Apr
22
Geography of Hatred
April 22, 2004 | 1 Comment
In “Geography of Hatred,” Patwant Singh warns India that its existence is in peril, for its failure to engage in introspection after the pogroms against Sikhs in 1984 and the impunity granted to the perpetrators of the carnage. He states that there will be a heavy price to pay for these failures:
I wrote of the shadow these events could cast on our country’s future in The Indian Express in December, 1984: ‘‘Instead of a careful assessment of the long-term implications of this planned violence against the Sikhs there is evidence of ill-advised attempts to justify and gloss over it. These attempts are unbecoming and the country might have to pay a heavy price for ignoring the consequences of this violence.’’
The time to pay the price — even though the Punjab militancy has already taken a heavy toll — is drawing near more rapidly than is realised. This time around it is not just the Congress party with its morally impaired and inept leaders who still call the shots, but an entirely new breed of political mobsters whose leadership is sanctioned by their parent organisations which now occupy centrestage in Indian politics.
The RSS, BJP, VHP and such, with their vision of Hindutva, and the mindless blather of their Modis, Dalmias and Togadias is the new danger facing India.
Patwant Singh describes the contemporary praise heaped on perpetrators of the Gujarat carnage, as happened 20 years ago after the Sikh pogroms. Quoting Martin Niemoller, Patwant Singh points to the dangers that arise from the failure to oppose the present regime of oppression and violence, because one does not belong to the currently targeted community. Similarly, the Sikh leaders who now support the BJP should reflect on Niemoller’s words:
When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then, Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church — and there was nobody left to be concerned.
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