I've generally abstained from participating in any discussion over the entire course of elections primarily because I don’t have much hope in the political class. Not to say that I won’t change my views if politicians mend their ways and bring about a noticeable improvement in day to day life. But the way I see it, the rise of India’s middle class can at most be attributed to the decision of opening up the economy, which was not out of brilliance but out of compulsion to save the country from bankruptcy. However this headline today morning pushed me to write down this post.

Muslim techie beaten to death in Pune, 7 men of Hindu outfit held

As I've observed silently from the sidelines — friends on social networks, spin doctors and pundits on news channels, and fellow Indians during my daily commute in the Delhi metro — indulge in all sort of discussions ranging in nature from fundamental to ideological to religious, a common theme that has been the highlight from the intelligentsia across these various groups is the well meaning advise for Muslims to become part of the national mainstream that wants education and jobs. Abandon old fears and embrace the new order. I find the Pune incident disturbing because the guy who was beaten to death was a part of the national mainstream. And on a personal level I find the ‘national mainstream’ advise really strange as I believe myself to be a part of this national mainstream. But that’s probably because like a kid from any other community, majority or minority, I was fortunate to have access to good education and a forward thinking upbringing. I do agree that on a broader level Muslims in India who have lagged behind need to catch up, a large component of which is becoming part of the national mainstream. But if by national mainstream this class of intelligentsia has been referring to a society that thrives on education, development, and entrepreneurship, then a substantial number of people from other communities (majority and minority) also need to catch up. I must confess that I don’t understand the essence of the communal animosity that was sowed at the outset of India’s independence because I spent my childhood aboard and my parents took a conscious decision of shielding me from hardline religious views as a way of life. When I returned to India and joined a new school, the first thing I remember a classmate asking me was “are you a Muslim?” I found that question funny because no one had ever asked me that. When I came back home and told my father about how the day was and relayed this particular incident, here’s what he told me:

The religion we practice has been passed on to us by our ancestors and to them by their ancestors. It was a matter of choice for them. There could have been equal chances of us belonging to any other religion depending on what our ancestors chose. But being an Indian was not a matter of choice. This is destiny. And because of that, before belonging to any religion or city or state, you are an Indian. Always remember this when it comes to matters of friends and classmates.

Although I have never shared this conversation with anyone, it has been a defining feature of the fabric that makes up my social circle. Some of the most important people in my life including friends, teachers, mentors, and my boss are all Hindus. But except while writing this post, never for a second has the thought of their religious affiliation crossed my mind. And I have strong reasons to believe that similarly, never has the thought of me being a Muslim crossed their minds. That’s the India that I aspire to live in. That’s the India I want our politicians to build. An India which is united in its thirst for growth. An India which wants to build things, processes, societies, and future generations that improve life in general and benefit people beyond borders.

From what I've seen till now, Our Prime Minister is a very hopeful step in that direction. But in order to pursue his agenda of growth, Mr. Modi will have to come forward and strongly condemn the Pune incident and for that matter any other unfortunate incident which has its roots in communal differences. Which brings me to the headline of this post. The political class is not the threat to India’s ambitions. The country’s people are because a lot of them seem to be out of control for no apparent reason. They don’t have full time jobs but they have the wherewithal to step out, burn buses, and kill people over a derogatory image posted on Facebook — the origins of which are hard to trace. This is disappointing. While we can demonstrate resilience and compassion on a personal level, the over all direction has to be set by the ruling party. If not, the inspiring victory of Mr. Modi will go down in history as just another election which was bankrolled by India Inc. and was won on the wave of skyrocketing inflation and mass resentment for Congress created by corruption and the corresponding media scrutiny.