Death of Savita Halappanavar, Abortion and Christian Belief

On October 28th, 2012, Savita Halappanavar died of multiple organ failure. Her husband was reported to have said that if she had been allowed abortion, she would have been alive today. May be so! However, what is not clear is that even if the doctors had invoked their Christian belief to refuse abortion, the doctors were supposed to do every possible things they could do to save her life, even if it means harming the very life of the foetus. So in the process of trying to save the mother's life, if the foetus dies, that does not go against Christian's belief. Anyway, the exact event leading to the death of Savita may become clearer later -- or let's hope so! And once it's clear I trust that the government would take appropriate measure. 

For now I wish to examine if curbing abortion or allowing abortion is more appropriate from the justice point of view. There is this proponent of pro-life on one side and proponent of  pro-choice on the other side who are debating on the matter. Proponent of pro-choice argues that the woman should have the right to choose whereas proponent of pro-life argues that the foetus should have the right to life. In this debate, I see that the question whether the foetus is a human person or not is inevitable. If the foetus is found to be a human person, then the question arises whether the woman has the right to terminate the human person inside or whether the right of the human person inside to life trumps over the right of the woman to terminate.And when it is put this way, it boils down to the fact that even if a human person is parasitic no human person has the right to take away other person's life. 

So back to the question: is the foetus inside a human person? Well, how do we define a human person? It's complex! But to settle a philosophical question let's ask whether it's the fertilized egg that is called a human person or whether it's the development of consciousness that makes the egg a human person or whether it's the egg that is born that should be called a human person. Now if it's the consciousness that makes an egg a human person, then we get into problem regarding the status of those adult who are brain dead or who are in the worst stage of coma. And it would be rather bizarre to consider that only when the foetus lands on the earth then we confer the status "human" on that nine months old foetus! The most intelligible way to me is to hold that it's the fertilized egg that should be called "thou"; the "it" ceases once the egg and the sperm meet. 

Considering this thought progression I don't think it is justice to do away with law on abortion. If such a law is done away with, many human persons would face clinical death every day. The death of Savita Halappanavar is unfortunate. But doing away abortion law is not the answer to rectifying the system. Justice to Praveen and Savita lies elsewhere; not in doing away the abortion law.

Did Eating Pork Trigger Buddha's Death?

Pali Canon has three main sections: 

1. Vinaya Pitaka

2. Sutta Pitaka

3. Abhidhamma Pitaka

And Sutta Pitaka consists of five collections, among which Digha Nikaya (DN) is the first. This Pali Canon is traditionally considered to have been settled at the first Council at Rajagaha three months after the death of Gotama the Buddha. In Pali it is Siddhattha Gotama, Sutta (discourse) and Nibbana whereas in Sanskrit it is Siddhartha Gautama, Sutra and Nirvana. For this reason I shall use the Pali version instead of Sanskrit!

Mahaparinibbana Sutta: The Great Passing The Buddha's Last Days of the Digha Nikaya records an interesting event. The Buddha was now around 80 years old. And after having stayed at Bhoganagara, Buddha told Ananda that they leave for Pava. At Pava Buddha gave a discourse on Dhamma to Cunda, the smith, who came to seek an audience with the Buddha. Then Cunda invited Buddha and his order of monks for a meal. Cunda went home and had a fine meal prepared with an abundance of ' sukara-maddava'. ( Sukara= pig, Maddava= gentle/soft.) Maurice Walshe, in his translation of the DN to English, uses the phrase "pig's delight" to translate "sukara-maddava'.

Butddha  came the next day with his order of monks to Cunda's house. After being seated for a meal, Buddha said, " Serve the 'pig's delight' that has been prepared to me, and serve the remaining hard and soft food to the order of monks." Buddha and the monks are to eat just once a day; gluttony as it is in other religious/philosophical tradition was not considered proper. And after a moderate meal Buddha told Cunda, " Whatever is left over of the 'pig's delight' you should bury in a pit, because, Cunda, I can see none in the world with its devas, maras, and Brahmas, in this generation with its ascetics and Brahmins, its princes and people who, if they were to eat it, could thoroughly digest it except the Tathagata". ( 'Tathagatha' refers to Buddha himself here.) 

Having eaten the 'pig's delight' Buddha had a "bloody diarrhoea'  and he had severe pain as if he were close to death. Buddha, of course, as an 'enlightened one' was not upset with Cunda for the meal. Rather he taught his disciples that if anyone would serve a meal after which a Tathagatha attains supreme enlightenment or nibbana, that giver's deed would be profitable and fruitful. Sometime later the same Sutta records  Buddha traveling to different towns, but it also records Buddha as repeating " I am tired and want to lie down". One may infer that the 'bloody diarrhoea' had token its toll on Buddha's health, considering that he was in his 80's. However, even before eating of this 'pig's delight' Buddha was well aware that his time was near. Ten pages before the record of his eating of 'pig's delight', Buddha had told Mara, the Evil one, similar to the Serpent of the Bible, that three months from then on he would take the final Nibana. So when the time arrived for Buddha to pass away, whether the 'pig's delight' triggered the death or not, he would have entered his last phase on this earth. 

Besides the above point, the other matter that emerges is whether Buddhist can eat meat/pork or not. Commenting on this point, Maurice Walshe writes that Buddha tells that monks were not to eat meat if they knew or suspect that the animal was killed specially for them. Buddha had in fact rejected  proposal to forbid meat eating as such. Since the monks were living on alms, if they had refused meat they would be embarrassing the household that offered them food or otherwise starved if they refused meat altogether. Eastern Theravada Buddhists have been mostly non-vegetarians! 

NB: Quotations in the post are from The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya, trans. by Maurice Walshe, (Wisdom Publication; Boston), 1995.

Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray is No More

Bal Thackeray ( 23rd Jan, 1926- 17th Nov. 2012) is no more. As a fearless politician, he courted controversy so much so that one Deccan Herald put is " Bal Thackeray: The tiger roars no more." Since a dead man is in no position to defend his views and position on various matters, I am not going to engage with him on those matters. As a political party, however, Shiv Sena will be in the news. And both bouquets and brickbats will be showered on it. And the same applies to other political parties as well. 

How much ever fearless and brave one might be or how much ever rich and powerful one might be, one cannot escape DEATH. If we sit back and reflect, we shall realise that death is just so close to us all the time. Due to its closeness, some people are sucked in to their death while walking on a road or going on a train/bus or playing games and similar mundane activities. And only when someone close to us passes away, we normally reflect on the preciousness of the moment that we now have. What am I doing with my life now? How helpful have I been to people around me? What will happen to me after I die? These questions are profoundly important. And yet many a times we ignore them. 

In my experience knowing who Jesus Christ is has been profoundly helpful in answering these questions that confront -- or should confront, every human person. The answers that come about open up one's mind so clearly that it's as if a huge cloud of mystery or darkness has been moved away. The reason why it is so is because Jesus Christ has been the only person on the face of the earth who has conquered death. Everybody goes through death, including Jesus or Lazarus. But even those who died and came back to life die again. No one lives forever. Jesus Christ is the only one who died yet was raised to life, and is not going to die anymore. And this Jesus, who is living, gives to those who come to him a new sense of direction; a purpose of life that is meaningfully meaningful. 

Getting the right answer about death can give the right answer to this life here and now.

