“WHO IN THE WORLD Am I?”

That is a big puzzle that confronts us once in a while.

The question does not relate to our standing or relevance in society.

Nor does it search for an identity amid people. Or in the company of living and non-living environments, the universe, and the celestial world.

It is just establishing and developing the authenticity of Self.

It is an earnest attempt to find life under the true Self, personal values rather than assigned by external demands of society.

The exercise involves discarding the false Self that reflects our behaviour as perceived by others. In this exploration, we may see that the self-image created was false or fake to please others.

The authenticity concept arises from the insight that human beings generally live or exist in an inauthentic way.

Social relationships, cultural values, and norms construct an inauthentic Self. The recovery of the authentic Self requires a radical reexamination of cultural contexts, habitual lifestyles, and ways of thinking. It also involves a positive progression of authenticity across time.

Authenticity is a feeling that develops with its persuasive use; being true to Self and seeking what is morally good help create sincere and natural authenticity of Self.

-by Promod Puri

 INTRODUCTION OF GITA STUDY IN SCHOOLS WILL LEAD TO CRAM LEARNING FOR  KIDS:

Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita has become part of school studies in Gujarat starting this year.

Other states in India ruled by the Bhartiya Janta Party are likely to follow the Gujarat lead in instituting Hindu religious beliefs among the students in their early years.

The introduction of 'moral education' through studies in Gita in the educational system as part of the school curriculum affirms the impression that such teachings would make students proud of India's traditions and glorious past.

Hindu nationalism indeed cheers such selective educational entries while overlooking India's secular fundamentals.

However, an equally concerning factor relates to the cognitional levels of kids from grade 6 to 12 as to how they will learn and discern the text in Gita.

Besides its ritualistic practices, Hinduism, where Gita occupies a central stage, needs mature handling in its study, interpretation, and insight.

Hinduism is also a democracy of conflicting, contradicting, and controversial thoughts and theories offered by its various schools of theological orders. Gita is not an exception but a part of such voluminous ideologies and disciplines.

Gita's most known message and compelling theme are Karma, which involves faithfully and sincerely performing our duties and obligations without attachment to results.

"You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 47)

In short, the Gita doctrine affirms only He governs the result or harvest of action or 'karma,' supposedly based on the merits and demerits of the Karm or activity.

Gita belongs to the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism.

In contrast to Gita's message, the Mimamsa school favours an unconditional release of an activity and its outcome from divinity. It rejects the involvement of the Supreme in creating action and its result.

Known for its philosophies based on hermeneutics, meaning critical interpretation, the Mimamsa is a pioneer of Hindu thought of realism and is a forerunner to Vedanta. 

Mimamsa argues that causation, the cause of action, is natural. And it is sufficient to induce the ultimate result. Accordingly, it is a futile exercise to engage divinity to initiate the cause and determine its outcome.

The old Mimamsa school finds common ground and relevancy in contemporary Hindu thought on the concept or the law of Karma. Moreover, it identifies its logical relationship with science. 

Newton's law of motion: Every action leads to a reaction and applies to Karma's law.

When we bring Newton's law or the law of Karma as propagated by the Mimamsa School into the classroom, it generates a conflict with what Gita proclaims. Students study with passion and some positive aims, but Gita poses a gospel uncertainty that arrests their aspirations.

Another critical point regarding the Gita reading by young students relates to the caste system.

While the contemporary Indian society struggles for the "annihilation of caste," Lord Krishna proclaims, "I created the four categories of occupations according to people's qualities and activities. Although I am the Creator of this system, know Me to be the Non-doer and Eternal." (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 13)

We agree that the classification does not base itself on birth. Instead of people's qualities and activities, Gita's dogma gets easily perceived with Manu's birth-based caste divisions. The discriminatory lecturing damages the casteless social order envisioned through the moral education we expect the young students to receive.

Besides, as we move to the rest of the Gita chapters, we find them engaged in profound philosophies covering spiritual subjects, creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe; the flight into the celestial worlds of His multi-facet universal form; life after death, etc.

These chapters constitute many esoteric values that are hard to comprehend for school kids who lack critical enquiries and even for teachers trying to impart studies in Gita.

What will eventually happen with the aim of politically-motivated exploration of India's pride and glorious past through the Gita teaching program is that the students would do the rote learning or memorize the text as they do in most fundamental religious schools.

