Sure, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the Kanchi seer did seem to have too much of it from what one reads in the news (Swami and Fiends, Nov 29). Instead of people hankering after his release, why can’t they just let him have a fair trial and be pronounced guilty or not guilty—let the law take its own course without fear or favour? The Kanchi seer, after all, is not god incarnate; he is prone to human weaknesses too.
Ravi Mushran, Delhi
May I ask your esteemed publication to please address the seer with the honorific ‘Sri’? Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Sri Jayendra Saraswati is the head of the Kanchi math, a revered Hindu monastic order.
S. Prasad, Santa Clara, US
The Hindutva brigade, rather than raise a hue and cry over the arrest of Jayendra Saraswati, would do well to ponder over the falling standards of the Hindu religion. The simple fact is, there has been a cold-blooded murder in the temple and, as of now, the needle of suspicion points unerringly towards the Kanchi pontiff. Given the circumstances, the least the well-wishers of the pontiff and the math could do at this juncture is to let the law decide so that the Kanchi seer comes out unscathed in this baptism by fire, which would not only add to his stature but also arrest further erosion of our religion.
G. Sankar, Chennai
Rather than a whistle-blower, Sankararaman was nothing but an obstructionist. And most of the time he was ignored by the Kanchi seer. If the latter was indeed guilty, why would he have left Sankararaman’s final notice at the math; he’d have destroyed it before it became evidence. The Shankaracharya has done some commendable work, the PM praised his Shankar Netralaya in Guwahati even after his arrest. The swami falls under the progressive category in the order of Shankaracharyas who shunned untouchability, incurring the wrath of the Paramacharya.
S. Ramakrishnaiah, Guntur Distt, Andhra Pradesh
It’s only right that religious leaders be made more accountable than the others because of the power and influence they hold. We do not become any less devout or religious by speaking out against any irregularities in our religious institutions. In fact, we strengthen our congregation and the faith that disciplines it. Blind faith is no faith.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar, Goa
The post of a Shankaracharya bestows on its holder the same degree of respectability and privilege that obtains in the case of a President or a judge. Keeping in mind that the seat of the Shankaracharya is one of the primary emblems of the Hindu religion, the least the concerned officials could have done was to be dignified about his arrest, of course within the ambit of law.
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad
Hindus, whether ‘believers’ or atheists like yours truly who wouldn’t ever enter a temple, have never taken to would-be popes or other interpreters of the faith. Indeed, this trait has kept Hinduism a religion free of the poisonous concept of heresy. This probably explains the lukewarm response to the arrest of the Shankaracharya, who set himself up bigger than the religion. Also, what will the outfits baying for his release do if he is proved guilty of murder?
Biswapriya Purkaysatha, Shillong
I’ll say one thing for Her Highness Jayalalitha—she sure knows how to command attention. As for the Kanchi seer, anyone who entertains her deserves all that she dishes out. It’s not that he didn’t know what he was getting into either after his post-LS poll utterances about her. Talk about violating Rule No. 1 of politics—if you’re going to nurse a serpent in your bosom, don’t piss it off.
Amrita Rajan, New York
The incarceration of the Kanchi Shankaracharya in a common jail is most unfortunate. If the arrest was inevitable, the seer could have been kept in a more congenial place till further investigation. While our legislators continue to make laws after being charged for outraging the modesty of laws, surely an old holy man could have been extended that courtesy. That said, we must accept that there are intrigues which bring avoidable disrepute to holy places. Huge unaccounted money and superpower status has led not only to politicisation but also to criminalisation of religion. Devotees must be quite vigilant about the management of their religious places. Extreme caution must be exercised about making offerings beyond small amounts—which eventually become the root cause of infighting. The Almighty does not need money, only token offerings.
Raghubir Singh, Pune
If the Kanchi Shankaracharya is convicted of his charges, then the Tamil Nadu government will appoint a board of trustees comprising politicians and bureaucrats to manage the Kanchi math’s properties. That would be a giant step towards the public sectorisation of the assets of religious organisations. The process actually began quite some time ago when temple boards were taken over by politicians under the pretext that temple funds were being mismanaged. Campaigns will now be launched to discredit other major temple trusts such as the Swaminarayan temples, Tirupati, Guruvayoor as well as the missions/ashrams of Ramakrishna, Chinmayananda, Mata Amritanandamayi, Narayana Guru et al. These organisations attract large donations in money and property. Once Hindu temples and ashrams have been taken over, politicians will then focus their greed on Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Buddhist properties. Interesting times are ahead with sensational, politically sponsored stories of scandals in the management of religious properties and the demand for government intervention. Throughout history, places of worship have been looted by invaders. They may not be rampaging anymore but there are still plenty of local bandits.
