To George’s broader point - Hindus/Indians are not outside the ambit of criticism or condemnation (of course!). I myself am severely critical of Indians/Hindus and Indian/Hindu ways (although I tend not to see things through the “Hindu” lens all the time) to the point where some Hindus see me as anti-India (which I ain’t).
But we aren’t talking about well-intentioned critiques or genuine self-reflection here. We are talking about gutter bugs marinated in malice. There can be no engagement (for me) with the vile secretions of the Pankaj Mishras, Priyamvadas, the Vidyadhar Gadgils (remember him?), the Romila Thapars & Amartya Sens, these anti-Hindu/Progressive/Woke/Marxist malevolent pile of ordure. Unfortunately for them (and I guess for fellow travelers like VM) they are no longer dealing with the Hindus of their father’s generation or even of their generation. The meek, apologetic Hindu who could be scared away, smeared as racist/casteist/RSS Nazi/Hitler etc etc. As in America (where the radical Leftists overplayed their hand) these words have utterly lost their potency through their indiscriminate use. In fact, I tell fellow Hindus to embrace, even flaunt, the terms of endearment the Woke confer on us. It has come somewhat as a surprise to me to see the rise of a whole new cadre of young Hindus both in India and in the West, educated, knowledgeable of their tradition & history, who are not afraid to stand up and punch back intelligently and forcefully at the shenanigans of the usual Hinduphobic suspects. Social media has been a tremendous leveler. It wasn’t Narendra Modi who created this new Hindu line of defence. It is the natural conclusion of decades of abuse Hindus have been subjected to, first by the white lords at Harvard and the elite Western academy, and then their brown sepoys, the Pankaj Mishras. I don’t follow UK politics other than the headline news and I don't have an opinion on Sunak's politics and policy. But if excrement like Pankaj Mishra dislikes him, it is 100% guaranteed - and you can take it to the bank - that he is a good, decent human being. r George Pinto wrote: >Currently there are 60 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Instead of >celebrating the worldwide rise of Indians in various fields, >including the current British PM, the usual politics of envy and >tribalism trumps any celebration. It is fair game to criticize >capitalism and the politics is has bred, including PM Sunak's >rise to 10 Downing Street. It is fair game to assess the racial >imbalance and racial (in)equality in any society, the discriminations >which hold women and people of color back, casteism (brown on brown >racism), etc. But is it too much to ask that the first non-white >British PM be celebrated in some small measure instead of the hit >piece below? I accept the article has elements of truth but the >usual criticisms of right-wing politics is used by various people >quoted in the article to attacking the British PM on his incredible >accomplishment. > >Best regards, > >George
