Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Intolerance taboo

Once George Bush famously said, "You are with me, or against me".

There is this, more popular urban-corporate speak "Its my way, or the Highway"

Recently, an art installation was dismantled and the artists were taken into police custody. Reason? It depicted a cow!

In today's India, the most taboo word is...

Not Sex before marriage, sorry you are wrong.

Not Same-sex marriage, again you are wrong.

India is modern. We overcame those taboos...

The most taboo word is...

INTOLERANCE.

Today's india is intolerant towards the slightest criticism. If I say I feel insecure because of a certain incident, I am asked to leave India.

I put up a picture of an animal, obviously to show how they are mistreated or let loose on the busy streets, I am called Anti-Hindu.

Let me clarify. I am not against any religion, infact I am someone who respect all of them. I refused to eat the "Prasad" which some of my colleagues offered me after their visit to Tirupati. Reason? I ate non-veg that morning and I thought it is an insult to the sacred offering.

So why my innocuous shares & posts are labelled "insulting a a certain religion"? That is because people are intolerant, even about a mere mention of an animal.

More and more, I feel insecure. People are openly threatening me because I posted a critical view of their political affiliation.

They are free to criticize, ridicule, harass and do whatever they want to others. Past & present leaders of global renown hasn't escaped their wrath. But when it comes to criticizing their own, you can expect ink on your face, harassment over social media, or worst, physical violence and may be death.

Do you call this tolerance?

When some one lost his life because he allegedly ate beef... oops I shouldn't say that word in this part of the world... meat, I should still call India tolerant.

When someone openly threatens me because I posted a photo of an animal, and gets likes from the people who even shared a drink with me, I should still call my India is not polarized. it is still a great, tolerant country.

When firebrand leaders of a certain party shout from the rooftop that those who can't obey their rules, they must leave India, I still have to think my India is tolerant. From their rhetoric, I get the feeling that they are the rulers and I am a mere subject. So much for the celebrated DEMOCRACY. And the worrying fact is, the leaders of that party doesn't make a whole-hearted effort to stop and rein-in these loose cannons, who, in my views, is the real threat to the very fabric that holds this country together. They know that this is the only way way they can garner nation-wide attention and possibly sainthood later on.

These days, I feel like an absconding criminal when I eat B**f (see I am not going to put that in words). I think, not twice, but at least a hundred times, whether to share / like a post on FB, because probably someone, somewhere will find it insulting their sentiments.... So these days I thought of sharing only flowers, birds and kids pictures.

Yes my dear so-called, self-annointed moral / Cultural police of India, I am scared. I am scared shitless and I feel insecure. And I have no intention of leaving India, even if it means I have to live my life in the constant shadow of bullying, harassing and death.
Because.....

I am more Indian that you will ever be.