Navin Jindal, Khap & the Deobandi's - Anti Constiutional therefore anti Indian?

Caste, Desi Pundit, Gender Issues, India, Politics, Religion, Society 35 Responses »
May 122010

Two very different instances of religious/caste patriarchs intervening in civil society have come to the fore in the last couple of days. Both are Anti Constitutional. And, its about time the Government and the System said religious oppression in the name of Religious freedom be damned – the Constitution comes first.

The first instance was the Khap Panchayats that has been flexing its muscles for quite some time – excommunicating and killing without consequences. They have got Navin Jindal to tow the line now.

Mr. Jindal has said –

“I and my whole family respect the years old traditions and rituals of khap panchayats. My house is their own home and they can come there any time. I am just like their own child and I can never go against them; rather I always need their blessings.”

Navin Jindal, if you remember, is the man who went all the way to the Supreme Court for the right of Indian Citizens to fly the Indian Flag, and won .

Mr.Jindal has forgotten that the Indian flag represents the Indian Republic. And, the Indian Republic is enshrined by the Indian Constitution . The Indian Constitution states:

14. The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
15. (1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.

If the Khap Panchayat had its way – it is not just same gotra marriages that will be nullified, but there will be penalties to anyone who breaks caste rules . And, as all of us know, these rules – if applied to their logical conclusion – will lead to the Hindus getting their equivalent of the Taliban.

I wonder if a Member of Parliament who is so ready to violate the Constitution has the right to be in Parliament !

The second instance of the Constitution being violated, is the Deobandi’s – who have declared that it is haram for women to work

“It is unlawful (under the Sharia law) for Muslim women to work in the government or private sector where men and women work together and women have to talk with men frankly and without a veil,”

If the fatwa is followed through to its logical conclusion, it would mean that Indian citizens who are Muslim women cannot be the President, Prime Minister, Member of Parliament. They can’t work in a Hospital, a Call Centre, a Hotel. They can’t teach in a co-educational school, they cannot work for a NGO, they can’t work as engineers…. This essentially means that women are barred from most professions except sweat shops where they can sit with other women and sew stuff at cut price rate.

In both cases a bunch of patriarchs want the world to bend to their interpretation of religion, and honour …. I hope that in both cases this is the straw that breaks the back of an communities that have kept quiet — and rise up to delegitimise both the Khap Panchayats and the Deobandi’s. The best way to destroy them is to stop listening to them !!

And finally – i hope everyone remembers that the reason Krishna wasn’t invited to Rukmini’s swayamwar was because he was a Yadav and she was a Kshyatriya princess.

Let us also remember that the Prophet Muhammad’s first wife was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid – a merchant who employed him.

Those who have proclaimed themselves as guardians of religion and tradition seem to have forgotten their own religion and tradition :( –

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Posted by gargi at 11:53 am Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Problem with Labels - Right, Left, Liberal etal

Desi Pundit, Development, Economics, Gender Issues, India, Politics, Society 13 Responses »
Mar 142010

I spent 90 odd minutes today debating – “challenging Left Liberalism” on the offstumped community portal

I am pretty much a Liberal centrist moderate  who has a 10 degree oscillation on issues to the left and right. There are policy issues on which I may agree with either, neither or sometimes both. For example – GM – the Indian Left & the right were in tandem on this issue. or the Women’s reservation bill – ditto.

I have a problem with labels because they tend to straight jacket views and opinions and polarise discussion – which may make for great spectator sport, but achieves very little in terms of tangible goals.

In India most of these labels break down. I don’t know why but they do. Most parties seem to occupy more or less similar positions on most issues. the points of dissension tend to be Minorities – be they gender, religious, ethnic, caste etal. and policies regarding these minorities.

Just as the cold war was between right wing ‘conservatism’ & right wing socialism – In India the sides are left wing ‘conservatism’ and left wing socialism in various various avtaars. .I see right wing socialism from the BJP and left wing socialism from the Communists. The Congres, is somewhere in the centre.

