Spiritual Regeneration Movement - fighting the recession with Hindu dharma

In some ways resembling India's Bharatiya Janata Party, the Spiritual Regeneration Movement (SRM) is Patria's original Hindu fundamentalist/nationalist/revivalist party. The Spiritual Regeneration Movement can trace its history in Patria back to the hippies, flower children and counter-culturists of the 1960s, who, like their counterparts in the U.S., Canada and Europe began to study yoga, Hinduism, ISKCON's Hare Krishna and Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation. From these humble beginnings, the SRM received its charter as an official political party in 1989. As the Dharmic Revolution was unfolding in 1989-90, the SRM contested its first elections to the 44th Congress and helped to put the final nail in the coffin of the liberal, secular parties that had ruled Patria for more than a century. The SRM is founded on the teachings of the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the Devi Mahatmyam, 19th century Hindu reformers and missionaries such as Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, as well as the many modern-day gurus, saints and divine beings.

Over the past two decades. the SRM has spearheaded efforts to make Yoga Patria's national sport and Sanskrit one of the official languages, but has failed in its attempt to make Patria 100% vegetarian or at least to outlaw the eating of beef. Yes, you can get a Big Mac or Whopper in Patria, but not for lack of effort on the part of the SRM to ban McDeath's, Bugger King and other U.S. beef-guzzling fast food joints!

The supporters of the SRM are the front line of Patria's spiritual warriors, standing shoulder to shoulder to defend Hinduism, not only as a religion or spiritual path, not only as a recession-resistant shelter from the economic storm, but as the bulwark of Patria's cultural identity.

SRM-Amrita Party merger and split - Although both the SRM and Amrita Party consistently denied rumors of a merger during the 2002 election campaign, on May 1, 2002 the two parties agreed to a de facto merger that gave them 113 seats and a comfortable lead over the National Union in the 47th Congress. The SRM and Amrita retained nominally separate identities, i.e. members of Congress could identify either as SRM or Amrita if they choose, but the parties had a single platform and national office. The combination was known as "SRM-A". For 2006 the SRM-A officially merged and campaigned for the 48th Congress as a single party, the Amrita Party of Patria. The SRM was officially defunct as of June 30, 2006. In late 2008 amid the cratering economy, rumors began to re-surface that the SRM would be re-established. In April 2009, to almost no one's surprise, the SRM was officially resurrected and entered the race for the 49th Congress as a new party. Announcing its split from the Amrita Party, the SRM particularly slagged the guru personality cults: "...the SRM is not drawn to the personality cult that often surrounds gurus who have become celebrities in the West, gurus who have beome multi-millionaires by milking their mostly Anglo-Saxon and Jewish devotees, or gurus who have turned out to be fakes, abusers, or sexual predators. We have the greatest love and admiration for Amma, indeed many members of the SRM consider themselves devotees of the Hugging Saint, but we believe that the Amrita Party has failed to adequately deal with the economic downturn that began in 2008."

During the campaign, the SRM may become known as the Swadeshi Regeneration Movement. Taking the Third Session closing message to heart (see blog entry for June 26, 2009), the SRM has promised to fight the recession on a platform of strict protectionism, with a neo-Gandhian "swadeshi" spin. According to a recent SRM communiqué: "...the SRM will stand behind the protectionists. We will stimulate Patria's economy by voting in favor of tariffs and duties on cheap mostly Chinese-made goods, thereby encouraging domestic production of consumer goods of equal or better quality. We believe in self-sufficiency and domestic production of consumer goods and services. The SRM will support economic stimulus packages in order to re-open the shuttered factories and re-establish Patria's manufacturing industry. Say no to made-in-China. SRM holds the key to recovery!".

Watch for the SRM, Amrita and Chakra Parties to pull out negative campaign ads and other non-violent heavy artillery as they go head-to-head (or crown chakra-to-crown chakra) with each other for the hearts and minds of Patria's Hindu, New Age and Eastern-spirituality-in-general voters.