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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Salubrious swastika
The swastika is creating a stir all across Europe, and Jug Suraiya is upset. In an article in the Times of India titled "Who's [sic] swastika is it anyway?", he points out that long before the Nazis appropriated it, the swastika stood for a variety of positive things, for a number of different civilisations. He writes:
Now, why didn't someone tell poor Prince Harry this? "It was a tribute to Mesopotamia," he could have pleaded. "Have you ever tried Mesopotamian food? It is salubrious."
[I]n India, and in several other parts of the world, the symbol has many shades of more salubrious meaning. Derived from the Sanskrit 'swast', denoting wellness or health, the swastika is an auspicious sign, found in books of accounts as well as on the threshold of homes and on the signboards of pharmacies, symbolising physical, social and economic well-being. Ancient Mesopotamian coins also bear the imprint of the swastika.
Now, why didn't someone tell poor Prince Harry this? "It was a tribute to Mesopotamia," he could have pleaded. "Have you ever tried Mesopotamian food? It is salubrious."
