To damage Hinduism, you don’t need Muslims. Rabid, narrow-minded Hindus are capable enough of tarnishing their own religion
Hinduism is going through a metamorphosis. “Dharm Sansads’’ are throwing up new Hindus. The new lot is different from the older folk who were assimilating, generous and believed in coexistence. The new ones do not mind digging their teeth into the other's skin and spewing venom. The media seems to be amplifying their message while the Government and the leaders look the other way. The new Hindus who are perpetrators of Hindutva 2.0 mince no words, are unapologetic, dangerous, direct and, yes, fearless of the consequences. Are we ready for it, don’t know, justified certainly not; is it for real? Definitely. And, like it or not, it is here to stay.
Recently a Dharma Sansad (religious parliament) was organised by Yati Narasinghanand, the priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad. It was held over three days during 17–19 December, 2021. Almost all the speakers were saffron-robed Hindu ascetics. Many of them hailed from akharas.
The theme of the conference was quite interesting, “Islamic Bharat Mein Sanatan dharma ka Bhavishya” -- The Future of the Sanatan Dharma in Islamic India. There is so much in the theme to decipher that itself speaks volumes about the mindset of the organisers and attendees alike.
To begin with, they believe that India is an Islamic nation; something even the RSS and the BJP would have a problem conceding. Surely it is detrimental to the credentials of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is often dubbed to be a right-wing Hindu sympathiser. Now though rightwing hardcore is itself denying that. India is an Islamic nation headed by Prime Minister Modi! Forget about a Hindu Rashtra; according to them, it is not even secular.
Lo and behold, all these years the pseudo seculars, urban Naxals, ''tukde tukde'' folk had been implicating Prime Minister as a Hindu hardliner. In a sense, the Dharma Sansad was more against the BJP and Prime Minister Modi than Muslims. They believe that Hindus do not have a future in India and so they must take up arms and kill anyone non-Hindu, Muslims in particular, so that a pure Hindu Rashtra, a Hindu-only Rashtra can spring up. Those who do not believe in democracy termed their event ‘’dharma Sansad’’ – religious parliament where there is no scope for plurality.
The so-called defenders of Sanatan dharma forget that Sanatan dharma survived Khiljees, Tughlaqs, Aurangzeb, generally known for their anti-Hindu policies. So what are the odds that it would not survive in a country being ruled by RSS supported right-wing Hindu party? Zero, nought, zilch!
Coming to the Sanatan Dharm, well let’s get our facts clear. If anybody who has worked relentlessly to destroy and circumvent it, it is santandharmis themselves. Had the great seers at the dharma Sansad spared some thought to tell people what Sanatan dharma means, things would have been clearer. Sanatan Dharm or the eternal religion is the universal law of nature. It stresses the need for self-purging, abstaining from falsehood, violence, sexual misconduct and stresses purity of mind and soul.O
Of course, reading Vedas and Upanishads is highly recommended to understand the divine order. Now how many Hindus have read, let alone understood, the Vedas and Upanishad? About purging, the lesser said the better. Harbouring ill will hatred animosity anger anxiety greed is the anathema of Sanatan dharma. We are all partners in crime in bleeding Sanatan Dharma.
Haridwar is not the only place where defenders of faith made themselves heard. Suresh Chavhanke, a TV channel chief, gave a call to “fight, die and kill if required” to make India a “Hindu nation" on December 19. In Raipur, a certain Kalicharan abused Mahatma Gandhi.
Call it an obsession with Muslims or their anxiety to prove their militant credentials, they are just walking the path of Islamic jihads and doing what they did to their religion. Jihadists the world over have publicised Islam as a religion of hate and vengeance. So moderate Muslims, which are in majority, are left explaining that Islam is a religion of peace and is all about forgiving and being compassionate. Think of it, a few more so-called dharma Sansads, we all would be explaining the same about Hinduism. Tough times are ahead for moderate Hindus.
To make it to the political main stage, they may give a call for genocide and the Governments may look the other way for a while but it will not go very far. The ruling party and its leaders are keen to seek validation from the western press. In the times of the internet, nothing remains under the wraps and it throws them into a serious image crisis.
As for the guy who administered an oath to kill the Muslims, do not overreact. Prison is no solution. Suresh Chavhanke is a cute guy. He is perhaps overtaxed. Running a TV channel and fighting imaginary enemies took a toll on his mental health. He would better take a sabbatical and go on a vacation, maybe to Agra where he can visit Taj Mahal (okay, Tejo Mahalya) to relax and also find time to visit its world-renowned facility for his mental check-up and correction.
(The writer is a columnist and documentary filmmaker. The views expressed are personal.)