Uttarakhand tragedy and Indian brand of Secularism

The scenes are moving – perhaps the reports are not accurate… the  tragedy at hills of Uttarakhand is assuming demonic proportions going by the reports.

There are many  heroes – some are unsung - topping that list for sure is our Army Jawans. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which is deployed along the Indo-China border, was the first to reach and initiate rescue operations in Uttarkhand’s Kedarnath Valley, the worst affected by the floods unleashed by the onset of monsoon rains and the cloudburst on June 16. They have been doing a great job in reaching out to the worst affected regions and evacuate people when all connections – roads and bridges – had been washed away in the deluge.

Sadly another tragedy struck – this time at Gaurikhand on the rescuers themselves… very sad to read the news of an IAF Mi-17 helicopter carrying 20 people crashing during a rescue mission killing all those on board. The tragedy that Uttarakhand is faced with is neither new to the country nor something that was unexpected.  There have been gross violations, mindless chopping of trees, playing with nature all the time….and doing nothing to conserve it.

On another perspective, politicians, right from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh downwards, have been singing paeans to our armed forces heroes who have been putting their lives at risk all the time.   In a  CNN-IBN panel discussion. Col Anil Kaul pointed to this as exemplifying the “platitudes” that politicians offer the armed forces in times of crises – without doing anything substantive once the crisis fades away. He said that once the crisis is over, we are a forgotten tribe – until the next disaster strikes.” In particular, Col Kaul drew attention to the fact that while the cricketers who won the Champions Trophy on Monday had been given a reward of Rs 1 crore each, the relatives of the armed forces personnel who perished in the helicopter crash.  

Here is a right perspective provided by Mr Subramaniam Swamy. : Of hundreds of Army personnel working in rescue operations, the Times of India reporters found a muslim chopper pilot .

They ask him "How does it feel like, rescuing Hindus ?" Now here is a question to all such reports and newstime editors.

Kashmir has been under siege for past six decades. After the Muslims drove out all Hindus and Sikhs in 1990, Kashmir is entirely Muslim in population. Any soldier who dies protecting these Muslims is either a Hindu or a Sikh. Did they ever go and ask them in Kashmir.. .. "How does it feel like rescuing Muslims" ?

That is India’s brand of secularism…. Hindu bashing all the time