A Box of Questions this BHOGI

The Hanuman temple at the end of the street where my parents live has been our go-to temple ever since I can remember. Whether it is a prayer for someone ill or a ThankYou for a milestone reached, sometimes 'just-like-that' and sometimes for a heart-to-heart, this Hanuman has been a constant in the lives of those who live nearby. A month ago, the temple was decked up for Hanuman Jayanti and my dad couldn't stop raving about how majestic our beloved Hanuman looked, how exquisitely the ceiling had been painted with tulasi and flowers and what a beautifully festive look the entire street had taken on. There was a constant stream of visitors for Him that day- each one being fed with a sumptuous lunch. Would this be any Hanuman Jayanti anywhere in the world? Probably! So why go on harping about this one? Because the choicest flowers were hand picked and strung together by a Muslim. The lunch was joyfully prepared by boys whose caste and religion no one knows. The entire cost for the festivities was taken on by anonymous donors. And every person who sat down for the meal sat down not knowing the religious or political affiliations of the person on the next leaf. Is this a common sight around us? Probably, but unfortunately these are not narratives that we want to hear about. 

The same day, I received a whatsapp forward that had been doing the rounds. A published article on why Brahmins should be kept out of society! I ignored the article for a while but finally gave in to my curiosity and read the bullshit that was being paraded as a revolution against 'an elitist privileged community that was tormenting and restricting the progress of society.'

Reading the article made a lot of family and friends angry. I wasn't sure if I should be angry because I had too many questions... "Should I even react to this nonsense?'  'Did someone write this for real?' 'Is this just media manipulation ?' 'If I react to these articles, will I be unnecessarily giving it more importance than it should receive?' "But, if I don't react to these articles, does it mean I agree with the accusations?' 'Does it even matter if I agree or stand up against these accusations?' 'Does it matter at all which caste or community is targeted?' 'But then, Is it OK to attack one caste and call it a revolution but accuse another community and be called fanatic?' 'Haven't there been times when I have myself done a face-palm when some people allude illogical practices and traditions to the 'Brahmin way of life'? 'How many times have I wondered why people weren't educating themselves on the real Vedic sciences of life!?' 'But again, how does a community that accounts for such a small percentage of population get accused of all oppression all the time?' 'Do all Brahmins lead economically privileged lives? Are all other communities living in abject poverty?'

By the anti-Brahmin narrative that the article spews, they will have you believe that the Muslim florist was threatened into decorating the temple, the boys cooked at knife-point and the donors were all right-wing extremists! (this is the aiyo kadavale facepalm moment many of us face- often).

Frankly- I realised my own so-called privileged status when I had to tick off the box that said "General Category" on the Entrance Exam Application Form and ironically lost out to the rich SC/ST guy who scored less than me but got an admit into the course I was hoping for. But since I belong to an 'elite privileged class that society must do away with', all I could do was shrug and walk away and study harder for the next entrance exam in which I was asked to write down my religion on the answer sheet. Of course, I got rejected because I was not Catholic. Again some girl with a score much lower than mine made it (Let me just do a facepalm! Elite privileged society does not get angry even though in this context competence has nothing to do with caste or religion. But... Only shrug and facepalm allowed!). 

Sarcasm aside, I do understand that I come from elite and privileged society- not BECAUSE of my caste; but because I was fortunate to grow up in a family and cosmopolitan urban community that did not talk of caste. I do acknowledge that caste is an issue in many other parts of the country. But having worked with family that has over decades been working in the villages to build better lives (in healthcare and education), I also see first hand how entire populations are manipulated into conversion- sometimes sadly turning entire villages against us with labels of 'oppressive upper classes' and the latest, more popular 'right wing fanatic'. Nothing noble about this soul-scavenging but it was and is always impolite to talk about these conversions publicly. So we shrug it off and don't talk about it. We shrug off incidents, we shrug of questions, we shrug off retorts until we become apologetic about our own work and capabilities- sadly.

In any case, my questions continue until I cannot compartmentalize them. My questions continue until I return to my first ones. My questions continue while I wonder if I am going to be labelled ...yes...you know it (dare I do a 'aiyo kadavale' facepalm).

As part of urban privileged society, our first answers probably lie in understanding this social and political compartmentalisation objectively. As the urban privileged armchair activists that we very conveniently become, let us re look what comprises the majority or minority. 'Minority by legacy? Minority by caste? Minority by economic status? Minority by numbers? OR minority by capability? Our first answers also lie in understanding holistically the origins of the Vedic Sciences and religious propoganda across regions, centuries and colonies. And then either these questions won't need answers OR we might just have befitting replies to stop all ridiculous accusations. 

This BHOGI, let us burn down the insecurities of prejudice!