The Political Binary

 What will happen if the Congress wins this election?

A lot of people want the congress to come back to power. A lot of people want the BJP to lose. But what exactly will happen if the BJP loses?

Absolutely nothing! The BJP has built a ruthless political machinery which the Congress party will take over. As a matter of fact, BJP didn’t even build it. They perfected a machine that the Congress Party has been building for a very long time.

Every evil that the BJP is accused of doing (rightfully so) was started by the Congress. Indira Gandhi imposed emergency, a trend that cost her an election; so now Modi is doing the same thing with finesse and even winning votes in the process. Rajiv Gandhi allowed the placement of an idol inside Babri Masjid, something that grew into a massive temple today. Congress orchestrated riots against the Sikhs in Delhi, Modi is doing that across the country (more subtly, more brutally). Rajiv Gandhi signed the Assam accord which has now mutated into the NRC, NPR and the grotesque CAA!

Corruption? The Manmohan Singh regime saw large scale corruption and they faced brutal backlash for those allegations. The Modi machine has learnt to do all that and so much more and yet get away scot free! 

Controlling the media, cozying up with capitalist friends, crushing the opposition, crushing popular protests - you name it and the BJP has mastered it. Now, the big question - do you expect these things to change if the Congress comes to power?  

Laugh. Out. Loud! (Just an LOL would not do, sorry!) The day Congress wins the election, the big capitalist leaders will comfortably shift their allegiance (or the other way around, Congress will win when the capitalist bosses think they serve their agenda better. Is the country run by a nexus akin to the Illuminati? Illuminati is a strong word and it infantilises a really complex subject, so I am not getting in there. And I don’t think the government is completely controlled by a few big business houses; but there certainly is a very strong influence and that tilts the tables). Which means that the powerful political machine that is in place right now will be taken over by the Congress party, and maybe even improved upon; an improvement which may not serve well for the people of the nation.

It is not sad news all the way though. Political power changing hands will have a few benefits. Power will certainly get diluted, there will be more accountability at the center, and the Congress is not as centralised or dictatorial as the BJP. However, that does not solve the problem. It just replaces a big problem with a different problem. The issues that plague the nation - poverty, unemployment, inflation, corruption, ecological disruption, crushing the religious minorities, othering the oppressed classes - nothing will change.

So let’s not vote at all? What’s the point after all? Let the BJP continue!

That’s not the point. The entire point of this article is not an endorsement of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rather, I am saying that our political conversation must not end with the binary of Congress/BJP. The issues affecting the nation are much deeper and deserve closer attention. Every responsible citizen must study these issues and talk about these issues. When we talk, and only when we talk will the ‘leaders’ listen! Even if the ‘leaders’ don’t listen, somebody else will. More people will listen, more people will talk… and more people will listen. The ‘leaders’ will eventually have to pay heed.

I just started talking. 

A Billion Year From Now

Astrophysics is perhaps the most magnificent and humbling subject to study. Just think about the scale of things. Hundreds of billions of large galaxies in the universe and our Milky Way is just one of them; each large galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars; our own Milky Way containing around 400 billion stars. (Note the usage “large galaxy” – there are trillions of other dwarf galaxies, which contains stars in the order of hundreds of millions). All these stars – baryonic matter as they are called – consist of a mere 15% of the total matter in the universe; the remaining 85% is presumed to be Dark Matter. Bring in Dark Energy into the equation and what I mentioned above – the hundreds of billions of galaxies containing hundreds of billions of stars is a mere 4%.

            In this blip – the 4% - exists a star which we call the Sun. Around the Sun are several asteroids and satellites and comets and planets – one such planet is called the Earth. In this planet are numerous forms of life; out of which one species which supposedly dominates the planet is the Homo Sapien aka Humans. (Dominates in what sense? Perhaps the destructive ability because there are several trees which live longer, several trees and animals that are larger and several micro-organisms that more numerous in number.) There are around 8 billion humans on this planet – and I am just one of them.

