Book Review [122] : Shreeman Yogi

When i was kid i used to read random books on great Indians. Those days UP board had 'Hamare Poorvaj' (Our ancestors) book in syllabi of class VI, VII and VIII to educate young students about our great ancestors, i am not sure whether this book still exists or consumed by the fire of  skewed 'Secularism'; There were chapters on Shivaji, Hyder Ali, Chandbibi, Rani Durgawati, Rani Laxmibai, Bheeshm Pitamah, Shershah Suri, Guru Gobind Singh etc, well those days were different days. I first read about Shivaji in one of those books and since then i have become a great admirer of Shivaji. 

'Shreeman Yogi'  (originally written in Marathi) by Ranjit Desai is a great historic novel on the life of Shivaji Raje. It is mammoth in size and each of its 992 pages are drenched with the sacrifices of Raje and his people. When there was no independent Hindu kingdom south of Narmada and when the Hindus of India were persecuted in major part of the country and when their temples were desecrated as a matter of routine that time Shivaji Raje ignited the fire of resistance against the tyranny of Mughals and Adilshahi.

He was born in a rich and powerful family of Bhonsles and related to another powerful family of Jadhavs on maternal side but he and his mother were abandoned by Shahji Maharaj in the hostile estate of Pune under the guardianship of Dadoji Kond-dev. He learned the heard way under Dadoji and started dreaming about an independent state when he was barely in his teens. He started his remarkably ambitious mission by first conquering the Torana fort. He became the master of Sahyadri before his 30th birthday. He successfully countered the hostilities of Siddis, Mughals and Adilshahi and founded a solid Kingdom in western Maharashtra.

The books tells in details how Shivaji Raje built his team and filled them with the ambition of founding an independent state. The way he overpowered the treachery of Afzal Khan has become a subject of countless ballads. His chivalrous conduct with the most beautiful daughter-in-law of Subedar of Kalyan does not have any comparison. He did that in an age when women prisoner of war were either inducted in the harem of the conquerors or were sold in slave markets. 

Mata Jijabai was the most brave and intelligent women of medieval India. Had there been no Mata Jijabai, certainly there would have been no Shivaji. She inculcated in him the feeling of independence and chivalry from his very childhood. The seed that was sown in the hostile land of Pune became a mighty Chhatrapati by 1674. Mata Jijabai died within a month after the coronation of Shivaji Raje in 1674.

As they say King is as great or bad as his followers and Shivaji had very loyal and brave followers - Yesaji Kank, Tanaji Malsure, Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Moropant, Anaji, Firgonji, Shiva Mahala, Jiva Nai, Prataprao to name a few.

The book covers in minute details the Purandar treaty with Mirja Raja Jai Singh and the escape of Shivaji from Agra under the nose of barbaric Aurangzeb. The General who was not defeated by even the most mighty generals like Shaishta Khan or Afzal Kan, was undone by the family intrigues. 

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [121] : India - A Wounded Civilization

'India - A Wounded Civilization' is second masterpiece of Sir V S Naipaul's Indian trilogy. Written during emergency period, it is a commentary on the classical Indian concept of taking refuge in security of fatalism and quietism in times of challenges and flux.

A single invasion can shatter the confidence of any great country, India has faced countless invasions over the last 1000 years and its soul has taken drastic beatings. India had had faced invasions since time immemorial but those invasions were defeated in the end and the invaders were integrated without any trace of their originality. No one in current India identifies him/herself with Shakas, Pahalvas, Hunas or Kushanas; their probable lack of religion or high culture made them weaker against Indian civilization but the situation changed after the advent of Muslim civilization. Now the invaders had a culture and a more egalitarian religion and this resulted in a very complex relations between the invaders and the conquered people. The conquered India was finally beaten to dust by the 'superior' western civilization; the deadly mix of Hindu quietism and Muslim stagnancy only helped the charge of the Anglo - Saxons invaders.

Singing glories of ancient civilization and not doing anything to build upon it has become a hallmark of contemporary India. We spend our energies, time and resources in protecting cows instead of enhancing their productivity. We sing and love the ancient Sanskrit literature but can we single out any great piece of Sanskrit literature produced by Indians in this century. Nowhere in the world poverty is idolized and nowhere in the world only the past is considered a perfect solution for all the evils without any innovation and without any plan for future. No country has receded culturally and geographically as India and this receding has been going on without any break for the last 1000 years. For Invaders India has always been India but for Indians India has always been an agglomeration of castes and religious groups and it does not look like changing. We have been decaying and continue to decay.

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [120] : An Area Of Darkness

I am a big fan of Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul and this admiration does not come without any reason. I have read his many books - 'India: A Million Mutinies Now', 'Among the believers - An Islamic journey' and 'An Area of Darkness' and found them as concentrated doses of a very high level intellect.His books make a direct connect.

 'An Area of Darkness' is a commentary on India of our grandparents i.e. of 1960s. India, that was struggling to stand on her feet and people who were fighting to breathe air of a country after centuries of foreign subjugation. A country without any native aristocracy (specially in northern plains) for centuries always mimicked the traits of the foreign conquerors. First India mimicked the dress, language and culture of Turks, followed by Mughals and in the last India got completely transformed in the mimicry of British. It can be seen in clubs, golf courses, army mess etc. Even in current era we love to mimic the Americans. No civilization was as ill-prepared to face invasions, no civilization was as prepared for plunder and destruction. India fails to learn from her own agonies and from her own slavery perhaps it has much to with the fatalist attitude conditioned in the minds of its millions over a period of many centuries. 

Whenever India gets time for revival, she gets into the ancient habit of reviving the past, instead of adding new glories to the glorious civilization of the old. What is our contribution to the achievements of our ancestors, its cipher! We love to replicate them most often blindly. In India things never get abolished, they only get absorbed in the collective consciousness of the millions. 
Naipaul covers his experience of Indian bureaucracy in a subtle humorous way and a lot remains unchanged even today. His coverage of 'Amarnath Yatra' is too realistic and his stay in Srinagar hotel is too dramatic. He also exposes the ugly stereotypes that some north Indians have of south Indians. He also covers open defecation , the filth, the poverty with a pure mind of an unbiased critic. 

