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Readers? Forum
California textbook controversy (Organiser, 30-4-2006); The California textbooks are dumping on Hinduism, every societal ill is blamed on Hinduism. Strangely, other countries somehow have escaped this fate. For example, they state that Hinduism discriminates against women. Now, we do know that in other countries women are also discriminated, but only in India is it due to the dominant religion? My Mexican colleague complains that Mexican society is very male-dominated. Now that?s a Catholic country, so then Catholics discriminate against women? No sir! The amazing thing is that somehow Islam comes off better than Hinduism! Think about that, the same Islam, where in some countries, women have to cover themselves from head to toe, cannot drive, cannot be alone outside, their word counts for half of a man. By the way, which is the only major religion to have a female god? For centuries, western countries have dominated the globe, and Christianity has had a free rein in shaping public opinion. Hindus need to wake up to this game. For example, do the Christians broadcast that Christianity is the most segregated religion of all? That their religion lends itself to segregation. No other religion is as segregated as Christianity. Here in the US, there are Spanish churches, black churches, white churches, Korean churches, and wait, we haven?t yet covered the hundreds of denominations, Catholicism, Protestantism, etc. If dalits were to build their own temple and call it dalit temple, these same westerns would be shouting about how Hinduism forces out the lower castes. Yet, their own religion forces out people who look different, people like blacks are segregated into their own churches, localities. My Mexican colleague tells me that her area has become more and more Spanish, and the older white Americans resent it. So, you guessed it, some of them have moved out, others are building their own ?white? church. That?s what happens when blacks start moving into an area. Whites see them in church, and suddenly there is white flight! No other faith comes close to this much segregation. The only religion that is unified is Hinduism. These are our temples, not your temple or my temple. Once the caste discrimination goes away, Hinduism will be truly unified.
?JAYANTI PATEL,
Chicago, US
Alert police provide providential protection (Organiser, 11-6-2006); The Maharashtra Police should be complimented for foiling the attempt of the terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba to storm the headquarters of the RSS in Nagpur. This incident reminds us of the similar attempts made on the Parliament and the Ram Temple at Ayodhya by the so-called jehadi stooges in the past. Prima facie it appears that there are deeper sinister designs to harm our nation and there is more to it than meets the eye. An attempt has been made for the first time on the intensely patriotic and nationalist organisation?s headquarters and the conspirators should be brought to book at the earliest. Police should also investigate the patronage extended by the locals in this conspiracy. Can?t we emulate US and go after the terrorists? Hunt the terrorists into whatever territory they belong to. It?s time to safeguard ourselves and remain vigilant. Perhaps this is a precursor for the things to follow in future.
?N. NAGARAJA RAO,
12-11-1394, Raghavendranagar, Secunderbad
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The attack shows the terrorists? desperation to stall the India-Pakistan peace process. Pakistan has perfected the art of holding peace talks with us, on the one hand, and providing incessant financial and moral support to the terrorists, on the other. The need of the hour is proactive action like dismantling training camps in PoK.
?RAJIV VASISTH,
Jaipur
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The Maharashtra Police deserve to be congratulated for foiling the terrorist strike on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. At the same time, the extent to which Islamist terrorists have spread their network in and around the country is reinforced with every such attack. India has become a soft target for terrorists, more so under the UPA regime. The repeal of POTA has contributed significantly to the image.
?R. BHATNAGAR,
Vikas Puri, New Delhi
A game twice lost (Organiser, 11-6-2006); It is heartening to read that the respected President has returned the Bill on Office of Profit. He has understood the sinister design of our politicians that too with retrospective effect. He wants the criteria to be fair, reasonable and in a transparent manner. Besides, he rightly questioned the motive of retrospective effect. In fact, every job of politicians is nothing but an office of profit at the cost of the ailing common man and the exchequer.
?B.S. GANESH, 70 /9, Hanumanthnagar,
12th Cross Bangalore
India reserved on quota (Organiser, 4-6-2006); Reading your editorial, it is observed that you can?t support reservation, support the striking anti-reservationists. You (RSS-BJP) and Arjun Singh (Congress and Left) are in the same boat when you say, ?No politician in India can afford to oppose reservation.? Reservations in educational institutions have to be based on caste because some castes control the whole social and economic structure while others are left to rot in society.
?NEERAJ NANDA,
Editor, South Asia Times, P. O. Box 465, Brentford Square, Victoria 3133, Australia
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Your articles and editorial focussing on the reservation/quota politics are excellent and have been published at a right time. I would like to share with my fellow readers of Organiser that this quota politics are the dirty tricks of our selfish ruling class to divide the society, especially Hindu samaj on caste/creed lines.
?KALIDAS,
ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd., Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
UPA trying to make Hindus minority (Organiser, 28-5-2006); In this article, all the blame for reservation is thrown on Arjun Singh and V.P. Singh. Though both are basically from the Congress, the fact is that Mandal Commission was appointed by Smt Indira Gandhi, who gave its recommendations to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Knowing that if Mandal recommendations were implemented, unrest among the youths might spark, which might spoil his image. So he kept the recommendations in the shelf but V.P. Singh, just to strengthen his vote-bank, made it public. And now Arjun Singh is trying to overpower V.P. Singh. Today just because of this reservation/quota, more than three lakh posts in India have been lying vacant for the last more than 10 years. These leaders can?t provide candidates for these posts till date, but to strengthen their vote-bank are increasing the quota. What a great joke with the nation at the public exchequer!
?RAHUL MATHUR
by e-mail
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B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution, had desired reservation for OBCs etc for 10 years. The actual reservation stands materialised for 60 years. Can anybody quote a single instance when any one from the reserved class has come out and touched the glory of exemplary intelligence in any walk of life? To my knowledge none. The reservation will divide Indian masses without any good to the reserved class. Spoon-feeding will further harm their possible growing self-confidence. Forget reservation. Coach them separately to level of intelligence and then let them proceed on their own in life as self-made confidence-filled citizens.
?H.R. MITTAL,
329, Sector 4, Panchkula
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The writer wants to know: ?Why is there a competition to be backward instead of forward?? The answer is simple: The so-called secular leaders of this country refuse to see that progress can come only through economic advancement of a society. Social equity and upliftment of masses cannot be achieved by making all the people remain in penury and suffer mediocrity. Progress has been what caste-based reservation blocked so far. However, every politician is deeply committed to perpetrating the system. Worthies like union minister Meira Kumar are irked by the ?slow pace? in implementing the ruinous policy in private business too. That would ultimately mean nationalisation of industry and back to permit-license-quota raj, when the trend all over the world is to let governments only regulate business. To not let the government run businesses, so that regulation can be effective and unbiased.
?SAMPATHKUMAR IYANGAR,
23, Manmohan Apartments, Purushottamnagar, Ahmedabad
Da Vinci: Cross with the Code? (Organiser, 28-5-2006); An excellent article by Sandhya Jain, as always! I have read the book twice over and have seen the film. I think it?s great. To pack all that the book contains in a film is a major feat and I applaud the makers for having created a masterpiece. Those who rile against the book forget what the book is actually trying to say?the sacred feminine has been suppressed by the Church. Christ?s marriage, his human qualities, etc, are secondary in that context. Concentrate rather on his ?message? to mankind. The Church has suppressed women over the ages and has used its extensive powers to suppress any dissent. Three hundred years of the Inquisition, in Europe and the world?including India?is proof enough, if any were needed. Be open-minded and be ready to investigate the truth. What you have heard, read, been taught, is not necessarily the truth. The book/film is a great eye-opener.
?BHAGWAT SHAH,
Assistant Project Manager,
Equinox team, Technical Account Manager, X-series,
IBM Systems & Technology Group
UPA sleeping over Doda carnage (Organiser, 21-5-2006); We are greatly concerned about the recent terrorist acts in J&K. The recurring incidents of violence are extremely distressing. What is needed is for Muslim political leader and clerics to show courage and denounce terrorism loud and clear without any ambiguity. Unfortunately, at present their denunciations are normally diluted with words citing the cause behind terrorist activities, conveying a message of vague justification. Surely, there are many Islamic scholars and clerics who do not believe that any part of their religious book preaches the killing of innocents, but they choose to be mute.
?H.K. NIGAM,
A-1002, Panchsheel Heights,
Mahavir Nagar, Kandivli (W), Mumbai
Understanding history (Organiser, 14-5-2006); While trying to teach how to learn history, M.S.N. Menon opines that there are interpolations in the Bhagawad Gita. In support of his conclusion, he has quoted: ?Better one?s own duty (as per caste) though devoid of merit, than the duty of another (caste) well discharged.? Most probably he refers to verse 35 of chapter IIIrd of the Bhagawad Gita. He has supplied the ?caste? to reach the conclusion that the statement was absurd. Only those having superficial information of the Gita would say what is meant here is the duty of the caste. ?Dharma? here is the basic character and the temperament of a person. If a man by his basic nature is too compassionate and non-violent, he should not join the military or the police force. And, by force of circumstances, if he joins and performs his duties well, even then, he would not be as happy as if he were in some other profession like teaching, etc. That is the meaning of the verse.
?P.K.P. NAMBIAR,
?Shreyada? Edat, P.O. Payyanur
Courageous stand: We appreciate the people of Gujarat for their courageous stand on the issue of the film of Aamir Khan (Fanna). Aamir Khan deserves this and we fully support the people of Gujarat.
?AMAR JIT SINGH GORAYA,
51 Willandra Avenue, Griffith, NSW, Australia 2680
Paradoxes of the oriental mind (Organiser, 11-6-2006); Perhaps M.S.N. Menon should have stopped after the following passage. Inscrutable?that is what the West says of the Eastern mind. More so of the Japanese and Chinese mind. ?Buddhism turned the Indian into a man of peace; but it turned the Samurai (Japanese) into a man of war. Paradox? Yes, There is something in Japan that we are yet to understand.? The writer's knowledge of Japan needs a lot of work. He includes claims that Japan is made up 40 per cent of Christians! ?Today 40 per cent of the Japanese population is Christians!? Perhaps Korea but not Japan! Xavier and Catholics did a much better job in the 16th and 17th centuries than today with a Christian population of almost one per cent (Including scarcely Christian groups that no normal Christian would dare call Christian). If M.S.N Menon needs some basics on Japan perhaps he could search the web
?MILTON BEATTIE, Japan
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