‘Love Jihad’ In The Animal Kingdom!

If we are clever enough to build a 110 storey twin skyscraper, we are also crazy enough to blow it up. And the day this happened, the entire world learnt a new word: ‘Jihad’. It’s a different thing that this sizzling notorious term, often mistaken for the holy war, actually translates to ‘strife or perseverance’ and should be interpreted as a means to conquer your inner struggles.

But who cares? Especially not our mainstream media, who gave us a whole new dictionary, associating it with Land, Virus, Gaming, Spit, Marks, and of course, the most pure form of expression- Love.

When two lions were brought from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park to the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri this month, there was a huge furore. And all because of what they were called. What’s in a name the Bard had said.

Apparently a lot. Some sentiments were hurt because the Lion was christened Akbar, and the Lioness was called Sita. Pairing the two was therefore deemed ‘illogical’, ‘irrational’ and was tantamount to ‘blasphemy’. Thus was born another kind of Jihad. A Love Jihad in the Animal Kingdom!

On a quixotic quest for religious purity, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad filed a petition. The Calcutta High Court, leaving aside the thousands of civil and criminal cases, prioritised it because apparently it deserved more attention.

The verdict was that Sita was a Hindu Goddess and naming a lioness after her was an insult to Hinduism. Akbar was an efficient emperor and therefore naming a lion after him was also an insult to the noble King. So the Court bench called for a renaming ceremony, advising ‘prudent naming’, because ‘otherwise people will soon start naming their dogs after national heroes.’

Well, guess what. I had a cat named Nelson. And it was named so not as an insult to the One-Eyed-General, but because my Nelson was injured in a stone pelting act by rowdy boys and was blind in one eye.

My friend in Guwahati had a dog named Uma, in remembrance of her sister who was no more. In Mahabharata, when Yudhisthira takes the form of a dog Dharma, it represents the pinnacle of human ethics and loyalty.

People are often named after Gods and Goddesses. So are places. What’s the big deal? Both those lions, by any other name, will still continue to stir, stretch and roar that ‘it’s far better to be a lion, even if it only for a day, than be a sheep all your life.’

A person who shows courage is called a Sher. The Sher-e-Hind was the highest military decoration awarded by the Imperial Japanese supported Azad Hind Government. First instituted by Subhas Chandra Bose, this award was later also awarded to troops of the Indian National Army.

Not only are the Rajputs brave, even their horses are valorous. In a traditional reverential acknowledgment of the empathy between a horse and its master, the house of Mewar salutes this legendary association by perpetuating the tradition of worshipping the horse.

Several years ago, when a lioness in the Sepahijala Zoological Park gave birth to three cubs, they were called Amar, Akbar and Anthony. Giving us an example of the powerful allegory of Indian pluralism, Akbar the Lion spent seven years of his life playing with his brothers Amar and Anthony.

As was the lioness who was brought to the Bengal Safari park, who spent six years of her life being called Sita. Whether their identities were a blueprint of their character or merely the whim and fancy of someone who had named them for whatever reasons, is not known.

It was chance that brought them together to a park where they were given a home. And I bet they hoped that their masters there would never think of destroying their distinctiveness.

Animals are not places, they are living creatures with an identity of their own. So before filing an absurd petition, did anyone ever question them or find out if they were okay with losing their individuality? Or if they were fine with being dislocated?

This isn’t the first time such silliness has reared its head. There were multiple instances when pigeons have been ‘arrested’ and probed after flying over from Pakistan or China into India. And all because of International espionage!

On February 4, India finally freed an ‘accused Chinese spy’. After being held in captivity for eight months on suspicion of spying for China and after the Indian authorities literally combed through its feathers in search of something incriminating, the pigeon was finally left to fly away. Apparently it was no avian agent of espionage, but a disoriented Taiwanese racing bird that had lost its way!

The pattern is unmistakable: a penchant for seeing slights where none exist. A readiness to leap into the fray, legal briefs in position, over perceived insults to religion or threats to national security.

These narcissistic injuries that bruise our egos, also belittle us in the eyes of the world, thus making us a global laughing stock. Yes, of course the world needs to keep laughing, but not at our expense. There are no adequate words to convey how embarrassed the Indian intelligentsia is.

The level of mortification is gargantuan, and nothing I say could accurately convey the pickle pinch plight that so many of us live in. Just because of the constant foolishness, dishonesty, duplicity, stupidity, and ignorance of a few.

The views expressed here are the writer’s own.