I am a proud Indian and always felt very fortunate about being born in this great country. But these days I can see how the situation has changed, and fast, and it’s unfortunate. I have to admit that I feel very scared and unsafe.
It all started back in 1984, when around 17,000 Sikhs were massacred, and my country was burning. That incident sowed the seeds of fear that I possess today. Sometimes I imagine how the people of India endured that massacre. I was scared and felt unsafe. If mob surrounds me and asks me to disclose my religion, what will I say? My parents taught me that I am a Hindu and trust me I am proud of that.
I felt unsafe in, again, in 1989-90, when around 1,50,000 Kashmiri pundits were forced to leave their homes. They were left homeless, vulnerable to rape, butcher, torture, and what not. That time I felt unsafe for my homeland and for my future.
I always enjoy watching cinema, but in 1993 I again felt unsafe as my country was shattered with explosions. But I felt scared when I came to know that Sanjay Dutt helped terrorists let a countryman die. I felt unsafe because of the Bollywood industry.
In 2002 I was scared of walking on pavements, as our so-called ‘Bhai’ (Salman Khan) loves to drive his expensive cars on pavement only. Of course, it’s not Bhai’s fault. He has right to drive, to shoot. It’s our duty to clear his way.
I felt unsafe.
I knew from day one that our judiciary system will eventually punish all the criminals and I was proved right when Yakub Menon was sentenced to death, but I felt unsafe and scared when his mercy petition was supported by Bollywood stars and many intellectual liberals. What if he had got free and dared to terrorise my country again? I felt unsafe that day.
I felt unsafe when JNU was flooded with rants like “Bharat tere tukde honge” and “Kitne Afjal maaroge har ghar se Afjal niklega“. I felt scared what if there is any Afjal present in next the mohalla?
Today I feel unsafe as many Hindus are being forced to convert and are falling into the trap of false propaganda spread by intellectual liberals and Bollywood stars (who consider themselves superior to all). I feel unsafe when political personalities like Kamal Nath are made Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh despite knowing that he was involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
I feel scared. What if mob surrounds me in the back of an alley and asks me to reveal my religion. Will I be able to say it proudly or will I hesitate? Because I am a proud Hindu and my religion taught me to respect every other religion, but not to tolerate anything unjust. Because I want Ram Mandir to be built in Ayodhya and I have pledged to save the cow.