Ilaiah is no intellectual; just a petty hate-monger

In my opinion, Kancha Ilaiah is hardly an intellectual. His behaviour and thought process establish him as a pseudo and a self-proclaimed intellectual. In real, he seems to be just a petty hate-monger and nothing more. Intellect is learnt, modelled, pursued and earned with years of discipline.

No one is born with it. Intellectuals are no different species than the rest of the population; it’s just that they could have chosen a profession in the area, where they need to acquire more knowledge than the regular Joes. No intellectual can claim that he has universal knowledge; if he does, he is simply fooling himself and others.

Formal education has no reference to one being an intellectual. Intellectual is someone who has balance and maturity to think, write and speak objectively, backed by facts and logic. An intellectual, who’s only intelligent by cognition, can be a smart man but if he lacks emotional intelligence and human empathy, but he can hardly be termed an intellectual. Knowledgeable people who are evil or who indulge in divisive and devious acts are not recognised as intellectuals, but as deviant people.

The quantum of positive actions and their positive outcome through knowledge or intellect of an individual is what brings him the reputation of a great intellectual. Without positive value-addition to anyone, what is the worth of anyone’s intellect?

Intellectuals add value. As I see, Ilaiah diminishes it. Intellectuals don’t need to brag that they are intellectuals, their work speaks. Their reputation speaks. It’s those who come nowhere close to being recognised as intellectuals have to shout from the rooftops that they are intellectuals. Ilaiah is one such man. He seems to basically lack the fundamental intellect to earn respect for his knowledge and work. His qualifications and his work have humongous disconnect. He seems to be living off controversy after controversy and that seems to be the only ‘intellect’ in this self-proclaimed intellectual.

His earlier work in the form of books, articles, speeches, TV commentary and especially the current book which openly abuses Arya Vysyas and terms the entire caste as social smugglers establishes a clear fact that he is mentally incongruent and intellectually incompetent. Nothing else explains his decade-long tirade against his own country men and women by deriding them with choicest expletives. Who would make such statements, commentary and writings which are so hostile and venomous? Why would someone with congruent mind do it as a full-time job?

His bitter animosity towards Hindus and castes which are a subsystem of this religion has neither any basis nor fundamental logic. His recent attack on Arya Vysyas is totally unprovoked and unwarranted.

Intellectuals write, speak or act with congruence. Incongruence is never the virtue of a learned individual. Incongruence is the outcome of utter confusion in one’s mind and racing thoughts which are random and unwarranted. Healthy minds and especially those of highly learned intellectuals are like a pot full of water, they are extremely stable at all times, even at times when they are stressed or challenged. Unhealthy minds are shaky, reactive, angry, random and directionless. They are driven more by misfired chemical disturbances of pathology than the natural transition of a healthy emotion leading up to streamlined thoughts, driving congruent action.

It’s indisputable that Dr Ambedkar is one of the most respected geniuses of this great nation. Intellectuals belong there, at that level of feeling, thinking and acting. They think above petty individual pursuits, family, caste and creed pursuits, region and religion pursuits. Rare intellectuals like Dr Ambedkar add unquantifiable value through their thoughts, writings, speeches and their work to a large mass of people.

They are not selective in their giving; they give everything they have to everyone around. These higher degree intellectuals are unconditional givers.

Dr Ambedkar has given this nation apart from many other things, the Constitution of India. This nation is being governed for 70 years by his structured endeavor, as the chief architect of Indian Constitution. This is what real intellectuals are made of. Throughout their life, they stand tall with their knowledge and their contribution to their fellow nationals.

Ilaiah is a Lilliput of a man, who irrationally compares himself to a giant like Dr Ambedkar. I consider it as a misadventure and as an insult to the greatest thought leader of our nation. I am quite amazed at his gall to even be wishful of that comparison. It is so juvenile and humorous that it’s not others who are comparing him to the great leader, it’s himself. Almost all his writings are driven out of clear agenda of sectarian division and open intent to drive hatred between groups in the Indian society. How can such a man even dare compare himself with the likes of great intellectuals, who are respected for centuries for their positive contributions?

I strongly believe the first and foremost identity of any individual is his nation. What is anyone without it? Who is Ilaiah without his Indian citizenship? If an individual doesn’t have allegiance to his own mother land and abuses his own nation at every opportunity, what do we term him – an intellectual? It sounds quite hurtful. I truly believe all other identities of religion, region, caste and creed are petty in comparison to the primary identity of a national. If Ilaiah so fervently hates India, Hindus, Hinduism, and can’t stand Arya Vysyas and their food smells, their bodies, their habits, he doesn’t need to put up with it.

He is a free man and he has a right to choose a nation in this very expansive world and find a paradise of his own there. Why stay here and abuse his own nation and nationals every day? I don’t think there are many who will force Ilaiah to stay back and go through the agony he is experiencing in this nation on a daily basis.

I respect democracy and strongly believe there is no alternative to this model of governing a nation with freedom, equality and justice to all. Our constitution gives us freedom of expression, it’s our right. However, constitution doesn’t provide this right to hurt others through our expression. It does not give anyone the right to abuse, provoke, insult and intimidate.

Ilaiah is a petty hate-monger. Intellectual is too big a word for him and doesn’t fit his profile. Those who consider him an intellectual certainly are flawed in their definition and understanding of the contributions of a real intellectual to a society.

Incongruence and insanity are blood cousins. Their coexistence is mania. Those in this stage write, speak and comment a lot, sometimes even on the walls of their own enclosures. One doesn’t need to pay heed to their silly, pointless writings, which they tend to state as scientific analysis. That’s a symptomatic outcome of this disorder. They strongly feel they are in control of their disturbed and unhealthy mind.

I personally and earnestly request Arya Vysyas not to feel insulted, agonised or angry over the scribbling of an unhealthy mind. I also wholeheartedly wish Ilaiah to get well soon and add some positive value to the society that he is a part of.