http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

When Hindus gathered courage and protested in an unprecedented solidarity on November 26 in Kuala Lumpur, they were crushed brutally by the Malay police using chemicals in the water cannons. None of those who had put up a united front against a cartoon created in Denmark felt anything bad or condemnable in the injustices meted out to the Hindus in an Islamic country. When it’s a question of Hindus getting unfair treatment in a Muslim majority region, the ‘civil, sophisticated and articulate’ Muslim intellectuals take refuge in the statement that it’s a matter concerning a foreign country. But when it’s a question regarding a cartoon or a fatwa for beheading a writer, they say -we are a global Ummah, anything happening anywhere to Muslims is our common concern! All big lies and a bigger hypocrisy traded in the name of a religion.

This year Diwali was not celebrated openly by Malaysian Hindus in protest against the demolition of one of their most revered shrines, the hundred-year-old Maha Mariamman temple in Padang Jawa. In the last fifteen years, hundreds of Hindu temples have been demolished and the number of forcible conversions and unfair treatment on religious grounds has been constantly increasing. The tragic case of Revathi was just a recent one.

Moorthy Maniam was a Malaysian Hindu hero. After he died, a group of Muslims claimed he’d made a deathbed conversion. Despite his widow’s protests, the Sharia courts declared that he should be buried as a Muslim. “They used Moorthy to show that in this country, Islam is supreme”, complained his lawyer.

In the 1980s, Malaysia’s Sharia courts were given equal power to the civil courts, creating two parallel legal systems. But while the Sharia courts are constantly trying to extend their authority, secular courts are reluctant to challenge them.

Malaysia which tries to woo Indian tourists with an aggressive media campaign claiming-it’s a ‘truly Asian’ destination, has become a hotbed of Islamic intolerance and barbarities on non-Muslims. It has sixty per cent Malay Muslim population with Chinese, mostly Buddhists, comprising twenty-five per cent. Malays of Indian origin constitute about eight per cent and Tamil Hindus are ninety per cent amongst the Indian origin population. There is a fair number of Indian Muslims too.

Indian Malays were taken there by the British as plantation workers in the late nineteenth century and have now become an inseparable part of Malay life. In fact, from the second century to the 14th century, Malay Peninsula has seen Hindu kingdoms and a way of life beautifully expressed in arts, culture, language and Shaivite values. Sanskrit’s influence over their language is visible all over, yet the Malay Muslims choose to express their affinity with the Arabs and deny their ancestral heritage.

Politically, Indian-origin Malays follow the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), established in 1946 as an instrument of independence from the British rule. Malaysia, freed in 1957, remained a practising pluralistic society till Islamic fundamentalism grew in the last two decades bringing Arab money and intolerance with it. Now it has parallel Islamic courts, functioning along with the civil ones, which are obviously more influential.

Malay Hindus have their leader in Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, president of the MIC and a minister in the14-party coalition government who mustered courage to protest against temple demolitions by declaring a ‘private’ Diwali this year. However, instead of being supported by the country’s Muslim intelligentsia, he was booed, and in a rally addressed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, people demanded his ouster from the cabinet as a ‘trouble maker’.

Hindus seems to be losing hope on all fronts and are making last-ditch efforts to attract attention by any which way to their sorry state of affairs. An umbrella organisation of thirty Hindu NGOs has been formed under the banner of Hindu Rights Action Force or HINDRAF that had called for the successful demonstration on November 26. Earlier a court had banned the rally – but HINDRAF workers – gathered in an unprecedented number – twenty thousand by a modest count –defied the ban and had their voice heard throughout the world. A nation, which has seen centuries of Hindu influence nurturing its socio-cultural milieu, suddenly turned against her own people when Arab-Islamic influence grew, resulting in the dispossession of minority rights. It has tried now to completely eradicate its Hindu history being taught in the schools, including the descriptions regarding ancient Ganga Negara (2nd to 11th century), Langka Asuka(2nd to 14th century) and Sri Vijaya empire(3rd to 14th century) in different parts of the earlier greater Malay Peninsula.

