Story of my attachment and detachment with BJP

While I was watching the documentary "Ram ke naam" by Anand Patwardhan I remembered the tension and turmoil of those days. Back then (between 1989-1992) I was a teenager with a very confused and impressionable mind. Along with me Indian politics and society were also going through a transition phase. Political and economic discourse was changing for the first time after independence. The central government was thinking of opening its economy, radical reservation policy was announced to increase the participation of backward sections of society. During the same time there was a new emerging star on the horizon of Indian politics in the name of BJP. The actual party was formed in 1980 but it could make its presence felt only after it started Ram janmabhoomi aandolan.

The propaganda and highly charged speeches delivered by some excellent orators of that time (like Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bal Thackrey) attracted many people to this movement. It was said that as Babur and the Mughal king destroyed a temple and built the mosque (Babri mosque) now it is our (Hindus) turn to take revenge. We Hindus should destroy that mosque and build a Ram temple as that was the very place where lord Ram was born. I don't know what archaeological evidence they had to claim that the site of the mosque was the exact spot where Ram was born but this was what was propagated very aggressively. It was also told to us that it is not a legal matter but it is a matter of faith and when there is a question of faith then all laws and courts should stay away from this as it is a matter of faith for 80% of the population of India, if they all think this is right then it is right and the court has no authority to say anything about this. The logic and oratory skills of many speakers who were propagating these ideas very aggressively attracted a lot of people to this movement. Young kids like me also felt that it was very logical to reclaim our heritage and build a temple by destroying a mosque. There was huge polarization in Indian society with a lot of tension, this polarization worked in favor of the BJP and it slowly became a major political force in many states as well as in the center.

After listening to all these speeches and watching some videos made by VHP and related organizations about why it was necessary to destroy that mosque I had many questions in my mind. Some of them were, what problems that one more Ram temple would solve? What evidence do we have that Ram was born at exactly that place where the mosque stands? India was facing many serious problems back then (many of them still exist) what purpose does this temple was going to serve to solve any of those problems? If Babur broke any temple back then and now we go and break that mosque then what is the difference between him and us? No one from my immediate surroundings was willing or capable of answering those questions so I decided to get more information and study the issue myself. After much research and reading I discovered that all this movement and polarization was purely for political gain. It was all done to get votes and grab power, no one was actually interested in a temple there but everyone was interested in using that issue as a political tool to polarize voters. That was the time when I got detached from the political philosophy of the BJP. I was attracted to it because of my young and impressionable mind but when I realized that it was instilling communal feelings in me, making me hate Muslims for no reason or for something that happened centuries back, I moved away from it. Since then I have seen some leader or other belonging to BJP trying to make use of this brand of politics to serve their political purpose. This type of brand spreads divisiveness and hatred among different sections of society. There is no doubt that this polarization helps to consolidate votes based on religion or caste, and win elections but I feel this is really bad for society as it sowed seeds of divisiveness among different sections of society. It encourages hatred and demolishes trust between communities. It destroys the social fabric of a country by creating a rift between different sections of society, especially, the majority and minority. This is the main reason why I stay away from their brand of politics. This is a very simple story of my attachment and detachment from the BJP. I don't oppose BJP blindly but I oppose their brand of politics. I oppose each and every attempt by any party or politician to create a communal rift in society. It seems that the BJP is trying to improve, they and their supporters claim that it is a secular party and believe in taking all sections of society together but so far it doesn't reflect in their actions. The day they really start practicing all-inclusive politics, I am sure many more people from different communities and religions will join them to take India forward. Until then, they may win elections and stay in power, but their brand of politics will only polarize India. 

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. In the Name of God - Ram ke Naam (1992 Documentary on Babri Masjid Demolition)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQaV2cWL1D4

What is anasakti (अनासक्ति)?

I came across the word 'anasakti' (अनासक्ति) many times while reading translations of the Bhagavad Gita or commentaries about it. One can find mention of this word while reading stuff about Hindu religion or Indian mythology. This term has been used in many ways to describe detachment or non-attachment from worldly pleasures or bonds. Generally, most people misunderstand it as an "aversion" but according to me, it's not aversion even though it's very similar to it. Actually, aversion is also one form of attachment, it's a negative attachment. Someone is attached to wealth and another person is attached to renunciation of wealth, both are strongly attached with some feeling (either affirmative or negative towards the same thing). One is running towards wealth and the other one is running away but both are running, they are performing the same action but in opposite directions. We can call one as a positive attachment (running towards something) and the other a negative attachment (running away from something) but both are sort of attachments according to me.

That's why I think "Anasakti" or non-attachment is a totally different stage than aversion. It's neither an attachment nor an aversion. I think it is the stage where you don't get affected by attachment or aversion (love or hate). Where you act as a mere spectator no matter what is the situation. Wealth or no wealth person behaves the same, he/she is neither addicted to a thing nor hates it. For example, no matter what food they get they enjoy it. Wearing saffron clothes, leaving all worldly pleasures, or abandoning home doesn't make a person unattached but he/she gets too attached to the feeling of rejecting everything. 'Sakti' (सक्ति) means compulsion, something one is forced to do or follow, like the rule of law or some dictator's commands. There is no choice in Sakti, one has to follow it whether one likes it or not. Anasakti means non-compulsion, the life of a free bird, life without any compulsion. It sounds really simple and one may argue that it's easier to live a life without any compulsion (where one can do whatever he/she wants) than a life of compulsion. However, life without compulsion doesn't mean life without any control or a wayward life. It means life without any desires, without any feeling of hate or love. Hate and love are the two most dominant feelings that control our lives. All our feelings or actions are the result of either one of these two or a mixture of both these feelings in different proportions.

