Hindu Temples are not Government Property

Hinduism Would be Better off if the Government of India Left it Alone

Hindu temples in India are run by the government through its Endowment Boards. The Endowment Boards are indirectly run by the government (both state and center) by nominating Chairman and members to the Endowment Boards. The temples are run akin to businesses selling all the services in the temple. I have not seen any religious institutions in the world run in this way. Devotees pay for entering the temple complex and continue to pay for every service in the temple. The donations and daily earnings (through fees charged for temple visits and other services) are used not to develop the temple, help Hinduism or at least provide services for the devotees, but diverted by the government according to its own needs.

If the government does not divert the temple funds, the temples would be able to establish Hindu educational institutions and serve the masses. Educational awareness of Hinduism among the masses  is dismal for lack of educational and theological institutions dedicated to the study of Hinduism. 

Another recurring problem for Hinduism is unique and uncommon to any other religion in the world. Since Government is managing Hindu temples, some people are always requesting government to manage Hindu life and practice one way or another. Somebody is always going to court to force temples to give up their traditions: Rallies at Sani temple in Sani Singanapur and Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala are but only a few examples. However no such demands are made on restrictions at places of worship belonging to other religions in India or any where else in the world. Enthusiasts are also going to courts to force temples in to surrendering their ancient practices. There is also demand for canceling traditional celebrations and festivals. Bull runs and Bull fights, are great cultural celebrations in Europe, but India is asked to ban them, as it is part of festival celebrations. And all Hindu festivals and celebrations always attract negative publicity and enthusiasts take to court. Why not leave the local tradition take its own course and let it evolve itself? Why must the government interfere and ban? Wasn't the state supposed to not interfere in the religious practices of any religious community in a democracy?

Hindu temples and sacred sites are spread across the world. There are especially numerous important temples in India's neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Java, Sumatra, Malaysia and Bangladesh. It is great that India announced roadway connecting India to East Asia with roadways going through Bangladesh, Mayanmar, Cambodia, Thailand to Vietnam. The land previously referred to as Indo-China is finally joining India through road and railway connectivity.

However, it is not useful in itself useful until government withdraws all involvement with Hindu temples and their management. If the government withdraws the Hindu temples would be able to manage themselves similar to the other religions in India (Christianity, Islam and others) and organize pilgrimages to their religious complexes. Any way what does a secular democratic government doing managing Hindu temples? Is not the state and religion separate in a democracy, especially, when it touts itself as secular as in the case of Indian government. 

Are Indian Leftists Anti-India Activists?

Leftists in India have always taken anti-India stand historically including supporting China during Indo-China war. They continue to perpetrate such anti-India activities in the guise of supporting secularism. A number of recent events indicate that the so called communists (leftists of a number of shades) of India continue these policies. Communism and left ideologies have died every where in the world, but they are still going strong in India by creating controversies based in anti-India rhetoric even in the twenty-first century. 

A recent example is from America. Left leaning intellectuals sent letter to CEOs of Silicon valley companies, who rightfully put it in their trash cans, and welcomed Prime Minister Modi with open arms. 

Another example is the award-vapasi groups, members of which returned or threatened to return awards such as those awarded by Sahitya Akademy. It dragged on for a couple of months finally a compromise was worked out as the awardees agreed to take their awards back. A double-award. May be the awardees did not deserve their awards, which they gave up very easily. 

Another favorite catch phrase these so called secularists of India regularly use is 'intolerance' in India. It looks like they don't know the meaning of the word 'intolerance'. The fact that they are saying this and happily living in India is itself evident that intolerance does not exist in India. The example of the death of a popular blogger of Bangladesh or several such examples from Pakistan help illustrate this point well. 

These leftist groups organized and staged dharnas (rallies) across India for hanging terrorists in India, such a Kasab and Memen. No other country has such anti-national activities constantly perpetrated in the guise of secularism. Secularist groups of India must wake up to the reality of twenty-first century  or move to the only communist country in the world, China. 

Equality, Opportunity and Independent India: How the Poor are Left Behind

Sixty-five years of reservation system is leaving the poor behind

Sixty-five years of reservation system implemented in the name of bringing equality and opportunity in independent India, has turned reservation system into a privilege system. Misuse of the system is rampant. Many non-lower caste people abuse the system by moving from their home towns and registering and obtaining a lower-caste certificates. It is particularly easy where birth registration is not very common. The local governments don't register births or issue birth certificates. This came to the frontlines, when Rohit Vemula committed suicide in the University of Hyderabad. Rohit belonged to Vaddera caste (a OBC category of caste), but was registered as a scheduled caste (SC category) student, which may have given him access to scholarships and other help for a number of years, which may have been allotted to a truly deserving SC student, but wrongfully claimed by him. Such misuse is not uncommon, which denies the true beneficiaries their share and left them behind. For every misused case like this, there is always a poor well-deserving family that is deprived of its benefits.  

Rohit Vemula's case is only one example. The swelling numbers of lower caste demographics with each census is an evidence of this disturbing trend. How can the government evaluate if one is making a false claim or not when it does not  maintain a birth registry of its citizens. In Rohit Vemula's case unfortunately his true caste came out due to his suicide, but in many other such cases, the true caste of the person never emerges. 

Such misuse is doubly dangerous. First level of danger is that it leaves the truly deserving person behind. Second level of danger is that it leaves his community behind, because, an SC person's   lost  opportunity left the SC community behind, since the community never had the chance to send one of their own to the university and learn how higher education can benefit their community. 

Unless caste-based reservations are paired with economic  status (limiting it to the poorest sections), while restricting it to the first time college- students, such misuse will continue to exist, and the poor will never have an opportunity to benefit from it. 

Delhi's Odd and Even Drive Policy

Delhi! Ditch the Numbers, Use the Colors

 

    Delhi's odd and even number drive policy permitting cars to drive on alternate days on the roads of Delhi is as arbitrary as picking random colors of cars to drive on certain days of the week. It would have at least been ingenious if Delhi government tried to use the color policy rather than the number policy. The number policy is a copy cat policy borrowed from the communist regime of China, which used it in 2008 during the Olympics. China used it to reduce air pollution during the Beijing Olympics, and adopted it only for the duration of a couple of months, that too only in the city of Beijing and nowhere else.

     Even the communist regime understood the arbitrary nature of the policy of odd and even numbers and used it only for a short-time, never to use it again in Beijing and any other city in China for that matter. Implimentation of odd and even number car drive policy, a failed policy of China, by the Delhi government only signals its totalitarian tendency and arbitrary nature. The city of Delhi has been praised historically as the heart of India, but it seems it is experiencing a heart-ache under the rule of the new Chief Miniter, Mr. Kejriwal. 

     If the Delhi government were to ditch the number policy and adopt the color policy it would at least make the roads look beautiful in traffic and make the children of Delhi happy. A better policy for the government of Delhi would be improving mass transit in the city for which the government does not seem to be committed.