Sour Grapes

Gujarat election results are going to be coming in soon.  The election by the ELM has been called a possible waterloo for Narendar Modi - current Indian Prime Minister.  Obviously, the ELM in India and MSM outside of India is looking for a serving of humble pie to Modi.  Why?

Before even the election started, the Gandhi Dynasty had launched their major weapon - Rahual Gandhi as party President of the main opposition party - Congress I (Indian National Congress).  I recommend everyone to read up on who formed INC here.  I might be reading too much into the founder's idea of educated Indians representing Indians but the party seem to have been made for brown sahibs.  Educated - meaning mentally slaved to colonial mindset.  The Congress Party is one of the party that has ruled the nation the longest period of time.  Under congress, India has taken some great steps but also has taken some major missteps.  In recent times, I will say lot of the decisions they have taken have been detrimental for the nation.  What I find funny is the party that has ruled the nation for so long has lost its bearing.  The congress party currently doesn't know who to cater to to stay in power - should it cater to ChristoIslamist vote bank or should it cater to Hindutavadis and nationalists. Congress, it seems, has painted itself in a corner.  In its lust for looting the nation for its own party member, it has forgotten how the democracy works.  The party has made deals with a devil on many occasion and now the mood of the nation has turned against it forever (at least forever for next 10 years).  The party has made deals with questionable elements and questionable compounds (parties).  Abdullahs in Kashmir, Bhindrawale/Longwal in Punjab, Communists over all, and christists in other parts of India.  All of these elements/compounds have worked for their own goals while not caring much for the Indian entity as a whole.  Congress, which claims to be a national party, for lust of power has made deal with these types to tear up the national fabric.  On top of this, they have neglected development and progress.  Who has suffered the most, the poor and the middle class.  Who seems to have benefited the most, the corrupt and the connected. 

When they had Modi run for more than 10 years in Gujrat as a CM and has worked hard to make progress in his state, people have taken notice.  The only reason he became a successful candidate is because people noticed the change - a change for more development and better society.  I have to point out that the media, during his being CM and accession to one of the most powerful PM candidate in recent history, was against him.  They had called him a genocidal maniac, maut ka saudagar (death merchant), and most recently a "neech" person.  All this has not been able to damper their target's popularity.  Even with Modi, while being a PM, taking a harsh steps like GST implementation and demonetization for formalize the economy.  The MSM has played its part, as not being objective, to work against Modi.  None of this seems to be working against him.  So the Gujrat state assembly elections came.  The one that has been labeled a possible death knell to Modi's upcoming 2019 elections. Now looking at the popularity at the ground, you would think the MSM would run objective polls.  That hasn't been the case, they have said that Modi will loose heavily.  Read article like this, they have even projected Rahul a winner despite who wins (BJP) in Gujrat.  They have also used the EVM being hacked bogey as a face saving device.  EVM, as has been pointed out, are only hacked if BJP wins.  They are not hacked in places where congress wins (punjab). 

What EVM tampering being raised by Congress shows is that they are not willing to loose.  They still lust for power.  In their lust, they will say and do anything to be in power.  Including, having meetings with Pakistan just before Gujrat election.  Even if those meetings are not around the elections, you have to agree the optics provided by those meetings are awful (and anti nationalist).  All the shenanigans of Congress makes me believe the story about Sour Grapes - they just think no one has heard of it to draw the comparisons with their behavior and that of the fox.  I feel the fox in this case is going to be outfoxed once again by their targets Modi and Shah.

Punjabi Culture

This is my second and perhaps my continuation of earlier topic regarding regionalism, casteism in your face. I am not sure why I have this affinity for being an Indian, American, Nastik Hindu, and sometimes Punjabi. If I were to look back sometimes on how the family has evolved over the generations, I feel some of it might have to do with rootlessness and trying to cling on to some type of identity for myself. I am pretty certain, as an individual, I don't particularly fit into any identity either. I am also aware that from the outside, I fit into other people's perception on what my identity is. When I meet people here in US who are not of Indian decent, I am an Indian with a brown skin and an accent. When I meet Indians here, I am probably someone who is brought up here in US and a confused desi. When I meet Desi from other parts and they want to know where I am from - they are surprised I am Punjabi. I am Punjabi because two generation back from both side of my family, the roots are in Pre-partition Punjab. In my formative years, I grew up in Jalandhar, Punjab and had my grandfather had built a house there. I grew up going to Mandir and Gurdwara on special occasions but if I remember it, I don't really went there to do daily ritual (at either one of those places). Gurudwara, I stopped going around 85 when I was told by an old man at the Gurdwara to scram when I asked for a roomala to cover my head (requirement to go inside the gurdwara). I am pretty certain I have never stepped inside gurdwara since except to attend a friend's wedding. Temple, I go once in a while with my wife and kids. I don't necessarily belong with the temple crowd but over the years I have read on dharmic philosply and I feel some connection and I do look past the rituals. I don't mean to look down on the rituals. I have understood the significance of rituals only over the years. How sometimes ritual gives birth to other peripheral things that lead to creating and holding culture together. I personally don't feel I belong anywhere. I am past the caste issue yet many people I meet who are desis to I am a bania. To punjabis and Sikhs, I am a Hindu and Bania and not necessarily a Punjabi. To Muslims and Christians, I am hell bound heathen.

Now I wonder many times, what I am. To be honest to myself, I am surely an Indian and a product of my dharmic values. But those value of working hard and be ethical, I feel is what is valued more here in US. I have seen that people here are mostly honest. If I were to live in India as a middle class person, I think I will never survive. I am grateful to this country. I feel sad when I see how the people here are getting petty and dishonest at times. I also wonder if this is my perception over the years as I have become older.

Now, how does an outcast sees the culture he was born into, having lived it and the culture he has adopted to some extent? I see Punjabis (Hindus and Sikhs) as the one who believe in flashy displays. Sometimes it is cars, houses, jewelry, and clothes. Sometimes it is parties to show the wealth but mostly it is a display out of insecurities but never out of any kind of genuine need to connect to people they meet. I see Sikhs, especially here, their utter hate for Doos (Hindus). Their leaders will go out of their way to talk about one god and they don't believe in caste system and idol worshiping - again out of insecurities. I get it somehow. Am I a Hindu, I can probably feel secure enough to say that Yes I am. I am proud to be a nastik and yet have a strong respect of the dharma. Even when it is ridiculed by Christians, Muslims, and even Sikhs. I was born into a family that never forced any of the religious things on me -no forceful recitation of prayers, no forced performance of rituals, and yet on my own I have started to accept it only in a sense I don't see the reason to reject it anymore.

I hear Sikh telling everyone how proud they are of being Sikhs. I also hear them telling me how they are not connected to Hindus. I have deep respect for the Gurus and though they all might not have read the vedas ( though I am certain Guru Teg Bhadur and Guru Gobind Singh were well versed and educated in vedas), they were product of dharmic thoughts and none ever preached to be separate from Hindus. I know I will not win this argument with most Sikhs. Again, I don't see Sikhism separate or different from Dharma.

I see Christians talk about salvation and how heathens are hell bound. I find the religion pretty repulsive for what it is. An ideology that is full of superstition yet it claims to have some sort of higher moral ground. I am outsider and I see it for what it is. The reason perhaps to do with me rejecting their faith's need to project me as some subhuman because I don't believe in the bull shit of their faith. Christianity as faith has caused lots of violence around the world over the years and continue to does so.

Muslims, ah, same thing. I am kaffir to them yet I am the one who is Islamophobic. I wonder if the prey should ever be phobic of its predator and if it isn't - well days are numbered. Islam, like Christianity, is expansionist in its creed and exclusivist in its nature - I don't find it worth respecting. Discrimination is bad except when it is pushed by these religions.
Getting back to Punjabi culture. Not sure how to end it. I have read poetry of Shiv Kumar Batlavi in Punjabi and there is so much depth to his poetry even when it is talking about day to day things. His song about a person dying and the aftermath is very sharp observation on superficiality of certain human interactions. Shiv Kumar is highly respected but the truth is that he didn’t achieve the great glory or wealth while he was alive. That alone shows you what Punjabis value. I value him but just like he valued honesty, we are probably anomalies to the current Punjabi cultural norms.