NEW DELHI: A change of address matters, especially, when it mentions “Bharat” and not “India”. The global Hindu is grinding the ingredients for cultural, economic, spiritual and intellectual “resurgence” in the mortar, the idea of Bharat with the pestle of “pride”. The brittle element of fundamentalism is out. The Bharatiya curry, minus the onion and garlic, is hot and brewing, at the first World Hindu Congress in Delhi. The Congress will end on Sunday.
Finding force from RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s stress on the timing and the time for cultural “action” and VHP President Ashok Singhal’s statement that Hindu power has returned to the capital after 800 years, the call for global Hindu re-emergence and the consolidation of Hindus worldwide involves more than 1,500 delegates from 50 countries. It has coincided with the 125 birth anniversary of K B Hedgewar, the founding Sarsanghchalak of the RSS and the 50th anniversary of VHP.
Steering clear of fundamentalist talk or topics, the top Hindu leaders spoke about becoming the guiding force using the inherent value of “sameness” in Hindu religion, the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kuthumbhakam. The call for “unification” came with a loud pitch for the need to introspect, to become invincible and fearless intellectuals, “sachcha, pakka, achha Hindu”, to become the “giver”, to reclaim the “swabhiman” and to understand the rituals. The grand global Hindu wish-list is brief but bulky.
The tone for “sameness” in Hinduism was set by the guest of Honour His Holiness Dalai Lama in his inaugural speech. The Tibetan spiritual leader called himself a “reliable chela” of Hindu spiritualism and its values, and termed the spiritual differences between Buddhism and Hinduism — “private matter”. In their speeches, Singhal and Bhagwat assured Dalai Lama, that Hinduism believes in the “sameness”. Justice C V Wigneswaran, Chief Minister, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, described Dalai Lama as “a good Hindu” and Singhal hoped he gets the Bharat Ratna.
On the second day, gender got a bold voice at the packed conference hall where Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and former IPS officer and social activist Kiran Bedi addressed a gathering that would baffle any fan of stereotypes on the Indian right-wing women.
Delegates from Fiji discussed the core factors related to female foeticide with Indian friends from Delhi’s “Yamuna paar” over coffee and cookies. And just then, Sitharaman arrived and thundered her opinion on media stereotyping women. “You are encouraging a certain theme, a certain narrative, story, the picturisation of women, where she’s made a commodity, where she is being projected as a doormat, and you are comfortably watching it, shedding tears. The moment (the) Government tries to come in, we will have equally n-number of women saying ‘Oh, moral policing!’” She stressed on the need for women to document their achievements—a suggestion that left many eyes welled-up. Later, the women gushed about Manusmriti, Natyashastra, pride, honour, opportunities, working conditions, rituals, hawans, matching bangles and lipsticks, and the right crackle of kachaurees, all in the same breath, almost. The “big bindis”, worn in bright and proud vermillion stood out. Many delegates complained about the lack of time for a wider interaction.
A glass door separated the voice of gender and education. The latter saw a more passionate and louder exchange of ideas. The veterans, Professor Kapil Kapoor (former pro-VC, Jawahar Lal Nehru University) and Madhavan Nair, former chairman, ISRO chaired two vibrant sessions on curricula innovation for higher educational institutions and enhancing quality and efficiency through networking. Kapoor agreed with his “friend Aristotle” while supporting the idea of teaching Sanskrit at schools and declared that he is “not a Marxist” while saying that the Indian education system divides people and creates islands.
Nair pitched for the need to create “knowledgeable and employable products” in students. He said, “There was a big hue and cry about the percentage of students for higher education. But I have a view that students who complete 10-12 years of education should become employable. They should have the knowledge and skills and should be empowered. We have to see that the students’ efforts are channelised in an area of their liking. Are we teaching the students the right things in the colleges? Are we enabling them to learn, enabling them to apply the knowledge to solve the problems?”
Success stories on introducing Sanskrit to kids were shared generously. Emotions soared and volumes rose over disagreements on a number of aspects related to Indian education. Jagbir Singh, a former Delhi University professor stood up to express his objections to the “use of the ‘Brahminical’ in derogatory terms”. The “robust Sikh” won applause from fluent Sanskrit-speakers and got compliments in chaste Sanskrit for his “courage”. Dalai Lama is right. The “sameness” is inherent.