A linguistic minority passes a resolution in a local government body that it wants to merge with a neighboring state which is home to its language. A great regional language actor, who is adored by many, passes away a natural death. A religious minority takes out a protest march to condemn an event in a far off country which is followed by a procession by another community in the same localities for totally another reason. And then, a national tribunal gives its verdict on a water dispute against this regional state’s interest.
What all these events have in common is that, they happen in the same state within a span of a year and each one is followed by protests to start with, followed by ‘a bandh’, violence & arson leaving the capital city in fear, anger and sheer helplessness. Welcome to Namma Bengaluru (Our Bangalore).
We all feel frustrated, angered and sad due to many of the happenings around us. But does that mean you go out and torch a state government bus? Go out and pelt stones at people because they were trying to catch their train? Go out and break the glass windows and glass coverings of the buildings which dared to be open in spite of the bandh call? Get into people’s houses and torch their vehicles because they bear the registration mark of the state which you demise? Or worst, go on lynching people of the other religion?
First of all, all forms of violence and arson should be intolerable for any society. But the most ironic part of the story is that by calling bandhs and indulging in arson and violence, you end up punishing the very people whom you pretend to be standing up for!
By burning the state government bus, we are losing our state capital, by stopping trains, busses and making people shut shops, we are incurring a huge economic loss on our own state! And the bad publicity, image loss and fear which all this brings with it has a long lasting impact on the state’s future.
This very illogical idea of self-hurt prevails all across India, from Mumbai to Kolkata.
I sincerely appeal to all politicians, administrators, linguistic and religious groups to put our state’s interest on top. There is no point in closing out our own businesses and taking the law into our own hands as it inflicts a loss on our own people and it makes no difference to the world which looks at us as a downtrodden primitive society.
Let’s stand up to the ethics, principles and values of our mother nation. Let’s make our world a better place to live in. Lets save namma Bengaluru.
What all these events have in common is that, they happen in the same state within a span of a year and each one is followed by protests to start with, followed by ‘a bandh’, violence & arson leaving the capital city in fear, anger and sheer helplessness. Welcome to Namma Bengaluru (Our Bangalore).
We all feel frustrated, angered and sad due to many of the happenings around us. But does that mean you go out and torch a state government bus? Go out and pelt stones at people because they were trying to catch their train? Go out and break the glass windows and glass coverings of the buildings which dared to be open in spite of the bandh call? Get into people’s houses and torch their vehicles because they bear the registration mark of the state which you demise? Or worst, go on lynching people of the other religion?
First of all, all forms of violence and arson should be intolerable for any society. But the most ironic part of the story is that by calling bandhs and indulging in arson and violence, you end up punishing the very people whom you pretend to be standing up for!
By burning the state government bus, we are losing our state capital, by stopping trains, busses and making people shut shops, we are incurring a huge economic loss on our own state! And the bad publicity, image loss and fear which all this brings with it has a long lasting impact on the state’s future.
This very illogical idea of self-hurt prevails all across India, from Mumbai to Kolkata.
I sincerely appeal to all politicians, administrators, linguistic and religious groups to put our state’s interest on top. There is no point in closing out our own businesses and taking the law into our own hands as it inflicts a loss on our own people and it makes no difference to the world which looks at us as a downtrodden primitive society.
Let’s stand up to the ethics, principles and values of our mother nation. Let’s make our world a better place to live in. Lets save namma Bengaluru.
