Hope and Fear

modi victory

The emotional journey between hope and fear has come to an end with the fear triumphing. There was the hope that the forces of divisive nature and hatred would be defeated. And the forces of solidarity and harmony would win over. There was the fear that the divisive forces would come back and haunt the country for another five years. The curtain has fallen putting an end to this emotional dilemma. Fear has won.

The victory would be celebrated. The coming few months would go with Media discussing as to what went right and wrong. The heroics of the prime minister would be discussed for long hours and days to come. The speeches that were criticised a few days ago would be depicted as smart acts of attracting voters. Bhakts would once again raise and start glorifying the personal heroics of the prime minister. Trollers would reach their peak form and start trolling all those who are critical. Celebrations would go for a few months and a campaigning mode of the government in power would continue.

With an extended lease of life, destruction of all constitutional and non-constitutional institutions preserving the idea of India would be further destroyed. India would be reshaped and the ideology of Hindutva deepened everywhere. The process of ‘othering’ would increase with ‘we’ vs. ‘them’ language. All the minorities would be turned into outsiders, who need to live only according to the new rules and code of conduct set by forces of Hindutva. A new social contract not based on the principles of ‘equality’ and ‘mutual co-existence’ but based on ‘discrimination’ and ‘religious segregation’ would be given way to.

Secularism would be turned to a bad word, possibly even removed from the constitution. Fascists would be glorified as nationalists. Energy of lynchers would be further unleashed creating more victims. The lynchers would come to occupy positions of power. The glorifiers of the assassinator of Gandhi would become the new generation leaders. Terrorists would become nationalists. Humanists would be branded as terrorists.

Yes it is a ‘New India’ that has come into being. But this ‘New India’ has no place for minorities to be treated on ‘par’ with everyone else. This new India has no place for the social reformers who modernised Indian society and their statues would be attacked. This new India has no place for those who would raise questions on ‘rights, equity, and justice’.

Yes this is an aspirational India. Here the aspiration is in associating with an idea of ‘Hindu India’ who need to show ‘others’ their place in society. This is an India where a false ‘religious pride’ would be ignited. This is an India where ‘irrationality’ would be glorified. This is an India where ‘constitution’ would be seen as an obstacle in establishing ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and thus needs to be done away with. This is an India, where the numbers of ‘anti-nationals’ are going to grow.

This is an India where a new generation would be taught new civility. Consciousness of religious identity would start at an infant stage itself and enter into life as child, adolescent and youth through the institutions to be shaped by saffron forces. Chest thumping religious identity and chest thumping nationalism, Religious segregation, Majoritarian dominance, Minority lynching would become the new normal.

With the triumph of fear, it also offers new hope that this would also release new forces of change.

T Navin is a Researcher and works with an NGO


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