12 AN ECSTASY OF IDEAS THE TIMES OF INDIA, AHMEDABAD

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

A thought for today

Sanitation is a physical measure that
has probably done more to increase human
life span than any kind of drug or surgery
Don’t Open The Floodgates
DEEPAK CHOPRA
There are pressing security and strategic reasons for India to refuse Rohingya refugee inflow

Shame Is Lame Sushant Sareen so-called Rohingya refugees are actually

members of jihadist groups who have
The decision to deport in fact been involved in massacres of
illegal Rohingya mig- Hindu Rohingya in Myanmar. And yet,
rants has acted as a India is expected to open its doors for
Increase toilet coverage only by catalyst for the unlikely, these despicable characters.
consensual not coercive means and yet natural, alliance An even bigger danger is of the
between Islamists, com- Rohingya who have illegally entered

F
ive states – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, munists and pseudo-liberals to come India. They are extremely susceptible
Jharkhand and Haryana – have declared their urban areas together and launch a disingenuous and even receptive to radical ideology,
open defecation free (ODF). These claims will be scrutinised campaign. Broadly, India’s Rohingya and there are already reports of radical
but the important point is that public discourse and government problem needs to be viewed from three preachers making a beeline for recruiting
or four angles – legal, security, strategic these people to make them jihadist
involvement in sanitation and eliminating open defecation have
and humanitarian. cannon fodder.
soared since Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched three Legally, the stand taken by the Surely, only a government utterly
years ago. In India, 48% of children under 5 are malnourished – with government is unexceptionable. The negligent of security of Indian citizens
poor hygiene, sanitation and water supply causing diarrhoea, vast majority of the Rohingya in India will turn a blind eye to this problem.
which is blamed for nearly 50% of child malnutrition. So the are illegal immigrants and as such From a strategic viewpoint, India needs
importance of ending open defecation cannot be overstated. cannot claim any legal right under the to deal with Myanmar. It is a pivotal
Indian constitution to not be deported country in India’s Act East policy and
Toilet coverage in India was just 38% in 2014. Official statistics
to their home country. But while the India cannot afford to abandon Myanmar
show this has risen to 68% now with 5 crore toilets built and 2.5 lakh principle of deportation of illegal and leave the field open for China.
villages and 214 districts declared immigrants cannot be questioned, the Incidentally, the Chinese have backed
ODF. These lofty claims are marred by practicality of deportation is quite the Myanmar government completely
reports of low toilet use among some another matter. on the Rohingya issue. For India the
sections of the neo-converts and the Clearly, given the logistics of depor- problem is that we have to balance our
ting the tens of thousands of illegal close relationship with Bangladesh,
use of coercion. The former indicates
Rohingya migrants, coupled with the which is bearing the brunt of the
that the “triggering” process, which fact that Myanmar would be loath refugee crisis, with our relationship
aims to change social behaviour to accepting them back, the entire present danger to national security with Myanmar.
through sanitation activists visiting deportation process will be extremely cannot be brushed aside as cavalierly as In any case, unless India engages
villages to highlight evils of open defe- complicated. Even so, the practical is being done by the unholy trinity of Government has no failsafe Myanmar, it will not have any leverage to
cation leading to people themselves problems of deportation cannot and Islamists, communists and pseudo- mechanism for vetting the seek any resolution to the problem. The
should not be conflated with the liberals. For one, the Indian government bottom line is that sometimes the
demanding toilets, has loopholes and people who have entered
principle of deportation. has no failsafe mechanism for vetting exigencies of strategic interest outweigh
needs sustained monitoring. More- Simply put, it is the right of every the people who have entered India, much India, much less keeping tabs certain moral dilemmas, and for this
over, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and J&K with low country to deport illegal immigrants. less keeping tabs on those who will India doesn’t need to be apologetic.
