Indian civilization is a melting pot of various communities, and tribals in India have a distinctive and admirable place due of their distinctive way of life.

 

Tribal Communities of India: Lives, Practices, and Culture

One aspect of Indian society that shines out is its diversity. After all, India is well-known for its rich social and cultural heritage. But did you know that tribals comprise about 8.6% of the country's population? Tribal communities are passionate guardians of their unique identities and traditions. What distinguishes them is the simplicity with which they have constructed their way of life and sustained it through the ages.

Source: https://mahasoe.com/2020/09/27/tribal-people-india/

Well over 500 tribal tribes inhabit the Indian subcontinent, each with its specific culture, customs, food, rituals, languages, beliefs, and spectacular way of life. Most tribal communities have a traditional lifestyle inextricably linked to forest environments. This is why they are also known as Adivasis, or forest dwellers; nonetheless, times have changed, and many people have embraced new ways of living and technology.

Tribes In Central India

Bhil Tribe
As tribal communities are distributed over the Indian continent, certain tribes stand out for their glorious history and captivating customs. The Bhils, who live in many Indian states, are one such group.

      
Bhils, who get their name from the word "Billu," which means "bow," are warriors mentioned in history books. These fearsome archers rose to prominence in conflicts against the Mughals and the Maratha kingdom. They also like dancing and music, have progressively adopted a contemporary lifestyle, and become farmers. It is essential to address women in the Bhil tribe while discussing the community. These women are well-known for their unusual fashion sense, mainly their accessories. Bhil ladies wear heavy silver and brass jewellery, beaded rosaries, silver coins, and earrings.

Gond Tribe
Another group found chiefly in Central India is the Gond tribe. The tribals mostly speak "Gondi," an unwritten language related to the Dravidian family. Gonds are well-known for producing tobacco and making alcohol from the "Mahua" tree. Madai, a major Gond festival observed from December to March, draws visitors from far-off places. The marriage ceremony is an intriguing aspect of the Gond tribes. According to their norms, the bride's family leads a procession to marry the groom, known as the "Patthoni" rite, which is followed by festivities.

Munda Tribe
One of the oldest tribes in the Indian subcontinent is the "Munda" tribe. Though the Munda tribe is primarily located in Jharkhand, they may also be found in Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, and neighbouring Bangladesh. The Munda tribe is remembered in history books for their staunch opposition to British colonial rule from 1857 to 1928. Birsa Munda was a revolutionary who is adored throughout the country, and his efforts are lauded in annals of history. The Munda tribe's primary language is "Killi," and they are mostly woodcutters or farmers.

Tribes In North-East India

Bodo Tribe
From Central India, as we move towards North-East India, we witness that almost all North-Eastern states are home to diverse tribal groups. One prominent among them is the Bodo tribe of Assam. The Bodo tribals have a prosperous cultural heritage in literature, attire, music, and dance. In addition, the Bodo tribes are a peaceful group noted for handicrafts such as bamboo baskets, musical instruments, fishing gear, and other items.

Source: https://www.holidaytravel.co/pkg-dtl-hornbill-festival-of-nagaland-tour-package

Angami Tribe
Moving on, we come upon the majestic Angami tribe of Nagaland. The Hornbill festival, which attracts national and international visitors, is one of the significant Angami tribal festivals. The Angami tribesmen are well-known craftsmen who carve out amazing woodcraft in high demand throughout the country.

Tribes In South-India

Toda Tribe
Going south, the Toda tribe is the most ancient of the indigenous tribes. The tribe is noted for its garment and clothing embroidery skill in the Nilgiris. Some believe they are the descendants of Alexander the Great's Macedonian army remnants. Yet, the tribesmen claim themselves to be Pandava remnants. Polyandry was common in the tribe, where one woman marries all of the male members of a family. This peculiar tribe has its own language and follows several secretive practices.

Source: https://www.swantour.com/blogs/tribals-of-andaman-islands/great-andamanese/

Andamanese Tribe
The story would be incomplete without mentioning the Great Andamanese Tribe, who are members of the Negrito tribe family. The tribesmen are distinguished by their physical size and culture. The tribals dress in unusual clothing made of leaf branches and adorning human bones around their neck and forehead. They also apply clay on their faces and trim their brows. The tribe, however, is on the verge of extinction, and efforts are being made to sustain its declining population.

