Saket Suryesh's Blog, page 6

Spare the Kids, Please!

The walk around with their souls unblemished and minds uncluttered. The angelic whiteness of their being hasn't yet been soiled by the society which in thousands of years of human existence is still trying to fix its finger on an ageless and universal moral mooring.
They walk awkwardly, laugh recklessly, dance with abandon and cry with an innocent silliness. They are the people of all weathers, enjoy all seasons and care for none. Safe and secure in the knowledge that they are watched over, they step out in the coldest of the winters, dressed in their uniforms like little robots, and settle their little faces in the back of their father, riding the motorbikes to the schools, holding him tight and often their tiny, pink palms pushed into the dad's jacket.
They hold all the hopes that we all are born with, in the beginning. We lost those hopes as they crashed against the unfeeling and unyielding breast of the world around us, busy being what it is- a grave, unwelcoming place, for us to inhabit and conquer. These little fellows represent the unfailing faith life again places in our hands, generation after generation. The depute us once again as guardians to life, to dreams, to souls- we parent. It is up to us now to ensure that they walk into life with fewer bruises and lesser scratches on the soul.
They are not a pledge life has made to us which it needs to settle through their loaned existence. Their being is not under bondage of us, the earlier generations. Their souls are not slaves to our aspirations. That we are a cause of their existence is only accidental. It is merely the necessity of nature which allows us to play God. They, those little fellows, don’t owe us anything. Their innocent minds shine through our despondent nights like a sword of silver. Their souls have their own wings of flight and we can at best merely be the winds beneath them and the Sun which smiles benignly over their soaring spirits. We are not their wings and they aren’t the vessels of our ambitions. 
Small as they may be, amused as they may look, they are their own people and no one owns their bodies, their soul. No one has a right to infringe on their souls and bodies blessed by the Gods above. No one has the right to lease them out to another person to infringe. They can’t held captive to our ideas of morality and they can’t be stripped off their sense of morality and dignity, as a tool to achieve our ambitions. Yes, those little fellows, they have their own code of ethics. We have no business imposing our air-kissing sensibilities on their space, souls and bodies.
Those little people, those sweet, little people don’t need to learn from us. They don’t need our high sounding social excuses to obfuscate their sense of right and wrong. We have no business stepping into that forbidden garden where girls still laugh like boys and boys still blush like girls. It is not the ground for adults to tread. Ours is only to watch from distance, to shout out words of caution, comfort and encouragement and stand with watchful eyes of a parent to protect, and never to pounce, never to intrude.
No, Pappon this is not done. We can’t put scarred souls in the citizens of tomorrow because we forget the basic rules of decency in our fake idea of emancipation which is nothing but selfishness in fancy clothes. Our wishes, our desires and designs- no, decency is different. It is better to be old-fashioned in some matters, fragile and precious like childhood. It is easier to raise stronger kids than it is to repair injured individuals. These are not small matters. The fault not only lies with Pappon in the episode. It equally lies on the parent who in their drive of ambition begin considering kids as the executioner of their own unfulfilled wishes and dreams. Children are the most cherished possession of any generation, even when they do not have votes. We need to only watch a child to understand. We adults, are stupid and never understand. To quote from  The Little Prince  by Antoine de Saint-Exupe`ry -
"Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."
Let us lift our understanding up so that we may understand the kids. Spare Children of the adult ambitions,  archaic religious excuses and screwed-up modern, new-age morality. Profuse apology is too little a price we place on a child's modesty. And it does not matter if the perpetrator speaks Latin or English or Sanskrit. These matters need serious condemnation, and not only in the case when it is a case of inadvertently touchline leg of a co-passenger. Every kid can not be a celebrity child but no child can be left to suffer in silence.These kids are the people of tomorrow and even today, they are a people, even if they do not have a vote.

The Sounds of Sunday!! - A Word Sketch

Silences have settled on the day like dew-drops of a receding winter night. The day stands at the cusp of weather where winter recedes and the summers descends.
Fogs have lifted and the skies are cloudless and clear. I walk through the lane, on which shadows have spread themselves beautifully. Words come to my mind:

"The patterns shadows make,
these ZIg-zagging lines like
some slithering snake; Sneak in surreptitiously l like some memory lost,
A memory of warmth, surviving,  Undying winters and unyielding frost."













The bright sun rays languorously lie on the Earth, with their long legs spread under the sketchy, shifting shadows of the trees. A perfect day to reclaim the me-time, basically, catching a corner bench in the park for myself, before it is appropriated for the day by some cozy couple.
I mutter wordlessly, seeking forgiveness from the angel of Love for interrupting the just right of a young couple who detected the bench a moment later than me, and I settled down interrupting their mischievous plot to spend the  Sunday on this bench with jackets spread on their heads joined in oneness. The boy wears a gray jacket, the girl a jacket with bold blue squares on a white background. They look sweet and surprised. Do not know what surprises them. Ah, it must be age. At that age, if one is in love, everything is mystical, magical and surprising. Pity that as we grow older we lose the ability to amuse ourselves and slip in to defined patterns.  
I read, Night and Day by Virginia Woolf . Such exquisite prose, charming words. Her words never fail to fill me with two totally contrasting emotions. A fantastical feeling of fulfilment, and an immense idea of my own inadequacy. So uplifting as a reader, so devastating as a writer. 

Birds chatter and I put my book down to write. I immerse myself in sounds- sounds we hear but seldom listen- the sounds of life. Crows cawing incessantly, and then some sweet sounding birds interrupt with a charming chuckle. Oh and that sudden sound of yearning from a distant peacock resonates through the greens, floats over the calm waters of the lake and then rises and loses its way in the air . Yes, the little birds with sweet voices sound as if those voices were smiling. An occasional airplane interrupts the solemn soliloquy of beautiful birds with their rude and metallic temper. A bike with intentionally take away silencer, interrupts the music of the morn. But it passes away, into oblivion, like human life itself, coming out of nowhere and fading into nothingness.
The birds do not mind. And the sounds continue- the birds, the sprinkler watering the grasses, routine dance of music, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk- the sprinkler doesn’t intrude into the schemes of sound, just offers some sort of background rhythm to the whole structure of heavenly music which wraps around me.
A man runs, at a distance, at twelve in the noon. Huffing behind an age that runs away, chasing it, not to give up ever. A child's chuckle suddenly floats from some corner. Just a swift signature of humanity on the slow music of the nature, adding to the melody. The squirrel gallops, pauses and ponders. She looks at me as if I were a potential adversary. Realizing that I wasn’t, she continues jumping around, suddenly happy, a load lifted from its tiny heart.
Shadows have shifted, my bench is now under the Sun. The winds are little agitated and the leaves add to the various sounds of Sunday. It gives faith that on this day as on any other Sunday, amid cacophonous cawing of the crows, a sweet, soft occasional sound will always be there if we hear intently enough and will convert the mundane into magical.



The hues have shifted from the bluish-pink to orange. I rise from the bench, the girl in Blue-and-White jacket looks expectantly. This bench seems to be strategically located to let in the Sun and keep the prying eyes out, and is therefore coveted to young couples. I vacate the place. They get up from the ground under the tree, ready to conquer this place. The tree stares and smiles and wishes them luck. In a world of easy liaisons and fleeting loves will their love survive the shifting seasons? Who knows. But it is beautiful when it exists. The day has moved. Another day. One fine Sunday!

