Hyderabad: If the headline was sufficient or catchy enough for you to get curious and read more, I’m glad, because, honestly, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to write on this issue. But, it had to be done because a section of people on social media think it is okay to pass judgment over things that have absolutely no bearing on their existence.
I can’t say I was surprised, but a couple of reels on Instagram dissing Ramzan expos caught my attention over the past week. Expos are a yearly thing, and people can, of course, express their opinions. What was rather absurd was the call to ban these expos, because, apparently, it kills the actual spirit or meaning of Ramzan. Last I checked, we live in a secular democracy, especially on paper, where religion is not the basis of our society’s foundation.
But what’s troubling is that this sentiment is being amplified on purpose, and it has now begun to border on moral policing because we are encroaching on the private space of others. If you feel so bad about religion being diluted, then perhaps the answer is more inward. Nobody is forcing anyone to visit expos or anything else. The people go there on their own.
Let me first clarify: It is absolutely fine if one shuns the expos if they feel it is not right and that Ramzan should be spent being closer to Allah. That is what the month is supposed to be, as well as to help us be better as people. But it is also a month where small and big businesses make more money and thousands of people, especially daily wage workers, benefit from this. Of course, people organising events will make the most of it, but that is how the nature of business is.
Everyone loves Ramzan in Hyderabad
In Ramzan, many people, after a day of fasting, want to go out and eat something special, like Haleem. And when these things become popular, they also become cultural. Hence, Haleem, or things like special Sehri menus, become a city affair where all Hyderabadis (especially non-Muslims or even migrants) want to experience it. In fact, I would argue one step ahead and say that it, in fact, helps non-Muslims familiarise themselves with Muslim culture.
We have been witnessing more and more mob violence by right-wing Hindutva men. This often also transcends into people’s privacy, where they try to dictate what one should eat, wear or do, and also on how one should act in terms of religion. It doesn’t take much to realise that this is not only harmful, but that it represents a kind of thinking that oppresses others.
It has to be opposed because people have the right to be as they please for as long as it is not unlawful. Hence, this entire business of targeting expos is not only absurd but also unnecessary. Will these chaps who are calling for a ban provide the workers with employment instead? If you don’t like it, don’t go. As it is, we have nut jobs on social media calling for Hindus to avoid eating Haleem to impact Muslim-owned businesses (nobody will listen, of course). So we have enough hate around as it is.
Being a good Muslim is not just a monthly affair, but a life-long work in progress. Expos will come and go, but faith is supposed to remain beyond Ramzan as well. And nobody is perfect. Instead of channeling hate towards the expos, it would be more useful if these folks help the needy in the spirit of Ramzan. You can personally ban yourself from stepping into one, but asking everyone not to go there is overstepping into moral policing.
