The peace makers

Tarun Vijay

I wish I could have the interview of a soldier's mother published in a major newspaper. Who would offer the space in times like these when the bleeding Pune and Jharkhand get no more a space than a movie made for profits and entertainment?



Soldier's mother, because her son fights for us, for India. By any standards, by the example of any country in the world known for civility and great traditions of democracy, a soldier must get precedence over entertainers whose life remains enveloped in glamour, sex and riches.



Hence, when the talks with Pakistan are scheduled for February 25, under the shadow of mocking comments, quite demeaning for those who have a spine, by the foreign minister of the invited country -- "ghutne tek kar hamein baat karne bulaya", or "bending on their knees, they invited us for talks" -- we must ask a question, who are those who invited Pune blasters for dinner and who are those who are asked to defend the country at the cost of their lives?



Here are some gems of brave words uttered by those who are now setting the dialogue table, even after having made to eat humble pie by the country which they very recently called "sponsor of all terror".



A news agency reported this from Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt) on July 16, 2009. '"We were quite clear that if acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, there is no question of any dialogue, let alone composite dialogue," Manmohan Singh told reporters here after three hours of talks with Gilani on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.'The darling of all tweeters, minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor said on December 22, 2009: "No talks till Pak acts against 26/11 attackers."



"Our position has been very clear and consistent. We have asked Pakistan to take two steps. One, to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice and two, to ensure that terror structures in Pakistan used against our country should be dismantled," Tharoor told reporters. "But we have not seen progress in either of these two steps. We would like them to take steps on these two fronts."



Another news agency reported on June 6, 2009, India's position thus: "No move for early talks resumption: India." It said home minister P Chidambaram linked an arrested terror suspect to Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and foreign minister S M Krishna drowned hopes of an early resumption of talks with Pakistan, saying Islamabad must first show tangible measures to stop attacks from its soil on Indian targets.



Chidambaram was earlier quoted by agencies (Feb 23, 2009): "Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism. Our policy has forced Pakistan to admit that its soil is being used for terrorist attacks on India. They have taken some action. They have promised to take more action. We will watch and see if they take more action to take this case to its logical conclusion." The minister was in Jalandhar to lay the foundation stone of a memorial for the martyr Bhagat Singh.



Krishna was more forthcoming. He told a TV channel on August 24, 2009: "Meaningful dialogue with Pakistan is impossible unless Pakistan stops the cross-border terrorism. All the sources of terrorism, radicalism and nuclear proliferation lead only to Pakistan and it is not even prosecuting terrorists against whom all the evidence has been given."


What has changed now that we are inviting the Pakistanis, for dialogue, dinners and evenings of ghazals capped with prime-time TV interviews?



Have they prosecuted the perpetrators of 26/11? Have they sincerely begun operations against the jihadis targeting Indians? Have they stopped allowing their soil to be used by the jihadis against India? Have they stopped supporting cross-border terrorism and radicalism?



Even Gandhi had said: "I believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence." (Gray and Parekh, p.109)

What has happened since the brave words were uttered by the rulers of this country that has made them invite perpetrators of all criminal-war-like actions against us? Against our citizens? Against our soldiers? Why are we so contemptuous of our soldiers?



Soldiers are not actors. Hence, an entire state government machinery can be put on guard to protect a commercial venture of an individual. At no cost to him. But soldiers must not get prime-time interviews, neither any films be made on how they defend the country amid a hostile environment, or feel ashamed when those who attack them and murder their brothers in arms are invited to dinner by the rulers who are otherwise supposed to safeguard the honour and lives of men in olive green.



Who are the soldiers and who are the filmmakers and actors? The actors are peace-loving people from Mars and the soldiers are mercenaries from Bharat? The actors love social harmony, and the soldiers are hard-boiled violent hate group who hail from Dehradun and Aizawl?



So, even if a graduate from the Indian Military Academy is killed by the neighbour, the cricket and dialogue and movie making with the neighbour must just go on in the name of a third-party God of the seculars? We love peace, at any cost, even if our fellow citizens are maimed and killed?



The soldiers join the forces for the sake of money. The perks and perhaps "izzat" too. We join Bollywood and cricket for the sake of world peace, and no commercial interests. Hence, soldiers must be off-listed and we be decorated with medals.



The one who may ask why no Bharat Ratna has been ever given to a soldier and even an entertainer with suspicious stories and a faith convertor were declared gems of the nation, must be declared a communal, a frustrated soul and a warmonger. Soldiers live and die for money. Politicians live and die for the welfare of the people. Hence, Bharat Ratna must always go to the politician.



Look at Pune and see the coverage 20 policemen killed by Naxalites in Jharkhand got. Foreigners still get more focus and sympathy than Indians.



Nobody likes a war, least of those who dare to send their children to the forces. (Please send me a list of those politicians whose children are serving in the forces). To die unsung? See these lines of a report: "Two foreigners - an Italian woman and an Iranian man - were among the nine people killed. Twelve of the 57 people injured were foreign nationals." Where is the Indian in it? Just waste?



The salt in the eyes of the mothers of Indian or Pakistani soldiers tastes the same. Yet, the armed forces have been a necessity to defend the peace and honour and the lives of the nationals. But at what cost? Give honour and buy peace? A low profile, unmentionable suicide would be better than that.

The Liberal Media ‘s Affair with the Shah Rukh Khan

Dr. Vijaya Rajiva

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan called on the Indian youth to consider Pakistan a ‘great ‘
neighbour and to love them. This was said publicly and loudly on an NDTV program
‘India Questions SRK and Karan Johar: Part 1’

The teenage audience applauded. The Liberal media ,probably asleep at the wheel, did not
comment. The program was anything but question period. One can describe it as a love fest
with the paternalistic Prannoy Roy benevolently presiding over the event.

The entire liberal media seems to have turned its attention to SRK’s earlier statement that
the IPL should have selected Pakistani cricket players also. This incocuous statement received
great attention and much ink was wasted on how right SRK was and so on and so forth, while the ‘fanatical’ Shiv Sena was as usual horribly fanatical and horribly wrong in their condemnation of SRK’s statement. SRK himself played the whole drama to its fullest hilt and asked disingenuously what he had said that was so wrong, referring to the IPL statement. The present writer has written about this(See ‘In The Name of Liberalism : The Shah Rukh Khan Affair’ in Haindava Keralam , 04/02/2010)

The entire confusion caused by this liberal obfuscation needs to be unravelled to point out that
in the opinion of this writer SRK must be judged not on the IPL statement but on his description of Pakistan as a ‘great’ neighbour. Could this be described as an attempt to mislead the general public?And especially the young who may not be aware of the 60 year plus history of the ‘great’ neighbour’s conduct towards India and who clearly do not know about the trials, sacrifices and heroism of the jawans who defended the country against this ‘great’ neighbour, and continue to do. And, ofcourse, they most likely want to also forget
the terror attacks of the past, and even of the recent past. Understandable in the young.

Humankind cannot bear much reality
(T.S. Eliot).

Surely, SRK knows, and so does the liberal media.

It has been pointed out that SRK’s father and grandfather were freedom fighters in the independence struggle against colonial rule and this might explain the liberal media’s tendency to treat him with kid gloves.

But SRK is not his father or grandfather. He has to stand on his own feet and prove his mettle . The recent fiasco is not about his statement about the IPL decision or the muddying of the waters by the Mumbai for Mumbaikars controversy, but about a mature SRK ‘s glib call to consider Pakistan a ‘great’ neighbour . By its silence regarding this issue, the liberal media seems to have conspired with the Shah, to create a smoke and mirrors effect.

The question is why ? A tentative answer can be put forward. Under pressure from the Obama administration, India is being softened up for resumption of talks with Pakistan, talks which were on hold since the Mumbai terror Attack of 2008. Ostensibly, this is to get Pakistan to co operate with the war in Afghanistan. This is evident to all.


This writer has written about the raison de’etre of the Aman ki Asha Project and the Congress sponsored Road Map to Peace ( See ‘ The Road Show : The Aman ki Asha tamasha and its twin The Road Map to Peace’ in Haindava Keralam 21/01/2010). While the Aman ki Asha is basically a project involving NGOs, artists and writers, the Road Map is straight
forwardly political and lists a number of topics which are on the agenda for talks with Pakistan. An agenda that no self respecting Indian would or should agree to.

These two are the main reasons why the liberal media seems to have created a certain confusion as to Shah Rukh Khan conduct. It is useful to remind the reader that the controversy is not about:

The IPL decision not to hire Pakistani cricketers and SRK’s position on that.
The Shiv Sena call of Mumbai for Mumbaikers and the imbroglio surrounding Rahul Gandhi’s
visit to Mumbai.


There have been dissenting voices from the Nationalists. The VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) has called for a boycott of SRK’s new film ‘My Name Is Khan’ because of their view that he is not being patriotic.Rather than further muddying the waters SRK is well advised to apologise to the Indian public, especially the young, for what can be characterized as a misleading statement.

If he is to live up to the ideals of his father and grandfather, he should not engage in irresponsible rhetoric, and the liberal media should not encourage him in his somewhat erratic behaviour. People who lost near and dear ones in the terror attacks should not be trivialized by treating them as fanatics, buffoons, lumpen proletariat etc. which seems to be the world view of the Shah and certain sections of the liberal media. Nor should the deaths of thousands of jawans be forgotten.


( The writer taught Political Philosophy at a Canadian university).

Say No to Hindu Hatred in Hindustan

Hyderabad: Facing the ire of Judiciary over the move to create divisions in the society in the name of Religious based reservation, Muslim pressure groups are pushing the Government for a constitutional amendment to by pass the law of land.

In AP, even when the case was pending in the court the Government had admitted 30,000 Muslim students into educational institutions and provide 3000 jobs already within a short scale of time. If 30,000 Muslims were given admission into educational institutions of Government that means the government have denied entry to legitimate students who had succeeded in merit but pushed away just because they are not Muslims! 3000 Jobs given illegally means those who had hoping for the jobs after passing all the criteria have denied the same just because they happened to be a Non Muslim.

Here no one is denying Muslim students the place in Educational institutions if they are competent enough. Instead of attending schools are work hard like other Hindu students, Muslim kids are send to Madrassah’s for brain washing and when they fail behind in schools they lament about backwardness. This is nothing but blatant hypocrisy and the Political parties who sing tune to their demands should be shown their place by Hindu voters irrespective of their political ideology believe in.

Apart from BJP and it’s allies in NDA, Major political parties including Congress and Communist parties had always tried to woo Muslim and Christian voters with the promise of providing them reservation in Educational institutions and Jobs.

VHP had already warned about severe repercussions if any of these demands are entertained. It is time for all Hindu organisations to come together and say in unison that ‘Enough is Enough’ and gain the support of Hindu Society by creating awareness against the far reaching effects of Religious based reservation to the Nation and to Hindus in the country.

Reservations to Muslims at the cost of Hindu Taxpayers: Dr. Togadia

Opposing reservations to Muslims, Dr Pravin Togadia VHP Secretary General criticized West Bengal Government for announcing 10% reservation to Muslims despite the fact that only today Andhra HC quashed Andhra Government’s unconstitutional move to give 4% quota to Muslims in Education, jobs & so on. For an eye-wash WB govt has shown that these reservations would be for socially, educationally & economically backward Muslims & OBCs in Muslims. This is all twisting the constitution & exploiting the hard working Hindus. Majority Hindus from middle class, higher middle class & other working / business class work hard & pay taxes. Instead of giving benefit of this money to the poor Hindus, Hindu Scheduled castes, Hindu OBCs & Tribes, government is all out to use this money to subsidize Muslims who do not even limit number of children quoting religion. This is not only unfair to Hindus but also it is a criminal looting of Hindus.

Dr Togadia termed the Sachhar & Rangnath Mishra reports as “Preparation for Criminal Looting of Hindus”. He further added, “Andhra 4% quota, Sachhar & Rangnath reports & now West Bengal giving 10% reservations to Muslims are not sporadic isolated incidents. They are well connected & are a part of a larger conspiracy against Hindus. This criminal conspiracy of looting Hindus is being hatched to please & appease Muslim vote bank. Today Union government also announced that youth from POK would be encouraged to come to J&K & would be given special facilities. At this moment 78% Hindu youth in Bharat are unemployed, 79% Hindu farmers have already lost their lands / crops & most are about to commit suicides, 68% Hindu children are mal nourished. Yet, instead of helping them, governments are showering favours on Muslims. This is not acceptable to Hindus.”

Dr Togadia expressed, “Hindu majority is being exploited in every field like education, employment, bank loans, trade facilities, housing & so on. From Inheritance Act to Marriage Act, all laws are only to trouble Hindus. Essential food costs have gone so high that even well to do middle class families are no more able to feed their children even a cup of milk daily & now there is Muslim reservation burden on the Hindus. Hindus have reached their limit of patience & without waiting for anyone to lead; Hindus would hit the streets any moment against this continued injustice. Muslims claim that they are no more just a simple minority; but they are ‘the second largest majority in India (as Jamait-e-ulema-e-Hind Maulana Madani says) & yet governments are bent on giving them facilities & reservations snatching education, employment, loans & lives of Hindus.”

Dr Togadia termed this move unconstitutional & expressed the concern that this would encourage not just conversions but also Jehadi incidents. He said, “Those who argue that Muslims are poor in Bharat & therefore they turn to Jehad, are living in a fool’s paradise. Pilots, Engineers, professionals from well to do families are following Jehad as a life style based on Madarsa preaching. If they are poor they do Jehad by bomb & when they get rich or educated they use planes, computers against Bharat. Therefore, it will help governments to get all Hindus to avail of education, employment, trade facilities instead of wasting Hindu Tax payer’s money on inspiring Jehad. When majority develops, the nation automatically develops. Those who do not even follow Bharat’s constitution should not be given an opportunity to misuse Bharat’s democracy & constitution for increasing their population to 'minoratize' Hindus.”

Dr Togadia suggested that if Muslim reservation moves continue then VHP would have to seriously look into the option of a democratic nation wide agitation soon.

In The Name of Liberalism : The Shah Rukh Khan Affair

Dr Vijaya Rajiva

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has managed to stay in the news for the last few days prior to the screening of his film ‘ My Name is Khan’. His comments about the inclusion of the Pakistani cricket team in the IPL series were meant to be a statement on liberalism.

Pakistani players are amongst the best in the world
India should have therefore included them in the IPL.

On the face of it, it all looks quite ‘liberal’ and harmless enough. But is it ? The Shiv Sena predictably reacted very strongly and accused him of being unpatriotic. At a London Press Conference SRK asked quite disingenuously : what should I have said ? what do they want me to say ?

In the opinion of this writer, it is not what he should say, but what he should not have said and here is the entire story. At a program hosted by NDTV’s Prannoy Roy Shah Rukh Khan publicly stated that Pakistan is a great neighbour, let us love them ! SRK’s
body language, facial expressions and the words he used showed insensitivity to the history of Indo Pakistani relations in the last 60 plus years.

