Shashi Tharoor tweeted this article of Badri Raina which suggests how Muslims have larger claim to our Matrubhoomi and how saying ‘Vande Mataram’ is blasphemy.
Badri Raina met a Muslim driver Abdul Rashid who said – “Dr Sahib, do you ever think about the reality that when you die, your ashes will be immersed in the Ganges, or some other water-body, and, in course of time, the waters will carry them beyond the territories of India into the sea; but when I die, my remains will be buried in our own mother earth and be mingled with it for eternity? So, I ask you, which of us has a better claim to the matrubhoomi? Is it not the case, then, that were we to say ‘Vande Mataram’, we would be committing the ultimate blasphemy of bowing to ourselves—a thought not to be entertained in the Islamic faith?” And thus he gets a conclusion that Muslims have better claim on Matrubhoomi.
First of all Badri Raina does not understand the Hindu rituals and beliefs like ‘Daah- Sanskara’. Universal fact says that whatever has been born has to be perished. According to our culture whole Sthool-Shariira is made of Panch-Tattva that is earth, water, fire, air and space. When a body is left by its Atma-Tattva, we do Cremation as ‘SanskAra’ of the body for the left soul. Remember, we do not cremate at home or anywhere else because we must have to be dissolved into land, water, fire, air and space. We go to a river where we do have all these matters. By burning body our earth-element dissolves into earth, fire into fire, air into air and space into space. Pouring ashes into river is actually dissolving water element into water matter.
Going by Badri Raina’s logic about claim to the matrubhoomi those who are buried have only claim to a packed land with no water, fire, air and space on the earth. Those who are cremated and have poured their ashes into a river have claim on whole mother nature. Badri Raina knows that he is only poured into water. He must know that he also gets mingled with mother earth.
Thus we see this article on ‘the wire’ is merely a propaganda to prove that without saying ‘Vande Mataram’ Muslims have better claim to the matribhoomi. Logics given by the writer are ridiculous and propagandists in nature. Left liberals always use fictitious characters and incidents to present/defend their own absurd rationality and here he used a driver Abdul Rashid and blah blah.
Saurabh Dwivedi
Assistant Professor (Sanskrit)
@saurabhmahadev (Twitter handle)
