20 Kms.) in those days of unpaved and dusty roads, for giving tuitions to the students.

Inherently possessed with inborn virtues like revolutionary thoughts, regularity and unflinching perseverance, Dashrathlal willingly joined in the then prevalent Gandhian movement of Gujarat College headed by Acharya J. B. Kripalani. Not only that, even by ignoring the numbing cold of winter or similar adverse circumstances, he was in the forefront to remain present at 6 O’clock in the morning and never abstained even for a single day.

Moreover, even in the teeth of opposition from the family members, he persisted participating in the morning rounds, agitation, picketing and the like activities after enrolling himself as a soldier in the mainstream battle of salt agitation. When he was arrested along with Champaklal Bhatt, at that time the judge happened to be friend of Dashrathlal’s father, who conveyed that he would release him only if the boy tenders apology or gives written undertaking that he will not participate in the agitation. However, in defiance of this proposition, Dashrathlal shouted ‘Vande Mataram’ within the court premises and agreed to court imprisonment.

During the battle of 1932, he courted arrest from Jambusar and was imprisoned in Visapur jail.

There he came in close contacts with revolutionary

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intellectuals of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Lots of books containing various and yet best ideologies used to be received there. These knowledge seekers were broadening their mental horizons of political outlook. Due to this and also because of an inborn perception and outlook Dashrathlal gained greater clarity, depth and foresight gradually. During imprisonment, his experiences had really been exciting and memorable. Some of them are produced below: The inmates in the prison were offered loafs of bread containing pebbles mixed with flour in the jail’s kitchen so as to demoralize them. Although having to eat such inedible bread, Dashrathlal never became perturbed. On the contrary, he offered courage to other inmates saying that “We want freedom; hence we have to endure such small or big troubles.” In jail, all prisoners’ hair used to be cut to too short. During that time, one person (Comrade Harry) having curly, long hair had been newly sentenced to jail. To him, having to trim his hair too short was painful just like having his head sheared off. When his turn came and seeing him weeping, Dashrathlal consolingly told him “Brother, don’t be so sad. As soon as independence will be attained, new hair will also grow which will be as curly as now.” On hearing this, every one present there burst out into laughter and the tense atmosphere changed to a light and relaxed one.

When the freedom movement was in progress, a meeting of Youth Congress was convened at Nadiad in the year 1936. The trio of Thakor Pandya, Champaklal Bhatt and Dashrathlal Thaker was famous in those days for their hot-headed temperament. These three leaders intended to hand over a memorandum to Pandit Nehru about Youth Congress. When Sardar Patel came to know that the three friends have come together, he cautiously told Nehru, “Let us now go as it is quite late and it is also time for you to take bath and snacks”. Since Nehru went for bath, the trio, at that point of time suppressed their anger. What else to do? Sardar Patel was a Gujarati and that too a native of Kheda district. They could not afford to displease him too?

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When now-a-days co-operative movement is advocated with much fanfare, to-day’s youth must remember that the foundation for co-operative movement was laid in Gujarat way back in 1940s by the Roy Group. India’s great revolutionary thinker Manavendra Nath Roy had laid foundation for a humanist philosophy in which a strong rational thinking process was inculcated on the national level for the communist ideology. In those days very few people could discern the difference between communism and Roy’s ideology and among them one was Dashrathlal and another was his inmate during the jail term, Mr. V.B. Karnik.

Dashrathlal Thaker made all out efforts to explain M.N. Roy’s writings on political revolution in China and on the new aspects of nationalism and humanism in that period of colonialism and imperialism. He had especially decided to have a philosophical approach of remaining a life-long activist to strive for the betterment of the deprived masses of society and for humanist social reforms.

Only occasionally could people come across such individuals as Dashrathlal who stood steadfast as a pillar in support of Royist ideology in his group in Gujarat.

To make notes of Dashrathlal’s contributions in the area of Trade Union will require composing an entire book. To prepare a Charter of Demand based on careful calculation of salary and allowances drawn by large number of employees of Govt., Semi-Govt. and private institutions, to hand it over to the competent authority, to fight a legal battle or confrontation and ultimately to find a solution in the best interests of the workers. He remained constantly engrossed in such highly tiresome tasks.

He was preparing briefs very carefully even for cases of very small men. One such case he fought on behalf of some of the gardeners against the mill owners even up to the Supreme Court and finally won the case. Not only that, he, never in his life, was pretentious nor did he yearn for any kind of publicity.

Dashrathlal spent his entire life to safe guard the rights of textile mills workers of Ahmedabad and of 2

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miscellaneous factory workers. He never took financial benefit for his services from the Union.

He was working as a teacher and felt satisfied with that income. In spite of insistence from the workers, he had never taken a single paisa for his work. Even when during financial crisis, there was no laxity in his selfless services. He ritually followed the rule of coming to the office ahead of all and was last to leave the office. While talking to someone on this point, Dashrathlal selflessly admitted that it is my good luck that these people offer me opportunity to work on their behalf. I enjoy doing work for them.

He often told that he is indebted to these workers. It would appear as a dream to-day if any trade unionist indeed possessed such noble feelings.

Earlier, the employees of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry were receiving very less salary. For that he sat with the delegation of the mill owners and pleaded that such less pay scale was not acceptable.

Simultaneously he collected information of salary offered by the Chambers of Commerce at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Upon receiving the reply from the representatives that ‘This is not possible’, Dashrathlal produced all the information he had already collected beforehand. On seeing it, the mill owners immediately agreed to increase the salaries.

Further, he also cleverly persuaded them to draw up a Charter of Demands. In true sense, this was in the interest of the workers. After a long time, the mill-owners’ representatives realized that although they themselves were shrewd businessmen, they were in fact outsmarted by an honest trade unionist.

Further, upon the argument by the then Director, Dr. Vanikar of Gulabbai General Hospital about less salary and allowances that “this is a public service institution”, Dashrathlal had replied that “facilities provided in the public service institutions are for the benefit of the people, whereas Ward Boy, Nurse and other staff must be given enough compensation. Thus, after going deep in to the case and presenting logical and coherent arguments he finally triumphed. This

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could be possible only by the diligent efforts of Dashrathlal.

When the then Minister of Gujarat Govt., Thakorbhai Desai took a decision that English will be taught in the schools of Gujarat from 8th standard, Roy’s Group filed a writ petition in the High Court by making Thakorbhai Thakor, Principal of Dewan Ballubhai High School, a party.

His demand was that English should be taught right from 5th standard. The entire Roy Group believed that it is the prerogative of the parents to decide from which standard and in which medium their wards should be given education. Needless to say, the interest of Gujarat got the upper hand.

Contribution of Dashrathlal in this matter shall always be cherished for centuries to come.

The duo of Dashrathlal and Chandrakant Daru was world famous. As was the position of Shri Mahadevbhai Desai as P.A., in the life of Mahatma Gandhiji, so was the position of Dashrathlal in the life of Chandrakant Daru. Nirubhai Desai who remained with these friends during the Freedom Movement has written a very nice article about these two friends in his column ‘Vasarika’ published in Gujarat Samachar whose title was quite apt and meaningful ‘Daru would have been a nobody without Dashrathlal’. It is worthy to note that upon insistence from Dashrathlal Shri Daru was persuaded to accept the ‘Sanad’ for practicing law.

When the Mahagujarat Movement of 1956 was going on, at that time, the strength of Labour Union of Roy Group had almost reached to one lac even then he never criticized or passed comments about Majoor Mahajan (founded by Mahatma Gandhi) or its office-bearers like Khandubhai Desai, Somnath Dave, Arivindbhai Buch or Navinchandra Barot.

At that time, if he would have thought, he could have easily got the Majoor Mahajan premises situated at Lal Darwaja. But he had never harbored such trivial temptations. Having stayed in a rented house at Madalpur for many years, he gave back vacant possession to the original owner and shifted

THE RADICAL HUMANIST to some other residence. In Mirzapur, Labour Union’s office was functional in a two storey building. When the Land Lord was in need of ground floor, he immediately returned it in spite of displeasure of some of the colleagues and said “we are indebted to this land lord; we have used his steps lacs of times. Now when a tenant is eager to illegally take over land lord’s house, in that situation, Dashrathlal’s sense of renunciation was indeed exemplary.

Dashrathlal was equally aware of his own rights and was an expert of laws and legal matters. In the initial years, Office of the Radical Democratic Party was situated in Nava Vas of Gol Limda. In view of certain disagreements with the ideologies of Delhi based Head Office, Shri V.M. Tarkunde came for taking back possession of the office space but on seeing the hot temperament of Dashrathlal, he quietly went away.

During the agitation of 1942, Dashrathlal was handling the newspaper of Independent India. His performance both as a Reporter and as an Editor was praiseworthy. His handling of bulletins and periodicals like Manav Samaj and Chetan was equally noteworthy. When Indiraji imposed emergency in the entire country in 1975, Daru Saheb was in jail and at that time, Dashrathlal took over the dual and extra responsibility. When not very ruthless write-ups were in circulation against the emergency at that time, he composed a sensational article ‘Resistance is the only way’ in Manav Samaj and published it. This article became the best example of his fearlessness and intuitive inherent powers. It did not come to the knowledge of police during the emergency that ‘most wanted’ George Fernandez and Karpuri Thakur were in the hide-out of otherwise peaceful and serene person like Dashrathlal. But even to-day hardly few people may know that the responsibility for giving shelter to Shri Fernandez in Ahmedabad was also shouldered by Dashrathlal, in addition to Prasannadas Patwari.

After declaration of emergency, All India Conference of All India Radical Humanists was convened. At that time, when Maniben Kara and

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Karnik Saheb in their address appealed to overlook the dictatorship triggered by Indiraji, and when it was said “You should not push the cat in the corner”, then Dashrathlal to the surprise of the audience, spoke aloud, “Friends is Indira a tigress that you are advocating to overlook her dictatorship? How can she ban the entire country’s freedom? He further added that in a democracy, only freedom and liberty are the most important aspects. Dashrathlal possessing such strong will power motivated lacs of people and we can proudly say that only such acts of bravery, could force the dictatorship of Indiraji to come to an end.

Revered Dashrathlal was a man to be cherished as an affectionate stalwart, sincere friend and a loving father. Dashrathlal had made special efforts in helping one of his neighbours in Madalpur, named, Manu Patel in pursuing studies of B.A., and B. Ed. He had also helped another ordinary person Safi Mohammad Baluch in becoming a successful advocate. To-day, family members of both these persons gratefully remember Dashrathlal. He also carefully nurtured his sons and daughters and provided them a backing as long as he lived. In spite of his weak economic condition and both the daughters mentally ill, Dashrathlal did not accept the Freedom Fighter’s pension offered by the Govt.

He never hankered after popularity for his noble deeds. He also did not apply for Copper Plate offered by the Govt.

He suffered a heart attack during the last week of his life but before getting admitted in the I.C.U. ward of Civil Hospital in the evening he called the Executive Committee of Workers Union at his house; ignoring breathlessness and chest pain he kept giving them advice and directions as a dutiful leader. Like Daru, he also had suffered from lungs cancer and Daru also insisted for taking him along to U.S.A. But he was not prepared to go along with him saying, “It is not a question of money, but if I come by leaving these workers’ jobs unfinished it may amount to a breach of trust.” And thereafter also, it never became possible because, after the demise of Daru at U.S.A. he continued to shoulder 4

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the burden of many such tasks.

He had taken a solemn promise from his son Gautambhai never to recover any pending dues from many of the trade unions.

On 19th May 1979 the blazing lamp extinguished its light. His motto was to do the maximum work, to remain at the rear and to speak the least. His loss will be felt by the labour workers to the utmost. A leader giving right guidance by himself remaining completely desireless and selfless is really difficult to find. In the to-day’s crowd of corrupt and power greedy politicians, impartial, unattached and unwavering personality of Dashrathlal Thaker will emerge as a lighthouse or lamp post. ‘Big’ or ‘Mota’ was his nick name. I feel he was really possessing ‘bigness’ and hence, he became popular as ‘Big’ or ‘Mota’.

[Mr. Gopal Bhatt Retired as Senior Manager of State Bank of India, Ahmedabad. He is closely associated with the Radical Humanist Movement since 1970. He may be contacted at 6 - Punam Appartment, Bhudarpura, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-15. Phone: 079-26465315]

A True Follower of the Radical Humanist Movement and a True Royist —by Dhirubhai Chhotalal Bhatt I was When memories

asked to recount my about Dashrathlal, immediately, in my mind flashed a picture of his positive and proactive personality, possessing inspirational virtues of an untiring and great visionary. Due to him I had a chance of personally meeting M.N. Roy during the freedom movement.

Dashrathlal lived a detached life and never imposed on others his thoughts or ideologies. He patiently and attentively listened to everybody and thereafter

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gave his considered views. He remained unattached whether in trouble or happiness and never grumbled but quietly endured what was inevitable or incurable. He lived truth, lived for truth and finally bid adieu from the world of truth.

Strengthening of Democracy as mission of life —by Hasmukh Patel the wake of Navnirman Movement Inemanating from Gujarat (1974), a massive wave of change emerged all over the country. The agitation based on limited ills of price-rise and corruption got transformed into a cyclonic storm of change, thanks to the involvement of Lok Nayak Jay Prakashji. Gujarat became the epicenter for arousing political and people’s resistance which gave rise to active involvement of non-political organizations and formation of non-congress ‘Janata’ government. The ideology of total revolution took its roots which brought closer together the Sarvodayi, Gandhian and Radical Humanist groups.

The torch-bearers of the Radical Humanist Movement at Gujarat level, Chandrakant Daru, Dasharathlal and his co-workers’ contribution was significant and many of them were sentenced to jail. With the initiative of Chandrakant Daru, two congregations were organized in Gujarat aiming at preserving sanctity of constitution which strongly challenged Indiraji’s regime. As a young soldier of J.P. Movement, I got opportunity of participating with these leaders and also got the jail term.

Daru saheb was soft-spoken but possessed child-like candidness. I am well aware of the ideological convictions of Shri Daru’s colleagues who were all averse and immune to the evils of hunger for power and publicity. Fortunately, new generation’s activists like Gautam Thaker are striving to march ahead bearing the blazing torch of

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democratic values. Attempts of Gautam Thaker and the like minded to unite secular forces for political and social wellbeing deserve special mention at this moment of overall turmoil in the country as a whole.

[Hasmukh Patel is a Gandhian & Sarvodaya leader.]

Labour Union’s ‘Big Brother’: Dashrathlal Thaker —by Ramesh Korade had never attempted to be a Dashrathbhai great man but lived his life as a good man. His friends and relatives called him ‘Mota’ or ‘Dashubhai’.

He was an iron man possessing strong will power.

On first impression, one might have thought that he was devoid of any feelings or sentiments but on knowing him more and more, one found him to be a very kind and affectionate person. All through his life, he struggled to instill the values of freedom, equality and brotherhood among the people. He was kind, truth loving and courageous. He had the patience to listen to the opponents and never felt shy of mending his ways if he realized their point.

He believed that man alone can bring change in the society and mould his future. He expressed any new idea with his original intelligence and did not bother about narrow minded and conventional society which could not recognize him. It is easy to pay tributes to him but difficult to follow, adhere and to emulate his work and life.

He started his public career in 1930. He willingly joined in the agitation of Gujarat College and participated in the morning rounds, picketing and protest marches. During his jail term he had chance of reading books containing radical ideologies, which broadened his perception, and was

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impressed with socialist ideology especially advocated by M.N. Roy, who was in favor of giving organizational turn to the national movement. At Bhatt Saheb’s place Dashrathbhai came in close contacts with Mr. Daru and on knowing each other’s views and concerns they became fast friends and remained close workers till death and both had expired around the same time.

Daru and Dashrathbhai were bosom friends and engrossed in all activities like close co-workers so much that it was difficult to identify who is the lamp and who the light. Daru told that he was lucky to have Dashrathlal as his friend and that without him he was a ‘nobody’ and could not have done anything at all without Dashrathlal.

During the war between Britain and Hitler the then Govt. of India obviously declared war against Hitler. At that time, Dashrathlal was an active worker of League of Radicals whereas M.N. Roy was the main organizer, who was in favor of supporting Britain in the hope that if Britain wins then India will get independence, and hence parted his ways from Congress party and established Radical Democratic Party where Dashrathlal became Secretary of Gujarat Region.

During the war, his group published a daily called (Independent India) and worked for many long hours. During the emergency imposed by Indira, he helped Daru a lot. He and Daru were together in forming Ahmedabad Textile Workers’ Union and secured many benefits in favor of mill workers.

Dashrathlal spoke very less but worked very hard.

In the Royist Group of Gujarat, Dashrathlal was a pillar and also handled labour activities. In spite of weak economic condition, he did not take any financial benefit unlike other Trade Union leaders and worked for labourers till his death.

Dashrathlal did not hanker after publicity nor applied for Freedom Fighters’ Pension. His life is a lamp post to those disillusioned by to-day’s politics of power and self-interest.

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THE RADICAL HUMANIST

OCTOBER 2011 Download and read the journal at www.theradicalhumanist.com

The Radical Humanist

- Contents -

Vol. 75 Number 7 October 2011 Monthly journal of the Indian Renaissance Institute Devoted to the development of the Renaissance Movement; and for promotion of human rights, scientific-temper, rational thinking and a humanist view of life.

Founder Editor: M.N. Roy Editor: Dr. Rekha Saraswat Contributory Editors: Prof. A.F. Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr. R.M. Pal, Professor Rama Kundu Publisher: Mr. N.D. Pancholi Printer: Mr. N.D. Pancholi Send articles to: Dr. Rekha Saraswat, C-8, Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India, Ph. 91-121-2620690, 09719333011, E-mail articles at: rheditor@gmail.com Send Subscription / Donation Cheques in favour of ‘The Radical Humanist’to: Mr. Narottam Vyas (Advocate), Chamber Number 111 (Near Post Office), Supreme Court of India, New Delhi, 110001, India n.vyas@snr.net.in Ph. 91-11-22712434, 91-11-23782836, 09811944600

Please Note: Authors will bear sole accountability for corroborating the facts that they give in their write-ups. Neither IRI / the Publisher nor the Editor of this journal will be responsible for testing the validity and authenticity of statements & information cited by the authors. Also, sometimes some articles published in this journal may carry opinions not similar to the Radical Humanist philosophy; but they would be entertained here if the need is felt to debate and discuss upon them.

—Rekha Saraswat

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Dashrathlal Thaker: Birth Centenary Year Glowing compliments to a Humanist! 1-6 1. From the Editor’s Desk: The Cataclysm of Contrasts —Rekha Saraswat 8 2. From the Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi: Spiritual Materialism: A case for Atheism 10 3. Guests’ Section: Social Media Revolutions —Uday Dandavate 14 Crises of Credibility: Management Analysis of Anna Hazare Agitation —Sharu S. Rangnekar 18 Materialism in India: A Synoptic View —Ramkrishna Bhattacharya 20 4. Current Affairs: Electoral reform: Will the Central Govt. Redeem itself?

—Rajindar Sachar 25 5. IRI / IRHA Members’ Section: Unique Radical Humanists from A.P. —N. Innaiah 27 PUCL’s History of Struggle —Mahipal Singh 30 6. Teachers’ & Research Scholars’ Section: Right To Education Bill: Provisions And Shortcomings —Surendra Bhaskar 32 7. Book Review Section: A Human Portraiture —Dipavali Sen 35 8. Humanist News Section I. Minutes of IRI General Body Meeting 37 II. Radicals at Kerala Rationalists’ Meet 39

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From the Editor’s Desk:

Rekha Saraswat

The Cataclysm of Contrasts who is continuously concerned Tellaboutmevalues and ideals?

The philosopher?

Who bothers about what form of government is good?

The academician?

Who is worried about the economic policies?

The businessman?

Who is engrossed in the nitty-gritty of power-politics?

The politician?

Who is obsessed about ranks and positions?

The bureaucrat?

Who is gripped with the ego of social status?

The educated & prosperous middle-class?

Who decides about the ‘rights’ and the ‘wrongs’ in life?

The priest?

And what do ‘we’ the commoners do?

We ‘BELIEVE! We believe upon the philosopher and try to pursue his values and ideals, most of the times, neither knowing the meaning nor the need to follow his philosophy; may be, sometimes just to appear great or sometimes to simply follow a cult!

We believe upon the academician and try to support the particular form of government promoted by him

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with an expectation that it would best serve as a panacea to all our problems and help us meet our basic needs.

We believe upon the businessman’s promise of customer-service on its face-value, very rarely mustering courage to protest against the sub-standard services and products supplied by him; forgetting that his only motive to continue to interfere in the formation of national economic policies is his personal profit and nothing else.

We believe upon the politician and see in him our mentor who will work for our welfare and happiness without seeking his personal aggrandizement. Each time, before the election process starts, he promises to deliver us everything on earth, and each time we believe in him with a renewed vigour. Hoping against hope is human nature!!

We believe upon the bureaucrat every time a new officer comes to our village/town/city/district that this one would be fair to us, that this one will give us a patient hearing, that this one will implement the public policy in all sincerity and to our benefit.

We believe upon the educated & prosperous middle-class and try to emulate it to reach up to its standards of success and prosperity but it is always beyond us and it never seems to hear our call for help.

We believe upon the priest and try to live up to the religious norms set by him to get a better deal in the next life not knowing that he himself is entangled in the present life’s uncertainties and complexities.

We believe upon all those things which keep us busy in the rigmaroles of life in the desire to make it better each day!

The fact is that the philosopher is the most alienated person in the society. He thinks, he contemplates, he imagines and he writes for his own satisfaction.

His purpose is over, the moment he gives words to his conception. It is the later generations who try to find meanings in what he wrote and why he wrote; to form ideals, principles and values from his documents and manuscripts!

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The reality is that the academician is a theoretician who keeps brushing up his scholastic traits in his lectures, discussions, debates, seminars and conferences; most of the times not abreast with the practical realities of his canvassing; living in his self-esteem and egotistic contentment of his over-pouring knowledge!

The truth is that the businessman neither cares about our welfare nor about our satisfaction. These can only come to us as the bi-products of his open competition with other businessmen in his desperate efforts to maximize his profit!

The actual fact is that the politician takes his assignment like any other professional. He is not a social worker. He has to continue in his job as long as he can; as well as get maximum incentives and promotions as soon as possible to make up for the future uncertainty of his service-tenure!

The verity is that the bureaucrat has chosen his vocation because he has aspired to be included in the top echelons of the society. He is interested in living near power and in using authority as a means

of enhancing or exaggerating his own importance, power, or reputation. So he follows the dictates of the politicians and simultaneously, uses his executive authority upon us in the most estranged manner.

The bottom line of the educated & prosperous middle class is ‘me and mine alone’. With the vast majority and ocean full of ‘commoners’ around, it is always gripped with the fear of being cheated and deceived by them. It wants to remain at the top, even if lonely!

And when, as a last resort, we, in our desolation, rush to our religious leader, the priest, trying to cling to him as our helmsman, to help us make a better life for ourselves in this world and beyond, he begins to threaten and warn us through the doctrine of ‘fate’ and ‘karma’ to remember and follow most rigidly, the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ preached by him lest the lord too leaves us alone to our plight!!

What a cataclysm of contrasts in our expectations with this oligarchic world and its protagonists!!

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From The Writings of Laxmanshastri Joshi: perpetuate the existing social structure rather than being reformist and that it benefits the upper classes. They perpetrate the illusions and are used for impressing the weaker sections of the society.

Many taboos which might have had some beneficial effects are given a permanent sanction and these put a fetter on further progress. The argument that religion promotes social stability and social harmony is examined and rejected. Without the dubious benefit of religion various secular Laxman S. Joshi worldly values have been developed and they have benefited mankind more than the vaunted religious Spiritual Materialism – A case values. With no sops of religion men have laboured hard and the finest admirable qualities of men’s for Atheism Translated by —Arundhati Khandkar spirit have been developed inspite of religious influence – the scientists and the reformers are [The book Spiritual Materialism – A case for examples. The humility that should force itself in Atheism, A New Interpretation of the the presence of the infinite and the unknown is Philosophy of Materialism written by more to be seen with the scientist, the philosopher Tarkateertha Laxmanshastri Joshi has been than the religious leaders and often this drives them translated by his daughter, Arundhati to fathom the depths of thought in the quest for Khandkar, who was formerly Professor of truth. Rarely does religion explain the how and Philosophy at S.I.E.S. College, University of why. These have become the preoccupations of Mumbai, India. He passed away many decades people in secular fields. With a sense of ago but his contribution in building up the self-reliance and self-confidence guiding him, man philosophical base of Radical Humanism has has dropped the earlier props of religion. In India been no less. Roy acknowledged it in his life time too, the social order was seen as embodying moral and the followers of the philosophy continue to do values.” so. I had requested Ms. Khandkar to translate her Contd. from the previous issue............ father’s major works from to Marathi to English for the benefit of the contemporary readers of RH. And to our pleasant surprise she informed that Nature and Structure of Substance: Four there is already the above mentioned book in Principles of Materialism English done by her. It is being serialised in The While searching for the meaning of the plan of the Radical Humanist June 2010 onwards. She has universe, materialists have decided upon the also promised to send us in English, gradually, following four principles which reveal its nature. more of his Marathi literature.

1) First principle: The knower and the knowable, in Laxmanshastri wrote this essay with the title fact all existing things or real things are continually Materialism or Atheism in 1941. How transformable. The positions of the object shifts, so meaningful and necessary it is, even now, 70 its composition alters and with it, its qualities years later, can be understood by the following undergo change. This earth is shifting its position paragraph given on the cover page of the book. every moment. This is being taught to man —Rekha Saraswat] continuously by the circadian rotation of the earth “That religion more often than not tends to and its seasonal cycle. The history of the earth and 10

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geology inform us that the earth has passed through three stages viz. gaseous, liquid and solid. There were no plants before; they grew; there were no animals; they were born later; there was no man; he descended. Man has transformed this world considerably. Domesticated animals are no more in their original natural state. Man has induced transition in their natural state. Most of the grains, fruits and other plant products being used by man are no more in their natural form. Man has broughtnto effect substantial changes in them.

Nature and the social organisation of men have undergone lots of changes. Huge transformations have frequently occurred in their ideologies, upbringing and feelings. Such continuous series of transformation coming in the range of sight is a stream of change which is ceaseless. In the science of astronomy, one obtains corroborative testimony for the extensive dynamic nature of the universe outside the earth. The Sun emits light and heat continuously. As a result, its structure and attributes are undergoing alteration.

2) Second principle:28 Real object is not annihilated totally and from total non existence no object is created. This principle is consistent (p.96) with the Latin Proverb- Ex nihilo nihil fit- quoted by Max Planck, which in English means ‘from nothing, nothing is produced.’ This is also consistent with the Bhagavat Geeta, ‘A real thing is born out of only another real thing; it is also made of real thing only; any real object if destroyed, therein is produced another real object; and this routine succession continues ceaselessly.’ Cotton becomes cloth; clay becomes a pot; stones, bricks, wood and other things make a house. From seed, fertiliser, and water, a plant is born. Molecules of oxygen and hydrogen are formed out of their atoms and electrons, and electrons are energetic matter. Ex nihilo nihil fit! If this would not have been the case, beggars would have become rich by simply riding the imaginary chariots. New world is born from the old one! The thing from which another thing is born, is called substance. That thing from which another thing is born possesses qualities. The thing 11

possessing qualities is the substance. The universe is a collection of substances and qualities.