Dilip Raote, Mumbai
The cover box The Hundi Abyss declares, "Our religious shrines thrive in a system of overflowing coffers, zero accountability." Amazing how your secular magazine does not hesitate to adopt Hindu institutions as ‘ours’ when talk of accountability comes up. The same loonies who are jumping up and down talking about the separation of religion and state are quick to latch on to anything they think can be used against Hindus. No wonder the same jokers who wrote against checking the accounts of terrorist-sympathising madrassas are now listing donations to such great institutions as the Ramakrishna Mission.
Ankan Kumar, Columbus, US
Carrier of Words (Nov 29) on the Indian daakiya was a lovely, inspiring article which warmed the cockles of my heart and reminded me of one more reason why I am proud to be an Indian.
Ajoy F. Thachil, London
Not just H.K.S. Surjeet (The Old Man and the Sickle, Nov 29), the entire CPI(M) is nothing but a bunch of smooth-talking thugs who would not be able to explain the tenets of Marxism even if you gave them a year. The party has destroyed West Bengal totally, the state’s now just a few rungs higher than Bihar. Notwithstanding its cultural side, it’s unliveable, run by countryside CPI(M) goons and Bangladeshi immigrants who form its votebank.
Rustam Roy, London
The agenda of your cover story seemed to have been set even before it was written. Without a single shred of visible evidence, since almost everything is hearsay, you’ve convicted Jayendra Saraswati. Never mind if he tried to use the math to stop conversions among Dalits. Never mind if he tried to broker peace with Muslims and get a temple at Ayodhya in the bargain.
Vishwanath Rao, Bangalore
All contributions made to religious institutions must be subject to a government audit. Because if religion can’t restrict to being above ‘worldly’ affairs, it should also not flinch from submitting to the laws of this ‘material’ world.
Ram S., on e-mail
The Tamil Nadu government’s insistence that Jayendra Saraswati or a man on the street—all are equal before the law, does not seem to include the well-cushioned political class.
Asadha Arul, Mugaiyur, Tamil Nadu
Even if the vhp-sponsored bandh to protest the arrest of the Kanchi seer was a flop, it did disrupt normal life. Would the Shankaracharya—who, with all the holiness surrounding his status, represents the faith of crores of Hindus across the country— himself have approved of such action even if he believed the TN police’s conduct was not appropriate in arresting him?
Gaurav Dua, Delhi
Outlook tries to portray the Kanchi seer’s arrest as an issue concerning only the Brahmins. This is completely untrue. The Shankaracharya has been running a number of social service projects benefiting thousands of Dalits and the downtrodden sections of the Hindu society. The Dalits of Irulneeki village (the pontiff’s birthplace) gratefully acknowledge the fact that they’re leading a decent life today only because of the hospital and school provided by Jayendra Saraswati. Why make this a ‘caste issue’ when it is a ‘religious issue’? So much so that even the Catholic bishops in Kerala have condemned the arrest, as have the imams.
L. Rohini, Tiruchirapalli
While Jayendra Saraswati’s unorthodox way of strengthening Hinduism by way of moving close to politicians, including the corrupt, might not have pleased everyone and specially not his followers, all credit should go to him for having helped establish educational and medical centres.
G.S. Rao, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
I do not understand the stand of the Hindutva outfits. Are they saying that the Kanchi Shankaracharya should not have been arrested at all, even if he had committed the crime?
M.D. Joe Vasanth, Belfast, United Kingdom
History is replete with examples to prove that only ordinary people can be really pious. Organised religious orders have generally tended towards politics and crime. And religious fundamentalists have never had any qualms about using places of worship for their nefarious ends. Gurudwaras were used during the Khalistan movement, mosques are used as breeding grounds for militancy; why, even the Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka are nothing but politicians in uniform. Historically, temples have been used by the Brahmin clergy for political purposes. Chanakya’s Arthashastra, in fact, on Page 428, Book XI, Chapter V, details how temples can be used by the clergy to assassinate kings. It’s just that such murderers have never been punished in history. The arrest of the Kanchi pontiff may have changed that.
Sendhan Amudhan, Delhi
Isn’t it proof of Kaliyug? In the Age of Truth, a thief turned into a Valmiki. Now, a swami who was revered by so many has turned out to be a thief.
Anand Gopal, Pune
While I am no fan of the Shankaracharya, I still think you have been less than fair to him and provided just one side of the picture. You could also have spoken to his devotees, the math representatives and others.
Srikant Srinivasan, Bangalore
All that people expect of Jayendra Saraswati now is that he cooperates with the law and clears his name of the charges. Taking help from his political chums will only tarnish his divine image further.
