Sadhana: A Coalition of Progressive Hindus Sadhana: A Coalition of Progressive Hindus Sadhana was started in 2011 by a group of Hindus who consider themselves progressives. While the “progressive” label includes broad array of groups, individuals and organizations around the world, it is important to note that this label is used to also indicate left-wing or radical leftist activism in the case of Sadhana and other South Asian groups such as FOIL. In fact, FOIL and members of the radical Indian leftist cabal often deem themselves as “progressive South Asians” but are followers of communist and Marxist ideologies. By using the Hindu label, Sadhana has successfully duped many young Hindus and the general public into believing that there is a large number of Hindus supporting such radical elements. Sadhana derives inspiration and partners with individuals, groups and scholars who hold a pejorative view of India, Hinduism and Sanskrit, and subscribe to the Hinduism=caste=oppression equation. It carefully selects writings of Indian leftist authors and leaders, out of context opinions and misinterpretations of Hindu ideas to weave a web of confusion and disgust against Hinduism and Hindus. While it advocates loudly and forcefully against Islamophobia, it is very careful to avoid words such as “Islamic terrorism” or “Islamism” when referring to terrorist attacks by groups in India or elsewhere. In contrast, when incidents involve Hindu mobs or individuals, the group is quick to conjure up images of Hindu savagery via labels such as “Hindutva,” “caste apartheid,” “Brahmanism,” etc. A western reader or a naïve Hindu is therefore led to believe that Hindus and an “ostensibly Hindu” Indian government are oppressing minorities and want to create a Nazi style nation. In fact, Sadhana co-founder Sunita Viswanath clearly outlined Sadhana’s mission in a June 2017 blogpost: to be a “…politically progressive Hindu voice in the face of a growing and rampantly Islamophobic and casteist Hindu nationalist movement.”55 Sadhana’s vision of progressive Hinduism is further elaborated below. On August 14, 2015, Sadhana board members Sunita Viswanath, Chris Fici, Aminta Kilawan, Sethu Nair and Rohan Narine authored an article for The Forum on Women, Religion, Violence and Power at The Carter Center. Titled Clarion Calls for a Progressive Hinduism, the article discussed their reasons for starting Sadhana and how they were deeply inspired and mentored by several individuals, as they “…began searching for guidance in pursuit of [their] mission…”56 One such individual is Balmurli Natrajan, a professor of anthropology at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Natrajan is also constituent member of the FOIL nexus of radical leftists groups. Sadhana cites the following words of Natrajan as inspirational: Will progressive Hindus be able to move forward the liberatory [sic] potential within Hinduism, build a renewed sense of being a Hindu, and become part of the global processes of renewal underway in many other traditions? I believe that this is not only possible, it is a calling that is impossible to neglect. But it requires the unegotistic [sic] critique of much of Hindu scriptures, orientation to this world, and practices, and the simultaneous construction of a new Hinduism that will allow progressives to avail themselves of the sagacity that did indeed exist in the crevices of the past; identify with the struggles and spirit of those subalterns who hoped for Hinduism’s 55 See June 17, 2017 blog entry titled Not In My Name: I refuse to cede Hinduism to those who want to make India a Hindu rashtra on Sadhana’s website at
http://www.sadhana.org/blog-1/. 56 Clarion Calls for a Progressive Hinduism.
