The Denigration of Hindu Images

The Denigration of Hindu Images
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June 25, 2006 Recently Hindus have begun protesting against how their sacred images are used in the modern media. In this regard, Hindus have been one of the last groups to take such a stance.Jihadiand Christian groups have long been much more vociferous in expressing their concerns about how their religions are portrayed. Hindu images have been used for every sort of commercialism, from being put on shoes in France to even toilet seats in the US. Hindu sacred chants have been used as the background for erotic scenes in modern movies. Yet it was only after making significant protests that Hindu concerns have even registered in the media. This is largely because the world media, dominated by western religious views, did not even consider a Hindu point of view as existent until Hindus began their protests. Currently this issue has become highlighted relative to the works of the Indian artist MF Hussain. Hussain's work has been criticized by Hindus for portraying Hindu deities in a disrespectful manner, by showing them naked and in non-sacred poses, much like nudes in western secular art. Those in defence of Hussain have argued that since Hindu deities have been portrayed at times in some ancient Hindu temples as naked, one should not complain if others do so. This argument is very weak. Europeans have also used Christian images at times in non-sacred ways, for that reason should non-Europeans be encouraged to do so? However, to really understand this issue, we must understand the Hindu view of art and how representational images are used in Hindu worship.The Hindu View of ArtThe Hindu tradition embraces art in a much broader way than orthodox Christianity or Islam have done so historically. Hinduism contains extensive traditions of music, drama, dance, sculpture and painting, honouring the Divine in all forms of nature as well as beyond all form. It views art and religion as two aspects of the same human pursuit of the sacred. Yet Hindu thought does discriminate between sacred and non-sacred art. The portrayal of Hindu deities rests upon a vast ancient literature that outlines the nature of the depictions involved and how to use them.Hindu art follows a strict tradition. There are specific rules as to how deities should be portrayed, what their form is in terms of how many arms, what gestures they make, what ornaments or weapons they might have, the colour and type of their clothing, and other factors. There are specific rules as to how a representational form should be used, the type of temple or room it should be installed in, which direction it faces, the time of the year for its installation, and other factors which show it is a very carefully thought out process. The work of the artist is also part of a daily spiritual practice, not a mere commercial enterprise. Most important to understand for the western mind is that the Hindu tradition does not worship images in themselves, but uses them only as symbolic means of connecting to the deity. In the Hindu tradition, it is never considered that the Deity can be actually represented in a material form. The deity can enter into a representative form for a time for the purposes of worship. This requires special ritual worship of the deity and bringing its spirit into the form. This installing the spirit of the deity into the form is obviously something that commercial or secular interests of Hindu deities is not likely to consider. While the form is regarded as sacred, it is not by way of idolatry or sensationalism but part of an entire science of bringing down Divine energies into the world. In addition, Hindu deities are not meant to be glorifications of the human form. They are in many ways supernatural, whether in having extra arms or special powers or other factors. They are symbolic of higher powers that their portrayal is meant to connect us to and not an end in themselves. They are not portrayed to express the beauty or the eroticism of the human body. In Hindu thought, the human body is regarded as a replica of the entire universe, which is reflected not only in the physical structure of body but in the subtle body or the chakra system. The human body is regarded as sacred, yet its universal implications are what is important, not the mere outer beauty of its forms or gestures. The purpose of viewing deities in human forms is not the enjoyment of the human body but connecting the deity to our human world. We must also remember that Hindu art is never simply representational. The representational form of the Deity, as appears in painting or sculpture, is just the outer form of the deity. The deity also has its geometrical form or yantra, its name or mantra and higher principles that go with it. For example, Sarasvati is not only a young woman clothed in white, riding a swan and carrying a vina, she also represents the power of wisdom and the Divine creative energy behind the universe. To portray her naked as an erotic artistic image, cannot be equated with how she is used in Hindu worship and iconography. So-called Hindu Erotic ArtThere are a few examples of Hindu erotic art, in which human figures, sometimes deities are portrayed in ways that are sexual. There are sects of Tantric Hinduism which have practiced sacred sexuality and have used erotic images in their worship, like the famous images of the temple at Khajarao. Yet such sects are rare and do not represent Hinduism as a whole. Even such erotic images occur along with forms that are not. Naked erotic images are hardly the main characteristic of Hindu sacred art. Erotic sects have also existed within Christianity. Hinduism as a broad, inclusive and ancient tradition has accepted the existence of many paths and not tried to suppress any of them. Hinduism did not attempt to destroy such sects as the Christians did, which it often accused of practicing forms of eroticism like the witches of medieval Europe. We must recognize that these erotic images constitute a very small portion of Hindu art. To emphasize them as a license for non-Hindus to portray Hindu deities in an erotic way is absurd. The great majority of Hindus do not portray or worship their deities as naked, much less use them as erotic images. In some Hindu artistic traditions, deities can be portrayed as scantily clothed, but no eroticism is intended in that, just the fact that India had a hot climate and people often dressed lightly. Hindu yogis and ascetics are often clothed only in loin clothes. Jain ascetics have an entire sect, which for purposes of renunciation, does not wear any clothes at all. That is no reason to turn such figures into artistic nudes! There is a related tradition of Buddhist Tantric art, such as is found in the Tibetan tradition that uses naked and sometimes erotic images. Yet this has not been used as a license to portray the Buddha or Buddhist deities in the nude. Even classical Indian Buddhist art as in Ajanta and Ellora Caves shows women nude above the waist. This was just the culture of the times. Even Hindu statues that are made naked are usually clothed when installed and used in temples, just as many dolls in the West are made without clothes.ConclusionThe western mind likes to focus on the erotic side of Hinduism and ignore the rest of its great spiritual traditions of yoga, meditation and its Vedantic philosophy of Self-realization as the supreme goal of life. Worse, it likes to use Hinduism for its own erotic entertainment. And to use a few erotic temple sculptures to justify non-Hindus portraying Hindu deities in an erotic matter is just an excuse for such insensitive behavior. The western mind has also looked at many native cultures for their erotic or sensational value and has not been sensitive to their real cultures. Hindus are but one glaring example of that. Modern India has produced many great gurus and yogis that have influenced the entire world and founded centers in most major cities in the West. We don't find any of them promoting the worship of Hindu deities in the nude as part of their teachings! Yet it is such erotic images that people like to promote as representing Hinduism. It is time for the western world to recognize the sensitivities of non-western religions as well as western religions, which still suffer from many missionary and colonial stereotypes and denigrations. Hinduism, as the world's largest non-Biblical tradition, has not surprisingly been the main victim of these. Like the idea of Hinduism as the religion of the poor and backward that affluent and educated western Hindus are contradicting by their success in the western world, the idea of Hindu images as unsacred and not worthy of respect, must also be rejected. This is not some morbid Hindu fundamentalism, but a Hindu demand for the same human dignity that is afforded other groups. The deity is often said to be like one's mother and father in Hindu thought. Naturally Hindus will not respond kindly to those portraying those they are devoted to in a sensationalistic manner for their own self-glorification. courtesy : http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/6/Imagery.htm

