In the 'The Parliament of the World's Religions' on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago, Swami Vivekananda had said, "Say it with pride: We are Hindus".
He had started his speech saying, "Sisters and Brothers of America, it fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects... I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth".
Swami Vivekananda had stressed that he belongs to a religion that is the epitome of tolerance and respect, and that he firmly believes that all religion are equally true and practical.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches, has eulogized him and his ideals, multiple times, to make India the teacher of the world in terms of tolerance and accepting of all religions and faiths. Having heard Modi ji's speeches, it comes as a rude shock that Delhi's next door neighbor Agra witnessed one of the most intolerant religious act of conversion. The Muslim residents of Vednagar slum in Agra were told by Hindu activists from Dharam Jagaran Samiti that, under a development programme of the Modi Government, if they attended a 'Havan', they would get ration cards and other basic amenities. Around 250 people attended the ceremony. When the ritual was over, the participants were told that they had all become Hindus! Second fact to note is that Dharam Jagaran Samiti is affiliated to the RSS which shaped Mr. Narendra Modi as a politician. Even Bajrang Dal (the same Dal who gave Assam Bandh on a fabricated unsubstantiated news of Mr. Ajmal of AIUDF supporting terrorism) was part of this 'Ghar Wapsi' programme in Agra.
Which self respecting Hindu can stand with his head held high after hearing of such an intolerant immature act? Surprisingly, the opposite is happening with the newly powerful, self proclaimed guardian of Hindu religion, culture and traditions, the Sangh Parivar and its crony institutions. They want this shameful 'Ghar Wapsi' to be a even bigger agenda across the country. Even if one assumes that Indian Muslims were once Hindu, there should be a civil debate on this issue taking cognizance of history, religion and other social theories with experts from various parts of the country. Before embarking on a programme like 'Ghar Wapsi', there should have been attempts to understand the reasons why a sizeable percentage of people left the 'ghar' in the first place. Was there any issue with the 'ghar' that made living conditions unbearable, un-respectable to a certain section of the society? Is it imperative that we need to first build and repair the 'ghar' before asking those people to come back? Instead, these institutions want to leverage the majority mandate of the BJP Government at the centre to compel the Muslims to convert by either exercising power, or by promising Government benefits as bribes.
I call these people at the helm of these institutions ignorant, shallow, brain-washed adrenalin junkies. The ancient Hindu ideology of selfless sacrifice, magnanimous humanity and tolerance that Swami Vivekananda had preached in the early twentieth century has no relevance or relation to the Hindutva being preached and practiced by the right-winged aggressive politics of the present India.
to be contd..
He had started his speech saying, "Sisters and Brothers of America, it fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects... I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth".
Swami Vivekananda had stressed that he belongs to a religion that is the epitome of tolerance and respect, and that he firmly believes that all religion are equally true and practical.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches, has eulogized him and his ideals, multiple times, to make India the teacher of the world in terms of tolerance and accepting of all religions and faiths. Having heard Modi ji's speeches, it comes as a rude shock that Delhi's next door neighbor Agra witnessed one of the most intolerant religious act of conversion. The Muslim residents of Vednagar slum in Agra were told by Hindu activists from Dharam Jagaran Samiti that, under a development programme of the Modi Government, if they attended a 'Havan', they would get ration cards and other basic amenities. Around 250 people attended the ceremony. When the ritual was over, the participants were told that they had all become Hindus! Second fact to note is that Dharam Jagaran Samiti is affiliated to the RSS which shaped Mr. Narendra Modi as a politician. Even Bajrang Dal (the same Dal who gave Assam Bandh on a fabricated unsubstantiated news of Mr. Ajmal of AIUDF supporting terrorism) was part of this 'Ghar Wapsi' programme in Agra.
Which self respecting Hindu can stand with his head held high after hearing of such an intolerant immature act? Surprisingly, the opposite is happening with the newly powerful, self proclaimed guardian of Hindu religion, culture and traditions, the Sangh Parivar and its crony institutions. They want this shameful 'Ghar Wapsi' to be a even bigger agenda across the country. Even if one assumes that Indian Muslims were once Hindu, there should be a civil debate on this issue taking cognizance of history, religion and other social theories with experts from various parts of the country. Before embarking on a programme like 'Ghar Wapsi', there should have been attempts to understand the reasons why a sizeable percentage of people left the 'ghar' in the first place. Was there any issue with the 'ghar' that made living conditions unbearable, un-respectable to a certain section of the society? Is it imperative that we need to first build and repair the 'ghar' before asking those people to come back? Instead, these institutions want to leverage the majority mandate of the BJP Government at the centre to compel the Muslims to convert by either exercising power, or by promising Government benefits as bribes.
I call these people at the helm of these institutions ignorant, shallow, brain-washed adrenalin junkies. The ancient Hindu ideology of selfless sacrifice, magnanimous humanity and tolerance that Swami Vivekananda had preached in the early twentieth century has no relevance or relation to the Hindutva being preached and practiced by the right-winged aggressive politics of the present India.
to be contd..
Most of your ranting is speculation or bits gathered from so called 'secular' media vehicles and stitched together. (Mind you, secular is a very fashionable word these days....used to beat up anyone who doesnt share your views )
ReplyDeleteAnd mind you...you are unharmed because the religion that you are cursing in your article is actually a very tolerant one. Had it been otherwise as expounded by you, you would actually have been in trouble. Today you dare to say this because you know you will be forgiven and unharmed. Know, understand and acknowledge that !
Thank you for reading Aditi. Please tell me if I am factually incorrect. In general, Hinduism (Sanatan dharma) is a tolerant religion, however intolerance is increasing every day. There have been over 5 murders in India of people who tried to speak rationally against superstitions and other orthodox Hindu ideologies. Similarly in Bangladesh, two bloggers have been murdered. At least in Bangladesh, the culprits are with the Police. In India, there has been no accused till date. We have to stand up to rational thoughts.
DeleteI would expect a similar write up about ISIS and their ideology and your views about their deeds. Also you are assuming something like, a hungry tiger will spare a monk.
ReplyDeleteI also urge to read in details about Parshuram - the warrior Rishi and also the Gita. Apart from Karma-Dhyana-Gyana yoga Krishna also taught something very important to Arjuna at Kurukshetra.
Also about the Kamdhenu episode involving Rishi Vishwamitra.
It is also utterly suicidal and foolish to be tolerant among intolerants. The last one sums of view about everything.
Hemanta, like all the insecure fundamentalist irrespective of religions believe that there is a whole new breed of intolerant people and groups, you are also glorifying intolerance in the world. In reality, most people are tolerant and logical and peace loving.
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