Who is a secular person?

The conceptual categories of secularism and communalism are impositions to subvert the Indian politics. In the Sanatana Dharma, there has never been any contradiction between the temporal or the spiritual concerns. 

If viewed from the Western parlance, and rightly so, homo economicus is the perfect secular person. Market alone is the secular place. The politics is meant to preserve the secularity. 

The domain of the sacred in the West is separated. 

In our case, the problem is not that an ecclesiastical authority dominates the temporal affairs to their detriment. Rather the problem is the politicization of the ethnic identities by the vested interests, and in this context there is hardly any difference between 'secularism' or 'communalism'. 

Our homo economicus would be a moral rationalist as her/his mooring is in the Sanatana Dharma. We must allow him to be at her/his best. If someone restrains the homo economicus, he acts not only anti-secular, but also anti-sacred. By hampering the well being of a commoner, they are both anti-human and anti-God.

Niraj Kumar Jha

What is Dharma?

Let me tell, how does Dharma figure in my consciousness? And why should I say this?

Though the knowledge is well present in the public domain, and yet Dharma is used interchangeably as religion or mazhab or creed or like abstractions. The fact is that the consciousness as named dharma is diametrically opposed to the so categorised other phenomena. Dharma is not an order of faith but an evergoing quest of truth. While the others come into the domain of phenomenology, Dharma transcends even ontology. It's not only about the nature of being, it's also about the ever unfolding of being, and more crucially it's also the intensity of feelings which leads one to transcend from the state of being to that of beinglessness. I say this, so that the distinctness of Dharma, which is the raison d'etre of our being,does not get lost from the general perception.

In the domain of the physical base of our consciousness i.e. in terms of tangibility, Dharma is equated with the essence of a being, animate or inanimate, and its becoming of as per the essence, as opposite to its unbecoming. This is indeed Dharma, the tangible Dharma, and yet it's Dharma in its derivative form.

What is Dharma then? I present it as it is mapped in my consciousness. And while I do so, I move from the consciousness to the consciousness. Dharma is the neverending quest of itself. The consciousness is the pathway and is the destination too. It's the eternity in momentariness, which encompasses the end and the means, both seeing the other in itself, and that non-existent space of momentariness where the being and the nonbeing intermingle, come to us as the consciousness of Dharma. This trascedental reasoning informs our approaching of the immediate tangible being, and that makes our manifest dharma. This is the meaning of Dharma I have in my mind, and the very meaning demands me to find its meaning as my dharma. (I also request my friends to guide or accompany me in my quest)

Let me pray now -

ॐ भू: भुवः स्वः ।

तत्स॑वि॒तुर्वरेण्यं॒

भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि ।

धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचो॒दया॑त् ॥

"We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may he inspire our intelligence." (Paraphrased by S. Radhakrishnan)

Niraj Kumar Jha

Humanization of our Universities

If knowledge is deified, and those in the knowledge business behave like Messengers and high priests, the knowledge instead of remaining a source of liberation becomes imprisoning. And this has been the vital distinction between the system of knowledge, which we ever had in India and the ignorances which prevailed elsewhere. Knowledge there buttresses authority and leaves the society at its mercy, and then it tries to fend for some space for society. Our traditional knowledge creators mostly worked in the domain of public, and equipped society with usable knowledge. The whole Bhatkti movement, for instance, is in this order. Our universities unfortunately adopted the methods of the Roman (imperialist) Christianity and even the architectural designs of lecture rooms and conference halls resemble to that of the church. They pursue knowledge in authoritarian terms, and their ethos is not engagement but the opposite. Their ways reflect as if they are in occult, they preach instead of dialoguing, and demand unwavering faith from devotees. They are also divided into conflicting sects with followers in layered statues. Fealty and patronisation is the functionality of such sects, and there are secret codes for inclusion and exclusion.

All things were going just fine, but then globalization and liberalisation became the compulsion of reality and as they unfolded the society rediscovered itself. This also made the true trait of our universities to come out in open. They proved themselves not only laggards compared to societal advance but also acted very consciously to trammel the advance of society. And some even opted to destabilize things in place of stabilizing the social advance. This dysfunctionality testifies the rot.

