Annihilation of Caste : A Review

I read this small 50 page powerful text by B.R. Ambedkar which was originally intended to be a speech delivered in Lahore on request of an organization called the Jat Pat Todak Mandal. The radical nature of speech forced the organizers to cancel the event and later, Dr. Ambedkar got the address published himself for circulation. 

It is a strong commentary about the ills of the caste system and how deeply it has affected the Indian society. He champions the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity and emphasizes that there cannot be any political or economic reform unless they're preceded by social reform. I found many arguments put forth by him to be extremely enlightening. 

" Religion, social status, and property are all sources of power and authority, which one man has, to control the liberty of another. One is predominant at one stage; the other is predominant at another stage. That is the only difference. If liberty is the ideal, if liberty means the destruction of the dominion which one man holds over another, then obviously it cannot be insisted upon that economic reform must be the one kind of reform worthy of pursuit. If the source of power and dominion is, at any given time or in any given society, social and religious, then social reform and religious reform must be accepted as the necessary sort of reform. "

He strongly speaks out against people like Gandhi and Arya Samaj who under the garb of Varnasharm actually supported Caste system. Point by point he rips apart the arguments given by the caste system apologists and exposes the fallacies in their logic.

The problem starts in the second half of the lecture where he proposes to get rid of almost all the religious text of hindus and to have one book as the  the solution to the problem. This is where I disagree with him the most. 

" The real remedy is to destroy the belief in the sanctity of the Shastras."

The authority of Hindu scriptures is probably the most important issue raised by Dr. Ambedkar. He assumes the Hindus to be a monolithic entity like the Muslims and the Christians, a very contentious claim which needs to be debated. He insists that the tolerant nature of Hindus is actually the result of their indifference and weakness on the whole because they were always a divided lot. To anybody who finds such arguments credible, I would recommend reading "The Hindu View of Life" by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. 

Repeatedly he has quoted verses from Manusmriti (the law book of Hindus) to give sanction to his views regarding the horrible practice of untouchability. It's true that many heinous practices of Hindus find their origin in Manusmriti. However, Manusmriti is not only a very recent text, in many ways it is also contradictory to what has essentially been preached in Vedas. That is why to form any assumption about Hinduism based on Manusmriti would be grossly inaccurate. 

"There should be one and only one standard book of Hindu Religion, acceptable to all Hindus and recognized by all Hindus. This of course means that all other books of Hindu religion such as Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas, which are treated as sacred and authoritative, must by law cease to be so, and the preaching of any doctrine, religious or social, contained in these books should be penalized."

It is such simplistic measures which have had led to the rise of  dangerous ideologies like Nazism, and violent Communism. Also, the dogmatic belief in "one book" is the root cause of the rise of Islamic terrorism today. His proposal of involving religion with state is what I found to be the most ill-thought out argument. 

"A priest should be the servant of the State, and should be subject to the disciplinary action of the State in the matter of his morals, beliefs, and worship, in addition to his being subject along with other citizens to the ordinary law of the land. "

We only have to look across the border and at the middle east as to what horrors religion can unleash when it becomes a state matter. 

Irrespective of what I find to be its shortcomings, Annihilation of Caste is one of the most important work of political writing in India. Caste system is still prevalent in its most dangerous form in many parts of the country. This work by Dr. Ambedkar is a must read for many who have not experienced the worst of caste system.

This essay, written almost 80 years ago is still relevant and it changes the perspectives of the reader on the Indian society.In the second edition, Dr. Ambedkar has published the criticism from Mahatma Gandhi and has replied to it in a very lucid and passionate manner and exposed how hollow some of Gandhi's beliefs were.  It's an eye opener for anybody who believes in the superiority of Hindusim and makes him face the ground reality as to why huge population of India converted to other religions over the years.

You can read this text here and the pdf can be found here. 

Movie Review: Okuribito (Departures)

Won Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2009. IMDb Rating: 8.1. Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

Okuribito (Departures) is a Japanese movie about life and death. It revolves around the life of a cello player who loses job when his orchestra is disbanded and finds employment in a firm as an encoffiner (one who prepares a body for cremation). Undertakers hire the firm to ceremonially wash and dress the deceased, in front of the gathered family and other mourners.

The story shows the relationship of the protagonist (Daigo) with his wife, new employer, and his father. Daigo avoids telling about the nature of job to his wife who is repulsed when she comes to know the truth. Disgusted, she leaves him when he refuses to quit. She returns when she finds out about her pregnancy while still being hopeful about changing her husband’s mind. 

The rituals and traditions involved in Japanese death rites are depicted in intricate details and the topic of death has been dealt with kindness and subtle emotions.  As in India or anywhere else, the job of an undertaker is looked down upon. The movie shows the profession in a good light and makes us realize its importance. With time, the protagonist who earlier accepted the work only because of his dire conditions finds purpose and starts taking pride in his work.  He is moved by the gratitude of the mourning relatives who gather to watch him perform the last rites for their loved one. Ryoko Hirosue's (Daigo's wife) transition from being ashamed about his husband’s profession to accepting it with dignity is captured beautifully.

There are a number of subplots in the movie which eventually connect to the main theme. They are incorporated so seamlessly that one hardly deviates from the main narrative. It’s difficult not to like the characters with whom we can easily relate in some way or the other.  

It scores high on screenplay and the sentimental cello music which contribute to the success of the movie. Emotions are captured beautifully and nowhere does the acting appear melodramatic.  This is why the movie is so beautiful.

Earlier I used to think that only Bollywood is crappy, but over a period of time, I have come to realize that even Hollywood is not far behind in doling out formula-driven and soulless cinema. Movies from other countries provide a refreshing change. Okuribito is one such piece of art. 

मोरी अरज सुनो

इस सूरत से

अर्ज़ सुनाते

दर्द बताते

नैया खेते

मिन्नत करते

रस्ता तकते

कितनी सदियाँ बीत गई हैं

अब जाकर ये भेद खुला है

जिस को तुम ने अर्ज़ गुज़ारी

जो था हाथ पकड़ने वाला

जिस जा लागी नाव तुम्हारी

जिस से दुख का दारू माँगा

तोरे मंदिर में जो नहीं आया

वो तो तुम्हीं थे

वो तो तुम्हीं थे

(फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़)

Song here

A Question of Legacy

A few years back when I was attending the Jaipur Literary Fest, I got a chance to listen to Amitabh Bachchan who was there to release a book based on him. Apart from the eloquent language in which he addressed the crowd, he mentioned a very important fact about legacy: that only artists, and in particular only authors get to live on after their death. I did not pay much heed to it then, taking it to be just another self effacing talk to hide the narcissistic attitude that Amitabh Bachchan carries. But some truths, even when presented in our face are meant to be realised later. 

How many people do we remember who are long gone? Even our family members who die are easily forgotten. But it's the artists, scientists, and writers who stay, with their thoughts and their creations. Very few politicians do, but only those who have created something new, who have inspired the generations. In a way, they are artists too.

Many people worry about what their legacy will be and how they will be remembered once gone. Nobody remembers the people doing mundane jobs. Actors, sportstars are fresh in memory only till they are in their prime. How many of us have actually seen Pelé or Bradman actually play? We don't much listen to the songs that were created even twenty years back. 

But we read books.The authors take us back in their time with their stories and ideas. Shakespeare is being read, taught, played after he died almost half of a millennium back. We all know the names Archimedes, Euclid, Socrates, Aryabhatta, Sushruta, etc. because their works were preserved in books. Words have such power. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci still awe us. Hindu religion survives in Vedas and in temples.  

Alas, the only way to immortality, is to create. 

I learned about this book called Capital In The Twenty First Century by Thomas Piketty a few days back from a friend whose track record of buying books and then not reading them is slightly worse than mine. There are far too many books that I have bought and haven't read. The goal for the next two years is to first complete the ones I have in my shelf already and then move on to something else. (not going to happen I tell you)

I digress.

The book is a monumental work of the fifteen years of research by the author. Some people consider it to be at par with The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, the father of modern Economics. I'm neither a good judge nor a reviewer, but I follow some people who have guided me towards better books (Gaurav Mathur) and better movies(Mradul). Riku Sayuj is one such person who recommends this book highly. I hope that if I get to finish it, I would have a better understanding of the economic environment of our times. 

Someday maybe..

The more I read about the history of India, the more I get convinced how bad the whole idea of partition was. It's highly improbable that it can be undone in the near future but there's no reason that we can't move on from what has already happened.

I look at Europe and it is extremely fascinating to observe how they have  progressively decreased (if not eliminated) the possibility of a war by forming the European Union and adopting a common currency. People will point out the example of Greece and its failure, but that is precisely the point I wish to make. Europe has been integrated to such great extent that it is nigh impossible for them to break the bond. A continent which was ravaged by the bloodiest war the world has ever seen only 70 years ago is probably at its peaceful best in its entire history. 

We share with our neighbours so much that the boundary lines on the map can never do any justice in separating people who are united by a common language, culture, cuisine and what not. Why can't we have a similar South Asian union where a much more liberal movement of capital and labour is allowed? It would lead to the development of not only strong economic ties, but also promote cultural growth, sports, and a much greater religious harmony. 

The young generation which is not encumbered by the burden of past excesses can travel to the other side and realize that we are not too different from "those" on the other side of the border. I have always wanted to travel to Pakistan where lies the home of my maternal ancestors in a city called Kasoor. An even better measure could be the student exchange programs or tourist expeditions. We already see a lot of such activities taking place in the field of music. Can we extend it to all other areas?

An overtly optimistic propsition...maybe. But we don't have to look too far to dismiss it just as a wishful thinking. 

Wish List

• Travel to Antarctica, Africa, and South America
• Backpack across all 29 Indian states and spend at least a week in each of them (current count is 9)
• Learn Urdu, French, and if possible, one more language(but be good at Hindi and English first)
• Spend few days living with eskimos at North Pole
• Sponsor (if possible, adopt) a girl child.
• Read 1,000 books (good ones) before turning 45.
• Watch 1,000 movies (imdb Top 250, Rotten Tomatoes Top 100, Roger Ebert's Great Movies etc.). Current count is around 450. 
• Be an expert on Indian History, and Cricket.
• Learn Philosophy
• Meet Sachin Tendulkar
• Learn to cook (more than basic stuff)
• Bungee Jumping
• Write everyday. (Ha, so much for wishful thinking)
• Learn public speaking
• Watch Wimbledon Final
• A bike ride of minimum 500 km.
• Deep water sea diving