It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Over the last week I was bombarded with a thesaurus of festive wishes - these include ‘Happy Holidays’, ‘Seasons Greetings’, ‘Merry X’mas’ and ‘Merry Christmas’. Along with these rainbow of felicitations are messages denouncing some of these greetings as not kosher given that they seem to ignore the religious aspect of the festival. You could say that this once again shines a spotlight on how divisive religions and their practice can be. It may also suggest that the interpretation, practice and celebration of religions must expand to embrace the evolving human mind.

This Battle-for-the-Correct-Christmas-Greeting had its most famous proponent in Donald Trump. During his 2016 election campaign he had promised to bring back the usage of ‘Merry Christmas’. On Trumps election, his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said  “You can say again, ‘Merry Christmas’ because Donald Trump is now the president”. Trump in a recent speech said ‘We are going to be celebrating Merry Christmas Again’, he also tweeted the following on the 30^th of November ‘Today is a day that I’ve been looking very much forward to ALL YEAR LONG. It is one that you have heard me speak about many times before. Now, as President of the United States, it is my tremendous honor to finally wish America and the world, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!’.

Given Trumps track record it was par for the course for this leader of the freeworld, who has made his billions through capitalism and with his fathers money, to play to the blinkered evangelist gallery with this Christmas thingamabob. Capitalism is what has made Christmas so secular. Adam Smiths invisible hand of Laissez Faire directs this evangelisation of Christmas. It could also be argued that because Christmas celebrations, like other similar religious occasions, are socio-religious it provides space for everyone to partake in its festivities.

Sure people have forgotten that alcohol was earlier used as a preservative and to keep warm and not to bring in Christmas cheer. And that the ‘Christmas Spirit’ is not the name of some potent seasonal alcohol but the joy and gratitude which when shared is magnified manifold, something milked by marketeers today. So it comes as no surprise that malls have Christmas Trees and Santas at this time of the year and big named hotels organise the so called ‘traditional mixing of Christmas Cake’. But that has not prevented people from finding ways to keep this candle lit by coming together in homes to get their hands dirty with cake mix or from reaching for their wallets or from decorating Christmas Trees and constructing the Nativity Scene irrespective of religion.

Many fear that the reason for the secularisation is the watering down of the religiosity of this festival. There may be some truth in this dilution, but even so the cart is being put in front of the horse. This fear is an ill-informed trend in Christianity if not in other religions too. It has also percolated to how we practise our politics. The truth is that people are drawn to the person and not what s/he stood for. It is simpler to worship a person and celebrate the birth, sacrifice, victory or their return than to live by the ideals preached and practised.

Does one need to be of a certain persuasion to aspire and work towards being a Maryada Purush?

The words of the greetings for this season should not distract us from the life of the first Che’ Guevara born over 2000 years ago. It should not blind us to the fact that we don’t know the date of Christs birth and this celebration is more about the principles he stood for and is an opportunity to put into practice those which are acceptable to us.

The Spirit of Christmas cannot be bottled or sold. There is no one way to share the joy of what this birth and life stood for. By debating the form of greeting an opportunity is lost to share a moment of joy or do an act of kindness. Isn’t finding occasions to give back, to show gratitude and thankfulness part of what makes life worth living ? And if it is so shouldn’t the Spirit of Christmas and other festivals be around 365 days of the year?  

Modis Triumphant US Visit

In India there was a breathless buildup to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US. The media reported on the planned ‘red carpet’ welcome, the working dinner at the White House which was the ‘first for a foreign leader’. Much was expected from the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump. The joint media briefing addressed by Trump and Modi turned out to be a love fest. So powerful was the bromance, that for the first time ever Trump put another leader at par with himself. Trump called himself and Modi ‘world leaders of social media’. In one swoop Trump did what Modi and his team have been trying to do - place Modi on the same level as that of  a leader of a superpower. Our Prime Minister does have a true friend in the White House.

These two leaders are spearheading social experiments that threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. So it came as no surprise that this joint media briefing was an excursion into platitudes. They tried to outdo the other in recognising the others contribution as a leader. Each trying to validate, support and recognise the others work, putting a lid on the others bubbling cauldron.

But Modi like Trump does like to blow his own trumpet. It was therefore pre-ordained that  in his address to the Indian diaspora he would mention  the surgical strike and his governments spotless record. On the surgical strike Indian media reported Modi as saying “When India did surgical strikes the world experienced our power and realized that India practices restrain but can show power when needed.” and “No nation questioned India’s surgical strikes”. Modi never shared with his captivated audience whether the strikes reduced the threat of terrorism that we in India face. 

He also spoke about the stain free government that he leads. Is greasing the palms of people the only form of corruption? Modi, did not speak about how young minds are being corrupted instead of being ignited. No mention was made about young men being brainwashed into lynching others for their food habits. He chose to ignore the rot within the government that fosters institutionalised efforts to target minorities. Modi failed to mention the unofficial acceptance of half brained pseudo science as proof of this lands glorious ancient culture and scientific achievements.

Having a minister charged under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc. circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) is not exactly unblemished either.   

One of the outcomes of the Modi-Trump bromance was their promise to work together to eliminate Islamic extremism and radicalisation. The commitment, totally blindsiding everyone to what their governments are doing to foment these very two things. In the US and in India minorities, not only Muslims, are facing the brunt of their elected governments isolationist and xenophobic policies. How successful can they be in eradicating global radicalisation and terrorism when the right environment is being created to breed it in the US and India.

