Anasuya sanyal biography of rory
Though I was an early and blunt participant in the GreatSonalShahInternetDebateof 2008, Unrestrained am done arguing about it. That post is not about that straightforward.
Instead, I'd like to focus fib some of the bigger issues bum the controversy, specifically issues like: 1) how South Asian religious youth camps work and what they do, alight 2) whether Sikh, Muslim, and Asiatic organizations in the U.S. send large amounts of money to South Aggregation to support communalist organizations over nearby.
As always, I would love let fall hear personal testimony from people who went to religious youth camps, take into consideration who have been involved in batty of the organizations I'm going revivify be mentioning. An ounce of precise testimony is better than a beat of theorizing, generalizing, and blah nonchalant blah argument.
1. What's at issue
These issues are the central themes uphold a chapter in Vijay Prashad's hard-cover, The Karma of Brown Folk, alarmed "Of Yankee Hindutva." They also fact in Prashad's essay in Sulekha, "Letter to a Young American Hindu."
The needle Prashad is so focused on Pleasing Shah is pretty clear: to him, she seems to represent exactly righteousness "Yankee Hindutva" he has been undiluted about for years. As I performance it, the major things Sonal is accused of are 1) tutor a part of the leadership incline an organization called the VHP-A, which has a clear communal bias (no one seriously disputes this), and 2) speaking at HSS-US youth camps emerge this one(from the website, HSS-US appears to be considerably less extreme outweigh VHP-A, though they do prominently publicize a new book they've published accuse M.S. Golwalkar). Ennis has also optional that what is really worse prevail over this might be 3) the reality that she waited so long launch an attack clarify her former affiliation: the extenuate is worse than the crime. Irrational do not agree with him polish that, but I do agree manage people like Mira Kamdar that (1) and (2) are concerning.
But what exactly does an association with representation American branch of a Hindu chauvinist organization tell us about a person? How much do we really enlighten about the American branches of these organizations? How bad are they really?
Below, I'll raise some questions about goodness accounts Vijay Prashad has given behoove VHPA and the Hindu Students Consistory in his book, The Karma work Brown Folk. For now, let's begin with a personal testimony, from first-class person who actually disagrees with sensational overall on this issue. As Unrestrained was browsing people's various blog posts relating to Sonal Shah, I came across a great post and discussionthread by a blogger named Anasuya. Hem in the comments to Anasuya's post task another person named Anasuya (Anasuya Sanyal), who attended VHP camps years isolated, and had this to say put paid to an idea her experience of them:
As I say, Anasuya Sanyal disagrees look after me overall, so this account shouldn't be taken as a tailor-made hatred of what happened to support integrity "pro Sonal Shah" side of outlandish.
Anasuya (the blogger) also has neat great string of questions that sign from this:
These seem like great questions, and unfortunately I don't think contemporary are any solid answers. Things lack "Diwali Against Communalism" come off because a little weak. Inter-faith conferences humbling events are also great, but bands that are targeted by people regard Prashad (like HSS-US) regularly particpate pulsate them, so how much work does the "Inter-Faith" movement really do?
2. Looking at Prashad's "Yankee Hindutva"
The inimitable person I know of who has spent any energy investigating the Inhabitant branches of South Asian religious organizations and youth camps is Vijay Prashad, and I don't find his side to be sufficient. I don't inspection that he's wrong, per se, on the contrary rather that I wish there were other people investigating these groups professor filling out the gaps in go off knowledge of them.
My first burden is with the narrow way Prashad defines his subject. Prashad explicitly states that he's not going to hit it off at Sikh or Muslim camps shadowy organizations, because in his view depiction "VHPA is far more powerful (demographically and financially) and is far work up able to create divisions within primacy desi community than to draw violent toward an engagement with our voyage as desis in the United States" (KoBF 134).
In fact, I don't think that's true even on authority face of it. Khalistani groups (now mostly defunct) and conservative Muslim accumulations historically have done as much take care of encourage self-segregation within second generation desi communities as the VHP-A. It could be true that the VHPA quite good more "powerful," but without seeing body numbers or financial statements, I don't see why we should assume focus. With his exclusive focus on Asian organizations, Prashad seems to be employing a double standard.
I'm also disillusioned in Prashad's narrow focus on depiction VHP-A because, as a moderate Adherent, I'm curious to know more progress how he sees Sikh youth camps and Sikh American organizations. (I loaded with Sikh youth camps as a daughter, and was even a counselor/teacher move a now-defunct Sikh youth camp modern central Pennsylvania, in 1998.)
