Hindustan , India and Bharatvarsh !

(This article was written by a friend of the
 blog)

Every Independence Day, our August 15th, brings with it a moment to reflect about being a Hindu, an Indian and a Bharatiya! History tells us that once upon a time the undivided Bharat extended as far as Takshila and Gandhar in the west, what we now know as Afghanistan and Baluchistan, with references in the holy Hindu texts to prove the fact. We all know that with the passage of time, invasions, occupation by foreign invading forces, Bharat kept cutting away various parts of its body allowing the creation of countries that did not exist before -Afghanistan , Pakistan and Bangladesh, all declared as Islamic nations. India had to suffer the ignominy of being ruled by Mughals and the British from as early as 1200 AD onwards only to gain full freedom on August 15, 1947 because we lost various wars since we were not united as a nation and due to the policy of Ahimsa, became a non-warrior community.

There was no Hindustan or India until the invasions disrupted life in an otherwise peaceful and prosperous region where the key principles of Hindutva was a way of life! Amongst so many kernels of wisdom and guiding principles of Vedanta and Sanatan Dharma, two most well known are : "Sarvay bhavantu sukhina , sarvay santu niramaya ...." and the much known and quoted phrase of "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam". The recorded history tells us that a peaceful and prosperous Bharat became victim of religious wars and expansionism of Islam and Christianity (also known as the crusades and jihads) and the accessing the rest of the world by the western imperial powers for economic plunder and destruction. Every Indian today must know its glorious past as also the inglorious moments in history. It is these invaders who gave us the names of India and Hindustan , depicting thereby a country inhabited by Hindus !

Therefore, a question that nags me all the time is why a country of over 1.2 billion people of which over 80% are Hindus, the original inhabitants, does not call itself a Hindu nation? I recognize the politics of it all as the politically correct word "secular" got in the play ever since Independence and the Nehruvian Fabian socialism! As a result of which a country which is home to the largest population of Hindus cannot call itself as a Hindu state because somehow it will lose its secular credentials if India calls itself as such! In reality, theory and practice, Hinduism is the most liberal, democratic, religious and secular social practice in the world that somehow got lost in translation. Among the warring and aggressive Christian and the Islamic faiths the world is divided as Christian and Islamic countries. We now once again see a resurgence of the clash of civilizations with ISIS calling to raise its flag on the White House itself ! While the democratic form and reforms of governance has brought social shifts in accepting the principles of human rights, separation of the church and political governance in the western world, Islamic nations continue to remain within the shackles and impositions of conditions of Sharia.

The question therefore is what about us Hindus? Are we going to, once again, get caught in the battle between Christianity and Islam as a victim or remain an unwilling mute and a marginal player? Or we will have the courage to emerge as courageous nation (not nonaligned) and act or get to really establish and claim the rightful place in the world teaching, spreading and inculcating the values of the Sanatan Dharma and Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam in true sense of the word? That too without ANYONE having to convert himself from his original faith he/she was born in? Hindus and Indians must assert themselves, an act they seem to have forgotten, about how religious acceptance as practiced by Hindus is far superior to the policy of religious tolerance ! Bharat was welcoming of all faiths from all over the world and the practices of Hinduism allowed people to follow their own consciousness to pray to whoever and whatever they wanted to if that is what got the best out of them as human beings. The worshippers of Ram do not insult Krishna worshippers. Arya Samajis have no quarrels with Brahmo Samajis . Ganesh celebration has no clash with Durga worshippers and Hindus visit temples whether it is Guruvayoor or Mahabalipuram in the South or Krishna temple in Mathura or Pashupatinath in Kathmandu !

The world is in terrible religious and political conflict on the one hand, and war today, on the other. It is incumbent on us Hindus to assume our rightful place in the world as the mediator of peace. As Indians it is our obligation and duty to share with the world that there has never been a war between two sects or followers of Hindu beliefs. Shiva worshippers do not kill Durga worshippers and most often every temple is home to all incarnations of various Gods. If Shia and Sunnis accept Hindu principles and practices, it will mean that so many innocent children and people will not have to lose their lives and become an unwilling victim in all the conflicts threatening the world peace. If Christianity is threatened by Jihadis/ISIS extremists in the Middle East , let us collectively condemn the act of religious conversion as an act against God's original wish. If God wanted me to be a Christian or a Muslim, He would chosen my parents accordingly as well ! But He chose a Hindu family and I am so grateful to Him. Thank you God for making me a Hindu.
I hope India, that is Bharat, assumes the role that is waiting to happen.

New York based Vibhuti Jha is President, Human Potential Project. Prior to joining HP2, he was a senior officer with A m e r i c a n Express Bank International.