\Samvad

Jyestha Krishna 12 Vik. Samvat 2080, Yugabda 5125 : 16 May, 2023:SM 5004 (For Private Circulation only)


1. FESTIVALS: GANGA DUSSEHRA 2. SARASANGHACHALAK DR MOHAN BHAGWAT UNVEILS STATUE OF ‘SAMPOORNA BHARAT’
3. ‘MANN KI BAAT’ SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF MY BEING: MODI 4. TIME TO DECOLONISE THE COLONIAL HANGOVER ON MEDIA ESTABLISHMENT: NARENDER KUMAR
5. ‘AKSHAYYA HINDU AWARDS’ CONFERRED IN PUNE 6. NATIONAL LAWYERS’ PARLIAMENT FESTIVAL
7. HSS CONTRA COSTA VIBHAG BLOOD DONATION SEWA 8. HINDU HERITAGE CAMP BY HSS BOTSWANA
9. GURUVANDANA BY HSS GERMANY 10. RAM KATHA READING IN NORTH EAST SAMBHAG
11. SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOOD CELEBRATED HOLI FESTIVAL 12. JEWISH AND HINDU COMMUNITIES BREAK BREAD AND BARRIERS
13. 2ND CENTURY BUDDHA STATUE DISCOVERED IN EGYPT 14. SONOWAL INAUGURATES SITTWE PORT IN MYANMAR
15. UKRAINIAN MINISTER APOLOGISES FOR MAA KALI TWEET 16. HINDUS, SIKHS SLAM UK’S ‘EXTREMISM’ REPORT
17. 2,000-YEAR-OLD 'MODERN SOCIETY' UNEARTHED IN BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK 18. J&K LG MANOJ SINHA INAUGURATES RENOVATED TEMPLE AT SRINAGAR'S LAL CHOWK
19. COLOURFUL PROCESSION MARKS 11TH DAY OF CHITHIRAI CHARIOT FESTIVAL 20. ISRO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED MAIDEN TEST OF SEMI-CRYOGENIC ENGINE
21. OBITUARY: HARIBHAU VAZE 22. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Article: ‘HATRED AGAINST HINDUS DOES NOT SHOCK PEOPLE’; WHERE ARE THE PROTESTERS AGAINST THIS INTOLERANCE?


1. FESTIVALS: GANGA DUSSEHRA: Ganga Dussehra falls during Dashami Tithi of Jyeshtha Shukla Paksha (May 30 this year).

This day is commemorated as the day when Ganga Mata descended on Earth to accomplish her mission to purge the cursed souls of Bhagiratha's ancestors. On the day of Ganga Dussehra, devotees worship Ganga Mata, take bath in Ganga and offer charity. Devotees flock to Prayagraj/Allahabad, Garhmukteshwar, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Varanasi to take a holy dip. Ganga Dussehra celebrations are legendary in Varanasi and thousands of devotees do Ganga Snan and participate in Ganga Aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat.  -GoTop


2. SARASANGHACHALAK DR MOHAN BHAGWAT UNVEILS STATUE OF ‘SAMPOORNA BHARAT’: The ‘Kumbabhishekam’ ceremony at Bharat Mata Temple in Neelamangalam Village near Madurantakkam, Chengalpattu District was organised on May 5. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and Poojya Shri Dr Yudhishtirlal Maharaj, 9th Peethadish of Shadani Darbar Tirth, Raipur participated in the ceremony.

Dr. Bhagwat, who unveiled a statue of ‘Sampoorna Bharat’ at the consecration, said that Akhand Bharat is true and eternal and we just need to awaken our consciousness to understand this truth. He added that Akhand Bharat has not been divided, it is just that lines have been drawn in the map. Dr Bhagwat also said that all creations in this world is based on Dharma. He cited Maharishi Aurobindo who said that Bharat was created out of Truth, Kindness, Penance and Pureness to uphold Dharma which can guide this world.
He further said that the Hindu society must set aside the differences and work together to create the awareness that Truth is One and must take a sankalp to dedicate our thought, deeds and resources for our country.
Thousands of devotees and villagers also participated in the function.
 -GoTop


3. ‘MANN KI BAAT’ SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF MY BEING: MODI: Pradhan Mantri Modi’s radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ completed its 100th episode on April 30. The milestone was regarded as “historic” as the episode was also broadcast live at the United Nations headquarters in New York and the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay featured in the 100th episode. Azoulay has hailed the radio programme, saying it is certainly one of the most celebrated, with its hundreds of millions of listeners in more than 50 languages and dialects. Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi said that whether it is about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, or the ‘Swachh Bharat’ movement, love for Khadi, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav or Amrit Sarovar, “any subject it got associated with was turned into a mass movement” by the people of the country.  ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was first aired on October 3, 2014 within months of Modi becoming Pradhan Mantri. An emotional Modi said that “for me ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is not a program, for me it is a matter of faith, of worship, or vrat.”

