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Elst probes, discovers India for himself

Elst probes, discovers India for himself

Author:
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date: January 21, 2004
URL: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE420040116235331&Page=4&Title=Features+%2D+People+%26+Lifestyle&Topic=0&

He's a strange sort of an Indophile. A person who's floored by Indian philosophy, who has written tones on touchy issues like the Hindu-Muslim conflict and one who closely follows the performance of the Vajpayee-led Government. But Koenraad Elst hasn't yet seen the Taj Mahal, the tiger or Khajuraho, all must-sees for the foreign visitor.

''The India I have seen comprises of dusty railway stations, conference rooms and the endless throng of people, who are just everywhere,'' says the 45-year-old Belgian as he chats up withthis website's newspaper.

Elst was in the city to deliver a lecture on 'Ayodhya-History and Controversy', a subject extremely close to his heart. So close, indeed, that he dropped his studies on Indian philosophy midway to pursue this subject instead. ''I first came to India in 1988-89, looking, like most Westerners, for the Truth. What struck me instead was the difference in the image of India abroad and the reality. Back home, India was portrayed as a secular state striving against the enemies of secularism (Hindu fundamentalists.) Instead, I discovered issues here which make the meaning of secularism itself very questionable.'' The simmering anti-Rushdie movement in India was quite an eye-opener, he recalls.

He refers to the common civil code, which is ''essential for any secular country''. ''But here, anyone supporting the code is branded as an extreme nationalist. Isn't it rather amusing that the party (BJP) which is most vocal in demanding a common code is considered communal?'' Elst says.

The author of several books including 'The Saffron Swastika-the notion of Hindu fascism', 'Godse and Gandhi', 'The Tolerant Hindu' and 'Ayodhya and After', Koenraad makes no attempts to couch his strong beliefs under soft words. ''The Babri Masjid is just another of the many mosques across the world, it's no Mecca. But Ram Janmabhoomi is extremely sacred to Hindus. If Muslims can have their Mecca, why can't they concede this site to the Hindus?'' he opines, though he adds that, ''This is my view. It's up to the new generation of Indians to decide, though.''

Elst shows a strong distaste for those he calls the professional secularists and blames them for warping facts. ''Godhra was a godsend for these people, who were just waiting for something awful to happen with the BJP in power. And they made the most of the incident, exaggerating a death toll of 700 to 2,000 and labelling it genocide. Just for the record, let me tell you that more people had died in communal riots during Indira Gandhi's rule.''

Elst also feels that the restraint of the majority community during great provocations is not given its due, while one retaliation is blown out of proportion. ''Akshardham, Parliament attack... the provocation has come many times, but the community maintained restraint.''

He gives the Vajpayee Government a good report card, saying they dropped the temple from their agenda and instead focussed on development. ''The image of India abroad is that of a country which has taken off.'' But he feels early poll is risky. ''Were the polls in October, Vajpayee would be assured the PM's post for the next six months. Now, he can't be sure. Remember how Jaques Chirac lost power when he called for snap polls at the height of his popularity?''

Elst notes that Eastern philosophy has appeal in the West these days because ''of their aura of rationality and the absence of a conflict between science and religion as there is in Islam or Christianity.'' He however, notes that those who claim that ancient Hindus were the pioneers of science and astronomy ''have an over- flattering image of their ancestors.'' Indeed, he is as acerbic in denouncing those who equate the three gunas (rajas, satva and tamas) to the proton, neutron and electron, as he is questioning the Biblical beliefs of immaculate conception and resurrection.
 


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