Gandhi 150

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

The future historians of the world would be amazed that in the first half of the twentieth century there were two oxymoronic value systems dominating the story of man. In the European theatre and in Russia we saw the rise of a self-resurgence of human dignity that challenged the Czarist regime: The Bolshevic movement in Russia gave rise to the belief that man, whatever his hue, will not tolerate the unreasonable inhuman domination of brute force. This inspired poets like. H. Auden and others to assert the rights of man. But immediately after the Bolshevic  revolution and the First  World War, the world saw the rise of a more powerful fascist force, racially motivated and ruthless, in Hitler's Germany . At the same time in India we experienced another kind of elevation of the human spirit. After Gandhii-Mohandas Karamchand- returned from South Africa to his homeland, India, he started  a unique human movement which could be safely termed as a spiritual uprising. Gandhi started a Freedom Movement in a country dominated by the British powers that had almost destroyed the human spirit in India- not to speak of the decimation of India's identity as a ten thousand year old civilization. Gandhi united the hungry, unfed unclad millions with his call for Swaraj, self-rule. In other words the Gandhian Movement was for the rights of man to make his own destiny by utilizing the human resources of free quest for identity.

Before Gandhi the world had not seen any movement without arms - the arms to wield the sword or a gun- without violence and untruth. In one sense it was  not a war or insurgency : It was man's birth right to be free and to manage his and his country's affairs without fear or tyranny. Gandhi's weapons were truth and non violence which were the soulforce of this ancient land. Gandhi historically unites India's great past with the turbulence of the present and evolves a method -if method it was-of assertion of rights without resistance.

What Gandhi did was not an Indian exclusive . He was admired and followed by others in the world who found the human spirit  suppressed by inhuman authority. Martin Luther King(Junior)in America and Nelson Mandela in Africa were inspired by Gandhi's ideas. The American writer Thoroeau too was   edified by  Gandhian values . The world saw in Gandhi another Christ. Gandhi  made the Indian past his present by updating  the Buddha-Ashoka values. The sword was not the ornament of the brave. Human bravery is built in and  in born: It is the Soulforce. The first manifestation of the soulforce is courage, the courage to stand erect when the British lathis fell on the head. And to speak the truth without fear. And not to kill or retaliate, for revenge too is a violent answer to the oppressor. These values he tried to inculcate in the fellow Indians by demonstrating the unity of thought- speech  and action. What Gandhi thought, he spoke and what he spoke, he did.

When the post-Gandhi world, especially the younger generation in America, saw Attenborough's film Gandhi, it was stunned  into the realization that there was a lean, naked(half) man, not so handsome or powerful, who could subdue the power of the mighty British empire by his whispered values of love, truth, non-violence and above all by his soulforce. HIs presence was divine but he was human to the core.

Today while celebrating the 150th year of his birth we Indians have made him a brand. Remembering Gandhi and following his ideals are laudable but branding him is blasphemy. The political context and the life scenario is totally different. Let us celebrate Gandhi but let us also try to be a  Gandhi in our own arena of human activity. Gandhi is for mankind: Let us not monopolize him for our own ends.

Night Aches

When night comes

mind wanders to

seen and  unseen lands,

aching bone dissuades my

dreams to incomplete

texts of irrelevance.

Why do nights come ,

when the bright sun

caresses the dew,

night suddenly creeps into mind

laughter ceases in acrid silence

burning my soul in apathy,

my world recedes into

paradigmatic oblivion.

I try to gather myself

sweep away the litter of the past

the pricking pins of present,

but images recur and often

I fail to wipe off the slate as

the moving finger uncleans  it again.

I pray take away the day

make my world the reign of night

at least give me my moon and stars

if night I deserve

I deserve my share of joy too

without aching bones

and nagging memories.

