Urban Naxals: The Making of Buddha in a Traffic Jam

by Vivek Agnihotri

The club members are different. Their religion is socialism and secularism. They claim to want equality and justice but their ideology is founded on intellectual discrimination. They start with hating and condemning commercial filmmakers. By increasing the scope of their condemnation for “social evils” and humanitarian issues, their voice finds resonance amongst other intellectuals. They praise, support, and promote one another. They have an impeccable networking system. This system finds its strength by condemning a common Indian’s choices and confronting his beliefs. If he wants to feel proud of his jawans they will accuse the army of atrocities in Kashmir. If he wants to feel happy about his festivals, they will raise the issue of drought and farmer suicide. On Diwali, they raise the issue of pollution and on Karva Chauth, they paint the festival as regressive. Through their control over the narrative, they hold common people responsible for disturbing the social fabric and thereby, keep them in perpetual guilt. They create and revel in moral one-upmanship.