Karnataka - Bangalore

To bridge a communal divide

Bangalore: A teacher in a small town in Dakshina Kannada district had been noticing two of his girl students always standing apart from the rest of the crowd at the bus-stand. After a few days when he asked them why they always chose to be aloof, the bolder among the two explained: “Sir, one of the boys at the bus stop is our classmate from another community. We are scared that people might beat him up if we stand next to him.”

Well-known Kannada writer Boluvar Mohammed Kunhi narrated this story at the launch of the book Muslimara Tallanagalu, a collection of 60 essays translated by Mangaluru Vijaya, to illustrate how fear and mutual mistrust have marred the relationship between religious communities in some parts of Karnataka.

In a style marked by subtle irony that characterises much of his writings as well, Mr. Kunhi spoke of how misconceptions on either side of the divide have made any rational communication impossible. Muslimara Tallanagalu published in Sambuddha Publication, he said, might help bridge this divide to an extent. The minorities were called upon to “proclaim their patriotism five times a day” or face the threat of being branded anti-national, said Mr. Kunhi.

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