India turned Pak into nuclear power : Sharif

May 21, 2008 Vaishakh Krushna PratipadaThe credit for Pakistan becoming a nuclear weapons’ power goes to India, Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister at the time of the May 1998 test, told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview on Monday. (Really Pakistani politicians are great than Indian politicians. Pak Politicians are always ready to blame India even for anti-India activities. Will Indian politicians learn such things from them? - Editor)“The credit for our detonations goes to India. India actually made Pakistan a nuclear power. Both the blame and the credit goes to India…” Sharif said ahead of the 10th anniversary of the tests. “I was surprised that all of a sudden this (test) has happened: what was the need? But it also gave us an opportunity (laughs) to test our own nuclear devices. Actually, we didn’t want to do that. But then India gave us the honour.” (Tomorrow Mr. Sharif may also say that the cause of Terrorism in India is that India is spreading terrorism in India! - Editor)Sharif was clear that his survival as PM would have been difficult had he not opted for the tit-for-tat tests. He felt the May-July 1999 Kargil war could have happened even without Pakistan’s new nuclear umbrella. “I don’t think the ones who undertook this misadventure (Kargil) had this thing in mind. Perhaps, they didn’t have the mind to calculate that,” he said in an obvious reference to his military chief Pervez Musharraf.Musharraf, he said, did a U-turn in his India policy after 9/11. “He (Musharraf) is a man who is very shifty in his policy and decisions,” Sharif insisted.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com

Sethusamudram project and impending Tsunami devastation

February 19, 2007

"I like this (Sethusamudram) project', he said, `but there is a flaw. The entrance to the channel should be re-oriented towards the eastern side. Otherwise, there is a chance that it may create a deepwater route for another devastating tsunami. This may cause huge destruction in Kerala." DHI Software Company-USAhttp://www.dhisoftware.com/general/News/Tsunami/index.htmDr. Murthy is chief editor of the reputed International Tsunami Journal "Science of Tsunami Hazards" for over two decades. Let me explain why the warning should be taken seriously.During the last tsunami, the Ramar Bridge (at a high elevation) from the rest of the shoal accumulations acted as a natural barrier preventing the direct devastation of the entire Bharatam coastline south and southwest of Nagapattinam.See the picture at