As we can see, India is lucky to have been nested with several tribes dispersed over the length and breadth of the country. As a result, tribals have smoothly absorbed contemporary life methods alongside their traditional traditions over time. The government has also made deliberate measures to bring our tribal brothers and sisters into the mainstream. For example, we just saw the appointment of Smt Droupadi Murmu as India's 15th President. She is from a tribal group and embodies contemporary India's transforming face.

Source: Wikipedia

Farmers began protesting across the country after the regulations became law, with farmers in Punjab and Haryana in the forefront of the unrest. Protesters questioned Prime Minister Modi's plans to reform agriculture through repealing laws.

Lets Decipher Farm Protests (Part -2) 

In my earlier post, I have informed you, how the glut production of a few agricultural commodities with limited consumption in India and no exports are becoming a huge economic disaster. MSP is a political milch cow for every politician worth his salt, but, who pays the bill? We the common citizens of India. Well, for the sake of rural economy, we may support it, but does it really help the farmers?

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A diverse and large country like ours, pushing the can down the road isn’t going to pay in long term. Let us now try to understand a bit deeper.

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Why only farmers in Punjab and a section in Haryana are up in arms?

To understand why only a section of farmers is at the forefront of the protest, try to follow the money trail. Below graphic sheds light on the amount of wheat procured by state agencies in different states of India.

The graph clearly indicates 70% - 80% of procurement in Punjab-Haryana is on MSP, benefiting the farmers in these states and not of any consequence to other states. Clearly, other farmers are dismayed by the protests and are absent. Moreover, the continuation of MSP and APMC is identical to the Licence Raj regime of the 70’s where rich farmers garner the maximum profits while poor are left in the lurch.

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Now, let’s try to understand the dynamics of APMC, I am sure the term has reverberated numerous times before us in the last few days of ‘farm agitation’. First intriguing question is why APMC are so important? Why Punjab CM is fueling the fire along with his cohorts? You will get the answers in tax money trail. 

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If you look at the Economic Survey report on FCI (2014), you will decipher the true intentions of Punjab politicians. 

The report clearly indicates the juggling of numbers by Punjab and Haryana, to increase their coffers at the expense of ‘farmers’. Punjab levies maximum taxes on farm produce, due to arbitrary nature of taxes on APMCs the state benefits. On the other hand, there is not much difference between the annual income of farmers among different states. This is because lower taxes are levied by other state govt on APMCs. I believe the mischief in numbers is now clear for everyone to understand. MSP is not helping the farmers, it is the state Punjab that is making money out of MSP.

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Punjab by imposing 15% taxes on MSP given by the central government is filling its coffers, while the condition of farmers is almost the same whether he is from Punjab or Bihar. The Rs.64,000 crore net worth of wheat fetches Rs.9600 cr. In taxes to the state. This is what drives the Punjab political support to the so-called agitation. 

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Here, the state government and its ‘arhtiyas’ keep getting rich with the continuation of MSP and by imposing taxes, while farmers and FCI are at the receiving end. We the common man, pay our taxes to keep the state that acts as a middle man happy. It is now easy to understand that the farmer’s agitation serves two purposes of ‘Opposition politicians’, One bleeds Modi of political capital earned through hard-work while using farmers as fodder, keep them subdued to the old system. 

Photo and charts/graphs courtesy - Google images

The 2020-2021 farmers' protest over the Indian government's introduction of three laws that relaxed restrictions on agricultural produce sale, price, and storage.

Lets Decipher Farm Protests (Part-1)

To understand what has gone wrong with our agriculture sector, the actual production, glut in the market and more, let us dig into details. I have used FY2015 data, and the crop is wheat.

The wheat production in 2015 was 94-million tons (MNT), in 2020, its whooping 105 MNT. No matter what pessimists project, the actual agricultural production is commendably high.

Now, as it is visible the wheat production is going great guns, what’s about the consumption status? Now let's have a look at the consumption chart. It is amply clear that wheat consumption in our country is almost stagnant. So, who needs this extra 10MNT wheat? One thing is obvious- We don’t.

So, if we have extra produce we can export it, right? Unfortunately NO. This is because there is already glut in the International market with India, EU, and China collectively produce 762 MNT, a little over 50% world production(2018-2019).

Now the problem starts building up, India doesn’t export wheat. Only marginal exports take place. The most developed world is in surplus while the wheat consumption is on the decline worldwide.

