Opinions and biases

Give an Indian something to philosophize and you can bet your whole life on him giving an opinion. A funny ad may put things in the perspective:

Case in point: Sheela Bhatt’s article -the latest bit of superlative intellectual opinion – the masterpiece opinions from a professor of JNU Ghanshyam Shah-jee. According to him, these blasts are “not exclusively” a backlash against the 2002 Gujarat riots of 2002. According to him, “natural processes” did not happen post-riots in Gujarat (And that is perhaps what Modi had referred to, in his speech on Newtons 3rd law. (Every action ….). It is strange that Prof. Shah had then criticized it back then). According to him, Gujarati Muslims showed “diffidence” – restraint by not backlashing against the majority. And how did he conclude that? Because, according to him there was no fight back instigated by the Muslim community!!! Ta-da!! (No, not TADA)

Sheela Bhatt added her bit in reminding us that >1000 muslims had died during the riots (while the report tabled by the UPA govt gave a completely different number. And oh, she forgot to add that a few Hindus dies too – some 300 odd I think apart from the 56 that were burnt alive- which instigated the whole thing in the first place. And I could never stop wondering how in a setup (purported to be) so much against the minority, 300 Hindus died. Even phantom would have to sweat it out to kill 300 people that are against him when, as the commies fantasize, even the State, the Police and the majority were against him.

Prof Shah seemed to be unaware of this too. But there is the number he was looking for. His baseless argument on the “diffidence” of the Muslim community – goes right out of the window.

What was more funny though is the following:

To further support his argument that Gujarati Muslims by and large do not support the blasts to avenge the riots of 2002, he says, “In 1992, Surat witnessed communal riots (some Muslims were then burnt alive). Soon after, the plague spread in the city. At that time, Surti Muslims in the city were heard saying, ‘Khuda e sajha kari’ (God has punished them). But after the 2002 riots, I see an unusually high level of diffidence in them and we don’t hear such remarks.”

Given the ripe old age and the selective listening that he has been a victim of, since childhood (as conceded by him) we can understand his hatred (politically correct word would be bias, but in Kuntry land, you get Kuntree words) against “Brahmins” (the spin word for Hindu) in intellectual circles.

When a professor of JNU tells me his argument espouses from his field experiences where he “did not hear such remarks”, it reminds me of our very own madams second-best-selling article (link to refutation by Balbir Punj) on Gujarat riots. These “experiences” are even hard to come by from religion (i.e., opium of the masses). It must be something better that they smoke.

But, then the former Prof of JNU has a twist in the tale: Professor Shah argues that when the Muslim community lives in isolation and in ghettos, it is easier for outsiders to get a handful of people to support their activity.

Apparently the prof did not listen to these “handful” of rioters. What stupid argument is the “I dont hear anything like ‘that'” and in the same breath you talk of the “isolation and ghettos” that the community lives in?

Its about drawing lines, life is. Some people see a set of points and then fit a line to it. Some others draw a line and fit points to suit their lines. I, unfortunately, am good at MS excel.

It is sad in the context of barbaric acts we need to mend things to suit our bias and that too from a professor – Shame on such intellectuals.

Enter Jihadman

…Sleep with one eye open; Gripping your pillow tight; Exit light, enter night…

Metallica rocks. But given a choice, I prefer Tagore’s Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. Operative word: choice.

‘Stop us if you can’, an open challenge. Something you expect an over-confident criminal to say in a second-grade tv series on crime and investigation before they are bashed up by the sleuths. Not so much in real life. Definitely not in a system as complicated as ours.

Let us discount all our notions for a moment and face reality: we are f*****d. I mean, we are supposed to be the ones in the race for superpower and all that. But then, as Calvin put it, reality continues to ruin our lives.

Articles after articles have been written and arguments and counter-arguments provided for all that is wrong with our society. Journalists have criticized the government, inked out sarcastic articles and the government in turn had expressed shock, anger and then condemned the terrorist outfits. The opposition has spoken of the TADA and POTA acts that may have helped with the situation at which time human rights organization rose from its sleep. It is only in the in the interest of sanity that I will not link to any of the above-quoted. But nothing changed.

There is a cycle to all this. I mean, this happens every time we face a threat as the one above – albeit not always so explicitly. Some things never change. In India we are “simpul” people. No, am not claiming we are perfect but definitely we aren’t complicated. We “adjusht maadi” to anything and everything. If we cant, as in the case of the above, we shut the fuck up and go back to our stupid lives.

Neitzsche once said “That which doesnt kill you, only makes you stronger“. For Indians, he would perhaps have edited it thus: “That which doesnt kill you, only makes you indifferent“. I find no other reason why our skins are so thick and why we have zero sense of collective responsibility. And many would like to poke their nose now and ask me what is collective responsibility. I mean responsibility towards the nation – suffrage. Sadly we like suffer-age better.

But what are our choices? A defunct set of morons who would do anything for themselves? I have decided to stop commenting on the drivel served to us in the name of white papers and statements by politicians. I mean, we have a PM who, for the sake of governing, put reforms in the backseat (as ordered by our dear Leftists). A cheap whore in the name of ruling party president who has a (last) name and nothing else. Cabinet ministers who are busy stuffing up cabinets! A fucked up opposition, that is so confused that I am not going to shame myself talking about them. But I have this to say about these morons: I bet the NDA govt could NOT have done any better if they were in power instead of the UPA. Our dear regional parties for whom, India is a map and “bahujan” is priority. Left, well, they are probably the most efficient of the lot – for China, I mean.

Krishna Prasad let this out well in his article on rediff, pertaining to the security system in India. I extrapolate- everything is a joke in India. It is a wonder we still exist! Think what a terrorists’ thought process may be, think of how easy it is for the terrorist to do what he does best in our “free country” and then the real fear will sink in.

There is perhaps nothing much one can do regarding where we stand today. But as a group perhaps we can. Maybe we should, before even as a group we will be rendered useless. But if people have to realize this after listening to me, perhaps they are unworthy of existence in the first place. Stupidity must be declared a crime. Now I wont elucidate on who is “we” and who is “stupid”. For that you will have to dig your own grave.

There must be supremely intelligent people up there – the IASes, the IPSes and the like, not to forget our paanchvi pass mantris. But may I try and offer my 2 paisa on what, according to a poor old graduate, can be done to at least contain the madness we are subject to: This. Last I heard of this, was when NDA was in power – some talk on biometric IDs and all that. But definitely the commies held us by the balls, nothing cholbe-d. I understand that many people do not think that carrying an ID card will make h(n)ot-minded terrorists think anymore but definitely it will make it harder for them. It will make them traceable and Indians in general accountable. It will make it easier for our security infrastructure to operate. We also have to realize that all this will not happen overnight. Let us see if any party brings National ID scheme as an election issue in the upcoming elections. I bet they wont.

One other thing I think we must not do, is lose faith. And I fully understand that is a hard thing to ask Indians to do. But we dont live in the Tagore-land anymore- we never did. We dont have the choice. Gosh, life sucks.

I’m off to never never land…boom!