The Utterances of the high and the mighty
by Bina Srinivasan
How blithely he said: Forget about the post Godhra violence, citizens
of Gujarat, there is so much investment coming into the
State. This, in his capacity as chairperson, IIM Ahmedabad.
So, now all of us can live happily ever after.
After all, there are shopping malls galore that have replaced the
simple vegetable markets and the like. And there is Pizza Hut,
and MacDonalds and so on. Each name more bizarre than the rest.
I think about Gujarat. All the time. And, something starts crumbling.
What is it that begins to fall apart in Gujarat? Is it the notion
of democracy, citizenship? I wonder. Maybe. Or
maybe it is more than that. Like sheer humanity. When
my neighbour tells me that in 2002, she told her domestic help that she
should also go and loot the near by fruit vendor's place, since
everybody was doing it, a chill runs through my spine.
What happened to her, my neighbour? Who is so good to me, so good
with plants, with mongrel dogs, who gather each day at her gate for
their meals. I admire her. Yet, I don't.
Lately, I heard that there have been more than 30 'encounter' deaths in
2006 in a span of seven months in Gujarat. Three guesses
for the religious community of these people, who were picked up and
done to death. Just like that.
Come easy. Go easy. As they say. Yet going is
never easy. Especially not when you are being raped by policemen
and then being burnt alive.
You must remember that Gujarat is a fascist paradise. And the
erosion of democratic rights is complete. Specially if you
are poor, Muslim and a woman. No jokes intended. I have
always said so and will reiterate: we saw the transformation of the
state. It's a Hindu Rashtra.
All of you who are skeptical about these words. Just also mark
these words. Gujarat was no laboratory, as a friend of mine
pointed out today to me. It was and is just ripe. Like, an
Alphonso mango.
And now we are told we must forget about Godhra and its
aftermath. That means we blank ourselves to the 81 relief
colonies that exist. Or the number of women who have been
forced to take to sex work. Or the families who live in abysmal
poverty, denied now of sanitation, water supply and what have
you. Don't even talk about luxuries of education. Did
I hear somebody say, education for Muslim girls?? Now, that is a
joke.
A Hindu Rashtra out to eliminate a quarter of its citizens.
Let's all forget Hitler too.
I have middle class Muslim friends whose eyes go weird with tears when they talk about living in ghettos.
Helpless. Hopeless.
Unless we take to the streets.
The other end of the spectrum, of course, is Nandigram. Screaming
and screeching with the truth about a world riven with globalisation,
and a different kind of fundamentalism.
Want to flip a coin and make a choice? Choose. And then tell me
if you can live happily ever after. I will migrate to your
island.