FAITH, POLITICS & MALAYSIA

Faith I believe is a misnomer in politics. Too often in a passive society General Election is a mere retort that is seen as an academic exercise carried out at constitutional intervals. So where does the concept of ideology and faith fit in.

In Malaysia where the exposure to constitution and ideology are dealt at superficial level in the education system it negates an established sociopolitically conscious society. Until such time when the consequences of pacifism  manifest in reprehensible governance which becomes hard not to be noticed, then social consciousness is provoked. But the underlying question remains whether this provocation has depth. Definitely in any country there would be a marginal group of people with high sociopolitical intellect but whether this group of people can garner sufficient influence on the passive masses is a political uncertainty.

It is difficult to disassociate one's long held perception about a system that one has grown with, where no other alternative was even imagined thus far. This eventually leads to the creation of a comfort zone in the mind of that individual which leads to establishment of that particular mindset and belief system of that society. This comfort zone becomes the foundation of a perceived FAITH in that society. Thus in a passively molded society, the status quo would be preferred rather than anything that is radical or even uncertain.

So FAITH here has nothing to do with an indepth understanding of a particular ideology or even governance but it is merely a manifestation of perceived mindset out of sheer convenience.

For political parties (both sides of the divide) here in Malaysia to gain political mileage they need demagogues, who can inspire the imagination of the masses. In this euphoric setting, logical and rational argument sometimes may not have populist appeal.

Five more days to polling, the future of Malaysian political landscape is very much going to be determined by these MASSES. The ability to CONVINCE or to CONFUSE these masses would be the key to the success of any political coalition that would form the next government.

VOTE CONSCIOUSLY!!!








    

HAPPY NEW YEAR 5115

The Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu Calendar used by Tamilians worldwide. Tamilians use this calendar for all cultural, religious and economic activities.

The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayanam (vernal equinox system) and generally falls on 14 April of the Gregorian year. Tropical vernal equinox fall around 22 March, and adding 23 degrees of trepidation or oscillation to it, we get the Hindu sidereal or Nirayana Mesha Sankranti (Sun's transition into nirayana Aries). 

Hence, the Tamil calendar begins on the same date in April which is observed by most traditional calendars of the rest of India - Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Manipur, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh including in neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. Further the same is practiced by other predominantly Buddhist  countries namely Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The 60-year cycle is an ancient system and is observed by most traditional calendars of India, and is related to 5 revolutions of Jupiter, or to 60-year orbit of Nakshatras (stars).

The current Tamil year starts on 14 April 2013, Kaliyuga 5115. 

The Hindu cosmological system is divided into 4 Yuga’s or Era’s:

1. Satya Yuga (Krita Yuga):- 1,728,000 Human years
2. Treta Yuga:- 1,296,000 Human years
3. Dwapara Yuga:- 864,000 Human years
4. Kali Yuga:- 432,000 Human years (5,115 years have passed; 426,885 years remain). Kaliyuga started in 3102 B.C. and CE 2013 corresponds to Kaliyuga year 5115

Once the current era ends, than a new cycle starts all over again. 

The days of the Tamil Calendar relates to the celestial bodies in the solar system: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, in that order.  And the week starts with Sunday.

The Tamil year, in keeping with the old Indic calendar, is divided into six seasons, each of which lasts two months which includes, Spring, Summer, Rain, Autumn, Early Winter and Late Winter.

The 60-year cycle of the Tamil calendar is common to North and South Indian traditional calendars, with identical name and sequence of years. In the current cycle this year would be the 27^th year, and known as the Vijaya year. After the completion of sixty years, the calendar starts all over again with the first year ie. the Prabhava year. This corresponds to the Hindu "century." 

The Vakya or Tirukannitha Panchangam (the traditional Tamil almanac) outlines this sequence. It is related to the position of the planets in the sky with respect to earth. It means that the two major planets Saturn (which takes 30 years to complete one cycle round the sun) and the Jupiter (which takes 12 years to complete one cycle round the Sun) comes to the same position after 60 years. 

The ancient Tamil almanac mentioned is used in the calculation of the earth’s age, as well as the age of mankind. According to this almanac earth is said to be over 300 million years since sedimentation occurred and mankind was to have appeared on earth, more than 18 million years ago.

For Tamilians the New Year brings in much hope for a better year ahead. Reflection and contemplation of the past year is important to set the course for the coming year. With clear and organized perspective the New Year is to be seen as an opportunity for establishing a meaningful future ahead.

To all who share this auspicious day, HAPPY NEW YEAR and to everyone else have a GREAT YEAR AHEAD.

OM…………. SHANTI……… SHANTI………. SHANTI………………

Oppresive Learning

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world,” wrote Paulo Freire in his critically acclaimed book, “Pedagogy of The Oppressed.” Written in 1968, it was apt for a very turbulent and transformational period in the West. 

