Abhinav Bharat, Sawarkar's vision and its gradual denigration

Vinayak Damodar Sawarkar, or Veer Sawarkar, formed the "Abhinav Bharat" in 1905 while at Pune's Fergusson College. It drew its name and inspiration from Mazzini's "Young Italy" and also also influenced by Thomas Frost’s Secret Societies of the European Revolution (1776-1876), a book dealing mostly with the Russian nihilists. Sawarkar’s "Abhinav Bharat" believed in revolutionary violence and was, indeed, responsible for the assassination of several British officers. It was disbanded in 1952.
The "new" Abhinav Bharat was formed by a man named Sameer Kulkarni (or, probably by Colonel Prasad Purohit). The details of this "new" Abhinav Bharat's involvement in terrorist activities, specifically in the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case can be read in detail in Christophe Jaffrelot's excellent article.
I only intend to lay before you, readers, the high ideals that the original Abhinav Bharat had. It's oath is a testimony to this. Now many people will take pride in the way of the "revolutonaries" and others will say that their path was destructive and reckless. We, too feel that Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement which believed in Ahimsa (or non-violence) was responsible for getting Indians freedom from the Raj, but many would disagree. Nonetheless, revolutionaries like Sawarkar, Bhagat Singh and Bose will always command respect from Indians.
The oath of Abhinav Bharat-

BANDE MATARAM

In the name of God,
In the name of Bharat Mata,
In the name of all the Martyrs that have shed their blood for Bharat Mata,
By the Love, innate in all men and women, that I bear to the land of my birth,
wherein the sacred ashes of my forefathers, and which is the cradle of my
children,
By the tears of Hindi Mothers for their children whom the Foreigner has enslaved, imprisoned, tortured, and killed,

I, …
Convinced that without Absolute Political Independence or Swarajya my country can never rise to the exalted position among the nations of the earth which is Her due,
And Convinced also that that Swarajya can never be attained except by the waging of a bloody and relentless war against the Foreigner,
Solemnly and sincerely Swear that I shall from this moment do everything in
my power to fight for Independence and place the Lotus Crown of Swaraj
on the head of my Mother;
And with this object, I join the Abhinav Bharat, the revolutionary Society of all
Hindusthan, and swear that I shall ever be true and faithful to this my
solemn Oath, and that I shall obey the orders of this body;
If I betray the whole or any part of this solemn Oath, or if I betray this body or
any other body working with a similar object,

May I be doomed to the fate of a perjurer! 

Inside the mind of a revolutionary

Bhagat Singh's Statement Before the Lahore High Court Bench

[Through this brilliant statement Bhagat Singh demolished the basis of the Sessions Court judgement and emphasised the importance of motive. The motive of action, he argued, should be the main consideration while judging the offence of an accused.]

