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Resist atheist assault on Hindu scriptures
By Shachi Rairikar
Mahatma Gandhi?s ashes were immersed in all the major rivers of the world except the Indus as the government of Pakistan had refused to grant permission for the same on the grounds that they did not want to pollute it with the ashes of a kafir (non-Muslim). That is how Pakistan treats India?s father figure. This disgraceful attitude of Pakistan cannot and should not be allowed to be wiped off from Indian memory.
It is a well-established fact accepted by scholars all over the world that in no ancient culture, civilization or religion of the world, were women held in so much esteem as amongst the Hindus. Hinduism is the only religion that places the feminine on a par with the masculine in the profound concept of Shiva-Shakti culminating in the image of Ardhanarishwar.
Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) president K. Veeramani has alleged that the Ramayana, one of the oldest and well-known epics of the world, besmirched women. The DK leader also said that the Bhagavad Gita and Manusmriti too denigrated the women folk. Hence, a demonstration would be held soon and these sacred scriptures of the Hindus would be burnt to ashes.
The Ramayana is the national epic of India. With numerous translations in vernaculars, the Ramayana has become an inspiration for millions of Hindus. Mahatma Gandhi praised the Ramacharitamanas of the 16th century poet Tulsidas as the greatest work in the entire religious literature of the world. The Bhagavad Gita is said to be the most beautiful philosophical song in any language. It has been read daily and recited by millions across the vast expanse of India over the centuries. Men and women from all over the world have drawn inspiration from it. Mahatma Gandhi had turned to the Gita for light and guidance in times of crisis.
Is it not puzzling why Veeramani has chosen only these great Hindu scriptures for disgraceful treatment? It is well known that the religious books of the Semitic faiths, especially the Quran of the Muslims and the Bible of the Christians, accord women a secondary position, denigrate women far more than any Hindu scripture. The Quran requires the woman to be covered from the head to the toe, gives the testimony of a woman only half the weightage as that of a man, authorizes the man to have multiple wives, whom he can divorce by uttering a single word thrice, concubines and women slaves while there are no such provisions for the woman, who is expected to be faithful to her husband and adultery is gravely punishable. The Bible in its teachings degrades women from Genesis to Revelation. It perceives woman as a possession of man. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leading figure of the early women?s rights movement wrote about the Bible, ?I know of no other book that so fully teach the subjection and degradation of women.? She was of the opinion that the Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women?s emancipation.
But Veeramani does not dare to inflict similar insults on the Semitic scriptures. Is it that he is not aware of the derogatory attitude towards womanhood in these texts? Or is it that he is aware of the well-known tolerance of the Hindus who would swallow dishonour without protesting, while their counterparts in the Muslim and Christian community are not as thick-skinned and would go to any extent to register their objections and protect their honour? Or is it because Veeramani is another domestic Hindu face of the prosperous international anti-Hindu lobby which has found safe home in the sold-out, so-called secular quarters of this country?
Or is it because Veeramani knows that the UPA government of India would pay no heed to the hurt sentiments of the majority Hindus who form 85 per cent of the Indian population but would take instant action to protect the sentiments of the privileged 15 per cent of the population who are called the Muslim and Christian minority? Past experiences show that whenever the slightest disrespect was shown to Islam in any part of the world, Muslims all over the world protested, most often violently. When a cartoonist in Denmark made some cartoons of the Prophet, Muslims in India carried out violent protests and the Indian government communicated its concern to the government of Denmark because the act had hurt the sentiments of a section of Indian population. But no violent protests happened and the same Indian government took no action when the Hindu sentiment was brutally hurt due to the demolition of temples in Malaysia and Kazakhstan. Also, the person who made obscene paintings of many Hindu gods and goddesses and even the national deity Bharat Mata continues to enjoy the honour of the second highest civilian award bestowed by the government of India in spite of the gravely wounded majority sentiments.
While it is true that all religious texts in the world might be interpreted to have some positive and negative values, it is certain that none of them were created with a bad intention. All have their share of good and bad, highs and lows but none deserve to be burned to ashes.
Will the cause of woman empowerment be served by the burning of few religious scriptures that have done greater service than harm to the mankind, in general, and the Indian society, in particular? Will the ashes of some of the greatest works on philosophy, spirituality and morality that have been the guiding stars to the Indic civilization since times immemorial make the lives of the millions of Indian women any better? Will the insult shown to most revered scriptures not deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian women, a large majority of whom are highly religious and have undaunted faith in their religion and culture?
It is a well-established fact accepted by scholars all over the world that in no ancient culture, civilization or religion of the world, were women held in so much esteem as amongst the Hindus. Hinduism is the only religion that places the feminine on a par with the masculine in the profound concept of Shiva-Shakti culminating in the image of Ardhanarishwar. It is indeed an irony that under the pretext of women?s liberation Veeramani has chosen to abuse a religion that elevates woman to the position of divinity.
