Social media and news
networks have been abuzz over the past couple of days with discussions &
debates about Aamir Khan’s statement. Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and the like
have been awash with posts and messages of Aamir haters, some going to the
extent of saying “PK = Pack up with Kiran”! People who hero-worshipped Aamir
until a couple of days ago have turned down-right haters, some just going with
the flow, not even bothering to find out why they are sloganeering against him.
What is it on Aamir’s
part that has earned the ire of millions across the country? Aamir made a
statement where he said that his wife feels scared to open the newspapers every
day and had asked him whether they should leave the country, fearing for the
future of their children. No sooner had these words been spoken, media took it
upon themselves to give the statement “much needed” publicity by replaying the
statement over and over again. And here we are!
“Madness, as you
know, is a lot like gravity. All you need is a little push.”
Media provided that much
needed push. Patriots, intellectuals & patriot intellectuals pounced upon
Aamir in an instant. While Aamir never mentioned any political party when he
said there has been an increasing sense of intolerance, supporters of BJP took
to painting it as an anti-Modi, anti-BJP jibe, some channels even running
hashtags like #AamirVsModi. The remark was made on how we as a people (people
as a mass) are becoming intolerant. A statement which was intended to lead us
to introspect took political colours.
Hearing some of the
arguments and comments that have been made against Aamir, I felt we are being
unfair to him and decided to counter these arguments. Not that Aamir will read
this anytime! However, I feel that we as a people need to be sensible and
sensitive to things happening around us and I shall try to keep this as
non-political as possible.
Argument #1: ‘What
insecurity does Aamir Khan feel in this country where his movies are widely
watched? As a national icon, his statement tarnishes India’s image, more so
because he is the ambassador of the Incredible India campaign.’
Argument #2: ‘His
wife made a statement about leaving the country fearing the safety of her kids
while the widow of Col. Mahadik said that she would enroll her children into
the army to serve the country. A social figure like him has to stay in the
country to change the country. Why did they not make such statements when
Mumbai was under siege during 26/11 or ’93 or the like?’
Argument #3: ‘Aamir’s
movie PK ran successfully in our country because we are tolerant. He wouldn’t
dream of doing such a movie in either Pakistan or Bangladesh. The fact that we
are debating on this issue shows we are a tolerant nation.’
Argument #4: ‘What
were the artists and intellectuals doing when anti-Sikh riots broke out in
1984? Why are they protesting only under the present government?’
The list would go on but
for the moment, let us consider these.
The point where those
who are hounding Aamir went wrong is by taking the statement at face value.
They interpreted it word-to-word, not bothering to understand the depth of the
statement. It would be foolish to think that Aamir or his wife actually think
of relocating to another country.
The statement that Kiran
Rao fears for her kids does not mean that she fears that they might be attacked
because of their religion. It indicates a deeper fear of the kind of society
that she thinks her kids are growing up into – a society where we no longer
agree to disagree; a society where any dissent is suppressed and differences of
opinion are not respected. While we need to salute the spirit of Col.
Mahadik’s widow, it is not apt to compare the two statements.
Col. Mahadik is a martyr
who laid down his life fighting terrorist outfits. Terrorism is an evil that is
forced upon the country by external outfits. Aamir’s statements talk of the
destruction of the social fabric within the country. While all of us across the
country feared for our safety in the wake of 26/11 and the like, loss of social
cohesiveness within the country is a cause of alarm. It is only too ridiculous
to place the two statements at the same level!
Arguments
about his movie PK are shallow and blinded by a spirit of fanaticism. The movie
is not disrespectful towards any religion. It ridicules organized religion and
self-proclaimed god men. PK speaks of the futility of blind faith and urges
people to rethink the way they wish to seek god. To label PK as
anti-Hindu is amateurish.
Some
even stated that Aamir Khan would have been hanged if he had made a movie like
PK in Pakistan or Bangladesh (the statement was wrongly attributed to the
exiled Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasreen). There is a huge flaw in the
argument. Islam is declared as a state religion in these two countries, making
them more-or-less theocratic states whereas India is a democratic state. It is
logically not sound to compare the situation in India with the situation in
these two countries, whether on the issue of religion or any other issue. We
need to look at societies which are more open to differing opinions for
comparison.
Aamir Khan’s statement
on “increasing intolerance” was made in front of an Indian audience and Indian
media, not an international audience. The fact that his statements led to so much
of an uproar, with people protesting on the streets, blackening his posters,
uninstalling the Snapdeal app (of which he is an ambassador), asking him to
leave the country have been counter-productive. They highlight the truth in his
statements! It is not his statements but our disproportional reactions which
tarnish India’s image.
Aamir’s
statements should have, ideally, compelled our leaders to think what triggered
such statements. Rather, they chose to equate this with the statements and
gestures made by an increasing number of intellectuals and artists, which have
been dubbed as “manufactured dissent”. Their moves have been questioned and
parallels are drawn with the reactions to the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, which
were allegedly organized by the Congress party. One wrong cannot justify
another. It is not that there were no reactions or protests against those riots
then. It is just that with the advent of media and social media, protests today
are more vocal and more visible.
It is
important to have a culture of healthy debate and ideological dialogue for a
country to move forward. Ideas need to clash with ideas, not bullets or
oil-&-ink or protests. We need a country where we agree to disagree; where
differing views can coexist without the fear of being chastised or worse,
brutalized. We need a country “where the mind is without fear” and “the head is
held high”. It is the responsibility of every one of us to work towards a
pluralist India. The idea of Hindustan can wait.
“I do
not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to
say it.”
