Chanakya The Legend

Very often I have heard many of our politicians being referred to as Chanakya or Kautilya. 

Earlier it was our PM PV Narsimha Rao who was called Chanakya and in recent years one has heard of Amit Shah being referred to as Chanakya, especially every time an election is round the corner. 

In fact, very recently I have seen posts of Sharad Pawar being referred to as Chanakya after the Maharashtra State Government was formed by a cobbled up team of people belonging to 3 different political parties.

 In this write-up I shall strongly refute such claims of any of our current or past politicians being equal to even a hair of Chanakya’s shikha… In fact, I would like to state that they never understood the soul of Chanakya’s struggle at all.

Kautilya or Chanakya lived through 350-275 BCE and is credited with being the brains behind the founding of the Mauryan Dynasty starting with Chandragupta Maurya. But that was was NOT the reason why he was known as an Avataar of MahaVishnu. 

He was such a visionary that he envisioned the ill-effects of the infighting between the kings of smaller regions, especially on the Western borders of what was then Bharatvarsh. 

He could clearly see how an invader (Greeks under Alexander) with a different culture than ours could cause a dent into our culture and traditions, which in turn could ultimately cause the destruction of Sanatan Dharma forever. NOT FOR HIM WAS THE NAMBY-PAMBY PHRASE “SARVA DHARMA SAMABHAVA”.  He saw how an indifferent king of a large empire could hasten such a ruin and he pleaded with the strongest Samrat of those times, Dhana Nanda of Magadh, to open his eyes to such a ruin before it was too late. 

He was very straightforward in his views and his words and extremely clear in his mission to unify Bharat and safeguard Her Sanskriti. He was fearless and more importantly, he did not care for self-aggrandisement or fame. He never wanted to rule, he only wanted to have a strong ruler rule Bharatvarsha, protect Her borders and territories and Sanskriti. He was an intellectual who left behind a treatise (Arthashastra) of how a just ruler should rule the Nation.

Let us now see how our current crop of politicians and rulers fail woefully in coming anywhere close to Acharya Vishnugupt…

1. Protecting Sanskriti and Dharma : Chanakya repeatedly warned about how once the invaders started ruling, they would not respect our indigenous customs and traditions and would impose their own customs and traditions. He was able to understand how foreign cultures would vitiate our thinking process and justice systems too.

Unfortunately, today we have allowed all our institutions to protect the culture and religions of foreign invaders more than our indigenous Sanatana Dharma and its branches. Whether it is our Educational institutions, our Judiciary, our ASI or even our Constitution, so-called minority religions, their books and places of worship are protected  more than our Indic religions. Is that what Chanakya would approve of?

• Encouraging gathering of knowledge through the study of the Vedas (Religious Scriptures), Varta (Commerce and Agriculture), Danda-niti (Law & Order) and Anvikshiki (the Spirit of Inquiry including Samkhya, Yoga and Lokaayata).

We have let the stream of knowledge run dry by adhering to an education system which systematically kills all of the above. The spirit of Inquiry or Anvikshiki is routinely thrashed in our schools and colleges which only celebrates gathering of marks and mediocrity. A very valid example of mediocrity is the way Yoga has been reduced to just Aasanas or physical exercise. There is no attempt to make the learner explore further at all. 

The lesser said about our education of the Legal system (Danda Niti) which only talks about the letter of Law and nothing about Justice, the better. Commerce and Agriculture which were once the backbone of our country are today secondary, nay even later, to the Service Sectors which are nothing but Bodyshops which look for corporate slaves.

• Protecting our Borders : Chanakyas greatest sorrow was that our Bharatvarsha’s border states were not joining hands to fight the invaders, as one. He deplored the fact that everyone only thought about their own territory and not Bharatvarsha as a whole. With the help of Chandragupta Maurya, he was able to free all the border states from the Greek rule and influence.

We still have so many of our border areas which are under our enemy rule, be it areas of Ladakh, our Shaksgam valley, our Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir territories. We also have the Chinese perpetually troubling us on our borders and surreptitiously scrapping off our land into their own areas. As if all this was not enough, we have illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and the Rohingyas from Myanmar. While the use of diplomacy cannot be undermined, use of Might to drive away all invaders and illegal occupiers of land cannot be undermined either.

Another very important point is how our Democracy system has made us slaves to votes gathered in each State … our politicians too think State wise, not about the country as a whole.

• Law and Order : This was one of the most important aspects of Chandragupta’s rule under the guidance of Chanakya. Immediate and fair judgement intertwined with strict enforcement of punishments and delivery of justice was the hallmark of the rule.

