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Friday, February 20, 2009 16:34 IST

Get this: they’re not the same thing. I am a great admirer of Hinduism. It has a breathtaking range of thought, belief, idea of worship, understanding of humanity and the cosmos. It can touch you on a number of levels from the mundane to the profound. The depth and wisdom of the Upanishad are unmatched by any other belief system in the world. The mythology is a fascinating chronicle of the relationship between humans and the divine.

But Hindutva? Now that contains neither wisdom nor understanding. It is an insecure idea, based on a feeling of inferiority. It engenders and propagates hatred of others and seems to have bypassed Hinduism completely. It claims to protect Hindus, but this protection largely seems to be by killing or subjugating everyone else. The tenets, ideas and beliefs of Hinduism play no role in Hindutva at all.

So, people like me, we don’t like Hindutva. I do rather like Hinduism (though I must confess I am not a believer in anything). I also know that, like all religions, Hinduism has many inconsistencies and many faults. I do not see this as a criticism. All religions have inconsistencies and faults. That appears to be a nature of faith and is part of an old, old, argument about faith over reason.

Oh, yes, and I am a great fan of our great Constitution. All this immediately makes me a target. I become liberal and secular (and, shock, horror, female!) and such words are thrown at me as if they are great insults. I can hear them now: “You, you pro-democracy person, you, get out of my sight!”

Yeah, right.

6 comments

Here is a pop analyst engaging in profundity and finding herself out of her depth. Hinduism is a system of interconnected beliefs and mental states that aim at a holistic life and harmony with one's environment, familial and societal. God is a mere adjunct, a marker for the lay person so he/she can concentrate and clear his/her mind. Hindutva is a concept born out of the need to counter the political power exercised by Muslims and of late by Christians who have realized that in the fragmented polity of India numbers are the sole determinant of importance in a democracy. Therefore Hindutva reminds Hindus as a group of the need to coalesce around a political platform that protects and advances Hindu interests and ensures that Muslims and Christians do not usurp the rights of the 82% majority population because of their "ability" to blackmail the so-called "secular" parties. Secularism in contemporary political parlance means anti-Hindu policies and appeasement of Muslims and Christians. The visible form of the Hindu backlash is Hindutva which will keep gaining momentum so long as the politics of appeasement remains.

Please read the book Lies, Lies And More Lies: The Campaign To Defame Hindu Nationalism (ISBN 0595435491. available on Amazon) to understand the true meaning of Hindutva different from the ideas that you carry.

There has been no religion called Hinduism. Tell me, from which ancient text did you get this term?

The ancient religion or belief system was called SANATAN DHARMA — for which there was never a beginning nor will there be an end. That is why even 1,000 years of slavery and oppression were unable to destroy that belief system.

If you want to understand Sanatan Dharma, which is now called Hinduism, you will immediately know the greatness of this religion.

Bharat Bhumi for many years was under attack from barbarians and ruled by people who tried to force their customs and preach their religions. So many distortions were introduced in the texts and practices of this dharma to defame it. But still you see it alive and going strong. You are fortunate to born a SANATANI, or a Hindu, as you may call yourself.

It is the duty of all of us to remove the distortions from our practices and follow the one and only SANATAN Dharma. I will take just one example. People quote the caste system as a serious evil of Hinduism, supposedly propagated by Manu. Well, in the Mahabharat, if anybody has gone through the text of Yudhisthira's samvad with a yaksha, he clearly says a Brahmin is one who does the deeds of a Brahmin, not one who is merely born a Brahmin. It was only in later years that we got intoxicated with self-pride and the downfall of BHARAT happened.

There seems to be some confusion. The word 'Hinduism' denotes the principle whereas the word 'Hindutva' denotes the state of being a Hindu (an Indian in today's context) and believing in and practising Hinduism.

Your comments do not seem to be proper. What is wrong in working for the protection of Hindus (Indians)? Hinduism desires the well being of every living creature.

It is wrong to say "...protection largely seems to be killing or subjugating everyone else". I hope you believe in and pray to Prabhu Ramchandra and remember that though he killed Ravana he did not subjugate Lanka. Even in recent history, the late Smt Indira Gandhi, a Hindu by birth, did not annexe the country or subjugate the people after a conquest.

In contrast, what the followers of Islam and Christianity did is well known. Let us not distort or forget or wilfully ignore historical facts.

you said you are a non-believer and don't believe in god. that means you are an atheist. so don't talk about Hindusim or Hindutva. instead write about interesting topics such as drugs, alcohol, etc.

Today's Hindutva as defined and projected by politicians and their ilk is an insecure idea and, without doubt, propagates hatred. The dharm Hindutva, however, is still a great way to understand who we are.