Nupur Sharma with the Wire on #Metoo Movement in India

 #METOO SATYAMEVA JAYATE

Video: https://www.facebook.com/TheWireUrdu/videos/181885542723321/

Nupur, God bless you for talking about this topic. For thousands of years, women have endured this pain and lived in anguish. There was no one to listen to them and their anxiety, except maybe the mother. 

As a supporter of the #Metoo movement, and deeply involved in the Kavanaugh hearings and protests at the Supreme Court, and relentlessly pursuing on the topic. I was concerned about my motherland, how a majority of Indian women who spoke nothing but Urdu/Hindi were deprived of the new hope, how do we communicate this to them, that a movement has started and there is hope to restore their dignity of women.  I am proud of my homeland, America, where continuous efforts are being made to think, act and believe that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. 

 A new milestone is achieved in 2018 in how women are treated, for the first time in the human history, the men in the Senate are showing their true colors of misogyny by reluctantly agreeing to listen to the testimony of Dr. Christine Ford.   Right off the bat, they do not want to believe Her but believe their man. This attitude of discounting women's evidence has got to end.   

“A woman should behave like a woman” “Her place is home."  They may not say it, but that is what the Conservative religious men from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and other traditions secretly want.

First for someone to listen to a woman’s story, believe in it and act upon it. Javed Akhtar Saheb has shared his wisdom on Rekhta, that woman does not need to be worshipped, but respected. 

Years ago, when I saw the series for the shows Satayameva Jayate, I was moved by it and was hopeful for the change it brought to our thinking and ultimate relief on a variety of issues. I had called Amir Khan an Avatar of Krishna for emerging among us to restore the righteousness in the society. This issue you have taken up needs to be listened to, and as you concluded, more complete. It needs to reach out to the Urdu/Hindi speaking masses.  

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/search?q=avatar+of+krishna (an article about you is also in the search)

I have just completed writing my book, the Muslim Agenda, to empower Muslims to become contributing members of the society and restore cohesiveness in the community. One of the chapters is “Gender Equality.” The book is under revision and hopes to get that translated in Urdu/Hindi to reach out to my fellow Indians. 

Gender Equality is one of the most important values in society, it affects almost half of the human race. If we can fix this, most of our issues will be resolved, and we can see a lot more joy in the world, instead of battling who gets paid more for the same work or who controls the household. Indeed, misogyny is the mother of all sickness.  

I will be happy to join you in India for townhall discussions to communicate this message. 
The Sense of entitlement and patriarchy needs to be phased. 

Thoroughly researched piece! But requires a few more conversations. It is a full-time topic.

We are going through the season of Navaratri.   Navaratri is rich in meaning. At one level, Navaratri signifies the progress of a spiritual aspirant. During this spiritual journey, the aspirant has to pass three stages personified by Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi. 

Your piece is timely, we need to connect the Yashoda ki hamjins and the hawwa ki beti.  My hats off to you to drive people to consider the issue and put blinders on them to focus on the topic.  God bless you Nupur! 

Dr. Mike Ghouse is a public speaker and the Executive Director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. He is  committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  More about him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/

India Together - Fostering a cohesive India

I am a volunteer like each one of you, wanting, among other things to do my share of work in contributing towards a cohesive India, where no Indian has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. 

Given the divisiveness we are witnessing in India, we have to take steps to restore the Dharma, the righteousness in a society where people trust each other, live their lives and let others live theirs.

Here is the preamble for an India together Campaign;

India has an impeccable history of welcoming the stranger and giving refuge to the oppressed, rejected and the evicted. She has welcomed Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and the Baha’is. Indeed the very first mosque built outside of Arabia was in India by a Hindu King in the state of Malabar. The Tibetan Buddhist refugees found a home in India; the Ahmadiyya Muslims felt secure, so were the displaced Bangladeshi and Afghan refugees.

This beautiful pluralistic 5000-year-old tradition of India is in peril now.  A few politicians are hell-bent on destroying that heritage. They want to force minorities into obedience and tell them what they can eat or believe, and whom they can marry or live as 2nd class citizens.  We can ignore this if it is a random individual screaming on the streets, but it has the backing of many members of the ruling party.  We cannot compromise on our integrity to satisfy the short-term urges of the radicals.  We cannot let this continue even if someone has pulled a joke, this fire will envelop everyone, and in the end, it will destroy our civilization. 

Make no mistake about it; the problem is not between people of faith, but the radicals. A good Hindu, Muslim, Christian or other will never hurt another individual, let alone kill. As a society we need to invest our time and energy in finding why a few people hate the others so much, much of it is injected by their parents, teachers, friends, and politicians, poor souls need to be free from such influences. 

India together Campaign

When you are watching a movie, invariably you go through a range of emotions, but at the end, there is a sense of joy when you see the family members making it up to each other, or when a couple is reunited or when justice is served. It is because you are inherently good and the sense of goodness is evoked in every human with a few exceptions.  

The new routine for many of us is to watch short video clips on WhatsApp or Facebook. Is there anyone out there who does not feel good when the Indian Army personnel is talking about treating all soldiers fairly, when one needs blood, he does not care if the blood is coming from a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Dalit, Jain or a Parsee. A good video example;-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5XptU6-Vm0

Don't we feel good when we help each other? When you support a disabled person crossing the street, don't you feel good? Don't you share that clip with your friends?

If you are a Muslim stand up for the rights of Dalits, and if you are a Sikh stand up for the rights of Christians, and if you are a Christian stand up for the rights of Hindus..... in the end, it opens our hearts and minds to stand up for each other. We have to kill the selfishness in us to serve our own, and instead server others for the long-term good.

On the other hand, when you watch a clip full of hate, what does it do to you? Does it make you angry, hateful and revengeful? It zaps your energy. Being at peace is a natural state, getting worked up ain't. 

Humans are drawn to greater good, and they feel good when a family comes together, they feel good when they can stop a bad guy from beating a child or a woman, they feel good when you prevent a woman from being harassed. 

We have a responsiblity now to encourage what is right, not because it is noble or God wants it, but because it makes us feel good and secure and live in peace with each other. 

Dr. Frank Islam has chosen to encourage good news, every week I see an article promoted by him that awakens a sense of goodness. I see Nupur Sharma, Vinod Dua, Ram Punyani, Arfa Khanum, Acharya Laksmishankracharya, Acharya Pramod Krishnan and a whole lot of them committed to bringing about a change.  None of us would know everyone, but those whom we know, we must be appreciated.    I am sure there a many of you out there who are doing great things. If we can pull our resources and invest our time, energy and money in shaping the society, we will find purpose and meaning in our lives, at least it will bring relief from apprehension. 

Social media has become the most powerful medium to communicate ideas, and Whatsapp and Facebook have become the vehicles to carry the chosen message. 

We have an opportunity to mitigate chaos spread by a few and flood the market with excellent videos and positive news to build up positive energy. If the people around us are secure, our security is guaranteed. 

Proposal

Produce one to two minutes videos and share it on the social media - and see how you can bring about the change.

It's easy to produce videos that we can cheer, but the purpose is to for the angry ones to see the goodness. We can cause them to dig in their heels or we can work on having them see another point of view - that of getting along and live their lives and letting others live theirs.

You can bring a gradual, sustainable and positive change through this campaign

It takes thinking, commitment,  effort, and money to do this, if you can, welcome. Come up with ideas, write the script, discuss with friends and produce it.  

Mike Ghouse
www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Thank you

What do we do at the Center for Pluralism

Pluralism studies in Religion, politics, society, culture and workplace

http://centerforpluralism.com/what-do-we-do-at-center-for-pluralism/ ;

Mike Ghouse
Center for Pluralism
Washington, DC
(214) 325-1916
Mike@CenterforPluralism.com
www.CenterforPluralism.com

