Religion has always been at the heart of Bharatiya ethos and religious leadership has always sought to interpret and change human behaviour and the social environment for the betterment of mankind, so defending Hindu religion from the naysayers is a pious duty of every Bharatiya. There is absolutely no recourse in avoiding a discussion on our religion for safeguarding it. One must understand the richness of the Bharatiya culture when one realises that the script in which Sanskrit and Hindi language scriptures are written is called Devanagari, meaning house of the Gods. We have seen politicians and intellectuals take recourse to religion to achieve their objectives. This is especially so when we find speakers at almost every public occasion or more recently in TV debates tend to take remedy of spiritualism or religion to put forward their ideas, simply because it is aimed at giving their views a religiously intellectual legitimacy if their logic fails.

Bharat is a confluence of cultures and even in a single religion there are many variations. It is the great cauldron of thought, belief, attitude, and behaviour into which there has been a great churning of ideologies and cultures. Hence in talking about a Bharatiya ethos we must recognise its rich uniqueness born out of the fact that its thought is pluralistic, formless and even contradictory. That is why we always say, vividhtamay ekta. Amongst the Hindus we find Brahamins who are strict vegetarians in the western parts but they eat fish in the eastern parts. Alcohol is taboo during religious festivals and yet it is the best offering made to Goddess Kali and Bhairava. Amongst the Muslims the Shias and the Sunnis seldom see eye to eye on religious dogma and are known to have bloody feuds even today. The more modern Agha Khanis and those that have accepted the Bahai faith similarly are more humane but are shunned by the self styled orthodox Muslims. Amongst the Christians there are the Protestants as well as the Catholics plus the Marthoma Church founded by the apostle Thomas who landed on the shores of Dakshin Bharat soon after the death of Jesus Christ. However what we can say is that in regions where a particular religion is in majority the ethos of that region is influenced by that particular religion. Bharatiya culture is so magnanimous that if you decide to follow a religion different than that in which you were born you can do so. What is wrong in following a superbly rich view of life: whether it is Hindu, Christian, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, or Sufi? What is wrong similarly in being rationally eclectic or even being a nonbeliever? What we believe in does not require a religious banner. Our concern is and always been mankind since we believe in respecting and taking care of a human. There is a religion which was brought into Bharat by Arabs advocating the idea that the whole world should follow one path and one religion and those who opposed the idea were beheaded, killed or converted. This is regarded by the Hindu as absurd, being contrary to nature and its laws. A man must follow that path for which he is fit, that is, he is the Adhikari. Hence it is often and correctly stated that Hinduism is not a religion per se but a way of life. Hindu Dharma has no known founder. Therefore, one can follow any religion, any faith he or she wishes, so long the main concern is betterment of mankind in any which way one can contribute to the society.

Despite the many inconsistencies in Hinduism, people from all over the world, particularly those from the West, look to Hinduism for harmony. Their search for serenity comes to an end at the doorstep of Bharat. Hippies from the 1970s and 1980s, ISKCON, George Harrison and Richard Gere, and, more recently, Barack Obama holding a miniature Hanuman idol finds peace in following the Hinduism. In April 1974, Steve Jobs travelled to Bharat with his friend Dan Kottke to study Hinduism and Bharatiya philosophy. Julia Roberts, a Hollywood actress, was impacted by Neem Karoli Baba. Roberts was drawn to Hinduism after seeing a photograph of Neem Karoli Baba. Mark Zuckerberg visited Neem Karoli Baba's ashram in Kainchi, influenced by Steve Jobs. Larry Brilliant accompanied Larry Page, co-founder of Google, and Jeffrey Skoll, co-founder of eBay, on their pilgrimage. Humanitarian Larry Brilliant and his wife Girija, writer Yvette Rosser, American spiritual teacher Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, filmmaker John Bush, and Daniel Goleman, author of The Varieties of the Meditative Experience and Emotional Intelligence, are among the other renowned devotees of Neem Karoli baba. Baba Hari Dass ran ashrams in the Nainital area from 1954 to 1968 before moving to California in the early 1970s to work as a Hindu spiritual teacher.

