The Hindu Agony (Part 3): Kaalchakra as a symbol of the hindu angst

So having walked a mile in a hindu's shoes in part 1, and shared my insight at the deep agony the hindus feel in part 2, part 3 is dedicated to india shining and KaalChakra as an apt metaphor for where the hindu mind is at.

Before we get started, I would like to offer an analogy that may be very useful further down the post:

In Jena, many years ago, a black girl and a white girl together planted a peace tree in a schoolyard. To symbolize hope, the end of hatred, and a signal that harmony is at hand. Several years later, the tree became a white only tree, and when black students dared to sit under that tree, nooses were hung from it the next day. Tensions rose, the blacks were threatened with shotguns and district attorneys, and finally fights broke out. The whites were never charged for brandishing weapons but blacks went to jail, tried as adults, for charges of attempted murder using a deadly weapon (in this case, sneakers).

Incidentally, one of the Jena 6, as they were soon to be known, was a brother of the girl who had planted that peace tree.

So how does this relate to the Hindu agony and Kaal in particular?

Kaal is an interesting character. He is often misunderstood. Like Ahmedinejad, it is difficult for most to decipher Kaal. Is he being sarcastic or sincere? Does he mean what he says or does he have a hidden agenda? Sometimes it is due to the very intentional nature of Kaal's interactions, other times; it is confusion on the part of the reader.

To summarize some of Kaal’s intentions:
- He wants to ensure that there is no superficial bhai chara amongst hindus and muslims.
- He wants an acknowledgement that hindus and muslims are completely different and hence have no business trying to get along, or live in the same communities.
- He is against anyone who is trying to get bhaichara going because he does not believe that it is possible to get along. Therefore, those who try, in his mind, are deluding themselves.

I believe that Kaal does have a thin veneer of “the gentle interactor” that slips every once in a while. I also believe that he is sincere in what he is trying to do: create divisions.

I respect and like Kaal, and believe that he will change his mind if reason compels him to.

At this point, I need to link the three “threads” (Jena, India Shining, and Kaal) in my post together. So bear with me.

Going back to the Jena example, the peace tree ended up being the tree of false hopes providing a pretty façade on an otherwise ugly interior of racial disharmony and discrimination. So in that sense, I agree with Kaal, let us not whitewash over our differences. For that does no-one any good.

However, one cannot say that since there are differences amongst the blacks and whites that they should be segregated. Understanding our differences (and resolving them where possible) is a key step, but celebrating our similarities is another key step. The central idea should not be to separate and segregate. It should be to understand and embrace.

Again, the Jena example shows that in segregation, there is cruel inhumanity. I saw some of the protestors that descended upon Jena. And as speeches were being made, I saw tears rolling down this black woman’s face. It immediately struck me that these are not tears for the Jena 6, but tears for herself and her history. Her tears for the cruelty that she and her ancestors have faced at the hands of those who considered her people different, and kept them segregated. Those tears said a lot.

So what about India shining and Kaal?

Ranjit makes an excellent point that the atrocities of the foreign invaders left a deep wound in the hindu psyche. However, things have changed drastically in the past 50 years. India is now shining. It has risen up in the world, and has become a power player. The hindus that earlier felt impotent against the oppressors, now wield the power. They are subservient no more. In that state, many hindus (Indian muslims are another topic, to be discussed at a later point), now can ask questions. Seek to reconcile and move on. It is an excellent time for hindus to effect change in themselves, in their psyche, and to get out of victim hood and into people that make positive change to their surroundings.

Kaal, is one of the souls that sought such answers.

From Sufis.

And here lies the fundamental shift in Kaal’s change of heart. Kaal went to the Sufis. He read up on them, he visited their dargahs. He felt that the Sufis truly believed in love. That religious boundaries did not matter for the Sufis. But when he felt a pressure from the Sufis to convert, he felt betrayed.

So he abandoned the idea of love and sameness and instead went on a warpath by thriving on differences and separateness. The perceived betrayal enraged him, and he continues to lash out at hindus who seek bhaichara, or liberal muslims, whom he calls the clapping Sufis or sufi lites.

Kaal is a wounded soul in search of a healing he has not yet found.

Kaal, amigo, you have called me many names, and in jest and jokes, I have called you many names as well (usman the pious, usman the devious, Kaal the chakkarbaaz, etc). However, I would like to sum up my thoughts on Part 3 with the following notes:

1. Issues should not be glossed over. Differences exist for a reason, one should not pretend that they don’t. I think you and I agree on this.

2. Understanding the differences, and similarities, and then loving each other as humans is what is required. Segregation and separation are uncalled for and are inhuman.
“What the world needs now, is love, sweet love
That’s the only thing, that there’s just too little of”

3. Sufis preach love. You don’t have to be muslim to practice love. But you have to be muslim to be a sufi.

4. Although you are hindu in belief and I am muslim, we are both humans, and come from the same creator, and shall return to the same creator.

5. I feel happy for you that India is shining, and your people are self sufficient after centuries of oppression. It is a great time for your people to heal the psyche and move on