The dangers of mob lynching and cattle politics

... It is perhaps the time we should call Selim (the old man exhales, expressing a grief)
... Cant we make her stay a little longer? - his wife asks
... No, lets not prolong her suffering, Salim will take care of her, she cant even move! - the man replies
... but, look the way she is looking at us! - the wife continues
... yes, she is looking for mercy, her legs will start rotting soon, lets call Selim - the old man says and a stream of tears starts flowing through his eyes..


Selim comes with two of his associates


... what happened to kalapahar? She was quite fit and fine, Ashu da! - Selim asks to the old man
... Yes, Selim, she is old and you know we cannot let her die like this, you please take her - the old man cries!


Selim inspects Kalapahar, touches her head, neck and ears with tenderness, and shakes his head


The old man's wife brings some vermillion and oil to worship Kalapahar for the very last time. Selim pays his respect too. Salim's assistants do the same. The old man, his wife and many kids, including kaleidoscope pay their respect, gently touches its head and neck. Finally,  Selim and his associates takes away Kalapar to 'help' her cross the boundary of life and death.


Yes, Kalapahar was a black cow which Kaleidoscope has seen when it was in its full youth. Kaleidoscope has attempted to steal its milk along with his brothers. Has been kicked by the youthful cow and then finally watched her to be taken away by Selim.


Kaleidoscope didn't know Selim is a Muslim name. He used to call him Selim kaku and not Selim Chacha. Kaleidoscope also didn't know that one of Selim's associates was a Dom - a dalit and outcaste.


It was and Kaleidoscope still hopes is a standard and regular practice in many part of the rural Bengal. A practice which needs to be abolished for the construction of a Hindu Rashtra.

The dangerous idea of Hindu Rashtra and Gawraksha:

Lets have some statistics through one of the reliable sources: indiaspend.com

Cow related violence in India

Victims of cow related attacks

Apart from these clear data, predictably about half of the cases are coming from BJP ruled states and about 124 people are injured (click here).


Although it does not matter, lynching is lynching, killing is killing, but it is nevertheless important to note two qualitative parameters of many of the incidents: first, a substantive number of incidents have taken place based on rumors, and second, in most of the cases such incidents have been recorded and then the videos have gone viral. Yes, Kaleidoscope is serious. He lives in a society which shares such videos of violence against people of different faith and belief systems.


Yes, Kaleidoscope hates it to report that his society is dangerously close towards a catastrophe. Such viral videos are symptomatic, killing based on rumors are indicative. The issue becomes prominent with the murder of Junaid by mob in train. A ray of hope is #NotInMyName. An urban social media based movement that actually have been successful to compel the Prime Minister to comment on the issue.


However, since there is a need for the use of symbolic means to initiate the idea of Hindu Rashtra, PM didn't say cow protection is not needed! He only said killing or taking law in one's own hand in the name of cow protection is not acceptable.




Hence the vigilance and attacks continues.


In an all party meet with Parliamentary sessions expected to be halted by the issues of Cow vigilantism PM says: "Cow vigilantism shouldn't be given a political or communal colour."


Kaleidoscope like others doesn't know how not to associate the idea of Hindu Rashtra - saffronization, BJP and its wings with cow vigilance!


He can only hope that in rural hinterland the conversations of Selim and the old man is continuing even though there are a thousand attempts of creating walls between them!

Resurgence of religious sentiments

Resurgence of religious sentiments in recent time is formidable. Kaleidoscope experiences the recent transformation in his every day discourses across different sections of his society. He wishes to make a few thematic foundations based on his earlier readings in phenomenology and qualitative research.

Depending on the context and extent of acquaintance he wishes divide these discourses into these broad divisions.

