Traders of hate

Hate may not be a desirable attribute for most of us but it is so for politics. There are sections among politicians who have mastered the art of selling hate for their benefit so well that they don't fail to exhibit their mastery in even the slightest of opportunities they get. On a big day, when the entire nation was mourning the demise of one of the most revered souls of India, some couldn't manage to get out of their petty business of selling hate. The opportunity for them came in the form of a short video clip of Shah Rukh Khan paying final tribute to the departed soul in a way that is considered very respectful in his religion. He raised his hands in prayer, blew air through his mouth on Lata Mangeshkar's dead body, bowed down to touch her feet and encircled her dead body — a practice seen as pure even in Hindu religion. The in-charge of BJP IT Cell in Haryana, who appears to have had a hawk's eye on the entire funeral process, found an element of suspicion in the act of blowing air through the mouth on the dead body. With his limited knowledge of Islamic traditions, he immediately threw an open question on Twitter, 'kyai isne thooka hai (Did he spit)?' After realising that his bet was too insignificant to succeed, he defended his act rather innocently saying that he was simply asking — not without bringing in the sacred 'national interest' concerns. The incident simply showed a high-degree of opportunism and the intensity to which trolls are committed to spreading hate. This also offers a glimpse into the working of IT Cells. While the current trolling incident against Shah Rukh Khan was countered by an overwhelming support for the superstar, this is not always the case. If the victim is not of Shah Rukh's fame, he/she will likely languish against the onslaught. Also, the ambiguity that was conflated in the Shah Rukh's case to stoke controversy was very marginal and clearly refutable. In case there are greater ambiguities, the situation would be entirely different. Apart from victimising a single person or a group, what the trolls do is to polarise the larger masses, further compartmentalising their views. While the IT Cell in-charge justified his act by saying he was simply asking, the incident gave a window for many Twitter users to vent out their half-baked versions of truth and opinions. Some saw Shah Rukh's act of paying tribute as an act of imposition of Islamic tradition over the Hindus through 'normalisation of culture with non-believers'. Even a renowned BJP leader raised his apprehension around using Islamic methods of paying tribute at a Hindu's funeral. While any wise person will say that such foolhardy notions don't deserve to be responded to, this may not be the best way out. Such outright bigotry needs to be condemned in the harshest of words. These vile remarks provoke the constructed and latent communal distrust among people to take larger forms. Better still, propagation of love in response to hate is the most apt way to retain communal fraternity within the country. This has to be done in the most organic manner possible, and not through romanticisation. The noble viewpoints of many people who shared the image of Shah Rukh Khan and Puja Dadlani paying tribute to Lata Mangeshkar is laudable. Still, while doing so one should ensure that he/she doesn't end up trivialising such gestures. The mutual bond between people from diverse communities is largely a normal thing in Indian society and that should be presented as such. Lata Mangeshkar and Shah Rukh Khan are known to have respected the work of each other as artists. Those who have opted to spread hate are perhaps not aware about the affection that Lata di held for Shahrukh Khan and the respect and awe that Shahrukh Khan has expressed for her on several occasions. An awareness at the mass level still eludes us as to what it feels to live perpetually in an atmosphere of hate. To be constantly under vigil, for belonging to a particular religious community, is a hard thing to imagine. The incidents related to superstars at least come to the fore but what about those who suffer on a daily basis for being a Muslim, a Christian, a Sikh, a woman, a Dalit and the list goes on? It is time to introspect as to what feeds this hate regime and what are its outcomes, and to normalise the fraternity that India is known for.