Orissa temple bars Dalits' entry

batistuta

People converting to other religions has acted as a wake up call in some quarters Nick,But for all the wrong reasons as you know.There are Hindu organisations like the Rss that has taken note of the 'supposed '(dont knw for sure)dwidling in numbers of HIndus and are concerned about the conversions of Hindus to other relgions.But then again i dont expect Rss to be the pioneer for religios reforms.They do some good work but this is not thier forte.

I agree with you completely .You may have come across some deep rooted Bias among higher castes (the elite)against dalits and over a course of time due to increased economic mobility they may not be caring enough .

I have seen this bias in my own family(brahmins )against Dalits so as you say if future generations get brainwashed and are more economically mobile then they will want to get the problem off thier back.

The politicians here wil also not like the reforms as it will hinder thier fav pastime of dividing the castes into different categories so tht they can treat certain sections of the society as thier vote banks.They wont be keen on reforms.
It is a vicious circle and i dont find a way out.(hope i am wrong n this one and there is a way out)

steven_ber

I've been keeping track of this story in the papers, but have not read this thread, so sorry if my post mentions things that have already been discussed already.

I've never had any interest in any religion, but India truelly got me thinking, not to take up religion as I think you either believe or you don't, but about the impact and importance religion has on Indian people.

There have been many times in India that I've felt like I'm loosing out for not having religious beliefs, when I see how much joy and contentment Indians get from religion, when I see the hope in the eyes of some of the poorest people, I really feel that I'm the fool for not believing.

But sadly, there is the other side of the story, when I read about the Dalits being barred from the temple (as well as many other articles about the treatment of Dalits), the cleansing operation after they visited, and being told they can worship through holes in the wall, I feel fury, I feel as if I'm being conned, I feel as if I'm only being shown the nice side of the religion when I visit India.

It's like the classic tales of how India can slap you down with the fury of a monster, then pick you up with the loving warmth of a mother, the confusion is infuriating, the contrasts are staggering.

I don't know if I'll ever understand India.

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ddevadatta

Chin UP Steven Bar. A post like this cannot do full justice to the paradox of religion. Religions in my opinion cannot be fully understood from a pre-existing secular world-view, or when it is judged from outside the circle so to speak. Religion is more communal and less personal. Secular world views want to privatize religions and make it just a personal thing with no relevant public influence.

What I found in needing to be less a critique who stands above religion (the net result is picking on all the bad of religion and ignoring the good it has done and avoiding the notion of religion for one's own personhood) is to enter the circle in some meaningful way even as just a seeker. It is within such a journey over time that one begins to see things differently; both the good and the need to reform the specifics that are bad.

Anyways this is how I think one might get at the paradox of religion...

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capt_mahajan

It is because of this paradox that a lot of us, me included, have thrown the baby out along with the bathwater.