Making a Point Without Making an Enemy
- In Society
- 08:48 AM, Apr 22, 2018
- Kanchana Balasubramanian
I begin by unequivocally condemning the soul-sapping rape crimes and savagery we have seen unfold over the past few weeks. My attempt is to only break down the narrative of the Kathua rape case, a religiously targeted gruesome sexual crime, with the highest possible rationality available to me. Because to understand, is not to forgive or forget.
Firstly, the fact that we have a sexual appetite for things we find otherwise abhorrent has to be acknowledged if we are to make progress in controlling and counteracting sexual violence, just as we must acknowledge nicotine’s potent properties if we are to successfully galvanize anti-smoking efforts. Secondly, whilst humans have biological tendencies, whether, when and how they act on these is often decided by social context and identity. We must recognize that most of the time, we follow society's rather than biology’s dictates. For example, we delay child bearing far beyond the biologically selected starting time (i.e. the onset of puberty) in order to get educated, find a job and comply with societal expectations.
Having established these points, we can now ask: who are the men who attack women and female children? It is convenient to assume that they are sociopaths and delinquents. Some definitely are. However, there are men who commit such violence who would not meet clinical diagnostic criteria as either sociopaths or sexual deviants. We see violence against women committed by normative people - around campus, homes, at work, etc. This raises the possibility that the violence they perpetrate appears, in context, normative to them.
Unlike Nirbhaya, in the case of Kathua, the attackers, as reported, were not acting alone or spontaneously, but rather manifesting the consciousness of the culture in which they are immersed. What can we then make of the cultural context in the Kathua case?
The tragedies of Jammu and Kashmir constitute a long, horrific tale of inhumanity. When you dismiss genuine concerns of a group of people for decades together, unfortunate consequences are inevitable. And just like a movie script, a social script dictates that certain events will lead to other events. Instead of reviewing the script, we are condemning the actors. This results in placard activism, empty gladiatorial debates and political vendetta spurring its own ghastly consequences in the archives of time.
Whilst the subtle art of forgetting is something the Hindus know well, a bad memory is not a virtue. So, how can we create and promote the right narrative amidst the ignoramus, left liberal, secular, Hindutva and Hindu phobic voices so that we stop producing more unpleasant karmic effects over time?
Consider this: Not all of us within our lifetimes may understand the entire workings of Euclidean geometry, however, we can navigate the world successfully if we understand basic arithmetic correctly. That is the shot of Indic history that we need. Take for instance, Sanskrita Bharati, a movement for the protection, development and propagation of Sanskrit. It offers the popular 10-day spoken classes that are routinely organized all over India and worldwide, where students learn conversational Sanskrit. The movement has trained over 10 million people with 4500 centers across 19 countries. Without a hue and cry.
As Hindol Sengupta points out in his recent book, The Modern Monk, Vivekananda positioned India perfectly when he made his spectacular debut at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. He knew how to ‘pitch’ India to the West. He spoke the language of practical Vedanta: how each soul is divinity itself and how transforming society is a path to God realisation. Which is why no political party has been able to claim him. The communists love him as much as the BJP does. The Ramakrishna Mission is hence seen as all embracing, all encompassing, albeit deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy and dharma. We need more such poster boys to first get Hindus on board with the basics and then combat banal arguments (comparing Krishna to a street side romeo) with sophisticated counters, not with crude behaviour and language used by fringe elements, which ultimately strengthen Hinduphobia.
Most Indian Hinduphobes are, strangely, Hindus. So, let us set aside beef eating and Ayodhya for now. Let us use the same language “secularists” use, but direct it back to our Dharma. Let us re-market and re-strategize Hinduism in India. Let us encourage more Sadhgurus, Sri Sri Ravishankers and Amish Tripathis who can package Hinduism and enhance its consumer appeal within India and across the world. Let us absorb the worldly wisdom of the Panchatantra, in addition to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
How will this help combat future religious crimes from recurring? For one, it will create an even playing field by softening Hindu extremist fringe elements, a direct consequence of political parties pandering to minorities in the name of a fraudulent secularism. It will also tactfully call out fake narratives that pretend to be secular when in reality, they conveniently unleash bigotry and hate on religious symbols under the cover of seeking justice.
I would like to sum up with a recent Mexican Instagram post that mentions Sushmita Sen as Hindu, not Indian. Clearly, being Hindu is a linguistic and geographical identity, not a religious one.
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