Business to the Buddha

Tag: Social work

  • Cast(e)ing doubts – Narendra Dabholkar







    I am writing a series (on and off) of blogs on – against – the caste system of India (include black skin for other parts of the world). This is another installment in the series.

    Last week, there was a shocking news that Dr Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead. In brief Dr Dabholkar was working against the superstitions in India. If I remember it correctly, his program was once aired on Discovery Channel also. I remember watching some program more than 10 years back. At that time, I never thought that there are so many challenges in India and this (superstition) is a big problem. But yes it is; otherwise why would a simple person be killed for running a social cause. The problem at times is we do not want to change. We accept many things as given and NORM – which Dr Dabholkar wanted to change. When I heard about him in English media the word used was – rational! A good word, rationality asks for a reason. Reason for accepting any belief.

    I would ponder on rationality Vs spirituality or rationality and spirituality in future.

    So, according to Wiki, Dr Dabholkar started his social work with Baba Adhav’s “One village – One well” agitation. Though more on this agitation is not readily available (Google search page 1) on the net. The title of this agitation suggests this – each village should be supplied water from one well.  This seems very naive agitation. Let me tell you – in India there are villages or places where you have one well for untouchables and one well (perhaps one for each caste) for other community. This is the challenges on which I have been writing lately. This all does not stop just here. There are different temples (of same Gods) for untouchables and rest of the community. What more irrational one can ask for? The creator of all is divided by castes. Bhagvat Geeta says soul does not die, it comes back to life after the body dies. What if soul of a Brahmin dies and born as untouchable and vice versa?

    Image source - Dr Ambedkar Wikipedia
    Image source – Dr Ambedkar Wikipedia

    I remember reading that Dr Ambedkar had to face immense discrimination. His container of water (Matka) in his office was separate. Why? Because he was an untouchable. He had to fight this war whole life. We in India define people by their ancestry and not by their action. We define people by their skin color (world over) and not by their character. We define people by their social status and not their thoughts.

    Effectively we have to fight many battles for becoming a more just, equal and inclusive society. Dr Dabholkar was fighting on the superstitions which needs to continue and the other is – equality on financial and social status. All this needs change in mindset – solution? For me it is spirituality.

    Dalits give ‘donation’ to enter temple 2013 – The Hindu

    Dalits told to keep distance from temple 2013 – Times of India

    Dalits enter TN temple first time in 100 yrs – Times of India

    Dalits enter temple amid tight police security 2013

    Dalits enter temples with police protection 2009

    Related blogs

    Cast(e)ing doubt – What’s your (last) name?

    Cast(e)ing doubt –  everyone’s tears are salty

    We the societies

  • Border-less world







    Let us imagine, a border-less world. A world where

    Source - http://praditaastarina.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/170580815_bbdabc8038.jpg
    Border-less world

    1. people can move from one place to the other without Visas
    2. goods and services can be bought and sold without import/export duties
    3. education is free (at least basic education)
    4. people would be free to do what they want to do (not taking law in their hand though)

    I believe both the leading economic “-isms” and many spiritual/religious “-isms” have been trying to do that for years.

    The economic “-ism” are capitalism and socialism. Socialists want this by making a world a single big society where everyone is working for the society. Capitalists are trying to do it through Washington Consensus and IMF. Until now the results have been failure. Russia failed, China becoming a capitalist USA (being protectionist) walking on the way to become more socialistic. Seems There could be a middle path where both these -isms are together.

    Religious groups “-ism” are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc. Christianity wants the world to be Christan, Islam talks about Universal brotherhood. I am not sure about the other two asking people to convert to their religion though. However, Hinduism talks about Vasidhev Kutumbakam. Vasidhev Kutumbakam means one world family. But the idea all over the world is unity and unifying the world in different ways.

    All this is failing because – the ulterior motives are money or fan following (I mean increasing number of followers of the religion).  Since both they ways seem not working, what if we turn to something else, no politician, no economist and no religious group to lead. People leading the people’s movement!

    Take the following case – Social media for social service, crowd sourcing based funding (crowd funding) and initiatives such as Janlokpal (India), Occupy Wall Street (USA), Jasmin revolution (Tunisia) and Tahrir square (Egypt) etc. If people are empowered yet are asked not to encroach on others freedom. What if we really become an educated world, without politics, without divisions, without borders.

    This may happen if we remove ego and greed from our society!

    Image Source – http://praditaastarina.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/170580815_bbdabc8038.jpg (Apologies for delayed update, it was updated in the image description but not visible on view)