This book is the first of many books written by Naipaul on India. He came from England/Trinidad to visit country of his ancestors in 1962 with high hopes but left it calling it 'An Area of darkness'. In these 53 years we have not achieved much and if another Naipaul visits India now, his conclusions wont be much different. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [119] : Shivaji And His Times

'Shivaji and his times' is one of the finest works of indefatigable Jadunath Sarkar. It is a remarkable biography of Shivaji based on letters, memoirs and contemporary records without exaggerating his deeds or misdeeds. 

When the bigotry of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was crossing all the limits of barbarism itself that time the Maratha country was glowing in the adventures and audacity of Shivaji. It was tough to establish a Kingdom even in normal times and it was almost impossible to establish a Kingdom in face of fierce opposition of the great Mughal Empire and powerful Kingdom of Bijapur. Shivaji founded the first Hindu Kingdom north of Tungabhadra 350, years after Yadavs of Devagiri, by fighting on all fronts against Mughal Empire, Bijapur Kingdom, Siddis of Janjira and Danda-Rajpuri and fellow Maratha chiefs. He was the most liberal ruler of India. When Aurangzeb was imposing notorious Jizya tax on Hindus and destroying Hindu temples, Shivaji was granting alms to people of all religions. He never molested Muslims and never desecrated their places of worship. His conduct towards captured women was equally just and for this even his bitter foes admired him. 

He was military genius and great strategist. The way he outmaneuvered Bijapuri general Afzal khan has now become subject of ballads, his escape from Mughal confinement is equally legendary. He was ably supported by a great generations of generals and administrators like Moropant Pingle, Tanaji Malsure, Suryaji Malsure,  Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Netaji Palkar, Pratap Rao and others.

After his death in 1680 his Kingdom faced brutal invasions by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and Marathas took some time to defeat these invasions and transform their Kingdom into a powerful Empire reaching to the banks of Indus. 

As they say behind every successful man there is a woman and in case of Shivaji that woman was honorable Jijabai, a great mother who gave this country a nation builder.

This book is also full of stories and i would like to mention one such story:

(Shivaji was conversing with Qutb Shah, the king of Golconda Kingdom in late 1670s)

To Qutb Shah's question, "How many famous elephants have you?"
Shivaji answered by parading several thousands of his well-built Mavle infantrymen and saying, "These are my elephants."
Mockingly, Qutb Shah asked:
“Will they fight with our elephants?”
Shivaji said: “Let us put them on the field tomorrow.”
The next day, Qutb Shah had his most ferocious elephant brought, and fielded him in the grounds of Golconda. Shivaji Maharaj asked one of his men, Yesaaji Kank, to fight with the elephant. Yesaaji threw his blanket on the ground, and jumped into the arena with a sword in hand. He cut off the trunk of the elephant and killed the elephant.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [118] : Tamas

Mid 1940s were the most violent years of India when neighbors looted, killed, converted and raped neighbors, friends betrayed their friends and when  men and women were reduced to the base animals in spirits as well as in forms. More than a million were killed, about 15 million people were forced to vacate their homelands and about hundred thousands women were abducted and raped. The two great religions were used by fanatics of all shades to unleash the barbarity of human spirit. Centuries ago invading armies used to commit these kind of atrocities but in 1946/47 these were perpetrated by the common people confirming 'banality of evil'. There have been many films, stories, poems etc produced on this tragic event of human history. Some films are really good like 'Khamosh Pani', 'Garam Hawa', 'Pinjar' etc. 

'Tamas' written by Bheeshm Sahni is one such narrative on partition riots in Rawalpindi though written about 25 years later. It shows how common people were made to believe that their own neighbours were their enemies.  How politicians did nothing to prevent the impending riot. How government machinery did nothing to put the culprits behind the bars and take preventive action. How a village got divided in two religious groups ready to cut the throats of others. It was true then and it is true now. Its an often repeated tragedy and we have not learned even after killing so many people in these riots. Every year or so major riot takes place in India though killings do not reach extremes of 1947 but even a single killing is a blot on all of us. Indian state stands strong but riot is an outcome a mere symptom of the underline fissure that continues to divide great Indian society based on religion.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [117] : House of Shivaji

Jadunath Sarkar (1870 - 1958) was one of the greatest Indian historians of modern era. His works on Mughal and Maratha history have not seen any parallel. His seminal work 'House of Shivaji' covers in details the rise of the Bhonsles from  'petty' chiefs to the sovereign Kings accompanied by the rise of Maratha nationalism against the depredations of Mughals. 

This work is primarily based on the imperial letters, contemporary historians, letters and memoirs of Europeans. The letters are quoted in details and they make delightful read.  Two of the greatest obstacles in the path of Maratha resurgence were inter-caste and mutual rivalries among the Maratha chiefs. Prominent Maratha chief Lakhaji Jadhav Rao was against marrying his daughter Jijabai to the son of an upstart Bhonsle, Maratha Brahmins refused to coronate Shivaji because he was not a 'Khsatriya',  Shambhaji faced a continuous revolt of the Brahmins because of his 'haughty and bloodthirsty nature', tussle between Chitpawan Brahmins and others after the release of Shahu etc. One of the greatest Maratha General Santaji Ghorpade was not killed by Mughals but by a fellow Maratha, Shambhaji was captured by Mughals with the help from Marathas and there are so many such cases.

Despite of these structural issues the Marathas faced the entire might of Mughal Empire with an unparalleled ferocity. After the barbaric execution of Shambhaji (1689) no one would have thought that Maratha people could rise again but they did and they did so brilliantly that Mughal Empire surrendered all its authority before them in matter of few decades (by 1720). 

Its a must read book for any lover of Maratha history. 

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [116] : Rise Of Maratha Power

Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842 - 1901) was one of the most prominent social reformers and makers of modern India. 'Rise of Maratha Power' (its can be freely downloadable as well)  is a gem of a book written by him more than 100 years back. Marxist historians have not given enough importance to the Maratha freedom movement and in most cases the Marathas had been treated as some kind of "rebels" against the central authority of Mughal Empire like Jats of Yamuna belt, Bundelas, Afghans and Sikhs. The socio-religious movement underneath this great surge of Maratha power has not been given much focus.