Some Advice for Spouse Seeker

Whom to marry is a major decision is life. Since it is said that divorce involves so much of stress for both husband and wife and also for the children, it is important to take thoughtful decision before getting into a marital relationship. In a society like that of India marriage between two individuals bring together two families. But most importantly he becomes part of her family; and she his family. Marriage is not a  relationship just between the boy and the girl; it goes beyond that. 

The approach that people use to find their life partner differs from region to region and people to people. So what I share here may not be relevant to every individual. But considering that we are show respect to our parent there may be certain thing that can be beneficial to most people. In certain place Matrimonial column in the newspaper provides people  the opportunity to connect with one another. In other places it's face to face interaction that results in a closer relationship. In the North East India, it will be fair to say that no one really takes the help of Matrimonial column. 

If you have seen a nice girl, before you approach her, think first whether your parent will approve or not. If your parent will not approve, drop the idea. Knowing that your parent will not approve and therefore you will be able to marry her, if you deceive her into a relationship, you are being a bad guy. Since we are to respect our parent, it is important to take their opinion into consideration. Generally parent will agree, but it's possible that there could be certain things we have not thought about in the first place, and because of that same reason they now oppose the marriage. If you have approached the girl and arrived at an "agreement" and later your parents strongly disapprove of it when you tell  them of your plan to marry this girl, you have got yourself into a big problem. You can't just discard the girl because you would have got emotionally entangled with her; moreover, it's also not fair to treat someone like a pair of dress -- discarding it whenever it does not fit into your scheme of things. At the same time you can't also just ignore your parents; after all they are the one who give you birth and children are to show respect to their parents. So in order to avoid such headache it's best to take one's parent's view before getting into a relationship. 

Is Job Reservation Fair?

Job reservation is an affirmative action by the Govt of India to advance the well being of the backward community. The government thus reserves 7.5% for the Tribals, 15% for the Scheduled Caste and  27% for the Other Backward Caste in the public sector. The controversy regarding who all fit to be in the category of the underprivileged community is a different matter from whether there has to be job reservation at all. 

On Monday i.e 22 October, 2012, there was a sad and an interesting news item in the Indian Express. It carried the story of an infant Damini whose mother died after the delivery on September 20. Since there was no one to care for the baby, the father who was a rickshaw puller was taking care of her on a cloth sling around his neck. And the news item further added that the man was using a hired rickshaw. It is a kind of a worst situation where one could possibly be in!

Hindustan Times on September 23rd, 2013 carried a news item giving the figures of salary of over ten executives in India. Naveen Jindal tops the list, according to the news item. And Jindal's salary was 7342,00000 rupees per year. The second in the list earns 5701,00000 rupees per year, and this second spot has two people. If we divide Naveen Jindal's annual salary 7342,00000 by 12 it comes to 611,83333 rupees -- and that is the monthly income of this man. And if this monthly earning is divided by 30, it gives 20,39444 -- daily income. A daily income of 20 Lakhs 39 Thousand and Four hundred Forty Four! 

With such figures, there is a huge gap between the well-being of Damini and Naveen Jindal's child. (Well-being does not always depend on having so much money, but if one is compelled by the circumstances to starve, question is about survival. And when one is compelled to starve, well-being is seriously undermined.) When well-being is thus divided between members of the community by the economic forces and the governing principles, the system is not fair unless it does something to rectify the gap. Those people who argue for non-intervention by any government agency to regulate the gap -- against reservation policy -- are misguided. To let the rich get richer, aided by the economic and political design and the poor like Damini remain in their miserable state is inhumane. One of ways then to rectify the gap is to device reservation policy, and this policy has to be such that only those who truly deserve it get to benefit from it. Without such policy, there is no way Damini would be able to compete with Naveen Jindal's child!

There is a piece of writing being circulated, attributed to Azim Premji, arguing against reservation. ( I am not sure if it's really his thought). But I am intrigued by his argument. Azim got the best of education in the world -- earning his Bachelors Degree from Stanford University, US. He was born into a family that was rich enough to send him to receive education from one of the finest institutions in the world. He was being lucky! Had he been born in place of Damini, where would he be? To be well-off and to be educated with the finest education is not entirely one's own doing. Yes, he did work hard to pass the exam; but had he not received proper parenting, he might have been a boy out there on the street doing drugs and begging. Had his parents been from a very poor background, he might be illiterate. Had he been born in Capua, (present Italy) in the first century, he might have been a gladiator. For so many people the story of misfortune is not entirely one's own doing; circumstances which are beyond one's own control are also contributing factor to one's present predicament. By similar token, one's own fortune is not entirely one's own doing; there are circumstances that are not my doing that have led me  thus far. Given this reality, to blame the less unfortunate ones entirely or to be least bothered about the welfare of those who are less unfortunate is not morally right. After all our fortune depends on 'cosmic lottery' too! So the question is whether those who are fortunate because 'cosmic lottery' ( family background, in- born talents, location, friendship etc) favours them will enjoy the fruit of their 'cosmic lottery' winning themselves or share with those who are less fortunate? Of course, like non-human animals we can care only for our herds; and leave the rest to feed or to starve. Or we can rise above our basal animal instinct and be like humans -- caring for each other across generations and locations. And practical implication of such caring must result in reservation policy.

And as a society, it is going to be more peaceful if there is relative equality between the members of a society. When some are starving outside, and some are having hundred items of food on the table inside a hotel/home, disaster is not so far away. 

NB: Edited on 27th May 2014. 

Justice and Christianity

In her interview on a programme of Hastings College of the Law, University of California, Martha Nussbaum says, "Christianity as I was experiencing it was a religion about 'let's take advantage of our privileges in this life, and let justice wait for the world to come.'" In the same interview she says that it was the concern for justice that made her convert to Judaism. Nussbaum is at present one of the most prominent philosophers in the area of moral and political philosophy and teaches at University of Chicago. I have read some of her writings and I agree on quite a lot of things that  she says and writes. In the interview mentioned above she did not say that Christianity is so and so; she rather said that Christianity was so and so as she was experiencing it. And it was not her fault that she came across that version of Christianity.

But is the version of Christianity that she experienced the authentic version of Christianity? I would argue that it is not. But I would also concede that such version of Christianity is not uncommon. One just have to surf Christian bookstore for a while to know about such version. As a religion that is found in all the continents, practised by people of every conceivable social position, the Bible has different ways of being read and interpreted. This different interpretation does not mean that all the interpretations are correct and authentic. Some are very wrong, so distant from what the Bible teaches; and some are right. One just have to read the Bible to know which is what. 

The book that the Jewish considers sacred is considered to be sacred by the Christians too. So if Judaism considers justice as an important virtue, Christianity cannot but considers it equally important, if not more. The God in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible is just the same as the God in the New Testament. The main different is that in the New Testament Jesus Christ is here revealed as the incarnate of the God of the Old Testament. This Jesus Christ himself faced injustice unto death; but through death he took on the power of the evil one and exhaust its power on the cross to emerge triumphant on the third day. And having conquered the evil one through death and resurrection, he now gives power to his disciples and commissions them to go out into the world " to preach good news unto the poor; to heal the contrite of heart; to proclaim liberty to the captives; and deliverance to them that are shut up".

