Shardool and Anand’s perspectives on the inauguration of the Ram temple are disconcerting for non-Hindus. Their assertion that their joy is organic seems myopic, as the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was undeniably political, exploited by the BJP for long-term political gains.
The notion of a civilisational wound appears to be a manufactured sentiment first by the British, various leaders of the freedom movement and then the VHP, RSS and their friends, given the scant evidence of a Ram temple at that location or widespread Hindu mourning over its alleged destruction for many centuries.
For a more nuanced understanding, speak to a historian or Valay Singh on Ayodhya’s history, as opposed to relying on VS Naipaul, who, though very adept in fiction, lacks historical expertise. Naipual is a pre-WhatsApp NRI bigoted uncle. Attempting to rectify historical grievances through 21st century violence is crazy; for instance, the Cholas demolishing Kalyana, the Chalukya capital, does not justify destroying the Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur.
Should Dalits start a revolution to avenge thousands of years of oppression? Anand and Shardool seem oblivious to their political manipulation by the BJP and Sangh Parivar, failing to distinguish the political implications from personal sentiments. Shardool's act of distributing sweets in office unwittingly aids the BJP's political agenda, and having a Muslim roommate does not absolve him of contributing to this political manoeuvring. Many Germans in the 1930s also supported Hitler out of sentiments of German wounded pride and not out of hatred for Jews. Fascists around the world come to power on the basis of ‘wounded pride’. It is a very dangerous emotion.
Raman Kirpal’s views were comforting, kudos to him.
Anonymous
Dear Team NL,
Apologies for this long email. I have been a NL subscriber, listener, and consumer of your content from the days of the Clothesline series, so basically for a very long time. I have to say that this is the first time in all these years that I felt sad, disappointed, and heartbroken listening to Hafta (#469).
I am a survivor of the post Babri Masjid demolition, blood curling riots that engulfed India like a ravenous disease. I must say that I was shocked by the way the Ram Mandir consecration was covered in Hafta by certain panellists. It was utter dissatisfaction to me when at the outset we were told that Shardool distributed sweets on this occasion. And then he goes on to explain how Ram Mandir is not all black and white for many people. Added to this was Anand’s explanation of how Ram Mandir movement was organic. It is this unconscious communalism that has let overt Hindutva take centre stage in India today. None of the other panellists countered their reasoning.
I consider myself a moderate Muslim who has always been very critical of the regressive practices of the Muslim society. I am never shy to call out the misogynistic, communal, and racial practices in Islam or any other religion.
However, Ram Mandir is one such issue for which I have a very black and white view. Ram Mandir for me and scores of Indian Muslims and truly secular Indians is a sign of oppression, violence, and humiliation. It is a stark reminder that the alienation of Indian Muslims is complete. There was nothing organic about the whole movement. There was nothing organic when the idols were placed, Babri Masjid was unlocked or the Rath Yatra was taken out, leaving with it a trail of blood. These were all man-made actions for political gains. Yes, the Ram Mandir had been built with judicial assent, but we all know how flawed the reasoning was. It was astha rather than facts that made the Supreme Court handover the site to the Hindus. And the court cases relating to the post Babri riots have been tossed into the dustbins.
Not a single word was spoken about the riot victims and how this had affected the Muslim psyche. It seems that the riot victims are a lost tribe, unseen by everyone. I would never expect mainstream media to talk about such issues but expected Newslaundry to be sensitive to it. Instead, the whole podcast was dedicated to the political ramifications of the Ram mandir event. Only Naqvi saab made some poignant points about the alienation that Muslims of India feel today. And then there was talk about closure. How can closure be sought when such an unfair event is celebrated with chest thumping gluttony. Moreover, preparation for the next phase of such events is already underway as was alluded to by the panellists.
I am sorry for such a long email, which seems like a moan, but I feel that many non-religious Muslims like me are now feeling threatened, vulnerable, and scared for their future. I feel institutions like NL give us a voice and hope that is forever getting extinct. And when institutions that you pin your hopes on fail, then your vulnerability grows leaps and bounds. I hope you would take my criticism in a positive way and help allay the fears that the fire of communalism is fanning every day.
Omar
Hi all (please help me with your feedback both editorially and ideologically, either as reply or on Hafta),
I have argued in detail using survey data from CSDS, Pew Research and peer-reviewed publications that it is the anonymity of urban spaces and individualistic nature of free markets which has slowly but steadily created spaces for increase in inter-caste marriages and reduction in discrimination. Quotas lead to either institutional monstrosities as exemplified by the recent Harvard presidency, or lead to discriminatory structures in which each group advances its privileges at the expense of others, exemplified by political systems of Lebanon and Iraq.
In case of Harvard, it is an individual with a meager academic achievement of only 11 papers and zero books in 26 years, along with 50 accounts of plagiarism and such a weak character that she could not even articulate that calls for the genocide of Jews were against Harvard’s code of conduct.
Even though she is under Gay herself, David Kane was forced out for publishing a blog on the effect of affirmative action. And previously Larry Summers left the Harvard presidency for merely arguing that women have different innate tendencies.
Since we are discussing institutional and government corruption, Abhinandan, it is surprising to me that you recognise so well how government power corrupts news institutions, but you fail to see that government power, in the same way, corrupts other Industries and social life also. My diagnosis is that in the case of the news industry, you have seen up-front how bureaucrats and politicians work, but in other cases like health, education, utilities, among others, these bureaucrats and politicians morph into warm fuzzy mothers and fathers.
Similarly, entrepreneurs in the news industry seem like actual people to you with flaws and positive attributes since you actually know them, but entrepreneurs in other industries morph into psychopathic monsters.
Uddalak Aruni
Nuance is often lost on Mr Abhinandan, and he regularly resorts to name-calling. Just because some footballers took convenient stances, praise was sung on their behalf.
He forgot that none of the participating teams took a position against FIFA’s corrupt bidding practices or Qatar’s human rights violations, but they enriched their pockets with $6 billion revenue.
By the same definition, they should also be termed “तुच्चाs”.
LeBron James (NBA) can condemn the US police force but cannot utter a single word against their biggest market, China.
Every sportsperson is concerned about their financial well-being and walks the path of least resistance. Notable exceptions like Muhammad Ali (boxing), Bill Russell (NBA), recent Indian wrestlers and our great late Bishan Singh Bedi distinguish sportspersons from cultural icons.
Nihar
Many of us distinctly distinguish religion and culture. They are not one and the same. This frenzy is obnoxious. The mere fact that many are hung up on a 19th century event, appropriated in many ways through centuries, is obnoxious. I feel NL and TNM are making the same mistake that American media did with Trump. The more you talk on one topic and one person, the more it will gain momentum. Checkout mere exposure effect. The more we get exposed to something, we start to prefer it. Please stop contributing to that exposure. But before stopping, please invite subscribers who identify as atheists. Invite those from India and abroad, and explore these frenzies. They could add an interesting perspective.
I have one recommendation: The Curse, written in Tamil by Salma, translated by Kalyan Raman. It has wonderfully written stories about the everyday routines and lives of Muslim women.
Best wishes
Sri
I have noticed this general trend of panellists using the Hafta platform to respond to their critics and trolls on social media and elsewhere (most recently, Sugata Srinivasaraju and Shardool). Maybe Hafta is a platform to occasionally respond to your critics, especially in response to letters, but I think there is a larger tendency to frame broader arguments in reference to your detractors, which isn’t particularly helpful. Being aware of what your critics are likely to say is smart but, in my opinion, it should not become the most important motivation for your intervention.
RS
Two things:
1. Shardool is back! Yayyy!
2. Manisha said the PM inaugurated a scheme to install rooftop “solar systems”. I know what you meant and believe it was an honest error, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the PM actually said he would make and install solar systems. He can use the extra “2ab” that Canada might have returned by now. .
Anuni Nonymos
Hi NL team,
Wishing you all a very eventful year ahead. Really enjoy your work and I look forward to your coverage in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections (and also to contribute). Firstly, I would like to say this to Abhinandan - “You have got a fan base here amongst my friends circle. We really enjoy your perspectives towards what’s happening in our country (sometimes more than your guests) and we enjoy it even more when you reply to the criticism that you get from NL subscribers. Apart from your temperament while hosting interviews, everything else is awesome. It’s really sad when you are not hosting the Hafta, we hope to hear more from you if you could do an individual podcast maybe once a month with your views on a single topic.
Secondly, please do a subscribers meet in Hyderabad.
Thirdly, there have been some changes in the regulatory framework of pharma recently. It would be great if the NL team can do a show again on this with the authors of the book.
Cheers!
Anish Shrivastava
In Hafta #469 (January 27), two in-house panelists, primarily Shardool, but also Manisha, repeatedly urged listeners to not to “jump to any conclusion” because everyone who is celebrating the new Ram Temple need not be a bigot or a bhakt. So, this question is to them. For someone to celebrate the event of January 22 - that has its genesis in organised crime, that resulted in thousands of deaths and communal disharmony, and that is propped up by a strange court judgement - is it not necessary for that person to be completely tone-deaf? Please help us understand why you think otherwise.
Sudipt Roy
After the unofficial declaration of the Hindu Republic of Bharat, I would like the real media to stand up and not be washed away in the saffron wave. Was disappointed to listen to, I am sure well-meaning, Manisha say that no one is “repulsed” to see the inauguration of that abomination. That place will always remain the scene of a crime for all Indians. An imagined one, from “God” knows which century, and a real one from December 6, 1992. I am sorry for the harsh words but I would like the “real” media to give Indian Muslims a safe space to describe their hopelessness and anguish. My sincere request for Raman Kripal sir is to write a report or a video essay about everything he witnessed during That Black Day for NL.
Ibrahim
Hi NL team,
This has happened twice, I have sent in a letter and it has not been read, so I am wondering if there is an issue with the form and it is not going through or that they were just not read out. I am a subscriber.
Ibrahim
Producer’s note (information for subscribers): The Hafta is recorded on Thursday, and therefore letters and other material for it is compiled by Wednesday night. In case we get a mail/response afterwards, we include it in the next Hafta. Last week, since Hafta was recorded on Wednesday, we could only take responses that came till Tuesday night, and hence Ibrahim’s mail wasn’t added last week.
Hi NL Team,
I really liked the round table show by Atul. Also can we have a Let's Talk About on Ayodhya, and for that if you guys would consider, I would like to suggest an expert, Mr Shivsundar. He is a very experienced and senior journalist, and works with Vartha Bharathi, a Kannada daily. I have contributed to the NL Sena Ayodhya project thinking that it does more good than donating the same for a temple that is being built. Happy 12th anniversary, keep up the good work.
Chetan
Update at 07:45 pm on February 8, 2024: The last four letters, which were missed last week, have been added.
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