As we segue into a new year, there is talk of war in the air. In a perfect world, we would be talking of peace instead. Wishing each other joy and prosperity, celebrating a season of peace and brotherhood. Ringing in the new. Ringing out the old with ease. In a not-so-perfect world riddled with fissures, such bonhomie sounds like a fairytale. India is still recovering from the brutal terror strike of November 26. Mumbai’s wounds fester. The fear that gripped us during the city’s siege smolders in our collective memory. Anger and unease still overwhelm us. So like a recurring chorus, war crops up in conversations at street corners and dhabas and college campuses. It resonates within the cocoon of five star hotels; makes it to the table at black tux dinners and socialite lunches. Is war the answer to our anxieties? Millions of Indians are mulling over the question as a new year dawns.
Those who make a case for waging war on Pakistan dredge up many reasons. War will send a strong message. War will scar the enemy in indelible ways. War can prove India’s might and salvage national pride. Peace is a twilight zone; war is the clear light of day. If war is all this, then this is the perfect hour for introspection. Let’s take a good look at the wars we have declared within our country. These wars are not waged on enemy territory. They are being fought with chilling regularity in our cities and small towns. They are ugly. They cause untold damage. They deny people fundamental freedoms and gloat over their misery. These wars are as ruthless as massacres engineered by machine guns and cluster bombs. They march ahead and sow the seeds of xenophobia to happily reap the bloody harvest.
These battles are staged every day. They corrode the plural, secular ethos of our country like a deadly poison. They are happening everywhere, everyday. A friend who recently shifted base from Kolkata to Delhi had the most harrowing house hunt of her life. Her story is not an isolated instance. People living in other cities and towns have similar experiences to share. Hina moved to the capital three months ago. She trawled all of south Delhi in search of rented accommodation. Weeks went by. Meetings with prospective landlords and ladies went on. Her interactions with them were always pleasant. They showed a great deal of interest in her job (television producer), her car (a brand new Chevrolet), her future plans (marriage, children). Everybody was courteous. Everybody promised to get in touch soon. Most of them never bothered to call back. The ones who did spat out the real reason behind their reluctance. She had the right credentials and the right credit cards. But her Muslim surname stuck out like a sore thumb in their faces. Landlords were not ashamed to say that they were keen on finding Hindu tenants to occupy their territory. Indian citizens of other faiths were clearly not welcome to their homes.
Why are our metros and burgeoning small towns turning to ghettos? Why do we allow such blind prejudice to flourish? Instead of baying for the enemies’ blood and asking Indian soldiers to charge across the border, we should be channeling all our energies into battling this tide of prejudice. This is a war worth fighting. A war we need to win before the tide sweeps us off our feet and drowns us for good. How can a divided house hope to stand up against external aggression? How can we waste our time and energy in drawing battle lines among ourselves?
The new year is a good time to wage constructive wars. It is the perfect season to take up arms against divisive forces. The time to fight politicians who make inflammatory speeches. Boycott leaders who demonise people belonging to any particular community. Battle politicos of all hues and affiliations who divide the electorate on the basis of faith. Wage a war on anyone who discriminates between Hindu and Muslim, Christian and Sikh. Challenge their false claims of exclusivity. Find loopholes in their dubious arguments. Stop them, by any means necessary, from polluting the air with conspiracy theories. Instead of crying hoarse about the enemy at our gates, we could resolve to take on the demons who engage in demented divide and rule politics. Declare a war against the politics of hatred. Welcome leaders who preach and practice tolerance towards all differences.
We could declare a war against inequity. Against the growing gap between the super rich and the starving man, between high rise and shanty town, the land mafia and the tribal cheated of forest rights, the money lender and the suicidal farmer. Against child labor and crippling poverty, female feticide and gender discrimination. Against malnutrition and maternal mortality. Against bonded labor and sweatshop enslavement. There is so much to fight, so much to set right in our own backyard. Are we going to continue to turn a blind eye to this mess and insist on dispatching our army to vanquish enemies across the border? Are we going to take cover behind another trumped up war and ignore the real battles we must fight? A new year, no matter how imperfect, is a time for new beginnings. A time for hope. A time for change. Whether the Indian government will decide to aggressively act against terrorist groups on Pakistani territory is still a matter of speculation. Governments will come and go, enacting draconian laws that promise to deliver us from all evil. No matter which way the pendulum swings, no matter how many dead laws are resurrected, let’s hope this new year sees the Indian citizen spearheading movements of change. Let’s hope to see an awakening of public consciousness that builds a lasting peace this year.