महाशिवरात्रि

   महाशिवरात्रि
वह शक्ति है, वह शँकर है,वह प्रेम सतत् निरंतर है।

वह शैलसुता का निर्दोष हठगौरी के मन का मन्दिर है।

वह नीलकंठ का गरल भी है,वह क्लिष्ट भी है, वह सरल भी है।

वह शून्य का एक कोलाहल हैवह शाश्वत स्वर की हलचल है।

वह गौरी-गौरव का दर्पण है,वह पुरूष का पूर्ण समर्पण है।

वह जीवन का रक्षक महादेववह चिर-विद्रोही का स्वर है।

वह बँधा हुआ एक सागर हैवह प्रलय नृत्य भयंकर है।

वह सतत प्रेम निरंतर है,वह शक्ति है, वह शंकर है।
 - साकेत, 14.02.2018

You may listen to the Audio here (Click Here)

Hypocrisy of Hyperventilating Fake Feminists- Sabha Parva- Renuka - Narendra Modi Spat

In the past few days, attempts were made to re-define Women empowerment and emancipation with two independent events. In one of the event, a left-leaning, establishment-hating poet of sorts was caught making immoral demands on underage girls, who were supposedly his fans or friends. The second event which was somehow positioned as a matter of woman's dignity was when many times Congress Parliamentarian, supposedly in the possession of expensive diamonds gifted by a tax-evader was caught having a dangerously deriding and derogatory laugh in the parliament, during the speech of Prime Minister, in spite of being chided by the speaker of the House, who happens to be the Vice-President of India. This brought in a minor rebuke from the PM, who compared this laughter which feminists struggled to defined something between crackle to smile with a soft sound, with that of characters in the TV serial Ramayana of yesteryears. The rich and powerful politician, Renuka Chowdhury , infamous for slapping in Government Servant and charged with taking bribes and well-known for using ill-language, saw the opportunity in to rediscover herself as a primitive, poor woman right out of her cave and being rebuked by a patriarch on being improper.
In an example of brilliant acrobatic skills, in the first case, where the celebrity poet was caught seeking nude pictures of underage girls, feminists of the world came together expressing solidarity to the aggrieved soul of the celebrity caught in this immoral exchange. This proves the level of emancipation our celebrity, left-liberals have achieved in terms of gender-neutrality. When it comes to their own, there is no division of gender and you will find women of the wine-sipping elite celebrity groups standing by the men of their kind. For them the world is beautiful with all the boundaries of gender, religion and faith non-existent. The only division that they realize is that of celebrity and non-celebrity. So we had a woman poet, a raging feminist as she describes herself, standing by the erring man, claiming that by apologizing profusely the man has equaled and surpassed the agony of little girls who were asked to share nude pictures by the man they were fan of.
For the same feminists, who disowned the little girls, the powerful Congress leader became a poor woman to rally behind. The Eagle became representative of pigeons and the lion represented the rabbit, as the empowered women strove for sympathy for another empowered woman.
In their hyper-excitement, warrior women-folks rose from two disparate ends of the battlefield. On one side was the opposition of demonization of Ranuka Chowdhury as she was compared, allegedly, with demoness Shoorpanakha, on the other side, was the attempt to deify Shoorpanakha. One needs great imagination, even assuming that PM referred to this particular character from Ramayana, as to if Shoorpanakha was only an emancipated woman in love, demonized by Valmiki, where is the offence and if she was indeed a demoness, where is the proof. The two arguments fed on themselves and in the end there were only ashes of hypocrisy. On account of conflicting messages, and cancelled outrage, Renuka episode will go down as a black-day in WhatsApp coordinated outrages organized by the Congress.
As far as the Sagarika (fondly called as Shogorika by those feigning acquaintance of the high-priestess of hypocrisy) Ghosh group of protesters go, Shoorpanakha was a woman in love, who had to suffer the royal ignore of a high-headed patriarchal Ram. Unfortunately for Ms. Ghosh, between Ram and Shoorpanakha, latter was  Brahmin, which makes the powerful narrative of Gupta school of thought impossible. With her position settled in the case, as a pro-woman warrior, Ms. Ghosh ignores the plight of married woman, Sita, who had left her home and then, in-laws, to accompany her husband in the difficult life of the Jungles and whose husband Miss Shoorpanakha, oh so poor demoness, threatens to acquire, putting her in the bracket of Right-wing women deserving no affection from her, termed derisively by her as Internet Hindoos.
The question remains whether it was moral for a woman to force herself on a married man while his wife watched in agony? But then socialism frees you from such scruples. The world-view of liberals is fairly simple- it is divided between Haves and Have-nots, and Haves deserve support, Have-nots pity. Sita,though a woman, like those under-age girls, fell in the latter category, deserving pity and not support. There are many men and women known more for communication than content jumped into the fray, attempting to prove that Shoorpanakha in the whole story was wronged woman. One should not be surprised that some day in JNU we have Padestrian Poet reciting on Shoorpanakha. Shoorpanakha was not a naïve woman, she was not an emancipated woman. She was an entitled woman who felt adultery is a way to emancipation. She was not a foolish or ignorant girl who did not know that Ram was married woman. As the Sri Ram and Soorpanakha dialogue begins, Sri Ram introduces himself:


"इयं भार्या च वैदेही मम सीतेति विश्रुता "


This here is my wife, Daughter of Videha (Ascetic King Janaka) who is named as Sita.
Not the one to be deterred and sure of her superiority, Shoorpanakha doesn't think twice about trampling over the right of a married woman and responds.:

"विकृता च विरूपा च न चेयं सदृशी तव


अहमेवानुरूपा ते भार्या रूपेण पश्य माम्।"

Ugly and deformed, this woman is nothing like me, I am the beautiful (and entitled one) and better suited to be your wife.
Sri Ram again discourages her (Consider that this was the time when polygamy was much in Play, and Sri Ram was for the first time setting the rules for marital morality in human lives), says:

"कृतदारोस्मि भवति भार्येय दयिता मम
तद्विधानां तु नारीणां सुदु:खा ससपत्नता।"

What will you get by pursuing me? I am married and much in love with my wife and a life as second-wife will only bring sorrow to you."
Hearing this, the innocent love of Soorpanakha (who in between had also approached Lakshman to be second or temporary wife and was advised by  Lakshman not to waste time with him who was mere servant of Sri Ram and who in a jest, seeing that Soorpanakha's amorous adventures were driven neither by love of Ram or his, rather by her self-love and pride, says that she was so beautiful as compared to Sita, I repeat the rightful wife. Not a minute to be wasted for this woman on a mission to quickly seek love from one man or another, she turned back to Ram). Finally appreciating the situation that this woman needs to go for her to get Ram and understanding that in the deep forests of Dandakaranya there was no Hotel Leela around and she herself will need to take the important task of liberating Sita from the perils of this mortal life, she suggests, the sweet woman much loved by Sagarika and Sahelis, to eat up Sita, what is kind woman in love she is. Says Shoorpanakha:
अद्येमां भक्षयिष्यामि पश्यतस्तव मानुषीम्।
त्वया सह चरिष्यामि निस्सपत्ना यथासुखम्।।"

I will immediately devour this human-girl and we can live then, happily ever-after without  the stigma of being second-wife.


