‘Hinduism/Hindutva vs Islam’: an interview

I don’t enjoy a cosy kinship with social media platforms including the all-pervasive, omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-much else WhatsApp, primarily because they exude more venom than amrit, befuddle more than enlighten and emit more smoke and fire than any balmy sunshine. Yet I recently happened to watch a 1-hour plus WhatsApp video of interview on the recommendation of my dear friend of great charm, refinement and suavity, in three sittings. It was arguably a scholarly exposition backed by meticulous research in support of the thesis on Hinduism vis-à-vis Islam. Mining ancient history to trace the origins of Islam including Wahhabism and Sufism, the main drift of the interview was on the militant aspect inherent in Islam and how our religion has borne the brunt of its hostile anti-Hindu philosophy. It was this old adversarial core element-turned-driving force, went the argument, that triggered partition of India and was never a Jinnah-born idea, he being merely a cog in the Muslim political wheel carrying the anti-Hindu baton forward. Nor was the counter force ‘Hindutva’ a Savarkar genie per se, but had had old origins; also that Gandhi, Nehru & co were not deft enough to see through all this, thereby making a mess of India’s freedom movement…  so on and so forth.

Well, I am hardly the guy to digest all this (scholarly) stuff. What held me glued to the video though was the recommendation from one whose ideas and opinions I value and no less because the lady-interviewer – who asked valid, but alas, painfully few questions – was a person of arresting beauty and charm providing a welcome relief from ponderous discourse. The video left me rattled. Have Gandhi, Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad (he too came in for some lashing by the interviewee) all been blundering fools? Was Savarkar indeed an enlightened, noble spirit, the great saviour of Hindu religion? Have we all along been fed gibberish through distorted versions of History; and been sitting smug and pretty in our warped notions of religions? Is our Constitution a document of lies, half-truths and misconceived ideas of secularism? Are our sentiments of bhayi-chara, harmony, inclusivity, ganga-jamuni tehzeeb we have grown up on, all misplaced? Is the beautiful dictum ‘Vasudhaiv Katumbakam’ plain bunkum? Was Tagore who also sang Gandhi’s song of ‘Sarvadharam Sambhav’ an ill-informed aristocrat? Is ‘Ahimsa Parmodarmah’ not a core tenet of Hinduism: so ingeniously employed by Gandhi to fell the mighty British empire?

All such disconcerting questions came rushing in, making me restless in my bourgeois comfort zone.

Ok, let’s assume that what our erudite interviewee-author expostulated is right. His voluminous books may be revealing intellectual treats; but several intriguing questions beg answers. A doofus like me would rather have loved an open debate, with a matching counterpoint, or a hard talk a’ la Karan Thapar, for a better perspective on this multi-layered subject.

Given the zeitgeist of the present religion-weaponized, ultra-nationalistic, belligerent times is it sane and sensible to dig up the ghosts of the past? Can the entire national ethos be pigeonholed as merely Hindu-vs-Muslim narrative through the narrow prism of religion? Should we ahimsa-loving Hindus go walking the streets wielding lathis, swords and guns? If Islam is nothing but a doctrine of hate and violence, what about our Kabirs, Rahims, Bismillahs, Abdul Kalams, Naushads, Zakirs and Hussains, million artisans and craftsmen/women who enriched our culture and made Hindustan a glittering example of ‘beauty’-in-diversity? Can WE survive, let alone prosper, if riven by discord; and our streets demonized by hatred, blood, fear and recurring dangas? Can we let vote-crazy politicians weaponize religion; and more Manipurs and Nuhs happen? 

No.

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