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The recent controversy over Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalavans remarks on the demeaning portrayal of women in the Manusmriti has already accomplished two things. First, it has shined a light on the rampant sexism practiced by many of our political leaders, who sanctimoniously claim to support womens equality. Second, the ill-informed response by the Bharatiya Janata Partys Khushbu Sundar has exposed the hypocrisy of her organisation, one of whose leaders only recently declared that the men accused of the heinous rape in Hathras are innocentand that the murdered woman was an awaara.

I found nothing offensive in Thirumavalavans remarks, which were only highlighting the offensive verses from the Manusmriti. However, his call to ban the text brought two anecdotes to my mind.

Some years back, when I had broached the subject of Manusmritiwith a family priest, he had declared with an air of finality, Everything was fine in our society until we stopped following Manu. He had earlier turned down a request from a woman wishing to perform ceremonies for her departed father, saying that he could only officiate if a person could sit bare-chested and with apoonal(sacred thread).

Onanotheroccasion, while visiting the Melukote temple nearMysuru, I had questioned apujariabout the tradition that allows the local Dalit community to take over the sanctum once a year (supposedly instituted by Ramanuja over 800 years ago). He didnt sound too happy: What can I say. These days they come in anytime they please. My father later informed me that after the Dalits designated day of worship, the priests purify the temple before resuming puja.

Also read: Dont listen to VHP and panic. Christianity is a failed project in India

I recount these exchanges to underscore thatManusmritiis still alive and well in the minds of large sections of our society and banning it is not going to banish bigotry from their minds.

What is desperately needed is a movement to reinvent Hinduism with urgent focus on eliminating gender and caste discrimination, perhaps taking cues from early rebelssuch asAkka Mahadevi, Basavanna, Kabir, and many others. Sadly, most Hindu religious leaders today seem unequal to the task. At best, they say that they themselves do not discriminate; at worst, they are too busy locking arms with Hindunationalists in their triumphalism over Indias Muslims and Christians to care about the real state of Hinduism today.

Privileged urban middle-class Hindus, on the other hand, will often declare that an end to the caste system will come soon enough through generational changes. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of such change among the younger generations, even as caste-related and sexual violence are on the rise. Recent news reports of wide-spread caste bias inSilicon Valley challenge the very notion that we can simply sit back and let our future generations bring an end to casteism over time.

On another side of the caste debate, some will ridicule the very notion that Hinduism is capable of reform, suggesting that the only way to annihilate caste is to annihilate Hinduism. Such strident voices coming from historically oppressed communities are understandable, but are completely unrealistic and offer no practical pathways to eliminating the caste system.

Finally, Hindu nationalists have never hadsocialreforms on their agenda. Instead, their priority has always been to portray themselves as the sole defenders of the Hindu faith from its external enemies.

No one could have put it more succinctly than my childhood friend and a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue from Bengaluru who once told me that dealing with the Muslim problem and Christian conversions were his top priorities. We can address our internal family problems later, he had said. Why wash our dirty linen in public?

Hindu nationalists have not changed much since that conversationI had decades ago, except that name-calling, intimidation, and violence have now become a major part of their portfolio.

In the meantime, their obfuscations and conspiracy theories are finding newer audiences, thanks to WhatsApp and coordinated Hindutva messaging like Manusmiti is mostly forged and is the work of enemies of Hinduism; Varnashrama and the caste system are distinctly different; our scriptures do not mention caste, which was imposed by Islamic and British rulers.

Also read: Whose Ram Rajya does Ayodhya temple bring Gandhis or Modis? Ambedkar can answer

In the United States, Hindunationalists have a unique dilemma. They want to avoid any honest discussion of the caste system and theManusmiti, but they also want to be seen as allies in the fight for racial and gender equality. As a result, they spend an inordinate amount of time arguing that caste and race are not at all comparable and that the Manusmitihas nothing to do with Hinduism. And they fully exploit the multi-cultural-friendly school systems to demand that the State protect the sensibilities of their children by not portraying the caste system in a negative light and by not discussing the oppression of women and Dalits.

It must irk them greatly today that the Black Lives Matter movement is eliciting many parallelsbetween the civil rights struggle and the continuing struggle of Dalits for equality.

Honesty and soul-searching have never been part of the Hindutva character. But the late learned Chandrasekarendra Sarasvati, the highly respected Kanchi Sankaracharya, had no qualms about telling it like it is:

According to the sastras, the Hindu community is divided into various castes. A particular duty is assigned to a particular caste. By heredity people come into a casteIt is the duty of other caste people to look after the Brahmins.

