STRAIGHT TALKS

Dowry doesn’t make any news in today’s Indian society. Not any more. Dowry is now part of hindu, Muslim and Christian weddings. But sometimes we do hear about cases of dowry harassment post wedding of the bride’s family by the groom’s family. Feminist organisations shriek men are greedy. Easy to blame, right? In India the weddings are about two families. Not just about the bride and the groom as elsewhere. Many families use the occasion to flaunt their wealth. The wedding extravagance is supposedly the barometer of deep love for their to be married, kids. Dowry is money. Wealth. When a bride to be married agrees to a groom who often earns more and hails from a relatively richer family, bride’s family is demanded dowry in various forms. The brides in the name of stability seek richer grooms. Isnt that a form of dowry? Why does girls prefer wealthier grooms? Is any girl willing to marry a poor good boy for just pure love today? Isnt this greed of brides a form of dowry? Or a ca...

It’s often said that it is  those good people who refuse to defend what’s right in time are responsible for any rotten state of affairs more than those bad people who directly cause them. I propose to defend the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh here. We have kept ourself quiet far too long to the advantage of charlatan propagandists who are hand in hand with those who are compulsively crime prone and bane of the society. Incessant slandering of RSS has roots in those elements that fear as RSS is seen a threat to them because RSS’ impeccable integrity and unshakeable convictions can dethrone them from pursuing their narrow pretensions of pursuit to power.  Unable to find specific faults or events , the following three charges are frequently repeated to tarnish RSS: #1 RSS did not participate in Independence struggle. Refused to hoist national flag. #2 An RSS guy shot dead Mahatma Gandhi #3 Its an extremist organisation spewing venom. Congress party, self styled sec...

A remarkable civilisation with a rich language is at crossroads. All Tamils pride in being Tamils, talk about high about language,heritage and social media is replete with claims that they are the first amongst human race, that Tamil is the mother of all languages and their past achievements were best of all mankind. Incredible indeed. A look at the engineering marvel of Bragadeeshwarar Temple in Thanjavur, the Ram Situ Bridge that was confirmed as man made by scientists, the 30+k beautiful idols in Madurai Meenakshi Temple, the paintings of Sithanavasal, the rich folk and Carnatic music rooted to the soil, the myriad dance forms including Bharatanatyam show the lofty standards of human excellence that Tamils achieved. The classical literature ranges from Tholkoppiyum to Kambaramayanam, from Tirukkural to Eim Perung kaviyams, from Thevaram and Tiruvasagam to contemporary Bharathi have no parallels in any part of the world. The high spirituality of the soil sprouted innnumerous sa...

Some political parties claim to be secular in India. Have you ever thought about the high moral ground they claim to possess and what they mean? Almost all are thoroughly corrupt and they make it appear that being secular is easy and an exclusive privilege not allowed to anyone or any party relating to nation's heritage , history or Sanatan Dharma called Hinduism. Time to check the credibility of their claims.  The word Secular is often used to gain high moral pedestal over religious beliefs. Whether it is acceptance and respect for all religions or disregard for any religious beliefs continues to be debated as per one’s convenince and needs. Anyone dare to ask may be called non secular and retrograde..so much for contemporary liberal thought. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Secularism as indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations. Means religion NOT being a factor in decisions and choices, Cambridge Dictionary defines se...

Be the change you want the world to be. - Mahatma Gandhi The word Bureaucracy is drawn from the French word  bureau meaning a desk and Greek word Kratos meaning political power. It was referred in a satirical manner by many authors and in mid 19th century became a neutral reference to public administration as a form of management. Max Weber saw it positively and redefined it as a system of administration conducted by trained professionals to fixed rules. In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher & Ronald Reagan gained power by promising to regulate government regulatory bureaucracies which they saw as over bearing. In the corporate business world Jack Welch dismantled bureaucracy inside GE and became a forerunner in settting up the gold standard in corporate efficiency.  While the politicians, judiciary and even media are often hauled up for their inadequacies, the kingdom of babus called bureaucracy in India lives in bliss in a safe and comfortable caccon despite many lim...

We Tamils are often reminded that: Tamils are the first of human race. Tamil is the first language, mother of all languages and all languages rose from Tamil. Tamils lived in Lemuria continent some 10k years ago. So take pride in being a Tamil, We are told. Not a simplistic happy pride. A proudish pride. A pride that even mocks other languages as secondary and desires chauvinism on tamil race as one of a superior race. Get a feel of arrogant superiority! Do we get to qualify as Tamils then? Now back to the question we raised: Who is a Tamil? We need to answer as the question has become a sociopolitical weapon to strike down few by some. We will try and find out, No DNA test. No proof of birth required. Our intention is not to call anyone as a non Tamil. If someone desires to be called so, that is enough of a requisite.  But as an excercise in introspection a Simple check on sociological behavioural patterns ought to be the criteria to decide who we really are. Int...