[Reader-list] Crime and No Punishment: Malegaon Blast Accused Get a Respite

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Taha

My concern is not so much with that RSS hates Muslims or not, but that RSS
is not indulging in a public debate about its own ideology, which is
uncompromisable for itself. Any ideology or principle, especially for an
organization which calls itself as one working in social and cultural
fields, must be based on actually promoting or understanding those aspects.
But the RSS neither understands the social field nor the cultural field. In
their view, culture is stagnant and there can't be any additions to it. In
particular, there are some pretty weird (and laughable) views regarding
Indian culture being 'mahaan' and 'great' before the Islamic rule came to
India.

The styles of architecture which got developed around this period, the
introduction of Urdu in the Indian culture, the idea of tolerance, or the
ideas of the middle path and its importance stressed by later rulers, or the
importance of faith, is something which the RSS seems to have lost in the
path of understanding Indian culture and its progress under the 'Islamic'
rule of India. (In addition to music and various other cultural progress
which happened during this time. I am particularly partial towards music
here because I have learnt classical music in some detail, and some of the
best maestros of classical music were born in this time, such as Tansen,
Baiju Bawra, Tansen's guru Haridas jee and so on).

As for social field, the less said the better. The ideal should be to
improve the capabilities of the people, and fighting for the cause of
providing freedoms and rights to people, as I said in my previous mail, with
the objective of ensuring that people are able to lead lives in ways they
value. The Sangh would instead like people to lead lives as it values, which
is a complete mockery of the people's rights. Infact, going by the
majoritarian perspective of the RSS and the Sangh, resources would be looted
from minorities through constant pogroms (termed riots in media later) and
genocides, till they have nothing left, and 'social betterment' has been
attained. As Sen himself says ' What a wonderful chain, in the majoritarian
perspective, of social betterment!' (of course this is applied to a
different situation by Sen, but I feel it suits just fine here as well).

I don't expect it to happen, but if it can, the RSS should seriously
consider whether its ideological roots are just enough to actually serve the
people at all. Otherwise such kind of 'good' services as those during war
times or during crisis times will be no substitute for wrong actions
committed, which may be few and far, but of devastative impact on
individuals across different regions and societies.

Regards

Rakesh