1963 interview with Prof. J.W. Elder of Universityof Wisconsin

He also went on to say that India being a secular State, it is the responsibility of religious leaders and institutions to see to the moral and religious uplift of society. Unfortunately, most such leaders, today,are utterly failing in those responsibilities by aligning themselves with an authoritarian and brutal ruling political class. I see no morality or religious upliftment in that.

Also read: Black lives mattered to Phule and Ambedkar. They had seen caste discrimination in India

The fact of the matter is that like other religions of the world, Hinduism, too, has a legacy of the good, the bad, and the really ugly. Hindus must own it all first, before we can have an honest conversation about how to bring about real changes. And that conversation must begin by personally disavowing the ugly at every opportunity we get.

WhenBhimraoAmbedkar burnt the text of theManusmritiin 1927, he was assisted by a Muslim and a Brahmin, who saw his symbolic act for what it was an act of resistance to raise societys consciousness about the fundamental inequities of Hinduism.

We must applaud Thirumavalavan for reminding us 93 years later that those inequities are still continuing. The difference, however, is that the Dalit movements today can count on many more non-Dalit allies by their side as they carry forward their struggle for equality.

By attacking the messenger,theBJP has shown its desperation to look for a wedge issue in an innately secular TamilNadu.

Raju Rajagopal is co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights @Hndus4HR. Views are personal.

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By: Express News Service | Kolkata | Updated: November 3, 2020 11:05:13 pm Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday urged the Centre to take up with Bangladesh the issue of alleged violence against Hindus in that country. Chowdhury referred to recent media reports that claimed temples were allegedly vandalised and Hindu families in Bangladesh became victims of arson and loot by fundamentalist forces.

The media reports said at least 15 Hindu temples in Bangladesh have been vandalised over allegations of disrespect shown to Islam on social media, triggering panic among the minority community in some areas.

It is reported that Hindu families in Bangladesh have been targeted by fundamentalist forces, resulting in arson and other violence as a reprisal of the stand taken by our government. The Indian government should take up the issue with Bangladesh government as immediately as possible so as to prevent further escalation, Chowdhury said in a statement.

Temples at Nasirnagar in Brahmanbarhia district in Bangladesh were vandalised on Sunday and over 100 houses in the area belonging to Hindus were looted, the media report said. After the violence, which reportedly lasted for hours, two temples in adjacent Madhabpur in Habigunj also came under attack, the report said. Six persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack and paramilitary Border Guards Bangladesh were deployed at Nasirnagar and Madhabpur Upazila headquarters, it added.

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Adhir tells Centre to raise issue of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh - The Indian Express

Amjed Jaaved

France happened to be a cradle of modern human rights. How come its slogan `life liberty and pursuit of happiness allows it to drag out mosque-goers from inside the mosques. Or insult them in myriad ways. France continues to publish and republish cartoons injuring sentiments of the Muslim community. Some leaders have called for banning Muslim immigration to France.

Islamic jihad (holy war):Long before Islamic jihad, terrorism was a familiar phenomenon in history. The anti-Muslim media exploited the 9/11 incident to tarnish the image of Islam (salammeans peace). Islamicjihadfascinates people more than terrorist outfits such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and so on.

In the historical context, the term meant different things to different individuals and communities. The oldest terrorists were holy warriors who killed civilians. Recent examples of religious terrorists are Aum Shinrikyo (Japanese), Rabbi Meir Kahane and Baruch Goldstein and Yigal Amir (Jews). The Jewish-controlled media describes Hezbollah and Hamas as religious terrorists. In the first century A.D Palestine, the Jews publicly slit the Romans throats. In the seventh century India, the thugs strangulated gullible passersby to please the Hindu Devi Kali. And in the 19th century, adherents of Narodnaya Volya (Peoples Will) mercilessly killed their pro-Tsar rivals. The term `terrorism became notorious during the French reign of terror in 1793-94.

It is now common to dub ones adversary a terrorist. Doing so forecloses the possibility of political negotiation, and gives the powerful definer the right to eliminate the terrorist.

