Secularism Contd.

I was watching ‘We the People’ on NDTV, which is of course famous for the bright and controversial Barkha Dutt. I was not only impressed by the presence of array of politicians from a Jammu Muslim to a kashmiri pandit, from BJP to the so called Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti reps.(ASS, more of a literal translation). I JUST DONT GET IT... what do these people want. I mean Mr Ravi Shankar, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, WHAT DOES HE WANT. He compared and characterised the economic blockade of the region by ASS as a step that would equal terrorist blowing up Jammu-Srinagar highway. Even a primate with a single human chromosome will understand that terrorism is a different force on which the state has no control. It is used by people who cannot get involved in a rational discussion. ASS on the other hand is an organisation backed by one of the largest political party in this country. Where is the responsibility Mr Advani. Why cannot we sit down and talk about this non-issue. ASS refused to talk with Kashmiri leaders on the grounds that this was the problem created by the Kashmiris. WHAT!!! --- This how you resolve issues, by burning busses and killing minority muslims in Jammu.... if you have an issue; you sit down and like humans and as believers of LORD RAM have faith in talks. In a democracy you have to sit down to speak to the people who make policies and have patience and courtesy to listen to someone else.

There is no excuse to hijack the regional government’s independence and lives of already destitute and impoverish civilians. If you are affected by this just because you are a Hindu, why not everyone else around India is also so agitated to take the nation hostage and burn busses. The truth is, involvement of the BJP and other communal forces have raised doubt on ASS’s motive.why I am angry about ASS making these agitations? I am sure everyone has a right to protest if they do not like anything. But once you start looking things from religious prism in a secular country, you start losing your motive to secure a just result. Next thing we know we are fighting for our regional identities (although this has happened before, remember the KHALISTAN movement!!)

On the program , the news ticker showed comments from various people. There were two comments which particularly attracted my attention and worried me. First was and I quote “Kashmiri Muslims started it and now Hindus are Fighting back” and the second was “Freedom of Minority does not mean marginalising the majority”. I wish and try to persuade myself that these are just people who have been hypnotised by the BJP and these comments don’t form part of their honest thoughts on this issue. It has to be or else this country cannot survive this century. It has been widely acknowledged that J&K’s problems have never been a referendum on the dynamism between these two communities in different parts of India. But these thoughts are scary as they are born with pure passion towards people who promote extremist religious views.

This is also a sign of how Shiv Sena and its followers have managed to damage the thread that runs between different communities. Working out the damage which will be caused by our new ‘home grown extremists’ to our future generation is unfeasible. It is probable that the new young generation that doesn’t find itself part of the India Inc. may find an attractive alternative career in these organisations and get a well paid job of suicide bombers like Palestinian children and youngsters are. I might be reckoning a horrible future for our nation but I believe it is necessary that we evaluate where our society is going and choose right people for the job (Narendra Modi is unlikely to be a top-contender). The day is not far when we shall have no educational institutions except Madrasas and Gurukuls breeding a new form of SIMI activist preaching holy wars. Well I believe I have painted a grim talibani future for our secular nation, but I believe this will not be realised as parties such as Left and Congress will remain to uphold the values of our founding fathers and freedom struggle. TRUST ME I AM NOT CYNICAL.



P.S:-I am annoyed by this stupid American Word processor which litters my draft with errors when I write Hindi names, but recognises TAJ or SHANKAR, how stereotypical of the west)