US, India and Kamala!

 Independence day in India is always a grand event as it happens on August 15th of the year. A year has 365 days and if you have a cut off at Aug 15th ,it is 227 days into the year starting from Jan 1st..This is approx 1.66:1 of the year. That is the Golden Ratio which is supposed to be a mystic proportion of anything including the picture of Mona Lisa ,and that is considered to have made it magically beautiful.

That apart, Indian Independence day this year was preceded by the announcement of Kamala Harris as the running mate of the US democratic presidential candidate Biden.

Kamala Harris' mother was of Indian origin from Chennai. She carries the name Kamala which is a traditional Sanskrit name for Lotus flower. Indian ruling party BJP has Lotus symbol as its primary identity. The moot point is , the common least denominator between the ruling party of india and US politician Kamala ,is the Lotus . In many ways, Lotus i.e Kamal is very dear to india and it is the official flower of the country also.

From time immemorial in all the Indian Sanskrit scriptures and literature, Lotus has come to be identified with the cultural and religious sanctity.It holds a premier position in Hindu/Buddhist/Jain/Sikh religions as representative of all that is blemishless and purity. Many of the Hindu,incl. Buddhist etc. Gods or Goddesses are seen seated on the Lotus flower as it symbolizes purity in full bloom. Offering Lotus to Hindu Gods and Goddesses is believed to usher in , auspiciousness and prosperity into the lives of devotees. Even our heart is called Hridaya kamala in our literature. In higher philosophy,'Ka' is referred to as Brahman(paramatma), 'Ma' is referred to as Human(jeevatma), and 'La' is referred to as Acharya or Sri, who tirelessly work in uniting the Jeevatma with the Paramatma.

But it looks like the connection between Kamala Harris and India seems to end with Kamala and not beyond that, since the general social and political outlook of BJP and Kamal harris are totally divergent.They do not share a common platform of understanding of the fabric of Indian society, which is inherently plural and democratic. She has shared her opinion of Indian ruling class , relationships with Pak, Kashmir problems etc. seen through the prism of US and not through the prism of India. Pak and Bangladesh are offsprings of India and it is not sibling rivalry that bogs down India-Pak relationships as viewed by US generally. 

To that extent , I humbly believe, Kamala Harris will have to borrow an Indian prism to look at Indian subcontinent issues, since almost 7 countries(India, Pak, Bangladesh, Afghan,Nepal,Bhutan and SriLanka of South Asia were all part of Bharat i.e India ,till the advent of the 20th century.The cultural and religious relationships and influence of India extend beyond this to China, especially Tibet and all the South east Asian countries incl. Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia etc.

Finally, she should not forget that India is a 70year old thriving democracy and that too the largest democracy in the world sharing many similarities with US, which Columbus thought to be India!!

Minimalism-இருந்தும் ,இல்லாமல் இரு!

 Minimalism is an old concept but is gaining ground these days when Covid 19 pandemic is trying to devour the entire world.

Minimalism is all about living with less. This is not a fad but a way of life of renunciation and deep withdrawal from worldly pleasures, which has a profound effect on the psychology of humans.

In India, many of our Saints and philosophers have talked about leading life of penance ,sacrifice and total detachment. Even wealthy persons of yester years led a life like that of a Trustees of their wealth. Gandhiji also said this in his seven sins of life:

"Wealth without work; Pleasure without Conscience;Science without humanity;Knowledge without character; Politics without principle; Commerce without Morality; Worship without sacrifice"

It is said that Gandhiji also laid lot of stress on wealthy businessmen and persons to remember that they are Trustees not owners of their wealth which provide them an opportunity to serve the people at large and for social welfare.

Minimalist philosophy emphasizes on getting rid of excess stuff and living life with less and less of worldly possessions.

This is similar to the concept of leading a life like that of water on Lotus leaf. It is a status of living attached but detached explained in Bhagavad Gita. Nishkamya karma yoga in Gita is a path on the same lines without any attachment to the results. If you stretch it , this will show that the emphasis is on being not selfish but living for the sake of greater good of the society.

In Tamilnadu, siddhars gave a concept of "இருந்தும் இல்லாமல் இரு" which is nothing but minimalism of modern era. Siddhars extended this concept even to knowing the meaning of our existence. According to them God Dhakshinamurthy symbolises total silence and  inward withdrawal of soul to know thyself. Arunagirinathar was delighted at being advised by the Lord "to remain in silence".Even getting rid of words or speech is the best way to realise the truth about oneself.

This is Minimalism at its maximum!