Veeramani?s action does not seem to be sincerely inspired by the cause of women. It seems to be just another excuse to defame Hinduism. Is Veeramani?s hatred for Hinduism so great that it leaves no scope for any prudent analysis, for the consideration of hurt sentiments, for better ways to work towards women empowerment? Or are the rewards of denigrating Hinduism so great that any kind of introspection seems worthless?
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Foreign Secretary revisits Partition crimes
Foreign Secretary Shiv-shankar Menon has described the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, as a ?citizen? of the sub-continent and said that the Jinnah House in Mumbai would be used in such a way that takes care of sensitivities of all the people of the sub-continent. Being the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Menon is of course aware of Indian history, Jinnah?s villainous role in the same and the public emotion that is deeply associated with these issues. India bestowing such respect upon the person largely responsible for her division and the death and devastation of countless of her citizens is indeed outrageous. Jinnah?s crimes against humanity in general and Indians in particular are well known.
Jinnah?s ill intentions are very evident in his proclamation made on August 16, 1946, declared as the ?Direct Action Day? for the purpose of winning a separate Muslim state, ?We shall have India divided or we shall have India destroyed.? The fateful day had begun with political demonstration by Muslim League in Calcutta which culminated into a period of communal riots, one of the worst in Indian history, wherein thousands of Hindus were looted, injured and brutally killed.
An important incident following Direct Action was the Noakhali district massacre in October 1946. Noakhali, now in Bangladesh, had a Muslim majority. The Direct Action Day riots in Calcutta spread to other regions, reaching this district where a massive pogrom was organised against the Hindu minority. The Hindus were ethnically cleansed from the region and the death toll is estimated to be in tens of thousands. During the massacre the Hindus were killed and beaten, their properties destroyed. Many Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam and Hindu women were abducted and raped. The widows of the slain Hindus were forcibly married to the Muslims after converting them to Islam at point of weapon. Muslim mobs looted and destroyed Hindu temples and forced Hindus to consume beef.
Jinnah was successful in his blackmail and the Indian National Congress finally succumbed to his demand for Pakistan leading to a very painful Partition of India. The resulting exchange of population and the ensuing communal carnage saw millions rendered homeless and thousands perished on both the sides of the border.
Even after the Partition, Pakistan has been a continued source of trouble for India. Three wars, all initiated by Pakistan, on-going infiltration, tension along the borders, cross-border terrorism, drug trafficking, ISI networks in India, the list is long. The Hindu population in Pakistan dwindled down due to the ethnic cleansing carried out systematically in the years following the Partition. Atrocities and human rights violation continue to be committed against the handful of Hindu minority in Pakistan even today. In spite of Pakistan?s never-ending mischief, India, in its perpetual ever forgiving mode, has made a peace initiative, trying to bring the two governments closer.
Jinnah can very safely be adjudged as one of those persons in the history of the sub-continent who have been directly liable for bringing large-scale death and destruction. Not a single act of his can be interpreted to be in India?s interest. Whatever might be his personal achievements or merits, Jinnah?s set of sins committed against India is so grave that he can never ever be vindicated. India venerating Jinnah would be akin to the Jews revering Hitler.
Since its liberation from Pakistan, Bangladesh also owes no respect to Jinnah. Jinnah has never played any significant role in the lives of the other countries of the sub-continent, namely, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Of all the countries of the sub-continent, Jinnah enjoys only the respect of the people of Pakistan, the country that he almost single-handedly created. Thus, the idea of Jinnah being a ?citizen? of the sub-continent is indeed ridiculous and stinks of hypocrisy.
India?s experiences with Jinnah are too gory to be forgotten or forgiven. We have paid a very heavy price to fulfill Jinnah?s ambition of becoming the premiere of a Muslim nation. Absolving Jinnah of his sins by conferring on him the citizenship of the sub-continent is a blatant insult to the memories of thousands of innocent Indians who were devastated by his perverted ideology and its inhuman implementation. The government of India, in its extravagantly generous effort to take care of sensitivities of all the people of the sub-continent, has conveniently chosen to trample on the sentiments of her own people who form the largest chunk of the population of the sub-continent.
It is also important to note here that Mahatma Gandhi?s ashes were immersed in all the major rivers of the world except the Indus as the government of Pakistan had refused to grant permission for the same on the grounds that they did not want to pollute it with the ashes of a kafir (non-Muslim). That is how Pakistan treats India?s father figure. This disgraceful attitude of Pakistan cannot and should not be allowed to be wiped off from Indian memory.
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