Today is India’s Independence Day. A day where Indians, across the country and around the world, celebrate the end of the vicious British rule over the area. It is also a day to celebrate the cultural diversity of India. However, now is not the time to celebrate. Narendra Modi and the Hindutva are leading a fascist regime across the region.
To most people, a culturally diverse country is one which has people of different colours: a country affected by immigration. However, India is probably the most diverse country in the world. It is not just a country of “brown” faces.
Simply examining the number of languages spoken in India, you’ll be able to see the diversity. It’s not like in the UK, where everyone speaks one language. India has 23 official languages. Even the most popular language, Hindi, isn’t spoken by more than half the population. One report examined the different languages and dialects spoken in India; they found more than 19,500 languages being spoken as the person’s mother tongue.
India is the birthplace of a number of religions, such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. However, these aren’t the only religions being practised across one billion people. Islam is the second largest followed religion in India, after Hinduism. Even a religion like Jainism, which only makes up 0.4% of the population, has a considerable number of followers in the country. There are more Jains in India than there are Muslims in the UK. Every religion being practise in India has had some kind of influence on Indian culture. Sikhism completely transformed Punjab. Muslims ruled parts of India for approximately four centuries, in which time the Taj Mahal was built – probably India’s most popular tourist attraction.
The diversity of India is more than just languages and religion. It’s more evident in the different ways of life people live across the nation. People from different areas eat various meals. Even a dish like biryani is cooked differently, depending on which area it’s made in. People have a differing dress sense. The entertainment from every area varies massively. The day-to-day life of people differ depending on their cultural upbringing.
What should be a day for celebration has become a time of deep concern. India’s diversity is being attacked by its Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and his supporters, especially the Hindutva. Their ideology of Hindu nationalism is not borderline fascist, but simply fascist. It is fascism in the true sense of the word. For them, India belongs to Hindus and everyone else must abide by Hindu law.
Modi has become the face of Hindu nationalism. His actions are deeply worrying for the people of India, especially Muslims. His reluctance to oppose and call out the actions of the Hindutva against Muslims shows that he only cares about creating this utopia land for Hindus in India. Modi isn’t just silent on the topic. He’s actually very vocal… when it comes to supporting the Hindutva. His personal endorsement of Pragya Singh Thakur shows the type of person he is. For those who don’t know, Thakur was involved in a terrorist attack which killed 10 people and injured 82. The target of this attack were Muslims.
During the last week, Modi revoked Article 370, giving India more control over Jammu and Kashmir. This isn’t a step forward towards a better lifestyle for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. However, it is a step towards the dream of Hindu nationalists, making India for Hindus. Kashmir is one of a few states in India whose population is not densely Hindu. Kashmir has a Muslim majority. By revoking Article 370, I worry for these people. What we’re currently seeing is the complete black-out in the region. Very little information is being released from the area. What we do know is that government officials of the area have been arrested. Public services, such as schools and hospitals, are being shut down. This has become a human rights and democratic crisis. I fear we are going to see Muslims across the region losing their houses and land. Think of Palestine. That is what is going to happen in the area.
The dreams of the Hindutva are becoming realities. This isn’t just an attack on Muslims; it is an attack on India and its cultural diversity. What is happening in Kashmir is a big step forward for what they want to achieve. We need to fight these people. What they want is highly dangerous and if they are to achieve this, millions of people’s lives are at risk. This is not an India and Pakistan issue. This is a human rights issue. When people like Priyanka Chopra support the actions of India, because they are patriotic, they’re essentially supporting a fascist regime. Let’s put the rights of Kashmiris first. Let’s put the rights of Indians first. India is a culturally diverse country. Let’s keep it that way.
Stop Narendra Modi.
Aleha