Prophetic Politicians: An emerging need…!

Delivering the key note address to the participants at the 3^rd Chennai Mission Assembly of the Jesuit Madurai Province at Loyola College, Chennai, Fr. Ambrose Pinto SJ put forth a challenge for all of us, “Is it possible for us to move from charitable and developmental works to social movements, from clerical communities to prophetic one?” His radical reflections are very much applicable for the entire Church today, as we reflect over the role of Christians in the politics today. We need to be proud that for centuries together, we have been building very many institutions of great excellence but humbly should we accept that we have failed to build effective movements with a radical response to the current corrupt political system we are in. The Catholic institutions have produced very many great intellectual giants, who have brought name and fame to our country. At the same time, we need to humbly accept that we have failed to produce ‘enough’ men and women, who could fight against the shameful system we are in. I have oftentimes wondered whether there is a flaw in our approach. We the Catholics have been instrumental in empowering the people through many meaningful missionary activities. Our nation owes a lot to the foreign missionaries who selflessly struggled in the service of the poor and oppressed of our land. The past prophetic deeds of the missionaries do inspire all the people of this nation even today after these many years, and it is because of their prophetic vision with a people- centered approach. But things have changed drastically. We, the Catholics who are to take that prophetic vision of our forefathers forward, have failed in doing so. Very recently, I asked a friend of mine, “What do you think about the role of the Church in the Indian politics today?” My friend sarcastically replied, “When the members of the Church are much concerned about their power politics within the Church, how will they concentrate on the Indian politics?” His words at once made me fuel with anger and sternly asked him not to utter such statements. But, as he left, his words continued to trouble me within. I couldn’t really stomach what he said. Yet deep within me, there was a constant fight going on to prove my friend right and prove me wrong. His words made me look at the sheer reality as it is. From his words, I discovered a disturbing fact. Yes, we Christians need to get rid of our power politics and get involved in playing a pivotal role in the Indian politics. For, I strongly believe that there is an emerging need for prophetic politicians. The power mongering politicians are playing a dirty political game using the people of this nation for their whims and fancies. At this crucial juncture, the teachings of Christ can play a remarkable role in combating this corrupt system and envisaging an effective political system that has the common man at its center. AAP, which was started as a social movement, has made everyone turn their heads making a huge change in the political arena within a very short span of time. We all might have come across various issues related to the AAP. Yet, taking its epoch-making political entry and anti-corruption approach into account we need to realize deep within that we have a lot more to learn from them as we dream of playing an effective role in the Indian politics. Keeping in mind the emerging need for making the Church of God alive and active according to the signs of our times, we need to accept that there is a greater challenge for us to offer to this nation in the field of politics. The need of our nation today is not powerful politicians but prophetic politicians, who could radically respond to the corrupt condition of our nation. So far, the politicians have been very much bothered about their political power. In our political system today, what matters is not PEOPLE but POWER. Forgetting that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, our political leaders have been over the centuries concentrating on their vested interests and thus turning their deaf ears to the cries of those in agonies.  To put an end to this evil practice of power- politics, the Christian values of love, peace and justice can contribute to a great extend in building up a political system that respects people instead of power; service instead of political success; and people’s interests instead of their vested interests. A prophetic politician, in my opinion, is a person who gets into politics in order to clean the corrupt system more courageously not through mere words but through his/ her prophetic deeds and renew the system with a radical approach of fulfilling the purpose of politics- to be and for the citizens of the nation, which has been long forgotten by the present politicians of our nation. Looking at the present political system of our country, everyone would agree with me in stating that we are fed up with family and party politics. And what we need now is to get rid of the present system and get more involved in a new system that paves way for a new approach keeping the people at its center. This can be more effectively made a reality only by prophetic politicians. And so the prime responsibility for the Christians today in the Indian politics is to bring forth many prophetic politicians, who could clean this corrupt system with the radical approach of our Lord Christ himself. The words of Fr. Ambrose Pinto SJ should stir our souls to reflect creatively and respond radically. Enough of maintaining huge buildings in the name of institutions, enough of making money in the name of mission, enough of involving in dirty power politics in the name of caste, and above all enough of remaining silent spectators of this corrupt political system. The present situation beckons us to be prophetic in our approach. Are we as Christians ready to get out of our huge institutions in order to build peoples movements which could eventually become prophetic political movements? Or at least can we conscientize the members in our institutions to be wary of the corrupt system and build an effective system that promotes prophetic politicians? As the general election is fast approaching, we Christians can do a lot to bring a change in our system. A drop in the ocean can make a huge difference. So be it with our prophetic deeds!                                                                      ***********************************

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Education: A Plight for the poor & A Delight for the rich…!

