The Catholic Worker After Dorothy:

Practicing the Works of Mercy in a New Generation by Dan McKanan

Liturgical Press, 2008
ISBN:978-0-8146-3187-4
240 pgs., $19.95

Reviewed by Chris L. Rice

The appearance of this slim volume finally gives the many Catholic Worker houses across the world their due. Dan McKanan, assistant professor in peace studies at the College of St. Benedict and St. Johns did hundreds of hours of interviews with Catholic Worker members and put in time himself in a communal kitchen in order to really understand his subject. The Catholic Worker After Dorothy accomplishes two goals simultaneously: it answers the movement’s serious critics who charge that after Dorothy Day’s death the movement has been on the wane, and it carefully unpacks the actual vision set up by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.

McKanan says that the Works of Mercy themselves form the hermeneutic by which to understand the creative differences in the many different approaches to the different Catholic Worker houses today. I find this compelling, especially since McKanan is candid about the many tensions within the movement. On issues such as abortion and gay unions different houses do hold very different views. The decision within the Movement overall to concentrate specifically on the Works of Mercy, showing hospitality and identifying with the least of these, seems to create space for disagreement and yet continued involvement.

Many, many different issues get raised within this book. How do families with children create space for themselves and still stay active with hospitality? What does nonprofit status do to the Catholic Worker vision? How does the movement include nonCatholics in its spiritual vision when the founders vision is so Christian in nature? These issues and many more are reviewed in this book. Dan is not afraid to ask the hard questions of this generation of members as they look to the future. He notes for instance that not as many houses are applying the Works of Mercy to this generation’s challenges as was done previously. Nor are they engaging recent papal encyclicals. In this way this is a challenge to continue the work by engaging the spiritual sources.

This book is important reading for anyone interested in doing community with the poor. It is ambitious in its scope, doing what many other histories neglect, namely the socialization process. This served as my first real introduction to the Catholic Worker movement. Reading it caused me to dig into the movement’s writings like the online Dorothy Day archive at catholicworker.org. It also caused me to finally go visit my neighborhood Catholic Worker house. I’ve found these to be sources of spiritual refreshment, and I’m sure this is only the beginning. One other source that I’ll be plumbing is Marquette University’s archive of audio/visual materials. I found out these are available through my local library’s interlibrary loan program. In Christian ministry we need all the witnesses we can get. Brothers and sisters on similar journeys. Saints whose lives testify to God’s enduring love for ordinary people. This book is a great point of entry.

In this Sunday’s New York Times magazine, Patricia Leigh Brown reminds us what neighbors and meals are really all about. Brown’s story is of a neighborhood that comes together on the first Wednesday of every month to enjoy home-cooked food, pot-luck style. It’s a sweet article because it reminds us that the act of eating is not about the finest restaurants or the hottest new foods, it’s about sharing: interacting with people and exchanging ideas, stories, recipes, cultures, traditions and flavors. It’s easier and more natural to do this at a large table than it is over a stuffy meal at a Michelin 3-star. Sure, you can catch up on each other’s lives at a restaurant, but when you cook, eat and clean up together, you can learn all that (and more) in the first five minutes.

It’s hard for a New Yorker, who nods to her neighbors in passing and still doesn’t know them by name, to understand the idea of eating with your neighbors. But it’s so innately human. There are signs that I long for it. I’m constantly giving cookies to the barbers beneath my apartment or leftover pie to the store owner beside them. But still, something is missing.

I’m guessing that few people know the pleasure of cooking together as a neighborhood. My parents have a tight, large network of friends like Brown’s, and I’m always in awe of them. They eat more meals together than any other group I know, and they aren’t even great cooks or foodies. But it’s not about the food. Brown’s article makes you realize that there is more linking a community than sidewalks and staircases. There are people between those spaces and many meals taken — meals which can and should be shared. The writer (and farmer) Wendell Berry’s famous line is that eating is an agricultural act. That’s true, but eating is first and foremost a communal act. I guess it’s time I met my neighbors.

One of the recipes sent to us from Jim Earle, a member of the group that Brown profiles, seemed so simple and passé, my first instinct was to ignore it. His daughter pleaded with me to try it. Like the story, his balsamic dressing reminded me that dinner doesn’t have to be fancy or cutting-edge, just real and personal. And that’s why I ended up loving this delicious, simple vinaigrette.

__________

Jim Earle’s Salad Dressing

• 1/3 cup vinegar of your choice, preferably balsamic with an added dash of aged balsamic
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 to 2/3 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil.

In a sealable container, combine the vinegar, 1 tablespoon of water, the dried mustard, honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and shake well to combine. Pour in the olive oil, to taste. Seal and shake. Keeps well in the refrigerator. Makes about 1 cup. Adapted from Jim Earle. [via link]

The most obvious example of this is everyone sitting around the TV in the living room.  That image of the perfect American family lit by the warm glow of the one TV in the house is one that is burned into my own image bank.

Of course, today there is a screen everywhere and that means everyone can go watch whatever they want and screw family time.  The explosion of cable and the niche shows that came along with it enforced this behavior making it even less likely that all members of a household could find a common show to hold their attention for an hour.

The success of American Idol is largely due to its ability to engage a wide demographic but it is very much an exception to the rule.

The growth of web video has only increased our tendancy to view alone (and not just porn).

In  the wake of all this alone time a number of services are popping up to allow folks in different locations to watch videos on the web simultaneously while participating in chat of one kind or another.

This isn't entirely new as a number of TV shows have live chat rooms that run simultaneous to their airing but allowing groups to assemble on their on schedule for a similar experience is kind of neat.

I've already discussed the indie end of this spectrum with SeeToo and some of the larger efforts like NBC's Viewing Party.  Now comes the Lycos effort with their revamp of LycosCinema.

According to ArsTech they've definitely put the spotlight on communal aspects of the site:

"Other significant new features in today's major revamp of Lycos Cinema focus on the social and chatting experiences. A new lobby chat area can accommodate thousands of movie fans if you aren't quite in the mood to start watching something yet. Movies can now be scheduled for a later date, complete with friend invites and notifications for when shows are about to start. Movies can be watched in private, with a select group of friends, or publicly (the default) by sharing a URL that any Lycos Cinema user can click to immediately join."

Seems pretty cool if IM'ing with friends while you watch a movie is something you really want to do.  I'm not totally convinced that this is meeting a desperate need.