Most of the wheat imports take place in the African continent, and with surplus production, the prices are depressed making it economically unsound to export. The charts show the prices are stagnant for a while around $200/ton.

Devil in details

The $200/ton price of wheat(in international markets) roughly translates to Rs.1400/quintal. This implies the MSP offered by GOI is good 37% higher than the prevailing prices. The resulting outcome is NO EXPORTS of a commodity that is lying unused in India. However, a farmer expects GOI to commit itself with MSP, thus enabling him to get the regular income through his produce.

The Facts:

We have seen that the farmers:

 Have benefited from steps initiated by successive governments resulting in surplus wheat production(hardly consumed within country and can’t be exported).

 Bumper harvest due to high-quality seeds compounding the problem of plenty.

 The produce can’t be exported and the tax-payers money is wasted to buy grains.

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The problem

The increasing farm income is good news for farmers, however, it is coming from taxpayers pockets with no incentive. When GOI procures excessive grains (FCI), this is what happens:

The above stock represents 3yrs of production. The stocks with FCI are excessively high, now add to it the populist measures taken by the GOI in the last 5 years of increased MSP. And you are starring at 2.5 lakh crore of the deficit with FCI. 

The most troublesome part is the speed of increased FCI deficit in the period. The resultant borrowings by FCI from National Small Savings is ₹191,000 core in FY20 in addition to food subsidy bill of ₹184,000 crores. If you look at the earlier financial reports, in FY17, the borrowings were at ₹70,000 crores.

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Now you can understand the problems we as Indians are staring at, on one hand, farmers are unsatisfied and are ‘protesting’ the entry of private players in the agriculture sector, the other problem is the ballooning of country’s deficit. 

Protests against President Bashar Assad's administration in 2011 swiftly developed into a full-fledged conflict. On the one side, the Assad regime was backed by Russia and Iran, while anti-government forces were funded by the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others in the area.

The Syrian Curse 

Russian Intervention 

Since the beginning of its intervention in Syria in September 2015, Russia has sought to keep its most faithful Arab partner, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a position of power notwithstanding the domestic and international pressure. 

With its hegemonic demeanour, Russia has also tried to regain the regional and global influence it lost since the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia has sensed an opportunity to recalibrate the Arabian political landscape wildly when the European Union is behaving like a headless chicken, and the US is in a state of confusion under the leadership of a narcissistic leader who is without vision and understanding. 

Vladimir Putin has sought to use the turmoil in the Middle East to re-establish its authority in the strife-torn area where it once enjoyed considerable influence.

Incidentally, Syria was the last citadel of the Russian armed forces(Navy) before the start of the conflict and underlined the Russian urgency to safeguard the outpost. 

Russia has also tested the vulnerabilities of democratic societies, lacking the appetite to stand for justice and valuing monetary gains rather than humanitarian values despite high-decibel rhetoric. 

Within Syria

On the other hand, Mr Assad is a ruthless dictator with no respect for international laws or human life. He built a military strategy designed to inflict the most significant possible damage on his political enemies, including his people who rose against him during the famous Arab Spring that uprooted a few dynasties in the Middle East.

The President didn't blink in using poison gas and chemical attacks (alleged) on unarmed civilians, even targeting clinics, colleges, and kindergartens. In his efforts to quell the revolt and crush the interference of (Saudi, Turkish, etc.) backed militias, over half a million people have died. 

Meanwhile, Russia has provided him with the airpower without which Mr Assad would not have been able to carry out his plan and recapture the lost territory. 

Foreign Players

There were multiple players in Syria, to begin with, and some of them have been wiped out(Sunni militias like ISIS). 

Others are cheated and have lost relevance, like the Kurds who fought for independent Kurdistan. They were backstabbed due to incoherent US policies(not surprising). However, Iranians benefit from President Assad's continuation in office while Israelis haven't lost. 

Imploding Humanitarian Crisis 

Syrian civil society and international human rights groups have repeatedly detected the systematic targeting of civilians and basic civilian infrastructure. But to no avail.

As Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, it has regularly used its veto—14 times since the outbreak of the Syrian war. It is alleged that Russia used Veto power to block transparency measures and thus shield the regime from accountability.

With half a million Syrians dead and over 6 million turned into refugees, the world's collective consciousness has not yet jolted to come out of its slumber and take a decisive stand against the tyranny. 

