Recently, two films ‘ Had-Anhad ‘ and ‘ Gay India Matrimony ‘ were withdrawn from the Ravenshaw University Film Festival in Cuttack, Orissa as the Right Wing Hindu students found both the movies to be against the Indian culture.

Shabnam Virmani’s ‘ Had-Anhad’ explores Kabir’s Ram and the politics of religion. Godhra incident and the Gujarat pogrom in 2002 shook her faith in religion and humanity and she began to read Kabir’s Dohe (couplets) to find answers to her questions that conventional religions couldn’t provide. Using Kabir’s non-religious and non-sectarian philosophy as a metaphor for universal unity and humanity, she made four films: Had-Anhad, Koi Sunta Hai, Kabira Khada Baazaar Mein and Chalo Humare Des.

Since Kabir took Potshots at Hindus and Muslims and criticised both the faiths for their obscurantism, today, he has become an eyesore to the followers of Islam and Hinduism. His current status, to use WhatsApp parlance, vindicates Iqbal’s famous lines, ‘ Zahid-e-Tangnazar Ne Mujhe Kafir Jaana Aur Kafir Yah Samajhta Hai Ke Musalman Hoon Main’. A few years ago, a Muslim professor at a university in Uttar Pradesh, called Kabir, anti-Muslim. Now, Hindus are also calling him anti-Hindu.

But the most disturbing facet of the whole episode is the anger, intolerance and displeasure shown by the ‘educated’ college students of a reputable university who’re fussing over Hindu Sanskriti, religion and culture.

That even colleges and universities have also become fertile grounds for growing religiosity, intolerance and ethnicity is a matter of grave concern.

Instead of having educated perspectives on all issues, students are getting ghettoised, religiously polarised and rabidly intolerant. This is not a good sign.

If you observe the behaviour of youngsters on all social platforms, their increasing religiosity is obvious. Hindu youngsters will wish you saying, nay emphasising, Jay Shri Ram or Jay Shri Krishna. This was not a trend until a few years ago. Now every young person is religiously supercharged. Hindus force Muslims to chant Jay Shri Ram. What used to be a favourite pastime of lumpen elements and rogues of both the religions, has become an acceptable trend among the students and city-dwellers. This is really sad and doesn’t portend well for the future.

A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world’s premier publications in several languages including Persian.

Courtesy: New Age Islam

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Kabir Jayanti, June 14, is being observed at a time when the message of the great saint for inter-faith harmony is much needed. India lives through very troubled times. Such a great saint would like to be remembered on his jayanti not in terms of any ceremonies but in terms of real commitment to his everlasting message of true spirituality, love, devotion and inter-faith harmony. In addition Sant Kabir also remains a great inspirational presence for all those who stand up against the false authority of arbitrary use of power to spread sectarianism and to oppress the weak.

Over five centuries after he confronted the most powerful pillars of establishment with truth and courage, Sant Kabir reigns in the hearts of millions as an compromising social reformer and people’s poet with perhaps the widest reach in India.

An additional reason for remembering the weaver poet today is that the community of weavers with whom he is identified so widely has been passing through extremely difficult times in recent years and several voices of distress from the communities of handloom weavers have been saying that if they are not helped on the basis of urgency their livelihoods may be lost forever.

Kabir was a relentless seeker of truth. He clearly saw false values pervading all around him in society, promoted by the more powerful people, and he exposed and criticized these all the time, while seeking the path of truth. He was a very free thinker and he protected this freedom all his life in the middle of many difficulties.

Kabir was one of the most courageous persons of all times, as seen in many episodes of his life. However a very important aspect of his great courage was that it was never used for violence against others but always for peace and for peaceful resistance against injustice and social ills.

The persecution he faced instead of distracting him took him towards even deeper realisation of truth, as in pain and distress he had to engage in even deeper search for solace and support within him. He had an exceptional talent for going to the heart of the matter while ignoring the frivolous or less important aspects. Hence he was able to rise above all narrow and often frivolous debates of his times, based on sects and religions, and focus on the most basic issues.

