As the year chugs to a close, I looked at the days, months that have slipped into history; there I found fanatics, lunatics, religious fundamentalists imposing their own ideas on others. So much so that, it seemed to me that, they were trying to make India win the sobriquet as a “Land of Bans”.
Some wanted to have a ban on dress: banning bikinis on beaches and miniskirts for lasses. According to them jeans, corduroys, sleeveless dresses, T-shirts and trousers were unacceptable as office wear. They did not succeed because the people in Goa did not want extremist elements to do moral policing with bans on dress on grounds of threat to morality. Goans understood that these evil mind planners or moralist wanted to spoil the peaceful atmosphere of Goa.
Some state governments have banned cow slaughter with the appeal to emotion saying that a cow is like the mother. How can we allow our mother to be killed?
I remembered what Gandhiji said in1947! “In India no law can be made to ban cow-slaughter. How can my religion also be the religion of the rest of the Indians? It will mean coercion against those Indians who are not Hindus …” Emotions and feelings play a very important role in our life. But they have no place in logical argument. We humans have enough religion to love animals but not enough to make us love one another. We in Goa did not want the State to interfere in Goan-citizens’ kitchen and tell us what to eat and what not to eat because it is the decision of an individual. Hence their plan to impose beef ban wrecked when it reached the shores of Golden Goa.
Some religious fundamentalists wanted to turn India into a Hindu rashtra through mass conversions called ‘ghar wapsi’ and therefore wanted a ban on conversion.
Religion, as we know, is something within us. It is a personal relationship with God. People usually worship, a form of God whom they think, might have the power to bring comfort, to their suffering. So, anything that fits in their understanding enters inside; and anything that does not fit with their knowledge is prevented from entering. Besides the Indian Constitution allows citizens the freedom to profess, practice and propagate their religion. It is not enough for leaders and preachers to believe in their message; they should understand whether their suggestion is feasible and acceptable to the people. But this design which was scattered to the wind for people to come back ended in smoke in most of the States.
The government should stop deciding what people should wear, eat and believe. It should concentrate on delivering good governance and services to the people.
Good governance does not mean giving lengthy speeches; folding hands and saying Namaste; giving ready answers to questions and U turn to promises.
Many land grabbers try to make as much money as possible; and in this process, they corrupt the government, pollute the environment and cheat the people.
Good governance means not to have a dictatorial attitude; grab private land with ordinances in the name of development and throw landlords into history. Let not justice be denied under the might of the State.
