Vivek Bharat at Desicritics writes a passionate article, examining causes behind the recent clashes in Orissa and Karnataka, and also pointing to a solution in the end:
Linked by sudipta. Join Blogbharti facebook group.While the Bajrang Dal and its associates cannot be in any way excused for the present violence if proven guilty, there is something that must be highlighted in its favor. In 2006 when Satya Darshini was first released, the Bajrang Dal had registered a formal protest with the police. No action was taken.
When the Satanic Verses, a novel published in the UK can be banned in India in deference to Muslim sentiments and when The Da Vinci Code, a movie produced in the United States can be proscribed from our movie theaters to appease Christians, why couldn’t remedial action be taken against a book derogatory to Hindus? The only answer that I can think of is what I have repeatedly maintained: Hindu sentiments are dispensable in secular India.
“The Bajrang Dal had registered a formal protest with the police. No action was taken.”
I’m sorry but although he says that he doesn’t support violence, this seems like justification for some sort of grievance. That is unacceptable. If the Bajrang Dal’s protest really had such widespread support then they could have staged a peaceful protest, to protest what they found objectionable. I’m sure if a significant portion of the 80% Hindu population really turned up on the streets in a peaceful protest, no govt which cares to get reelected would have ignored them. However, these goons just want to go about with their violence and then point to all sorts of “seeds” of this violence. No book however derogatory can EVER justify violence.
As far as his “solutions” to the problem go, they sound more like threats. “Desist from active proselytization” or else …
I’m sorry but the only ethical way to prevent conversions is to provide people with incentives (spiritual or material I don’t care) to not convert. If the Bajrang dal is so concerned that poor tribals are being conned by material enticement to convert, they are free to improve the living conditions of these people. If there is a truly helpful Hindu community people wouldn’t convert out of it. This entire “debate” about conversions is morally reprehensible.
Update: I’m removing a part of my comment from here as I can see it has come out wrong:
Shanth, I completely agree with you here on most parts. Like Sri Ramakrishna used to say, you cannot practise religion on an empty stomach (this is a rough translation of the original quote in Bengali). As long as these groups do not provide for the basic amenities of life, they have no right to thrust their religion upon anyone.
However, I believe that after a certain point, you can incite violence by provoking. If I begin foul-mouthing your family members, day after day, then at some time you will come and punch me. If, and I emphasize, IF the members of the Church had indeed published such incendiary content, and if they had begun to humiliate everyone’s beliefs day in and day out, then this was a bad mistake.
Again, as a disclaimer, these are my personal opinions and not of Blogbharti as a whole.
Sorry, what is the solution exactly? Banning more books? The solution is for the state to police people who commit violent acts — it is the impunity that encourages violence, not any provocation.
You will notice that the most subjugated and insulted groups in India do not go on rampages of this scale against the privileged, that’s not because they aren’t provoked, it’s because they know that if they dared, they would be punished.
(The Satanic Verses being banned was profoundly stupid, people should not read Salman Rushdie out of good literary taste.)