My Diaries- August 21, 2014

When Jinah said that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and hence must have separates states, he was basically against the idea of inclusiveness. His often twisted exclusive version and interpretation of two nation theory paved the way for the creation of a confused country. The separatist idea that he evoked was further strengthened by corrupt civil and military bureaucracy and some strayed often confused pseudo intellectuals and religious demagogues. Little we knew at the point that this intolerant philosophy will further divide the country.

We need to revisit our history- perhaps, re-write our history. We need to learn to respect the individual as well as the collective identities of people living in the country. We need to learn to respect the sites, rituals, variant political, ethnic, linguistic , cultural and religious - agnostic, atheistic identities of people. This doesn't require some alien interpretation and complex application from East or West, North or South but a sympathetic understanding of our collective indigenous wisdom, our Sufi traditions,our cultural landscape- our imaginations and possibilities. We need to erase this difference between US and THEM,only if we are willing to chase our dreams.

"" You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water"- Tagore

- Excerpts from my diaries- August 21, 2014, Peshawar