“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” I start
with a quote from the Bible as I am a secular citizen of not-so-secular India.
We are living in an
era of pseudo-secularism. It is an established fact that anything which is
spoken or done in context of Hinduism is labelled as anti-secular. Secularism
in India has become synonymous with ridiculing and humiliating Hinduism. The
more you insult Hinduism, the more secular you are! If Hindus speak to protect (protect is a
strong word when spoken in context to Hinduism) or praise Hinduism, it
immediately becomes a topic of national debate. It is termed as horrendous and
a threat to secularism. In short, Secularism has become a game of political
correctness. If you are secular then enjoy Hindus being insulted. It is the misuse
of political and constitutional rights if we dare speak anything in the
interest of the Hindus or Hinduism.
We cannot blame the political leaders or members of other
religious sects for the plight of Hinduism. The modern and the so-called
intellectual Hindus of India take pride in downplaying their culture and
religion. There should be definitely no debate regarding being ‘broad-minded”
and tolerant toward other religions, but it under no circumstances implies that
one should encourage disrespect to one’s own religion.
Hinduism is one of the oldest known religions. Idol worship
by no means signifies GOD is present in the idol. It is a metaphorical
representation of the omnipresence of the divine forces. The human mind is
naive. It wanders. It is difficult for the common man who is engrossed in innumerable
problems pertaining to his sustenance to focus on an abstract force or thought.
Idol worship is mere conversion of abstractness into concreteness. People understand tangibility better. Therefore,
our intelligent, foresighted, intellectual, and the REAL gurus of ancient
Bharata found a way to make the concept of the higher power a little easier for
the common masses to grasp and understand. Tangible divinity was introduced to
help understand the intangible divinity. An idol helps one to focus on the intangible
power he or she wants to invoke. It helps to channelize the thoughts in a given
direction. Once, a person masters the art of concentration the need for idol
worship is lost. If we look at our ancient hermits especially the ones
belonging to the Rigvedic times they did not need any kind of idol worship
because they had mastered the art of concentration.
The movie P.K is enjoyable but at what cost? It is well
known that immense courage is needed to make a joke of one self. It is again
the magnanimity of the Hindus and Hinduism that it tolerates all the
humiliation and yet stands tall. This is what we learn from Lord Krishna. He
saw and understood all the naiveness happening around him. Yet, like a true
yogi never lost his demeanour. Could the makers of the movie expect the same
generosity from other Religious sects? We all know the answer.
The Hindus who watched and enjoyed the movie do need a
little introspection. Respect begets respect! Wake up my friends!
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