The Gandhian with Swords then attacks Sita,and patriarchal Rama pushes her away and asks Lakshman to punish her. Don't get Sagarika wrong, her plight is not for Soorpanakha; it is more for attacking Ram who represents people she hates the most. Those middle-class believers who she call Internet Hindus. As we see, Soorpanakha is not wronged women rather was an aggressor. Odd that they deify Soorpanakha and still take offence on Renuka Chowdhury being allegedly compared with her.
The laughter, the deriding laughter in the Parliament where tears and sorrows of the last man in the line, during the speech of elected Prime-minister is not the question of gender-equality, it is the question of cross-gender stupidity. It is not about class-fight, it is about a retort on crassness. We don't object to women's Right to be Free, we object to the insistence of some women about the right to be foolish. Ms. Chowdhury could have taken the podium, debated and brought the house down with laughter. But she chose to heckle the PM when latter held the podium. It is not the question of discrimination, as some are making it out to be. It is the question of decorum, decency and dignity in Democracy.

( Click Here to read in Hindi )

सभा पर्व- मोदी-रेणुका संवाद And English Translation

विगत दिनों महिला सशक्तिकरण की पुनर्व्याख्या दो प्रसंगों में हुई- एक वामपंथी, आधुनिक कवि अल्पवयस्क कन्याओं से अनुचित अनुरोध करते पकड़े गए; दूसरी घटना तब हुई जब कांग्रेस नेता रेणुका चौधरी के प्रधानमंत्री के भाषण के मध्य संसद में अनुचित, अभद्र  अट्टहास करती हुई पाई गईं और नरेंद्र मोदी के संक्षिप्त कटाक्ष का केंद्र बनीं। 
एक चमत्कारी करतब से पहली घटना में आधुनिक महिलाएँ दोषी पुरुष के साथ दिखीं, जबकि प्रधानमंत्री के भाषण, और उसके माध्यम से संसद की अवमानना करने वाला अट्टहास महिला-मुक्ति का परचम बन गया। पत्रकार महिलाएँ, लेखिकाएँ रेणुका जी को तमाम शोषित महिलाओं का प्रतीक बना कर मैदान में उतरी। अवसर ऐसा बना कि गिद्ध कबूतर के, शेर ख़रगोश के नाम पर सहानुभूति बटोरने चल पड़ा। 
अतिउत्साह में योद्धा महिलाएँ क्षितिज के विपरीत किनारों से मैदान में उतरीं। एक तरफ़ रेणुकाजी के राक्षसीकरण का विरोध था, दूसरे छोर पर शूर्पणखा के दैविकरण का प्रयास था। व्हाट्सएप के इतिहास में दो विपरीत संदेशों के कारण रेणुका प्रसंग काले अक्षरों में लिखा जाएगा। 
फ़ेमिनिस्टों के सागरिका समूह का मानना था कि सुश्री शूर्पणखा एक प्रेममयी महिला थीं, जिन्हें श्री राम की पौरूषिक अत्याचार का सामना करना पड़ा। इसी भावनावश पूरी कथा में उन्होंने ऊपर सीता जी को साध्वी प्रज्ञा की भाँति इंटरनेट हिंदू मान कर अपने प्रेम का पात्र मानने से इंकार किया। उस प्रेममयी महिला का तिरस्कार, इस महिलाधिकार कार्यकर्ता के लिए पुरूषसत्तात्मक समाज का सूचक था। यक्ष प्रश्न यह है कि पहली पत्नी के होते हुए दूसरी पत्नी स्वीकार करना क्या पुरूष-प्रधान व्यवस्था का सूचक नहीं होता? श्री राम नें पहले ही अवसर पर अपनी वैवाहिक अवस्था बताई, क्या शूर्पणखा का प्रणय निवेदन, पत्नी के समक्ष मर्यादित कहा जाएगा? 
श्रीराम-शूर्पणखा वार्ता के प्रारंभ में राम कहते हैं- 
"इयं भार्या च वैदेही मम सीतेति विश्रुता "
(यह विदेह-नरेश की पुत्री एवम् मेरी पत्नी है जिसे सीता के नाम से जाना जाता है।)
शूर्पणखा कहती है, सीता समक्ष ही- 
"विकृता च विरूपा च न चेयं सदृशी तव
अहमेवानुरूपा ते भार्या रूपेण पश्य माम्।"
(कुरूप ओर विरूपित सीता तुम्हारे किस योग्य है, मैं ही तुम्हारी उचित संगिनी हूँ।)

श्री राम कहते हैं- 
"कृतदारोस्मि भवति भार्येय दयिता मम तद्विधानां तु नारीणां सुदु:खा ससपत्नता।"
मैं विवाहित हूँ और मेरी पत्नी मुझे प्रिय है, दूसरी पत्नी बन कर तुम्हें दुख ही प्राप्त होगा।  
राम के द्वारा हतोत्साहित किए जाते ही निश्छल प्रेममयी, उत्साहपूर्वक शूर्पणखा लक्ष्मण की दिशा में मुड़ती है जो ख़ुद को श्रीराम का सेवक बता कर उसे वापस राम की ओर भेजते हैं। 
अब सुश्री शूर्पणखा समझ चुकी हैं कि सीता को मार्ग से हटना होगा, और दंडकारण्य ही होटल लीला बनेगा। यह समझ कर निश्छल, मृदुल शूर्पणखा कहती हैं- 
"अद्येमां भक्षयिष्यामि पश्यतस्तव मानुषीम्। त्वया सह चरिष्यामि निस्सपत्ना यथासुखम्।।"
मैं अभी इस मनुष्य कन्या का भक्षण करूँगी और मुझे दूसरी पत्नी होने का दुख नहीं सहना होगा।
यह कह कर शूर्पणखा ने सीता पर आक्रमण किया।
इसपर राम ने पत्नी की रक्षा की और लक्ष्मण को शूर्पणखा को दंडित करने को कहा। शूर्पणखा प्रसंग में श्री राम अपनी धर्मपत्नी के अधिकार एवम् विवाह की संस्था की रक्षा में खड़े थे। शूर्पणखा के सम्मान में खड़े लोगों के निशाने पर श्रीराम हैं, यह उनके लिए महिला के सम्मान का नहीं, हिन्दू अवमानना का अवसर है।

अब दूसरे छोर का प्रश्न कि मोदी का कटाक्ष महिला सम्मान पर आघात है। यह प्रश्न स्वतंत्रता का नहीं, सभ्यता का है। रेणुका जी संसद की अवमानना कर रही थी, निर्वाचित प्रधानमंत्री की अवमानना कर रही थीं। महिलाओं की मुक्ति का हर समझदार व्यक्ति समर्थन करता है। हम सब महिलाओं के मुक्त होने का समर्थन करते है, हम सिर्फ़ कुछ महिलाओं के मूर्ख होने के कथित अधिकार का विरोध करते हैं। 

------------------------------------------------ English Translation--------------------------------------------
(Click Here to read in English- Hypocrisy of Hyperventilating Fake Feminists)

The Middle-Class Melodrama- My Take on Budget 2018

Let us leap towards our just place in the Sun. Let us not waste this opportunity in petty profiteering, let us not allow our thoughts to be muddled in the middle-class melodrama of ours. We are those nameless and faceless ones who are the face of India.