Of all the parties – I see the Congress, or rather the UPA, being more free market. I see the BJP having a slightly more aggressive stance on National security – but – if I leave out ‘secularism’ and do a blind test between the parties – they are in more or less the same space.

Be it reservation – caste or gender; be it social welfare – in terms of NREGA or education – politically there is a broad consensus that it ought to be done. There may be dispute on the modalities – corruption, leakages, no reservation for religious minorities, no reservation for women etal – but no one is opposing any of these ‘conceptually’.
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I see Liberalism – as essentially standing for freedom – freedom of choice, freedom of market, freedom of individual, freedom to be, and a modern Constitutional Republic being one that guarantees these freedoms. I don’t see any of these parties really standing for these values –because their entire power base is vote bank driven . This entire ‘majority minority’ fault line that is referred to in the question – is also a result of these vote bank politics.

And then I see this fringe – both on the left and the right that will protest at anything – that that is that is made up of the Arundati Roy’s and the Pramod Muthalik’s of the world . They exist on the left and right – and tend to scream shout and grab media attention.

Now, if we are going to use the neo conservative label of ‘left liberal’ with all its associations of the ‘loony fringe’ and that includes the Indian equivalent of being anti big business and pro gay marriage or Anti state – then the answer is no –that group if it exists is barely organised or indeed in agreement on a variety of issues. However, these groups tend to be more elite – and therefore can occupy more media space and are – IMHO – fairly colonised in their thinking. The kind of people who will talk about Indian issues with the US constitution as a reference point.. I have had ‘debates’ with them where, for example, theism would immediately be countered by ‘do you believe in evolution’

But, I believe it is more arm chair rather than any direct involvement ! It is also got the wrong reference points ! but these are convenient reference points for the ELM to latch on to and further the debate. And, to be very honest – the same is the case with the right wing – the western reference points in terms of Nationalism and National Identity – which breaks down in a multi dimensional entity like India.

All sides of the debate – have taken on very firang definitions & positions – that neither accounts for the differences in history, nor the diversity of India, nor the unique developmental challenges. They have taken on values from more or less homogeneous states and societies and tried to transplant them here. So, the debates that I have followed on the net are more in the “Hindutva” v/s “Secularism” space rather than balanced budget v/s “Social Spending” space. I guess the former is easier to disagree/agree on.

Economics is very rarely discussed. There may be an occasional outcry on the farm loan waiver, or a diatribe against Nehruvian planning – and how it is bad for the economy, but very rarely do we discuss the fact that an average of Rs.50,000 crores annually is given as subsidy to fertilizer companies – that possibly distorts the entire market ! There is little focus on now and tomorrow. Most of the focus is historic – and the tack seems to be ‘they misbehaved then, i have a right to misbehave now’ – fairly juvenile and not very productive in terms of achieving anything! it often seems like a fight between kids in the 3rd standard !

Most groups are still stuck on the Hindu v/s Muslim (yawn !!) issues with little attention given to economics or strategy – except that it would be broadly pro regulation – yet not clear on how much; broadly anti-Pak, look blank about China, Think of Africa as a place where they could go on Safari, South America being somewhere out there !
And, of course the fact that we should do ‘something’ about poor people who live in the villages – a line that has me cracking up with laughter !

These also tend to be very absolutist – for example M.F.Hussain. Does he have the right to paint – of course. Does someone else have the right to protest against those paintings ….. they are more ambiguous ! or Should people learn local languages – and can non violent protest be a way of ensuring that ? We may agree on that there should ‘be no violence’ but for some reason – we are anti – protest – and decry protest -against our pet causes – as being misguided.

In all this – the Middle Path is muddied. And, for me, India has always been about the middle path.

