In India, Diwali: Lamps That Glow But Without Light
By Karthik Ramanathan
20 November, 2015
Countercurrents.org
“Aisey dastoor ko, Sub-he-be-noor ko, Main nahein maanta, Main nahein jaanta”.
[Such a system, a dawn without sunlight, I will never accept, I will never acknowledge].
– Pakistani poet Habib Jalib.
To a distant onlooker, the events of the last two years all but seems impossible to comprehend or even accept. First, Narendra Modi, a leader accused of orchestrating a genocide against Muslims in the state of Gujarat in 2002 based that was unprecedented in India in many ways is selected by the then far right opposition party BJP in 2013 as its Prime Ministerial candidate [1]. Subsequent support came from sections of big money and general media minimization of the genocide, goading a hesitant population with a depoliticized middle class to vote for Mr. Modi. And then he is elected Prime Minister of India despite the vast popular majority voting against him, thanks to a division of opposition votes in a multi-cornered contest.
Some might question these expressions of shock. But if the religion of the proponents and the victims were reversed, lets say, a Islamic terrorist outfit were to nominate for India’s Prime Ministership, a candidate who was even alleged to have targeted majority Hindus, then there will be little debate in not only expressing shock but also serious condemnation of the effort. We return to reality where the proponents claim to be Hindus and victims are Muslim and Christian minorities. Then what is understood to be despicable is made acceptable and what is considered impossible is made possible.
Policies in Hinduism namesake, but resembling British Imperialism
In the discussion of festivities that the title of this article alludes to, in one of his very first moves after being sworn in as Prime Minister in May of 2014, Mr. Modi in an unprecedented move refused to attend the annual Iftar party for Muslim leaders that is hosted by the President of India during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan [2]. This sent shock waves to not only muslims but every decent Indian, who at the very least believe that India is a nation that ensures fairness and equality for all. Attempts to divide people on religion, a favored tactic of Imperial Britain’s policies of divide and conquer, then extended into December when school children across the nation were ordered to attend school on Christmas. [3]
Such actions were expected to worsen based on Mr. Modi’s trajectory and the inertia of the movement he leads.[4] Even President Obama on a trip, reminded India about its constitutional guarantees and warned “India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith”. [5]
The concerns and warnings fell on deaf ears. Across India in recent months, there have been attacks on writers, minorities and marginalized communities. This is a government that does not seem to learn from its actions and does not repent for anything. [6].
Celebration of light in the darkness of terror and hate
The crackdown on those opposing the government continues unabated in India. The Hindu religion, in whose name Mr. Modi’s party seeks a mandate, is deeply rooted in its connection to nature and the environment yet Mr. Modi’s government continues its crackdown on very promising environmental groups such as Greenpeace India, who have campaigned for the most marginalized of India’s tribal communities and their environment.
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is a celebration of light over darkness. In India, however, the state machinery is taking quite a different and dark direction, one that betrays all the millennia of India’s cultural diversity and the trappings of her struggle for freedom.
The coming days will provide many opportunities to Indians for the moment of truth. Moments to realize that a Diwali without a Christmas or a Eid, just like that dawn withouth sunlight, is a contradiction. Will those of us at close proximity risk our own to protect the lives of the victims of Hindu Terror or will those from a privileged distance arise to expose the hollowness of those claiming to protect cows even as they are silent about the murder of human beings? The answers may well decide the future meaning of the lamps of Diwali.
Karthik Ramanathan is a tech worker currently based out of California. He has written about and been involved with various human rights and environmental causes outside of his work. He can be reached at [email protected]
References:
1. http://pantheon.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/
4. http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/fighting-intolerance/article7809447.ece?homepage=true
5. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/27/remarks-president-obama-address-people-india
6. http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/4/modis-deafening-silence-on-activist-assassinations.html