The universe is an unbroken series of causes and effects. Every thing is an effect of something and cause of something. Every event is the effect of a prior event. Every event is the link in the endless series of cause-effect events without traceable beginning. Each and every event is bound by a specific law of cause and effect.

3) Third principle: every object does possess inherent energy of motion and transformable energy. The universe constructs itself out of atomic substances: The motion received for atomic union and division is the natural attribute of these atoms.

There exists no one else who moves these atoms, who collects those atoms and who scatters these atoms. In this universe, the driving force that exists, the motion that endures, is produced from the inherent nature of things. If a wheel in a machine is turned, another rotates automatically and after the first movement, the second movement is born of itself. Just like that, all the wheels of the universe are rotating from time with no traceable beginning.

In a man made machine, human driving force is a necessity. This is not the case of the universe in the form of a machine. There exists a successional series of motions with incomprehensible beginning. At the beginning, who created the motion in this universe, is a wrong question. To think, of the time when there was no motion, no transformation of any kind, is beyond the range of logical enquiry, because imagining such a time when there was nothing is the same as contemplating of zeroness or nothingness.

Thinking of some object that exists implies that the object is governed by the laws of causality, and therefore at that time, there has to be motion and transformation. From the state of ‘all-zero’, nothing can come into existence. Ex nihilo nihil fit.

An illiterate man not knowing how the rain falls believes that someone brings it and drops it. That ignorant man imagined god Indra as the rainmaker.

Exposure of the oceans to the sun’s rays and heat

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creates the rainfall. After this realisation, there is no need for god that brings clouds and rain. When the causality of the important events in nature that relate to human life was not understood, the concept of deities came into being. When the physical cause-effect relationship of the phenomena such as sunrise and sunset, moon-rise and moon-set, the seasonal rotation, the oceanic low and high tide, the stellar motions and the other regular events were not understood, human imagination gave rise to the Vedic and the Avedic deities. In modern times, having understood the mechanics of the solar system and the theory of the environment, science acting as a weapon incarnate, has massacred all those deities.

The composition of every object changes in two ways. Firstly, transformation inside an object occurs naturally. Secondly, surrounding objects affect a given object. In this manner, every object is interlinked with another. This relationship of interlinkage is three fold: 1) An object possesses relation with the surrounding objects, 2) Cause-effect relation exists between an object and the object from which it originated, 3) Within an event, exists another event within which exists still another event.

If we understand all the above inter linkages among objects or events connected with the objects, we accept also the serious error involved in assuming the necessity of the concept of Prime Mover for the motion or the action of objects. No action is ever first, each and every motion or action is preceded by another motion or action!

Nature of this action is not confined only to the movement of an object from place to place. Energy of action does not mean its applicability only to transference of motions or rotation of objects. A seed grows into a seedling and the seedling grows into a tree; atoms of oxygen and hydrogen combine to form water; light becomes photonic particles or waves; all this becoming and being are also actions.

Actions like these are the intrinsic nature of objects.

If it were not so, the Prime Mover also will not be able to create motion in an object. The universe is self propelled. It has no need for the external mover. Self-propulsion is only its nature. No individual pushes the universe. Water flows itself down the slope; light travels itself away from the lamp; floods of the rays of the sun themselves spread and occupy the vast distances of the universe with ultimate speed; the earth rotates automatically around the sun with nobody helping it spin; galaxies and stars circle in the sky-dome on their own without someone spinning them; and electric winds and storms similarly flow in infinite directions in infinitesimal times. Physics and other sciences do provide countless such examples of intrinsic propulsion.

4) Fourth Principle: Self-Organisation in Nature Structure, design, organisation, law-abidance or consistency constitute the elemental nature of an object. When we describe an object or a collection of objects whatsoever, we are describing in fact, the structure or the organisation of the object. When no design organisation exists, it means the very object is absent. When we portray the solar system, we are truly outlining its design or organisation. If that design or the organisation is not there, it is the same thing as the non existence of the solar system.

Description of chemical compounds constitutes chemistry. The major objective of every science is to display relationships between quantitative measurements and the corresponding attributes. If these relationships between quantity are excluded, what remains is zero. If we say an object exists, it means that a specific type of implied design or inherent organisation exists. Knowing the design of an object is nothing but apprehending the object itself.

No other ‘someone’ has introduced structure or design in the universe. Burning is the property of heat. It is a kind of design or plan. This design or plan has not been established by someone in particular. It is an aspect of the very existence of heat. Water is organised in the form of an

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elementary structure as H20. This is the true nature of water. It is not imposed on water by someone else. Various different forms, different smells and colours associate with the geological or physical substances. These different shapes, aromas or hues are not the filled in substances by any artist. They are the nature of the substances. Mathematical organisation and abidance by the laws of causality have not been externally superimposed. Number, measure and cause-effect relation are the inherent aspects of the nature of substance. We cannot create numerical value in substance; it inheres truly in the substance. The cause-effect relationships of

objects can be understood, but cannot be created. A skilled farmer or a horticulturalist does the work of understanding the causal relation between a seed and a plant, but does not create the cause-effect relation between the seed and the plant. One whom we call the designer, manager or worker, works, taking into account the plan and design inhering in the substance. He creates neither its plan nor design. ............................................to be continued.

Reference: 28- Dualists: Dwaitavadi, Vaishnava etc. in India.

Important Announcements IRI Study camp at Murshidabad: 31ST December, 2011/1st January, 2012.

1) A Seminar will be held on behalf of Indian Renaissance Institute (IRI) on 31st December, 2011 and 1st January, 2012 at Murshidabad (West Bengal) on the following subject: “STATUS OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES IN INDIA AT PRESENT: CRISIS AND HUMANIST APPROACH.” 2) A meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Renaissance Institute (IRI) shall also be held during this period.

—N.D. Pancholi, Secretary, Indian Renaissance, (IRI) Delhi 3) Meeting of the Indian Radical Humanist Association (IRHA) at Murshidabad The Organizing Committee of the West Bengal unit of the Indian Radical Humanist Association has called upon all the members of the Indian Radical Humanist Association to attend the Study camp at Murshidabad organized by the Indian Renaissance Institute on 31st December, 2011 and 1st January, 2012. On this occasion West Bengal unit of the IRHA wishes to have a separate session of the members of the Radical Humanist Association for 2/3 hours to discuss ways and means of reorganizing and strengthening the activities and programmes of the IRHA at the state level and to make suggestions for the national level. Organizing Committee of the West Bengal unit therefore appeals to all the members of the Indian Radical Humanist Association to participate in the study camp at Murshidabad. Agenda of the Study camp and other meetings shall follow in due course.

For booking of accommodation etc. please contact Shri Ajit Bhattacharya, Mobile No: 09433224517.

—Ajit Bhattacharyya, on behalf of the West Bengal Organizing Unit, IRHA

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Guests’ Section:

Uday Dandavate

[Mr. Uday Dandavate studies people, cultures and trends worldwide and uses the understanding gained from such studies to inspire people centered innovation strategies. Uday Dandavate heads up a design research consulting firm called SonicRim. He frequently writes and speaks on topics related to people centered design and innovation in international journals and conferences. uday@sonicrim.com]

Social Media Revolutions year 2011 marks sudden awakening of Thepopular sentiments against authoritarian and corrupt regimes in Middle East and North Africa. Protests have occurred throughout the region, including Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Yemen and more recently in India.

The role of social networks like Facebook and Twitter in organization of recent uprisings against corrupt and or authoritarian regimes has become a matter of great interest amongst sociologists. Many of these uprisings are being hailed as Facebook revolutions or Twitter revolutions. Wael Ghonim, a marketing manager for Google, played a key role in organizing the January 25 protest at the Tahrir Square in Egypt by reaching out to Egyptian youths on Facebook. Speaking at the international One

Young World summit in Zurich he said, “My prescription for a revolution driven by social network is to make it leaderless. If you want to use the Internet to change a problem you are facing or create an opportunity for a lot of people, you have to make sure that everyone is engaged. It’s not only important that you have a cause, it’s important to make sure that that cause is not centrally managed by a small bunch of people.”

More recently In India, Anna Hazare’s youthful followers have also proved themselves savvy in using the social media space, including Twitter and Facebook in their fight against corruption. Though recent mass movement against corruption in India is termed by the critics as a movement of urban middle class, Team Anna has been able to generate enormous political groundswell in small towns and villages of India. It appears that activism on the Internet, especially on the social networks is igniting an inferno promising to take down corrupt and autocratic regimes around the world.

Malcolm Gladwell, a Canadian journalist and a bestselling author of books like “Tipping Point”, “Blink”, and “Outliers”, has recently triggered a passionate debate online by challenging the enthusiastic claims of social scientists who maintain that with the advent of social media the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns. Gladwell argues that social media is not a revolution but just a starting point for people to find information, learn and have the opportunity to make a considered choice about whether they should get involved in a cause. He asserted his point of view while speaking at the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall lecture series, “Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have create so-called “weak ties” — acquaintanceship rather than deep personal connections — that are more useful for job searches than revolutions. Successful revolutions and movements, he believes, have their roots in years of deliberate planning and strategy among small

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groups of people united by the “strong ties” of trust and deep knowledge of one another.

It is a fact that social networks have played a big part in getting the youth to express their frustrations and coordinate their actions. However, there is a message for the revolutionary youth participating in these protests in Malcolm Gladwell’s words of caution. The euphoria and connectivity enabled by the Social media will not serve well in building a sustained movement of committed citizens who share a vision of an alternative social or political order.

Social Media revolutions may trigger mass protest, which may also lead to displacement of governments. However, the change sought by the revolution will not materialize unless concurrently public discussions about alternative visions for the future take place and an organization is put in place for implementation of the vision.

The current wave of protests in North Africa and Middle East is a second wave of revolutions of global significance since collapse of communism in Europe between 1989 and 1992. After the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, though European countries adopted varying forms of market economy, and many Communist and Socialist organizations in the West turned their guiding principles over to social democracy, Europe’s struggle for ideological clarity about a sustainable model of governance continues. I believe that post-recession world is ready to question the globalized, liberalized and capitalistic model of development. Current wave of mass movements (and the recent riots in London) is indicators of the failure of the capitalistic model and widening chasm between classes.

Almantas Samalavicius, an associate professor in the Department of Architectural Fundamentals and Theory at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in Lithuania refers to the breakdown of old political structures and ideologies and the need for reconstruction of aims and ideas of social democracy in a post communist space in his blog,

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“The present financial crisis of world capitalism, with all its side effects, should lead us to a reconsideration of recent neoliberal policies – and also of the social practices that Europe has experienced since the fall of the Iron Curtain…. No one in Eastern Europe today, outside of a small number of individuals, has any trust in social democrats, who have proved to be corrupt, unjust, and too willing to sell off the social state to the powers of the global market…. the era of traditional party-making and party politics might be approaching its end, and that new ways of pursuing policy and political decisions are slowly emerging. If this guess is tight, it is a hint that social-democratic parties all over Europe need to be reconstructed, to become less rigid and more fluid broad civic coalitions, capable of finding their allies among numerous alternative grass-roots movements and other civic initiatives, no matter how small they seem to be at the moment. …Perhaps the time has come to reconsider the ideas and social criticism provided by such thinkers as Ivan Illich, Lewis Mumford or E.F. Schumacher, who once tried to make us understand the roots of the failure of modern society and its institutions”.

Ivan Illich, introduced the concept of a convivial society as a society that confers on individuals freedom realized in personal interdependence and, as such, an intrinsic ethical value. He believes People need not only to obtain things (as in a market driven society), they need above all the freedom to make things among which they can live, to give shape to them according to their own tastes, and to put them to use in caring for and about others.

I envision future societies to be comprised of individual citizens driven by conscience, empathy and creativity. Trust, reciprocity and strong networks of interdependent relationships will characterize a convivial society of the future. In this background Malcolm Gladwell’s analysis of the inherent weakness of online social networks needs to be recognized and be compensated for through direct action for building deep personal

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connections. Just expressing dissent through Facebook and Twitter, and merely organizing public demonstrations will not help translate the energy unleashed through initial bursts of protest in the streets into a systemic framework for a new society. The need of the hour is to harness the enthusiasm and patriotism of the youth to cultivate new mindsets, and to mobilize organizations and communities for long-term transformation. As suggested in Almantas Samalavicius’ blog, the new structure would not be monolithic nor be driven by a single ideology. Rather, it would be a “long tail” of grass-root level movements.

The economic theory of “the Long Tail” is drawn from the idea that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of “hits” (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. (Chris Anderson in Wired Magazine) Long Tail economic model helps me foresee a new framework of governance conducive to incubating local ideas and institutions each catering to local conditions replacing one-size fits all ideologies.

Individuals in a convivial society of the future will need to embrace a new mindset. Every individual will need to learn from and be respectful of the laws of nature and assume responsibility for collective good. For a long time modern civilization has been driven by cravings for superiority over other species, over nature and over other classes of people. Our selfish pursuit of wealth, power and happiness has made us confrontational. In this pursuit we have destroyed our environment, escalated conflicts in the society and lost our ability to experience harmony within us and with our surroundings. Nature did not set human specie on a confrontational course. We were designed to live in harmony with our surroundings.