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Posted by gargi at 10:08 pm Tagged with: ,

And, equality for all

Desi Pundit, Gender Issues, India, Politics, Society 16 Responses »
Jul 032009

“We declare that Section 377 of the IPC, insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private, is violative of Articles 21 [Right to Protection of Life and Personal Liberty], 14 [Right to Equality before Law] and 15 [Prohibition of Discrimination on Grounds of Religion, Race, Caste, Sex or Place of Birth] of the Constitution.”

About time. The State has no business to peek into our bedroom. this is not just about decriminalizing homosexuality – it is about ensuring everyones’ right to privacy.

i predict that every religious nut-case organisation- from the Bajrang Dal to SIMI  will join hands to create disturbance.finally something will unite them.

When that happens, I hope that the State & Civil Society beat them down. Constitutional rights are universal and applicable to everyone in the nation. Religious rights are only for those who observe. Religious leaders cannot ask for their dogma to be imposed on the rest of the state.

The way ahead is to ensure that all laws that contradict fundamental rights are repealed one by one. And, when there is a dispute between Constitutional Law and Religious Law -the former triumphs.

I hope that this is the precedent for ensuring greater equality for all sections of society, especially women who are governed by archaic Christian and Muslim codes. Thankfully, Nehru freed Hindu women of that tyranny – now it is the time for our sisters to get their due in terms of rights.

for more read Religion vs. Gender Equality & Feminism - by Mahendra.

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Posted by gargi at 9:13 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

Elections 2009 - A Wish List

Desi Pundit, Economics, Gender Issues, India, Politics, Society, elections 16 Responses »
May 182009

Dear Government,

Good to know that you are off life support and on your own two feet. One hopes that you can move full steam ahead and deliver things that your earlier version couldn’t. Given that you are fighting fit, here are somethings that i would like from your current avtaar

a) Education - If you haven’t noticed – there is a caste system been created in education. The way the system is moving there are one set of institutes for the middle class and one set for the poor. The former delivers jobs, the latter doesn’t.

This has arisen because the State School and University system has stopped delivering. The policy towards schools has encouraged a mushrooming of private schools – many of which don’t deliver any of their promises. My driver’s sons and maid’s daughter go to schools like these – the kids come out functionally illiterate. Their parents are skimping and saving and depriving themselves to give their kids a better education, but they don’t realise that the schools are not worth the monies that they spend.

Can you please strengthen the State School System. I studied in a state funded school – my education was great. I would like to see more Kendriya Vidyalaya and comparable schools that create a meritocracy.

Can you please stop dragging your feet on this and deliver quality education for everyone. Education that doesn’t just get everyone into class, but also give them very real learning, skills and vocations.There is no reason why parents should sent their children to high fee private schools that don’t deliver. Can you also take a relook at the University system – drag it into this century. There need to be more Universities.Linked to this is the strengthening of ITI’s. More IIT’s are great, but how about good vocational training.

Can you move language out of the Wren and Martin or equivalent space and teach communication instead?
I don’t really care if they are private, public or foreign school/universities – excpet that Publicly funded Universities/schools need to provide world class education. Other Public Sector Undertakings do this – why can’t the education system ?

b) Public Health -The mark of a civilized society is that people who fall ill, will get treated, without mortgaging everything that they have for treatment.

We already have a Public Health System – why is it so shoddy? Why do state funded hospitals look like patients will get Gangrene. Why am I – the tax payer -subsidising medical students – if the same medical students will not go and work in rural India ? Why aren’t there more LMPS – License to Practise Medicine. You – the Government need to evolve a private public partnership to ensure quality health care reaches all, and crack the whip.

Instead of giving ‘free’ medical care – can you please evolve a system of health vouchers & health insurance. Indians don’t value anything that is free – if it is free it must not be good :) Change the policy to suit the people. We aren’t the British – we don’t see free as entitlement, we see it as substandard.

