THE CLASH WITHIN by Martha C Nussbaum

This book is an exercise in investigating and analysing the current happenings i.e. history of India. It starts with the gruesome and tragic killing of Muslims in the aftermath of Godhra in Gujarat. Thousands were done to death, a deliberate act on the part of mobs motivated by hatred. Most of the victims were women and children. The women were molested, raped and burned. The reports coming out of that state at that time were unbelievable but true. Ms Nussbaum goes thru all available reports, mainly from media since, the commission investigating the happenings have not completed its job and submitted any report.

When this book was coming into the bookstalls, I was in US. Immediately thereafter the author was interviewed for the Diaspora tabloid INDIAABROAD. She made it clear that her book is a study of the clashes she observed in her days in India, within the society Indian and well Hindu.Nobody could deny that there is a cleavage in our society. The two sides could be recognised, in the Hindu right represented by the RSS and pariavar including its political arm BJP on one side and liberal, secular and left coalition representing the majority of Indians.

In the next issue of the paper, one reader pontificated that Martha Nussbaum is not eligible to talk about Hindus and Hinduism since; she is not a Hindu herself. All the American scholars writing on Hinduism, denigrate Hindus (Ooh, only he can talk about Americans!!) and their religion so as to show western and Christian superiority. This is a most pernicious allegation which could not sustain a serious scrutiny. The letter writer’s prejudice and narrow mind set are clearly visible here. This person has not read the book to access it as anti-Hindu and mouthed ideas from certain prejudiced and dogmatic writings from Hindu right. It has no originality.

No one could disown what has happened in Gujarat after the Godhra incident. Muslims were targeted by the mob motivated by hatred. People mostly women and children were burned and killed. Most of those women killed were gang raped, stomachs of pregnant were ripped open and the foetuses were thrown into fire to be burnt. The media at that time were reporting more gruesome tortures inflicted on an innocent population. Ms Nussbaum opens files and found double speaking on the part of most of the leaders of the govt. The shameless stand of the one time socialist and then Defence Minister Fernandez by equating the rape of women to almost daily happenings of rapes in the country.

A very telling and revealing area of her book is the views collected by her from persons of importance in the VHP in Gujarat, the Hindu historian Ram Swaroop and the then cabinet minister Arun Shourie. From these people she found the most real position of the VHP on riots and specifically post Godhra Gujarat, the manipulating scheme in re-writing Indian history and central govt’s double standards in confronting Gujarat killings.

Ms Nussbaum searched the files of recent history for the formation and development of the Hindu right from the days of Hindu Mahasabha campaign against the nationalist movement represented by the Indian National Congress fighting against the British misrule. The acts of Hindu Mahasabha were disruptive of the solidarity against foreign rule. Some in far right established and nurtured a divisive organisation ostensibly not political the RSS. Till the time of independence and most of the Nehru years the Hindu right was dormant and not effective. The declaration of emergency found disparate elements from right, left and centre combining to remove Indira Gandhi from power. (There could be two opinions on the declaration.) Then much more bungling on the part of the congress and its leaders found the nation with the unwanted Hindu right ascending. The Ram Janmabhumi Babri Masjid movement captured the imagination of a considerable section of the voters resulting a coalition of right and anti-Nehru family socialists coming together to form a Government. The first serious act of this govt was exploding a series of nuclear devises to show it’s might against Pakistan. But it did not last. Pakistan replied with more explosions, cancelling the military equation. But a favourable situation intervened. The Kargil war. The BJP used it effectively to be in government as caretaker for longer than the time for re-election. The govt. took a hard position commanding massive armed forces to the borders. In the election they got an impressive majority. Now the time has come for the Hindutva forces to move in decisively. The Babri Masjid question was made out to be the most important and urgent national issue. They also started to re-write history in saffron Hindutva mode.

All these are brought together and analysed by Ms Nussbaum and she was on the side of liberal and progressive sections. She did not conceal her preferences. But to accuse her book of being anti-Hindu is height of madness. But when did the Hindu right allowed any dissent? She did anticipate the noise being made by the Hindu Diaspora in the US. Re writing history is extensively dealt in this book. Similarly one chapter is reserved to high light the motivated propaganda against American scholars.

Whatever might be the concept associated with Hindutva the real meaning of Hindu could not be arrived at even by a group of people qualified. The Hindu and its traditions are overwhelmingly huge that only parts could be revealed at time. Hindu is such that all kind of contradictions could be found in its traditions. The Hindu traditions accepted the ideas of no god and no sacred, in Lokayata philosophy. Lokayata is one in the shad darsanas, i.e. six systems of thought. Those who found that American scholar as anti-hindu were not aware or keep silent about the profound criticism of the Hindu in Dr. Ambedkar’s writings. They are more stringent and hard hitting. (When his book “Riddles of Hinduism” was published by Maharashtra Govt. the Hindu right spearheaded by the Shiva Sena went on rampage. Violence was used against people and property. When the SS BJP combine came to power they effectively suppressed those volumes critical of Hinduism.) In fact Dr. Ambedkar records death threats received for his advocacy to eradicate castes. That was the reason for Dr. Ambedkar to renounce Hinduism and convert to Buddhism.

