759 Dr. Kancha Ilaiah and Swami Vivekananda, some similarities.

Dr. Kancha Ilaiah, Professor of Political Science at Maulana Azad Urdu University, Hyderabad, may please study Indian Economic Problems in depth, before he continues to advise people vigorously that they should eat more and more beef and goat-heads. India is a poor country with 130 million population, bulk of whom are unable to earn two square meals a day. He seems to be suffering from an obsession of hating Brahmins. He cannot equate 21st Century Brahmins with 2000 BC Aryan Brahmins, 1000 BC Aryan Brahmins, 0 AD Aryan Brahmins, 1000 AD Medieval Brahmins. He has to do lot of homework, to appreciate the evolution of socio-economic environment in India.

"...Vegetarianism is anti-nationalism. ..." (at Lucknow, on 15th Apr. 2016. Context: His speech on the subject of Dr BR Ambedkar's political empowerment in a function held at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, to celebrate 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.).

"For me, my nation starts with eating beef. Unfortunately, we gave up eating beef and our brains are not growing now. There is no enough protein..."

"... Though I am not very tall and strong but my brain is working because I ate a lot of goat brain in my childhood. ..."

"... Vegetarianism will destroy the brain capacity. You cannot compete with vegetarian nationalism with China, Korea, Japan and America who are full scale `beefarians', `porkians', fisharians and even `frogarians'. Whatever is now poison they are eating, there brain is growing. ..."

"The whole steel industry is collapsing from here to England because China is producing steel in such a manner that all our economists are in doldrums, nothing is being understood by Indian economists. This is because, the Chinese brain has gone so sharp, our economists vegetarians brains are not working."

"... At times, the PM sweeps the road. I said when you were a shudra you were doing that. What are you doing now. Ask Arun Jaitely or Arun Shourie to sweep the roads. I am very happy to know that PM is learning English. At least a Shudra is trying. The only problem is vegetarianism doesn't have a quick learning. He should eat good food ..."

"... At a time when Socrates and Plato were writing about justice and republic, scholars here were busy writing about Kamasutras. ..." "... Do we need to write a book about that (kamasutras)? Animals know how to live a sexual life, why are you teaching it at 1st century AD ..."

ybrao-a-donkey's humble comments. वैबीराव एक गधे के विनम्र राय . వైబీరావ్ గాడిద వినమ్ర వాణి. You have every right to differ with me. I respect your right. आपको मेरे मत से भिन्न राय रखने के संपूर्ण हक है। मै उस अधिकार को परिपूर्ण रूप से गौरव देता हुँ. మీకు, మీ భిన్నమైన అభిప్రాయాన్ని కలిగిఉండే సంపూర్ణ హక్కు ఉంది. దానిని ఎంతో నేను గౌరవిస్తాను. However, pl. examine this donkey's views also. परन्तु एस गधे के दृष्टिकोण को भी अनुशीलन कीजिये. కానీ ఈ గాడిద దృష్టికోణాన్ని కూడ ఓర చూపుతో కంటజూడుమీ, క్రీగంట జూడమీ.

1. We have to respect the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression of Dr. Ilaiah. At the sametime, sometimes, he appears to cross his limits of 'Freedom of Speech' granted by our Constitution. Then, in India, many others (probably including myself) may be crossing these limits, unintentionally or deliberately. Anyway, I appeal to Dr. Ilaiah to tone down his hatred towards 21st Century Brahmins who are different from 2000 BC Aryan Brahmins, 1000 BC Brahmins, 0 AD Brahmins, 1000 AD Brahmins. Just as Dalits, Upper Sudras, Lower Sudras have changed during these 4000 years of Indian History, Brahmins too have changed. Our Education, our learning has to make us better citizens. There is nothing wrong in speaking or writing truth. But while speaking or writing bitter truths, it will be better to occasionally caution the listeners / readers that it will be better they abstain from listening or reading if their sentiments are likely to be hurt. Dr. Ilaiah may not like Sanskrit maxims, but here is one Sanskrit maxim:

priyam brUyAt
satyam brUyAt
na bruyAt satyam apriyam.

Approximate English: Say what will be liked by the listener. Tell truth. But do not tell truth which is likely to hurt the listener.

This maxim seems to have certain limitations. The speaker/writer cannot withhold truth for unlimited periods, simply because it hurts the listener / reader. Someday or other the truth has to come out. Appropriateness of place and time may have to be kept in mind.

Like sugar coated pills, even unpleasant things can be communicated in carefully worded language, and also by pre-warning the listener / reader.

