What happened in Mangalore is shocking. In a state ruled by the BJP, one more form of unfamiliar extremism comes to the fore. And the moderate voice of the Hindu must be heard. Loud and clear.
It is not just a women's issue. It is about a group of potentially unemployed and disillusioned men, being fed a single dogma and opinion, and having access to none other, especially a moderate one.
We need action - swift and conclusive. Disrespecting women is not a cultural standard we set ourselves either. Our tolerance has distinguished us as a civilization for centuries now. And it is this single discerning quality that sets us apart from our neighbours, especially in these confusing times. If we give this up, we give up the right to call others extremist, to judge others as intolerant and divisive, to accuse others of being regressive.
We hear different voices everyday. And in the omnipresent media circus, some voices are amplified more than others. But we cannot let the ignorant believe that the non-descript Sriram sena is the new voice of the Hindu. It definitely is not.
Every time there is Islamic terrorism, we accuse the moderates of not speaking enough. It is time now for the Hindus to show up now. Not just the women, but any Hindu who knows his/her religion. And knows it well enough to believe in the founding ideal of tolerance. And as an off-shoot of that, respect for women and freedom of thought.
The moderate Indian Hindu, who outnumbers the moderate Muslim by manyfold in this country must stand up now more than ever before.
I do. If I mattered to the circus, I would be up there fighting the Senas, tooth for tooth, eye for eye. And to those women in Mangalore: My heart goes out to you. And my head says - speak up, even if it is hard. Even if you are a pawn in a grand game. Speak up. It is what will separate you from the extremists. And the cowards.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Younger leaders ...
It’s starting to happen – the guard’s changing in Indian politics. It actually started a few months back when 4-5 very young MPs were made ministers of state in various faculties in the central government. Now Omar Abdullah has become Chief Minister of strife ridden Jammu and Kashmir for a whole 6 years.
When the elections were over, it seemed like the senior Abdullah, Dr. Farooq would keep power, but the baton’s been handed. No power sharing gimmicks within the coalition. No wresting from the hands of the old. A simple pass-on.
There has been so much in the media about India finding its own Obama. Can someone with a clean slate, no decades long political history, no dynasty rise to the top in India? Look at our Prime Ministerial candidates for the elections in 2009 – one of them is 80+ years old Advani; the other likely to be one of Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, or madam herself. Or worse, we may end up with Mayawati at the centre of it all. Unless, in coming a full circle, we actually end up seeing Rahul Gandhi. My vote in this case is for the sibling.
Well, you can be sceptical and say it is just one rung down in the same old stinking dynasty alley. We’ve seen it from the days of Jawaharlal and Sheikh Abdullah to Rajiv and Farooq, to now Rahul and Omar. Ah well, you could be right. It’s probably routine in the Indian context.
And yet there is some hope. These are a well-qualified, educated generation. They have had access to some of the best schools in the world, worked in the best corporate set-ups, and yet grown up with a unique sensisitivity for ground realities, given their backgrounds. The combination is unique and potent, and perhaps makes for an even more desirable personality than that of Obama’s.
Many of the senior generation are stalwarts, and yet many are tainted with corruption charges. And so you wonder if tax payers’ money may have potentially nurtured many of these bright, young Indians as they grew up. But if even one of them turns out to be worthy of his role and position in Indian governance, I would consider my money well-spent.
When the elections were over, it seemed like the senior Abdullah, Dr. Farooq would keep power, but the baton’s been handed. No power sharing gimmicks within the coalition. No wresting from the hands of the old. A simple pass-on.
There has been so much in the media about India finding its own Obama. Can someone with a clean slate, no decades long political history, no dynasty rise to the top in India? Look at our Prime Ministerial candidates for the elections in 2009 – one of them is 80+ years old Advani; the other likely to be one of Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, or madam herself. Or worse, we may end up with Mayawati at the centre of it all. Unless, in coming a full circle, we actually end up seeing Rahul Gandhi. My vote in this case is for the sibling.
Well, you can be sceptical and say it is just one rung down in the same old stinking dynasty alley. We’ve seen it from the days of Jawaharlal and Sheikh Abdullah to Rajiv and Farooq, to now Rahul and Omar. Ah well, you could be right. It’s probably routine in the Indian context.
And yet there is some hope. These are a well-qualified, educated generation. They have had access to some of the best schools in the world, worked in the best corporate set-ups, and yet grown up with a unique sensisitivity for ground realities, given their backgrounds. The combination is unique and potent, and perhaps makes for an even more desirable personality than that of Obama’s.
Many of the senior generation are stalwarts, and yet many are tainted with corruption charges. And so you wonder if tax payers’ money may have potentially nurtured many of these bright, young Indians as they grew up. But if even one of them turns out to be worthy of his role and position in Indian governance, I would consider my money well-spent.
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