It is akin to mild flirtation and subtle eye contact with a pretty face at a busy check-in counter; no serious long-term repercussions, really.
The narrow by-lanes are usually asphyxiated with teeming crowds, and you are rather fortunate if you do not have your foot casually crunched in the maddening mayhem. But truly what amazes you is the genuine warmth and painstaking care with which the Muslim shopkeepers treat you; their sheer humility, enthusiastic religious passion, and persistent enquiries about your feedback on their generous offerings is touching.
I write the above because given India's natural propensity for becoming a mindless controversy-factory, we have now allowed another avoidable source of conflict to arise between ourselves.
I remember when I was in a business school attempting to master forecasting models, I had honestly believed that Arjun Singh was a man on a mission, a harbinger of peace and all good tidings; the Rajiv Gandhi-Sant Harchand Singh Longowal accord coming at a crucial juncture in Punjab politics, when Arjun Singh was Governor of Punjab, and the state was in a confused, confounded quandary.
Arjun Singh's recent charades, however, are quite baffling; a needless conflagration over job reservations; and now an asinine brouhaha created over Vande Mataram.
He is currently the Congress party's heaviest liability; old, senile and clearly bereft of political sagacity. What makes him a perfect candidate for immediate sacking is that the wily old palace-intrigue expert always has some snide agenda behind these seemingly benign or well-orchestrated gestures.
In a year in which BJPs biggest achievement has been letting the world know that Rahul Mahajan has a pilot's license, it is almost appalling how the Congress seems to be in a great hurry to commit hara-kiri with extraordinary consistency.
For no apparent reason, the Congress is beginning to lose hard-earned goodwill over some self-styled idiotic utterances of its grand old veteran heading the HRD ministry.
By sending contradictory signals on Vande Mataram, the Congress has ended up providing fuel to Hindu extremists and sufficient fodder to Islamic fundamentalists at the same time.
We must honestly recognize that both the average Hindu and the common Muslim are essentially peace-loving, friendly family-type who have co-existed for 59 years with remarkable maturity, sensitivity and tolerance despite several attempts by scheming politicians to ferment trouble.
They have sometimes succeeded, but frequently failed (the latest example being the train blasts on 7/11). The sporadic violent outbursts, the Gujarat massacre, and serial bomb blasts are a consequence of a few die-hard pernicious elements, misguided and malevolent, who take the entire community for a ride through spreading divisive, incendiary propaganda.
They may be either religious leaders or those wearing white-starched pyjama-kurtas and walking the corridors of India's September parliament. After all, their entire political existence depends upon a divided nation, a fractured society, and fissures between communities.
We must endeavour to defeat them, Mr Singh, not end up giving them some perilous ammunition for achieving their parochial gains.
Vande Mataram, in it's hundredth year, deserves to be duly recognized, remembered, sung and celebrated with limitless vigour.
Every Indian citizen ought to remember it's powerful prose, nationalistic fervour and glorious history, recollect our freedom struggle and sing along. In an ideal situation, Vande Mataram would have created not even a ripple, forget the raging storm it has become.
But these are difficult times. And thanks to some whimsical geopolitical miscalculations and military misadventures of a certain odd couple called Mr Bush and Mr Blair, Islamic militancy has received a dangerous fillip world-wide.
We should be grateful that Indian Muslims have remained essentially unaffected by global extremism, but it will be extremely foolhardy to assume that certain inimical forces are not working over-time just to achieve that.
The Vande Mataram controversy must be therefore realistically seen in the prevalent social context; currently it is susceptible to volatile political exploitation.
To enforce it's singing in schools or wherever else, will be perceived as a high-handed act, uncaring of minority sentiments, which will seriously boomerang.
Let us not let that happen. It will be highly imprudent to do so.
Patriotism, commitment, ethics, love, passion and caring are intangible emotions. They cannot be legislated. They should not be enforced.
I am quite happy actually seeing one and all, potato chips in hand, mobile phones ringing away incessantly, even smothering yawns maybe, but at least everyone stands up to Jana Gana Mana.
It's a modest beginning, but it's working. Let's stop making a big hullabaloo about Vande Mataram, and believe me it will automatically find it's logical acceptance with everyone in times ahead.
Sure President APJ Abdul Kalam, Shah Rukh Khan, Mohammed Kaif and Javed Akhtar may sing Vande Mataram, but would they be less Indian and less patriotic if for some reason they felt that there was a religious restriction, which inhibited them from doing so?
The Congress needs to do some serious introspection on it's freshly-acquired alarming skills for ending up in one unwarranted terrible mess after another.
I for one would certainly give Arjun Singh two walking sticks and show him the quickest-route to hibernation camp.
As for the BJP, it is such a strange irony that LK Advani gets elected from a constituency called Gandhinagar.
I recommend he does some honest soul-searching for a change, and watches Lage Raho Munnabhai.
Time to do some Gandhigiri, Advani saab! And please take Rajnath Singh along to avoid a short-circuit (pun unintended)! About the AuthorSanjay Jha Sanjay Jha is a hard-core “Congressi” largely on account of being enchanted by the incredible brilliance of the Gandhi-Nehru mystique, its array of in...Read Morefirst published:September 04, 2006, 15:12 ISTlast updated:September 04, 2006, 15:12 IST
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Every year, I religiously visit Mohammed Ali Road's celebrated confectionery-cum-sweet stall, Sulaiman Mithaiwala in Bombay at the time of Ramzaan, sometimes more than just one single time. Their "mawa - khaja" in a multi-colored hue and trademark "malpua" which emerges out golden deep-fried from a large black vessel soaking with ghee, are serious cholesterol- invaders, but during the sunset fast-breaking feast, such gastronomic trespasses are scornfully dismissed.