An interesting experience opened my eyes to some

of the innate harmonizing abilities human beings are endowed with, but have lost track of. Over twelve years go I was attending a workshop on Aikido conducted by Wendy Palmer. One of the exercises we did during the workshop left a profound impression on me. Wendy asked the workshop participants to stand in pairs facing each other. She then asked one person from each pair to push his/her partner. Some of us in the group pushed back the persons pushing us. A few people from the group stumbled back on the ground and a small number of pairs continued to push each other until Wendy asked them to stop. Then she introduced a new rule. She said the person who is being pushed should concentrate on maintaining his/her balance. “When your partner pushes you, do not push back, and make sure that you do not fall back. Just try and stay balanced on your feet.” She had us repeat the exercise. To our surprise, regardless of how strong a person pushing the other person was, all of us continued to stand straight and balanced. After trying hard, the persons pushing the partners gave up. Wendy explained. “It takes very little energy to maintain one’s balance. Pushing someone hard and pushing back involves a lot of energy. That is why, when the focus was on maintaining balance, even the strongest in the workshop was not able to throw the weakest person off his or her feet.” In this physical experience I realized we waste a lot of energy pushing people around or in being a push over.

This experience truly opened my mind to Aikido as a physical metaphor for resolving conflicts in “real life.” Aikido has been described as a “A martial art for peace...” Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido’s founder invented it as a way of achieving harmony with Ki. Ki is an old Japanese word. It involves letting go of the conflict we perceive in the relative world around us and in us and becoming aware of the infinite stillness of the absolute world where there is no other. It involves developing capacity for connecting to others in a compassionate, authentic way that enriches life and nourishes the spirit. In Aikido there is a belief that an attacker is no

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different from the defender, who by following the attack, entering in or turning around it, can guide the aggressor into a fall, away from harm. In the Aikido Journal, summer 1997 Mark Binder explains the spirit of Aikido, Most of us have been raised in a practical machine age. Power is measured in megawatts, in megabytes, in chip speed, and in bank balances. We are only just beginning to understand the idea of “hara,” of centering oneself regardless of the circumstances. In the practice of Aikido you are protecting yourself, but you are also protecting your attacker. It is as if a favorite uncle has too much to drink at a wedding, and gets into a fistfight.

No one wants to hurt the uncle, and no one wants the uncle to hurt anyone else. So, the student of Aikido steps in, and uses the least amount of force to protect the Uncle from hurting himself, and anyone else. He would envelop his attacker, bringing the aggressor gently to the floor with soothing words, “Are you ok? It looked for a moment like you were going to fall.”

The philosophy behind Aikido resonates with my curiosity for harnessing untapped human energy, intuition and imagination. It makes me respect those who continue to live closer to nature and draw upon the native wisdom and their innate capacity for resonance with nature. Thomas Edison, the inventor of electric bulb, best expresses the connection between non-violence and evolutionary imperative “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.” The path of non-violent transformation followed by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, the revolutionaries in Egypt and recently by Anna Hazare in India will ultimately help us find a sustainable model of development and help rid our system of corruption.

Revolutions may begin on Facebook or Twitter but they will be sustained through participation of people committing to work with each other in the real world on the basis of shared values.

Letter to the Editor:

Dear Dr. Rekha Saraswat, Greetings. I am one of the old Members, inducted by my uncle Advocate Mr. M. A. Rane, Mumbai, while I was abroad on UN Assignments. Since then, I have been receiving regularly The Radical Humanist and read the same with great interest.

It is indeed a pleasure reading this time your Editorial: “Systems vs the People”, which I find quite interesting and feel that such message must reach to the Civil Society and to our Young India. Its high time for all of us to come out from Three Monkey Gesture, and bring a change, if we really want to achieve a Vision for the New Millennium : “INDIA 2020”, and offer a Better Living Place to Our Next Generations.

Best regards.

Dr. Ganesh P. Rane +919820215330

drraneg@gmail.com Former UN Staff Member & UN Consultant/Advisor A/109, Ansa Indl. Estate, Saki-Vihar Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400 072, India.

Tel.: +91-22-28471974 / 28471685 / 65865179; Fax: 66925178 ; Website: www.rrrindustries.com e-mail: rrri@vsnl.net; drrane@vsnl.com; 17

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any situation requires “Power”.

Managing Power is best defined by Sanskrit

Sharu S. Rangnekar

Mr. Sharu S. Rangnekar is a Chemical Engineer from Bombay with a Master of Business Administration degree from the U.S.A. He carried out research work in Mathematical Economics at the Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, U.S.A. He had management training with Imperial Chemical Industries, UK and computer training with IBM and Union Carbide Corporation, U.S.A. He taught as Visiting Faculty at Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Management Institutes attached to Bombay University from 1979 to 1986.

He has been a popular lecturer and writer on management topics. His books: “In the Wonderland of Indian Managers” and “In the World of Corporate Managers” have become management classics.

His lectures on management topics have been issued in audio-CD. He has featured in several management development video-CDs. He has participated as a faculty in nearly 5000 management development programmes in India and abroad since 1966.

Rangnekar Associates, 31 Neelamber, 37 G. Deshmukh Marg (Peddar Road) Mumbai 400026. Phone: (022) 6664 0030 Fax (022)2 352-1722 Mobile: 98200 53005 website: www.sharurangnekar.com

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phrase: “Kartum, Akartum, Anyatha Kartum Wa” (To do, To undo or To do otherwise). Thirty five hundred years ago Confucius gave the basic sources of power which he called “Guns, Rice and Faith”. Translated into management language it means power comes from fear created by possibility of damage, inducement through ability of giving benefit and credibility which gives the affinity amongst those involved. During Anna Hazare Agitation the word “blackmailing” was banded about as a bad word. In fact all means of power involve blackmail by fear, temptation or faith.

Anna Hazare made a significant statement during his agitation that he is not only using Gandhiji, but he also using Shivaji. Gandhiji’s approach was to create faith through non-violent agitation. Shivaji’s strategy was to use what was called in history as “Ganimi Kawa” (guerilla tactics). It comprised of having a force attacking suddenly and moving away before it was dealt with - causing damage without suffering much damage itself. With his Ganimi Kawa attacks, Shivaji created terror in the heart of the mighty Mogul army; once he attacked even the tent of Aurangzeb and cut the summit of his tent. These tactics demoralized the Mogul army and ultimately led to their retreat.

Anna Hazare used the basic source of power: Faith/Credibility. Everybody was talking against corruption but most political party leaders were suspected of being corrupt themselves and hence did not have credibility. Anna Hazare used this to his advantage. His agitation for the last 20 years did not generate any assets for himself. He did not have even his own house and stayed in a temple. This created a high credibility for him.

Government on the other hand tried to fight this credibility by using force. Force or temptations tend to have a rebound effect. The Government steps to imprison Anna Hazare and harass “Team Anna” had this rebound effect. Government tactics

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did work in Baba Ramdev case because Baba Ramdev having accumulated thousands of crores of rupees did not have credibility in the eyes of the common man - only his loyal followers believed him. Anna did not create any direct followers. He encouraged people to wear a cap saying “I am Anna Hazare”. This created a sense of identity which is the source of highest motivation. Consequently the tactics that worked in the case of Baba Ramdev had an opposite effect. As somebody put it, these were instrumental in recruiting followers for Anna Hazare. He insisted on non-violence causing no damage to any public or private property. This increased his credibility. The Government had no antidote for this and even now is in confusion as how to deal with this situation.

Historically we had experience of similar agitation in 1930’s by Gandhiji and 1974 by Jayaprakash Narayan. Gandhiji’s agitation along with the economic and political upheavals of the Second World War forced all colonial nations to give up their colonies and Gandhiji was considered the father of our independence.

In the case of Jayaprakash Narayan, the agitation led to a change of regime and the opposition came into power under the banner of “Janata Party”.

However, the credibility can be lost faster than it can be acquired and the Janata Party lost its credibility due to internal strife.

The internal strife diminished the credibility of Janata Party and brought back Mrs. Indira Gandhi into power.

The government is trying to create internal strife in Team Anna and in the opposition parties which are backing Anna Hazare. Only if the government is successful in breaking the group through the internal strife it has a chance to reduce the credibility of Anna Hazare and rebuild its own credibility. The steps required are: 1.Leadership which is relatively free from the stigma of corruption.

2.Visible efforts to curb corruption and recovery of black money.

3.Control of inflation. The rising prices are affecting people daily and directly (even more than corruption) and the government’s ability to control the prices would build its credibility.

The traditional strategies using affinity groups of caste, community, language, religion, state etc., to create vote banks might not prove effective in the onslaught of the Anna Hazare type of agitation.

Concrete and visible demonstration of steps taken to improve the situation will be the only way the agitation can be countered.

Particularly in the next step, Anna is likely to use the Shivaji Strategy. He will get people to gherao each of the Loksabha members to ensure voting for Anna version of the bill. It will be again called coercion and blackmailing, but as long as the “aam public” is behind it, it will succeed. Anna cannot be countered by force or inducements – because this is a battle for credibility.

Letter to the Editor: Dear Rekhaji, I read your latest editorial “System vs. the People!” It is indeed well written.

I have myself written an article on this aspect under the title “Crises of Credibility: Management Analysis of Anna Hazare Agitation”.

If you would like to publish this article in The Radical Humanist please do so.

With kind regards.

Yours sincerely, Sharu S. Rangnekar

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Materialism in India: A Synoptic View —By Ramkrishna Bhattacharya [Prof. Ramkrishna Bhattacharya taught English at the University of Calcutta, Kolkata and was an Emeritus Fellow of University Grants Commission. He is now a Fellow of PAVLOV Institute, Kolkata. ramkrishna.bhattacharya@gmail.com] (Courtesy:http://en.krishna.deltoso.net/catego ry/carvakalokayata/) if not most, people nowadays go Many, straight to the internet rather than look up a book to know something about anything under the sun. There are hundreds, if not thousands of files on the Carvaka/Lokayata system of philosophy there. Regrettably, many of them, though well-intentioned, are ill-informed and highly misleading. I am an old hand researching for decades on the history of materialism in India (see my Studies on the Carvaka/Lokayata, Firenze (Florence): Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2009; New Delhi: Manohar Books, 2010. A brief exposition will be found in my essay, “Lokayata Darsana and a Comparative Study with Greek materialism” in: Materialism and Immaterialism in India and the West: Varying Vistas, ed. Partha Ghose, New Delhi: Centre for the Studies on Civilizations, 2010, pp. 21-34). I, therefore, find it necessary to disabuse enquirers of several false notions.

1. Carvaka or Lokayata is not a “brand name” for all sorts of materialist ideas that flourished in India over the ages. There were several proto-materialist thinkers in India right from the time of the Buddha (sixth/fifth century BCE) or even earlier. The system that came to be known finally as the Carvaka/Lokayata did not flourish before the sixth century CE or a bit later. It is only from the eighth century CE that the name Carvaka is associated with a materialist school (some later writers such as

Santaraksita and Sankara continued to call it Lokayata). Both names, however, came to refer to the same school of thought after the eighth century CE. Neither of the two words occurs in Vedic literature. Lokayata in Pali and Buddhist Sanskrit works means ‘the science of disputation’, or in a narrower sense, ‘point of dispute’, not materialism.

The word is ambiguous. There are reasons to believe that the adherents of this materialist school themselves called themselves Carvaka, using it as a nickname. The word might have been chosen from the Mahabharata but the demon in that work has nothing to do with materialism.

2. The Carvaka/Lokayata is the only systematized form of materialist philosophy in India that is known to date. There were other pre-Carvaka proto-materialist schools too that preached certain materialist views but their views were not systematically set down in the form of aphorisms as the Carvaka-s did. Some of these pre-Carvaka proto-materialist views are encountered in the Upanisad-s, Pali and Prakrit canonical works (of the Buddhists and the Jains respectively) and their commentaries as well as in the Jabali episode in the Ramayana, the Moksadharma-parvadhyaya in the Mahabharata and some of the Purana-s (particularly the Visnupurana and the Padmapurana), and last but not least, in old Tamil poems such as the Manimekalai. All of these are not to be equated with the Carvaka/Lokayata. Some of the views recorded in them are authentic expositions of this or that proto-materialist view, but some are of dubious authenticity. There is a tendency in the Ramayana and some Purana-s to treat the Buddhists, the Jains and the Carvaka-s as representing a single school of nastika-s, that is, defilers of the Vedas, and to ascribe the views of one to the other quite inappropriately.

3.1. All the Carvaka/Lokayata works were lost before the fourteenth century CE, so much so that Sayana-Madhava, aka Madhavacarya and Vidyaranya, or whoever was the author of the first chapter of this digest of a compendium of philosophies (Sarva-darsana-sangraha), could not

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quote a single sentence from any Lokayata text nor name a single authority other than the mythical Brhaspati. Yet this book, first edited and published

by Iswarcandra Vidyasagara, better known as an educationist and social reformer, in 1853-58 from the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, has proved to be more influential than any other work. However, it is worth noticing that the reading of several lines of some verses attributed to the Carvakas are willfully distorted in this compendium. The original reading of a line in a verse, for example, was as follows: “Live happily as long as you live; nothing is beyond the ken of death.” It is so found in all other works (no fewer than thirteen). The last part of the line was changed in this compendium to read: “eat ghee (clarified butter) even by running into debts.” To many educated Indians and maybe others abroad this distorted reading is granted to be the epitome of the Carvaka/Lokayata. It is amusing that the digest itself quotes the original reading at the beginning of the chapter but quotes the distorted reading at the end of the same chapter.

3.2. However, from the available fragments found quoted or paraphrased in the works of anti-materialist philosophers it is evident that the Carvaka/Lokayata system had developed along the same lines as Mimamsa, Vedanta, Nyaya and Vaisesika. This means: (a) There was a base text, that is, a collection of sutras or aphorisms, tersely phrased because they were meant to be memorized, and (b) Several commentaries (and probably sub-commentaries) were written to explicate the aphorisms, (c) Besides the above sources, a number of verses have traditionally been ascribed to the Carvakas.