The captive audience, mostly of very young people burst into applause. It is not necessary to remind readers that Pakistan is far from being a ‘great’ neighbour. Since Mohammed Ali Jinnah proclaimed Direct Action Day in 1946 and started the massacre of Hindus in Bengal , Pakistan has been a not so great neighbour. Its leaders have openly stated that they intend to administer a thousand cuts to India (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) and have continued to do so in practice.

Should India ‘ love ‘ such a neighbour ? It is clear that SRK was using his star power to influence a gullible Indian public into indiscretions, just as the Aman ki Asha project has been trying to do. And today’s news is that the Foreign ministers of India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet shortly to discuss ALL issues, including terrorism. This at a time, even as we speak, the very terrorist groups are meeting in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, to plot their strategies. Pakistani officials are blandly stating that they are only discussing Kashmir !

It is time that the Congress came clear as to what it is up to.

Shah Rukh Khan, ofcourse, in not a politician, but in the name of liberalism he is creating a smoke and mirrors effect whose result, intentionally or unintentionally is to disarm the Indian public and help to let down their guard.

(The present writer has already raised some of these issues in the article ‘ The Road Show: The Aman ki Asha tamasha and its twin The Road Map to Peace ‘ ) (Haindavakeralam,Jan.21,2010).

Nothing has changed in the situation.

In 2008, two Bollywood actors Amir Khan and Saif Ali Khan, used the ‘liberal’ argument to justify their participation in the carrying of the Olympic torch to the Olympic games at Beijing. Their basic argument was that the games belonged to everybody, not just China. They were able to sustain this phony ‘liberal’ argument by ignoring the fact that the Chinese were using two prominent Muslim personalities to disguise China’s suppression of minorities, the Uighur Muslims of Xinjiang and the Buddhists of Tibet.

The football player Baichung Bhutia saw through this ploy because he knew that China was engaged in a cultural genocide (and probably more) of the Tibetan Buddhists.


One can think of many such ‘liberal’ arguments, for example the participation in the Olympic games held in Hitler’s Germany, under the argument that the games did not belong only to Germany.

The Shiv Sena often cries ‘ Wolf ‘ but in this instance there is something to be said for their hard line stance against SRK. What is troubling is the report in The Pioneer that even the BJP supports SRK on this question . The Pioneer ran a report which said:
“ The BJP has also come out in support of the star.” (See ‘SRK sad at furore over his IPL statement’, The Pioneer, Wednesday, Feb.3, 2010).

However, a report in The Hindu says a different story. BJP leader Shaina N.C. is reported to have met the state Police Chief seeking protection for SRK. The report also states that she is a good friend of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan.(‘Police protection sought for screening of My Name is Khan, Feb.4,2010).

This might indicate that it is MS. Shaina’s personal interest rather than a political statement by the BJP. It is not clear what the BJP spokesperson’s statement today is. Shri Mohan Bhagawat of the RSS is absolutely right in saying that Mumbai belongs to all Indians and that RSS cadres should look out for all citizens in Mumbai, especially the North Indians and Biharis. And this would include SRK also. Neverthless, it is incumbent on the BJP to explain the difference between protecting SRK and justifying his attempts to effect a rapprochment with a hostile neighbour.

SRK is being targeted not for being Muslim, but for muddying the waters vis a vis Pakistan. And the IPL was right in sending a certain message to Pakistan that cricket and terror cannot be mixed (journalist Shoburi Ganguli in The Pioneer) One can take this further and say : cultural and artistic ambassadors of goodwill should be in sync with the nation’s security. Ganguli made two important points : cricket and terror do no go hand in hand ; the IPL was sending a clear signal to Pakistan.

At present SRK is taking a hardline position and refusing to apologise for certain statements. The stand off can go either way. And if it is a question of being vigilant vis a vis a dangerous and unreliable neighbour, the Indian public must wake up to the facts.


( The writer taught Political Philosophy at a Canadian university).

Hindu temple attacked, idols destroyed in B'desh: Official

DHAKA: Miscreants in Bangladesh's Narayanganj district vandalised an ancient Hindu temple, with assailants destroying six idols, a top official
said.

A gang of 30-35 men attacked the Sonargaon temple and broke six idols, said Md Yunus Ali, the local police chief.

He said the incident took place while the devotees were holding a religious function at the Sree Sree Rakshakali Temple at Ashrafdi village.

The miscreants vandalized the temple and four houses, injuring at least five people, in Narayanganj's Sonargaon subdivision yesterday, the private bdnews24 news agency said.

A case is underway, the police official was quoted as saying in the report. The Sonargaon police chief said religious programme began on February 2.

The gang attacked the temple following an altercation between a devotee and three youths of the village.

Hindu Resurgence Around the World

Ravikumar


Hinduism Arrives on the Global Stage



Hinduism has captured the imagination of the world.



Hindus have reasons to feel proud when its ancient tradition of starting an event with chanting of Vedic hymns in Sanskrit was adopted at the kick-start of Commonwealth Games 2010 on 30 October 2009, in presence of Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain and President Pratibha Patil of India at London in a spectacular ceremony. Chanting of Vedic hymns by British children in chorus for several minutes in fluent Sanskrit that too without reading any script was indeed worth-appreciating.

Chanting of Vedic hymns in state-assemblies of United States of America and countries is also becoming a regular trend. In October 2009 an Indian priest Narayanachar Digalakote chanted Vedic hymns seeking world peace while US President lit Diwali-lamp at White House. When Western countries are realising the importance of Vedic hymns in Sanskrit, it is time that Indian government may set up a separate ministry for development and research of Sanskrit to explore the hidden treasure of literature and medical science in the ancient language. (Taken from Madhu Agarwal's article in the internet).

http://www.merinews.com/article/commonwealth-baton-relay-starts-with-rigveda/15787156.shtml

In October 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown lit the traditional diya and started the Diwali celebrations in British Parliament. Ram Nawami too was celebrated in No. 10 Downing Street. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, added colour to the Diwali celebrations in Britain by visiting Shri Swaminarayan temple and participating in a symbolic 'Laxmi Puja' ceremony. Diwali was similarly celebrated in the parliaments of Australia , ( Canberra , Sydney and Melbourne ), New Zealand ( Wellington and Auckland ) and Canada .
Hindu priest Rajan Zed opened the US Senate on July 12, 2007 with a Hindu prayer arranged by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat. Baptist church is worried about the rise of Hinduism in USA . Hindu priests offered prayers at the legislative sessions in the Maryland , Iowa, New Jesey, Nevada and California House and Senates in USA . Sri Sri Ravishankar addressed the European Parliament of 11 nations at Brussels .

Several world leaders like Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Greek President Karolos Papoulias quote from the Vedas to explain their point of view.

Britain backed by $19.5 million (Rs 100 Crores) in aid has started a State Funded Hindu school. Krishna-Avanti primary school has a space for 240 children. Pupils study the national curriculum but there is a strong emphasis on Hindu ethos and worship. USA takes up Hindi studies in its universities. India ’s rapidly growing industry and business is attracting large Americans to Bharat.

In January 2009, Barack Hussain Obama in his presidential address mentioned that USA was a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers. He carries a key chain with an idol of 4 armed Hanuman. He appointed Sonal R. Shah an active member of Ekal Vidyalay and Sewa International to serve as the Director of the new Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in the White House. When USA faced severe trillion dollar financial crisis, President George Bush in Oct 2008 appointed Neel Kashkari, a Kashmiri Pandit as the head of the new office of Financial Stability. Obama team in 2009 asked Kashkari to remain at Treasury for some more period and assist in the transition. Several Hindus are now walking the corridors of power in Washington DC . When Obama and Dr Manmohan Singh met one-on-one in Washington recently in Nov 2009, Singh’s principal assistant and note-taker was his private secretary Jaideep Sarkar, a young gun of the Indian Foreign Service. No surprise there. And aiding Obama? Anish Goel, a senior staffer of the National Security Council and a rising star of the US foreign service. Similarly, when the US side engaged New Delhi on Af-Pak issues, the Indians found, much to their surprise, that the Senior Defense Advisor to Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan was Vikram Singh. China and Pakistan are worried that 26 Indians are serving Obama administration including at least a dozen in senior positions.

Hindus Around the World

There are about 7 crore Hindus in about 120 countries of the world. Of these Hindus are in good numbers in about 40 countries like UK, USA, Holland, Germany, Kenya, Middle East, West Indies, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc.

Saga of Trials & Triumph

In countries like Mauritius , South Africa , Fiji , Myanmar , Malaysia , Singapore and Caribbean countries of Trinidad , Guyana and Surinam , Indians were taken by the British rulers some 120 years back as contract laborers. These Indian were then sold to British Farm owners like sheep, cows or buffalos. Initial years were a sad saga of tears & fears, disease & death, torture, humiliations & hard labor. But it is also a tale of their struggle, determination, strong resolve and final Triumph. Most of these Indians hail from Eastern UP (Bhojpuri dialect) and from Tamil Nadu. Ramcharit Manas and Thevaram (ancient Tamil Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva) kept their faith and hopes alive. The literate among them would read and others listened with unmatched shraddha. Ramcharit Manas & Thevaram saved them from the aggressive conversion efforts of Christian missionaries and Indian Muslims.

Festivals unit Hindus

Celebration of Hindu festivals in large congregations strengthened their faith. Deepavali is the most popular festival and is both a religious and a social event. Hindus invite all their Hindu and non-Hindu friends. Deepavali is a national holiday in Malaysia and in Singapore when all government offices are closed. Nearly 5 lac Hindus gather at Lord Subramaniam Temple in Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia on the occasion of Thai Pusam; 5 lac Hindus gather at the Ganga Talav in Mauritius on the occasion of Shiv Ratri. Lacs of Hindu and Sri Lankan devotees make a pilgrimage on bare foot to Kadirgamam temple in South Sri Lanka to pay their obeisance to Lord Karthikeya. Thousands gather annually at the (Maha Mariamman) Devi Parvati Temple in Suva , Fiji .

