E-book on how to reduce communal prejudice and violence

What kind of India shall
we give to our children?

How to reduce communal prejudice in our midst
A Short Guide to Secular Survival in India

What kind of India shall we give to our children? This is a question that every parent and right thinking person of India is asking today, in the midst of violence and communal hatred. Even if physical violence could be controlled by the police and the security forces, the communal prejudices in the minds of the people cannot be eliminated by force or punishment. It can only be reduced through constant interaction and trust-building measures between the communities. More so, how do we save our children - the decision makers of the future India - from imbibing prejudice or hatred based on communities or religions?

Here are some simple tips that may help you in the building of a tolerant and prejudice-free society for yourself and your children. These comments are not meant to criticize any particular community - they are meant for all peace-loving citizens of this country, but are against those who spread the hatred - whichever religion or creed they belong to. These are only suggestions - if you disagree with any of these ideas, please suggest alternatives, or tell us more measures like these. You can discuss these matters with your friends, family members, or children.

Being 'Secular' is not being anti-religion
We have to make our children understand that being secular does not mean being anti-religion or creating a new religious faith by mixing two together. You can follow your own faith and yet respect the faith and practices followed by others. Also, you don't need to stick to only one kind of cultural identity - you can have a dual or "multiple" cultural identity while following your own religion. For example, as a Muslim you could speak Tamil or any other language, or being a Hindu, you talk in Arabic language - yet it won't affect your faith.

India belongs to many communities
We have to understand that a land does not belong to any one faith or community - it belongs to all who live there, whether they are born there or have adopted it. So India, for example, does not belong to the Hindu community alone. People of many religions, tribes, and races, have been living here for thousands of years. Many cultural influences such as the Islamic, the central Asian and the European have enriched India's culture and lifestyle. That is why our constitution defines India as a secular state where people of all religions, customs, and castes, have an equal right to live and profess their culture. And once you consider a country yours, and are proud to be its citizen, nobody should ask you to leave it or migrate elsewhere.

Seeds of prejudice at home
We must realize that communal prejudices creep into a child's mind at an early age. School teachers, friends, family elders, and media -- all these can be potential channels of a child’s conditioning. The parents, therefore, must spend some time and effort to check the growth of their children. Observe them carefully as they grow, the way they behave, what they talk, what kind of friends they make, and so on. Invite their friends home and talk to them. Never discourage your child to have friends from a different community. When elders are talking in presence of children, make sure that the conversation does not include your value judgments about any community or caste.

“Us and them”
It is OK to tell your children about the cultural and religious identity being followed in your family - whether you are a Hindu or a Muslim. But whenever you make a distinction between your culture and that of the other communities, tell your child that all people and communities are equal in stature. There maybe some differences because of geographic disparity, but no culture or community is inferior or superior from any other. If a child or adult tells you that the people of so-and-so community are 'dirty' or 'crooked', ask them whether this opinion of theirs is based on their first-hand experience or someone else's views. If you observe a 'bad element' in any community, does that mean that the entire community is like that? Can't both bad and good elements be found in all cultures and communities? Try telling them that all people wish to live peacefully - they sometimes misbehave due to the conditioning or circumstances around them.

Why do you look like that?
How do you or your children recognize the people of different communities? Though many people in modern times no longer wear the traditional garbs or looks such as beards, caps, turbans, or burqas. However, some may still be recognized easily as Muslims, Sikhs or Hindus. Your child may ask why do some people keep a peculiar traditional outlook - "why are they different from us?" One may explain as to how different geographic conditions have made them look or behave differently. Tell your child that she should not always expect to see people of a certain community in dresses stereotyped to them. Very often our television or cinema portrays the characters of a certain community in their typical dresses, behaviours or accents, which may not always be true. The teachers and parents should device games and activities in which children from different communities could be asked to spontaneously play the roles of the 'other' community, in order to break the community typecasting in their minds.

