Thank You Niku! (and people like him…)

I am worried.

A couple of days back, i was driving down the Eastern Express Highway, normal route. Know you all know how i react to a biker coming in sharply in front of my car, so when this uncle came in front of me near the Pestom Sagar flyover, i was about bark in the same manner – but for one thing, i didn't. The uncle was wearing a skull cap.

Secularism, classical definition be damned, has a interesting definition in India. Not wearing a skull cap gifted to you, for example, is a sign that i hate Muslims.

Propagated by secularists in the Indian political landscape, who claim to save India this way (no no, they have no personal ambitions). The majority Hindu population is supposed to bend over backwards to accommodate minorities, and one minority in particular, the others are not too important as vote banks. Even if they are wrong. And hence i did not bark at the guy.

So, i am secular now, you may note. I might attend an iftaar party or two, wear a skull cap if required. These are things, which will make me politically acceptable in my social circle and society at large. I may still tell my family members not to marry from this community or that, but thats fine, i have done all the token symbolism of being secular.

Its seems people are wiling to accept me based on my symbolic projections but not for i am actually being out there. And these people accepting me are not farmers, cobblers, drivers and others who are not too educated, these are business consultants. These are people expected to form judgments based on facts (and not on on other people’s judgements).

Lets just ignore policy, governance and issues like that. No one care about that, it is immaterial some states actually go out to provide for all irrespective of reigion, caste, creed etc. Look at Karnataka results. Secularism (and caste) are the most important things!

If this small sample is anything to go by, I think i have reasons to be worried about our country.