During an interaction with students, I referred to a story from the Mahabharata and there were several blank faces …. when I enquired they said they didn’t know the Mahabharata. It set off alarm bells. I can totally understand if they didn’t know every story in the epic, but not knowing even the outline is very strange. It only tells me that neither the schools nor the society or parents have spent time in re-telling the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Am sad and upset because both these historical epics have solutions to any and every problem we might face. It’s our heritage and yet our future generations don’t seem to know about them. A friend’s son, who is born and brought up in the US wanted me to get him both the Ramayana and Mahabharata so that he could read them. Haven’t had that request from any young Indian.
Are Hindus so totally deracinated and cut off from their roots ??? And why ?
I went back to our constitution …. and well, what I found answers the question that I have asked above.
Article 28
In layman’s terms, it means that no religious texts or prayers shall be taught in educational institutions that are funded by the state. Momentarily if we agree that’s how a secular state has to be .. then why bring in Article 30 ?
Article 30
Am actually shocked that Article 28 and Article 30 are still intact in the constitution without any amendment. So under the garb of being a secular state, the constitution simply emasculated an entire civilisation that has an unbroken lineage of 17000 years or more. Hinduism, the majority religion in India just got shafted :(:( by an albatross called Secularism.
The bigger angst is – even in states where the Hindus are a minority (there are 8 states out of the 28 where Hindus are a minority), we don’t get to benefit from Article 30.
Muslims are 14% of the population in India, nearly 200 million people. Yet they are the minority and enjoy all the minority benefits. The growth in Madrasas is astounding … from 88 Madrasas in 1950 to nearly 6 lakh now. According to Wikipedia there are nearly 300,000 active Mosques in India. In contrast we just have 4500 odd Vedic Gurukuls, and most of them are closing due to lack of funds and no students.
Article 28 and Article 30 must be amended. This is discrimination against Hindus and it has already had serious repercussions.
We can keep talking of our ancient and rich civilisation …. while our children are quoting foreign authors and movie stars instead of knowing our epics. Think of the day when there is no one who knows these epics – that will be a colossal loss to humanity and to the spiritual growth of human beings.
Dear Hindus, Wake up and smell the darned coffee before it’s too late. Or is it late already ?
Do read – The Kerala Story, Galloping Growth of Madrasas in India and Constitutional Minorityism : India as a Religious Apartheid State.
#HinduLivesMatter #HinduPersecutionIsReal
Disclaimer – Am not an expert on the constitution and its interpretation. Am just making a point about the effects of Article 28 and Article 30. The excerpt above can be read at this link – Article 28.
You have described the Situation very concisely _ Hindus have started understanding this grim scenario.
Conciousness is slowly Increasing.
I just did my bit in my clinic – Asking a girl of 19 year ( doing Graduation in Psychology) to start reading Mahabharat.
She was criticising her Institution for discussing about *Iskon* in a workshop,
Which disturbed me as a Hindu.
My Good Wishes
Dr.Sudhir K.Sharma
🙏
Sad truth….I expect Modiji to scrap this article 30as well..In between some good natured serials and movies about our epics do have a positive impact.