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Showing posts with the label minority persecution

Indian Polity, Entrenchment of Sanatan and Secularism (Published at The Jaipur Dialogues)

  Indian Polity Without any doubt, the ‘India’ we live in is more than just India i.e. the nation-state. As the Article 1 of the Indian Constitution precisely surmises: ‘India, that is Bharat’, India derives its colour from Bharat, i.e. the civilisation of this land, thus transcending mere politics and geographical lines. Bharat is based on the lines of the Hindu civilisation i.e. it follows the Hindu way of life, without any shadow of doubt. The very ideals of equality and discourse that have been cherished throughout  Bharatiya  History, and that now find importance in the Indian state, have been derived from the vast practices within this Hindu dharma. It follows, thus, without doubt that the Indian state, based upon the premise of Bharat, is entrenched with the ideals of the Hindu way of life. More than just saying this, let us discuss examples on how these ideals actively shape the Indian state today and find way into machineries that drive  policy-making  ...

कविता: कुछ इतिहास की यादें

कुछ इतिहास की यादें घर घर जय श्री प्रभु राम का गूंज उठा जयकारा है, और राम तो झांकी है, शिव-कृष्ण ने भी हुंकारा है। सदियों के आघातों से अब हिंदू-चेतना दहक उठी, प्रबल शास्त्र के साथ अब सबने शस्त्र की पुकार सुनी। घोरी, बाबर, औरंगज़ेब अब मिट्टी में मिल जाएगा, जिसने आँख उठा कर देखा वो नेत्रहीन हो जाएगा। शांति, प्रेम और भाईचारे की सीमा अब तो गुज़र गई, वेदना रोते-रोते अब आँखें आंसू के लिए तरस गई। इतिहास की ज़ंजीरों से मुक्ति कब मिल पाएगी? कब फिर मीरा अपने कृष्ण के संग झूमने जाएगी? बलिदानों के सैलाब, रक्त की नदियों को तुम स्मरण करो, अब तो मिमियाना छोड़ो, अब तो शेर की भाँति गरज पड़ो। भाई कौन, चारा कौन, ख़ुद से अब फिर पूछो तुम, अब तो बेड़ियाँ तोड़ दो, मेरी भारती के सपूतों तुम! धर्मवीर को धर्म मानकर सीता भाँति पुकारो तम से, मस्जिद जहां बनीं है, पुष्प चढ़ाओ वहीं तुम मन से, फिर दिन ऐसा आएगा की ये भारत अयोध्या बन जाएगा, और धर्मवीर मंदिर बनवाकर सत्ता ठुकरा जाएगा, उस दिन मेरे भारत की गली-गली वृंदावन बन जाएगी, और हिंदू चेतना फिर से प्रेममयी हो जाएगी, इन घावों को भरने में जब सब भाईचारा दिखलायेंगे, तब जा...

Nupur J Sharma and The Sufi Truth: A Dark History

  Nupur J Sharma, on her recent remarks about Chisti, a celebrated Sufi saint, that brought his dark history of rape, bloodshed and hatred for Hindus to light, received tens of thousands of death and rape threats against not only herself but also her family. So what is the truth about Sufism? Let's take a brief look, that makes up for less than a drop in the ocean, at Sufi History. When one thinks of Sufism, the first thing that probably comes to mind is good Sufi music or a mesmerizing dance in the court of an emperor. This, however, is not the entire truth. Sufi history has been through phases of denialism and has seen a great deal of white-washing to give it its current secular status. In truth, the much-celebrated Sufi culture, its music and dance is steeped in blood and has the darkest of histories. The reader must understand that the many sects of Islam have always warred with one another to claim that they are the true followers of Islam. Sufism, stripped of its contempora...

The USCIRF Hearing: Is India Really a Cause for Particular Concern?

Anti-Hindu riots and violence in Delhi ‘Exert pressure on India’ was the most frequently heard phrase at the hearing convened by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in September (the sequel to which is recently in discussion) to discuss the apparent erosion of values of religious freedom for the minority religions in India with the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Dr. Fernand de Varennes. Hearing the recorded proceedings of the trial would truly shake your beliefs about the inclusivity and brotherhood that every Indian prides himself on and while, prima facie , this may all paint a very gruesome picture, it is not the full picture by any means. The unfortunate truth, as it stands, is that for all the talk about justice, only selective justice was applied when it came to presentation of facts by Dr. Varennes and only those facts that painted the picture that the numerical majority religion was majoritarian were presented. While actively tr...