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It is comforting to note the voices of growing concern at the disgusting
display of virulent communalism and hatred being allowed to grab the cultural
space of the Kala Academy. Under the guise of shedding crocodile tears for the
Kashmiri Pundits, they are trying to create a false persecution complex in the
minds of the majority community and instigating it to teach a "befitting
lesson" to the minority community.
Okay, that event is over. But now they are moving to Shiroda and Margao and
then elsewhere. They are broadcasting the films "asking Hindus to pick up the
gauntlet" on the local cable networks. We have to shed our attitude of careless
indifference. Ignorance in this case will be the death knell of bliss.
Some have suggested protesting to the government and the police. The CM has
himself visited the exhibition, so he cannot feign ignorance. The inaction on
the part of the Goa government and the police does not give much confidence
that
they will act.
Protest is needed on every front. And pressure has to be brought to bear on the
government to live up to its secular credentials. This has to be a citizens'
protest, in which each one of us is leader.
There are no easy answers as to how to best proceed towards this goal. But this
has to be a people's thing. Each person has to be figure out how best they can
contribute to the people's effort and act upon it.
Some possible courses of action are suggested below:
1. Draw up a petition condemning this in the strongest terms, and get the
maximum number of signatures possible within a short time. Submit the petition
to the CM, the CS and the Home Minister and ask them to stop conniving with
communal agendas.
2. Organise public meetings on this matter. Condemn it in the strongest
terms and demand action.
3. Write in the media about the exhibition and its communal agenda, as
Jason has done.
4. Use every nook of cyberspace you can to express your views: Goanet,
all goa mailgroups, all blogs.
There will be many, many citizens of Goa who will have other ideas.
Whatever we can think of, let each of us do.
Let this 'secular' government understand that protecting secular values does
not mean winning an election and then sitting around watching Goa being
communalised under their very eyes.
Let them know that the usually silent majority will not sit quiet while this
goes on.
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