PANAMA PAPER: INEQUALITY OF INCOME AND ETHICS

Past few days have witnessed lot of clamour, surrounding the revelations made by Panama Paper leaks. This latest incident has opened a pandora box, exposing many politicians and celebrities across the world. Unfortunately India, with 500 names, has also made into the disreputed list. I was reading an article in one of national daily, which delved into the issue of ethics and recent Panama paper leak. It highlighted the scenario wherein India's inequality in wealth and inequality in ethics is increasing alarmingly. I felt an urge to vet upon the issue and depose my perspective with regard to referred article.

There can be a multiple reasons for person to stack one's wealth abroad, in this case in "Tax Havens". Two of the most prevalent reasons are: Tax Evasion and Black Money (not in literary sense). Both the reasons have a large extent of overlapping and both in most cases differs only in name while the action undertaken in respective heads aims at same output. Black Money as a issue is largely in public domain with various measures taken by Indian government and multipronged strategies adopted worldwide like Black Money Act 2015 by Indian government.


Here i would like to discuss issue related to Tax Evasion. Taxation forms the most important and critical funding resource for various public works. Economy survey 2016-17 has highlighted the skewed taxation trends in India, with abysmally low 3% of whole population is paying taxes, compared to 40% in USA. India also has a low 17.7% of Tax to GDP ratio, which is way lower then many of the other countries. So in these worrisome circumstances many of the well to do individuals have resorted to tax evasion. In following paragraphs i would discuss the impact of these felonies on society as large.

CONTRIBUTION TO INEQUALITY OF INCOME
As noted earlier with such a distorted trends in taxation regime, large part of putative tax revenue that can be put to various developmental activities is still lying untapped. Revenue from indirect taxes cause more impact on common person's pocket, leading to artificial inflation. More income is spent for buying consumer goods, eventually leaving person with very less actual monthly income. The revenue that could have been spent on various developmental works like constructing roads, canals and implementing various wage employment programs for poors are affected due to inadequate revenue collection that enfeebles the government's ability to spend more on such works. Hence a self made inequality of income is created in society crippling countries development prospects.

CONTRIBUTION TO INEQUALITY OF ETHICALITY
Income tax deducted from salaries of employees and indirect taxes like VAT are largely borne by common man. There is hardly any possibility of evasion at this end. Paying tax signifies one's duty towards her country. The active role that a person can play in development of her country is through scrupulous tax payment. It is also a moral issue, where a person rates her duty towards her country as pre-eminent. While common person bears a large part of taxation, sadly wealthier are enagaged in deeds like tax evasion. This also depicts the reprobated ethical and moral values prevalent in our society. Therefore idea of inequality of ethicality lays vindicated.

In today's scenario where the topics like Good Governance and Sustainable Development has captured the human's imagination, it is imperative on our part, as a responsible citizen to pay taxes sedulously to help government to transform those imaginations into reality.

PS: I've attempted to write this article with a feminist approach where pronoun "her" is used instead of "his", while discussing issues which talks about society as a whole. Also some gender neutral phrases have been used like "common person" in lieu of "common man".

With Regards!

NATION, STATE AND HINDUISM

We have witnessed debates on the concept of Nationalism in recent past. It intrigued me to delve into the idea of nationalism and what consititutes the nation? Then after little research i developed my own erudite concept of Nation and State. Though it is technical concept and professionals can figure out many flaws in my understanding based on their erudition, but this is how i would interpret Nation State and Hinduism.

NATION is a cultural entity, which owes its provenance to integration of different communities, religions and ethnicities. Integration here doesn't mean the transformation of varied religions and communities into one community having common culture, values and religion, but a harmonious integration where each community still maintains its particular values, ideology and culture, despite being a part of larger community. Nation can be most appropriately called "Umbrella Community", that covers the varied communities. Nation is a result of long gestating feeling of harmony, brotherhood and a common past among the members of particular geographical area. It is a entity that endears diversity and encourages assimiliation, without loosing one's specific characteristics.

Now to talk about STATE, its a political entity, that owes its inception to Nation. State though rules a nation may or may not be a benevolent. It may breed animity towards a particular religion or community (Nazism) or may be tolerant towards all (Democracy). State more appropriately is a legal entity. State encompasses 4 basic components, which are Sovereignity, Territory, Population and Government. State nutures benelovence and malevolence depending upon the character of Government in power. Dictatorship, Democracy, Fascism etc are few examples of state.

 HINDUISM, for me, is a culmination of varied values and doctrines. In short and best, it would be most convenient to say that "Hinduism" is a synonym for "Secularism". A religion that doesn't have fundamentals and hence no heresy.  Hinduism has its genesis in mythological and didactic literature of Vedas and Upanishads. Hinduism as touted widely is "WAY OF LIFE". It teaches assimilation and harmony. Its the only religion that can claim to have never supplanted any religion and have never imposed its tenets on others. Hinduism signifies brotherhood and coherence.

