India Intolerant

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intolerance [in-tol-er-uhns] (n): a lack of willingness to tolerate
Sorry. Just kidding. I guess we all know what the word means. Think about it, the recent spate of events have forced me to think that intolerance is an instinct instilled deep within the Indian psyche. It has been ages since I saw any one of us actually laugh at ourselves. We have become overtly sensitive to even the slightest hint of petty calumny. We, as a society, are firmly on our way to becoming self-conceited megalomaniacs. And this is not a sensationalized doomsday prediction. Let us review the recent news. Email banter on a politician lands you in jail. Check. A petty comment over a holy Sikh shrine becomes a topic of discussion for the Indian Embassy. Check. A harmless cartoon in a NCERT textbook leads to suggestions that cartoons be banned in all textbooks. Check. Seriously, where is our sense of humour?
The cartoon that caused the uproar

These events aren't isolated occurrences, but they accentuate an important fact - that we have become highly narcissistic. What Jay Leno said doesn't really affect our society in any adverse way, nor does the cartoon on Pt. Nehru and Dr. Ambedkar. But the reactions would make you think that Messrs. NCERT & Co. have taken it upon themselves to 'poison' the youth of India against politicians. Sorry, Mr.Sibal but the cyanide in our minds has long been replaced by a cold indifference. Yet, instances such as these wake us up from our apathetic slumber and raise our voice. 

 If I remember my school Civics textbook right, Freedom of expression and opinion is one of our foremost rights as recognized by the sacrosanct Constitution of India. And yet we find our Rights being increasingly trampled upon by our beloved politicians. Another instance of such utter narrow-mindedness is this gem by Mamata Didi. However, this one doesn't make me angry at all. All I feel is a convulsive mixture of mirth and disgust that we actually allow such paranoid and irascible people to rule over us. Even as I write this blog, the West Bengal CM is busy branding innocent students as Maoists and Left activists. If this wasn't coming from the Head of State of the fourth largest state (by population) in India, it would be quite hilarious! Sadly, in the current ill-begotten scenario, it fails to evoke a laugh.

I guess it is funnier(and more offensive) in Bengali
Something which is (if possible) even more disturbing is the fact that there is always a sizeable chunk of people who are willing to join in these hare-brained protests. Morchas are being carried out at an alarming regularity, and burning effigies is an easy and consequently, highly overused phenomenon. But the most deplorable of all are the attacks on the so-called offenders and their families. Besides being unethical, these assaults are unlawful in even the most draconian societies. Needless to say, such incidents are unbecoming of a country which is proclaimed to be a liberal society.
In an era in which people are becoming more and more open-minded by the day, a handful of dogmatic dimwits are dragging India back from the doorway to development. Steps must be taken to curb this menace, pronto. Firstly we need a sort of censorship against censorship. We already have pre-defined laws which clearly define the circumstances in which the Government can actually abhor activities, but we need to implement them properly to ensure that healthy interaction doesn't turn into harassing interference. And lastly, we need some stringent action against those who abuse these very laws. India has for long been renowned as a liberal, secular and peace-loving democracy. It is time we lived up to those words...

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 3, 2012 at 9:34 PM

    surely jimmy carr would be hanged before kasab.. if he came to india if we reflect upon our tolerance issues towards terrorism and calumny :P

    ReplyDelete

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