32 thoughts on “A mandate to govern or the right to rule ?”

1. A member of Parliament takes a oath for protecting the constitution…and then proceeds to rob off the country….that is constitutional???

2. After reading your views, I was really looking to differentiate between Rule & Governance…..and found this http://www.bukisa.com/articles/364358_rule-vs-governance – so true that RULE IS CONTROL and GOVERNANCE IS FREEDOM….I mean Im not part of monarchy that someone will feel that it’s his/her birthright to control me or rule me….I was born free, I will live free and I will die free…..These guys r not my masters, but they r my servants. And if they dont like the tag of servant, they are free to quit active politics and stop enjoying the comforts at my expense.

   I also want to disparage those elements in the media who are hell bent on converting this country into a monarchial democracy- it’s much worse than what Mobaraks /Gaddafi and Al-Asad did to their respective countries; at least they did that honestly unlike our supposed masters – whose claim to rule (yes not govern) stems from the genes and successful accident of chromosomes inside a womb that happened to be that of an assumed/supposed Gandhi. If having Gandhi surname entitles you to rule (not govern) India, then I believe eternal right to rule ths country lies better with Gopal Krishna Gandhi or Rajmohan Gandhi or Tushar Gandhi….afterall they are the real holders of that surname?

   Please sir do publish it as there is nothing derogatory that i have said abt anyone…

3. Excellent piece indeed. Why don’t people as well as our so very intelligent MP’s / MLA”s i.e people’s representative remember this & act accordingly. India would have been a much better place.

   Time we all strived to make them aware of this simple fact privately as well as publicly. Also try to convey this great message thru the author’s own media …Cinema.

4. Agreed … but under whatever circumstances, we need to realize that the protests are fine, but blackmailing is not. Anna and team have enough support that they can protest without blackmailing and sounding autocratic.

5. Protest till I die to stop criminals entering parliament. YES
   Protest to ensure no one votes till we have transparent funding for elections. YES
   Protest till govt clears list of thousands of officers pending CBI investigation. YES
   Fast unto death till PMs is included in Lok pal bill. NO.

6. From past 8 days or so I’ve been following your tweets & your blog. Unlike the so called intelligentsia (read Arundhati Roy, Nandan Nilekani, Sudhir Mishra & so on) you’ve a refreshing insight on the movement which is rational & in sync with the time. You are sharp & witty. Loved your one liners on twitter… I’ve posted many of them at my Facebook status (of course, with due credit to you).

   Sir, Hats Off to you…

7. More people should come forward with brief views and articles armed with facts like Shekhar Kapoor has done here. The irony is that people in power have links with media and police and they will still get away with blatant lies.
   Burkha Datt of NDTV was trying hard for the last few days to give some communal angle to this whole Janlokpal movement when non exists. These are delicately balanced sentiments and any mischief would result mindless loss of life and property- if it was not for Anna heading the Andolan things would have gone astray. Some form of divide and rule policy would have taken shape and the attention and momentum diverted away to some non existent issue.
   Thank god for that.

8. I think Right to freedom and right to protest are fundamental to the constitution.
   The Constitution is the highest law of every land (well Democratic that is)
   The problem with India is too many corrupt,uneducated politicans who really do not have th best interest of the people at heart. They are only concerned with filling up thier bank accounts and grabbing land and free stuff. People need to educate themselves, about the constitution and its amendments.
   Sure there is corruption in the US too, but not to the extent it is in India/pakistan and other African countries.

9. The Politics of Water and Corruption
   India. What can I say about a country whose politics both pains me and surprises me? What can I say about a country whose corruption baffles and disgusts me? What can I say about the country I was born in, that still amazes me and yet astonishes me? Politics in India is a dirty word, just as it is here in America, but in India it is slimier and murkier. Corruption in India seeps into every corner of your life, something you learn to deal with a blasé attitude and shoulder shrugging acceptance. Whether it is to procure a water line, or get admissions into a prestigious school or just build an extension to your house. You had to cough up money. We paid and what a price we paid. The biggest disappointment for me is not the bad infrastructure or the population overload, but corruption. I just read that the people in the town of Bijapur in the southern state of Karnataka get water supply once in 15 days! People who do get water supply regularly are either rich or they are politicians. The economic Capital of India, the metropolis Mumbai has a water crisis so huge that unless the government takes drastic measures right now, a civil war of sorts will break out. Millions living in slums have no access to clean drinking water and they pay more for water than for food. Yes, for water. A city with record high rainfalls every year and surrounded by lakes albeit polluted should not have to be in the state it is in. A country, where the water Gods smile, pouring down rain every monsoon season. In the villages the wise farmers await the monsoon for the simple reason, rain equals a good crop. In the cities where people have no drinking water, people squirm during the monsoon season. Urban sprawl and poor stromwater management has made rain a pain, leading to flooding, damage of properties and spreading of water borne illnesses. An average American uses 125-200 gallons per day of clean drinking water. An average Indian would be lucky to get a gallon a day. Water planning for future needs for cities in the US use that much based on population projection and other factors.
   Millions of Indians have no access to safe drinking water today.
   The story that got me a few years ago as an Environmental Engineer myself was that of a fellow Civil Engineer, from the prestigious Indian institute of technology. Graduates from the Institute mostly end up working in the US of A or abroad. Sathyendra Dubey, decided to stay in India and was working tirelessly on the Golden quadrilateral project, an ambitious project to link all four major metropolitan cities in India with a national highway. Anyone who has lived in India or been to India will vouch, that the roads are bad and built with much sluggishness. The contractor, who wins the contract bid, is always someone who has bribed a politician with thousands of dollars. The contractor then makes money on the job by prolonging the construction, (even though labor is relatively cheap in India), using sub grade materials, and well, cutting corners. Sathyendra had complained about the corruption in the project several times and had even made a contractor redo an entire length of road that was done below standard and design specifications. Of course he made enemies. Satheyendra Dubey was a brilliant engineer and an ethical person no doubt. What particularly bothers me is the fact that he had complained about the corruption in the project to the then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in an unsigned letter for fear of retribution from the higher ups, who had their fingers in the multibillion dollar project. Yet his letter was forwarded to his seniors and he was reprimanded. A few days later, he was found shot dead in a road side in his home state of Bihar, where he was attending a wedding. The model Rules of an engineer states the Engineers first and foremost responsibility is to the public welfare. Sathyendra paid with his life, following this rule. An India that is touting its advances in the IT field and yet that technology is not used to provide clean drinking water to millions of people, who have no access to it. That technology is not used to provide good infrastructure, save the environment or save the dwindling wildlife from the Asian Lion, the Himalayan Wolf, to the Bengal tiger, which are on the road to extinction in our lifetime. An India that proudly screams how darned incredible it is, on the sides of Metro trains in Sydney, Australia. An India where the laptop and IPod carrying modern yuppie Swerves on really bad roads in the latest BMW’s. An India where a woman can put on her diamond jewelry and grab her $4,000 Hermes Kelly bag, but think nothing of the fact that there is no drinking water available in their kitchens all day. An India that boost of having the most cell phones on the planet and thinks building glitzy malls means you have arrived. Yet outside those malls, there are thousands of children who have no food and clothes or a safe life. Something to be said about this kind of apathy, is it a sensory overload or is it that your mind blocks things after a certain time for self preservation? There are people who are trying to make a change but how many are genuine? Shashi Tharoor the imminent career UN diplomat and a onetime contender for UN secretary general resigned as the Indian foreign affairs minister in less than one year after being appointed on charges of corruption. Shashi Tharoor, made India proud, the author of several books, who decided to return back to India after more than three decades in the United Nations and dabble in politics. Was Shashi Tharoor genuine? I don’t know for certain, but I had hope in him. I had hope that I could go back and work on the water crisis under a new uncorrupt political power. I had hope that we could solve the crisis. I had hoped that I would not be attacked by religious extremists because I came from a multi religious background one that believed there is but one God. I had hope that we could provide clean drinking water to every child in India. I had hope that no child would die of hunger not there not anywhere. Gandhi once said “Be the change you want to see”. The change I wanted to see would have had me shot dead on the side of a road, like Sathyendra Dubey, who saved my life on many levels.
   Where does that leave hope? Can we solve the water crisis in the world? As an engineer and planner my answer would be –Absolutely. As a person who has seen the level of corruption in India, I would give a nervous laugh-perhaps, maybe.
   India is a country, bursting at the seams. India is trying to balance itself precariously atop a rolling cannon ball on a battle field while trying to avoid the crossfire of bullets. Somehow amidst this crossfire of corruption and power, and a landmine of violence, the real casualties of the battle are the thirsty children on the street and the last Bengal tiger.

10. We needed a person/PM of this dare now: PM Manmohan Singh to meet Anna Hazare? http://www.bigtamasha.com/2011/08/pm-manmohan-singh-to-meet-anna-hazare.html?spref=tw

11. people are supporting for anti corruption more that jan lok pal bill. If we gerao parliament then we forced parliment to pass the law are we hitting the very fundamental pillar of democracy… for each and every issue people will turn to satyagraha and will take law according to their whims.

    Yes we the people are worst affected of corruption and its time to uproot this menace but is this the only way we have… remember after this there are so many bills that parliment has not yet passed…

12. Well said, Shekhar. And thanks

13. Can Civil Soceity draft a Bill?
    While a debate is raging over whether members of civil society have the right to draft a bill for being enacted by the Parliament, or whether the same ‘happens to be’ the exclusive right of either the government or the MPs (Members of the Parliament), it important for the result of this debate to be the outcome of an informed analysis, and not one born out of misinformed rhetoric. In order to be fully informed, it is pertinent to note that even the Constitution of India was not only drafted, but can be even said to be “Enacted” by ‘unelected members of civil society’. If this statement surprises one, as it ought to, then it is not only a cause of ignorance, which may be excused, but more importantly of misinformation spread by those in power for over 6 decades.
    It might surprise several youngsters to know that prior to independence, elections were of course being held in India, under the “Government of India Act, 1935”. However, these elections were conducted under the influence of the British Monarchy. Under this act, only about 15% of the entire adult population was having a right to vote. Elections were probably never held in most of the princely states. Before India attained independence on 15th August 1947, a “Constituent Assembly” was formed and it was charged with drafting and enacting a Constitution for India, until which the governance was to be continued under British law. Initially, over 370 members were present in the Constituent Assembly, of which a sizable number were ‘nominated’ from the princely states, either by the Princes, or by British Residents. Owing to partition, several members of the Constituent Assembly shifted to Pakistan, reducing the strength of the Assembly to under 300 members. Under these circumstances, several persons having eminence in various fields were ‘nominated’ to the Constituent Assembly, which included even Dr. Ambedkar, revered as the father of the Constitution of India. The other members of the Constituent Assembly were ‘indirectly elected’ by the Provincial Legislatures.
    Could this Assembly really represent the masses of India, given that only 15% of adults could vote for the elections to the Provincial Legislatures? Can the members be said to represent the common man of 1947, when they were not directly elected by the common man? Could a nominated member from a Princely State be free of the influence exerted by British Monarchy. The words and opinions of Mahatma Gandhi as well as those of Jawarharlal Nehru clearly indicate that even they were not satisfied with such a Constituent Assembly, which was not elected directly by the people on the basis on ‘Adult Suffrage’ (Adult Franchise). They had agreed to the formation of the Constituent Assembly as a ‘compromise’. The words of Mahatma Gandhi, “The proposed Constituent Assembly is not a free Assembly. There are many defects in the scheme, but since we have been fighting for the last so many years, why should we be afraid of defects?” and of Jawaharlal Nehru, “If I am asked to give my own point of view, I would say it (the Assembly) is not obviously something which we have desired and worked for. There are many difficulties and snags, and the scales are weighted against us. On the other hand, it is obvious also that it is not so bad….When India is free, India will do just what she likes….I do think that sometime or other in the future, we may have to summon our own proper revolutionary Constituent Assembly. That does not mean we should not take advantage of this and work it out to our own advantage.” clearly indicate that even the formation of the Constituent Assembly was reluctantly accepted as a compromise by our national leaders who had fought for our independence.
    IN the background of the above information, can we not gather that even the Constitution of our country was drafted by members of civil society and even enacted by them? If so, then what are the demerits in allowing the members of civil society to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill and put it before the Parliament for consideration? Wouldn’t the passage ultimately rest in Parliament’s hands? Does not the reluctance of the Government betray an endeavour, aimed at suppressing our rights, caused by an apprehension of skeletons tumbling out of various cupboards?

