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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'If you defend Hinduism you will be branded a fundamentalist'
E-mail from readers the world overDate sent: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 01:03:03 EST
The man should be very careful about what he is saying because in "secular" India, if you defend Hinduism, you will be branded a fundamentalist, a fascist, or a member of the Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad or Shiv Sena. It does not matter which religion or culture you belong to. Also, most Indian traitors -- members of the intellectual Indian English press or so-called 'secular' Hindus -- will start hating your guts for speaking up for Hinduism. They may stop publishing your articles and books too. I am also amazed that the Rediff editors have, for a change, got someone to speak good about Hindus. I guess that after all that criticism and anger from readers about Hindu-bashing articles and news items, they are trying to prove they are not anti-Hindu. Well, congratulations for a good interview and hope you will maintain such standards of unbiased and fair journalism in future. Vishaal
Thanks for publishing such a great interview with Francois Gautier on Rediff. Rajeev Srinivasan did an excellent job. I will appreciate it if Rediff could also feature interviews with Koenrad Elst, Subhash Kak, David Frawley, and other Indologists. Deepak Nautiyal
Hats off to you and your views. It was very pleasant to see that there is someone in the press who appreciates a great nation and exposes pseudo-secularists. Anand Rajagopalan
'The massacres perpetuated by Muslims in India are unparalleled in history, bigger than the Holocaust of the Jews," he said. Actually, this man Gautier has more in common with Hitler. He is exploiting you. A nation that constantly looks back with nostalgia and not forward will also end up in the past.
Wow! What an honest look at India from a 'foreigner'. Are the secularists listening? I hope so. The clarity, without the 'fogginess' of secularist whitewash, shines through and the transparency of his thoughts makes you wonder how you never saw India with such clearness before? Ramana
If your heart doesn't break to see a child or woman in India breaking stones on the side of the road, old before their time, then you can see the world in terms of the struggle between religions. When I was in school we had a phrase for a guy like this -- "sad case". I wish him peace and greater understanding. Many of the ideas he talks about are worthy, but stale, and serve as camouflage for dangerous obfuscation. This piece is another example of "Please, Mr European, who has flattered us with your interest in us unworthy Indians, tell us what we should do next, won't you? Teach us what is true and important about us, won't you? We are as good, no better than you, aren't we? Tell us that you think that is true." Inject a whine into these sentences. Then, when the European concurs, there is a rush of blood about the European having seen our greatness despite our crowds and filthy toilets. All of India's problems are due to conspiracies and atrocities organised by the minority religions, right? Francois needs a tour of duty in Algeria to witness his country's colonial legacy rather than lying about in Pondy. We don't need Gautier or Thackeray; we need Vivekananda. PS: Does anybody on this site talk about the real problems in India -- which, in my opinion, has little to do with religion or ideology-devoid political non-entities. Can we discuss overpopulation, our degraded environment, solutions for poverty, illiteracy, bureaucracy, feudalism, child labour, child prostitution and slavery, women's rights, the AIDS epidemic, corruption, tribal welfare, protecting and refining our democratic ideas and our shrinking wildlife, the tinderboxes of Kashmir and Assam minus the oversimplification? It would be better than tilting at the windmills of Christian, Sikh and Islamic oppression. What's next? Parsi oppression? That'll be rich.
This interview reminded me of something V S Naipaul once said: "India will always need the intervention of an outsider". Indeed, your interviewer also conceded the point when he said the same views from an Indian would have raised the hackles of "secularists" and the entire intelligentsia would have branded him a member of the "right-wing lunatic fringe" and demanded his head. It's really pathetic that even to recall the wrongs done to us down the centuries, we Hindus need an outsider to speak up. In this context, Gautier's views about our "racial memory of Muslim atrocities" does not seem far-fetched. I could cite many instances when the secularists -- most of them born to Hindu parents -- have gone out of their way to defend a Muslim who has hurt Hindu sensibilities. Two examples: Husain's painting of Saraswati and Ali Mian's objection to the Saraswati Vandana. And today's Rediff carried a story about the Communist Party of India (Marxist) taking on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to uphold the "right" -- never mind if the Constitution calls it wrong -- of Christian missionaries to hold a meeting in Kerala. And the latest issue of India Today carries an article about the Talibanisation of Mallapuram district by the NDF (where even Hindu hotels are forced to close down during Ramzan). I tend to agree with Gautier that all these guys are cowards. They do not have the guts to stand up for their Hindu identity. They do not even have the guts to admit that to themselves. So they become more Muslim than the Muslims and more Christian than the Christians. It's the classic case of the chief slave who is too scared to take on his master and puts down other slaves to feed his need for authority. We see manifestations of this in the rise of Sonia Gandhi. The despicable Congressmen -- members of a 100-year-old political party and inheritors of one of the world's largest collective experience in governance -- fall over one another to put on a pedestal a housewife not known for excellence in any field of human activity. That they even go to the extent of changing their party's constitution to facilitate her anointment is the latest example of their sycophantic attitude. They make me feel ashamed to be an Indian. More so because, for the world outside, the Indian ruling class and the Congress are synonymous. I am really interested in Gautier's views and would very much welcome an opportunity to exchange notes with him.
What he said was the absolute truth. And most of the time, truth is bitter. People should have the courage to admit what they are, at least to themselves. I believe that is the beginning of improvement. When I look at India, I feel Hindus are cowardly and selfish. Including me. But I am proud that I have the courage to admit that, and I want to change as much as I can. I hope I can see a strong India before I die. Vasudevan
The views Gautier expressed are very true. I am happy there are some sane persons like him. Congratulations to Rediff for publishing the interview; even though the person who conducted the interview had some distorted vision of his own country. Bandy
I am extremely impressed with this article. I really appreciate your efforts in putting out such interviews. Virendra Reddy
Pardon my ignorance, but who the hell is Francois Gautier? It might help if you told us whom you were interviewing. Other than that, you have a real good site. Keep up the good work. Chandrashekar
This interview was amazing. Combined with Mr Gautier's article in The Hindustan Times, it makes one seriously question the integrity of the Indian media. For example, consider the fact that the Christian coalition exercises enormous influence on the Republican Party of the United States. It is what the RSS is to the BJP. Yet members of the coalition are frequently interviewed in the mainstream media. Pat Robertson, the multi-millionaire leader of the coalition, has been spewing hatred at Hinduism for years now. On the other hand, one can understand the behaviour of the media. Most mediapersons were educated in convent schools and grew up ridiculing Hinduism -- the ultimate act of secularism is that they want to send their children to the West for higher education. They want to be invited for seminars and forums on "Trends in Third World Journalism". Later they want to spend a week visiting the Champs Élysées with their families. So one can appreciate their plight. It is possibly the only pragmatic thing to do. In retrospect, I think Vajpayee was very courageous, conducting the nuclear tests and openly calling for a debate on conversions. He knew he would face a hostile press and possibly withdrawal of support. But he weathered the storm with grace and equanimity. If the economy turns around and he can last for five years, I think those would be five golden years for India. Sanjay Chawla
Brilliant! It is a long time since one read such frank no-holds-barred views. I agree one hundred per cent with the views expressed by Gautier who, incidentally, is better informed about India than 99 per cent of Indians.
Do the rotten human beings who rule our sacred country read this? Gautier has pointed correctly some -- if not many -- evils. Anyway, like all Indians, let us wait and watch. Maybe a saviour will come.
The interview provides great insights into India's past, present, and future. It lays the foundation of India's nationalism, which is Hinduism. This is basic to our understanding of Indian society and the problems it faces from Christians and Westerners. This interview should be made permanently available on your site so that as many readers as possible read it. I congratulate the interviewer and publisher of this interview and hope they will be able to release similar thought-provoking pieces that tell the truth about Hinduism. Vinod Prakash
I'm surprised that a serious source of news from India like yours publishes such pseudo-intellectual material. Just because he is married to a Hindu and currently lives in India does not mean he can even begin to understand what it is to be an Indian. What does he mean by "this will eventually kill India's soul"? He even praises Thackeray. Pure nonsense. If you really have to publish this kind of material, feature it in the humour column. Otherwise, I love this magazine. It's got style and is quite a leader in the world of Indian and international news. Guna Pannirselvam
This is the truth and nothing but the truth! Hypocritical pseudo-secularists, bleeding heart pseudo-humanists, perverted pseudo-intellectuals, dishonest pseudo-journalists (that's practically the whole lot at Rediff) and holier-than-thou pseudo-spiritualists, pay attention!
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