I tried to make a conscious choice to understand the structures beneath the surface called "Rape". I found that the very act of rape is not just a physical act of force but has with it a plethora of primarily political & social consciousness attached to it. It also means that the meaning that we derive from the very act of rape in fact, is also not free from such consciousness. The issue is that in this whole process the sexuality of one gender becomes a subject matter of control and regulation and that`s the place where the actual problem lies. I mean why should someone`s sexuality become a subject matter of socio-political directives of the structures of society soaked in evil political designs that we all know as patriarchy?

I find that the whole issue is somewhere revolving around the lack of acceptance of a "universal value" and that value is "dignity of life" & " mutual respect for individual freedom". Sociological evolution is always directed towards establishing such universal values and thus realize an ideal society in the real world.The contemporary Indian society is also striving for the same however, it has, by accident or psychological-political appeal of the capital itself, translated in to structures where values are greed, competition, quality (of product), aggressiveness etc. Commodification is one aspect of it. 

Our society which is still undergoing modernization of tradition, is a mixed up "khichri" of patriarchy infested traditional social structures and capital infested neo-liberal social structures.Now, when we have such a society, how can we expect a socialization process that inculcates universal values such as dignity of life, mutual respect of individual freedom etc? Unless we don`t create families (fundamental unit of socialization process), we cant expect such universal values to get socialized among individuals. " And to create such families we have to create such individuals and the individuals can be created when we have a Social system where political intent to control property (private property) is a non-thinkable or an obsolete idea. 

The meanings of our social action is determined by the values and beliefs that we have, and only a "universal value" based socialization process and structures can determine the true meaning of our action which will give emphasis to "mutual respect of dignity of life and freedom" irrespective of men and women.. 

And such society is a conscious choice that we all have to make..

The advocates of liberalism say that survival is a perquisite of being the fittest, that competition ensures the fitness and so on and so forth. I then ask what for is the culture, institutions, norms, values if the question to survive still remains a matter of concern, if fitness still remains to be the determinant of one`s progress?? Is n`t it a primordial and instinctual process of institutiona

lization?? Why is it always about competition and not collaboration & cooperation?

I think there is a fundamental problem with the institutions of socialization that we have or that we are evolving in to. These social institutions have to be actively developed in order to socialize and develop "human beings" and not commodities. If Human greed is the cause then we have to have a superstructure to control it. And that superstructure can be developed only when the relations of production ceases to remain in the hands of private control.

And that i think is an important indicator of a real progressive society........

When "Human Greed" extends its arms to get hold of "Human Rights" and when the institutions of society do not question it, we should be convinced that the society is progressing towards the path of its own degeneration.

The whole point is that the much advocated " Capitalism" (e.g. in the form of FDI in multibrand retail etc.) & "Social Well Being" is a mutually contradictory, non existent, indif

ferent and imaginary concept which is intermittently constructed by its advocates in order to sell dreams and commodify humanity.

When Air, Water and Food, land is monopolized in a free market, one can imagine the stretch of the "Maximum" profit it brings with it. Capitalism does bring with it technology, innovation, efficiency etc as long as they have their utility, but it also brings madness and enslavement and exploitation. We need to understand the exploitative theory of dependence that operates in a Neo-liberal market structure.

They rationalize saying that the "State" is there to maintain the checks and balances but what happens in reality is that the State itself is checked and balanced.

The conspiracy of "Human Greed" has many such facets.....

The heterogeneity in India can not be compared with the west as sometimes we tend to compare ours with the nations such as America or France etc. That is why India is still in the nation building process sociologically (politically we already are) given the numerous sporadic/ perpetual internal war fronts (both armed and unarmed). Also the nation building in real sense seems to be a distant dream

especially when we have a system where the heterogeneity is mostly used to grind one`s own axe in terms of vote bank politics.

Democracy will be existing in real sense when people are empowered enough to respond and not to react. I mean we have learnt to accept that certain political elites can do whatever they want and that we are mere spectators....Its high time for the masses to understand that its only them who allow such people to govern and that they are the biggest political entity who can freely chose their own socio-political fate. Sadly but truly people have never realized their true potentialities as well as the hindrance that lies behind this state of the Indian people. Its also true that the ruling elites would never want people to reach such a state from where they can exercise their own independent scientific choices as that will be same as digging their own grave.

