The Indian newspaper Tehelka (in which blogger Shivam Vij is their Dehli correspondent) interviewed Swami Agniveshlast month on the genocide that took place against Muslims in Gujarat. The article opens up with:
Swami Agnivesh tells S. ANAND about Gujarat during the riots, and about Hindutva’s assault on Hinduism. Swami Agnivesh, who has been called ‘a Marxist in ochre robes’, is the president of the World Council of Arya Samaj. He pioneered the liberation of bonded labourers through the Bandhua Mukti Morcha, an organisation he established.
You can also view a documentary on the genocide at Apurva’s blog.
I never heard of Swami Agnivesh until now; he’s a scholar who preaches the reform of Hinduism under the Arya Samaj school of thought whichvwas started by Hindu reformist Swami Dayananda in 1875. He seems like a pretty upstanding guy, a true Hindu Liberation Theologian (I’m always looking for fellow liberation theologists) who preaches against the caste system, equal rights for women and the halting of female fratricide, as well as speaking out against bounded labor. Plus being called a “Marxist ochre robes” already raises a flag that this man is down for true liberation; which we can see in his written works Religion Revolution and Marxism, and Vedic Socialism.
Image From:
Vigil India Movement
Filed under: Government, Hinduism, Human Rights, Liberation Theology, South Asia
i first heard him speak more than twenty five years ago, when i was a schoolkid..have always tried to attend public meetings that he addressed in hyderabad over the years. he’s one of the few social/political activists in india about whom my opinion hasn’t changed much over this long period of time- what if he’s a follower of sanathanist school of thought? he’s lived by very strong ideals and faltered very little..yes, he’s the kind of person you’d like too jack, i think.. maybe.
We need more peole who can think and distinguish Hindutva from hinduism.