Ever since the BJP government has come into power by winning the elections in India, Hindutva has become the favourite epithet used by left radicals to malign the Hindu culture and religion. The upcoming online conference “Dismantling Global Hindutva” on 11-12 September brings the entire radical left on one stage to malign Hindus for a political game co-sponsored by 40 US-based universities. Because no perfect definition of Hindutva exists, the organizers have designed the agenda which reads like a charter of Hindu hate. Hindus, Hinduism and Hindutva have always been interchangeably used. Denigrating tolerant and progressive Hinduism and Hindutva is tantamount to vilification and marginalization of every Hindu on the planet earth.
Socialists left, communist and ultra-left ideologists (left-radicals) have gained the access to western universities by sponsoring research, chairs and students. Universities, where the young minds are shaped, have become a breeding ground for radicals to attack democracies and the system of beliefs. The student body at the prestigious University of Groningen in The Netherlands has criticized the China-funded Confucius Institute:
“The students and De Vrije Student (DVS) say it’s evident that the Chinese government is meddling in CIG affairs from the fact that the institute is only allowed to use textbooks that have been approved by Chinese authorities, which they say leads to censorship.”
In India, Hinduism is the glue that unites diversity and underpins the largest democracy. Hinduism has always been the target of left radicals but it baffles everyone’s mind why 40 American universities opt to be the Hindu hate co-sponsors. Have they become a political tool in the hands of left radicals?
Hinduism is the most tolerant religion in the world. Hinduism has also shown its resilience by adapting to modern thinking and eradicating anachronism. Hindu reformist traditions started from within and were wholeheartedly accepted by Hindu society. This is the reason behind the eradication of the customs like Sati and animal sacrifices. Hinduism is the oldest surviving religion with 5000 years of continuity. Religions like Buddhism, Jainism and recent Sikhism flourished within the Hindu milieu that existed in India for centuries.
Islamic minority sects, such as Ahmedias and Bohras, and even Bahai’s enjoyed judicial and constitutional support in a nation with a majority Hindu population.
In the hinterland of India, tribal societies continued to practices their customs and religion without getting overrun by Hinduism. So, it raises the question of why should Hindus be the target of their so-called “global education campaign”. What threat do Hindus pose to any society for that matter?
Even religions imported from the foreign lands, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam and Christianity, thrived in India in the predominantly Hindu society. The tensions between the religious groups flared up at times but such incidents did not change the inclusive character of India. Do the left-radicals need to be reminded about Ajim Premji of Wipro and Yusuf Hamied of Cipla?
The members of the Hindu diaspora have assimilated themselves in their land of adoption by actively contributing to economic, academic and political spheres. Hindu diaspora demonstrated loyalty to the land of adoption but also exuding pride in their Indian roots. So, the question is why should these left radicals worry about the Hindu diaspora which has actually done very well without them? Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella and Senator Tulsi Gabbard are proud members of the Hindu diaspora.
Ultra-left, also known as Naxals or Maoists, have stoked a bloody insurgency in tribal regions of India. They thwarted development in the name of the social and cultural revolution of some sort. They planted the forests with landmines, forced people to take up arms against the system. People’s War Group, a radical ultra-left outfit, killed 76 policemen in a single attack. P Chidambaram, India’s home minister in 2010, called out the savage nature of Maoists and the BJP called for an all-out offensive against them. The DGH Conference working group members Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mandar are well-known PM Modi haters and apologists for Naxals. But hating PM Modi is one matter, winning elections is another with the electorate having zero hunger for communist ideology.
Ultra-left and others on various bands of the leftist spectrum are undergoing a crisis of their lifetime. The Indian electorate has wholly rejected them in national elections, state elections and even university-level elections. 14500 corrupt NGOs with dubious missions and funding sources have been shut down which were the monetary lifelines for left-radicals when not in power.
Hindu diaspora is present in all the countries of Europe. It vigorously contributes to the social and economic growth of the EU and India. Even in India, all Hindus do not vote for BJP and from those who do a tiny fraction would be RSS members. But instead of trying to win the lost political territory by democratic means and challenging their political opponents, this left radical group ferociously targets Hinduism as a whole. Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference clearly has a hate campaign agenda directed against Hindus to fulfil the political ambitions of left radicals which all Hindus and Humans should deplore.
Aparajit is my pen name. I am a banker and IT professional living in the Netherlands. I am a keen observer of the religion, culture and society of Europe from the Indo perspective.
