What should we eat, wear, speak?

“A good Muslim cannot be a good Indian.” Eminent Indian journalist Arun Shourie said that in an interview he gave to Mani Shankar Aiyer, politician and writer, in Sep 1995. 1995 was a watershed year for the BJP. The influence of the Congress Party had dwindled significantly. The Shiv Sena-BJP coalition came to power in Maharashtra. Gujarat gave the BJP a decisive victory, paving the way for the party’s long-term national rise.

Three decades after Shourie questioned the national loyalty of Muslims, the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked Indians not to speak English, eat Indian foods, and wear Indian clothes.

There is nothing wrong in promoting indigenous culture with its languages, clothes, and foods. But how far should the ruling party go into the kitchen, wardrobe, and living room of the citizens? Food, clothing, and language are not merely public symbols: they are part of daily life, shaped by family habits, personal taste, regional identity, and individual comfort. Once politics begins to prescribe what people should eat, wear, or speak in private, the line between cultural encouragement and social control starts to blur, and that is when concerns about freedom become unavoidable.

Will they now start saying things like: Those who wear trousers cannot be good Indians or Those who relish Chinese food cannot be good Indians?

There is a lot of intolerance on social media these days. Too many people have become custodians and defenders of India’s cultural pride. Their language is extremely abusive when they deal with views different from theirs. Bhagwat’s new suggestion will only help to make India a more intolerant country.

Do they really want to create a Hindu Pakistan in India?  

By ChatGPT