Hindu Vs Hinduism!

 

“मैं  सबसे अच्छा हिंदू हूँ “, asserted a man who was buying earthen pots and diyas (traditional lamps) to decorate his home on the evening of Ram Janambhumi temple bhumi pujan from a poor seller toiling hard to make the ends meet for his family, under a tree on a dusty city road, rattled by irritably honking motor vehicles. The poor seller is groggy, not very well educated but has the wisdom to analyse what he just heard, before accepting it to be the ultimate truth. He mutters to himself quietly "when did being a Hindu become a competition"? He labours to hide the expression of astonishment on his face because he knows so much as a sign of disagreement with his well-fed, pot-bellied, ill-mannered, and arrogant customer would most certainly mean loss of sale and perhaps even he could be forced to vacate the 2 feet area that he occupies to spread his shop. So, he hides his disagreement behind the dual cover of dutiful nod and a broad helpless smile. He packs the purchase neatly in a newspaper that he bought earlier in the week and hands it over to the buyer, to cement his relationship with the 'best Hindu', he tries to fill as much pride as he possibly can in the "जय श्री राम", for a parting greeting!

One of the holy books of Hindusim, Ramayan, decribes RamRajya, in the following verse.

दैहिक दैविक भौतिक तापा। राम राज नहिं काहुहि ब्यापा॥

सब नर करहिं परस्पर प्रीती। चलहिं स्वधर्म निरत श्रुति नीती॥

भावार्थ:-'रामराज्य' में दैहिक, दैविक और भौतिक ताप किसी को नहीं व्यापते। सब मनुष्य परस्पर प्रेम करते हैं और वेदों में बताई हुई नीति (मर्यादा) में तत्पर रहकर अपने-अपने धर्म का पालन करते हैं।

Lord Rama, specifies "स्वधर्म" and talks about a social struture in which no one, has any pain (Physical, economic, spritual, worldley or otherwise). He also, says that one practices their belife at a personal level ; rulling out the case for a competitive display of 'faith'.

In the know of how Lord Rama envisioned the ideal society; let us try and analyse, this situation briefly.

The seller was not as Hindu as he was hungry, not as Muslim as he was weak, not as Christian as he was hopeless about his future, not as Sikh as he was in pain. He did not express himself, he accepted the payment thanked the buyer to conclude the episode. Who was the thinking seller; we will never know. But he represents, a vast majority of this country, that is both socially and economically oppressed so much so that they think they do not have a political choice either. This group of people can afford to engage in just one fight at a time, so they give every other struggle a pass because poverty almost always holds every ounce of their existence hostage.  The social and political discourse of the day is unfortunately not about him (or shall we say them) but the other lad, for whom, being a Hindu does not come without the obsessive compulsion of asserting that identity, which is not so much religious as it is political but he does not have either the sense, the education or the curiosity to make such a thoughtful distinction. He goes around exerting his beliefs as aggressively and as passionately as humanly possible for him. For him, faith is not a private matter; he is not content in himself unless he measures himself against others he does not feel the sense of fulfilment.

श्रद्धावान्ल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्पर: संयतेन्द्रिय:।

ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति॥

भावार्थ:-: श्रद्धा रखने वाले मनुष्य, अपनी इन्द्रियों पर संयम रखने वाले मनुष्य, साधनपारायण हो अपनी तत्परता से ज्ञान प्राप्त कते हैं, फिर ज्ञान मिल जाने पर जल्द ही परम-शान्ति (भगवत्प्राप्तिरूप परम शान्ति) को प्राप्त होते हैं।

It is safe to assume that this assertive kind of Hindu has not read the Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, and therefore not in the know that religion is not something to be made a show of, therefore, he goes all out.

He (the buyer) is a brand of Hindu, for whom, unison with God in the serene hours of the dawn making silent prayer the medium is not religious enough; he gets a high when he gets to parade with others like him on the streets shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ out loud. As if the lord is hard on hearing. He surely hasn't read.

सर्वत: पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् |

सर्वत: श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ||

भावार्थ:-:वे (परमात्मा) सब जगह हाथों और पैरोंवाले, सब जगह नेत्रों, सिरों और मुखोंवाले तथा सब जगह कानोंवाले हैं। वे संसारमें सबको व्याप्त करके स्थित हैं।

He feels alive when he identifies the ‘other‘, in his illiterate notion, service to God is in hurling insults towards those unlike him and on occasions he does not even hesitate from physically violating their freedom. Extremes of these affirmations end in merciless crimes too, this nation has not forgotten the horror of beef lynching, its victims and other innocents who were killed in various communal tensions that have stained, the constitutional republic of India, perhaps forever.

This Hindu finds solace in the company of fringe and strength in hateful utterances of the political leaders. He believes, he is being like his PM when he marks people with their clothes (remember, the speech that Narendra made, in which he said that those who create disturbances can be identified with their clothes"). And he is not entirely wrong in making that assumption, what else is a common man supposed to draw from the image of a union minister garlanding an accused released on bail from charges of lynching Aklaqh khan. He believes strongly in the power of symbols, puts a large Tilak on his forehead, wraps saffron with pride and wonders around teaching people the history that he learns from his Whatsapp. He thinks his religion is in danger and is willing to sacrifice everything to save his ‘Dharma’. He does not know the concept of Dharma or understand its meaning, let alone its practices and implication on the societal structure.

श्रूयतां धर्म सर्वस्वं श्रुत्वा चैव अनुवर्त्यताम्। आत्मनः प्रतिकूलानि, परेषां न समाचरेत् ॥

भावार्थ:- अपने को जो अच्छा न लगे, वैसा आचरण दूसरे के साथ नही करना चाहिये।

He has been made to belive with constant reinforcement that his acts are for the benefits of his religion first and for the welfare of his country at large. He has absolutely no idea that he is not becoming a saint by practising this kind of toxic routine, instead, he has been converted into a political worrier, armed with hate and intolerance. When he waves a gun at people peacefully protesting against the decision of the government, that he believes is working for the same faith like his, in his mind, he is pulling a modern Bhagat Singh. He does not believe that his bullet, if and when fired, will hurt and kill another India, but an anti-national, who has no right to be in this country. He thinks his extreme hate for the 'other'; makes him a purist, an nationalist. He finds comfort in the hate-mongering MOS of finance (देश के गद्दारों को, गोली मारो…को), venomous saffron-clad chief minister's obnoxious utterances and terror accused lady member of parliament who openly celebrates the killing of Bapu and hails his murderer.  He thinks that he can't be punished for being a true Hindu nationalist.

Let's take a step back, a reflective pause to think if he is entirely wrong? If recent developments are anything to go by, you can say that he may be unwise but not entirely delusional.

He knows it very well that a grand Ram temple will be erected before the next general election. He knows that those responsible for the demolition of the mosque, an act outlined as criminal by the Supreme Court, are the very people, who are in charge of building the temple; so by extension, if he also crosses a line or two in the expression of his love for the Hindu Dharma, he would have the full protection of the state as well.

Millions of people welcomed the Bhumi Pujan, as they should - Lord Rama, is indeed revered and who in the right mind would oppose building up of a temple at his birthplace; a fact registered in epics and folklore for thousands of year, and now even has the seal of the highest court of the land. The construction is perfectly legal. The debate, unfortunately, does not end there, though. Such overwhelming sponsorship and exuberant participation of the Indian state in religious activity, the Indian PM inaugurating the ceremony; is where the question of constitutional morality, secular character of the nation and political impropriety comes in. But before we quote the conduct of democrat, par excellence Jawaharlal Nehru, the then PM of India, who did not participate in the Somenath Temple, to preserve his righteousness as the head of a secular state. He did not stop there, he also took exception of the then President Dr Rajendra Prasad's desire to be a part of the celebration; to say that Mr Modi's conduct was not Prime ministerial, we should examine the below facts too.

+ BJP under the leadership of Narender has won a full majority in a 'free and fair' election, for the 2nd time in a row; so they are indeed the bearers of the will of the people.

+ BJP and the RSS, have been unapologetic in their public position with respect to building the temple or other contentious issues like Article 370, Uniform Civil code, Citizenship amendment bill etc.

+ PM Modi, is also a citizen his right to religion is guaranteed by the same constitution that gives us our rights.

