Battling the Bottle

We will observe the annual dry day on 2^nd October, the Gandhi Jayanti, when all liquor shops and bars in Goa will remain closed. It is a tribute to the father of the nation who espoused non-violence as a means to achieve small and big ends. Gandhiji’s aversion to liquor may be considered as his personal trait, and we don’t have to commemorate or follow personal preferences of any leader, however great. But we can’t overlook the deep connectivity between alcohol and violence. It is an accepted fact that alcohol can trigger violence. It has been said that too much alcohol can bring out “the beast in man”, which to be politically  correct, may be amended to “the worst in a man or a woman”. It is no more appropriate to attribute the worst human behavior to the good animals, not even to the wild ones. The good and the evil are within us.

Alcohol beyond limits is the catalyst of our destruction: at the personal level, the family level, the friendship level, the work environment, the social fabric and the economic progress of the state. Alcohol has led to the degeneration of our physical and mental health. It has been the cause of disease, accidents and untimely death. It has left on its trail orphans, widows and now an increasing number of widowers too. Sad but true.

Alcohol has incapacitated many a promising youth. It has led some from the music and the dancing floor to ugly sounds and to measuring roads. It has broken hearts of parents, siblings, friends and lovers. What more could it do? Loss of production at offices and factories has been attributed to it. Foul language and provocative remarks have caused  breach of peace. Hands and legs have been used to abuse, hit, kick, break; and to destroy peace and happiness. We do not require a debate to firmly state that it isn’t worth it. And yet more and more people get into it just for the kick of it.

“I am now giving you the choice between life and death….Choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

We are worried about peace in the world and in our country. We discuss it; we praise some, despise others; love some, hate others. We can’t do much about it except prayers and good   wishes when it comes to the Bomb. Governments and other organizations have to act, we can only contribute. But when it comes to the Bottle, we can and should do something about it in our own little way, in our own little world. We can diffuse the Bomb in the Bottle, and thus contribute to peace: peace within the individual, peace within families, and peace in the neighborhood.

The dry day should be a day to ponder how we can be proactive in curtailing consumption of liquor. It is within our power to take some initiative along with others of goodwill, and with some of the organizations we belong to. It could be the mahila mandal, a study group, a social service group, a prayer group, a parent-teacher association. It is not going to be easy because those who promote liquor are big barons of the liquor industry. It is the big profits that matter. I wonder what is their agenda on corporate social responsibility. And our politicians have their interests too. Come elections, and the bars run full day and night. Election workers, including youth, are offered free liquor. Many who have become victims of liquor must have been initiated into drinking during election time. The election season is indeed gala time. Can we expect anything from the politicians? With apologies to Karl Marx, may I say that liquor is the opium of the people, some people?

If the election commission enjoins prohibition of sale and distribution of liquor on the days preceding and on the election day, it means that the destructive properties of alcohol have official recognition. I am not building up a case for total prohibition but for laws that restrain the sale of alcohol by further reducing the timings of the liquor shops and bars, demarcating and strictly following No Liquor Zones, introducing a Dry Day every month instead of once a year, inserting statutory warning on all liquor labels, bar entrances and advertisements that consumption of liquor is injurious to physical, mental and social health. My list is not exhaustive and groups willing to engage in the crusade can add their own demands. A letter to the editor in a local daily this week has highlighted that Chief Minister Parrikar should implement strictly his own resolution to ban liquor bars with religious names, moved and passed in the Goa Assembly when he was the opposition leader in 2008 (Herald). Another local daily has reported that Goa government has revoked its May 2013 moratorium imposed on liquor licenses, and has started “clearing all the pending  applications and also accepting new ones” (Gomantak Times). The new notification under which applications will be cleared should be given wide publicity so that the public is aware of those who break the rules. And there should be an upper limit that is strictly followed.

Restrictions imposed by governments can only have limited effects as per the letter of the law. It is for the people and civil organizations to carry on a spirited, positive campaign for life with limited liquor.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 29.09.2013   

Internal vs External Political Control

The current political scenario is far from the ideal which we must aim at. Of the two main national parties, the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the former is under the control of a dynasty and the latter under the control of an external organization as is increasingly evident. Both conditions may be interpreted as internal affairs of the parties concerned, but they are not. Such controls may be necessary for the survival of the parties but are damaging to the polity of the country. Therefore, they are a public concern.

