I am not assuming everything about you. You are assuming that you represent all South Indians.
I have lived with 6 Telugu guys and one Malayalee guy for 2.5 years. Right now one of my closest friends here in the US for the last 4 years is a Malayalee as well. Moreover, these people also have many South Indian friends and have lived in South India for a long time, combined together is much more than your age. You don't have to agree with me, just like you disagreed with me on that Saki Naka thingy. It is upto you. I will never agree with things you say that are in complete opposition with things I have seen with my own eyes. So I said, prima facie.
Perhaps I happen to know only the widely read South Indians? Sorry, that cannot be. It would be a clear cut violation of the laws of probability.
Just 6 Telugu guys and 1 Mallu guy (and for arguments sake their 50 friends) and you are arguing with me based on that. ?!? Get real as in 25 years you can get to know much more people from much more diverse backgrounds.
South India like North is mostly rural and how many rural folks in say TN or Kerala have you met up with to formulate your logic ? C'mon this is ridiculous. I stand by what I said about many South Indians not knowing who Manu was and just following Hinduism as a way of their life for millenia together with no "smritis" to guide them.
In any event, back to the point, Hinduism has become rigid and organised since the times of Manu. Let us assume most South Indians do not know about Manu, I am sure they know about caste system, right? So, yes, that is one evidence of organised religion
Wrong again. Caste system was brought in much later than Hinduism and the practises of caste are independent of religious practises.
I would call a religion organized if it has a founder, a written set of guidelines that is expected to be followed to the word, punishments/excommunications occur if they are not, and they have religious heads or some authority who is the ultimate authority etc. Hinduism satisfies none of these criteria. So how can it become organized ?
That being said, I wish as never before that Hinduism DO becomes more organized as other contemporary religions.
True. Sanatan Dharma is far diverse, yet, there are strict laws that were followed in India, apadmastak (top to bottom), even a couple of decades ago. These strict structures and laws make Hinduism an organised religion. That is my point.
You will always find exceptions, but they are exactly that, exceptions or outliers.
Actually these strict laws that were mostly followed by the Brahmins were the exceptions and the other class did not even know of these rules or gave two hots to that.
Just because a tiny section of Hindus followed a set of
self-imposed/self-defined rules doesnt mean all others also followed it.