For the past few years, many surprising and saddening stories I do hear. Some are of delight and the rest are of plight. Yes, I hear the delightful stories of the rich and the plight-filled stories of the poor and all with regard to the admission of students in schools and colleges. Everywhere, the dawn of new academic year is a delight for some and a plight for many. It is a delight for those who have their pockets full, even if the marks are low. It is a plight for those who don’t have the money power to place their children in a school, where their children dream to study. This year too as usual, I heard, God alone knows the truth, many incidents where in money played a major role to get admissions. There seem to have been a few cases, wherein admissions, denied earlier, were given at a later stage due to the influence of money. And I felt ashamed to hear such immorality happening in many institutions, much more in religious institutions, wherein morality has to be taught and I wondered how these institutions could make men and women, who would shape the future of this glorious nation of ours. India has been glorious in many ways and as a citizen of this nation I do feel proud of Mother India for her rich legacy in all walks of life. Even in the educational field, our nation has been a pioneer in providing quality education to students from many countries. None in the history of the world, would ever forget the glorious reign of Nalanda University in the field of education. Started in the 5^th century AD, Nalanda University has served as one of the most famous institutes of learning at the international arena. As a young man of this nation, my heart overwhelms with joy, to know the great service Nalanda University has rendered to the nation and to the world at large. What a great pride it is for us Indians to know that the University attracted scholars and students from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Turkey, Greece and Persia! It was truly an institution that had one singular motif in mind. That is nothing but education. Education in its true sense of elevating the minds and hearts to a greater level of learning, research and reflection. Comparing the ancient educational system of our Mother land with the present system, I see a long list of differences. The present education in our country is a delight for the rich and a plight for the poor. The rich people have access to education, while the poor find it hard to get themselves placed in some of our educational institutions. With the advent of many private schools, in many parts of the country, education has become more a business than service. Gone are those wonderful days, where education was considered to be a tool for service. Today, the educational system itself is at flaw. The school or college fee for the students in many of our private institutions really shock us and shatter the dreams of the poor students. The syllabus taught in our schools are more of mark oriented than life oriented. Almost all the educational institutions look for getting ranks in district, state and national level but seldom do they pay heed to educate those innocent lots who don’t have access to education. Even after the Right to Education Act (RTE) coming into force on 1 April, 2010, many of our nation’s poor find it hard to educate their children due to the ever increasing fee structure of our schools, and colleges. The plight of the innocent children in many parts of the nation begging and laboring for their food is a live example of the evil impacts created by the present system.

For many of our educational institutions, money has become a main motif. And so money making is at work in place of serving the poor and needy. It is very difficult to locate a school that educates a less knowledgeable person and makes him/ her more knowledgeable. It is pathetic also to note the evil of selling the degrees for money. In our nation, it does happen in many places wherein persons are given degrees without attending any classes, provided they provide them with some money. Corruption is very much prevalent not only in government offices and in big companies, but rather it is very much at work in our educational institutions. More troubled I am to see such situations in some of the renowned religious institutions of our nation. At this crucial condition, where money plays a major role, whether we like it or not, morality has to take a back seat. And in such a condition, education for the poor remains a plight while for the rich it becomes a delight. On 5^th June, addressing a function on the 150^th birth anniversary of Acharya Satis Chandra Mukherjee organized by the National Council of Education, Bengal, our Honorable President Shri Pranab Mukherjee expressed disappointment over the fact “that not a single modern Indian educational institution is amongst the top 200 educational institutes in the world, whereas from 3^rd century BC to 12th century AD, for a period of 1500 years, India was the leader in higher education in the world.” The President has also underlined the fact that it is not impossible to return to the days of our past glory. The dream of the President should be the dream of every Indian more importantly every educational institution of our nation to “return to the days of our past glory.” Enough of enjoying the rich heritage of the past, and taking shelter in the past glory. We need to do concrete actions that bring glory for the present which will shape the future. That can become a reality only when education becomes a delight for all the citizens of our nation. Keeping aside the evil intentions of making money out of education, all should strive hard to take education as a tool for serving the suffering humanity and bringing glory to our nation.

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Is Humanity Dead…?

