Martha Nussbaum's views published in Tehelka(1) “The IIT mindset feeds into the fascist nature of the Right”, as well as Amartya Sen in his book, “The Argumentative Indian” have pointed out the disturbing aspects of the Hindutva movement. It is unfortunate that what was started as a movement to take Hinduism to Hindus worldwide has taken a very confrontational and political slant with support from the BJP. It was started as an activity of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The VHP traces its roots to the Chinmaya ashram in Powai. The VHP was co-founded by Swami Chinmayananda(2). However, the original intent got hijacked and it took on another life altogether as a reaction to the increasing tension between the Hindu-Muslim communities. When that happened Swami Chinmayananda distanced himself from this movement. Another factor that fueled Hindutva was the conversion activities of Christian Missionaries in tribal and rural areas.
There were Hindu-Muslim riots that date as early as the 1930’s. The Hindu/Muslim conflict till the 1980’s used to be contained in the “underclass”. In Mumbai, it used to be between the Muslim underclass and the Shiva Sena dominated Hindu underclass . We all were of the opinion in South Mumbai that there was "cachra" in both communities and that the conflict was contained within the “underclass’. In the sixties I used to visit Mangalore and my cousins would mention how the Muslims are multiplying profusely and that politicians were responsible for inciting frequent riots. In the mid-70’s I used to tell my IIT buddies who dated Sophia girls to visit the Haji Ali mosque at sunset time. When my father found that out he admonished me and said it was a dangerous thing to do. He had a prejudiced view of the Muslim underclass. On the other hand, he trusted his life to a Muslim friend when he was in Calcutta during the riots after Independence. My father also used to criticize the conversion activities of the missionaries and I would respond that at least they are helping the disenfranchised, who were being ignored by the mainstream.
The Congress Party had a lot to do with deepening this divide, by their constant pandering to the Muslim community for their votes, which goes on to this day. That coupled with the regressive influence of the Imams, underclass Muslims became more and more conservative and to some extent are responsible for deepening the divide.
This Hindu/Muslim animosity brewing in India for centuries has reached a flashing point. Unfortunately, there is now an emergence of Hindu/Christian animosity as well because of the Missionary activity. A number of the "underclass" Hindus and Muslims have risen to the middleclass and this rift has accompanied them. The Babri Masjid incident(3) and Gujarat riots(4) have only made things worse. The Congress Party holds the BJP accountable for this incident. They accuse the Modi government of looking the other way in Gujarat during the first few days of the riot. Incidentally, when Indira Gandhi was shot in 1984, the Congress looked the other way while over two thousand Sikhs were killed(5). There are skeletons in every political party's closet.
These days, the perception is that the Muslims incite most of the riots. For instance, they round up or buy cows for slaughter. The Bajrang Dal, which is a youth wing of the RSS, intervenes when they see this. The confrontation takes an ugly turn and riots result in property being damaged and lives being lost. There was violence in some cities when the Muslims protested against the “Mohammad Cartoons” (6), the hanging of Saddam Hussein. The protest against Taslima Nasreen sparked a major incident in Calcutta. Muslims raise hew and cry when their sentiments are hurt, but at the same time they fail to respect the cow, which rightly or wrongly hurts the sentiment of Hindus(7). At the risk of digressing, I was thinking the other day, that the cow is the world’s best and most efficient composter. You feed it vegetable leftovers and grass and twenty-four hours later out comes manure and fuel. Why can’t we look at an old cow as a resource, instead of a liability?
Muslims are treated differently and in some cases they get preferential treatment. For instance, non-tax paying Muslims are given an airfare subsidy to make the Haj pilgrimage. The claim is that the subsidy is gone, but subsidized fares are provided by AIR INDIA. Also Urdu medium schools are given assistance by the Government, much to their detriment(8). Many of these schools are sub-standard and raising a generation of Muslim children that are ill equipped for the current environment.
And then Hindutva, took on an bizarre turn under the BJP regime, when text books were re-written by unqualified individuals to incorporate their beliefs that had no rational standing. The proverbial pendulum swung to the other extreme. Well, just as Indira Gandhi was ousted after emergency, so too was the BJP sent packing.
