PM Modi recently launched a postal stamp based on Ramayana. People started calling this as an anti secular move. But is this truly 'anti-secular'?
It is a common practice to issue stamps on themes of different people of different eras of our history:
- Distinguished Indians
- Freedom Fighters and PMs
- Kings of our modern Indian history
So what the hell is wrong with presenting our ancient history (Ramayana) ??
(Just because it was presented as a story does not mean that it is entirely fictional. Evidences have been found that support it.)
We Indians are consumed by this word secular which we have started using every now and then. If secularism means not acknowledging our own past, we must stop following such a system. Ramayana and Mahabharata are the stories of our Indian land. In the name of secularism do not forget our own history. Do not identify these books with Hinduism, identify them as national books. Let me present you an example.
In front of the Indonesian Embassy, one would have expected to see the statue of Sukarno, the founding father of Indonesia. But no; there is the Hindu Goddess of learning, Saraswati, glowing white and gold, with her four arms upraised. At her feet are three students -young Barack Obama and his classmates while he was in grade school in Indonesia.
The goddess’ statue, on top of a lotus, stands tall a block away from the Indian Embassy in front of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
Why would Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, with Hindus accounting for a mere 1.7 per cent, choose a Hindu goddess as its embassy’s symbol?
This is because they have retained their culture and identify themselves as Indonesians rather than identifying themselves as Arab vassals.
Lord Ganesha is inscribed on the 20,000 rupiah currency note. The logo of Institut Teknologi Bandung - Indonesia's premier engineering institute - is also Ganesh. Do Indonesians question this?
Hanuman is the official mascot of Indonesia’s military intelligence. At the 1997 South-East Asian Games at Jakarta, the official mascot was Hanuman. Do Indonesians question this?
Statues of Ram, Krishan and Arjun - mammoth in size, beautifully designed, tastefully lit, adorn traffic roundabouts. Jakarta even boasts a statue of Ghatotkach, Bhim’s son. Save for a shrine close to Hidimba Devi Temple in Manali, Ghatotkach has no statuary presence in India. Do Indonesians question this?
Our epics are our identities. Rather than acting as Arab world’s vassals, Indonesian Muslims present an epic example of those people who value their actual identity. We must learn from them.
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