Ironic that some people in ruling party have objections to word ‘India’ but not ‘Hindu’: Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor: Irony in ruling party's objection to 'India' but use of 'Hindu' in slogans; Hinduism at crossroads; India practises pluralism, not secularism. Radhakrishna translated Tharoor's book into Kannada. Patil, Hegde present.

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that it was ironic that some people in the ruling party have objections to the use of the word “India” but use “Hindu” in their slogans though both are from the same etymology.

“It is interesting that Hindus call themselves by a label that they did not invent themselves in any of their languages, but adopted when others began to refer to them by that word. Originally ‘Hindu’ simply meant that people beyond Sindhu. Both words come from the same source,” he said here. He was speaking at an event to release the translated work of his book “Why I am a Hindu?”, translated into Kannada by Congress leader K.E. Radhakrishna as “Naanu Yake Hindu?”

During a brief interaction later, he said that he felt “pluralism” would be more appropriate than “secularism” in the Indian context when compared to secular practises in other countries, especially France. “Secularism (in the Indian context) is a misnomer. It is distancing from religion. India practises pluralism,” he said.

Talking of different trends on religion, he said while in many countries a number of people are moving away from religion, and it remains to be seen how Hinduism will grow. He also said that Hinduism in India is at the crossroads. “People who have come to power after 2014 in the name of political ideology have anchored Hinduism differently,” he said.

Among others present were Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil and former Lokayukta and Supreme Court judge N. Santhosh Hegde.