Talibanisation of Tamil Nadu

This post is a follow up to my most recent post on Pathetic and Submissive Hindus. This post is meant to compare Messrs. Karunanidhi's actions with that of another group of people (???), whom we universally view as evil. I would like to make it clear that I have no personal animosity against Karunanidhi, but I oppose his unwarranted attacks on Hinduism. When I speculate on what could have motivated him to undertake these actions, a few readily come to my mind. Elections and lack of any other issues to project him into spotlight, that he craves, come to my thoughts.

Ever since he got elected in 2006, Karunanidhi has had a relatively quiet and peaceful time at the helm, except for the odd fights between his sons, Stalin and Azhagiri. Now, the political scene in Tamil Nadu looks interesting with the arrival of actor Vijaykanth in this garbage called politics. I think Vijaykanth is a big threat to Karunanidhi ( and to Jayalalitha as well), due to this vast fan base, and his claim as the true successor of the late MGR. Now, thats a killer combination on any given day. For those who don't know much about Tamil Nadu politics, an icon MGR died in 1988, and to this day, parties can win elections merely by invoking his name. Such is his aura, among certains sections of the society. While Jayalalitha will always be a nemesis for Karunanidhi, any actor turned politician invoking MGR is a huge threat, especially if he has a huge fan base. Now, "poor" Karuna, has to do something that strengthen his stronghold among his allies, and bring him into spotlight. He does two things to create controversies. Firstly, he kickstarts/re-starts the Hogenakkal project. He is fully aware that Karnataka doesn't have a government at this moment, and what better strategy can he think of other than raising the age-old Tamil vs. Kannadiga issues like Cauvery or Hogenakkal or anything for that matter. It is very sad that neither side couldn't resolve these issues to this day to the benefit of people on both sides, and it looks like, they will never resolve these issues. Anyway, Karuna rakes up Hogenakkal issue, violence flares up on both sides, media and filmdom take sides, innocent people on both sides are affected and polarized, and Karuna makes a "magnanimous" gesture of putting this project on hold until a government is elected in Karnataka. Now, Karuna projects himself as both a savior of Tamils and a peace-maker. Dude, why do you have to resort to this cheap brand of politics, when you knew beforehand that Karnataka doesn't have a government, and that Hogenakkal project cannot proceed beyond a certain stage, if representatives of Karnataka's interim government raise this issue at the Supreme Court???. And you knew they will !!! After this Hogenakkal issue, he turns to his favorite whipping boys, the Thamizh Hindus and Hinduism, a strategy that worked for him since 1950s. He sure hopes that this will help today.

In our time, a communal group takes a militant form of religous idealogy, identifies what is/are good for the masses, and then unilaterally passes laws enforcing people to follow these laws or be tried for sedition. One can easily associate these with Taliban infested parts of the world, which most of us consider as pure evil. While Taliban follow Saudi brand of Wahhabi islam, and is meant to make the people "more islamic", if that makes any sense, Karuna who is actually anti-hindu, and passes laws and decrees on how hindus should lead their life !!! Strange are the ways democracy works.

Even after 60 years of independence, so much work needs to be done to improve various infrastructure in the country, viz., in education, health-care, social reforms, national security and many more. Isn't it the job of chief minister to undertake one or some of these pressing issues and do his bloody job, instead of denying the existence of Lord Rama or questioning Lord Rama's civil engineering credentials, or attacking Hinduism just because he feels bored ??? To this day, TN treasury show deficit in state budgets. Why can't they do their work and create surplus in treasury, and make it sustainable so that they can use it to the welfare of the people, rather than keep begging World Bank or IMF for loans??? When do they plan to settle loans that we have been borrowing since 1947??? Don't these Tamil leaders have any self-pride??? How long can they deceive the masses ???

Pathetic and Submissive Thamizh Hindus

Nenju porukku thillaiye - Intha
Nilaiketta manithirai ninaithuvittal,
Anji anji saavaar - Ivar
Anjaatha porulillai avaniyille;
Vanjanai peigal enbaar - Intha
Marathil enbaar; Antha kulathil enbaar;
Thunjathu mugathil enbaar - Migath
Thuyarpaduvaar; Enni bhayappaduvaar ...

