Apropos your cover story Choosing Their Religion (November 18), I think caste and religion have to be delinked from governing. If this is done, then there will be no incentive for our leaders to make an issue out of it. If the founding fathers of the US could see the point three centuries ago, why can’t we embrace it today?
Arun, on e-mail
Why the fuss over conversions? Dr Ambedkar had rightly said that the greatest handicap of Hinduism is that it cannot be a missionary religion. It’s the contradiction of Hinduism that when it comes to window-dressing on the annals of history, it seems an all-tolerant and essentially a religion that has absorbed every change through the centuries. But Hinduism’s greatest failing is that it hasn’t been able to keep its flock together. Whatever you might say about Islam, it has been able to create a "brotherhood" which Hinduism hasn’t, because of the criminal kaleidoscope of hierarchies that the religion is.
Anoop Purshottam, Goa
Conversions are the strongest evidence yet that the self-styled saviours of Hinduism, who form the phalanxes of the Hindutva brigade, are the real enemies of the religion. Hindutva can be achieved only if casteism is rooted out from religion.
Hari Chathrattil, Syracuse, US
I welcome the Tamil Nadu government’s ordinance on forcible conversions. The Dalits have been lured by the missionaries for far too long. I hope this ordinance will put an end to it.
Suriya, on e-mail
The road to freeing Dalits from oppression has to begin with the elimination of discrimination by the state itself. Fifty-five years after we won independence, we still provide special status to people based on their caste instead of their social standing. Across the country, the law provides for prosecuting a citizen were he to refer to a Dalit by his caste name when that caste is exactly what gives him his extras from the state.
If at all, let us cry for the lynched Dalits of Haryana because they were poor, not Dalits. Let us cry against the rich Dalits who have fed themselves on the poor.
Sanjay Rawat, Kochi
I was disturbed to read your cover story. How can people change their religion for material wealth? I’d remain a Hindu even if I was offered all the money in the world. Those who change their religion for money deserve to be untouchables all their lives.
Pankaj Mhatre, on e-mail
The conversions triggered off by the Jhajjar lynchings indicate a dangerous trend among our Dalit brethren. In my opinion, the impetus for conversion should come from within and should never be a reactionary impulse. The already ostracised and marginalised Dalits will only feel more alienated in their new-found religion if conversion comes without conviction.
Ashok Kujur ‘Chere’, Bangalore
I was born a low caste Hindu and declare myself to be one. I am not "low" to anyone except God. I am a Hindu and will die a Hindu. God has given me the strength and intellect to think for myself and others like me and I don’t have to be a pathetic, whining, misguided, low-thinking inbred. To all the Dalits who sell their soul to another religion, I’d say that first try to seek out its meaning. Converting to a religion you don’t believe in is not a solution to any problem, it’s the beginning of another.
Suneil Shirod, New York, US
As a Kerala Nair, I know something of the shame the Hindu caste system brings. It has to go if Hinduism is to survive. It’s too precious a religion to be left to the upper castes. But to those Dalits who are converting to Islam, let me tell them that no country has treated Dalits more cruelly than Pakistan. Just read the occasional articles on the slavery of Dalits in Sind under the Wadera landlords. The fate of the lower castes and Dalits, even if they convert to Islam, will prove more incurably oppressive than in a more or less democratic Hindu India.
Ravi Pillai, London, UK
You hit the nail on the head, Mr Verghese (India’s Forgotten Gospel of Fraternity). Why don’t you do this sermonising among minorities? India is a secular country mainly because it is predominantly Hindu. Is conversion a means of increasing voteshare? If all faiths accept all other faiths as equal and don’t try to demean others by trying to convert the gullible and illiterate tribals, India will be a heaven.
Darupathi Mehta, on e-mail
I totally agree that everyone belonging to the ‘brown’ race should understand that all those living in India were once designated Hindu. We people of the subcontinent are a part of a great civilisation, we as a people should try and understand our roots, fight and remove the inequalities created by the so-called high castes. Changing religion doesn’t help remove inequalities. The fault lies not with Hinduism but with the way it is being understood.
