Choose love over hate

Hey crazies on either side of the aisle living amongst the Indian diaspora worldwide and especially in Canada, USA and UK- get REAL and for ONCE, start respecting the country where you live!

I am referring to ALL of you- Whether you are total converts and leaders/supporters of Khalistan or Hindu Rashtra or just ordinary desis who are sympathizers of any of these ideologies. Or like a few others, support one because of your fierce opposition to the other.

This message is NOT for the blind followers of either of these extremist ideologies amongst Indians living in India. God, if it exists, have mercy on them and their bigoted existence as many of them are beyond redemption and have found their soulmate, ‘Devil’ in their respective religious choices.

I am referring specifically to my desi brothers and sisters living OUTSIDE India whose connection to India remains strong because of family, cultural, social, financial bonds and of course the strongest of them- The Great Indian Global What’s app community.

So let us just start with the basics. And I will take Canada as an example and you can extrapolate to the country that you live in.

You are a citizen/resident of Canada and your very presence here indicates that you live in a country which (forget the past as only dead are referred to in it) considers all humans as equal and provides them with the same rights without consonance to their religion, language, culture, food habits, color, even place of birth. Once you are INSIDE these countries legally and ONCE you have got your citizenship, you as naturalized citizen have the same rights as the one who is born here.

Also whether you are citizen for ONE DAY or for DECADES or from birth, you have the same rights. You can practice any religion freely, speak freely on almost all matters and even protest against almost anything in the world including your own government- use strong political or social messages, display almost any flag or even show disrespect to any flag even that of Canada and practically get away with it. Basically you are FREE to do most of what YOU feel right.

Imagine how you could use this freedom to change the world and make it free from hate and stupid religious bigotry- especially in the country of your origin India.

Then when you are here NOT because you are a Sikh or a Hindu or a Muslim, why do you want to divide people in the name of religion? Why do you wish to divide the community that you live in, here in Canada, in the name of religion, knowing fully well that this community will continue to live in a country which is secular and accepting?

And have these beautiful Canadian values of equality, freedom and inclusiveness not made you wish the same for your motherland, India? Why do you wish to declare that as a Hindu nation and make millions and millions be treated as second class citizens or cause civil war and destruction there? Or why do you wish to carve out a Sikh nation out of that country when even the locals have shunned the idea for decades and when Punjab or any part of India which is a part of your so called Khalistan can only emerge, even in your best dreamy La La Land, only over death, destruction and turmoil? And which part of India, the VERY BIRTH PLACE of Sikhism, will you leave out when the revered Gurus and the Panch Pyaras came from all over India and the highly revered Sikh temples are there right from Kashmir to Karnataka?

And for my Muslim friends who are either SILENT or SUPPORTIVE of the Khalistan separatists because of the hate that themselves face from Hindutava fanatics here or for what they see for many of their brethren in India- you know for yourself that your love for India is far bigger than your dislike/fear of the hateful Hindutava right wing in power today. India for centuries has faced periods of turmoil which at times have stretched for decades and yet, we have remain ONE people and emerged stronger and closer once the tornado passed. And remember it is a fallacy that enemy’s enemy is a friend. That may happen in politics but in our real, simple existence, enemies can only nurture hate and true friends can only talk of love and peaceful co-existence.

So once again, brothers and sisters- Khalistanis or Hindutava ideologists or proponents of Azad Kashmir living in Canada- please sit back, think and give humanity a chance.

It is a certainty that YOU or YOUR CHILDREN will NOT leave our beautiful and  peaceful Canada where we live in harmony and safety and will NEVER return back to the religious cocoons you imagine will be created out of death and destruction.

It is also a reality that you know that we all have gained much together as a community by being ONE people, one Indo-Canadians and in fact have our own struggles and battles to conquer TOGETHER in decades ahead without building useless animosity over issues which have only imaginary values. Or issues which will only help politicians and political parties to stay in power and some religious bigots and power mongers and bullies to continue to gain money and power.

It is also a surety that we all know that you do NOT want to carve Khalistan or Hindu Rashtra out of some part of Canada even though Canada may have thousands of acres to spare. Canada is too precious for us to go through such hateful rhetoric.

So why waste your time over stupid thoughts that have no value for us, ordinary citizens but are only tools for the bigots, the politicians and the crazies.

We have more pressing issues to focus on and let us get real with them.

Like planning for our children’s education and careers, our success, health and happiness and a peaceful sunset in our golden years!

And yes, about watching the next Bollywood movie of SRK or Aamir or grooving over a Daljit or Badshah or an Arjit or a Sunidhi song. TOGETHER!

# choseloveoverhate