I would like to see compulsory health insurance for every single citizen. For the poor – pay the premium. Unleash the LIC’s and the National Insurance corporation on this task – they are truly efficient and they will deliver.

c) SME Policy - I run a small business – and i have to follow the same statutory and tax requirements as a MNC that spans every single continent. One of my business partners is for ever filling out multiple tax details. Yet when it comes to Government policy there is little or no support in terms of policies. Can we have a single tax window? Can we have easier access to working capital? can we have a system that is slightly more pro active to our requirements? We, as a sector, generate more wealth and create more employment than the Big Boys – treat us well. We are your wealth generators.

d) Urban Renewal /Slum Rehabilitation – When you are moving out slums into pucca constructions, can you make sure that you don’t create inner cities that become the hotbed of crime 15 years from now ! Learn from the European and the American Cases. Build housing that fosters & nurtures community, that has public congregation areas. Create parks and greenery. Don’t create ghettos, help create strong, vibrant communities. Drainage, water, lighting is going to be a key. Ensure that new constructions have rain water harvesting, have solar panels that deal with basic energy requirements.

Ensure that there is adequate public transportation – look at China for the right things. I don’t want Mumbai to be Shanghai but i wouldn’t mind their high speed bullet trains :)

e) AgrarianTransformation – We are an agrarian nation. Our farmers deserve better.

The reason why farmers are committing suicide is because their input cost is greater than their output price. This won’t change unless the land holding increases and the farmer has some control over price. You can waive loans year after year after year, but no good will come from it – unless you seriously look at increasing land holding size and at price support.

I understand the historical reason for small land holdings – but can we please look at a decent co-op policy that builds economies of scale while purchasing inputs – seeds, fertilizers etal – and can command a price while selling. And, which above all allows the farmer his ‘do bhiga zamin’ yet allows him economies of scale.

Subsidies here need to get replaced with vouchers – i don’t see why the tax payer is subsidizing the rich farmer.

f) Energy - As India develops we are going to require more energy. The most basic energy that we need is electricity. Stop issuing advisories and start implementing the law on renewable energy sources. Why can’t every village in India be lit up – solar energy works perfectly well in countries like Sri Lanka – why doesn’t it work here ? Why do cities like Patna or Hoshiarpur have to spend so many hours in darkness or using inverters – solar power will light them up.

g) Community Relations - you need to appreciate that the reason why organisations like the VHP, the RSS, the MNS and SIMI have gained prominance is your own policies over the last 62 years in general, and the last 25 years in particular.

Our spiritual needs are taken care by our religious books, our legal needs by the Constitution. Every citizen has the same rights and it is the job of your Government to safeguard those rights. It is actually quite simple. If in doubt, check how Nehru shoved the Hindu Marriage Act down the collective throats of a Hindu Patriarchy to protect women.

You have failed to protect minorities by pandering to their most virulent and violent fundamentalists. Be these fundamentalists linguistic, religious or ethnic. There is no reason why girls in Rajasthan should be married off pre-puberty, there is no reason why Muslim women ought to hear ‘talaq, talaq, talaq’ without support or redressal, and there is no reason why UP’s and Bihari’s ought to fear for their lives in Mumbai. You have failed by not implementing the law.

h) Human Rights – The mark of a civilized society is protection of Human Rights. What are these Rights -these are those Rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution.The Right to Be oneself, the Right to Practise one’s faith, the Rigth to oppose your policies, The Right to speak out against Institutions, The Right to Question, The Right to Enquiry, The Right to Expression, The Right to Redressal…. you get my drift.

The way the system is structured -most of these Rights are violated. You need to do something about it. At the centre of your policy should not be Caste, Community or Vote Banks – it needs to be the Individual. Your job is to protect us. Not the mob that is baying for our blood.

