The bestial brutality in Gujarat 2002, following the equally bestial brutality of Godhra 2002—and the silent but savage applause for what happened—has always had a few obvious questions staring those human enough to face them.
What does this kind of bloodlust say about Hinduism? What does such thigh-slapping cannibalism say about vegetarianism? And what does it say about the maturity of our democracy to see the killers being voted into power and being hailed as “prime minister material”? About voters in the land Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born?
In the latest issue of Tehelka, editor-in-chief Tarun J. Tejpal writes a bone-chilling preface on the bone collectors:
“Like Germany and Italy once, Gujarat begs many questions.
“How do a non-militant people suddenly acquire a bloodthirsty instinct? Does affluence not diminish the impulse to savagery? Does education not diminish the impulse to bigotry? Do the much-vaunted tenets of classical Hinduism not diminish the impulse to cruelty? If tolerance and wisdom will not flourish in a garden of well-being and learning, in the very land of Mahatma Gandhi, then is there any hope for these things at all?
“Is it possible that contrary to all the hoopla we may have already lived out the high tide of our democracy? Many Indians may get richer and richer but as a people—a deep civilisation—we will now only get poorer and poorer? Is it possible that a country sprung from the vision of giants can now only sustain small men with small concerns? Once a few good men shaped a modern egalitarian nation out of a devastated colony; are there none now to staunch the rot?”
churumuri 
“Once a few good men shaped a modern egalitarian nation out of a devastated colony; are there none now to staunch the rot?”
This is precisely the problem. A few good men whilst the majority are not too bright. The good men forgot to invest in schools and encouraged further division of society on the basis of personal laws for every religion under the sun. They forgot to take into account the abysmal level of ignorance and ancient hatreds that pervades among their people. They merely hoisted on us a system that worked in another country millions of miles away: culturally or otherwise.
The few good men and their vision for India is overrated. The fruits of their labor is visible in the million riots, the poverty and the corruption of modern day India. India survives because her people have not yet fully turned into monsters, though Gujarat maybe the first step, not because of any vision or “Democracy”.
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I saw Babu Bajrangi’s admission on YouTube and I don’t know what to call him. He acknowledges his despicable acts with glee and compares himself to Rana Pratap!
I can understand sudden riots because of mob mentality. But targeted killings of a certain group of people is indeed condemnable.
This is not a Hindu specific problem. This is found everywhere. Look at Ayman Al Zawahiri or Pat Robertson or Togadia or Bhindranwale. Everybody thinks that they are the oppressed ones!
Makes me stop and think sometimes as to where are we going as a species. Intolerance of multiple hues is everywhere from America to Antarctica.
We don’t deserve this planet.
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a freak in a land that is dominated by petty traders. They may be vegetarians, but they can die or even kill others for money. That’s not exactly Hinduism. That’s a brand of Baniyagiri where the pursuit of money is above all human values. The main reason for the riots was the growing prominence of Muslims in trade. What better way to get better of your rivals than butcher them in the name of religion? Burn a train and make that an excuse to fuel communal fires and you have achieved your economic objectives.
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