PIP : Solution to Fractured Times
It is three weeks since I wrote my last blog – reasonably a long period
for someone like me who loves thumping the key board. The events of this interregnum
have re-affirmed the prevailing view that we live in fractured times. But what
is disturbing is a throwback to post partition times that had made the nation a
cauldron of hatred, anger and violence when men behaved not like men but like brutish
beasts. Today one feels a palpable tension in the nation, triggered by clashes
and conflicts among people belonging to different communities, castes,
religions and ideologies besides horrendous, gendered violence affirming
hegemonic masculinity. Delhi continues its notorious distinction as the rape
capital of the nation, though Uttar Pradesh and its sister state Uttarakhand
are not far behind to usurp that title. While Kashmir witnesses daily killings
of civilians, (not taking in the fatality count of the army and police
personnel), Kerala sees political murders of the red and saffron brigades.
Panchayati elections in West Bengal have seen gross violence and loss of many
lives though the Trinamool government cushions itself against criticism saying
the toll was much higher during the Communist rule of the state. The recent killing
of 212 security personnel by Maoists in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and the
retaliatory killing by the police and security forces in the two states and in Maharashtra
tell a tale of revenge and murder.
Farmers’ agitation, teachers’ strike, dalits’ anger, judiciary’s dilemma
, doctors’ strike, traders’ woes on GST, middle class protests against rise in fuel price and all necessary
commodities,... show the nation rising up in an agitational mode. The communal
clashes resulting from fringe groups of Hindutva, dictating the venue for
performing ‘namaz’, imposing love jihad
and dictating dietary regulations, proscribing what one should not read,
what film one should not see and
what one should not celebrate like Valentine’s day, have disturbed the state of
equilibrium. Atop of all this is the Dance of Democracy we witnessed in the
recent Karnataka elections which comes close to the Theatre of Comi-tragedy(blending
of both comic and serious/tragic scenes) where the holing of people in hotels and
resorts either as captives or as loyalists and threatening them with dire
consequences if they failed to switch loyalties is akin to a comic caper while
the ideological bankruptcy at the core of
the entire political spectrum is close to a national tragedy. The alternate
elements of absurdity and double dealing that marked the last few days after
the Karnataka elections reveal the dark side of our national character that lends
itself either to be lured or frightened to submission. Karnataka election
illustrates that “The quality of corruption is not strained; it impacts him
that gives and him that receives.”-an adaptation of Portia’s famous line from Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice
All these are not manufactured list of ills that account for the
disquiet that is prevalent in our times. This is not an adverse report card of
the present NDA government alone. The earlier UPA was also discredited for corruption,
rape, policy paralysis. There is no one clean government today, honest and ethical, as no government is
free of the chains of corruption. The BJP came to power saying that it is a
party with a difference. Those are glib words and there is nothing that
differentiates the present government from the previous one. Yes, there is one
difference. It is the only party that uses the word “mukht” and has its main
agenda as “Congress( read now opposition) mukht Bharat. Will there be any shred
of democracy if there is going to be one party rule? Let us all
reject the word ‘mukht’ from our political vocabulary as it goes against
the Constitutional pledge.
My initial response – and I think I am in the company of multitudes of citizens who think and feel like me-was to let
things take place for there is nothing we can do. Take a deep breath and watch
in silence the battles going on all around us. This is the general attitude all
over the world to allow the elected political
representatives to decide for all the rest , protest feebly and then do nothing
saying, who are we to take responsibility. Today, overarching one’s helplessness
is the unknown fear of being stalked or being a marked person that has numbed
our feelings of disquietude, haplessness and impuissance. The oft felt
pessimism that our armchair discussions and parrot like repetitions of what is
going wrong with all our institutions have no impact on our elected
representatives, made me withdraw from
the blog world where one can share online his/her personal views, feelings, fears and thoughts.
But the truth is one cannot run away from the world or find solace in
silence. Such a cowardly withdrawal signals readiness to accept anarchy and
authoritarianism of the law makers who audaciously turn law breakers. All that
is within my power is to speak out or write about the mess we are in and find
ways and means to extricate ourselves from it. Language, says George Steiner,
is the main instrument of man’s refusal to accept the world as it is. That is
why he says all that writers express is ‘creative falsehood’ as the world they
explore is a fictitious world of their creation, far removed from the world
they find themselves hemmed in. It is
for the intelligentsia to articulate a new world order that would restore humaneness
with its emphasis on kindness, compassion, mercy, tolerance and consideration
for others. It is through writings, talks, films , art and culture we can bring
back these values. It is the responsibility of the elites( a term that presently
suffers from a pejorative connotation)
to bring back beauty and peace, truth and honesty, altruism and self sacrifice to our society that our politicians have
destroyed for personal gains . These are not empty words talking in an
idealistic way or what we term today as ‘political jumla (vapid, empty promises).
One recent example of promoting Indo-Pak relationship is the film Raazi,
that gives a new direction to forge better relationship between India and
Pakistan. The director, Meghna Gulzar has gone on record saying
that she had refused to demonise Pakistan in her film Raazi and wanted to show the humane side of the Pakistani soldier
and his family towards their daughter-in-law who is an Indian. Meghna’s statement that loving
one’s country doesn’t mean you hate the country on the other side of the border
opens up a new dimension in Indo –Pak relationship. The last few years has seen
an upping of frenzy and hatred against Pakistan at all international fora constantly
referring to Pakistan as a failed state and a terror manufacturing state. The total absence of Pak-bashing in this film
Raazi is a refreshingly new approach.
The film holds a mirror to our political hawks whose bad mouthing Pakistan has only intensified
hatred and brutal violence between the two nations. It is time India lifts the
ban on cricketers, sportspersons, artists , films and books from Pakistan and
encourage a free flow of neighbourly engagement. Instead of spending billions
of rupees on building more and more nuclear arsenal, the two nations can divert
that money to develop through mutual exchange of engineers, doctors,
scientists, writers and educationists and rewrite a new history of the two
nations coming together. East and West Germany have come together. North and
South Korea are seeking friendly relationship. Can’t we embrace Pakistanis
whose ancestors belong to and hail from India? To equate hatred for Pakistan
with patriotism and desh bakhti is to perpetuate the conflict which was seeded
by Britain in its divide and rule policy. Interestingly the BJP celebrity,
Shatrughan Sinha refuses to toe the party line of hatred for Pakistan saying “I
refuse to believe that if I love India I’ve to hate Pakistanis. I want an
atmosphere of cultural perestroika between India and Pakistan .”
This is the ripe moment for the process of cultural thawing to begin. One’s love for one’s country need not be his/her hatred for the neighbour. In the process of forging friendship, the present state of violence and hatred in India among the two religious communities will automatically cease. There are many ways of restoring communal harmony in the country that has seen a spurt of intolerance and non accommodation towards the Muslim community. In India while many Indian universities have departments of foreign languages and literature that include East European countries, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, there is no department that offers courses on Pakistani Literature. Our students have no knowledge of the outstanding writers from Pakistan like Jamil Ahmad, Saba Imtiaz, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Manto, Bapsi Sidhwa , Hanif Querishi… The only writer we know of Pakistan origin is Salman Rushdie because of his controversial Satanic Verse that had been banned. Art, Music, Cultural and Fashion shows and Cinema besides Sports can play a great role in bringing people together and make a chorus of an appeal to the two warring governments and military units to desist from looking at each other as enemy nations. If we start the process of normalization, all the money that is spent on weapons can be used for promotion of trade and commerce and national development of both countries. When our politicians switching loyalties mouth platitudes that in politics, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, why can’t this be extended to two nations, united by birth, divided by religious affiliation? If India and Pakistan join hands , the sub continent will be a world power that is presently enjoyed by China.
We, the people of India and Pakistan have allowed the political and
military establishments to dictate terms and decide our nations’ future. If
there is people’s movement from both aides of the border orchestrating peace
and friendship, even the Kashmir issue will get resolved as a joint Indo-Pak
assistance to Kashmir’s development will be fairly and equitably shared by
Kashmiris on either side of the border. Let us no more call them as Pak
occupied Kashmir and India occupied Kashmir.
We need People’s initiative. We, the people of India should solemnly
make a pledge that individually
*We will work for restoring
peace and harmony by honest and ethical practices.
*We will neither be bribe
givers nor bribe takers
*We will not allow any group to
monopolise the wealth of the country but strive for equitable sharing of the nation’s wealth and resources
*We shall strive for a casteless
society by giving up our caste names
* We shall be true citizens of
India upholding the sanctity of the Constitution gifted to us by the builders
of the nation
*We shall work hard and
contribute in our own ways to develop the country.
* We shall lead a life free of want and free of greed, a life of
sharing and caring.
* Swachch Bharat shall be our
credo where the purity of the physical environment is complemented by the
purity of our minds and thoughts.
* Last, but not the least, we shall
take pride in being Indian and becoming a world citizen.
Kindly do not ignore these words as the empty words of a glib writer.
The writer of this blog has nothing to gain as she is almost moving towards the
eighth decade of her life. But the passion for bringing back beauty and grace,
civility and courtesy, integrity and incorruptibility, probity and rectitude is
still with me as though I am four decades younger. It is said there is method
in madness. I say there has to be madness(passion) in method.
We have no alternative but to individually work towards collective
happiness. PIP- People’s Initiative Power must be realized and actualized to
glue us as humans in these fractured times. Those who have the energy, the
desire, the will and the drive should set in motion PIP whose outreach shall be
the collective strength and force of all people to bring
freedom from fractured times.
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