Ranade gives much deserving focus to the religious and social movement started and intensified by the large number of reformers and saints coming from all sections of society - Jnaneswar (13th century), Namdev (14th c), Jnanbai (14th c), Sena (14th c), Eknath (16th c), Tukaram (17th c),  Ramdas (17th c) to name a few.
A political force becomes long lasting only when it is supported by a superior moral and spiritual force. Had these saints not been born in those eras, Shivaji might have not found the conducive environment to create 'Swaraj' and Maratha Empire might not have been founded. It would have met the fate of other contemporaneous kingdoms like Mysore, Bengal, Hyderabad and Awadh. The social movement and the hunger for freedom from the yoke of "foreign" rule produced a large number of military and civil leaders like Shivaji, Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Tanaji Malsure, Santaji Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhav, Moropant Pingle, Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao, Balaji Bajirao, Nana Fadnavis, Mahadaji Sindhia, Ahilyabai Holkar and many others.
The Empire founded in the vicinity of Pune reached to the banks of Indus in North West, Orissa in East, Tanjore in South and Bundelkhand in north against all odds and the might of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb himself.
Shivaji created an institution named 'Ashta Pradhan' consisting of civil ministers and military leaders in order to maintain required checks and balances but its gradual decay in 18th century caused the downfall of Maratha Empire with each constituent units started catering to its own self interests.
Its a must read book for any history lover and specially for those who are admirer of Maratha history in particular.
Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [115] : Gideon's Spies - The Secret History Of The Mossad

Israel has always fascinated me. The beacon of democracy in the midst of barbarity of human spirit has been the victim of state sponsored terrorism since its birth but its spirit and hunger to exist and defy have always foiled all these acts of terrorism.  Israel was built from the ashes of Auschwitz, from the sacrifice of close to 6 million Jews who were killed in most barbaric way by the Nazis and from the blood of Arabs who were killed in internecine wars with Jews. Israel/Palestine is such a small country that you cant see on a world map. Its a barren strip of land between Mediterranean and Jordan river but its of damn significance and dictates the Geo-politics of the human civilization. 

Gideon's Spies is a marvelously researched book on the history of Mossad. It has been appreciated by Mossad itself for near accurate representation of Mossad. This book is named after Gideon, a biblical hero who used spies in battles against enemies of Jews. Mossad is the most feared and widely respected intelligence organization in the world. Perhaps it is the only organization that has a dedicated assassination squad called 'Kidon'.

This book covers in detail the various operations undertaken by Mossad from the stealing of MiG 21 from Iran to the bombing of Syrian nuclear facility not too far from Damascus. My favorite operation remains the 'Raid on Entebbe'. It even surpasses the killing of Osama by US SEALS in measure of clinical perfection. The other operations worth reading are 'the hunt of Black September terrorists', 'the exposure of North Korea as a nuclear material smuggler', 'assassination of devil scientist Bull',  'failed assassination attempt on Khaled Meshal', 'the impossible spy in Eli Cohen' and the 'Abduction of evil incarnate Adolf Eichmann from Argentina. 

India does not find much mention in this book. The only time when it finds mention is when Mossad Katsa (Katsa - Mossad Station officer) helps India in liquidating the mastermind of Oct 2005 Delhi bombing. 

The details of terrorism and world politics are very murky and no country is innocent when the causes of terrorism are studied. All countries at different points of time have supported terrorists to achieve their political/religions/economical means. Israel has had Irgun in 1940s, US supported Mujaheddins against USSR in Afghanistan, Syria and Iran support Hezbollah etc etc. The most fearsome thing that you can read in this book is the evil effort to build an ethnic bomb that would only target a particular ethnic group or race based on its genes. Its the most perverse example of bio-terrorism.

This book is a must read book for those who really want to see what is there behind the suave looking veil of international diplomacy and Bond movies. 

Highly Recommended (9/10)

Book Review [114] : Punjab - A History From Aurangzeb to Mountbatten

'Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten' is a good historical work written in a lucid style by Rajmohan Gandhi (grandson of two great Indians - Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari). It covers the history of Punjab from the death of Aurangzeb to the partition of Punjab in a detailed manner. 

This book is a repository of many stories/things/places of Punjab. There is one such place in Punjab known as Tilla Gorakhnath ( an ancient Jogi monastery). Its located about 40 km west of Jhelum town in Pakistan. Its is widely believed that Gorakhnath may have lived here. Nowadays its in ruins only.

It tells in details about the rise of Sikh powers from the ruins of Mughal power and destruction caused by 10 invasions of Afghan chief Ahmad Shah Abdali/Durrani. Its a real question for historians and social scientists that why Sikhs were able to carve out a large empire in greater Punjab despite of being in a tiny minority while Muslims failed despite of being in absolute majority (The Sikhs were less than 10% of the total population of Punjab + Jammu & Kashmir + trans Indus region while Muslims were more than 50%). Perhaps the spirit of common Punjabi brotherhood ran deeper those days. The Sikh Kingdom under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the first independent Kingdom of Punjabis in Punjab since 1192. In many battles that Sikh Empire fought against Afghans the Muslims of Punjab either supported Sikhs or stayed neutral. Had they supported Afghans, it would have been easier for Afghans to destroy Sikh power.

Beef was banned in the Sikh empire and cow slaughter was strictly forbidden. It was a syncretic Hindu-Sikh empire with most of the nobility coming from Hindus and Sikhs. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a highly pragmatic King and was able to secure his Empire from British Hawks when Marathas and everyone else lost theirs but he could have been more shrewd and could have exploited the threat from France and Russia in getting a better bargain from the Company. 

The Sikh Empire was not defeated by Britishers but by the foes within. Their Generals Lal Singh and Tez Singh treacherously destroyed their own army and Empire. The British lost very few battles in India and the Battle of Chillianwala was one such battle when Indians showed British their actual place. The annexation of Punjab was followed by the introduction of British administration and recruitment of Punjabis in British Army. This played a key role in suppression of the first war of Indian Independence. It was not the Britishers who defeated the Sepoys, it was the Punjabis who defeated and killed their own brothers in 1857 and 58. The sanguine scenes were again repeated in the fields of Punjab in 1947 when Punjabis killed Punjabis in a bitter internecine "civil war". 

