A Board for Support of Hindus
Modelled along the lines of clubs like the Rotary Club or even the BCCI, we need to create a body to support Hindus starting from India. Let us examine the necessity and objectives of such a body.
Fundamental misalignment in foundations of the Indian State
Indian State is eager, willing and enthusiastic when it comes to interfering in Hindu affairs. It has no qualms about changing the Hindu laws of marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption, succession, etc. It has no qualms regulating the fees of temples, the conduct of religious ceremonies, budgetary allocations, salaries of priests, etc.
For other religions, it is primarily a hands-off approach. The state also takes donations from Hindu temples and finances activities of other religions. This behaviour has gravely hamstrung Hinduism to the point of extinction.
The need is already felt.
Here are some of the issues that Hindus have not been able to address because of State interference.
Priests get below-sustenance wages, and since they are classified as high-caste, they do not get any benefit from the State when it comes to the education of their children, etc.
The upkeep and development of the mandirs and temple complexes are terrible.
Government officers have alienated the lands donated to the temples and, worse, transferred them to other religions at considerable discounts.
By definition, a temple is a religious place. The State has attempted to impose secular norms and behaviours on a religious space. J Sai Deepak has explained this problem very well.
The governments, government officials, courts and other religions have abused the plurality of Hindu religious practices to subvert and interfere with the customs and traditions that anchor the spiritual wisdom of Hinduism. This has left the Hindu institutional system defenceless.
This creates opportunities to break Sanatan Dharmic Panths like Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism into separate religious denominations, thereby trying to break apart the very foundations of plurality that form the foundations of Hinduism. It is leading to the Abrahamisation of Hinduism and denudes the very essence of Sanatan Dharma.
The Hindus themselves are caught in a catch-22. Their eager support is channelled into other religions while all their efforts to support the Hindu institutions are denied resources. Absent a strong Hindu institution, the individual Hindu does not get any support or institutional backing.
The solution - A Board for the support of Hindus!
The structure of the Board
This is a very skeletal recommendation I am proposing. The details can be fleshed out in a longer post.
The organisational structure
could be similar to that of professional clubs like Rotary Club, with various chapters, or it could be similar to the BCCI, where the regional chapter has ground.
Every temple could be like a chapter or cricket ground with its customs and traditions forming the constitution.
Each of these “chapters” would be members of the Board and the Board would be run democratically by these members.
Fundamental values
We need to ensure that we are not replicating a Church or Abrahamic “religious” organisation.
Instead, we want an organisation that becomes the economic bulwark for the Hindu religion without touching the customs and ritualistic aspects of various groups within Hinduism.
We want this organisation, whose function is only to be the financial support for Hinduism, to be run and managed by a Board comprising religious leaders.
This Organisation has to be independent of the government
This Board has to be financed by average Hindus.
It will not be financed by nor will it provide finances to the government of India or state or city. It will pay its taxes just as BCCI does.
The Board would have the following objectives:
Support each and every temple in India.
Conduct research on its history
Finance the documentation of the customs and rituals
Document the history and ancestry of the temple in digital format.
Create detailed maps and building plans of the temple.
Provide upkeep and renovation of the temples.
Support pujaris and acharaks
Ensure that the pujaris, acharaks and other staff are taken care of.
Provide salary and financial support to the families in addition to what the government provides.
Creating digital and IT infrastructure for temples
It will help people learn about the temples and their history and see the architecture and detailing in each of these temples.
It should also include something like Angkor Wat virtual space.
Some temples need cataloguing and recreation of older techniques used.
Legal and other support for Hindu causes
Supporting many of the temples in litigation to fight for and reclaim the lands and financial donations to them.
Temple architecture schools
Modern historians acknowledge a few architectural styles, such as Nagara, Dravida, etc.
We need to research and develop much more about temple architecture, building techniques, etc.
Hindu Research and Documentation
Here, we need a school of Sanskrit financed by such a Board.
The scholars in these schools will be required to translate and document various books and manuscripts; some need reconstruction, too.
The Board will pay for all of their activities.
We need scholarly analysis of various traditions all over India.
Sanatan Dharma outreach
Sanatan Dharma has faced many proselytisation forces.
Dharmic sects like Iskcon and others have spread the word of Sanatan Dharma. However, sectarian efforts aside, we need to communicate the breadth and diversity of paths available INSIDE the Dharmic tradition to the world.
It is time Sanatan Dharma explains itself to the world. So the board will eventually have to take the teachings of Dharma across the world.
In Sum
A Board of Support for Hindus is urgently needed. If we establish one and start by supporting Hindus in India, we can take the first steps towards supporting Sanatan Dharma. We should expand this initiative globally, supporting Dharmic cultures in Southeast Asia and other regions. Additionally, we may need to support indigenous cultures on various continents. While this idea may seem bold, I believe it’s time for us to take action.
I would like to see our Shankaracharya like poojniya Nischalananda Saraswati to head this board, having love towards Sanatandharm, its core values.