Sabita Sahu

The Aryan Invasion Myth

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

Most Indians have grown up with myths: Myths of divine origin, myths of Indra killing Britra demon to cause beneficent rains and what not? But when it comes to the Origin of Indian Civilization our minds are clouded by historians both Firangi and Indian. When were the  Vedas, supposedly the first serious effort in poetry, philosophy, worldview and man's position in cosmic reality, written? The answers have been given by foreigners. It was Max Muller and Mortimer Wheeler who have built up the trenchant narrative that the Vedas especially the Rig Veda was written around 1500 BCE after the Aryans invaded/ migrated to India. Basically, the people of the Steppes of Central Asia was the original homeland of the Aryans. The Aryans had horsedrawn chariots and greater firepower. They drove the dasas, the dark skinned inhabitants to south of India and reigned over the whole of north- western India. If this is true that the Vedas were composed by the Aryans how is it that the place of the origin of the Aryans has no great poetry or philosophy to offer? They have built Pyramids, Sphinxes, Mausoleums, in fact, structures for the dead and their living cultures have not shown any continuity. Iran , Iraq, Mesopotamia even Greece are now languishing under the weight of their own contradictions of mythic confusion: Whereas India has cultural continuity despite all Mogul, British invasions and its past, however shadowy, is still a large part of our inheritance. The leftist historians of Independent India have merely perpetuated and fortified the colonial legacy, therby shielding the Aryan Invasion- Migration Theory ( IAMT).

The colonial archaeologists claim to have discovered the Indus Valley Civilization in 1920; a civilization at par with the Civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia guessed to be the cradle of human civilization. The IVC has no reference to Saraswati although in the Rigveda there are 74 verses in it as a paean to river Saraswati: The Nadi Sukta (Rigveda 10.75.5) praises the Saraswati as the sustainer of life and nourisher of a civilization. If the Aryan migration is true and the Rigveda is composed by the foreigners who invaded /migrated to India in 1500 BCE, how come that the carbon dating of the Indus Valley sites in places dates back to 9500 BCE? It suggests that this 'newly' discovered civilization is much older than the so called cradle of human civilization. The Indus valley civilization was spread over a vast territory of two million square miles and the Harappan and Mohenjo Daro sites have shown a more advanced civilization than the Cradle was. The IVC has shown that it was a civilization where there was no slave trade nor continual wars. It had its currency, weights and measures and also the figurines, terracotta works and especially agriculture and bullock carts. They had their scripts- which unfortunately has not yet been deciphered, thereby stifling our claims to being the cradle of human civilization.

The foreign archaeologists claim that the IVC was destroyed by whatever factors, around 3500 BCE. But none have advanced a plausible theory of its decline.  But recent research has revealed that more than the Indus (Sindhu) the Saraswati river was the life breath of this civilization.  An American Satellite for the first time brought out a picture of the dried out bed of River Saraswati. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) too has given clearer satellite imagery of Saraswati's bed. She flew from the Himalayas (Glacier melt-water) and had a length of more than 3000 kms, finally ending up in the The Arabian Sea. The Landsat of America was the first to image its course followed by ISRO. Scientific studies have shown that Saraswati flowed from 8000-6000 BCE and dried up and desiccated around 1900 BCE. If this is true the IVC studies are not authentic. Most of the so called  Indus sities were in fact Saraaswati sites. The river was desiccated, perhaps, because of tectonic plate shifts. Yamuna was a tributary but she changed her course. Saraswati had created a civilization that was peace-loving and contemplative. The cities on her banks were prosperous. India's trade in the steppe regions might have caused some cross fertilization of cultures but to say that the indigenous people were uncultured natives who were driven out by the so called invaders is now not acceptable.

Further study will definitely reveal as have been shown by the DNA studies of David Reich, Vasant Shindhe, G.D. Bakshi and others that the Saraswati of the Vedas and the great epic Mahabharat had given rise to a culture which was the beginning of human culture. The river is now gone but the memories of her still linger in the minds of the  modern Indians. In view of these facts the History of India should be rewritten.

Dark Room

She turned on the silver knob

of a dark room and the

dark fancies to which she is used,

at least it hides ugliness  where

beauty and love are of no matter.

She the  'five minutes'

queen of  visible darkness

knocks the doors

for living in minutes and hours

by selling her wares uninvested.

While dressing up she  picks

her earnings of 'five minutes'

from the teapoy moves away

with a smile -even less

having no scorpions on head

walks into another dark room.

