Politics of Intolerance: How we Indians are fooled so easily

Since a Muslim man's lynching over alleged beef consumption on Sept 28, 2015 at Dadri village in Greater Noida, there has been a huge public outcry over religious intolerance. Then, were was flurry of returning awards by the eminent writers, filmmakers and theatre personalities, in protest against the so-called "intolerance", prevailing in the country.

But, are the incidents due to which such a massive dissent is being displayed by the elite group of the nation, new to this nation? Weren't such incidents reported earlier, when the UPA government regime was at the Centre for last ten years?

Anyways, it would be rhetoric to say such things. Time has changed and so is the technology. With the advent of social media, these days, everyone can boast off his/her writing skills. One tweet or one Facebook post can garner the attention of not only the citizens of a country, but that of the entire world.

The youth of the present generation has become more expressive, thanks to the virtual world of smartphones, flashy gadgets, that are combined with the Internet, where they are free to pen down their views, in an iota of seconds.

To every action, there is equal and opposite reaction!

Newton's third law of motion is precisely apt when it comes to explaining the ongoing protests in the name of religion. If beef has become a centre point of controversy, then the over-smart netizens, will proudly display a pic of beef in their plates and post it on social media. A politician will hold a beef party at his house!

Some people join the bandwagon of protest, even without knowing the gravity of the issues and pros and cons of their instigating acts.

Holding protests, a matter of seconds!

If one wants to protest against anything, a person or any move by the government or by any institution, then one can simply log onto their social media accounts or mobile apps, to lodge a strong dissent.

Within minutes, your post will be liked, shared, and will be full of thousands of comments or tweet will get thousands of retweets.

Added to that, our media will leave no stones unturned in highlighting your protest, with an overdose in their entire day's bulletins.

Coming back to politics over the rising intolerance in India, the FTII students took the entire institute upon their shoulders and rattled the entire political foundation over the appointment of little known Gajendra Chauhan, who played the role of 'Yudhisthira' in the Mahabharata in early 1990s. He is also best known for acting in C-grade cheap films, during his initial years of his filmi career.

What is the end result of FTII protest?

Nothing! Absurd. After months of holding protests and agitating against the Modi government, finally, the students have called off their strike and are back to their classes. But Chauhan is still standing as a rock, with his incumbent position of the FTII Chairman.

Although, he should have quit from the post, while keeping his dignity and self-respect, intact.

Importantly, what was lost in the entire dramatic saga was the 'precious time', during which the budding filmmakers could utilise it more wisely, rather than holding placards in front of the politicians' residences.

Return of Sahitya Akademi Awards

Over 30 writers of different languages across the country have returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards so far, as their sentiments have been 'hurt', with the spread of "communal tension" and "rising intolerance" in India.

But returning of the honour for their achievements in their respective fields, is a mere symbolism or they really want to convey a strong message to the Indian government? Isn't it the insult of the organisations, from whom they received such an honour and respect and they got recognised globally?

As a mark of protest, why don't they voice their opinion by directly communicating with the government, to resolve the tussle?

Whether one agrees or not, but the unison move of writers returning their awards, albeit, looks politically-motivated, as these same set of elite people were sitting quietly, when many other intolerant incidents shook the nation.

Reportedly, at least 36 writers including Nayantara Sahgal, Ashok Vajpeyi, had one after another returned their state awards in protest against the Akademi's "muted response" to killings of writers and rationalists, besides on incidents such as the Dadri lynching and blackening of Sudheendra Kulkarni's face in Mumbai.

Bollywood's King Shah Rukh Khan jumps into the boiling controversy

As if the politicians were not enough in adding fuel to the fire, the Bollywood Baadshah, Shah Rukh Khan, also embroiled himself into a raging controversy, by giving a politically incorrect statement.

Although, what SRK said during a TV interview, was a bit mismatched, with the kind of intellectual personality, he is, but his statement has been made a mountain of a molehill.

The entire RSS-VHP and BJP cadre launched scathing attacks on Shah Rukh Khan, who recently turned 50-year-old.

He was compared to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed and was called a Pakistani agent by saffron-clad people, who perfectly know how to hog media limelight.

By such a hyped reaction over a statement, SRK must have learnt a nice lesson, not to make any controversial statement in front of media or on social media, that can put a dent on his charming image.

SRK has millions of die-hard fans, who cry inconsolably, when he dies onscreen, and his opinion matters a lot to the nation, as he is undoubtedly one of the most influential person on the globe.

Where should we show intolerance?

India is a country, that has earned a tag of rape country, due to the presence of anti-social elements in our society. In every part of India, women are not safe, even if they are inside their homes. They are like a vulnerable species in India, who are under the eyes of monsters and fall prey to their lust.

Intolerance should be shown against rising crime against women, it should be shown against the lack of development and awareness on core issues, it should be shown against corruption cancer, that is deep-rooted inside the genes of our politicians.

It's high time that we, the Indians, stop playing dirty politics and cheap gimmicks over religion, caste and communalism.

When we talk about India as one of the fastest developing nations and Indians gaining top positions in the foreign administration, especially in the US and the UK, and Indians are heading the top most companies, like Google and Microsoft, we should also think beyond all this hoopla.

And lets unite together for the making of an intelligent, developed and a successful nation.