It was because of his conviction that all men are equal as taught in the Bible he read that William Wilberforce laboured for over 20 years for the Abolition of slavery  in the British empire. It was because of his concern for social justice that Martin Luther King Jr.,  the Christian minister, strived hard for Civil Right movement in the US. Christians have this strong conviction about the world to come. But this strong conviction is never to lead away Christians to engage in this world for justice. Towards the end of his longest discourse on the life to come, St. Paul writes, " therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vain..." ( 1 Cor 15: 58). Justice and peace are what Christian believers are to work and to pray for in this world. Working for justice and peacemaking are not optionals; they are part and parcel of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

Secularism and BJP

Few days back BJP's strongman L.K. Advani stressed that BJP is committed to secularism,  and that it brooks no discriminative attitude towards the minorities. Considering that it can no longer come to power unless it sheds its old and harmful ideology, it is now reaching out to people of all religious communities. States where BJP ruled or shared power have seen persecution of religious minorities. Be it in Orissa or Madhya Pradesh or Gujarat or Karnataka, Christians and Muslims have been butchered and persecuted. Thus not only the religious minorities, but many other Indian citizens distrust BJP. So at this moment when Congress' and its allies are burdened with scams after scams, looting the nations treasury, BJP needs to capitalise on Congress' failure to provide a clean and transparent government. 

BJP has the worst record for any national party when it comes to dealing with the religious minorities. And unless it takes drastic action it would not sufficiently assure the minorities that it has mended its ways. Before the election it is natural for any political party to promise all sorts of things. And therefore if BJP is seriously committed to secularism, it must first severe all ties with RSS. It is a well know fact that Manmohan Singh takes "orders" from Sonia Gandhi; likewise, BJP takes "orders" from RSS. And RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP are birds of the same feather. How can BJP-RSS govern the nation into peace and prosperity when a huge section of the population feel threatened by their coming to power? 

This is apart from the fact that BJP has to settle its internal struggle for power. The tussle for power  has BJP unit split in Gujarat with Keshubhai Patel forming his own party; even Karnataka Yedyurappa seems prepared to part ways with BJP; though Vasundhara Raje is quiet for a while now. 

While Rahul Gandhi is busy at the grass root level, Congress' ministers and its friends have proved themselves to be corrupt. But unless BJP sheds its communal ideology and part ways with RSS, Congress would be the lesser evil. Whether Narendra Modi was responsible for the Gujarat riot and therefore requires persecution or not  is for the Court to decide. My position is that BJP's verbal commitment to secularism is not enough. It needs to be translated into action to be heard and seen.

Innocense of Muslims or Ignorance of the West?

Freedom of speech is a prized value everywhere. But is there a limit to exercising this freedom? Is it ever justifiable to ration this right to freedom of speech and expression? I think so. I think it is fair to curb speech that is racist in nature. One may inadvertently make racist comment, but this sort of comment is different from the intentional ones. It is also fair to curb speeches or expression that intentionally belittle other culture or spread lies. It is one thing to raise criticisms about other culture and practices and quite another thing to belittle or spread lies about others. The recent movie 'innocent of Muslims' does not come under the category of the former case; it rather amounts to belittling or spreading false information intentionally. And this sort of practice, I would consider, is to misuse the right to freedom of speech and expression. 

The controversy also raises other interesting features. In the name of freedom of speech and expression, certain people in the West produce such vitriolic materials. But if such materials is produced against gays or Jews in the name of freedom of speech and expression, I am sure loud protests would be registered. On the other hand we have Muslims who 'specialise' in more or less such double standard practices. The Muslims raise all sorts of hate speeches against the West or Christians' belief or similar parties, but go wild when others do the same about their belief. The Muslims consider that it is okay to convert others to Islam, but when others do similar thing to their fellow Muslims, they kill or try to kill. 

I am not for lies or belittling of others in the name of freedom of speech and expression. And I am also not for violent response to such inappropriate use of the right to freedom of speech and expression. And it is for this reason I am not in support of hate speeches against the gays or the Jews. But it is also because I believe in freedom of speech and expression that I consider that it is proper to engage in religious propagation, which may eventually see some people leaving their religious belief. The world can be much more violent if one exercises freedom of speech in an unlimited way. And the world can be much fairer if Muslims would allow non-Muslims to exercise their religious freedom as much as Muslims consider it their right to propagate Islam to other countries and cultures. 

My Children

Sophia & Daniel

Can Indian Secularism Tolerate Beef & Pork?

Securalism in India has been considered to be an inclusive one. It is the kind that does not try to kick all the gods upstair so that the citizens could have a godless polity; but  it is rather the kind that attempts to accomodate all the gods into the system. In a premier institution, Jawaharlal Nehru University, a group of students who called themselves The New Materialists plans to organise a beef and pork festival in the campus on the 28th of September. The plan has been opposed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal etc., all belonging to the Hindutva camp. 

Hindus do not eat beef -- or are not supposed to eat it. And Muslims are not to eat pork. Yet a large section of the Indian population are neither Hindu nor Muslim. And among this crowd a large number enjoys eating beef and pork. So whose right is being deprived of when such a controversy surfaces: those who find eating such meat offensive or those who are refused permission to eat such meat openly? The issue is not unrelated to the BJP's agenda, on and off though, that it would seek to ban cow killing all over the country. This would mean that no one would be allowed to eat beef. If ever BJP happens to take up such a Bill in the Parliament  I would not be surprised if some politicians from Kashmir or Nagaland or Mizoram or Meghalaya etc say that they would prefer that India splits into pieces than give up beef once and for all! 

As more and more people try to assert their rights, I believe this tension will get louder. One's food habit or one's religious belief is very close to each party. And I don't think hiding the controversy under the political carpet would help Indian democracy. People must debate about how custom and polity must take shape... and debate in a civil way. And in this regard I first want to hear from the defender of the cows and pigs why they think such animals are precious so much so that its worth depriving some people of exercising their age old food habit in public.

How to Process JRF in Delhi University

This is written mainly for those scholars who are new to Delhi University and who may not have many friends who may be able to guide them in processing JRF. I am in the Philosophy Department; and unless one is the Science dept the process may be the same. I faced some hardship in processing the JRF due to ignorance; and so it was after seven months of having registered that I began to enjoy the Fellowship.

Once you get registered for M.Phil/Ph.D, get your ID card made and an SBI Bank account opened, if you don't have one. Then go to the Scholarship Cell with your JRF award letter from the University Grant Commission. The Scholarship Cell is situated in second floor of the the Tagore Hall. (If you don't know Tagore Hall, ask anyone loitering near the Central Library where it is.) The Scholarship Cell would provide you a form to fill and to submit it to them along with certain documents like fee slip, JRF award letter from UGC etc. Once you have filled the form and attached the documents, get yourself a xeroxed copy of each document for future reference. Keep the xeroxed copies with you, and submit to the Scholarship Cell the form and the attached documents. Then wait for few weeks. ( You can also run around to open an SBI Bank account during this time when you wait for the letter from the Scholarship Cell so that you save time.)

After few weeks you are supposed to get a letter from the Asst Registrar of the Scholarship Cell. This 'award letter' will be sent to the HOD of your department and also to the Section Officer of Finance Branch-X, Delhi University. Take this letter of yours to the Finance Branch-X, which is located on the third floor of the New Administrative Block, near the Dean Office. They will then give you a form to be filled, which you would have to write your SBI Bank account number, besides other details. If you stay in a rented room like me, you can get a form from the Book Section, which is located on the ground floor, near the Canteen. Take these two forms and get your Supervisor and HOD signed, wherever they are to sign, and submit it to the Finance Branch-X, along with certain documents which they would tell you. Before you submit these forms, don't forget to take a photocopy of each document for your future reference. 