Sabita Sahu

Odia Swaviman

 

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

Call it self-respect, an ingrained sense of dignity, Swaviman is Pride. It is never adulterated by  insolence or defiance, it is a realization of Soulforce which makes an individual operate in his socio- intellectual environment with a natural confidence born  out of his/her cultural inheritance and historical glory. Mr Das( Madhusudan Das ) was perhaps , the first Odia to use this Swaviman to raise  the moral of the Odia when Odisha did not have her own map, that is, no clearly defined  geographical identity, no record of its glorious past and no officially recognised language. Supported by Fakirmohan Senapati, Gopabandhu Dash and other worthies Mr Das started the Utkal Sammilani and moved for unity of the Odia speaking people despite all odds. The movement gathered steam and forged ahead and eventually  in 1936 Odisha was formed. The Odia gained his voice and spoke  and wrote. Literature, fine arts, sculpture for which the Odia had already carved out his place in the history of India's cultural past. The resilience of the Odia, temple architecture and his music and dance traditions were revived in a renascent fervour.

After Independence the nascent democracy paid attention to eradicating poverty which was ( and is) the bane of the people. A state rich in mineral deposits, a 480 km coastline, native intelligence bravery had another bold and proud voice Biju Patnaik. It was Biju Patnaik who gave a new dimension to Odia Swaviman. If Mr Das was the first graduate , lawyer, industrialist, freedom fighter, cultural hero and energizer of the Odia Soulforce; Biju patnaik was the first dreamer of Odia resurgence. Biju infused into the dormant youth the dream of big Industry, Engineering , Higher education, Port-Airport- Expressways of speed to raise high and wide. He added " Kalinga " to Mr Das's Utkal and gave the Odia a larger world of ideas and vigour. Despite his heroics, however, due to lack of political and social support and the typical crab mindset of people he could not realize his dreams for the people of Odisha. But he made the people aware of a vibrant destiny which the proud Odia could achieve by self-reliant pursuits.

It is a pleasant Irony of  Time and History that what  the father aspired for , the son achieved. Nabin Patnaik , the worthy son of perhaps the greatest Odia, Biju Patnaik, arrived on  the desolate post-super- cyclone  scene like destiny's child to turn the Biju legacy into a realizable practical reality as his legatee.  A man of creative and critical thinking, least interested in his father's stormy World of Politics and overreaching dynamism, Nabin Patnaik, by a decree of fate was  thrust with the ruins of Odisha's administration in his pen holding  hand. I don't know whether  he soliloquized like Hamlet, "O' cursed spite that I was born to set it right" but he has ruled and reigned Odisha  to unimaginable heights. Biju Patnaik , somewhere in the stars in the blue canopy overhead  must be sipping his morning tea with a sober hint of a smile , in his charming face.

After about twenty years, Nabin's Odisha has carved out her proud place in the world map. Political stability, social accord apart, he has changed the mindset of Odisha by his work- without fanfare    He is almost in godlike isolation, in no way   overexposed to the public,  never advising  on  do's and don'ts: Yet he is recognised in India and abroad as a master craftsman  in the art of political administration. Today the Odia is in the highest chair in  the Supreme Court, The Reserve Bank of India, ambassadorial assignment, hospital , Universities, Sahitya Akademi and Gnanapitha chairs. And also in the honour lists of Army and CRPF. The people of Odisha are now in Silicon Valley, World Bank, Apple Microsoft and everywhere. In disaster management and post- devastation reconstruction  Odisha is admired by the world.  Well, I, am not writing a panegyric on Nabin Patnaik, although he deserves it.

 I wish he had created a workforce in the lower rungs of the social ladder. The bureaucracy, Police and other Government functionaries are doing excellent work with single minded dedication. But what pains me is the dole politics. Why should people be given everything almost free? Except air nothing is free. But  because of pollution (self-created)even "pure" air is also sold. Water has now become a scarce resource. If people would be compelled to buy the elements for survival, why should food items and other things be given free or almost free to people? Yes, during  calamitous situations and disasters, it is incumbent upon Government to give everything free, as ours is a welfare democracy. But when everything is normal why should people be encouraged to idle away their time  thanking the Sarkar? An idle mind is the Devil's Workshop- is always true.  Make the poor work and pay them more. Let them be proud of themselves and say- Yes we have deservedly earned by utilizing our energies. They would have their Swaviman and work hard to improve their capabilities. Biju Patnaik dreamed of the Odia, working , inventing and innovating with pride. His son has already prepared the basic infrastructure to some extent. May Odisha become the new Paradise and the Odia a proud specimen of humanity.

