“This Shankaracharya is a power broker.”
“They have no base beyond a narrow caste circle.”
“Their utility to the larger cause of Hindutva in today’s polity is mostly nil.”
So writes a certain Aravindan Neelakandan in a certain online portal called “Swarajyamag” (https://swarajyamag.com/commentary/avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-a-symptom-of-a-deeper-malaise/) about a Peethadeeshwar who owes His existence to a luminous person who appeared on this earth, more specifically, in Bharat, before the majority two Abrahamic religions were born. That luminous soul is Adi Shankaracharya and He rejuvenated Hinduism like never before. He was the “OG” Reformer who sliced the “reforms” propagated by Buddhism which did not give importance to the Vedas and our Devi-Devatas and threw it out of public domain. He reestablished Dharma as per our Shastras and through His colossal works including commentaries (Bhashyas), Shlokas, Stotras and more, made sure that we Hindus will remember the words of Brahmn (Vedas) and our Rishis for times to come. And the current Peethadeeshwars of the various Mathas who call themselves Shankaracharyas work day and night to make sure that Hindus still learn about Dharma with the help of these works of Adi Shankaracharya and our ancient Rishis and Devi-Devatas.
Some mentally stunted individuals who cannot see beyond the wisdom of Dr. Ambedkar and the words of the Sarsangchalaks of RSS obviously cannot comprehend the vastness of Dharma and hence seek to reform Hinduism. They think that by calling something (which they themselves cannot comprehend or explain properly) “Hindutva” and by linking it to modern politics, they have done a great service to Sanatan Dharma. They forget that even the great Chanakya whose name they keep misusing, did not deny the words in the Vedas or any of our ancient scriptures. He also did not seek to “reform” Hinduism or Dharma, nor did he use any incomprehensible, new nomenclature to define his policies or politics, for that matter. Unfortunately, these mentally stunted individuals think that by abusing and destroying the age-old Varna-Jaati system of Hinduism and giving this the tag of social equality, they will achieve greatness in the eyes of those they call intellectuals and leaders. They even have a newfound term for it – Subaltern Hindutva.
Adi Shankaracharya greatly respected a renowned scholar called Kumarila Bhatta. If one were to read about Kumarila Bhatta, one would know that he infiltrated a Buddhist Monastery to learn about Buddhism so that he could expose the hypocrisy of the then Buddhists and destroy the sect which had misguided Hindus to leaving their ancient knowledge systems, the Vedas, the Shastras, Yajnas and other rituals. Adi Shankaracharya was indeed born to show and bring back our people to the path of Sanatan Dharma once again, away from Buddhism. Unfortunately, in modern times “intellectuals” started calling Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu and started worshipping Him again. This started a new round of seeking “reforms” in Hinduism once again. This current government along with its parent body, the RSS, has been instrumental in using Dr. Ambedkar’s works and personality to recreate a cult of people who do not care for the rituals or traditions of Sanatan Dharma, but believe that Dr. Ambedkar’s vows which incite people to go against our Devi-Devatas, will bring about social equality. Shri Aravindan Neelakandan is one such person and he calls the Shankara Peethas an old structure which is a symptom of a deeper malaise. But when it comes to Dr. Ambedkar’s vows he has given extensive explanations and excuses to make Hindus accept them. Shri Neelakandan in his article, https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/from-hatred-to-samanvaya-how-hinduism-can-render-the-23-vows-of-navayana-buddhism-irrelevant/ says “Attacking Hindu Gods and Goddesses was for Bodhisattva Ambedkar a provocation – a challenge to the conscience of Hindus. It is not absolute. If it is an absolute then it is hatred. And of all persons a Bodhisattva, however harsh he is to the context for the good of all, can never be given to hatred. To make the aversion in the vows an absolute is to be a fundamentalist of hatred and that is against the core spiritual democratic values of Dr. Ambedkar.” So basically Hindus should accept any attack on their core Dharma but our Dharmacharyas should not fight back against attacks on Hinduism even if certain politicians in power break our Temples and Vigrahas or accept slaughtering of cows.
As a simple housewife who has had the immense fortune of having the Shankaracharya of Shree RamachandraPura Matha as my Guru, I would like to point out that these people who are baying for the blood of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati are probably not even worthy of comparison with any Acharya of any Gurukul or Sanskrit Paathshala. They think that having modern education makes them more intelligent because it is this very education which has made them so deracinated that they don’t understand even a little bit about the vastness of Dharma, especially Sanatan Dharma. Shri Neelakandan writes, “What is the place of Dharmacharyas in today’s world of politics and power?” He goes on to refer to Samartha Ramdas, Azhwars and Swami Jayendra Saraswati as “good acharyas” who did not go after the wealthy kings, but rose above wealth. It is difficult to imagine our present day Shankaracharyas (any of them) soaking in wanton pleasures that wealth has to offer. Yes, they may use a car or an air-conditioner in their room, but they still follow strictly all the rules as laid down by the Peetha, whether it is food or bed or luxuries or even books/information that they imbibe. Perhaps Shri Neelakandan thinks that the Shankaracharyas or other Dharmacharyas who follow traditional Peethas are like some modern Gurus who are very popular and basically salesmen for everything from shampoos to agarbattis to even Shivratri worship.
Swami Ramdas encouraged Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj to fight for Swarajya, but He did not stop him from marrying more than once, because the two did not conflict each other. Swami Jayendra Saraswati faced tremendous hardships because of His incarceration by J Jayalalita but not once did He curse her. It takes a Dharmacharya to know that no soul is beyond redemption. It is infact the duty of the Dharmacharyas to encourage every soul to walk on the path of Dharma, even if people do not understand why an Adi Shankaracharya visits a Kapalika.