I appeal for the humanization of our universities. They must descend down from their dilapidated towers, resume their innate humanity, and be one among the human beings in conversation with them. If heat and dust is too much troubling, be a brave heart to face the people on the social media atleast.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Universal Citizenship Allowance

The idea of a citizenship allowance has been there in my mind for quite a long time, and then the news came one day that the Swiss people turned down a similar proposal.

The need of such an allowance, which covers the basic necessities of a person, is not only justified but also unavoidable in times to come. Justified on many counts but I would put forth two. First, we the citizens of the country have equal claim to all the natural resources, which we have and are economically appropriated, and therefore, certain proportion of royalty must directly come to our kitty. Secondly, everyone's simple being is part of the national capital as s/he exists as a consumer and producer and since that capital is monetised as the national currency, a share of that value must accrue to each person directly also. 

In future, such an allowance would be unavoidable as the automation and internet enabled services would make most of the jobs obsolete. Most of the people would be without a job and such an allowance would be a necessity. 

At present, if the provision for the universal citizenship allowance is implemented, this instead of being a burden on public exchequer would in fact result in saving of a lot of public revenue and also there would be huge surplus. With this allowance, all the subsidies, artificial employment generation schemes and public funded services would not be needed, and moreover a universal regime of direct taxation could be implemented. 

When every citizen is freed from the struggle for his/her earning basic necessities of life, we will see the rise of a empowered, responsible and creative citizenry. A universal citizenship allowance would be a more revolutionary democratic advance than adult suffrage.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Capitalist Dictatorship

Among different forms of dictatorship, one is capitalist dictatorship. The countries where such dictatorship exists, even natural water sources have been monopolised by the capitalists and people have no recourse to oppose them. But in these countries, democratic apparatuses also mutate into dictatorship so inconspicuously. 

In India, if democracy flourishes, it's because of our civilizational values. It's floundering in its immediate neighbouring countries and mostly in the entire South. Even in the North, many countries have effectively resisted democratization. And wherever we have full fledged democracy, the powerful grip of vested interests like those of military-industrial complexes and big corporations cannot be mistaken. The values which sustain democracy in India have been the work of generations of seers, scholars, and litterateurs over millennia. 

My point is to reassure my compatriots that capitalism in India would be of the most beneficent effect, which would make not only India but the whole world a far better place. It was our shreshthis who gave Buddha and Mahavira to the world. Let's adopt the way of overcoming our wants, and we will civilize the rest. We need not to fear depravation. We are Sanatanis. 

However, we must not forget while propagating or living free market that personal security and fundamental freedoms must never be compromised. We must have a system by which every person in any state must be provided for food, water, clothing, shelter, education, medication, and protection from violence. A universal citizenship allowance directly deposited into each one's bank account would be the most appropriate thing. 

Niraj Kumar Jha

Time for de-decentralization

In governance, the desirability of decentralization is passé. First, the technology has enabled us to cut the replication of efforts and streamline our services. Secondly, in the growingly globalized world, as a national economy, we must compete as a cohesive unit, as the multi-level regulations and interference would impede our competitiveness. We must have independent national regulators like RBI and SEBI to oversee the functioning of our commons. The Indian intelligentsia must raise their voice now, in unison, for reversing the earlier academic fetish for decentralization. This is the time for de-decentralization.

Niraj Kumar Jha

उलटबाँसी

अशून्य

कभी-कभी गुम हो जाता है आकाश 

और गायब हो जाती है धरती; 

न ही खाली रहता है 

और न ही भरा हुआ। 

सृष्टि और शून्य,

दोनों ही हो जाते हैं विलुप्त 

और अप्रकट प्रकट होता है अशून्य । 

आकार और निराकार से पार का - 

यह अशून्य, 

खड़ा हो जाता है यदाकदा 

हमारी चेतना के द्वार।

नीरज कुमार झा