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E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Thursday, December 25, 1997 2:30 AM Apropos for "Papa don't preach" by Varsha Bhosle. The author seemed confused about what she wanted to write about. She started off with something and meandered into pointless nothings before I got sick and tired. Such articles can be done away with to make the site more enjoyable. Sudarsan
Date: Thursday, December 25, 1997 2:36 AM Even as a Bengali I had no idea Pritish and Ashis Nandy (and Anita Pratap) were Christians. Ashis Nandy was here in NYC a few weeks back preaching vitriolic anti-Hindu and Hindutva ideas. When a member of the audience asked him why he was so against Hindu/Hinduism/Hindutva being a Hindu himself, he simply replied, "I am not a Hindu." Now we know what he actually meant. So brothers Pritish and Ashis have an agenda in their vitriolic anti-Hindutva tirades -- one wonders what with Rediff publishing news on the Church taking a anti-Hindutva stand that there is a coming together of Commie-Missionary and Islamist forces to counter the enemy common to their vested interests -- Hindutva. The missionaries have openly targeted the Hindus for conversion -- you have to just open any of those Christian evangelist home pages. They will lose a huge population for conversion if the Hindutva forces come to power and ban or regularise conversion. I am sure that under the garb of the editor, commentator or columnist writing against Hindutva are deep rooted vested interests. The Net is a liberating experience. The vested interests will be decimated by this new weapon -- communications -- which they can no longer control as they did with the media and other institutions. Raja
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 09:41:05 -0800 Please don't waste your time on DD. Leave him to us ! Makarand
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 10:17:25 -0800 She is the best. Absolute best. She is in many ways like Arun Shourie -- the way she stays focused on her argument, but does it with greater fire. Maybe Arun Shourie just has lost that fire now...but I can do with Varsha B now. Narain
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 13:22:53 -0600 I did not understand what Varsha Bhosle wanted to say in the article. She made it non-understandable by using so-called 'intellectual' language. I think language should be used to express and make yourself understood rather than impress and confuse readers. Monish Jain
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 15:23:36 EST Excellent ! Dilip Dear, if you do not have any answer to the charges of Christianistan, please close your shop or at least do not preach. Mukund
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 13:48:35 EST I congratulate Ms Varsha Bhosle for stepping up. I am sick and tired of all the Hindu bashing that is going on in the media. The "elite intellectual" columnists seem to think that it is "chic" and "yuppie" to bash anything Hindu. They are a disgrace to the nation. I am glad that Rediff editorial staff are at least giving an opportunity for a different opinion. Keep it up. It is "free speech" to speak in support of a nation and a religion. Ash
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 21:24:20 EST Once again Varshaji has done a superb job of exposing Dilip D Souza's sanctimonious rilings against Hindus. I do not care whether he is Christian or anything else, it is his failure to understand the aspirations of a large section of the society and making a virtue of it (holier than thou attitude) that is pathetic. Varshaji deserves kudos for her tough, no-nonsense stand. Keep it up. Gaurang G Vaishnav Florida
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 15:31:18 -0800 This is yet another disgusting one from Varsha among the series of articles she has been writing in the recent past. First she wrote about children, now about Hindutva. I don't know how such 'mudslinging' articles can be permitted on a site like Rediff which has a large audience. Varsha's article is really a direct dig at D'Souza's article on the Net. I feel that D'Souza's views are not wrong at all in this regard. Varsha talks about heritage. What is our heritage? Please enlighten us in this regard. Sai Saravanan
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 21:42:53 -0800 Way to go Varsha! We need more people like you to give a 'reality dose' to journalists and people alike in India whose definition of being secular is being anti-Hindu (and various hues of it). Especially Praful Bidwai who now has found a friend in the editor of The Hindu, Madras. I also observed one thing which can only happen in India. In USA, where I live, and I guess in most other civilised countries, political parties campaign for people's votes -- to being able to reduce taxes, increase wages, increase employment, make country's defences more strong etc. In India on the other hand, political parties and pundits alike seem to think that being 'secular' is the panacea for all ills. We have been a secular nation since the time we got freedom. If we go by the wisdom of people like D'Souza, Bidwai, Nayar etc we should have got the head-start on development by being secular. From all accounts, India has failed miserably -- economically, or otherwise. In spite of our large population and working democracy, no one gives a damn about us. We licked the boots of the African and Arab nations for the last five decades and when it came to voting in the United Nations for membership to Security Council, they voted for Japan. Israel, unlike India, is not a secular nation but it had far more clout and respect around the world. Why? In today's world, being economically and militarily powerful is more important that anything else. I look for a day when India is ruled by people who are proud of their nationality, their heritage and are bold enough to stand for their principles. Jai Hind. Jay Nitturkar Los Angeles
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 04:36:14 -0700 With no offence intended, I think you MUST stop writing these long vitriolic, almost personal retorts/ 'SPECIALS,' without letting us know what exactly prompted you to do that. You had written a previous article telling some NRI (not so very subtly) to keep his mouth shut. And there too you didn't say what exactly made you do that. I really enjoy your articles, but please, unless I know the exact provocation behind those, it really looks like some incoherent babble. Avinash
Date sent: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 14:53:40 -0500 Excellent article. Journalists on slippery ground will take to flight. But this is for Varsha's info. I have started ignoring Comrade Dilip (Che Guevara's revolutionary follower) and his column. I advise fellow Hindutvawadis to do the same. S N Jacob
Date sent: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 06:33:31 -0800 (PST) It would be nice if Varsha Bhosle would write in more easy English. People like me find it difficult to understand the meaning of her complicated English. Even then I tried to read it and find that she is trying to convey something of extraordinary importance, and I will very much like to know what it is!!! But as I am not that much well versed with the English language, I would appreciate it very much if she can try to write it in more simple words that could be understood by people like me.
