A very interesting post, which I thought must be shared on my blog. I am
a Hindu too (not the religious and serious type) and am trying to come to terms
with what Hinduism really is. I strongly believe that HINDUISM is a WAY OF
LIFE and not a religion like ISLAM or CHRISTIANITY where followers are being
forced to adopt and practice, failing which they are pushed outside of their
community and condemned.
I too had my schooling in a Christian School and have many friends who are
Christians and Muslims, I do feel alienated / odd at times especially when they
refuse to participate in my functions, even when they are not needed to perform
anything, except attend as a visitor. Anyways may be they are scared or narrow
minded… I am now used to this and have a matured mind-set and outlook.
Please do take time
to read the below post...
A post on Face book
by Deepika Govind on 1 November
I am confused as a Hindu
who wants to stay secular and each day this confusion increases……
Yes I am born as a Hindu
in India ,went to a Christian school ….celebrated Diwali at home but Christmas
in school with equal fervor .Visit to a cathedral or hearing bible verses never
instilled any fear that my religion is at stake …because as a Hindu I am
supposed to be secular and accept all religions. In India its fashionable to be
a secular Hindu….
But I really wonder
aloud today, what would have been the reaction in media and our so called
intellectuals if a school run by a Hindu trust or organization had opened a
school amongst Christianity dominated area and had sung verses from Gita or
Mahabharata!!! All hell would have broken loose for sure .
14 years of education
in a Christian run school did not make me a Christian ..i am still a Hindu but
I have one more reason in my life to be happy when its Christmas …
As a Hindu if I can
handle 33 crores of gods and deity, I can definitely handle few more gods and
still be a Hindu…I don’t fear.. I am a Hindu …I imbibe.. I don’t run away…. but
what am I supposed to do when I see my Muslim and Christian friends refusing
Prasad /or rejecting getting a tilak done on their forehead… how many of Muslims
and Christians have visited.. Vaishno Devi or Tirupati…
Now …just ask how many Hindus
have visited Ajmer Sharif or Deva Shareef or Swarna Mandir or Cathedral. Is so
called secularism has to be only a Hindu’s responsibility!
If India has to be
secular then state should not interfere with religion… but then why should my
tax money has to go for Haj subsidy.. Is that not a special favour to one religion?
This is my question …but as a Hindu am still confused….if just one haj subsidy
allows my Muslim brothers and sister to be happy then am happy to still let
them do it. I would love to hear stories of their trip…. I am happy to say “Eid
Mubarak”…I don’t fear because I am Hindu.
Why my so called
intellectuals never blamed successive governments for allowing such communalism…
why they never returned their awards….
Why St. Stefen’s in
Delhi is allowed to give preference only to Christian candidates while hiring……
They exist on a piece of land which belongs to INDIA and not to Hindus,
Christians or Muslims … then preference to anybody on the basis of religion is
communalism and not secularism.
Why authors and
scientists and people like Dibakar Banerjee never protested against St Stefens
?
Currently am residing
in a country which claims with pride that we are a Christian nation and the
world media doesn’t target it at all .Britain easily refuses permission to
create a mosque higher than St.Pauls cathedral…A mosque which will be built by
their own citizens living and working in this country ,,,but BBC doesn’t run a
documentary on the plight of muslims being tortured and not given equal rights
in Britain !! They don’t get a lecture from Obama to embrace secularism as yet
!!
However ,in India I
still don’t support demolishing a mosque which was built by an Invader !!A
nation with 80% of its populations as Hindus has taken more than 60 years to
built a temple for their deity.As a Hindu I would still support a temple and a
mosque together there …..rather than just a temple …I don’t boast my religion
…..and I Don’t believe that I am the best…I believe that all are equal for I am
a Hindu.
If my son has to marry
a Christian girl tomorrow..I will not ask the girl to convert…I have no such
concept ..but my son will have to convert to christianity just to marry the
girl of her dreams ….is that not communalism which is openly being practiced by
minorities in India ….!! If inter-cast marriages are supported then why not
inter-religion ……let there be true secularism in India …..and not this blurred
version of secularism, created by pseudo –intellectuals !!
I have no award to be
given back …no talent to make a documentary or debate the issue on a TV channel.
But my belief that God is one and all religions should be respected gets shaken
every day in my Mind….As a Hindu …am I being taught to stay oppressed in India
? Is that secularism??
I am a woman ,a Hindu
woman ,who wants to teach her son to respect all religions …and want to tell
him that if you light a candle in a church, bow your head in a Mosque , do seva
in a Gurudwara…. You will not cease to be Hindu …….for you are a Hindu and
always will be a Hindu .You will never learn to fear .
Yes I am…… confused
…..but I still don’t fear for I am a Hindu .I will not eat Beef but will not
support a ban on it !! but please don’t mock my religious feeling by doing a
Beef –Party just to mock me !! at least that much I can expect .
If you want to return
your award then return it and say that you ‘ll accept it back only when beef
–ban is removed ,haj subsidy is stopped ,polygamy among muslims to be declared
illegal,no special reservations for any minority in their institutions
....,triple Talaq to be stopped and not compulsion of change of religion in
inter –religion marriages !!
(Ps. I have not
taken the authors permission for posting it here, please excuse…)
