I write this with a heavy heart. A thick haze of despair and hatred now envelops the world, seeping deeply into our nation’s ethos. This is the same country that once stood resilient during historical waves of religious fundamentalism, weathering invasions while preserving its cultural fabric and absorbing diverse influences into an ever-vibrant flow. As a democratic experiment, India is young—a mere 75 years old. Our forebears, transcending race, caste, creed, and gender, united to fight imperial oppression with the hope that each successive generation would grow more liberal, tolerant, and scientifically inclined, shedding the shackles of entrenched religious and cultural dogmas. Yet the past decade, in India, the USA, and globally, has forged a vicious cycle. A potent brew of religious fervor and calculated hatred has fueled an “othering” that alienates anything perceived as different.
It is a classic case of Catch-22: The “othering” has driven marginalized communities to cling more fiercely to their own identities, further deepening divisions. The powers that be exploit this, perpetuating a vicious intersectional cycle. Our primal survival instincts seek safety wherever it is promised, even through hate-laden propaganda or the seductive lure of totalitarian solutions. Consider the USA results: Muslims supported Trump, lured by his (common ground to religion) anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, even as his overarching hate-filled narrative persisted. The Democrats’ apathy toward Gaza deepened disenchantment. Immigrants already in the USA resist more immigration, reflecting a similar inward-turning fear. A rational atheist, ironically, becomes a more dangerous enemy to the fundamentalists that are keen on killing each other over their dogmas.
In culturally intricate nations like India, religious conflict becomes a pro-government narrative, a tool to stifle progress. When debates center on the “fundamentalism” of the “other religion,” short attention spans, primed by WhatsApp forwards and subconscious biases, rationalize and reinforce one’s own fundamentalism. Saffron, green, white, or any color—pick your poison. The testosterone-driven, yet ironically sterile machismo weaponized to provoke hatred sets a dangerous precedent. Patriarchy underpins all religions, which in turn often become humanity’s worst adversary. Consider the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955—brought in as a hopeful step toward progress in Hindus, lies mired in whataboutery as communal hate of “othering” overshadows any chance of progress of the other religion along similar lines. Hate will never solve systemic social problems. If this trajectory continues, civil unrest, though implausible to some, looms dangerously near. A mind consumed by hate is easily provoked, as evidenced countless times over the past decade.
Jobs? Irrelevant. Inflation? Barely discussed. Safety of our neighborhoods? Unimportant. Solutions to the toxic air we are breathing daily? Does not even get a tokenistic mention in the manifesto of political parties. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of India overcoming and conquering the biggest shackle to social progress: the caste system, remains unfulfilled. Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream of a scientific India lies in tatters, with pseudoscientific traditional medicine promotions by the misinformed replacing more rigorous inquiry and support to allopathy. Crony capitalism flourishes, shielding powerful corporations under the guise of GDP growth (till now), while communalism distracts the masses. Political leaders are now akin to sports teams, worshipped fanatically by an aging patriarchal base that vilifies “others” and idolizes leaders over the very values their gods once extolled. The PR run “leaders” run on engagement on socials over engagement with people.
Religious bigots silence discussions of caste to maintain oppression, ignoring the intersectionality of the oppressed. In India’s complex socio-cultural fabric, this stagnation drags us backward. The air we breathe is toxic, and the messages we consume are even more so. Yet, amidst the despair, I write with a fragile ray of optimism—the belief that a future of tolerance, humanity, and evolution is possible. It will require extraordinary effort to forge this vision, but it is a debt we owe to future generations. They shall see our present as a disappointing past.
I write this in defiance—defiance of powers that presume we are too ignorant to resist their traps. I write this as an act of revolt, for we have forgotten how to rebel. History has been forgiving to some leaders of the past; it will not extend the same kindness now. It will be as ruthless as the leaders of our time.
Himanshu Chakravarty Sharma / मंच 