MY LORDS,
We are neither lawyers nor masters of English language, nor holders of degrees. Therefore, please do not expect any oratorial speech from us. We therefore pray that instead of going into the language mistakes of our statement Your Lordships will try to understand the real sense of it.
Leaving other points to our lawyers, I will confine myself to one point only. The point is very important in this case. The point is as to what were our intentions and to what extent we are guilty. This is a very complicated question and no one will be able to express before you that height to mental elevation which inspired us to think and act in a particular manner. We want that this should be kept in mind while assessing our intentions our offence. According to the famous jurist Solomon, one should not be punished for his criminal offence if his aim is not against law.
We had submitted a written statement in the Sessions Court. That statement explains our aim and, as such, explains our intentions also. But the leaned judge dismissed it with one stroke of pen, saying that "generally the operation of law is not affected by how or why one committed the offence. In this country the aim of the offence is very rarely mentioned in legal commentaries."
My Lords, our contention is that under the circumstances the learned judge ought to have judged us either by the result of our action or on the basis of the psychological part of our statement. But he did not take any of these factors into consideration.
The point to be considered is that the two bombs we threw in the Assembly did not harm anybody physically or economically. As such the punishment awarded to us is not only very harsh but revengeful also. Moreover, the motive knowing his psychology. And no one can do justice to anybody without taking his motive into consideration. If we ignore the motive, the biggest general of the words will appear like ordinary murderers; revenue officers will look like thieves and cheats. Even judges will be accused of murder. This way the entire social system and the civilisation will be reduced to murders, thefts and cheating. If we ignore the motive, the government will have no right to expect sacrifice from its people and its officials. Ignore the motive and every religious preacher will be dubbed as a preacher of falsehoods, and every prophet will be charged of misguiding crores of simple and ignorant people.
If we set aside the motive, then Jesus Christ will appear to be a man responsible for creating disturbances, breaking peace and preaching revolt, and will be considered to be a "dangerous personality" in the language of the law. But we worship him. He commands great respect in our hearts and his image creates vibrations of spiritualism amongst us. Why? Because the inspiration behind his actions was that of a high ideal. The rulers of that age could not recognise that high idealism. They only saw his outward actions. Nineteen centuries have passed since then. Have we not progressed during this period? Shall we repeat that mistake again? It that be so, then we shall have to admit that all the sacrifices of the mankind and all the efforts of the great martyrs were useless and it would appear as if we are still at the same place where we stood twenty centuries back.
From the legal point of view also, the question of motive is of special importance. Take the example of General Dyer. He resorted to firing and killed hundreds of innocent and unarmed people. But the military court did not order him to be shot. It gave him lakhs of rupees as award. Take another example. Shri Kharag Bahadur Singh, a young Gurkha, Killed a Marwari in Calcutta. If the motive be set aside, then Kharag Bahadur Singh ought to have been hanged. But he was awarded a mild sentence of a few years only. He was even released much before the expiry of his sentence. Was there any loophole in the law that he escaped capital punishment? Or, was the charge of murder not proved against him? Like us, he also accepted the full responsibility of his action, but he escaped death. He is free today. I ask Your Lordship, why was he not awarded capital punishment? His action was well calculated and well planned. From the motive end, his action was more serious and fatal than ours. He was awarded a mild punishment because his intentions were good. He was awarded a mild punishment because his intentions were good. He saved the society from a dirty leach who had sucked the life-blood of so many pretty young girls. Kharag Singh was given a mild punishment just to uphold the formalities of the law.
This principle (that the law does not take motive into consideration - ed.) is quite absurd. This is against the basic principles of the law which declares that "the law is for man and not man for the law". As such, why the same norms are not being applied to us also? It is quite clear that while convicting Kharag Singh his motive was kept in mind, otherwise a murderer can never escape the hangman's noose. Are we being deprived of the ordinary advantage of the law because our offence is against the government, or because our action has a political importance?
My Lords, under these circumstances, please permit us to assert that a government which seeks shelter behind such mean methods has no right to exist. If it is exists, it is for the time being only, and that too with the blood of thousands of people on its head. If the law does not see the motive there can be no justice, nor can there be stable peace.
Mixing of arsenic (poison) in the flour will not be considered to be a crime, provided its purpose is to kill rats. But if the purpose is to kill a man, it becomes a crime of murder. Therefore, such laws which do not stand the test of reason and which are against the principle of justice should be abolished. Because of such unjust laws, many great intellectuals had to adopt the path of revolt.
The facts regarding our case are very simple. We threw two bombs in the legislative Assembly on April 8, 1929. As a result of the explosion, a few persons received minor scratches. There was pandemonium in the chamber, hundreds of visitors and members of the Assembly ran out. Only my friend B.K. Dutt and I remained seated in the visitors gallery and offered ourselves for arrest. We were tried for attempt to murder, and convicted for life. As mentioned above, as a result of the bomb explosion, only four or five persons were slightly injured and one bench got damaged. We offered ourselves for arrest without any resistance. The Sessions Judge admitted that we could have very easily escaped, had we had any intention like that. We accepted our offence and gave a statement explaining our position. We are not afraid of punishment. But we do not want that we should be wrongly understood. The judge remover a few paragraphs from our statement. This we consider to be harmful for our real position.
A proper study of the full text of our statement will make it clear that, according to us, our country is passing through a delicate phase. We saw the coming catastrophe and thought it proper to give a timely warning with a loud voice, and we gave the warning in the manner we thought proper. We may be wrong. Our line of thinking and that of the learned judge may be different, but that does not bean that we be deprived of the permission to express our ideas, and wrong things be propagated in our name.
In our statement we explained in detail what we mean by "Long Live Revolution" and "Down With Imperialism". That formed the crux of our ideas. That portion was removed from our statement. Generally a wrong meaning is attributed to the word revolution. That is not our understanding. Bombs and pistols do not make revolution. That is not our understanding. Bombs and pistols do not make revolution. The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas. This is what we wanted to emphasise. By revolution we mean the end of the miseries of capitalist wars. It was not proper to pronounce judgement without understanding our aims and objects and the process of achieving them. To associate wrong ideas with our names is out and out injustice.
It was very necessary to give the timely warning that the unrest of the people is increasing and that the malady may take a serious turn, if not treated in time and properly. If our warning is not heeded, no human power will be able to stop it. We took this step to give proper direction to the storm. We are serious students of history. We believe that, had the ruling powers acted correctly at the proper time, there would have been no bloody revolutions in France and Russia. Several big power of the world tried to check the storm of ideas and were sunk in the atmosphere of bloodshed. The ruling people cannot change the flow of the current. We wanted to give the first warning. Had we aimed at killing some important personalities, we would have failed in the attainment of our aim.
My Lords, this was the aim and the spirit behind our action, and the result of the action corroborates our statement. There is one more point which needs elucidation, and that is regarding the strength of the bombs. Had we had no idea of the strength of the bombs, there would have been no question of our throwing them in the presence of our respected national leader like Pandit Motilal Nehru, Shri Kelkar, Shri Jayaker and Shri Jinnah. How could we have risked the lives of our leaders? After all we are not mad and, had we been so, we would have certainly been sent to the lunatic asylum, instead of being put in jail. We had full knowledge about the strength of the bombs and that is why we acted with so much confidence. It was very easy to have thrown the bombs on the occupied benches, but it was difficult to have thrown them on unoccupied seats. Had we not of saner mind or had we been mentally unbalanced, the bombs would have fallen on occupied benches and not in empty places. Therefore I would say that we should be rewarded for the courage we showed in carefully selecting the empty places. Under these conditions, My Lords, we think we have not been understood, My Lords, we think we have not been understood properly. We have not come before you to get our sentences reduced. We have come here to clarify our position. We want that we should not be given any unjust treatment, nor should any unjust opinion be pronounced about us. The question of punishment is of secondary importance before us.

