?All religions born in India have the same roots, message and mission. They are one.?
With the message that if ‘will-power of saints’ and ‘executive-power of politicians’ come together the face of the country will change, noted Jain saint Acharya Vijay Ratnasunder Surishwar Maharaj is observing chaturmas in Delhi. So far he has authored more than 200 books. Shri Surishwar Maharaj is against the attempts to divide Hindu society in the name of Jain and Buddhist. He exhorts the people against sex education in schools, meat export, providing eggs in mid-day meals and imposing tax on charitable trusts. About religious conversion, he does not totally blame the missionaries for it; he also blames the Hindu society for neglecting its own people. Organiser correspondent Pramod Kumar spoke to him in New Delhi to know his views on various issues. Excerpts:
Is there any special objective to observe this chaturmas in Delhi?
Yes. I have come here to exhort Delhiites on several issues that are making shallow the roots of this country. The people sitting in the power are working against the psyche of the nation. The logic given behind serving eggs to over 12 crore children in mid-day meals is that we are providing them protein. Whereas in its health bulletin-23, the government has itself stated that groundnut has more protein than fish, meat or egg. If just protein has to be given, why is the groundnut not given? I want the people of Delhi to force the government to withdraw eggs from the mid-day meal. I feel this is an effort to take non-veg food in all families. It is an attack on the entire culture and values of this land. I fail to understand as to why people are silent over this important issue, which is damaging the very roots of education.
Another issue is sex education in schools. In fact, it is an effort to instigate minor children for untimely sex. First imparting sex education in the age of 10 years and then telling them to wait till the age of 21, is ridiculous. When Vinoba Bhave was asked about it, he had said, ?It is not the subject of teaching, time and nature teach everything.? It is an effort to corrupt the 110 crore population of the country to benefit certain vested interests. Before proceeding in this direction, we must have looked at the results of sex education in Britain and other Western countries where girls of 13-14 years are found pregnant and abortion centers have to be opened in schools also. This condition will develop in our country also if we let it continue. The dignity of relations between mother and father, husband and wife and brother and sister will spoil. Sheel, sadachar and sanskriti are the three ?temples? of this country and there is a conspiracy to eliminate them. Newspapers are no longer family papers. If there is a censor board for films, why is there no such board for TV and newspapers? The beauty pageants are being held even at the apartment levels. Not a single Rani Jhansi is born in our country since 150 years but three Miss World crowns have been won within a few years. What a joke!
I am also agitated over the meat export, which started in 1992 for earning foreign exchange of Rs 2000 crore. But despite having enough reserve of foreign funds today, it is continuing unabated. About two crore cattle are slaughtered every year for earning this ?foreign exchange?. Today we earn the foreign exchange of over Rs 1,10,000 crore from software, Rs 75,000 crore from textile and Rs 50,000 crore from jewellery. Even after the suggestion of Supreme Court to ban the export of meat, the government is giving 28 per cent subsidy to the people who slaughter cows, but nothing to help those who are trying to save the cattle. The usefulness of the cattle has been proved by the science and the cattle are useful for a man till they breathe their last. Both rishi and krishi are the target in the country. If there are no cattle, what is the use of agriculture? The government has imposed 30 per cent tax on charitable trusts. We want that goshalas, blind schools, old-age ashrams, etc., which are working for humanity, should not be taxed at all.
A united force is needed to counter these threats. But today there are efforts to divide the society in the name of Jain, Buddhist, etc. claiming that they are not part of Hindu society. What do you think?
I am of the firm opinion that Jains are part and parcel of the larger Hindu society. But this is also a fact that we have a separate identity as Jains. No Jain saint for years has ever asked for segregating Jains from Hinduism. On the other hand some Hindu leaders and saints have started treating us as separate. Show me one instance when we said to get separated from Hindus. I tell all Jains to get them counted in the census as Hindu.
The majority people in the country want to live with peace. But there is a section that always talks about Islamic terrorism and allegedly helps terrorists. How should the peace-loving people live together?
A positive atmosphere has to be developed in the country. Those who spread hatred should be dealt with an iron hand. There are two ways one leads to friendship and the other leads to violence. Ninety-nine per cent people want to live with peace. Only one or two percent are creating problems.
But how to deal with these one or two percent people?
The Constitution has provisions to deal with them. We also need to change their hearts if we can.
There is a controversy over singing of Vande Mataram.
It is not the question of just singing Vande Mataram. When differences develop, even a minor issue turns into a major issue. We do not think of removing these walls of differences. There are Muslims in the country who want to undo even the Partition of the country. The common man wants to live with peace, but certain forces always try to create disturbance and those forces should be dealt strictly.
What are your views on Swadeshi?
Today, there is not even a single politician that can be regarded as an ideal in the public life. The common man thinks about Swadeshi. But the politicians have not only opened doors for multinational companies, but are also promoting them. The mall culture has taken a new turn in America where people are being administered an oath to purchase only the essential things and not to get trapped in the net of mall-owners. Americans have understood that malls would make them beggar. Despite such awareness among Americans, we are promoting that culture in our country. When one talks about closing the slaughter-houses, one is told that lakhs of people would lose their employment. But while building the malls the same people forget that they are going to render crores of people jobless.
What do you say about conversion?
I do not totally blame the missionaries for it. It is our weakness. We are not providing those who should have been provided with employment, clothes and meals. We forgot our own people in our own country. It is natural that if we fail to fulfill their essential needs, they will go to others. Our weakness has become missionaries’ strength. Before blaming others we should look at ourselves. When one is hungry, he will embrace any god. No preaching can prevent him. We must observe ourselves. Why do the educated and wealthy people not convert? The reason is they have all facilities. The fact is that neither do they like missionaries’ god, nor do they hate their own god. They want meals and clothes. If we cannot grant them, they will go wherever they can get them.
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