Siddhartha Raj Guha, Jabalpur
What kind of a message is the Shankaracharya sending by saying that his food be cooked only by a Brahmin? Wonder what hope there is for a nation where those who should set an example do just the opposite?
R. Singh, Delhi
Did the Shankaracharya get inspired by Bollywood, Hollywood or Kollywood?
Manu Rajan, Bangalore
There are now six Shankara maths in the country: Badri, Puri, Dwarka, Sringeri, Kanchi and now, Vellore Jail.
Ananda H.N., Bangalore
Your article Hang the Law (Nov 29) on the icc’s ban on Saurav Ganguly misses the worst transgression of them all: Mike Slater running up to Dravid and Venkat and telling them off after picking up a catch on the bounce! The match referee punished him, but for talking about the event to a radio station. The Australians do get away with murder. And not because they ‘subtly’ keep away from stump microphones. They get away with it because of the clout their establishment has. Their boards, players’ association and press, all work, if not hand-in-glove, at least not at cross-purposes. Indian cricketers, on the other hand, are targeted because of the resentment others feel for their off-field dominance.
Radhanath Varadan, Hanoi, Vietnam
The item Game’s Up, Yasser in Vinod Mehta’s Delhi Diary (Nov 29) made for a disturbing read. Apart from the fact that Mr Mehta’s portrayal of Arafat and the Palestinians was extremely one-sided, one also detected a hint of a radical Marxist in Mr Mehta who seemed more enamoured of Arafat’s "dashing figure" than of his policies or lack thereof on behalf of Palestinians. Arafat did symbolise the aspirations of Palestinians, but long before Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden he also made violence against civilians an acceptable tool for achieving one’s political ends. Thank god Mr Mehta no longer has his picture in his house to hypnotise him.
Harsh V. Pant, Chicago
Vinod Mehta’s dog Editor obviously knows a terrorist when he sees one, unlike his master.
Ramesh Kumar, Bangalore
Arafat made too many mistakes, missed many opportunities. But look what he was up against. Arafat’s been a symbolic figure of an era. But as he boarded the helicopter to leave for France, he represented something else: a people exhausted by war, bereft of hope and scared of the future.
Abdullah Khan, Aligarh
"Readers of this column might remember that in the past I’ve had some unkind things to say about BM. I don’t regret a word...since Mr Mishra did some pretty unkind things to Outlook," says Mr Mehta (Pale Blue Pencil). Because Brajesh Mishra did what he did, Mr Mehta used his mag to say unkind things about him. So much for journalistic ethics!
K. Vijai, Atlanta, US
So, Mr Mehta’s quoted his price. Break bread with him and he’ll write nice things about you.
Navdeep Hans, Delhi
Ah, the lengths to which writers go to defend their turf! Ram Guha’s latest display of dyspeptic distemper, aimed ad hominem at evil outsider William Dalrymple, has absolutely nothing to say about its ostensible target: the review of Pankaj Mishra’s book. Instead, he pounces on a single para therein in a blustery, hysterical attack on Dalrymple’s alleged "elite-mofussil thesis". In alluding to "the St Stephen’s mafia-Doon School diaspora", Dalrymple is simply stating the obvious: that Indian English writers tend to be translators of Indian sensibility to a global audience while their elite backgrounds often see them perched far above the day-to-day concerns of the masses; and that Mishra is a refreshing exception. Guha’s response is disingenuous and smacks of defensive narcissism. He bends over backward to prove the review’s sole aim was to say that legatees of elite institutions "must bow before writers born in the mofussil". This is decidedly not the case. (Surely, Dalrymple won’t say only mofussil-born writers can claim intellectual authenticity. How could he: he’s bloody Scottish, for god’s sake!) Guha scolds him with the vapid truism that "it’s how a writer tackles his subject that is important, not where he studied or lives". But 90 per cent of the review is devoted precisely to that aim. Why pillory him for a little (and not irrelevant) biographical detail furnished along the way? Armed with sarcasm, nativist chauvinism and not a little professional jealousy, Guha takes recourse to invective, innuendo and an evocation of "divide and rule"! Who is he to lecture us?—this is Guha’s thesis. (Should Guha then stop writing holier-than-thou commentary on America?) That Dalrymple, as a white man, is not free/qualified to arbitrate on us; that anything the Scotsman says is tainted by the colonial legacy, and as such is not to be trusted. Now, a British writer like Dalrymple can be held to higher standards of scholarly evidence and cultural sensitivity. Dalrymple surely understands this, and can take criticism, so long as it is proffered in intellectual good faith. Whatever his faults as a travel writer/historian, Guha’s brand of vindictive politics of the personal does nothing to illuminate them. It’s a mean-spirited hatchet job that merely betrays the worst sort of insecurity.
Rajeev K. Kinra, University of Chicago
