Communal Rage in Secular India

In recent times, communal violence has been on the rise in India. Islamist terrorism and Maoist extremism have already made innocent people suffer and to top it all of, right wing Hindu groups have displayed recurring trends in increasing violence on the Christian community. This is apparent in states like Orissa and Karnataka which have continuously been in the news over the past few months due to an increase in Hindu violence against the Christians, who are a minority. Where does such blind hatred

emerge from? The main reason stated by the aggressors for the killings is forced conversion to christianity, even though there is no proof of anyone having being forced to embraced the faith. The Christian community, despite being a minority, is known to be economically better of than their tribal Hindu counter parts. The Hindu population has decreased marginally due to some conversions to Christianity BY CHOICE. These could possibly point at the cause of the attacks on the christians of Orissa but in no way do they justify these attacks. Who gave the aggressors the right to burn to death followers of christianity? Who gave them the right to vandalise churches and christian property?

Communalism in India reached it's peak during the partition riots. But instead of dying out over the years, it has managed to sustain itself by feeding off people with twisted religious ideologies. The Gujarat riots, several incidents of islamist terrorism and maoist attacks, the exodus of immigrants from Maharashtra due to threats from the MNS and now the aggression against christians are all a reflection on the shrinking liberal space in our country. Degeneration of differences into violence is a serious and sensitive issue and must be dealt with in a similar manner. The worst thing we can do at this point is merge our political differences with these issues. It will only prove to be a deadly mixture. It is shameful that people are killing eacother in the name of god and religion and degrading things so sacred. Whose purpose does it serve? Definitely not that of God and the victims. It only manages to momentarily satisfy the blind cause of the aggressors and acts as a fuel which promotes violent reactions from an otherwise peaceful society.

Delhi Serial blasts

Over the past few months, there have been blasts in various parts of the country and even though it was tragic it wasn't something that I could relate to. It was hard to imagine that there would actually be serial blasts in Delhi, that to in places I was so familiar with. I practically lived in M block market after every exam and so many of my friends were there on the day of the blast. Thankfully they are all okay. It was strange, I was at an Art show near CP unaware of the face that a few kilometres away innocent people were losing their lives. Each and every one of the victims must have stepped out of their homes that day either to hang out with friends, maybe shop for new clothes or just go about their daily business, completely unaware of the fact that that was the last time they were doing so. I didn't wish to step out of the house anymore but then I realized that this was the reaction the terrorist were hoping for. It's not just about taking innocent lives, it's about inflicting fear in those who survive. The last thing we should do is give in to them, we have to fight it out as a tribute to victims of terror attacks, to ourselves and to life.