At a time, when Varanasi became cynosure of Indian media for
the high-decibel political activity, right across the globe a tendentious
attempt was made to create “Hinduphobia” under the ruse of unravelling the
spiritually vibrant Banaras city. The obnoxious portrayal of Varanasi, the “City
of Light” as the “City of Death” by Islamist Scholar, Reza Aslan, in a
six-episode Spiritual Adventure
series, Believer elicited sharp
responses from the Hindu community. Broadcasted on CNN, the articulate anchor
who wouldn’t take an iota of criticism on Islam had tarnished the reverberating
spiritual iconoclastic civilizational values of India. The episode which aired
grotesque images of corpses, had depicted the Aghori cult of Hindu believers in
a poor light. The attempt to portray random brown bearded men as people
practicing cannibalism at the height of racial crimes in US is abominable. The
brutal misinterpretation of the sanctity of the river Ganges and a reckless
assault on the faith of millions of people is indeed callous. In the last few
weeks, Indians in US have become victims of racial discrimination. This
insidious misrepresentation of the third largest religion in the World will not
augur well for Indian Americans who are already facing the heat of the
anti-immigration. For decades, India Americans are known for their invaluable
contributions to American society and are widely reckoned for their peaceful
coexistence. While Reza Aslan and CNN had the temerity to grossly distort the
sanctity of the scared city of Varanasi could they ever dare say a word against
Mecca or Jerusalem?
Post 9/11 to defuse Islamophobia, Aslan passionately argued
that Islamism and Jihadism were different. Further he tried to impress that
Al-Qaeda was waging a cosmic war with the West. He expounded that Cosmic war
“is a ritual drama in which participants act out on earth a battle they believe
is actually taking place in heavens”. He even prescribes that “Cosmic war is
not to fight, but rather to engage moderate Islamic political forces in the
democratic process”. Hence, he tones down the necessity of waging a war on
terrorism. [With this he had necessarily evaded from condemned the brutal
beheadings and inhuman atrocities committed by IS against minorities and
specifically Yazidi women]. In fact,
Washington Post, commends his thought process saying that it “offers a very
persuasive argument for the best way to counter jihadism”. The New Yorker too
applauded his interpretation. Reza thus had a phenomenal success in allaying
fears of Islamism at least in intellectual circles. But why on earth should CNN
and Reza stoke fears among Americans with dehumanized portrayal of a fringe
mystic Hindu group?
Indian Americans have earned a distinct repute for making
outstanding achievements and are among the top tier of the American society
still why do channels like CNN relentlessly endeavor to portray India as land
of snake charmers? Why this cynical obsession of offensive portrayal of India?
This disdainful representation can’t be simply ignored since the Western media
has an extensive outreach and penetration through which it can make or break
narratives. At this juncture, it might perhaps be important to draw lessons as
how the western media functions and how Hindus must learn to handle the gross
misinterpretations of Hinduism. In the controversial California text books
case, an attempt was made to replace “Hindu” and “India” with “South Asia”
amounting to erasing and diminishing the significance of India. It could have
been a brazen obliteration of India from the historical precincts. Due to the
stellar efforts of the Hindu-American organizations, a literally battle was
waged. The honors were equally divided with some of the corrections recommended
by Hindu groups reinstated and some historical aberrations corrected. But still
there were some discrepancies in the interpretation of Hinduism and India.
Indeed, this was one of literary battles waged by the Indologists in
Contemporary times who managed to win it partially. The battle of narratives
between the Left-Liberals versus the “Hindutva forces” or “Conservatives”, has
brought to fore the absence of authoritarians on Hindu intellectuals. Despite
being one of the oldest religions, India grievously lacks the intellectual
firepower or a battalion of scholars who can defend santana dharma on any platform.
Religion in modern times is judged by the Abrahamic axioms
that basically deals with faith in God and mandates the followers to
religiously abide by the principles outlined in a holy scripture. But Hinduism
unlike the modern religions is more about seeking and urges the seeker to look
within to realize the “Brahman”. Interestingly, the all-encompassing Hinduism
is so flexible and amenable that it exhorts believers of the faith to pursue
different ways to seek salvation. While the beginners are initiated into the
religion through simple rituals, ardent seekers inclined to ascend higher
realms of spirituality are persuaded to enter the next level. Religious leaders
or Gurus emphasize on Sadhana or meditation for the enthusiasts. Resplendent
Hinduism is thus an ocean of knowledge which can’t be judged by preset
boundaries or narrow definitions. To defend this iconic religion a person must
take a plunge into the treasure troves. Unfortunately, despite inheriting this
enviable treasure troves, successive Indian leadership failed to promote the
Indic narratives. Interestingly, there are distinguished chairs and study
centers for various religions in India in top-tier universities, but no
dedicated center for Hinduism. Ancient scriptures, invaluable literature
receives scant attention. While there will be a spurt in outrage when Hinduism
is mocked at, India critically falls short of the intellectual arsenal to give
a befitting reply. Even now Sanskrit, mother of all languages and the only
medium to unravel ancient scriptures is derided. Though the offensive attacks
on the religion can be combatted with intellectual might, the rabid
misinterpretation can stop altogether if India aspires to become a developed
country-economically and militarily strong.
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