The Paradoxes of Indian Society
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yashas nataraj
Jul 14, 2012, 9:07:33 AM7/14/12
to parag Khairnar, Sushruth Donthi, Rajat Talak, karthik.a...@gmail.com, rahul meshram, Sachin Bhardwaj, Salil Kashyap, sainath bharadwaj, parthajit mohapatra, Sreenivasa Murthy, K V Krishna Chaythanya, mukesh kundal, iisc_pp, Ponnanna Uthappa, Srinath Narasimha, aditya Jr, Yogendra IISc, Ajit Phadnis, naveen bharathi
Hypocrisy, Double-speak etc are categories which MANKIND is used to in
form or the other. Lets face it - 99.9% of MANKIND lives comfortably
with Hypocrisy at one level or the other..This is a no-brainer.
However, the enigmatic issue is that "Despite centuries of Reformist
activities, innumerable reformers having walked the length and breadth
of India, India remains a victim and hostage to many Social Evils
which imprison Man". Just picture this:
The UPANISHADS declare "SARVAM KHALU IDAM BRAHMA" and yet the Indian
Society has had to endure the ills of the Caste system(Nobody knows
the ideas behind its genesis..it may have been initially of a
different form etc.....However no one can deny for a fact that it has
had a very deleterious effect in its present form and structure) .
Apart from the material scars which it entails and brings forth..it is
the psychological impact which is very abhorrent.
How come that SUCH UPANISHADIC UTTERANCES have had VERY
LITTLE IMPACT on the ORGANISATION of INDIAN SOCIETY...Such high
LIBERAL precepts which enjoin man to RENOUNCE ALL PREJUIDICES and
biases have NOT HAD any perceptible impact...they have had
no/negligible role in the working of the INDIAN SOCIETY.
They have been confined to BOOKS and INTELLECTUAL
DISCOURSE...which means they have NOT BEEN taken seriously even by the
people who swear by the very names of these TEXTS! In my opinion,
this has been the greatest of insults shown to the UPANISHADS.
Such foundational texts ought to have ushered in GREAT EQUITY..the
concepts of DHARMA and RITA have been CENTRAL to INDIA since a very
long time..The MAHABHARATA grapples with it and YET, in INDIA ADHARMA
in the form of "GRAVE" INJUSTICE, inequality rules the roost - APATHy
towards the POOR and NEEDY, A Society afflicted by VIOLENCE and
COUNTER-VIOLENCE, skewed PUBLIC POLICY imperatives....intemperate
indulgences - BOLLYWOOD,IPL, income splurges, apathy towards farmer
distress, the CULTURE of GREED..........These are SIGNS of a
DEGENERATED, ROTTEN and ROTTING SOCIETY. Yes, these are also the
NEGATIVE EFFECTS of a CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM which INDIA has not been
able to stem.
The Indian COMMUNISTS attempt to put the blame squarely on HINDUISM
for this state of affairs - This is highly contentious and could
easily be debunked - HINDU PRINCIPLES can be described to be
SOCIALISTIC if at all! But, this is not the aim of this essay.
I have NO answer to this question of the LACK of any influence of the
VEDAS and UPANISHADS on INDIAN society in terms of an EGALITARIAN
ATTITUDE etc.
The Rishis have been humiliated by INDIANS! When UPANISHADS have
failed to influence INDIAN SOCIETY(might have influenced individuals),
what is the prospect of them influencing OTHER NATIONS/Societies?
form or the other. Lets face it - 99.9% of MANKIND lives comfortably
with Hypocrisy at one level or the other..This is a no-brainer.
However, the enigmatic issue is that "Despite centuries of Reformist
activities, innumerable reformers having walked the length and breadth
of India, India remains a victim and hostage to many Social Evils
which imprison Man". Just picture this:
The UPANISHADS declare "SARVAM KHALU IDAM BRAHMA" and yet the Indian
Society has had to endure the ills of the Caste system(Nobody knows
the ideas behind its genesis..it may have been initially of a
different form etc.....However no one can deny for a fact that it has
had a very deleterious effect in its present form and structure) .
Apart from the material scars which it entails and brings forth..it is
the psychological impact which is very abhorrent.
How come that SUCH UPANISHADIC UTTERANCES have had VERY
LITTLE IMPACT on the ORGANISATION of INDIAN SOCIETY...Such high
LIBERAL precepts which enjoin man to RENOUNCE ALL PREJUIDICES and
biases have NOT HAD any perceptible impact...they have had
no/negligible role in the working of the INDIAN SOCIETY.
They have been confined to BOOKS and INTELLECTUAL
DISCOURSE...which means they have NOT BEEN taken seriously even by the
people who swear by the very names of these TEXTS! In my opinion,
this has been the greatest of insults shown to the UPANISHADS.
Such foundational texts ought to have ushered in GREAT EQUITY..the
concepts of DHARMA and RITA have been CENTRAL to INDIA since a very
long time..The MAHABHARATA grapples with it and YET, in INDIA ADHARMA
in the form of "GRAVE" INJUSTICE, inequality rules the roost - APATHy
towards the POOR and NEEDY, A Society afflicted by VIOLENCE and
COUNTER-VIOLENCE, skewed PUBLIC POLICY imperatives....intemperate
indulgences - BOLLYWOOD,IPL, income splurges, apathy towards farmer
distress, the CULTURE of GREED..........These are SIGNS of a
DEGENERATED, ROTTEN and ROTTING SOCIETY. Yes, these are also the
NEGATIVE EFFECTS of a CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM which INDIA has not been
able to stem.
The Indian COMMUNISTS attempt to put the blame squarely on HINDUISM
for this state of affairs - This is highly contentious and could
easily be debunked - HINDU PRINCIPLES can be described to be
SOCIALISTIC if at all! But, this is not the aim of this essay.
I have NO answer to this question of the LACK of any influence of the
VEDAS and UPANISHADS on INDIAN society in terms of an EGALITARIAN
ATTITUDE etc.
The Rishis have been humiliated by INDIANS! When UPANISHADS have
failed to influence INDIAN SOCIETY(might have influenced individuals),
what is the prospect of them influencing OTHER NATIONS/Societies?
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