Indianised English

Hello People,
Received a mail from my good mate, Pranav. It was an article on www.cnngo.com written by Daniel DMello. Thought of sharing it with you all. Here it goes,

"10 classic Indianisms: 'Doing the needful' and more

How to fix grammatically insane phrases found in common Indian English

We are a unique species, aren’t we? Not humans. Indians, I mean. No other race speaks or spells like we do.

Take greetings for example.

A friendly clerk asking me for my name is apt to start a conversation with, “What is your good name?” As if I hold that sort of information close to my heart and only divulge my evil pseudonym. Bizarre.

I call these Indianisms.

Which got me thinking about a compilation, a greatest hits of the most hilarious Indianisms out there. And here they are. The most common ones, and my favorites among them.

1. 'Passing out'

When you complete your studies at an educational institution, you graduate from that institution.

You do not "pass out" from that institution.

To "pass out" refers to losing consciousness, like after you get too drunk, though I’m not sure how we managed to connect graduating and intoxication.

Oh wait … of course, poor grades throughout the year could lead to a sudden elation on hearing you’ve passed all of your exams, which could lead to you actually "passing out," but this is rare at best.

2. 'Kindly revert'

One common mistake we make is using the word revert to mean reply or respond.

Revert means "to return to a former state."

I can’t help thinking of a sarcastic answer every time this comes up.

“Please revert at the earliest.”

3. 'Years back'

“Sure, I’ll set my biological clock to regress evolutionarily to my original primitive hydrocarbon state at 1 p.m. today."

If it happened in the past, it happened years ago, not "years back."

Given how common this phrase is, I’m guessing the first person who switched "ago" for "back" probably did it years back. See what I mean?

And speaking of "back," asking someone to use the backside entrance sounds so wrong.

“So when did you buy this car?”

“Oh, years back.”

“Cool, can you open the backside? I’d like to get a load in.”

4. 'Doing the needful'

Try to avoid using the phrase "do the needful." It went out of style decades ago, about the time the British left.

Using it today indicates you are a dinosaur, a dinosaur with bad grammar.

You may use the phrase humorously, to poke fun at such archaic speech, or other dinosaurs.

“Will you do the needful?”

“Of course, and I’ll send you a telegram to let you know it's done too.”

5. 'Discuss about'

“What shall we discuss about today?”

“Let’s discuss about politics. We need a fault-ridden topic to mirror our bad grammar.”

You don't "discuss about" something; you just discuss things.

The word "discuss" means to "talk about". There is no reason to insert the word "about" after "discuss."

That would be like saying "talk about about." Which "brings about" me to my next peeve.

6. 'Order for'

"Hey, let’s order for a pizza."

"Sure, and why not raid a library while we’re about it.”

When you order something, you "order" it, you do not "order for" it.

Who knows when or why we began placing random prepositions after verbs?

7. 'Do one thing'

Perhaps somewhere in our history someone lost a little faith in the "doing" word and added "for" to make sure their order would reach them. They must have been pretty hungry

When someone approaches you with a query, and your reply begins with the phrase "do one thing," you're doing it wrong.

"Do one thing" is a phrase that does not make sense.

It is an Indianism. It is only understood in India. It is not proper English. It is irritating.

There are better ways to begin a reply. And worst of all, any person who starts a sentence with "do one thing" invariably ends up giving you at least five things to do.

“My computer keeps getting hung.”

“Do one thing. Clear your history. Delete your cookies. Defrag your hardrive. Run a virus check. Restart your computer... .”

8. 'Out of station'

“Sorry I can’t talk right now, I’m out of station.”

“What a coincidence, Vijay, I’m in a station right now.”

Another blast from the past, this one, and also, extremely outdated.

What's wrong with "out of town" or "not in Mumbai" or my favorite "I'm not here"?

9. The big sleep

"I’m going to bed now, sleep is coming."

"OK, say hi to it for me."

While a fan of anthropomorphism, I do have my limits. "Sleep is coming" is taking things a bit too far.

Your life isn’t a poem. You don’t have to give body cycles their own personalities.

10. 'Prepone'

“Let’s prepone the meeting from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m.”

Because the opposite of postpone just has to be prepone, right?

"Prepone" is probably the most famous Indianism of all time; one that I’m proud of, and that I actually support as a new entry to all English dictionaries.

Because it makes sense. Because it fills a gap. Because we need it. We’re Indians, damn it. Students of chaos theory.

We don’t have the time to say silly things like "could you please bring the meeting forward."

Prepone it is.

There are many more pure grammatical "gems" in what we call Indian English. Perhaps in time I’ll list some more. And perhaps in the near future, we’ll get better at English.

Till then, kindly adjust. 

A lesser-known Satyagrahi

Satyagraha, Gandhi-style, is in vogue! Every Tom, Dick and Hazare wants to emulate the Mahatma. Is it wow or is it not? That is for the civil society to decide. 

A few days ago, a news channel showed a piece on two Satyagrahis, Anna Hazare, the diminutive social activist from Ralegan-Siddhi in Maharashtra, who after giving sleepless nights to politicians of the state is out to give the politicos in Delhi (New) a piece of his mind and a lesser known activist called Irom Sharmila.

For the uninformed, Irom Chanu Sharmila (also known as the Iron Lady of Manipur) has been fasting for not ten days or ten weeks or even ten months but for the past ten years! Believe it or faint! She is asking the Government to repeal the draconian Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) from her state.

Now you may ask what the f*** is this AFSPA?

The Act was passed on September 11, 1958 by the Parliament of India which conferred special powers to the armed forces in “disturbed areas” like the state of J&K and the north-eastern states. The state administration can call for Central help in cases of emergency situations like militancy. The Centre can send in the Armed Forces whose presence is legitimized by the AFSPA. With the AFSPA in place, the Armed Forces can take over from the local law-enforcement agencies like the police force.

Under the Act, an officer of the Armed Forces can, in short, kill any person he sees as a potential threat, arrest any person without a warrant and search any person’s home or other premises without a search warrant. It also gives the officers of the Armed Forces immunity for their actions. They cannot be dragged to a court of law for the actions committed while serving in a place where the AFSPA is in force. As common sense suggests, it creates autocratic tyrants out of officers of the Armed Forces, since they are always on the edge in emergency situations. Violence has, in fact, increased since the Act was enforced. There have been protests against the Act wherein civilians have blamed the Armed Forces for wrongfully killing, abducting perfectly harmless civilians in the name of curbing militancy and rebellious tendencies.

On 2 November 2000, ten civilians were (allegedly) shot and killed by the Assam Rifles in Malom, a small town in the Imphal valley in Manipur. Out of the dead was a 62 year old woman and 18 year old Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner; hardly candidates with militant tendencies. This came to be known as the “Malom Massacre.” This is when Sharmila, the daughter of a Grade 4 veterinary worker began to fast in protest of the killings. Her satyagraha is against the law which she wants to be repealed. In 2004, the Government had set up the Jeevan Reddy Commission, which recommended that the Act be repealed. But the Government failed to act upon the recommendations of the Committee’s report arguing that it would be nigh impossible for the Armed Forces to function in “disturbed areas” without the Act.

There have been gross violations of human rights by the Armed Forces in areas where the AFSPA is in force, a fact to which many government officials agree.

Irom Chanu Sharmila has become an icon of public resistance for people who know about her fight. She may be a heroine in her land, but in this part of the country, where we still struggle to remember the names of all the north eastern states (and their capitals), hardly anybody knows about her or the law she is fighting against. An interesting fact is that only three days into her huger strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with “attempt to commit suicide.” One wonders why the Government did not arrest Anna Hazare on the same pretext.

Despite the odds, Irom Sharmila continues her struggle. Time the Government paid heed to her demands and we as Indians understood what the lady stands for.

Jai Hind!  

