By: Brig (Retd) VRP Sarathy
vrpsarathy@vsnl.com
June 28, 2003

Related Articles:
Biased Indian Media: Anti Hindu Secular Reporting Exposed B Shantanu
Indian Media, Artistic freedom & Paintings V Sundaram
Western media thrives on Indian poverty Hari Sud
Media war in the offing S R Ramanujan
Media”s Disgusting Double Standards Shachi Rairikar
Fake Historians & Sold Media Shachi Rairikar
Indian polity and the media need to honestly introspect Brig (Retd) VRP Sarathy
The In-effectiveness of The Indian Media Hiren Shah
The Source of Bias against Hindus - Part II George Thundiparambil
The Source of Bias against Hindus - Part I George Thundiparambil
Main culprits in anti Indian slanderous exercise Lachman Sippy
Media suffer from "dhimmi" disorder Shankar Sharan

Brig VRP Sarathy is a resident of Chennai joined Army after graduation in 1962. In a career of over three decades in the Army, he actively participated both in 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars in J&K sector. He was decorated twice, both during war and peace. Served in Ladakh, Kargil, North East and other sensitive places. Commanded units in North East, and in Ferozpur during Punjab insurgency and is well versed in counter insurgency operations.
--------------------

In the fifties a talented Muslim actor (Yusuf Khan) still felt it necessary to assume a Hindu name (Dilip Kumar) to survive in Hindi movies! Today there are more than a dozen Khans/ Muslim actors flaunting their Muslim name and identity and are doing well, with a large (including Hindu) fan following in a highly visible medium like Cinema! Yet the myth is perpetuated in the English media and by some “secular’ politicians/ academicians that Muslims are persecuted in India! Whatever be their motives (and there are many) in persisting with this myth, these people do a great disservice to India in the eyes of world community.

Unlike in the West there were no organised religious wars (Crusades, Jihads) in the entire history of India! It is one of the very few countries in the world with no history of anti-Semitism. India had given shelter to all the persecuted minorities in the world; Syrian Christians, Armenians, Parsis, Jews, Tibetans and so on. Thus Christians, Jews, Muslims came initially and were followed by Portuguese, French, and finally the British who ruled the undivided India! All religions have co-existed peacefully and have grown here. Hindu tolerance for centuries has been well-recognised world over! The basic mindset of majority of Hindus is broad-minded religious belief that all religions lead to (same) God, a trend distinctly absent in any other, especially Abrahamic (Jewish, Christian and Islam) religions.

The Hindus did not retaliate even once as a community, when its members were pulled out of buses (like in Muktsar) and killed in cold blood, during the entire period of Punjab insurgency. The much maligned RSS, counselled restraint on the Hindu community! Hindus have been selectively killed in J&K, almost on daily basis by Pak sponsored Islamic militants executing a diabolic ethnic cleansing, to which there has been no retaliation either in J&K or elsewhere in the country where Hindus are in majority!! To call the Gujarat riots as “ethnic cleansing”, having been silent to the actual ongoing ethnic cleansing in J&K for the past three decades, is intellectual dishonesty! A community, which has consistently shown such exemplary restraint for more than three decades, is being accused day in and day out as communal, intolerant and medieval!

Majority of the Hindu politicians/ scribes feel a compelling need to project an image of being fair, but go overboard to be critical or apportion a part of blame on Hindus, a trend distinctly absent in Muslim scribes/politicians! Therefore if SIMI is to be banned for “anti national activities” a ban on VHP or RSS is insisted upon, as a balancing act, to be seen as “secular”! For fear of criticising the entire Hindu population (vote bank politics) criticism of “sangh Parivar” comes in handy! There appears to be a fear psychosis in their (Hindu journalists) minds that if they do or say anything in favour of the community they will be branded as members of the “Parivar”!

The reason as to why the Hindus retaliated as a community, to Godhra terrorism needs to be introspected by “secular” politicians/ media. Is the “majority” community, which has been tolerant of targeted killing of its members over the years getting increasingly insecure, developing a “siege” mentality (normally associated with minority community) losing faith in getting justice from the institutions of the Government?