Once you've submitted these forms, the money would come into your account into two-three weeks time.

Is Taxing the Rich to Give to the Poor Fair?

The libertarians have the idea that the right to liberty is fundamental to each of us and so governments' enforcement of law should be minimal as far as possible. Only in those areas such as maintaining the social contract, protecting private property from theft etc should be within the purview of government's law. It is because of this sense of right to liberty that they believe in a meritocratic idea of social system. Meritocratic sense of social system is the idea that distribution of goods and opportunities in society should be based on merits and individual capability. Government then is not supposed to tax the rich to give to the poor; there should not be SC/ST quota, government also should not legislate moral conviction of the majority and impose it on all the members of the society etc. The notion of freedom of the person thus poses as a key feature for the libertarians.

John Rawls has an argument against this form of idea. He argues that those who are rich and talented are so not solely because of their doings. If Amir Khan is making so much money as an actor, it is because he is born into an era where people have developed technonoly to make and market films. And this technological development is not really his doing; he just happens to be lucky enough to be born in this generation. If Rahul Gandhi is powerful and rich, it is not really his doing; He happened to be born into such a family that is powerful and rich. Amir Khan or Rahul Gandhi cannot claim that their status is solely because of their hard work. Since luck/contingent factor had played a role in their rise, they must not keep the fruit of their status only for themselves. Or for example, if one is born into a slum and therefore she has no access to education for which she is now at the bottom of the social ladder, it is not her doing; she did not choose to be born into such social circumstances. So she cannot really be "blamed" for the condition she got into.  Had all these people been born some 1000 years earlier in some other parts of the world, their situation would have been so different. Therefore, the less fortunate ones need to be 'compensated'.

Some people are more talented than others. Some are born with certain deformity. Considering these factors should everybody start at the same line to run the race of life? If unlucky ones are not compensated, they will forever remain at the lowest rung of the social ladder. Libertarians may reply “well, that's life”.

Envy and jealousy are natural propensity of human nature. Unless checked or rectified, wider social gap can engender stronger jealousy. Since natural resources are not unlimited, if the more talented and so richer and so powerful ones own too much, leaving aside nothing much for the less fortunate ones in the lottery of life, jealousy and anger will take over and social system will crumble. If the social contract is keeping some people at the lowest rung of the social ladder, what incentive is there to prevent them for taking everybody to the state of nature where there is no law and everybody is on his/her own?

So my is that imposing reasonable amount of tax on the rich that may result in giving subsidy to the poor is fair and just; society would be worse off without such taxation.

NB: I find the libertarians idea against moral legislation unsatisfying. Can human moral sentiment take anything that comes about? I think not. If state's legislation of moral conviction is not to be practised one has to allow consensual polygamy. What about suicide or selling of one's organ like kidney or an eye? What about consensual cannibalism? Are you okay about a person giving himself to be eaten by another person? ( This incident really took place in Germany in 2001.) I believe humans are morally hardwired and goal-directed being. Doing away these traits in the name of freedom will make human less human.

Ripple Effect of Bodo-Muslim Conflict in Assam!

Some 77 people have died in the recent Bodo-Muslim conflict in Assam. The Muslims who have died are believed to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh. I have no idea what must be done to address the reason for the conflict once and for all. But I do not want bloodshed to continue. And what is unfortunate is that the conflict seems to be spreading to other parts of the country.

It is important to know that entire North East is not just Assam. There are eight states in the North East ( i.e including Sikkim). The conflict between Bodo-Muslim is confined to Assam alone. What is happening in Burma is again different. There are many indigenous Muslims (around 100,000!) in Manipur, the state I come from. Attacking people from the North East, say the Nagas & Manipuris, as a revenge for the Bodo-Muslim conflict in Assam  or Buddhist- Muslim  conflict in Burma is not a wise thing to do. You cannot attack any person from South India just because, say, there is a conflict between Hindus and Muslims in Kerala or Karnataka.

Won't it be more appropriate to show solidarity with the fellow Muslims by providing the affected people shelter or clothes? That I think would be more in line with the Islamic teaching. Or perhaps helping the Muslims to have better infrastructure there in Bangladesh itself will be more helpful to the Muslims as well as to others. Random attack on North East people or creating a riot like scenario would not help the cause of Islam. It will rather result in creating bad impression of Islam.

21/8/12

The way the NE people fled Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad etc  indicate that they do not really feel fully secure outside of their states. It was not just rumours but real attacks though sporadic have taken place. The Central govt as well as state governments and many local people promised help to the NE people in such they receive threats. Such assurances did not help much. This indicates that the people did not really feel secure. I won't want to criticise the NE people for feeling insecure. I think people should feel sorry for their insecurity rather than criticising them for feeling insecure easily.

But the incident also bring out something very important for India's security. And if India wants to prevent such kind of things in future, connecting NE with the rest of the country better is the key to solving the predicament. For many parents in the NE when their children have gone to study "in India", they have gone out into the unknown part of the world. All this exodus would not have been this way had Nehru not systematically kept NE as buffer zone. If the parents in this region can think about their child going for study like those parents in Punjab who would have sent their child to study in Bangalore, such exodus would not have arisen.  Well, let bygones be bygones. Can the Govt do something more concrete for the NE states now? To proof that it is doing something we want to see that political instability in the region is being sorted out in the region first. And to sort our the political conundrum, I suggest that the political right of each ethnic group/community should be given due recognition/respect. Stop using 'political jugaar' as a quick fix solution. As long as right of a community/ethnic group is undermined, courtesy 'political jugaar', this conundrum will emerge over and over again. 

Interview of Tim Keller

Sophia is Born

On 2nd August, 2012, around 2330 hours Savita woke me up saying she's getting the pain. We just waited for a while to examine if the pain would progress. Few days back we had gone to the hospital thinking the labour pain was there. After a day stay we returned. We experienced similar false alarm with Daniel too. But with Sophia we felt that this was it because Savita said the pain lingered. The test later showed that the pain was real, but it was not progressive one.  And this time we wanted to make sure that the pain was real before we rushed to the hospital. At 0012 hours, on 3rd Aug, we got into the car and headed to the hospital. The road was fairly empty by then and we reached the hospital without any problem. Thank God! Two hours later she was wheeled to the labour room. 

On the 2nd floor of the Wards, I slept on the floor. I had just a sheet to put it on the floor. Even with Daniel, it was the case. For the pillow I put my sandals, and spread the sheet over them; then I put a small bag which contained my dairy, and finally a towel. That was my bed that night. When Daniel was taken to the same hospital almost two years back due to false alarm, I slept on the bare floor. This lesson about where to sleep and what all things are to be taken for the night are somethings that first time fathers need to keep in mind. 

At 7 am when it was time for visitors to go in to meet the patients, one sister called my name. As I reached the door, the doctor said, "your family is now complete. I had the privilege to help in the delivery process of the first child as well. Your wife is fine and so is the child. Go in". "Thank you", I said, and entered the room. There the sister led me to Savita's room. She was there... cheerful in spite of the a very painful moment she's just experienced.

The doctor in the hospital said we could go back home soon. So on 5th we came back home. Few days before the delivery, I had already purchased a tricycle for Daniel. So when Sophia arrived home, she presented the tricycle to Daniel. Daniel was happy to get the gift from the new member of the family. Daniel did not envy Sophia getting attention of his parents. Perhaps this little gift from Sophia at the time of her arrival eased the process. We also take proper precaution to see that Daniel is never neglected. Now Daniel is very happy that Sophia is around. He kissed her and wanted to lie down beside her. We are thankful to God that He has given us two wonderful children. It is also the prayer of the parents that the two siblings will continue to love and support one another till the end. 

Are There Lessons From the Divorce of Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise?

Marriage and divorce keep happening, but generally only the affair of celebrities make news headlines. And since celebrities get so much of publicity in other sphere of their life, even in this bitter experience like divorce news spread. Even in Bollywood, not just Hollywood, there have been cases of divorce, and sometimes we hear accusation of  'spouse snatching' from somewhere. 

Marriage is not something that can be considered a casual affair. Since there is an emotional entanglement in such a relationship, marriage that ends on a sour note will be painful. And more so for children who would be at a loss in such a state of affair. And unless one chooses spouse carefully, the pain of failed marriage can spread.

Katie Holmes was raised as a Christian of some sort till she got married, and Tom Cruise a Scientologist. Christianity and Scientology are different. It is reported that Katie converted to Scientology even as she got married to Tom. It never reports whether her conversion was casual or whether it was a result of genuine conviction that eventually led her to believe that Scientology is after all correct and Christianity has all along been wrong. If she truly is a genuine Scientologist why would she be afraid of her daughter being raised a Scientologist? I am a Christian, and I do want to raise my children as Christians! 

If you are serious about your religion or lack of it, marrying someone of different persuasion can create serious problem. If you are a Christian and your spouse is one not at all interested in your religious outlook,  you will have serious differences of opinion on various issues. Taking children to the church/Sunday school, giving money for missionary work, to involve in leading worship/service or church cleaning, to participate in get together like picnic, to open the house for Bible study etc are going to be some concerns of a Christian believer. And if your partner is least interested in such things, marriage will no longer be something about companionship. Since religious ideology/doctrine plays an important role in our outlook about life, it's important that your spouse shares similar outlook.

Apart from the point mentioned above, marriage also requires communication compatibility. Things that you say should make sense to your spouse or vice versa. Many a time, small issue can create tension. And unless both the couple learns to resolve the matter through proper communication, relationship can break down. If the line of communication is bad, misunderstanding at various levels will creep in. If you are so intelligent, and your would be spouse is an idiot, don't go for it. If you are well educated, and the other person is not, be careful. Education enhances our capacity to be able to talk various things intelligibly. And not being compatible on educational front can be a serious obstacle for a meaningful marriage.

Wait for the right time. Do not get married at a young age when you are financial not independent yet. Having children at a young age can put too much stress on the relationship between the husband and wife. Raising children is not an easy task. It requires brain, energy, money etc.

Operation Bluebird, Killing of Naxalites and Just War

It was on July 9th, 1987, a "battle was fought between Indian army and Naga armies at Oinam village in Shepoumaramth Region with the 3rd Assam Rifle. The entire company of the 3rd Assam Rifle was overrun by the Naga army. The full arsenal of the company was captured; ten who were on sentry duty were wiped out, the rest of the rank and file surrendered. " ( Naga Hoho in White Paper on Naga Integration). The Indian army launched Operation Bluebird to recover the lost weapon in the neighbouring villages for over a month. Unarmed and innocent men were tortured to death and women were made to deliver babies in public. People that I know personally were disabled for life by the torture. Many of the innocent villagers trembled in fear; while many went to join the Naga army to fight the Indian army. The Nagas till today have not forgotten the torture on the unarmed civilians by the Indian army. 

On June 28, 2012, seventeen people were killed in what policed termed as the "biggest Naxal encounter" in the Chhattisgarh. Naxals usually don't leave the dead bodies behind. But in this situation, the bodies of 16 people killed were recovered. ( One person died in the hospital later.) Despite report of "heavy firing" only three country-made firearms were found. Even after two days of the encounter police were unable to trace Naxal connection of most of the people who were killed. What has gone wrong? Are those people killed really Naxalite fighters? Oh, no. Most of those who died were innocent and unarmed civilians. 

One of the reasons that the army usually gives for killing unarmed civilians is that these civilians are sympathisers of the armed  group. Now if the villagers perceived the armed group to be fighting on their behalf or for a just cause, then sympathy is bound to arise. On the other hand, the army too have their own sympathisers. People pay tax so that these army personnel would fight on their behalf and defend the country.  Thus each armed group has their own sympathisers and support system. So this raises the question whether it's fair for armed personnel to torture and kill unarmed sympathisers of the rival armed group. Should the principle of JUST WAR exclude sympathisers of the rival armed group to be free from being harmed? Yes, it is a must. Just as the Naxalites should not harm any unarmed Indian civilians for paying tax to support the army, I expect the Indian military personnel too to refrain from harming Naxalite supporters. The respect should be mutual. 

Armed personnel who torture or kill innocent and unarmed civilians should be punished. And systematic torture or killing of unarmed civilians in the past should be apologised to and compensated appropriately. Someday I wish that someday the Indian army would apologise to the Nagas for its deliberate and systematic inhuman treatment on the unarmed civilians. If the army personnel do not want their children or wife being killed or bombed, then they should also refrained from harming innocent civilians though these people may in one way or the other show their support to rival armed group. If at all the armies want to deal with such civilians, let the police keep them in jail.

9.6 feet Long Hair

Chaone Poumai Naga w/o Veikhainii Poumai Naga
Address: Phuba Khuman, P.O. Maram ( Near Mao)
Senapati District, Manipur, India- 795105.

This picture was taken a week back. It is said that whenever she plans to get it cut, she would have bad dream or headache. So she carries this long strand of hair. 

What A Talent This Man Possesses!

Is the talent that this man possesses his doing or is it naturally gifted? Is it fair to say that if this talent is his doing, he deserves to keep the money he makes through such demonstration of the talent but if the talent is naturally gifted then he deserves to share the advantages/money he makes with those who are least gifted? Well, Michael Winslow is the name of this talented person.  And this is what John Rawls would say about the question raised above. The fact that Mr. Winslow lives in an age that prizes such demonstration is not his doing nor is it his doing that he was not born in Egypt in 2500 BC that would never provide him the chance to be famous. The kind of society that allows him to perform in TV or hears about effect/guitar is not his doing either. Since he happened to be living in a time such as this, he cannot claim exclusively for himself the advantages or privileges that accrue to him. He must therefore share the fruit of his talent with those who are least gifted. I do think Rawls has a point there. If we examine in detail how we have arrived  where we are now we may in for a surprise. The family we are born into; the society that prizes the career we have opted; the value system that society engenders etc are beyond our control. We just happen to reap the favourable conditions contingent factors have brought about. This should not totally undermine the willful decisions we have made. But one should not also undermine the other factors which are not our doing. This reality situates us in the position where failing to share the privileges we enjoy now with those who are least advantaged becomes a kind of injustice. And injustice is injustice. And we humans are made to continue living an unjust life.THE TAKE HOME LESSON IS THIS: WHETHER YOU ARE AN ENGINEER OR A DOCTOR OR A MANAGER, SHARE YOUR EARNINGS AND PRIVILEGES WITH THOSE WHO ARE LEAST PRIVILEGED.

