"There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end : communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide".
-Ayn Rand.
Individual choice, individual merit and individual rights have to be respected. Left economic models have failed in every country - USSR, Poland, Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Greece. All they have produced is mass killings, rampant corruption, intolerable poverty. Every communist leader has only massacred millions to impose state control and ended up ruining the country. The reason why it fails is because it is unnatural and punishes merit. The reason why it is still alluring is because it talks of revolution through organised propaganda and covert elimination of reason which looks good to young, inexperienced, impressionable college kids who do not understand basic economics. We wore Che Guevara's beret, sang Cuban freedom songs and read Marx as kids because it looked cool, not because we understood anything about economics then.
* * *
Around the thirteen hundreds, Malik Kafur, a powerful general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler, Alauddin Khilji invaded many parts of south India. He was especially cruel and targeted the temples for the immense treasures that were kept safe within them.
So, when he was about to gain entry into the temple of Srirangam, the armies were clearly unable to hold him back for long. While desperate attempts were being made to carry the main idols and treasures away to hide them safely it became imperative that Malik Kafur's progress be slowed down for as long as possible.
It was then that 69 devadasis, inspired by their charismatic leader, Vellai Ammal decided to do something unprecedented. While thousands of litres of oil were flung at the enemy's army by giant mechanical devices, these women doused themselves in oil, climbed to the top of the 'gopuram', immolated themselves and threw themselves down on the invading army, setting them afire.
The extraordinary sacrifice of these women saved thousands of lives and many invaluable historical documents, artefacts and other treasures including the the main deity that is still worshipped today and would otherwise have been destroyed. Till date, more than six centuries since Vellai Ammal's courageous act, that particular 'gopuram' at the Srirangam temple is still painted white in her honour. I get tears in my eyes each time I think of Vellai Ammal and her tremendous sacrifice. She is my hero!
What is most extraordinary is that I never read this in any of our history books and know that it is never going to appear in them. This is India's greatest tragedy that we don't take pride in our history and the absolute greatness of our nation at all.
Tailpiece.
Got up on the dot, at 6. Went through our chores and were ready well in time. Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst around a half past 9 and returned after about an hour. It was a quiet day, otherwise.
-Ayn Rand.
Individual choice, individual merit and individual rights have to be respected. Left economic models have failed in every country - USSR, Poland, Cuba, Venezuela, Chile, Greece. All they have produced is mass killings, rampant corruption, intolerable poverty. Every communist leader has only massacred millions to impose state control and ended up ruining the country. The reason why it fails is because it is unnatural and punishes merit. The reason why it is still alluring is because it talks of revolution through organised propaganda and covert elimination of reason which looks good to young, inexperienced, impressionable college kids who do not understand basic economics. We wore Che Guevara's beret, sang Cuban freedom songs and read Marx as kids because it looked cool, not because we understood anything about economics then.
* * *
Around the thirteen hundreds, Malik Kafur, a powerful general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler, Alauddin Khilji invaded many parts of south India. He was especially cruel and targeted the temples for the immense treasures that were kept safe within them.
So, when he was about to gain entry into the temple of Srirangam, the armies were clearly unable to hold him back for long. While desperate attempts were being made to carry the main idols and treasures away to hide them safely it became imperative that Malik Kafur's progress be slowed down for as long as possible.
It was then that 69 devadasis, inspired by their charismatic leader, Vellai Ammal decided to do something unprecedented. While thousands of litres of oil were flung at the enemy's army by giant mechanical devices, these women doused themselves in oil, climbed to the top of the 'gopuram', immolated themselves and threw themselves down on the invading army, setting them afire.
The extraordinary sacrifice of these women saved thousands of lives and many invaluable historical documents, artefacts and other treasures including the the main deity that is still worshipped today and would otherwise have been destroyed. Till date, more than six centuries since Vellai Ammal's courageous act, that particular 'gopuram' at the Srirangam temple is still painted white in her honour. I get tears in my eyes each time I think of Vellai Ammal and her tremendous sacrifice. She is my hero!
What is most extraordinary is that I never read this in any of our history books and know that it is never going to appear in them. This is India's greatest tragedy that we don't take pride in our history and the absolute greatness of our nation at all.
Tailpiece.
Got up on the dot, at 6. Went through our chores and were ready well in time. Lekha had gone to the Guruvayur temple as part of her weekly tryst around a half past 9 and returned after about an hour. It was a quiet day, otherwise.
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