Overall its a must read book. Highly recommended (8/10).

Book Review [113] : The Hindus - An Alternative Story

There was a wild outrage in India when this book was pulped in 2013 on grounds of offending the religious feeling of Hindus. That time i did scan some website on this book and read some excerpts and i did found those offensive. To cause selective offense is a sacred task of Indian intellectuals and for them it is a one way street, nevertheless i consider that all books contain some degree of divinity and truth and should be respected not pulped.

Rig Ved says "Let the noble ideas come from all directions" but Rig Ved is clueless about "not so noble ideas" and Rig Ved was composed about 3500 years back. Have we graduated from 'noble ideas' to 'ideas' in these 3500 years and if not then whats the point?

So i started reading this book last Monday with an open mind. Wendy Doniger starts this book with 'Egg' controversy (Some Hindu threw an egg on her during a lecture in London in 2003 chaired by William Dalrymple) and claims with self righteous arrogance that "Because of her efforts people who would otherwise go on thinking that Hinduism is nothing but a caste system that mistreats untouchables have come to learn about it and to admire the beauty, complexity and wisdom of the Hindu texts". Its like Hinduism is a handicapped religion or Hindus are an uneducated or an inarticulate lot.

There have been many materialistic interpretations of Indian history from D D Koshambi to Romila Thapar, adding to this glorious tradition of materialistic history this book introduces sexual interpretation of Hinduism through western eyes and lens.There is an over emphasis on sex/incest/rape in this book and she does not leave out even  Ram, Shiva, Sita, Parvati, Durga from her focus but this is understandable. She is a western writer with no emotional or religious attachment to Hinduism. For her its very easy to say that Aryans were like Nazis without any evidence. It is a Freudian slip or i don't know.

I will first mention the factual errors and twisted interpretations (definitely not an exhaustive list) that i caught with little effort:

She mentions (chapter 6) that in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.4.3-4) father God rapes his daughter. This is one of the many erroneous interpretations she would make in this book. Do your own research to find out the meaning of those hymns. 

She writes (chapter 10) that Mahabharat is a tale of grotesque, sanctioned violence. It is far from truth. Pandavas and Krishn tried almost every resort before participating in the war. She writes that Satyavati gave birth to only son, everybody knows that Chitrangada and Vichitravirya were her sons from Shantanu. 

She writes (chapter 16) that Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti settled in Pushkar, world knows that Ajmer was his place (bit far from Pushkar).

She writes (chapter 16) that in Vijaynagar temples were the least destroyed buildings by the confederacy of Muslim Kingdom after the gory battle of Talikota (1565). I myself have seen Hampi, almost all the temples are destroyed except one or two. It does not need super intelligent brain to see it. 

She writes (chapter 19) that Guru Gobind Singh was assassinated in 1708 while attending the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is a blatant untruth. Aurangzeb died in 1707. Muazzam (aka Bahadur Shah) was Mughal Emperor when Guru was assassinated. 

She writes (chapter 21) that Rani Laxmi Bai was shot to death, again gross untruth. She committed suicide after suffering serious wounds. 

I will not comment on her interpretations of Ramayan and Mahabharat (though i am qualified enough), neither i will comment on interpretations of Veds, Upanishads, Puranas etc (here i am not qualified enough).

She defends gory destruction of Hindu temples in a clever way by invoking the typical  argument of Romila Thapar (that dominant religion appropriates the religious places of defeated religion. Hindus had done the same with Jains and Buddhists according to Wendy and Thapar both though there is little material evidence to confirm this). As usual she blames Hindu Right for all the ills propagating the cult of Dalrymple and Thapar. 

Overall this book is a sexual overlay on the seminal work of Thapar on Ancient India. Almost all the concepts are same or similar and Wendy quotes Thapar very frequently. Its a kind of mutual admiration group (Wendy, Romila and Dalrymple). This book in totality is still a very good book. There are many alternative interpretations that people should read and give a serious thought but too much sex is indeed too much sex. I will still rate Thapar's book much higher than this sexual trash. But i again say that this book should not have been banned and i don't need Voltaire to defend my argument, my Veds and Upanishads are just fine.

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [112] : Transcendence my Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji

Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam (15 Oct 1931 - 27 July 2015) was undoubtedly the greatest Indian of last few decades and one of the greatest of all time; he personified India itself with its numerous sects, religions, castes, languages, customs etc. He was and is respected by all Indians and in the current era of polarizing loyalties this is very unique. As far as i can see Sachin Tendulkar and Kalam Saheb are the only two Indians loved by all without any iota of controversy. Kalam saheb's life is full of lessons and inspirations for all of us. We often crib and carp about lack of infrastructure, lack of resource etc etc but this gentleman came from a poorly developed island and became a name to reckon with in his 84 years of life. He made every second counts and always believed in giving than taking. When he died he did not have any materialistic fortune but he had the love and respect of more than a billion people and he left us a very rich legacy.
 

'Transcendence my Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji' is the last work of Dr. Kalam. He talks about his experiences with Pramukh Swamiji of Swaminarayan Sampraday. He credits Swamiji for inspiring him to take sacred mission of rejuvenating India. This book is a collection of articles on various aspects of faith, science, enlightened citizenship, ethics, tolerance, mutual respect etc. Only enlightened citizens can make an enlightened world. Its almost impossible to mend a broken man while very easy to build strong children. Our focus should be on utilizing our energy and resources in building our children as enlightened citizens. This books takes inspiring examples from the lives of great people of different faiths and great scientists and exhorts us to seek truth as truth alone is the final summit, final end.
Its a great book and every Indian should read it. I am grateful to my wife's friend for gifting this great book. Thank you very much Kalam Saheb for writing this gem.
Highly Recommended (9/10)

Thoughts of a non beef eating Hindu

It will be a matter of great shame if the recent lynching of a man on beef eating rumors does not shake our spine. This cowardly and barbaric act of the villagers can never be justified on any grounds - Historic, Religious or Legal. This a national shame. This act has caused me tremendous pain and agony and in some way i find myself part of that lynching mob. May be i need some kind of punishment too I was so depressed that i even took a break from active life. I am writing this post mainly because of my dear friend Ashish Kumar Verma ji’s help in coming out of this ocean of depression. Last 3-4 days i have contemplated a lot on the issue of cow slaughter and beef eating and to be very honest its a very sensitive and controversial topic and has a very complicated and gory history. I must declare here that i am a pure vegetarian and a non-alcoholic person.