http://forumonwomenblog.cartercente...ion-calls-for-aprogressive-hinduism/#comments. fundamental renewal, even when facing the brunt of its oppressions [emphasis added]; creatively rework Hinduism’s large corpus of symbols (including key concepts of maya, karma, dharma, and moksa) so that they become insightful teaching tools for living as a progressive; and establish new institutions (and reform or at least challenge existing ones) that will ensure the durability of the above energies and pave the way for a new understanding of heritage as never exclusive, but a selection from one’s particular pasts that belongs to all of humanity’s seekers of truth, equity, and justice.57 The above quote provides important insights into the progressive Hindu mindset – it claims that the mantle of reformation rests solely in the hands of progressive Hindus because other Hindus or Hindu institutions are either incapable or unwilling to provide any reforms. It squarely blames Hinduism for oppression of subaltern groups (in this case, Dalits, women, Muslims and other minorities) and casts suspicions on the entire Hindu philosophical system. It then advocates that important and complex Hindu concepts must be “creatively reworked” into the mold of a Marxist worldview so that those supposedly oppressed by Hinduism can be emancipated. Sadhana’s alliance with the radical Indian Left goes back to its founding days. Its Facebook page came into existence around February 29, 2012 - only 2 days after the tenth anniversary of the Gujarat riots. This is noteworthy, because Sadhana’s first and only significant statement on Facebook at the time was denouncing the “Gujarat Massacres,” and urging people of all faith, including Hindus “to combat religious extremism and religion-motivated terrorism, and instead insist on truth, peace and justice.” However, Sadhana applies such selective standards only when violence is perpetrated by Hindus. One would be hard pressed to find any significant sympathy or agitation towards the Hindus killed in the riots or those burnt in the Godhra train. Similarly, on March 4th, 2012 - less than a week after its Facebook launch - Sadhana and Viswanath are seen joining hands with Biju Mathew and the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) in a rally held in New York for the 2002 Gujarat riots.58 In addition to CAG, other groups present included Non-Resident Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM).59 The deceptive tactics of such groups are easy to see once it is figured out that all the above groups essentially make up the Coalition Against Genocide yet also list themselves separately to create an impression of a large number of organizations protesting against “Hindu horror.” On July 23rd, 2017, Sadhana organized a protest against “Hindutva terror,” under the hashtag #Hindutvakills, in conjunction with the South Asian Solidarity Initiative (SASI), another initiative of FOIL. As mentioned in the beginning of the section, Balmurli Natrajan, one of Sadhana’s inspirers, has been a 57 Ibid 58 “Indian Americans Remember Gujarat Riot Victims a Decade Later.” March 21, 2012, Voices of New York,
http://voicesofny.org/2012/03/indian-americans-remember-gujarat-riot-victims-a-decade-later/. 59 Ibid. March 4, 2012 rally by Coalition Against Genocide. Source: Sadhana and Voices of New York veteran member of SASI. SASI’s founder, Prachi Patankar, is also a veteran member of FOIL60, while SASI is funded by the SINGH (Secular India’s National Growth and Harmony) Foundation, the fundraising arm of FOIL61. Thus, SASI is nothing but another shell group formed by the same radical leftist nexus of FOIL. In 2014, Patankar and SASI, along with other similar groups, organized a protest outside Madison Square Garden against the newly (and democratically) elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Patankar demonized Mr. Modi and the Indian state and declared: The rise of Narendra Modi is the result of the anti-Christian, anti-Muslim, casteist, and hateful ideology that propaganda has tried to sanitize with the false rhetoric of development and economic progress, which advances the super-rich while betraying the poor and toiling billion….These are the consequences of letting a man get away with genocide.62 Such inflammatory statements reflect an outright dismissal of India’s democratic process and judicial system, as well as the voices of hundreds of millions of Indians who voted in the elections. But, it also sheds light on the false propaganda of “Hindu terror” and “Hindutva,” which paints riots as genocide and India’s population as supporters of anti-Christian, anti-Muslim, casteist ideology. This definition resonates with Sadhana since it joined hands with SASI and organized the “Hindutvakills” protests. In contrast to such activism, Sadhana merely posted a press release denouncing the attacks on Hindu pilgrims in Amarnath a few weeks before, carefully avoiding terms such as “Islamic terrorism.” Their carefully crafted post gave the impression that such attacks are routine and probably a result of frustrated individuals angered by “human rights violations” by the Indian Army. Viswanath, the main co-founder and the guiding light of Sadhana, has been a participant in the Left Forum63, an umbrella organization of Marxist/Leftist scholars and activists including FOIL members such as Biju Mathew64, Vijay Prashad65, Balmurli Natrajan66 and many others. The Left Forum also includes other FOIL initiatives such as the South Asian Solidarity Initiative (SASI), the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH) and others.67 Thus, Viswanath has been in association with these groups and individuals for a long time, deriving inspiration from and organizing events with them. Sadhana ignores Hindu sentiments and remains relatively silent on the treatment of Kashmiri Pandits or Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while issuing strong statements supporting Kashmiri separatism under 60 The following link provides names of prominent FOIL members, acknowledged by long time FOIL members Ali Mir and Raza Mir. Besides Prachi Patankar, the link highlights Biju Mathew, Angana Chatterji and several others.
https://books.google.com/books?id=K...7&dq=prachi+patankar+biju+mathew&source=bl&ot s=bb13Yi0PlZ&sig=8cbpvTRavqkjb7nVuf44lNFnxuk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj67uNxZnVAhUBXD4KHR3NCicQ6AEIVjAN#v=onepage&q=prachi%20patankar%20biju%20mathew&f=false. 61
https://thetruthaboutliars.wordpres...vities-positions-and-agenda/singh-foundation/. 62 See “Statement spoken by Prachi Patankar of South Asia Solidarity Initiative at the rally against Modi at Madison Square Garden, New York, Sept. 28, 2014” at
https://ghadar2013.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/. 63 See the section titled Afghanistan: Should We Stay or Should We Go? A Critical Conversation: Foreign Policy In Focus.
