Why do Indians lack original thinkers ?

Recently (April - July , 2012) I visited Germany and other European countries and then USA (June - Oct , 2013 ). I utilised this opportunity to try to find out the answer to the question as to why India does not have scientists, inventors, discoverers, excellent scholars or original thinkers in any field when compared to European or West countries and as to why the Renaissance and again the Industrial Revolution took place in Europe, though they had a very new civilisation in comparison to ours. I tried to observe closely their way of life, family and social fabrics and behaviour - parental and social control over a child , education system , the way they dress, etc. Apart from various other factors, I noticed two basic differences which make the people of West taller than those of India or for that matter , Asia so far as fostering of questioning mind is concerned. Indian children are bound by misconceived concept of obedience and the so-called family tradition. Their thinking patterns; the whole way of life - how to sit, how to stand, how to walk are set by guardians. Questioning the wisdom of parents, elders and teachers is a taboo for them, it is not only disliked but also discouraged and frowned. There are instances where children are even beaten for arguing with parents when they face uncomfortable questions from children and are unable to give a proper answer. They try to silence children not by reason but by brute force. The children suffer from over-active control of either father or mother or grandparents or some other immediate family member. We are not tired of giving example of Lord Ram " who set the highest ideal of an obedient son by meekly obeying the wish of an old father to placate the whims of a young step-mother".Thus they become very meek, submissive and followers of beaten-path. They lose enthusiasm for initiative, courage for doing something new, something adventurous or something different. Elders are angry if a child delays or does not do something exactly the way he was told to do. The elders want to influence the whole thinking pattern of their children, and thus deprive them of all inquisitiveness, habit of inquiry and reasoning, initiative, innovation and courage from their personality.In sharp contrast, these things are unthinkable or at least rare in Western society. Corporal punishment is banned. Their family and social life is such that their children have greater freedom for innovation, questioning, doing new things and doing things of their choice. After class-XII, they are free to choose the way of life they want. The Western education system fosters and encourages self development of a child according to his or her interest, aptitude and ability. Teachers minutely observe the activities of a child in different fields and give elaborate and honest comments periodically - weekly, monthly, 6- monthly and annually - on each important aspect. His future academic career is charted out by parents or the government accordingly. A school student is encouraged to ask any question freely and frankly from his teacher without being branded undisciplined or argumentative. At university level,students are encouraged and given all opportunities and facilities for fostering research works, inventions and discoveries. A student can question even a world renowned scientist. That is not considered discourteous.Creativity is encouraged rather than copying ideas. In India, the academic field to be pursued by a child is decided by his parents without scantiest regard for his aptitude and ability. Everyone is forced to become an engineer or a doctor or an IAS/IPS officer. Teachers themselves have inadequate knowledge and so they do not encourage or even like questions which they cannot answer. The Indian children observe total servility towards teachers in the name of "guru - shishya parampara" For Indian students, to call their professors by their name is considered to be discourteous and is totally unacceptable. They start their question with "sir", punctuate with "sir" and end with "sir". "Sir" does not mean challenging the established norms - it means accepting them in deference to the traditional hierarchies of age, relation, class, gender and ethnicity. Such servility increases as they migrate from university to jobs. Hence if we want scientists like Bose, Bhabha and Raman; scholars like Amartya Sen, Ramanuj and scores of others enriching the labs of Western countries; and litterateurs like Ravindranath Tagore, we, as elders, should change our mindset and should not demand servile obedience from our children. Instead we should encourage questions challenging our established or basic things even if they are traditionally held in high esteem. All philosophies and sciences owe their birth to the tradition of questioning established facts.

Keep your senses receptive

We live in a wonderful world - a divine world full of bliss and godliness. But we are so busy in our mundane life and take everything for granted as they are gifted so abundantly by the Nature that our senses have become numb and we fail to derive the blissful and sublime pleasure gifted by the Nature. You pass through a rose garden, but you turn a blind eye to the beautiful flowers because you do not spare time 'to stay and stare', thinking that you have seen thousands of flowers like them before.Give a thought and you will appreciate that every flower is unique; it has never blossomed before, nor will it ever blossom again. Every petal has its own unique existence,texture, size and shape,colour and fragrance, and reflects golden morning sun rays differently through morning dew dangling on it.It is impossible to find another flower like this again anywhere on this earth. Agreed, you have seen thousands of flowers like this before, but what those thousands of flowers have got to do with this unique one? The fact that you have seen thousands of such flowers before has made you blind to the uniqueness of the flowers presently before you and you miss the joys of blissful and pristine beauty just before you.On many of the occasions, similar is the case when you hear some beautiful music or smell some fragrance or touch something smooth and silky or taste something indescribable. Thus we miss a lot - the whole world! After all, what is this world? It is what we perceive through our senses.Thus the world is dead if we fail to perceive it fully with our senses. So the need is to spare some time 'to stay and stare' and develop our senses to remain alert and receptive to be stirred up by the joyful divine things all around us. There is also a need to teach and train our children to perceive minutely and appreciate the things of the Nature. The life and the world in which we live will become so beautiful for us and our children.

Jan Lokpal Bill

Jan Lokpal Bill : The most sparkling thing about the whole Anna Hazare agitation for JLB is the spontaneous and massive support of the people turning the stir into a people's movement.It is an outburst of people's anger and anguish which are simmering since long as they face the monster of corruption everywhere in all spheres of life.Nothing moves without corruption.It has become all pervading.

It is also satisfying that the wide spread movement covering the whole length and breadth of the country has remained totally peaceful, spontaneous and Gandhian in its modus operandi, hopefully it will remain so.The enormous patience and wisdom of the peace loving Indian people deserve salute. The day the movement becomes violent, it would fizzled out as the puplic support to it would dry up immediately.

There is no doubt about the good intention of Team Anna.But so far as the merits of the JLB is concerned, there are some serious reservations which need to be kept in mind:

How is the Team Anna which includes some legal luminaries insisting that the Govt. (and now the Parliament) should give a written assurance/resolution to the effect that the JLB would be passed as it is in the present session of the parliament itself ? How can the Govt give assurance on behalf of the parliament? How can the parliament give such assurance without a discussion on the bill? Will it not be a mockery of the parliament? How can the constitutional authority of the parliament be undermined ? The conduct of MPs inside the parliament has been deliberately kept out of the judicial purview to ensure the independence of the parliament.It cannot and should not be compromised.

How can the judiciary be brought under the purview of Lokpal? What would be the independence of judiciary which is the corner stone of our constitution and democracy? Such bill even if passed will be declared null and void by the supreme court.

The JLB proposes to make a super power department with powers of investigation, prosecution and judgement over all the executive,parliament and judiciary which is not against the constitution but also the basic principle of justice which does not allow the powers of investigation, prosecution and judgement all vested in one body. If powers of CBI on corruption are also vested in Lokpal, who will watchdog the Lokpal?

The Team Anna appears to be over-enthusiastic, ambitious and arrogant too due to the overwhelming support of the people, and tends to project itself as the sole voice of the people.Such attitude if honoured is fraught with dangerous implications and serious consequences. Any pressure group which is able to garner the support of about one lakh people , can claim that it represents the whole people of the country, and a certain law must be made according to its whims and fancy bypassing all the constitutional procedures. In that case the country would be thrown to winds, and the unity and integrity of the nation would be imminently threatened . Team Anna must be reasonable and should not try to undermine the constitution, the parliment and democratic process, though one can understand the reason behind such attitude of the Team- it has lost all faith in Govt and does not want to lose the momentum of its movement.

On the other hand, Govt and the politicians at large should now read the writings on the wall- the people's patience is losing, they have lost all faith in Govt and the politicians, they are pushed to the wall and their anger is bursting out as corruption has crossed all the limits making the life of all sections of people, from BPL people to corporate houses, from panchayat offices to THE PMO AND THE SUPREME COURT.If the politicians do not want repetition of Egypt, Tunisia,Syria and Libya,they should be serious about their business, they should act swiftly and bring a strong and effective Lokpal Bill to curb corruption in public life.

there is also a need to ensure the all- powerful Lokpal be accountable and it may also not become corrupt. When the Govt, the parliament, the judiciary and media become corrupt, why cannot be the Lokpal?