Shri Neelakandan like other BJP supporting trolls, has spewed venom against an institution which has lasted centuries but finds it difficult to accept that a Shankaracharya can appreciate and bless a family which has made sure that people from various nationalities around the world were made to witness a Dharmic Marriage in a time when the institution of marriage is questioned; where they were made to witness a ceremony where people actually followed traditional dressing, ate traditional vegetarian meals, did not indulge in alcohol or drugs during any of the events; where “Kanyadaan” of underprivileged girls was done and where there was “Annadaan” done every day for atleast 45 days. If this is not supporting and celebrating Hinduism, what is? Regarding the Shankaracharya blessing Uddav Thackeray’s family, how can anyone have any objection to that? To try and create a controversy with respect to His statement about Shri Thackeray being backstabbed and questioning the Shankaracharya’s standing in political affairs smacks of incredulous impunity strengthened by political backing of the “powerful”. This actually shows us the crass desire of certain powers to control how our mind perceives our Dharmacharyas in today’s time. They obliterate the image of the same Shankaracharya blessing PM Modi but keep showing Him talking about the backstabbing. Our Gurus always gave advice and blessings vocally to Rulers and those desirous of becoming Rulers; there’s nothing new in that and infact if one wants to stay on the path of Dharma while achieving one’s ambitions in modern day settings too, one should expose one’s family and friends to the teachings of our scriptures, our Vedas and follow our Shastras and Dharma Gurus, even if certain politicians and their yes-men don’t like it. Shastras are not to be moulded to suit our sensibilities and times; they are timeless and have to be followed. Else give up the claim to be protectors of Hindus and Hinduism. Call yourself the Subaltern slave of the New World Order.
One of the most contentious issues being discussed right now is the allocation of Rs.10 crores to the WAQF Board in Maharashtra. Fearing a severe backlash with a prospect of losing the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections, the notorious BJP IT Cell took it upon itself to validate the action of the current State Government. As per the tweets and whatsapp messages shared by them, the Maharashtra government has played a “masterstroke” by allotting these funds for digitizing all WAQF Property data. They claim that it was “mandatory” to give these funds to the WAQF board because it was promised by the Congress Government in 2007 – that’s right, 2007. So to honour the promise, Devendra Fadnavis, the current DCM of Maharashtra “played a very smart move” – use the funds to digitize the property because “This will enable the NDA Govt to easily take over WAQF properties taken over by it without documentation and redistribute it if all information is Digital.”
Needless to say, this oft-repeated move of using confusing statements to fool Hindus does not have many takers this time because there is not a single Hindu Marathi Manoos who is willing to be fooled this time. This is because of the following reasons:
WHERE IS THE DIGITISATION OF MANDIR (TEMPLE) LANDS HAPPENING? : If this government were a truly Hindutva-vaadi or even Secular, the Digitisation of Temple lands should have been a reality. Time and again, many Hindu organisations have been raising the issue of encroachment of land/property belonging to Hindu Temples and have only received a deaf ear to their issues. Not a single Temple has been able to remove encroachments and infact, in many areas, Abrahamic places of worship have been constructed on Temple lands illegally.
Coincidentally the Maharashtra government in 2016 itself had through its revenue department directed that all immovable WAQF properties which have been illegally transferred, sold or leased, be taken back and re-registered as WAQF property. So this excuse of doing it all over again via digitization seems to be just a way to help them financially all over again.
(Note: can be read at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/maharashtra-government-directs-to-take-back-encroached-WAQF-land/articleshow/52122385.cms?from=mdr)
IF WAQF ACT ITSELF IS ILLEGAL, WHY HELP THEM BECOME STRONGER? : On 8th December, 2023, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, Shri Harnath Singh Yadav passed a motion for The WAQF Repeal Bill, 2022, where he claimed that “The WAQF Act, 1954 was predicated on the management of WAQF; i.e. holding certain property and preserving it for the confined benefit of certain philanthropy and prohibiting any use or disposition of it outside that specific objective and had sought itself to be a measure towards public welfare and as a benevolent institution… Subsequently … the WAQF Act, 1954 was later repealed and the new WAQF Act was passed in 1995 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) giving more powers to WAQF boards. Amendments were later introduced in the year 2013, thereby arming the WAQF with limitless and absolute autonomy in the matters relating to it. Due to these powers, the WAQF Boards is now the third largest owner of land after the Indian Armed Forces and the Railways and their share of land has doubled since 2009. The enabling provisions enshrined in section 40 of the WAQF Act, 1995 gives powers to the Board to acquire, issue notices or hold an enquiry into the ownership of the property that it has reasons to believe belongs to the WAQF. The board is allowed to conduct an independent enquiry into the matter and arrive at a conclusion regarding the ownership of the contended property. The decision of the board is final unless revoked by a specific order of the Tribunal and the only remedy available to the aggrieved is to approach the Tribunal with a suit which is barred by a limitation of only one month. There appears to be no cogent reason as to why the Act itself should make an exception from the established principles of the Limitation Act, 1963. Appeals to the orders of the Tribunal are not maintainable in other Court of Law. Further, the burden of proof regarding the ownership of a land contended to be a property of WAQF falls on the person holding the possession of that land. Should the incumbent fail to prove his title to the satisfaction of the Board, such land or property shall have to be vacated. Such provisions invariably amount to depriving the citizens of their rights to seek constitutional remedies and are gross violation of natural justice. As such, it has been felt that there is a dearth of adequate safeguard to other communities and especially poor people for protection of their properties from its inclusion in WAQF… The WAQF Act is discriminatory both in intent and application while retaining a charitable optics and is in stark violation of article 13(2) of the Indian Constitution that prohibits the State from making laws that abridge the rights conferred to the citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution.”
As is obvious, the WAQF Act is draconian and totally unjust. That is why many BJP leaders including Sudhanshu Trivedi and Basangouda Patil have opposed it in the past. The above bill by Shri Yadav was tabled as a Private Member’s Bill and was introduced after 53 members voted in favour and 32 opposed the move. But as usual, after it was tabled, it died a natural death because such Private Bills do not become laws. Hindus were fooled once again, after being given a false hope.
Note: (The whole bill can be read at: https://sansad.in/getFile/BillsTexts/RSBillTexts/Asintroduced/WAQF%20repeal%201%20-E1219202361452PM.pdf?source=legislation)
RENT INCREASE FOR WAQF PROPERTIES BUT NOT FOR TEMPLE PROPERTIES : In 2020 Nawab Malik, minister, Minorities Development and Auqaf made sure that the WAQF Properties Lease Rules 2014 (Amendment-2020) was amended to allow WAQF properties charge substantially more by way of rent. Less than a week later Indian Oil, a Government enterprise, started paying Rs. 2.55 lakhs per month as rent on a property that they were paying Rs.2,500/- earlier. This was just one of the many properties that the government enterprises were occupying. Unfortunately for Hindus, not a single MLA from any Political Party thought it fit to help Hindu Temple properties receive more rent from current tenants, via changes in the rules for properties charging age-old rentals.
