The Thakur’s Well Still Brimming with Casteism

Caste Discrimination in India  

The Indian, acclaimed writer Munshi Premchand’s story, ‘Thakur’s Well’, read by all of us during our middle school days, has left a deep scar in our hearts narrating about the feudal customs of caste hierarchies, inhuman landlords and heartless moneylenders. Gangi and Jokhu the protagonists of the story could never assuage their thirst as the ‘Well’ is still prohibited for them.  Gangi, whose heart cried out against the restraints and the bars of the customs, still prevalent in Indian society and nothing much has changed for her, she wanted to ask why she was so low and those others so high? And her question is still unanswered. We talk of developments, social equality and economic independence but that seems to be so illusive when a Dalit girl in her teens is brutally raped, murdered and cremated without her family’s consent.

This heinous crime not just reveals the grim status of women in Indian society but also the mindset of such so called upper caste societies that imbibe the roots of such shameful practices in their generations that women’s bodies and their existence are the most favoured sites for inflicting punishment and shame on their communities. For them this brutality is the weapon for inflicting shame and ignominy which will keep haunting the families of these communities for years and they will never think of resist such acts.

The incident in Jammu tells another saga of an 8-year-old girl who was raped, drugged, held captive and murdered with an intention of teaching a lesson to her Gujjar parents who belong to a minority nomadic tribe and are frequently accused of encroaching land in the areas. Is this a lesson? Is this what we call a nation, a civilization? Where are we heading towards with such intentions and lessons?

Our Constitution has promised the Right to Equality to everyone irrespective of caste, class and gender but the reality is far away which has been experienced by the young Dalit girl in Hathras in life and in death. Neither the police treated her sympathetically nor did the administration provide her proper medical care rather she was silenced by the system, the politics and the influential class of the town. Even her death couldn’t earn any respect and the last rites when she was cremated forcefully at midnight without any of her family members as if having been born in a Dalit family is a curse. The sufferings of these people are endless; the poor parents can’t educate their girls because travelling to distant schools is not safe. Literacy rate of SC women is 64% compared to 81% among General Women. Due to lack of safety and distance from schools they are denied education and without education they are deprived of their dreams to get rid of generational poverty and persecution.

According to the National Crime Bureau’s records 2012, every 16 minutes, a non-dalit commits a crime on a Dalit and every day 4 Dalit women are raped by non-Dalits. From the year 2009 to 2018, 3.91 lakh atrocities were reported and the records flagged the rise in sexual violence, witch branding and dishonouring against Dalit and Tribal women.

Interesting Read: The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep

Beyond punishing all the culprits, there is an urgent need to make sure that police and judiciary treat all citizens equally. There must be greater accountability as a means to curb against caste and gender based oppressions. In 1998, Indian government committed to develop policies aimed at the social and economic advancement of the Dalit population. The Independent Downtrodden and Oppressed Community Council was formed with the objective of planning and coordinating policies for their socio-economic development in the areas of education, health, training and skill enhancement. But no reform or policy could change the living conditions for them as the iniquitous caste system of our country doesn’t allow the discrimination to come to an end.

As said by John F Kennedy, “If we cannot end our differences at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” Can we mull over these words and think of a harmonious coexistence between all the groups of our society.

While I was writing this blog three minor sisters belonging to the Dalit community in UP’s Gonda, suffered burn injuries when an unidentified person allegedly threw acid on them, an 18-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

How Online Outrage Kills Innocence

The Battle Royale Games are Killing Innocence in Children

It was not just shocking but horrifying to read that a 9-year-old girl was bludgeoned to death in Indore, by an 11-year-old boy, who was very angry as she had been beating him in an online game continuously since the lockdown began. They were neighbours and had been playing an online game – where contestants have to kill each other to survive on an island. The boy, constantly losing to the girl, became furious and took her to a nearby field where he hit her in anger in the head and face with three stones. The girl collapsed in no time.

The increasing anger, violence and aggression among children due to such online battle games is a common phenomenon these days. Emotional and mental instability is playing havoc with our precious innocent minds. Covid19 has shut the schools and the young learners are forced to adapt learning from home. The prolonged restrictions on community leisure activities coupled with parents juggling supporting their children’s transition to online learning with their own household and professional responsibilities result into more liberty for kids to spend screen time.  Children getting addicted to such battle games tend to become less socially active and start developing negative and retaliating thoughts. It disturbs their sleep patterns and physical health as they adopt a sedentary life to play uninterruptedly. Surprisingly, gaming begins as entertainment and fun but this fun takes a back seat in a jiffy and it turns into an addiction and starts affecting children’s physical and mental health adversely.