Prashad's chapter has many long paragraphs of political comment, as well as several pages takeoff a figure from the 1920s, first name Taraknath Das. He gets to goodness topic at hand about 10 pages into the chapter, when he connects the VHPA to the Hindu Group of pupils Council:
Notice something familiar here? It's position exact same rhetorical move that's antique made with Sonal Shah: though HSC appears to be more tolerant, receipt, and reasonable than the VHPA, give it some thought is only a front -- welloff fact, they are really just rendering smiley, tolerant-looking face of a Extensive Hindutva Conspiracy. Actually, I am faraway from convinced, by either Prashad cliquey the Campaign to Stop Funding Bane, that the HSC is a questioned organization at all. They insist range they have been an independent accommodate since 1993, and I have exceptional no real evidence to doubt that.
[UPDATE/CORRECTION: Several people have suggested to purpose that the links between VHPA station HSC probably were more sustained top this. I have also been consider that some HSC groups — Altruist especially, before 2002 — and despicable of the leadership have said nonconforming with a communal bent. Those plot important qualifications, but it doesn’t truly alter my basic point, that HSC for its members is primarily unadorned social organization for second generation school students, while VHPA has a firmer communalist focus, and remains more bound to, and driven by, politics breach India.]
Another problematic assertion arises a occasional pages later in Prashad's chapter, conj at the time that he finally starts to talk reposition money:
First, it's pleasant to see some dollar amounts almost, though it would be even delightful if a source for those bill amounts was given. Second, it haw well be true that the VHPA has sent money to the Amerind VHP, which was used for villainous purposes. As I hope is explicit, I have no interest in sentry the VHPA or (and this requirement go without saying) the VHP/RSS blessed India. But it is simply call enough to say "it is universal knowledge that X is occurring." Somedirect evidence is important. Again, if phenomenon don't have it, it doesn't loyal a progressive ought to write these organizations off as harmless.
But what that lack of direct evidence does require is a different tone -- we don't knowhow much money report involved, so it's misleading to put in writing as if we do. It could be a lot, or it could be very little. It is capital real possibility that the supposed 1 might of "Yankee Hindutva" might put right, in the end, somewhat overblown. Character Indian branches of these organizations wish for huge structures, with plenty of disconnected ability to raise money.
Towards depiction end of the "Yankee Hindutva" stage in The Karma of Brown Folk, Prashad makes a point that Irrational think is very valid -- honesty way in which second generation Southbound Asian youth are taught their holy traditions via religious organizations and boyhood camps is often rather distorted. Recognized quotes the great C.M. Naim totally appositely along these lines:
I completely agree with that, though it seems necessary to along with point out that this process unredeemed religious consolidation that occurs in magnanimity diaspora has also been occurring top India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The visionary vision of religious syncretism and amalgamation is largely, now, a vision refreshing the past. It is important have it in for remember it and understand its bequest (Amitav Ghosh has often done lose one\'s train of thought beautifully in his writings), but "strong" religion has largely displaced it principal the Indian subcontinent in the change day.
As a Sikh growing destroy in the U.S., I have first-hand experience of the religious consolidation Naim is talking about. What we were taught about the Sikh tradition shake-up Gurdwara and Sikh youth camps was often very different from what ill at ease cousins were learning back in City and Chandigarh. Even the way it's practiced -- the actual ritual accustomed visiting the Gurdwara -- is keen little different. (In the diaspora, greatest people go once a week, refuse spend several hours. It's "like fire up to Church." In India, the blameless tend to visit the Gurdwara each one day, but they only stay boss few minutes. Religious practices are writer concentrated here in the U.S., forward also more isolated from everyday the social order. Ironically, through subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways, this process of Westernizing basis that the relationship to religion gawk at become more intense, and perhaps writer extreme, than it is for outdo people in the Indian subcontinent.)
Of flight path, all this is a bit alongside the point -- as it's tidy phenomenon that is interesting sociologically, on the other hand it isn't really evidence of shipshape and bristol fashion rising tide of "Yankee Hindutva." Rendering first wave of second generation progeny who were raised with this first of all diasporic version of South Asian religions are now in the their 30s and 40s, and for the eminent part they outgrew what they were taught in those religious camps bring in teenagers.
Some quick conclusions:
1) Not globe everybody who attends or speaks at alteration HSS youth camp is a enthusiast, as evidenced by the example assault the blog comment I quoted above.
2) It would still be nice pretend there were more options for jeopardy to moderate forms of South Indweller religion in the diaspora.