SHAHARI WAQF SAMPATTI VIKAS YOJANA(SWSVY) : The Central WAQF Council has been implementing this Scheme since 1974-75 with the annual Grant in aid provided by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Under the Scheme, the Central Government has released a total grant-in-aid amounting to Rs.6,500.88 Lakhs for major projects and Rs.868.56 lakhs for minor projects between September 1974 and March, 2023. The implementation of the above Scheme was reviewed with the State Governments and State WAQF Boards on 7.1.2017. Thereafter, the Scheme was got evaluated through National Institute of Labour Economics Research & development (NILERD), New Delhi. Among other recommendations, NILERD was of the view that the above Scheme needs to be continued at least for ten years more so that adequate number of WAQF properties could be developed. Congress Government starts schemes and BJP Government strengthens the vigorously. Ever heard of such a scheme for Hindu Trusts by any government at the State level or at the Centre?
(Note: can be viewed at https://centralWAQFcouncil.gov.in/content/background-scheme)
WAQF BOARD IS VERY RICH : As per the Maharashtra State Board of WAQF and other sources, it owns property of atleast 92,000 acres and a corpus fund of atleast Rs.360 crores. The combined rentals as per the new reckoner could run in crores. Why then is the current Mahayuti Government obliged to offer them Rs.10 crores when there is NO income to the government from the Board? In the case of Temples, the government earns in crores by way of donations, Darshan tickets, various taxes, melting of gold and other ornaments. Still, the BJP (or any other political party for that matter) does not think it necessary to give anything in return for the maintenance of our Temples or even for the pilgrims by way of Dharmshalas, cleanliness or even charity to only Hindus. Hindus should protest this step-motherly treatment.
As is very obvious from the above points, if any property is accepted as a WAQF property, it would then be impossible to sell it anymore even if such a property has been wrongfully claimed as WAQF property. Thousands of acres of land all over our country has been wrongfully claimed as WAQF property and the original owners of such land are incapable of fighting it off in the Tribunal or any other place of Law. When the WAQF Property Act itself has been claimed as being illegal, why can it not be done away with and the government use such land judiciously? When this BJP government could do away with Article 370 in J & K, can they not protect their own land from being swallowed by trespassers who claim it as their own even after being given about 1/3rd of the land during Partition? Is it not a travesty to keep paying more and more to them even if they do not contribute to the revenues of the Government? And is it not a crime to keep only Hindus away from the largesse that the State and Central Governments want to dole out only to Abrahamics for appeasement? Will digitizing it and putting the stamp of ownership not legalise the loot?
For the believer, the entire cosmos belongs to his Bhagwan and he is just a guest on Earth for a short time, merging into the cosmos when he leaves his mortal coils. But for the period that he is on Earth, the believer too is overcome most of the time, by Maya and thinks that he owns everything that he possesses, his house, his money, his family and friends, everything. In his ignorance he offers something to his Bhagwan with the feeling that he is partaking from “his” wealth and earning. Even the true Bhakta falls under the spell of Maya and forgets that the Giver and the Receiver, both, are the same. So how does one overcome this spell, even if for a few moments?
This is where a true Guru comes in. Without the Bhakta even realizing, the Guru makes the devotee forget everything other than Seva to the Guru and to the Divine in those moments that the devotee is in the Saanidhya (company) of the Guru. Sri Sankaracharya says, “The company of the wise, even for a moment, becomes the boat to cross across the ocean of Samsara.” Even simple spiritual practices in this age of Kaliyuga yields great results, it is said, and it is much easier to attain Bhagwan in this age than the other three yugas. In the Srimad Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana it is told that the nine forms of Bhakti are Sravana (hearing of God’s Lilas and stories), Kirtana (singing of His glories), Smarana (remembrance of His Name and presence), Padasevana (service of His feet), Archana (worship of God), Vandana (prostration to the Lord), Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God), Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self). When the Guru comes home and stays with one, does Puja to His Aaradhya Deities, trust me, all the above nine forms of Bhakti happens automatically.
The Vishnu Puran also says, “ध्यायन् कृते यजन् यज्ञैस्त्रेतायां द्रापरेऽर्च्चयन्। यदाप्रोति तदाप्रोति कलौ श्रीरामसंकीर्तनात्।।“ meaning, “Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Treta-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet in Dwapara-yuga is obtained in the Kali yuga simply by glorifying the name of Lord Shri Ram.” Now imagine a time when one’s Guru comes home along with His Aaradhya Devaru and His Shishyas and stays for a whole day. Well, it happened to us… Whatever I write about our experience will fall short of what we all felt then, but I must give you all a peak into our experience, in the hope that some of you will be blessed to have a similar opportunity as well. About two months before our Guru came to our home, we were informed about the visit. Immediately we set to work preparing the house for the visit. As per tradition, we had to clear the house of all surface areas which had anything other than wood/metal, as to make the house empty for atleast 70-80% of the space. Every contact area of the house had to be cleaned up thoroughly and left unused for atleast 2 days before the visit. We shifted to my Mother’s flat which was next door along with all the things we thought we would need for those 2 days.
We ran through every single detail like the purchase of flowers, making of garlands, making arrangements for the stay of the Shishyas in other flats in the building, getting space for parking of the vehicles, getting extra cotton beds & pillows stitched up, putting up new curtains for all the windows, making banners, buying grocery/vegetables as per requirement of the Sri Savaari (the team with Guruji), and so many more things, again and again. We wanted everything to be perfect. Obviously it was not a job for just two family members. Without realizing that we were doing it, we were perpetually in a Satsang where other community members, neighbours, vendors and workers joined in automatically and effortlessly. I was reciting the Rama Taraka Japa continuously without even realizing it even though i rarely do it otherwise.
