If you are politically neutral, read no further. (or read this)

…… is not politically neutral and can never be.  Bodhi Commons does not hate politicians nor tries to appeal to an apolitical audience. If you are apolitical, for us, you are as good as dead. If you have politics of any kind, pull a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and we’ll talk. If you are apolitical, for us, you are as good as dead. I’m sorry if this sounds callous, it’s not intentional, it just reminds us we were 19 years old once.

BodhiCommons.org (beta*)

Bodhi was the wall magazine of College of Engineering Trivandrum. I am not sure if it has been discontinued like many other old wooden signboards we have banished to the southern hemisphere of our thoughts and discussions. How relevant could a wall magazine be in the age of accessing the WSJournal on a hand held or tweeting your stream of consciousness while clocking 7 mph on the treadmill. It sure isn’t relevant.

But there were many new threads, ideas, and some curious (at times stubborn) ways of looking at the world triggered by Bodhi and the ecosystem of student activism in College of Engineering Trivandrum. And we did debate those issues the way 19 year olds debate issues – impulsive, callous, and with much ado pretty much about nothing. All of us moved on, but as you would realize, internet has made sure that Generation Y can run, but cannot hide for long.

So the discussions and debates and motherhood statements and calls for revolutions continued over the past one decade, quite regularly even as the world around us took on shades of gray as opposed to black and white we saw in campus. Bodhi Commons – the portal – at times may seem too black and white. Its not intentional, it just reminds us we were 19 years old once.

Bodhi Commons has a clear left leaning. BC is not politically neutral and can never be.  Bodhi Commons does not hate politicians nor tries to appeal to an apolitical audience. If you are apolitical,  for us, you are as good as dead. If you have politics of any kind, pull a chair, grab a cup of coffee, let’s talk, argue whatever. If you are apolitical,for us, you are as good as dead. I’m sorry if this is callous, it’s not intentional, it just reminds us we were 19 year old once, and reminds you to take a stand.

Bodhi has no clear political agenda, so my best guess is it will try to align with the center left side of the debate in most issues. Not a 1917 or 1969 kind of left, but a 2010 kind of left. We are aware of the P.Sainaths and the Hindus and the Pragotis of this world (as none of us grew up in an island nor do most of us plan to be one if we grow up), but at the same time we feel that discussions in the impulsive Gen Y space has been hijacked to a large extend by neo-liberal rightwing moorings and voodoo development mantra. Bodhi Commons is an essential Gen Y space, though we are open to discussion on that.

While walking back from school, my north Indian friend told my malayali Christian friend “that the Indian government taxes Hindu temples and invests half the proceedings to pay for Chruches and Mosques. And he added that as long as Narendra Modi brought in development it didn’t matter if he okeyed a genocide or not ““ because that is what the common man needs” He also added he had no political affiliation whatsoever.

At Bodhi we do not agree that it is what the common man needs, we think that liberating mind spaces and gaining heart share for a more inclusive society lies at the core of creating a better society for all of us. We don’t believe in asking who deserves it, because everyone does. Really, everyone.  That’s one thing we are clear about, though we are confused about a lot of other things, which might make I’m sure some of you look at BC and say “it’s a joke”. Yes its part joke, part very serious. In that way it’s collegiate and keeps you from getting old.

And in reclaiming the commons, Bodhi will speak in both languages ““ Malayalam and the common language. And so I did give a data driven, fact based rebuttal to the claims my north Indian friend made. Though my explanation started with a “that right wing son of a bitch”¦” Sometimes Bodhi might sound a bit like this, especially for people from Impotenistan who try to claim the commons from within a veil of political neutrality. It is not intentional; it just reminds us we were 19 years old once.

See below for a well written introduction to Bodhi in Malayalam:

ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¿ ഒരു തുറന്à´¨ രാഷ്à´Å¸Ã µÃ ´°Ã µâ‚¬Ã ´¯ സà´â€šÃ ´µÃ ´¾Ã ´¦ വàµâ€¡Ã ´¦Ã ´¿Ã ´¯Ã ´¾Ã ´£Ã µ. à´â€¦Ã ´¨Ã µÃ ´§Ã ´®Ã ´¾Ã ´¯ നിഷ്പà´â€¢Ã µÃ ´·Ã ´¤ à´â€¦Ã ´²Ã µÃ ´², മറിà´Å¡Ã µÃ ´Å¡Ã µ വ്യà´â€¢Ã µÃ ´¤Ã ´®Ã ´¾Ã ´¯ രാഷ്à´Å¸Ã µÃ ´°Ã µâ‚¬Ã ´¯ ദിശാബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´®Ã ´¾Ã ´£Ã µ ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¿ à´Å½Ã ´¨Ã µÃ ´¨ സà´â€šÃ ´°Ã ´â€šÃ ´­Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´¤Ã ´¿Ã ´¨Ã µ”Ã ´±Ã µâ€  à´â€¦Ã ´Å¸Ã ´¿Ã ´¸Ã µÃ ´¥Ã ´¾Ã ´¨Ã ´â€š.

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സ്ത്രàµâ‚¬Ã ´¸Ã ´®Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´µÃ ´¤Ã µÃ ´¤Ã µâ€ Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´±Ã ´¿Ã ´Å¡Ã µÃ ´Å¡Ã µÃ ´³Ã µÃ ´³ à´â€¦Ã ´­Ã ´¿Ã ´ªÃ µÃ ´°Ã ´¾Ã ´¯ രàµâ€šÃ ´ªÃ µâ‚¬Ã ´â€¢Ã ´°Ã ´£Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´¤Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µ” ഒരു സാമàµâ€šÃ ´¹Ã µÃ ´¯ ശാസ്ത്രà´Å“്à´Å¾Ã ´¯Ã µÃ ´Å¸Ã µâ€  നിലപാà´Å¸Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã ´³Ã µ”Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÅ Ã ´ªÃ µÃ ´ªÃ ´â€š ഒരു മത്സ്യത്തàµÅ Ã ´´Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã ´¾Ã ´³Ã ´¿Ã ´¯Ã µÃ ´Å¸Ã µâ€  à´â€¦Ã ´Å¸Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã ´³Ã ´¯Ã ´¨Ã µÃ ´­Ã ´µÃ ´â„¢Ã µÃ ´â„¢Ã ´³Ã µÃ ´â€š ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µ വിഷയമാണ്. à´Å¡Ã µâ€¹Ã ´¦Ã µÃ ´¯Ã ´â„¢Ã µÃ ´â„¢Ã ´³Ã µ” à´Å¡Ã µâ€¹Ã ´¦Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã ´ªÃ µÃ ´ªÃ µâ€ Ã ´Å¸Ã ´£Ã ´â€š à´Å½Ã ´¨Ã µÃ ´¨Ã µÃ ´±Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µâ€  പറയുമ്പàµâ€¹Ã ´´Ã µÃ ´â€š, പàµÅ Ã ´³Ã µÃ ´³Ã ´¯Ã ´¾Ã ´¯ à´Å¡Ã µâ€¹Ã ´¦Ã µÃ ´¯Ã ´â„¢Ã µÃ ´â„¢Ã ´³Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µâ€¡Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µ സമàµâ€šÃ ´¹Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´¤Ã µâ€  വഴà´¿ തàµâ€ Ã ´±Ã µÃ ´±Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´¨Ã µÃ ´¨ ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´ªÃ µâ€šÃ ´°Ã µ”Ã ´µÃ ´®Ã ´¾Ã ´¯ ശ്രമà´â„¢Ã µÃ ´â„¢Ã ´³Ã µâ€  ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¿ à´Å¡Ã µâ€ Ã ´±Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´¨Ã µÃ ´¨Ã µ. à´Ë† തുറന്à´¨ നിലപാà´Å¸Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã ´³Ã µ” ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¿Ã ´¯Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µâ€  ലàµâ€¡Ã ´â€“നà´â„¢Ã µÃ ´â„¢Ã ´³Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µÃ ´â€š ഡയറിà´â€¢Ã ´³Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µÃ ´â€š മറ്റു ഫàµâ‚¬Ã ´Å¡Ã µÃ ´Å¡Ã ´±Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã ´³Ã ´¿Ã ´²Ã µÃ ´â€š പ്രതിഫലിà´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€š. നമ്മുà´Å¸Ã µâ€  വിശà´â€¢Ã ´²Ã ´¨ രàµâ‚¬Ã ´¤Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢Ã ´³Ã µ” ബഹുമുà´â€“സ്പര്”Ã ´¶Ã ´¿Ã ´¯Ã µÃ ´â€š യാഥാര്”Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´¯ ബàµâ€¹Ã ´§Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´¤Ã µâ€¹Ã ´Å¸Ã µâ€ Ã ´¯Ã µÃ ´³Ã µÃ ´³Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´â€š സാമàµâ€šÃ ´¹Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢ പ്രതിബദ്ധതയില്” à´Å Ã ´¨Ã µÃ ´¨Ã ´¿Ã ´¯Ã ´¤Ã µÃ ´â€š à´â€ Ã ´¯Ã ´¿Ã ´°Ã ´¿Ã ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€¢Ã µÃ ´â€š.