Creating a new social contract

However, the real conflict is not between Modi and CII but between reality and perception at many different levels. For example, the brutal reality of the Gujarat carnage and the perception of some people that nothing much is amiss in that state because, they believe that, reports of the violence have been exaggerated.

Yet how do you fight for inclusive justice without, as the poet suggests, 8220;slaying or flaying people8221;? Firstly, by accepting that there are no easy short-term answers and being ready for the long haul. Secondly, by refusing to demonise the 8216;other8217;.

Thirdly, by remembering that the power of a bully invariably depends on never being challenged and confronted. And fourthly, by not hesitating to pool energies for even the most humble actions aimed at ensuring just rule of law.

In practical terms this means that enough business people need to find collective ways of speaking out and turning the sub-surface opposition into a more active resistance.

The lead has already been taken by one of the icons of the business community 8212; Narayana Murthy of Infosys, when he delivered the Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture in August 2002. Speaking about 8220;No Secularism, No Progress8221; Murthy argued that secularism is 8220;a system where transactions are conducted between individuals as well as between individuals and institutions without being prejudiced by either party8217;s religious beliefs, and where equal opportunity is available for every individual irrespective of his or her religious or caste affiliations.8221;

Living by this definition is a basic requirement for a multi-religious society. The responsibility for this rests both with state and civil society8212; including the corporate sector. This is because common sense dictates that the conduct of business needs basic rule of law, ie, protection of life, property and honoring of contracts.

In Gujarat, the scale and brazen nature of violations of basic rights has taken the crisis of governance to an unprecedented low. Communal violence is only one dimension of the crisis. No one has forgotten how, some years back, a mob of Shiv Saniks destroyed a first-rate hospital on the premises of J.K. Industries in Thane. The failure of the business elite to collectively condemn and act against such vandalism has partly helped forces like the Shiv Sena to flourish.

Yet there have been some low-key attempts at solutions.Over the last few years public-private partnerships in Karnataka have led to some amazing institutional measures that have compelled the government machinery to be more transparent and accountable to ordinary citizens. These initiatives have been possible because of the combined involvement of corporate professionals, social activists and politicians. It can be done.

The truth is that we never know enough to justify being truly pessimistic. So let us not succumb to anxiety over the dangers of brutal intolerance. Let us instead grasp the nearest possibility for building collectives that alter mindsets without affronting the dignity of those who disagree.

The writer is the author of the book, Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi