About Chanakya, Kautilya and Vishnugupta

Most stories have a simple plot. A King insults an ascetic teacher. The Teacher swears to destroy his kingdom and extract a sweet revenge. The teacher begins his search for a worthy protagonist for fulfilling his oath. A young man fits the job. He must eventually become The King. They come together with the help of a few allies and bring down the mighty empire, using tact and manipulation. This pretty much summarizes the story of Chanakya. The King in question is King Dhana Nanda and the worthy successor is Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

In 320BC, about 2300 years ago, Alexander, The Great invaded India. His conquest meets with little or no resistance, given that ancient India was full of small princely states, with no unity or cooperation amongst them. The statecraft and strategies deployed by Chanakya in his capacity of mentor, minister and guide of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya - helps in defeating the armies from Greece. Rest of the story of Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya deals with the details about the biographies of these key players and anecdotes to build up their character and traits. 

Most of India’s rich history is anecdotal with no real formal record of sorts. This meant that every author exercised his or her liberty to fill the canvas with the details to fit a narrative. There are atleast four major versions of the story of Chanakya. The Buddhist version, in Pali, is contained in Mahavamsa. Kathasaritsagara by Somadeva and Brihatkathamanjari by Kshemendra are anthology of stories and anecdotes. The canonical or archetypal representation of a short tempered teacher, who we regard as the author par excellence on subjects ranging from ethics to economics, comes from a sanskrit play - Mudrarakshasa by Vishakadatta. There is a little known Jain version of the story - Parisistaparvan by Hemachandra. It is likely that there are other versions and variations as well.  Mudrarakshasa version may be a front runner (?) - simply because of the anecdote that Chandragupta Maurya himself became a Jain mendicant in Sravanabelagola and fasted to death. In the Hellenistic world, Chandragupta Maurya was known as Sandrokottos and Androkottos in two different narratives. I will save that story for a future post. 

Something more fascinating seems to emerge when we look at various works of historians. Chanakya is best known his work called Arthashastra. “Artha” is money or wealth and “shastra” can be loosely interpreted as “rules or knowledge base”. This compendium on rules of prosperity and economic well being is actually authored by Kautilya. One story tells us that Kautilya refers to Chanakya’s lineage or gotra. There are other historians who argue that “Chanakya” itself is the name of a lineage (gotra). And a person cannot have two lineages. Therefore, Chankaya and Kautilya are two different people. Arthashastra itself refers to the author as Vishnugupta in one of its aphorisms or shlokas. The Indian version of Aesop’s tales - Jataka tales by Vishnusharma makes a specific reference linking Chanakya with Vishnugupta in one of its Jatakas. That Jatakas are believed to stories of Buddha in one of his previous births is digression - but well worth a note.

Like with all great works of ancient India including its epics and Vedas themselves, the exact authorship has always been a hard to determine with any degree of certainty. Therefore, we go back to the most popular version that is widely accepted by the society at large and rely on Mudrarakshasa as the “golden reference”. And treat Chanakya of "Kautilya" lineage (gotra) as the author, who had a pen name - Vishnugupta.

None of this debate about authorship diminishes the value of the content in Arthashastra or any of the ancient works attributed to him.

Religion Vs Right to Freedom of Speech.

Religion begins with a statement of what is right and what is wrong. It expects compliance from its faithful.

So, how can religion be expected to encourage free speech.

Free speech, therefore,  is the product of the "non-believer" or the "believer" that says "well, I don't think religion can stop me doing what I think is right" or the "believer" who believes that he is ready to take a chance and face the consequences.

Free speech is about non-belief. The degrees of free speech we desire is all about where you plot yourself in the graph of degrees of non-belief.

Therefore, in the eyes of undiluted free speech, religion is evil, religion is infidel. Religion is the cause to its threat perception.

Hinduism and Christianity are not magically tolerant religions. The liberal actions  taken by the "set of all shades of believers" who have decided to gravitate towards freedom of speech and expression and away from their Books, creates the illusion of being tolerant religions. In the absence of these vast hordes of exceptions, all religions are evil.

QED.

Frankly Speaking

So, India has lost its seventh overseas test match on the trot. The captain wants to quit one of the forms of the game, presumably, the longest version of the game. Three days after he made his intention clear, he was banned for a game for poor overrate. The team is in disarray. TV anchors are making hay. Strident and purposeless observations - and in some cases, even tasteless attacks have been made. However, the engineer in me, forces a certain paradigm of problem solving. Systematic and unemotional.