The last but not the least important issue discussed by Ms Nussbaum is about the rising power of the religious fundamentalists in the administration under Bush. There are several treatises warning of the dangers to democracy as understood by the founding fathers of American constitution. Indian democracy is facing similar threat just warded off. Still the future is not safe unless more people realise the danger. American democracy faced such threats in the past as well but today’s forces seemed much more organised and well healed.

Whatever might be the views of the Hindutva Diaspora, this book needs attention and reading by a large number. The author specifically mentions that her book is aimed at American audience since the Gujarat happenings are still in focus in our country.

Since, back in Mumbai I found a write up in DNA about the publication of the Diaspora writings not just critical but abusive of the American scholars. I did not get this book but read some laudatory reviews featured in the website of that book. As I remarked earlier the Diaspora is blind to the conclusions of Dr. Ambedkar in his writings and specially his work “Riddles of Hinduism.”Certain points made out by the Diaspora are here.

One point that of Ganesa or Ganapati. After all the pouring out their righteous Indignation, the Diaspora cannot conceal the origin of the Ganesa myth. The god about his sacredness they are concerned is not a natural born son of Shiva and Parvati. The Rig-Veda mantra that is trotted out for his ancient origin is in fact not about any god at all.

Another is Krishna being portrayed as scheming destruction of all in Mahabharata. I heard of such accusation not from any American scholar but Gandhari in Thunjath Ezhuthaschan’s Mahabharatam Kilipatu. It was confirmed later when I had the opportunity to read the Malayalam translation of entire Mahabharata word for word poem by Kodungallur Kunjikutan Thamburan. When Gandhari cursed him and his tribe to get extinguished,Krishna accepted it not as a curse but a boon.

And about teachings of Krishna in Bhagawat Gita. With all the ramifications to be everything to everyone, the objective was for Arjuna to get out of his depression and fight the war to the finish. Arjuna did it in practice, after learning all the philosophy propounded in the sacred book.

The other day there was a news item about the Trishul Deeksha movement organised by Dr.Pravin Togadia international President of VHP. The Alliancefor Democracy distributed copies of Bhagawat Gita among people ostensibly to alert the people about Gita teachings. Was it something real? Do these people believe that Bhagawat Gita encourages social harmony, communal peace and or non-violence and secularism?

It will be good to refer back to Togadia for his understanding of the message of Bhagawat Gita. His last lecture in Mumbai extorted his faithful to kill the enemy by hook or crook as advised before the Mahabharata war, by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. There Lord Krishna adopted stratagems that are not sanctified in defeating of Bhishma, killing of Drona, killing of Karna, killing of Jayadradha and killing of Duryodhana etc. In the process the Lord was party to the demise of Ghatolkacha, even Abhimanyu his own nephew and the five sons of Droupadi etc etc. Gandhari accused him of deliberate acts causing all the killings in the war. According to Togadia the Lord himself used tricks to kill his own kith and kin for being enemies and it is well established that the real enemies of hindutva i.e. Muslims, Christians and other minorities deserve worse. Dr.Pravin Togadia was very clear and insistent that teachings of Gita are in tune with his mission.

Some questions. Whether Pandu in Mahabharata is the rightful king while his elder brother Dhritarashtra though blind was ruling the kingdom and Pandu was indulging in hunting in forests (a royal sport)? Whether Pandavas were right in asking to partition the kingdom into two? Are Pandavas were legitimate sons of Pandu? In today’s language they will be called bastards, a too strong word. Is it not true?

About the monkey god Hanuman. He is the son of Anjana and god of winds and air Vayu. Does the god get married to Anjana? Don’t ask questions since it is sacred. But Vayu tried it in another occasion with king Kusanabha’s hundred daughters. See Valmiki Ramayanam Balakandam Sarga 32. In today’s condition he would be charged for forced rape.

Temple devadasies were there in all most all prominent temples in south Indiafor centuries. However shrouded in sacredness they might be, popular view was that they were prostitutes available to high and mighty. If some one finds meanings that invade their sacredness the blame is not on them.

Finally there is the view that nothing is sacred and or divine since everything here is the construct of man from pre-historic time. It is man who created and sanctified myths and it is right for other men in other times to question and if needed to change or discard them entirely. That is what happened to Greek myths, various pre historic myths of tribes of all lands. There was no such overhauling in Indian history. That should not mean that people of today should be forced to feed on those myths. More than any American scholar our own forefathers questioned myths and idol worship e.g. Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj etc. I think that the US based Diaspora should learn more.

K.N.Krishnan.