    Do the Members of the Lok Sabha really, fairly or truly represent the masses?
    Having established that drafting of a bill by civil society is not something to be frowned upon, we come to the possibility that the same will surely be rejected by the Lok Sabha (and maybe the Rajya Sabha too), for the simple reason that several of the MPs will be adversely affected by the passage of such a bill. Can we infer that such MPs do not reflect or express the sentiment of the masses?
    It is observed that on an average, the voting percentage in elections is about 60%. The winning candidate obtains around 40% of the polled votes. Does this not mean, that the winning candidate is favoured by only 24% of the total voters? Even if only the polled votes are considered, can the winning candidate be said to be favoured by a ‘majority’ of voters, when only 40% have voted for him? Does 40% or 24% constitute a majority? How can such members, elected by a flawed system, claim to represent the masses? Is there a remedy for this flaw?
    A remedy, which is implemented in several countries is the “Preferential Voting System”. In such a system, instead of marking a cross (x) before the choosen candidate, the voter has to numerically express the priority of his choice. The voter is needed to put the digit ‘1’ against that candidate who is most favoured by him. He has to mark the digit ‘2’ before the candidate of 2nd preference and so forth. In some countries, instead of marking the preference by digits, columns of 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th preference are provided after the list of the candidates’ names. The voter then marks a cross in the 1st column against the candidate most favoured by him. He also marks a cross against the 2nd preferred candidate in the 2nd column and so forth. The basic underlying principle of the preferential ballot is that no candidate emerges as a winner until he secures a true majority, which is equal to 50% polled votes, plus an extra vote. Thus, if 1,00,000 votes have been polled, a candidate emerges as a winner if, and only if, he obtains 50,001 votes.
    When there are more than 2 candidates, it is possible that no one gets 50,001 votes, or a ‘true majority’. In such cases, the votes of the candidate getting the least number of 1st preference votes are re-distributed to other candidates by referring to the 2nd preference markings in the votes polled by him. This is known as the 2nd round of counting. If even this fails to pronounce any candidate as a winner with a ‘true majority’, then once again, the candidate with the least votes in the 2nd round is removed from consideration and the votes polled by him are again re-distributed amongst the remaining candidates by referring to the 2nd preference votes in the ballot obtained by him. These rounds continue until a candidate emerges with a ‘true majority’. It is beyond me to give graphical representation of this system herein, but one is encouraged to obtain more information from various web-sites, (official and well as educational) for clarity. The beauty of this system, is that a candidate emerges as a winner on the basis of him being the ‘most favoured’ (or, as some may put it, ‘the least disliked’), by the voters.
    The advantages of the above system are obvious. Rigging an election becomes difficult, though it may not be eliminated. “Tactical Voting” tending to favour persons on the basis of race and caste can be avoided. There are certain disadvantages too. Most notably, the ballot papers may be cumbersome and may not be fully understood by voters. This disadvantage, however is only a short-lived and temporary one. When this system is implemented, awareness is bound to increase amongst the masses and the disadvantage may turn into an advantage. Implementation of such a system will surely lead to long-term benefits to the common man.
    The other drawback of our system, that of low voting percentages, may be remedied by making voting compulsory. However, that itself may not be sufficient as people may still indulge in invalid votes. The true reason for lack of participation in voting is not a laziness on the part of the voters, but something entirely different. Several persons abstain from voting because they have a conscience. They find it difficult to answer their own conscience, when they observe that the person whom they voted for, has turned out to be a callous opportunist. Therefore the above malady cannot be remedied by making voting compulsory. It can surely be remedied if a ‘right to recall’ is included in the exercise. Though there are several ways to implement this, one of the easiest and fairest ways would be to have an “Annual Appraisal Vote”. Once a candidate emerges as a winner, such an appraisal vote is held annually. If the MP holding office wins the appraisal vote, then nothing happens. However, if he loses “two consecutive appraisals” then he loses office and fresh elections are held. In essence, even if an MP loses an appraisal vote once, he still gets a breather for another year, during which he can tidy up his act. If he does not, and is rejected even in the next appraisal vote, then he leaves for good and fresh elections are held. A clause may included for debarring such a person from contesting consequent mid-term elections.
    The advantage of this mechanism, is that the MP will have to be accountable to his constituency. We won’t have to be at the mercy of an MP for 5 years. The obvious disadvantage is that mid-term election may have to be held, if someone loses 2 consecutive appraisals. Expenses incurred on such mid-term elections should not be a deterrent for implementing this system, as even otherwise, we have had to face several mid-term elections. Even such expenses are intra-country; the money does not flow out of the country owing to an election. That should not be a deterrent for this system. However, this system may lead to instability for the PM too, if several of his supporting MPs lose thier office owing to loss in consecutive appraisals. I leave it to the reader to decide whether this is really an instability. Is this really a disadvantage to “We, the People” or not? Can it be termed as a disadvantage when not only the MP, but even the PM is forced to be accountable to “We, the People”, by such a system?

    What happens to the voice of sanity?
    Have we given any thought to the subtle difference between ‘popular’ and ‘good’? Can something, an object, a thought or an idea, or for that matter, even a process be accepted as good, merely because it is popular? Can we make an inference by referring to some ordinary example?
    We all know about the preference of the youngsters in modern society. Given a choice, they will root for the extravagant pizza, instead of the humble dal-roti. Even we, in our younger days, would have plumped for chhole-tikki or pav-bhaji, instead of some nutritious home-made stuff. Yet, can we state that these foodstuffs are good on a long-term basis? Does not this comparison prove that what is popular, need not be good; and what is good, may not be popular?
    A number of parallel examples can be cited to prove the previous inference. It has been held as accepted by even the founding fathers of our nation, as proven by the presence of two houses within the Parliament. What is referred to as Upper and Lower House, in western countries, is referred to as Rajya and Lok Sabha respectively in our system. However, what was intended by the founding fathers was much different from what is happening today. The Lok Sabha was intended to reflect the ‘popular sentiment’, while the Rajya Sabha was expected to give ‘wise counsel’. The Lok Sabha was to be periodically elected and also periodically purged by direct elections, conducted according to adult franchise. It is not a permanent body. However, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body, yet, with its members having a finite duration of membership. By creating two houses within parliament, the founding fathers of our nation wanted to balance popular mandate with wise counsel. However, what we observe today is that the Rajya Sabha serves to merely accomodate the dropouts of the Lok Sabha elections. Today, it is possible for a ruffian or even a hoodlum to get elected into the Lok Sabha (of course it might change if electoral reforms as suggested in preceding paragraphs are implemented). In due course of time, it will be possible for these ruffians and hoodlums to be absorbed into the Rajya Sabha, if they fail to get elected into the Lok Sabha. Can the Rajya Sabha function as a house representing wise counsel. Won’t there be a danger of the enactment of intrinsically unjust laws, owing to popular mandate, given that the average person who votes for the Lok Sabha is generally not one, who votes with an informed and conscious intellect. Is it not observed that mob-mentality serves to only stifle the voice of sanity? How can the degradation of the Rajya Sabha, into a cess-pool of rejected Lok Sabha aspirants, be averted?
    To begin with, all members who wish to be elected into the Rajya Sabha should be elected from various professions. As an example, the community of doctors may elect, say, 5 persons from themselves to represent them in the Rajya Sabha. The same can be done with other professions, including but not restricted to, Lawyers, Tax Professionals, Artists, Dramatists, Playwrights, Businessmen (yes, they too are citizens), Teachers, Engineers, other Graduates, and so many other professions. The number of persons to be elected from each profession would have to be decided and periodically reviewed. However, what is most important is that election to the Rajya Sabha should be also on preferential ballot (as is already the case, even today) and that “none of the members of the houses elected on popular mandate should be allowed to corrupt such elections by any right to vote”. In essence, all state assemblies and even members of the Lok Sabha (whatever their professions may be) should not be allowed to exercise any voting for electing members into the Rajya Sabha. Readers may realise that even today, representation of Graduates and Teachers constituencies is corrupted by tactical voting, indulged in, by the members of several state legislatures. If such a system is put into place, then the Rajya Sabha will reflect the true opinion of the experts who constitute the same; experts who are chosen from the various professionals from amongst themselves. In such a scenario, even if the members of Lok Sabha attempt to foist some unjust law owing to popular mandate, then the same will be either tempered or modified by the wise counsel of the Rajya Sabha, before any enactment into law.
    Lastly, but most importantly, it needs to be remembered, that in a democracy, the government is not the ruler of the people. The people are rulers of themselves. The elected members are merely the representatives of the people. The members of the executive are merely the servants of the people, recruited to carry out the instructions passed on to them through the elected members. The judiciary, also a part of the government, serves to settle disputes between members of the public, the executive and the legislature. As the government consists of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, it is only the 4th estate, which has the duty to express the concerns of the public, if and when the 3 arms of government pay no heed, as is happening today.
    — Neelesh Viswanathan
    nicefiddler@gmail.com

14. Quite interesting to see how they have begun subverting the movement– created rifts, given space and attention to factions that seem to have come up.
    Master Machiavellists. They have too much at stake to let the movement be.

15. … Shekhar you write really well … I have been reading your blogs once in a while … language is good … ideas are intelligent … you may be / you may not be; but, your writings show … you are a down to earth kinda man !
    … we need good people to jump into politics … I know you can make a distinct place for yourself … you have the talent … you have a face that would stand high among the crowds … चढ़ा नहीं रहा हूँ … try, gate-crash … God is with you !

16. Very well said Shekhar. I agree with you 200%.

    I would love to hear from arjun on what other way we have to get a STRONG Lokpal bill passed in parliament (need not be Jan Lokpal) while these CORRUPT politician are ruling (not governing) the country.

    I really hate it when so called intellectual people put an argument against such a noble movement calling it non democratic or non constitutional. These so called intellectual people don’t do anything themselves & when someone takes up the fight against injustice they come up with such baseless arguments. I really feel pity for such people. I think we are so used to being ruled by these dictator politicians that we have forgotten the meaning of democracy.

    Democracy means A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them. Today’s politicians not at all represent the people who elected them hence that itself is a death of democracy. In India democracy has died long back & that’s why there is a need for the movement like Anna’s IAC movement. In a true democracy you will never need people like Anna to fight against govt. for peoples basic rights.

    Coming to the point of if we allow this today tomorrow someone else will come with their demands & will start satyagraha. If tomorrow someone else comes with his demands & if his demands are as genuine & has as much public support (majority) as Anna’s then yes parliament has to agree to the peoples demand. That’s the true democracy. The basic reason that someone like Anna has to fight for people means democracy system is not working.

    Regarding means of the fight some people are saying it’s blackmailing govt. First of all fighting for your rights is not blackmailing. It’s your money that these corrupt politicians are putting in their swiss bank account. If you are still not convinced by means of fight remember in Mahabharata Lord Krishna himself advised Arjuna to kill armor less Karna which was against the rules of War.

    Would you still call Team Anna’s IAC movement non democratic? If so I would really question common sense of such intellectual individuals.

17. For the records on this historical Anna Hazare-led IAC victory: (A copy of my tweet):

    Found @shekharkapur as passionate about #Anna movement as about his off-beat films. Found him one man Ramlila lol. Congratulations to him!

    Seconding his nahra: #Proud2bIndian

18. Hi Shekhar ,

    Can you create a Blog about this ? : There has been a lot of new information regd , the Genetic antecedants of India. I see a lot of material for the divide – and -rule policies of the the ‘ Kale Angrej’ as Anna Hazare refers to Traitor Politicians , come from this. I wonder why this is not mainstream yet !

    ————

    Recently-developed software have proved the dates of important events as mentioned in our ancient scriptures to be true. Researches have also brushed aside the prevalent Aryan invasion theory.

    Perhaps it’s time our history books got a revision. Indian scientists have now gathered enough evidence to brush aside the “Indo-Aryan invasion” ideology, claiming that we have been “brainwashed for more than 150 years” by the Western theories on our civilisation. Fact is there was no Aryan invasion or migration, it is only a misnomer.

