subject: Communal (Or Racial) Divisions, India's Curse [print this page] Many of us long to call ourselves Indian first and then Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Parsi or Christian. We are proud of our community of course. But that doesn't cause any communal divisions for we accept others are proud of theirs. The common thread uniting us is the fact that we are all Indian even if we are different.
Most of us fall somewhere in between either tolerating those differences or enjoying them. But there is a small minority that fits into another scale the one between being suspicious of, or actively disliking, those differences.
But why, if they are the minority, does their opinion hold so much sway? It is because they've organised under the umbrella of some politicians who play on their a) pride in their own community and b) suspicion of other communities. This cynical exploitation is never going to change. In the mean time, the rest of us wait, hope and dream for that one politician who will sweep all these well entrenched differences away and change everything.
Besides Waiting, Hoping, Wishing and Dreaming is there anything secular Indians can do?
There have been a plethora of suggestions, some very good. I definitely don't advocate challenging our communal minded politicians face to face. Not yet. Not individually. In India we all know what the consequences would be if we were bold and foolish enough to try. If cornered, these politicians (and their lynch men) wouldn't hesitate to lash out at us. Worse, they'd threaten to harm our loved ones too a very effective ploy to get us to toe their line.
Does that mean we are back to square one? Of waiting, hoping, sighing and wishing? Definitely not.
It is time the secular minded got together in much larger numbers. The others already seem to have and as mentioned before, although they are in the minority, they're effective because they are organized, albeit under the umbrella of a ruthless, power-hungry politician. Who knows, one day it might be our turn to be helped. Whose help would be more effective? An Organised Force? Or a Lone Individual? Our very first priority, before we put any plan in action is to:
Organise, then Mobilise
If you subscribe to this view, read my article on the most satisfying and uplifting way to learn how to get organized by clicking on the link in the resource box. My suggestion will come as a surprise. It is simple, do-able, safe and very effective. Whilst there, you can read a free excerpt from my book where a savvy student of Gyan Shakti College, gyan for knowledge and shakti for strength, debates if Mumbai is truly secular.