After this whole discussion, one could figure out easily, it would be pardoxical as an idea to think of a Hindu Nation. A state can breed a idea of Hindu State but it will never be possible nor justified to brand us as a Hindu Nation. Off the bat let me make it clear i am proud of my religion HINDUISM, for it teaches me equality, fraternity and peace towards other religions. I am opposed to the idea of Hindu Nation in the sense that idea of "India for Hindus" is totally untenable for me. While our Government stand firm on its prospect of maintaining India's identity of Secular state, barring few segments of vested interest. We should be proud to be a citizen of a country that espouses Hinduism characters of tolerance and harmony without necessarily being a Hindu State.

Jai Hind!

WOMEN I ADMIRE

Today when the whole world is celebrating the "Women's Day", i would take this opportunity to pay my tribute to the ladies who have been a source of inspiration for me. Not just me, they are the source of inspiration  for millions and they've made into our hearts with their supreme talent and enduring zeal. Here is a list of women, that i feel have influenced my life the most.

MOTHER TERESA: Rightly called the "Mother" by millions. Recipient of "Noble Peace Prize". A lady of infallible empathy towards the destitute and cripled. Mother Teresa indeed personifies the strength of a woman.

LATA MANGESHKAR: "Bus Naam Hi Kaafi Hai" (Only Name Is Enough) seems like this phrase is invented for her. A recipient of country's highest honour 'Bharat Ratna" has mesmerised a generation of Indians with her mellifluous voice.

HELEN KELLER: If you have watched Amitabh Bachchan Starring "Black" then you surely know who Helen Killer was and her struggle with an unprivileged life to come out victorious later. She was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.

NEERJA BHANOT: If valour has to find a new synonym, Neerja Bhanot would be the most appropriate. Neerja was murdered while saving passengers from terrorists on board Pan Am Flight 73 which was hijacked on September 5, 1986. She saved 360 lives.

INDIRA GANDHI: Rightly called the "Iron Lady Of India". She has a lot of controversies to her credit, but undeniably she played a great role in India's rise to a emerging economy and a prospected world leader. A former Prime Minister of India and certainly a influential World leader.

P.T USHA: She is one of India's best-known woman athelete. She still is remembered as the "Queen of Track" and "Payyoli Express".

PS:
-There are lot many women around us, those who are persistent inspiration. From a Mother to an Officer, she never ceases to inspire me.
-I didn't include my Mother and Grandmother in this list because i felt, obviously, Mother is an inspiration for every Child.

SALUTE TO WOMEN POWER!

With Regards!

Times Of Tumults.

Last few months has witnessed spurt of incidents in various parts of country, which are unnecessarily been given hues of caste, religion and politics. This ballyhoo has indeed jarred our imagination of India and has left us to vet upon the India we all dreamt of? Sporadic incidents of anti-national compaign has certainly held India at siege and in attempts to gain political advantage out of situation, many politicians (cutting across party lines) are further dishevelling the situation. But in all this turmoil we must not fall prey of anarchy and must retain our characterised tag of 'Vibrant Democracy', that India is best known for. Here are few precedences, as i think, we must ponder upon:-

>Curious Case Of Arunachal Pradesh:- A way out of political imbroglio in Arunachal Pradesh, with formation of new  government, is good sign of ameliorating political stagnation in state. But question still to be answered is with regard to the role of Governor in tackling such a situation. Guidelines laid down by Supreme Court and recommendations of Sarkaria Commission provides for good precepts to be followed in situation like this. State Government's legtimacy should not be left to the whims of Governor but rather 'Floor Test' should take precedence. It requires a public debate and re-engineering of Governor's position to make it more in line with the new realities.

>Dissent: A New Form Of Sedition:- With recent outbreak of plethora of incidents with hues of so called 'Anti-Nationalism', it has become important for us to recapitulate our version of nationalism. Dissent, which is a basic right under democracy, cannot be labelled as quality of seditious. A look back at our history, vindicates that dissent was never considered as anti-national, best example being Gandhiji's stance towards Pakistan. In Spite of the Pakistani aggression in Kashmir, Gandhiji fasted to compel the Government of India to release an amount of Rs.55 Crores due to Pakistan. In these times of tumults, we need to restate the teachings of our founding fathers, who led us to path of vibrant democracy, with right to dissent as its irreplaceable feature.

Disclaimer: I don't support what happened in JNU. Raising slogans against India tantamounts to Anti-Nationalism and is deserving of condemnation in all its form.

With Regards!

Jai Hind!

What Is God?

My excessive inquistions about the God and his existence, has led me to ask various people about their take on God. And i have got some mind provoking replies. Here is a crux of all those inputs which i have got. I have to admit that Brahmakumaris Organisation's  reply was the most helpful. Here is 'God' for you:

In this world, many beliefs exist about God. As a result, people understand God in their own way and often in their own imagination. But what is required is understanding God as He is, what He is and how He is. The correct understanding about God has to be given by God Himself!