Political parties in a vibrant democracy should be free from any control, within or without. They should be free to function within the parameters of their party constitution and their political and economic ideology. Unfortunately, though the parties have a written constitution, they adhere to it only in letter while in spirit they are dictated by an unwritten constitution. There is no such thing as a supreme leader or ‘supremo’  in the written constitution, only president, general secretaries, etc. but the unwritten constitution, sometimes more supreme than the written one, has ‘supremos’ in place. This is not a feature restricted only to national parties but a predominant condition in almost all regional or semi-national parties. We have so many ‘supremos’: Sharad Pawar in the NCP, Jayalalitha in the AIDMK, Karunanidhi in the DMK, Mamata Bannerjee in the TC, Mulayam Singh in the SP, Mayawati in the BSP, and the list could go on including Micky Pacheco in his GVP. And most of these supreme leaders also have dynastic ambitions if they are blessed with politically inclined offspring. So the Congress is not alone in its propensity for the dynasty. Shall we call it the popular political culture of India? Call it what you may, but we must admit that this culture needs correction.

The dynasties within parties are more of an imperative for the party’s survival than a requirement of the state or the nation. New political leaders spring up to meet the needs of the times as has been amply manifested in the sixty-six years of independent, democratic India. The people have proved their mastery in changing governments whenever required. But the political parties in India, unlike their counterparts in other countries, have not been able to rise to the occasion whenever a change in leadership is called for. The process has usually not been smooth; internal elections have been avoided by building up a fragile consensus which does not last long; and inevitable splits have followed. It is the fear of these expectations that deters the party members from going for internal democracy, thereby opting for dynastic succession. And when this process continues over a long period of time, it becomes the TINA factor: there is no alternative, as it has happened in the Congress. The dynasty is required to keep the party together. The party is required to keep the country together. But the party could also keep the country together with another acceptable leader if only the infighting that may follow could be avoided. But the egos of politicians, like of many others, are bigger than the interests of the nation.

The Communist parties are cadre based and driven by ideology, however obsolete it may be. They are led by the collective leadership of the politburo, with the general secretary on the top. All other parties need to take a leaf from their page at least in this respect.

Having commented on the functioning of leadership in the Congress and other parties, let me now examine the functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party. On the face of it there is internal democracy but the party has always been accused of being controlled by the RSS, the holding entity of the Sangh parivar. There are many other organizations in various spheres which are offshoots of and affiliated to the RSS. I don’t see anything wrong in that although I do not subscribe to the RSS ideology, being a democrat and a liberal, who firmly believes in diversity and detests uniformity anywhere. But I do see something very wrong in the external control that the RSS exercises over the BJP, a recognized political party. The BJP may be the brainchild and the offshoot of the RSS, and may have been nurtured by it. But now the party has grown and spread, and is aspiring to rule the country. It is now necessary that it exists independently of the RSS, and not be dictated by the parent organization. The way the parent organization has imposed its choice first in the selection of the BJP President and now its prime ministerial candidate is most unhealthy for democratic polity. The way Rajnath Singh has gone about consulting the RSS and proclaiming its choice does not speak well of the BJP leadership. 

An important question now arises. Will every choice that the BJP makes continue to be dictated by an external organization? When the people elect their representatives to the next parliament, they are supposed to take the party, its leadership and the candidate into consideration, not external factors. The parliament is supreme and the parliamentarians must be guided by the constitution, the good of the nation, and the good of all citizens. If external organizations that have not been voted to power have control over elected representatives, then it will be a sad day for democracy and for the nation.

Strong internal control of a party is bad, but external control is worse.

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 15.09.2013    

Festivals Which Evoke Nature

The major religious festival season is here once again. It begins tomorrow with Ganesh Chaturthi, and  will pass through Dusserah, Diwali and Feast of St. Francis Xavier before the year ends with Christmas. With Id celebrations included, the season covers almost all traditional  communities in Goa. It is a long period of time for joyful interaction, peace and goodwill which can have a salutary effect on us in Goa, if we allow it to.

Among all the festivals of Goa, Ganesh Chaturthi and Christmas have two significant commonalities. Both being family festivals, members of every family return home to be with their near and dear ones, to partake in the religious ceremonies together, to strengthen family bonds, to enjoy delicacies made with love and devotion, and have the pleasant feeling of being at home nurturing their roots. In most cases it means returning to the villages where nature still holds sway though in a receding way. And what better months than beautiful September or cool December to be, oh to be in Goa. 

Come September and the villages of Goa abound in flowers of more hues than the colors of the rainbow.  The butterflies not only woo the flowers but compete with them for an array of colors. The fragrance of flowers finds its way to the homes and to the altars. And the birds sing their welcome songs to the season, partaking in their own way in the festivities, occasionally disturbed, much disturbed by the sound and smell of crackers. 

Come December and the Goan winter is at its peak. Shorter days and starry nights. The cold, starry nights can bring people closer together and spark more romance than candlelight dinners. No doubt so many weddings take place in December and so many babies are born in September. Don’t call me naughty if I say it could be divine planning. However, I must add that the tranquility of cool December does get disturbed by over commercialization, excess tourists with “no room at the inn”, the consequent ubiquitous litter, and the high decibel noise-cum-music at nights with or without deafening crackers.