toilet coverage are lagging much behind others. There are innumerable examples of spread into different parts of India if
on those who will spread into While there is no denying the
As for coercion, it is antithetical to the idea of a collaborative countries that preach to India to refrain they are permitted to stay. different parts of India if humanitarian crisis caused by the
and consensual approach to ending open defecation which SBM from deporting the Rohingya, but Given the organic links between the permitted to stay disturbances in Myanmar, the solution
actually deport tens of thousands of Rohingya and jihadist terror groups in to the crisis doesn’t lie in opening
promised. Open defecation has continued for long in India and
illegal immigrants from their countries. Pakistan that go back a few decades, Indian jihadists and also carried out India’s doors to the Rohingya. The
the sudden recourse to naming and shaming, fining and disrobing, Even more galling is the fact that allowing the Rohingya a run of the place actions inside Myanmar. solution lies in creating conditions so
reported from different states is a gross violation of SBM guide- many of the countries who pontificate in India will constitute a serious threat Even today, jihadist Rohingya groups that these people can go back to where
lines. Those continuing with this unhygienic practice may be that deportation is unconscionable to national security. Many Rohingya have a clear link with Pakistan – the they came from.
doing so for a variety of reasons: poverty, lack of awareness, damage because it means pushing these people were part of the ‘jihad’ against the chief of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation But until that happens, India is
to toilet, no water availability or just an inability to shake off an in harm’s way, are quite blasé about the erstwhile Soviet Union in Afghanistan Army was born in Karachi and has close trying to give whatever assistance it can
fate of those whom they deport from and later participated in jihadist action links with Pakistani jihadist groups and to a friendly country like Bangladesh
ingrained habit.
their countries. For instance, Hazara in Kashmir. indeed Pakistani intelligence agencies. to cope with the refugee burden. What
With so much top-level political commitment invested in SBM Shias from Pakistan have been fleeing A large number of them also went Recent intelligence has only corroborated India cannot afford to do is to fall for
there is temptation among local politicians and bureaucrats to massacres by Sunni terror groups (many back to Bangladesh and formed the these links and even indicated that the false and self-serving narrative
deploy punitive measures. They must not lose sight of the SBM goal of them supported by the Pakistani nucleus of the jihadist organisations the terror attacks inside Myanmar were about its image, democratic credentials,
of restoring human dignity. The urgency to meet the 2019 goal of ‘deep state’) by the droves but find the that struck roots in Bangladesh during orchestrated by ISI and Pakistani traditions and so on, and open the flood-
universal toilet coverage must not lead to a situation where toilets doors of most countries closed to them. the regime of General Ershad and later jihadist groups. gates to refugees.
The government’s apprehension that Begum Khaleda Zia. Using Bangladesh If news reportage from some refugee The writer is Senior Fellow, Vivekananda
are poorly constructed, deserving beneficiaries are overlooked,
the Rohingya constitute a clear and as a base, they established links with camps is anything to go by, many of the International Foundation
and verification of construction and usage is given the short
shrift. Even as more toilets get built Indian cities are in crying
need of solid waste management. SBM must focus its attention in
this direction too. Why I will not be celebrating Diwali this year:
Not Festive Gujarat something broke when I heard of the attack on Junaid
Nandini Sundar A round of visits followed. How can i be happy at Diwali,
Since neither of my parents are when Junaid’s family – and
When a Dalit is killed for ‘watching’ garba, law As a child, originally from Delhi, there were that of many others who have
the two most few family members around. suffered the corrosive hate of a
must send strongest message of deterrence important But my father’s uncle, K Swami- communal attack – have not be-
events in my nathan, lived in Naoroji Nagar, en able to celebrate their Eid?

