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Elders becoming flag bearers of political toxicity

New India !!

Youngsters, take care of metal health of your elders while they themselves keep being physically fit and healthy.

A 95 years old community elder was being popularly quoted in our social Whatsapp group for his inspiring health and dedication towards discipline in daily routines and diet. He indeed appears much younger to his age. It came out that he is also a cartoonist and is active on social media. Finding this interesting I looked at his twitter handle.

To my surprise I found him creating and posting toxic political content with strong undertones of hatred, misogyny and mindless racial and religious prejudice.  

With due respect to this grand old formar senior who superannuated decades back and whose actions relating to managing health may be inspirational, is it not imperatively excepted that at this age a nonagenarian sheds prejudices, stops being socially toxic and politically vile? 

However I am finding that more of such elders, senior retired persons, are falling prey to being prime flag bearers of virulent socio-political raids of modern day ideas of Caligulas and Mihirkulas. One peep into their whatsapp groups would reveal how much religeous, racial and political hatred is being spewed constantly in such groups which also spills over to facebook and twitter at times with some more active ones even if struggling beyond 90, taking leads.

Kaun raja hai bhai aaj kal … the ignorance of commoners

Before advent of formal democratisation and/or republicanism and emerging of more rational science guided human consciousness, world was ruled by various kings, princes, Jamindaars kinds, who used to take over charge as caretakers or keepers or just plain usurper of territorial authority.

There used to be no geographic entities as present day nations we commonly know of. It was all open ground inviting political change as and when new raider establishes new administration or some local bully rises to gang up over all citizens of that geography.

People used to be part of many states under different rulers during their single life time. Kaun raja hai bhai aaj kal … who is the king these days was usual query which used to remain unanswered for majority of people who were busy in day to day efforts to meet ends. Very few bothered and these were the elite who used to be beneficiaries of power sharing emanating from authority of local king who used to get authority from some bigger king and so forth.

If religion or faith was important for keeping the ruler’s authority strong and going, it was misused or used or even created for that objective as it still continues to be done today.

India too before 100 years or so was nothing but geopolitical collage of variety of independent rulers each holding and protecting territory and looking forward for opportunities to expand further. Most of these rulers were part of family or common interest pyramid of authority which from time to time had different apexes like Maharaja Dheerrajah or Badshah or Monarchs because many of these rulers of rulers arrived from far off places to subjugate territories and its inhabitants. 

Not that people from across Hindukush and Himalaya only adventured from far of places into north India as Hun, Kushan, Sakas, Greeks, Mughals did, even ambitious kings from south of Vindhyas tramped north or rajahs of central India went fighting wars in south and east. None of these rulers had been popular with locals who were made subjects forcibly by the raiders, be it Indian or malechhas raiders. This was true for foreign invaders as much for the sons of soil Indian raiders. These kings had no emotional attachment to any single superset country like we now refer to as India. They all had attachment only with their region of origin, themselves and the ruling family. That’s it. There was no collective war or resistance against common enemy like say British or Mughals or Kushans and Huns solely for the sake of any larger binding national cause, because for them there was neither a nation nor a common cause. They all were fighting for the control of personal and family owned territories and authorities of their own or on lein from some Badshah or Maharaja Dheerrajah or Monarch. 

Today we are country of true commoners, bound through a constitution we wrote for ourselves. There is no king or ruler who could claim divine right to govern over us. The glories of past are mostly glories of kings written by their trumpet players and courtiers. That glory is no glory to be glorified today. Let past kings slide past in past and rest. There is nothing we can learn from them.

Civilisational progress keeps developing linearly upwards

I am waiting for the day when AI generated images and videos too, like the one in circulation these days claiming greatness of our ancient Rishis who could do surgery and were discoverers of many laws of science which westerners stole from India, would source genesis from some ancient myth and try to prove how advance those mythical characters were. 

Civilisations have been progressing and developing linearly upward over 8000 years. People in olden times too were aware of many processes and procedure like days, months, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and surgery but learnt from sheer observations. Some resourceful ones recorded that too when they learnt to write and found something to write on like clay tablets, or rocks or even some leaf. However they never could anywhere explain the logic for the conclusion they arrived at. Gods of many kinds and their divine actions, charms and magics were their excuses to explain what they otherwise observed. 

Mesopotamians, and Sumerians at least 7000 years before were  making canals, developing languages and were writing on astronomy and medicine on tablets which are available to verify today. SURGERY was common in Mesopotamia too some 6000 years back. It was common in several places in later civilisations too. Not that Indians might not have known these things. May be, but those experiences or even of say Mesopotamians,  no where can be compared to modern science to make false claims of suprematist greatness using fakery. 

To associate Newtons findings to falling apple is kiddish. Newton's observation was not restricted to just recording somewhere on dry leaf what he observed. He went ahead and developed full theory and scientific reasoning around his observations and proved those laws for universality using complex mathematics and by submitting his finding to critical analysis and peer review and were later led to consistent practical purposes and inventions. All those finding of various hardworking men  during past 6 centuries  have led  us to have today tools like aeroplanes to fly to foreign lands to become NRI and enjoy AI which  creates such fake videos to covert and indoctrinate even educated, experienced  elders into mediocrity.

Real history is different

World always existed beyond Kandhar and Sindh and prosperously too. Most of the history of the world here and also away from boundaries of the subcontinent as we mean India today, is as what had happened, though of course doped, some what faked and exaggerated with narratives ordered, commissioned, inspired, by powerful rulers as well, still vastly established and corrected with modern tools of investigative archeology, literature and language.

Greeks, Huns, Hans, Parthians, Romans, Kushan, Scythians Sakas, Bactrians, Persians, Achaemenidians, Egyptians, Chinese, Sumerians, and Mesopotamians were real people and lived and prospered through several hundred or even couple of thousand years before and during the times we started listening live to Buddha and saw recording history of Nandas and Mauryas on edicts and coins, and establishment of formal large empires in what we call now India. These all so called malechha people had Kings, shatrapas, heroes and gods of their own and some even much popular too. Some of these deities and their stories even migrated along with people and cultures into Indian subcontinent when they invaded, visited for trade or simply came over and settled as people used to do those days everywhere. This all started happening many hundreds of years before Satvahnaas, Nagas, Guptas, Chalukyas, Palavaas, rose and raised our pride. Conclusively though these all people here and there in far lands were real people who lived.

Contrastingly our history of ancient times as is being popularised and propounded today mainly by WhatsApp university educated historians and sundry commercialised religious preachers filled with obstinance, is mythology heavy with unbelievable tales of mixed up characters, many raised to being gods, soaked in past memories and magical imaginations. This history is unrelated and different from real findings which are outcome of the researches by scientific and rationally passionate minds. It is promoted and oversold by colluding elites and indoctrinated cult practitioners using modern tools of printing and publishing, social media and instant messaging, the processes which still continue to blur reality with fanaticism of fantasy.

Obama's comments on India: Whataboutery would be considered admittance

Credibility of Obama among global statesmen is undoubtedly on much greater pedestal than even most of the leaders holding formal statuses as heads of states. It would be immature to confront his opinion with juvenile arguments chastising him for his personality and background and his mistaken faith and also on irrelevant and connected topic of wars US fought in middle east under his presidency. It’s highly unlikely that global audience would consider Obama’s opinion as biased and based on hearsay just because we disagreed with him and countered with our rebuttal so clumsily.


Comparing his views about supposed atrocities on minorities in India to US bombing some middle eastern countries during his tenure is also highly questionable. Those bombings or invasions, even if not concurred by all nations, were part of formally declared wars with identified enemy countries of his nation for which he had authorisation and approval of his people. It was not against any ethnicity but against some nation his country considered working against their interests. We may differ with him on that account. However this can’t be used to form biased opinions and to counter argue his perception about atrocities on minorities in India.

Cow vigilantism, bulldozing of dwellings without waiting for court sanctions, letting private rogue crowds to inflict damages to persons and properties or even places of worship, instigating violence against people of different faiths and calling of general boycott of section of society based on religion or caste, all these accusations even if mere rumours in view of ruling dispensation here, must have been the background of Obama’s opinion which he expressed. He could be wrong. However this can’t be brushed aside with rather casual and loose views that he doesn’t possess authority to speak on these issues because of the reason that he allegedly, in our opinion, ordered under his authority killing of one particular ethnicity while actually on war with some nations or by using slurs about his faith as had been done by a senior ruling party politician. That kind of supposed rebuttal as some officials tried giving as counterpoise to Obama’s statement would not stand scrutiny of global opinion makers considering Obama’s status. It might actually give false impression that we agree to his views but don’t care because US did something similar during presidency of Obama. That’s laughable.

Obama was not making off the cuff statements on his own. He was rather responding to a question he was asked in an interview. If we disagreed with his opinion or doubted his sources, there should have been efforts to approach him directly with convincing facts and figures and reasoning using trustworthy diplomatic resources publicly or discreetly. That might have allowed him chance to correct himself being responsible statesman. He was after all former president of US and had worked for bettering of Indo US ties particularly during tenure of present governing party in India and has cordial relations with PM. This would have showcased maturity of our leadership.

Using whataboutery to counter him that too by some of the highest and formal ranking officials and even making of personal comments over his faith by people holding position of power would be counterproductive as it brings disrespect to country’s diplomatic credibility globally. This is avoidable.

Subir Raha

Raha was compulsive smoker, loved single malt and he indeed used to break accepted norms for that and for pushing his agenda and his opinion. Some times he did conduct little harsh or acted bit too quickly publicly ruffling egos of colleagues and subordinates, albeit avoidable indeed when we recapitulate that conduct. However such strong headed persons are known to always keep some little aberration that makes their stories romantic and readworthy when we look back !!! We should focus on what defined such a person in overall perspective of achievements he delivered as Chairman of ONGC. 

Read about Steve Jobs another maverick who too was hated by many of his colleagues and subordinates because of the display of similar aberrations in personal communication. However Raha was man with kind heart which many of those who worked with him can vouch for. He had multifaceted talent. Correcting grammar and spelling on note-sheets to making business decisions efficiently and quickly to being senior uniformed Territorial Army officer were hallmark of his personality we rarely see commonly.

Turning around an almost sick PSU into a most valuable organisation of the country in just first two years of his tenure as C&MD and providing it with an acceleration that makes ONGC hold position of supremacy even today, are corporate miracles. Lessons of leadership he left, torch light ONGCians’ path to excellence even to this day. A lot positive for ONGC happened in past two decades due to that very push it acquired those days under Raha. ‬

Subir Raha was credited for transforming India’s vital most oil and gas exploration company from near deathbed to emerge most valued Indian conglomerate at the bourses those times. 

Allaying purported legacy of dithering to change for being a PSU, ONGC’s early rollout of SAP based applications to digitise inwards and outward finance and HR processes under Raha’s chairmanship in 2001-05 is unmatched initiatives needing praiseworthy mention.‬ Open house 'on the go kind platform' ONGCReports provided revolutionary two way communication opportunity to both employees and management unheard during early 2000 even in private sector. Taking over sick MRPL and turning it around within two years was a PSU's triumph over failing private sector. We should celebrate that leadership.

Subir Raha has been one of the tallest of industry leaders of those times. More so, for he led an unexpected candidate ONGC, which was a potential BIFR case and a failing public sector giant, to achieve unheard of value creation and a turnaround case story. Besides Sheshan, perhaps he remains one of rare few who stood firmly and performed excellently for independence of the public institution ONGC is and delivered outstandingly. As CEO of this global oil major he behaved befittingly to that stature and used to accept advice not orders from political and bureaucratic superiors. 

Raha was not a corporate Czar having the mantle bestowed on him. He earned it by being talented, upright, firm, determined, hard working and being always committed to what he considered right.

Had he been alive today, Subir would have been a valued national figure contributing immensely for development of the country, for his real time was now. He did not live short life. He lived it fullest. Being some what maniacal perfectionist himself, he expected that. It's we who might have failed him. He attempted and succeed in transforming a whole generation of leadership in govt. owned companies.


It’s sad, whosoever followed at the helms he handed over, hardly could match the spark he had ignited.