Two Nations In Turmoil

Posted by on Jan 14, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

The Mahatma Gandhi New Series of banknotes are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the legal tender of the Indian rupee (₹), intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi Series of banknotes. Announced on November 8, 2016, it followed the demonetisation of ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes of the original Mahatma Gandhi Series. Similar to the preceding series of banknotes, the obverse of the Mahatma Gandhi New Series banknotes also prominently displays the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. The logo of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is also printed on the back of the banknotes of this series.

The first banknotes issued in the New Series were the denominations of ₹500 and ₹2000, and are in circulation since November 10, 2016.  The banknote denominations of ₹1000, ₹100 and ₹50 are also expected to be introduced in the new Mahatma Gandhi New Series, in the coming months.

 

Two Nations in Turmoil

By Arun Gandhi

The world’s strongest democracy (USA) and the largest democracy (India) are marching backwards in tandem to take the respective countries morally and ethically to the Stone Age.  Yes hate, prejudice and violence will once again reign supreme. 

India needs the US to be on their side and the election of Donald Trump as the President was jubilantly welcomed by the ultra Rightist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and its supporters in India and the US. Both have the same agenda of hate and ethnic cleansing.  India has already set the ball rolling even before Trump takes control of the Oval Office.

For the BJP and its several subsidiaries like the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS Gandhi was always an obstacle in the pursuit of their dream to make India a Hindu nation.

When the carving of India to create a Muslim nation Pakistan became inevitable the RSS activists fanned out into the predominantly Muslim sectors to spread fear in the Muslims so that they would leave en masse.  This plan was foiled when Gandhi went on a fast to stop the carnage and assure the Muslims they would be safe in India in spite of the Hindu majority.  So, at the first opportunity Gandhi was assassinated. 

History has shown that eliminating the individual or even an entire segment of the population does not eliminate a philosophy.  We sacrificed over 60 million people in World War II and eliminated the Nazis but we did not end the philosophy of hate.  The US fought the civil war and sacrificed thousands on both sides but the prejudices against the African Americans is still rife.  So is the pathological hatred for Muslims harbored by radical Hindus in India and the US. 

The Civil War and the assassination of Gandhi pushed the white supremacists in the US and the rabid Hindus in India underground where like termites they spread out unseen to erode the structures of liberalism and secularism from within. 

In both countries they have come into power and in India which has a head start over the US the radicalization process has begun in earnest confident that they have President Trump as an ally.  The demonetization of the Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes is believed to be more an opportunity to reprint the Indian currency without the image of Gandhi than to ferret out unaccounted “black” money.  More than three fourths of the enormous amount of unaccounted money has long been stashed away either in Swiss Bank accounts or in gold and silver nuggets.  India has the world’s largest stash of gold. 

Demonetization followed by the “accidental” release of several bundles of new notes without Gandhi’s image’ then replacing Gandhi’s photograph on the calendar and stationery released by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission with that of Prime Minister Narendra Mody and now, a statement released by a State Cabinet Minister suggesting that the Indian rupee is devalued because it bears Gandhi’s image are all seen as attempts to test popular reaction. 

The radical Hindus like the White Supremacists are the best organizers and manipulators.  There is reason to believe the stage is being set to remove the image of Gandhi and replace it with that of a Hindu religious icon — either Lord Rama or Lord Krishna.  The Hindus of the West popularly known in India as the NRIs have long been funding the radical movement in India making the BJP the richest political party in the country.  The large majority of Hindus will welcome God on their currency notes.  The radicals will then hound the Muslims till they leave India or live in subservience much like Trump plans to do in the US. 

Both countries are looking towards a period of hate, prejudice and violence on an unprecedented scale.