-Promod Puri

 

 

-Promod ONE BRAVEHEART MUST YIELD AND SURRENDER TO END THE HORRORS OF WAR:

Let him overpower and occupy Ukraine, amass more to his vast kingdom, paint the way he paints his 'red' sprawling empire.

The man is blazon with fake worries about NATO expansion threatening Russian security.

With that excuse, he marches his troops to Ukraine for expanded domination over more people and more land in the region.

But for how long would he carry on with his deeds of power greed?

At age 69, going to be 70 in October, heaven prohibits, he would not live and rule till eternity.

Underneath this universal truth lies the percept nothing is permanent in this world.

What looks to be permanent today prepares the stage for the following change.

However, till the next stage, with a mind of a demolition derby, the Russian behemoth levels whatever comes in front of him, the residential buildings, schools, hospitals, etc.

The infuriated spree continues, bringing miseries, calamities, and devastation to the country he wants to be under his arms.

But in this crusade, humanity gets crushed, people die, collapsed buildings transform into graves.

Continuous strikes and thunders of missiles and bombs make the citizens homeless and refugees in minutes; millions in desperation seek shelter in neighbouring lands.

Worst of all, when we grasp for a moment the feelings of an innocent child gazing at the rolling scene of devastation, destruction, and deaths.

If asked, "do you know or understand all this, and why the war around?"

The answer is naive "No!"

Children have rights too that include their survival and best interests.

At least for the sake of a tender, ignorant child, representing the next generation inhabiting the planet earth, the call of humanity seeks an immediate stop of the brutal war, even if it means to surrender.

Surrendering sounds like defeat.

But in this defeat lies the victory, a liberation from the horrors of war.

Surrender is an ethical and moral imperative that blocks the right to kill on a massive scale.

Wars, after all, are crimes against humanity.

One brave heart must raise the white flag to end the havoc and bloodshed called war.

 

 THE CASE FOR WORLDWIDE ABOLISHING Of THE ARMED FORCES AND DISMANTLING OF ARM FACTORIES

In this article, I'm not going into the genesis of the Russia-Ukraine war. Neither do I debate if 'de-Nazification' in Ukraine carries any rationality. Or Ukraine battles the Russians to save its democracy. And around in the region from the onslaught of Putin's autocracy.

But to briefly re-portray the very nature of war and the reckless role armed forces play executing the deadly and destructive aftermaths in their offences and defences operations.

In these consequences, humans behind the machines indiscriminately kill fellow human beings. In reality, they bury their consciousness before the dead gets buried. Flattening the buildings a few moments before was live with people, old and young, children and toddlers who run out for safety. They die in the rubbles as cemeteries, seriously getting hurt and crushed during the dreadful moments. Survivors become homeless and refugees. In just a few minutes, the brutalities of war create miseries and calamities that people endure for a long time.

In the deafening din of almost non-stop shelling, birds cage themselves in the safe corners of bombed and razed buildings. They look up, a battleground in the sky.

As in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, most wars get triggered by one single authority. Armed with their deadly military hardware, from fighter planes to rolling tanks delivering their gunfire, the brutal march of the combating forces opens with indiscriminate killings and destructions.

The whole scenario draws a horrible and devastating look. The war we can helplessly see live on TV screens and I-phones, a melodrama of catastrophes created with all the advanced and sophisticated artillery and machinery enacted by battle 'heroes.'

It presents the cruel nature of war. Its tragic impacts are much more severe than accomplishing the stated and symbolic aims of self-defence and the 'just' motive.

Leaders can talk and talk and talk. But with mindset commitments, there is no resolution. War becomes a necessity because there is no trust in human nature.

Humanity suffers as nations step into senseless fights, hoping that war will bring peace. It does not.

They say wars are necessary when every other option becomes impractical. True?

Instead, the statement poses a real challenge to our ordinary intelligence, considering that war is not an option either. 

Wars are crimes against humanity. The tradition of war eliminates our peace and safety irrespective of our diverse nationalities. In this commitment, the contemporary global society, to which we all belong as one humanity, must resolve to do away with the menace of war. It is a blight on humanity in this age while we collectively pride ourselves on intelligence, knowledge, and scientific achievements.

The consequential resolution demands that every nation on Earth dissolves its armed forces. No young man and woman thus ever enter the profession that is knowingly a destructive and murderous job.

The resolution in red letters also demands worldwide shut down of manufacturing factories producing weapons of mass killing and mass disastrous. With a sole focus on profit, these manufacturers supply weapons indiscriminately to both sides, the aggressor and the aggressed. The trillion-dollar war industry will collapse, but let it be, to save humankind and our environment.

The concepts of no armed forces, no manufacturing of weapons of all sorts, are not ideological, utopian, bizarre or new. Twenty-four countries globally, from Costa Rica to Ireland, already have demilitarized themselves, some of them decades ago. Nor do they have the manufacturing plants to produce all the soft and hardware contributing to the horrors of war. These wise nations present a world's role model without violent, destructive, and deadly conflicts.

Let us do it for peace to ourselves and our environment.

-by Promod Puri

 

 

 BURQA, HIJAB CUSTOM NEED REVIEW

Muslim students and teachers forced to remove their burqas and hijabs in Karnataka and other BJP-ruled states led to considerable controversy in India. Both say wearing these outfits is their fundamental right to cover their bodies the way they want or according to their social or religious customs or traditions.

Are hijab and burqas integral to Islam? Certainly not.

In some Muslim countries like Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, and Turkey, the hijab is banned in schools, universities, and government buildings. In other Muslim countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Brunei, Maldives and Somalia. However, in Muslim countries like Iran and Afghanistan, the hijab is required.

Despite utmost respect for individual freedoms, as long as these do not harm society, I can accept wearing the hijab, but not the entire body covering from head to toe with a burqa.

Both seem to be mandatory creation of men in the traditional patriarch societies where they curtailed women's freedoms.

And over the centuries, these dictums became the accepted norms for women to cover their bodies.

The burqa and hijab custom has created a mindset attitude among Muslim women that it is their freedom to wear these items. They seem caught up in this tradition created by men.

Muslim women sticking to the burqa-hijab custom need to rethink. These outfits are not healthy as their non-exposure denies them the essence of getting vitamin D from the sun rays, the only source that supplies the essential vitamin.

Muslim men don't wear burqa and hijab. Why this custom applies to only women?

-Promod Puri

 REMEMBERING LATA THRU SOME OF MY MOST FAV SONGS:

I belong to the generation that grew up listening to Lata Mangeshkar without missing any single day. All India Radio, Vividh Bharti and Radio Ceylon were the main channels beaming Lata's melodious voice, an inseparable part of daily life. If our radio was off, I could still listen to her songs from the neighbour's receiver.

She sure dominated music waves of film songs and captured the genre for several decades until she reached her most senior years. I enjoy Hindusthani film songs, and Lata is the main reason for this indulgence.

Lata sang over 25,000 songs composed by talented music directors like Naushad Ali, S.D.Burman, Shanker Jaikishan, O.P. Nayyar, Khayam, C. Ramchandra, Vasant Desai and many more. But it was music director Ghulam Ali Haider who first discovered the unmatched talent of Lata. And he is the one who got credited with initiating her singing career. "Ghulam Haider is truly my godfather. He was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent", Lata once remarked about her mentor.

In her death, my memories go back to her ever luminous gems. The list is endless, but several songs have itched permanent residency in the musical sockets of my flashback mind. My favourite list of Lata's classics is quite long, but here are some of them: Aye ga aane wala, yeh zindagi usi ki hai, tum na zane iss Jahan mein kho gaye, Rasik balma, Hothon Main Aisi Baat, Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna, Chup gaya koi re, dekho who chand chupke karta hai kaya ishare, Kahan le chale ho bata do mussafir. Besides Hindi-Urdu songs, Lata sang in all the languages of India.

Lata has gone into eternal sleep, but the song she left behind, which is another of my fav, is a lullaby in the Dogri/Pahari language:

tu malla tu,lok panan thikrian, badam panne tu.

• Promod Puri

 (A Satire)

IN CANADA:

I want to imbibe and enjoy absolute freedoms in the land of “the true North strong and free.” In these freedoms, I don’t want any mandatory restrictions. I want to drive my car without any speed limits, 10 km to 250 km or more per hr. on the highways or in the city. If I injure or kill anybody that is my right. I hate restrictive traffic signs, “no stopping,” “no parking,” etc. These pose bumps to my freedom to move. I want the liberty to have guns and the right to be racist.

I want absolute freedom in “the land of North strong and free.”

-Promod Puri