With reference to Ramu Sarma’s article, “Stop Hindu Bashing…” (The Hans India dated 04.01.25), it is difficult to conceive how the Congress, especially at the central level, along with some regional parties, consistently fails to take the Hindus into consideration. The communists have always been against the ethos of Hindu traditions. This must be the most unique political phenomenon in the world, as political parties readily disregard the majority and even divide them in pursuit of a united “minority” vote. The BJP is no different, but it is simply a child of the Congress, where it just bats for a united “majority” vote to gain power.
They have never been able to address the real problems facing the Hindus, especially those related to temple management and Articles 25–30 of the Constitution, which form the crux of the detrimental policies against them. They have completely failed in erasing the false history related to ancient India (the mythical Aryans), mediaeval India, or the independence movement, focusing only on a few individuals and a single party as responsible for our freedom.
Why cannot the political parties across India, along with their supposedly guiding bureaucracies, understand the plain fact that Sanatana Dharma is a conglomeration of many traditions, both Vedic and non-Vedic in character? The Vedic traditions are the foundation of Indian culture, and the non-Vedic traditions (Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and so on) have played an equally important part in building up the grand Sanatana culture. There was never an enmity between the traditions. This was a construction by the colonials and carried unquestioningly forward by our intellectuals in independent India.
When traditions meet, they may debate or exchange ideas, but their “indifference to differences” is most important. Traditions say, “I am true, but you are not false.” Alien religions came to India with the philosophy of “I am true, and you are false,” and this was indeed a problem for Indian culture. The solution for the well-formed culture of Bharat was to traditionalise these religions, so they remained independent but generally lost the rush to convert or distinguish between “truth” and “falsity.” Rather than advancing this process of traditionalising religions, which happens continuously at the sociocultural level, the political-bureaucratic combination has instead reinterpreted our traditions as religions. This is fostering rifts and increasing discord between the so-called majority and minority groups. All political parties and the intelligentsia mistakenly believe that the country encompasses numerous religions, with secularism serving as the optimal solution. Sanatana Dharma is the broadest essence of our magnificent culture, which is inclusive of all the multiculturalism packed into India.
Edited letter on 05.01.25
RANDOM MUSINGS 