Ideal Prototypes and a Loss of Innocence

Kaleidoscope had this flashback moment when a familiar voice called his childhood name on his way to the nearby park with his son! Who was it calling? Thought Kaleidoscope. A smiling unfamiliar face appeared from a machine van (popularly called the vano) - a not too old addition to the contaminated diesel run good carrying vehicle which is infamous for its unregulated movement and pollution causing behaviour. Such a machine van is most frequently seen in the rural counterpart of the state in which Kaleido lives. He had to travel on them while he was on fieldtrips or in his former work place in Haldia.

Who was it? The smile seemed to be known, and the bright eyes are familiar too, but what happened to his cheek - its all grown beard! Oh! the person smiled, you cant recognise me because of this? He was pointing towards the salt-and-pepper hairs that grew on his chin and lower cheeks! Kaleidoscope could readily recognise the person - ah! Bablu Kaku na! - isnt it Bablu uncle? He smiled!

Yes, its me! and I have a different look... and a different occupation too!

Yes, I remember Bablu Kaku, we used to have long conversations during his afternoon work sessions as a helper to the Masonry work when my father was trying to build a house bit by bit! Bablu kaku was a clean shaved gentleman. He used to talk to the then 11 year old Kaleidoscope about their childhood days. It was not much different from the one Kaleidoscope was experienceing, so instead of being amazed or mesmerised, Kaleidoscope used to learn practical skills of climbing trees, or eating particular form of wild berries without being affected by its sour juice! Bablu kaku was Bablu Kaku not a Muslim Bablu kaku or a Hindu Bablu kaku! Except for the

But with an ideal Muslim looking beard, Kaleidoscope could readily see Bablu kaku looks no longer the Bablu kaku he knew for years, or the image of the person that was stored inside his mind for a considerable period of time!

So what happened to Bablu Kaku?
Kaleidoscope didn't ask! He is no longer a 11 year old kid who could promptly ask things that comes to his mind! He needs to be cautious about asking things without hurting! Or perhaps without grabbing attention of the public sphere which surrounds Kaleidoscope! When he could not ask anyting at all, Bablu Kaku could read his mind! With his penetrating eyes, he mentioned,

I had to grow beard, you know its us - the Muslims! I have to look like one!

Kaleidoscope could see the active construction of Ideal prototypes of Sacchha Mussalman, a counterpart of what he sees everyday in his country in the name of Hinduism - the Hinduttva! 

Bablu kaku left the place carrying his characteristics smile and the bright eyes which has not changed with his looks, thought Kaleidoscope!

The practice of such ideal prototype constructions as Kaleidoscope has been exploring at different places in West Bengal (roughly parallel to what is happening in his rest of the country) is a known fact to Kaleidoscope. However, seeing his childhood memories altered radically is a completely different experience. No matter how short lived the meeting has been, no matter how hopeful and happy Kaleidoscope is to see the smile and eyes remain the same - Kaleidoscope knew for sure, his world is changing, perhaps irrevocably!

(see also Manufacturing polarisation in contemporary India, in International Journal of Conflict and Violence)

Knowledge Gap and politics of new labelling in India

Kaleidoscope is loosing its track as his country is giving him one blow after another, mostly below the belt. He is like many of his fellow citizens is bending lower so as to touch the ground to absorb such blows. Everytime he is trying to stand on his ground another blow from the most unexpected corner of the country comes.

Kaleidoscope is seeing new polarisation, separation and terminologies. It's the discourse taking shape of an euphoria of madness. Kaleidoscope has seen the newer constructions of the Minorities, Dalits, seculars, liberals, leftists, urban naxals as the facets to be isolated first and then eliminated. 

A complete disregard for the past, for the diversity and a rising 'might is right' policy and political practice have given rise to newer spheres of organised violence. Needless to mention the nature of execution, it's safe to assume it has successfully affected everyone around the corner. 

This everyone includes even the perpetrators too! 

The categories

For the students, it's facing a battleground with uneven weapons resulting in mass hysteria. To say pen is mightier than the sword means nothing unless your writing room is secured. 

For the Muslims it's a series of terrorization first by repeated incidents of lynching followed by the Babri verdict and then the fear of Citizenship Amendment Act. The silence from the statesmen in Lynching issues, the indifference of the administrative machinery and increasing marginalisation of the opposition voices have convinced a section of the population about the indifference of the Country at large.

For the liberal intellectuals, the attack on university campuses, arrests of several respected academics for their dissent and killing of well respected public intellectuals is the new India. Here, one can easily get a tag ranging from Urban Naxal to Tukde Tukde gang just by expression a dissent. 

What about the organised goons? And the brainwashed youth, including a section of the students? They too are becoming the new India, where they are taught not to tolerate anything other than what they are told through their organisations. The identity frenzy, the ready to beat up, the complete disjunctioned bundle of goons are graduating without any clue of the world, dreaming of a Nazi regime without knowing anything about it. They are short sighted like their leaders, and either cannot see the darkness coming to engulf them or are completely visionless to live for the moment as most of the capitalistic brands wants to build the late capital subjectivities. 

The knowledge production and consumption gap - 

One of the major factors that provided the ideological backup to the construction of newer labelling everyday is the gap between knowledge production and consumption. For example, Kaleidoscope belongs to the knowledge production Enterprise and strives every moment to produce something new, something different from what was already known. He is part of a community which is too busy to look at anything else but to work out something new and then sturggle to publish them in academic journals of high repute!

They are busy because it gives them the feel that being in academia is worth a life. These journals never pay back to the authors, but charges a heavy amount to it's consumers. Clearly, one needs to be part of an academic institution which has the subscription to even get a glimpse of what is going on around the world. Nearly everyone doesn't have the luxury. Meanwhile, the domains of post-truth has made the knowledge product unfounded and extremely shaky. The yellow journalism along with the Information Technology Cell belonging to most conspicuous violence promoting party have rapidly filled up the gap between knowledge production and consumption! 

The complex hegemonistic sphere has grown with a virtually free space for constructing a depthless present, an absent trace of hyper real. A range of items including the chest size of Mr. Modi to Tukde Tukde gang are real, perhaps more real than the blood oozing out from JNU president's stitches or the brutal lynching of the Muslims, being killed with an administrative aid!