Image Courtesy - Google Images 

Challenges Ahead

Pluralism and tolerance are the foundations of every society that takes pride in being democratic. Since time immemorial, Indian culture, composed of 80% Hindus, has been diverse and tolerant towards different religions and perspectives. 

However, the Indic society as a whole is experiencing challenges that are peculiar in modern times. 

The detrimental influence of Abrahamic faiths on Indian civilization became apparent once the Abrahamic religions mushroomed from the medieval century onwards, making it patriarchal and fiercely hierarchical. 

The Historical Background

Even if we leave out the medieval background of Islamic attacks on indigenous religions and people, the Indian subcontinent has a blood-soaked history of deceit and division. 

The post-Independence religious division of India and the consequences endured by religious minorities in their respective countries of choice are stark reminders of how different ideologies treated their respective populations. 

On the strength of the majority of Hindus who were secular and tolerant of others, India became pluralistic, secular, and inclusive of its minorities.

Pakistan (and Bangladesh) adopted religious theocracy as the Muslim majority abhor other faiths, actively pursuing the path to proselytization to convert or kill others. 

The Current Scenario

For long, the hallowed path to secularism appealed to the majority population. As a result, the social fabric remained largely intact. However, the rising radicalism and ghetto mentality among a segment of the Muslim population is a new danger to Indian culture. 

For a long time, politicians' appeasement politics instilled in Muslim populations an attitude of entitlement. As a result, sporadic violence against other religions (Hindus) in society was rejected or disregarded, resulting in the emboldening of fanatical Islamic groups.

Gradually, such fundamental organizations became politically active, their intolerance grew tremendously, and they began to attack even coreligionists who did not follow their diktats. 

 Rise in Islamic Fanatical Attacks

The vicious attacks and fatwas issued against Padma Shri awardee Kazi Masum Akhtar of Bengal serve as a chilling warning. The fact that his tormentors are still free to roam and that his life is at risk reflects well on the cooperation of a few politicians and the appeasement tactics of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress administration, which may be counterproductive in the long run. 

Similarly, trolling of three Muslim girls for dancing in Malappuram, Kerala, or fatwas declared against teenager Nahid Afrin from Assam by Islamic bigots rightfully points fingers towards increasing Islamic fundamentalism and demonstrates the growing radicalization and intolerance among Indian Muslims. 

Condition of Minorities in Pakistan 

Let's look around the state of Pakistan and check the social fabric. We find growing Islamic radicalization, increased cases of violence, and forced abduction of young girls from minority communities has become a regular feature.

The condition of the most vulnerable religious minorities in Islamic societies is highly disheartening and deplorable, not to mention the state of the LGBT community, which is viewed with disgust in Pakistan.

The forceful abduction, killings, and rapes of minority community girls coinciding with their dwindling population reflect medieval-oriented societies' lack of empathy and tolerance towards human values. Ironically, this ethnic cleansing of persecuted minorities is in its last phase, as the minority population has already reduced to 1%.  

The headache is such sectarian societies refuse to transform and embrace the transition in human civilization and instead take pride in their oblivion. The plight of 14-year-old Mehak Kumari testifies to the sorry state of affairs in neighbouring Pakistan and challenges Indian secular society to tread the future path with caution. 

Image Courtesy - Google 

Understanding The Scenario

                The world is changing and is changing pretty quickly much to the discomfort and surprise to the leftists. The ideal world of the privileged, spun around the demented notion of hating India and Indian culture, which is devoid of ugly "Bigoted' Hindus is in the self-destruction mode. And as the hallowed communist world is crumbling, the changed scenario is exposing the ugly self-obsessed, thoroughly corrupt leftist ideology. Leftist ideology engulfed the popular psyche in the aftermath of independence and continued its grip over intellectual fraternity until the mid-'90s, eventually lost its relevance in the modern era.

              With declining fortunes, the Left mutated, from the crushed working classes or the economic bondage of the industrial revolution to issues such as racial equality, gender equality, gay rights, minority rights. The mutation helped the leftist's ideology to survive the world over on college campuses. These issues were supported by the majority of the population, however, in its zeal to emerge as a leader, the leftists wrongly misread such victories(on social issues) as their own and not of the society which has evolved or transformed lately. 

                   Leftists in India have been conducting a kind of cultural war against Hindus since independence. With academics and cinema which was the popular mode of entertainment (easily manipulated) under their influence, they were successful in setting the narrative. As one needs an enemy to malign and project oneself superior and claim holy, the leftists went on rampage thus prooving the infamous quote true, ''I’m Left and You’re wrong, however, in case of India its variant was - I’m Left and You’re Communal". In its wisdom to smudge and scorn at Hindus and their culture, they were endlessly looking for small minority blocs to patronize, the first one to depend upon were Muslims, minuscule Christian population, etc. In their endeavor to garner support, they didn't shy away from screaming for the human rights of the criminal elements than with their victims. Democracy has been mischievously used as a weapon to destroy the very society that takes pride in democratic and pluralistic values. The leftists projected Hindu Nationalists as the oppressors, and their victims are righteous in uniting in the revolution against the Hindus. 

                 School and college books were fudged with historical blunders while leftist historians like Irfan Habib, Romila Thapar (fake Aryan invasion) had a free run. They twisted Indian history, making barbarians heroic while demonizing native rulers. Every possible treachery or mischief can be cited in the books, that had a profound influence on impressionable minds, making the young generation oblivious to the glorious Indian history and culture. The second method employed to smudging Hindus and influencing young minds is the visual media namely cinema. 

                  The secular cinema has been Hindu bashing for decades.  Every society has some flaws rooted in history which an enlightened society strives to overcome with time. The flaws and comic narration of  Hindu culture and Sanatan Dharma in the guise of exposing social evils is however rampant in Bollywood. The young generation that barely crosschecks the facts takes the movies as gospel truth, benefiting the pseudo-narrative. Thus, mocking of culture and tarnishing the warriors who fought for the civilization and the Dharma is conveniently peddled in the name of freedom of expression. The research carried out by Dheeraj Sharma (Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad) is an eye-opener and can be assessed at - https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/stereotypicality-in-indian-cinema-is-not-a-healthy-trend/story-y6SG1xuOvBb0cZfWJpUg0H.html 

                As Russian scientist and Nobel laureate Ivan Pavlov proved in 1900's that the brain can be programmed to like or vehemently dislike someone or something without any reason, films and other media instruments, fudged history books are and has been frequently and for long used to create a negative perception of Hindus, Indian cultural values or organizations and such an impression once created is ever-lasting and no amount of facts, reasoning or proof can alter it. From Pavlov's theory to cognitive learning theory, there are a host of scientific facts to prove that people are and can be mentally n emotionally manipulated to desist from certain ways of life or programmed to dislike things, without there knowledge. Such is the influence on young minds that they abhor the very people who stand for inherent shared values while colluding with arsonists and communal thugs. 

 Image courtesy - Google images 

Understanding The Matrix

                    There’s something special and energetic in ‘freedom’ or maybe the ‘idea of freedom’ or the feeling itself is reminiscent of liberation, happiness and thus excites us. It rushes our minds with ideas that may be reverberating in our minds for reasons unspecified. Restraining such ideas is a recipe for outrage which is manifested through aggression or non-violence depending on the social and ideological background of individuals. Today, it's not uncommon to come across the urban-elite gentry on television, who are complaining of feeling suffocated, restrained because of imaginary restrictions imposed by the incumbent government to thwart their attempts of expressing free will. However, if we observe closely the problem is acute only among a minuscule section of the population who have been allegedly gagged by the government in their opinion. The only twist is, such an outlandish scenario is usually put-forth by such victims among the general population through different mediums of communication which looks odd as well as mischievous. 

                   One major drawback of human psychology is whenever he/she gets something or anything in abundance they misuse it or worse waste it. ‘Freedom of speech’, a fundamental right ensured by the Constitution is one such right. While on one hand, the scores of Congress bailed-out leaders complained of such lack of freedom in front of cameras and through different other social mediums, on the other hand, their colleagues stretch the same freedom to openly smudge the country and an elected PM in an enemy country which has open hostilities with us. The second group that is baffled by the lack of freedom today are our left-liberals comprising of few media journalists, academicians and their follower students (useful idiots) in selected colleges. Their intellectuals(Arundhati Roy, Teesta Setalvad, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, etc.) openly support secessionist activities on SM, while foot-soldiers visit campuses to overtly challenge the writ of the constitution. All is done blatantly in the name of FOE which according to these traitors is actually missing. 

