I'm sorry but this post had to be written. Please forgive me, and I promise faithfully that such subjects are not going to become regular topics of discussion in this blog.
During the past fourteen years of my life, since I was old enough to understand that I was a free and equal citizen of the fine republic of democratic India, I've been pretty proud of the fact. While I walked past the garbage dumps on the road, and watched bus conductors cheating the government, and saw without end the poverty and dirt and meanness around me, I loved my country still, because, superimposed over the images of these things were the courage and the creativity and the sheer grit and determination of the Indian people. Never in my entire life have I ever been ashamed of my nationality.
But since these elections have started, I can truly say with conviction, that I am ashamed of being Indian. It is a painful confession, and I feel a sense of bereavement as I make it because it is a terrible thing to lose the love you feel for your homeland.
I don't know if it's because this is the first election that I've really followed in the newspapers, or whether because I was twelve years old during the last one, but I feel right now as though a Pandora's box of hatred and evil is opening up in India, such as I've never seen before.
I'm not here to support any political party, because in my opinion, they're all just as bad, and voting is basically an exercise in choosing the least of several evils. I figure that if I insult everyone equally they'll either be less offended, or waste so much time arguing over who gets to acid-scar me that I'll be able to get away, so, here goes: Narendra Modi is a madman and Rahul Gandhi is an empty bellows full of meaningless promises. Arvind Kejriwal remains a faint, faint ray of hope in a dark pit, but I was kind of stunned to find out that he and his wife possess several crores of assets, and am now unsure what to think of him. Also, it was foolish and disappointing of him quit his post as CM.
If I had to vote, I would vote for either the Congress or the AAP. The massacres in Gujurat remain unexplained, also, Narendra Modi has refused to accept an iota of blame for them, going so far as to liken his feelings on the issue to the feelings of a man who was seated in a car that ran over a puppy. I have no words.
It also turns out that he was elected four times previously on false grounds and he's barred from travel to the US, which I am sure you will all agree, will be a setback to the Indian Prime Minister, if only that he and Obama will have to constantly meet in Hawaii or something, which might not be conducive to productive talks as they'll both be too busy working on their tans.
The first thing that I can hope for, at this point, is that the BJP will not win the elections. I have to admit, however, that their victory is a very real possibility, as the majority of the Indian people is Hindu, and thus have less reason to fear a divisive government, and, sectarian policies and dirt-throwing aside, Narendra Modi's promise of economic progress is highly attractive to a country that is sick and tired of being poor, despite its enormous potential to be rich.
If therefore, despite all the prayers of men and gods, the BJP wins the majority vote in these elections and Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister, then the second thing I hope and pray for is this: that the Indian people will learn, and learn quickly, to set aside their differences and finally put into practice the fundamental truth that all their different religions profess (except for the Satanist cults, of course) which is that love will cover a multitude of sins. If we can learn this love, then it will see us through hell itself and bring us out stronger.
I pray that they will remember, whatever they are told to the contrary in the coming days, that all men whether they call God 'Allah', 'Brahma', or believe in no God at all, are brothers, and deserve to live lives of freedom and dignity.We must have equality, we must have fraternity, or we will have death.
On that cheerful note, have a good Friday! I will post again on less serious issues soon.
During the past fourteen years of my life, since I was old enough to understand that I was a free and equal citizen of the fine republic of democratic India, I've been pretty proud of the fact. While I walked past the garbage dumps on the road, and watched bus conductors cheating the government, and saw without end the poverty and dirt and meanness around me, I loved my country still, because, superimposed over the images of these things were the courage and the creativity and the sheer grit and determination of the Indian people. Never in my entire life have I ever been ashamed of my nationality.
But since these elections have started, I can truly say with conviction, that I am ashamed of being Indian. It is a painful confession, and I feel a sense of bereavement as I make it because it is a terrible thing to lose the love you feel for your homeland.
I don't know if it's because this is the first election that I've really followed in the newspapers, or whether because I was twelve years old during the last one, but I feel right now as though a Pandora's box of hatred and evil is opening up in India, such as I've never seen before.
I'm not here to support any political party, because in my opinion, they're all just as bad, and voting is basically an exercise in choosing the least of several evils. I figure that if I insult everyone equally they'll either be less offended, or waste so much time arguing over who gets to acid-scar me that I'll be able to get away, so, here goes: Narendra Modi is a madman and Rahul Gandhi is an empty bellows full of meaningless promises. Arvind Kejriwal remains a faint, faint ray of hope in a dark pit, but I was kind of stunned to find out that he and his wife possess several crores of assets, and am now unsure what to think of him. Also, it was foolish and disappointing of him quit his post as CM.
If I had to vote, I would vote for either the Congress or the AAP. The massacres in Gujurat remain unexplained, also, Narendra Modi has refused to accept an iota of blame for them, going so far as to liken his feelings on the issue to the feelings of a man who was seated in a car that ran over a puppy. I have no words.
It also turns out that he was elected four times previously on false grounds and he's barred from travel to the US, which I am sure you will all agree, will be a setback to the Indian Prime Minister, if only that he and Obama will have to constantly meet in Hawaii or something, which might not be conducive to productive talks as they'll both be too busy working on their tans.
The first thing that I can hope for, at this point, is that the BJP will not win the elections. I have to admit, however, that their victory is a very real possibility, as the majority of the Indian people is Hindu, and thus have less reason to fear a divisive government, and, sectarian policies and dirt-throwing aside, Narendra Modi's promise of economic progress is highly attractive to a country that is sick and tired of being poor, despite its enormous potential to be rich.
If therefore, despite all the prayers of men and gods, the BJP wins the majority vote in these elections and Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister, then the second thing I hope and pray for is this: that the Indian people will learn, and learn quickly, to set aside their differences and finally put into practice the fundamental truth that all their different religions profess (except for the Satanist cults, of course) which is that love will cover a multitude of sins. If we can learn this love, then it will see us through hell itself and bring us out stronger.
I pray that they will remember, whatever they are told to the contrary in the coming days, that all men whether they call God 'Allah', 'Brahma', or believe in no God at all, are brothers, and deserve to live lives of freedom and dignity.We must have equality, we must have fraternity, or we will have death.
On that cheerful note, have a good Friday! I will post again on less serious issues soon.
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