Monthly Archives: April 2017

ROME Christian faith is belief in the concrete work of God and leads freedom and to concrete witness and action by believers, Pope Francis said.

The Christian creed details concrete events because the Word was made flesh, it was not made an idea, the pope said April 24 during his morning Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae.

The creed does not say, I believe I must do this, that I must do that or that things are made for this reason. No! They are concrete things, such as belief in God who made heaven and earth or believe in Jesus who was born of Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, the pope noted.

The concreteness of faith leads to frankness, to giving witness to the point of martyrdom; it is against compromises or the idealization of faith, he said.

Pope Francis reflected on the days first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recalled Peter and Johns release after they were imprisoned by the Sanhedrin following the miraculous healing of a cripple.

Noting their courage in the face of persecution, the pope said that their defiance of the Sanhedrins order not to preach in the name of Jesus was an example of the concrete nature of faith, which means speaking the truth openly without compromises.

The rationalistic mentality shown by the Sanhedrin, the pope added, did not end with them, and even the church at times has fallen into the same way of thinking.

The church itself, which condemned rationalism, the Enlightenment, many times fell into a theology of you can do this and you cant do that,' forgetting the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit and gives believers the gift of frankness and of proclaiming that Jesus is Lord, the pope said.

May the Lord give us all this Easter spirit of following the path of the Spirit without compromise, without rigidity, with the freedom to proclaim Jesus Christ as he came: in the flesh, Pope Francis said.

See more here:

Faith leads to freedom, not compromise, pope says - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

3 hours ago.

Just over a hundred years ago, 30 well-known non-Brahmin leaders gathered at the Victoria Public Hall in what was then Madras to form a political organisation that would radically shape Tamil Nadu politics in the years to come. Launched in November 1916, the Justice Party represented the interests of non-Brahmin castes both in politics and society, which were under the influence of the powerful upper caste. The party soon came under the leadership of philosopher EV Ramasamy, or Periyar, who withdrew it from electoral politics and turned it into a social reformist organisation, the Dravidar Kazhagam, based on the principles of rationalism, womens rights and eradication of caste.

Fighting for the self-respect of the downtrodden castes became the foundation of the Dravidian movement led by Periyar. These principles would later trickle down into the many political factions that would emerge only to end up as much-repeated empty rhetoric.

The Dravidar Kazhagam was the mother organisation of the states two most influential political parties the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, both of which make vociferous claims of following the ideals of Periyar and uplifting the Dravidian masses. So does a much weaker Dravidar Kazhagam, and its equally ineffectual splinter groups such as the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam.

But these claims appear hollow when one takes into account the lack of attention paid to research and scholarships on the Dravidian movement.

No party has built a sustained interest in caste issues, said V Geetha, a Dravidian movement historian. There has been no objective research centre or programme supported by the government that can take up such work. One would imagine that the government would support research on Periyar considering how much they swear by his name.

Earlier this month, The Times of India reported that a research centre dedicated to studying the Dravidian Movement, which was founded at the University of Madras in 2006, was now defunct. Citing an audit report, the article said that the research centre had barely used the Rs 3.9 crores in funds it had been allocated and plans for a separate building and library had made little progress.

V Sivaprakasm, one of two research associates appointed to the centre, worked there for less than two years. In 2010, the contracts of the researchers and the director of the centre were not renewed. Sivaprakasm blames the university administration for its lack of interest in encouraging research on Periyar and his legacy.

I tried speaking to the vice-chancellor about the plans I had for the centre but they were just not ready to listen, said the researcher. The centre should be revived, because Dravidian studies is a unifying force of the southern states that overpowers regionalism.

The centre was established by M Karunanidhi, who was then the chief minister of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led government. In an effort to create continued awakening and awareness in the future generations of Tamil Nadu, four chairs were set up at the centre the Periyar EVR Chair on Rationalism and Gender Justice, Arignar Anna Chair on Development of Tamil Language and Sociopolitical thoughts, Chair on Social, Economic and Equal Justice, and Chair on Federalism at the Centre and Autonomy for the States.

A change of government in 2011, when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by the late J Jayalalithaa came to power, made it even more difficult for the centre to be revived, since the ruling party showed no interest in encouraging scholarly engagement on the Dravidian movement, according to Sivaprakasm. The AIADMK cadre comprises only fans of MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, said Sivaprakasm. They do not have any academic interest. The DMK has a little more of an orientation towards the teachings of Periyar and Annadurai [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founder and former chief minister]. But neither the DMK nor the AIADMK matched up to the performance of the Justice Party which ruled Tamil Nadu.

The audit also revealed that a university proposal for financial assistance of Rs 1.1 crores in 2013 had received no response from the government, the Times of India reported.

While research on the Dravidian movement has received little support from the government, historian V Geetha pointed out that there has not been much critical and intellectual engagement by those affiliated with the movement too. Much of it is unrigorous and uncontextualised, she added.

According to Geetha, there has been active engagement by independent scholars in understanding the Dravidian movement, including the anti-caste Dalit movements that emerged before the Justice Party. There is a steady flow of original scholarly works that are being published in Tamil and English by independent bodies. But the Dravidar Kazhagam and other groups associated with the movement only republish old books and pamphlets and rarely come out with any original work.

From within the movement itself, there has been almost no reflection, said Geetha. It is only very romantic, celebratory and repetitive.

Read the original here:

Defunct research centre in Chennai speaks of the state of Dravidian ideals in the land of its birth - Scroll.in

West Bengal secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Surjya Kanta Mishra, says the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are one and the same, and both his party's political adversaries. He also says that the policy of his party is to be on a broad platform with Left democratic and secular organisations, and there is no place for the "Bengal TMC" in it.

He refuses to get into the issue of a possible change in this dynamics when it comes to fighting the BJP nationally in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. However, if one reads between the lines, and tries to make sense of the subtlety of his comments, it seems that the CPI(M) may have shut the door to the TMC in Bengal, but they've not locked it yet. Perhaps now is too early? Watch this space for more.

Mishra is easy to chat with, and we discuss everything from Mamata Banerjee to Marine Le Pen, pro-identity and anti-Islam movements across Europe to nationalism in India, perception to proprioception, rise of the right-wing to the future of the Left at the CPI(M) state headquarters at Alimuddin Street in Kolkata. He is soft-spoken with an absolutely wicked sense of humour (most of his sarcastic comments and jokes are delivered with a deadpan expression and he quietly enjoys the impact on the listener).

The recent bypoll result in Contai South Assembly constituency indicates that the BJP is now a force to reckon with in West Bengal. Who is a greater evil politically for the Left in the state now the Trinamool Congress or the BJP?

We are saying, "defeat TMC to save Bengal and defeat BJP to save India." In fact she [Mamata Banerjee] brought the BJP to Bengal. It is also the Trinamool Congress' rule in the state that has led to the rise of the BJP here.

But Mamata Banerjee's association with the BJP has been in the past (she was part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 1998, and was railways minister in the cabinet), but today she is fighting the BJP. Moreover, BJP's support has increased nationally even in those states where the TMC has no presence. So why is the TMC responsible for the rise of the BJP in Bengal?

BJP and the TMC are not two entities they are one. It would be illusory to think that they are separate in their policies. Fascistic forces can create such illusions in the minds of people. Today, in the country, there is attack on people's social security and livelihood, fascistic attack on democracy and on secularism. The policies of both these parties are such that they help each other to survive and to thrive.

There has been a rise of the pro-identity right-wing politics throughout Europe, and India is also witnessing increased support for right-wing groups. Where is the place of the Left in this?

Earlier, rationalism could take the lead, and the revolutionary class stood against the feudal system. Now, the world has shifted to the Right, there has been a rise of the right-wing politics. India has been witnessing identity politics, crony capitalism and the financial crisis is still not over there is no employment, no production. And it is to divert attention from all this that different perceptions are being created through social media, and intolerance is so rampant. It is like watching Manmohan Desai's films where you don't have to think, there is no need for rationalism.

But people will learn from their experiences. What is happening now, is what people are perceiving as the reality. They "think" this is reality, but they are just made to see things in a particular way. What they see is just an illusion. Religion is reflection of reality, but communalism is not. Preprioception, which is a reflection of the reality, is the only thing that can fight illusion. We have to present that reality before the people.

Coming back to the political scenario in Bengal, why are you saying that there has been a match-fixing between BJP and TMC, when they are tooth and nail against each other? Do people believe this theory?

Both TMC and BJP are together and their policy is to oust the Left. Moreover, why are the TMC leaders not being arrested? Why is she (Mamata Banerjee) being spared when she is the leader of the party?

Mamata Banerjee is trying to bring together all the non-BJP forces as many regional parties as possible for fighting the ruling party at the Centre in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. What will be the role of the CPM and other Left parties in this? Will you join her to fight the BJP?

Election is not the primary question. Our policy is to be with anti-communal forces, and to be on a broad platform with Left democratic and secular forces. That is the pre-condition, and the Bengal TMC has no place in it.

Which means that this strategy could be altered when it comes to the elections, and it is not impossible that there could be an alliance with the TMC in 2019 nationally to stop the BJP from forming the government?

Now, you are putting words into my mouth. I have already made clear whatever I had to say. Election is not the issue, our main task at hand is to fight both the TMC and the BJP.

The Left parties had had an electoral tie-up in the 2016 Assembly polls in Bengal with the Congress, while the Congress and the Trinamool Congress are now on a great rapport nationally. In retrospect, how does the party look at the alliance with the Congress in Bengal?

It was part of our strategy to create a broad platform with Left democratic and secular forces. And it follows from the resolution of our plenum. We call this a "platform", and we formed this platform with the Congress to fight the TMC in Bengal. Our policy is also to increase our individual strength.

Can the Left parties in Bengal stage a turnaround? How will it happen?

People learn from experiences. In the five states where Assembly elections were held recently, the BJP's win has not been uniform everywhere. It hasn't got majority everywhere. The Left Front will increase its strength in the coming days, there will be a common platform of the Left and other democratic parties.

But the fact is that the people in this state who used to carry red flags with hammer and sickle are now chanting Jai Shri Ram and observing Rama Navami. And Bengal has a history of a sharp Hindu-Muslim divide, exchange of inflammatory words between the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League throughout the 1940s, and the communal riots of Calcutta in August 1946 that go down in history as one of the worst episodes of mass violence in India.

People do not want to fight against each other. It is the leaders of political parties that make them perceive things in a particular way. It had been the same thing in the past. But people do learn from their experiences. Those in Uttar Pradesh are also learning. And do remember, the dangerous path the right wing groups are treading these days and the way they are instigating people won't leave them unscathed.

We will continue to build on our strength our independent strength and that of other democratic forces on a common platform in the coming days.

More here:

INTERVIEW: Left's Surjya Kanta Mishra Says No Room For Alliance With Arch Rivals Trinamool... Just Yet - Huffington Post India