What you are about to read was originally written by me on WhatsApp on 07/01/2020 and shared with my contacts. As the post received overwhelming support, I decided to publish this on my blog. Also note: As a few people missed the point I made in my original message, on 08/01/2020 I composed and shared an explanatory note which is also posted after the main post. On 12/01/2020 there was an informal discussion in my neighborhood about what I had written. When I got the chance to speak, I recorded my thoughts, which also I have shared here.
To BJP, Congress, these people, those people, people who support those people, people who support these people
Once upon a time, there was a time when ‘we’ meant ‘all’. Beware Congress! By ‘once upon a time’ I don’t mean ‘before BJP came to power’. Beware BJP! I also don’t mean to refer to the time before Islam entered India.
Damn! Just see what you have done! Today, because of you we have to think so much before saying anything, we have to measure the political correctness of every word, every phrase. Why? We even have to think about our facial features and looks. The very fact that we have to be politically correct is what is very incorrect about your politics.
Beware Leftists! Before you start crying intolerance, let me tell you that you too are intolerant about those who don’t tolerate you. Beware Rightists! This doesn’t mean I am one of you.
Who am I?
I am one who doesn’t want to take sides. I am one who does his Sandhyavandane every day, but his evenings are incomplete without Ghulam Ali’s ghazals. I am one who wants his son to bat like Sehwag and bowl like Wasim Akram. I am one who sees the essence of ‘aham brahmasmi’ in these lines of Akbar Allahabadi: ‘…har zarra chamakta hai anwaar-e-ilahi se, har saans yeh kehti hai hum hai toh khuda bhi hai…’
I believe by now the left and right sides of your brain are sending messages like ‘Error!’, ‘Invalid Input!’, ‘Abort!’ to each other.
I am one who flirts with women, but respects them. But that doesn’t mean I carry a placard that says ‘Respect Women’. Men deserve respect too. In fact, I don’t respect ‘elders’ or ‘leaders’. In fact I am one who respects ONLY THOSE people who deserve respect: people who speak the truth, people who are punctual, people who are disciplined, people who don’t do shoddy work, people who are not corrupt. Yeah! Go figure that one out! See, this is why I don’t respect YOU.
I am one who likes Bhagat Singh, but doesn’t hate Gandhi. I like Nehru’s ‘temples of modern India’ phrase, but I love visiting temples and churches. Just makes me feel good. That doesn’t mean I want THE temple. Nor does it mean I don’t want it. It doesn’t matter to me. I am a Smartha Brahmin, but my god is Spinoza’s god. Yet, I don’t ‘pray’. My only prayer is that I make myself so responsible and healthy and skilful, that I don’t need to ‘pray’ before any god again. Are you with me?
I am one who knows double-meaning jokes on Shiva, Ram, Mohammed and Jesus. There was a time when we would share these jokes in a group that had Ganesh, Hanuman, Ali and Paul. I am one who knows the finest Sardarji and Mallu jokes picked up from Bhalla and Siju. That was a time when cracking a joke on a god NEVER meant disrespect to the god or his devotee. A joke was a joke. YOU do realize that this is not a joke anymore, don’t you?
So, what am I?
Today there are three types of people in this country: The first category are those who think that BJP can do nothing right. Then there are those who think BJP can do nothing wrong. I belong to the third category: those who think. And I am not alone. So, how large is my group? Well, I guess less than 1% of the population. Once upon a time… 99% of the population was like me. But look what all of YOU have done! YOU have forced people to take sides. Split wide open!
Today it is impossible for a person like me to think, speak, write and express. Beware Activists and Artistes! I am not talking about ‘your’ definition or version of freedom of expression and intolerance. I don’t have a version or viewpoint. In fact I never had just one viewpoint. I don’t want to have a viewpoint. I don’t want to take sides.
I am one who wants to think, speak, write, express, do. Period.
I don’t want to take sides like right or left or centre. I want to think right, left, centre, up, down, front, back, everywhere, nowhere.
In fact I want the freedom to NOT think, speak, write, express, do.
I want to be flexible in my beliefs, but steadfast in just one thing – morals.
And I am alone! And I am a bit scared, but I am very, very worried.
Make no mistake… today activists and artistes say that right-wing fundamentalism and communalism is threatening them. Right-wing supporters say that the nation has to be saved from the clutches of leftist, pseudo-secularist ideology. This ism says that the other ism is a threat. The other ism says that this ism is dangerous. The stark naked truth is this – both sides have support, both sides are empowered, both sides are strong.
It is that 1% of the population like me who really are facing intolerance, persecution, threats and insecurity. When I watch a cricket match between India and Australia, I don’t want to take sides. I want to enjoy cricket. If at all I want to take sides, then I want to take sides with fair-play, sportsmanship and decency. Are YOU all getting this?
Today, none of the ‘sides’ are threatened or in danger of being destroyed. It is people like me who don’t want to take sides who are under clear and present danger.
