17

Oct

How Deep Is The Hindu-Muslim Divide?

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Prof Pradeep Mathur

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New Delhi | Thursday | 17 October 2024

Political alignments, differing perceptions, blame games, mud-slinging and unfair allegations with an eye on the vote bank apart, I do not think any sensible person on either side wants to put his or her own house on fire that is India for us. If we as ordinary citizens believe that anti-national forces are conspiring to destroy and dismember India or the political establishment of the day is killing our democratic system and working to establish a fascist regime then we are certainly victims of politico-media propaganda.

There of course are forces who have given a strong communal orientation to our political scenario partly out of conviction and partly because of convenience. Similarly, there are elements on the other side of the political spectrum who flaunt their intellectual calibre of objective thinking, knowledge and a non-conformist attitude up to the point where it hurts an average Indian’s instinct of patriotism and shakes his faith in a simple and long cherished set of values.

The two opposing narratives give good news stories to media and save the effort of a beat reporter to research, analyse and work hard on a news story to the liking of semi-literate media audiences. Hence a lot many stupid statements that irresponsible and dim-witted political leaders make give us the impression that obtaining social reality is grim and dismal. Such politicians have always been there but in our reporting days, they were ignored. Now in the era of digital media the hunger for stories is so great that foolish statements of these political lightweights get media space. And the thumb rule is that the more stupid the statement bigger the headline.

Article at a Glance

 

On the backdrop of India's complex political landscape, a reflective discourse emerges regarding the narratives shaping public perception. The ongoing blame games and political alignments often obscure the underlying truth: most citizens, regardless of their political affiliations, do not wish to jeopardize the nation. The media's portrayal of communal divides and anti-national sentiments can skew reality, leading to a distorted view of societal dynamics.

 

Despite the sensationalism in political discourse, there remains a significant portion of the population, particularly among the youth, who aspire for unity and progress rather than conflict. Conversations with media students reveal a hopeful outlook for the future, emphasizing the importance of unbiased journalism over sensational narratives. The article advocates for rejecting extreme perceptions and recognizing that while dissatisfaction exists, the desire to harm the nation is absent. Ultimately, the collective understanding is that the well-being of India is paramount, transcending divisive narratives.

Is the media-created perception of the objective reality of our society? Is the communal divide now so deep that it would be impossible to bridge it or will it be used by the present rulers to take India on to the road of fascism? Or for that matter, there are forces on the other side who are unpatriotic, anti-national and, therefore, hell-bent on breaking the country and helping an unfriendly Pakistan struggling to survive an economic collapse.

However powerful the narratives may seem to be I think we must reject both their opposing perceptions of our present social reality. From whichever quarter it may come loose talk on highly sensitive communal issues or national security matters, especially Kashmir, is bad and unfortunate and must be avoided as it upsets the masses and shakes their confidence. Irresponsible narratives may somewhat retard the process of modernization of Indian society but these are incapable of causing any lasting damage to our social fabric.

And I say this not out of any wishful thinking or reading press reports about reports of instances showing communal harmony in village-level interactions. I know that these instances are a rule and not exceptions as our media depicts these.

Some time back on a visit to Rajasthan I interacted with media students of two prestigious universities. While lecturing the students on media skills I tried to assess in my way as to what the young students think about the present socio-political situation in the country. And I found it to my pleasant surprise that their minds had not been polluted by any false. Without harbouring any prejudice and ideological baggage they were looking to the future with hope. Their concern was to find a job where they would not be forced to write biased stories. However, like us, they looked quite displeased with the bickering, acrimonious debates and mud-slinging in which our politicians are engaging themselves.

And then I was reminded of the year 1999 when I was conducting admission interviews for the English journalism course at IIMC New Delhi. With the senior journalists on the board, our armed forces had just beaten back the Pakistani intrusion in Kargil. As we heaved a sigh of relief the national mood was bitter at the treachery of Pakistan. Especially. To know the emotional quotient of the prospective journalists we asked leading questions from the candidates. We said should not India attack Pakistan. And to our surprise, no candidate said that we should wage a war. They said war will serve no purpose and we should talk and work for a peaceful solution.

At the end of the day, I told this to my Director, Dr. J.S. Yadav. He did not believe me. I invited him to spend some time on my interview board. The next day in Dr. Yadav’s presence we asked the same question to a fresh batch of candidates. And the answer was the same. None advocated a war with Pakistan. They said the resources we may spend on war should better go for development.

And this is what makes me reject the two narratives. There may be strong communal feelings but the divide is neither deep nor unbridgeable.

Then there may be deep dissatisfaction, unfulfilled aspirations and a desire to break social and economic barriers but nobody wants to harm this country and its national interests because all of us know collectively and individually that none (who) survives if India dies.

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