A couple of months ago I had a post on Perception and Reality written on a light vein. But today, I am in a quite sombre mood and I wonder what is Reality, after all... I mean, our views and opinions are all about perception and completely relative. So what is real?
This question is particularly in the context of the TRS movement for a separate Telangana and their leader chose to dramatically do a fast unto death till their demands were met. Most people, from family to colleagues, all quite diverse, were of a similar opinion that it was unfair to put pressure on the Government and disapproved of the manner in which he almost blackmailed others to get what he wanted.
Now, this is exactly what Mahatma Gandhi used to do, I remember reading about his innumerable 'fasts unto death' and they were always referred to as an act of non violence / ahimsa and we were taught that it was virtue that only Mahatma had. How come this virtue, enacted by another, in this case, Mr. KCR, is called blackmail??
Now, it will be interesting to see how History books treat KCR:-)
5 comments:
I have never been into history or politics so correct me if I am wrong .
Would the magnitude of the cause affect our perception ? Can one compare the freedom of our nation with what amounts to regional chauvinism ? I think Nehru was right to oppose the formation of linguistic states . How can one dream of a united India , when people are bent upon fracturing it even more ?
You have raised a number of points in your comment. 'United India', as you put can only be a dream. How many people today identify themselves as Indians, like it or not, its more on their regional identities?
Secondly, you wonder if freedom for the nation can be compared to regional chauvinism. It all depends from which point you view this.. as Indians, we all felt it right to have independence. Similarly, ask anybody from Telangana today, minus politicians (who keep doing flip-flops:-)), their region has been neglected and they have a real reason for pressing for statehood. While, I oppose the manner in which the TRS opted to force a decision, my thinking is, end of day, if people are suppressed, denied their rights, such demands are only waiting to happen.
Thirdly, with regards to statehood on linguistic lines, it was more for administrative reasons and ease in governance. None of the leaders then, could have envisaged the mind of today's politicians:-)
I do agree that they have been neglected , but the question arises ....will the formation of a new State of Telegana really benefit the people of Telegana ? Or is it mainly the politicians involved who are going to benefit from such a move ? Has the creation of Jharkhand , Uttarakhand , etc , realy benefitted the people there ?Is the only way to address the neglect of the people to create a Telegana , a Bodoland , a Gorkhaland and so on ?
I think I will continue to dream for there is something ,that transcends all our diversity , that keeps us together . :))
I do agree that they have been neglected , but the question arises ....will the formation of a new State of Telegana really benefit the people of Telegana ? Or is it mainly the politicians involved who are going to benefit from such a move ? Has the creation of Jharkhand , Uttarakhand , etc , realy benefitted the people there ?Is the only way to address the neglect of the people to create a Telegana , a Bodoland , a Gorkhaland and so on ?
I think I will continue to dream for there is something ,that transcends all our diversity , that keeps us together . :))
I couldn't agree with you more... Personally, I am an eternal optimist and hope for dreams like yours to happen at some time..
However, for your question to whether creation Jharkhand, Uttaranchal states have helped development is an interesting question. I spoke to 2 people from these states and they agree that there is a definite improvement now.
But I guess, there are no 'one size fits all' solutions in a diverse country such as ours.
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