A deeper look at the agenda of “Dismantling Global Hindutva”

Lot of articles and statements have come from non-Left intellectuals about how Dismantling Global Hindutva” is an attack on Hindu dharma because Hindutva is nothing but the essence of Hindu way of life or Hinduness. It is an attempt to create racist hate against Hindus who can then be attacked at random by the followers of leftist groups who are preparing the grounds for white supremacist racists and Islamists in the guise of liberals. Victimhood card in advance has been waved with the left apologists claiming “the long history of the global Hindu Right of threatening scholars, whether Romilla Thapar, Wendy Doniger, Paul Courtright or Audrey Truschke.” Not surprisingly, none of them has ever been physically attacked, intellectually attacked with arguments and historical facts. Their arguments imply that Hindus have no right even to argue? This is worst kind of intellectual totalitarianism.

 

 

For example, Wendy’s book was pulped by the publisher because neither Wendy nor the publisher had any defence against point by point objections raised by the petitioner in the courts, not on the streets. Neither publisher nor the author suffered from ‘global Hindu Right’, they simply lost their case due to poor quality research in their book with holes through which an elephant could walk through.

 

It is significant that the seminar is being organised from 10 to 12th September. Don’t miss the historical day of 11th September. It is the day signifies the stark difference between the essence of Hindu dharma, that is, Hindutva or Hinduness and exclusivist supremacist Islamist world view. It is the day Swami Vivekananda spoke in the Parliament of Religion and presented his forceful argument about all embracing Hindu dharma that respects all viewpoints, gives asylum to all the persecuted people of the world, doesn’t claim that only it has the truth and everything else was false. On this very day, some mad-cap radical Islamists wrought about the most heinous mass terror attack on World Tower killing thousands.

 

The conference was announced on the day when Taliban conquered Afghanistan, clearly announcing that it will follow Shariah. This could mean that Afghanis too will go back to 6th century, put women back into homes as private properties of men with minimal rights, where men could rape and stone women at will, and stop their education. It would mean killing or converting ‘Kafirs’ as per Islamic injunctions or treating them as Dhimmis, charging them usurious ‘Jiziya’. Did organisers ever realise that the minorities were reduced from 700,000 to approx. 700 in last few years? That Hazaras were being attacked and killed because they were Shias in Sunni controlled territory? The first question therefore that comes to mind is whether this seminar was timed to divert people’s attention from stone-age marvels and vilify the most peaceful, inclusive people and make them targets of attacks with vicious campaign academics would launch?

 

 

 

 

1. What is global Hindutva

2. Political economy of Hindutva

3. Caste and Hindutva

4. Gender and sexual politics of Hindutva

5. Contours of the nation

6. Hindutva and healthcare

7. Hindutva propaganda and the digital ecosystem

8. Hinduism and Hindutva

9. Islamophobia, white supremacy and Hindutva

 

The pain of Left intellectuals, some nurtured by Church promoted academia is that the ground is slipping below their feet as they are being questioned and confronted with the alternative viewpoints that have more logical and historical backing than their made up histories and theories about Bharat and its culture. Ofcourse, they deny existence of any Hindu knowledge system.

 

What is global Hindutva – 

 

This seems to be the first step to present Hindutva as a mirror image of global Ummah of Islam with global ambitions of ‘conquering’ every non-believer. I look forward to their showing atleast one case where global ‘Hindutva’ has destroyed any country or its culture and civilisation with armed attacks, bombs, guns, or attacked their religious or cultural belief system. Hindus are present in more than 100 countries today in good numbers. I hope it is followed up by presenting the history of Islamist, Church and Communist created violence that destroyed so many cultures and civilisations, and killed millions between them for not believing in their dogmas or belief systems. It is not ‘global Hindutva’ but global Hindu values that world will have to adopt to survive the hateful atmosphere created by these totalitarian belief systems.

 

 

It is strange that Left could have any problem with political economy of Hindutva. If they really studied political economy propounded by leading Hindutva intellectuals like Shri Guruji, Deendayal Upadhyay and Dattopant Thengdi objectively, they would be surprised that it is leftist in true sense of word, with stress of welfare of the deprived, poor sections of the people that differentiates none on the basis of caste, creed or religion. Even, if they were to criticise Mr. Modi, they would be dismayed at large number of initiatives taken successfully under him in empowering the poor and subaltern people. Yes, neither RSS nor BJP believe in state control of economy. And it has been proven beyond doubt that state control of economy means misery, inefficiency and corruption of the ‘party’ and the bureaucrats. I am curious to know what spin they will give.