It’s a reflection of India’s secular government that the Malay Hindus of Indian origin chose to knock at the British doors, strangely petitioning the British government, Malaysia’s former colonial ruler, to pay two million dollars each to every Indian-origin Malay as compensation for ‘putting them in a situation of darkness and exploitation’ which was a result of bringing their ancestors as indentured labourers a century before. They are discriminated on religious grounds and economic opportunities are not available to them.

“Over the years Indians have been marginalised in this country and we now want the same rights as enjoyed by other communities,” M. Kulasegaran, opposition lawmaker with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), told the media. “This gathering is unprecedented, this is a community that can no longer tolerate discrimination.” said HINDRAF leader P. Uthayakumar. The demonstrators had gathered at Batu Caves Hindu temple and many of them carried posters of Mahatma Gandhi. But, sadly, there was no murmur amongst the Indian authorities in Delhi or in their High Commission in Kuala Lumpur about it
Indian secularism prevents South Block to go vocal on injustices meted out to Indian-origin people if they happen to be Hindus. Only Muslim sensibilities are deemed fit to be entertained by Indian envoys abroad. This message further emboldens the jihadi intolerant rulers to take Hindus in their country for granted as a forlorn people for whom none would bother. Malay Chinese are given a voice by Singapore’s influential leaders of Chinese origin like Lee Kuan Yew and Christians get full support from the US, UK and other European governments. Only Hindus, who have no other country on this earth but India to look upon for any moral support, are left abandoned.

Sometimes I feel amazed to see that how highly educated people who shine in politics and academics can be so ruthless towards their own fellow citizens as to deny them basic human rights. Like a place of worship and a choice to adhere to a faith of choice. Why have the societal ruptures been so visibly strong in countries where Islamists form majority? We have enough such examples from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Malaysian incidents that have a common thread – wherever the Muslims are in majority the rights and freedom of the non-Muslims are severely curtailed.

Take for example Kashmir. It’s the only state in India which is a Muslim majority and see what happened there. Hundreds of temples were razed, Hindus were forced to flee, their women were raped, children were killed and houses forcibly occupied. The Muslims in Kashmir have been enjoying a special status under Constitution’s Article 370, hardly any central law is enforced there, the number of income-tax payers is among the lowest and unlike other poor states, J&K gets 90 per cent central financial assistance as grants and only 10 per cent as loans. Still there are complaints that a ‘Hindu central government discriminates’. The other minority, Buddhists mostly located in Ladakh , too, are harshly treated and discriminated against by the mainly Sunni Muslim governance in Srinagar. The Buddhist Association, Leh, has been submitting memorandums to the central government about how Buddhist youths are denied jobs and a fair chance to join the Kashmir Administrative service and professional colleges in spite of clearing the entrance exams. The number of Buddhist minorities is fast decreasing causing concern amongst their leaders. Even their dead are not allowed to be buried in Muslim-majority Kargil area and monasteries have been denied to be built.

If that can happen in a Hindu majority India’s Muslim majority state, one can imagine the position of Hindus in a Muslim majority country like Pakistan. A report of the United Nations Committee on the International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD Committee) says, ‘The Constitution of Pakistan segregates its citizens on the basis of religion; and provides preferential treatment to the Muslims. While Article 2 of the Constitution declares Islam as “the State religion of Pakistan” and the Holy Quran and Sunnah to be “the supreme law and source of guidance for legislation to be administered through laws enacted by the Parliament and Provincial Assemblies, and for policy-making by the Government”, under Article 41(2) only a Muslim can become President. Further, Article 260 of the Constitution differentiates “Muslim” and “Non-Muslim” thereby facilitating and encouraging discrimination on the basis of religion.

The Constitution is so glued to providing preferential treatment to the majority Muslims that even a Hindu judge has to take the oath of office in the name of “Allah”. On 24 March 2007, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, a Hindu, while being sworn in as Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, being the senior most judge after the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had to take oath with a Quranic prayer - “May Allah Almighty help and guide me, (A’meen)”.

The Hindus and Hinduism have been maligned and hatred against them is propagated in the text books approved by the National Curriculum Wing of the Federal Ministry of Education. Among others, Hindus have been stated as “enemy of Islam” in the textbooks of Class V.