+BJP is a political outfit and as the way of the world in politics goes, creating and swinging public opinion is what their core job is and they are going about it well.

So where, does that leave us - the common voiceless and faceless citizens?

"Hindu - Hindi - Hindustan" is the slogan that PM and his party swear by, secularism, plurality and unity in diversity is not how they describe India in their Idea of her.

The choices now will have to be made by us, the people!

Do we wish to remain secular and prosper the way most of the western world has or do we relegate into becoming a theocratic state, like our neighbour (Pakistan) and descent into chaos of extremism that the idea of a nation based on religion brings with itself? At this point, it is vital to understand that only 32% of Indians voted for the agenda that Narendra and Amit wish to operationalise; twice as many Indians do not approve of it. But to make any substantial difference on the ground, ordinary voters will have to unite and vote for their idea of India, one which had the blessing of the great Mahatma, a Gujarati, every Indian is proud of.

संघे शक्ति कलियुगे

भावार्थ: कलियुग में संगठन शक्ति ही प्रधान है

So, when the opportunity presents itself, DO VOTE and VOTE FOR AN INCLUSIVE INDIA.

Till then, राम राम।

Idea of India!

 

'Self-rule' & 'liberty' are things that my generation has not had to struggle to earn - we were the fortunate ones, we were born free. Our forefathers paid the price for the freedom that we enjoy so dearly all the time (also abuse, on occasions). So in that sense, it is rather hard for someone like me who was born in the monsoon of 1984 to imagine, how alluring the scent of the 15th August must have been to those who toiled their life for it, in the fateful year of 1947. It would have taken a nerve of steel to deliver that iconic and historic 'Tryst with destiny' speech in the marvellous assembly setting.

They do not create such men any more!

Think of it, Bapu lodged himself far away in Kolkata; doing what he liked best - helping and building communities, dousing the fire of hate off, away from the glitters and the lustre of the New Delhi, the capital of a nation that had just become a sovereign. Such saintly demeanour, one can not but stop in awe of the great Mahatma. India is a deeply spiritual land, home of rituals, traditions and customs; most of which predate the modern identity of the nation by a few centuries if not millennia. The sense of community, the idea of belonging comes to us Indian in 'plurals'. Amalgamation, in my view, describes us the best. We're the ultimate culmination; like multiple rivers, streams and tributaries meet the ocean to become one, all citizens when they pronounce their Indianness, other identities that they also hold; of caste, creed, colour, culture, cuisine, custom, language and others fade into the background, (or should I say, "should fade into the background")

If winning freedom from the British demanded every drop of blood of our forefathers, sustaining and securing its 'free' state expects every drop of sweat of us Indians. Keeping a continent size country, which is home to 1.3 billion people is not an easy chore. There is a constant struggle, often complex and multidimensional between forces that unite and also the influences that seek to divide us. We are in a category of our own. Within the overarching Indian identity that all of us wear with pride, other sub-antecedents compete with one another sometimes in a moderately violent and uncompromising selfish way too. In the last 73 years, India has seen caste divide what religion united (I will vote for the candidate of my caste) and also religion uniting what caste divided (We have to make Hindus win), she has also endured religion divide what nationhood united (Go to Pakistan). It is humanly impossible to sum the idea of India in a way other than to say that there are 1.3 billion Indians and there are 1.3 billion ideas of India. (I am taking the liberty of assuming that everyone begets just one Idea of India, which we know is not true, entirely)

Given the circumstances, how do we conclude and more importantly how do we converge everything Indian in a capsule, is a question that has remained at the core of all nationalistic and political debates that have occurred in the country over the course of the last 73 years? Someone like me (with limited intelligence and scant erudition) thinks -"Is such a thing even possible"?

To me, ‘The Idea of India’ is neither static nor a singular one, it has never been and it never will be. India is about knitting a variety of Ideas by the combined thread of constitutionality, plurality, equality, civility and unity in diversity. We’re a land of peaceful co-existence, of harmonising difference and worshipping morality and fundamentals of natural justice, not just social but also economic and that of ethnicity. For India to exist, it will have to remain together!