Its a well known fact that certain section of ancient Indian populace were beef eaters and there are numerous such incidents in ancient text books. Aryans were cattle herders and practiced little agriculture. They obviously ate beef but they also performed various Yajnas and animal sacrifices. There are many Hindus who eat beef even today and most of them justify this on the ground that it was an acknowledged dietary habit in ancient India but so was animal sacrifice and various Yajnas. So can we start performing various Yajnas and animal sacrifice because of the antiquity.

Cow became sacred and achieved motherly status in later Vedic period. We read a lot of stories associated with Bhagwan Krishn around cows and it was Lord Krishn who made cow an integral part of Hinduism and since then Cow has been enjoying a kind of motherly status in Hinduism. I do accept that certain section of Hindus have had always contested this norm. Many Hindus of cow belt region are vegetarian today because of Puranic Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Humanism. I personally believe that killing animals for eating purpose is a remnant of our barbaric past and i do believe that it will disappear just like the almost disappearance of human and animal sacrifices and future society will be a vegetarian society.

Coming back to the question of beef eating and cow slaughter, i personally believe that cow slaughter is as great a sin in my religion as killing one’s mother and beef eating is like eating flesh of one’s mother. I also know devout Hindus who sell their old or non milking cows to slaughter houses. I also know devout Hindus who leave their cows to roam on roads causing accidents or killing themselves after swallowing plastic bags. If cow is indeed a mother then why do we sell her to slaughter house or allow her to roam on roads or allow her to commit suicide. These are inconvenient questions and demand answers. Do we really care about cows or do we use cows to show our “hatred” towards Muslims?

Cow does not enjoy a prominent place in Islam as does Goat and mainly goats are sacrificed on Bakr Eid. I have also seen certain Muslims asserting their ‘right’ to sacrifice cow and eat beef. They could have chosen any other animal except cow. I also believe that if they want to slaughter cow and if the state law permits that then no power on earth can stop them but then it also does not promote communal harmony. Personally i wont be comfortable with a person who slaughter cows and eat beef but that does not mean that i will become an enemy of person but certainly my friendship/love towards that person will suffer.

I personally believe that in a free country every one should be free to eat whatsoever or whomsoever one’s likes but there are certain things we ought to respect to promote inter religious harmony and going soft on cow slaughter and beef eating is one such thing. It should come from both sides - Hindus should stop the use of force or coercion and Muslims & beef eating Hindus/others should consider this for a while. Cow has a huge significance in Hinduism and absolutely zero significance in Islam so this question is not a Hindu-Muslim question at all. The choice is ours. Inter religious harmony is the single most important thing for our country and it should be saved at any cost.

I have read Hind Swaraj multiple times and in this book Gandhi ji had given a very good solution to this issue. He writes that in cases where a Muslim is about to slaughter a cow the Hindu should offer himself as a sacrifice in place of that cow. The power of love and sacrifice will force that person not to slaughter that cow.

Coming back to that village in Dadri, i request those villagers to voluntarily surrender the culprits to Police, seek forgiveness of the victim family and adopt that family as their own.

P.S. I have written this after a lot of thought and contemplation.

Book Review [111] : The God Of Small Things

I generally do not read fiction and i generally dislike Arundhati Roy. The reasons for my dislike of Ms Arundhati Roy are manifold but the most important one is her jaundiced intellectualism. Yet i bought her 'The God Of Small Things' but only to read many years later. Its a story weaved in a peculiar social caste ridden structure of Syrian Christians in God's own country. The plot of the book is not that great but its a good tome to understand

the society, customs and caste structure of Syrian Christians. We have read this plot in many books, seen in many movies and experienced in various situations but to me the knowledge of "strict" adherence of caste system in this non-Hindu society came as a shock. The climax is not a climax at all and like numerous such stories the low caste guy had to pay for their carnal "sin" against the centuries old laws. The book starts at a snail pace (and you have to be show extreme patience) with some suspense in the middle but the climax is too mediocre.

To me the story meant nothing and is full of stereotypes; there are stereotypes of Hindu pilgrims, communist leader, communist workers, Syrian Christians etc but the description of Syrian Christians (if true) is indeed a learning for me.  The description of the natural beauty of Kerala is mesmerizing and the choice of words awe-inspiring. This book was awarded Booker Prize in 1997 and certainly the prize has made this book a 'best seller' just like The White Tiger of Aravind Adiga. Had this book been written in a predominantly Hindu society it would have come as full of cliches, the Syrian Christian household is its only savior. 

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [110] : I Dare!

Autobiography/biography is a condensed form of life long learning of the person concerned. Every person should write one and read many so that reader and writer both can mutually benefit as well as the posterity. But this can also promote a kind of blind following so should be read with a pinch of salt. The hero worship is a peculiar problem that our country faces; we are not ready to accept any fault in our heroes, are immune to any criticism and readily add an aura of divinity to them. This is not good for our country and was strongly denounced by none other than great reformer Dr. Ambedkar in his seminal speech in constituent assembly.

'I Dare!' is a biography of the first ever and highly celebrated woman IPS Officer and a highly distinguished social activist Dr. Kiran Bedi. She (aka Crane Bedi) is a very inspiring icon of India and her life is a living record of many challenges that a woman (and a common man) in our country faces.  Dr. Kiran Bedi faced seemingly insurmountable challenges in her life, she passed in many and failed in few but in doing so she created a trail which many many Indians would like to follow. It is said that Kiran Bedi "ran" away from Mizoram assignment instead of taking the challenge head-on, she also "ran" away from Chandigarh and Goa assignments. Many critics and media personalities blame her and write with all the vituperation that they can muster for these "failures" but all these people fail to understand one basic thing that in our country its the woman (and specially the working woman) who has to make all the sacrifices. In Goa and Chandigarh assignments, she had to leave for Delhi because of the serious medical condition of her daughter and mother, though she had a husband and three more sisters but only she had to put her career at stake. In case of Mizoram i think she made a right decision but i would also say that her daughter should not have wasted the highly coveted medical seat and should have finished her medical studies. 

In this book she blames higher bureaucracy's antipathy towards her for not getting the prime post of Commissioner of Police, Delhi. She resigned within few months after her being overlooked for this post. I seriously believe that she should have been given the charge of Delhi Police, this would have sent an encouraging signal to Delhites specially the women. 

Her work in Tihar jail is the stuff of legends and she was duly awarded with Magsaysay award for it but even then she was not given any of the Padma awards. She could have been "utilized" in a better way by the Police establishment but Alas!

Change is the law. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [109] : Operation Black Thunder

India has seen a large number of man made tragedies since her Independence, starting from bloody partition to the bloody UP riots of 2013 but no tragedy had been bigger than the Operation Blue Star. Operation Black Thunder (1988) is a telling reminder that Operation Blue Star was indeed a blunder and an unforgettable tragedy that could have been avoided. 

I can't imagine even in wildest of dreams that the leaders of my country would use Tanks to liquidate self created monster from one of the holiest shrines of our civilization. '1984' remains one of the darkest years of our history; in this year we betrayed the faith of the most patriotic, courageous and proudest of Indians by first bombarding 'Golden Temple' and then massacring them on the streets of north Indian cities following the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi.
These days great Indian intellectuals use the 'causality' doctrine to justify terrorism as a kind of revenge against manufactured or genuine injustices as they had done in recent hanging of Yakub Memon, in those days only politicians used to follow this shameful justification without giving even scant respect to the innocent lives. I don't know whether our intellectuals have degenerated or our politicians have evolved. 

'Operation Black Thunder' is an account of Punjab insurgency from the closest eyes possible. Sarab Jit Singh (former IAS) was the deputy Commissioner of Amritsar for full 5 tumultuous years (1987-1992), this is an account of his experience. He faced enormous challenges from the day he landed in Amritsar. Sarab Jit,  super cop KPS Gill and millions of peace loving Punjabis can be considered true liberators of Punjab from the bloody insurgency that consumed more than 21,000 Indians (including about 2000 police ranks, 7500 insurgents and 11,500 civilians). He indicts central government and the oldest political party of India for the Punjab troubles. The reluctance of central government to solve three umbilical issues (River water sharing, Chandigarh question and Anandpur Sahib resolution) was used as fodder in this bloody insurgency. Rajiv-Longowal accord of 1985 did raise few hopes but even that was not implemented. Though assembly election was conducted in early but the popularly elected government of S. S. Barnala was dismissed after 18 months on law and order issue. Next assembly election was convened after 6 bloody years though it could have been convened earlier.
Operation Black Thunder (1988) was a 'peaceful' operation to flush out militants from the precincts of the Golden Temple. Had this kind of solution been used in 1984, the scars on mother India would not have been so deep. The proud Punjabis deserve our eternal respect for the sacrifices they had given, for the brutalities that had faced and for the patriotism that they had shown.
Though this book is full of information and unknown incidents but i still feel that writing style could have been better. 

Recommended (7/10)

Book Review [108] : Being Different - An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism

Diversity is the law of nature. It is manifested in dietary habits, languages, religions, festivals, naming convention, dances, music etc. Mother nature manifests herself in diverse beings and perhaps this makes mother nature beautiful and resilient. But a dominant Civilization destroys this diversity in the guise of Universalism. Since its inception the Western Civilization has eaten up major diverse civilizations of the world. The Aztecs, Incas, Canaan, Roman  etc do not exist any more; their cities are now World heritage sites and their art forms decorate museums and houses. As V S Naipaul has eloquently written "The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it", people who do not consider themselves worthy enough soon find themselves turning into worthless or worthy pages of some books.

'Being Different - An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism' is a wonderfully written book by Rajiv Malhotra in defense of Indian civilization. Every civilization is different from the other and this very difference needs to be celebrated rather being used to declare superiority or inferiority of one over the other. Indian civilization has been facing a planned onslaught of modern western civilization. We are turning ourselves into a copy of western civilization in almost every field of modern culture. We wear western clothes (jeans, t-shirts etc), watch western movies (Hollywood), watch western serials (Game of thrones), read western books (fifty shades of grey etc), play western games (Cricket, football), eat western foods (Pizza, burger etc) efc. We are losing our identity at a rapid pace. Agreed that identity is always fluid but we should not blindly follow anything be it religion or a way of life. 

The most intellectuals who are considered authority on Indian civilization and religions come from west eg Wendy Doniger. Western universities study foreign culture, religion and language but our universities don't do it. We do not have world class intellectuals or world class universities studying Indian religion and culture. Its a matter of shame.

In order to understand and study our civilization we use constructs (like Marxist interpretation of history) defined by Western intellectuals. One civilization should never be studied through the lens of another civilization. But such is life. Hollywood blockbusters like '300' shows Asians (Achaemenids) as barbarians while Spartans as the force of democracy and freedom. They conveniently forget that the Achaemenid empire was the first multicultural, multi lingual and multi-religious empire of the world. The Jewish temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the civilized Romans in first century AD, was built with the help of Achaemenid Emperor in 6th century BC.The Spartans who are shown as the torch bearers of Democracy had enslaved a large number of people in their own country without any rights whatsoever. 

The West always divides the world in two zones - Civilized Western world and the other world of barbarians from the times of Aristotle (who called Persians, the Barbarians) to George Bush junior (who coined the term 'Axis of Evil'). Taking cue from Bible, the western intellectuals (like William Jones and others) called Indians the descendants of Ham (the condemned son of Noah). This Hamitic myth played a major role in justifying colonialism and slavery. Indian civilization  is said to be void of history and this was view was endorsed by Hegel, Karl Marx and others. Indians are called worshipers of "false" Gods and they need to be saved urgently. Whenever any tragedy occurs in India - it is "justified" as a curse on "devil" worshiping Indians (we are also called pagans). We do not defend or put forward our point of view intellectually and ferociously. Rajiv Malhotra is not apologetic about his religion, culture or his civilization. By using the ancient Indian technique of 'Purva Paksha' he puts focus on western civilization through Indian lens and exposes the utter hypocrisy and self righteousness of western intellectuals. We are taught to show tolerance to other religions but tolerant lacks full respect to other religions. It should be replaced by Mutual Respect in current dialogue among different civilizations. Without respecting other religions and culture we can not bridge the gaps that exists across this world.