Nupur Sharma on Kashmir

Nupur, I'm glad you are making an effort to bring sense to this issue. It's not easy to be fair and just, but you've demonstrated it in this video.
The point you've made about seeing the humanity in each one is the point missing in the equation for the last 70 years.
To feel sad for the death of kids who got run over by the truck or to feel sad if the driver was lynched, and Gandhi’s example of burning the policemen are worth pondering and adopting as solutions to the conflict.
There was a week I stood up for Jews from the harassment by Pastor Phelps, the very next week I stood up against Israeli bombing of Gaza. Both situations were about standing up for human rights, and not the politics of taking sides.
Your thoughts and voice need amplification, so more people can see the issue as a human rights issue. Kashmiris of all hues, Muslims, pundits and all people must be a party to a just solution.
Deep down, all parties to the conflict are looking for a genuine, just and fair voice, and God has blessed you with that, and I stand with you in exploring solutions in building a cohesive Kashmir where no Kashmiri has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.
17 years ago, Varadarajan and I were speaking on a panel on Kashmir in Boulder at the University of Colorado. He has the same sense of justice and fairness as you do.
God bless you, Amen Here is the video)

https://www.facebook.com/TheWireUrdu/videos/2042622775990981/

Nupur Sharma on Indian Pluralism

delineates Patriotism from Jingoism in the Indian and South Asian context. What constitutes a benign and progressive love for the land of one's birth that can inspire a person to be part of nation-building? As opposed to that, what makes for a regressive and obscurantist approach to nationality?'

Video: https://www.facebook.com/TheWireUrdu/videos/2011589545760971/


Here are 1.1 Billion Indian opinions;

- Patriotism is uplifting the nation, making the lives of her inhabitants better.  It is about Improving the lifestyle from pure potable water to sanitation to providing education, jobs, and experience.

- Patriotism is respecting and honoring every fellow national, in our case fellow Indian, regardless of their color, caste, religion or economic status.

- The old concept of Patriotism is based on killing and getting killed, which is idiotic, we need to be thinking of living and letting others live their lives.  There is a paradigm shift in the making, the guys who want to take their nation on the brink of war are not patriotic, as they put a lot of lives in jeopardy.

- Patriotism disguised in building disgust for others is slavery to one's own negative emotions. They are indeed very binding, makes one's blood pressure go up, one's bile starts flowing with anger and hate. This is not patriotism.

- Most humans love their mother, the source of their creation. Mother is your physical mother; the mother is the land that nourished you and gave the air to breathe and water to drink.

- Most humans honor their mother, it is a personal relationship, yet there are a few Hindus, Muslims, Christian and others who do not treat their mothers well. It is neither their religion nor their stock; it is just the individuals with occasional badness.

- Muslims are as loyal and patriotic as Hindus are. Muslims honor their mothers just as much as Hindus or anyone - Muslims love their motherland only as anyone. Each love is manifested in different expressions. No one has to fall into other's dye.

- The day we stop labeling criminals with religion, would be the day we will find solutions to terrorism of all ranges. Blasting the bus to burning the wives to declining access to someone... Criminals are Criminals because they are... and not because of the religion they wear or the language they speak.

- If I am not at peace with myself, if my thoughts are not peace, if my actions are not peace, and my words are not peace giving, then I cannot expect others to be.

- A peacemaker continually seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. His or Her words and actions do not make things worse but bring some sense and understanding to the situation. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; indeed that is the purpose religion. – Mike Ghouse

Jai Hind

India Bulletin, March 18, 2018

What can we do for India?

India is at a dangerous curve now – you can laugh all you want to laugh. But if we don’t wake up and restore our democracy, each one of us will lose at the end.

Here are a few things we can do;

The survival of democracy hinges on accountability of the actions of the elected, and that will remain intact with significant opposition.  Whether it is the US, India or any democracy, evil decisions have been made when the same party runs the admin and the two houses. We are responsible for making sure checks and balances are in place. I urge even the BJP members to vote for opposition parties just so we have strong opposition. Democracy is what has allowed everyone to flourish, and we cannot abandon that value by giving a landslide victory to any party anywhere.

India has a bad reputation with the US Commission on Religious Freedom (USCRIF). India has not allowed the commissioners to visit India to verify the "alleged” violations of religious freedom in India.  If the government has not done anything wrong, we will get a clean chit, and if we have wronged, we have to fix it.  We are a democracy; we should not prevent anyone from an inquiry.

India risks in-flow of foreign directs investment, if Modi government does not take the responsibility to stop the lynching, harassment, rapes, and injustice to fellow Indians, the investors may pull out of India, as they did with the Apartheid South Africa.  There is a word brewing out there that someday the conservatives want to test our loyalty. They want to know if ever India and US were to be at odds, would we be loyal to America? I know, most of us were not loyal when the US levied sanctions on India upon Pokhran blast, I did a three-hour radio talk show on the topic and was embarassed with the attitudes of fellow Indians Americans. 

