30th Jan Gandhi in India was assasinated in 1948

M N Roy the humanist philosopher could correctly assess the personality of Gandhi when he was assasinated by Nathuram Godse, a hindu fanatic.Roy wrote his reaction thus:

THE MESSAGE OF THE MARTYR
Leaders of aggrieved India have professed unswerving loyalty to the sacred memory of the martyred Mahatma and
pledgcd themselves solemnly to be guided by his message. If the pledge is implemented, then death at the assassin's
hand may still accomplish what a dedicated life could not. There is no doubt about the sincerity of sentiments fait in an
atmosphere of poignant anguish and expressed spontaneously from the bottom of hearts moved by a dreadful experience. At
the same time, it cannot be denied that, had nationalist India grasped the Mahatma's message and been guided by it without
reservation, today she would not be mourning his death at the hands of an assassin. Therefore, having recovered from the
initial impact of the stunning blow, the country should even now try to understand the meaning of the Mahatma's message,
if his martyrdom is not to be in vain.
Evan during his lifetime, the Mahatma was hailed as the Father of the Nation. Nationalist India's homage to his sacred
memory will be to canonise him as such. He was the patron saint of nationalism, which triumphed during his lifetime.
Yet he fell a victim to the very cult he preached. That is the implication of the terrible tragedy which stupefied the entire
civilized world. But few seem to have learned the lesson. The patron saint of nationalism has been sacrificed at the altar
of the geographical goddess of Akhand Hindtrsum, and all Indian nationalists, who today reaffirm undying loyalty to the
Mahatma, also worship at the shrine of that goddess. Since that fanatical cult logically goes to the incredible extent of
demanding the blood of its own patron saint, the Mahatma's message must have been greater than a mere call for suffering
and sacrifice for the country. Essentially, it is a moral, humanist, cosmopolitan appeal, although the Mahatma himself
allowed it to be heavily coloured by the narrow cult of nationalism. The lesson of the mart yrdom of the Mahatma is that
the noblest core of his message could not be reconciled with the intolerant cult of nationalism, which he also preached.
Unfortunately this contradiction in his ideas and ideals was not realised by the Mahatma himself until the last days of
his life. During that period, he was. a disillusioned soul, full of sorrow, struggling bravely against the growing feeling of
frustration with an apparently stout optimism based on the sand of an archaic faith.
The doctrine of non-violence represented an effort to introduce morality in political practice. But iii the Mahatma,
the politician often got the better of the moralist. Personally he may never have deviated from his principles, or faith, as
he preferred to call it. Yet, he allowed, or condoned, compromise in the political practice and personal conduct of his
followers. Even that he did not do willingly. His codes of morality appeared so very dogmatic to others that they often could
not observe them without surrendering judgment. Except in some quaint details, the moral codes preached by the Mahatma
are unobjectionable. As a moralist, be followed the footprints of the religious preachers of the past; and therefore his codes

