Is India now officially “Hindu”?
…Wall Street Journal thinks so.
And if the eminent WSJ says so (in a title, no less), it must be true, right?
During last weekend, came across this half-baked opinion passing off as a news-story (Note: this article is not available for free viewing; Subscription only) “How a Muslim Billionaire Thrives in Hindu India” – note the last two words.
It is written by Yaroslav Trofimov.
If the name rings a bell, there is a reason.
He tried to better his own record in this piece from a few days ago (Sept 19): “In India, ‘Untouchables’ Convert To Christianity – and Face Extra Bias” (Note: this article is not available for free viewing; Subscription only).
Do read Retributions’ review of the Azim Premji article and BarbarIndian’s take on it.
UPDATED: Additional posts that have have some relevance to this (in the broader context)
Of Turkey, Secular States and Religion
P.S. Thanks to “An only mouse” (see comment #4) for alerting me to this article, “A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation“. I found this sentence very interesting:
“The founders (of US) were not anti-religion. Many of them were faithful in their personal lives, and in their public language they evoked God.
They grounded the founding principle of the nation that all men are created equal in the divine. But they wanted faith to be one thread in the country’s tapestry, not the whole tapestry.”
Food for thought, I think.
I wonder why ‘Christian’ America and ‘Christian’ Britain have these ideas? I don’t think Catholic Italy is like that though, but I may be wrong… then ofcourse there is the question of ‘Muslim’ Turkey and ‘Jewish; Israel.
Strange that no one uses those terms to describe those countries, but they use it to describe India, even though we have a more diverse population!!!
??? ?? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? : Dr. Hedgewar
I fully agree with what above statement. But what should be the exact definition of a ‘Hindu Nation’ ?
I think this : A state where the head of the state is considered an avatar of Vishnu
Though the article might have been meant to slight India’s “Hinduness”, Yaroslav Trofimov , in effect, seems to have only succeeded to prove that anyone and everyone can succeed in India if he has the will. That is, going by the headlines.
Nevertheless, WSJ has erred in publishing the article with a misleading heading.
Unfortunately, I could not read the full article from the link provided.
Perhaps WSJ’s journalists should start reading NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/opinion/07meacham.html?incamp=article_popular
Nothing wrong in it.
India is clearly a Hindu nation.It is mentioned in Vishnu Puraan to Gurugranth Sahib.The very name Hindusthan of this nation removes all doubts.
The day it ceased to be a non-hindu nation, the first casuality will be its secularism and human-rights.
Nusrat Ali (ex-muslim)
Nita, Nandan, Jagmohan, An only mouse and nusratali:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It is unfortunate that labels like these are used so flippantly and with so little awareness of the context and implications.
Some of you will find this post interesting: “After flippant remarks, it is the turn of some flippant analysis“
Dear Sir,
It is ridiculous to count ourselves as a religious nation at all.
This nation has thrived on its diversity. The structure of this way of life is the thought of Dharma.
Dharma is something I understand to be the rightful duty of every person to live by his virutes.
If this is lost and if we do not go back to the understanding and living by the Dharma of this land we will not be any better than the Talibans/Evangelical Christians.
Let us not call it a HIndu nation as it has never been one. Let us call it the Dharmic nation.
Shri. Azim Premji, The Tata Family, The Wadias have thrived here not because it is a Hindu nation it is because the Dharma of the land permits them to survive as they are without being tainted by thoughts of the religion they belong to.
Regards,
vck
Dear v.c.krishnan!
why U R so fussy about the very word’Hindu’? As India was earlier named ‘Aryavart” then ‘Bharatvarsh’ and then ‘Hindusthan’ and then India.
Same country but different names.
Similarly its Dhama was earlier Adi dharma, then it was Sanatan dharma and then Hindu Dharma and now a days some call it Manav Dharma.But dharma is the same, names are differents.
Biggest mistake usually ppl do is that they consider Dharma to be a relegion. Relegion is a sectarion term where as Dharma is an universal term.
Hindu Dharm is not sectarian,it openly says as all rivers in the end mingle with ocean, smilarly all the ways of worshiping or all the devotees of God thru different ways reach Him ultimately. It says truth is one wise express it in various ways.
Can any other relegion say Islam or Chritianity believe the same thing? No.Because they are sectarian or cult like. They believe in expanding and dominating.They exist for muslims or christians and consider others either heathens or kafirs to be hated and killed.