Taming Nature: Artificial Rain & River Inter-linking

Making Rain: 

Delhi is facing power cut and water shortage as it experiences summer heat. June 29 is supposed to be the day monsoon arrives in Delhi. And till today monsoon is not yet arrived. The paper says water supply department is praying for rain as its reservoir is drying up. And with many ACs around, there has been power cut too. And in all of this it's the poor, who cannot even afford  inverter, who suffer the most. They face power cut and water shortage more acutely than the middle class families. Nights without adequate power supply is tormenting. And one has to get up in the morning and go for work. Delhi is desperately waiting for rain.

Now to solve this problem, how is it if artificial rain is created specially when the monsoon arrives late. Punjab, Haryana and Delhi would really be helped if such a thing is introduced as these places receive monsoon last. Toward evening, between 6-7 pm, if rain shower takes place for half an hour, till the following day, the weather would remain pleasant. Power demand would reduce and ground water would be replenished.  Inducing rain that way could be used only for a week or two till the monsoon arrives. And since  by June end there is much moisture in the air, creating rain would not be much difficult.

One silver iodide shell would cost less than a thousand rupees; and a rocket around fifteen thousand rupees.  The army could lend one of its plane for few trips to the sky. Beijing was believed to have shot 186 doses of silver iodide into the sky to produce 16 million tons of snow. This is not something that New Delhi could not afford or achieve technical know-how.

Linking Brahmaputra: 

The mighty Brahmaputra is overflowing and  Assam is facing flood once again. Prime Minister has announced Rs. 500 crore to aid flooded Assam. Flood and relief package is not new for Assam. And whenever flood occurs hundreds die and thousands are displaced. And this is not going to be last time Brahmaputra overflows. This is going to happen again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again...unless something is done to stop the repetition. And not only Assam is affected; even Bangladesh too is affected when Brahmaputra overflows.

I see inter-linking Brahmaputra with some other river as the only solution to address this problem once and for all. If inter-linking different rivers in India is environmentally unfriendly, let Brahmaputra alone be linked with a river or two to divert its water. If digging is not feasible, let huge pipes carry the river water to some other region. Rivers like Krishna and Kaveri have too less water and states quarrel over water sharing of these rivers. So why not these few states, Assam and Central Govt share the cost and divert Brahmaputra's water? Rich politicians and philanthropists can also be roped in to share the cost. Too many lives have been lost due to flood that repeats every few years. Times of India reports that 77 lives have been lost this time, and many are reported missing, while millions have been displaced. More lives will perish still when water borne diseases strike. Property would have been destroyed in term of several thousands of crores. It is high time Government seriously considers linking Brahmaputra with some other river.

Farewell, my dear father, Farewell!

Ch. Veino Duomai ( 14th Sept. 1932- 29th June, 2012) was one of the five children born to my grandparents. His parents were pagans when he was born. On 12th Feb. 1944, his parents migrated and formed a new village along with six other families as they became followers of Jesus Christ. He obediently followed his parents to a new place and the God of his parents became his God too. His parents sent him to a very distant place to get education. Unfortunately his way to higher education was cut short as his father expired when the children were still young. He could finish his formal education only till High School!

My beloved parents in 2011

By the time he reached his twenties, he became a fine sportsperson. He participated in various sport items at the inter-village level competition. He composed several songs too. He served as the Director for the Khyoubuhamai church choir and also for the Paomata Choir. For over fifty years, he also provided medical care to several thousands of people. Even people from different neighbouring villages and communities came to get medical treatment from him. I have seen people coming to call him even in the middle of an icy cold winter night due to certain illness in their family. Many a time even people from other villages would call him home right after his school or from the church or from the field. How he came to posses such skill & knowledge on healthcare system remains a mystery. Whether it was God's gift or whether it was through sheer hard work or whether it was a combination of both, his contribution to healthcare in the surrounding area was significant. Of all the things he did he, however, earned his livelihood by teaching in a Government school. Since there were hardly educated people then, the few people who were as educated as he was contributed to the growth of literacy rate in the region tremendously.

My dad was a man of few words. He remained apolitical all his life. And because of his non-involvement in politics, he avoided controversy. One of the remarkable features is that he loved my mom so much. And yes, he loved his children too. I remember him putting me to sleep in his back ( piggyback) when I was ill. I was probably four or five then. I also remember him carrying me to the team of medical doctors who had once come to the village to vaccinate the children of the village. That was when I was just six or seven. All of his children, however, he must have cared Jethro the most. Jethro, his second son and who became a paralytic at the age of one and remained so till his death at 32. Ziirai Jethro truly deserved that much care. Dad, we knew that you were doing the right thing then! 

Ten days back I was in the village. Dad has then been sleeping for almost 17-18 hours a day. He was running out of energy to remain awake for long and talk with people. He asked me to support him sit up for sometime. This time, for a change, he leaned on me. We talked about Jesus. And I asked him once more if he has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and God. " Yes, I truly do", he said. He breathed his last on this side of the world at 6.22 pm on 29th June,, 2012. 

Of all the things he achieved and performed, I regard his decision to follow Jesus Christ as his Lord and God to be the wisest one. I believe it is because of his faith in Jesus Christ, he did the good things he did. And it is because of this faith in Jesus Christ that his death is not the end though for now I say, "farewell, my dear father, farewell! Your children will miss you."

A Tribal as the President of India

P. A. Sangma or Pranab Mukherjee. The former is from Meghalaya, a tribal and a Christian; former Speaker of Lok Sabha, former Congressman and former NCP member. The latter is from West Bengal, a seasoned Congressman and Sonia's trusted lieutenant who enjoys the respect of his party members. 

Whom do I favour? 

India is a land of much diversity. Different ethnic groups flock together and sometime even fight one another for space. Sangma is a Garo tribal; and Mukherjee a Bengali brahmin. The former is a Christian and the latter a Hindu. One is of the mongoloid stock and the other an Aryan stock. These differences run so deep in shaping the personality of each individuals and also the communities they belong to. These differences have persisted across centuries and they will continue to remain as they are now for ages to come. As long as human individuals differ, differences in various facets of their lives will continue. This is a reality that we must live with. There are, however, similarities between each individual and social groupings  despite the differences. This is a reality that we must acknowledge. 

Since there are differences between individuals and religious and ethnic communities, is it political feasible to consider as if the differences are virtual? No, as far as my thinking goes. And if we admit that there are genuine differences, then how do we formulate political vision so that each individual and social groupings is given political space to flourish? Well, Sangma rightly underlines the importance of having a tribal President this time since people of different social persuasion has been positioned at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Political merit does not come with number alone. But that were so, a nation like India will collapse -- or should. Justice has to take the social equation into consideration and distribute position and advantages according to the equation. Therefore, in this regard I do consider that we should not pretend as if the 'tribal argument' has no merit at all. The 'tribal argument' underlined by Sangma has a point. 

Having said that I do think that there are tribal leaders who are more deserving that Sangma to be the President of India. I would not want Sangma nor Mukherjee to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Wolterstorff

Calling a Northeastern 'Chinki' Can Land You in Jail for 5 Years. Oh, Really?

The Ministry of Home Affairs recently passed an order which it communicated to all the States and Union Territories that anyone found calling someone from Northeastern part of the country 'chinki' can be jailed upto 5 years. The culprit can be booked under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The fact of the matter is that the MHA order too is highly flawed. Everybody from the North East does not come under the category of Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe. And when the victim is outside of that category, how can the Law book a culprit under the SC/ST Act. I don't see how this makes sense! Isn't this a case of Ministry of Home Affairs too being ignorant of the kind of composition of people in the North East India? If it is not ignorant then I consider the order to be a bluff. 

