Dear Editor,
Mr. Malcolm Harripaul’s missive, ‘Rum and noise culture is ignorance and must be actively fought against by all Hindu leaders’ (SN 23/03/2022), is an unfair attack on Hinduism, Hindus and Hindu leaders, and cannot be left unnoticed. It warrants a response, lest we facilitate the author and others of his ilk to bring Hinduism into public embarrassment and disrepute. The author accuses Hindus in the most derogatory ways of being the promoters and harvesters of violence, rum drinking and noise pollution. This is not unique to Hindus and it is outright disrespectful to the Hindu community. People, belonging to every society and faith, partake in alcohol, noise making and are convicted at times for violence. The onus is not on the Hindu leaders to stop the ‘rum and noise culture’ as suggested by the letter writer, as it not the Hindus who own that culture.
It is unfortunate that some Hindus have caused their weddings to be overwhelmed with alcohol drinking and loud music, but this practice, as of recent, has been changing due to many Pandits refusing to conduct weddings where alcohol bars are kept. If non-Hindus, like Mr. Harripaul, would use a Hindu wedding as the yardstick to define Hinduism, and would believe as he claimed, that rum, noise and violence are part of Hindu religion, then no one except himself and those ‘non-Hindus’ are to be blamed for their ignorance. However, Mr. Harripaul’s agenda is a different one; it behooves the questions: Is it the Hindus alone who lime and drink daily at the seawalls and which at times ended up in gun violence, robberies et al.? Is it the Hindu who hosts weekly street corner limes and bar-b-ques with loud music and gamble? Is it the Hindus alone who attend the weekly and sometimes nightly club parties characterized by noise and alcohol?
Sincerely,
Pt. C. Nandalall
