Hindus in Hindu Rashtra- Eighth-class citizens and victims of state-sanctioned apartheid- a book by Anand Ranganathan. First thing first, I have heard of all the eight instances presented as proof of state-sanctioned anti-Hindu apartheid, seen a few videos, and shared WhatsApp messages that alluded to them in the past. But the book Hindus in Hindu Rashtra was an eye opener, in which Anand Ranganathan responsibly explained and presented the case with references.
It is not about the fear of Hindus being forcibly converted or India turning an Islamic republic- or about Batogey toh katogo– will be butchered if divided- though a feeling resides. Not about rituals and practices which are under scrutiny. It is all about the other non-majority appeasement-oriented steps that, by nature, turn anti-Hindu because of the selective application.
This is a book I would want every Indian citizen and not only the Hindus to read.
I draw upon the book as I fail to present the query in better words than the one in the book itself.
Hindus in Hindu Rashtra- are far worse than second-class citizens can be…. They are the last priority of the nation – as if being a majority is a crime for which they can be punished and must bear the brunt.
‘To ask those Hindus who claim to rejoice to live in a totalitarian, fascist Hindu Rashtra, What kind of a Hindu Rashtra is this where a billion-strong Hindus have been, through our parliament, through our courts, our education system, and our constitution, reduced to not just second-class but, rather, eighth-class citizens?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Durga pooja processions, and even Garba celebrations are attacked and stoned with impunity?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where a sitting Prime minister says minorities have the first right to resources?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where Hindus are forced to be refugees in their own land, where one can settle 40,000 Rohingya Muslims but not 700,000 Kashmiri Hindus, the land’s original inhabitants, where the judiciary says it is too late to prosecute those who raped, murdered, and ethnically cleansed lacs of Hindus?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where Hindu temples are exclusively controlled by the State, where Hindus must beg for Waqf land to celebrate their festival while the government usurps hundreds of thousands of acres of temple land and is responsible for more than 100,000 temples losing lakhs of crores in rental income?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where the Right to Education Act discriminates only against Hindus and their schools, forcing tens of thousands of them to shut down?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where monsters like Aurangzeb and Tipu, who perpetrated large-scale Hindu genocides, are eulogised through State-sponsored publications, the naming of roads and cities, and the organising of festivals?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where a law was about to be enacted, where only the Hindus would have been held guilty in a communal riot even if they were in a minority, for example, in Kashmir?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where court judgments like the Sabarimala and legislative enactments like the Hindu Code Bill purport to reform only Hindu religious practices but dare not touch practices of other religions, and if they do, the decisions are promptly reversed like in the Shah Bano case?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where The Places of Worship Act continues to deny the Hindus their legitimate right to correct historical injustices and reclaim thousands of demolished temples?
What kind of Hindu Rashtra is this where the Waqf Act gives overarching powers to Muslims to declare a 1500-year-old Hindu temple to be on Islamic land when Islam is only 1300 years old?
And If this is how a Hindu is rewarded in a Hindu Rashtra, he’d much rather be in a Muslim Rashtra because then, at least, there’d be no pretence of equality – a Kafir will get what he deserves.’
And if I seem to toe the thought lines of Ananad Ranganathan’s rhetoric – am I a racist, a non-secular citizen? A hard-liner? No, I don’t think so; I am all for every community of India to have equal rights to follow their religion and feel proud while doing so. I am all for One Nation, One Law.
What I stand against is what is fully clinically captured in the book.
No doubt, what has been written and printed is not challenged- because it is true.
Anand Ranganathan breaks down the guilt-tripping, self-loathing fake narrative that Hindus have been duped with since Independence.
There is no pretence, and there should be none.
There is no political correctness, and one does not need it.
There is truth, and the truth is that the Hindus in the non-officially so-called Hindu Rashtra live living under State-sanctioned Apartheid.
Can this happen in a Hindu Rashtra?
But calling it a Hindu Rashtra serves a motive, a purpose. It effectively helps the political parties and the state machinery to invoke, create, design and push for thoughts, acts and actions that make the Hindu in a Hindu Rashtra – a minority of thoughts- a kafir for the state and an eighth-class citizen.
The book is a reality check for Hindus in a country where they are the majority. I want every Hindu and, if possible, non-Hindus to read it.
In the current times – where misleading news and videos—right or wrong—are shared, forwarded, and viewed with a click of a button, the book is a must-read as it makes rich information available. It is a bitter truth that should be known, felt, and rebelled against.
This is a book that joins my limited list of books I gift on occasion. And I will, on my side, gift it to the new generation- the Hindu youth that suffers and will continue to suffer for time- the state-sanctioned apartheid. There are some whispers of a few of these acts being readdressed to bring equality to reduce discrimination- I hope a few of the actions break the fruit. I wish for a Hindu reawakening.
Go ahead and read the book—Hindus in the Hindu Rashtra- Eighth-class citizens and victims of state-sanctioned apartheid.
BLOG/100/2024 To connect, send an email, join on Twitter S_kotnala or subscribe to the weekly update.
