Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 07 May 2018 | Page 39

NDU RASHTRA?
a Hindu nation. Why should some leaders of minorities fight shy of accepting it?
other Hindu gods. The official bank of Indonesia is Kubera;
Unfortunately, the leaders while shaping Independent India,
official airlines is Garuda. They do not feel that their pride in
lacked the vision that was cherished over thousands of years.
Hindutva is against their religion. This is a lesson to minorities
They sometimes contradicted Gandhian visions. Our Consti­
in India. (About the portions of an undivided India that con-
tution makers could not find a single name for our country, and
verted into Islam, Vivekananda observes that those areas like
added the dual name “India that is Bharat” in the beginning of
Afghanistan, Pakistan and East Bengal that were converted
the document on our guiding principles. They could not be
into Buddhism could easily be converted into Islam. They have
unanimous on quite a few things; so we have Jana gana mana
not thereafter witnessed anything like democracy, secularism,
as the national anthem and Vande mataram as national song!
minority rights or even peaceful existence.)
Basic Tenets of Hindu Rashtra
There is no scope for any fear that Hindu nation will be a
Hindutva should not be measured from words or deeds of some
threat to other countries. We find in the history of western
immature fanatics who react emotionally to issues. Hindus
Semitic culture that whenever a nation becomes powerful, the
have traditionally certain unique and great specialties that no
first thing it does is to attack and conquer other countries.
other society in the world can claim. Such as, equal respect for
Hindu culture is diametrically opposite to this tribal mindset.
all religions, tolerance, freedom of religion, unity in diversity,
If it was a mixed culture or a mixed nation, history would have
quest for truth, scientific temper, principle of equality, non-vi-
been different. Our approach to other countries is theoretically
olence, harmony and democracy. Any attempt to dilute such a
explained by the ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay in his theory
culture with a ‘mixed culture’ is disastrous, and will lead to loss
of Progressive Unfoldment of Consciousness. The individual
of our secularism and democracy. This is the lesson we learn
consciousness has to expand to one’s family, then to society,
from the history of the blunders of Nehruvian policy starting
nation, humanity and finally to the universe. A Hindu nation is
from the days of Partition and a turbulent Kashmir. Semitic
capable of peacefully including all the comity of nations through
intolerance damaged India, changing its course of history.
its concept of ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ or global family. That
About the earlier period of our nation, Swami Vivekandanda
is why, when Israel was formed in 1948, the Jews from India
said at a Colombo lecture: “Here activity prevailed when even
alone had a different story to say: of assistances and cooperation
Greece did not exist, when Rome was not thought of, when the
from a Hindu society. No different was the narrative of the
very fathers of the modern Europeans lived in the forests and
Parsis who took asylum in India after they fled
painted themselves blue.” Rig Veda, the first liter-
GETTY IMAGES
from native Iran. Forget about the behaviour of
ature of the world, proclaimed thousands of years
these religions to Hindus in return, can any other
ago our approach to different religions: Ekam sad
nation claim such a magnanimous history?
vipraa bahudhaa vadanti. Meaning, ‘truth is one,
Anyone who has learnt the real history of India
scholars interpret it in different ways’. It also
cannot hesitate to be proud of his Hindu cultural
prayed in its gayatri mantra: Dhiyo yona pracho­
past, keeping one’s different religious faith.
dayat, meaning ‘instigate the intellect’. Why
Followers of all religions living in India should
should some leaders of the minorities be shy of
be part of the national mainstream. All of us
proudly accepting such a great culture and tradi-
should prompt this Hindu nation to transcend
tion while still following their religion?
Hindutva
national borders and embrace the whole hum­
Recently the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in
must not be
anity. It’s for that the RSS is relentlessly working.
Kerala officially argued that yoga is against
measured
Spreading the concept of ‘One Nation, One
Christian principles. It is becoming a fashion
from the
people’ is necessary to address many of the iss­
among different religions to think that respecting
words of
ues our national society faces today. Diversity is
cultural symbols and nation