There’s a certain smugness about us Indians in the way we present ourselves as a culture which is proud of the concept of “non-violence”, ahimsa. A beacon of peace that sets us apart from other humans. For some, this is how we won our Independence from British colonial rule.
We can be proud, self-righteous, sanctimonious about this, depending on what we’re hoping to achieve. For instance, some of us can be apoplectic when it comes to preventing violence against cows. To protect this notion, we sanction any amount of violence against any possible threat to our cattle.
There’s non-violence and there’s non-violence. It depends on where you’re standing at the time. From I stand right now, it’s all about violence.
Increasingly, incessantly. Is it because next to Smug stands its twin brother, Shame? Shame that we are non-violent. Shame that we did not violently conquer the world like some other great cultures have done.
Shame that history will judge us harshly when it comes to the conquering stakes. And for which we must make amends. Keep ahimsa for the cows.
And unleash himsa for the rest. The case in Kolkata which has angered all Indians and really excited the BJP? If rumours are true, then the doctor was brutally raped and killed to silence her and send a message to others who may have wanted to squeal on the hospital’s nefarious activities. The reaction to the crime has been as brutal as what was done to her: kill them, hang them from the trees.
A quiet protes.