My take on our much dramatized disenchantment with the Narendra Modi Government after Budget 2018:

Recently, Narendra Modi government released the last Budget of this term of his Government. As the 2018 Budget came out, there was outrage in the air, disenchantment in the ranks. Outrage is the most easily obtained commodity in the modern times. We are easily, quickly and frequently outraged. We are outraged at the villages which have remained out of the plan for progress that the nation made in last seven decades. We are outraged that the schools are not build and education is so rare that it allows us to choose our leaders foolishly and naively. We are outraged that we have been called one of the most corrupt nations in the world, mostly on account of the acts of corruption of powerful few. We are outraged that while Indians run most successful global organizations, there are very little that we are self-reliant about. We are outraged that our Policing stinks. We are outraged that we have been cut off from our History and heritage and are instead fed with political propaganda in the name of Culture. We are outraged that terrorists happily land on the shores of India’s most modern city and we have Cops with faux-bulletproof jackets and batons to face their Automatic Guns and grenades. We are outraged that Pakistan continues to bleed us and our soldiers continue to die. We are outraged that Narendra Modi does not demolish the shame of the nation on our western frontiers. We are outraged that we are not putting China in its place. We are outraged when we are working in our modern cities and our parents and loved ones back home suffer from lack of healthcare facilities and sometimes die for the lack of it. We are easily, quickly and frequently outraged.
We are the middle class. We know that we need healthcare in rural sector from where we migrated to become part of New India. We know that we need to modernize our education, protect our heritage. We know that we need to manufacture our own things to get into a war with the world, however just it may be. We know that we need to make our own Airplanes, Tanks and bullets and bulletproof to fight a just war. We know, all these things cost money. We are not ill-educated people. We know it all. We know that to defend both the ideas of India and the concept of Bharat, we need money. We also know that the Government will need money to settle all our outrage. But when the Government collects taxes to be able to do all that and more, we are outraged even more. Our persistent lament in all the years of India’s independence has been that only the 3% of the salaried are being taxed and many escape the Direct tax net. But if we look closely, our major sorrow comes not from the taxes that we pay, rather it comes from the fact that the taxation and revenue generation system of the Government is some kind of bottomless pit, and we do not have anything to show of the money we contribute for the public good. Government schools still did not have public convenience for the girls who dropped out of education system; soldiers went about without latest weaponry and protection systems. The villages are without electricity and the remote is out of Rail network.
                We, for the first time, find a Government which is responsive and active on all these points. As they work, they seek funds. As they seek funds, we act pricey. We almost act like a mercenary lot which seeks its pound of flesh, its share of the loot from the king it supported to power. After all the grandstanding about supporting a political party which represented our innermost thoughts in a vengeful civilizational war, we go back fighting for our two hundred Rupees Tax impact. After outraging about our Temples being trampled over and our faith being shamed by powers that be, we stretch our kitchen garden one foot more to annex the pedestrian foot-path in front of our houses. We slip into being that hotel during flash-flood of Kedarnath which sold Chapatis at three hundred rupees. We become the person for the fear of whom the tumblers are tied with a chain the Train toilets.
                No, it is not that since the Government is finally working for all the lost years, Taxes have gone up. In fact, taxes are down from the previous regime.  This is what I could gather from the information I could get. I am not a very Tax-savvy person. I usually get all that which can be deducted as Taxes from my income, deduction, partly out of laxity, partly out of stupidity. Still, on account of middle-class initiation into standard Indian dream of becoming an Engineer, I can claim to understand some Maths. Here is what Mathematics tells me.  Today, to attack Modi Government, the dimpled-prince who claims to have dynastic rights to rule over this nation, becomes a BPL guy with a torn Kurta who stood in the Demonetization Queues to withdraw Two-Thousand Rupees before heading for European vacations; similarly, people making a Crore per annum also pose as poor middle-class suffering under an intolerant, fascist government.
I go with the world-bank definition of Middle-class. As per the global median drawn by the esteemed institution, a middle-income person is someone who earns USD 50 a day. This will a conversion of 67 , will be a person making INR 12,06,000.00 per Annum. Now if we consider the standard deductions available to the person in terms of Income Tax in the last Budget of Congress (which incidentally is expecting you to forget the sorry situation four years back and pretends to be your saviour, counting on our short memory and infinite stupidity) and the current budget, which many lament, has left the loyal middle-class in a lurch, we come to calculation below.
Middle class Income ₹ 1,206,000.00 2013 TAXABLE INCOME Tax TAX INR ₹ 200,000.00 0% ₹ 0.00 ₹ 300,000.00 10% ₹ 30,000.00 ₹ 500,000.00 20% ₹ 100,000.00 ₹ 71,800.00 30% ₹ 21,540.00 ₹ 1,071,800.00
₹ 151,540.00 Deduction
₹ 2,000.00 Effective TAX
₹ 149,540.00 CESS 3% ₹ 4,486.20 Total TAX
₹ 154,026.20 Deductions Standard Deduction ₹ 0.00 Medical ₹ 15,000.00 transport ₹ 19,200.00 80C ₹ 100,000.00 Total Deduction ₹ 134,200.00 TAXABLE INCOME ₹ 1,071,800.00


When we look at the equivalent figure for this year, post Budget 2018, we have the below calculation:
Middle class Income ₹ 1,206,000.00 2018 TAXABLE INCOME Tax TAX INR ₹ 250,000.00 0% ₹ 0.00 ₹ 250,000.00 5% ₹ 12,500.00 ₹ 500,000.00 20% ₹ 100,000.00 ₹ 16,000.00 30% ₹ 4,800.00 ₹ 1,016,000.00
₹ 117,300.00 Deduction
₹ 0.00 Effective TAX
₹ 117,300.00 CESS 4% ₹ 4,692.00 Total TAX
₹ 121,992.00 Deductions Standard Deduction ₹ 40,000.00 Medical ₹ 0.00 transport ₹ 0.00 80C ₹ 150,000.00 Total Deduction ₹ 190,000.00 TAXABLE INCOME ₹ 1,016,000.00


                As we see, when the earlier Government left, a common Middle-class person was paying tax of INR 154000 as against an Income Tax of 122000 today. This assumes that the person concerned has not taken the benefit of Narendra Modi government’s PM Awaas Yojana and bought a home, with a contribution of government, and with a loan at the interest rate much lower than 2014 rates. Deduction on account of Interest on Home Loan was INR 1,50,000.00 in the year 2013-14, which is now INR 2,00,000.00.
                Here is how we are better-off as middle-class under this Government than the previous where not only did we pay more; it went down the abyss of unaccountability. That was a government which was not funding the near bankrupt Banks, which was not paying OROP to the soldiers, that was not giving Loan to the MSME, still it was taking more money from our pocket. Since the Modi, government does not progressively reduce our taxes, does not mean we should bring back the government under which we were worse off. As in the case of OROP, as in this case, I remember that famous Ghazal of late Jagjit Singh "Dil bhi Bachhe ki Tarah hai kissi Zid pe adaa/ Yaa to sab kuch hi isse Chahiye, ya kuch bhi nahin.
                When this gap between truth and outrage was pointed out, many came back with new argument- Where does the tax rate takes the inflation into account? I may not be as learned an economist, but my reason tells me two things. One, your increment is supposed to take care of your inflation, not your taxes. A big part of salaried class today is in Private sector. Inflation means that these entities sell products and services now at a higher price. If the salary of the employees was to remain stagnant and reduced taxes was supposed to address inflation; it would only mean ever increasing profits of the private enterprises and lesser funds available with the Government to do work in social sector. Secondly, inflation argument cuts both ways. It would imply that the Government too would need more money to do the same amount of work. Government cannot, in my opinion, be expected to do the job of enterprise.
                Another quarrel I have with this charge of budget being Anti-middleclass, is that we presume that we, middle class, live in isolated seclusion. When the senior citizen benefits are given, we young professionals believe our parents will not get these benefits; When trains run up to Arunachal, we presume it does not matter to us that our soldier brother can now come easily home in Holi; when Health insurance is given, we presume that it does not matter to us when a poor maternal aunt dies for the want of medical care in the rural hinterlands of Bihar. I am saddened and ashamed that we threaten a man who listens and works like crazy for us of depriving him of power and brining an incompetent entitled middle-aged person in his place, because Modi could not afford to be partial to men who supposedly campaigned for him on social media and in a self-glorifying way, brought him to power. We all did add to his force, agreed. We were the force multiplier, agreed. But we did not do it for him. We did it for ourselves. Most people on SM are wise and objective. But these tweets, Facebook posts will become WA forwards and a gimmick and propaganda. I remember an interview of a small Tea-stall in some isolated village in Gujarat. The man tell the interviewer how he will make losses due to GST. When the interviewer tries to explain to him that his business is exempt, he refuse to believe. He does not know how he makes loss, and he still has been tutored to believe that somehow, GST places his business in disadvantageous position. Those who understand the socialist drama, the divisive Congress will come around by the time of 2019 Election, but those who get your outrage on other propaganda channels, who are less educated, will not. They do not understand how a rootless civilization dies. We are risking that part of population for our selfish outrage. We are risking an opportunity to change the course of our nation. I came across a George Orwell quote on the middle-class which we often tend to romanticize and glamourize, ourselves being part of it. I hope, we as a society prove him wrong. He writes in “Keep the Aspidistra Flying”
Our civilization is founded on greed and fear, but in the lives of common men the greed and fear are mysteriously transmuted into something nobler. The lower-middle class people in there, behind their lace curtains, with their children and their scraps of furniture and their aspidistras- they lived by money code, sure enough, and yet as they contrived to keep their decency. The money-code as they interpreted it was not merely cynical and hoggish. They had their standards, their inviolable point of honour. They ‘kept themselves respectable’- kept the aspidistra flying.
We, the middle class, are in the midst of a civilizational battle, let there be no doubt about it. We stand on the cusp. We are what Thomas Mann called the Third Estate, when he wrote in Buddenbrooks: The Decline of A Family
“We are the bourgeoisie- the third state, as they call us now- and what we want is nobility of merit…We want all men to compete without any special privileges, and the only crown should be the crown of merit."
  We have the opportunity to stake our claim at nobility. That scares people who call us trolls as we struggle on our commute to work while painstakingly collecting the knowledge on the sly, for we refuse to be betrayed anymore. Let us leap towards our just place in the stars. Let us not waste this opportunity in petty profiteering, let us not allow our thoughts to be muddled in the middle-class melodrama of ours. We are those nameless and faceless  ones who are the face of India.

Movie Review - Padmaavat (i)

Padmaavat, with or without an 'I', is failed flight of a bird with broken wings. It limps, struggles and eventually settles on the ground in an embarrassed shadow of the earlier works of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Every work of art is an evidence of a tinge of Artist's egotism. Still, the success of a work of art is the ability of the artist to push himself or herself behind the work itself. Bhansali seems to love himself a bit too much to offer the required respect to his own work. He is too charmed by his concept and idea of art and design and in the process kills the primary objective of making a movie- to tell a story. The grand scheme of colors and patterns which Bhansali creates, end up obstructing the story and obscuring the vision of the viewers. This is a movie which it seems tried to carry so many things on its shoulders that somewhere it failed the basic purpose and objective of telling a good story. In the end the movie is a lazy canvass of bright colors, where creativity borders on kitsch and characters become caricature of the people they represent.
The movie misses the great efforts made in terms of identifying the language and accents of the times and region as was done in case of Bajirao Mastaani . The Rajputs keep slipping into poor Urdu and Hindustani at the time and age when Islamic Sultanate was still in the initiation stage in India and such assimilation of language was unlikely. The only attempt at Linguistic authenticity seems to be splattering of 'pan' (for But)in discourse of Rajput characters in the movie. The makers also seem to be confused on the topic of humanizing Alauddin Khilji . The movie avoids making khilji what he was - A brutal, unscrupulous, religious fanatic, and turns him into so many things which we find hard to believe. Bhansali's Khilji is womanizer, lover, poet, singer, dancer (yes, he knows how to shake his legs) and even some kind of closet PETA activist, who loves his Kebaabs but who tortures Rajput King Raval Ratan Singh because he had hurt Khilji's birds during the war. Malik Kafur, the noted Military commander and lover of Khilji, speaks in a strange accents; he too sings and dances and looks very little like a formidable Military commander who demolished the Deccans. He appears at the beginning of the career of Alauddin Khilji, while he was in fact abducted from rich Khwajas of Cambay by Nusrat Khan and presented to Khilji, much after latter's coronation as the Sultan of Delhi Sultanate (Khajain'ul- Futuh by Amir Khusroe) .  
Deepika is beautiful in parts but is not the face that could launch a thousand ships or bring cavalries to the gates of a formidable fort. Her heavy eyebrows tell no story. Shahid Kapur does not seem to have the presence to match the larger-than-life character of Maharawal Ratan Singh which is supposed to stand up to Khilji. He looks more like a college-kid in a fancy-dress competition in front of the imposing persona of a bulked-up  Ranveer Singh.  One just needs to have a look of the armor of the great Rajput King Maharana Pratap, to understand the giant of a man he was and if one were to draw a reference, Shahid Kapur appears too soft, sophisticated and small in stature for a formidable Rajput warrior.
Bhansali skirted away from the religious aspects of the who story, whether it be Hindu credentials of Rajput Kings or the Islamic aspect of Khilji. Even the Khilji's victory over the Mongols is presented as simple political and military event. A great effort is now being made by intellectuals to project Alauddin Khilji as protector of India from Islamist Mughals.  For whatever reasons, Bhansali steered away from the religious narrative (I think, it should have been told). The fight of Khilji against the Mongols was not as much about defending India as it was about defending Islam from infidel Mongols.  Khusrau writes of Khilji's victory- 
'Owing to the swords of the holy warriors (Khilji), the deluge of blood came up the noses of the infidels (Mongols); yet not a drop of blood came out of a of Mussalman's nose.' Barni writes of the same war:
'Thousands of Mughals were sent to the fort of Naraniya with ropes around their necks; their women and children were brought to Delhi slave-market and sold away like Hindustani slave.'
 The flow of story struggles under heavy, cliché-laden dialogues of the movie. Characters are without nuances and there is little space for gray in the story. When Raja of Mewar is abandoned by fellow Rajputs, MahaRawal Ratan Singh hardly utters a word on the betrayal by fellow Rajputs.  
In the end, what it seems is that the charge of modern-day Rajputs  on the Movie for soiling their past reputation is as erroneous as the charge of Swara Bhaskar laced with shocking words, of spoiling the future of feminism. Both give too much credence to a movie which is a lazy work of art. It tries to be many things to many people and ends of being nowhere. It is better than Golion ki Raslila- Ramlila but way worse than Bajirao-Mastaani. It is not a movie worth attacking or worth defending. It is a modest movie made at surprisingly high costs. Money seems to have been poured over fancy frames and stupendous sets, but little towards writing and research. As I have earlier too written (My Take on Padmavati) , a movie is a fictional story not a documentary, which you pay to watch. One has an option to not watch it. If one needs to take up fights, one needs to chose them wisely, like the history being taught in schools which one needs to mandatorily read. If you have to watch a movie this week, Watch Mukkabaaz - a much better movie. 

क़स्बे का कष्ट - A Small-Town's Pain

Hindi Satire- Inspired by timeless legend of Shrilal Shukl- Raag Darbari  (राग दरबारी से प्रेरित )

क़स्बा गाँव के लार्वा और शहर की ख़ूबसूरत तितली के बीच का टेडपोल है। १५ अगस्त १९४७ को चाचा नेहरू ने रोबदार भाषण के साथ स्वतंत्रता की घोषणा की। जैसा कि श्रीलाल शुक्ल ने लिखा है कि रोबदार वार्ता के लिए अंग्रेज़ी अनिवार्य है, चाचाजी ने अँग्रेजी में भाषण दिया। राष्ट्र बहुत तो नहीं समझा पर तीव्र गति से चलते हुए चाचा जी के पीछे चल पड़ा। 
शहर वाले कुछ समझ गए , महानगर बने; गाँव लँगड़ाते हुए पीछे पीछे मंथर गति से चले, कुछ क़स्बा बन पाए, कुछ कुछ न बन सके। चचा चीते की चाल से चले, तो गाँव कछुए की। पाँच साल में एक बार चचा राग दरबारी के रंगनाथ की तरह पलट कर गांव की तरफ़ देखते और उसकी धीमी गति से खीज कर पूछते -‘लंगड़ हो क्या?’

और गाँव भी बिचारा सहमकर, ठिठककर कहता - ‘हाँ बाबू , लँगड ही हूँ।’ 


अढाई दशक बाद चाचा की पुत्री आईं। उन्होंने लंगड को ही राष्ट्र निर्माण में बाधा जाना। उन्होंने समझा की लंगड़ ही राष्ट्र की गति में बढ़ा दाल रहा है| उनके पिता तो जेल में भी लंदन से कपडे मंगवाते रहे, ऐसा सदैव तो चल नहीं सकता। देश को आगे बढ़ा कर विश्व पटल पर लाना हिम होगा, चाहे गरीबी हटानी पड़े या गरीब। उनके बेटे ने बिना तकनीकी शिक्षा के  सिर्फ़ आत्मबल पर कार बनाई, और फर्रा के निकलते हुए, लड़खड़ाते गाँव को सनीचर की तरह हिकारत से कहा- ‘लँगड़वा जा रहा है साला।’गांव सकुचाया हुआ चेहरे पर पुती धुल पोछता देखता रह गया। 

शहरों को गाँवों से जोड़ती सड़के सिकुड़ती गईं, और गाँव आधे रास्ते में रूककर क़स्बा हो गए। 
यह भी रहा कुल बीस बरस, फिर चचा के नाती लाए कम्प्यूटर और तोप। सड़क और क़स्बा वहीं ठिठके खड़े रहे, दूर से शहरों की अट्टालिकाओं और राज-प्रासादों को तकते हुए।
नतीजा यह हुआ कि क़स्बे बीच में रह गए, त्रिशँकु की भाँति। 
क़स्बे का कष्ट है कि वहाँ कुछ नहीं होता। शहरों में बहुत कुछ होता है, यूनिवर्सिटी वाले धरना देते हैं, पार्लियामेंट पर हमला होता है, बम ब्लास्ट होते हैं। चर्चा का विषय बना रहता है। विषय ना भी हो तो पत्रकार विषय का निर्माण कर के जीवन में हलचल बनाए रहते हैं। कुछ नहीं होता तो किसी अभिनेता के पुत्र के पोतड़े बदलने का कार्यक्रम गोष्ठी के विषय बन जाता है।  क्या पोतड़े इस लिए बदले गए क्यों कि राष्ट्र बदल रहा है, या कुछ बदल नहीं रहा था तो इस कारण बोर हो कर बालक ने पोतड़े बदल लिए।?

दूसरी तरफ़ गाँव में भी कुछ ना कुछ होता रहता है, पंचायत चुनाव, दरजी की पत्नी कुम्हार के साथ भाग ,जाती है, डॉक्टर की कम्पाउण्डर के साथ, बेला किस के साथ भागेगी, बहस का विषय होता है। और कुछ नहीं तो छोटे पहलवान की अपने बाप कुसहरप्रसाद से लट्ठमलट्ठा पर चर्चा हो जाती है। 


क़स्बे के पास दोनों ही अवसर नहीं हैं। न वो तेल की क़ीमत और मुद्रास्फीति पर मन लगा सकते हैं, ना ही कुसहरप्रसाद की स्थिति पर। कसबे के कुसहरप्रसाद वहाँ अकेले हैं, और छोटे पहलवान शहर जा कर क्लब में बाऊँसर हो गए हैं। वान्यप्रस्थ का वन क़स्बे में उतर आया है। इतिहास धुँधला गया है, भविष्य भ्रामक है। क़स्बा अपनी जगह रूका हुआ है। कोई किसी को पहचानता  है नहीं। वैद्यजी आज की राजनीति के हिसाब से साफ्ट हो गए हैं सो राजनीति छोड़ दिए हैं। कालेज की प्रिंसिपल साहब वाली राजनीति तो उन स्कूली बच्चों के आगे फ़ेल है, जो मुख्यमंत्री से गणतंत्र दिवस पर आठवीँ कक्षा में ही हिंदू मुस्लिम, दलित अगडा सीख लेते हैं। दूरबीनसिंह को टें बोले ज़माना हो गया। प्रधानमंत्री साँसदो से  - सज़ा दें सिला दें, बना दें मिटा दें - की तर्ज़ पर कहते हैं, कि क़स्बों को आदर्श ग्राम बनावें या स्मार्ट सिटी। 

साँसद प्रधानमंत्री की योजनाओं का नाम धरने में व्यस्त हैं। और चचा के जो नाती थे, उनके सुपुत्र वैसी ही रोबदार अँग्रेजी में पलट कर क़स्बों से पूछते हैं- लँगड हो का?
क़स्बा अपनी त्रिशंकु अवस्था पर कराह कर कहता है- 
हाँ हज़ूर, लँगड ही हैं! 


