http://www.thehindu.com/
Well done.
Now could you please speak up against those zealots who arrested those young
women owing to their facebook ( if i may add, a reasonable) post ?
--------------------
http://www.thehindu.com/
The Shiv Sena chief gave voice to a Nazi impulse in Indian politics — one that poses an ever-growing threat to our Republic
“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime, “has presented itself as the anti-party; has opened its gates to all applicants; has with its promise of impunity enabled a formless multitude to cover over the savage outpourings of passions, hatreds and desires with a varnish of vague and nebulous political ideals. Fascism has thus become a question of social mores: it has become identified with the barbaric and anti-social psychology of certain strata of the Italian people which have not yet been modified by a new tradition, by education, by living together in a well-ordered and well-administered state”.
Ever since Thackeray’s passing, many of India’s most influential voices have joined in the kind of lamentation normally reserved for saints and movie stars. Ajay Devgn described him as “a man of vision”; Ram Gopal Varma as “the true epitome of power”. Amitabh Bachchan “admired his grit”; Lata Mangeshkar felt “orphaned”. Even President Pranab Mukherjee felt compelled to describe Thackeray’s death as an “irreparable loss”. The harshest word grovelling television reporters seemed able to summon was “divisive”.
It is tempting to attribute this nauseous chorus to fear or obsequiousness. Yet, there is a deeper pathology at work. In 1967, Thackeray told the newspaper Navakal: “It is a Hitler that is needed in India today”. This is the legacy India’s reliably anti-republican elite has joined in mourning.
Thackeray will be remembered for many things, including the savage communal violence of 1992-1993. He was not, however, the inventor of such mass killing, nor its most able practitioner. Instead, Thackeray’s genius was giving shape to an authentically Indian Fascism.
His fascism was a utopian enterprise — but not in the commonly-understood sense. The Left, a powerful force in the world where Thackeray’s project was born, held out the prospect of a new, egalitarian world. The Congress held the keys to a more mundane, but perhaps more real, earthly paradise: the small-time municipal racket; even the greater ones that led to apartments on Marine Drive. Thackeray’s Shiv Sena wore many veneers: in its time, it was anti-south Indian, anti-north Indian, anti-Muslim. It offered no kind of paradise, though. It seduced mainly by promising the opportunity to kick someone’s head in.
Nostalgic accounts of Mumbai in the 1960s and 1970s represent it as a cultural melting pot; a place of opportunity. It was also a living hell. Half of Mumbai’s population, S. Geetha and Madhura Swaminathan recorded in 1995, is packed into slums that occupy only 6 per cent of its land-area. Three-quarters of girls, and more than two-thirds of boys, are undernourished. Three-quarters of the city’s formal housing stock, Mike Davies has noted, consisted of one-room tenements where households of six people or more were crammed “in 15 square meters; the latrine is usually shared with six other families”.
From the 1970s, Girangaon — Mumbai’s “village of factories” — entered a state of terminal decline, further aiding the Sena project. In 1982, when trade union leader Datta Samant led the great textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girangaon. Inside of a decade, few of them had jobs. The land on which the mills stood had become fabulously expensive, and owners simply allowed their enterprises to turn terminally ill until the government allowed them to sell.
Thackeray mined gold in these sewers — building a politics that gave voice to the rage of educated young men without prospects, and offering violence as liberation. It mattered little to the rank and file Shiv Sena cadre precisely who the targets of their rage were: south Indian and Gujarati small-business owners; Left-wing trade union activists; Muslims; north Indian economic migrants.
The intimate relationship between Mr. Bachchan and Thackeray is thus no surprise. In the 1975 Yash Chopra-directed hit Deewar, Mr. Bachchan rejects his trade-union heritage, and rebels by turning to crime. He is killed, in the end, by his good-cop brother. The Shiv Sena was a product of precisely this zeitgeist; its recruits cheered, like so many other young Indians, for the Bad Mr. Bachchan.
Like the mafia of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar — which, it ought to be remembered, flourished in the same Mumbai — the Sena offered patronage, profit and power. Its core business, though, was the provision of masculinity. There are no great Sena-run schools, hospitals or charities; good works were not part of its language.
The fascist threat
Fascism, Gramsci understood, was the excrement of a dysfunctional polity: its consequence, not its cause. Liberal India’s great failure has been its effort to seek accommodation with fascism: neither Thackeray’s movie-industry fans, nor Mr. Mukherjee are, after all, ideological reactionaries. The Congress, the epicentre of liberal Indian political culture, has consistently compromised with communalism; indeed, it is no coincidence that it benignly presided over Thackeray’s rise, all the way to carnage in 1992-1993 and after.
This historic failure has been mitigated by the country’s enormous diversity. The fascisms of Thackeray, of Kashmiri Islamists, of Khalistanis, of Bihar’s Ranvir Sena: all these remained provincial, or municipal. Even the great rise of Hindutva fascism in 1992-1993 eventually crashed in the face of Indian electoral diversity.
Yet, we cannot take this success for granted. Fascism is a politics of the young: it is no coincidence that Thackeray, until almost the end, dyed his hair and wore make-up to conceal his wrinkles. From now until 2026, youth populations will continue to rise in some of India’s most fragile polities — among them, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir.
In a path-breaking 1968 essay, Herbert Moller noted how the emergence of children born between 1900 and 1914 on the job market — “a cohort”, he noted, “more numerous than any earlier ones” — helped propel the Nazi rise in Germany. Historian Paul Madden, in a 1983 study of the early membership of the Nazi party, found that it “was a young, overwhelmingly masculine movement which drew a disproportionately large percentage of its membership from the lower middle class and from the Mittelstand [small businesses]”.
For years now, as economic change has made it ever-harder for masses of people to build lives of dignity and civic participation, we have seen the inexorable rise of an as-yet inchoate youth reaction. From the gangs of violent predators who have raped women in Haryana, to the young Hindu and Muslim bigots who have spearheaded the recent waves of communal violence, street politics is ever more driven by a dysfunctional masculinity. Thackeray’s successes in tapping this generation’s rage will, without doubt, be drawn on in years to come by other purveyors of violence.
India desperately needs a political project that makes possible another, progressive masculinity, built around new visions for everything from culture, the family and economic justice. No vanguard for such a project, though, is yet in sight.
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Comments -
Wow...What an article..that too around this time, where some of the
Media praise him like a Freedom fighter and increase
their TRP. The Hindu stands for right Print Media Journalism...Circulation does not matter as far as we stands for the truth..We have many politicians like him..But very few practices it, like Raj Thakeray..We should teach our children who is what..Atleast we should teach them who is Bhagat Singh.Otherwise, all those people
who divide the people by violence will be Bhagat Singh and Suk Dev...
Hats of Hindu..
After BT demise, it was disappointing to see the media falling over each other to praise him to Sainthood. Understand its not good to speak ill of the dead or recently dead but to call him Nationalist is a joke.
He wasnt a nationalist or Anti Muslim or Anti Bihari or Anti South Indian, he was an opportunist like all politician. He didnt support Maharastra or Marathi, he supported himself. He wanted Muslims to be kicked out then why was his Physician a muslim...Was he trying to give him employment or was he trying to get the best possible Medical Attention for himslef.
He spoke his mind as he had to power behind him. Two Millions came for his Funeral, Million more followed Hitler or any other Dictator you can think of, does that make all of them Saints...
Of all the Newspapers/Media, Only 'Hindu' had an Article by Justice Katju that said anything against BT. Thank you Justice Katju and Hindu for not being afraid and giving hope and courage to the rest.
"good works were not part of its language"- correct your facts. World class Pune-mumbai e-way,sea link,flyovers in all over maharashtra,free homes for slum people,meal for Rs.1, metro,there are so many free hospital and schools in Maha run by SS all these and many more projects were brain child of Shri B.K. Thackrey.He was nt anti Islam but was anti pakistan. A nationlist facism is better than false and failed democracy. Please study the Man's history and charachtor in detail and then post your article. Prasanna- A kannada migrant
The editorial is truly a piece of sanity at a time when the nation's
media has been busy promoting fake achievements and violent politics.
Very well written article ! Insightful and bold ! kudos. keep up the good work.
The Hindu is a major source of relief in this climate where media is
failing horribly to critically examine the legacy of Thackeray. It's
been depressing to see so many people condoning the politics of
violence.
This article will definitely sting a number of people as it states the
truth about Sena's ideology in black and white...
The excerpt about the party seducing by allowing people to use
violence without any fear to instill fear and about there not being
any initiatives ever taken by Sena to promote education, healthcare
etc are spot on.
Instead of attacking other communities for coming and usurping jobs
and employment opportunities couldn't these guys teach the 'Marathi
man' how to better deal with competition? or how to better run a
business? Cutting down the competition to get ahead is not an act of
bravado but a clear indication of cowardice and lack of self
confidence.
Mumbai is today the melting pot of cultural, educational, and
commercial success not cause of the Marathi man but for each
individual contributor that exists there. ...and I say this being a Maharashtrian myself.
A troubling legacy
Like all those who mobilise on the basis of ethnicity and religion, Bal Thackeray fashioned the Shiv Sena’s formidable clout out of political building blocks that were base and primordial. The language of hate and, when needed, violence were deployed to generate fear and insecurity, pride and solidarity. The founder-leader of the Shiv Sena first invoked Maratha pride against the State’s linguistic minorities and then the divisive agenda of Hindutva against religious minorities. Mumbai’s jobless were not offered land or employment, but they were taught whom to blame for all their miseries: the south Indians, the Gujaratis, and the Muslims. As a strategy of political mobilisation, this worked wonderfully well. The Sena’s brand of collective identity and the use of lumpens in direct action displaced trade unionism as the organising principle in political bargaining. Thackeray’s legion of followers raised him to the status of a demigod who could force an entire State to shut down with the mere threat of violence. Of course, the Sena leader did not gather strength overnight. From his days as a caricaturist, he perfected the art of lampooning political rivals, and drew crowds with his acerbic oratorical skills. Like Hitler, whom he admired, Thackeray knew how to command loyalty and inflame passions. Every failing of his opponents added to his muscle power. Although the Sena took time to grow into a political force, and come to power with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in another sense, it was a rapid political success, inspiring organisational fear in opponent parties, and proving to be of political use to the powerful and the moneyed classes.
But the Shiv Sena’s success came at a great price for not only Mumbai
and Maharashtra, but India as well. Mumbai’s communal fault lines were
thoroughly exploited by Thackeray and his Sainiks, especially in the
weeks after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. As the
Srikrishna Commission documents, Muslims were systematically killed in
riots engineered by Sena leaders. The brazen anti-minorityism of the
Sena fed the BJP’s agenda in other parts of India too. Other States in
India have seen the rise of regional parties, which too have invoked
regional and linguistic pride in their political mobilisation. But none
of these parties displays the unreconstructed chauvinism of the Sena.
Ironically the one outfit to rival its methods and approach is the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which broke away from Bal Thackeray in 2006.
Even as people in Mumbai and Maharashtra mourn the passing of the
patriarch, they ought to reflect on the manner in which his sectarian
politics diminished the great city and State and demand of his legatees a
change of course.
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Well done.
Now could you please speak up against those zealots who arrested those young
women owing to their facebook ( if i may add, a reasonable) post ?
from:
K Siva
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:14 IST
Even the political parties having national following, conveniently
whip up regional/ religious / linguistic feelings that has been
witnessed on several occasions viz anti sikh riots in Delhi and at times
of inter-state border and river water disputes. All pots are black and
so are the kettles.
whip up regional/ religious / linguistic feelings that has been
witnessed on several occasions viz anti sikh riots in Delhi and at times
of inter-state border and river water disputes. All pots are black and
so are the kettles.
from:
B.Krishnakumar
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:12 IST
Unfortunate article. As a Marathi manoo I can tell you that my
parents were supporters of socialists/communists - Madhu Dandavate,
Dange etc.in the early years. However reverse discrimination against
Maharashtrians and the inability of the socialists to group together led
us to support Mr. Balasaheb Thakre. And yes, I as a Maharashtrian have
experience condescending remarks from arrogant outsiders in my
hometown... The disparaging remarks include 'ghati', 'kaamwali' etc. No
wonder 2+ million folks turned out for his funeral.
The Hindu should look at the root causes of these type of issues. Hindi movies have blatantly resorted to ridiculing non-Hindis. e.g. A South Indian teacher (Padosan) is ridiculed in Padosan.
It is at this juncture Balasaheb becomes important. And yes, I too encountered non-cooperation/stonewalling (as an outsider) from a few Chennaites during my stay there for a year. I have no grudges, but in fact empathize with them and share their concerns.
The Hindu should look at the root causes of these type of issues. Hindi movies have blatantly resorted to ridiculing non-Hindis. e.g. A South Indian teacher (Padosan) is ridiculed in Padosan.
It is at this juncture Balasaheb becomes important. And yes, I too encountered non-cooperation/stonewalling (as an outsider) from a few Chennaites during my stay there for a year. I have no grudges, but in fact empathize with them and share their concerns.
from:
Milind
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 17:02 IST
Troubling legacy of media:
The editorial aptly demonstrates biased approach and single dimension in the life of Bal Thakre. It shows poor understanding of politics in Mumbai. It simply disregards the congress politics during 70's and 80's that led to rise of Sena. Even at this point of time where is Congress and Left parties when middle class being driven out of Mumbai. The blanket approach to smear the Sena with Communalisam and Regionalism is shows the double standards of media that fails to take cognizance of work done in Mumbai during 5 years. Avoid ivory tower approach.
The editorial aptly demonstrates biased approach and single dimension in the life of Bal Thakre. It shows poor understanding of politics in Mumbai. It simply disregards the congress politics during 70's and 80's that led to rise of Sena. Even at this point of time where is Congress and Left parties when middle class being driven out of Mumbai. The blanket approach to smear the Sena with Communalisam and Regionalism is shows the double standards of media that fails to take cognizance of work done in Mumbai during 5 years. Avoid ivory tower approach.
from:
Swapnil M
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 15:00 IST
Thackeray has been accused of successfully creating vote-banks in
Maharashtra by using a language of hate and violence against linguistic
and religious minorities. But, before criticizing the Shiv Sena leader,
his opponents should not have ignored the fact that his weapon of ‘sons
of the soil’ slogan was employed in all regions and by all political
parties in India. At the most, the intensity of the demand could be
graded from State to State. Thackeray has been accused of playing
hindutva cards to fight religious minorities. Politically, hatred
towards linguistic and religious minorities shall not be considered in
isolation. The matter involves appeasement of minorities by some
political parties and governments and the in-built provisions of special
minority rights and reservation in the Constitution. Hatred and special
love are sides of the same coin and are used by politicians to create
vote-banks. None is free from violence. Chronologically, the hatred
followed the appeasement. As pointed out by The Hindu, Shiv Sena
strategy might have “worked wonderfully well”.
from:
P.R.V.Raja
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:53 IST
While criticizing the voilent ways of Shiv Sena it must be remembered
the force was a effective counter to the gangs of smugglers and
anti-national thugs. To the film industry and certain industrialists
Shiv Sena was the unofficial protector from these elements who clearly
had backing across the border.
Moreover no political party in India can claim to be voilence free while in other political parties the leaders feigned ignorance, Balasaheb had the courage to own up the activities of his partymen.