The second commonality is more significant: synthesis of natural elements in the divine depictions within our homes. Chaturthi comes when nature’s bounty is at its peak, specially after a good monsoon as this year’s. Natural products in the form of a variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits and rare plants are brought home as an offering as well as to decorate the ‘matoli’ where the Ganesh idol is placed.  We are reminded of the mighty elephant and the tiny mouse which add the diversity of the fauna to that of the flora. With the discouragement to the idols made of the plaster of Paris and encouragement to those made of clay gathering momentum, we are on the right track of returning back to clean and green celebrations of Chaturthi. The celebrations undoubtedly have a deep religious meaning to the Hindus. The cultural and social significance of the festival is not limited to the Hindus only but is shared with them by other communities in Goa. The unity and harmony that pervade the serene surroundings of the ‘makhar’ and ‘matoli’ touch human hearts irrespective of religious customs and beliefs. The goodwill and the good wishes generated move beyond religious boundaries.

Christmas comes at the end of the year when the old is passing and there is a yearning for the new. Our short winter soon gives way to a short spring. In the midst of the cold we look for warmth, in the midst of the dark nights we look for the stars. We find  the first in warmth of our family and friends, we find the second in the star hanging over each crib in almost every Christian home. The shepherds watching their flock by night, the bovine creatures in the crib, the wise men guided by a star, the camels in the sand, the mountains touching the sky, the green grass specially grown by children to place it around the crib,  the dry grass or hay to place the image of baby Jesus – all these remind us of the splendor of nature on a silent night. The message of peace on earth is shared by Christians with all women and men of goodwill. We need the simplicity of the child to appreciate the awesome beauty of creation.

Festivals are a great time to feel inspired, and to share delicacies, smiles and good wishes. Chaturthi and Christmas are also a great time to restore our bonds with the divine, with each other, and with nature. I am sure all other blessings will follow.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to one and all.


Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 08.09.2013   

An Ongoing Dream

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed … that all men are created equal.

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

“I have a dream today.”

An all-embracing, awesome dream described in awesome words. How it must have stirred the hearts of the over quarter million participants in the unprecedented March on Washington who heard Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963, exactly fifty years ago from the day I write this piece. The words have reverberated ever since, touching hearts and inspiring minds the world over.

Key words in the all-inclusive speech: all human beings are created equal; all are brothers and sisters; freedom and justice for all; content of character, not color of skin, to be the guiding light. The principles of equality, liberty and fraternity have been the perennial inspiration of all great revolutions from the French to the American, and are enshrined in the preamble of the constitution of India. King contextualized them in the oppressive situation of free America in a brilliant moment, deviating from the prepared text.

King led the African-American Civil Rights Movement which organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Their specific demands were: to end racial segregation in public schools; to bring about legislation for civil rights; to enact laws to prohibit racial discrimination in employment; to protect civil rights activists from police brutalities; and to demand minimum wages for all workers. It must be noted that the demands were positive, for empowerment, and not against anybody. They posited for inclusion, not exclusion. That’s a lesson divisive forces everywhere must learn. The March on Washington and King’s speech were instrumental in focusing on civil rights among the political liberals. It resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act, 1964 and the Voting Rights Act, 1965 in the USA. The Acts are in place, but the social transition is slow. No doubt Barack Obama, an Afro-American, rules today from the White House for a second term, and many others are occupying powerful seats, but social prejudice still runs deep. The dream of King still awaits full realization in America. The March must still continue.

King was influenced by the teachings of Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent activism, and Leo Tolstoy’s writings. He said that his visit to India in 1959 deepened his understanding of non-violent resistance. “Being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.”

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The following year he began his opposition to the American involvement in the Vietnam war. He said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on program of social uplift is approaching a spiritual death.”

 He was assassinated in 1968 at the young age of 39. The dream lives on.

Tributes have been paid to King in the Aug 26/Sep 2, 2013 issue of the Time magazine, commemorating 50 years of “I have a dream”. I shall conclude quoting from two of them.

Jesse Jackson, minister and civil rights activist: “One thing we should learn from Dr. King is that the forces of equal protection should neither sleep nor slumber… The struggle for democracy and equal protection will never be a past-tense discussion.”

Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani student activist and winner of 2013 Children’s Peace Prize: “Martin Luther King Jr. inspired millions of people, including me, to dream. His words – still so powerful after half century -  empower us to continue the journey to our destination of peace and equality… His legacy is that those words reached far beyond America’s shores and far beyond the generation to whom he spoke… They are relevant to me, a girl born almost 30 years after he died, from a country more than 7,000 miles away”

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 01.09.2013