A year or so old south-based online news portal named South First that seems to be a wannabe News Minute rubbed Hindus on the wrong side with their recent post.
They shared a photo of the ruins at Hampi with the caption, “I’m an avid traveller. I love traveling and meeting new people. Hampi’s beauty lies in its ruins. Every monument in #Hampi echoes history. It is as if the monuments are trying to tell stories of past,” says #Bengaluru-based Shrabani Chakraborty.”
Upon scouring, Shrabani (a journalism graduate) does not seem to be associated with The South First. However, the words “Hampi’s beauty lies in its ruins” were problematic in this caption.
Either the woman featured, a journalist at that, does not understand the pain that Hampi screams every time eyes fall on the ruins, echoing the horrendous past or The South First itself is numb to understanding what those words mean.
How can a Hindu, a Bharatiya, even say something like “beauty lies in the ruins”? Would the same coterie be okay when Hindus say Babri’s beauty lies in its ruins?
Enraged by the malicious use of words, Hindus lashed out at The South First, asking them to take down the post or edit it at least. Here are a few reactions:
Historically, Hampi is significant in Hindu and Bharatiya culture and heritage. Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. The ruins are a harrowing reminder of the plunder and the invasions and how the invaders treated our deities and our heritage.
Author and entrepreneur Arun Krishnan shared a thread on the emotions Hampi evoked for him. He wrote,
“When you visit Hampi, all you tend to feel is an overwhelming ache – a sense of emptiness. You try and imagine how vibrant this place would once have been.
With kings and queens hurrying along that kilometre-long bazaar in front of the Virupaksha temple.
Of hawkers calling out their wares.
Of salesmen trying to interest the citizens in their goods.
You think of devotees thronging the various temples and shrines.
Of a gaily decorated city during Dussehra.
Of the King seated on his platform and observing the dances on Mahanavami.
Of foreign merchants and warriors, traders, saints, savants, horse-sellers, ambassadors, and military men, all jostling for space with each other.
You think of wrestling, archery, spear throwing, kambala and assorted games.
Of cheering crowds.
Of little kids lost amidst the crowds, searching for their parents and eventually reuniting with them.
You think of the musicians with their Nagaswarams and flutes, mridangams, thavils and assorted instruments singing in the temple courtyards and sabhas.
Think of the night lit by lit diyas and firecrackers that explode over the heights of Hemakuta hill.
Think about young lovers finding little nooks and crannies to exchange surreptitious kisses.
Of the vibrancy of life, as it would have been.
And then look again at the dilapidated mandapams.
Of the broken and disfigured murtis.
You think of the iconoclasm and the hateful ideology that ruined this fabled land.
You stand in front of little abandoned temples, with the Shiva Lingam still in place, or others with an empty garbha griha.
You bow to the memory of your ancestors who would have worshipped here.
And then the tears start to flow.
A cry that emanates from deep within your very being.
A civilizational cry of loss.
THAT is what, looking at the ruins of Hampi, does to me.”
This thread aptly captures the essence of the myriad feelings and emotions that any Hindu, any Bharatiya, would experience during their visit to Hampi. However, liberal media such as South First and the liberals in the country, sadly, HINOs (Hindus In Name Only) find beauty in ruins. Just replace the word Hampi with any other structure built by invaders, and lo and behold, you will have meltdowns, huge ones at that!
Dear Hindus, take pride in what was and what is yours; being a HINO who is apologetic and ashamed, embarrassed in one’s own ancestry, culture, and heritage, is as good as being a non-Hindu.