Moreover no political party in India can claim to be voilence free while in other political parties the leaders feigned ignorance, Balasaheb had the courage to own up the activities of his partymen.
from:
Ramachandran
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:32 IST
Every word written here in the Editorial is correct It may be added in
this context that Congress - NCP coalition govt or the Bjp-Sena govt
which preceded it did not show guts to prosecute the shivsena cadres
or leadrs for their criminal activities organising and participating
in riots as mentioned clearly in the Srikrishna Commission, rather,
they withdrew the existing cases.The Congress is a greater culprit in
the sense that the Party and the Maharastra govt.tried to utilise the
services of Thackeray and his Sena to physically attack, even murder(
Krishna desai, MLA and prominent TU leader was murdered by the Sena
cadre) the TU cadres and leaders to demolish them.The sena captured
TUs in Bombay in this way. Thackeray gained his prominence in this way
and came to a position where he could dictate terms.The ruling State
govt.s bowed before him for fear of violence being resorted to or
Bandhs organised.The latest action by the Cong.-NCP govt is to arrange
state funeral to Bal Thackeray.
this context that Congress - NCP coalition govt or the Bjp-Sena govt
which preceded it did not show guts to prosecute the shivsena cadres
or leadrs for their criminal activities organising and participating
in riots as mentioned clearly in the Srikrishna Commission, rather,
they withdrew the existing cases.The Congress is a greater culprit in
the sense that the Party and the Maharastra govt.tried to utilise the
services of Thackeray and his Sena to physically attack, even murder(
Krishna desai, MLA and prominent TU leader was murdered by the Sena
cadre) the TU cadres and leaders to demolish them.The sena captured
TUs in Bombay in this way. Thackeray gained his prominence in this way
and came to a position where he could dictate terms.The ruling State
govt.s bowed before him for fear of violence being resorted to or
Bandhs organised.The latest action by the Cong.-NCP govt is to arrange
state funeral to Bal Thackeray.
from:
Janardanrao
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 14:24 IST
The Hindu...objective analysis, as always!!!
from:
Tofik Shaikh
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:25 IST
Finally a sensible article... his greatness was in the fact that he was
able to mobilise the crowd and not in his policies which divided India
deeply in terms of regionalism and religion.
able to mobilise the crowd and not in his policies which divided India
deeply in terms of regionalism and religion.
from:
Anoop
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:15 IST
A well balanced editorial. The Maharashtrians should realize the damage
done to their reputation for siding with divisive politics.Same path is
being tread by Chandrasekhar Rao of TRS in Andhra Pradesh.
done to their reputation for siding with divisive politics.Same path is
being tread by Chandrasekhar Rao of TRS in Andhra Pradesh.
from:
Satyam
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 13:05 IST
Good Editorial. How I wish that The Hindu speaks similarly eloquently
about making of dynasty politics impacting the ethical and moral
structure of India under the Banner of a party founded by Greats like
Pandit Nehru etc, how dynasty is cloaked and presented as if the party
functions on democratic lines, how a President ( Ms. Patil) , a P.M.
(MMS) are selected , how a CAG is derided , how a Minister threatens of
blood to an activist, how neo-and pseduo secularism is practiced ,how
institutions are destroyed , how people and govt are looted etc and
above all opposition is blamed for all ills and comparisons are drawn
always with oppostion parties as if Oppostion ruled the country for 50
plus years and Congress ruled the country for leass than 10 years. .
from:
T.K.P.Naig
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:52 IST
None coud disagree with your analysis of Balasaheb Thakeray's rather
aggresive posture against lingustic and religious minorities. But fact
remains that such distortions occur because of the unhealthy policies of
certain political parties, especially congress, to woo and pecify the
minorities only for their votes (at the cost of majority) and not their
welfare and step motherly treatment of the majority. I wonder whether
such reactionary forces would have grown in case wiser councels had
prevailed and these parties had been fair to both the minorities and the
majority. Bala saheb was an outspoken expression of the voice of silent
majority.
from:
Prof K C Mehta
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:39 IST
Taking a broader view of 'communialists' - anybody who by word or
deed treats the 'other' (somebody who either by sheer accident of being
born into a race or religion or caste or language or chooses to cross
into another ) different from 'my community', The Hindu should treat all
groups with the same brush - the BJP, Shiv Sena, the Muslim League,
Akali Dal, the DMK, AIADMK, MDMK, the PMK, BSP, the Republican Party,
VCK, TMC, the various caste based parties in Kerala and other states.
Phew, what would we be left with when some of the other 'non-communal'
parties like the Congress and the Left either taking communal positions
when it suits them or at least not taking a clear stand, by aligining
with the communalists?
from:
Raja
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:38 IST
I like the stand which The Hindu has taken in this editorial.
from:
bharath
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 12:01 IST
Very candid and true. It needs lot of courage to say so openly. Good one.
from:
Shelendra
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:43 IST
While being less critical about Mr. Thackerey, it can be said that he
threw political correctness to the wind. That tendency did produce
views which were although sharp but correct. He was the only leader of
stature among the current lot who didn't care about caste dynamics and
denounce the reservation system as faulty. It takes some strength to
speak your mind though it will be hurtful to your election prospects.
from:
Prashant
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:26 IST
While I am generally in agreement with your views, I wish to make a
few points. There is a need to find out why Bal Thackeray became so
hugely popular among the unemployed Maharashtrian youth. A very
impartial examination would perhaps reveal that the cosmopolitan Bombay
of the sixties and seventies was arrogantly and rabidly anti-Marathi.
Secondly, the opportunities in the job market in Mumbai were denied to
the Marathi speaking youth in unfair manner. That was one main reason
for Bal Thackeray’s early successes. The leftists did not address this
Marathi youth grievance properly. Secondly, it was a national party,
BJP, which gave respectability to Shiv Sena’s politics by making an
alliance with it and one cannot overlook this fact.
from:
Narendra M Apte
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:10 IST
Finally an article with proper analysis of the Shiv Sena leader's
legacy. I was sitting in utter disbelief watching TV yesterday listening
to the fawning tributes given to Mr. Thackeray from so called 'senior
journalists' and 'columnists'. Kudos to The Hindu for standing up for
truth.
from:
SB
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 10:07 IST
The Hindu newspaper is constantly criticizing Shiv Sena. So there is
nothing new in the editorial. However by not mentioning good things the
editor has only exposed his bias. Shiv Sena never started ( initiated)
any riots or threats. After Babri structure demolitioin violence was
started by muslims and many Hindus were killed , burning of Hindus in
Radhabai chawl was infamous case.This continued for almost one month. By
not mentioning both sides of the stories media is failing in its role.
from:
ANIL P.
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 09:47 IST
What pains you more is to see all the leaders, celebrities, and other
opinion-formers rushing lemming-like to call him a great man and great
leader. Could someone have the guts to say, sorry he doesn't deserve our
respect and tributes.
from:
Vijay
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:59 IST
No doubt that Mr. Bal Thackerey has left behind a troubled legacy.
But some credit must go to deceased leader. Unlike most of other
politicians of his time, he kept away from caste politics.
from:
Dilawar
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:30 IST
Finally, a sensible article. All those positive comments, even some
from someone like Lata Mangeshkar, are distressing to say the least!
Only one error in the writing: he did not invoke "Maratha" pride, but
rather "Marathi" pride. Maratha is a caste, while Marathi is the
language spoken in Maha, and it was Pawar who played the Maratha card to
solidify a vote bank. Fortunately, people are seeing through Maratha
politics. Hopefully (just hoping) people in Maha will one day realize
that the "Marathi manoos" card is being played for votes and votes
alone.
from:
GA
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 08:00 IST
I find your assessment and analysis of Thackeray's legacy bit
exaggerated. Shiv Sena was not a pioneer of sectarian regional politics
in India. The credit must be accorded to the DMK and Annadurai.
Moreover, Shiv Sena did not influence the whole of Maharashtra but only
the urbanized golden triangle of Mumbai-Pune-Nashik belt.Shiv Sena came
to power in 1995 with the help of not only BJP but was also supported by
number of rebel MLAs, mostly from a faction of the Congress, which is
now called as NCP. Inspite of Thackeray's immense popularity,
Maharashtra remains bastion of the Congress mainly due to inability of
Shiv Sena to make inroads in rural Maharashtra, which is still dominated
by the Congress and NCP. The regional politics pioneered by the DMK and
practiced later by Shiv Sena has now become the salient characteristics
of the Indian polity. You may dislike and criticize it, but you cannot
simply ignore it.
from:
Pramod Patil
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 06:23 IST
wonderful editorial
from:
veer
Posted on: Nov 19, 2012 at 01:01 IST
--------------------
http://www.thehindu.com/
An authentic Indian fascism
Praveen Swami
PTI
Thackeray offered violence as liberation to
educated young men without prospects.
TOPICS
politicsThe Shiv Sena chief gave voice to a Nazi impulse in Indian politics — one that poses an ever-growing threat to our Republic
“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime, “has presented itself as the anti-party; has opened its gates to all applicants; has with its promise of impunity enabled a formless multitude to cover over the savage outpourings of passions, hatreds and desires with a varnish of vague and nebulous political ideals. Fascism has thus become a question of social mores: it has become identified with the barbaric and anti-social psychology of certain strata of the Italian people which have not yet been modified by a new tradition, by education, by living together in a well-ordered and well-administered state”.
