8 May 2011
Yesterday as I came across this picture where a few school kids from Pakistan were stepping on (the words) India, I was appalled, to say the least, not because I am an Indian but because as a human being, capable of thought and idea, I just couldn’t understand this fanaticism. I was perplexed. As I discussed this with my friend she pointed out that there are many people in India who do the same, in this, she said, we are same. True as it is, it is also true that there is no standing justification for such hate, be it against India, Pakistan, America or whatever country.

How can you say that you hate a country say ABC? Fine, you don’t like its foreign policy or you find that country encroaching on your country’s border, but that is a decision of the country’s government and does not reflect the feeling s of its residents. The idea of hate against a country leading to hate against its people is what I stand against. Surely there are humans on the other side too! People there people here. So what’s the difference? Countries are political regions, demarcation is for governance. We are people who just happen to be residents of a country. So why not do this- everybody who hates ABC should be allowed a free visit to ABC! Will this help? Yes and no – sitting with an American who is his friend a person is not very likely to say that he hates America, not because he feels he is going to hurt his friend but because his friend brings an image of America to him where he sees its people before anything. But, if that same person had a bad experience he is more likely to throw the H word around that country.

I am just a person confused by all this hate. But if Benedict Anderson was here I think he would have said that ‘hey, it seems like my idea of imagined community is really what can explain this situation here, maybe you should try looking through that.’ Maybe that’s it! Maybe not! But unless each on of us understands what we mean when we say the word ‘hate’ and specifically ‘we hate ABC country’ the hatred is here to stay and plague generations. Personally, I like humans! And where they come from doesn’t really matter.