On the day that Guruji came home, it was like a Mela in the building. Women were getting ready for the Purna Kumbha Swagat (holding a Kalash with water, flowers, mango leaves, coconut and a coin in it). Many ladies were making the Malas for decorating the house and building and some were making Tulsi Malas to be put on Guruji, some were making Malas for decorating the Deities who would arrive a little before Guruji’s arrival. There is no doubt in my mind that the Guru Himself was responsible for this entire charged up energy of devotion and surrender that was being built minute by minute in everyone. Though we had made arrangements for sufficient Kalashas, we fell short of them, but then again, those who did not have the Kalash made sure they welcomed Guruji with equal vigour and devotion by showering flower petals on the path. The traditional washing of the feet and then the Dhuli-Puja took place. And there was a pleasant surprise for all of us! We had earlier been told that the Puja would be done only the next morning, but to the immense happiness of all present, the evening Puja was performed at our home that day. It was magical. After receiving Darshan and Blessings, devotees departed after having dinner and they cleaned up before leaving. Even work like washing of the vessels used for the Puja was taken care of by the devotees. Total Seva Bhaav…
The Puja next day was to start before 6am and again, everything went off smoothly, including the arrival of the fresh flowers for the Puja. Soon it was time for people to come for Darshan and blessings of Guruji and the whole place was empty. I was a little disappointed that no one seemed to have come for the Darshan and I told the Sevaks that maybe only about 25-30 people might turn up. Most of the people from our Havyaka community were to be present at the next destination of the Sri Savaari, about an hour from our house and so I assumed that they had not come to our house for this reason. But suddenly just 15 minutes before Guruji came to His gaddi (seat), more than 100-150 people landed up at our small house. The sudden rush was unbelievable… Even though so many had turned up, everyone miraculously got enough time to speak to Guruji, get Mantra-akshate and Blessings leisurely. When it was time to leave for the next destination, my husband, son and I went down to see Him off and were told very sweetly by a member of the Sri Savari that we had to drop them all off right upto the next destination. Without thinking twice, we hopped on to the car and left with Guruji’s cavalcade. Our thoughts were only with Guruji and Prabhu Sri Rama & Parivaara. We came back home only after the evening Puja at the next destination. And then realized that we had not even had anything to eat or drink till then. The realization of the total surrender to the Seva of all the family members hit us only the next day when it dawned on us that none of us had clicked any photos of the stay or Pujas. The inner joy that each one of us felt, was to be experienced to be believed. No photographs could have ever captured the memories of the visit and the blessings that we had.
The nine forms of Bhakti – Sravana, Kirtana, Smarana, Padasevana, Archana, Vandana, Dasya, Sakhya and Atmanivedana happened effortlessly for the days before and during Guruji’s visit, not just for us but for all those who had participated. In Kaliyuga, even this much time spent in Satsang can help us on our path of Sadhana and Seva. It is only a true Guru who can make this happen and I join my family, friends and Samaj in prostrating before our Guru, Shree Shree Raghaveshwara Bharati Mahaswamiji, the Shankaracharya of Shree Ramachandrapura Matha, Gokarna, Karnataka. Vande Gomataram !!!
Ps: The photos shared are those clicked by the visiting devotees.
We Hindus today have a big dilemma and that is how to address morality issues when it comes to women. In the past, adhering to morality was automatically expected of women but most of the times, no one mentioned what actually was morality. Victorian morals were more or less enforced on us too and were generally accepted as the hallmark of morality, especially for women. Dressing modestly, returning home before nightfall, being religious, staying true to one partner, not answering back, not indulging in affairs, remaining a virgin before marriage, etc. were all part of this and since a lot of this was expected in Hindu Dharma too, it was accepted by society and women who followed all this were considered paragons of virtue.
But when the girls started stepping out of the house to study further or to go out to work, when girls came to money via their own efforts, it was obvious that they started questioning why all the moral issues were to be followed only by them and not by the boys or men. This started creating a great conflict in homes and society in general and the terms “liberal or modern” and “traditional” started being used everywhere sometimes as a slur and sometimes as a label of how a lady or girl was viewed in general. But the matter did not end here. When a “liberal” lady became very successful and married an equally or more successful man, and stayed faithful in her marriage (atleast in public eye), all her past was promptly forgotten and she was now labeled “traditional”. Conversely, if a “traditional” woman opposed any popular opinion/leader/boss, she would now be labeled as “liberal” because her views did not match the views of the majority. We see this happening often with respect to women from the film/tv/media/politics/modeling industry and also with respect to women on the top in Business. This skewed view has made hypocrites of us and made us take sides in public, ignoring all the efforts put by the lady in question, to rise to the top. Suffice to say that “It is still a man’s world and many women follow the opinion of the men in their lives, subduing their own voice.”
Two recent events that made me question morality occurred in my social media interactions. The first happened on Twitter. A reputed doctor who constantly supported Traditional Hindu issues and criticized the party in power for not attending to these issues, was supposedly doxxed and her detractors revealed that she had married a non Hindu in the past. Though no evidence was provided for the same, many twitterati thought it correct to abuse the lady for claiming to be a “Traditional” when actually she was “Liberal”. The second instance was with respect to an upcoming YouTuber and Podcaster who has been putting out fantastic content regularly. I was surprised that though her content was good, it was not picked up much though in this case, she was a supporter of the party in power. Recently I heard some horrid news making the rounds that she had acted in a “bold” film earlier and so she was to be shunned or not promoted. Imagine my surprise when I came to know that it was a short film made with friends and was not a porn film and had no nudity either. It was obvious here that the objection was because she was making good content which was different from what was usually pedaled by the cronies of various political parties, and probably not seeking money or favours from the political parties. This was enough to brand her morals as “questionable” because she had made an offbeat “bold”, romantic film in the past. Such a horrible situation to be in! You work hard to come up, earn honestly and then face this. These people who were passing rumours were the same people who were considering Katrina Kaif as “traditional” now and Kangana Ranaut as “perfect example of Hindu Nari”. Not that either of them deserve any labeling but just that the irony is too much to be digested.
I am very much for staying within the normal norms of morality for both men and women, but to label only women as having “loose morals” is just an indication of a rotting society. In any case, both these strong women have taken things in their stride and will continue on their path successfully I’m sure, because while the others are throwing stones at them, these women are using them to make bridges to make friends with humanity. As far as the stone throwers go, well, they still have dreams of taking over the world and are wondering why they are not successful…
Two great events which involved destruction are also the most important events which bring us closer to Shiva and Shakti. Shiva without Shakti is a Shava (dead body) and Shakti without Shiva is meaningless. If one were to restrict our understanding to our mind, one would feel that both are equally capable of existing alone – but when we learn to unravel and understand existence, we get a glimpse of how the two are One. This is exactly what our Navratras are about; outwardly we think that it is a festival of only Devi (Shakti) but when we see how She blossoms from Shailputri to Durga, we realise that Her existence has Shiva woven into every aspect of Her.
