Thread by @Vidyut

Mom's bhakti is having a reconfiguration crisis.

"They have arrested #ShahFaesal. Pakistan agents are in IAS also these days."

I be like you met @Shehla_Rashid at the wedding reception, right? Her colleague.

"They seemed nice people.... are you also tukde tukde gang?"

@Shehla_Rashid I think mom expects the "tukde tukde gang" from TV to be like Dawood Gang, Chhota Rajan gang, etc. (perils of being a bambaiiya?)

Mom, anyone who disagrees with govt is tukde-tukde gang.

"But they arrest tukde-tukde gang"

Me: Welcome to new India. Hope you enjoy your flight.

@Shehla_Rashid She be like "but what if they arrest you?"

I be like same as what happens to anyone who gets arrested. Life will get disrupted.

"What about me?"

You can find some nice RSS ashram for old people.

"What about kid?"

Raghu will take him to the new Switzerland - Tamil Nadu :p

@Shehla_Rashid Mom and her hypotheticals....

But she is a good meter for keeping an eye on BJP propaganda. I doubt there is a single BJP fiction she misses.

Her bedroom is always blaring India-Pakistan-Musalmaan - Hinduonka something or the other.

@Shehla_Rashid umm... she's also a mental patient.

In case anyone is planning to use her as an excuse for their hate.

@Shehla_Rashid Half an hour later, she comes in. "Don't get arrested, ok?"

I be like mom, who in the world plans to get arrested? Tell the people you worship to not arrest me :p

How? They don't listen to us.

Then I have mercy on her. 'I'm not important enough to arrest."

sigh.

@Shehla_Rashid Tomorrow it will be some new crap Zee News tells her.

Day before yesterday, she was asking @godavar - are we going to war?

While she is diagnosed with mental illness, I firmly think that fanatism itself is a mental illness.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar The bombardment of information is so much, that the overload prevents any analysis. And then the things accepted as "own" ideology are so horrendous that backing off would mean insane guilt.

Only way to cope is forward. EVERYONE is wrong. This may appear inhuman, but it is right

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar The result is a surprisingly sheep-like view of the world. Whatever the cattleshed says is right.

It is particularly pathetic, because all her married life, she has suffered a lot of hostility and humiliation from that same view.

It is like she stopped fighting, broken.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar It is literally like she looks at the TV for what to think.

Extremely ugly to live with on a day to day basis.

But it is also innocent. She is being "obedient". They aren't her views, she is being a loyal citizen. It doesn't even occur to her to do an independent analysis.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar She also sees no connection between the TV and real life. She likes all our "anti-national" friends, ditched religion altogether, explaining to the neighbour "ab beti ke ghar mein hai, to uske culture ke hisaab se rehte hai" #eyeroll I have NEVER prevented anyone from worship.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar She has Hindu pride without giving a damn about Hindu practices. lol

But, irritating as it is, it is a learning experience.

For someone so used to examining EVERYTHING, it is a reality check on what level communication in public interest needs to be.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar I speak about these things publicly, because I believe fanatism is truly becoming a serious mental health concern.

I may be the rare person speaking, but almost every person dissenting with the government has faced this at some point.

Casual inhumanity exhibited by loved ones.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar Whether we can fix it or not, it is something that needs to be talked about. It is a tremendous source of trauma to find people you live with, people you love, people you respect, trust... casually rejoice in sadism. Those you thought were kind, celebrate pain.

@Shehla_Rashid @godavar There is a lot of depression among the dissent today. And the source of it isn't the government or the "RSS", but their victims, being misled through relentless disinformation to endorse hideous things. People they care about.

Talk, know that there are others going through this.