its shocking to me such descrimaination happened in mumbai. i live in a society where not only hindus and muslims live together but all communities have flats. fact is that who ever pays and buys the flat, he lives there. i just can't imagine such thing happened with our friend. but yes no one can doubt the fact that we have to go long way to be really become the secular country. and this is from both sides.
I think you have a good question: "Why do we call ourselves Indians ... when we cannot stand our neighbours who belong to different religions and cultures?"
Even in big cities, people tend to live in blocks, defined by religion or sometimes caste. I have heard such stories from some Christian friends of mine in Chennai.
Sometimes these boundaries are reinforced by such "physical" issues like the smell of fish, or pork, or beef. I do know of instances of people refusing to sell to Bengalis because they will cook non-veg and therefore defile the house/ society.
There are also fears: Tamils staying in Bangalore, Sikhs in many cities in the North for many years after 1984, Hindus and Muslims in many riot-torn cities. Depending on the place, some fears are real, some are imagined.
But the ghettoisation is real enough. In most cities, you can learn from a local which area is populated by whom. And the boundaries are not too fluid.
I just wish you had had a different title, relating to the question at the end, not just your personal choice.
Let us not pour our hatred and anger, let us not deny the truth, let us ask "What we can do to be better at being Indians?"
Its a shame reading such an article, seemingly from a I presume a good journo, who is supposed to be non-biased. Though popoping up such a narrow minded article. This story is based on Bombay, and being a bombaite, cudnt tolerate it. I too hav seen riots with fear/sympathy/anger in my eyes for both the Muslims And Hindus And Sikhs, but this caused only cause of few rioting fools/puppets run by extremists politicians... Having lived all my childhood in Bombay, with neighbours of allmost all castes I knew. Never did I see an ill feeling among anyones. Hav best of friends with Muslims as well.. As pointed by many even hindus get discriminated in others or even thier own areas. Bombay though being the urban head of Maharastra, just ask those living there how every individual brought up there has thier life connected by one way or the other by person from religion other than the originated Maharashtrians.. Is statisticians provide figures Bombay will show such a range of cultures being tolerated, the same cant be said about Muslim dominated areas, but again for political reasons. So pls stop raising such articles & junk other non-extremist minds...Represent India, Not any Religion..
I wrote a couple of times about what I saw in Hyderabad during Babrimasjid annivarsary Bandh. There were about 34 people dead. The Muslim leaders in the assembly made huge issue of how Muslims were murdered raped etc. Finally, Naidu govt. released the list of names to the news papers. They were all Hindus who had small shops in the Afjaguj area where Most Muslims live. The whole incident subsided. These muslims youth who get their guns probably get their guns from Pakistan, put the guns through the windows of these shops (which were closed) and shot them dead. While my personal experience with the Muslims had always been pleasent, but when it comes to religion, kafir/infedel (what ever the devil it meeans) has no chance. Vijaya Kumar
Indians have a strange mindset. i feel sorry for what has happend but in india all these are things are common. i will narrate an incidnet in my office during my probation days. all my bosses were from UP/Bihar/Tamilnadu and head was a Man from UP. H e had a very sarcastic outlook towards telugu people and he would say "Woh Sala madrasi" these people cannot distinguish that they were living in AP and among telugu speaking people. this is a small incident even people in top posts have different type of feelings and they are all called indians. Our people mind set has got somany type of feelings like linguistic/caste/religion/topography and finally "woh mere admi hai, Samjhe". India is diverse in all these ways and we have to get along daily with these crooks.
We are shocked to read your article. But it is true that religion, caste, state, language have divided our society. It is about mindset.
There are various factors which influnce people's mindset. Be it rejoicing of few people after Indian team losing to Pakistan, or something else. We also agree that not all the muslims are like that. But ONE fish rottens the whole pond. and this is in people's mindset. And their mindset cannot change in a day. A lot of my Hindu friend have similiar experience about Muslims.
Change is required to redirect their mindset.Lot of contineous effort is required. This is an ongoing process and it cannot be chaged in a day. But our effort should not stop with your 'freedom of expression alone'.
We should TRY & TRY. You try to change ur society and I try mine. Because we suceed or not is not important, our attempt should go ON & ON.
Only then our country will become strong & stronger.