were bound to appear dogmatic in the rationalist atmosphere of our time. Instead of rejecting them on the specious plea of
practical political pragmatism, one should provide them with a secular and rationalist sanction. Utilitarianism is not the only
alternative to intuitional or transcendental morality.
The implication of the doctrine of non-violence is the moral dictum that the end does not justify the means. That is
the core of the Mahatma's message—which is not compatible with power-politics. The Mahatma wanted to purify politics;
that can be done only by raising political practice above the vulgar level of a scramble for power. But for this, nationalist
India today would not be intoxicated with the idea of having a strong army—an idea which logically spells the danger of
war. in the atmosphere of this intoxication, it is blasphemous to pledge unswerving loyalty to the message of non-violence
and peace preached by the Mahatma.
Nationalism, heavily tainted by Hindu orthodoxy, bred Muslim communalism. Therefore, the ideal of Hindu-Muslim
unity, placed before the country by the Mahatma. could not be attained. The failure in this respect must have been the
greatest blow for the Mahatma. During his last days, he staked his life for restoring communal harmony. lie failed. he failed,
smaller men with less lofty motive will not succeed. Nationalism is beading towards its nemesis. The cosmopolitan (non-
communal) and humanist message of the Mahatma was never so urgently needed by India as today. Caught in the vicious
circle of the contradiction of his ideas and ideals, the Mahatma could not sec the limitation of nationalism before it was too
late. Will his martyr-doom open the eyes of his followers? Will they know how to honour his sacred memory? That can be
done by acting according to his message, more boldly than he dared himself.
The Mahatma's place of honour in history will not be that of a patron-saint of nationalism which, in power, is bound
to go against the moral and humanist essence of his message. He will be remembered for having vaguely visualized a
humanist idea, while still groping in the twilight of mediaevalism. Primarily a religious man he set before his followers
high ideals which could not possibly be attained unless the human spirit broke out of the charmed circle of the religious
mode of thought. Therefore, like all other religious prophets of morality, peace and human brotherhood, the Mahatma was
destined to fail in his mission. Communal harmony is not possible in the mediaeval atmosphere of religious orthodoxy
and fanaticism. The ideal of individual liberty is precluded by nationalism, which is a to tahtarian cult. In the absence of
individual freedom, humanism is an unattainable idea, The inspiring vision of a peaceful human brotherhood is bound to
be eclipsed by the ambition of making the nation great, prosperous and powerful. It would be idle to pledge loyalty to the
message of the Mahatma unless it meant realization of its contradictions and an intelligent resolve to place the moral and
humanist core of his teachings above the carnal cult of nationalism and power-politics. Otherwise, the Mahatma will have

—Independent India February 8, 1948

BEATING IRRATIONALITY, INEQUALITY AND FEAR

Late Basava Premanand, author of Murders in Satya Sai Baba Bed room, : editor  Indian skeptic

Chandana Chakrabarti delivered this lecture at Calicut, Kerala state, India in memory of late Basava Premanand, skeptic, who exposed frauds of religious gurus, mathas, and educated youth in scientific lines. He was great friend of Mr James Randi.

Chandana is rational thinker and educator in Hyderabad.

Lecture

Ms Chandana Chakravarthy

I feel greatly privileged in being asked to deliver the fourth Premanand Memorial

lecture. I have had the privilege of knowing Premanand from the eighties when I

was in CCMB. I have had the pleasure of interacting with him on several occasions

in the intervening years. The last I spoke to him was in mid-2009 when I received

a surprise call from him, a few weeks before he passed away. I still remember his

zest for life and the complete absence of remorse, regret or self pity. He was going

through a great deal of pain and suffering but he still managed to keep his smile

and laughter and his characteristic light-heartedness. The most admirable qualities

of Premanand were his tremendous courage, openness, brutal frankness, and his

relentless fight against irrationality. He has been an inspiration for many like me and

that is why I am especially privileged to be here today.

Until recently, free thinkers like us viewed irrationality, blind belief, and the lack of

scientific temper as something that promotes superstition and obscurantism, and

also comes in the way of individual and collective development. Freethinkers like

Premanand propagated quite passionately that blind faith has been the bedrock

of exploitation by charlatans, godmen and priests in all religions. We have known

all along how obscurantism can not only lead to wasteful expenditure but also

endanger lives. We have known that meaningless religious rituals have an inherent

gender bias, that lack of rationality makes us accept injustice, and also that it makes

us fatalistic. Belief in supernatural power and the belief in divine protection gives

us an illusion of protection and prevents us from being proactive in governing our

lives. That irrationality and self-reliance cannot go hand in hand. In other words the

absence of rationality can seriously hamper one’s growth and realizing one’s true

potential. We were clear about the harm irrationality can do to society, but even

so I am beginning to realize that perhaps we did not fathom the extent to which

irrationality has damaged the fabric of our society. Let me give a few examples.

Look at the damage we do to our environment. We immerse our gods and

goddesses in natural water bodies demonstrating a complete disregard for the

environment. Idols made from materials that are non-biodegradable and are coated

with chemical paints leach cadmium, mercury and lead in the water, threatening

every life-form that depends on it. In the din created by all religions, the voice of

reason from freethinkers is hardly ever heard.