The non-Muslim writers not only mistranslate the word jihad for qitaal (blood-shed), but also distort the true meaning of Quranic texts by quoting them out of context with ahadith (sayings about Holy Prophet Mohammad life) or peculiar situations to which they relate. The Quran gives a clear instruction that there is no compulsion in religion (2: 256). It states that people will remain different (11: 118), they will always have different religions and ways and this is an unalterable fact (5:48). God tells the Prophet that most people will not believe even if you are eager that they should (12: 103). Quran enjoins wars are to be avoided (Quran 8:61, 47:35; Bukhari 56:112, 156:94:8 Sahih of Muslim).

For one thing, Islamic jihad (Al-Quran 25: 52) does not mean Holy War. That term does not exist in Arabic and its translation into Arabic sounds quite alien. Jihad is always described in the Quran as fi sabil lillah. It can mean argumentation, financial help or actual fighting. The term, which is specifically used for fighting, is qitaal (a compulsion when you are attacked and flushed out of your homes).

Quranic verses were twisted out of context to show that they are incendiary and fan hatred against other communities.

Since 9/11, the world has been fixated on Islam and trying to prove that terrorism was ushered in by Islamic tenets. And, it is a menace to society.

Twisting Quranic texts: Verse 191 Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran is often quoted to argue that Islam is a violent religion. In, God says: And kill them wherever you encounter them and expel them from where they expelled you. Oppression is indeed worse than murder. Do not fight them at the Masjid Al-Haram (Kaaba) unless they fight you therein. If they fight you, then kill them; such is the penalty of the disbelievers. Verse 193 of Chapter 2, God says: And fight them until there is no more oppression and the religion is for God, but if they cease, then no aggression is permitted except against the transgressors.

Situational context: This Verse191 Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran was revealed when Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage were attacked and killed by the non Muslim Quraysh tribe who had signed a treaty with the Prophet to not attack the pilgrims.

Gita:Verse 193 is no different from what Krishan taught Arjun. How is this any different from Lord Krishna telling Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita to fight as his dharmic duty?

BG 2.33: (O Arjuna! If you do not fight for this religion and turn away from your religion, then you will lose your fame and glory). Surely, Hindus will know the context.

Bible: Deuteronomy 20:1-4: When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

Torah: Torahs verses also speak of genocide and pillage?

Numbers 31:1-10 say: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin. Moses spoke to the people, saying, and Let men be picked out from among you for a campaign, and let them fall upon Midian to wreak the LORDs vengeance on Midian. You shall dispatch on the campaign a thousand from every one of the tribes of Israel. The Israelites took the women and children of the Midianites captive and seized as booty all their beasts, all their herds, and all their wealth. And they destroyed by fire all the towns in which they were settled, and their encampments. *

Hindu holy and unholy wars:The Ramayanas and the Mahabharata wars elucidate various types of yuddha (wars). In ancient India there were three schools of war. Bhishmas school of warfare belonged todharma yuddha(ethical or just war). Two other schools, Brihaspatis and Krishnas school of warfare belonged tokoota yuddha(all-out war) ormaya yuddha(war by tricks or stratagems). There is too much of negative publicity about Islamicjihad(struggle). But, there is little limelight onkoota yuddhain Indias history.Koota yuddhasignifies all-out, no-holds-barred or un-ethical warfare.

Bhishma stressed chivalry and ruled out surprise and deception. But, Brihaspati recommended that the king should attack an enemy only if the enemys strength is one-third of his own (`Udyog Parva). He suggested that the king should never trust the enemy or spare him, no matter how old or virtuous he may be.

Similarly, the keynote of Krishnas military philosophy was `end justifies the means. He laid great stress on deception. `Truth may often have to be sacrificed in pursuit of victory (Karma Parva). He advocated the use of force to defeat the enemy if he was superior in strength or capability (Shalya Parva). The opportunity once wasted never returns (`Shanti Parva).

Even the enlightened Hindu and the military writers believe that Indias prosperity during various periods of history, for example during the Maurya and the Gupta periods, rose or fell pari passu with the rising or fall of military leadership (Major General Rajendra Nath,Military Leadership in India: Vedic Period to Indo-Pak Wars.1990.Lancers Books).

Since partition, the Hindu leaders have put a tab on their innate desire to expose their urge forkoota yuddhawith Pakistan because of political expediency. Indias confidence-building measures did not contribute to the solution of the Kashmir, or Sir Creek issues. They were dilly-dallying tactics to evade a plebiscite in disputed Kashmir. The Congress espoused the cause of secularism to avoid unfettering the polyglot, multi-religious multi-racial genie..

