Prime Ministers - from Nehru to Modi!

I had never seen my father shed tears as a young boy. One day I was surprised to see that. A gentle enquiry revealed that one Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru had died and that he was the Prime Minister of India. It was in May 1964 and I was about 10 years old. The papers carried extensive photographs the next day with large crowds mourning the death of Pandit ji. I also vaguely remember discussions earlier about the Indo-China war with our boarding school notice board displaying the “McMohan line”. He was a cult figure those days with people like my dad revering him for his work during the freedom movement. I am sure they were also aware of the scandals surrounding Mr. Nehru but the perception that he was an intellectual known for his erudition and international standing perhaps overshadowed this downside. “Who after Nehru?” seemed to be the question on everyone’s lips. I don’t remember much about his era as the PM though.  

After a “night watchman” Mr. Gulzarilal Nanda’s short tenure, Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the PM, thanks to Mr. Kamaraj, the king maker, those days. What a stalwart Mr. Kamaraj was! I can only laugh at the pygmies who call themselves leaders in TN today, who do not command even a semblance of respect from the masses now! The diminutive Mr. Shastri was very popular those days belying his humble background and was a total contrast to the glamourous Pandit ji. I remember the 1965 war with Pakistan very well and Mr. Shastri’s slogan ”Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” reverberated throughout the country. I vividly recall that we skipped our dinner on Monday in our boarding school in response to the clarion call of beloved Shastri ji. Pakistan was given a sound thrashing and Shastri ji went to Tashkent in January 1966 to sign a peace agreement with General Ayub Khan never to return. His untimely death was an unfortunate moment in our history for Shastri ji impressed one and all during his short stint as a man known for his simplicity, practicality and one who would steer the nation with grit and integrity. Alas, it was not to be!

Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the petite I&B minister in Shastri ji’s cabinet was catapulted to the PM’s post after Shastri ji’s demise once again by Mr. Kamaraj ahead of Mr. Morarji Desai who was the more senior parliamentarian. In her first term from 67-71, Indira ji, courted controversy several times like supporting Mr. V V Giri ahead of Mr. Sanjiva Reddy , the official congress candidate for Presidency, split the congress after she was expelled, abolished privy purses and nationalised  private banks. These decisions had far reaching consequences on the history and progress of our country. After the glorious victory liberating Bangladesh in 1971, Mrs. Gandhi’s rule was marked by her declaration of emergency in defiance of Allahabad High Court orders invalidating her election. There was a virtual dictatorship in the country between 75 and 77. This was the time when I joined a Bank in Uttar Pradesh as a probationary officer! If UP was like what I saw during emergency, GOD help them in other times, was my feeling. Her son Sanjay Gandhi was ruling the roost with extra constitutional authority. Forced sterilisations and grazing unauthorized constructions through brute force were the order of the day. Those who are crying hoarse today that we are facing a fascist government and an authoritarian PM have not seen what emergency was, obviously. News was censored, and anyone with even a whimper of criticism was put behind bars. I remember seeing Tughlaq magazine with a black front page in protest. Most of the opposition, irrespective of age, were behind bars. A number of leaders were in hiding fearing imminent arrest. Elections were postponed and opposition ruled states were dismissed using Article 356. It was during the first tenure that the Nagarwala bank case became a talk of the town. Compared to today’s scam’s it was a pittance – only about 60 Lakhs!

In the meantime all opposition had come together under Sri. Jayaprakash Narayan. The Janata party was born with parties of all denominations being a part of it. In 1977, Mrs. Gandhi called for elections, presumably under the false impression that her popularity was intact – perhaps based on intelligence reports! Congress lost miserably and Janata party came to power. The next three years saw the coalition tamasha with Mr. Morarji Desai and Mr. Charan Singh taking positions of power as PM. While Mr. Morarji was a seasoned politician with extensive administrative experience, Mr. Charan Singh had no such credentials. There was an open lust for power with the result that the government collapsed under its own contradictions. This should definitely be a lesson for today’s youngsters if they think an alliance of parties without any ideological congruence can come together and provide a stable government!  

Mrs. Gandhi came back to power for the third term in 1980, thanks to the folly of Mr. Charan Singh who had her and her son Sanjay arrested. Such acts whip up frenzy in India and the result was a foregone conclusion. Mrs. Gandhi, during these years in power tried to meddle with the Akali politics in Punjab – supporting Bhindranwale initially and later he became a separatist fighting for Khalistan and took to arms. Mrs. Gandhi ordered operation “Blue Star” in which the army entered the Golden Temple complex and killed not only Bhindranwale but a number of innocent pilgrims besides damaging the Golden Temple Complex. Three months later, her own Sikh bodyguards assassinated her in her residence. This again was a tragic moment in our history. 

If I were to look at the prevailing political culture in this country and trace its roots, it would certainly point to Mrs. Gandhi. She was charismatic yet ruthless. She had her way. She brooked no opposition to her views. She roughshod over all institutions and threw away all conventions to the wind. It was during her time that the President’s office earned the ignominious nickname ‘Rubber Stamp’. Sycophancy was the norm and entire establishment was servile to her. She never allowed her regional heads to build a following of their own and ruthlessly decimated such persons if ever she felt that someone was remotely a threat to her. The coterie in Delhi started to build and the party was full of such sycophants who had no standing of their own. She is the mother of all present rhetoric and sloganeering that you see today – “Garibi Hatao” being her famous tagline. And not to be outdone, one of her sycophants had the temerity to coin the slogan “Indira is India and India is Indira!”

