Letter to Rajiv Malhotra

Hi rajiv,
When you first wrote Axis of neocolonialism, it was a path breaking and courageous piece of research. It was a thesis that was hidden deep in the sub-concious of Indians, but was first eloquently expressed by you. Your article, Dialog on Whiteness Studies, continues to push back the ignorance amongst our English educated elite. You are well ahead of your time in terms of the frames of analysis you use. The ideas you express in your articles are subtle and profound. It is always worth a re-read to understand those concepts better.
I have been a huge fan of sulekha newshopper (much less after it's "revamping") and i get a good grasp of the daily events in the world. I realize that now more than ever, it is time to take control of words and their semantics. In the war of words between the various parties, I think even people who do appreciate your point of view often express it in the wrong terminology. Even worse, most of the hindutva supporters are always on the defensive rather than the offensive. Let me illustrate using a few examples.

Benny hill a notorious evangelist from the US recently visited Bangalore. While there was much hue and cry about his subversive attempts at converting the poor and about his maligning of Hindu traditions, no one spoke about the point of view taken by the evangelists and what their repercussions would be (far beyond converting a few to Christianity). It occurred to me that this was a second attempt at colonizing Indian culture and uprooting it. Looked at from this point of view, the actions of Benny hill are more than scandalous, they are criminal. Would any Indian contemplate allowing the British to rule us for another 100 years?? Well then, how can Benny hill whose mission is to similar ends be tolerated? Sad part is while the media has lost it's objective about being the reflection of public opinion, even so called people from the Hindu "right" have not raised these points. America is the new Britain and it is on a mission of "bringing people to the light ". From the point of view of the evangelists, they are doing noble work. They genuinely believe that they will liberate tortured souls into Jesus. But then that was what missionaries from East India Company were out to do as well. To reform the "junglees" of India. How come such a point of view was never projected in the Indian media or for that matter by any hindutva brigade as well?
Therefore the allowance of such people into India is dangerous. Let us not revisit the horror and devastation of colonization. If we do not learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it.
So whenever people like Benny hill come to India, Indians must be made aware that we will are in danger of being re-colonized and that such people should not be allowed to enter the country.

Let me come to my next point.
I recently saw a cover article in TIME magazine about the 25 most influential evangelicals in the US. While reading through their profiles, one point stood out more than the rest. All except one were white. I realized that in a surreptitious way, beyond just trying to spread Christianity, it was a white supremacist/ racist movement under the covers. Just like 400 yrs ago, white supremacy was raising its ugly head again. Only it is cloaked in the garb of Christianity this time. This is the reason there is overwhelming support for Bush in the "Red" states. They were all hotbeds of racism in the past and continue to retain vestiges of it. While all this might sound like a conspiracy, it is not. Simply because it is a phenomenon that even many whites aren’t consciously aware of. The explicit reasoning is that Bush appeals to the Christian religious values, but unconsciously people vote him because he thinks like a "Red Neck". No wonder the blacks are confused as who might represent them best. Should they vote for Bush because he is a devout Christian or avoid him for his white supremacist views?
Should they vote for Kerry for his liberal, pro minority sympathies or avoid him for his support for homosexuality and secularism??
The war in Iraq is being fought along religious lines (no matter what bush might say about spreading "freedom"), but religious fault lines and race lines match very seamlessly in this case.
Christianity also includes other races like blacks and Asians. So aren't they part of the team?? Actually, no. People like Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice are the compliant blacks who go by the will of their masters. Rather than being a showcase for black achievement, they show that blacks who think like whites and implicitly accept white ideals will be tolerated and displayed as public trophies. Why Christianity is being promoted is because it legitimizes a new form of asserting racial supremacy. Christianity today consistently evokes an image of a white person, bible in hand out to conquer the world. History repeats itself again!! It is difficult to escape the close correlation between being a white person and Christian person today.

Finally on a different note, I wanted to mention about usage of words and their semantics. I have noticed that people keep hating "secularists" and seculars. I think it is erroneous use of words. What they are is pseudo-seculars and not seculars. The founding fathers of India used their utmost rationality and humanity into drafting the Indian Constitution. It is time that people who pretend to be secular are taught its true meaning and import. Secularism arose in Europe after many centuries of religious persecution, as a progressive ideal and that put humans before religion. But there are no torch bearers for secularism in the world today. Consequently it has lost its idealism and its meaning is being subverted to suit low political ends. The Congress in India might have arisen out of the noble and just minds of leaders like Gandhi. But the Congress lost its 'secular' credential right at the beginning of our independence. That is why Gandhi had suggested disbanding the Congress. A need felt more today than ever before. They have however retained the title of "secular" party while parties like the BJP are called "saffron/communal/rightist". Where the Congress truly practices its secular trade is in corruption, nepotism and sycophancy. They do not distinguish whom they loot or whom they destroy. The religion of the victim does not matter to them. Secularism and appeasement do not equate. Hence being extra careful of Muslim sentiments only alienates the Hindu community more. The grievances of Hindus are disregarded merely for not being the minority. What is this if not communalist thinking??
Currently many media houses have taken over the "responsibility" of secularism. It takes many forms but is essentially hypocrisy in different forms. Times of India has converted to a tabloid style paper laced with scandalous news and scantily clad women. No attempt is made to do real investigative reporting. If they had their way, India would be consisting of the metropolitan cities where the rich and the famous rollick and frolick. To add to their secular credentials, they add a few reports bashing Hinduism and hide Muslim names by giving a catch all term: "minority community". The Indian express which was the bastion of investigative reporting in the 70's and 80's has been reduced to a suppliant media that regularly sings paeans of 10 janpath street (Sonia Gandhi). Non-implementation of UCC shows that secularism is not practiced, just preached, whether by Congress or the media. Godhra and Gujarat happened because of the failure of government to stop the talibanisation of Indian Muslims by organizations like ISI. The more the appeasement continues, the more the country will slip into anarchy. And it will be the English media as well as the Congress which have to share the blame and face the consequences.
What is needed in India today, is a comprehensive media oversight body that monitors English as well as vernacular press.
I have been motivated to write this letter in order to share my thoughts. I request you to enable more research through your Infinity foundation in some of the directions I have suggested in my letter. For example, a full fledged article by you or your staff about the racial and religious connections of evangelism will open the eyes of many people.
Regards,
Karthik Iyer
nyaan.blogspot.com