"We're a constitutional parliamentary representative democracy amidst federal structure (centre and the state), with liberal signature"; at least that is how the idea of India was conceived originally by our founding fathers and mothers.  And that right there is one expression that sums it all up. It has the depth the width and the length to accommodate everyone, every notion, every idea, every imagination, every fact and even has generous room for fiction. Our constitution is the supreme binding force, which most eloquently outlines the set of principles that we all shall uphold in our conduct. The creators of the constitution kept the provision for the document to remain current by giving the legislators the powers to add, delete and modify laws. 

'Rule of law' was established, peace-loving and law-abiding citizens of this great nation, allowed the book of the constitution to shape our lives and thus a contour of the modern Indian identity was forged.

In the last 73 years, India conceded multi-party, multi ideological political parties to be formed and operate freely and fairly, as should be the case in a liberal civil society. Evolution is not always a happy process, it is effectively about becoming 'something else'; when species get lucky, they develop into a form that gives them the ability to cope up and adapt to the changing circumstances better and to survive first and then thrive. There are also times when evolution goes wrong which results in the extinction of the species. The idea of nationhood is deeply connected with the system of governance and in a multi-party democracy, politics is equated with governance in an umbilical bond. A highly competitive political system, opens the stage for lateral entries, leading to a wider stage of participation but it also inadvertently reduces mainstream constructive, and citizen-led narrative to a number game; in which getting to 2/3rd majority becomes more important that journey that a party or an individual takes to get there. The number and only the number matters - this mindless, rush creates grounds for all kinds of practices to creep in the electoral process. Morality is forgotten and is often considered a hindrance in the path of blatant and audacious ambition. Citizens unknowingly start craving for a bloody fight; gladiatorial contest comes up for display, every time elections are announced.

In the transition of power from colonial rule to democratic self-governance, in the last 73 years, we have had a peaceful run. When I say that I discount the passionate political jostling, poor policymaking and missteps that might have been taken by various leaders, to further the cause of their 'idea of India'. The first dastardly attack was launched on the state by the daughter of the 1st PM of the country and the freedom fighter who spent nearly 4K days in jail in the struggle for independence, when she declared emergency, rolled back fundamental rights and jailed every voice of opposition. The nation was young then it had not forgotten the freedom struggle, it got back together, brought her to her knees and the atrocity ended in 2 years.

The 2nd and perhaps, even more, potent blow to the founding principles of India is underway now. This time we are living in an undeclared emergency. This version of the attack is intelligent, sophisticated, aided ably by legal and commercial resources and it wears the mask of the mandate of the people but is every bit as brut as all authoritarian regimes have been in the human history. In 6 yrs of BJP-RSS rule under PM Modi India has witnessed, a departure from its rich traditions. The large heart of the republic seems to have shrunk itself so that it could be hidden and locked inside the bud of the lotus flower, the political symbol of India's right-wing. In the last 6 years, we have seen dissent being punished, jailed and even killed. Individual liberties have been crushed under the feet of the strong deep state. Almighty PM rules on whims, he showed his dictatorial streak for the first time when he invalidated 84% of currency notes in circulation. Economic destruction that followed still has not passed us. India is undergoing the rise of majoritarianism, values of constitutional morality have been forgotten. Parliament, the temple of democracy, is used as a notice board, the tradition of debate on legislation is no longer in vogue. The PM steamrolls every piece of legislation by force of brute majority in the lower house and the upper house, institutions like CBI and ED are unleased to make those opposing to fall in line. Election after election we have seen opposition leaders and their aids raided by the central agencies, and if that does not work out, a perfect deployment of horse-trading wins the day for the ruling party. Goa, Haryana, MP and Karnataka are fine examples. Weeks before the 74th independence day, the ruling party was hell-bent to bring the Rajasthan assembly down too; but it survived against all odds.

Nehruvian consensus does not have the approval of the ruling dispensation. How article 370 was abrogated and then the manner in which an entire state was converted in an open jail is no secret, a year has passed but still, all the political leaders of the valley have not been released. Those who have come out have had to trade their right to speak about the abrogation on a bond for freedom. The supreme court refused to hear the petition of habeas corpus, as a result, it is pending for over a year; citizens are under curfew without (high speed) internet for nearly a year in the world's most militarised zone and all of this in Bapu's land under a functional democracy.

