Festivals must unite…and fight discord

Festivals are an occasion to celebrate the good times, the pomp and glory of the Gods and of feasts, joy, homecomings and community gatherings. In Karnataka and elsewhere in the country, the festive season is off to a roaring start with Ganesh Chaturthi just getting over with the immersion ritual of Ganesha idols.

People are gearing up for the next big festival-Dasara, which symbolises the victory of good over evil. Soon after this will arrive the biggest festival of them all - Diwali which again celebrates the dominance of good and which sees the bursting of crackers and the taking out of processions besides elaborate pujas and rituals.

The year winds up with Christmas to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, and New Year celebrations. Across India and Karnataka, as people get into the celebratory mode, what’s becoming a serious cause of concern are sinister attempts to disturb peace and gain political capital exploiting deeply embedded religious sentiments.

It has happened in Maddur in Mandya district, where a Ganesha immersion procession was allegedly stoned a couple of days ago triggering tension and leaving several people injured. Though normalcy has returned, an uneasy peace prevails with the simmering discord leaving those belonging to different communities in a state of anxiety.

More than Mandya, the epicentre of communal unrest in Karnataka has been the coast where pro-Hindutva forces have always tried to gain political leverage with strong-arm tactics. Political murders happen with a chilling regularity in districts like Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi, which forced the Congress govern ment to set up an Anti-Communal Task Force to crack down on unruly elements bent on wrecking peace and drawing political capital.

The formation of the force was necessitated following heightened communal tension in the region after the murder of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty and Mohammed Fazil with calls for revenge and inflammatory content making their way to social media. The force has its task cut out, keeping a close vigil on elements likely to cause mischief and making sure the content on social media handles does not assume dangerous tones.

For the Congress government in Karnataka, the responsibility is enormous- it is one of the few states ruled by an Opposition party and so, attempts are likely to be made by those ousted from power to make the going tough for the ruling party. The BJP does not seem to have reconciled with the fact that it is now out of power and will have to perform the role of a responsible Opposition party along with the JD(S).

On the contrary, the party has been trying to harp on controversies like the Dharmasthala row and the Dasara invite to Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to embarrass the Congress government. In a nation where people of different communities live in close proximity in every street, eking out their livelihood and rubbing shoulders every day, we will have to ‘live and let live’ in harmony with our neighbours.

We really do not have a choice for our nation is built on the multi-hued fabric of secularism and diversity, which has made us a great civilisational power. Let’s continue to hold our heads high as a secular minded and progressive people, rather than be misguided by ugly attempts to create fissures among us for narrow political gain.