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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Kalaignar’s theory of opportune atheism

This article is a dedication to the connoisseur and founder of a non-religious religion termed opportune atheism. The great soul in question is none other than our “Manbhumighu” Tamil Nadu chief minister Mr.Karunanithi. According to the genius (no pun intended), one can choose to believe or not believe in god with regard to the situation. Hence, you may end up being a theist for 60% of your lifetime and an atheist for the rest of your life in spite of having the “privilege” of calling yourself an atheist during the whole life span.
I can’t help marveling at the power of this philosophy which has worked wonders for “Kalaignar”. God ceased to exist when he was campaigning for the DMK in the open grounds of Tamil Nadu in front of the masses but god sprang back to “life” when Karunanithi was “begging” the self-styled god-man Sai Baba shamelessly to offer financial help to clean up Cooum. He went to the extent of equating Sai Baba to god. Where is the question of comparing someone to god when one believes that god doesn’t exist? Kalaignar was all smiles when his own family members and “wives” fell on the god-man’s feet. Does this man have no convictions? I can’t help feeling bad for this individual because his own family members don’t seem to be having any kind of respect for his opinions.
He allegedly shared the stage with two more spiritual gurus, Mata Amritanandamayi and Sakthi Narayani Amma. Consistency and belief find no place in Kalaignar’s dictionary. Selfish motives and promotion of family interests seem to be his only preferences. It looks like a deliberate attempt to change his image and acquire acceptability amongst theist masses.
While he expects everyone to accept his command over Tamil in spite of the absence of a graduation certificate in Tamil to his name, what prompts him to think that lord Ram couldn’t have been an expert engineer because he didn’t possess a certificate to endorse his prowess. While he chooses to believe in the Tamil legend that Kannagi set the city of Madurai on fire in spite of absence of proof of her prowess in such a mystic art, why does he choose to not believe in Rama’s mastery in engineering?
Karunanithi is entitled to have his way. But what is he trying to achieve by means of mockery of popular beliefs? Has all these years of experience done nothing to instill a feeling of responsibility and respect for others’ feelings in this octogenarian? When is he going to address his own inconsistencies? Tamil poets like Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar had no doctorates to their credit! Does that make them lesser mortals? By virtue of possession of a piece of paper which looks inconsequential, does he feel he has become the greatest exponent of Tamil to have ever existed? Is there no end to this seemingly eternal spree of egotism?
The chicken in Karunanithi came to the fore on the thousandth year celebrations of the Brihadeeshwara temple. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated just a few weeks after she visited the temple and took the eastern entrance. Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and Karunanithi’s old buddy, M.G. Ramachandran became sick after taking the same gate and never recovered! This self-confessed rationalist and dispeller of superstitions clandestinely chose to take an alternative entrance. Hats off, sir!
Cho Ramasamy, noted journalist was shrewd enough to note that Kalaignar was wearing a white angavastram instead of the usual yellow one. White angavastrams are known to ward off evil forces and Karunanithi could have possibly acted as per the advice of an astrologer.
I'm not against atheism. It’s personal opinion. But hypocrisy has to be condemned. There should be no two ways about it!

11 comments:

  1. macha geth da
    best was this da
    While he chooses to believe in the Tamil legend that Kannagi set the city of Madurai on fire in spite of absence of proof of her prowess in such a mystic art, why does he choose to not believe in Rama’s mastery in engineering?

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  2. soober sir..all points valid to go against him..gr8 work :):)
    der're atheists all over the world, but they carry on wit their work n never hurt the sentiments of others..wat happiness does he get in mocking others regarding dis ?!

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  3. excellent!!! really really good... but, what can we do about it?? blogging is not enough da... let's take some initiative to create these kind of basic awareness among people... the future india is in our hands... we can't let these idiots spoil it further b4 we receive it... it's been spoilt enough already... let's start doin some repair works...

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  4. I certainly wouldn't mind a closet theist. If Kalaignar openly propagates atheism and secretly follows superstitions it is good for the entire country and his followers. I hope Vajpayee, LK Advani and all those Mullahs and Evangelists take the cue.

    I see this in a different way. Karunanidhi's belief irrational belief in the eastern gate will not, and I hope, result in widespread riots. This is not the case with someone believing in Lord Ram and that Ayodhya is his birth place. I don't have to elaborate on the consequences, it is for all to see. You are absolutely right on his inconsistent bashing of superstitions and you are free to pick on it.

    But I insist that there is no social problem, it is his personal superstition. It is the same with his belief in Kannagi too. Madurai is not going to be razed again based on the Kannagi folklore. But there are enough chances that Hindus would go berserk if someone says that there is no evidence, what so ever of Ram etc. So, as far as I am concerned, I would consider the kind of superstitions the man holds. Even I have superstitions that I carry sometimes and those are very personal and doesn't affect people around me.

    But believing in Ram Janmabhoomi and doom's day will affect crores of people.

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  5. @aanand, soupy: thanks guys!
    @spotty: sure. introspection is very important. and come over to the area, we shall discuss what to do!
    @udhav: partly true! the focus here, is on kalaignar's hypocrisy, not on atheism. it's about his crude mentality and scant respect for others' feelings! and no one's against him being a rationalist. controversial issues which call for diplomacy when spoken abt in public have always been treated with disdain by our CM. that's gotta change!

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  6. yes sudarshan.this article is very well researched adn to the point. But in todays scenario being a hypocrite is one of the less degree adjectives that can malign the image of a politician.They are now epitome of all evil qualities.But as rightly said,"we get the rulers we deserve".India is a democracy, we choose our leaders. So unless the mindset of each Indian change for the better, we will remain in this condition.Cosmetic changes and reforms are temporary.After all,Karunanidhi is another typical Indian.
    thank you
    b
    B.SACHIN

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  7. sudarshan, loved your piece, the anger is evident and that is important in my opinion. However bashing MK for the silly things he says is hardly as effective as bashing him for the things he does or doesn't do. I think the media gets carried away by sensationalist comments like MK's litany on Lord Rama. The important everyday stuff - what has MK done for roads, water, power, education? As far as I can see the old man scores a resounding zero in all departments. And that's what the people need to understand. Rhetoric takes none of us anywhere. The electorate needs to smarten up big time.

    Sandhya

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  8. @sandhya: very true.. this was just a warm up article. ll slowly step up the intensity frm now on.. not used to writing about politics and politicians.. so i was a lil diplomatic and easy-going to start off.. full throttle frm now on! jus wanted some confidence.. not oly MK, i wanna write about all those politicos out there, all those oldies who're basically doing nothing constructive!

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  9. @sudarshan varadhan
    for your kind information kalaingar before starting his party's election campaign in Thiruvarur he made a great pooja on road to make it as successful one. Lighted camphor on the coconut and lemons under the tyre of vehicle... even he has planned to start at 7:30 am for his campaign but as of sudden there is some bad instinct so they waited till 8:30 without any reasons to go for the meeting..

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  10. @sudarshan varadhan
    one more thing to add is his famous satement about saibaba when he donated money fro krishna project " He wants to remove the hardships of the poor, and such persons are greater than saints. Even equivalent to God." These words, from Karunanidhi, an avowed rationalist for more than six decades, evoked surprise reactions in DMK circles as well.

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  11. @anonymous: ha ha. he's become a joker of sorts. especially after he was voted outta power

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