He was a working class reformer and poet. He continued to earn his living from working as a weaver. Most of his colleagues, friends and followers, also from working and artisan class, continued to combine their daily toil along with spiritual and reformist pursuits.

Poetry came naturally to Kabir and he said his verse in the spoken dialect of his people, never introducing any artificiality in his language and style. Often his verse was in harmony with the tune of the loom on which he was weaving cloth. One of the reasons why it could become so popular and was remembered easily by people was that it came so easily to lips for singing and humming.

The essential message of Kabir is that the most essential task in human life is to devote oneself to the welfare of others and to be compassionate. Life should be simple and based on few needs. This saves our energy and time for pursuing the higher purpose of life. Excessive pursuit of consumption and luxuries takes us away from the real purpose of life. Intoxicants (liquor, opium etc.) should be entirely avoided. The egoistic tendencies of a person are harmful and should be curbed. We should never be afraid to speak and act against injustice and wrong-doing. Rituals are not necessary at all and are often harmful or silly distractions on which time and effort should not be wasted. The greatness of God is present in all living beings and so one should serve God not by empty rituals but by reducing the distress of all living beings, particularly those who need our help.

To get the strength and courage of living the right life, one should seek to realize the God within us, the God in our hearts, the truth in our hearts, and this is where we get support and solace for our right living, no matter how many difficulties there may be in such a path. It is not at all necessary to renounce family or working life for this, one can realize this righteousness of life and closeness to God while continuing one’s livelihood and family life.

Kabir’s poetry is one of the great examples of stating the essential truths of life in down to earth ways. He exposed false values in such cutting-edge ways and by using such living symbols that even his opponents were left speechless. He was a great communicator who used verse that could be sung easily and naturally.

Today we are living through difficult times in which inter-faith harmony is being disrupted and those who are weak are suffering further from arbitrary exercise of power. Hypocrisy and falsehoods are being used at several levels to suppress truth and justice. Those who stand up for truth and justice are threatened in several ways. In these troubling times the legacy of Sant Kabir is a source of strength for the weak and the oppressed and will always remain so. The earthy wisdom and sky-high courage of Kabir remain a great source of learning as well as education for us even today. 

(The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now)

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that”- Martin Luther King Jr.

While many wise persons through the centuries the world over have spoken about love and its transformative value, in India, the message of love has been passed down from generation to generation by different saints. But one saint- poet that stands out is Kabir. Kabir, through his teachings, poetry and life became the most influential proponent of the value of love. And his message has left a deep imprint on the culture and philosophy in India. 28^th June, 2018 marked the 500^th death anniversary of the mystic poet, reformer and saint. Kabir’s ideas are as relevant and revolutionary today as they were during his times. Through this article, the author attempts to revisit the message of Kabir in the present context and the complex challenges it poses.

Kabir has a huge following in northern India across communities. He is quoted by scholars and laypersons alike. The Prime Minister of India is no exception. On the occasion of Kabir Jayanti, PM Modi slammed the opposition by pointing out to their lust and greed for power. “Those who opposed Emergency are trying to form alliances with the Congress. It showed their lust for power and lack of principles. Some political parties do not want peace and harmony in society. Such people are cut off from ground realities”, he said (The Pioneer, 2018) . Quoting Kabir’s famous doha to emphasis on his government’s promise of sabka saath, sabka vikas (development for all), he said, “Kabir khada bazaar mein, maang raha sabki khair, na kahe sae dosti, na keh sake bair” (Stood in a marketplace, Kabir wishes all well. Looking neither for a friend, nor for an enemy) (The Pioneer, 2018.) It is rather interesting to see that the ruling dispensation is invoking Kabir, an iconic thinker and prime example of communal harmony in India, when the General Elections 2019 are nearing. Nonetheless let us take this opportunity to examine the tall claims that the government has incorporated the message of Kabir in their policies against Kabir’s own philosophy and teachings.
 

