Where are the Liberals?

It may be all pink and red for most of us on Valentine’s Day, but there is Political aggression even in that. My day started off with the news about how Shiv Sena had threatened to cause damage to a leading archies outlet in Delhi and how they were against the “culture of Valentine’s Day”. To a certain extent can understand the philosophy behind trying to hold on to our roots but not the political motivation of winning some votes by showing-I don’t know who- that they care about our culture. Everyone of us know about the exact personalities who contain these groups or unions.

In the evening I had to painfully witness a fight between a Auto Driver and one of my best friends which got aggravated because my friend was not a Kannadiga. What language got to do with how people drive or where they belong to stay. He kept screaming “ Say this is India first, then the respective state”. I only felt helpless as I saw the point in what he was saying and it was something really great but to an auto driver it just sounded like he was swearing at him! As it was getting physical I had to use my “Kannadiga Card” to stop the fight and to my surprise the auto driver calls me “Madam”,(Like how Raj Thackeray apologized for killing the Marathi Hal Employee but showed no regrets about the pain he caused Biharis) do I deserve respect cause I am a Kannadiga living here, I don’t need that sort of a respect and I am embarrassed of my people. Where are all the liberal, educated Kannadigas; why are you all silent? This is a shame on this community who were formerly the most tolerant people, and mind you is the reason for the growth of Bangalore too.

Watching the evening news again, Laalu Prasad Yadav had to go and call us “dirty people” and seriously it made my nostrils flare and my blood boil. But seeing a bunch of uneducated fools turned into a union go around destroying property and proclaiming that they are going to hurt all the “Biharis” if they don’t leave. I can see this turning into a riot into a blood bath, why don’t you? These guys with red and yellow shawls on their shoulders don’t know the difference between a Hindi speaking guy and a Bihari, any one who speaks Hindi would by default become a Bihari like how in North all the dark people are from south and they are “Madrasis”. What I am scared of is hurting the 80% of the Non-Kannadigas who are innocent as the 20% have hurt our sentiments. Yes I have meet both the kinds.

I am surprised that the media is not doing anything, not questioning Kumara Swamy saying that he will follow Raj Thackeray’s regionalistic approach when Laalu hurt his sentiments. In the media studies classes we only analyse how good this issue is as a story, more space to cover on the paper, more time to spend on the news channels. I am praying to god everyday to not let our Governements let us down. I am very prud of what S M Krishna, governor of Maharasthra did about the MNS, I wish he was here in Karnataka right now.

In conclusion I would like to tell you a bit about a friend of mine, he is a tamilian born in Madhya Pradesh , Raipur now Chattisgarh- When he goes to North India he becomes a Madrasi and here he is a North Indian a Hindiwala, he cant paly his Tamilian self here to pass as a south Indian because of the Caveri Issue. Where will we go, ultimately its still India where will we go. In an era of Gobalisation and liberalisation that we should be trying to be Citizens of the World we are wallowing in this pitiful lake of narraow mindedness to hit rock bottom!!

I am ashamed of all the Identities that I can ever associate myself with due to all this political intervention for votes or for controversial stirring I don’t understand, I don’t want to be a Indian, I don’t want to be a Kannadiga, not even a South Indian, I AM ASHAMED!!!