DON'T INSULT IN THE NAME OF "FUN"!
KAJAL CHATTERJEE
While engaged in lecture within the class of a highly prestigious technological institution in Karnataka, a teacher addressed one of his students by using the name of a notorious terrorist ! Perhaps the teacher had got "inspired" to call so because the student is coincidentally affiliated to the same religious group as the terrorist !
Can any race, religious-caste-linguistic- colour group or nationality dare to claim that the concerned community is absolutely bereft of persons of criminal or terrorist antecedents ! Yet how can the teacher address a student in such a derogatory fashion clearly transmitting the message that a particular religious community and terrorism are synonymous to each other ! Even if it was done just for the sake of "fun"(on confronted by the student in an extremely dignified manner, the teacher himself invoked the "fun" factor); it clearly reflects his highly casual as well as biased mindset ! By imitating the heart-rending cry of the injured frog whose tribe was getting hit thanks to the boys who were throwing stones in the pond ("Boys, stop your cruel sport. What is play to you is death to us"); the teacher must be intimated in clearest fashion possible --- "Sir, stop your cruel joke. What is fun to you is insult to us"! And those who are trying to portray the incident as "small" being blown "out of proportion" by creating a "storm" around it should remember the adage "Only the wearer knows best where the shoe pinches"! Far from protesting against the insensitive comments of the teacher, none other than the victim or his supporters are being accused of "creating disturbances" ! Nothing can be more unfortunate than this!
This bizarre incident nakedly brings to light two aspects of this society. First, though the teacher is socially "elite" basking in imposed glamour of being "educated" ; his cruel attitude towards member of a particular religion blatantly exposes that he is nothing but mere possessor of University degrees and pathetically devoid of the basic essence of education - - - values ethics neutrality and humanity. Second, the meaningful silence of the classmates compelling only the victimised student to stand up for himself prove the magnitude of selfishness and hatred prevalent in today's society.
Despite deluge of rhetoric revolving "modernity" of "technological advancement"; it seems as far as mindset is concerned, our society is making a fast retreat towards sheer intolerance and darkness! Unless we light up the lamp in our mind through kindness empathy compassion and fellow-feeling, never should we lay claim to be "civilised" also.
