The Ignominy of being Liberal

There are several definitions of the word 'liberal' but the one that I like most is (someone who is) "open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values"

One would imagine that such a person would be regarded positively by most people. The rage and scorn that is heaped on 'liberals' in India today is therefore surprising to say the least. In order to understand this phenomenon one needs to:

1. Understand the connotations that the word 'liberal' has acquired beyond the dictionary definition.
2. Analyse what emotions these interpretations evoke amongst the public to see why 'liberals' are so reviled in our country.

So what has 'liberal' come to mean in India? Here is my view in no particular order:

1. Liberal stands for westernised in terms of education and use of the English language for communication. If you are reading this blog you are possibly a liberal but not necessarily! 
2. It stands for left leaning thinkers. In general the word 'left' has also acquired a wider meaning than it used to. Most socialist oriented people now fall into this category. The Congress Party, AAP and all political parties other than those allied to the BJP fall into this class. Institutions like the JNU and many others founded during the years that the Congress was in power fall into this classification. 
3. It stands for those who believe that Muslims should be pampered. This is an important point. NDTV, Barkha Dutt and some others fall into this category. Please note that as per this definition, Liberals do NOT believe in the equality of all religions but that Islam and perhaps Christianity are superior to Hinduism. 
4. People who dare to criticise the army are also called 'Liberal' Deification of the armed forces is an important prerequisite for not being a Liberal. 
5. Feminists and those who believe in equality of women are also classified as Liberal
6. I may be treading on quicksand here but I get the feeling that people outside the Hindi speaking belt of North India and parts of East and West are more likely to be tarred with the 'Liberal' brush. This is also applicable to those who do not subscribe to 'traditional Indian values' such as Vegetarianism and Cow Protection.

The astonishing thing is how rapidly these feelings have built up after the BJP has swept into power. They were obviously latent and festering below the surface. I have often said that secularism, gender equality and other such 'liberal' values are actually alien implants. They were fostered by Nehru, Gandhi and the Congress Party at the time of independence as these luminaries were essentially products of a Western sensibility. It may be argued that by imposing these concepts the country was able to put a lid on fisiparous tendencies that may have torn the fledgling country apart. That is the sympathetic view. The contrary viewpoint is that such ideas essentially went against the grain of the Indian ethos and it would only be a matter of time before they crumbled.

Today the genie is out of the bottle. By allowing the majority community to express their sense of grievance against centuries of foreign dominance, PM Modi has unleashed forces that may be beyond his control. In the best case they may find expression in a form of 'soft' Hindutva that may be beneficial in reforming some of the worst ills of our society. It may also help to curb the growth of militant Islam and correcting some of the gross injustices that were perpetrated in the name of religion such as the destruction of hallowed temples and places of learning. In its more virulent form we could see lynchings and mob action that are anathema in a modern society. We could also see regressive tendencies in the arts, gender inequality and rewriting of history gaining ground.

I have enormous faith in the ability of our country to self correct and to absorb extreme opinions. This has been demonstrated over the centuries. One hopes, therefore, that the middle ground will prevail and perhaps some day soon, true liberals will regain their place under the sun.