Kamaraj’s reluctance and Periyar’s insistence

At Government Estate in Madras (presently Chennai), Dravidar Kazhagam’s President Thanthai Periyar, Varadarajulu Naidu – one of the Congress’s senior leaders – and Kamaraj were conversing.

Varadarajulu Naidu said to Periyar, “We all wish Kamaraj to be our next Chief Minister but he has been adamant in acceding to. So, if you suggest to him then he would be compelled to take it up. Hence, we invited you.”

Periyar thought for a while and said to Kamaraj, “You shouldn’t hesitate. This is an important position and you are the one to be placed as Chief Minister, which Rajaji held.”

But Kamaraj was reluctant and replied, “Now I hold the post of State Committee President. This is enough for me. For my temperament, I don’t think ruling Government as my cup of tea. We shall place someone else from our side on the post and run the Government.”

But Periyar did not give up. And he emotionally said, “We are there. We shall look into everything. Don’t object our suggestion.”

Periyar’s words made an impact and influenced Kamaraj.

And Kamaraj acknowledged.

Periyar’s insistence on Kamaraj becoming the Chief Minister seems to be spot on.

Many primary schools, closed by Rajaji under Kulakalvi Scheme, while he was Chief Minister were reopened. Besides 2000 new schools were started by the state. Revolution took place silently in the education frontier.

And below is a brief of an incident that stands testimony to the governing skill of Kamaraj.

A Minister, part of Kamaraj’s ministry, had vented offensive statements to the head of a department, which comes under him. The official took up the issue to Chief Secretary. In turn, Chief Secretary raised the issue to Kamaraj. Understanding the issue, CM Kamaraj summoned the Minister and official and they adhered. Chief Secretary was also present.

Kamaraj said to the Minister, “We all have come to serve people. For myself and you, our stint at office is just five years whereas, for bureaucrats, it is not so. Power and authority is bestowed on them till their retirement. Be it anybody, there has to be a respectful treatment. It is absolutely wrong to vent offensive statements against someone. I require you to tender apology to the official.”

Having the statement come from Kamaraj and the Minister finding himself guilty, he apologized to the official and subsequently, the official felt pacified.

What happened next highlights Kamaraj’s skill as a veteran administrator!

Despite the Minister rendering an apology and the official feeling appeased, the impact that the incident had created in the minds of both the people might take some time to subside. Keeping this in mind, Kamaraj said to Chief Secretary, “Shift the official to some other department of his choice. And consult with the Minister to appoint another official, who is cooperative with him.”

There have been several instances where a particular sect persistently tries belittling Periyar and hail Kamaraj just for their political gains… ultimately their personal gains. This despite them knowing the impact and influence of Periyar over Kamaraj.

Ironically, this very same sect had denigrated Kamaraj citing him having no formal educational background.

But Kamaraj had shown his mettle.

After Independence, as the third Chief Minister, Kamaraj had effectively ruled Tamil Nadu rendering justice to social, educational and economic fronts for nine years (1954-1963).

Photo courtesy: Asiaville

An extract, from Arignar Anna’s editorial, standing true in present-day…WORRISOME

Today, while reading the book, ‘Gandhi Ramasamiyum Periyar Ramasamiyum’ (Literal translation: Gandhi Ramasamy and Periyar Ramasamy), I stumbled on a striking metaphorical interpretation, written by Arignar Anna over a historic event in South India.

Note the coincidence here.

Today (15^th September) is the 112th birth day of Arignar Anna.

What a day to get immersed in the powerful writings of one of the towering personalities in Indian Politics!

Below is the historic event…

In March 1948, Congress legislative party election was held. Tanguturi Prakasam pitted against O. P. Ramasamy alias O. P. R. wherein the latter won with the support of Kamaraj. But, there was a ploy intended to defeat O. P. R. by the sect that was dissatisfied with his actions, especially due to his urge in bringing progressive political reforms.

