Danny Boyle - Anti - Hindu , Christian Missionary ?!  

3/28/2009 9:19 am Last Read: 4/3/2009 10:12 pm	An article written by Francois Gautier under the title " Religion, Marxism, Slumdog " reproduced here from the Indian Express dated 16 th March 09 WHY did a film like Slumdog Millionaire, which conveys an utterly negative image of India — slums, exploitation, poverty, corruption, anti Muslim pogroms — create so many waves in the West, pre and post Oscars? And why does not the Indian government protest, as the Chinese would indeed have, for a twisted and perverted portrayal of its own reality? There are several answers: When the missionaries began to evangelise India, they quickly realised that Hinduism was not only practised by a huge majority, but that it was so deeply rooted that it stood as the only barrier to their subjugating the entire subcontinent. They therefore decided to demonise the religion, by multiplying what they perceived as its faults, by one hundred: caste, poverty, child marriage, superstition, widows, sati … Today, these exaggerations, which at best are based on quarter-truths, have come down to us and have been embedded not only in the minds of many Westerners, but also unfortunately, of much of India’s intelligentsia. We Westerners continue to suffer from a superiority complex over the socalled Third World in general and India in particular. Sitting in front of our television sets during prime time news, with a hefty steak on our table, we love to feel sorry for the misery of others, it secretly flatters our ego and makes us proud of our so-called ‘achievements’.That is why books such as The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre, which gives the impression that India is a vast slum, or a film like Slumdog Millionaire, have such an impact. In this film, India’s foes have joined hands. [/COLOR]Today, billions of dollars that innocent Westerners give to charity are used to convert the poorest of India with the help of enticements such as free medical aid, schooling and loans. If you see the Tamil Nadu coast posttsunami, there is a church every 500 metres. Once converted, these new Christians are taught that it is a sin to enter a temple, do puja, or even put tilak on one’s head, thus creating an imbalance in the Indian psyche (In an interview to a British newspaper, Danny Boyle confessed he wanted to be a Christian missionary when he was young and that he is still very much guided by these ideals — so much for his impartiality).Islamic fundamentalism also ruthlessly hounds India, as demonstrated by the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, which are reminiscent of the brutality and savagery of a Timur, who killed 1,00,000 Hindus in a single act of savagery. Indian communists, in power in three states, are also hard at work to dismantle India’s cultural and spiritual inheritance. And finally, the Americanisation of India is creating havoc in the social and cultural fabric with its superficial glitter, even though it has proved a failure in the West. Slumdog plays cleverly with all these elements. Many of the West’s India-specialists are staunchly anti-Hindu, both because of their Christian upbringing and also as they perpetuate the tradition of Max Mueller, the first ‘Sankritist’ who said: “The Vedas is full of childish, silly, even monstrous conceptions. It is tedious, low, commonplace, it represents human nature on a low level of selfishness and worldliness and only here and there are a few rare sentiments that come from the depths of the soul”. This tradition is carried over by Indologists such as Witzel or Wendy Doniger in the US, and in France where scholars of the state-sponsored CNRS, and its affiliates such as EHESS, are always putting across in their books and articles detrimental images of India: caste, poverty, slums — and more than anything — their pet theories about ‘Hindu fundamentalism’. Can there be a more blatant lie? Hinduism has given refuge throughout the ages to those who were persecuted at home: the Christians of Syria, the Parsees, Armenians, the Jews of Jerusalem, and today the Tibetans, allowing them all to practise their religion freely. And finally, it is true that Indians, because they have been colonised for so long (unlike the Chinese) lack nationalism. Today much of the intellectual elite of India has lost touch with its cultural roots and looks to the West to solve its problems, ignoring its own tools, such as pranayama, hata-yoga or meditation, which are very old and possess infinite wisdom. Slumdog literally defecates on India from the first frame. Some scenes exist only in the perverted imagery of director Danny Boyle, because they are not in the book of Vikas Swarup, an Indian diplomat, on which the film is based. In the book, the hero of the film (who is not Muslim, but belongs to many religions: Ram Mohammad Thomas) does not spend his childhood in Bombay, but in a Catholic orphanage in Delhi. Jamal’s mother is not killed by “Hindu fanatics’, but she abandons her baby, of unknown religion, in a church. Jamal’s torture is not an idea of the television presenter, but of an American who is after the Russian who bought the television rights of the game. The tearful scene of the three children abandoned in the rain is also not in the book: Jamal and his heroine only meet when they are teenagers and they live in an apartment and not in a slum. And finally, yes, there still exists in India a lot of poverty and glaring gaps between the very rich and the extremely poor, but there is also immense wealth, both physical, spiritual and cultural — much more than in the West as a matter of fact.When will the West learn to look with less prejudice at India, a country that will supplant China in this century as the main Asian power? But this will require a new generation of Indologists, more sincere, less attached to their outdated Christian values, and Indians more proud of their own culture and less subservient to the West.