Ever since Thackeray’s passing, many of India’s most influential voices have joined in the kind of lamentation normally reserved for saints and movie stars. Ajay Devgn described him as “a man of vision”; Ram Gopal Varma as “the true epitome of power”. Amitabh Bachchan “admired his grit”; Lata Mangeshkar felt “orphaned”. Even President Pranab Mukherjee felt compelled to describe Thackeray’s death as an “irreparable loss”. The harshest word grovelling television reporters seemed able to summon was “divisive”.
It is tempting to attribute this nauseous chorus to fear or obsequiousness. Yet, there is a deeper pathology at work. In 1967, Thackeray told the newspaper Navakal: “It is a Hitler that is needed in India today”. This is the legacy India’s reliably anti-republican elite has joined in mourning.
Thackeray will be remembered for many things, including the savage communal violence of 1992-1993. He was not, however, the inventor of such mass killing, nor its most able practitioner. Instead, Thackeray’s genius was giving shape to an authentically Indian Fascism.
His fascism was a utopian enterprise — but not in the commonly-understood sense. The Left, a powerful force in the world where Thackeray’s project was born, held out the prospect of a new, egalitarian world. The Congress held the keys to a more mundane, but perhaps more real, earthly paradise: the small-time municipal racket; even the greater ones that led to apartments on Marine Drive. Thackeray’s Shiv Sena wore many veneers: in its time, it was anti-south Indian, anti-north Indian, anti-Muslim. It offered no kind of paradise, though. It seduced mainly by promising the opportunity to kick someone’s head in.
Nostalgic accounts of Mumbai in the 1960s and 1970s represent it as a cultural melting pot; a place of opportunity. It was also a living hell. Half of Mumbai’s population, S. Geetha and Madhura Swaminathan recorded in 1995, is packed into slums that occupy only 6 per cent of its land-area. Three-quarters of girls, and more than two-thirds of boys, are undernourished. Three-quarters of the city’s formal housing stock, Mike Davies has noted, consisted of one-room tenements where households of six people or more were crammed “in 15 square meters; the latrine is usually shared with six other families”.
From the 1970s, Girangaon — Mumbai’s “village of factories” — entered a state of terminal decline, further aiding the Sena project. In 1982, when trade union leader Datta Samant led the great textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girangaon. Inside of a decade, few of them had jobs. The land on which the mills stood had become fabulously expensive, and owners simply allowed their enterprises to turn terminally ill until the government allowed them to sell.
Thackeray mined gold in these sewers — building a politics that gave voice to the rage of educated young men without prospects, and offering violence as liberation. It mattered little to the rank and file Shiv Sena cadre precisely who the targets of their rage were: south Indian and Gujarati small-business owners; Left-wing trade union activists; Muslims; north Indian economic migrants.
The intimate relationship between Mr. Bachchan and Thackeray is thus no surprise. In the 1975 Yash Chopra-directed hit Deewar, Mr. Bachchan rejects his trade-union heritage, and rebels by turning to crime. He is killed, in the end, by his good-cop brother. The Shiv Sena was a product of precisely this zeitgeist; its recruits cheered, like so many other young Indians, for the Bad Mr. Bachchan.
Like the mafia of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar — which, it ought to be remembered, flourished in the same Mumbai — the Sena offered patronage, profit and power. Its core business, though, was the provision of masculinity. There are no great Sena-run schools, hospitals or charities; good works were not part of its language.
The fascist threat
Fascism, Gramsci understood, was the excrement of a dysfunctional polity: its consequence, not its cause. Liberal India’s great failure has been its effort to seek accommodation with fascism: neither Thackeray’s movie-industry fans, nor Mr. Mukherjee are, after all, ideological reactionaries. The Congress, the epicentre of liberal Indian political culture, has consistently compromised with communalism; indeed, it is no coincidence that it benignly presided over Thackeray’s rise, all the way to carnage in 1992-1993 and after.
This historic failure has been mitigated by the country’s enormous diversity. The fascisms of Thackeray, of Kashmiri Islamists, of Khalistanis, of Bihar’s Ranvir Sena: all these remained provincial, or municipal. Even the great rise of Hindutva fascism in 1992-1993 eventually crashed in the face of Indian electoral diversity.
Yet, we cannot take this success for granted. Fascism is a politics of the young: it is no coincidence that Thackeray, until almost the end, dyed his hair and wore make-up to conceal his wrinkles. From now until 2026, youth populations will continue to rise in some of India’s most fragile polities — among them, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir.
In a path-breaking 1968 essay, Herbert Moller noted how the emergence of children born between 1900 and 1914 on the job market — “a cohort”, he noted, “more numerous than any earlier ones” — helped propel the Nazi rise in Germany. Historian Paul Madden, in a 1983 study of the early membership of the Nazi party, found that it “was a young, overwhelmingly masculine movement which drew a disproportionately large percentage of its membership from the lower middle class and from the Mittelstand [small businesses]”.
For years now, as economic change has made it ever-harder for masses of people to build lives of dignity and civic participation, we have seen the inexorable rise of an as-yet inchoate youth reaction. From the gangs of violent predators who have raped women in Haryana, to the young Hindu and Muslim bigots who have spearheaded the recent waves of communal violence, street politics is ever more driven by a dysfunctional masculinity. Thackeray’s successes in tapping this generation’s rage will, without doubt, be drawn on in years to come by other purveyors of violence.
India desperately needs a political project that makes possible another, progressive masculinity, built around new visions for everything from culture, the family and economic justice. No vanguard for such a project, though, is yet in sight.
------------
Comments -
If we can have Socialists, capitalists, Apologists, Islamists,
Communists, terrorists amd coversionists then why can't we have
fascists, right wing, regionalists, naxalites etc.
In a diverse country like India all ideologies should be encouraged and nurtured.
If you think any ideology should be eliminated or justified then you need to identify the cause which propels that ideology, like you often do for Socialists, Communists, terrorists and Islamists.
A proper research with fact based analysis will go a long way identifying the cause of right wing movement in India. And people like me who are disgusted with the current dispensation after voting for them the 2nd time, can make an informed choice in times to come.
Right now it is very one sided there is no balance.
If you think any ideology should be eliminated or justified then you need to identify the cause which propels that ideology, like you often do for Socialists, Communists, terrorists and Islamists.
A proper research with fact based analysis will go a long way identifying the cause of right wing movement in India. And people like me who are disgusted with the current dispensation after voting for them the 2nd time, can make an informed choice in times to come.
Right now it is very one sided there is no balance.
from:
Praveen
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 18:59 IST
Wow...What an article..that too around this time, where some of the
Media praise him like a Freedom fighter and increase
their TRP. The Hindu stands for right Print Media Journalism...Circulation does not matter as far as we stands for the truth..We have many politicians like him..But very few practices it, like Raj Thakeray..We should teach our children who is what..Atleast we should teach them who is Bhagat Singh.Otherwise, all those people
who divide the people by violence will be Bhagat Singh and Suk Dev...
Hats of Hindu..
from:
Balaji RajaSekar J M
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 14:23 IST
After BT demise, it was disappointing to see the media falling over each other to praise him to Sainthood. Understand its not good to speak ill of the dead or recently dead but to call him Nationalist is a joke.
He wasnt a nationalist or Anti Muslim or Anti Bihari or Anti South Indian, he was an opportunist like all politician. He didnt support Maharastra or Marathi, he supported himself. He wanted Muslims to be kicked out then why was his Physician a muslim...Was he trying to give him employment or was he trying to get the best possible Medical Attention for himslef.
He spoke his mind as he had to power behind him. Two Millions came for his Funeral, Million more followed Hitler or any other Dictator you can think of, does that make all of them Saints...
Of all the Newspapers/Media, Only 'Hindu' had an Article by Justice Katju that said anything against BT. Thank you Justice Katju and Hindu for not being afraid and giving hope and courage to the rest.
from:
Jimmy
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:58 IST
"good works were not part of its language"- correct your facts. World class Pune-mumbai e-way,sea link,flyovers in all over maharashtra,free homes for slum people,meal for Rs.1, metro,there are so many free hospital and schools in Maha run by SS all these and many more projects were brain child of Shri B.K. Thackrey.He was nt anti Islam but was anti pakistan. A nationlist facism is better than false and failed democracy. Please study the Man's history and charachtor in detail and then post your article. Prasanna- A kannada migrant
from:
Prasanna
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:50 IST
The editorial is truly a piece of sanity at a time when the nation's
media has been busy promoting fake achievements and violent politics.
from:
kunal
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 13:40 IST
Very well written article ! Insightful and bold ! kudos. keep up the good work.
from:
ritwik
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 12:11 IST
The Hindu is a major source of relief in this climate where media is
failing horribly to critically examine the legacy of Thackeray. It's
been depressing to see so many people condoning the politics of
violence.
from:
Aditya
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 12:02 IST
This article will definitely sting a number of people as it states the
truth about Sena's ideology in black and white...
