Just the word 'Swastika' creates an uproar everywhere in the world. It reminds everybody of Hitler, Nazis and The Holocaust. I perfectly understand and am sensitive to such feelings. But this symbol has now been associated with the negatives only.The history of the Swastika symbol is very ancient. You can read more here in the wikipedia article. There are many more sites on the web that will tell you its history with different religions. As an Indian, I always looked at it as holy symbol. Indians use this symbol as often as they pray to God. 'Swastika' actually comes from the Sanskrit language and means 'well being' and isn't that what we all ask from God? On all our major festivals, this symbol can be seen abundantly. If you ever visit Indian households here in the US or anywhere in the world, the Swastika symbol might just be drawn with red powder at the doorstep.
So let me tell you the reason for writing about Swastika. I came across a news article related to a Navy building in Los Angeles that is shaped like the Swastika. Apparently, nobody realized it until Google gave us Virtual Earth. So now the Navy is going to spend thousands of dollars to camouflage its appearance. The advocates are applauding the move.
So as a person who thinks of this symbol to be holy, can I say that such a move hurts my sentiments because they are going to distort a sacred Hindu symbol. The makeover is probably coming from the taxpayers' pockets. Since suing anybody and everybody for no solid reason is a trend in this country, can I sue for using money that could be better utilized.
Why should we look at this symbol just with hatred when the symbol long existed before Hitler and the Nazis. Hitler took this symbol, changed the angle, surrounded it by a circle and used it. But this does not mean the symbol itself is bad. It is symbolic to God for us, almost as much as the 'Om' symbol is. So can't we look at this symbol of right angle lines from a different perspective? Can we stop giving importance to Hitler's version of the symbol and focus on the positives, on the feeling of well-being that this symbol was originally meant to provide?
I am in no position to understand the feelings that this symbol evokes in people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. I also do not mean to offend anybody or support the negatives in any manner. My perspective of the symbol is sacred and I am just trying to get across the point that this symbol means more than one thing.
