Khula Aasmaan: "It`s My Sky, Let Me Fly" !!!

Reflections after a drama which leaped deep within history to know what it really means to contemplate and interrogate about, "I think, therefore I am"...

 

I think, therefore I am! : How Descartes deconstructs history of this mystery of self-discovery?

“Cogito ergo sum ; ultimate reflection and expression of my supreme autonomous rationality. Yes, rationality which I felt by my separation from nature and my own body. I don’t know how I could arrive at this discovery but my entire life I was restless. I always was in search for something. I spent my youth traveling, visiting courts and armies, mixing with people of diverse temperaments and ranks, gathering various experiences, testing myself in the situations which fortune offered me, and at all times reflecting upon whatever came my way so as to derive some profit from it."[1] I did not much believe what books say; rather I trusted only my instincts and wished to know the depths of the ocean of the knowledge through my own ventures, explorations and failures. So I started my journey.  

Starting with my country of birth, I traveled to Bohemia, Hungary, Germany, Holland, Italy and finally Sweden where I died. In a way, in my journey I had already traveled to places where great philosophers of enlightenment belong. Even though I earned a legal degree, my father pushed me to learn and work upon algebra and mathematics. Later I also studied theology and medicine. In 1663, after my death, my name was introduced in the index of prohibited books by Pope. Before I arrived in this world, legends like Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) and Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) actually devoted their entire lives to prove that earth moves around the sun. I was born after them (1596-1650). Further, Galileo (1564-1642), Newton (1642-1727) and Gottfried Leibnitz (1646-1716) were busy working to lay the foundations of modern scientific and mathematical knowledge system. They established the evidences of functioning of solar system, the forces organizing the universe and the mathematical equations which govern them. If you ask me what I achieved in my life, then I would only point out what historians have noted: “The key idea was to use coordinate axes to bring algebra and geometry together. This was an innovation that enabled mathematicians to solve complex problems and invent new forms of mathematics such as calculus, which laid the foundation for modern science and technology.”[2] But frankly, if you ask me my personal opinion, what was contribution to the world, I will only allude to only one sentence which all history and philosophy will ridicule as immensely obvious: “I think, therefore I am!”

You know, expressing doubt and quest for evidences has been my lifelong madness. I am passionately haunted my reason and may be that is my only religion, that is my honest dogma and that is my spirituality to relate to the cosmos inside the mind and outside the earth. Whenever I come across any challenging phenomena or complex philosophical-real life problem, I dissect it into infinite pieces to understand each and its relationship to the problem at hand. Slowly, steadily and surely I establish relationship between minutest possible aspects of the issue contributing to the challenge. From these observations, I derive my own understanding about the cause and effects in different concepts and processes. Like this, I started dealing with knowledge of the world around. Then after years of practice of this way of scrutinizing life around people started naming this as deduction and further deductive approach. This is still, an explanation of my scientific achievement. But what was special in that one sentence 'Cogito, ergo sum'—that history immortalized my existence through those three words in every book and library and in every mind of finest thinkers, progressive reformers and leaders of modern democracies around the modern world. What was so unique about it?

Cogito, ergo sum allowed me to say confidently that howsoever massive may be the force and pressure of the ridiculous, mystical and obscurantist traditions, customs and beliefs may surround my life and try to suffocate me; if I doubt genuineness of some thought, norm or law I should be able to continue to think along that line with evidence, logic and rational debate. Many times, it is not necessary to believe what my body sees or what I feel or what I am feed with the obvious explanation of the events around me. I need not just nod and follow like herd. I have to question, investigate and prove what I think ---something is right, wrong. And beyond binaries of correctness and falsification, I should be able to underscore the process from cause to effect; so that rationally speaking I could come out with grounded logical explanation of concepts.

So if like to paint a picture of universe in the colors of my imagination; I could do it. If I want to draw a sketch of the anatomical functioning of my body, I could do it like Michael Angelo. If I want to script a poem celebrating the natural phenomena and their impact on our lives I could do it like Alexander Pope. If I want to narrate a story of how the universe was created, expanded and how our biological life system evolved, I could do it with certain proofs to be documented much later after my death by Darwin and other explorers. If I wanted to argue how our democratic civil society should evolve, then I could write essays like Voltaire, David Hume, John Locke and Thomas Paine. If I wanted to erect an architecture structure depicting modern invention of James Watt or Thomas Edison; I could prepare those models as Leonardo De Vinci could do it. If I think that mechanical forces governing world are actually deeply rooted in subjectivity and relativity of time-space relationship of universe, then I could actually think like Einstein to overthrow the rigid understanding about the ever changing universe.

