American Hindu lady explains her Hindu inferiority complex and how she overcame it

After seeing the behaviour of Raja A.K Singh and other Hindutva Hindus here, I searched the internet and media for clues that would explain the Hindu inferiority complex.

The most candid article was a self-confession I found in a web site called ‘The Hindu Universe’.

The article is written by a Hindu lady settled in the U.S..

She explains the Hindu inferiority complex and how she overcame it. She does not appear to be a Hindutva type of Hindu.

This appears to be a case of someone who overcame the inferiority complex and discovered what is positive in Hinduism without joining and endorsing Hindu fascist groups.

Others can learn from her.

Extracts from the article are given below.

By AditiB,

... It is true that in modern times, be it in India or America, Hindus have a hard time proudly affirming their religion without being accused of being fanatical or ignorant.

Even when I’d try to educate myself about Hinduism, the same inferiority complex would appear. Stories that form the heart of our culture and tradition are hidden in the mythology section, as if they’re nothing more than fiction. I once read an English account of Krishna’s life, and the author in the introduction informed the reader that such a story was not to be treated as truth or a valid historical account, but merely as an amusing escapade. Intellectual analyses of the religion focus on the fringe topics of tantric s'x and the Kama Sutra, ignoring the deeper and more central issues of Hinduism.

Widespread insecurity and an inferiority complex plague today’s Hindus. This malaise arises because Hinduism is one of the very few religions surviving that is not strictly monotheistic and sustains traditions and rituals foreign to the more simplistic ideologies of the West.

I discovered that Hindus are an oddity as a child, when other kids would ask me why wear dots on our heads, though I never did nor did anyone from my family. As I grew older, students would ask if we really worship cows and who exactly are the elephant and monkey gods. In comparative religion classes in high school, after teachers would expound for days on the intricate beliefs of Judaism and Christianity, Hinduism and other Eastern religions were briefly mentioned and skimmed over. On one of the last days of class, we took a trip to the local temple. People oohed and ahhed at the exotic statues, observed with smiles the rituals of aarti and strange-sounding mantras, regarding it all as objects of amusement rather than devotion.

....Such incidents affected me. When questioned, I would present Hinduism stripped of its rich stories and idols, as a monotheistic conception of God. I would stress the similarities between Hinduism and Western religions as much as possible. And inside, I would feel, in some part of my mind, that Hinduism was somehow not as intellectual, not as deep, as advanced, or as modern as Christianity or Judaism.

Eventually, as I learned more and more about the religion, as I became attuned to the subtle intricacies and ancient wisdom, those insecurities and notions left me. I became a proud Hindu and I didn’t feel the need to prove its validity or worth to others.

I don’t think this problem is limited to those of us growing up in America; I see it in my parents’ friends, the older generations, and Hindus living in India today. I attribute it to many factors. In India, Hindus have been dominated by Muslim invaders for thousands of years and Christian rulers for centuries. The bigotry they faced left an indelible mark upon the culture, a vicious insecurity that festers today, in a country where speaking English and studying in London are key indicators of accomplishment. It’s aggravated by the current need to participate in cultural and economic globalization, convenient vehicles to spread American pop culture and fundamentally Judeo-Christian values.

....I feel that what has helped me the most is my parents’ honest and meaningful discussions about what Hinduism really means and not just the stories of Ganesh and Krishna. Reading and feeling the spirituality and mysticism of Swami Vivekananda from his own writings has given me tremendous respect and veneration for the religion. The more I learned about Hinduism from its true sources, the more connected I felt to it.

Hindutva is falling apart - see their thugs Uma Bharati, Advani, and now Thackeray !!!

Another component of the Parivar, Shiv sena is falling apart.

Hindutva is driven by a multi-headed hydra called the Sangh parivar. All of them subscribe to an ideology that its followers cannot describe. The parivar is at logger heads – the BJP reports to RSS, but wants some independence, the VHP claims to be the saviour of the Hindus from extinction, but is angry with Vajpayee as he did not build the temple.

The only common attribute is Hindu chauvinism.

The Shiv Sena is another dimension, a corss-breed of Marashtrian and Hindu chauvinism.

Bal Thackeray, like Uma Bharati, wears tiger clothes and spouts fascist sentiments – he told a visiting German TV crew that headmired Germany because of Hitler. When the Germans are trying to live down that ignominy, trust a Hindu to be a Hitlerist !

As the nation enjoys the spectacle of infighting between the various Hindu thugs like Advani and RSS, and Uma Bharti and BJP, a similar drama is going on in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena is built on a personality cult round an ageing demagogue. His progeny are bickering to grab power. Thackeray’s son is lacklustre, but he is the Fuhrer's son, so he is favoured over the nephew Raj, who feels he is a better demagogue and a more worthy successor.

Raj says that he has been humiliated by Thackeray, but he adds that Thackeray is still his god !! “I have no complaints against Bal Thackeray. He was, is and will always remain a god for me. I deserved respect, but instead I was insulted.”

Funny, this Hindu concept of god. To say a man is a god is strange enough, to say a thug who is responsible for violence is one’s god is the height of it !! Then to say that my god has betrayed me but still he is my god shows that such Hindus do not have the rudiments of comprehension.

This is Hindutva – the worship of fascist thugs like Savarkar, Advani, Modi and Thackeray.

Maharashtra and Shiva Sena shows why Hindus are the worst anti-nationals in India

Maharashtra is the abode of Maratha and Hindutva Hindu chauvinists. This is where the notorious Chitpawan Brahmins of the RSS come from.

On the one hand, these people boast about Shivaji and like to portray him as a valiant fighter against Muslims. However, under all this Hindutva Hindu posturing about Hindu unity, there is also the Maratha chauvinism and the Brahmin-sudra divide.

Bal Thackeray started in the 1960s rallying the Marathas with anti-south Indian feelings.

Later, the Shiv Sena became the promoter of anti-Muslim riots; for many Hindus, that is a sign of patriotism.

Now, the same type of people are against Biharis and northern Indians. They have used mob violence against poor Biharis to drive them out of the state.

Who is doing all this anti-national activity ? It is always the Hindus.

Why don't the Hindus leave behind casteism, communalism and regionalism, and start to think as Indians ?