[Reader-list] The Islamic Flag of Indian Muslims

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Dear All, Dear Jeebesh

I have found this discussion on the shape of flags, affiliations and  
ideological commitments, fascinating. I have the same interest in  
flags that the writer Vladimir Nabakov had in butterflies. i think  
they are even more beautiful when they are lifeless.

Until not so long ago, the erstwhile Kingdom of Nepal was the only  
'Hindu' state in the world. And yet, I have no recollection of  
'Hindutva' enthusiasts in India being accused of being stooges of the  
usually inebriated Nepali monarchy. I find this somewhat odd, and  
incongruous.

But,  now that I come to think of it, the Nepali flag consists of two  
near isoceles triangles. And the 'bhagwa dhvaj', or saffron flag, so  
beloved of the bearers of the Hindutva ideal in India is usually also  
flown as a single saffron isoceles triangle. Since such a great deal  
is being made on this list about the correspondences between shapes  
and colours, I thought I might add my own two bits on the surprising  
similarity of the 'isoceles' triangle shape, as seen compared between  
the Royal Nepali flag and the Hindutva flag.

Now, though I am fascinated by flags, unfortunately, patrtiotism (or  
the emotions that most flags conjure) is beyond my modest  
intellectual reach. But I am sure that there are people on this list  
who are, proud patriots, and who wear their Indian nationalism  
(secular or otherwise) prominently on their sleeve.

And, since flags, their shape, size, colour, geometry etc. matter a  
great deal to patriots (they do not, to me, sneaky low-down anarchist  
that I am, but I have heard that patriots are prepared to die for  
these precious fragments of textile) then, to those that they do  
matter, perhaps there would be no doubt (as borne out by the form of  
flags) the Hindutva Held Constituency of this list could be best  
described as the covert flag bearers of the (hopefully) erstwhile  
Royalist Nepali agenda in Indian politics.

I say this only because it makes as much sense to say this as it does  
to read deep meanings into the flags sometime flown in some Muslim  
neighbourhoods in different parts of India. No more, no less.

On a different note altogether, It is my fervent hope that the  
Hindutva Held constituency in India will follow the example set by  
its mentors, the Royal House of Nepal, and take the honourable path  
of auto-destruction, aided, like the late His Highness the Prince  
Dipendra, by means of intoxication and a choice selection of  
automatic weapons.

I wait for that day, eagerly, so that the safforn flag of Hindutva,  
lifeless and beautiful in death, would join my 'butterflag'  
collection of extinct standards.

best

Shuddha




On 05-May-09, at 9:59 PM, Jeebesh wrote:

> dear All,
>
> I do not understand how constantly the list members keep attacking the
> same entity called muslims and indian muslims. Well all attackers call
> themselves hindus. The viscousness of the attacks baffles me. If they
> had power and weapons they can do serious damage.
>
> On the other hand, i have not seen any person with so called "muslim
> name" attack a Hindu or Hinduism, on this list.  So why does so called
> Hindus keep attacking muslims in this list. What kind of blood lust is
> this?
>
> Now days Hinduism is a fairly celebrated religion and thousands of
> publications and places of worship is a sure sign of that. Yet a weird
> sense of injured self seem to have justified all kind of rabble  
> rousing.
>
> Being cautious of authoritarian organization is one thing, but to keep
> on attacking a group of people is appalling.
>
> warmly
> jeebesh
>
>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net