By Suchetana Sinha:
If you and I existed in a sane world, borders would have had doors and war would only be a concept. Yet, considering the fact that we do not live under such conditions, foreign policy makers and international regulatory bodies are sweating constantly to maintain what is understood as ‘international relations’.
India as a nation exists in a very volatile region politically. India has major political and economic disputes with China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, all of which share their borders with the country. The fun fact is, India will always remain in this geographical position. The tectonic plates are not moving away anytime soon.
In the recent terror attack in Uri, 18 military personnel were killed. The attack was allegedly sponsored by Pakistani elements. The present state of mind of some people is so volatile that they are willing to go to war with Pakistan. There is a hashtag marathon which is taking place on social media. Some Indians and Pakistanis are expressing their rage and powerlessness after the terror attack. While some Indians are demanding an “immediate” response with nuclear wars, others are calling for the beginning of World War III. My over enthusiastic friends, it is true that India does possess nuclear weapons. The Prithvi-II missile has a strike range of 350 kilometres. Yet, it still doesn’t change the fact that we are a third world country.
The cost of war is way beyond the number of likes/ retweets a patriotic social media rant can get. The military preparation to plan and execute a war would most definitely suck our economy out, create joblessness and malnutrition in an already starving nation. I have rarely come across an opinion that talks of strategies and innovative ideas to ensure border securities.
The patriotism visible in social media currently not only discards any scope of innovation but also glorifies the idea of war. The ones not supporting the ‘mission’ are encouraged to find an asylum in Pakistan. Unfortunately, we’ve failed to understand, that this is not about different kinds of jingoism. The hype and false sense of pride created in a battle make it easier to approve of the army’s killings.
Yes, you are angry and so am I. But, there could be another way to solve the problem other than spilling blood and discontinuing India-Pakistan cricket tournaments.
Schools manufacture hatred between the two countries through classroom debates. Parents justify wars to their kids and political parties have miserably failed to resolve the Kashmir debate. It has resulted in an absolute anarchy of blame game.
The consequences of these, complemented by the wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, make the situation pretty volcanic. So, when tech savvy men and women tweet and share such violent thoughts on social media, it doesn’t serve a positive function.
Join debates and conversations. Understand why things are like this. Put an end to the nuisance on social media as the world is watching us.
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