In the Dying Light

HP

Ramanujan, Ballu Khan, and all sane Indians have no option but to move beyond what has not worked in the past. It is their problem and they must expect none but themselves to solve it.

Kaal,

That is very true! Maybe you should expound on this. What do you think?

HP

I think the time for shooting the breeze is far behind us. Besides, ancient Indian wisdom teaching nothing like # 92.

We need a few good people who want to focus on finding and implementing practical - effective and efficient - solutions.

man arjun that was hilarious...this should be shown on PTV (ok doordarshan too) with urdu dubbing.

#85 Farzana Versey

Okay, so I was a bit sleepy when I typed the earlier #84, and may have missed out a thing or two.

[But all the machinations of men playing god fail when one realises that belief essentially means never having to be sorry.]

When I read it the first time, I dismissed it as too close to one of the Eric Segal truisms and paid little attention. But I now read it as follows – one should have enough faith in one’s own religion so as not do stuff now which one will regret down the road. In the context of the temple attack – it probably means that those who feel outraged by it should not get into a backlash mode. But it also applies to Muslims – if as a Muslim you are so sure that you have the right ideas, why keep doing things after things which make you look and feel like a thanksgiving bird again and again! Only when people realize that fact, the designs of those who manipulate religion will fail.

[…You must not be sorry that what you have come to find you may never get. ]

Although not everyone has the wisdom of Buddha, it appears to mean that well-intentioned people may not always accomplish a fulfillment of those intentions

The weakness of the above arguments is – as usual – there are no solutions forthcoming. If people were as thoughtful as one expects them to be to understand many of the finer sentiments expressed here – many of these (common sense) things would not have to be said out aloud – they will happen by themselves.

The unfortunate reality is that the subcontinent as a whole and its Muslim populations in particular, has proved itself highly malleable in the hand of “religious” leaders and demagogues who claim the mantle of religion. This mindset is self-reinforcing. To break it down, literacy rate must be raised for emancipation – especially that for women. But everybody appears to be scared to mention that simple reality.

And if nobody mentions that fact – screw-ups will continue and eventually, that fact will be brought home in other fashions by the rest of the world – as already seems to be happening.

For example, according to yesterday’s Washington Post (March 9, 2006) which reported results of an ABC-Post poll – a significant chunk of Americans have a negative view of Islam and think that Muslims are more prone to violence. I quote:

The poll found that nearly half of Americans -- 46 percent -- have a negative view of Islam, seven percentage points higher than in the tense months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, when Muslims were often targeted for violence. Conservative and liberal experts said Americans` attitudes about Islam are fueled in part by political statements and media reports that focus almost solely on the actions of Muslim extremists. According to the poll, the proportion of Americans who believe that Islam helps to stoke violence against non-Muslims has more than doubled since the attacks, from 14 percent in January 2002 to 33 percent today.

[It is only when darkness descends and one can smell the night and wipe out the stink, that one’s eyes become moist]

This sentence and the couple that follow it are quite moving.

Re: # 91 arjun

I din`t know DailyShow provides full webcast of its shows..... I hate to miss this show:) Where is the link?

mohar.

It`s here.

Colbert Report rocks....

Re: # 101

awesome.... thanks:)

I so much agree that Indian must learn to differentiate between Muslim Indians and other muslims, especially Pakistanis. Among my wonderful friends, I can tell that differences are obvious to me. All muslim Indians that I have met are proud of India, and protective about their religion and respectful about others. They want to participate in the Indian dream and get a share of Indian pie. The outlook especially that of women is so much enlightened, and less submissive. This is obvious from both Ballukhan and Farzana (she certainly is more Indian than religious).

Anil

#103 Anil

(Note: I have no idea how the topic moved into this direction.)

For what it is worth, I agree with you. I truly believe that every Indian Muslim that you know (and that I know) is just as ``hubbey-watan`` as anyone could be - not just the two individuals that you named.

Having said that, the simple fact of life is that you or I donot know EVERYBODY. The fact also is the onus always falls on the shoulders of the minority - anywhere - to prove their bonafides. (I know it ought not to be that way ideally - but that`s the way it is.) (It applies even in the land of the free.)

And it is also a fact that there are indeed plenty of individuals who are fanatics (yes, within India, too) and put their communal feelings ahead of everything else. The people who provide shelter and sustenance to the recent terrorists in India (whether they be domestic or foreign trained) or the individuals in India who were carrying placards extolling OBL during the visit of the US president did not drop out of the sky. (That is where there is a bit of hypocrisy on the part of some in the intelligentsia - they pretend to look elsewhere.) It is also a fact that it does not take a lot of such individuals to create a problem. The ISI and their bosses have (at least in the past) counted on that fact.

The fact is that most desis (of any religion or any region or any segment) in the subcontinent put their local ties, family ties, etc. way before their duties as a citizen of the country - that concept of citizenship has not jelled up enough (things take an awfully long time in the old country) and that is where the weakness lies. Which means that many will know of the troublemakers - or suspect that something is not right - but will not report it. (The widespread lack of professionalism in the domestic law enforcement agencies, and apprehension of the reaction from one`s own community (remember who is most vulnerable to the bad elements - those who are the most proximate) contribute to that.) At least that is how I see it.

I have said this before - I personally believe that within India, we need large scale integration of the communities - some of which may be occurring in big cities - this will be doubly beneficial because it will reduce some of the suspicion and hostility through interaction and at the same time, it will remove individuals from under the domination of the local community bosses (who may be Mullahs). And law-enforcement needs to be done in a serious manner - and applied to everyone - no favorites. There needs to be protection for those who choose to integrate and there should be SOME kind of incentive for such integration - preferably economic.

And I also somewhat agree with Hindvi`s (whatever happened to the guy?!) earlier assertion that there is nothing like the presence of a minority population to teach people the practicality of tolerance - that it is doable - one does not need to be 50% minority to start making a difference and having a real say in how things are run. Most people do not get disillusioned as long as they recognize that they have a stake in the outcome and that they have a say in it.

The Pakistanis practically got rid of all their Hindus - I hold Jinnah responsible - so it is going to be more difficult for them - but Manto is entitled to his dreams!

#104
you miss hindvi..how about vertex? he has a fresh perspective.

re:#91 by arjun_m
Thanks.
You answered my question that i posed in another forum.
Sridhar

re:#88 by ballukhan
You are very right.
I also think most hindus (some like Kulharee being exceptions) also intuitively know what is going on here. Jehadi minded Pakis are behind this. Even if they have recruited some IMs to do the dirty job, one needs to go to the source here, which is ISI`s attempts to dirupt communal harmony. I hear ever Iran is now fishing in troubled waters, trying to recruit shias for their own nefarious activities.
Sridhar

re:#90 by kaalchakra
You pose a very difficult question.
Before answering your question, we have to ask some more questions as to why these things are happening.
Remember Delhi blasts?
It occurred in a busy market place very close to Diwali. It was traced to some Kashmiri military group with connections to LeT. It closely followed on the heals of Paki earthquake when tension ran high on diplomatic front between India and Pak.
Now, varanasi blast has occurred following Bush`s visit to subcontinent when Pak felt slighted by him. The blast this time happened in a temple.
Both were meant to incite a violent reaction from hindus. I believe both have roots in Pakistan.
What were the enemies hoping for?
consider the worst scenario.
A riot starts in Varanasi, quickly spreads to other major cities. A counter-riot is started by some muslims. Riots have a cascading effect. Soon, whole of India is rioting.
If the riot spreads to Bangalore, Hyderabad, there may be tremendous damage to peace, property, even affecting the high-tech areas.
What will then happen?
First thing to happen will be that investments will come to a halt because India would be deemed unsafe by the world financial community. Travel to India by tourists will come to a halt. BSE will take a nosedive. All this will mean billions of dollars of loss and flight of capital from India.
Scary, is it not.
Now, the important question:
Who would benefit by a hindu-muslim riot?
Certainly not the IMs. They would be the worst victims.
Certainly not India nor the hindus.
If there is one nation that would benefit, it would be Pakistan.
It can say that India is unsafe for muslims, gain an upperhand with the Kashmiris which it seems to have lost of late and also, gain a diplomatic advantage the world over by projecting India in bad light, not to talk of projecting itself as a safe haven for investment!
What is the solution?
I need to think and come up with something in a future post. I am no expert but there are a number of things that India needs to do to strengthen its defenses.
Sridhar

re:#92 by kalihawa
You are so right!
It is this sage like quality that has seen India thr` difficult times. Now that India is rising out of its morass, it is imperative that people remain calm and do what is necessary to fight the evil of terrorism.
Sridhar

re:#104 by bjkumar
You fail to appreciate that IMs were being part of a political process when they protested against Bush. I did criticise it at the time but now i feel that some of them were only expressing their Right to protest peacefully, a fundamental right enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Besides, most of them were mobilized by various political parties. Even Shiv Sena protested against the Bush`s visit. No doubt some IMs went overboard with OBLs picture etc but even that is tolerated in a democracy.
From protesting to killing people is a big step. I think u are wrong in implicating IMs in Varanasi blasts. Pak`s ISI is behind this. Some IMs may have been used but they are not the real villains.
Sridhar