    Research carried out by the Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas (I-SERVE) has elaborately shown results, with ocular proof, and revealed interesting facts. Several sites excavated in the past 30 years have yielded evidence of an established culture dating much before than we believed, to almost 8,000 years ago. Historians and scientists from numerous fields like astronomy, archaeology and anthropology gathered for a seminar here over the weekend to confirm our rich past.

    There have already been findings of terracotta excavations of Shivlinga at Kalibangan dated 2600 BC indicating that people did pray in the same manner as us thousands of years ago. Besides, terracotta figures with the namaste gesture and using vermillion too have been excavated dating back to 2600 BC. Copper rings and beads that point towards an emergence of metal technology and grains of domesticated rice have also been found dating back to the 7th millennium BC.

    Kulbhushan Mishra, research associate, Indian Archeological Society, says that there is enough evidence indicating an indigenous origin of Indian civilisation that has made the foreign theories take a back seat. “With advancement in technology, the perception of Indian archeology has changed significantly. We have an incredibly large volume of new data to prove our indigenous origins. We have found items like an agricultural plough, cart and combs that are thousands of years old. The material testimonies of various excavations have shown gradual cultural developments from the 7th-6th millennium BC in the entire region of Indus-Saraswati-Ganga system for a period of almost 8,000 years.”

    Similarly, astronomical research has held the earlier propositions by many scientists that various events mentioned in our ancient scriptures actually did take place and are flawlessly true. “Several software have been developed recently that can provide us the sky view at a point of time in past or future. For example, Planetarium Gold is one such software. When we set dates of various events as mentioned in scriptures, we got exactly the same view of planets/stars as mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata,” explains Pushkar Bhatnagar, an astronomy researcher.

    Making use of the technological advancements by others in the past, scientists have come up with results that prove various events mentioned in the vast storehouse of ancient Sanskrit literature in India to be consistent.

    Since time immemorial, we’ve all been celebrating Diwali and Janmashtami among other festivals that find their origins in the ancient scriptures. It is indeed a matter of pride to know how reliable our scriptures are. However, these researches also go on to show the brilliance of the writers like Valmiki who wrote thousands of years ago, yet mentioned the sky view, which tallied with planetary positions of the same time period.

    Besides, research on sea level fluctuations has also revealed that many ancient towns are lying submerged under the sea.

    Another interesting fact that not many people are aware of is that the Indians are part of the same gene pool as of the earliest of anatomically modern humans who expanded out of Africa. “There is a lot of sharing and continuity between the people of India. And this goes back to the ancient times. Africa is the place of transformation. The ancient homosapeans were replaced by modern humans roughly 1,80,000 YBP. Large amount of empirical data from India generated through DNA sampling has shown that India too was part of this expansion,” says professor VR Rao, one of the senior researchers engaged with I-SERVE.

    This also means that the highly misunderstood Jarawas, indigenous adivasis of Andaman, which means “hostile people”, are in fact the direct descendents of human expansion and we share this ancient substratum.

    Data collected through the study of jaws of human remains in the Holocene period shows that the genetic profile of all the Indians does not match the Europeans. “Language is transient so we cannot categorise it in the genetic profile of those people. But what studies have shown till now is that Indians have received limited gene flow from external regions. The only change one can see is in terms of hierarchy. This can be attributed to the arrival of Central Asian pastoralists. But they have got nothing to do with the Indian genetics,” adds Rao.

    Besides, there has also been evidence that developments in language and eating cooked food started in India more than 11,000 years ago.

    “Not only are the various events consistent and fall in a sequence but various ecological references and varieties of cultivated plants, trees and herbs mentioned in Vedas and epics have existed in India for more than 10, 000 years,” says Saroj Bala, Director, I-SERVE Delhi Chapter, adding, “These results support that we have one of the oldest cultural heritage.”

    —————————

19. Dear Shri Shekhar Kapur ji:
    We sincerely thank you for opening supporting the Anna Hazare movement in India.
    God Bless You!
    Design & People

    God of Small Criticisms
    The greatest achievement of Anna Hazare movement is that India finally got rid of West-influenced; English-speaking activists such as Arundhati Roy from the traditional leadership role of people’s movements. Arundhati Roy criticises Kabir for accepting financial support from the Ford Foundation while forgetting the fact she was an integral part of the organising committee of World Social Forum in India sponsored the very same funding-agency.

    If Anna has managed to unite the entire nation in less than thirty days, it is simply because he spoke the language of the ordinary Indians, not the language of the elite and the affluent class of this country. English was replaced with Hindi; babus with activists, hypocrisy with simplicity; cowardice with courage and finally words with action. Victory or failure is not very important in struggles for the goodness of a nation.

    (Design & People on Arundhati Roy’s comments on Anna Hazare in her story titled “I’d rather not be Anna” published by The Hindu on August 21, 2011)

    . . . . . .
    Design & People
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    Email ईमेल: support@designandpeople.org Web वेबसाइट: http://www.designandpeople.org

    Design & People identify how design can intervene to make a contribution to the on-going efforts to improve the lives of people disadvantaged by war, disability, and political and environmental conditions. We unite and encourage graphic, industrial and architectural designers to use their experience and skills towards social and humanitarian projects. Mission: Design For People In Need.
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20. Something a bit deeper for Proud2bIndian:

    http://www.bigtamasha.com/2011/08/anna-hazare-has-won-but-manmohan-singh.html

21. Too much of constitution for many little lifes in India !

22. While most of the celebrities & people whose voices are heard by the power that be chose to be cautious, cynical and politically correct, it was great to see you standing by a cause that defines basic rights of people to better governance since it’s very beginning. Thanks for your being a concerned celebrity !

23. Any Coincidence, that Antonia Maino ( alias Sonia Ghandi), was ‘ Out Sick’, just before the AnnaHazare Fast, avoiding Lokpal Grilling by Parliament or people or Media?

    She is expected back in India now , we are told.

    When I see lumpen elements, traitors, scum of the human race sitting in parliament, why should we wonder ? Corruption and Indian security is already Compromised.

    Prepare for another bout of Foriegn Ocvupation and Slavery, India. Some analysts say, India is headed for a third partition. As is bandied about in Islamic Circles as ‘ Ghazwa e Hind’. Then there is Project Joshua 1 and 2 , planned by the secret group ‘ Opus Die’, of the Vatican, to Christianise and Balkanise India into 10 regions. This has already seen the 100% Christianisation of North East India, where Christian Terrorists kill Hindu girls for wearing a Bindi. Kerala is already gone.

    Then there is the Chinese Threat and total Marxist takeover, massaged and cajoled by a pliant Lwftist Media. Media is highly corrupt, with Agents of this nexus posing as Anchors, influencing Public opinion of a Racially, Culturally alienated Gen X of India, whose only acconplishment is good or appearance of good English Language.

    How come the Nation does not know where its De- facto PM is ? There are no sightings or reports of Antonia Maino in the New York Hospital. Some analysts have also said , she may be in Switzerland or Italy, moving or clearing funds in case Lokpal becomes a reality.

    Would it also surprise ‘ Joe Indian’, er, common Joe of India, lets call him Abdul John Chang ( because thats wgat Indian names will sound like in 2025, if not sooner) , that Antonia Maino ‘s Birth Sntecedents are shrouded in Falsities- Turin , Orbassano, who knows, 1946, 1949, who knows? One thing is clear, During her birth time ( minus 9 months assuming she is Human), her so called father Maino was in a Russian Prison for 3 years, did not get released until After she was born! Sperms can fly in Russia and Italy, say some. Most importantly, Maino girl had an uncle who belonged to ‘Opus Die’ of Vatican, tutored her.

    Whild she was in London, targeting Richie Rich Rajiv Khan( alsi called Rajiv Ghandi) , her ‘ handler’ was a Tariq Khan, ISI rep.

    God save India? Too late. Prepare to be boarded.

24. Rudra’s predictions seem more realistic by the day. How long would it take China to take over India given the current situation? They could buy out Manmohan Singh and the UPA top administration with a few pennies in their Macau accounts. They have already made Nepal their b**ch along with Bhutan, Pakistan, Tibet, Burma, even Sri Lanka.
    And Sonia Maino? She has been sent to delude and estrange the Hindus. Backed by a mix of insecure convent-educated Indian slaves such as Manish Tiwari, Sheila Dixit and the folks at NDTV along with the group of low-castes and minorities, she has found the perfect formula to divide and loot India from the inside out.

    This Anna movement is so pathetic. Anna is a great person, but sadly, he’s trying to cure cancer with rose water. And all these other clowns from Bollywood and this whole brand of ‘I am Anna’ is going to wither away in a few, so are the false hopes and hoopla about India’s awakening. People got together, waived flags and went home.

    Real change in India can only be brought about by a military coup or divine intervention. Democracy has failed in India. The whole machinery needs to be dismantled and put together again..the governent, media, society..a drastic social engineering based on the ancient Vedic model is the need of the day.

25. More than predictions , they are factual events of the times. As I write this , a Cabal has taken over India and is in total control of all vital state organs – this Cabal operates COvertly – Democracy is its Excuse , it does not itself believe in any Democracy.

    Democracy in India has become ‘Demon’ocracy – Rule of Demons. ‘ Rule of People’ – is well and truly buried. Only bloodlines and sychophancy allows people close to power.

    Indian Democracy is also compromised – I wrote some time back about how Electronic Voting Machines are easily Hackable – it was proved by a group of professors and the Indian professor in the group was arrested and no one knows where he is anymore , maybe Killed by the Cabal. Elections can and will be stolen. So the Cabal is not really worried – just as they STOLE the 2009 elections , they will steal the 2014 elections too – if they last till then , ie.

    I hope the dark predictions don’t come true , because if they do, then the only non-sectarian, universal light that shines on this planet, the original esoteric teaching to mankind will be lost forever. So the only surmise is how will this dark cloud pass ? What will it leave in its wake ? The Soul of India at odds with a corrupt and imposed British system of governance ( so called parliamentary democracy). India will have to come up with its own unique way of governance .

