"The vibrations of the spectacle of inauguration of Ram’s temple are still in the air. This inauguration was done by Prime Minster Narendra Modi who was at the centre of the whole ceremony. In this instance he represented both ‘state power’ and ‘religious power’. In feudal times these two were working in close collaboration, boosting each other.
....
When India became independent and the Indian Constitution came into being, the presence of religion in social spaces was very much there.
....
Nearly seven decades down the line, the prime minister of India inaugurated the temple with pomp and show and the president, Draupadi Murmu, was an appreciative onlooker from her vast Rashtrapati Niwas. The Union Cabinet not only hailed this act but went a step further to pass a resolution, “…the body of the country attained Independence in 1947…the Pran Pratishtha (consecration of the temple) was done on January 22, 2024… The Ram temple movement has united the country as never before and it is the day when India’s soul got freedom.”
....
The Indian Constitution is the embodiment of ‘soul of India’ for the majority of the people. Those who did not participate in the freedom movement were the ones who upheld the caste and gender hierarchy of the past. These were the social classes that were against caste and gender equality as well as the rights of farmers and workers. These were precisely the forces which asserted the politics in the name of religion – the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Muslim League contended that Muslims were the rulers, whereas the Hindu Mahasabha-RSS asserted India as a Hindu Nation, denouncing Islam and Christianity as foreign religions. Surendra Nath Bannerjee, in his book India: Nation in the Making, articulated the country’s sentiments as it shaped itself around the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Today, however, claims of Ram being the uniting figure are being made. Ram has many interpretations. A mythological figure presented by Valmiki and later popularised by Goswami Tulisdas is one interpretation. Kabir saw Ram as the embodiment of universal humanism while Gandhi saw him as a uniting figure. The RSS and BJP have interpreted him as an exclusionary figure.

The campaign for this temple has exacted a toll, evident in the loss of numerous lives, societal polarisation, the marginalisation of minorities, and the exacerbated plight of Dalits, Adivasis, women, and workers over the past few decades. It is also reflects in the social indices and the emergence of Muslim ghettos all around.

Today, we are witnessing an attack on India’s soul which emerged during the freedom movement while the ruling dispensation presents a distorted version that revolves around a temple."

https://thewire.in/government/the-indian-constitution-is-the-soul-of-india-not-ram

On Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 10:30:31 AM UTC-5, ltlee1 wrote:
> "The vibrations of the spectacle of inauguration of Ram’s temple are still in the air. This inauguration was done by Prime Minster Narendra Modi who was at the centre of the whole ceremony. In this instance he represented both ‘state power’ and ‘religious power’. In feudal times these two were working in close collaboration, boosting each other.
> ...
> When India became independent and the Indian Constitution came into being, the presence of religion in social spaces was very much there.
> ...
> Nearly seven decades down the line, the prime minister of India inaugurated the temple with pomp and show and the president, Draupadi Murmu, was an appreciative onlooker from her vast Rashtrapati Niwas. The Union Cabinet not only hailed this act but went a step further to pass a resolution, “…the body of the country attained Independence in 1947…the Pran Pratishtha (consecration of the temple) was done on January 22, 2024… The Ram temple movement has united the country as never before and it is the day when India’s soul got freedom.”
> ...
> The Indian Constitution is the embodiment of ‘soul of India’ for the majority of the people. Those who did not participate in the freedom movement were the ones who upheld the caste and gender hierarchy of the past. These were the social classes that were against caste and gender equality as well as the rights of farmers and workers. These were precisely the forces which asserted the politics in the name of religion – the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
>
> The Muslim League contended that Muslims were the rulers, whereas the Hindu Mahasabha-RSS asserted India as a Hindu Nation, denouncing Islam and Christianity as foreign religions. Surendra Nath Bannerjee, in his book India: Nation in the Making, articulated the country’s sentiments as it shaped itself around the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
>
> Today, however, claims of Ram being the uniting figure are being made. Ram has many interpretations. A mythological figure presented by Valmiki and later popularised by Goswami Tulisdas is one interpretation. Kabir saw Ram as the embodiment of universal humanism while Gandhi saw him as a uniting figure. The RSS and BJP have interpreted him as an exclusionary figure.
>
> The campaign for this temple has exacted a toll, evident in the loss of numerous lives, societal polarisation, the marginalisation of minorities, and the exacerbated plight of Dalits, Adivasis, women, and workers over the past few decades. It is also reflects in the social indices and the emergence of Muslim ghettos all around.
>
> Today, we are witnessing an attack on India’s soul which emerged during the freedom movement while the ruling dispensation presents a distorted version that revolves around a temple."
>
> https://thewire.in/government/the-indian-constitution-is-the-soul-of-india-not-ram

Two views on what constitutes "Indian Soul"
1. Indian Constitution embodies supposedly universal human values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
2. India as a Hindu Nation entails a uniquely Indian soul emancipated by the Ram movement.

Questions:
Are the so called univesal human values the beginning or the end points of all human values/aspirations?
If not, to what degree could a people choose to exchange some part of the universal to more cultural unique
and possibily superior values?

On Friday, February 2, 2024 at 2:26:14 PM UTC-5, ltlee1 wrote:
> On Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 10:30:31 AM UTC-5, ltlee1 wrote:
> > "The vibrations of the spectacle of inauguration of Ram’s temple are still in the air. This inauguration was done by Prime Minster Narendra Modi who was at the centre of the whole ceremony. In this instance he represented both ‘state power’ and ‘religious power’. In feudal times these two were working in close collaboration, boosting each other.
> > ...
> > When India became independent and the Indian Constitution came into being, the presence of religion in social spaces was very much there.
> > ...
> > Nearly seven decades down the line, the prime minister of India inaugurated the temple with pomp and show and the president, Draupadi Murmu, was an appreciative onlooker from her vast Rashtrapati Niwas. The Union Cabinet not only hailed this act but went a step further to pass a resolution, “…the body of the country attained Independence in 1947…the Pran Pratishtha (consecration of the temple) was done on January 22, 2024… The Ram temple movement has united the country as never before and it is the day when India’s soul got freedom.”
> > ...
> > The Indian Constitution is the embodiment of ‘soul of India’ for the majority of the people. Those who did not participate in the freedom movement were the ones who upheld the caste and gender hierarchy of the past. These were the social classes that were against caste and gender equality as well as the rights of farmers and workers. These were precisely the forces which asserted the politics in the name of religion – the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
> >
> > The Muslim League contended that Muslims were the rulers, whereas the Hindu Mahasabha-RSS asserted India as a Hindu Nation, denouncing Islam and Christianity as foreign religions. Surendra Nath Bannerjee, in his book India: Nation in the Making, articulated the country’s sentiments as it shaped itself around the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
> >
> > Today, however, claims of Ram being the uniting figure are being made. Ram has many interpretations. A mythological figure presented by Valmiki and later popularised by Goswami Tulisdas is one interpretation. Kabir saw Ram as the embodiment of universal humanism while Gandhi saw him as a uniting figure. The RSS and BJP have interpreted him as an exclusionary figure.
> >
> > The campaign for this temple has exacted a toll, evident in the loss of numerous lives, societal polarisation, the marginalisation of minorities, and the exacerbated plight of Dalits, Adivasis, women, and workers over the past few decades. It is also reflects in the social indices and the emergence of Muslim ghettos all around.
> >
> > Today, we are witnessing an attack on India’s soul which emerged during the freedom movement while the ruling dispensation presents a distorted version that revolves around a temple."
> >
> > https://thewire.in/government/the-indian-constitution-is-the-soul-of-india-not-ram
> Two views on what constitutes "Indian Soul"
> 1. Indian Constitution embodies supposedly universal human values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
> 2. India as a Hindu Nation entails a uniquely Indian soul emancipated by the Ram movement.
>
> Questions:
> Are the so called univesal human values the beginning or the end points of all human values/aspirations?
> If not, to what degree could a people choose to exchange some part of the universal to more cultural unique
> and possibily superior values?

To the extent that a uniquely Indian soul is to be emancipated by the Ram or other Bharatyia faith based movement, Christianity would be negatively impacted.

"New Delhi: A Hindu outfit in Assam has given Christian schools in the state a 15-day ultimatum to remove all Christian symbols and religious habits worn by priests, nuns, and brothers on their campuses.

The ultimatum issued by one Kutumba Surakshya Parishad includes removal of idols and photographs of Jesus and Mary as well as churches located on school complexes, UCA reported.

The outfit has claimed that the move is aimed at “preventing Christian missionaries from using schools for conversion activities”.

Satya Ranjan Borah, president of the Hindu outfit, at a press conference in Guwahati on February 7, said, “Christian Missionaries are converting schools and educational institutes into religious institutes. We will not allow it.”

The group has warned of dire consequences if Christian schools fail to comply with the demand.

Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati dismissed the allegations as baseless. “We are aware of the threat and I do not understand why this is happening,” he told UCA News, adding that legal means would be explored to address such open threats.

In response to the ultimatum, Christian leaders have advised priests, nuns, and brothers to wear civil Indian dresses on campuses as a precaution.

Christian leaders plan to approach Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, to address the threats posed to Christianity and missionary activities.

Christian leaders say threats to Christianity and missionary activities have increased in recent years in the entire northeast India region after Hindu groups began to push cultural nationalism. The Hindu groups have succeeded in portraying Christianity as a diabolical force to destroy Hindu native culture and to convert Hindus to Christianity, the UCA report said.

In Assam, Christians make up 3.74 percent of the population, exceeding the national average of 2.3 percent."

https://thewire.in/communalism/assam-hindu-group-threatens-christian-schools-to-remove-religious-symbols-or-face-dire-outcome