Apu’s World

Although not a very outwardly religious person, I am a Hindu and proud to be one. I believe that while Hinduism has had its evils, the best versions of Hinduism promote harmony, righteousness, truthfulness and love of all creation. I love Hinduism for its acceptance of every individual’s right to worship in a manner they choose. The concept of ‘ishta devta’ is unique to us - in a sense, it recognises that Gods are man-made creations, and so long as we are creating them, why not worship a God of your choice, one that you feel close to? I love Hinduism for the way it recognises that the earth does not belong to human beings alone - we revere snakes, we revere trees, our mothers always fed the crows before serving food to anyone, we worship Bhoomi Devi - the earth herself. I love Hinduism for the way it has accomodated dissent - atheism and agnosticism were recognised schools of philosophy in ancient India, there have always been multiple variations on the Ramayana and Mahabharata, some very transgressive. 

I don’t think Hinduism is in any danger so long as enough people appreciate its basic tenets, and considering the Indian population, that’s a lot of people. Even if for the majority, religion is all about ritual, still there are enough young people interested in the great myths and stories of ancient India, and their teachings and wisdom.

Yet, a certain set of hooligans feels emboldened enough to assault and harass women, on the pretext of preserving Hindu culture. The recent assault on women in Mangalore, for the “crime” of drinking in a pub, is not shocking for the violence itself - as Smokescreen says, violence against women itself has become commonplace. What shocked me was the blatant justification of the act in the name of ‘guiding’ and ‘protecting’ women against Western culture. Many bloggers have condemned the attack and written on the rise in moral policing across cities in India. 

My question is a little different. I don’t inherently have a problem with those who want to reform or promote the Hindu religion. Even if I don’t think that such promotion is necessary and that India has many more pressing problems such as illiteracy, poverty and over-population, those want to focus on religion are entitled to do so. The question is, why does promoting religion automatically deteriorate into the repression and policing of women? 

There are many, many things that the promoters of Hindu religion could focus upon. Many ancient Hindu temples, for instance are in a pathetic state. These are temples built by Hindu kings, to glorify Hindu Gods. Young lovers scrawl ‘chunnu loves munnu’ on the walls and garbage is thrown against crumbling walls. But, we are not concerned about the loss of this greatness that has been passed down to us. Hinduism has its own evils to contend with. Even today, in places, Dalits are not allowed to enter temples and their children are ill-treated at school. But, we are not concerned with such reform. Nor are we bothered about folk arts, music and dance which were often patronised by Hindu kings and temples, but are now dying out as the artists find more paying vocations. 

All that the self-styled defenders of Hindu culture can think about is whether the hemlines of women’s clothes are long enough and whether or not they are engaging in activities that are ‘alien’ to Hindu culture. Even if we discount the politicians who promote such mobs for political ends, there must be people who join these groups believing that they are furthering the cause of Hinduism. Why does women’s clothing and activity become the target? 

For one thing, it is easy to do. Get a bunch of people together, carry some easily available weapons and barge in to the nearest pub or cafe. By contrast, volunteering with Hindu religious and charitable organisations such as the Ramakrishna Math or Chinmaya Mission takes time and effort. 

Then, women are easily shamed. In this country, there are always enough people available to point out how women ‘invited’ attack, by their ‘provocative’ dress/speech/activity/whatever. Even those who feel that women should not be assaulted will question as to what ‘decent’ women were doing in a pub. Few women will press cases against a militant outfit, especially one which has political backing. 

It is also an extension of the same mindset which evaluates the ‘honour’ of a community by how well it’s women stick to prescribed norms. In this mindset, women are not individuals; they are only representatives of a community, and fragile ones at that, who must be protected from their own actions. If they refuse this protection and cross the lines of prescribed behaviour, they no longer qualify for the tag of ‘virtuous Hindu woman’, the sati-savitri who deserves protection. For men with this mindset, even without extraneous political influences or the lure of money, attacking such women is not a crime. This is also compounded by stereotypes of Muslim men as predatory men who prey on gullible Hindu women. To their minds, it is not feasible that a Hindu woman may ‘choose’ to associate with men of a different religion; she has been duped and must be rescued. 

And the sad thing is, this mindset is no longer scarce. While a few actively get out on the streets and assault women, the mindset is more widespread. A few urban individuals condemning such attacks is not enough. And while law and order needs to be strengthened, that is not enough to change this mindset. For a majority of people, the truth is that it is religion and religious leaders who have the most influence. Hindu religious leaders need to take a more aggressive lead in showing the way for Hinduism - for guiding people on to a progressive and inclusive version of Hinduism. In the absence of leaders such as Swami Vivekananda, who were both Hindu and forward-thinking, the space for Hindu leadership is being hijacked by narrow-minded zealots for their own ends, and the results are there for all to see. 

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