I received this as a forward and felt that it is material that is worth sharing.
The following piece has been written by Maj Gen Mrinal Suman
For an Indian, a visit to
Indonesia can be an eye-opener. It is fervently proud of its heritage. Although
it is the largest Muslim country in the world, it has inscribed the picture of
Lord Ganesh on its 20,000 rupiah currency notes. Even the most
prestigiousinstitute of technology has Lord Ganesh in its
logo. Indonesia’s official airline is called Garuda (Lord Vishnu’s mount)
and the official bank is named after Kubera (the Hindu god of wealth).
Indonesian government
patronises and supports dance dramas and puppet shows that depict stories of
Ramayana and Mahabharata. It has also issued many stamps on the two epics. Jakarta
has a huge sculpture of Lord Krishna revealing Bhagavad Gita to
Arjuna. In Bali, statues of Hindu deities adorn most public places. Several
cross-roads have massive sculptures portraying scenes from Hindu scriptures,
like the sun-god riding his chariot, yoked byseven horses.
For an Indian, it is a
puzzling experience: a Muslim country honouring Hindu gods. Unable to control
his curiosity, a tourist quizzed our guide Mustafa. After looking at the
perplexed faces of the group, Mustafa responded, “Earlier all of us were Hindus
and worshipped these gods. Whatever be the reasons, we converted to Islam. I do
not pray to these gods but respect them because I know that my parents,
grand-parents and ancestors worshipped them? They are a part of my heritage and
ancestry. Should change of faith make me disown my heritage? That would amount
to my disowning my own lineage and ancestors.” The silence was deafening.
In a few sentences,
Mustafa had taught us what we Indians have not learnt for centuries. No
educated Indian ever boasts of India’s rich heritage. Our education system has
ingrained in us an acute sense of inferiority. We eulogise everything that is
Western and run down our own glorious past. Everything concerning ancient
India’s intellectual prowess, cultural richness, multiple philosophies and
liberal thoughts is painted as narrow-mindedness.
India is perhaps the only
country in the world that is ashamed of its heritage. Yes, the word ashamed is
an apt description. Expressions like Vedas, Hindus, Hindutva, Saffron and
Bharat Mata have come to convey a sense of inadequacy. The whole world applauds
India for its Vedic knowledge, philosophical expositions, ayurveda, yoga and a
host of other gifts to humanity. However, our Westernised stooges carry on
deriding our heritage. Using Mustafa’s taxonomy, they take pride in
masquerading as ‘cultural orphans’. Let me cite two events of the recent
past to prove my assertion.
The World Yoga Day
On 27
September 2014, Prime Minister Modi exhorted the UN General Assembly, “Yoga is
an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and
body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and
nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being.” He suggested that 21
June be adopted as the World Yoga Day. In less than 90 days, the UN General
Assembly passed the resolution unanimously, accepting the fact that
yoga originated in India around 5,000 years ago and is an immensely
beneficial mental, physical and spiritual practice.
It was recognition of
India’s heritage and a matter of great pride for India. While the
intelligentsia ignored the feat, no channel ran prime-time programme to
highlight the achievement. For them, anything belonging to ancient India cannot
be acclaim-worthy.
At the first official
observation of the World Yoga Day on 21 June 2015, a total of 35,985
participants from 84 nationalities performed asanas. Modi’s words, on
the said occasion, were truly sagacious, “India’s priceless legacy is today
world’s legacy.”
As is the wont of our
India-deprecating critics, no one had a good word to say about the event. They
faulted Modi for not doing asanas in the proper manner. Some even
doubted his claims of doing yoga regularly. A significant segment appeared to
be more obsessed with the spreading of yoga mats rather than the import of the
occasion. Deviously, a campaign was started that the soldiers were demeaned as
they were forced to lay mats whereas the fact is that the mats were laid by
civilian workers and the army had provided a few Havildars to oversee layout
and alignment.