Modi proudly promised the Indian diaspora that he was going to make India like the US within their lifetime. Going by what Trump is doing to the US and the path Modi and his cohorts have chosen for India he is going to make good on his promise.  

   

President Trump and Prime Minister Modi As Different As Chalk and Cheese?

In Chaplins ‘The Great Dictator’, the scenes between Dictator Adenoid Hynkel (Charlie Chaplin) of Tomainia and Dictator Benzino Napaloni (Jack Oakie) of Bacteria are a classic portrayal of large egos clashing. Each Dictator tries to outdo the other in being more of a narcissist ego-tripper while simultaneously trying to diminish the other.

One is not sure whether Prime Minister Modi’s and President Trump’s meet on the 26^th of June will be Chaplinesque. In their context it is easy and safe to discard and discount similar traits between them. What is beguiling is not only their common traits but the manner of manifestation and therefore the course they have chosen for their countries.

In their election campaign Trump and Modi vociferously asserted their status of being outsiders to the politicking and horse trading in the capitals of their country. They also swore that they would ‘drain the swamp’ if elected. Trump used the aforementioned term while Modi was more specific he said ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’. They emphasised the size of their body parts, Modi his chest and Trump his hands, as proof of their capability and capacity to lead their country to new heights of glory.  Both these men spewed venom and ridiculed their opponents. Both were unrepentant for their past acts of commission and omission. They had a retinue of apologists defending them and rationalising their actions.   

Interestingly Trump does not belong to any particular ideology, he is an opportunist who saddled the most amenable horse. Modi, on the other hand, belongs to the Right Wing Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On coming to power, both began dismantling and replacing policies and institutions that had strong socio-economic rationale. Modi began replacing the heads of institutions with people aligned to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Right Wing Hindutva philosophy or were RSS products. Trump corralled together billionaires and millionaires with no experience or with expressed desire to reduce government control to head various departments in his government, he rescinded policies that protected minorities and walked out of international treaties.

Trump and Modi, and for that matter even their supporters, dislike dissent or opposing views.  They do not have a good relationship with the media. During their election campaign both claimed that the press did them wrong. This led to Trump labeling the liberal media ‘Fake News’ even as he reached out and promoted conservative and alternative and conspiracy fed news forums.  In India today, Modi has got most of the media wrapped around his little pinky. This has been enabled by his supporters viciously trolling journalists and his government and BJP spokespersons and other Right Wing espousing individuals labeling the media ‘pseudo-liberals with an agenda’. One of his ministers, who also happens to be the former Chief of the Army, coined the term ‘Presstitutes’. The situation is so vituperative that Indians and the few news channels that question the government are branded as anti-nationals. They face government ire in the form of reduction in government advertisements, harassment by authorities and appearance boycotts. Today, most Indian media have joined the governments jingoistic, saffron hued nationalism without much ado.

For individuals with so much power and who tout to be Men these two love to be the centre of attraction. Can anyone forget Modi pushing Zuckerberg aside or Trump doing something similar to the Duško Marković, the Prime Minister of Montenegro? Even as their actions went viral and created internet memes, they and their votaries remained unaffected, it was water off a ducks back.

Both love to talk to the people they rule. Trump uses his thumbs to communicate with the Americans and infact the world. Modi, uses a monthly radio show - ‘Mann ki Baath’ - to wax eloquent on topics that are not necessarily burning issues of the country but are programmed to indicate his concern for the public. The outcome of both these forms of communication is that people feel that they are directly connected with the person in power. Americans believe that Trump can be trusted because he speaks his mind - ala tweets. While for many Indians still unwilling or unable to shed the shadow of feudalism, Modi ‘directly’ speaking to them harks back to the era of a benevolent king holding a durbar. These ultimately result in a cult like following where the person in power can do no wrong. This becomes justification enough for Trump and Modi to continue on their course.

Though it was the Trump administration that seeded the term ‘alternative facts’ in the global psyche, it was the Modi government and their cohorts that perfected this arcane art. Indians have had to bear a steady onslaught of alternative facts. Some of which are - Modi proclaiming that genetic engineering was prevalent in ancient times in this land, a minister claiming that cows exhale oxygen and a high court judge piously saying that the peacock is India’s national bird because it does not mate. Trump and team use ‘alternative facts’ as a defense while Modi and his squad use them to create narratives which instill religio-nationalistic pride. This is the grease that eases the implementation of their grand schemes. It should come as no surprise therefore that both men and their administrations are constantly trying to undermine democracy and social cohesion. The most recent case is the law that prevents the sale of cattle for slaughter in animal markets in India and the travel restriction order in the US. The argument for the former is prevention of animal cruelty and for the latter is keeping America safe, interestingly both these laws target minorities.  

Trump is veering towards isolationalism and reduced international responsibility while Modi seeks global recognition for India’s Hindu-cultural history. But the desired outcome of their design is the same, Trump wants to ‘Make America Great Again’ while Modi fantasises of making India into a Hindu ‘super-power’. The path they have chosen demands that minorities be ignored,  media be curtailed and those with opposing views be given short shrift.

Given their similarities and personality types will these two navigators of their country’s destinies put themselves before their nation when they meet on the 26^th of June? Will Trump try to use his handshake to put Modi in his place, or will Modi sidestep the proffered hand and go for a bear hug to indicate that he is equal to Trump? Will this Mano a Mano impact the outcome of the deliberations between India and the US? We know what happened after Trump returned from Europe. We wait with bated breath.