Comme Ci, Comme Ca

Somewhere in the last five years, the Wadias forgot how to smile. The grief that overtook them wasn’t sudden. It just set in, eventually, and quietly became a part of their lives. Their eyes look sad and tired. Family gatherings are merely an obligation. Their relatives have stopped trying to alter things. They know it doesn’t help. Not too long ago, things were different. There are photographs on the wall that testify. Happy photographs of the family during the kids’ birthday parties, at the breakfast table, New Year’s Eve…But today they remain just that -photographs. Inert memories that hurt at times.

The communal riots that took
Gujarat by surprise on that seemingly quiet day in 2002 changed this family forever. Arzan and Zara fled their home with their mother to escape the rage of angry mobs. They cannot recall much of what happened after that. Except being beaten up, scenes of tyres burning, debris, losing consciousness and losing Arzan.

Arzan has never returned since. His father could do without memories of going through corpses in the mortuary looking for him after the riots. But they didn’t find him then and they still haven’t.

Arzan would be 18 today. Perhaps close to 6 feet tall. He was always keen on football and was class monitor too. He had wanted to be an engineer when he grew up. Every day that he gets off work, Mr. Wadia spends continuing his efforts at finding his lost son, no stone unturned. It’s hard to tell when optimism changed into reluctant resignation. Now they’re just praying for a miracle. Maybe, just maybe Arzan will walk in through the door again someday soon. Like nothing ever happened. They won’t ask him where he was. Maybe he just took a longer walk than usual.

There are hundreds of Arzans and hundreds of pining families. They are the consequence of religious fanaticism. They don’t deserve this. Nobody does. A son is lost to someone’s narrow-mindedness. Life stagnates because of senseless bigotry. Children are deprived of their childhood forever.

This raises many obvious questions. What kind of religion preaches intolerance? What kind of religion endorses taking someone’s life? Wasn’t religion a way to reach God? Surely, no one who doesn’t respect another’s life can reach heaven? If religious fanatics will not relent then- Is it wrong to dream? To have desires hopes and aspirations? Is it wrong for Arzan to have wanted to become an engineer? Is it wrong for him to have liked playing football? Or were his parents wrong to have painted pictures of him in their imagination, standing proudly in his graduation robes? Even if it is wrong to dream, I will.

I have a dream for this country. I have a dream that someday we will stop doubting each other. I have a dream that we will stop feeling threatened by our fellow countrymen. I have a dream that we will put peace before religion. I have a dream that we will accept, appreciate and respect different faiths, because all great religions of the world emphasize the same essential truths, the spiritual potential of man and the commonness of humanity.

Let us all unanimously adopt peace as our faith. Let us treat secularism as more than just a word in our Constitution. Certainly then we can be a country with happier families, smiling children and no burning tyres.

This blog entry is inspired by a true story. A movie- Parzania, has been made on this subject. If it seems too preachy, I don’t mind as long as I can vent my feelings about the wrecked situation in our nation.

There’s something about us Indians. We always react. The only thing we do better is overreact. To act in the first place? Hmm…cure is more convenient that prevention isn’t it? Each of us has an opinion on everything. From the quota issue to terrorism, from the nuclear deal and the bomb blasts to the last episode of big boss. An opinion that we vociferously justify to colleagues at the water cooler, to family at the dinner table or even complete strangers on the bus. ‘Mujhe lagta hai Aishwarya should not marry Abhishek. After all his career is just taking off. Ha ha..’ or ‘I think Sachin should be rested. With all these injuries and all. And Sehwag, yaar he doesn’t do only anything. Usko vice-captain banaya kyu?’…

We have problems here that are waiting to be solved. And we ignore them. Till something goes horribly wrong.
India isn’t shining. Look carefully and it has been burning. It is not for the government to do anything. They hardly do, if you were banking on that. The generation has not awakened. It had, momentarily, but it’s taking a nap again as if life were some boring geography lecture.

We watched munnabhai solving people’s little problems and smiled. We watched as the lives of 5 people changed forever in Rang de basanti and became patriotic. Life was all about Gandhigiri and khalbali and we were suddenly filled with purpose, nationalism and new meaning. Sadly, even the memory of the popcorn you had lasted longer.

Every now and then, we have our moments of enlightenment, not under a bodhi tree, but probably sipping chai in the college canteen. You want to do so much and stop short every single time. Why???

Look, it doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you have or what you’re good at. Just do your bit. Make your little contribution to the country you call home and where you are not white, black, coloured or a dog. Indian is your identity. Be proud of it. I hope I’m doing my good turn by writing to you (the 1-2 people who still visit here) So please stand up for your rights. Don’t be silent spectators. Be silent workers. Stop cribbing. Start acting. I know most of you will read this and go back to doing more important things like- reminding yourself that you need a pair of socks. But I’m counting on the few that will seriously consider this.

Happy New Year.