I could think of anything, because I was confident that thinking---along with instincts, against the method, beyond the horizon, opposite the tide, beneath the skepticism, above the rainbow of diverse imaginations, sailing on the venture of discovery, riding the gut feeling of invention, flying the inclusive flamingo of innovation and reaching the destination of peace; in life, in death. I could think, that has been my asset; that has been my ammunition; that has been my charm; that has been my addiction; that has been my duty and that has been honor and that has been my endeavor.

I think, therefore I am. We thought—therefore we are. History thought; therefore future is. Art thinks, therefore society runs. Science thinks, therefore technology flies. Writers think, therefore civilizations progress. Inventors think—therefore we survive and develop. Love thinks, so hatred withers away. Dreams think—therefore nightmares wash away. Good meditates—therefore evil thinks twice before knocking our doors. I think, so I am; We think, so we are. Thanks for listening to me. Let God of Reason bless you.”  

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[1]From Descartes’ book Discourse On The Method

[2] Descartes’ Analytic Geometry, a paper by Noah Pritt retrieved from www.mdhc.org/files/579_Paper_Junior_Pritt.pdf

A week is long time in politics: Reaching self through World !

by me, 5th June 2014

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It is often said that a week is a long time in politics, and truly yes, it is. As demonstrated by historic mandate India gave to one party, one leader in particular, this is truer than before. The scale of analysis, introspection and obsession with critical scrutiny these election results received are unparalleled in recent Indian history. Only comparisons, if they fit, can be Mandal-Kamandal debate in 1990s and lately the anti-corruption movement and gender sensitive legislations in last two years. The week after 16^th May seems to have not only shocked the intellectual foundations of the media, academia and intelligentsia but also have uprooted the deep contradictions within so called ‘Secular-Progressive-Liberal’ establishments across the country. Some are trying to stick to age old political ideologies of sycophancy, some to ‘hippocratic’ salesmanship of secularism and some to ‘lip-service’ of inclusive diversity of a country which never allows the dictum of dogma, division and duplicity.  

My week followed by election results gave me few insights about the issues which not only unshackled my imagination but also gave me a window of opportunity for making sense of the things in coming times. On a summer full of heat waves, I happen to travel to sea-faced temple of meditation in Mumbai. Temple, not in a religious sense, but surely in a spiritual-meditative sense. This is a grateful tribute returned by Satynarayan Goenka to his Gurus from Myanmar for gifting India the art and knowledge of Vipassana. His guru was Saya Gyi U Ba Khin, who recently for decades pursued the knowledge of Vipassana and distributed the same to thousands of followers through international Vipassana Meditation Centres established in Myanmar. Saya Gyi predicted that next revival of Dhamma will be from India and one Indian will be responsible for carrying out massive explorations and journey for spreading this knowledge to poor and ignorant without any greed, without religious bias and without any materialistic motive. This person was Satyanarayan Goenka. In the darkness of history, this art and science of life-meditation was lost in the corridors of ignorance. So, I was fortunate to embark on this short journey. So short in distance, but so long in meaning, investigation and acquiring the wisdom that I still don’t consider myself worthy for the reward of that journey, let alone the claim that I understood the whole import of that philosophy.

I reached Global Vipassana Pagoda in search of questions and not for answers. Questions, which can destroy me, questions that can recreate me. Questions that can shake my foundations, questions that can construct vision of my life. Questions that can heal my vitiated mind, questions which can sharpen my intellect and argument. Questions which can awaken me from my slumber—which in its extreme insensitivity have insulted many virtues and in effect---bypassed many struggles, many voices, many movements throughout the life I lived or claimed to live upon to. Many times we search for answers where our questions are wrongly placed, inspired by narrow vision and shaped by parochial dreams. So, I was in search of questions which should propel my life forward through which I can travel and struggle, fight and die while finding answers to them. Why, how, when all the biggest challenges destroy me and appeal me with its cruel charm that hello, show your pain and stand up again; so that I can say with pride, “Yes, I am ready to take on my Conqueror” and let me feel the pain, poverty and pity in myself while watching through the eyes of aggressor. While I concentrate and focus my gaze to the undisturbed pose of the hegemonic time in front of me, I say to it: “you may be infinite, but I am finitely minuscule, deep down to my existence and mind well; my impatience, my greed, my insensitivity, my utter contempt for public service are also finite---will be destroyed by presence of infinite failures, agony of shameful defeats and all pervasive fall of my character time and again. So, come on you infinite, I finite, is ready to face you. So, come on!!!”

I have been to Vipassana dhyan once in my early university days. While I did not formally enrolled again in due course of last few years; I continue to meditate on my own what I consider the one of the greatest gifts I have received in my mortal life. But I never viewed it from the point of view of “Liberating Force” for ignorant, poor and marginalized. As I reached the place, beyond sea of Gorai, near Assel World; people started coming in slowly but steadily. Initially, there were clear herds were going to entertainment park near Pagoda. As sun started climbing, the number of groups and people started ascending. I underestimated the magnetic potential of the place. It had more people on weekdays than normally what one tourist place attracts on weekends, bookshop owner told me during my visit.