Every day as I flip through the pages of various news papers, I am shattered seeing the raw reality that is haunting us more and more now than yester-years. The more human beings become educated; less humane they become. Yes, it is very obvious that most of the continuous crimes occurring in our nation today are precisely because of those educated in power. 

Various crimes done to the innocent masses more particularly to the women and children all over the nation have been constantly disturbing me and made me question, “Is Humanity Dead..?” Many young citizens of this nation who are fed up with the present political scenario would undoubtedly raise the same question, “Is Humanity Dead..?” Committing various crimes against the innocent ones yet not feeling guilty for their grievous mistakes have become a common phenomenon in this democratic nation. The recent comments of a prominent political person, who openly said that he had done the right thing to stop riots, made me question, how come those many innocent citizens lost their lives in the riots if he had done the right thing? Is the mass killing a right thing according to him? When the whole nation is aware of what happened in 2002, there is ONE who doesn’t feel guilty for what happened and it is an open proclamation in the media. 

Sadly though we the citizens of this democratic nation support such a political figure and dare not question the evil doings of those in power. More sad I am to know that there are political moves to bring him to the top of the political ladder. Knowing well that humanity is brutalized in front of our eyes, we become just eye witnesses and never do we take an effort to fight against such inhuman deeds. Even if some attempt to fight for justice, they are cruelly dealt with by those who have money and muscle power. With all these disturbing thoughts floating in my mind, I was journeying in a bus with the same question, “Is Humanity dead..? Why do human beings forget to realize the importance of being humane towards the other?” The conversations that took place in the crowded bus in TN made me realize the fact that the humanity is DEAD among those educated in Power and certainly NOT among those ordinary citizens of this nation. 

It was a beautiful evening. In that old government bus, there were young men and women busy texting messages in their mobiles, some middle aged men and women were busy protecting their things but there were also some elderly women who were feeling for another woman who had lost her thirty thousand rupees in the crowded bus stand at Tanjure. Soon many others started expressing their feelings for the one who lost her money. They were ordinary women who had no formal education and they don’t know to speak in fluent tongues. Yet I could see humanity very much active and alive among them. They were there feeling for one whom they don’t even know or haven’t even seen. Yet they were united as human beings. The sympathy of the elderly women made me re-think my previous opinion on the death of humanity. I came to the realization that humanity is not dead but rather very much active among the ordinary citizens of this nation living in the real Bharath that is still dark and dirty and not among those living in posh bungalows and in shining houses. Those in power will never have an iota of feeling towards the suffering people but might express in affluent words that they feel for the suffering ones. They cannot feel for the innocent ones mainly because they don’t realize the worth of being humane. Yes, for those filthy and fickle- minded politicians, who play dirty politics in our nation today, human beings are just vote banks and once the election is over they forget those who elevated them in their political ladder. 

The power hungry politicians concentrate more on their political prosperity and certainly not on the prosperity of the nation and her people. They forget to do the right thing at the right time and when all is done and gone they claim that they did the right thing. The politicians need to learn more from the ordinary citizens, who feel for one another irrespective of their caste, colour, creed and culture. 

Undoubtedly, those who falsely proclaim “India Is Shining” need to look at the raw reality in the real Bharath- the rural villages of India and learn from those ordinary and uneducated ones the lessons for life- to be more humane and keep humanity more alive and active. Can our ‘so-called’ political heroes come down to the real Bharath and see the reality? If that happens so, our politicians will be more conscious of what they think, speak and do instead of speaking anything in the air. When they realize the worth of humanity, they would become aware of their grievous mistakes and feel guilty for what they committed. And never will they falsely utter that they did the right thing, when the whole nation knows what went wrong!

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Hand On Sand…!

