A soulless India

Come gather around people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
And if your breath to you is worth saving
Then you better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changing

These are words of the iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. I had listened to this song long time back but I can relate to it now more than ever. The people of our country seem to be the participants running a race. A race to win over the others. And the others may vary for everyone and they may keep changing from time to time but the Race remains constant. A race to achieve totalitarianism and to affirm ones allegiance to the political party. And these participants become the paragon of virtue as they kowtow to the ideals of the party.

The roads seem to be getting narrower and the Hindutva agenda expanding more than ever. The recent attack on Pehlu Khan on Alwar highway is an act of accomplishment of the Hindu Rashtra. While the slaughterhouses in UP are being shut down for killing animals without a license, killing of minorities is allowed as it’s in line with the party’s religious ideology.

Such incidents have become a routine affair and they seem be failing to flinch anyone anymore. The Union minister dismissed the version of events of the killing of a Muslim man by cow vigilante groups in Rajasthan’s Alwar. According to him, the version of events presented did not occur. This reminded me of a statement by George Orwell –

“Political Language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind”

This statement also holds true for Rajasthan’s home minister who said, “The Cow protectors have done a good job by protecting cows from smuggling. But they have violated the law by beating people brutally”.

First of all, saving cows and beating people are not two separate acts. As can be seen in multiple incidents across India, the duty of saving cows has often been accomplished by harassing and killing Muslims. This has been happening often and so, this statement by the minister is a pure political hogwash.

These communal incidents are becoming a commonplace and the religious fervor of the people who commit them are proud to be a participant of this mad race to fulfill their brutal agendas. With the streets getting bloodier and darker, turning a blind eye to such incidents could mean an end the delicate social fabric of love and mutual harmony of our country and converting minorities to mere statues and puppets divorced from their own religious ideologies.

We cannot see such a soulless India. This must never happen. Time to remember – Unity in diversity.