What followed her death was even more brutal and a blot on a country like India when thousands of Sikhs were murdered in broad daylight with the Delhi police twiddling their thumbs! It was one of the saddest days in my memory, for Sikhs are great people who have given only the best for this country. I have had many interactions with Sardars and they are the most helpful, hospitable and patriotic citizens you can see. During all these years, while I was not actively involved in politics, I always used to hear my father admonish and lambast Mrs. Gandhi almost on a daily basis! In  Mrs. Gandhi era, my father had slowly moved towards Rajaji’s Swatantra party and was a patron of their Swarajya magazine.  

If at all an opportunity presented itself to the Congress party to redeem itself and become a democratic one that they professed, that was the time. But alas, it was not to be. And we are now saddled with a dynastic party with that single decision. Buta Singh and President Zail Singh persuaded Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, Mrs. Gandhi’s son, to become the Prime minister. The seeds for a dynastic succession were thus sown. It may be argued that Mrs. Gandhi succeeded her father. But it must be remembered she was a minister in Shastri ji’s cabinet and was propelled to this role by Mr. Kamaraj and his friends! And Rajiv was not even in active politics being an airline pilot!

Rajiv, as a person was very suave, dignified and spoke well. He was liked by the masses and in his initial years, he appeared to be earnest in revamping the party and government. It was he who brought in a change of mindset relating to computers and telecommunication. In all fairness, he was the forerunner to what we acclaim as digital India today. People like me moved from traditional banking to IT, thanks to his policies. IT industry was reborn in India, so to speak, after IBM were all driven out of India during the Janata regime. He had his own pitfalls like decision on Shah Bano case which is talked about even today. However, what led to his downfall was the alleged bribery scandal in the Bofors and HDW deal. Ms. Chitra Subramanian of “The Hindu” – a paper which was highly respected then and people swore by its contents - exposed the money trail leading ultimately to the late Quattrochi. Mr. V P Singh, a minister and friend of Rajiv, resigned and was at the forefront of this agitation against the government. The slogan “Gali gali me Shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai!” could be heard all over India. Compared to today’s scandals, Bofors was a pittance though. In the 1989 elections that followed, Mr. V P Singh under the Janata Dal banner, despite being in minority, with outside support became the PM.

Mr. V P Singh’s tenure (89-90) was very short and less than a year. All that I remember of his tenure was his implementation of Mandal Commission recommendations leading to protests all over the country! He was a champion of social justice and had admirers in a number of opposition camps. That legacy continues to this day, especially in TN. This was also the time when Mr. L K Advani started his famous rath yatra and the Ram Janmabhoomi issue also came to the fore. BJP withdrew support to Mr. V P Singh leading to his downfall as he was against this stand of BJP. Mr. Chandrasekhar, who was also a part of the Janata Dal, formed his own party Samajwadi Janata party with a few of his followers. Though he was in minority, he became the PM with Congress support. However, in less than 6 months he had to resign in June 1991, after congress withdrew its support!

We had planned to visit Kanchipuram early morning the next day via Sriperumbudur in late May 1991. When we woke up the next day, we heard the tragic news of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur while addressing an election meeting. This was in retaliation to his sending the IPKF – the Indian Peace keeping force – to Sri Lanka to support their army against the LTTE. The LTTE had planned and executed the assassination, as the later investigations revealed. This again was a turning point in our history for had he been alive, what would have transpired in the forthcoming elections was anyone’s guess. It was a tragic and untimely death.

With Rajiv’s death, the sympathy wave worked in favour of the Congress and they were the single largest party in Lok Sabha. Mr. P V Narasimha Rao was chosen as the PM of the country – a sort of first outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to rule for a full term of five years. This was perhaps a watershed moment in our history for he was the architect of liberalisation of our economy. He had a bureaucrat Dr. Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister. He even appointed an opposition leader Mr. Subramaniam Swamy to a cabinet rank post in his ministry. He was erudite, a Sanskrit scholar and was fluent in 14-15 languages including French, Arabic, Spanish, German & Persian! One of the blots on his tenure was the demolition of Babri Masjid leading to animosity between communities which lasts till today. The dispute still persists with courts unable to decide on this contentious issue. The saddest part about Mr. Rao, was the ill treatment given to him by his own party after his death!  

  

In 1996, Congress lost its majority in Lok Sabha and BJP emerged as the single largest party with considerably less seats than the halfway mark. As per convention, the President invited BJP to form the government and Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as PM. However, he knew that he could not prove majority on the floor of the house and resigned after a couple of weeks. United front that was formed with coming together of non-BJP, non-congress parties staked a claim to form the Government. Mr. Deve Gowda was their choice of PM for about 11 months, followed by Mr. I K Gujral for about a year till March 1998. But this United Front Government could not survive for obvious reasons and fresh elections were held in 1998. The less we talk about this period, the better! 

