Playing by the rules

In the last century, when the world seemed a saner place, a satirical comic strip was launched in the United States, which later converted itself and came to be known as Mad Magazine. Among the strips to look forward to, in this magazine, was something called “Spy vs Spy,” where two very similar spies would work to get the better of the other, with some very creative ideas for espionage. The nicest part of the strip was that the same guy would not win the game every time.

Trying to find a suitable game to suit post-Covid-19 India seems to be getting tougher as the days go by. If one thought that Spy vs Non-Spy could be the name of the game, it seems to be a different story in the world of social media now, post the recent happenings in Afghanistan. So, now the name of the game could be Good Taliban vs Bad Taliban or Taliban vs RSS or Taliban vs Hindutva or Hindutva vs Hinduism.

The only problem is that the rules for each of these games are different and according to those who think that they know how they should be played, not everyone is allowed to play all the games.

One group will tell you that there is no such thing as a Good Taliban, so you are out of that game. Another group is of the opinion that it is not right to take the name of the RSS and the Taliban in one breath, as it is insulting to one or the other, as the case may be. The same goes for Hindutva and the Taliban and when
it comes to Hindutva vs Hinduism, you will be roundly ticked off for saying that they are one and the same and surely you should know better. Given all these stipulations and specifications, some of us will soon find that we are not being allowed to play any of the games.

Sickened by being trolled and abused online, journalist Swati Chaturvedi decided to spend two years of her life investigating the trolls and then detailing her experiences in an explosive book, I am a Troll. Without going into the sordid details of the book, what seems noteworthy is that most of the trolls hid their true identities and when Swati met them, some of them were actually shamefaced.

The country seems to have come a long way since then, with hate becoming the new buzzword. The most recent example is that of a spokesperson of the Congress detailing his experience at a Five Star hotel in Delhi recently. A man, who claimed to be a British Indian, came up to his table and said that he had been following him on television and that he would like to send packing, members of the Congress and all those who opposed this ruling government, including this spokesperson.

Had this gentleman not posted a picture of the one who made the death threat and yet posed defiantly for a snapshot that he knew would go viral, it would have been hard to believe this story. Even harder to accept is how far the country has travelled in the past few years. No longer is it enough to be offensive and abusive online, as the time is now ripe to show one’s true nature; face painted in tribal colours no longer required, when your words shout out your intent and your actions speak even louder.

So, for those who feel that they are being left out of all the games, it may be time to start playing by the rules enshrined in the Constitution of India. And if this means pointing out what ails your own tribe, so be it.

(The author is a Bengaluru-based independent writer.)