Excerpts from "Nondich-chindhu" by
Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathiar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subramanya_Bharathy

Great Thamizh (Tamil as is it incorrectly written, widely) poet and freedom fighter Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathiar wrote a beautiful song titled "Nondich-chindu" lamenting the state of Indians during the pre-independence era, a piece of the gem sung with pride. No amount of painstaking translation in English or in any other language can do justice to this beautiful poem. With foretold caveats, I try my best at elucidating the crux of the above paragraph and the larger poem itself for the benefit of non-Thamizh readers. Let the readers be reminded that this poem was written at a time when, superstitions dominated the society and religion, womens' right were unheard of, men were scared of fighting the British by supporting armed struggle as espoused by great men like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal etc., to name a few. In that era of social backwardness, Bharathiyar wrote "Nondich-chindu", exhorting Indians to fight the British, attack superstitions and, overcome fear and self-doubts. Bharathiyar cries that his heart bleeds when he sees the unstable and self-doubting Indian, who succumbs to a painful and slow death. The scared Indian blames on imaginary ghosts and evil men, and lacks the guts to fight the British. And so goes the song, exhorting every Indian to look inside and tap the raw nerve to fight social injustices and the British.

Today I felt, we need an encore of this passionate song, as Indians, in particular Hindus live a pathetic life in a country, where they are supposedly in a majority. This is related to the official decree by Tamil Nadu government led by the Karunanidhi, ordering all temples in Tamil Nadu not to perform any pujas for devotees and celebrate Tamil New Year Day on April 13th, as was the hitherto custom. Temples, which are controlled by the Tamil Nadu government, have no choice but to accept the whims of a anti-hindu chief minister. To this day, I have never celebrated English New Year or other stupid foreign commercialized festivities like Valentine's Day, sticking true to my proud Indian roots and celebrating Tamils, Malayalis, Kannadigas, Andhra, Marathas, Bengalis, Punjabi's and north Indians' New Year Days, all of which fall within a few days of one another, which illustrates the closeness and the beauty of our diverse Indian culture. Let me make this clear. I belong to neither Shiv Sena nor Bajrang Dal. I am just a simple Indian who loves his diverse Indian culture. While I consider Indian christians and muslims as Indians, I hold festivities like Valentine's Day, English New Year Day and likes, with utter contempt for the materialism and commercialism they represent, and as a product of culture forced upon us by this hedonistic world. These views were not a product of any external influence, but a product of my own volition. I don't object anyone who celebrates any of these junk festivities with religious fervor, but I consider it as a waste of time.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, famously proclaimed that "Swaraj is my birthright". But now, I can't go to a temple in TN and seek blessings of The Almighty, as the dreaded Karunanidhi wants us to celebrate Tamil New Year day on the 1st day of the month of Thai (mid Jan.) coinciding with another important Tamil festival, Pongal. As with other Hindu festivals, Tamil New Year Day is based on Hindu astro-almanac calendar. Since Karunanidhi sees this as a product of Hindu-Sanskritic culture, which he detests, the communal Karunanidhi wants to damage the psyche of every proud Hindu. This guy has no balls to question Christian and Islamic festivities, even though neither Christ nor Mohammed had anything to do with India or Indian culture, but derives great pleasure in destroying traditions and Hindu culture that people have been following long before Christianity and Islam came into existence. I see a proud Hindu Bengali, a Hindu Punjabi, a Hindu Maratha, a Hindu Kannadiga, a Hindu Malayali and other proud Hindus, and I see a sorry Thamizh Hindu who has been perennially hurt by anti-hindu policies of DMK, and who has no voice in this so-called Secular and Tolerant country. One can follow the links below,
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080413/jsp/nation/story_9132123.jsp and at

http://newshopper.sulekha.com/newsitem/2008/04/tn-bans-new-year-rites-priests-fume.htm

We, as Indian Hindus, would certainly do well with the rebirth of say, a Subrahmanya Bharathi, a Swami Vivekananda, a Sri Aurobindo, a Chathrapathi Shivaji and many great Indians, to rekindle the sense of pride and admiration for the beauty of Indian culture, and overcome fear and self-doubts, and defend our culture from hostile forces. In a democratic and secular country, we Hindus are forced to dance according to the whims of a anti-hindu leader.

Bharathiyar sang,
Achcham illai, achcham illai, achcham enbathu illaiye,
Uchchi meethu vaanidindhu veezhukinra podhinum,
Achcham illai achcham illai, achcham enbathu illaiye... The above means that even if the sky explodes and falls on my head, I will not be cowed down by fear, I will not be scared, and I will fight. Bharathiyar's exhortations of Indians to fight British imperialism was successful, and we badly need an encore to save us from the cultural imperialism as practiced by Karunanidhi and his despicable coterie of sycophants.

Sadly, we live in a world where anyone who defends Hinduism is considered as a Hindu fundamentalist, and someone like Karunanidhi who loves every opportunity to attack Hinduism is considered as rational and secular!!! Long live Indian democracy and tolerance!!! Long live secularism!!! Vande Maataram.