Making India Moral

In the hectic world today, where we hardly have time to stop, the ability to think has completely vanished. I too am a slave to the same routine and my ability to analyse and opinionate has been affected by the same. Today, however, is an exception. While watching the movie, “A Billion Colour Story” and it simply struck a chord somewhere. The India as I remember is long gone. The image that we used to have as young kids of Arabic nations, where women were not free to do as they wished, wear what they wanted, had no free say — is now a picture of India. In fact, matters are much worse here in India, where women are increasingly objectified and treated as a commodity. Every day in every city, women are being raped. Social media is full of hate comments and messages, telling women what to wear, how to wear, what to say and how to behave in public. The extent of intolerance is such that people even have started sending death threats on social media.

People are openly propagating against or in favor of a particular religion. What has happened to our secular India? What has happened to the freedom of speech? Children are taught the postulates of Indian Constitution in school. However, at home they are taught just the opposite. Being a Hindu myself, I can name families and people who actually teach the society to hate Muslims. Thankfully, I have been born in a secular family and my parents always taught me to believe (or not believe) in people and their ethics, instead of religion. I had a Muslim rikshaw-wala, and never once did it cross our minds as kids or our parents minds that we were unsafe. My father till date celebrates Eid with his Muslim friends and colleagues. I have no shame or hesitation in saying that due to my family’s efforts, several Muslim Lads were saved during Muzaffarnagar riots. My point is not to establish that my family is secular; it is simply to tell people that for me, the very idea of secular began with my parents teaching me it. Simply reading books does not form ideologies — acting them do.

You may sit for five hours in your Puja-ghar and pray to get “swarg” or heaven. But when you go out on streets and kill people in the name of religion, the so-called “moral” policing or whatever ****ed up reason that you can fathom, your God will never forgive you for that. This law of Karma does not hold for any one religion. It is a universal law and no amount of out-dated customs, Puja or philanthropy can save you from that.

The need of the hour is to tell our sons to keep the daughters safe, instead of telling the daughters to stay covered or not venture out at night. And why just make it an issue of saving women? The main issue is that of saving humanity — which is being increasingly lost in the mayhem of politics, greed and personal agendas. The working class is too busy earning money to be bothered with taking any action. People like me, simply sit and type away at their laptops. a few activists take up the cause and either get entrapped in the power games or simply get murdered for their ideologies. If it’s a woman activist, it will be ensured that she is raped before she is murdered. The politicians are busy filling their own pockets, and taking up issues which ensure them hordes of votes in the next election. Those from the lower strata are left to bear the actual brunt. Watch the movie “Muzaffarnagar abhi baki hai” to get an idea of what i am purporting.

Unless we the thinkers and the educated change our own views on religion, caste, morality — the generations to come are simply going to grow more wretched. What is morality? Is falling in love with someone else lack of morals? I have had a love marriage and I am proud to have fallen in love. Does that mean I am immoral? My friend is a Muslim and does not wear a Hijab. However, she makes sure she feeds street dogs every day. Does that make her any less of a Muslim? Another acquaintance of mine parties till wee hours, she drinks too. She is a doctor who decided to work for free for the sake of saving poor lives. Does that make her characterless or does she deserve to be raped? A Muslim friend married a Hindu because they were in love. Is their love any less because they belong to different religions? Morality, not religion, should be held higher than any other aspect. But before that is done, we, as parents, need to teach our kids what are the right morals. Morals, which are based on humanity and not religion, caste, colour or regional dividers. Not all Biharis are rapists. Not all Muslims are jihadists. Not all Hindus are saints. The day we start judging people by their actions only, that day we will get the India which is as it claims in its constitution — “a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity among them.“

© 2017 Mansi Paul Chowdhury

If you like this post, I have posted a follow-up article Making India Secular.

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