            For me though, this isn’t the mind boggling part. Our universe is about 14 billion years old; our Sun around 4 billion and our planet Earth around 3 billion years old. In those 3 billion years all the oceans and rivers and mountains and forests and deserts were formed. (Life was extinct around 6 times in that time period.) Humans arrived at the scene around 70,000 years back, and our history goes back around 5,000 years.

            Let us be hopeful that humankind will overcome the climate crises and forge ahead. What would happen a thousand years in the future – year 3023! What would things look like 10,000 years in the future? Imagine a world one billion years in the future...

            It boggles my mind, but don’t forget that a billion years into the future, although an unfathomable period of time for us, is just another lap for the universe. In that time the Sun would complete another 4 rounds around the Milky Way, that’s all. What would be the state of technology in that era? What our culture and civilisation would be like? What would we be like? And the most fascinating question to me, one of great philosophical import – how would humankind remember us? I take that question very personally. What would be the significance of my life, of my actions, my accomplishments, my wealth and fame, a billion years from now?

            Will my actions have any consequence? Absolutely yes! I certainly believe that my actions will have consequences (thanks to the butterfly effect) a billion years from now. What work I do, what values I pass on, how I treat the people around me and how I nurture the next generation will have a massively compounded effect a billion years from now. But... will that be remembered?

            This is the most humbling aspect. Yes, our work, our actions, the love that we spread, the kindness we show... it will have an impact. But is anybody going to remember that? All the wealth that we accumulate, the fame that we seek, the power we crave, all our seemingly glorious accomplishments in a lifetime of 100 years – what would that amount to a Billion years from now. Kind of makes you... rethink why we do what we do doesn’t it? Makes me wonder, and once again look at how I want to live my life.

For what purpose? How? Why?

 

(Hope you enjoyed this article. There are a few books that gave the insights I shared above and helped me develop this perspective:-

1.     -  Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

2.     -  Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

3.     -  Elephant in the Universe by Govert Schilling

Keep reading, keep growing)

 

Love 

2073

 

I come from a time when everything was in abundance - food, water, arable land and even fresh air! So much so that most people didn’t even know where it all came from or how much was left. I remember the time when it almost felt like we all had an Akshayapatram at our homes, where we just had to pay for it and these resources would never end. And air... we didn’t even have to pay for that! Everybody got it... limitless and free. But we also knew that this wouldn’t last. The writing was on the wall and it was very clear, we knew things would change. But when everything was so good it is a little hard to imagine. People from this era will never understand, but back in the day it was so hard to believe when somebody said that we will run out of food and water. We all happily lived in denial.

I still remember those good old days. The golden age of humanity! Where our biggest concern was that the “economy isn’t growing fast enough”, or whose religion was better. I remember people resenting the internet being too slow. It was a simpler time. The government was busy peddling propaganda and doling out fake promises and nobody worried about how the limited stock of food, water and air would be rationed amongst nations and within each nation who would get how much. Back in the day, if you had money, you could buy anything you wanted. I know how unbelievable that might sound to the kids of this generation!

“Appa, we have some food. Why don’t you eat first?” My 40 year old son called me for dinner. Few children do that now – there is a raging debate about what to do with the seniors in the world. Is it worth expending resources to those who are in their final years? While in many parts of the world the debate is out in the open, in others it is just something many youngsters keep to themselves. Either way, everybody is thinking about it. When little ration reaches the house with great difficulty, families choose to feed their children first and the seniors last. I just happened to in a really lucky household.

