Modiji was speaking in code when he visited America. Here’s what he was really saying to his Hindu nationalist base

He wasn’t just speaking to the people on this continent. In fact, the symbolism and rhetoric of this trip were carefully calibrated toward his Hindu nationalist base at home (and here, too). This was old-fashioned dog-whistle politics, and it was a master class. The message: I may nod to tolerance and openness, but I’m really still with you.

For starters, take the jacket Modi wore on stage in New York. It was in a color that his personal tailor, Bipin Chauhan, has called a “silent” variation of saffron. The color is a favorite of Modi’s. Many of his iconic calf-length shirts, now rebranded as #ModiKurtas (yes, they have a hash tag), and other accessories sport some shade of saffron. In India, saffron has deep connotations for Hindus, symbolizing sacred fire, sacrifice, asceticism and a quest for light and salvation.

His reclamation project has been named NamamiGange; Namami is a term borrowed from Sanskrit prayers and means “obeisance.” Namami Gange translates as, “We bow to you, Ganga” — a sentiment that the hundreds of millions of Indians who depend on the arterial river may not share. In contrast, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s cleanup mission was simply called the Ganga Action Plan. Modi also made sure his audience at Madison Square Garden knew that he was fasting for Navrathri, a Hindu religious festival.

The fact that the leader of a self-professed secular democracy associates himself overtly and unabashedly with the symbols of India’s majority religion should suggest that America needs to tread carefully or risk being seen as endorsing a Hindu-centric re-branding of India, a country with 176 million Muslims, some 20 million Sikhs, and many other minorities.

By themselves, wearing saffron or gifting Bhagavad Gitas to Obama could be dismissed as aesthetic or lyrical flourishes from a master politician. But taken as a whole, it is hard not to see these actions as an attempt to assert India’s Hindu-ness on the world stage — at the expense of its minority faiths.

FluteHolder wrote:What is wrong in showcasing our real/authentic background/history which was totally ignored/under represented?

FluteHolder wrote:What is wrong in showcasing our real/authentic background/history which was totally ignored/under represented?

confuzzled dude wrote:

FluteHolder wrote:What is wrong in showcasing our real/authentic background/history which was totally ignored/under represented?

Not when you're representing a country that elected you democratically.

confuzzled dude wrote:

He wasn’t just speaking to the people on this continent. .....

confuzzled dude wrote:

The fact that the leader of a self-professed secular democracy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/03/narendra-modi-was-speaking-in-code-when-he-visited-america-heres-what-he-was-really-saying-to-his-hindu-nationalist-base/

-> I never appreciated nor will appreciate the leaders that wear religion on their sleeve or kurta  (confuzzled dude)

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

What's your point, "I never appreciated nor will appreciate the leaders that wear religion on their sleeve or kurta"?

Do you want the Muslim leaders (kings, presidents and prime ministers) to stop using the phrase “Insha-Allah” (God willing) in their conversations and speeches and have them condemn the use of religious (Islamic) law in their countries?

Or, do you want the western leaders (presidents and prime ministers, and mostly Christian) to stop acting as if the Pope is their “semi-official” policy-setter and spokesperson on religious, social and political matters and have them ban Vatican / Pope’s  statements and pronouncements finding huge  / wide coverage and publicity in the news-media in their countries? Or, do you want these leaders in the West and elsewhere not to host Pope in their capitals / countries or visit him at the Vatican privately or in official capacity (as presidents and prime ministers etc.)? Or, would you want these leaders in the West to not complain or raise issues officially about the lack of freedom of religion in other countries where proselytizing is discouraged or banned altogether?

Btw, someone needs to tell this writer (in the above link) that India is no secular country, with the official use of so many religious laws for different communities.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

FluteHolder wrote:What is wrong in showcasing our real/authentic background/history which was totally ignored/under represented?

in what sense was it underrepresented? this sort of whine reminds me very much of this:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

confuzzled dude wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

What's your point, "I never appreciated nor will appreciate the leaders that wear religion on their sleeve or kurta"?

Do you want the Muslim leaders (kings, presidents and prime ministers) to stop using the phrase “Insha-Allah” (God willing) in their conversations and speeches and have them condemn the use of religious (Islamic) law in their countries?

