Why are educated Hindus so apologetic in India?

Kolkata: Firstly, a necessary caveat. The words that follow represent the ethos of a progressive, inclusive and creative community. Not a forum for engaging in disruptive thought misaligned to societal goals.

Truth be told, educated mainstream Hindus in urban India are increasingly batting on a first day Perth track, questioned with severe ferocity. The inquisitors include folks like Rahul Gandhi, who avail of every opportunity to malign the majority. A newspaper like The Telegraph in Calcutta is obsessed about provocative communal headlines which  border on the dangerously absurd. Not to forget the conveniently righteous public figurines, social and unsocial, who love to flog fake projections. In the guise of confronting ultra right forces, Hindus are busy assaulting other Hindus, thankfully figuratively.

As a necessary data point, there are only three Hindu majority nations in the world, the other two being Nepal and Mauritius. Unlike Christians and Muslims, whose majoritarian track record extends beyond double figures and most successfully so. Hindus lack sufficient global precedence in handling the ‘majority’ status and often abdicate both responsibilities and rights. Therefore we react scholastically to anecdotes of discrimination and start playing in an uber-defensive mode. Instead of sorting out the insecurities, we choose to attack ourselves as if an appointed Board is accountable for every exception. Perhaps not realising that this is contradictory to national well being as it fuels the arms of the foes, happy to engage in border skirmishes and global trade wars.

Rahul Gandhi, the superhero of Karnataka, is actually public enemy number one in my assessment. It is absolutely democratic to fight Prime Minister Modi in India, in whatever tonality that befits your ambitions and culture but not cool at all to belittle the entire successful nation in a global forum, that too on community issues. Mamta Banerjee is actually an apt benchmark in this matter, driving brand West Bengal globally on competitive grounds and not petty politics. Hindus today are losing face globally thanks to the shenanigans of the Gandhi scion, with a miserable family track record. Let us not forget that the riots of 1984, arguably perpetrated by those in power, are inexcusable in any sense.

Then of course, the media, opinion leaders and The Telegraph is just one opportunistic player. It is entirely fashionable to do an Intra-Hindu witch-hunt at every possible opportunity, to appear chic and secular. As long as democratic values are protected that is deeply admirable but borders are crossed all too often. Let one again be very clear that Ultra-Rightism cannot be tolerated on any count but that is indeed the exception and not the norm.

We may digress to some diaspora statistics, from the UK where the education and integration levels of Hindus  ( 1 million) are benchmarks for the entire immigration base. According to The Times newspaper ( London), Hindus are ‘ smart, rich and well-behaved’; ‘ better qualified than Christians and earn more.’ True equally for the USA where the successes of the community in both contributing and integrating are truly splendid. But in India, we are ridiculously oblivious to such proven statistics in multi ethnic pot boilers, influenced by a deeply confused section of our very own.

As a genuine Hindu, like most of the nearly one billion in India, a unified nation is our ambition and passion, and that simply makes good sense. Anybody who has worked in Corporate India will confirm that there is no community based discrimination in recruiting or promoting - meritocracy is neither  a misnomer nor an exaggeration. Unlike say the USA where black rights are still street fight agendas with Martin Luther King's vision a selective pipedream, Obama quite like Osama the exception and not the rule.

In fact some of the finest examples of inclusive majoritarianism come from Islamic nations, the UAE most prominently. Estimates suggest that almost 10% of the population is Hindu and a significant chunk of that is the white collar variety, successful on global terms. Practising religious beliefs they choose and embracing the culture they select, this is a happy hunting ground for all religions as long as the citizens are law abiding. No Muslim in the UAE is apologetic for being a Muslim and why must Hindus be so in India. Exactly how the greatest multicultural success stories have occurred in the Western world with avowed Christian antecedents and let us not forget that King Charles is also the Head of the Church of England. Short point to make is that historical majorities in successful global economies revel in diversity while clinging proudly to their genuine antecedents.

International Yoga Day, today, is a great time to dwell on Hindu pride as Yoga is a fine posterboy for inclusive IP. The credit for creating a systematic version of Yoga, making it accessible to regular people goes to Sage Patanjali. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and a few notable others contributed immensely to its current structural form. But its practice is clearly religion-agnostic and is blessed with immense flexibility in every sense - like an ATM machine anybody anytime can get access to with just a mat as a willing accessory.

Hinduism is a genuinely inclusive religion and the perils of the caste system ( rapidly diminishing) anyways overwhelmed any external discrimination. Just as Diwali is rapidly becoming an universal festival, the traditions are generally welcoming to all. In terms of creativity, culture and mainstream societal contributions, the track record is splendid both in India and abroad. Vegetarian practices are amenable to the environment and the peace-endorsing nature of the community is statistically proven. Yes, any strains of extreme behaviour cannot be condoned but that I must insist is still a non-regular occurrence.

‘To gaslight someone means to manipulate another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences or understanding of events’, according to the American Psychological Association. Gaslighting, Merriam Webster Dictionary’s Word of the Year of 2023, is indeed what is happening to mainstream educated Hindus in India today. Quite sadly, the manipulators are usually fellow Hindus, caught in a strange ‘Hospitality Trap’, blaming every deficiency on the host’s bearing or conduct. Instead of building further on our core universal values, which can happen only when we are intensely proud of who we truly are. This is a convergence and not a contradiction.

As PM Modi amplifies the worth of yoga to an American audience today, it is equally well noted that PM Nehru was also an advocate and practitioner of this ancient craft. If Yoga can unify the two, then surely it can be an adhesive for every Hindu in India, To align sincerely on the glories of a fine religion and build a sustainable base for a secular and successful India. And yes, never be apologetic.