Dr. Ilaiah has to keep in mind that because some injustice has taken place to Dalits in gone-bye Centuries, it does not mean that he can throw rubbish on 21st Century Brahmins. Besides, he cannot prove with the available evidence that Ancient Brahimins alone were responsible for all the injustices that had taken place to Dalits, and Lower Sudras. Whatever injustices took place, they happened at the commands of Rulers, whether they were Kshatriyas (warrior caste by birth), or by Upper Sudras who were Rulers throughout these 4000 years. Very rarely, ancient and medieval Brahmins ruled India, such as Maratha rule, Pushya Mitra Sringa's rule. Most of the times, Brahmins were only Accountants. Upper Sudras were Kings, and Heads of Regions, Heads of Villages.

2. As long as people do not get misled by the utterances of great pundits of all hues (includes not only Dr. Kancha Ilaiah, Shri Katti Padma Rao, -- but also our pravachana kartas in Temples who have fancy titles such as 'ratnAkara (Ocean, treasure of gems)', 'cakravarti (Emperor)', gnAna putra (son of Supreme-awareness) etc., we can laugh, examine each statement separately and decide whether to accept them or not.

If Dr. Ilaiah is obsessed with finding fault with some castes for the ills done to Lower Sudras and Dalits, he should ask the ancient-medieval upper sudras, why they did that. The 21st Century Upper Sudras who happen to be landlords in our villages, business persons and industrialists in our cities, seem to be continuing THOSE OPPRESSIVE ACTIVITIES on dalits and lower SUdrAs even now.

For example, the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are being ruled by just four LANDED CASTES. Naming them will not be appropriate. Dr. Kancha Ilaiah can go and ask the Telangana State Chief Minister K. Chandra Sekhara Rao, and Residual Andhra Pradesh State Chief Minister, Mr. Nara Chandra Babu Naidu, "which are those four landed castes", and why they alone are occupying all the important posts, and ruling these two States. Dr. Ilaiah can also ask them why the personal differences between Mr. KCR and Mr. Naidu, led to an unjust bifurcation of United Andhra Pradesh.

3. About Vegetarianism: Swami Vivekananda too seemed to have had views similar to Dr. Kancha Ilaiah. While Dr. Ilaiaih believes that India had started as a beef eating Nation, this ybrao-a-donkey believes that humans having evolved from vegetarian monkeys, Ancient Indians might have started as vegetarians, and later shifted to different types of non-vegetarian foods under influences from foreign invaders and migrants. I wrote at one of my blogposts here, that ancient Indians might have learnt beef eating from Aryan migrants from North Europe.

4. One letter by Swami Vivekananda to Raja Ajit Singh, Ruler of Khetri, arguing that vegetarians should eat grass is worth quoting here. Probably for this wisdom, Khetri Ruler might have given the name of 'Swami Vivekananda' to our Swamiji who earlier had different names, apart from his parent-given name of Narendranath Datta. As a reward for reading his mind, Raja of Khetri might have provided funds to send Vivekananda to Chicago Parliament of Religions. Swami Vivekananda wrote to Ajit Singh on 22nd May 1893, before going to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

"...If our digestive apparatus is exactly like that of a cow — we ought and must be able to eat and digest grass. In that case poor Indians are fools to die of starvation in famine times while their natural food, grass, is so abundant, and your Highness' servants are fools to serve you while they have only to get up the nearest hillock and get a bellyful of grass instead of undergoing all the trouble of serving others!!! Grand American discovery indeed!!! Only I hope the holy dungs of such human cows may become of great use to the wonderful American author and his Indian disciple. Amen. So much for the cow-human theory. ..."

5. Vivekananda wants us to eat grass, whereas we eat rice and wheat which are nothing but different forms of grass seeds. Are we not surviving healthily with some minor ailments whereas Vivekananda concluded that he should eat nothing but meat and not drink water for combating his illnesses? In spite of eating all types of meat , Swami Vivekananda suffered numerous diseases, searched for 'karakkAya (myrobalan)' as a cure in his last days, and died at an early age of 39?

6. Even from the point of view of Indian Poverty and Indian Economics, it will be cheaper to produce 1 kg. of wheat, when compared to the cost of producing 1 kg. of goat's meat or beef. Our 130 million Indians are unable to get 2 square meals of vegetarian food every day. Where can we get beef and mutton? A pair of idlis cost Rs. 15/- today. How much will a goat-head-curry cost? In University Hostels, it may be cheap.

7. Dr. Ilaiah, like Swami Vivekananda seems to be suffering from an illusion that only non-vegetarians, particularly beef-eaters alone, will be physically strong, & can invent great things, and contribute to production and growth. Numerous factors contribute to growth of Nations. Dr. Ilaiah can, if he wants to help Indians sincerely, conduct research into those numerous factors, instead of harping on the merits of beef eating.

This blog post has Part 2. I shall try to write shortly.

Subject to corrections and deletions. A lot more is to be added. To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.