I have come to know that WNET/Wide Angle series is going to air a documentary "Soul of India" on Thursday, September 19, 2002. I am a long time supporter of PBS and enjoy its educational and informative programs in a commercial free setting. I find it one of the few sources of unbiased reporting.

Therefore, I am deeply distressed by what can at best be described as irresponsible journalism in airing the "Soul of India" documentary. The airing of this program is an assault on the sentiments of Hindus around the world. Your program extract reads:

Soul of a India: Thurs., Sept. 19 at 9pm ET
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film10.html

Here are reasons why this documentary is biased and full of innuendos and misrepresentations.

(1) Hindu culture is an ancient culture and has existed for more than 5,000 years without causing genocide or massive bloodshed in the name of a crusade, jihad or anything similar. Whenever, Hindus have taken up arms, it has been for self-defense. "Soul" of India is changeless and timeless. A riot such as this is a mere blip in the history of this oldest civilization that has withstood the ravages of time and barbarians for thousands of years and has the resilience to do that for the future. Thus this documentary does not portray the "soul" of India.

(2) A racial/religious riot in the USA does not change the soul of this country; and certainly Indian television does not produce documentaries presenting the USA riots in that light.

(3) Citing mere words without a shred of evidence is not only malicious propaganda but also gross injustice to Indians, especially Hindus. Can Mr. Clemmow show instances of violence being bred in so-caled Hindu extremist schools. If these Hindu schools inculcate ideals of Hinduism and respect for the Hindu culture, they do not become extremist-fundamentalist schools.

(4) To give a fair and balanced perspective, it is important to highlight the history of Ahmedabad and the violence that has erupted there from time to time in the last 150 years and show who started the riots and who suffered the most.

(5) The Burning alive of 58 Hindus, women and children included in a train at Godhara is also not given any coverage in this program. One has to be reminded that Gujarat riots did not happen in vacuum; they were a reaction of a peace loving society to the Godhara carnage.

(6) The producer is using figures loosely without any care for verification. Show us the official figures or independent verification of the count of 2000 Muslims dead. First, the figure as reported by the State Government as well as many agencies and responsible newspapers is 263 Hindus and 633 Muslims including 100+ policemen killed. Then, why state that only Muslims were killed? Why not tell that Hindus were killed too. Are Hindu lives less valuable? Also, why this "Narrow Focus" on what happened in the last 3 months? Why not take a "Wide Angle" look at what has happened in the last 10 years in India where 75,000 Hindus have been killed by Islamic terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and 350,000 forced to flee from their homes to refugee camps? This surpasses the atrocities committed in Bosnia! More recently, thousands of Hindus have been killed and displaced by the anti-Hindu Islamic party rule in Bangladesh. Did PBS ever show the plight of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir or Bangladesh or Pakistan? Even the Parliament House of India in New Delhi was attacked by Islamic terrorists. How could Wide Angle show what is happening to the Soul of India without showing these mortal wounds inflicted on the Soul of India by Muslim extremists?

(7) The violence between the Muslims and Hindus was mostly confined to Ahmedabad and some other pockets of Gujarat. Then, why is it being said that the Hindus in general in India are moving towards fundamentalism?

(8) Even at the height of the riots, Hindus and Muslims in the rest of India coexisted and carried on their daily life without any disturbances. Then why is this not being given coverage and why is the lie propagated deliberately to malign the Hindus and Hindu organizations?

(9) "will the nation be split – by a Hindu Fundamentalist movement hoping to rise to power by fanning the winds of religious extremism?" This is a highly irresponsible journalism. To pose the question "will the nation be split?" is sensationalism - unworthy of journalistic reputation of PBS. Again, why is PBS blaming Hindus for the split? Why not use a "wide angle" to see that India was split into Pakistan and Bangladesh in the first place - not by Hindus- but by Muslim fundamentalists who wanted an Islamic State. That the same Muslim fundamentalism exported from Pakistan to Afghanistan is now trying to talibanize Jammu & Kashmir and split that State from India. That even after 55 years of Independence of India, Muslim fundamentalism is maintaining separate laws based on Quran/Sharia for Muslims in India than for the rest of the nation – thus effectively maintaining a separate Muslim nation within India.

I can give you many more pointers to show that this documentary is far from truth; my question to you then, is: What is your motivation for producing and airing this prejudicial and untruthful documentary during prime time to millions of impressionable children and families across the country? Does it not look like a motivated attack on Hindus, Hindu organizations and India and interference in India's internal affairs?

I ask you to use your good judgment and cancel airing of this documentary. As a concerned Indian I demand that you give equal time to noted Indologists like Dr. Konerrad Elst, Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhash Kak and Francois Gautiere and representatives of Hindu Temples and organizations to present opposing viewpoint.