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World Hindu Congress: A message of unity anew, 125 years after Vivekananda's speech

Published on 02 September, 2018
World Hindu Congress: A message of unity anew, 125 years after Vivekananda's speech
Chicago, Aug 28 
A century-and-a-quarter after Swami Vivekananda's rousing speech to the World Parliament of Religions here in 1893, the World Hindu Congress has declared its objective to re-connect the 1.1 billion Hindus worldwide with their common heritage and their spiritual link to people of all other denominations.

For three days, beginning September 7, about 2,300 delegates will converge at the Westin Hotel in Lombard, a Chicago suburb, to deliberate, introspect and draw out a plan of action in keeping with the World Hindu Congress conference motto derived from Chapter 37 of the Hindu epic Mahabharata -- Sumantrite Suvikrante (Think Collectively, Act Valiantly) and from the Rig Veda: Sam Gacchadhvam Sam Vadadhvam (Stay Together, Express Together).

The Westin Hotel is some 32 km from the Art Institute of Chicago, where Vivekananda's bust commemorates the spot he spoke from.

Many religious leaders are scheduled to attend the Hindu Congress conference. A video message from the Dalai Lama, who had to drop out due to frail health, will be screened. Speakers in the various events include professor Ved Nanda of the University of Denver; Lord Jitesh Gadhia, the youngest Briton of Indian origin in the House of Lords; Swati Dandekar, a former legislator from Iowa; Congressman Raja Krishnmoorthi; Columbia professor Arvind Panagariya, a former economic advisor to the Indian government; and the actor, Anupam Kher.

The overwhelming majority of the 2,300 delegates -- 1,300 -- are from North America, with other delegates coming from 60 countries.

For Indian immigrants, much has changed in Chicago since 1893. Over a century ago, Vivekananda spent a night shivering in a railway yard before a Good Samaritan took him in. He cut an exotic figure in his flowing robes, with passersby pulling at his saffron turban as he walked on the streets.

At the parliament, Americans heard a Hindu monk speak on behalf of his religion for the first time. Today, Chicago and its suburbs have more than a dozen expansive Hindu temples. Discourses by the likes of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev attract packed audiences.

The faith's underlying message, in 1893 and 2018, is unity and tolerance. In his now famous speech, Vivekananda, who is regarded by many as more of a social reformer than a religious leader, spoke of the fact that India has sheltered "the remnants of the Israelites who came to South India seeking refugee from Roman tyranny, and remnants of the grand Zoroastrian nation".

Another common message, then and now, is of dharma-righteousness for its own sake. Following his speech, an American journalist commented: "Vivekananda's address before the parliament was broad as the heavens above us, embracing the best in all religions, as the ultimate universal religion -- charity to all mankind, good works for the love of God, not for fear of punishment or hope of reward."

The Hindu Congress conference, in the estimation of the organisers, has almost similar ambitions, an indication that Hinduism's core message is timeless and unchanging.

"There will be no spiritual discourses," conference convener Abhaya Asthana said in an interview. "The aim is to use the essence of Hindu philosophy, dharma, to inform how we come together (in the diaspora) as men, women and youth -- in politics, education and commerce."

Asthana noted that despite the fact that Hindus have done well individually in North America, they do not have collective clout, a deficiency that the conference will deliberate on. "We are almost there in the social media, but we need more impact in politics, commerce and technology," he said.

Do Hindus, especially those in alien lands, need to take a long hard look at Hinduism? This is a question that hangs uneasily in the air when Indian Americans talk of current events in India.

But Asthana is sanguine. "We do not have to redefine dharma. The philosophy is sound, the principles are sound. Ahinsa (non-violence) is ingrained. All we need to do is to live our lives rooted in the philosophy of service and tolerance.

"We want to connect all Hindus worldwide as well as reach out to all others for the happiness of all living creatures," Asthana said.
The pervasive, although often unspoken, apprehension, that religion is the great divider of modern times, has persisted since the first World Parliament of Religions in 1893.