Some of these epigrams make fun of the performance of religious rites, particularly sacrificial acts, and deny the existence of an extracorporeal soul which can survive the death of a person. Some other verses, however, might have originated in the Buddhist and Jain circles. The denunciation of ritual violence (killing of animals

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in a Vedic sacrifice) and condemnation of non-vegetarian diet accord better with the Buddhist and the Jain teachings than with any other school.

There might have been some materialists who renounced both marriage and eating of animal flesh. In that case, the charge of promiscuity and indulgence in flesh and wine brought against the Carvakas by Gunaratna, a fifteenth-century Jain writer, loses its force.

3.3. The Tattvopaplavasimha by Jayarasi Bhatta is not a Carvaka/Lokayata work: it represents the view of a totally different school that challenged the very concept of pramana (means of knowledge). The Carvakas did believe in pramana and whatever else it entails (knowledge, the knower, and the object to be known). Even those who, like Eli Franco, prefer to call it the only surviving Carvaka text do not claim that it is a materialist text. So the work is quite irrelevant to the study of materialism in India.

4. The basic plank of the Carvaka/Lokayata may be summed up as: i) denial of rebirth and the otherworld (heaven and hell), and of the immortal soul, ii) refusal to believe in the efficacy of performing religious acts, iii) acceptance of the natural origin of the universe, without any creator God or any other supernatural agency, iv) belief in the primacy of matter over consciousness, and hence of the human body over the spirit (soul), and finally, v) advocacy of the primacy of perception over all other means of knowledge; inference, etc. are secondary, and acceptable if and only if they are based on perception, not on scriptures.

The first three refer to the ontology, and the rest to the epistemology of the Carvaka/Lokayata. As to ethics all that can be said is that the Carvakas did not believe in practising asceticism and advised seeking of pleasure in this world rather in the next, for there is no such world. This teaching has been misinterpreted as a recommendation for unrestrained sensual enjoyment. Regarding their social outlook it may be said that the Carvakas were opposed to gender discrimination and caste

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(varna) distinctions (see the Prabodha-candrodaya

by Krsnamisra, Act 2 verse 18 and the Naisadha-carita by Sriharsa, Canto 17 verses 40,42, 58). They relied on human endeavour (purusakara), not on fate (daiva), and rejected the concept of adrsta or karman.

This is how materialism as a full-fledged philosophical doctrine made its debut in ancient India. It is evident that the issues are peculiarly relevant to the Indian context (rebirth being the most noteworthy). The Carvaka/Lokayata then obviously had an indigenous origin.

5. There was no continuity in the Carvaka/Lokayata tradition after the twelfth century CE or thereabouts. Whatever is written on the Carvaka/Lokayata after the twelfth century is based on second-hand knowledge, learned from preceptors to disciples, who in their turn could only teach what they had heard from their preceptors, not what they had actually studied. Some of their knowledge correspond to what the Carvaka/Lokayata philosophers had or might have really said, but much of their accounts are biased against materialism and are mere fabrications.

6. The Yogacara Buddhists, Jains, Advaita Vedantins and Nyaya philosophers considered the Carvaka/Lokayata as one of their chief opponents and tried hard to refute materialist views. Such refutations were made even after all the authentic Carvaka/Lokayata texts had been lost. So, the representation of the Carvaka/Lokayata in the works of these schools are not always firmly grounded on first-hand knowledge of the Carvaka/Lokayata texts.

7. Because of this lack of acquaintance with original sources, the opponents, and many modern scholars, often confuse pre-Carvaka and Carvaka views, considering them as one and the same. This gives an impression that there were several kinds of Carvaka-s while the fact is that there were several kinds of materialists, but all of them were not Carvaka-s. Some of them were definitely pre-Carvaka and held different views. For example,

regarding the number of natural elements, the Carvakas admitted four, namely, earth, air, fire and water, while others spoke of five, adding ether or space to the list.

8. We have no evidence of any post-Carvaka materialist school in India, existing or flourishing after the thirteenth century CE. What Abul Fadl (Fazl) had gathered from the North Indian pundits about the Carvaka system (most probably from a Jain scholar) and recorded it in Persian in his Ain-i Akbari, betrays the same lack of information as evinced in his contemporary and later Sanskrit digests of Indian philosophy. Only a few highlights of the materialist system were known to all of them.

In addition to this a few verses attributed to the Carvaka-s had been orally transmitted from one generation to another. Their accounts therefore are removed from the original sources and should be taken with the customary pinch of salt.

9. Some Sanskrit poems and plays (particularly Naisadha-carita,Prabodha-candrodaya,Agama-da mbara and Vidvanmoda-tarangini) and one prose work (Kadambari) contain representations of the Carvakas. The evidence is dubious, for the authors of these works were thoroughly opposed to materialism and tried to portray the Carvaka in unfavourable light. Hence whatever is written there should not be accepted uncritically.

10. The commonest charge levelled against the Carvaka-s is that they did not believe in any other means of knowledge except perception. But there is enough evidence to suggest that some of the pre-Carvaka schools as well as the Carvaka-s considered inference based on perception to be a valid means of knowledge, although it is of secondary importance. It was well known from the eighth century CE.. Nevertheless, the opponents continued to level the same charge almost in the fashion of Goebbels (“Repeat a lie ten times and it will sound like the truth.� Whether Goebbels had actually said so or not is irrelevant, since such strategy was followed by him in practice).

11. Another baseless charge made by the opponents

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is the alleged heedless hedonism of the Carvakas.

Of course, there is enough evidence to show that the Carvaka-s did not consider human life to be full of misery but there is absolutely no evidence to prove that they prescribed sensual enjoyment to be the end of life. The case is similar to that of Epicurus, the Greek philosopher. Although he used to lead a very austere life, his name has been maligned as a spokesperson of an ’eat, drink and be merry’ view of life. Ajita Kesakambala, a senior contemporary of the Buddha and one of the earliest proto-materialists known to us, had in fact made a cult of austerity. The Sa?khya doctrine too has been satirized as one advocating sensual enjoyment. No serious student of Samkhya has ever paid any heed to this absurd charge. However, in case of the Carvaka such a groundless allegation is repeated ad nauseam by the present-day textbook writers of Indian philosophy.

12. Yet another misconception circulated by many authors past and present is that there were several Carvaka schools, believing in the mind as the spirit, life breaths as the spirit, the sense organs as the spirit, etc. Such doctrines might have been prevalent before the Common Era, for some of them are mentioned in several Upanisads. Such views, however, are not only pre-Carvaka but also pre-philosophical. The Carvaka/Lokayata was systematized much later and there is nothing to show that its exponents drew anything from such older sources.

Only the doctrine of bhutacaitanyavada or dehatmavada is the doctrine of the Carvaka-s. It was a unitary school although the commentary tradition is not uniform and the commentators are not always unanimous in their interpretation of certain aphorisms.

13. All the commentators of the Carvakasutra were not Carvakas themselves. Some of them are known to be adherents of Nyaya who, besides their works on Nyaya, had also written commentaries on the Carvakasutra. Quite naturally they had introduced a number of sophisticated Nyaya terms, quite alien to the original Carvaka tradition. Nevertheless what is common to all the commentators is their firm 23

adherence to the basic doctrine of considering the spirit to be nothing but consciousness in a living body and the rejection of the view that inference independent of perception and/or based on scriptures should be accepted as a valid means of knowledge.

14. In brief, then, the Carvaka/Lokayata system emerged as the culmination of all previous proto-materialist views which, however, had never been systematized into the prevailing sutra-bhasya (base text and commentary) style before the sixth century CE. These views are mainly known to us as floating ideas current among some freethinkers, who were opposed to futile religious practices sanctioned by the Vedas and refused to offer gifts to Brahmin priests. The early materialists did not believe in the existence of heaven and hell, and, therefore, in the immortality of the spirit. That is all there is to it in the pre-Carvaka/Lokayata tradition.

Ontological issues seem to have been their chief preoccupation and this was their contribution to the later Carvaka/Lokayata system which inherited and assimilated all this. The epistemological issues might have underlain in their teachings, but no such formulation is met with in available evidence.

15. Whether the Carvaka-s had any affinity with the Kapalika-s or some such obscure folk cults (such as the Sahajiya-s, Baul-s, etc. in Bengal), is a vexed question. It is probable that the these cults had adopted some ideas from the pre-Carvaka and/or the Carvaka teachings, such as, accepting perception to be the only means of knowledge, opposition to Vedism, caste system, gender discrimination, etc. But it should be noted that these cults are all guru-oriented, the adherents compose songs in local dialects as the vehicle of expressing their ideas (not write philosophical discourses), and all of them consider themselves affiliated to one or the other Saiva or Vaisnava or Sakti-worshipping community. They constitute themselves as the ‘other’, belonging to the Little Tradition – similar in some respects to the Great Tradition religious communities but differing from them by virtue of abjuring Brahminical priesthood, avoiding the

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conventional places of pilgrimage, and setting up their own meeting-spots in village fairs. The Carvakas, on the other hand, belong to the Great Tradition: they redacted a sutra work and composed elaborate commentaries on it in Sanskrit, not in any vernacular. In short, the two belong to two different traditions – the Great and the Little – and their ends are more often than not quite different. While the Carvaka/Lokayata was interested in true knowledge (tattva), the Little Tradition cults aspire for liberation (mukti) alone.

The former studiedly rejected all rituals based solely on faith but the latter had developed elaborate systems of worship and religious practice (sadhana-paddhati) as taught by their gurus. Thus there is a fundamental incompatibility between the two that cannot be resolved by juxtaposing them as reflecting the same approach in two different ways.

It should, however, be borne in mind that the Little Tradition cults were very much present in India

even in the Upanisadic times, as testified by the Maitri (or Maitrayani or Maitrayaniya) Upanisad.

Most probably both the traditions had a common source, but they diverged into two separate streams, one thoroughly rational and atheistic; the other, irrational and theistic. The Carvaka/Lokayata is a system of philosophy but the anti-Brahminical folk cults are nothing but religious coteries outside the Brahminical (Vedist) fold. In spite of some similarities in approach (such as, insistence on sense perception, denial of the Vedas as authoritative texts, and rejection of Brahminical priesthood) they belong to two different domains.

Philosophy and religion are not to be treated on a par with each other.

Grateful acknowledgements are made to Amitava Bhattacharyya, Johannes Bronkhorst, Siddhartha Dutta, Pradeep Gokhale, Ashish Lahiri, and Krishna Del Toso for offering comments and suggestions on the draft.

Indian Renaissance Institute is organizing M.N. ROY MEMORIAL LECTURE: 2011, Subject: “DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION : AN IMPASSE?”

By Prof. Ghanshyam Shah, National fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, 4.30 PM, Thursday, the 29th September, 2011, at Indian Law Institute, (In front of Supreme Court) Bhagwan Dass Road, New Delhi-110001.

Shri Praful Bidwai, eminent journalist will preside.

All are invited to attend.

—N.D.Pancholi, Secretary, IRI

G-3, Plot 617, Shalimar Garden Extn. I, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad (UP) 201005.

Ph: 0120 -2648691, (M) 09811099532

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Current Affairs:

Rajindar Sachar

[Justice Rajindar Sachar is Retd. Chief Justice of High Court of Delhi, New Delhi. He is UN Special Rapportuer on Housing, Ex. Member, U.N. Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and Ex-President, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) India.]

Electoral reform – will the Central Govt. Redeem itself?

Hazare when he gave up his fast Anna announced that the next movement is for electoral Reform and especially prioritized “Right to Reject candidate” at the elections and the right to recall a legislator earlier than the end of his term.

Central government is seeking to project itself as responsive to public opinion. Here then is an opportunity to do so. I say this because the public demand for effectuating right to reject vote or more clearly “None of the Above” (NOTA) is very easy to effectuate. The Representation of People Act.1951 and its rules provide a detailed mechanism for standing and voting at elections.

Govt. of India has framed Conduct of Election Rules 1961 to provide the manner how votes are to be cast, and the precaution to maintain the secrecy of voting which is absolutely necessary for a healthy democracy.

Prior to the introduction of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), voting was by means of ballot

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paper. Rule 49 M provides for maintaining of secrecy and voting procedure by E.V.M., whereby the voter presses the button against the name of the candidate for whom he intends to vote.

Rule 49(o) further provides that if an elector decides not to record his vote, a remark will be made by presiding officer on Form 17, and signature of the voter shall also be taken. But this procedure is faulty and outdated, because it does not take into account mode of change of voting to EVM instead of by ballot paper. This procedure is also illegal because by this the identity of the voter who decides not to vote will be disclosed thus violating the fundamental right of voting in secrecy.

Realizing this anomaly and lacuna the Election Commission of India as far back as 2001 and ever since has been writing to the Central Government to make necessary modification in the rules by providing a slot of NOTA in E.V.M. Finding the inaction of the Government, Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), filed a writ petition in 2004 in the Supreme Court asking for direction to the Central government to suitably amend Rule 49 (0). The writ petition was heard by a two judge Bench which referred it to a larger Bench in 2009 – because of the congestion in the Supreme Court, the matter has not yet come up for hearing.

But notwithstanding the pendency, in law there is no prohibition to make the necessary change by amending rule 49(o) by providing “NOTA”.

I believe that by introduction of NOTA in E.V.M. a radical change will be brought about in political arena. At present the voter is treated as dumb driven cattle that must choose one, even if he finds all of them to be thoroughly undesirable. A voter at present has no role in selecting the candidate, as in U.S.A. Primaries and even in Britain by constituency members. Here selection of a candidate is done by a small cabal of party leaders and in some parties even by one or two so called super leaders. The provision of NOTA voting will make a sea change in the power equation in favour

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of the small voter as against the monster of a big political party. Such a provision will enable the voter to exercise his right in secrecy and to send a message of his anger at the unsuitability of contesting candidates and their political mentors.