Can I wear your clothes?
Different communities may dress differently, but over the years, many new dresses or styles have evolved in India out of the synthesis of two or more different styles. The same could apply to our adopting of different food habits, recipes, art, languages, literature, music, or even architecture. In the medieval times, as the historical evidences suggest, it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between people of different communities from their outlook - for instance most men in the Mughal era wore turbans and kept beards. Even today, in some rural or urban areas, you may find it difficult to tell a Hindu lady from a Muslim one as most of them wear saris or salwar suits. Since we live in a multicultural society, there is no harm in adopting somebody else's dress code or even language if we find it convenient, contemporary or comfortable. Sometimes the geographic conditions may make it mandatory for everyone to follow a certain cultural norm. For instance, in the coastal region of India, everybody eats rice and fish, irrespective of their religion or cast. Enlighten your child to such facts, e.g. the Muslims of Kerala dress and eat differently from the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh, or the Hindus of Assam have little in common with the lifestyle of Hindus in Punjab, and so on.

Children need wide exposure
If you live in a congested mohalla or a colony with all the neighbours belonging to your community, you may feel comfortable and cozy due to the neighbours, but don’t assume that your children too need the same. Give your child a wide-ranging exposure to life. Take her to the houses or localities of the people belonging to other communities and cultures, and also to the prayer centres of all religions - mosques, temples, gurudwaras, churches or others -- during their prayer times and also when they are vacant. Expose her to books, films, music, and television programmes, which portray a variety of cultures and values. Try to travel with your child to as far away places as possible, to give her a wide-ranging exposure. These suggestions are not meant for the rich parents only -- such activities can be carried out inexpensively, and must be considered by all right thinking parents and teachers today.

Which school is best for my child?
You should ideally select a school for your child that is known for its secular and eclectic education, or where children of all communities study. Though in reality, many parents end up sending their kids to schools they are not quite happy with. Whatever be the school, one should find out what kind of teachers it has, and how they communicate with the children. If some teachers tend to show community prejudices, the parents must meet them, or the principal, to talk about this. Do they sing songs or prayers of only one religion/culture in the morning assembly of your child’s school? In such a case, you can request the principal to arrange for other type of songs/prayers too. Interact with other parents, and organize parents' meeting to discuss the quality of your child’s education, and what you could do to improve it. Remember that there is always scope for educating your child at home if you are not happy or satisfied with her school.

Are you a teacher?
If you are a teacher yourself, then you have a BIG responsibility. If you have any general prejudice or hateful feelings against the people of a particular community - which may or may not reflect in your teaching - then you have no right to remain a teacher. Never make fun or pass irresponsible remarks on any community in the classroom or at home. Never try to curb or ignore your pupil’s curiosity and inquisitiveness about other cultures. Never give her wrong or unsatisfactory answers if she has any questions about other communities. If you don't know the answer then admit it frankly, and feel free to ask other adults, or read up.

Reading textbooks, history
The parents should look at, and critically evaluate, their child's textbooks, especially about their representation of different cultures, or historical facts. An appropriate reading of history is a very important aspect of your child’s education. We must realize that due to our natural biases and subjectivity, each of us can perceive and interpret a historical event in a different way. It is impossible to write the "most accurate" or perfect history of any place or era as there is always room for different interpretations - sometimes politically motivated interpretations. That is why conflicts arise about so many historical events. The Partition of India, for instance, is such a recent phenomenon that some people who witnessed the events may still be alive - yet there are so many conflicting versions of how the country got partitioned.

Why and how do we read history?
So, while even a professional historian has tough time writing a truthful history, what can we, as parents or teachers do? Well, there is a lot we can. (1) We and our children should not read history simply to know which king defeated who, but to learn the examples of peaceful co-existence by our ancestors, and not to repeat the mistakes they made. (2) We don't have to look into history to settle past scores today - what has been done in the past cannot be undone today. What you do today will be creating new history and not taking a revenge for a 500 years old event. (3) If you are unsure about the authenticity of a particular historical event, check with a professional historian, and read as many books/sources as you can. (4) Never read or quote a passage or excerpt from a book in isolation or out of context. (5) Remember that some historical source materials such as the ancient books or inscriptions that we find today, were probably written for the kings by their chroniclers, and therefore contain history that the king wanted to be preserved, and may not represent the complete reality of those times. It is comparable to a press release issued by the government of the day about an event that may not match entirely with a private newspaper’s report.

