By Samiksha Agarwal
‘Dilwalo ki Dilli’
Sometime ago this was what people from other states were told about Delhi.
Delhi, a city that does not belong to any one yet embraces everyone.
And people really believed it!!
But nobody dare believe it today. No, they cannot at least after hearing about the recent abuse of the North Eastern student in Delhi. The incident had a stink of racism.
Who knows what happened exactly but it’s just that why did it happen after all?
Because a person revolted against derogatory comments?
Or it was an act of racism? Are we racists?
Umm, maybe…
Do you stare and ‘scan’ north-eastern girls from top to toe?
Do you call them using words such as “chinky”?
Do you dislike Africans and pass insulting comments on seeing them?
Do you try to maintain a rigid distance from these “aliens”?
If yes, then not cool bro…I am sorry to announce but ‘YOU ARE A RACIST’
Every year thousands of people move to the national capital for exposure, for the best education and for realisation of their dreams. Delhi is a home to people from all cultural backgrounds.
But they are unaware of the horror that awaits them. Discrimination on the basis of race and uninvited derogatory comments are a part of their everyday life.
People refusing accommodation, shopkeepers refusing services, insulting comments by passer-by’s and long stares are some of the humiliations they have to deal with every single day.
And guess what?
They learn to ignore and accept all this as a part of the harsh reality of their lives. Why not?
If any of them dares speak out against it, he is assaulted brutally.
Is this what is expected out of us? Don’t we feel agitated when we hear cases of racism against Indians in Australia? Are we not doing the same thing?
We need to realise that we are all Indians…
And are looks everything?
We tag ‘Africans’ as ‘daraawane’ just because they have a dark complexion and a loud voice, because they look a little different from us, the north Indians.
Nobody is interested in leaving their families and shifting to an entirely new city. It’s just because the capital city promises a lot that they are tempted to make this move.
We have definitely forgotten ‘Unity in Diversity’, that we are a secular nation. It’s a shame that the capital of the country is so hostile to its own people.
Having individuals from diverse cultures gives us a sense of pride in that it makes Delhi a universal place to live in, you get a feeling of living with the entire country simultaneously.
We take pride in being a multicultural, multifaceted country but do we actually practise what we say?
I wonder if Delhi is still ‘Dilwalo ki Dilli’ or has it turned into ‘Rapes and Racism wali Dilli’
There is a need to change social attitudes, create awareness and a need to confront everyday prejudices in a culturally diverse country.
People need to arrange their mind-set, open up to newer horizons and gain some knowledge of culture. And for the sake of love of God, not make fun of them
‘Live and let live’. It’s not at all cool to make fun of people.
Just imagine if you were one of them. The mere thought scares me, let alone facing it day in and out.