Individual Liberty vis- a- vis Social Obligation

Individual Liberty vis-a-vis Social Obligation: Accepted, there is no absolute truth in this world, and even opinions differ about the Absolute Self. Truth is dependent on time, space, condition of society and the situation prevailing.Truth changes or at least it has different connotations in different frames of time, space, social condition and other factors. However, different societies of the human race expounded various truths and codes of conduct, and set ideals for the well being of their individual members, families, nations and societies at large in all the four categories of Purusharth - Dharma, Arth,Kaam and Moksh, that is, for making the  life meaningful, successful and happy in this world and the world after.Such ideals of a society are found in its history, religious scriptures, mythological stories,etc, and the society feels proud of them.Scriptures of other religions are also  replete with such truths and codes of conduct.Such ideals enshrine social obligations for an individual to follow them. 

But the increasing emphasis on the concept of personal liberty and individual space in the present time are challenging the need of following these ideals and many people ridicule them. The personal liberty has become so over-riding that the younger generation  haughtily questions the deeds and sayings of great leaders like Maryada Purushottam Ram and his wife Sita. They consider supreme sacrifice of illustrious mythological figures like Sibi, Dalip and Dadhichi as foolish acts.Agreed, there may be debates and expostulations over the necessity and wisdom of their sacrifices, but one should not pass one's judgement over their acts considered in isolation; one should see into the import of these stories aimed at establishing high ideals for the society.One should not brush aside these high ideals as irrelevant, unwise or impractical, and hence not required to be followed.The refrain that why only he/she should follow these ideals is nothing but escapist, and not acceptable.Every person should take initiative at his own and need not wait for others to follow them before he/she takes steps in this direction.

Every religious scripture commands its followers to give highest regards to their ancesters and elders.It is also said in Smritis that one Guru is equal to 10 Lecturers, one father to 100 Gurus and one mother to 1000 fathers.The arithmatic is not important; important is the value attached to these elders in Hindu society. There may be exceptions.Parashuram killed his mother at the instance of his father and Arjun killed his guru Dronacharya in the war of the Mahabharat. But these exceptions are to meet extra-ordinary situations and in normal time they cannot be quoted as a rule.

But again the over-emphasised concept of personal liberty and individual space have diminished the value of these ideals. Besides other reasons, this is also responsible for reducing a joint family to a nucleus family, and a clash of interests and ego between wife and husband, and parents and children, each seeking, if not fighting for, his/her own individul space. The serious cosequences are amply perceptible everywhere these days.

I do not wish to undermine the personal liberty and space of an individual, nor do I wish to join either of the two schools of thought advocating the supremacy of  Society or Individual, but want to simply  request the younger generation to ponder over the contradictory demands of personal liberty/ space and how to strike a golden balance between them. After all, what is the purpose of education? Education aims at making a person a good individual, a good citizen and a good social being.It gives strength and wisdom to successfully face the challenges of life.It teaches how to make one's life beautiful, graceful and successful.The mute question is now as to which way one will achieve these objectives.

Innocent straightforwardness of a child

There are some incidents which keep coming to you again and again.One such incident, small but significant and having much impact on my mind, occured last year in my life.When I sit alone and peep into my memory lane, it reflects in my mind.

Last year I was at my son's residence in Bangalore. One day when I was in a hospital recuperating after my angioplasty operation, my son along with his mother went to residence after spending a hectic day at the hospital. My daughter-in-law back at residence had to manage two kids - her son [3 years 9 months] and daughter [1 year]- single handedly and was a bit vexed. So when her husband reached, she gave her daughter to him to manage as she was crying.Out of affection for her son, my wife took the baby in her arm so that her son could take some rest.This hurt my daughter-in-law as she perhaps thought that my wife was worried only about her son's comforts and not hers.This led to some discussion and my daughter-in-law fell down unconscious as she often did when she was in a stong emotional turmoil.My grandson silently sat down beside his mother with tears welling up in his eyes.He kept sitting there in a deep melancholy - a perfect example of how things could be said without uttering a word which oceans of words could not say.

