Sunita Viswanath - I refuse to cede Hinduism to those who want to make India a Hindu rashtra
NB: Thank you for writing this Sunita. Yes it is necessary for all decent people, whether they believe in a deity or not, of whatever denomination, of whichever political allegiance, to stand up, to speak out, to protest the violent speeches and acts of so-called patriots who are destroying not only the rule of law in India but the very dignity of humanity. Indeed, by doing what they do, they destroy their own better selves, their own consciences. Whatever they win as a result of this evil campaign, it will not be worth the price they - and all the rest of us - have paid for it. "Violation of truth poisons every-thing gained by the violation". I wish you and Sadhana all the best. And you are right: many who consider themselves progressive tend to be dismissive of the liberal democratic tradition generated within the ambit of Sanatan Dharma - represented most powerfully in modern times by Mahatma Gandhi. May the Almighty - if she or he still listens to human kind - bless your efforts. DS
Even as I write this
piece, I come across news of yet
another lynching in India – this time of a 15-year-old Muslim boy died
after he and his brothers were allegedly attacked by a group of 10-12 Hindu men
on a train. This is not the
Hinduism I recognise, or accept. In 2011, a few of us
created the group Sadhana:
Coalition of Progressive Hindus, headquartered in New York, because we
could no longer bear that there was no politically progressive Hindu voice in
the face of a growing and rampantly Islamophobic and casteist Hindu nationalist
movement. Sadhana’s founders and members are Hindus who were raised to believe
that the heart of our religion is pluralistic. We were taught to embrace the
teachings of oneness of all (ekatva), compassion and nonviolence to all beings
and all the universe (ahimsa). We have worked hard over the years – writing,
speaking, marching, organising events and holding Hinduism classes for children
that are grounded in the teachings of social justice at the heart of Hindu
texts – and have been recognised for our efforts.
In the years since we
began, our numbers have grown, but not nearly enough. What has,
meanwhile, grown in monstrous proportions in this period is the movement of
Hindu nationalists. Amid the growing incidents of lynching, in recent weeks we have come across
several articles by writers and intellectuals in India asking the same question
in various ways: Where are the progressive Hindus?....
Speaking up as a
Hindu: In my experience,
everyone speaking up for human rights in India, even if their name sounds
Hindu, is loath to identify as one. And anyone identifying publicly
as a Hindu, almost without exception, supports the idea of Hindutva. I have reached out to
numerous progressive Hindu-born Indian thinkers and activists, including some
of those quoted above, asking if they would identify as a Hindu when they
critique and condemn Hindutva. They either explain politely that they are not
religious, or say that they are avowed secularists and to speak up as a Hindu
in India would alienate minority communities, cause non-Hindu allies to
mistrust them, and compromise their commitment to secularism.
Generally, Indian
Leftists and progressives react to the notion of a progressive Hindu movement
with respectful scepticism. I am sometimes told that Hinduism and Hindus are
irredeemable because our scriptures are casteist and elitist at their core. The result is that
practicing Hindus who are against the violent Islamophobia of the Hindu right
feel alienated from and unwelcome in the human rights movements in India.
Keeping this massive group out strikes me as a strategic, ethical and practical
blunder, if the desired goal is justice for all. The response that many
practicing Hindus have to the deep suspicion of Hinduism and Hindus on the part
of Leftists and progressives is an understandably defensive one: all Leftists
and progressives are accused of being anti-Hindu or Hindu-phobic. The anger
that ought to be directed at Hindu nationalists ends up being directed at
Leftists and progressives. Any critique of Hindutva is seen as a critique of
Hinduism itself and of all Hindus.
Asking “Where are the
progressive or dissenting Hindus?” and bemoaning the rise of violent Hindutva
is no longer enough. It is imperative we work together to open the eyes of
practicing Hindus. Many may be quietly living their lives, praying rather than
protesting – perhaps too afraid, too apathetic, or just too worn out to rise up
against Hindutva. I believe many are grieving the deaths of those lynched at
the hands of Hindus, but just feel powerless. We need to include them, mobilise
them, inspire them to take a stand.
When progressive Jews
(both practicing religious Jews and those who aren’t religious) advocate for
Palestinian rights and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, they do
so as Jews who refuse to cede the public voice of
Judaism to right-wing Islamophobic Jews who are committing human rights
atrocities. I call on every Hindu
Indian who cares about justice, whether they are religious or not, to speak up as
Hindu, and refuse to cede Hinduism and the Hindu public voice to those who
want to make India a Hindu Rashtra. In the words of a wise
man from another faith, Rabbi Hillel, from 2000 years ago: “If not now, then
when? And if not us, then who?”.. read the whole article:
