Behind the Gujjar-Meena fracas

The 1857 uprising, though for a short time, unnerved the British. After the event, to ensure that this never occurred again, Britons began commencing a series of real politick measures. The Bengal army which had shown alarming camaraderie during the mutiny was disbanded. Calumny against the Brahmins, for having presented the ideological leaven for the revolt along with constituting an all India framework for the movement, was doubled. The unity of Hindus and Muslims, which was unmistakably extraordinary during the revolt, was a major budding threat for the empire in India and provision were made to dissuade it.

‘Divide et Impera was the old Roman motto,’ wrote Lord Elphinstone, then Governor of Bombay ‘and it should be ours.’ Sir John Strachey was of no dissimilar view. ‘The existence, side by side, of hostile creeds among the Indian people, is one of the strong points in our political position in India.’ he stated.

Never give up… come what may!

By U. Mahesh Prabhu

When I was young, that point in time when I didn’t even understood ‘L’ of Life, I was conveyed by many of my friends, relatives and members of my family that I was ‘good for nothing’. ‘I don’t know what you would be in life Mahesh.’ was what they said to me repeatedly. That did, of course, cause resentment and unrest in my consciousness. I knew I wasn’t made for being nothing. But, what was I supposed to be? I never knew. I was befuddled, in totality.

If at a given point of time I decided I wanted to be an Engineer, bit later I would prefer to be a doctor, later solider and then even a spy, perhaps. But you can’t be all at a time. Or can you? Certainly not! But that fire in me, which was completely untamed, was smoldering my mind and spirit.

‘To be anything in life, you need to have a good brains’ I was definite. More bizarre as it was many hypnotized me that ‘good brains show up in good marks’ and hence ‘no good marks would simply mean lack of intellect’ that which leads to ‘doom’.

We shall live to the end of times, for we have done no wrong

By U. Mahesh Prabhu

I am not a celebrity writer and hence the kind of responses I receive to my articles, which are mostly on Hindutva, National or International issues are very few, nothing more than 20-30 mails, on average, per day. But many of the mails I receive have a common question to pose. It’s ‘What do you feel is the future of Hindus.’ The question, initially, I thought, considering my low response rate, was inquisitive to few. But with each passing day I am forced to believe that many, especially the youth of this nation, are eager to know as to what do Right-Wing writers like us have to say in this regard.

‘Will we survive the subjugation, would we be united against the oppressive political forces that which is keen to divide the Hindus for vote bank politics?’ I was asked by a student at a recently concluded NSS’ National Integration Camp at Moodubidri, where I had been to deliver a lecture, rather too pryingly. The answer was not readily available to me either, and I had to apologize to that young and enthusiastic looking lad.

Of all the things, the debt which the world owes to our culture, now rightly called as Hindu, is immense. Taking country with country, I bet, there is not one race on this earth to which the world owes so much as to Hindu, who is mostly patient and mild. ‘The mild Hindu’ sometimes is used as an expression of reproach; but if ever a reproach concealed a wonderful truth, it is in the term, ‘the mild Hindu’, who has always been the ‘blessed child of God’, as said by Swami Vivekananda in his maiden speech at Colombo after returning from the US, where he had attended the Parliament of Religions.

Civilizations have arisen in other parts of the world too. In ancient and in modern times, great ideas have emanated from strong and great races, wonderful ideas have been carried forward from one race to another. In times, ancient and modern, seeds of great truth and power have been cast abroad by the advancing tides of national life; but mark you, my friends; it has been always with the blast of war trumpets and with the march of embattled cohorts. Each idea had to be soaked in a deluge of blood. Each idea had to wade through the blood of millions of our fellow beings. Each word of power had to be followed by the groans of millions, by the wails of orphans, by the tears of widows. These, in the main, other nations have taught; but India has for thousands of years peacefully existed.

There was activity in this land when even Greece did not exist, when Rome was not thought of, when the very fathers of modern Europeans lived in the forests and painted themselves in blue. Even earlier, when history has no record, and tradition dares not peer into the gloom of that intense past, even from then until now, ideas after ideas have marched out from her, but every word has been spoken with a blessing behind it and peace before it. We of all nations of the world have never been a conquering race, and that blessing is on our head, and therefore we live.

Let us seldom forget those times when at the sound of the march of big Greek battalions the earth trembled. Vanished from off the face of the earth, with not even a tale left behind to tell, gone is that ancient land of Greeks.

There was, also, a time when the Roman Eagle floated over everything worth having in this world; everywhere Rome’s power was felt and pressed on the head of humanity; the earth trembled at the very naming of ‘Rome’. But the Capitoline Hill is a mass of ruins; the spider weaves its web where Caesars ruled.

There have been other nations equally glorious that have come and gone, living a few hours of exultant and exuberant dominance and of a wicked national life, and then vanishing like ripples on the face of the waters. Thus have these nations made their mark on the face of humanity.

But we continue to live, and if Manu came back today he would not be bewildered, and would not find himself in a foreign land. The same laws are here, laws adjusted and through thousands and thousands of years; customs, the outcome of the acumen of ages and the experience of centuries, that seem to be eternal; and as the days go by, as blow after blow of misfortune has been delivered upon them, such blows seem to have served one purpose only, that of making them stronger and more constant.

Let us also not forget, that we Hindus have never preached our thoughts with fire and sword. If there is one word in English language to represent the gift of India to the world, if there is one word in English language to express the effect which the literature of India produces upon mankind, it is this one word, ‘fascination’. It is the opposite of anything that takes you suddenly; it throws on you, as if, a charm imperceptibly.

To many, Hindu thought, Hindu manners, Hindu customs, Hindu Philosophy, Hindu Literature are repulsive at the first sight; but let them persevere, let them read, let them become familiar with the great principles underlying these ideas, and it is ninety-nine to one that the charm will come over them, and fascination will be the result. Slow and silent, unseen and unheard yet producing the most tremendous result, has been the work of this calm, patient, all-suffering, spiritual race upon the world of thought.

So I can say it with conviction that we Hindus shall continue to live without fear of being perished from the facet of the earth, should only we get organized. For we have all the moral right, as well as reason, to live to the end of the world. The organization of the Hindus is being done, thanks to the wonderful people at the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh. We need conviction and need to stay united against the evil forces that is committed to spark mutual collision, in the name of conversion, liberation, reservation and many.

The old proverb ‘United we stand divided we fall’, is very apt in this regard. Let us continue to bear it on the top of our thoughts.

Author is the Editor-In-Chief of Aseemaa: Journal for National Resurgence | indiamahesh@gmail.com | February 24, 2008

Unholy ways of ‘Holy’ Missionaries

On December 25^th when the whole world was celebrating the birth of the Jesus Christ, churches were burning in Orissa. As per confirmed estimates 11 churches had been burnt. On December 27^th Religious leaders in the national capital expressed their anguish over the continuing attacks on the churches in Orissa, saying violence in any form is unacceptable. But something that which really bothered me was one of the statements, by Swami Shantatmanand – Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission in New Delhi – published in Indian Express, that which read ‘Hinduism teaches us to respect and acknowledge the validity of all other religion.’ I am yet to understand as to why was he saying so? Or what made him to make that statement? Is he trying to portray that some Hindus had did those deeds? But how can you say without investigation is complete and report is out?