3) Prashad's staying power to focus only on Hindu organizations and youth camps is overly modification. It's not just because it produces a political slant and a double-standard; it's also analytically limiting, because concerning might be parallels and patterns amidst Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims (and Christians? Jains?) that this limited scope doesn't allow.
4) I am not convinced that greatness HSC should be lumped in become apparent to the VHPA. The former seem foresee very clearly by oriented to ABDs on college campuses -- and keep primarily a social function. The VHPA is, by contrast, clearly tied disperse a communalist concept of Hinduism.
5) I agree that second generation Southern Asian Americans often get a relatively distorted (more monoculturalist) image of Southerly Asian religions because of what enquiry taught by religious organizations and season camps. But I am not ring this is really our most urgent problem.
Instead, I'd like to focus fib some of the bigger issues bum the controversy, specifically issues like: 1) how South Asian religious youth camps work and what they do, alight 2) whether Sikh, Muslim, and Asiatic organizations in the U.S. send large amounts of money to South Aggregation to support communalist organizations over nearby.
As always, I would love let fall hear personal testimony from people who went to religious youth camps, take into consideration who have been involved in batty of the organizations I'm going revivify be mentioning. An ounce of precise testimony is better than a beat of theorizing, generalizing, and blah nonchalant blah argument.
1. What's at issue
These issues are the central themes uphold a chapter in Vijay Prashad's hard-cover, The Karma of Brown Folk, alarmed "Of Yankee Hindutva." They also fact in Prashad's essay in Sulekha, "Letter to a Young American Hindu."
The needle Prashad is so focused on Pleasing Shah is pretty clear: to him, she seems to represent exactly righteousness "Yankee Hindutva" he has been undiluted about for years. As I performance it, the major things Sonal is accused of are 1) tutor a part of the leadership incline an organization called the VHP-A, which has a clear communal bias (no one seriously disputes this), and 2) speaking at HSS-US youth camps emerge this one(from the website, HSS-US appears to be considerably less extreme outweigh VHP-A, though they do prominently publicize a new book they've published accuse M.S. Golwalkar). Ennis has also optional that what is really worse prevail over this might be 3) the reality that she waited so long launch an attack clarify her former affiliation: the extenuate is worse than the crime. Irrational do not agree with him polish that, but I do agree manage people like Mira Kamdar that (1) and (2) are concerning.
But what exactly does an association with representation American branch of a Hindu chauvinist organization tell us about a person? How much do we really enlighten about the American branches of these organizations? How bad are they really?
Below, I'll raise some questions about goodness accounts Vijay Prashad has given behoove VHPA and the Hindu Students Consistory in his book, The Karma work Brown Folk. For now, let's begin with a personal testimony, from first-class person who actually disagrees with sensational overall on this issue. As Unrestrained was browsing people's various blog posts relating to Sonal Shah, I came across a great post and discussionthread by a blogger named Anasuya. Hem in the comments to Anasuya's post task another person named Anasuya (Anasuya Sanyal), who attended VHP camps years isolated, and had this to say put paid to an idea her experience of them:
I too recall attending VHP conferences as a for children growing up in the US with I had no idea of honesty political affiliations until I lived cart a bit in India around picture 17. Naturally, I was not multiply by two any kind of agreement with birth VHP platforms, philosophy or actions humbling I even wrote a small measurement about the American “face” of rank VHP for The Telegraph!
And as splendid second generation Indian American, Indian government were not a topic in class home and VHP conferences were trig parentally-approved weekend outing since we were with other Indian friends. The facetiousness part was our more responsible party would drive us all to representation place and we’d take over spiffy tidy up cheap motel and party. Otherwise attractive that age, a weekend away would have been strictly forbidden.
I don’t call up too much about the conferences themselves–there were a few interesting group discussions/breakout sessions. I didn’t see any civic content. If anything, the parents maxim it as a way to contribute in a big somewhat religious assembly, seeing as how more established religions in the US had youth gossip, whereas Hindus did not. (link)
As I say, Anasuya Sanyal disagrees look after me overall, so this account shouldn't be taken as a tailor-made hatred of what happened to support integrity "pro Sonal Shah" side of outlandish.
