By examining the celebration of two relatively “new” rituals within the Tamil Hindu community in Medan (Indonesia), the article questions the possibility of exporting an internationalized version of Hinduism to the various countries of the Indian diaspora. It argues that theoretically, beyond bhakti, no hinduism is possible in a non-hindu society; therefore, that no hinduism is possible in the Indonesian society, which ignores bhakti, unless a missionary action is undertaken; as this is not possible in an Indian hindu vision, we have to conclude that no hinduism is possible in Indonesia at all. This one-way reasoning, though, stumbles on new tendencies growing in India, in Bali and in the Tamil Diaspora. Balinese intellectuals and religious authorities keep on writing and debating about what their hinduism should be. All over the Tamil world, the millions living outside India also tend to wheigh more and more on some crucial religious centres, like Madurai, if only for their lavish fundings. In other words, hinduism might stop being so exclusively Indian – in many ways, it is already transcending India. The implications of these last considerations stay, of course, unknown.
Esaminando la celebrazione di due rituali "nuovi" celebrati all'interno della comunit induista tamil di Medan (Indonesia), l'articolo esplora la possibilità di esportare una versione internazionalizzata dell'induismo nella diaspora indiana variamente dislocata nel mondo. Sostiene che in teoria, nessun induismo è possibile in una società non-induista,a meno che non sia incentrato unicamente sulla devozione (bhakti). Poiché in Indonesia questa dovrebbe essere oggetto di un'opera di proselitismo, inconcepibile nell'induismo stesso, in teoria, nessun induismo vi è possibile. Tuttavia le tendenze evolutive dell'induismo moderno, parzialmente elaborate in seno alla diaspora mondiale, riescono a includere luoghi e gruppi inseriti in contesti diversi, anche molto eterogenei fra loro, in una visione cosmica ritualmente incentrata su alcuni luoghi significativi (centri di pellegrinaggio, templi).
Vignato, S. (2004). Old gods for the new world. In M. Ramstedt (a cura di), Hinduism in modern Indonesia : a minority religion between local, national, and global interests (pp. 119-139). London : Routledge.
Old gods for the new world
VIGNATO, SILVIA
2004
Abstract
By examining the celebration of two relatively “new” rituals within the Tamil Hindu community in Medan (Indonesia), the article questions the possibility of exporting an internationalized version of Hinduism to the various countries of the Indian diaspora. It argues that theoretically, beyond bhakti, no hinduism is possible in a non-hindu society; therefore, that no hinduism is possible in the Indonesian society, which ignores bhakti, unless a missionary action is undertaken; as this is not possible in an Indian hindu vision, we have to conclude that no hinduism is possible in Indonesia at all. This one-way reasoning, though, stumbles on new tendencies growing in India, in Bali and in the Tamil Diaspora. Balinese intellectuals and religious authorities keep on writing and debating about what their hinduism should be. All over the Tamil world, the millions living outside India also tend to wheigh more and more on some crucial religious centres, like Madurai, if only for their lavish fundings. In other words, hinduism might stop being so exclusively Indian – in many ways, it is already transcending India. The implications of these last considerations stay, of course, unknown.
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