WHY I AM A HINDU: SHASHI THAROOR

BOOK REVIEW : WHY I AM A HINDU: SHASHI THAROOR: ALEPH: PAGES 302 : RS 699/-

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, needs no introduction to book readers. He is a prolific author of books. This is his seventeenth book. Neatly divided into three sections, almost the first one-third of the book is about his own belief in Hinduism, the Hindu way of life and its various customs with a full chapter devoted to the great souls of Hinduism.

In the first chapter of the first section, he explains the title of the book. His Hinduism is one of a lived faith. It is the oldest religion in the world (Sanatana Dharma)  with around 1250 million people as followers all over the world. It includes an eclectic range of doctrines and practices which includes pantheism (multiple divinities) as well agnosticism and even atheism. It believes in rebirth and a caste system. To be a Hindu you are not obligated to any doctrine and you don’t have to have a belief in a God. Hinduism has a long history from time immemorial and a common culture and tradition throughout the vast country.

What also attracts Hinduism to Tharoor is lack of dogma and freedom to choose one’s way of life from a broad canvas of options. So majestic and yet modest are the Vedic Seers that Tharoor quotes the Naasadiiya Sooktham or Hymn of Creation- part of the three millennium old Rig Veda “who knows whence this creation had its origin? --- He knows---or maybe even He does not know”. Tharoor compares Hinduism to a huge banyan tree under whose shade, men and women, plants and animals, thought and action flourish.
Tharoor highlights in Chapter 4, the immense contributions to Hindu philosophy made by Adi Shankara and Ramanuja who restored “Hinduism to pre-eminence and popularity as the principal religion of India”. Tharoor takes the readers on an illuminating journey through the maze of Hinduism. He quotes extensively from the Vedas and Upanishads, guides them through myths and popular practices, elaborates the thoughts of prominent expounders, and tells us about his own religious practices.

In the second section of the book, he chronicles the making of Hindutva. How it distorts Hinduism and how it can damage the social fabric of our country. He concludes that Hindutva as politics simply does not adhere to the precepts of Hinduism. It is basically incompatible with Hindu religion and faith. It seeks control and power over society. Hindutva is not concerned with the nuances of Hinduism, its agenda is to galvanise the Hindu community to quench its thirst for power unlike Hinduism which shows the path to personal salvation.

The last chapter and last section of the book is devoted to taking Hinduism away from the clutches of Hindutva proponents who at the cost of the minorities  are converting a pluralist religious philosophy into a political ideology.  One of the distinct features of Hinduism is that there has never been any attempt by any individual or any organization to spread the religion or establish it as an element of identity of people. As a result, the philosophy of Hinduism and the prescriptions of moral living are applicable to anybody irrespective of the religious belief the person might follow. Swami Vivekananda had said that Hinduism stands for both tolerance and universal acceptance. Any such move to change the character of Hinduism would be dangerous and would destroy India argues Tharoor. Tharoor believes that Hinduism is almost the ideal faith for the 21st century and a universal religion. No apostasy, no heresy. It is eclectic, has no dogmas and is therefore best suited to the uncertainties of a post-modern world.

Tharoor is a proud Hindu and a non-Hindutva Hindu. “ Garv se kaho ki hum Indian hein” is his motto.

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