“I love my country and, I am proud of its rich and varied heritage” – this is the third line of our National Pledge. Yes, we live in a country with Diversity. Every Indian recites the National Pledge during School times but after growing-up somehow it does not gel well. America's leading dictionary publisher, Merriam Webster, announced its top ten Words of the Year for 2014. Out of 10, two words - ‘Culture’ (which topped the list) and ‘Feminism’ (on 5th position) are related to Diversity and Inclusion. Paulo Coelho’s quote defines Culture very appropriately - Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers.
Our ancestors have always tried
to include aspects of other philosophies into our culture but Sectarianism and
fanaticism have always been repugnant to the spirit of India. The central theme
of Vivekananda’s celebrated Chicago address was precisely that. Religion and
Gender – are the two most widely spread Taboo in our country. Our Stereotype
mentality and prejudice are the two culprits when it comes to Religion. A Hindu
reads only Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvada Gita. Why? Can’t they read Bible
and Quran? What is wrong if a Muslim wants to read and understand any Hindu
mythological book? If a Christian lady likes Lord Krishna’s childhood photos, what
is wrong in that? The Rig Veda proclaims, “Ekam Sat, Vipra Bahuda Vadanti” –
One truth, many ways of reaching it. Going back to ancient times, one of the
earliest exponents of religious tolerance was Ashoka. Even though he became a
Buddhist, he did not altogether discard his Hindu legacy. Akbar loved to
interact with followers of other religions and was deeply influenced by them.
Today we and our religious sentiments are hurt by just a 2-hrs film. Recently, Aamir
Khan's movie PK and Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam created many controversies. The
revolutionary significance of the Guru Granth Sahib (or Adi Granth) has not
been adequately appreciated. It is that holy book which demolishes all
boundaries. Its vision is inclusive and shows compositions of not only Sikh
Gurus but also several saint-poets.
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Gender inequality is also part of
our stereotype mind. Boys like only Blue color – Blue Jeans, Blue bed, Blue bag
and girls like only Pink color. If a boy wears pink color, people stare at him
as if he is a gay! Blue is for boys and pink is for girls – we need to break
this stereotype. If a female thinks that a male cannot cook food, she should go
and check the list of best chefs in the world. Most of them are male.
Similarly, if a man is driving car and sees a woman driving car behind or
ahead, he would try to go away from there. Why? If your sister, mother or wife
is driving car, do you follow the same rules? Inclusion starts with “I”.
Speaking of Gender, Sexual Orientation is also a prominent subject. Chapter XVI,
Section 377 of the IPC dating back to 1860, introduced during the British rule
of India, criminalizes sexual activities "against the order of
nature", arguably including homosexual acts. The sexual orientation is
totally dependent on human nature and should not cause any harm to others.
Hindu mythology has many examples - In Mahabharata, the character of Shikhandi
is a transsexual. Shikhandi was born as Shikhandini but was raised as a man by
her father Drupada, who was ordered to do so by a divine voice. Also, Yellama
or Brinhala is the transgender form of Arjuna.
Racism is one meaningful point to
discuss when we talk about Diversity. Couple of years back, KBC team aired an
ad showing the racist attacks on the North Eastern people. And that is the cruel
reality! Students who migrate from north eastern part of India to other states
in the same country often face racist comments. After continuous protest the
Ministry of Home Affairs had asked all the states and union territories to book
anyone who commits an act of atrocity against people from the region under the
SC and ST Act and the person can end up being behind the bars for 5 years. Big
question here is, do we stand up for someone who’s being racially abused if it
happened right in front of us? The ‘Dotbusters’ was a hate group in Jersey
City, New Jersey, that attacked and threatened South Asians, particularly
Indians in the fall of 1987. The name originated from the fact that traditional
Hindu women and girls wear Bindi on their forehead. The similar comments rose
when Nina Davuluri's victory made her the first contestant of Indian heritage
to hold the Miss America crown in 2013. A lot of the tweets were attacks on the
fact that she is the first woman of Indian descent to win the pageant and wear
the crown. She was referred to as “the Arab” by some and other commenters noted
“This is America, not India.” Davuluri brushed it all off in her first news
conference after winning the crown. “I'm so happy this organization has
embraced diversity,” she said. As for the negativity, she said, “I have to rise
above that. I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.” This is the
way to fight racism. We have to rise above it, that’s it! If country was THE
issue, why would the poems from a poor garage mechanic of Afghanistan be
translated and published in New York Times? Yes, google it! ‘Matiullah Turab’
works in a garage in Afghanistan and shapes metals as well as hard words.
Remember, we are not “Shipping Material” – so COO (Country of Origin) or region
of origin should not matter.
Discriminating on the basis of
ability should be banned too. This year Ms. Ira Singhal is All India Topper of
UPSC Civil Services examination. She is differently abled, and she has created
history by becoming the first differently abled person to top the civil
services exam. On the other side, Gujarat’s most prominent community, who is
healthy and wealthy, is asking for reservations. We are a country full of emotional
people, however at times; we are fueled by fanaticism and anger on topics which
we know nothing about! The crux of the matter is that in our hearts, we all are
compassionate and love to love people, but external environment forces us to
behave in certain unacceptable ways. Jihad is one famous word, which has come
from Arabic culture, meaning ‘to strive’. But many people correlate Jihad with
aggressive military action. For Prophet Muhammad, Jihad had two types: Greatest
Jihad (the struggle to elevate oneself spiritually and morally, which has
nothing to do with violence) and Lesser Jihad (the defense of one’s family and
community in the face of attack).
Finally, everyone rise on the
basis of skill and talent only. Nobody is totally perfect, but tiny perfections
from each individual can help winning a game in a specific way. Cherry Picking
is good but not for office culture. It may be good for a lawyer who then wins
the case based on the selection only. Job grade is a vital term in corporate
culture. Whichever Job Grade you belong to, whenever you receive a calendar
invite, it is your responsibility to respect it and reply back by accepting or
declining. Diversity simply means Different Individual Valuing Each other Regardless of Skin Intellect Talents or Years.
