When BJP came to power, many elite in Karnataka celebrated it as a clear mandate for ‘development’. They argued that people did not vote BJP for their Hindutva agenda, and that ‘pseudo-secularists’ (like me), should stop crying wolf each time BJP comes to power.
I maintained my stand back then that it was a clear indication that Karnataka was leaning right- that it was clear that Hindutva has a major role to play than anything else.
After few months of BJP in power, Karnataka is more talibanized than any other state in India. Hindu activists strike wherever they want with impunity, shut up anyone without fear, and terrorize people into submission by their antics which go unpunished. The government stands supporting, condoning and rationalizing these acts.
Yesterday, a small town in Karnataka was not allowed to put up a statue of Charlie Chaplin because he is ‘Christian and not Indian’. A week ago, party goers celebrating at a private farmhouse were arrested for partying and huddled up into vans and held in jail for few days. A few weeks ago, some Hindu activists decided to stop Valentine’s Day celebrations calling it non-Indian. Prior to that some women were harassed, beaten up and stripped because they were indulging in activities such as visiting pubs at night, drinking alcohol and mixing with men, which according to the harassers were all against Great Indian Culture. We also saw moral policing in action, where couples were beaten up because they belonged to different religions. One girl committed suicide because she was humiliated for being seen with a boy of a different religion. Last year, we saw many churches being ransacked and Christians harassed. The government of Karnataka sanctioned money for temples to appease gods. The list goes on.
All those well meaning Hindus who continue to support Hindu parties on the pretext that these parties foster better development projects should wake up and realize that they get much more than what they ask for. They get Taliban, they get Fascism, as unnecessary byproducts. If we were told that Hitler’s Germany or Stalin’s Soviet brought more economic prosperity than any other regime, would Indians choose Fascism or Communism? Are we ready to forsake our freedoms and enter dictatorships to improve our economic indices?
These are real questions that Indians should answer. Authoritarian governments don’t dilly-dally, they don’t wait for consensus, they take decisions fast, but they also suppress all voices of dissidence, they do not tolerate opposition or criticism. Is that the kind of government we want – a government which induced economic prosperity but which takes away all our freedoms?
Related Posts: BJP in Karnataka, Will BJP go ahead with its Hindutva agenda?, What is Great Indian Culture?, Biggest Threat to India, Great Indian Culture, Why we criticize our nations?
>>"...One girl committed suicide because she was humiliated for being seen with a boy of a different religion...."
ReplyDeleteHere is the story.http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=%91Rapist%92+held+for+minor+girl%92s+death&artid=2qGwpqM7KJ8=&SectionID=7GUA38txp3s=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=zkvyRoWGpmWSxZV2TGM5XQ==&SEO=
See how it is twisted here:-
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Girl-ends-life-after-over-moral-policing/articleshow/4118319.cms
and here: -
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/moral-policing-girl-commits-suicide-in-mangalore/422628/
>>"...All those well meaning Hindus who continue to support Hindu parties on the pretext that these parties foster better development projects ..."
Is there a party that claims to be Hindu party?
>>"...should wake up and realize that they get much more than what they ask for. They get Taliban, they get Fascism, as unnecessary byproducts..."
What you refer to is not even the shadow of Taliban and Fascism.
Talibs are reportedly five hours drive from Amritsar.
Chances are, we will get the real experience of Taliban sometime in the future.
>>"...Is that the kind of government we want – a government which induced economic prosperity but which takes away all our freedoms? ..."
Apparently you are referring to the only state in the country that claims to have economic prosperity.
If that is so, the people of that state have answered your question thrice already.
That being so, would it not be prudent to examine the premises you have adopted?
I completely agree with you Sujai, but tell me a better option,, Congress aka 10 janpath, Deve Gowda or treachery, Pro Hindutva BJP ?
ReplyDeleteI feel bad when we have these choices. There is no party in the history of independent INDIA that we can say served in the best interests of the country.
Now in the upcoming Loksabha elections, what do we have- Grand Old man L K Advani, Rahul Gandhi the legacy, Mayawathi the caste factor and "divide and rule" policy creator, or who .....
Crap Politics and I wonder why young ppl are not attracted to this profitable profession..
Sujai,
ReplyDeleteWould you like to enlighten your readers with some actions of Taliban and their basis/source/justification of such actions, and how do the various incidents you listed in the post fall under that framework?
-chirkut
Instead of basing your whole argument on a reported quote of a Hindu zealot, ask yourself if we can install whatever we want brushing aside the locals. I feel Charlie Chaplin is so out of place on a K'taka beach, leave alone in a holy town.
ReplyDeleteThere are instances when even Walmart had to change its retail plans because of opposition from townships. Learn to respect the locals.
Also, I know how completely Indian newspapers twist certain quotes.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have toured several places in Asia,Europe and USA.Never saw a statue of Rajinikanth or Amithabachan.
Why any thing forien is holy in India.We are no slaves anymore.
Think Indian
Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteTry Madame Mussauds wax museum in London.
That should be "Madame Tussauds" museum...
ReplyDeleteThere may be more than one charlie chapline in indian sub continent.
ReplyDeleteThe villege in karnatake is deffinetly not a musium dedicated for statues od famous people
@incognito The *only* state which claims economic prosperity? I wonder what you are smoking. IT boom doesnt make a state prosperous.Gujarat (even before Fuhrer Modi), Maharashtra and Punjab have been properous in their own right for quite a while now.
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, regarding the case in Mangalore, you have two newspapers having one point of view of the matter and one newspaper talking of another. How convenient could it be for taking the opinion of expressbuzz as authentic and not the majority others? The expressbuzz report is by its own correspondent and the other newspapers use a national news source - PTI.
Ofcourse these are not a shadow of Taliban - the latters are far worse, but you know what is disturbingly different? At least the Taliban refers to a known source of barbarism. But our own brand of taliban are creating their own rules out of thin air, distorting history as they see fit to brain wash otherwise historically peaceful people.
The nicest thing about Bangalore that I found after moving from Delhi years ago were the people - they were very polite, decent, cultured, accommodating people unlike the gruffy people of the north. I find it so disturbing to see the culture of the city and the state getting dirtied by the day by these moral morons.
Chaplin's "City Lights," as well as many others, is a great film.
ReplyDeleteSay, what do you think they would fell about my following film - Starring Krishna & Jesus & Satan and others?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6qC6FCiY0
Sujai,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on this issue.
You are doing a great job of articulating the thoughts of us rationalists. Keep up the good work.
Just ignore the morons like "chirkut" and others like him. They'll start bleating when their moms, sisters, wives, daughters get beaten by their heroes for wearing the wrong dress or doing the wrong thing.
Raj
everything need not be given a communal hue like that of times news network with its obvious bias.
ReplyDeletecharlie chaplin in udupi is completely out of context. place it in mumbai a more cosmopolitan city and we can get it. the locals are right to have someone they can relate to. its a complete lack of respect for the locals. the placement of the statue next to a temple is also highly suspect.
congress and the opposition parties know how to antagonize and corner a right wing party. all you have to do is connect the dots. thats left for the people to do it. not the media which seems to be highly biased - there is a growing feeling amongst hindus that they are marginalized - this only serves to the games of the politicians who want to carve out votebanks - whom they can manipulate easily. so is bjp alone wrong in this ? heck no! its the media, congress, jds, everyone is equally involved in these dirty politics.
Vinod Rai:
ReplyDeleteeverything need not be given a communal hue like that of times news network with its obvious bias. The statements for opposition to installing Charlie Chaplin have been using religion, hence the criticism along those lines.
charlie chaplin in udupi is completely out of context.If that is the case, the opposing voices should have said the same. Why did they raise objections based on Charlie Chaplin’s nationality and identity?
Hi
ReplyDeleteWho is installing this statue?Why they choose Udipi?Who is paying for it?Why rationalists are supporting it?Why only Chaplin?Why cant a kannada actor,scientist,industrlist or the
starters of udipi restarent movement throughout india?
> charlie chaplin in udupi is completely
ReplyDelete> out of context. place it in mumbai a
> more cosmopolitan city and we can get
> it. the locals are right to have
> someone they can relate to. its a
> complete lack of respect for the locals.
Exactly how is a monument coming up in your town of somebody you can't relate to, a *disrespect* for you and the locals? It might be stupid for the sponsor to do so, considering it won't get any attention, but how is it insulting to you?