I hate to look disillusioned and always try to see something positive and hopeful for my columns but to avoid the smoke around your neck is as calumnious as to see bad where everything is otherwise resplendent with nobility. Last week I met an important Malaysian foreign dignitary over lunch at Taj Chambers, when during the course of our discussion about Asians, I mentioned the plight of Malaysian Hindus. He simply rubbished all that had appeared in the international newspapers and channels saying ’small matters are presented hundred times larger than the real quantum of gravity’. ‘We are a very tolerant society’. Really?
____________
 
 Video of temple demolition of poor Hindu Malaysia
http://www.indianmalaysian.com/tv_2007_temple_klang.html

As India turns 60, an open invitation to shape a new global order is awaiting India’s affirmative response. One only has to go by reports of how the world is lapping up Indian spirituality to find that elusive magic formula for peace.

The popularity abroad of the formula of yoga, pranayama and meditation confirms that paranoia about Indian spirituality is gradually giving way to a sense of appreciation and acceptance. At least, outside India!

The credit for this shift in the global perception must go to New Age gurus with mass followings who travel across the globe to articulate ancient Indian wisdom in simple and pragmatic style. Their approach makes spirituality looks more acceptable and appealing.

Take the example of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. His teachings are universal and focussed on something as ubiquitous as breath, away from any dogmatic beliefs. Already, he presides over a spiritual empire that’s spread over 140 countries and travels to nearly 40 countries each year. He has been welcomed into mosques, he has addressed churches and he has touched hearts.

From Iraq to Pakistan, Kosovo to Denmark, Russia to the US, these spiritual ambassadors have proved that spirituality transcends all barriers of race, creed, nationality and religion. The red carpet welcome Indian spiritual gurus, be it Sri Sri Ravi Shankar or Baba Ramdev, are receiving proves that the global demand for Indian spirituality is picking up by the day.

These New Age gurus have done to Indian spirituality what Swami Vivekananda did to sensitise the world to the Vedanta philosophy and Mahatma Gandhi to the ideal of ahimsa.

India has a lot to offer. It has a long tradition of spirituality, and an impeccable track record of uniting people. The spiritual strength of India is an example for the entire world.

Sadly, this definite edge for India is noticed more by outsiders than those who have been bestowed with the honours of shaping the country’s future. Caught in the political compulsion of being “secularly correct”, India’s ruling class shy away from anything that’s spiritual. Leave alone, deploying it as a diplomatic tool.

These leaders consider even breaking bread with a spiritual leader a political suicide. But they have no problem breaking fast over an Iftar party! Minority appeasement is secular, but spiritual uplift is communal.

The question now is: will India be able to capitalise the booming demand for its spiritual offering? If one goes by the response Indian gurus get abroad, then this question is almost irrelevant. But the apathy of the Indian government towards anything spiritual raises the fear that India might just miss the bus.

It’s time our rulers start seeing India’s spiritual wealth as an equally valuable, if not more, indicator of its strength as its swelling foreign exchange reserves.

It’s not about shaping a new global order alone. Spirituality can be harnessed as solutions to many of India’s domestic woes. Naxalism (Maoism) and terrorism will be rooted out in no time, that too without using any force. There will be no room for rabble-rousing over a Uniform Civil Code. The tragedy of this country is that our political dispensations are more interested in finding new electoral fodder than promoting a universal spiritual code of co-existence.

(The author works for Art of Living Foundation and can be contacted at rajaque@gmail.com)

Large sections of the nation shed tears on July 11, 2007, in memory of the 190 innocent Indians belonging to different religions who were killed a year ago in a series of explosions in suburban trains of Mumbai by jihadi terrorists inspired by the ideology of Al Qaeda. Their tears were also an expression of solidarity with the surviving relatives of these victims.

Just as millions of Americans and their leaders belonging to both sides of the political spectrum shed tears on September 11 every year in memory of the over 2,500 innocent civilians belonging to different nations who were killed by Al Qaeda in the US homeland on September 11, 2001, and in solidarity with their relatives.

Just as millions of Indonesians and Australians and their political leaders shed years every year on the anniversary of the Bali bombing of October, 2002, in which nearly 200 innocent civilians—Indonesians, Australians and others— were blown to pieces by jihadi terrorists.

Just as millions of Spanish people, their royal family and their political leaders shed tears every year on the anniversary of the Madrid bombing of March, 2004, in which the jihadi terrorists targeted suburban trains, killing nearly 200 innocent civilians.

