Tolerance - a dwindling virtue

Mahatma Gandhi was voted as India's greatest icon in a recent survey. While this result of statistical sampling is
mildly reassuring, a more pertinent question to ask could have been on the lines of how many of us understand Gandhiji's principles
let alone follow them. While it is too subjective a question to ask in a survey, it nonetheless warrants some serious thought.
Tolerance, one of the main principles that Gandhiji promoted, is vanishing as fast as the ozone layer. This has resulted
in "warming up" of people's attitudes. In schools we are taught that all religions preach tolerance towards others. Yet certain
sections of the society have conveniently used their interpretation of religion to justify indiscriminate acts of violence.

"Unity in Diversity" has simply become a catch-phrase which does its rounds in our midst during independence and republic day
celebrations. The unfortunate reality is that every aspect of this diversity, be it language, religious beliefs or caste to name
a few, are being used to divide us and satisfy the power hunger of some. With globalisation, we are also seeing a new element of diversity being defined on the basis
of financial status that seems to be adding to the existing challenge of maintaining unity. We seem to be defining ever reducing boundaries
of identity and similarity. First it was division into states based on linguistic differences and now we are seeing demands of
sub-division within these states for various other reasons. This is leading us to a point where the sum of parts is not even
making up the whole.
An example, somewhat trivial, of the dwindling tolerance amongst us can be found in a recent article in a national daily.
The author of this column was peeved at "stray comments" from a visiting friend about a radio station playing songs
in a local language and an innocuous question from a migrant labourer wondering why nobody spoke in the national language.
Both these instances were quoted as amounting to disrespect to the language of the particular state and we were requested
to "blend in" when living in other states. Surely there have been more serious instances of disrespect being shown to
a particular language. The radio station is probably playing songs in the local language, not only to attract local
audiences, but also because if they aired programme or songs in other languages, some lingual chauvinists would
prevent broadcasting of that channel itself ! And the poor migrant labourer probably not a polyglot, as some of the more
educated and travelled amongst us are, is having a difficult time in daily transactions in the native language.
Again, more serious attempts to homogenise regions of the country can be easily recalled from our recent history.
If we cannot tolerate differences between people of various states within the same country, how can we expect a fair
treatment when we travel to foreign lands in search of greener pastures ?
Tolerance is possibly the only virtue that can help all of us to not only accept the myriad diversities that exist in this glorious
country but also find effective and inclusive means of making India, as a whole, a great nation. We should promote this
virtue, even if it is in the form of "Gandhi-giri", at all levels. Our great scientists should probably invent "tolerance drops" to be
administered as part of our child immunisation programme to impart this important virtue in all our future generations !