Political rhetoric and divisive tactics are exacerbating India's communal tensions and impacting daily life. Let’s find out how history, current challenges, and my personal reflections accentuate the need for unity and sensitivity, writes Humra Quraishi.

Photography: Vinta Nanda

India is witnessing a dangerous rise in communal tensions fuelled by divisive political rhetoric. Recent remarks by BJP’s Anurag Thakur in Parliament mark this disturbing trend. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s measured response stresses the need for class and refinement in political discourse. As corruption infiltrates education and hate crimes rise, the plight of the masses worsens. Amid natural disasters and economic challenges, it's crucial for watchdog groups to counteract these divisive tactics. By understanding the history of Hindu-Muslim coexistence, we can strive for a more united and peaceful nation.

Communal Divide: Urgent Call for Unity

It was shocking to hear what BJP’s Anurag Thakur said in Parliament regarding caste, and his crude remark hurled at the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. Of course, Rahul Gandhi handled it very well, like a gentleman equipped with not just knowledge but class and refinement. I recall Khushwant Singh telling me soon after meeting Rahul Gandhi that he was very impressed with the young Gandhi, who came across as sincere, earnest, and very well aware of the ground realities. All these aspects of him are evident as he takes on the Right-Wing rulers of the day. His rejoinders are not just crisp and tight but also apt. He seems to be the one person who can halt the havoc and save this country and the masses from the ongoing disasters.

THE RIGHT-WING AGENDA

Ignoring Pressing Issues

Today, the grim fact is this: the Right-Wing rulers of the day do not wish to talk or dwell on the severe problems facing the citizens. They seem busy trying to unleash hatred for the ‘other’ along the Hindu-Muslim strain, not bothering whether we, the masses, live or die! They can’t see the seriousness of it all, with basic infrastructures giving way as nature’s fury rises unabated, floods and disasters hitting and killing many among us. They don’t dwell on the rising prices of everyday commodities, making it difficult to run the kitchen. They don’t talk about the increasing numbers of unemployed. They do not even acknowledge the fact that corruption has infiltrated the education sphere in a dangerous way, affecting the future of hundreds and thousands of our students. They don’t talk about the rising crime graph. They don’t seem bothered if hate crimes and lynchings are happening more often, amidst the communal pollution spreading out as never before. They don’t seem bothered if hundreds among us are rendered homeless after bulldozers destroy home after home. This is the plight of the citizens!

Distracting the Masses

In the midst of this severe crisis and havoc, all possible ways are being used by the Right-Wing to add to the communal tension. Today, such distractions are rampant. Any crisis, big or small, is dragged along with typical communal ploys to hoodwink the masses. It’s an utterly painful situation. After all, Hindus and Muslims have lived together in this country for centuries, co-existing with a certain level of respect and love for each other. Togetherness between communities was intact until about the ‘70s, where each community recognized the differences and yet lived on par.

HISTORICAL COEXISTENCE

Mutual Respect and Sensitivity

Though several of my parents’ and grandparents’ friends would not eat at our place, they would decline subtly, saying, “aaj hamara vrat hai” (today we are fasting). Probably, the non-vegetarian fare cooked in our homes was the reason, but it was gently put across, so there was nothing hurtful about it. Refinement or sensitivity was still largely intact.

Food and Fruit Sellers Under Attack

Today there could be attacks on food and fruit sellers for various reasons, but we decide to keep away! There could be hundreds and thousands of food bloggers and food enthusiasts, yet not one stands up to voice their disgust at those Right-Wing communal tactics, which are unsparing even to daily wagers, all those hapless sellers!

Can food and fruit be spared from this Hindu-Muslim divide? I’m reminded of what Sufi Hazrat Nizamuddin said - words along the lines of: when our Creator didn’t discriminate between countries, communities, castes, and creeds while spreading out His bounty - sunshine, trees, fruits, rivers, and the air we breathe – then who are we, fragile human beings, to interfere and impose restrictions?

THE ROLE OF MEDIA AND WATCHDOGS

Need for Watchdog Groups

Where are the watchdog groups that could order the communal characters to shut up immediately so they can’t advance their communal ploys further? Today, it’s frightful how television debates take place; shrieks and counter-screams, never really focusing on the actual issues and genuine concerns of the citizens. Even at the cost of being repetitive, let me say that only a handful are speaking out, resisting the poisonous spread by the Right-Wing forces, who seem determined to push the already battered communities into some sort of oblivion or towards the worst kind of hopelessness, where even basic confidence gets hit.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Experiences of Subtle Discrimination

Looking back, as a child or even as an adult, I wasn’t particularly confident about my knowledge of the various customs and the meanings tucked in the various greetings and more. Though my parents had engaged a maulvi sahib, there were few meaningful discussions at home. In fact, I started saying ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’ with a certain degree of confidence only after Khushwant Singh insisted he would greet me that way, after prefacing it with “Tum kaise Musalmaan ho… As-Salaam-Alaikum nahin kahtee ho!… This greeting carries such a beautiful meaning – May peace be on you.”

Let me also sheepishly add that though Avadhi cuisine was famous and food was central in my parents’ home (my parents always employed a khansamah/cook, and the dining table was laden with at least three if not four dishes at every meal), I was somewhat apologetic about the non-vegetarian fare in my tiffin. I recall an incident from my school days which shows how children react to differences.

During my father’s posting in Jhansi, my younger sister Habiba and I were enrolled in the St. Francis convent, where lunch had to be ferried from home and eaten in a common dining hall. When Habiba would excitedly open the huge tiffin from home and take out those large rumali rotis and kababs, I used to sit embarrassed, more so as I looked around and saw the tiffins of the other kids stuffed with the usual daal and sabzis and smaller rounded rotis/phulkas. I recall even pinching my sister’s arms for over-displaying the rumali rotis and inviting comments from the school kids, “Never seen these big, huge rotis…so different…you’re eating different stuff! Why not our type of rotis… our phulkas and daal?…”

All those subtle taunts from those yesteryears seem harmless compared to the dangerous ongoing communal unleashes that started after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. The biased role of those at the helm is ever so obvious, as though ‘okaying’ the dangerous build-ups.

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A CALL FOR UNITY

Today, it’s imperative that we, as a nation, recognize these divisive tactics and work towards restoring unity and peace. Leaders and citizens alike must strive to rebuild the bonds of mutual respect and coexistence, ensuring a harmonious future for all.