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March 30, 2003
Review: A dangerous game
ANYTHING human is not alien. But some groups with strong ideological convictions refuse to accept this fact. They do not even hesitate to resort to violence, making their refusal known through bomb blasts and massacres. Their queer logic is that those who do not share their culture and beliefs are the ‘other’ and have no right to exist. So they must be destroyed.
The book under review focuses on these extremist elements in India. It is most distressing that the communalists, who are the bane of Indian democracy, have presented all kinds of myths as facts to ‘justify’ and explain their acts of violence. Communal politics operates through popular subconsciousness. Hence the effort to ingrain negative images of the other community.
Condemning blind communal hatred, which is the root cause of all evils, Prof Ram Puniyal, the author of Communal Politics laments that “today the social atmosphere has been vitiated due to the prevalence of biases against the minorities. These biases have been spread through a partial recount of the events of the past and a lopsided projection of the phenomenon of the present. This has led to the generation of strong communal venom.”
The author debunks many myths to expose the evil designs of the communalists and instil some logic in the current political debate. According to him, there is no proof that the Ram temple was destroyed to build the Babri Masjid. Babar was not a fanatic ruler. The author quotes from Babar’s last message left for his son Humayun. The will, translated from the original at the National Museum, New Delhi reads: “Son, this nation Hindustan has different religions. Thank Allah for giving us this kingdom. We should remove all differences from our hearts and do justice to each community according to its customs. Avoid cow slaughter to win over the hearts of the people of this land and to incorporate the people in the matters of administration. Do not damage the places of worship and temples, which fall in the boundaries of our rule...” Nor was Aurangzeb the most fanatic anti-Hindu emperor, as is generally believed. In the latter part of his reign, the number of Hindus in his service was larger than ever before. Thus, from 24 per cent in the time of Shahjahan, the number of Hindu administrators serving the Muslim emperor rose to 33 per cent during Aurangzeb’s rule.
Another popular myth is that Urdu is a foreign language brought in by the invaders so its status as the second language should be withdrawn. Prof Puniyani points out that Urdu was a language that was born with the interaction between Persian and Hindi. This language evolved in the 13th century as a mixture of Persian dialect with western Hindi spoken in and around Delhi. The dialect was initially called Hindavi, Hindi or Hindustani and later it was called Urdu.
The process of communal politics began with the industrialization of India when different sections of society began to group together. In due course the Indian leadership — both Hindu and Muslim — used religious consciousness to inculcate modern nationalism amongst the people. That is how the Ram Rajya and the Khilafat movement were promoted by the two sides. But along with nationalism this also stoked the fires of communalism.
But a democratic society is above caste, religion or gender and is based on secular values. But when religious bigots come to power, as they have in India, they create pressure on the system in an attempt to undermine liberal and democratic practices. The author considers a major challenge to be the task of saving democracy.
But how is this to be done and how is communal politics and violence to be banished from Indian society? The author has a valuable suggestion: “A correct and holistic understanding of history in general and some of the misrepresented events of the past can go a long way in promoting inter-community bonds to improve the status of human rights of the weaker sections of society.”
Those who argue that some events of the past need to be avenged today have a misconceived understanding of history and society. “The politics of the past has to be kept confined to the past, irrespective of its interpretation. The present can in no way redress the mistakes of the past,” Puniyani writes.
This is sane advice. Hopefully the efforts of people like Professor Ram Puniyani, who is also a member of EKTA, Committee for Communal Amity, Mumbai, and has been associated with different secular initiatives for peace in South Asia for many years, will bear fruit. The rout of the BJP in the recent elections in Himachal Pradesh is, in that context, a welcome sign.
Communal Politics: Facts versus Myths
By Ram Puniyani
Sage Publications, B-42, Panchsheel Enclave, Post Box 4109, New Delhi-110017, India. Tel: 91-11-2649 1290-7
Email: marketing@indiasage.com Website:
www.indiasage.com
ISBN 0-7619-9667-2
309pp. Indian Rs295
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