[Assam] Armed Revolution is an Outdated Concept

[Ram Sarangapani]

Hi Uttam,

If I remember correct from my history lessons on lazy afternoons at school,
Asoka did use terror and mass killings to establish his kingdom. Then felt
remorse, after seeing the dead at Kalinga, converted into Buddhism.

But that was in the BC.... and all the way up to Hitler, Stalin, Mao,
violence has been used.

The reason we say such struggles are out of fashion today, is because the
world around us looks down at such wonton killings.
Even when a country (US) in Vietnam was often criticized by its own people
for incidents like My Lai, or unnecssay bombings in Afganisthan or Iraq.

As for the so called armed struggles, most the West looks upon these as
barbaric. While struggles (unarmed) by the Dalai Lama in Tibet is always
looked upon with reverence.

How come the many Human Rights orgs and 'fighting for the common man" groups
not concerned about Tibet? And what do supporters of Maoists in India think
about the putting down of armed hoods in Russia and even in China?

--Ram da
On Sun, May 23, 2010 at 6:10 AM, UTTAM BORTHAKUR <uttamborthakur at yahoo.co.in
> wrote:

>  Ashoka, the great, established an empire, with the use of his swords.
> For the court intellectuals, teachers of history, netters,  it was an
> in-fashion concept at that time.
> I mean, armed usurpation and suppression.
>
> However, the vanquished were restive. They plotted armed rebellion.
>
> Some court jesters suggested that these rebellions should be quelled by
> bombing their lands.
> Those were mostly in the areas where Maoists are now plotting their revolts
> and executing them.
>
> But, Ashoka, the great, (he's great not for nothing), was not an idiot,
> like
> those court-jesters, teachers, intellectuals.
> So, he devised a novel concept. He proselytized himself to the popular i.e.
> the fashionable religion of that time.
> Buddhism. It was the religion of the people. It taught of Ahimsa.
> He successfully propagated it; the idea of armed rebellion vanished in all
> nook and crannies.
>
> Ashoka could consolidate his empire in peace!
> Alas! Concepts, often, are vested interest.
>
> ***** Elizabeth too knew the fashion of the day!
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