With SeeToo, the idea of watching personal videos with friends and family immediately struck a chord so maybe there is overlap.  Time will tell.

In tangentially related Communal Viewing news, I like the idea of the upcoming Pangea Day (via PSFK)

"On May 10^th, millions of people worldwide will watch the same short films at the same time. Via thousands of locally organized events, the organizers hope to remind watchers what we all have in common.

6 cities will broadcast live footage of 24 short films in 8 languages. Those in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro can check out the events’ headquarters. The estimated 4hr long cinematic debut will also include top speakers and musical performers: Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, Iranian rock phenom Hypernova and others."

Neato.

So begins this expertly written book by Ken Wilson, a pastor, practitioner and pilgrim to engage those drawn to the fascinating figure buried in the messy field of religion. Jesus Brand Spirituality is for those disillusioned by the current swirl of cultural conflict, moralism, and religious meanness that amounts to a form of trademark infringement on the movement that bears his name.

Combining candor, curiosity and rare insight, the author explores four dimensions of the spirituality Jesus left in his wake--active, contemplative, biblical, and communal. Practical, engaging and compelling, this fresh illumination of an ancient path is both moving and thought provoking. Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the Religion Department at Publisher's weekly calls Wilson "one of America's most gifted evangelicals, a thoughtful, unflinching pastor for thinking Christians; but he has outdone even his own reputation here. Candid, confessional, and full of stories, these conversational chapters from a man enthralled with Jesus are shot through with the passion and the realism of an eternally-vital romance."

Read this here…

“Bhaichung refuses to join in Beijing” Olympic torch run

Contrast the above with this… here and you know which country our Communists are batting for! Communist Party of India CHINA (Marauders), have shed all inhabitations, their love for “Father Land” is for all to see.

“CPM GENERAL secretary Prakash Karat came out strongly in defence of China on the Tibet issue on Monday, saying India's position on Tibet being a part of the communist nation should not change. Karat said statements by Indian leaders against China are attempts to spoil relations between two-countries.”

PI.

We don't really do quotes of the day for we have not time to scratch our arses...but... 

"It does seem that most people are inherently leftist, simply
because leftist arguments are emotionally appealing on a
shallow level, but to investigate further requires patience -
something most teenagers don't have.

Just the other day I was talking to someone who first called
themselves a liberal, then said that property was theft, and
then advocated Marxian type of communal ownership. So I don't
have to look far to see confused people."

Socialism seems messianic, moral and majoritarian. Always. By hijacking and corrupting the innate human urge to do good, it achieves its ends which are evil.

Everyone wants to help the poor, for example. That's why we all put up with the crinimally-corrupt and malevolent "Fair Trade" scam, and we don't roar into supermarkets in our jackboots (all Libertarians wear jackboots, all the time: did you not know?) and tear out the fixtures on which the stuff is displayed, and torch them in the car parks... So it's only a small step for really nasty guys to pretend that they share your belief in the Gospels of Christ, for example, to make you feel like a shit for not giving them money to "help the poor with". Then, when you have laughed in their faces, they come back next day, with guns, asking for double.

I remember arguing, in 1977, with a man who would not buy a copy of "The Free Nation" (anyone remember the Freedom Association?) saying he was a "Christian Socialist". I thought at the time that this was an oxymoron. 

♦

Many of the ‘Secular, Liberal and Progressive’ eminent people and Sec-Soc media get worked up the moment you remind them that “Most, if not all Terrorists are Muslims”. They ‘pounce’ on you yelling ‘U a Communal, Fascist, Nazi, Milosevic and what not’! You press further and ask them why only “Islam’ is at loggerheads with rest of the world? They cite ‘couple of verses’ from Koran- out of context, to convince you how the religion preaches “Only Peace and Brotherhood”! They never are tired of telling us that Muslims the entire world over are backward, illiterate, prosecuted, disadvantaged, discriminated against, and blah blah blah!

If you are my type- a skeptic- and dare ask, if it is so then why do other minorities in other countries…are not all these (backward, illiterate, prosecuted, disadvantaged, discriminated against) but Muslims alone? They have no answer but surely you would be ‘labeled’ as a ‘Communalist’-especially if you are a Hindu and live in your own country that is Bharat!

I always believed that ‘there was a method in this madness’, and it is confirmed by this article ‘Islamists set the rules’ as published in the Pioneer today.

It is an interesting read. A Must read.

So, allow me to read with you with my ‘usual communal remarks’. This time I agree with the writer and my comments are only to highlight some points made here in.

Prudent Indian.

Islamists set the rules

What's even more worrisome is the widespread failure in the West (Entire world so to say. Being Indian, I will keep focus on Indian landscape) even to realise this is happening. Hamas and Hizbullah fire from among civilians and use civilian homes for military purposes, Syria or Iran deploy disinformation, radical regimes pretend moderation, and there are plenty of suckers (read mainly SEC-SOC MSM media, left leaning Intelligentsia and other avowedly secular .messiahs’) to bite the bait. (And vomit it all over)

Extremism makes many believe that kind words and concessions can transform them (if not them (Muslims) but certainly have transformed the Islam apologists for sure, they have become richer and ‘eminent’, some have done better…got Padma Bhushan too) ; intransigence produces a response that if they won't give up we must do so.

Here are some new rules in which "we" (Islamists) represents such disparate forces as Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran, Iraqi insurgents, Al Qaeda, Syria, the Taliban, and others, including radical Arab nationalists (HUJI,SIMI, Lashkars,Pakistan on west. Bangladesh on east…). These forces are not all alike or allied (they certainly are, read carefully and you find that Islam, very much like Communism believe in Global Brotherhood. BUT, both Communism and Islam makes a clear distinction between Believers and Non believers ... for Islam it is ‘Jihad’ and for communism it is ‘unbridled power to decide’ what is good for you or me) but do often follow a parallel set of rules quite different from how international affairs have generally been conducted.

♦ We'll never give up. No matter what you do, we will continue fighting. No matter what you offer we will keep attacking you. Since you can't win, you should give up. (You yield an inch, they will demand a yard. You try to pacify them by yielding that and they demand a Kilometer, concede that…they demanded a nation...u gave them, yet they demand more)

♦ We're indifferent to pressure you put on us. We will turn this pressure against you. Against us, deterrence does not exist; diplomacy does not convince. Neither does the carrot buy us off, nor does the stick make us yield. There are no solutions that can end the conflict. You cannot win militarily nor make peace through diplomacy. (Right he says. I wish to add u just can not win them by any overtures.)

