ALTERNATIVE VIEW POINT ON PARADOXES IN INDIAN CONTEXT
PART I – THE PARADOX IN PERCEPTION BASED SCIENTIFIC TEMPER
Today the nation faces adversaries along its
northern and western borders which have a proclaimed concept of ‘undeclared and
unrestricted warfare’, just short of entering the battlefield. The seriousness
of the threat posed can be gauged from the deep collusion extending between them to the extent of
exchange of embedded Liaison Officers between the two armed forces down to
operational level. The two factors combined present an internal and external threat level not
hitherto faced by the nation.
In these circumstances, an armed force that is
restrained to a reactive role, enjoys neither technological superiority nor
quantitative edge, and is led by a conformist military hierarchy, may induce
the adversaries to look at the overall strategic situation as a favourable window
of opportunity for proactive intervention. We must understand that intent in
geopolitics is respected only when backed by capability, and signaling strategic
intent without commensurate compatibility is paradoxical.
In
the international arena perceptions do matter in influencing strategic and
geopolitical thoughts and actions of nations, as the context is invariably set
by the victor or the dominant geopolitical power or civilisation. No wonder, managing and influencing public
opinions and perceptions is cumulatively near a trillion dollar industry, when
combining the budgets of the governments and corporations the world over.
India is a fine
example, in the Current Era, of falling victim to such externally manipulated
perceptions, impacting its strategic and geopolitical thought and even society
at large, to this day. To draw own conclusions on this perspective, one has to
just recall the journey of its name from Bharat, to Hindustan, to India, to the
current yearning to go back to the cultural roots to rename the nation and its population
centers, and juxtapose the same to the parallel prevailing historical context
in the country.
Science has too
often been used as a tool to deny outright the rich civilisational heritage of
this ancient land, impacting its internal dynamics and soft power, so vital in
today’s world. Here I have no issue with the scientific rigour of ‘accepting
provenance only when proved’. What I do contest is the ‘denial of provenance or
existence’ merely on provenance not being established. To understand this
soft power onslaught I share a few queries below…
I wonder whether
God exists, as scientific provenance is unproven, and how does it mesh in with
taking legal oath on a non-existent entity?!
I wonder how to
reconcile the scientific denial of the physical effect of the power of human
thought, central to Indian culture of spiritual self enhancement, with the medically
accepted theory of ‘Placebo effect’, which by itself is premised on the power
of auto suggestion?!
I wonder when was
the landmass of India formed as it was ‘discovered’ by Vasco da Gama only in 15th
century?!
I wonder when the
Sun stopped revolving around the Earth, as in the year 1633 CE Galileo was
tried and found guilty, by no less an entity than The Vatican, for professing
the ‘heretical thought that the earth revolves around the sun’ as opposed to
the then held Vatican view of sun revolving around the earth?!
I wonder whether
the Bumblebee would have dared to fly if it had read aeronautical principles of
flying, and reconcile it with empirical data that suggests to a similar
non-conformist existence of aerial vehicles in earlier times?!
I
wonder how to countenance the centuries old ‘Hanuman Chaalisa’ sloka
‘Yug sahasra yojan par Bhanu’ which translates to a distance of 153.6
million kilometers between the sun and earth, tantalisingly close to the modern
science calculations of this distance
varying between a minimum and maximum of 147 to 152 million kilometers, based
on respective planetary positions in the elliptical orbit?!
I
wonder at the actuality of my ancestors’ centuries old knowledge of our solar
system comprising nine ‘grahas’ and two ‘adrashya grahas’ (Rahu
– Ketu), while modern science is only now coming to grip with the concept
of dark matter (adrashya grahas)?!
I
wonder at the realisation of my ancients about the invisible aura surrounding
living beings, which modern science began to accept only in the middle of the
20th century post innovation of ‘Kirlian Effect’ photography?!
I
wonder at the viability of research into ‘time travel’ by a science which
postulates time being linear and irreversible, or do I accept the veracity of
Hindu concept of ‘Cosmic scale of Time’,
of it being cyclic and not Absolute, and all Time being omni-present in
dimensions separated by vibration
frequencies?!
I wonder at the existence of the centuries
old ancient Sanskrit text ‘Vishwakarma
Vaastu Shastra’, containing the secret to harness flow of etheric and magnetic
energy, a concept still alien to current scientific temper?!
I wonder at the
centrality of the religious institutes in the fighting units of the Armed
Forces, raising of religion based war cries by rival armies, the fact of
maximum blood being shed world over in religious conflicts, and how it aligns
to influence of religion on national security being a taboo for enlightened
discussion?!
The geopolitical
world order has never been just. It’s all about exercising raw power by the
strong to pursue their national interests by all means. The US has the record
of maximum international interventions to overturn sovereign governments as
well as refusal to honour international agreements and conventions, closely
followed by Russia and China. In such an environment, countenancing pursuit
of ethical diplomacy by the political
hierarchy of the Indian state is nothing but utopia. It is an irony indeed when
the same political elite displays no moral compunction in pursuit of power within the domestic political arena, by
employing all possible unethical means! This inconsistency too has a strong
bearing on national security.
There are innumerable contradictions in the geopolitical
sphere and the society and organisations at large, having security and military
implications, which need to be taken out from the closet. Shall follow through
with alternative thoughts on such aspects with the declared aim of
mainstreaming them for being studied afresh from an
unfettered prism…
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