Shraadh for the Fallen, Strength for the Living: A Hindu Reflection on 9/11

On that ill-fated morning of September 11, 2001, we saw the worst of humanity. We saw how men who had eyes but did not see, who had ears but did not hear, let their hatred blind them, ripping out even the smallest sliver of humanity from their personas. They ignored the sobbing of thousands of mothers, the thousand-yard stares of survivors forced to relive their experience every time they hear a boom or crash. They forgot about the value of human life, how every life they so mercilessly cut short was that of an individual with aspirations, with the potential to be great. That day we saw human nature at its worst; we saw the asuras of our ancestors come to life as plane after plane crashed into our monuments, symbols of our beloved ‘foster’ land which has adopted and nurtured us. 

Yet, even on that most sorrowful of days, we also saw the best of humanity. On United Airlines Flight 93, we saw the masses fight back, unwilling to go quietly; as viciousness, in its most raw form, descended on their lives. Men and women, heroes and heroines, raised their arms in defiance, and wrested control of the flight from the terrorists. Though they perished in that righteous struggle, they were immortalized on the altar of freedom and liberty, representing all that it means to be an American. 

We saw how our first responders, faced with unimaginable peril, answered the highest of calls and rushed to serve and protect their country. They rescued the injured, fought the fires of viciousness and hatred, and gave their all to ensure that life after life was saved, that the victims would be given comfort. Many of them fell in the line of duty, many of them still bear the scars of their sacrifices. What better example is there of men and women dedicated to dharma, of an unbent resolve to standing up for righteousness and humanity, than those who fought and perished on Flight 93 and the first responders of this nation? For their country, they bore injury and perilous harm, even death, so that the innocent could live, so that our beloved nation could remain the beacon of freedom and light that it is in the world today. 

As we remember the sacrifices of our countrymen and the pain felt by this nation, our loving, adoptive homeland, we must remember that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Today, the perpetrators of 9/11 have been either eliminated or locked away. This was only made possible by the persistent dedication of individuals who remembered the pain they had caused and sought to balance the scales and to defend the memory of the innocent. 

Today, radical terrorism still exists. In nations across the world, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, Hindus and countless other minorities are being persecuted for their faith. Twenty-four years after 9/11, the rot of terrorism is still eating away at the values of freedom and liberty, and the qualities of justice and humanity. If we are to truly honor the legacy of those that gave their lives for this country on 9/11, we must take a stand against injustice—be it for Hindus or another persecuted community, we must resist and fight the tide of hatred that attempts to divide us. 

That commitment, to fight against hatred and division, is the essence of what so many good and blessed men and women have given their all to, in generations past. It is the spirit of what it means to be a good American, and the core of what it means to be Hindu. As we look back and offer shraadh for the dead, let us ensure that their lives were not lost in vain. In their names, we continue the fight; in their names, we continue to push back against evil—so that the horrors of the past never return to haunt our present. 

Satya Sanatan Dharam ki Jai!

Vijay America-desh Amar Rahe! 

(Long live the Victorious American Nation)

The author, Sagar Patel, is a high school student and a CoHNA youth volunteer.