1. We need green top tracks; hard seaming surfaces - that help our bowlers to practice and build on the art of pace and swing bowling.
2. We need a solid bowling coach who will ensure that bowlers can stick to a certain line and length with discipline over a span of tests. Just like the current Australian attack has been. We need a Craig as well.
3. Sharpening the saw: 
1. We have persisted with Ishant's technical flaws for long. We must give him a deadline to fix his issues, support him to blossom to become our strike bowler. Else, we must move on. Same comment holds for other bowlers as well.
2. Raina and others have refused to fix their short comings against the short stuff. May be the green tops on domestic circuit will force the issue. Or, these gentlemen must be sent for an extended county assignment.
3. What should the BCCI do to motivate the players to work on their gaps? I am not clear what tools and techniques we have at our command here. Dropping the non-performers is one way to do this. Are there non-threatening alternatives ?
4. We must ensure that our young talent is constantly encouraged to spend some time in the English County Cricket. This is the best way for the folks to get a sense of what it takes to do well on overseas strips.
5. That brings us to the batting section of the draw.
1. Test matches are won, when openers gives a start to the rest of the batting line up to build a 400+ score in their first essay. We do not have an opening pair that can consistently deliver on this metric. Sehwag has not been consistent on the overseas - non-subcontinental tracks. Worrisome. I hear that he wants to play down the order. Who are our openers? We need a Chetan Chauhan + Gavaskar class pair for tests.
2. Our middle order must be able to spend long hours at the crease - like Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar did in the 80s. The T20 culture of "hit out or get out" attitude does not work well in a test match situation.
6. Now comes the toughest task - one of selecting a possible test squad with an eye for the future given what I know of current talent.
1. Abhinav Mukund
2. Gautam Gambhir [ Captain ]
3. Virender Sehwag / Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar 
5. Cheteshwar Pujara
6. Virat Kohli
7. Rohit Sharma
8. Saha
9. Pragyan Ojha
10. R Ashwin
11. Zaheer Khan
12. Umesh Yadav
13. Praveen Kumar
14. Varun Aaron
15. Live with Ishant / Pathan ?

• I think that Suresh Raina has age on his side to make a statement after he fixes his flaws; Yuvraj seems to be running out of time.
• It is curtains for the fearsome foursome - Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar and Sehwag. I have retained two of them to help transition. We need to set a "use by date" and move on. It is sad, but, like in life all great things must come to end.
• There are atleast 4 slots available in this lineup for fresh talent in the coming 12-18 months - positions 1, 3, 8 and 11. I think a solid opener's slot and wicket keeper batsman slot is open today. 

Cheers!!!

Of Calamur and Calamity

Harini's argument:

http://www.dnaindia.com/mobile/report.php?n=1635138

Balanced one. One blog that I would recommend that you follow. I like the writing style - Incisive, clean and good ones.

I have a thought that is politically incorrect. I hope I don't get killed for attempting to raise this issue. I am not a far right loon. I am not preaching. I do not support the "Rama Sene" type view on the issue. But at the end of the day, isn't this about personal choices we make and our ability to be accountable for the consequences of the choices we make.

I am all for freedom - infinite.

However, a bizarre thought crossed my mind. One that could not kill. Sorry Maharshi Mahesh Yogi-ji. Here it is.

If I have enough wealth in my house, would I leave the door unlocked and count on an honest society that would not rob. Is seeking a good lock to secure my home; an infringement of fundamental rights and is holding Hoysala beat cop responsible for not catching the robber the real answer. Now the answer is to make an appropriate personal choice about the needs for the lock - even if you were living in Dharmasthala. And live with the consequences of the same.

Is ITC solely responsible for cancer caused due to smoking ? Isn't the tar truly molesting your virgin lung ?

Something tells me that everyone in the society must assess their personal risks and take appropriate measure to secure themselves; while continuing to blame the law enforcement for failing to do its job.

How can such a world view be discussed without hurting my Victoria or her secrets ? This is the real challenge.

PS: No pun intended, whatsoever.

Inclusive Development: An Argument

The kidnapping of district collector and a junior engineer in Orissa has sparked a debate, which like so many others, espouse extreme viewpoints. The strident tenor in these debates make it impossible for the middle ground to hold its own and explore a solution space. This has been frustrating to say the least.

The problem with the debate is the central theme on which these debates are predicated on. "Should we be negotiating with Maoists?" is a way to push people apart, even further. My sense is the that if you want a middle path and seek a discussion with an intent to evolve a move forward plan of action, then the debate and hence the topic of the debate / the key question driving the debate must facilitate such a non-polarized, thinking and action taking forum to come together. Unfortunately, this rarely has been the forte of Indian media.