Our “secular politicians” are vociferous that Godhra did not justify Gujarat, but do not concede that Ayodhya too did not justify Godhra! The same logic is somehow not good for “Hindutva” forces! Why was the condemnation of Godhra, by the English media and the “secular” opposition (with the exception of Jayalalitha) so subdued and half hearted, lacking the same zeal and vigour usually reserved for “sangh Parivar”?

One wonders what type of editorials would have been written had the 57 burnt in Godhra were Muslims returning from Haj, resulting in Muslim backlash on Hindus, a question, all “secular” politicians and English media must honestly ponder over! Even respected and level headed Muslim scribes showed bias in obliquely attributing (if not justifying) Godhra to stories/rumors about disputes with tea vendor, and “teasing of Muslim women in burqas” on 24 Feb, for Godhra on 27 Feb! If true, these should have attracted action under “eve-teasing” and not incineration! Spreading of such rumors by fictitious e-mail, was brought to light by Prem Shankar Jha (Outlook, 25 Mar2002). Credit is denied to majority community for not letting the Godhra/Gujarat riots spread to other parts of the country! In blaming Hindutva forces for Gujarat riots, and by soft pedaling Godhra the (English) media have obfuscated and wittingly or unwittingly have shifted the focus from terrorism (which is what Godhra was) to Hindu-Muslim riots denying the country the dividends that would have accrued in a more balanced reporting!

US and Israel, retaliate as a state, against any form of terrorism against their state or their citizens, accepting casualties in targeted countries as collateral damage! No one called the recent reprisals against Afghanistan or Iraq by US, as genocide!

The “Hindus being intolerant towards Muslims” theme ignores past record; When a Hindu Goddess (Saraswati) was painted in nude, Sita (painted) tied to Hanuman’s tail by the likes of MF Hussain, showing Sita as Ram’s sister by groups like the “SAHMAT”(an unnecessary and avoidable provocation), the Hindus showed exemplary tolerance and did not indulge in communal riots! They were told to grin and bear these sacrileges, and view these artistically! Contrast this with banning of Salmon Rushdie’s book in response to perceived Muslim public opinion, or the reaction of Muslims in J&K to a reported statement about Hazaratbal controversy, or their indulgence in violence in UP to alleged reports (rumours) about burning of Quran in Delhi! In India, political alignment with the Muslim League is “secular”, but a permanent “pariah” status (till recently) for the BJP, despite it being the largest democratically elected party.

No political leader (Hindu or Muslim) deemed it necessary to criticize statements made by Shahi Imam of Delhi calling on Arab countries to impose economic sanctions on India if Ram temple is constructed in Ayodhya, or for fighting with Osama-Bin Laden, for fear of offending “minority” sentiments, but pounce on Bal Thackrays and Togadias! Governments assume control of Hindu temples; religious places, but spares places of worship of other faiths! A “secular” majority community (Hindu) government subsidizes 150 Crores of taxpayers money every year on (Haj) pilgrimage (by Air) on Muslims, a Congress legacy, not followed in any other nation (including Muslim Pakistan). conversion is another wound often inflicted on the non-proselytizing Hindu community!

An emotionally ruined family I know, mirrors Indian secularism! Of the two kids, the elder was normal, God fearing and obedient; whereas the younger kid ailing with fits, was adamant, possessive and weak. Family Doctor recommended delicate and sensitive handling of the second kid and avoid physical punishments! The parents resorted to punishing the elder one whenever his kid brother erred, which was often, to make an example, as it was against doctor’s advice to punish him directly! So much resentment built up in the psyche of the elder boy that over a period he turned aggressive, violent, losing respect for parents, institutions and authority!

The Indian polity and media need to honestly introspect if the country is to be saved from ruination and stop treating minority communalism with kid gloves in the name of secularism, causing resentment and estrangement in majority community!

Brig (Retd) VRP Sarathy