Subtle Superstitions in a Make-Belief India

 Like the Muslims, Christians in India are a minority. There is no near scope for them to turn into majority. The majority Right-Wing Hindus’ mistrust on the minority is a warning for the rest of the Indians. There is animosity encouraged by the religion-based political groups. Further dangers are lying in wait for these minority groups in India. Though, majority of the minorities respect the greater part of the Hindu society, for their openness towards other faith communities, especially that of the Christian community, yet we would never know whether the RSS-based Hindutva movement would keep them in peace and united. There are Hindu misgivings among the followers of such movement.   It is difficult to work towards national unity in diversity, when there are sharply different faith communities with hard-core ideologies and subtle superstitions in play. Only a ‘multicultural unity in diversity’ that is harmonious, can survive the existing socio-political ‘superstitions’ and succeed.

 

 With the blind belief in the Pegasus ‘avatar’ with the confidence of ruling the nation un-opposed with immortality and its corrupt and false ‘belief’ system, has turned the BJP led government stoop to an abysmal depth of lies through an unjust muscle-rule. The suppression of truth and justice to its lowest level, through systemic exploitations of state institutions including the judiciary and bureaucracy following a denial mode through utter ‘established lies’, have reached its highest level. The fascistic fear of being exposed of the ‘falsely built up governance’ and of a continuous wrongdoing, has led the present dispensation to weaponising ‘evil’ at all levels. The nation is being led towards a terrible, destructive, superstitious and lies-filled ‘epidemic’, mainly due to the BJP’s lust for ‘immortal’ power, which only God the Father has. It’s falsely built ‘political heaven’ (read haven) with the help of the winged Pegasus ‘snoopgate’ scam is already leading India to its doom.

The arrest and the death of Stan Swamy questions the intent and misuse of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. His death becomes a matter of shame for any right-thinking individual who professes faith in God and in democracy. The state with its ruling government is perhaps the most intolerant of any form of dissent. The sangh parivar’s single Hindutva agenda, with its superstitious and false democratic belief system, overrules all governance, diving people between ‘we’ versus ‘them’. It is continuously violating the rights of the citizen to privacy, to freedom of speech and expression and the right to dissent. The right to dissent, according to Romila Thapar, is part of the right to free speech and right to religious freedom from political-social-religious ‘superstitious practices’. From the religious perspective India never has been a harmonious entity, but of contradictions, while trying to live in unity within diversities (cf. Samantak Das, The Telegraph, 29 July 2021). The Constitution grants freedom of “thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.” These rights collectively allow collective dissent. Dissenting belief systems e.g. Buddhism, Jainism, Bhakti, Sufi, Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, were real.  Dissent is the denial of consent to the majoritarian ideology for the sake of a ‘higher motive’. Therefore, by gagging dissenters, the opportunity for dialogue for unity is lost.

In a country ruled by a majority Hindus, the Hindu community itself can change the equation and allow all to live with equal rights, enshrined by the Constitution. Hindu priorities cannot overrule the priorities of the other minority communities. But, the real danger lies in “majority communalism”. There are Christians by conviction, just like some of the Hindus and Muslims. There are also devout Christians, Hindus and Muslims among politicians, judges, businessmen, diplomats, bureaucrats and media personnel. And,  as Sunanda K. Datta-Ray says, there are people of religious faith by instinct, wherein religion, culture and identity are  all rolled into one (e.g. Talibans), as manifested in some inaugural ceremonies by the ministers, mixing the ‘religious’ with the secular. This is out of sheer political demands e.g. the penitential ghar wapsi ceremony (Cf. Sunanda Datta-Ray, The Telegraph, 10 July, 2021).

 Obviously, the majority communalism is feared, based on facts and conscious prejudice.  Such antagonism is more complex in India.  A Christian priest with the clerical dress donned, a Catholic nun in her garb, a bearded muslin with cap on, a mosque, a crossed Church, are tangible targets of hate. Added to this, rituals, rites, folklore, and other external religious practices keep vengeful passions festering. They are a part of “collective memory” of particular religious community. Besides, the social and westernized overtones and rituals of the Indian Christians, cause majoritarian resentment. Each community has to respect the traditional sensibilities of other communities. Still date, as human beings, we fail when we are not ready to eat, drink and pray with one who is religiously different from us. The convivial moments are occasions of building up the harmony needed to live in unity.  

The Pew Research survey "Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation," (2019- 2020) with 30,000 interviews in 17 languages, identifies major attitudes and dispositions among the different religious communities in India. A visit and respect to a line of large statues/idols is considered good luck and the remover of ‘evil blocks’ in many religions. Such superstitious practices drew comment and criticisms. According to a Pew Research, about 64% of all respondents, mostly from the BJP dominated northern India hold that to be truly Indian it is very important to be a Hindu. For 53%, knowing Hindi is essential to the national identity. Besides, it states that “tolerance is a religious as well as civic value…. respecting other religions” (Sunanda, The Telegraph, 10^th July, 2021). Contrary to this view, persecution of tribal Christians and the lynching of poor Muslims and Dalits are quite common religious violence. The instigated events are outcome of the divisive ideology of Hindutva which is not part of the Indian ethos, instead, is a fascist ideology.

 

The segmented toleration has corrupted its accommodative nature. All religious groups in India are inherently conservative and adamantly against conversion - love jihad, forced conversions, etc. Conversion is that of the heart and the mind. Contrary to this, divisive and superstitious view have led to the practice of caste within religious rituals. It is held by majority Hindus that the Dalits cannot change their faith. Against this conservative view, the interfaith and inter-caste marriages are on the increase.

The Indian women of all religious groups are opposing the religious patriarchy. Discrimination is accepted as a norm practice, against human rights. While the major parts of the world, with its economic growth, are rapidly secularizing, 97% of all Indians still believe in God. Its religiosity seems to have increased. Many Indians are ‘religious’ even if they do not enter a mosque or temple. Often their religiosity is understood in terms of their abstention from beef or pork. It is not defined by rituals of worship, nor by their tolerance towards others. It is superstitious belief of being part of the ‘best religion’ while hating the other religions.

 

As Bhanu Mehta states: “We are a religious country, ideologically committed to diversity but exclusionary and segmented in our tolerance. Where individual freedom has less and less support, where authoritarianism is a constant temptation, and where the benchmarks of national identity are drawn more and more from Hindutva” (Myron Pereira, ucanews, July 07, 2021). A political obsession with religiosity, has led to the collapse of economy, bad governance, pandemic mismanagement, and denial of the truth. Yet, religiosity in terms of politics and culture matter the most. 

 

In contrast, Christianity is not just a moral yardstick, concerned with ethics. Christ is an incarnated cosmic ‘reality’, who stands for God who is all-goodness, justice and truth. He fought against a death-obsessed culture: injustice, inequality, violence, hatred, egotism, exclusion, false religion, fake community. True religions has allegiance to a God who enters into the darkness of human hearts, into human confusion, and sinfulness, and he takes it on at its deepest level, so that humanity worship God in spirit and truth. The various religious communities in India must be led to this Truth. Satyam meva Jayate. Therefore, Constitutional assurances are not enough. Violence out of religious-based hate cannot be condoned. Any assurance will be credible only when offenders are brought to book. The majority Right-Wing Hindus who are steeped in superstition, need education on harmony, peace, unity, mutual respect, dialogue and love. Ours will be a sustained struggle to overcome the evils and superstitions that the present government has ‘created’ for itself and for the citizens.