STOP appeasing the minorities! shout the majority in the country. Hearing these shouts, I decided to fairly and unbiasedly look into their angry cry. I did and realized how better to think of the country than as one large family, with the Government, Mother India, looking after it’s differently built and diversely equipped children. Watch a mother with her brood, does she love all of them equally?
Yes, most mothers do. There are very few who play favourites, but, and here’s the big but, a good mother starts noticing strengths and weaknesses in her different children, then makes efforts to compensate for any of the weaknesses she sees in any of them: If one child is big built and the other through sickness or otherwise smaller, she sees the littler one receives protection, especially as the two, play with each other or compete.
Why does she do that? So that the smaller or lesser equipped child doesn’t feel unequal in the family setup! The bigger fellow might or might not be a bully but by his sheer size could intimidate the smaller fellow, and the mother steps in. Does the big fellow like it?
Certainly not, and very often cries that favouritism runs in the family, but the mother knows it isn’t so, and all she is doing is keeping the balance so members can grow strong. She knows for children to grow without any psychological damage or baggage, she needs to build equality, using her common sense.
In the end, a weak son, sickly and thin grows to be a confident lad, and the other fellow who was already blessed with a good constitution remains strong, and as he grows older and has children realizes that what he had earlier called favouritism and what the majority in our country now call appeasement was necessary and is, for healthy growth.
What would happen if the mother did not protect the weaker son? He would grow up bullied by the stronger fellow, because the stronger lad, with all the natural urges of ‘survival of the fittest’ would unknowingly or unwittingly have bullied the minor sized fellow, making him insecure throughout his life, and the family would have failed him. Because he was of his ‘minor’ size he would never have got a share of what was his fair share! Giving a little extra help to the minority section of our communities helps build confidence, makes them feel loved and stops making them feel insecure. It’s like a mother saying, “My dear Minority, you may be smaller built son, but you’re family!”
Democracy, like family, should strive to bring a balance, bring equality, and so has to compensate in some measure to the smaller numbers of some of its society. Those smaller members don’t belong elsewhere, but to the family called India. The majority may call it appeasement, just as a stronger son calls it favouritism, but a wise mother smiles, knows she’s just balancing her children’s strengths to make one strong, happy family..!
