2 MANUSHI

THE ostensible success of theRam Mandir Movement led by the BJP-RSS-VHP Combine is proof that theNehruvian brand of secularismhitherto propagated in India found avery limited support base, confinedmainly to sections of the Englisheducated elite. Its appeal remainedlimited for good reasons. The liberal,secular intelligentsia is rooted more inthe western liberal tradition and isoften unable to comprehend, leavealone appreciate, the sentiments andcherished beliefs of India’s diverse

peoples. Their attitude is often similarto that of the erstwhile colonial rulerswho contemptuously dismissed thesocial, religious and cultural beliefs ofthe Indian people as superstitiousmumbo-jumbo.

Today, a large body of Hinduopinion seems tired of the thoughtlessand disrespectful critique of India’sindigenous traditions and culturewhich has led to brutal neglect ofindigenous learning and knowledgesystems.

The deadening system of

education designed by the colonialrulers was meant to destroy the selfrespect of Indians. Yet the same selfcontempt is perpetuated in the modemeducation system that has producedgenerations of people alienated fromand ignorant of India’s traditions ofculture and learning. The people whoare joining the Ram Mandir movementin large numbers do so in the mistakenbelief that they are thereby revivingthe glory of India’s cultural heritage.Their ignorance of their own heritagehas made them vulnerable targets for

In Defence of Our Dharmaby Madhu Kishwar

No.60 3

unscrupulous politicians who are usingtheir genuine resentment for veryharmful purposes.

The real agenda of the BJP iscapture of state power for the purposeof implementing the politics of revenge.Even though they use the rhetoric ofprotecting the “Hindu way of life”, theBJP-RSS-VHP Combine has kept itsfollowers deliberately ignorant of theircultural heritage. Like all fascists theyknow that the politics of hate andrevenge needs to emphasize whateverwill aggravate the Hindu’s low selfesteem. Among my students and in myown neighbourhood I’ve asked someof the most enthusiastic supporters ofthe Ram Mandir campaign whichversion of the Ramayan they had read;I drew a blank. All these educatedyoung people are familiar with nothingother than Ramanand Sagar’s T.V. serialRamayan. Though they have heard ofTulsi Ramayan, almost none of themhave read it. They are not even awareof the existence of different regionaland community versions of theRamayan. It is almost impossible to getthem into a discussion on the greatepic. There is only one aspect of theRam Mandir movement that excitesthem — taking revenge on the Muslims.The Ram Mandir movement isgrounded not in the love of Ram orRamayan but in the hatred of Muslims.

The BJP-RSS-VHP Combinepretends to be outraged at the lack ofrespect for indigenous culture shownby the secularists among the westerneducated elite. However, theythemselves are assiduously cultivatingignorance of India’s cultural andreligious traditions with their deliberatedistortions. This Combine is not rootedin any tradition of learning, Indian orforeign. For example, the University ofChicago has much better facilities foracquiring scholarship on the Ramayanthan all of the educational or religiousinstitutions associated with the BJP-RSS-VHP Combine put together. They

have not even striven to ensure thatIndians need not go to foreignuniversities to study ancient Indianliterature. They display much greaterfascination with Hitler’s ideas andcampaigns than with the Ramayan orother Hindu religious texts. They haveno use for these texts, except to extracta few phrases out of context as toolsfor political propaganda. Therefore,they have never concernedthemselves with the task of makingsuch learning valued and respected inour universities.

I have vivid memories of the senseof outrage I experienced as an 18 yearold, when I was a student of EnglishHonours at Miranda House. I wasrudely ridiculed by some of my fellowstudents who saw in my hostel room acopy of the Tulsi Ramayan publishedby the Geeta Press with a commentaryin Hindi. For these students it was asymbol of backward looking religiosityfit only for semi literate grandmothers.Had it been an English rendering ofthe Ramayan brought out by someforeign university press my interestwould have been seen as morerespectable. Reading Milton’sParadise Lost or even the Englishmystery and morality plays wasconsidered a perfectly legitimatemodem, secular activity. Only the‘behenjis’ of the Sanskrit or HindiDepartment—a supposedly backwardlot— were expected to readRamayan.These two departments weretreated with visible contempt both bythe students and faculty.

I was even more disappointed

In Ramachandra’s realm the only rods were those in the hands of ascetics,the only differences were those of tune and measure in the dancers’ troupes;the word ‘conquer’ was only heard to urge self conquest.

Tulsidas Ramayana: Vttara-Kand (22)

when I found that even the Hindispeaking behenjis held the study ofRamayan and Mahabharat in similardisdain and preferred to read pulpromance novels by Gulshan Nanda andfilm magazines (except those doingHindi and Sanskrit Honours who werecompelled to study some of these textsas part of their curriculum.) It slowlybecame clear that the dominant elite inany society sets the norm for what isconsidered worth learning and respect.That is why the few among the Englisheducated elite who gravitate towardsa serious study of Indian literature, artand culture usually do so during theirstudy stints at foreign universities andat times and places where such studyis in fashion among Westernintellectuals.

It is due to this ignorance that theBJP-RSS-VHP Combine can be sosuccessful in manipulating Hindusentiment For example, in Ayodhya,there are several other temples thatclaim the honoured status of beingbuilt on the Ram Janmasthan. Yet thisCombine insists that the controversialBabari Masjid site is the exact locationof Ram’s birth. Ram is a reveredreligious figure, not a historicalcharacter. Ram’s date or place of birthcannot possibly be ascertained withaccuracy. But the BJP Combine insistson reducing him to the status ofsomeone who lived at a specific timeat a specific place because they aredesperate to model their belief systemon Islam and Christianity, religions thatemphasize the significance of offeringa place and time of birth for their

naM tfrUg dj Hksn tag urZd u R; lektthrgq eufg lqfuv vl jkepanz dsa jktAA22AA

4 MANUSHI

October 30 will decide your fate. On this day it willbecome clear whether the Hindus or Muslims will live inthis country. You must be concerned about your future...

Throw off the cloak of cowardice and impotence. Learnto sing songs of valour and courage. Whoever wanted torob, you let him. Your silence, decency and magnanimitywere interpreted as cowardice...

Your strength has been divided. Unite across caste,province, language, breaking these three artificial walls...

Those who severed both the arms of Mother India—For those hypocrites there is no place here. They shouldleave this Bharat. This Hindustan is not theirs...

