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Pandit Janardan Rai Nagar Birth Anniversary (16 June 1911-15 August 1997)

Pdt. Nagar had Advised Pdt. Jawahar Lal Nehru to Constitute a Commission for Education Before Kothari Commission Came into Being

Manishi Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar

There is a lot of debate on Education Policy these days. The Union Education Minister recently announced the New Education Policy which has come nearly thirty four years after the NEP 1986. The government and its allies are calling it a policy that will change the face of education in the country. There are, however, a large number of educationists who opine that this policy will promote Privatization and corporatization of education and is regressive in its very content. A number of committees and groups were formed to advise on the matters of education since the independence of India. But one such major initiative came in 1964 when a commission headed by the then chairman of University Grants Commission Dr. Daulat Singh Kothari, a well known scientist, was formed by the government of India  on July 24, 1964 to study the overall scenario of education of the country and to recommend policies and guidelines and evolve a general structure of education in the country. The commission worked nearly for two years taking opinion and suggestions from experts from across the world and submitted its report to the then Union Minister of Education Sh. M.C.Chhagla on June 29, 1966.

It would be interesting to learn that Manishi Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar had suggested the formation of such a commission on education much before Kothari Commission came into being. In his letter to the then Prime Minister Pdt. Jawahar lal Nehru written on 8^th July, 1963 Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar appreciated Pdt. Nehru’s concern for the education of the rural youth and suggested that a commission be constituted by the Lok Sabha to study the scenario of education in India and to suggest a policy framework for education in India. He suggested that the report of such a commission should be presented in the Lok Sabha and discussed by the august house to finally formulate a Policy of Education for the country. The letter was written in Hindi. A translation is attempted here of the relevant part of a longish letter for the benefit of the readers:

            Dear Shri Pdt. Jawahar lal Nehru,

 Respectful Greetings. I have read the newspaper reports of your scheme of providing industrial training based on agriculture to the economically weak youth of Indian villages and towns. I am happy to learn that the Ministry of Finance of your government has give sanction to this scheme and in the remaining part of the third five-year plan 65 such centers will be started in the country. We , at Udaipur ( Rajasthan) have been imparting New Education to the youth mainly in villages for 26 years now through Rajasthan Vidyapeeth. You will be surprised to know that we are running a secondary school and a degree college  that functions during the night  for those working youth who work during the day and study in the night. Because of this, it was natural for us to be attracted towards your new initiative for the rural youth. …

Please accept our salutations on this. I wish to present a suggestion with some hesitation , though. In my opinion time has come when we should constitute a high level commission regarding the system, methods and points of view of education from the beginning to the end. This should be constituted by the Lok Sabha and which should think over this widespread and basic issue through a revolutionary approach and submit a report to Lok Sabha which in turn should debate it and present before the country its method and guidelines.

Janardan Rai Nagar

This letter reached the Prime Minister who gave a prompt reply vide letter no. 1648/PMH-63 dated 12 July, 1963. Although the Prime Minister agreed with the need to plan and reform the education system,  he said that changes are being made and the constitution of a new commission would not serve the purpose. However, it is well known that the commission came into being the very next year. The Kothari Commission headed by Dr. Daulat Singh Kothari who also hailed from Udaipur submitted a report which  is a foundation of education policy of India. These letters are preserved by Pdt. Nagar’s  son Sh.Prafull Rai Nagar. These letters are a treasure for the posterity of this country.

Talking Peace: Exploring Pathos of Warfare in Andrew Motion’s Peace Talks

The Second World War brought about a major power shift. The world’s power center moved from Europe to the United States of America. For almost ten centuries Europe had remained the centre of the world. But in 1945, with the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, as if by the effect of the tremor of the blasts, the reigns slipped from the hands of Europe and were quickly grabbed by the United States. The United Nations Organizations which was formed to develop an international understanding among nations through which peace and harmony could be maintained, could not serve its purpose well. Instead it became a puppet of the United States of America.

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1980s, the world became  unipolar  with the United States of America  assuming the  role of a super power dictating  other countries in all matters of political, strategic, economic and development issues directly or through agencies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. England joined the United States as its junior partner and participated in several military operations in the name of “Allied Forces” in the Middle East. One after the other the leaders of countries like Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Tunisia were liquidated in the name of democracy and peace and wars were thrust upon them. Now it is more than clear that Iraq was attacked in the name of destroying the non-existent weapons of Mass Destruction. The American interest, particularly in Petroleum, was the main reason behind such military actions. The British forces too, were deployed in the name of upholding democracy in these troubled countries. Thousands of British officers and soldiers were deployed in these actions.

British forces were engaged in Afghanistan for nearly thirteen years. During this period many officers and soldiers of the British forces were wounded, many died and those who fortunately returned home in one piece had bruised souls and blood-stained memories. In addition to the forces engaged in the war, there were thousands back home who also suffered worrying about their kith and kin serving in the forces.

Andrew Motion, who was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009 AD, saw this suffering through the accounts of battle field told to him by the officers and soldiers who returned from the battlefield and whom he met. He could feel the pathos of not only the soldiers and officers who were deployed in Afghanistan but of those also who were left behind waiting and worrying about them. Andrew Motion was convinced that such wars were futile and a wastage of human energy and intellect.

The collection of poems titled Peace Talks by Andrew Motion is another addition to the sequence begun in Laurels and Donkeys. In Laurels and Donkeys also the poet had talked of similar feelings. He talks of the futility of warfare and the human pathos caused by the mindless violence it involves. The book is divided into two parts: “My Own Blue Eye” and “Laurels and Donkeys”. The book begins with an epigraph from Ethics which roughly translates as “Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it.”  This is precisely what Andrew Motion attempts in his poetry. There are pictures of pathos in his poems but frequently he turns to Nature and its quiet benedictions which provide solace with their cool serenity. He presents in these poems the pathetic aftermath of warfare through reminiscences, brief descriptions and subtle understatements. The blurb of the book Peace Talks (2015) mentions this with perfect clarity, ” …Motion also depicts the ravages of modern warfare through reported speech, redacted documents and vivid evocations of place , his plain understatement bringing the magnitude of war home to our shores.”

The poems in this collection have a simplicity that is bare and forthright. Images come in a sequence and halt with sudden full stops in the middle of a stanza. The rhythm of the verse resounds like the sound of the boots of an army troop marching. A war changes many things . Andrew Motion says that it changes the meaning of many ordinary and commonplace words:

Bare facts and staggering multitudes: what hope , what possible hope left for    language with finish? Light. Knock. Road. Engine. Rail. Truck. Cold. Night. Whatever these words meant, they no longer mean.( 79)

In a poem titled ” A Tile From Hiroshima” the poet conjures a whole series of heart-rending images like paintings in an art exhibition depicting the gory scenes after the dropping of the nuclear bomb over Hiroshima. The pathos is very nakedly portrayed in a lucid prosaic narration:

No longer

Men women and children walking towards you

But the skin slithering from their hands and faces

But burn – prints of metal buckles and suspenders

But eye sockets empty because eyes have melted. (87)

The second section of the book ” Peace Talks” has many poems about 20th and 21st century wars. Some of these poems are based on found text , or conversations, and thus lack the musicality and rhythm of the more conventional lyric poems which are there in the first part of the book. However, the poems in the second part of the book are more straight forward, plain and this very fact gives them the power they attain.

Andrew Motion tries to find refuge in the world of nature. He turns to nature and imparts a new meaning to it. The human trace in the natural world is at the centre of Motion’s thought. In the poem titled ” The Death of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine” , Motion writes:

In my final estimation

The mountain looked very

Beautiful […]

I can think of no better way to explain

Why they chose to stay.(20 )

George Mallory and Sandy Irvine were lost in the snowy hills. They could not be recovered. The poet says that perhaps they decided to stay in the lap of nature and decided not to return to the conflict-ridden world. In the poetry of Andrew Motion nature is a permanent presence as opposed to the human beings who are transient , whose questions of identity and the self are also transient. He writes , ” So far as I can tell / nothing changed when he went.”

The publishers of the book Peace Talks mention some of the prominent features of the poems published in the book. The specialty that is highlighted in the note on this book is the importance of memory in these poems. They are like poems of remembrance in which an elegiac note is clearly discernable:

These poems are moving and measured, delicate and clear-eyed, and bear witness to the futility of war and the suffering of those left behind. Elsewhere we find biographies in miniature, dreams and visions, family histories, which in their range of forms and voices consider questions of identity, and character. These are poems of remembrance in which Motion’s war poems, all in their own way elegies, find a natural partner. Peace Talks is a wise and compassionate work.

The process of writing these poems is much different from traditional ways in which the poet starts composing as soon as he is inspired by some ‘divine spark’ and pours out his feelings with a certain degree of spontaneity. The poet   believes that writing about the trauma of war would not be authentic if one did not have the first hand experience of the battlefield. He wishes to visit the front but is not able to do so due to state policy. However, he is able to visit a camp in which soldiers who had actually fought in the battle are staying. He talks to them and uses their experiences as a journalist would do for his reports, to write poems. He is conscious of their contribution and admits that all the compositions he has been able to do are a product of the joint effort of the narrators and him. In an interview he makes a statement to this effect:

The main reason for choosing to base that poem on interviews was the same as shapes several other poems in the collection—poems that could all be described as being in some sense “found.” Which is to say: even the most well intentioned of us, writing about conflicts we’ve not been directly involved in, in which we haven’t worn a uniform, are likely to get into difficulties. The poems are bound to fall short of the experience they describe, and often parade the sensitivity of the author rather than concentrating on the subject. I thought one of the ways around this difficulty might be to include as much material voiced by the subject as I could, and treat it in such a way that I could make it both theirs and mine. A Collaboration. I’m not terribly bothered by the idea of “mineness” in these found poems.                               ( http://hopkinsreview.jhu.edu/archive/an-interview-with-andrew-motion/)

 

The poet succeeds in capturing the experiences because of his sympathy with the victims of war irrespective of their nationality. The poem titled “One Tourniquet” is a moving account of the suffering of an Afghan child who stood on a land mine and whose both feet were blown off. The boy was screaming. The medical staff attending on him said that they were issued only one tourniquet for a victim but here was a child who needed two since both of his legs had to be amputated. The pathos comes live in these lines:

 

He was conscious at first,

Screaming,

 

and I thought

what a mess.