Just as millions of British, their royal family and their political leaders shed tears every year on the anniversary of the London bombings of July, 2005, in which jihadi suicide terrorists targeted the public transportation system killing over 50 innocent civilians.

There was a significant difference between the observance of the anniversaries of these great human tragedies inflicted on humanity by the jihadi terrorists in other countries and in India.

In other countries, the head of the State or Government participated in the observance of the anniversaries. On July 7, 2007, we saw on the TV touching scenes of Mr. Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, and his wife visiting the tube stations where the terrorists struck and placing flowers at the scene of the tragedy.

In India, our so-called secular political class and elite kept away from the observance of the anniversary of the Mumbai tragedy of July 11, 2006.

Forget about flowers.

Not a drop of tear.

Not a word of sorrow.

Not a sign of grief.

Not a single expression of solidarity with the relatives of the victims.

I did not write this article yesterday because I waited to see whether our Prime Minister would fly to Mumbai and lead the people of the nation in remembering the innocent Indians—-men, women and children— who were blown to pieces by the jihadi terrorists last year. I was convinced in my mind that he would not. Still, I was hoping that he would prove me wrong by participating in the observance of the anniversary. He didn’t.

Why he didn’t?

Busy dealing with grave crises confronting the nation?

No.

Lack of time?

No.

Bad weather?

No.

He did not attend because he was worried the Muslims might misunderstand.

He did not attend because he was worried that any public expression of sorrow for those blown up by the jihadi terrorists might be misinterpreted by the Muslims as stigmatising their community.

A few weeks after the Mumbai blasts of July 11, 2006, I had been to Kolkata to attend a conference. One of the eminent participants told me that a few days after the blasts there was a meeting in the Raj Bhawan chaired by the Governor of West Bengal to discuss some other subject. One of the participants proposed that they observe a two-minutes’ silence in memory of those killed in Mumbai.

The Governor ruled his suggestion out of order.

Why?

Lest the Muslims misinterpret it as stigmatising their community.

Jihadi terrorists can go on indulging in one act of mass casualty terrorism after another.

But, according to our so-called secular political class and elite, we should not talk about it or even cry about it.

Our anger, our tears, our exasperation at the failure of the Government to deal with them might be seen by the Muslims as stigmatising their community.

How many acts of jihadi terrorism we have had in India since the present Government came to power in Delhi in 2004?

Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, Malegaon, Bangalore, Samjota Express, Hyderabad.

Shri Shekhar Gupta, the Editor-in-Chief of the “Indian Express”, in a recent article drew attention to a fact to which I have been drawing attention in my writings for over a year. There has been no satisfactory progress in any of these investigations. In the past, our Police might have been criticised in some instances for its inability to prevent acts of terrorism, but it had generally received very high praise for its successful investigation.

We all felt proud of the Mumbai Police of the 1990s recently when the case relating to the Mumbai blasts of March, 1993, in which about 250 innocent civilians were blown up by jihadi terrorists, ended in conviction. There were many other cases in which too the Mumbai Police of the 1990s had covered itself with credit.

So too the Delhi Police.

So too the Police of other cities.

Why there is a perception now that they are not as good as they were in the 1990s?

Has there been a deterioration in their competence?

No. In the 1990s, they received the full backing of the political leadership of those years, which took active interest in the investigation.

The political leadership of those years did not give sermons to the police not to do anything which might be viewed by the Muslims as stigmatising or targeting their community.

It refrained from inhibiting a thorough investigation through such sermons.

The political leadership of the past provided leadership and guidance. It took active interest in the investigation. It was determined that the guilty will be brought to book, even if they be Muslims.

The political leadership of today gives sermons and no leadership. It avoids active monitoring and supervision of the investigation lest the Muslims misunderstand.

I was in service at the height of terrorism in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir under leaders like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao.

They never gave sermons.

I had never heard expressions like “stigmatising a community” or “targeting a community” etc coming out of their mouth.

In the past, we used to accuse Western countries of following double standards in counter-terrorism because of their reluctance to co-operate with us.

We accused them of adopting an over-legalistic approach in order to avoid co-operating with us.

Since the botched-up London and Glasgow terrorist strikes by a joint Arab-Indian jihadi cell, we have been guilty of the same sins of commission and omission which we attributed to the West in the past.

Much of the initial leads about the Indian participants and their jihadi background before they migrated to the UK came from the Karnataka Police. It is they who were the first to identify the man who drove the car, which crashed into the Glasgow airport, as Kafeel Ahmed, an Indian national.

They were also the first to identify him as an aeronautical engineer and not a doctor.

They were also the first to establish that he became Wahabised in Bangalore and not in London, Belfast, Cambridge or Glasgow. He was not infected in the UK. He carried the jihadi infection to the UK from India.

Leaders of the Indian Muslim community are worried that digging out the truth might lead to a stigmatisation of the Indian Muslims abroad.

They express their concern to the so-called secular political leadership. What does it do?

Till recently, our Prime Minister was giving sermons to our police and intelligence agencies not to do anything, which might be viewed by the Muslims as stigmatising their community.

Now, he gives a ring to Mr. Gordon Brown and gives him a sermon about the importance of not doing anything which might stigmatise the Muslim community.

The Australian Police want some quick check-up about the antecedents of an Indian Muslim doctor from Bangalore under interrogation by them. He is related to one of the Indian perpetrators of the London and Glasgow attempts and had lived with them in the UK before migrating to Australia.

What do we do?

The Central Bureau of Investigation gives them a sermon about the importance of making their request through proper channel.

Just as the Western Police and intelligence agencies used to tell us in the past when we asked for a quick check-up of a terrorism-related information.

New Delhi is afraid that any over-enthusiasm by our police and investigative and intelligence agencies in co-operating with the British and Australian investigators making preliminary enquiries about the suspected Indian Muslims might be viewed by the Indian Muslim community as stigmatising them.

So, the message is: Drag your feet in co-operating with the British and Australians.

The sensitivities and feelings of the Muslims are more important than saving innocent civilians—-whether in India, the UK or Australia—by exposing the jihadi iceberg and neutralising it before it is too late.

We shed tears for the victims of last year’s Mumbai explosions yesterday.

Let us shed tears for ourselves today for having the misfortune of having a Government for which the feelings of the Muslims are more important than saving the lives of innocent civilians from the continued depredations of the jihadi terrorists.

The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail:itschen36@gmail.com)

Date: June 03, 2007

URL: http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/03comics.htm

Batman, Superman and Spiderman may now have to pack-up their hoods in
the US as American fans of comics appear to be hooked on to tales of
characters inspired by ancient Indian mythology. The ‘Ramayana Reborn’
comic series, set against a futuristic background, has sold over two
lakh copies in just four months since its launch in US.

The 30-part series, being published by Virgin Comics (the new
entertainment arm of British industrialist Sir Richard Branson [Images])
is receiving a “very favourable response”, says Samarjit Chaudhary, Vice
President Marketing of Gotham Comics, which has tied up with the former
to publish its titles.

The US readership numbers indicate Indian-inspired content was picking
up, be it Ramayana or titles ‘Devi,’ ‘Sadhu,’ ‘Snake Woman’ churned out
by celebrities like famous director Shekhar Kapoor and spiritual guru
Deepak Chopra. ‘Devi’ sales crossed the 3 lakh mark while the ‘Sadhu’
and ‘Snake Woman’ titles have crossed the 2 lakh mark in just four
months, he said. “Indian-inspired content has begun appealing to kids
globally. Indians, I think are one of the best storytellers in the
world.

We know some of the best stories and we know how to tell them well,” he
added. Repackaging of old tales and telling them in a “global language”
using a visual format was what turned the dice in the favour of India,
said Samarjit.

It is the “freshness” in the Indian tales that were appealing to the
Western readers, who hitherto had been brought up on a staple diet of
space heroes flying over the city, unleashing sticky webs, careening
walls, shooting down targets and vanishing into the darkenss of the
night.

However, Virgin comics new titles like the ‘Sadhu’ takes off in a
different world, which are several light years away from the Supermans
and Spidermans of the world.

Set in the background of the British Raj in India, the protagonist,
James arrives from the Western continent to India to be part of the
Queen’s army that has been entrusted the task of crushing a recent
mutiny.

