Why Do You've To Be So Touchy?

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 26 January 2024 The Supreme Court on Thursday, January 25, stayed criminal proceedings against Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who allegedly made objectionable remarks about ‘Ramcharitmanas’, a sacred Hindu text based on the Ramayana. “Why do you have to be so touchy? It’s his opinion… It’s a matter of interpretation. How is it an offence?” A Bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta asked the Uttar Pradesh Government counsel. There's no denying the fact that Tulsidas' 'Ramcharitmanas' has objectionable passages. The most infamous being: Dhor, Ganwaar, Pashu, Shudra, Naari/ Sab Taadan Ke Adhikari. It's so obvious and self-explanatory that it needs no further interpretation. You cannot absolve Tulsidas of gender and caste bias. Moreover, Tulsidas was a rebuffed man. Though married, his wife Ratnavali was exasperated by her uxorious husband. She humiliated him. Tulsidas never forgot that humiliation. So, a doting and uxorious husband turned a misogynist! He was a Brahmin and at that time, no Brahmin had any kind of sympathy for Dalits. If today, someone questions Tulsidas' attitude towards women and dalits, he or she has every right to ask. Just by writing 'Ramcharitmanas,' Tulsidas doesn't become irreproachable. In fact there's nothing sacrosanct and irreproachable in this world. No man, no book, no faith and no god is beyond reproach. Nietzsche's 'Critical Irreverence' towards everything and every person is necessary in a civilized and cerebral society. It's really ironic that in the 1950s and 60s, there were at least 10 students pursuing their doctorates in Hindi at India's leading universities with their emphasis on Tulsidas' misogynistic and caste-based biases in Ramcharitmanas. The guides were legends like Bhagirath Mishra, Dr Hajari Prasad Dwivedi and Dr Vidyaniwas Mishra. No one objected. All the students got their PhDs despite being critical of Tulsidas and his Ramcharitmanas. This is knowledge, nay wisdom when you allow the other person to present his/her viewpoint however tangential that may be. And look at today's scenario! People rush to the court the moment you say something unpalatable about a revered mythological character, holy book or god. Have we evolved or devolved? Have we advanced or gone back? Ask yourself in solitude. ---- 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. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/touchy-ramcharitmanas-tulsidas-sc/d/131588 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism