This Diwali, let us pledge to end the politics of hate and ring in the joy of love and cooperation in our democracy, says REENA SINGH
As we get ready to celebrate Diwali this year, let each of us take stock of the ground reality. Are we in a good place emotionally, mentally, and physically? Is our democracy as vibrant as we claim it is? Are the four pillars of democracy, the legislature, executive, judiciary and the media, the fourth estate working in harmony and doing their job?
Should we look at ourselves only and live in our glass houses or should we look beyond the glass and the glitter? Should we be safe and speak not or should we speak out with freedom, without fear of the powers that are?
Too many questions, and several that we dare not ask or really can’t answer!
Diwali is a joyous occasion tied up with visions of colour, lights and laughter. Dusshera traditionally sets the tone a couple of weeks earlier when we defeat the evil within us and see it going up in smoke as Ravana’s effigy burns in giant Ramlila grounds.
But is evil really dead? We have been burning Ravana for aeons, but that vicious demon keeps popping up every now and then, throughout the year.
We often follow the mob and the voice of the majority, because there’s safety in numbers, and ‘happiness’, too! Is it? Hey, where’s that little inner voice? We happily take part in media trials, in societal witch hunts, quite pleased when we dethrone another to suit our own selfish ends as we get swayed by social media and notifications from WhatsApp University.
So much fun and much more convenient, nah?
Now, twitter, Instagram and Facebook hands out juicy details from outside newsrooms.
Ethics committees have now become the conscience keepers of our nation. In our so-called vibrant democracy, a bunch of ‘rulers’, chosen to represent the goodness in all of us, are the judge, the jury, all in one. They find someone guilty without a fair trial; they question the credibility of the ‘accused’ and believe the accuser’s allegations like they are words emanating from divine sources. So quickly is a sentence pronounced and we sit back and watch silently!
A couple of days and we will celebrate ‘Happy Diwali,’ without sparing a thought about whether we have the freedom of speech, freedom to oppose, to speak out in Parliament and public, to dissent and disagree, to speak our heart out, to look into our souls ― do these all exist or not? If they do, shout about it from the rooftops; if they don’t, please don’t run away, face it and do something to bring it back!
When we were young, we were told that competition was healthy, that each one of us might have a point of view that might be different from ours and that a healthy debate could resolve any issue.
Has that all changed? Speak up and give an honest answer: yes or no? Is it good for a democracy when all opposition is considered bad, and the ruling people are all paragons of virtue? Is this really the true picture?
Is suspension, jail and ignominy the lot of people, who seek answers and want to know the truth? .
Unfair, right? But who cares? So long as we get to enjoy our little pleasures in life, everything’s fine. Who cares if a questioning parliamentarian is hounded, suspended and disgraced without being given a fair hearing? What’s happened to that great line, ‘innocent until proven guilty?’
I was ever proud of being born Indian ― that plucky, intelligent race that showed the world that we had our hearts in the right place, and that we could put in the hard work needed to lift ourselves out of the mess the Brits had left us in. Life during our childhood was very different from what the typical upper-middle class brat experiences today.
We lived on a budget, ate home-cooked food and got presents once a year on our birthdays and another little something for Diwali. Now, every time, I open my laptop, it is to order something ― generally food and electronics that might have transformed the way we live, but it has also given us diabetes, stress and other lifestyle diseases.
So much has changed over the years. Even names of cities have changed; as has the weather ― and the air that we are forced to breathe in North India during November and December.
But this Diwali ― let us make a pledge ― to pull ourselves out of our bigotry, hate and narrow-minded visions. To see the light and to work for the common good. Of All.
Let us this Diwali show the door to politicians who divide and rule. If we do this, I am sure our India, that is Bharat, will be a better and happier place to live in. This Diwali, let us pledge to end the politics of hate and ring in the joy of love and cooperation in our democracy.
Reena Singh has more than 39 years’ experience in senior editorial positions in The Times of India (TOI) and Genpact. She was Deputy Editor with TOI’s spiritual newspaper, The Speaking Tree, where she spent more than nine years.
Image by Jatinder Jeetu from Pixabay