However, will this order really solve the problem of prejudices among the Northeastern people? To some extent, I would say. If the government is really serious about solving this problem once and for all, then it needs to introduce some more concrete measure. Since the government has deliberately kept the Northeastern region under 'wrap' for ages, it has to take extra measure to address the problem. And these are some of the measures that I believe will help. 

1. Let the government waive 100% tax on any film producer that includes main actors from the Northeastern region. The government can also take similar step for any film that attempts to highlight the case & story of Northeastern people. 

2. Hire more people from the Northeast in government agencies to carry and highlight the different faces and colours that people in India are made up of. 

3. Include special chapters in the syllabi of schools and high schools about North East. For example, why should study of History be only about Guptas, Mauryas and Mughals or about Gandhi, Nehru and Tilak?

4. Bring in deserving people in significant positions. 

5. Connect the region with proper roads and railway track so that the region too can develop.

Are Maring, Chiru, Thangal... Nagas?

" The Naga tribes in Manipur with whom this volume is concerned, are (1) the Tangkhuls who inhabit the hills immediately to the east and north-east of the valley of Manipur; (2) the Mao and Maram Nagas who inhabit the hills north of the valley and to whom the title quasi-Angami Nagas has been given by some writers on the ground that they are more closely connected with the Angamis than with their fellow subjects the Tangkhuls and the Kabuis; (3) the Kolya, Khoirao or Mayang Khong group in the hills south of Mao and Maram' (4) the Kabuis who inhabit the hills to the west and north-west of the valley and (5,6 and 7) Quorengs, Chirus, Marrings, smaller tribes, who are to be found in the hills bordering the valley."

"The village of Mao, a Meithei name, or Sopvoma as it is called by the Nagas themselves, lies on the western spurs of Kopamedza, on the cart road from Dimapur to Imphal. Close to it and almost contiguous are the villages of Robugnamei and Pudugname who form part of the Mao leaguer. Its kindred villages stretch to the east as far as Jessami ( Phundrak in Meithei), which is build on an apex of land between the Lanier and the river which rises below Mao, and looks towards Melome and Lapvome. Svemi ( Chinjaroy in Meithei), the scene of one of the most bloodthirsty raids...is now inhabited by Mao people and by Tangkhuls with the result that the typical customs of both tribes are here being subjected to modification owing to the syncecism that has taken place. Oinam and Purum belong to the Mao group but are so far removed from the direct influence of Mao that they present many features of interest, enough to differentiate them from Mao. On the west of the Manipur-Kohima road the group extends to Uilong, the village in whose vicinity is a collection of stone monoliths of rare symmetry, and to Yang and Bakema, villages more connected with Mao or Maram than with the Kabui Nagas or with the Katcha Nagas."

"The Kolya Nagas or Khoirao Nagas, or, as I prefer to call them, the Mayan Khong ( a corruption of the name Mayangkhang, a Thangal Naga village), inhabit nine villages in the hills south of Maram and Kairong. They are now almost indistinguishable, in so far as customs and appearances are concerned, from Mao and Maram, and I was informed that they were descended from Maram. "

" The Kabui Nagas are now restricted to the hills immediately north of the Cachar road... There is ample evidence, historical and traditional, to show that their expulsion from the hills to the south is comparatively recent. I have stumbled across ruins of large villages in the jungles south of Nongba, and learnt that they were the ruins of Kabui villages that had been destroyed... in the early part of the last century. "

"The Quorengs now consist of but nine small villages in the country just south of the great Barail range, which forms the north-western boundary of the state."

" The Chirus inhabit some thirteen villages situated on the slopes of the hills on the western side of the Manipur valley, and are not numerous"

" The Marrings have a few villages in the Hirok range of Hills, in the south-west of the valley" 

* From The Naga Tribes of Manipur by T.C. Hudson, (First published in 1911). pp.2,3,4 &5.

Some Pictures

The place where I was born...the place I plan to retire!

Anyone knows the name of this plant?

Delicious vegetables

Poumai Naga Folksong

Is it ever Justifiable to Steal?

I believe that the God revealed in the Bible is the creator of the world. And he has created the world in such a way that the material goods will be distributed without anyone having to starve. We human, however, distort and corrupt this plan of God through our greed and hate repeatedly. And so when some powerful people gather riches leaving the widows and orphans starving and naked, this is against the will of God. When even the basic needs of some people are not met, it is normally because the material goods have not been shared appropriately as some people refuse to follow God's plan of distributive justice. If the rich follows God's word, the hungry and the naked would no longer remain in that condition.

Listen to what some older Christians said. In his book Justice: Right and Wrong, Nicholas Wolterstorff made this quote of Basil of Caesarea (329-379) "that bread which you keep, belongs to the hungry; that coat which you preserve in your wardrobe, to the naked; those shoes which are rotting in your possession, to the shoeless; that gold which you have hidden in the ground, to the needy. Wherefore, as often as you were able to help others, and refused, so often did you do them wrongs" ¹ In the same page, Wolterstorff quoted Bishop Ambrose of Milan (339-397) “Not from you own do you bestow upon the poor man, but you make return from what is his”. Vinoth Ramachandra, in his book Gods That Fail: Modern Idolatary and Christian Mission, writes quoting John Chrysostom ( 347-407) “ This also is theft, not to share one's possession... For his own goods are not his own, but belong to his own fellow servants...I beg you remember this without fail, that not to share our own wealth with the poor is theft from the poor and deprivation of their means of life; we do not possess our own wealth but theirs.” ² This lines are clear that when some rich people store riches, and left, say, the widows and orphans starving and naked the rich are actually keeping which don't belong to themselves. And this is the way Christians of old understood with respect to the way material goods are to be distributed.

Vinoth Ramachandra continues in the same book “ It is morally permissible for an extremely impoverished person to take what he or she needs for sustenance from a person who has plenty. If I have food in my house which you need for our survival, but which is not indispensable for mine, then it rightfully belongs to you, it would not be an act of charity on it. If I offered it to you, it would not be an act of charity on my part as much as granting you your own rights under God.” Then Vinoth goes on to quote Thomas Aquinas ( 1225-1274), the great medieval theologian, “ In cases of need all things are common property, so that there would seem to be no sin in taking another's property, for need has made it common... Now according to the natural order established by Divine providence, inferior things are ordained for the purpose of succouring man's needs by their means. Wherefore the division and appropriation of things which are based on human law do not preclude the fact that man's needs have to be remedied by means of these very things. Hence whatever certain people have in superabundance is due, by natural law to the purpose of succouring the poor."  Vinoth continued “ Reasoning from the principle of stewardship whereby material things are seen as held in trust for the common welfare, Aquinas continued: ' Nevertheless, if the need be so manifest and urgent, that it is evident that the present need must be remedied by whatever means be at hand (for instance when a person is in some imminent danger, and there is no other possible remedy), then it is lawful for a man to succour his own need by means of another's property, by taking it either openly or secretly: nor is this properly speaking theft nor robbery' ”. ³

I need not add further word. But from the explanation given above I believe it is justifiable that there is a certain kind of situation when it is morally permissible to take what belongs to others or rather what actually belongs to me but in others' custody.

The moral of the point is that the rich people owe so much to the poor.

1. Wolterstorff, Nicholas (2008). Justice: Rights and Wrongs, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p. 62
2. Ramachandra, Vinoth ( 1996). Gods That Fail: Modern Idolatary and Christian Mission, Carlisle, UK: Paternoster Press, p. 45
3. Ibid., p. 46

Daniel Duomai at 18 months!

Democracy: Government off the People, fool the People and buy the People?

The write up is to be situated in the context of the election that was held in Manipur, a north eastern state of India, on 28th January 2012. The election was probably the most corrupt eonein the history of Manipur's democracy. There would have been not a single candidate that did not use unfair means to get votes. At then end it was the Congress that emerged victorious. And the reasons are many, but one key reason was that no one else could match the money power of the Congress party.

It has become a kind of a set pattern to buy voters. There were candidates who did not visit their constituency due to threats to their life. ( I am not going to get into that now.) But even such candidates got elected. How was that possible? They sent in their workers to the constituency with bundles of money. And voters were purchased. All candidates used money power to purchase voters. And buying voters likewise is illegal. And it is immoral too. It is immoral because election are supposed to be fought on the basis of candidates' merits. And distributing money distorts the very definition of democratic election. Candidates who purchased voters , therefore, are using unfair means to get elected. Period. 

The voters who took money in exchange for her vote too is wrong. Even if the money was distributed, the voter need not take it. So the voter too was a party to the malpractice. And I appreciate those voters who were able to say NO to money. And this refusal to take money in exchange for vote is something we all need to copy.

I would further say that even if money has been taken by a voter from a candidate, there is no valid reason to be obligated to vote for the candidate. As of now if voters have taken money from Mr. A, they are obligated to vote for Mr. A. So the the one who offers more money will get more votes! But such obligation will perpetuate the ongoing corrupt practice. And if we have to blunt the power of money to purchase voter, we have to do away with the obligation. Therefore, to achieve an end which is good i.e making the power of money to buy voter redundant, I believe it is okay not to be obligated to vote for the person from whom one has taken money. 

This is not to say "take money, but don't vote for the who gave you the money". It is rather saying "don't take money; but even if you take money you don't have to feel obligated to vote for the one who gave you money".  So the actual emphasis is on "don't give money & don't take money". The third punchline is to provide additional cushion to fight unfair way of using money power during election.

India Should Vote in Favour of the Resolution on Sri Lanka

LTTE used terror among its own people and also against others in its quest for Tamil Eelam. But now LTTE is dead! The Government of Sri Lanka has defeated the Tamil Tigers. Whether Tamils in Sri Lanka deserve an Eelam or not, I have no idea. What I learnt, however, is that Sri Lankan army violated human right in all sorts of ways to end the bloody conflict. And that I cannot endorse. All sorts of human rights violation, whether by state or non-state actors, I condemn.

It is for this reason that I believe India should vote in favour of the resolution on Sri Lanka at United Nations Human Right Council. Whether DMK/AIADMK put pressure on the Government of India or not, my view is that India should vote in favour of the resolution. If a team to investigate on the human right violation is formed, and after impartial investigation if Sri Lankan government officials are found to be guilty, proper sentence should be given to those who are guilty. Such an example would prove successful in serving as a deterring factor even in future for other nation-states that may violate human right.

Loving One's Neighbour

“Love thy neighbour as thyself” is an important commandment in the Bible. “Neighbour” here does not primarily  or necessarily mean spatial neighbour, but refers to someone who needs to be loved and cared. Christian care, therefore, is to be extended to all people who needs it. It can be extended even to someone who is to be born in future. This is about loving one's neighbour in time. For example, practical application of loving one's neighbour in time can take the form of caring for the planet so that the future generation will not inherit a fully exploited earth.

The Bible, however, puts it this way: Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith (Gal 6.10). The notion of caring specially for those within the Christian community is an exhortation and practice that is found in the Bible. And this is to be lived out globally. Christians thus take care -- or should take care, of "its own family members".  To find beggars or homeless Christians is a scandal within the church. Yet this love and attitude must go beyond the Christian community and include people of all nations. 

 

This command to love one's neighbour is deeply rooted in the scriptural injunction. For some to love the weak and the needy is not a virtuous activity. For others it could be a virtuous activity but it is something that is done when one has some 'extra' time or money. For Christians loving one's neighbour is about responding to the call of Christ; about being obedient to the Master. 

Resolving Euthyphro Dilemma

The Euthyphro dillemma is found in the Plato's diologue with Euthyphro. In the dialogue Socrates asked Euthyphro " Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?"
Or if I may put it differently "Is the good act loved by gods because it is good or is it good because god so ordained it?" 

God is intrinsically good and holy. And God is the source of all that is good and pure. And since God is intrinsically good, he can never will (or love) what is wicked or evil. Just as God cannot non-exist, divine fiat cannot include wicked act. God's omnipotence does not mean that God can do logically impossible feats. Just as God cannot exist now and non-exist later, God cannot pronounce necessary moral truth now which is according to his nature, and later pronounce exactly opposite to his divine nature. So, is the good good because God so pronounced it according to his nature? Yes...and God cannot but pronounce it so because to pronounce otherwise is logically impossible.

But what moral reason is there to obey God's command?

We are to obey God's command because he is the giver of life. He brings me forth into existence. We are also to obey God's command because it is good. God will not issue command arbitrarily; rather he issues command according to his divine nature.

Of course, this assumes that God is necessarily good and so he will issue fiats only that which is good. The Abraham-Isaac story will nullify the assumption had Isaac really been sacrificed. But a believer will respond that because God is necessarily good, he will not issue command which will be truly wicked . A command may appear to be wicked, but in the grand scheme of things any command of God will result in the well being of the person if obediently carried out. But to see and experience that faith is required!

Is it fair to treat certain members of a society unequally?

Does the idea of justice demand that we treat certain members of the society unequally?

The society in which we live is not a fair or just one. Many people die of exposure to cold in winter as they sleep under the bridge. And in summer many people die of dehydration. It is the those living in the slums whose house get bulldozed and who face power cut more often than the rest though everyone pays the electricity. The poor thus have to manage without a fan in summer so that the rich could run their AC. The poor in the slums are so often denied ration card and they struggle to get it made as the officials are not helpful. But when the rich appears they get it made easily...for various reasons! The poor people also don't have sufficient to eat and so their children too grow up facing such shortage. The children often failed to go to school and so in their later life cannot compete with the rest. Even if they go to school they go to Government run schools the facilities would be so poor. And it is because of such poor facility that the rich don't send their children to these schools. In sickness the poor suffers, and when some lethal sickness strikes they are oftentime unable to get out of it. Or even if they did get out, all their resources would have been drained.

Privileges and resources are unequally distributed. Hardship and suffering are not equally distributed in the society. The poor face injustice in their social relations so much more than the rich and the powerful. They are unable to fight for their case; they don't know all the legal systems. They are treated with less respect.

It is good that if everybody's capability could be developed. However, if there is resources crunch, the poor must get the preference over the rich to be developed. The poor has to be brought up the level of the rich. If distributive system is unequal and therefore unequal distribution of resources and hardship result, then rectifying justice must entail that more resources be channeled to those who face more injustice more.

Just distribution entails that we have to distribute resources unequally specially in the light of the practical resources constraint that we experience.