Disturbed upon noticing the ploy, from the bottom of his heart, Arignar Anna wrote an editorial titled, ‘Gandhi Ramasamiyum Periyar Ramasamiyum’ (Literal translation: Gandhi Ramasamy and Periyar Ramasamy) in his magazine Dravida Nadu.

Below is the metaphorical interpretation, which is a part of his editorial and the one I was previously referring to…

“It smells bad”, said some evil-minded citing Jasmine flower. Some other said let people who have the ability to perceive the odour, smell and let know if it emits fragrance or not. One did and said, “Whoa! It smells good. Who the hell did proclaim otherwise”. It feels happy to hear but rather saying it, we really regret the fact on deceiving detractors prevailing to exploit the minds that are vulnerable enough to doubt the smell of Jasmine. Likewise, more than being elated by the victory of O. P. R., the instance enables and badly hurts us to get to know the existence of malicious minds awaiting to set ploy around righteous people.  

Despite the editorial written long back for a historic event, it stands true even in the present-day. WORRISOME.

Degree of the Righteousness of O. P. Ramasamy

Recently, I started reading the Tamil book, ‘Gandhi Ramasamiyum Periyar Ramasamiyum’ (Literal translation: Gandhi Ramasamy and Periyar Ramasamy) written by P. Thirumavelan.

So far, the book is providing a peek into the political career of O. P. Ramasamy alias O. P. R, who served as the Premier of Madras Presidency from 23^rd March 1947 till 6^th April 1949.

Among his many admirable qualities as a leader, one that is most noticeable is his righteousness.

I present below an excerpt from the book that bears testimony to the trait.

In 1948, there was a vacancy for the position of a Judge in Madras High Court. The then Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice Dr. P. V. Rajamannar recommended renowned criminal lawyer N. Somasundaram, which then Premier O. P. R acceded.

Having desired the position for his son-in-law V. K. Thiruvenkatachari, India’s Defence Minister and Jawaharlal Nehru’s friend N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar felt disappointed and conveyed the same to Nehru. Later, in the presence of Patel, Nehru told O. P. R, “You are trying to run a non-Brahmin Government on the basis of caste”. Provoked by the statement, O. P. R replied, “Retract your statement. Or else accept my resignation”. Patel said, “If O. P. R resigns then it will lead to new political changes. We shouldn’t end up in such a situation.” and ended the matter.

Justice Dr. P. V. Rajamannar commented that the appointment of Somasundaram angered brahmins, who were expecting a person from their community to get instituted. He noted on O. P. R. not interfering in the appointment and it was him who recommended N. Somasundaram to O. P. R. Also, he conveyed that O. P. R. is not against brahmins but, at the same time, he is not a person who would circumvent law to favor Brahmins.

Going by the above incident, O. P. Ramasamy, as a righteous politician, could well be termed as a touchstone in Indian political history.

Photo courtesy: Hindu Tamil

Here are 3 Evergreen Political Lessons from Marvel’s Black Panther

‘T’Challa’ aka ‘Black Panther’ (Image Source: Marvel Studios)

I happened to watch ‘Black Panther’ last weekend. Before watching it, my perception about it was that it is a marvel movie that has black people as its primary cast. But, after viewing the movie, I am putting up the statement that the movie has a very sound substance; a substance that is sound enough beyond its predominant black cast; a substance that is sound enough beyond in showcasing the African community in a good light; a substance that is sound enough beyond the ethical values conveyed in the movie. And, to be precise in my point, a substance that is sound enough to resonate with political views. In this article, I share 3 lessons from ‘Black Panther’ that support my claims about the movie’s substance.

1. Oppressed races must stay united forever:

It is of primary importance for the oppressed races to stay united among them. This is crucial not only in times when a race is under the dominant clutches of another race. But, also when it is or it seems like the former is set free from the clutches of the latter. Here, you may ask, “Unity in what?” I have two points to brief on the same.

First, it is the political difference that is causing distortions in the unity of a race. Difference arise when the practical complications in the political set-up are not understood. A race can uproot this difference by approaching politics in a practical way.