 

All in a bit of field.

 

None of the other kids cried,

they’re all quite sort of tough.

 

Very tough kids in fact.

 

Definitely.

 

At the time

we were issued with only one tourniquet each.(110)

 

It traumatizes even the lady staff nursing the child to an extent that she is at a loss with her language and is not able to spell out her dismay with what she had undergone. The suffering child is not the only one who suffers but even those who see him suffer are traumatized. The pathos of having no means to treat a wounded child comes live in the poem. Andrew Motion himself mentioned this poem in an interview to Hopkins Review and described what he felt when he interviewed that lady nurse who treated that child:

There’s also a little poem you may remember which is narrated by a woman I talked to, a medical orderly, who’d attended to a young Afghan boy who’d had his legs blown off when he trod on a land mine. She was clearly traumatized by this, and kept coming back to it in her conversation—without, in a sense, having anything to say about it. I found it very moving as I listened to her, but when I looked through the script of our conversation I found it even more compelling. I thought that if I could write well about it, I would be able to make a poem out of almost nothing. A nothing that was everything. And that’s what I tried to do. I wanted to write a poem showing in a sympathetic way that she was bereft of language to cope with the things she’d been through. There’s a bit in the poem, as you may remember, when she says they eventually took this little boy to an American camp where they saved his life. All she had to say about that was, with her eyes full of tears, “So yeah. Brilliant.” The whole world of suffering was somehow in that. I thought if I could present it right, then people would be able to see. That was the challenge. It brought to a climax lots of the thoughts I previously had about combining my own arrangements, my own words, my own editing, with the languages of other people.( http://hopkinsreview.jhu.edu/archive/an-interview-with-andrew-motion/ accessed on 12-11-2018)

War is madness. One may link it with patriotism or national pride but the truth is that war has never led to any solution. In the post globalization era it is a big industry which feeds the superpower and supports its allies countries whose economy depends more or less on their arms industry. It is a means to capture natural resources and exercise dominance over other nations. Unfortunately the twenty first century has seen a rise of narrow nationalism all over the world. The rulers take pride in glorifying the national past as well as uniqueness of their identity. This is not good for humanity. Andrew Motion attempts to shock the sensibility of the readers by his poems and also some stylistic features of his poems. His poem ” Finis” is a case in example:

Not to go mad, or to go mad and understand madness

to gaze steadily on the world with the eyes of Lazarus

Lager. Barracks.Bunks. Kapos.Musselmans.Chimney.

The mind cannot skip the air and mingles with smoke. (79)

These lines strike the reader with sensations which shock him like strokes of hammer as he reads the single word sentences in the third line of the extract. Such lines composed of a series of single word sentences occur in every stanza of the poem. Lager, which is pale beer, barracks where the soldiers stay, Bunks ,small narrow shelves meant for soldiers to sleep, Kapos, who are prisoners of war given the duty to supervise the forced work given to the prisoners and chimney which emits smoke into the air form a series of images which create an atmosphere of gloom, grief, suffering and helplessness. This rises to the mind which the poet says ‘cannot skip the air and mingles with the smoke’. In a situation like this ‘to go mad or not to go mad’ seems to be a rhetorical question which  cannot be answered. In the madness of war, one has hardly any choice. Whether one wishes to be a part of war or not, it is imposed over him. Lazarus is the name of a saint who was resurrected by Jesus four days after his death. This miracle is mentioned in Gospel, Book of John. In a war what sort of resurrection is possible? So, one gazes steadily at the world with dismay.

The poem “Critical Care” is about the treatment of the wounded soldiers. In this poem the poet attempts to reproduce the voices he hears in a critical care ward. The voices of those who are wounded, the doctors, nurses, other people who are attending on the wounded are, as if, reproduced by the poet verbatim:

Jesus- Stay still-Stay fucking still-

Stay with us – Put Morphine on it-

Don’t touch it – Don’t touch it-

We’ve got to get him now-

We’ve got to get him now- (104)

Andrew Motion talks of this style as his attempt to use the Keatsian concept of Negative Capability, wherein the author attempts to remain away from the object of appreciation. The narration in the form of direct speech reproduced as it is makes it possible. The poet presents what he witnesses as a photographic depiction of reality observed by him. In an interview to Hopkins Review Andrew Motion mentions this:

That’s always been my ideal, even before I started to evolve this strategy to approach it. It’s the quality that Keats loves: negative capability. I see what I’m trying to do in these poems as a version of negative capability.

Andrew Motion arrives at the stage of negating his personality in many of his poems but his understanding of war as a huge human waste is reflected in all his poems. He expressed a great relief when he hung his robe of Poet Laureate in 2009 and decided to go to the United States. Peace Talks is used as a title in which the phrase ‘Talks’ is not a noun but a verb. In his poems Peace talks and reinforces the futility of warfare.

Works cited

Motion,Andrew.Peace Talks.London:Faber&Faber Ltd.2015

https://www.faber.co.uk/9780571325474-peace-talks.html accessed on 12-11-2018

http://hopkinsreview.jhu.edu/archive/an-interview-with-andrew-motion/ accessed on 12-11-2018

 

अफ्रीकी कवितायें-अंग्रेज़ी से अनुवाद – डॉ हेमेन्द्र चंडालिया

अफ्रीकी  कवितायें

अंग्रेज़ी से अनुवाद – डॉ हेमेन्द्र चंडालिया

1

तुम पागल हो : और मैं यही कहना चाहती हूँ !

• -फ़ुमज़िले जुलू, दक्षिण अफ्रीका

तुम क्या कहना चाहते थे जब तुमने

मुझे बर्बर, जंगली और अनीश्वर वादी कहा

तुम अवश्य ही पागल रहे होगे

मैं अब जान गयी हूँ

मैं अब यह कहती हूँ और यही है मेरा आशय |

जब तुमने मुझे यहाँ अफ्रीका में पाया

तुमने कहा मैं भूखी थी

तुम एक बड़ी सी किताब लेकर आए

जिसका नाम था ‘बाइबल ‘

और तुमने स्वयं को कहा मिशनरी

 

तुम मेरे जीवन के लिए भोजन प्रदान करने वाले थे

किन्तु मैं हो गयी आश्चर्यचकित

जब मैंने पाया

मैं इतनी क्षुधित कभी नहीं थी पहले

रोटी के बजाय तुमने दिये कुछ टुकड़े

शायद तुम मेरे मुंह में

बस पानी लाना चाहते भर थे

तुम ऐसा व्यवहार करते क्यों हो

स्थूल नियंत्रण करने वाले प्रयोग कर्ता

जिसने पहले स्वयं को कहा

सच्चा दानशील मनुष्य |

मैंने अनुभव कर लिया है कि

इतनी अच्छी नहीं थी तुम्हारी मंशा

तुम यहाँ मेरी संपत्ति की टोह लेने आए थे

मिशनरी के छद्म आवरण में शैतान जासूस

तुम क्या सोचते थे कि हो जाओगे सफल

हमेशा , हमेशा के लिए ?

 

देखो यहाँ … अब जब तुम्हें हो गया है ज्ञात

कि मुझे बस में करना नहीं है आसान

तुम करने लगे हो चालाकियाँ

पर तुम हो चुके हो असफल

अपनी दास बनाने वाली शिक्षा के बावजूद

तुम सोचते थे मैं झुक जाऊँगी

पर कब तक ?

 

तुमने चुरा ली हैं हमारे पुरखों की जमीने

तुम सोचते थे मैं मान लूँगी  हार

पर कब तक … हुंह

मैं कहना चाहती हूँ

और यही है मेरा आशय

अब मैं तुम्हारा झूठ बर्दाश्त नहीं करूंगी |

तुमने पाया था मुझे सुविधा जनक

तुमने प्रार्थना की मुझसे

कि मैं दूँ तुम्हें साफ पानी और सब्जियाँ

और अंत में मेरा रक्त बन गया है पानी तुम्हारा

मेरा शरीर तुम्हारी सब्जियाँ

मेंने पकड़ाई थी तुम्हें अंगुली

मेरा पहुंचा पकड़ लेना चाहते हो तुम

तुम मुझे हासिल नहीं कर पाओगे

और यही कहना चाहती हूँ  मैं |

 

तुम कहते हो कि तुम मुझे दोगे

मेरी अपनी ज़मीन के टुकड़े यहाँ वहाँ बिखरे

और यह कि तुम्हारा

यह देश तुम्हारा, श्वेतों का है

भूल गए हो तुम कैसे आए थे यहाँ ?

तुम मूर्ख हो , तुम पागल हो

उर मैं यह कहना चाहती हूँ |

 

————-***——————-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

मैंने किया है बहुत प्रयास

-जिन्द्ज़ि मंडेला, दक्षिण अफ्रीका

मैंने किया है बहुत प्रयास, भाई

और मैं नहीं मानूँगी हार

चाहे वह

जिसे मैं नहीं देख सकती

रेंगते हुए आ जाएँ मेरे पीछे

और कर दे मुझे चकनाचूर

और चाहे वह जिसे मैं नहीं देख सकती

मुझ से  आगे निकाल जाये

मुझे छोडकर पीछे

विचार करने के लिए

निष्कर्षतः मुझे लेना है अभी

एक और कदम

और उसी समय सीमा में

होना है विकसित |

 

——–***——-

 

 

 

3

मैं रही प्रतीक्षारत तुम्हारी , बीती रात

-जिन्द्ज़ि मंडेला, दक्षिण अफ्रीका

 

 

मैं रही तुम्हारी प्रतीक्षारत , बीती रात

अपने बिस्तर में लेटी थी मैं

नुचे हुए पुष्प की तरह

गिरती पंखुड़ियों से मेरे आँसू |

मेरे कमरे ने जो

अपने भीतर खींची श्वास सी ध्वनि

और निगल ली

मेरे कानों में

खिड़की पर खटखटाने की आवाज़ |

उठ कर खोला मैंने उसे

और एक तितली उड़ आई भीतर

मेरी गर्दन पर बिखेरते हुए कुछ कण

अचकचा कर मैंने

पकड़ लिए उसके नन्हें पंख

और चूम लिया उसे

फिर वापस अपने बिस्तर में लेट गयी मैं

उसे मेरे माथे के इर्द – गिर्द मंडराने के लिए छोडकर,

बीती रात प्रतीक्षारत रही मैं तुम्हारे लिए |

———–***—————

4

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

• ग्सीना म्हलोफ , दक्षिण अफ्रीका

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

मैं  अपने आप में मगन मुस्कराता हूँ

और सोचता हूँ उस समय के बारे में

जब एक बालक की वय में

अकेले बैठे – बैठे आश्चर्य करता था

लोगों को कपड़ों की ज़रूरत क्यों है ?

जब कभी बरसात होती है

मैं उस समय के बारे में सोचता हूँ

जब मैं बारिश में भागता चला जाता था

चिल्लाते हुए , “मैं कब बड़ा होऊँगा?”

“मैं कल बड़ा हो जाऊंगा?”

 

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

मैं उस समय के बारे में सोचता हूँ

जब मैं देखता बकरियों को

भागते हुए बरसात से

जब की भेड़ें मानो ले रही होती थी  आनंद |

जब कभी बरसात होती है

मैं सोचता हूँ उस समय के बारे में

जब हमे खोलनी होती थी पौशाक

और सिर पर पौशाक और किताबों को थामे

पार करनी होती थी नदी

विद्यालय का समय पूरा होने के बाद |

जब कभी बरसात होती है

मैं उस समय के बारे में सोचता हूँ

जब घंटों होती थी बारिश मूसलाधार

और भर जाती थी पानी की कोठियाँ

जिस कारण नहीं लाना होता था पानी

नदी से एक –दो दिनों  तक |

 

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

कई घंटों तक बिना रुके

मैं उन लोगों के बारे में सोचता हूँ

जिंका कोई ठिकाना नहीं है

अपना कोई घर नहीं

न खाने के लिए भोजन

सिर्फ है पानी बरसात का पीने के लिए |

जब कभी बरसात होती है

कई दिनों तक बिना अंतराल

मैं सोचता हूँ उन माताओं के बारे में

जो देती हें जन्म कच्ची बस्तियों में

प्लास्टिक के तरपाल की छाया में

ठिठुराती सर्द हवाओं की दया पर |

 

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

मैं सोचता हूँ नौकरी की तलाश कर रहे

“अवैध” लोगों के बारे में

बड़े शहरों में बरसात में पुलिस को छकाते हुए

अंधेरा होने की करते उम्मीद

कि ढूंढ सकें कोई गीला कोना छिपने के लिए |

 

कभी – कभी जब बरसात होती है

बहुत तेज़ ओलों के साथ

मैं सोचता हूँ दुनियाँ कि सारी जेलों में

आजीवन कैद भुगत रहे कैदियों के बारे में ,

और सोचता हूँ क्या अब भी

उन्हे देखना पसंद है इंद्र्धनुष बरसात की समाप्ति पर |

जब कभी बरसात होती है

घास को काटती ज़बरदस्त ओलावृष्टि के साथ

तब मैं स्वयं को रोक नहीं पाता सोचने से

कि वे दिखाई देते हैं दांतों की तरह

मुस्कराते हुए मित्रों के

तब मैं इच्छा करता हूँ कि हर व्यक्ति के पास

हो कोई वजह मुस्कराने की|

———–***—————–

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

रहस्य

• जेनी कोजिन , दक्षिण अफ्रीका

पहले मैं एक हूँ

फिर मैं दो

फिर मैं पुनः एक

उससे जुड़ा हुआ जो थी मेरा ही भाग

मेरी प्रेमिका

मैं मैं हूँ

मैं मैं तथा तुम हूँ

मैं मैं हूँ तथा वह

जो थी मैं और वह

जो मेरे पेट में खिंचती है

और मारती है लातें

जाल में फंसी एक मछली

वह पीटती है हथोड़ा देह के दरवाजों पर

गुफा की दीवारों पर |

एक बीज जिसमे

होते हें अंकुरित भुजाएँ , पैर और आँखें

एक हृदय जो यकायक

शुरू कर देता है स्वयं की धड़कन

एक जीवन जो है मेरा शरीर

मेरी कोशिकाएं , मेरा रक्त

जो है उसका शरीर भी

उसकी हड्डियाँ , उसकी अपनी त्वचा और अस्थि –तंत्र

उसका अपना हृदय

उसके अपने छोटे छोटे हाथ

उसके दो पैर |

जितना मैं समझता हूँ

उससे अधिक हूँ मैं

जैसे ईश्वर रचता है संसार

वैसा ही है यह उसके लिए

सर्वदा विमूढ़ , सर्वदा प्रेमासक्त |

 

——————***——————–

 

 

 

6

हमारी आवाज़

                                                         –  नीमिया डिसूजा, दक्षिण अफ्रीका

उठ चुकी है हमारी आवाज़

चेतन और विध्वंसकारी

मनुष्य की श्वेत स्वार्थपरता से ऊपर हमारी आवाज़

सभी की आपराधिक उदासीनता से ऊपर

हमारी आवाज़

झाड़ियों में जमी ओस की बूंदों से ओत–प्रोत

हमारी प्रखर आवाज़ मलंगाओं के सूर्य की तरह

ढ़ोल की थाप सी हमारी आवाज़

जो मेग्विगुवाना के भाले का

करती है आह्वान , भाई

हमारी आवाज़ ने उठा दिया है ज्ञान का चक्रवात |

गीदड़ सी पीली आँखों से

जगाती पश्चाताप

निराश हो चुके लोगों की

उदास आत्माओं में जगाती आशा की लौ

हमारी आवाज़ आह्वान करती

ढ़ोल की थाप सी |

घनी काली रात के अँधेरों में

प्रखर चाँदनी से भरी हमारी आवाज़

तूफानी रातों में प्रकाश स्तम्भ सी

सदियों की पुरानी बाधाओं को

दर्ज करती हमारी आवाज़

हजारों , लाखों लोगों की आवाज़ बनकर देती है

आने वाले विप्लव की सूचना |

पीड़ा से दोहरी हमारी आवाज़

जो तोड़ डालती है सारी बेड़ियाँ

यह है अफ्रीका की आवाज़

हमारी अश्वेत आवाज़

जो चिल्लाती है , चिल्लाती है, चिल्लाती है|

हमारी आवाज़ जिसने मेंढक के गड्ढे में

खोज लिया है पहाड़ सा दुख

जो निकलता है एक साधारण से शब्द “दासता “ से |

बिना रुके लगातार चिल्लाती हमारी आवाज़

शिपालापाला हमारी आवाज़

ढ़ोल की थाप सी हमारी आवाज़

जो करती है आह्वान

हमारी आवाज़ – लाखों लोगों की आवाज़

जो चिल्लाते हैं , चिल्लाते हैं और चिल्लाते हैं |

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Gandhian Model of Development and Rights of the Tribes in India

The world today faces a severe crisis in the form of unmanageable inequalities, lack of economic stability and failure of the nation states to respond to the warnings of global ecological imbalances reflected in the form of severe heat, unprecedented rains and floods and extinction of numerous forms of vegetation and animal species. The so called development from barbaric communism of the hunting – gathering man to the gigantic skyscrapers housing cyber cells working on artificial intelligence strengthening the uni – polar world of capitalist and imperial despotism of the western powers, particularly, the United States of America has not provided for a sustainable and peaceful existence of human race on the surface of the earth. The economic depression of the first decade of twentieth century, which was given the softer nomenclature of   ” Economic Slowdown”  exposed the hollowness of the capitalist economic model.

The parallel model of development put forward by the eastern bloc led by erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics did show hope to many but was not allowed to sustain by the intrigues and conspiracies of the capitalist imperialist forces. Though, there is no doubt that under its pressure the capitalist countries too were forced to adopt some of the features of a social welfare state in the form of numerous schemes of social security.

