I am Ashamed and I Apologize

I'm ashamed and I apologise. I'm ashamed of what Hindus have done to Muslims in Gujarat and I apologise to the entire Muslim community in India for what has happened to them in Gujarat. I condemn the Muslims who perpetrated the Godhra carnage which triggered the subsequent violence in Gujarat, but I cannot agree that it sanctifies the latter. A day's anger and outburst is understandable but sustained violence for over 2 months now is clearly untenable.

I speak as an ordinary Hindu, Indian citizen. I am sorry that I have to use such a label --- I have always seen myself as an Indian citizen without any other qualification -- but I am forced to use the Hindu label in the context of what I wish to express.

I have always been taught and sincerely believed that being a Hindu meant much more than following a religion - it meant (to quote an overused cliché) a way of life. What does being a Hindu mean ? It means, to me, tolerance, openness to all other thoughts, non-violence, compassion, concern for the poor and downtrodden, extending a helping hand to the suffering, respect for the elders, and the mores and beliefs of others.

All these beliefs and pride in being a Hindu lie shattered after what has happened in Gujarat. Some people committed crimes in Godhra -- why should innocent be punished in other places ? Those that wanted to take revenge -- I ask you, why did you not have the guts to go to Godhra and punish the perpetrators of the carnage there. Even that would be wrong in a democratic set-up where we live by the rule of law, but it would have at least focused anger on the criminals and not on the innocents.

I appeal to all Muslim friends to believe me that while the destruction was wrought upon you by Hindus, these people were not Hindus, for this is not what Hinduism teaches ; do not make the same mistake that the Hindus did in believing that the Godhra carnage, being perpetrated by Muslims was therefore committed by the Muslim community as a whole. What happened in Godhra was a criminal act by some people who were Muslims ; however to hold the entire Muslim community elsewhere as responsible for the crime and then proceed to punish them for it, is an equal, if not bigger crime.

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My friends in Gujarat and many others argue that "why this concern for Muslims only -- why did you not protest similarly in case of Kashmiri Pandits ?" I agree we were wrong in not having taken up the cause of the Kashmiri Pandits more vigorously than it has been done and I plead guilty to the charge of indifference. But can this lapse on the part of all of us (and I include myself in it) justify the killing of innocent people in some other part of the country ? How exactly does this action promote or help the cause of Kashmiri Pandits ?

I appeal to all Hindus in Gujarat to abandon this reckless revenge journey they have embarked on and put a stop to all violence immediately. It is time to heal, not wound ; it is time to build, not destroy ; it is time to patch up, not tear asunder ; it is time to return to Hinduism as it is meant to be, not as it has been distorted to become.

Some argue that Muslims need to be taught a lesson, once and for all to force them to "fall into line". This would be the gravest crime we could commit against India. India's biggest strength lies in its mixed tapestry -- the weaving together of so many languages, religions, cultures into a oneness called India. Removing any strand from this magic weave will only weaken what remains behind -- no homogeneity can ever be as strong as the amalgam of the many. Even nature testifies to this. No virgin and pure metal is as strong as alloys which combine the different strengths of the individual metals into a synergistic strength of the combine. Therefore this argument of expecting Muslims to behave like we (i.e. the Hindus) dictate, needs to be abandoned forthwith.

Let me now take up the next question that is often raised : what is the root cause of such rioting. The Muslims and many others argue that it is primarily because of the communal tempers raised on account of the Ayodhya campaign by the Hindu lobby. The so - called Hindu lobby argues that it is because of the rigidity of the Muslims and others in not conceding the Ram temple at Ayodhya that Hindus are getting provoked and they will no longer tolerate this "second grade citizenship" in their own country. It is clear therefore that while there is an argument as to who is the cause of the trouble, it is agreed by almost all that "Ayodhya" is a major reason.

In this context, I would now like to make an appeal to my Muslim brethren in India. I believe that the Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya, and the Kashi and Mathura temples should be handed over to Hindus. Some may react that most Hindus are satisfied only with the Ram temple, why do you want to add the other two ? Let me explain.

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Every resistance of the Muslim community to the above demands is not only making the VHP and Bajrang Dal more intransigent, but is actually helping them to attract more followers and supporters. By harping on these 3 sites, now equated in the common Hindu mind with the restoration of Hindu pride and respectability, they have been able to draw a much larger sympathetic base than before.

The continuing and stiff resistance by the Muslim community to these "demands" is allowing the VHP and its friends to assume a position of injured pride which is slowly sanctifying their militancy and threats to violence. From a purely selfish and self-centred view, therefore, Muslims must see that their this resistance is actually bringing about an unfortunate polarisation which will only deepen the chasms in the future.

So does this mean that we should give in to any demand made by the VHP and the like ? What is the guarantee that they will not ask for 10 other demolitions tomorrow ?

No, it doesn't mean that any and every demand made by VHP and/or any other group has to be met. But the 3 demands made today are certainly enjoying widespread support amongst a vast majority of Hindus, even though most of them do not support the methods and style of the VHP in trying to secure them.

However, the longer the resolution of this issue is delayed, the more legitimacy VHP and its ilk acquires as the "defenders of the Hindu faith" and the worse it will be for our nation. This is why I feel that only agreeing on the Ram temple will still leave the VHP free to rake up this issue again on the other two. Settling all three will rob them of their very raison de etre and make it impossible for them to make any fresh or new demand later on.

As to the second question, what is the guarantee that they will not ask for 10 other demolitions tomorrow -- my answer is : there is no guarantee. I neither speak for anyone nor can I as an ordinary citizen make any guarantees. However, it is my firm belief no other Hindu will ever back their demand for any "new demolition" nor will they at all be able to whip up any support or frenzy as they have succeeded in so far doing. This I can say with firm conviction and all the emphasis at my command.

So, will such agreement by the Muslim community constitute a defeat for them and a victory for the Hindus ? It is the very framing of such questions that is at the root cause of this dispute. I urge that you do not see it as a matter of victory or defeat ; rather it should be viewed as an accommodation of a viewpoint or belief.

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It is important to understand that while it is true India does not belong to Hindus only, it is equally true that only India belongs to the Hindus.

Therefore, a certain degree of possessiveness amongst Hindus about India is not altogether unnatural or unjustified. In such a case, if the other communities agree to defer a little to some cherished beliefs of Hindus, it does not connote defeat ; it only indicates courtesy, mutual respect and a spirit of accommodation that will help bind all the communities together.

So when Muslims agree to Ayodhaya, Kashi and Mathura, it does not mean a defeat, most certainly not. It actually proves a generosity and large-heartedness that strengthens them as much as it satisfies the Hindu community's desires on these three cases.

I, therefore, urge all Muslim friends to consider this aspect seriously as a way out of this imbroglio. If the average and ordinary Muslim citizen of India is willing to express that he is agreeable to this, it will make the task of your religious and political leaders much easier, to negotiate and agree on this issue.

Simultaneously, I urge all Hindu friends, who feel similarly, to express their apology in the manner they deem best, for whatever has happened, post-Godhra, in Gujarat ; every effort at reconciliation will speed up the healing of the wound.

I also appeal to all Muslims who have been affected by the riots to fight the (natural but dangerous) desire "to take revenge one day" ; this will only keep the fires of hatred burning for ever. I realise that this advice is easy for me to give but I cannot see any other way. Similarly, I appeal to all victims, of the Godhra carnage, and their families to put a stop to the "revenge" campaign that has been unleashed and concentrate on rebuilding what we have destroyed.

Any continuation of the present violence will destroy us all -- be it Hindus or Muslims or any other. India is much bigger than any one of us or any one community -- and we cannot make India strong by making any of its constituents weak.

hemendra k. varma

mumbai,

april 30, 2002



About the Author:

Hemendra Kishore Varma is a Mechanical Engineering Graduate from IIT, Kharagpur; has over 30 years of working experience of which the first 15 years were spent in the industry; in 1987, started his own management consultancy activities in the areas of Operations Management, MIS and Organisation & Human Resources Development; has a number of published articles in newspapers and journals like Economic Times, Financial Express, Indian Management, Management Review, Himmat etc.