History is one continuum
It is not appropriate to perceive our past by dividing it into distinctive sections such as Hindu period, Muslim period or Christian period. History is one vast continuum where many events and trends overlap one another. One should avoid making value judgments about various periods, such as labeling a particular era as the “golden period”, while another one as the “dark age”, and so on. Some people claim that their traditional culture was most perfectly preserved till such and such time in history, after which it started getting ‘polluted’, as some outsiders brought in their own cultures, and that today we need to go back to our original culture. But historical evidences on the other hand tell us that cultures have never remained fixed - they have been evolving and changing all the time. Before the coming of Islam in India, for instance, the Hindus of the Rig Veda period dressed, ate, and spoke differently from those of the Mauryan period, who in turn were somewhat dissimilar from the people of the Gupta period, and so on. In all these eras, the society was also divided into castes and sections, each having its own lifestyle and cultural norms. Hence, it would be futile trying to find a particular era in history that contains the most original culture of Hindus. The same could be said about Muslims or other communities.

Was our past destructive?
A lot of people stress that our history is full of invasions, carnages, and injustice done by one community over the other. Indeed, one can find instances of conquests and subjugation of some people by others. But to blame any existing community or people today for what their possible ancestors did yesterday defies common sense and human values. The children should be told that if there are instances of invasions and injustice in the history, there are also thousands of examples of how people tried to bridge the gap between communities, by spreading the message of peace and human equality. Indian subcontinent has had hundreds of sages, saints, and poets, who produced very simple but impressive literature that talks of human equality, tolerance, and divine love, besides criticizing wars, immorality and religious dogmatism. This literature and poetry is as relevant today as it may have been in their times, and needs to be introduced to our younger generation.

Sending your child to a religious school
Are you planning to send or have already sent your child to a school that teaches only, or mostly, religious education? Maybe you do not approve of the western influences and modernization in life very much, or you may even be afraid that your traditional culture is under threat from exposure to other cultures, and therefore you want your child to get the traditional or religious education. It is also possible that religious schools are cheaper and you cannot afford a better school. In such a case, let your child lead as normal a life as any progressive school student would. Discuss with him whether this religious school or institution is going to equip him/her to lead a progressive and career-driven life, and how would he be able to adapt to the demands of the modern-day life after graduating from a religious school. If her school does not teach any modern subjects such as natural sciences, social sciences, art and craft, mathematics or English, then you must provide opportunities at home or at a part time school where he/she can get the same. Encourage your child to read books on a variety of subjects, besides what is taught at the school. You can also discuss with the owner/principal of the religious school to introduce modern subjects in school. Encourage the child to have friends from other schools – make him visit a secular school to see the activities of other kids there.

Is my religion better than others?
There is nothing wrong in having a religious faith - as long as you follow it peacefully, and allow others to follow theirs peacefully. Study the tenants and history of your religion properly – you may also study other religions to understand them better. But never try to make value judgments about different religions before children -- don't make claims like "our religion is the most perfect and relevant for all mankind and all times, while others are not". Even a claim such as "our religion has everything that is required for a perfect life and we don't need to learn anything else from other religions" sounds very arrogant, and should be avoided. In fact, such claims are made by the followers of every religion, with as much conviction as you would, so there is no point in arguing endlessly on it. Tell your child that all religions have evolved out of social needs - the founders of all religions raised their voices against the corruption and decadence in their respective society. Most religions have also gone through a lot of dogmatism and ritualism in their practices, which may not reflect the original message they started with. So one needs to first understand the need for a religious faith before following it.

Don’t wear your faith on your sleeves
Do you or your neighbours organize a lot of religious activities at home or in the locality - Jagrans, special pujas, milads, religious songs, shabads, religious speeches or azaan though loudspeakers? As long as these remain within your house or up to the houses of people who don't mind them, it is fine. But if any of your neighbours get disturbed due to these activities or don't like the noise at all, then you have to be careful. Always ask your neighbours before organizing any such events. Never occupy public utility spaces such as roads and footpaths, and minimize the use of loudspeakers as much as possible. Think of the students who might be studying, or small babies or sick persons who are unable to rest due to the noise. Try to finish your activities within the daytime – don’t disturb the people with noise at night. If you want to take out a religious procession on the road, always take permission from the police. Restrict the procession to as small portion of the road as possible, to avoid disruption of the traffic. Also keep it as quiet and peaceful as possible, and finish it very quickly.

Our religious leaders
As part of your religious practice, you may be familiar with some religious heads such as priests, imam, pundit or guru. Do they understand the demands of today's life and give you a contemporary interpretation of your religious belief, rather than just reciting the old texts? Feel free to question them to clear your doubts, rather than simply ingest whatever they preach. When they pray for the benefit of people, do they remember only your community, or do they pray for the entire humanity. Ask them to pray for everyone and not just one community.