Heads of State in many countries

Hindus came to these distant lands 100 years ago and underwent trials and tribulations like Lord Ram during his Vanavas. Today the Hindus are better off. Like Ram they too are celebrating Deepavali having won the battle of survival. Their proud sons, Sir Shivsagar Ramgulam & Aniruddha Jagannath, Dr Navin Ramgoolam (Mauritius), Mahendra Chowdhary (Fiji), Basdeo Pandey (Trinidad), Bharat Jagdev (Guyana), Devan Nair &, S.R.Nathan (Singapore) have risen to become the Prime Ministers and Presidents. V.S.Naipaul the proud son of Trinidad is a Noble Laureate.


Conquering Developed Nations like America , England

Professional Indians like doctors, engineers, IIT graduates, Managers, economists, Computer specialists, Information Technologists are in great demand in developed countries like USA , Canada , UK , Europe, Australia , New Zealand , Japan , Korea , Singapore etc. Here too after some initial struggle, Hindu community has established itself as the most educated, influential and above all most law abiding community amongst various other races. By the dint of their hard and committed work, they have now become the richest community on the basis of per capita income. Even American politicians have started wooing the Indian community. 17 year old Murali Ambatti of New York University became the youngest doctor in US, 4 year old Rohit Puri of Bangkok, Thailand becomes the youngest Microsoft executive, several teenage boys and girls in US, UK, Australia and New Zealand win national awards in English, general knowledge and science talent competitions. Very recently C.K.Prahalad of University of Michigan is ranked third in “Thinkers 50” based on a survey of business people, consultants, academics and MBAs. He stands tall next only to strategy guru Michael Porter and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Business advisor Ram Charan, Prof. V.Govindarajan and Prof. Rakesh Khurana also find a place among the “Thinkers 50” where Peter Drucker was ranked first before his demise.


Noble Laureates, Values & Wealth Creators

Dr Hargobind Khorana, Dr Chandrasekhar, Dr Amartya Sen and Dr Venkat Ramakrishnan have made Indians proud by bagging Noble Prizes in technical subjects. In USA many Indians like Indira Nooyi, Vinod Khosla, Vinod Dahm, Sabeer Bhatia, Arun Netravalli, Rajeev Gupta, Sanjay Tejwrika, Rajat Gupta, Rana Talwar (only to mention a few) occupy topmost posts in well known Multinational companies like Pepsi-Cola, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Stanchart, Mckensey, Sun Microsystem, Intel etc. Dr Ajay Kumar who hails from Meerut is the Director of Aerodynamics in NASA credited with the successful testing of MACH-7 Scramjet engines that can make flight travel from Mumbai to Delhi a matter of few minutes. He is now heading the MACH-10 project. Ms Arti Prabhakar, Director National Institute of Standards, Ms. Preeta Bansal, councellor in White House, Astronaut Kalpana Chawla have proven that Hindu women can accept any challenge in the western world. In UK based Shri Laxmi Narayan Mittal CEO of M/S Arcelor-Mittal Group of industries is the largest steel producer in the world. Hindujas, Swaraj Paul, Jatania Brothers, Tom Singh, Bhikku & Vijay Patel, Jasminder Singh, Bharat & Ketan Mehta and Dinesh Dhamija have made UK financially strong.

Influencing West through Vedic Universal Philosophy & Hindu Family Values
West is facing a cultural crisis. Increasing rates of broken families, single parents, unwed teenage mothers, drug addicts, alcoholism, homicides, suicides and above all sex abuse by missionary preachers is a great concern to the community which is now studying the Hindu family system with greater attention. Millions of the liberal westerners find solace in yoga, meditation and Bhagwad Gita. All these are growing in the midst of heavy attacks by Christian missionaries which label yoga as devil’s work and Bhagwad Gita as devil’s literature.

Ever since Bhagwad Gita was translated into English in 1785 by Charles Wilkins, it has caught Europe and America like a wild fire. Governor Warren Hastings, Arthur Schopenhauer, Annie Beseant, Margaret Noble (Sister Nivedita), Savitri Devi, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Max Muller, Aldous Huxley,Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Will Durant, Jules Michelet, a French historian, Schlegel - History of Literature, Wheeler Wilcox, “India, the land of the Vedas”, Joseph Campbell (Sanskrit) and hundreds of scholars have found a new meaning in their life mission.

In recent times Divine Mother of Pondicherry, Shivaya Subramanya of Shaiva Siddhanta Church, David Frawley (Vamadev Muni), Koenrad Elst, Stephen Knapp, Michel Danino, Alan Ford, Francis Gautier have been very vocal in their appreciation of Hinduism and leave no stones unturned to defend Hinduism against unjust criticisms.