The period of “flower power”, George Harrison, Timothy Leary and later Steve Jobs found themselves immersed in Indian philosophy. An egoistic material perspective was challenged for the very first time post WW2 in the West. Fundamentally the education system was found to be boxed in with self-serving propaganda, with no room for self-discovery. Thus the education philosophy post WW2, in most colonized countries, was re-written to align with a new political horizon. Most of these countries needed conformity to establish political stability and continuity. Therefore the learner became a victim by default. The entire thinking and nurturing process got muddled and was replaced by a mind that acted as a vessel to be filled. Social scientists like Bloom with his theory of “Mastery Learning” further added credibility to this process.

Freire commented further that, “liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information.”  Critical and Creative thinking which is fundamental in a knowledge based society, cannot be achieved if the learner is merely seen as an empty vessel that needed to be filled in. 

    

In Pedagogy of The Oppressed, Freire expounds, “For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, individuals cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”  Freire’s concluding statement clearly explains the role expected of the learner and its consequences.  Being a Vedantist  himself I am not surprised his perspective in “teacher-learner relationship” goes beyond “imparter-receiver of knowledge” and  to a “facilitator of thinking-constructor of knowledge” paradigm. 

Extrapolate this thought towards the creation of a knowledge based society which would eventually lead to a civil society. May seem very Utopian but I believe it is very much possible.

The current specialized and compartmentalized approach to education stifles a holistic thinking process. It does not allow the beholder to go beyond the pre-conditioned box which ultimately establishes a comfort zone, from which the beholder finds it difficult to step out. 

Establishment of “critical literacy” would be in the right direction as suggested by Marx, where a literature should not be read merely for syntax understanding but going beyond to decipher both its content and contextual cause and consequences within multiple frames.  Hagel’s concept of “Political Consciousness” thus very much influenced Marx’s perspective.

Interestingly this principle is very much based on the Advaita Philosophy a branch of Vedanta Philosophy established by Adi Shankarachariyar (788CE – 820CE) in India. The basis of this philosophy hinges on the principle of “non-duality”, whereby the seeker and the sought are one and the same, merely separated by a veil of ignorance. So either as seeker or knowledge acquirer, one is expected to embark on self-knowledge with the guide of a “Guru” (or teacher). Thus the role of the Guru is to facilitate thinking rather than an imparter of knowledge. Eventually the seeker is expected to detach himself/herself from the Guru to journey on alone.

Thus a parallel can be drawn here with Freire’s contention in “We make the Road By Walking”, that “The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.”

Teachers play an important role in shaping the future of a society and nation building. If learning becomes oppressive than the nation faces the brunt of becoming an enslaved entity.

The Culture of Reading

Where’s the launch tonight? - The Hindu 

Earnest Hemingway once said "All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you are finished reading one you feel that it all happened to you and after which it all belongs to you."

But sadly virtues of a good read seem missing today in most developing economies. Economic pursuits have completely hijacked the minds of these disdained. Whilst one maybe materialistically rich but falls frought intellectually. The very foundation of a civil society is a knowledge based society and a knowledge based society is formed by a well read society.

A society without humanity is a soulless entity. How can we inculcate humanity when people shy away from reading.

Interestingly I gave my students an assignment to comment and state their thoughts on a speech given by Frantz Fanon on "Reciprocal Bases of National Culture and the Fight for Freedom". I wasn't surprised when one of my student actually said that the entire speech sounded Greek to him both the language as well as its content. When I ask the same student what was the latest book he read, and he quipped, a management text book that he was forced to read to prepare for his examination last semester. Any other book I asked and he said never in the last 7 years. Ironically most of his classmates echoed the same sentiment.

They have never heard of Hemingway nor Dan Brown. JK Rowlings, yes but they watched the movie instead.

Technology is often faulted for this predicament, but I beg to disagree. Technology is merely a tool to facilitate life. So reading need not be conventional but it can be digital as well. This reminds me to an old saying, " You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make it to drink."  Only if there is a thirst for knowledge the reading culture can flourish, otherwise the use of extraneous forces would be futile.

Whether it is science or spirituality the attitude of the mind called "scientific temper" is essential in human progression. It is not about a singular subject as History, Geography, Mathematics or Biology but it is a whole spectrum of thoughts that culminates from curiosity.

Einstein aptly put it. "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

Getting people in particular the younger ones to appreciate reading has become a personal quest to many passionate knowledge facilitators.

I would like to share a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, "Where The Mind Is Without Fear."

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 

 

This poem was written during the struggles of independence in India, it shows how knowledge can help to shape the destiny of a nation. The power of knowledge via reading has become even more relevant today in a globalized citizenry.