Ravi Kumar Iyer
Hindutva has approximately 1.2 billion (120 crore) adherents worldwide (15 percent of the world’s population). It is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity (31.5 percent) and Islam (23.5 percent). But, across the world there are only two Hindu majority nations – Bharat which has over 100 crore Hindus and Nepal which has 2.4 crore Hindus. Other countries with large Hindu population are Bangladesh (1.4 crore). Pakistan (52 lakh), Indonesia (50 lakh, with Bali being 87 percent Hindu), USA (33 lakh), Sri Lanka (26 lakh), Malaysia (20 lakh), United Kingdom (10 lakh), Australia and Mauritius (seven lakh), South Africa (five lakh) and United Arab Emirates (five lakh).
Overseas Hindus have built thousands of temples all over the world wherein classes are held during the weekends to teach children shlokas, and educate them on Hindu scriptures like Ramayan, and Puranas, as also Bharatiya languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu. Many Indian schools are run for the betterment of children and there is a huge demand for Indian dresses like sarees, kurta-pyjama etc. There are thousands of provision stores and restaurants that cater to the taste buds of Indians. Hindi and Tamil movies are a craze not only among overseas Indians but also among Arabs, Malaysians, Thais and people from other nationalities. Film star Rajnikant (and his movies) is a rage among the Japanese – Japanese youth know Tamil movie dialogues and punch-lines by heart.
Hindu Diaspora Celebrates Thai Pusam: Tamil festival Thai Pusam is celebrated not just by eight crore Tamil Hindus in Bharat but also by 80 lakh Tamil Hindus living in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Fiji, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Reunion Island and Mauritius, in the month of the February every year. Preparations for it start 48 days (one mandala) before the actual festival day. During these 49 days, devotees hold daily prayer sessions, and maintain strict vegetarian diet to purify their body and mind. A pot of cow milk is offered to Lord Karthikeya. Some devotees also undergo flesh mortification by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with Vel (Shul) skewers. Yellow or saffron robes are worn during these 48 days since these colours symbolise purity and devotion.
More than 20 lakh Tamil Hindus and tourists throng the Lord Shanmuga Temple at Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia during this time, making it the largest annual gathering in South East Asia. The temple has a 140-feet-tall Lord Muruga statue – it is the tallest statue in Malaysia. Even the Karthikeya statue here is among the tallest statues in the world.
In Malaysia, Islam is the official religion and conversions to Abrahamic faiths are encouraged by interpreting and implementing Sharia laws. But, amid all the allurements and religious tyranny like destruction of Hindu temples, Hindus have maintained their dharma and religious practices: they celebrate festivals like Deepavali, Pongal, Navaratri and Thai Pusam with much enthusiasm. Hindus have built over 800 temples across this country.
Navratri Celebrations by Exogamic Thais: Located in Bangkok, Sri Mariamman Temple is the main Tamil Hindu temple of Thailand. It is dedicated to Goddess Parvati. More than 60,000 Tamil-Thai exogamic Hindus participate in the Navratri religious procession in October-November every year. On the last day of this 10-day festival, the street in front of the temple is colourfully decorated with yellow flower garlands and candles, and the image of Sri Mariamman is taken through the streets in a procession – a portion of the Silom Road is closed to traffic. More than 90 per cent of devotees in this procession are Chinese and Thais. During the 10 days, most Thai and Chinese shops decorate their shops with yellow and bhagwa flags, and they neither eat nor sell non-vegetarian food. Many universities in Thailand teach Sanskrit. The Princess of Thailand has even composed many songs in Sanskrit.
Hindutva in United Arab Emirates and Arab World: There are currently three temples in UAE- two in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi. The Krishna temple in Bur Dubai was constructed in 1958. The second Hindu Temple of Dubai is in Jebel Ali Village next to the Sikh Gurudwara. This temple has 16 deities including Shiva, Krishna, Ganesh, and Mahalakshami. Constructed at a cost of approximately 60 million Dirham (US$16million), it was opened on October 5, 2022. The third grand temple in Abu Dhabi, popularly known as the BAPS Hindu Mandir, was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14, this year. It is built on 27-acre site at a cost of around Rs 700 crore. The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.
The Sikh Gurudwara in Dubai, Guru Nanak Darbar, serves over 10,000 worshippers. Built at a cost of $20 million, it was opened in October 2022. Special three-hour sessions are held here for children on Saturdays: children are also taught Punjabi, how to do kirtan and other religious practices.
Many local Arabs, both men and women can be seen singing Hindu Bhajans. Yoga is very popular all over the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. Ayurvedic Burqa is gaining popularity as it is an antidote for skin disease prevalent among Arab women.
Hindu and Hindutva in the West: In 2022, the then UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak performed Cow Puja with wife Akshata Murthy in London. Indian origin Leo Varadkar was elected as Prime Minister of Ireland in 2022. Dr. Anand Satyanand held the office of the Governor General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2022. Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Pandey welcomed the third millennium on January 14, 2000 by leading a 50,000 strong Hindu gathering to chant Hanuman Chalisa. In 2016, Kamala Persaud Bessessar took office as Prime Minister of Trinidad with her hands on Srimad Bhagwad Gita. In 2020, Chandrika Prasad Santoki took the oath of office of the President of Suriname, chanting Sanskrit shlokas and mantras.
There is a famous incident, often related by NRIs in the US: Once, at a gas station, an Indian went to the cashier to pay for the fuel. The cashier, a White American, remarked, ‘you are an Indian’, to which the Indian asked as to how he was so sure that he was an Indian and not a Pakistani. The cashier replied, ‘you are driving a costly BMW car. Pakistanis cannot afford such costly items’. He then said, ‘you must be ABCD’ – Attorney General, Barrister, Consultant and Director. The Indian then asked him about non-Indians and the White man replied they are abcd – atankwadi, bomb blaster, coolie and driver. The American also lamented, ‘you Indians are killing our White children! Not physically, but through competitions. All our colleges are flooded with Indian students’. Several leading MNCs like Google, IBM and Microsoft have Indian CEOs.
In the US, the total number of Indians is less than one percent of its population, and Patels even lesser – they are not even 0.1 per cent of the total US population. Yet, they own 70 per cent of motels. How so? You must be wondering. Actually, running a motel is a labour-intensive business, so instead of employing a large staff, all the members of the Patel family share the work. Hence, they are able to offer customers lesser rates than other motels. In the last five decades, most Americans sold their motels to Patels and thus, today, 70 percent of motels owners are Patels.
Remarks an American: “If a child grows up in America, in a Hindu family, the chances of marital breakdown are very small, the chances of educational encouragement are incredibly high, the culture of hard work, achievement and everything you want in life is at an exceptionally high level than rest of us”. This explains how India’s ancient family tradition is relevant even today for the whole of mankind.
Indian culture teaches us to put service over sales, honour over hassle, and most importantly people over profit. And, this value system has, in no way, hampered its progress. At 7.2 per cent growth rate, India is the fastest growing economy in the world. In GDP Nominal terms, India is the fifth largest economy. The population of India’s middle class is more than the population of entire USA.
India’s median age is 28, for China and USA it is 38.5 years, Germany and EU Countries 45 years and for Japan it is 48.6 years. This means Bharat will continue to be a country of youth till 2052. On the other hand, China, Japan and European countries are rapidly ageing. Larry Summers, former US Secretary of the Treasury (Finance Minister) recently stated, ‘China is a Prison, Japan is a hospital and Europe is a museum’. (Perhaps, he meant that US must strengthen its relations and business with Bharat). Indeed, the economically developed G-7 nations are trying to increase their business with Bharat. As a result, Hindi language is taught in many leading universities of the developed nations.
In February, 2024, American multinational strategy and management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, stated that this is India’s century. In April 2024, the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), emphasised India’s role as a key driver for global growth in the coming years. He highlighted India’s remarkable growth trajectory, consistently surpassing seven per cent even amidst the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.
US is going to polls in November this year. The contest is between Democrats and the Republican candidates. If Democrats win, Kamala Harris of Indian origin will be the first woman President in the 248-year history of USA. If the Republicans win, Usha Chilikuri Vance will become the first Indian origin Second Lady in US history. Either way, it is a win for India and Indians. Let us all say it loudly.