@anonymous
ReplyDelete> Who is installing this statue?
Seems to be some movie producer/director.
> Why they choose Udipi?
Why? Why not Udipi? Anything wrong about that town? Does it fall in our country? You know the secular,democratic country called India?
It seems that the movie producer found the place ideal for some shooting.
> Who is paying for it?
Well, the movie producer. Why do you ask?
> Why rationalists are supporting it?
This issue doesn't just concern rationalists. It also concerns Hindus themselves. Besides, none of us *support* the statue. Rather we *oppose* the divisive argument made to stop it from happening. I personally find the choice of location strange, but quaint (Imagine, people talking excitedly about a statue of the great man in as unlikely a place as Udipi. I think it would had been a tourism coup).
> Why only Chaplin?
Well, the sponsor wanted to honor a man he admires. Anything wrong with that? Anything wrong with statues of famous Indians constructed all over the world?
> Why cant a kannada actor, scientist,
> industrlist or the
> starters of udipi restarent movement > throughout india?
I can barely make out for you are saying here. Who is stopping you from constructing the statues of people you admire in Udipi? Have money, go ahead? Why does this have to be a zero-sum game - all statues can co-exist! Keep making them!
@ Sandip Bhattacharya,
ReplyDelete>>>"@incognito The *only* state which claims economic prosperity? I wonder what you are smoking."
You will keep wondering.
It takes something called 'intelligence' to figure that out, which you obviously lack.
>>>"IT boom doesnt make a state prosperous."
Just as english education does not make you intelligent
>>>"Gujarat (even before Fuhrer Modi), Maharashtra and Punjab have been properous in their own right for quite a while now."
So says original Fuhrer's side kick.
>>>"How convenient could it be for taking the opinion of expressbuzz as authentic and not the majority others? "
So if two people tell you that you are an idiot, you will believe them.
And they would be right.
>>>"The expressbuzz report is by its own correspondent and the other newspapers use a national news source - PTI."
No wonder missionaries and mullahs have it easy convincing people like you that what they say is Gospel truth.
>>>"Ofcourse these are not a shadow of Taliban - the latters are far worse, but you know what is disturbingly different? "
What is disturbing is that you are trying to spin yarns.
I wonder what is your intention.
>>>"At least the Taliban refers to a known source of barbarism."
That is what is disturbing.
That their source of barbarism is 'known' to you.
What else do the Taliban share with you ?
>>>"But our own brand of taliban..."
So, you guys have started having your own brands ...
>>>"...are creating their own rules out of thin air,"
'Your' Taliban are creating 'their' rules.
I suppose your Taliban is getting as confused as you are.
>>>"...distorting history as they see fit to brain wash otherwise historically peaceful people."
Thanks for giving us a sample of how you attempt to distort history.
>>>"The nicest thing about Bangalore that I found after moving from Delhi years ago were the people - they were very polite, decent, cultured, accommodating people unlike the gruffy people of the north. I find it so disturbing to see the culture of the city and the state getting dirtied by the day by these moral morons."
Well, what do you expect when gruffy morons from Delhi moved there years ago.
Hi
ReplyDeleteIs this producer from udipi?Why cant he install the statue in his compound?Who will maintain the staue after installation?Is it maintained by public money or he leaving a fund to the govt?Does it affect the traffic?What is the rationale behined supporting it,because it was opposed by people you dont like?
Its only india that people can do any thing in the name of secularism,rational.In any other democracy the issue might have started with a townhall meeting by the government,seeking the openion of the local people and any change to local infrastructure,plan or general look needs public approval
Hi Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteIs this producer from udipi? Why cant he install the statue in his compound? … Does it affect the traffic? What is the rationale behined supporting it, because it was opposed by people you dont like?I am not sure you understand the issue here.
The questions you ask are relevant for installing ANY statue (not just Chaplin’s statue). The people who opposed did not cite the above reasons, but instead talked about Chaplin’s nationality and religion and gave the reason as ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’ for opposing it.
We are not supporting the installation of Chaplin’s statue. We are opposing the opposition which cites reasons that are based in the religion and nationality of the character for whom the statue is raised. Some of us would like to keep Art out of your parochial prejudices.
Its only india that people can do any thing in the name of secularism,rational. Really? ;-)
good post
ReplyDelete