“You start eating, I will join you”, I respond. My son leaves the room; he too is hungry. His cheeks have sunk, his eyes are hollow and his frame is evidence of starvation. I turn to look out the window and stare at the grey skies. Down below the roads are empty; a few cars can be seen every now and then and very rarely I spot someone walking on the streets. It is not safe for humans to venture out these days, the air is thick with smoke, the weather is unbearably hot and the very frequent rains burn the skin. Practically it is not a concern, because robots and drones do most of the work, but it does take a toll on the mental health! I tell my children and grandchildren that we have to go for a walk sometime and how important it is for your mental health but they just scoff at me. They think it is stupid to worry about “Mental Health” (they always restate my words with air quotes) in such situations. They never understand how important it is though, no matter how much I explain. You see, the biggest threat to humanity right now is not the lack of resources, but the rampant violence. Reports of murders is so frequent these days; refugees are the most common victims (and sometimes the perpetrators too), but people attacking their neighbours and family members too is not uncommon. How can it not be? When the conditions are so dire, and you can’t even step outside your home, anyone would lose their mind. Even the slightest trigger could blow up.

“Appa! Food!” My son doesn’t shout... he doesn’t have the energy to. He just calls out loudly. I am hungry; I wouldn’t mind one last meal. But more importantly, I want to see my family one last time. Yet, I know that if I go down, I won’t be able to do it. And if my son finds out what I am about to do, he wouldn’t agree to it. He is stupid... he loves me too much.

I know it is the right thing to do. I am 80 years old now, and have nothing to give to the world. Only receive. And every morsel of rice that I eat could feed a child who might survive and be the hope for humanity. Our planet really needs it right now. Every last sliver of hope...

“Appa!” He shouts out again. I can feel a stinging pain grip my heart. Tears fill up my eyes. If he calls me out one more time, I will break down. Can’t wait until then; I open the bottle and gulp down the syrup. I don’t notice the flavour... just that the liquid flows down my throat and I know that in a few moments it will be over. One more burden off the planet. Before I hear my son’s voice again, I will be gone. They will be devastated, but at some level, they will be relieved too. One less person to share their food, water and air...

A Letter to My Students

Dear students,

I am writing this letter to make an announcement. I could have very well done that over an Insta Story or a WhatsApp status update, but I would like to take this opportunity to pass on some important... my hands are shivering and my throat is dry as I write this note. Let me first make the announcement.

On September 13th I joined a trekking company called IndiaHikes as an Assistant Trek Leader. After an orientation programme that lasted 10 days, I returned to Trivandrum to take my last and final crash batch for CA Final SFM. Yesterday, on 16^th October, I completed the batch and as I write this letter I am on my way to Dehradun where I will commence my on-slope training. If all goes well, I will be leading trek teams in the Himalayas in within three months. Having said that, students will continue to have access to my recorded lectures. In case I am not reachable, you can contact Nithyan sir for the same. And regarding any doubts you would like to discuss, please drop me a message on WhatsApp and I will make a priority to get back to you at the earliest. However, I will no longer be taking live classes for CA Inter or Final.

This has been an absolutely gorgeous journey and I feel blessed for the opportunity to be able to teach students of such a prestigious profession. I was always pumped and excited to be in class and I will dearly miss that feeling. But as a teacher, my biggest objective was to become an enabler in your transformative journey. As a teacher, I knew that my responsibility was not restricted to conveying a few concepts and help students clear an exam (for which a textbook or even Google is more than sufficient). My goal was to help my students grow. I felt that teaching Costing and Financial Management was a great way to do that. In the time that a student attends my class, I want him/her/them to become a better professional. In that time, I want the students to improve their problem solving skills, presentation skills, communication skills and of course, their exam writing skills. I realised that the ONLY way to learn is by liking the subject and have endeavoured to make the subject and also the classroom environment as delightful as possible. I wanted the process of learning to be enjoyable, exciting and stress-free... And I feel proud that I have had some success in that front. For me, the measure of success was never the number of students I taught or the amount of money I made; but even if a single student walks out of the classroom with a renewed energy and vigour, with a confidence to not just face an exam, but face the whole world... that’s success!

