Background - A friend said he was proud of me writing about Hinduism, Vedanta and Indian History but wanted to clarify.
I had written this up some weeks back, but after the cowardly, dastardly, savage and inumane attacj on Bombay by the Terrorist, I am prompted to post this.
Hi V (name changed)
(Folks, please ignore this email if you do not care what compels me to write about in my Blogs, as I wanted to clarify one misunderstanding).
Thanks for your kind and encouraging words. Actually, it is not that bad at all having a Heart Attack ;-) I never felt any difference except for days of un comfort. You start getting more attention from your family and friends – and they make you think that something is terribly wrong with the way you are thinking about your condition. Now I am being deprived of all sweets and good food
BTW, my articles are not exactly about Hinduism, and if they appear to be, it is because it is an oldest whatever you call it. It is not a religion but a name given by outsiders. It is a Parliament of many Religions, School of Many Philosophies, and University of many Paths – whatever one calls it. Wish I was someone else to say this to add credibility to what I am saying. ;-) If we can legitimize Hinduism as one entity, then it would be fair to say that the whole World had one Hindu Religion as well as one Language – which Bible also says – but there are bound to have regional variations and differences along with drifting of time and people drifting from one land to another.
My purpose has been to show that the History taught to us has been deliberately manipulated by outsiders who wanted Indians to think less of them – it is like a father telling a child that he is an idiot. Guess what, after 20 years (actually you need just some months), the child really comes out to be an idiot. So History is like a Resume of a Civilization, and it is fudged and manipulated – and always written by the powerful, the rich and the victorious.
Though it is wrong to generalize, but I see Indians having a very poor or negative sense of their history. Just think that how many Indians like to proudly speak in their National or State Language (unlike Germans, Italians, Greeks, Persians. Japanese, French, etc.) – without letting others know subtly that are very hep and modern, sorry I meant English smart. Have nothing against English or any other body. Know India is many nations and English or Hindi binds us – and knowing English has helped us compete in the Global Market Place.
It always pained me to see Indians trying to copy accents, become westernized, and ape other cultures (just observe some of the Indians in the west, and also watch what Bollywood movies are promoting).
This was still OK, but over years I only found that the whole world is a one big and splintered family and got separated over eons of time and space travel. They are all related to the same parent Culture, Religion and Language –as there was only one religion and one language in the world. Now the scholars are calling it Proto Indo but that is their grudging admission of some allowance in this path. This has gone on for 250 years and gaining momentum. Most of the history was written by Colonist Historians and before than by Islam Invaders. Indian Historians have done nothing significant here –except for finding Dwarika and that too with the help of a chance finding and reporting by some western commercial vessel. Think I have found more and reported – though second hand in my spare time. Believe it or not, I spend more time in scientific reading but feel compelled to report what I know on the history and the language sides. ;-)
I realized that at least this hatred and division could be stopped – though looks fool hardy and naïve in my presupposition. At least the extremists all over would not be successful in inciting hatred and misunderstanding based on misinformation and misleading propaganda (just check the Internet and see what some of the extremists have to say about Indians and Hindus – to the point of it being absurd and totally misleading). Besides spiritually we being part and parcel of the same Creator and the First Principle Essence, for some the feeling of kith and kinship to same ancestry may prevent seeing a division. Then what has happened in Gujarat, Kerala and Orissa to the minorities, and how Daalits have been treated in the North puts us to shame.
Then I see that a real and truthful picture of the Language, History and how we have arrived at presence world scene is deliberately being manipulated. What we see today as post 911 Terror, was started by Roman Church 2000 years back (most of us do not know anything but temples raged, library burnt, people slaughtered, civilization pillaged and culture wiped out). Nothing against the message of the founding fathers, but I guess it is human nature to divide and fight. For the first time in the history, a religion became a tool for political domination, and that was Roman Church. Islam followed the same strategy but no one has realized Religion and State mixing is a very dangerous game and we are paying the prize all over the world now. Terrorists have the same agenda – to convert the whole world as one Islam Nation (some may feel infuriated by the injustice to the Palestine cause which I agree) but they forget, the splits would keep happening, and ‘schism’ would carry on. See what is happening in Iraq today – between Shia and Sunnis. Hindu Brahmins were no less corrupt and they drove the Buddhists and Jains outside the country – but they were never politically united and capitalized like the Roman Church or Mecca Driven Political Warfare.
Wish I was a Christian or Moslem saying this – as I do not think I am a Hindu, and I am just a Truth Seeker and trying to be a Spiritualist. Sorry I can write such a long email because I am on PTO.
Love and Regards,
Sunil.
