The India I Want

What I am sharing here might defy the logics of the historians and the wisdom of the intellectuals. Nonetheless, many ordinary men and women like me across the country would resonate with the feeling I share, and the ambition I hold dearly for this country.

The other day, we were travelling in train back to Chennai. There was a young girl travelling alone, and was negotiating with the ticket inspector to see the possibility of having a seat, even if it meant to travel sitting whole night.

One did not have to look again to gauge the anxiety filled in her heart that was reflecting in the depth of her eyes that has gone shallow from not knowing what to do. She was asked to get down in the next station, and take another ticket and wait for the next train to come a few hours later after midnight. Travelling in the general compartment of Indian Railways requires special strength and ability to endure that even most men would try and avoid, let alone a girl of her strength and stature.

The conversation of that girl and the ticket inspector got our attention. As it reached a near conclusion that she have to get down, we approached her and asked if she would mind sharing a berth with our daughter who is only 7 years old and is relatively thin and could adjust and accommodate two of them as she too was of thin frame. She approached the inspector and sorted it out accordingly, to travel as an ‘accompanying passenger’ with us!

The only criteria we had in volunteering to share my daughter's berth in train with a young hindu girl who was asked to leave the compartment for not having a confirmed reservation was the understanding of the human difficulty that girl will face in that odd hour of the night. It shouldn’t be surprising to know if you were not surprised at all reading this line, and if this line appeared to be so natural a conclusion for you too in a situation like this, for that is what we all are, and that’s what the fabric of India is made of; it’s not about my wife and I, it’s about us; we all – the ordinary men and women – wouldn’t have to think twice on what decision to make in helping another person; because, in their faces we have the sensitivity to see the face of our children, our brethrens, those dear and beloved to us!

Across India, many such simple stories can be seen as being lived daily. A hindu women waiting patiently outside an ICU of a hospital where her muslim neighbor is recovering slowly was yet another sight that has strengthened my belief in the plurality and love the true India share, just to cite another example from our daily lives!

How then can a few men behind senseless banners make the choices for millions whose humble wish is not to bask in the majestic glory and the debris of kings and queens of the past but to live and let live in peace, engaged in a daily battle to fill a plate for their children building a tri-colour nation - a nation proclaimed for unity in diversity.

How can a ‘board’ represent the millions and make decisions on their behalf? To a large extent, they are individual decisions, or the choice of a few men in disguise of public interest or in the interest of a community. I would rather have a referendum within the community on the course of actions, though it might not be what we are used to, but let new practices begin when the old ones have become redundant.

What is it other than the ruthless ego that is driving either front to hang on to a piece of land to build a place of worship in a nation where land is in abundance? Now, this might make at least a few think of the ‘follishness’ of the suggestion, for it doesn’t fit to the intellectual framework of the learned’s thoughts! So be it. Let us do something foolish, if it will mean people of this nation will have a sustainable platform to live and grow wise, with faith in each other, and not hatred for each other.

Can we not abandon the legacy of kings and the false rhetoric in the name of God?

For, the form of God does not lie in a heap of concrete and pillars; it lies in the strength of tolerance, it lies in the willingness to co-exist, it lies in the ability to love, see through the eyes the glow of hearts and the suffering within.

We have written enough and more pages of stories of rifts and riots; can we not spare a few remaining pages to write stories of unity, tolerance, love and growth together? The title of that chapter was written more than five decades ago: "Unity In Diversity".

We must write its content. You and I.


Shahir
10.10.10