The objective scientific outlook is what lacks given the RELIGIOUS, CASTEIST, FEUDAL, BOURGEOISIE, PATRIARCHAL chains that the people are caught in to. The solution lies in freeing people from these SELF EXPLOITATIVE socio-political chains and develop an objective scientific outlook towards society and politics.

Reaction will only lead to further reaction and further counter reaction.

Let us awake in to the world of Tagore where the Mind is without fear and the Head is held high...

Good Morning Everyone............

Materialism or economic relations undoubtedly is the root cause of all the social structures determining its political nature. Often the understanding of hierarchical, exploitative and discriminatory relationships are understood in isolation for instance caste system, class oppression, racism, gender based discrimination.

The fact of the matter is matter itself. All the above-mentioned relationships are political manifestations in the social relationships to institutionalize the structure which can control matter in one`s own and in turn in communities` secular interest.

Broadly speaking the problem seems to be in the manifestation of selfish political behaviour of which the cause being the matter.

our society has gone way ahead in this process and its very difficult to simplify the complexities of the structures. However, taking clue from the abvementioned understanding if the process is reversed i mean if the matter is equally accessed by all, wouldn`t it minimize the very scope of selfish political behaviour?

Wouldn`t it then limit the scope and challenge the very foundation of all the hierarchical, exploitative and discriminatory social relationships?

In this fast moving life, when I pause a little and introspect across times and phases in my life in retrospection, I cannot but feel immensely indebted to the contributors who enriched my life with their varied experience and blessings.

Fortunate I was as my first Gurus i.e. my parents chose to provide me the opportunity for meeting great academicians, professionals, colleagues, friends and even not so friendly ones who directly and indirectly helped to grow..

Thanks to all such "Gurus" both formal and informal ones: friends, colleagues, teachers, professors and above all, my parents. I will remain indebted forever.... Thanks

Happy teachers day........!

"Reservation", as and when it comes in to news, unfettered reactions fills up entire socio-political space. In normal situations one seldom raises issues of caste, discrimination, untouchability but when something related to "reservation' or some other means of affirmative action occupies space, I could see many a apolitical metrosexuals, even the ones usually keeping arms length with the political milieu instantly transform as the biggest caretakers and solution providers of the above mentioned social evils..

To me this behaviour indicates something pseudo, something unrealistic, a reactionary political move which has no real sympathy with the eradication of the caste system. If at all one wants to weed out the root causes of the prevalent social evils, one must dare enough to talk about the evils consistently and refrain from making occasional reactionary remarks. It only shows the real character of the reaction which is nothing less than a political one rather for a social remedy.

Truly said that communalism is nothing less than the aspirations of the burgeoning middle class of instant solution seekers who can go to any damn levels of hypocrisy.

Truth is that if the country really were to be the land of Mahatmas and saints in real terms, no social evil would have existed as it exists now. For a not so mahatma like nation only coercion had been a comparatively effective tool. Time since independence had been proof to this assumption. I hope the future of my country falsifies this. I shall be the happiest...

In the world of robust vocal chords, knowledge definitely takes a back seat most of the times....Not to mention what sells is what is considered to be right in contemporary scenario for instance personality vs character, information vs knowledge...etc etc

Sagarikas and Arnabs are one of those who are trying to gain from the existing system which is aimed at selling more....They are just being like many others, the products of the system for whom conformity and adaptation are sacrosanct or else they will lose.

The products of the system are equally responsible as the system itself...There needs to be construction of an understanding that objectivity and reason, even if they do not sell need to be assimilated and worked upon...but again it will cost much given the ism of capital prevalent today.

Its drucker being assimilated in debates on these TV screens... product mix, differentiation and bla bla...why wouldnt there be spin, tautology etc??

In nutshell, item by item we need to reason out to figure out that what sells need not necessarily mean right, need not mean to be objective, scientific, knowledge...

Politics of "capital" has many facets..TV debates are no exceptions

Freedom......

Corruption has several forms and dimensions: Economic, Political and Social. If we try examining, we will find that the drive that propels one to commit a corrupt practice is the “need for power” which for most of the times remains a precursor to enhanced social prestige and position or perhaps hegemony. In simple words a deliberate permutation and combination in one`s activity that leads to enhanced position and prestige of an individual or group or a community or a society or a nation can be put in to the broad spectrum of corruption. All this has indirect correlation with material benefits that power can provide easy accessibility to. The scope of material need determines the extent of the need for power and thus of corruption. Therefore, materialism is the prime precursor of the entire above mentioned social, political and economic phenomenon called corruption.  

