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Re: BRIDE BURNING IN INDIA: A SHAME FOR HINDUISM: ACT NOW
Most of the facts and the consequnetial analysis presented by Sri Partha
Banerjee are wrong. Mr. Banerjee will do well to check out the facts.
1. The Brahmins (though responsible) do not deserve the max. blame for
bride burning. There are other castes (e.g. vaishyas) where the amount
of dowry sought is quite high. Much much larger than those sought by
Brahmins. Then there are the Kammas and Reddys of AP. The figures reach
astronomical sums in these communities. Then there are the Jains. To
put the blame squarely (or almost squarely on Brahmins) is wrong. And
a wrong fact will naturally lead you to a wrong conclusion.
2. UP is the biggest culprit. It is not. It is true that UP (esp. the
eastern part) has been quite frequently labelled as the rock bed of
Hinduism by several historians. But the immensity of evils like bride
burning is NOT at its peak in E. UP. It progressively increasesa as
we move from E. UP to W. UP to Delhi to Harayan to Punjab. Once again
a case of wrong conclusions based on wrong facts. Similarly,
the amount of caste
opression is much much more on Bihar and some of our soutern states.
It for that reason we see the emergence of so many in Senas in Bihar
and the vehement anti-Brahminism in states like TN. But we do not
see bride burning here. The analysis of Sri Banerjee just does not
hold.
3. The issue of RJB in this context is tangential to the debate. However,
the temple of Kamaakhya Devi in Assaam (a very holy and ancient one
indeed) was not the focal point of Hindu agitation for the simple point
that it was not a disputed site.
--
Nachiketa Tiwari
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