What Shall I Do?

As days float in time

his eyes become more moist

on a tanned moon at even tide

his whispers grow into songs:

A northern hill loves the south wind

in an aromatic swish of embrace

which does not end from dawn to

dawn, midday to  midnight.

When he sees me  full in light

his songs again become whispers

he fondles me all over from earth

placing me in a sky of beauty,

I smile in a moment of ecstatic bliss.

I don't have words to speak

nor hands and legs to act

but he goes on fisting space

slicing time with a mad kiss:

What shall I do with him and his

shadow play of timeless love?

Sabita Sahu

Choice Is Always Personal

Prafulla KumarMohanty 

While trying to explain existential choice to some elderly people an ardent fan of Nietzsche got stuck at a point when a very innocent question was asked: What will you choose between life and death? The self styled teacher smiled and said, hypothetical questions should not have radical binaries; obviously one will choose life. If you choose death any kind and all kinds of knowledge are meaningless. Choice is for the living and not the dead. All that man has done over the progressive centuries of civilization are life friendly. Knowledge whether philosophical or scientific is utilized in better understanding of life; to make living easier, more comfortable. Death is the negation of everything. But there are difficult alternatives to choose from. For example life and liberty. Many would argue that liberty is of primal importance for man. But one may quip- you must live first to enjoy liberty.

After the abrogation of  article 370 and the consequent lockdown of Kashmir many argued along liberal lines. If India is a secular democracy why should the Kashmir valley be in a state of lockdown for more than five weeks? Why the Internet, mobile and other data not available to the people? Why are the shops not open? Such questions are now asked by the opposition parties in India and Pakistan who has no business to interfere with our internal problems has gone to the United Nations Human Rights Commission for  justice for the valley people. Living aside the vengeful politics of Pakistan, one may ask: What is Human Right? What or Which Constitution or Charter of Rights has guaranteed man the Internet availability, free movement and free protest and free stone pelting and gunfiring to man? Nature has no guaranty to offer. It is civilization which offers guarantees of life, liberty and free speech.

But human rights is a confusing term. When a civilian is killed by a terrorist the Activists question government of the day over the human rights of the civilian. But a soldier who guards the borders and protects the human rights of citizens, apparently, has no human rights. In India particularly, no Activist or political pundit ever clamours for the rights of the soldier: As if the soldier is a sacrificial lamb for the activists of human rights. The anomaly apart what disturbs  us is the choice between Religion and the Constitution. If religion prescribes rules and practices, what is the relevance of the constitution? Nothing is absolute in the world. Free speech does not mean one can troll expletives or spread false news using the new found art of fakery. But people exercise their choice of fear mongering in the name of freedom of expression.

One can choose between a shirt and a shawl as per his need or choose a particular shade. But choice too is never absolute. A choice between punishment and pardon may be exercised according to the architecture of the mind and sense of a nation. But if one refuses to obey the set patterns of national life it is not tenable or acceptable. Hate and love are not matters of choice. One cannot choose to kill and destroy as per his personal whims. Racial hate, gender discrimination are a collective transgression of the unwritten code of ethics. One can choose a word to express a particular shade of meaning. The choice may also be whimsical or poetic licence. Others may not approve  of the choice. Hamlet's  "Absent thee  from felicity..." has raised many eyebrows but none have improved the tone and tenor by choosing other words. But one can always challenge any poetic image or absolutist metaphor to enhance man's complex enjoyment of life's variety.

All choices are valid for the particular moment. Those who claim to have  the choice patented are delusional.

When the choice between disembodied love and love as sexual union arises no one has the last word. Similarly  if a person chooses to waste a life waiting for someone to say a word of his choice by way of assent, it is his personal  choice. Such choices are expressions of a psyche that refuses to accept the common practice as his moral imperative. The question asked in the first paragraph is true about all binaries. Life and death cancel each other out. But he who chooses is the  master of his life and he decides what to do with it, in the context of his life. No choice therefore is above scrutiny and no choice is the last one ever exercised by man.