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| Illustration by Copilot Designer |
Two things happened on 14 Oct 2025. One: India rolled
out the red carpet for an Afghan delegation led by the Taliban Administration’s
Foreign Minister. Two: a young man was forced to wash the feet of a Brahmin and
drink that water. This happened in Madhya Pradesh, not too far from where the
Taliban leaders were being given regal reception in tune with India’s philosophy
of Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God).
Afghanistan’s Taliban and India’s RSS
(which shaped Modi’s thinking) have much in common. The former seeks to build a
state based on its interpretation of Islamic law aiming for a society governed
by strict religious codes. The RSS promotes Hindutva, the idea of India as
primarily a Hindu nation, where Hindu values form the cultural and political
foundation. Both fuse religious identity with national identity, marginalising
those who don’t fit their vision of the nation.
The man who was made to wash a
Brahmin’s feet and drink that water in Madhya Pradesh was a Hindu, but
belonging to a low caste. All that he did was to create a meme, using AI, of
Anuj Pandey, the Brahmin, who brewed and sold illicit liquor in the village
which has banned liquor altogether. The Brahmin is the real criminal. Yet he
and his men, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, punished the young man who was
also made to pay a huge fine and apologise for the meme. He was also made to
take a pledge that he would hereafter live to serve the Brahmins.
The young man may be lucky. The
Taliban would have chopped off his head. One of the first things that the
Taliban did after coming to power was roll back many rights. Even education was
banned for girls. Many restrictions were imposed on women in work and movement.
Human rights violations like extrajudicial killings and repression of dissent
are systematically documented in their country.
The Madhya Pradesh incident was not a
one-off case. Crimes against the Dalits rose meteorically after Modi assumed to
power in 2014. In that very year, 47,064 cases were reported, up from 39,408 in
2013. In 2022, the number rose to 57,582. It rose further to 57,789 in 2023.
Many more cases go unreported.
What I am driving at is that there is
nothing unnatural in the regal reception extended to the Taliban by Modi. It is
much more than mere diplomacy driven by the maxim that your enemy’s enemy is
your partner.
Do we become like our
enemies?
That’s a question worth pondering in this context. Prolonged anger, hatred, or
struggle with an adversary can cause us to internalise their characteristics.
When you are constantly focused on an enemy, you begin to think and strategize
in ways that mirror their own. This can cause you to adopt their tactics and
internalise their traits. We become like our enemies.
Writing an editorial on the two
things that happened in India on 10 Oct 2025, Subhash Chandran of the Mathrubhumi
weekly concluded that the Taliban leaders would have felt quite at home in
India which is on the way to becoming like themselves.
There are 2 kinds of people: those who divide people into 2 kinds and those who don’t.
PS. This post is a part of Blogchatter Half
Marathon 2025
One more update w.r.t MP:-
ReplyDelete"Dalit girl's dead body was taken to postmortem in a garbage vehicle."
In hindsight, nothing good unites India and Pakistan. It's only their mutual hate for Pakistan that's bringing these two nations on same page, which is worst form of unity.
There are many. many more examples. We have even witnessed Dalits being urinated on by higher caste people!
DeleteWhatever the reason, joining hands with religious terrorists won't bring any good.
Afghanistan*
ReplyDeleteTaliban and RSS are images. The Nadir of India's foreign policy, where Great India, the Vishwaguru has stopped herself to a Mercenary shopkeeper, who befriends anyone who is the highest bidder.
ReplyDeleteEach day dawns with more proof about India's lack of principles. It's expediency through and through.
DeleteNothing is obscured by legality anymore in our 'democracy' It's in your face fascism.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's all open. Explicit fascism. Take it or you go to Pakistan!
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteDispicable. Unscrupulous. Unseemly. Bestial. (DUMB.) YAM xx
The Leader matters.
Delete... and oops, the third word was supposed to be Malign... but you caught my gist! Yxx
DeleteFor all the gurus and enlightened ones that India has given birth to, we still remain in the "dark ages."
ReplyDeleteThat's quite surprising, isn't it? We choose to go back and backwards.
DeleteThe sad part is that some educated lot would support such caste-based inhumanities.
ReplyDeleteNot some, too many.
DeleteIt's all very troubling.
ReplyDeleteEspecially since it's happening all over.
DeleteThis is how nations bring their ruin! See Myanmar, Israel's invasion of Gaza (what's holy about killing civilians), Russia, North Korea, Sudan...the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it's a long list. With around 50 wars taking place right now.
DeleteI really wonder where India is headed to. So proudly we used to recite the Preamble..I"ndia is a secular country". It sounds so hollow now. Looking at what is happening, I would suggest you to refrain from mentioning this on social media. God alone knows what kind of maverick lunatics are around.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the concern, friend. I live in Kerala where the right-wing has little power. Secondly, on social media I'm not a popular figure at all, hardly any followers :)
DeleteYes, I had read both the news and it was really very disturbing ! You have pointed out aptly what we think at the hindsight
ReplyDeleteWe the ordinary citizens are helpless when it comes to situations like this.
DeleteYa, quite unbelievable... But not surprising either! Amazing how alliance are made and broken!
ReplyDelete