Second, it is the religious difference. This applies to races that have people following various religions. Here, approach with reasoning is the best way to uproot the difference.

You can find a best illustration of my first point via the character, ‘W’Kabi’ in ‘Black Panther’. It will let you know how distortions occur in a race’s unity due to political differences. Another character, ‘M’Baku’ exemplifies the importance of a race’s unity under adverse circumstances.

‘M’Baku’ (4th Left) and ‘W’Kabi’ (2nd Right) (Image Source: Marvel Studios)

2. Retrospective analysis is good, but only in ideal cases:

Consider this scenario. A person hailing from political background takes leadership mantle in a political system. In this scenario, people shouldn’t assess the person based on their perception about his/her successors… provided the person shows signs of constructive governance.

‘T’Challa’ aka ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Ramonda’ (Image Source: Marvel Studios)

By assessing a person so without careful deliberations, you might lose a good leader. Sometimes, you end up with a bad leader too.

There are sequences in ‘Black Panther’ that depict the above scenario to a certain extent. In the movie, as a result of not assessing ‘T’Challa’ aka ‘Black Panther’ well, Wakanda (the fictional nation) ends up with the bad leader, ‘KillMonger’.

Killmonger (Image Source: Marvel Studios)

3. A nation’s self-sufficiency is as important as its technological innovations:

Wakanda (Image Source: Marvel Studios)

In ‘Black Panther’, Wakanda seems to be far ahead of the rest of the world in technological innovations. At the same time, they remain self-sufficient… self-sufficient in areas like its Healthcare and Defence. This is by placing at the helm the right person, which is ‘Shuri’ (Black Panther’s sister). She keeps on exploring the available opportunities to render innovations.

This scenario might take place in a movie. But, it shows how innovations and progress towards a nation’s self-sufficiency should happen.

So, that’s with the political lessons, which I have learnt from ‘Black Panther‘. Hope you found it useful.

For me, it was a sweet surprise to watch a fictional movie that appeared so deep in its political thoughts. I would say that this factor makes ‘Black Panther‘ a must watch movie for those interested in politics. If you are one among them and yet to catch with the movie then do watch it! If any other lesson strikes your mind then do share them in the comments to grow the list!

Significance of Self-Organized Social Movements

During the course of the political history, we have seen people following leaders, purely based on their charisma. Rather, being obsessed with the charisma of political leaders, the individuals of a society can form ideas for betterment, with respect to their ethnicity. In adverse political clouts, such ideas can be beneficial to them in treading the right path. In order to do so, firstly, one has to cultivate a personal inclination towards the history of one’s own ethnicity. Secondly, time has to be spent qualitatively to garner insight, over the subject of inclination, amidst the current day’s mechanical life. Thirdly and most importantly, open-mindedness has to be encouraged within self.

Well, an individual seems, to foster an inclination to dig deep into his/her ethnicity’s history, to be ready to manage his/her time to effectively obtain deep understanding on his subject of inclination and, to be open-minded. With the mind-set of the individual being so flexible to learn things, all she/he least requires is to have access to resource materials such as books, magazines etc., that offer authentic contents, from which they could acquire the required knowledge. This is where the necessity of Self-Organized Social Movements, which are meant for the betterment of their respective ethnicity, that possess knowledgeable and committed members led by a personality, comes into the picture.

Self-Organized Social Movements are the ones that with much care have been encouraging the sayings and the deeds of various political and non-political leaders across generations in a consistent manner, to translate their progressive ideologies. They have been the ones that have been rendering a fortification to the ideologies formulated by their founder and the follower leaders pertaining to their ethnicity.

In the absence of robust movements, the ideologies and the actions of their respective leaders, in the course of time, will be deliberately distorted by the camps that hold opposite ideologies. In some other cases, certain individuals will fail to understand the ideologies propagated by the leaders and eventually, interpret them incorrectly. In the worst case scenario, some leaders of the movement will be forgotten even by the people who have to celebrate them. The above said facts clearly illustrate the potentials of Self-Organized Social Movements in driving the attitudes of the concerned people and thereby, implicitly stress their significance in the society for its progress.

