We live in hard times…. : The Tribune India

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We live in hard times….

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

We live in hard times….

SECULARISM MUST: Hindus and Muslims together hold a religious ritual. AFP



Sanjeev Suri

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

— The Second Coming, WB Yeats

We are living in depressingly uncertain and hard times. Our children are being raped and murdered. Our voices are being muzzled as we are condemned to live an irrational life. The conscience of the country weeps as our intellectuals and thinkers, the conscience-keepers, are being eliminated. The Father of the Nation has become a chatur baniya. Books and films are vandalised. Jobs have depleted and jobless youth are being consumed by drugs. Children are dying in hospitals because of ramshackle health services.  The pluralistic, secular, spiritual, societal and human values are thrown to the wind. We are just being given high-sounding assurances that all is well in the New India.

1First of all, the corridors of learning. A new frightening picture that has emerged is of the vulnerability of our children in schools that are exposed to violence, kidnapping, exploitation, corporal punishment and abuse. Parents cannot think even in their wildest dreams that the schools will not respond to their children's cries for help. The institutes whose principals and teachers become suspects are a blot on the education system. The heart-rending killing of the 7-year-old-child in a Gurugram school that has captured national attention must not escape our serious consideration. This tragic incident has raised new awareness of social safety issues. It is the responsibility of the school managements to provide a safe environment on their premises. All stakeholders should crusade against all forms of exploitation of the children across the school campuses. 

2Pluralism as a way of thinking has been the cardinal principle of our civilisation. The makers of our Constitution knew that the dismantlingof pluralism in ideological or institutional terms would be a threat to our liberal democracy. It cannot be denied that religious diversity sometimes leads to disagreements and dissensions, but toleration can restore agreement and consensus. Only a just balance between freedom and equality within the constitutional framework will save our democracy. In the present era, when we talk of global civil society, communalism and intolerance have put a big question mark on the political probity of the present regime. Public support for multiculturalism may dip, but it should not get official and political endorsement as it makes minorities experience feelings of alienation. Social fragmentation in any form widens disparities and inequalities. Stress must be on fostering inclusive society that plays a very significant role in promoting sustainable human development. Everyone should have full participation in all aspects of life. Any tampering with pluralistic, multicultural and secular structure of our society will make us a poorer civilisation. 

3Admittedly, varying political systems preach their own forms of indoctrination, but societies that are indoctrinated and radicalised invariably disintegrate. Here no promise of development can veil societal and political chaos. It is the biggest shame to democracy that aggressive, irrational and intolerant forces have gained strength. Violence motivated by religious hatred has the potential to consume the country. Religious tolerance must be valued as the key to a peaceful and harmonious society. The government has to ensure the free and fearless exercise of all religious beliefs. Social cohesion can't be sacrificed or left up to the whims of some aggressive and intolerant people who are out to create bad blood in the society. 

4Dissension is the theme of democracy that certainly strengthens the dynamics of our liberal society. Philosopher John Locke made the following observation in the Letter Concerning Toleration: "The authorities have no right to tell people what to think or believe; it is unacceptable that people should quit the light of their own reason, and oppose the dictates of their own conscience, and blindly resign themselves upto the will of their governors." 

The gruesome elimination of MM Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh has damaged the government's standing. The government will have to rein in such elements to protect its credibility. The government's performance has fallen short of expectations as it has failed to provide economic leadership. Its impractical decisions have accentuated the country's economic decline. The BJP campaign during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll had one dominant theme: that of opportunities. The electorate was allured by it. What has become of those opportunities? Instead, the country got a very complex system of vexatious formalities involving Aadhaar Card, Pan Card, GST, demonetisation… The country believed in the doctrine of achhe din with all faithfulness, but now it is held up to ridicule. The country feels cheated. Now, we can no more bask in the warmth of cosy promises, startling coinages and flashy verbal jugglery. Enough willing suspension of disbelief! 


The writer is a professor of English in MCM DAV College, Kangra

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