A desire to run away from the oppressiveness of the world
into the solace of solitude is mounting in me restlessly these days. I’m no sage and the Himalayas don’t entice me
with all their gods and nymphs. In fact,
it’s more important to escape from gods these days. Gods have capitulated to the insanity of
their devotees.
My home and the little garden around it will do for me as long as
priests and politicians stay away.
A priest was arrested yesterday from a place not too far from my home for
impregnating a minor girl. The girl must
have been helpless before the suave exterior of the priest who is taken by the
faithful flock as the representative of God on earth. The priest is the one who listens to the
confessions of the ordinary sinners and absolves their sins in the name of
God. It is easy for a 16-year old to
fall prey to the devil that comes wearing a priest’s robe.
It is easy for us to dismiss the issue labelling it a one-off affair. Far from being singular, such venality is
more prevalent today than ever in every religion particularly among the
priestly classes. Look at the number of
godmen who are already behind the bars for grotesque abuse of their female
devotees. There are more of their ilk
outside the prison walls than inside.
It is not just about abuse of women, however. We find religions infiltrated with
criminals. We find a nefarious nexus
between crime, religion and politics. They
all ride tandem to pick cherished trophies from the Mount of Success.
A 20-year old girl who says that Pakistan did not kill her father (who
died in an Indo-Pak war) but the war did is trolled mercilessly and even
threatened with rape by people who claim to be patriots and guardians of
Bharatiya culture. The youthful idealism
of that girl who merely wanted to say that she does not hate anyone merely
because they are born in a different country and practise a different religion
was drowned in the cacophony raised by hooligans who beat the tin drums of
patriotism.
I live in a country whose criminals live in prisons enjoying VVIP status
or in grand palaces with goons and thugs at their beck and call, while the
simple, ordinary, good citizens keep struggling endlessly to get food and
water. I live in a country which
glorifies perverts and cowards in the name of religion and culture. I live in a country whose leaders mouth
hollow promises and actually deliver hatred and violence.
Insanity reigns supreme here. The
one who shouts loudest gets the throne.
That’s why I need the distance.
I am shocked with the way people have distorted the message of Guemehar Kaur. Hatred makes people blind. Mix it with political agenda and all one gets is chaos, destruction. Utter hopelessness.
ReplyDeleteWe have reached the end of the tether. Hopelessness. The air is vitiated so much by the Right wing people that hatred is what froths like the bubbles in the drains.
DeleteBy taking a part of her one year old video her message that she didn't afraid of ABVP goons is dissolved
ReplyDeleteABVP seems to be a Frankenstein monster possessing nothing but malice.
Delete