Faced with all of this, there is significant resentment in the moderate Hindu community. Being tolerant by nature, they complain and look at the VHP and Bajrang Dal as their proxies in fighting for their grievances to be addressed. The anti-Muslim sentiment exists tacitly in mainstream India.
The cocktail drinking intellectual crowd crows about secular India, while having no idea whatsoever on what is happening in the hinterland! And the current manifestation of Hindutva has given them an ideal punching bag.
In Gujarat, Hindutva has been amplified by Mody and has taken a new avatar and has been branded as Moditva. His views are a source of discomfort even to the National BJP party, which is still smarting from the drubbing they got in the last election. The Modi government is criticized for ignoring the plight of the Muslims. He is of the mindset that government should facilitate economic progress and a rising tide lifts all boats. Gujarat has many Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The reports are all praise for the way they have gone about facilitating the acquisition of land, as opposed the fiasco in Nandigram and Orissa. At the same time, he preaches Moditva, which is looked upon as fueling communal disharmony. The perception is that the Muslims have "crossed the line" and need to be contained. There is some truth to both aspects of this statement. A segment of Muslims are ruining it for their entire community. Isn’t this a situation worldwide? Why do we see India as any different?
The Congress Party berates Modi for abandoning the very principles professed by Gandhi. And the Congress has been true to some of Gandhi’s ideology. Gandhi after all was partial to Muslims and Dalits. Harijan is no longer a politically correct term. Ambedkar didn’t and present day Dalits do not view Gandhi as having done them any favours. The Congress Party views this as their mandate for pandering to Muslims and other backward minorities for their votes. Gandhi was impartial to his own children and treated them harshly. This aspect of Gandhi is lost in the rhetoric and one can say that the Congress Party has exploited this attribute of Gandhi to the detriment of India.
All in all Gujarat it appears has been presented with two bad choices. A Modi victory would endorse his “right wing” policies. It will amplify the divisive under current that exists today. In many ways he is the George Bush of Gujarat. A Congress victory would endorse their “pander to the minorities” stance. This would continue to let this under current simmer and it may subside, remain or erupt some other day. Someone mentioned there will be other Modi’s who will emerge.
For India to progress, it is hoped we take a secular strong-stand against indiscretions by any community, and not single out a particular group. Rioting, violence leading to injury/death and destruction of property must be prevented by force if necessary, with it being made clear that parties involving in such activities aside from being arrested and booked are liable to get hurt in the process of crowd control. Under the auspices of Secularism, India has established different laws for Hindus, Muslims and Christians. A Uniform Civil Code has been talked about for ages, but no political party has had the wherewithal, guts or balls to get it passed and implement it. Each political party gets “political mileage” from the status quo.
That said, the basic tenets of Hindutva are worth propagating. Hinduism being a very unstructured religion is not well understood, by the Hindus themselves. Hindusim is not preached. Hindu Temples are places of worship and rituals. People go there, pray, have a ritual performed and leave. A Hindu doesn’t go to a temple to learn more about Hinduism. In fact the essence of Hindu philosophy is absent and does not exist in a Temple. It manifests in Ashrams. There are no edicts that must be followed. One does not get expelled or admonished for misconduct by a Temple Priest or Ashram Swamy. People choose what they wish to adopt and embrace. All a Hindu needs to do is be a good individual and in doing so, they are good Hindus. The Hindutva movement was intended to provide a resource that Hindus can avail themselves, if interested, to learn more about Hinduism. The Bhagavat Gita is one of the many Hindu scriptures and the majority of Hindus have not sat through an entire reading of the Bhagavat Gita, which takes just an hour day for a week. The majority to Hindus can’t read or write! Hindutva was an attempt to bring some organization to Hinduism and make it a resource for Hindus. It is unfortunate that some zealots have tarred it. Which in itself is a testimony to Hinduism. For Hinduism is a religion of choice, not edict. Many organizations have tried to introduce the notion of conversion to Hinduism, where none exists. One adopts Hinduism by accepting the validity of all religions and accepting that the “God” of one does not supercede the “God” of another. Unfortunately, other religions have taken advantage of this tolerant aspect of Hindus in India, and equally unfortunately, this has caused an adverse reaction with increasing Hindu militancy.
