[Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE

[anupam chakravartty]

I think you have warped ideas about the word 'boycott'. i am not talking
about boycotting Bipin or Pawan but such agendas with tagline which are
misleading. it has happened quite a few times on this list.

it is my appeal, it depends on the other readers as well. i do not think
there is any need for me to give a certificate about my ideas of nation to
you and others. the questions pertains to some of the issues which have been
laboriously discussed by both the sides. they are of very particular nature
which can be addressed without making a sweeping statement about the nation
or ideas of nation.

as far as i know definition of nation of late has been reduced to a ration
card, a PAN card, a passport and inner line permits in some cases and in
some other cases, complete no entry, a few holidays or bandhs depending on
which side of the nation you are. there are others who say that they feel
extremely indebted to the nation when they walk past India Gate or Raj Ghat.
others click their pictures and form personal associations while visiting
these places. there are others who complain about pickpockets lurking about
major national monuments. and many more who duplicate the national symbol
using fake inks and sell stamp papers to acquire land. sometimes nation is
just a notion, on other occasions it is a manifestation of the hubris. a
nation cannot be a monument or a commodity, it is about the people. it is a
dynamic entity.

anupam



On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 6:29 PM, Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Anupam
>
> First of all, I believe that howsoever much we may not agree with each
> other, boycott is not a solution. Boycott can be a solution against the
> govt. to force it to agree to your views, but this kind of boycott will only
> lead later to fascism. Tomorrow, people may start boycotting those whose
> views may be right but are not agreed to by majority of the people. That is
> wrong.
>
> Views are there, and if they are wrong, one should try to show people why
> they are wrong. If they are not willing to accept it, let it be. Boycott can
> never change a person.
>
> As Aashish (a friend beside me who is one member of this forum once said):
>
> *People change. They do. But don't force them to. *
>
> As for them not answering questions, they too have asked a question to me
> and even you it seems :
>
> What do we mean by a nation? I guess I have to think it out properly.
>
>
> With regards,
>
> Rakesh
>