The contemporary mobilizations of few thousand people by Ramdev , Anna and the respective teams apparently claim to stand for weeding out corruption from the face of this country. I have still not understood what corruption they are talking about? Is it the one which an effective Lokpal will take care of i.e. by checking accountabilities and putting the offenders on trials? Or is it against the basic framework of society and in turn our social consciousness that has translated in our subconscious minds? Or is it against the material condition that has led to such social structures in the form of caste and class hierarchies which are actively involved since time immemorial in making possible the exploitation of man by a man? And if it is not against these social institutions then I would ask why it is not?? The answer lies in the fact they are active proponents of the existing structures and very much in the race of materialism. Expecting something against corruption from the ones who are soaked in to it to me seems to be an utopian concept. And it applies to all not only Anna or Ramdev or their teams for that matter. No one can give a corruption free society unless I and you pledge honestly against it.

Corruption is a behavior. The social environment that sows its seed, irrigates it and cultivates it is what needs to be fought against. The constructs of power, prestige and position should be redefined in context of a progressive social structure which the new generation has to sow seeds of. The material conditions needs to be made accessible to one and the all in the same proportion as their demand or perhaps some more scientific social set up needs to be planned out. I would like to quote Bhagat Singh in my own language; item by item we have to question our faith till we find a reason in our existing faith or else a new faith based on reason and rationality has to be created. 

Freedom to our country shall never come in reality till we have institutions that make the exploitation of man by another man possible. And this exploitation is the ultimate form of corruption that has to be fought upon. It is not “they” but I and you who have to be accountable enough before Lokpal comes and checks us.. Jai Hind!

I feel extremely humbled to write this biography.Its about Laxmi. She lives in Karaikudi, Tamil nadu. Recently I happened to get posted in Karaikudi and it was when I met her in the guest house where she works as a caretaker. She spoke hindi effortlessly which drew my (as I being a North Indian) attention to her life and that is how I got to know more about her life story. Later on I discovered she had spent quite sometime in Mumbai.

Laxmi is about to cross her middle ages and has three daughters. Eldest daughter scored 450 out of 500 in the 10th Board Exams and is an extremely brilliant student and is studying in a good poly-technique institute. The second daughter is in her 10th Class and the youngest one is in 6th standard.

Why I am writing this story is because of the facts I am going to tell now. Laxmi`s husband abandoned her 10 years back when her daughters were still very young. She went helpless. She didn’t have any source of livelihood or support to run her family. It was a cruel phase in her life. She could have committed suicide or might have very well succumbed to the bad fortune in any form. But she never did so. Since then she had been working as maid servant, guest house attendant and many other things and had been able to somehow manage and shape her daughters` life and provide quality education to them. She starved at nights but ensured food to her daughters. She is constantly striving to shape up the future of her three young daughters.Perhaps she doesn’t want them to feel what she had experienced being a dependant woman 10 years back.

She fought life with courage and still she is fighting like a Hero which is incomparable. Her life is an inspiration to millions of people who think their little problem is the biggest problem in this world.

Certainly, she is a real time iron lady. I personally salute her spirit. May her daughters achieve the best of everything and take care of their mother. I am sure they definitely will, because the drive towards their aspirations is a lady who can be an inspiration to anyone on this earth. Salute to her indomitable spirit and womanhood!

Celebrated Republic Day in a school running under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Programme in a local village named Pallathur (few Kms away from Mr Chidambaram`s house). Felt like visiting a temple with "real deities". Honestly speaking, the energy multiplies manifolds seeing the innocence and naive patriotic zeal of the young students. I thoroughly enjoyed the moment, however, back in retrospection, I equally felt sad for them. Afterall, anything pure in this so called "real world" is exposed to vulnerability. I wished if we could be a part of India where purity of human values is valued and respected. I wished their naivety and innocence doesn`t get hurt when they grow up only to realize that the nation which they were once so ideally proud of is not so ideal for millions of people. I wished justice for those ignited minds and their spirits in this not so spirited nation............

I also wished if our nation were a real Republic of every single individual empowered not only by "political democracy" but also by "social democracy" which Dr Ambedkar, the chief architect of the constitution of India, had once quoted addressing the constituent Assembly.

Finally I wondered whether the real deities of that school heard my wishes and smiled.

Nevertheless, a Great Republic Day to all my fellow countrymen, women & NRIs once again. Hope the "real republic" is progressively under construction :)