On October 30, by beginning the construction of thetemple, our holy men will be laying the foundations ofmaking Hindustan a Hindu rashtra.

Bharat Mata Ki Jai... Glory to MahadevDestroy the tyrant in the same way that Havana was

vanquished. Do not display any love (nij preet). This isthe order of Ram. Announce it boldly to the world thatanyone who opposes Ram cannot be an Indian...

Muslims, remember Rahim who longed for the dust ofLord Ram’s feet...

Songs of Hindu Muslim brotherhood were sung byMahatma Gandhi. We got ready to hear the Azaanalongwith the temple bells, but they can’t do this, nordoes their heritage permit them to do so. It exhorts them to

B J P’s RamayanThese excerpts are translated and condensed from tapes of the speeches

in Hindi delivered mainly by theB JP’s UmaBharti, Member of Parliament.The cassette tapes are being sold commercially. They are being usedextensively by theB JP propaganda machine in many parts of the country.The shrill, bloodthirsty tone of the hysterical voice pouring out hatred isstrikingly similar to those we can still hear in the recordings of Nazi leadersat mass propaganda rallies.

The salient theme is that the only way Hindus can prove that they are notcowards is by initiating violent and murderous attacks on Muslims. Theseacts of aggression are presented as justified by the cruelties inflicted bysome Muslim invaders who conquered parts of India.

The cassette is sold with a cover photo depicting Ramanand Sagar’s Ramand Sita.

organize themselves quietly in those places where theyare in a minority. Where they are equal to those in otherreligions, they instigate riots. If Islam rashtra requiressacrifices, then they do not have to wait for the tomb ordoomsday to reach heaven. The Koran exhorts them to liein wait for idol worshippers, to skin them alive, to stuffthem in animal skins and torture them until they ask forforgiveness. Our heritage enjoins repentance even if anant is killed underfoot. The two cultures are polar oppo-sites. But still we preached brotherhood, replaced VandeMataram with Jana Gana Mana.

...How much have we sacrificed so that Hindu-Muslimbrotherhood would continue! We even dismemberedMother India. Instead of Ram dhwaj, the symbol of Hindumartyrdom and sacrifice, we unfurled the tricolour, butthis brotherhood eluded us...

Those [Muslims] who value their religion more thantheir nation, they can never be nationalists. And thosewho treat religion as a personal matter [Hindus] can neverbe communalists. Hindus cannot be communalists becausethose who give pride of place to their nation over theirreligion cannot be communalists.

The PAC youth tell me they are looking forward toOctober 30. They say when they were unemployed, theyprayed to Bajrang Bali [another name for Hanuman, known

contd. on p. 6

No.60 5

founders, ProphetMohammad and JesusChrist. They wantAyodhya to become aJerusalem.

Saving Religion FromPoliticians

Political leaders, not religiousorganisations, dominate the RamMandir campaign. I include VHP in thecategory of political organisations, asthey are not even remotely concernedwith the religious and spiritual well-being of the Hindus. Rather, they areobsessed with mobilising Hindus as apolitical force to subordinate andterrorise non-Hindus in India. Theirdharma is nationalism, not Hinduism.Their inspiration comes from Hitler, notfrom Ram. Their cloak of pietynotwithstanding, the real agenda of theVHP-RSS-BJP Combine is to breedmore and more mistrust and hatredagainst Muslims. One hears theircadres openly proclaim: “We shoulddo to Muslims what Hitler did to Jews.”Slogans like “Pakistan ya Kabristan”are meant seriously, as is evident fromthe increasing incidents of massacresof Muslims such as in Bhagalpur,Meerut, Ahmedabad and now, Gonda.An essential first phase is to convincethe people that Muslims should notbe citizens unless they renounce theirfaith and slavishly support whateverthe Combine requires.

Since the BJP-RSS-VHP Combinewould find it hard to get endorsementamong the vast majority of the peopleof India for this brand of murderousnationalism if they openly presentedits real face, they have hijacked Ramand are using him as a political cover.Ram has been converted into a votegetter much in the same way as someparties use film stars. Newspapers tellus that Rs 700 crores have already beencollected by this Combine. Much ofthe election expenses of the BJP aresaid to have been met by the moneyraised in Ram’s name. Their Rathyatra

The following account of thefairly typical conversation I had witha young English languagejournalist, who claimed to be a BJPsupporter, demonstrates how evenamong certain sections of the Englisheducated elite, the uneasiness withtheir rootlessness is making themeasy prey to the machinations of hatemongering politicians. In responseto his allegation that theJanta Dalgovernment personified by V. P. Singh,was out to destroy India, I asked him:

Q. Who would you like to see asthe next P.M. of India?

A. (Without a moment’shesitation) L.K. Advani.

Q. What are your reasons for thischoice?

A. The BJP is the only party whoopenly talk of establishing a Hindurashtra and putting the minorities intheir place. The Muslims have beenpampered too long and have becomea threat to this nation.

Q. What will the Hindu rashtra dofor Hindus? In other words, what is itthat you wish to have for the Hinduswith the establishment of BJP’s Hindurashtra which they can’t have now?A. Hindus are not allowed to havetheir way of life in India the land oftheir own birth.

Q. By whom?A. The government.Q. What is it that you as a Hindu

would like to do which you can’t dowithout BJP’s Hindu rashtra ?

A. All the traditional knowledgeof Hindus is being undermined. Eventhose branches of knowledge whichare being hailed by the scientifically

superior West are not getting theirdue attention in India. For example,look at the neglect in our country ofyoga and ayurveda as health caresystems.

Q. What prevents the Hindus frompursuing these two branches ofknowledge? I practice an hour of yogaevery day. No Muslim comes toobstrut me. If I read the Ramayan, noMuslim or government insults me forit. If anyone prefers to go to anAyurvedic centre as opposed to anallopathic clinic, no governmentpenalises you. (He admitted he hadnever tried to learn yoga or ayurveda)

A.But there is no governmentsupport for these things. Therefore,they can’t flourish. Under a Hindurashtra there will be governmentsupport.

Q. But the erstwhile great Voidsof this land did not work ingovernment laboratories. The greatsages and gurus did not need tochase government patronage, to askthe kings to allow them to tutor theirchildren. The kings went to the gurusbegging that their children be taughtby them. If the BJP-RSS believe inpromoting these branches ofknowledge why don’t they use theRSS shakhas as yoga centres insteadof for fascist drills? Why don’t theypromote Ayurveda Research Centres,promote a sound health care systemin the country, rather than jeopardisethe lives of people and promotebloodshed?

