It
is no more writers vs. Modi. Film actors to sportsmen, political parties to art
institutions, and Govt. authority to seers, people from all segments of society
are airing their view on tolerance. But give it a thought. It was not our
national priority. We wanted economic growth, job creation, infra revival,
smart cities etc. That should have taken the focus of public and the Govt. But
the priorities seem to have changed. Some one has to put us back to work on
those challenges. Neither ruling party nor opposition is doing that, they are
immersed in leg pulling. In this chaotic time, recent speech of Raghuram Rajan during
a convocation program at IIT Delhi, is an attempt to remind us our priorities.
You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKRbocpotd8
The
takeaway is he asks all the parties involved to cool down, avoiding the urge to
react violently and to engage in debate. He gives the example of flag-burning issue
in the US which the older generation considered it to be a symbol of their
freedom, so reacted with an outburst initially. Once the tolerance had set-in
the society, flag-burning did not cause the same outburst.
Minorities
in India should become more empathetic and sensitive towards feelings of Hindus
and that should be reciprocated too with the tolerance and respect by their
counterparts. But more importantly, we should not forget our priorities as a society.
We need to work towards our growth as one nation and not lose all the time and
productivity in this debate. Else, we run the risk of losing focus. We should
not let it become a major issue. That is the message Rajan is conveying.
But
will India listen to him? Is it possible to engage in a healthy debate? And who
will facilitate it? I see no clear answers today. But wish that the society
will find a balance and emerge stronger.
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