Tag: Hindu Nationalism

Rahul Gandhi Is Spot On; Democracy Is Under Strain In BJP Rule

Rahul Gandhi Is Spot On; Democracy Is Under Strain In BJP Rule

By LokMarg

Lesley Foster, a student activist of St Xavier’s College, Bardhhaman, West Bengal, says our society needs to collectively work towards a vibrant and plural democracy. His views:

As a conscious citizen of India, I must state that I don’t belong to any political party and I don’t believe in violence. I oppose violence of any kind – in word or deed.

In this globalized world, we must tell everyone what is going on in India. If the BJP and RSS supporters can receive money from the US and other countries, and Narendra Modi can campaign for Donald Trump, then what is the problem with Rahul Gandhi talking about Indian democracy being under threat in the UK?

Despite the unfortunate situation in some parts of India, although a Christian, I have never had any feeling of being targeted in West Bengal, though I belong to a minority community. Like the Muslims, we are very much part of Bengali culture. But, with the coming of BJP, there is all-round concern due to the continuous propaganda of a so-called Hindu State, as is witnessed in the routine and dominant ruling party narrative. The divisive propaganda has entered the minds of young people as well. I am deeply concerned about this.

This disdain for dissent and critical enquiry is best seen in the current dispensation with overtly BJP-linkages at the prestigious Visva Bharati in Santiniketan, where I also stay and work. It seems they are keen on destroying all that Rabindranath Tagore stood for.

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Tagore has been a champion of diverse and inclusive cultures of this country (and the world) and he has given a new dimension to traditional festivals by transforming them to a vibrant, all-inclusive cultural festival. For instance, the ‘Poush Mela’ every year in winter, was initiated by his father, and over the years it has become an international fair of artisans and folk artists. Baul Fakirs would perform here for more than a century, and people would come from all over the world. Tragically, the current university authorities, aligned with the BJP, have stopped this intrinsically secular mela and have built a wall around the ground.

Why Indian democracy is in danger can be seen through the micro example in this world-famous centre for learning. The myopic authorities are persistent in maligning the alumni, residents of Santiniketan and all those who oppose whatever is happening. Even Noble laureate Amartya Sen, who visits and lives here in his ancestral home and is widely respected, has been attacked.

People from different countries come to visit Santiniketan because it is the place of Tagore, surrounded by the serenity of nature. In the outskirts there are tribal communities who are deeply connected with the culture and heritage of Santiniketan. Now, even this sublime space is under threat. As a concerned youth activist, I feel that we must engage with society, debate and discuss peacefully.

Foster with ‘Didi’ Manisha Banerjee

During Covid, for instance, there was sorrow, social isolation, death and despair all around. My mentor, Manisha Banerjee, popularly called Didi, Head Teacher of Labpur Satyanarayan Shikshaniketan, found a way to intervene effectively and help. A kitchen was formed to provide food to people affected with Covid and oxygen cylinders were provided to the patients. She formed a women’s team where her own daughter, Meghna, alongside Churki Hansda, Runi Khatun, Barnali Basu and others became the committed, 24×7 volunteers.

This incredible social engagement, in the most difficult circumstances during the pandemic, continued for five months, non-stop. Indeed, our services still carry on. We are only trying to make our country and society better.

As a sensitive youth, I must say that every young person must reach out and help so that this nation and its people can get a better tomorrow. In today’s world, there are youngsters totally involved with video games, electronic gadgets, etc. Few of them seem aware, but if all of us become awake, the big picture will become positive, life-affirming and full of hope, so that India can truly become a secular, egalitarian and democratic society.

Read More Article: http://13.232.95.176/

(The narrator is also a radio jockey in Lokayata Shantiniketan International Web Radio)

As told to Amit Sengupta

Attacks on Christmas Celebrations

‘Christians Faced Subtle Bias Earlier, They Face Violence Now’

By LokMarg

Raj Kumar, 24, a Protestant Christian from Bihar pursuing post-graduation in Delhi, says recent attacks on Christmas celebrations in several states is a growing and worrying trend

I’m a Dalit Christian (Protestant) belonging to Siwan in Bihar. Ever since I came to New Delhi for my studies, I have become an even more active member of the Church. Faith is important to me, which is why it pains me to see when one group of people attacks another group of people, just because they are practising their faith.

The recent attacks on Christians during Christmas in several states and the regular attacks on missionary schools is a worrying trend. I believe the very ethos of India, that is pluralism is under attack. As ‘We the people of India’, weren’t we all supposed to be one nation, one people? And I don’t understand the bogeyman of ‘conversion’ that people take recourse to when they attack people of a minority faith. Let me narrate how our family converted to Christianity.

While many people convert willingly because they feel discriminated against, it wasn’t the case with our family. My grandmother is the one who decided to embrace Christianity. My parents had been married for five years but had been unable to conceive. My grandmother went to different places to pray and in that similar vein she visited the church as well.

I was born soon after and she believed it was a miracle, which is why she took up the Christian faith. That was the turning point of her life. Faith is a very private and personal thing and people have different trigger points for different decisions. For me, the church is a like a psychologist, to guide me, motivate me, support me and help me become one with the community as well.

Kumar says radicalisation will have an adverse impact on Indian social fabric

As a child we did feel ‘othered’ as Dalit Christians but not to the extent as it is today. It was subtle, but since the last few years it has become an in-your-face kind of thing. The very people who talk about missionary schools being run by videshi dharm have their own kids getting the best of education in them.

It is the local level leaders and the aam janta that gets brainwashed at the idea of there being an enemy out there. The landlord of our church is a practising, socially active Hindu and says the only thing he wants is the rent on time and nothing more. I wish more people were like him. I worry if individual freedoms will take a complete beating in the coming days.

ALSO READ: ‘People Getting Touchy About Religious Identities’

Reports of lynching have become relatively commonplace and now alongwith Muslims, Christians are being targeted too. Personally I don’t feel scared because I have faith in God. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about the impact it is having on society at large.

As per a recent report, a whopping 80% of the food distribution to poor people was disrupted because it was coming from Christian organisations or countries. Shouldn’t we be caring about the poor? The pandemic finally made people feel how those practising a minority faith feel: socially distanced and isolated.

Back home in Bihar there have been news of pastors etc. being attacked. We need to bring back the idea of India and understand that hate constantly wants new targets and when there’s no one left, it turns inwards. I would like to remind everyone the poetic lines by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller who said:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Coexistence, A Unifying Factor For Indians

By Asad Mirza

A recent survey throws contradictory and unbelievable findings, yet it also underlines how an Indian really feels

For most political parties, sociologists and psephologists what a common Indian on the street thinks matters most. It is an insight into a common man’s psyche, which allows them to strategies and formulate new plans and narratives. Though the political parties are able to set the narrative for their own narrow agendas yet they are unable to control the common perceptions and thinking among the populace.

Studies like a recent one by the US-based Pew Research Centre’s Survey of Religion across India, helps not just the narrative formulators but also offers a peep into the common man’s psyche. The recent Pew study based on nearly 30,000 face-to-face interviews of adults conducted in 17 languages between late 2019 and early 2020 (pre-COVID-19), finds that Indians of all religious backgrounds overwhelmingly say they are very free to practice their faiths.

Religious Tolerance

Indians see religious tolerance as a central part of who they are as a nation. Across the major religious groups, most people say it is very important to respect all religions to be “truly Indian.” And tolerance is a religious as well as a civic value: Indians are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community.

Yet, despite sharing certain values and religious beliefs – as well as living in the same country, under the same constitution – members of India’s major religious communities often don’t feel they have much in common with one another. The majority of Hindus see themselves as very different from Muslims (66%), and most Muslims return the sentiment, saying they are very different from Hindus (64%).

Tolerance

Indians, then, simultaneously express enthusiasm for religious tolerance and a consistent preference for keeping their religious communities in segregated spheres meaning they live together yet separately. These two sentiments may seem paradoxical, but for many Indians they are not.