It is not as if at present many voters will not like to record their disapprobation of the contesting candidates but they are afraid to do so because of the unholy alliance of mafia crowd with many of the contesting candidates. But NOTA being available in the voting machine, the voter will be able to speak his mind without fear and thus defeat politicalisation of criminals.

At the present, when voters feel disgusted at the nomination of undesirable candidates, they just sit at home and sulk, but are not able to convey their resentment effectually. But in the changed position the voter will be assured of secrecy and will exercise his right which will send a strong message to the smug political bosses against their manipulation and force them to listen to the small man/woman who in fact have the power with his/her little finger on the button to decide the fate of so called tallest of them.

Thus NOTA can be effectuated immediately by the Central Government by amending the rule, provided it is genuinely concerned with clean polities. The principles justifying NOTA are self evident, namely; (A) All legitimate consent requires the ability to withhold consent; (B) Would end the farce where voters are often forced to vote for the least unacceptable candidate, the all too familiar “lesser evil.”

(C) Voters would decide the fate of the political parties’ choices, instead of the parties deciding the voters’ choices.

(D) Many voters and non voters, who now register their disapproval of all candidates for an office by not voting, could cast a meaningful vote.

(E) Improves checks and balances between voters and political parties.

In any election when “NOTA” will be put on EVM, the list of candidates would be followed by the button of “NOTA”. If NOTA gets more votes than any of the candidates, then no one is declared elected, instead, a follow-up by-election with new candidates, old being ineligible, would be held to fill the seat, until a candidate wins a plurality of votes among all other candidates including “NOTA”.

NOTA have many thoughtful advocates in various countries in the world including the most well known Ralph Nader, the consumer activist. U.S.A. Australia, Norway and other countries have a very strong constituency favouring NOTA. Of course legislation would need to be enacted to provide that if NOTA votes exceed the maximum cast for the highest vote getting candidate, the election will be countermanded and a fresh election ordered. This change will be warning to the political parties that decision about the choice of candidate is not the sole prerogative of a clique within the party. It must involve the voters at the initial stage of selection. A wrong choice will result in fresh elections.

I feel the Central Government can redeem its self damaging conduct during Anna Hazare Fast (as even some of the Ministers have said it openly) by immediately amending Rule 49(o), as demanded by Election Commission since 2001 and by providing a slot of NOTA in the voting machine straight away for all future elections, thus recognizing the supremacy of the voters.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ARTICLES BEYOND 1500-2000 WORDS: Dear Friends, Also, inform me whether they have been published elsewhere. And, please try to email them at rheditor@gmail.com instead of sending them by post. You may post them (only if email is not possible) at C-8 Defence Colony, Meerut, 250001, U.P., India. Do also email your passport size photographs as separate attachments (in JPG format) as well as your small introduction, if you are contributing for the first time. Please feel free to contact me at 91-9719333011 for any other querry.—Rekha Saraswat

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IRHA/IRI Members’ Section: I

Musini Narayana: Unique Radical Humanist in Telengana

Nizam’s rule in former Hyderabad Under state no freedom is allowed to citizens until the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956.

While Radical Humanist movement was vigorously campaigned for human values in Andhra area, the neighboring Telengana area was denied all such golden opportunities.

At such critical juncture Mr. Musini Narayana from Telangana came into contact with Radical Humanists in Andhra and particularly the writings of M.N. Roy. He was deeply impressed with Radical thought which he adopted his life mission.

Narayana Musini Born (1929) in a weavers community family at Janampet, Mahaboob Nagar district, Andhra Pradesh. Narayana studied up to post graduation.

His father Mr. Sivaiah was Ayurveda practitioner while his mother Venkamma was simple house wife.

Mr. Narayana joined government service in revenue department as Tahslidar.

Simultaneously Narayana came in touch with Radical Humanist movement in Andhra and with the literature of Radical Humanism, especially the writings of M.N. Roy. From the day he joined government duty, Narayana started propagating the ideas of Radical Humanism to villagers, teachers and students. He always 27

carried latest issue of Radical Humanist magazine and monographs of Radical literature.

Narayana was mainly attracted to the ideas of decentralization, power to people, recall of elected representatives, and education as power and so on.

Narayana took the help of school teachers to spread the Radical Humanist philosophy in a practical way.

Mr. Narayana participated in several study camps, meetings, conferences of Radical Humanism held in Andhra area and thus came closer to Mr. Avula Gopalakrishna Murthy, Mr. M.V. Ramamurthy, Mr. Avula Sambasivarao, Mr. N. Innaiah and others.

While doing government duty, Mr. Narayana encountered several hurdles for his straightforward approach and radical ideas.

He had an encounter with Jalagam Vengalarao for the same reason.

As Block development officer in Kallur, Khamma district where Mr. Jalagam Vengalarao was a powerful local congress leader, Mr. Narayana was appreciated very much. But when personal favoritism came up, Vengalarao was angry since Narayana did not favor any nepotism of Vengalarao. His brother Kondalarao was local leader who sought favour but Narayana did not support. As a result Narayana was shunted to a corner place in the state-Srikakulam district.

While facing higher authorities he again faced similar kind of discrimination.

Mr. Nukala Ramachandra Reddy was revenue minister in Andhra Pradesh who appointed Mr. Narayana for enquiry into land grabbing cases. In due course Mr. Narayana had to give notice to Mr. M.T. Raju, who was then chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh. Instead of appreciating the approach of Narayana, he was again transferred!

Narayana did not budge.

He did service as Block development officer, as revenue officer; as special officer in Printing press in Kurnool; as training officer for village officers

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called patwaris and Patels; and finally retired as special deputy collector in Hyderabad revenue board.

While participating in Radical Humanist meetings, Narayana used to raise many doubts and put legitimate questions for clarification. He was friendly to poor and down trodden and helped them as far as possible.

He raised his children in secular way. His daughter Suvarna got married to Mr. Vijaya Kumar, bank officer. The marriage was performed in secular way where Mr. N. Innaiah participated as special guest.

Narayana named his last son after M.N. Roy. Now Mr. Manavendra lives in Ottowa, Canada.

Mr. Ravi Prakash, another son followed the foot steps of Narayana in developing the Junior college teachers association. He is now living in Atlanta, USA. Dr. Raghuramulu, the brother in law of Narayana retired from Nutrition labs in Hyderabad who followed the scientific approach of Mr. Narayana.

Mr. Raghuramulu ceremoniously participated in secular training camps.

Narayan died in 2003. He always lived a simple but honest radical humanist life.

The specialty of Narayana was his rise as a Radical Humanist in Telengana, which is a historical and memorable feat.

II

Remembering a Veteran Radical Humanist - Guttikonda Narahari profile (1920-1986)

Narahari was born in Guttikonda Yelavarru, Tenali Tq, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. His parents were Mr. Anjaneyulu and Ms. Raghavamma. He had his elementary education in Turumella School under Dakshinamurthy, Head Master. Yelavarthi Rosaiah and Mallampati Madhusudhana Prasad were his colleagues.

He married Sarojini (1944-45 April) who hailed from Gudavalli, Repalle Tq. It was a registered wedding which was in vogue during pre independence days.

He completed graduation from Andhra Christian College, Guntur. Later in 1930s he worked as P.A. to Professor N.G. Ranga and traveled along with him to Burma.

1940 onwards he worked in Radical Democratic Party, and remained its state secretary for some years. He was a virulent propagandist for M.N. Roy’s Humanist ideas. He acted as teacher in study camps and training classes of Radical Democratic Party.

He attacked Congress and Communist parties and their ideology during 1940s. During 1946 elections he was election campaigner for RDP and he toured the entire state. Mr. Tripuraneni Gopichand, Mr. P.V. Subbarao toured along with him. He pleaded that youth should resign and jump into freedom fight.

He was a pamphleteer and a good draftsman.

He participated in study camps conducted at all India level by M.N. Roy and Ellen Roy in Dehradun, Kolkata, Mussorie, and Delhi. He continued to attend the camps even after the death of Roy until his last days.

He was a close friend of Kotta Raghuramaiah in early 1950s. He started tobacco business, and lost heavily. While indulging in tobacco business he was active in tours abroad to get orders for tobacco.

He covered Far East, European countries and got orders of tobacco export. That included Soviet Union, Japan, China, Czechoslovakia, Britain etc.

These tours took place during 1954-1964. While

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organizing conferences of tobacco merchants, Mr. Narahari gave speeches and contributed articles in the souvenirs on tobacco industry.

During 1952 first general elections, he started a political party called Kshatra Dharma Parishad.

He contested from Guntur to Lok Sabha but lost the elections and his party is gone.

Later he studied law and enrolled in Andhra Pradesh High Court, and practiced for sometime in High Court at Hyderabad. He was associated with Mr. N.K. Acharya, another rationalist advocate in Hyderabad.

Mr. Narahari was a close friend of Mr. Avula Gopalakrishna Murty, Mr. Alapati Ravindranath, Mr. Koganti Radhakrishna Murty, Mr. M.V. Ramamurthy, Bachina Subbarao, Mr. N.V. Brahmam, Mr. Ravipudi Venkatadri, Mr. Koganti

Radhakrishna Murty, and Mr. Subrahmanyam Koganti.

On the request of late Narla Venkateswararao, Editor Andhra Prabha, he sent the literature of M.N. Roy to him in 1955.

He was a powerful speaker in English and Telugu.

He was a close friend of Mr. T.S. Paulus, Principal of Andhra Christian College, Guntur. He campaigned for him during elections in favor of Paulus.

He died on 27 March, 1986 in Hyderabad. During last days stayed with his brother Lakshminarayana for sometime in Repalle.

Narahari used to argue that Man is not only essentially rational but also have other essential qualities. He was influenced by Roy’s Philosophy and Science.

Sent by —Innaiah Narisetti

Stop Forced Amputations, Now! The Institute for Science and Human Values, founded by Prof Paul Kurtz, joins with the Nigerian Humanist Movement in condemning a Nigerian sharia (Islamic law) court’s ruling that two young men are to be punished with amputation.

A Muslim court in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara has ruled that Auwalu Abubaka, 23, and Lawalli Musa 22, must have their right wrists cut off in public for stealing a bull. The punishment is scheduled to be carried out on October 8, 2011. However, the two men have the right to appeal the sentence.

Amputation is cruel and unusual punishment. Even judges in sharia courts in Nigeria and other nations are reluctant to impose it. The international community rightfully expresses horror and disdain whenever this kind of punishment is proposed.

There is a tendency on the part of many to retreat into cultural relativism, or the notion that each culture has the right to its own practices, no matter how detrimental they might be to individuals and societies.

However, most national governments today, at least in theory, recognize the need to defend human rights for all citizens of the world.

Though Nigeria has a secular constitution, there are 12 sharia states in the northern, predominantly Muslim, part of the country. Recognition of these states by the national government continues to be a major challenge to national unity and human rights.

Freedom loving people of conscience must oppose the merging of religion and state. A great first step in doing so is to oppose the sentence of amputation for these two Nigerian men. It is time to sweep cruel and unusual punishment into the dustbin of human history. http://www.instituteforscienceandhumanvalues.net/articles/Forced_Amputations.htm

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Mahi Pal Singh

PUCL: Its History of Struggle in Fighting the Structures Continued from the previous issue......... he PUCL Bulletin and Fact-finding Reports: The PUCL also started publication of the ‘PUCL Bulletin’ in 1980, which publishes fact-finding reports on custodial deaths, fake encounters, and atrocities on Scheduled Castes/Tribes, communal violence and cases of gross human rights violation received from the State Branches, the most prominent among them being the fact finding reports on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 (During October 31 to November 3, 1984 there were large scale killings of Sikhs in the wake of assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In Delhi a joint team of People’s Union for Civil Liberties and People’s Union of Democratic Rights published a report titled ‘Who are the guilty?’ after detailed investigation and collection of evidence.), on the anti-Sikh flare up in Bidar, Karnataka, on communal riots in Hashimpura, Meerut in May 1987 by a PUCL team consisting of Justice Rajinder Sachar, I. K. Gujaral, A.M. Khusro, and Dalip Swami, a comprehensive report on the situation in Kashmir by Justice V.M. Tarkunde, Justice Rajindar Sachar, Prof. Amrik Singh, Inder Mohan, N.D. Pancholi, and others.

The demolition of Babri masjid in 1992 and the subsequent anti-Muslim violence at a number of places including Mumbai, State sponsored anti-Muslim Gujarat riots of 2002 and the anti-Christian riots of Kandhmal perpetrated by the Hindutva forces engaged the attention of the PUCL and various fact-finding reports on these riots were

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published in the Bulletin. It published a detailed report on the Hindutva Parivar’s war against the Christian minority entitled ‘Crossed and Crucified’

by PUCL Bhubneshwar & Kashipur Solidarity Group, Delhi. The Bulletin also carries press statements on incidents of human rights violation, which happen all over the country. Articles on various human rights issues by prominent writers and leaders of human rights movement are also published in it. Because of the authentic material published in the Bulletin, research scholars make use of its material for their research work.

Editorials written by (Justice) V.M. Tarkunde, Dr. Y.P. Chhibbar, (Justice) Rajindar Sachar, Dr. R.M. Pal, K.G. Kannabiran, Dr. George Mathew, Prof.

Prabhakar Sinha and others have been providing insight into various issues of human rights and democratic governance and clarifying the stand of the PUCL on these issues. The PUCL had instituted an annual ‘Human Rights Journalist award of the year’ for the best work done by a journalist for the promotion and protection of civil liberties and human rights, which carried a citation, and a cash award of Rs. 20,000/-. It has however been discontinued for paucity of funds. An annual JP Memorial Lecture on March 23rd by a prominent speaker continues to be the organization’s regular feature. An annual lecture in memory of Justice V.M. Tarkunde has also been started in collaboration with The Tarkunde Memorial Foundation on 3rd September. The text of both the lectures is published in the PUCL Bulletin.