“Koodangulam” a coastal village in the state of Tamil Nadu has become more popular in the recent years than before. It is mainly because of the many agitations of good hearted people, who expressed their environmental solidarity for protecting the future of that environmentally endangered zone. My recent visit to the spot and to a few other coastal villages in the same coastal belt of Tamil Nadu revealed yet another ecological danger happening there. The people of Koothankuli and a few other coastal villages nearby were with so much of fear for their lives. There were some bomb blasts and threats from different groups urging the innocent people to nod their heads in favor of the evil occurring. While some people were ready to get the bucks and turn their back, there were a few brave hearts who were determined not to let that evil happen. While I was in that area with a friend of mine, I could eye-witness the thick tension in the air among the people because of this endangering evil happening at their land. I was told by my friend that they had been forced to sell their fertile lands long back in order to satisfy an individual’s thirst for wealth out of the rich natural resources of their land. Imagine, one person exploiting everyone to get his riches go high while the real owners of the lands depend on the crumbs from his pocket. What a misery it is even in this 21^st century! As my friend took me around the sea shore of his place, I could see huge heaps and heaps of sea sand and many sand mining quarries, which really made me feel miserably sad. Since then many questions have been echoing in my mind, “Why has the government failed to stop this environmental degradation for these many years? How cruel can people be in endangering an eco- system in order to increase their wealth forgetting the future of the planet? What can simple villagers do to stop this when there is a political ‘hand on sand’? As I was pondering over all these, my friend whispered in my ears, “Nothing…Nothing can be done…The owner of these mines has a strong political power and he decides the politics of this place. He has been doing this for years and has almost bought the lands of all the villagers giving them huge amount of money.” After hearing all these from the son of that soil, I could feel the deep love that he has for the land but he could do little to stop this evil from happening. Deeply disturbed with the sad reality there, my eyes were opened to see the similar evil happening in front of my eyes every day which I had not paid heed earlier. Yes, when I approached my place near Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, I sensed the similar smell of the sand, but with a slight difference. There the sand mining happens at the sea but here it is in the rivers. There are hundreds and hundreds of Lorries in the sand quarries of Kollidam River, quarrying the sand leaving the land in an endangered condition. Seeing the lorries queuing up in the quarries, not only me but many innocent villagers are very much shattered and soul- shaken but none of us is able to put an end to all these because of the political hand on sand. Undoubtedly sand mining causes many ecological evils and it directly affects the wild life of the particular locality. Too much of sand mining is the cause for the erosion of the river bank and it largely damages the bio- diversity. In India, illegal sand mining has been an open secret which was left unnoticed by the governments. But, in the recent months specially after the suspension of a civil servant named Durga Shakthi Nagpal, sand mining has come under the scanner. Of course this strong woman took efforts to clamp down the practice of sand mining for which she had to face the consequences. In many parts of the nation, though there are laws in books to regulate the sand mining, there is a lot of illegal sand mining happening more prevalently. It is mainly because of the political hand on sand. Since they could have the political support in their favor, most of the miners prefer this business as a more suitable one for them. As Mr. Debi Goenka, one of India’s well known environmentalists states boldly, in many states of our nation, sand mining has become a “quick buck-making industry with very little investment. All you need is a truck, laborers, a driver, and a place to go and mine.” Mr. Goenka further adds “a portion of the profits keeps the police happy.” Without doubt, the portion of the profit is precisely the cause for the political hand on sand as well. Environmentalists and human rights activists have repeatedly warned against the illegal sand mining and its evil consequences on the livelihood of the local communities and the eco- system at large. On the bank of river Kollidam, sand mining is posing a big threat to the environment and at present it has become a nuisance for the people of the locality. Every day as I travel on the main road that connects Thanjavur and Ariyalur, I could see the frustration on the faces of the local commuters due to the traffic havoc that the sand-laden Lorries from the sand quarries create. Even during the day time, especially at the peak hours, there is a long queue of sand- laden lorries on the narrow main road creating traffic jam, polluting the fresh air of the place and spoiling the fertile lands for their vested interest. The lorries in the long queue make the public transport, school and college buses wait in queues and make their journey miserable. There have been many accidents and many parts of the area have become accidental prone zone due to the sand- laden trucks.  In spite of all these everyday practical problems, the affected people of the locality remain silent. For they know for sure about the political hand on sand! How can the ordinary people of the locality fight against these everyday agonies that are perpetrated with the support of those in power?. On 17 May, 2012 the CM of TN said, “Illegal mining of sand and smuggling it to neighbouring States has largely been brought under control.” The CM further added, “Over the last one year 4,173 cases of illegal sand mining have been filed, 5,033 persons arrested, 5,501 vehicles seized, a dozen persons taken into preventive custody and Rs 14 crore collected as penalty.” In the recent months, the state government of TN has also ordered investigations on illegal sand mining and announced stringent actions against the same. On 29 Ocotber, 2013 “Chief Minister Jayalalithaa asserted in the Assembly that she was determined to ensure that there was neither any illegal exploitation of precious natural resources nor over-exploitation of such minerals beyond the permitted norms of the government.” It is truly soul soothing to hear such words from the Chief Minister of the state. But there is a deep sorrow within, “What has the government been doing for these many years to curb this illegal mining?. What is the use of ensuring all these now while so much has been looted?” Obviously, it is the primary duty of the government to protect the natural resources of our land from a few individuals, who are ever- ready to loot our precious resources in order to make money. Any government for that matter could protect the environment only when there is no political hand on sand. As long as there is political hand on sand, we cannot protect our land. Only when stringent actions are taken against illegal mining, keeping aside political likes or dislikes, we could actualize our dream of protecting the environment for future.

