From: pillai@seas.smu.edu (Krishnakumar B. Pillai)
Subject: Re:Fundamentalism?
Status: OR
To: alt-hindu@relay1.uu.net
Originator: editor@rbhatnagar
Organization: SMU - School of Engineering & Applied Science - Dallas
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 21:05:17 GMT
Return-Path: <news@seas.smu.edu>

In reply to John Hoag's posting:
>Mahesh V Tripunitara <tripunit@cs.psu.edu> writes:
>
>>You have voiced a question that has haunted me ever since I've heard the
>>expression myself...by the way, I was born a Hindu (& still like to think
>>that I am one). After all, we know that 'Hindu' refers only to 'Indu' or
>>'Indus', the river around which the ancient Indus valley civilization
>>flourished.
>
>Yes, it's puzzling.  Glad to know I'm not the only one it puzzles.
>
>Does anyone have a clear idea what "Hindu Fundamentalism" is supposed to
>mean, and who means it that way?  Is this just a case of Western reporters
>and historians not understanding Hinduism and ascribing to it their best
>guess of what they think it must be like, but in Western terms?  Or does
>it actually refer to something in Hindu society?
>
>Perhaps befuddlement is the proper response to "Hindu Fundamentalism".   
>
>	-- John Hoag

"Hindu Fundamentalism" has the nothing to do with "Varnashrama". I prefer
to call this religion "Varnashrama" since "Hindu" is a contraction of the
Persian word "Hindavi" which means "- a resident of the banks of the Indus",
a term that is purely geographic and has nothing to do with people's beliefs.
To understand "Fundamentalism" with *any* prefix attached to it, one has to
delve into the history of the people one is attempting to analyze.

I come from a land that was never ruled by an oppressive king. I wish to
mention something about my native land since her history is hardly ever
mentioned in the "Indian History" books taught in Indian Schools. Forgive me 
for meandering, but I assure you it is worthwile! The kingdom of Travancore,
as it was once called, was under Brahmanical rule since time immemorial.
It was initially ruled by Brahmins who later invited the "Cheran kings"
from nearby lands to take over. It used to be a land of plenty, as evidenced
by tales told by travellers from the middle east. It was also the gateway to
India for people who came through sea routes. The land north of Travancore was
called Malabar,and though it does not enjoy much importance in "Indian History",
it was very much instrumental in changing the course of the History of Mankind.

Malabar was the main source of Spices in those days. Spice found its way into
Europe from Malabar through the Arab traders. To the European, Spices were a
boon. In a time when refridgerators were just a fantasy, Spices helped
ameliorate the bad taste of stale meat in winter. Spices became a necessity
and the Arabs supplied it until the Ottoman turks came along. The Crusade wars
were triggered off, European trade with the middle-east came to a standstill,
and a combination of necessity and economics created great explorers like
Columbus and Vasco da Gama! It was the grandiose tales of Malabar, combined
with the conviction that the earth was indeed a globe, that drove
Columbus to follow the sun, and "discover" America instead. Vasco da Gama
proved to be a better navigator and succeeded in opening a sea-route from
Europe to Malabar, circum-ambulating the continent of Africa. 

This new trade route opened up an influx of new ideas, concepts, philosophies
and of course, gonnorrhea into this strange and exotic land. Several surprises
awaited Vasco and his crew. The most important one was that there were
Christians in Malabar. The Apostle of Christ, St. Thomas had already
established Christianity in Malabar! The word "Christhiani" was as Malabari
as cardamom. The regions of Malabar and Travancore are now refered to as
the State of Kerala under the Indian Republic. "Kerala" incidentally means
the land of Coconut trees and it has played a very important role in the 
culture of the local people, somewhat akin to what beans meant to the
Anazasi Indians.

Buddhism and Hinduism were the two major religions. During the 5th and
6th centuries A.D the Buddhist monks, the "Bhikhus", were openly debating
and defeating Hindu scholars all over India. People used to settle ideological
differences through debate in those days. Buddhism was clearly emerging
as the better defined and more refined religion. But at the same time Sanskrit
and Vedic learning was approaching its acme in Kerala. The knowledge,
unfortunately, was restricted to an exclusive group of Brahmins and didn't
help the religion too much. Hinduism was paying the price of the caste system
that was built into its very fabric.

The messiah for Hinduism came in the form of Shankaracharya. He was born
of a Namboothiri couple in Kaladi, a small village in Kerala. And he was 
was the one destined to deliver the death-blow to Buddhism in India. His
interpretation of the Gita and the Vedas were rapidly lapped up by philosophers 
all over India, and they used his commentaries to expose the weaknesses in
Buddhism. Shankara's pet theory was however Advaitha, or monism, the non-duality
of nature. This concept however didn't sell too much since it directly pulled
the carpet out from under the age-old caste system.

Islam came to Kerala through the Arab trader Malik-bin-dinar. The Arabs who
came and settled down in kerala were not looking for land. They were traders
whose association proved salutary to the local community. They were just
people in search of a better life.They influenced the local language, and
ran the ships for the king. Through the Arab contacts trade with the Middle-east
reached an all time high. Ships (Dhows) that used to ply the Tigris-Euphrates
and the Nile used to be built in Calicut, an ancient port in Kerala. The Muslims
were never looked upon as invaders or usurpers. It was an ancient custom among 
the Zamorins (Rulers) to dedicate one of their children to Islam, an act that
would raise hues and cries today. Up and until now, it was considered good luck 
in some villages, to have the oil used for temple lamps to be touched by a
Moslem before it was taken into the temple.

