It has been a fortnight of tremendous torture! Terrorist attacks all these years had represented mere newsreel for me; a timely reminder to our Government and the world at large that Kashmir was an issue that needed to be resolved. Most people might have been shaken by 9/11, but once again to this author- who by the way confessed to be a Chomsky fan- it was an action with an objective to grab attention.
However, life has taken a turn for worse over the last two months. Paul Krugman might have won a Nobel in predicting the global meltdown but there hardly seems to be any degree of uncertainty in forecasting terror strikes. And suddenly, as I travel in the sub-urban network day in and day out, there is this chilling realisation that I am at the very centre of it, wholly exposed and vulnerable.
There are some questions that have been bothering me ever since as we all try and rack our heads in finding a solution to this. Should India give up on Kashmir and pursue the problem of Bangla immigrants aggressively so that we can live in peace once and for all? Would that be a sign of weakness and more importantly would that ensure stability given the imperialistic designs of nation-states so beautifully captured by Adam Smith? And how do we tackle this menace of communalism, something that is undoubtedly just an irritant in most eyes but one threatening to take on dangerously extreme proportions all the time? Should religious teachings be banned or should all measures be taken to preserve our heritage rich in religion and culture? Do we claim to be secular in the first place? Why should a pseudo-secular country like ours witness so much bloodbath in the name of religion?
India's greatest failing is ironically its greatest strength- its claim to being the world's richest and most inclusive democracy. It is only here that we try to understand communalism and terrorism; and it is only India that can celebrate the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa when there are questions being asked about relationships vis-a-vis the Christian community. Ironically, it is these secular and democratic credentials have given a free rein to all extremist groups and what we are witnessing these days is the culmination point where a battered ego guided by a primitive mindset vents its anger. Be it the Danish cartoon, Hussain's paintings or Tibet, India seems to be a pivot for all manifestations of hurt. If people thought that education was the solution, we all now know that the threat now comes from the most sophisticated computer engineers in the world as well.
These are all seriously disturbing questions! How do we ensure that every individual has a societal orientation? Maybe, it is just time to chuck that artificial fabric that we seem to have so conveniently woven and rid ourselves of all delusions. But, again we are a peace-loving nation! Huh!
2 comments:
The only solution i know is to observe carefully the countries like Spain , France and USA...the way they came across a terror attack, tackled it so nicely that it turned to be the last terror attack on their territory..they recognized the root problem and media too was more eager to save the country rather than proving itself to be some harbinger of Human rights
The problem has spread far beyond Kashmir. It's still the bone of contention for militants in the valley, but even if the issue was to be resolved amicably, it would hardly reduce the terror attacks. SIMI and IM aim to not only avenge Godhra, but also to cleanse this country of 'infidels'. At the same time, there are Hindu groups that want to destroy non-believers (google Hindu Jagruti). The only solution is a complete ban on all such groups and organizations that have religious bearings. And by banning, I don't mean the academic ban like on SIMI- I mean complete annihilation. Though you might have religious groups that only want to help their comrades, it's not a risk worth taking.
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