Date sent: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 13:06:26 -0800 WAY TO GO VARSHA BHOSLE. It's about time somebody told this secularists who hide behind Hindutva to bash anybody who disagrees with their opinion. Time has come for Hindus to assert themselves. We have been let down by the so-called secularists for five decades. Now its time to go in a different direction. Are the minorities being discriminated in the states where the BJP is ruling right now? I don't think so. I haven't heard of any bomb blasts since the BJP started ruling Maharashtra. So it was nice to read from someone who would write the way they see it without prejudice. Keep up the good work. Ramesh
Date sent: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 12:55:33 +0300 Hello Varsha and Dilip, I think both of you need to understand that, we, followers of Rediff, look for latest news and analysis, not the trash you two write. Please stop this war of words. I feel Rediff should not publish your articles on the Net. These articles are full of antipathy, and only augment the communal divide within India. Both of you would be advised to do some study on the origin of the word Hind. Both of you are like empty vessels, making a lot of noise. I am convinced, none of you is right, nor wrong. Each one has his/her own point of view. Would you please permit us to have our own? It is high time we started contemplating in liberal terms. The world is in the integration gear, here, we are happy pulling each others legs.What if SAARC could learn a few things from ASEAN or better still the European Union. If Germany and France, who fought a war just 50 years ago can today move towards being one nation (well almost, they'll have one currency, won't they?) Why can't India and Pakistan do the same? There is so much, we Indians, rightly pride in. If only you could rise above your petty altercations. We Indians afar, face the flak. There are so many things we the so called illuminati, could do, for our not so fortunate brothers/sisters. You live in India, who else other than you, would be better equipped to tackle the issues which are impeding the development of our nation. We are here to support you implicitly and explicitly. Let's prepare ourselves for the next millennium. It will be a world of ruthless competition. Only the big and mighty will survive. Let's make a new year resolution to be more tolerant towards each other. Edward Machado Moscow
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 22:49:31 -0800 I've been following with some interest the exchanges between Dilip D'Souza and Varsha Bhosle, and although I feel very entertained, I do fear that both writers have fallen victim to the need to alternately throw mud (albeit perfumed) at each other. What has been left languishing is any real dialogue on the issues they raise regarding Hindutva, the Left movement and secularism, among others. Ms Bhosle's recent article 'Papa, don't preach' seems to be particularly enamoured of itself -- she revels in the sheer joy of seeing her words in print, and thus quite shamelessly exploits the advantage of delayed rebuttal that would render some of her arguments moot. One example is the paragraph where she talks about Mr D'Souza's complaint that Hindutva "... makes a fetish of being one country, that everyone who lives in India must feel Indian above all else. ...... but offer the slightest argument to its claims, the smallest disagreement with its notions; then suddenly you're not to be considered India, above all, any more." Her response is: "Dilip... pray tell, WHAT is the alternative ? We shouldn't be one country...? We shouldn't feel Indian above all else...? What exactly do *you* feel? Chinese? Cuban? American?" Now, now, Ms Bhosle: At the beginning of this very article you say "arguments need to be supported here -- demolished logic can't be propped up by picking on spellings." Very true, and incorrect rebuttals can't be thrown out in the guise of bombast. Mr D'Souza's objection (valid or not) was to what he perceived as the "Hindutva Pantheon's tendency to not only define the notion of Indian, but to allow no discussion over alternative points of view. Nowhere did he claim that one should NOT feel Indian -- merely that no one person has the copyright over what constitutes a definition of Indian, a claim which you surely would not object to. Unfortunately, you use your (possibly willful) misinterpretation of this statement to descend into a by now familiar rant... I feel that both columnists have interesting cases to make and make for fascinating reading. However, the articles would be even more fascinating if they occasionally rose above the level of refined mud slinging. To paraphrase a famous slogan from the land where media is king: "It's the issues, dummy!!" Suresh Venkatasubramanian
