India needs to speak in one single voice and expedite its role as the nation striving hard to bring hostilities to an end in Gaza and ushering peace in West Asia
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, shocked every conscious human being with the severity of the cruelty that was inflicted upon innocent children, women, the elderly and all those who had gathered there on a festive day to celebrate. Retaliation was inevitable, and it was launched with full ferocity and revenge.
It continues even after a month, with supporters of both sides lining up in their camps to augment the war efforts of their preferred side! Religion has entered it in a big way, as it does in most of the instances of war and violence. Western powers are visiting Israel regularly, and the Organisation of Islamic countries has come together to support Hamas! Is this a truly civilised world? If not, what is the use of all the progress made in science, technology and ICT?
Will it ever be possible for humanity to be realistic and pragmatic, and come together that its survival depends upon the acceptance of equality of all human beings and equality of all religions? There is no other way out. Non-acceptance of equality is a sure prescription for the elimination of humans from the planet Earth.
How have we reached such a state of affairs where animal instincts overshadow all that human civilization could be proud of? It deserves a serious -and fact-based – analysis by the top-level influencers, policymakers and decision-makers. A cursory peep into the circumstances could remind one of the human instincts that make Every conscious and alert citizen invariably proud of various aspects of his heritage, culture and the contributions of his race to the evolution of civilization. An Indian claim to great strides in the field of surgery, space vehicles, and astronomy in ancient times may be immediately countered by the Chinese and ridiculed by the Westerners.
There may be someone from another culture to claim ownership of the discovery of zero. It applies to all such claims of the superiority of one’s religion, extending to the sole ownership of Truth! It could be well understood that people would like to see their clan grow, adherents from other religions joining them would be very welcome. Practically in every existing civilization and culture, there are forceful claims and beliefs concerning the origin of man, and the growth of knowledge and wisdom in the civil society as it exists today. Each one has its claims on the great contribution made by their people, religion and community for the first time in exploring the secrets of nature. Such claims are often duly supported by reference to their Holy books and scriptures.
Devout adherents of Sanatan Dharma, mostly identified as Hindus are confident that Vedas consist of all the knowledge that humanity and scientists would take ages to explore in future. Their task would be much easier if instead of striving hard in the laboratories and libraries, people learn Sanskrit, and study Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads with respect and faith! On the religious front, Hindus are unique in the sense that they give full liberty to the individual to follow his chosen path, they are not confined to the way given in any one of the books of his choice of ‘reverence’.
Even those who do not follow any of the Vedic rituals, or have no faith in the existence of God, could be part of Hindu society. Sanatan Dharma permits every person to worship one God, many gods or no god, he could remain a Sanatani based upon his conduct of life and living. How one conducts his personal religious life is one’s own choice. In the same household, there could be the devotees of Durga, Krishna, Ram, Shiv or Vishnu! The multiplicity creates no issues. So long as one has acquired the samskaras as part of social and cultural moors, one is welcome as a Hindu, irrespective of his adherence to the god of his choice.
Adherents of Islam are equally; if not more; convinced by their religious interpreters that the world needs to study and decipher only the single text, the Quran – and if comprehended properly, that would suffice to lead a magnificent life on the planet Earth and also ensure the mercy of Allah and the bounties of the afterlife, which have been duly listed. It was this conviction - amongst the ignorant and unaware - of all knowledge being contained in the single holy book that led to the burning of libraries in Egypt/Alexandria and Nalanda in India.
No doubt, devout Muslims also read more books, write great books, and receive appreciation for their contributions. Strange are the ways of democracy and politics of the day! Near Nalanda, there is a railway station named after Bakhtiyar Khilji who burnt the library of the great Nalanda University of Yore which had a global reputation as the seat of knowledge, learning and the creation of new knowledge. The invader Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed the monastery, killed the monks and burnt the library. It is said that this library had nine million books and ten thousand students were studying there.
Taxila University had also suffered a similar fate. Christianity has its Bible and Judaism its Talmud. These two and Islam are convinced that their way – contained in these treatises they adore- provides the only true path to every human being, and each one who is not within the pale of their religion, must come and join it if he wants to be saved from the wrath of Hell! Conversion of those outside their faith is considered a desirable, even divine task that could bring in great rewards.
The principle of equality of all human beings does not apply in this context. After all, the missionaries came to India to “salvage the souls of the savages”!
History has detailed descriptions of how conversions considered divinely mandated their adherents to launch sustained campaigns and crusades to expand their religions. These expansions and conversions were not always peaceful and through persuasive methods, convinced the other person about the superiority of the preacher’s faith!
Aurangzeb is only one of the examples from the authenticated history of how conversions were achieved in India, and what happened to Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib and Banda Bahadur! One wonders whether any other nation could have acquired a prolonged, torturous and tragic experience as India did!
Will Durant and Ariel Durant who together authored Eleven-Volume History of Civilization, wrote in 1930: “The British conquest of India was the invasion and destruction of a high civilization by a trading company (the British East India company) utterly without scruple or principal, careless of art and greedy of gain, over-running with fire and sword a country temporarily disordered and helpless, bribing and murdering, annexing and stealing, and beginning that career of illegal and ‘legal’ plunder which has now (1930) gone on ruthlessly for one-hundred and seventy-three years.” This has been quoted by Shashi Tharoor in his widely read book: “An Era of Darkness”. Despite such a past, and every effort made for around two hundred years by the British to fan communal tension, Indians could live together, even after the partition of 1947. India needs to speak in one single voice, endorse the stand of the Prime minister, and expedite its role as the only nation equipped enough in leadership to bring peace to Israel and Gaza.
(Professor Rajput works in education, social cohesion and religious amity; views are personal)
Perils of religio-cultural one-upmanship
10
0
13.11.2023
India needs to speak in one single voice and expedite its role as the nation striving hard to bring hostilities to an end in Gaza and ushering peace in West Asia
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, shocked every conscious human being with the severity of the cruelty that was inflicted upon innocent children, women, the elderly and all those who had gathered there on a festive day to celebrate. Retaliation was inevitable, and it was launched with full ferocity and revenge.
It continues even after a month, with supporters of both sides lining up in their camps to augment the war efforts of their preferred side! Religion has entered it in a big way, as it does in most of the instances of war and violence. Western powers are visiting Israel regularly, and the Organisation of Islamic countries has come together to support Hamas! Is this a truly civilised world? If not, what is the use of all the progress made in science, technology and ICT?
Will it ever be possible for humanity to be realistic and pragmatic, and come together that its survival depends upon the acceptance of equality of all human beings and equality of all religions? There is no other way out. Non-acceptance of equality is a sure prescription for the elimination of humans from the planet Earth.
How have we reached such a state of affairs where animal instincts overshadow all that human civilization could be proud of? It deserves a serious -and fact-based – analysis by the top-level influencers, policymakers and decision-makers. A cursory peep into the circumstances could remind one of the human instincts that make Every conscious and alert citizen invariably proud of various aspects of his heritage, culture and the contributions of his race to the evolution of civilization. An Indian claim to great strides in the field of surgery, space vehicles, and astronomy in ancient........
© The Pioneer
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Nikkei Editorial
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