Sunil, Bangalore
Apropos How Do you Convert to Hinduism?, Ambedkar once said Hinduism must have been a missionary religion once to which people could convert, otherwise it would not have spread throughout India and beyond. It stopped being missionary once caste entered it since it is incompatible with conversion.
Srikanth B., London, UK
To the tribals, Dalits and the poorest of the poor, those who feed, clothe and educate them and bring back a smile on their faces are the real gods, no matter what their religion. Barring political mileage, if our so-called Hindu saviours, the bjp or even chief ministers like Jayalalitha and Mayawati are unable to eradicate poverty, illiteracy or give them a right to live with dignity, no ordinance can stop conversions.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
No problem if they are no longer Hindu. Trouble starts when they are no longer Indians.
Bharat Pandya, on e-mail
Apropos A Paranoid Mandate (November 18) what would Prem Shankar Jha have America do? Keep quiet while Islamic terrorists keep killing people in India, Indonesia, US and the world over? Islamic militancy has to be defeated at all costs. And US is the only country which has the economic and military might to do so. As for Saddam, the elections in Iraq only prove his lunatic intent.
Vinoo Ramakrishnan, New Jersey, US
Why are our learned columnists wasting time writing what Bush and America should do and what they shouldn’t? They’ll do anything to satisfy their egos.
Ashesh Dave, Jakarta, Indonesia
While it is certainly true that the exploiters of yoga abound in the US, the great majority of yoga teachers eke out a living in small studios and benefit their students (Kama Chameleons, November 18). Most yoga teachers are also, in my opinion, followers of B.K.S. Iyengar’s methods and do not follow the high-profile exploiters.
Jim Cronin, Oregano, US
Thank God. Thank God. Thank God, there is still some sanity left in Gujarat (A Mild Sparkle of Hope, November 18).
Rajiv Chaturvedi, Singapore
It was sad, disgusting and embarrassing to watch the crowd behave as it did during the India-West Indies match (Missile Programme, November 25). It made me wonder about the kind of people we are. In the name of religion and caste, we don’t hesitate to kill each other. We treat our women badly. We have no qualms breaking queues and bother only about ourselves. We have no civic sense and even less traffic sense. Charity, if any, is done only in the hope of making money. So why do we blame our politicians for being corrupt, liars, cheats, murderers and interested only in winning polls at any cost? A society gets the politicians it deserves. So why complain?
S.M. Shervani, New Delhi
Apropos Blind Spots on the Runway (November 18), has it not dawned on anyone that instead of blaming the umpires for bad decisions courtesy their packed schedules, the players shouldn’t really be playing so much cricket in the first place?
Eashan Ghosh, Noida, UP
Outlook is good at two things. Hindu-bashing and then self-bashing. Issue after issue you publish letters from enraged readers like me but don’t stop from writing more articles on the ‘Hindu Bomb’. You’ve done it yet again with almost all the letters strongly objecting to your views in the cover story Fangs and Fury (November 4).
Shubham Sooden, Rajkot
As nine-year-standing parents of a Mirambika child, we were pained to see the caption to the photo accompanying the article Less than Innocent (November 11). It showed a Mirambika class and said: "out of the closet". It implies the school has something to hide when the environs in Mirambika are only transparent, free as well as nourishing, intellectually and spiritually. The child abuse incident, if proved, is condemnable. But it could have occurred in any school and the most vigilant authority cannot ensure that it doesn’t happen within their system.
Amba Sanyal, New Delhi
Vinod Mehta’s column, A Recipe for Anarchy (November 18) sums up what a lot of us feel. The world is moving on and we are in danger of being left behind. Those who form part of the lunatic fringe are fools because they preach patriotism and nationalism which they do not themselves practise. They must be thwarted from derailing the common basic aspirations of the man on the street, that is to live and let live in peace.
Ranji M. Thomas, Manchester, UK
I think the Indian media has created a very cunning impression that the bjp, vhp and the rss are somehow all different. Vajpayee is very conveniently projected as a moderate, as is Advani now. But it is a very slick game of the Sangh parivar, or as Arundhati Roy calls it, the hydra-headed monster. Because of his coalition compulsions, Vajpayee has to appear moderate when at heart he is very close to the Togadia-Singhal-Katiar way of thinking. After all, it was he who told us here in New York that he is first and foremost a Sangh member and that the Ram Janambhoomi movement is an expression of national sentiment.
