MAY-21 BOUDHIK YOJANA
May-02-2021 Samachar Sameeksha: Second COVID (Chinese virus) wave
>We are seeing a steep rise in COVID (Chinese virus) cases in what is being termed as ‘second wave’ of pandemic. It is definitely more ravaging than the first wave as we are seeing several close acquaintances being infected.
> Hospitals and health workers are over-whelmed with the surge with supply of critical drugs and even oxygen running out. It is being alleged that health system has collapsed and foreign media with some of our own media supporting the narrative
>In last 2 weeks, India has recorded 3.8 MM cases against 0.88 MM in US and 0.86 MM in Brazil, which are the 3 most affected countries
>Similarly India had 24,944 deaths (0.6%), while US had 10,216 (1.1%) and Brazil had 37,660 (3.3%)
>There is a new variant B.1.617 which has been claimed to lead to extra-ordinary surge in cases. It contains 2 key mutations to outer spike of virus that attaches to human cells
>It was first identified in India last December although an earlier version was spotted in October-20
> WHO has described it as a variant of interest and it’s mutations might have led to increase in transmissibility and cause severe disease. However it is tough to say if that is driving the surge in cases
> The highly transmissible B.117 UK variant of Chinese virus is behind spike in New Delhi while Indian variant is widely present in Maharashtra
> Chris Murray from Washington University suggests that sheer magnitude of infections in India in a short period suggests an ‘escape variant’ may be over-powering any prior immunity from infections.
> Vaccines may be protective and Fauci, US Chief Medical Advisor suggests that COVAXIN, developed in India is capable of neutralizing the variant
>Oxygen demand during normal times is 1000-1200 MT and it spiked in first wave but did not cross 1500 MT, by September as cases dwindled, the demand was back to 1000 MT
>However in the second wave the demand has spiked to 6000 MT mainly in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Patna but the major sources being in East i.e Vizag, Jamshedpur,Bokaro, Durgapur and so on.(capacity of 8500 MT)
>Hence it has become a supply chain problem to deliver oxygen from production centers to demand centers which is causing delay and shortage. Also trains or trucks carrying liquid oxygen cannot run at high speeds.
> In April-20, learning from experience of developed countries, Central government had taken a decision that all industrial units including PSUs can produce medial grade oxygen with permission which has helped to ramp up capacity
> Central government had sanctioned 200 Crs for installation of 162 PSA oxygen generation plants across the country and the tender was issued in October-20
>Health ministry had to install the plants and state governments had to make land available for the sites. However this did not happen as states did not give site preparation certificates for site installation.
>Not even 50% of the capacity was ready and in Delhi out of 8 sanctioned plants, only 1 was installed and that too in March as Delhi government did not make sites available.
> Health is a state subject and states did not agree to make it a ‘concurrent’ subject as suggested by Finance commission.
Reference: 1) https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/what-we-know-about-the-indian-variant-as-coronavirus-sweeps-south-asia-6834491.html
May 9-2021 Boudhik: RSS: A Movement
In the current context, there will be hardly a person who would not have heard name of RSS in social or political field. People can have opinions about RSS from ‘patriotic’ to ‘fascist’ depending upon their viewpoint. However it cannot be denied that in last 100 years there is not a single organization which had a bigger positive impact in Bharat than RSS.
Context at Inception
RSS started in 1925 in Nagpur in a nondescript house by a person who was not a national level leader or famous thinker of those days. He was a revolutionary, Congress worker, a keen student of history of Bharat and had a burning desire to see his motherland at pinnacle of glory. Many people claim that RSS started as a reaction to ‘Khilafat’ which was mobilizing ‘jihadi’ frenzy across India and causing riots. However accepting it as a reactionary force will be far from truth. It has been always the case that reactionary forces do not last long or lose their idealism once the cause goes away.
The best example in case is Indian National Congress which was the umbrella movement in struggle against British. But once the foreign rule ended Congress became a hub of all base tendencies of man even though their leaders claimed ‘idealism’. Corruption is not a phenomenon of 70-80s but the first scam happened in 1948, one year after independence by Krishna Menon who was inducted even with those charges into cabinet and was Defence minister during 1962 war.