A. I will have to think about it Youare asking too many questions.(Then, after a long pause) But I thinkstate power is very important.

“You are Asking Too Many Questions”

6 MANUSHI

(contd.fromp.4)for his devotion to Ram] for a job. Even after retirementthey know they have to seek the protection of Ram. If thegovernment orders them to fire, they will shoot, but itremains to be seen whether the bullets will hit Ram bhaktsor pierce the chests of traitors of Ram. Though they are inuniform, the heart that beats in them is that of a Hindu.Though they are doing a job, the blood coursing in theirveins is of a Hindu father.

Let this fire blaze magnificently. It was this feat ofbloodshed that led to the dismemberment of the country,the death of so many Hindus... Let there be a conflagrationrather than this slow torturous simmering...

We could not teach them with words, now let us teachthem with kicks... Let there be bloodshed once and for all.

We have come out to strengthen the immense Hindushakti into a fist...

You kept saying you will offer sacrifices. We will takethousands of sacrifices. Now we will not only shed ourown blood, but the blood of others, too... That MahatmaGandhi led you to ruin...

Tie up your religiosity and kindness into a bundle andthrow it in the Jamuna maiya...

Leftists and communists ask me if we desire to turnthis land into a Hindu rashtra. I say it was declared one atthe time of Partition in 1947— Hindustan, a nation ofHindus and Pakistan, a nation of the Muslims. ThoseMuslims who stayed behind could do so because of thetolerance and large heartedness of the Hindus. Any non-Hindu who lives here does so at our mercy (kirpa pe jeerahaa hai). Declare without hesitation that this is a Hindurashtra, a nation of Hindus. In future we have to provethat only those who honour Hindu womenfolk and holymen, believe in Hindu culture, Hindu history and godsand goddesses can stay in Hindustan.

The resolution passed by eminent leaders in Haridwarwill remain unchanged. There will be nochange, nocompromise, on these issues: a) the date of the construction of the Temple,October30

b) the blueprint of the Temple; we will not tolerate anychanges in it...

c) the site of the Temple, which will be raised where thepresent image of Sri Ram stands...

A senior journalist asked us: ‘If we remain firm anduncompromising on these three issues, then what is thereleft to discuss?’ We answered that there is the issue ofwhether these wishes will be granted gracefully or wrestedby force...

Hindustan is foolish, it refuses to give up its foolishcourse, it gets beaten and forgives its opponent. Why?Because this is the land of Buddha and the Mahatma,

Guru Nanak Dev and other Sants who sacrificed their lives,offered their necks but could not break the neck of others...

This hate propaganda is verse is widely distributed atBJP-RSS-VHP rallies.

In Hindi the lines read...

xoZ ls dgks ge fgUnw gSa

Hkkjr dk lafo/kku cny nks lu~ 47 ;kn djksAHkkjr Hkwfe igys caV pqdh eqlYyksa dk cfg’dkj djksAAvkSjaxtsc vkSj ckcj cudj vc dksbZ uk jgus ik;sxkAvc ogha jgsxk Hkkjr esa tks jghe cu tk;sxkAAlafo/kku esa Hkkjr ds oks oksV ugha vc MkysxkAfgUn esa fgUnwvksa dh dik ls cPps vius ikysxkAAtSls ge dqoSr ls vius Hkkb;ksa dks ;gka yk;s gSaA,sls gha rqe ;gka ds eqlyekuks dks rqe tgktksa esa HkjksAAHkkjr dk lafo/kku cny nks lu~ 47 ;kn djksAHkkjr Hkwfe igys caV pqdh eqlYyksa dk cfg’dkj djksAAtks fgUnw fgr dh ckr djsxk lRrk esa ogh vk;sxkAA7 uoEcj nwj ugha gS oh ih 30 oksV gh ik;sxkAfgUnw fgUnw ,d er gksdj Hkkjr dks vkckn djksAAHkkjr dk lafo/kku cny nks lu~ 47 ;kn djksAHkkjr Hkwfe igys caV pqdh eqlYyksa dk cfg’dkj djksAA

English Summary:

Say with Pride, We are Hindus

Change the Constitution of India, remember 1947 whenIndia was dividedBoycott MussalmansNow no one will be allowed to live here as an Aurangzebor BabarNow only those who can become Rahims can stay inIndia.Now under the Constitution they will not cast a voteThey will bring up their children in India at the mercy ofthe HindusJust as we brought our brothers from KuwaitSo also send off the Muslims in shiploadsOnly those who talk of Hindus’ welfare will come topower...Hindus should become of one mind and make Indiaprosper...

No.60 7

was conducted on the lines of anelection campaign, with Mr Advanipresented as the prime ministerialcandidate.

It is a matter of shame that as theRathyatra travelled from town to town,most Muslims are reported to have feltthe need to lock themselves up in theirhomes, not venturing to step out onthe streets. They still felt unsafe, evenbehind locked doors, in their homes.Many, even in Delhi, fled their homesand sought shelter elsewhere, far fromthe yatra route. This is making a Ravanof Ram, instead of promoting reverencefor him. The blood soaked temple theyintend to build at Ayodhya on therubble of a mosque would stand as asymbol of destruction of all thecherished ideals and norms of Hinducivilisation.

We need to redeem Ram as areligious figure, religious in the senseof representing a revered moral, ethicalcode and as an embodiment of rarespiritual ideals which have inspiredgenerations and generations of peopleto upright lives in this land. Theappropriation of Ram by sectarianpoliticians to perpetuate communalmassacres pours contempt on Ram,who in popular imagination stands asa symbol of love, compassion (patitpavankripanidhan) self sacrifice and

steadfastness to duty(kartavyanishtha). The Ram weimbibed as children from our parentsbears no resemblance to the BJP-RSSincarnation. The Ram we know boreno malice even to those who did himwrong. He continued to love andrespect Kaikeyi as his own mother eventhough she got him banished tofourteen years of forest wandering. Wewere taught that he triumphed overRavan with moral force rather thanthrough his superior skills as a warrior.His victory was foreshadowed whenmany of those close to Ravan,including Ravan’s wife and brother,came to stand by Ram, for herepresented righteousness. Today, theCombine leaders, though acting inRam’s name, are compelling manyHindus by their unworthy actions tooppose their politics, much as some ofRavan’s well wishers were compelledto oppose Ravan.Murderous Nationalism not