और फिर परनाती मुस्कुरा कर, डिम्पलों के बीच, क़स्बे से आए प्रधानमंत्री को देखते हैं और अपने चाचा वाली ख़ानदानी हिक़ारत से कहते है- लँगडवा है साला!
और आत्म चिंतन के लिए विदेश यात्रा पर निकल पड़ते हैं। 

क़स्बे का कष्ट

  क़स्बा गाँव के लार्वा और शहर की ख़ूबसूरत तितली के बीच का टेडपोल है। १५ अगस्त १९४७ को चाचा नेहरू ने रोबदार भाषण के साथ स्वतंत्रता की घोषणा की। जैसा कि श्रीलाल शुक्ल ने लिखा है कि रोबदार वार्ता के लिए अंग्रेज़ी अनिवार्य है, चाचाजी ने अँग्रेजी में भाषण दिया। राष्ट्र बहुत तो नहीं समझा पर तीव्र गति से चलते हुए चाचा जी के पीछे चल पड़ा। 
शहर वाले कुछ समझे, महानगर बने, गाँव लँगड़ाते हुए चले, कुछ क़स्बा बन पाए। चचा चीते की चाल से चले, गाँव कछुए की। पाँच साल में एक बार चचा राग दरबारी के रंगनाथ की तरह पलट के पूछते -‘लंगड़ हो क्या?’और गाँव भी ठिठककर कहता - ‘हाँ बापू, लँगड ही हूँ।’ अढाई दशक बाद चाचा की पुत्री आईं। उन्होंने लंगड को ही राष्ट्र निर्माण में बाधा जाना। उनके बेटे ने सिर्फ़ आत्मबल पर कार बनाई, और लड़खड़ाते गाँव को सनीचर की तरह कहा- ‘लँगड़वा जा रहा है साला।’
शहरों को गाँवों से जोड़ती सड़के सिकुड़ती गईं, और गाँव आधे रास्ते में रूककर क़स्बा हो गए। यह भी रहा कुल बीस बरस, फिर चचा के नाती लाए कम्प्यूटर और तोप। सड़क और क़स्बा वहीं ठिठके खड़े रहे, दूर से शहरों की अट्टालिकाओं और राज-प्रासादों को तकते हुए।नतीजा यह हुआ कि क़स्बे बीच में रह गए, त्रिशँकु की भाँति। 
क़स्बे का कष्ट है कि वहाँ कुछ नहीं होता। शहरों में बहुत कुछ होता है, जेएनयू वाले धरना देते हैं, पार्लियामेंट पर हमला होता है, बम ब्लास्ट होते हैं। चर्चा का विषय बना रहता है। विषय ना भी हो तो पत्रकार जीवन में हलचल बनाए रहते हैं। गाँव में भी कुछ ना कुछ होता रहता है। और कुछ नहीं तो छोटे पहलवान पहलवान की अपने बाप कुसहरप्रसाद से लट्ठमलट्ठा पर चर्चा हो जाती है। 

क़स्बे के पास दोनों ही अवसर नहीं हैं। न वो तेल की क़ीमत और मुद्रास्फीति पर मन लगा सकते हैं, ना ही कुसहरप्रसाद की स्थिति पर। कुसहरप्रसाद वहाँ अकेले हैं, और छोटे पहलवान शहर जा कर क्लब में बाऊँसर हो गए हैं। वान्यप्रस्थ का वन क़स्बे में उतर आया है। इतिहास धुँधला गया है, भविष्य भ्रामक है। क़स्बा अपनी जगह रूका हुआ है। कोई किसी को पहचानता  है नहीं। वैद्यजी आज की राजनीति के हिसाब से साफ्ट हो गए हैं सो राजनीति छोड़ दिए हैं। कालेज की प्रिंसिपल साहब वाली राजनीति तो उन स्कूली बच्चों के आगे फ़ेल है, जो मुख्यमंत्री से गणतंत्र दिवस पर हिंदू मुस्लिम, दलित अगडा सीख लेते हैं। दूरबीनसिंह को टें बोले ज़माना हो गया। प्रधानमंत्री साँसदो से कहते हैं - सज़ा दें सिला दें, बना दें मिटा दें - की तर्ज़ पर, कि क़स्बों को आदर्श ग्राम बनावें या स्मार्ट सिटी। साँसद प्रधानमंत्री की योजनाओं का नाम धरने में व्यस्त हैं। और चचा के जो नाती थे, उनके सुपुत्र वैसी ही रोबदार अँग्रेजी में पलट कर क़स्बों से पूछते हैं- लँगड हो का? क़स्बा अपनी त्रिशंकु अवस्था पर कराह कर कहता है- लँगड ही हैं! और फिर परनाती मुस्कुरा कर, डिम्पलों के बीच, क़स्बे से आए प्रधानमंत्री को देखते हैं और अपने चाचा वाली ख़ानदानी हिक़ारत से कहते है- लँगडवा है साला!

StateCraft From Mahabharata And The Modern Context

It occurred to me that we are pulled so far away from our own history and heritage that all we know is interpretations of translations of our primary sources. If we could even go to the translations, we would still gain much insight of our past. Without knowing our past, our minds float like rootless lilies in a muddied pond and thrown hither and tither with each forceful wave spiraling out, every time one stone is thrown.              
                This contention that we must not learn our histories simply because it is not tabulated is a myth. Greek history by Herodotus is also not a very factual statement, nor is Roman history by Livy.  That is the way how history was written in ancient times. Times could change suddenly, empires destroyed and survival required one to write history wrapped in mythical stories. Still, if one has the patience to skim through it, there is immense wisdom lying underneath the waterbed waiting to be discovered. The books we left unread being told by our academicians as mythologies and fictions, relying on their interpretations of the translations they read themselves; we shut ourselves to our past knowledge as a society. A society with faith in its historic greatness cannot be enslaved. Getting us stand with our collective backs turned to our own roots served this political purpose as we were ruled by people much less numerically than the local inhabitants. What is sad is that this derision of our history continues even today.
Mahabharata , for instance, I have always read as a story of two warring clans in the History.  That of course, is the main story. But Mahabharata , like most Hindu epics is an excellent example of layered writing, with multiple side-stories running about. Most narrations merely focus themselves on the main front story and in process, discredit and kill the side stories. It is these side-stories which hide in their numerous layers and patterns, great insight into our past, which could be brilliant lessons for the future, illuminating the foggy path which lies in front of us.
When it comes to Statecraft or the laws of governance, we glance westwards to Roman Philosophers, Western Thinkers and more often than not, to a wily Machiavelli. When reading Mahabharata, I came across a brilliant chapter which gives lessons in Statecraft.  Our ancient claim to statecraft is limited to Chanakya Niti, which brilliant as it is, stands lonely while our teachers and students reach out for Roman philosophers to understand the principles of governance. Ancient Sage Narada, who has been sadly caricatured in our movies, takes the centre-stage in Sabha Parva, Chapter V of Mahabharata . As the Pandava King, Yudhisthira , the righteous one, is appointed as the King, he seeks guidance from the learned Sage Narada. What Narada says is so true that it remains relevant even today and makes a very interesting reading.
Narada, the eternal wanderer, travelled across the nations and here offers the knowledge he collected from most well-run states to the freshly appointed King Yudhisthira of Indraprastha (Modern Delhi). He beings asking Yudhistihira –
“Do you have enough finances to help your kingly duties -Yagya (Education in modern Context), Daan (Citizen Welfare in current reference) and Defence? “ -
A worried ruler, short of resources is prone to enter into evil alliances (Srilankan Port development deal with China and CPEC could be an example and also skewed trade deficit which even India has with china could take lesson from this) and will not be able to run his state properly. As they say today, Good economics is good politics. Remember Sage Narada said it first. An independent, self-reliant, economically-viable nation is the first step and foremost necessity to the making of a self-sustained sovereign state.  Yagya , I have here equated with education and academics because during the early Vedic days of spiritual and philosophic search which was undertaken by our ancestors, living in scarce population amid the unfriendly and wild forests, Yagya, with fire lit in the middle, was a way to get these thinkers together to discuss, debate and deliberate upon existential questions. It would be folly to look at the term Yagya as a mechanical ritualistic practice. In this one hymn, Narada defines the basic necessity and fundamental task of the state and also illustrates how strong finances are essential for the state to be able to fulfil these basic duties.
Narada further says-
“Do you, O Great King, treat the three Varnas (Brahman, Vaishyas and Shudras) equitably, with a liberal and moral way of governance, just as our ancestors did ?”
Here Narada refers to three working classes, Brahmins referring to the academicians, artists and intellectuals, Vaishyas referring to those involved in the works of state and commerce, and Shudra performing labour intensive work. This hymn does not indicate anything hereditary nor does it indicate the precedence of one caste over the other. Narada commends equitable and just treatment to all the three classes. Forget castes, this is critical for any state to be run well that all the three classes- The bureaucracy and mercantile class, the intellectuals and academicians, and the Working-class are all treated in a just and equal manner. Western thinkers in their zeal of colonizing Eastern thoughts and spirit, have changed Varna to Caste and often used the description of the Varna (Occupation based, and not defined by Birth). As dynast decided to protect occupational fiefdoms, Varna quickly took the shape of caste. Even considering the oft-quoted reference of various parts of Brahma from where various Varna’s emerged, Hindu thought did not consider one body part superior to the other and in all probability, the description merely indicates the equivalence of all Varnas and nearness to the creator, all being parts of his being.    
Next he says –
“In the greed for money, do you forego Dharma (morality and righteousness); in pursuance of Dharma do you forego commerce; in the pursuit of luxury do you forego both Dharma and Commerce?”
He illustrates the need of balance. He cautions to king to not be trapped in any one of the mentioned occupation. The king ought to pursue all of them in perfect balance. The king must not shun spirituality and Dharma for Capitalistic endeavours. Development and Dharma must not stand in contradiction to one another and for the sustenance of the nation, a balance has to be driven between the two.
“O innocent Yudhisthira! Do you use six characteristics of a King, with seven mechanisms to constantly evaluate and improve on the fourteen critical arms of the state?”
The six characteristics of a good ruler, Narada refers to here, are – Exceptional Oratory, immense Enthusiasm, Rational thoughts and objectivity, Awareness of heritage and history, Vision for the future, Policy and administrative understanding.
Seven mechanisms mentioned here are- Mantra (referring to discipline and practice, skill development), Aushadh (Healthcare), Saam (Recognition), Daam (Compensation), Dand (Rule of law, fear of punishment), Bhed (Security apparatus and intelligence).
Fourteen Critical Arms of State- Nation, Durg (National Establishments, Buildings and monuments), Rath(Transport), Hathi (Armoured vehicles), Ghode (Artillery), Sainik (Infantry), Anta:Pur (Internal Politics), Ann (National reserves – Funds and Foodgrains), Ganana (Data and Statistics), Shastra (Constitution and Academics), Lekhya (Accounts), Dhan (Treasury and Finances), Asu or Forces (Armed Forces).
With the broad outline of the features that are essential part of the making of a statesman, and the means with which he or she can keep track of key 14 components of the government managed well for the times of peace and war.   Narada then proceeds to further detailing of how the tasks of Governance out to be performed, breaking them further down to the level of activities and tasks.
Narada Says, which comes from the role of Sabha and Samiti of Atharva-Veda:
“Hope you do not deliberate on critical matters alone, nor should you discuss the matters of importance with too many people and risk confidentiality of the matter.”
Narada then speaks specifically on commerce:
“ Do you quickly facilitate commercial endeavor which tends to bring more profit with lesser investments? Do you ensure that the state does not put hindrances in the path of such initiatives?”
In modern context, think of Ease-of-doing-business and incentivizing innovation, as what is reflected here in this hymn.
“Hope that the working class, the laborers and the farmers are not suspicious of you and unaware of your work. Do you keep an eye on their employment and welfare? Hope they do not fall in and out of your favor from time to time? Any great progress can only happen with support of all sections.”
It is very important to ensure that the state has consistent policy towards the working class and ensures that the policy is communicated well to the people so that they are no longer suspicious towards the state.
“Do you ensure that you compensate the armed forces appropriately and without delays? Delays in compensation cause distress and unrest among the ranks and can cause huge disasters.”
In any large state, the ruler rules through a council of Ministers who are in turn supported by a system. Ministers and/or officers cannot be allowed to operate in the manner which is in contradiction to the defined State policy, whether it be the case of rogue Minister or that of Coalition compulsions. Narada warns the king to be watchful and says-
“Among your employees, hope you do not have someone who pursues his independent policies, and who runs the arms of the state as per his one interests.”
The learned sage supports a system of incentivizing initiatives when he asks:
“Do you give incentives and additional benefits to your men who outperform and excel in their work?”
There have been much deliberation regarding the veterans and martyrs of late. Interesting, the unrest is fanned by those who scrapped Sainik Pay Commission and OROP. Narada says:
“O Foremost Bharat! Those who happily sacrifice their lives for the sake of the state, do you protect their children and take care of them?”
Read this in the context of Seventh Pay commission, OROP and Tuition fee for the dependents of Veterans debate.
Narada also defines the disciplined behavior for state employees and bureaucracy.  He says:
“Ensure that your officers do not waste away the first part of the day which is marked for Dharma in Gambling, Drinking, lazing off and other such evils.”
Remember how the dimpled dynast is known to begin his day late and how the bureaucracy jumped in outrage when Narendra Modi deployed biometric attendance system in Government offices?
On agriculture, I have found the references to rainwater conservation even in other books of ancient times like Vishnu Purana. In Mahabharata too, Narada considers this a part of basic duties for the ruler in India, always troubled by vicissitudes of nature.
“Have you constructed large ponds for the farmers and citizens? Hope your people are not solely dependent on rainwater for agriculture?”
We have in all the years of independence almost forgotten this Vedic wisdom which is most attuned to our land and our climate. Old lakes are dying and new lakes are not being constructed, even after deaths and devastation of droughts every year. Do we know that Bundelkhand was known for huge man-made lakes in Vedic times. Those who unfortunately ruled India for great deal of Thousand years, had such a passive relation with this land that not much development work was undertaken and most past work faded into history. This will put the ambitious river-linking project in context. 
Again considerate of the significance of agriculture, Narada adds:
“Do you see to it that your farmers are not suffering because of poor seed quality? Do you support the farmers by offering loans at One percent Interest?”
Narada also touches upon a just and effective judiciary. When I read this, I am definitely reminded of the outrage after 2G verdict which let off everyone owing to poor prosecution. He says:
“O best of the men! Do you see to it that any evil thief who is apprehended red-handed is not let-off unpunished by corrupt officials out of greed?”
He however warns against unrestrained state harassment when he asks:
“Hope your ministers are not heeding to conspiratorial voices and watch with suspicion a poor man who has suddenly come into riches purely on account of intelligence and hard work and your officials do not harass first generation entrepreneurs.”
We have been hearing the stories of good Samaritans in often appreciated and often ridiculed Mann ki Baat of Prime Minister Modi. Says Narada:
“O King! Do you take notice of someone who goes out of the way for public welfare? Do you recognize such people and praise and honour such men in public gatherings?”
These books are full of such wealth of wisdom. Unfortunately, we have been so away from our history and heritage that we have not been able to appreciate them in the full. India today stands at a cusp of re-invention. We are poised to claim our place in the sun. Agenda-driven academicians have for long taught us that our ancient books are nothing but myth. They are the same people who created the myth of India as the land of snake-charmers. It is time to get rid of their faulty assessments and discover our history and resurrect our national pride. Let us read and let us try reading from the Primary sources.