Politics losses its Poetry – Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Philosopher and Politician.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born into a middle-class family in Gwalior. His father was Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, a school teacher and poet, and his mother was Krishna Devi. He attended the Saraswathi Shishu Mandir and later went to Victoria College from where he graduated with distinction in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He enrolled at DAV College, Kanpur to complete his post-graduation and earned his M.A. in Political science. He was a patriot at heart and participated in India’s struggle for freedom even as a student and edited several nationalist Hindi newspapers.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a highly respected veteran politician who had served as the Prime Minister of India in three non-consecutive terms. He was a member of the Indian Parliament for almost five decades; in fact, he was the only parliamentarian who had been elected from four different states at different times, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi. He made his foray into politics during the pre-independence era when he took part in the Quit India Movement which led to his arrest and imprisonment. A true patriot, he was one of the founding members of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, an Indian nationalist party.

A multi-faceted personality, he was a very skilled poet with several published poems. Also well-known is his love for his native language Hindi—he was the first person to deliver a speech in Hindi at the U.N. General assembly. He was very famous for his oratory skills and held several prestigious positions in Indian politics before being elected the Prime minister. His first stint as the Prime Minister of India lasted for just 13 days. He was again sworn in for the second time after a couple of years. This time too, his government lasted for just over a year. His third stint as the Prime Minister was his most successful one and he served a full term of five years in this position.

Atal ji was suffering from urinary tract infection and chest congestion and he died on 16 August 2018.

Swetha Narayan - Columnist.

Religion, Culture & Tradition Vs Superstition; False Propaganda

A young boy once asked me , “ Is our religion correct ? The fundamentals of our religion, Vedas, suggest animal sacrifice, untouchability etc.. There are many superstitions in our religion, unbelievable things like, the lightning is caused by Indra striking with his weapon and so on. Is this, what our religion offers ? ”

Now, that set me thinking. We proudly call our religion ‘ Sanathana Dharma ‘ and have been practicing it from time immemorial. Had the above said and many more silly things been a part of our Religion, will it have survived for thousands of years ?  We claim our knowledge as scientific and practical, will it contain these baseless issues ?  No, definitely NOT.

The Knowledge, Wisdom, Values and Philosophy propounded by our ‘ Sanathana Dharma ‘ are definitely Scientific, True, Believable and Practical too. The Knowledge and Advancement Bharatha had in the field of Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics, Art and Architecture, Engineering, Aero Science, Laws of Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Construction, Economics, Trade & Commerce, Warfare, Weather Forecast, ( you name it), was far more ahead of all countries put together.

Where did all these things go ? What happened to our Religion and Country ? Starting from the Invasions our country faced, Followed by 800 odd years of foreign rule and the continued lineage post- independence have contributed in a big way for this poor state of affairs. Their Vested interest, Manipulative Ideas and Cunning Logic have not only Changed our Education System, Thought Process but also introduced many false views into our Religion too. They equated superstition to our religion, Introduced Myths, Misinterpreted Vedas and to an extent made us feel Ashamed of our Glorious Past.

Let me go back to the boy’s question and understand in a proper way – Our Puranas tell us that the speed and power at which Indra’s weapon Vajra strikes, is similar to that of the lightning and not as wrongly understood. Vedas suggest us to make an image or idol of an animal with flour and perform sacrifice with this image. Superstitions and Untouchability find no mention in any of our religious texts. So, all the false propaganda and misinterpretations have led to this defaming of our religion. The prevailing misconception about our religion, thus, is all, False.

So what do we do now ?

1)      As youngsters, first we have to realise the Richness of our Religion, Culture and Country.

2)      We should put an end to the False propaganda on our Religion by simply not accepting everything thrown against it.

3)      We need not feel Ashamed of our Religion, Religious Marks which we adorn or our Traditional Dress.

4)      We should unearth all the True meanings and Worthiness of our Lost Treasure – ‘ Sanathana Dharma ‘

5)      Whenever you are faced with Deliberate or Improper questions, you can always counter it yourself or the  person who questions, by asking -

(i)                Which part of the Veda or Purana this doubt / question is mentioned or related to?

(ii)                Have you personally seen or read it

(iii)               Is the question based on the Original Text or any of the Distorted Versions

(iv)               Is the question just a loose talk spread in thin air by manipulative people.

So, My Dear Friends, If you think clearly, you can understand whether the questions posed are just to Malign and Ridicule our Religion. Your Intellect and Intelligence will make you understand the ‘ Truth ’,  if you Question and Approach in a right manner. As Swamy Vivekananda quoted from Upanishads, “ Arise, Awake and Stop not till the Goal is Achieved “.

G N Krishna - Columnist