Source: www.newindianexpress.com
Date: November 23, 2014
A change of address matters, especially, when it mentions “Bharat” and not “India”. The global Hindu is grinding the ingredients for cultural, economic, spiritual and intellectual “resurgence” in the mortar, the idea of Bharat with the pestle of “pride”. The brittle element of fundamentalism is out. The Bharatiya curry, minus the onion and garlic, is hot and brewing, at the first World Hindu Congress in Delhi. The Congress will end on Sunday.
Finding force from RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s stress on the timing and the time for cultural “action” and VHP President Ashok Singhal’s statement that Hindu power has returned to the capital after 800 years, the call for global Hindu re-emergence and the consolidation of Hindus worldwide involves more than 1,500 delegates from 50 countries. It has coincided with the 125 birth anniversary of K B Hedgewar, the founding Sarsanghchalak of the RSS and the 50th anniversary of VHP.
Steering clear of fundamentalist talk or topics, the top Hindu leaders spoke about becoming the guiding force using the inherent value of “sameness” in Hindu religion, the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kuthumbhakam. The call for “unification” came with a loud pitch for the need to introspect, to become invincible and fearless intellectuals, “sachcha, pakka, achha Hindu”, to become the “giver”, to reclaim the “swabhiman” and to understand the rituals. The grand global Hindu wish-list is brief but bulky.
The tone for “sameness” in Hinduism was set by the guest of Honour His Holiness Dalai Lama in his inaugural speech. The Tibetan spiritual leader called himself a “reliable chela” of Hindu spiritualism and its values, and termed the spiritual differences between Buddhism and Hinduism — “private matter”. In their speeches, Singhal and Bhagwat assured Dalai Lama, that Hinduism believes in the “sameness”. Justice C V Wigneswaran, Chief Minister, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, described Dalai Lama as “a good Hindu” and Singhal hoped he gets the Bharat Ratna.
On the second day, gender got a bold voice at the packed conference hall where Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former IPS officer and social activist Kiran Bedi addressed a gathering that would baffle any fan of stereotypes on the Indian right-wing women.
Delegates from Fiji discussed the core factors related to female foeticide with Indian friends from Delhi’s “Yamuna paar” over coffee and cookies. And just then, Sitharaman arrived and thundered her opinion on media stereotyping women. “You are encouraging a certain theme, a certain narrative, story, the picturisation of women, where she’s made a commodity, where she is being projected as a doormat, and you are comfortably watching it, shedding tears. The moment (the) Government tries to come in, we will have equally n-number of women saying ‘Oh, moral policing!’” She stressed on the need for women to document their achievements—a suggestion that left many eyes welled-up. Later, the women gushed about Manusmriti, Natyashastra, pride, honour, opportunities, working conditions, rituals, hawans, matching bangles and lipsticks, and the right crackle of kachaurees, all in the same breath, almost. The “big bindis”, worn in bright and proud vermillion stood out. Many delegates complained about the lack of time for a wider interaction.