Dear Akshay Kumar,
Yes, the death of the soldiers is a national tragedy indeed. But isn’t the death of Nasir Shafi, an 11-year-old protester and Azad, another 44-year-old man a national tragedy too? Isn’t it a national tragedy that 14-year-old Insha’s world came crashing down when she was blinded by pellets in Kashmir or when many like her met the same fate? Or all the patriotic roles that you have played lately have managed to convince you that while the death of soldiers is a national tragedy (which it is), the atrocities in the “integral part of the same nation” (as all of you claim it to be) isn’t one? Or is it that its just the land that this nation wants and care for and not its inhabitants?
Yes, no soldier deserves to die like they died in #UriAttack and the #SurgicalStrike (though I’m yet to believe that it actually took place). But should that stop us from asking questions? Isn’t the most beautiful thing about India is that it’s an argumentative state. Should we let that go? Or should we now stop being a democracy altogether?
Also, since you were talking about soldiers in your last tweet and defending their honour (I still can’t figure out how asking questions put their honour at stake), let me ask you this: did it not break your heart to see a man accused of lynching a soldier’s father to death and killed by a mosquito, being revered like a soldier. Were you not angered at this insult of tiranga or was it not insult enough? You talked about the death of the martyred soldiers and their families, but what about the soldiers who are still alive and what about their families? Don’t they deserve our respect because they haven’t been martyred yet? What about that soldier who lost his father in a communal violence? What about the family which saw its head being lynched to death because he ate what he felt like? Aren’t you going to tweet or just pray about it?
Be it Holiday, Baby, Gabbar or Rustom, you have sent a strong message about unity in nation. So, don’t you have a message for those who, at the funeral of a murderer, have exhorted the village folks of Dadri to avenge Ravi Sisodia’s death? Who, to stroke the fire of hatred, went to the extent of declaring that there would be no funeral without compensation? “Hum iska badla le kar rahenge. Hinduon ne churdi nai pehan rakhi. In mullon ko jard se ukhaad phenkege hum.”(We will take revenge. Hindus aren’t cowards. We will uproot the Muslims). The speeches in Dadri are a clear example of incitement of violence and communal hatred and the flag around a murderer is clearly a violation of the flag code and to top it all, the cops, as always, just stood by and watched. Maybe a tweet or video for them or you don’t want to lose your patriotic fan following?
But wait, off late your movies have made me believe that you are a man of principles and will take stand against anything that goes wrong in the country from corruption to terrorism. And trust me you, you have proved me right time and again. Will you, this time, prove me right again? Will you stand against this insane communal hatred and violence taking place all around us?
Sincerely, Zainab Ahmed (A Confused Fan).
Courtesy: MM