We should be highly concerned about the future if we need to be careful about reading a festival booklet during a metro train ride. Division based on communalism has been growing within India, with more and more people getting caught in the cross hairs of who is a nationalist and who is an anti-nationalist — fuelled more by half-baked knowledge and assumptions. Only a few months back, 50-year-old Mohammed Akhlaq of Dadri in Uttar Pradesh was killed because the mob 'assumed' he had stored beef in his fridge leading to a nationwide dialogue around the subject of 'intolerance'. In what can be seen as another eye-opener, Twitter user Sowmya Rao tweeted a screenshot of her friend's Facebook message narrating an experience while reading an Urdu booklet on the Delhi metro. If the post is to be believed, then what the fellow travellers said is extremely worrisome. Also see: So, what is ‘nationalism’? Here’s what Tagore, Einstein, Orwell, etc, had to say "Today on the Delhi Metro, I was reading the little Jashn-e-Rekhta booklet in Urdu. Suddenly, I realised that two people were talking about me and saying "in haraamiyon ko seedha Pakistan bhejo, dekho Kashmir mein kya gand machaaya hua hai. Pakistani hai Sab ke Sab." I gave back as good as I got, but this is certainly a sign that we're living in fun times," the friend wrote. "I am getting a little worried now," said Rao while sharing the post. Guys this happened to a really close friend today in Delhi and I'm getting a little worried now pic.twitter.com/AH5NSPIVTu — Semiya (@sowmyarao_) February 22, 2016 Thankfully, most people who replied and retweeted the were sensitive to the incident @sowmyarao_ @DilliKiRanaiyan urdu such a lovely language, beyond the understanding of these brainless idiots. Maybe that's the reason — M Mitra (@MMitra4) February 23, 2016 @sowmyarao_ @ishareef639 It's high time to think.Where our country going on..some goons continuously trying to destroy our unity#RSSseAzadi — بنت - حوّا (@nazninkhan53) February 24, 2016 @sowmyarao_ Urdu is a language not a religion. Premchand wrote 'Gaudan' and many of his masterpieces in Urdu. — मानवतावाद (@True_Human_) February 24, 2016 But unfortunately, there were people who encouraged this behaviour. @sw_spot @sowmyarao_ I pray God it works.. Enough of Genocides, enough of politically correct statements! We r primarily Hindus and r proud — M M (@armyenthusiast) February 22, 2016 @sowmyarao_ @unessentialist The responsibility for this rift is JNU. Stop partisan politics and divide nation. — Prof N.K.Singh (@PrfNKSingh) February 23, 2016 .@sowmyarao_ @LazyFatYeti Sending them to Pakistan would be quite easy and cheap. Metro to JNU campus wouldn't cost more than 20 bucks. 😂 — Sir Alec Corbyn (@paynchOm) February 23, 2016 For news updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Instagram
