Saturday, May 5, 2018

Can we be so crass?

I'm gonna talk about a few incidents that have grabbed the headlines in the media over the last couple of days. We seem to have plenty of time to dwell on petty matters and escalate the problem into a major one so that it becomes a talking point. Is it the work of a few mischief mongers who are hell bent on tarnishing the image of the country or is there a conspiracy at play? If affirmative, what's the end game?

 (a) Jinnah's Portrait in the AMU.

       The controversy over Mohammad Ali Jinnah's portrait in the union hall of the Aligarh Muslim
       University has begun to take an ugly turn. Consider these:-

               (i) A few students from the Dev Samaj College, backed by certain right wing activists,
                    pasted Jinnah's pictures in public toilets.
              (ii) In another development, the portrait of the AMU founder, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, has
                    disappeared from the guest house.
             (iii) UP chief minister, Yogi Adituanath's statement that Jinnah cannot be honoured in India.

         Is this gimmickry to influence the electionl results of the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly
         elections? Simply pathetic! Wonder what affects the Indian pride if Jinnah's portrait hangs in
         the AMU? The state government must effectively use the law and order machinery to tackle
         the events that have risen thanks to the controversy.

  (b) Upper Caste Men Thrash Dalit Youth.

         Akash Khondwal, 19, is currently battling for life in a Meerut hospital. The story surrounding
         this unfortunate incident goes like this:-

                (i) A dalit boy had eloped with a Gujjar girl on 22 Apr.
               (ii) The panchayat of the Gujjar dominated Kamala village in Baghpat decides to attack
                     Dalits in the area.
              (iii) Akash Khondwal was the unfortunate victim of the consequential clash.

          The police have registered a case and the hunt for the seven accused is progressing.

          Yogi Adityanath must take stringent action regarding the incident and the culprits must be
          booked for their crimes, forthwith. Further, the record must be set straight by holding a
          transparent investigation.

   (c) The Backfiring of the Meal Diplomacy.

         BJP's Dalit MP from Bahraich, Savitri Bai Phule, derides her party leaders for insulting the
         Dalits by going to their homes, dining with them(Even alleging that the food was prepared by
         upper caste men) and then sharing photos of these collective dinners on the social media! The
         farce continues, further, with new plates and bottled water being used with a gay abandon.

         They complain about the mosquitoes. But who asked them to go there if they found the
         interaction to be unhygienic and not as per their status, in the first place?

         The guys seem to be so full of false pride that they find it infradig to have the food of the poor
         with them! Sad!!


Tailpiece.

Rana and Lokhi came home after their ayurvedic treatment got over this evening. It was nice to be with them and converse on a variety of subjects. We were interacting with Lokhi for the first time but an outsider would have felt that we were long, lost friends!
       

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