The meaning of 'anasakti' sounds very simple but I think it's very difficult to practice. It's not easy to detach ourselves from everything (whether we love or hate those things). We can see that even people who claim to be detached from worldly pleasures and declare themselves gurus or sanyasis are strongly attached to their own God, beliefs, and habits like food. They are so attached to these things that they almost repel all other things and then feel happy about it. This so-called detachment of many people is very superficial and is just for show. In a real sense, everyone is attached to something no one is completely detached from everything. Getting attached to something comes very naturally to humans. We are born that way that's why we need to make a lot of effort to detach ourselves from anything. Let it be anything, living or nonliving, tangible or intangible, for example, our own ego or anything that we love or hate. Aversion is comparatively easy, it's easy to reject things that one doesn't like. Attachment is also easy and natural. But to detach completely from something without any emotion (love or hate) is not that easy. However, if we can do it, then nothing like that. Total detachment or non-attachment has the potential to make our every act selfless and enjoyable. We can act without any expectation or frustration. I know that it's not possible to do it for everything but we can try to do it whenever we can and slowly learn to practice it. I personally feel very happy whenever I can act like this. Feeling love is very beautiful and one of the most essential parts of being a human but sometimes it can also create a problem. Anger and hate are not good emotions for us or our society. It will be great if occasionally we can make ourselves free of all these feelings and act like a free spirit. 

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing) 

When I felt like a foreigner in my own country

This week I came back to New Haven from my India visit. I try to visit India at least once in two years. Every visit is special and full of many, many good memories. I have a very strong attachment with my friends, relatives, parents and this place itself that I can't stay away for very long, this country pulls me back from wherever I am. 

No doubt that India is changing, and it's changing fast. The effect of globalization is seen everywhere. Cities are expanding like anything, villages are shrinking, greenery is disappearing from cities and is being replaced by huge buildings, vehicles on roads are increasing, all major fast food chains have their shops at every corner in all major cities, any brand in fashion or automobile you can get very easily now, spotting Mercedes or BMW on the road is no more a surprise. This all in just the last 9 years since I left the country, all this was bound to happen, and change was bound to come, and I welcome this change but I have somewhat mixed feelings about this rapid change for various reasons. I think the problem is the change is mostly superficial. I see that India is changing physically very fast but most other things are still as it is or may be going from bad to worse (just my personal analysis). No doubt that money inflow and circulation have increased in India, the mentality to save money for the future is long gone and consumerism is at its peak. I like it when I see that people are living comfortable lifestyles and can afford many comforts and luxuries that were out of their reach just a few years ago.

Many people are trying to ape Western countries blindly, fast food chains and global soft drink brands have replaced local brands. Even many Indians now prefer to drink mineral water outside their homes, that's a huge surprise for me. But still, there is no concern for the environment or a philanthropic mindset. Any festival season or long weekend results in huge cash collections in many famous temples across the country. People go out of their way to donate money to these religious organizations without being bothered about what these organizations do with all this money. Mostly this money or donations are offered to get something from God, many people who indulge in corruption donate heavily to these organizations and think that they washed their dirty hands and are free to carry on their loot. This is the sick mentality and it should change, donations should be for good causes not for selfish reasons.

When I saw all these things, for a moment I felt like a foreigner in my own country because I couldn't relate to all these things. I was wondering if is this the same place where I was born and brought up. No doubt the place has changed drastically but this change is not from within, it's just an external makeover. Still, there are undercurrents of casteism wherever you go, even elite universities and institutions are not free from these things. If educational institutes are polluted like this then how one can expect students coming out from these institutes to have unbiased views? I saw even small kids have very negative opinions about other communities and people from other religions. I was wondering from where they learn all these things? Why their parents don't take special care so that their kids don't get trapped in a negative mindset about people around them? Don't we have to develop our thinking along with material developments?

India is a country of diverse cultures and languages but this diversity itself has created many problems. We failed to take advantage of this diversity, rather we are stuck with the mindset of protecting our own identity (in terms of cast, religion, region, or language). These challenges are unique for India and I strongly believe that Indians are capable of handling them. Anti-corruption movement started by Anna Hazare and his group is a good initiative in this direction. At least someone is trying to change the system rather than just complaining and blaming it.

But please don't get a pessimistic view about India. It is much more than the problems that I stated above, it's the largest democracy in the world and it's not easy to manage so many people with different cultures, languages, and religions. It's a unique example where people can live happily despite so many problems and hurdles in their lives. 

Sometimes I do feel like a stranger in my own country but the very next moment I realize that I belong there, among all the chaos, noise, dust, and crowds resides a country that I love and care about. I know as a nation we face many problems and some tough challenges but I am also confident that we can handle it and this trip made my belief even stronger. I didn't come disappointed but I came full of optimism and hope.


Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)