To My Dear Indian Brothers and Sisters

When will we start looking at each other, not as left or right wing, but as Indians again? We lost ourselves somewhere along the way and fell into the muck head-first that political parties and fanatics laid out for us. They wanted to divide us on the basis of religion and politics. We can safely say now that they have succeeded.

We are more divided than ever before. We look at each other as villains, not citizens of the same soil.

Can we go back to the stage where we all felt like one? Did that phase ever exist? We were probably always this polarized, but the lack of social media helped cover it up.  

I have only one dream – that we put our country first, above everything, including religion, caste, ideologies, political leanings, etc. It’s a huge ask. It’s definitely more challenging than spreading hatred. However, it is the need of the hour so our country can progress further.

For India to develop, we should work together. Politicians will not do it, so it’s up to us, the civilians, to make the effort. I hope to see India as a developed and prosperous country before I bid goodbye to this world. One can dream for one’s country, no matter how improbable. However, such dreams can materialize only if we come together as one, forgetting our differences and working towards the common goal, with nothing else to distract us.

When someone tries to separate us, we should look at each other with empathy and understanding. Instead of harboring a victim mentality, we should grow together. We should think, will the country prosper from our hatred and animosity? Is enmity worth it in the long run?

Elections are coming soon. We can expect more divisive politics. Be mindful of the games people play.

Judge not on the basis of what social media algorithms propagate or even what the newspapers or journalists report. Everyone seems biased at the moment. Judge on the basis of your own quality of life, personal experiences, and surroundings. Judge on the basis of your own contributions to the country – did you help in any way? Even maintaining peace and decorum during heights of conflict is a worthy contribution.

Truth be told, there were times I wished there was a law that banned religion-based talks on social media and news channels. If we stopped talking about religion, if we considered each other as humans first, there would undoubtedly be more empathy. But political parties thrive on identity politics. They can win only if religion is mentioned. So, a ban is out of the question. This is true for all major parties in India: BJP (considered pro-Hindu) and Congress (considered pro-Muslim). Everyone has a game to play based on religion, and we foolishly fall for it, fostering hate for one another.

When a religion or caste is constantly criticized, people affiliated with that religion or caste become more polarized. It’s the sad truth of life. Things don’t dramatically reform. It takes understanding, empathy, and kindness to one another to bring about change. Hate, abuse, and shaming do nothing other than deteriorate matters further.

Since childhood, we have been made to recite, “All Indians are our brothers and sisters,” and we have never questioned those words. I hope we return to that state someday, where we can see each other as one, part of the same soil.

Photo by Shakeb Tawheed