Celebrating together
In the past, one of the most popular ways of interaction between different communities in India, was taking part in the celebration of each other's festivals, and there are historical evidences of that. Much of that spirit is now lost - it may be hard to find Muslims celebrating Holi or Hindus rejoicing on Eid in a spontaneous spirit. To begin with, you may encourage the children to visit other friends' places who are celebrating their festivals, and wish them. You may try to celebrate the 'others' festivals inside your home by following some of their practices. If you are a Hindu, you might like to cook siwain on the day of Eid, or being a Muslim, try lighting up diyas (lamps) inside your home on divali. But do these activities in a natural and celebratory spirit involving the children throughout. Tell them that they can participate in the festivals and cultural occasions of the other religious communities and yet follow one's own religion. Does your child's school organize some activities on the festivals or cultural occasions of only one religion or community? In that case, you may request the principal to observe other festivals as well, even if the school has only one student belonging to that religion. If the school is unable to organize anything on ‘your’ festival, then maybe the parent could organize some activity, such as distributing sweets or a gift to the principal or the teachers, or to the child's friends.

Respecting others
If you happen to be at a place where the people of the 'other' community are busy in some prayer, ceremony, festivity, or a procession, try to be in the same spirit as them - don't look at them with scorn or disgust - be compassionate to their activities. Basically give a message or vibe that you do not disapprove of their activity, nor do you dislike them as a community. You can even help them in an easy movement of their procession or activity. But if you feel that their activities are disrupting the traffic and disturbing or annoying you, then after the procession, tell some responsible people of that community that the next time they should be careful.

Intervene in the public opinion
In public places like bus stands, trains, offices, religious centres or other gatherings, people generally discuss violence and communalism. If everyone in the group belongs to the same community, their opinions tend to go against the 'other' community. This is where much of public opinion is formed and strengthened, as people share information, news, rumours, and ideologies. If you are present in such public conversations, and notice that an undue prejudice is being strengthened against a particular community, you must intervene and try to present your point of view. But assess the situation properly before jumping in. To make your point convincingly you must have all your facts clear and substantiated with references and documents. If someone makes a discriminatory claim, ask him for reference or proofs. During a conversation, if you feel that the things are going out of hand and maybe violent, try to pacify the people. Do not get agitated or raise your voice against the other person - don't put them off. If you talk in a cool-headed and explanatory manner, you'll have a better chance of being heard.

“Who began it all?”
A typical argument put forward in such conversations is that "they are the ones who started it first", referring to the provocation by the 'other' community. This then leads to allegations and counter allegations, going all the way back to history. In such a situation, we must emphasize that it is absolutely futile trying to find out who started it first. It is a chicken-and-egg situation that will never find an end. Tell the arguing people that most communal violence is the result of years and years of hatred fed consciously or subconsciously into our psyches. One may pinpoint an isolated case of violence or provocation where somebody's mischief led to something larger. But we cannot afford this unending chain of revenge any more - somewhere we have to put an end to it. This is how one may try to close the debate, or explain to the children. One must continue to condemn all past acts of violence – carried out by whichever community.

Maintain peace in your mohalla
Whether in peaceful or violent times, some responsible people of a particular locality or colony (representing all communities) must meet and decide that they will not let any communal violence happen in their area. They can form a mohalla vigilance committee to ensure safety of all the residents. If they find some anti-social or violent elements, or a reason for discord in their locality, it must be mutually resolved. The mohalla vigilance committee should have the important tools of communication such as telephone, mobile, Internet connection, and media resources such as television, radio, and access to newspapers and magazines, to remain abreast of the situation and to communicate with the world outside, in case of an untoward event. Citizens should also criticize the use of posters, banners and pamphlets in their area. Besides dirtying the walls and roads, some pamphlets or posters can carry provocative or potentially dangerous messages. If you see anybody pasting or printing any objectionable material, complain to the concerned authorities, and tell as many people as possible, not to get swayed by the provocative messages. If some important or essential message has to be passed on to the public, fix up a certain area or wall in your locality for these.