Often Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. And, in the Republic of India – there is no single greater violation of Rights than delays in delivering justice. You need ot seriously overhaul the Criminal Justice System. Bring efficiencies across the board. Pay the Police well, pay Public Prosecutors decent monies, computerise the system, clear the backlog. The way we pay our Police – especially the lower ranks is a disgrace. How do you expect a honest police force when you pay them less than what a driver or a maid makes ? Unless these are done, Human Rights will continue to be violated. We may not have a problem the way China has, but it is still a violation. Justice has not just to be done, but seen to be done.

and finally,

i) Governance - you, the Government , have Good Policies. Make sure that they reach the people. Make sure that the system is simplified so that people understand it. Have a look at all the 3 zillion forms that are needed to do anything with the Government and ask if it is needed. Single window should work for most things. Put in place checks and balances – but do not ritualise them. Crack down on Leakages. Stop them. Prosecute those who are corrupt.  Let everyone in the country understand, appreciate and internalise – that if they commit a crime they are going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the Law, and go to jail if found guilty. Governance is not a concept. It is practise. Good Governance needs to be seen.

You have a mandate. If you don’t deliver, we may have to find someone else who does :)

Thankyou,

Harini Calamur, Citizen of India

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Posted by gargi at 8:44 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Links....

Gender Issues, Media, News, Religion 2 Responses »
Jul 142008

Stuff that made me – in no particular order – think, chortle, smirk, snigger , slurp, nod my head wisely, with sorrow, and in a wtf mode. I shan’t identify which is what …coz it will be fun a year later to figure:

a) The Gender Divide exists in the work place in the US – not only in terms of salaries, but also in terms of power & decision making. There are surveys and action to back it up there, here it just happens. I was once told by a former (female) boss that a less experienced colleague was getting paid more than me – because he is the breadwinner. and because he had a family. I am female & single :( seriously).

b) The Great Fat Indian Wedding – at the BBC. They don’t quite know what to make of the former colony gone successful and rich. I sometimes think that they preferred it when we were poor & broke. That discomfort is definitely still there. Kind of the upper caste liberal discomfort when they have to share a table with the lower caste upwardly mobile. If it wasn’t so embarrassing to watch … it would be funny.

c) Would you pull the switch ? – a look back on the Stanley Milgram’s experiment’s

In a series of about 20 experiments, hundreds of decent, well-intentioned people agreed to deliver what appeared to be increasingly painful electric shocks to another person, as part of what they thought was a learning experiment. The “learner” was in fact an actor, usually seated out of sight in an adjacent room, pretending to be zapped.

and its link to violation of prisoners’ human rights.

d) News ‘wet’ dreams – Kay from Noose Media looks at the transference of political opinion in news reports.

e) Jabberwock’s review of Mahabharat is as entertaining as the series. I must admit that despite the kitsch i’m hooked by the series :)

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Posted by gargi at 9:22 am

The little flower girl

Gender Issues, India 6 Responses »
Jul 072008

The Flower Girl

normally street kids don’t approach cars with their windows up and the AC on…. it is too much waste of time, they are possibly better off approaching open ricks or cars with their windows down. this girl maybe thought that i would be interested in flowers, or she saw rani in the car and thought dry shelter …. i don’t know..

… she reminded me of Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘Little Match Girl’. Her eyes haunted me. I volunteer, i contribute, i don’t cheat on my taxes, i help where ever i can … why do I still feel so helpless….

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Posted by gargi at 9:27 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

From Youngistan to Menopauseland....

Gender Issues, Society 8 Responses »
May 142008

If there is Youngistan, can MenoPauseLand be far behind …
The NYT reports :

Menopauseland is the invention of Amerifit Brands and its creative agency, BrandBuzz in New York, on behalf of Estroven, a supplement that is meant to help reduce the symptoms of menopause. A campaign with a budget estimated at $20 million is centered on the imaginary land where women of a certain age can celebrate a new stage of life.

Menopauseland “stands for the freedom, the liberation, that women felt at this point in their lives,” he adds.