A wake-up call for Pakistan: Pakistan learned nothing from the East-Pakistan debacle (Asghar Khan, Weve learned nothing from history). India is now engaged against Pakistan in what Kautliya calls mayayuddha(war of tricks) orkootayuddha (all-out warfare). She is out to isolate Pakistan, get it dubbed as a terrorist state. Ibn-e-Khaldun says that it is asabia (nationalism) that enables a country to withstand challenges. Toynbees Challenge and Response Theory also reminds us that if challenges are too heavy, a nation becomes apathetic to the environment. Apathy leads to mental degradation, decay and extinction.

Pakistani leaders, including prime-ministers-weres and prime-ministers-to-be, should take off their blinkers and try to understand how India, throughkoota yuddha, hands in glove with like-minded countries, is trying to wreck their economy and country.

Read more:

Jihad in Hinduism, Bible and Torah | KashmirWatch - Kashmir Watch

Four Hindus have been arrested in Mathura for reciting the Hanuman Chalisa at the Eidgah Masjid after two Muslims entered a Temple in the same city to offer Namaz. A video of the same went viral on social media following which the Police flung into action and took them into custody. The Hindus have reportedly claimed that they recited the Hanuman Chalisa at the Masjid to promote brotherhood.

The Hindus have been identified as Saurabh Lambardar, Raghav Mittal, Kanha and Krishna Thakur. All of them are residents of the Govardhan area. We have done nothing wrong.if they (Muslims) can offer namaz in a temple, then we can also recite devotional hymns in a mosque, one of them said. The events followed after one Faizal Khan had been arrested by the Police for offering Namaz within the premises of Nandmahal temple in Nandgaon area in Mathura districts Barsana on Saturday.

A complaint was filed after a photo of the duo, reciting Islamic prayers within a Hindu temple, went viral on social media. Now, it has been revealed that Faisal Khan had also participated in anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh and several other protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill in several places in the country. Faizal Khan was nabbed near Jamia Gaffar Manzil on Monday. Mohammed Chand, the other accused, is yet to be arrested.

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Mathura: Four Hindus arrested after reciting Hanuman Chalisa in Eidgah Masjid to promote brotherhood - OpIndia

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Brooklyn (New York) headquartered e-commerce company Etsy, Inc. removed Sexy Ganesh Thong Panties carrying image of Hindu deity Lord Ganesh within few hours of Hindu protest, who called it highly inappropriate.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest, in a statement in Nevada today, thanked Etsy for understanding the concerns of Hindu community, which thought that placing image of Lord Ganesh on thong panties was utterly insensitive.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested that companies like Etsy should send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of customers and communities when introducing new products or launching advertising campaigns.

Rajan Zed had said that Lord Ganesh was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn ones crotch. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Zed indicated that they were still waiting for a formal apology from Etsy and its CEO Josh Silverman; as this was not the first time for the company to offer such products which were deemed offensive by Hindu devotees. In the past, Etsy had toilet-seat, flip-flops, and ashtray carrying images of Lord Ganesh; which were later reportedly removed after Hindus protested.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed had noted.

Is offering products like Sexy Ganesh Thong Panties really matches Etsys commitment of using the power of business to strengthen communities and empower people and its stated mission to keep commerce human? Zed had asked.

Etsy; founded in 2005 in an apartment in Brooklyn and now headquartered in its Dumbo neighborhood with additional offices in Germany, Ireland, UK, India, France, Canada, Chicago, San Francisco, Hudson (New York); describes itself as global marketplace. It claims to have had annual gross merchandise sales of $5B in 2019.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

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Etsy removes Sexy Ganesh Panties within few hours of Hindu protest - NewsPatrolling

There is a concerted campaign underway against the Hindu practice of animal sacrifice and it has been the case for quite some time. We have had at least two High Courts ban the practice in recent time and we have another state, Kerala, where it has been banned for years. But opposition to the practice has not come from the Courts alone as politicians have also attempted to punish Hindus that practice it using their influence.

Most recently, an FIR was registered against unidentified individuals over animal sacrifice at the Durga Saptakshi Temple in Kamptee, Nagpur. It was registered after BJP MP Maneka Gandhi instructed the police to take urgent action against the practitioners. Thus, it can be clearly seen that opposition to the practice is regardless of political affiliations.

