Tolerance Vs Intolerance
Vivek
Agnihotri and many others from film industry on their meeting with PM Narendra
Modi on 7/11/2015 - Source: opindia.com
2PM
By the
time we came out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Anupam received a message from PM
Modi asking us to meet at 6.30PM.
6.30PM
While
waiting in a small hall in 7RCR, I could feel meticulous professionalism and
humility all around. We weren’t sure if PM would make it on time as he was
travelling back from Kashmir and it was also the eve of Bihar election results.
6.30 sharp he arrived in spotless white kurta payjama and his trademark jacket.
He listened to us, one by one, with absolute concentration and then he spoke
with wit, humor, concerns, anecdotes and hope. I have never heard a better half
hour speech on tolerance. Some highlights:
He told us
about his belief that cultural space shouldn’t be ‘rajya aashrit’ (Government
dependent) as it takes away the voice of reason but it should be ‘rajya
puraskarit’ (Awarded by the state). And without ‘fearless cultural evolution’
we would be a robotic society.
He
clarified that he never received any request from any ‘kalakar’ to meet him.
“One day I saw on TV that Shri Munnawar Rana was saying that ‘if PM invites us,
we’ll go and tell him about our concerns’ so I immediately called my secretary
and asked him to invite Shri Rana at his convenience but till date no one has
come’. As a PM, he can’t go beyond this. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has
publicly extended invitation, twice, but no one has responded.
On
Kalburgi and Dadri, he said that no one has met the Governors of respective
states and lodged their concerns in order to be channeled to him as he can’t
interfere in State’s issues. He had asked the Karnataka Govt. to send him all
the files on Kalburgi murder but they have not sent them as yet.
He
illustrated an example of administrative intolerance. During the last days of
AB Vajpayee’s government, it was decided to make 6 AIIMS. The then health
minister Sushma Swaraj named the Patna AIIMS Jaiprakash Narayan Institue and
similarly other 5 were also named on non-Congressi national leaders. Vajpayee’s
government lost and Congress came in power. UPA passed a bill in the parliament
and ‘banned’ these names to be used for any Government project. That was the
level of intolerance, he cited.
He was
concerned about ‘political concern vs national interest’. He cited that 54
Heads of African countries were in India for the Indo-African summit. “So many
heads of state don’t even attend a state funeral’ he said sarcastically. “1/3rd
of the world’s population, its concerns and aspirations were represented yet in
our media and public discourse this event was absent’. He said emphatically ‘If
there is a loss to the country due to my mistake, please criticize me which you
must… punish me… but just to oppose me or any other political rival, one
shouldn’t forget national interest’.
He quoted
how Galileo was killed for opposing a belief but in India, when Charvak, an
atheist, challenged Vedas with logic and rejected the idea of reincarnation he
was given the title of ‘Rishi’. Indian thought isn’t about tolerance, its’s
about acceptance. He reminded that the societies, which championed the cause of
human rights, are the ones who initiated two world wars whereas India has been
the most peace generating country, in global context. He said ‘I have absolute
faith that ‘tapasya’ of thousands of years can’t be destroyed by you and me’.
I proposed
to him that he should talk to people from ‘cultural sphere’ including those who
don’t agree with him. I told him that I’d want to hold such interaction in
Mumbai as in Delhi ‘culture can’t be without politics’. Amidst laughter, he
instantly agreed. I said we would organize it whenever he has time to which he
said ‘…then it will never happen… you tell me the time and I’ll adjust’.
This
wasn’t a one-way speech. This was informal, interactive chat filled with humor,
ideas and positivity. And of course, there was chai along with chaas, dhokla,
idlis and veg kathi rolls which were literally forced down on us by the Prime
Minister himself.
My
takeaway from the meeting was that he has immense faith in Indian youth. In him
I found a man who is eager to talk to everyone and is ready to solve problems.
I hope that disappointed artistes will accept his invitation and make him aware
of their concerns. Maybe, he can help.
THINK
INDIA THINK
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