In the 1998 elections, BJP was the single largest party but the NDA alliance had seats close the halfway mark. A NDA Govt was sworn in with Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the PM in mid-1998. However, AIADMK pulled out of the alliance leading to the defeat of the Government by one vote in mid-1999. During this short tenure, Mr. Vajpayee initiated the nuclear bomb blast, Lahore visit which was followed by the Kargil war! The aggressors were shown their place after an initial surprise. 

In the 1999 general elections that followed, NDA won a decisive victory and Mr. Vajpayee was sworn in as the PM for the third time and this time he had a full run of 5 years. It was during this tenure that India got a boost to Infrastructure like the golden quadrilateral etc., The tenure was also marked by some unsavoury incidents like the attack on Parliament by militants, the Gujarat riots, Kargil Coffin scandal etc. The performance of the Government from a common man’s perspective was fairly satisfactory and the slogan “India Shining” was doing the rounds! But in the 2004 General elections, the NDA could only muster 181 seats against the UPA which got 218 seats. The BJP and Congress got 138 and 145 seats respectively.

With the UPA being invited to form Government after much speculation and controversy, it was announced that the UPA chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi had graciously stepped down from the leadership position and nominated Mr. Manmohan Singh as the PM. Mr. Singh went on to win the 2009 elections as well and was the PM for 2 terms spanning 10 years called UPA-1 and UPA-2. They brought in reforms like introduction of Aadhar, NREGA, RTI act, civil nuclear agreement, right to education, reservation for OBC in institutes of higher learning like IIT etc., However, it was also marked by a number of scams like the 2G spectrum, CWG, Coal block allocation etc., His tenure was also marked by policy paralysis with accusations that decisions were being taken by a coterie of the Congress chief. The coalition partners did not make things easier for him as well. Hence despite being a learned economist, one who was perceived as clean, he was termed as an “accidental PM”. He was subservient to his Congress chief who was driving the country by proxy without any accountability. Obviously, in such a setup, a number of beneficiaries enjoyed the patronage of the ruling class, especially the Press and the likes in Lutyens Delhi. The only time Mr. Singh asserted himself was during the civil nuclear deal with US. When the communists threatened to withdraw support, Mr. Singh put them in their place and went ahead with the deal. Mr. Singh was a good man but was not a politician! His career as a bureaucrat was marked by some achievements in the field of economics and is held in high esteem even today. But, unfortunately as a politician and a leader, he was not someone who could inspire you. He once said that history will be kinder to him than media. It remains to be seen but personally I cannot fathom why he accepted the role of the PM despite knowing what is in store for him. I feel very sad for such a scholar and upright man.

Mr. Narendra Damodar Das Modi won the 2014 election convincingly based on the anti-incumbency, the alleged scams of the previous regime and on the development plank. What he has done or not done during the past 5 years is too recent to recount and perhaps each and everyone knows it in great detail. Instead, I will talk about the 2014 election itself. 

2014 was the first election when I was fully involved right from the word go – since announcement of elections. Perhaps I had lot of time on my hands since I had retired. The social media made following the happenings a lot easier and faster. There were constant debates in the 24 hour news channels with their ubiquitous “breaking news”. I felt that the print media’s relevance was gone. By seeing the author of an article, you could predict on whose side he /she was – it was all paid or one sided reporting and writing. Shamelessly they took sides and promoted a particular party. Gone were the days when as young students we used to look up to papers like “The Hindu” for authentic news. Columns by writers like G K Reddy were legendary and we read it just to improve our language skills. And talking of language, prior to the advent of TV, even reading about cricket in “The Hindu” by the likes of Jack Fingleton or Nirmal Shekar was a lesson in itself with a fair amount of literary quotes embellishing the articles!  Alas, those days are gone never to return!

Despite all this, I had a premonition that there might be a change in the political scene in the country. I read a lot about Mr. Modi, the growth of Gujarat, the Gujarat riots and how the establishment hounded him for over a decade, how he was portrayed as the “merchant of death” etc. In him I saw a great orator and a person who could motivate people. He appeared to be having a vision for the country and absolutely fearless. His family background was very humble and he did not have any personal agenda to come to power. The way he campaigned for the party across the length and breadth of the country was amazing. Perhaps, I saw for the first time someone of the stature of Mrs. Gandhi in our political landscape. He was a politician with all boxes ticked. The liberals hated him for he proudly wore his religion on his sleeve and perceived to be a "Hindutva" proponent. He gave a damn to the so called “media” who were hell bent on making disparaging comments about his development model and time and again bringing in the Gujarat riots though the SIT of the Supreme Court had absolved him of any wrongdoing. And honestly there was no single person of that stature who could be even compared to him even though he had no experience leading the country. His victory was momentous for the nation.

The 2019 elections will be fought on achievements of the Modi government. While the parties go about their campaign, there is no single opposition leader of the stature or track record of Mr. Modi to oppose him. The opposition has no vision or any meaningful manifesto. Their only agenda seems to be to defeat Mr. Modi! In a country like India it could still happen – like in 2004 when Vajpayee lost despite the feeling that India was shining. While I would still respect the verdict of the people, the loss will be ours as I don’t see anyone with a similar vision and capability as Mr. Modi on the horizon for now. In my personal view, among the pantheon of PM’s we have had, only Mrs. Gandhi, warts and all, and Mr. Modi are leaders in the true sense of the word.

