Talking Shop: Traipsing in diversity

“We are all different,

which is great because

we are all unique.

Without diversity, life

would be very boring.”

― Catherine Pulsifer

I am a Dilliwallah Madraasi and this is perhaps why that I have always liked gulab jaamuns, even though my mother kept insisting that I should eat kozhaikattai (sweet jaggery dumplings). I truly loved and craved for my neighbour’s daughter when I was three years old, but was advised to wait till I could see a nubile one some years later in a paavadai (south Indian long skirt). I wanted maambayon (mangoes) but was offered amrood (guavas) instead. I was bewildered and disorientated, so call me dumb. But do remember that I am talking very candidly about my confused and obfuscated life, one that was full of flagellating choices, some high hopes and very warped language skills. But to my credit, I have no discernible accent, unlike some fellow south Indians.

I also don’t know much about my now-new neighbours or the ageing aunties who may still be scrutinizing my existence and daily shenanigans, but I am happy. That’s because I am only one of millions and more fellow Indians who have learnt to live and blend in seamlessly despite our disparity and difference in caste, taste, language, food, creed, colour, so-called class and clothing. And so it is that I welcome you to a new India, full of diversity and non-parity, yet full of yeoman-ship and camaraderie. I told you I would eventually write a happy column, so here it is — happy, happy, very happy.

As a footnote, today is exactly three years since I started writing these columns, revelling in both your fond reviews and vile criticism. Both are welcome, for they tell me that someone is actually reading the words that my ageing laptop spews out. Technology is remarkable, as are human relationships. Both have served me well. Happy.

Three years, and counting

Since I started with diversity, let’s speak of what has transpired on that front over these last three years. News channels have cautioned us that Hindus, Muslims and other religious sects have apparently been s(h)eared apart, but things couldn’t be more to the contrary on the ground. This truth hit home when I adopted a little kitten from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi amidst the height of the protests and roadside sit-ins there. Two years later, my kitten is now a full-blown cat, Bella, and I have made tens of Muslim friends at Shaheen Bagh, which I visit every other Sunday with the cat in my lap. Whilst Bella hisses and gnaws as only cats can, her God-mother Shazia didi coos and fondles her, while my new-found brethren pump me full of kebabs and gosht (succulent meats). If I miss a Sunday, I get angry calls enquiring about my whereabouts. Where is the shear on the ground? I can’t see it.

Elsewhere, in Bihar, a Muslim family last year donated land worth Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of the world’s largest Hindu temple — the Virat Ramayan Mandir — in the Kaithwalia area of East Champaran district. This temple will be taller than the world-famous 12th century Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia, which is 215-feet high, and the overall complex will comprise of 18 temples with high spires and a Lord Shiva temple will have the world’s largest ‘Shivling’. Happy, happy, very happy...

Again in Bihar, in Katihar district, Hindus formed a human chain in front of a mosque to protect it from a possible attack from a mob during a Ram Navami procession. A similar incident was reported in Aurangabad, when people from the majority Hindu community formed a human chain in front of the mosque to protect it. So much then for religious rifts — they may exist in the domain of politicians and their hate-speeches, but things on the ground are, well, very happy.

Economy, COVID and weather

After unnameable quarters of negative growth, there are some silver linings on the horizon insofar as the Indian economy is concerned. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently expressed optimism about the Indian economy, suggesting that ‘real’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 6.8 per cent in the current fiscal, while in 2023-24, it is estimated to grow at 6.1 per cent. For those that find this number debilitating, do take a look at the global backdrop, where recessionary trends are prevailing due to prowling headwinds and a fluid geopolitical situation exists because of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict. Happy.

On the dreaded COVID-19 front, especially as some countries reported a surge in new cases, Indian numbers have fallen to extremely low levels, thanks to high vaccination rates — at last count, over 220 crore vaccine doses had been administered in our country. The free administration of booster shots and broader booster eligibility criteria are also helping improve vaccine coverage. Thankfully then, we appear to be headed out of the clutch of this scourge of a virus. Happy.

If we talk weather, as many as 285 roads were shut down in Himachal Pradesh last week due to incessant snowing and blizzards. Don’t be faint-hearted, for this means that winter will be prolonged for a bit, hotel and tour operators will make much-needed money and those in North India can put off the servicing of their air-conditioners for another month or so. Lower electricity bills and less sweating ahead of a blistering summer will not hurt either. Very happy.

True moral of life

The last three very tough years have taught us all that there is a true moral to living; tolerance and camaraderie, regardless of caste, creed, religion, earnings or status. We live in a multicultural society, full of variegated tastes, sects, likes and dependencies. Tolerance is an imperative, since intolerance is bad for our character and society as a whole. Religion is all about faith and belief, not of evidence. Even the Internet throws up a telling explanation, saying multiculturalism is a word that describes a society where many different cultures live together — it is the simple fact of cultural diversity.

In a multicultural society, there is not an official culture that every person must be part of. Instead, all cultures are respected as much as each other. Tolerance is a big help for multiculturalism, and xenophobia makes things difficult. India has always been a multicultural society, and the few rips that have appeared in this fabric due to various factors need to be mended fast and prevented from recurring. Once that is done, we can be happy.

Let’s get back to our quotes. Martin Luther King, Jr once said: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” That’s food for thought as we enter the second month of a new year, for India is not just a land of elephants and snake-charmers, but one of charmers who can speak to elephants and snakes in different hues and languages and then rear them on their heads—so much for a mahout or a snake-charmer’s pungi (musical instrument). Happy. Happy. Very happy.

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. He can be reached on narayanrajeev2006@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal