From: srinivas@tachyon.crd.ge.com (Chukka Srinivas)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: Concept Called Nation
Date: 8 Jan 93 19:43:05 GMT
Organization: GE Corp. Research & Development, Schenectady, NY

In article <1993Jan8.143435.5093@ann-arbor.applicon.slb.com> gupta@mailhost.aa.cad.slb.com (Sanjay K. Gupta) writes:
>
>			Concept Called Nation
>
[ stuff deleted]....
>	Often nationalistic people in India are accused of trying to establish
>a theocratic Hindu state. I don't think there is any  concept of Hindu state
>(like Islamic states) but there is definitely a Hindu concept of state and a 
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Hindu concept of state can not be anything which doesn't respect various ways
>of worship. The upheavals in India is a confrontation between those who believe 

     Can you please be more specfic about  'Hindu concept of state`?
     Any definitions and ideas? Any concrete examples ? 

>that we are very much a nation and those who believe we are a nation in the 
>making. It is a conflict between Hindu concept of state and the amoral and 
                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>sterile secular concept of state. It is this Hindu concept of state which
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Hindu nation is trying to adopt.


   Sir, I have a couple of questions for you.

    What is 'amoral and sterile' about secular concept of state?

    Does this Hindu concept of state you are refering to
    has anything to do with the concept of 'Hindu Rashtra'
    that of RSS?



    And how different is it going to be from any-other 
    theocratic state (for example, an Islamic state)?

    
       Can you please clarify some simple things which are going to
       effect many ordinary folks like me in this 'Hindu Nation'.


    1.  Is Hindu religion going to be moral guide in running
        day to day affairs in the country? Is it going to
        run our judicial system? Our science?

    2.  And do people belonging to other religions have to accept
        this Hindu concept of 'Indian culture and heritage'?

     3. And how are the believers of this 'Hindu concept of state' model
        are going to deal with non-believers (for various reasons)?


      4. And what is the Hindu concept of Hinduism(religion) itself?
         Is it a monolithic, homogeneous one? Or is there chance for
         multiple schools of thought? And is that there is going
	 to be a special preference to one or other school of thought
	 within Hinduism? 

      5. What is the Hindu concept of caste system?
         And whose interpretation we going to follow?
         And what is the Hindu concept of women's place in the family
	 and society? 
	 Do we have to look into our 'good olden past' to
         answer these questions? 


      6.  And, what is the 'Hindu concept' of our past? 
          Should we expect more of 'undoing historical wrongs' type
          of incidents ( like Ayodhya ) in this 'Hindu nation'?


      7. And where do the people belonging to different religious
        beliefs fit in this model? And what kind of relation exists
        between the state and Hindu religion? 





>And rightly so because the experience show
                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>(e.g. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kashmir) that India is nothing if not Hindu. The
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>attempt being made in India is not for the creations of nationhood, it is for 
>the recognition of the nation which is very much in our blood and bones. 
>

      Not so clear. What is this experience?
      And what do you mean by 'India is nothing if not Hindu'?


>Sanjay K. Gupta


-srinivas.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian