Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
1 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
2 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
rather than merely challenging his self-appointed representatives on earth. There are numerous other such
examples of Bollywood presenting the relations between humans and divinities in ways that demand
accountability of gods or challenges their wisdom in letting wrong-doers prosper.
Hindus are used to laughing at their gods and even picking quarrels with them. Therefore, films that indulge in
rebellious dialogues with the divine have hardly ever caused upsets in the way PK has done. Instead of
disdainfully dismissing the outrage around PK as a product of the resurgence of obscurantist Hindutva forces,
we need to try and understand why this particular film has evoked such outrage.
To begin with, director Rajkumar Hirani has tried to be too clever by half by deviously proclaiming that he
has the blessings of BJP leaders as well as that of one of the most popular spiritual gurus, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The film begins with the following opening credits. The first one says:
Earnest Gratitude
LK Advani
Pratibha Advani
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Jhunjhunwala
The second slide reads as follows:
Earnest Gratitude
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji (The Art of Living Foundation)
Dr Prannoy Roy (NDTV)
Andre Timmins, Sabbas Joseph & Virat Sarkari (Kingdom of Dreams)
One can understand NDTV or Kingdom of Dreams being thanked by Hirani because he used their facilities
for shooting certain scenes of his film. But bringing in LK Advani and Amitabh Bachchan is clearly meant to
use them as shields against criticism by Hindutva groups. Luckily for Hirani, LK Advani actually endorsed the
film enthusiastically, but Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has good reason to be displeased with the use of his name and
visual shots of his ashram in the film.
Hirani filmed the Shivratri Sangat at Sri Sri's ashram under the false pretext that his projection of it would
respect the spirit of the festival organised by the ashram. But then he superimposed the character of a very
devious and thuggish spiritual guru on the real life sangat of Sri Sri's ashram with the clear purpose of trashing
the very institution of dharma gurus. By this clever gimmick, Hirani not only betrayed Sri Sri's trust but also
played foul with thousands of Sri Sri devotees whom he filmed live. They are presented as gullible fools who
dance to the tunes of an evil dharma guru.
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
3 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
]
Sri Sri's trust was betrayed by the makers of the
film
It would have been quite another matter if Hirani had created his own filmy sangat with hired actors playing
mock devotees. But to caricature and demean real life people who come motivated by deep faith to their
chosen dharma guru - without as much as a by-your-leave-- can only be called outright fraud.
Secondly, the phony credit line mentioning Sri Sri makes it out as if he has blessed the film. This puts Sri Sri in
a very awkward position. Firstly, shots of his own ashram and sangat are being used to defame him by
implication. Secondly, Hirani is making out as if Sri Sri actually endorses Hirani's all-out attack on dharma
gurus. This is a double whammy on Sri Sri, and totally unethical at that!
Many defenders of PK have raised the point that Hindu groups did not attack Oh My God even though it is no
less devastating in exposing the frauds of those claiming to be spiritual gurus. They argue that attacks on PK
are in large part because OMG had a Hindu hero while PK has Aamir Khan, a Muslim, as the hero.
There is no doubt that Aamir Khan has been the special target of ire of Hindu groups. But that is not because
he is a Muslim but because he is the lead voice of the secular brigade which has demeaned and demonised
Hindu groups and political parties like the BJP in the guise of fighting allegedly communal politics of BJP.
Hindu groups are outraged at him because he was a lead player in the Teesta Setalvad-Tarun Tejpal-Shabana
Azmi brigade that acted as the fighting sword of the Congress and Left parties against the BJP, in general, and
Narendra Modi, in particular.
Aamir Khan's attempts to cosy up to Modi and Modi's willingness to befriend Aamir Khan has not softened
Hindu groups because they feel their demonisation as fascists was totally unmerited. They are not quite ready
to embrace Aamir Khan because he has not even expressed the slightest regret for his role in the Hate-BJP
campaign.
It's not easy to forget that Aamir Khan actually pleaded with voters to give a fractured verdict to prevent BJP
from coming to power- not caring that India desperately needed a stable government after 10 years of
disastrous coalitions cobbled together by the Congress party. People are angry because the Secular Brigade
Aamir was part of did not fight an honourable political battle against the BJP; their politics was based largely
on lies and hideous exaggerations.
Normally, people don't hold actors responsible for the flaws of the story line or script. But Aamir is not just
another actor. He is known to take deep interest in the minutest detail of the script, storyline and even
technical aspects of any film he accepts to act in. Therefore, he can't disown the political orientation of the
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
4 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
film.