Hinduism or Hindus or Hindutva is the basic “secularism”. Secularism is inherent in Hindu.India is secular only becaus Hinduism is secular, Because hindu is secular. Is Islam or Christianity secular?
But secularism of Communists,Islamists,Christian Missionaries is to hate and vanish everything named or associated with “Hindu”.
Aryavart’
I fully agree with Aryavart.
Now my question to VC Krishnan.
Why do you have a name? Can you imagine without a ID you could have log into your computer? and without a name and email ID you could post a message here? Is it possible for your parents to call you without a name/Id? or you call your childrens without a name or ID?
Identification is very important. Even we call Ishwara, Rama, Krishna, God etc using a name/ID. We identify all our body parts with different names and names only. So, a nation and its culture and dharma should have also a name. You may call it Dharmic nation or Vedic nation or Aryavart nation or Brahmavarta nation, Bharatvarsha nation, Bharat nation, Sindhustan or Hindustan nation or Industan or India nation. It is the same, changing bottles don’t change the wine (even wine looks different colors).
WSJ writer got the right courage, what we Hindus mostly lack. We fear to say that our nation is a HIndu nation becoz pseudo-secular brigdes will stamp us as fundamentalist Hindus. When that fear vanishes, every Hindu will proudly say Bharatvarsha is a Hindu Rastra/nation.
Bharatvarsha is a Hindu nation, as it derived its culture, philosophy, and dharma from Saraswati-Sindhu civilization. Those who live in this land are Hindus or Sindhus. The word Hindu is derived from Sindhu word, its not foreigner created it for us. Sindhu means auspiciousness, sindhu means nadi (rivers), sindhu means sagar (ocean), sindhu means culture and civilization.
It is time, Bharatvarsha must be officially declared as a Hindu Rastra/Nation and Hindu Dharma as its dharma. That does not means muslims, christians can’t live here or have to convert to Hindu dharma. No, they too belong to Hindu dharma. Dharma is the guiding principles of our nation. They may practice whatever the way they like but have to respect the Dharma of the nation.
DEAR Nusrat Ali (ex-muslim), Aryavart, and dear Bharat. wonderfull !
I love and agree to both of you.It is the quality of Hindu dharma only that it gives regard to others way of worship and tolerates other’s view-piont and allows an open debate for every issue. Similar is not the case of others.
1. There are nearly 52 Muslim countries. Show one Muslim country, which provides Haj subsidy.
2. Show one Muslim country where Hindus are extended the special rights that Muslims are accorded in India?
3. Show one Muslim country, which has a Non-Muslim as its President or Prime Minister.
4. Show one country where the 85% majority craves for the indulgence of the 15% minority.
5. Show one Mullah or Maulvi who has declared a ‘fatwa’ against terrorists.
6. Hindu-majority Maharashtra, Bihar, Kerala, Pondicherry, etc. have in the past elected Muslim as CMs; Can you ever imagine a Hindu becoming the CM of Muslim – majority J&K?
7. Today Hindus are 85%. If Hindus are intolerant, how come Masjids and Madrassas are thriving? How come Muslims are offering Namaz on the road? How come Muslims are proclaiming 5 times a day on loudspeakers that there is no God except Allah?
8. When Hindus gave to Muslims 30% of Bharat for a song, why should Hindus now beg for their sacred places at Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi?
9. Why temple funds are spent for the welfare of Muslims and Christians, when they are free to spend their money in any way they like?
10. When uniform is made compulsory for school children, why there is no Uniform Civil Code for citizens?
11. In what way, J&K is different from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh, to have article 370?
12. Why Gandhiji supported Khilafat Movement (nothing to do with our freedom movement) and what in turn he got?
13. Why Ghandiji objected to the decision of the cabinet and insisted that Somnath Temple should be reconstructed out of public fund, not government funds. When in January 1948 he pressurized Nehru and Patel to carry on renovation of the mosques of Delhi at government expenses?
14. If Muslims & Christians are minorities in Maharashtra, UP, Bihar, etc., are Hindus not minorities in J&K, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya etc? Why are Hindus denied minority rights in these states?
15. Do you admit that Hindus have problems that need to be recognized? Or do you think that those who call themselves Hindus are themselves the problem?
16. Why post-Godhra is blown out proportion, when no one talks of the ethnic cleansing of 4 lakh Hindus from Kashmir?
17. In 1947, when India was partitioned, the Hindu population in Pakistan was about 24%. Today it is not even 1%. In 1947, the Hindu population in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was 30%. Today it is about 7%. What happened to the missing Hindus? Do Hindus have human rights?
