Rahul Bose, in an elegant article wonders whether Mumbaikars turning out to watch the new SRK film is the birth of a new Mumbai. Anil Dharker in his article feels that the Sena's politics have backfired. I don't think that its a new beginning nor do I feel that the Sena will stop resorting to these provocative methods.
The SRK-Sena tiff over the last few weeks is a small sample of the larger issue that faces India - a growing sense of regional insularity. For a moment, let's discount the cynical speculation that the entire thing was staged by both parties to gain publicity to their respective causes. Let's assume that the underlying objective of creating icons of hatred within the public was what motivated the Shiv Sena.
We see this everywhere in India - whether its the Telangana issue, the strife in Assam, the MNS propaganda against North Indians in Mumbai, the meaningless "Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra" discussion or tagging anyone who speaks about peace with Pakistan of being pro-Pakistan and a traitor to the country. In all these instances, the approach is the same - take a regional issue and create a division among the masses by promising them a new identity.
We all know that this is politics at work. But why is this movement spreading across the country? Why are people ready to die for these causes? A large section of the population is swayed by the propaganda. Why is the message of insularity appealing to a large section of the population?
Every person needs to identify with some construct in a society. Leaders in the society are able to rally people around a cause to preserve or enhance this identity. Generally, a person identifies with her or her nationality. India with its vast cultural differences and an ineffective democratic system, has always been a collection of states and not a true Republic. Also, the gap between the rich and the poor has been widening. As a result, there is an increasing part of the population who are feeling left out. There is a shortage of leaders in our country to rally the people around national causes. As a result, groups like the Shiv Sena, MNS, TDP, DMK and ULFA have found it easy to rally this section of the society around a cause and give them an identity.
I believe that we are going to see more regional factions within India creating movements to isolate a "chosen" group and promise them a better future in return for shunning those who fall outside this group. This will continue till people learn that strength lies in numbers and unity. Or the occurrence of a calamitous event that impacts the entire country and reminds every citizen of his or her nationality and unifies them. Either way, its going to be an expensive lesson and much blood will be shed.
