No, violence and abuse are not cool
Vaishnav Janate’s 15 edicts in all the languages. Yes, this can be easily dismissed as Utopian dreams, fanciful, silly. It could be but what, indeed, will work?
Subramanian Swamy wrote in a national newspaper (May 1, 2015): “If the youth are taught to develop their cognitive intelligence to become original thinkers; imbibe emotional intelligence to develop team spirit; inculcate moral intelligence to blend their personal ambitions with national goals; cultivate social intelligence to defend civic rights of the weak, defend gender equality, and develop the courage to fight injustice; and develop spiritual intelligence, then India can develop a superior species of human beings — youth who can be relied on to contribute to making the country a global power within the next two decades.”
Too many of our youth, on Twitter for certain and in mobs to an extent that is worrisome, gloat over the power to abuse and threaten. Are there a larger number who can be loud enough for sense to prevail? Can you disagree and protest but preserve the dignity of all, mostly your own? Do we have to behave like ravaging invaders, plundering all asunder?
Do we own this country or not? We could be silent. We could whine. But there is the choice that we could fix it.
Democracy is a continuous process. It’s a perennial invitation to make it work. The peace and safety we expect for ourselves is giving way to violent tribalism meted on the “other”. Your safety is as ephemeral as a fleeting dream. At any time, you could be to as the “other”. When a mob’s finger points to you and says, “anti-national”, no one is safe. You could be a Bihari in Maharashtra, or a Tamil in Uttar Pradesh, a Sikh in Gujarat, you could instantly become the “other”. Whoever faces that accusing finger, in that terrifying, portentous, frozen moment, we will all be DSP Mohammed Ayub Pandith.