As the entertainment-news channels incessantly questioned the spirit of a Mumbaikar in accepting the north Indians, after Raj Thackray’s initiative towards segregation, I was dismayed. If it had only been a war of words between two groups, that had taken up fifteen minutes of show time, none, would have fretted. Turning an issue into a bloody affair, making the minorities run for cover, is another.
The situation fuels another ongoing debate of what is more important – nation (a word that refers to the sense of belonging that the people of a region share) or the state (a word that refers to the physical boundaries that unite a region).
India is a nation as well as a state. Is there a need to divide further? There is, for administrative purposes. What about the psychological separation in the minds of the citizens? Are the physical barriers, reason enough to separate individuals? Are they reason enough for Maharashtrians to sing the ‘anti- north Indian’ anthem?
Refuters of this think it is the spirit of Mumbai that discourages these thoughts.
As I see, there is no point in calling Mumbai a large hearted mother-like city. One can clearly notice in India, that there is a need to surpass linguistic and other barriers. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other such cities have paved a path to acknowledge this need.
Looking at the bigger picture, the world is watching India grow- not Maharashtra, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu! We better imbibe this notion before the world notices disparities.
Chak De India!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
You are absolutely right. And it's up to each one of us to rise above any psychological separations tried to be created in our minds and remain what the world knows us as - Indians.
Post a Comment