                  Truth is these lumpen elements of society who were free-riders have never been questioned for their nefarious anti-India and more specifically anti-Hindu activities for the last 70 years. Today their grudge with the government is, they seem to have been at the receiving end both academically, intellectually, politically as well on the streets where communist-Muslim mobs are no longer in a position to unleash violence and halt the administration as it once was. These Congress-Leftist entities and individuals care two hoots about India. Their only grouse is the declining hold on society and the lack of privileges they are accustomed to. The blabbering of Mr. Aiyar in Pakistan against India where he put the onus of securing secular certificate on Indian government by ensuring a good relationship with Pakistan is the lunacy of gigantic proportion or Shashi Tharoor who applauded the resolutions in the US Congress against India are branches of the same tree. The communal outburst of Aishe Ghosh on Jamia campus clearly outlines the agenda of the syndicate which is to see India struggling, confined to flames of secessionist activities and not a united strong country. 

                       The protests and dharnas aren’t new to democracy but are an inherent part of vivacious, lively and brisking consciousness of society. The citizenry has the fundamental right to protest against government policies but in the same manner, it also underlines the view that the government is open to facing dissent provided the dissent shouldn’t turn violent. Thus the question of lack of freedom or gagging problems that led to chest-beating goes out of the window and can be viewed in the context of last-ditch attempts by few to remain relevant in the present political scene of the country. Thus, it is not difficult to envisage the people behind the sinister attempts to foment trouble in the country who wanted to keep the pot boiling till the government commits a mistake on whom they can capitalize politically. 

Image Courtesy - Google 

स्वार्थ

                 मटेरिअलिस्म के दुष्प्रभाव आज सोसाइटी के लिए सबसे बड़ा खतरा बन के उभरे हैं| कंसुमेरिस्म की अंधी दौड़ जहाँ इंसान के ऊपर दबाव बनती है वहीं यह परिवार मे फ्रिक्शन का कारण भी बन चुके हैं| जरूरतों और ख्वाइशों की अंतहीन खाई को पार करते इंसान न सिर्फ मतलबी बन गया है बल्कि क्रूरता की हर सीमा को बेझिझक तर्क-कुतर्कों के सहारे पार कर रहा है | संसाधनों को एकत्र करने की होड़ मे इंसान ने नैतिक मूल्यों  से समझौता करलिया है| आज इंसान हर चीज़ को हड़पने को हमेशा ततपर है | जंगलों की अंधादुंध कटाई हो या समुद्री जीवों का लुप्त होना मनुष्य के लालच का उद्धरण हैं | परिवारों के बीच बढ़ता संघर्ष भी इसी मानसिक दिवालियापन का सबूत है| बचपन से हमें तेरा-मेरा और एक दूसरे मे फर्क करना सिखाया जाता है, जो नीव डालती है स्वार्थी अथवा आत्म केन्द्रित होने की | अचेतन मन में जो धारणाये हैं उनके द्वारा हम आस पास के वातावरण को भी प्रभावित करते हैं।

                   खुद को श्रेष्ट व अन्य को कमतर आंकना इसी संकीर्ण र्सोच का लक्षण है| बड़े पैमाने पर देखें तो विभिन धर्मो का अथवा देशो के बीच का संघर्ष खुद को श्रेष्ट अथवा स्वयं के लिए अत्यधिक सुखसुविधायं एकत्र करने की स्पर्धा ही तो है | दक्षिण चीन समुद्र का बढ़ता संघर्ष हो, या अरेबियन पेनिनसुला की मारकाट यह भूमि, खनिजों या फिर वर्चस्व की लड़ाई ही है | दोनों विश्व युद्ध, गल्फ वॉर अथवा अनगिनत युद्धों का मूल कारन यही अतृप्य भूख थी जिसका परिणाम दर्दनाक व भयावा था और सम्पूर्ण मानव जाती ने इसका मूल चुकाया | इतिहास साक्षी है कीअत्यधिक मेहत्याकांशा न सिर्फ लोभी बना देती है अपितू इर्षा या दूसरों से घृण्डा भी सिखाती है | दक्षिण चीन सागर  में होने वाली लड़ाई चीन द्वारा वियतनाम और फिलीपींस जैसे छोटे देशों को दबाने के लिए है और खनिजों पर आधिपत्य  स्थापित करने की लड़ाई है चाहे इसके लिए युद्ध हो तो इससे चीन को गुरेज़ नहीं | 

