If Gandhiji lived today, he would have 5 million followers on social media, says Tushar Gandhi
At present, nobody cares to get down on streets and fight against the intolerance in society, he said while inaugurating a seminar at Calicut University
Tushar Gandhi, author and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said that had there been social media during the British Raj, Gandhi would have had five million followers and there would be none to protest on the streets against the British.
At present, nobody cares to get down on the streets and fight against the intolerance prevailing in society, he said while inaugurating a national seminar on “India against intolerance” at Calicut University on (June 28) Friday. The Mohammed Abdurahman Chair for Secular Studies organised the seminar.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the people came to know about Gandhi when the film ‘Gandhi’ was released. India was known as the country of Gandhi and that image is being changed as the ‘country of Godse’. Since 2014, hate has become the official creed of India and people started to forget Gandhi,” said Mr. Gandhi.
The statement “we the people of India” in the Constitution’s Preamble has become irrelevant as the concept of ‘we’ faded away from the Indian society, he said. The Indians only remain ‘we’ when the country plays against Pakistan in a cricket match, he said.
“We do not want to understand and accept another person’s identity in India at present. We have taught tolerance in our textbooks but have not taught the importance of understanding and accepting another person with a different ideology or belief. The common notion among those who promote hatred in the country is that if a Muslim is seen with cows, he has to be lynched. When you keep your mouth shut against such atrocities, you are partnering with the crime. When we remain silent, hate prevails in the society,” Mr. Gandhi said.
The people of India would remain silent even if someone sets fire to the neighbourhood. Revolutions were happening on streets, and not on social media, he added.
“If Mohammed Abdurahman had been living today, he would have been labelled as Jihadi for his fight against those who are in power,” he said.
Mullassery Sivaraman Nair, coordinator of the Mohammed Abdurahman Chair, presided over the function. Aryadan Shoukath, governing body member, Mohammed Abdurahman Chair for Secular Studies, welcomed the gathering. Film-maker Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and Youth Congress leader Riyas Mukkoli spoke.
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