Pyyro Ask me for a photo 409 posts  3/29/2009 1:08 pm	"What good is a God in heaven promising me eternal bliss, if the same God cannot provide me food here on earth" - Swami Vivekanand. I do not agree nor deny what you have written. There may be an element of truth in it. But then again, there are a few facts about Hinduism that you missed out totally. 1. Hinduism is NOT a religion. It is a way of life. Therefore a Hindu has no difficulty in accepting the God of another religion. 2. A Hindu is either BORN or EVOLVED. You cannot catch hold of a person on the street of the west and teach him the lesson of the Vedas. Those of us that are Born should consider ourselves lucky (in a way). Others have to EVOLVE in their thinking to become a hindu. 3. According to what you say - a few dollars can convert a Hindu. YES, I agree. But once a person is a praying Hindu, can he ever embrace any other religion?? The ones that never prayed - and found God after conversion are at least praying. Subservient to the west, you say ... let me ask you one question. From the moment you wake up to the moment you are sleeping, what authentic swadeshi thing do you use?? You wear trousers like them ... you use a toothbrush and not a "datun". You travel in a car and not a bullock cart. So many many things that you learnt from them. But try to find one Original Indian thing that you use, you will find it very difficult. The least you can do is accept their superiority ... be humble ... learn and try to beat them in the future. This is Hinduism ... not taking up "Jhandas" and beating upcouples kissing on the street. If you want to practice what you preach ... first start with the humility and acceptance that Hinduism teaches. Let us not mislead people here !!
Pyyro Ask me for a photo 409 posts  3/29/2009 1:17 pm	... and coming to your version of the SLUMDOG story.... INDIA is the only country where you can have a SLUMDOG and a MILLIONAIRE side by side. Here the slumdogs CAN become millionaires. This cannot happen in Africa. And the west does not have the SLUMDOG of the variety that India provides. If we are so concerned, let us ask ourselves WHAT HAVE I DONE FOR THE SLUMDOG?? And If I have done NOTHING, why should Danny Boyle come here and do it !!! Friend. I have nothing against a brother who feels for his own religion. My intention is only to explain to you where you are wrong. I'm sure that had we met outside IFF, we would have become good pals. Please forgive the harsh tone of my writing and see the message.
YRHabibi Ask me for a photo 555 posts  3/30/2009 12:01 am	It looks like what started with Salman Rushdie hasnt stooped yet nor have we outgrown it. What happened to our way of viewing things in a secular frame work? Its high time we start viewing art as an art rather than in religious frame works to be staight..is Danny Boyle responsible for all thats happening in india? Is the slums of mumbai or any other city in India a myth or lie? Is that the 90% of indians still get poorer and poorer while a 10% get richer and richer a lie? Is it a false impression that thousands were killed following religious riots in gujarat, orissa and bihar? isnt it true that casteism, marginalisation in the name of caste, child marriage and even sathi existed and is still prevailing in many states of india? isnt it true that religious fundamentalism (islamic, christian as well as Hindu) is having its hold in the great indian politics? if half of the indian population is still below the poverty line, if we indians are still divided in the name of religion and caste, if slums still exist in many parts of india, if the overall litercay rate of indians is just above 50%, if majority of indian villages still dont have access to safe drinking water, sanitation and health services...it isnt the movie to blame. Its us, the indians who keep on chosing who to rule us who has to be blamed My dear friend, in this month of upcoming elections, its not a "slumdog" movie that matters but the pathetic state of real slumdogs that matters. If you are a patriotic, if you are a nationlistic, and if you have a human soul, rise up and think aloud & act against the staus of the majority of Indians who still have a lot to go before they attain a dream of social justice and equality. Its easy to wake up a man who is asleep, but it isnt who pretends to be Come, Comment, Communicate My blogs are yours too
Pyyro Ask me for a photo 409 posts  3/31/2009 8:37 am	Habibi. Trouble is that most men know not whether they sleep or wake. The ones amongst us that wake must explain this to those people - before they walk over to a situation beyond their control. If we don't, its gonna hit back atus multiplied n times. Hatred is as strong an emotion as love.