The unpatriotic Indian Muslims

                                           The unpatriotic Indian Muslims

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Is it not a general quality for all the human beings to love their parents irrespective of their economic and social status? Similarly is it not an unwritten inclination for all the citizens of every nation to be patriotic to their nation? Does it mean that every son and daughter or every citizen of any nation should proclaim loudly and frequently their love for their parents and the mother or father through certain slogans to convince others regarding their love for their parents and nation ? If they don’t do so, can they be then declared as not loyal to their parents or nation?

Why is this endless debate on secularism, nationalism and patriotism in India in the recent months in the media? Why suddenly there is a spurt of fanatical statements made by certain politicians, religious gurus, MPS and ministers and even a Chief Minister  against the minority communities,  particularly, the Muslims regarding their patriotism when some of them declared that they will not say, “Bharat Matha ki jay” for some personal reasons?

I had a childhood friend who never used to sing our National Anthem (she was a Hindu girl) not because she was less patriotic but, because, she was extremely shy of singing. Even in our public functions don’t we see the VIPs on the dais, not singing the National Anthem and stand in attention pose? Then do we consider all of them as unpatriotic? Is it not historical fact that, great number of Muslims during freedom struggle joined the Congress Party just to participate in freedom struggle? It is still fresh in my memory the contributions made by my grand father and his friends towards the freedom movement and what passionate discussions they used to have over Gandhiji’s   methods for freedom struggle. I have also come across few  Muslim men who live alone in India with great difficulty due to age related health and security problems after  wasting  their  Green Card obtained by their NRI sons to live in USA, telling them that , they love India too much in spite of many adverse factors and can not imagine migrating to other nations just because the living standard is far better there. They say, this nation has given them  education , livelihood and peaceful family life and hence want to be engaged in community service in old age to give something back to this nation and can not think of leaving India in preference for other nations. To me, it is patriotism of high order though I have never seen them shouting Bharat Matha ki Jay on any occasion. Is not every Muslim who opted to choose India as their Mother land during partition did so   for love towards this nation?  Are they not contributing to the development of this nation through their hard work and productive activities? Have they not lived in harmony with other communities exhibiting to the world that India’s beauty lies in “unity with  diversity” Don’t we have Muslim  defense personnel who are ready  to lay down their lives to save the nation’s honor?

When India is facing several serious issues such as, poor infrastructural facilities marring the quality of our daily life, serious problems in the health and education sector, FDI hurdles in spite  of tall promises , heavy circulation of black money nullifying  the effects of economic reforms , unsafe environment for women, deplorable  mal nutrition status of huge number of children, high level of corruption , greater burden of heavy taxes and inflation on middle class , dangerous level of unemployment among ,even the highly educated youth, lowest priority given to agriculture resulting in  growing number of farmers suicides, water and power crisis  in several states , endless postponement of electoral police ,judical  and administrative reform etc., Is it not a waste of time and energy , day after day in the print and electronic media  on the need for tokenism to prove patriotism and nationalism ?

Law breakers, terrorists and criminalised politicians may loudly shout Vande Madharam, Bhrat Matha ki Jay or Jai Hind and yet be betrayers to the nation. A law abiding, a hard working and honest Indian Muslim may not be very particular to shout certain slogans to prove his/ her loyalty to the nation yet love this nation. What is the need for  the Indian Muslims to prove every day to self proclaimed new champions of patriotism that, they are patriotic?

Generally we believe that, religion is a personal matter between God and an individual. Every person need not take special efforts   to prove to others that they are very religious.  Similarly nationalism and patriotism ideologies  are ingrained in  every citizens. It lies in the heart  and the soul irrespective of their castes and religions .It is not the   duty of every Muslim to please fanatical political and communal  leaders expectations related to nationalism through symbolic gestures. Some would like to do it due to fear for their life and others may not be willing to express loudly their fine sentiments towards certain matters. After all,    it is a matter of personal right and liberty.

Any body who have any doubt on the nationalism or patriotism of the Muslims can visit Chennai and talk  to people to find out what a humanitarian and massive arrangement the Muslim community organized to help the fellow citizens of all the communities who were affected by the flood, the recent cyclone and during the very recent Jallikattu protest by the youngsters of Tamil Nadu .

By the way, repeatedly, we hear some politicians and certain fringe elements   from majority community asking the Muslims who defy and question dictatorial methods in these matters, “to go to Pakistan.” From when Pakistan  has widely opened its borders to all the Indian Muslims and declared that all the “unpatriotic Indian Muslims “ are whole heartedly welcome to their nation ? It  is very irritating and distressing to  realise that Muslims have to constantly prove their loyalty through tokenisms ,in spite of  hundred of years of existence and productive contribution to the economy, society, culture and literary work, just  because some fringe elements from majority community  have become shouting brigades over patriotism and nationalism as if they are AGMARK nationalists. If they are true nationalists,  they wont be adopting aggressive methods to polarise the different communities who  were  hitherto living in absolute harmony . Let the nation judge and identify  the real traitors .

