Listen, Letter Writers And Louts: India’s Soul Is Dharmic, Its Gear Box Is Democratic. Cut Your Crap.

A hundred and ten people do t speak for 1.3 billion Indians by any stretch of imagination. At least t India I kw, respect and interact with. Reducing our hopes and hard work, aspirations and questions to personal envy and parochialism and foisting it as a national calamity is to try and fool Indians who I have doubt have seen through game of snakes and lders. 

This week started with 49 famous people (largely from east Indian state of West Bengal) hyperventilating about how India’s cultural and intellectual fabric was in tatters because people were forced to chant Jai Sri Ram, an invocation and a salute to Lord Rama one of gods most revered by Hindus. Hindus believe that Rama Bhakti is universal Samarajyam – a concept and Abrahamic and one-book religions struggle with. That is ir problem, t India’s and mine. In Brahmandam, re is or. Go figure. 

India, y wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was w a lynchistan (a land where people are lynched as sport), where mirity communities are indiscriminately killed sometimes for carrying a cow, or times for just being different. difference is defined by what I call 49-ers, reference to American soccer team is intended. Who on earth are 49 people to tell me about India especially since most have sold ir souls for penny? 

Indians love hyperbole, Bengalis, especially. This is a culture with handsome oral tritions that have historically been political and sound valuing of t only difference but also robust dialogue as opposed in public places. 49ers have let mselves and ir grand teachings down, begging at altar of political expediency. 

burden of 49ers’ song is that India is heing mindlessly into an abyss of disaster from where recovery could be impossible. same songs were heard in run up to 2014 elections and have w returned as re are some state elections around corner. How we love drama – in Bengal it is called Jatra, a style of story telling with high decibel pathos and victimhood. 49ers press conference has come a long way from thought provoking jatras and community dialogue. English cant replace substance. 

As if on cue, appeared a counter missive, this time by ar set of famous people supporting Modi government, calling out first letter as work of hypocrites who cherry pick what y want to condemn, in particular dreful killing of Hindus.  Igring writing about killing of Hindus in India is fashionable and you can see this is heline of Anglo Saxon media in London and Washington that carry pieces by ir Indian sepoys. Beggary pays. 

For me re are two issues here – one concerns my view as a human being, an Indian and or relates to my responsibilities as a media person. I’ll dress m in a bit. One thing, however, is clear. Both groups are guilty of many acts of omission and commission, but most are connected by breathless opportunism and will be untouched by outr y flame and wallow in. Let that sink in. Many of 49ers and ir challengers have sold ir souls to various governments – ruthless politics seeks ruthless allegiance. re are few incents here. 

ne of m will speak about creating jobs or raising investments in public health or simple things like daily blood donation where real outr should be. That would be too real for comfort requiring m to some real work – forego bed tea - that will take m out of press conferences and televisions studios to streets where India is being built and bullied. manufactured concern of co-opted can sometimes be comical. I’ve been tracking it for 30 years. Many of m have worked with various governments to get jobs abro and ensure ir children study in London and Washington.   “New Lutyens” in New Delhi is doing same. 

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Above din, one thing bors me. It is constant running down of Hindus as organisers and perpetrators of calamity and murders, of a people so vile and violent that unhindered y’d unleash a blood bath in country.  During times like se of false agitation and fake data, it is worthwhile to pull back and reflect on this one point – India is probably one of most spiritual spots on earth, a dharmic nation where or is welcomed and celebrated, accommodated and rejoiced in.  If push comes to shove, dharma will seek respect without malice because that is what it is. Isn’t it extraordinary that English and Abrahamic religions fail to understand Dharma’s n-violent search for justice! 

Faith has thing to do with dogma and 49ers do t strike me as being especially politically intelligent or connected to India of today. re’s obviously a campaign re that each of us in India irrespective of our faith and favour have to push back – India is t petty. Our country is grand and we cant allow a handful of people to tell us who we are, what we must eat, think and speak. Governments will come and go but parasites will go on forever. 

It is okay to be a leftist, its okay to oppose government and question policies – that’s what fires healthy democracies.  It’s t okay to be a terrorist who seeks destruction of State as one of 49ers is. A terrorist who thinks thing of taking lives, brutalising populations, speaking langu of guns, raping women and holding children host. re is place in a democracy for people who promote this and by that token alone, 49ers must hang ir hes in shame. You give yourself away by whom you associate with publicly and privately. 

Expecting governments, including Narendra Modi government to weigh in on this controversy is to have faith in our vote, our democracy and our future. Faith has thing to do with dogma and 49ers do t strike me as people of faith. If y were, y’d propose solutions for India, share ir gared wisdom and rally for dialogue inste of standing with terrorists and bleating on national media.  

As a human being, thought of killing someone for being different is beyond my realm of comprehension as will remain re. As a media person, my responsibilities are more complicated. What would I do if stories – planted and real – landed on my desk, stories of gore and death, of hatred and harm? I have given this very serious thought and here’s what I think. I would keep easy recognition of killers and killed out of it. I would report crime in complete detail and ensure that crimes are identified for what y are – acts of unspeakable violence against incent people. A news report is t a commentary. first is immediate, latter affords time for responsible commentary giving for vocacy and even data driven evidence, but simply counting numbers on all sides is a limited exercise. 

Monkeys can collect data – remember y beat top trers a few years ago. Data has a place in journalism, a very important place, but more important is how that data is framed by editor or editorial desk – are you pushing for a solution or are you fanning flames by reeling numbers? If you are fanning flames, how different are you from 49-ers? Where does informing people end and securing ir safety begin? 

I may have some answers, but t all. Because as a human being and as a media person, I am acutely aware of where I end as a person and where my job begins. I have been around long eugh to kw that among those defending Modi are sycophants whose concern for personal glory far outweighs any commitment to ir country. It’s same people who have been around for 50 years, partaking of all governments. y have mentored ne – it is all about mselves, ir families and friends. You and I are t even part of equation. 

Don’t fall for louts and losers writing letters, India. We have better things to do, like building our nation. 

PS: I was disappointed that Mani Ratnam was part of 49ers. It hurt.

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( views and opinions expressed within this article are personal opinions of author. facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in article do t reflect views of Republic TV/ Republic World/ ARG Outlier Media Pvt. Ltd.)