Much Ado Over Fashion
By Poonam I Kaushish
What’s in a fashion show? Nothing, it’s a form of style, but politically, it spells a lot. Who could have thought an innocuous private event showcasing ski-wear at a private hotel in salubrious resort Gulmarg would create a political maelstrom. But it did, in J&K Assembly with National Conference and PDP MLAs condemning it as “obscene and outrageous during Ramzan.”
Hurriyat lambasted it as an event to “demolish Kashmir’s moral and ethical values,” even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah ordered a probe with BJP denouncing, “Flames of conservatism are being stoked…accept diverse views of cultural ethos and religious values.”
Politically, the hullaballoo is a power play of muscle-flexing majorityism in the Muslim majority State by showcasing ‘dress’ as offensive weapon unleashed to tarnish young minds with vulgarity. Whereby, the political class is busy exploiting the common man’s emotions and only looks at what will help popularize it more with its vote bank.
Akin to Hindu rabble rousers demanding a film maker be arrested for hurting religious sentiments over a poster on social media depicting Goddess Kali dressed in a costume smoking a cigarette recently or famed painter Hussain showing Hindu Goddess in poor light.
Who does one fault? Given our netas have perfected intemperate language to inject poison in society over years. Alas, politics has meandered into narrow confines of polarisation and appeasement rhetoric and rabble rousing tilted towards widening the communal divide pitting Hindus against Muslims.
All Parties are stoking religious fire to sway sentiments hoping it gains dividends. Underscoring the games politicians play at the altar of political expediency to keep their gullible vote-banks emotionally charged so that their ulterior motives are well-served. There is no desire to uphold equal respect for various faiths.
Turn North, South, East or West the story is same. Religion is turning out to be a question of money, big money. Who cares if it is destructive, sows seeds of communalism? And no matter the nation is getting sucked into the vortex of centrifugal bickering? Questionably, what do acrimonious allegations achieve? Zilch. Only the aam aadmi became targets. All forget besides creating controversy, a divide does not achieve anything.
Over the past few years there has been an increasing sense that space for liberty is becoming narrower shown by repeated incidents of narrow-mindedness over what one wears, speaks, expression, bans by State Governments and self-appointed censors thereby promoting religious intolerance.
Aghast politicians, activists and academics claim India is becoming theatre of absurd whereby it’s in the grip of self-styled chauvinism wherein critics, intellectuals or hoi polloi are soft targets with imprudent reactions taking over gigs, debates and calibrated decisions. Life is lived in the slim strip called official and every tweet, satire or defiance treated as a monster. Big deal if this makes public discourse impoverished and toothless and is contrary to the ethos and foundations of our Republic.
As blinkered, dogma-ridden debates rage on it marks a dangerous political trend of intolerance vis-à-vis freedom of expression and personal choices. If this trend goes unchecked society will get dangerously dogmatic and fragmented. Think. As India marches ahead enroute to being Atmanirbhar our leaders need to realize in a mammoth one billion plus country there would be a billion views and one cannot curtail people’s fundamental rights. At the same time we need to desist from comedy, shows and speeches which spew narrow-mindedness.
Certainly, there are people in all communities everywhere looking for trouble all times but this senseless abhorrence across religions that our lives are getting drenched in, is not helping us see or worry about real pressing issues: rising prices, poverty, unemployment etc. Asserted a leader, “there is a lot of heat generated on TV and social media which is exaggerated suggesting there is rising intolerance.”
Do we pander to rabble rousers or muzzle their voices? Notably, no licence should be given to anyone to spread intolerance or the perilous implications of their insidious out-pourings. They need to realise a nation is primarily a fusion of minds and hearts and secondarily a geographical entity.
Alongside, our netas need to appreciate criticism is a sign of a thriving and robust democracy. Take lessons from leaders world-wide who are more tolerant about what’s written or depicted. The Government should have a balanced conversation and underscore equality for all where diversity is not just tolerated but fully respected and celebrated.
This requires joint efforts by States, religious authorities and civil society with a view to ensuring non-discrimination and gender equality, denouncing any advocacy of hatred that incites discrimination or hostility as well as standing up for rights of everyone to participate equally and effectively in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life.
At some point we need to realize that India was conceived as a democratic rather than majoritarian country wherein all citizens have certain basic rights. When it comes to democracy, liberty of thought and expression is a cardinal value that is of paramount significance under our Constitutional scheme. Our democracy will not sustain if we can’t guarantee freedom of speech and expression.
True, Article 19 does not explicitly mention freedom to wear. But in a wider purview of expression it encompasses the right to dress, as clothing is a form of expression. However, this right is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions on what one wears as long as it does not offend public modesty.
Clearly, in a milieu of competitive democracy whereby politics based on religion has better chance of polarising voters the time has come to desist from stoking seeds of communalism. Given warped religious nationalism spun by our netagan, Parties, self-styled political authorities and their cheerleaders is dangerous. Time our polity realized the ramifications of their actions. As it would further divide people on creed lines and is antithetical to hope of narrowing India’s burgeoning religious divide, thereby unleashing a Frankenstein.
Our leaders need to adopt zero-tolerance on offensive and divisive views, delink religion from politics, consider a ban on divisive politics and open a “mohabbat ki dukan in a nafrat ka bazaar.”Importantly, they need to understand that by playing communities against each other they are only serving their vested interests. Their moral angst cannot be selective but should be just, honourable and equal.
Their Constitutional office calls for sagacity and restraint. The aim should be to raise the bar on public discourse, not lower it any more. Parties need to realize the collateral damage it causes will be permanent. If they love India one cannot weaponise frivolous issues to ascend political goals.
At the end of the day, when our polity does a cost-benefit analysis, they need to answer a simple question: Is their communal vote-bank politics really worth the price people are paying? Who will bear the cross? Given India is a big country with enough room for all to live in peace and goodwill.
In the ultimate netas need to realize a nation is primarily a fusion of minds and hearts and secondarily a geographical entity. Let us not reduce a mere fashion show to a political publicity stunt. Our leaders need to do a cost-benefit analysis and put a stop to converting religious gush into political slush wherein a person’s freedom ends at the tip of the others nose! —— INFA