मज़हब नहीं सिखाता- the need for the right narratives.
We are wired to fear the other-whether it be a different caste, religion or nationality. It's a primal instinct which flows from the security needs of ancient Stone age and medieval humans. However, as those security fears became unwarranted with the advent of modernisation, it was no longer beneficial to despise the other-but it was still wired. So, Western liberal thought, came up with concepts of fraternity, human rights and social justice to prevent us from turning back to our primal instincts and to help us remind ourselves, "No we don't need to fear the other." It actually became even economically beneficial in the age of industrialization to collaborate with the other.
I will be very honest and say that I grew up seeing Muslims as an other. I felt out of place in Muslim living area, I got intimidated by the Kohl in the eyes of men and I wondered why do they pray so differently from us. But thanks to the right people and the right books around me, before I turned 12, I was reminded many times "No I don't need to fear the other." When the song reminded again and again, be"Mazhab nahi sikhaata, aapas me bair rakhna", it made a difference. The song was meant to make a difference.
Thankfully I came to respect and appreciate the other- Muslim, Christian or Sikh. With time I started seeing the beauty of something different than you.
The Islamophobia which has been rampant in the country since the last 2 years, is a manifestation of this primal instinct of fearing the other. This is where good politics and manipulative politics comes in. Good politicians like the people and the books in my life remind people that there is no need to fear the other and hence actively promote ideals like secularism and tolerance which are not inherently embedded in the human nature. The manipulative ones take the easier route- of tapping into the primal instincts of fear and security. And since very few people have the privilege of having the right books and people around them in their formative years, they get swayed by these cunning politicians.
Ghar waapsi, love jihad, reclamation of Hindu rashtra, beef eating- all are molehills made into mountains just to trigger this primal fear. No points for guessing who are the masters of this manipulative game. Modi, Shah, Trump, Johnson- all cunning, ruthless men promoting the wrong values.
While I don't absolve the gullible people of the blame by saying politicians only corrupt minds, what I mean to say is NARRATIVES REALLY MATTER. And the narratives for love are much less today than the narratives for fear and hate.
The CAA- NRC protest is overblown in my opinion. It's not that big a threat and exclusionary more in spirit only. But I'd say that it is the collective sum of being fed up with all the small narratives of hatred against Muslims that have been propagated in the last 6 years.
For every concept like Love jihad you need a concept like Aman ki asha. For every Amit Shah speech, you need a Surf Excel ad. Love and tolerance need to be promoted through the roof and you and I will do it. It's a fuckin marketing war and the more creative and hard working side will win it. We are still a minority but the protests lift my spirits. Let's do this :)
What the next generation will be fed is what they will grow up believing.
So play on loop
"मज़हब नहीं सिखाता
आपस में बैर रखना"
I will be very honest and say that I grew up seeing Muslims as an other. I felt out of place in Muslim living area, I got intimidated by the Kohl in the eyes of men and I wondered why do they pray so differently from us. But thanks to the right people and the right books around me, before I turned 12, I was reminded many times "No I don't need to fear the other." When the song reminded again and again, be"Mazhab nahi sikhaata, aapas me bair rakhna", it made a difference. The song was meant to make a difference.
Thankfully I came to respect and appreciate the other- Muslim, Christian or Sikh. With time I started seeing the beauty of something different than you.
The Islamophobia which has been rampant in the country since the last 2 years, is a manifestation of this primal instinct of fearing the other. This is where good politics and manipulative politics comes in. Good politicians like the people and the books in my life remind people that there is no need to fear the other and hence actively promote ideals like secularism and tolerance which are not inherently embedded in the human nature. The manipulative ones take the easier route- of tapping into the primal instincts of fear and security. And since very few people have the privilege of having the right books and people around them in their formative years, they get swayed by these cunning politicians.
Ghar waapsi, love jihad, reclamation of Hindu rashtra, beef eating- all are molehills made into mountains just to trigger this primal fear. No points for guessing who are the masters of this manipulative game. Modi, Shah, Trump, Johnson- all cunning, ruthless men promoting the wrong values.
While I don't absolve the gullible people of the blame by saying politicians only corrupt minds, what I mean to say is NARRATIVES REALLY MATTER. And the narratives for love are much less today than the narratives for fear and hate.
The CAA- NRC protest is overblown in my opinion. It's not that big a threat and exclusionary more in spirit only. But I'd say that it is the collective sum of being fed up with all the small narratives of hatred against Muslims that have been propagated in the last 6 years.
For every concept like Love jihad you need a concept like Aman ki asha. For every Amit Shah speech, you need a Surf Excel ad. Love and tolerance need to be promoted through the roof and you and I will do it. It's a fuckin marketing war and the more creative and hard working side will win it. We are still a minority but the protests lift my spirits. Let's do this :)
What the next generation will be fed is what they will grow up believing.
So play on loop
"मज़हब नहीं सिखाता
आपस में बैर रखना"
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