Sanjeev Bindra, New York, US
So, it’s the same old hate campaign unleashed by pseudo-secularists. It’s okay for them if hundreds of mad mullahs come into this country, undetected, and plant bombs, attack Parliament or indulge in sabotage. But if some rss guy says something, they just can’t tolerate it. If India’s becoming difficult to govern, it’s because the secularists’ total bias against the majority community.
Rajesh, Delhi
I don’t think Vajpayee is any different from the Togadias or Singhals. He will be the first to go to Gujarat to campaign for the butcher of Gujarat who is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent and unarmed Indians.
Bobby Deol, Maryland, US
Togadia’s vitriol and religious fervour is unquestionable. But Mr Mehta also pulls up the rss, Togadia et al on the issues of fdi, divestment, Indo-US ties, etc. Surely, they must be allowed to debate these issues publicly with the same freedom and openness as Mr Mehta or I. Nor are the issues that you speak of "settled"; there’s much room for incisive thought and change. The only real winner for us in the arena of world politics is our ties with the West but then we all know of US’ double-dealing ways or our inexorable rush into the free market whirligig subjecting us to a colonialism of a different kind. As for fdi, "trading" domestic debt with foreign investment is really pitiful.
V. Raghuram, San Mateo, California, US
Well, India is quite governable. All we need are some simple reforms which much of the corporate world and the political class will never allow since they are living comfortably off this mess we are in. For anyone who says India is ungovernable—and intellectuals play a major role here—it is obfuscating what are but simple issues of governance. Cynicism, as Vinod Mehta famously said on TV, is the biggest danger. I should stress though that we should not expect political change from the bjp, since the party symbolises everything that’s wrong with India, especially its upper castes, which make up much of its middle class.
Bharat Punjabi, Toronto
You’re right on the money. Too long have so many been dumbstruck by the antics of so few and said nothing to stay their hand. Yes, Mr Prime Minister, stick to your guns. Let not the loony tunes become our national anthem.
Divyesh G. Mehta, Phoenix, Arizona
Few peoples in the world are easier to govern than Indians. Unfortunately, the Nehruvian Constitution sets out to make the country ungovernable by systematically negating the one thing holding it together: Hindu loyalty. India is ungovernable only because our pseudo-secularists defend Islam.
Raman Chandran, Chennai
You’re right, Mr Mehta, this has reached a stage where no one knows if it can be controlled. We have someone openly challenging the ‘real’ Hindus of India to form a suicide squad, and another proclaiming that the Gujarat riots were a "successful experiment". Worse, as Indian Muslims in the Arab world, we’ve to defend being Indians while back home we’re forced to defend being Muslims or Christians.
Mohammad Iqbal, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
That your comments and arguments are finding free audiences in India is itself an indicator of a mature Indian democracy. It is the majority in India that is tolerant and is giving this vibrancy to the country. The Sangh has learnt its lessons from the secularists—if you want to be heard, then you have to be louder and drown the other person’s voice. Secularists can do this nation a great service if they looked beyond Hinduism, the rss, vhp, etc.
Vinay Kumar, New Delhi
India is plagued by religious extremists. The Muslims have the Shahi Imam and Syed Shahabuddin, the Hindus have Togadia and Thackeray and the Sikhs have Akalis. What will happen to this country?
Paramjeet Kaur, on e-mail
Surely, Mr Mehta, there must be more ways of selling your mag than rant and rave at the lunatic fringe.
Ambareesh Arat, Jabalpur
Here, in the US, the Indian community has been highly disturbed with the complete disregard of law and constitutional ideals by some self-proclaimed leaders of religion and faith in India. In such a scenario, it’s heartening to see that the media still gives space to the sane.
Aniket Desai et al, Washington DC, US
Amen, Mr Mehta! For once, I fully agree with you.
Gopi Maliwal, Hong Kong
In the article The Look-After-No. 1 Drill (November 25), it was inadvertently mentioned that ongc lost two officers in Mizoram. Actually, the state was Assam. The error is regretted.