HinduismThe BJP projects Ram as a national

warrior hero, as opposed to a HinduGod, in the mistaken belief that theyare thus elevating Ram to a superiorstatus. The reclaiming of what they callthe Ram Janmasthan is not beingjustified on religious grounds butpresented as a case of struggle

between nationalist and antinationalforces, Babri Masjid is to bedemolished because it was built by aninvading outsider on the site of a Ramtemple—with Ram presented as anational hero. Muslims are expectedto join the Hindus in devotion to Ramto prove that they are not antinational.(See the extracts of Uma Bharti’s speechpp. 4 and 6). They deliberatelyoverlook the fact that even amongHindus there are innumerable sectswhose chosen deities are other thanRam and who would feel no lessoffended if compelled to forsake theirown form of worship as is beingdemanded of Muslims.

Many secularists see the BJPpolitics as promoting unhealthyreligiosity. Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. The BJP-RSS-VHP gameis to selectively use Gods from theHindu pantheon to practise their brandof murderous nationalism. Mr Advaniand company are destroying all that ismorally and spiritually elevating inHinduism and forging from it a hatefilled ideology of nationalism.

In our time far more murders havebeen committed in the name ofnationalism than for the sake of anyreligion. The two world wars are a primeexample. The war between Iran andIraq, both Muslim countries, which has

Vibhishana, Ravana’s brother, goes over to Rama and is given asylum

Mar

g,

Vol.

31.N

o.4,

197

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8 MANUSHI

killed millions of people,is its most recentm a n i f e s t a t i o n .Chauvinist nationalismcannot sustain itself

without the notion of a hated other. Itis invariably targeted against someother group. It thrives on the languageof power and violence, not on the loveof humanity. It has little respect for thehuman rights of even those people itseeks to unify as a nation. These typesof nationalists are forever endangeringthe lives and well-being of their fellownationals in the pursuit of power gamesas, for instance, Hitler and Khomeinidid, and now Mr Advani is seeking todo.

By systematically building anatmosphere of hysteria among theHindus they have caused frenziedclashes between the kar sewaks andthe police, resulting in firing anddeaths. The peaceful town of Ayodhyahas been turned into a virtualbattlefield. Instead of mourning thosethey mislead, those whose blood is ontheir hands, they are glorifying theirvictims as martyrs, encouraging moreand more Hindus to a frenzied do-or-die mood.

Furthermore, their politics willmake the lives of Hindus even moreprecarious in Punjab and Kashmir byproviding greater legitimacy to theseparatist politics of fundamentalistgroups in the two states. The lives ofHindus in other countries, where theyare in a minority, are also beingseriously jeopardised. There arealready many reports that Hindus arebeing attacked in Bangladesh andPakistan. They may become even morevulnerable in the Gulf countries. Inwestern countries, the prejudiceagainst Indians may be furtherstrengthened as reports of murderousstrife in India reach those countries.

Gandhi’s Hinduism VersusAdvani’s

The respectability accorded tonationalism is due to its mistakenassociation with anti-colonial

movements in third world countries.The vast difference between the twobecomes evident if one comparesMahatma Gandhi’s politics with thatof Mr Advani and his friends in theRSS. The nationalism of the RSSasserted itself by actually murderingGandhi then, and today it is aszealously trying to destroy all thatGandhi stood for. Gandhi’s nationalismwas based on his opposition tooppression of any group by another.He was essentially anti statist. Hestood for the right of all thedisadvantaged and oppressed groups(no matter what their religion) andagainst their exploitation by those whocontrolled state power. Mr Advani’snationalism, on the other hand, isdesperate to grab hold of state powerin order to subordinate all those withinthe country to his tyranny and to wreakvengeance on already vulnerablegroups.

To achieve that end the nationalistsbuild upon a culture of resentment, fearand hatred; the BJP Combine isencouraging Hindus to a false view ofMuslims and other minorities asbetrayers of the nation. One of theirchief arguments is that Muslims hadno right to stay in India after thecreation of Pakistan.

As someone whose family wasamong the millions forcibly driven outof their homes in 1947, who had tomigrate as refugees from the land thatis now Pakistan, I share the anguish ofthe BJP-RSS at the criminalmanipulations that led to the partitionof India. However, they try to getpeople to forget how it came about.The chauvinist nationalism of the RSSand Hindu Mahasabha, which foundsupport among large sections of theCongress as well, was a key reason forthe success of Jinnah. It is ironical thatthe BJP-RSS Combine wish to fashiontheir politics in the Jinnah mould, a manthey hate so much. In fact, the politicsof both Jinnah and the BJP-RSS are

merely two sides of the same coin.Those who hold that Muslims had

no right to stay in India with thecreation of Pakistan are seeking tomodel their politics on the pattern ofthe Muslim League. This amounts tovindicating Jinnah in a way that historydid not. The groups who sought mostactively the creation of Pakistan, theMohajirs, find themselves treated likeunwanted aliens in the nation state oftheir own making. Their language(Urdu), their culture, their connectionswith relatives in India, their lingeringemotional attachment to the land oftheir birth and ancestors, are all suspectand under attack from the MuslimPunjabis, Sindhis, Pathans, Baluchisand others who exist so uneasilytogether in today’s Pakistan. Despitethe desperate attempts of the MuslimLeague and the army generals to weldthe various groups in Pakistan into onenation based on religion, the ethnicstrife in Pakistan is far more virulenttoday than before partition. TheBaluchis, the Pathans, Sindhis,Punjabis and Mohajirs all seem to belocked in more deadly battles thanraged on the continent in 1947. Humanrights violations are even more severein Pakistan than in India. The rulingelite of Pakistan has taken much longerto even begin to allow some weight tothe political rights of their fellowMuslims, for example, the right tovote— something that the people ofIndia refuse to relinquish. The spectreof military dictatorship is foreverhaunting Pakistan. Their democracy isfar more fragile than is India’sdemocracy. Pakistan’s Mullahpoliticians have not yet learnt to accepteven women from elite families asequals in public life. For example,Benazir’s prime ministership was hotlydisputed whereas in India IndiraGandhi was easily accepted as PrimeMinister. No religious leader castaspersions on Indira Gandhi solely asa consequence of her being a woman.

