Enlightenment has been contested by sociologists for its dual effect on civilizations and people around the world. The ideas of enlightenment have been addressed and countered in detail by historians and social scientists because of its limitedness and inability to accommodate the rest of the world. It seemed from the immediate actions of the ‘enlightened’ people after their transformation that this too was a privilege reserved for them. The horrors of colonialism, imperialism, world wars and capitalism that followed the enlightenment pose that the very ideologies that empowered some, exploited the rest. There is no doubt that enlightenment has enabled the rapid industrialisation, growth of economies and advancement of mankind into the more rational and scientific realm, yet it has or at least its followers have afforded much cruelty and exploitation to the non-European world.

Carl Becker (1932), in his book The Heavenly City relates the eighteenth-century philosophers and their thought with the thirteenth century Christian philosophies as expounded by St. Thomas Aquinas. He claims that the enlightenment philosophers were not much different from the Christian ideas and had only expressed a similar philosophy in a different way. This might be an extreme critique of the enlightenment philosophies, yet it does highlight the non-universal nature of the enlightenment ideas. The enlightenment did not include the rest of the world and this led to their ‘otherization’. Thus, making the malice of colonialism and exploitative nature of capitalism seem less harmful. Richard Popkin also highlights this paradoxical aspect of enlightenment where he claims that from the heart of enlightenment came the dark and not-so-enlightened theories of inferiority of non-Europeans. In a similar vein, Edward Saeed explains how the enlightened west felt like it understood the rest of the world and gave birth to ‘Orientalism’, which is nothing but their own perception of what the East is like. The true contours of the rest of the world were either unknown or deliberately ignored by the enlightened ones in order to carry on with their visions.

The enlightenment has also led to progress which is just another name for consumerist capitalism where humans are reduced to manipulated and highly surveilled consumers who have the capacity to make the rich richer. The capitalist industries have distorted what was really precious, the character, ethos, morals and the meaningfulness of life. All the satisfaction that a man may achieve has been attached to the external factors or things, there is little inward thought. Enlightenment progress has therefore cost the mankind a lot more than what it could ever have anticipated. If one goes deeper into what followed the enlightenment, then on one hand one witnesses the exploitation of the poor by the capitalists and on the other the usurpation of human rights by the communists. Michel Foucalt, however, supports the view that enlightenment never ended, it is a part of the continuous evolutionary process that mankind is undergoing. I agree with Foucalt in his views, but it only reinforces the opinion that Enlightenment was not the one glorious panacea to all problems of mankind. If it all, it was the white man’s elixir.

Another argument against the dual nature of Enlightenment has been of racism and slavery. Although, enlightenment thinkers promoted republicanism which then became a basis to end institutionalised slavery in the American continent, yet in reality racism and the harms of slavery transcended centuries past the enlightenment era. It took a lot more than enlightenment to tell the Eurocentric thinkers that all men and women are equal. Kramer and Ikeda explain that “The Enlightenment scientists rationalized that ‘subhumans’ were genetically inferior, and behaviourally irrational (of course, according to the criteria they devised). They created intelligence/power in their own image. How convenient” (Kramer and Ikeda, 2009, pp. 90). There is justification within enlightenment for the superiority of western knowledge, concepts and education that automatically categorised all other races as different and inferior.

To sum up, Enlightenment has been a mindset and ideology that has propagated certain views and social constructs that logically benefited its creators. It would be unfair to discard the role of enlightenment in the overall advancement of humankind and knowledge. Yet, like all ideas in the world, this too should be scrutinized for its relevance, authenticity, inclusiveness and fairness. A critical assessment of enlightenment would only add to the field of knowledge by opening doors for new breakthroughs, making way for diverse and more acceptable understandings of the societies.

