Let’s get this fact straight off the ground. Pramod Muthalik, despite the noxious fames that emanate from his nostrils is a bumbling idiot. A silly caricature of his confused cause. And to think that the vast majority of Hindus in Goa would bite his unpalatable bait is a complete insult to their intelligence and integrity.
Pramod Muthalik is persona non grata in Goa and even he knows it.
The point therefore is not Pramod Muthalik, but the ideology of hate and intolerance that drives psychos like him. Many frontal organizations of the Sangh Parivar, have consistently, deviously and insidiously built up a dogged and concerted hate campaign against minorities of this country, especially Muslims and Christians and then predictably at some juncture, a Muthalik, a Pradhya Thakur a Dara Singh or a Malgonda Patil blows up in our faces.
Arguably, the RSS, the fountainhead of this world view and the BJP its political arm have toned down their vicious language considerably over the last few years especially in Goa perhaps due to the compulsion of coalition politics, but has there been a genuine change of heart? Has there been a reaching out to other communities with dignity and honour? I don’t know.
But then are hate campaigns, the sole prerogative of only a Pramod Muthalik? Hardly! They happen all the time in all communities, all races, across all religions and across all times.
The dangerous Wahaabi dogma and call to mindless violence as propagated by Islamist groups (both at home and abroad) sets off blokes as suicide bombers upon us.
Similarly, the hate bigotry of twisted racist ideologues unleashes an Andreas Brevik gunning innocent kids at a camping site in Norway lately.
History is replete with anecdotes of how these hate ideologies have been the biggest population control tools of all time. I recently visited the horrible, horrible concentration camps of Auschwitz -Birkenau in Poland. Tragic, depressing and totally overwhelming. It boggles the mind, how one man’s perverted and demonic ideology could exterminate so many innocents, only because they belonged to another faith or race.
But it was never only about Hitler, though he remained the comic book villain for posterity. It was about ordinary Nazis and other civilians who carried out these atrocities, letting the hate ideology seep in to their bodies by a perverse kind of osmosis.
And the thousands upon thousands of Germans who chose to remain silent, out of fear, out of cowardice or out of convenience.
That to most historians remains World War II’s greatest tragedy.
Hence, in Goa more than just a Pramod Muthalik, it is the hate ideology that defines him that must be confronted and challenged. With reason! With peace and love! And by force if necessary.
And we must do it as one people, one Goa, one Voice!
Hence when the Facebook generation sprang up to confront the SRS, it warmed the cockles of our hearts. Here was a generation ready for a street fight for the correct cause. To preserve their freedom, their independence and deep down, fight for the true and wonderful values of Hinduism.
Because Hindu fundamentalism must be fought by the plural and glorious voice of Hindu values, Muslim fundamentalism by a firm, rational and peaceful voice of the ordinary Muslim (though admittedly this is a very, very feeble voice) and Neo con Right wing Christian Evangelism that denigrates other faiths must be confronted by the sane Christian voice representing Christ’s true teaching.
The battle can’t be fought only from outside because sadly the enemy lies within - sometimes in our very hearts.
Hence, the next time a priest whispers in your ears about the deficiency and redundancy of other faiths, or a mullah tells you not to love another human because he is a Khafir, or a Sri Ram Sena activist tells you to knock that lady dressed in a bikini, on the head (while he leers at her bottom) this is what you need to tell them.
“Dude, please stop spitting in my face with your polluted ideology and go brush your teeth since you reek of bad breath”! Please back off!
Love everything on this planet! Another human, an animal, a plant, your enemy, your differing ideologue, your neighbourhood politician even love Lady Gaga if she’s your cup of tea.
But with every sinew of our being and every atom of our consciousness and conscience we must relentlessly, passionately, ruthlessly, uncompromisingly and unflinchingly hate A HATE IDEOLOGY, that targets innocents. There must be no compromises on that. Not now! Not Ever!
P.S. Three little queries on hate ideologies.
(1)As much as the Parrikar Government says that it is the democratic right for the S.R.S. to spew their garbage on us, is it ok for SIMI and the Naxalites to also exercise their democratic right in Goa?
(2) Across every cocktail party and at every village tinto in Goa there is this subterranean but frightening whisper that gets ever louder and more shrill : “Hate The Ghanti” Is that acceptable to all loving, religious, devout, peaceful and dazzling Goans?
(3) Is hate a good and powerful emotion at times? It is, when we direct it against child abusers and wife beaters; terrorists and corrupt officials. But, that hate must be channeled through due process of law and justice, never vigilantism and mob violence.