                 अंतरिक्ष की खोज भी इंसान का अंतहीन लालच एवं खुद को श्रेष्ठ साबित करने की स्पर्धा दर्शाता है |  विभिन्न देशों के अंतरिक्ष कार्यक्रमों में एक दूसरे से होड़ का सिर्फ इतना ही अर्थ है कि यदि वहां से खनिज मिलते हैं तो उन्हें हासिल करना। ये खनिज उनके होंगे जो पहले पहुँचेगा। महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है की ताकतवर व प्रभावशाली देशों द्वारा गरीब देशों को नैतिकता का पाठ सिखाना जबकि खुद उन्ही मूल्यों की अवहेलना करना भी इसी श्रृंखला का हिस्सा है | हाल ही में अफ्रीकी देशों द्वारा जंगली जानवरों के संरक्षण हेतु सभी अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संधियों को ख़ारिज करने की चेतावनी इसी शोषण की तरफ दर्शाता है | गरीब देश नैतिकता का बोझ अपने कंधों पर कब तक ढोये और क्यों ढोये ? जबकि अमीर देशों को कोई फर्क नही पड़ता। क्या हमारे विकसित देशों की कोई जिमेदारी नही बनती ? ये देश पर्यावरण की रक्षा के लिए आगे क्यों नहीं आते? क्या पर्यावरण की रक्षा सिर्फ गरीब राष्ट्रों का कर्तव्य है?

                    बाल्यावस्था से मस्तिष्क मे डालीं गयी बातें न सिर्फ हमे प्रभावित करती हैं बल्कि हमारा आचरण भी तय करती हैं | यही संकीर्ण सोच अचेतन मन के द्वारा हम अपने आस पास के वातावरण में फैलाते है। वो बढ़ते बढ़ते हमारे जीवन की मूलभूत आवश्यकताओं को बर्बाद कर देती है औऱ हम अंधी दौड़ में शामिल हो जाते हैं । 

Kashmir - Emerging Scenario

                 Article 370 revocation in Kashmir was expected to ruffle feathers of well-greased and comfortably entrenched groups within India besides Sheikh Chilli Pakistan. One significant benefit from this exercise was the unmasking of China that was till now playing its treacherous activities behind the curtains. The world's strongest and ruthless autocracy has now openly and brazenly demonstrated its fangs to India with the sole intent to meddle in internal affairs by lending its support on Kashmir to its mercenary Pakistan. The duplicity of China wasn't concealed from the Indian think tank who's well versed with its objective to create obstacles in India's growth story by tying it down within South Asia, thus the indispensability of Pakistan for China. 

              With a trade war looming between China and US, continuous peaceful protest from the burgeoning crowd of youngsters in Hongkong fighting for upholding democracy, international condemnation for detaining more than one million Uighurs for their religious beliefs, faltering economy, Tibetan protests and skirmishes with neighboring countries in South Chinese Sea are some of the other issues confronting China and will only push it towards more desperation and open diplomatic face-off with India. That Chinese officials are using social media like twitter and facebook to smudge India which are otherwise banned in China show duplicity. The Chinese contempt for international laws was visible in its refusal to accept International Arbitration in the South China Sea with regards to Philippine. Threatening sovereignty of Taiwan besides quelling the protest of the Uighur population are some other issues underlining the scanty respect China has for Human rights and international laws.

               Chinese accused India of unilaterally altering the boundary which it professed is unbinding and unacceptable thus providing overt support to its mischievous war-monger foot soldier Pakistan. That Kashmir was even discussed(behind closed doors) at the UN (first time since 1965 at Chinese behest) in itself is disturbing for India and showcases the influence China yields in today's world. The sermons from the Chinese establishment to respect international laws is not only hypocritical but hilarious and is rightfully denounced by India. India shouldn't lower its guard on the diplomatic front as the Chinese aren't going to let go of the pounding and humiliation it received at the UN and are known for perseverance and patience and with newfound wealth its the bigger nuisance for India.

                 Pakistan on its part is creating the hysteria as expected, with mounting public pressure on the Pakistan government to provide food and other basic amenities, Article 370 revocation in Kashmir has come as a boon for Pakistan Army and its selected PM to blunt criticism. With no money to purchase food and medicines for the public, the rhetoric on the Kashmir will only get vicious and shrill to help vent out pressure and survive for as long as possible. International snubbing isn't new for Pakistan and is a habitual liar but with acknowledgment from Imran Khan of its territory becoming hub of terror and state patronage to terrorist organizations by Pakistan army, one would expect ceding of terror export policy by Pakistan in lieu of international monetary relief that Pakistan lounges for but now it looks unlikely. 