It is claimed to be ancient, it has names taken from the Hindu pantheon, a culture, a career and definitely a remarkable sight. Kushti or Mud-Wrestling is an indigenous Indian sport, dating back thousands of years and is still alive in the modern world. Mud-wrestlers revere the sport that is attributed to Hindu gods and heroes. The Kushti has had its golden days when it spread across the Indo-Pak subcontinent, now it is fading with traces left in some areas of Pakistan and India. Kolkata is one of the places left with Kushti Akharas. An Akhara is the school, the lodging, the training and wrestling place for wrestlers called Pehlwans. To a Pehlwan, Akhara is the temple where he prays, he works, he learns and he wrestles. Young boys following their father’s footsteps or inspiration join for training and spend their lives on the Akhara. However, the modern world has caused many changes, the boys now go to public schools and are even forced to do other jobs to maintain their diets, run akharas and to one day feed their families. The dying sport has fallen below the line of self-sustainability.

A Pehlwan’s day begins with the prayer to god Hanuman followed by a strict and extensive exercise regimen. Following the Guru’s orders, Pehlwans carry out prolonged exercises using maces, ropes, weights and with the help of fellow trainers. After which the Pehlwan’s do practice rounds with each other. These young and old Pehlwans work on their muscles, strength, agility, mobility and moves. Those whose body has given up after decades of wrestling continue to coach and hold respectable place in the Akhara. They become senior members, Gurus. The Guru guides the wrestlers in the pit, which in itself is a result of sacred rituals for Pehlwans. These Pehlwans carry out hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups and strength exercises daily. Young boys with skeletal appearance come here for training and work hard to gain the physique of a Pehlwan. The heroes of Kushti like the undefeated world champion ‘The Great Gama’ and Dara Singh inspire them. The sport is their life; they carry it out with discipline, love, passion and consistency.

The mud-wrestlers do not wrestle on any ground or mud, the mud they use has turmeric, neem, oils and a certain amount of water. This mud is brought from the banks of the Ganges before the addition of these essential materials. The Pehlwans only step on this mud for Kushti, the rest stand outside the pit and watch. It is a passionate sport, which is dying only due to neglect. The modern world allows only those things to be successful that are promoted widely. Sadly, without a huge promotional budget, any sport would go out of the sight of the public and consequently out of business. With the receding attention spans, people easily forget. The only things in business are those that the public is constantly bombarded with, regardless of the quality. Taking the stream of thought forward, if we think about the potential of this sport, we have clear evidence in the form of Bollywood that shows that people still love the sport and find it interesting. The blockbuster film by Amir Khan called ‘Dangal’ (wrestling) or Salman Khan’s ‘Sultan’ have ruled cinemas across India and the world. These movies prove that the thrill of the sport, the passion for Kushti could be revived if only given the right platforms. A similar sport of Kabaddi has found hope with the modernisation of the sport and international coverage. Perhaps, such promotion and reform would benefit Kushti as well.

A skilful photographer and reporter Ayash Basu reported a visual story about Kushti Akharas on his website in 2016. His report on the Kolkata’s pehelwans included the grievances of the young pehelwans. The pehelwan complained that it becomes hard to even maintain their diet; 500 almonds per day, litres of milk, multiple kinds of vegetables and other dietary essentials that each pehelwan requires per day to maintain their muscular bodies and sustain pehelwani. Apart from this, it becomes hard to imagine how the Akharas of these days could be running. The pehelwans often ask the government for assistance but are seldom answered.

The blood and sweat of Pehelwan and the charm of Kushti should be preserved before it is too late. An evolution in the sport could bring better results than leaving it to its old ways. Modernising the sport, commercialising the business even on a national level could save Kushti. There is no doubt that once it takes flight, it has the potential to spread across borders. Millions of fans of boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts would definitely love to learn about Kushti and open their world to a historical sport. This is the only future that Kushti deserves, whether the world can provide it that future or not is a separate debate.

Reference:

Basu, Ayash. “Kushti Akharas in Kolkata.” Ayash Basu, 2016. http://www.ayashbasuphoto.com/kushti-akharas.

Maptia. “The Ancient Art of Kushti.” Maptia, 2017. https://maptia.com/suvra/stories/the-ancient-art-of-kushti.

Wild Films India. “Akhara Is Venue for Indian Kushti or Mud Wrestling.” www.youtube.com, November 29, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxNd93hlmPA.

I am 150 feet down an illegal mineshaft in Ghana. The air is thick with dust and heat. The lack of oxygen makes is hard to breathe. I feel the brush of sweaty bodies passing by me in the darkness but I can’t see much. I hear voices of miners talking, but mostly the shaft is a cacophony of men coughing and stone being broken with primitive tools.

Like the others, I wear a cheap, flickering flashlight strapped to my head with a tattered elastic band. I can barely make out the slick tree branches holding up the sides of the three-foot-square hole, dropping hundreds of feet into the earth. When my hand slips, I suddenly remember the man I met days before who lost his grip and fell countless feet down the shaft.

As I sit writing here today these men are still deep in that hole, risking their lives — and often dying. I got to climb out of that shaft and go home. They may never be able to, because they have no choice. They are enslaved.

During the California gold rush in 1848, frenzied prospectors poured into the state in the hopes of striking it rich. Similarly, boys and men spend all their money coming from the northern Ghana hoping to strike it rich in legal mines. But legal operations require certifications. When they can’t get a job, they take high-interest loans or join groups of slaves known as gangs in mines abandoned by big companies that were legitimate operations. The men and boys must sell the gold back to the moneylenders. They are trapped by fictitious debt and are often hunted by local police and private security for trespassing.

Some keep the false faith that if they persist working, they will become rich or be able to simply break free of the bondage. But the truth is, they will likely spend the rest of their lives here.

The gangs toil in groups mining hard stone from 300 feet beneath the ground. The fragmented rock housing the gold is brought to the surface in bags slung over their shoulders. When the miners come out of the shaft, they are soaking wet. I remember looking into their tired, bloodshot eyes as some had been underground for more than 72 hours and then transported to another site known as a pounding site.

Ghana is one of the top 10 producers of gold in the world. The illegal small scale gold mines are the locations of many tragedies and deaths. Since the illegal mines have been abandoned by legal companies who have already exploited them, the sites are neglected and damaged by the time they are taken over by illicit mining operations. Dilapidated shafts are inundated with unsafe conditions including a total lack of personal protective equipment, inadequate tools and training. Old stopes that have been poorly supported collapse in ground failures and have caused injuries, and fatalities.

Although under (Small Scale Gold Mining Law, PNDCL 218 of 1989).(3) law, certified minors must be at least 18 years old but there are numerous minors working in the gold industry in perilous conditions. All small scale gold mining operations must have a license in order to engage in work but the process of obtaining one is costly and tedious, so most operate illegally. The misfortune is that the ground failures and poorly supported shafts have led to fatalities and injuries. The International Labor Organization estimates small- scale miners (groups of 10 or less) is 90 times as high as large scale mines in countries that are industrialized. The ILO also estimates that injuries – non fatal- are 6 to 7 times more frequent in unofficial mining operations as opposed to large operations. Although, I found that most injuries were not reported, as they feared disclosing it to the public or authorities so the number could be higher. Small scale miners aren’t keen on reporting accidents and don’t want to draw attention. There have been numerous deaths from collapsing mines: 6 small scale miners in 2016, 17 in 2015 and minimally 45 people in 2010.

When I met Manuru (pseudonym), he had been working in the mines for 14 years. His uncle, intending to make it rich in the mines, brought him to work in the mines when he was quite young, and when his uncle died, Manuru inherited his loan debts from the trafficker as well.

Manuru was one of the unlucky ones who fell down the mineshaft and endured a leg injury so severe, doctors say it should be amputated, he has tuberculosis as well, and yet, he continues to work the mines day in and day out.

Even so, he is determined to get free and attend school with the help of local activists. It is this determination — in the face of unimaginable odds — that fills me with awe.

References:

International Labour Organisation; News Release 1999. Available online: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/media-centre/press-releases/WCMS_007929/lang--en/index.htm (accessed on 10 January 2015).