Growing intolerance

The right to dissent is the essence of democracy. Intolerance has an inhibiting effect on freedom of thought and discussion and is incompatible with a plural liberal democracy.

The right to dissent is the essence of democracy. Intolerance has an inhibiting effect on freedom of thought and discussion and is incompatible with a plural liberal democracy. Our Supreme Court has vindicated tolerance. Three students of Jehovah8217;s Witnesses faith refused to sing the Indian national anthem because they were forbidden by their religious beliefs to sing the national anthem of any country. The students were expelled. The Supreme Court struck down the expulsions. The court concluded with a ringing note: 8220;Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practices tolerance; let us not dilute it.8221;

The Supreme Court in its recent judgment upholding a partial temporary ban imposed on slaughter of cattle in municipal slaughterhouses in Ahmedabad noticed the 8220;growing tendency of intolerance in our country8221;. Justice Markandey Katju speaking for the court deplored that 8220;these days unfortunately some people seem to be perpetually on a short fuse, and are willing to protest often violently, about anything under the sun on the ground that a book or painting or film etc has hurt the sentiments of their community. These are dangerous tendencies and must be curbed with an iron hand. We are one nation and must respect each other and should have tolerance8221;.

The crucial point is that tolerance cannot be legislated nor can it be enforced by judgments. We must develop the capacity for tolerance by fostering an environment of tolerance, a culture of tolerance. Education has a vital role to play in this connection. Indeed the highest result of education is tolerance.

Unusual award

There is an infinite variety of awards which are conferred on persons dead or alive. The 8216;bad sex8217; fiction award is quite unique. The rationale is to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it. Some distinguished recipients of the award are A.A. Gill and Melvyn Bragg. The latest to receive this award posthumously is the late Norman Mailer for his book The Castle in the Forest published in 2007. Mailer8217;s award-winning passage described a penis as an 8220;old battering ram8221;. India is not absent. In 1993 Aniruddha Bahal won the award for describing sex as a 8220;cross-country8221; rally. Dickens8217;s Pickwick Papers is thoroughly enjoyable, especially after the entry of Sam Weller with his inexhaustible fund of similes: 8220;Glad to meet you as the gentleman said to the five pound note.8221; Another one is, 8220;Quite enough to get Sir, as the soldier said when they ordered him 350 lashes.8221;

He was rebuked by the presiding judge in the famous trial of Bardell v. Pickwick. 8220;You must not tell us what the soldier said, it8217;s not evidence.8221; In Pickwick Papers there is laughter and pathos, humour and wit without a litter of four letter words and nauseating descriptions of sexual activities.

Names do matter

What8217;s in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other word would smell as sweet8221;, so we are told by Shakespeare. Experience however establishes that names do matter. Common questions amongst lawyers and even the judges are which counsel argued the case and which judge delivered the judgment. In an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court the home ministry said that a large number of VIPs were enjoying high-level security and government accommodation by exaggerating the level of threat to their security. The court was informed of the proposal to change the nomenclature 8220;VIP security8221; to 8220;personal security8221; because many seeking protection interpreted security as a status symbol. This proposal has irked many because the words 8220;Very Important Persons8221; VIP have a different tone and significance. If good old Feroze Gandhi had a traditional Parsi surname like Daruwalla or Sopariwalla the name Sonia Daruwalla would not be as charismatic as the surname Gandhi. Young Rahul in his recent talk to students in Mangalore with his characteristic frankness admitted that he has an edge in politics due to his surname. Shakespeare saheb, names and words do matter, certainly in India.