It's only in the mind. Having less babies is in part indirectly enforced upon Hindus by the state and the rest is our own construct. Having more babies does not mean poverty. Mormons in US have the highest TFR as well as the one of the highest socioeconomic indices. Ultra-Orthodox Jews straightaway demand the state to fund their children's upbringing while secular Jews earn their own livelihood in Israel. Amish & Memonites in Americas have a decent HDI and a very high TFR. Poverty has got nothing to do with high TFR or lack of education. And all these groups mentioned here are fastidiously adherent to their faith(s).
Its the ignorance, complacence, aloofness & selfishness which has crept into Hindus which makes us suicidally think that having a large family will make us poor and disinterested in Hinduism. Small family norm is such a big failure that countries like Russia, China, Iran & Japan are staring into demographic implosion barely able to revert back. And its a seculib myth that India cannot sustain a large population. Many highly developed countries with respective populations in multiples of crores and population densities comparable to or much way higher than bhArata's exist and thrive in much better way than us: Japan, Netherlands, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, UK, Singapore. The question is not numbers but how to manage the numbers.
In Goa Hindus produced so many children that in a century it became a Hindu majority state from being a Xtian majority one! In Kerala idiot Hindus not producing enough kids are now below 50% for the first time in history in the state while Muslims/Xtians in baby boom mode haven't got any poorer. In J&K the KPs were not producing enough kids ever since Maharaja Gulab Singh's days consequences of which they suffered after 150 years. In Waste Bengal & Assam Muslim childbirth is still a bigger contributor than illegal infiltration. Manipur Hindus not producing enough kids while hill tribal Xtians have a better TFR. And in civilizational existential war who'll fight for our existence if not our youth? No beating about bushes here.
Fully agree with employing conversions as a major strategy but worldover throughout history conversions have succeeded with institutionalised back up and state/theocracy support supplemented with violent bullying, mass murders, ethnic cleansing & genocides which happens even in our NE where paradoxically the secular state abets & encourages these systematically suppressing the Hindus & native religions. While child-bearing & procreating takes only social/individual awareness and is easily done without much state/organised support. This is the simple modus operandi employed by all the "minority" groups to become majority and it has never failed on itself. As exemplified above. We've never deemed as unimportant the strategy of conversions to Hinduism. Emphasis is on procreation as an easier, smoother, timetested and steadily incremental method to increase our numbers.
Major civilisations died out or got defeated by invaders/monotheism not because they were technologically/militarily weaker/laggards but because they were not producing enough kids and were indulging in hedonism and self-indulgence. Roman empire is the biggest and most stark example of such a great self-made tragedy. When they were invaded by barbarians and inundated with christians the Romans just couldn't match up in numbers and to worsen, hasten and catalyse their demise the bulk of Roman system now comprised of non-Roman origin people who were serving the legions as well as tilling the lands. It cannot be overemphasised that all methods & strategies ought to be employed to increase our numerical strength and foremost and most reliable of them is making more babies. We would be happier if Hindu laity is encouraged either ways to get in the act : procreation and conversions, and take up the cudgels to save our existence as a civilization.
