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Violent Nationalism

Violent Nationalism

On 5th August various Hindutva organizations under RSS celebrated the ground –breaking ceremony  (Bhoomi Poojan) of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on 5th August. Prime Minster Narendra Modi himself was present to lay the foundation stone of the temple.

Hindutva forces consider it liberation from mental and cultural slavery. A senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale said, “Ram Janmabhoomi movement was not just about religion but about Indian identity and nationalism”. Another prominent journalist Virendra Parekh wrote about the event as, “Founding of Hindu Rashtra”

Ever since Supreme Court paved the way for the construction of Ram temple, devotees were sending gold and silver including ornaments and bricks to be used for construction. They feel that their dream of 500 years was getting fulfilled.

Intellectuals and activists irrespective of their faith criticize temple construction while the whole country is suffering from pandemic Covid which has infected around 2 million people and over 52,000 killed as 4th August. The deadly virus is spreading rapidly. Millions of people in India, living Rams, are suffering from starvation, unemployment and dying of Covid 19 and other diseases. When the priestly class and common people are drugged with religion they don’t understand reason.

The Ram temple is built with the blood of thousands of men and women who were killed in different communal riots over the years. Though politicians and Hindutva groups would hail the construction of Ram temple as a symbol of cultural nationalism, it will remain a symbol of violent nationalism nurtured by revenge and hatred. This is contrary to all values for which India was known for centuries. Yet politicians of all parties are hailing the construction of Ram Mandir as symbol of unity.

Hindutva groups are doing now, what was done by Christians and Muslims in the past. The command of Christ to spread His Gospel of love was misunderstood and misused by the powerful ‘Christian’ countries of Europe and made it a conquest for political expansion and economic exploitation. Church made it an opportunity to expand Christendom, imperial institutional Church under the patronage of colonial rulers. In their zeal for expansion of the Church they destroyed local cultures, religions and their temples. Muslims also followed the same method of Christians and started aggressive ways of expanding their religion. They too used violence to suppress the Hindu population who were not only tolerant but receptive to all diversity which was the heritage of India. It was the pluralistic heritage of India that welcomed people of all cultures and religions with honour.

The Hindutva leaders and their groups today are following the same aggressive methods which Christian and Muslim invaders and missionaries used in the past. By abandoning the original Hindu ways of pluralism and universality they have adopted aggressive nationalism and misinterpret universal family spirit of Hinduism. They have adopted the destructive culture of violence and exclusive nationalism to establish Hindu Rashtra which is not Ram Rajya of Lord Ram. As Jesus was misused for political purpose Christian rulers, Lord Ram is also being misused by Hindutva forces which go against the ethos of Hinduism and the soul of India.

(Published on 10th August 2020, Volume XXXII, Issue 33)