Besides, many law students from Law Institutes from all over the country come to the PUCL office every year as interns to get their first experience in research work. Some of their best research papers are published in the Bulletin. In July 1994 PUCL was awarded the first M.A. Thomas Human Rights Award instituted by the Vigil India movement for its extraordinary work for the propagation and protection of civil liberties and human rights of the people.

PUCL and the role of the Radical Humanists: The PUCL has been led by leading radical

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humanists from its very inception. Being the followers of M.N. Roy, the revolutionary freedom fighter, philosopher and intellectual, who was a strong votary of the democratic freedoms of the individual and participatory grassroots democracy for the empowerment and emancipation of the people whom he considered the sole source of the sovereign power of the State, the PUCL in its attempt to fight against the dictatorial Emergency regime of Indira Gandhi in order to defend the civil liberties of the people was the fraternal and natural ally of the radical humanists. That was the reason why Jayaprakash Narayan asked Justice V.M. Tarkunde, the leading light among the radical humanists committed to the defense of democratic freedoms, to head the PUCLDR in 1976 and he was the natural choice as the President of the PUCL when it was formed in 1980. Besides him, there were hundreds of radical humanists who joined the PUCL and many have played an important role in the organization. C.R. Dalvi has been active in Mumbai. M.A. Rane not only filed many Habeas Corpus petitions in the Bombay High Court for the release of those detained during the Emergency, but also served the Mumbai Branch of the PUCL for a long time and was its Secretary till his death on 24 July 2008 apart from being the President of the Mumbai Branch of the Indian Radical Humanist Association. Apart from being the Secretary of the Indian Renaissance Institute, which was founded

primarily as a research and publication institute with the purpose of development of the Renaissance Movement and is the parent body of the Indian Radical Humanist Association, N.D. Pancholi has been a founding member of the organization and has participated in many important fact-finding enquiries. He has also been a Vice-President of the Delhi PUCL along with Fr. T.K. John, Dr. Anup Saraya etc. and he was elected as the President of the Delhi PUCL in December 2010. A close associate of M.N. Roy and well-known Royist ideologue and thinker, Dr. R.M. Pal has been a President of the Delhi PUCL. He also edited the PUCL Bulletin for a long time from March 1984 to September 2010. He has led the movement for free and compulsory education as a Fundamental Right through his editorials besides writing very strongly against communalism and societal violation of human rights of the Dalits. Among the younger generation, Gautam Thaker, General Secretary, Gujarat PUCL, has been amongst the leaders of the civil liberties movement in the State besides being the President of the Gujarat Branch of the Radical Humanist Association and Mahipal Singh, also the President of the Delhi Branch of the IRHA, served the Delhi PUCL first as its Treasurer and for more than five years as its General Secretary. He was elected as the PUCL’s National Secretary at its Ranchi Convention in 2009. He is also the Editor of the PUCL Bulletin.

Contd.......................

Letter to the Editor: About Name Change Dear Rekhaji, This is in reference to the letter dated 23.8.2011 of Mr.Vishu Bhai of Baroda, published in the RH of September 2011. He has suggested that in the present scenario of global life time it is better to change the name of ‘Radical Humanist’ to ‘Rational Humanist’. I respectfully beg to differ. The word ‘Radical’ has a definite meaning for the movement. Trying to bring about revolutionary changes at the root, that is, in the minds of the people; in their ideas and thinking process. It stands for a materialistic philosphy and for giving a major role to man as the maker of his destiny. One can dwell upon the topic in a full fleged article. I will therefore request Mr Vishu Bhai to reconsider his suggestion. With Regards.

BD Sharma (Chairman, IRI) badridas408@gmail.com

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Teachers’ & Research Scholars’ Section:

Surendra Bhaskar

Right To Education Bill: Provisions And Shortcomings the wisest of the entire animal on Mantheisearth by his mental abilities. Thus forth basic need of a human being apart from food, shelter and clothing is education. As the modern world is completely propelled by the knowledge acquired by all means, education has become the main agenda of all the countries. Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skill and value from one generation to another.

According to an estimate at present there are 19 million children in the age group of 6-14 years of age out of that 8 million do not go to school and dropout rate by class is 25 percent. Illiteracy has been identified as the basic root of all the social evils prevailed in the society. No country develops fully without providing education to its citizen. By keeping this in mind, government made some constitutional provisions to ensure education for all. This historic landmark came in the existence from April 1, 2010.

India has always suffered by the exploitation of foreign rulers and result of this they remained poor and illiterate. Education was the main point for

development and empowerment of the society before the Independent India. Finally, after 60 years of independence our country has formally committed to provide free and compulsory education to all its children aged 6 to 14 years of age. The right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009 is passed in 2010 by an Act in Parliament. Though it was already mentioned in our Constitution to provide education to its entire citizen but it is legally bounded for state. Article 21-A of the constitution has been amended by 86th amendment in constitution which now says “The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen in such a manner as the state may, by law, determine.” The salient features of the Free and Compulsory Education Bill are as follow1.The Bill makes it incumbent on all the states to provide free and compulsory elementary education to children of the age of six to fourteen.

2.For elementary education from class one to fifth school should be situated within a walking distance of one kilometer.

3.No child can be put through any kind of examination. Means all students will clear their class every year in the specified age group.

4.There will be no entrance exams for children and screening of parents for admission. Nobody will be denied for admission and even no birth certificate and transfer certificate is required for this process.

5.No child can be expelled from school and harassed either. This Bill makes corporal punishment unlawful.

6.No capitation fee can be charged from the students. If State gets the complaint of such a fine up to ten times the amount collected will be attract.

The Bill also provides the legal authority to withdraw the recognition if school fails to fulfill all laid down norms.

7.All the school will have to adhere to some common minimum standards such as the facilities of drinking water, play grounds, library and toilets.

8.For the first time teacher – student ratio is more

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emphasized which made 1:40. The Bill also assures that no non-teaching work should be given to them.

Schools have to recruit trained teacher and all untrained teachers have to upgrade themselves in next five years. This Bill also states that no teacher shall engage himself in private teaching.

9.Quality of the school also ensured in which they have to provide basic facilities, School management committee to have fifty percent of women members and minimum 75 percent parents will constitute management committees.

10. 25 per cent of seats in every private school will be reserved for poor and disadvantaged group of people.

11. The Bill mandates that it shall be the duty of every parent to admit his child to a neighborhood school.

12. This Bill clearly says that the National and State Commissions for the Protection of Child right would monitor the effective implementation of the measures in the Act and inquire into complaints.

13. The provisions of the Bill also say that the Center and State Government would have concurrent responsibility for providing funds for its legislation.

14. It is expected that the implementation of this Bill will cost 12,000 crore annually and Rs.2 lakh crore over the next five years.

This bill has covered many things which are as of now not discussed at any suitable platform. But ground realities are still far away from what we actually see in papers. Hardly any private school accepted it in true sense. Following are some shortcomings of the Bill:1.This Bill is only cover the children group of six to fourteen years of age leaving away the cold children aged fourteen to eighteen who are also minor.

2.This Bill not defines the word ‘free education’.

What does it mean? Free books, uniform or any other things.

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3.Bill is also silent on the children below six years of age who are the primary target of the private school for play classes. It does not mention any age limit for the admission of class one.

4.The Bill is not able to describe which is neighboring school a government or a private in case where both are situated.

5.It is also putting a doubt on minority institutions which are not exempted from reservation.

6.In a big lacuna this bill kept mum on the fate of children on reaching of fifteen year of age when they face examination system all of sudden.

7.In another big hole this Bill does not state the legal consequence of parents not following their duty nor does it address or even touch the issues due to which parents fail to admit their children to school.

8.This plan is short of the funds. It admitted by HRD Ministry that estimated shortfall is about 60,000 crore for the first five years. The government estimates that it will require Rs. 1.71 lakh crore for implementation of the RTE Act over the next five years. The Financial Commission has released Rs. 13,000 crore to the states to kick start the implementation process, and the ministry is in process of getting a 65:35/75:25 Centre- state fund.

9.In a countrywide estimate drawn up by the ministry of HRM show that of 13.3 new teachers who need to be inducted over the next three years to provide education to every child between the ages of six to fourteen years.UP has to take at least 3.9 lakh followed by Bihar and west Bengal 2.2 and one lakh respectively. These states are also lacking in required class rooms for the students. They have not given due attention to education over the years.

The negligence has led to a pile-up of teacher vacancies and worsened schools infrastructures. In contrast, states like Tamilnadu, Maharastra and AndhraPradesh are more educationally enlightened Conclusion: The enforcement of this right has a very symbolic and historic value, because it is a step ahead in the country-long struggle for universalizing the

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elementary education. This Act will definitely prove the success if it is implemented properly. It is law that can change country’s future provided it is implemented in letters and spirit by one of all.

Government needs to launch a massive awareness campaign programme. The parents of the children must be made aware of the Act and advantage of it.

As far fund is concerned, government expects that

8-8.5 percent growth in 2011 will take care of its financial resources to a larger extent.

Dr. Surendra Bhaskar hails from Sikar district of Rajasthan. He is Ph.D. in Sociology from Jai Narayan Vyas University Jodhpur. He is a social worker and providing service to rural area through a NGO named ‘Saviour Education Welfare & Awareness Samiti’.

Appeal to Parliament to Abolish Death Penalty In the wake of ongoing controversy on the justification of death penalty, it is high time that Parliament takes appropriate steps to abolish such provision from our statue books. The provision of Death Penalty had been introduced by the British in the Indian Penal Code in 1860 but the same has itself been abolished by the British from their own statue books- being incompatible with the values of a civilized society, as done by large number of other countries.

Judgments of the courts are not always correct. Supreme Court itself has stated that its judgments are correct not because they always may be correct but because they are final. Recognizing ‘the fallibility of human judgment being undeniable even in the most trained mind’ the five judges bench of the Supreme Court in the matter of ‘Kehar Singh & another Vs. Union of India and others’ as reported in AIR 1989 SC 653, while examining powers of the President and Governors under article 72 and 161 of the Constitution of India, has quoted with approval the following classic exposition of law stated in Ex parte Philip Grossman (1924) 267 US 87: 69 Law ed 527:“Executive clemency exists to afford relief from undue harshness or evident mistake in the operation or the enforcement of the criminal law. The administration of justice by the courts is not necessarily always wise or certainly considerate of circumstances which may properly mitigate guilt. To afford a remedy, it has always been thought essential in popular governments, as well as in monarchies, to vest in some other authority than the courts power to ameliorate or avoid particular criminal judgments…….”

Thus in a situation where Supreme Court itself has given due consideration to the fact that courts judgments may not necessarily be always correct, to deprive a person of his life would be nothing short of a barbarous act.

The people of India, including the Government of India, have appealed to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds to commute death sentence of an Indian, namely Sarabjit Singh, facing the death penalty in that country. Can we make such an appeal when we are blind to such appeals within our own country?

We, therefore, on behalf of PUCL appeal to the members of Parliament to take immediate appropriate steps to abolish the provisions of death penalty from our statue books.

N.D. Pancholi, President, PUCL (Delhi unit)

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Book Review Section:

Dipavali Sen [Ms. Dipavali Sen has been a student of Delhi

School of Economics and Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Pune). She has taught at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, and various colleges of Delhi University. She is, at present, teaching at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Delhi University. She is a prolific writer and has written creative pieces and articles for children as well as adults, both in English and Bengali. Dipavali@gmail.com]

A Human Portraiture [Indira Priyadarshini, by Manorama Jafa,

illustrated by Bodhraj, published by Khaas Kitab Foundation, 2011, paperback, pp 60, price Rs 99] I was a child of about eight or nine, When ‘Chacha’ Nehru was a living, moving figure, appearing on the daily newspapers and addressing the nation occasionally on the radio. His daughter’s figure too was familiar but as a thin shadow of his. By the time I was emerging out of my teens, it was Emergency and Indira Gandhi had become a single potent force in the entire country.

In between I had grown and so had Indira Gandhi’s stature.

But there was no book available to me – or the children growing up in those times – about her

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process of growing up. Children in those times did not get to know her.

So I was delighted to lay my hands on this slim but informative book telling the children of today what Indira Priyadarshini was like.

Indira was born in November 1917, soon after the October Revolution and the birth of the U.S.S.R. It was Motilal Nehru who named her Indira after his own mother and Jawaharlal Nehru who named her Priyadarshini.

The book provides bits of information that make her come across as a very human figure. One gets to know various lively details. Some instances: ‘Indu’ as a child was fond of sweets. So her grandmother, whom she called ‘Dolima’, kept a separate cupboard of sweets, just for her.

One day ‘Dadu’, that is, Motilal Nehru announced that all foreign-made clothes in the household should be collected on the terrace of Anand Bhavan, Allahabad. Indu found a lovely, soft pile and rolled on them playfully. Next morning she went to do the same and found a pile of ashes.

Sometime later, the police came and took Motilal and Jawaharlal away to prison. Indu cried. Another day, the police came and took carpets and other expensive things away. This time Indu caught hold of one of the policemen and tried to bite him!

At six, Indu started going to school. A teacher gave her a beating that she felt was only because her father was a freedom-fighter. Indu stopped going to school.

At the age of eight, Indu had a brother, but lost him within two days. Then came her mother’s illness and hospitalization in Geneva, and her own visit to Europe. …..and so the details go on … to Feroze Gandhi bringing her sweets, and she getting him guavas, Rajiv and Sanjay having bears and tigers as pets at Teen Murti House, Jawaharlal Nehru’s aging, and later and better-known phases of Indira’s own life – ending climatically on 31 October 1984.

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Thus this book provides lots of information that would capture children’s interest. Some of it has been gleaned from original material preserved in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. What is more, the information is presented in clear and unpretentious language.