These days children are going through a very difficult phase so it’s quite often they react to happenings without giving a thought to possible consequences. If they feel anything going on against their will they lash out at them. We all know that the lockdown fatigue, stress, overwork and anxiety have allowed e-devices and digital platforms to overtake our children’s needs. With all such changes parents should be more vigilant on their kids’ online activities as owing to the online classes; there are more chances of being involved in such online games- making them more aggressive, defiant and violent.

 It is evident that the rise in technology, while empowering and connecting people all over the world, also obliterates the very boundaries necessary for our emotional well-being and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that children get affected the most with this as they are just like clay. The aggression and violence which they come across during such online games make them so vulnerable that they become the object of their anger and are caught up in fury, hatred and vengeance. They begin to harbour resentment for hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes whole life which eventually make cruel with no respect for others.

I still remember my days in Udaipur, Rajasthan when I was working in a school where every month we had ‘Warm Smile’, and ‘Surya Namaskar’ (Surya Namaskar and Pranayam were daily practices during morning assembly) competitions for our children. Apart from these monthly competitions we had two camps in a session; ‘Know Thyself’, and ‘Rise and Shine Camp’ to instill leadership qualities and mental and emotional stability in our children. Those days emotional and mental well-being was not a much talked about topic but my Director, Mrs. Alka Sharma had a strong belief that imbibing an attitude of gratitude and emotional stability are great virtues which give children enough strength to fight back all the setbacks in life. Today when I see the menace spreading by leaps and bounds I can’t resist admiring and respecting the vision behind those competitions and camps organized by the school. Educational institutes should mull over introducing such activities as a regular practice to build an emotionally stronger generation.

Thought Provoking Read: Never to Advise Adolescents

It becomes the sole responsibility of parents, teachers and the elders to inculcate the strong sense of will power, forgiveness, gratitude and contentment in their children so that when they encounter problems or dejection in life they don’t get overwhelmed by it. Teaching our children to be thankful for everything and forgiveness for everyone are the best practices a parent and a teacher can do. Teach them empathy and seek their help in household tasks. Talk to them as much as you can so that you help them improve their physical and mental health. This difficult time will pass soon and these tender buds will blossom beautifully again.

I would like to conclude my blog with Leo Tolstoy’s words, “There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail. There is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out, no matter how dark the world becomes.”

Embracing History to Discard Distory

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” – Marcus Garvey

These words remind and reiterate the importance of history in building a strong culture, well developed nation and a civilized society that takes pride in eternalizing the legacy of perpetual elegance of victory and valour but what if we as citizens and our posterity are studying Distory but not the History of our empowered-for-eons nation. Do we ever think why as school students we studied what was forced and designed to accept ourselves as slaves only? Why our History books have taught us that we have always been ruled by foreign invaders, we had never won any battle and we could never show our dogged Commitment to sustain the glory of our Motherland?

An African adage goes as, ”Until the lions have their own storytellers, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” So, the fact is, until we learn to tell our own story and continue to think of ourselves as in the way others have defined us, we will continue to be their slaves. And, it’s very important that we tell our own stories which has become the clarion call today but that road is also full of bumps and hurdles as there are pervasive biases, platitudes and ambiguities which make it truly pathetic that even after 74 years of independence we are still not able to tell our History. It's the need of the hour that we should start embracing history to discard distory.

Interesting Read on History: Women-Warriors-Demand-Gender-Neutrality

The most important and obvious bias of Indian History is we all have been Forced to study the history of Delhi Sultanate but not the history of India, we have been forced to memorize a large number of kings and rulers of Delhi including obscure dynasties like the Lodhis and yet there are sizeable parts of Indian history which are not even mentioned in our history narrative, so, as a result unless you happen to be from Tamilnadu you probably never heard or know very little about the Cholas and Pallavas. You have never heard about the great Ahom kings from North East who ruled over that part of our country for 600 years. You might have not heard about Lalitaditya who set up a huge empire in the north of India. Satvahanas, Chalukyas etc. have been left out the narrative of India almost entirely, ironically we know nothing about them.  Goa and Sikkim don’t even exist in the History books of our country. India needs to grab back its narratives from Delhi and this is the first most important thing we need to do with our curriculum which is much expected after the National Education Policy 2020.