And these are some the ideas I wanted to pass on to my students. I remember once in school, first or second standard, our teacher was teaching different professions. “Who works in a Hospital?” she asked, “Doctor”, everyone shouted. “Who works in a Police Station?” she asked, “Police”, everyone shouted. “Who works in a School?” she asked, “Students”, I shouted! The teacher corrected me with a smile saying, “Students learn at school. The teachers are working at school.” I wasn’t thoroughly convinced.

ClassWORK, HomeWORK... The truth is that the entire education system has been designed as WORK! Students are taught to WORK hard for their exams. Education has somehow turned into legal child labour! And I observe students coming to my class with that very same attitude; they write down the concepts and solve the problems the same way a chaiwala makes tea. Students are relieved when a chapter is over, stressed when a new concept is being discussed and simply petrified to ask a doubt. I was distraught to see students tackling so much anxiety to open up and tell me, “I did not understand, could you repeat that.” Some students would rather cry and walk out of the class than simply raise their hands and ask me to repeat what I just said (true story). I feel that the way education is perceived is absolutely wrong!

The fault isn’t entirely with students either. There are teachers who do not welcome doubts and peers who would bully you for asking doubts. But more importantly, there is this sense that a lesson learnt is a work completed and doubts simply slow down the job (students and teachers often feel that way). And this has to change! Learning is not work, it is an opportunity, a privilege and a blessing... Learning is growth! Students must develop this attitude towards learning and use their classroom, and even the workspace as an opportunity to learn as much as they can, as deeply as they can and as clearly as they can. It doesn’t matter where you start from... it is the desire and the vigour to go forward that matters.

Very often, one of the biggest obstacles to developing this positive learning attitude is confidence. It is shocking that almost every student who calls to enquire about my class opens with the sentence, “Sir, I am a very average student, I don’t know if I will be able to manage it.” WHO IS THAT MONSTER WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU ARE AVERAGE!? YOU ARE NOT! You are BRILLIANT! You may not be able to solve equations as fast as somebody else, or memories definitions and essays like somebody else, but that’s not what learning is about, and that doesn’t make you average! YOU ARE AWESOME!

And sometimes these issues, coupled with other issues that we face in life result in difficulties. And because of the vast knowledge that our society has about mental health (Sarcasm Level – Over 9000), these difficulties are not corrected. Students do not deserve stress, but sadly it is thrust upon them. We glorify hard work so much, that it is no considered normal to work 7 days a week 12 hours a day. Students often as me, “Is that enough!?” Please understand that you brain, like any other part of the body needs care and rest. And if you intend to abuse your brain without mercy, it will shut down eventually. Have you ever had those days when you wake up and your mind absolutely refuses to touch the books? That’s your brain trying to tell you that Enough is Enough! Please respect it. When your brain cries for rest, please give it the rest it deserves. As you read this paragraph, if your thinking, “But my problem is that my brain is taking too much rest. I am not able to study”, that is because, as I said earlier, you think of learning as a job you are forced to do.

Also understand being a student is not your only identity. There are other facets in our life and we face difficulties in all of them. It could be a toxic boyfriend/girlfriend, financial difficulties, parental pressure or what not. I have 3 pieces of advice to give.

1.    1. If you have problems, no matter how small or how big, please share it with someone.

2.    2. If someone ever comes to you with their problems, please do not dismiss it as insignificant or irrelevant or attention seeking. The least you can do is to listen.

3.    3. If you feel you are not able to control the situation, please seek medical help.

A lot of people were shocked at my decision to switch career. “How are you going into a completely unrelated field?” is what a lot of people asked. It is not an unrelated field. As a matter of fact, there is no switch in career at all. Trekking transforms lives! Spending a week in the outdoors, cherishing the bounty of nature, soaking in the marvellous mountains, disconnected from the buzz of city life – it gives you perspective and clarity. Trekking teaches you about life, gives you the strength and courage to face challenges and overcome difficulties. As a Trek Leader, my job would be to facilitate that transformation. And as a teacher too, that is what I have strived to do. I wanted to make sure that after 2 weeks of SFM class, the student is able to face a new problem without fear. My students shouldn’t hesitate to speak up in a crowd or ask a question. My students should have a thirst for knowledge and zest for their career.

