When you play with
children, choose to lose. Winning means a
whole new world to children.
When you play with
religious leaders, choose to lose. If
they don’t win against you, you are damned.
Read history if you don’t believe me.
The best scientists, the best artists, the best writers, all chose to
lose to religion. Remember Galileo, for
example. Or Leonardo da Vinci. Salman
Rushdie is a living example. There are
infinite examples in between. Religious leaders are children. With the difference that some of their
physical organs have grown beyond childhood.
When you play with
politicians, never lose. If you lose,
you are doomed. The best is never play
with politicians, unless you are an incorrigible crook or you are desperate enough
to be shot dead in some encounter-killing-game staged with the help of the
state machinery.
Now imagine playing with
a religious leader who is also the chief minister of your state. Having watched some of the TV appearances of
Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of UP, I understand that the people of UP are
moving into some very interesting games.
I wish the people all the best.
The game is getting
popular day by day. I foresee an
interesting future for India. ‘Interesting’
is a terrible word.
To accept your defeat requires a big good heart. All those people are like frogs in the well. They think what they see is great and are not ready to accept that there lies a vast ocean beyond their well.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely mean to be impartial when I say this, and believe me I'm NOT taking sides, but the fact is that the pathetic state of U.P. does need an iron hand (read fist) to tackle the situation..be it Yogi or a bhogi, an elected politician or an appointed bureaucrat..and the current CM is being applauded even by opposition (aside though:))
ReplyDeleteI'm watching. Let me share your hope that things are going to be better.
DeleteAmitji is right, sir. UP indeed needs an iron hand and Yogi has proved all right till now. Each day is a small step towards future. And, things haven't yet taken the turn towards worse, in spite of your repeated dire prophecies. I suggest, let's wait and watch. It is indeed possible that things may change!
ReplyDeleteStill waiting and I know changes are slow processes.But whatever reports reach in this part of the world from UP are not very encouraging. We get video reports about people being tortured in the name of cow protection and other similar causes. Religion seems to be becoming more brutal in that part of the world.
DeleteWell, I would like to point out the maxim 'Power Corrupts'. It's a rare mortal, who remains unaffected after suddenly being bestowed with power. A little anarchy is predictable, though inexcusable. What we need to see is a trend of of improvement. It's the same with the corrective facilities, as well as hospitals all over the world. They don't expect a miracle that the criminals will reform overnight. What matters is the improving trend. The anarchy will be controlled.
DeleteAs you said that news and videos of Yogi is reaching to your part now... tell me, sir! Did you ever notice the news and videos during the SP reign? I would just suggest you to go through the news and the status of the state during their reign and then compare. You will find a marked improvement. It's that upward trend, which
builds hope.
BTW, I'm not sure if this news article was missed by you... Please go through this.
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31821&articlexml=Traders-feel-Yogi-not-against-abattoirs-02042017018018
Yesterday I spoke to a number of friends who are all originally from UP though now settled in many parts of the country. They all told me what you are saying: that the state is improving. OK, I have decided to leave aside UP politics for a few months in my writings.
DeleteDuring the previous regimes also news did reach. But no particular section of people felt threatened because the news was about appeasement of one section or another. Appeasement is unfair to those not benefited by it. But it doesn't create communal polarisation. So people outside the state left it at that.
I had read that news [the link you've attached]. Seen from one angle, it gives the impression that the present govt is against not only Muslims but also Dalits! Well, BJP does have that reputation. And then the hypocrisy mentioned in the report is obvious too. The BJP candidate contesting in a by-election in Kerala now promised his audience (mostly Muslims - Malappuram district) that he would ensure the availability of beef for them. He was reprimanded by the party and hence amended his statement later as politicians always do. Such hypocrisy is also not very befitting the religious habit worn by certain leaders of the party.
PS. I prefer vegetarian food. I detest beef eating which is a herculean exercise for the teeth and jaws. So I have no personal interest in the affair of cow slaughter.
It depends on what you mean by religion.
ReplyDeleteYou mention Galileo, but choose to ignore Schrodinger, Heisenberg. Secondly, it must be noted that the best art, architecture, literature is associated with religious works -- all over the world.
I read the first paragraph, and went no further.
Mercifully we have not yet reached a "state" which forces us to read anything though the force has entered our lives with respect to food, dress, love, and so on. Until it affects reading, you can safely choose to read whatever you wish. :)
DeleteI still stand by my claims about religion. My observation is in general; there are exceptions. It still remains a fact that religion is the largest torturer in the world as it always was.
Today scientists may be at a vantage point. But that doesn't make religion any better, any more humane. In fact, religion continues to be a killer, a regressive force which upholds obscurantist views and makes people fight each other in the name of those views.
I think that you are confusing 'Religion' with 'Religious', aka 'Fanatics'. If you have gone through religions, please enlighten me with just one religion, which advocates murdering non-believers. A single example will do.
DeleteIt's the fanatics who have created that impression, be it Islam or medieval Christianity.
As I said earlier, power corrupts.
Can we separate religion and the religious? I'm reminded of Yeats' line: "How can we know the dancer from the dance?"
DeleteYesterday a friend told me that Hinduism was always tolerant tolerant and hence was subjugated easily for 1400 years. Now comes the necessary retaliation. Is retaliation necessary in religion? Secondly, was Hinduism really tolerant towards the lower castes and women? Fanaticism has myriad forms.
In the Independence Day procession in 1947, an old lady caught Jawaharlal Nehru by collar and screamed, 'Ae Nehru! You were claiming that we will be free! Where's your freedom?'
DeleteNehru smiled and said, 'Mother, you are grabbing the Prime Minister of your country by collar and still are looking for freedom?'
The fact that people dish out so much garbage about Hinduism and still go happily about there way is the proof of tolerance. Have you ever tried insulting or mocking fun of Islam? You may learn a few things about tolerance. The least will be arrest. :)
I'm not decrying tolerance, neither am advocating militancy. Christians and Hindus have been most tolerant in the world. And, if you see it data wise, tolerance in religions is always directly proportional to progress. All I object is to hypocrisy. Either be truly secular and treat everyone alike, or leave the pretense.
No pretense, brother! Haven't I proclaimed my hypocrisy from the rooftop time and again? But my meaning of it differs from yours and further explanation will be waste of time for both of us.
DeleteI think my latest post is a better answer.
https://matheikal.blogspot.in/2017/04/good-bye-politics.html