We have often heard the refrain that goes like this "let them come to power and then they will become more lenient/tolerant/inclusive....". It is mostly true on past evidence, however the baying of hounds can never be really quelled. Please read this article.
I do understand that the NY times is a leftie rag but the point is well made. The fact that black supremacists took over the civil rights agenda has hurt this society very much. Perhaps not as much as the KKK but the difference is merely of degree, not of kind.
If Maharashtra and Mumbai in particular, lets Messrs. Thackeray and other divisive groups continue to set the agenda, the 1000 point drop in the market today will seem pleasant in comparison to the loss of social structure and camaraderie among the various different folk that make Mumbai tick. As Indians, all we have really is the "idea" that is India. Sing the national anthem to yourself and you will get a similar perspective. Yes, we belong to an ancient and very powerful( in terms of moulding us together) Hindu culture, but it takes but a few bombs, a dozen epithets, a few lynchings to destroy decades of civility and decency.
Some would even argue that we first need to build up some acceptable organic social fabric before we talk of the damage to the same. We have been too taken with the idea of mutual "tolerance". I hate this word with a passion because today's tolerance is tomorrow's genocide. We need to build among us, pockets of affection, slowly, sometimes painfully, one person at a time.
This Diwali, I feel scared that some would seek to disrupt the festive spirit by sowing more discord and dissent among us. I pray that we can all dedicate ourselves to the ultimate triumph of Good over evil. I do not mean in a violent way. Look upon it as the forming of a pearl in an oyster. It takes decades but the intruding piece of garbage is moulded to a beautiful and precious thing. Let us hope that our disagreements are like that and that we like each other for our values rather than in spite of them.
Have a Blessed Diwali!!
I do understand that the NY times is a leftie rag but the point is well made. The fact that black supremacists took over the civil rights agenda has hurt this society very much. Perhaps not as much as the KKK but the difference is merely of degree, not of kind.
If Maharashtra and Mumbai in particular, lets Messrs. Thackeray and other divisive groups continue to set the agenda, the 1000 point drop in the market today will seem pleasant in comparison to the loss of social structure and camaraderie among the various different folk that make Mumbai tick. As Indians, all we have really is the "idea" that is India. Sing the national anthem to yourself and you will get a similar perspective. Yes, we belong to an ancient and very powerful( in terms of moulding us together) Hindu culture, but it takes but a few bombs, a dozen epithets, a few lynchings to destroy decades of civility and decency.
Some would even argue that we first need to build up some acceptable organic social fabric before we talk of the damage to the same. We have been too taken with the idea of mutual "tolerance". I hate this word with a passion because today's tolerance is tomorrow's genocide. We need to build among us, pockets of affection, slowly, sometimes painfully, one person at a time.
This Diwali, I feel scared that some would seek to disrupt the festive spirit by sowing more discord and dissent among us. I pray that we can all dedicate ourselves to the ultimate triumph of Good over evil. I do not mean in a violent way. Look upon it as the forming of a pearl in an oyster. It takes decades but the intruding piece of garbage is moulded to a beautiful and precious thing. Let us hope that our disagreements are like that and that we like each other for our values rather than in spite of them.
Have a Blessed Diwali!!
