Hinduism is a process and not a result, a growing tradition and not fixed revelation as in other faiths.
Dr S. Radhakrishnan
Deriding Hinduism and Hindu culture is fashionable. Indeed, nothing boosts the credentials of liberal Wokes than faulting Hinduism. Such a trend is not merely domestic but international. Suppose one seeks entry into the editorials or column sections of the likes of the New York Times or the Washington Post. In that case, one has to illustrate their contempt for Hindu culture. It is done through various versions of denunciations, be it social, economic, and, of course, political. Even the Khalistani extremists have Hinduphobia, an anti-thesis to what they were ordained to protect by their gurus. Are they more woke than really Khalistani and working for the Deep State among the western allies who came to support the hollow charges of Canada?
When Iran calls for Islamic unity, no one is shocked, for according to the Wokes and the Deep State they control in the West, this is secular. Any call to Hindu unity is threatening to those who want secularism, when they themselves are not secular. India is a plural country. Hindu unity is good, for it has to transcend caste, which has taken its political avatars as well. But dealing with it seriously came from Babasaheb Ambedkar as well as Veer Savarkar.
MOVING BEYOND CASTE
The frequent censuring of critics of Hinduism usually surrounds casteism. Before one gets more into this, it cannot be stressed enough—casteism is an evil practice, and it should be, as Dr Ambedkar says, “annihilated.” Yet, what is astounding about the critics of Hinduism is their unique unawareness and unwillingness to see Hinduism beyond the confines of caste. More importantly, there is a general lack of awareness about the fact that caste is not a Hinduism-specific phenomenon. Let’s be clear, casteism is a South Asian phenomenon. It exists within Muslims, as well as Christians as they claim benefits of reservation. Those who rightly commend Ambedkar for leaving the fold of Hinduism, never ask why he converted to Buddhism and not Islam. It is because he viewed Islam as no better than Hinduism. And keeping the political and cultural aspects in mind, he had this to say: “Conversion to Islam or Christianity will denationalise the Depressed Classes.”
Also, one must not forget Ambedkar’s views on Congress and Gandhi, which laid bare the hypocrisy and ingenuity about casteism and untouchability in India. The appeasement politics of the Congress go back to the Khilafat movement (1922), which divided the country along religious lines. Therefore, casteism was evil, but letting it stay was also criminal. Today, the talks of Hindu unity are premised on avoiding the same mistake as Gandhi and abolishing the silos of caste.
HYPOCRISY OF SELECTIVE SOLIDARITY
It is no wonder that the call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, to unite the Hindu population is not viewed as an attempt to desert casteism but a hegemonic religious endeavour. This myopia about Hinduism as evil is so strong that no matter the quality or veracity of arguments by the likes of Savarkar or even Ambedkar, they are sidelined. Their criticism of caste divisions is not given any serious thought or consideration. Savarkar, to such critics, is just a megalomaniac, not an abolitionist who viewed caste division as detrimental to Hindu and Indian identity that became so fragmented under the yoke of colonial repressions by the invaders and the imperial British.
A constant jingle one hears to statements of Mohan Bhagwat and Narendra Modi’s call for unity as incitement and a threat to minorities. It is regarded as “communal.” Yet, imagine the irony when the same critics accept and, in some cases, celebrate Iran’s call for all Muslims to unite against Israel. This is not considered jingoism, incitement, or supremacism, but a show of solidarity and unity. Is the licence and the right of unity reserved for certain religious groups or ethnic identities? When liberals call for equality, do not all religions have the right to mobilize against evils in society, which in this case is casteism?
EMBRACING HINDUISM WITHOUT LABELS
One of the key events this year was the Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya. Prime Minister’s speech at the event did not receive the attention and appreciation it deserved. The speech was interpreted as catering to Hindus and Hindu ideas. Yet, in his speech, PM Modi talked endlessly on one issue—the unity of Bharat and the way forward. The whole speech was adorned with ideas and ambitions for the country’s future, which is not to say that Hinduism and its ideals were absent from his speech. Instead, he utilized those ideas in letter and spirit by talking about the greater good of society and the country. Every time he used the name of Lord Ram or other references to Ramayana or Ayodhya, it was in a metaphorical sense to highlight the struggles of Lord Ram and his undying insistence on standing by higher values and ideals for the betterment of society. PM Modi neither asked anyone to become Hindu nor did he make a call to Hindus only. His call was to Indians, and it was simple yet concise—work for a strong India. Nevertheless, the speech was derided as communal, but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of Iran asking the Muslims of the world to unite and expel Israelis from their homeland is inspiring and a marker of solidarity.
One can be a Hindu without being anti-secular because Hinduism is not about labels and forcing oneself to change. It promotes and encourages dharma, the righteous path. All are free to follow. There are no judgment days that one has to fear in Hinduism, but only one’s own deeds and fragilities come back as karma. In such a sense, Hinduism is about material and supernatural harmony. It is about following the righteous path, which, by the way, even non-Hindus, including the seculars, can follow. For Hinduism, there are no external enemies but the enemy within oneself, and by following the righteous path, one can overcome that enemy, be a force for good for society and the country. The unity of Hindus is not a call to arms but a call for integrating under higher values for society and as a nation above one’s self-interests.
Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is the Vice Chancellor of JNU.