The Supreme Court, fortunately, has been far more sensible in this regard, which is certainly highly unusual. The apex court stayed both the High Court orders and a bench led by Chief Justice SA Bobde made some very salient observations while hearing an appeal against the Kerala law that bans animal sacrifice.

There seems to be a dichotomy. Killing animals and consuming it is allowed. But killing animals, offering it to a deity and then consuming it is not allowed, the CJI-led bench said. The appellants had made the same argument in their plea challenging the law. The Act criminalises the intent behind the animal sacrifice, and not animal sacrifice per se. If the sacrifice is not for propitiating any deity but for personal consumption, even in the precincts of temple, it is not forbidden. This arbitrary classification is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution, the plea had said.

Before we proceed any further, we shall first discuss the essentiality of the practice of animal sacrifice in Hindu religious practices. The core element of the practice has been recognized by a wide range of scholar and scriptural sanction for it can be found in all major texts. Mohit Bharadwaj, a ritualistic practitioner of Hindu Dharma and founder of Vaidika Bharata, told this journalist, Animal sacrifice is prescribed in all major texts. But it is highly regulated.

Mr. Bharadwaj continued, There are several theological explanations, the most basic being that the Devata, to whom the animal is being offered, has commanded so in the scriptures. Later on, several sampradaya-s came up which while respecting Veda/Smrti-s, still did not abide by them, loosely speaking. For them occasionally, animal sacrifice is more from the point of view that they are offering it to the Devata because it is food.

Mr. Bharadwaj also told us that Shrauta and Grhya sutras, which are the primary authority on all Hindu rituals, explicitly sanction animal sacrifice. Scholars agree with Mr. Bharadwaj here. In a paper authored by Suchitra Samanta and published by the Association for Asian Studies, it is said, Several Tantra as well as Purana texts list appropriate animals and vegetables which may be offered in sacrifice. These texts unanimously emphasize the goddess pleasure in receiving such offerings, and eloquently describe the material and spiritual benefits to the sacrifier.

The author adds, In everyday speech, the gift-offering of goats, pathabali (chagabali in Sanskrit), is abbreviated to simply bali. It is included within the larger category of pasubali, animal sacrificial offerings. Vegetable offerings fall under the rubric of kusmandadibali. Her study was based on observations at the famous Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, the homes of the worshippers, texts related to the worship of Maa Kali and interviews of Bengali devotees of the Goddess.

The author further adds, Where in the Western tradition God and man are perceived as two separate entities, the distinctions between sacrifier and Sakti are ambiguous. The meaning of sacrifice to Sakti has less to do with the personality of God than with the act itself, that which represents the relationship between divinity and sacrifier. Crucially, such an act involves the intent, therefore the self of the sacrifier.

The author also demonstrates that animals have been traditionally sacrificed in a ritualistic manner for centuries. Another paper published in the International Journal of Hindu studies says, Animal sacrifice, and specifically animal blood, is part of various rituals and worship practices in both Tantric Hindu and mainstream Hindu traditions and is used for a number of reasons. Blood offeringsprobably the predominant background for most animal sacrificesmay be perceived as vigorous and effective means to either nourish a deity or, more often, to pacify and propitiate the potentially aggressive and/or dangerous nature of a deity.

There are numerous Vedic rites involving animal sacrifice. The Vajpeya and Agnishtoma involve the sacrificing of an animal. Then there is the famous Ashvamedha ritual described in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which involves animal sacrifice. Thus, there is ample evidence which establishes firmly that the ritualistic sacrificing of animals is an essential practice in Hindu religion.

A ban on animal sacrifice is effectively a ban on particular aspects of the Hindu belief system rather than a ban on actions. As the Supreme Court duly observed, there is a clear dichotomy here. Killing animals for the consumption of food is not frowned upon by the secular state while sacrificing animals to please the Gods is treated as a crime.

Banning the practice is a frontal attack on the freedom of individuals to practice their religious faith. And as has become obvious in recent times, the secular state of India is ever willing to curb the religious freedom of only one particular religious community. Even the killing of animals during Eid, which is a barbaric practice, is tolerated and even encouraged by the secular state while every opportunity is seized upon to ban animal sacrifice.

Both theologically and in practice, the Islamic method of slaughter is barbaric which is not the case in Pashubali. The theological concept of Pashubali lies on the basis that it is performed to please the Deity and under the command of the Deity Herself. The Halal method of slaughter mandates that the slaughtering of the animal must be done in just one stroke without lifting the knife, using a sharp knife.