There were Hindu-Muslim riots that date as early as the 1930’s. The Hindu/Muslim conflict till the 1980’s used to be contained in the “underclass”. In Mumbai, it used to be between the Muslim underclass and the Shiva Sena dominated Hindu underclass . We all were of the opinion in South Mumbai that there was "cachra" in both communities and that the conflict was contained within the “underclass’. In the sixties I used to visit Mangalore and my cousins would mention how the Muslims are multiplying profusely and that politicians were responsible for inciting frequent riots. In the mid-70’s I used to tell my IIT buddies who dated Sophia girls to visit the Haji Ali mosque at sunset time. When my father found that out he admonished me and said it was a dangerous thing to do. He had a prejudiced view of the Muslim underclass. On the other hand, he trusted his life to a Muslim friend when he was in Calcutta during the riots after Independence. My father also used to criticize the conversion activities of the missionaries and I would respond that at least they are helping the disenfranchised, who were being ignored by the mainstream.
The Congress Party had a lot to do with deepening this divide, by their constant pandering to the Muslim community for their votes, which goes on to this day. That coupled with the regressive influence of the Imams, underclass Muslims became more and more conservative and to some extent are responsible for deepening the divide.
This Hindu/Muslim animosity brewing in India for centuries has reached a flashing point. Unfortunately, there is now an emergence of Hindu/Christian animosity as well because of the Missionary activity. A number of the "underclass" Hindus and Muslims have risen to the middleclass and this rift has accompanied them. The Babri Masjid incident(3) and Gujarat riots(4) have only made things worse. The Congress Party holds the BJP accountable for this incident. They accuse the Modi government of looking the other way in Gujarat during the first few days of the riot. Incidentally, when Indira Gandhi was shot in 1984, the Congress looked the other way while over two thousand Sikhs were killed(5). There are skeletons in every political party's closet.
These days, the perception is that the Muslims incite most of the riots. For instance, they round up or buy cows for slaughter. The Bajrang Dal, which is a youth wing of the RSS, intervenes when they see this. The confrontation takes an ugly turn and riots result in property being damaged and lives being lost. There was violence in some cities when the Muslims protested against the “Mohammad Cartoons” (6), the hanging of Saddam Hussein. The protest against Taslima Nasreen sparked a major incident in Calcutta. Muslims raise hew and cry when their sentiments are hurt, but at the same time they fail to respect the cow, which rightly or wrongly hurts the sentiment of Hindus(7). At the risk of digressing, I was thinking the other day, that the cow is the world’s best and most efficient composter. You feed it vegetable leftovers and grass and twenty-four hours later out comes manure and fuel. Why can’t we look at an old cow as a resource, instead of a liability?
Muslims are treated differently and in some cases they get preferential treatment. For instance, non-tax paying Muslims are given an airfare subsidy to make the Haj pilgrimage. The claim is that the subsidy is gone, but subsidized fares are provided by AIR INDIA. Also Urdu medium schools are given assistance by the Government, much to their detriment(8). Many of these schools are sub-standard and raising a generation of Muslim children that are ill equipped for the current environment.
And then Hindutva, took on an bizarre turn under the BJP regime, when text books were re-written by unqualified individuals to incorporate their beliefs that had no rational standing. The proverbial pendulum swung to the other extreme. Well, just as Indira Gandhi was ousted after emergency, so too was the BJP sent packing.
Faced with all of this, there is significant resentment in the moderate Hindu community. Being tolerant by nature, they complain and look at the VHP and Bajrang Dal as their proxies in fighting for their grievances to be addressed. The anti-Muslim sentiment exists tacitly in mainstream India.
The cocktail drinking intellectual crowd crows about secular India, while having no idea whatsoever on what is happening in the hinterland! And the current manifestation of Hindutva has given them an ideal punching bag.
