The One Where Javali Makes Sense

An excerpt from The Hindu below.

“At a press conference here on Thursday, Sri Ram Sene leader Pramod Muthalik, who is now on bail, said Sene activists across Karnataka would not only hold protests outside colleges, hostels and hotels, where Valentine’s Day celebrations are held, but also forcibly marry off couples found dating in public.”

I, as a mentally stable Indian, do not require a ban on Valentine’s Day to appreciate the ideals of my country. And, as a reader of this blog, it is highly probable that you don’t need a ban either. So it is quite natural for us, the sons and daughters of non abusive fathers, to wonder how beating up women in public is becoming an Indian culture whereas dating in public isn't.

But, we don't have to go too far to understand why Sri Ram Seniks and their ilk are going on such a rampage. Ironically, the very Ramayana, that they pretend to believe in, has the answer. And it comes from one of Ramayana's not so popular characters, Javali. Javali is a pundit who holds significant portfolio in Ayodhya's court. He often advises Rama on ethical issues. He seems to be so influential that he even describes Rama's suspicion of Sita as foolish and gets away with it. Javali does not regard Rama as God and he shares our general disgust towards folks like Sri Ram Seniks when he says, "There is no after world, nor any religious practice for attaining that. The directives on worship of God and the injunctions on adhering to traditions have been laid down in the scriptures by a shrewd minority, to rule over the rest of majority".

I agree with Javali. Religious fanatics just want to rule over innocent people like us, under the false pretexts of god and culture. The Sri Ram Seniks, who go around molesting women, and the Talibans, who derive sadistic pleasure out of stoning them, share a common urge to subjugate people. They are driven by the same instincts that drove Nazis to do what they did in Auschwitz Birkenau. Their urge to oppress people differs only in its superficialities. They see a common enemy in us, the men and women, who can think on their own and have minds of their own.