                                               Pakistan Science &Technology Minister 

                  China - Pakistan syndicate has inherent contradictions but the overlapping factor for both rogue nations is their animosity towards India that binds them. Pakistan with a collapsed economy and internal disturbance can't match India's prowess compelling China to openly challenge India. The tussle has just started and India should prepare itself to listen to sermons on secularism and tolerance from Pakistan (which has systematically cleansed itself of religious minorities) and democracy, civil liberties from China(with none for its citizens). 

Image Courtesy - Google 

Dancing Muhammad's And Bano's Of China

               Dancing is forbidden in Islam and so is eating during the holy month of Ramzan(Ramadan), but in China, the individual choice to profess religion is increasingly being trampled by the authoritative regime. The Chinese authorities tirade against religious minorities isn't new, in the 1950s, the Tibetan annexation and subsequent execution of unarmed Buddhist civilians by PLA in the name of unification of Tibet with China have laid the foundation for future transgress on minority rights which only increased with time. The silence of the world community towards the unleashing of violence by the Chinese government further emboldened China. The world became a mute spectator of Chinese excesses towards its civilians is it 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre where more than 10000 pro-democracy students were butchered by PLA or recent crackdown on civilian protest in Hongkong. The world leaders who shamelessly supported and bargained with China for economical benefits is equally accountable for the crimes committed by the Chinese government.

                   The current obsession of the Chinese regime to target the majority Uighur population in Xinjiang province which is largely Muslim (Turkic Uyghurs) and the methods employed to 'civilize' or 're-educate' only finds parallel with 'Gulags' or 'concentration camps' established by Soviets or Nazis. The 90% Han Chinese ethnic majority distrust the ethnic and religious minorities and the one-party rule ensures the ethnic cleansing or subjugation through violent means. China suspicious of the ethnic Muslim community has suppressed the language and faith of its Muslim citizens. These minorities were purged of their mother tongues, forced to eat pork and renounce outward displays of Islam. To make matters worse, unprecedented measures are taken by authorities to re-educate or civilize Muslims by establishing detention camps. 

                    These camps were only recently acknowledged by Chinese which was earlier denied. It is difficult to put a number of people detained in these camps established in Xinjiang, but the State Department estimates it could be between 800,000 and 2 million Muslims that are detained since 2017. After initially denying the existence of the re-education camps, Beijing is now defending them as necessary to combat Islamist extremism and terrorism and termed them as re-education camps to civilize Muslims. Increasing assertive Han nationalism, 2009 riots in Xinjiang between Han ethnic majority and Uighur minorities and subsequent terrorist attacks by Uighurs on Chinese majority and importance of Xinjiang’s western location for launching President Xi Jinping's ambitious trillion-dollar Belt and Road global infrastructure project prompted the Chinese government to crack down on Muslim minority that inhabits the region. 

                   China's aggressive territorial claims and disputes with all its neighboring countries, refusal to accept the judgment of an international tribunal in The Hague (favoring the Philippines) and continuous South Chinese Sea island grab and militarization gives testimony to its scant respect for rule of law. The Chinese insatiable hunger for land and resources is astonishingly condemnable. The world leaders on their part, till now were inclined to appease China for multiple reasons while American addiction to rile Russian attempts to establish its cold war era prestige gives opportunity and space to China to throttle voices at home or abroad without any criticism. 

                                             Mosques locked out by Chinese authorities 

                  The massive human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government against minorities finally received worldwide attention when the United Nations said it had credible evidence that over one million ethnic Uighur and other Muslims in China were being held against their will, and without trial in camps. What is strange and horribly upsetting is even when 22 European countries signed a letter recently to the United Nations Human Rights Council criticizing Chinese policies, there were 37 states, including Pakistan and other Muslim countries who came to the rescue of China and jointly signed a letter to the president of the Council praising China’s “contribution to the international human rights cause.” As long as the world doesn't unite and see beyond their selfish interests and raise their voice condemning the mistreatment of ethnic and religious minorities by China, and in this case, Uyghur Muslims, the Muhammad's and Bano's till then with have to continue to dance to Chinese tunes.

Image Courtesy - Google 

Video - Youtube