However RSS has stayed on its course and gone from strength to strength even with hostile government (suffered 3 unjust bans), media, intellectuals and has now gained a pivotal position in the country.
Experience of other Nations
A misconception has gained ground in our country that government can really create wonders or change things but if global scenario is observed, it has been the society which has driven changes and reflected by the government.
After the Second World War, Japan was annihilated with its industrial base completely destroyed. Japanese goods were known for their poor quality (in Raj Kapoor’s famous song “Mera joota hai Japani”, the shoe is torn) and there were hardly any buyers. USA with an intact industrial base was ruling the markets. Japan ignited the latent spirit of people from schools to factories that they can achieve great things. Japan has a history of patriotic people as can be seen from travelogues of Swami Ramtirth and Swami Vivekananda. The society took up the challenge and by 70s they were a force in automobile and electronics with ‘Made in Japan’ being a brand.
Israel was created in 1948 and was attacked by Arabs immediately. They did not have arms to fight and had to purchase second hand weapons discarded during Second World War. Food was a scarcity so people had to focus on farming in day and fighting with enemies at night. People had to stand in queues for hours even for basic supplies. It was jokingly said that a man got so frustrated with queues that he decided to kill Ben Gurion, then PM of Israel. However when he went to his house there was another queue of men waiting to kill Ben Gurion. Jews bore all the hardships and eventually made Israel a force to reckon with in agriculture or defense or technology.
There can be more examples be it United Kingdom and their Britannica Empire or phoenix rise of Germany after WW-II. It is the society, which produced great people who went on to do wonders.
Context of Bharat
If you contrast it with Bharat, the situation is different. Bharat was the largest economy in the world till 16th century and second largest till start of 19th century. People were virtuous and every region had great warriors and saints who upheld Dharma and fought the invasions. Islamic invasions took 250 years to capture Afghanistan and another 250 years to capture Delhi. However still we failed, a nation of continental proportions was over-ran by a few invaders region by region. For almost 800 years, we suffered under foreign subjugation. It had a debilitating impact on our collective psyche.
Doctor Hedgewar observed that lack of national character was the primary cause for this failure. National character had to be built in indigenous people of the land i.e Hindus. He also noted that building of a national character could not be achieved in a short time but that was the panacea to all the problems. It was also the time of national struggle against British and social reform movement, but he could see that no one was focusing on this core issue.
Methodology
RSS started with Doctorji and few of his acquaintances on Vijayadashmi. Initially it was a weekly gathering and most of the youth met at gymnasiums. It was collectively decided that weekly is too low frequency for building up of character so a daily ‘shakha’ was started. The content of shakha was a few games played together, slowly physical and intellectual activities evolved through discussion. When the organization started, it did not have a name, RSS as a name was decided few months later after discussing with swayamsevaks.
In the same way commands, prarthana, ghosh, structure, pracharak, shiksha varg evolved as per requirement as a collective thought. It remains the hallmark of RSS even today that no decision is of a single individual but it is a collective decision.
Sangh Parivar
Even with all trials and tribulations, RSS remained steadfast on it’s focus on ‘man-making’. However it was also realized that whole society cannot be expected at ‘shakha’. So different forms evolved as per need of society.
Rashtra Sevika Samiti started for women, Bhartiya Jan Sangh started (today BJP) in political space, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh in labor arena, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad for students, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram for tribal upliftment, Vishwa Hindu Parishad for religious sphere, Vidya Bharati in education, HSS for NRIs, Seva Bharati, Arogya Bharati, Vigyan Bharati and almost 40 such more organizations.
Many times due to it’s one pointed focus RSS is mis-understood or alleged that it is not doing enough, but for a keen observer of past 95 years of it’s history there a results to see. In the words of MN Roy, founder of Communist movemet, “If this is the only way, then it is the shortest way”.
