Thought of the Day: Needed Hindu Think Tanks

[Guest guest]

Rather long email but read patiently.

 

 

 

Needed Hindu Think Tanks.

 

Srinivasan Kalyanaraman <kalyan97

At the outset, it is a beautifully crafted discussion paper. This paper should

be published in Foreign Policy or some other such Journal.

 

Now, on the issue of the Hindu Think Tanks.

 

Just as the 24/7 incident is a reality which has to be used to communicate the

Hindu message, we have to create the TTs (Think Tanks) to present the Hindu

view-point. Today, we are in a reactive stage, having to rubbish the junk that

gets dished out, day in, and day out, in these TTs which feed into the p-sec

media. TTs are the extension of the media talk-shows and stringers like MJ Akbar

or Varadarajan or other allotropes in US media.

 

TTs are a natural growth of a bureaucratized democracy. When a senator, MP or

congressperson gets elected, he or she immediately feels the pinch to occupy the

time, and have the capacity to filibuster. Keep talking in fire-drills. The TTs

provide the fodder for these fire dances.

 

And, of course, we have the columnist (pardon, no personal affront meant to any

of the members of the email group) and temporary Think Tanks who respond to

reports on a case by case basis. It is in the nature of bureaucracy that such

transient efforts get institutionalized and a RAND, BAND, WAND will arise.

 

The problem with Hindu democracy is that it is totally autonomous. There is no

effective linkage between the MP/MLA, bureaucrat, industry, academe or even any

NGO type TT. It is a veritable free for all. In the US system, the TT is an

integral part of the talk show system. Just read the web pages of CIA's National

Intelligence.

http://www.cia.gov/nic/NIC_researchsupported.html

 

It is a classic example of what you are conveying through your paper. TT is

institutionalized with the research-chain complete to provide the paperwork that

needs to pile up in the Library of Congress and Congressional debates. Many

forests get destroyed with the publications and enormous bandwidth of IT is

grabbed by these monster TTs and debating societies.

 

Luckily in Bharat, the debating societies are private initiatives. A

bureaucrat feels insecure if he tries to get a JNU or an Aligarh Muslim

University or Centre for Security Analysis commissioned to do a research study,

say, on the implications on nuclear weapon cap by the recent Substitute PM-

President Bush nuclear agreement. It is a no, no for

the simple reason that every IAS functionary, by definition, is a sarvaprajna

and is comfortable pushing notes on files enveloped in red tape. After all, the

peons are there to cart these files around in the South or North Blocks from one

room to another.

TT culture is unlikely to flourish in Bharat. Some TTs have come up with Ford

Foundation, Brookings Institution sponsorship. These TTs end up as Uncle Sam's

chamchas.

 

It is a dangerous game, this setting up of Hindu TTs. CIA blokes will

infiltrate.

NGOs are easy prey. They can get funded with peanuts. Every decision will be

governed by one question: 'What are the dangers of CIA disowning you'?

Yes, a Hindu view on many problems has to be articulated. We have to start

compiling a list of priority topics.

 

We have started in a small way with the following:

 

Contribution of kula, jaati to Hindu ethos, culture and traditions Rebirth of

River Sarasvati National Water Grid and renaissance of tirtha sthaanas Indian

Ocean Community as a counterpoise to European Community

 

We have a lot of work to do primarily because we do not have any pravacana

kartas who can take the message of itihaasa (epics) and Bhagavata Purana to

every one of the 6.5 lakh villages. The Macaulay education system has produced

'secular' talk-show hosts. If we need teachers in dharma, we have to get them

from Indonesia, where every

child is taught about our epics, every child can recount every story from the

epics. Why, even in Srilanka, dharma is a subject taught in schools.

 

A Hindu TT task to undertake:

 

Is it possible to create 1000 Uma Bharatis and Ritambara's to reach out to

every one of the 6.5 lakh villages and hoist the bhagawa as the guru?

 

It is fine to have a Hindu Council in USA. Is it to be concerned with the

American Hindu or dharma, a partner in the larger framework of Hindu Think Tank,

fostering dharma as an alternative to Christism or Islamism?

 

We seem to get overwhelmed by the military might and the $ might of Uncle Sam.

Sure $ are fungible, it is good to have them. Is it possible to create a sense

of praayasc'ittam among the Hindu diaspora that it is payback time; it is time

to discharge the rinam (loan) to Bharat Maataa? (I can hear blokes already

saying that I am an RSS fanatic. What Hindu, say India). And, there are guys

who will clap for a white guy saying Hindu when he really means Indian at the

service of the ex-colonial master now wearing the WTO trader garb. East India

Company has now become a grand Multinational. Substitute PM travels with such

MNC reps; Pres. Bush travels with such MNC reps. on his Air Force One.

The job becomes easy for the politician. The Bharatiya Ambassador to US, Ranen

Sen. can with impunity issue 60 passes to 'indo-american' community (read: Ron

Watts and 59 other Seventh Day Adventists).

 

How do we control this mindset, this behavior, governed by the glamour for

greenbacks? We raise the RAND issue. And see what happens. There are guys out

there trying to work out the next consultancy contract with RAND or whatever.

Money speaks, Veera Vishnu. And it speaks very eloquently, be it Bofors, be it

Fodder, be it Prakash Karat paying homage to Mother China (the same week slave

of white skin Manmohan was visiting Washington DC).

So, how to react to the form of media blitz called TT brilliant reports. One is

to make them look like lollipops, mere ordinary folks prone to error, and

wearing the pants or skirts same way we do. Another is to rubbish it, while

edging across a contrarian view-point.

There is a saying in Hindi: jiska dan.d.a uski bhains. (One who has the stick

has the buffalo).

 

We need to get the stick. GO full steam with Fast Breeder Reactor Technology

producing 40,000 MW of power and breed enough fuel to create an addition 2000

MW reactor every year (apart from tipping our Agni missiles). Then we can ask

Chinese to move away from Tibet and restore free Tibet, restore Manasarovar as

cultural capital of Bharatam Janam. That guy, Mao was right: power flows from

the barrel of the gun. Be prepared to take on the spooks, strengthen your

defenses and create an Indian Ocean Community.

 

<narayanan

 

 

 

The difficulty is that most "Hindus" waste their time propagating the abuse put

out by their enemies, or remain inactive like deer caught in headlights. As a

result, whatever does come out from the Hindu Think Tanks remains unknown, and

the Think Tanks die.

For example:

1. Articles from The Pioneer are not circulated nearly as much as those from The

HUNDI or Indian Express, or these "RANDY" or "Pakistan Institute of Strategic

Studies" or FOIL garbage. That is the first failing. People must take the

effort to propagate articles favorable to their own point of view, instead of

saying "nah-nah nah nah! That is known onlee yaar!" when Indian authors write

them, and then jumping up and down when some western fool says something stupid.

 

2. "INDIACAUSE" is a far better publication portal than REDIFF. Go read the

columns (including, ah! from Urs Truly ). They don't have so many pop-up ads

and other garbage on the page, but they give a page packed with news items of

interest, and the columns are often extensive, well-referenced and very pointed.

Why not help propagate them? By the way, if you haven't noticed, REDIFF is

near-dead already. BORING, and even the news doesn't change for days at a time.

I can't remember when I went there and saw a column that I wanted to read.

 

3. INDIA DISCUSSION FORUM is probably the best repository of well-researched

articles on difficult topics related to Hinduism. Why not help propagate that

too?

 

I am not saying that any of these is perfect. But surely, if you compare

individual articles in any of these, to the product of $100K Workshops and

dozens of the Best of Western Intelligentsia such as those from RAND, tell me,

are we are worse? Why not help support our efforts rather than try to create

"NEW" think tanks with absolutely no better business plan, and zero record of

persistence?

 

So I would say that the #1 problem with the "Hindu Establishment" is sheer

hollow arrogance and lack of humility. Hollow, because at the first sign of

attack, there is total panic. Arrogant because there is no attempt to look

around and appreciate the determined efforts of friends, instead always looking

out for some magical "Superior Future Product That I Will Create, Yaar"

daydream.

 

I have been asked by several people why I don't send articles to the

"mainstream" media rather than to INDIACAUSE etc. Simple answer: Freedom and

respect for my friends. If I want to support editing by idiots I can always send

stuff to "DAWN" or "Atlanta Journal and Constipation" or "REDIFF".

 

Please consider supporting those who fight for India and Hinduism. The THINK

TANKS are already there. You just need to recognize them as such. If we were to

waste our time listing out our Awards and Credentials like the RAND bozos do at

the front of every report, we are a hecck of a lot better qualified and have the

record of productivity and quality to go with that.

 

We just don't believe that our opinions or research products should be judged on

WHO we are, since we are confident enough about the diligence and honesty behind

our writings to let them stand on their own. The truth can only stand on facts

and logic - not on pomp.

 

So SUPPORT OUR THINK-TANKS. Support India Cause and India Discussion Forum. Are

we effective? Try typing "Court right Emory" on Google and see what comes up.

"Jitnasa" is our product - the best thinking on the topic, and evidently the

Internet recognizes that.