Kalia, the True Bhakt

I feel like Kalia, who elected Gabbar in a democratic process believing him to be a ruthless demagogue. & till communities after communities fell under the hooves of his mighty horses and all conquering roar, I felt proud. Here was a leader, a man of tribe, who was feared by one & all. Here was a man of action who could cut hands of justice if it was necessary for a greater cause towards keeping his clan the most supreme.

& I, Kalia, the fiercely loyal, blindly devoted follower knew that I will always be safe, that I will always be fighting for a cause greater than a few worthless lives. What Gabbar says is the law, the law of the jungle, the law for the powerful, not a law that talks of justice & equality, not a law that aims to protect the meek & the weak.

It's a war out there and if Gabbar does not act, the weak & meek villagers of Ramgarh & adjoining areas in connivance of the law & order machinery will wipe us out. & in a war as holy as this, one needs to make a few sacrifices even if it is one of ours.

Who cares for law & order anyways, courts of law are the ways of cultures who cannot act. For us, Gabbar is the Judge, Jury & Executioner - & it is a fair system – six rounds of a bullet, 3 for life, 3 for death – fair & simple - & effective!

This is how it works, say I am sent for a task & come back defeated – now this is a serious offence – a sign of weakness, a loss of aggression, a threat to reputation. Does not matter if law & justice together conspire to beat me up? Can Gabbar forgive this? Should he? Absolutely Not! But he would be fair in his justice still, that’s why we idolise him for even if he’s the one who wields the guns. This is how the conversation will flow,

Gabbar: (pointing the gun at Kalia) Are you for the development of the tribe?

Kalia: (shivering) Yes My Baap, I have gone on so many missions with you

(Gabbar clicks the butt, but it’s an empty round – Kalia’s stance for development saves him)

Gabbar: (pointing the gun again) Are you a true believer in faith?

Kalia: (proudly displaying the black tilak on his forehead) I’m and I’ll kill for it Sardar

(Another click, but empty again because of Kalia’s belief in his religion)

Gabbar: (3^rd time pointing the gun) Are you a nationalist?

Kalia: (looks at his black brown uniform pants) I’m the greatest one that ever was

(Another click, empty again, Nationalism saves the day for Kalia)

Kalia: (relieved) Sardar, if there were bullets…..

Gabbar fires again & again & again: Questions Gabbar, you’re anti-Gabbar

Sambha sitting atop watching, gives a cry: Ghar Ghar Gabbar!!!

The tribe repeats in chorus: sabse babbar, apna Gabbar!!!

----End of Kalia---

Why should the minorities not fear?

Codified books have been a bane of religion – X,Y,Z (feel free to assign names). Thankfully for the ones that are still in their adolescence, they have to contend with just ONE. For the others who have seen through the days of unwritten text, have to content with as many texts as the number of gods.

The spirit of competition is good – it led to the discovery of the Americas and eventually Coca Cola. However competing religions are a bad press. When the guy dressed in robe preaches cosmic difference between believers & non-believers and a similarly vain dude goes bullshitting around with cow dung, it becomes nothing more than a clown show.

Allowing practitioners of another faith/god/opinion/ideology to co-exist with you is not tolerance; it is basic tenet of humanity.  

The case relating to Staines murder and the subsequent Wadhwa commission findings has a universal legal adage to it – innocent till proven guilty and for all the wrong reasons has allowed many a inglorious to roam free. On the role of Bajrang Dal’s involvement, the findings was quite clear and contrary to the advise of its counsel as well as the investigation team (http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2021/stories/20031024003902400.htm).  However beyond the legal boundaries, lies a society that cares for it little less than going beyond the 2^nd line of a headline. This is the group that believes Modi did it the right way in Gujarat, that RSS had a hero in Godse, that Dara Singh was eponymous to his name. Religious tolerance, well that’s what gets thrown out while flying in the Puspak. Philosophies are better practiced than just remain in glorious textbooks.

Minorities have as much right to feel frightened as the majority has the right to feel threatened. Claiming a dalit as your own and then denying him the right to enter your sacred temples is what Mallya did by charging you to book a Kingfisher flight and never really taking off. Worse still, you are not served beef on board. 

Christian missionaries have for long carried the white man’s burden, the Islamist literature has for long spawned a group of fanatic zealots, but definitely when the mantle of upholding the national pride falls on to names like Godse and Dara Singh, there is a serious flaw in the conditioning of the modern Hindu. Nothing escapes a black hole, not light, not even our or their gods. All that enters becomes the same, a black hole. For the sake of argument, Holocaust may never happen again, hopefully the fear is uncalled for, but then some of us feel on the surface that it is time for the other party to be taught a lesson. Tolerance, that’s for the secular freak.

If churches are vandalized, so be it. If massive public ‘ghar-wapsi’ ceremonies are held, so be it. Even temples have reported increased cases of theft. Why feel the fear?