Tomichan Matheikal's blog

One of the readers wrote the above as a comment on a Frontline article .   It would deserve no attention whatsoever had it not been becoming a dominant perspective in the country.   What the man is saying in short is: India belongs to Hindus and the others have no rights. The view in the comment is rather self-contradictory.   On the one hand, the writer is saying that India is superior to the “40” Islamic countries because Hindus are “by nature secular.”   On the other hand, he is arguing for saffronisation of the country.   This contradiction is inherent in most right wing perspectives these days.   That is because people know that Hindutva is essentially an unwholesome ideology founded on hatred and little else.   However, what really intrigues me is not the hatred that underlies the ideology or not even the contradictions exhibited by its upholders.   When people argue that the majority is right or that the majority have all rights, I cannot but laugh.   Fi

I have to pass through the kindergarten of my school as I walk from the parking lot to the office where I have to punch the attendance. The innocence that sparkles through the smiles of the kids and their other expressions such as bafflement are good things to start the day with.   As I passed by those charming expressions this morning a thought occurred to me: why is innocence one of the inevitable prices to be paid for growing up?   The children naturally lose those innocent expressions as they grow up.   The smiles become warped and may even disappear altogether.   Human society smothers the smiles of children.   Innocence has to give way to deviousness. Couldn’t it be better?   I wondered as I climbed up the staircase and walked towards my staffroom.   Why didn’t the process of evolution add more benevolent genes to the species?   Why did evil become so predominant in human nature? Well, I know that these questions have no answers unless we accept the answers gi

Selling religion is wrong. Because religion is not a commodity.   It’s not a cow.   It’s not a blessing.   It’s not even a comfort. Have you felt the comfort of a god in your heart?   If not, your religion is false.   Give it up.   And search.   Search for the real religion.   There’s only one true religion.   The one which you feel in your heart.   The one which makes you feel comfortable with yourself. There’s no panacea available anywhere.   Even religion is not a panacea.   You can’t ever feel comfortable in your heart as long as there are people who sell religion.   Can you rise above such people?   Can you find your god in your heart?   In spite of the priests?   In spite of politicians?   In spite of bad weather? Are you honest to yourself?   If you are, you don’t need religion.   But there’s too much religion in the world.   Too much religion.   That’s what’s wrong.