Anything Indian is bad and anything foreign is good

                    

                                    

My recent visit to USA left me with some sad feelings. The reason being the scant regard or non recognition given to the Indian great institutions by our Non Resident Indians. I had the opportunity to participate in the get-together event of NRI couples. I happened to hear the comments of the Indian young men on certain American social values.

 They were highly appreciative of the importance given by parents to personal freedom and independent decisions of their children. They even appreciated the easy divorce procedures in the USA and voiced their resentment against certain draconian laws in India regarding domestic violence which is prejudiced against men and the difficult divorce procedures.  They seem to support the practice of all the American parents going to senior citizens homes, the practice of parents rewarding children when they do some errands for the family, just to make them understand the dignity of labor and the dating and the  living together culture. One enthusiastic Indian  even declared that, he is paying his 6 year old daughter when ever she stamps on his back to relieve him from back pain just to teach her that, “if there is no pain there is no gain”. They highly praised the fact that American middle class parents  do not bear the burden of  their  children’s college education and they self manage it either through scholarship or part-time odd jobs , conveniently forgetting that their Indian middle class parents had spent all their life savings or sold their immovable assets  or have the burden of indebtedness  to give them the highest professional qualification so that, they can start their life from a higher carrier platform .

   

There seemed to be a contradiction in their thinking process when, they declared that, every American couple is highly independent and do not lean on their parents either for financial or physical support or seek their advice even in major matters of importance, again, comfortably forgetting that it is the same Indian NRI couples who desperately wait for arrival of one set of parent, at the time of child birth in their family and another set for post natal care. If they are working couples they take green card for their parents to take care of their home and children the net result is, the Indian mothers do not get rest even in their old age and become member of IAS group (International Ayah Service) It looked as a clear case of hypocrisy on the part of NRI  Indian couples.

The subjects discussed during this get together kindled my thinking process. Why do our men change drastically within 6-10 years of living in Western nations without realising the greatness of Indian values system and the great institutions such as, long lasting marriages, the joint family system and the Indian values instilled in our mind from childhood such as, “be faithful to your religion and be tolerant of other religions”, “respect and look after elders in their sun set years” , “give more importance to spiritualism than to materialism,” “be mindful of duties towards family and the nation” etc.,   Why we have to appreciate and ape every value that is followed in the west especially, the great importance attached to materialism and the materialistic attitude that dominates their everyday activities? For example, once the children in west reach the age of 18 they are supposed to become independent financially in middle income families. They take up part time job while studying to finance their education and even have to save for their marriage. Depending on parents for ever is unthinkable. Since their children are used to separation of their parents, since the divorce rate is high, they are able to adjust to stepmothers, step fathers and step brothers and sisters. Every earning person is expected to save for their old age since being looked after by children in old age is not the existing custom. But in the Asian especially Indian values or practices are totally different in these matters. Due to long  lasting marriages Indian children are brought up in a secured  environment unlike their western counterparts . Is it not an enviable situation?

The Indian parents look after their children till they are settled in carrier and marriage   several of Indian marriages long last despite marital discard or incompatibility  since, the children’s welfare and their emotional security weigh high in the parents minds than their own personal interest .  This attitude of the Indian   parents has helped in the preservation of the   institution of marriage all these decades . Our religions insist on children’s duty to look after parents in old age  Don’t Indian sons take the responsibility of their sibling’s education and marriages in the event of the death of their fathers? What is wrong in such practices and family bonds? Don’t the Indian children run errands and share the responsibility in running the  house hold activities out of love or regard or respect for their parents? Why do we have to mar the beauty of such acts by paying money to them simply by aping the West? How can there be an appreciation of living in culture and easy divorce procedures without thinking of the psychological effect of such acts on children?  Let them realise the beauty of institution like the joint family system in which the parents, the brother’s widows and children and destitute aunts were protected,  when they were appreciating  the western values as asuprior one.

 Any thing western is superior and any thing Indian is out dated seems to be the mind set of today’s generation. It is sad that they are not proud of their rich culture and traditions. Let them realise that, while the infrastructure, environmental cleanliness, advanced technological methods in day to day life, higher education standard, research facilities and justice delivery system are far superior to ours, our social values and social institutions are outstanding and culturally far superior and we can feel proud about them.   They indeed play a very relevant role in character building  of the younger generation in any nation.

