By Ram Puniyani*
India’s partition was one of the major tragedies of South Asian region. The causes for this are to be seen in the triangle formed by the British policy of divide and rule, Hindu communalism believing in primacy of Hindu nation and Muslim communalism demanding formation of Pakistan.
The falsehood of theory of ‘religion as the basis of nation state’ was demonstrated by the breakaway of East Pakistan from Pakistan leading to formation of Bangladesh. Majority of Hindus and Muslims stood rock solid against this theory of ‘religion as the basis of nation state’. Just two representative names should suffice Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Hindu communalism held that this is a Hindu nation. Since partition many Hindu communalists have been holding that the breakaways from United India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, in particular should be brought back to Indian fold. This concept is being called as Akhand Bharat (Unbroken India) based on ‘Hindu Dharma’. This was articulated in the speech of RSS sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat, who stated, “There is a need to become united again, not through force, but by ‘Hindu Dharma’ ”.
He added, “They (separated countries) did all they could, but did not find any remedy. And remedy is reunification (with Bharat) only and all their problems will get resolved,” he said. He, however, said the reunification should be done through Hindu dharma.
As such RSS holds that its idea of Akhand Bharat includes not only Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tibet. It terms the combined region as a Rashtra (Nation) based on “Hindu cultural” similarities.
At yet at another level Tripura’s Chief Minster Biplab Dev told a party meeting at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, during his visit to Tripura, that BJP wanted to establish the party and form governments in neighbouring countries after winning all states in India.
This is in a way fall back on the ideology of Hindu communalism that this whole region was a Hindu nation from times immemorial. The reference to ‘Hindu Dharma as the basis of unification’ shows their real colors. They hold that Dharma can’t be translated as religion. They state that Dharma is different from religion.
What is Dharma? It is religiously ordained duties. It does include words like Khstriya dharma, Stree dharma etc. hinting to the caste and gender roles as assigned by tradition. It is true that Hinduism is different from other religions but it a religion all the same. It has deities (Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh), it has rituals, it has holy books, clergy and holy places. In practice we have seen that most of the campaigns launched by Hindu nationalists have been around places of worship (Ram Temple), holy symbols (cow) and Hindu identity related issues like love jihad and what have you.
There are also claims that Hindutva is a way of life. That way all religions also have a way of life. Here the confusion between Hindutva and Hinduism needs to be understood. Hindutva is a politics while Hinduism is a religion with multiple tendencies within itself.
The concept of Akhand Bharat sounds hegemonic as its base is projected to be Hindu Dharma. We know the effort to base on the politics around religion that India got partitioned. Today different countries which are aimed to be brought in Akhand Bharat have different religions. Will they accept Hindu Dharma as the basis of uniting with India? India itself in theory is a secular state, Hindu dharma is not its base. The present articulations of Bhagwat and company sound more like being expansionist rather than collaborative.
India’s partition was one of the major tragedies of South Asian region. The causes for this are to be seen in the triangle formed by the British policy of divide and rule, Hindu communalism believing in primacy of Hindu nation and Muslim communalism demanding formation of Pakistan.
The falsehood of theory of ‘religion as the basis of nation state’ was demonstrated by the breakaway of East Pakistan from Pakistan leading to formation of Bangladesh. Majority of Hindus and Muslims stood rock solid against this theory of ‘religion as the basis of nation state’. Just two representative names should suffice Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Hindu communalism held that this is a Hindu nation. Since partition many Hindu communalists have been holding that the breakaways from United India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, in particular should be brought back to Indian fold. This concept is being called as Akhand Bharat (Unbroken India) based on ‘Hindu Dharma’. This was articulated in the speech of RSS sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat, who stated, “There is a need to become united again, not through force, but by ‘Hindu Dharma’ ”.
He added, “They (separated countries) did all they could, but did not find any remedy. And remedy is reunification (with Bharat) only and all their problems will get resolved,” he said. He, however, said the reunification should be done through Hindu dharma.
As such RSS holds that its idea of Akhand Bharat includes not only Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tibet. It terms the combined region as a Rashtra (Nation) based on “Hindu cultural” similarities.
At yet at another level Tripura’s Chief Minster Biplab Dev told a party meeting at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan, during his visit to Tripura, that BJP wanted to establish the party and form governments in neighbouring countries after winning all states in India.
This is in a way fall back on the ideology of Hindu communalism that this whole region was a Hindu nation from times immemorial. The reference to ‘Hindu Dharma as the basis of unification’ shows their real colors. They hold that Dharma can’t be translated as religion. They state that Dharma is different from religion.