IMHO, I would like to simplify things and place an argument in this armed struggle space.

Both, Government and people must consciously move away from the tu-tu main-main stances.

Yes, for 60 years post independence, tribal welfare has not been the priority of any ruling party. This is a fact. We need a statesman to stand up in Lok Sabha, acknowledge this, commit to action taking and apologize for the same. The healing process must start and I believe that the Government must start it.

Just as there are death due to fake encounters, there are genuine criminals, bad apples that have been eliminated as well. There are police officers serving the state that have been eliminated in hundreds. Violent ends and killings in any form - is bad and must be strongly condemned.

Not all police officers are clean. There are the brutal and unethical variety. Again, not all Maoists are honest and true. There are bad apples in their system as well. Police collect "hafta" and naxals extort their pound of flesh as well. So, any debate that seeks to identify which side has been holier - is bound be a waste of time.

We must demand that Naxals to drop their armed struggle; I fully support it. But we also need a clean police force who can enforce the rule of law.

Swami Agnivesh claims that 700 innocent people in Orissa are in police custody without a chargesheet. I am not sure about the veracity of this allegation. This may well be happening. Its unfortunate; but it is a reality. Let us for a minute assume that this is a fact that does not require further investigation. What does it tell us about about our judicial processes ? While we can sit back and argue that none of this can be an excuse for armed action; it must be understood that a dysfunctional judicial process needs to be fixed. Do we have a government that will listen to its people if we dropped a post card to the PM asking for corrective action? This probably won't work either. Instead of looking at what is wrong with the means, it is important that Government works overtime to fix these issues.

The Indian Government must issue a "demarche" of sorts to ensure that folks who are held without chargesheet beyond a certain period of time are released. We must eliminate excuses which justify kidnapping and extortion as a means of bargaining with the state.

Swami Agnivesh must be reminded of the facts. If the Maoists kidnapping eventually bargained for the release of all the innocents in the Orissa jails, the public ire might have been direct against the process of judicial custody and law of the land. Instead, the so-called representatives of the tribals have sought the release of cold blooded murderers. So, things are not as clean as Swami claims.

The Indian state must campaign extensively and make public a comprehensive common minimum program for the upliftment of tribals and the poorest of the poor in our country. It is a fact that most of civil unrest seems to have started in states [north east, for example] where development was rarely the agenda of the state and central governments.

The Indian Government will always be UP, Bihar and MP centric. Now a few southern states have gained some importance in the governance. This is clearly a behaviour that is driven by votes and vote banks.

It is not likely that Tripura and some of the smaller NE states ever get the attention that they deserve given our fixation on vote banks. It is time, the Indian state rose above petty considerations and set the tone for inclusive development. And this must be the mandate for all state governments as well.I believe that it is indeed time for us to re-engineer our democratic institutions and processes. These have served for over 60 years. Like all things in life, these processes require a fresh start.

The argument that we have the vote to change things is hollow. Yes, we have the vote to bring about a change. But who will speak for the millions languishing on the fringes of Indian society ? And when will the bottom of the pyramid be the priority for the Government ? The more we shy away from these hard questions, the more civil unrest we will face.

There is still time for us to wake up from the romantic idea of "India Shining" and get to work towards an "Inclusive India Shining" objective.

Winter of discontent

2012 has started with a bust and not a bang. Indian cricket ship sunk another notch. Ok. 0-6 overseas record. This is a good scoreline to make a few calls.

My Wishlist:

1. VVS Laxman makes way for Rohit Sharma. Time to bring him and check him out.
2. Virat Kohli: I think he is not a test material. He is a great bat if Test Cricket can start having field restriction for every 80 over. Long term, this is a Cheteshwar Pujara slot.
3. The opener is a slot that worries me the most. I know I will get killed for suggesting that Sehwag must go and make way for someone who has a KRA of seeing the new ball / shine off - 80 out of 100 times.
4. Something tells me that Ojha is a better spinner than Ashwin. But Ashwin deserves a few more chances. Seems to be a better bat; but I want him to take wickets.
5. One our bowling lineup: Know of any Indian who can pitch the ball up and bowl wicket to wicket consistently ?
6. Yadav needs to be nurtured. Ishant must make way for Varun Aaron. Just curious ... was Ishant It would have been interesting to watch Aaron on a green top Perth.
7. With so many slots up in the air - is Yuvraj Singh salivating ? Or is the door shut for him forever.

