A review of #NLHafta from Thomson Dcruz

Dear NL Hafta Team,

I have been an avid listener of all your podcasts since episode 1. Anand is my favourite panelist on the show because of his sheer variety of his knowledge (from politics to science).

This week I was listening in to the debate on intolerance. I was sort of amused when Madhu said that Babri served as a sort of a warning to Indian Muslims that their identity is Indian and they should not (cannot?) cheer for Pakistan in an Indo-Pak match. I wonder what Madhu has to say to all those British citizens or Australian citizens of Indian origin who cheer for team India in large number whenever out team plays in English or Australia. I totally agree with Manisha, if a community or ethnicity is in minority they tend to hold on to their identity more tightly.

Let’s face it, Babri is a big black spot in our history and all it did was tarnish the image of India & divide it’s people. Saying it taught Muslims a lesson to accept is untrue because we still have youth in UP, Kashmir cheering for Pakistan. Heck even Afridi thanked Kashmiris for supporting them during the recently concluded WT20.

I agree with Madhu that Indians as a people are tolerant. As Subramanian Swamy says minorities (including Muslim women) in India are far far safer than in other Islamic countries.

Thank you for commenting on feedback. You’re podcasts are something I wait for every Friday. Carry on the great work.

Regards
Thomson Dcruz
Mumbai