The way people have received it is astounding. Even though, it is not a typical religious place and does not support the traditional rituals of religion; this place has emerged as one of the few places in India which can advocate social-political reform, quest of knowledge-scientific attitude, virtues of social commitment and community service, dedication to questioning attitude and readiness to bulldoze the burden of faith and its claim that surrender to god, together all potentially can give us the calm, peace and solutions. Instead, this Pagoda—epitome of self criticism and tower of service towards self-society through wisdom, compassion and  inclusiveness—has emerged as a symbol of not only peace amongst different religions, in its essential goal of “establishing supremacy of humanism”; but also has projected the vision of  “Equanimity”. This equanimity, as epitomized in the preaching of Gautam Buddha in the form of Dhamma. Buddha never claimed to have founded the religion. Even some kind of consolidation of culture being lived by people, who follow Buddhism, is being formalized over the years; it was never visualized by Buddha as a ritualistic religion which can satisfy our cravings for compensating piousness with rewards, both material and spiritual.

Vipassana, was essence of Buddhism; historically. During the course of time, when Buddhism lost the path and also the wisdom of the meditation, it started dwindling. Art of Viapassana was scientific way of aligning our life with rational principles of nature and thus immerse ourselves in consistent self-reflection about the changes in ourselves and around us. These changes—sometimes pleasant and many times unpleasant—always disturb our composure---makes us happy in pleasant times and sad in sorrow times. Vipassana through meditation with an equanmious mind glorifies the vulnerability of life but also illuminates the massive potential of Sthitpradnya; uncollapsable silent-steady-solid attentive power of mind in any situation---and thus escorts us through the corridors of mind-body-brain triangle. From there, it leaves our hand thus we are on our own to explore, investigate and rediscover our lost control, our disappeared conscience, our languishing-perishing-corroding selfishness and we thus slowly arrive at the gates of comradeship, friendship, entrepreneurship of values. 

This entrepreneurship does not talk of wealth creation but discusses long lasting virtues, values and assets. The relations we make with people all our lives have unique potential to solve the problems around us. But we alienate many and get obsessed with remaining. The emotions, rather than being strengths become self inflicting swords and further our self-character becomes obstacle rather than engine of dissent. Our personality becomes symbol of greed instead of energetic commitment to welfare. Our life gets reflected as a stagnant supporter of slavery to power rather than transformer of lives suffering from poverty of arguments, hunger of food and vacuum of knowledge.

So, this Dhamma which is eternally simple in its purely natural form has been essential representation of Buddhist way of life i.e. Buddhism.  This Pagoda is not only a memorial of what Myanmaar did to preserve this heritage and knowledge of Vipassna but also putting Life of Buddha in right perspective in today’s times of intolerance, greed and technologically pervert times when we refuse to talk to each other and rather satisfied in gadgets while being insular from pain in front of us. This is a memorial to people who stood for human rights, who fought for equality and who lived and died for freedom from slavery, from ignorance and from caste system, from class system, from political system of prejudice-bias. This is a symbol of perseverance of people who stay calm in the events of crisis, in the agony of oppression and during the times of deprivation. This is homage to Bikshus and Bikshunees who stood for justice and progress during the times of conservative onslaught of religion. This is a structure which is a salute to the exploration of people who wanted to understand what exists inside life, what happens during life and why is it so. This is not about life beyond death; heaven and hell. This is about understanding why we create multiple worlds for same people, divergent dreams for fellow compatriots and divisive ideology for harmonious life---existing for all, nurturing all and shaping us all—together, in tough times, in simple times.

While going through the biography of Buddha, while listening to the story of how this Pagoda was created and while watching what different aspects of Vipassana Buddha preached, it was clear that this is a way forward in life---not to pray, but to act and spread the message of self-discovery, service and sacrifice through exploration, introspection and debate.

That’s the feeling I got when I traveled a small journey but completed a longer process of reaching myself through Pagoda, Vipassana and Buddha.

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rahul mane, (09654093359, creativityindian@gmail.com)                                                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Money, Media & Politics: Stenography to Power

Excerpts from lecture of P. Sainath (Editor: Agriculture & Rural Affairs, The Hindu) delivered at Venkatesh Chapalgaonkar Memorial Awards at Symbiosis, Pune on 6th June 2014

(Acknowledgement and thanks to Electronic Media Association, Pune ) 
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Money, Media and Politics: Understanding Stenography to power

By P. Sainath

Indian press is child of freedom struggle of India. Gandhi, Ambedkar, Tilak were great journalist who were use to print newspapers, magazines, journals. Even though number of printed copies or circulation of these publications was merely in thousands, but kind of impact it had on masses, on contemporary peers in media and on imperial government was unparalleled in history. Unfortunately, in today’s times, difference between journalism, public relations and stenography is becoming less and less.

Greatest speech in Indian history is unarguably that of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in Constituent Assembly: “We have given country Political Democracy but have we given country and its citizens the economic and social equality and democracy? If not, the tension is to be created in future because of impending inequality and thus the democracy is going to explode.” 

Media, supposedly fourth estate of democracy--is most undemocratic in its social representations, about transparency regarding its accounts and on its accountability towards the society they belong to. Today’s media is politically free but is imprisoned by profit. Not all media houses are party to this crime but increasing corporatisation, influence of neoliberal transactions within transnational MNCs which are acquiring media houses and the deep running connivance between different power structures are forcing the Americanisation of Indian media—is truly dangerous to Indian democracy.

To understand how media behaves one has to understand how corporates function because media is no longer singular in approach, linear in interests and traditional in its nature of operation. It has become so dynamic, finance driven, politically complicit and morally bankrupt about its role towards society that one cannot imagine how far the naked arrogance of its owners has travelled that they are not in news business but in advertising space. 

Beyond technological convergence, today’s media mark the convergence of elitist morality, indifferent conscience and inequitable economic vision for citizens and country at large. In a way, as Prabhat Patnaik has described “Moral Universe of Media has shifted away from people” and essentially “media seems to be more powerful when sided with powerful.” Normally, it does not like to stand against power. Whatever results come, they come due to individuals who fight risking their lives, reputation and independence.

Revolving doors in corporates, media and governments are creating not only permanent vested interests but also shaping structures nurturing sustainable culture of endless greed in our lives through different products they offer through media industry. Collusion amongst politics, corporates and big media does not care about the issues which really free, independent press needs to address. Today`s media is primarily hostage to Advertisers, Hollywood, Cricket/Celebrities/Corporate for its content and revenue, forcing audiences to chew only that.

Corporatisation of Media is creating new powerful monopolies of media houses not only in print, electronic media but also in digital domain. In fact, issue of monopoly is even more serious in digital world as only seven companies are controlling the internet in one way or another. Concentration of corporate, political interests in media industry is so intrinsically deep rooted that there is now little space for the problems of people to be discussed. In fact, all the major scams exposed recently are either done by constitutional bodies like CAG, ED or by small newspapers-magazines. Mainstream media, as we know it today, is falling behind in terms of raising questions, ensuring follow up of pertinent crucial issues needed to be addressed in real time through investigative journalism.  

Fight against monopoly is not only grave issue in India but also in Europe, USA. In fact, USA has a great tradition of anti-monopoly legislations dating back to 1920s and 1930 when monopoly of Rockefeller brothers and Hollywood was broken to create a competition friendly environment. Increasing insensitivity in media can be gauged from the fact that major or almost all mainstream media houses are slowly relinquishing beats or portfolio from its reporting/editing work related to rural, poverty, labour, and development issues. This is very disturbing trend considering major chunk of population in India is poor, labour driven, working in unorganised sector and struggling to get basic amenities of life they deserve to be getting from government.

So we have arrived at the stage where media is not only becoming conglomerate itself but also is becoming one of the arms of big, bigger MNCs who does not care about spirit of journalism and its role in society like ours. This is primarily because goals today’s corporate media espouses, dreams it instigates and vision it inspires is that of deep inequality in society and not of democratic socialism which our founding forefathers/foremothers have envisioned for us. This was imagined in directive principles of state policy stated in Constitution. It is often said that “We should speak truth to power. Time has come when we should ask ourselves: “Whether it is necessary to speak truth to power or shall we speak truth about power, which is increasingly being suppressed, diverted and abused by people who illegitimately benefit from silence. So, the process through which we can defend our rights, more broadly ‘Bill of Rights’ so as to describe, should be strengthened and this process can be revitalised through democratic protests, organising the voice of dissent and finally by giving voice to people who want their stories to be reported, written, recorded, screened, photographed, printed, aired. Larger people participation in documentation, journalism and broadcasting will ensure this pressure to COMPELL MEDIA TO BEHAVE so as to carry on the legacy of freedom fight and Freedom Press of that era which cared for fundamental issues of human lives, development, dignity and human rights.

Transcribed roughly by Rahul Mane, creativityindian@gmail.com, 09654093359 

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Resources:

a) Summary of Paid News Report:

http://presscouncil.nic.in/OldWebsite/CouncilReport.pdf

b) How original report was suppressed:

http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Paid-News-The-Buried-Report/266542 

c) Original Report comes in full on Press Council of India website

http://presscouncil.nic.in/Content/139_5_Reportsonpaidnews.aspx 

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