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Re: ARTICLE : The case against Husain
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: ARTICLE : The case against Husain
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From: ntiwari@rs3.esm.vt.edu (N. Tiwari)
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Date: 31 Oct 1996 19:30:27 GMT
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
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References: <ghenDzFnxp.EFL@netcom.com> <ghenDzotv7.13w@netcom.com> <ghenDzsJsJ.3C@netcom.com> <ghenE010A7.Hqz@netcom.com>
Gayatri Sriram (gsriram@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: In <ghenDzsJsJ.3C@netcom.com> ntiwari@rs3.esm.vt.edu (N. Tiwari)
: writes:
: >
: >There is a difference between critcism and issuing death warrants.
: There certainly is a difference between criticism and burning paintings
: and other acts of hooliganism.
: >We, the average people always come out strongly when someone insults
: >us, or our parents.
: That is probably why you remain average.
By definition, most of the people are in statistical sense
average. And most of the rules and social norms are dictated
by "average" concerns. To ignore the "average" concern is
a prescription for a disaster. Not everyone can be a Mahatma.
That is why you have rules against theft, against murder,
against defamation. In this land of free speech, you can
also actually sue a person, if your character gets assasinated.
The fear for the assasination of character is an "average"
concern. And wise societies, and wise people are sympathetic
to such concerns.
: I find it difficult to understand that a single painting is going to
: bring the edifice of Hinduism down. It is laughable that people are so
: insecure about their own faith that they react to every single offence.
: It is not the painting that diminishes Hinduism, it is the childish
: reaction to it that diminishes it.
Amongst all the oppositions to the painting, I have not heard
one complaining, that Hussain's art will bring down any ism
for that sake. There have been other concerns, however.
: When Winston Churchill called Mahatma Gandhi 'A Half Naked Fakir' it
: revealed who Churchill was, not who Gandhi was.
The Mahatma was not an "average" person. He was however all the
time concerned about "average" concerns. He did go on record to
say that insults to Hindu icons and ideas should not be conducted
by anyone.
: The Upanishads teach us to contemplate the Universal Reality, the
: Brahman and not to distracted by temporal objects or as the Gita says,
: the Praise as well as the abuse reach the Lord's feet. If that is your
: faith, how does a single act of 'Blasphemy' or for that matter multiple
: acts going to affect the Truth.
The person, who spoke Gita, also went ahead and beheaded a person
after he had insulted the Lord on 100 previous occasions. The name
of the person, who got slain was Shishupal. Words,
and expressions (in whatever form) have very strong impacts. It is
said that the right Word can lead you to God. And vice versa. So,
does art, since it too is a form of human expression.
: There are millions of people, who react in the
: >same way when the same is said is said about their Gods and Goddesses.
: >So, each of us, should be careful as to what we speak. And reacting to
: >insults is not same as issuing fatwas. So, what is this "Hindu"
: version
: >of Nazism which you are alluding to.
: The Shiv Sena thugs and other hate mongers who incite mobs to commit
: hooliganism time and again, for instance.
I was alluding to the "average" people. YOu are talking about Shiva
Sena. Shiva Sena, or whatever is not the guardian of Hinduism. Neither
are the leftist folks. What matters in a larger sense are the feelings
of "average" people. And if they (which includes me) feel hurt, then
all the thekedars may better listen. All the "Upanishadic" scholars
better listen. Or else, I see a very strong chance for the rise of an
Islamic version of Hinduism in times to come.
--
Nachiketa Tiwari
