http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Pe011108bouquets_brickbats.asp
A BYSTANDER? In the present volatile scenario, the National Integration Council has become a joke. Unity in Diversity is now an illusion. Caste, conversions, rabid fundamentalism and regionalism are the reasons for the mayhem that has now become the hallmark of our blessed country. Add to this the current global economic meltdown. At present the entire government coterie is dominated by the Northerners creating the North-South divide. No wonder the Maharashtrians are a peeved lot, letting loose their wrath on northerners arriving in hordes. The North-East, Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of the country have escaped the Centre's grip. The states and the Centre have been reduced to onlookers in the communal fires raging across the country. So, what purpose does the NIC serve? S Mudaliar, on email THE LAWS OF THE TWICE-BORN On the whole, I agree with Udit Raj (Pros S Mudaliar, on email & Cons, 25 October). But I'd like to make a few comments. The animus against dalits becoming Christians has nothing to do with religious belief. Many devout Hindus (read upper caste Hindus) regard Bhagwan Isa with respect. But then, who likes to give up power and privilege? Those who sport the jane'u in India proclaim their 'special status' in a 'secular state'. The Romans killed Christians because Christian beliefs undermined their power base. Christianity, after all, preaches human equality though many Christians do not practise it. Classical Hinduism never even pretended to be a social system based on equality. I can quote from the Bhagavad Gita and the Manusmriti to prove the point. Even in the 'golden age' of Ram-rajya, the god-king slew Shambuk for breaking the laws of caste. When VHP and activists of their ilk want dalit converts to 'revert' to Hinduism, what do they mean? Will they accept dalits as brahmins, kshtriyas, or vaishyas or Sudras? Or will they merely revert to becoming 'Hindu dalits'? But there is no such thing as a 'Hindu dalit'. The pariahs'/' achhuts'/'untouchables'/'churas'/'ch amars' were never a part of the Hindu caste system. They were beyond the pale. Their very shadow polluted the caste Hindu. It is only Gandhi who gave them recognition after the Poona Pact of 1932. In any case, who is a Hindu? All inhabitants of Hindustan are Hindus. Even Allama Iqbal chanted: 'Hindu hain hum — Vatan hai Hindustan hamara!' My book 'India: Definitions and Clarifications' has spelt out the history and humiliations of the caste system. It is no wonder that not a single Indian publication of any standing (including TEHELKA) has had the guts to bring this book to notice. It has been reviewed abroad, including Pakistan. This speaks for the 'free press' of the world's largest democracy. Jai Hind! Reginald Massey, on email REASON PREVAILS I am an American journalist who is trying to follow the Orissa rampage from some 7,000 miles away. I covered the Orissa demonstration in front of the White House when Prime Minister Singh was in town to sign the nuclear agreement. Your most recent article, The Force of Unreason (October 18, 2008) was most informative. I used it to help write my own column on Orissa in The Washington Times. Julia Duin, Washington DC ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
