Amidst the rumour mongering about the CAA and the NRC, the privileged lot within the Bollywood has been constantly fuelling misinformation that is further deteriorating an already sensitive situation. The latest to join this tribe is Jim Sarbh, ironically a Parsi actor who has joined the herd and spoken out against the CAA and the NRC based on bizarre rumours and conjectures.
It is all the more unsettling that such rumour-mongering against the Indian State is coming from a Zoroastrian- a community which faced religious persecution in Persia, and did not find refuge anywhere in the vicinity, except for India.
The Zoroastrians migrated from Greater Iran to Gujarat between the 8th and the 10th century, fleeing religious persecution. In India, they have thrived and prospered in all walks of life from Bollywood to business, Parsis have grown into one of the most prosperous communities in India. India has not only given them the opportunity to prosper, but has also taken special care to arrest the fall in their population with the Jiyo Parsi scheme.
Even today only India remains the only country where the Parsis truly thrive. Even today, Iran, from where Parsis had migrated to India is home to only 30,000 out of the 1,45,000 Parsis across the world. Compare that with India, which is home to around 70,000 Parsis, that is, around half of the total Zoroastrians in the world. In fact, in the hospitable Indian atmosphere, Parsis have grown into one of the richest communities in India. Ace investor, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala also happens to be a Parsi, showing the level of prosperity that the community has been able to achieve in India, even though it was historically persecuted and continues to be rejected in the vicinity and the region of its origin even today.
This Bollywoodiya @jimSarbh is a Parsi
Parsis, who fled Persia, after it was subjugated by Islam. They found refuge in the then Hindu States of India.
Today, they've a problem with India giving refuge to Hindus who're persecuted in the Islamic states!pic.twitter.com/eda2nzi0Kv
— We, the people of India (@India_Policy) December 21, 2019
Jim Sarbh, given his Zoroastrian ancestry was supposed to vouch for India’s benevolence and rich tradition of not only tolerating, but also promoting its minorities. However, he has joined the herd of sheep in fanning flames of paranoia and rumours with respect to the NRC and the CAA. The way he decided to go with the trend of Bollywood artists fanning flames by surmising and rumouring in a dangerous manner about the CAA and the NRC is particularly appalling and unsettling. The fact that such obnoxious remarks are coming from a Parsi actor is horrendous, dismaying and unfortunate.
Ironically, Sarbh has appealed to “view the Bill (CAA) in the context of history”, when he himself is speaking without any context of history. Had he viewed things in the context of history, he himself being a Parsi, would have realised the sheer benevolence and generosity that is an inalienable character of the Indian civilisation. His obliviousness reeks of an deracinated mindset and the fact that he is uprooted from the truth of his past, and his community’s sufferings.
The Zoroastrian community itself epitomises India’s humanitarianism. The community is one of the biggest beneficiaries of India’s benevolent approach towards persecuted communities and the CAA is also in line with that philosophy. However, Jim Sarbh appears to have lost that “context of history”.
What he said about the NRC is all the more shocking. Joining the bandwagon of those fuelling tensions in the Indian society, Sarbh has gone on to cast suspicions about the NRC arguing that there are no guidelines about it and there will be no transparency about how it will be implemented. Well, the fact remains that no nation-wide NRC has been notified and therefore as of now there cannot be any guidelines about it. The very idea that India will target a particular community based on a nation-wide NRC is based on absurd rumours and hearsay, something that Jim Sarbh,should have debunked.
He was the one supposed to vouch for India’s goodwill towards its minorities and reiterate that India will never be sinister towards any of its minorities. Given the industry that he represents, it is understandable that Jim Sarbh might have certain compulsions to endorse such surmises and conjectures. However, this was the time when Sarbh should have checked his privilege and debunked all the groundless myths that are being spread about the CAA and the NRC. He has however failed his Parsi origins by succumbing to the professional compulsions that he faces in the industry he comes from.