To recognize that the large part of the way we think of our narratives have been heavily dominated by the way colonial rulers had told us the stories. Have you noticed that in all our History books whatever battle we fought we always lost it? Battle of Panipat, Battle of Buxar, Battle of Tarain, Indians were defeated in all of them. Didn’t we win any of the battle? And if we won how didn’t we know the least about them?  The point is if we still own our motherland we must have won a few of them, here the problem is the victorious feats have been removed from our study so systematically that we know nothing about them, we are forced to believe that we people are meant to be colonized and ruled by some foreigners.

 In the early 18^th century, the Dutch East India Company was the most formidable colonial power in the world. They had conquered Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and were almost ready to conquer India. But all their dreams shattered when they came across Marthanda Varma, the legendary ruler who is considered the founder of the Travancore kingdom.  After their rout in the Battle of Colachel in 1741, the Dutch East India Company was never able to re-establish their power in Kerala again. It was a famous and decisive victory, more importantly a water-shed moment in global history, against one of the most fearsome military powers in the world that eventually led East India Company to take over India.  It was known worldwide that since the Japanese defeated the Russians in 1905,no Asiatic power had ever defeated a European power, even the Indian History text books talk about the Japanese defeating the Russians, but they don’t tell us that previously the man who defeated Europeans was an Indian, Marthanda Varma.  Sadly, these narratives have been suppressed and ignored by most Indians by leftist historians. What we all know today is the Mughals ruled India and then the British took over.

One very important feature of our history  which has been wiped out completely from our textbooks is the contribution of women in building a great nation like India which is seen nowhere in the world, absolutely unique in itself. Indian history is full of powerful, interesting, courageous and intellectual women. And yet we don’t know very much about them. How many history text books tell you about Devi Ahilya bai Holkar, Rani Durgawati, or the resistance of  Rani Abbakka from Ullal who fought against Portuguese? The only one we hear about is Rani Laxmibai and that too because of a very famous poem in Hindi by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan.

Expectations are rising from all walks of life with the NEP 2020, a milestone in India’s journey to becoming a global knowledge superpower. When our young nation strides towards development, it becomes imperative to take inspiration from our ancient heritage, glorious past and cultural values to transform the existing status quo with an advanced futuristic approach. It’s the need of the hour that our young learners should read the true history of their great nation, it’s time to throw our distory books and revise our history books.

When Anguish is Anticipated from All

Value of Co-existence and Harmony

Three female elephants have been found dead in north Chhattisgarh- in less than three days- leading the forest department to suspect they were poisoned as all three carcasses had foam at the mouth. The more painful fact about the dead tuskers is that two of the dead elephants were pregnant. During post-mortem it was found that the elephants had charred skin inside their mouth, congested lungs and intestinal haemorrhage. All are indicative that the three consumed something toxic and poisonous.

I have more to say

On May 27, a pregnant elephant in Palakkad, Kerala, was reportedly fed a fruit stuffed with firecrackers. Despite its agony, it chose to die quietly, harming none.

The recent brutal killing of a pregnant elephant has shocked many but the more appalling is that the incident is not a crime committed for the first time neither it will be curbed so easily. Moreover, it has uncovered other instances of cruelty towards animals and the ugly realities of the human intervention into wildlife. It’s quite evident that such heinous acts towards these gentle creatures are grave repercussions of human-animal conflicts, erupting often across the country, triggered by deforestation, habitat loss and unplanned expansion and urbanization. The shrinking of natural habitat has resulted in elephants and other wild animals venturing into human territories, leading to casualties on both sides. To save their crops from collapse and destruction by these pachyderms, farmers often use brutal methods like fireworks, poison and electrocuted fences.

The more abominable is that poachers are hell-bent on involving local villagers to poison the water bodies in the path of elephant herds to try to kill tuskers.

In a country, like India where ‘Gajanana’, the elephant-headed is an epitome of fulfillment of one’s desires, attainment of wealth, prosperity and surmounting all the hurdles and roadblocks in one’s ways to success, elephants are being treated so vilely. 

Here are a few facts:

• India has about 27000 wild elephants. It has been reported that explosive-laden fruits, electric fences and crude bombs are used to keep away these pachyderms from eating farm produce.