However, the tranquility of the Indian seas, the long shadows thrown by
the its thick forest, the enigma of its culture, endears him to India
and he unconsciously finds himself in a mission that he was destined to
lead. The Indian concepts of ‘karma’ ‘destiny’ and ‘time’ are the new
hinges on which these new stories move around. Indian concepts like
destiny being the controller versus the Western notion that man creates
his own destiny, appears to have got these readers, who were looking for
deeper meanings in life, hooked on the Indian comic masala.

“In the entertainment industry, it is novelty or freshness that drives
the market, including comics,” he said.

The popular Indian concept of nagin makes an appearance as the
‘Snakewoman’ stalking the streets of Los Angeles, to seek revenge.

The images of the ‘nagin’ unleashing her venom with a ‘hissing cry’ may
all be popular in India, but in the West, it has a new appeal.

On the other hand the title ‘Devi’ has all the trappings of Goddess
Durga or a woman incarnate with supernatural powers, out to avenge
injustice. Dressed in modern apparel, she wreaks revenge in a
contemporary set up.

“We find that characters like ‘Sahdu’, ‘Devi’, ‘Snakewoman’, all have
the potential to grow into comic icons, down the line, if nurtured
properly,” said Samarjit.

Right now India is witnessing a revival of home-grown talent as several
Indian creative minds have been roped in to work on comic strips
targetted at global readers.

“Writers, artists, visualisers with Indian background are being roped in
to co-produce these comic strips along with international teams,” he
said.

The comics loaded with Indian philosophy are being lapped up both in
India and abroad.

“Today’s kids are more mature and looking for meaning and answers early
in life,” he added. “Today’s consumers of comics are extremely young,
mainly in the below 17 group. Hence, we need to talk in their language,
their idiom, their contemporary issue. Why have images of bullock cart
when we speak of satellites,” he said.

Working on this cue, the Ramayana series has characters carrying
energy-based weapons as opposed to bows and arrows. Virgin is also
coming up with a series on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar [Images], he
said.

27 May, 2007 l 0000 hrs IST lChidanand Rajghatta/TIMES NEWS NETWORK

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chidanand_Rajghatta/articleshow/2076750.cms

Narsi Narasimhan was looking for a beer in an Arab bazaar in Jerusalem last week when a shopkeeper asked his nationality, confirmed he was Indian, and thrust a drink into his hand, saying, “Free beer… for Indian!” How things have changed, Narasimhan, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur, mused a little later with a group of us wandering the Promised Land. Time was when being Indian was a handicap. Now, in parts of the world, it’s a badge of honour, and gets freebies.

Many friends attest to such encounters marking a makeover of the Indian image across the world, the odd discrimination incident thrown in. On the other hand, a recent survey of European hoteliers rated Indians as the second worst travellers in the world (sandwiched between the French, at the bottom, and the Chinese, rated slightly better). But the Indian tourist is a relatively new development; long before we turned touristy, we were hardworking itinerants building railway lines and power plants, running health and education sectors, in many countries, probably much better than we do at home.

There are few places in the world unvisited and untenanted by Indians. As i tell my American friends, we are a small country of a billion people. We get around. There are few corners that have not seen an Indian teacher, doctor, engineer, sailor or trader, including in the Second and Third World, which has also been our stomping ground for long, although those who make it good in US and UK dominate diaspora coverage.

But even in the US and UK, one frequently comes across Ethiopian and Jamaican immigrants who will tell you their teacher or doctor was an Indian; or Kenyans and Tanzanians who say their neighbours were fine Indian business families; or Libyans and Algerians who talk of Indian engineering teams which built railway lines and power plants. We honour our physician and programmer hordes who went west, but among our less celebrated envoys are grocers, hotel industry staff, merchant sailors, and construction crews. On a recent visit to the Caribbean one found an entire resort dominated by Indians — from the kitchen up to the front office.

Across many countries in Asia, Africa and Arab countries, Bollywood is the icebreaker. Stories of shopkeepers accosting Indians with songs from Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan movies abound from Beijing to Abuja. Indian cuisine provides another entrie. A Jewish couple i met recently rhapsodised about Indian food, and when asked where they first tasted it, said, “Oh, we lived in England!” A South African soldier we ran into near Gaza was only too happy to talk cricket, having missed the World Cup for more taxing action.