Indeed, many take both positions, saying it is important to be tolerant of others and expressing a desire to limit personal connections across religious lines. Indians who favour a religiously segregated society also overwhelmingly emphasise religious tolerance as a core value.

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In other words, Indians’ concept of religious tolerance does not necessarily involve the mixing of religious communities. While people in some countries may aspire to create a “melting pot” of different religious identities, many Indians seem to prefer a country more like a patchwork fabric, with clear lines between groups.

This is what I ascribe to the syncretic Indian values, which you’ll not be able to see in any western society. The Indians in spite of all differences and antagonisms try to view themselves as colours of a rainbow, which India is and this is what makes India, united.

Dimensions of Hindu nationalism in India

The survey reports that Hindus tend to see their religious identity and Indian national identity as closely intertwined: Nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64%) say it is very important to be Hindu to be “truly” Indian.

Most Hindus (59%) also link Indian identity with being able to speak Hindi. And these two dimensions of national identity – being able to speak Hindi and being a Hindu – are closely connected. Among Hindus who say it is very important to be Hindu to be truly Indian, almost 80% also say it is very important to speak Hindi to be truly Indian.

Overall, among those who voted in the 2019 elections, three-in-ten Hindus take all three positions: saying it is very important to be Hindu to be truly Indian; saying the same about speaking Hindi; and casting their ballot for the BJP.

Indian Muslims

Vast majority of India’s Muslims say Indian culture is superior. Today, India’s Muslims almost unanimously say they are very proud to be Indian (95%), and they express great enthusiasm for Indian culture: 85% agree with the statement that “Indian people are not perfect, but Indian culture is superior to others”.

Overall, one-in-five Muslims say they have personally faced religious discrimination recently, but views vary by region. Relatively few Muslims say their community faces “a lot” of discrimination in India (24%). In fact, the share is similar to the share of Hindus who say Hindus face widespread religious discrimination in India (21%).

In addition, most Muslims across the country (65%), along with an identical share of Hindus (65%), see communal violence as a very big national problem.

Muslims’ desire for religious segregation does not preclude tolerance of other groups – again similar to the pattern seen among Hindus. Indeed, a majority of Muslims who favour separate religious courts for their community say religious diversity benefits India.

South v/s North

The survey consistently found that people in the South (the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and the union territory of Puducherry) differ from Indians elsewhere in the country in their views on religion, politics and identity.

For example, by a variety of measures, people in the South are somewhat less religious than those in other regions – 69% say religion is very important in their lives, versus 92% in the Central part of the country.

Hindu nationalist sentiments also appear to have less of a foothold in the South. Among Hindus, those in the South (42%) are far less likely than those in Central states (83%) or the North (69%) to say being Hindu is very important to be truly Indian. And in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP’s lowest vote share came from the South. In the survey, just 19% of Hindus in the region say they voted for the BJP, compared with roughly two-thirds in the Northern (68%) and Central (65%) parts of the country who say they voted for the ruling party.

Other Contentious Issues

Most Indian Muslims opposed triple talaq. 56% said Muslim men should not be allowed to divorce this way. Still, 37% of Indian Muslims say they support triple talaq, with Muslim men (42%) more likely than Muslim women (32%) to take this position. A majority of Muslim women (61%) opposed triple talaq.

Similarly many Indians, across a range of religious groups, say it is very important to stop people in their community from marrying into other religious groups. Roughly two-thirds of Hindus in India want to prevent interreligious marriages of Hindu women (67%) or Hindu men (65%). Even larger shares of Muslims feel similarly: 80% say it is very important to stop Muslim women from marrying outside their religion, and 76% say it is very important to stop Muslim men from doing so.

The survey throws up many findings which may sound contradictory and unbelievable, yet they represent the true feelings of Indians, however convoluted they may be. And this contradictory yet assimilating feeling is what makes India what it is.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on issues related to Muslims, education, geopolitics and interfaith)