TOLERANCE...... WHY ?

The Intolerance Debate.
Hot topic, huh?

With no major scams and big reveals on our plates lately, we're taking and swallowing the leftovers of any sense of judgement we have. This is what we seem to be left with- a statement, an opinion, out of proportion reactions, some more opinions, and bam!- a controversy. And ofcourse, those super sentimental one thousand word essays ( don't expect me to call them 'messages') by disappointed former fans that have been doing the rounds on whatsapp, that begin with "Dear Mr. Aamir Khan, I am sorry to say.." and end like "Forward this to all contacts if you love your country."
Just Wonderful.


'Intolerance' - a negative word, right?
'Tolerance', I say, is just as bad. Why should we 'tolerate' a different God? Why should we 'tolerate' another's beliefs? Why should we 'tolerate' another human being at all?
An annoying person or a dreadfully long movie are things that can be 'tolerated'. But our differences... they are meant to be celebrated.
And with a non vegetarian Tamilian Muslim dad, and a Marathi pure veggie Hindu brahmin mother, I feel I'm more than qualified to make this statement.
In our home, we don't 'tolerate'. We celebrate. Eid and Diwali, I mean. And that in itself is a celebration of our differences and the fact that we can be proud of them, and yet look beyond them.


When a Hindu and a Muslim neighbor go over to each other's place with ' Vaishno devi ka prasaad' and 'Eid ki kheer', it is not tolerance- it is celebration.
When a Bengali agrees to teach his Kannad friend a little Bangla, it is celebration.
When a Bharatnatyam dancer applauds after a Bhangra performance, it is celebration.

'I love my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.'
                         ...... this line symbolizes not tolerance, but celebration of and peace in our diversity.

Speaking of diversity, it horrifies me to even imagine what the world would be like, if everyone we met had the same religion, caste, skin color, beliefs, preferences and opinions. Actually, there wouldn't really be anything left to have an opinion about.
Your opinion only matters if there are others that contradict it. If you share the exact same thoughts as a billion others, its not an opinion- it is a trend.
Sure, there wouldn't be conflicts and fights and riots and debates and controversies. What would you call such a world?
Peaceful ?

Uhuh.

Monotonous. And not just 'boring' monotony. The kind that the crew of a ship stuck in the breeze-less, still ocean feels. Where people speak only to break the silence of the sea. With just water to look at and stars to count. Just that instead of  'water water everywhere nor any drop to drink', our song would be...

" Opinions, opinions, everywhere,
all our minds did shrink.
Opinions, same ones everywhere,
we're no more compelled to think."


You see why diversity matters?
There would be no opposition to question the government; they're all on the same side.
Mr Goswami would simply be nodding his head after every panelist has made his point- the same point.
Oh, there wouldn't be any democracy to begin with; the very essence of democracy lies in differences.
There would be no 'unity in diversity' ...
There would just be 'boredom in monotony'.

It is time we let go of this unnecessarily overused word 'tolerance'.
It is time we not just accept, but celebrate and be proud of our differences.
It is time we turn the ' Intolerance Debate' into ' Why Cant We Celebrate?'

"Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.....
...into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake."

                                                                      - Where The Mind Is Without Fear,
                                                                           Rabindranath Tagore