It is fair to say that I am disoriented. Last night I did not sleep until the break of dawn. Sitting here in God's Own Country I am beginning to soak in the how India has changed in the past few days. We are a funny species. We get enormously affected by things that don't really affect us. We get stuck into ideas that don't exist and concepts that are expressed by the continuing conversations between our kind, between the dead and the alive. Step aside, Vijay Maliya, the new king of good times has arrived.
The results are out for the largest election ever conducted by humankind. And India, it seems, has won. An India which only represents the majority Hindu population that has been systematically homogenized for political gains. In this India, everyone who does not accept they Hindu way of life (whatever that means) is deemed to be a second class citizen and by that logic has lost. India has won. After a century of subjugation by the British and a few centuries of bowing before Mughals, Indians (Hindus) have won back its own territory. The Hindu Rashtra is finally here, with the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party, winning a massive mandate to rule the country.
The term Hindu is more a geographic expression than a religion, but with every passing day, it is taking the shape of a chauvinist religion. This is accompanied with a growing intolerance for anything that goes against Hindu pride. History is re-written everyday. India's 180 million Muslims, none of whom will be representing the winning party, have one choice in front of them. Accept the Hindu way of life, or resign yourself to being second class citizens. This is shown by how the supreme leader of the BJP, Narendra Modi has put the Muslims in their place in his home state of Gujarat.
End of Liberalism
India's liberals have to take blame for this. With plum placements and a good lifestyle, they had become lazy and thoroughly corrupt. They became the ruling class of India and had a symbiotic relationship with the Gandhi dynasty. The Gandhi dynasty which started with Indira Gandhi taking control of power by declaring an emergency is finally coming to an end and liberalism is out. The elaborate power structure has been rotten and dismantled with remarkable ease by the right wing.
The question for the liberals, or whatever remains, is how to regroup? There was one ray of hope. The Aam Aadmi Party. This party came out of the frustration with the ruling class and promised a new beginning. In a refreshingly brave move, its leader, after he was elected Chief Minister, decided to let go of the elaborate security apparatus that had become a trophy of power. He even declined to accept a palatial bungalow that comes with the post. He then went on to cement his liberal leanings by making lifeline water free for citizens of Delhi.
Sometimes things that appear too good to be true, really are. The honeymoon quickly ended and the media turned vicious against the Aam Aadmi Party. The party was quickly filled up with opportunists and self promoting leaders. With no yardstick to measure and no culture formed, it was doomed into disaster. The people rejected this motley groups of individuals without any ideology or organization. Even in this devastated state, it represents the best hope for liberals
What about the Muslims?
The Muslims of India have a very serious question in front of them. The oil that fills up the tanks of gas guzzlers in America has fueled a very conservative version of Islam in India. Poor Muslim children are lined up in Madrassas or religious schools in the margins of Indian cities to learn Arabic. Discriminated and disowned in their land, the only economic structure for vast number of Indian Muslims is this Arabic utopia. Their problem is compounded by the history of partition when Muslims had demanded a separate homeland for themselves. India's founding fathers on the other hand believed in a more inclusive and modern vision of the nation state, where all religions would be treated equally, and pleaded the Muslims to stay back. But the trust between communities had broken and Muslims were viewed with suspicion and xenophobia.
Liberal Muslims on the other hand have been unable to provide any leadership. Unlike the blacks of America, Muslims of India have not yet had their Martin Luther King moment, let alone an Obama moment. Even though they have excelled in some domains, they largely remain marginalized and poor. The future for them is even bleaker.
The Lie
A lie, that had been intricately kept in place by fate and a number of opposing and balancing forces has finally been shattered. India, the land of the Buddha, has never been an enlightened society. The forces of darkness that had always lurked under the hood are now in the open. India is a society that is governed by power and pragmatism not freedom and ideals. The pragmatism is often mistaken for pacifism. What shape will this new phase take will be clear in the coming days. But for those who have lived in denial, getting used to this reality will be difficult.
Good days are here.
The results are out for the largest election ever conducted by humankind. And India, it seems, has won. An India which only represents the majority Hindu population that has been systematically homogenized for political gains. In this India, everyone who does not accept they Hindu way of life (whatever that means) is deemed to be a second class citizen and by that logic has lost. India has won. After a century of subjugation by the British and a few centuries of bowing before Mughals, Indians (Hindus) have won back its own territory. The Hindu Rashtra is finally here, with the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party, winning a massive mandate to rule the country.
The term Hindu is more a geographic expression than a religion, but with every passing day, it is taking the shape of a chauvinist religion. This is accompanied with a growing intolerance for anything that goes against Hindu pride. History is re-written everyday. India's 180 million Muslims, none of whom will be representing the winning party, have one choice in front of them. Accept the Hindu way of life, or resign yourself to being second class citizens. This is shown by how the supreme leader of the BJP, Narendra Modi has put the Muslims in their place in his home state of Gujarat.
End of Liberalism
India's liberals have to take blame for this. With plum placements and a good lifestyle, they had become lazy and thoroughly corrupt. They became the ruling class of India and had a symbiotic relationship with the Gandhi dynasty. The Gandhi dynasty which started with Indira Gandhi taking control of power by declaring an emergency is finally coming to an end and liberalism is out. The elaborate power structure has been rotten and dismantled with remarkable ease by the right wing.
The question for the liberals, or whatever remains, is how to regroup? There was one ray of hope. The Aam Aadmi Party. This party came out of the frustration with the ruling class and promised a new beginning. In a refreshingly brave move, its leader, after he was elected Chief Minister, decided to let go of the elaborate security apparatus that had become a trophy of power. He even declined to accept a palatial bungalow that comes with the post. He then went on to cement his liberal leanings by making lifeline water free for citizens of Delhi.
Sometimes things that appear too good to be true, really are. The honeymoon quickly ended and the media turned vicious against the Aam Aadmi Party. The party was quickly filled up with opportunists and self promoting leaders. With no yardstick to measure and no culture formed, it was doomed into disaster. The people rejected this motley groups of individuals without any ideology or organization. Even in this devastated state, it represents the best hope for liberals
What about the Muslims?
The Muslims of India have a very serious question in front of them. The oil that fills up the tanks of gas guzzlers in America has fueled a very conservative version of Islam in India. Poor Muslim children are lined up in Madrassas or religious schools in the margins of Indian cities to learn Arabic. Discriminated and disowned in their land, the only economic structure for vast number of Indian Muslims is this Arabic utopia. Their problem is compounded by the history of partition when Muslims had demanded a separate homeland for themselves. India's founding fathers on the other hand believed in a more inclusive and modern vision of the nation state, where all religions would be treated equally, and pleaded the Muslims to stay back. But the trust between communities had broken and Muslims were viewed with suspicion and xenophobia.
Liberal Muslims on the other hand have been unable to provide any leadership. Unlike the blacks of America, Muslims of India have not yet had their Martin Luther King moment, let alone an Obama moment. Even though they have excelled in some domains, they largely remain marginalized and poor. The future for them is even bleaker.
The Lie
A lie, that had been intricately kept in place by fate and a number of opposing and balancing forces has finally been shattered. India, the land of the Buddha, has never been an enlightened society. The forces of darkness that had always lurked under the hood are now in the open. India is a society that is governed by power and pragmatism not freedom and ideals. The pragmatism is often mistaken for pacifism. What shape will this new phase take will be clear in the coming days. But for those who have lived in denial, getting used to this reality will be difficult.
Good days are here.
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