The communal lines on which our society is divided, fuelled by caste-based and

communal politics shows how polarized our society is getting on religious grounds.

Rising religiosity with its frenzied festivals is not only reducing tolerance but also

lessening regard for the freedom of people of other faiths and the faithless. Thus

loudspeakers blaring azaans from mosques or chants from temples, encroachment

of public spaces, a heightened sensitivity to any form of criticism that often gives

way to aggression, and violation of private spaces, are only some of the fallouts of a

mindless display by organized religion.

Look at the way myth is passed off as history, be it Rama’s place of birth or the

bridge built by monkeys. Right now, the historical Charminar in Hyderabad is under

threat from communal politics. A temple allowed to be built in the historic monument

only a few decades ago is threatening to usurp the historicity of the monument

itself. We haven’t forgotten Ayodhya. Temples, churches and mosques are allowed

to grow from moles to mountains in the middle of the road like cancerous tumours,

choking the flow traffic. No one dares apply laws that are supposed to govern each

of us to such structures. We have let the nation go too far, from hate speeches to

pogroms.

The gruesome rape in Delhi last December shook the nation. Rapes have been

happening for a long time. Rapes have continued in every part of the country in

spite of the nation’s fury. This incident is a clarion call to the fact that violence

against women in our society has reached enormous proportions. Dalit women

being regularly raped by upper caste men go unreported. Rape, domestic violence,

violation of women’s rights, highly discriminatory practices against women, female

infanticide, female foeticide are just some weapons our society uses against women.

What can be the future of a society that unleashes such violence against 50 percent

of its population? And where does all this prejudice arrogance and violence stem

from ? From irrationality. It is deeply etched in our minds that women, the lesser

beings were made by god to serve men.

It is time that we take a hard look at our culture. We need to see what goes on in

our homes and schools that leads to a mind-set where bias, prejudice, and violence

become natural fallout. Irrationality forms the sheet anchor of bias, prejudice,

hate and violence. It is in that space that the task of freethinkers must go on with

strategic and renewed enthusiasm.

It is fashionable today to romanticize every aspect of Indian culture. Jingoistic

elements in our country are highly intolerant to any critical evaluation of our

culture. No doubt that India’s ancient culture has innumerable aspects that make us

justifiably proud and sets us apart from the rest of the world. Yet there are many

aspects of our culture that come in the way of our individual and collective progress.

Unless we are prepared to change our mindset, which is dictated by the culture in

which we grow up, there is really no hope for a violence-free, prejudice-free, equal

society that would allow an individual to realize his or her potential. One of the basic

criteria for progress is change. Without change there can be no progress, there can

be only stagnation.

Why is our nation soaked in irrationality, irrespective of class or level of education.

Scientists who are expected to be the beacon of rationality, fail us the most. People

who are privileged with everything from wealth and fame to power and position

to make them secure, are the ones who generally exhibit the greatest level of

irrationality.

Bringing up children

First, look at the way we bring up our children. Questioning is discouraged among

children both at home and in schools. Children who question are labeled as naughty

or precocious by both parents and teachers. A questioning child is first and foremost

seen as a trouble-maker. So silencing the child is the first option parents and

teachers resort to. Curiosity is built in our genes and that is why even toddlers are

curious about everything that surrounds them. We forget that it is curiosity that

has taken the human race to where it is today. And it is that curiosity that is nipped

in the bud in most homes and schools. In fact, by and large, in our educational

institutions, while we are willing to patronize those who do not question, there is

virtually no nurturing of independent thinking. It is not just the inconvenience of

furnishing logical answers to questions asked but also the reluctance to revisit what

is being questioned when logical answers are not available. A strong emphasis on

unquestioned acceptance in contemporary society, especially if it comes from any

kind of authoritative position, be it age, power or position, has become a bane of our

society.

It is, therefore not surprising that very few ever ask (if one were a Hindu) as to why

one’s mother is required to change her whole lifestyle from what she eats to how

she dresses or how she interacts socially when one’s father passes away. Why is a

widow prescribed a code of conduct - ostensibly to keep her carnal desires under

check, while a widower is free to bring home another bride soon after he lights the

pyre of his dead wife?

