SubscriberWrites: Blaming governments for ills in society is a mere act of escapism by citizens

The problem or 'solution' cannot be a one-way street. A collective effort by the society, especially by its religious leaders is the call of the hour, writes Col KL Viswanathan.

Representational image | Dhiraj Singh | Bloomberg

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“Small-minded people blame others. Average people blame themselves. The wise see all blame as foolishness” – Epictetus

Disclaimer: With malice to none and hoping for harmony, very essential for growth, among the heterogenous society in India, I reserve the right to be wrong in my views.

Preamble: Disharmony in societies for various reasons have existed when Homo Sapiens started living in clusters since the invention of farming, several millennia ago. The issue to be addressed is not the dissonance in society but the steps to be taken to expel the unnecessary and undesired animosity and dislikes. It should not be about “we” and them”; It has to be about us. To eradicate the problem, it is necessary to seek the roots of discontent. Superficial balms and finger pointing will only bring temporary relief, if at all. This premise is the genesis of my views.

Anyone who has knowledge about the Indian subcontinent will realize that there was no “religion” in the then BHARAT (India) about 2000 years ago. From Afghanistan to Myanmar and from Himalayas to Kanyakumari the people worshipped anything from stones, trees, totems, perceptions, idols, heroes, ideas (Brahminism, Buddhism, Jainism etc… since around 450 BC), etc. There was no concept of RELIGION.

Religions and its concepts in India are imports from the West – West of Indian subcontinent. India, then welcomed all religions with open arms and provided space for their Gods and “temples” alongside whatever they worshipped wherever. Over a period of time, those who were not part of or converts to any of these new imported religions were called Hindus by those practicing Abrahamic religions. Thus, was born a contrived “religion”. Hinduism, as it was known later, IS NOT A RELIGION by any definition or by any accepted standards.

Hinduism, if at all, was a way of life practiced by the then natives of the subcontinent, since millennia. What is randomly referred to as Hindu Gods are deities (in reality, concepts) with divine powers given to them, manifesting extraterrestrial attributes and prowess, in a society which look up to them and the stories built around them for solace and guidance. The Hindu philosophy (NOT religion) talks of only one God, the supreme – the BRAHMAN (Sanskrit: Ħƺन) connotes the ् highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe); (WARNING: Not to be confused with Brahma (the deity),Bramana (a layer of text in the Vedas), Brahmanism (the idea), or Brahmin (the caste-varna). The philosophy has two schools of thought. 1. Singularity (Advaita)– which says that the Self and the Supreme (Brahman) are one and the same. 2. Duality (Dvaita) – which says that the self is detached from the Supreme (Brahman). But very broadly speaking, in essence, it is only a difference in the syntax as the ultimate destination of both paths is the same.

The Bhagwat Geetha, as opposed to common perception, is not a holy text in the vein of the Holy Books of the Abrahamic religions. It does not lay down any rules. The form of the Geetha is a collection of verses where, the teacher (Krishna) talks to his pupil (Arjuna) about his duties in the context of family, society and the Nation. While referring to ways of life, the emphasis in the teachings, is on recognizing the self as the universe (Brahman) – it is an exposition of singularity. In the Geetha, there is no reference to any prophesies or a prophesier.

The foregoing should form the basis of understanding the diversity of Indian subcontinent, which existed much before the advent of religions in the region.

Religious disharmony is a phenomenon in existence since advent of various religions, especially the Abrahamic religions, all over the world (what is a religion is for a debate on another day). Religious disharmony has created untold miseries and shed loads of
human blood, especially in Europe and Western Asia for many centuries and later, on the Indian subcontinent in conflicts between the Abrahamic religions and the propped-up locals as “Hindus”. Such destruction in the past is usually attributed to ignorance and thirst for power through exploitation. Are we not wiser now? We better be, for the sake of future generations. The problem was not created by an individual or any ONE side.

Harmony can’t be imposed. Only rules and regulations can be mandated. To reduce fatal road accidents the motorcycle rider has to realise the danger of not wearing helmets. He can’t always depend on the traffic police to do it for him. Similarly, it is the society which has to take the lead in establishing harmony among its people.

In so much, it is outright foolish to expect politicians and governments to bring in social harmony in a heterogenous society as in India. Being a democracy, the primary aim of political parties is to grab power and stay there. Towards this end, the aim of political dispositions in democracies will, therefore, be to create a support base. In India this is done by addressing constituencies based on caste, sub caste, religion, language, regional “pride” et al. Note that all these differences in society existed for more than a millennia before the formation of modern political parties, who did not create these differences. They merely exploit them. Dividing the electorate based on caste is no different from doing the same based on religion. Unless we change the basic narrative in the society, the politicians and the vested interests (clergy) will exploit and the people will let themselves be exploited by design or by default. That is the nature of the beast – democracy. The problem or a” solution” (secularism? – what is it anyway?) cannot surely be a one-way street. A collective effort by the society, especially by its RELIGIOUS LEADERS is the call of the hour.

The religious leaders along with prominent citizens of the civil society should come together onto one platform and repeatedly declare unanimously that: –
1. All religions serve humanity equally well
2. No one religion is better than the other
3. Gods of all religions are GODs and no one God is better than the other

4. Methods of worship of all religions equally lead to the God worshipped

Is this too much of an ask? Blaming the political dispositions, including Governments, for ills in society is a mere act of escapism by the citizens and the society.

Tail piece: People of the twenty-first century should realise that the only permanence is change. Followers of all religions should recognize that “Secularism” and tolerance are not one-way streets. Everybody needs to change.

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