Glimpse of the piece showcasing the aftermath of the proposed Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill

Glimpse of the piece showcasing the aftermath of the proposed Constitution 123^rd Amendment Bill

I happened to read the Cover Story article in the magazine, ‘The Modern Rationalist’ (May 2017) titled, ‘CONSTITUTION 123^rd AMENDMENT BILL’ contributed by Dr. Justice A.K.Rajan, former Judge of Madras High Court. The write-up proffers an insight pertaining to the aftermath the conferment of the Constitutional powers with the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), which is likely to be on par with the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for the Scheduled Tribes (NCST), through the proposed 123^rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution. It is apparent that the NCBC is to be vested with status and powers on the basis of the amendment. At present, the law which establishes and regulates NCBC is the National Commission for Backward Classes Act 1993 [Act 27 of 1993]. But, the Act has been proposed for repeal through the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017. One could infer that, both NCSC and NCST have been functioning with Constitutional powers vested upon them vide Articles 338 and 338A respectively. Through the proposed 123^rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution, a new Article 338B is about to be included that is meant for conferring Constitutional powers to NCBC.

Following are excerpts from the article of Dr. Justice A.K.Rajan:

* The rights of States to identify the SEBCs so far exercised have been deprived to the level of mere consultation with them.

* Sub clause 5 (c) of Article 338B clearly eliminates the participation and the advice of the State concerned in the planning process of the socio – economic development of its SEBCs. As per the clause, NCBC is permitted to render only an advice on the socio – economic development of its SEBCs. This is in contrast to the way in which Articles 338 and 338A allow the NCSC and NCST in participating and advising on the planning process of socio – economic development of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes respectively.

* Articles 341 and 342 confer powers that the President may specify the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively. The provision 342A (1) has been inserted in the Bill in similar line conferring, Constitutional powers on the President to specify the SEBCs for the Central List. An amendment to Article 366 by adding sub clause 26(C), says that the socially and educationally backward classes mentioned as part of the provision 342A will be considered for the purposes of the Constitution.

* For almost 50 years, Tamil Nadu Government tried to include the community called ‘Nari – Kurvas’ also known as ‘Kuruvikkaran’ in the list of Scheduled Tribes with the Centre but in vain. Finally, the Tamil Nadu Government included the community in the list of SEBCs.

At the end of the write-up, ‘CONSTITUTION 123^rd AMENDMENT BILL’, the author suggests modifications to the Articles 342A (1) and 342A (2) and newly adds Articles 342A (3) and 342A (4) to the Constitution.

Modifications specified in the Articles 342A (1) and 342A (2) and newly added Articles 342A (3) and 342A (4) as stated in the write-up are meant thus:

Article 342A (1):

Central List of SEBCs is meant for the purposes of making provisions for reservation of posts under Government of India or under any other authority of Government of India or under the control of the Government of India or seats in the central educational institutions. Modification is suggested that President may specify on the request made by the Governor instead of consultation.

Article 342A (2):

President may include or exclude the SEBCs in the Central List as per the advice of NCBC instead of enactment of legislation for that purpose.

Article 342A (3):

State List of SEBCs meant for the purposes of making provisions for reservation of posts under that State or under any other authority of the State or under the control of the State; or seats in the educational institutions within that State. The Governor of the State specifies the SEBCs for that State.

Article 342A (4):

The Governor may on the advice of the State Commission for Backward Classes include or exclude any class from the State List of SEBCs.

The above mentioned improvisations ensure the continuance of a federal polity in India. Now, all what we the citizens of India can do is to wait to know on what is in pipeline for the States to be provided by the Centre.

