Keep them busy

Rajnish Malhotra

Communal intolerance is the most trending word these days, all thanks to series of events that took place in last couple of months.

India is known for its religious and cultural diversity. It used to be a matter of pride for Indians. These days talking about your religion could lead to violence, even bloodshed.

We all know that the politicians and other fringe elements stoke this fire of communal intolerance, for them it's just vote bank …for us it could be a life lost, home torched and old friendships broken. When we know all this, then why do we contribute to this violence? Why do we get carried away?

The answer, according to me, lies in our unemployment rate and poverty. We have a significant youth population, majority of which don't have jobs especially in rural areas and smaller cities. Biggest curse of unemployment is that it makes you angry…angry at self and the system. You tend to lose confidence in everything, in particular the government machinery. It's this anger against the system which is exploited by political parties for their own benefit. No one likes to kill anyone, unless they are motivated either by moral exploitation or money. Both these elements are used in abundance by our politicians.

The best way to control the communal intolerance is to create jobs, skill development opportunities and develop entrepreneurial skills. Keep the “junta” so busy with productive work that they don't get any time to respond to the call of hatred and violence. This is easier said than done but that's the only way to maintain harmony.

If India has to get respect from the world then this is the only solution. Foreign media is extremely critical of any news related to communal violence. India featuring in that news completely dilutes all the hard work people are doing to create a strong impression.