Similarly, in every religion, age-old, irrelevant, irrational customs, rituals, and

traditional practices not only go unquestioned but are perpetrated from one

generation to the next.

Obedience is a quality that is oversold in our culture. Children in our society, by

and large, face violence in their homes and schools. In the name of strict discipline

and extracting obedience, both parents and teachers resort to violence. Corporal

punishment is banned only on paper but is prevalent everywhere. Not only that

most parents also see nothing wrong in a teacher resorting to the cane. Appealing to

the child’s sense of reason is completely lacking, forget about evaluating the unfair

and sometimes unreasonable expectations of parents and teachers. Consequently,

we learn only to toe the line or blindly follow what is told. It makes one docile and

automatically discourages dissent and rebellion of any kind.

An undue emphasis on respect for elders often translates into our inability to stand

up to age or authority of any kind, be it religious, professional or whatever else. We

can’t deal with dissent whether it is within families or in institutions. We cannot even

deal with criticism.

Children who grow up facing violence, grow up with the belief that violence yields

results and one should not hesitate using it. It is just another way of wielding power.

Children who grow up facing violence will indeed become violent human beings.

We also know that no one in the world has ever achieved anything great without

questioning or rebelling.

What does religion do to believers?

All religions propagate dependence on supernatural forces which is an antithesis to

self-reliance. On the other hand, the basic premise of scientific temper to which all

atheists adhere, is the non-existence of supernatural powers that can be ordered

to serve humans, which means that all problems can and must be faced in terms

of one’s moral and intellectual resources. The mistaken belief that an omnipresent

and omnipotent god is our savior, ever-willing to protect us, takes away the will to

be self-reliant or bold. It gives one the illusion of being protected and makes one

complacent.

All religions promote fatalism, by convincing followers that everything in the world is

pre-ordained and is a part of a grand design. Our joys, sorrows, trials, tribulations,

victories and everything else is decided by God, as all the mushrooming religious

television channels spout day in and day out. One is constantly taught that one

is not responsible for one’s deeds. God is responsible. If “what has to happen will

happen”, why on earth would anyone even try to do anything at all? Why would one

want to take responsibility for oneself if one believes that a so-called power willingly

creates problems, provides solutions and everything else and also acts as a guide?

The clergy of every religion propagate that all wisdom and knowledge known to

mankind is written in their holy books or ancient scriptures. Religions, therefore,

encourage followers to be backward-looking instead of forward-looking. Science, on

the other hand, which atheists have no problem in accepting, is forward-looking.

Scientific temper implies recognition of the fact that knowledge often progresses by

disproving earlier ideas, beliefs, theories and laws. It considers knowledge as open-

ended and ever-evolving.

Religions never encourage questioning since any application of logic or rationality

would make the entire edifice of religion crumble like a pack of cards. This is

contrary to what happens in science. One of the most important attributes of science

is the right to question. Knowledge advances and science progresses because people

exercise their right to question.

Instilling fear of retribution is a part of every religion. The clergy, irrespective of

religion, exploit believers by a self-proclaimed closeness to god and by claiming

knowledge of how to appease gods, through which a sinner can escape imminent

punishment. That is where bribery comes in. Wrong-doers and those looking for

out of turn rewards, begin to bribe gods in anticipation. The rich give god cash or

gold and diamond crowns, but not a penny to the needy, since only god can give

him favours, which no needy person can give. Pay-offs are meant only for gods, so

that the cycle of sinning and being let off can go on. Indians go abroad and build

temples only to keep almighty on the right side. Non-resident Indians send money

to India for temples, mosques and churches. When did anyone last hear of rich non-

resident Indians giving money for educational institutions or hospitals. According to

laws of every country, all gods should be in prison as they are the largest recipients

of bribe. Indians take it a step further – they believe that if god accepts money for

doing favours, there is nothing wrong in their doing it. That is why Indians are so

easily corruptible. Our habit of placating god for personal benefits gets naturally

extended to placating the rich and the powerful. In a country like India where

laws are lax, and justice is delayed and denied, as long as religions continue to

hold a sway over people by providing them escape routes through confessions or

bathing in holy rivers or other ritualistic appeasements, immoral, unethical and illegal

practices will continue to thrive. True character is built not out of fear of god but out

of accountability to one’s own conscience – a conscience that relies on reason.

All these factors work against building confidence and conviction, or increasing

one’s knowledge, or acquiring a fearless and questioning attitude, or nurturing

the capacity and willingness to understand and analyse issues which are essential

ingredients for being bold.

Being human

One of the most essential conditions of being human is to recognise another

individual as a human – no more, no less - which implies that there be no

discrimination whatsoever, be it based on colour, race, religion, caste, creed,

language, gender or circumstances of birth. While discrimination of any kind is

unacceptable in a civilized society, it is important to know how to make a distinction.

All humans are not born equal in terms of abilities and potential, and distinction

allows one to differentiate between bad, good, better and best.

Kindness, compassion and altruism are other essentials of being human. All humans

are born with these qualities, which have given humans an evolutionary advantage.

But it is social conditioning and dictates of religion that very often lead to aberrant

behavior. When a mother or a loved one cries, a toddler who still hasn’t learnt to

stand erect tries its best to assuage him or her, since kindness and compassion is

a natural phenomenon. When someone drowns, it is human instinct that pushes

another human to endanger one’s life and save the other; one does not wait to

check the religion of the one who is drowning before attempting to save him or her.

In spite of our natural propensity to such human qualities, what happens in reality is

quite the opposite. We live in a society that constantly discriminates based on the

colour of our skin, the language we speak, the religion, caste or creed we belong to,

not to mention one’s gender. Naturally, these are also the basis on which we seek

our identity. Discrimination and such identity-seeking makes us all a highly divided

lot.

Religion divides people by strengthening narrow identity-seeking behaviours. All

major wars through history have been instigated by religion. Believers argue that

religions propagate moral values. This is not entirely true as every religion has two

aspects to it, the moral and the dogma. All religions preach the same as far as the

moral aspect goes, which we have no quarrel with. In fact, religion is not necessary

to inculcate the right values. It is the dogma of a religion that forms the backbone

of a religion and sets it apart from others by giving it a distinct identity. This is

precisely what divides humans along the lines of their belief systems which are not

based on logic and reason.

Science, the guiding light of atheists, on the other hand, is truly international,

uniting people across borders, races and religions. Scientists around the world use

the same method, that is, the method of science, employ the same techniques, use

the same materials, and publish in the same journals.

Being human requires the inculcation of an attitude that people can live an honest

and meaningful life without following a religious creed. It also requires that one

recognizes that the need for moral action is for the welfare of humanity and not for

fulfilling the will of god.

We would like to live in a world where there are equal opportunities for all,

irrespective of the circumstances of one’s birth, where every citizen enjoys equal

rights and is expected to discharge equal responsibilities. While equal rights and

responsibilities are enshrined in our Constitution, what happens in reality is far

from equal. As far as equal opportunities go, despite 65 years of independence, our

country is far from its goal of providing equal opportunities to all its citizens.

The recent Right to Education (RTE) Act, which ostensibly attempts to make

quality education accessible to all is touted as one of the major achievements of

the present government. The RTE bill provides for a certain percentage of seats to

be reserved in all private schools for the unprivileged who will be given a voucher

by the government. It was a foregone conclusion that this bill will achieve little in

universalizing education. As an example of how strongly rooted discrimination is in

our society, let’s take the example of what happened in a private school in southern

India after the RTE was implemented, The school took in such students but insisted

on their hair being chopped in a certain way to easily distinguish them from the

rest of the regular students who came from a rich background. Other schools have

deployed a separate area to keep such discrimination going. If the government truly

wishes to make education accessible to the poorest of the poor, the only way it

could do so is to make neighbourhood schooling compulsory for all.