It says that the windpipe (throat), food-tract (oesophagus) and the two jugular veins must be cut in a single stroke. Care must be taken that the head is not severed and the spinal cord is not cut. As is obvious, this particular method of slaughtering is far more cruel and brutal. Even so, Islamic practices cannot be the metric for passing judgment on Hindu traditions.

As Hindus, we ought to be more concerned about preserving our own rituals and pleasing our Gods than judging our traditions on the basis of those of other faiths. Pleasing our Gods ought to be our primary concern and that objective ought to acquire greater priority than winning arguments online.

It is oft touted that the beauty of Hindu Dharma is its diversity. The ritualistic practice of animal sacrifice is part of that diversity. While paying odes to diversity within Hindu Dharma, every effort is made to homogenize it and murder that famed diversity of ours in cold blood. We need not actively participate in the ritual itself in order to support it, we need only recognize the fact that it is important to multitudes of our Hindu brethren. And that ought to be justification enough for us to oppose every effort to ban the practice.

Read more here:

Dear Maneka Gandhi, attempts to curb animal sacrifice is a direct assault on Hindu Dharma and it is time to stop such efforts - OpIndia

6 mins read

Recently, 236 Valmikis embraced Buddhism in Karera village outraged by the states mishandling and treatment of Hathras rape case. This event took place on October 14, a significant day as 64 years ago, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with his 3,65,000 followers, initiating the Dalit Buddhist or Neo Buddhist movement in the country on this day. Following his footsteps, Dalits have historically sought religious conversion as a method to exercise their agency by rejecting Hinduism and its discriminating ideals and traditions in hopes of leading a life of dignity and integrity. Whether or not these hopes have been fulfilled is a question that demands deeper thought.

Following Dr Bhimrao Ambedkars footsteps, Dalits have historically sought religious conversion as a method to exercise their agency by rejecting Hinduism and its discriminating ideals and traditions in hopes of leading a life of dignity and integrity. Whether or not these hopes have been fulfilled is a question that demands deeper thought.

Dalits have found themselves shackled by the hierarchical stratification of caste dictated by Hinduism for centuries, a system that has placed them at the bottom of the social order and denying them a life of dignity and integrity. It was Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, whose portrait can be found in any Dalit household, who changed the course of Dalit history and dedicated his life to the emancipation of his community. Born into a low Mahar caste, Ambedkar suffered his share of humiliation and indignation since childhood, but further more painful was the realisation that even his superior education and accolades didnt free him from the insidious burden of his caste and everything that came along with it.

The radical decision of religious conversion and giving up Hinduism wasnt a temperamental decision. His attempts for the emancipation of Dalits were as haggard and unsuccessful as one can imagine today, given the deplorable state of the community even after 70 years of independence. He understood that the struggle of Dalits was threefold political, social, and economic. His attempts started with Sanskritisation; since the 1920s, his efforts were focused on instructing the Dalits to get rid of their Dalitness, in that his desire and vision was for them to abandon the traditions that were associated with untouchables and encouraged emulation of upper-caste Hindu practises. He soon realised that this did not work since there was no change in the attitude of others, since the premise of caste is not how the individual views and values himself or herself, but how the society views him or her.

From 1927 onwards, he focused on elevating the status of Dalits through education, access to resources such as water from public spaces and entry to temples, met with much resistance from upper-caste Hindus. Later in 1930, he contended for separate electorates for Dalits at the Round Table Conference where he issued the The Declaration of Fundamental Rights, asserting that the depressed classes needed political power to solve their own problems. This meant adequate representation in the Legislatures. Mahatma Gandhi vehemently opposed the idea of separate electorates along with any special representation involving reserved seats and entered fast unto death to show his disapproval. This led to a compromise manifesting as signing of the Poona Pact in 1932.

Ambedkar was acutely aware of and extremely disappointed by his unsuccessful attempts to accelerate the movement. In 1935, at the Yeola conference convened by the leaders of the Depressed Classes and attended by thousands of Dalits, he concluded that it was a painful realisation that the time and money spent on the efforts made to accomplish the objectives of equal status in Hindu society had proved utterly fruitless. It was then that he publicly and famously declared Though, I was born a Hindu, I solemnly assure you that I will not die as a Hindu.