I do not support the conversions by missionaries (or by anyone) by unethical means. I do not support the imperialism of one culture over others, one language over others and one set of people by others. Hindi (an example) should be given as much respect as Santhali (an example) language is given and vice-versa and one language/culture should not expand by use of force or unethical means. 

I request my friends to please give some time to study our religion and culture. Please try to learn Sanskrit and read our books in original instead of reading colored translations. It is upto us to decide whether we want to locate our golden age in mythical past or to build it in future, whether we want to remain relevant as members of Indian civilization or to change our civilization as a copy cat of the West.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [107] : Everyman's War - Strategy, Security and Terrorism in India

'Everyman's War : Strategy, Security and Terrorism in India' by former National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) chief Raghu Raman is one of the finest expositions on Internal Security of a highly complex country like India. It is a collection of his essays published in 'Mint'. He introduces certain very important and seemingly original points like hijacking of supply chain network by the criminals, coastal security, human intelligence etc. 

We have our Army to protect us from the enemy at the gates but what about the enemy among us. No steel ring can protect us from our internal enemies. 'Human intelligence and community policing' is the only key to secure out neighborhood, our cities and our country from the insidious motives of our enemies. Enemy is not interested in a killing but it is interested in creating a fear in our mind. Terrorism is a kind of asymmetric warfare mainly focused on dual objectives - creating an environment of fear and retarding then socio-economic progress of our country. Though terrorists do come from all strata of our society but mainly they come from rich and prosperous middle class. Jobs and education help but they alone can not wipe out this problem. A society as fissile as us needs to be extra vigilant regarding issues concerning religion, ethnicity, language and caste. Only popular people's movement encompassing all the sections of our population can defeat the very menace of terrorism and extremism till and we can not afford to wait for that movement. We have to start it now. Its a very light book in terms of pages but every page is highly thought provoking.
Highly Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [106] : War and Diplomacy in Kashmir (1947-48)

C. Dasgupta is a highly reputed former Indian Foreign Service Officer. He has had a highly distinguished career including two very important assignments - Ambassador to China (1993-93) and EU (1996-2000). 'War and Diplomacy in Kashmir (1947-48)' is a work of meticulous research and understanding of the Geo-politics of the 1947-48. We often blame Pundit Nehru for the Kashmir mess without understanding the intricacies and complexities of the Kashmir problem. This book provides indepth details about the military leadership of the subcontinent and the role played by the British High Commissioners based in India and Pakistan and the British Ministers based in Britain and UN. 

The first Chief of Indian Army (after Independence), General Rob Lockhart,  was not serious about his responsibilites towards India, he was loyal only to the British interests. He betrayed the cause of India and that cost India some vital advantage in Kashmir. This quisling had the prior information about the tribal invasion of Kashmir but he remained silent. He was sacked by Pundit Nehru when he became aware of his betrayal. Lord Mountbatten also played his part in defending British interests in the subcontinent instead of defending Indian interests. It was so sad to learn that the very important Defence Committee of the Indian cabinet was headed by Lord Mountbatten instead of Indian PM. Lord Mountbatten effectively used this position to slow and check Indian advances in Jammu and Kashmir. This effectively gave serious edge to Pakistan. Indian leadership tried hard to expel invaders from Jammu and Kahsmir but was betrayed at every occasion by the British officials of Independent India. 

Britain was more interested in securing the good will of Muslim world which she thought was getting hostile to her in the wake of Palestine crisis. The second important aspect of Britain tilt towards Pakistan was the location of Pakistan with respect to USSR and oil deposits of middle east. Britain and her allies effectively negated India's position in the UN Security Council though USA to a certain extent remained neutral and China bit pro India. This book is a must read book.

In the last i would like to pay my respects to our great soldiers and people of Kashmir who fought the invaders and sacrificed their everything. We shall never forget their sacrifices and the sacrifice of Brigadier Rajinder Singh (the savior of Kashmir), Lt. Colonel Dewan Ranjit Rai (who secured the valley), General Cariappa and General Thimayya who led the Indian counter attack, Major Somnath Sharma who sacrificed his life defending Kashmir and numerous others. 

Highly Recommended (8/10)

Article 2: Certain Tips for Civil Services Mains Examination (Essay)

This is in continuation to my first post on CSE preparation. 

'Essay' paper is perhaps the singe most important paper of CSE. No single topic (or two) can give you as many marks as this paper gives. I got very good marks (153 in CSE 2014) by following these tips:

For Essay

Please read as many books on diverse subjects as you can. You can not write a good essay without reading a large number of quality books on diverse subjects.Make a habit of reading atleast 2 books every month. Essay is actually a concentrated outcome of your CSE preparation and is a reflection of your personality.
 

1. Read a large number of quality books on diverse subjects

Hind Swaraj, India: uncertain glory, Makers of Modern India, Civilizations: West and the Rest, Why Nations Fail, Economic survey of India, World History, Indian History, Jagdish Bhagwati's Globalization, Yojana, Economist, Frontline, Op-ed/editorials of Indian Express, The Hindu etc (this is not an exhaustive list).

Before mains you should write atleast 4 good quality essay (i wrote only one :( ).

2. Select topic which is more relevant to you

Ponder for 15-25 minutes on the topic, write down all the points coming to your mind and prepare a smooth flow chart without any recursive loop and Go To statement. Try to prepare a rough body of the essay.

You should not spend more than 30 minutes on this.

3. Write concisely and smoothly

Writing style signifies the personality and thought process of the writer so it should be smooth and calm. Give fully focused 50 minutes to it. Introduction and Conclusion should be clear and logical. They exist for a purpose so please don't treat them as just two paras. Conclusion should not contain a new idea or point. It should logically follow from the main body of the essay.

4. Proof reading

No one else will do it. So please do this in not more than 5 minutes. The length of essay should not be less than 4 pages (i.e. 8 pages if i count both sides)

Take 2 to 5 minutes rest and repeat the same process for 2nd essay.

Article 1: Certain Tips for Civil Services Mains Examination (History Optional)

Friends, I do not claim to be an authority on Civil Services preparation methodology. So please use your own brains before following or believing me. This has helped me a lot. I made three attempts (CSE 2011, 2012 and 2014) for this holy grail and i succeeded in my second (AIR 546) and third (AIR 140). In CSE 2011 and 2012 i took History and Geography as optional and in CSE 2014 i took History. In History i scored 327 marks in CSE 2011, 274 in CSE 2012 and 271 in CSE 2014. I am sorry if i am sounding like a braggadocio.

Why History as an optional?

History is the most important subject for Civil Services Examination. It helps in scoring good marks in General Studies Papers, Essay and in holistic understanding of our country. No one can ignore this subject. So its better to make it as one of our strongest weapons than to neglect it and thus turning it into our own Achilles heal but it should also be understood that it takes perhaps longest period of time to master this subject. Once it is mastered, good marks are guaranteed without any risk.

Which books to study?

History syllabus is very vast so it requires a large number of books to study. Its close to impossible to get good marks in History without studying good number of quality books. Try to cover each and every word mentioned in the UPSC History syllabus. The following books are bedrock:

Base

1. NCERT (from class 6th to class 12th)

Ancient History 

2. Romilla Thapar's Ancient India

Its a leftist interpretation of Indian history and it should be read multiple times with the Map. Practice all the places mentioned in the book on a map.

3. A L Basham "The Wonder that was India"

Bit outdated but should be read excluding the fall of IVC.

4. A L Basham "A cultural heritage of India"

Its a must read book and perhaps the best available book that covers culture in great detail, bit outdated though

5. R C Majumdar "An advanced History of India"

Ancient geography and history of Aryans

6. IGNOU History

It should be used as a reference book, for reading odd topics mentioned in the syllabus.

Medieval India

7. Satish Chandra volume 1 and 2

Very easy read and should be read with the map

8. Neelkanth Shastri "History of South India"

A must read as it covers South Indian history in great detail

9. R C Majumdar "An advanced History of India"

Coming of Europeans

British India (1600 to 1947)

10. Shekhar Bandhopadhyay "From Plassey to Partition"

A must read book. It is much better than the Bipin Chandra's India's struggle for Independence

11. R C Majumdar "An advanced History of India"

Indian Renaissance and social-educational-cultural movements

12. Bipin Chandra "India's struggle for Independence"

Can be ignored if "From Plassey to Partition" is read

13. Maulana Azad "India wins freedom"

Very important book.

Free India

14. V P Menon "A story of integration of princely states"

Kashmir, Junagadh, Bhopal, Hyderabad should be read along with the context of the formation of States Department.

15. Bipin Chandra "India after Independence"

Should be read but not to be taken too seriously. Last few chapters are too partisan and bogus.

16. Ramachandra Guha "India after Gandhi"

Only if you need some trivia

World History

17. Jain and Mathur "World History"

Very important book

Read all important events from Internet and some random books.

Map Question

This 50 marker question can break or make your chances in this exam. The best way to answer this question is to read History books along with the Indian map. Try to mark new found place in your memory with certain unique points about it be it Muziris or Kanchipuram or Eran etc.

Have faith in yourselves; don't dare to doubt even if the entire world around is doubting you; Good luck.

The beginning......

It has been observed in the numerous episodes of Star Trek that uncharted roads either invite catastrophe or create memorable rendezvous. 15^th June 2005 was one such day when the paths of fresh recruits from premier Engineering colleges of India found place in a small conference room called Saphire those days.  It was a nicely assembled mosaic from IIT D, IIT R, IT-BHU, NIT Kurukshetra and MNIT Allahabad. But before I proceed further I would like to take a small detour as the date 15^th June was initially fixed on 4^th July 2005.

I was supposed to join Baypackets (a Silicon Valley startup with Noida based development centre) on 4^th July 2005 along with my fellow batch mates from IT BHU – Divya Alok Agrawal (CS&E 2005) and Ravish Sunny (EC 2005). My final semester ended in early may and I was enjoying some time off from college life and before starting my career. But destiny had decided something else. In first week of June, my mother got a call from HR Manager Baypackets, Miss Shikha Verma (now Bhatia, an extremely professional and humble personality, and a good friend)) requesting to prepone the joining date from 4^th July to 15^th June.  All that my mother could understand was the word Neeraj despite of best effort by Shikha. My mother suspected something fishy between myself and Shikha, later my father took the call and he understood that it was about Baypackets. I will never forgive Shikha for this preponement as she prevented my participation in the celebration of my sister’s birthday. Now my sister shares her birthday with start of my career.

As expected of me, I reached office almost 30 minutes before reporting time of 9:00 AM. Vijay ji (Office helper) was the first person I saw in office. Few minutes later I saw Sonojoum Abhishek (a friend from Manipur) sitting on opposite sofa. Few minutes later the whole office heard the cacophonous sound of 5 member strong NIT K gang led by Prashant Kumar. Sandeep Chouhan (IIT R) completed our 100% attendance. At 9:00 AM, I saw a smartly dressed lady and I thought her to be Shikha but she was Shubhra (another fresh recruit who joined few weeks ahead along with an IIT D grad). Shikha took us to the Saphire conference room where we had our first interaction with corporate world.

The music of zara zara song (RHTDM) still gives me a lot of joy along with similar stories from my newly friends. I still remember saying that when asked about the aim of my life “to decipher Indus Valley script”, what an arrogant fellow I was! That day I made very good friends and the friendship continues till today with more warmth and more faith.  

Since the day I started preparing for Civil Services, I can recall not paying even a single penny even after having numerous dinners at the most expensive restaurants, the last being at Radisson (late May 2015). I am really lucky to have found friends like Prashant, Mukesh, Suresh and Deepak. One can make friends at any time and at any age the only thing required is honest intention.

After 10 years we all have changed a lot; we have aged and have become bald or semi-bald, some are married and some (only one) still bachelors. May the rest of our lives give much more joy and success and may our friendship endure all challenges and catastrophe. Let the beginning continue to evolve in a great story.