From the above narration, you can also see what happened when coalition governments came to power in centre. It was utter disaster and it would be the same again should the smaller parties manage to win the numbers this time. It would be a travesty of justice for the millions of people in India who are looking up to leadership at the top for their wellbeing. Appeasement politics, giving doles are all outdated policies. Growth, development and improvement in the wellbeing of people, jobs are the only measures with which people will decide the performance of the Government.

The Indian voters are not stupid and am sure they will vote sensibly. But I also believe that elections are not fought on issues but on emotions. So any leader who captures the imagination of the people wins! And who else other than Mr. Modi at this point who has captured the imagination of the nation! This is the first time I am seeing ordinary citizens campaigning for a leader. That speaks for itself.

May 23^rd is the D-day. Anything can happen in an election, irrespective of what the opinion polls say. Till then, let us watch all the tamasha unfold. Vote for any candidate you think is the best, but vote you must. Jai Hind.  

ISLAM - A Perspective (6.God is One)

Leadership is a pre-condition for any system to operate in a systematic fashion. Be it a family, educational institution, any organization or a country, all these are guided by a leader. For every creation in this world, there is a creator. There is no poetry without a poet. There is no art without an artist. The nature with its rapturous beauty and wonders, endless space, the orderly change over from day to night, the sun and moon, the orderly movements of the planets, the meticulous change of seasons, the mind boggling creation of the human body, the cooperation and coordination among the various organs teaches us something. What could that be?

Is the argument that such an amazing and intelligent universe originated on its own or by chance acceptable? Any random creation cannot operate so methodically and precisely without planning and proper leadership. There is an artist behind this stunning creation of art. HE is indeed the world’s greatest artist! We call him GOD.

“And your Allah is one Allah. There is no GOD but HE, most gracious, most merciful. Behold! in the creations of the Heaven and Earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah sends from the skies; and the life which HE gives therewith to an Earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that HE scatters through the Earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the Earth;- here indeed are signs for a people that are wise.” (Holy Quran 2:163,164)

Attributes of GOD

What are the attributes / qualities of such a GOD who has the capacity for such a wonderful creation? He cannot be a human. Nor can he be an animal or a plant. HE cannot be an inanimate object like a Sun or a Moon. The entire creation operates under a regulated framework. And any creation that operates under such a regulated framework cannot create another entity on its own. Hence that which is responsible for such a marvelous creation has to be something other than such regulated entities. It must also be possessing very different attributes from these regulated entities and capable of operating independent of them. Such a great power can only be called GOD. The Holy Quran clearly outlines the attributes of such a GOD.

“Say – HE is Allah, the one and only; Allah the Eternal, Absolute; HE begetteth not nor is he begotten; And there is none like unto HIM.” (Holy Quran 112:1-4)

“Allah – there is no GOD but HE – the living, the self-subsisting, the eternal, No slumber can seize Him nor sleep.” (Holy Quran 2:255)

The Prophets who were very close to GOD have only spoken to GOD but have never claimed to have seen HIM. Hence these Prophets have never ever attempted to describe GOD for us to visualize HIM. Hence they directed us to worship a formless GOD. 

  

GOD is ONE

If a group or a corporation or a country has more than one leader, then such an entity would not function efficiently and effectively. There would be lot of confusion. Hence for this grand universe, there has to be only one leader or a Master. Therefore, GOD is ONE. In his command there is no role for anyone else. This is emphasized in the Holy Quran.

“If there were, in the heavens and earth, other Gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both.” (Holy Quran 21:22)

“No son did Allah beget, nor is there any God along with him; If there were many Gods, behold, each God would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others. Glory to Allah. He is free from the sort of things they attribute to HIM!” (Holy Quran 23:91)

All things in the universe – humans, plants, animals, sky, and planets are all inter-dependent. When all these are being made to act in an orderly fashion by one force or power, obviously there cannot be separate Gods for each of these.

The Holy Quran names such a GOD as Allah. The meaning of the Arabic word Allah is God. This word was in usage in Arabia even before Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) time. Even non-Muslims in Arabia referred to God as Allah during those times. The beauty of the word Allah is that it does not have a gender or a plural. Hence it is a unique word that cannot be categorized as a male or female. God cannot also be referred to in the plural. Hence the Holy Quran uses this word to refer to God.

God has 99 holy names. We can also call him using those. Each of those names refers to one of his qualities. For example, we can see a few of them.

AR-RAHMAN – the most beneficent

AR-RAHIM – the most merciful

AL-MALIK – the sovereign Lord

AL-KHALIQ – the creator

AS-SALAM – the source of peace  

AL-GHAFFAR – the forgiver

AR-RAZZAQ – the provider

AL-ADL – the just

One of the most often used holy name for God is ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’ which means ‘In the name of Allah, the most gracious and most merciful’. Before we commence anything, we need to recite this holy name. Each chapter in the Holy Quran starts with these lines. This is also the first dialogue in the Holy Quran.

God’s compassion is manifest in many ways. He created humans as the pinnacle of his creation. In addition, he has given them all types of capabilities and talents, means of living, guidance for living and sent prophets to exemplify his teachings. These are examples of his compassion. Humans are also being pardoned for their omissions and commissions if they feel remorse and seek his forgiveness. HE does forgive them due to his immense compassion.

“Say: O my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allah. For Allah forgives all sins: for HE is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Holy Quran 39:53)

The merciful GOD is also just. A person, who commits sins wantonly and without repenting for it, continues with his sinful activities, would be punished by GOD in this world and on the Day of Judgment.  

“Behold! They Lord did declare that he would send against them, to the Day of Judgment, those who would affect with grievous penalty. They Lord is quick in retribution, but HE is also oft-forgiving, most merciful.” (Holy Quran 7:167)

Hence we need to worship only such a noble and only GOD. You can approach HIM directly. You don’t need anyone else or any recommendation to approach HIM. HE is very near you!

“When My servants ask thee concerning me, I am indeed close to them: I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me; Let them also, with a will, listen to my call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.” (Holy Quran 2:186)

God can be known in two ways. One is to understand his creations, think about them and then realize his presence. The second way is to understand and realize him through the scriptures revealed through the prophets.  

Existential Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology (PP) is the scientific study of optimal human functioning and what makes life worth living. In other words, it is the psychology of the characteristics, conditions and processes which lead to flourishing. Initially when it was launched about a decade ago, it distanced itself from other branches of psychology. However, it has its roots in the works of William James in the late 19^th century, and humanistic psychology in the mid 20^th century. It also borrows from the ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. As a science, it focuses on discovering the empirical evidence for thriving.

PP originated from the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. The founders are psychology professors Martin Seligman, who is well known for his pioneering work on learned helplessness and later on learned optimism, and Mihalay Csikszentmihalyi best known for his work “Flow: The psychology of optimal experience”. The PP movement began in 1998 and since then new research articles and books on the subject have been written. The vast majority of psychology studies carried over the past 40 years have focused on the negative side of life such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, PTSD etc. PP redresses this imbalance by focusing on the human traits and circumstances which lead to thriving. The field is still holding sway over the researchers as is evident from the number of research papers, articles, bogs etc., that are being published over the past decade or so.

PP deals with well-being and happiness. Happiness, from ancient times, has been classified into Hedonic well-being and Eudaimonic well-being. The former refers to the happiness you get from feeling pleasure in the moment while the later is a broad term used by positive psychologists to refer to the happiness we gain from meaning and purpose in our lives, fulfilling our potential and feeling that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. These definitions have their own pitfalls and the positive psychologists had a number of reservations about them. Hence they went ahead and defined a new term “Subjective Well-Being (SWB)” which is expressed in the following formula:

SWB = Satisfaction with life + Positive Emotion – negative Emotion

Quite simple, right?

Just to give an idea of PP and its components, we can briefly look at the PP model of well-being postulated by Martin Seligman. It is defined as the PERMA model where

P – Positive Emotion – the experience of positive mood and feelings that are uplifting

E – Engagement – well-being you get from being totally absorbed in the task in hand

R – Relationships – Good, supportive and caring inter-personal connections are essential

M – Meaning – provides a stable foundation and sense of direction in life.

A – Accomplishment – includes everything from achievement, success and mastery at the highest level possible to progress towards goals and competence

However, there emerged another school of thought that felt the PP ignored the black reality of human existence. They also saw that Existential Psychology (EP) with its focus on death anxiety, meaninglessness and alienation is dark, because it does not focus on the joy of living. PP without existential insights and phenomenological analysis is full of adolescent exuberance but lacking depth. EP without rigorous research on human strengths and positive affects is full of wisdom but lacking in youthful vitality. Therefore it makes sense to bring the two domains of psychology together resulting in Existential Positive Psychology (EPP). 

EPP is a natural amalgam between PP and EP. The EPP psychologists, led by Dr. Paul Wong, discuss these 6 ultimate questions about human existence which deserves psychological investigation.

1.    Who am I? – What defines me? Who am I when everything is stripped away from me and I am reduced to a naked lonely soul? Is there anything unique and special about me?

2.    How can I be happy? – Why am I bored? Why am I so dissatisfied with life? What is the good life? Why is happiness so illusive? Is this all there is to life?

3.    What should I do with my life? – How should I then live? How could I live in a way that my life counts for something? What is my calling? To what should I devote the rest of my life?

4.   How do I make the right choices? – How do I know that I am making the right decisions regarding career and relationships? How can I tell right from wrong? What do I know what is the responsible thing to do in complex situations with conflicting moral standards?

5.    Where do I belong? – Why do I feel so alone in the world? Why don’t I feel at home in this planet Earth? Where is my home? Where do I belong? How do I develop deep and meaningful relationships? Where can I find acceptance?

6.    What is the point of striving when life is so short? – Why should I struggle when life is transient and fragile? What is the point in building something only to see it swallowed up by death?

All of these questions are related to the human quest for existential understanding. It is the spirit of asking tough questions and rejecting pre-packaged easy answers that characterizes existential psychology. EPP is open to insights, wisdoms and research on all aspects of human existence from all sources regardless of the paradigm of knowledge claims, thus providing a richer research agenda. In short, EPP broadens the definition of PP as “the qualitative and quantitative study of what enables people to survive and flourish individually and collectively in the totality of life circumstances” What qualifies EPP as positive psychology is its emphasis on the uniquely human capacities for resilience and positive change.