http://www.keywiki.org/index.php/Left_Forum_2010. 64 Ibid. In the same link above, Mathew is the chair of a Panel titled Neo-Liberalism, State Repression and the Crisis of Indian Democracy. 65 See the Panel Members in the session entitled South Asia Globalizing: What Ruling Classes Do When They Rule at the 2009 Left Forum.
http://www.keywiki.org/Left_Forum_2009. 66 Ibid. Natrajan is introduced as member of Campaign to Stop Funding Hate and South Asian Solidarity Initiative. 67 Ibid the rubric of “right to dissent.” It openly and vehemently supports political candidates such as US Congressman Keith Ellison. Ellison was a leading voice against India on the issue of religious freedom, and the co-sponsor of a 2013 House resolution that called for a continued visa ban on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.68 At the same time, Sadhana thrashes Hindu groups who raise concerns about Ellison’s failure to support resolutions that bring attention to Islamic terrorist attacks in India or human rights violations against Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Apart from the above, Sadhana openly supports Hindus for Justice, a new shell group started by Anirvan Chatterjee, a longtime member of FOIL, ASATA and Friends of South Asia (FOSA). As discussed earlier under ASAT, Chatterjee and FOSA were a key part of the coalition that fought against Hindu parents and groups in the 6th grade California textbook controversy, where Hinduism was portrayed unfairly when compared to other traditions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism. FOSA, CSFH, SASI and many other groups aligned together with various anti-Hindu elements to support a skewed portrayal of Hinduism and India in these textbooks, and derided a coalition of parents, students, elected officials and local community organizations for their attempts to reverse such prejudiced narratives. On November 3, 2017, Sadhana threw its full support to add a “progressive” Hindu voice against Hindu parents and groups who continue to fight prejudice in California textbooks, this time supporting yet another shell group called South Asian Histories For All Coalition (which was also mentioned under ASATA earlier). Finally, Sadhana is a key organizer of the Sept 6th event at New York University. Apart from Sadhana member and NYU student Shashank Rao, panel speakers will include Shaik Ubaid, Biju Mathew and Raja Harish Swamy, among others. Ubaid’s view on Hindus and Hindu groups were discussed earlier under IAMC. Mathew, on the other hand, is an Assistant Professor at Rider University, and the co-founder of the radical leftist group FOIL, along with Trinity College professor Vijay Prashad. Mathew is a known Marxist activist and has been attacking Hindu groups for thirty plus years. He has been instrumental in creating many coalitions and paper groups to advance FOIL’s radical leftist agenda – for example, South Asia Solidarity Initiative, Campaign to Stop Funding Hate, Coalition Against Genocide, Youth Solidarity Summer and many others. He is also associated with the Brecht Forum at NYU. In October 1998, Mathew was a key speaker at “Communist Manifestivity,” which was organized by the Brecht Forum to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Communist Manifesto.69 Apart from that, Mathew’s writings have also been featured in People’s Democracy, the weekly magazine of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).70 Mathew’s contempt for Hinduism and Hindus can be illustrated through his work in FOIL. In July 1997, FOIL’s Biju Mathew and Chris Chekuri interviewed Ilaiah in response to the “force-fed celebration of 50 years of independence”71 of India. The text of the interview, titled The State of Dalit Mobilization: An Interview with Kancha Ilaiah, was transcribed by fellow FOIL members Vamsicharan Vakulabharanam, 68 Theatre of the absurd to deny Modi a US visa. December 20, 2012, Rediff.com,
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/viewabsurd-to-deny-narendra-modi-a-us-visa/20121219.htm. 69
https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg30144.html. 70
https://web.archive.org/web/20051221174914/https://pd.cpim.org/2001/march25/march25_biju_vijay.htm. 71 Vakulabharanam, Vamsicharan et al, “The State of Dalit Mobilization: An Interview with Kancha Ilaiah, Ghadar: A Publication of the Forum of Inqualabi Leftists Vol. 1, No.2, November 26, 1997
http://www.proxsa.org/resources/ghadar/v1n2/ilaiah.html. Radhika Lal and Mir Ali Raza in the November 1997 edition of its newsletter Ghadar. 72 FOIL and Mathew highlight several points made by Ilaiah in special boxes to endorse his views. For example, Ilaiah states: Hinduism is a religion of violence. All Hindu gods killed their enemies and became heroic images. This is the only religion in the world where the killer becomes god. Whom did they kill? From Brahma to Krishna, those who were killed were Dalit bahujans. Now these images and the stories and narratives and everything is out there in the civil society. Now, because of this, the consciousness of worshipping the killer or worshipping violence did not give any space for human rights.73 As a measure of further support for Ilaiah, it is important to point out that FOIL’s project CSFH recommends his venomous works amongst the “Resources for a Progressive Hindu.”74 Similarly, a 2009 book Against Stigma: Studies in Caste, Race and Justice Since Durban (2009, Orient Blackswan Pvt Ltd), edited by Balmurli Natrajan of FOIL, features an essay by Ilaiah, called Caste, race and nation: A discourse in binary history.75 Raja Harish Swamy, an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas, is another veteran member of FOIL and the radical Indian leftist nexus. Like his radical leftist comrades, Swamy is a staunch derider of Hinduism and Hindus and supports the racial Dravidianist ideology. Like his fellow FOIL and CAG members, he misses no opportunity to propagate the Hinduism = Caste = Racism/Oppression equation. In 2001, Swamy wrote an article, White, Zionist, and Hindu Racism: The Durban Question, regarding the UN Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa. Subscribing to Dravidian and colonial racial theories, Swamy advocates equating the Caste System with racial discrimination encountered by blacks in the US, Europe and Africa. While he does not blame racist discrimination against blacks on Christianity, he swiftly attributes the woes of the Caste System to Hinduism and conveniently ignores discrimination practiced in the Sikh, Christian and Muslim communities of India. He then declares: Hindu ‘dharma’ is caste-based; Hinduism is casteism; to be Hindu means to belong to a caste, and not as it is in most religions, to merely subscribe to a set body of beliefs. Hinduism has no universal religious requirements; therefore it is sufficiently open to interpretation along lines that are outrageously oppressive.76 Thus, Swamy not only attributes the Caste System to Hinduism, he postulates that Hinduism is nothing but casteism and that one cannot be a Hindu unless one is casteist. Hinduism’s metaphysical and philosophical schools of thought such as Yoga, Vedanta, etc., along with their major influences on world cultures and religions, are set aside to portray it as a religion of “racist oppressors.” And, when Hindus denounce discrimination against anyone in their culture, such initiatives are branded as part of a grand “Brahminical 72 Ibid. 73 Vakulabharanam, Vamsicharan et. al, “The State of Dalit Mobilization: An Interview with Kancha Ilaiah, Ghadar: A Publication of the Forum of Inqualabi Leftists Vol. 1, No.2, November 26, 1997
http://www.proxsa.org/resources/ghadar/v1n2/ilaiah.html. 74
http://stopfundinghate.org/resources.html. 75 See description of Content at
http://www.vedamsbooks.com/no61310/...banedited-by-balmurli-natrajan-paul-greenough. 76 Swamy, Raja, “White, Zionist, and Hindu Racism: The Durban Question”. September 3, 2001, Media Monitors Network,
http://www.mediamonitors.net/rajaharishswamy1.html. conspiracy” to convert Dalits. On the one hand, Dalits are not recognized as part of Hinduism and, on the other, Hinduism is blamed for practicing “racism” against Dalits! In 2013, Swamy, along with Biju Mathew, Shabnam Hashmi of ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony And Democracy - an organization that works closely with CAG), and a coterie of individuals known for their routine denouncements of Hindus and India, started a website called Pheku.in (
www.pheku.in – the site has been taken down since Narendra Modi’s election as the Indian Prime Minister). Such websites are important examples of partnerships between radical Indians leftists in the US and their cohorts in India. For instance, while the site’s “.in” Indian suffix gives the false impression that it is registered in India and is run by people based in India, it was in fact registered to Swamy in the US.77 “Pheku” is a Hindi slang for “liar” or someone who exaggerates claims. The website professed to expose then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s hyped-up claims about development and prosperity in Gujarat, as well as his record of atrocities against the state’s minority populations. Interestingly, some bloggers pointed out the exaggerated claims and outright lies floated by the website from the very outset. For example, MediaCrooks, a popular blog dedicated to exposing the lies and biased agendas of Indian media personalities, journalists and political figures, compared a few pictures used by Pheku.in to advance its agenda.78 In one picture, Pheku.in attempts to denounce development of infrastructure in Gujarat by featuring a snapshot of a sewer in Gujarat. However, as MediaCrooks notes, the picture is actually of a sewer in Chennai. Similarly, a second picture attempts to highlight Narendra Modi’s policies toward child labor by showing little children working