India: Land of Minorities

When you look you see a commonality between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They all claim lineage from Abraham.  In addition to this they are also formed as brotherhoods. The same concept is making them compete with each other, in many spheres.  Ironically even the communism is a brotherhood concept. That is why communists claim to be non believers. It is actually not about faith in Gods as it is extraneous to the ideology.  But it is all about not being part of another brotherhood  when you are in communist brotherhood.

This failed work in India as India is populated by hindus who are anything but a brotherhood.  It is a conglomeration of pagans following faiths and beliefs of numerous kinds. These population formed a majority in India and many like Shankara, swami Vivekananda tried bring them under one common religious roof. The outcome of their efforts may be a subject for debate but the bottom line is clear. There is no religion called Hinduism.  Logically some one has to create it for Hinuism to exist. As far as I know it was first conceived by the British and copied by our founding fathers probably thinking that it can be a binding theme for the nation. But the reality is that dividing people based on their faiths is not wise. It is a European system to look every one based on their faith. This method has only brought India misery of partition and religious riots.

From these group of pagans we had,  religions like Budhism, Jainism and Sikhs originated in India. The reality is that these pagans do not have any commonality and they are divided by languages, traditions, customs, skin color, physical features and beliefs.  They are different from each other and are really a minority in an overall way.  It is because it is part of their own identity.

What we celebrate as the idea of India is not just about being secular which is a concept derived from something more ancient. Something more real. Whatever be your faiths, beliefs, customs we believe that one has to find his own way for his self realization, salvation. India tells you to seek truths and destiny by yourself, in your own way and still remain Indian or should we say Hindu?

In this land people are identifying themselves based on caste which is based on history. The religion based segmentation is not right and should not be followed any more. At least time has come to face the truths and discard myths.

Why VS is a pain for the CPM?

One must remember that VS is one of the last living founder member and leader of CPM. Most of the leaders who are from Kerala are his one time proteges. The party has evolved over the years due to the inevitable changes happening all over Kerala. Today there are hardly any agriculture in kerala one of its solid support base. Blue collar workers are also on decline. Today the state has only govt servants who are considered a solid support base for CPM.

To maintain its cadre base intact party has developed instituitions to create employment opportunities. over the years the corporatisation of the party has taken deep roots. Today the party has infiltrated so many organisations and affiliations such that the power of the offical party position is quite considerable.

Today the party is populated by not by the idealistic and is attracting only practical, materilialistic people who would like to know what they get for what they give. In that sense party loyalties are not cast in stone or based in strong ideology.

Today VS stands for that ideological romantism which no longer exist in that party. Sadly he is no intellectual ideologue to fight this natural change or offer a ideological base to his political positions. The party members are more bound by the practical considerations than the sacred organisational values or strict discipline.

All his life he remained a fighter for issues without a real ideologue basis and was instrumental in changing the party and developing many of its today's leaders. Today the party is controlled by political managers who have no ideological purity or intellectual clarity to run an organisation which can decide the agenda or political discourse. May be after EMS no one could fill that role. This degeneration of the party could not have happened without blaming the past leadership. In reality if one look at the past leadership only two individuals have influenced the party so much after AKG. That is the redoubtable EMS and VS himself. So today VS has only himself to blame for the position he is in or the party is in.

True, that he may be a good communist but was never a visionary. He was a reactive political leader than one who sets the agenda. Today CPM has more thinkers outside the party than inside. Its idealists are silent and are powerless. Today musclemen and capitalists influence its policies and political positions. The party has no pretence left in the close scrutiny of media glare. Its current leadership can survive with their personal agendas and business interests only for the time being, but has no vision for the future. It cannot inspire the youth or future generation to join the party. Today it is not even able to mobilise masses for its agitations because of the credibility of the leaders is suspect. 

Over the years the party has shed lot of dissenting voices in its disciplinary zeal resulting in a situation today where the society has more credible leftist thinkers or ideologues or political leaders than inside the party. Today VS is facing the same situation as these rebels had faced some time back and eventually the party leadership shall prevail even on such a tall crusader's fate.

It is an irony that these rebels want VS to come out and join forces with them. Even though VS has a lot to answer for the party's current plight today he remains inspirational for the outside commoner. He remain the last rebel  whose fight against injustice is not a popularity gimmick or political posturing and one who has real credibility in the minds of people.

Party thinks that image has come at its expense and cost. The corporate culture in the party has taken such deep roots that party think that they can cut him to size after removing from CC or Opposition leader post. This may be the case considering the age of VS but the question lingers, then what?

The faceless, nameless people of this kerala need a proper governance and not lobby management by the UDF and mafia running of the LDF. One cannot expect to fool the people all the time.