Saffrons and Greens

Seven years ago, an entire state burnt. Seven years ago, a handful of fanatics decided that a certain group of people did not deserve to live. And the rest, as they say, is history. Seven years ago is a long time. Long enough to be written off as ‘history’, isn’t it?

But, somehow, things don’t fit. Fanatics continue to propagate their thoughts. Authorities continue to make tall claims of doing their best to punish those responsible. In the meanwhile, an entire community still continues to live with horrible memories etched in their minds. Some are forced to walk on the streets listening to taunts from those who stabbed their children and raped their mothers and, if they were really lucky, just burned their families to death.

Today, seven long years later, while most of us may not even be aware of what has been happening (neither would I had I not been so passionately involved in making a documentary on the subject), a not-so-minor community waits for “justice” even if it means living right next to those who wreaked such havoc that would change lives forever.

And even then, these people await justice. Maybe its because there is a very thin line between the saffrons and greens and that thin line is called justice…

One year ago, when I set out with a bunch of like-minded people to explore what really went on in the land of Gandhi post 2002, I, like any other journalism student went with the idea of “doing something different”. And even though I had the most unforgettable experience there, one thing that I will always remember is that justice is a relative term.

But, what struck me the most is that despite the cleverly concealed lies, one journalist dared to expose the truth about what really happened. Recovering cellphone records is no easy task, but someone did it just because that someone refused to believe whatever was being fed to them by the government. Today, thanks to those very cellphone records, an entire community has let out a miniscule, almost negligible, sigh of relief.

I wonder then, how many such enquiries, arrests, blame games and diplomatic discussions would it take for another city to breathe easy? Maybe this time, justice would not be so difficult to achieve.

Or maybe its because, for once, the saffrons and greens are on the same side of the firing line.

P.S: this entry is dedicated to those who made my experiences in Gujarat unforgettable. And to the one person in my profession I admire the most.