Sunday Musings
BJP’s Kerala state general
secretary, Surenderan, has an opinion that is quite different from that of his
party about women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple. He thinks that Lord Ayappan, the presiding
deity at Sabarimala, is not a misogynist though he is a “perpetual celibate.” But his party was quick to distance itself
from the Facebook post of the state general secretary. The state president, Kummanam Rajasekharan,
dismissed the secretary’s view as “personal.”
How many compromises can
we make between our personal views and those of the organisation or party or
system to which we belong religiously?
I am an absolute hypocrite
when it comes to religion. I find it
impossible to believe anything of what religions teach. My very being rebels against the teachings
much as I acknowledge the inevitable role of delusions and illusions in a
normal man’s life. In spite of the
nausea they germinate in me, I participate in certain religious rituals. I participated
in the Hindu rituals performed in the school where I worked in Delhi as
religiously as I could. That was part of
my duties as a teacher. I do the same
now with Christian rituals when I’m working in a Christian institution. I wish there were secular institutions where I
could be the real me. But secularism in
India is a joke.
The jokers who rule the
roost make compromises inevitable. There
is no survival outside some system or the other. And systems are made by human beings as
limited and imperfect as you and me. So
the systems are necessarily limited and imperfect. Even the supposedly perfect God could not
create a perfect world; how can we expect imperfect human beings to create
perfect systems?
Imperfect systems require
compromises. Hypocrisy, in plainer
words. But how many compromises, how much hypocrisy?
I think we should make it
clear where we really are. For example,
Surendran who is the most vocal leader of BJP in Kerala should make it clear
how far he distances himself from his Party’s official stands. If there is a big gap between him and his
Party, he should make that clear to the people whom he is leading to some
utopia promised by his Party. A utopia
without women, for example. Menstruating
women, that is. His Party has a problem
with women’s menstruation (among many other more bloody things) which he thinks
is a “natural” and “divine” process.
I think Surendran is more
intelligent than the system. The system
belongs to the mediocre. Surendran
deserves to lead the system simply because he is more intelligent. How much can he alter that system for the
better? That’s the question that matters
really. Kummanam Rajasekhran belongs to
the medieval period and is fit to be a mere politician.
The tragedy, however, is
that Kummanams will continue to rule the roost.
Kummanams will become chief ministers and prime ministers. Surendrans will be chucked out unless they toe
the line drawn by the system. Success
belongs to the one who sticks to something even if it is bullshit. The nowhere land belongs to the intellectual
who has no ambitions. The intellectual
is neither here nor there.
You stole the words from my mouth. From the time when I was a teenager I used to wonder why the politicians always have to concur with what the party or leadership puts forward. Why are their hands tied up in the system. A few poloticians who showed the flair of individuality is kicked out and have to leap from one front to another. Nevertheless, they always come out in flying colors in elections, no matter which front they stand for. This itself proves that mass is always with the one who is different. But they are menial in numbers and cluttered in different parties. If by god's grace they come together, even if it takes a century, our grandchildren would be able to live a dream life
ReplyDeleteYes Rakhi, the system stifles individuals. That's how the world is. The silly fellow who thinks of himself as a leader decides who will say or do what. If we have stupid leaders (which is what we normally get) we are doomed.
DeletePut this for contemplation on indispire. Want to know what people think about this sabarimala furore. A political viewpoint on this was a good read.
ReplyDeleteThose who wield power can bring about meaningful changes. That's why I took a political view.
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