BENGALURU: “Hinduism does not assign the right to anybody to decide who is a good Hindu and who is not. We can all be Hindus according to our own lives. You may choose to have a different ‘ista devata’ (personal favourite deity) from me, or your family may have a different ‘ista devata’ from you. It doesn’t matter because Hinduism gives you an eclectic range of choices,” said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
He was in the city to launch the Kannada version of his English book “Why I am A Hindu?” translated by Prof Radha Krishna, here on Friday. Replying to questions - ‘Who is a good Hindu and who is not’ and ‘Accepting Hinduism is accepting inequality according to Dr Ambedkar’, he said, “So for those who question, you are not a good Hindu, you can reply that you are very well a Hindu and the social practices that you follow are your choice and I choose what practices I should follow.”
Sharing an episode involving Adi Shankara, he said, “Adi Shankara was marching with his devotees and a Chandala (Dalit), who was coming in the opposite direction, was asked to move by the devotees. He refused to move and questioned Adi Shankara what is that your people want me to move - ‘my body’ or ‘my atma’ (soul)? My atma is the same as yours and Adi Shankara fell at the feet of Chandala and said you have understood the essence of my teachings better than my own devotees.”
He said, “Hindu social practices were always a matter of contention. There was a caste system. There were as many who rejected caste as against those who upheld it. Social practices of Hinduism are man-made and I am happy to support Dr Ambedkar in calling for the end of untouchability and for avoiding using caste as a marker for anything except for social construct,” Tharoor said. “If one believes in all these, he can be a Hindu by rejecting caste.”
Those who read Swami Vivekananda properly will not subscribe to the misappropriation of his teachings by the Hinduvta Abhiyan. Vivekananda was the biggest critic of Hindutva. His form of Hinduism is something that certainly could be a beacon for all of us, he said. Currently, Vivekananda is sort of being kidnapped by people who distort his meanings to give different colouration, he added.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said hatred is spread in the name of caste and religion and problems are created using Hinduism that are not needed.