I
t is unconscionable that in 21st century India the Dalit identity
calendar were
continues to be stigmatised and many Dalits subjected to my birthday
violence directly on account of their caste. This Sunday and Diwali.
morning 21-year-old Jayesh Solanki was allegedly beaten to death Weeks before Diwali my
by a group of upper caste Patels in Gujarat’s Anand district, who mother would go to the Blind
took quarrel with a Dalit’s right to ‘watch’ their garba. Police have School fair and buy candles. My
registered an FIR against eight persons, for murder and under the sister and i would both get new
clothes for each of our birth-
SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Now the administration must days and for Diwali. I recall how
ensure a fair probe and exemplary punishment for the guilty. Strong we hovered over our mother as
punishments are essential to discourage she mapped out the cloth on a
caste discrimination in Indian society. newspaper, cut and stitched it
Last year Gujarat had witnessed wide- on her Singer machine.
spread unrest after a cow vigilante group had For us, what mattered most
on Diwali was not the crackers
mercilessly beaten up a Dalit family in Una, and the evening lights, but the
which has had to abandon its traditional mornings. One would have to
occupation of skinning dead cattle even as wake up at 4am, and have an oil
their hope for justice ebbs away. What makes bath. My mother would arrange
matters worse in such cases is that policemen our new clothes with a lamp,
often play along with the accused, rather rice and a coin on a silver tray.
than enforce rule of law to safeguard the victims. In the Una case
We would scramble to find
textbooks to place on the tray
four policemen were suspended for trying to help the accused. These for the Saraswati puja.
men in uniform were later released on bail. By dawn, however, we would
Though the Constitution provides for strict action against all be bathed and ready. Then, as
atrocities on Dalits, implementation of the law remains poor. Cases on all Sundays (also the weekly
of atrocities against SCs in the country have grown dramatically hair wash day), we would
breakfast on dosas with MS
from 26,127 in 2005 to 45,003 in 2015 but conviction rate has come Subalakshmi’s Bhaja Govindam
down from 30% to 28%. Gujarat’s record is abysmal, with conviction and Vishnu Sahsranam playing
in only 11cases out of chargesheets filed in 949 cases in 2015. The fact in the background.
is that as Dalit mobilisation rapidly gains strength, law must act
apace. Otherwise angry blowback may carry the day. dilbert
from where he edited the collec-
ted works of Mahatma Gandhi.
He and his wife, Vishala Patti,
were the first stop, and we always
got a banana each as we left.
And then there were visits to
various Tamil colleagues of
my father’s, whose sons and
daughters were much older,
or at any rate, always much
When some people take
pleasure in the death of
a Gauri Lankesh, how
does one have the heart
to celebrate anything at
all? The small black
snakes of my childhood
have become Kaliyas,
but there is no Krishna
in sight to subdue them
better read than us. Completely
intimidated, we would come
home with relief to our Diwali
lunch, which was usually pooran
poli and srikhand or masale
bhat – the only indication that
we were actually half Marathi.
In the evening, my mother
would do a simple Lakshmi puja
and make little feet of rice flour
which showed Lakshmi heading
straight into our house. Like
most girls of our time we disliked
noisy bombs, held phuljadis
with care, and exclaimed at all the
anars and chakras blossoming
around us. But most of all we
loved the snakes which coiled
out of a little black pill.
As i grew older and was left
to my own devices, pre-dawn
awakenings gave way to holiday
sleep-ins. With no children to tea-
ch ritual to, i lapsed completely.
My mother’s dainty Lakshmi
feet have become in my clumsy
hands manifestations of a yeti
arrival. It’s been decades since i
ignited crackers. But my hus-
band and i still like lighting our
house, and Diwali is still a special
day in my calendar, despite the
noise, despite the spiking air
pollution – a day of visiting
parents and eating too much.
This year, when i heard of
the attack on Junaid in a sub-
urban train, something broke.
Here were young boys, on their
way back from shopping for
new clothes for Eid. What they
were doing was what every
child in this country does, look
forward with excitement to an
upcoming festival.
When some people take pleasure
in the death of a Gauri Lankesh,
how does one have the heart
to celebrate anything at all?
The small black snakes of my
childhood have become Kaliyas,
but there is no Krishna in sight
to subdue them.
I don’t know which prescient
educator prescribed these
texts, but the two stories that
have stayed with me from
school are Premchand’s Idgah
and Tagore’s Kabuliwalah. For
years, i could not narrate these
stories to others without crying.
In both, there are characters
whose festivals (Eid and a
daughter’s wedding) were made
happier through the happiness
of others. If our sense of our
selves expands when we share
our happiness, it also expands
when we share the sadness of
others.
For me it is more important
to be human than merely to be
Hindu. This year, my house will
be dark on Diwali, but at least
my heart will be lighter.
The writer teaches sociology at
Delhi University
Sacredspace
Is It Mystery?

A bathroom romance To ground the world in mystery is

To deny all possibility of
explaining it
Just try serenading the shower In any allegedly ultimate sense
spout or nuzzling the ceramic tiles There are ultimately only
two religious truths:
Bikram Vohra The first is that reality is mystery;
The second is that this mystery
It all began with a filmstar’s love for her water cooler and the
husky relationship she shared with it. But now it seems the ‘in’
is graciousness
thing is falling in love with your bathroom fittings. Since this Keith Ward
genuine b-romance is clearly working i thought i would give it
a shot. So when my wife and daughters were out of the house i

Awakening The Joy In Your Heart

went in and began to fondle the hot water faucet.
Love you, buttercup, i said, my voice breaking with emotion and desire
brimming over the edges, i sit in office and long to be near you, i wait all day to
caress your sleek lines. The faucet remained unmoved.
I burst into song. Where do you go to, my lovely, when you are alone in your Thich Nhat Hanh be possible to get in touch with we are back in the here and now, fully breathe out mindfully, or when
tub, what are the thoughts that surround you when you go rub a rub rub? The happiness at any time of the day, But present and alive and we can get in you walk mindfully, with every
shower head gurgled. how to get in touch with it? touch with the wonders of life that are step, you generate the energy of

E
veryone who is human has a
As it so often happens when husbands think their wives are out but are spiritual dimension. Without a
actually at home my wife entered this heartwarming scene and poured cold spiritual dimension, it is
water on my amour. ‘I know you are old,’ she said with a curl of her lip, “but i did difficult for us to solve difficulties. If
not know you have become senile, what on earth are you doing?’ Line ‘maroing’ you have a good spiritual practice, you
the shower spout, i said, i am serenading it, and giving it a sensual massage. are no longer afraid, because you
‘Omigoodness,’ she said, ‘He has completely lost it, call the doctor.’ know how to deal with difficulties
I am perfectly sane, i replied tartly, i am just working my charm on the and can meet any situation with calm
tub and will then go for the basin. and peace.
After which i shall nuzzle the walls because they have been freshly A good Buddhist practitioner
painted with ‘J’taime’ protective paint and you do know that paint changes should be able to handle feelings of
your life, kills the neighbours with envy, that depending on the paint you use pain and despair or strong emotions
your life will transform into a shining miracle, your troubles will vanish, and like fear, anger and hate. He should be
you will be visited by Shah Rukh Khan. Who needs to flirt with a woman when able to use the practice of deep
you can brush the town red with a can of paint on your arm.
I told my wife that after my affair with paint has dried up i am going to have a
listening to restore communication
and generate a feeling of joy and
If we breathe in mindfully and be
aware of our in-breath, you bring the
mind home to your body and when
your mind is with the body,
you are truly there, living
fully in the here and now. In
ordinary life, very often, our
body is there, but our mind is
elsewhere. We are caught in
sorrow or regret of the past,
or we are caught in the fear
and uncertainty concerning
the future. We are caught in the
our projects. Our mind is not
there with our body. We are not speaking
available in the here and now.
The Buddha said that the past is
already gone and the future is not yet
here; there is only one mo-
ment when you can be fully
alive, and that is the present
moment. The present mo-
ment has all the wonders of
life in it. So the basic practice
invented by the Buddha is to
go home to the present
moment and that can be done
by just one in-breath or one
step made in mindfulness.
The practice of mindful
mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the kind of energy
that allows us to know what is
happening in the present moment; it
is always mindfulness of something.
When you breathe in mindfully, that is
the mindfulness of breathing. When
you drink your tea mindfully, that is
mindfulness of drinking. When
you walk mindfully, that is the
mindfulness of walking. When you
are doing anything mindfully, you are
always in the here and now and are
living deeply every moment.

fling with a ceramic tile. Tiles are big on romance, especially the ones that have happiness whenever he wants to. truly there. tree breathing and walking are
Retreats led by teachers in the tradition of
Thich Nhat Hanh, Oct 13-15, Dehradun and
veins in their marble and you can sure have wild designs on them, if you get the Many describe God in terms of The practice of mindful breathing not too difficult; they enable us to go Nov 6-8 in Gurugram. Evenings of Mind-
drift. She said, ‘I should have listened to my mother 36 years ago, she warned me love but French writer, Andre Gide, recommended by the Buddha helps us back to the here and now in order to fulness in Dehradun on Oct 11and in Delhi,
you were odd, will you stop planting kisses on the sunset copper coloured wall described God as happiness. If God is to bring our mind home to our body, live deeply for every moment given to Nov 9. Contact: ahimsa.trust@gmail.com,
when i speak to you.’ available 24 hours a day, then it should and when our mind is with our body, us to live. When you breathe in or Tel: 8447734129. www.ahimsatrust.org