The consecration ceremony in Ayodhya tomorrow has the support of most Indians. Those denying this are deluded or trying to make a political point as Rahul Gandhi is doing on his new yatra. A clip he posted on social media has him saying that nobody has the right to tell you how to worship, what to eat or how to live. He is right but if his political instincts were stronger, he would know that he is out of touch with the national mood. Personally, I have learned never to go against the box office.
This is why I have said before that the temple is now a reality and that it should become a symbol of renewal and reconciliation. I have also warned against the dangers of religion becoming a political ideology and pointed to the ruin this has brought in countries like Pakistan and Iran. It is possible to say both these things. But trolls on social media see complex issues only in black and white and so I have been charged with, among other things, being confused and changing my mind out of sycophancy.
On the eve of the consecration of Ram’s new temple, I would like to warn against Hindu triumphalism once again. This is becoming stridently evident and increasingly farcical. One political lowlife, known to be close to the Home Minister, went to the extent of posting a picture of Khan Market decked in saffron flags and sneeringly tweeted that people like me would now probably boycott Khan Market in future. I use this example because the barb was directed my way but there are thousands of examples of Hindu triumphalism on social media and some of it comes from people ‘proud to be followed by Narendra Modi’. When he is done with the consecration ceremony, the Prime Minister would do well to openly condemn Hindutva triumphalism. It is destroying any chance of the temple becoming a symbol of hope and renewal.
There is something else I want to draw attention to today. I did an interview with V S Naipaul soon after the Babri Masjid was torn down in which he said that he was not that horrified by what had happened. Babar was no friend of India, he said, and would have built the mosque out of contempt so if nemesis caught up with him a few centuries later, nobody should complain. This interview has been posted on my timeline many times in recent days but without reminding people of what Naipaul said immediately after.
He said that the idea of taking political revenge made no sense and that after a cultural death, a true revival comes about only when you accept that the past is truly dead. “People feel continuity is what they are expressing, but the renaissance doesn’t come about by people trying to pretend that the past is still going on. The renaissance comes when people accept that the past is over. I think this is where I would probably part company with the political position of the BJP.” Wise words that need to be remembered in this moment when Ram could become the symbol of a much-needed Indian renaissance.
For far too long far too many Indians have lived in a sort of dark age in which for some the only thing that has mattered is religious revivalism entwined deeply with a hatred of Muslims. For those of more leftist bent the only thing that has mattered is a twisted form of casteism in which those belonging to castes oppressed for centuries now believe that it is time to take revenge on those they believe are privileged. Having recently been a victim of this second lot I want to reiterate that hating the upper castes is also a form of casteism.
It is our misfortune that political leaders on all sides of the divide have exploited the basest emotions in voters in the hope of winning elections. Hatred, fanaticism, bigotry usually define the mood of the nation in an election year and there is every chance that this could happen once more as the general election draws near. When the election is over there will be the usual attempts to try and bring peace and harmony but one reason why there has never been an Indian renaissance is because it is impossible to put the bad stuff back into the bottle once it is unleashed.
If the temple is to become a ‘national temple’ as some politicians have been saying, then there is a chance that there could finally come the possibilities of an Indian renaissance. It is something that will help India emerge from a long period of darkness in which people have been distracted from their real problems by reminding them constantly of divisions of caste, creed, and community. It is these basest of emotions and the constant idea of taking revenge politically for historical wounds that have held India back. All our political parties and all our political leaders are guilty of having done this again and again.
It is time for all of them to reflect on the harm they have done and repent. It is a shame that so many opposition leaders refused to attend tomorrow’s consecration. It was an opportunity lost. I shall end with Vidia Naipaul’s excellent advice: a renaissance will only happen when the past is seen to be ‘truly dead.’
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On the eve of the consecration of Ram temple, I would like to warn against Hindu triumphalism
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21.01.2024
The consecration ceremony in Ayodhya tomorrow has the support of most Indians. Those denying this are deluded or trying to make a political point as Rahul Gandhi is doing on his new yatra. A clip he posted on social media has him saying that nobody has the right to tell you how to worship, what to eat or how to live. He is right but if his political instincts were stronger, he would know that he is out of touch with the national mood. Personally, I have learned never to go against the box office.
This is why I have said before that the temple is now a reality and that it should become a symbol of renewal and reconciliation. I have also warned against the dangers of religion becoming a political ideology and pointed to the ruin this has brought in countries like Pakistan and Iran. It is possible to say both these things. But trolls on social media see complex issues only in black and white and so I have been charged with, among other things, being confused and changing my mind out of sycophancy.
On the eve of the consecration of Ram’s new temple, I would like to warn against Hindu triumphalism once again. This is becoming stridently evident and increasingly farcical. One political lowlife, known to be close to the Home Minister, went to the extent of posting a picture of Khan Market decked in saffron flags and sneeringly tweeted that people like me would now probably boycott Khan Market in future. I use this example because the barb was directed my way but there........
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