Hinduism is all embracing. It is highly debatable whether Hinduism is a religion. It certainly has no known founder and is far from monolithic doctrines. There is so much diversity and plurality within it that one would be better off referring to Hinduism as “a way of life”. One would call it a Hindu culture, which resembles a vast ocean in which several faiths, like rivers have poured in and enriched it across the passage of time. One should remember that rivers do not travel in reverse. They mingle and stay becoming a part of that ocean and attains mukti from the form of river.

It all boils down to getting the richness of Vivekananda who defined the principle of attaining shakti (power) on the principle of bhakti (devotion). He wanted to awaken the hidden might in every individual and had appealed Awake, arise, and stop not till the goal is reached, speaks of the way of life. The goal of service to mankind. No wonder Chicago citizens of America were smitten by his charm. While Vivekananda went the masses his colleague Swami Abhedanada went to the intellectuals. He addressed the karmic question in his two-volume work Life beyond Death. The other brilliant explanations of the Hindu Religion can be found in the works of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Sarvapalli Radhakrishan and Swami Chinmayananda. On the other hand, the rendition of Hindu Metaphysics comes out authoritatively in the works of John Woodroofe, of course a non Hindu, and indirectly in the epic work of Michael Madhusudan Dutta’s, Megnadh Badh Kavya. based on Sri Raama and Ravana’s battle. Michael Madhusudan Dutt had changed his religion from Bengali Hindu to Christianity. So as said earlier what we believe in does not require a religious banner. He was free to choose the religion which gave him peace and follow the objectives of service to mankind.

Simply stated the Hindu ethos can be reduced to four values of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha, respectively implying virtuous living through the discharge of duties, acquiring material wealth, gratification of desires, and liberation from the life-birth cycle of time. A deeper understanding of the four values points to the fact that kama is an intrinsic value while artha is a means of attaining kama and so has some kind of intermediate value. Moksha is of course the end both in itself and of itself whereas dharma is an end only in itself since it is a means of attaining moksha or liberation. The ends-means debate was very much known at the time of the Vedas. In earthly life kama, while in spiritual life moksha, represent the desired ends. On the other hand, artha in earthly life and dharma in spiritual life represent the means. However, please be aware that simple translation of these terms into English may be misleading since kama, also means only conjugal sex and dharma could mean anything from fixed principles of usage and from virtue to religion.

Let it be registered that Hinduism is not hell bent upon advocating the idea that the whole world should follow one path and one religion and anyone who opposes shall be punished.

But the latest happenings in Bharat where a founder of a minority religion was slandered by a lady in a television debate has created a ruckus unparalleled in the history, although what she said has a historical proof which she only repeated, is posing a threat to the Sanatan dharma. Bharatiya minorities instigated the agitators and encouraged Islamic nations to sock Bharat on this petty issue. Muslims from Pakistan and around the world banded together to oppose Bharat. You may give Bharatiya minorities grants, free homes, free medicals and a free ticket for a ride in Elon Musk’s Space X, yet their loyalty will be with the neighbouring country instigating cross border terrorism.

Muslims in Bharat should become aware that, after 1947, their position in India was that of a visitor. They were not required to stay in Bharat indefinitely. Despite the demand for a separate country, they refuse to embrace the partition logic. What was inherent in M A Jinnah's two-nation theory was that of the two countries that would be formed after division, one would be for the other. So on 14^th August 1947 Pakistan for Muslim was formed and the other was for , Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Dalit, Adivasi, Parsi, Christian, and Jewish, refers to all non-Muslims who fall within the CAA group. The logic of Partition says that the other country automatically became a Hindu Rashtra after partition.

But sorry to note that this other nation, the big brother has not become a Hindu Rashtra. After partition, the Muslims who remained in Bharat chose Bharat ( i.e Hindu Rashtra) above Islam, implying that they had compromised on Islam. But that was not to be the case. They prioritized Islam, which has resulted in disputes and conflicts. Hindus, particularly those who lived through the partition, believe that Muslims took Pakistan and stayed in Bharat as well. They not only stay, but they also live as though they are host and Hindus are guests. This is a problematic viewpoint that is incorrect, and these formulae is leading for a civil war. The rulers of Bharat should have treated the Muslims who were allowed to reside in the country after partition as second-class citizens. Those who remained were required to live as secular citizens of Bharat with great care, leaving their Islam inside their homes before leaving their house, which they did not do. They maintained their conflict over Shariat, Hijab, Waqf, Azan, Halal, Babri, Gyanvapi, Kashi, and Mathura. They forget that Pakistan was founded to implement Sharia, Hijab, Waqf, Azan, and Halal, which are not part of Bharat. The intellectuals and rulers of Hindu Rashtra were supposed to explain all of this to the Muslims , but instead they began charming and pampering them. There were very few Muslims who were part of Hindu Rashtra, the likes of erstwhile President APJ Abdul Kalam, aptly known as The Missile Man, Abdul Hamid, the Company Quarter Master Havildar of the Indian Army soldier who dug the grave for Pakistan’s Patton battle tanks. Government of Bharat also awarded him the highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously for his services during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. There are few intellectuals among Muslims staying in Bharat who understand the logic behind partition, but such people are very, very few who can be counted on the fingertips.

One option is for the young people of the new generation of Muslims to revolt against their orthodox religion. Young men should step forward, and girls should ditch their hijabs in order to breathe fresh air. Nothing will change unless the youth of Islam revolt and eliminate their religious preferences, bringing them into the mainstream of society, jobs, education, and careers. The only way to keep Hindu nationalists at bay is for Muslims to embrace true secularism. They must understand that the world will not run according to their wishes, and that they will have to go with the flow. The rest of the world will not embrace their beliefs because the rest of the world is educated, intellectual, scientific, and rational, not orthodox. Trying to control the world on your own terms is useless, and doing it in a host’s house is shameless.

But all this is wishful thinking. Today’s Muslim youth is wayward and cantankerous as is proved by the way they pelt stones and put fire to the public property and engage in loot and arson. They are simply waiting for their population to move past 51 percent, at which point they will grab Bharat and turn it into Talibani Afghanistan. That will spell a farewell to Sanatan Dharma, Ramayana, and Bhagavad-Gita. Kerala's Islamist parties, the radical Islamist, fundamentalist Indian political parties such as Social Democratic Party of India and Popular Front of India, have been outspoken in their expectations that they will eventually gain control of Bharat. They are hopeful as 30% of Kerala's population being Muslim. This is the point at which Hindus must admit that they are a long way behind everyone else and alone in the fight for being civilised. The issue with Hindus is a large portion of them don’t have the foggiest idea about their strength. While 20% of Bharatiya Muslims think and carry on like a greater part, 70% of Hindus think and behave like a minority. This requires absolute change. This farce of vote-based system of government must come to an end.

We have the freedom to disagree and dissent in a democratic society, but we must do so in an ethical manner. In a series of rulings a few years ago, the Supreme Court recognized dissent as a "symbol of a vibrant democracy" and concluded that if citizens are forced to move under the "scrutinizing gaze" of the police, the country becomes a jail. (Source: The Hindu). At the same time, the honorable court should clarify whether stone-pelting and vandalizing are signs of a vibrant democracy. The court should also define whether a person in uniform who is doing his job of upholding law and order is a symbol of a vibrant democracy when he is caught off guard and pelted with stones until he oozes blood. Setting fire to vehicles, public property, uprooting train tracks, lynching, and instilling terror in the public is hardly a representation of a vibrant democracy. If a democracy defines secularism, it should be made clear whether it entails appeasing one particular element of society in order to court the vote bank. A vote-based system does not work for Hindus; rather, it castrates them while providing an enormous incentive for minorities to outnumber themselves. This farce of vote-based system of government must come to an end. Bharat became Hindu Rashtra on 15th August 1947 and the time has come to take a tough stand and bang the fist on the table and say loudly that Bharat is a Hindu Rashtra, with Hindus (and other Indic religions such as Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists) ruling supreme and be counted and called so. Till then a perpetual President’s rule has to be established. To set up a Hindu Rashtra and save the world's most seasoned and extensive civilisation, the Indian Army is needed. It is necessary to complete the transition from vote based rule to harmless dictatorship, which only Army can do.