From a young age, we are taught, there is strength in silence. Is there ?
Being social creatures, we are conditioned from a young age to do all we can to keep the peace. In social situations, we are often encouraged to "not make a scene" as sometimes, a little injustice is easier to bear than disturb the balance of the "whole".
Over the centuries, all manners of rules and regulations have been created to help us remember how to keep the society "happy". Some of these rules are really unjust, but, for the greater good of the community, we keep reinforcing them. Eg- a child who is crying or being very naughty usually get disproportionate amount of attention compared to a well behaved one. They often get their way too, just to keep them quiet and restore the sanity of society at large.
We see this in our daily lives, and in the world at large. Often, those who scream and shout are in the minority, and yet, they get the greater air time, and everyone from the social do-gooders to the politicians give them more sympathetic hearing than someone who is protesting quietly or worse still, suffering in silence.
In the epic Mahabharata, it is amply demonstrated, that "keeping silent for the greater good of family/ humanity" did the Pandavas no favours. In the end, they had to fight for their rights with all the clamour of weapons and mass destruction it entailed. Had they reacted more vocally to their injustices earlier, they may have averted the great disaster that followed. What a waste ! Looking at it with the benefit of hindsight, we could say , "If you are going to have to shout later, you might as well shout now !!"
Drupadi was insulted in the court of the Kurus. A Shankaracharya is being insulted in the court of Tamilnadu. Like Drupadi of yore, goons are trying to disrobe the Shankracharya by muck raking, threats to rob him and his mutt of all its holdings and various insults of the worst kind possible ! After the case is thrown out of court, and the Shankarcharya is allowed to walk out with his dignity intact, will the media or politicians apologise to him ? If we are to learn anything from history, I think not - like the Kauravas, they will only wait their chance to try again. We must learn to learn from history - our own history. We must stand together as one and protect the honour of the Shankarcharya if we are to safeguard our own honour.
Countless times since the Mahabharat war, Hindus have been defeated whenever they have stayed silent. Whenever we have decided to accept foreign division of our community, on caste / sect / regional / linguistic / racial line, we have faltered and fallen. We must unite and not let anyone divide us. We must not suffer in silence. No one hears / responds to "silence".
Let us learn from history and shout now, to save our honour, culture and religion.
© Bhagwat Shah