As the story of the Shaktipeethas goes, Daksha was a staunch devotee of MahaVishnu to the extent that he refused to acknowledge Mahadev completely. His daughter Sati fell in love with Shiva and insisted on marrying only Him. Grudgingly Daksha married Her off to Shiva, but he refused to accord Shiva the respect deserved by a son-in-law who was also the Supreme One. To insult his son-in-law, Daksha has a Yagna where he invites and offers Ahuti to every Devata but not to Mahadev and this affects Sati so much that She immolates Herself in the Yagna-kund. Mahadev sends Veerabhadra to decapitate Daksha and on the prayers of the other Devatas to revive Daksha so that the Yagna could be completed, Shiva allows a goat-head to be put on the body of Daksha and revives him. Then He roams around the universe with Sati’s charred body till such time as MahaVishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra doesn’t cut the charred remains of Sati into many pieces which fall in various places in BharatVarsha. These places where the body pieces fell are today known as Shakti-peethas where Maa is worshipped in all Her splendor. This is the first story of destruction – Sati’s self-immolation which resulted in Her Bhakti all over the country and brought Her devotees closer to Her and Shiva.
Thousands of years later, Parvati who is Sati in a subsequent life, does severe Tapas (meditation) to attain Shiva as Her husband. Shiva seemingly refuses to acknowledge Parvati’s desire and stays immune to her beauty, charms and devotion. Again, all the Devatas get worried because Tarakasura’s death has been foretold to take place by their offspring Skanda and if Shiva were to not “desire” Parvati, how could Skanda be born? They send Kama and Rati to disturb the Tapasya of Shiva and make Him look at Parvati with longing to be one with Her. Kama succeeds in doing this, but only for a moment and the next minute he is burnt to ashes by Shiva opening His third eye with anger. Parvati gets disturbed by this and She goes into even more intense Tapasya till Shiva agrees to wed her. After the marriage, when all the Devi-Devatas assemble in front of Shiva and Parvati, they notice that the ashes of Madana are still there. Chitraketu makes a small doll of the ashes and it comes to life. But because the ashes were formed by a combination of Kama’s arrogance (that he could disturb the Tapasya of Shiva) and Mahadev’s anger, it becomes an Asura. He asks for a boon from Shiva that if anyone challenges him to a battle, half of that person’s strength should go to him and that he should not be killed by any man. On hearing these words, Brahma says, “Bhanda, Bhand” in despair and worry and this asura created from the ashes of Kama is called Bhandasura. This very Asura and his Sena (warriors) are destroyed by Lalita Tripurasundari and Her child Bala and other Shaktis. At the end of this war between Lalita Tripurasundari and Bhandasura, Her various Shaktis recite Her thousand names and adore Her. Till today, lakhs of ladies (and gents) chant this Lalita Sahasranamavalli during the Navratras and seek Her blessings, thus making Her a part of every household celebrating Navrati.
Two catastrophic events resulted in Shiva and Shakti being adored and worshipped even more, by Hindus all over the world. The common thread in both these events is destruction of Ahamkar or Ego and the play of Shiva and Shakti in making us realise this. Shiva is Ashutosh – He blesses in seconds, but the slightest of ego makes Him angry and He blesses only after destroying that ego. Shakti can destroy everything to protect Her devotees, but She will do so only after making Herself pure in the Agni of Tapasya, thus making us aware of the importance of Tapasya before offering oneself to the Divine.
Our ShaktiPeethas remind us again and again of the flaws in us humans who rarely try to conquer Ahamkar and the feeling of invincibility presuming that we are the most powerful ones. One of the best examples of this is JwalaMukhi ShaktiPeetha in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, where the Jyot (flames) is burning for thousands and thousands of years. There is no Vigraha here which is worshipped. She is worshipped in the form of the flames itself and the nine flames represent the different forms of Mata Saraswati, Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Vindhyavasini, Mahalaxmi, Mahakali, Ambika, and Anjana. One of the well-known stories of this ShaktiPeetha is that Akbar tried to douse the flames by covering them with a sheath. The flames burned even brighter and Akbar, with a false show of modesty, offered a gold Chattra (umbrella) to Maa. Maa did not accept his gift and the gold got converted miraculously into some unknown metal which was considered worthless. This is displayed till today in the Temple premises. Arrogance and a show of wealth don’t impress the Divine Mother. What touches Her is simple, true devotion to Her and selfless help to fellow creatures and Nature.
Let us always remember that both Shiva and Shakti are One and only true Bhakti and Vinayata (Humility) can help us attain Their lotus feet.
PART I
If anyone thinks that Bharat is still majorly Hindu only because we fought physically against the Invaders, it would not be completely wrong. But one must remember that the Wars against Invaders were of many kinds. Let me enumerate some of the methods by which we fought these wars. This will also help the reader understand why it is impossible to blame Brahmins & Kshatriyas for keeping other Jaatis away from knowledge of our Shastras and their reported ill-treatment of other Jaatis leading to modern day Conversions.
1. Ofcourse the first and most obvious method of fighting the Invaders was by actually going into the battlefield and fighting them. While almost all other countries converted into Christianity or Islam in the face of utmost cruelty and torture by these two cults, Bharat resisted being overtaken by either of these Abrahamic cults, thanks to our Dharmic Rajas and Ranis. They never gave up and kept fighting for Dharma and Honour. Fact is that till today Hindus are trying their best (even the deracinated & secular ones) to resist Conversion into Christianity or Islam.
2. Now read this very carefully because what I’m about to say is something that most people don’t know about or don’t believe or don’t find it convenient to agree upon. Hindu Dharma is the ONLY Dharma which openly welcomed back those who had been converted into other religions/religious paths, back into their fold. Believe it or not, this reconversion existed even after Buddhism declined in India. Most people who had decided to follow the Buddhist path came back into the Hindu fold, re-learnt the Vedas & other scriptures and followed the Hindu rituals once again. Same was the case with those who had converted into Jainism especially in South India. When the new Rulers gave more importance to Hinduism, Hindu Temples & rituals, the common-man also started re-adopting Sanatana Vedic Dharma as his faith. There was no punishment for Apostasy and hence, going back to the parent Dharma, Hinduism, was simple and the most logical thing to do.
Since this template already existed, Bharat was equally successful in accepting people who had been converted forcibly by the Islamic Invaders, into the Hindu fold as and when a Hindu Raja reclaimed lands from the Invaders. Proof of this is evident in books written by historians, especially before 1500 AD. People of Sindh, Kabul, Lahore and more were reconverted by the ruling Kings of that era into their original religion Hinduism, without any opposition by the common man or Priestly class (Brahmins). In fact such Reconversion was the norm. This is the ONLY reason why though most of our Boundary regions were attacked again and again, we remained majorly Hindu. We wouldn’t give up our culture and came back to our parent Dharma as soon as it was possible. For those who find it difficult to believe, check out the Reconversions during Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s rule and the formation of the Vijaynagar Empire. Factually, our Yatis (Sanyasis & Dharmacharyas) and Brahmins and ofcourse our Kshatriyas, supported these Reconversions.
3. Protecting our Rituals, Scriptures, Temples, Festivals, Culture & Traditions and our Art forms was another way to fight against our Invaders. We all know about the various stories of Brahmin Priests of Temples giving up their lives to protect the Vigrahas of our Bhagwans or how they hid the Murtis till it was right, even generations later, to do Punah Sthapana of these Vigrahas of Bhagwans in our Temples. Similarly when it became more and more difficult to recite from our Vedic Scriptures because of various reasons, the Bhakti Movement took over and people preserved their love for Dharma via Bhakti Sangeet, Satsangs, community festivals and so on. Probably our Puranas were now read more than our Vedas during this era. Both co-existed and both got equal respect. Unfortunately fewer and fewer people spent more time reading and learning the Vedas and other scriptures because of reasons like fear, more work (because of Jiziya payable), constant migration and various other reasons. It fell mainly upon the Brahmins to preserve these memories and texts, on the Kshatriyas to protect the land and on the Vaishyas to spread the culture to far off places.
PART II
In the first part we saw how neither Jaati-Varna nor Societal practices came in the way of converts returning to Hinduism. People from all walks of life understood that conversions were forced and hence at the first given opportunity, many valiant Rulers who won their regions back from the Islamic invaders promoted “ghar wapasi”. If this were true, then when did the situation change and why did it not happen after the 16th century and why is it not happening today?
After the 16th century, we see that Islamic rulers who stayed back in India mostly ruled the country. The invasions by “foreigners” were fewer and hence, though the fight against the Islamic forces continued, fewer Hindu kings indulged in trying to get people back into the Hindu fold. The Christian forces too had started entering the country and we had a new enemy to deal with. By the time the East India Company had started grabbing territories, both Hindu and Muslim rulers had a common enemy – the Europeans, especially the British. In the face of a common enemy, fighting to save their territory became more important than fighting to save Dharma. Even in Karnataka and Kerala where Hindus were fighting against a very cruel Tipu Sultan and the Moplahs, the more important fight was to protect the Temples and the territories – reconverting Hindus lost to Islam hardly featured in the struggle. It was a lost cause. Royal Patronage given to reconverting Hindus reduced – the royal patronage now worked more towards rebuilding Temples and Dharamshaalas to help in somehow keeping the homes of our Deities intact and making sure that devotees were never bereft of their Teerthsthals. Many Temples all over the country which exist till today were rebuilt during the 17th and 18th century.
When the Christians started their Inquisition in Goa and other areas, flight overtook fight. Here was an enemy which was vastly different from the earlier invaders. The earlier invaders fought directly but this invader (the East India Company & the Britishers) fought more through deceit than war. They used business and trade as a tool to capture more and more areas. They did not initially convert people into their religion, nor did they put to death those who followed a religion other than theirs. So the defense tactics of the then Rulers and their subjects also was different. They fought for territory, not Dharma. Another important point was that the British played the Muslims against the Hindus very smoothly as per their “Divide and Conquer” policy. Thanks to all this, reconversion into Sanatan Dharma became the least important factor and this continued well into the 20th Century. By the time we entered into the 20th century, the British had started converting people into Christianity and also started playing mind games with our people. The roots of hating Brahmins who were the only ones now educated in the Vedas and other scriptures, and were majorly, the protectors of ancient knowledge systems, rituals, traditions, started at this time. Simultaneously, the Thakurs (land owners), the Moneylenders, etc were also now hated because they were responsible for collecting taxes, giving loans at exorbitant rates to help the Empire. The British and their Pastors used all this to make every Hindu hate himself/herself irrespective of whichever “caste” they belonged to and slowly hate the Vedic religion itself by making us believe that we were a race of lowly people who had to be uplifted. The first seeds of victimization also started during this period and thanks to the unlimited poverty and religious hatred by the time we got our Independance, we were now a country divided on the lines of Religion and Caste.
After Independance started the new Era of self-shaming, self-hating politics of victimization. Now we were living in a new India where everyone other than a Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya Hindu, were victims. The Christian was a victim, the Muslim, the Shudra, the Tribal, everyone was a victim and Hindus who belonged to the above three Varnas, were the oppressors. In such a country was it ever possible to think of reconverting people into Hinduism?
Thanks to our new system of Democracy which was completely based on Voting for the Head of the State, religion became the new tool for controlling people. As we see today, the entire North East beyond Assam was captured by the Christian Missionaries thanks to the support of the Congress Governments. The Communist Parties supported Naxalism and Maoism and using Atheism as a façade, they converted tribal people in the Red Corridor into Christianity. Thanks to a Christian as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, conversion there proliferated right from the 80s onwards, even though one of the most popular Hindu pilgrim site, Tirupati Balaji exists in Andhra Pradesh. Christian schools and colleges maintained a strong hold over the education system all over the country and still continue to do so. In the case of Islam, rampant appeasement policies of various State Governments and Central Governments made it enticing to convert into Islam. This included various funds given for student scholarships, marriages, visiting pilgrim sites, going abroad for studies, complete government support and funding for Madarsas, salaries paid to Imams and Mullahs by the Government from public funds, etc. All these became possible because of continuous political patronage of the Government in power at the Centre and State. The Hindu who did not convert to any other religion is today left with a begging bowl, seeking alms of Equal Treatment from the political parties of the country.
The situation today is so bad that the so-called minorities indulge in :
- Emboldened attack on government installations and projects like was done in Vizhinjam, Kerala against the port project; closure of the Sterlite plant in Chennai and many more. Both these examples were protests done by Christian groups with their religious heads.
- Constant attacks on Hindus by radical and anti-social Islamists, especially during religious processions and festivals.
- Attacks on public servants like teachers and medical personnel if any government aided programme like Covid vaccination for example, is carried out.
- Rampant infiltration of illegal aliens like Bangladeshis and Rohingyas especially in border areas of the country is happening with active government support.
- Hindu girls are targeted, trapped, raped and killed just because they are Hindu, by motivated Muslim youngsters.
