The time for solo photo opportunities is over. It’s time to practise saying yes — to lovers of different faiths and all genders, to varied food and cultural habits, to the marginalised marching ahead
PRIYA RAMANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking oath, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking oath, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)
A decade ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that he would usher in “achhe din”. It looks like they might finally be here, because in a fractured age, what can bring more happiness than collaboration and diversity, even if it has been necessitated by an angry electorate? A strong Opposition and a chastened media are added incentives to ensure this new formula holds.
The time for solo photo opportunities is over, the best pictures will showcase the variety of the team in charge. No colour will get centrestage, the rainbow rules now. Forget self-congratulation and showing off your best angles. The world has seen the warts in this nation’s soul. Now pause the hate, make space to heal.
“Ab ki baar, pyaar hi pyaar (this time around, only love),” many posted, redoing a Bharatiya Janata Party slogan about a 400-seat target. The BJP and its allies got 294 seats.
No more bigoted words, weaponised laws, exclusionary policies. The people have spoken. Park the bulldozers and practise those Leonard Cohen lyrics: “There is a crack, a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in.” Change the soundtrack of this country to one that signals hope and renewal. Sing along together.
Practise saying yes — to lovers of different faiths and all genders, to varied food and cultural habits, to the marginalised marching ahead, to the young who want to follow their dreams. Learn to laugh at ourselves and nurture all voices, especially dissenters. Recognise the contribution of those who spent time in jail — and release those who still languish there under false pretences. Protect the forests (and forest dwellers) and build bridges across hearts. Don’t believe in foregone conclusions. Grow together, instead of crying wolf about us and them, north and south. Tell the uncles to please sit this one out.
The age of cooperation may not be exciting for the stock market, but for those who have struggled to keep pace with rocketing Islamophobia and unemployment, there are tears of relief and a glimmer of hope.
Heed economist and former chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu who recently tweeted about the “alarming” unemployment among the youth and urged the country to rethink its policies.
Get set to keep pace with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N Chandrababu Naidu, who promised young people 20 lakh jobs and regular recruitment drives if they voted him to power.
Replace words and phrases such as “invincible”, “pushed through”, “undefeated”, “unassailable”, and “juggernaut” with those that have a more democratic ring. It’s time to discuss and debate. No more slurs such as “infiltrators” and “anti-national” to describe equal citizens of this country. No using jihad as a suffix to distract from the real issues we face as a nation.
Practise tolerance, but don’t tolerate hate. Repair, renew, recharge. Forget fatigue, it’s time to sleep well and regain your energy. Restore your faith in education, in camaraderie, in progress, in inclusivity, in the kindness of strangers, the connections of neighbours and the power of the Constitution.
Disband the WhatsApp groups, or use them only for “good morning” greetings. Educate yourself and those around you, don’t judge fellow citizens by their clothes or the way they look. Never forget, it was India’s most marginalised who changed the country’s trajectory.
Consider it poetic irony that the party whose elected representatives confidently announced they would change the Constitution has been responsible for bringing this document front and centre again. Now, more than ever in recent history, the Constitution is back in vogue. Students in schools chant the Preamble at their morning assembly; auto drivers discuss citizenship laws; lovers marry under the welcoming shade of this document; and workers march to the beat of its powerful words.
Spread the news for those who still may not know. We have the right to equality, to freedom of speech and expression, to practise any profession or occupation, to follow any religion. Exploitation is unlawful, and enforcement is also written in the law.
Thanks to all the headlines about the Constitution, more Indians now speak the language of rights — and know what it takes to protect them. So guard against their erosion. And stand together with those who need help to guard their rights.
Do what interfaith couples do. Sign up for the year-long Diwali-Eid-Christmas bash. Always mix and match. Invite and get invited. Go equipped with sweets and love. Believe in the language of humanity. Ignore empty slogans, especially those with alliterations. Ask how you can give back in these times. Ensure this new mood endures. Don’t slide back. Embrace joy and pride.
The writer is a Bengaluru-based writer and co-founder of India Love Project on Instagram