The Pradhan Mantri also said that he has an unwavering belief that the biggest change can be brought about by collective effort.  -GoTop


4. TIME TO DECOLONISE THE COLONIAL HANGOVER ON MEDIA ESTABLISHMENT: NARENDER KUMAR: On May 6, Narender Kumar Dev, Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said that the role of media is to balance between truth and the general welfare of the whole society and it should be the mantra for media personnel, as propounded by Devarshi Narad since time immemorial. Speaking on the annual Maharshi Narad Jayanti celebration held at Sudarshanalay in Guwahati, he also added that in contrast to Satyam Bruyat-Priyam Bruyat, many present day’s media outlets prefer to nurture fake news to propagate their selfish agenda. Arguing that society, in general, rejects negative news, he opined that the Swa Adharit (selfhood-centric) media communication system should be promoted. Time is ripe for the colonial hangover on media establishment to be decolonised, he added.

Acclaimed journalist and editor of the popular Assamese children’s magazine Sofura, Rupam Barua was conferred the prestigious Narad Jayanti award. The annual award carries a citation, a memento, and a cash prize of Rs 50,000. As part of the celebration, three senior city-based journalists namely Jitendra Choudhury of Dainik Asom, Samya Bharadwaj of Amar Asom and Sewali Kalita of Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati were also felicitated during the function.
Organised by Vishwa Samvad Kendra Assam, the function was also attended by many distinguished personalities of the city. Talented young artiste Sarat Raag performed Narad Prasasti to enthrall the audience.
 -GoTop


5. ‘AKSHAYYA HINDU AWARDS’ CONFERRED IN PUNE: On May 7, the Humanist Indian Nationalist Democratic Union (HINDU), an organisation based in Pune, decorated five dedicated contributors to Hinduism with the Akshayya HINDU Award. The organisation gave awards to Hindu activists tirelessly contributing across various sectors including Dharma Jagruti, Gorakshan, Media, Tribal Welfare, Women Empowerment, etc.

Padmashree Girish Prabhune and Sharad Chavan were present as the president and the chief guest of the program held at the Veer Savarkar Adhyasan Kendra, Pune. The awards were given to Ashutosh Adoni, Dinesh Joshi and Sneha Joshi, Swati Shilkar, Kumar Panjlar, and Shalutaai Kolhe for their contribution to Hinduism in their respective fields. The award consists of an idol of Kodand-dhari Shri Ram, a cash prize of Rs 5000, and a set of books written by various nationalist writers. All the awards were funded by public participation.

 

6. NATIONAL LAWYERS’ PARLIAMENT FESTIVAL: “For all constitutional issues, the debate must be ongoing, for no society, no culture is static, things change, society evolves, requirements evolve, the law cannot be stagnant and the Constitution cannot be stagnant,” said Justice Sachin Datta, Delhi High Court Judge, in the Valedictory Ceremony of the first-ever National Lawyers’ Parliament Festival organised at the Indian Society of International Law on April 29.

The Justice Dutta was the Guest of Honour. The conference was organised by the efforts of Lawyers for Justice, in association with Rajdhani Yuva Sansad.
The conference hosted more than 300 law students and practising advocates from across the country. The conference’s agenda was “Discussion of the introduction of Uniform Civil Code in India: Need of the Hour”.
 -GoTop


7. HSS CONTRA COSTA VIBHAG BLOOD DONATION SEWA: On April 22, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA San Ramon chapter conducted a successful blood donation drive by partnering with Vitalant.org. The primary objective of the blood donation drive was to promote the ‘Health of Humanity’ as a continuation to the ‘Sun Salutation Yogathon’ conducted in January. Blood Donation drive helped to bring the social cohesion among diverse people in the community coming together for the common cause of saving lives in need.

