NARRATIVE FIRST - ‘Aab Rukey to Thukey’

India is in transition


India amidst all this is having its own problems. In a way the mood of the nation is changing like colours in Kaleidoscope. The nation has found a new definition of nationalism and connecting to 5000-year-old heritage has come of age- it is no more a hallowed imaginative notion but has really sunk deep into the hearts and minds of at least all 100 crore Hindus. Indian diaspora- especially the Hindus across the world have started feeling that now we are being ruled by an Indian and not some Brown sahabs in white pyjama kurta and a fake Gandhi Topi- which now is seen as the biggest fraud and con job on all Indian minds- hitting below the belt but achieving its aim of pseudo Bharati at the psychological level- tucked cosily in some corner of their grey matter. Some still believe them- can you believe it?

Hindu assertion and demonstrative pride

Let us not mince words any more. Hindus who are a majority of 100 crore or more out of 140 crore Indians have finally woken up- only awake. Thanks to social media, there is two-way information flow. Another important fact is that main stream electronic media- especially TV the anchors are no more timid and are happy to say things that should have been called out fifty years back- the, apologetic, Gareeb looking meek Hindu has finally got back his voice after fifty years of severe laryngitis which almost permanently damaged Hindu vocal chords. It is pleasantly surprising to see many Hindus wearing a Chandan tilak and greeting other with Namaste than a good morning. Change is palpable and why not. Tiger is finally roaring- only roaring! What will happen if it starts pouncing?
Sacred thread called - Kalawa, Raksha sutra or mauli, is now in fashion- so it seems. TV anchors wear Bindi, wear Indian jewellery proudly. Many now wear sarees and salwar kameez, dupatta and not an executive suite, a tie and a jacket- cheers. Our ladies debating in Oxford proudly wear Sarees with bindi and they look prettier and more graceful than westernly clad white women in skirts or trousers. Accoutrement matters.

UCC and many vexed deep-rooted problems are being debated openly.

Hindus want to look Hindus. And bhagwa or saffron which powers that be, tried to name and shame for political reasons is back with a bang. They labelled saffronization, as if it is an abuse! O Hello- it is Hindu colour of tradition peace and tranquillity- so you better wakeup.

Lady anchors on TV are proudly dressing up as Indians- Bharat ki poaushakh. Bharatiya weish bhoosha is no more restricted or confined to weddings- it is everywhere- yes, in your face.

Setting the narrative is like making a ball for a smash

Watch a game of Volleyball- a player first makes a ball near the net and the other one smashes it to score. In volleyball, spiking is the offensive play where a player swings the ball with their palm sharply downwards over the net and into the opposing court, making it difficult for the opposing team to recover the ball. Volleyball spiking became very popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the massive proliferation of beach volleyball as a popular sport. Well known beach professionals such as Karch Kiraly used the volleyball spike to score devastating points on their opponents as well as wow the crowd with the spike's air of theatricality.

You ‘make’ a ball in a game and something like this also happens in badminton.

Winds of change

Bangladesh is digging its own grave. They don’t know what they are getting into. Inflation has shot through the roof and the country is in an organised chaos. A selected not elected care taker like Mohammad Yunus is helping them commit Hara kari very quickly. They are a rudderless ship ready to hit a rock and sink- sink they will. They have gone mad and are killing minorities – especially Hindus, who got them freedom in 1971! They are showing their true colours.

This is being shown on all TV channels in India and social media is contributing too- to this narrative. For the first time Hindus in Bangladesh- 1.3 crore- are getting together to protest against Islamic atrocities and Hindu blood in India is boiling. Silver lining in the dark cloud called Bangladesh is helping the Hindu narrative in India which is too on the boil.

World is noticing it too. Donald trump and British parliament has spoken out- now it is our turn to do our bit.

“We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” ― Thomas S. Monson

Windsock is fluttering in the right direction now

In case of national stance and a major change in thinking and policy change one needs to set a narrative. This English phrase means building up a story or context to support your views. Like chewing the cud slowly to digest- It takes a lot of time to build a narrative. I feel in case of Hindus in India and also living abroad it is both bottom up and top down. Today every Indian feels good if not great that your representative speaks in your own language while speaking abroad in any forum. This is a big emotional boost. There are podcasts in Hindi which have bigger viewership than same thing conducted in English. In our case it is organic and gradual- that is why it will last- may be for ever. You should never thrust a culture on people even if it is their own culture- let the people go with the flow and it works. ‘hawa ka rukh badal gaya hai’. Even Hindu political leaders are speaking loud and clear- call for action.

Sikh religion was created to protect Hindus from Mughal invaders. Sikhs, India's fourth-largest religious group, have increased from 7 million (70 lakh) adherents in 1951 to nearly 21 million (2.1 crore) in 2011, while remaining a consistent share of India's population (just under 2%). They are the most loyal, very large hearted, brave and helpful people. For political reasons in 1984 they were ostracized in a way when thousands of them were brutally murdered across India by riots instigated by the then ruling Congress party. Imagine you are killing those who were created to protect you. Still, they are feeling positive vibes as far as national narrative is, concerned. Even today some political parties are trying to drive a wedge between Hindus and Sikhs- though with little success.
Now there are voices for temples which hitherto fore were literally muted. There are PILs and court cases to establish destruction of temples by invaders. For some pseudo thinkers this appears to be frivolous which actually it is not. Renaissance in short.

In the armed forces and especially in unarmed combat or close quarter combat ‘hamle main pehal’ (strike first- before the other guys makes a move) is the first rule told in training. Or ‘jisney pehle chanta mara wo Sikandar’- who so ever slaps first is the winner- there is no runners up in a war like situation.

Actually, every drop counts. Which seemed to be a trickle is now a river in full gusto. Articles, books, videos in real time, pod casts like Jaipur Dialogues, P Gurus and several others are collectively contributing to this huge river of Hindu jagrukta.

Chain reaction has started and should not stop ‘Aab Rukey to Thukey’.

‘Cognitive psychology has shown that the mind best understands facts when they are woven into a conceptual fabric, such as a narrative, mental map, or intuitive theory. Disconnected facts in the mind are like unlinked pages on the Web: They might as well not exist.’ - Steven Pinker