Defaming article on Hinduism in Kuwait Times

Kuwait Times in its today’s (09.03.2010)edition, both printed and online (http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NTk2Njk4NjU5) has brought out an article relating to India’s “Godmen”. This I suppose was a fallout of the news relating to Nityananda’s Sex Scandal. The article titled “Sex scandals and stampedes: bad week for India ‘godmen'” starts with highlighting the Nityananda scandal and the Shiv Murti Dwivedi alias Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale where 63 people died of stampede (he was arrested by the Delhi Police last month on charges of operating a high-profile sex racket involving former airhostesses and students). The tone of the article changes from blaming the culprits to clumping all gurus and sadhus under the impugning umbrella “godmen” where they mention Amma as “so-called hugging saint” and Sree Sai Baba as “a wild-haired South Indian godman”. The most atrocious is that the article instead of depicting Nityananda’s or any of those tainted “godmen’s” photos, depicts Amma & Swami Amritaswaroopananda!!

The article then takes quotes from the self-proclaimed atheist Sanal Edamaruku, head of the Indian Rationalist Association where he brackets all saffron robe doned men as “the unwashed, wandering mystics often found through a fug of marijuana smoke”. But the final nail is for Hinduism as a whole where the article ends with Sanal’s perception of this ancient religion as “Hinduism-with its many gods, magic and mysticism-leads people to seek out such individuals to fulfill the emotional desire to believe or even a basic human need to congregate”. For an Islamic nation where 60% of the population is expatriates, a large chunk of those belonging to either of the Abrahamic religions, callous reports such as these in one of the leading English newspapers will only create and harbour wrong notions of a religion which is time immemorable and so rich in spiritualism and that which has only helped in giving knowledge and bringing peace and solace to millions of seekers worldwide and still continues to.

I wish the editors take note of the grave mistake and issue an apology to its readers.

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