Passing through “their” mohalla
Our towns and villages are composed of various types of localities - some inhabited by only one community, while some with a mixed population, some old and extremely congested mohallas, while some wide-open and modern colonies - each responding differently at the time of communal violence or tension. The areas populated by only one community may be safe and secure for that community during strife, but can also become the haven for mobs planning or perpetrating violence. Such areas can also prove to be a 'hell' for a single person of the 'other' community passing by or getting stuck there during a communal tension. If you get stuck in such a situation, think of a 'safe' friend or acquaintance living nearby who could give you shelter. Otherwise, keep walking with caution, and get out of the place as soon as possible. On the other hand, if you reside in such an area and notice somebody of the 'other' community walking down or stuck during communal tension, you could help the person in various ways. Give him/her shelter inside your place, take him/her out of the locality safely, or let him make a phone call from your house. If nothing, at least be nice to him, do not look at him conspicuously, just go about your own chores, and do not let others of your community trouble the person. Even in peaceful times, a single person from a certain community - especially a lady - passing by or standing in an alien area, being given conspicuous looks by too many people, can make the person extremely uncomfortable and even frightened.

Facing the “mob”
What do you do if you are confronted by people who are known to have committed an act of violence or 'terrorism'? If they are agitated against 'your' community, and want to harm you, the first thing would be to somehow inform the police, or anybody who can help. If you don't have that choice, then try to politely converse with them. If the situation is really out of your control, the mob would do what they have to do; otherwise ask them what are their problems, and is there any way they can achieve their goals in a more peaceful way, or is there anything of peaceful nature that you could do to reduce their problems. Whatever way you can, try to persuade them to quit violence, or at least direct their ire at those who are really responsible for their problems, instead of you or other innocent people. Request them especially not to harm children, women, the sick or old people, animals, plants, religious places, schools, or hospitals, or for that matter anything or anybody, as all religions are against that.

Help in curbing violence in your area
If someone from your family or neighbourhood exhorts you to come out and do some 'equivalent' action against 'what the other community has done', try to stop them politely from any such action. Ask them where have they heard the news, and is it confirmed? Always discourage any action of your family members or neighbours that may lead to hostility in the area. If you are unable to persuade the people, and see that things are going out of hand, inform the police or some human rights groups immediately. Try to make friends with other activists of peace and human rights in your town, and keep their contact numbers/address handy. You must also keep the numbers of influential people such as the police commissioner, high court judges, celebrities, journalists, and political leaders such as MLAs or MPs. If you know any people in your area who have a tendency to get violent at the slightest pretext, and may perpetrate communal violence, keep a watch on them. If you observe any of your neighbours or friends keeping a weapon, firearms, or other dangerous items at home – enquire from them casually if they have the license to keep them, and why do they own them. If they don't have a license for the weapons, inform some human rights activists. Some people may tell you that they keep the weapons for self-defense or security. But these could also be used irresponsibly during a riot or violence.

Dealing with the Law
Help the police or authorities in their investigations or combating of a violent or criminal activity. If the authorities announce a special condition such a curfew or any other prohibitory law in your area, do not violate it. If you have been witness to something untoward in your area, remember all the details, so that if you have to report to the police, you can give them all the details. While reporting, insist on filing a First Information Report (FIR), which is basically a detailed written account on a plain paper, of what happened, addressed to the Station House Officer of that police station or police post. Do not change your account on your whim or anybody's pressure – honestly report what you have seen. Also, make sure that the written report signed by you and accepted by the officer, is not altered by anybody in front of you, and get a copy received. If for some reason, the police or the authorities try to arrest or detain you, ask them under which code or law are they arresting you. If they have detained you without a warrant, they have to produce you before the Magistrate within twenty-four hours. In any case, you have the right to ask for a consul or lawyer to defend you. If they want to enter your home for a search, ask them if they have a search warrant.

You MUST help the victim
One unfortunate trait of the urban Indian society is a lack of enterprise in helping people in desperate need or distress. Besides large-scale tragedies where people do volunteer to help, smaller accidents such as road mishaps are deliberately overlooked by everyone. No one wants to get into the police hassle - even if they know that the life of the bleeding person lying on the road could be saved if they took him to the hospital immediately. But WE DO NOT CARE - day after day. So who is at fault - the police or the people? Surely the bureaucratic process of the police investigation is such that the one who tries to help can sometimes land into further trouble. But if you put yourself in the place of the accident victim or his relatives, you will surely blame the people who left the bleeding person unattended. So whatever the situation, WE MUST HELP. The first preference should be to take the victim to the nearest hospital. If that is not possible, then at least call up the police or medical help. If nothing else, at least try to bring the injured victim to a more comfortable posture and location, try to stop the bleeding and apply whatever first-aid measure you can. This applies to all situations including communal violence, criminal attack, road accidents, or natural disasters (God forbid if any of these happen).