A wise man once said that 'we have very strict rules but it gets compensated by the fact that none of us is required to follow them all, at all times' - such is the state of our constitution at the moment. If you look closely you'll find democracy is in suspension. Civil rights in recession and the state freedom of speech can be assessed by the fact that a lawyer was found guilty of contempt of the court because he tweeted criticising the CJI; the fact that the lawyer is a harsh critique of the PM and also a political opponent should tell you the rest of the story. The ethnocultural diversity that India recognised and celebrated as a strength has been lost too. We're no longer a land of equal citizenship, for the first time in its history, the parliament signed off on a bill that takes 'religious' identity of a person before granting citizenship, into account- CAA. No prizes for guessing that the Hindu right-wing party in power excluded, Muslims and accepted everyone else, in that piece of legislation. Dissent is being criminalised, poor Dr Kaleef is in jail for 6 months and a day before the 15th of Aug, his stay has been extended by 3 more months, for making a speech criticising strong man CM of the ruling party.

Founding fathers of the nation envisioned an India on the ideals of shared patriotism, but that notion is being challenged by the communal supremacists, who believe India is the place for Hindus and everyone else and especially Muslims are 2nd class citizens. Communal majority under the gab of poplar sovereignty is asserting its right-wing ideology upon the soul of this nation, that was built for all people, on the principles of 'equality before the law'.

Time has come for India to unite again to fight to retain its freedom from - majoritarianism, despotic rule. To re-establish, a humane liberal state one which values civil liberty and liberal constitutionalism. India needs to find its provincialism from the darkness of cultural and religious nationalism, that surrounds it. Constitutional morality is required to be established again, dissent needs to find its respectable space again in the public discourse. Media needs to be freed from clutches of the fascist forces. Indian people have to come together to protect the diversity of the state.

We need to resurrect the India of love, the India of hope and the India of equality again.

My idea of India recognises her identity from antiquity to eternity but not at the cost of freedom of its citizens.

Jai Hind .. Jai Bharat.

Independence in "New India"!

When I came into being, our beloved country was 38 yrs old, & in its infancy .. 34 yrs fast forward when I’ve already lived half of my life ( according to current life expectancy limits, though my mother thinks I’ll live for centuries), it is still a toddler. Yes, 72 yrs in the life of a nation is not too long, and in the prism of history for a country that has recorded chronicles of over 4000 yrs, it is on a relative scale, shorter than 15 minutes if all of it were to be squeezed in 24 hours. Given that, what we’ve achieved as a nation is nothing short of admirable .. we must stand in respect for all of us because each one of us has contributed in our own unique ways in making it, what it is today! (applause .. applause)

Much like our own life .. our country is also in every way imaginable our own making, completely!

For all that is right .. we can pat ourselves on the back and for everything that doesn’t feel quite the same .. we need to look ourselves in the eye and question why? Irrespective of our political affiliation, religious identity, regional recognition or personal belief systems .. we are just as much responsible. 

The question that we need to really ask ourselves is what is India to us, today if being independent means anything .. what is it and what is that we’re willing to do to make it work; to our taste and liking. We will need to take a break from living between reportages and phases of festivities to create time and atmosphere needed to confront ourselves with this important question.

Our septuagenarian nation has come of age; in words of our Prime Minister, from fragile five we have undertaken the journey of becoming the 6th largest economy in the world. Such a progress couldn’t have been possible without hard work and selfless service of many unsung heroes. The tale of India is an unending series of untold stories of struggle, glory, pride, and devotion .. details that will never come to the fore but its cumulative impact is seen and felt by all. Both successes and failures are relative, and so is freedom!

Our great nation is free .. a lot more than many Arab and South African countries and a little less than the western world ; we aren’t any less sovereign than any recognised country of the world, the comparison that I bring here has got more to do with utility of day to day freedom and openness that we get to exercise. It is not always a bad thing to be wherever we are. Our transformation has been every bit so as much dramatic as it has been wholesome, from being an agrarian economy, we had our little affair with industrialization for a few decades and lately we have been making great strides in information technology and services with a very solid backing of start ups, mostly internet based and into consumer market. India in the last decade has created more billionaires than it has ever done in the past. However, what Dr. Tharoor once said in his famous speech in the UN is also true. He had said India is such a diverse country that for anything that you say about it .. opposite of it is also true.

As a country, we are also among nations with the highest concerns on infant mortality, malnutrition, poverty, lack of healthcare and sanitation, social inequality, economic disparity and gender bias. Latest world hunger index houses india’s name at a position that is nothing to be proud of; but then for an infant to have achieved what it has is not all that bad. When you have a landmass that is 7th and a population which is only 2nd to the most populous with a ton of diversities, to lead - it is not easy to bring uniformity and make sure that everything keeps progressing at the same rate. Some indicators will move ahead at a greater pace than the others and we have be to accepting of that. As long as nothing is being ignored willfully or mistakenly forgotten.

India is what Indians will make of it .. it is a choice that you and I make everyday .. when we think and also when we take actions.

Vast majority of leaders: political, bussiness and even spiritual (yes, Baba’s have a view too and why not?) since last general election have given the idea of “New India” a lot of time and mention in their public speeches. Because I’m a student of history it is my cardinal responsibility to bring facts to the fore. The term “idea of India” was coined by freedom fighter, writer, poet, statesman par excellence and India’s first prime Minister: Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. In fact, the term “New India” is also his. He has written extensively about it in his correspondence with the great Mahatma, Sardar Patel and Rabindra Nath Tagore. Pandit Ji also wrote many letters to Englands’s contemporary leaders, on one occasion even to the queen, elucidating the Idea of India and also the new India! Little mention is given to him for having acted upon on his ideas ( IIT, IIM, ISRO etc) .. but we all understand why is that so, don’t we.

The architect(s) of modern India beyond doubt was Pt. Nehru’s himself, his cabinet, the constituent assembly and everyone else who took Bapu as their moral guardian and worked on his ideals and principles - to give our glorious past a way into the future and most of what we see today is an extension of that, actually a hell lot of it, 95%! 

"The Idea of new India" is a valid, vital and also a powerful concept, anything and everything that is alive needs reproduction to remain in life ..it is true for a nation too. We do need to renew our commitment towards our motherland, every now and then to see which way are we going to steer this nation into. I’m not someone qualified or even capable of giving the idea of new India .. its complete contours, but because I’m as much an Indian and therefore, must have a view.

In the new India .. we must have these from the old India continue, is what I'd like to argue!

Regard: For our glorious past, we must make concerted & continuous effort to protect our history .. the generation ahead of us deserves to know the truth, whole of it. They need to know about Gandhi, Chandra Sekhar Azad as much as they should know about Mughals, & the Ashokas. History must not be allowed to be retold to make a political argument or emboss someone’s contribution beyond his deed or to silent the others. You may choose to not follow or like Nehru but you can’t take him out of the textbooks, that will be an injustice to the Idea of new India. Because we became a nation on the principles of truth and non violence. So we gotta tell the truth! 

Respect : We have to respect everyone, even our opponents. Gandhi ji once said, the kind of freedom that disallows or disincentivizes my opponents from airing their difference with me when I’m in power .. such freedom is undesirable and I wouldn’t want it. ( these weren't his exact words, I’m telling the story with my own expression but the meaning has been kept intact). So, we gotta respect difference of opinion even in the new shiny India. We do not have to agree with whatever we do not like or find not right .. but we must not gag others.

Responsibility: All of us have the responsibility to live up to the ideals on which India was formed. We became one on the guiding principles of plurality. "Progress can be peaceful" should be pursued as a core belief, it doesn’t have to be strenuous and fierce at all times. And to make it happen, we only have to accept that the dignity of humans is sacrosanct. Civility has been relevant in the old India and will be useful in the new India too, must be continued with. It is upon us to be welcoming of change, accepting of diversity that surrounds us in all directions. No nation can exist without conforming to a set of laws, therefore we must remain lawful, in all that we do, big and small.

Democracy is an entrant from the Modern India and it is an amazing thing ; we must take it forward to all shapes and corners of new India too.

With these thoughts .. I’d like to wish each one of you a very happy Independence Day.

I leave you with a video message from Indians who have to say what freedom means to them 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lT16PIhAak) 

See you in the next one!