Friday, January 15, 2016

Was 2015 an Intolerant year for India? Are we turning intolerant?

Image courtesy: harkirtankaur.wordpress


India, the land of 33 million Hindu gods and four major religions proudly preserves both freedom of speech as well as secularism in its constitution, which is also one of the longest constitutions in the world. Alas, lately the country has been roasting over the intolerance debate that has caught a lot of heat already. So is the world’s biggest democracy really an intolerant nation?
Before we delve further, allow me throw some light on a few incidences of 2015 that spurred the errant breeze of intolerance across the country.

  • Was it the Dadri tragedy, which involved the barbarous and mass slaying of a 50-year-old Muslim man Mohammad Akhlaq by his Hindu neighbours in the Bisara village of Uttar Pradesh on the suspicion of consuming and storing beef at his house? Or was it about the communal tensions and rifts that flared up post the incident?
  • Was it the unexplained silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident for eight days, which he broke past receiving all the hullabaloo and backlash from the media?
  • Was it about a bunch of hatemongering political leaders declaring that Mohammad Akhlaq deserved the ochlocracy (mob justice)?
  • Was it about the murder of renowned language scholar M. Kalburgi (critic of idol worshipping), well-known writer Narendra Dabholkar (founder-president of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti) and communist leader Govind Pansare, who were shot cold dead at point blank range in broad daylight?
  • Was it about the abrupt trend, where novelists, writers and artists returned their awards as a way to protest for lack of action from government to curb the growing intolerance and hatred in the community?
  • Was it about the VHP (a right-wing Hindu organisation), also affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organising the infamous Ghar Vapsi campaigns that spurred a vicious debate on re-conversions and conversions across the nation?
  • Was it about Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna, which bluntly stated that the rising populace of Christian and Muslim communities is a threat to the Hindu nation and it could trigger cultural and social imbalance disrupting the country’s ethos?
  • Was it about Sadhvi Deva Thakur’s (vice president, All India Hindu Mahasabha) asking the centre to sterilise Christians and Muslims in order to curb their population?
  • Was it about Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and other actors and celebrities, who were defamed over their opinions on growing intolerance in the country?
  • Was it about the threats and violent protests to stop screenings of movies and boycotting mobile apps endorsed by celebrities over their remarks on intolerance?

The epicentre of the entire fuss was religion that gained traction amidst the burgeoning and emphatic upheaval of majoritarianism across the nation. Further, at the heart of the dispute over religion was the wicked argument that the Muslim population would someday outrun the population of Hindus in the country. On the contrary, stats reveal a completely different story. According to census stats, it is very much unlikely that the Muslim population could actually outpace Hindus in the country. Though the chunk of Muslim population is projected to increase from the current level, it is certainly not anticipated to outnumber the Hindus. Figures speak for themselves, there are approx. 966 million Hindus compared to 172 million Muslims in India.
The national upheaval involved a bustling tide of hate and angered spewed at the government for lack of action. It even moved Raghuram Rajan, Central Bank Governor, when he decided to make an unusual cameo into non-economic matters by urging the citizens to practice tolerance and mutual respect in the interest of country’s overall economic growth.
On the other hand, complications for the Prime Minister doesn’t seem to settle down either, since a few senior politicians from his own party have kept the issue blazing with their uncanny brickbats. Read for yourself:

  1. If BJP loses in Bihar, crackers will be set off in Pakistan, said Amit Shah, President BJP.
  2. Muslims can choose to live in India, but then they will have to stop beef consumption, said Manohar Lal Khattar, CM of Haryana and BJP member.

Here are potential inferences of these statements:
  1. Amit Shah’s statement clearly portrays BJP as a party largely dominated by the Hindus, but his comments also uncannily painted the opponents of his party as pro-Pakistan. In essence, Shah was putting into question the patriotism and nationalism of 172 million Indian Muslims.
  2. Khattar’s comment came as a stark threat and the uprising of a tyranny. His statement point towards an implicit authorization for vigilante goons bolstered to jeopardize the minors.

Hardly a day goes by when politicians haven’t put their foot in mouth with such statements that inflame the already hot-blooded debate.      
Surprisingly, Narendra Modi, who is also the face of BJP and a leader who is looked upon by 1.29 billion citizens has held himself aloof and rarely condemned on such vicious remarks oozing from his own party members.
Though the PM is working tirelessly day-in-day-out towards the overhaul of country’s economy, growth, global position, start-up India, Make in India, employee rights, wage bonus, human resource capital management and other economical nitty-gritty, growing intolerance and religious/communal rifts and hatred will demean all his hard work and efforts rupturing his vision to see India amongst the top superpower nations.
Long before the independence, India was home to the Zoroastrians, Armenian Christians, Jews and people from diverse religions and cultures. To everyone’s amazement, multiple religions, beliefs and faiths intermingled in peace and harmony for a number of centuries.
India proudly reflects the concept of “Unity in Diversity”, which is a staple of the nation since centuries. It is a refuge to different religions, diverse cultures, different people, diverse languages, different food and clothing. The culture of India is a colourful and vibrant fusion of diversity. Not to forget, Indians are known all over the globe for their culture, food and diversity.
Thus, it is high time the government takes a firm stand on the debate by bringing in modern and progressive reforms to curb intolerance, foster a peace-loving democracy and save the country from going to the rocks. This could be an excellent example for the entire world to see and follow. Moreover, this would not only benefit the citizens, but would also be politically constructive for the ruling party. 
Strengthening a nation’s economy would turn futile without tolerance, peace and harmony among its very own citizens.
Without unity, mutual respect and tolerance, our very cosmos we revere as India would be reduced to house of cards.
#PeaceOut

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