References:

1.    Positive Psychology – A practical Guide – By Bridget Grenville-Cleave

2.    www.ExistentialPsychology.Org

Goals

We have all heard about “goals” in our working life. It always referred to short term goals, long term goals pertaining either to our company or to our careers. But have we really thought about goals for our life? Even if we have, perhaps it is desultory without any concrete action plans to achieve them. Even if we put forth efforts to achieve them, they may also be sporadic with insidious statements like “go with the flow”, a euphemistic expression for being rudderless and drifting as it were. If this is so, are there really “goals” for us human beings?

In this vast expanse of Universe, spanning across millions of light years, it may sound conceited to claim that man is the crown of creation. Nevertheless, taking our planet alone into consideration, man with his evolved intellect and other faculties like speech, comprehension, imagination etc., may, with due humility, claim such a distinction. If that is so, then how different are we from animals that live by instinct alone? Our goals and purpose in life distinguish us from animal kingdom. Each one of us may have many goals – one wants to enter into the Guinness book of world records for living in a pit filled with snakes for several days while another wants to jump from 30,000 feet without a parachute! Some want name and fame, while others want to amass wealth! There may be as many goals as there are people. Likewise, even for the same person, the goals may vary depending on his stage of life – as a child to a senior citizen. However, our scriptures point out that despite innumerable goals of mankind, they can all be classified into four categories. They are Artha, Kama, Dharma and Moksha – generally termed as “Purushartha.”

Artha – means wealth indicating all forms of wealth which are meant for one’s own security so that we can safeguard ourselves from diseases, suffering, hunger, thirst etc., This is required for basic survival – generally called food, clothing and shelter. In Sanskrit it is called “duhkha-nivrutti” meaning ‘freedom from pain”. Man being man, does not stop with these basics but embellishes them with types of dishes, varieties of homes and designer dresses to fulfill these basic needs!

Kama – which generally means desires is also about entertainment for our enjoyment. We listen to music, watch TV (not to forget our mobile with its WhatsApp messages and FB!), travel, read and so on so forth. These are also innumerable and catering to the myriad tastes of mankind. But fundamentally, this necessarily comes after Artha for we think of pleasures only after our basic security is taken care of.

Dharma – this is also called ‘Punyam’ or the invisible favourable factor or ‘Adrishtam’. Hindus believe in re-birth and therefore they not only worry about current life but also about their future birth and also the well being of their progeny. So they would want to pursue a dharmic way of life – noble activities prescribed in the scriptures – so that they acquire ‘Punyam’ in this birth. Such a Dharmic way of life contributes to their Artha and Kama also in legitimate ways. They also get a better life in their next birth.

Most of the humans pursue these three goals only (commonly referred to as ‘Preyas’). While it may not be bad at all to pursue these, we need to analyze the limitations of these three goals. First and foremost, while these goals are wonderful and worth pursuing, there is lot of pain, effort and competition in acquiring these. For example, if one has built a palatial house, that person always talks about the time, effort, hassles in obtaining permits and money spent on building that house! And ultimately it is also subject to decay, just as a scratch on a new car hurts us so much! There is no gain without a corresponding loss. Therefore, acquisition involves pain. Secondly, despite all acquisitions, we have dissatisfaction. Despite huge amounts of money we have, we feel insecure that inflation may eat it away. And our satisfaction is always in the future, starting right from childhood thinking that I will be satisfied once I complete schooling etc. And finally, these goals are addictive and we become dependent on them. Once you own a car, you cannot even travel by a bus on one day when your car has gone for servicing. The more we are dependent, the more we suffer. And what I can I say about our dependency on mobile phones these days?

Hence the scriptures advocate that, while there is nothing wrong in pursuing these three, we need to transcend these three and aim for the fourth goal which is “Freedom” or “Liberation”. Freedom from what is the question. It is freedom from all types of dependence on external factors. In other words, we should not depend on any external factor for our security – like people around me, money I possess etc.  Discovering happiness in ourselves, discovering security in ourselves is called Moksha or ‘Shreyas’. And also it is in our ignorance that we pursue permanent fulfillment through these impermanent objects that causes suffering. So ‘Moksha’ also implies freedom from suffering. What happens then is, if we do not depend on them, we need not bother about going head over heels in acquiring them. If they come to us, it is fine; else also it is fine. Their arrival is fine; their departure is fine too. This includes everything you can think of and this inner freedom is called Moksha and the highest Purushartha. This is also called ‘Parama Purushartha’ (Prime Purushartha) because there is no further pursuit once this is fulfilled. That is why when you do an archana in a temple, the priest chants “dharmaartha Kama Moksha chaturvidha Phala Purushartha siddyartham” indicating that “may all your purushartha’s be fulfilled.”

This is a topic that generates lot of discussion. Whether Dharma precedes Artha or whether all the four are inter-dependent are all deliberated in great depth by all learned scholars. I have followed the lectures of my Guru Swami Paramarthananda and mistakes, if any, in my narration are solely attributable to me.  