Companions for the sunset years

My article published in the Open page The Hindu (Web page) Feb, 4th , 2018

Why books are the best to keep you company through thick and thin

When we retire from our jobs, which sometimes span a period of three decades and more, and also pull back from the responsibilities of managing a family, we get freedom from the roller-coaster of a life. Days pass by without tensions and we do enjoy the leisure and slow pace of our new life for some time. But soon this type of life brings worries to many seniors as they find it difficult to cope with too much time at their disposal without any productive agenda. The 24-hour emptiness stares at and scares them. This is especially so for those elders facing the empty-nest syndrome owing to children’s migration to far off places or loss of spouses or exercising the option of living alone for the sake of independence and privacy; they are often unable to cope with the twin problems of idleness and loneliness.

According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, both social isolation and loneliness are associated with a higher risk of mortality　in adults aged 52 and older. One possible explanation: "People who live alone or lack social contacts may be at increased risk of death if acute symptoms develop, because there is less of a network of confidantes to prompt medical attention." Efforts to reduce isolation are the key to addressing the issue of mortality, said the study’s authors. John Cacioppo, a neuroscientist and psychologist at the University of Chicago, has been studying social isolation for 30 years. One frightening finding is that feelings of loneliness are　linked to poor cognitive performance and quicker cognitive decline. We "evolved to be a social species, says Dr. Cacioppo. "It’s hard-wired into our brains, and when we don’t meet that need, it can have physical and neurological effects."

Many educated seniors are aware of these warnings and hence they think of various options to engage themselves productively and age gracefully, such as taking up a second career, undertaking community work or becoming a member of a few associations engaged in religious or cultural or community service. Or they start pursuing hobbies such as gardening, reading, writing, photography and so on for which they never had time during their earlier years. Women become members of some clubs, visit relatives and friends or temples often, help others through baby-sitting or giving tuitions to school-going children in the neighbourhood. But all these activities require spending scheduled time slots, expending energy and travelling. For those who do not want a strict schedule, the best options are television-viewing, listening to music, reading and writing.

Among them most of the seniors, especially the super-seniors, prefer reading for several of its advantages. Mainly, they are saved from commuting just to have human contacts. There are knowledge-giving books on a variety of subjects, magazines for light reading, comedy books, romantic novels, investigative journals, biographies, newspapers and so on. We don’t even have to own them. Circulating and lending libraries with door delivery facility take care of our tastes and preferences in the choice of books and supply our needs on a regular basis. Depending on our mood we can choose a particular book to read. It may be knowledge-seeking books in the day time and humorous and light novels in the night. Depending on the availability of time we can engage ourselves with books for any number of hours. Newspapers are sources of knowledge on happenings in the world, the nation and our own locality.

As a consequence of the reading habit, a reader　has several stories to share, making him/her an interesting person and a great conversationalist.　Your vocabulary expands manifold.　The knowledge gained through this habit helps you to command respect in any gathering. Reading fiction often puts you in different places and situations, making you empathetic, because you gain a better understanding of people and the world.　

Generally the younger generation is not interested in spending quality time with elders at home and the seniors are depressed over this. But books, magazines and newspapers come to the rescue of the elders during times of isolation from family members. On lonely days, reading gives you solace and acts like a best friend since they never are bored or irritated or make us feel that your company is unwanted intrusion.

Another advantage is that they can be in any convenient posture while reading them. They can carry them wherever they go if the books are downloaded in the various pocket-size gadgets they use. At the beach or in a park or resort or a hillside after enjoying nature for some time, we can settle down in a quiet corner with books, only absolute peace and tranquility around us. They are handy during long air or train trips.

E-books and online archives make finding books of your choice easy. Add to that, the affordability of these resources. Thanks to technology, reading has even become an inexpensive hobby.　Books give us the best companionship since they are silent partners, never grudge offering their companionship for any number of hours. They keep company during sleepless nights and act as therapists when you’re mentally down. Living-alone seniors can retire to bed with a book or a magazine without bothering about the need for any human companions.

the task of sexual violence data collection

“Collecting data about sexual violence is crucial step towards breaking the culture of silence” say the some authors of sexual violence articles . It is true indeed. But is it that easy? Hillary Clinton once said that, “the history of women can be narrated in one sentence i.e., it is the history of silence.” Has not history recorded about the  silence of women, when they were treated as beasts of burden,  when all the basic human rights were denied to them and when all types violence were unleashed on them inside and outside homes?  Has not their silently suffering attitude driven them to mental depression and suicides?

 Even economically empowered women of today will not   open up to researchers  who are engaged in data collection on sexual attacks. It is because, primarily the victims of sexual violence are in a state of shock that such a thing happened in their lives, secondly they are afraid that, the society will attach stigma over their character if that secret somehow spreads and finally, they think that, such a revelation would be a hurdle in their attempt to live a dignified living in spite of the attack on their honor.  It requires tremendous efforts on the part of researchers  to make women cooperate in data collection on sexual violence, display of empathetic attitude towards their hidden stories and explanation to them regarding the utility of such data in controlling sexual violence. Until then it is an uphill task .