Pro State or Anti National?
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi - May 18, 2008
I have never understood politics –not even at the classroom or dressing room level. At the State and Central level it interests me even less, and that is only because it has never directly affected my life. But it is now. I’m not even sure I can find the words for what my mind and my heart is trying to express but I am going to give it a try.
All I read about in the news papers and see on the television these days is about
1.The pride of the Marathi Manoos (who exactly constitutes the Marathi Manoos I would like to ask? Why this segregation and hostility towards communities and people who have made our State of Maharashtra what it is and Mumbai the financial hub of the nation? Is the State anybody’s personal fiefdom?)
2.The anti north Indian or anti migrant stand that certain politicians are using as a weapon to misguide and misdirect the less informed.
3.The several innocent north Indian hawkers and taxi drivers at Dadar that were mercilessly beaten up and their wares and vehicles destroyed one Sunday evening.
4.The Institutions that are being targeted to change their names, for e.g. Bombay Scottish to Mumbai Scottish,
5.The Street names that are being changed left right and centre. People taking taxis are scared they may say the name of a street wrong and be beaten up for it. What is going on?
6.The jobs being denied to the non Maharashtrian, and eminent personalities of national and international caliber being asked to go back to where they belong. Imagine if the same was applied in reverse –the sad sad loss if Lata Mangeshkars songs or Madhuri Dixits dances were banned from being played in the rest of the country. Or the economic growth, employment and progress that the Tata’s Birlas and Ambani’s have bought to this state having to be withdrawn on account of them being Non Maharashtrians.
7.The women asked to wear less revealing clothes if they don’t want to be raped!!! (This one I still can’t get over…) Another Taliban in the making…?
8.The radical activists that are even targeting cinema halls that show Bhojpuri films. Theatres not showing the mandatory Marathi film every year that are in danger of having their licenses revoked.
9.The mindless violence erupting in every street corner.
10.Cyber Cafes Nightclubs and Coffeebars being shut down on the stand that it is against Indian culture. Looks like they can’t stand the notion of anybody being happy or just having a good time.
This is just a few in a long list of appalling atrocities
It seems to be Bigotry at its worst. Faschism and Hooliganism. And the sad thing is that we are allowing it. Allowing them to narrow the minds of the people and turn one against the other. Divide and rule –at a time when the whole world is trying to come together as one, we the people are being bulldozed into taking these regressive steps.
And the government at the Centre is not doing anything about it.
Is such extreme parochialism not anti national? Is taking the Hindutva or Marathi Manoos ideology to this extreme not as potentially dangerous as Islamic fundamentalism? Why brand one a terrorist and the other not?
Should Regional Pride come before National Pride?
What next? Will they ban us from singing the National Anthem and force us to do a Lavani instead?
Jai Maharahtra!!!
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Posted by Suchitra Krishnamoorthi at May 18, 2008 10:35 AM
Comments
1. Posted by
Desh kapoor
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.intentblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
on
May 18, 2008 10:52 AM
Classic case of chronic labelitis which leads to inflammation, everything so divided by extensive labeling that the whole can no longer function properly, and begins to attack itself, an autoimmune disorder, the individual organs start to shut down and it is soon followed by death.
Recommended treatment for this disease is label free living and discarding of belief systems and their associated fictional story lines.
Love is an ointment that works well to treat cases of inflammation.
2. Posted by
Richard Thomas ∞Φ
on
May 18, 2008 11:48 AM
Suchitra,
It's more than surface drama. It's a battle of dark and light forces playing through our earthy stage. Opposite forces come to point with intensification. Day of judgment? Is it time to stand up, take a stand and raise one's voice?
Your passion/our passion for justice that springs forth from compassion is not a conscious choice initially. It's an underground driving force that pushes and pulls shape-shifting us until we take action. As individual egos we choose those issues that pull on our heart strings.
Our one voice amplifies from many directions as brains and bodies wire in light with darkness creating a balanced force of co-creation and evolution. This new energetic force is not the old evil that divided, separated and destroyed life.