Noble Laureates like Niel Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger (Quantum Physics), Einstein (Theory of Relativity), W.Heisenberg (German Sub Atomic Physicist 1901-1976), other leading scientists like J.R.Oppenheimer (1943-44 Father of Atomic Explosion), Carl Segal (Cosmology), social thinkers of the present era like Emmelin Plunret, A.L. Basham - Australian Indologist, Burke (A German Historian of Maths), Hankel, Hu Shih, former Chinese Ambassador to USA have been inspired by the universal Vedic philosophy, Vedic Sciences and Vedic civilization.

The untiring efforts of Swami Vivekanand, Swami Ramatirth, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Yogi Aurobindo (Auroville), Mata Amritanandamayi, Swami Prabhupad, Swami Chinmayanand, Swami Tilak, Swami Muktanand, Acharya Rajnish, Swami Mahesh Yogi, Shri Shri Ravishankar Maharaj, Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the labors of organizations like Ramakrishna Ashram, Satya Sai Samaj, ISKCON, Saiva Siddhanta Church, Chinmaya Ashram, Divine Life Society, Raj Yoga Centre, Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh, Hindu Sevika Samiti and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have made Hinduism truly global. No wonder the Sultan of Bahrain, Royal family members of Buckingham palace, Benitto Craxi former prime minister of Italy , Mrs Anwar Sadat, Mrs Yeltsin, sisters of former Prime minister of Canada Max Mulrony also speak Hindu philosophy.

Gulf Countries

Many Indian engineers, accountants, managers and lacs of skilled and semi skilled workers are working in Gulf countries since the oil explorations in the sixties. They made the hot windy deserts of Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Bahrain , United Arab Emirates , Sultanate of Oman and Qatar rich and prosperous by their hard work under highly adverse conditions. Even before oil was found, Sindhi and Gujarati merchants made life bearable. Arabs including Sultans will eagerly await the arrival of ships from India which brought necessary and lifesaving objects like drinking waters, food items, medicines and garments from India . Some of them are so influential that the Royal family members depended on them for financial help. The devote Khimjis had built a Shiva temple in Muscat , Sulatanate of Oman, one hundred fifty years ago. They were so dominant and aggressive in acquiring real estates that Oman parliament had to pass a resolution prohibiting them from purchasing any further land. In the bygone days they financed Oman crown prince’s travel and education in Bharat. Hence when Indian president
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma visited Oman , the sultan made him sit on the royal throne and him-self sat below along with others. He personally drove the car while bringing Dr Shankar Dayal ji from the airport. After all Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma ji was in teaching profession before starting his political career; so much for adhering to Hindu Guru Sishya tradition. Recently Prime Minister of Iraq requested Sri Sri Ravishankar Maharaj to teach Sudarshan Kriya to jailmates in Iraq . The Arab royal families depend heavily on Indian professionals like doctors, engineers, administrators, managers, clerks and workers not only for running the affairs of their sultanates but also for the administration and maintenance of the royal palaces. Over 30 lac Indians are working in Gulf countries.


Shining as the Best Tax Paying Business Community

Indians with business acumen came to in Hong Kong , Thailand , Singapore , Kenya , Uganda , Tanzania , Dubai etc. Starting as small traders they have become the most successful community in the midst of world wide competitions. Unfortunately the Hindu especially Gujarati businessmen from Uganda , Tanzania , Kenya and Nigeria had to flee from these countries and seek asylum in UK in the sixties and seventies and from Zimbabwe in recent years after local military regimes replaced the European colonial powers. They have enriched UK and are well respected business community there.

Problems of the Overseas Hindus & the Role of Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh

Hindus living in some 120 countries have varied problems. But some common problems need to be addressed in an organized way. In most countries except Bharat, Nepal and Mauritius Hindus are in minority. Preserving Indian languages, Hindu customs, traditions, culture, festivals is a big challenge especially among the youth and children. The influence of western music, dress, language, slang cannot be under estimated. It is here that Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh plays a leading role.

Shakhas and Training Camps

In most countries Hindus form a microscopically small minority in the midst of people belonging to other cultures. The parents therefore struggle to educate the children on Hindu values. The aggressive western culture has ruined the western society and is a threat to Hindu youth. The Indian parents are legitimately worried about the future of their children growing in such a volatile environment. In such places Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh, Hindu Sevika Samiti and Vishwa Hindu Parishad running shakhas, training camps on basic Hinduism, and celebrating festivals and conferences has made a significant change in their attitude. Hindu children now feel proud to practice our ancient ethos and traditions. Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh is active in 40 countries. It runs 750 shakhas in 33 countries. Of these 140 are daily shakhas and the rest are weekly ones. 70 of these are run under Hindu Sevika Samiti for Hindu girls by our trained sisters. The eastern most country in the world is Fiji and the westernmost country is USA . We have shakhas in both these places. The northernmost country is Canada and the southernmost country is New Zealand . Shakhas are functioning here too. In the 1940s shakhas started in Mauritius, South Africa and Kenya. Adarneeya Jagdish Shastry ji held a shakha on the deck of a ship while sailing from Mumbai to Kenya in 1947. Now shakhas have encompassed the globe and united the Hindus.