We can attribute all kinds of reasons why Indians are well-received across the world — from what could be our democracy dividend (many Third World and Arab countries admire our success in nationbuilding, however spotty it may be in our eyes) to spiritualism. But it could also be a mere function of demographics — and language. We are the world’s largest diaspora after the Chinese (our 25-30 million to Chinese 40-50 million) with a crucial difference — we speak a little more English, variously accented though it might be.

Of course, there will always be the odd bad apple — the Ugly Indian — who brings in the bad reviews. But generally, Indians have come to be regarded as free, smart, hardworking people, which is a lot different from people from many other countries whose name invoke images of tyranny, terrorism, drug trafficking, financial scams, and sex trade. What a relief.

Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, must be a long place from India’s Sanskrit learning centres and if a “fun-filled” spoken Sanskrit residential camp named Shraddha (devotion) for teenagers alone gets booked three months in advance, there must be something extraordinary about it. The interesting part is that the youth who have grown up in the US and made Sanskrit a part of their daily lives shall teach at the camp.

In China there is a renewed interest to know and learn about Hindu dharma and when I was there on a fellowship from Sichuan University, the vice-president of the university asked me to help them understand Hindu movements and write a book on the contemporary Hindu scene.

While the richest steel man of this planet Laxmi Mitttal is a devout Hindu so is the firebrand icon of entrepreneurial dynamism Anil Ambani , who took 17 friends on a special jaunt to Kailas Manasarovar , including the charming Adi Godrej family; and he told me once that his mornings begin with a puja to Ambaji.

Hindus are on an unprecedented rise all over the globe and they have startled the world with their prowess in mathematics, science, technology, industry and medical sciences. An average Hindu in the West is considered an honest, persevering, talented and compassionate vegetarian with an extraordinary capacity to adjust with the local societies and serve the adopted land with unquestionable loyalty. Hence Vodafone, Citibank, Pepsi have them preside at top positions.

The new Hindu is assertive and sensitive, not aggressive or a silent spectator to the assaults of the secular Taliban. So he stands up against a Durga being painted with whiskey bottles in her hands by an Amsterdam ad agency, or a Ganapati on the toilet cover, and voices strong protest against the destruction of the ancient Ram Sethu down south.

Faithful to his roots yet free from ritualistic blind dogmas, he gets angry at hypocritical religious behaviour. So while Indira Nooyi would dazzle the audience in the Ashok Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan receiving the coveted Padma award in a South silk saree, she may not be an exhibitionist and declare that she is an ambassador for Hindu dharma or go to a temple in the full glare of the media.

Dharma is a very personal and valuable theme for a modern Hindu, not to be worn on the sleeve. And to make corrections and improvements is an ongoing process for every devout that makes his faith – Sanatana , meaning always with the times, ever-changing yet eternal in its basic message.

The message of love, compassion and respecting (not tolerating please, that word spells negativism) the other viewpoint. That’s the attitude and a belief distinguishing us from the Semitic streams. All roads lead to one God and all prophets have spoken well for humanity - that’s a Hindu speaking at home or in a congregation without hesitation. He won’t mind bowing his head before the inspiring and the compassionate altar, a picture of Jesus or an Islamic place of reverence, without compromising his own convictions. That’s the reason he hates the politically-charged groups, parties and so-called ideological war horses, which have hardly done anything to correct or make amends in the caste-ridden structure or in the attitude towards women.

See the Provoked and decide which society you belong to. The Hindu who worships Durga during Navratra but kills the same Devi when she arrives in the womb? Or the Hindu who claims to see Ram in every creature, but refuses to dine with his co-religionist if he happens to be from a so-called “lower caste”? Hence the anger within in the new, real Hindu. Against the loot of the pandas in pilgrim centres, mismanaged temples and a complete control of the so-called high castes on every decision-making body of the society.

The reservation issue may be a difficult one, but pray who stops the high and mighty of the Hindu “high caste” to start centres of excellence for their disadvantaged sections so that they never ever feel the need to use the reservation ladder? While the stereotype basks in the meaningless repetition of the old dogmas, the newly-risen Hindu has started working on such development themes bringing Laxmi and Saraswati on the same platform.

For a Hindu, the spread of his vast entrepreneurial empire has to be greeted with the Gayatri Mantra (Videocon ad) and Vande Mataram (the Kumarmangalam Birla campaign) but nevertheless the biggest challenge comes from within and not from outside “enemies”.

Job reservation for non-Hindus, the arrest of Shankaracharya on Diwali night and refusing to execute a non-bailable warrant against the Imam, the temple takeover spree by the state power, stopping of morning bhajans in trains, subsidy to Haj and silence on Hindu pilgrimages, biryani for terrorists and no hope for patriotic Kashmiri Hindus uprooted from their homes in the Valley — all these issues make him uneasy.

This anger for the inner corrections and a will to excel has given a unique hue to the new rise of the Hindu which is the only assuring factor in spite of the cacophony of various interest groups working to confuse the march of the Sanatana Dharma .

The author is the Editor of Panchjanya, a Hindi weekly brought out by the RSS. The views expressed are his personal.

New Delhi - Apart from the widely known fact that Buddhism in Japan has its origin in India, not many probably know that so many Hindu deities surround the life of a Japanese.

Speaking at a lecture titled ‘Hindu Gods and Goddesses rooted to Japan’ here Friday, Lokesh Chandra, the director of International Academy of Indian Culture, highlighted how deeply Indian religion and culture has influenced Japanese culture and tradition over the past centuries. He said that many temples across Japan are full of Hindu deities.

Chandra said Japanese couples who desire to have a beautiful daughter pray to goddess ‘Saraswati’ even to this day. Saraswati is also believed as the patroness of writers and painters.

‘In ancient times, Japanese generals prayed to Saraswati to be victorious in war,’ Chandra told the gathering which was also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to India Yasukuni Enoki and his wife.

Year 2007 is being celebrated as Japan-India Friendship Year to commemorate the 50th year of the cultural agreement between the two countries.

According to Chandra, who has travelled to Japan many times to study the country’s culture and tradition, Saraswati is also worshipped as the ‘goddesses of kitchen’. Many traditional Japanese plays are dedicated to the Indian deity.

Sharing a trivia he said how in 1934, a Japanese woman had a vision that she was the incarnation of goddess Saraswati and stared writing in Sanskrit, a language she never heard off.

There is a suburban district in Tokyo named Kichijo, which traces its roots to ‘Lakshmi’, the Hindu goddess of wealth. Lakshmi was propagated to China along with Buddhism in the ancient time, to be known as Kichijo in its Chinese form and then reached Japan as a Buddhist goddess.

Chandra also spoke extensively about how Sanskrit language has influenced traditional Japanese calligraphy.

The Indian text was introduced into Japanese society many centuries ago. Japanese monks had to study Sanskrit in order to master Buddhism from original Indian scriptures and textbooks.

Lord Ganesha in Japan symbolises the joy of life that arises from the power rooted in the virtues of wisdom and compassion.

Young Japanese worship Ganesha to win in love whereas the old worship the deity to get success in business.

There are roughly 100 temples dedicated to Ganesha in Japan, Chandra added. An 11th century Ganesha temple is the oldest among them.

Together with Hindu gods and goddess, ancient Japanese society was also introduced to Indian dance forms and musical instruments.

A typical example is the ‘Biwa’, which actually had its origin from the Indian ‘Veena’. One of Japan’s largest lake is also known as Lake Biwa.

One can also see the influence of the Indian epic Ramayana in the traditional Japanese dance forms of ‘Bugaku’ and ‘Gigaku’.

The yearlong cultural celebration was kicked off here last week that was attended by former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori among others.

http://www.rxpgnews.com/india/Japans-Hindu-linkages-still-alive_15985.shtml

1. Will Durant, American historian: “India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all”.

2. Mark Twain, American author: “India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”

3. Albert Einstein, American scientist: “We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.”

4. Max Mueller, German scholar: If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.

5. Romain Rolland, French scholar : “If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.”

6. Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA: “India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.”

7. Mark Twain: “So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked.”

8. Keith Bellows, VP - National Geographic Society : “There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds… I had been seeing the world in black & white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.”

9. Mark Twain: “India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire.”

10. A Rough Guide to India: “It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else.”

To Unsubscribe: Send an e-mail to indiapride-leave@indiapride.org .
IndiaPride - http://www.indiapride.org