Of gods and us

Vignesh Kannan

October 11, 2015 · 

Was just reading a few posts where people were fighting over religions quoting their sacred books and mocking weirdness in each others practices..---- Hahaha .If there was a god, he/she it would have created us just for the entertainment we provide........

Ya lets go ahead and quote random texts written by men as proof of how correct we are about our convictions... Millenia down the line mankind will venerate how a webswinger saved an entire city from green goblins and Dr. Octavious. " And I quote line:16 page 32 Spider man edition no. 134....." 

On Jallikattu and indegenous cattle rearing

Jallikattu as a sport has come to associated with bravery and other traits amongst the young in tamilnadu. But the farmers who raise these bulls know it as an event to help raise their much beloved cattle. The Kangeyam Bulls are one of the strongest bidigit-Hoover animals next only to the wild bisons. Tearing this strong bull takes a lot of resources, sometimes the cost of which goes much above the food cost incurred by the farmer's family. These indegenous breed are to be cared for as they have helped plough our lands for eons much before the advent of mechanisation. The cows produce up to 11 litres of milk which might be much lesser than many of the foreign breeds that were brought in during the tainted milk revolution period, but the have lower fa content. Incidentally the incidence of diabetes has increased manifold in India after ewe started consuming more of these artificial hormone induced milk from these foreign breeds. The sport was a means to tame and bring back the Bulls home after they were released for play and exercise after the harvest season. The same tradition goes on today in fixed enclosures and the enormous prize money allows the farmers to care for their cattle. Unlike Spanish bullfighting, no knives are involved. The jostled merely have to hold onto the animal's hump for a duration of two minutes to prove his valour. For a bull that can easily pull a 500 kilo cart that isn't really a burden at all.

If the general populace is guided by foreign NGOs and not facts & sensible principle, then it might as well forbid halal slaughter since this religious practice says the animal should not be stunned before slaughter. Stunning reduces the pain when the animal is being killed, and thus can be made compulsory under the Prevention of Cruelty Act too

By the Supreme Court’s apparent reasoning, one should proscribe horse-racing, for it often involves putting down an animal that breaks a leg or cannot race anymore. One should also be discouraging horse-riding for pleasure, or keeping dogs as pets and putting them on a leash, for human domestication works against the dog’s larger canine instincts, including its normal approach to mating. There is no earthly reason why domestic dogs can only participate in “arranged” mating.  ‪#‎Jallikattu‬

Evolution of religions show the human thought process through the ages

This relates to something I have always observed and believed. Hinduism is a complex religion wherein the regional gods got assimilated over the years as the confluence of various regional influences became inevitable over time. Our gods evolved over several millenia as stories were added in in later ages and modified to suit popularity. It is great that our people had such democratisation at that age that they worked out a common amicable belief system over a period of time. Also it is especially true if you observe how Muruga/ karthikeyan, a god who rarely finds any mention in the ancient vedas and puranas finds more references in texts as the influence of the Brahman religion spread more southward. This amalgamated a local south Indian warlord legend into the pantheon of other gods to take in a large section of devotees into the manifold. 

Truly showcases the extent to which Indian religions went to be all inclusive. One feature of any Indian origin religion Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism or Jainism is that they never put down any other god or claim that theirs is the only way or that other worshippers would face God's wrath. This really gives us an insight into the democratic and broadminded nature of the Indians of the bygone era.

‪#‎religion‬  ‪#‎proudindian‬ ‪#‎india‬

Open up to diversity

Here at the Indore airport, three girls on foriegn exchange sit behind me talking about the beauty of the various places they had seen in Bhopal while backpacking. A trio of old Indian ladies draped in sarees sit towards them and are trying to strike up a conversation out of curiosity. One of them a 50 something old lady goes on to ask If they know Hindi. One of them nods slightly to indicate not much. This lady takes a slightly sterner tone and says M.P me aaye HO toh Hindi toh aani ...." I turn back suddenly hearing that and the old lady smiles at me expecting me to nod in agreement. I did smile, more at the lady than with her. The backpacking girls just start conversing amongst themselves again. 

While it is totally right to be proud of one's language, one must not under any condition try to impose it on others, they will learn if they feel the need for it or like it. Little did the old lady realise how simple notions such as hers might make people vary of interaction and contribute to a drop in her state's tourism revenue.