Editor,
On the morning of the December 21, 2018, the people of India woke up to the startling news that the Central Govt on the midnight of December 20, 2018 had issued an order giving 10 central intelligence agencies sweeping powers to intercept, monitor and decrypt any message transmitted, received, stored or generated from any computer or mobile phone of any of the 1.35 billion Indians living in India today! In effect the Fundamental Right to Privacy of the Indian citizen as guaranteed by the Constitution and as ordained by the Apex Court of the country has once again been violated. This draconian order ostensibly had been triggered in the name of National Interest and National Security.
Within the context under discussion one has to accept that National Security and National Interest are not one and the same because National Interest can easily be twisted to merge or be the same as the interest of the Govt in power. As such the fig leaf oversights provision of this order, that approval of the Home Secretary is required for any of the above 10 spy agencies to act, does not hold water as the officer himself is part and parcel of the Govt, which is the principal party and originator of the order itself. The absence of a third party oversights agency such as the Judiciary or the Courts to oversee and regulate the implementation of the order is therefore a scary and frightening omission that threatens my right as a citizen of this country. The whole order smacks of a state of Emergency where a grave threat to the nation from internal and external sources or because of a grave financial crisis exists. One looks around and no such threat or crisis is in evidence. So why this undeclared Emergency and what are the reasons behind it? If not the Nation then who has a crisis?
One looks around and the only apparent threat visible is to the NDA Govt at the Centre. They have just lost three important mainland Hindi belt states to the rival Congress party. The opposition is smelling blood and the 2019 MP hustings may not be as rosy for the BJP as they might want it to be. Most probably there already exist massive online communications and internet and social media chit chats between parties, groups and individuals hostile to the BJP. The Government seems to believe that Govt agencies under its control need to gain access to such private conversations. There needs to come in some sort of check, a snooping or a monitoring mechanism before simmering dissent could turn into an avalanche already termed as the Mahagadbandan. The writing is on the wall and the BJP needs no Daniel to interpret what that means for 2019.
No spy agency is required to decipher the panic that must be building up within the ruling BJP. What puzzles is the need and necessity to drag in the interests and rights of the common Indian into this dirty no holds barred political battle between the ruling dispensation and its political opponents. Well if you want to listen to what your opponents are saying about you, please go ahead and do so to your heart’s content with all my blessings. You can’t however breach, infringe or violate my privacy and my private space to do your dirty political eves-dropping. Kindly back off and you don’t have to murder democracy to do it. Don’t deny me my democratic rights and the appeal to all the freedom loving citizens of this country is to rise up, raise your voice; protest; write; use social media and resist this violation of your Rights until it is rescinded. Survival of our Democracy depends on it.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
True meaning of peace
Editor,
Christmas tells us to replace confusion by peace ~ as Jesus said, ‘For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.’ (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV). Indeed, we find peace in love and harmony. We get strength in peace. William Shakespeare had once said, ‘Our peace shall stand us firm as rocky mountains.’ In peace, we feel the magic of egalitarian divine love that rains cutting across social divisions. The problem arises when we equate laziness with peace and thus give peace a bad name. But static inertia must not be passed for peace. Sri Aurobindo said, ‘In a certain sense this inertia and peace are the bright and dark counterparts of each other, tamas (darkness) and śama (equality) – the higher nature finding repose in peace, the lower seeking it in a relaxation of energy and a return towards the subconscient, tamas.’
There is indeed a conflict within us. The psychic energy in us wants peace not for lying on the bed but for moving forward physically, mentally and spiritually. On the other hand, the matter in our body seeks peace to enjoy material comfort and rest. But the latter takes us to the deceptive quicksand of the status quo. It discourages us to work for inner peace. When we feel thirsty, we fetch a glass of water and drink it. The activity of taking a glass out and drinking water, gives us satisfaction without which we cannot attain peace.
My mother used to say ~ ‘sukher cheye shanti bhalo.’ It is a Bengali saying which means peace is better than material comfort. As a matter of fact, the unending desire for more material comfort cannot give us peace. Rather it makes us unsatisfied and robs us of our poise which is an essential condition for acquiring inner peace. And inner peace is a must for our health and happiness. ‘Peace,’ said Sri Aurobindo, ‘is a calm deepened into something that is very positive amounting almost to a tranquil waveless Ananda.’
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata