Renowned journalist Francois Gautier calls out the Hindus and Hindu diaspora for a perceived lack of nationalism and disregarding their cultural heritage.
Sheo Prasad Pramanik
In a significant development, celebrated journalist and writer Francois Gautier has sparked a lively discussion about the alleged lack of nationalism within the Hindu community and its diaspora.
In a tweet posted today, Gautier described the migration of Hindus as the most substantial brain drain worldwide.
He argued that while the Indian economy has seen improvements and many Indian sectors offer salaries comparable to Europe and the USA, Hindus continue to emigrate due to a mindset he describes as “still colonized.”
According to Gautier, Hindus perceive everything in the West to be superior due to a lack of nationalism and an undervaluing of their considerable spiritual heritage, which includes yoga, meditation, pranayama, and ayurveda
Drawing comparisons, Gautier praised American Chinese for their national pride, which he says has led to many returning to China from the 1980s onward or investing their money there.
In his critical discourse, Gautier also expressed disappointment with the BJP and the Narendra Modi-led government for making minimal changes to India’s curriculums.
He believes that Indian children are not being sufficiently educated about India’s past, including its great poets, philosophers, warriors, and heroines.
The remarks by Gautier stirred a variety of responses, with some respondents discussing the impact of reservation systems and the possible loss of Indian culture among the diaspora.
Raguraman B says: “Also add 69% reservation & minorities preferred for education (like 83rd), does not help. Chinese go back to China to develop parallel tech stack. But Indians settle there as CEO, accumulate wealth and why should they think about a discriminatory regime back home.”
Rajagopal K says: “True! But most of NRIs living in US and West are facing heat now! Behind glitter of American dollars, they are worrying about losing their children to the woke culture!”
But, who is Francois Gautier? And why is holding forth on Indians, Hindus and their lack of nationalism?
Francois Gautier is a French political writer and journalist based in India, known for his views on Indian history and Hinduism.
He was born in Paris in 1950 and has been living in India since the early 1970s. Gautier was the South Asian correspondent for the French newspaper Le Figaro for over a decade, and he has written several books about India.
Gautier’s work often focuses on the history of India, with particular emphasis on the impact of invasions and colonialism.
He is known for his criticism of what he perceives as negative portrayals of Hinduism and Indian history in the media and academia.
Francois Gautier has the distinction of founding the Chattrapati Shivaji museum of Indian history in 2010.
Many prominent well-wishers including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Dalai Lama extended generous help to him in founding the museum.
So, obviously, he has the wherewithal to question Hindus and their lack of nationalism.