The excerpt about the party seducing by allowing people to use
violence without any fear to instill fear and about there not being
any initiatives ever taken by Sena to promote education, healthcare
etc are spot on.
Instead of attacking other communities for coming and usurping jobs
and employment opportunities couldn't these guys teach the 'Marathi
man' how to better deal with competition? or how to better run a
business? Cutting down the competition to get ahead is not an act of
bravado but a clear indication of cowardice and lack of self
confidence.
Mumbai is today the melting pot of cultural, educational, and
commercial success not cause of the Marathi man but for each
individual contributor that exists there. ...and I say this being a Maharashtrian myself.
from:
T Gadkari
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:42 IST
Thank you The Hindu for having the wisdom to own up to the truth. It
is articles like these that still give us young people hope and
inspiration. Vandals and goons must not and never be immortalized although history suggests a sense of strong romance with such figures - world over.
I am outraged by the fact that in a progressive country like
India,there is still room for fascism.Instead of uniting a diverse
nation- the largest of its kind,these individuals did nothing but to
drive a wedge through us - the youth of India.
Bal Thackrey did not deserve to be termed as controversial. Somehow, I
feel that this is a word that must be reserved for those that stand up
for real revolution. This man and his foot soldiers stood up for
anarchy and harassment.
is articles like these that still give us young people hope and
inspiration. Vandals and goons must not and never be immortalized although history suggests a sense of strong romance with such figures - world over.
I am outraged by the fact that in a progressive country like
India,there is still room for fascism.Instead of uniting a diverse
nation- the largest of its kind,these individuals did nothing but to
drive a wedge through us - the youth of India.
Bal Thackrey did not deserve to be termed as controversial. Somehow, I
feel that this is a word that must be reserved for those that stand up
for real revolution. This man and his foot soldiers stood up for
anarchy and harassment.
from:
Harish
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:35 IST
I was born in the yr 1982. Till the time i started understanding
politics and role of Shiv Sena in Mumbai it was already 1990's. And
the only things i heard Shiv Sainiks doing during those years was
burning Archies Shops for keeping Valentines Cards and sending saree
to Kareena Kapoor for one of her provocatively dressed movie poster
and changing the name of Bombay to Mumbai and VT to CST. The landmark
achivements of Shiv Sena that i remember of were the flyovers and
Mumbai-Pune Express way. So i was confused to my core as to why Bala
Saheb was given a State Funeral on his natural death. Probably this
articles gives a jest as to why he had such a huge fan following, and
who is this huge following.
politics and role of Shiv Sena in Mumbai it was already 1990's. And
the only things i heard Shiv Sainiks doing during those years was
burning Archies Shops for keeping Valentines Cards and sending saree
to Kareena Kapoor for one of her provocatively dressed movie poster
and changing the name of Bombay to Mumbai and VT to CST. The landmark
achivements of Shiv Sena that i remember of were the flyovers and
Mumbai-Pune Express way. So i was confused to my core as to why Bala
Saheb was given a State Funeral on his natural death. Probably this
articles gives a jest as to why he had such a huge fan following, and
who is this huge following.
from:
anita padman
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:25 IST
An excellent analysis of the legacy of Thackeray. Thanks for this
thought-provoking op-ed, Mr Swami.
thought-provoking op-ed, Mr Swami.
from:
Mohammed Irfan
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:20 IST
This article says everything that so many of us have been wanting to
say. I am sure there are many who were afraid that The Hindu would
refrain from commenting on Mr. Thackeray's brand of divisive politics
for fear of organized reprisals. We are glad that The Hindu and Mr.
Swami have spoken out for the common citizen who lacks a voice, and is
yet outraged by the fascist and brutal nature of Sena politics. This is
a politics that was shaped exclusively by Mr. Thackeray.
say. I am sure there are many who were afraid that The Hindu would
refrain from commenting on Mr. Thackeray's brand of divisive politics
for fear of organized reprisals. We are glad that The Hindu and Mr.
Swami have spoken out for the common citizen who lacks a voice, and is
yet outraged by the fascist and brutal nature of Sena politics. This is
a politics that was shaped exclusively by Mr. Thackeray.
from:
Ratnam
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:10 IST
An excellent article highlighting the dangers of the fascist model
Mr. Thackeray gave voice to in his lifetime: one hopes that it will not
rear its head again in the Indian polity
from:
Anand
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:10 IST
This is the problem with you journalists who can't speak the language
of masses... all you speak is the language of privilege and power.
Whoever Thackeray was, a fascist, a mafia or anything but his voice
resonated with the masses. You better learn to respect masses. Two
millions weren't there for his funeral by force. Nobody forced them.
First fix your 'dysfunctional polity' and increasing gulf between rich
and the poor or else there will be more Thackerays in the future...
of masses... all you speak is the language of privilege and power.
Whoever Thackeray was, a fascist, a mafia or anything but his voice
resonated with the masses. You better learn to respect masses. Two
millions weren't there for his funeral by force. Nobody forced them.
First fix your 'dysfunctional polity' and increasing gulf between rich
and the poor or else there will be more Thackerays in the future...
from:
Vijay
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 11:09 IST
Is Mr. Swami seriously citing the example of a bollywood movie in
which Amitabh Bacchan acted as the reason for his intimate
relationship with Shiv Sena? A whole paragraph dedicated to calling
Bombay of the 1960s-70s a sewer!? If Bombay was a sewer in those
decades, what was the state of other cities like Madras back then?
There is not a single verifiable fact cited in this article, making it
an opinionated, vague rhetoric trying to align Shiv Sena, a political
(albeit narrow-minded in its ideology) organisation with apolitical
and militant outfits like Kashmiri Islamists, Ranvir Sena and
Khalistanis. Mr. Swami should recognise that his brand of sentimental
writing is itself an outlet of 'dysfunctional masculinity' and trying
to incite the ire of those who feel wronged by the Shiv Sena. Try to
build public opinion through facts and reality, do not paint
sentimental pictures, sir. The Keywords associated with this article
are proof enough of the authors malignant and nonfactual attempt.
which Amitabh Bacchan acted as the reason for his intimate
relationship with Shiv Sena? A whole paragraph dedicated to calling
Bombay of the 1960s-70s a sewer!? If Bombay was a sewer in those
decades, what was the state of other cities like Madras back then?
There is not a single verifiable fact cited in this article, making it
an opinionated, vague rhetoric trying to align Shiv Sena, a political
(albeit narrow-minded in its ideology) organisation with apolitical
and militant outfits like Kashmiri Islamists, Ranvir Sena and
Khalistanis. Mr. Swami should recognise that his brand of sentimental
writing is itself an outlet of 'dysfunctional masculinity' and trying
to incite the ire of those who feel wronged by the Shiv Sena. Try to
build public opinion through facts and reality, do not paint
sentimental pictures, sir. The Keywords associated with this article
are proof enough of the authors malignant and nonfactual attempt.
from:
Saurabh Khadke
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:56 IST
Justice Markandey katju (Nov-19) and article by Praveen Swami(Nov-20) had
really thrown a good insight in to the issue with their "Bhumiputra
theory" and "Indian fascism" respectively.But so many noises buzzing about Bal Thackery clearly shows that he was, no doubt a man who tread a path of his own interest. The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgement
and we do not see them as they are, but we see them as we are.So goes the
vedic line"Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavathi"(as the feelings ,so are the results) and it is not for us to judge from ones own perspective.
really thrown a good insight in to the issue with their "Bhumiputra
theory" and "Indian fascism" respectively.But so many noises buzzing about Bal Thackery clearly shows that he was, no doubt a man who tread a path of his own interest. The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgement
and we do not see them as they are, but we see them as we are.So goes the
vedic line"Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavathi"(as the feelings ,so are the results) and it is not for us to judge from ones own perspective.
from:
HAVISH MADDURI
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:41 IST
I agree with the author that dysfunctional masculinity was promoted
by the leader to bring about change instead of progressive masculinity
built around new vision, culture, family and economic justice. Unless
the Govt. headed by politicians are serious enough to address various
issues confronting various section of society in a civilised,
transparent and inclusive manner, there will always be someone to resort
to the approach of dysfunctional masculinity as taught and practiced by
the departed leader.
from:
Deivi
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:29 IST
Intellectual piece, Mr Swami presented the true picture of any
fascist force. Only unemployed youths are the fertile ground for
such forces who don't have any programme for the youth itself.