Next day , when my grandson talked to me over cellphone, his first question was 'why did you not go back to Varanasi ? ' When I explained that I had undergone a heart operation and I was bed-ridden , he said softly that I should go back immediately.

I pondered over as to why a child of just 3 years and 9 months reacted the way he reacted. I was sad to think that his soft mind must have suffered enormously.There was also a lesson for the adults that nothing should be said or done before a child which could hurt his feeling. His sixth sense helped him identify the root cause of the incident.It underlined the child's innocence of thinking and how free and frank he could be in expressing his feeling so honestly. Really, only a child can have a godlike innocence and honesty!

10 Commandments for aged people

For aged people like those who are retired from active service there are some tips which may be followed by them as 10 commandments to lead their life gracefullyCultivate some form of regular exercise -It keeps you healthy and refreshed.

• Never remain idle,make use of your time -A community always needs your wisdom, experience and capabilities.you can even start teaching children about geography, history,tradition,culture and civilisation,developing scientific temperament,and telling them stories from classics,epics,mythology and legends.The enjoyment is on both sides.
• Do something you enjoy doing for the sake of doing - You did not had time during your working years but now you can do things like writing, painting, gardening, music etc.
• Don't be a back seat driver of your children -Instead of constant interference and advice, give them freedom to use their discretion and choice.Remember your advice is valued and accepted only when it is needed and asked for.If you are very concerned about protecting them, act like the invisible safety net.The trapeze artistes of a circus do death-defying acrobatics,but remain oblivious to the net that is stretched tautly much below their line of vision to save them in case of any misjudgment.The net is totally self-effacing, and can hardly be called a participant, but it is very crucial for the entire act to unfold safely and smoothly.The net provides, almost unseen, a kind of security which initiates and propels them towards their achievements.Very often, involvement with or concern for a dear one prompts interference or meddlesome behaviour which at times becomes counterproductive as it can stifle and even extinguish the spirit of exuberance.
• Be generous in your behaviour, actions and thoughts - Younger generation see a wise and benign figure in you. Also remember that when you forgive someone, you do yourself a service.
• Avoid negative thinking - Many physical problems start in the mind. when we hold a grudge, it makes us sick, and harms us more than them.
• Don't be a grumbler - Look at what is good in a situation, instead of what is wrong. Some of us are eternal sad sacks, looking gloomy and spreading gloom.
• Be mitbhashi - Talk a little less than necessary.Don't keep harping on the past.
•  Present a pleasing personality - Smile a little more.It adds beauty to your face.
• Keep your turn out graceful - Look good and feel good; every age has its beauty and charm.There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of a well turned out grandmother or a grandfather'

Osama bin Laden killed

The killing of ObL,perhaps the most hated person of the world after Hitler, is being celebrated all over the world as a truimph of peace-loving people over terrorists.It is indeed a great achievement for USA,especially for its intelligence and Navy.But the victory is only symbolic; not total.Terrorism is a mindset. ObL is not the name of an individual; he symbolised all those people who want to impose their thought over others by brute  force.His death is , no doubt, a setback to his group, but not a defeat. The conflict between good and evil has always been there since time immemorial personified in Ravan, Kansh, Hitler,...But its avatar as Islamic terrorism is very dangerous because it has doned a garb of religion working as a black hole for a large number of misguided Muslims. The real truimph lies in the change of the mindset and end of the causes for growth of such mindset-whether it is terrorism preached and practised by an individual or a group or a state or a system sucking the blood of billions of weak and poor people.It is also an eternal truth that the coflict between good and evil will continue till the human race strives for a better civilised life.