Moral Policing ---- Political Terrorism !!

The dastardly incident at a pub, “Amnesia” in Mangalore on 24th January has probably left many of us numb with pain & shame. On that fateful evening, as many as 40 hooligans, supposedly members of ‘Shri Ram Sena’(never heard of them before!!!), stormed the pub & beat up young boys & girls. The TV footage showed, helpless girls being hurled to the ground, beaten up, & even clothes getting torn up. Whatever we saw on TV looked like a C grade movie fight scene or some hooligan atrocity …..unbelievable & deplorable…..completely barbaric!!!!

One of the Leaders of the Shri Ram Sena said, “there is lot of upheaval in the society, alcoholism, pub culture, meaningless partying, obscene dancing which includes soft pornographic positions and open caressing and kissing has become common among the youth. Such open show of lust is not our culture".

Agreed this is not our culture. Agreed, we need to check & curb the growing menace of pubs, alcohol, drugs, flesh trading & other such degrading activities. But where in our culture or scriptures has there been any mention of such barbarism??? How can you, the so called upholders of our Hindu Culture, go down to beat up women??, tear up their clothes??, assault the girls like animals????? Who gives you the right???? Is this the way to protect our culture?????
I heard Pramod Muthalik, the Sri Ram Sena Chief in a TV interview after the Mangalore incident. While he tendered an apology, he did not sound apologetic at all. In fact, he kept on saying that, though he is sorry for the way his people have acted, the purpose behind was correct & noble!!!
Who has given you & your bunch of activists the right to take on such action, Mr Muthalic?? Who teaches to you to become so barbaric in your actions??? The footage of Muthalic getting arrested, showed, how even then, he was smiling & moving around with contempt written all over him. As if he knew that all this was just plain bunkum. This is the kind of respect our leaders have for Law and Order!!!!
To add to all this, the Congress is at BJP’s throat for all this. Then there are denials & counter denials & then attacks & counter attacks. With elections round the corner, each of these political parties is looking for issues to bite at each other. There was not a single person who showed concern about the well being & security of these hapless women. They were only busy politicizing the issue. These people seem to have become completely insensitive to people issues.

The Union Minister for Women & Child Welfare, Renuka Chowdhary, send an official investigation team for‘an on-the-spot’ assessment under Kiran Chadda & Nirmala Venkatesh, but this team spends more time finding out the authenticity of the license of the pub owner. No dialogue with the hapless victims, or the activists who unleashed such mayhem. Irresponsible comments from Ms Nirmala Venkatesh & delay in her submitting the report, all pose huge questions……is the Govt machinery in place??? Is it capable of maintaining Law & Order for the common man????

What emerges is another form of terrorism….Political Terrorism !!!! & this one is more dangerous & malignant, as it eats into the system from within & makes India so vulnerable to external forces. All responsible citizens need to take responsive steps & ensure that this form of terrorism does go out of control.

With Valentine’s Day on 14th Feb round the corner, there are speculations & fears of similar dastardly incidents. We need to understand that, in today’s world, the cultures of various communities are mingling together, as life is becoming more & more cosmopolitan. So using force to curb pub culture, celebrations of Valentine’s Day etc will only lead to more unrest & give rise to many such barbaric incidents.

As a devout Hindu, I take pride in our ancient heritage, our culture, our teachings. Vedanta has always been a way of life. We have always embraced & given space to all alike. Our ancient culture, the scriptures of Vedas, teach us to be tolerant & loving. We speak of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”….a One World Family, where we all coexist with Love & respect for all. We certainly need to curb alcoholism, use of drugs, tobacco, pub culture etc, but not by beating up people….not by vandalism. We need to show an alternative.
The Youth of the country & the world are vibrant & full of energy. They want to exhibit their feelings more openly, & there is nothing wrong in that. All we need to teach them is to distinguish between what is good & what is not good.

In Art of Living, we have been working on the Youth & today across the globe, there are tens of thousands of youth who follow the path of Love & Positive activity….a path whose foundation is that of Spirituality, shown by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. A path that has successfully worked in more than 150 countries across the globe.
We have very specific youth centric programs, Like YES (Youth Empowerment Seminar) & YES+, which work on the issues & challenges that the youth face today. These programs have been revolutionary & extremely successful across the globe.
We encourage all the Youth to come forward & join us in the movement to make a One World Family….. a family of values, a family of strength, a family of purpose & resolve, a family who believes in taking up responsibilities & not just raising a storm over a teacup.

We provide with a purposeful & positive alternative !!!!!

Vande Mataram & Jai Hind !!!