Any violent attack on any group of people based on ‘otherness’ should be condemned by civil society. Such perpetuators should be punished. The attack of students in Australia on the basis of race should be condemned by the International community and the Australian Government should bring the perpetuators of such crime to book immediately. According to UN, definition for racism is: ‘prejudice based on caste, colour, gender or race along with a biased attitude or ridiculing a person based on his/her abilities or character.’ But it is high time for Indians to introspection of their own attitude towards fellow Indians.
Media rises as single person to defend Shilpa against racist remark, as well as Harbhajan Singh – in his monkey episode. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) wants to protect Mumbai from the ‘infection and infiltration’ of UP and Bihar bhaiyas. And there are political parties who call themselves as ‘nationalist’ and ‘patriots’ want to have electoral understanding with that party. And the very same party wants Indian Government to condemn attacks of Indian students in Australia. Biharis are hounded out of Assam. One businessman dismissed all his Muslim employees but raises his voice against racism in Australia because his son studies there. What hypocrisy?
How does the mainline entertainment industry treat South Indians? Their style of speaking Hindi is ridiculed in the comedy track of movies. All people from South of Vindyas are commonly termed as ‘madarassi’ with derogatory connotations, even though they speak four different languages. What about Sardars, the brave Sikhs from Punjab? Are they not become a butt of jokes? They are humiliated as fools, innocent, ignorant and naïve.
And what about school curriculum in a group of schools run by Sangh Parivar. Are not the minorities portrayed as traitors and object of hatred.
Think of the owners of the private sector companies who do not want reservation for backward or scheduled castes or scheduled tribes in their firms. They claim that they do not discriminate in their recruitment process. Study reveals that the surnames indicates the caste of a person, hence the other communities are rejected even before the actual reservation process begins.
Think about the Dalits in this nation. They have no entry in prestigious institutions like AIIMS or IITs, even if they enter, they are discriminated. Separate eating places and living quarters. In Villages, Dalits are not allowed to walk on certain streets with sandals’, a Dalit girl cannot ride on her cycle to school in Orissa, not allowed to enter temples, sometimes punished for that; treated like dogs without human dignity. One fringe organization could declare to media that the life of cow is more valuable than a life of a Dalit.
When Dalits organize themselves as another worship with little different format, their leaders would be gunned down like dogs, even when they are in Venice. They are considered as heretics and hounded in all levels of society.
What about religious minorities? Sikhs butchered in Delhi and in several parts of India in 1984. Muslims eliminated in 2002 in Gujarat with State Government sponsorship. Christians killed in 2008 in Kandhamal with Government policy of non-interference and non-performance.
These news from India do not become prime time news in television or hot subject for blog. There is no statement from any political leader condemning these. Do Indians have any moral right to speak about racism?
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