No.60 9

All this is inextricably linked to thepolitics of intolerance upon which theIslamic nation laid its foundation — thepolitics of driving people out of theirhomes through bloodshed in order toforce a partition. Since the Pakistanination was based on a lie, it made thePakistan ruling elite far more neuroticand insecure in their politics. On theother hand, despite serious problemsand conflicts, India has retained ademocratic polity — and except in someof the border states, and despite thefiery controversies, as over the MandalCommission Report, ethnic strife doesnot threaten to tear Indian societyasunder. This might well happen inPakistan. It is even possible that if Indiaopened its border with Pakistan andallowed a free flow of people, Pakistanwould soon cease to exist.

Thus both Hindus and Muslims inIndia gained enormously, bothpolitically and morally, by taking thestand, represented by Gandhi andothers, of insisting that Muslims wouldnot be pushed out of India despite thedisastrous partition. Those who talk ofdriving the Muslims out, or of lettingthem live here only as second classcitizens, in the same way that Hinduslive in Pakistan, are asking us tosurrender all our advantages andstrengths and commit political andmoral suicide. Those who wish to holdup Pakistan as a role model displaytheir low self esteem and lack ofconfidence in their own faith.

The Politics of Self HatredThe second related argument of the

BJP led Combine against Muslims isthat Hindus have been wrongedhistorically by Muslim invaders.Therefore, Hindus have the right tosettle those historical wrongs. IndianMuslims are blamed not just for thepartition but also for the crimes,including destruction of temples,committed by waves of invaders whohappened to have been Muslims byreligion. In most cases foreign

invasions resulted in a lot ofdestruction, loot and plunder, asinevitably happens in all wars ofconquests, including many of thosefought among Hindu local rulers withinIndia. Even so the RSS-BJP version ofIslamic invasion is biased, for itpresents an oversimplified picture ofthis period of our history and relies agreat deal on hysterical exaggerations.However, even if one were to accepttotally their view of our history, itwould be self destructive to come tothe political conclusions they derivefrom it.

The present day Muslims are nomore foreign to this soil than those ofus who claim to be Hindus. Theycannot be used as scapegoats for theatrocities committed by the likes ofGhazni or Aurangzeb. The same logicthat demands the reclaiming of all thoseplaces where mosques were built ondestroyed temples can be extendedfurther. Should we demolish many ofthe present day Hindu temples whichwere built on the remains of destroyedBuddhist religious centres? This is anever ending deadly game which, iftaken seriously, will leave India asdevastated as was Germany during thesecond world war. Most important ofall, do the BJP-RSS leaders want to beremembered as the twentieth century

Aurangzebs among Hindus by theirinsistence on demolishing their entirehit list of mosques?

The Hinduism being propagatedby the RSS-BJP Combine resemblesthe many brutal periods in the historyof Christianity and Islam when theywreaked destruction and massacredmany peoples in proselytising andconquering all over the world.

Distorting HinduismHinduism unites the animate with

the inanimate. There are strong voiceswithin the Hindu tradition which forbidviolence even to animals and plants,leave alone human beings. God is seenas all pervasive rather than aformidable creature dwelling in somedistant heaven. Kan Kan mein Rambasey hain is a living faith with mostHindus. The word dharm in Hinducivilisation has always been used morein an expansive sense, denoting “thelaw of one’s being” rather than in thenarrow sense of a particular religion.

This is illustrated by a story thatmy mother repeated often to us while Iwas growing up. Whenever as a childI wanted to retaliate nastily againstsomeone who I thought had wrongedme, she would patiently dissuade mefrom doing so using the following storyto illustrate the harmfulness of makinga virtue of feelings of revenge. ‘Once a

lar&vlar Hksn fcyxkbZA izuriky eksfg dggq cq>kbZlrUg ds yPNu lquq HkzkrkA vxfur Jqfr iqjku fc[;krkAlr vlrfUg dSvfl djuhA ftfe dqBkj pnau vkpjuhAdkVb ijlq ey; lquq HkkbZA fut xqu nsb lqx/ clkbZArkrs lqj lhlUg p<+r tx cYyHk Jh[kaMAvuy nkfg ihVr ?kufg ijlq cnu ;g naMA

“The conduct of the good to the wicked is like that of the sandal tree tothe axe, for — see brother — the fragrant wood imparts its perfume to thevery iron that fells it. For this reason sandal-wood is the desire of the worldand has the honour of being put on the head of gods; while the axe for itspunishment has its edge heated in the fire and is well-hammered.”

Tulsidas Ramayan, Uttara Kand (36-37)

10 MANUSHI

Mahatma was bathing ina river. Suddenly he sawa drowning scorpion andtried to bring it to safety.As soon as he lifted the

scorpion in his hand, the latter stunghim. The pain of the sting jerked theMahatma’s hand and the scorpion fellback into the water and begandrowning again. The Mahatma pickedup the scorpion again and the act wasrepeated several times. Someonlookers were very puzzled by whatappeared to them as the Mahatma’sfoolishness. They asked him: “Whydo you persist in saving the scorpionwhen you know he will sting you?”The Mahatma replied: “The scorpion’sdharm is to sting, my dharm as a humanis compassion. I have to be true to mydharm, not adopt the dharm of thescorpion. How can I forego my dharmand return injury for injury when eventhe scorpion is not willing to leave hisown?”

The BJP-RSS-VHP Combine seemdetermined to destroy the dharm ofHindus.

Unlike the god of Semitic religions:Judaism, Christianity and Islam, thegods of the Hindus are not jealousgods. We Hindus have an easyrelationship with our gods. We laughand joke about them as one would withone’s friends. We play games with themand even take the liberty of gettingannoyed with them. They rarely ordertheir worshippers to attack otherpeople’s gods and religions. A wholepantheon of them coexist with eachother and with various goddesses aswell. None of them claim absolutesupremacy or demand absolute loyalty.Our gods are not known for wreakingvengeance on their devotees if theygo and pray to other gods, or inmosques, gurudwaras or churches.They are even forever able toaccommodate new gods in deferenceto the wishes of their worshippers—be they recent creations within the

Hindu fold like a Santoshi Maa, or thegods of other religions who areprepared for mutual accommodation.Most Hindu gods would not get upsetif a Hindu family adds a picture of JesusChrist along with that of Shiv andParvati. They wouldn’t be annoyed ifanyone sits and reads verses from theKoran or Bible in front of them. Mostlythey do not claim exclusive obedience.Even today in many rural areas a baba,a fakir or a sadhu will be received withreverence by both Hindus andMuslims. Shrines of bhakts and tombsof sufis and darveshes are visited byboth Hindus and Muslims. In someways one can even be an atheistwithout being any the less a Hindu. AHindu is free to create his or her owngods or goddesses. Almost everyvillage in India worships its own localdeity without interference, as well astreasuring the stories of Ram and othergods, without requiring permissionfrom any centralised heavenlyauthority. The god/goddess onecreates can be named according to thedevotees’ wishes. The bhakt also hasthe freedom to make the god look andact in diverse ways. Devotees are freeto credit their chosen gods with theattributes they consider important Forexample, Meera’s Krishna seems to beher own special being, different fromthe Krishna of the Geeta orMahabharat.

All this and more has provided agood deal of space for dissent anddiversity within the Hindu religiousand cultural tradition whichcounteracts some of its oppressiveaspects. Hinduism also has the uniquetradition of worshippers allowed tojudge the actions of their gods as theywould those of ordinary humanbeings. Krishna’s goading ofYudhishthir to tell a lie during the battleof Kurukshetra is not condoned by allHindus. Likewise Ram’s Shambhukvaddh and his unfair treatment of Sitain subjecting her to agnipariksha hang

heavily on the collectiveconsciousness of the Hindus. Thediscomfort of the Hindus with theagnipariksha came out very clearlywhen, during Ramanand Sagar’sRamayan serial, a spate of protestletters against making Sita go throughthe agnipariksha compelled Sagar todeviate from his text and make it adifferent, symbolic act. Many folksongs depict Sita as defiantlyprotesting Ram’s injustice.

Since Hindus do not even hesitateto pass judgement on the wrongdoingsof their gods, it is unlikely that MrAdvani and company will manage toget away with their manipulations fortoo long. Much stronger voices willarise against this Combine’smachination from among the Hindufold than from among Muslims.

Pampered or Betrayed?The Combine seeks to portray

Muslims as a group which considersitself above the law of the land. Amongthe proofs of special privilegessupposedly enjoyed by the Muslimcommunity are cited things such as theenactment of the retrogressive MuslimWomen’s Protection Act in violationof the Constitution, the appointmentof a couple of governors and vice-chancellors from among Muslims,installing a couple of token ministersin the cabinet, getting the governmentto indulge in mindlessly extravagantpro-Arab and anti-Israel foreign policyrhetoric and getting this or that bookbanned through protest.

Undoubtedly, the politics of thecurrent dominant leadership among theMuslims often does live up to thepernicious stereotype that the B JP-RSS Combine assert is characteristicof Muslims. They often give theimpression of being religious fanaticsincapable of adhering to secular normseven though they demand that Hinduspractise secular politics. The virulencewith which too many Muslim leadersoppose the human rights of Muslim

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women, crush dissenting voices withintheir own community and promotereligious intolerance has contributedto destroying some of the moral andsocial strength of their own community.Their politics has strengthened thevoices of intolerance among theHindus.

However, government policy hasplayed a major role in keeping Muslimleadership addicted to the politics ofcrumb gathering. It has also givenHindus an excuse to believe that thegovernment is pampering the Muslimminority. The dominant politicalparties, especially the Congress, havenot moved away from knee jerkresponses calculated to consolidatethe Muslim vote bank and aggravatethe communal divide rather thanworking out a coherent, just policy ofmajority-minority relations. Far fromenjoying special privileges, the vastmajority of Muslims are denied even

the fundamental rights promised by theConstitution. Most of them are poorand despised and are compelled to livein ghettos. They are not given equalityof opportunity in employment, housingor education and show all signs ofbeing a marginalised minority.Seeking Hitlerian Popularity

Mr Advani and the BJP are feelingextremely heady with the large crowdsthey have been able to gather for theirmeetings on the Ram Mandir issue. MrGirilal Jain approvingly calls this thelargest mobilisation of the Hindus afterGandhi. It is the most absurdcomparison ever made. Gandhi’sHinduism was rooted in the bhaktitradition which stood for the onenessof all human beings. Worship of godwas to be expressed through a loveand respect for human beingsirrespective of their caste, creed,religion, gender. Violence was notpermissible even against the agression

of an enemy.Gandhi tried to liberate from fear of

all kinds the minds of all those Indianswho joined him. This included fear ofphysical torture and deprivation. Hetried to fill the hearts of his followerswith real self respect, which includedrespect for others, no matter howdifferent. The BJP-RSS, throughmanipulation and lies, are making evenHindus feel insecure and unsafe in theirown land. Such is the power ofrelentless propaganda that theendangered Muslim minority is madeout to be a grave threat for Hindus.The Muslims who are experiencingmore and more difficulties providingtheir own minimal security are accusedof jeopardising the security of India.Hitler, too, succeeded in getting largecrowds to cheer him even moreenthusiastically than those who haveattended the BJP-RSS rallies cheerAdvani. But, often, mobilisation of

12 MANUSHI

ij fgr lfjl /keZ ufga HkkbZA ij ihM+k le ufga v/kekbZAAfuuZ; ldy iqjku osn djA dgsmWa rkr tkufga dksfcn uj AA 1 AA

Brother, there is no religious duty like doing good to others, no meanness likecausing pain to others. This, dear brother is the doctrine of Veda and Purana that Ihave disclosed to you, and the learned know it well.

Tulsidas Ramayan, Uttara-Kanda (40)

mass hysteria aroundhatred and fear has noless disastrousconsequences for thosewho are thus mobilised

than for those who are oppressed.The most serious negative

consequence of this current campaignto consolidate Hindus againstminorities, teaching Hindus to feelpersecuted, filling their minds with liesand misinformation, is that manyHindus have come to believe thatgetting rid of Muslims is their nationalduty, that when they indulge inpogroms against Muslims they aredoing it to defend their religion andtheir rashtra. Murder and mayhem isthus being made respectable, leadingto a large scale criminalisation of manysections of the Hindu community. This,in my view, is the biggest danger. Wemust desist before the Hinducommunity is criminalised, as Hitleronce criminalised the entire Germanpeople. This aspect of BJP-RSSideology and work becomes evidentin any city which has witnessed largescale communal violence.

