Symptom of much larger malaise....?   Then applying the same logic of amplification we can safely say that your mail shows symptoms of Paranoia with shades of Xenophobia.   What you say about politicians might be true and we have a greater responsibility. But........   Displaying Boards in Kanada is extremely mild symbolism of showing pride in your regional language. How can you connect that with Jingoism/Chauvinism? Please answer. Each regional language is distinctive in its own way, has its own literature, poetry, films, what about that? You can magnify the same logic and say that making films, writing poetry, when you can do the same in English or Hindi is chauvinistic and jingoistic. I absolutely do not understand the issue here.   Rahuls mail can be applied to Mumbai incidents but it definitely does not apply to Bangalore. If it is directed towards Mumbai and Raj Thakray etc....  then Rahul you are terribly late, much has happened since then. I think this forum is turning deaf ear to allegations that Bangalore is chauvinistic because some mail writer with bad case of myopia found some number plates/boards in Kanada. Or am I totally blind in not seeing an issue here? Enlighten me in that case...........   I am not here to provide solutions or to come with a plan to change India to whatever you want.......(Sorry...but I dont have any idea about a peaceful solution that will unite india with one language/one religion/one culture and less pride or no pride in regional languages)    I am ready to live with the differences (Number plates don't...in real sense pose anybody any threat).I accept differences when I travel and when you leave your land you must accept that you are going to have cultural differences. The point is would you be grateful and see the big picture or would you see some isolated incidents and be judgmental?   I just can't sit here relaxed, without replying when the city that I love and my people from this city are called chauvinist.   We are not!!!! Period.   I suggest Manuvilasan and the people from diffrent states replying to emails should first examin how relatively tolerant they are vis a vis a Kannadiga.     Warmest Regards Abhijeet Dudhagi   --- On Wed, 1/7/09, Rahul <rahulnr@...> wrote: From: Rahul <rahulnr@...> Subject: Re: [collectivechaosblr] Is it Fascism or Regionalism ?? To: collectivechaosblr@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 12:50 PM Friends, license plates in regional languages is just a symptom of a much larger malaise. Is it just me or is India really descending from a pluralist state to one that is becoming increasingly factionalised and parochial. It is easy to blame politicians here, but I believe that politicians are just using this diversive strategy to create vote bases and increase jingoistic tendencies. Cause I see educated people around me voicing concerns that illuminate their narrow minded focus and illiteracy that actually exists among the 'so called' thinking intelligentsia. Don't blame politics or politicians friends...they are but 'Frankenstein's monsters'. Voicing concerns is one thing...but acting on it to create a difference is of paramount importance. India as a country I think is getting sharply polarized into distinctive religious and castist groups. Politics has descended into widening the differences between religions and is now being used us a vehicle to propogate these differences. We are becoming stridently jingoistic in our outlook. There is no more a common cause...was there ever, except probably during the nascent beginnings of this young country.  Oh...'n with regards to license plates...I believe it is not 'right' to display it in any regional language and it doesn't take away the guilt for Kannadigas to do it just because somebody else across an imaginary line does it in another part of this land. This is not because I am against any regional language..but because I believe in a pluralistic approach which means to live together in a society we need to create certain common meeting grounds wherein language, religion, culture or any other claptraps wont act as an impediment to sustenance of brotherhood or egalitarianism. .. Cheers Rahul 2009/1/6 abhijeet dudhagi <abhyadude@yahoo. com> Manuvilasan   "Unity in diversity" is a classic oxymoron and a bromide created by politicians to glamourize their cause. In russia all the number plates would be in russian. In Bangalore if they want to put number plates in Kanada so be it,in a social web ,security comes through trust.I trust that thier will be fractional hit and run cases. As Indians we are all far too diffrent from each other, whther we are Kannadigas,Tamilian s,Marathis or Malyalis.We have to live with this fact that we are all different by culture,religion, customs and try to blend in to a reasonable extent or tolerate these differences. If it makes sense for you to learn Kanada learn it ,if it does not leave it, there is no complulsion in Namma Bangalore. Bangalorites will happily speak to you in Hindi or English (Perhaps Kanglish---- -"swalpa adjust maadi".) But by observing these isolated facts you are sowing seeds of separatism ,may be you dont mean it but deep in subconscious just by obesrving and taking objection it is evident that its lurking in your psyche somewhere. But being a Bangalorite I am tolerant and I will not as yet lable you as a potential threat.   Warmest Regards Abhijeet Dudhagi  --- On Thu, 12/25/08, Manu Vilsan <manuvilsan@yahoo. com> wrote: From: Manu Vilsan <manuvilsan@yahoo. com> Subject: [collectivechaosblr ] Is it Fascism or Regionalism ?? To: collectivechaosblr@ yahoogroups. com Date: Thursday, December 25, 2008, 11:36 AM Is Bangalore for Kannadigas alone?   Is the number plate in a vehicle, a means to show our regional farce?   These are the questions hunted me, in the aftermath of my recent visit of Bangalore city.   I am a citizen of India and a permanent resident of Kerala. I had visited the Bangalore city, recently. I feel that the regionalist approach is utmost in Bangalore .   I do share an observation. It is regarding the number plates affixed with many of the vehicles, seen in the Bangalore city. Contrary to the universally accepted practice, many of the vehicles bearing Registration number in Kannada numerical. This is absurd and ridiculous. The number plate in a vehicle is not a means to show our regional farce. It is a reference, by which one can identify all particulars of a vehicle. The rule prescribes that the number plates should be exhibited in the prescribed format, which is quite visible to every one. The intention of the law makers is to let others aware of the Registration Number. But, it is a common phenomenon in Bangalore that the number plates of several vehicles possess Registration number in Kannada and Kannada alone. Here 2 questions are necessary. What is the purpose of a number plate? Is it a means to show our regional farce?   The purpose, as I understood, is to make others know the details of a vehicle, when there is dispute or complaints. Hence it is a sensible issue as how a person, who does not know the Kannada numerical, can understand the content of this regional number plate? I am so glad, if all Kannadigas are able to read the Kannada numerical. But still it's a sensible issue, because of its patent illegality. The regionalism is everywhere in the country and even our Politicians and intelligentia has acknowledged it as a social reality. It may be a moot question whether genuinely we have 'unity in diversity' or not. But when we come to this specific issue, I am sad, because, it may not happen in a Federal Republic Country. It is an invasion to the individual right. Right to do an act ought to be subjected to the rights of others to know. Then only the act can be called as a reasonable one. In absence of said reasonableness, the same shall be mere absurdity. If a vehicle bearing Kannada Registration No. may hit and run, then no one can identify that number, unless he knows Kannada Numerical. So, before entering Bangalore , it cast a duty on all foreigners, (Foreigner includes all those do not Kannada) to by heart Kannada Numerical. I do not know, why the law enforcing authority is not addressing this sensitive issue.  I do not know why the intelligentia of our group is silent on this issue. Yours truly, Manuvilsan

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All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible -- William Faulkner