Gregor Johann Mendel – Father of Modern Genetics and his Life Lessons

Gregor Johann Mendel – Father of Modern Genetics and his Life Lessons

Whenever people, on an extensive scale, discuss deeply or even initiate and engage in propaganda to promote the contributions or ideals of certain personalities in some sort of public platforms, I automatically get these thoughts: Why, all of a sudden, are most people talking about a personality who long back had passed away? Why weren’t the contributions or ideals celebrated as they are being now than when the respective individuals were alive? What kinds of circumstances are making most people hand-pick such persons, regard them in high esteem, debate their works and eventually term them to be momentous?

Of late, by chance, I revisited the news of exposition of Gregor Johann Mendel’s paper on genetics, ‘Experiments on plant hybridization’, which many of us would still be remembering of having a brief outlook, on this greatest path-breaking experiment, in our school studies. For me, by then in my schooldays, the chapters comprising Mendel’s works in my Botany book were a piece of information meant for knowledge acquisition and of course, to effectively reproduce my comprehensions in the examinations. But now with my view, which I have garnered reading the societies’ behavior in recognizing the contributions or discoveries of individuals, it appears apparently to me that rather than primarily focusing on one’s deeds with an intention of receiving instant recognition, one’s active and an honest participation in one’s own passion is what that counts a lot.

If not Mendel’s passionate pull towards his experimentation, amidst his pastoral duties in church, related to plant hybridization then there wouldn’t have been presentations about his findings as a paper, ‘Experiments on plant hybridization’ at two meetings of the Natural History Society of Brno in Moravia in 1865. As an immediate follow-up to the presentation, despite the recognition being minimal, reports in local newspapers showcased his discovery. Thereby, in 1990, independent rediscoveries of Mendel’s works on genetics by Erich Von Tschermak, Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns and William Jasper Spillman conceded Mendel’s priority. At a later time, the scientific fraternity went on to claim Mendel as the ‘Father of Modern Genetics’. These historical events clearly suggest that Gregor Johann Mendel was indeed phenomenal in ensuring a breakthrough in his topmost priority i.e. his work related to genetics and keeping secondary the process of promoting his research which was not noticed significantly then. Likewise, one’s passion should be fed by providing well defined results driven by an uncompromising effort by the corresponding person. If not an instant recognition, there are high chances for the outcome to gain prominence when a need arises for the value of the content at some point of time, in future.

Isn’t it essential to know about the history, prior to the British Raj, to have a deliberation on the contemporary society?

Isn’t it essential to know about the history, prior to the British Raj, to have a deliberation on the contemporary society?

For a person to dissect the issues, which have been plaguing his/her society for a longer time period, it is unarguably essential for the person to garner insights about the root cause of such issues. What if the root cause had originated in an era that is prior to the British Raj? So, isn’t it absolutely necessary to dig further into that era to unearth the dark history of his/her ancestors?

A cursory view at the pre-British Raj era suggests us that by then a plot was perfectly set in a ruthless manner to rip off the birth rights of an innocent society. People, who were, by themselves belonging to the land and, meant to protect the fellow people, offer them their rights, educate them dutifully, patronize their culture, literature and language were pathetically not so. In the literal sense, rulers with the advice of the priesthood did allow the categorization of the people on the basis of their birth. In other words, it was an act of proffering an ample space to the ‘concerned’ to unleash an absolute ‘degradation’ of the fellow citizens.

This practice by the rulers had continued across dynasties (Both, who were belonging to the land and were alien to it). What the innocent minds could have done with no education and thereby, fewer outlooks, then? Eventually, it led to the dilution of the self-respect among the people. If not the rise of few selfless leaders, at a later point of time, few among us wouldn’t have ‘woken’. Even in the current day scenario, the act of ‘invasiveness’ and the tendency of remaining subjugated that was sown in the mind-sets of our ancestors, over a period of time, still seems to prevail among many of us. So, isn’t it essential to know about the history, prior to the British Raj, to have a deliberation on the contemporary society and remain ‘woken’ forever?