Editor,
The march to uncertain times will begin with scenes on May 12, 2023 when the VPP will in all probability throw life into yet another spin of uncertainty. It could end up with a law and order problem but let’s hope not as life has been normal in spite of electricity and water problems pushing us to adapt to the lack of essentials in our day to day existence. As mentioned in the newspapers, the VPP says it will not be responsible for the presence of a large crowd. The question is, who will be responsible then should things veer out of control?
I quote from a meeting with a learned man, “In the present situation if one desires attention and reaction from the Government all that is to be done is to create a law and order problem.” We get back to the same rut of putting the entire wheels of the economy to a grinding halt. Everyone gets affected and children are among the worst victims whose traumatic experience stays on for years while also losing out on their crucial formative and growth period. Daily wage earners will yet again have to beg, borrow and steal to see through the day and the list can be endless.
We should ask ourselves a question. Have we not gone through years and years of agitations by the same political leaders? Yet is it not surprising that we are at the bottom of the list in all achievement parameters? All these can be avoided if we can only sit down and discuss the contentious roster and quota issue instead of marching to the Secretariat just to submit a letter to the Government. This is too high a price to pay for the valuable years of our lives. Some evolved and mature thinking NGO’s have publicly stated that the roster issue should be handled with kid gloves and this is much appreciated. Will a neutral, frank debate in a non-threatening space be tolerated if there is one? Can we stop and think before we act on the 12th of May?
Yours etc.,
Pynkhrawbor Chyne,
Via email
‘The Kerala Story’ – a wake-up call or propaganda?
Editor,
What if your daughter is radicalized and wants to leave your home? What if your sisters are brainwashed to change their religion and marry the fighters of ISIS, one of the dreaded extremist groups? As loving parents, you will then certainly rant at those who all have tried to suppress the ugly realities, calling them mere propaganda. A noted writer and Archbishop of Kerala, Dr. Mar Joseph Pamplany, asserted in 2020 that those who argued that ‘love jihad’ doesn’t exist in Kerala are blind to the reality. He lamented — “Such people, be they politicians or those from social and cultural spaces or media, may have their own vested interests. But one thing is clear; we are losing our young women. It is not just about love marriages. It’s a war strategy to destroy their lives,”. Should this lament by the concerned bishop be doubted? Is the anxiety and anguish of countless parents whose daughters are in the clutches of the wrong hands less important than the hypocritical uproar of a certain section of people who try to dismiss the incidents of increasing indoctrination by certain people employed by certain terror organizations? Even Prakash Karat, the general secretary of the CPM, had expressed similar apprehension, particularly concerning PFI activities in relation to the danger posed by some militant organizations since the former was actively supporting the extremist forces outside the country.
Against the backdrop of an impending dangerous situation for so many years, some bold people have come forward to raise their voices against the ordeal faced by gullible young girls. The Kerala Story is one of those efforts. In 2020 The United Nations also sounded the alarm by declaring that Kerala is fast becoming a hotbed of ISIS recruitments. The world’s leading newspapers, such as The Guardian, Washington Post, New York Times, Herald Sun, and The Telegraph, regularly published heart-wrenching accounts of women who experienced the brutality of certain extremist groups. There are many documentaries on the net made by conscious people.
A popular scholar from Portsmouth, UK – Khalid Umar, retorts — “Talk about terrorism, ISIS and forced conversions, Muslims dry up their throats ranting ‘this is not true Islam’. Make movies like THE KASHMIR FILES or THE KERALA STORY, the same Muslims cry hoarse, ‘this is Islamophobia!!!’. Do we hear it? They are confirming what is true Islam. Find me another cult that tries so foolishly to confuse the kafirs. In the modern world, no other religion is so heavy on humanity.”
A concerned mother from Kochi says: “The Kerala Story has helped awaken the masses about the tragic reality of ISIS brides; how the unsuspecting girls are brainwashed by certain people and get married to terrorists as sex slaves. Please spare a thought for the victims.”
In view of the impending danger, the CPM’s top leader, also the former Chief Minister of Kerala — V S Achuthanandan, also said long back in 2010 in an interview that some people with certain mindsets are luring their youngsters to marry Hindu or Christian girls to increase their population. This will pose a serious threat to the nation and its democratic setup.
Well, I am not here to give a 5-star rating to this film – The Kerala Story. But what I feel is that no people, no organizations, no religions should hold humanity to ransom. No one should encourage brutality and bloodshed in the name of religion. Also, do not trust those forces who try to brush aside the bloody acts of terror under the carpet. As responsible citizens, we should raise our sane voices for “humanity” and communal harmony. Compassion, love for “all” and tolerance are the only pathways to divinity.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali, (Member, International Human Rights Commission)
Shillong