Today we have court cases which go on for years, corruption especially in lower courts, dependence on loop holes to wriggle out of justice, corruption in the police, use of court judgements to twist things to favour some sections of society (eg. Selling of carabeef), non-implementation of judgements (eg. ban on loudspeakers in mosques) … the list is endless. How can anyone then call any politician a Chanakya if he/she cannot even set right the Justice System and law and order?

• Establishing world-class Universities : Chanakya was a product of Takshashila University. He wanted to establish a world-class university in Magadh and make Patliputra a centre for education. Please remember that students those days were known by their universities and the multitude of research works done in all areas of mathematics, science, trigonometry, geology, language and grammar, art, metallurgy, and more were stupendous. People came to these universities from all over the world and learnt from these places. Teachers were Gurus who taught Administration and Discipline and NOT Anarchism.

Unfortunately, today our Educational institutions don’t stand anywhere in the world ranking for best institutes. Not just that, our Government has been unable to weed out the poisonous twin plants of Anarchism and Marxism from our Universities. How then are we to celebrate Education once again? Unless we start investing in our Universities and make them into world class institutions which ignite passion for research in our students in all areas of education, we will remain slaves to the foreigners who only have value for our mindless work and not innovations.

• Strategies : Chanakya was famous for knowing with precision who the enemy was and pre-empting the enemy from carrying out their plans. He believed in long term and short term strategies to win over kingdoms and wars. Deception and diplomacy was part of these strategies.

In recent times, the Modi government has been fire-fighting more than making long-term strategies to make our country strong. Yes, they have a lot of baggage of the past to clear, but that is there with every government in every country. Think tanks should not be allowed to become Yes-tanks alone. It is very obvious that the Modi Government has been unable to dislodge the corrupt and all-powerful bureaucracy and the so-called ecosystem in 6 years of its rule. Appeasement of Muslim and Christian minorities to the extent of even allowing for rampant conversions is a sore wound which needs cleaning. Inability to even straighten our history books or curbing of vicious narratives of origins (Aryan Invasion) and caste, etc. shows how wiping out deracination does not even feature in any strategy of the government. How then can this government deal with radicalisation?    

Chanakya was not only about using Kutil-neeti or diplomacy to solve problems. He was also about taking strict measures to make our Bharatvarsha a Strong and truly Great Nation. For him Bharat came before everything else. Comparing Sharad Pawar or any other self-serving modern politician to him is an insult to his memory. We can become a Vishwa-Guru only if :

• First, we openly take pride in our ancient scriptures and traditions and our learning systems and propagate and protect them.
• Second, we encourage learning Aanvikshiki
• Third, we remember that Dharma & Vedas comes before Commerce and Varta
• Lastly, we think as one Nation above all else.

JAI BHRAT JAI HIND

Why Indian Logic System Trumps Others?

While western logic is limited to a binary definition of YES and NO, Indian logic has followed a ‘multi-valued’ logic, beginning with vedas, which describe ‘Chatushkoti’. 

 ‘Chatushkoti logic’ has four aspects and covers all possible sides of any argument. It defines TRUE (Pragya), which indicates the best approximation of truth, FALSE (Mithya), which indicates negation of the argument, NEITHER TRUE NOR FALSE (Sanshaya), which indicates arguments which are doubtful and BOTH TRUE AND FALSE (Shraddha), which indicates belief based arguments.

Indian system of logic goes beyond the western scientific constructs, which restrict the definitions to what is observable but Indian logic can support metaphysical arguments as well. Vedanta logic, which is a three valued concept of True (satya), False (asatya) and Unreal (mithya) helps explain Physics principle of Uncertainity by Heisenburg. 

Similarly, multi valued logic also helps explain the parallel computing by establishing the fact that a single process can be in multiple states at same time.

The multi dimensional Indian logic enables one to see everyone’s point of view. It allows explanation of abstract concepts in Quantum physics or Ayurveda, where not everything can be tested. For example, Quantum concepts have the idea of multiple universe or Ayurveda has the concept of ‘Ushna’, which may have multiple meanings beyond ‘heat’.

Indian logic also trumps in the contemporary divisive world. Fundamentalists in the religious worlds would like to follow only one path and would have complete disregard for any idea that would be different from theirs. This chasm can be effectively countered with Indian logic which will offer inclusive choices based on assimilating all four paradigms. It would have space for ‘Black Lives matter’ as well other lives not represented in that movement. It would also accommodate multi-value logic such as theft. Theft is bad in many scriptures but Indian logic would accept the innocence of a child while he steals something akin to Lord SriKrishna stealing butter. It would also allow for an argument to practice meditation and reap benefits, which modern science would not have been able to test and prove as yet.

