INTRODUCTION

Since time immemorial, Hindu society has been extremely tolerant, accommodating, benign and very  resilient. Hindus throughout the ages have had a holistic approach, taking everything in their stride.

India as it used to be                      India Now

From the earliest times, Bharatavarsha, the holy land of Hindus, has been a magnet that has attracted travelers from all over the world. Some arrived here to imbibe the vast storehouse of knowledge, spiritualism and philosophy. Others, attracted by its riches, like the ancient Romans, the  Greek, and several other nationalities, undertook arduously long journeys to trade.

Others, attracted by its riches, like the ancient Romans, the  Greek, and several other nationalities, undertook arduously long journeys to trade.

                                                               Picture of an ancient Roman ship

In the time honored dictum of atithi devo bhava (a guest is akin God), Hindus welcomed with open arms all and sundry. Some visitors immensely impressed by what they saw, stayed on. Others returned, carrying riches not only gold, silver, gems, ivory textiles, chemicals and spices, but also vast amounts of knowledge to improve their primitive societies.

However, towards the  middle of the first millennium AD, hordes of barbarians from the arid deserts of Arabia, infused with the fanaticism of their new religion and greedy for the fabulous wealth of this great land, came charging into the country, looting it, pillaging it, killing its citizens, raping and enslaving its women, destroying our precious monuments, temples and our cities and forcibly converting the hapless citizens.

                           An Islamic Barbaric Invader

 

Ruins of Nalanda University destroyed by the invading Islamic barbarians

Civilized Hindu society, brought up on ideals of dharma, had no answer to this wild, ferocious, savage, blood thirsty, barbarism the likes of which Hindus had not seen in their several millennia old existence.

Hindus went into a shell. The country was subjugated by these barbarians whose savage reign continued till the arrival of the Christian colonizers.

Deliverance? Perish the thought.!! The savagery remained the same. The barbarism was the same. The intention was the same. Enslave, loot and continue looting. Destroy Hindu culture, Hindu civilization, Hindu values, ethos, traditions. The very foundations of Hindu society. The only difference was that against the crudeness of the Islamic barbarians, their approach had a veneer of refinement. But only on the surface .

Arose to stem the onslaught. Notable among the myriad of these Hindu heroes, names like Rana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, and several others did their best to drive away the invaders. Similarly, fearless heroes and heroines like Tatya Tonpe and  Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi in the North and Veera Pandya Kattabomman and Kittur Chennama in the South took on the Christian colonialists. This was followed in the last century by a galaxy of brave souls such as Netaji Bose, Veer Savarkar, Subramaniya Bharati , martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdeo and Rajguru. Finally, freedom dawned. But , alas,  at a price !!