In between, the emergence of Gandhi on the horizon of Indian political scene brought about a major change in people’s life and their perception of a new India. He not just led the country towards political freedom but also gave a new economic and political thought through his writings, speeches and action. His philosophy was grounded in the essential principles of “Live and let live”. A staunch believer in the principles of Non-Violence, Truth and Justice, Gandhi put forward a model of economic development which was opposed to western model of industrial production and accumulation of wealth through surplus production. He believed in dignity of labour and practiced it in his own life. In his philosophy, villages were to be economically self sustainable and all production had to be done in order to fulfill the needs of the village. Geoffrey  Ashe refers to Mahatma Gandhi’s seminal work Hind Swaraj to put forward Gandhi’s inclination towards rural culture. He says:

‘Editor’ sounds like a complete nihilist.But presently constructive ideas emerge. Instead of copying the west , India should ask herself what she really is , where her true calling lies. The key to recovery of her lost glory is in her ancestral village culture, her almost forgotten cottage industry such as spinning and weaving, and so forth. Her genius is for cooperation; the Hindu -Muslim conflict is artificial. (138)

Gandhi’s Principle of Trusteeship

Gandhi believed that the nation state was just a trustee of the natural and other resources of the country which belonged to the people who were the real masters/ owners of the nation. This principle was known all over the world as a major tenet of Gandhi’s Thought. The idea of collectivism and the collective ownership of resources reflected in the principle of Trusteeship espoused by Gandhi go fully well with the beliefs of all the indigenous communities of the world, known as tribes in India. They too believe in collectivism and treat natural resources as belonging to community. Gandhi believed that villages were the soul of India and that all the needs of the citizens could be fulfilled by the villages. He stressed on making villages autonomous and self reliant. He remarked that all Indians should make it a point of honour to use only village articles, whenever available. Given the demand, there is no doubt that most of their wants can be supplied by the villages. He said that strengthening the village economy would satisfy two important objectives: First, it would provide maximum employment and income to inhabitants, and second, it would generate equality, freedom and justice.

 

Gandhi’ criticism of the Western Civilization

 

Gandhi had an experience of the western civilization. He had seen the functioning of capitalist economy as it operated in England and other countries of Europe. Incidentally, Karl Marx had also examined the capitalist economy as it functioned in England. Both of them reached similar conclusions though they reacted to it differently. Gandhi was opposed to western civilization and the economic system functioning there on the following bases:

1. Evils of Mass Production and Mechanical reproduction- Gandhi was opposed to the very idea of mass production and mechanical reproduction. He believed that all production should be for self use rather than surplus because this surplus leads to consumerism which, he thought was a curse of humanity.
2. Exploitation of Labour- Gandhi believed that Mass Production through mechanized industry is inevitably based on the exploitation of labour. The workers are made to work beyond their capacity to maximize production. The return to the labour in terms of wages is also too meager because the industrialists want to maximize their profit which can be done only by lowering wages.
3. Loss of Dignity of Labour- Since the labour work only for wages, they have no attachment for the work they are doing. They are only a small cog in the machine. The employer too is interested in the work, not in the worker. This brings down the dignity of labour.

1. Production for Greed and accumulation of wealth – In a capitalist economy the production is done for profit and the accumulation of wealth. A producer is not interested in satisfying the needs of the people, but is driven by the greed which can be satisfied by only accumulation of wealth.
2. Increase in Poverty and Erosion of Community – The mechanical mass production causes exploitation of labour and inevitably increases poverty in the society. This leads to rise in conflicts and erosion of community life. Capitalism causes a rise in individualism and is detrimental to a collective happy community based on cooperation.

6. Rise in Consumerism – The entire process of mechanical reproduction creates artificial demands in the economy and people are tempted to buy for ulterior reasons not to satisfy their needs. This brings about a rise in consumerism which is inevitable in a capitalist society.

   Tribal Collectivism and Gandhian Trusteeship

The tribal society is built around the philosophy of collectivism in which everyone becomes a part of everyone else’s life in all moments of need, joy and pain. The resources spread around in nature are not any one individual’s resources but belong to all members of the community. Every production activity is directed at fulfillment of the needs of the individual and the community. This brings them close to the concept of trusteeship propounded by Gandhi. Unlike the model  developed and adopted by the Indian state  on the line of western industrial development , the tribal people  in India can better identify themselves with the Gandhian Economic model. The state needs to act as trustee of natural resources and allow the tribal people to lead an unhindered life based on their tradition of collectivism.

Tribal Population In India

As per Census 2011, tribal people in India constitute 8.6 percent of the total population of the country. It was 8.2 percent according to Census 2001. 705 groups are identified as tribal across 30 states. The number was 461 before 1990. Among them, 75 groups have been identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from 17 states.  The first list of tribal Peoples was prepared in 1931 on the basis of primitiveness. In 1935 the list was prepared looking into backwardness, and during 1950 and 1956 both primitiveness and backwardness was taken into consideration for enlisting tribal communities in the country. A large concentration of tribal communities is found in the central provinces of India, the middle belt and the north-eastern states. About 92 percent of the tribal people in India live in rural areas.

Gandhi’s focus was on the village. This directly relates to the tribal population since they live in rural areas and the biggest problem they face is that of displacement due to development projects or forced migration in search of employment. If villages become self sufficient and autonomous, the tribal people will be the biggest beneficiaries.

Constitutional Provisions for Scheduled Tribes

 

The constitution of India is based on the principle of equality. It is a fundamental right of the people. But the constitution has also realized the fact that some communities of the country have suffered inequality, discrimination and backwardness due to some historical reasons. These communities have been identified and given special treatment so that they may also come at par with the rest of the population. Some of the important provisions in the constitution of India are summed up by R.K.Ramdhyani in his book Citizens Guide to Our Constitution and Government:

• Article 366 (25) defines Scheduled Tribes
• Article Article 342 lays down the procedure for specification of Scheduled Tribes
• Article 15(4): State could make special provision for tribal advancement (can’t be challenged in courts)
• Article 19(5): Creates exceptions for tribal areas under “Fundamental Right of free movement and residence (to safeguard encroachment and their fragile habitat)

Article 164: Offers a separate Tribal Ministry in the states of MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and    Jharkhand (having substantial tribal population)

• Articles 330, 332 and 334 : Regarding reservation in legislative bodies Article 335: Claims of SC/ST members will be considered while making appointments to services and posts regarding the affairs of the Union or State.
• Article 338: Special Officer (appointed through the President) 338 A : National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
• Article 339 (1): Provision for the appointment of a Commission to set up the administration of Scheduled Areas and also the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes.
• Article 371(A, B, C): Special measures and provisions within the state of Maharashtra and Gujarat (371), Nagaland (371 A), Assam (371 B) and Manipur (371 C)
• Provisions within the 5th and 6th Schedule (71-73)

Dr.M.C. Jain Kagzi in his book Constitution of India states, ” According to Article 15(4) the members of the scheduled tribes enjoy special rights. The state can make special provisions for their advancement of education amongst the tribes and for the development of their social conditions.” (1080)

Other Legal Provisions

Besides these specific provisions there are more legal provisions in the form of Acts of Parliament, Rules and amendments made from time to time to safeguard the interest of the tribes of India. Among these provisions  like Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996; the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006; and Land Transfer Regulations in Schedule V (Tribal) Areas are important. However, some provisions relating to land acquisition by the state and the Ruling of the honourable Supreme Court of India about the evacuation of tribal population from the lands they had been living on for centuries have raised serious concern among the tribal people and their supporters.

Issues of Tribal Development

 

Tribal people are still the weakest section of Indian society. They have lived a life of seclusion for centuries and have remained content in their natural habitat meeting their needs from the natural resources found in abundance in their surroundings. As the western industrial development took momentum in the country, their habitat was approached by the state and private capitalists for the natural resources like timber, minerals, forest produce, wild life and even water. The building of dams, wild life sanctuaries, missile testing ranges, firing ranges and military establishments forced the tribal people to evacuate their homeland and move out to the periphery of forests and then finally to the towns in search of employment. The present day problems of the tribal population can be summed up in the following points:

1. To check the plunder of natural resources- The indigenous peoples of the world inhabiting nearly seventy two countries face the problem of plunder of natural resources, grabbing of forest land, community land, pastures and forest produce. The plunder of natural resources has led to several wars as well. The states as well as the corporate, often unite to drive away the tribes to encroach upon their habitat and take away the resources lying there. This is attempted to facilitate mass production for increasing profit and thus help capital formation.

Gandhi’s vision of economy did not support centralization of resources and mechanical mass production.

2. To check the displacement of Tribal people- The tribal people have immense knowledge and skills which they derive from their natural habitat. Settled in their habitat, they can survive braving the vicissitudes of nature. But once displaced from their own habitat they become orphaned since they do not have the skills or even the language to survive in an alien cultural atmosphere.
3. To ensure the implementation PESA, FRA and other legislative provisions-Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996; the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006; and Land Transfer Regulations in Schedule V (Tribal) Areas are some of the provisions which are designed to safeguard the interest of the tribal people. The implementation of these legal provisions needs to be ascertained.
4. To ensure implementation of RTE and conservation of tribal languages and culture- The Right to Education Act is a very effective tool to help the weaker sections of the society. Moreover it is provided in the Act that the medium of instruction up to primary level should be the mother tongue of the learner. The biggest obstacle in the path of education of the children of the tribes is the medium of instruction. Most of the tribal languages are spoken in so small groups that there is no reading material available in that language. Therefore , the day a tribal child approaches a school he is forced to switch the code from his mother tongue to an alien language which he doesn’t understand. This demotivates him/her and often tribal children drop out. Gandhi was of the firm opinion that all education of children should be in the mother tongue.
5. To ensure reservation in admissions and employment in private institutions and industries

besides government institutions and Public Sector Enterprises- The constitution of India  has provided for reservation for scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. Because of the shift from a social welfare state to a Laissez Faire state and the adoption of the policy of Liberalization, privatization and Globalization, the state sector is shrinking giving way to massive expansion of private sector. If the policy of reservation is to be impleted in its true spirit, it has to be implemented in private sector as well.

Sarvodaya – the Essence of Tribal Philosophy

 

 

Gandhi used to say that nature has everything for human needs but not for their greed. He focused on the aspect of distribution of resources and believed that one must try to minimize his/her needs so that enough is left for others. He gave the concept of ” Sarvodaya” meaning thereby the emancipation of all. He advocated the  principle of Sarvodaya which he said, is the only way to allow sustenance of all natural species including the homo sapiens and other animal and plant life. Sarvodaya cannot be realized without practicing austerity and embracing  poverty voluntarily. That is what is  aparigraha. Gandhi himself strongly recommended the ‘principle of non- possession’ or aparigraha for attaining sarvodaya.

In the view of Gandhi non-possession is allied to non-stealing. A thing not originally stolen must nevertheless be classified as stolen property if we possess it without needing it. Possession implies provision for the future. A seeker after truth, a follower of the law of love, cannot hold anything against tomorrow. God never stores for the morrow. He never creates more than what is strictly needed for the moment… The rich have a superfluous store of things which they do not need, and which are therefore neglected and wasted; while millions starve to death for want of sustenance. If each retained possession only of what he needed, no one would be in want and all would live in contentment.

This thought is deep rooted in tribal life. They do not believe in accumulation for future. In fact, this thought is even becomes a basis of their criticism. The employers try to abstain from employing tribal people saying that they are happy go merry kind of people who would not worry for their future needs and would not care for work if their present needs are fulfilled. A good thought becomes a cause of their unemployment.

 Gandhi’s Initiatives for Tribal Development

 

Gandhi led a crusade against the menace of untouchability and called it a blot on Hindu society. There are innumerable steps that he took for the emancipation of the untouchables. He even gave them a new name ” Harijan” which tried to free them from the stigma attached with their nomenclature. In Gujarat he initiated some steps for the up lift of the tribal people also. He knew that education is a very effective means of social transformation. He initiated Ashram Shalas, residential schools for tribals in rural areas to spread education and spirit of freedom in the rural and tribal areas of the state. He sent  his colleague and follower Thakkar Bapa to work in the tribal regions and work for their emancipation. Though the state Tribal Development Department runs Ashram Shalas in 14 tribal districts of Gujarat to prevent drop-outs among the tribal children today, they are low on the priority of the government as they lack sufficien staff and infrastructure to meet the objective they were set up for.At present, there are 452 primary Ashram Shalas, 87 Uttar Buniyadi schools (secondary) and 10 Uchhatar Buniyadi (higher secondary) Ashram Shalas in Gujarat. In all, 549 Ashram Shalas have 69,995 students at present.(Ashram Shalas – Gandhian Initiative for education of Tribal Children,                    KapilDave, Indian Express, Gandhinagar, Sun Apr 08, 2012)

Works cited

Ashe, Geoffrey.(1968) Gandhi: A Study in Revolution, P. 138 Asia Publishing House, New Delhi

Kagzi, Dr.M.C.Jain.( 1984) Constitution of India,P.1080 Metropolitan Book Company Co.Pvt. Ltd.New Delhi

Ramdhyani, R.K.(1963) Citizens Guide to Our Constitution and Government,Atma Ram and Sons, Delhi

Dave, Kapil.(2012) “Ashram Shalas – Gandhian Initiative for education of Tribal Children”,                    Indian Express, Gandhinagar, Sun Apr 08, 2012

 

 

 

 

Indigenous Epistemology and Literature

Indigenous Epistemology and Literature

Dr. H. S. Chandalia, Professor, Department of English

J.R.N. Rajasthan Vidyapeeth ( Deemed to be a University), Udaipur

Abstract

Indigenous People are settled in the most uninhabitable parts of this world. Pushed back by the settlers from other lands and climes they have lived in their own secluded “Heavens” for centuries nurturing their own life style, knowledge and literature. Indigenous Epistemology is reflected prominently in the oral literature which developed through the collective efforts of the communities and has been passed on from one generation to another through the world of mouth. Till recently, they did not use script for recording their experiences and knowledge. Scattered in nearly seventy two countries of the world, the indigenous communities have remained away from the so called “Main stream” of the nations they inhabit. This has had twin effects. One, they developed their own knowledge systems drawn primarily on the basis of their proximity with nature. Two, the rest of the world did not have much information about them. The “Western Gaze” represented them as per its convictions and prejudices without actually attempting to explore their rich diversity and creativity.

The epistemology of indigenous systems is different from the scripted cultures. It comes from time tested practices and experiences of people gathered by communities and recorded in memorable texts which are created in languages often popular in small populations and regions. This literature contains narratives and expositions related to almost all walks of life. There are instances of agricultural practices, political aspirations, emotive cravings and over all world view of people in these narratives. The syntax, lexicon and semantics of the literature of the indigenous people play an important role in the generation of an epistemology of collective cognitive indulgence.

This paper makes a humble attempt to explore select writings from the literatures of indigenous peoples in some parts of the world to find out the knowledge systems reflected in them. These writings would include American Indian writings, African, Native Australian and Indigenous writings from some parts of India. It attempts to see if the epistemology of indigenous peoples reflects any pattern which can relate to some strain of philosophy.  The paper also explores linguistic and literary forms which can be identified as devices to depict various vicissitudes of indigenous epistemology.

Key words: Epistemology, indigenous, western gaze, cognitive indulgence, scripted cultures.

Epistemology on Tribes in India’s North East has become more relevant and a cause of curiosity as well as concern after the result of the assembly elections in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura has been announced. The way people have voted that party to power which believes in complete assimilation of the tribes in the cultural of the so called mainstream  fold that it espouses effacing the identity of the tribes is making many researchers baffled. The electoral victory of this professed champion of Hindutva could not have been possible without a massive mandate by the people belonging to tribes in these states. It is all the more baffling because this party and its outfits reject the term “Adivasi” (Aboriginals/ Indigenous) and use a term “Vanvasi” which is more convenient to them for their assimilation agenda. To them, Adivasis form but another sect of Hinduism which, in truth, is a misnomer.

Defining Epistemology

Epistemology, in its literal sense, is a branch of Philosophy which relates to the nature of knowledge, its scope and its validity. What are the sources of knowledge, what is the relationship between the object of knowledge and the one in pursuit of knowledge, what is the limit of human beings’  ability to know and what are the ways of establishing the truth of knowledge are some of the questions to be explored in epistemology. All that one knows and is knowable exists in some form of perception. This perception may be sensory as experienced through one of the sensory organs. It may also be emotive, ideational or imaginary. In modern societies the majority of the sources of knowledge are outside the personality of an individual. They exist around him and an individual’s capability to access, explore and consume them determines his level of knowledge. The term ‘Epistemology’ has been defined in Encyclopedia Britannica as:

That branch of philosophy which is concerned with problems of the nature, limits and validity of knowledge and belief. The term Epistemology was first used in 19^th century as a synonym for theory of knowledge but western philosophical thought on the subject has a history reaching back to Plato and Aristotle. Traditionally the range of its problems has served to contrast it on the one hand with metaphysics , concerned with the nature of reality and on the other hand with logic , concerned with the forms of valid argument .(650) 

V.Gordon Childe , an archaeologist and philosopher, in his book Society and Knowledge, talks about human ability to acquire , remember and communicate knowledge in the community which can be transmitted through certain symbols common to the community . He says that this ability of the human species has enabled him to progress the way he has reached from the Stone Age to the Atomic Age. Childe illustrates his point with the example of a stone axe used by the ancient man and the development of subsequent tools in human history:

The Knowledge embodied in the hand axes of the Old Stone Age was both useful and  public. It enabled our remote precursors or ancestors to make serviceable tools such as they needed to supplement the deficiencies of their limbs and other bodily organs. And it was communicated to and transmitted by all the human beings who made hand axes for thousands of generations. Thus this knowledge was preserved – but not only preserved. It was also enriched and extended. During the two or three hundred thousand years over which hand axes were being made, archaeologists can detect improvements in their form and changes in the techniques of manufacture. More efficient tools were produced with less effort. These progressive changes reflect addition to knowledge, discoveries and inventions that were made public and incorporated in the traditional lore or knowledge used, transmitted and maintained by Old Stone Age societies. Of course, the progressive change observed in archaeologists’ “hand axes” is just one case of the general technological progress from simple manual tools of stone and bone to complicated machines made of metallic alloys and other artificial substances and operated by electrical or even nuclear power. (12)

This quotation has several clues to suggest. It suggests that knowledge is derived from innovation, experience, experimentation and accumulation over time.   It grows with sharing and becomes a part of a community’s collective life as it is handed over from one generation to another. Knowledge is an outcome of interrogation and criticism. It is moving away from status quo that new ideas come to life. The urge for better and dissatisfaction with the existing lies at the root of innovation. Whether all knowledge resides in nature or does it dawn upon one from some mysterious place has been a point of contestation in human history. One school of thought believes that whatever is verifiable is knowledge. The tangibility of truth and its exposition on the basis of a cause- effect relationship has been regarded as a strong basis of acceptance of a new phenomenon as knowledge.  There are others who believe that all knowledge is derived from some invisible presence which inspires and controls all. Karl Marx in his letter to Arnold  Ruge written in 1843 expressed the need for ruthless criticism for any accomplishment in the present. He stated, “If the construction of the future and its completion for all time is not our task, all the more certain is what we must accomplish in the present; I mean, the ruthless criticism of everything that exists – the criticism being ruthless in the sense that it neither fears its own results nor fears conflict with the powers that be.” (https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/letters/43_09-alt.htm )

Epistemology, which is a theory of knowledge, can thus be understood in terms of the quest for the unknown and also interpretation of and retelling of the existing texts.