    Rule of Law , works only to a level, India for thousands of years lived by a ‘Rule of Dharma’ – it will have to rediscover it within itself and also spread this light to the rest of the world – how and by whom will this be accomplished?

    Given the state of anarchy in this country , it is not far fetched to imagine Military intervension to restore order. But we have an Army Chief , whose Birth Date is in question and whose Daughter-in-law is a Pakistani. He keeps visiting Dubai to meet his son who works there. A former Naval Chief , who leaked War Room briefs. I doubt Indian Military is anything more than a ‘Sepoy’ , only good for following political commands.

    The Leadership crisis in India is across the board.

26. I also see India’s future very bleak though my reasons are my own and in terms of my own discovered evolutionary scheme of things. Here is a relevant post if one is interested. There on the blog are many other posts some related to India others to US and even the whole world if one is further interested.

    http://ruminations.selfdesigneduniverse.com/2011/04/ominous-times-for-india-too.html

    Since India is really leaderless Anna’s movement will do more harm than good in the long run, in the process preparing a perfect ground for foreign mischief.

27. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/chinese-to-be-made-compulsory-in-sindh-schools-131404

28. Harb,

    I agree, with the leadership vacuum in india, anna hazare’s movement cud easily be hijacked.

    India has been open to foriegn mischief for long time now – the very fact we use a foriegn language to communicate, instead of sanskrit is proof enough.

    Our fates are at the mercy of an International Cartel , dominated Europen bloodlines and White Collar Mafia, apart from their espionage agents who run extensive political operations covertly.

    When there was an accusation from the BJP in 2005 about a CIA Mole in PMO, there was a lot of hue and cry, and to think that this mole could be the PM himself or an ex National Security Advisor, is shocking.

    USA itself is in the grip of another Cartel. Obama is the biggest puppet there can be . So is Manmohan Singh.

    Not just India , the whole whole world is in peril. They cause wars and needless economic boom-bust cycles, they control both sides of the debate. Who are they? If ypu cant even see them, how can you defeat their designs on this planet?

    So I agree with Brahmastra, only divine intervension or a human genius who is spiritually evolved and has a lot of luck going for him or her, can rally this divided world , or maybe the world will rally itself to defeat this slide into anarchy, hopeless spiritial oblivion.

29. Harb,

    Rudra from SK’s blog : I followed your link and I must say your blog is impressive. I have some questions :

    You say “… the universe’s evolutionary scheme of things begins with big bang from Oneness/spiritual realm/unified force… ”

    Answer me this : What does your theory have to say about the cause of the big bang , and why big bang ?

    Science is evolving , big bang thery might just be in the trash can tomorrow. How will your theory find legs then?

    Finally , what made you come up with this theory ? Is it what your think , is there anyone else , a guru maybe whom you contacted who inspired this theory ?

    It is one thing to describe a theory – another thing to explain to people , why you think so , what made you come to those conclusions?

    What were your motivations , to come up with another theory ? Ego ?

    Truth is completely diferent. You just need to know where to look.

30. Hello Rudra,

    Thank you for appreciating the blog.

    Cause of big bang:
    http://ruminations.selfdesigneduniverse.com/2010/11/there-is-nothing-supernatural-beyond.html

    Why big bang: Cyclical nature of universal evolution and involution.
    ***
    My theory will remain where it is. To evolve from something does not mean that you are not to use your previous facilities/knowledge. Settled man evolved from nomadic man who further evolved from cave man this does not mean that settled man is not to use what he learnt in previous phases or that learning will lose legs. Moreover, some in the overall settled man may still be at nomadic man level.
    ***
    No guru, I didn’t believe even in God. But then:
    http://harbbook.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-first-experience-of-oneness.html
    ***
    My clear vision and consequent reflections.
    http://selfdesigneduniverse.blogspot.com/2010/09/preface.html

    If you want to know more read all posts of this blog:http://selfdesigneduniverse.blogspot.com/
    ***
    Motivation: Passing through four main evolutionary phases of prior to id, id, ego, superego; to come up with an other theory, yes, ego within that cycle.
    ***
    Yes.

    🙂

    Answers also at below URL, but then came here and found that you have put the questions here as well, so replying here also.

    http://ruminations.selfdesigneduniverse.com/2010/10/my-comment-at-huffington-post.html

31. Hey Resolve to join the agitation to remove corrupt people of India. Also do shop at corrupt-free items on http://www.SabseBest.com India’s best lifestyle shop for electronics in India. Click soon

32. Shekhar Jee ,

    Please check the website http://www.drishticreative.com apropos our last programme executed on 7th September in Constitution Club of India, New Delhi.

    We have taken initiative for the cause of Parliamentarians and we are repeating it once again on 15th March 2012.

    Expecting more than 100 MPs to come across all political parties.

    Just looking forward to meet you in this regard.
    Regards
    Kundan K Jha

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