♦ If you set economic sanctions we'll say you are starving our people in an act of "collective punishment". Moreover, sanctions will cost you money and generate opposition among those who lose profits. (True)

♦ In response to military operations we'll attack your civilians. Casualties will undermine your internal (ably assisted and abetted by ‘embedded’ SEC-SOC journalists and Liberals, Human Rightists, retired judges with an eye on Rajaya Sabha seat) support. We will try to force you to kill civilians accidentally. We won't care but will use this to persuade many (and in plenty) that you are evil. Thus, we will simultaneously murder your civilians and get you condemned as human rights' violators. (I agree.)

♦ If you try to isolate us we will use your media and intellectuals against you (They are either ‘comrades or cohorts, albeit they use ‘PEN’ than sword’). At times, we'll hint at moderation and make promises of change. We won't do so enough to alienate our own followers but enough to subvert yours. They will demand you engage us, which means you making concessions for nothing real in exchange. (Ummm! Yes absolutely true. 15% for Muslims, and’ Muslim first’ by the man who, we are told is the PM of billion plus Indians?)

♦ Talking to our own (Muslims) people, we foment hatred and demonise (Kafirs, non believers) you. Speaking to the West (Hindu too or any one else for that matter), we will accuse you of fomenting hatred. We will hypocritically turn against you all the concepts you developed: racism, imperialism, failure to understand the "other", and so on. These, of course, are our ideas but your feelings of guilt, ignorance about us, and indifference to ideology will make you not notice that fact.

♦ We will claim to be victims and "underdogs". Because you (read Majority….whichever…irrespective of nation.) are the stronger and more "advanced" that means you are the villains. We're not held responsible for our deeds or expected to live up to the same standards. There is no shortage of, to quote Lenin, "useful idiots" (Communists) who will echo our propaganda.

♦ Since our societies are weak, (why?) undemocratic (democracy and Islam are compatible?), and have few real moderates (really! Do name one Muslim who is ‘moderate’ by any standard), you will have to make deals with phoney (imposed) moderates and dictatorial regimes weakened by corruption and incompetence.

♦ Even the less radical regimes, often our immediate adversaries, partly play into our hands. Due to popular pressure-plus their desire to mobilise support and distract attention from their own shortcomings - they trumpet Arab and Islamic solidarity. They denounce the West (Hindus, RSS and any and every thing remotely connected with Hindus (non believers)), blame all problems on Israel (India), and revile America (and Hindus), even as they accept your aid (They demand as their right! Haj subsidy is an example to start with). They glorify interpretations of Islam not too far from ours. They cheer Iraqi insurgents, Hizbullah and Hamas. They don't struggle against Iran getting nuclear weapons (Cohorts! Remember a ‘front’ lending support to the present-day ‘United (?) Progressive (!) Alliance (really?:) UPA). They lay the basis for our mass support and recruits, as Lenin said, selling us the rope to hang them as well as you.

♦ There's no diplomatic solution for you, though you yearn to find one (Even What they call as ‘people to people contact’! HUH! Some self styled ‘secular and liberals’ who are champions of ‘candle march’ on Wagha and Atari are just victims of ‘Stockholm’s syndrome’). There's no military solution for you, whether you try that or not. You love life, we love death; you are divided, we are united; you want to get back to material satisfaction, we are dedicated revolutionaries. We will outlast you.

Finally, our greatest weapon is that you truly don't understand all the points made above.(agreed) You are taught, informed, and often led by people who simply don't (nay- have some vested interest to not) comprehend what an alternative, highly ideological, revolutionary worldview means. In effect, we will try, and often succeed, to turn your "best and brightest” ("best and brightest"hahahahahahah! Here they are factory like produced JNUites, who get to become ‘Secular and liberal’ journalists in MSM) into the worst and dimmest who think you can persuade us, blame you for the conflicts, or expect that we will alter our course, and we will use those mistakes against you.

The above analysis seems pessimistic (it is exact dear, do not be apologetic about it) but actually is the opposite (but, this is what it is). Most of this strategy's power is based on spreading illusions (with the able help of MSM), depending on gullibility (!). Much of the rest relies on their enemies' psychological weaknesses. In a sustained conflict, the radicals' technological and organisational weaknesses, along with their mistaken assessments and unrealistic ideology, will bring inevitable defeat. They will lose even if they never surrender. They can kill people but not overcome societies determined to grow, prosper, and survive. The keys to a successful response are steadfastness and understanding. To paraphrase Francis Bacon and Franklin Roosevelt, there is nothing to fear but fear - and gullibility - itself.

(Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs Journal. His latest books are The Truth About Syria and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle-East.)

1. Dharm: Dharm is not a religious film. It is a thought provoking treatise on the true interpretation of religion (Dharm). Pankaj Kapoor plays Pandit Chaturvedi, a devout priest in Benares who believes only in the scriptures and does everything by Dharma. His will is tested to the core by people who want his downfall and when communal clashes are rampant, Pandit Chaturvedi is forced to go back to the scriptures and understand their real interpretation to reinvent himself. The movie has many poignant and thought provoking scenes. Especially magnificent is the conversation between a Sadhu and Pandit Chaturvedi, on the ghats of Benares. The Sadhu recites a doha to tell Pandit Chaturvedi – When God didn’t discriminate between people who is man to do so? Pankaj Kapoor politely replies: I have also read the scriptures. The reply establishes the character of Pandit Chaturvedi. The movie is filled with such powerful moments. Memorable performances by Daya Shankar Pandey, KK Raina and Supriya Pathak raise the level of the film up by many notches but it is Pankaj Kapoor who owns the movie with his powerful performance.

2. The Blue Umbrella: Ruskin Bond’s sweet little story was adapted brilliantly on screen by Vishal Bhardwaj. Shreya Sharma is brilliant as the small girl Biniya who has the fancy Japanese umbrella. Pankaj Kapoor is menacing as well as heart warming in the role of Nandkishore Khatri, the tea stall owner who loves his pickles, cheating small kids out of their small trinkets and the blue umbrella. He makes you go through all emotions in one of his best performances. The sheer range of the man leaves you speechless. There are actors in India and there is Pankaj Kapoor. I liked the movie a lot more than Makdee and the sole reason is Pankaj Kapoor’s brilliance. The scene in which Nandkishore gets his new umbrella is pure joy. Watching him frolic with an umbrella in slo-mo was the most joyous moment of Hindi cinema last year. I just can’t stop raving about Pankaj Kapoor.