 

 

It is amusing that those who speak about destroying the caste system have been the biggest defenders of caste system. Whether it is Congress or Socialist groups split in hundreds of factions – every group thrives on casteism. Rise of BJP and Modi was based on national feelings overriding casteism. Hindutva proponents right from Savarkar to all other leaders of RSS have fought against casteism and worked hard to reform the Hindu society. Third RSS chief went to the extent of saying, “If untouchability is not wrong, then there is nothing wrong in this world. Casteism must be thrown out lock stock and barrel.” It was Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) that passed a resolution way back in 1966 that no Hindu can be untouchable and all the Hindus are children of same mother, hence brothers. While attacking Brahminical patriarchy how will they defend the Brahmin leadership of Communist parties, including Naxal movement? How will they defend failure of major communist party of India CPM not having any Dalit in its Politburo in nearly 100 years and first woman member of politburo after 90 years, that too wife of their General Secretary? I am waiting.

  

 

Gender and Sexual Politics of Hindutva –

 

Left has aligned itself with Islamist and Church forces who treat LGBT as criminal. Punishment for any deviant form in gender in Islam is death. Only Hindutva has never treated LGBT as a crime based on Hindu scriptures. Decriminalisation of LGBT happened during BJP rule not under any ‘progressive’ regime supported by the left. VHP took the initiative of training women and so-called low caste brethren for priesthood. More women have risen in Hindutva organisations than in left movements. Number of non-Left women activists working quietly for the society is much larger than all the left movements put together in India. I look forward to some interesting data from the great fact checkers and intellectuals.

 

 

This is one of the points where there is clear division between the Hindutva and the Left. No surprises here. Left believes India that is Bharat was never a nation and went on to request British to break it up in 17 sovereign nations. They have no notion of history, culture or knowledge of Bharat. They wear western glasses gifted by the Church, nurtured by the British and their fellow travellers. Most of them don’t know Sanskrit; they have not read original sources but only translations of translations or second hand sources. For them, India was born on 15th August, with British playing midwife, Nehru ji the Chacha parenting it. For them the antiquity of Bharat with all the evidence of being a continued perennial civilisation has no meaning. They still bandy around divisive, unscientific Aryan Invasion Theory, not modified as Migration theory though all scientific evidence has proven otherwise.

 

 

Now, this is quite an interesting proposition. Do they mean Ayurveda, the holistic health system promoted by Hindutva? Do they mean that the entire health system of ancient Bharat was a hoax? Will they try to tell us that health care is available only for Brahmins or “high castes” under Hindutva? Will they help legitimise western exploitative commercial model of health care? Do they mean that Hindutva has no place for universal health care? That would again fly in the face of work done by Modi ji in the field of universal health care, toilets for each home, cheap health insurance and so on. Well, let us wait and watch for the rabbit they pull out.

 

Hindutva propaganda and Digital ecosystem –

 

Obviously, the left is unhappy with the democratization of news and views dissemination. Their monopoly is shattered even if in a small manner now. They are unhappy that the unwashed millions rooted to the soil are no more in their thrall and no more accept news served to them by old ecosystem. They are taken aback that millions have found voice and are speaking. Even today digital ecosystem is dominated by big money supported left portals and media. So, what is the worry? Is the worry that their subtle ‘secular’ slant to any news is caught immediately by the lowly common citizens? Democratization of news dissemination is being presented as communal as is clear from various debates on fake news. They want to control it, but how to spell their ideas out? This session is perhaps an attempt to frame up Hindus in such a manner that left can regain control of the social media also and silence them.

 

Hinduism and Hindutva -

 

Enough has been said and spoken by scholars on both the sides. So, I would not like to add more to this, except that the Supreme Court itself has defined Hindutva as way of life, and not religion. This way of life is fundamentally different from way of life of Abrahamic religions. Hindu philosophy is a republic of faith, not monopolistic totalitarian philosophy that says either my way or highway.

 

 

 

Islamophobia, White supremacy and Hindutva –

 

It is ironical, as pointed out above, that the day chosen, 11th September, itself proves historically what is Islam and what is Hindutva. The white supremacists are their fellow travellers in the conference who always look upon Hindus and their dharma in a very negative manner. The hand maidens of Black Lives Matter are the Church who killed millions of the same Blacks, and Natives in various continents to ‘civilise’ them treated them as slaves using their Holy book as the moral compass. Their Islamic allies have religious sanction for keeping slaves, selling women of defeated society as slaves, killing ‘Kafirs’ and treating them second class citizens. There is so much hypocrisy in the proposition itself that nothing more can be added.

 

How they will demonise Hindus in this session will be worth looking forward to. Major stars are from India. They seek legitimacy from USA campuses for their project of ‘saving’ the world from Hindutva ‘fanatics’ who carry only pens, not guns like their current favourites, the Taliban. They condemn terror, but are scared to name the religion and the Taliban that vows to establish Islamic world view.

 

This conference on “Dismantling Global Hindutva” may end up providing Hindutva proponents a better framework to dismantle left propaganda mills. It is time to end their seven decade old propaganda against the last surviving bastion of a peaceful society that respects diversity, which alone can promote peace globally. World today needs “Hinduness” to survive and thrive, not Talibanised Left.

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