Link to youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UulsDFqqqXQ

Hello to my audience, friends, and family this is India Insight with Sunny Sharma. I am super excited to have one of the most prominent Indian intellectuals of the modern era on my podcast

As you have must have heard some of my audio podcasts that I have been doing for the past 4 years, I’m privileged today for my first ever video visual podcast to have an intellectual trendsetter in the areas of quantum computing, linguistic connections between ancient cultures, ancient Vedic ideas of cosmology, physics, and science, history revisionism, and so much more.

Dr. Subhash Kak is Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. His legacy speaks for itself.

He has authored and co-authored at least 20 books on a variety of topics. He was awarded the Science Medal of the Indian National Science Academy in the autumn of 1977 at the Indian Science Congress given to him by Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Moreover, he was awarded the title of Vishwa Hindu by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami, the spiritual head of Avadhoota Datta Peetham, a major center for Vedic studies and spiritual life on May 20, 2007. In 2019, Dr. Kak was awarded the very prestigious Padma Shri for his immense contributions in multiple areas of expertise.

I highly recommend for my audience to learn a little bit more about his intellectual legacy and trajectory throughout his career to read his book In the Circle of Memory: An Autobiography.

Also in stores is his most recent book this year is The Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Season 8 Episode 3

The true spirit of industry and capitalism is emblematic of choice and to reflect that idea means there must be a multiparty system in America and the world.

The growth of special interests means there must be a counteracting force to serve the interests and grievances of everyday workers and taxpayers. This is the genesis of the need for new parties to come on the seen to serve the many different needs, perspectives, and ideologies of a diverse community of people. There must be a movement of organized labor to petition for not just for better standards of living and economic opportunity but also to secure our fundamental rights and liberties in every generation. Students of Indian, American, and other national histories know this too well.

The problem in America, is that the average citizen not only does not know the essential importance of new parties throughout US history, but they have also been conditioned to believe and rely upon a lie; the two party system is the only means to achieving their fundamental needs and wants. Third parties have served essential functions in garnering support for new policy agendas and perpetuating them to the forefront of federal and local discourse. Like many social movements, they have shifted the moral narrative to include more and more people to get involved in the political process.

Madison understood that party spirit would be inevitable, but he wasn't a fortune teller. Nonetheless, he was one of the only founders to be involved with both major parties during his day, the Federalists and the Democrat-Republican Party. He saw the necessity of parties to offer diffing points of views and emphasis on particular goals in what President Barack Obama calls the "arena of ideas" so as Madison understood the most popular ideas would come to the forefront.

Many questions still remain. Did Madison believe such types of popular democracy were more effective than age old ideas of the primacy of aristocracy and oligarchies? Many people would say no; the founding fathers did not believe in such types of democracy, rather those most knowledgable and entrusted with the reigns of power should steer the course of a nation.

That is for our generation to figure out: Does democracy function better when more people are involved or should those more "capable" decide how political decisions are made? I for one believe a multiparty system both gets more people involved while simultaneously, in President Obama's words, encourages more capable individuals to enter the political arena and discourse as too socially and culturally reform society for the better.

The dangers of political parties, why we are so partisan in the modern era, and potential solutions to the problem.

I further extrapolate on what the American founding fathers, especially James Madison, knew about political parties including the costs and benefits and why their 18th century arguments are still relevant today. I also point out that in hindsight that they were not able to predict all of the historical outcomes in American history including the growth of multinational corporation, special interests, bureaucracy, technocratic overreach, and the expansion of executive power, but nonetheless Madison set the constitutional framework of society to regulate the passions of men and injustice so reason prevails.

For an aside not mentioned, Madison's decision to outline the Bill of Rights as mere Amendments was a debatable decision that was perhaps rooted in the potential danger of people utilizing and abusing their rights to oppress others or target government institutions. He thus had to balance the needs for the stability of government with the rights of the everyday citizen just as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had to do as the first law minister of India in the mid-1900s.

The essential question for our era (as well as other eras in American history) is can the power of money be overcome by public sentiment and free men and women? Can organized power in the hands of certain people counter organized tyranny and what are the potential dangers of this?

Please follow, share, and subscribe to my podcast for future episodes whether that is standalone podcasts or group discussion I do with my elder, informative, and insightful cousins Vinni and Tinku who live in Bangalore, India.

Following my podcast encourages me to make new episodes to educate the public, but especially to educate myself on American, Indian, and other relevant historical and political ideas.

Please tune in for my next podcast Season 8 episode 3 which I will release on Saturday January 11 called Why America and the world need a Multiparty System.

Now let’s get started on this part 2 discussion on Political Parties:

For the first episode of season 8 I explain that despite the fact that the American founding fathers were not party men, the Constitution in many ways facilitates the rise of parties and factions. This was the genius of Madison; creating a system of checks and balances whereby special interests would inevitably develop, but "ambition would counter ambition" ensuring that enterprising men would not take advantage of the majority nor the majority take advantage of the minority.