Indigenous Epistemology

It is very difficult to define Indigenous Epistemology. Native American scholar Helle says that there are about 560 tribes recognized by the US government in the United States. Each one has its own dialect and people in that tribe express themselves in that dialect. Therefore, she states that there are as many epistemologies as there are tribes. Similar views are expressed by other indigenous scholars as well. Dr. Manu Aluli Meyer talks of Epistemology as consisting of Knowledge, Knowing and Understanding. She says that the core of indigenous epistemology lies in Aloha, which means “Loving Intelligence”. She says that every now and then we have an Aha! moment where the purpose of life and the meanings in the universe seem to align. Manu Meyer hands us the seed, the kernel, the ‘aloha’ of that moment. We are all individuals, and yet, we are all one. We must separate the knowledge we learn in schools from the knowledge that we all share in our combined historic experiences. She maintains that true understanding of life is a liberating practice. It involves also a connection with a cosmic consciousness and a belief that true wealth is about giving, not accumulation.

Sunepsungla in an article “An Understanding of Tribal Epistemology” published in the Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research talks about the application of western theoretical models on tribal epistemology and suggests that this application is inappropriate since on its basis the traditional knowledge of the indigenous people is dubbed as “unscientific, backward and irrational.”  She opines that “we need not refer to western modernity in order to understand tribal thought and practice. From the perspective of modernity, tribal thought is bound to be unscientific, irrational and, therefore, not to be accepted as true source of knowledge. However, this view needs to be contested, which requires a thorough philosophical debate on the conceptual framework associated with tribal studies.” (107)

Orality: The Essence of Indigenous Epistemology

It is interesting to note that unlike scripted societies the indigenous communities across the world have nurtured a strong tradition of oral culture.  The knowledge which has been derived from experience and interaction with nature is preserved in the forms which are literary in nature. Truly speaking, the spoken word is the essence of indigenous epistemology. There are songs, tales, proverbs, sayings, short theatrical performances, anecdotes and narratives of experience sharing which are passed on from one generation to another. These tales told and retold, songs sung again and again with improvisations every time, and performances made time and again shape the view of the indigenous people about the world. Their oral tradition speaks of creation, a holistic conceptualization of the universe, man, nature and the relationship with cosmic consciousness. The special feature of indigenous epistemology is the fact that its origin lies in community experiences and not in individual experience as is the case with the scripted societies where authorship is treated as very significant and is one of the major parameters to judge the authenticity of knowledge. Indigenous knowledge systems rely primarily on collective wisdom shared by all members of the community.

Rootedness and Migration:  Two facets of Indigenous Epistemology

Rootedness is one of the strongest markers of indigenous identity. Those who have remained rooted to their land of origin are the true indigenous peoples who retain their identity and continue to practice the language and cultural traditions. Those who migrate come in contact with the outside world with different language and culture. This interface leads to a gradual code shift and assimilation which over some time transforms the conduct and behavior of those people. Migration leads to acquisition of knowledge from other knowledge systems while rootedness ensures discovery and acquisition of knowledge from indigenous resources spread around in the locale of their habitation. The retention of indigenous knowledge and acquisition of knowledge from other sources builds a pool of episteme which becomes the collective asset of the community over the years. How does it affect the identity of the indigenous community in question is an area of research. However, it remains a fact that the indigenous peoples of the world use literary forms to communicate their knowledge among themselves and to pass it on to their following generations.

Legends and Myths: Preservers of Indigenous Knowledge

Legends and Myths are important carriers of indigenous knowledge. Narratives related to folk deities and legendary heroes of the region are the carriers of a large consortium of knowledge. Instances of conservation of forests by the indigenous communities of Rajasthan, India reveal a strong association with the narratives based on local deities. In the rural and tribal regions of Rajasthan there are forests which are protected by declaring them as forests associated with some or the other deity. In western Rajasthan they are called Oran which may be related to the Sanskrit word Arany which means a forest. In some parts these Orans are named after some deities so that nobody dares fell trees from there. This tradition and association with a deity are conveyed to the people orally and are never written. Yet the acceptability of such restrictions is universal.

An oral tradition of customary rules of access, use and decision – making in these groves is highly dependent on the historical circumstances of their foundation and on the strength of the culture and collective beliefs to withstand attrition over the centuries. The names of the Orans provide a clue to the historical origins of the woodlands, for example “Kakad Bani” is an Oran consecrated to ” Kakad Devta”. Then if the woodland is within the boundaries of a single village it would be ‘Rakhat Bani’ and so would be the responsibility of that village alone. This concomitantly served as common village resource for the village livestock and a source of medicinal herbs which was protected by the villagers collectively. Sometimes several villagers shared such a woodlot and dedicated it to the deities whom they worshipped. Similarly ‘Dharadi’ symbolism attached to planting and protection of plants. Many gotras (clan names) have a tree as a totem. The people belonging to that particular gotra regard that tree as sacred.” (28)

In south Rajasthan there is a temple of Rishabh Dev, one of the Teerthankars in Jain religious tradition. This deity is worshipped by the tribal population of the surrounding areas as Kala Baba or Dhulev. There is a tradition of offering saffron on the idol therefore this temple is also called Kesariyaji. The tribal people of the villages around take saffron paste with them and add water to it. They sprinkle this water on the forest in the surrounding areas and say that the forests are protected by the deity so nobody should damage it. All the people swear and abide by this pledge. Thus the forests on hills around the village are conserved. The knowledge of conserving forest is not acquired by the tribal communities in this part of the country from any external system of knowledge but is drawn from the traditional community sources of indigenous epistemology.

Dhulji Bhai Meena, collected twenty five folk songs sung by the Bhils of Udaipur district in Rajasthan, India. There is a song in this collection about a tribal Dungariya Parmaath. He has a dream in which he sees that he has been invited to celebrate the festival of Holi in the village where his maternal uncle lives. That village has a majority of population of a clan which had inimical relation with Dungariya Parmaath’s clan. His family members try to warn him and ask him not to go to that village. He pays no heed to them. He takes an axe and goes to a nearby forest. He finds a Shisham tree and strikes it with the axe. A liquid like blood oozes out. He says that the omen is not good. Still he goes  to that village . He engages in the festivities of the festival. When the chief of the clan which is hostile to Dungariya Parmaath comes to know of it, he shoots an arrow and kills him. This song carries information about the knowledge of Good/ Bad omens popular in Bhil community of Rajasthan as well as many other practices related to social and cultural life of the Bhils. The relevant lines of the song are:

 

Having eaten his meals

Goes to forest the youth

Holding an axe in his hand.

He moves around in the forest

and finds out a tree of Shisham

To know his fate.

Lo and behold as he strikes

The tree with his axe

Blood oozes out-it’s a bad omen

Says he-but heeds not

And leaves for his maternal uncle’s village. (13)

Red Indian Poetry- Earth as an epitome of Virtues

The indigenous communities world over have their rich oral literature which is a reflection of their social, political and cultural ethos. It depicts their faith, their day to day chores and relationships. In Red Indian community the deep devotion to Nature and to Earth as an epitome of all powers of Nature is depicted in a prayer – A Ute Prayer, which is a poetic composition:

Earth, teach me quiet – as the grasses are still with new light.

Earth, teach me suffering – as old stones suffer with memory

Earth, teach me humility – as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth, teach me caring – as mothers nurture their young.

Earth, teach me courage – as the tree that stands alone.

Earth , teach me limitation –  as the ant that crawls on ground.

Earth, teach me freedom – as the eagle that soars in the sky.

(https://allpoetry.com/poem/7497169-Earth–Teach-Me…..Native-American-Quote-by-Chara)

This poem which is also a prayer of the Ute community draws all similes from the surroundings of the Ute community. Grass, old stones, tree, blossoms, ant and eagle   are all objects and organisms of Nature which become powerful metaphors of essential human values and virtues. The narrator aspires to learn the values of humility, courage, quiet, suffering and freedom   from the Earth which is an embodiment of these virtues. It is noteworthy that the concern for the planet earth is seen more in the literature and life style of the indigenous communities than in the so called civilized world.

 Native Australian Poetry: Essential Unity of Man

As we move to native Australian Poetry and try to explore the epistemological evidences we find that it contains , like indigenous poetry of other countries information, ideas, thoughts and narratives which talk of essential unity of man. ” All One Race” by Oodgeroo Nunuuccal from the book The Dawn Is At Hand  explicitly denounces all racial differences and reiterates the faith in essential unity of human kind. The poem does mention the vertical as well as horizontal strata of discrimination and shuns them as they are against humanity. The lines of the poem go as:

Black tribe , yellow tribe, red , white or brown

From where the sun jumps up to where it goes down

Herrs and Pukka sahibs, demoiselles and and squaws

All one family, so why make wars?