Kabir’s ideas:

Kabir, a saint-poet, was one of the tallest figures of the Bhakti movement in India. Though his birth year is contested, he is believed to be the contemporary of Sikandar Lodhi. It is believed he was born in a Hindu family but raised by Muslim weaver family. He grew up to be a mystic poet in Varanasi where he sharply critiqued not only the inequality and social hierarchy in the Hindu philosophy but also the orthodoxy in Islam. Through his life and dohas, he encourages others to think critically about social hierarchies and embrace love, compassion and honest introspection of self and the world. Kabir’s fundamental message is love. One of his most famous dohas which encapsulates this message so beautifully is: Poti padh padh kar jag mua, Pandit bhayo na koye, dhai akshar prem ke, jo padhe so Pandit hoye (scholars were never made from reading countless books, but the one who understands love is greater than any learned scholar).

Though, the message of love seems to be simplistic yet it is revolutionary for the times torn by conflicts, identity politics and inequalities. The time he was living in was marked by the dominance of Brahmins, rigid religious traditions, rituals and customs, feudal laws and orthodoxy. These hierarchies and rigidity were an anathema to love and humanism which Kabir sought to underline. Kabir, in response, provides a broad overarching framework of love, compassion and mysticism which was extraordinary yet rebellious in a way that defied tradition. He urged the people to re-imagine a world order based on honest introspection and beyond materialistic aspect. He had an alternative socio-political vision characterized by transcendence, humility and spirituality marked by submission which comes across clearly through his dohas. “Kabira Garv Na Keejiye, Uncha Dekh Aavaas, Kaal Pairon Punyah Letna, Uper Jamsi Ghaas.” (Kabir, don’t be so proud and vain, living in your high mansion. Tomorrow, you’ll be lying beneath the ground, with grass growing on top that animals will chew).

One aspect of Kabir that can’t be ignored is that he was not just a saint- poet but also a reformer and his contribution in this area needs more elaboration. As mentioned above, he was against the social hierarchies and injustice and thus has a large following amongst the Dalits even today. He critiqued the dogmas and superstitions in the Hindu philosophy. One example of where he took on the orthodoxy and defied tradition was his decision to move to Maghar from Kashi (Benaras). While Kashi is a holy city for the Hindus and the belief is that it is a gate way to heaven, it is believed that Maghar is a gateway to hell. In order to explain his move he says,

“Kya Kaasi, Kya Ookhar Maghar Ram Riday Jao Hoi” – “What’s the difference between Kashi and a barren Maghar when divinity resides within?” (Singh, 2018)

Similarly, Kabir tore into the orthodoxy of Islam too. He bitterly criticized the rituals and rigidity in Islam. Criticizing the clergy, he says,

“Mullah, why so loudly Do you call? Ram-Rahim vibrates in all. I wonder Who your Lord is! Mullah in the mosque Calls out so loud, Is your Lord deaf.”

He advocated the oneness of God. This God can be realized through devotion to God without the need of any pandit or mullahs (priests). He rejected organized religion and emphasized on a humanistic approach towards religion.
 

Relevance of Kabir today:

The need for Kabir’s vision and love is acutely felt in today’s polarized society. The fault lines in our society are been sharpened along the divides of caste and religion. Identities based on religion and castes are entrenched fracturing social cohesion and social justice. The State which is duty bound to promote equality, fraternity and liberty of all citizens has failed to do so. However, some phenomena that are taking place in the country which needs to be discussed in the light of the teachings of Kabir. One of the most serious is the prevailing caste system.

Kabir against social hierarchies:

Somewhat direct criticism of caste system by Kabir can be found in these couplets:
 
If you say you’re a Brahmin, Born of a mother who’s a Brahmin, Was there a special canal, through which you were born?”
“Were the Creator, Concerned about caste, we’d arrive in the world With a caste mark on the forehead.” (Rumi, 2015)
 
The Dalits in India are still violently denied the equal opportunities and rights inspite of the constitutional provisions. The dominant Hindutva politics which also shapes the policies of the ruling dispensation upholds the caste system and the hierarchy it seeks. Atrocities against Dalits are common news in the media almost every day. Ghastly violence is perpetrated against Dalits on account of reasons like marrying persons from upper castes, using wells or roads used by the upper castes, wearing new clothes or showing any sign of wealth or sporting a moustache- all these actions considered as prerogatives and privileges of the upper castes.