• There are over 3000 elephants in captivity in India. From tourism to agricultural labour, logging and participation in weddings and religious rituals, elephants are used in multiple forms of work.

• Captive elephants are often kept standing for hours, chained or shackled, with even spikes embedded in their ankles.

• Young calf elephants are separated from their mothers and beaten and starved into submission.

• Many elephants work over 20 hours a day, exposed to heat, noise pollution, crowds, firecrackers, unhygienic conditions and dangerous transportation.

• In 2018, Raju, a captive elephant, forced to beg by his owner, was rescued by Wildlife SOS which found Raju starved, beaten, chained and wounded by metal spikes in his feet. Having suffered such cruelty for 50 years, Raju wept upon his rescue.

The brutal death of the Jumbo, stirred the country and the perpetrators were condemned by all walks of life but will this sudden flow and flood of anguish and condemnation suffice to restrain such atrocities against animals in future? No, not really, unless we control the excessive economies of demands so that human intervention can be extenuated in tuskers’ natural habitats.  Can we understand the value of co-existence and harmony among all living beings? How could the politicians (though laced with their insinuations on the horrible death of the elephant) oversee that parts of an elephant sanctuary in Assam were handed over to coal mining – less than two months ago? How the stakeholders can be so indifferent towards wildlife protection?  

Positive Read: How Jainism Can Help Us Fight Corona Virus

The anguish is anticipated from all on such cruelty against animals and we strongly feel a need to inspire a wider learning experience, with both systemic reforms and individual changes. We must be more responsible towards the environment and more mindful about our own needs. Our patterns of consumption are causing the increasing intrusion of humans into natural spaces which is a growing threat to sustain our ecosystem as well as the ecological balance. If it persists for little longer, the day is not far when we will remain confined in the miasma of utter despondency of losing many precious life forms on this beautiful planet.  We need to understand that every animal has unique identity and importance of its own. 

We must respect their space - and their right to live.

Never To Advise Adolescents

Social Media Trends Affecting Teenagers 

#BoisLockerRoom, a sensational social media post which took toll on a class XII boy’s life in Gurugram, was no other than a quintessential of mob justice done by some teenagers. As #BoisLockerRoom unravelled, a 17-year-old girl shared on Instagram an alleged incident of sexual assault two years back. The boy, an aspiring class XII student, was trolled and humiliated as the girl’s post went viral and the same night i.e. May 4, 2020 he jumped from his 11th- floor flat in a DLF-5 condominium, Gurgaon.

This incident clearly shows the rampant use of social media and its vilest forms for cyber bullying by teens which is unfortunately quite common and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, lower self-esteem and tragically suicide. Trolling and online harassment took a young, precious life. How can social media disclosures be allowed without the burden of proof ? It’s really horrifying how teenagers abuse and harass their targets using social media platforms. Many innocents take extreme steps as they can’t face such humiliating situations.

                                                                         

These days children make confession groups on social media accounts to reveal their personal feelings for someone, failing to realize the consequences and understand how confessions can be ‘social’ or ‘public’? As the Gurugram incident reveals a life-threatening mindset of today’s teenagers that neither the boy nor the girl chose their parents to open up themselves and share their ordeal. The girl knocked the door of Social Media Court to seek quick justice rather than speaking to her family and the boy also didn’t prefer to talk to his parents but decided to kill him. The vulnerability of teens has become a grave issue and because of their impulsive natures, they are at risk of sharing intimate photos or highly personal stories which can result in being bullied or even blackmailed. The other big danger that comes from teenagers communicating more indirectly is that it has gotten easier to be cruel. “They text all sorts of things that you would never in a million years contemplate saying to anyone’s face.” says Dr. Donna Wick, a Clinical and Developmental Psychologist.

Interesting Reading: The Venom of Web Series & Indian Society

Role of Parents:

A significant thing that every parent should concern about is to structure their psychological and emotional framework around the most fundamental fact that they are the most valuable living force for present as well as future.

 

Being a responsible parent it’s your duty to set reasonable limits for the usage of social media. Encourage a bedtime routine and keep all the cellphones and tablets out of teens’ bedrooms. Set an example by following these rules yourself as children don’t follow what is said, they follow what they observe. Let your teen know that you will be regularly monitoring his/her social media accounts and talk about your social media habits. Remind your teen that social media is full of unrealistic images. Teach your child that everything that glitters is not gold. Give them this assurance that their well-being is the only treasure of your life not their scholastic or co-scholastic achievements.