Seems to be a story about two egos one of which chose light and the other darkness. Dark ego had us living a lie of separation. Light ego with darkness (Light knows not exclusion) is a new story to be broadcasted. When these two opposites find one another and merge peace fills in the old battle zones of conflict and fear.
For every dark news story let's tell three stories of light. That way over-powering darkness is put in its place -- of balance. This is a loving thing to do.
Trish~~
3. Posted by
Trish
on
May 19, 2008 07:50 AM
Richard #3:
Your comments are appreciated. Thanks for your contribution.
Trish~~
4. Posted by
Trish
on
May 19, 2008 08:05 AM
All identities are decadent in nature.
Indrakaran.
5. Posted by
indrakaran
on
May 19, 2008 12:12 PM
All identities are decadent in nature.
Indrakaran.
6. Posted by
indrakaran
on
May 19, 2008 12:15 PM
wow, makes me feel lucky to live where i live!!
7. Posted by
skinny
on
May 19, 2008 07:44 PM
Suchitra,
You are not alone in your anguish.
It is indeed bigotry and hooliganism that carry the day. As far as I can make out this is really a result of having become a soft state through sheer lack of spine and abject cowardice on the part of the administration.
A State which cannot enforce a simple law pertaining to wearing of helmets and seat belts, cannot surely be expected to ptotect innocent hard working citizens or stand up to anybody who has a following of even 20 like minded bullies.
The dispensation in Maharashtra is practically the same as the one in Delhi, is it any wonder then that even kids ridicule the law and countries like Bangla Desh and Nepal, forget about the others, can cock a snook at us. The ruling parties should change their emblems to chicken and promote minced chicken as their favourite food.
Dara
Suchitra,
You are not alone in your anguish.
It is indeed bigotry and hooliganism that carry the day. As far as I can make out this is really a result of having become a soft state through sheer lack of spine and abject cowardice on the part of the administration.
A State which cannot enforce a simple law pertaining to wearing of helmets and seat belts, cannot surely be expected to ptotect innocent hard working citizens or stand up to anybody who has a following of even 20 like minded bullies.
The dispensation in Maharashtra is practically the same as the one in Delhi, is it any wonder then that even kids ridicule the law and countries like Bangla Desh and Nepal, forget about the others, can cock a snook at us. The ruling parties should change their emblems to chicken and promote minced chicken as their favourite food.
Dara
You have your self mentioned the reason why these regional forces are raising their head in beginning of your write up.It is because saner elements have not contested the claims made by these non rational forces.Forces of evil have a short lived existence but they are able play havoc with lives of large number of people.Our leadership also lets us down for it is not able to confront these forces on the plane on which they are required to be dealt with.
One need not be pessimistic about the whole scenario for rising awareness among the general public is at one time or another going to question the credentials of so called regional leaders.
A S Rai
11. Posted by
A S Rai
on
May 27, 2008 12:08 AM
From One to Two to Three to Many....from Many to Three to Two to One....thus the story goes on and on at all levels and in never ending cycles...
From separation we reached globalisation, from globalisation we will one day again reach separation, where as they say "baaran baaran kos par ik deeva jagda hai..." and then again...towards union..towards globalisation...
12. Posted by
Harb
on
May 27, 2008 01:20 AM
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Harb commented on Pro State or Anti National?
From One to Two to Three to Many....from Many t
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A S Rai commented on Pro State or Anti National?
You have your self mentioned the reason why the
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Dara commented on Pro State or Anti National?
Sorry
Dara -
Dara commented on Pro State or Anti National?
Suchitra,
You are not alone in your angui -
Dara commented on Pro State or Anti National?
Suchitra,
You are not alone in your angui
Suchitra:
Great post!! I had not realized the extent of damage that these guys are doing. I had argued sometime back that the Indian passport of Raj Thackeray and his goons should be taken away.. and they should be asked to travel on the Maharashtra passport..
All of these guys should be tried for being anti-nationals. I can only imagine the celebrations in the ISI headquarters and Taliban central agency at this movement from the Thackerays!
cheers,
-desh
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