The solution, as propounded by various speakers at the parliament, then, was an all-embracing universalism that envisioned a coming together of the great religions of the world.

Racism, xenophobia and intolerance were unaddressed issues when Vivekananda spoke in Chicago.

Poor immigrants from southern Europe, including many Jews fleeing Russia, had arrived in the United States at the time. Nativist feelings inspired laws designed to limit the entry of immigrants. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882 and the Immigration Restriction League in 1894.

The parliament chairman, Presbyterian minister John Henry Barrows, noted the scepticism: "Many felt that religion was an element of perpetual discord, which should not be thrust in amid the magnificent harmonies of a fraternal assembly of nations. On the other hand, it was felt that the tendencies of modern civilisation were toward unity." The one word that tolled like a bell through the halls of the parliament was "universalism".

Vivekananda, in his address to the final session of the parliament, elaborated on the theme: "My thanks to this enlightened audience for their uniform kindness to me and for their appreciation of every thought that tends to smooth the friction of religions. A few jarring notes were heard from time to time in this harmony. My special thanks to them, for they have, by their striking contrast, made general harmony the sweeter."

Despite the passing of a century, participants at the World Hindu Congress conference may well find the tools to overcome the impediments in the path of righteousness unchanged.

In addition to unity and tolerance, dharma inspires us to "stand up for justice", said Ashtana, scientist at the Nokia Bell Labs, who works on Artificial Intelligence and neural networks, offering another quote from the Mahabharat -- Yato Dharmastato Jayaha (Whence Dharma, Thence Victory).

(Ashok Easwaran is a Chicago based journalist. He has reported from North America for over two decades. The views expressed are personal.He can be contacted at ashok3185@yahoo.com)
World Hindu Congress: A message of unity anew, 125 years after Vivekananda's speech
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secular Indian 2018-09-02 21:20:01
അമേരിക്കയില്‍ മാടപ്രാവുകള്‍. ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ സവര്‍ണ ഹിന്ദു റേസിസത്തിനു വേണ്ടി വാദിക്കുന്നവര്‍. ഇവര്‍ ഇന്നല്ലെങ്കില്‍ നാളെ അമേരിക്കക്കു ദോഷമാകും. വര്‍ഗീയതക്കു അമേക്കന്‍ മണ്ണ് ഉപയോഗിക്കാന്‍ അനുവദിക്കരുത്. ഹിന്ദു മതം ഉപയോഗിച്ച് ബി.ജെ.പിക്കു വോട്ട് പിടിക്കാനുള്ള പരിപാടി അനുവദിക്കരുത്‌ 
വിദ്യാധരൻ 2018-09-02 23:18:55
മത പിശാചുക്കളെ മാറിപോകുമോ 
മനുഷ്യരെ തമ്മിലടിപ്പിക്കാതെ 
മസ്തിഷ്ക്കം കാർന്നു തിന്നാതെ 
മടങ്ങിപോകുക നിന്റെ പൊത്തിലേക്ക് 
വരുന്നു നീ പല രൂപ ഭാവങ്ങളിൽ 
വിവേകാനന്ദനായി, പോപ്പായിവി മുള്ളയായി 
മനുഷ്യനെ ഭ്രാന്തനാക്കി 
കലക്ക വെള്ളത്തിൽ മീൻ പിടിക്കാൻ 
നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകളായി നീ കാർന്നു തിന്നു 
പാവം മനുഷ്യേന്റെ തലച്ചോർ 
പിന്നെ നീ കുത്തിത്തിരികി  ചകിരിച്ചോർ
ഇപ്പോൾ അവർ  തുള്ളുന്നു നീ 
കൊട്ടും താളത്തിന് കളിപ്പാവപോലെ
നിറുത്താതെ തുള്ളുകയാണെവർ 
ചരടു പൊട്ടിയ പട്ടംപോൽ 
ലക്ഷ്യമില്ലാതെ അലയുന്നു 
മറ്റുള്ളവരെയും ഭ്രാന്തരാക്കി 
അറിയുന്നുണ്ട് ഞങ്ങൾ നിന്റെ 
നിഗൂഡമാം ലക്‌ഷ്യം അറിയുന്നുണ്ട് സർവ്വതും 
മുന്തിരിച്ചാർ മുത്തിക്കുടിച്ചു കുടിച്ചു നീ 
ഉന്മത്തനായ് അലയുന്നു ലൈംഗികാസക്തി പൂണ്ടു 
പടർന്നു കയറുന്നു സ്വര്ഗ്ഗഭോഗത്തിൻ വള്ളിയായി 
തളിർ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളിൽ ഞെക്കി ഞെരുക്കി കൊല്ലുന്നവയെ 
ബലാൽസംഗം ചെയ്യുന്നു   കന്യകമാരാം സ്ത്രീകളെ 
കർത്താവിന്റെ മണവാട്ടികളായി ചർമ്മം മുറിക്കാതെ 
വിളക്കിൽ എണ്ണ നിറച്ചു കാത്തിരിക്കുന്ന കന്യാ സ്ത്രീകളെ .
മതി മതി നിന്റെ വേദാന്തവും പുളച്ചു നാറും വ്യാഖ്യാനവും 
മാറിപോവുക മതങ്ങളെ തിരിച്ചുവരാതെ 
ഭൂതകാലം കുഴിച്ചിട്ട ശവകുഴികളിലേക്ക് 
കാവിവസ്ത്രങ്ങൾക്കുള്ളിൽ ഒളിഞ്ഞിരിക്കും നിന്റെ 
കാമ ചിന്തകളും താടിവളർത്തി തലയിൽ തൊപ്പി വച്ച് 
ചാടിവീഴാൻ നോക്കിയിരിക്കും നിന്റ കാമാസക്തിയും 
കണ്ടു മടുത്തു നിന്റെ കാലം കഴിയാൻ സമയമില്ലേറെ 
മടങ്ങിപോകുക നിന്റെ പിതാമഹരാം മർക്കടങ്ങൾക്കരികിലേക്ക്
Hinduism- is deceiving 2018-09-03 05:40:33

Hinduism is really confusing, isn’t it? There is no such religion as ‘Hinduism’.

‘the so-called spirituality of India was created by British. Max Muller is the father.  

what we see as Hindu religion is Temple religion fabricated by Persian Priests – the Aryans.

The land beyond Sindhu river > Hindu > India; gave birth to hundreds of Philosophical thoughts; Monotheism, polytheism, no-theism. Modern additions to the several schools are Indian Christian groups & Islamic groups.

The North Indian Political dominance -the BJP is a curse to India. Temple worship, sacrifice, rituals, mantras, cow worship all are new additions to the Hindu/ Indian worship. Hinduism was a culture, a way of life of all Indians in the subcontinent. Indian, primarily worshipped the Nature. Remember! India is the land which gave birth to Chakravakam and Buddhism with no gods at all.  

The priestly class, they come in different colours, different shapes and Philosophies. But in essence, they exploit the ignorant mass to live kingly.

 Don’t get fooled. Don’t live like a fool and die as a fool.

andrew

Ninan Mathulla 2018-09-03 06:27:00
Again some are  are back here with their divisive agenda to mislead attention of people away from the true problem. People know very well that all over the world it is politicians that divide people in the name of religion, race, culture and ideology. The role of religious leaders are secondary only. Blind only can not see the division some politicians brought here.
വിദ്യാധരൻ 2018-09-03 13:48:52
അടിമത്ത്വത്തിൻ  ചങ്ങലകിലുക്കം 
ഹർഷമേകും കാൽച്ചിലമ്പൊലി ചിലർക്ക് 
വ്യർത്ഥമാണ് ഉദ്യമം സ്വതന്ത്രമാക്കാനവരെ, 
അർത്ഥശൂന്യമാം ശ്രമങ്ങളാണതവർക്ക് 
മതമാം കറുപ്പടിച്ചവരുടെ മണ്ട ശുഷ്കമായി 
ഹതഭാഗ്യരാം  അവരിനി  എന്തു ചെയ്യും  ?
പുലമ്പിടുന്നവർ സദാ നേരവും ഭ്രാന്തരെപ്പോൽ
ചിലമ്പിടുന്നു കാ കാ യെന്ന് കാക്കയെപോൽ
Ninan Mathulla 2018-09-03 18:58:47

