Obama's victory - a hope and a lesson for India

5 November 08
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Senator Barack Hussein Obama’s victory in the US presidential elections holds hope, and a lesson, for an India still coming to grips with its own mufti cultural, multi ethnic, mufti linguistic and multi religious identity.

The US, like India, is a majority of minorities. The supremacy of an elite upper caste – racial or religious – cannot last forever. As Obama said, it is not America’s wealth, now discredited, or its military night, defeated in Vietnam, for instance, that make it great, but the commitment of it many peoples to commit themselves to the ideals of the founding fathers for a land of hope, equality, liberty, democracy and opportunity.

Mahatma Phule, Jawaharlal Nehru and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi too had dreamt of this for an India where the governments would be of the people, by the people, for the people -- from Dalits including Dalit Christians, Tribals, landless farmers all the way to the megapolises of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Hyderabad.

There are lessons both for the BJP and the Congress and for other political parties that they need to build grand coalitions of all people, instead of appeasing majority communities, or upper middle class elite, or religious fundamentalists.

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ABVP disrupts University Program spits on Geelani

ABVP activists vandalise Delhi varsity building

Parul Sharma

Protester spits on S.A.R. Geelani; group hurls abuses and disrupts a seminar attended by him

— Photos: Rajeev Bhatt 

CHAOS AND CONFRONTATION: S.A.R. Geelani (centre), acquitted by the Supreme Court in the Parliament attack case, trying to defuse tension created when a student (right) spat on him while he was attending a seminar in Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Protesting against the presence of S. A. R. Geelani, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the Parliament attack case, activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Thursday vandalised the Arts Faculty building at Delhi University, where a seminar was in progress. A protester even spat on Mr. Geelani.

A lecturer at the Zakir Husain College, Mr. Geelani had been invited by a newly formed group, University Community, to chair a meeting on ‘Communalism, Fascism and Democracy: Rhetoric and Reality’ in Room No. 22 of the Arts Faculty building on the North Campus.  more 

Bajrang Dal leadedr Mahendra Kumar against Sangliana

MANGALORE: Former state convener of Bajrang Dal Mahendra Kumar was released from the district prison here on Saturday after being granted bail by the Chikmgalur sessions court on Friday in one of the pending criminal cases.

His advocate argued he had already got bail in two cases from the high court and on that basis he should be given bail in this case too. Though Kumar got bail in two cases, he could not be released as there was one more case pending at the Chikmagalur sessions court.

Before leaving for Koppa, after his supporters took out a small procession, Kumar said he will continue to be in the Bajrang Dal and stay committed to the organization . He urged the state to arrest Karnataka Missions Network patron H T Sangliana for encouraging conversions.  more 

Tehelka Interview with Bajrang Dal head, Prakash Sharma

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 44, Dated Nov 08, 2008

CULTURE & SOCIETY   provocations

‘Muslims, widen your hearts’

......................

How do you justify your demographic insecurities? We are a billion plus. Minorities barely make up 18 percent. Orissa has 95 percent Hindus – 
Don’t look at it at a national level. Go to the particular district and see. There used to be a few thousand Christians there, now there are several lakhs. Why did only particular portions of India become Pakistan and Bangladesh? Because they were Muslim majority areas. Why are there secessionist movements in Christian dominated regions of the north-east? In the future, there might be fresh talk of partitions. They will raise their populations then ask for partitions. You will not understand these things. We do not oppose Muslims per se, we only oppose statements like Abdullah Bukhari who said recently that they will create such a movement, things will be worse than 1947.

These are extreme views. Statements like his are criticised by everybody.
No. Read the history of the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. Read what Muslim leaders said on the discussion table. They said what proof do you have that this is the birthplace of Ram? What proof do we have that our fathers are who we think they are? For centuries we have believed that Ayodhya is Ram’s birthplace and Muslims can have the courage to ask us for proof of that! One of them said that if tomorrow my wife delivers a baby in a Boeing 737, am I going to take the Boeing? This is the level of conversation there was. Despite the fact that you and I are hostile to each other and think so differently on things, we have been able to talk for a couple of hours. You have been able to question me on everything. I can guarantee you will not be able to have such a conversation with a Muslim leader. If you do manage such a conversation, I will accept I was wrong and start listening to what you say. I do not want to criticize the Koran, but if they say that the Koran teaches that kafirs should be defeated and this will be rewarded with heaven, shouldn’t Muslims themselves debate this? You asked why there can’t be discussion instead of violence -- why don’t people like you debate these things? Today every Muslim looks suspect to me and to others. Why is this the case? Because one does not see openness and a desire for discussion among them. There may be a few who want to debate and discuss, but largely Muslims themselves are not ready to talk about all the secularism you are talking about.

Many influential maulvis have recently put out a fatwa against militant jihad. 
That is just drama! It is too little too late.

What can one do if you denounce even positive things? 
That is because one does not see a genuine change of mood and desire for dialogue among ordinary Muslims. We might have different mothers and cultures, but why can’t they accept the three big important cultural references of this land – the cow, the Ganga, and the motherland Bharatmata as motherland as being a part of their lives? These could have a common sanctity between us.

Why must you insist on these things? Every culture has its own beliefs. There are other ways of coexisting. All this divisive talk has no end. Hindus, Muslims, Gujjars, Meenas.
There is a big difference between different Indians fighting domestically over a share of the State’s pie and those who challenge the very sovereignity of India.

With regard to Muslims also, it is a question of equal opportunity. The Sachar Committee report --

No, no, please don’t compare the two. Don’t compare the desire for jihad and Islamic states with fights over domestic government handouts. I come back to the simple point I made earlier: I am ready to invite Muslim maulvis to read the namaaz five times in the most revered temple in Kanpur. Are they ready to let us read the Hanuman chalisa just once in the Jama Masjid or any of their mosques? The uncomfortable truth you don’t want to face is that they are not open. On any issue, let Muslims take the initiative, every road will open up. Go back to the Ramjanmabhoomi movement itself. You will find the only reason the talks broke down so totally is because Shri Shahbuddin made that incendiary statement: “What proof do you have Ram was born here?” If you question our very identity, the basic fount of our culture -- Did Ram exist or not -- what discussion can there be? Let them take the initiative on anything. Let them amicably give us the three birthplaces, and there will be no more fight. Does any Muslim leader have the courage and statesmanship to initiate talk on this? 

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