http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/hindi-heartland/2010/06/29/when-victim-turns-into-a-saviour
A friend of mine strongly recommended that I must visit your blog.
Your write up on ‘Communal Harmony’ was an interesting read with some
innovative thoughts, yet it slithered into a self indulgent note in the
later course, since the core issues related to the crisis were simply
not broached upon.
Firstly since you claim that you were witness to an unpleasant
exchange at Aligarh circa 1992, it is quite evident that you must have
discovered that communalism is a grave threat and a perennial crisis
confronting the nation. It’s certainly not a folk tale to be discussed
in air conditioned room, with the usual potshots at the RSS or Deoband.
They aren’t decision makers nor participants in the crisis, at times
they indulge baring their ‘opinions/world view’
Moreover there has been a trend which has been legitimized by
sections of upper caste controlled English media, some uninterested
academicians and hordes of NGO activists who otherwise display poignant
ignorance on issues like democracy, governance, caste violence or
empowerment of women. Communal violence for them is confined to Gujarat,
no other violence howsoever bigger, in terms of causalities captures
their attention, since in an age of free market economy, funding decides
issues of importance. So any right thinking Indian with a heart of gold
like you should be cautious, while approaching the issues concerning
the images of the victim – be it an innocent Manipuri caught in the
ethnic conflict, kashmiri pandit in J&K, hapless tribal near POSCO
or a villager in Nadigram. This would help one from not gravitating
towards selective amnesia or towards the discourse of predominant groups
in the power structure.
People of India aren’t interested in knowing the success of market
ridden IPL cricket or suicides by disgruntled models, they are rather
affected by the widening gulf between the rich and the poor and the sub
human conditions of a large section due to lopsided state policies,
wanton killings in the name of religion, caste, ethnicity or khap
panchayats or displacement due to development.
Finally the prevalence of tolerance and syncretism in the Indian
society is an inalienable part of the Indian society, for ex one can
find in kerala and Tamilnadu, married Christian women wearing the
magalsutra which has a minor difference, i.e. the holy cross instead of
signs of hindu gods, or Meo Muslims calling for a hindu astrologer to
make the horoscope, whenever a child is born in their family. The
renowned Nadaswaram player Late Sheikh Chinna Mullah was an extention of
the lord Ranganatha temple in Tiruchirapalli. So the examples are
innumerable.
The crisis not only emanates due to the active role of the political
parties in the crisis but a convoluted application of secularism over
the last few decades that has alienated the masses rather than unifying
them.
These are some of my observations that do not intend to discredit your opinion nor question your well justifiable concerns.
Regards
Radhakrishnan