He believed that religious conversion was the only way Dalits could free themselves from the claws of the evil that was caste. Even though he made this thunderous declaration of religious conversion and renouncing Hinduism in the year 1935, it was the year 1956 when he finally converted to Buddhism after a thorough comparative study of all the religions spanning 20 years to narrow down on his chosen faith.

His study led him towards Christ or Buddha. He was searching for a religion which preached equality, fraternity and liberty and Buddhism came the closest, since he realised that Christianity was not free of discriminatory behaviour either, working along the lines of caste and denominations. He also considered Communism, but understood its limitations and therefore abandoned this option. He found Buddhism appealing because of its democratic, egalitarian nature. Its three principles, namely Prajna understanding or wisdom, Karuna love, and Samata equality were a salve for the Dalit community and something that they were deprived of in Hinduism.

On 14 October, 1956 which was also the Dassara day, he officially converted to Buddhism in Nagpur and declared that his Buddhism would be a sort of Neo-Buddhism or Navayana. This was a reinterpretation of Buddhism and rejected the teachings of traditional Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions. He took his Diksha from one of the oldest monks and repeated the twenty two pledges framed by himself to be administered at the time of Dhamma Diksha Ceremony along with the customary rituals. His three lakh followers also followed the path of religious conversion to Buddhism, along with him.

In 1951, the number of Buddhists in the country was a mere 180,823, it increased to 3,256,036 by 1961. The numbers kept rising; between 1961 to 1971, it grew to 3,812,325 and between 1971 and 1981, it rose by 22.52 percent to 4,719,796. According to the Census of India 2001, Buddhist population in India consists 8 million people or 0.8% of the population.

Dalit reality today is unfortunately still fraught with discrimination, violence, humiliation and aggression. Religious conversion to Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, and Buddhism remains to be a statement of escape from oppression and an act of rejection and rebellion. It serves as a statement challenging the root of the oppressors dominion and the severing of ties with a system and a religion that has consistently dehumanised them.

The lived reality has proved to be different though. Often Dalit converts find it difficult to change their social situation even after their religious conversion. Their caste status follows them even in the milieu of their chosen religion. An instance would be, even though 70% of Indian Christians are Dalits, there are only two or three Dalit bishops in a pool of 160 bishops in India. The discrimination in the Indian Christian community remains to be rampant. In 2015, 1335 Dalits, 660 of whom were Christians, converted back to Hinduism in Kerala. Most of these Christian Dalits had converted to Christianity in the previous decade after getting lured by missionaries and NGOs, which seems to be a common trend in southern parts of the country like Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

There is another major problem with religious conversion. The 1950 Presidential Order which aimed at elevating the status of Scheduled Castes population by introducing reservations in education and jobs as affirmative action denied Dalits one of the most basic and fundamental human rights the right to freedom of conscience and belief.

Paragraph 3 of the 1950 Presidential Order laid down, No person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed a member of Scheduled Caste. The Sikh and Buddhist communities resisted and protested against this, and the 1950 Presidential Order was subsequently amended to include Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990. Its a shame that it continues to leave out Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians from its scope despite of the persistent hardships that they suffer. The assumption is that Islam and Christianity are more egalitarian religions, yet as evidence suggests, Dalits in these religious communities are not free from their caste status even after their religious conversion.

The fact remains and as noted in a report by the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities in 2007 submitted to Government of India, caste is in fact a social phenomenon shared by almost all Indian communities irrespective of their religious persuasions. Many of the particular castes are found simultaneously in various religious communities, equally facing problems of social degradation and mistreatment both by their co-religionists and the others.

Dalits have been historically denied agency, access to resources, to choose where to work, whom to marry, what to wear, even what to eat. Paragraph 3 of the 1950 Presidential order denies them the freedom to choose their own faith without compromising the systemic and institutional benefits they receive based on their caste status.

Whether or not religious conversion helps Dalits find liberation is as complicated a question as deconstructing the institution of caste itself. Since caste is a philosophy, a shameful legacy of thousands of years carried by our ancestors and passed on to us, it is so deeply ingrained in our thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, and actions that annihilating it through means such as religious conversion remains to be a massive challenge.

Since caste is a philosophy, a shameful legacy of thousands of years carried by our ancestors and passed on to us, it is so deeply ingrained in our thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, and actions that annihilating it through means such as religious conversion remains to be a massive challenge.

We continue to hear cases of Dalits getting harassed every single day, in some places more outrageously and overtly than others where caste bias takes subtle forms. The question remains are we ready to challenge the status quo, take responsibility, introspect, learn from our mistakes, resist, and most importantly change?

Religious Converts in India: Socio-political Study of Neo-Buddhists By Ranjit Kumar De, Uttara Shastree

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Dalits & Religious Conversion: Tracing The History Of The Neo-Buddhist Movement - Feminism in India

All the tribal people living in this country are naturally Hindus. All these tribes, who have been living in this ancient land of Bharat since time immemorial are basically and essentially Hindus, unless and until they are converted to some other foreign religion, being impacted by imported faith."

These were the assertions made by All India Shraddhaa Jagaran Pramukh of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram Ramesh Babu. The Vanavasi Kalyan Ashrama is a leading tribal organisation working for the welfare and well-being of the tribals across the country.

Babu, on Sunday, was addressing a well-attended meeting of Janajatis in here. Stating that whichever thought-process, faith, civilization or culture has its origin in India is Sanatan Dharma or Manav Dharma or Hindu Dharma and all the original inhabitants of this land are Hindus.

He proclaimed that about 95 crore people out of the total population in this country are certainly Hindus even now, in spite of several adverse factors.Elaborating on the tribal issues, Babu said that there are about 62 different tribal communities spread over some 55 districts of the country. They are all Hindus, excluding, of course, those who, owing to different reasons, have embraced some other foreign religion.

All these tribal people, who are still continuing with indigenous Indian culture and traditions, should therefore enumerate themselves as Hindus during the upcoming census, he said.

Pointing out that the organisation named "Backward And Minority Communities Employees' Federation" (BAMCEF) is intentionally trying to create divisions in the tribal society by misleading them, he exhorted all concerned to be on guard against such nefarious designs of these elements. He stressed the need of Hindu consciousness among different sections of the society.

While social activist Govind Chandra Mohanta was the convenor of the programme, former CDMO Dr Chandan Murmu, Santhali writer Govind Majhi and RSS Vibhag Pracharak Tapan Nayak were the chief guest, guest of honour and special guest, respectively.

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'Tribals are Hindus, don't divide them' - Daily Pioneer

Laxmmi, an upcoming Bollywood movie starring Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani, isreceiving renewed backlash for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. The film dropped the word Bomb from its title following social media outrage just a few days back. However, netizens have now expressed outrage over the movies new title as well as its alleged promotion of love jihad (a pejorative term used for inter-religious marriages/relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women) and are demanding a complete ban on its release on November 9.

Actor Tusshar Kapoor, who is venturing into production with Laxmii, said that the movies title was changed keeping in mind the feelings of everyone who had or didnt have any issue with the earlier title and to maintain peace and positivity. As per the movies trailer, released on October 9, 2020, the film revolves around an inter-faith couple Aasif and Priya.Twitter users have called out the movies makers for promoting love jihad. Additionally, netizens have attacked the makers on sacrilegious grounds for entitling a movie after Hindu Goddess Lakshmi and releasing the same on the occasion of Diwali. The widespread outrage has led #Ban_Laxmmi_Movie to trend on Twitter.

Also Read:Laxmmi Bomb Trailer: Sexism And Toxic Masculinity Dressed As Comedy

Tweeple are questioning the Censor Board for its silence on the issue as well. Moreover, they are highlighting the fact that Kanchana, the south Indian movie that Laxmmi is a remake of, had portrayed both main characters as Hindus.

One Twitter user went on to write that the movie has portrayed Hindus as violent creatures and denigrated Hindu Goddesses through cheap item numbers.

Notably, on October 17, the Hindu Janjagran Samiti (HJS) released a statement seeking a ban on Laxmms release for purposely encouraging love jihad.

Also Read:Laxmmi Bomb Where are the trans people in Indian cinema?

What You Should Know:

Last month, an advertisement released by jewellery brand Tanishq came under fire for showing a Muslim mother-in-law celebrating her Hindu daughter-in-laws baby shower. Shortly after the outrage died down, a 21-year-old commerce student from Ballabhgarh, Haryana, was shot dead by a Muslim man called Tauseef for rejecting his marriage proposal. The incident only worsened the outrage over love-jihad which has refused to subside ever since.

Heres the trailer of Laxmmi which releases on Disney Hotstar, on November 9:

Tarini Gandhiok is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.

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Heres Why Ban Laxmmi Movie Is Trending On Twitter - SheThePeople