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Be stirred Indians…!

“Half of Indians have no toilet.” These words of Amartya Sen, Nobel prize-winning academician and a remarkable economist of our time have made every Indian see the pathetic plight of our so called great Indian economy. Dr. Sen in his recent book, “An Uncertain Glory” co- authored by his long-time colleague Jean Drèze has once again given a devastating critique of India’s economic boom. Almost all Indians probably know the existing phenomenon of poverty in our so called fastest growing economy. Yet none had the courage to boldly and bluntly address it. It was a moment of happiness as well as shame for me as I read the words of Dr. Sen. Happy I was because this great economist had dared to bring out a shocking reality while many of our leaders today refuse to hide the real Bharath under the banner of “Shining India.” Extremely embarrassed I was to realize the pathetic plight of many of my fellow citizens suffering in this land of riches without having access even to an iota of resources from this land. Our citizens are living their lives in extreme poverty without any basic facilities and that has stirred Dr. Sen to question, “Where more than 600 million Indians go to defecate?” Looking at the raw reality in a more realistic approach, Dr. Sen’s words reveal the shameful situation of this glorious nation. "Half of all Indians have no toilet. In Delhi when you build a new condominium there are lots of planning requirements but none relating to the servants having toilets. It's a combination of class, caste and gender discrimination. It's absolutely shocking. Poor people have to use their ingenuity and for women that can mean only being able to relieve themselves after dark with all the safety issues that entails." Being a citizen of this nation and having grown up in a rural background I have eye-witnessed this sad reality. Huge amount of money is spent in the name of development but seldom do we find a true development that serves the poor and the marginalized sections of our nation. As Dr. Sen has rightly pointed out, the suffering lots have no access to toilets and they have to hide somewhere if they need to relieve themselves. Umpteen times I have felt pity for those women, in my own village, who would wait till dusk to relieve themselves. Dr. Sen has rightly hit the nail on the head. Yes, it is the existing reality even in this twenty first century. Somehow or other we those who are educated and have somehow got access to toilets and many facilities at the cost of those 600 million forget to feel for those 600 million men and women in misery. It has taken these many years to bring this existing evil to limelight and I doubt how many years would it take to eradicate this evil and set it right. The defective development of this nation has harmed the poor and the marginalized lots to a great extent. As Dr. Sen points out, “Fifty per cent of children are stunted, the vast majority due to undernourishment. Fifty per cent of women have anaemia for the same reason. In one survey, there was no evidence of any teaching activity in 50% of schools in seven big northern states, which explains terrible academic underachievement.” Looking at the present reality, it is very clear that the governments over the years have failed to ensure an economy that would benefit all its citizens. What is the use of a few flourishing at the cost of millions suffering in misery? Can this shameful situation continue to exist? Certainly no! Enough of misery for millions of our innocent lots! The nation today needs a change and that should emerge not from those few who are enjoying all kinds of facilities at the cost of the people but rather it should emerge from every citizen who wants to see this nation a happy, prosperous and peaceful one for all to live in. Our political leaders who are to help the people live in happiness, peace and prosperity have failed to realize their duties as the leaders of this great nation. They have given more importance to their own economic prosperity than that of the nation. It is precisely because of their vested interest and preplanned dirty party and family politics that they have betrayed the nation and its citizens to the extreme of everyday shame. There is a desire in every human to lead a dignified life at least with the minimum facilities possible. Let the nation not forget that those 600 million are also humans and they should enjoy at least the basic facilities. Even if they don’t enjoy a great share in the economic growth of the nation, let them have a place at least to relieve themselves! We can no longer believe that the political leaders would make that happen. If we really want a change, not those in power but those who feel that the powerful should be overthrown must be stirred to make this nation a suitable place for all its citizens to live in. In the words of Dr. Sen, "Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue." Be stirred citizens! Enough of remaining silent even after seeing the shocking reality! When 600 million innocent ones don’t have the basic facility of having a toilet, how can we ever be proud of an economic boom and remain in disguise?

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