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LONDON, ENGLAND, February 5, 2005: Preeti Raichura, chairperson of the Hindu Youth UK Leicester and representative to the Hindu Council UK, issued the following statement regarding proposals to ban the use of the swastika in the European Union:



For thousands of years the Swastika has been used in the name of Goodness, Purity, Love and tolerance. But the true meaning of the Swastika has been diminished by the rein of the Nazis. Once a symbol that was universally accepted from all walks of life with open arms is now tainted with the scrutiny dictated by Hitler. The word Swastika originates from the Sanskrit language and is composed of two separate words: Su and Asti. Su meaning “good” and Asti “to exist.” As per Sanskrit grammar the words Su and Asti when amalgamated into one word become Swasti (as in the case of Su and Aagatam becoming Swagatam meaning welcome). If this derivation of the word Swastika is true, then the literal meaning of the term Swastika would be “let good prevail.” So if the swastika means “let good prevail” why would anyone want to ban its use? Our so-called multi-cultural, society shouldn’t even be questioning its use but welcoming the very meaning of it. The swastika is seen as a powerful symbol to Hindus and holds the unshakable faith of millions around the world. The swastika is a symbol of Lord Ganesha, the Lord of prosperity, happiness, luck and the remover of obstacles. In both Hinduism and Jainism, the Swastika is used to mark the opening pages of account books, doors and thresholds, and during the time of any religious ceremony.



Nazi Germany took an ancient Hindu symbol and perverted it to such a degree that it can never be used again without bringing up all the associations of death, destruction, hatred and vileness that it perpetrated. If the Swastika is displayed in any of the “civilized” parts of the earth, the reactions of the viewer are universally of rage and disgust. How can such a beautiful meaning be corrupted to such extremes? Just because some less educated, ignorant members of our society do not associate the symbol with Hindu ideology as a positive symbol of the cosmos, discounting thousands of years of positive Hindu association with the swastika, the West, instead see this as a history purely in terms of its more recent, 70-year-old link with Hitler and the Nazi killing machine.



As a British-born Hindu, bought up in multi-cultural Leicester, I believe the swastika can be used as a means of bringing communities together, and sharing a universal approach of community cohesion, and togetherness, promoting goodness and tolerance. Swastika has been used for centuries by people far beyond India. The significance of Swastika is still prevalent today within Hinduism and other religions. Within Buddhism the Swastika means the 4 L’s: Luck, Light, Love and Life. To the People of Mexico and Central America, the Swastika is used as a charm to drive away evil, bring good luck, long life and prosperity. Marks of the Swastika have also been found on coins dated back 2,300 years. The Swastika’s influence has reached the length and breadth of the world and has influenced people in one way or another. The Swastika has proved to be a universal symbol which is beyond national boundaries, religion, race and gender.



Personally, I don’t think putting a ban on the Swastika is going to stop Hindu’s using this very sacred symbol during times of religious ceremonies, and neither do I believe Hindu’s should stop using the symbol they have used for thousands of years as a gesture of “goodness.” Hindu Youth UK Leicester, organizers of “Get Connected” Leicester Extravaganza, have been involved in educational campaigns to educate communities on the meaning of the non threatening use of the Swastika, reassuring the British society that this symbol is not associated with the Nazi’s.

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