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VARUN EPISODE - ENDING THE CHAIN OF HATRED: SOME
THOUGHTS -
MPK Kutty |
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The Varun episode, his venomous
outpouring against certain sections of society, is only
a tip of the iceberg that had taken a heavy toll of this
nation’s peace and development since independence.
Beginning with partition, this kind of mindset had
caused conflicts, injustice, terrorism and bloodshed
involving peoples groups within the country as well as
between India and Pakistan.
It is good for once the Election commission and the
media took note of the virus which always remain hidden
in private conversations and peoples minds for more than
sixty years.
Religious prejudices along with the caste prejudices of
our day divide people, lead to oppression and injustice.
Though this fact is well known and acknowledged, no
ruler or government in power seems to know a way out.
Today, most societies are pluralistic and intolerance
and mutual antagonism pose a threat to peace. The
resultant hatred, if allowed to simmer, might erupt into
terrorism and violence as evident from the daily
newspapers. When injustice happens, whether real or
imaginary, the aggrieved party resorts to violence in
protest. Terrorism is just one type of response to
injustice.
Communalism and casteism had long plagued Indian
society. We have all been shaken by the anti-Sikh riots,
the Babri Masjid demolition, the attack on Christians in
Orissa and Karnataka…Though politicians make correct
noises after such incidents, few steps are in place for
eschewing communalism from our society. As Dr S
Radhakrishnan wrote— at a time when terrorism was not so
‘common’ – “wars indeed begin in the minds of the people
and it is in the minds of the people that defences had
to be built.”
Mahatma Gandhi succeeded in uniting the Hindus, Muslims,
Sikhs and followers of other faiths in the struggle for
independence. But his was a victory on the surface. The
unity, he built up, was not strong enough to withstand
the tsunami of Partition that followed the conflicts
between Hindus and Muslims on sharing power or the
fruits of independence. He fell a victim to communal
passions too.
History will bear witness to the fact that independent
India and independent Pakistan did not do much to close
the communal divide; they rather added fuel to the fire
by looking at every issue from the dia and the Muslim
majority Pakistan naturally poisoned the working of the
Indian society –as it did the Pakistani
society—affecting political harmony and economic
development. In the process India suffered more than
Pakistan.
We have accused Pakistan of setting up terrorist camps
and sending terrorists into this nation to wreak
vengeance because the Kashmir issue mainly remained
unresolved. Now that terrorism has developed to an
extent as to pose a threat to the very stability of that
nation, Pakistan has somewhat woken up and acknowledged
the evil.
The caste virus is no less dangerous than the religious
virus in affecting peace and development of the peoples
here. Democracy which is expected to ensure equality and
justice for all peoples gets nullified by might of
castes which seek to grab power and privileges and keep
dividing people.
The neutrality of a Mahatma was not convincing to the
Muslims. Hence the formation of Pakistan. The
impartiality of a Pakistani regime was not convincing to
the Bengalis of East Pakistan. Hence the formation of
Bangladesh. The ‘sense of righteousness’ of a Gandhi was
found wanting by the then Muslim League. The sense of
justice of the Pakistani rulers was found inadequate by
the Bengalis. So at the root of these divisions are
questions of justice and righteousness.
If anything, after the disappearance from the scene of
Gandhi and other freedom fighters, the impartiality of
rulers here have come into question on a number of
grounds: religion, caste, region, language etc. Of all
these communalism springing out of religious source is
the most dangerous. Even if this country manages to
throw the Muslim and Christian populations into the
Arabian sea, that would not be an end to conflagration.
The pent up hatred will take on others creating new
divisions. Gandhiji was very shrewd when he advised his
countrymen not to hate the British when they left the
Indian shores. He warned them that once the foreigners
leave, Indians will turn their hatred towards one
another as hatred becomes learnt behaviour. And he has
been proved right.
As a nation today we are worse off than when we gained
independence from foreign rulers. The disunity and
divisions speak of the havoc we have brought on
ourselves because we had not been true to the ideals we
had set for ourselves then. All along we had gone on
compromising on the principles enshrined in the
Constitution promising justice, equality and
righteousness for all peoples.
Of all the political parties of the day, the one party
that had undertaken at birth to implement the
Constitution for the benefit of the whole nation and
without discrimination against any group, is the
Congress. Unfortunately it has yielded to pressures of
communal, regional, ideological forces weakening the
moral fibre of Indian politics as practiced since
independence.
That explains the weakening of that party’s hold upon
the people. The emergence of vote politics is directly
related to compromises on righteousness and justice. The
frequent upheavals caused by restless sections owing to
a sense of being wronged did affect development efforts
and stability.
Yet India is at the cross roads of history. By trial and
error we have reached the threshold of being a super
power. Liberalization and globalization have, to a large
extend, helped in this take off ; a liberal and tolerant
culture will also ensure social progress and stability
necessary for promotion of justice and righteousness.
As societies are getting more and more complex, we need
a sense of righteousness that accommodates all
differences and wins the trust of all concerned. This is
a task at which even the Mahatma had not totally
succeeded leading to partition.
At such a time it would be quite unpatriotic to allow
communal elements to climb the ladder of power. That
will prove disastrous to peace and stability. Sowing and
reaping laws apply to nations as in the case of
individuals. Pakistan is an example of how competitive
hatred could mess things up.
Hired goons, employed by respected politicians, have
always done their job of wrecking havoc but the hirers
have always escaped the arms of law. This is true of the
Gujarat massacres as also the Babri Masjid demolition.
The basic rule of everyone being equal before law has
not been implemented in practice. The day the government
determines to apply the stick to the wrong doer without
fear or favour, things will begin to improve.
Conflicts are inevitable within nations that comprise of
people of many faiths and backgrounds. But where are the
conscience keepers and peacemakers who would come to the
front to ensure that the conflicting parties come to the
debating table and settle matters in a spirit of give
and take?
Also for those who feel they have blundered , there is
the path of repentance and forgiveness. The scriptural
means of dousing hatred are available to nations, groups
and individuals. Well, the spiraling chain of hatred in
our land needs to be broken. Rival parties to disputes
must humble themselves, recognize the errors on their
part and agree not to allow hatred to lead to mutual
destruction. Somehow such an approach of apologizing and
forgiving seem to be far from the thoughts of our
politicians. Yet such a miracle working path exists. The
unification of Germany, the peaceful ending of apartheid
in South Africa are two such miracles in recent times.
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This page
is updated on April 1, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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