While the above list is not exhaustive, it is enough to make us wonder why our Hindu people have stopped expecting our Political leaders to make the country safe for Hindus, the original inhabitants and the inheritors of this great Sanatan Dharma. Why are we not questioning the politics behind this unfair appeasement of people of non-Indic religions? Our ancient religion is the ONLY ONE which is still standing tall where all other ancient civilizations fell at the swords or deceit or lure of the barbarian Abrahamic cults. Why are we not rising to protect it?
What is needed is that instead of appeasing Minorities, every form of Government needs to protect the most ancient civilization, heritage and religion of this World. Like the earlier rulers who gave protection and patronage to those who resisted the invaders or wanted to come back to their parent religion, it is time that the Government (both Centre and State) give open protection and patronage/rewards to those who want to come back to Hinduism. The fear of apostasy should be removed from people’s minds. Reward those who protect and propagate Indic religions, including our Mathas and Temples. Article 25 of the Indian Constitution should be amended to “propagation of only Indic religions” and should not allow for conversion into Abrahamic religions via lure or violence, especially via mass conversions like “faith healing”. The doles given out currently work strongly against Hindu interests; if one converts/belongs to any Abrahamic religion, one is funded from birth to death, by the government of the ONLY Hindu Nation in the World. This is absolutely against the principles of Self-preservation. Vasudaiva Kutumbakam should not mean that the Carnivorous and the Herbivorous are placed in the same enclosure & the onlooker prays that the carnivore does not prey upon the herbivore. Islam and Christianity have so far succeeded in preying upon all the other ancient civilizations of the World. We have to fight back for Survival.
Note: Image taken randomly from the Net
One of the reasons why Hindus were able to keep their Dharma alive was that Hindus have manuals for war. Yes! We have manuals for when, where, how, why and who should go for war. We had these manuals from times immemorial and we followed them religiously and with full faith in their potency and wisdom.
Our Ramayana, Mahabharata and Durga Saptashati are veritable Manuals of War. They tell us very clearly the rules to be followed to attain victory.
When the enemy is Duryodhana who didn’t mind pushing lakhs of people into a war, even after Bhagwan Himself offered Peace, using underhanded means to finish off the enemy is Dharma not Adharma.
When the enemy is Raktabeeja who spawns more like himself, everytime he is bled, bleeding such an enemy dry is the only solution.
When the enemy is Ravana, who despite all his knowledge and possessions, becomes a megalomaniac and greedy for more, a simple, straightforward approach and which includes everyone, even the downtrodden, to fight him to the finish, is the best solution.
When a ruler imposes his unlawful will and powers to dominate like Vali, destruction with the use of guerilla tactics is the lawful approach.
When combined powers like that of Tarakasur become overconfident thinking that no one can touch them, even rallying behind a powerful child like Subrahmanya gives victory.
Every great king and queen of ours who fought against the Invaders drew strength from our Scriptures and Devi-Devatas. They fought not for personal gain, but for Dharma & Shaurya. And that is how we are still standing tall while all others collapsed against the cults which are neither Anaadi nor Ananth.
In today’s world we find the equivalents of all the above enemies (even in the form of Nations) and the required solutions too from our own scriptures. We need to reinvent our fights against Abrahamic forces, against the New World Order using our Dharma to defeat such enemies. Yes, the figurehead under whom we fight is most important, but as soldiers we can atleast fight on the right side of Dharma to protect our own civilization and identity.
— Rati Hegde
As a person having a Social Media presence, one knows the value of the perfect mix of Time and Authenticity. Certain information or news are extremely time sensitive but if the information/news shared turns out to be even a little bit incorrect, that information/news is discarded and infact, it is counter-productive. So when a group of Social Media advocators & proponents meet, it is just befitting that they meet in a place which rules Time & Truth – Kaal & Satya … the only place which fits in perfectly is Ujjain, the holy city of Mahakaal.
Mahakaal is Mahadev, the ruler of Time – there is none beyond Time, the eternal witness, and ruling Time is Parabrahman or Mahadev in His form as Mahakaal. When Samachar Manyata Association for Research and Training (SMART) decided to hold their annual retreat in Ujjain, it was the perfect setting for a Confederation which aims to support factual news & views givers who also represent the Hindu Voice. The aim of the meet was primarily to bring people with like goals together, face to face. Also on the anvil were discussions regarding news collection, problems faced on the path, various solutions to such problems, making sure that efforts of members get wider reach, sharing of personal tragedies faced by members in States which were anti-Hindu and more. For the first time many members realised how difficult the task of news sharing was when the State was against certain sections of society and how despite such problems, our brave Hindus were bringing out factual news of violence on Twitter or YouTube. The heart sent out a silent prayer to Mahakaal to protect such Sanatanis.
Ujjain, the capital of the ancient region called Avantika, was at one time ruled by the mighty Vikramaditya. It is here that the great poet Kalidasa got his wisdom and Raja Vikramaditya, his sword, from Kalika Mata. It is also the city where the powerful Kalabhairava is offered liquor by His Bhakts and where every evening, two ancient Deep-stambhs are lit up during the MahaAarti to HarSiddhi Mata. It is the Nagari which reminds us of the ultimate destination of our physical body ie. the smashaan or crematorium where our bodies are burnt to ash (Bhasma) and this Bhasma is used to cover Mahakaal during the Bhasmaarti during the Brahma-muhurat every morning. The Kshipra river stands witness to the countless people taking a dip in Her holy waters everyday and especially during Kumbh Mela. The banks of the river bear witness to the birth of a civilization which made sure that the five elements (Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vaayu, Aakash) were worshipped and respected eternally. One has to see the Temples dotting every inch of space on the entire stretch of the river bank to realise that in our Hindu civilization, we first bowed down to our Bhagwans, our Devis, before we built our houses beyond the Temples. Yes, we bowed down to our Supreme Brahman before we went about our lives in this material world.
The SMART team worked hard for two months before this trip to make sure that every member and knowledge provider who attended the meet got a satisfying Darshan of the Bhasmaarti and Mahakaal, and all the important Temples of Ujjain like Gadh Kalika Mata, Har Siddhi Mata, KalaBhairava and Mangalnath Temples. We also visited the Sandipani Ashram where Bhagwan Sri Krishna had studied and learnt about the 64 kalas that were taught in ancient times. How everyone wished that these were taught in our schools even today! The cave where Raja Bhartrihari met his Guru, Guru Gorakshnath and did meditation made one realise that the path to Siddhi and Moksha was indeed a difficult one, requiring Gurukrupa.
It wasn’t all Bhakti and prayers alone, it was a lot of fun too. A chance encounter with a swing outside the GadhKalika Mandir, brought out the child in many. The cultural programmes, smoothly compered by Nidheesh Goyal ji of Jumbo Talks were a fusion of dance, instruments, singing and poetry. The walk on, to and fro the Mahakaal Corridor tested everyone’s stamina, thirst and tolerance for the mediocre. If it were not for the superlative food, excellent hospitality and comfort provided by the Hotel Atharva staff, our energy levels would have probably not been so high. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the trip was the sharing of ideas, experiences, problems and solutions by the members and staff of SMART. A trip which started with the BhasmAarti of Mahakaal ended with renewed energy to fight the timeless challenges faced by Sanatan Dharma with valour, dedication and truth on our side. A sincere thanks to the SMART team for making all this possible. Jai Mahakaal.
Recently on LinkedIn I read about a beggar in Mumbai who is worth 7 crores. 7 crores, can you imagine? And he still begs. He had started begging as a young man near CST railway station, saved up enough to marry, buy 2 flats and educate his children. Now as a senior citizen whose children have their own jobs and earn well enough, he doesn’t Need to Beg, but he still does it because he doesn’t want to sit idle and has no skills for any other work. Is this Karma, you may ask…
Well, I have a different viewpoint about Karma. Yes, he had to beg in this life and yes, he had enough blessings & positive Karma to earn 7 crores. But it need not have gone together.
We have a saying in Hindi which says, “Kisi ko samay se pehle aur adhikaar se adhik kuch nahi milta” meaning “everyone gets what’s deserved to him at that particular point of time”. This man could have earned the same amount of money even if he had done any other job or business. If we believe in Karma, he had to earn that much, even if it were by winning the lottery! Now let us assume that he had to suffer a life of begging… even then he could have begged in a different way – he could have begged for his clients as a Lawyer does, begging for reprieve or life. He could have begged the government or administration for building bridges or roads or hospitals in the remote villages or mountains (as many in our own country have done successfully). He could have begged/influenced people to contribute for build Universities, colleges and schools like our very respected Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya ji did for building Benaras Hindu University. All these would have strengthened his own present life Karmas.
By choosing to beg for earning a living, he has only exhausted his past life Karmas and Not built any new positive Karmas for himself. Infact, because the people who gave him alms gave it to a “kupatra” ie. a person not worthy of alms, they too have lost any opportunity of gaining good Karma for a good cause. So do believe in Karma and believe that you will get what is due to you. But remember that the way you get it also matters.
And yes, what is true for Income is also true for Expenses. If you are destined to spend on hospital expenses, you will do it. But why not do it by donating for some unfortunate person’s operation? If you have to spend “x” amount on education, you will do it. Do it by sponsoring a poor child’s education alongside your own child’s education. Maybe instead of a paid seat, your own child might be encouraged to get an admission to a merit seat. Don’t waste your fortunes on “beg, borrow, steal”. It only hastens your soul’s downfall.
Strengthen your Spiritual Self. That’s all that matters.
For years and years one wondered why India hardly had any films which documented starkly and truely some watershed events which happened in our country. Even those films or TV serials which showed the horrors of Partition, always had “bhaichaara” sown into the story. It was as if the truth was shown without any remorse, a community would feel slighted or insulted and would hate Hindus for it. The fact is that when any historic truth is shown in a factual manner with no room for personal conditioning showing up, one can hope to see changes in society for the better. This is exactly what “The Kerala Story” does. It puts out the stark truth there for posterity, with the hope that people will realize that it is not just the Hindu girls who are brainwashed and exploited, but the Muslim youngsters too. Just like how films on Nazis made civil society realize the horrors of the concentration camps and brought about the end of the same, one hopes that “The Kerala Story” opens the eyes of Indians to the horrors of brainwashing by radical Islam, and ends it atleast in India.
The story is about 4 young girls who join up for a course in Nursing in a reputed college in North Kerala. One of them, the heroine Adah Sharma (Shalini), comes from a traditional Hindu family; another (Geetanjali) comes from a Hindu family of Communists; the third (Nimah) comes from a Christian family and the fourth (Asifa) is a Hijabi Muslim. She is the one who is given the onerous task of brainwashing her roommates into converting to Islam and for this purpose she uses her young, male “relatives”, her community members and elders and the verses in the Koran. She thinks she is doing a pious duty as mentioned in the Koran and not for once does her conscience chide her into realizing that by doing so, she is destroying the lives of the other three girls who thought of her as a friend. Even the male youngsters who join in to destroy the lives of these innocent girls have no remorse or guilt while ravaging the bodies of the girls, because they feel that it is permitted, nay blessed, in the Koran and will get them a direct entry into Jannat, the imaginary heaven. That they have already pushed their own humanity and conscience into Dozzakh (hellfires) by being a participant in such a horrific agenda, escapes their brainwashed personalities.
To my mind, one of the most important scenes in the film is when the hijabi Principal of the Nursing College states casually that the anti-national, anti-Hindu graffiti on the walls of the college have been made by outsiders and are not approved by the college authorities. This is exactly how passive Islam supports radical Islam – by pretending to disapprove of radical Islam, while not stopping them from committing such acts filled with anti-national sentiments, hatred for other religions and so on.
Shalini alias Fatima’s journey from being a carefree, innocent student to becoming a recruit for ISIS to desperately wanting to escape that life with her infant daughter is very well enacted by Adah Sharma. Siddhi Idnani as Geetu who tries to boldly let go of her past, till it threatens to ruin the respect her parents have in society, makes the viewer take the roller-coaster ride as well. Yogita Bihani (Nimah) and Sonia Balani (Asifa) have done justice to their roles. But the true hero of the film is the screenplay and cinematography. The unfolding of the scenes and the locales does wonders to the story. The haunting songs in the background make one listen intently to the soulful lyrics. Sudipto Sen has created a masterpiece and deserves a lot of applause.
The Kerala Story definitely deserves wide viewership. The regular sloganeering against the film just deserves contempt because the film is not about Kerala or just Love Jihad. It is about Humanity and how we have destroyed it by falling into a trap set by inhuman forces calling people who don’t bow down to their God as Infidels or Kafirs.
The Kerala Story releasing on 5th May 2023 in theatres
Produced by : Vipul Shah
Directed by : Sudipto Sen
ratihegde 