Fear and Forgiveness : The Aftermath of Massacre

by Harsh Mander

BOOKS

Genres: Nonfiction

219 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Zulfiqar · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is instructive to remember that Adolf Hitler was also democratically elected. The textbooks in Gujarat rewritten in Modi's regime, incidentally, celebrate Hitler as a leader who revived the sagging economy of post-war Germany and restored its nationalist pride. The textbooks are entirely silent about the Holocaust, as they are about Gandhi's assassination. It is this same silence that Modi adopted for much of his election rhetoric in 2007 the silence of the unchallenged victor who has broken the spirit of the internal treacherous enemy which was even more deafening and chilling than his open celebration of the massacre in 2002.”
(Mander, Harsh. “Fear and Forgiveness: The Aftermath of Massacre.”)
#ModiTerrorist
#Gujarat
#Beefban
#AzadKashmir
#AntiBJP
#AntiShivSena
#AntiRSS
#NepalBlockade

[Ubah Khasimuddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Searing book of the Gujarat 2002 riots. I had actually picked it up hoping for more stories of people doing good acts, but that is far and few between in this book. Almost 80% of the book leaves one with despair, how justice has been subverted, how the Gujarat government and police were complacent and active in the destruction, its all just so depressing.
Only the last two chapters provide some hope, as Mander recounts a few stories of light in all of this darkness, of neighbors helping each other and his initiative of Nyayagrah, justice for healing and reconciliation.
The book is more a snapshot of time, about two years after the riots, what has or has not happened. I appreciated that he considers Truth and Reconciliation commissions as the South Africans did and he brings great perspective to this idea, of course the first being that the culprits are willing to genuinely apologize for what they did. The older I get, the more I believe this is the only way to truly healing and I see over and over again how the aggressors are unable to do this and thus leave in place this trauma and who knows setting the stage for the future and revenge by the other side. Its just not healthy. But Mander rightly points out that doing this reconciliation without financial recompose keeps people in the same spots as they were before.
What is striking after 2 years is how little has been done for the victims. Instead the State keeps working to beat them down, not assisting in return to their homes, closing down relief camps, it reminds me so much of what one would hear of the Rohingya in Burma, down to the approval by the State and everyday people.
Often reading this all I could think is was the best bet for these Gujarati Muslims is to leave. And once they leave, I always want to ask the haters, "Is it better now?" "Is your life better now, everything fixed?" I imagine hate can never find happiness, once the Muslims are gone, who will be the next victim?
This is a book not for the feint of heart, probably best read for young idealists in India who want to save their country from the hate that seems to be engulfing it and also for scholars of society rehabilitation and communal violence in India.

[abhishek Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book maybe good for some, but this was not what I was looking for. I don't want to read data compilation and interpretation. I wanted to read the narrative. This was okayish for me.