Why I Am a Hindu

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Second half is written by politician Tharoor and is long list of complaints against Modi Government. In the second half, Tharoor who belongs to Congress Party (opponent of Modi's BJP Party), writes littanry of complaints against BJP Party. The Medieval Period of Hinduism lasted from about A.D. 500 to 1500. New texts emerged, and poet-saints recorded their spiritual sentiments during this time. Hindus worship many gods and goddesses in addition to Brahman, who is believed to be the supreme God force present in all things. The giving of offerings is an important part of Hindu worship. It’s a common practice to present gifts, such as flowers or oils, to a god or goddess.

My difficulty with the book is where the author writes about what he calls as "political Hindutva". Tharoor is currently a member of the parliament by the graces of Indian National Congress whose members prefer to hide their Hindu identity, permit and even encourage the denigration of Hindus and Hinduism by the people of other faiths for gaining political benefits. No wonder that he throws venom on the BJP and RSS. Whether it is a calculated move on his part for his political survival or it is his schizophrenic interpretation of the contemporary Hindu society, he totally misses the religio-social situation in the country and how Hindus have been victimized ever since independence. In an age of manipulation through fake-images and messages spread through social media, people have been taught to hate the real soldiers of India’s freedom struggle, forgetting that these ‘Hindutva’ proponents made little or no contribution during the struggle for India’s independence. But Shashi Tharoor is no pushover to let them go easily. His book is a timely and sensible argument against the malady that is ‘Hindutva’, a product of fear and paranoia. So who knows truly whence this great creation sprang? Who knows whence this creation had its origin? This book is not meant for the reader who wants to learn about Hinduism per se – she could learn much more by reading the works of Swami Vivekananda or Dr Radhakrishnan – or perhaps more recent authors like Dr Karan Singh and Wendy Doniger.

Even as Orientalists, colonial administrators and intellectuals in Western universities set about translating, codifying and reducing a complex philosophic system to manageable proportions, we witnessed the creation of a homogenised Hinduism. This was upheld by nationalists as the anchor of an Indian identity. Such is the power of intellectual colonialism! The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, 18 Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata are also considered important texts in Hinduism. Origins of Hinduism Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan. But many Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and has always existed. Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities. Buddhism, in fact, arose out of Hinduism, and both believe in reincarnation, karma and that a life of devotion and honor is a path to salvation and enlightenment. Shaktism is somewhat unique among the four major traditions of Hinduism in that its followers worship a female deity, the goddess Shakti (also known as Devi).

Hinduism could not have a more articulate proponent than Dr. Shashi Tharoor, who is Hindu both by birth and conviction and also thoroughly at home in the English-speaking intellectual world. For an American reader, a great strength of this book is precisely that it was not written for a Christian audience--since I am not at all sure that someone from an Abrahamic tradition even CAN really grasp Hinduism, in all of its hospitable plurality and avoidance of sectarian certainty. The problem, as Tharoor himself accepts, is that Hinduism is composed of many and often incompatible strands. It is therefore difficult to find an authentic and authoritative tradition that can hold up a mirror to Hindutva. What is regarded as a dominant tradition, the Vedanta — highly metaphysical, Brahmanical and Sanskritised — was constructed by colonialists. A) There are nude male and female sculptures in Hindu temples (B) There are idols of goddess in temples (C) From A and B, it is perfectly logical for MF Hussain to paint Goddress in the Nude and no one should complain about it. Smartism followers worship five deities: Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesh and Surya. Their temple at Sringeri is generally recognized as the center of worship for the denomination.

What do Hindus believe?

Shaktism is sometimes practiced as a monotheistic religion, while other followers of this tradition worship a number of goddesses. This female-centered denomination is sometimes considered complementary to Shaivism, which recognizes a male deity as supreme. Why I Am a Hindu" was written in the context of growing electoral victories by the Hindu nationalist BJP political party (which claims to represent "real Hinduism" and to speak for a Hindu India rather than the secular pluralism of Gandhi and Nehru) and so written primarily for an Indian audience. The period when the Vedas were composed became known as the “Vedic Period” and lasted from about 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rituals, such as sacrifices and chanting, were common in the Vedic Period.

But if you're willing to try and engage Hinduism on its own terms--the only approach with any integrity, after all--then this is a wonderfully helpful book, and one worth reading more than once. The Epic, Puranic and Classic Periods took place between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500. Hindus began to emphasize the worship of deities, especially Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. When I reviewed Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd’s “Why I’m Not a Hindu,” I mentioned that I was reading these two diametrically titled books to get a clearer picture of the religion. What I found was that they’re both anti-Hindu nationalist works, though coming from very different perspectives. I did learn a great deal from reading each of the books, though they largely talk past each other as opposed to offering the head-to-head one would expect, given the opposing titles. Discovered the link of the existent to the non-existent. And they stretched their cord of vision across the void, This book for the most of history is objective, apolitical, unbiased and is superbly enlightening for a reader of any religious or political view. It beautifully describes how Hinduism has stood the test of time and has undergone numerous small but significant changes to its beliefs and customs, by remaining open and flexible to accommodate views of other religious groups. Thus despite the rise of other popular indigenous religions like Jainism and Buddhism, and despite being ruled by followers of Islam and Christianity, an overwhelming majority of Indians have remained Hindus. This is unique in the history of the world, where Islam, Christianity and to a lesser extent Buddhism have managed to replace older religions in almost all other nations. It is largely thanks to the many reformers of Hinduism over the last two thousand years who had the courage to criticise its shortcomings and absorb the virtues of other religions. Thus many of the progressive beliefs of Jainism, Buddhism and later Islam and Christianity became so much a part of contemporary Hinduism, that most Hindus eventually did not feel the need to convert.Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region. There’s some debate over who influenced whom more during this time.