Or, do you want the western leaders (presidents and prime ministers, and mostly Christian) to stop acting as if the Pope is their “semi-official” policy-setter and spokesperson on religious, social and political matters and have them ban Vatican / Pope’s  statements and pronouncements finding huge  / wide coverage and publicity in the news-media in their countries? Or, do you want these leaders in the West and elsewhere not to host Pope in their capitals / countries or visit him at the Vatican privately or in official capacity (as presidents and prime ministers etc.)? Or, would you want these leaders in the West to not complain or raise issues officially about the lack of freedom of religion in other countries where proselytizing is discouraged or banned altogether?

Btw, someone needs to tell this writer (in the above link) that India is no secular country, with the official use of so many religious laws for different communities.

Yes and Yes. I would like to see them put religious propaganda on the back burner when conducting official business or representing the country elected them.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

rawemotions wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

Well you need to read clearly on Alan Oppenheimer's point. it is not about the technology developed by the western world. But it is about the power of imagination.

Indians were imagining big things, when the world was in stone age. This is an irrefutable fact. The same can be said about Greek Mythology or Christian Mythology (Sea was split by Moses) too. But the scale was higher and breadth of imagination expansive, and that is what is attributed by Alan Oppenheimer. 

Whether the range of numbers thought about OR about the imagination used to write about weapons used in warfare, the scale itself was different. It does suggest a strong propensity in the culture to imagine greater things, beyond the realm of technology prevalent at that point of time. That should have been inculcated in youngsters. All Indians should get inspired from them, to think beyond current limits in technology. At the least we would have had many more Asimov's coming out of India.

rawemotions wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

Well you need to read clearly on Alan Oppenheimer's point. It is not about the technology developed by the western world,  but about the power of imagination.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

rawemotions wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

Well you need to read clearly on Alan Oppenheimer's point. it is not about the technology developed by the western world. But it is about the power of imagination.

Indians were imagining big things, when the world was in stone age. This is an irrefutable fact. The same can be said about Greek Mythology or Christian Mythology (Sea was split by Moses) too. But the scale was higher and breadth of imagination expansive, and that is what is attributed by Alan Oppenheimer. 

Whether the range of numbers thought about OR about the imagination used to write about weapons used in warfare, the scale itself was different. It does suggest a strong propensity in the culture to imagine greater things, beyond the realm of technology prevalent at that point of time. That should have been inculcated in youngsters. All Indians should get inspired from them, to think beyond current limits in technology. At the least we would have had many more Asimov's coming out of India.

imagination aside, there were tangible and verifiable actual accomplishments in mathematics and metallurgy. let's correct the historical record on that first.

rawemotions wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

rawemotions wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:Crying incessantly or hyping our ancestral achievements, in other words living & dwelling on the past, is where that favorite saying of mine in telugu "mA tAtalu nEtulu tAgAru, mA muutulu vAsana chuudandi" applies perfectly, roughly translated to my grandparents(ancestors) used to drink ghee you can smell our mouths, if you doubt my claims. No doubt there were many great accomplishments by our ancestors but if those were not preserved or passed down or propagated to next generations because of close-minded traits of our own religion, you can only blame yourself. But trying to spin/twist facts to attribute others achievements (atom bomb and Sanskrit?!) like Gujarat govt. is doing with their school curriculum will only make us look like jokers.

but there have been genuine accomplishments that have been overlooked (mostly due to lack of familiarity with sanskrit and malayalam) completely. correcting the historical record and assigning credit correctly is important.

Well you need to read clearly on Alan Oppenheimer's point. it is not about the technology developed by the western world. But it is about the power of imagination.

Indians were imagining big things, when the world was in stone age. This is an irrefutable fact. The same can be said about Greek Mythology or Christian Mythology (Sea was split by Moses) too. But the scale was higher and breadth of imagination expansive, and that is what is attributed by Alan Oppenheimer. 

Whether the range of numbers thought about OR about the imagination used to write about weapons used in warfare, the scale itself was different. It does suggest a strong propensity in the culture to imagine greater things, beyond the realm of technology prevalent at that point of time. That should have been inculcated in youngsters. All Indians should get inspired from them, to think beyond current limits in technology. At the least we would have had many more Asimov's coming out of India.

imagination aside, there were tangible and verifiable actual accomplishments in mathematics and metallurgy. let's correct the historical record on that first.

The under-representation is not just in these two areas, but in other areas I mentioned including Political science/governance (Chanakya's treatise is an achievement, whether you appreciate it or not), Ayurveda/Surgery, Political history  of all empires in depth(starting from the first empire that united most of India, the mighty Mauryan Empire, including open discussion of any sort of persecution in the name of religion and reform efforts in religion), achievements in linguistics/philosophy/arts. There has been all round under-representation. The education system needs to be modified to reflect all this.

