Back in 1843, Governor-General Charles Hardinge said that the construction of railways would benifit the empire. At that time, the railways used to function on the taxpayer’s money, as they do today. It was the threshold of irony that the British preferred to cross, by exploiting India’s natural resources, human resources etc. and then portraying Indians equal to dogs. In the Indian Railways, the first class compartments were labelled with notices saying, “Dogs and Indians not allowed”. Thousands of Indian workers died during the construction of the railroads way back in the 19th century. The ‘Dog and Indian’ relationship continues to be a ‘legacy’ for many as they feel superior to Indians. Unfortunately, the ‘legacy’ is also valid for a section of our own society.
Here is a list of such instances:-
- By the time the British left India, 500 clubs existed which had a board hung on their doors saying, “Dogs and Indians not allowed”. The clubs and their legacy still continue in many parts of the country. Given that Indians are now allowed to enter, but rules such as, “Indian wear is not allowed” are things that would raise the eyebrows of any Indian. Recently, in 2014, a respected High Court judge was stopped from entering into one of such clubs in Chennai for wearing Lungi. It raises a serious question on the ethical justification of restricting a person in a senior constitutional post on the basis of his attire.
- During a speech in Lok Sabha, leader of the Congress party, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge went on to say that, “Aapke kutte bhi nahi mare they” while referring to the Independence struggle. The statement was objected by the ruling bench and hence the Hon’ble speaker had then directed the line to be removed from the records. The next day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stood on to say, “Hum kutte wali parampara se pale badhe nahi hain”. This was a clear indication that using the word ‘dog’ is held as an abusive comment in any respect.
Meanwhile, singer Adnan Sami had a terrible experience while on foreign soil where he accused the Kuwaiti officials of mistreating him and his staff. Tweeting in this regard, Adnan Sami went on to express his anger by saying, “We came to your city with love and our Indian brethren embraced us with it. You gave no support. Kuwaiti airport immigration mistreated my staff for no reason and called them ‘Indian Dogs’! When you were contacted you did nothing!! How dare the Kuwaitis behave like this with arrogance?” Sami was in Kuwait for a live performance when this incident occurred.
https://twitter.com/AdnanSamiLive/status/993147114426380288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimesofindia.indiatimes.com%2Findia%2Fmy-staff-got-called-indian-dogs-in-kuwait-tweets-adnan-sami-sushma-swaraj-replies%2Farticleshow%2F64060076.cms&tfw_site=timesofindia
External Affairs Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, also called as the ‘Twitter Mom’ who is famous all over the world for her Twitter diplomacy, took cognizance of the issue and asked the singer to contact her. After having a telephonic talk with the Minister, Adnan Sami tweeted again in order to praise Sushma Ji and also extend his hand of thanks.
MoS, Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju tweeted to Adnan Sami exclaiming that Sushma Swaraj had acknowledged the matter and that she would take care of this issue.
From the British era to the ‘Modi era’ in India, we have moved from being called ‘dogs’, to responding like a sher when someone does so. Diplomacy has been a key factor in any nation’s upbringing on the global platform, where with the continuous efforts of Sushma Swaraj, a lady who worried about her fellow Indians even when she was lying ill in the hospital is a real-life example of a diligent minister. There was an immediate response after Sushma Swaraj took matters into her own hands:
Dear Mr Adnan Sami,
Apologies for the inconvenience caused by some of the airport staff, and regardless their misbehaviour, I hope you and your staff had great times in Kuwait, and you realised that such misbehaviour was personal and not representing the people of Kuwait 🌷.— د. يوسف شمس الدين (@YAYshamsaldeen) May 8, 2018
Still, in our country, when our culture and our trends are not recognized, that is the time when the ‘Indianness’ is lauded and practiced. The strong response is an example of how Indians cannot be manhandled, even if they are not in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put up the image of India on a higher pedestal where it belongs. This is what India needs!
