I address you, the powerful

[Read this in conjugation to my writing Open Letter to H.H. the Dalai Lama on May 10, 2007]

To the editor, Hindustan Times

On May 9, 2007, Hindustan Times Mumbai reported under heading Nation's largest religious conversion at racecourse, that on Sunday, May 27th, India's biggest religious mass conversion will be held at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai, where more than one lakh people including 1000 nomadic tribes families will embrace Buddhism. The organizers declared that His Holiness Dalai Lama would perform the rites.

On May 27, 2007, HT again published a report about the International Conference on World Peace and Humanistic Buddhism, which was held in Mumbai on May 25 and 26. The same report asserted that on Sunday, about 20,000 people will convert to Buddhism.

On May 28, 2007, a day after the event, HT reports that about 200 (Two Hundred) nomads and other people converted to Buddhism in the mass conversion. The report also tells that Dalai Lama didn't come to attend or perform the rites.

Why should not I accuse your newspaper of sensitizing the issue and creating hypocrisy? Your tale of 1 lakh, then 20000 and finally 200 is a story in itself. There is already a politics out there of getting more and more Hindus converted to Buddhism and Christianity. I am not saying that religious conversion should be banned. But why all the Christian missionaries have their base in tribal areas? And why all the people converting to Buddhism are poor and illiterate? The present scene more than indicates that there is politics and hidden agenda involved in this issue. Nomads, tribal and illiterate poor people are joining other religions not because of some real spiritual inclination or sense of enlightenment. They are converting because they are falling pray to the agenda of some people and organizations who want to weaken Hindustan. But why your newspaper got involved in spreading false messages and collecting cheap publicity for those organizations? We expect better examples of mature journalism from HT.

To the editor, Times of India

TOI reported about the mass conversion on May 28th under the heading Thousands embrace Buddhism. I want to bring out major flaws in your report. These are from your report:

Though the number of people present at Mahalaxmi Race Course was a little less than the expected figure of 100,000..

By evening, their number had swelled to at least 50,000.

..thousands of eager hands went up in the air amid loud Buddhist chants and ‘Jai Bhim’ slogans, initiating hundreds of new converts into the Buddhist fold.

In the first sentence quoted here, you mention that the number of new converts were a little less than one lakh. In the second sentence, you say it was at least 50,000! And in the last quoted sentence, you talk about hundreds of new converts! I never expected such laggard attitude in your esteemed newspaper.

Reference: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Thousands_embrace_Buddhism/articleshow/2078096.cms

To Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, President, Sri Lanka

I can see from the report published in the Indian news papers that you participated in the two-day International Buddhist Conference in Mumbai, and you lauded the contribution of Dr. BR Ambedkar to Buddhism. In the same conference, you said: He (Dr. Ambedkar) had pioneered the renaissance of Buddhism in India and was responsible for millions embracing Buddhism in the land of its birth. The international meet was to mark the 50th anniversary of Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism.

You have yourself counted the teachings of the Buddha as metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (rejoicing in other’s good fortune) and upeka (equanimity). I am not sure how someone responsible for millions embracing Buddhism becomes a great man in your religion. Have you people forgotten the teachings of Buddha and have focused only in increasing the headcounts in your faith? Doesn't that make you equal to some secret society in North Korea, which wants more people to come under its fold? In any case, from today onwards, you should be more admiring to the Hindus. While standing on the Indian soil, you talk of millions embracing Buddhism, and none among Hindus protest.

Reference: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=d5e35d17-9284-4533-9482-ce0b18a19e53

To the men and women who got converted

Hi, As you must be feeling great after getting released from the atrocities of your religion of birth, I am happy that you did what you wanted to do; and more than other things, no upper caste person prevented you from this. As you are now Buddhists, you are free from the clutches of the discriminating Hindu caste system and oppression system. I want to say something to you.

If your child is in school, in some time he or she will need to apply to a government seat, either for educational or for job. Should I expect that now you shall mark yourself as General Category?

To the members of parliament in India

As a matter of fact, converts into Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism continue to remain Scheduled Castes and get benefit of the caste based reservation system. Is this justified? As they have converted out from Hindu caste system, they are now equal to all and are free from the discrimination and stigma attached to their castes. But why the rules made by you keep them in the reserved categories? Can you justify why should they continue to be included under SCs? If not, why don't you make the corrections?