I was blessed with an amazing career! Every time I took a vacation, my heart was still in the classroom. That’s how much I loved this job. And now I am moving on to a career I love even more! As a closing note, this is what I wish for my students – I wish that all of you find a life and a career where you don’t have Monday blues, but rather have Sunday blues. I wish you land a career where you wake up in the morning filled with excitement for the work you are about to do. And I hope that you find meaning and purpose in the work you do. Until you find that, don’t settle, don’t compromise.

Love

 

Being God

This is a story that one of my friends shared in class when we were asked to speak on the most memorable moment of our life.

“As you all know, I am an atheist. I have denied the existence of God for as long as I can remember. But there was one moment that changed things. It was during college that our class went on a trek. I was a little hesitant to go because of an accident I had in my childhood and the fear of heights I have had since then. But perhaps the sense of wonder got the better of me and I went for it. And it was great! A fairly simple hike, until we reached a small stretch where we had to do a bit of Rock Climbing.

“Our Trek leader went ahead, showing us the proper footing to do the climb. I was quite athletic and followed him with relative ease... till the middle of the climb... at which point I made the tragic blunder of looking back. I was at the edge of a cliff, and one slippery foot would finish me off. I froze as the childhood phobia, my worst nightmare stared at me in the eye.

“My body couldn’t move. I was drenched in sweat, my hands started shivering and I started crying. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even move a finger, stuck in the middle of a steep climb, unable to go up or down, too far away for my friends below or my boss above to lend a helping hand. I was alone, I was desperate, I was helpless! In that moment of crisis there was only one thing I could do. I said, “God! Help me!”

“And then somehow my teammates figured something out and got me out of that situation. But that one moment, will stay with me forever!

“There is something that I learnt from that incident. It is this, that you need a LOT of courage to call yourself and atheist. You may contest in philosophical debates, engage in metaphysical conversations about the existence of some omnipresent superpower that rules the world, and even come out victorious in those exchanged. But when the chips are down, when you are all alone and there is nothing you can do, you instinctively turn to God. Ever since that happened, I call myself an agnostic. I don’t have to guts to say I’m an atheist.”

Now, I myself am yet to figure out my religious belief, and the spiritual journey I am going through has thus far not given me such clarity that I can share it with anyone, or even describe it one word. However, the story I just narrated is an important lesson and right now, I feel the urge to share some of my thoughts.

God may or may not exist. But prayer certainly exists! There are moments that push you to a corner where you are all alone, and there is nothing you can do about it. Any action taken by you will only make matters worse. There is absolute darkness, and the sheer hope for light is bleak. Moments, when you feel all is lost. And at that moment there is only thing that can be done. Pray, with every ounce of your mental strength, that some Superman will swoosh in and save the day. Pray, with such strength that the universe has no choice but the stand and take note, that some miracle will make all the darkness go away. Pray, with the promise that you will give everything you have and everything you can, for light in your eyes. That just this once, things get alright and you never want anything, ever again.

I don’t know if God exists. But right now I am in prayer. And I desperately wish that someone, either God, or someone God sent, or just anyone would just step in and solve this mess. And that prayer gave me a thought.

Maybe God exists. Maybe God doesn’t exist. But in such moments of crisis, you wish for someone to swoop in and pull you out of the cliff. And someone does save your life. That someone may not even know that you exist. Maybe he is God sent and he doesn’t know it. Or she just happened to be there and saved you out of the kindness of her heart. And sometimes... That someone is you!

Probably right now, someone is in prayer, and there is something you can do about it. Perhaps only you can do something about it. It could be a minute of your time, a soothing word or a text, maybe some cash that you could spare or an adventure that puts your life on the line. Maybe God has put you in charge of that situation, or maybe you just happened to be there. To hear a prayer and lend a hand... Or maybe, you are God.

