ePub Lies; Lies and More Lies: The Campaign to Defame Hindu/Indian Nationalism by Vivek in History

Review

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Good summary of major issues facing HinduismBy MeterManjaThis book has some very good points going for it. Firstly; it is a concise summary of the major issues facing Hindus in India. It is a paradoxical situation that a majority population is feeling trapped in a minority complex; but this book attempts to and largely explains the major reasons why this phenomena exists.Secondly; A lot of contemporary issues are summarized along with the Hindu perspective.More such books are needed right now in order to give the Hindu a voice in a debate about Hinduism that seems to be largely usurped by non-Hindus. Imagine a discussion on Jewish history where only Nazis are allowed; strange but that is where the Hindu finds himself right now.A couple of points that could be elaborated -1. The conciseness of the book can be a drawback since some very important issues are dealt with very briefly. I feel the topic on secularism could have been more in depth (but the book would not have been 120 pages).2. A more detailed discussion on Hindutva can be made. I suspect that is a topic for a new book altogether.Overall; this is a good introduction and forms a wide foundation from where the interested reader can take his study of Hinduism/Hindutva/ Indology further.As a side note; I must also commend the author for taking up this huge project. I understand that Wendys Children and the mother superior of Indology - Wendy Doniger herself are very dismissive of the "Indian Engineeers" who educate themselves on Hinduism and "dare" to write on Hinduism. It takes a lot of courage and conviction to challenge well entrenched anti-Hindu propaganda.11 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Worthy readingBy D ChakravartiModern India is extremely hostile to Hindus. The political authorities and especially the English-language newsmedia are going full steam on a vile campaign of lies to undermine anything Hindu. It is all supposed to happen; Scriptures tell us so. We are all waiting for God to come back in another incarnation and redeem the virtuous. In the meantime; life is miserable for the good Hindu. In what ways? You get a bit of an idea of that in this book. But not the whole picture. Nevertheless; the author must be commended for meticulously collecting appropriate material and presenting them as plainly as possible.Unfortunately; the book will probably not make a major impact because it has not been planned right. It leaves out major questions. In particular; the author needed to enlighten us about why Hindus; despite reaching out and being uncritical to other religions; have so many enemies? And what makes India's newsmedia and ruling politicians anti-Hindu? Don't they have to cater to the (still) Hindu majority of India? Why do these people become "pseudo-secularist" liars? How do they justify their outlook and what do they expect to accomplish at the end? The author only cites one factor as motivation; these people are supposedly driven by the perception that they would somehow be personally enhanced if the western world approves of them. Historically; the "scholarly" of the west have hated Hindus. I think this is too simplistic.Here is my theory. I think that a major reason is that they are ignorant of Hindu India. After all; they did not study anything Hindu in schools and colleges. Nobody in India gets to study these subjects any more. You really have to study them on your own. Since they do not know Hinduism; they cannot be inspired by it. But they did grow up watching the abhyasa-vairagya traditions (yogic dispassion) of Hinduism and think that good Hindus must meekly surrender their life; property and happiness to everybody; including their enemies. These people are stupid Hindus. And they currently dominate the society.The author has very good writing skills; and I hope that he will think of writing another book; with more in-depth analysis; so that no one can say that he has made sweeping generalizations. I will look forward to such a book.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. While I admire the faith sincerity the writer has ...By Rumi FanWhile I admire the faith sincerity the writer has in the Hindutva movement; one cannot ignore the patent white-washing of history and the psychological venom inherent in the Hindutva ideology. This movement has led the to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi; the destruction of the Barbri Masjid in UP; and the Gujarat pogroms not to mention the sustained persecution of Christians and Muslims through episodic communal violence.Real Hindus need to stand up and reject this hateful ideology and restore the beauty and positive perspective of Hinduism.