A. Formal sphere with close friends
B. Informal sphere with close friends often after a few shots of alcohol

C. Spheres with acquaintances

D. With complete strangers in public places

A. Formal sphere with close friends

i. Increasing terrorism and Islam association: often referring to the 9/11 incident and numerous other cases.

ii. Lack of religious reform among the Muslims

iii. Issues of internal threat and its association with the Muslim population.

iv. Politics with Muslim voters: mostly referring to congress at the centre and trinamool congress at state thereby justifying BJP - RSS alliance and polarised politics. Therefore, all other issues of bad governance, international relations, fatwa on cultural expressions are legitimised.

CORE FINDING: policy, politics, religious orthodoxy admixture in arguments is noted.

B. Informal sphere with close friends often after a few shots of alcohol

Here often a complete transformation in arguments is noted. It usually begins with much like the formal sphere discussions, eventually the nature of discourse becomes more personal filled with hatred on the Muslims.

i. Personal attack: from traitor to religious enemy are the labellings attached once kaleidoscope tries to place the arguments against the discrimination based on religion.

ii. Good and bad Muslim: usually these people had or has Muslim friends who are 'strangely' good and therefore are exceptions, all the others on the other hand are exceptionally bad in nature.

iii. Partition and riot: are all caused by Muslims and not by Hindus.

iv. Lack of birth control and minority majority issue: there is a fear psychosis growing. They believe that because of allegedly lack of birth control measures among the Muslims soon they will overtake the number of Hindus. Even when presented with statistics from census the argument remains the same - a strong sense of denial prevails.

v. Filthy and unclean living: muslim food habit, dress code and their smell is bad. Completely disgusting. (But of course this discussion over glasses of whisky and kebab continues).

CORE FINDING: us/them division, cultural disgust, fear psychosis.

C. Spheres with acquaintances :

i. Educational issues: since Kaleidoscope is associated with educational industry, he often encounters with views which states the needs to remove Madrasa institutions completely. Some would say it is not the question of Madrasa education system or syllabus but it is more about the way they teach and inject communal hatread among their students. Although the people do not present any concrete evidence not even from their personal experience.

ii. Muslim country and no country for Hindus: there are countries for Muslims but India as a superpower needs to be a Hindu country! To protect their race.

iii. Food habit and cultural sentiments: the difference of food habit and the the like is so prominent that there is no way these two can co-habit peacefully!

CORE FINDINGS: Policy, space and cultural incompatibilities.

D. With complete strangers in public places

i. Sheer number of their children (meaning large family size).
ii. Uncontrolled behaviour and public display of beard face, hijab is disgusting.
iii. There are so many things for them (alia university, minority empowerment centres, OBC status reservation and the like) and nothing for HINDus.
iv. How can they be allowed to have special muslim law?
v. Why should they be allowed to keep more than one wives?
vi. They are uneducated and uncontrolled.
vii. All of them support Pakistan.

CORE FINDINGS:
Cultural difference and intolerance, anti-national sentiments.

Nature of the problem:

Kaleidoscope thinks and thinks for quite some time now, that there has been a recent resurgence of religion based discrimination in the active thought pattern of the people with whom he interacts or listens to when they interact with each other. In his last few months of pseudo bachelorhood he has encountered an increase in frequency of such issues at the informal and intoxicated space. After a careful but quick review of the nature of discourses it is clear that while in formal discussions the underlying disgust which is primarily an outcome of the cultural incompatibility is masked with issues of partition, population problems, policy issues and the like, in informal sphere it is more personal and revealing that people are taking out their primordial hatread and religious sentiments.

Interestingly people with whom Kaleidoscope has a chance of interacting with formally and informally, all belong to educated often upwardly mobile middle class of West Bengal. Whose polished ways of presenting their underlying disgust is shattered with alcohol-in-action in private space. The nature of hatread and disgust is dreadfully same with the passing comments that kaleidoscope encounters in bazaar, public vehicles and other places where every other person is a perfect stranger.

It is quite early and immature to conclude anything based purely on random expressions being noted by a qualitative mind, but the essential nature of discourse that clearly indicates some sort of parallel of thought between the so called educated middle class mind and those of the not so educated mass minds at time of increasing polarisation is a matter of concern!