Over the past one month, I have been a mute spectator to all the news pieces, articles and blogs that are being published over the internet portals and various social networking sites. It is not a new phenomenon to see people across the nation use social media as a space where they can express their ideologies, feelings, sentiments and immediate reactions. During the past few weeks there is a lot that has been said and written about the events that are taking place in our nation, be it the political scenario for a particular state or a part of our nation going through a disastrous natural calamity.
While going through a national daily, I came across an article written by Sitaram Yechury which was titled “The unmaking of our Republic”. Some readers who must be right now going through my blog might instantly think that I am probably a leftist, as soon as see Mr.Yechury’s name, but that is not the case my friend. The article contained some of the things that I had been thinking of lately. As Mr. Yechury rightly puts in his article that today some of the political figures are completely negating the ideology of syncretism that has now prevailed in our nation for centuries.
What was more astonishing for me to see was that not only political figures but today even the citizens of the same democracy are hell bent on demolishing the backbone of our country. In the past six months instances of crime against woman, other criminal activities and now also the natural disaster that is taking place in J and K is being given a communal colour. I am not a journalist or a social activist or anyone influential but I am just a young citizen of this democratic country who wishes to ask her fellow citizens, have we forgotten everything that was taught to us in our schools? I would like to quote Gandhiji here and make my motive of questioning the consciousness of everyone who believes to be part of democratic India clearer in the following lines:
“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit” Mahatma Gandhi
While penning down my sentiments there is another question that arises in my mind. Have any of us ever wondered why do we have the tricolour as our national flag? Why isn’t it total saffron in colour or for that matter totally green? Has the so called educated class of our society lost all its consciousness? Does education only mean holding good posts and earning a hefty salary package? Is secularism not a part of our education? Most of the people who read this piece of writing would wonder why there are so many questions and no answers to them. Well my answer to them would be I am not here to write a piece which is in any way politically charged nor have any intention of propaganda. I am just a 24 year old girl who is penning down the queries of her curious mind, because the secular state I had read about in my books during my secondary educations seems to vanish quickly.
The only intention I have while writing this piece is to ask my fellow citizens especially the educated and intellectuals who love to use their skills in order to demonstrate their views and opinions. Are any of us today secular in true sense? Do we think of the people suffering in J&K or a rape victim, or any other person only as a human? Does his or her religious identity matter to us more than what ordeal they have gone through? Have we promised ourselves not to look beyond religion? I wish not be answered and given logic but all I aim at is to provoke every Indian to think of what secularism means to them.
In the end all I wish to say is it is high time we sit and think whether the future we are heading towards or carving for the generations to come, is it really what we wish to have? Do we not want to burn crackers on Diwali or eat siwayin on Eid or relish that Christmas cake on 25th December every year? Do we wish to have secularism just a term that will be seen only in text books of school children?
