I am surprised to see that for almost two years, I have not written anything in this diary of mine. It is partly due to sheer laziness and partly due to the pathetic state of the country today, which made me feel disgusted about everything, including writing!
Let me get more to the point...
Ever since 2014, when a political party called the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP) came to power at the centre, led by the maverick Narendra Modi, things in the country have gone from bad to worse. The BJP, it must be mentioned, is an extreme right-wing outfit, practically an offshoot of the RSS, which is a fanatically Hindu oriented organisation, seeking the ultimate setting up of a 'Hindu rashtra' or Hindu nation, where minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, will be only second-class citizens.
Within a few years, this party, which is said to be the richest political party in the whole world, captured all arms of the administration, including the judiciary, as well as the Press, which is now known as the 'godi media' or the lapdog of the government. To cap it all, by clever legislative and other measures, even the Election Commission, which previously had an awesome reputation as the watchdog of democracy in the country, became a tool of the ruling party!
The whole country, particularly the northern Hindi belt, has in effect become a madhouse, highly polarised on the basis of religion, with Muslims and Christians being lynched, persecuted and 'othered' in every sense of the term. Only a few states, such as our own beloved Kerala, remained free of this madness.
Modi himself, though sadly lacking in educational qualifications, is a wily, clever and shrewd politician, who has played the Hindutva card very well. In many ways he reminds me of Hitler. His methods are very similar; find scapegoats for every problem, put the blame on them, make promises, and get away with whatever he wants. His pet 'betes noires' are the British, the Muslims and Nehru, about whom he seems to be insanely jealous! With the sinister Amit Shah as his Home Minister, unmatched financial resources at his disposal, an awesome propaganda machinery, and fawning acolytes around him, Modi has been able to call the shots all these 12 years, unhindered and unopposed.
A self-centred, megalomaniac at heart, Modi loves to pose dramatically for any photo opportunity. On 28th May 2023, he personally inaugurated the new Parliament building in Delhi, instead of letting the President, who is the Head of State in India, do the job. The ceremony included Vedic rituals, replete with the installation of a sceptre, or 'Sengol', reminiscent of feudal monarchies, much to the consternation of sober, democratic citizens. This is what one such citizen wrote in 'The Hindu' the next day:
"The disproportionate focus on the Sengol is disturbing. Does a symbol connected with royalty have any place in a democracy? Was the prominence given to the Sengol meant to convey that the country’s top leader was being anointed the ruler of India by all those religious heads who had congregated around him? Was the choice of May 28 for the inauguration meant to convey to the people that the new Parliament building symbolised the fading of a gentle, accommodating and secular India and, instead, the birth of a muscular and theocratic India? When one read the report alongside another report on the shameful treatment of some of India’s best sportswomen, one’s sense of foreboding was complete."
G.G. Menon,
Tripunithura, Ernakulam, Kerala
In January 2024, Modi went a step further. At the inauguration of the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he himself acted as the yajaman and performed the prana pratistha (consecration) ritual! This was too much for me, and I remember writing to some of my close friends who had been mesmerised by Modi. This is what I wrote:
“I know that if what I write today was to go public, I would be trolled mercilessly and called ‘anti-national’, ‘anti-Hindu’, ‘unpatriotic’ and all kinds of other names, particularly so since I happen to be a Christian. Hopefully, since my little note is confined to just this group, I am safe!
Lord Ram is a great personality, admired and loved by most Indians, irrespective of their religion, and it is indeed fitting that his temple be constructed at his birthplace, Ayodhya, by his devotees. I don’t think anybody has any objection to this. But what all right-thinking people can’t stomach, is the way the whole thing was done. The state/government had no business to get involved in a purely religious function, and the PM in particular, has done a great disservice to a secular country by acting like a Roman Pontifex Maximus, presiding over, nay lording over, (note the term ‘yajaman’) the ceremonies. As an Indian, and as an Indian Christian, who is as loyal to this country as anyone else, seeing the function as a state-owned and state-sponsored one, was a moment of extreme anguish and trepidation as I feel that it marks the end of India’s cherished reputation as a totally secular country. Of course, the grim reality is that the BJP has been aggressively pursuing the politics of religious polarisation ever since its rise to power.
The new Ram Temple at Ayodhya is, I feel, a monument to the megalomania of Modi and the almost subterranean insecurities of a bewildered section of people, who have been taught that the Hindu religion is in danger. I feel therefore, that in future it will not be so much a place of worship, but a tourist attraction like Disneyland, where such people will congregate in future, to gloatingly bask in the triumph of a powerful majority over a powerless, hapless, minority.
I feel so sad, and almost betrayed when many of my very good friends do not see through the sinister designs of the BJP and its mentor, the RSS, whose avowed aim is to declare India a Hindu Rashtra and treat minority communities as second-class citizens. And make no mistake; if Modi wins this year, the country will surely slide into a theocratic state, and we will be no better than Iran or Afghanistan!
Many years ago, I remember meeting our old friend Jaspal Singh Ahluwalia, who had fled to safer regions during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. I remember what he told me. ‘Tommy,’ he said,’ I then knew what it must have been to be a Jew in Hitler’s days.’
I hope to God that no Muslim, Christian, Sikh, etc. will ever be made to feel unwanted and treated like dirt in our beloved country! And my good friends who are staunch BJP supporters must realize that this is a genuine fear among us minorities, no matter how highly placed we are. If people like Julio Rebeiro feel unsafe, what about lesser mortals like me?”
No comments:
Post a Comment