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 20:30:08 -0500 While it is quite interesting to read the article by Varsha, I think she is just missing the point. 1. The nationalism does not stand on a religion. Just because a Christian is critical of Hindutva, it does not mean that his religion is preaching that to him. And attacking entire Christiandom with that, taking the history books is wrong. It is interesting to note that Mr Periyar asked for Dravidastan for Dravidians during Partition. That does not make all the parties who vouch by him, including AIADMK, DMK are anti-national. 2. Communists during that time did not consider themselves nationalists. They always considered themselves as citizens of the world. 3. BJP brand of nationalism is that it weds the Hindu religion inexorably to nationalism and treats everyone who is not a Hindu with Varsha's yardstick. There are millions of Muslims and Christians who consider themselves Indians above all else. And these people consider the demolition of the Babri mosque as a threat to the Indian way of living. Scratching open old wounds is never welcomed by the Hindus, Muslims and Christians who want to better their life in real terms. Millions of people in India want to have a better life in years to come. They do not want to wage jihad or kar seva or crusade. It is always forget and forgive from an Indian's point of view. It is a jaundiced view of Varsha that thinks only Hindus are giving and Muslims and Christians are receiving. That is a childish mentality that is bred by the pathetic leaders we have. 4. Varsha seems to be paranoid of the forced conversions that took place in the Muslim kingdoms and the British empires. That is the thing of the past. It is a democratic era. You cannot stop a Muslim from becoming Hindu in this era, neither you can stop a Hindu from becoming Christian. People can exercise their free will. It is time to go beyond religion into the development of India as a whole, a nation for all the Indian people. Thukaram
Date sent: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 16:31:46 -0600 I wish people would write in the kind of English we could all understand! Anil Menon
Date sent: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 17:30:18 -0500 As usual, Varsha shows the world she is full of crap and should never be taken seriously.
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 15:43:12 -0800 Had this been a posting on one of the Usenet groups like "alt.flame" or even in soc.culture.india, the piece could have been called a neat one. Because all it does is to engage in mud slinging. The article is *totally* void of any solid logic to support "Hindutva." I understand and appreciate your stand of giving different political ideologies, which are prevalent in today's India, a platform to express their view -- but please get someone who is at least a mature writer, who can put forward his/her logic reasonably in a lucid manner, and not utter the same cliched phrases once devised to mean sarcasm over and over again to build a facade of good writing and personal attacks. Even the greatest writers cannot go on and on for long without a solid base of rationality. For less talented writers it becomes babbling. Sambit Basu
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 18:42:24 -0600 Varsha Bhosle, YOU GO GIRL. BJP or no BJP. Mohan Marette
Date sent: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 09:38:46 -0500 I think Varsha Bhosle should change her writing style to include more content and less dramatic prose. Her article may have been good, but the effort to find some meat in the article beneath all the fluffy prose was too much. Vimal
Date sent: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 12:20:55 +0900 Excellent piece. It is time people really understood what "Hindutva" originally meant -- this applies to some of the present supporters of the concept too. Instead of castigating Hindutva, critics should show an alternative that has the strength to rebuild the nation from its present divisions. The Left has no right to comment on any Hindutva at all as they support worse parties based on casteism which (the Mandal recommendations) simply divided the country into castes (worse than dividing into religions). Hope they mend their ways. Uday
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 22:04:43 -0800 WAY TO GO! I will dance with joy when this kind of article turns out in the mainstream media. Srinivas Murthy
Date sent: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 11:46:35 -0500 A befitting article to pseudo-secularists like Mr Dilip D' Souza. It echoes all our feelings about true secularism. I hope it conveys a strong message to pseudo-secularists of Mr Dilip D'Souza and his clan. Hindutva and true secularism is here to stay, and it is not far when the pseudo-secularism of the Marxists are destroyed. I still can't imagine how a person like Jyoti Basu who refused to condemn the aggression of India can be a Nationalist. One thing which I want everybody to note is the efforts of Rediff to bring out the feelings of both sides in an impartial manner. They have proved that they are a paper worth a thorough reading and not like other newspapers which are full of communist garbage. I take this opportunity to congratulate Rediff on their efforts and wish them a very successful 1998. May you reach the top. Ajay Gannerkote
Date sent: Fri, 26 Dec 1997 01:07:05 +0900 It would be nice if the author makes herself more comprehensible. I fail to understand on why words and sentences are being used with such utter disdain for their appropriateness. Does the author want to show of her knowledge of American English (cyber) slang? It would be far easier for us to understand her views, if she uses simple and decent language.
Date sent: Wed, 07 Jan 1998 12:11:17 -0700 Please someone let Varsha know that she once again joined the Hindutva bandwagon instead of discussion, and tried to defend it. I was hoping to see a rebuttal to Dilip's article where he was simply urging a "discussion" on the concept of Hindutva. I believe that your very reaction of defence is a result of your subconscious disbelief in the concept of Hindutva. But since you are stuck on it now, you might as well defend it!
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