What Hindus really need

There’s no doubt, even among right-wing writers/bloggers, that Hinduism needs to get rid of caste system and Hindus need good food.

But, the statement “Hindus don’t need to be protected from Muslims or Christians or all … ” is deeply misguided. Nations, states or civilizations cannot be saved by good food or nourishment. The French crumbled in minutes before the Nazis, irrespective their great food (and music, art, poetry, etc). Entire Greek and Persian civillizations, with all their strength and valor, were wiped out by marauding Christian and Islamic forces. Did they have poor nutrition in *contemporary* world? No. They were finished because they were unprepared against invading forces. I’ve answered your “xenophobia” comment before. But, one critical reasons the aforementioned civillizaitons were defeated is because these French, Greeks and Persians have enough people like you who would constantly raise alarms of xenophobia when anyone alerts the nation of incoming danger. Any guesses why Hindus don’t exist in Pak, Bangladesh anymore inspite of millennial existence there?

A) And where exactly do you plan to get the food from? Food Revolution comes when farmers grow food grains. For that they need, basic amenities like: Seeds, Irrigation, Market to sell food grains etc.; while what you call ‘senseless phobia’ is a genuine concern of people who know what will happen to them once what they fear happens and become a reality!

B)They need to get rid of the caste system: A wonderful trait. Of course, was Caste system invented out of thin air? Did we forget that the “Hungry-Hindus” have like 1000s of Caste-based parties with no solid political agenda, who refuse to be let go of the Caste hierarchy.

While you claim that food is the answer to all the answers, the Romans didn’t destroy the Jewish Jerusalem for “Food” and neither were the “healthy” British able to cope with the Nazi’s!

I’m sure, you wished that “food” could be so easy to grow.

Hello guys.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I totally agree that food alone cannot save a civilization, but when you think of climbing the stairs, food comes at the first few steps and without climbing them, we cannot hope to tackle other issues.

I think if we have the desire, India has enough food and even money. If our temples can have gifts made of gold and diamonds, we can definitely feed our teeming millions — only the desire is lacking.

The problem in India is that we believe in “shoshebaji” instead of taking some concrete steps. Why not encourage normal households to share their meals with the poor? Even if they share a single meal, a great difference can be made. Even if we cannot feed the millions, let’s start with thousands.

Why not encourage normal households to share their meals with the poor? Even if they share a single meal, a great difference can be made.

Amrit, has anyone stopped *you* from sharing your meals with the poor? If you strongly believe and have firm convictions that your idea is correct and is part of the solution, then start with yourself – don’t expect *others* to implement *your* ideas.

I doubt that if you start implementing this idea, people will stop you or condemn your behavior. And if you are already doing this, then please write about what kind of responses you got from others.

Ok, I don’t know if it deserves to be mentioned, we have 3 people (poor) working with us, and out of 3 we share 2 meals with them everyday just so that they can get some healthy food. They don’t even sometimes get breakfast at home (too many mouth to feed). I’m not sure if they appreciate it or take it for granted, but that’s not our purpose.

Kaffir, this kind of response is a typical one . Instead of asking me, you could have simply shared your thoughts on whether this is feasible or not. When we share our thoughts it encourages debate. Fine, may be 99% ideas suck, but the remaining 1% can sometimes make a big difference.

Amrit,

In most houses I know of that employ people to help with house work, food is a package deal along with the niggardly salary they are given.

Why not share meals with someone who cannot afford it instead of with someone who can (while he/she has a job at your house) and is given so as a part of the unsaid contractual obligation?

Why don’t you take that next step and then take the high road?

A good idea Anup, but what’s this about the “high road”? Have we gone so down the hill that even a small suggestion like giving food to the poor becomes something like “high road”? So much moral insecurity? Or is it the guilty conscience? What’s going to happen to our country if it has people like you guys ?

By the way, the building where we live, people don’t even allow their domestic helps to have a glass of water, and no, in most of the houses it is not the done deal.

I agree with Amrit. People don’t give their bottled water to the domestic help. They say to drink it from tap and they askm what do you drink at home? Bislery or Kinley? i also know if people have employed two people as domestic help and one gets absent, they make others to do the extra work and don’t pay for that. Or when they protest they just give rs 10 to quieten them. And it is really shocking that giving food to someone is taking some hing rode? Aur kitna neeche girenge hum? Next step will be abe tu apane boodhe maa baap ki rotiyan nahi ginta? Kitna high moral ground le raha hai!

forget giving food, we don’t even talk to them properly without saying abe , tu, … I saw one “mother” at mall whose small daughter was standing near escalator and the security guard of some shop came running and retrieved her with time and averted the real major mishap but the hep, smart, cool looking mother didn’t have time to thank the guard by standing properly. She said thank you while walking. That shows how much she valued her toddler. Sharing food! My foot!