God of Gods

“Finish him!” the lion roared, perched on a boulder at the edge of the scene. A mile away, rabbits scurried into their burrow, birds burst out of the trees and reptiles shuddered in fear, the kingdom knew that some poor animal’s fate was sealed, the perceptive ones deciphered that the victim was some giant beast. Probably a buffalo or maybe even an elephant...

The elephant never expects to be hunted, so when the lionesses manage to separate him from his herd, it isn’t just fear that hurts him. The giant refuses to believe that his majestic life will have to fall before a bunch of cats, but when the king roars and the pride pounces, his knees buckle and the end flashes before his eyes. The rest of the herd realises that nothing can be done. The children peek through their mother’s feet to have a last glimpse of their relative. The herd is helpless against the King of the Jungle.

Once the prey succumbs to its fate, the lionesses step back and the king prances towards his meal. He can smell the hyena crouched under the grass, he can see anger and resentment flaring in the eyes of his victim’s family... he could be more concerned about fleas pricking his mane. “This is the law of the Jungle. This is the way things are”, he thinks. The lion tears open the elephant’s belly. The pride feasts. Life’s good...

            “Got it!” Harish shouts as the bang deafens the grassland and the bullet blasts into the King’s mane. He falls instantly and the pride scramble in fear as a jeep looms into view. They have heard this sound before and instinctively knew that it to be the harbinger of death. The pride scatters and flees in fear, the cubs peek through their mother’s feet to have a last glimpse of the majestic patriarch who lay at his victim’s feet. The pride is helpless against the Gods of the Jungle.

            “The lions know what’s good for them huh...” Vinay coughs as he remarks about the rest of the pride that fled their dead king. They do. They know that the odd looking ape that approaches them has the power to destroy them and everything around them. Their food, their water, the grasslands, the trees, the forests, everything succumbs to its might. They decide how many animals live, where they live and how they live. The meaningless life of the animal kingdom is sometimes a plaything, sometimes a means of leisure, and sometimes a pathetic attempt to quench their greed.

            The hunters are a proud duo, they only want what they have earned. So they remove the lion away from the elephant and click pictures of just their kill, posing with feet on its head and gun in their arms, all the while making plans as to which photo would become their display picture and which ones just an Instagram story. The tour guide asks if they want the lion to be carried away, or maybe cut out the elephant’s trunk. “No we’re good”, Vinay replies, coughing all the while. They are pleased with the pictures and potential adulation it will bring them on social media. Life’s good...

            Back at the camp, Vinay Patel has wrapped himself with a shawl. Incessantly coughing while sipping his hot black coffee, he tells his partner, “I can’t wait to upload the pictures. But you sure there won’t be any issues?”

            Harish Nair just emerged from his room after a shower. Placing himself at the dining table he responds, “There are going to be some environment geeks who try to make some noise. Don’t worry! I will make sure the media doesn’t take it up.”

            “But...” unable to complete the sentence, Vinay starts to cough.

            “And there is not going to be any issue from the Botswana Government relax”, Harish reads his mind. “Our company has made an investment of fifty million dollars and will make another hundred more in the next couple of years. I asked the minister directly that I wanted to go on a hunt and he assured me there won’t be any issues. You just sit and relax. Did you take a tablet?” Vinay coughs and nods.

            “Our venture will provide jobs to hundreds of people in this country, they won’t complain if a few trees are cut or a couple of lions are dead in the process”, Harish grins. “Oye, is the wifi ready?” He shouts for the caretaker of their bamboo hut.

            “In a minute sir”, comes a distant response.

            “At least turn the TV on”, Vinay shouts back and badly regrets raising his voice.

            The caretaker, a member of the tribal community that lived in the surrounding forest, walks in to turn on the TV. He places the remote in front of their guests and walks out of the room.

            “They told me we would get some Indian channels also”, Harish scrolled for Malayalam channels but realises that would be too much to ask for in the forests of Botswana. He settles for an Indian English news channel, which Vinay also prefers. After a few minutes of beauty product advertisement the news was back on and Harish watched in horror.