Among the few cases I havepersonally been exposed to, I wouldlike to describe our experience inMeerut and Maliana after the greatmassacre of May 1987. An all-womenteam of Manushi volunteers spentabout a week collecting informationsoon after the killings. The officiallyreleased figures, as usual, seemed tohave very little relationship to thereality of the violence and destruction.Even a casual visit confirmed that inMeerut and Maliana many moreMuslim than Hindu neighbourhoodshad been targets of attack and looting.The pattern of violence was similar tothe one reported in other suchincidents in Ahmedabad, in Bhagalpurand Gonda.

In Meerut, wherever Muslims livedtogether in large numbers, as inHashimpura, Gaddha or Maliana,

Hindus were usually accompanied bythe PAC in their looting, killing andmurdering spree. No real resistance orretaliation was possible in such asituation. Therefore, loss of life andproperty was extremely one sided. It iswell documented and well known thatthe PAC dumped dozens of bodies ofMuslims from the Hashimpura area intothe canal, and forced a mass burial ofscores of Muslims they had massacredin Maliana village.

Lies to Instil FearOn the whole, among the shops,

houses and commercial establishmentsattacked or burnt down, about 90 to 95percent belonged to Muslims.However, the death and injury toll waseven more imbalanced. Despiteintensive efforts, we could not identifymore than five Hindus who had beenkilled by Muslims in Meerut. We methardly any injured Hindus, despiteconscious efforts to get to them. Incontrast hundreds of Muslims hadbeen killed and hundreds injured.

Yet such is the power of communalpropaganda that most Hindus we metwere convinced that Hindus were themain sufferers; they went so far as tobelieve that Muslims had not onlyinstigated the violence but also burntdown their own homes in order to claimcompensation from the government,and that the paltry relief measuresannounced (such as Rs 10,000 for eachperson killed) were a form of pamperingthe Muslim minority. We wereastonished to find that the Hindus werein some ways more nervous andfrightened than the Muslims. Thoughfour out of five in the investigatingteam were Hindus, we had greater

difficulty in getting Hindus to talk tous. Invariably their first question was:“Are you a Muslim or a Hindu?” puttingon the defensive anyone who was notidentified as Hindu. Among the fewHindus who talked to us, a large numberwarned us against visiting Muslimneighbourhoods. The Hindus fed uswith gory stories about how somewomen journalists who ventured intoMuslim areas were brutally raped andmurdered, how even PAC men weredragged into mohallas and butchered,whereas the authorities confirmed thatnothing even remotely resemblingthese things had happened. Their fearof those they had helped butcherbordered on the bizarre. They feltunsafe in their own city where theyhad lived for generations. The loss ofconfidence of the Hindu communitywas alarming considering they were amajority actually able to get away withmurder, since the police and theadministration were on their side. Theywere afraid to talk to any strangers,including harmless looking women likeus. This was contrary to the normalwarmth, hospitality and openness oneencounters in visiting mostneighbourhoods in India — urban orrural. In contrast, the Muslims, despitehaving suffered greater loss of life andproperty, received us withoutreservations, grateful that someonecared to at least listen to theiranguished stories.

It took a while for us to understandwhy those who had looted, plunderedand murdered had reason to fear. TheProvincial Armed Constabulary hadjoined them and instigated them toviolence. But they lived in fear lest they

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be implicated and tried for the crimesthey had committed. Even though somany Muslims had suffered violence,the PAC stood guard only over theHarijans and the other Hinduhouseholds, many of whom had beenthe attackers, shielding them fromjournalists and outsiders, lest theyinadvertently let out some damagingfacts. Many of these people were onlytoo aware that they had the blood oftheir neighbours on their hands, andcould not hide the fear typical ofcriminals—the fear of being caught.They had been tutored by the PAC toallege that they had been attacked.They indulged in pathetic attempts toshow evidence of violence on theirhomes. This usually amounted toshowing us no more than a smallmound of hay carefully burnt in acorner of their compound resulting ina small token loss, leaving the rest ofthe house untouched. Among thetutored answers, a common one was:“We don’t know what happened, wewere busy in our household work anddid not want to look out” or “TheMuslims burnt their own homes downto claim compensation, pamperedcheats as they are”. The most bizzarewas the answer we got from two womenin Maliana, in the house directlyopposite to that of an eleven-membered Muslim family, all of whomhad been killed. The highlydecomposed bodies of the Muslimswere discovered from the well in theircompound. “How did it happen?” weasked. “We don’t know, we were busyin our house,” the women told us. “Didsomeone come to attack them?” “No,we did not see anyone. They burntdown their house themselves to getcompensation.” “But then how didthey get killed?” “The bombs theybought to attack us must haveexploded in their own house bymistake.” “But how could their bodiesend up in the well on their own withoutsomeone throwing them in there?”

“You don’t know how fasadi theseMuslims are, they can manage almostanything,” was the unashamed answer,after which the women of the familyclosed the door and refused any furtherconversation. Later we learnt that thissame lone Muslim family in a street fullof Hindu houses had been attackedand killed by their own neighbours.

In a number of Hindu middle classareas, the fear was based on ignorancefuelled by rumours. After theimposition of curfew, most people herehad stayed confined to theirneighbourhoods and not witnessedany of the violence. They were fed onhysterical rumours which they were in

no position to confirm from Muslimsas they had scarcely any Muslimacquaintances and had a stereotypeof all Muslims as violently inclined riff-raff.

Criminalising The HindusThere were dozens of similar

incidents and the same conspiracy ofsilence and evasiveness thatcharacterises people when they haveterrible crimes to hide. I was remindedof what a German friend had told meabout a similar veil of silence in postWorld War II Germany. Whathappened during Hitler’s regimebecame tabooed topics. Parents wouldnot answer even their own children’s

Many Indian homes are decorated with colourful renderings of Ramaand Sita. This is a black and white reproduction of one that is popular

14 MANUSHI

queries about theirinvolvement in Nazicrimes except with anevasive “We did notknow what was

happening, we just did our job.”Reports of communal massacres

from Bhagalpur, Ahmedabad, Gondaand elsewhere all testify to a pattern offearful silence or aggressiveevasiveness typical of criminals. Whilethere is some mention being made ofthe terrible consequences on the livesof Muslims as a result of beingconstantly made to live in fear ofviolence, and the resultingghettoisation and anxiety among them,we have altogether ignored thedisastrous effects of the BJP-RSS-VHPincitements of the Hindu community.It is being systematically criminalised.Not just the poor but young men fromso-called respectable middle and upperclass homes are encouraged to becomeleaders of looting and murderingbrigades. When the whole communitylearns to cover up these crimes, to tryand rub off the stink of blood from theirconscience, it is a sure sign of theadvancing ruin of the community.Those of us who value the well-beingof our community must not only feelashamed of the bloodshed beingcommitted in the name of Hinduism butalso must take determined steps to haltit.

