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Gandhi’s legacy — on the rocks and with a twist

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts on Feb 13, 2009

This Valentine’s Day, a movement is afoot to fill every bar in India. Called “Pub Bharo,” it’s not so much an embrace of alcohol. It’s more an act of defiance against Hindu nationalists who beat up women for “soiling” Indian culture by choosing to drink.

That’s what recently happened to college girls in the town of Mangalore — and it’s only the latest shot in the morality wars that Hindu fundamentalists are waging against pluralism and secularism in the world’s biggest democracy.

They’ve got plenty of Muslim extremists to help. Tribal titans who otherwise despise each other are miraculously clasping hands to assault chicks who dare to visit bars. No wonder one of India’s government ministers, Renuka Chowdhury, has labeled this agenda the “Talibanization” of her country.

But other young women are fighting back. A twenty-something girl has launched the Facebook page for Pub Bharo — with this as the group’s description:

Yesterday it was Mangalore
Today it is Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh
Tomorrow where?
This can come into all of our homes. Let us stand up for those who cannot speak.
Join me on Feb 14th 2009, to fill every pub across India in a show of solidarity between all religions and both sexes.

The Mangalore Pub incident was not the first of its kind nor will it be the last.

Girls have been attacked for going to ice-cream parlours. These Hindu girls who were sitting with their Muslim male friends were dragged out and take to a nearby empty building and beaten.

A bus carrying students was stopped and attacked with stones, their cell phones, purses and belongings were then stolen from the students.

20-25 separate incidents of violence have taken place in the last 10 years in what was once called ’safe’ Mangalore.

While Ram Sene [Army of Ram, a political party] Chief Muthalik claims to not know the perpetrators of the Mangalore Pub incident, he called the press and thanked them for the publicity their reporting has created for him. Victory marches have taken place after the incident.

Muthalik has said that he will attack again on Feb 14th 2009, Valentine’s Day, as this is not Indian culture.

India won its independence through non-violence. What makes India the beautiful, secular, democratic nation that it is, is our innate belief in equality and freedom of expression. While these lunatics think they can teach us a lesson by beating the women of our country, let us Indians teach them the true power of our nation that refuses to be cowered by acts of violence.

Hmmm. I appreciate the intent and applaud the pro-active impulse behind Pub Bharo. Really, I do. But does a nation-wide booze binge really send a message of liberation? Sure, it’s non-violent — until someone is, uh, “over-served.” Then all bets are off.

In any event, a lot of the participants will be getting hammered. Sloshed. Shit-faced. To prove what? That they’re more ethical than a posse of puritan thugs?

Allow me to have the courage of my confusions on this one. Tell me what I’m missing.