The appointment of the former Maharaja Karan Singh as India’s Ambassador to the United States has attracted individual and institutional criticism from several quarters in India and abroad. Two sources of such criticism are the Sikh media and the Sikh population in North America who have expressed fears that in the light of Ambassador’s close affiliation the with revivalist and fundamentalist Hindu groups Virat Hindu Samaj in particular he will in effect be representing Hindu India only.

The Ambassador has objected vociferously to this criticism in his letter addressed to World Sikh News a fortnight back. The Ambassador has asserted that “Virat Hindu Samaj is an organization founded upon universal concepts of the Vedanta the Upanishads and the Gita. These ideals are universal and there is no scope in them at all for any narrow fundamentalism.” Furthermore he points out his high regards for Islam and the Sikh religion.

In all fairness to the Ambassador the Editorial Board set up a task force to examine his claim and as a first step it was decided to publish his letter in original along with a comment from our correspondent, We are happy to note Ambassador’s acknowledgement of Mahraja Raniit Singh’s role in the rise of the Dogra House; the respect shown to the Muslim places of worship and the reverence displayed to Guru Nanak and Darbar Sahib. Although there is possibility of public posturing for political purposes by the Ambassador we take his word at its face value.

However the serious issue of the role played by Virat Hindu Samaj (VHS) in formulation of policies towards minority religions and the ramifications of Karan Singh’s close association with VHS need scrutiny.

We reproduce relevant portions from a rigorously researched book at the University of Chicago Punjab Under Siege: A Critical Analysis authored by Professor Iqbal Singh (1986, page 49).

Conversion to Christianity, although not too common, evokes as strong a reaction among the Caste Hindus as conversion to Islam. A number of Hindu organization have been active in countering conversions or likelihood of the same. Besides the Hindu Maha Sabha, Rashtriya Swayyam Sangh (RSS) and Arya Samaj lately two other organizations Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Virat Hindu Samaj (VHS) have joined the resurgent Hindu movement and are now in the forefront in this endeavor along with the RSS.

The Virat Hindu Samaj is led by Karan Singh, former Cabinet minister and Governor of Jammu Kashmir. The Samaj claims it is not a communal organization and is federating unit for different Hindu organizations. It welcomes reconversion to Hinduism on one’s “own volition” and considers “Arab money” linked to the controversy of Meenakshipuram conversion” (sources of these findings given in the book).

We do not challenge the great wisdom encompassed in the Vedic literature but that does not make the activities of VHS universal transcending all humanity and beyond reproach a priori. Hitler and Aurangzeb indeed believed in the universal teachings of the Testaments and Quran. Similarly Indira Gandhi visited all the historic temples including the ones where discourses on the Vedantic philosophy took place over two millennia back. It was not their beliefs but their actions that impugned their standing in history.

Surprisingly the Ambassador’s, formulation reflects an intellectual arrogance and a sense of superiority over other spiritual philosophies, All the well-established religious teachings are indeed great but unfortunately the Ambassador’s assertion presupposes the superiority of Vedanta over other spiritual teachings. Since Vedanta Precedes the origins of Islam, Christianity and Sikhism it is easy to mistake Indianess with Hinduism. So it is legitimate to name a train “Trishul” but narrow fundamentalism to ask the name to be “Golden’ Temple” for instance.

History has revealed that several reformers relied on the Vedanta philosophy (Advaita Vedanta branch in particular) to stem the expanding tide of other religions. (Shankara in 8th century against Buddhism, Dayanand in 19th century to counter Islam and Christianity). The point here is that universalism of Upanishads and Gita by itself, which is not the issue, does not lend legitimacy and respectability to organizations. It is the actions of individuals and organizations that matter most.

There are several unpleasant riddles that need to be addressed. For instance, was VHS one of the core supporters of Indira Gandhi that advises “strong action” against the Golden Temple? What was the role played by VHS during the forcible shearing and cutting of hair of thousands of Sikh males who were forced to undergo instant metamorphosis to escape certain death from Hindu mobs?

Why did the newspaper and several other human rights groups identify VHS as one of the main perpetrators of violence against the Jammu Sikhs in February this year? In case the Ambassador has forgotten dozens of innocent Sikhs were killed in Jammu riots and at least 7 Birs of Guru Granth Sahib were burnt by rampaging mobs. Why has the Indian press, the likes of Bharat Karnad, been doubting the credentials of Karan Singh as an ambassador to the US in the light of his connection with Virat Hindu Samaj?

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 25, 1989