Sightings at Jogger's Park

Finally, I have given up to my wife's demands. I have started exercising. Nothing rigorous, just a mile of brisk walking at the Jogger's Park in my city. Actually it was my cousin who gave me the idea and like a drowning man catches hold of a straw, I caught it. He comes to my shop at 7:30 in the evening and then we ride to Jogger's Park and complete 2 rounds of 800 meters each.
Now this Jogger's Park is frequented by many interesting characters and I got to observe quite a few regulars today, more so because I was alone. An elderly couple who walks less and talks more. The expression on the man is so pitiful that you wish that you could go up to him, place a consoling hand on his shoulder and speak a word or two. As far as the lady is concerned, she does more talking than the man. I feel that the man probably got the idea of coming to Jogger's Park as a means to escape his wife for a good hour if not more. But then the lady found out that her husband was missing out on her insights on life and all things under the sun. So she decided to accompany him as well!
An obese young guy of around twenty. He is so very much obsessed with his mobile phone (as are so many other members of his generation), that either he is chatting away with someone or simply texting away to glory, not bothering to see where he is walking.
A healthily-overweight young girl. Good looking but with more flab in all the wrong places. The look on her face suggests that she is walking because her parents have forced her and not because of her own will. She will huff and puff and then walk some.
A few sari-clad "upper-middle class" (if their exists such a sub-class!) ladies with sport shoes. Lots of gossip accompany their couple of rounds. A mini kitty party sans the food and drinks.
A group of young girls who wear such tight fitting apparel that it is hard to believe that they could actually move their bodies in them, leave alone walk briskly!
These and a lot of other interesting people. Who said exercising is boring!!       

Do We Need A Teacher?

The human civilization has lived through the Stone Age, The Bronze Age, The Copper Age, The Iron Age, The Industrial Age and now it is in the Information Age. This age is characterized by the availability of any and all information at the click of the button. Today it is said that the one who has more information is mightier than the one who wields more weapons. Many thinkers believe that as the process of getting information becomes easier, the teacher will become redundant in the educational system. And today’s educational system does rely heavily on passing information to students rather than teaching anything to them. The teachers have become mere instructors. But is that the only role of teachers? To pass information to students? We may argue that the primary and secondary school teachers’ job is more important than the teachers in institutes of higher learning. This is because the schoolteachers handle students who are very young and easily influenced. Their mind is like wet cement; whatever falls on it, makes an impression. And thus the teachers have to ply their outlook, perspective, and mindset and also prepare them for a sound academic career. When these students enter institutes of higher learning like colleges and universities, they are in a very volatile state and age. A craving for adventure, defiance of convention and rebelliousness typify their age. This may lead to a state of normlessness, which may portend danger for the future. This is where a teacher becomes important. The English word “Teacher” does not capture the essence of the Sanskrit word “Guru,” which is more relevant in this context. The actual meaning of the word Guru is “the one who takes the disciple (student) from darkness to light.” The job of a teacher in an institute of higher learning also is critical since he is dealing with a very capricious age group- the youth. Today’s youth, or for that matter the youth of any generation, is hot-blooded, fickle and erratic but at the same time has the potential to change the world. If their energy and exuberance is directed in a constructive way, then they possess the power and capability to move mountains. It should be understood that the sole purpose of education is not only to impart information and knowledge but, as is summarized beautifully in a Sanskrit shloka, it “sharpens the intellect, …….., develops the faculty of discrimination, strengthens our moral nature, enables us to stand the severest temptations of life and thus protects us from falling into errors.”


Some people are born more naturally to leadership and those who want to be leaders can develop effective leadership qualities. A teacher can thus gauge in a student the inherent qualities, which make great leaders and make him aware of them and also help in developing them. The teacher can inspire the student to practice ethical leadership, which has become more important than ever. Philosophy is the platform on which great leadership is built. If the philosophy is not right than all that follows will be built on sand. A teacher can help the student to formulate a healthy, positive and constructive philosophy on which will be based the ethics and principles of the student’s life and leadership.

Thus, a teacher is an indispensable part of a student’s life, regardless of the age of the pupil. The teacher has assimilated the information that he obtained during his disciple years into knowledge. This knowledge when combined with experience becomes wisdom. It is this wisdom that the teacher conveys to his students. It is said that we must learn from other peoples mistakes and experiences, because life is too short to do it all yourself! Thus the teacher is like a guide for the student through the way, which the student has chosen in life. With the help and guidance of the teacher, the student can begin a successful journey through life.

