A Diwali for All: Standing Against Hindutva Influence in London's Celebration of Light
Making uncomfortable noise about an old, cultural-religious institution such as the official London Diwali celebration, one of the festival’s prominent events outside of India, was always going to get pushback. A lot of the pushback I have gotten has been from bots and other nonhumans, a lot has been from trolls and ideologues, and a little has been from people understandably feeling defensive about their faith and culture. I share their faith and culture and, as a proud Hindu, I cannot countenance a Diwali event in Trafalgar Square organised by the VHP (UK).
The VHP (UK), which also has an American branch, is the UK wing of India’s Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an organisation which serves as the religious and cultural arm of the fascist and Nazi-inspired Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) paramilitary group. The RSS and its auxiliaries in India, including the VHP, have been directly implicated in countless instances of deadly violence against dissidents and minorities, including the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid and subsequent anti-Muslim rioting, and the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat which left more than 2,000 dead.
The distinction that I am drawing is between an organisation like Hindu Council UK, which was founded before the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) current period of horrific hegemony over India but has come to tow the BJP line, and the VHP (UK), which hasn’t even bothered to change its name to hide its outright affiliation with the RSS. Both are bad, but one is brazen and requires checking.
This raises the question of what the alternatives are to these organisations — alternatives without any background activities or influence that sully the office of the Mayor that could help to put on a Diwali event for Londoners and visitors to enjoy.
This is an important, necessary question. You need to have a practical alternative to these organisations if you want to solve the problem of bad-faith actors and if you want ensure, as I do, that London has a dazzling, proud, inclusive Diwali celebration. People, especially politicians who deal with acute shortages of time and resources, are often more responsive to solutions than problems. Therefore a plea to a politician to disengage with a bad group may be met with a response such as, “do you know anyone else who can deliver this service? If not, am I to deprive citizens of this service altogether?” It’s a question I’m wrestling with — sadly it’s not that easy to answer because bad-faith groups that advocate for or tacitly support Hindutva dominate the British landscape, falsely claiming a monopoly on Hindu voices.
However, with all of the thinking that needs to be done here, the question of alternatives does have its limits. Whether or not there was an alternative that was able to deliver a positive, inclusive Diwali event or not, I would categorically not be willing to be associated with the VHP in any way, and I think that that should be everyone’s red line, including the Mayor’s.
Does Hinduism teach us to see other human beings as inferior? No, Hindus love all beings. Real Hindus love Muslims. Does Hinduism teach us to dehumanise? No, it teaches us to see supreme divinity in all life. Does Hinduism teach us to destroy the religious sites of other faiths? No, it encourages all to follow their dharma.
This Diwali holds symbolic sadness for me as we think about the return of Rama and Sita from exile to Ayodhya, where a Hindu mob destroyed the Babri Masjid with their hands in 1992. The BJP has just completed the construction of a mandir in the name of Rama at this sight. Just as I am horrified by that tragic event, I am horrified that the VHP, an organisation that was involved with that 1992 destruction, is now involved with London’s official Diwali event. How could a Hindu not stand up to that on good conscience.
I wish you a very happy Diwali, filled with joy, success, and wellbeing. And in the true spirit of Diwali, the spirit of liberation, courage, and moksha, let us ensure the triumph of light over darkness. May we find the strength to overlook the cowardly thrill of supremacy and hierarchy and instead go forward bringing everyone together.
Rajiv Sinha - Director of HfHR-UK