Ours is a nation of unequals. Being a feudal society, Indians have made inequality

a part of their culture. We are so attuned to inequality that we not only accept it

without a whimper, we also no longer strive for equality.

Women accept that they are not equals of men. Men are taught to behave as

superiors. We bring up our children accordingly and the idea and practice of equality

is perpetrated from generation to generation. A linguistically divided nation, each

region considers its language and culture superior to the rest.

We believe that Brahmins have the best genes, dalits have the worst genes. There is

absolutely no truth in this belief. Fair-skinned people think they are superior to dark

skinned people. The rich believe they are better than the poor. The urban think they

deserve more than the rural. We think that fair skin is better and more deserving

than dark skin. The whites show tremendous superiority complex for no reason at

all.

Except for friends of the same age, our social relations are essentially hierarchical.

We don’t usually establish equal relationships. The minute one addresses someone

as anna (elder brother) or akka (elder sister) it takes away one’s moral right to defy

or say anything contrary to the person lest it shows disrespect. Adults talk down

to younger people. The young are taught not to talk back to adults. Forging equal

relationships across age and gender barriers does not come easily to us.

As regards rights, there are numerous instances of the rich and the powerful who

think that they are more equal than the rest. Politicians, celebrities, and VIPs behave

as if they have more rights than the common people. Thus a rich youngster in a

drunken stupor can run-over pavement dwellers in the dead of night and expect

not to be punished, or politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists caught looting the

country through an unholy nexus, expect to be treated better than petty thieves and

ordinary criminals in jail.

As far as obligations go, it is often among the rich and the powerful that one would

find those who assume a freedom from all obligations to the country or society. The

poor and the lowly employed would think twice before breaking rules or evading

taxes. It is the rich who do that.

Religion by definition is unequal and therefore cannot ever endorse equality. Each

religion claims to be the best. Therefore, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs

and so on believe that no other religion equals them. Their god, their religion, their

religious books and their clergy are the best. Thus a Christian is taught to believe

that there can be no better human being than a good Christian; those who follow

Islam believe that those who don’t follow their faith are infidels; and Hindus think

theirs is the best religion. Seeds of conflict are sown right there. Besides, there are

inequalities within each religion: Hindus have the caste system; Muslims too are

divide hierarchically much in the same manner, and the Christians have countless

denominations.

As far as women are concerned, they have been at the receiving end of the worst

form of discrimination mandated by all religions through the ages. All religious

rituals, practices and traditions have been designed to be discriminatory and

suppressive. Take, for instance, the tradition of karva chauth - a practice in north

India of married women fasting for the well-being of their husbands and other

similar practices. Apart from there being no logic in this practice, it is important

to recognize that it is only women who are expected to follow meaningless rituals

in the name of devotion and protection of the husband: the reverse is never

mandated. Is there one practice or a ritual or a fast that men keep for the well-being

of their wives? A woman is expected to display a mark of marriage, like sindur or

mangalsutra, to signify to the world that she is taken, never a man.

In fact, when it comes to women, religions diligently pay a heavy lip service to

women. Devout Hindus argue that their religion confers a special place to women

as evidenced by the qualities bestowed on their goddesses, for instance, for wealth

they worship Lakshmi; for education they worship Saraswati; for power, Durga; and

for rage, Kali. So all the clout seems to be with the goddesses, while the gods are

like ministers without portfolio!

Let us see what happens in practice. Women are denied freedom or independence

of any kind. According to Manu’s diktat (the Hindu progenitor of mankind) which is

followed till date, a woman is the property of her father till she is married, a property

of the husband after marriage, and then the property of her son after the death of

the husband.

Grooms are for sale and it is becoming increasingly difficult to have girls married

when there is not enough money for dowry (groom price). Brides are meant to be

burnt if they don’t bring enough dowry to satiate the greed of the groom and his

family. Therefore, a daughter becomes a burden who takes away wealth to her

husband’s home. Consequently, there is a premium on the male child. The obsession

for the male child is driving little girls out of our world, either soon after birth when

they are stifled, or right in their mother’s womb before they see the world. The bias

against the girl child has reached such proportions that in several states in India

the ratio of boys to girls in the population is so skewed that there simply aren’t

enough girls available for marriage. Several states like Punjab and Haryana where

female foeticide is rampant, have started ‘importing” brides from poorer states

like Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal to take care of their home and their hearth and

suffer indignity. Why don’t educated boys decline dowry? Because they have learnt

obedience and blind acceptance. Why don’t girls refuse marriage with dowry –

because they been taught to accept subjugation.