VALUE EDUCATION: NEED OF THE HOUR

We are living in an increasingly globalising environment. It is believed that Asia will be the focus of development in the new millennium and India will be one of the lead players in this process. From all accounts it appears to be the truth. As the cliché goes, India is not a poor country but a rich country with lots of poor people. There is unconstrained and limitless luxury and grandeur on the one hand and sheer poverty on the other. This great country has the potential to reach even greater heights and become a land of splendid opportunities if only the human resource potential is meticulously developed and exploited. Also a regimented work culture needs to be developed.


Although the new Information Age has made the world a very small place, it has its own perils. Anything and everything is available at the click of a button. Getting information had never been so easy. Today, the society in general and the youth in particular are passing through a very critical phase where they have been ruthlessly exposed to the ever expanding demon of electronic media, feeding on and serving ghastly and horrific happenings to a normless youth. This signifies grave danger for the future. This is where values become important in education and personality development. If education can help overcome these handicaps, we can certainly look forward to the day when our country will again be called “the golden sparrow.”

Education should condition the mind to enable individuals to function effectively and to have a fulfilling life. Let us analyze the existing state of affairs. We have a situation where the age-old joint family system is deteriorating. Children spend less and less time with parents who are busy earning to keep the domestic wheel moving. These children are assailed with quick-fix solutions for every problem through an aggressive media culture. Thus we need value education to promote ethical choices to the educated persons who are expected to be thinking individuals.

Again values become important for the educated person in the context of emerging forces of globalization converting everything to the naked fury of the market forces. Just look at the way organized crime, financial frauds and terrorist violence is being perpetrated by some of the best minds gifted with the best of educational and technical accomplishments.

Similarly, the value of equality and equity must influence the thought and action of all educated people. For too long, inequalities have divided Indian society and contributed to untold human suffering. It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court has to lay down directives of gender equality when it should come naturally to a people with such a rich heritage in which the female is given the pride of place.

The major problem in India is corruption and reluctance to work hard. In a recently concluded survey by the World Bank, the Corruption Index of the worlds’ countries was calculated and India stood a miserable 91 in the list. Unless the educated work force of the nation is not inculcated with values like national pride, integration, loyalty and respect for the Constitution, we may find it tough to scale the ladder.

The need for value education is central to all forms of education; from the primary to higher education but there are differences of opinion among educational administrators on how to organize it in the curriculum. The Central Policy on Education, 1984, explicitly states the need for value education and it even directed the Central Board for Secondary Education to frame a syllabus for value education which would then become part of textbooks of all school boards in the country. Even after more than twenty years, we have failed to see the efforts of the Policy bear any fruit. This is a sad condition for a multicultural, multireligious and multiethnic society like ours. We may interpret secularism to suit our point of view but one thing is for sure; there is no alternative to multiculturism if India is to survive as a nation. This would mean that tolerance, as a value, must be imbibed in the personality of every individual whether he or she belongs to a majority or minority group. India has a prosperous legacy of tolerance and she has absorbed various cultures of people who either came as plunderers, invaders or as guests.

Education seems to have got totally divorced from ethical standards and even laws are unable to deter people from evil conduct. There is a crying need for value education in today’s people and this has to start from the very beginning. Children, whose minds are like wet cement, must be impressed upon with moral values like personal hygiene, general cleanliness, community living, gender equality, sexual morality and social values like national integration, respect for elders, familial and societal responsibilities, respect for an individual’s rights, the law and the Constitution.

Value education in the agenda of higher education should essentially extend to moral and ethical practices in individual and collective behavior. If corruption, deceit and violence prevail in public life today, the educational system in the country will have to own a share of responsibility for the malaise.

If civil society has to grow and exercise a redeeming influence in social and national development, the educational system of the country has to take the lead and mobilize social action particularly among the youth through value education.

Faith - Religion (and everything in between)

After having spent 23 years of my life in a city, it was a very difficult phase in my life to move to a relatively small town for my job. Nevertheless, I settled in the new place. After getting acquainted with the place I started to search out for good spots to dine. I did find a nice hotel but what excited me more was the ubiquitous Paan Stall outside the restaurant.

The Paanwalla served the most delicious paans I had ever tasted. He soon understood my likings and designed a paan especially for me. I started frequenting him more often. He was a chatterbox of sorts and loved talking and after six years of married life, I have become a very good listener. So we gelled quite nicely; a college lecturer and Zakirbhai, the paanwalla.

There was a quaint quality about Zakirbhai. He wouldn’t just ramble on any topic in the world. He chatted quite a bit but he was an intelligent conversationalist. I would spend at least half an hour for every paan I used to enjoy.

Every time I visited his shop I couldn’t stop myself from wondering at an object placed in his shop. It was the photograph of Lord Ganesha and Lord Sri Krishna. Whenever I visited his shop, there would be a fresh garland of flowers around both deities and mellifluously fragrant incense. On exactly the opposite side, I could see the picture of the Holy Ka’aba in Mecca adorned with fresh flowers.

Finally after five years I found the courage to ask him one day. “Zakirbhai, why do you have Hindu deities in your shop?” He smiled and said, “Sir, it is a long story. Actually, they were part of a shop I used to run in the city before I came to this place. I ran a paan shop which was owned by a Hindu. These photos were in his shop. Now I being a devout Muslim, brought my Ka’aba to the shop. I used to pray to the Holy Ka’aba daily and used to decorate it with fresh flowers everyday.

“The shop owner used to come to the shop daily and he used to garland the photos and perform his puja. After a couple of months, he stopped coming due to health reasons, so I continued his tradition of garlanding the photos. The shop owner died and his sons decided to sell off his shop. I decided to move into this place, but something made me bring these photos with me.”

Then Zakirbhai narrated to me one of the most fantastic incidents of his life. He told me that one night, Lord Ganesha appeared in his dreams. The lord asked him to put a garland around His neck. Dumbfounded, he tried to do what he was told to. But as soon as he reached out to put a garland around the Lord’s neck, the Lord increased His size and Zakirbhai could not reach it. The lord again asked him to put the garland around His neck. But again, when Zakirbhai tried to reach Him, He increased His size. This occurred for quite a few times and Zakirbhai was frustrated.

When the Lord invited him again to put the garland, Zakirbhai said, “How am I supposed to do that? Every time I try, you increase Your size and I can’t reach you!” The Lord smiled and said, “Why don’t you put your foot on my lap and reach out for my neck.” Zakirbhai said that how could he put his foot on the Lord’s lap. The Lord said that it was alright. After some time, Zakirbhai put his right foot on the Lord’s lap and tried to reach for his neck. This time the Lord did not increase His size and the garland fell on His neck. Zakirbhai immediately jumped down from the Lord’s lap. And then the most extraordinary thing happened. The Lord got up and started dancing.

Zakirbhai confessed to me that it was the most amazingly beautiful dance he had ever seen in his life. He was sweating from excitement when he suddenly awoke from his sleep. He realised that he was drenched in his sweat. He gulped down a glass of water and remain awoke for the rest of the night, not able to forget what he had just seen.

“That vision changed my life, Sir. I decided to bring these photos with me. Never has a day passed when I have not put fresh garlands around them and lighted the diya (ceremonial lamp). I am a sincere Muslim by heart and I have always strove to uphold the laws and teachings of Islam. For example, we believe that a true Muslim should never lend money on interest. My Uncle was a moneylender. When he was about to die, he left everything in his will to me, since his only son had died. I told him that I cannot possibly take your money since you have garnered this money against the laws of Islam. I asked him to donate all the money in charity and after he died I performed all the ceremonies from my own money.”

“Sir, I am not an educated man but I believe that whether you are a Muslim or a Hindu, we are searching for the same Supreme Soul and we are all part and parcel of Him. Religion is just a way to glorify and reach Him. He is our final destination. On the Day of Judgment, he will not choose you because you are a Hindu or a Muslim or of any particular religion. He will choose you on the basis of how much good you have done to others.”

I was dumbstruck. I was humbled. Zakirbhai, a man who had studied only four classes was speaking, with utmost sincerity and honesty, the biggest truths of Life. He gave me my third paan of the evening. I paid him. And as I walked away, I realised that sitting in that paan shop was not a man but a saint. Where most “religious” Hindus would die without ever seeing their God, in any of his myriad forms, even in their dreams, this man, a Muslim no less, had seen Him. Zakirbhai ceased to be a follower of any religion in my eyes. He was the most beautiful and pure of His creations. If only we would understand.         

    

Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a name coined by travel agencies and the media to describe the ever-increasing practice of traveling to foreign countries to obtain healthcare. It is also called by different names like medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare. Although the concept is not new, it has gained immense popularity in recent times and more and more patients around the world are looking at lucrative options of getting medical treatments at cheaper rates coupled with a short vacation to exotic destinations.

            Medical tourism is offered by a collaboration of the health care industry and the tourism industry. It mixes leisure and fun coupled with a wide range of healthcare services. Common reasons for a surge in this sector are high costs of healthcare and long waits for non-emergency surgeries in developed nations. People who are taking the most benefits of medical tourism are citizens of the First World including the US, Europe, Canada, Middle East and Japan. To appreciate the enormous attractiveness of medical tourism, one has to understand the high costs involved in providing medical facilities in the developed nations. Healthcare costs in countries like India, Thailand, Korea can be less than one-tenth of what they are in the US. For example, a heart-valve replacement that would cost the patient $200,000 in the US would be less than $10,000 in India and that too including round trip fare and a short vacation thrown in.