One final change:

1. I want Ravi Shastri to be stopped from the TV box.
2. I think we can use Dilbert's Vision Statement generator to spit out his expert comments as well.

The PM Presser

In a very strange way, we celebrate our democracy. In a way that US does not. For example, PM talking to press is headline news. In fact, I think I have been verbose. It appears that PM is speaking is a National News. So, it came to pass on 16th Feb 2011, that PM decided to offer the editors of TV, Valentine's gift by talking to them. The newsrooms across the nation went into a spin. Some heard him with rapt attention; a few found him tone and content convincing. Most of them were disappointed.

As a viewer of this TV show and as a citizen of India, I took down notes during the presser.

What was the purpose of the presser? The engineer in me forces me to start the problem solving process with an unambiguous focus on the target. The Economist in him forces him to go through the motions and offer excellent anecdotal evidence of his experience. In hindsight, everything is 20/20. So his story is likely to be sexier than mine. Coming back to the "goal", I went into the program expecting him to offer a diplomatic insight into his side of the argument.

He confessed that he was driven by coalition compulsions to tolerate the choice of ministers, it was understandable. That this choice meant that he could afford to abdicate the sense of accountability and leadership that rests on his shoulders, was simply damning. It set alarm bells ringing in my mind. What if another PM came and gave the same excuse – “I had no choice in the matter, so I tolerated something ever messier”. I knew that PM had crossed the line here. And from my point of view, this meeting was going downhill.

He often added that he was troubled by the scams; but he was not the culprit. In fact he was more nuanced than this. He said he was not as much a culprit as he is being made out to be. So, my question is, how much out the 5 Lakh crore worth [agreed that this based on back of the envelope computation] of culpability across 4 scams [2G, ISRO, Adarsh and CWG], can be notionally assigned to you. And do you believe that the figure is small enough to be overlooked as pocket change. Get serious. India has been fair to you, Mr. PM. No one has said that you are corrupt. In fact, what is astonishing is the fact that these scams could happen under your nose and you could tolerate this or look the other way. I simply do not buy the argument that you did not know. And what worries a citizen like me is that if this could happen when Dr MMS is the PM, the nation has a bleak future when we have lesser mortals occupying the chair. You threatened to resign to save the Indo US Nuclear deal. It was important to you. Why did you not use your power to "blackmail" the UPA constructively? If this did not work, it was for Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to find a solution. At the very least, you would have come out much stronger. Who did you think you were protecting? You staked the reputation that has become synonymous with Dr MMS. What was this for? History will judge you harshly if this was worth anything at all.

The most misquoted statement in Indian politics is about Caesar's wife being above suspicion. I suppose this is applicable to your cabinet colleagues as it is applicable to you. Mr PM, Caesar's wife has been gang raped. No more suspicion. It is a fact. Now she is asking for mercy, because it was forced upon her, therefore this was compulsion, and not a matter of choice. She was helpless. Now the question is - should we exonerate her under the circumstances? This is the real question.

Coalition dharma is the excuse bandied about by every political scoundrel. What exactly is this dharma? Is this dharma at all? Is tolerance to a corruption and scam that runs to about 5 lakh crores right under the nose of a helpless PM - the pre-eminent requirement for coalition? If it is the case, we Indians have the wrong kind of democracy. We need a constitutional amendment. Coalitions are here to stay in India. And we cannot afford the CM and PMs to walk by overlooking the rape and plunder of National Wealth under the guise of signing up for coalition dharma. I am not a constitutional expert, but as a citizen, I cannot accept this plunder. No way. This is first amendment we need, even before the Lokpal bill. No future leader in our land must use coalition as an excuse to ignore, tolerate or be a patron of corruption.

The PM seemed to be extremely sketchy on details. It appears that he used the often misused mantra of empowerment. The assumption that people will execute using self-correcting processes which require no detailed reviews at critical decision points is highly misplaced one. Honest reviews are the way to ensure execution success.

Where does corruption begin? Rarely can a policy be held guilty. Even FCFS, can be executed in a clean and transparent way. The issue was not so much about the policy as it was about the execution process adopted. Corruption started when someone started assigning the scarce national wealth to their inner circle. The scam is about the price the companies sold the spectrum in 6 months of its allocation vs. the price at which it was bought.

Prima facie, PM did not believe that his neck was on the line; given his understanding of the coalition dharma. Collective responsibility is more than this. You are accountable for success and failure - for all the possible outcomes. This is not empowerment. Mr. PM, this is abdication of responsibility.

Enough said. I was left wondering – Dr. MMS, was your silence more eloquent than your speech?