Opinion Are we applauding together?

Moments that unite throw our divisions into sharp relief

Vinod Mathew

February 24, 2009 12:58 AM IST First published on: Feb 24, 2009 at 12:58 AM IST

Today,the world toasted a movie,made by the Brits,about the same city that was held to ransom by armed religious fanatics only a couple of months back. From the early morning on,a country glued to TV broke into cheers when two Indian Muslims walked away with the coveted Academy Awards. Was today not the perfect answer to religious fanaticism from across the border,and in some cases very much from within our borders?

Perhaps there is someone up there sending a message to all of us,saying that it is in our destiny to continue to be a pluralistic society,to not get taken in by hate merchants spewing venom whenever they feel like it in the name of gods. This is not the first time; even before,when those advocating religious intolerance seemed to be getting what they wanted,timely reminders that we Indians have been and will continue to be an inclusive society have arrived.

The day India won the NatWest Trophy finals against England in 2002 in sensational fashion,at a local teashop in Gandhinagar,the finer aspects of the win were being hotly debated till somebody whod not seen the match on TV popped the question: who was at the crease when we won? There was an uncomfortable silence,and then somebody mumbled: Kaif and Zaheer.

Then came the chilling rejoinder from the one who asked the question,Majaa gayee,more silence,and the crowd quietly dispersed. One should not forget that this came not too many months after the 2002 riots that saw the latent hatred that had for decades simmered between the two communities come to a new boiling point.

Over these years,the two words Majaa gayee became the main topic of discussion on many occasions; they pose many unanswered questions not least,whether there were many who no longer enjoyed a win because the players were from a particular community. Time and again,temporary security would be shattered by some fanatic who would give a call in the name of some obscure organisation against society as we know it and that would be the end of majaa for most of us. Recently,when India beat Sri Lanka in a T-20 match,there were two Pathan brothers from Vadodara at the crease. Was it another providential reminder that we are and will remain a pluralistic society? Did the religious angle cloud the euphoria of the win for at least some hardliners who continue looking at milestones through a religious prism?

The Slumdog Millionaire sweep at the Oscars gave people of Indian origin three of those coveted statuettes : A R Rahman,two and Resool Pookkutty,one. The sense of national pride when their names were announced hopefully cut across religious divides. If it didnt,one needs only to look across the border,at the SWAT valley,to see where intolerance can land a country.

vinod.mathew@expressindia.com