3. 1971: Prisoners of War: One of the best war movies ever made in India and the finest ever to tackle the issue of Prisoners of War. Period. Watch this movie for some fantastic cinematography and riveting performances which do true justice to a very good script. A welcome change from the over the top jingoistic Suny Deol flicks and the J.P Dutta extravaganzas, 1971 is all about the people who fight a war, human emotions and their pride. Hats off to Amrit Sagar for this achievement in direction. Manoj Bajpai does a star turn along with very able support from Deepak Dobriyal and Ravi Kishen.

4. No Smoking: Avant Garde surrealism (if one can put it that way), belonging to the David Lynch / Darren Aronofsky School of movie making. Technically the movie is top notch with its liberal doses of CGI and brilliant cinematography. It’s as close to Hollywood standards as it can get. Even the way the opening credits roll is very interesting. No Smoking sets benchmarks in experimentalism in Indian Cinema. Way to go Mr. Kashyap. No need to be apologetic. No Smoking kicked ass. The movie is also embellished with a brilliant performance by Paresh Rawal and arguably the best OST of the year.

5. Manorama Six Feet Under: The movie is inspired by Chinatown. Big deal. If “inspiration” was the key to make a great film than Sanjay Gupta would have been the Francis Ford Coppola of India. Similar in feel and structure of the Polanski’s Chinatown Manorama captures the desert like never before. Breathtaking cinematography transcends this brilliant movie to a modern masterpiece. A socio-political thriller, this movie had a brilliant yet understated performance from the lead Abhay Deol who showed for once, given the right script he can do magic. Impressive acting by Kulbhusan Kharbanda and Vinay Pathak.

6. Johnny Gaddar: Starting from the opening sequence and the Technicolor credit sequence, that looks like a Warhol collage, to the climax it is fast and furious entertainment. The director Sreeram Raghavan (He of Ek Hasina Thi, The Eight Column Affair and Raghav Raman fame) is not making any conscious effort to pass any message or awaken the moral. A throwback to the retro noir style thriller of the 70s its unabashed entertainment for your visual and aural senses. A tribute to the genius that was Vijay Anand who gave us memorable thrillers like Jewel Thief, Johhny Mera Naam and Teesri Manzil, Johhny Gaddar is a treat. Powerful performances by the ensemble starcast including newcomer Neil Nitin Mukesh who is a great discovery. Soundtrack is a rockbluster smash.

7. Gandhi, My Father: Another brilliant screen adaptation in the year 2007. Director Feroz Abbas Khan adapted his searing play ‘Mahatma virudh Gandhi’ on screen for producer Anil Kapoor. Akshay Khanna and Darshan Jariwala burn the screen with their intense performances in a film that focuses on an altogether different facet of Mahatma Gandhi, that of a father to his own son Harilal. After the ‘Gandhigiri’ hullabaloo its moving to see the human angle of Mahtama and kudos to the director who didn’t deify Bapu but showed him as a normal human being. Shefali Shetty is incredibly brilliant as Kasturba. Powerful is the only word that can describe the movie.

8. Bheja Fry: Mahesh Bhatt once said, “If you can hide the source, you are a genius”. Unfortunately for 1st time director Sagar Ballary he couldn’t. Clearly inspired from Le Dîner de cons, a French comedy, Bheja Fry still should be hailed as a great work of hindi comedy that entertains you without ever being slapstick. Vinay Pathak in the performance of a life time plays a bumpkin to the boot. The movie gave me my biggest laugh-out-loud moments since ages. Trivia: Aayega Aayega mein ‘aayega’ kitni baar aata hai? For answers watch the movie. Truly hilarious.

9. Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local: A Tarantino inspired thriller Ek Chaalis owes its brilliance to the fantastic script about a call centre employee who misses his last local at 1:40 a.m and comes across the weirdest people one can meet in a lifetime. That he also meets a certain Miss Neha Dhupia, needless to say, creates precarious situations beyond his control. An incredible adventure in one night or should one say an early morning. Interspersed with some spine chilling as well as some hilarious situations the movie impresses with its narrative and dialogues. A commendable effort by the entire crew.

10. Dil Dosti etc: 2007 was a fantastic year for newcomers and my line up is rounded off by the incandescent Dil Dosti etc. According to director Manish Tiwary the character of Apurv (Imaaduddin Shah) is basically his interpretation of his favourite character Apu (from Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy) in this modern world. A dynamite of talent that is Imaad Shah explodes in one of my favouite movies of 2007 as a character straight out of the 70s parallel wave of Indian cinema. He is a directionless young man who finds a meaning to his life in a challenge against his friend Sanjay (Shreyas Talpade). How Apu goes about winning the challenge, discovering friendship and love and in turn goes on to lose everything is what the movie is all about.

Veni, Vidi, Vici: Narrendra

Modi.

(I came, I saw, I conquered: Narrendra Modi)

If ever an election which was ever fought and observed not only in India but also ‘for’ India, it is this 2007 Gujarat elections. Deservingly, ‘India’ won and Won hands down. Reconfirming my belief “That India is Invincible”, India had always been and shall always be “Invincible”.

23rd December 2007 will be remembered for long and for all the right reasons. Some are…

1. Gujarat Won.

2. BJP Won.

3. Modi Won.

4. Nationalism Won.

5. INDIA WON.

This humble ‘you’re truly’ has witnessed this election from close quarters - keeping his ears grounded to earth and keeping eyes wide opened – have some insight, which I would like to share with you all

So starting from start…

Gujarat Won

Yes indeed! Who Else? Who Voted? Gujaratis voted and they voted for Modi and voted him ‘IN’ third time in succession. The vote is a ‘positive vote’.

BJP Won.

Of Course! Which party Modi was leading in this election? BJP, who else? Who you think those 2000 plus workers working day in day out and millions of supporters you saw on you TV screens, working for? BJP, of course. BJP unlike Congress (single family) is a party of mass workers.

Nareendra Modi Won.

Defying anti incumbency, demolishing the ‘Hate Modi Campaign’ unleashed by the ‘vested’ Media. Challenging the dissents from with in of a small section of ‘petty’ politicians including some ‘has been Greats’ of the party. Touring each and every constituency of Gujarat, establishing a one to one dialogue with his fellow Gujaratis. He emerged ‘Victorious’. “Veni, Vidi, Vici.” Truly and comprehensively.