One is compelled to then think if Kabir’s teaching on equality is what the ruling dispensation really adhere to? The violence against Dalits is not merely physical assaults by one off individuals. These assaults are manifestations of the deep-rooted hatred and mindset of the society which still believes in the notion of inferiority based on pollution. To add to this dehumanizing idea, is the concoction of nationalism that is promoted by the right-wing extremists which makes cow holy and which justifies and normalizes violence against Dalits. Dalits and others are severely punished on the suspicion of cow slaughter. Cow becomes a religious symbol to be revered and protected over human beings. This symbolism and ritualism is precisely what Kabir sought to counter. He wonderfully captures the need to self-introspect and not project hatred towards others in the following couplets:

Bura dekhan main Chala, bura naa milya koye, jo mann khoya aapna, toh Mujhsa bura naa koye
(I set out to find flawed men and couldn’t find any, when I finally peered inside myself though, there was nobody more flawed than me!)
 

Kabir- A Bridge between Cultures:

The iconoclastic saint, Kabir, is a symbol of syncretic culture in India. Kabir didn’t identify himself as a Hindu or a Muslim. He renounced the orthodoxy in both religions.

Chahe geeta bachiye ya padhiye quran, tera mera pyaar hi har pustak ka gyaan!
(Whether one reads the Geeta or the Quran, all holy texts essentially speak of love)

 “My one God is devoid of all attributes; He is neither Hindu nor Muslim; I perform no puja nor namaz”
“Brother, where have these Gods come from; who has misled you; Allah, Ram, Karim, Keshav Hari, Hazrat, they are all the names of The One” (Mukhia, 2015)
For Kabir, love and compassion for all was more important. However, one can’t say that this legacy of love is carried out untainted in India today. The social fabric of India is under immense tension due to communal violence, distrust, hatred and overwhelming stigmatization of communities based on religious identities. The boundaries of religious identities are hardening creating political binaries. The dominant discourse that is being promoted is that of homogeneity. The Hindutva ideology which proclaims that Hindus are the original and rightful citizens of the country has set its own standards and litmus test for nationalism. Its idea of nationalism is based on upper caste Hindu traditions and negates the pluralism firstly in Hinduism itself and secondly in culture of India which has borrowed from different religions and traditions.

Kabir’s teachings as opposed to the below, provide space for inclusion of multiple narratives because he recognized multiple truths. The Hindutva supremacists attempt to shrink this inclusive space and uphold one narrative of homogenization. This is being manifested in the constant vicious attack on Muslims in the form of mob lynching and also attacking or discrediting the contribution of the Muslim community to Indian culture. For example, the history of India is sought to be rewritten or renaming of roads and monuments named after Muslim rulers.

This hatred is spread to an extent that there are 60 violent incidents of lynching according to the India Spend report from 2010 to 2017 (Abraham & Rao, 2017). Most of these incidents have taken place in BJP ruled states. The most recent incident took place in Hapur in Uttar Pradesh in June 2018. Two Muslim men, Qasim and Samayuddin were attacked by a mob allegedly over rumors of cow slaughter. Qasim who was brutally attacked was seen dragged by the mob in the presence of the UP police and succumbed to injuries. Samayuddin was also seen pleading with the mob which was unrelenting. This case unfortunately is not unique in its brutality. Such cases of mob lynching starting from Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri to Afrazul in Rajsamand have been heart wrenching tale of inhumanity and pure hatred. In Dadri, the call to attack Mohammad Akhlaq was given from the temple!

If the government was indeed forging forward on the message of Kabir, it would have worked on multiple levels to arrest this trend. On one level there would be an honest quest for justice. Here the state is levelling charges against the victims instead of the perpetrators. On another level, it would work for social harmony and cohesion by treating all religions equally. Hindu Rashtra influenced by Hindutva would not be the stated objective of the ruling dispensation which is directly antithetical to “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”.