The event was held at the Alcosta Senior Community Center in San Ramon and was attended by around 40 people who donated around 90 units of blood. It exceeded the initial target of collecting 36 units of blood. Many of the donors expressed their satisfaction at being able to contribute to the welfare of their fellow community members. -GoTop


8. HINDU HERITAGE CAMP BY HSS BOTSWANA: On May 1, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Botswana successfully conducted ‘Hindu Heritage Camp’ for students aged between 6 and 16. The venue of the camp was the Livingstone Kolobeng College in Gaborone. The activity included both physical and intellectual activities. Various competition were also conducted during the camp. 182 participants from Gaborone attended the camp and 34 volunteers work tirelessly towards the success of this camp. Chairperson of the college Mrs. Nilima Bakaya also visited the camp.

In the concluding function, students demonstrated yoga, vayamyog and patriotic song recitation. HSS Botswana karyavah Abhinandan Kumar emphasized universal outlook of Hindu cultural values in his speech and made a humble appeal to have such activity frequently.  -GoTop


9. GURUVANDANA BY HSS GERMANY: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Germany celebrated Guru Vandana on April 23 at New Berlin Senior Center. 22 teachers, including principals from different school districts, attended the event. During the event, students performed several activities like Bharatanatyam, recited Guru Stotram, and enacted four skits about Guru-Shishya. Different booths like dress-up booths, henna booths, and exhibition boards to know about the rich Hindu civilization, culture, and heritage were also set up.

Students also felicitated their teachers on this occasion. The principal of Glen Hills Middle School, Mrs. Anna Young said that all the activities were performed with joy, smile, and ability to take a risk and that working together brings us joy.  -GoTop

 
10. RAM KATHA READING IN NORTH EAST SAMBHAG: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA organised 12 Ram Katha reading programmes in the North East Sambhag. More than 100 sevikas and swayamsevaks read Ram Katha in 20 distinct events. This year, Ram Katha was done in online, in-person and hybrid formats.

At Sambhag level, Ram Katha was read on Zoom in two sessions. One session was conducted in seven different languages, using seven breakout rooms. Languages covered were Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam. There were 10 readers and around 25 listeners. Second session focused on kishores, yuvas and people who do not understand any Bharatiya languages was conducted by a yuva, who read in English.
Ram Katha Samarop was done in person at all places with everyone coming together, doing Ram Katha, Bhajans, Stutis, followed by Prasad. On an average, the daily listener sankhya in the sambhag was around 300.
 -GoTop


11. SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOOD CELEBRATED HOLI FESTIVAL: On April 29, the Holi festival, organized by neighborhood groups Ideate SF and Together SF, commemorated one of the most significant festivals in Hindu culture. The event marked the second year in a row that organizers in the East Cut banded together to put on the festival at the Crossing, a 3-acre outdoor space between Howard and Folsom streets that temporarily served as the city’s Transbay bus terminal.

This year’s festival doubled in size compared with last year’s inaugural event, and “really reflects the diversity of San Francisco,” said Kanishka Karunaratne Cheng, one of the festival’s organizers. A team of around 40 volunteers put together the festival to try to create a sense of community among neighbors in the East Cut. District Six Supervisor Matt Dorsey, dressed in all-white attire and shades, was among the attendees who came prepared and celebrated the afternoon. Organizers said they planned to host a third festival next year with hopes of making the event an annual tradition.  -GoTop


12. JEWISH AND HINDU COMMUNITIES BREAK BREAD AND BARRIERS: A four part Hindu Jewish Dialogue series where members of the Hindu and Jewish community got together in person in Portland and had a very engaging, structured conversation covering various topics was organized in February 2023.  This was the product of interactions between Hiral Pandya and Jewish representative Bob Horenstein as members of the City Diversity Advisory Board. Bob Horenstein, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Director of Community Relations was approached about a year ago after he made a presentation.
The process started as a series of lunches with Horenstein and Associate JCRC Director Rachel Nelson, along with Pandya and another member of the local branch of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh. Through those conversations, Horenstein and Nelson spearheaded the JCRC’s participation in a food drive during the Hindu festival of Diwali, a project that contributed 10,000 pounds of food to families in need.
Then the framework for the dialogue series came together. It was decided to have the dialogue and meet in the Synagogue for two sessions and at the Hindu Mandir for two sessions. During these sessions, basic tenets of faith and practice, history of oppressions and journey of civilization, and connection to homeland were discussed. The dialogues revealed commonalities: a sense of connection to homeland and a history of persecution and genocide through the ages.
The dialogue group is reconvening to discuss next steps and future goals and are coordinating to advocate for legislation to expand ethnic studies education in Oregon.
 -GoTop


