Cricket and All That: The 'Idea of India'

The elections in India are still underway. All indications point to a NDA government with Narendra Modi as the PM. Though one must add here, opinion polls nowadays are manipulated and they have been proved wrong in the past. So it is not a foregone conclusion, but a strong possibility.

Muslims in India are very apprehensive about this. The reason being Narendra Modi's handling of the 2002 Gujarat Roits. Though he has got a clean chit from the Courts but the perception that he is strongly anti-Muslim, remains. He has himself done nothing to allay that. It seems that Muslims don't figure in his worldview. He hardly talks about them.

There are already statements from some BJP leaders like 'those who don't vote for Modi should be sent to Pakistan' etc.

Though I am sitting far away in UK, I would want to take a larger perspective on this. And one which is not so pessimistic. India and the idea of India has been in existence for thousands of years. During this time India has seen many kingdoms, foreign invasions, colonialism and now Independence and democracy. The idea of India where people of many different religions, castes, languages, cultures live together has been around for nearly a 1000 years now. There have been attempts to change that, it has been attacked, but it has survived. The thinking may have shifted to the right and the to the left at various times but the centre is so large that it prevails. And, Insha Allah, it will continue to prevail.

If Modi comes to power, I hope he realizes that he has to recognize the diversity of the country and has to take everyone along. God forbid, if he does not do that and continues to push his divisive agenda, he may succeed for a time, but ultimately the idea of India which the average Indian holds, will prevail.

Indian is not just a country, but an idea which has developed over millenia.

Modi is a very small speck in the history of India. It is not in his power to change the basic concept of India. India has seen many like Changhez Khan and Modi come and go, but the 'idea of India' has survived and will continue to do so.