“....a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."
President Barack Obama's line in his inaugural speech was short, pointed and it passed too fast. But the sentiment and the message behind it were monumental. It was not solely a mild reminder that a half century ago a poor, hard core segregated and racially isolated, Washington D.C., mocked the nation's flowery claim to be the fount of democracy.
Even today, racial discrimination survives. Racially segregated societies are present all over the world. Racial segregation is neither a myth nor a taboo but a stark reality – I agree and my views will surely be for the motion.
For centuries, the Western world has seen the subcontinent to be just a place of brown people. And they do so even now. They have justified themselves by stating the use of the Patriot’s Act to detain and torture hundreds of Asian immigrants on the basis of their surname or the religion they belong to. Somewhat ironical that a nation that has risen from the rubbles of discrimination does not spare a thought before frisking and humiliating celebrities and VVIPs just because they belong to ‘third world countries’.
Cricket is a sport accepted globally by most nations. But discrimination on the basis of race exists there too. Let me site an example, if my memory serves me right, Pakistan toured England in 2006 which was marked by the infamous Oval Test saga. The Pakistani pace attack had ripped through a formidable English line up with their swinging deliveries – but an Australian umpire termed this expertise to be ‘ball tampering’. A year back, when the English had ripped through the Australian batting line up during the Ashes – this expertise was described as ‘a classic example of reverse swing’.
Then you have the recent example of the brutal attacks on Indians in Australia. It was more than just a hate crime; it was more than pure enmity of losing your job to an inferior community called Indians. If racist mentalities did not exist in Australia then surely such an extreme manifestation of hatred and brutality would not have taken place.
One will have to agree that discrimination on the basis of caste, sex and religion gave birth to a racially segregated society in India. Such types of discriminations have materialized in the form of neglecting the minority and expressing gender inequalities – which is a proven fact. We cannot draw the exceptions of Pratibha Patil, Meira Kumar or an Aamir Khan, but the domination and power exerted by the majority in gender and religion is till date dictating the functioning of the society.
The question I wish to bring up is that haven’t we resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic and secure its citizens justice, liberty, equality, fraternity at all levels? It’s a pity that our constitution suggests something else but the present conditions state otherwise. The problem of discrimination and racism actually begins from our homes and we all are turning a blind eye to a reality which is neither a myth nor a taboo. We live in a racially segregated world, my friends…
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