18. In contrast, in India, Muslim population has gone up from 10.4% in 1951 to about 14% today; whereas Hindu population has come down from 87.2% in 1951 to 85% in 1991. Do you still think that Hindus are fundamentalists?
19. Do you consider that – Sanskrit is communal and Urdu is secular, Mandir is Communal and Masjid is Secular, Sadhu is Communal and Iman is Secular, BJP is communal and Muslim league is Secular, Dr. Praveen Bhai Togadia is ANTI-NATIONAL and Bhukari is Secular, Vande Matharam is communal and Allah-O-Akbar is secular, Shriman is communal and Mian is secular, Hinduism is Communal and Islam is Secular, Hindutva is communal and Jihadism is secular, and at last, Bharat is communal and Italy is Secular?
20. When Christian and Muslim schools can teach Bible and Quran, Why Hindus cannot teach Gita or Ramayan?
21. Abdul Rehman Antuley was made a trustee of the famous Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, Mumbai Can a Hindu – say Mulayam or Laloo – ever become a trustee of a Masjid or Madrassa?
22. Dr. Praveenbhai Togadia has been arrested many time on flimsy grounds, has the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Delhi, Ahmed Bhukari been arrested for claiming to be an ISI agent and advocating further partition of Bharat?
23. When Haj pilgrims are given subsidy, why Hindu pilgrims to Amarnath, Sabarimalai & Kailash Mansarovar are taxed?
24. Afzal Guru,attacker on Parliament,isnot being put to hanging inspite of repeated otders of supreme court?Could he be spared in any muslim or christian country for the same crime? No terrorist has yet been hanged.
Very well said Dogra.Hats off to you for calling spade a spade.
But you are doing a great mistake.This is not a ‘secularism’
but a ‘dhimmism’. To know what is dhimmism,you have to surf a greate site http://www.faithfreedom.org. All UPA MPs are dhimmies,they can sell anything for muslim votes. All congi and lefty are dhimmies. It is a pseudo-secularism also.Look what have they done to your state Jammu&Kashmir.
O, Shiva,Rana,Gobind Ke Vanshaj ;
Aaj Phir Hunkaar Kar;
Likh Puneh Itihas Nootan;
Shatru ka Sanhar Kar .
May U live long to expose these deshdrohis and wake up hindus from its long drowsiness or slavery.
Dear All,
Let me asure you that I am not ashamed to call myself a Hindu. I do not want to called a “Hindu” as it is not what India is. I would like you to read about an article written by Dr. Morales, a reference to which hasa been by Shri Shantanu in another blog of his, where a British Historian has very clearly stated that Hindu is a corruption of the word Sindhu and that the thought of this side of this world is Dharma Shastra and not “Hinduism”.
Let me assure you that I am not belittling the word, but to create the right atmosphere, it would be very appropiate to think on the lines of Dharma rather the narrow “Western Christian” thought of “Hindu.
I am not afraid being bruised by the “Educated Intellectuals” as it gives me only more strength to understand the Dharma that I have to abide by.
I would still believe that we should live by the ideals of “Bharatavarshe” which is Dharma and not fall into the trap of Evangelism/Hinduism.
Regards,
vck
“
c v krishnan,better change your name to
c.v.kamsun.before 5 years hindus were not aware of
their religion and its core concepts like-
athma,karma,janma and moksha.now every hindu
try to learn about hindu dharma and also about other
religions suddently. after sonia-upa govt came in to
power, you can see in T V channals in the morning
and evening- evangelists preaching christianity and
open conversion and appointment of christians in
key posts pushing hindus to a thirdclass citizen
-see the facts below –
1) two rupee coins with cross as icon on one side.
2) 6 chief ministers of congress are christians
3) 3 union cabinet ministers are christians
4) churches in every villages in every state.
5) conversion is at peak now with population of
christians increased to 12% now while they silently
keep the figure low at 3.5%. hindus in kerala ,
andhra,tamilnadu,northeast states have now high
rate of conversion.
6) mizoram state ruled by congress has the flag of
cross. other states in north east have 90%christians
7) anti conversion bill passed by bjp state govts are
put on hold by congress appointed governers.
8) flow of missionaries funds coming in to india is
not regulated unlike before .this funds are used for
conversion of poor.