Reference: 1) RSS: A Vision in Action by H.V. Sheshadri 2) Sangh Karyapadhati ka Vikas by B N Varhadpande
May 16-2021 Charcha: Pokharan II- Reset of India
Pokharan-II is now 23 years old almost a generation has passed after India exploded nuclear devices at Pokharan, a remote village in Rajasthan. It was not the first time that “Buddha had smiled”, the code-word to denote successful nuclear tests. India had exploded a nuclear device in 1974 as well.
Difference between 1974 and 1998
World had undergone a sea-change in these 24 years, cold war had ended and the globe had a sole super-power. USSR had disintegrated, Pakistan had clandestinely acquired nuclear technology from China and A Q Khan had even done espionage in Europe.
In 1974, India had tested a fission device similar in design to Fat-Man, the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Exact estimates about the yield had a debate on rage of 2-20 KT. Official estimates were exaggerated and the yield was around 8 KT. Our scientists struggled with exact data and so desperately needed a test to validate our designs.
In 1998, India tested five nuclear devices with one fission, one fusion and three sub-kiloton tests. Four of the devices were weapon-grade plutonium[20] and one Thorium/U-233.
- Shakti I – A thermonuclear device yielding 56 kt, but designed for up to 200 kt.[1] The yield of this device was deliberately kept low in order to avoid civilian damage and to eliminate the possibility of a radioactive leak.[1]
- Shakti II – A plutonium implosion design yielding 15 kt and intended as a warhead that could be delivered by bomber or missile. It was an improvement of the device detonated in the 1974 Smiling Buddha (Pokhran-I) test of 1974, developed using simulations on the PARAM supercomputer.
- Shakti III – An experimental linear implosion design that used "non-weapon grade"[22] plutonium, but which likely omitted the material required for fusion, yielding 0.3 kt.
- Shakti IV - A 0.5 kt experimental device.
- Shakti V – A 0.2 kt Thorium/U-233 experimental device.
Global Treaties
In these 24 years, scene of treaties had gone a complete change for nuclear weapons. The global nuclear governance set-up after the Second World War had the NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) as its basis and it had divided the world into the P-5 and others. India, though fully embedded to the peaceful uses of atomic energy, was not very happy with this discriminatory world.
Then in the 1990s, came the (negotiations for) CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty). That brought in a tricky situation. If India signed on to CTBT, we would have been closing our nuclear option forever. If we refused to sign, we would have to explicitly state why we do not want to sign. At that time a deadline had been set for signing the CTBT. It was sometime in 1998, after May.
Nuclear Armed Hostile Neighbors
The other thing, of course, was that post 1974, Pakistan had actively started acquiring nuclear weapons. China was sharing technology and materials with Pakistan, and it was public knowledge. China had tested it’s first nuclear device in 1964. The Indian armed forces knew very well that the Pakistan Army had nuclear weapons. And so, there was this situation in which India was faced with two nuclear capable adversaries. If India had to carry on with its business, including the business of developing itself, it could not possibly be doing under the threat of two nuclear adversaries. We had to have a deterrent.
The security situation at that time was getting very bad. But CTBT, of course, was a very important factor. The preparations (for nuclear tests) had been going on for quite some time. What was being discussed was the test matrix. The big challenge was how to secure maximum gains for the country in terms of data collection and validating the weapon design capabilities so that we would not have to test again.
External Reaction
Almost the whole world condemned us, ironically the P-5 who had the biggest stockpile of nuclear weapons. However it was anticipated and a plan was in place to counter it. Jaswant Singh – Strobe Talbott talks ironed out a lot of issues and ultimately US lifted the sanctions. The whole developed world came around looking at the attractive market of India and rising economy.
Resurgent India
Nuclear tests had been planned by previous governments but failed under external pressure. India was looked down as a failed civilization without major achievements even by NRIs. A famous journalist who was a frequent visitor to foreign lands and had close NRI friends always pointed out the contempt they had for their country and how they had left it for the better. However it changed overnight, NRIs and resident Indians felt a surge of pride that India is still alive and throbbing and can be a power to reckon with.
Foreign sanctions by G-7 and development institutions had led to fear mongering by media as we see today. However the NDA-I government came up with ‘Resurgent India’ bonds which were lapped up by NRIs removing any doubt about Indian growth story. A prominent face of the ruling party openly said that “MNCs need India more than India needs MNCs” which set the tone of negotiations with influential countries.
World had until now seen an India which back-tracked even on genuine issues under pressure and always looked to West for approval. It was almost that a new force had entered India and SHE was talking to the world on equal terms and was in no mood to take orders.
A New and Resurgent India was taking shape !!!!!
Reference: 1) https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-pokhran-nuclear-tests-1998-happened-5172010/
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokhran-II
May-23-2021 Katha: Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya was a great Acharya, proponent of Dwaita philosophy and a commentator on the Brahma Sutras and the ten Upanishads. He was born in 1199 A.D. at Velali, a few miles from Udipi in the district of South Kanara in South India. He was a Tulu Brahmin by birth. He was born of Madhya Geha and Vedavati. Vedavati was a virtuous woman. Madhva is regarded as an incarnation of Vayu, the Wind-God. The father gave him the name Vasudeva. He was the founder of Dwaita school of thought and was among the 4 main acharyas of Hinduism like Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Vallabhacharya.
Personality
Madhva distinguished himself in physical exercises and field games. He had a wonderful physique. He could wrestle, run, jump and swim. So people gave him the nickname Bhima. Madhva took to the study of the Vedas and the Vedangas and became well-versed in them. He took Sannyasa in his twenty-fifth year. Achyutaprakashacharya initiated him. Madhva was now known by the name Purna Prajna. Achyutaprakashacharya found that Madhva was a brilliant Sannyasin with efficient knowledge in Vedanta and other scriptures. He put Madhva as head of the Mutt in his place. Madhva received the name of Ananda Tirtha now.
Travel across India
He went on an extensive tour in Southern and Northern India to preach his gospel of Bhakti. He made several converts. He went to Badrinarayan, and soon after his return, he wrote his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedanta Sutras. He built several temples at Udipi, the principal centre of the Madhva sect. Most of the orthodox Madhvas try to go to Udipi at least once in their life.
Madhva had superhuman powers. He performed many miracles. He saved a boat which was caught in a storm. A boat which contained an image of Lord Krishna capsized. Madhva brought back the image from the ocean. During his tour, king Ishvara Deva in Maharashtra asked Madhva to work in building a dam. Madhva noticed that he had been unconsciously working for the king the whole day. Once he stilled the waves of the ocean when he went to take bath.
Dwaita Philosophy
Madhvacharya is the great exponent of the Dvaita school of philosophy. His Vaishnavism is called Sad-Vaishnavism in order to distinguish it from the Sri-Vaishnavism of Ramanujacharya. According to his philosophy, the Supreme Being is Vishnu or Narayana. Every follower of the Madhva school should have a firm belief in the Pancha-bheda—five real and eternal distinctions—viz., the distinction between the Supreme Being and the individual soul, between spirit and matter, between one Jiva and another Jiva, between the Jiva and matter, between one piece of matter and another. The phenomenal world is real and eternal.
The worship of Vishnu consists in (i) Ankana, marking the body with His symbols, (ii) Namakarana, giving the names of the Lord to children and (iii) Bhajana, singing His glories. Madhva laid much stress on constant practice of the remembrance of God (Smarana). He says, "Form a strong habit of remembering God. Then only it will be easy for you to remember Him at the moment of death". Madhva pointed out that when the Lord incarnated, no Prakrita Deha or material body was put on by Him. He prescribed a rigorous kind of fasting to his followers.
Renunciation, devotion and direct cognition of the Lord through meditation lead to the attainment of salvation. The aspirant should equip himself with the study of the Vedas, control of the senses, dispassion and perfect self-surrender, if he wants to have the vision of the Lord. These are some of the important teachings of Madhvacharya, the renowned exponent of the dualistic school of philosophy.
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