Is it news or rumour?
What do you do when the news of some communal violence comes on TV, radio or newspapers? First thing - don't jump to any conclusions until you get a clearer picture. Don't trust entirely on what one channel or newspaper is telling you. If possible, hear the news on different channels, radio stations, and papers. Assume that there can be something more than what the media is telling you. Never take any hurried actions based on the news you hear. While discussing the news at home, workplace, or any public place, never state anything more than the facts you know - even little things said wrongly can deteriorate further and become completely different rumours. Always try to curb the news that sounds like a rumour. If your child brings some disturbing news from outside, don't take it for granted. Ask the child where has he/she heard it. What sorts of people were discussing it, and what was their source of information. Tell the child not to trust any news without confirming it.

How many humans suffered?
In many of our homes, when the news of an accident or violence is heard on television/radio, people start asking about the religion of the victims or effected people - how many Muslims or how many Hindus died? Most unfortunately, some people even express their happiness or satisfaction if the people of the 'other' community have died. This is a dangerous trend and can easily introduce prejudices in the child's young mind. Whenever there is news of a tragedy or riot, express your shock and grief - whatever be the religion or community of the affected people. Even if your children get curious about this, tell them that so many human beings have been affected, not Hindus or Muslims. Give them a sense of the pain and destruction that has occurred to so many humans like them, and how futile all this violence is.

Understanding pain, tolerance, non-violence
Many of our children's textbooks or some TV programmes praise the virtues of non-violence and satyagraha without exploring the human beings' natural tendencies towards anger, violence, and pain. Anger and pain are natural emotions or reaction of the body against unwarranted situations, just like love and affection are for favourable situations. The parents or teachers could evolve some activities or games in which children could get a real sense of pain and violence; how these are stimulated and what is the meaning of 'tolerance' in the real sense. Being tolerant does not mean holding up our anger against someone. To be tolerant means to accommodate the views that may differ from your opinion on a given subject. The intolerance arises from insecurity, and the insecurity of the masses is manipulated by politicians and vested interests, to unleash violence in the society. To make our children feel secure, we must make them recognize that just because somebody's name or faith, or facial features, or colour of skin is different, does not mean that they are conspiring against us, or hate us.

Who are the “terrorists?”
We are living under a constant threat of what are called the 'terrorist attacks'. How do we answer a child's queries about the so-called 'terrorists'? While we must condemn the way these groups mindlessly kill and maim innocent people and create scare everywhere for their cause, we also need to go a little deeper to find out what exactly is the motive of such people - what do they achieve out of their acts of violence, and what is the history of their struggle. We may realize that the so-called terrorists are mostly misled young people whose emotions have been whipped up by their leaders for political gains. Sometimes they have taken to arms as a protest against long-term discrimination or persecution by more powerful forces around them. However, there can certainly be no excuse or justification for the killing or harming the innocent people by anybody for any cause. Moreover, we must not try to link a violent incident occurred somewhere, to a particular community in some other part of the world. No scheme of terrorism should be identified with any particular religion (such as calling it Islamic terrorism or Hindu terrorism) just because the persons involved in it are Muslims or Hindus. No religion preaches terrorism or violence. Human life is too precious to be destroyed for any purpose in the world. In fact, anybody willing to sacrifice his life in the name of religion does not know that committing suicide is one of the worst sins in any religion.

Creating borders between people
Some people take to arms, as they want to create a separate state for themselves out of a larger country, on the basis of their religious identity. But how can a land, where people of many religions have lived together for hundreds of years, be divided on the basis of only religious identity, especially if all the people there have been following similar culture and language? Haven’t we already learnt the futility of such efforts in the past? If we have to create borders, then maybe the basis of such a division could be culture or language, but not religion. To give an analogy, a new state called Uttaranchal was recently carved out of Uttar Pradesh in India, because of the unique culture, language, and geography of that area. But during its creation, no community in Uttaranchal needed to migrate elsewhere, nor was anybody from outside asked to migrate to Uttaranchal, even though Hindus, Muslims and other communities live there. Hence, if we start respecting all cultures and religions in our neighbourhood, there would be no need for creating borders any more.