Nareender Bhai Damodar Dass Modi’s sheer Determination + Dedication + Discipline outweighed all the ‘political machinations’ of all adversaries of all hues and colors.

My Salute to the ‘Man’. How I wish we had more men like Modi!

Nationalism Won.

Yes. Yes, each one of those who believe in Nationalism voted for a Nationalist.

India Won.

Let me say it in no uncertain terms that the ‘Idea of Bharat’ won with this win. (Shall elaborate it further in some another post as I am hard pressed for time and the subject is very vast).

In Short this win is not only a win for BJP or Modi in particular, but for us, We the People of India in general.

My Heartiest Congratulations

… To all Gujarati ‘Bhen and Bhai’ who voted decisively for a positive vote overcoming all other caste and religious considerations.

… To BJP for choosing Modi to spear head this election and to all my friends starting from Shri Arun Jaitely and his team to the boy who worked 24x7 to make this happen.

…To all those who have the ‘National Interest’ supreme most in their mind.

Victory will be incomplete with out the ‘special thanks’.
Lion’s share of thanks is reserved for the Mother, Son duo of Congress Pariwar (Sonia Family) for single handedly delivering this huge mandate to Modi. Thanks to their lackluster campaign and confused state of mind, Modi would not have been more pleased to find them working for his win. As a proverb goes that why should you kill some one who is hell bent to commit hara-kiri…so be it.

Sonia Ji did attract crowds – hugely exaggerated by ‘loyal’ media, but Balidaan Moorti just could not establish any ‘rapport’ with them. Attracting crowds is very easy especially when you have ‘White Skin’ but winning their confidence is another thing. In any case majority of Indians do look back at ‘foreigners with white skins’ in curiosity, but with suspicion in mind.

Even if we believe the ‘exaggerated’ reporting of crowds attending her rallies the question arises is where did this crowd vanish on the polling day? It reflects very poorly on Sonia, isn’t it? One is forced to believe that her so-called ‘charisma’ is nothing but the ‘Media Creation’.

Same for “Crown Prince” Rahul Baba. His “Road Shows” hogged most of the headlines and TV time, “He is attracting huge crowds”, we were told. “How a girl (With Muslim sounding name) kept waiting for hours just to have Rahul Baba’s Darshan”, were the flavor of the campaign.

But then what did it turn out to be…

Rahul Baba did two “Road Shows”, one in Surat city. All three seats of West Surat, East Surat and North Surat Congress lost to BJP, with huge margins.

Another “Road Show” in Baroda Rural, Cong lost to BJP…

Wonder, who Rahul Baba was campaigning for! Not Congress for sure!

BIG ‘Thanks’ Rahul JI.

This election will also be remembered for one single sentence that turned the whole election in BJP’s favor and both the ‘Reader’ and ‘Writer’ need to be thanked profusely.

Dec 1,2007. Sonia Ji thundered “Mout Ke Saudagar” and lo and behold it proved out to be nemesis of Congress, for whatever little prospects they ever had in the first place. Big Thanks To Sonia Ji for delivering it so effectively and Bigger thanks to ‘Javed Akhtar’ for writing it, really Gabbar Singh yaad aa gaya “Tera Kaya Hoga Kaliya…” By God! Thanks ‘Javed Bhai’.

Victory will still be incomplete with out the ‘very special thanks’ to the “Secular, Liberal and Progressive” Main Stream Media (MSM).

MSM ‘participated’ in this election as an 'interested party' - where as its mandate is to report objectively and truthfully- and they threw all their weight (!) behind the single objective to defeat MODI by ‘hook or by crook’! No tricks in their bag were spared, motivated sting operations, singularly biased reporting against Modi, questionable and motivated ‘exist’ polls, screaming headlines, breathless accusatory tone, etc. etc.

At times it seemed as if "they" were fighting elections against Modi!

But I still thank them for, but for their incessant ‘Hate Modi Campaign’; Modi probably would not have won with this margin.

Thanks MSM, well it is really amazing that, they still have not learnt the lessons and are still engaged in reading and seeing things which do not exist anywhere! Still they are engaged in peddeling some "fantastic theories" like their recent ‘rumblings’ about Modi won but BJP lost or Modi is bigger than BJP or BJP central leadership is threatened by Modi’s victory!!! These 'guys' surely live on some another planet.

Wise men say that ‘it is easy to wake up a person who is fast asleep, but you can not wake a person who is awake but pretending to sleep.’ This applies to MSM. MSM is on a self destruction mode. They are bitten numerous times, but still not shy!

Once again ‘Congratulations’ to Modi, his party, his co-workers, his team and all the people of Gujarat.

I hope and pray that Modi will come true to the expectations of millions of Gujaratis who have reposed such a faith and confidence in him.

Million others outside Gujarat too will be watching him and will subject him to close scrutiny. So it is all the more 'imperative' for him to prove his critics wrong and take Gujarat to new hights.

Wishing Modi and his team all the best.

PI.

Now some Gossips… ‘Unconfirmed but true, nevertheless’.

>A media reporter of a channel spent more time hitting the bed than reporting. :)

>BJP campaign managers were feeling uneasy until Sonia Mata delivered a ‘Javed Akhtar’s’ penned speech calling Modi ‘Mout Ke Saudgar’. Yes, can say with some certainty that it was written by Javed (incidentally or by design it was ‘he’ who rushed to SC to file a complaint against Modi On Sohrabuddin comment). :)

>In some meeting- as an option –was decided that if Modi manages less than 100 seats, than he will not be CM but will gracefully refuse and a close confident women minister of his cabinet will be CM. No Names Please.

>BJP was smarter and ordered for Modi Masks as these were/are not covered under ‘Model Code of Conduct’ as per EC. Some smart thinking by BJP campaign managers as posters and banners were banned. Modi mask did make a great impact among voters.

>PI, heard that a certain Election Commissioner (whose loyalties are suspect or rather confirmed) kept on visiting loo rather more often than natural - apparently taking instructions from “U know Who”- when BJP team visited Nirvachan Sadan to file complaint against Madame.

Merry Christmas to all

Readers.

anil.

Your truly,had earlier pointed out to you how the "Main Stream Media" has unleashed all its might,against one man.In this post 'suspected terrorists' and in this another one 'Frankly Speaking...' I exposed the 'conspiracy' of the supposed to be a 'secular,Liberal and Progressive' media pundits.

