I think it is very unfortunate to see so many people attack the author of this column. Afterall what he is talking about is happening in everyday life. All of us are responsible for the current state of affairs and cannot place the blame on one religion alone. It is said that "Charity begins at home". In the same way we need to clean up our ways in our own communities before we go around blaming other religions/ communities.
you took the whole incident in the wrong spirit... i think that these kind of socities should not allowed, since they polorize the localities. see man...these things happen... i mean even hindus are not allowed in...say a jaini colony or gujus dont allow people from other castes.but you should be magnanamous and let myopic people be as they are... and one more thing...i think that mumbaikars are more modern and more forgiving than people from most cities...including delhi. lohitash sirsikar
If you had noticed,the author and his wife never wanted to live in a Hindu locality in the first place.But that's not discrimination at all on the author's part, as he has some justification.But when the same is applied by other towards him then it is narrow minded and he's shocked.Also it was due to constraints(financial) that they had to look into the hindu locality.Else we would never have read this article as the author would hvae been happy living in the so-called muslim locality.Mr.Syed,enough with all this malicious propoganda about Hindus.When you have the right to generalise a community or a city, then be prepared when others generalize your community and dont go whining about it.It's time people stopped this sectarian,commnual,casteist thing and went about their lives normally.And rediff would be much better if such articles are not published.These are communal to the core.Jai Hind. Sridhar.
An article like this is bound to invoke all sorts of reactions and it did in me too. I sympathize with your and your wife's expereinces in Mumbai 13 yrs ago. That was a time that we all wish never occured and hope will never occur in the future too. But sadly it did and it has left all us with fear. Muslims fear living close to Hindus and vice-versa (though I do know of a few muslim famlies that were given refuge by their hindu neighbours during that time). Thinking about it, I realise that when you live next doors to a person of different religion you are suddenly awakened about your own. Most of the hindus I know are not religious (I cannot say the same of muslims, as I have known very few), but when they share a wall with a muslim or chrisitan suddenly a new sense of religious awakening occurs and they try to assert their beleif. I am sure a similar reaction must be happening with the other side aswell. This is just insecurity, and this insecurity among us which has been exploited by politicians which has now taken the ugly form of religious discrimination in India. And sadly it continues today as well. I feel sorry for ppl who have been victims of this insecurity like yourself
