How the RSS transformed India? – Global Village space

The world has turned topsy turvy in India since BJP came in power on the Hindutva agenda. PM Narendra Modi got away with the genocide of Muslims in his home state of Gujarat. Even the US had refused a visa and maintained its stand and succumbed to its temptation of looking at which side of the bread was buttered. This is not surprising because the Americans are deft in the pragmatism of where the dollar does not stop. Furthermore, the Trump administration could work out to have even the White House taken over by the extremists of white supremacists cliques. The commander in chief Trump was directing the attackers from the premises of his official residence. If genocide can be accepted then why not take over the White House.

It took Chief Justice of India N V Ramana by surprise when he said on Monday, November 22, 2021. He was delivering the 40th convocation address of the Andhra Pradesh-based Sri Sathya Sai Institute for Higher Learning. Unfortunately, the modern education system tends to focus only on the utilitarian function of education. Such a system is not equipped to deal with the moral or spiritual function of education which builds the character of our students and allows them to develop a social consciousness and a sense of responsibility.

Read more: Hemant Karkare: Tribute to a hero

Martha Nussbaum also had put her fingers on the same when she found that rote learning in Gujarat had become the order of the day. She dubbed it as clash within. In other words, the Indians were to blame for it. What can you make out of the pronouncements of RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat for a whole month from his claim that Hindutva can make India a vishwaguru or world-teacher! And now he has the temerity to say that the Hindu religion can teach other people how to live. It has sarcastically failed to teach even those who are the descendants of the Hindu religion.

If Hindutva can be so procrustean as Boko Haram and IS what do the most rational Hindus say? Chidambaram comes from Tamil Nadu who has a streak of rationalism still vibrant in our time. Jaya Lalita could order the police to arrest a Shankar Acharya and still have a cordial relationship with Yusuf Ali Lulu who had donated crores of rupees when Gujarat faced the most devastating earthquake. Most of it was allegedly pocketed by Brahmins belonging to RSS. Here is what the gentleman from South has to say: Hinduism does not have One Church, One Pope, One Prophet, One Holy Book or One Ritual.

There are many of each, and a Hindu is free to choose among the many or reject all. Some scholars have argued that one can be a Hindu as well as a believer or an agnostic or an atheist! Every place is my village, every-one is my relation. The first line is inscribed on the walls of the United Nations. The poem is believed to reflect the way of life of the Tamils 2,000 years ago and earlier. Shashi Tharoor: the word Hindu did not exist in any Indian language till its use by foreigners gave Indians a term for self-definition. To my knowledge, no Tamil Hindu king waged a war to establish the supremacy of the Hindu religion over other religions. Hinduism does not claim to be the only true religion. Swami Vivekananda said, I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.

Hinduism allows a Hindu to worship other gods and saints. Thousands of Hindus go to worship at the shrine in Velankanni or pray at the Golden Temple in Amritsar or offer obeisance at the Dargah Sharif in Ajmer. Historians are not agreed whether the Sai Baba of Shirdi was a Muslim or a Hindu; he was perhaps both because he did not see any difference between the two.

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Dr Doniger also points out that Gandhiji never called for banning cow slaughter, and quotes him as having said: How can I force anyone not to slaughter cows unless he is himself so disposed? It is not as if there were only Hindus in the Indian Union. There are Muslims, Parsis, Christians and other religious groups here. However, many Muslims and Christians do not eat beef and many non-vegetarians do not eat red meat at all.

Jinnah was also very secular in his outlook and believed that all religions can one day disappear when people reason and live together. He felt awful with the respect to Gandhi being so devoted to Hinduism albeit he respected the mahatma.

CJI Ramana added that true education is one which imbibes moral values and virtues of humility, discipline, selflessness, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and mutual respect. Education must elevate your character and broaden your thinking. It must enable you to take the right decision when faced with the complexities of life.

He said education is often understood to mean academic learning. But being truly educated means much more. True education should result in a far more holistic positive change and advancement in the life of a student.

Given this wide ambit people like Moeed Yusuf, Hemant Karkare and Suboth Kumar Singh (of the Dadri fame killed in the Bulumdshar cow-slaughter case, Haren Pandya. On the other side would be found Ajit Kumar Doval, Yati Narsingha Sarasvati, Yogi Adityanath. DG Vanzara, etc.

Read more: What led to the great divide of India and Pakistan?

Akhlak he did not eat beef and yet they killed him and others. Hence not to lose sight of historians like WD: Dr Wendy Doniger, Professor of History of Religions, University of Chicago, who studied Sanskrit and ancient Indian religion for over 50 years, has observed: Scholars have known for centuries that the ancient Indians ate beef.

It is remarkable to note that Sardar Patel, Narendra Modi (a telli, Amit Shah, a baniya Jain, have skewed perception of being holier than thou attitude. Jinnah was shocked that at the round table conference in London Sardar Patel would not sit at the dinner table with Jinnah so how could they live together. Much of the unprecedented hatred for Muslims in India is on account of such people. The South Indians are different and saner.

Mustafa Khan holds a Ph.D. on Mark Twain. He lives in Malegaon Maharashtra, India. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.

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How the RSS transformed India? - Global Village space