How Important Are You?

As the title suggests that this blog is not meant to advise adolescents; (I know you don’t like advices and preachy sentences😃) let me make it very clear that this blog is a message from society to all of you.

Dear Teenager, living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you. You were like that as a child, weren’t you? You were so happy and chirpy with the things and people around you. So I am not talking about taking you beyond, I am just talking about starting at the square one of your life. Why you have mortgaged your happiness, peace and love to the external situations? What if the mobile phone that you use is not as expensive and cool as your friends’? What if you haven’t scored as high as your classmates? What if your life is not as luxurious and lavish as your peers’? The most important thing is you are the best in your own way and you can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life. So, do what you want to do in your life, being in reverence with the life, being in love with your LIFE.

Let’s Simplify Life

Let's Make Life Simple & Beautiful

Confucius once said, “Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.” This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get. Humans have been victims of this practice since time immemorial and the journey of rise and fall, gain and loss, and triumph and defeat of human race describes the same. Life is a string of inevitable experiences. Happy events are savoured while adversities are considered as wrongs, inflicted upon us by destiny.

Today everyone is thinking wistfully the same question whether the life will be normal or not and if yes how? The life during lockdown is somewhat similar to when there were no TVs. People would love to spend time with friends, relatives and play outside (amidst lockdown playing virtually) and were contented with what minimal resources they had. In 90s TV was introduced to the society and people glued to the idiot box for hours to watch cricket and serials. Physical work from routine and socializing for the purpose of entertainment took a back seat. Sports were lesser played in streets and more watched on screens. Then entered the world of Internet, PCs, laptops and multimedia. Though initially the services were plagued by certain issues but gradually became an indispensable part of our society. Obesity and other life style diseases were included as gift hampers in the package, indoor and outdoor games were replaced by video games. Junk foods and sedentary life became the new trends, visiting friends and relatives needed appointments or formal invitations. Eventually human relations, care and concern for neighbours and seeking or giving advice to relatives were on the verge of extinction.

Life was too fast now to devote time to value and practice gestures of kindness and generosity as the time was much needed to be spent in traffic jams and in pursuit of mundane and materialistic goals. And now enters our favorite Guest whom we want to cling to us forever, yes these are none other than androids, 3G, 4G and high speed internet services. The digital enthusiasts were so engrossed in striving hard to fulfill their dreams to become mightier than ever and became supercilious in attitude. In this race of ambitions and achievements we forgot what the very purpose of human life is. It won’t be wrong if I term this journey as Evolution of Human Intellect, yes we changed, we evolved and we grew in all dimensions with materialistic mindsets; expanding in a different milieu during the years from 1990s to 2020s.

Thought Provoking Read: All That Glitters is Not Gold 

The feeling of having the world just a click away gives a sense of supremacy to humans, ironically the supremacy gave us rights only, not the duties-the duties towards nature and ecosystem, the duties towards lifting up humanity and our inner self, the duties to realize the very purpose of our life i. e. being altruistic to all life forms which are dependent upon us as mere philosophy of evolution without  a life imbued with love, compassion and service cannot sweeten and glorify human advancements.

Though the human mind is responsible for great advances of culture and civilizations it has grown unable to handle negativity caused by traumatic experiences. While struggling with feelings of distress and uncertainty amidst the pandemic many think as if they will hardly find their way back from such an emotional cul-de-sac as negative events have a tendency to imprison our minds. The lockdown has taught us that to live a happy life we need to be alive not to be the supreme power; we need to reinvent and revamp our life so let the life be lived at its fullest instead of dreaming for tomorrow. Let’s remove all toxins and obsessions of materialism and enjoy a serene, happy and wholesome life. Let’s take the blessing in disguise to value and appreciate the fact that life demands nothing it is we who keep demanding incessantly from life. Let's simplify life. Let’s enjoy just being alive. 

Life is simple, Simplify The Life.

Miles To Go Where I Can Sleep

The Problems Faced By Migrant Labourers During Lockdown

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost’s famous poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ is a source of inspiration to many and the fan club of this poem has recently been joined by millions of Indian migrant labourers who are on their journey to reach the destinations where they can sleep without starving. The contrast with the poem’s traveler is that the woods are actually not lovely, dark and deep for these poor daily wagers so they are forced to plod on.

Kasa Madkani, 22, a migrant worker from Odisha’s Malkangiri district, breathed his last due to exhaustion while walking back home from Hyderabad due to lockdown.

For 35-year-old Sandeep, his wife and three daughters, the ordeal has no end. Like thousands of other migrant workers, the vegetable vendor decided to leave for his native village after exhausting his meagre savings over a month and a half of the lockdown. His wife Rekha, a heavily pregnant and famished 28-year-old woman covered 900 kms from Noida on foot and in the back of a truck to reach Gopalganj on the UP-Bihar border before her body almost gave up. She gave birth to a girl child in the Gopalganj Sadar Hospital

When thousands and thousands of migrants, burdened with pain, agony and trauma walk everyday to their hometowns from all over the country, each one of them has a heart wrenching story to tell. Who better knows the length of Indian roads than these self rescuing exoduses who have measured them in uncountable footsteps? Enforced by the ardent desire to salvage themselves from the apathy of our so called efficient, innovative and benevolent government they found it easier to walk miles than to remain languished at their work stations. Witnessing the desperate exodus of migrants, the Indian highways must have shed tears in helplessness as their subservient creators who had once pitched in to construct these roads and brought them into life have been left with nothing except trudging to their home. 

Interesting Read: Self-Isolation or Self-Adoration?

The travails of these migrants are unimaginable. With loss of shelter and livelihood they have been thrown in disarray, on the mercy of meagre help provided by authorities which was surely not enough for sustenance. Completely shattered, many of them embarked on arduous journeys to their native places to get some support at a time of acute distress owing to the belief that home offers emotional and social support, especially in times of a crisis like Covid-19. The journey was going to be precarious for many as no provisions were there for food, shelter or medical relief. Many died on the way back home due to hunger, sickness or mishaps.

The developing notions of social justice and the expanding horizon of socio-economic equality seem to be futile when a large number of migrants are spotted walking on highways across states with their families, growing immune to heat, hunger, body pain and even police lathis.

Time plays a crucial role in any crisis.What if the government could have provided them with adequate support in time? When the Vande Bharat Mission can be scheduled to bring back Indians stranded abroad why can’t the Shramik Specials could have been planned earlier and executed promptly. If welfare of these migrant workers is not taken care of, the pictures of their leaving the cities will be going to haunt the country for years to come. Our beautifully constructed big cities have sent their pillars at home. They have shown their strength by walking hundreds of miles now it’s time for the government and our society to reciprocate as words are always not enough to win trust of these poor folk.

Dear Readers, my blog ends here but not the story, it’s just a beginning for all those who reach their desired destinations where they can sleep comfortably but the questions will remain unanswered for them how to find solace? How to tryst with a confident living? How all the migrants will be employed again? Who will provide them substantive succour?

I am still trying to convince myself with these lines:

And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep

To Succeed in Life, Burn Your Boats

Make Your Life A Success Story 

“If you want to take the island, you need to burn the boats.” This famous line of Tony Robbins has a great relevance not only for those who are already on their expedition to touch the pinnacles of success and see all their dreams fulfilled but   for those also who come across situations when they find themselves in a terrible dilemma as how to choose and what to choose out of the plethora of the options since it’s very important to make a right choice in order to bring the plans to their fruition. A good decision with strong will power impacts not only the process but the outcome also and can attribute to achieve an uncompromising mental reservoir of strength. 

Enriching Read: Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

The phrase ‘Burning the Boats’ has its origin in the year 1519 highlighting History’s one of the most inspiring leadership stories. During those days it was known to all that Mexico had a magnificent treasure for which many invaders attempted for over 600 years but none of them could succeed. When Hernán Cortés, a young Spanish commander heard about the same he decided to acquire it and started sailing towards Mexico with a convoy of 11 boats, 16 horses and 600 Spaniards. The clamour of their excitement was enough to break the silence of the sea. But gradually fear and despair loomed large with sailing farther from their homeland. The fact that none could acquire the treasure hitherto the crew began to develop cold feet and it turned to be an evanescent ambition for them. Hernán Cortés could sense the despondency and fear but he kept waiting for a right moment. When they reached Mexico, he ordered his people to evacuate the boats. Once everything was settled he called a lieutenant and instructed him to burn all the boats and he began his address which created history then. He sent a clear message to all that there was no turning back as all the boats had already been burnt. With no exit strategy either they would win or they would perish. The soldiers fought with indomitable courage and conquered the island with its magnificent treasure.

The story gives a life-changing message to all. The boats are the insecurities, fear, escape, and anxiety which always hinder our growth and weaken our commitment with self to accept challenges in life. When we want to improve our careers, personal lives or emotional status we must understand that once a strong and earnest decision is made there is no turning back, no escape. Now every effort and thought must be focused on succeeding and achieving what we have yearned for. Burning the boats means making your mind to reject all those fears and preparing yourself for no turning back and accept that there is no plan B. When you don’t have a plan B for your dreams and ambitions it gives a message to your mind that there is no point of return now and it strengthens your commitment to yourself and you put in your best efforts to achieve your goals in life. This strategy is the key determinant of both personal and professional success despite challenges that inevitably happen on the way.

Hebrew tradition teaches a similar value, the Israelite armies would besiege enemy cities from three sides only facilitating them with an escape route. They knew it very well that the enemy would no longer remain a formidable opponent if they had a possibility of flight. In most cases, they celebrated the conquest.

We all face difficult times when we need to make a decision especially when we are confused which path to travel. We research on our plans, collect facts from good resources, take advice from our best friends and well wishers, measure the risks, analyze the ups and downs and then we trust our own judgment whether to step ahead or not. And the most important factor of this process must be once we have made our decision we have to be committed and focus only on our diligent efforts to make it a success story of our life.

Can Gratitude Be Enforced?

India Salutes To The Corona Warriors

 On April 20, the burial of Dr. Samuel Hercules in Chennai was disrupted by violent protesters. On April 8, two resident doctors of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly assaulted by a neighbor who accused them of spreading coronavirus infection and a week before that, two doctors and their team were pelted with stones during the screening of Covid-19 patients in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

These incidents are a mirror of reality showing the country’s attitude to the warriors of this unprecedented battle. The plight of the health care workers doesn’t end here. The bigger challenges are the substandard protective gears, poor meals, long grueling shifts and above all their own vulnerability to the novel pathogen. Facing all the challenges the medical team is leaving no stone unturned to reach out and help the infected people but instead of acknowledging their tireless work and selfless service we welcome them with abuse and stones. 

In the wake of persistent attacks on health care workers, the Centre has approved an ordinance to make such attacks a cognizable and non-bailable offence.  But it will not suffice to give assurance to those who are bravely battling Covid-19 on the frontline. The amendment in the Epidemic Disease Act compels us to think something very deeply and raises a question. Why do we always need a law to be enforced to become a better Indian? Why do we need a law to allow our daughters to open their eyes in this world? Why do we need a law to keep our surroundings clean? Do we really dream of a country where we require laws for everything? For reverence?  For thankfulness?

We live in a nation where the atmosphere of intolerance, mob violence, avarice, drudgery and complacency is grinding down the country’s splendid achievements. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown but we have forgotten the gracious sense of integrity which can enrich and strengthen us as a civilized society and each of us believes that integrity and gratitude cannot be enforced; these are within our hearts and should reflect as a virtue of our own. Just as gratitude is the queen of the virtues, ingratitude is the king of the vices.

Enriching Reading: Kindness Is Not Just Giving But Empowering Living Beings

Let’s never forget that the beauty of the Indian people lies in their spirit of tolerance, sharing and respecting each human soul and value even the smallest effort made to ameliorate the country’s present situation. We have to follow our instincts to reinforce the values that can build a greater nation with everyone practicing self-discipline and self-reliance. As Emerson has asserted, “…if the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him.”

Doctors have always been considered as God and during the fight against coronavirus pandemic it seems as God himself, clad in white, has appeared on earth to provide succour to people in distress. Today, God is not confined to temples and mosques but could be felt in those serving humanity. The frontline Health Workers must be treated in a dignified way in view of their selfless service to society and nation. And to beat the drum we shouldn’t require any law, the respect and gratitude is within all of us. That must come from within each and every Indian.

Let Lord Mahavira’s Teachings Combat COVID-19

How Jainism Can Help Us Fight Corona Virus

Swinging between hope and despair amidst the rampant spread of coronavirus, the entire world is trying to invent preventive measures to combat the deadly virus. But what should be taken into consideration and how such threats to human life and existence can be avoided have still remained questions for all of us. Can we really overlook the fact that a crisis never emerges all of a sudden? It has its reasons and grounds underlying and most of them are known to human race itself.