Women cannot show anger - that is reserved only for men who are free to express

rage at the drop of a hat. Women are meant to be beaten for the most innocuous

of reasons like not cooking a tasty meal, or perceived to be neglecting children,

or stepping out of the house without permission even if it is to visit her parents or

siblings, or speaking to strangers. According to a study, in Andhra Pradesh (AP)

21% married women face domestic violence for the above reasons. What is even

more sad is about 80% women in AP agree that husbands are justified in beating

their wives. This is because our girls are taught to accept all kinds of subjugation

and remain mute, since they are enslaved to the men folk in their lives. Rape is an

instrument unleashed on women who show courage, to teach her a lesson. Where

have Kali or Durga gone, may I ask? While girls are taught to stew in the silence of

shame after being raped or violated, boys learn how to aggressively get what they

want, even if it means throwing acid on a girl who dares to spurn his love.

Being employed does not automatically bring financial independence for women.

Not only are all financial decisions generally taken by the man, he also gets to keep

the money. What happened to Lakshmi’s portfolio? In India nine out of ten married

women have neither freedom of mobility or financial freedom, nor the independence

to take any major decision of the household including her own healthcare.

Girls can do without adequate nutrition and education, while boys must be given

both. As for purity, chastity and fidelity like Sita, these ‘virtues” are meant only for

the fairer sex. The men are free to indulge in any amount of promiscuous behavior

for in his case it is not at all about purity as it is about virility.

Oppression, insubordination, enslavement, preferential treatment or annihilation are

equally detestable, whichever gender, race, religion, caste or creed it is aimed at or

rooted in.

The way forward

Traditional culture and religious attitudes clearly come in the way of producing bold

and human individuals who wish to march towards equality. Only those who free

themselves from the above shackles become truly fearless, rational, human and

equal, and we have a number of examples of such individuals in our country.

A change in the mindset of men and women is the first requirement. Women

themselves will have to be the change they wish to see since they are the ones who

would nurture and educate future generations. If women are looking for sympathetic

men, let me assure you the numbers are very small. Those kinds of men will have

to be created and raised. And only a mother can do this best. Equality, like charity,

begins at home. The day we learn to bring up our daughters and sons equally in

every respect, we will be firmly on the path to an equal society.

Children must be encouraged to question and to find answers. They are born with

curiosity, kindness, compassion, reason and sensitivity. If only we would guard

and nurture these qualities without imposing on them any dogmatic belief or even

atheism for that matter, the chances are that they would naturally grow up to be

rational and humane. Values such as honesty, integrity, courage, free thought,

freedom, equality and dignity are best imparted through practice. Imbibing a

scientific attitude from a very early age and employing the method of science to

answer questions or solving problems will guarantee the foundations on which

boldness and the desire to be humane and equal can be built.

We will need to take a re-look at our notions of success, which is becoming

increasingly equated with wealth and fame. The end has become important, the

means unimportant. We seem to have forgotten that one cannot be happy in

isolation that much of our happiness depends on other people’s happiness.

Education and knowledge are important tools to empower any individual. It makes

us aware of our rights and responsibilities. Science gives us knowledge that hits

at the root of irrational beliefs and practices. Technology frees us from needless

drudgery, releasing time for creative pursuits. Law gives statutory protection.

Hence, education, knowledge, technology and law are the four pillars on which we

can empower our future generations.

The best tribute that we can pay to Premanand is to carry forward his struggle to

some day free all those who are victims of inequality and fear, and prisoners of

irrationality and customs - and enable them to march towards equality, making the

world a more humane place to live in.

 

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Innaiah Narisetti