There is a song by Kishore Kumar in Gulzar’s movie Khushboo: ‘oh maajhi rey… apna kinaara… nadiya ki dhaara hai…’ These lines perfectly summarize my situation. The banks (किनारा) of a river are supposed to be stable and supportive compared to the flow (धारा). But the fact is that the banks never meet (agree). So what does a person do when both banks are dear to him? He makes the flow as his किनारा. In other words he derives stability by choosing the middle path and going with the flow. There is a word for such people – तटस्थ, which could mean neutral or indifferent. Make no mistake. Indifferent people are definitely not uninvolved or unpatriotic or undependable or untrustworthy or irresponsible. We just don’t want to take sides. How difficult is it for you to get this?
Today the worst sufferers of intolerance are neither on this side nor on that side. Today the biggest victims of intolerance are those like me who are on neither side. Today the atrocity of intolerance is being committed on the last remaining neutral 1% - forcing us, arm-twisting us, blackmailing us to take sides. I choose the middle path. Not because I don’t care. But especially because I care.
I care for my family, I care for my clients, I care for my fields, I care for my patients, I care for my students, I care for my customers, I care for my country’s law and order, I care for my nation’s sovereignty.
Who am I?
I am the parent, I am the daily wage labourer, I am the teacher, I am the salesman, I am the engineer, I am the farmer, I am the nurse, I am the shopkeeper, I am the security guard, I am the tailor, I am the carpenter, the plumber, the electrician, the driver, the soldier. I am a human being. I am the citizen of India. Individually I am less than 1%, but actually I am everyone. Almost.
I don’t care whether Gandhi was a desh-bhakt or Godse was a desh-bhakt. For me the true desh-bhakts are the 1% like me – the farmer who toils in the fields, the nurse who tends to my wounds, the teacher who imparts knowledge, the soldier who protects. If at all there are desh-drohis in my opinion, then for me it is those who waste tax-payers money and time on debating whether Gandhi or Godse was a desh-bhakt. Gandhi gave YOU political freedom. But what about OUR freedom? Where is the freedom from child-abuse? Where is the freedom from bad roads? Where is the freedom from power cuts? Where is the freedom from pollution? For the past 70 years, every year 3 months of water shortage and drought is followed by 3 months of floods. Where is the freedom from this lack of commitment to do something about this? In the past 40 years, while the price of every item from grocery to furniture to clothes to stationery to building materials… even petrol or gold has normally risen between 15 to 40 times… there is one item whose price has risen by 300 times. And that is school education. Why? No wonder there is a politician of some kind in the board of directors or management council of nearly EVERY school. Where is the freedom from YOU?
Don’t mistake me… I am neither for, nor against demonetisation, GST, CAA, CAB, NRC, ABC, PQR, XYZ… I don’t understand all this. I trust you and some of the learned people amongst you to think about all of this. Because you are administrators. I voted you – both the proposers and evaluators. Pardon me, I don’t like to use the word ruling party and opposition party because the word ‘ruling’ has a tinge of arrogance and the word ‘opposition’ has a tinge of non-cooperation associated with them. Change the way you describe yourselves. Call yourselves proposing party and evaluating parties. Together you are executives, administrators, implementers.
There is a saying in Kannada which says 'in the fight between the mother and father, the child starved'
So.. Stop this ‘side’-way nonsense! Right now! We don’t want to be on the side of BJP or on the side of Congress; not on the side of this ism or that ism; neither here nor there. For once, can we all be on the side of this 1% whose money ensures you have a home to live and food on your table?
By the way, I know one thing for sure. My letter would have done the impossible – unite you with anger against me. At least, if and when your supporters bash me, I will be happy to know that for once, they shunned their differences.
Dear BJP, Congress, these people, those people, people who support those people, people who support these people
My name is Krishna Jambur and I am the one who belongs to the group which by now should be slightly larger than 1%... 1.01%...1.02%... and growing. Leave your banks… come join us… jump into the river… life is much more meaningful this way. We shall rest on both banks... today here... tomorrow there... after all, the river WILL reach the sea. With or without banks.
The explanatory WhatsApp message that I forwarded on 08/01/2020
Hi,
Yesterday I sent you a message. I hope you've read it (sorry for the length).
What do you think I was trying to say?
The point I was trying to make is that I am sick and tired of the politicians from EVERY party trying to tell me how I should be.
I don't want ANY political party to tell me how to be a good Hindu, Muslim, Christian and so on.
My message was a scream of anguish against the politicians to leave me alone
I have my business to mind. I have enough on my mind - to take care of my family, my children, my parents, my finances, my job, my health...
The last thing I need is for the politicians of ANY party to treat me like a robot and program me.
My message was a clear message to EVERY Indian citizen to ask EVERY political party to mind their own business - and that is to give us good, clean, efficient, corruption-free governance.
The audio recording on 12/01/2020:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XDQZxFrjKg6l0aq6Z36Fw_SZl_kb8XB4/view?usp=sharing
