Skip to main content

India’s Hitlers


One of the few surviving intellectuals, Umberto Eco, described the following as the characteristics of fascism.

·        The cult of Tradition: Elevation of a particular culture as superior to all others, rejection of modernism
·        Anti-intellectualism, irrationalism
·        Belief that disagreement is treason
·        Fear of difference
·        Appeal to a frustrated middle class, the fears and aspirations of the lower social groups are highlighted in order to accentuate the fears of the middle class
·        Obsession with a ‘plot’ and hyping up of an enemy threat: e.g. hatred of certain sections of the society
·        Aversion to pacifism
·        Contempt for the weak
·        Selective populism
·        ‘Newspeak’ or doublespeak meant to restrict critical thinking
·        Distorting history, blatantly lying, copious use of propaganda

The Right Wing in India has been making ample use of all of the above ever since Mr Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister.   Most Indians seem to have accepted the new system as an inevitable one.  We, Indians, get used to anything too quickly.  We have got used to the Indian version of fascism.

New victim
The latest is Shiv Sena’s breach of privilege motion against Shobha De and protests in front of her residence.  What the lady said was that the state of Maharashtra had no right to impose Marathi films on movie-watchers of Mumbai during the prime time in the multiplexes.   The fascists of Maharashtra accused the lady of criticising the government and “even ridiculing the Chief Minister.” 

Maharashtra has already decided what its people will eat, what they will wear, who they will marry, and so on.  The various avatars of the Right Wing in the country are deciding what the people of the country can or cannot do.  Which books we can read, which movies we can watch, what we can eat or wear, which language we may speak, which god(s) we can worship, who we can fall in love with, where we can kiss the beloved...

Will our politicians and their moral goons slip between the bed sheets to check the brand of the condom used?  Will they force us to drink the urine of the sacred cow?  Will Manu return in new forms?

Will they outdo Hitler himself?


Labels:

Comments

  1. Amrita SabatApril 9, 2015 at 11:14 PM

    Lovely post! It is fascism to an extent...hope good sense can prevail & more ppl come out against such brazenness...

    Plz do inform Ur friends & travel loving ppl abt this...Here is a gr8 chance for U to stay in Lord Jagannath's Paradise & Lap of Buddhism at awesome Toshali Resorts at Puri & Ratnagiri respectively of Odisha! Participate soon..last 3 dez only! #UtkalaDibasaQuiz : Win 2N-3D Stay at Puri, Ratnagiri & lots more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 9, 2015 at 11:32 PM

    Oh my goodness! This was really strong. "Will our politicians and their moral goons slip between the bed sheets to check the brand of the condom used?", this fits so well. This is what they will end up doing. I am losing hope. No one can change people here. Not even the 'god' which starts with 'g' and not with 'G'. Loved the fact that your writings reflect your beliefs truly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 6:51 AM

      Fascism creeps into the most private affairs of people. The condom is a metaphor, of course.

      I wanted to stay away from politics for a while. But my leaders won't let me.

      Delete
  3. magiceyeApril 10, 2015 at 10:04 AM

    A very scary situation ahead indeed!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. magiceyeApril 10, 2015 at 10:05 AM

    Have shared this on Twitter and Facebook deservedly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 11:01 AM

      It is, Deepak. So much so, it made me write another post this morning.
      http://matheikal.blogspot.in/2015/04/masks.html

      Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  5. EJApril 10, 2015 at 10:16 AM

    Belief that disagreement is treason,Fear of difference,Selective populism...Very very valid points. They don't even want to hear a valid opinion against them..Just insult/shame them or troll them ( new generation phrase) and keep them quite.

    Isn't something similar that destroyed Pakistan? Feel so sad that we are going backwards when a stable govt should have propelled us higher in the world...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 11:02 AM

      We become what we hate the most, a novelist said that. [I forget the name]. We, Indians, are becoming all that we detested about Pakistan.

      Delete
    2. EJApril 11, 2015 at 11:16 PM

      And you are also getting trolled :D. I was wondering why this didn't happen before. And I am sure that you are going to get much more attention in the coming days as seen in the current pattern.

      Delete
    3. Tomichan MatheikalApril 12, 2015 at 6:53 AM

      This is nothing. I am luckier than many other bloggers....

      Delete
  6. AnonymousApril 10, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    scary!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ManiparnaApril 10, 2015 at 1:55 PM

    They dedicated all their time to Shobha De for almost two days! Freedom of speech...hah..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 2:46 PM

      Ironically, Shobha De didn't deserve this much attention. She is not an intellectual with any fan following. She has been lionised unnecessarily.

      Delete
  8. MoonApril 10, 2015 at 7:15 PM

    I was shocked to read the news about Marathi Movies and Shova De's tweet. I didn't like the idea of banning beef either. Thank you for coming up with the post with your as usual powerful words and clear views.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 8:17 PM

      We need to assert our rights. Otherwise fools and villains will convert us into mere puppets.

      Delete
    2. PRATEEKApril 10, 2015 at 8:31 PM

      And ur right is what? To decide who has right to protest and doesnt? Shobha de has right to comment but Shiv sena doesnt have right to protest? Wah re intellectual..

      Delete
    3. PRATEEKApril 10, 2015 at 8:31 PM

      And ur right is what? To decide who has right to protest and doesnt? Shobha de has right to comment but Shiv sena doesnt have right to protest? Wah re intellectual..

      Delete
  9. PRATEEKApril 10, 2015 at 8:26 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. PRATEEKApril 10, 2015 at 8:28 PM

    So as usual Sir you continue to spread lies through your posts. Shiv Sena did a peaceful protest against Shobha De and gifted a plate of vada paav in reply to her tweet on Marathi Culture. If you say that they are not citizens if India and have no right of peaceful protests then guess who's the FACIST here? Now dare write a post on selective filtering of views by the left wing in this country.. dare write about the Communist goons who kill at one instance of criticism. When you are done with that come back and see this incident. If time permits see yourself in the mirror thereafter and ask yourself "Am I not contributing to dividing my country by instilling hate among a particular section of the society by writing such misinformation?". I hope to see the answer in your next post..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 10, 2015 at 9:28 PM

      I suppose you want me to genuflect and touch your feet :)

      Delete
  11. Vinay NagarajuApril 11, 2015 at 11:24 AM

    He he ! The fanaticism never ceases to end I guess..

    Maharashtra has already decided what its people will eat, what they will wear, who they will marry, and so on

    :D :D .. What's next?! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2015 at 1:01 PM

      Nothing much, Vinay. Such movements don't last long in today's world.

      Delete
  12. UnknownApril 11, 2015 at 3:10 PM

    Laal Salam comrade.

    Since the Gods are with us. Oops, I am sorry. Scratch that.
    Since the embalmed bodies of Lenin, Stalin and Mao are with us, we must persevere on the noble path of Hinduphobia. Good going.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2015 at 3:20 PM

      Misunderstanding, friend.
      1. I'm no communist; I love private property whatever little I may need.
      2. I have no phobia, not the least Hinduphobia. I live with Hindus, work with them, get their cooperation and support every day, every moment...
      3. My sympatheis

      Delete
    2. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2015 at 9:04 PM

      I'm toying with the idea of converting to Hinduism. Any suggestions, comrade?

      Delete
    3. Tomichan MatheikalApril 11, 2015 at 11:16 PM

      Come on Rita didi I' m waiting

      Delete
  13. FarahApril 14, 2015 at 12:07 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. FarahApril 14, 2015 at 12:08 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. FarahApril 14, 2015 at 12:09 PM

    A cogent and intriguing post indeed. I wonder how can well-educated and rational people , well exposed to liberal thoughts and ideas can support such idiocracy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalApril 14, 2015 at 4:12 PM

      Well educated people are often more dangerous than the simple rural semi-literate people. They influence the thoughts of the latter. What's happening in our country is precisely that. Of course, there are a lot of semi-literate Babas and such people too who wield unhealthy influence on the people.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
47 comments
Read more

The Little Girl

The Little Girl is a short story by Katherine Mansfield given in the class 9 English course of NCERT. Maggie gave an assignment to her students based on the story and one of her students, Athena Baby Sabu, presented a brilliant job. She converted the story into a delightful comic strip. Mansfield tells the story of Kezia who is the eponymous little girl. Kezia is scared of her father who wields a lot of control on the entire family. She is punished severely for an unwitting mistake which makes her even more scared of her father. Her grandmother is fond of her and is her emotional succour. The grandmother is away from home one day with Kezia's mother who is hospitalised. Kezia gets her usual nightmare and is terrified. There is no one at home to console her except her father from whom she does not expect any consolation. But the father rises to the occasion and lets the little girl sleep beside him that night. She rests her head on her father's chest and can feel his heart...
19 comments
Read more

India in Modi-Trap

That’s like harnessing a telescope to a Vedic chant and expecting the stars to spin closer. Illustration by Gemini AI A friend forwarded a WhatsApp message written by K Sahadevan, Malayalam writer and social activist. The central theme is a concern for science education and research in India. The writer bemoans the fact that in India science is in a prison conjured up by Narendra Modi. The message shocked me. I hadn’t been aware of many things mentioned therein. Modi is making use of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Centre for Study and Research in Indology for his nefarious purposes projected as efforts to “preserve and promote classical Indian knowledge systems [IKS]” which include Sanskrit, Ayurveda, Jyotisha (astrology), literature, philosophy, and ancient sciences and technology. The objective is to integrate science with spirituality and cultural values. That’s like harnessing a telescope to a Vedic chant and expecting the stars to spin closer. The IKS curricula have made umpteen r...
8 comments
Read more

Joys of Onam and a reflection

Suppose that the whole universe were to be saved and made perfect and happy forever on just one condition: one single soul must suffer, alone, eternally. Would this be acceptable? Philosopher William James asked that in his 1891 book, The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life . Please think about it once again and answer the question for yourself. You, as well as others, are going to live a life without a tinge of sorrow. Joyful existence. Life in Paradise. The only condition is that one person will take up all the sorrows of the universe on him-/herself and suffer – alone, eternally. What do you say? James’s answer is a firm no . “Not even a god would be justified in setting up such a scheme,” James asserted, knowing too well how the Bible justified a positive answer to his question. “It is expedient that one man should die for the people, so that the nation can be saved” [John 11:50]. Jesus was that one man in the Biblical vision of redemption. I was reading a Malayalam period...
14 comments
Read more

The Real Enemies of India

People in general are inclined to pass the blame on to others whatever the fault.  For example, we Indians love to blame the British for their alleged ‘divide-and-rule’ policy.  Did the British really divide India into Hindus and Muslims or did the Indians do it themselves?  Was there any unified entity called India in the first place before the British unified it? Having raised those questions, I’m going to commit a further sacrilege of quoting a British journalist-cum-historian.  In his magnum opus, India: a History , John Keay says that the “stock accusations of a wider Machiavellian intent to ‘divide and rule’ and to ‘stir up Hindu-Muslim animosity’” levelled against the British Raj made little sense when the freedom struggle was going on in India because there really was no unified India until the British unified it politically.  Communal divisions existed in India despite the political unification.  In fact, they existed even before the Briti...
16 comments
Read more