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
5 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
]
Representational image: AFP
The Abrahamic god is also a jealous god who demands that his devotees wage relentless war against all
false gods and their devotees who are derogatively termed as kafirs and idol worshippers, deserving the
most hellish punishments. The believers of the one and only true god are expected and encouraged to wreak
vengeance on worshippers of false gods as proof of their commitment to the Only True God! This
arrogance and claim to exclusivity has caused endless mayhem and havoc in the world, especially for people
of Indic faith traditions as well as for Jews, who were ironically the originators of the idea of an almighty one
and only true, ferociously jealous, god. The Jews faced an endless series of pogroms and ethnic cleansing all
over the Christian and Islamic world. The only place they escaped persecution and violence has been India.
Hindus have been similar victims at the hands of Islamic invaders who carried out huge massacres and looted
as well as vandalised and desecrated countless Hindu temples and deities. Allah's zealous soldiers forced
Hindus to give up their faith and convert to Islam largely through brutal means for over 1,000 years - all
because the Allah of Muslims demanded ruthless elimination or subjugation of infidels. After them the British,
Portuguese and French, who together colonised large parts of India, launched equally vicious attacks against
the Hindu faiths as part of their civilising missions coupled with attempts to convert Hindus to Christianity.
They may not have broken Hindu idols but they caused no less damage by enacting laws which allowed the
state to control major shrines and temples and take away their landed properties and other assets.
This is not to deny that conversions to Islam and Christianity by the lower castes, especially untouchable
groups, were at times a voluntary rejection of Hinduism on account of the demeaning treatment meted out to
them. But most converts have been won over through a combination of force, violence, fraud and/or
inducements.
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
6 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
]
Representational image
At the core of Classical Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma with its philosophical moorings in Vedanta lie three
basic propositions:
1. God, or the divine power, is present in every living and non-living being. Thus there is no sharp divide
between the human and divine, between human and other forms of life, between living and non-living.
This finds popular expression in sayings such as kan-kan mein hai Ram (Ram, or the diving being, is
present in every being, every atom in this universe). Hence, the worship of nature - in all its
manifestations - rivers, mountains, trees, animals, birds and even pests and reptiles - is a characteristic
feature of Sanatan Dharma.
2. The purpose of life is to know and recognise this divinity not only within ourselves but also in each
living and non-living being and become one within it. Once you accept the non-dualistic view of the
world; there is no scope for me or us versus others. All religions, no matter how vast their
theological differences and clash of dogmas or belief patterns, are supposed to lead one to union with
the divine. Therefore, those who are truly spiritual, at one with the divine, cannot possibly have any
quarrel with the followers of other theologies or religions or those following varied spiritual paths.
3. Daily life is to be lived by codes of morality (dharmic codes) specific to different life situations, roles
and relationships a person is involved in at different stages of life. Thus, there is pitra dharm (fatherly
responsibilities and duties), matri dharm (those of a mother), padosi dharm (duty towards one's
neighbours) raj dharm (duties and responsibilities of a king), guru dharma (that of teachers), grihastha
dharm (that of a householder), and so on. A person who performs his worldly duties in different
situations and stations of life with integrity and steadfastness needs no formal prayers, no religious
rituals to be close to god.
Just as Hindus have millions of devis and devatas, so also they have innumerable sacred texts, with each
sampradaya free to choose whatever text it considers worthwhile. But none of these texts, including the two
foundational texts of Hindu faith traditions - namely the Mahabharata and the Ramayana - claim to be the
word of god or product of exclusive divine revelation. Each of them has been written by gifted mortals. None
of our sacred epics, dharma shastras or even vedas issue commandments for their followers. Almost all of
them state that the code of ethics to be followed by each person is time, culture and situation specific hence
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
7 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
constantly evolving.
The most endearing part of Hindu faith traditions is that devotees and even non-devotees alike are allowed
full freedom to laugh at, criticise and even punish their gods. Since there is no sharp divide between humans
and divines, our gods and goddesses routinely take avatars and get born on earth as ordinary human beings. In
their roles as sons, brothers, fathers, and friends they are judged by the same moral standards that you would
judge ordinary human beings. They neither claim perfection nor any special rights in those roles. For instance,
Lord Ram may be iconised as Maryada Purushottam but even today he was not been forgiven his
ill-treatment of Ma Sita as depicted in Valmiki Ramayana. Consequently, hundreds of Ramayanas have been
written to force him to make amends for his unacceptable behaviour of subjecting Sita Ma to a fire ordeal and
later abandoning her in a forest. In many latter-day Ramayanas, Ram is either an improved version of Tulsi
Ramayana or is castigated harshly for his uncouth behaviour towards Sita. (For a detailed analysis read my
essay, Yes to Sita, No to Ram in Manushi issue No 98, 1999).
Likewise, Krishna died a tragic death because of the curse of Gandhari he willingly took upon himself for his
role in the Mahabharata war. As Bal Gopal, he took endless scoldings and spankings from mother Yashoda for
his naughty pranks as would any ordinary child. (For more details read my article Of Humans & Divines in
Manushi issue No 136 May-June 2003.
The Vedantic worldview was further strengthened and popularised by the Bhakti tradition that spread in wave
after wave in different parts of India starting from the South in the 6th century AD. The sufi upsurge within
Indic Islam in the medieval period popularised a version of this view among Muslims. The bhakti and sufi
movements played a vital role in finding theological resolution to the historic clash between the polytheistic
Indic faiths and the aggressively monotheistic Islamic worldview, building bridges of non-antagonistic
communication and even friendship between the two. The essence of both these worldviews is that god dwells
everywhere and in every being but especially among the humble and poor; that a good heart with love and
compassion for all of god's creatures brings a person much closer to god than any ritualistic practice, textual
commandments or the dictates of any religious authority. To treat anyone as the hostile other is not to know
god. A real heartfelt prayer reaches god, no matter whether performed in a church, mosque or mandir. Allah,
Ishwar, Christ are different names for the same Divine Power.
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
8 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
9 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
10 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
agenda behind it all, especially since the Hindus are either presented as na-ve, gullible idiots or as thugs and
manipulators.
Hinduism has an infinite capacity for self-criticism, self-improvement and even withstanding attacks from
outsiders. But the attacks hurt more when an insider attacks with the imperious arrogance of an outsider or
when outsiders assume they have an exclusive copyright on perfection!
Post Script: Bizarre to Equate Paris Carnage with Protests over PK
Just as I finished writing this piece came the horrific news that three AI-Qaeda terrorists stormed the office of
the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, well known for lampooning politicians, public figures and
religion, including Christianity and radical Islam. The attackers called out the names of these cartoonists they
had come to wreak vengeance on. The masked gunmen shouted Allahu Akbar before gunning down and
killing 12 people - two policemen and 10 journalists, including the editor of the weekly. Among the dead were
four prominent cartoonists who had lampooned Islamic terrorists and Prophet Mohammad.
The spirit and tenor of the TV programmes discussing the Paris carnage was serious and non-aggressive. For
instance, on Rajdeep Sardesai's programme on Headlines Today, all the panelists, including those like Aamir
Raza Hussain, who argued forcefully in favour of state censorship and self-censorship when dealing with
matters of faith, were given a respectful hearing. There were no hysterical harangues against terrorists who
gunned down French journalists and the condemnation was in measured tones.
]
AP
This was in sharp contrast to the contempt and disdain with which critics of PK have been treated by media's
secular left liberals. The protestors against PK were snubbed and humiliated on most TV channels as though
they represented a sub-human species that did not understand the value of artistic freedom.
Most important of all, even while discussing the Paris carnage, almost every TV channel continuously
referred to the intolerance shown by Hindu groups towards PK and other such portrayals as proof that Hindus
were no less intolerant than Islamic jihadis. This attempt to draw equivalence between Hindu zealots and
Islamic terrorists is indeed bizarre. Even the lunatic fringe of Hinduism has never gone for bloodshed and
mayhem to express their religious hurt in the murderous manner in which militant jihadis are routinely
expressing their defence of Islam.
The double-standard and attitude of open contempt displayed by left secular liberals towards Hinduism and its
followers is what pushes a section of Hindu zealots into believing that their sentiments and hurt will be taken
1/12/2015 4:42 PM
Print :Decoding PK: Despite fun and frolic, the undertone is anti-Hindu
11 of 11
http://www.firstpost.com/printpage.php?idno=2041285&sr_no=0
seriously only if they too start getting violent against people who outrage them. Centuries of being ridiculed
and demeaned for their modes of worship and belief systems has unfortunately led a section of Hindus to
think that they need to mould their gods and goddesses in the template of the quick-to-take-offence'
Abrahamic God. To my mind, this would be the greatest tragedy for Hinduism.
It would be a great pity if we have to start treating our devis and devatas with the same awe and fear that the
followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism have to treat their Almighty God. In Hinduism, highly evolved
human beings are even allowed to acquire greater power than gods. Hindu lore is full of stories of great
tapasvis whose tapa gave them such exceptional powers that even gods had to do their bidding. Any woman
who displays extraordinary valour or courage often gets to be called and even treated as Durga incarnate!
As pointed out by Sharda Ratan in his Open Letter to Bollywood, "God Fearing is an English Term, rooted
in Christian theology. The Hindus use the term Prabhu premi (god loving). The ultimate aim of life for a
Hindu is discover the divine within, not be fearful of god up above.
I pray and hope that we find better ways of protecting our faith traditions from ugly, gratitutous attacks than
emulate the negative aspects of Judaic faiths by making our deities as quick to take offence and demand
vengeance, as does the Abrahamic God. The fact that the Bajrang Dal and allied outfits who vandalised
theatres running PK could not find more than 15-20 persons to join their hoodlum protests shows that the
Hindu samaj is not endorsing their lawless ways of expressing hurt.
The author is Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and Founder Manushi
1/12/2015 4:42 PM