There was never a time, nor will ever be, when I start disliking people because of their religion. There was never a time, nor will ever be, when I start liking people because of their religion. My likes and dislikes are based on the words and actions of the individual concerned, rather than faith, caste, race, colour, nationality or any other criteria.
 
I dislike certain imams because they talk of murder and mayhem. They preach that I am an idolater, and thus, worthy of death. I dislike them not because they are Muslims, but because they are vile.
 
I dislike certain Christian priests who come to India to convert us to Christianity by giving monetary incentives or by inducing people to believe in fake miracles. I dislike them not because they are Christians but because they are cynical murderers of our culture in pursuit of their own path to their imagined heaven.

I dislike certain self-styled gurus and sadhvis because they incite people to act against others based on their religious persuasion. I do not dislike them because they are Hindus, but because they denature my saffron. There is no serenity in their sentences, as should be the norm for a seer of the Sanatan Dharm. Their discourse is of hurting rather than healing.
 
I dislike certain politicians because they see everything through the lens of their vote-banks first and national good later, if at all. Some of these have been convicted by courts for chicanery and are out on bail, yet balefully commenting on all those who they do not agree with. I dislike them, not because they are politicians but because they are hypocrites and out to look after their own good, rather than that of my country. 
 
I dislike those who provoke and kill others, just because these are ‘others’ to them, in the name of caste, religion or faux honour. These are worthy of being incarcerated for the rest of their miserable lives.
 
I dislike many media persons because their narrative is biased and their cry is, “I don’t like those governing India, so everything in India is worthy of criticism” or “I like those governing India, so everyone who criticises them is a secessionist.” 
 
It does not matter whether they style themselves as ‘nationalists’ and others as anti-nationals or whether they style themselves as ‘secular’ liberals and others as bigots. I dislike them not because they are journalists but because they do not do justice to my India or to their noble profession. 
 
I do understand that one must not blame the messenger for bad news. However, when the messenger comes with a megaphone, distorting the discourse through biased headlines or twisted words, the messenger deserves more than scorn. He or she deserves the most stringent opprobrium. Sadly, many of our messengers are coming at us day and night, via the press, TV or social media, not only with just such a megaphone but with a metaphorical lit match and a can of verbal kerosene. Such a messenger stops being a messenger and becomes an active criminal out to destroy the country’s social fabric. He or she does not deserve an iota of my respect.
 
This makes a long list of people to dislike and I would be in the dumps if I had only these in my world. However, this sorry group is more than compensated for by the multitude that I like.
 
Amongst the people I like are those who are genuinely caring – caring about the underprivileged, caring about the sick, caring about those in danger, caring about our soldiers and caring about my country. Then there are people who try to calm down the efforts of the mischievous by refraining from posting or re-posting objectionable and flammable posts and who try to veer the discourse towards harmony. They realise that multiplying the circulation of bad news does not make for a better world. Circulating good news does.
 
This does not mean trying to hide the truth of any situation. It means taking the ‘glee factor’ out of one’s social media posts. It means relying on data and not on sensationalism. It means looking at grievous injustices towards all communities and not only a select few. It means not harping on one bad deed, day in and day out, till it has spread rancour all around. It means being mature in one’s approach to what is good about India and what can be mended. 
 
Fortunately, there are many such, too. However, in the nature of things, their voice is overshadowed by the unworthy in the press and on social media. Black always overpowers white.
 
I, for my part, will always try to stumble everyone I see gleefully running with a matchbox, shouting, “I see kindling, I’ll light a fire!” I shall counter them with data and I shall leave no stone unturned in exposing their shallowness, evil intentions and hypocrisy. It does not matter if they are a mob, intent on killing a so-called ‘beef eater’, or a media person, politician, priest, friend or foe, who is trying to incessantly and raucously exploit situations where someone has been killed by goons who happen to belong to another religion. 
 
If all of us do not do so, we will soon be reading the Ṣalāt al-Janāzah or performing the Antyeshti of social harmony in our beloved country.

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