In Our Own InterestIt will not help us to evade this

responsibility by pointing to theirresponsible politics of most of theMuslim leaders. If the Hinducommunity continues to use the folliesof the Muslim leadership to legitimisediscrimination and violence againstMuslims, we will be doing so at ourown peril. The continuing pogromsagainst the Muslims marginalises analready impoverished and politicallyvulnerable community even further. Ifthey are denied legitimate means ofearning their livelihood, even more ofthem are bound to be forced into a life

of petty crimes and violence. Thus themarginalisation, insecurity andghettoisation of the Muslimcommunity has harmful consequencesfor all of us and for the health of Indiansociety. It is foolish to insist on treatingMuslims unjustly here on the speciousplea that Hindus are treated badly insome of the Islamic countries. Evenenlightened self interest demands thatwe work out a just policy for dealingwith the minorities.

Where Do We Begin?1 First and foremost, we need to

restore the sanctity of our religiousplaces and get the politicians out ofthem. The distortions brought aboutin the system of temple managementduring British colonial rule need to berectified. Traditionally, religious placesin India were not subservient to adistant political authority. Mosttemples were supported by the localcommunity, which also exercisedcontrol over its affairs. The BJP-RSS-VHP attempt to take over thecontroversial Ram Mandir at Ayodhyafrom the hands of the local priests isnot the only example of politiciansusurping religious sites. Even thecommunists in Kerala are known tohave fought fierce battles to try towrest control over certain temples inthe state. We need to work out clearrules about the governance of religiousplaces and property, keepingpoliticians away from taking overreligious places and ensuring theyremain in the hands of the worshippers.

2 We also need to work outinstitutional safeguards so that theenormous wealth generated by thetemples is used for social and spiritualwell-being rather than power games.Provision of free food and shelter forall who come for it, as gurudwaras doeven today, could take care of manywho suffer from hunger anddestitution, often in a way better thansome government run programmes.The tradition of kar seva should beextended to improve the community’s

physical environment, for example, inthe provision of sanitation, clean watersupply, pucca roads. The governmenthas failed miserably in all of theseareas. Provision of these basicnecessities would be better taken careof if the local community, with thetemples and gurudwaras as one sourceof support, took over all these publictasks.

3 An equally important task forthose who wish to restore lustre to theirfaith would involve restoring thetradition of temples as places oflearning, of religious studies, oftheology, as centres of arts andculture.

4 It is vital that we counter withcarefully collected facts the hatecampaigns of RSS-VHP-BJP that arebased on deliberate misreporting andlies. We should insist that the pressand the government agencies give anaccurate description of the lossessuffered by Hindus and Muslimsduring the communal violence. Anaccurate knowledge of facts may helpto counter the mistaken sense ofpersecution being inculcated amongHindus and to restrain the irresponsiblerhetoric of some Muslim leaders.

5 We need to work out concreteways of making large scale socialinteraction possible between the twocommunities. Such efforts should notbe confined to Iftar parties hosted byministers. The increasing ghettoisationof the Muslim community is leading toan even greater communication gapthan existed previously.

6 We need to work out ways ofresolving communal conflicts withoutresorting to needless governmentinterventions. For example, animportant reason for the success of theBJP-RSS-VHP campaign is that, asalways, the secularists continue tooppose them by relying mainly on thepower of the State. Few attempts weremade to oppose them other than byappealing to the government to useforce to prevent them from performing

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the kar seva. The ham handed way inwhich the police and the paramilitaryforces were used to prevent thedemolition of the mosque led tounnecessary bloodshed and killings,providing a halo of martyrdom to thismurderous Combine. If we do not giveup our slavish dependence on the Statemachinery to solve such problems, wewill never move towards more lastingsolutions to social conflicts.

7 We need to recognise that thevast diversity of India is a source ofstrength and vigour and has beencrucial for the survival of democracyin India. Instead of treating thisdiversity as a liability to be gotten ridof, as the Hindu rashtravadis do, weneed to work to protect minorities fromattack and discrimination. A consensuson this won’t be difficult to attain.Every community is a minority in somepart of the country, e.g., Hindus inKashmir, Muslims in Jammu and,therefore, can be convinced to accepta uniform policy for the protection ofminority rights in India.

8 The Hindu community can bemobilised to save its culture andreligion from being distorted beyondrecognition only if they are aware of it.In the name of promoting seculareducation, the Western educated elitehas deliberately promoted ignoranceabout India’s rich heritage.The task ofpromoting respect and creatingadequate facilities for the learning ofour varied religions and culturaltraditions cannot and should not beleft to the government. It’s bestundertaken by social and culturalorganisations functioning outside thegovernment patronage system.

9 A very vigorous effort is alsorequired to preserve our ancientmonuments, including temples, asthese are repositories of our culturalheritage. Most of them are beingdestroyed beyond repair due tosystematic neglect. The looting andplundering of ancient temples by

unscrupulous smugglers is perhapsmore serious than the depradations ofMughal invaders. Yet the Hindurashtravadis have maintained astudious silence on this. They couldhave performed a greater service if theystarted a campaign to protect theseendangered temples. The ASI andother government departments areincapable of dealing with this task. Thejob of restoration has to be organisedon a larger scale by ensuring thepeople’s concerned participation.

10 No less, perhaps even moreimportant, is the task of saving andrestoring whatever is left of those

A Madhubani painting depicting Saraswati — The Goddess of learning

historical, religious and other textsthat shed greater light on our past. Itis a matter of shame that, even forrecent history, one finds records muchbetter preserved in the BritishMuseum and other foreign librariesthan in Indian libraries. White antsare merrily feeding on our precioustexts and manuscripts.This process ofdestruction needs to be immediatelyhalted. Much is already lost. Wecannot afford to lose any more. For apeople without a sense of its past is apeople without a sense of self, andcan more easily be manipulated intoself-destruction.