Hindutva stands exposed. Are these the kind of intellectuals we are exporting? Rohit
> > Yankee Hindutva's Intellectual. > > Who is Narain Kataria and why is he after Shabana Azmi? > > > > Vijay Prashad > > Little India > > 17 May 2002. > > > > Narain Kataria's Indian Americans for Truth and Fairness in >Media > > (IATFM) sends out a notice that it will conduct a protest of a >book > > > > reading in New York on 21 May 2002. The note threatens the >reading > > itself, but principally its most well known participant, the >film > > star Shabana Azmi. > > > > Shabana Azmi, the note fulminates, "is a strange blend of a > > fundamentalist Moslem woman and a diehard Communist, out to >defame > > Hindus and tarnish the image of India." Furthermore, "this >crafty > > woman suffers from Hindu phobia and needs urgent >counseling." > > > > That IATFM stands for "truth" is extraordinary on many counts. >For > > one, there are numerous errors of fact in the note, about >her > > movies, > > and then about the role that the Hindutva Right was most >incensed > > about - in Earth. The error here is strange, mainly because >Earth, > > in > > which Ms. Azmi did not act, is about the terror of >partition, > > whereas > > Water, a movie unmade because of the churlishness of the >Hindutva > > Right, has "a Hindu widow in Varanasi 100 years ago." If a >group > > wedded to "truth" cannot establish the basic facts, it should >be > > impossible for us to believe its grotesque value judgments. > > > > "Shabana is born with an animus against Hindu society," says >the > > note, telling us that her parents, "Kaifi Azmi and Shaukat >Azmi > > [are] > > both hard core communists." What the note does not say is >that > > Kaifi > > Azmi recently died, and brought tears to most of the nation >and its > > > > diaspora. That the IATFM decides to go after Ms. Azmi now is a >mark > > > > of extremely poor taste. "When a person comes to weakness, >whether > > it > > be through old age or disease, the person is free from these >limbs > > just as a mango, a fig or a berry releases itself from its >stalk" > > (Brihadharanyaka Upanishad, Yajurveda, 4. 3. 36) - the ethic >of > > grief > > is given to all people and Mr. Kataria breaks with the ethos >of the > > > > ancient Vedas with his lack of empathy. > > > > That Ms. Azmi is close to the communists is not something >that > > Shabana Azmi has ever hidden. Yes, she works with the >oppressed > > among > > Mumbai's slum-dwellers. And certainly, Ms. Azmi has taken the >side > > of > > the freedom of expression, a sacrosanct right of artists - >her > > moving > > speech at the National Film Awards just a few days after >Safdar > > Hashmi was brutally killed by Congress Party militants in 1989 >is > > only one sign of her commitment. There is nothing to hide in >these > > relationships and I have never heard her discount them as >she's > > visited the US. There is no question of duplicity (according >to > > Kataria, "In India she hobnobs with followers of Lenin and >Stalin. > > When in USA, she struts around as a progressive Moslem woman") >- > > there is no contradiction between Indian communism and > > progressivism, > > between those who want to stop dams and those who want a >modern > > future. > > > > That Kataria calls Ms. Azmi a fundamentalist must come as a >shock > > to > > Imam Bukhari, who only recently, on a national television >show, > > called her nachne ganewali tawaif (prostitute). That this >so-called > > > > leader of the Indian Muslims can stoop to such levels of >misogyny > > should give pause to any notion of a unified Muslim community >of > > which Ms. Azmi is a part - the rifts in Islam are a wide as >those > > that separate Mr. Kataria from me. When asked by Lalitha >Panicker > > what her views are on political representation, Ms. Azmi >brushed > > aside the sectarian idea that only the orthodoxy in a >religious > > community must represent its people (one of the hallmarks of > > fundamentalism): "What are the issues that concern the >average > > Muslim? Roti kapda, makaan, education, health, the same as >any > > average Hindu, Christian, Sikh etc. The self-appointed > > fundamentalist > > leaders do not provide any solutions for this, they reinforce >only > > the communal aspects of Muslim identity using rhetoric to whip >up > > communal frenzy and rage. The moderate, on the other hand, >speaks > > about education, employment, health. The fundamentalist is >only > > reinforcing the stereotype and perpetuating [Samuel] >Huntington's > > clash of civilizations theory." > > > > But let us take the spotlight off Shabana Azmi and ask whom >Narain > > Kataria represents? > > > > He claims to be the secretary of the Indian American >Intellectuals' > > > > Forum in this note, but he is much more than that. > > > > Mr. Kataria is a long-time member of the Overseas Friends of >the > > Bharatiya Janata Party, a senior member of the group that runs >the > > VHPA-allied Indian Development Relief Fund, a senior figure in >the > > Bajrang Dal/Meir Kahane-linked Hindu Unity Group (whose >website > > posts > > a "hit list"), the Organizing Secretary of the Hindu >Swayamsevak > > Sangh (the overseas wing of the RSS) and a contributor to the >RSS's > > > > paper, Organiser. > > > > The Indian American Intellectuals' Forum is a Hindutva >organization > > > > whose members include: Jagat Motwani, Sardar Inderjit Singh, >Raksh > > Pal Sood, Arvind Gupta, Arish Sahani, Ravi Kulkarni, Romesh >Diwan, > > Narindar Kukar, Dinesh Agarwal, Rakesh Shreedhar and many >others. > > Messrs. Singh and Sood are from the Sikh Sangat of America >(an > > organization from Edison, NJ, that is part of the Sikh-Hindu > > alliance > > organized by the Hindutva groups, and which held a Hindu-Sikh >Unity > > > > Celebration in Edison on 8 November 1997). Messrs. Agarwal >and > > Sahani > > are from the Overseas Friends of the BJP. At their gathering >on > > conversions and missionaries, the chief guest was the VHP's > > External > > Working President (and Chairman of Mody Industrial Group), >Dr. > > Bhupendra Kumar Mody. The surprise in the list is Jagat >Motwani, > > head > > of GOPIO. > > > > To get a sense of Mr. Kataria's importance in the world of > > Hindutva, > > we might eavesdrop on the HSS's Hindu Sangathan Divas of 1999 >in > > New > > York City. As organizing chief of the HSS, Mr. Kataria took >a > > leadership role in the meeting, where the head of the HSS told >the > > six hundred people in attendance that the Hindu Empire >extended > > from > > Afghanistan to Indonesia, and that there is a chance for a >revival > > if > > Hindus remain united. If you think this is the world of the > > crackpots, bear in mind that not a moment later, the Consul >General > > > > of India in New York, Mrs. Shashi Tripathi took the stage, >extolled > > > > the armed forces and called the Kargil war "a little bit of >a > > pinprick." "Our armed forces are very strong," she continued. >"They > > > > have been taken unaware. But it does not matter. They will >soon > > throw > > the enemy out of our country." > > > > The Intellectuals' Forum made an entry into the world of US > > electoral > > politics on 16 April 2000, when it held a forum in New York >City > > entitled "Democracy vs. Terrorism," and hosted, for a >fund-raiser, > > conservative Republican Congressman Benjamin Gilman (New York) >- > > who > > is militantly against China, for missile defense and along >the > > grain > > of every single foreign policy position of Hindutva. At the >forum, > > Dr. Romesh Diwan, an economist from Rensselaer, noted, >"latest > > studies suggest that 50 million Indians were killed during >the > > Islamic domination of India and 200 million Indian were done >to > > death > > during British rule." Based on these fantastic facts, the >forum > > concluded, "Nexus among terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism and >drug > > trafficking is posing a serious threat to civilized and >egalitarian > > > > societies and must be destroyed." The waters must first be >muddied > > with a suggestion of "Islamic" atrocities in the past (that >these > > Muslim rulers made alliances with Hindus and killed both the >Muslim > > > > and Hindu working people is beyond the sufferance of >Hindutva), and > > > > then the intellectuals of Yankee Hindutva toss in words like > > "terrorism" and "drug trafficking" to make the case finally >that > > Islam is bad news. > > > > A few years ago, Biju Mathew and I wrote an article entitled >"The > > Protean Forms of Yankee Hindutva," in which we argued that >Yankee > > Hindutva creates a multitude of forms that seek to address >various > > parts of our lives in the US, at the same times as these >many > > avatars > > seek to hide the mainspring of its agenda - to create a >"Hindu > > American" community that is a long-distance supporter of the > > Hindutva > > Right in India. Mr. Kataria's role in several of these > > organizations > > is one more indicator of the protean forms. > > > > But like his comrades in the Yankee Hindutva movement, Mr. >Kataria > > betrays a host of the yamas that enjoin an ethics to people >who > > subscribe of Hinduism: where is his arjava, his honesty, his >satya, > > > > his truth, his kshama, his tolerance and patience, and >finally, his > > > > ahimsa, his lack of violence? > > > > The attack on Ms. Azmi is a travesty and it comes from the >bowels > > of > > the Hindutva movement. If Gujarat must not become the future >face > > of > > India, let Mr. Kataria's antics not become the future face of >the > > desi diaspora! > > _________________________________________________________ Click below to visit monsterindia.com and review jobs in India or Abroad http://monsterindia.rediff.com/jobs =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
