01-01-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
01-01-2021 to 15-01-2021
21
Will the FARMERS understand what
Jyotiba Phule had warned us about?
As 2020 coming to its culmination
tonight, the future still look uncertain
despite tall claims of vaccine development
by various Pharma companies.
Ofcourse, the powerful block have
already blocked huge number of doses
denying the others at the hands of 'God'.
This remain one of the darkest years
that we have witnessed. It is not that the
tragedies did not stuck earlier or their
wrath was ;ess atrocious but the enormity
and spread this time remain
unprecedented.
It impacted all. The lock down broke
the bones of not merely our economy
but also the informal sector workers
who realised that it is not merely their
'class' but their 'caste' matters as they
persistently faced discrimination and
adversity in the cities they built while
being 'declared' as 'migrants' in their
own country. Nowhere in the world, we
term fellow citizens as 'migrants'.
Every crisis is an opportunity and
western governments felt it that way
where many of the countries strengthened
their public spending particularly
on the health as well as other welfare
measures. Many provided subsidies to
small industries so that they are not
closed down while others also transferred
money to their people so that
they continue to have cash to run their
homes and spend it.
A country like UK which was on the
verge of handing over its famous
National Health Services to big corporations
in the USA, found that it is the
best landmark of their country and now
feel proud of it. NHS has become the
backbone of British people which they
feel proud of.
The impact of Corona was high in
the western world but Asian countries
handled it much better. China, from
where it all started showed why it is one
of the finest governed countries,
Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea,
Singapore, Malaysia handled it in a
much better way. In terms of mortalities,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka were much below. It is a reality
that Covid assaulted the Western World
more than any other countries but for
India to compare it with them will not
serve any purpose. India can claim that
the deaths here are below US but the
economies in the Western World have
not collapsed like us. They have managed
things better. Ofcourse, with leaders
like Trump and Johnson, US and
UK paid a heavy price for ignoring the
earlier warning.
In India, the government used the
Covid as a shield to impose emergencies
and brutal lock down without even
thinking of what will happen to the
poorest of the poor who become more
vulnerable. Prior to Covid, we had
massive anti CAA-NRC protests which
were brutally suppressed with physical
assault and false cases. Shaheen Bagh
showed a mirror to
the government yet
the BJP converted it
into a We verses
them theory in its
election campaign and helped by the
powerful propaganda media and notorious
IT cell. The covid norms washed
away when the ministers and leaders
were campaigning but were imposed
when farmers were protesting. The
youths are staring at an uncertain future
while Industry is prepared for a
longer recession but the ruling
party is enjoying this phase and
using it to privatise the national
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
resources. This is shameful to
say the least.
I am not fascinated with the big
'movements' because one
thing is clear that this state
is jolted when they feel
their 'own' people have
revolted or drifted with
them. Kisans too have
castes and prejudices.
Most of them enjoy their
upper caste privileges
even when people like us
felt that they should follow
the path shown by revolutionary
Jyotiba Phule. It is
unlikely that they would.
A majority of them will be
trapped in the vicious
cycle of anti muslim narrative.
We all know how anti
CAA-NRC protests were
portrayed and why it failed
when the questions of
farmers came. It is simple.
Most of the farmers are
neither muslims, nor
Dalits nor Adivasis though most of
them are OBCs yet very much part of
the Hindutva narrative of Sangh Parivar
who they can not dare to antagonise.
As the year come to
an end, we can only
hope that people of
India will realise that
not only capitalism but
brahmanism too is root
cause of the crisis that
we are facing today.
Hence it is important
that when farmers and
working classes identify
capitalism as their enemy, they can
not ignore the bigger power of the
Indian brahmanical elite. Ignoring this
will only ensure their future defeats.
Whatever big a movement is, I dont see
the defeat of the powerful brahmanical
elite unless the peasantry understand
what Jyotiba Phule mentioned Sethji
Bhatji combine. The problem is the so
called 'intellectual' 'leaders' of these
movements who are only targeting to
be in Parliament and not to really
change the system.
As the year end, I wish that sanity
prevails and we come back to normalcy.
Hope that democratic forces worldover
will unite against the undemocratic
social order which is dictating terms
and conditions to us. Covid has shown
how unequal is this world order. It has
shown us that we need to unite and
fight against prejudices. We need to
stand up together. We hope that year
2021 will bring more energy and hope
in our life. We have lost a number of
friends and co-travellers. 2020 has
been a dreadful year. Let us join hand
and hope that humanity will prevail and
the world will rise up to the current crisis
for the betterment of its people.
Wish you all good health, lots of
strength and happiness. Let us stand
together and speak up against all forms
of injustice and discrimination. Wish
you good days ahead in the year 2021.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social
and human rights activist. He blogs
at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com
twitter @freetohumanity
Email: vbrawat@gmail.com
Study by IIT Gandhinagar and Archaeological
Department reveals the existence of a three-level
structure beneath SOMNATH TEMPLE
In a 32-page long report prepared by the Archaeological Department, it is stated
that there is an L shaped structure beneath the Somnath temple
In a Ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
investigation carried out by IIT
Gandhinagar and the Archaeological
Department on the instructions of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, it has been
revealed that there are three historical
structures beneath the Somnath temple
in Gujarat. The investigation was carried
out by IIT Gandhinagar along with
four of its associate institutions. In
2017, the Prime Minister, who is a
trustee if the Somnath temple, had asked
the Archaeological Department to conduct
this investigation in a meeting held
in the national capital.
L shaped structure beneath the
temple
In a 32-page long report prepared by
the Archaeological Department, it is
stated that there is an L shaped structure
beneath the Somnath temple. The inves- tigation was conducted by experts using the latest technologies and machines
worth Rs 5 crore. The GPR investigation
revealed that about 12 meters into
the ground, there was a structure with an
entrance gate. The study has revealed a
3-story structure below the ground in
the area. The different levels of the
structure are at the depth of 2.5 meters,
5 meters and 7.3 meters from the ground
level. A second structure also has need
detected below the ground at the location
where the security check point for
the visitors of the temple is located.
The report also states that there are
Buddhist caves beneath the areas surrounding
the Statue of Unity which is
located at a distance from Digvijay
Dwar of the temple. The report has been
handed over to the temple trust.
Somnath temples was demolished several
times by Muslim invaders It is said
that there was a temple at the place that
was reconstructed many times after it
was demolished several times by
Muslim invaders. In the seventh century,
Maitrak kings of Vallabhi had reconstructed
the temple. It was demolished
by Arabian Governor of Sindh named
Junaid. Later Pratihara king Nagabhatta
rebuilt the temple for the third time in
815 AD. On the ruins of this temple,
Malwa king Bhoj and King Bhimdev of
Gujarat built it again for the fourth time.
The temple was constructed for the fifth
time in the year 1169 by King Kumar
Pal of Gujarat. Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb had demolished the temple
in 1706. Thereafter the temple was
reconstructed in 1951 after the then
Home Minister Saradar Vallabhbhai
Patel ordered the construction of the
temple in 1947 following the merger of
Junagarh in India.