They are not interested in brumby runs

We don’t hanker after Midnight Suns

I’m for all humankind, not colour gibes

I’m international and never mind tribes. ( https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo/all-one-race-0719001)

This spirit of universal brotherhood and internal unity reminds one of the Marxist call of the unity of working class of the world.

Oral Sung Poetry of the Afar Pastoralists of Ethiopia

The Afar nomads of Ethiopia have developed a unique oral tradition which is called Gali Sare. In this tradition are songs that relate to the several areas of knowledge related to ecology, biodiversity, droughts and politics between different clans of the indigenous Ethiopian communities. Gali Sare  or the encomium of the camel constitute a body of oral songs which are sung for the betterment of the lives of the people. In these songs the objects and phenomena like woods, trees, rocks, hills , streams and creatures of nature are metaphorically used to represent the human world. The inanimate are depicted as animate and She – camel is addressed as “Mother”. These poets are generally the herdsmen who rear camel and the audience are also the men and women of their community who listen to this singing while they walk the camels to drink water or stand under the shade of a tree as the camels graze. Some of these songs reflect the concern of the camel – rearers about the encroachment of the grazing grounds by different actors:

In the summer,the floods

In the winter, the locusts,

In the uplands, the Christians

On the lowland the sorghum fields

In Awash, the Woyyane trees

Where should I take you my heart ( She-camel)?

(//http://www.researchgate.net/publication/279188500

 

Indigenous  Literature is Opposed to  Anthropocentrism and Ethnocentricity

Most of Indigenous poetry is opposed to the philosophy of anthropocentrism as well as ethnocentricity. The poetry of the ancient as well as modern authors have ample evidence of such thought.

The indigenous poetry shuns all kinds of domination on human as well as natural life. Earth is the source of all life and is an object of devotion. The animal and the human world are equally important to them. The direction here is not to “Subdue” but to honour the earth and all living beings. The saying of a Native American elder goes as, ” Honour the sacred/honour the Earth, our Mother/ honour the elders/ honour all with whom we/share the earth/Four- leggeds, two leggeds,/ winged ones/ swimmers, crawlers/plant and rock people/ walk in balance and beauty.” https://br.pinterest.com/pin/424886546070984295/ ). The indigenous knowledge system states unequivocally that Nature was not created for us to use or abuse. Nature created us, we are an inseparable part of her. We have a duty to live sustainably, to care for Nature and to halt and reverse the harm that humans have done to her

Knowledge of Contemporary questions

Indigenous Literature is not devoid of contemporary political and economic issues. Contemporary Red Indian Poetry, also known as American Indian Poetry, exhibits a protest against the colonial occupation of their lands by the Europeans and asserts their rootedness in their land. Heid Erdrich, a modern native American poet gives a fantastic response to Robert Frost’s poem “The Gift Outright” through her poem “The Theft Outright”. Erdrich (Ojibwe) uses Frost’s line and its sentiment and inverts the poem’s claim to land by invoking the transgressive history of land reclamation, removal and theft:

We were the land’s before we were.

Or the land was ours before you were a land,

Or this land was our land; it was not your land.

We were the land before we were people,

(https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89050/the-theft-outright)

The contemporary Red Indian Poetry voices the concern of the indigenous people specially their exclusion and marginalization. Despite the centuries of democratic rule the indigenous people are treated as the “other” by the dominant ruling class people of the United States of America. The capitalist development itself is detrimental to the life of indigenous people who have to suffer expulsion, denial of their rights and suppression as the state and the corporate collaborate to exploit natural resources for monetary gains. Lois Meyer and Benjamin Maldonado Alvarado have talked of this tendency in their book New World of Indigenous Resistance (2011). Based on three interviews with the renowned linguist and activist philosopher of the present century this book includes the perspectives of about eighteen indigenous scholars and leaders who were in virtual conversation with Dr. Noam Chomsky. They talk about indigenous resistance to globalization and cultural homogenization.

As we analyze the historical development of the world vis-a vis indigenous people it becomes evident that indigenous people’s ideology and life-style is in sharp contrast to the consumerist neo-liberal capitalist world. The global race for capturing more and more resources and destroying all has caused a threat to the very planet and the life of all living organisms on it. The literature and knowledge systems of the indigenous knowledge systems can still show a way to the world to ascertain peace and longevity of life on this earth.

Works cited

Balehegn, Mulubrahn.” Encomium of the camel: The Oral Sung Poetry of the  cAfar Pastoralists of Ethiopia”.//http.//www.researchgate.net/publication/279188500

Childe,V.Gordon.Society and Knowledge.Delhi: Aakar Books. 2018

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume 8: London.1965.

Meena, Phoolji Bhai.”Rei Ne Kevan Bole, Sora, Dungariya Parmaath”.Rajasthan Bhili Lokgeet.Vol.I: Udaipur.Rajasthan Vishwa Vidyapeeth.1954

Sunepsungla.” An Understanding of Tribal Epistemology”.Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research. New Delhi:Vol.XXIII No.1.Jan-March 2006

Singh,Aman. Orans:Indigenous Community Conserved Areas of Rajasthan: Alwar.Krishi Evam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan.2016

Web Sources

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/letters/43_09-alt.htm accessed on 8-2-2019 https://allpoetry.com/poem/7497169-Earth–Teach-Me…..Native-American-Quote-by-Chara accessed on 24-2-2019

https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo/all-one-race-0719001 accessed on 24-2-2019

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89050/the-theft-outright accessed on 24-2-2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review- Killing Gandhi,Living Gandhi

Book Review

A Fit Reply to “Hate Gandhi” Campaign

Dr. Manoj Kumar

Gandhi has lived for one hundred fifty years and  it is not just a joke that people ask “Have you seen a man living at the age of One hundred and fifty?” Gandhi is a one hundred fifty years old living man. Had it not been so people who spread the hate campaign against him would not have been required to “Kill” him again by shooting at his effigy on the day of his martyrdom? It is immensely ironical that those who call themselves “Hindu” and claim to be the flag bearers of Hindutva take pride in rejoicing on the day of Gandhi’s murder by Nathu Ram Godse, a worker of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh. They have built temples of Nathu Ram  Godse who killed Gandhi by shooting three bullets on his chest.  Gandhi breathed his last with the words “hey Ram!”

It is no use fighting with such thoughtless people in their language. A fit reply to them is to spread the message of love, non-violence, truth, well being of all and restraint which were the values Gandhi stood for. Killing Gandhi, Living Gandhi , a book edited by Prof. H.S.Chandalia and Dr.Mehzbeen  Sadriwala is a fit reply to the people who are engaged in spreading “Hate Gandhi” Campaign against Gandhi. In the introduction to the book the learned editors have rightly said, “Gandhi was killed by an insane fanatic in 1948 A.D. but those who believe in the philosophy responsible for the murder of Gandhi are so scared that they attempt to kill him again and again. This kind of fundamentalism is perpetrated by individuals and organizations who claim to be nationalist. But no amount of hatred can kill a man and his ideas who preached just love, peace and non- violence. The fit reply to those ‘killing’ Gandhi is ‘living’ Gandhi in all possible ways.”

The book has twenty nine chapters. These chapters explore and identify the impact of Gandhi on Indian Literature in English, Hindi Cinema and also in the socio-political life of the country. There are chapters in which the authors have talked about the presence of Gandhi as a character in the novels like R.K.Narayan’s Waiting for Mahatma, Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable and Raja Rao’s Kanthapura. Gandhi had influenced in Indian Cinema also. There are many films in which Gandhian characters have played lead roles. There are songs that include the name and message of Gandhi. More than two chapters examine the presence of Gandhi, his philosophy and thoughts in the world of Hindi cinema. Besides , there is a chapter on the analysis of a Film Manthan which is based on the Cooperative Dairy Movement in Gujarat . It was a cooperative movement of milk producers who not only led the country through White Revolution but also presented a mode of development based on people’s participation. There is an article based on Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’s play Barrister at Law, which is about Gandhi’s experiences in South Africa.

Most important thing in the book is a foreword by the noted author and social activist Padma Shree Dr.Syeda Hameed. She has been a member of the Planning Commission of India for fifteen years before that apex policy making body of the country was replaced by Neeti Aayog. She has commended the book as an important contribution to Literature on Gandhi. The title of the book, its cover and the content is attractive. The book has been published by Yking Books, Jaipur.

Demonetization has not Succeeded in any Part of the World

 

 

Eighteen days after the announcement of the demonetization of Rs. 1000 and Rs. 500 currency notes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the initial fanatic enthusiasm and tide of nationalism is gradually dying out. The government has been compelled to mobilize the entire party machinery to launch a huge nationwide propaganda campaign including huge advertisement in print and electronic media to justify this step as an attack on the alleged black money. Those who called it a financial and political emergency, are now swearing that the effects of this step has been more pervasive and suffering caused is more massive than the politic suppression of the emergency declared by Ms. Indira Gandhi. This has unsettled the lives of almost every section of the society – rural – urban, male – female, young old, shopkeepers – public servants, labour- contractors, students – teachers, wage earners – professionals. The worst hit are daily wage earners who have lost their employment. The season of marriages caused bitter suffering in families which had to meet the expenses for marriage ceremonies. Nearly seventy five deaths have been recorded in the media caused by this phenomenon.

Many people have the view that the step is right but the implementation is wrong. It is said that government did not do proper home work before taking this step. It is also said that black money will be curtailed through this action. The PM and other ministers have attacked the opponents of the step of demonetization by saying that they are not nationalists and that they too are involved in black money. If a rational study is made about the history of demonetization in the world we will find that this step has never succeeded in any part of the world. Demonetization was done in 1982 in Ghana, in 1984 in Nigeria, 1987 in Myanmar, in 1991 in USSR , in 2010 in North Korea and in India in 1946 and 1978. In all these attempts the desired objective of abolishing black money was not achieved. In India currency notes of Rs. 1000 and Rs. 10000 were demonetized in 1946 and currency notes of Rs. 500, Rs. 1000 and Rs. 10000 were demonetized. Despite these the black money has increased. The editorial of Economic Times of 14th Nov. 2016 states that the black money constitutes 20 % to nearly 60 % of India’s economy. The experts give different data but one thing is certain that it is a sizeable portion of country’s economy. But it is beyond dispute that the step of demonetization will not be able to control more than 2% of this black money.

The argument that demonetization will be able to destroy the fake money in the economy. But the experts say that fake currency in Indian economy is not very widespread. Experts estimate it at about Rs. 400 crores. But demonetizing currency worth Rs. 14 Lakh crores for controlling this much money is not very commendable when the cost of new currency notes is going to be nearly Rs. 12000 crores.   The security features of new currency notes are in no way much different from existing currency, as stated by the RBI officials. The result is that within a fortnight of demonetization fake currency notes have come into circulation. Even terrorists who have been shot have been found possessing new currency notes.  It is shocking that the ruling party speaks of terrorists and Naxalites in the same breath. The fact is that the two cannot be compared.

The passionate appeal of the PM to give him fifty days has proved to be hollow since there is no improvement in the situation in twenty days. More problems will come on 1st December when salary distribution will take place and suddenly demand for new currency will rise. Today, banks are cashless. Many banks have imposed limits on withdrawal from personal saving banks accounts although there is no such announcement from the side of the government. The 86% currency which has been withdrawn cannot be replaced within the declared fifty days. Saumitra Choudhury, former member of the Planning Commission has stated that the capacity of minting institutions is sufficient to replenish the chests in the given time. The currency notes demonetized are 1571 crores of Rs. 500 and 633 crores of Rs. 1000. The capacity of Bhartiya Note Mudran Private Ltd. which prints Rs. 1000 notes is 133 crore pieces per month. In the place of 633 crore Rs. 1000 notes, 318 crore pieces of Rs. 2000 are to be printed. This will require at least two months. Similarly, Security Printing and Minting Corporation India which prints Rs. 500 currency notes has the capacity of printing 100 crore pieces  per month. To replenish 1571 crore arithmetically it will require fifteen months.  In this situation the excessive stress on the use of plastic money and private players like Paytm is easily understood.

However, the doubts about the ruling party’s intentions have already been aired by opposition parties. The purchase of lands by the BJP for its Party offices a few months before the announcement is being seen as fishy. The long term effect of this decision is yet to be seen but in the immediate scene the working class is the most hard hit community.

 

 

 

 

 

Remembering a Revolutionary: Fidel Castro

 

Fidel Castro, led Cuba, a small island country with a population of eleven million to revolution through guerilla war, threw over the American supported dictator Fulgencio Batista government and remained the President and Commander – in Chief of Cuba for nearly forty nine years. He survived six hundred and thirty eight attempts on his life by the American secret service CIA and passed away peacefully on 26th Nov. 2016 at the age of ninety. His brother Roul Castro, the present President of Cuba had been given the responsibility in 2008 when Fidel voluntarily withdrew from political life due to health reasons.

A close friend of India Cuba remained a strong support of India on all international forums. Fidel Castro had a very close relation with Pdt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and called Smt. Indira Gandhi his sister. During the civil war in Angola, the Non-aligned Movement had taken a stand to support the freedom movement in Angola. Cuba helped that movement through military intervention by sending its army. This intervention had its impact in Nigeria and South Africa where the freedom movements got a boost because of this. Fidel Castro emerged as a champion of the people’s struggles all over the world. Nelson Mandela himself went to meet him when he got released from the prison after the independence of South Africa.

Born on August 13, 1926 in a family of Spanish migrants in Biran, Eastern Cuba, Fidel studied in several schools before he joined the University in Havana and got a doctorate in Law. Even during his university days he had started taking part in political activities and had participated in an attack in the leadership of Juan Rodrigdge on Dominican Republic to overthrow the American supported government. The attack was not successful. He later joined the Party of the Cuban People. He was planning to enter national politics but the dictator Fulgencio Batista cancelled elections. Fidel attacked Moncada Military station with just 150 people  in an attempt to overthrow the Batista regime. But he could not succeed and was arrested. In jail he meditated ways to remove the dictatorial regime and form a people’s government in Cuba.

In 1955 after his release from prison he with his brother Roul, went to Mexico where they met  Argentinian doctor and revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara. Che was a Marxist revolutionary and after observing massive poverty in South America during his motorcycle tour and also after observing the Left government in Guatemala, he had decided to bring about a revolution in the world overthrowing the American Imperialism. Fidel also wanted the puppet of America Batista regime in Cuba. They became friends and Che Guevara taught the techniques of guerrilla warfare to Fidel. With just eighty one comrades on a boat Granma they set off for Cuba and with the support of the masses overturned the regime in Cuba. The dictator Fulgencio Batista Fled the country and Fidel Castro took the command. In 1961 American forces with some of the dissident Cubans attacked in Bay of Pigs. In this battle Fidel himself led the Cuban forces riding a tank and giving command.

The battle was won by Cuba. Fidel Castro adhered to the principles of Marxism-Leninism and led a communist government right in front of USA for nearly half a century. He faced severe embargo by the American governments. Eleven American Presidents right from Eisenhover to George Bush tried to remove him through all means including attempts to murder him, but failed. The last President Barak Obama was slightly positive who tried to normalize the relations between the two countries and also visited Cuba recently.

In his leadership Cuba developed its agriculture so much so that the country came to be known as the “Sugar Bowl” of the world. Several new discoveries in health and genetics were made in Cuba. Ernesto Che Guevara was the Minister of Agriculture before he went away to Bolivia for carrying forward the work of socialist revolution. Fidel Castro was a hero of the people and remained so till his last breath. After his demise the whole world paid rich tributes to him. He remains a source of inspiration to the people’s struggles all over the world. Red Salute to this great revolutionary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are the Vice Chancellors Political Stooges?

The decision of the governor of Rajasthan about the process of selection of Vice Chancellors in state universities is laudable. In his notification he has devised a process which apparently sounds impartial. An all India advertisement, applications, scrutiny and then final appointment is definitely an improvement over the process adopted now. If this were in force many of the present Vice Chancellors would not be even fit to apply for the post of Vice Chancellor. The UGC in its notification published in the Gazette of India has laid down the eligibility conditions of a Vice Chancellor. It reads as:

” Persons of highest level of competence, integrity, morals and institutional commitment are to be appointed as Vice Chancellors. The ice Chancellor to be appointed should be a distinguished academician with a minimum of ten years of experience as Professor in a University system, or ten years of experience in an equivalent position in a reputed research and/or academic , administrative organization.” ( The Gazette of India , 18 Sep. 2010.)

This condition is observed more in violation across the country. In Deemed to be University institutions the UGC Regulations 2009 and 2010 exist suggesting the publishing of an advertisement at national level and then selection by the Chancellor through a selection cum search committee. But practically this is not being observed and people who are politically connected and are close to the management get appointed as Vice Chancellor.

There are instances of the appointment of Vice Chancellors in violation of these rules in state universities also. Mr. J.P. Singhal, Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan University is not even a Ph.D., He was never a professor. The honourable High Court of Rajasthan has recently issued notices to the state government ,UGC and the members of the search committee asking them to explain why an ineligible person was appointed as Vice Chancellor. In another interesting case the then Chancellor of Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth has written to MHRD that the Vice Chancellor Dr.S.S.Sarangdevot did not have the eligibility when he had appointed him the Vice Chancellor. A case against Dr. Sarangdevot’s appointment is also being tried in the honourable High Court of Rajasthan.The case of Private Universities is equally worse. Dr. B.P. Sharma, VC of Pacific University was never a Professor. Every one knows that the posts of Vice Chancellors and Chairman of Boards, Sahitya Academy and UITs hae become political positions distributed to party loyalists.The recent controversy about the distortion of text books is essentially a political move dictated by the party in power.

What are the intentions of Rajbhavan? Is this notification a political gimmick only? Or is he serious about depoliticizing higher education? The names published in media about the prospective Vice Chancellor of M.L. Sukhadia University indicate that political considerations have played a role and likely to play a larger role in forthcoming days.

I would suggest that all Private Universities and Deemed Universities should be brought in the ambit of this regulation. The members of search committee should be appointed by UGC or some other independent body, they should be interviewed and the profile should be available for public scrutiny and the ten years experience as a Professor for eligibility of candidature needs to be ascertained. I would go a step further that all private and deemed universities must be governed by Rajasthan Non Government Educational Institutions Act 1989 Rules 1993 and the teachers working in these institutions must be paid UGC pay scales. The Vice Chancellors should be made personally accountable if the wages are not paid as per UGC Rules.

The governor needs to be congratulated for bringing this debate in public domain and all efforts should be made to ensure that Vice Chancellors do not become political stooges. All thr Private Universities should have RAS and RAcS officers as Registrar and Comptroller respectively. The Government must pay the salaries of the teachers in all types of Universities and perform regulatory function. The government should see the academic frauds these Private Universities have become and ask for the examination of the fee and assets of the Universities. There should be a fee deciding tribunal for Private Universities also.