According to Global Peace Index 2016 which is prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), India ranks as low as 141 among 163 countries. The IEP defines positive peace in numerical terms, giving countries scores for a range of factors including “acceptance of the right of others”, “low level of corruption”, “free flow of information” and “well functioning of government”. Only 22 countries including two of our neighbours namely Pakistan and Afghanistan have more violent environment than ours. Now, India badly needs to slam on the brakes upon those movements that infringe upon the rights of other people and trigger violence.
Violence is as regressive as it gets. Even a machine cannot work if its parts are not in harmony with one another. Unfortunately, violence has been made a marketable commodity, especially by our reel world. Reel heroes and villains are all for justifying vulgar violence by upholding the ‘might is right’ jungle raj dictum. Apart from fighting with the villains, the reel heroes manage time to tease heroines to express their love (!). It is a savage world where ‘love’ begins with teasing and might brings ‘justice’. Given the prevalent scenario of rampant violence which is an indicator of our immature mindsets, such glorification of savagery needs to be censored. In fact, any advertisement, TV serial or film that promotes verbal, physical and cultural violence must be banished. One such advertisement shows that two adult human beings including a celebrity fight each other for just a packet of pan masala!
There are other fertile grounds and fertilisers that breed violence. They are kangaroo courts (khap panchayats), casteism, religious hatred, efforts to promote Hindi as a link language in non-Hindi speaking states, open slaughter houses, cruel animal sports, noise pollution, corruption, trigger-maniac virtual games, easy availability of acid and ammunition. They should, immediately, be redressed. Any act of teasing in educational and other institutions must be nipped in the bud before they are being culminated in ragging, rape and murder. Since consumption of liquor gives a fillip to crime rates by destroying mental balance, the sale of liquor needs to be controlled. Every bottle of liquor must contain bold text and pictorial warnings about its mental and physical hazards.
