The present toxic politics is spreading its roots deeper in the social mud. History repeats itself, as is said. Today, we are silently watching the history repeating itself in the form of Hindutva movement. In the course of history, the same Hindutva movement could be identified as the apartheid in South Africa, the imperialism in India, the Nazism in Germany, the racial discrimination in the USA etc.
The strategy of the Hindutva movement to target the Muslims looks similar to the one used by Hitler to target the Jews. It’s not just the Muslims who are at the receiving end, in fact, the Muslims are targeted so as to keep the religious fervor high. Beneath it lurks the greedy eyes of political opportunists eyeing Power. Other than targeting the Muslims, the Hindutva movement has been muffling the dissenting india, encroaching upon the power of the state, undermining constitutional offices, and subverting the rule of law.The rise of hardcore nationalism in india looks similar to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party.
Who are these Hindutva people? Why do they need so much power for? Is power so ecstatic that they don’t want to lose it any cost? Are they so thin skinned that a single question on their manner of politics is unacceptable?
Watching the vulgar jingoism rising to such a level it is apparent that we are losing the nation. The nation has hit it on the wrong foot. What else do we need for proof that no one is there to speak up? What kind of a nation we will become if there are no dissenting voices.? Those who had the courage to do so had already burnt their fingers.Their own kinsmen had abandoned them.
The time has come to speak up against this Hindutva movement. India has just recovered from the darkness and now, we are staring down again at a bottomless pit. If India decides to take this wrong turn, we won’t be seeing a bright future for the upcoming generations. Economic development and prosperity can never equate and compensate institutional subjugation.
It’s time the young shoulder this responsibility and use their rational mind to judge right from wrong. We shouldn’t leave this task for those who aren’t born yet. From social ills to environmental degradation, we are going the unsustainable way. I am not the first to point at the wrongdoings and I won’t be the last. All I stand for right now is dissent. The fire of revolution should never die because in that ever burning fire, lies the future. I am not going to tell the solutions of various problems which we face. Solutions don’t need genuises. They need visionaries. They need a practical mind. I stand for voice. I practice rationality and in the same sound mind, I stand up against the social and institutional apartheid meted out to the minorities. I want this venom to stop. Otherwise, it won’t be long before a nation of diversity will negatively evolve into a nation of guns and weapons.
Mistrust is like a spark which may turn a dying amber into a wildfire. This suspicion will always be there. People are holding back their breath and waiting for the atmosphere to calm down on itself. This reluctance and hesitation of people is fertile ground for hate mongers to set fire to peace. And with peace, burns all hopes, aspirations, virtues and with it burns the great nation that is India. This kind of polarising politics must stop at this moment. Riots, rapes, communal violence, mistrust and mutual suspicion should never become everyday scenes. Those spreading this hate must know that they are playing with something far beyond their control. They are playing with it assuming it to be their pet, which it’s not. It’s a super destructive cyclone. They are just foolishly trying to wipe out their own names from this earth. Peace is the norm and it must be. As of now, the times are not conducive for peace. So everyone including the leaders must try everything in their capacity to maintain peace and harmony.
People has seen their worst in the pandemic. Many have lost their existence. Many have lost the will to live on. Many are still falsely believing that good times will come and everything will return to normal.
But they are just refuting the open secret that change has already occurred. Whatever changed has changed. It will not revert to its old self. Sooner or later, they will arrive at this realisation.This realisation must come as easy as possible. If people realise this reality too early, we will turn this nation into a mental asylum. Presently, we are the nation of the wounded. The leaders must not rub salts on these open wounds. A common man doesn’t speak up as easily as political loudmouths do. A common man suffers silently, waiting for either the pain to become a part of his life or let death embraces him. But a common man hesitates to vent his anger out in the streets. It doesn’t mean a common man is at ease with his life. A common man is a walking volcano who tries with all his might to keep himself under control.
Hence the political leaders must tread, speak, act and react carefully so as not to let the harsh reality comes to them in form of a shock. The times are bad, perhaps worse or even the worst for many. The responsible have a duty to heal those in pain. Let the venom stop.
People are not speaking up because they find themselves in an envelope of duty and responsibilities. Most of the people in their surroundings are part of this envelope. They understand this and try to maintain the equilibrium. People are not weak either. Most of the people hold up some kind of individual responsibilities which are generally the things which help them keep living the good and the bad days. But they must speak up now. Because it’s not just between Hindus and Muslims. The easy catch that fighting one community against another has a great winning ability in polls, has become so pervasive and well accepted idea in the political community that everyone seems hell bent on trying their luck in disturbing the social fabric. Remember, India is the land of diversity of multitudes. A man born in India is first his gotra, then his caste, then his religion followed by his regional identity and the national identity is reckoned only in the end. Seeing such a vast diversity of ethnicity and kinship, it becomes obvious that playing one against another means every one of us will be pointing gun at each other if this poll winning idea is not dropped outright. The Hindutva movement is speaking of one nation but digging up all the communal faultlines and social fissures. Presently, the Muslims are being targeted, next will come the turn of other religious, linguistic, cultural and sectional minorities. This strategy sounds very familiar, smelling of slavery and torture. Yes, this same strategy was used by the British to enslave India. It took us 150 years to come to terms with this truth and respond back.
Now is the time to recover, repair and heal.
Stellar Dust 