The Hans India | 23 Dec 2018 5:30 AM IST
HIGHLIGHTS It is sad that Naseeruddin Shah, one of my all-time favourites, feels threatened but says that he will not run away from the country, getting the cow into his arguments The Holy Quran and the Mahabharata also cropped up in his conversation It is unfortunately a political statement against the ruling party and adding to the extreme pressure our PM.
It is sad that Naseeruddin Shah, one of my all-time favourites, feels threatened but says that he will not run away from the country, getting the cow into his arguments. The Holy Quran and the Mahabharata also cropped up in his conversation. It is unfortunately a political statement against the ruling party and adding to the extreme pressure our PM has been facing from the first day of his term. It is ironic that a religion and culture of Hinduism known for extreme theological tolerance since centuries stands accused of ‘caste atrocities’ and ‘cow hypocrisy’.
The cow needs protection, said even Mahatma Gandhi, but our rulers and people mostly ignored him. Things just rolled forward in the malicious definition of secularism as appeasement of minorities and of liberalism as abuse of the Hindus by our post-Independent ruling party and academicians. Suddenly, a fringe group develops, whose methods to protect the cow most Hindus condemn, even the uneducated ones, and they become the defining point of the ‘violent conversion’ of a peaceful India under a new fascist regime. A Hindu thought of extreme tolerance even allowing a silent subjugation; and a plasticity to absorb anything into its fold is its only way according to many intellectuals and celebrities. Unfortunately, any deviation from this established paradigm or the slightest assertion becomes ‘intolerance’, ‘violence’, and worse, ‘terrorism.’ It is sad indeed.
The biggest and the most unpardonable failure of the Congress over so many decades of uninterrupted rule after independence is that they could not set up an all-inclusive grand national narrative, which every citizen irrespective of religion, caste, creed, or language could be proud of. They blew a wonderful opportunity. A malignant discourse harped on our warts; negated past secular achievements; and avoided our spiritual roots to build a future, confusing secularism with religion. A political mishmash of European democracy and Russian Socialism did not help matters with ideology coming in the way of defining patriotism and national pride.
Sanskrit became a Brahmanical exploitative language, Ramayana and Mahabharata became exclusive ‘Hindu’ scriptures and so did the Vedas. These belong to the land and its people and existed centuries prior to the coming of any organised religion into India. It was before ‘Hinduism’ also got a definition. This land of Sanatana Dharma with its acceptance of all paths including atheism, and acceptance of even science belongs to all. It was indeed a tragic short-sightedness of our nation-builders and text-book writers to equate Sanatana Dharma with the narrowly defined Hinduism.
In a desperate desire for power common to a democratic system based on elections, the division of the people on every single issue continued following independence. The Congress replaced the British in this regard. Sri Aurobindo was worried about the Congress policy of appeasement instead of all-inclusive common narrative many years before Independence. I am not a fan of any political party, but the BJP is just an outcome of the extremely long divisive policies rampant in our politically charged country. The BJP simply asks now for a joint Hindu vote. If this happens after a full six decades, surely our intellectuals and celebrities from all religions and castes should reflect on the reasons. They should talk about solutions rather than making statements sure to harden stances.
Dr Pingali Gopal, Warangal
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