What is Traditional ?

It is a common trend nowadays in the print and visual media to call every Hindu ritual/custom as “traditional”. There is a deliberate ongoing exercise to call every Hindu ritual/custom as “traditional”. The entire object of the exercise is to obliterate the Hindu identity. This is slowly seeping into our collective consciousness that we are unaware of this subtle brainwashing that is happening around us.

Let me start with an example. If we take any magazine or newspaper, in the section devoted to Recipes/Cookery, dishes are often referred to as Moplah dishes, Malabar Biriyani, Lucknowi Biriyani, Hyderabadi Biriyani, Syrian-Christian dishes etc. But, you will not find a single dish being called as Hindu dish, why ? Take “payasam” for instance, it was a by-product of the legendary churning of the Milky Ocean, but no newspaper/magazine will refer it to as “Hindu delicacy”, why ? There is a conscious and hidden understanding to delink “ Hindu” from our heritage.

The other day, my Christian  servant lady brought for me “prasadam” from a St.Joseph’s Church. It was a perfect replica of the Sabarimala container and payasam, only the words “St.Joseph’s Church” was inscribed on the container. Then I asked my servant as to whether she knew what payasam was and she replied in the negative. I had to explain to her the history of payasam and its link to our Hindu scriptures. Even the Lalitha Sahasranamam refers to Goddess Durga as “ Payasa anna priya”. The servant lady’s shock and disbelief and subsequent embarrassment were a real spectacle. Obviously she had been duped and tricked by the Church into believing that payasam was being consumed by Joseph. How could Joseph partake of a Hindu delicacy? Now she has become more respectful to the photos of Hindu Gods & Goddesses in our house.

Similarly, it is now fashionable to light the Hindu lamp on every function/inauguration etc. The Christian community has gone crazy over this Hindu mode of worship. Padres are lighting Hindu lamps for anything and everything. This mode of worship is not authorized in the Bible. There is an intelligent twist in the media reporting. “Hindu lamp” has been replaced by “traditional lamp” in all reports of journalists. Whose tradition? Christians and Muslims do not have this tradition. Just because they have started using it does the Hindu lamp lose its Hindu identity?  Can you de-Hinduise it ? Certainly not.

Recently I read one article by a Christian on Kathakali. He has studiously avoided the term “Hindu” and has substituted it to read as “Kathakali , the traditional art form”. Whose traditional art ? Certainly of the Hindus only.

It is the Christians who are creating the maximum ridicule and contempt for the Hindu religion (though they are the most ardent imitators). Alien Missionaries are all over India ridiculing Hinduism and blatantly indulging in conversion maneuvers. Those who are imitating our Hindu rites/customs/culture are too embarrassed to acknowledge it for that would amount to negation of their alien beliefs. The intelligent way deciphered is to keep using the word “traditional” instead of “Hindu”.

I appeal to all readers of Haindavakeralam to be aware of such corrupt and crooked practices of the media. As soon as you notice it nip it in the bud. Just send a letter to the Editor pointing out the omission. It will not be published, but, the Editor will realize that there are sensible and intelligent readers. We will also be putting on notice all the converts that Hindus are intent to safeguard, protect and  assert the Hindu aspect of our culture and food aspects.  Just as there are Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights etc there is something known as Hindu Art and Cultural copyrights. Let us not allow any media fellow or alien religious practitioners to undermine the Hindu identity.

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