on a construction site. However, the picture is that of children working at a stadium in New Delhi. Sadhana also endorses the view that Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo are extremists. On August 18, 2017 Sadhana board member Chris Fici penned a blogpost, titled I’m an ambiguous Hindu. Fici questions his Hindu identity and what it means to be a Hindu given his objections around the deep, existing “…stain and sin of casteism…”79 in Hinduism. Thus, his ambiguity about his Hindu identity is analyzed solely through the lens of caste. Hinduism’s widely respected philosophical systems, contributions such as yoga, Ayurveda, non-violence, etc. are discarded as unimportant in shaping a grand narrative and his Hindu identity. However, he is clear about Sadhana’s mission - “[to stand] as a riposte and a vibrant, humanist alternative to the various forces of Hindutva and other elements of triumphalist Hindu fundamentalism.”80 This vision of Sadhana is also shared by Sadhana co-founder Sunita Viswanath in a July 2017 blogpost. There, she explains that Sadhana was started “…because [the founders] could no longer bear that there was no politically progressive Hindu voice in the face of a growing and rampantly Islamophobic and casteist Hindu nationalist movement.”81 Thus, it is clear that Sadhana views progressive activism through its lens of “Hindutva horrors.” The so called Hindu nationalist movement is also accused of being Islamophobic and casteist in the deepest of senses. 77 Swamy is the registering agent for Pheku.in as per the Whois.Net domain registration search:
http://www.whois.net/whois/pheku.in. Accessed January 30, 2014. 78 “NaMo Inspires New Comedy Channel.” August 25, 2013, MediaCrooks,
http://www.mediacrooks.com/2013/08/namoinspires-new-comedy-channel.html#.UvRKvbTdeSp. 79 Fici, Chri. I’m an ambiguous Hindu. August 18, 2017.
http://www.sadhana.org/blog-1/2017/8/18/im-an-ambiguous-hindu. 80 Fici, ibid. 81 Viswanath, Sunita. Not in my name: I refuse to cede Hinduism to those who want to make India a Hindu Rashtra. July 18, 2017.
http://www.sadhana.org/blog-1/2017/...o-those-who-want-to-make-indiaa-hindu-rashtra. But, what definition of Hindutva does Sadhana subscribe to? In the above quote, Fici defines “Hindutva” by sharing a link to a review of the book Hindutva: Exploring the Idea of Hindu Nationalism (2004: Penguin Global). The book is written by Jyotirmaya Sharma, a professor at University of Hyderabad. Sharma analyzes the rise of what he refers to as “militant Hindu nationalism” and the question of Hindu identity in the context of Hindutva. While discussing the origins and ideology of Hindutva, Sharma paints renowned Indian figures and spiritual giants such as Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo as Hindu supremacists. Sharma argues in his book that Sri Aurobindo was essentially anti-Muslim, who thought that “[placating] Muslims would amount to abandoning the greatness of India’s past and her spirituality.”82 Demoting Aurobindo’s contributions, thoughts and teachings, Sharma, concludes that “‘[the] maharishi turned into a pamphleteer of the Hindu rashtra concept without being conscious of it.’”83 Sharma then turns his ire onto Vivekananda, declaring him to be a “…proponent of a strong, virile and militant ideal of the Hindu nation…[who was] clear that Hinduism had to be cleaned of all tantric, puranic and bhakti influences and rebuilt upon the solid foundation of Vedanta.”84 He surmises that such ideals are now implemented by modern day “Hindu extremists” to make India a Hindu nation via militant methods. A naïve reader is led to imagine such Hindus as the Taliban or ISIS implementing a radical form of Islam based on teachings of extremist Imams. Besides the above book, Sharma has also declared in other places that Vivekananda was a supporter of the caste system, who wanted “…to create a single, seamless, undifferentiated and monochromatic Hindu unity with caste as the glue that holds this mythical unity together.”85 Thus, Sharma demonizes two of the most recognized and respected Hindu spiritual leaders in modern times by essentially interpreting them as Hindu supremacists who didn’t appreciate the diversity in Hinduism. By using Sharma’s definition of Hindutva, Sadhana essentially endorses that Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo were Hindu extremists and sympathized with oppression in the name of Hinduism. 82 Hindutva: Exploring the Idea of Hindu Nationalism book review- Four icons who became Hindutva ideologues. Zee News India, March 27, 2016.
http://zeenews.india.com/entertainm...ns-who-became-hindutva-ideologues_1869616.htm. 83 Ibid. 84 Ibid. 85 Padmanabhan, Satish. ‘His Inclusiveness Is A Powerful Myth’: Vivekananda comes across as a Hindu supremacist, and not so much a social reformist. Outlook India, January 21, 2013.
https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/his-inclusiveness-is-apowerful-myth/283498.