Being an Maharastrian I noted that no constructive work was done
by this force
fascist force. Only unemployed youths are the fertile ground for
such forces who don't have any programme for the youth itself.
Being an Maharastrian I noted that no constructive work was done
by this force
from:
Atul
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:25 IST
Thank you The Hindu for carrying an article that is pertinent at a time
like this. India needs to get away from populism, regionalism and
caste, ethnic based politics if it wants to truly develop.
like this. India needs to get away from populism, regionalism and
caste, ethnic based politics if it wants to truly develop.
from:
Abner
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:23 IST
Mr.Swami you are saying that Congress has been consistently
compromising with communalism. In fact communal forces were lying low
after the trauma of partition and assassination of the Mahathma. There
were statesmen like Nehru in the helm of affairs who never compromised
with communal forces under any circumstances. During the regime of
Indira also BJP was not a force to reckon with. Indira brushed aside
any suggestion of not having Sikhs in her security by posing the
question “Are all of us not secular?” to those who suggested removal
of Sikhs from her security. She paid with her life for this. Rightwing
Hindu communalists lead by RSS were sworn enemies of Indira Gandhi who
did everything in their power to destabilise her Government which
would not have been the case if she was compromising with them. Until
Rajiv Gandhi was defeated in 1989 BJP was a marginal force with just
two seats in Parliament and also was a political untouchable. It was
the decision of CPM and CPI to join BJP in propping up VP Singh
government which gave BJP the much needed respectability. Once again
it was the refusal of some CPM leaders to allow Jyothi Basu becoming
PM which facilitated BJP rule at the centre. Support from
opportunistic leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Mamatha Bannerji and
even Mayavathi among others was the life support to their government.
This resulted in India going nuclear, South Asia becoming a dangerous
place and BJP opening its account in the South by getting elected in
Karnataka result of which is the beautiful city of Bangalore is almost
destroyed. Congress rejected overtures from BJP to take the place the
place of left in 2004.Congress might have practiced what is called
soft Hindutwa at times but others including left also have contributed
their mite in the growth of fascist forces in the country. If we do
not learn to accept this cold truth chances of our learning lessons
are slim.
compromising with communalism. In fact communal forces were lying low
after the trauma of partition and assassination of the Mahathma. There
were statesmen like Nehru in the helm of affairs who never compromised
with communal forces under any circumstances. During the regime of
Indira also BJP was not a force to reckon with. Indira brushed aside
any suggestion of not having Sikhs in her security by posing the
question “Are all of us not secular?” to those who suggested removal
of Sikhs from her security. She paid with her life for this. Rightwing
Hindu communalists lead by RSS were sworn enemies of Indira Gandhi who
did everything in their power to destabilise her Government which
would not have been the case if she was compromising with them. Until
Rajiv Gandhi was defeated in 1989 BJP was a marginal force with just
two seats in Parliament and also was a political untouchable. It was
the decision of CPM and CPI to join BJP in propping up VP Singh
government which gave BJP the much needed respectability. Once again
it was the refusal of some CPM leaders to allow Jyothi Basu becoming
PM which facilitated BJP rule at the centre. Support from
opportunistic leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Mamatha Bannerji and
even Mayavathi among others was the life support to their government.
This resulted in India going nuclear, South Asia becoming a dangerous
place and BJP opening its account in the South by getting elected in
Karnataka result of which is the beautiful city of Bangalore is almost
destroyed. Congress rejected overtures from BJP to take the place the
place of left in 2004.Congress might have practiced what is called
soft Hindutwa at times but others including left also have contributed
their mite in the growth of fascist forces in the country. If we do
not learn to accept this cold truth chances of our learning lessons
are slim.
from:
Baikadi Suryanarayana Rao
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:19 IST
The author has erred in taking Balasaheb's name in the same vein as
the Khalistani terrorists, Kashmiri Islamists... All that the Sena asked
was control, jobs and dignity for the natives who were looked down by
affluent outsiders - I being a Marathi manoos have experienced this
first hand.
To be fair to Balasaheb, he always put national interest before regional one, whenever these collided (unlike the other separatists) and toned down his opposition. (Just FYI the Belgaum border issue with Ktaka is again hot, but Balasaheb has refused to drag the Sena in it so far). How many South Indians, Biharis were killed at the hands of the Sena? If you will, it was a love-dislike (not hate) relationship with the outsiders. This is borne by the fact that he continued to have (and support) non-Maharashtrians across all walks of life. Regarding Hindu-Muslim riots its a different story altogether... and the Sena clearly doesn't have a monopoly on it...
To be fair to Balasaheb, he always put national interest before regional one, whenever these collided (unlike the other separatists) and toned down his opposition. (Just FYI the Belgaum border issue with Ktaka is again hot, but Balasaheb has refused to drag the Sena in it so far). How many South Indians, Biharis were killed at the hands of the Sena? If you will, it was a love-dislike (not hate) relationship with the outsiders. This is borne by the fact that he continued to have (and support) non-Maharashtrians across all walks of life. Regarding Hindu-Muslim riots its a different story altogether... and the Sena clearly doesn't have a monopoly on it...
from:
Milind
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:18 IST
"There are no great Sena-run schools, hospitals or charities; good
works were not part of its language." - interesting statement !
from:
prakash
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 10:16 IST
Kudos to such a nice article. Leaders are very important to shape the
society....and onus is on the society as well to choose its leaders
wisely.
society....and onus is on the society as well to choose its leaders
wisely.
from:
Vikas Saxena
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:58 IST
perfectly put. It's just an indication of how much success hate politics
has achieved in our country.
It's extra-ordinary that politicians call themselves "public" servants
has achieved in our country.
It's extra-ordinary that politicians call themselves "public" servants
from:
Aditya Parihar
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:56 IST
Mr Swami compares the Sena with the mafia of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
that flourished in the same Mumbai and "offered patronage, profit and
power". An apter comparison would be to Haji Mastan and Varadarajan
Mudaliar. The difference is that the two, unlike Dawood Ibrahim, did not
rise to international stature. Fortunately, Thackeray too did not.
from:
Renuka
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:50 IST
Well-written, thanks Mr Praveen Swami: I always like your opinion
columns. I completely agree with you that in spite of knowing and
experiencing the act of invoking violence publicly in politics which
impacts our everyday lives in many ways, we, pathetically, do not have
any potential state machineries to create and run an alternative
political project that would challenge the violence invoked in
politics and in other aspects of life. This is really a serious issue,
and a challenge, for any one concerned with the welfare of all people
in our nation.
columns. I completely agree with you that in spite of knowing and
experiencing the act of invoking violence publicly in politics which
impacts our everyday lives in many ways, we, pathetically, do not have
any potential state machineries to create and run an alternative
political project that would challenge the violence invoked in
politics and in other aspects of life. This is really a serious issue,
and a challenge, for any one concerned with the welfare of all people
in our nation.
from:
Muthuraj S.
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:48 IST
Proven Swami is a very good Analyst of Terrorism.But very poor in understanding politics of
Regionalism.He spews venom in his article.I am a Mumbaikar .South Indian.Was at the top
in India's No1 media House.Admired N.Ram.But always felt the Dravidian politics was
extreme parochialism.Certainly Bal Thackeray was not Nazi like.Indira Gandhi with her
Emegency was perhaps more Intolerant.