Swargeeya Laxmanrao Bhide laid the foundation of this worldwide movement by his tireless travels to some 60 countries in a long span of 40 years. He was ably assisted in this arduous task by Swargeeya Chamalanlal ji. Now this mantle has fallen on the shoulders of Dr Shankar Tatwawadi ji who in spite of his age goes around the world tirelessly.

HSS shakhas are similar to those in Bharat in some respects and differ in a few details. For example the Bhagwa Dhwaj is same everywhere. The Sanskrit commands, shaririks, khel, utsavs, gatapadhati, Sangh Siksha vargas, shibirs etc are same. The differences are the name Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh, Sangh Prarthana, the way we do dhwaj pranam, and the prarthana ends with the slogan Vishwa Dharma ki jai. Many a places the baudhiks are delivered in English to make it easy for the youth and children to comprehend. In spite of the differences the karyakarta nirmiti in these shakhas is as strong as in Bharat. Many committed karyakartas are from 2nd and 3rd generation Hindus who have never seen Bharat before coming here for sangh siksha vargas. Ten of them are now serving the Hindu cause as pracharaks (Full time celibate social workers). Once in Malaysia there was ghastly fire accident in a chemical factory late at night and most of the victims were of Indian origin. When some karyakartas rushed to Medical Hospital to donate blood, they were pleasantly surprised to see so many other swayamsewaks from other shakhas who had arrived there with the same concern. In most countries whenever there are floods, accidents or other natural calamities, swayamsewaks have readily risen to the occasion. Educationists in UK have observed that hooliganism, vandalism and drug abuse among UK children is seen less in those schools that have a good number sangh swayamsewak children. S/sewaks are seen excelling in academic studies and winning several awards and recognitions.

World Hindu Conferences

Vishwa Hindu Parishad in cooperation with hundreds of other Hindu organizations, has organized large world Hindu conferences in UK , Germany , Denmark , South Africa , Singapore , USA and Trinidad to forge a sense of unity amongst Hindus living in 120 countries. These conferences have been addressed by Heads of States of the host countries like Nelson Mandela, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, David Russel Lange, Jomo Kenyatta, Basedeo Pandey and Devan Nair. Dharma conference held last July in New Jesrey was the largest International gathering of Hindu youth. They assembled to discuss their problems and ways to solve them.

Over 15,000 Hindus gather at the Deepavali celebrations every year in Sydney . Senior federal and state ministers have been attending this festival regularly. Diwali last year was celebrated in London , Washington and Sydney parliaments by lighting the central halls. Hindu renaissance is bound to trigger many such events in future. Hindu resurgence is finding its echo all over the world.

Vishwa Sangh Shibirs

Sangh karyakartas with their family members assemble in Bharat once in five years to discuss their problems, growth and future course of action. The first shibir was held in Bangalore in 1990. The second, third and fourth were held at Vadodara, Mumbai and Karnavati in 1995, 2000 and 2005. The themes of the shibirs were Pradeepyem Jagat Sarvam at Bangalore , Sangha Shakti Vijetreeyam at Vadodara Vishwa Mangala Hetave at Mumbai and Vishwa Dharma Prakashena Vishwa Shanti Pravartake –world peace through universal values of Hinduismat Karnavati. The sankhyas in these shibirs were 250, 350, 450 and 550 respectively.

The fifth Vishwa Sangh Shibir will be held in Pune in December 2010. 600 shibirarthis from some 40 countries are expected to participate. The serene and holy atmosphere of Pune will witness many bustling activities of Hindu resurgence during this period. For many of the shibirarthis this will be their first visit to Bharat in several generations. For them every inch of Bharat is a pilgrim place. They will be spending a fortune as air tickets to reach the shibir. They will come with their own nostalgic ideas about Bharat.

PP Sarasanghachalak, Ma. Madandas ji, Ma. Suresh Soni, Dattatreya and mnay Sangh adhikaris will be present in the shibir.

Hindu Influence on the West

Ever since cholesterol, obesity, heart-attacks, blood pressures have become fatal diseases in the West, they are now turning in lacs and crores to vegetarianism, yogasanas, meditations and pranayams. At least 10% in USA , UK and Europe are now practicing Hinduism in their daily life in one way or the other. The spread of AIDS, pre-marital sex, unmarried mothers, homicides and suicides has emphasized the need for self-control and Hindu family values. Bhagwad Gita is the fastest selling religious book in the world. ISKCON, Saiva Sidhanta Church , Chinmaya Mission, Divine Life Mission, Ramakrishna Ashram, HH Dalai Lama, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Mata Amritanandmayi and scores of other Hindu missionaries and organizations are attracting large non-Indian devotees. Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh is a unique organization in the sense it unites Hindus of all language groups, sects, creeds and other denominations.

The educational and economic success of overseas Hindus, their rising political, social and spiritual influence across the globe and their practice of Hindu Family values is now catching the world by storm. The new century augurs well for Hindutva.

Some wonder how long it will take before a person of Indian-origin occupies White House, the most powerful post in the world!! Bobby Jindal, the Governor (chief minister as in Bharat) of Louisiana State is just a heart-beat away from the presidency.

(Author is senior Pracharak of Sangh Pariwar)