Before I begin let me read a reply I sent to one of the many who cautioned me in the last few weeks. “Dear friend All the hate mail I re...
Before I begin let me read a reply I sent to one of the many who cautioned me in the last few weeks.
“Dear friend
All the hate mail I received went directly into my trash. Your letter represents a genuine concern, so I’m replying.
I was also once a student in America and understand that diaspora Indians face racism and discrimination and need to feel a sense of pride about their land of origin. This is natural. The question is, can we choose what to feel proud about and what to feel ashamed about so we become agents of positive change?
I feel proud about Mahatma Gandhi and the inclusivity he practiced in the name of Hinduism, not through ritual, but by deed. He was perhaps the first (in quotations) “upper caste” Hindu to insist on manually scavenging night-soil and not depend on the lowest ranked to do the jobs that were considered unclean and impure.
Towards the end of Gandhi’s life he strongly advocated inter-caste marriage so future generations would be free of caste. And he died a martyr to the cause of bridging the Hindu-Muslim divide so meticulously nurtured by British colonialists.I feel proud about Dr Ambedkar, born a Dalit and subjected to discrimination, who broke the taboo against...