13. 2ND CENTURY BUDDHA STATUE DISCOVERED IN EGYPT: A statue depicting Buddha that dates from the 2nd century AD - from the Roman era - has been unearthed in the ancient Red Sea town of Berenice in Egypt, providing an intriguing glimpse into the ancient ties between Bharat and Egypt. A statement by the antiquities ministry said that a Polish-US delegation discovered the figure “dating back to the Roman era while digging at the ancient temple in Berenice.” The head of Egypt’s supreme antiquities council Mostafa al-Waziri said that the finding has important indications over the presence of trade ties between Egypt and Bharat during the Roman era.
The statue, with part of its right side and its right leg missing, measures 71 centimetres (28 inches) in height and portrays Buddha with a halo around his head and a lotus flower by his side.

Archaeologists also uncovered two coins from the central Bharatiya kingdom of Satavahana, an ancient Bharatiya dynasty based in the Deccan region.  -GoTop


14. SONOWAL INAUGURATES SITTWE PORT IN MYANMAR: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister Admiral Tin Aung San jointly inaugurated the Sittwe Port in Myanmar on May 9 and received the first Bharatiya cargo ship, according to an official statement. The cargo ship was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.

With the development of Sittwe Port, the cost and time of transportation of goods between Kolkata and Agartala and Aizwal will decrease by 50%, the statement said.
"This will promote trade connectivity and people-to-people ties between Bharat and Myanmar and the wider region, and will help boost the economic development of NE states under Act East Policy of the government," the statement quoted Mr. Sonowal as saying.
Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the $484 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) funded under grant-in-aid assistance from the Bharatiya government.
"The seaport with maximum capacity of 20,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) will make Sittwe the maritime hub of Myanmar, drastically reduce transportation cost of cargo from other parts of Bharat to our North East and open unprecedented avenues of economic growth in the region," Mr. Sonowal said in a series of tweets.
 -GoTop


15. UKRAINIAN MINISTER APOLOGISES FOR MAA KALI TWEET: On May 2, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar took to social media to apologise for her country’s Ministry of Defence’s offensive tweet about Maa Kali. After massive backlash from Bharatiyas on social media, the ministry removed the tweet.

Emine Dzheppar said Ukraine “regrets” the defence ministry’s depiction of Maa Kali in a “distorted manner” and that the European country “respects unique Indian culture and highly appreciates support from India”.
This came a day after the tweet in question sparked outrage among netizens. Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting called the image “an assault on Hindu sentiments”.
 -GoTop


16. HINDUS, SIKHS SLAM UK’S ‘EXTREMISM’ REPORT: There has been a furious backlash to the UK government-commissioned “Bloom Review” from British Sikhs and British Hindus after both Sikh extremism and Hindu nationalism featured in a chapter called “Faith-based Extremism”, which describes “subversive or sectarian behaviours” in the UK.
Colin Bloom, independent faith engagement adviser to the UK government, devoted a chapter to “faith-based extremism” which, the report says, is “incompatible” with “the great liberal democracy that is Britain”.
Trupti Patel, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said that she had received objections to this part of the review from all over the world. “The reference to Hindus in Leicester is wrong as numerous reports have found that the violence was triggered by pro-ISIS anti-Hindu hate preachers spreading fake news. “, she said.
Anil Bhanot, interfaith director at Hindu Council UK, said that the report’s view relied on “references to some articles from the BBC and the Guardian which many British Hindus – certainly the majority – see as part of the problem.” Jay Shah, a member of Friends of India Society International UK said, “The report itself is going to create disharmony in the community”.
 -GoTop


17. 2,000-YEAR-OLD 'MODERN SOCIETY' UNEARTHED IN BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK: Archaeologists have stumbled on a 1,500-year-old rock painting and numerous 1,800-2,000-year-old man-made water bodies in Bandhavgarh National Park. Superintending archaeologist, Archaeological Society of India (ASI) Jabalpur circle, Shivakant Bajpai said that the tiger zone of today was most likely part of an old trade route, with passing traders using rock-cut caves as shelters.

"The presence of the water bodies built at a height and used for collecting rainwater suggests the habitation had a modern society. The water bodies could be 1,800-2,000 years old, but evidence suggests there was some renovation 1,000 years ago," an ASI official said.
Eleven rock-cut caves have surfaced during the second phase of exploration in the Tala range of Bandhavgarh. The survey started on April 1 and will continue till June 30.
Last year, ASI explorations in the same range discovered 26 ancient temples/relics, 26 rock-cut caves, two monasteries, two stupas, 24 inscriptions, 46 statues, 20 scattered remains and 19 water structures. Unlike the caves discovered last year, which were Buddhist, the 11 found this time were cut out of rocks for dwelling purposes, ASI added.
 -GoTop


18. J&K LG MANOJ SINHA INAUGURATES RENOVATED TEMPLE AT SRINAGAR'S LAL CHOWK: In a historic moment on May 12, Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the renovated old Shiva Temple located at Abi Guzar, near Lalchowk in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The Shiva temple had faced destruction during the 2014 floods. The Jammu and Kashmir administration undertook this project under the Srinagar Smart City initiative. 
Manoj Sinha also inaugurated three projects of Srinagar Smart City, 16 development projects of 11 Urban Local Bodies, and 9 solid waste management facilities in 10 Urban Local bodies. These projects will significantly boost urban infrastructure and give an impetus to ease of living.

He also inaugurated the Polo View High Street. Speaking about the same, he tweeted, "Polo View in the heart of Srinagar has been transformed into pedestrian-oriented high street that will attract more footfall, increase in retail sale, improve experience of visitors and it will make the area more liveable".  -GoTop

 
19. COLOURFUL PROCESSION MARKS 11TH DAY OF CHITHIRAI CHARIOT FESTIVAL: On the 11th day of the annual Chithirai festival on May 3, thousands of devotees gathered to witness the chariot festival of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
The procession of the Chariot started in East Masi Street. Amidst chanting the hymns and names of Meenakshi Amman, hundreds of people pulled the ropes of the Chariot and led it along the four Masi streets.
More than 20 transgenders who came with “mulaipari” on their heads attended the Chithirai festival on May 2.

Earlier, many children participated in the festivities dressed as Murugan, Meenakshi Amman and Sivan on the tenth day of the festival and thousands of devotees attended the Thirukalyanam (celestial wedding) on the ninth day.
The flag hoisting ceremony of the ‘Chithirai’ festival was held at Meenakshi Amman Temple on April 23 and the festival concluded on May 4 with the Theerthavari at the Meenakshi Amman temple.
 -GoTop


20. ISRO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED MAIDEN TEST OF SEMI-CRYOGENIC ENGINE: ISRO has initiated the series of tests required for qualifying and validating its most-powerful liquid-fuelled engine yet, one that is powered by special refined kerosene (dubbed as ‘ISROsene’) and super-cooled liquid oxygen.
Once ready, this 2000kN engine and its stage (associated components, fuel tanks etc.) will be replacing the current L110 (core stage) of Bharat’s largest rocket – Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3). This is meant to significantly add to the lifting power of the LVM3 rocket.

As per the procedure followed in such cases, ISRO carried out tests on the Pressure Head Test Article (PHTA), a setup that comprises all engine systems except the thrust chamber. As part of test, the parameters that led up to the engine start were checked and validated. In a major success for ISRO, this initial test is said to be a grand success and paves the way for up to seven or eight tests, which will also include the test firing of the new engine.
The test was carried out at the newly-established ISRO Propulsion Complex test facility at Mahendragiri.
 -GoTop

 
21. OBITUARY: HARIBHAU VAZE: Haribhau Chintamanrao Vaze, a senior sangh pracharak breathed his last on May 13 in Belagavi. He was born on October 4, 1932 in Belagavi and completed his M. Sc. in Organic Chemistry. He became a sangh pracharak in 1956 and held various responsibilities. He was the Organising Secretary of ‘Vidya Bharati’ for close to 20 years.

He was one of the founding members of ‘Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana’ and was its National Organising Secretary from 1996-2009. He was also closely involved in the research of Saraswati River. He has authored several books including Ramayan and Mahabharat for bals and kishores.  -GoTop

22. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors: Dr Yashodhan Agalgaonkar - USA, Ajith Ramyavaran - Australia.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Think of the power of words! They are a great force in higher philosophy as well as in common life. Day and night we manipulate this force without thought and without inquiry. To know the nature of this force and to use it well is also a part of Karma yog. – Swami Vivekananda.
 -GoTop

JAI SHRI RAM
---
‘HATRED AGAINST HINDUS DOES NOT SHOCK PEOPLE’;
WHERE ARE THE PROTESTERS AGAINST THIS INTOLERANCE?

Charlotte Littlewood

But despite such harrowing case studies, less than one percent of British schools have reported any form of anti-Hindu bullying incidents in the last five years.
This particular form of hatred appears poorly understood and is at times fed by teachers with substandard and prejudicial colonialist teachings on Hinduism.
Research, I conducted last year for the Henry Jackson Society study found a 173 percent increase in anti-semitic incidents in UK schools over the past five years. With the more general rise in anti-semitism a regular headline, what was almost more shocking than the research was just how little it shocked people.
This year, we have looked into the experiences of Hindu pupils and found that 51 percent of Hindu parents surveyed said their child had faced anti-Hindu hate in schools. Where are the protesters against this intolerance?
Why is it that in an age of supposed anti-racism, attacks on both the longest standing victims of race hate and a people held under British colonial rule for hundreds of years draw so little concern?

David Baddiel’s thesis rings true: Jews don’t count because they are not the right kind of victim. Contemporary anti-semitism draws on centuries-old bigotry that depicts them as “too rich” and “too powerful”. Now it seems this idea has barred another group of victims from victim-hood: Hindus.
For sections of the left, the world is divided into the “oppressor” and “oppressed”. Should you fall into the oppressor class you are everything that should be opposed and can never be a victim? Jews are viewed as white and powerful, imperialist and establishment, therefore deemed not able by definition to face racism and incapable of being victims. Hindus, it seems, have joined them.
Last summer, more than 600 people took to the streets of Leicester in violent protest against alleged “Hindutva”, a term unfamiliar to many. To some it means Hindu nationalism, to others simply outward expression of “Hinduness”. While Muslim and Hindu youths had fought in what looked like gang-style territorial violence, there was little evidence of any political nationalist allegiances with India.
Instead, concern over Hindu extremism lead to threats to find Hindus and “chop them up”, to “chase Hindus out of Leicester like they were chased out of Kashmir”, vandalism of vehicles and homes that displayed Hindu symbols and attacks on Hindu temples – all while the majority of mainstream media seemed to comment on any aspect other than Hindu-hate.
Despite the evidence pointing towards youth gang violence dressed up as “Hindtuva” terrorism, reporting on the unrest in Leicester either endorsed the notion of “Hindutva” by giving a voice to key Islamist activists, or ignored the specific issues in Leicester by discussing nationalism on the subcontinent.
Mohammed Hijab, for example, who declared at a pro-Palestine rally in 2021 that “we love death” and rallied the crowds in Leicester with anti-Hindu slurs, referring to them as “violent vegetarians” and declaring he was leading a Muslim patrol, was interviewed on Channel 4.
The reporter described him as an influencer with conservative views. The results of our study showed parents reporting their children to have experienced anti-Hindu hate, with cases ranging from having beef thrown at them to physical assaults, being held accountable for politics in India and the caste system and being told the bullying will stop when they convert to Islam.
But despite such harrowing case studies, less than one percent of British schools have reported any form of anti-Hindu bullying incidents in the last five years.
This particular form of hatred appears poorly understood and is at times fed by teachers with substandard and prejudicial colonialist teachings on Hinduism.
Similar accusations have, of course, been made on teaching about Israel and Palestine in schools and a lack of consistent understanding and approach to defining anti-semitism.
The British Hindu community has joined the Jews in not being fit for victim-hood. The perceived economic success of the community, the relative lack of engagement in issuing critiques against the West – indeed, enthusiastic embrace of it with a Hindu prime minister – bars Hindus from the class of the oppressed.
India’s growing relationship with Israel has led far-left activists to associate Hindutva with Zionism, the death knell for leftist victim support.
It is an uphill battle but we must challenge at every opportunity this narrative of “oppressed” and “oppressor” classes, which underlie antisemitic and anti-Hindu frameworks of thinking – or risk seeing intolerance and extremism continue on their upward trajectory.
(Charlotte Littlewood is a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society. This article was first published in London-based The Jewish Chronicle) https://vskbharat.com/hatred-against-hindus-does-not-shock-people-where-are-the-protesters-against-this-intolerance/?lang=en
  -GoTop