In Gujarat, Hindutva has been amplified by Mody and has taken a new avatar and has been branded as Moditva. His views are a source of discomfort even to the National BJP party, which is still smarting from the drubbing they got in the last election. The Modi government is criticized for ignoring the plight of the Muslims. He is of the mindset that government should facilitate economic progress and a rising tide lifts all boats. Gujarat has many Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The reports are all praise for the way they have gone about facilitating the acquisition of land, as opposed the fiasco in Nandigram and Orissa. At the same time, he preaches Moditva, which is looked upon as fueling communal disharmony. The perception is that the Muslims have "crossed the line" and need to be contained. There is some truth to both aspects of this statement. A segment of Muslims are ruining it for their entire community. Isn’t this a situation worldwide? Why do we see India as any different?
The Congress Party berates Modi for abandoning the very principles professed by Gandhi. And the Congress has been true to some of Gandhi’s ideology. Gandhi after all was partial to Muslims and Dalits. Harijan is no longer a politically correct term. Ambedkar didn’t and present day Dalits do not view Gandhi as having done them any favours. The Congress Party views this as their mandate for pandering to Muslims and other backward minorities for their votes. Gandhi was impartial to his own children and treated them harshly. This aspect of Gandhi is lost in the rhetoric and one can say that the Congress Party has exploited this attribute of Gandhi to the detriment of India.
All in all Gujarat it appears has been presented with two bad choices. A Modi victory would endorse his “right wing” policies. It will amplify the divisive under current that exists today. In many ways he is the George Bush of Gujarat. A Congress victory would endorse their “pander to the minorities” stance. This would continue to let this under current simmer and it may subside, remain or erupt some other day. Someone mentioned there will be other Modi’s who will emerge.
For India to progress, it is hoped we take a secular strong-stand against indiscretions by any community, and not single out a particular group. Rioting, violence leading to injury/death and destruction of property must be prevented by force if necessary, with it being made clear that parties involving in such activities aside from being arrested and booked are liable to get hurt in the process of crowd control. Under the auspices of Secularism, India has established different laws for Hindus, Muslims and Christians. A Uniform Civil Code has been talked about for ages, but no political party has had the wherewithal, guts or balls to get it passed and implement it. Each political party gets “political mileage” from the status quo.
That said, the basic tenets of Hindutva are worth propagating. Hinduism being a very unstructured religion is not well understood, by the Hindus themselves. Hindusim is not preached. Hindu Temples are places of worship and rituals. People go there, pray, have a ritual performed and leave. A Hindu doesn’t go to a temple to learn more about Hinduism. In fact the essence of Hindu philosophy is absent and does not exist in a Temple. It manifests in Ashrams. There are no edicts that must be followed. One does not get expelled or admonished for misconduct by a Temple Priest or Ashram Swamy. People choose what they wish to adopt and embrace. All a Hindu needs to do is be a good individual and in doing so, they are good Hindus. The Hindutva movement was intended to provide a resource that Hindus can avail themselves, if interested, to learn more about Hinduism. The Bhagavat Gita is one of the many Hindu scriptures and the majority of Hindus have not sat through an entire reading of the Bhagavat Gita, which takes just an hour day for a week. The majority to Hindus can’t read or write! Hindutva was an attempt to bring some organization to Hinduism and make it a resource for Hindus. It is unfortunate that some zealots have tarred it. Which in itself is a testimony to Hinduism. For Hinduism is a religion of choice, not edict. Many organizations have tried to introduce the notion of conversion to Hinduism, where none exists. One adopts Hinduism by accepting the validity of all religions and accepting that the “God” of one does not supercede the “God” of another. Unfortunately, other religions have taken advantage of this tolerant aspect of Hindus in India, and equally unfortunately, this has caused an adverse reaction with increasing Hindu militancy.
1. Nussbaum Article: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?filename=hub081207The_IIT.asp
2. Origins of VHP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishwa_Hindu_Parishad
3. Babri Masjid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babri_Masjid
4. 2002 Gujarat riots: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_violence
5. 1984 Anti-Sikh riots: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Anti-Sikh_riots
6. Hubli Riots protesting Danish Cartoons: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1156077806483&pagename=Zone-English-Muslim_Affairs%2FMAELayout
7. Tiptur Riots: http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120750260100.htm
8. Urdu Schools: http://www.indiaedunews.net/in-focus/May-June_2007/Urdu_as_medium_is_endangering_the_Muslim_student_1301/
