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January 6, 1999
ELECTIONS '98
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Dilip D'Souza
'While the fire rages on, the nation continues to burn'How Readers reacted to Dilip D'Souza's recent columnsDate sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 18:06:04 -0500From: <Rajesh_Paul@fpl.com> Subject: What's A Few Lies Between Friends? Fire away Dilip. Someone had to call their bluff. Don't mind the rabid outbursts of the saffron-blinded. What tickles me is how biased the people who call others biased are. Let's take Rediff for example. They have a certain Ms V as their unofficial 'spokesperson'. Don't waste your time reading her articles, though. These 'intellectuals' sit and lament about your stating the failures of the government, or plight of the less fortunate, but clap their hands in glee at the obscenities and pure crap Ms V dishes out. About this whole Fire episode, all I could figure out is that the general shouted fire and the whole vanar sena dropped their chaddis. Wow, what a 'culture'! And while the fire rages on, the nation continues to burn. The economy has practically gone bust, agriculture has dried up, local business and industry is totally demoralised (so much for swadeshi!), inflation has eaten the food out of the general population's plate, citizens of the same country are waiting to go for each other's throat at the drop of a paisa (thanks to nationalism), we have ended up sulking in the corner in terms of relations with almost every country in the world...*sigh* And all this while the government and its host of dimwit cronies stage a tragic comedy show -- make people sing songs, burst crackers, pamper an oversized heroine, rape a few nuns, clobber some 'villains', break up theatres spreading 'fire', drop chaddis in front of a person who is old enough to be their father, call everybody names, and throw punches at each other in mock combat. Hmm, sounds like they will definitely 'save' our nation and 'protect' our culture. Poor Vajpayeeji, all he can do is stand around and apologise for his hooligan kids. And now they want to sprinkle dust in everybody's eyes. But somehow, I have a feeling the BJP is digging its own grave, and the vanar sena/dal/parishad are helping out with bulldozers. The curtain will fall soon. And then it will be time for the next set of clowns to take centrestage. The circus goes on! Rajesh
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 02:44:26 PST
The article was really thought provoking. In Bombay, the Muslim community has to sadly tolerate communal parties whose only aim in life is to attack them and mislead others about them. One wonders what sort of ideals and objectives these parties hold. They don't seem to realise that there is so MUCH to do otherwise. Dilip, it sure requires guts to be so candid. GREAT work.
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 09:24:49 +0530
Hi, What Dilip wrote on Thackeray is really an eye-opener. Why, if I myself had read the book Sir Manohar Joshi, and had not given due notice to the details regarding the dates, I would have most certainly believed them. My god, these people are spoiling the happiness of lots of people. And what tact they are using to cover up their heinous acts! Thackeray is doing whatever he deems fit, and here are millions of people who are ready to lay their life for their so-called "mentor". This is really the height of hypocrisy, which is very naturally embedded in each and everyone of our politicians today. It is so sad that power is vested in such individuals who not only do not care for the welfare of the people, but also keep spraying them with false news. Something needs to be done, and real fast, else we will become one more nation known for communalism [if not already], brutality and atrocities against minorities. Venkatesh
Date sent: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 12:46:24 -0500
Though I find the whole RSS-VHP instigated protests against Fire distasteful, deplorable even, I found a reference here somewhat curious. Ms Azmi wrote, according to the article, "..A small matter of detail though, the name is not Seeta but Neeta in both the Hindi and English versions of Fire..." I saw the English version of the film with several American friends in New York several months ago. I remember quite clearly that the name used there was "Seeta". In fact, one of my friends, an American, explained to others, the significance of 'Seeta'. Which makes me wonder, did the film have two versions - one for domestic and the other for foreign consumption? Not that it matters. The culture and morality brigade should be locked up if they continue their noxious behaviour.
Ravi Aron
Date sent: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 14:37:36 -0600
I was a bit startled by this article. We should realise one thing. People like D'Souza condemn Bal Thackareys but not Imam Bukharis. They condemn BJP but not the Muslim League. This country has seen Congress aligning with the Muslim League but condemning the BJP as communal. I request people like D'Souza to become neutral and equivocally condemn violence, racism from all quarters. Whether the Bombay riots started first or the Muslim bombings started first, how does it matter? In both cases, innocent people were killed. We should condemn both sides. Otherwise don't take sides. Do we have the guts to condemn the anti-brahminical rhetoric from the so-called saviours of Dravidians and their filthy talk in public meetings? Has anyone condemned the communists who acted all these days as agents of Beijing and Moscow without caring for our Motherland, even after the Chinese communists invaded India and grabbed some territories from us and still claim Arunachal Pradesh belongs to them? These people are all ruthless. Opposing them makes one's life miserable. Mahatma's ahimsa worked against the British. Periyar did a silent social revolution in TN because the people whom they fought against were gentle and sane. Try that with the LTTE. My point is people like Bal Thackeray are required in India as long as the ISI's threat looms over India. These people will lose value when the parties like the Congress stops the appeasement of minorities at the expense of majority people. Why such a cry about Fire? Does that movie preaches some great values or what? Don't condemn it just because Shiv Sena was involved in vandalism. Assume if some Dalit movement had done that, people will never open their mouth because it involves social justice and Ambedkarism. Here we can really take consolation in one thing. Even in the international arena, the scenes are no better as we can easily see in the case of people taking sides in problems like Kashmir or Tibet. Though millions of Tibetans were killed and the Dalai Lama had to run away to India when China invaded Tibet, nobody dares to condemn China. Really powerful people, aren't they? Clinton himself just 'dropped in' to the party hosted by Hillary Clinton to Dalai Lama when Dalai Lama visited US last time. He didn't dare to arrange a meeting with Dalai Lama because he is a terrorist man!!! But see the propaganda about Kashmir where not only local terrorists but also Afghan mercenaries kill innocent Hindus and displace Pandits, not to mention the loss of life of our soldiers. Apart from everything, one Hindu fanatic killed Mahatma. That's all. Anyone who proclaims to be a Hindu should be condemned till the Universe ends!! That is the philosophy!!!
