Enough of ‘Jayanthis’
The government has found a noble way to divert discussions on progress and development. One among those is to announce a ‘jayanthi’ or the birth anniversary of historical persons. The government, in its bid to woo people from different categories even at the cost of avoiding the efforts to find solutions to people’s problems, is announcing birth anniversaries that are rather emotional to the members of that particular community.
In order to get confidence of people from Beda community, government announced Valmiki Jayanthi, then came Kanaka Jayanthi for Kurubas, Narayana Guru Jayanthi for Billavas, Shankara Jayanthi or Madhwa Jayanthi for Brahmins, Tippu Jayanthi for Muslims etc. Politicians assume once a while if these Jayanthis are celebrated, people from those communities can be easily pacified and they would avoid embarrassing moments to the government by not asking questions relating to real problems in the society.
It is not the government’s job to celebrate Jayanthis. Many revolutionary people have made this society a rich one with their lives. The government, must indeed, respect them. But looks like the governments have disrespected these people, more than honouring them. These people who lived a meaningful life cutting across their religious identity, have been restricted to their birth community tag thereby limiting their contribution to the society. If the intention of such birth anniversaries is to honour, then the government has to implement their thoughts for the betterment of the society.
What respect would we be giving to Basavanna if we declare holiday to schools and some politicians or officers gather to offer lengthy speeches on the day? What is the use of garlanding the statue of Basavanna without chalking out any programmes to strive to create the caste-less society he dreamt of? The same government that is celebrating Basavanna’s birth anniversary, is also celebrating the birth anniversary of Shankaracharya who was a strong proponent of caste system. Shankaracharya’s thoughts and teachings have been in stark contrast to that of Basavanna’s. Do these contradictions make sense at all? What does the government want to achieve with all this? What does the society gain from this?
The government has to draft a code of celebration so that the Jayanthis and Utsavas as official programmes have a framework to follow. Independence day, republic day, and Kannada rajyotsava these days would consolidate people and bring them on the same platform. Along with this, may be, government can officially celebrate Gandhi and Ambedkar Jayanthi. And when it comes to Karnataka, government could only celebrate Kannada Rajyotsava and not any other Jayanthis.
Everybody is free to celebrate the Jayanthis of their leaders or that of the persons they like the most for their ideologies and thoughts. The government can plan to bring out Vachana literature in book form or print bhakti literature written by Kanaka Dasa. Those who love Kanaka Dasa can also celebrate his Jayanthi as a private event. Those who love Tipu Sultan can also have a private celebration of his birth anniversary. He was a king who was bound to defend his land.
We need not remember him for fighting till his last breath to defend the Kannada land against the British. Instead, we need to reminisce his concern towards Dalits, farmers and women. We also need to understand despite being a Dalit, he had respect for people across all religions. His administrational farsightedness is commendable. The government can reach the positive aspects of his administration to people through some effective medium and protect the monuments in his memory. But his Jayanthi must be restricted to those who adore him. This does not apply to Tipu alone, but also to Keladi Chennamma, Abbakka, Kempegowda and others too.
Government announced the celebration of Shankaracharya Jayanthi. Many thinkers have written articles about Shankaracharya. It has been proved beyond doubt that he was a casteist and was biased against the Shudras and Dalits. He established one community, and was not a leader who surpassed his community identity. Many classes do not accept his teachings. And by announcing his Jayanthi celebrations, the government has brought some difficult times upon itself. There could be a demand to celebrate Madhwa and/or Ramanuja Jayanthi too, by another category of people. The government had made the same mistake in case of the Nadageethe or the state song. Kuvempu had not included the name of Madhwa in his original poem. He had made his dislike for Madhwa well known through his writings and speeches. But giving in to Pejawara Shree’s pressure, the then CM S M Krishna ensured Mahdwa’s name was included in the poem, and took the caste battle to a different level. Government indirectly imposed Madhwa upon people.
The economic status of Dalits and Muslims is in doldrums. They do not need Jayanthis but some comprehensive change in education, health and social starta of the society. The government’s position will be known if they reveal the plans they have made to change things for better for weak categories. All the Jayanthis need to be ended with immediate effect and the money thus saved must be used to improve the status of government schools. Hence, the government must ensure all Jayanthis and events, except for Kannada Rajyotsava are ended for the betterment of people.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
