[Reader-list] Greetings for May Day
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
shuddha at sarai.net
Mon May 5 15:53:57 IST 2008
Dear Radhikarajen,
Greetings,
I often find what you say thoughtful, even when I do not agree with
it. I appreciate your passion for education as a panacea. Though I am
not personally sure that all the problems we confront as a society
will be solved if we have better quality kindergartens. But
certainly, that will help.
Now, this could be possible, if, for instance the money allocated by
the state for primary education were to be increased at least ten
fold. Maybe fifty fold, or even a hundred fold, but lets keep it
modest for now, let's just say ten fold.
Now remember, this money is our money, it comes from the taxes we pay
(not only as income tax, but also taxes that add up to everything we
buy, and even on taxes that derive from the labour that we provide to
society). The wealth is not the state's wealth, the state is only the
agency that manages that wealth, notionally, on our behalf.
As an aside, let me say that I am not committed, personally to the
idea, that people need the state-form to manage and administer
socially produced resources, but let us, for the sake of the current
argument, assume that this is so, and will remain as a practical
scenario to work within, in terms of the realizable near future.
Now, if the Indian state, instead of maintaining the second most
powerful constellation of armed forces in Asia, which includes a
stupendously expensive, meaningless and suicidical nuclear military,
and a plethora of overt and covert military and para-military
options, were to divert all this money into socially necessary
purposes like education (and many others) then, we would go a long
way towards the positive realization of the goals you mention.
Currently, the state manages our money in a direction directly
contrary to our interests. In other words, it steals our money, in
order to protect a class that benefits from the prolongation of a
state of constant preparation for war, and says that it is doing so
for our good.
I suggest, that in order to be consistent to your aims, you also
consider agitating, with equal fervour, in order to ensure that our
money be no longer used for maintaining the nuclear weapons
programme, or in order to subsidize the military occupation of large
parts of South Asia (which causes an enormous and destructive
accumulation of war materials and costs on military personnel) by the
Indian state.
This could take the form of a call for a tax boycott of the state-led
(in partnership with factions of capital) miitary-industrial complex
in India. Mohandas Gandhi, (whose political vision is not concurrent
with mine in large parts) when he protested against the salt tax, was
basically saying that to tax basic needs is immoral. On this one
matter I am in total agreement with him. Using the logic of the same
argument, it could be said that using resources garnered from
taxation in a manner that is contrary to the interests of the people
who provide the taxes is equally immoral. Nuclear weapons and a
bloated military infrastructure have nothing to do with the interests
of common people, which have to do with education, health, public
transport, a healthy environment and culture. So, Radhikarajen,
please call for a comprehensive de-militarization programme in India
as a first amongst several other necessary requirements for your
interest in seeing that good education be provided to all those who
live in India. That it would help move towards lasting peace in South
Asia would not be such a bad thing either. I would be happy to
support such a move by you, and would be delighted to see it
expressed by you, first of all on this list.
best
Shuddha
On 04-May-08, at 12:47 PM, radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote:
> Dear Asith, Lalsallam,
>
> I empathise with your anguish and anxiety about the wretched on
> the mother eart, who have to struggle for a square meal a day, work
> for a pittance to earn the meal for their family and children. Here
> there is no blame game, as we are collectively in the system, which
> is part of us, we are part of the system, qualitative change has to
> come from within us, not by charity but by facilitating good basic
> education to all in the society, extending opportunity to each in
> the society to have earning skills, not by quotas and reservations
> in education, but by extending education and earning skills at the
> tender age of schooling, extending vocation skills and pass marks
> have nothing to do with success in life, but will to have dignified
> life is the motivator. By reserving the national exchequer to
> extend good education, vocation skills, to EACH of the child
> irrespective of the caste and faith each citizen will change the
> system. The present scenario of quota and reservation for the
> job market has only lead to socialism of distributing poverty
> equally, and capitalism which allows the rich to be more rich,
> thanks to our mixed economy of socialism and capitalism. !
