THE GOOSE AND GANDER DICHOTOMY

       SitaRam , RadheShyam , GauriShankar , LakshmiNarayan , Umapati were popular names in the yesteryears which categorically proclaimed that  according to Vedic teachings and ancient Aryan scriptures women have  had a higher status than men so much so that  even when  names of gods and goddesses were  given to male children , the name of the goddess was always placed before the god ! Considered to be emblems of prosperity and good fortune Woman stood paramount in Vedic culture. No religious ceremony was complete without the wife's presence. In Vedic civilisation women were revered and valued not  only as child- bearers  , nurturerers and custodians  of new generations but also as individuals with immense ability to see the truth and contribute greatly to human society.

    Suddenly a society that honoured and empowered  women   started degenerating into a malicious  and spiteful setup with different norms for men and women. This gave rise to the most ignoble and the basest instinct in the male species , that of dominating their women folk which has evidently  had precarious ramifications on the Indian social fabric.
           Chauvinism in India dates back to the connoisseur of male domination, the great sage Manu who initiated and propogated a code of conduct that denigrated women and idolised men.  He opined that women are like property on which only the owner has absolute powers
." A girl   , a young woman or even an older woman should not do anything independently even in her own house."
He goes on to besmirch  The Creator's biological plan deliberating that during the menstrual period a woman is impure and should be considered untouchable, thrreby reinstating patriarchal norms .It was he who strongly  established   that a woman must always obey and be under the control of her father as a girl , her husband when married and then her son when she is widowed.
Equality was abhorred and the men were literally brainwashed and trained to condemn women folk and to subjugate them in every possible way.
It has been universally acclaimed that a society , a family where women are given their due share of respect and honour thrives. Viceversa wherever  women are snubbed  , disregarded and humiliated the family and society at large suffer and do not progress.
Countries where this is happening are living testimony to the fact .
...  Chauvinism is at its worst when it tends towards physical abuse. However , what is far more detrimental and demeaning than physical abuse is the mental torture that is caused by harsh words , chiding tones , the tendency to always shift the blame and make the other feel guilty . Everytime this happens not only is it a setback for self confidence it also creates a sore irremediable hurt within that is difficult to heal...it is as if some corner of the heart is dented forever.
          Excessive and indiscreet pampering of sons   instilling  in them a superiority complex from a very young age , gender bias over generations has led to nurturing chauvinism . The " pati parmeshwar " concept has likewose strengthened this mindset of the male species. Daughters were drilled and grilled on how to make their parmeshwars always happy ...be it through their culinary skills , their eagerness and prowess  to enjoy physical relations with the spouse  or their sharp wit , common sense and intelligence and the most mandatory ,  ofcourse through attractive external appearance .
        Our earlier generations were definitely at fault in raising their male children imbibing in them the notion that their supremacy is a sign of their manhood . The only way for chauvinism to die is to bring up sons as daughters  teaching  them basic human values and most importantly respect for their female counterparts..

        

A THOUSAND SUNS

 A Thousand Suns

The recently released epic blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer about this  scientist who is acclaimed as the " Father  of the  atom bomb"  is drawing flak in India  not due to his hazardous creation but due to his absurd and out of context  reference to Lord Krishna's saying in The Gita .
Krishna says " If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once  in the sky  , that would be like the splendour of the Mighty One " . Oppenheimer said to have been very impressed by The Gita calling it the "most beautiful philosophical  song existing in any known language" attested his invention , the  explosion to this shloka of Bhagwad Gita !
The quote is there but  not the meaning and interpretation behind it ....that is Oppenheimer's own conception of the universe and his place  in it and of his ethics as they were .This is being strongly condemned in the political echelons of the nation urging Christopher Nolan , the direc tor of the film to ammend and remove the reference ..
        In another context  with the  steadily increasing gap in the ozone layer  one shudders to think of  the catastrophe of the splendour of what  just One Sun can result in. Global warming is now the cause of increasing fatalities. The numbers are low at present but if the Sun's rage continues to escalate heat and humidity it will soon become the number One Killer worldwide .
Green House emissions , ecological imbalance is resulting in natural disasters in the form of floods   tsunamis , excessive rainfall or droughts   landslides which mortals are finding difficult to cope with . .What is adding fuel to fire is the increasing blistering heat and unbearable  humidity . We are already fighting for water , the question is  how do we defeat this monstrous calamity looming large in front of us that is sapping our energy levels and causing irreparable damage to physical health .
Weather experts are reporting that the heat and humidity this year in July has broken all previous records of the past five decades. Not just India  it is a worldwide phenomenon ....Europe and US are reeling under this heat wave crisis .Non tropical countries are equally struggling with this unprecedented  cataclysm.The global average increase in temperature levels of 2 or 1.5 degrees may appear small but are enough to melt more Arctic ice and submerge low-lying islands.
Humans , governments , people at the helm of affairs all over the world are brainstorming of how to tackle and find a possible solution to this threat that is no longer distant and  that definitely spells impending doom and extinction of life.  Measures are being taken with biodegradable waste , ban on use of plastic , preserving flaura and fauna, use of aircontioning , refrigeration equipment , aerosol products that do not use Hcfcs or Cfcs  etc to counter the damage done .
At the country level each nation has an announced plan of reaching net zero carbon emissions. For example for Singapore it is 2050 , for India 2070. All this is emanating from the Paris Agrrement of UN climate change 2021 called COP21 where it was ratified byv196 nations.
Nonetheless humongous efforts and steps are still required . Working collectively and taking up cudgels together towards redressing this calamitous issue ,can we hope for some relief.
As we are all responsible for this crisis  all of us , peoples of the world will have to act together  constructively to survive .For now it is a matter of survival .
     Krishna's teaching that all is illusion or MAYA  is part of our ethos yet we mortals who need to go through the physical reality of life on this planet are in jeopardy .
So is Doomsday near or will a Saviour , Our beloved Krishna  reappear to rescue mankind from this upheaval and turmoil?
Rest ofcourse will be  as The Almighty has ordained !