Mumbai Literature Festival Day 1

1. Hindu, Hinduism, Hindutva. The Struggle Within 
N Ram, Pavan K Varma and Barkha Dutt

                                     
                                                                    Hindu Philosophy
                                                        
          Vedanta: Various schools of Hindu Philosophy originated in the 8th century

                  Vedanta: Scriptures of Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita and Brahma Sutras

Hinduism: Practice Of Hindu Philosophy

Hindutva:  Religion To A Political Project

Political Project: Patriotism VS  Nationalism 

Hindutva aka Hindu Nationalism 

Hindutva: Veer Savarakar. Father Of Hindu Nationalism

Lines: You Make A Point 

1. Hindutva is a highly perverted image/vision of India that connects its shameful past tot the  present.

2. Hindutva is a Toxic Ideology

3. Hindutva: Derivative artificially introduced from Hinduism 

4. Hindutva is reconstructed and refashioned to have a Racial Angle 

5. Communal Tension thrives in Economic Turnmoil

6. Religious racial angle has got nothing to do with intellect. One cannot argue with the lowest denominator.

7. Religion is one truth. People call it in different names. Let good thoughts come from everywhere. 

8. Unfortunately Religion expresses itself in different ways as Different Ideologies.

9. Democracy if not used properly is tyranny of the majority

2. Straddling Three Spheres. Working in theatre, TV and Film. A straight talk by Stephen Daldry. 

                                                                   Theater VS Cinema 

Theater

1. Theater appeals to the Conscious Mind. 

2. Theater can evoke a response and bring a Political Change

3. Reaction to a Theater performance is Collective

4. Theater made and experienced collectively

5. Theater connects with the audiences and brings about social consciousness

6. Theater: Performers practice theater using Repeated Methodology 

7. Theater: Errors made cannot be rectified

Cinema 

1. Directing a film is a lonely journey

2. Cinema making is not a collective involvement

3. Cinema appeals to the subconscious mind.

4. Cinema is made individually and experienced individually.

5. Cinemas usually dont bring a political change

6. Cinema: Speed of the Narrative is faster and in close up.

7. Cinema: Errors can be rectified.

3. The Rabbit and The Squirrel: Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi

Conversation with Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan

Love Story of a Rabbit and a Squirrel

Gist: Rabbit and Squirrel dont express their love for each other. Eventually Rabbit ends up living in solitude and the squirrel ends up in a unhappy marriage with unfulfilled dreams. Both end up sharing their life regrets when destiny lets them to cross paths again. 

4.Debate: India needs a Presidential System 

For The Motion: Bhanu Dhamija and Rajesh Jain 

Against The Motion: Teesta Setalvad and Pravin K Varma 

Chair: Mini Menon

Points Made Against:

1.  One cannot take a quantum leap into a belief that a magical wand will solve the current crisis by changing the system

2. One cannot transplant a system foreign to us without verifying and testing it.

3. There are better ways to improve the system than change the system

4. Current System can be improved/cleansed with Transparency/Diversity/Electoral reform/Accountability and Representation. 

5. Nations create system for themselves. People make the system work. Flaws in our system need to be fixed by Policy Makers.

6. Policy makers should create a System in which all voices should be heard

7. One should not forget that Top Democratic Countries are Parliamentary Countries. 

Points Made For. 

1. The Current System in 71 years of Independence has been about Government of the Political Party, Government by the Political Party and Government for the Political Party. 

2. The Current system has failed to practice the values of four Pillars of Democracy in the current system. 

The four pillars of democracy are legislature,executive,judiciary and media.These four pillars play an important role in effective democracy of a country.Judiciary has more powers in this four pillars.

3. Ministers owe their allegiance to Political Party Bosses rather than people or their constituency.

4. Political Parties choose to be crony inorder to gain and hold power.

5. Current system has seen less unity and more division among people. More division among people enables corruption

6. Presidential System slams Autocracy down. 

7. Presidential System enables holding people accountable. It enables giving local government autonomy.