I have been contemplating since many days to put it in black & white as due to limited resource at my disposal I have to choose text among ‘text, audio and video’ as my medium of expression, even though its least effective among three.

Nowadays we have an omnipresent rant – the rising intolerance in India. This is not only the matter of fact but the matter of concern as well. I strongly echo with all the singers singing the song of intolerance and share their distress as well. Without an iota of doubt, I confirm that India is witnessing an exponentially increasing intolerance in a class against another. I agree with them in terms of the time-span as well.

Yes! It all started after the May of 2014. But, my take would certainly disturb the imagination of established intelligentsia as author is all set to rattle their definition of two classes ‘the tolerant ‘ and ‘the intolerant’.

We are a country with an inbuilt feature of tolerance since time immemorial, it is as inherent as the the tetrahedral structure of methane molecule. I urge to these agitating historians, scientists and philosophers to name any other nation or society with such an everlasting thread of tolerance. So, what exactly happened in even less than a 24 months which has changed the dynamics of tolerance so dramatically?

It all started even before the May of 2014, perhaps way before in the 2010 or 2011. The country was constipated with the daily doze of chronic scams which led to the biggest agitation under the leadership of civil society of India which got the organizational support from the widespread bodies like Art of living, Patanjali Yogpeeth and RSS. The movement found the face as septuagenarian Anna Hazare who staged hunger strike demanding the accountability and transparency which was conspicuous by its absence in the UPA government.

The movement was the huge TRP generator for media so they grabbed it like an octopus, but the regular Lutyens and cocktail circles demonstrated sheer contempt for the movement, as they could not stand with an idea of an idea coming out of anywhere else but their own cocoon. Among all the parasites who were eating on this movement ranging from media, NGOs and fading celebrities, there was one astute IIT graduate who bitten into it like a starving one and hijacked every single asset and achievement of the movement and re-engineered it into yet another autocratic political party with a demigod status for himself.

On the other hand, someone jumped into the ring as the favorite of the bout. The one who had an excellent track record of delivery and who was all set to couple it with incredible communication with his constituency, the result was – a majority government at center after more than three decades. He fought against the most vicious campaign, the challenge of old guard in his own party and the equation of social-engineering at pan-India level and emerged as a triumphant. The man holds the distinction of not cooling off his heals even for a day as public servant, which meant he was far more productive than any other predecessor or contemporary around. He triggered a chemical reaction where his hard work and vision were reactants to give the products of development and governance, but couldn’t avoid the byproduct of hatemongers.

The section of people who have not changed their calendars since 2002 though they never had one of 1984, felt defeated to core. They could not believe they have lost it so miserably, that too against a man who was just an ordinary office-bearer of his untouchable party in late 90s, when they themselves were superstars of newly born electronic media may be because of their privileged education in convents. How can they digest it, when he was, now, the supreme leader of nation whereas they were still struggling to be editor-in-chief in their favorite media house?

But as we know defeat brings you lots of friends who happen to be common haters of the victor. They got many, some as comrades and some as the patrons. The patrons were usual old dynasty of Indian polity, the chair-termites of chairman Mao and the other regional parties who pretend to be epitome of secularism to hide their nepotism, incompetence and criminal records. They got comrades as writers, filmmakers and people from different walks of lives who were the petitioners against the current prime minister before the election and appealed to nation to choose tangible corruption over intangible intolerance. Now the setup was complete – the loudspeaker of media had the singers and chorus to sing the cacophony of intolerance. They all together attributed their pretty own intolerance for the different ideology at helm to the intolerance of the government itself.

Now let’s understand the balance sheet of of the tolerance and intolerance. Enough has been said about the story of academy awardees as how they have preserved their tolerance for all the years since 1947 till 2014 and it got evaporated all of sudden after that, when they have lost the patronage of government and were missing all the perks of free foreign trips, bungalows and five-star dinners. We can understand the view point of communist hued filmmakers and their discomfort with the present government. We can decipher the ISIS analogy for RSS by the historian who himself belongs to laboratory of partition of India. We can also appreciate the frustration of a political class who ruled for decades and now their abysmal performance left them with no other option but to sing the song of intolerance as the country was not in mood to tolerate their incompetence and corrupt regime.

But the rather interesting point came from well read, well traveled and not so young cinema superstar who just turned 50 year old. One who was strip searched and interrogated in so called vibrant democracy for being a Muslim and one who abused an ordinary security personnel as drunk influential man. One who is enjoying the longest success spree, with his other Muslim peers, in a country which has overwhelming majority of so called ‘intolerant people’. One who is happily married to a Hindu women which can’t be dreamed in his ancestral land of Afghanistan by any minority, if there are still any. One who has build a palace like house because of love and adulation by the country while on the other hand the “peaceful” Pakistan have never guaranteed the right of property to Hindus.

They can voice their dissent in ‘My name is Khan’ and mint money even after abusing the majority beliefs in a below average work of cinema called ‘PK’. While the artists, writers and thinkers of other opinions are being sent to heaven in neighboring counties, created on the basis of religion. There is no other place on face of earth where they can enjoy such a fortune but they would still label it as intolerant place as they are not happy to see a different ideology doing the business for India and doing it so well. They prefer a backward India under their masters than a shining India under a tireless leadership which they don’t like personally. They have all the right to say whatever they wish to but the majority of nation which has emotional bonds with cow can’t show their emotion. If food preference is matter of individual choice alone, then why can’t one order horse or dog meat as food in liberal and democratic western countries? If those countries can choose not to slaughter dog and horse to eat as per their majority beliefs then why can’t they (the real intolerant class) just stop ridiculing the vast population who deem Cow as their mother?

Now to decide who is getting intolerant is matter of common sense. Who is the class of ‘the tolerant’ and ‘the intolerant’ is writing on the wall.