>From its history, it is evident that verdant Kerala was a province that was not
isolated from the rest of the world. This is made obvious by the prescence
of an ancient Dutch church, a Synagogue, and Mosques that riddle the
countryside. The majority Hindus never considered the other religions as
detrimental to their life style. An important diety of Kerala is "Harihara",
who is supposedly born of the union of Vishnu and Shiva ( again an effort to
bridge the Shaiva-Vaishnava fued that was going on among Brahmins). The
scriptures have it that his army was once led by a Moslem warrior by the name
of "Vavaru". It is interesting to note that the temple of "Harihara" located
in the Sabari Hills in the Western Ghats ( a hill range along the west coast),
has along with the main deity, a separate place for this brave warrior "Vavaru".
And it is also interesting to note that many moslems go on a pilgrimage to this
place. The Persian rule that was going on in certain parts of North India had
virtually no impact on this land. I wish to point out that the things that had
the greatest impact on what we know as India today are not the same things
things that affected Kerala culturally. In my opinion, the three major factors
that shaped Kerala history and made it unique were Christianity, Communism
and finally its annexation with the Indian republic. 

Kerala was a land that had never known religious tension. Religion was
always a previlage of the elite. The average man had to work and run
the social machinery. Resources were plentiful and the fact that a Moslem
ate well only meant that a Hindu would get oil to light his lamps. 
Relationships were largely symbiotic. With the formation of the Republic
came the new rule. The king was deposed and along with a national anthem in
an alien tongue, a system that was "state of the art" was brought in. Religions 
had to be properly defined. Benefits were alloted on the basis of defective and 
incorrect statistics. A man who was Muslim or a "backward" could get a decent
education with lesser qualification than anybody else. There was a time when a
person in Malabar would be proud to declare that he was a "Musalman". Today it
is a shame since it has connotations of a person enjoying a free ride. The
non-beneficiaries are angry too! They justifiably find the whole system
unfair. The Symbiotic relationship is shattered and people are suspicious
of each other.

And six years ago I had the opportunity to witness a Historic moment!

The first Hindu-moslem riot, or for that matter the first religion based riot
that ever occurred in the history of Kerala.

What I saw was the painful birth of "Fundamentalism"!
Too much bad economics, too much bad government!

Just think about it! Every man wants to achieve something. In fact it is
this sense of achievement that makes us wake up everyday! Even the wretched
beggar wakes up with the intention of earning something for the day. He too
has to achieve something! Assume that I am one such person caught in the
turmoil of living, and not quite doing a good job at it. It could be because
I am not good enough to live upto my expectations! It could also be due to 
the fact that there are people more equipped than I! It could even be due
to the fact that resources are severly limited! Now, I have a problem that
I have to solve, a basic survival problem. A lack of self-confidence and a 
loss of self-respect. Frustration! Any politician (In my definition
a politician is one who indulges in the pursuit of power!) who wishes to
come to power can easily convince me that I am not what I want to be,
not because I am an incompetent nincompoop, but because the guy I am
competing with is adopting unfair techniques. Now this is something that
anybody would like to hear! This is an explanation that does not attack his
Ego! And this is what I call "Fundamentalism".

"Fundamentalism" is the same be it Moslem, Hindu or Nazi. 

One has to stop and think twice about organizations that spend time and
energy in destructive pursuits when such a lot needs to be done for their
own kind. India is a land where the average man does not have a toilet!
Homelessness is accepted as a natural thing and millions sleep without
a shelter over their heads. If I were to go around India begging from door
to door to rally forces to dig a canal connecting the Ganges and the Kauvery
(This could very well solve India's irrigation problems for ever!) or even
try to get people to build public toilets, I would be treated as a dreamer!
People would laugh at me or maybe even accuse me of having ulterior motives!
But if I were to go around to collect forces for destructive purposes using
the doctrine I mentioned earlier, then the response I recieve would be
totally different. It has been proved before our very eyes, and we see it
happening in India today! This doctrine preys on one of man's weaknesses - His
Ego ! *This* is "Fundamentalism" and it has nothing to do with religion!
It is just a manifestation of Politics. It is not based on a philosophy!
IT IS DRIVEN BY PLAIN SIMPLE ECONOMICS.

I wish to point out an error in Mr. Verma's disclaimer:
>--Deleted--
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Disclaimer:
>--Deleted--
>   ****
>   tamso ma jyotir gamaha	   - [Lord] take me from darkness to light.
>--Deleted--
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanskrit attaches a lot of importance to the way words sound! In fact a 
lot of the "puranic" stories are based on boons going awry because the 
beneficiary pronounced the critical word improperly! The word is "gamaya"
and not "gamaha" which means something totally different!

The above incantation should be as follows:

Tamaso ma Jyothir gamaya .  - Lead me to the light and away from darkness.

This is part of a beautiful manjeri that is as follows:

Asatho ma Sad gamaya//  - Lead me to the truth, away from falsehood.
Tamaso ma Jyothir gamaya// - Lead me to the light, away from darkness.
Mrithyo ma Amritham gamaya// - Lead me to immortality, away from death.

Best,
Kris Pillai
Dallas, Tx.
-----------------------
Ekathvam Anupashyatah//
E Pluribus Unum.
-----------------------
P.S: I seldom read my mail.

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