Some people like Testa who have made 'Modi Bashing' as a full time career and a Javed Akhatar who gets selective pangs of 'secularism' - Please note,his heart did not melt when people (mostly Muslims) were butchered in Nandigram.!Because of this 'Red Hands' - rushed to EC and SC crying foul over Modi's 'alleged' justification of Sohrabuddin's encounter.

I Ask media if they are so interested in 'liquidating' Modi then why do they not come directly and fight against him electorally?

Since the day Modi filled his reply to the election commission,this same media has been 'quoting' and reporting very selectively.I believe that more than a lie it is the half truth or selective truth which is more dangerous. So here I publish the unedited copy of the affidavit.

Interestingly Congress has chosen to keep the affidavit a secrete -which they filled,after a notice was served to them only after Modi had submitted his reply on Dec.8th for a notice served for a comment he is 'alleged' to have made on Dec.6th while the notice to Sonia was served on 8th.Dec for the comment she made on Ist.Dec (Well, well Well!!)

Would Congress make their affidavit public? If yes then when? And if not,then why? What is that they are hiding?

Prudent Indian.

Unedited copy of the affidavit by the Gujarat Chief Minister to the notice sent by the Election Commission:

8th December 2007.

From:
Narendra D. Modi
Gandhinagar.

To
The Election Commission of India
Nirvachan Sadan,
Ashoka Road,
New Delhi.110001.

Subject: Your Notice dated 6th December 2007 to Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, Gujarat State.

Sir,

I am in receipt of your notice dated 6th December 2007 wherein on the basis of the media reports and a complaint dated 5th December 2007 filed by Teesta Setalvad, I am alleged to have made an open exhortation to violence and misused of religion for political ends. The Election Commission has further stated that by linking the name of Sohrabuddin to terrorism in my speech amounts to indulging in activity which may aggravate existing differences, creating mutual hatred and causing tension between different communities .I deny this charge in its entirety.

1. The Commission has acted on the basis of a complaint which alleges that my stand is contrary to what the State of Gujarat has stated in its affidavit before the Supreme Court. The basis of the complaint appears to be a report dated 5th December 2007 of the Times of India by one Shri Prashant Dayal. The relevant extract in the Times of India reads as under:

Modi…….you tell what should be done to Sohrabuddin?
People at the rally: Kill him, kill him.
Modi: Well, that is what I did. And I did what was necessary.”

The last sentence of the report of the Times of India has generated controversy in the whole nation. Television Channels and News Papers have made comments to the effect that I have stated that ‘Sohrabuddin got what he deserved’, or that ‘it is a confessional statement by me’ or that ‘Modi has justified a murder’. All other news papers cuttings which the Commission has taken into account are dated 6th December 2007, which do not report my speech delivered on 4th December, 2007 but are comments inspired by false imputation in the Times of India. This last sentence is not reflected in the CD as having been used by me.

2. ‘The Statesman’ dated 6th December 2007 quoted me as having said –
“he (Sohrabuddin) has got what he deserved”: The Hindustan Times of 6th December quoted me as saying “Well then, that’s it.” I had on 6th December 2007, immediately after receiving Election Commission’s notice requested that I may be supplied copy of the CD of the speech and also various inputs which have influenced the issuance of the notice. I have since received the copy of CD on the evening of 7th December 2007 at 5.45 p.m. I find none of the above statements are contained in my speech as recorded in the CD. The .E.C. notice is issued on the basis of unverified and false media reports.

3 As I am also involved in a campaign I am sending this as a preliminary reply, which I am sure would satisfy the Election Commission with regard to the contents of my speech. Before I answer specifics raised in the notice and the complaint, I wish to state that India is governed by Rule of law and Constitution. I am entitled to my right of free speech. Free and fair election involves a debate on the political issues in the market place of politics. When statements are made by political opponents, others are entitled to reply to them. The tone and content of the statement must necessarily adhere to the Model Code of Conduct. I wish to categorically state that I regard the Election Commission as a constitutional authority under an obligation to ensure free and fair election which will also defend my right of free speech against those who have started hate campaign against me.

4. On 1st December 2007, AICC President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi visited Gujarat and referred to me by suggesting those who are ruling Gujarat are “liars, dishonest and merchants of fear and death (Maut-ke-Soudagar).” On 3rd December 2007, AICC General Secretary Mr. Digvijay Singh visited Gujarat and referred to it as a State which has unleashed “Hindu terrorism.” The newspapers reported these statements extensively. Separate complaints with regard to the violation of the Code of Conduct were sent to the Election Commission by the Gujarat Unit of BJP. No action has been taken against those responsible for these statements by the Election Commission. I am sure the Election Commission would at least now proceed to take action on those reports.

5. One of the critical issues in our country is the problem of terrorism. India has lost the lives almost 90,000 of innocent citizens and security personnel in the last 17 years to terror. In the last four years, 5,619 innocents have been killed by the terrorist. The Government of Gujarat has a strong policy against terrorism. I believe that UPA and Congress party is indulging in Vote Bank politics and have sent soft signals on terrorism. My party and I have repeatedly made these charges against the Congress Party. In Gujarat only one life has been lost in the last four years through terror. This is a result of our strong policy against terrorism. The Nation and the people of Gujarat are entitled to witness a fair debate on terrorism. If any of the view point is censored or not permitted it will be interference in the right of free speech. Our Constitution and the election commission’s obligation to conduct free and fair election will not extend to preventing me from expressing my strong views against terrorism..

6 My speech, therefore, has to be read entirely in this context. It was a political response to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi referring to me as those who rule the Gujarat as a ‘Mout-ke-saudagar’. Surely it cannot be policy of the Election commission first to ignore the violation of the Code of Conduct in her statement and then censor my political response to that statement. I have gone through my speech on the CD supplied. It is merely a response to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi calling me “Mout-ka-Saudagar”.