Beatrix Kiddo wrote:omg 176 million muslims.

confuzzled dude wrote:

He wasn’t just speaking to the people on this continent. In fact, the symbolism and rhetoric of this trip were carefully calibrated toward his Hindu nationalist base at home (and here, too). This was old-fashioned dog-whistle politics, and it was a master class. The message: I may nod to tolerance and openness, but I’m really still with you.

For starters, take the jacket Modi wore on stage in New York. It was in a color that his personal tailor, Bipin Chauhan, has called a “silent” variation of saffron. The color is a favorite of Modi’s. Many of his iconic calf-length shirts, now rebranded as #ModiKurtas (yes, they have a hash tag), and other accessories sport some shade of saffron. In India, saffron has deep connotations for Hindus, symbolizing sacred fire, sacrifice, asceticism and a quest for light and salvation.

His reclamation project has been named NamamiGange; Namami is a term borrowed from Sanskrit prayers and means “obeisance.” Namami Gange translates as, “We bow to you, Ganga” — a sentiment that the hundreds of millions of Indians who depend on the arterial river may not share. In contrast, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s cleanup mission was simply called the Ganga Action Plan. Modi also made sure his audience at Madison Square Garden knew that he was fasting for Navrathri, a Hindu religious festival.

The fact that the leader of a self-professed secular democracy associates himself overtly and unabashedly with the symbols of India’s majority religion should suggest that America needs to tread carefully or risk being seen as endorsing a Hindu-centric re-branding of India, a country with 176 million Muslims, some 20 million Sikhs, and many other minorities.

By themselves, wearing saffron or gifting Bhagavad Gitas to Obama could be dismissed as aesthetic or lyrical flourishes from a master politician. But taken as a whole, it is hard not to see these actions as an attempt to assert India’s Hindu-ness on the world stage — at the expense of its minority faiths.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/03/narendra-modi-was-speaking-in-code-when-he-visited-america-heres-what-he-was-really-saying-to-his-hindu-nationalist-base/
-> I never appreciated nor will appreciate the leaders that wear religion on their sleeve or kurta

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

He wasn’t just speaking to the people on this continent. In fact, the symbolism and rhetoric of this trip were carefully calibrated toward his Hindu nationalist base at home (and here, too). This was old-fashioned dog-whistle politics, and it was a master class. The message: I may nod to tolerance and openness, but I’m really still with you.

For starters, take the jacket Modi wore on stage in New York. It was in a color that his personal tailor, Bipin Chauhan, has called a “silent” variation of saffron. The color is a favorite of Modi’s. Many of his iconic calf-length shirts, now rebranded as #ModiKurtas (yes, they have a hash tag), and other accessories sport some shade of saffron. In India, saffron has deep connotations for Hindus, symbolizing sacred fire, sacrifice, asceticism and a quest for light and salvation.

His reclamation project has been named NamamiGange; Namami is a term borrowed from Sanskrit prayers and means “obeisance.” Namami Gange translates as, “We bow to you, Ganga” — a sentiment that the hundreds of millions of Indians who depend on the arterial river may not share. In contrast, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s cleanup mission was simply called the Ganga Action Plan. Modi also made sure his audience at Madison Square Garden knew that he was fasting for Navrathri, a Hindu religious festival.

The fact that the leader of a self-professed secular democracy associates himself overtly and unabashedly with the symbols of India’s majority religion should suggest that America needs to tread carefully or risk being seen as endorsing a Hindu-centric re-branding of India, a country with 176 million Muslims, some 20 million Sikhs, and many other minorities.

By themselves, wearing saffron or gifting Bhagavad Gitas to Obama could be dismissed as aesthetic or lyrical flourishes from a master politician. But taken as a whole, it is hard not to see these actions as an attempt to assert India’s Hindu-ness on the world stage — at the expense of its minority faiths.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/03/narendra-modi-was-speaking-in-code-when-he-visited-america-heres-what-he-was-really-saying-to-his-hindu-nationalist-base/
-> I never appreciated nor will appreciate the leaders that wear religion on their sleeve or kurta

?????  So whats your problem. According to you and your ILK, including cong(iSlam), Modi was/is/will be a hindu "communal" So why are you whining if he just proves your point ?