I was reviewing some old news videos and one that struck me as needing a response was “Intolerant Hindus”. This particular video had an actress of a few years ago and now a member of the INC, Urmila Matondkar, mentioning how the hindus had become intolerant in the past 5 years. I was enraged, but didn’t want to start typing with that emotion. Now, that I am calm, let’s discuss this issue. I call this a discussion because I would like you all to chime in, with your opinions.
When a country has a transfer of power from the British to the Indian National Congress, I can’t call it independence, I would have expected the then politicians to say, in a collective voice, “WE DON’T WANT ANYTHING THAT THE BRITISH DID TO THE COUNTRY TO NOW CONTINUE. WE WANT TO START AFRESH”. However, what transpired is now well documented. The then Prime Minister, along with some of his close followers, decided to continue with the same system. The result was a population that started believing in the manufactured lies being propagated about the different communities.
Hindus, I’m not sure why, became apologists for their community. Hindu festivals, the various gods and goddesses and everything else we can think off, came under scrutiny. Not the government’s scrutiny but that of the people. So much so, that today, our kids are ready to believe that when Jesus walked, the sea parted; but the same kids ask how Lord Vishnu could really come down to earth in so many forms?
The only one to blame is, no not the government, but ourselves for not having the intestinal fortitude to oppose such blatant misinformation! When I was a teenager, I had a friend (a devout Brahmin) who came to school (a catholic school)with his Nama. His grandfather had this permanently “branded” on his forehead. From when I can remember, he was always the object of ridicule, from both students and teachers, even though he was a brilliant student. Our society today still views us in the same light! In order to not be a ridiculed, we have become “closet” Hindus and put on an armor called Secularism.
After 67 years of this mis-information, we get a person elected as a prime minister who is a proud hindu. All of us Hindus suddenly realize we don’t need to apologize and snivel anymore, but, can come out of that closet and proudly proclaim we are Hindus, too. We suddenly realize we need the same special treatment that was being meted out to the other communities. When the people collectively raise their voice, it becomes cacophony to those that, till 2014, used to pit the communities against one another, to stay in power.
The Hindu community unitedly stands for equality with other communities and against any attempts to defame Hinduism or its gods and goddesses. This, my dear reader, is what is unnerving to the erstwhile “rulers” of this country. Those that previously were mute were now proudly thumping their chests and claiming to be Hindus. The unity of the Hindu community was never expected; we still are not united. Many of us still live in a cloud! But more of that another time!
Violence is not just physical but one of loudness. You must be thinking, “this writer is going crazy.” In a crowd of a hundred people, if you are the only one stating something while the others disagree and scream, that does sound like violence to those that were expecting mute people to silently fret and fume but say nothing! I ask Urmila to name one instance where Hindus became violent? Just one? Please don’t even bring up Godhra as my retort will be “read the whole incident before saying Godhra”. Ms Matondkar seems to conveniently forget our History where we, as a community, were violated and killed by invaders. The Kashmiri Pandits are the latest victims.
When I told someone, a known Congress supporter, about this, her question stunned me! She said, “Why rake up the past?” Really? Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it! What Ms Matondkar did was rake up a perceived past, but that was okay as it played along with the Congress tune.
The Hindu is now standing for not just the Sanathana Dharma but for equality. Equality in terms of every day life; Equality in terms of employment opportunities and promotions; equality in terms of being treated as human, rather than less than human.
So, dear reader, Does this make us Intolerant? Or is it a reaction to us asking for fair treatment?