It is unfortunate if not surprising that BJP seeks to appropriate Kabir given his colossal legacy and following amongst the marginalized. A similar attempt is made to appropriate Ambedkar and other tall leaders by the Party for electoral gains. However, one hopes that Kabir’s ideas are remembered in earnest and not for political gains. His idea of love has the power to work as an antidote to the violence that is sought to be normalized and polarization that is prevailing in the society. Kabir’s deep spirituality which rests on love and self-introspection offers an alternative to bigotry and hatred spread under the name of religion and caste. He defied traditions to imagine and construct a vision of the society based on love, devotion and humility. This also demands courage to see the truth and accept multiple truths- include and love others. This humanist approach to society will help us to remould our society to make it more humane and harmonious.

Perhaps this last couplet will better convey his message of this courage, transcendence and love:

Bhala hua meri matki phoot gaye mein to paaneeyan bharan se choot gaye

(Thank you Lord! That this pitcher is broken, no more filling it up, no more guards now and worries none)

This article was first published in Secular Perspective July 1-15, 2018.
 

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Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath in Maghar on Thursday (Photo: Twitter/Narendra Modi)

Vivek Das, the 24th Mahant in Kabir’s tradition, raised objections to the visit, saying that Modi was wrong in celebrating the birth anniversary of Kabirdas in Maghar, a place where Kabirdas took his last breath. “He is laying stone for the wrong tradition which must be avoided at any cost,” said Das. The same argument has found support from various Kabirpanthis, research scholars and activists from Varanasi and around.

According to pieces of literature available, Kabirdas was found as a baby next to a water body in Lahartara, Varanasi. He lived his whole life in Varanasi but left to Maghar and died there only. Experts have supported Das’ claims that the birth anniversary of Kabir cannot be celebrated at the place he died.

However, the people in power and saints at Maghar have claimed that the objections are baseless, and one should cheer the fact that Indian Government is paying attention to Maghar, a place which has been “left to rot”.

Vichar Das, the chief priest at Maghar, said, “Maghar needed development for decades, and now when we are getting it, people are trying to create roadblocks.”

According to Vivekdas, Maghar was considered a door to hell as Gautam Buddha donated his hairs in this place and consequently, Brahminical forces labelled the place as a door to hell. It is also being considered today that if someone dies in Maghar, she/he directly goes to hell.

Mahant Vivekdas (Photo: Siddhant Mohan/ TwoCircles.net)

To counter this stereotype, Kabirdas decided to take his last breath in Maghar, after which the place is being considered as his burial place.

Rana PB Singh, a retired professor of Banaras Hindu University and expert in the history of Varanasi, thinks that these practices go against the life and work Kabirdas was practising. Singh told TwoCircles.net, “There was no religious identity involved there in Kabir’s life. But the current politics is doing exactly the opposite. It is putting religion over everything Kabir did in his lifetime.”

Experts see Modi’s recent step to celebrate the birth anniversary of Kabirdas in Maghar as an attempt to consolidate Dalit votes before upcoming general elections, keeping up with the fact that most of the followers of Kabirdas come from Scheduled Castes communities.
Santosh Kumar, a scholar on Kabir from BHU, said, “This all is a big polarization practice by PM Modi. He is keeping the fact in mind that there is a large number of growing population of Kabirpanthis in eastern UP and most of them are from Dalit and Muslim community. So he is trying to take everything in the Hindutva fold which Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh endorses.”

For many Kabir devotees, this is the first time they have seen PM and CM both in a festival where hardly any big name would come in the past. Paras Prajapati, a 42-year-old devotee from Samastipur, Bihar, told TwoCircles.net, “I have been coming to Maghar and Varanasi every year on the birth anniversary of Saheb (Kabirdas), but this is the first time I am seeing Modi Ji promising a temple of Kabir, a thing which Kabir hated himself.”

The controversy has indeed created a rift between followers of Kabir and those who are aligned with the government, and to make the matter worse, Varanasi priest Vivek Das has added that “as Kabirdas went to Maghar in his last days, PM Modi is going there too in last days of Prime Ministership”.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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