In an earlier post, I talked about language based politics in Karnataka. Today is the day to talk about Kannada chauvinism since it is the anniversary of the formation of the state of Karnataka as a linguistically demarcated territory. Like all official holidays, both at the centre and the state level, many stores are closed and the streets are empty because people dont know what kind of trouble is in store for them. While Independence day and Republic day have been hijacked by terrorism related security concerns (that is to say, security threats to VIP’s), regional holidays drive people indoors because there is the fear of mob violence (by Kannada chauvinist goons in this case). What a contrast with Deepavali or Id or Holi when everybody is outside and having fun. Tells you something about the atmosphere around nationalist politics doesn’t it?
Nationalisms Revisited
Nationalisms Revisited
Nationalisms Revisited
In an earlier post, I talked about language based politics in Karnataka. Today is the day to talk about Kannada chauvinism since it is the anniversary of the formation of the state of Karnataka as a linguistically demarcated territory. Like all official holidays, both at the centre and the state level, many stores are closed and the streets are empty because people dont know what kind of trouble is in store for them. While Independence day and Republic day have been hijacked by terrorism related security concerns (that is to say, security threats to VIP’s), regional holidays drive people indoors because there is the fear of mob violence (by Kannada chauvinist goons in this case). What a contrast with Deepavali or Id or Holi when everybody is outside and having fun. Tells you something about the atmosphere around nationalist politics doesn’t it?