The Prejudice

Some motivations and some feelings which couldn't resist coming out are leading me to write this article. 



                          'Prejudice', something that we Indians are masters at. A society where even in the 21st century, no one is treated equally. And while saying 'equally', I don't mean the gender equality, but the general fractions which are seen just around us. I want to share with you all a personal incident which happened on the 12th of February, 2015 in Hyderabad. 




                               It was an Industrial Visit by the Ruia College's Department of Communication & Media. Students of age group between 18-21 were having a great time exploring new places and people over a period of four days.12th February's evening saw us going to the famous Hyderabadi monument, The Chaar Minaar! Those typical Muslim lanes taking us to the Chaar Minaar started (a bit like the ones at MohammedAli road in Mumbai) with ittar (perfume) shops, kebab thelaas, etc. It was all seeming colourful and wonderful. But perhaps, I was the only one in the group of 80-85 who was loving the place and the charisma around. I was sensing some tensions going through in the minds of my colleagues. Flat faces, rare smiles, tensed reactions were the only things visible when I looked at my friends. I wasn't able to understand the reason for such an invisible panic at that moment. (Although, my subconscious mind had something to say me). My female friends felt unsafe to even ask for washroom in the nearby hotels. 




                                Later on, the tensions were no longer invisible. The teachers accompanying us decided to leave the place without watching the Chaar Minaar. Everyone was said to reach the bus in a line with boys walking from outside and girls inside that 'so called' protection. It was due to some perverts and some verbal inappropriate things said to few of my female colleagues. The fact that we were leaving that place without seeing the Minaar made me really sad. But more than that, it raised so many questions in my mind. So many questions, that I hardly remember what happened in that short journey of 15 minutes to the hotel from those lanes! 
                                 



                            It wasn't just about some perverts or some inappropriate language used there. And speaking about perverts; such people can be seen in hundreds in every radius of our country. (Not needed to mention the amount of rapes and other female crimes happening in our nation) Even near our very own Ruia Katta. No one really seemed to enjoy that atmosphere near the Minaar. The question arises 'Why?'. Oh, don't tell me it was just about the "tensions" around. What if that type of incident happened in Benaras or Pandharpur pilgrimage? Would all of us have reacted the same? Obviously, No. Everyone, in the back of their minds had this fear of a Muslim area. One of my friend (whom I consider to be the most intelligent and wise person in our class) said that, "Even I get scared when see those 'Arabic' hoardings". This was not only his feeling, but a feeling which was in the minds of each boy and each girl boarding that bus. One thing I want to make clear is that the hoardings we see in India are in Urdu language, which is a sacred language originated in India by OUR Indian Islamic scholars for the convenience of the normal people. Like Sanskrit, like Hindi, Urdu is also ours. 




                             Okay, I can understand that the teachers had the responsibility of 85+ students and taking any risk was out of the books on those 5 days. But, these actions weren't acceptable. (At least for me) I did not react at that moment because I was in thoughts and a war was happening inside my thinking tanks. I also had this fear of battling the numbers game where it could have been a 'One vs. Everyone' game. 
This incident will remain in my memory for a very long time. The things have to change, people need to have a feeling of oneness and secularism. Sharing a class or working together won't just help the cause. The fear and prejudice about a particular community and manipulating the conditions and situations accordingly is the worst a person possibly could do. We live in a country shaped by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad, where all religions and communities are at the same levels. No one is superior and no one is inferior. Muslims in India are misinterpreted. There's always a fear, there's always a feeling of awareness when we are around a Muslim person or a region. Prejudice kills relationships, as well as it narrows our mindset. People have to open their minds and accept the fact that not every Muslim is a bad person. There are many reasons for this invisible communal tension. Political influence of the anti-secular parties is the one reason. But let's not get into that! Our country is a well dressed bride where some religions are the ornaments, while some are the ethnic clothes. They all have to be together for the bride to look beautiful. Our nation is a secular country, it will degrade if it gets influenced by anti-secular thoughts.




                      It's not because, I'm a Muslim that I thought about the things, but it was a feeling of an individual who does not likes and tolerates injustice happening around him. And I ain't a religion sensitive person that I would feel bad about the incident which took place. If such a thing took place where Muslims have a feeling of prejudicial insecurity, I'd have written the same article. 


               In this hope that I see a changed and free environment, I end this article. 
Jai Hind!