Open letter to my Hindu friends: 5 things you could do to combat the rising fascist frenzy in India
In an interview with Rana Ayyub, B.N.Srikrishna, a devout Hindu and judge of the Supreme Court said, the average Hindu is confused with the constant bombardment of the political philosophy that India is a Hindu Rashtra and, anyone not a Hindu is a threat that should be kicked out of the country - a sentiment that has been carefully indoctrinated by the right-wing Hindutva radicals.
So, how do we move forward if the average Hindu is confused, and the average Muslim, scared?!
In this piece, I offer 5 simple ways in which my Hindu friends (in whose name the violence is being carried out) could do their bit to combat this escalating madness:
1. Acknowledge that celebrating Hindutva is no proof of nationalism:
First things first, India kisi ke baap ka nahin! Since when did we start mixing religion with politics?
My father never believed in the Partition. We could’ve easily migrated had we believed in the two-nation theory. But my family chose not to. Majority of Muslims in India do not believe in mixing religion with politics. Do you?
2. Down with WhatsApp University:
Honestly, unless it’s something funny like your mother-in-law being convinced that Salman Khan is marrying Sonakshi Sinha, avoid social media propaganda like the plague. A recent report found India as the country where the risk of disinformation and information was ranked highest. Let’s educate ourselves and spread awareness by curating our feed with news that matters, and, news that’s not propaganda. Some of the sources I find trustworthy are The Wire, Faye D'Souza, Scroll, The India Cable, and, The Polis Project. Feel free to add your journo champs in the comments.
3. Build a lobby for kindness & empathy:
I was in a conversation with the wonderful Saranya Subramanian, a writer and founder of @thebombaypoetrycrawl who was lamenting ways to tackle widespread jingoism and hatred. It then occurred to me that while it is important to keep an eye on the disinformation, it is also equally, if not more important, to amplify the sane voices around us – people who are bravely working against the odds to condone the nationalism sham and, doing their bit to boost the plurality of our society. My social is filled with voices like
, @karwanemohabbat (“a people’s campaign for solidarity that supports survivors of hate crimes with legal, social and livelihood help.”), India Love Project (“Love and marriage outside the shackles of faith, caste, ethnicity and gender.”), Namit Arora revisiting history for us at Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization and, author and lawyer Suchitra Vijayan. Drop in your activist glimmers in the comment!4. Time to test your Inclusion meter
I was once shushed by a Hindu friend at her place for mentioning how it feels to be a minority before she swiftly changed the topic by focussing on something someone else was talking about. Why did I tolerate the BS? Because, minority baggage. We must prove our tolerance, even as you forget your own. Also, the romantic idealist in me genuinely believes in maintaining room for dialogue. Next time a friend from the minority shares their vulnerability with you, think two things:
a. Congratulate yourself for your friend trusted you with their vulnerability. Not everyone out there is playing a victim card. Keeping the conversation going, is us building bridges. You should feel honoured.
b. Check your Inclusion meter. Are your inclusive values only limited to superficial greetings like Eid Mubarak or, Merry Christmas?
5. Be like Piglet
Will you be my Piglet?
In four decades of my life, I’ve already witnessed the Babri Mosque Demolition, the Bombay riots, the Gujrat pogrom, and, most recently the fascism-unleashed terror following the inauguration of the Ram Mandir. This doesn’t even include a list of targeted attacks against Muslims across India. You can find more of that joy in the Human Rights Watch report.
I ask my Hindu friends: Would you find it normal had a mosque been inaugurated in your neighbourhood and the Muslim community went berserk, hoisting green flags everywhere to ‘celebrate’ the mosque’s inauguration, distributing halwa and Zamzam water to every apartment in the vicinity?
I thought as much.
May I please know, how much more of the majoritarian violence must we tolerate, to prove to you our Indianness, so you can finally show up for us?
Thank you so much for this post! I really needed to hear this.
I'm a teenager, from an upper-middle-class, relatively conservative Hindu family. Recently, I've been questioning my own faith and what it means to be a nationalist with the rise of the Hindutva movement a lot. I've been trying to articulate my ideas on this matter with little success because of how complicated it feels, and how unreliable the media seems in my eyes. It's strange how although we have access to so much information, it feels like I don't know anything, like I can't believe in anything I am reading or seeing.
I'm especially grateful for that Piglet and Winnie-the-Pooh exert. It brought tears to my eyes because I felt like Pooh was saying exactly the words I've been aching to say.
Lots of love! Looking forward to reading more of your work!
Wow 👌 easy steps but so hard to articulate.