Regionalism.He spews venom in his article.I am a Mumbaikar .South Indian.Was at the top
in India's No1 media House.Admired N.Ram.But always felt the Dravidian politics was
extreme parochialism.Certainly Bal Thackeray was not Nazi like.Indira Gandhi with her
Emegency was perhaps more Intolerant.
from:
T v krishnamurthy
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:46 IST
A very nice piece by the author. Its sickening to see sycophants singing
praises for the patriarch and the hatred that he symbolised. One can
only hope that the newer generation sees reason over their fascist
ideals and the Indian state finally guarantees to its citizens the
cultural and political space it promises in the Constitution.
praises for the patriarch and the hatred that he symbolised. One can
only hope that the newer generation sees reason over their fascist
ideals and the Indian state finally guarantees to its citizens the
cultural and political space it promises in the Constitution.
from:
Kushan Chakraborty
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:38 IST
Really a stirring piece!
from:
misha
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:17 IST
Praveen Swamy may be right in some arguments, but some are downright
inaccurate.Like the fact that Sena ran no charity. Again my advise to
left-leaning intellectuals,don't reduce the sins of fascist Hitler by
comparing everyone with him. Impartiality cannot be expected when
intellectual bias hides some unpleasant truths. True, the divisive and
opportunism of Sena is evident to all, and some of its views border on
unimaginable extremism. But, citing inaccurate facts, will not
strengthen your argument. So,I think in some cases, your Marxist prism
is better left at home. Or at least the prism of unbridled sanctity
and your sermonizing spirit. We are not here to hear from a Swami of
purity who takes a priestly moral high ground, but from a Swami of
objectivity.
inaccurate.Like the fact that Sena ran no charity. Again my advise to
left-leaning intellectuals,don't reduce the sins of fascist Hitler by
comparing everyone with him. Impartiality cannot be expected when
intellectual bias hides some unpleasant truths. True, the divisive and
opportunism of Sena is evident to all, and some of its views border on
unimaginable extremism. But, citing inaccurate facts, will not
strengthen your argument. So,I think in some cases, your Marxist prism
is better left at home. Or at least the prism of unbridled sanctity
and your sermonizing spirit. We are not here to hear from a Swami of
purity who takes a priestly moral high ground, but from a Swami of
objectivity.
from:
Pulakesh
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:05 IST
The issue is not Balasaheb Thackeray, Praveen Swami. The issue is
regional aspirations and how they can coexist with nationalism, within
the constitutional framework. Despite the bitter criticism, the
popularity of Thackeray did not wane in the last more than four decades.
Shiv Sena along with MNS enjoys more than 20 per cent vote share in
Maharashtra. Why are the regional forces prospering throughtout the
country? Swamy should have analysed this trend instead of carrying out
often repeated tirade against Thackeray. Moreover, if Thackeray is to be
vilified, so must be Karunanidhi and MGR who actively encouraged Tamil
militancy in Sri Lanka. The valid cricism of regionalism in India could
be that it has not developed in a constructive manner and has, instead
resulted in dynastic politics. Thackeray, Karunanidhi, Badal, Patnaik
are all examples of this trend.
from:
Pramod Patil
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:04 IST
Ah finally an editorial that states it like it is!
Well Done Sir!
Like all cowards, the shiv sena and their vacuous minions organized mobs who dealt in fear to sort their problems out in Mumbai. It is time to put them behind bars for crimes against the nation.It may be germane to note the obsequiousness of the Mumbai film industry , the local politicians and the police is a telling testament of the absolute bankruptcy of thought logic, intelligence and sanity of these shills.
Well Done Sir!
Like all cowards, the shiv sena and their vacuous minions organized mobs who dealt in fear to sort their problems out in Mumbai. It is time to put them behind bars for crimes against the nation.It may be germane to note the obsequiousness of the Mumbai film industry , the local politicians and the police is a telling testament of the absolute bankruptcy of thought logic, intelligence and sanity of these shills.
from:
Rajasekar Thunghabadra
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 09:03 IST
Thanks to The Hindu and the author Praveen Swamifor the article. The
forces of incipient fascism has been active in the post-Independence
history of India. The dismissal of the first Communist Govt in
Kerala,the Emergency of 1975 and the innumerable caste/communal
riots,are all phenomena indicative of active fascist elements. The
Republican spirit of the Constitution has been mutilated by more than
hundred amendments. We must learn to compute GDP by the number of jobs
we create every year. The youth is distracted from values by Cricket and
Bollywood.
from:
G.Narayanaswany
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:40 IST
It is really nauseating to read the reactions of politicians and artists
paying tribute to a person who was constantly violated our laws and
unleashed violence against fellow citizens. It is sad to read the press
release of the President who has sworn to uphold the tenets of the
constitution describing the death as irreparable loss. BT hardly
respected the Constitution of this land. Basically something is
drastically wrong with this country.
paying tribute to a person who was constantly violated our laws and
unleashed violence against fellow citizens. It is sad to read the press
release of the President who has sworn to uphold the tenets of the
constitution describing the death as irreparable loss. BT hardly
respected the Constitution of this land. Basically something is
drastically wrong with this country.
from:
S.Ravichandran
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:36 IST
I appreciate Hindu editors for publishing out such a bold article
when rest of the media, celebrities & politicians feared to openly
comment on such a person.
from:
Surya
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 08:12 IST
I wonder why Shiv Sena is not called as a sectarian outfit but praised
by many Celebrities ! If Azadi Kashmir is Anti-India,Then ShivSena's Maratha world will also fit in the same bottle. The Two India Theory
of Shivsena not known by many , One that is Created With in Maratha
and the rest Outside the Maratha Territory. People must understand the
history of medieval period in this modern world and should accept
that INDIA is A union of Territory ruled by various chiefs and should
not rely on the legacy that Martha were a supreme power , Mughals were
a Supreme power , Mahadans were a supreme power etc. Now we are In
GREATER INDIA greater than Mughal India And Maratha India in terms of
people were tagged with same identity..
by many Celebrities ! If Azadi Kashmir is Anti-India,Then ShivSena's Maratha world will also fit in the same bottle. The Two India Theory
of Shivsena not known by many , One that is Created With in Maratha
and the rest Outside the Maratha Territory. People must understand the
history of medieval period in this modern world and should accept
that INDIA is A union of Territory ruled by various chiefs and should
not rely on the legacy that Martha were a supreme power , Mughals were
a Supreme power , Mahadans were a supreme power etc. Now we are In
GREATER INDIA greater than Mughal India And Maratha India in terms of
people were tagged with same identity..
from:
Raja Mohammed
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:52 IST
When all kind of doublespeak and hosannas are being showered on a anti-
democratic ,parochial and divisive Baal thackeray by majority of print
and electronic media .this article rekindles the hope that all is not
yet gone .Hats off to Praveen swami for his this thought provoking and
timely intervention ..
democratic ,parochial and divisive Baal thackeray by majority of print
and electronic media .this article rekindles the hope that all is not
yet gone .Hats off to Praveen swami for his this thought provoking and
timely intervention ..
from:
Virendra Yadav
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:38 IST
The crux of Praveen Swami's article is in the final sentence. The
“masculine political project built around new visions for culture, the
family and economic justice" author talks about is nothing but an
argument for a western style conservative political movement in India
(like British Tories or American republicans). Many commentators in the
past commented about the need for BJP to transform in to a western style
conservative party by ditching Hindutva and by embracing ideas like
small government etc. But truth is India is not a western nation, India
is very unique and it is nothing but natural that Indian conservative
moment will draw its strength from India’s ancient culture and its
tradition- including dharmic religions. Just like Protestants form the
base of American Republican Party; Hindu religious groups will be the
core of Indian conservative parties (say BJP). If you take Hindutva out
of BJP, then BJP will wither away. It is true that like all other
conservative movements Indian conservative movement also has fringe
elements with far right fascist views. But predictions of a rise of new
hindutva fascist movement in India is far fetched and overtly alarmist.