Television and Media
Television serials, movies and other modes of entertainment and information that show some prejudice, or make fun of one community -- even jokes that make fun of a community -- must be discouraged. If you find a particular television programme derogatory or unacceptable, you must make complaints about it to the concerned authority. If you find something odd in newspapers or magazines - prejudiced reporting or comments - you must protest by writing to the editor. Carefully analyze the content and the style of magazines, newspapers, and television channels, to judge what editorial policies and ideologies they profess. If you find anything doubtful or irresponsible in their content, either complain to them, or look for a better newspaper or channel. If possible, read more than one newspapers to get a clearer picture. Make sure that your children read the right kind of literature, or at least they are reading/watching things critically. Try to shun any literature or television channels that focus too much on patriotism, religious propaganda, and mythical or superstitious folklore. When you don't want your children to see television, think of some games and activities you could do with them while the TV is off.

Inside your office/workplace
In many offices and corporate houses, the white-collared workers and executives are supposed to be educated and therefore considered unbiased. While many people may genuinely be nice and honest in their approach towards people of other communities, some disturbing tendencies have also been noticed, mostly concerning the relationship between the bosses and their subordinates, if they belong to different communities. The boss may give undue advantage to his juniors who share his religion or community, or discriminate against his staff who belong to a different community. On the other hand, the boss could be secular and unbiased, but one of his/her subordinates (from a different community) may mistake him/her to be otherwise, and qualify all his/her actions to be based on communal prejudice. These are sensitive issues, and many times even talking about them openly may not be possible. Nevertheless, it is better to express your feelings than hide them. Dialogue can always improve situations. So if you start feeling extremely uncomfortable, you must break the ice by openly talking about it. This applies not only to offices but to similar situations in factories, shops, schools, and other institutions as well.

Know your colleagues
Another common situation in the workplaces arises when a person of a certain community wants to perform some prayer or other activity related to his culture during office hours, but feels uncomfortable, as many others find it odd. Often, the boss doesn't allow the person to spend time for such activity during office hours, or does not sanction a leave for a festival that only this person wants to celebrate. In such a situation, everyone, including the person in minority, the boss, and the rest of the office, needs to have an open mind and some leniency towards the work as well the religious activity. The best thing would be to create an atmosphere of friendly sharing of information about the cultures of each other. The person who wants to perform the prayer or whatever, should tell everyone what exactly he is doing. He may even invite everyone to join at some point, for instance while breaking a daylong religious fast. Similarly, a majority of people belonging to one religion observing their festival or religious activity should make sure not to intimidate one odd colleague of the other religion. If the religiosity and the traditions have to be followed in a workplace, then there should be acceptance of all religious traditions with equal measure - and above all, no compromises with your work or professionalism in the name of religion.

Shopping with a bias
While buying vegetables in the market, do you ever wonder what the religion or caste of the shopkeeper is? India's economy and markets are a complex network of manufacturers, dealers, retailers, petty shopkeepers, and buyers, all belonging to different communities and castes. Traditionally, in this complex web, the people of different communities have played their specific important roles. If one community is deliberately marginalized by the others in the market, it will affect the entire economy of that area and ultimately other areas. Never let the religious identity of a shopkeeper, trader, or a client affect your decision to do your business or shopping. Let only quality and price be the factor for deciding where you buy your things. Markets are the only places where people of all communities, casts and races can join without any hang-ups or taboos. Historically too, markets have provided platforms to different cultures and languages to interact with each other and evolve into newer cultures. They should continue to remain so.

Know your politician
Everyone agrees that the politicians of this country are taking us for a ride, and are responsible for all that is going wrong. But the question is, who elects them to power? We do. The system of elections is the weakest aspect of our democracy. In every election we are faced with the dilemma of who to vote for. Apart from the individual claims and canvassing by the candidates and political parties, there is unfortunately no system of knowing who your candidate really is - what is his/her past record, ideologies, vision and so on. Imagine when a big company recruits a manager, the applicants have to go through very stringent tests and interviews, and have to prove their worth through degrees and experience certificates. And here we are - the owners of the biggest and most prestigious company (India), recruiting our CEOs without even knowing them or meeting them once. No wonder the company is falling apart. Before you vote in the next election, do try to find out as much information as you can about each candidate standing in your constituency. Do not vote irresponsibly.