What is Dharma? It is religiously ordained duties. It does include words like Khstriya dharma, Stree dharma etc. hinting to the caste and gender roles as assigned by tradition. It is true that Hinduism is different from other religions but it a religion all the same. It has deities (Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh), it has rituals, it has holy books, clergy and holy places. In practice we have seen that most of the campaigns launched by Hindu nationalists have been around places of worship (Ram Temple), holy symbols (cow) and Hindu identity related issues like love jihad and what have you.
There are also claims that Hindutva is a way of life. That way all religions also have a way of life. Here the confusion between Hindutva and Hinduism needs to be understood. Hindutva is a politics while Hinduism is a religion with multiple tendencies within itself.
The concept of Akhand Bharat sounds hegemonic as its base is projected to be Hindu Dharma. We know the effort to base on the politics around religion that India got partitioned. Today different countries which are aimed to be brought in Akhand Bharat have different religions. Will they accept Hindu Dharma as the basis of uniting with India? India itself in theory is a secular state, Hindu dharma is not its base. The present articulations of Bhagwat and company sound more like being expansionist rather than collaborative.
Falsehood of religion as basis of nation state was exposed when East Pakistan broke away from Pakistan
The other pattern which human society has seen definitely needs to be emulated. The attempt to have global bodies trying to establish peace and sorting out problems between different nations like the United Nations, the European Union and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are the ones based on collaboration and are most welcome. The concept here is to respect the sovereignty of other’s and deal with them on equal basis. European Union saw a great collaboration between European countries.
Closer home, the SAARC experiment was also a great initiative to bring the neighbours together in collaboration in areas of trade, commerce, education and health. None of these moves kept religion as its base and so could take some baby steps in bringing in peace and enhancements of economic and social progress. Unfortunately most of these initiatives are comparatively weak in current times. But one thing which human society can learn from these experiments is that when the issues are taken up on concrete grounds of material cooperation, countries can come together and have more amicable relations.
The other method is to claim that those territories belonged to us either due to racial similarities or because of our religion. This path had disastrous effects on geo political scene.
The claim that those countries which separated are in distress is a lopsided statement. We know that at many places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, the imperialist policies of control over oil wealth wrecked havoc there. It was not due to religion. The other country which separated, Bangaladesh, is currently progressing better; leaving India behind in many development indices.
In South Asian region, the countries named as part of Akhand Bharat can definitely form a stronger federation on the basis of equality and mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty. Mutual respect for each other’s traditions and cultures has to be the basis. This can pave the way for better economic and political atmosphere. To say that these countries should come back and become part of India sounds hegemonic.
To make Hindu Dharma as the basis of this unification is domineering. What is needed is to strengthen democratic ethos within the country, to treat neighbours as friends and to sort out problems by peaceful negotiations. The need for collaboration, cooperation in field of commerce, trade, education and health cannot be overemphasized. That is the crux and core of the association with neighboring countries, and the union of these countries on these lines will definitely enhance the prosperity and peace in the region.
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*Well-known political commentator. This article has been distributed by the Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC
Closer home, the SAARC experiment was also a great initiative to bring the neighbours together in collaboration in areas of trade, commerce, education and health. None of these moves kept religion as its base and so could take some baby steps in bringing in peace and enhancements of economic and social progress. Unfortunately most of these initiatives are comparatively weak in current times. But one thing which human society can learn from these experiments is that when the issues are taken up on concrete grounds of material cooperation, countries can come together and have more amicable relations.
The other method is to claim that those territories belonged to us either due to racial similarities or because of our religion. This path had disastrous effects on geo political scene.
The claim that those countries which separated are in distress is a lopsided statement. We know that at many places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, the imperialist policies of control over oil wealth wrecked havoc there. It was not due to religion. The other country which separated, Bangaladesh, is currently progressing better; leaving India behind in many development indices.
In South Asian region, the countries named as part of Akhand Bharat can definitely form a stronger federation on the basis of equality and mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty. Mutual respect for each other’s traditions and cultures has to be the basis. This can pave the way for better economic and political atmosphere. To say that these countries should come back and become part of India sounds hegemonic.
To make Hindu Dharma as the basis of this unification is domineering. What is needed is to strengthen democratic ethos within the country, to treat neighbours as friends and to sort out problems by peaceful negotiations. The need for collaboration, cooperation in field of commerce, trade, education and health cannot be overemphasized. That is the crux and core of the association with neighboring countries, and the union of these countries on these lines will definitely enhance the prosperity and peace in the region.
----
*Well-known political commentator. This article has been distributed by the Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC
Comments
WHO WAS MAURYA ? HE WAS AN ILLIEGITIMATE CHILD FOUND LOITERING BY A BRAHMIN. HIS MOTHER WAS A SUDRA ! SO HE HE WAS SON OF "MURA" (A MAID OF DHANANANDA) AND SO MAURYA ! HE "USURPED" THE KINGDOM OF DHANANANDA AND THUS ACQUIRED HIS EMPIRE ! HE DID NOT BUILD AN EMMIRE ! JUST LIKE CHAIWALA BETRAYED VAYPAYEE AND ADVANI TO HIJACK BJP (AND THE ORIGINS OF CHAIWALA)!
THIS BANIA "TOOK ADVANTAGE" OF THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER AND THE INABILITY OF SELECUS TO HANDLE PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN - TO THUS,ACQUIRE THE REGIONS OF PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN ! THERE WAS NO GREAT WAR OR BATTLE ! HE WAS A USURPER, MURDERER AND AN OPPORTUNIST ! NO WARRIOR KING !
AND HE WAS NO HINDOOOOO ! HE DIED A JAIN BY STARVATION ! Y DID HE NOT ADOPT HINDOOISM OF CHANAKYA ? NET -THIS BANIA ACQUIRED AN ARMY AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A GREEK COLLAPSE ! THERE WAS NO CRUSHING DEFEAT ON THE GREEKS ! THE GREEKS HAD DECIDED TO EXIT INDIA AND THE NORTH WEST !
IT WAS THE FERCIOUS REBELLION OF THE TRIBES OF PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN -WHICH MADE THE GREEKS LEAVE LANDS TO THE BANIA MAURYA !
IS THIS THE BASIS OF A AKHAND BHARAT ? A HINDOO BHARAT WHOSE KING WAS NOT A HINDOO ? NOTE THAT DHANANANDA EXTERMINATED K-SHAT-RIYAS ! Y ? THIS WAS A PERIOD OF "NO-HINDOOISM".IS THIS AKHAND BHARAT ?
THE LINEAGE OF AN ILLEGITIMATE BORN OF A NAUTCH GIRL HAS TO BE DOOMED !
THEN COMES BINDUSARA ! THE SON OF BANIA GUPTA MAURYA ! THIS CLOWN AND HIS WIFE WERE AJIVIKAS ! ATHEISTS ! THIS MAN WAS BORN AFTER CHANAKYA POISONED HIS MOTHER,KILLED HER AND THEN CUT OPEN HER DEAD BODY TO TAKE OUT BINDUSARA !
NOTE THAT BANIA MAURYA IS A JAIN,AND HIS SON IS AN ATHEIST ! HE EXPANDED HIS KINGDOM TO THE SOUTH AND WAS DEAD IN 40 YEARS !
THIS IS THE BASIS OF AKHAND BHARAT ? AN ATHEIST ?
THEN COMES ASHOKA THE SON OF BINDUSARA ! FATHER WAS BORN OF A DEAD POSIONED WOMAN ! SON WAS BORN WITH A SEVERE SKIN INFECTION - THORNY SKIN - AND HIDEOUS TO LOOK AT ! NOTE THE TRINITY !
GRANDFATHER BORN OF A SUDRA HARLOT !
FATHER - CUT OUT FROM A DEAD POSIONED WOMAN
SON - HIDEOUSLY GROTESQUE !
I CALL THIS DYSFUNCTIONALITY ! AKHAND BHARAT ?
ASHOKA GREW IN HATE AND SCORN - AND THUS,WAS AN INCARNATE OF CRUELTY AS RECORDED IN ASHOKAVDANA WRITTEN BY BUDDHIST MONKS - CENTURIES "AFTER ASHOKA" -SO WITH NO FEAR OF RETRIBUTION !
ASHOKA KILLED ALL HIS BROTHERS BUT 1,AND SEVERAL MORE, AND SEIZED POWER ! AND GUESS WITH WHOSE HELP ? GREEK MERCENARIES ! THIS MAN WAS MAD AND EVIL ! HIS TALES OF EVIL ARE INNUMERABLE - BUT THOSE IN THE ASHOKA VADANA
- BEHEADED 14000 JAIN MONKS IN A DAY
- OFFERED A GOLD COIN FOR THE HEAD OF A JAIN MONK
- BUILT A TEMPLE OF TORTURE OR HELL ON EARTH - WHERE HE PERSONALLY TORTURED AND KILLED MANY.HUEN TSANG RECORDS SEEING THE SITE 0F THIS TEMPLE, YEARS LATER
BUT THE ONE GOOD THING IS THAT ASHOKA SHUT DOWN THE BRAHMIN SCUM (WHO ARE RSS). NO RITES, NO FESTIVALS, NO SACRIFICES, NO MUTTERING. NO DIWALI ! THIS IS WRITTEN ON THE PILLARS !