It is akin to mild flirtation and subtle eye contact with a pretty face at a busy check-in counter; no serious long-term repercussions, really.
The narrow by-lanes are usually asphyxiated with teeming crowds, and you are rather fortunate if you do not have your foot casually crunched in the maddening mayhem. But truly what amazes you is the genuine warmth and painstaking care with which the Muslim shopkeepers treat you; their sheer humility, enthusiastic religious passion, and persistent enquiries about your feedback on their generous offerings is touching.
I write the above because given India's natural propensity for becoming a mindless controversy-factory, we have now allowed another avoidable source of conflict to arise between ourselves.
I remember when I was in a business school attempting to master forecasting models, I had honestly believed that Arjun Singh was a man on a mission, a harbinger of peace and all good tidings; the Rajiv Gandhi-Sant Harchand Singh Longowal accord coming at a crucial juncture in Punjab politics, when Arjun Singh was Governor of Punjab, and the state was in a confused, confounded quandary.
Arjun Singh's recent charades, however, are quite baffling; a needless conflagration over job reservations; and now an asinine brouhaha created over Vande Mataram.
He is currently the Congress party's heaviest liability; old, senile and clearly bereft of political sagacity. What makes him a perfect candidate for immediate sacking is that the wily old palace-intrigue expert always has some snide agenda behind these seemingly benign or well-orchestrated gestures.
In a year in which BJPs biggest achievement has been letting the world know that Rahul Mahajan has a pilot's license, it is almost appalling how the Congress seems to be in a great hurry to commit hara-kiri with extraordinary consistency.
For no apparent reason, the Congress is beginning to lose hard-earned goodwill over some self-styled idiotic utterances of its grand old veteran heading the HRD ministry.
By sending contradictory signals on Vande Mataram, the Congress has ended up providing fuel to Hindu extremists and sufficient fodder to Islamic fundamentalists at the same time.
We must honestly recognize that both the average Hindu and the common Muslim are essentially peace-loving, friendly family-type who have co-existed for 59 years with remarkable maturity, sensitivity and tolerance despite several attempts by scheming politicians to ferment trouble.
They have sometimes succeeded, but frequently failed (the latest example being the train blasts on 7/11). The sporadic violent outbursts, the Gujarat massacre, and serial bomb blasts are a consequence of a few die-hard pernicious elements, misguided and malevolent, who take the entire community for a ride through spreading divisive, incendiary propaganda.
They may be either religious leaders or those wearing white-starched pyjama-kurtas and walking the corridors of India's September parliament. After all, their entire political existence depends upon a divided nation, a fractured society, and fissures between communities.
We must endeavour to defeat them, Mr Singh, not end up giving them some perilous ammunition for achieving their parochial gains.
Vande Mataram, in it's hundredth year, deserves to be duly recognized, remembered, sung and celebrated with limitless vigour.
Every Indian citizen ought to remember it's powerful prose, nationalistic fervour and glorious history, recollect our freedom struggle and sing along. In an ideal situation, Vande Mataram would have created not even a ripple, forget the raging storm it has become.
But these are difficult times. And thanks to some whimsical geopolitical miscalculations and military misadventures of a certain odd couple called Mr Bush and Mr Blair, Islamic militancy has received a dangerous fillip world-wide.
We should be grateful that Indian Muslims have remained essentially unaffected by global extremism, but it will be extremely foolhardy to assume that certain inimical forces are not working over-time just to achieve that.
The Vande Mataram controversy must be therefore realistically seen in the prevalent social context; currently it is susceptible to volatile political exploitation.
To enforce it's singing in schools or wherever else, will be perceived as a high-handed act, uncaring of minority sentiments, which will seriously boomerang.
Let us not let that happen. It will be highly imprudent to do so.
Patriotism, commitment, ethics, love, passion and caring are intangible emotions. They cannot be legislated. They should not be enforced.
I am quite happy actually seeing one and all, potato chips in hand, mobile phones ringing away incessantly, even smothering yawns maybe, but at least everyone stands up to Jana Gana Mana.
It's a modest beginning, but it's working. Let's stop making a big hullabaloo about Vande Mataram, and believe me it will automatically find it's logical acceptance with everyone in times ahead.
Sure President APJ Abdul Kalam, Shah Rukh Khan, Mohammed Kaif and Javed Akhtar may sing Vande Mataram, but would they be less Indian and less patriotic if for some reason they felt that there was a religious restriction, which inhibited them from doing so?
The Congress needs to do some serious introspection on it's freshly-acquired alarming skills for ending up in one unwarranted terrible mess after another.
I for one would certainly give Arjun Singh two walking sticks and show him the quickest-route to hibernation camp.
As for the BJP, it is such a strange irony that LK Advani gets elected from a constituency called Gandhinagar.
I recommend he does some honest soul-searching for a change, and watches Lage Raho Munnabhai.
Time to do some Gandhigiri, Advani saab! And please take Rajnath Singh along to avoid a short-circuit (pun unintended)!
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