Class where we say our heart

                                   

As part of our social development paper, in this semester we discussed Class, caste and religious prejudices. As the semester is reaching its twilight stage, we are trying to discuss the prejudiced with which grew up, stereotypes and pre conceived notions about Hindu -Muslim. In class there is mix of Muslims, Hindus and one Christian .Among Muslims we have one Shia and rest are sunnis.

It was for the first time in my life, where I sat with friends and a teacher to discuss the prejudices we had against each other (which were told since childhood but nobody addressed it). I guess it happened very late in my life. These things should have been discussed in homes and schools. Kids should fight and tease each other but the cause should never be Mosque or temple. They should learn to respect differences and should know about each other.

Muslims in their homes are told. Hindus are not hygienic. They do not take water after peeing, thus they bath in morning. Hindus are not clean people. They think this is their country. They propagate their religion

I came to know that all Muslims are not same .There are Shias and Sunnis. Sunnis believe in Allah and Shias believe in prophet and disciples along with allah. I never knew there are different mosques for Shias and sunnis.

Sunnis ,for instance are told that Shias do everything opposite. They give food or water by spitting into it. They are very orthodox and very religious. One of my friends even told that in her family there have been marriages with Hindus but not with shia till now.

Shias , too on other hand are told that Sunnis are religious Though I grew up in Lucknow, where Shia and sunnis  conflict was common, I never tried to know why the conflict exists. This time I asked my mother about the division .She said they all are same. Had I not joined Jamia, I would have for sure remained ignorant about the diversity and plurality of our society. Words like’ plurality and diversity’ are always read in books and we feel happy that India is one such nation. But when it comes to practice, we try not to talk about it and ignore it and then create prejudice in our minds and let political forces make scores out of it and divide us on the ground of our identity and make political victories.

Hindus are told that Muslims live in’ their’ Hindu country .Pakistan was made for them, why didn’t they go there .Almost every student born in Hindu family heard in his/ her family. Then we are told they are unhygienic and don’t bathe except on Fridays. Muslims are violent, they are butchers and eat animals, they go on to produce kids, so that they can increase their population and set throne.

We know when current government out of blue released religious census and misinterpreted the population growth to mobilize the communal tension. We know population size of the family decreases as the education increases. It is because Muslims and dalits have been socially and educationally backward, they have high fertility rates. Development is the best contraceptive this has been said a lot of time in our classroom.

One of my friends from Shimla, told their parents would never give keep a Muslim tenant .This time when they did, they went through all the legal procedure of keeping a tenant.

Most of the Jamia students live in ghetto-Okhla. In any secular country existence of a ghetto is very shameful. You never get to know about other community. A journalist in his memoir wrote how frustrating it got for him when he was continuously rejected by tenants because of his identity, in various parts of the country. One can imagine the humiliation when you were rejected for being what you are. Your religion becomes your enemy.

Hindus are told Muslims are violent. They love Pakistan; they celebrate when Pakistan wins the match (mostly cricket match).They are traitors. How can we say and believe all these things when we never sat with Muslims and talked to them.

Despite the fact my parents are comparatively liberal in comparison to my Sanghi relatives; even they have prejudices against Muslims though it has always been camouflaged. The fact they never talked openly, I never got to know what lies in their hearts. For example I live with Tuba in Delhi, but I am not sure if my parents permitted me to live with her in Lucknow .Last winter we went to Iqbal’s home .We cooked and ate together. Back in my hometown, I never had this experience.

In childhood, once I was playing with my friends who happened to be Muslim. I came to know it’s not only people who have religion but utensils too. My uncle came to house and he found out that me and my friends eating in the same plate. He later complained to my parents that I shared utensils with them. Though my parents didn’t say but there seemed acceptance in their eyes. Kitchen always had this separate glass for people from lower caste and other religion.

Talking about caste prejudices, though we are yet to discuss them, All I can write is that upper caste has always thought others as substandard humans. This time, in my ancestral place, during panchayat election a reserved seat was being bribed to make it general so that Brahmins do not lose their clout over the village

Who’s afraid of inter-religious love, relationship and marriage?

First of all bollywoodization of love has marred more youngsters than love itself. Then there is family pressure with which one should fall in love with. Fall in love after marriage. Fall in love with person from your religion and caste. When it comes to matters of heart religious divide steepens the most.

Hindu kids are taught not to marry Muslim and vice-versa. One of our seniors(a Sikh) when she took admission in Jamia Millia Islamia, her family had lot of issues  as here she would find Muslim men and studying together can create affection and infatuation and ultimately that might result in family’s dishonor.

Then, it takes courage too to hold firm on your decision, there are people who have inter religious affairs, but when it comes to having permanent sexual partner  they ask parents to fetch them a partner. Timids.

Divide and rule-After partition, the both communities have never lived with peace, time to time communal forces have erupted and disrupted communal harmony. Mumbai, Godhra, Muazzafranagar and dadri. Because we keep in our hearts prejudices, so in time of crisis, this divide comes out and takes form of riot.

We watched Mr and Mrs Aiyer in class, the film echoed the same. A young married woman travels with a stranger. Stranger when tells he is Muslim, she gets in dilemma to trust him or not. She fears .But all her fears vanish once she spends time with him. The time was not happiest time, but it was when they were caught in the middle of riot.

I watched Earth, by Deepa Mehta, its plot is based at the time of partition in Lahore. In film, there was group of friends-one Hindu woman, two Muslim men and one Sikh man. This group never unites again once the country was divided.

The seeds of hatred sown at the time, are watered by communal politics, media propaganda and stereotyping against Muslims time to time.

This discussion opened the locked brains .We know it’s not necessary for two people two think alike, eat alike, dress alike or look alike. We can still live with peace. This class room has been one place where we just not had intellectual debates or discussions we speak our heart out without fear of being judged or being mocked. Anyway, I think we 21 become better humans and spread this dialogue in families and places where we live.