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/70/4561/320/SSCP%201.jpg

Destruction of Rama Bridge-Result of Phoney-Liberalism

1. Why was the project to destroy, Lord Ram's historic bridge to Lanka started? Why was Secularism ( in actual practice Pseudo-Secularism or Phoney-Liberalism ) introduced into India?To put it in the simplest terms, its purpose was to deprive the Hindus of their right, to establish Hindu Rashtra, in the Hindu country of Hindustan.2. At this point in time, the name of game is Secularism. Everybody who is in politics, wants to call himself a Secularist. Even the Moslems and Christians who are light years away from Secularism, have opportunistically picked up this label for themselves. Secularism is a very mischievous concept. How are the Moslems and Christians using this concept of opportunity?Moslems and Christians never accepted themselves as the sons of the soil of India. They are busy expanding their numbers and their areas of influence inside the country of India, and they are drawing their own boundary lines.3. In 1947, Moslems walked away with two large chunks of our land ( East and West Pakistan ), to establish their land of the Pak ( Pakistan ). History is now being repeated in Kashmir and in other places. Christians are emulating the Moslems in NE India, establishing Christian states over there.What are our Phoney-Liberal politicians doing, while these separatist-movements are going on ? They are not at all interested in dealing with the separation problem. They are busy constructing and enforcing new rules and laws on communal lines. Some examples:a. GOI has allowed billions worth of rupees of government property to Wakf Board. New mosques are coming up in these areas, as well as in Non-Moslem areas. In the holy city of Mathura alone, at least 50 new mosques have come up.b. Financial assistance is being provided on communal lines. In addition to Travel Subsidies to Haj Pilgrims, free food and sharbat are also being distributed to Hajis. GOI has also provided, free of cost, land worth crores of rupees, for constructing a Haj House in New Delhi.No such affection is ever shown to any Hindu Pilgrim, neither to any Hindu traveling to Amar Narth, nor any traveling to Katasraj or Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.c. And so on and on.4. From this kind of step-motherly treatment, you can get an idea of how cruel and callous these Phoney-Liberal politicians of India are, towards the Hindus.Would such a crowd of Phoney-Liberals have the slightest hesitation, in stepping on the toes of Hindus, or in hurting their religious sentiments?Would the destruction of historical Lord Rama's Bridge to Lanka, make the slightest sensation in their mind, or move their hearts away from hurting the feelings of Hindus?No, they would not. Why ?Simply, because the victims are Hindus. That is why.5. What better way to totally destroy the sense of pride, among the Hindu children, and make them forget their heroes, than by destroying the Hindu Exemplars ? Phoney-Liberals have already starting altering the Indian history books, to continue this project.6. Phoney-Liberalism is a Highly-Mischievous and Very Dangerous concept.
http://www.haindavakeralam.org/PageModule.aspx?PageID=3116

Underwater city of Dwarka in Arabian sea getting damaged

Ahmedabad (PTI): The excavated city of Dwarka, the pristine abode of Lord Krishna, discovered by the octogenarian archeologist S R Rao under the Arabian sea in the coast of Gujarat is once again getting buried under the sands, thanks to neglect by the authorities.This "under sea city of Dwarka" lies in close proximity to near the present Dwarka temple in Saurashtra. According to archeologists this under-sea city was the real Dwarka where Lord Krishna lived.This was discovered by Rao and his team during an underwater excavation in 1994. The excavation had lasted for nearly 14 years.A proposal by Rao to develop the site as underwater tourist attraction by cleaning up the site, provide support to the structures and shield them from degeneration has remained in the dusty shelfs of the government."Sea sand has once again covered the excavated city as it was not preserved. The stones would have been displaced from their original position due to currents and cyclones," Rao told PTI.No under sea work has been done to preserve the site since they finished excavation in 1994, Rao who also discovered ancient city of Lothal said."We worked hard for 14 years to find the ancient city of 'Dwarka.' It was found under the sea waters in the Arabian Sea near the present Dwarka temple town in Saurasthra. We excavated it upto its foundation. It was a tedious task that we accomplished," Rao who is 86 year old said. (If they had to find a city like Dwarka in any other part of the world, then they would have with pride preserved it as historical monument. God has given us this glamorous historical monument, but due to the apathy of the good for nothing politicians, we are on the verge of losing it - Editor)

Most Pak students surprisingly keen to learn Hinduism

Lahore: Most Pak students in Pakistan are surprisingly keen to learn about Hinduism, despite the hostility that has prevailed between their country and India in the previous sixty years.According to Dr. Maureen Korp, as art critic and a religious studies scholar based in Canada, the students in Pakistan were different to the ones she was used to teaching in Canada.Korp, who is visiting Lahore at the invitation of the Beaconhouse National University (BNU), said she had given an assignment to her students in which they were asked about religions including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism."Surprisingly, I found that most students were keen to know about Hinduism despite the enmity, which India and Pakistan have," the Daily Times quoted her, as saying.An author of two books, Korp received her doctorate from the University of Ottawa and has won various academic awards.Her books -- Sacred Geography of the American Mound Builders and Sacred Art of the Earth - have received critical acclaim.
Source: http://www.newkerala.com