Truth and existence may not be always coterminous, but at the same time truth can not be conceived outside and away from existence. In that sense it is all pervasive in the universe; it pervades all forms, dimensions and entities. These multifarious forms and entities often provide accommodation to contradictions: void and content, zero and infinity, static and dynamic, etc. What seems to hold these conflicting things together is the principle of harmony and balance. This guards peace and order. It may even be argued that it is nature’s ordinance that the principle of balance be maintained. A violation of this ordinance brings in its train conflict and suffering. Humanity has at long last appears to have realized the importance of adopting this principle in co-existence with environment. But, alas it is not applied in co- existence within humanity.

If one dominates over/subjugates other, then it amounts to going against nature and violating the principle of co-existence. The urge to dominate, which is the other name of aggression, gives rise to what may appear in the initial stage merely as ambition, is likely to become increasingly inhuman, oppressive and brutal. This is the consequence that waits for the subject; and for the object it leads to frustration, humiliation and servility. Thus aggression and the urge to dominate dehumanize both the perpetrator and the victim. And the reaction from an utterly frustrated and humiliated victim, when it eventually comes, becomes equally brutal. Adler had argued that aggression is embedded in the human nature itself. Even if it is so, there is no reason that this undesirable appetite should be encouraged by gratification. The philosophy of Yoga, unlike the modern Western psychology, puts emphasis more on the need to control the baser appetites of human nature rather than on giving in to their demands. Liberty has to be leavened with equality and fraternity. This has been accepted since the days of the French Revolution.

Dominance leading to subjugation is at the root of all evils. When it operates in groups it breeds riot, ethnic cleansing, battles and war. Castesism, communalism, racism, and even the slogans of nationalism and socialism, often become, wittingly or unwittingly, catalysts and vehicles of dominance hungering for subjugation. Hence, the need for cultivation of civilized mind through proper education.

Ragging is one form of subjugation. One recalls that in Kolkata ragging started in engineering and medical colleges in late 60s or early 70s. American competitive culture which is only a euphemism for aggression and domination was introduced in these institutions. (The current collapse of institutional infrastructure in financial sector in US has been the result of malpractices the financial institutions found necessary to recourse to for subjugating competitors.) Some of such students in our educational institutions exposed to this culture over a year or two would develop the sadistic tendency to dominate and subjugate others. Some like minded ‘senior’ students would then form groups for this purpose and fresher would provide an obvious soft target. This is the way ragging begun in our educational institutions. Initially it was mental subjugation, but gradually it turned physical, violent and sadistic.

Similarly, communal/casteist clashes, bandhs and rampant vandalism on any pretext are the latest manifestations of ugly domineering tendencies leading to a state of utter anarchy. Biswajit Roy, an eminent educationist had written in the Anandabazaar Potrika an article headlined “Mushal Parba” depicting the phenomenon of Jadubangsha Dhangsha looking at the happenings at West Bengal. Lalgarh, Nandigram, Singur, Keshpur, Ramgarh, Jangalmahal and elsewhere - it is same everywhere: this relentless attempt at subjugation at individual, group and party level.

In TOI, M J Akbar had said in his column on June 21, 2009, “No one is communal, except in that brief moment of madness when the civilized mind crumbles.” My humble attempt is devoted to explaining why it is of paramount importance today to encourage the cultivation of ‘the civilized mind’ through proper education.