What makes you invest in a community or a nation? Apparently, profits and security for your investments are the essential reasons.  If a country is messed up with civil strife and religious conflicts, it is bound to create chaotic situations caused by lynching, harassment, and discrimination of people.  It is in our interest to work for religious freedom across the globe. Let every Indian has the freedom to eat, drink, wear or believe whatever the hell he or she wants to feel.  If you make life difficult for one, all will be paying for it.

We need to reign in on loonies like Yogi Adityanath, in his Raj, you will see more farmers will be committing suicides.  Their bread and butter income comes from selling the animals they raise, if they are afraid to sell it or walk with the animal, their source of income is cut off – giving them no choice but commit suicides.

 On the other hand, the Cows are considered mother by the Hindu community, but they show utter disregard for her.  The farmers will chase them out of their crop fields which will put them on the streets eating trash, and when they die, they will rot on the streets. No one will dare take the cow anywhere for fear of lynching.  However, the beneficiaries are a wealthy few BJP members who will sell the animals to the slaughterhouse for export income. What a hypocrisy! The farmers will lose out both ways as more arable land will be out of crop productions.

 Modern India was built on freedom, a great foundation that gave people the freedom to get along with each other.  But with the injection of religious politics by that infamous Rath Yatra by Advani, Indians were pit against each other for political gains.  A few Hindus may rejoice lynching Muslims, raping Dalit women, burning Adivasis, beating up on Christians – but at the end, the ones who cheer will also meet the same fate in the hands of the tyrants.  We need to have a strong opposition that pushes the government to do the work and not dupe Indians about things that don’t put food on their tables.

The majority of Indian Americans enjoy the freedoms we have in America; we have complete freedom to eat, drink, wear and believe whatever the hell we want, let's work on the similar liberties to our fellow humans in India.  None of us like to be discriminated, why should we allow that to happen to others?

I have urged the Hindu America Foundation to take the lead and work on getting the visas to the commissioners. If they don't want to do it, then the average Indian American needs to take up the issue. We have to save India by doing the right thing and free ourselves from lousy label put on us.

If the investors pull out of India, every Indian will be hurt. We have the responsibility to correct ourselves and ensure prosperity to India for ages to come. 

Mike Ghouse

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Pluralism News from the Center for Pluralism, March 18, 2018
http://centerforpluralism.com/pluralism-news-march-18-2018/

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Religious freedom in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

Friday, March 9, 2018 –Washington, D.C., -- The South Asia working group’s initial report to the International Religious Freedom Round-table. There is a dire need to address the violations of religious and political freedoms in South Asia comprising the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Full report   http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/religious-freedom-in-india-pakistan.html

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar owes an apology to Hindus

His statements are fodder for conflicts. To suggest that Indians will go to civil war, no matter how supreme court decides is ridiculous.  He does not respect the majority of moderate Hindus and Muslims who have accepted the verdicts of Supreme court in the past without creating a mess.  http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/sri-sri-ravi-shankar-owes-apology-to.html

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Nupur Sharma’s take on Aamir Khan

It was a delight to hear about Mahatma Gandhi, my take is fairly identical to yours.  I am inspired by him – saw him in my dream twice, way back in early 70’s and again early 90’s., both the times, he pats on my back and say, beta tujhe bahut kaam karnay hain. Every year on his birth and death, I publish something or the other about him.  My work on Pluralism is inspired by him.  https://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/nupur-sharmas-take-on-aamir-khan.html

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BJP and Congress Trolls

The difference between BJP and Congress parties is same as between GOP and Democratic party in America.   For example, the Republican would say, “We will win the war, chase Bin Laden to the far ends of the world and catch him” They display confidence, even though they know they cannot do it, but the frightened public falls for that line. On the other hand, Democrats will not exhibit that confidence; because their reasoning minds hold them from making tall claims, but Obama got Bin Laden without making a big deal, but Democrats would not have made the statement about GOP.  Check out every statement made by both sides and study it yourselves.  Both are wrong; there should be a right mix of optimism and pragmatism. https://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/bjp-and-congress-trolls.html

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Meaning of the sound OM (Aum)

I am pleased to share the “Aum” or “Om” sound and its essence. Every faith has evolved over a period of time and has gained wider meaning as the societies interact with each other. http://centerforpluralism.com/hindu-the-meaning-of-om-aum/

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Caste Systems – books to read

Caste System in India may have originated with the idea of division of labor, that each person will do what he is capable of. However, it was really a piss poor attitude of men in power to keep the others oppressed to serve them in a variety of ways. The Caste system is an instrument of oppression. Eleven books are recommended to understand it. https://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/caste-system-books-to-understand-it.html

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Democracy in Peril by Swami Agnivesh

A democracy is in peril when the people believe, willingly and eagerly, in illusions and falsehoods. This happens because they renounce the rational outlook and embrace a magical worldview in which someone with a magic wand comes and solves their problems. http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/democracy-in-peril-by-swami-agnivesh.html

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Asaduddin Owaisi – The villain of Indian Democracy and Indian Muslims

Tipu Sultan could have chased the British out of India but for Purnaiah, who compromised Tipu’s position. Now,  Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMM is doing precisely that; weakening the rightful Muslim representation in governance.  Of the 29 Muslim contestants in Uttar Pradesh, 19 could have easily won had Owasi not poked the elections with his divisive candidates. Look at the chart how thin the losses are. He is pure rhetoric and that will not change the lives of Indian Muslims but generate ill-will  http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/owaisi-villain-of-indian-democracy-and.html

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I am offended by your attitude.

If you criticize India, I have a problem, not with you but with your attitude. But, I have no problem if you criticize the governments run by Congress or BJP. Governments come and go, Prime Ministers come and go, but India remains a nation, and a nation is made up of people, and we have come a long way – to the point of respecting the otherness of others, giving dignity to each human. 

If you don't criticize your government, it amounts to giving them free reigns and amounts to chamchagiri. By criticising Rahul or Modi, we will be putting them on their toes to do the right thing.  We do have a percent of bad guys like all other nations, but they are less than one percent of the population. The country is not the same as the government. We have had crooks as ministers, religious men, teachers, generals, business and civic leaders; they are exceptions and not the rule. So, if you criticize India, you are barking at the wrong tree, you are wasting your time. Criticize the individuals; I am okay with it, and not their nation, religion or race. If not, be ready to engage in a dialogue. If you cannot, take a hike.

Mike Ghouse
www.CenterforPluralism.com
http://MikeGhouseforIndia.blogspot.com 

Nupur Sharma's Take on Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan

Nupur Saheba,

I have come to admire your work, Zafar Bhai religiously send the link to each one of your episodes and I have been sharing this with groups.

Your episode 28 on Aamir Khan is right on the dot and I am glad you recognized his contributions there. 

Urdu Wala Chashma, Episode 28: Aamir Khan Unplugged

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKdQmDpWpRI&feature=share

When I get a chance, I will write a note about your work, I salute all work that is inclusive.

Mahatma Gandhi

It was a delight to hear about Mahatma Gandhi, my take is fairly identical to yours.  I am inspired by him – saw him in my dream twice, way back in early 70’s and again early 90’s., both the times, he pats on my back and say, beta tujhe bahut kaam karnay hain.
Every year on his birth and death, I publish something or the other about him.  My work on Pluralism is inspired by him.

Dalits

Thanks for talking about Dalits.  I have consciously made to include Dalits in my thinking and conversation, as I do with every religion from Atheism to Zoroastrianism and every one in between.  

Here is an article I wrote last week - Have Muslims stood up for the Oppressed?http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2018/03/have-muslims-stood-up-for-oppressed.html

Aamir Khan

I just realized I have written quite a bit about his work

Aamir Khan is an Avatar of Krishna
http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-aamir-khan-avatar-of-krishna.html

Aamir Khan, the new Social Hero of India  http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/07/aamir-khan-indias-new-social-hero.html

Aamir Khan is God sent
http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/07/aamir-khan-is-god-sent-to-india.html

My suggestion would be to pull poetry that is inclusive…  for example Sahir Ludhianavi includes “A Radha ki ham jins, a hawwa ki beti.”  Bulleh Shah’s “My holi manaoongi bismillah say.” There is so much literature that brings together different traditions.