09-21-2007, 10:42 PM
And
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Kalaignar has lost the plot
Balbir K Punj
While the Archaeological Survey of India has withdrawn the blasphemous affidavit on Ram Setu from the Supreme Court, subsequent events have once again underlined the duplicity of the 'secularists'. Union Minister TR Baalu has been continuously repeating the contents of the offensive affidavit. His mentor M Karunanidhi has been adding insult to injury by his vitriolic remarks against Lord Ram. These statements are more dangerous than the disowned affidavit. Ironically, neither the Prime Minister nor other 'secularists' have protested his remarks.
The DMK's rant against Lord Ram is inspired by commerce, its ideology of atheism and political expediency. The Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project involves huge investment of Rs 2,427 crore. This is enough money to be shared between the dredging company and those pushing the project. Right from the days of EV Ramaswami Naicker, the DMK cadre have been fed on an anti-Hindu diet. So the DMK leaders are abusing 'Ram' to pander to their traditional constituency in order to boost their sagging electoral fortunes in the State.
During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the BJP was accused of communalism because the movement was about Lord Ram. The 'secularists' charged the party for mixing religion with politics and using Lord Ram's name to garner votes. That artificial label, 'communal', is conveniently used by the 'secularists' to forge and break political alliances and is also the UPA's raison d'être.
For 'secularists', mentioning Lord Ram's name is 'communal' but abusing him for political ends is not. A movement for the reconstruction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya is considered a threat to the 'secular' fabric of the country. But they happily extend their covert and overt support to a state-funded project to demolish Ram Setu.
The 'secularists' selectively apply a perverse logic of 'rationality'. The mere theft of an Islamic relic from the Hazratbal shrine in the 1960s had led to countrywide riots till the relic was restored. Lal Bahadur Shastri was sent in haste to Srinagar to pacify the community. Nobody at that point in time spoke about rationality. When someone approached the Calcutta High Court against the contents of the Quran, a law officer was rushed to that city to tell the court - and rightly so - that it is none of the court's business to sit in judgement on religious texts.
The pseudo-secularists believe that Hindus can be easily pacified no matter how much they are offended. The same thinking enables the Government to ignore the protests against a famous painter portraying Hindu goddesses naked, while it hastens to ban books, portrayals and representations of what Muslims consider blasphemy.
What prompted the Government to ignore the sentiments of Hindus altogether in sanctioning a project that destroys Ram Setu? If rationality and scientific thinking were reasons to go ahead with the project, it could be understood. But the fact is that the same Government does not think rationally when it sanctions a hefty sum as subsidy to help some other religion's followers to go for what they believe is a mandatory pilgrimage one must undergo at least once in his/ her lifetime.
The secular mascot of southern India, Mr Karunanidhi, spearheading the Ram Setu demolition squad, has forgotten one important thing. <b>Carnatic music is dominated by saint composer Thyagaraja. Almost all his thousands of kritis (compositions) of devotional songs are sung in honour of his beloved deity, Thyagaraja or Lord Ram. The Lord is named as the king of sacrifices because he readily agreed to give up his claims to the throne as the eldest son to honour a promise that his father had made to one of his three queens. Saint Thyagaraja is at the heart of Tamil culture that Mr Karunanidhi praises so much. So by opposing Lord Ram, Mr Karunandhi has contradicted himself.</b>
An important comparison: Soon after the Prophet's death, a war of succession broke out among his followers. The Mughal period saw the princes fighting among themselves for the throne, soon after the emperor's death. In the fratricidal war, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb emerged victorious after murdering his brothers and imprisoning his father.
Apparently, Mr Karunanidhi has no quarrel with this culture. Conferred with the title 'Kalaignar' - man of (Tamil) culture - he also conveniently overlooks Kamban, the great ancient Tamil poet who wrote his own version of Ramayan. This version is popular in the State even today and is hailed as a literary masterpiece. So much for the Kalaignar's love for Tamil culture!
Mr Karunanidhi and several other dyed-in-the-wool secularists of his ilk frequently ask for evidence supporting Hindu beliefs and the events mentioned in Mahabharat and Ramayan. How will the evidence surface? <b>Over 1,000 years of Muslim rule witnessed massive destruction of countless symbols of Hindu culture and traditions. The British did some archaeological studies but they were usually subordinated to their imperial interests. The establishment of independent India, moulded in the mindset of the British, has shown little interest in finding evidence to substantiate Indian traditions.</b>
Compare this to the interest Western archaeologists showed in finding out whether the Biblical reference to a flood and Noah building an arc in anticipation of it and stocking it with birds and beasts, one pair of each species as directed by god, was true or not. Lots of money was spent and ultimately some evidence was dug out that showed that there indeed was a flood and that a huge boat was really built whose remnants were found.
The Western scholars did not dismiss the Noah story as mere 'faith' because they were completely absorbed in the Biblical tradition. They respected their tradition and sought to enrich it. Our 'secularists' are adept at denouncing their own culture: Forget Kalidas and Kautilya and study Marx and Gorky or Shakespeare and Burke.
The blatant disrespect shown to Lord Ram has stirred the conscience of some Congressmen as well. Coming close on the heels of the indefensible civil nuclear deal with the US, many leading Congressmen - who have remained tight-lipped for long - are waiting for the opportune moment to blow the whistle. The UPA Government has crossed all limits of hypocrisy. Its boat is about to sink. It is hoped it will find a respectful place in the waters of the Gulf of Mannar.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Kalaignar has lost the plot
Balbir K Punj
While the Archaeological Survey of India has withdrawn the blasphemous affidavit on Ram Setu from the Supreme Court, subsequent events have once again underlined the duplicity of the 'secularists'. Union Minister TR Baalu has been continuously repeating the contents of the offensive affidavit. His mentor M Karunanidhi has been adding insult to injury by his vitriolic remarks against Lord Ram. These statements are more dangerous than the disowned affidavit. Ironically, neither the Prime Minister nor other 'secularists' have protested his remarks.
The DMK's rant against Lord Ram is inspired by commerce, its ideology of atheism and political expediency. The Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project involves huge investment of Rs 2,427 crore. This is enough money to be shared between the dredging company and those pushing the project. Right from the days of EV Ramaswami Naicker, the DMK cadre have been fed on an anti-Hindu diet. So the DMK leaders are abusing 'Ram' to pander to their traditional constituency in order to boost their sagging electoral fortunes in the State.
During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the BJP was accused of communalism because the movement was about Lord Ram. The 'secularists' charged the party for mixing religion with politics and using Lord Ram's name to garner votes. That artificial label, 'communal', is conveniently used by the 'secularists' to forge and break political alliances and is also the UPA's raison d'être.
For 'secularists', mentioning Lord Ram's name is 'communal' but abusing him for political ends is not. A movement for the reconstruction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya is considered a threat to the 'secular' fabric of the country. But they happily extend their covert and overt support to a state-funded project to demolish Ram Setu.
The 'secularists' selectively apply a perverse logic of 'rationality'. The mere theft of an Islamic relic from the Hazratbal shrine in the 1960s had led to countrywide riots till the relic was restored. Lal Bahadur Shastri was sent in haste to Srinagar to pacify the community. Nobody at that point in time spoke about rationality. When someone approached the Calcutta High Court against the contents of the Quran, a law officer was rushed to that city to tell the court - and rightly so - that it is none of the court's business to sit in judgement on religious texts.
The pseudo-secularists believe that Hindus can be easily pacified no matter how much they are offended. The same thinking enables the Government to ignore the protests against a famous painter portraying Hindu goddesses naked, while it hastens to ban books, portrayals and representations of what Muslims consider blasphemy.
What prompted the Government to ignore the sentiments of Hindus altogether in sanctioning a project that destroys Ram Setu? If rationality and scientific thinking were reasons to go ahead with the project, it could be understood. But the fact is that the same Government does not think rationally when it sanctions a hefty sum as subsidy to help some other religion's followers to go for what they believe is a mandatory pilgrimage one must undergo at least once in his/ her lifetime.
The secular mascot of southern India, Mr Karunanidhi, spearheading the Ram Setu demolition squad, has forgotten one important thing. <b>Carnatic music is dominated by saint composer Thyagaraja. Almost all his thousands of kritis (compositions) of devotional songs are sung in honour of his beloved deity, Thyagaraja or Lord Ram. The Lord is named as the king of sacrifices because he readily agreed to give up his claims to the throne as the eldest son to honour a promise that his father had made to one of his three queens. Saint Thyagaraja is at the heart of Tamil culture that Mr Karunanidhi praises so much. So by opposing Lord Ram, Mr Karunandhi has contradicted himself.</b>
An important comparison: Soon after the Prophet's death, a war of succession broke out among his followers. The Mughal period saw the princes fighting among themselves for the throne, soon after the emperor's death. In the fratricidal war, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb emerged victorious after murdering his brothers and imprisoning his father.
Apparently, Mr Karunanidhi has no quarrel with this culture. Conferred with the title 'Kalaignar' - man of (Tamil) culture - he also conveniently overlooks Kamban, the great ancient Tamil poet who wrote his own version of Ramayan. This version is popular in the State even today and is hailed as a literary masterpiece. So much for the Kalaignar's love for Tamil culture!
Mr Karunanidhi and several other dyed-in-the-wool secularists of his ilk frequently ask for evidence supporting Hindu beliefs and the events mentioned in Mahabharat and Ramayan. How will the evidence surface? <b>Over 1,000 years of Muslim rule witnessed massive destruction of countless symbols of Hindu culture and traditions. The British did some archaeological studies but they were usually subordinated to their imperial interests. The establishment of independent India, moulded in the mindset of the British, has shown little interest in finding evidence to substantiate Indian traditions.</b>
Compare this to the interest Western archaeologists showed in finding out whether the Biblical reference to a flood and Noah building an arc in anticipation of it and stocking it with birds and beasts, one pair of each species as directed by god, was true or not. Lots of money was spent and ultimately some evidence was dug out that showed that there indeed was a flood and that a huge boat was really built whose remnants were found.
The Western scholars did not dismiss the Noah story as mere 'faith' because they were completely absorbed in the Biblical tradition. They respected their tradition and sought to enrich it. Our 'secularists' are adept at denouncing their own culture: Forget Kalidas and Kautilya and study Marx and Gorky or Shakespeare and Burke.
The blatant disrespect shown to Lord Ram has stirred the conscience of some Congressmen as well. Coming close on the heels of the indefensible civil nuclear deal with the US, many leading Congressmen - who have remained tight-lipped for long - are waiting for the opportune moment to blow the whistle. The UPA Government has crossed all limits of hypocrisy. Its boat is about to sink. It is hoped it will find a respectful place in the waters of the Gulf of Mannar.
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