India Insight with Sunny Sharma

In this podcast, I discuss why the global citizen, constitutional expert, humanitarian, egalitarian, and social reformer President Barack Obama is perhaps the most consequential president of the modern era.

Tune in to part 1 of a 5 part series I will be making on the significance of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the United States who united America during its Civil War, emancipated the slaves, and gave meaning, more so than any American (or even world leader) to America's experiment in self government and humanitarianism.

I rely heavily and recommend Doris Kearns Goodwins seminal book on Lincoln called Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

If I reach 20 downloads for every subsequent podcast including this one I will continue to release new podcast episodes on President Lincoln.

Tune in to hear about Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's most famous clarion call and slogan declared at the 1942 All India Depressed Class Conference to "Educate, Agitate, Organize".

This phrase has been a motto of labor organizers throughout the world.

Dr. Ambedkar was a true servant to the people (Bodhisattva) with a vision to end systemic discrimination not just in India but throughout the world. He indeed was the greatest social reformer of modern day history in India. To him, our fight for liberation transcended labor organizing and intellectual discourse, it was intensely spiritual as well. Obtaining social democracy, that is Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, was only possible when people are educated enough to ask questions through an awareness of laws and rights, agitate themselves to upset the traditional status quo as well as preconceived notions of what is possible, and organize to fight for a better world of social justice.

This podcast was also made in reference to the change I made to my logo.

President Lincoln stayed true to himself till his assassination leaving the grandest legacy by any leader in not only the 19th century but perhaps all of the modern era. Through his leadership and moral example, he gave a renewed meaning to democracy and social justice for America and the world watched America during their time of challenge, evaluating whether America, the first democracy's experiment in self government would endure. President Lincoln outlines not only this challenge in his Gettysburg Address, but reassures the American people that American democracy by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth. 

President Lincoln was not the greatest general in history though he taught himself the rules of war and he certainly was not the greatest statesman though he was a practicing politicians, but he indeed was the greatest humanitarian of the modern era, who through his leadership of the Union and emancipation of slaves, was an impeccable icon of freedom. He played the central and most pivotal role in Americas darkest hour and in doing so made justice triumphant to so many who have been exploited and marginalized. Every generation must give renewed meaning to freedom and justice and in doing so President Lincoln gave America the room to breathe again opening the door to a whole new generation of activists and leaders. Thats why he mattered. 

Over time the legend of President Lincoln has only grown larger. A man, through his very goodness became great by which he represented the true ideals of democratic self government as outlined by the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. As the Leader of America, he took it upon himself to impress upon his people, political cabinet, and political general his policy, personality, and force of character. Through the navigation of a complex military and political problem of the Civil War, President Lincoln demonstrated not only his diplomatic ability, but also his stern conviction to forgive the bloodshed so America can have a new birth of freedom. 

At the end of the war, President Lincoln, through the establishment of certain stipulations for the Southern Rebels to be brought back into the Confederacy, made the Emancipation of the Slaves the Cornerstone of Reconstruction in the South. Through his determination and personality, Lincoln he had won the affections and popular support of the American people. Moreover, he took a conciliatory route to resolving the war so as to tamper down any vitriol and vengeance on both sides. This was indeed the most costly war in American history. It is clear that Lincoln was wise and prudent with every step he took and through his love of the people on both sides he wanted all Americans to heal from the conflict.

Along with one of the most renowned orators in American history Frederick Douglas and a legacy of freedom fighting abolitionist since the first slaves were brought to the Americas, President Lincoln not only gave meaning to the humanitarian efforts to abolish slavery, he also set the precedent for the true founding of American democracy through the Three Reconstruction Amendments (1865-1870), the 13th abolition of slavery, 14th Equal Protection Clause for all US citizens, and 15th Amendment granting all citizens the right to vote. 

To this day we are still fighting for their realization not just politically but socially. 

The 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln Shifted the Moral Narrative of Slavery during the Civil War from being merely a political issue to one of social justice and reform. He did so masterfully through the traits he possessed of a unselfish heart that allowed him not only to be a quintessential humanitarian during a unique time and crisis in American history but also his wielding of a logical intellect which allowed him to administer his capacity of reason to decisively put an end to the evil of slavery that has plagued America for centuries. His cabinet members were critical in helping him do so, but it was Lincoln who through a masterful understanding of popular opinion had the decisive and final say for the most opportune time to capitalize on the advantageous position that the abolition of slavery would yield for the Northern Union victory over the Southern Confederacy. 

Join Sunny Sharma with his elder, insightful, and informative cousins in a discussion around some of the themes highlighted by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's most famous piece of writing from 1963 called Letter from a Birmingham Jail. We discuss such ideas as the need to break unjust laws in a society, moral authority to confront societal despotism, and most importantly whether there is a place for organized religion in the world today when so many young people are leaving religious institutions. 

Is the modern day world organized in a way to no longer need saints or social reformers?

Do the church and other religious institutions only get involved in politics when there are not enough saints?

Tune in to hear us engage with these questions.

In this podcast I briefly describe the legacy of Malcolm X.

"Standing up and telling the truth can warp reality."

Malcolm X was the best example of the above statement as he changed the minds and perspectives of millions of people during his lifetime and after his death.

The revolutionary Bhagat Singh who lived from 1907 to 1931 was executed by the British for throwing a bomb in Parliament at the age of 23.

He was indeed the greatest revolutionary of the Indian Indenpedence movement, likened as the Che Guevara of India. Like Che he was a student of class revolutions and Marxism and use these principles to not only inspire the Indian nation, but a whole generation of young people throughout the globe on the need to break away from traditional dogma and the social tyranny that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar so eloquently describes in favor of a class consciousness that leads to triumphant social justice. 

He was not only as famous as Gandhi, but many people view him as the one of the primary reasons so many Indians flocked towards the Independence struggle and ultimately gained independence. Furthermore, he represented the spirit of youth; a strategist with a clear visions of his place in the historical struggle of liberty against despotism. He was aware his life would inspire millions after him, fighting till the very end through tactical hunger strikes while leaving a tangible legacy behind through his writings in jail that provide a glimpse into the mind of a true rebel, revolutionary, lover of poetry and non conformer.

It's difficult for us to put ourselves into the shoes of a man who was brought up in revolutionary sentiment of his relatives, but one thing is for certain. Bhagat Singh is the product of renewed vision of the world whereby we continue to question not only prevailing despotic institutions of government, but also the habits, traditions, and dogma that marginalize the working class farmers and proletariat that make up the backbone of global society. He had the courage to not only take action, but to systematically question the prevailing norms and narratives of a world in dire need of social reform. In many respects, India is a success story in large part due to his legacy. If we want true unlimited progress in society, then we need people like Bhagat Singh from Punjab to Bengal, from Kashmir to Kerala, and all across the globe.