>
> Regards.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Asit asitreds <asitredsalute at gmail.com>
> Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008 3:19 pm
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Greetings for May Day
> To: radhikarajen at vsnl.net
> Cc: we wi <dhatr1i at yahoo.com>, reader-list at sarai.net, prakash ray
> <pkray11 at gmail.com>
>
>> well why doesnt the mother earth forgive the wretched of the
>> earth who toil
>> for long hrs and dont even get two sqare meals a day,now coming to
>> growingup in culture of tolerance are you kidding this is the most
>> intolerantsociety in the world have you forgotten gujrat taslima
>> and going back to
>> centuries eklavya and shambuk near people from kerala know how
>> tolerant were
>> the uppercaste if a dalit woman tried to cover her breast
>> asit
>>
>> On Sat, May 3, 2008 at 12:35 PM, <radhikarajen at vsnl.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Kshamaya Dharithri,
>>>
>>> mother earth always forgives, may be we have to be more
>> tolerent of the
>>> naughty ? Having brought up in with the culture of tolerence and
>>> understanding the other point of view, may be prakash wants my
>> eyes to
>>> adjust the sights to "see" his thoughts from minds eyes, but
>> well, having
>>> seasoned thru all sights and sounds of different thoughts,
>> nothing is more
>>> real than to be good human, compassionate yet stern if deviant
>> behaviour is
>>> seen in individuals, as mahatma said, to be part of untruth is
>> bigger sin
>>> than being untruthful. ? To tolerate sin and be silent is
>> moresinful than
>>> committing the sin itself. ?
>>>
>>> Regards.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: we wi <dhatr1i at yahoo.com>
>>> Date: Friday, May 2, 2008 8:06 pm
>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Greetings for May Day
>>> To: radhikarajen at vsnl.net, Asit asitreds <asitredsalute at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: reader-list at sarai.net, prakash ray <pkray11 at gmail.com>
>>>
>>>> Hmm,
>>>>
>>>> No matter whether it is prakash or tapas, but the "rays"
>>>> are power full and naughty.
>>>> Any way they suggested POSHLY for a check only but you would
>>>> have questioned about treatment whether it is LASIK,LASER or
>>>> CONTACT LENSES. The problem is they could not express very
>>>> straight/direct.
>>>> Radhikarajen they are intersted in your CASTE. Irrespective of
>>>> that and their, they are suggesting you not talk(even use) about
>>>> CASTE,RELIGION(though they have all sort of feelings, or inferior
>>>> or superior whatever and talk about them often) not only that
>>>> they are advicing you to feel all are human beings and same.
>>>>
>>>> Check your eyes do have this much deeper meaning, if I am not
>>>> wrong.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Dhatri.
>>>>
>>>> radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote:
>>>> Prakash,
>>>> at my age I get tested regularly, thanks to mediclaim, not the
>>>> gift of workers unity, thanks for the high spirit reply.
>>>> :- ) Best regards.
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Asit asitreds
>>>> Date: Friday, May 2, 2008 3:20 pm
>>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Greetings for May Day
>>>> To: prakash ray
>>>>
>>>> Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
>>>>
>>>>> dear freinds and comrades
>>>>> when we speak of mayday and redflag we atleast have to grateful
>>>> if not
>>>>> respectful
>>>>> the story of the red flag is obvious it was the workers of
>>>> chicago
>>>>> wavingtheir shirts which had became red dripping with blood
>>>> after
>>>>> being shot by
>>>>> the police, then begun the story of 8 hrs working days all the
>>>>> rights we
>>>>> enjoy today are the result of enourmous sacrifice and struggles
>>>> it
>>>>> is for
>>>>> the postmoderns and neoliberal agents lost in the hyperreall
>>>> world of
>>>>> consumer paradise with thier malls casinos and
>>>> entertainmentparks,
>>>>> thosejombies whose lives are shaped by madison avenue
>>>> advertising
>>>>> whizkidshistory is what hurts.
>>>>> I just want to qote a sentence from ralph miliband the giant
>>>>> politicaltheorist
>>>>> all the civic freedoms we enjoy today are the product of
>>>> centuries of
>>>>> unremmitng struggles our task is to transcend their class
>> boundaries> > > asit
>>>>>
>>>>> On 5/2/08, prakash ray
>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear Radikarajen,
>>>>>> Please get your eyes checked...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> in good spirit...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Prakash
>>>>>> _________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>> ---------------------------------
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>>>> Try it now.
>>>
>>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net
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