            “Rains unleash havoc across Kerala! Idukki dam opened! All districts in Red Alert! North and mid Kerala severely hit!” Harish grabs his phone and tries to make a call but there is no network.

            “What happened?” Vinay, who now started shivering, asks innocently. He could sense the panic in his friend’s demeanour. “My house is in one of the low lying areas. God Damn it!” He curses and throws the phone. “Connect the God damn Wifi will you!”

            Soon they get connected to the wifi but the network is too slow to make a call. Harish scrolls through his WhatsApp messages. “Heavy rain... school cancelled... How’s your trip?” His wife had messaged him two days back. But nothing after that... He drops a message which is sent but not delivered.

            “Relax man... (coughs)... They will be alright”, Vinay tries to console.

            “The Dam has been opened. That’s not good. Water can get several stories high”, Harish starts to tremble. He quickly walks out of the room and has a word with the caretaker. Vinay starts to realise the gravity of the situation as he watches images of houses being washed away by the flood water. Relief efforts are progressing but the storm is hindering all rescue efforts.

            “All the airports in Kerala are shut down...” Harish’s face sinks into his hands. His children, ten and six years old, wanted to come with their father on this trip. The helpless father knows that the house will be washed away along with his family unless rescue efforts reach them on time. Even if they do, his parents’ health may not survive the relief camps, their health will deteriorate badly if they miss their medicines. “There is no power or cell-phone signal across the state for over 24 hours now.” Harish closes his eyes shut, terrified of the sights on the television. The people are helpless against the God of Gods.    

           

Love

CAB, 2019

The story begins on 26^th March, 1971 when West Pakistan began its military crackdown on East Pakistan’s struggle for independence. You know some of what happened next – India, under Indira Gandhi intervened to support the Bangladeshi cause, which sparked the India-Pakistan war of 1971, which India won in spectacular fashion. The Pakistani Army surrendered and Bangladesh became an independent country – a massive political victory for India, a greater personal victory for the Prime Minister.

But our story happens in the sidelines, away from the public eye which is always distracted by the limelight. West Pakistan’s military attack on erstwhile East Pakistan created panic, many were displaced from their homes. Refugees flowed into India and the eastern states of West Bengal and Assam had to accommodate them. At the time it was obviously unbecoming of the Government of India, the liberator of East Pakistan, to turn the helpless refugees away. We did accommodate them... at the time...

Refugees are always a tricky subject. When swathes of foreigners flood any neighbourhood, it creates certain concerns and apprehensions. For starters, where do they live, how long will they stay, who provides for them... and refugees obviously overstay their welcome, where else will they go? Can you trust these people, who speak a different language, eat different and even behave differently? Any instance of crime is readily blamed on the flux of these foreigners and if the neighbourhood is not doing too well for itself, they are an unwanted economic strain no taxpayer is willing to bear, not to mention an invasion of the local culture.

Towards the end of the decade Assam wanted these refugees out of the country. “Which refugees?” the Government responded. Ten years is quite a long time and by then, with people settling into their new homes and finding jobs to keep things moving, the differences between local and foreign had blurred out. This led to a series of protests and in 1985 the Government of India signed the Assam accord, promising that the illegal immigrants who had entered the country after 25^th March, 1971 would be identified and deported.

Enter NRC – National Register of Citizens, a document which attempts to identify the refugees... sorry, I mean illegal immigrants and deport them. Last year the Supreme Court gave our Government an ultimatum and this year finally the process was completed. Nearly 19 Lakh people were unable to prove that they had entered the country on or before 25^th March, 1971 and hence will not be treated as citizens. It is hard to imagine what these 19 Lakh will do now, how will they leave the place they thought was home for the past 48 years? That is a humanitarian question and begs much wider discussion. We will come back to that.