Indira Gandhi had a very unusual life. To summarize it without loss of nuances is next to impossible, and yet this book does it.

But then it is Mrs Manorama Jafa who is its author.

Mrs Jafa is an internationally acclaimed children’s writer and the author of about eighty books and over eight hundred stories for children. She has held several workshops for aspiring writers, in and abroad. She has built up a unique organization, the Association of Writers and Illustrators, and presides over another; the Khaas Kitaab Foundation dedicated to the publishing of books for children with special needs. It is not often that creative talent combines with administrative. But it

does so in Mrs Jafa.

The creation of her magic pen has been enhanced by the deft pencil sketches of illustrator Bodhraj.

Reproducing photographs (some of them well-known to the public) faithfully, right down to the facial expressions, he supplements the text superbly.

The AWIC has a system of evaluating children’s books through children themselves. This book has won that AWIC Children’s Choice Award.

Children have chosen it to be a book they appreciate.

For, this book portrays Indira Gandhi as a person rather than a phenomenon, a human being rather than a political leader. It may create in children a new, understanding of political leaders, so that they learn to perceive the human face of those in (and out) of power.

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Humanist News Section: I

Minutes of IRI General Body Meeting Held on 20th & 21st August 2011 (A) eetings of the General Body of Indian Renaissance Institute were held on 20th st & 21 August 2011 at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi.

Following members participated in the same: Shri. B.D. Sharma—Chairman Shri. N.D. Pancholi—Secretary Shri. Narottam Vyas—Treasurer Shri. Gautam Thakkar—Life Trustee Smt. Rekha Saraswat—Life Trustee Shri. Vinod Jain—Life Trustee Shri. Vikramjeet—Co-opted Trustee Shri. Subhankar Ray—Member Mohd. Nazimuddin—Member Shri. Deepak Kumar—Member Shri. Mahipal Singh—Member Smt. Deepshikha Bhartya—Member Smt. Amita Sharma—Member Shri. Abdus Samad Gayen—Member Shri. Kishan Kumar—Member Shri. Bhaskar Sur—Member Shri B.D. Sharma presided over the meeting.

At the start of the meeting, members observed a two minutes’ silence in condolence for the following departed members: · Prof. Amlan Dutta · Shri. G.R. Dalvi · Shri. Ugam Raj Mohnot Agenda: Item 1 - Confirmation of the minutes of the meeting of the last General Body Meeting of the

M

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Indian Renaissance Institute held on 27th June, 2010.

Shri. N.D. Pancholi, Secretary, read out the minutes of the last General Body Meeting of IRI held on 27th June 2010 at Delhi. The same were confirmed.

Item 2 - Presentation and consideration of the Secretary’s report.

Shri. N.D. Pancholi, Secretary IRI, presented his report and the same was approved.

Item 3 - Status of Court Case regarding 13, Mohini Road, pending at Dehradun and Uttaranchal High Court.

Shri N.D. Pancholi, Secretary informed about the status of the Court Case pending at Uttaranchal High Court regarding 13, Mohini Road, Dehradun.

It was informed that Shri. Aseem Puri grandson of Late Shri S.N. Puri, who had been substituted in place of Shri. S.N. Puri, also died in the month of June 2010 and thereafter none of his successors filed any application for substitution in spite of repeated adjournments. Ultimately on 8th March 2011 the case came up for hearing in the court but nobody appeared on behalf of appellants and the appeal of Late Shri. S.N. Puri was dismissed by the court. Thereafter Shri Virender Kumar Puri S/o Late Shri S.N. Puri has filed an application in the month of May 2011 to implead himself in place of his son late Shri Aseem Puri. Reply has been filed on behalf of the Indian Renaissance Institute and the said application is pending decision.

Item 4 - The publication of the Radical Humanist and how to make it financially viable and fruitful for the Radical Humanist movement.

It was decided that members would make efforts to enroll more subscribers and would try to raise donations for the Journal in order to make it financially viable.

Item 5 - Publication of the Humanist literature and M.N. Roy’s Selected Works, especially Vth Volume of Selected Works. i) Shri. N.D. Pancholi informed that manuscript of the Vth Volume of the Selected Works had been

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received by him from Kolkata. It was further informed that large parts of the manuscript were handwritten with many short notes. Many parts of the same were manually typed with lot of overwriting due to corrections and cuttings. He told the house that the manuscript had six files spreading over to around 1400 pages and required prior arrangement before being given for electronic typing. It was decided that Shri N.D. Pancholi would get both these things done – proper arrangement of the papers, and computer-typing of the whole manuscript after making due corrections.

Shri N.D. Pancholi would also check the related material and the footnotes to ensure that the work is completed without any mistake.

Shri Gautam Thakar and Shri Vinod Jain suggested that Shri Jayanti Patel may be approached to review the manuscript and both would help Shri Jayanti Patel in this regard. It was decided that Shri Gautam Thakar would contact Shri Jayanti Patel to know whether he would be able to undertake the task. ii) It was decided that a complete list of books written by M.N. Roy would be prepared and their availability would also be ascertained. It was decided that the members would submit necessary information in this regard to the Secretary. iii) It was further decided that a brochure containing the formation, aims and objectives and past activities of the Institute would be published. It was decided that Shri Gautam Thakar would prepare a draft of such a voucher which will be finalized by the President and Secretary.

Item 6 - Transfer of account of IRI Mumbai branch to Delhi.

It was decided that Mumbai office should be approached in this regard i.e. to transfer funds of IRI and RH to Delhi office. Shri Gautam Thakar offered his assistance that he would visit Mumbai office and would make efforts for transfer of the IRI and RH funds to Delhi. His suggestion was approved.

Item 7 - Other programs and activities of the Indian Renaissance Institute.

i) It was decided that the year starting from 21st March 2012 to 20th March 2013 should be celebrated as the 125th Birth Anniversary Year of M.N. Roy. Following names were suggested for inviting eminent persons to deliver ‘M.N. Roy Memorial Lecture – 2012’: (a) Prof. Amartya Sen (b) Lord Bhikhu Parekh ii) It was further decided that seminars, study camps and public meetings should be held during this Birth Anniversary Year in various parts of India. iii) Accounts of the IRI for the year 31st March 2001 were presented and the same were approved.

Item 8 - Election of Trustees.

Following members were elected as elected trustees: 1.Shri. Narottam Vyas 2.Shri. Ajit Bhattacharya 3. Shri. Manoj Datta 4.Shri. Niranjan Haldar 5.Shri. N. Innaiah 6.Shri. Ancha Bappa Rao 7.Shri. Bhaskar sur No other issue was discussed. Meeting ended with thanks to the chair.

(B) Meeting of the newly elected trustees: 21st August, 2011 Immediately after the General Body meeting, the meeting of the trustees was held in which following persons participated.

1.Shri B.D. Sharma …….

Life Trustee 2.Shri. N.D. Pancholi ……… Life Trustee 3.Dr. Rekha Sarswat ……….. Life Trustee 4.Shri. Gautam Thaker………… Life Trustee 5.Shri. Vinod Jain………………Life Trustee 6.Shri. Bhaskar Sur……………. Elected Trustee 7.Shri. Niranjan Haldar……… Elected Trustee

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8.Shri. Narottam Vyas……

Elected Trustee 10. Shri. Subhankar Ray……… Invitee 11. Shri. Vikramjeet Sikand…… Invitee Shri B.D. Sharma presided over the meeting.

Following decisions were taken: (a) Shri Jayanti Patel and Shri Subhankar Ray were elected as Life Trustees. (b) Following Office bearers were elected: (i) President: Shri. B.D. Sharma (ii) Secretary: Shri. N.D. Pancholi (iii) Treasurer: Shri. Narottam Vyas (c) Following members were elected as co-opted trustees:

(i) Shri Vikramjeet Sikand (ii) Shri S.C. Jain Meeting ended with thanks to the chair.

Humanist News II

Radical Humanists provide help and support in Kerala Rationalists’ Meet Meduri Sathyanarayana, General Mr.Secretary, Rationalist Association of India inaugurated the two day annual conference of Bharathiya Yukthivadi Samgham on14th August 2011 at Charvakapuri (Kollam Public Library Hall, Quilon, Kerala). In his speech which got wide publicity in the mainline media, he observed that adherence to religious scriptures written centuries back was retarding the society. Boundaries set by the limited nature of knowledge contained in such scriptures hamper the growth stifling the human being. We have millions of believers in India.

Babas and Ammas are exploiting the believers extorting their wealth. It is dangerous that political parties extend help and support to these forces, he warned. Man understands nature, events and phenomena by the aid of science and technology.

The role and significance of rationalism are being 39

felt day by day. In order to bring about the necessary transformation in society, the individual has to undergo basic change. He added that certain trends prevailing in our society are not conducive to the welfare of human beings.

Mr. Abdul Ali K.K. (President, Bharathiya Yukthivadi Samgham) presided over the session.

Mr. Sudan Jotting, Chief Guest of the session delivered a short but beautiful speech. Other speakers included Mr. Sreeni Pattathanam (Gen. Sec., BYS), Dr. V. Nehru (President, Tamilnadu Rationalist Forum), Mr. G. Veeranna (President, Andhra Pradesh Rationalist Association), Mr. CLN Gandhi (Treasurer, RAI), Mr. T. Parameswaran, Mr. P.T. Varghese, and Mr. P. Sivan etc.

Mr. CLN Gandhi inaugurated the Seminar on ‘Resurgence of Casteism and Necessity of Reservation for the Casteless. Mr. Sudan Jotting inviting attention to the fact that the reservation policies have strayed far away from the genuine objectives, stated that the idea has to be done away with.

Social activist Mrs. Nafeesa Syed Alavi inaugurated the seminar on ‘Religious Fundamentalism and Humanist Values’. She was emphatic in suggesting that religions have always obstructed endeavors aiming at women’s’ freedom.

Mr. Abdulla Meppayur presided. He briefly touched upon rituals, fundamentalism and terrorism and stressed the need to strengthen rationalist activism. Mr. Syed Muhammad Aanakkayam presented the theme of the session.

He drew attention to the Mappila rebellion of 1921 and pointed to the fact that even some Muslim scholars could not approve the Khilafat movement.

Religions speak mostly about the other world and not about the human individual or his problems on this earth. They remain and act as anti-democratic forces in the modern world. Mr. Vutla Renganayakulu (Gen. Secretary, APRA) was a prominent speaker in the seminar. Mr. Siddiq Thodupuzha, Prof. Joseph Varghese, Mr. P.V.Basheer and Mr. Raghu Lathoor were the

THE RADICAL HUMANIST

OCTOBER 2011

other speakers. Mr. Rajeev Memunda led the ‘Exposure of Miracles’ show.

On 15th August 2011 (Monday), Mr. Ravichandran (University College, Trivandrum) conducted a Study Class based on Richard Dawkins’ book, ’The Greatest Show on Earth’.

The Study Class by Dr. Anil Kumar (Medical College, Trivandrum) on superstitions, mental health and Psychiatry shed light on superstitious methods of treatment and modern psychiatric approaches. He pointed to the change of life style and stressed the need for giving more care and attention to children by parents and guardians.

Recently, anxiety related ailments are widely diagnosed in children which had, previously, been limited to the older people, he observed. The class attracted several queries from the audience to which he provided necessary explanations.

The discussion on Non-Religious Literature was chaired by Mr. Prabhakaran Elayavoor. The famous Malayalam poet, Kureepuzha Sreekumar inaugurated by reciting some poems of his own.

There was uneasiness and interruption from the audience while some communists and anti-modernists went on admonishing rationalists. Mr. G.R. Indu Gopan, Mr. Nettiadan (Ex- Marthoma priest) and Mr. Sasthamkotta Bhas spoke. Mr. Siddique Thodupuzha helped to bring the discussion to a proper direction and he wound up in a manner that emphasized the rationalist position.

Mr. Meduri Sathyanarayana was requested by the Gen. Sec. of B.Y.S. to deliver a special speech. In his instructive speech, he clarified the meaning and intent of certain terms which were used to create confusion among the Kerala Rationalists by certain vested interests. The explanations given in simple vocabulary were useful for activists as well as sympathizers.

The following were elected as office bearers: President: K.K. Abdul Ali, Kaappaad.

Vice Presidents: T. Parameswaran, Dr. P. Raghavan, Johnson Ayiroor, Syed Mohamed

Aanakkayam, V.V. Prabhakaran, U.P. Abdul Majeed, P.T. Varghese.

General Secretary: Sreeni Pattathanam.

Secretaries: R.K. Malayath, Casteless Junior, P. Sivan, Mani Pezhakkappilli, C.V. Abdul Salam, Bhaskaran Pekkadam.

Treasurer: Adv. Rajendran.

Resolutions: The conference discussed the present state of a petition which was filed by Adv. T.P. Sunder Rajan Iyengar (who passed away recently) which led to the revealing of treasure troves kept secretly in the Padmanabha Swamy temple cellars. An experts’ panel has been appointed with directions to create an inventory of the various items of the property.

The vested interests caused to conduct a ‘Devaprasnam’ by the seers which threatened disaster if any ventured to open the vaults. The conference, taking up the challenge of dire consequences, passed a resolution announcing its readiness to open the ‘B’ chamber (sixth cellar) of the temple if the Supreme Court issues the necessary permission. The court should not accept the position taken by the temple authorities as the astrologers were hoodwinking the public by threatening with doom and disaster, it added.

Another resolution called for removal of caste names from all records and prevention of activities of Casteists and religious organizations. Profession and not caste has to be the criterion for reservations, it suggested.

A further resolution was against describing Kerala as God’s Own Country in advertisements sponsored by the Government departments and agencies.

The attention and publicity by the mainstream media added to the success of the conference.

—Report sent by Abdul Majeed. U.P. Vice President, Bharathiya Yukthivadi Samgham

40

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