That is conveyed with a light-hearted tone in the various elements of the campaign. For instance, in the TV commercial, an attractive older woman is shown emerging from a swimming pool. She is met by a hunky younger man with a towel and a six-pack — the abdominal kind, that is, as opposed to, say, a six-pack of Diet Coke — who massages her shoulders.

The woman is then heard speaking as if writing a postcard to a friend. “Dear Lynn, in all my travels, there’s no place more liberating than here,” she says. “Kisses, Kate.”

I wonder if geographically the two are next to each other … it opens up interesting possibilities….
I wonder if this is in the league of have a happy period :)

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Posted by gargi at 12:42 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

WTF ?

Gender Issues, India, Society 7 Responses »
Mar 272008

Two stories on further education. 

One is about a 12th standard topper who quits formal education.

…Urvi Pithadia, 17, has been forced to discontinue her studies just a week after joining junior college. Nobody there volunteered to help the wheelchair-bound girl in and out of classrooms and elevators.

Urvi is suffering from muscular dystrophia, a genetic disorder which weakens muscles. It’s impossible for her to move around on her own.

After her SSC triumph, she enrolled herself at SNDT’s College of Arts in Vile Parle. “Even though there was elevator facility at the college, Urvi required someone to push her wheelchair. There were college maids, but none of them ever helped Urvi even to the restroom. She felt utterly helpless and was so depressed, that we thought it was better for her to discontinue studies,” her mother, Mita, told DNA.

 The second is about a girl who never recovered from the injuries inflicted by her teacher because she didn't want tuitions..

 Rinky Kaushik, who was allegedly beaten by her teacher for refusing private tuitions, has died after remaining in coma for three months.

A teacher of the Dinkar Model School, Dhirendra Kumar Dinkar had allegedly thrashed her with a stick after she refused to attend his tuition classes.

 I am speechless wordless. I can't even rant. WTF, WTF, WTF ?

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Posted by gargi at 9:48 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

My Grandmom

Gender Issues, India, Kith & Kin 2 Responses »
Mar 102008

grandmom
Originally uploaded by jcalamur1606

Married at 14, widowed at 45 … she is now close to 85… .
Full of curiosity and a zest for living (as opposed to life).
An unshakable faith in God — that has kept her going despite the ups and downs in her life.
I couldn't get along with her when I was thirteen, We have  become a good friend now…sisters under the skin rather than grand mother and grand daughter…

This is her, as captured by my brother….

She is now a great grand mother.  A Sanskrit Scholar (she learnt it in the last 10 years) …a philosopher, and the Family Elder — someone approached by everyone for her wisdom…

I am very proud of her….and hope that when I am her age, I have her kind of serenity ! 

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Posted by gargi at 1:47 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Excerpts - Annihilation of Caste 2

Caste, Culture, Gender Issues, India, Politics, Society 7 Responses »
Mar 072008

On the eve of Maha Shivratri a great victory was won. Devotees, backed by the state and other institutions, ensured that the right to pray the way you want to, in the language that you understand, in the manner that you choose , was upheld. 

In the face of a growing demand for their dismissal as the priests of Lord Nataraj temple in Chidambaram, who assaulted non-Brahmin devotees for wanting to sing Tamil hymns inside the temple, the Brahmin priests ~ Dikshits ~ today agreed to allow worship in Tamil.
The Dikshits, who control the administration of the temple, relented after political parties, Leftist and Tamil nationalist groups threatened to agitate and make demands for a government takeover of the temple administration.
The Dikshits, who assaulted some devotees led by non-Brahmin priest Arumugasamy Odhuvar heading a Saivaite Mutt when they had come to sing Tamil hymns composed by revered saints of Hindu renaissance on Sunday, seemed much mellow today and welcomed volunteers of a few Leftist organisations who entered the temple for the same purpose.

