Theos-Talk Archives (February 2004 Message tt00161)

Dear Paul, to answer your question I'd have to say That the BJP is just an 
elected national government and has no connection or influence over the TS 
in Adyar. Thank god India is still a democracy and has not turned into a third 
world dictatorship, atleast not yet. It only takes one strong and united 
communist revolution (if even that's possible in a country like this) and 
perhaps after that, the BJP or some other political party can control the TS. 
But not at this time. Perhaps we have Annie Besant to thank for turning India 
in the right direction towards the tradition of a free democracy, and therefore 
protecting the International lodge from being government controled.

A^A^

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "kpauljohnson" <kpauljohnson@y...> 
wrote:
> Dear Ariel,
> 
> Thanks for the clarification. If Rukmini had been an 
> inconsequential person in TS history, standing in Arundale's shadow, 
> then I might agree that the family connection between the 3rd PTS 
> and the 5th and 7th wasn't very meaningful. But in light of her 
> extremely high profile starting before her marriage, and continuing 
> until the end of her life, I do think the Shastry family has had 
> quite a disproportionate role in the Society's governance. (Which 
> would already be the case with 44 of the last 53 years TS leadership 
> being held by a father and daughter.) Nonetheless, I consider it 
> more problematic that the OH of the ES became the PTS (oh these 
> acronyms!). A purportedly democratic organization ought not be led 
> by the head of a secret society with a long history of exerting 
> inappropriate and destructive influence. IMO! 
> 
> Although I heard the story about a likely Brazilian successor years 
> ago, that was before the rise of the BJP. More recently I've heard 
> that the election of any non-Indian PTS would place the Society in a 
> dangerous position vis-a-vis the government, and therefore will 
> never happen. Can you comment on the plausibility of that?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Paul