            Today’s hot destinations for medical tourism are countries like India, Thailand, S. Korea, S. Africa, Singapore, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Hungary, Argentina, Brunei, Cuba, Colombia, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and New Zealand. Since quality standards in the healthcare sector are pretty high, many healthcare providers are trying to get themselves accredited by reputed agencies like Joint Commission International (JCI) and Trent International Accreditation Scheme to attract US and UK nationals.

            India is fast earning a glorious reputation in the field of medical tourism and the industry is slated to become a Rs. 9,500-crore industry by 2015. This is primarily due to the participation of Indian corporate hospitals that provide state-of-the-art facilities and technical know-how for a variety of areas like cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, transplants and urology. Indian medical doctors are regarded as amongst the best in the world and the standards set and maintained by corporate-managed hospitals, the quality of its auxiliary staff and superiority of pre- and post-operative care is what attracts many foreign nationals. A major attraction is also the fact that India itself is an exciting tourist attraction. Thus, a cheap, yet quality healthcare experience along with a short vacation for rest and recuperation in Indian destinations is an enticing mix for foreigners.

            Another aspect of medical tourism which is offered in India is what is known as Wellness Tourism. This involves mind rejuvenation packages which include vacations in Ayurvedic Centres or spas. Tourists are assured of rejuvenation by yoga and ayurvedic treatments including special massages. This has seen a boom in specialised ayurvedic spas like Kerala Ayurvedic Therapy Centres and Panchakarma Therapy Centres. These centres target the mind along with the body to give a holistic wellness experience.

            The procedure for obtaining the facilities of medical tourism include sending of a query to the Service Provider, identification of healthcare provider by service provider, discussions with specialist doctors, finalization of treatment, options of pre- and post-hospitalization stays, arrival, checking-in, meeting with doctors, treatment, short vacation and travel back to the native country.

            Many medical, legal and ethical issues remain to be solved. But with the amount of money involved, it would only be natural for the government authorities to intervene and sort matters out.

Confronting Diabetes in Children

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimate that around 250 million people in the world are currently suffering from Type 1 diabetes. It is also alarming to note that diabetes in children has achieved a frightening rate of 200 children being affected per day. Warning bells were sounded when children were also found to be affected by Type 2 diabetes, commonly referred to as ‘adult onset diabetes.’ But that distinction has now been erased with more children getting affected by Type 2 rather that Type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disorder wherein the body either produces insufficient quantities of insulin or fails to respond to it. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas which plays a vital role in the metabolism of glucose, the fuel of our body. Due to its inadequate production or the body’s reduced sensitivity to it, glucose cannot be properly metabolised and thus its concentration in the blood increases. This excess glucose is excreted in the urine leading to a condition called ‘glycosuria’ (sweet urine). Diabetes can be classified as Type 1 if the pancreas fails to produce insulin. This happens because the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas (called beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system in an autoimmune response. Type 2 diabetes occurs due to either insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas or due to reduced insulin sensitivity.

All around the world, countries have reported an alarming rate at which children are being affected by diabetes. The primary symptoms of diabetes in children are thirst, weight loss, tiredness and frequent urination. Symptoms that are typically seen more often in children are abdominal pains, headaches and behavioral problems.

According to IDF figures, Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% in children and adolescents and 6% per year in pre-school children. Type 2 diabetes is growing at variable but equally alarming rates throughout the world. The mortality rate for diabetic children is significantly higher than that in adult diabetics. Children are more prone to developing a complication called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which itself leads to a majority of diabetes-related deaths in children.

Diabetes cannot be treated but it can be managed. A child suffering from diabetes can still enjoy a healthy and normal life. But this requires careful management of the disease. Managing diabetes in children includes keeping blood sugar levels normal, improving insulin sensitivity and preventing complications associated with diabetes including, kidney disorders, eye diseases and nerve damage. Most children require insulin therapy. Carefully calculated dosages of insulin need to be administered everyday. Also essential is blood glucose testing. This could be done by using hand-held glucose monitors. An overhaul in lifestyle is also required. The daily diet has to be planned to avoid problems like obesity and increase or decrease in blood sugar levels. Exercising needs to be made a part of the daily routine.

The IDF and WHO have initiated a massive program to educate people about this rising epidemic. They have put special emphasis on refining current diagnostic procedures so that diabetes can be diagnosed at a much earlier stage. It is also the aim of these institutions to make insulin available to all diabetic children in all parts of the world. These programs are believed to make a significant change in the lives of the millions of diabetic children around the world.