So long, blog!! I have a lot of catching up to do as its been more than a month since my last post. Pulkit brought to my attention that my posts are increasingly revolving around social issues and not merely serving as updates about my life, which I thought was very positive development 
. So here are the thoughts :
Wither the end of the caste system: Given the title I do not need to say much, right? A recent trip to my home state has shown me how deep rooted this evil system is. Naturally, the elections turned out to be the primary preoccupation of most of the people back home. And thats where I ran in to this curse that still plagues our people. I have foreseen it, in a way, when I wrote this and it looks like the caste equations that used to plague North India and Tamil Nadu have finally made their way in to Andhra Pradesh. Quite interestingly, the outspoken and much controversial supreme court judge Markandey Katju caused quite a stir by claiming that the caste system is on its last legs. After my visit, I thought.. gimme a break!!. Forget remote hamlets that are still trapped in the hegemonies of the feudal era, the caste system is alive and kicking even in the most modern places of our country. I have been shocked to see that even educated people (whom I otherwise deem to be wonderful human beings) try to convince me that we need to consider the caste factor when making decisions concerning political allegiance, marriages and social interactions. Its a deeply disturbing trend. In case of AP, all Chiru’s party seems to have managed to wake up all the dormant castes to form their own outfits and cry hoarse about injustice to their caste. I dont know about the positives but his party sure added a negative aspect to AP politics. Interestingly the Weaker Sections Empowerment Forum comprising of stalwarts like anti-caste-system ideologist Kancha Ilaiah praised Chiru’s outfit for empowering weaker sections by giving them a big chunk of tickets in the election. So they want to kill it and yet want it to remain alive. So when will this system meet its end? And btw, my support is for JP’s Loksatta.
The Beard and the Taliban: The same Justice Katju got in to news when he equated sporting a beard with Talibanization in a recent case. His remarks were certainly appalling. But it appears he was right in his judgment. The debate on whether beard is an indispensable part of Islam or not is quite delicate and would certainly strain some sensitive nerves. From my own understanding of Islam, one thing is sure that sporting a beard falls under Sunnah (manners of The Prophet) and whether its a Fard or not is disputed even among Islamic scholars themselves. In practice, a good number of modern Moslems do not sport a beard. Afterall, Allah will judge one by the intent of his/her heart and I personally deem that anybody framing rules on His behalf is actually committing a sin against Him. However, the inconclusiveness of this debate is not the basis of my support for the judgment. Personally, I believe that a school should be a place that promotes equality and should never, actively or passively, allow things that would raise boundaries between those who seek knowledge. A school where Hindu’s insist on wearing Saffron, Digambar Jains insist on attending classes naked and Sikhs insist carrying long Kirpaans stands a faint chance of becoming a temple of learning rather than a place where religious beliefs clash regularly. So if religious practices (particularly the ones that have to with physical appearance which is an immediate stimulus) need to be kept on hold in the quest for knowledge, then so be it. Even The Prophet urges us all to take pains to learn about God’s creation and in search of knowledge (‘Seek knowledge even unto China’). It is painful that most people ignore the spiritual aspects and true intent of his teachings while trying hard to stick to his physical manners, deluding themselves that it is what earns them Allah’s blessings. The case in particular seems to be born out of the desire for attention by the concerned student. I doubt if he was following the other manners of the Prophet by doing this.
A Pleasant Meeting : It happened on a my flight from Delhi to Bangalore. As I was immersed in reading Freakonomics, I noticed the elderly passenger beside me was performing Salaat (Namaz, as its popular in India). Later on, we went on to discuss a number of things pertaining to religion, faith and a whole lot of things. I was surprised to know that he was pilot from Yemen who is in India on business.. so deeply spiritual and yet so modern as to fly a plane and use an i-phone. Even after years of reading and interest in theological issues, I learned things that are worth a ton from him. His lamentation on the abuse of the concept of Jihad, his view that Allah does not approve what extremists like Taliban are doing today, his disapproval of Israel’s actions, his criticism of Pakistan’s delusion that its being Islamic and his belief that prophets other than those mentioned in the scriptures of Abrahamic religions could exist have all taken me by surprise and filled me with hope that Islam’s true message is still alive in the world. The interfaith-dialog that Allah ordained centuries ago might still take place. And the refusal to take part in it is partly why He is punishing nations like Pakistan where extremists are now taking refuge. May His light guide them toward the right path!!.
