Quora : What is your view on the saying "Congress has looted India for 70 years?

I am reproducing an Excellent answer I saw on Quora for this question : 

It isn't the looting of wealth that bothers me so much as the sheer fact that the Congress merely replaced the Brits in some ways - they just became masters of the same, broken, weak people, who were simply willing to suck up to authority. Nobody gave India confidence! This is the part that bothers me so much, especially with MK Gandhi's style of 'winning' us freedom by giving the enemy higher moral ground.

So, India has grown up as an apologetic impotent nation, where our children are taught to revere impractical, passive, cowardly notions like non-violence, when everything in nature tells us to fight to survive. Of course I know the philosophy of not fighting because of being strong. But this comes from mastery, not shamelessly bowing to masters!
 

So, we saw a change of guard. The Brits went, and new masters came in the form of the Congress Party. Hierarchies remained, the class system remained, and subservience remained. Where the heck did all the dynamism go?

Then we were thrown into a socialist mindset, people waiting for alms from government wealth redistribution programs instead of being empowered. We got protectionist policies, that prevented prosperity and competition, throwing us away from a path of a meritocracy. Hindustan Motors was started around the same time as Toyota, and Tata Steel started around the same time as Nippon Steel. Nippon Steel produces around five times as much as Tata Steel without native resources of ore. No need to talk about Hindustan Motors and Toyota. Japan coming out of twin nuclear strikes was devastated way more than India under the Brits. Do we need to compare how different the growth paths of these two nations have been?

Only when thousands died did we start the Green Revolution. Only when China attacked us did we realize we need to become militarily stronger. Only with our backs against the wall, did India liberalize its economy. Under the Congress, every move we have made towards any kind of development has come under inevitable circumstances, with our backs against the wall.

India was never allowed to be truly independent, strong, and proud of its people's full potential. No wonder so many of us left in droves and thrived in various countries elsewhere. This is the loot I would feel most wronged by - denying India its best talents and minds, because we didn't create the conditions for dignified development.

Incredibly, the immense sacrifices of our fighting heroes were also swept aside under this avalanche of worship for Gandhiji. Why? So that the Brits would feel good? The Congress party was reporting to British Intelligence for 5 years after we became an independent country, about Subhash Bose's family's movements. During a criminal probe of the Bofors scandal, the Congress External Affairs minister delivered a letter to a foreign body to deny evidence and cooperation to an Indian investigating agency. Years later, a whole bunch of Congress members and their cronies used the letterhead of the Indian Parliament to petition the USA to not issue a visa to Narendra Modi, the man who would become Prime Minister. It is these bunch of ass lickers that I want to hang or burn over a slow fire.

The Congress has a clear obsession with white people and a need to constantly please them. When Hillary Clinton asked India to wean itself off Iranian oil, the Congress government promptly obliged, even though Iran and India have been close friends for a long time. No surprise then that pasta aunty from Italy is their supremo. Think she would have got the same respect if she had been a Nigerian black woman? I don't think so. That's how deeply ingrained the slave mentality is in the ranks of the Congress.

It is the loot of India's pride, dignity, dynamism and die hard spirit that bothers me much much more than the loot of wealth. This country produced enough wealth to support the British Empire for 200 years. It can easily produce much more to ensure prosperity, health and well being for its own people. This is an abundant, powerful country, that has been prevented from being a developed, forward thinking, awesome nation that could by now have been an example for the world.

If India has been a weak, apologetic nation for so long, it's precisely because of the Congress. Why do we have to put up with these weasels and the fools who are aligning with them? I could even tolerate a ruthless, despotic, dictatorial mindset. It is this slimy, backstabbing, self serving Lutyens mindset that really irks me. I would give anything to destroy this smugness, decimate it, and put it firmly behind us.

The economic loot is nothing compared to this, but we will bloody well make them pay for all of it.

RSS Shaakha

Following is the process through which RSS conducts its shaakha

Shaakha Steps
-------------
1. Shaakha Start
2. Ekatmata Stotra  (http://www.geetganga.org/ekaatmata-stotra)
3. Laghu/Ushna Vyayam
4. Surya Namaskaar
5. Vyayam
6. Khel
7. Boudhik
    7.a Geet
    7.b Subhashit
    7.c Amritvachan
    7.d Boudhik/Katha/Charcha
8 Shakaa End
 

Shaakha Layout

 Shakha-Prarambh

When Mukhyashikshak blows the whistle all the swayamsevaks will stand in “Aaram” behind “Sampat-sthan”, facing the Dhwajsthan.

