One of the most beautiful aspects of Hinduism is that it sees God in everything. The creator and created are not two different things, but one and the same, as a result "respecting the otherness of others" becomes a way of life. Indeed, that is how we at the Foundation for Pluralism have defined Pluralism - i.e., respecting the otherness of others for genuine co-existence. God is about love and not hate. The Hindu greeting Namaste invokes the God in each other to come together to talk and act goodness.
However, when it comes to abuse and misuse, Hinduism is no exception, it is a business for the self appointed guardians of the religion. They are obviously looking for gains to be had and have hijacked the pristine Hindu faith, just as the self appointed guardians of other religions have done it. They have mangled up the pristine religion whose purpose was to bring peace within an individual and with what surrounds him/her; people and the universe.
Now "Hindu Mahasabha" a Hindu group within the family of political Hinduism called Sangh Parivar has decided to install the statues of the newly created God, Godse in temples across India. Godse is the killer of Mahatma Gandhi. Is that going too far?
.jpg)
It is time for Moderate Hindus to speak up**(note below).
A Bollywood film called "Oh My God" - depicts a scene towards the end, where the men in God-Business were installing a statue of the hero as the new God of the helpless, assuming he was dead in the hospital. But the hero wakes up and runs to where they were having the installation ceremony and destroys the own God Statue of him, pulling the masks off the men who were going to mint money with the newly created God, ready to do business. A similar message was given in the film "PK" where people can be easily misled and duped.
Obviously, every religion has a majority that understands the beauty of its faith, and goes about doing good to fellow beings and mind their own faith and family. However, there is a small group within each faith that is intolerant and hell bent on annihilating the other. They don't believe in dialogue, and instead resort to the primal instincts of animals, who settle their disputes by locking in their horns, tearing up the other with their fangs or bloodying the opponent with their paws.
We desperately need a Swami Vivekananda's avatar to teach the ideals of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum; meaning the whole world in one family. Ironically, we also need a Jesus to teach these stray men what love means, what love they neighbor means.
Thank God, except the Naxalites in India, the other minorities like Dalits, Muslims and Christians have not gone haywire and resorted to extremism despite the provocations and pressures on them to obey.
I am not sure, if the majority of Hindus are ready for a New God, a God who killed Mahatma Gandhi. Godse is God to them because he saved the nation by killing Gandhi who was inclusive of Muslims, Dalits, Christians and others.
Hindu Mahasabha did not come into being to teach and preserve the values of Hinduism, but was founded to hate the other, particularly Christians and Muslims. If they learn to love fellow humans including Christians and Muslims, then the organization will cease, as it will have no purpose to exist anymore.
I have always stood up for Hinduism against misunderstandings about it and will continue to do that, as I have done with all other faiths including Paganism and Atheism, that is the right thing to do. I strongly believe in the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum expressed in Dharmic faiths, and the idea of the whole world is one big family born from the same couple taught in the Abrahamic faiths. All of us need to genuinely believe and practice it. http://standingupforothers.blogspot.com/2012/04/standing-with-hindus.html
The way forward is to respect the otherness of others, accept the God given uniqueness of each one of the inhabitants of the land. Let every one eat, drink, wear, worship or believe whatever the hell they want to believe in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. If we can do that, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
Mike Ghouse is committed to a cohesive India, where all Indians can live without the fear of the others and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Mike Ghouse is committed to a cohesive India, where all Indians can live without the fear of the others and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
Hindu Mahasabha to install Godse statue in temples
Mike Ghouse bhai, these hate mongers & sympathizers of such terrorist don't deserve a discourse in civilized society ....The nefarious design to make Hero out of Villain of few Bhakths won't get success ...India belongs to GANDHI ..and He remains to be Role Model For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow..!! OMAR PEERZADA
ReplyDelete