WE ARE WHAT WE GIVE!

It is a lie that Muslims expanded their influence in India through sword alone. None could. Nor were the Hindus of the medieval period any less courageous than the Modis and Togadias of today.

So, what differentiated ‘them’ from ‘us’ – the Muslims of today? They used to GIVE; we merely TAKE – and we keep asking for more.

From building highways, hostels [sarai,] universities, parks, khankhas [ashrams], hospitals.. to providing justice, maintaining law and order, introducing administrative reforms.. sincere Muslim rulers did a lot of good.

The bad ones indulged themselves merely with drinks, dances, etc or resorted to oppression, fanaticism and discrimination..

What COULD we, a minority, during the last two centuries give?

I can’t say with certainty. But I can cite hundreds of examples of what JAINS and PARSIS, not to speak of Christians, gave.

Some of the famous institutional landmarks of Ahmedabad owe themselves to Jain philanthropy. Some of the best colleges and hospitals of today across India have a Christian origin.

A great Parsi alone, the House of Tatas, for instance, gave the following visionary institutions [Muslims couldn’t even comprehend this foresight] :

– Indian Institute of Science [IIS], 1909
– Tata Institute of Social Sciences [TISS], 1936
– Tata Memorial Hospital, 1941
– Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [TIFR], 1945
– National Centre for the Performing Arts, 1966
– National Institute of Advanced Studies, 1988
– Tata Medical Center, 2011

If the Parsis and Jains then command considerable respect, and suffer little discrimination, no wonder.

Hindus have no less reasons to fight the Jains than the Muslims. Perhaps more. But the Jains made themselves indispensable.

Therein lies a lesson for the Muslim Indians of today. And I believe that when Indian Muslims become productive, communalism will considerably vanish.