Indian logic represents – Sanatano Nityo Nutna – which implies that it is capable of refreshing itself with place, circumstances, and time and gets refreshed as the new knowledge comes up. It is always current and receives the latest ‘patches’ and ‘refreshes’.

Kargil Vijay Diwas 26 July, 1999

Heroes have lived among us. It just made us realize we were looking for them somewhere else. The thrilling heroic tales that were told and the tears that we shed while lighting the Diya on 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' on the doorstep every year will always echo the memory of our Kargil heroes.

“I will either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it. But I’ll come back for sure.”

This is what Captain Vikram Batra said when he came home for the last time during the Holi holidays. The young warrior, who chanted Yeh Dil Maange More, came home the next time, as he said, with the national flag wrapped around his body but only after the enemy had been decimated and the same flag had been successfully hoisted.

Captain Vikram Batra and many such legends of Kargil War followed the legacy of such a sacrificial and heroic Indian Army. The courage of the parents who receive the Tricolour in the place of their children is the reason we live safely.

In the summer of 1999, ‘Operation Vijay’ embodied the thrilling adventures, bloodshed and relentless sacrifices made by our soldiers to reclaim the motherland from the enemy. The day we chased away the enemy and hoisted the victory flag is remembered as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’. Let us recall the supreme sacrifices made by these heroes for the motherland and the events that took place around it.

Lahore Declaration

It was hoped that both India and Pakistan would make every effort to establish a peaceful environment, as a direct war would be catastrophic after the two countries became nuclear powers (after 1998). One half of that hope and trust was fulfilled. India has done all it can for regional peace. Our then Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee ji travelled on the inaugural bus between India and Pakistan for the first time on February 21, 1999, to sign the ‘Lahore Declaration’. In the environment of both countries becoming nuclear powers, the peace deal was very popular at the time. It was signed by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and his counterpart Vajpayee.

It was widely rumoured that Pakistan Army Chief Pervez Musharraf did not like the declaration and had bigger plans on his own. To prove it true later, within two months of the signing of the agreement, Pakistan Paramilitary soldiers, disguised as Kashmiri militants, infiltrated the Indian side of LOC.

Strategic analyst Lieutenant Colonel CR Sunder (retd) says that the Kargil war was caused by Musharraf’s personal ambition. He added that Musharraf, who led Operation Siachen, which lost the Siachen Glacier to India in 1984, had a long-held desire to capture Kargil, a plan that began to be implemented in 1998 when he rose to be the Army Chief.

How It All Began

For easy understanding, we can divide the Kargil War into three parts. Disguised as Kashmiri militants, the Pakistani military entered the Indian border near Kargil and occupied significant areas and ridges. After India discovered this, it mobilized its forces to recover the lost territory and launched an offensive. India’s victory in the large-scale war between the Indian and Pakistani forces drove the enemy forces out of our land and levelled the border situation as before.

The city of Kargil is located at a distance of 205 km (127 miles) from Srinagar. The reason Kargil was targeted was that its terrain was ideal for capturing many military positions in advance. It is very easy to defend after capturing those mountain ridges. Any attack to evacuate occupiers in a mountain environment war requires a high proportion of attackers to the defenders, and difficulties increase with altitude and freezing temperatures.

In early May, the peak summer time, Pakistani paramilitary troops began to infiltrate the Indian border, which was reported to the Indian Army by local herdsmen. Six Indian soldiers who went on patrol to monitor this were captured, tortured and killed.

On May 15, 1999, soldiers of the 4th Jat Regiment, Saurabh Kalia, Arjun Ram, Banwar Lal Bakaria, Bika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh, were on regular patrol at the Kaksar Sector Bajrang Post in the Ladakh mountains. Then a gun battle broke out with Pakistani forces across the LOC. Exhausted by the ammunition, they were surrounded by a contingent of Pakistani Rangers and captured before Indian reinforcements could reach them.

Post-mortem examinations of the slain soldiers conducted by India reported that the prisoners variously had cigarette burns, ear-drums pierced with hot rods, many broken teeth and bones, fractured skulls, eyes that had been punctured before being removed, cut lips, chipped noses, and amputated limbs and genitalia. According to the examinations, these injuries preceded the captives being shot dead in the head.

Their torture and murder caused great unrest in India. Pakistan denied this outright. India, which had until then considered the incursions to be the handiwork of regular Kashmir militants, realized the seriousness of the occupation and began to take retaliatory measures.

The Brief Timeline Of The War (1999)

On May 3, the infiltration of the Pakistan Army in Kargil was reported to the Indian Army by local shepherds. An army patrol was dispatched on May 5 to monitor this; 6 Indian soldiers were captured and tortured.

An ammunition dump in Kargil was damaged in heavy shelling by the Pakistani army on May 9. On May 10, infiltrations were first observed in the Tross, Kaksar and Mushko sectors. In mid-May, the Indian Army moved more troops from the Kashmir Valley to the Kargil sector.

On May 26, the IAF launched airstrikes against the infiltrators. On May 27, Pakistani Army Air Defense Forces shot down two of our aircraft and Lieutenant Kampathy Nachiketa was taken prisoner of war. On May 28, the IAF MI-17 was shot down by Pakistan, killing all four onboard.

On June 6, the Indian Army launched a major offensive in Kargil. On June 9, the Indian Army recaptured two important positions in the Batalik sector. On June 11 India released a conversation between Pakistani Army Commander General Pervez Musharraf and Lieutenant General Aziz Khan, Chief of Staff in Rawalpindi, as evidence of the Pakistani military’s involvement in the Kargil war.

On June 15, US President Bill Clinton, in a telephone conversation, forced Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to withdraw from Kargil. On June 29, the Pakistani military’s food and arms supply route were stopped by their own prime minister, prompting them to retreat. The Indian Army was sent towards the Tiger Hills. On July 2, the Indian Army launched a three-dimensional offensive in Kargil.

On July 4, the Indian Army recaptured Tiger Hills after an 11-hour battle. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced that the Pakistani military had withdrawn from Kargil following a meeting with Clinton.

Pakistan began to retreat on July 11; India captured major peaks in Batalik. On July 14, Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay a success. The Government of India imposed conditions on negotiations with Pakistan. On July 26, the Indian Army announced that the Kargil conflict had officially ended and that the incursions had been completely repelled.

Heroes

527 heroic deaths were reported on the Indian side. Four Param Veer Chakra awards and eleven Maha Veer Chakra awards were awarded to soldiers. Heroes are the soldiers who died, were wounded and participated in the effort to defend their motherland. I name a few such legends for the sake of brevity.

Captain Vikram Batra was an officer of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. As part of Operation Vijay, Captain Batra killed five enemy soldiers with his hands in a head-on battle. He accomplished an impossible task in the face of fierce enemy fire. His code name was Sher Shah. He received the prestigious Param Veer Chakra award after his heroic death.

Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, who was part of the Gorkha Rifles during the Operation Vijay, pushed back the infiltrators with heavy casualties. He also received the Param Veer Chakra award after his heroic death.

Rifleman Sanjay Kumar of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, in an operation to capture a point in the Mushko Valley, fought head-on with the enemy and chased them, using their machine guns and killing many of them as they fled. He received the Param Veer Chakra Award alive.

The Param Vir Chakra was also awarded to Grenadier Yadav, one of the 18 Grenadiers. He was part of the leading team of the Kathak Regiment that captured Tiger Hill. In the midst of the fierce gunfire, he suffered multiple injuries and crawled to the enemy position.

The names of the fallen soldiers are engraved on the memorial wall at the Kargil Memorial. A museum attached to the Kargil War Memorial has also been set up to commemorate the victory of ‘Operation Vijay’. There are pictures of Indian soldiers involved in the Kargil war, archives of important war documents and records, Pakistani war equipment and official emblems of gear and army.

Many on the Pakistani side have been quoting different numbers about the casualties on their side. During the war, the government of Pakistan, which initially denied the full contribution of its soldiers, refused to even receive the bodies of dead Pakistani soldiers. This caused great turmoil in Pakistan. Now, Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif take turns blaming each other for who is responsible for the war. Pakistan may have backed down for fear of a nuclear war. But it is true that Pakistan has been strongly condemned and humiliated on the world stage.

The ‘Kargil War’ will always be etched in the minds of our generation known as the 90s kids. In our country, those who have only seen war in school subjects and movies have endured reading it in the newspaper. Heroes have lived among us. It just made us realize we were looking for them somewhere else. The thrilling heroic tales that were told and the tears that we shed while lighting the Diya on ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ on the doorstep every year will always echo the memory of our Kargil heroes.