An occasion of national
pride was deliberately portrayed as a fundamentalist and anti-secular agenda of
the ruling party. Baba Ramdev’s laudable offer of training yoga teachers for
the army has also been termed as a step towards communalisation of the army.
One wonders as to how Indians can revel in degrading India.
The Art of Living’s World
Cultural Festival
Last month, nearly four
lakh people from 155 countries attended anniversary celebrations of The Art of
Living (AoL) at Delhi. It was described as ‘an impeccable choreography of
spiritual exuberance’. Over 37,000 artists from around the world performed. The
programme was beamed live to millions across the globe. The whole world admired
it but not the self-proclaimed conscience-keepers of India.
They faulted the function
for likely adverse ecological effect on the flood plains of River Yamuna. It
was a laughable objection. Even a casual visitor can notice the appalling state
of the flood plains due to rampant encroachments, regular dumping of garbage/debris
and total neglect by the authorities. No environmentalist or social activist
ever raised hue and cry to force the government to act.
On learning of AoL
function, they suddenly rediscovered their long-forgotten concern for the flood
plains and launched a sadistic campaign against the organisers. As was to be
expected, media found a convenient issue to embarrass the government and dent
India’s image. It was unfortunate that our President was advised to skip the
function.
Despite repeated assurances
and guarantees by the organisers that they would neither do any digging nor use
any concrete, every effort was made to scuttle the initiative. As was to be
expected, no channel has reported the fact that AoL has left the flood plains
in much better condition than they were earlier.
The second objection was
regarding the alleged use of military bridging equipment for a private
function. It was conveniently forgotten that law and order and traffic
management always remain a state responsibility, more so as a large number of
foreign dignitaries were attending the programme. Aid to the civil authority in
preventing likely stampede cannot be faulted. Every Kumbh Mela sees such
bridges.
As regards the bridging
equipment; launching and de-launching of equipment bridges is regularly
practised by the Engineers. Hence, the opportunity was used to train as well.
Interestingly, the army had built a similar pontoon bridge at Agra for a
musical concert by Yani in 2006. No questions were raised then. Apparently,
army bridges are fine for foreign performers but not for displaying Indian
heritage.
Of Cultural Icons
While one may not agree
with all the statements made by Baba Ramdev, it cannot be denied that he and
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have done India proud by showcasing richness of India’s
ancient civilization on the world stage. They are India’s cultural ambassadors
and national icons, far greater than many Bharat Ratnas of dubious distinction.
Baba
Ramdev has taken yoga to the masses and made the world aware of its mental,
physical and intellectual benefits for overall well-being. It is
practised by the people of more than 170 countries now. Even the UN has
been forced to accept that the benefits of yoga are ‘amazing’ and ‘holistic’.
It is a monumental achievement.
Sri Sri has made AoL a
household initiative in most countries of the world. More than 370 million
people swear by it and practice regularly. One cannot think of another Indian
who has spread the message of ancient India’s vedic knowledge as worldwide.
Even the UN and the World Health
Organisation have recognised that AoL enriches life and promotes wellness
through spiritual growth and self-development.
However, as is the wont
of many opponents of India’s ancient heritage, they abhor anyone taking pride in
it. To deride own culture has been the hallmark of India’s intelligentsia. Modi
was right in questioning the opponents, “If we keep criticising ourselves, why
would the world look at us?”
And, the parting shot
Reverting to Mustafa, while taking leave of us at
the end of the visit, his parting shot was, “India has such a rich heritage.
Which country can boast of ancient civilization, and 10,000 years of recorded
history? Which country can claim to be the birth place of so many major
religions and philosophies?”
“Your heritage consists of Vedic scriptures,
Jainism’s Namokar Mantra, Lord Buddha’s teachings and
Guru Nanak’s divinity. It is common to all Indians. No one can claim exclusive
right over it and no one can disown it either. Can ancestry be disputed or
renounced? The people who disown their heritage become culturally
bankrupt,” he added.
Comments