WHICH IS Y ASHOKA IS NOT NAMED AS THE AKHAND BHARAT HERO ! ASHOKA WAS ANTI-HINDU AND ANTI-BRAHMIN !
WHICH IS Y AFTER THE DEATH OF ASHOKA - HIS NAME WAS A BLACK HOLE AS THE BRAHMINS OBLITERATED IT ! THE BRAHMINS ALSO KILLED THE LINEAGE OF ASHOKA AND DESTROYED THE MAURYAS FOREVER !
BEFORE THE DEATH OF ASHOKA - THE GREEKS TOOK BACK PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN AND THE SOUTH KINGS ALSO RECOVERED LAND LOST TO BINDUSARA ! AND IN A FEW YEARS AFTER ASHOKA, KALINGA DESTROYED THE MAURYAN ARMY !
IS THIS AKHAND BHARAT ? SONS OF HARLOTS WITH DYSFUNCTIONALITIES,WHO WERE NOT HINDOOS AND DID ALL THEY COULD TO DESTROY HINDOOS AND HINDOOISM !
AKHAND BHARAT ? dindooohindoo
DUMB HINDOOS TODAY THINK ASHOKA CONVERTED AFTER KALINBA AND KNOW NOTHING ELSE !
BU THEN – WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THOSE WHO PRAY TO MONKEYS ?
CHAIWALA IS PROOF THAT HINDOOS CAN BE CONNED INTO BELIEVING ANYTHING ! EXTERMINATE THEM NOW
NOTE THE TREND !
DHANANNANDA EXTERMINATED K-SHIT-RIYAS ! HIS ARMY HAD DALITS AND FOREIGNERS
MAURYA – BECAME A JAIN
BINDUSARA – WAS AN ATHEIST
ASHOKA – A BOODHHEST WHO SHUT DOWN HINDOOISM !
ALL WERE MASS KILLERS ! THIS IS THE DESTINY OF HINDOOS ! EXTERMINATION ! THAT EXPLAINS THE SLAVERY OF 1500 YEARS TO HUNS,MUGHALS AND PORTUGESE AND BRITS !
THE BRAHMIN/BANIA/KSHATRIYAS ARE ARE A RACE OF WEASELS AND COWARDS ! THEY NEVER DEFEATED A FOREIGN ARMY ON FOREIGN LAND OR IN INDIA ! THE VICTORY OVER THE GREEKS WERE OVER SMALL SATRAPS AND THE GREEKS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED IN THEIR WARS IN PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN !
WHICH IS Y WHEN THE MUGHALS,TURKS,AFGHANS,BRITS,HUNS,PORTUGESE CAME TO INDIA IN FULL FORCE – THEY DESRTROYED THE HINDOOS !
PAKISTANIS AND AFGHANS ARE NOT INDIANS !
THUS,WIPE OUT THE TRIBE OF CHAIWALA ! THE PILLARS OF ASHOKA ARE LIKE THE MONUMENTS AND TOWERS INNAUGRATED BY CHAIWALA – TO ERASE THE GENOCIDE OF CHAIWALA AND THE BJP !
PEOPLE SAY – BRAHMINS HATED ASHOKA AND KILLED HIS LINEAGE AND DESTROYED THE MAURYAS ! Y DID THEY NOT DESTROY THE ASHOKA PILLARS ? COZ NO ONE COULD READ THEM OR KNEW OF THEIR EXISTENCE !!!!!!?
ARE THEY REAL ???????? COULD BRAHMINS WHO DESTROYED BOODHEESM AND MONKS AND NUNS AND STUPAS,HAVE SPARED THE SIGNAGE OF ASHOKA ? dindooohindoo
IS IT ALL A GIGANTIC FRAUD – TO BUILD A NATIONAL HERO – WHO WAS ACTUALLY,AT LEAST IN MAJOR PART,A DEFORMED, UGLY,EVIL,CRUEL AND HIDEOUS MAN ? JUST LIKE CHAIWALA !