The verdict is in and India has not moved on, but yes, it is moving on, and in a way different from what they meant. India is moving away from the bogus secularism of those very commentators and towards a view that a small subculture of westernized Hindus does not have monopoly over truth and has a distorted sense of right and wrong. Away from a view that this small minority's worldview is in some way superior to the rest of India.Coming to yesterday's events, as we waited with bated breath for the judgment, nearly all of 1.2 billion Indians, the emotion was that of a people awaiting the result of a grand battle going on somewhere. As if we were all in a royal household waiting to hear the outcome of a Mahabharata. We knew instinctively that the decision, unless it was hopelessly ambiguous, would change the course of Indian history. It was indeed a historical moment. We all felt the anxiety rarely felt in independent India.
Our channels went into overdrive trying to dish out the usual platitudes. Times now started an “India First” campaign, which smelled a lot like their “Aman ki Aasha”. It invited comments from Indians, which sent our wishy-washy deracinated types into hyperactivity. Comments to the effect that India should not worry about “mandir-masjid” and focus on “real” issues such as poverty and education, poured in copiously. Comments from “celebrities” and “famous personalities” that included a lot of Bollywood actors were inflicted on us hapless lot with sickening frequency.
And to top it all, there was a poem from Prasoon Joshi highlighting how meaningless this entire Hindu – Muslim conflict is, and that the two great and brave religions should join hands to build a great India! My thought on the poem was – it takes an exceptionally cruel, nearly de-humanized man to write a poem like that at a time like this. Such people have lost all capability to feel as others feel and think nothing of belittling an issue so close to most people's heart that they have been willing to kill and die for it. For centuries now!!
I won't go into all the moments of confusion as the first trickle of information came out about the verdict. But finally we all learned that the High Court unanimously decided to give the existing site of the idols to the Hindus, with 2-1 majority gave a third of land to Muslims to do what they wish, and a 2-1 majority stated that this is Ram Janambhoomi as per Hindu belief and that a temple was destroyed to build the mosque. Significantly, there was a Muslim judge on the panel who studied at Aligarh Muslim University. He too appeared to have come round to the view that the existing idol site should be given to Hindus.
My first thought as I was waiting for the verdict was: Will the judges rise above their identities, and give a verdict that they believe deep down to be just. Or will they be carried away by their biases and do something that favors the group they identify with but institutionalizes an injustice in India. As I heard the verdict, I have to say that by and large, the judges tried to be fair to the litigants and to India. There was a Brahmin Hindu, a Banya Hindu and a Muslim educated at AMU on the panel. By and large, looking at their comments, they tried to be good judges rather than good Hindus or Muslim. Nor was there any indication that they subscribed to this political ideology or that.
This is what really swelled my chest with pride. What a relief after the shame Congress brought to India by mis-organizing the Commonwealth Games! The judgement really gave many Indians hope that we will succeed in building a secular, modern, democratic India, which brings out the best in people and where people can develop their God given talents to the fullest.
And then the comments on TV. The usual lot came in small batches and gave out their views. It seems a community of “commentators” has formed in India who will come on TV and talk their heads off on every issue that confronts India. I can understand the representatives of contesting litigants speaking their minds on the verdict, or politicians or lawyers or those concerned with maintaining law and order doing so. But such is Indian mindset now that an event like this is not considered complete until the likes of Shobha De or Javed Akhtar or Vinod Mehta have had their say on TV.
I always fail to understand why those leading lives completely unconnected with these matters have to talk so much on these issues. How are their views on these issues more informed than any common man in the street? Perhaps India needs to bring about another correction in public life – that even if someone is famous because of one ability, he / she does not deserves importance for his / her views on an unrelated matter any more than a common person's view on the same matter.
Coming back to what was actually said, the secularists' reactions were now split. Many of them said that Hindu nationalists should not feel triumphant because there is going to be a mosque side by side. Some were badly upset while they said this. I could not figure out if they were upset with the judgement or that the Hindus were not heeding their advice (that there is nothing to feel triumphant about) and were still uncouth enough to express quiet satisfaction.
For this lot, I can only say that all their lives have been spent denying the real nature of Islam and Jihad. They have pretended for decades, perhaps centuries, that Islam is just another religion with which we should pursue “bhai – chara”. And now denial and pretensions have become a habit with them. They were in denial that the judgement is a slap in their faces. They needed to remember and face that the entire battle was over the “garbha griha” where Hindus installed the idols. And THAT those have won battle they hate to distraction.
A second lot expressed unhappiness that Hindus' act of installing idols in the structure surreptitiously on the morning of 23rd December 1949, and the atrocity of 6th December 1992, were condoned and legitimized by the court. Yogendra Yadav (whom I respect otherwise) articulated this and said this precedent disturbed him. He quietened after being gently reminded by Swapan Dasgupta that similar sentiments have been felt by Hindus when their temples were demolished and mosques built on top of them, and that what was done by Hindus was more to the effect of reclaiming what was theirs to begin with.
While Yogendra Yadav and others whom I put in this category were still upset, I could see (at least I think I could see) them developing an understanding of Hindu point of view – if 1992 was an atrocity, why shouldn't the destruction of so many temples be considered an atrocity too. And if we expect Hindus to forget the past, then why shouldn't today Muslims be asked to forget the past of 1992? In my view, this is the most crucial change in the thinking some of Indian elite and I will comment more on it another time.
There was another lot of secularists who did not show much hurt and kept repeating not only that “India should move on” beyond 1992 but also that Muslims should forget 1992 in national interest. I put Barkha Datt and Javed Akhtar in this category. I must say that my antagonism towards this lot reduced perceptibly yesterday. When they used to tell Hindus that Hindus should forget the past and not demand an ancient temple vociferously, they perhaps meant well. Because now they seem to have similar expectations from Muslims. Javed Akhtar was smiling throughout and kept repeating this same thing. He went to the extent of saying that Muslims should not go to Supreme Court now and even give up 1/3rd land allotted to them since the main location has been declared a Hindu temple. I must say it endeared me to him.
Their approach to these issues is wrong (and I will say more on this another time), but they mean well and demonstrated moderation yesterday.
There was yet another lot, that kept repeating that this whole mandir – masjid dispute is meaningless and India does not care about it. India cares, according to them, only about “roji – roti” and why don't these religious types get it? Their platitudes would make a more sensible man want to tear his hair! I got a wonderful quote from a commenter on jihadwatch site – If you choose to dismiss anyone saying “He just doesn't get it”, in all likelihood, you are the one who is not getting it! I can safely say that the likes of Shobha De and Tavleen Singh who fall in this category, are the ones who simply don't get it!
Finally, there were the implacable ones who trashed the verdict and insisted belligerently that the court should have punished the “goons” of RSS by evicting Hindus completely from the site and ordered the reconstruction of the mosque. I was delighted to see ex-justice Rajender Sachar come on TV and take this line. I think he hurt his credibility not just with mainstream India but also with some secularists with his belligerence. I bet millions who watched him will now doubt his report on benefits to be given to Muslims as mala fide.
The Hindu organizations expressed quiet satisfaction. You could accuse them of a little condescension as they expressed hope that this verdict will open the way for Grand National reconciliation. But I really could not see how else they could have reacted to this verdict without sounding triumphant. Rather than accuse them of condescension, I think they (or let me see we!!) should get credit for not bursting firecrackers!!
I could see Indian attitudes undergo a tectonic shift yesterday. If I were to sum up the effects of yesterday's happenings - it has effectively sobered down many Indian secularists and has created a split amongst secularists. Indian secularists are now divided between those who question why Muslims should not now be expected to forget the past as all have been demanding of Hindus all the while, and those who are still implacable and would like to inflict some stinging humiliations on Hindus. It is also beginning to dawn on many of the secularists that the Hindu nationalists might have some truth in what they say.
While I do not expect a wholesale conversion of those secularists who showed moderation yesterday, what may reasonably be expected is that they will notice Islamist aggression more and more as time passes on, and they will even come in conflict with Islamists at some point. Their conversion may not happen tomorrow, but I expect they will develop antagonism towards strident Muslims over time.
The whole event, while it did not trample down the secularists and Muslims, has perceptibly shifted the ground in favor of Hindu nationalists, just as while the mosque was not completely moved out of the premises, it has been put on the side and is no more at the center. I am tempted to see a divine design in it whereby, if Hindus conduct themselves with right values and play the political game skillfully as well as following the raj-dharma, the mosque will move out of sight (and site !) and in the Indian nation, the secularist ideology will move to the margins of a polity dominated by Hindu nationalists.
No comments:
Post a Comment