7. This part of my speech was entirely against terrorism. I criticized the Congress President for calling me a ‘Maut Ka Saudagar´. I responded that the “Maut Ka Saudagar” are all those who attacked parliament It is the Congress party which is delaying the execution of the guilty accused. I have made a reference to the Sohrabuddin’s case and mentioned the allegations against him. I have accused the Congress of suggesting that I have engineered a fake encounter. I said that I am open for any action on this count. At no point of time I have either justified the specific encounter of Sohrabuddin’s case, nor have I used the specific inculpatery sentences used in the Times of India Report. It is clear that my comment is a part of my speech where on several occasions I have put questions to the audience which the audience has answered. It is my political response to Smt. Gandhi’s allegation that I am Maut-ka-Sodagar. I have replied back alleging that the Congress party is helping those who have spread terrorism in the country. It is clear that Times of India’s article which began this controversy, invented my comment to the effect “Modi: Well that is what I did. And I did what was necessary”. The CD clearly indicates that this sentence was an invention of author and not the orator. The comments in the media that ‘Modi justified murder’ or that ‘he made confessional statement’ as being privy to murder or that Modi declared in the meeting that ‘Sohrabuddin got what he deserved’ do not find a mention in the CD.These are journalistic inventions intended to engineer a ‘Hate Modi’ campaign and not evidenced in the CD supplied by the Election Commission. My criticism in the media was concocted and engineered by this ‘Hate Modi’ Campaign. No where in my speech have I explicitly referred to the religion of any person. I have spoken against terrorism. It is not my speech but the complaint which assumes terrorism is linked to a religion.

8 Am I to be prevented from giving my point that terrorism will not be allowed on the soil of Gujarat or that Congress is soft on the terrors and thereby helping “Maut-ka-Sodagar” If Election Commission imposes any such regulation, it would offend our constitutional values and my right of free speech. At no stage I have controverted the affidavit filed by the Gujarat Government in the Supreme Court of India. I have already clarified my position that I do not support fake encounters. Encounters can occur but there should be no fake encounters. I have nowhere tried to prejudice any pending litigation. I am fully committed to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct by the Election Commission and shall comply with it. I believe that the Election Commission should not be misled by motivated media reports which are based on falsehood.

I, therefore, request the Election Commission to withdraw this notice.

(Narendra Modi)

Date. 8.12.2007.

I will use Nexus as my church and share what we want our congregation to be as a part of Christ's Church:

First, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, He lived a life of Love and healing in order that he could love us further by dying to bring us into salvation with God the Father. Jesus is the reason and the purpose of Nexus. We aim to imitate him, to best bring people in our context to Him.

We at Nexus feel we have been called to show God's Love to the poor, and as a Church, to be among them, serving them. We feel that members of our congregation should be ministers to those around them. We believe as Burke and Ward that if our theology debates do not help to heal a broken and hurting world, than they are quite useless. With that in mind we try to hold onto a theology that is relevant and meaningful to the hurting around us. I think that many of us would agree that if we are not aiding in bringing healing to the world than we are useless and we have no business calling ourselves a Church. Our main concern is to bring Life to a sick and dying world.

One way that we seek to do this is through community. Our Church has strong community with each other, we spend much of our time together, eating, resting, studying God's Word, working, worshiping, praying. We encourage each member to become active in planning and leading our worship services, or our small group studies. We are even beginning a small community home soon (with strong warnings from our parents and spending much time in prayer and meditation.) But community among ourselves is not our only goal. We have recently started a ministry designed to help us meet and see those who live in our neighborhood. We are hoping that we may get to know the people better and be provided with opportunities to care for them.

As a new Church made up of young Christians, we definitely hold to the humility aspect of the emerging Church. There are too many questions that our conclusion is “I don' t know.” We are becoming okay with that fact and we pray that our efforts will be blessed by God and will glorify Him despite all of our imperfections.

Personalising learning - allowing the learner to learn whatever, however and whenever they want to learn - has got to be a good thing, right? Well, maybe not. In his 2002 article MyUniversity.com? Cass Sunstein argues that too much personalisation could have consequences that are bad not only for learning, but also for a diverse, democratic society.

Sunstein’s argument is twofold. First, if students are set free to filter out the content they find unfamiliar or unsettling, focusing only on what they think in advance they want to learn, they will actually miss out on the richest learning opportunities. Those

unanticipated encounters involving topics and points of view that people have not sought out and perhaps find quite irritating, are central to education, democracy, and even to freedom itself.

Second, if every learner is free to construct their own personalised learning experience, a vital social dimension to the learning is lost. Knowledge risks becoming individualised and fragmented, with no common set of reference points for learners and educators to coalesce around. Sunstein believes that

Citizens, including members of educational institutions, should have a range of common experiences. Without shared experiences … people will find it increasingly hard to understand one another. (Sunstein, 2002)

I think Sunstein is about 75% right. It’s true that without a shared set of reference points, without those unexpected encounters, learning can barely happen at all. And he’s right to suggest that the current preoccupation with personalisation - the desire for everything to revolve around ‘me’ - is related to a more generalised consumer-individualism:  the idea that we have the right to purchase whatever we want, from anywhere in the world, whatever the cost, in order to construct a unique persona for ourselves.

And yet, and yet…

There’s a more positive way of looking at personalisation in learning which Sunstein perhaps overlooks. Not as filtering out the unfamiliar, not as the fragmenting of collective experience, but simply as an increase in the individual learner’s control over the learning experience. Any cognitive or constructivist approach to education requires the learner to be an active partner in the process, and that in turn implies scope for decision-making and the expression of personal preference by the learner. If educators hope to produce independent learners, they must first give learners some independence.

And there’s a crucial aspect of online learning that Sunstein has not taken into account: community. Properly understood, eLearning is a networked activity, with dialogue between a community of learners (and teachers) at its heart: such a dialogue presupposes, and could not take place without, a common core of learning content and a shared set of learning experiences.

My current OU course exemplifies this. H806 consists of a core of texts, themes, modules and assignments which all students must engage with in order to complete the course;  but at the same time gives students a great deal of choice about which learning objects to focus on, and enormous latitude in how they relate the new ideas to their personal experience, in what to read, and in how to express and record their learning. H806 also, and crucially, consists of a community of learners who continuously share their experience, their knowledge and their insights in various online communities - communities where students’ diverse professional and cultural backgrounds are a regular source of different views, new knowledge, challenged assumptions, and unanticipated encounters.

At its powerful best, eLearning can be both personal and communal.
...
Sunstein C, 2002. MyUniversity.com? Personalized Education and Personalized News. EDUCAUSE Review Volume 37, Number 5, September/October 2002. Available online @ http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/MyUniversitycomPersonaliz/40359?time=1209199791

In a curious way, I think that the conclusions of this study will stand up to more generalization. Empowerment, for instance. I don't think we have separate compartments for empowerment in different areas with no interplay between them. Despite the compartmentalized terms that we use for the phenomenon, like politically disempowered, socially disempowered or economically disempowered, empowerment (or a feeling of it) in one area, is connected to, and begets, empowerment in others.

As an example, think about the set of people who are relatively easy to mobilize in the event of a ethnic or communal riot. Unemployed youth. Individuals who are economically disadvantaged, and perhaps consequentially, politically and socially too. Is it not easy for such a person to feel temporarily powerful, at least at a very basic, physical level, when wielding weapons against and cowing down numerous powerless opponents, while being safely ensconced in the immunity provided by a mob? And, also, since might is (still) right, this temporary assumption of power then begets a larger amount of empowerment for the better mobilized, more violent side in the conflict.

At the heart of it, is simply an individual, who is trying to fill up his or her depleted store of empowerment.

Noting that "most United States newspapers did not play up Earth Hour" and that the Canadian papers which were reviewed "previewed Earth Hour a lot more prominently" and "dominated with Earth Hour pictures," David Gough asks, why did Earth Hour have a larger profile in Ontario? ⁰¹

I think it may be a bit of guilty navel gazing.

Given that our social consciousness is generally self-perceived to be superior to our neighbour, and having to admit the cummulative abject failure to properly tackle our environmental irresponsibility, it's a quick and painless gesture to assuage our guilt. As opposed to giving up plastic bags, taking more public transit, resisting urban sprawl, etc.

Admit it... don't you think we ought to have been doing a lot more, for a lot longer, than what we are?

Sources:
01. David Gough's 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle This Blog'

Activists and supporters of various tarai parties stage a demonstration at Janaandalon Chowk in Biratnagar on Friday welcoming Thursday’s agreement reached between the government and the United Democratic Madhesi Front. (pic:ekantipur.com.np)

Congratulations to Madhesis for their achievement in claiming their identity & rights.

While most of the Madhesis were celebrating their victory, one of the armed Madhesi groups killed a Khagendra Limbu in the Terai for being a 'Pahadi'.

Some Madhesi intellectuals, media persons,  students, & political leders, most of them enjoying the peace & comforts of Kathmandu & abroad, are wrongly applying the postcolonial concepts of 'otherness' & sublatern theories in the context of Nepal; therby creating a dangerous Madhesi Discourse promoting radical politics & polarization.

The discourse of demonizing 'Pahadis' is certainly going to be counter-productive to Madhesis themselves.

The proponents of Madhesi Discourse have ignored the anomalies due to caste & class coflicts within & between the Madhesis & Pahadis - both being rooted in the same principles of social division propounded in the ancient  Hindu regulation the Manusmriti.

The wrong focus has generated various communal outfits which are mislead into believing that all their social & political problems are due to the 'Pahad'(Hill) hegemony over the Terai people. Just like the political parties in Nepal blaming everything they can not handle on the defunct(?) King!

The continual splitting of the Madhesi armed groups numbering more than a score indicates the gravity of  communal tension within Madhesi community.

This also shows that the political & communal conditions in the Madhes will not be very different from that of Bihar & UP of India - criminal gangs in the guise of liberators & protectors would be operating there.

The militarization & crimilization of the society may be further aggravated with the emergence of Muslim, 'Pahadi', & other communal outfits.

Thus, the seeds of animosity & communal hatred that the Madhesis intellectuals, media, & politicians are nurturing by misusing the tools of postcolonial theories, would certainly raise the intra-cultural conflicts in the whole Southern Terai of Nepal.  

I come from a family who have been in Madhes for four generations.

The people like us are ethnically known as 'Pahadiyas' in Madhes, although my father doesn't know which 'Pahad'(hill) his forefathers came from.

He always called himself a Madhesi, and has a Madhesi 'Mita', whom we call Mitbuwa.

Dad, despite our continual requests & pressures never wanted to settle anywhere except on his 6 Kattha land in a Dham in Madhes.

I grew up in Madhes, where my Madhesi friends used to tease me with a rhyme:
" Pahadiya Bhut Khatta me Sut
  Tohar Gand Marbau Chul-Chul Mut"

I didn't know any equivalent of their rhyme my 1st language. So I used to feel really pissed off. Later, I started retorting to their 'Dohori' by replacing the word 'Pahadiya' by 'Madhesiya'.

I was the smallest boy of my class, naturally, a good target for bullying.

One of my Madhesi friend was very protective of me. His name was Binod Paswan.

I used to go learn swimming with him in a nearby pond.

There too I needed Binod's protection.

I wonder where Binod might be nowadays. Being a Paswan, a Madhesi untouchable caste, he might have left school, and joined the Maoists, or now the Jwala Singh.

Whenever I think of Nagendra Paswan, I'm reminded of my best friend Binod Paswan.

Back to my father. Thanks to the threats from the armed groups like Jwala Singhs, & seeing so many 'Pahadis' killed, my father fled  finally from his cherished land some months ago.

While fleeing lamented to his friends & relatives that 'Janaki Mata' didn't allow him to stay in her place.

The Kathmanduites call him a Madhesi because of his Madhesi ways of speaking & dress-ups.

The Madhesis, influenced by the post-colonial world view, define themselves through the discourse of 'otherness'. They complain that they're in perpetual identity crisis in their own homeland.

True. Very True.

But what about my father who still calls him a Madhesi, and wears both 'Pahadi' Topi & 'Madhesi' Dhoti ?
What about his land where a communal flag is proudly grounded?
Isn't he in an 'Identity Crisis'?

What about me?
I, too, never called myself a 'Pahadi' & always stood against Kathmanduites' discrimination against the Madhesis.

This is not a story born out of fantasy. Anyone can verify it authenticity.

Hence, I never called myself a 'Pahadi', & now I disagree with my father.

I'm not a Madhesi as well.

But a recent comment by my friend Chris (plus this flurry of interest) brings me to some fresh thinking: How do we as friends and followers of Jesus see social change as happening? Do we even desire it?

Chris writes,

"Unless we can deal with the heart of the problem the most we can offer is love in simple ways (like you described above). I commend people for their acts of kindness, it is good and proper religion. For me, if I really want to do something about the problem I need to work on the solution which is the kingdom of God on earth, the only environment whereby the nations can be healed and provide homes for all of God’s creation. Alone I can do very little but a people together under Christ the head can make visible the environment our Father always intended for mankind to live in. Without community we are all homeless in some form or another."

But what is "the heart of the problem"? I respond,