I am appalled at the discrimination faced by the writer in Mumbai, which is hailed as the most developed, cosmopolitan city in India. Getooisation is a reality in many parts in India. Living In Gujarat, I can vouch for that. Here too, members of non-hindu communities are refused houses in housing societies. Muslims are a strict no-no. If Christians want to buy a house, after much persuasion, they are allowed, if they give in writing that they wont have non-vegetarian food. Christians living in these societies are kept out of social functions. Though this can attributed to only a minority of Hindus, the secular majority often follow suit in order not to displease the powerful lobby . Is this the "unity in diversity' that we often harp about? We are on the threshold of becoming an economic superpower. If such mindets continue to persist, can we sustain a viable progress? The recent reservation controversy is similarly regressive. India can become a power to reckon with only if we leave aside these petty issues and work together towards progress.
Extremely sad...people should be ashamed of such behavior. Every week, I read a dozen stories of how much India is changing...and every once in a while, something like this comes along and makes me wonder if the MINDS - the only stuff that really matters - are changing at all?
As a Hindu, I regret that Mr. Ashraf had to go through this.
I agree with this article,but in high societies in mumbai no one knows who is living next door.Some where down the line things have not changed.In Maharashtra there are villages where only hindus or muslims are living.
What ever you said is correct. Even in my apartment at bangalore people are scared to have a muslim neigbour because there were some kidnapping and vehicle theft from nearby poor mulim locality. Just because of few muslims did that we should not discriminate all muslims. Being a non-vegitarion I can't cook non-veg in my apartment fearing that we will be descriminated from most of our neigbours.
This is utter nonsense! In this world of business what interests a real estate developer and agent is selling the house for the maximum price. I care a damn if my neighbour is hindu, muslim, sikh or any other community. All I care for is a decent neigbhour with whom I can exchange pleasenatires whenever we happen to cross each other. In this fast track age most people in the metros don't even know who there neighbour is and author's claim about being excluded is nothing but his tinted way of looking at things. Its sad that the author feels the way he does and I suggest he remove his communal tint and hunt for a house with a open mind and am sure he'll find a house wherever he wants as long as he is willing to pay the price for it.