Ofcourse, how the NRC identified a person as citizen or not is an entirely different question. There were reports of a soldier who had served our country during the Kargil war being left out of the list. Further, how the destitute people of our own country will prove their citizenship is another question; in our country where even the Prime Minister struggled to show his degree certificate. These thoughts will deeply trouble any person who has been following the news. But over the last week, our Government has given the most perverted twist to the story by introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and getting it passed by both the houses of our Parliament.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (or CAB) provides that persons belonging to Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian or Zoroastrian community, non-Muslims basically, who entered India before 2014 from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh fearing religious persecution will be given citizenship in India.

Let me first pay respect to the apparent merit of this legislature. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are Muslim countries and are known to have persecuted the religious minorities in their respective countries, so our nation’s intention to welcome them seems... But let’s look at it a little deeper.

First of all, why have we opened our arms only to these religions and not all religions? There are certain sects among the Muslims, such as the Ahmediyas in Pakistan and Shias in Afghanistan who have faced religious persecution. Secondly, why are we sympathetic only to these three countries? What about the Rohingyan Muslims who were attacked by the majority Buddhists in Myanmar, or the Srilankan Tamils who faced the rife of civil war in their motherland for generations? And till now, I have only spoken about the refugee crisis in our neighbourhood. As a global power, that we claim to be, our country must not turn a blind eye to the civil war in Syria and the strife in Sudan either. Shouldn’t India, as a citizen of the world, take an active part in saving the innocent from genocide, wherever it happens, to whomsoever it happens?

And most importantly, why just religious persecution? What about the people who fled their country following a natural disaster. The Sunderban forests are frequented by floods and cyclones displacing the local community, Hindus and Muslims alike, in both sides of the Bengali border. What about the economically depressed who flee their country from an unbearable load of debt? India could take a leaf from UK in learning to accommodate such people. Oh wait, only the absconding billionaires are welcome?

All these questions only point towards the absurdity of this act. The larger issue of constitutionality and much larger issue of humanity need no discussion. The CAB is an irrational, inhuman, abhorrent piece of cattle faeces, an abundance of which right now threatens to strike at the founding principles of our country.

To understand the real implications of the CAB it must be read along with the NRC. We noted that 19 Lakh people were left out of the NRC. Now, the Government wishes to legitimise a section of those “illegal immigrants” through the CAB. Now, the non-Muslims can stay back as citizens of India, only the Muslims have to leave.

The CAB is a statement of intent. Our eastern borders are quite porous and anyone who is able to grease the RIGHT hands can find his way inside our country. Or inside any country! So what purpose does the CAB serve? A) It gets rid of the genuinely helpless and destitute while silently accommodating the corrupt and fraud. B) Read with the Home Minister’s statement that NRC will be implemented throughout the country, the intent is clear as day!

Now what happens to these “illegal immigrants” where will they go? Will Bangladesh accept them as their citizens? Does our nation have resources to deport so many people? No, they won’t be deported. They will continue to stay in our country, as citizens without citizenship. They will work at our construction sites and our fields, without Adhaar, without ration, without a BPL card, without voting rights, without education, healthcare or even a death certificate when the time comes. The vision of certain pre-independence ideologues is much closer to reality now.

India is hailed as the most tolerant country in history. We have given home to every person who has come in search for one. We are the only country in the world with a thriving Parsee community. We are the only country in world has not been hostile to the Jewish community. Budhism, Jainism and Sikhism were born out of the womb of our Motherland; Christianity and Islam have also found home here. Our country has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. It was this tolerant spirit that the makers of our constitution sought to protect in framing India. It is that spirit of tolerance and equality that, to this day, differentiates India and Pakistan. It wasn’t religion that split us, it was tolerance. While Pakistan is home for Muslims, India is home to everyone! Today, our soul is threatened by this Bill.

So what do we do about this? Today morning I tried to explain this subject to one of my students. After I spoke, he asked me in a raging voice, “So what do we do about this?” Well, that’s a good start. At least ask the question! So what do we do about this?

Love