When teachers become hate mongers and disseminators of poisonous thought…

Yesterday, my daughter was deeply disturbed when she returned from college. Her Journalism Teacher – with strong right-wing leanings - was at it again: minority bashing, rumour-mongering, malice proliferating… The lady in question is doing her doctoral thesis on two prime ministerial candidates – Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. She spares no occasion to vilify the former and exalt the latter. Fine. Each one is entitled to their personal opinions and beliefs. But if you are going to be using your opinions to brainwash a group of gullible future citizens who sadly don’t seem to be able to think for themselves, I do think it is a matter of serious concern. Especially when all the so-called research that the lady relies on seems to be internet forwards that claim that Indira Gandhi’s husband was actually a Muslim, that Sonia Gandhi is actually a Russian spy, that Sanjay Gandhi stole cars in the US…. Right, so she does not like the Gandhis. But should you allow your opinion to cloud their thinking? Should you – by feeding stereotypes in class after class, fan the flames of hatred and create more divisions in an already fragmented society? Should you poison minds and churn out citizens who base their opinions on malicious lies and half-truths?

I tried my best to console my daughter – who bases her opinions on extensive independent research and refuses to accept what anybody says as the whole truth – but it was hard to find the right words. Even for a mother who is a wordsmith. “The worst part is that all of them in class actually believe her!” she lamented. “I feel so disillusioned. What’s going to happen to our country?”

I pointed out that there are many sane voices out there. Journalists, activists and right-thinking individuals who walk the less-trod path. Who seek out the truth and then share it with others. Who refuse to be brow-beaten. Arundhati Roy, Mallika Sarabhai, Javed Anand, Teesta Setvald, Yogi Sikand, Jyoti Punwani, Harsh Mander and publications like Tehelka and my personal favourite The Hindu. “But there are such few voices”, she protested.

“Yes, there are. But their conviction, their courage and their moral uprightness makes their voice louder and more impactful than a bullet from a gun in the hand of a coward”.

I do not know if this has alleviated her anger or reduced her disillusionment. As an aspiring journalist and a child born to a Muslim mother and a Hindu father, my daughter, I know, must be ready to face many challenges in the future. I pray that she has the strength to do so, without losing her equanimity, her strength of character and her conviction.