And, this is 2008. Devotees still face the kind of threat that Tulsidas faced when he rewrote the Ramayan in Brij Bhasa and Jyaneshwar translated the Bhagwad Gita into Marathi … thereby making them accessible to all. People of all types arent' allowed to enter places of worship. some prevent women. others prevent 'other' castes – whatever they maybe. Which is why last night's reading was so much more poignant.

This is Dr.Ambedkar on the role of social status in our society.

That economic power is the only kind of power no student of human society can accept. That the social status of an individual by itself often becomes a source of power and authority is made clear by the sway which the Mahatmos have held over the common man. Why do millionaires in India obey penniless Sadhus and Fakirs ? Why do millions of paupers in India sell their trifling trinkets which constitute their only wealth and go to Benares and Mecca ? That, religion is the source of power is illustrated by the history of India where the priest holds a sway over the common man often greater than the magistrate and where everything, even such things as strikes and elections, so easily take a religious turn and can so easily be given a religious twist.

Take the case of the Plebians of Rome as a further illustration of the power of religion over man. It throws great light on this point. The Plebs had fought for a share in the supreme executive under the Roman Republic and had secured the appointment of a Plebian Consul elected by a separate electorate constituted by the Commitia Centuriata, which was an assembly of Piebians. They wanted a Consul of their own because they felt that the Patrician Consuls used to discriminate against the Plebians in carrying on the administration. They had apparently obtained a great gain because under the Republican Constitution of Rome one Consul had the power of vetoing an act of the other Consul.

But did they in fact gain anything ? The answer to this question must be in the negative. The Plebians never could get a Plebian Consul who could be said to be a strong man and who could act independently of the Patrician Consul. In the ordinary course of things the Plebians should have got a strong Plebian Consul in view of the fact that his election was to be by a separate electorate of Plebians. The question is why did they fail in getting a strong Plebian to officiate as their Consul?

The answer to this question reveals the dominion which religion exercises over the minds of men. It was an accepted creed of the whole Roman populus that no official could enter upon the duties of his office unless the Oracle of Delphi declared that he was acceptable to the Goddess. The priests who were in charge of the temple of the Goddess of Delphi were all Patricians. Whenever therefore the Plebians elected a Consul who was known to be a strong party man opposed to the Patricians or " communal " to use the term that is current in India, the Oracle invariably declared that he was not acceptable to the Goddess. This is how the Plebians were cheated out of their rights.

But what is worthy of note is that the Plebians permitted themselves to be thus cheated because they too like the Patricians, held firmly the belief that the approval of the Goddess was a condition precedent to the taking charge by an official of his duties and that election by the people was not enough. If the Plebians had contended that election was enough and that the approval by the Goddess was not necessary they would have derived the fullest benefit from the political right which they had obtained. But they did not. They agreed to elect another, less suitable to themselves but more suitable to the Goddess which in fact meant more amenable to the Patricians. Rather than give up religion, the Plebians give up material gain for which they had fought so hard. Does this not show that religion can be a source of power as great as money if not greater ?

The fallacy of the Socialists lies in supposing that because in the present stage of European Society property as a source of power is predominant, that the same is true of India or that the same was true of Europe in the past. Religion, social status and property are all sources of power and authority, which one man has, to control the liberty of another. One is predominant at one stage; the other is predominant at another stage. That is the only difference. If liberty is the ideal, if liberty means the destruction of the dominion which one man holds over another then obviously it cannot be insisted upon that economic reform must be the one kind of reform worthy of pursuit. If the source of power and dominion is at any given time or in any given society social and religious then social reform and religious reform must be accepted as the necessary sort of reform.

 When the religious right in circa 2008 stands up and says 'this reform is against our religious traditions, ' what they are doing is following an age old tradition of dogma. They have opposed every major social reform movement – whether it was ending caste discrimination, or rights for women, or rights for various types of minorities not sanctioned by their dogma (religious, sexual, left handers, race … what ever) . It is no different now, than it was 80 years ago… except that it is citizens pushing for our rights … where are the leaders ? 

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