I doubt weather your foot will be interested in food, unless of course, you put it in your mouth. While I didn’t quite the logic of sharing food. Did the author just finished his crash course in Geeta (3:13)?

In either way, as I already stated in my previous post regarding “Hindus needing Food” – I fail to see any answers on them.

I doubt weather your foot will be interested in food, unless of course, you put it in your mouth.
WOW! What a logic! You are great.

My bad. The art of sarcasm is surely not easily graspable. Good Luck.

I have already bowed to your intelligence and “art” of sarcasm! You have plenty!

What a world we live in, when even the selfless act of kindly sharing food is a subject for debate!

Not just in India, either. The same goes on in “the richest country in the world,” the United States of America, where I currently reside. The argument here is different, though. “If you don’t work, you don’t deserve to eat.” This includes those who cannot find work and those who are physically or mentally unable to work, including children and the elderly. Social Darwinism at its most naked. (OK, I’m exaggerating a little, but not much. There are many in this country with that attitude exactly.)

And, Amrit, is not caste an integral part of the Hindu religion? Can Hinduism be Hinduism if you throw out Smriti Manu? Will not the demise of caste also be the demise of the whole religion? Of course, I am not a Hindu, so maybe my understanding is incorrect or incomplete. I am willing to be corrected.

I don’t think caste system is an integral part of any religion. Manu Smiriti, as far as I know, is just a doctrine, and it doesn’t define Hinduism. Even the Sikhs have so many castes and sub castes (Jats, Chhimbas, Papas, etc.) and they don’t intermingle much, although the religion strictly says that there are no castes in Sikhism.

Kaffir, this kind of response is a typical one . Instead of asking me, you could have simply shared your thoughts on whether this is feasible or not. When we share our thoughts it encourages debate. Fine, may be 99% ideas suck, but the remaining 1% can sometimes make a big difference.

Amrit, sorry I don’t understand your point/response at all. You mentioned an idea, and it’s fair to ask whether you’ve implemented that idea or not – apologies if my words were rather direct. Good for you that you share your meals, and I’m sure many others do so too and maybe even more, and many others do much less or nothing. Or maybe others help poor people in ways that do not involve sharing of meals, about which you may be unaware of.

As to whether something is feasible or not, it’s only by doing it that one discovers – as you did.

Amrit, I don’t really know how much Manu Smriti is incorporated into Hinduism. My understanding is that the Vedas, etc. are the philosophical/theological underpinnings, while Manu Smriti are the practical applications/laws. I may well be misinterpreting. In any case, you are no more a Hindu than I am. I wish some of the Hindus here would comment on this.

As to Sikhs and caste – this is a huge disgrace. Along with female foeticide, it is our greatest shame as a community. I have ranted and raved about both to little avail. No whitewashing by me! I just don’t know what to do about it. But that’s a subject for another post, I think.

I really hope some sweet Hindus will answer my queries about Manu Smriti.

The question was not about “helping the poor”; it was trying to build a strong, healthy nation, as I feel unless our people are strong, we cannot achieve much. That was the whole point of the post.

Mai,
I can answer your question only after
1. Reading ‘Manu Smriti’.
2. Understanding its purpose.
3. To what extent what’s written in MS was put into practice and whether it influenced social customs.
4. How does it have a bearing on the society today.

The other point is that if we apply today’s standards, yesterday will almost always come up short, when it comes to the issues of rights and equality.

I have a feeling most Hindus who get charged about Manu Smriti one way or the other, simply react to, or use certain excerpts and have neither read the entire manuscript, nor understood its place in history, and are more interested in knee-jerk reactions based on ideology. Deepa Mehta is a good example of those kind of people.

Ah, now you’re changing the terms of the debate. I responded to your specific appeal and action regarding sharing meals with the hungry (and that was quite clear from my comment), not to the larger issue of building a healthier nation.

Dear Kaffir ji,

OK, cool. I have time. I’ll wait.

If you go through it, that was the basic premise of the blog post. Voluntarily feeding the poor was just an option that came to my mind and I mentioned it there. That’s why the title: What Hindus really need.