[EDITORIAL]
A year after Dadri, its lessons remain unlearnt
Muslims
have served India in many different fields with distinction and honour.
But the real tragedy is that this even needs to be said
The
story of Maricha is very popular because of the pivotal role the
character plays in the Ramayan. Maricha helps Ravana lay a trap to
kidnap Sita. It is in the story of Maricha that the idea of the Lakshman rekha is created. The story of Maricha as well as the importance of the Lakshman rekha returned last week in a different guise.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, one of the best actors in contemporary Hindi
cinema, was forced to pull out of the customary Ramlila play in his
native village Budhana. Siddiqui was preparing to play the role of
Maricha. His “childhood dream” of performing in Ramlila will now have to
wait as a group of Shiv Sena workers objected to a Muslim man taking
part. Siddiqui withdrew in the interest of maintaining peace. But he is
upbeat about his chances next year.
What
is indeed disturbing is that a group of self-appointed custodians of
Hindu traditions can now decide the eligibility of Ramlila performers
based on religious affiliation. While Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray
has distanced the party from the threats by his party workers in Uttar
Pradesh, this is a bit convenient coming days after Siddiqui withdrew.
The only leverage the workers of political parties have is their ability
to engage in violence. It is especially chilling that this can happen
with a top-rated, nationally recognized artiste like Siddiqui.
While
it is the state’s law and order apparatus that has to stay firm in
these matters and maintain a complete monopoly on violence, political
parties like the Shiv Sena too need to draw a Lakshman rekha for
their workers. In the past, Narendra Modi has done well to speak against
such hoodlums. But it appears that he too needs to redraw the Lakshman rekha, not just for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers but also for ministers in the Union government.
The
Union minister for culture and tourism, Mahesh Sharma, recently visited
and consoled the family of Ravin Sisodia, the man from Bisara village
who died in police custody. Reports indicate that Sisodia died of
chikungunya but the family alleges foul play. Sisodia was one of the 18
accused in the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was killed by a mob after a
rumour about consuming and storing beef, last year.
Sharma
and Sangeet Som, a BJP legislator, helped broker an agreement between
those protesting on behalf of Sisodia and the district administration.
According to the agreement, as reported by The Indian Express,
Sisodia’s family will receive a compensation of Rs25 lakh—Rs5 lakh of
which will be borne by Sharma and Som—and the police investigation into
charges of cow slaughter against Akhlaq’s family will be monitored by an
11-member committee of residents and legislators from the area. More
shockingly, Sisodia’s body was kept in a coffin draped with the Indian
tricolour while the terms of the agreement were being worked out.
Sisodia’s
death should indeed be investigated. And if any foul play emerges, the
culprits should be booked. But a Union minister taking sides in Akhlaq’s
murder case, which shook the conscience of the entire nation, is
unacceptable. Any argument that Sharma as a local member of Parliament
was merely intervening in a situation which could have spiralled out of
control simply does not wash. There is a pattern to Sharma’s conduct.
Last year, he had termed Akhlaq’s murder an “accident”. In another
abominable statement, Sharma had said that the former president, the
late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was a great nationalist and humanist despite being a Muslim (emphasis added). His prejudices are apparent for everyone to see. If there is a Lakshman rekha for
the conduct of public servants, Sharma clearly stands on the wrong side
of it. Modi should recognize this and show Sharma the exit.
Muslims
have served India in many different fields with distinction and honour.
But the real tragedy is that this even needs to be said. At a time when
Siddiqui is denied a role in the Ramlila, one would do well to remember
the late Rahi Masoom Raza, the great Urdu poet. Raza would become
famous for writing the powerful script and dialogues for B.R. Chopra’s
superhit television series Mahabharat on the Indian epic.
He too faced threats from another set of self-appointed custodians of Hindu religion for daring to write the script for Mahabharat. But Raza did not budge. He believed that the Mahabharat does not belong to Hindus alone, but to all Indians. Raza’s poem Ganga Aur Mahadev
would be a fitting note to end on. The translation goes as follows (the
Hindustani version in Devanagari script can be found at goo.gl/uiN1v7):
My name resembles that of a Muslim
Murder me and set my house ablaze
Plunder my room where my words are still awake
And where after whispering to Tulsi’s Ramayana
I say to Kālidāsa’s Meghadūta:
I too have a message.
Murder me and set my house ablaze
Plunder my room where my words are still awake
And where after whispering to Tulsi’s Ramayana
I say to Kālidāsa’s Meghadūta:
I too have a message.
My name resembles that of a Muslim
Murder me and set my house ablaze
But the holy Ganga is flowing in my veins
Take a fistful of my blood and throw it on Shiva
And tell the hermit: Hey Shiva!
Take the Ganga back
Because it is flowing warm and thick
In the bodies of disreputable Turks.
Murder me and set my house ablaze
But the holy Ganga is flowing in my veins
Take a fistful of my blood and throw it on Shiva
And tell the hermit: Hey Shiva!
Take the Ganga back
Because it is flowing warm and thick
In the bodies of disreputable Turks.
Should Mahesh Sharma be sacked from the council of ministers? Tell us at views@livemint.com