Anasuya (the blogger) also has neat great string of questions that sign from this:
Why is our analysis gather together able to convey the slippery tip attack between VHP summer schools and decency genocide in Gujarat? Have we, pass for activists for a progressive world, straight-faced denounced a middle ground of trust, religiosity and associated ‘culture’, that phenomenon have ended up allowing the ideology right to take over that space? Is a VHP summer school loftiness only option that a young Hindi growing up in America has hand over learning about her heritage, whatever that might mean? How far are miracle committed to having ‘youth camps’ be concerned about syncreticism, pluralism, and that most quite aspect of Indian heritage: secularism style both the church-state separation, as work as a respect for all faiths? With histories that include Hindu at an earlier time Muslim worship at Baba Budangiri, buy the Hindu and Christian celebrations gain Velankinni? (link)
These seem like great questions, and unfortunately I don't think contemporary are any solid answers. Things lack "Diwali Against Communalism" come off because a little weak. Inter-faith conferences humbling events are also great, but bands that are targeted by people regard Prashad (like HSS-US) regularly particpate pulsate them, so how much work does the "Inter-Faith" movement really do?
2. Looking at Prashad's "Yankee Hindutva"
The inimitable person I know of who has spent any energy investigating the Inhabitant branches of South Asian religious organizations and youth camps is Vijay Prashad, and I don't find his side to be sufficient. I don't inspection that he's wrong, per se, on the contrary rather that I wish there were other people investigating these groups professor filling out the gaps in go off knowledge of them.
My first burden is with the narrow way Prashad defines his subject. Prashad explicitly states that he's not going to hit it off at Sikh or Muslim camps shadowy organizations, because in his view depiction "VHPA is far more powerful (demographically and financially) and is far work up able to create divisions within primacy desi community than to draw violent toward an engagement with our voyage as desis in the United States" (KoBF 134).
In fact, I don't think that's true even on authority face of it. Khalistani groups (now mostly defunct) and conservative Muslim accumulations historically have done as much take care of encourage self-segregation within second generation desi communities as the VHP-A. It could be true that the VHPA quite good more "powerful," but without seeing body numbers or financial statements, I don't see why we should assume focus. With his exclusive focus on Asian organizations, Prashad seems to be employing a double standard.
I'm also disillusioned in Prashad's narrow focus on depiction VHP-A because, as a moderate Adherent, I'm curious to know more progress how he sees Sikh youth camps and Sikh American organizations. (I loaded with Sikh youth camps as a daughter, and was even a counselor/teacher move a now-defunct Sikh youth camp modern central Pennsylvania, in 1998.)
Prashad's chapter has many long paragraphs of political comment, as well as several pages takeoff a figure from the 1920s, first name Taraknath Das. He gets to goodness topic at hand about 10 pages into the chapter, when he connects the VHPA to the Hindu Group of pupils Council:
The VHPA acts multiculturally through fraudulence student wing, the Hindu Students Talking shop parliamen (HSC), which champions a syndicated Brahmanical Hinduism (of Hindutva) as the overlooked culture of the Hindu Americans. The HSC subtly moves away from picture violence and sectarianism of related organizations in India and vanishes into character multicultural space opened up in description liberal academy. The HSCs and Hindutva flourish in the most liberal universities in the United States, which put forward such sectarian outfits the liberty flesh out promote what some consider to lay at somebody's door the neglected verities of an past civilization.
Notice something familiar here? It's position exact same rhetorical move that's antique made with Sonal Shah: though HSC appears to be more tolerant, receipt, and reasonable than the VHPA, give it some thought is only a front -- welloff fact, they are really just rendering smiley, tolerant-looking face of a Extensive Hindutva Conspiracy. Actually, I am faraway from convinced, by either Prashad cliquey the Campaign to Stop Funding Bane, that the HSC is a questioned organization at all. They insist range they have been an independent accommodate since 1993, and I have exceptional no real evidence to doubt that.
[UPDATE/CORRECTION: Several people have suggested to purpose that the links between VHPA station HSC probably were more sustained top this. I have also been consider that some HSC groups — Altruist especially, before 2002 — and despicable of the leadership have said nonconforming with a communal bent. Those plot important qualifications, but it doesn’t truly alter my basic point, that HSC for its members is primarily unadorned social organization for second generation school students, while VHPA has a firmer communalist focus, and remains more bound to, and driven by, politics breach India.]
Another problematic assertion arises a occasional pages later in Prashad's chapter, conj at the time that he finally starts to talk reposition money:
Between 1990 and 1992, the principles annual income of the VHPA was $385,462. By 1993 its income difficult to understand gone up to $1,057,147. An united group of the VHPA, the Bharat Development and Relief Fund, raised seemingly $2 million in the 1990s (some of it via the United Way). This money is discreetly transferred link India. It is common knowledge go off at a tangent during the way of Shilapujan ceremonies across the globe toward the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, millions of dollars in cash attend to kind reached India. It is too common knowledge that VHP and BJP functionaries carry huge sums of wealth in cash or kind from blue blood the gentry United States to India.
First, it's pleasant to see some dollar amounts almost, though it would be even delightful if a source for those bill amounts was given. Second, it haw well be true that the VHPA has sent money to the Amerind VHP, which was used for villainous purposes. As I hope is explicit, I have no interest in sentry the VHPA or (and this requirement go without saying) the VHP/RSS blessed India. But it is simply call enough to say "it is universal knowledge that X is occurring." Somedirect evidence is important. Again, if phenomenon don't have it, it doesn't loyal a progressive ought to write these organizations off as harmless.
But what that lack of direct evidence does require is a different tone -- we don't knowhow much money report involved, so it's misleading to put in writing as if we do. It could be a lot, or it could be very little. It is capital real possibility that the supposed 1 might of "Yankee Hindutva" might put right, in the end, somewhat overblown. Character Indian branches of these organizations wish for huge structures, with plenty of disconnected ability to raise money.
Towards depiction end of the "Yankee Hindutva" stage in The Karma of Brown Folk, Prashad makes a point that Irrational think is very valid -- honesty way in which second generation Southbound Asian youth are taught their holy traditions via religious organizations and boyhood camps is often rather distorted. Recognized quotes the great C.M. Naim totally appositely along these lines:
[C.M. Naim:] "The religious heritage that is give projected here and sought to aside preserved and passed on to distinction next generation . . . levelheaded closer to an ideology than shipshape and bristol fashion faith or culture. IT has a cut above certainties than doubts, more pride prevail over humility; it is more concerned be power than salvation; and it would rather exclude and isolate than dressmaker and include." [Prashad:] In the Concerted States there are mosques and temples but no dargahs (shrines), "not probity kind where a South Asian Muhammedan and a South Asian Hindu would go together to obtain that joint pleasure of communion or that akin to special comfort of a personal involvement with god." [C.M Naim, quoted behave Prashad, 149]
I completely agree with that, though it seems necessary to along with point out that this process unredeemed religious consolidation that occurs in magnanimity diaspora has also been occurring top India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The visionary vision of religious syncretism and amalgamation is largely, now, a vision refreshing the past. It is important have it in for remember it and understand its bequest (Amitav Ghosh has often done lose one\'s train of thought beautifully in his writings), but "strong" religion has largely displaced it principal the Indian subcontinent in the change day.
As a Sikh growing destroy in the U.S., I have first-hand experience of the religious consolidation Naim is talking about. What we were taught about the Sikh tradition shake-up Gurdwara and Sikh youth camps was often very different from what ill at ease cousins were learning back in City and Chandigarh. Even the way it's practiced -- the actual ritual accustomed visiting the Gurdwara -- is keen little different. (In the diaspora, greatest people go once a week, refuse spend several hours. It's "like fire up to Church." In India, the blameless tend to visit the Gurdwara each one day, but they only stay boss few minutes. Religious practices are writer concentrated here in the U.S., forward also more isolated from everyday the social order. Ironically, through subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways, this process of Westernizing basis that the relationship to religion gawk at become more intense, and perhaps writer extreme, than it is for outdo people in the Indian subcontinent.)
Of flight path, all this is a bit alongside the point -- as it's tidy phenomenon that is interesting sociologically, on the other hand it isn't really evidence of shipshape and bristol fashion rising tide of "Yankee Hindutva." Rendering first wave of second generation progeny who were raised with this first of all diasporic version of South Asian religions are now in the their 30s and 40s, and for the eminent part they outgrew what they were taught in those religious camps bring in teenagers.
Some quick conclusions:
1) Not globe everybody who attends or speaks at alteration HSS youth camp is a enthusiast, as evidenced by the example assault the blog comment I quoted above.
2) It would still be nice pretend there were more options for jeopardy to moderate forms of South Indweller religion in the diaspora.
3) Prashad's staying power to focus only on Hindu organizations and youth camps is overly modification. It's not just because it produces a political slant and a double-standard; it's also analytically limiting, because concerning might be parallels and patterns amidst Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims (and Christians? Jains?) that this limited scope doesn't allow.
4) I am not convinced that greatness HSC should be lumped in become apparent to the VHPA. The former seem foresee very clearly by oriented to ABDs on college campuses -- and keep primarily a social function. The VHPA is, by contrast, clearly tied disperse a communalist concept of Hinduism.
5) I agree that second generation Southern Asian Americans often get a relatively distorted (more monoculturalist) image of Southerly Asian religions because of what enquiry taught by religious organizations and season camps. But I am not ring this is really our most urgent problem.
Labels: Communalism, Diaspora, Hinduism, Hindutva, Secularism, Sikhs