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| Ashoka's lions |
More and more opposition parties are
choosing to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by PM Modi.
The four lions of the national emblem that Modi unveiled atop the building on
11 July 2022 will snarl even more furiously now, I believe.
The 9.5-ton
representation of Ashoka’s lions is a stark contrast to the graceful gentleness
of the Sarnath lions which were inspired by the Buddha. What Modi’s lions represent
is a paradigm shift. India is making a decided transition from the Buddha to
the Modi. From compassion to aggression. From mutual coexistence to subjugation
of the other.
Modi’s lions
mark the subversion of the Buddha as much as Buddha himself was a subversion of
the ruthless Brahminical system of his time. Buddha could not accept the
heartlessness of the Brahminical system with its untouchability and all the
brutality that went with it. Modi is now taking India back to that brutality,
so to say.
In the
ancient India, the sages left human societies and went into isolation. They practiced
asceticism, acquired spiritual qualities and breathed shanti mantras. In Modi’s
India, those who claim to be yogis and ascetics are violent people who openly advocate
brutality, acquire and flaunt wealth and luxury, and run gigantic business
establishments some of which sell spurious products.
In Modi’s
India, Lord Rama abandons his Maryada Purushottam image and takes on the bow
and the arrow with unmistakable ferocity. Even the gentle Hanuman is made to
snarl like a wild simian. When will Lord Krishna replace his flute with an NG-7
machine gun?
When a
controversy broke out last year about the snarling lions of Modi which insulted
Ashoka’s lions and hence India’s cultural heritage, Anupam Kher wrote in his
social media page: “If the lion has teeth, it will, of course, show them. This
is, after all, the lion of independent India. If needed, the lion will bite
too.” Modi’s lions are not only biting now! Look at the current situation in
Manipur, for example. There are a lot of other examples.
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| Modi's lion |
Redefining religious and cultural symbols is perfectly okay. That is required, in fact, lest religions become redundant and cultures become static. But the process of redefining should be based on forward-looking values and principles. Isn’t Modi’s India going backward to just another version of the old Brahminical system? A new caste system is being put in place. The richest 1% of Indians own 40% of India’s wealth now. This new ‘Brahminical’ class is ruling India now. They make the policies. They loot the banks systematically. They make a lot of Indians new untouchables.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteRegressive, revisionist government seems to be the fad of the 21st century. None of it truly for the good of the people - wherever they be... YAM xx
One wonders why too many people fail to see this.
DeleteA powerful expression. I liked your way of comparison Buddha-Modi. Your point of view is genuine and I think I too hold the same views. Change is inevitable and we all should change for good but in forwards direction towards growth and not backward and towards stagnation. Enlightening one.
ReplyDeleteA leader defines the country. What has Modi made of India? Though many countries seem to applaud for Modi, his vision is Janus-faced. One face looks forward & the other backward. India is going backward.
DeleteI feel most of world is heading to caste system. To me, it not right.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on, and stay safe.
Globalization was more about making a few people wealthier than the others than about opening up the restrictions.
DeleteUnfortunately your writing is the bare truth. Scarily so.
ReplyDeleteIndia will be transmogrified beyond recognition if Modi's BJP comes back to power in the next election.
DeleteIndia is going backward - sad truth.
ReplyDeleteSome people can only move backward. And meet Hanumans!
Delete