Like us, God is also a soul. Unlike us, He is referred to as the Supreme Soul – the only soul who never takes a body of His own. He is beyond the effects of actions and is never subject to the dualities of birth and death, pleasure and pain. Being beyond the limits of time of this physical world, He retains absolute knowledge of the universe and all its dimensions.

God is oceanic in his virtues - the ocean of peace, love, bliss, knowledge, happiness and mercy. He is the truth. God’s love strengthens the soul’s will to free itself from the distresses caused by vices such as selfish desire, anger, fear, ego and attachment. God’s power helps the soul to recognize its highest potential and to aim for perfection.

With Regards!

Accepting Others As They Are

We are used to carrying preconceived notions about others. Before we meet someone we already have a image of person in our mind, which is dictated to us by other people and our judgements. And due to this parochial approach we fail to recognise and comprehend the actual worth of others.
Further deep study of human psychology shows that we always try to listen, see and understand what we are willing to. This indeed has caused many problems in society. Each one of us has different value system and inadvertantly we look others from ours perspective, which is laden with our own value system. And if we carry wrong value system which is marked by some unacceptable behavioural patterns or thinking patterns, let say jealous, we will end up labelling others as exposed to all these gratuitous behavioural patterns. Our subconsicous behavioural pattern will act as a framework in which we perceive other people.
This starts a whole cycle of bad energies, as a positive thinker would say, you recieve what you give. With these preconceived wrong opinions about others, you are actually giving wrong vibes to the others and ultimately same will be reflected back to you. Hence it will effect one's behaviour in society and perhaps can push oneself to cloister.
With this knowledge about Human psychology one can desist being judgemental and can receive everything as it is. It would be suffice to end this with words of Wayne W. Dyer: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change."
With Regards!

Nehru, Gandhi or Netaji: Who Got Us Freedom?

It is truely said that its hard to understand other's feelings. Its more discernable when people try to judge other's National fervour and Patriotism. India got its most cherished freedom after 200 years of British exploitation and subservience. Its a hard won reward, for lakhs of people perished fighting against the oppressor.

While going through recent buzz regarding "Declassification Of Netaji's Files" sort of tickled my appetite to write about this topic. People in all their chauvnism are trying to slander and debase the contribution of other people in our freedom struggle. First name which strikes me in all this debate is of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. Social media is abound with libel comments against Nehru and accusing him of Neta ji's death (Though the allegations are still to be proven). This is unacceptable to me, not because i have any personal affinity towards Nehru but due to sheer respect for him and for many others who contributed in our freedom struggle. A day before i came across a letter purportedly written by Nehru, addressing Netaji as war criminal, later proved to be a sham. This is really disheartening to see such a debasing compaign against Nehru. In disrespecting him ain't we are disrespecting our hard earned freedom? Without a doubt Nehru was a great nationalist. My limited knowledge about Netaji and Nehru tells me that both of them had a friendly relationship. A person can differ with each other with regard to their ideologies but that must not be mistaken as personal enmity. For them common interest was more important than personal gains. 

I am still befuddled with the question that what would one get by all this calumny against Nehru. Meanwhile another such issue strikes me was comparison of Gandhi ji's contribution to freedom struggle with respect to Neta ji. A article being doing around in social media talked about conversation between Bengal's Governor Mr. Chakravorty (immediately after Independence) and British PM Clement Attlee, who with a smirk labelled Gandhi ji's contribution towards British exodus to be m-i-n-i-m-a-l. He believed it was Netaji's movement which compelled Britishers to leave India. No doubt Netaji played a prominent role but it was fatuous on part of him to think that Gandhiji's role was minimal. First of all it was Gandhiji who played major role in evoking mass Nationalism feeling among people, which was apparently used by Netaji. British was worn off by incessant revolts going on around various places in country. Ofcourse People revolted before the advent of Gandhiji as well, various peasant revolts are example, but they didn't have a British empire as their enemy. It was with Gandhiji's effort that a layman could relate to freedom struggle. Countryside issues were brought to forefront and interweaved into common goal of achieving India's freedom. Even Royal Army's soldier was a 'Peasant in Uniform', therefore Gandhiji's view were bound to impact him as well. They were also attached to their villages and people, who were reeling under intense exploitation of British empire, so Gandhiji's ideas would ultimately impact their life also. Netaji worked on this already made foundation by earlier work of leaders like Gandhi ji. Netaji's INA might be the immediate cause for exodus of  British but labelling it only reason and subsiding the role of various other freedom fighters is just not done.

Not only Gandhiji, but it is because of lakhs of people which he mobilised played equally important role in freedom struggle. Comparing these leaders is like undermining our freedom and despising the martyrdom of lakhs of other freedom fighter. For me i respect all of them equally and if i show more proclivity towards anyone of them its just because of their personal traits nothing to do with their role in freedom struggle. 

I don't want to sound didactic but it would be great if we all work for stronger and bright India that all of our freedom fighters would have dreamt of rather than being scurrilous to them and comparing their respective contribution. 

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!