Making democracy work
Besides choosing the right candidate, we must observe if any irregularities take place in the election process - any body being forced or allured to vote for a particular party, wrong person voting for you, your name not being there in the voters list, and so on. If you find any such problems, promptly report to the authorities. If nobody listens, make a written complaint to the election commissioner, or tell the representatives of the candidates, or the media agencies. You must never miss a chance to vote in any election. If you know someone who is not very keen on exercising his voting right, request him/her to vote - this is our most fundamental duty as a citizen of India. If we do not vote, or vote irresponsibly, then we have no right to complain about the government. After the elections are over and somebody has won from your constituency, don't think your job is over. You have to now keep an eye on what your elected leaders are up to. Are they fulfilling their promises and duties? Are they doing anything for their constituency and the people? Are they representing you in the assembly or the parliament or not? If you are not satisfied with their performance, complain to them - better still, don't vote for them next time.

Participating in corruption
Corruption is the root cause of many problems in this country, and needs to be fought at every level. To begin with, we have to check how much do we take part in the manifestation of corruption ourselves. How many times have we broken a law (such as a traffic regulation), and when confronted by an officer, have found an easy way to escape by handing a currency note in is hands, rather than pay the actual fine. How many times have we greased the palms of a telephone repairman to get our faulty telephone working? People become habitual of taking bribe only because we pay them. And if we continue with such attitudes, we do not have the right to complain about the corruption. We have to resolve not to give bribe any more, whatever be the situation, and however big or small be the amount. An officer with a tendency to take bribe would make things very difficult for you if you don't pay. But if you stick to your honesty, he/she would finally have to budge. If corrupt officials realize that there is at least one honest person around, they might think twice. If nothing, at least you would feel great that you stuck to your stand. Do not also indulge in any kind of nepotism, favouritism, or out-of-turn work, nor let others do this sort of thing.

What makes you loyal to your country?
Some people believe that to be called an Indian, you have to prove your loyalty towards India, by doing certain activities such as singing the national anthem or other patriotic songs, or putting up the national flag on top of your house, and so on. Of course we have to respect the national anthem and the flag, but following these norms is not the only way of proving your loyalty. To be loyal to India, you have to be loyal to your fellow Indians -- whichever religion, caste, creed or status they belong to. To be loyal to India, you must know the Indian constitution and its laws, and abide by them. India is a democratic socialist republic, but most of us do not know what that means. If we knew our rights and duties as citizens of India, we might be able to handle many day-to-day situations in a responsible and judicious ways. We may even be able to fight corruption and unlawful situations. Explain the real meaning of democracy and fundamental human rights to your children. Also train them to abide the laws and show responsibility in simple matters of day-to-day life, such as not breaking queues or trying to access something out of turn in a public place, defacing or destroying public property, ticket-less traveling, stealing, and so on. These would probably be better ways of testing ones loyalty to the country than asking them to sing patriotic songs.

Fight for your rights
Do not fear the police, the armed forces, or the authorities. They are there to help and safeguard the citizens. But if at any point you feel that the police is not complying or helping you the way they should, then bring it to the notice of human rights groups, a court of law, or even the media. By law, even a postcard sent to the court can be considered a public interested litigation. If you have a grouse against the government in general, you can file a case against it. You must raise your voice against any injustice or violation of your human right, carried out by any institution, office, shop, neighbour, or a group of people. Do not blame your destiny or God for an injustice. The children particularly should never be guided this way. Encourage them to fight for their rights. But while doing so, never take the law in your hands. Do not harm people or property. Sometimes a silent protest can win you what a thousand war cries may not. We have before us the examples of non-violent struggles by Mahatma Gandhi and many others.

Yousuf Saeed

All rights reserved � Yousuf Saeed 2002
The help in the compilation of this booklet has come from many friends. I would especially like to thank Surajit Sarkar, Vani Subramaniam, Sadia Wahidi, Vagish Kumar Jha, Neelam Bhatt, Shobha Aggarwal, and many others who have helped directly or indirectly. We would like this booklet to reach more schools, teachers, and parents. Please help us to spread this message to everyone, and also suggest how we can improve it further.

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