I examine many of the most relevant warnings the American founding fathers, especially the Architect of the American Constitution James Madison, gave about factions and political parties and why they are certainly still relevant today.

If you enjoyed this episode please follow and subscribe to my podcast for future standalone episodes on Indian and American history, news, and politics as well as discussions I have with my two elder, insightful, and informative cousins who live in India Vinni and Tinku.

I will be releasing a part 2 to complement this discussion on the dangers of factions and political parties where I outline some of the reasons why modern-day society has become so partisan while also advising some potential solutions to the problem of parties in America.

Supporting my podcast encourages me to make new episodes so if you enjoy what I'm producing please follow and share with others.

In this season 7 finale episode 10 podcast to close out the New Year and usher in 2025, I want to bring to attention the key ideas President Obama explicated at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum of 2024 on Pluralism and why they are relevant today. The principal question is can diverse groups of people with different perspectives and ideologies live together in a free, open, and integrated society? I also talk briefly about some of the ideas from the three panelists from this Democracy Forum consisting of young people who are a part of the Obama foundation.

Please follow and subscribe to my podcast for future standalone podcasts and discussions with my cousins Vinni, Tinku, and other people.

Now lets get started:

Exalting upon high the principle of liberty to smash the pedestal upon which the principle of avaricious profit lays.

Tune in to hear my case for the need for our society to dedicate itself to the principle of liberty in an era of growing inequality. I take inspiration from many of the greatest human rights icons, educators, and leaders of the modern eras such as President Obama, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Georges Bernanos, Michelle Alexander and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR).

It was becoming increasingly apparent to many people that America was slowly becoming a plutocracy in the late 19th century. Today that is a definite truth. I try to make the case that a society can be dedicated to either liberty or profit, not both at the same time. I also discuss the problems with vested economic interests having power over ethical implications as well as the dangers of tyranny of the majority/mobs, and increased polarization being directly correlated with increased income inequality. Moreover, job insecurity makes it more difficult to people to unionize as people are dissuaded by their bosses who own the means of production.

Since the American New Left Movement 1950-1975 there was a strong student and minority movement demanding rights and a more egalitarian society. Today, there is a strong corporate backlash to this movement that has resulted in a shift in power towards big business also fueled by the growth in multinational corporations and globalization.

It was not only the original 1st Amendment from the Bill of Rights and 14th Amendment founded at the beginning of Reconstruction that provided protections and judicial precedent there were also the consumer protection laws passed by FDR to provide a social safety net well into the 1960s. Much of this apparatus was dismantled and some of it was recovered under the Obama administration in response to the 2008 recession. The 2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement was sparked by the disillusionment by young people faced with college loans, unemployment, and a housing crisis.

I discuss these issues in the podcast and how the spirit of youth in our generation will exalt the principle of liberty to act on our conscience through a grassroots movement to regulate the spirit of avarice due to our societies material decadence and dedication to profit in the current era.

President Barack Obama and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were not just impeccable social reformers, but they were also unprecedented leaders for their time. It is difficult to compare them, but in every regard they were constitutional experts and trendsetters.

They put their theoretical education into practical organizing: President Obama organized the very first true social media presidential campaign in history; Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar created two political parties, one for the labor classes, and one for Dalits (both which represent the subaltern classes). Nonetheless, both leaders stand on the shoulder of giants whether that was Civil Rights icons as Bayard Rustin or Harold Washington or social reformer as the Buddha and FDR.

They sought to live up to the values not just of the US Constitution, but also of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity which is commonly derived by many great people in history.

Moreover, they predicted and forecasted many of the problems which I outline such as the dangers of tribalism.

Please tune in to hear my case for the need for an organized effort against poverty in America. I expound on some of the ideas below.

There have been concerted efforts by political, religious, and non profit organization to combat poverty in America and abroad but there has yet to be significant traction behind a movement to put an end to poverty once and for all in the richest country on earth.

Dr. King in 1968, the same year that he died started the poor people's campaign to put an end to poverty in America (a campaign which has started again). Malcolm X before he died railed against capitalists taking advantage of minorities in their community without adequate compensation. It wasn't until the election of President Barack Obama that we saw substantial reform to the healthcare system; a system which insured millions of poor people.

The significance of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is that he integrated the principles of Buddhist morality with the principles of labor organizing. Similar to Dr. King's idea of the Beloved Community and Malcolm X's International solidarity, both with the idea of ending poverty and homelessness, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar generated a philosophy that viewed the liberation of an individual as wholly apart of the community as a whole. Organizing for justice was a community issue and so was spiritual salvation.

Finally, President FDR through his introduction of a Second Economic Bill of Rights on radio in 1945 like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was determined to create a community built upon the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.