Hi all,
This is from BLR and not Sudan. There's something really nasty that we need to talk about. We hush it up because it is very difficult.
This is what happened last Sunday. I was on a real estate mission to find a new home for rent for one of my close family members. We were tired and finally decided to use a real estate agent/broker.
He was buoyant about his inventory and we agreed to meet up with him some place in BLR. Nice fellow in his early fifties, suave, articulate, and sales-man-ie.
We looked at 2 places which we did not like - and cannot blame him for that. We wanted a Taj Mahal at the price of a Charminar (old time ciggie).
In passing he asked my relative where he lived - and I said "Beep". The response from his was quick But that's a majority Muslim area. "Beep" is infested with them. You know this place where we are standing, 3 kms on this side and 2 kms on that side, not a single Muslim.
I did not know what to tell him. Sorry Manzoor, Babu Jamal, Al Ameen, Asgar - all of you. I was in no mood to pick up a war of words with an idiot. I would have - but then it's not college. Let idiots be idiots.
But this is symptomatic of a problem that we refuse to talk about as a society. Why the seclusion? The broker and I belonged to two separate religions. How come he assumed that I did not want to be in a Muslim locality? Simply put - where did he get the globes to assume that?
The prized CIA asset was bumped off 48 hrs before I wrote this. Or was he really? Whatever.
But, was he the problem, or are we, all of us?
Yours,
Sajish
hha! interesting blog. Kure naalaayi engane okke vaayichittu. For a moment this made me uncomfortable probably because you felt sorry that you couldn't get to talk with him on behalf of Muslims.
ReplyDeleteHave had similar experience too.. My manager in my first job just returned from his long stay in USA and was searching for a house for rent in Bangalore. He didn't want to drive in Bangalore and I felt so lucky to have gotten picked and chosen by him to be his chauffeur from among 11 of us, his direct reports all freshmen (included Brahmins, Muslims and a Christian) out of college. The manager was a Brahmin from Mysore. We combed through many places in Jayanagar and Indira Nagar and each time we met a broker he would ask him to avoid Muslim localities. He would look at me and say to the broker that I were a Muslim and that he had nothing against Muslims but just wanted to avoid being in a Muslim neighborhood. I felt so thankful to him that he felt nothing against me, a Muslim. As a fresher one of my first observations was spinelessness and nicety is important to Job security. Am happy that in your case it was the broker who spoke my old Manager's language, at-least he hasn't travelled the world and most likely is a illiterate.
Look at this story (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article19183.ece).. a Medical College in Bihar, a separate canteen for students of each caste. In St. **hn's medical college Bangalore a CT scan costs less if you convert to Christianity. And hundreds more..
But then there is also this change, the co-relation between economic wellness indicators and appreciation of ethnic (and linguistic/religious/etc) diversities. Look at corporates. Long ago, when I saw the resume of one of my college buddies in which he had mentioned his religion it looked so ridiculous, felt very much unlike the appropriateness of the same information in one's SSLC book. In my last Job a hiring manager got fired, the reason ? b'coz his team had only Kannada speaking people, no kidding. Bet this newly found diversification drive would have more to do with economics than ethics. Jai Capitalism!!!
Debating on behalf of Muslim's ? no bother. One could rather refine smelly poop than educate and refine the brokers and Managers. Incidentally, processing poop could fetch useful cooking gas.
I totally agree with Ameen, all these are the part of games played by media. no treatment for bias. but time will re orient bias but will never finish it for ever.........
ReplyDelete