Do it yourself

 I find nothing more disturbing than demolition of a long preserved and much cherished image or belief. Occurrence of this often gives rise to cynicism, shaking the core of the belief system. The recent act of violence in Japan is one such event. People of my generation have known Japanese people for their politeness and commitment to non-violence. The pictures of Japanese crowds showing remarkable patience and calmness during adversities have been much cherished by post WWII generations. The assassination of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, last week, while he was addressing a public meeting has shattered many images I was carrying in my mind. This is perhaps first of its kind of act of violence since assassination of Inejirō Asanuma, the then Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party. However, in the pre-war era, political assassinations were rather commonplace in Japan. Japanese people took pride in their martial and imperialistic traditions. Many believe the 1945 nu...

Once there was a tyrant feudal lord. He would oppress his subjects using all the means within his power. He would often torture them; force them serve to his cause; plunder their assets; abuse their women and children; violate their traditions and culture and exploit their lands to his benefit. Once he learnt that one of the traders in his village posses large amount of gold and precious stones. He immediately summoned the trader to his palace and ordered him to surrender all his wealth to his Lordship. The trader refused to obey the orders arguing that the wealth is the reward of the hard work done by him and his ancestors, and only his children have the right to own it. The Lord got furious and ordered his muscleman to beat the trader black & blue and lock him in the basement. The musclemen would beat the trader everyday but he would not tell them where his treasure is hidden. To make sure that the trader does not die before disclosing the location of his treasure, the Lord's...

 As we celebrate the 74 th anniversary of our independence from the British rule, we appear to be even more resolute in our persistence to deny some of the unpleasant facts, that allowed Europeans to conquer and brutalize ancient and wealthy civilizations, such as ours. We refuse to accept the answers and explanations to the uncomfortable questions, that are relevant today, more than ever. For example, consider the following: 1.          How did Europeans, whom we believed to be primitive, become so powerful in the Middle Ages, especially 14 th and 15 th century, that they were able to conquer and enslave ancient civilization which had mastered art, science, mathematics, and philosophy? Most of us refuse to acknowledge, it was the Renaissance, total break from the past dogmas and acceptance of a new paradigm, that helped Europeans reinvent themselves as a great political, economic, and scientific power that shall rule the world for man...