On standing up to the State

Tweets from April 2016 (before the 2016 assembly elections):

In spite of the inherent flaws/problems in any form of nationalism, Tamil nationalism has deserved a decent mind to voice it and Anna, perhaps, came the closest. In Seeman’s hands, it’s just a travesty. He’s taken it to such ridiculous levels that no one would want to re-invent it anytime soon.

Keeping the merits of his ambitious plans aside, how does he plan on tackling the judiciary (and the looming art 356) if gets to power? At what point would he openly declare that India and TN cannot get along and we need to go our separate ways etc.? Doesn't he foresee it? Obviously I'm not talking about the individual, Seeman, here, but the ideology that seems to have some sway among the OBCs online.

Incidentally, the ones who have thought about that situation seem to be fine with an eventual 'violent' struggle, but not strong on details. And this has to be the Indian State machinery's greatest success: the disenchanted’s faculties are saturated by the impossibility of sustained resistance that they don’t venture into imagining the ways they could counter it systematically (the Maoists might qualify to be an exception).

Others continue to peddle the lie that things be done within the system. Except these are things that one couldn’t care less about when history is zoomed out to view decades and centuries together.

Originally tweeted here: https://twitter.com/englishtamil/status/724618919097434112

On Tamil victimhood etc.

 Just wanted to unload some random thoughts on this.

 I'm not a big fan of privatisation, but if privatising all forms of domestic transportation would get rid of the north Indian security personnel who insist on speaking only in Hindi in Coimbatore railway station, I'm all for it. Really, bus terminals feel a lot less suffocating in spite of the heat and the CO2 plumes because one does not need to pass through dozens of gates 'manned' by north Indians wielding semi-automatic assault rifles.

I was screaming "talk to me in Tamil, asshole", in my head, the first few days but soon got too tired to even feel properly annoyed (all this in October 2016). I can see why it seems like a lost battle. I do notice the increasing presence of non-native workers in restaurants and wherever else one has direct interaction with people. But I cannot in good conscience hold a grudge against the poorest of the poor as much as it upsets me to see the landscape change gradually and perhaps irreversibly. It's the state machinery's operatives that are problematic.

Is one to assume that Tamil Speaking RPF, CRPF and BSF personnel are 'protecting' railway stations and air ports somewhere up north? Is it impossible to pick a few dozen Tamil speaking officers of the BSF to work in Tamil Nadu's airports? (I remember an idiot reasoning "well, Tamil officers will act favourably to Tamils". Like, how, fucker? The way German officers are favourable to Germans in Frankfurt airport?)

Then come the doctors. There seems to be a dramatic increase in the number of Hindi speaking doctors in hospitals in Tamil Nadu. This before the gradual but definite reduction of Tamil doctors one could expect, owing to the introduction of NEET to get into med schools (oh, also, TN's reservation model won't apply anymore. So the few who are likely get into med schools in TN are also likely to be, well, Brahmins).

And now the Supreme Court is asking these ridiculous questions about what a bull ought to do. Seriously? Is a bull meant to pull carts on hot, paved roads? Is a horse meant to carry a human on its back? An elephant meant to drag tonnes of logs uphill? Really, which of these animals had a say in what the humans force them into? Truth is, it's a free for all when it comes to animal cruelty. So do not for a second pretend that it's otherwise. The feudal sport of jalli kattu can go to hell with the stupid reasoning about preserving various native species, but do not employ the most vacuous logic because the aggrieved are Tamils.

Then there is cauvery (yes, it's so old that it can only be the last on the list)

So internal logic, class conflicts, dangers of ethno-linguistic nationalism etc., aside, Tamils have a lot of 'generally acceptable' reasons to feel victimized by India. Yet, it's only the crazy bunch that articulates it thus.