Most majority of net savvy Indian youth may have pro hindutva views but
no way can they be called fascist.
from:
Prasanth Nambiar
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 07:30 IST
Preveen Swami started well and drifted in the middle and ended the
article in sheer disappointment.We cant gloss over the fact that
regional and communal politics are game changers in Indian polity.The
national parties procrastinate before these forces for winning
elections.In this situation whether you call India a union of states
or confederation doesn't matter.Even at global level many countries
including The US try to defend and help their countrymen and provide
economic opportunities to them.In a country like India where the caste
and religion play a vital role in shaping the destiny of her citizens
even after six decades of independence and economic development
regional satraps would emerge to dictate the political discourse.What
the Shiv Sena forced to do for Maharashtrians is being practised by
almost all states in the country denying fair opportunities to people
from other areas.The means adopted by the Shiv Sena may be wrong but
it helped the locals get their opportunities.
article in sheer disappointment.We cant gloss over the fact that
regional and communal politics are game changers in Indian polity.The
national parties procrastinate before these forces for winning
elections.In this situation whether you call India a union of states
or confederation doesn't matter.Even at global level many countries
including The US try to defend and help their countrymen and provide
economic opportunities to them.In a country like India where the caste
and religion play a vital role in shaping the destiny of her citizens
even after six decades of independence and economic development
regional satraps would emerge to dictate the political discourse.What
the Shiv Sena forced to do for Maharashtrians is being practised by
almost all states in the country denying fair opportunities to people
from other areas.The means adopted by the Shiv Sena may be wrong but
it helped the locals get their opportunities.
from:
G.Kulandaivelu
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:40 IST
Superb article. I admire the guts of the author. India needs hundreds
of millions more like him. Or political leaders with guts to say no to
fascist politics.
from:
John Smith
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:38 IST
You have left out Idi Amin of Ugenda who also stands in the same class.
When foreigners were driven out he had a large followers, waiting to
take over or loot the establishments of Indian and Asian origin. The
Shiv Sainiks followed Bala Saheb not to understand his sermons but to
get a bit from the spoils. Hoteliers and small time busyness men were
driven out of Mumbai in droves and the Sainiks were the beneficiaries.
He has left his mark with the Next generation Thackerays, in the form
of a son and a nephew, unless they fight it out in the open for the
inheritance. Mumbai can expect another wave of violence, and fasten
their belts, unless they want to sit back and watch the fun and allow
the two classes destroy themselves for the relief of peace loving
Mumbaikars.
When foreigners were driven out he had a large followers, waiting to
take over or loot the establishments of Indian and Asian origin. The
Shiv Sainiks followed Bala Saheb not to understand his sermons but to
get a bit from the spoils. Hoteliers and small time busyness men were
driven out of Mumbai in droves and the Sainiks were the beneficiaries.
He has left his mark with the Next generation Thackerays, in the form
of a son and a nephew, unless they fight it out in the open for the
inheritance. Mumbai can expect another wave of violence, and fasten
their belts, unless they want to sit back and watch the fun and allow
the two classes destroy themselves for the relief of peace loving
Mumbaikars.
from:
viswanatha
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:21 IST
A bold article keeping in view the arrest of young girls on their facebook messages.
from:
Sankar
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 06:05 IST
This lucid article should open the eyes of all people in India. It is well written and
exposes the sycophancy of the media, politicians and celebrities who will sell their
souls to the devil. I applaud The Hindu for this excellent article. I do hope that
movements such as the Shiv Sena will be banned for causing division among the
people of India.
exposes the sycophancy of the media, politicians and celebrities who will sell their
souls to the devil. I applaud The Hindu for this excellent article. I do hope that
movements such as the Shiv Sena will be banned for causing division among the
people of India.
from:
Srinivasan
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:57 IST
Thank you, Mr. Praveen Swami, for this excellent article. Your piece
together with Justice Katju's article yesterday are the rare voices of
sense amidst the noise of numerous elegies. It is surprising that even
the President of India succumbed to the trend of laments for Bal
Thackeray. Mr. Swami, the vanguard of a new and brilliant visionary
political project will emerge if there are more people like you who keep
vigil in the dark night of Indian and world political movements.
together with Justice Katju's article yesterday are the rare voices of
sense amidst the noise of numerous elegies. It is surprising that even
the President of India succumbed to the trend of laments for Bal
Thackeray. Mr. Swami, the vanguard of a new and brilliant visionary
political project will emerge if there are more people like you who keep
vigil in the dark night of Indian and world political movements.
from:
Nileen Putatunda
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:40 IST
Congratulations to Praveen Swami for an analysis that has singularly
compensated for the all that emotional mush emanating, ever so
predictably, from the dream merchants of Tinsel town.
from:
Vasu Subrahmanyam
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:40 IST
I'm sure there are pockets of people who benefited from the fascist
rule of this greedy, divisive opportunist but a lot more suffered
unjustly. Its cringe inducing to see the number of phonies at all levels
- politicians, film stars, media personalities fighting their way
through to be heard trumpeting their undying love for the deplorable
late Mr. Thackarey. Great article Mr. Swami!
from:
Prem
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 05:27 IST
This article is contrived to attach negative adjectives with the name
of Thackeray. He had the courage to defend Hindus and give them voice
in the country where nobody listen to them. He was the only political
figure can speak the truth about the Islamic Jehad that India has been
suffering from decades.
from:
Alok Singh
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 04:28 IST
You just hit the nail on its head and drilled it through succintly.
The mass hysteria generated among people right from powerful to the
common man is appalling to say the least. I am glad that The Hindu has
the same FB post on it headline, I wish I was in Mumbai woould have
posted the same post after tagging Mr.Bhushan Anant Sankhe in the post. I
hope millions of FB users in mumbai do that and see how many arrests
would the police would have dared to make.
from:
Arindam
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 03:31 IST
A great write-up. I must also recommend readers Praveen's pieces in the
Frontline issues of late 90s.Also, the author highlights we need a new political project that would channel youth towards progressiveness. But why is it that the liberal english speaking media has been so critical of Arvind Kejriwal. He seems >to be a promising political force to fill up that vaccum.
Frontline issues of late 90s.Also, the author highlights we need a new political project that would channel youth towards progressiveness. But why is it that the liberal english speaking media has been so critical of Arvind Kejriwal. He seems >to be a promising political force to fill up that vaccum.
from:
Amal
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:49 IST
There is no point in adopting a holier than thou attitude and
singling out Thackeray for criticism after his death. There has always
been a strong under current of fascist tendencies in our society for
decades. Many of our political leaders are clueless about bringing
diverse people together in harmony. Instead they lead by spewing hatred
on the basis of religion, caste and language. From Kashmir and Punjab in
the north to Tamil Nadu in the south, no state is exempt from fascist
elements. People like Thackeray are the consequence, not the cause. As a
society we need to reflect very deeply. Otherwise we will continue to
produce many more Thackerays.
from:
Viswanath
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:35 IST
Brilliant Article Praveen, I am so glad there is someone who put it the
way it ought to be. "“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime" - Superb.
way it ought to be. "“Fascism”, wrote the great Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci, in a treatise Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray likely never read but demonstrated a robust grasp of through his lifetime" - Superb.
from:
Vishvanath
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:27 IST
Magnificent article with absolute truth on Indian/Mumbai politics
from:
TEJAS PANDIT
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:26 IST
absolutely. it was sickening to watch the tall pantheon of Indian
celebrities sing paeans in his name. such acts keep his hateful
politics alive in country that has the largest minorities( of all
kinds) in the world.
He is the very antithesis of the ideals of the founding fathers of
India and all that they stood for.
celebrities sing paeans in his name. such acts keep his hateful
politics alive in country that has the largest minorities( of all
kinds) in the world.
He is the very antithesis of the ideals of the founding fathers of
India and all that they stood for.
from:
ayushya
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 02:08 IST
An article full of facts & truth."India desperately needs a
political project that makes possible another, progressive masculinity,
built around new visions" - well said!
from:
chandran
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:59 IST
Execllent reading and very true. How sad that with the tremendous
power, influence and money under B.Thackeray, he could not leave behind
much more than such a terrible legacy of hatred and antipathy. He is
mostly remembered for his negative politics than for his
humanitarianism.
It is poignant when the authour points out that the Sena does not run charities, hospitals or schools. They built a culture of violence and fear. How much more beloved could B. Thackeray have been had he done all those charitable things?
Shaheen was correct when she said that Mumbai is closed out of fear, nto respect!
It is poignant when the authour points out that the Sena does not run charities, hospitals or schools. They built a culture of violence and fear. How much more beloved could B. Thackeray have been had he done all those charitable things?
Shaheen was correct when she said that Mumbai is closed out of fear, nto respect!
from:
Rohini
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:34 IST
Excellent article Sir! Incisive clarity and reasoning. Hits the nail on it's head. Let's see
what the nay-sayers say now.
what the nay-sayers say now.
from:
Joshi
Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 at 01:20 IST
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