On a few of @sanjukta's spaces I've come across a few votaries of #Hindutva. They make a claim that drives me to have a rant. I am a "proud Hindu", they say, and then proceed to make tall unsubstantiated claims. Here's my issue. What does it mean to be a PROUD Hindu?
I can understand the following,
-"devout" Hindu (you spend your day in puja, bhajan, homams, abhishekams and chanting mantras)
- practising Hindu (you have a day job but are a good fellow generally and take part in a puja come it at the end take Aarti and prasad and go your way
-"atheist" Hindu - you were born a Hindu but ove the years youve given up, moved on and become an atheist.
-"militant" Hindu - you do 'battle' at every opportunity with 'militant' religionists from other religions.
But what does it mean to be a "Proud" Hindu?
What exactly are you professing pride in? You didnt start the religion, you didn't write the bhajans (some cant even sing it properly), you didn't write the vedas (you probably have never read even a page of a veda), you've achieved very little to advance the subject.
You could claim that your forefathers from many many generations ago started it all aeons ago. But then all YOU have done is inherited something. What's that to be proud about? Grateful, yes, but proud? I dont buy it.
Don't forget you didnt choose to be a HIndu (If you had you could at least be proud of the wisdom of your choice), it was an accident of conception and birth into a family that professed Hindu beliefs. So does it mean you are proud of what your your mum and dad did?
What I think it means when they say I am a "proud Hindu" is that they have few other personal achievements, no track record of barriers overcome, subjects mastered, skills acquired, or mountains climbed, to be truly proud about themselves.
Lacking other notable identities (s/as ace-runner, or tennis champion) they revert to their religion out of a deep insecurity and become militant about it. They wouldn't do it on a desert island when no else is around (the fish unlikley will be impressed),
Imagine finding yourself in a jungle and, uncertrain what to do since you lack any skills to be proud of you merely proclaimed loudly "I am a proud Hindu". The nearest bonobo (assuming there are any left) would likely clip you smartly around the ear for disturbing his sleep.
But on twitter or on facebook they can boastfully proclaim the meaningless phrase "proud Hindu" as a calling card to other "proud Hindus". It absolves them of the need to get off the keyboard and do something useful that their mothers can be truly proud of.
End of rant
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@gmcuk decsion to "suspend" the Manchester GP Dr Manjula Arora is stupid beyond belief. On Thursday, @parthaskar had this opinion on the matter: bmj.com/content/377/bm…
But Dr Partha Kar was too soft on the General Medical Council's Tribunal. You can read the full Tribunal decision here: mpts-uk.org/-/media/mpts-r…
The operative "facts" that the tribunal determined were
1. On 30 Dec 2019 Dr A telephoned the IT department at Mastercall and stated that Dr B:
a. sent [her] an email telling [her] they would give you a laptop the next time one is available, or words to that effect;
b. promised [her] a laptop, or words to that effect
This day 58 years ago on 27 May 1964 India was cast into a dark pall of gloom and shock when All India Radio (as #Doordarshan then was) announced the death of the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. "The light is out" said The Times of India
In the 16 years or so as Prime Minister of a country that was born amidst the cauldron of a bloody #Partition, he succeeded in weaving a diverse nation of many languages, religions, groupings, political views and opinions into a functioning modern State
He was the ultimate modernist, technophile, scientifically-minded, internationalist leader any post-colonial country could have hoped for. Did he have flaws? Hell, yes! He was a human after all not a God, and thank goodness for that.
Is it just me? to find this Memorandum of Understanding very intriguing? This MoU Between #India's AYUSH ministry (Ayureda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) and DBT the Dept of BioTechnology?
Apparently, "There is a need of multi-pronged and technological ways for the exploration and application of this ancient scientific system of health care into the public health care domain."; and what's more.."Biotechnological R & D and Ayush Interventions will improve.."
"quality of life as well as life span (Vayahsthaapana Rasayana) and bring down the associated morbidity pertaining to chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, cachexia, pain management and infectious diseases for example Tuberculosis."
#SriLanka is reaping the whirlwind of #Hate first ethnically driven hate for the #Tamil people, and then religious hate for #Muslims.
Now they know painfully that Hate for a conveniently defined 'other' is destructive of everyone's prosperity, including your own.
When the #Flames of #Hatred are fanned by the #Bigots in power for their own selfish ends, and the mechanisms of institutional control are disabled by those same bigots, the flames cannot tell the intended victims from the bullies and their silent onlooker supporters.
By listening in on @MuslimSpaces one thing is clear. The primary responsibility for standing up to, and speaking out against, Hindutva #Sanghi outfits that persecute ordinary Muslim citizens, falls to the majority Hindu community and its leaders, representatives and influencers
Not only is this the morally right thing to do, it is is also a matter of self-interest. Hindutva outfits are effectively non-state actors deciding State policy on the hoof, growing ever bolder and becoming ever more brazen in their acts of tyrannical oppression of Muslims
They grow only because they
-are unchecked by the forces of law and order,
- feel emboldened by the silence of the political leadership
- feel immune from action by the institutions of a civilised State.
This cannot be good for the idea of #India as a "Nation of Laws"
Some interesting facts and figures here about the implications for India of Russia's efforts to sell its oil and how India is not going to be the conduit to circumvent Western sanctions.
🧵 economist.com/finance-and-ec…
1. More than a quarter of India's import bill goes on oil and petroleum products. World oil price-rise foll #Ukraine war is crippling India's public finances. But less than 1% of imported oil is Russian oil. But the state-run oil majors of India and Russia do cooperate
ONGC invests in 3 projects in Russia, and that country's Rosneft owns 49% of Nayara Energy, a downstream oil refiner that operates India's 2nd largest refinerry and owns 6,000 petrol filling stations; 2 members of the Nayara Board are Rosneft executives