Date sent: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 01:25:31 +0500
I really admire the way Dilip speaks his mind about Mr Thackeray and his party .I totally share his views and feel that they are balanced. Most of the critics are very careful to avoid comment on the blatant lies in the book on Mr Joshi. Probably, the cadre are fed on lies and are not expected or even encouraged to think at all. That is the way such an organisation works. Also, instead of addressing the relevant issues, the so-called educated critics are trying to obscure the issue by bringing up other totally unrelated issues like Christianity and Bosnia. Here again, the point to be noted is that it is not Christians who are causing all the trouble in Bosnia. Obviously, sir, you have not understood whatever you read. Congrats Dilip. Please ignore ill-informed and biased criticism Clayton
Date sent: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 14:11:34
Well said, Mr Dilip. Who knows, that could make a text-book and then 50 years hence, students will be taught that the Bombay riots occurred in 1992 as the results of the 1993 bomb blasts! This is one of the books that should be banned immediately. It distorts history. Or at least it should explicitly be mentioned that this is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any living or dead person or with real events are mere coincidence. I don't know if it does so or not. Do you know the e-mail address of this author, by any chance? I would like to mail your article to him. Thanks, Zaigham A Kazmi
Date sent: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 08:54:53 PST
If people were awarded medals for Sena and Hindu bashing, Dilip would definitely win gold. By the way, it sounds to me that Dilip is trying to justify the Bombay bomb blasts by trying to justify the fact that blasts were a reaction to the riots. In Bal Thackeray's wanting the name of the character in Fire to be changed to a Muslim name, Dilip seems to find something sinister, offensive and wicked. I remember that some time ago some Christians had objected to drunkards in movies being called Joseph or some other Christian name. Now why shouldn't a Hindu be peeved when a character playing something as 'serious' as lesbianism has a name which bears close resemblance to Sita? And that too when the character is played by a Muslim? I am not sure because I have not seen the film. 'Minorities' like Dilip have grown too big for their boots. Arjyo
Date sent: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 13:53:00 -0500
I enjoyed reading this. He is very good when he writes about social and economic issues. It pains me to see him spend his energy attacking Hindus. He comes across as a Hindu-hater in most of his writings although he perhaps is not a fanatic. I have no objection about his pointing out the fallacies in the Hindu religion, provided he accepts and writes about similar fallacies that exist in other religions too. But that apart, I thought that this article was a thought provoking one. Ven Hari
Date sent: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 10:55:36
I knew a budding young intelligent man-of-tomorrow, a person who was well conscious of his rights. His philosophy was to leave-me-alone-and-you-can-go-ahead-and-even-murder-somebody as long as it wasn't he who was turning into a corpse. He was the more "thinking" and future-morality-of-the-society-deciding sort of individual. I realise what Mr D'Souza wants to convey through the article. That we are unable to get into the shoes of the victim, or even witness. That we treat ourselves as "individuals" totally different from the rest of the world, which would have been a dream coming true for some really good philosophers and visionaries, only that how wrongly we interpreted those visions. Every individual, at some time or the other, would have a person greater and stronger than him (and her) and if the rule of jungle prevails, that is everybody 'minding their own business'. And the flaw with this self-centred line of thought is the wrong interpretation of "own business" which does not mean what's happening to you only but also that which can have a long-term effect on you. Sincerely, Manish Varma
Date sent: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 09:19:42 +0530
In my opinion, every metropolis loses its soul in regular routines. But I believe such silence of fellowmen against the suffering of a person are equivalent to committing the brutal crime itself. I think a tinge of cannibalism exists in every man who refuses to help accident victims. We should be ashamed of such inhumanity. The issue of onion, at the beginning of such heavy topic, doesn't add much flavour to it. Instead, it diluted the quality of the column. Regards, Chitra
Date sent: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 14:08:50 EST
It will be better for Rediff to drop columnists like Dilip/Mani before people start dropping Rdiff from their daily readings.
Date sent: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 13:55:03 PST
The article is sick.
Date sent: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 12:57:37 -0600
Mr Dilip D'Souza's pathological obsession with the bomb continues. One wonders if it is the BJP or people like Mr D'Souza who are making a big deal out of it. Sandeep Shouche
Date sent: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 08:11:59 -0800
Growing up in Pune, we knew the Faso Pardis as nomadic. They occasionally trapped birds and brought it to homes around to sell. Sometimes they would bring parrots, mynah etc for the cage. The Pardis did not work for a living. They raised a small herd of cows and goats, made traps and begged. They did steal, but so did the Pawars, Shindes etc. The Pardis are not politically organised and that is what has hurt them. Most of the thieves in the government got elected by us. Dilip, it is very important that we expose our weaknesses. Your work is very commendable. No one wants to hear about the Pardis as they were condemned as criminals. Many criminals do not have the choices that other people have. Do keep writing and publish in all the languages and on TV so that our country knows the atrocities that we commit. |
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