Other subjects for Ravi-ji

THE EDITOR: I refer to the article on Page 6, Newsday November 3, 2004 where Ravi-ji calls for a boycott of Divali and the subsequent reason. At once I got an impression of cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face. What do Divali and the Jahaaji massacre have in common? What purpose is going to be served now to boycott Divali and moan about something that hardly anyone knows about, that happened donkey years ago? As a Hindu leader of high repute and knowledgeable in dharma and karma, I should think that Ravi-ji would not be thinking that the jahaajis were exempt. Hindus keep talking about how evil souls are reborn in war torn and ravaged countries to pay for sins done in the past, but when it comes to the Hindus being punished for something, they close their minds about it and complain to all and sundry about discrimination.

Ravi-ji knows about the Gita, where it says that one should not grieve over the deceased, because the bodies perish but the souls take up another to continue the residue of karma. What we can do and pandits preach all the time about it, we can offer tarpan at pitri paksha, for the deceased souls, to make them comfortable wherever they now are. I wonder what form Ravi-ji is expecting retribution to take and if he expects that by boycotting Divali the white colonials who instigated the attack will be punished. Who knows if the reincarnated jahaajis are living in Iceland or Africa or where? Everyone knows that violence has been practiced from since we know the world and it isn’t going to stop — Just one drop in a bucketful. So, what justifies the picking of one item and making a shrine to it? By violence and other actions perpetuating themselves, the world goes on and on until the time comes for annihilation.

I do not have to tell the esteemed ‘thinker’ that at Divali people pray to the divine mother in the form of light and intelligence, as well as wealth abundance. A more positive contribution to the upliftment of today’s delinquent and errant Hindus can be preached by Ravi-ji I am sure. He will certainly gain the support of a Hindu like myself if he encourages other Hindus if they are doing so, to cease corrupt practices, stop whining about being sidelined, stop throwing garbage out their car windows on the road, stop parking their cars indiscriminately on the already narrow roads, stop bad-driving other drivers on the roads and then complaining about the ‘traffic situation’. He can remind parents to teach their children not only to dress beautifully, but also practice courteous behaviour and not look at others with contempt and disdain. He can himself preach and teach the words ‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘excuse me’ and other polite forms of etiquette so we can all be proud of them and ourselves. He can let his congregation know that black marketing, drug trafficking and taking, hoarding commodities, price raising, ill-treating employees and other evil practices will only bring the perpetrators back here to suffer for such misdeeds.

He can criticise freely the Hindus who have colourful jandis right next to the doorway to their bar where they serve pork and other meats to patrons as well as alcohol. If Ravi-ji still wants to talk about massacre, he could mention the Hindu fathers and brothers who after filling themselves with alcohol in the rumshop, come home and massacre their family, thereby making their lives hell, which they perpetuate, not knowing any better. He can tell those reverent Hindus to stop assaulting neighbours with loud and disgusting noises from their stereos and cars, most of all their children and stop cleaning their yards and throwing the rubbish in the neighbours’ and learn to communicate effectively without cursing.  That will surely make a big difference rather than resurrecting any historical violence. What he is doing is comparable to the survivors of slavery and the holocaust who constantly use it as an excuse for laziness.

Jahaaji Massacre Indeed!
SUE SANKAR
Chaguanas