India On Edge -1

 To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years.To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
                                                                                                                                —Sir Winston Churchill 
   
                             The ignominious deeds of humans seems to have no abyss, the more a group of people stoop lower, others challenge it by sinking further. Nowadays the irony of all the madness is the itch among respective religious bigots is to declare ones religion as supreme. Religion which was supposed to preach tolerance, peaceful coexistence among masses is now the centerpiece of conflicts around the globe. Everyone in general is in hurry to identify himself with religion and more sympathetic towards co-religionists while libellous towards "others". 

  Life with ideology and morality is construed as weakness and people adhering to it are often mocked at or are intimidated to silence. The space for rational voices is getting  skewer by the day. With religion taking the center stage extremists are having a field day. Before 1990's socialism was an ideology with human face, a demigod till 90's but it had bitten dust and after collapse of Soviet Union religious fanaticism and liberal western democratic system tried to fill in the vacuum. Unfortunately, liberal democracies of west propagated materialism, alleged moral and ethical degradations of society is rampant thus disintegrating the family value systems in many civilizations. It is believed societies based on materialism ideology are hollow and ripped apart as materialistic ambitions are respected  and encouraged. On the other hand  religious extremism propagated intolerance often resorting to violence towards other religions or anyone objecting to them. The mixture of both makes a deadly combination with no breathing space for helpless opponents.

                                                                    INDIA 

                                   Indian society that for centuries prided itself for being tolerant ,pluralistic is also passing through testing times. After Independence,Indian society was steered by Nehru towards pluralism,totally apt and accommodating for diverse society like ours.With time, this unifying ideology is increasingly under severe strain and today lies in shambles with more people questioning the allegedly lopsided or biased politics of it. It is extremely disturbing as to why does a  man's quest to become statesman(non aligned movement) and get international acclaim is hounded after his death ? The answer to it lies in the opening up of Indian economy in 1992. 3%growth rate economy started achieving 7% economic growth that lent confidence among Indians(middle class),a burgeoning class that started questioning decisions of previous policymakers.Another potent change was the penetration of  cable tv with the opening of economy. It revolutionized information gathering and distribution ,suddenly curbs on news by govt and its manipulation became an arduous task, thus manipulating opinions through censorship started diminishing and so does the clout of established operators.

                                    Initially the old media celebrities who had a field day during printing era and then  on cable news(initial years) by manipulating news and manufacturing opinions on cable tv's lasted another 10-15 years till Social media(SM) developed roots and began challenging these self-acclaimed media celebrities. The internet revolution has been both a blessing and a curse as news spread quickly and repercussions are spontaneous.The penetration of SM is the most significant factor that altered public discourse.The growing intolerance among masses might have many reasons but one definitely is skewed depiction of events by vested interests. Verificity of events are scarce and instant justice is rampant. SM is a powerful medium attracting large number of angry, frustrated and humiliated youth who uses the anonymity of uncensored media to vent there anger. Many groups have sprung up on SM vouching to defend certain ideologies and respective religious beliefs foul mouthing and spewing venom against others in the name of defending free speech.There are numerous reports where riots were orchestrated by extremists citing dubious SM comments or videos leading to loss of men and material.

 Truth is somewhere in between, after commencement of reforms in 1991 a particular section benefited immensely and moved out of poverty becoming part of burgeoning middle class that grew in confidence with economic prosperity while majority still is confined to the unending vicious poverty cycle. Self-confidence and economic independence helps people to diminish wrong mythologies and complexes, makes one more tolerant and pluralistic. On the other hand deprived class become's more religious, more tied to their caste/sub-caste, more radical in their thinking, and blaming disparities on previous policymakers. The ruling elite also find it convenient to blame and tarnish past as there incompetency isn't questioned.

                                  For India to thrive society has to do brutal,honest introspection,its vital to shun the twisted,polluted ideology. There is a saying in China that whatever you put in your head and your stomach, no one can take away from you. Grievances among masses is understandable coupled with religion it becomes a powerful emotional connect and tool in the hands of unscrupulous radical fringe elements to exploit. Economic growth is the best antipoverty system and stabilizing factor when millions of deprived young people be provided with opportunities to achieve their full potential by imparting modern education and jobs.