Politics is just so divisive these days. It seems to be the trend worldwide whether the US or UK or India is that political figures/parties who focus more on what separates us rather unite us, have the upper hand these days. In normal circumstances, I probably would get massively disillusioned about it. But somehow I am not, mainly because I see glimmers of hope.
The response to the floods in Kerala has been eye opening. I might have my own issues with my native state (where I have never stayed and don't have the kind of connect that a typical Malayali has) but it is just been so heartening and inspiring to hear about the way the government (including the opposition), central and state agencies, the civil administration and society (both in and out of Kerala) have unitedly worked hand in hand cutting across all classes, religions and other 'divisions' to genuinely help each other. In my heart, this as always been my idea of India - a huge dysfunctional diverse family where different ideas reside and where squabbles occur almost every other day but when it matters the most, the family members come together and have each others back. Amidst all this resilience, it really is a crying shame how a certain section of fanatics can't help themselves and have sought to spread division and hatred by blaming beef eaters or demands of lift of ban on women entering the Sabarimala temple or the Muslims and Christians that make up half the population and who supposedly don't deserve help. My sincere hope is that these poisonous snakes never come to power and sow communal discord in a diverse state like Kerala
There are some legitimate issues that need to be debated like whether Kerala should be accepting foreign aid, the environmental policy of the state that may have lead to this calamity etc. But it just strikes me as particularly vitriolic and arrogant when people who seem to think they know more about the financial needs of the Kerala Government than the state government itself for rebuilding the state - thrash people who legitimately question why the central government is giving a seemingly paltry sum to the state government. It really is not an illogical question considering the other known expenditures of the central government on things like statues are many times this amount. It would do good for the central government to be more transparent about this to dispel the notion that it is not doing enough for the state.
The road to recovery and rehabilitation of Kerala after the devastating floods is a long one but if the spirit shown till now by not only Keralites but Indians all across the board is any indication, it is not a question of whether but when we'll get there.
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Have you ever met or heard a person speak who has made you feel that there is an innate spark in him/her? That the person has some kind of special and inspiring quality and is meant for great things? It is really rare where one feels like that. But it happened to me last week when I saw this viral clip retweeted by JK Rowling (who I highly respect) of a candidate for Senate from the US - a guy named Beto O'Rourke giving his opinion about what is supposedly an extremely prickly issue in the US - black players in the NFL kneeling when the national anthem is playing before their matches. (Of course their thrashy President has exploited this issue to the maximum to incite hate and division). I did not even know who this person was but the depth of thought, clarity, honesty, empathy, logic and sensitivity with which he conveyed his opinion about this issue just blew me away along with the way he so respectfully said it. He is competing for a senate seat in Texas - a state which my uncle who lives in Houston describes as deeply 'red'. In short, a state where a candidate belonging to the Democrat party like Beto has very little chance of winning. But as the saying goes - It doesn't hurt to be optimistic....you can always cry later. It was just so refreshing after being bombarded by the divisive rhetoric at home and not being able to escape the horror story called Trump's twitter feed every other to hear a politician (even if it is a politician abroad) sound so genuine, sincere and inclusive. Here's hoping that no matter what happens in the Senate race, Mr. Beto O'Rourke sets his ambitions higher and works towards proving himself to be worthy of POTUS one day because however naive and idealistic this may sound, the world needs more uniting forces and more good at heart, decent people at high level positions in public offices than we have currently.
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