Editor,
I found my friend Mr. Mawroh’s riposte (Misleading portrayal, ST, Dec, 23, 2014) against Patricia Mukhim’s original article (Travelling back into a hoary past’ ST Dec 12, 2014) overly unfair, biased and of academic interest alone. By dwelling almost completely on merely how the article cites and interprets Karlsson’s Unruly Hills and diverting the attention from other more important questions raised by Ms. Mukhim regarding Mr. Kharshiing’s antiquated politics and ideology, Mr. Mawroh thereby reduces his own arguments to what seems like pure pedantic nit-picking.
Books, once out in the public domain, would and should be open to scrutiny and interpretation and it is only natural that many of those interpretations would not always resonate with the author’s own value judgements and ideologies. But as long as the statements are cited correctly with the source, which Ms. Mukhim does duly, it is fine. Because a dissatisfied pedagogue and cynic can always go back and check the veracity of the source. Mr. Mawroh clearly wrote the rejoinder from the privilege of interviewing Dr. Karlsson personally. Could he have written the rejoinder without that privilege? And that’s why I agree when Ms. Mukhim said that it would have been more appropriate if Dr. Karlsson himself posted the rejoinder.
Yours etc.,
Rajkamal Goswami,
ATREE (http://atree.org/) , Bangalore
Threats to our secularism
Editor,
It is interesting to note what some RSS leaders are assertive on the issue of religion. What they are bent on doing is to reconvert Indians professing other religions back to Hinduism. Their slogan “India is for Hindus” is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. The whole world will laugh at them for such a stupid statement. To claim that India is for Hindus is another way of expressing religious fanaticism or intolerance. Now there is an all out effort to pass the Anti-Conversion Bill in the Parliament. Every right thinking person knows that this Bill is intended to become a license to persecute Christians and Muslims in India. But what the RSS fails to accept is that their campaign of reconverting non-Hindus would itself be an act against this Bill and they should be the first ones to be prosecuted by the law. One RSS leader has blatantly said on television that Christianity is a European religion and not fit for India and so too Islam. If this particular person knows a bit of history he would not have made such a statement. Christianity is not a European religion. Jesus was not a European at all, so too his first disciples. He was a Jew and so an oriental man and never a westerner. History also tells us that Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha who was an Indian and yet today Buddhism is a major religion of countries like Thailand (95%), Cambodia (90%), Myanmar (88%), Bhutan (75%), Sri Lanka (70%), Tibet (65%), Laos (60%) etc and not of India. Till date I have not heard a Sri Lankan or a Burmese saying that Buddhism is of Indian origin and therefore it should go back to India.
This brings me to the point that “religion is sans frontier”. The attempt to circumscribe religion within geographical boundaries or limit it to an ethnic group goes against the theology of any religion. Religion is about “man’s relationship with God”, so who can limit God’s movement and who can dictate the faith of a person? The fact that Christianity which began in the East and gained strength and prominence in the West or that Buddhism which started in India grew stronger in other Asian countries, clearly indicates that religion has no boundaries and cannot be contained within one culture. The RSS under the garb of the BJP is all out to attack the minority religions. They are in particular venting their anger on Christians knowing that they are the weakest section (less than 2% of the population). The anti-conversion law is primarily directed at Christian churches. So too the declaration that 25th December would be observed nationally as “Good Governance Day” or the “birthday of Atal Behari Vajpayee” and not as “Christmas”, is a subtle way of attacking Christian sentiments. I will not be surprised if the Muslims are next in the line of this hate strategy.
Theocracy is a thing of the past and any nation that tries to propagate such a political philosophy should be branded as “medieval” or “uncivilized”. The Taliban tried in Afghanistan, the ISIS are trying to do the same in Iraq and Syria and the whole civilized world is appalled at this idea. I hope India does not fall prey to such a perverse philosophy.
Trying to bring in the idea of “state religion” is ridiculous. What the Hindu Fundamentalists are trying to do right now is to awaken the ghost of the past. By advocating such a religious philosophy they are attacking the Indian Constitution. Tampering with religious freedom will only breed hatred and violence. Every Indian will shudder at the thought of a civil war just like the one witnessed during the Indian partition. India cannot afford to brew an internal conflict when its integrity is being threatened by unfriendly neighbours. The BJP Government will do well if it does not succumb to the dictates of the RSS on these issues. Religious freedom is a fundamental right of every person and it is above the dictate of any authority. All right thinking people must raise their voices before they lose their freedom.
Yours etc.,
Barnes Mawrie,
Via email
Correction!
Editor,
In the Letter to the Editor, ‘Will the Khasi linguists respond?’ (ST Dec 17, 2014) the word ‘detestable’ appeared in place of ‘desirable.’ As the meanings of the two words are diametrically opposite, kindly carry this clarification in your daily.
Yours etc.,
PK Lakiang,
Shillong-3