 Procedure for Sampat
 
Mukhyashikshak will call upon agresars by giving “(1) Sangh Daksha” and “(2) Aaram” commands. Sampat line should be at least at the distance equal to height of dhwajstambh. When Mukhyashikshak gives “(3) Agresar” command, all the agresars should stand in Daksha position. Then they will match forward towards Sampat line and stand is Daksha position at designated places. These places for Agresars are to be earmarked by Mukhyashikshak as follows: go towards right of the Dhwaj for steps one less than number of Agresars.(ex: If there are 5 Agresars , then Mukhyashikshak will go 4 steps right of the Dhwaj),and that will be the position of first Agresar. Then on every two steps on left side (i.e. right side of First Agresar) will be other Agresars. Mukhyashikshak should ensure that distance between Agresars is proper. Mukhyashikshak will give “(4) Agresar Samyak “ command to check that all the Agresars are standing in a single straight row. Once this is verified Mukhyashikshak will issue “(5) Agresar Aaram” command.

After this Mukhyashikshak will issue “(6) Sangh Sampat” command. On issuance of this command all the swayamsevaks (including Agresars) will stand in the Daksha position. Then all swayamsevaks should march forward and stand behind Agresar at a distance of arm’s length. Mukhyashikshak should stand midway between Dhwaj and Agresar standing line towards right of Dhwaj, at a distance of 3 steps from left most Agresar. Adhikari will stand midway between Dhwaj and Agresar standing line, towards left of Dhwaj, at a distance of 3 steps from right most Agresar. This way Mukhyashikshak and Adhikari will be facing each other.

 Procedure for Samyak

Mukhyashikshak will issue “(7) Sangh Daksha” command. On this command swayamsevaks will stand in Daksha position. Then Mukhyashikshak will issue “(8) Sangh Samyak”. On issuance of this command, Agresars will turn by 180 degrees by right side. In this position Agresar will be facing the swayamsevaks. When in this position Agresar has to check that all the swayamsevaks are in one line. If not, proper verbal instruction should be given (No hand gestures). On issuance of “(9) Agresar Ardhvrut” command, Agresars will turn by 180 degrees by right side. In this position Agresars will face the Dhwaj. Mukhyashikshak issues “(10) Sangh Aaram” command to prepare the swayamsevaks for Dhwajaropan.

Swayamsevak, who is responsible for Dhwajaropan, should stand at the right hand side of the Mukhyashikshak during Sampat holding the flag in his hand. On “(11) Sangh Daksha” command, all the swayamsevaks will stand in Daksha position. Then swayamsevak, who is responsible for Dhwajaropan, will march towards Dhwajmandal by shortest path. He will stand in front of Dhwajsthan at proper distance. Then he will hold the Dhwajstambh under his left armpit at an approx. angle of 45 degrees. Then using both his hands he will put the Dhwaj on the Dhwajstambh. When this is done, Dhwajstambh will be placed in the holder. After this, swayamsevak should come out of the Dhwajmandal-step back one step and do the Dhwaj-pranam. After Dhwaj-pranam, he will march by shortest path towards at two steps right of the right most agresar and will stand in line with other agresars after taking a turn of 180 degrees.

After this Mukhyashikshak issues “(12) Dhwaj-Pranam 1-2-3” command. After Dhwaj-pranam, “(13) Sankhya” command will be issued. Then the swayamsevaks standing at the end of each column will step aside by one step towards his right side. Then he will march forward counting number of swayamsevaks in his column. He will stop near the Agresar and will tell the number of swayamsevaks to agresar. He should tell the number loud enough to be heard by Agresar and without looking at Agresar.

When Mukhyashikshak issues “(14) Aaram” command, the above swayamsevaks will turn by 180 degrees and march towards their respective place. When they are near their place these swayamsevaks will turn by 180 degrees. Then they will step aside (left side) by one step to be in line with other swayamsevaks. When above command is issued , the right most agresar will step ahead by one step and will turn by 90 degrees to his left. Then he will march forward collecting the number count from each Agresars. Then he will step ahead by one step from left most agresar. Then he will inform Mukhyashikshak, the total number of swayamsevaks (by adding all Agresar’s numbers and himself). After informing the Mukhyashikshak, he will step aside one step towards his left, march forward two steps and do a 180 turn to be beside Mukhyashikshak.

After issuing “(15) Sangh Daksha” and “(16) Aaram”, Mukhyashikshak will tell the number of swayamsevaks present (includes Number given by Swayamsevak + Himself + Adhikari) to the Adhikari present and will return to his place.

If Adhikari present is to be honored by “Daksha”, then Mukhyashikshak will tell the number of swayamsevaks after command 15. Then stepping back one step and will turn to face swayamsevaks. Then after giving “(16) Aaram”, he will return to his place.

Once Mukhyashikshak reaches his place, he will issue “(17) Daksha” command and “(18) Swasthan”. Then all the swayamsevaks will go to places as led by “GanShikshaks”.

 Shakha Visarjan

To call upon swayamsevaks for Prarthana, Mukhyashikshak will blow the whistle. Then all the Agresars will march towards respective place and stand in Daksha position. Mukhyashikshak will give “(1) Agresar Samyak” and check whether all the agresars are in-line. After checking the Samyak of Agresars, Mukhyashikshak will give “(2) Agresar Aaram” command. When Mukhyashikshak blows the whistle for second time, all the Agresars will stand in Daksha Position and all the swayamsevaks will come forward and stand behind Agresars at proper distance. After this Mukhyashikshak will issue “(3) Sangh Daksha”,”(4) Sangh Samyak”,”(5) Agresar Ardhvrut”,“(6) Sankhya” and “(7) Aaram“ commands. After this swayamsevak, standing as the right most agresar will collect Sankhya from other Agresars and will inform the Mukhyashikshak after adding those. Mukhyashikshak will inform the Adhikari about Sankhya. Then Mukhyashikshak will come to his designated place and will issue “(8) Sangh Daksha”. To prepare swayamsevaks for Prarthana Mukhyashikshak will issue “ (9) Aaram and (10) Sangh Daksha” commands. When Mukhyashikshak blows the whistle or issues “(11) Prarthana” command, swayamsevak, designated for the Prarthana, will recite the Prarthana and other swayamsevaks will follow him. After completion of Prarthana, Mukhyashikshak will give “(12) Dhwaj Pranam 1-2-3” command. After Dhwaj Pranam, swayamsevak (designated for the Prarthana) will march forward towards the Dhwajstambh. He will stand outside the Dhwajmandal and after will offer the Dhwaj pranam and then enter the Dhwajmandal. Then he will lift the Dhwajstambh from holder and hold it slanted under his left arm. Then will remove the flag by right hand and hold it in the left arm. After this he will stand beside the Mukhyashikshak. When this is done Mukhyashikshak will issue “(13) Sangh Vikir” command. Then all the swayamsevaks will turn towards their right side by 90 degrees, do a pranam and leave their places. Adhikari, Mukhyashikshak and Prarthana Swayamsevaks will do the pranam in their respective positions.

India's Unity & the Fight against British

Through geographically, ethnologically and historically India presents an endless diversity to any observer - there is none the less a fundamental unity underlying this diversity. But as Mr Vincent A. Smith has said : " European writers as a rule have been more conscious of the diversity than of the unity of India... India beyond all doubt possesses a deep underlying fundamental unity, far more profound than that produced either by geographical isolation or by political suzerainty. That unity transcends the innumerable diversities of blood, color, language, dress, manners and sect. (Oxford History of India- Vincent A.Smith).

Geographically, India seems to be cut out from the rest of the world as a self-contained unit. Bounded on the north by the mighty Himalayas and surrounded on both sides by the endless ocean, India affords the best example of a geographical unit. The ethnic diversity of India has never been a problem - for throughout her history she has been able to absorb different races and impose on them one common culture and tradition. The most important cementing factor has been the Hindu religion. North or South, East or West, wherever you may travel, you will find the same religious ideas, the same culture and the same tradition. All Hindus look upon India as the Holy Land.The sacred rivers like the sacred cities are distributed all over the country. (The Fundamental Unity of India, Prof. Radha Kumud Mookherji). If as a pious Hindu you have to complete your round of pilgrimage, you will have to travel to Setubandha - Rameshwaram in the extreme south and to Badrinath in the bosom of the snow capped Himalayas in the north.The great teachers who wanted to convert the country to their faith had always to tour the whole of India and one of the greatest of them, Shankaracharya, who flourished in the eighth century A.D, built four "Ashramas" (monasteries) in four corners of India, which flourish to this day. Everywhere the same scriptures are read and followed and the epics, the Mahabharata and Ramayana, are equally popular wherever you may travel.

With the advent of the Mohammedans, a new synthesis was gradually worked out. Though they did not accept the religion of the Hindu's, they made India their home and shared in the common social life of the people - their joys and sorrows. Through mutual co-operation, a new art and a new culture was evolved which was different from the old but which nevertheless was distinctly Indian. In architecture, painting, music - new creations were made which represented the happy blending of the two streams of culture. Moreover, the administration of the Mohammedan rulers left untouched the daily life of the people and did not interfere with local self govt based on the old system of village communities. With British rule, however, there came a new religion, a new culture and a new civilization which did not want to blend with the old but desired to dominate the country completely.The british people, unlike the invaders of old, did not make India their home. They regarded themselves as birds of passage and looked upon India as the source of raw materials and as the market for finished goods. Moreover, they endeavored to imitate the autocracy of the Mohammedan rulers without following thier wise policy of complete non-interference in local affairs. The result fo this was that the Indian people began to feel for the first time in their history that they were being dominated culturally, politically and economically by a people who were quite alien to them and with whom they had nothing whatsoever in common. Hence the magnitude of  the revolt against the British domination of India.

Source : The Indian Struggle 1920-1942, by Subhas Chandra Bose

Slavish Mentality

Some people think that, it was because of british, India saw Industrialization  and that made India what it is today & hence needs to be appreciated & because of this british rule was good. But those people forget to see that, If the British left any lasting legacies, it was not because they were philanthropists, but because they used those very same institutions themselves, to rob us blind..As the painstaking statistical work of the Cambridge historian Angus Maddison has shown, India's share of world income collapsed from 22.6% in 1700, almost equal to Europe's share of 23.3% at that time, to as low as 3.8% in 1952.Yet an economist like Manmohan Singh, thanked (read:http://www.hindu.com/nic/0046/pmspeech.htm) the British for good Governance, when they impoverished India and robbed all it's riches? It's a very slavish mentality (fostered by the British) that makes us think that they were responsible for any good that is presently in India. 

There have been in the course of India's history periods of progress and prosperity followed by intervals of decay and even chaos and the former have been always characterised by a very high level of culture and civilization.India contributed to mathematics, astronomy, medicine, metallurgy etc, much before there were any invaders (Muslims, French, Dutch, British). Only through ignorance or through prejudice could one assert that under British rule India began to experience for the first time what political unity was.

Couldn't change (Industrialization etc) have happened organically without all the brutality and enslavement of colonization?

We need to get rid of that slavish mentality and to stop being like well-trained dogs! Every country goes through periods of turmoil for long periods after becoming independent. Read the violent history of the United States.
With all its problems and extreme poverty, India is a shining beacon of democracy and has been a stellar example of tolerance and openness for thousands of years. 

Why do I still serve you?

-- By an Unknown Soldier

How you play with us, did you ever see?
At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;
I would serve you to the end,
All these boundaries I would defend.

Now you make me look like a fool,
When at seventeen and just out of school;
Went to the place where they made "men out of boys"
Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…

In those days, I would see my "civilian" friends,
Living a life with the fashion trends;
Enjoying their so called "college days"
While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…
But I never thought twice about what where or why
All I knew was when the time came, I'd be ready to do or die.

At 21 and with my commission in hand,
Under the glory of the parade and the band,
I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,
And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.

I stood there with a sense of recognition,
But on that day I never had the premonition,
that when the time came to give me my due,
You'd just say, "What is so great that you do?"

Long back you promised a well-to-do life;
And when I'm away, take care of my wife.
You came and saw the hardships I live through,
And I saw you make a note or two,
And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;
but now I know you'll never be able to see,
Because you only see the glorified life of mine,
Did you see the place where death looms all the time?
Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?
The name of his newborn he does not know...
Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?
While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?

You still know I'll not be the one to raise my voice
I will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thois.

But that's just me you have in the sun and rain,
For now at twenty-four, you make me think again;
About the decision I made, seven years back;
Should I have chosen another life, some other track?

Will I tell my son to follow my lead?
Will I tell my son, you'll get all that you need?
This is the country you will serve
This country will give you all that you deserve?

I heard you tell the world "India is shining"
I told my men, that's a reason for us to be smiling
This is the India you and I will defend!
But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?
You go on promise all that you may,
But it's the souls of your own men you betray.

Did you read how some of our eminent citizens
Write about me and ridicule my very existence?
I ask you to please come and see what I do,
Come and have a look at what I go through
Live my life just for a day
Maybe you'll have something else to say?

I will still risk my life without a sigh
To keep your flag flying high
but today I ask myself a question or two…
Oh India…. Why do I still serve you?

Ancient Indian Algebra

During his speech on June 4 in Cairo, Egypt, President Barack Obama gave credit to Muslims for invention of many things, including algebra. I would like to bring out the facts about the history of algebra.

The credit for the first use of algebra probably goes to the Babylonians, who solved some quadratic problems verbally, but recognized only positive roots. During the time of Plato, Greeks used geometry to solve algebraic problems. Later, Diophantus (about 350 A.D.) wrote some rules for multiplication and division and solved some simple problems in “Arithmetica.” His algebra was syncopated and rhetorical.

Indians have a long history of using mathematics.Fire altars were constructed using Pythagoras’ theorem long before Pythagoras. A decimal system for weights and measures was used in the Indus Valley (2500 B.C.). Numbers in multiples of 2, 7, 10, 100 and even one million are found in several books, including “Narad Vishnu Purana” (1000 B.C.), “Anuyog Dwara Sutra” (100 B.C.), “Lalitvistara” (100 A.D.) and several Mahayana Buddhist books. “Anuyog Dwara Sutra” also gives multiplication of square roots of square roots. Basic use of logarithm appears in “Satkhandagama” (150 A.D.).

The Bakhshali manuscript (200 A.D.) found near Peshawar in Pakistan includes fractions, square roots, quadratic equations, simultaneous equations, arithmetic and geometric progressions etc.Aryabhatta (499 A.D.), a great Indian astronomer, wrote 118 verses in “Aryabhattiya” which cover several areas including arithmetic, algebra, plane and spherical trigonometry. It includes continued fractions, square roots, cube roots, quadratic equations, sum of power series and a table of sines.He introduced the Kuttaka method (breaking down of original factors into smaller numbers). He gave the circumference of Earth as 4,967 yojanas (24,835 miles) and stated that Earth moves around the sun long before Copernicus.

Brahmgupta (628 A.D.), another eminent Indian astronomer, wrote “Brahm-saphuta-siddhanta,”containing 25 chapters in which he gave several rules for arithmetical operations involving zero. He solved several quadratic equations and gave both positive and negative roots. In his book, he also solves several indeterminate problems.

In addition, he worked on trigonometry and gave the area of cyclic quadrilaterals and the interpolation formula for computation of sines. In astronomy, he dealt with lunar eclipses, etc. He introduced some symbols in algebra, but it was mostly syncopated.

Other Indians who made significant contributions to arithmetic/algebra include Varahamihir (505 A.D.), Bhaskara I (680 A.D.), Mahavira (800 A.D.), Madhva (850 A.D.) and Bhaskara II (1114 A.D.). Mahavira wrote solutions to several arithmetic operations, including fractions, permutations and combinations, and areas of ellipses. The works of Bhaskara II, include beej ganita (algebraic root extraction), astronomy, the solution to Pell’s equation, solutions to indeterminate problems by the Chakrawaat method and Diophantine problems. He broached the fields of infinitesimal calculation and integration. He postulated the existence of gurutava (gravitational attraction).

Destruction of several universities by Muslim invaders around 724 A.D., 786 A.D. and 1200 A.D. brought an end to India’s dominance in the field of mathematics.

During the 8th century A.D., several Sanskrit works were translated into Arabic in Baghdad. (Baghdad means “gift of God” in Sanskrit.) During the 9th century A.D., Caliph al-Mamun established a “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad and invited scholars from many countries, including India, Persia, and Greece, etc., to translate mathematical and other works into Arabic. Persian scholar al-Khwarizmi wrote about half a dozen books on astronomy and mathematics.His most famous work, “Hisab al-jabr wa’l muqabalah,” was written around 830 A.D. It consists of six chapters, each dealing with a different formula. Muslims give him credit for the invention of algebra. As per O’Connor and Robertson, researchers at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, al-Khwarizmi visited India and took with him several mathematical works to Baghdad. His book on algebra was based mostly on the works by Brahmgupta (628 A.D.). Most of his algebra can be described as rhetorical.

Muslim scholars never developed symbols, which were necessary for advancement. They also rejected negative roots of quadratic equations, although they had learned from Hindus, as per O’Connor and Robertson. However, they improved upon the Hindu number system and the positional notations. Other notable Muslim scholars include al-Karkhi (953 A.D.), Omar Khayyam (1050 A.D.), al-Tushi (1135 A.D.) and Jamshid al-Kashi (1380 A.D.). The work of al-Khwarizmi and other Muslim scholars reached Europe around 1200 A.D. and they mistakenly gave credit for the invention of zero and other numerals — and algebra — to Muslims.

On the whole, Muslims’ contribution to the advancement in algebra is very small.
The real credit should go to Indians. As far as Obama is concerned, he should present only the facts.

Shree Vir Gupta is a nuclear/chemical engineer with a deep interest in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Vande Mataram

हम कौन थे,, क्या हो गये...!