9) upa govt says – ram is myth and no proff of existence of ram sethu -can congress say that
jesus never exist .
10)voting decision for christians are decided on last
sunday before election in churches by their fathers
but hindus are divided on caste to avoid unity by same
politicians.british policy of divide and rule.
people like you posing as secularist,try to damage
hinduism and its root but your offsprings will curse
you once they are reduced to minority by 2055 as per
present rate of conversion according to VHP.
Dear Shri. Sriram,
You and I are really on the same side. Please understand that I am not in any way beliitling the word “Hindu” or that Bharat should not be a “Hindu nation”.
I do not want to believe in the narrow word of “Hinduism” which is being understood by the Christian Education Educated masses; All I am trying to say that this conspiracy of putting “Hinduism” as a religion is unpalatable to me.
I want the world to understand that great Scientists, Theoligans and Thinkers have understood “Hinduism” in the wider sense that it is not a “Religion” but something beyond it. There is a link in Mr. Shantanu’s other Blog, I will try and send it across to you which supports my argument.
I want the world to understand “Hinduism” it its greatest sense which will help the world and not this narrow interpretation of the “Christian Western World”.
Their belief ends with just 6000 years of the existence of the world wheras our Rishis have concieved even billins of light years through kalpas and Brahma years.
I want this light to light up the world! Please understand that if we continue with this “Christian concept of Hinduism” they will reduce this tradition to nothing and will destroy its very essence.
I do hope that I have conveyed my meaning to you.
Regards,
vck
Dear Shri. Shriram,
The link is “Hindu Cosmology”.
Regards,
vck
I came across a very vicious blog against Hindus – this is the link to it.
http://psychiereport.blogspot.com/
The author is a Christian woman living in Texas. She has spewed her hatred of Hindus in this blog, and the coward has not allowed readers comments LOL.
I posted a reply to her in my blog, the link to that is
http://christianmissionizing.blogspot.com/
Please take a look is you have the time, at the pure hate this woman has for Hindus.
Well done, Swati. This is one of the ways to deal with them. We need to counter them with facts and expose their soul-harvesting hate-business.
Christianity is run with hate (as opposed to love, they claim Christ teaches), one of the brilliant tactics they got for soul-harvesting business. Goa Inquisition by the cruel mass-murderer Francis Xavier (they call that cruel mass-murderer as St Xavier) has shown how much hate, aggression and violence they can carry out for soul-harvesting business.
The site below, their holy book, highlights the seeds of their intolerance, hate, violence, aggressiveness and other dirt methods of soul-harvesting business.
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/
We have to protect our dharma, then dharma will take care of us. Dharma rakshati rakshitah (Dharma protects those, who protects dharma).
Bharat
=====
Please don’t forget to give them the Real Good News:
jesusneverexisted.com
caesarsmessiah.com
christianagression.org
These hardcore xtian types grow up thinking that there is nothing wrong with xtianity, and never was. Xtianity is basically a cult which has been forced upon people by a caesar and has since been spread through torture, land-grabbing, and deceit. But that process also gave xtianity a lot of loot, and that money has been used to whitewash all the homicidal history of xtianiy, and make the natives think that xtianity is not only a real “divine religion”, but *the* way to go..
Spreading lies about Hindus makes you “liberal, broadminded”; spreading the truth about xtianity makes you a “vitriolic hindutvawaadi”…! Psec logic is wonderful..
..bharat and aryavart:-..this nation is india….it cant be hindu nation….coz it always had a mixture of religions and cultures always triving together in harmony in all the times of its past history….trying to ignore all other religions and limiting india to only one religion which the majority follows is mere hegemony , tyranny , oprression and injustice to on the minorities….
@ashwini dogra:- …try to clear your basics on secularism and islamic country….u made completely wrong comparisons….just parroting some absurd political points which doesnt have any base or reason…solely coined by right wing fundamentalists in an attempt to convert our land into a playground of votebank politics….
@ prince: while your argument has some merit, I am sure you realise that Pakistan and Bangladesh (both of which were part of India – and hence always had a mixture of religions and cultures) are officially Islamic (in spite of having significant minority populations at the time of their “birth”).
Secondly, you should know that the phrase “secular” was NOT part of our Constitution.
It was part of an amendment introduced by PM Indira Gandhi (and rushed during the Emergency). Read more here: https://satyameva-jayate.org/2008/01/25/dump-the-anachronisms/