HINDU UPBRINGING ALWAYS SECULAR!
Ever since I got my consciousness I found my self a Hindu like millions of other Hindus. My family, my house ambiance, relatives, family functions, religious ceremonies, the environs around me, the temple we go regularly provided me the opportunity to learn what is all Hindu about. However my early schooling remained a heart burn for me. It gave me such a pain at a very young age which now slowly overlooking it, in the backdrop of a prudent approach to life.
My Grand Ma and my Mom shaped me more than the school. We belong to the typical middle class family. A Hindu, despite his persuasive surroundings, will start probing his religion, questions the rituals, Gods, Goddesses, and what not? However for most of these probing questions we get answers, but the age was not mature enough to assimilate the answers. The qualms would remain for the next few years till we reach an age of mellowness. Once, along the growing age, if we are fortunate enough to acquire cogent thinking we would end up in valuing the great canons of Hinduism, its concept behind worship of every living creature, rivers, trees, flora and fauna, snakes, rodents and what not? Or else, we end up sadly, self depreciating self biters.
The absence of a single holy book provided great scope for growing Hindus for his open-minded and secular outlook with an inbuilt spiritualism. Otherwise the single point orientation would have programmed our brains in a reserved direction.
Despite this Hindu upbringing which is almost similar in every Hindu family, majority in their adulthood turned out to be neutral or just religious, or rationalist, communists, atheists, but rarely a religious bigot.
Now a Hindu accepts the whole universe is manifestation of GOD. In other sense it is nothing but ADVAITA. To put it precisely GOD is nowhere else, but the entire creation it self is GOD. That’s what science has proved now –the big bang! Our puranic story “the churning of milky ocean” is the big bang theory told symbolically. This concept ingrained in Hindus allows him/her to visit a Church, a Dargah, or a Gurudwara besides innumerable temples. But he least expects that he/she be forced to convert to other faiths by coercion, sentiment or by allurement.
For this reason alone in general a Hindu will not rage in anger against the insults heaped out on Hindu Gods and Goddesses by the pseudo intellectuals, pseudo artists, and pseudo secular media. In a way GODS can not be insulted.
GODS are (plural usage connotes different faiths) above divinity and can not be insulted by a man. How Allah, Christ, Ram, Sita Devi, could be insulted, they being GODS AND GODESSES? When we hear news of insulting or blasphemy acts by some lunatics it is the HUMANS who are insulted not the GODS. The insult is felt for self. Our ego and self esteem would be at stake not the God’s.
In the course of spreading this universal secret, Hinduism evolved with idol worship. The idols are not inert objects but a vibrant force in it, augmenting the idol slowly in to the divinity by our sheer trust.
Hindus visit several temples, several temples dedicated to several deities. An animal, a predator, a tree, a plant, amphibians etc besides Humans. Those who denounce idol worship, those who ridicule idol worship are themselves at one point of time or other would have worshipped some IDOL if not our idol.
Dr Karunanidhi now worshiping the idols of Annadurai, Mr Karath, Mr Yechuri the idols of MARX. What is the difference is- the contemporary great souls would be tomorrows GODS!. Yester years Shirdi Baba now to-day’s GOD, and similarly to-day’s Puttaparthi Baba, is tomorrow’s GOD, and to-day’s Gandhi tomorrow’s GOD!
My Grandma narrated me several stories from scriptures. I enjoyed every bit of it. I enjoyed every story told, I enjoyed every event narrated. First it was popular Ramayana with all virtues of family relationships, brotherly affection, monogamy, respecting parents and so on. Later the Mahabharata, where every human emotion, relations, temperaments, jealousy, hatred, revenge, love, affection, and all souped in to one great epic.
Later it was Upanishads where man’s thinking of this great mystic creation and our interpersonal relations and emotions were codified in spiritual format.
Most of the religious beliefs in Hinduism were shaped just to keep this country united, the society to strengthen.
Many religious beliefs of to-day are but an attempt for integration of different communities, protection of environment, flora and fauna, ecosystem and everything in the name of religion. You caution people that
It is GOD, then it will be GOD for ever and protected for ever. The Banyan Tree, The Pipal Tree, The snakes, the Monkeys, the rodents etc.
When my grandma said one who visits Rameswaram at the southern tip of this great Jamboodweepam, should also visit Benaras before his death. This is nothing but to make you travel all parts of India and get to know your own people.
- What Mr Salman Khan is facing in Rajastan is not just a trial for violating a law that protects the wild life, but it is part of the sentiments of local peoples, for whom the BLACK BUCK is god. Our ancient sages have imparted that fear upon them to protect the wild animals.
Coming back to my early schooling which gave me such a pain was my schooling in a ChristianSchool in Hyderabad. It was MB School, in Mushirabad X Roads. I realized that it was nothing short of fanaticism. I was in my 3rd standard I remember! We dress up to school in uniform but with our own tilak on our foreheads. This is enough to cause rage in the school children.
The moment I enter in to the school, children use to catch me up at the gate and tore my notebooks the covers of which were with Hindu Gods pictures and wipe our tilak on my fore head. I was once slapped and dragged to church in the precincts. Forcible prayer in churches was usual thing in that school.
I found only this particular school was such a fanatic one but the St Mary School at Secunderabad where I studied my second standard just then, was reasonably different.
Now if I recollect these events I only pity them for their ignorance as my initial hurt and rage has since been turned in to a matured mellowness for that just reason of HINDU UPBRINGING.
Thus, secularism should abridge a mutual trust and respect between Hindus and non-Hindus, but should not end up bashing one community alone for numerical reason. A Hindu should be admired where he should be, particularly by non-Hindus, and visa versa, for a peaceful co-existence.
KRISHNA BAALU
