India, Stockholm Syndrome, and Hindutva {Nehru - 3}

This article is the next in the Nehru Series, and carries on from the previous one : Blaming Nehru : Partition - The Role Of The British,  This article focusses on meeting the question of why is accurate History important, and carries on and connects into Hindutva. I  {and people like me} am {are} still battling the Stockholm Syndrome among Indians : these posts are only an attempt to lay bare the ugly reality, and  clarify the completely misunderstood sense of history that some Indians have. I dont know how many read me; but I still do it in an attempt to tell the truth. 

There is a general impression among a large number of Indians that history is just history, and does not deserve great thought and attention. Added to this is the belief that all that has been told to them is Gospel, wedded to a deep-seated adulation for The West, which leads to people treating alternative viewpoints on Indian History with condescension, and a resultant blind unquestioning acceptance of the prevalent version of History.  

This is a classic sign of Stockholm Syndrome : associating all the positives with the conquerors, and blaming internal forces and factors to the exclusion of all else. We can see this everywhere : in our constant aping the western culture combined with condescension for Indianness, This can be seen in attributing false negatives to pre-British times & unquestioning acceptance of the British narrative. This can be spotted in  a variety of aspects of our day-to-day life in India, and is only to be expected, given the long captivity we have suffered. 

These two factors have deep and lasting repercussions into the modern world; on a very practical level and in all fields from economics to sociology. The only way to tackle the stockholm syndrome is for the truth to be told; and that is where an incomplete understanding of history leads to serious modern issues. The rise of the so-called Hindutva is one such example. Modern Indians - "Hindus", to use the commonly accepted term - dont even know that Hinduism is itself a British term, and has precisely zero historical truth or relevance. The correct term? There is none. The closest we come to a name is Sanaatan Dharm. 

What's in a name, you might say? It isnt just the name; the entire narrative, instead of being anti-white, has shifted to anti-Mughal, and nonsense like a Hindu period after a 1000 year rule by foreigners, which is at best a half-truth. We are a multicultural society - which is more healthy for us : blaming an external force, or an internal sub-population? Isnt it far better that we blame The British? And the icing on the cake? That version is also the truth, as we shall see in other aspects as well in subsequent articles. 

The spread of half-truth and falsehoods {originated by the British} has laid the groundwork for the communal tensions we see everywhere {not just India}, allowing communal and/or polarising viewpoints gain strength. Before attending to this, let us ask ourselves : can the Hindu be faulted for this, like 100% of Western Media is habitual of? No. That The Hindu has been {and continues to be oppressed or ridiculed elsewhere} is an absolute fact. Other faiths should understand that The Hindu has been through more persecution than anyone in recorded history - the Jews apart. If they are now rising, it is only because they {or rather, we Hindus}, have suffered for long. 

The misunderstandings of history need to be met head-on and clarified. That is why I even support the heavy-handed intervention by the BJP. I see no problem at all in telling a biased and completely exaggerated version of history and pride, given that for the past 250 years we have been told a version that is the complete opposite. Fact of the matter is that whereas the current version is based on complete falsehood, the Hindutva version is based on facts and existing ancient literature, making it far better than the western nonsense we currently have in common circulation. I would rather we also learn the Hindutva version in school apart from the illogical version currently taught. 

It is exaggerated, sure. But it is also warranted, needed as a balm, and creates a swing; with time, good sense will prevail, allowing the full truth to be told, as the more discerning challenge this new version, creating a debate, allowing truth to percolate through. Upto this day, no one was questioning the accepted versions, despite there being various holes in it. High time that the truth prevails. And for that, curdling the waters is essential

Take for example the recent utterance by the VHP stating that every Indian is a Hindu, or words to that effect. I am a confirmed moderate, but let me tell everyone : that statement is actually the a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e, verifiable and historical truth. The term "Hindu" does not have any religious overtones at all. It refers specifically to people living beyond the river Sindhu {Indus}. The religious connotations and associations to this term were started by the British. 

See how distorted historical understanding is creating and has the potential to create modern tensions? Had this been generally known, the response would quite possibly not have been anger from the other religions, but ridicule! Further, since the public does not have any conceptualisation of the reality, the interpretation they place on the above utterances is completely different. And that is what places the above statement in the objectionable category, And further, had this been common knowledge, the scope for rousing passions through this route reduces to zero. 

What is in evidence in this case is a hunt for restoring lost pride. And for true peace, it is vital that that pride be restored. And for Pride to be restored, self confidence has to return... which requires that the truth be told and accepted...

For true healing, what was once ours has to come back to us. I mean the money as well as the confidence in our culture, It has to return to its true owners. Only when we have learnt to deal with our anger can lasting peace be a reality. Hopefully by means we are best at : Trade, Economics, Diplomacy, Internal Strength, internal questioning attitude, Negotiation and Democracy. There can be no healing until the Indian People - or all colonised people - get justice... and learn to be confident of their identity, learn to be confident in who and what they are...