Sex is a weakness for many irrespective of religion, culture or political party. A fair share of the people walking around freely needs to be behind bars if they were caught with their sexual harassment of others. Either they were smart not to get caught, or they were lucky. As Christostum said, “those outside were smart not to get inside bars”. When it comes to accusations of sexual nature, most people are not objective to find the truth about it. They want the men to be punished, and women always get sympathy or benefit of doubt. If the accused is a priest (a tiny fraction of the priest only get accused or are really bad apples) human mind for some reason blame all priests for it. Looks like the subconscious mind getting some sort of pleasure in seeing another accused. May be it is a feeling that he/she is better. Some use the accusations against priest for political purpose by unleashing propaganda against the church.

Lawyer 2018-09-03 20:51:42
Mathulla probably wanted to be a lawyer for the churches, but never made it.
Anthappan 2018-09-03 20:58:56
Scathing report reveals 300 Pennsylvania Catholic priests sexually abused over 1,000 children. There are hundreds of Hindu priests and Muslim priest doing the same thing.   If the aforesaid  is one case in Pennsylvania, what about worldwide ? If an ordinary man is caught for this kind of crime they will be locked up life long. But for priests, after all hullabaloo, they continue abusing children and women.  Most of the  abusers know that they are safe in doing so because there are people like  Matthulla to guard them and defend them.  People should talk about it, write about it, and discuss about it until these criminals are brought to justice.  I know,  Matthulla will say that I am a BJP hiding writing to tarnish Christianity. I am not talking about Christianity only rather talking about the rotten religions which exploit the people all over the world.  Unless and until people get educated and stop sending there children, daughters , and wives to these  evil men, they can play victim.  
Vivekanda is dead and gone and you have been preaching about his teaching for years without any avail. Stop it go home and take care of children and households before it is too late
മതം X അല്മീയത 2018-09-04 05:52:01
മനുഷ്യർ സ്വന്തം നിലയിൽ ആത്മീയ വളർച്ച പ്രാപിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങിയാൽ അവർക്ക് ഒരു പള്ളിയുടേയും ആവശ്യ മില്ല. ഒരു പുരോഹിതന്റെയോ, ഒരു മതത്തിന്റെയോ ആവശ്യമില്ല. ആത്മീയനായ ഒരു വ്യക്തിക്ക് ഒരു മതത്തിന്റെയും ആവശ്യമില്ല. മതം ആത്മീയതക്ക് പകരമാവില്ല. വെറുമൊരു കൃത്രിമ നിർമ്മിതിയാണ് മതം
______ ഓഷോ.
Ninan Mathulla 2018-09-04 08:20:31

The subjective and biased mindset of Anthappan is revealed in his comment. No reference is given for the report- who, when, what, how, where etc. Then it is a report. Anybody can report anything. Most of the judgements people make are based on reports. Many channels and News Papers are run by supporters of political parties. Judgements we make must be based on proven or punished cases. Then his comment, “If the aforesaid is one case in Pennsylvania, what about worldwide?” Instead of bringing worldwide statistics, he asked a question and assumes the numbers. Is this scientific or objective thinking?  How many Christian priests are there worldwide, both living and dead? What percentage of them got accused? As far as I know, if there is any substance in the accusations, the priest will be removed from coming into contact with public. He might be given another chance to get straight, if the situation not very serious. Most people want to see them crucified immediately. If they were your children, how you would want them to be punished? Is this attitude here from sadistic nature?  It is the primary responsibility of the church concerned to take action. Some, who are not members of the church with political agenda using emalayalee comment column for political propaganda.

മലയാളത്തില്‍ ടൈപ്പ് ചെയ്യാന്‍ ഇവിടെ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യുക