We have suffered three pandemics since 2000 viz. SARS-CoV in 2003, H1N1 (Swine flu) in 2009, and now Covid-19. SARS Coronavirus is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats that spread to other animals like civet cats. It originated in Guangdong province of southern China. This global epidemic ended in July 2003 but SARS reappeared four times- three times due to laboratory accidents(Singapore and Chinese Taipei), and once in southern China where the source of infection remains undetermined although there is circumstantial evidence of animal-to-human transmission. The pandemic H1N1 or Swine flu spread from an intensive pig farm in Mexico and lasted from January 2009 to August 2010 affecting 700 million- 1.4 billion (estimated) people across the globe. The fatalities were estimated to be 284,000(Centers for Disease Control). Not just these outbreaks are a major threat to the human existence but we have been endangered by other diseases also like bird flu from poultry, the Middle East Respiratory syndrome (MERS) from camels, Ebola from monkeys and pigs, Rift Valley fever from livestock, West Nile fever from birds, Zika from monkey and Nipah from bats.

The root cause of such frequent outbreaks of viral and bacterial diseases in the 21^st century is the rapid and unhealthy changes in human life style along with man’s deteriorating relationship with Mother Nature. The gradual environmental destruction, deforestation and ludicrous cultural practices are largely responsible for such global pandemics. The latest coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China is an example of human violation of nature’s law and a lesson for the mankind to contemplate over the havoc humans are creating on the earth. After the outbreak of SARS in the year 2003, it was proven that the culture of eating exotic animals in China and some other countries is no less than a nuclear bomb. The prevailing fatal situations will be soon waiting for the impending doom if we do not change our methods of living and treating our planet.

It is crucial that we introspect on how to adapt the measures to accomplish the task of revaluing nature and bring back the harmony and peace between all living organisms on the earth. The Jain Philosophy and the tenets of Lord Mahavira present an elaborate and pragmatic analysis of how a harmonized system of living can be established between the humans and nature. The solutions and preventive measures for all the challenges and threats the man is struggling today have been incorporated in Jain Philosophy and Jainism. About 2500 years ago, Lord Mahavira had envisioned the agonizing future of mankind owing to the indiscriminate exploitation of the plant and animal kingdoms. The code of conduct suggested by Lord Mahavira has a great relevance in today’s scenario. ‘Live and Let Live’ is the basic mantra of Jainism which encourages vegetarian diets keeping numerous infections and other lifestyle diseases at bay. The research has proven that the vegetarian diets are the best of all for both the angles- physical health and spiritual upliftment. Elimination of meat from the diet reduces the dangers of animal-human transmission of virus. Increasing population of non vegetarians promotes animal farming on larger scales which causes viral diseases. Bird flu and swine flu both have their origin in intensive animal farms.

Jainism teaches non-violence which is the foundation of biodiversity existing on the planet earth. Each organism has a right to live but whatever is happening today has compelled us to ponder, have we failed to appreciate and acknowledge the importance of the smallest, invisible living beings on the earth? Have we become so cruel that we forget to understand, what environment, ecology and ecosystem is to man or vice-versa? What takes precedence- environment over man or man over environment? 

Non-violence is the basis of Jainism and to kill a living being is considered to be the greatest of sins. Practice of non-violence is not just limited to humans or animals but is extended to all forms of life. As Cesar Chavez rightly said, “Only when we have become non-violent towards all life we will have learned to live well with others.” Jain scriptures motivate people for minimal consumption and emphasize upon restricting their unlimited consumption of natural resources. Practicing a minimalistic approach to life yields abundance for each one in the community and thus develops harmony between human life and nature.

Enriching Read: Self-Isolation OR Self-Adoration?

To resolve the crisis of such global pandemic, we need to follow the practices of Jainism which are based on the principles of scientific vision, spiritual mission and religious consciousness. It preaches compassionate empathy for all forms of life particularly for all sentient species. The scientific and religious perspectives of nature are never contrary to each other, as we believe they are complementary to each other. Lord Mahavira expounded the significance of the combination of both these perspectives to lead a peaceful life. Lord Mahavira focused on this synergy, which emphasizes on man’s responsibilities towards his environment and lays down directives for the preservation of nature. The world therefore, needs to follow a universal code of conduct suggested by Lord Mahavira to prevent such pandemics and environmental destruction. Let’s worship nature and its myriad manifestations and be thankful for what we are bestowed upon.