So did the ecologist Vandana Shiva really attend the World Hindu Congress of 2014 ?

The Telegraph [22 nov 2014]

Ayodhya echo in ‘polished’ setting
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN

New Delhi, Nov. 21: A World Hindu Congress kicked off today hailing the Narendra Modi government’s arrival as the “rediscovery of Hindu-ruled India” eight centuries after Muhammad Ghori had defeated Prithviraj Chauhan.

The three-day event, primarily hosted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, seemed to be promoting a slightly more upscale version of the 1990s Hindu revanchism that culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

It was also possible to read in the Dalai Lama’s speech, as chief guest, a hint at a potential new political alliance.

Tilak streaked across his forehead, the Buddhist monk turned to look at his fellow speakers on the dais, among them RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat and VHP patriarch Ashok Singhal.

He then declared: “We are not only your chelas (followers) but are quite reliable chelas. Hinduism and Buddhism are like spiritual brothers and I am a good Hindu.”

The line-up of speakers seemed to reflect an effort to prop up a new thinking elite as a counterweight to the Nehruvian set.

Among the standouts were Surjit S. Bhalla, economist and columnist who has praised Modi’s economic agenda with caveats; Vijay Bhatkar, chairman of the IIT Delhi board of governors; G. Madhavan Nair, former chairman of space agency Isro; and green crusader Vandana Shiva.

The refrain in star speaker Singhal’s address was that it was time to “reawaken” the “invincible Hindu”.

If there was a difference with the Ayodhya agitation, it was this: while the battle for the temple had played out on the streets, today’s rhetoric bellowed across the convention centre at a five-star hotel before young and well-heeled Hindus from India and abroad.

The audience response, though, was near-identical. Cries of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (Say it proudly, I am a Hindu)” were heard after decades.

Singhal, whom Atal Bihari Vajpayee had marginalised during the term of the first BJP-led government, referred directly to the temple agitation in which he had played a key role.

“India’s Independence was only political independence; our self-respect… had not been awakened. The first test was in 1966 when the country’s cow bhakts (worshippers) gathered peacefully (in Delhi) to demand a ban on their killing,” Singhal said.

“They believed that the government was theirs. But the government behaved exactly like the British would have, opened fire and killed the bhakts. So a realisation dawned that until Hindus became a mahashakti (great power) and produced invincible individuals, Hindu traditions will not be safe.”

It was Ayodhya that apparently changed it all.

“There were other tests that proved that if there was a serious effort, Hindus could be mobilised. Hindu shakti was demonstrable when we launched the Ganga yatras and later when we started the Ramjanmabhoomi andolan (movement),” he said.

Bhagwat, who spoke briefly, peddled a more refined line by recasting “Hindu” to mean “human beings who see unity in every diversity”.

He suggested following the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and said Hinduism should be propagated globally to deepen “Hindu solidarity”.

“This is the time to teach the world what our Hindu traditions are about. Hard-line ideologies offer no solace. But before we speak to others, we have to follow Swami Vivekananda, awaken ourselves, arise in unison as a Hindu society and stop not till our goal is reached,” Bhagwat said.

The conference’s website spelt out the context for urging the world’s Hindus to coalesce into a “power”.

“There is a market-driven world order and Hindus have kept up with the times by taking advantage of the new avenues of economic opportunities. Along with the economic opportunities, Hindus are facing numerous challenges in the form of human rights violations, active discrimination, cultural assaults and other existentialist challenges,” it said.