In Psychology, when the entire community was a bit down by the theories floated by Sigmund Freud and other neo-Freudians, humanist psychologists like Abraham Maslow brought a whiff of fresh air focusing on the positive aspects of the human psyche. He postulated his ‘hierarchy of needs’ which most of you might know. They are Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belonging needs, Esteem needs and finally Self-actualization. Does this roughly correspond to what our scriptures stated thousands of years ago?

And finally, can a ‘Liberated man’ be equated to a ‘Self actualized person’? Well, maybe it is a topic of discussion for some other time!

READING - An Enduring Habit

When exactly did I start reading? My earliest memories are that of my dad and mom telling me bed time stories – mostly the usual variety revolving around our puranas. As I grew older, I remember eagerly waiting for “Ananda Vikatan” and ”Kumudam” magazines which my mother used to read regularly. The cartoons and the cover pages were very captivating. As we moved on, we got introduced to the usual comics of those days – “Phantom – the Ghost who walks” – my favourite – one who transforms himself into Mr. Walker as her heads into the town with his horse Hero and wolf devil. “Mandrake the magician” was a favourite too. We used to read these comics on the sly in classes too at times. As I got into my high school, perhaps I started reading novels by Sandilyan (yavana Rani, kadal Pura), kalki (Ponniyin Selvan), Devan (tuppariyum sambu was one of my favourites – especially the weekly cartoons appearing in magazines). Those days we also had non-detailed texts in English and Tamil. I remember reading some of the classics like “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandar Dumas, “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens, “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott and the like. We also had a taste of Shakespeare in plays like Merchant of Venice (who can forget Shylock?) and Macbeth. I remember having Na. Parthasarathy’s “Kurinji Malar” as our Tamil non-detailed text in my degree class. Thirukkural was also part of our Tamil classes. However, I enjoyed reading all the Tamil short stories of the time – especially the crime thrillers – the “Kathi munayil Ratham” variety!

Later on came the era of Sujatha – who changed the way stories were told in Tamil. It was fascinating and in my memory no writer had such a great fan following those days. It so happened that he was our neighbour in Bengaluru and at the request of my college mates I had arranged a meeting with him for them to meet and have a chat with him. One of his stories reflected an event that occurred in our family and that showed me how a small incident can trigger a writer to weave a fabulous story around a simple event! As I got into my graduation, my brother-in-law introduced me to reading English books. I had hardly read English novels till then – reading them mostly as non-detailed texts. Like all the beginners, I started with Perry Mason novels and followed it up with all the James Hadley Chase, Alistair Maclean novels. Agatha Christie was not far behind. Who can forget the inimitable fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his curling mustache?

It was at this juncture that my brother-in-law Pancha Nerur introduced me to two of the greatest writers in my opinion – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and P G Wodehouse. Sherlock Holmes and Jeeves would live with me forever. I can read their books anytime, anywhere and any number of times. What writing! And what language! Bertie Wooster with his colloquial English and Jeeves with his impeccable responses are a treat to read and savour. In fact most of the time in our class, we used to discuss P G Wodehouse and his characters more than our Physics lessons! I continue to read these classics even today. And I was greatly thrilled when I was in London a few years ago and had the opportunity to drive on Baker Street!

It was also the time when series of well researched English Novels by authors like Arthur Hailey and Irving Wallace were in the market. “The Final Diagnosis” by the former and “The Man” by the latter were my favourites. I cannot forget Dr. Joe Pearson and Douglass Dilman – the lead characters in these novels. And let me confess – as much as I laugh when I read P G Wodehouse novels, I cry too when I read books. I have shed tears reading “The man” seeing the travails of the “Black President”. I was also introduced by my brother-in-law to books on Vedanta. I have developed an abiding interest in the subject and my book shelf has all sorts of books related to Vedanta. I read them as often I can and try to assimilate the immutable truths laid down there. Perhaps it was a fore runner to my interest in reading non-fiction.

Once I took up employment, my reading habit dwindled a lot though I did read occasionally. Books by Sidney Sheldon etc. were a rage then. “Rage of Angels” by Sheldon, “Kane and Abel”, “Shall we tell the President” by Jeffrey Archer were some of the books that I enjoyed. It was not like the old days. Marriage, Children, transfers all had their claim on my time and hardly had I time to read. However, my wife’s brother gifted me a book “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan during this period. It was a book that I have read several times. It opened up my interest in Cosmology in particular and science in general. More was to come later.

As I moved on in life, a turning point again came in early 90’s when I quit my job and moved to the US. My first stop was in Puerto Rico. As I visited a friend’s house, I saw a shelf full of books in English and Spanish. Surprisingly I saw a book on Ramana Maharishi. More importantly I saw a book titled “Your Erroneous Zones” by Dr. Wayne Dyer, a clinical psychologist. I read that book immediately that kindled my interest in Psychology and a host of other self-help books. His other books included “The sky is the Limit”, “The Power of Intentions” etc., I always note down references when I read books and this has helped me reach out to several similar others. From Wayne Dyer, I got introduced to Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) and Alan Watts, two of the writers whom I admire. Alan Watt’s “The supreme identity” and “The Book” are a must read for anyone interested in the business of life! "Be here Now" by Ram Dass is a classic.

I moved to USA thereafter. I had left my family behind and lived there alone. And it was the best time of my life as far as reading was concerned. The public libraries are superb and I used to spend 3-4 hours every Saturday browsing / reading books. In addition there were book stores like Barnes & Noble where you could spend hours together reading. I read a number of books on management – authors like John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, Zig Zaglar, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Napolean Hill, Scott M Peck, Stephen Covey et all. I also read books by Bertrand Russell and his classic “The conquest of Happiness” is a must read. Being a student of Physics I was drawn into reading books on Cosmology, Quantum mechanics and new age physics books like “ The Tao of Physics”, “The dancing Wu Li Masters”  which attempted to compare Eastern Philosophies with Physics much to the derision of the purists.

Fortunately on my return to India, my job involved lot of travel and I kept reading books of all genres. However, reading fiction and Tamil books are very rare these days – a regret that I need to correct soon. Now that I have retired, I have plenty of time and all the time in the world to read. I can safely say that I am a better human being because of the books I have read. My suggestion to friends would be to read at least 10 pages a day and I can assure you that the habit will catch on.

Times are changing and technology is all pervasive intruding into all aspects of our lives. Reading is no exception. Kindle is something that I use – but let me be honest – it is not the same as holding a book on hand. Nevertheless, one has to change with times and I am slowly attuning myself to this new gadget. However, reading is one habit that I shall continue till my last days. I must thank my parents who were avid readers and perhaps I have imbibed that habit from them with lot of motivation from my brother-in-law Pancha Nerur!

I have covered only major authors and genres that have had great impact on me though there are numerous other authors and titles that have gone through my hands! Happy reading!

ISLAM - A Perspective (5.Humanity is One)

Once when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was seated in a discussion with his friends, a funeral procession of a Jew passed by. The prophet (pbuh) immediately stood up as a mark of respect. His companions asked him “Why did you stand up? After all he was a Jew.” “He is a human being too”, responded the Prophet (pbuh). This incident reaffirms the fact that even though people may follow different religions, they are equal.

Once, Abu Dhar Ghifari, one of the Prophet’s (pbuh) earliest companions, addressed a black person derisively as a person born to a black woman. That person complained about this to the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) called Abu Dhar and asked him to apologize to that person. This again reiterates that there is no difference in humans based on one’s birth.

“Humans are all equal as the teeth of a comb”, said the prophet (pbuh). If the teeth in a comb are not uniform and are uneven, they may hurt your scalp. Similarly, if we create inequalities in a society, that would hurt that society.

 “O Mankind, reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person.” (Holy Quran 4:1)

“O Mankind, We created you from a single pair of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (Holy Quran 49:13)

The above revelations imply a number of truths.  

1.    The entire human race can be traced back to one man and woman, who are the first parents. If that is the case, how can be one child of a mother superior to another child of the same mother? No one had the option to be born into a particular religion or a race or community!

2.    The human race which thus started from a single source later on spread across the globe dividing itself into multiple races, communities, groups etc. Based on the environment in which they lived, their external appearances changed and evolved over time. These external differences are only to identify the different races and not to create inequalities!

3.    One who lives his life in fear of God with discipline alone is the dearest to God!

4.    God created all human beings. Hence, God shows the same love and mercy towards all human beings. HE does not discriminate based on Religion, language, birth, colour, sex, or nationality. God delivers his judgment based purely on the good deeds done by humans.

5.    Man does not bring anything when he is born. He also does not take anything with him when he dies. Hence, birth and death are common to every human being.

6.    When God who created man is ONE, his creation, the human race can only be one too! (Holy Quran)

When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) started his preaching in Arabia, inequalities were at its peak in the society there. The Arabs were considered superior while the non-Arabs were called ‘Ajami’ meaning ‘dumb’. The ‘Qureshi’ tribe was considered superior to all other tribes. The blacks were treated as slaves and were tortured. During ‘Haj’ pilgrimage, the tribes that considered themselves superior did not join the other tribes in the worship. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) changed this state of affairs and established an egalitarian society.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) appointed Bilal, his companion who was a slave, as the first muezzin. He encouraged inter-tribe marriages. He also got his relative Zaynab marry Zayd though Zayd was from a slave community. He appointed Usama, who belonged to a slave community, as his commander. Thus he paved the way for marriages between tribes perceived to be superior and inferior.

How the Prophet (pbuh) achieved this in a matter of 23 years is a matter of introspection for us and should be our guiding principles. Initially he brought about a change in the mindset of the people. As far as social evils are concerned, enacting laws alone will not yield results unless we bring about a change in the thinking and mindset of people. He also initiated this change in thought process through the medium of worship. The prayers, especially, laid the foundation and served as a training ground for fostering this unity. The prayers, held five times a day, enabled people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder without any differences, and made a big impact in bringing about this change. During prayers, no one is given any preference or priority. During Haj pilgrimage, the Prophet (pbuh) established a process or method to bring about unity among different nationalities irrespective of race, language or colour.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) teachings and actions annihilated the pride of the Qureshi tribe that considered themselves superior. He gave self-confidence to the people who were descendants of slaves, gave them positions of authority and instilled in them the belief that they were inferior to none. He brought about unity among the people who were divided among themselves. He neither allowed one group to fight against another nor allowed any prejudice to develop.   

“He joined your hearts in love, so that by HIS Grace, ye became brethren;” (Holy Quran 3:103)