Raja Petra Kamarudin
The death toll due to wars and conflicts through the ages
The Second World War: 50 million to 70 million (against a world population of 2 billion)
The First World War: 45 million to 65 million (against a world population of 1.6 billion)
Mongol conquests (1207-1472): 40 million to 60 million (against a world population of 400 million)
Chinese Revolution (756-763): 35 million to 40 million (against a world population of 200 million)
Qing dynasty conquest of the Ming Dynasty (1616-1632): 25 million (against a world population of 500 million)
Taiping Rebellion of China (1851-1864): 20 million to 30 million (against a world population of 1 billion)
Timur Conquest (1369-1405): 15 million to 20 million (against a world population of 400 million)
Dungan Revolt of China (1862-1877): 10 million (against a world population of 1 billion)
Thirty Years War (Holy Roman Empire; 1618-1648): 10-11 million
Russian Civil War (1917-1921): 9 million (against a world population of 1.6 billion)
Congo wars: 6-8 million
Yellow Turban War of China (184-205): 5-7 million
Napoleonic wars: 5-6 million
Vietnam War: 5 million
Polish-Lithuanian conflict (1655-1660): 3-4 million
French wars on religion (1562-1598): 3-4 million
Korean War: 3 million
Sudanese Civil War: 2 million
Crusades (1059-1291): 2 million
Shaka’s conquest of Africa (1816-1828): 2 million
Spanish Civil War: 400,000
Greek-Turkish War: 250,000
******************************************
Stalin's regime of Russia: 20 million
Middle East slave trade: 19 million
European slave trade: 18 million
British occupation of India: 15-17 million
European colonisation of the Americas: 10-20 million
Nazi genocide: 10 million
Ukraine genocide: 10 million
Fall of the Roman Empire: 8 million
‘Killing Fields’ of Cambodia: 3 million
Bangladesh genocide: 3 million
Genocide of Germans after WWII: 3 million
Assyrian genocide: 1.5 million
Armenian genocide: 1 million
Rwanda genocide: 1 million
Greek genocide: 1 million
French occupation of Algeria: 1 million
Angola genocide: 550,000
Massacres in Zunghar Khanate, China: 500,000
Ustashe massacres of Serbs, Jews, Roma and Croats in Croatia: 500,000
Brazilian genocide of the Indians: 500,000
Sudan conflict: 500,000
Russian conquest of the Caucasus: 400,000
Darfur genocide: 400,000
West Papua genocide: 400,000
Abyssinian Conquest: 400,000
French Indochina War: 400,000
Indonesian Communist genocide: 400,000
Somalia genocide: 400,000
East Timor genocide: 300,000
Nanking genocide: 300,000
Idi Amin’s regime: 300,000
Guatemala genocide: 200,000
Iraq genocide: 200,000
Tito’s regime: 200,000
Guatemala conflict: 200,000
Bosnia genocide: 175,000
Hutu genocide in Burundi: 100,000
Masacre of Tamils in Sri Lanka: 100,000
Tutsi genocide in Burundi: 50,000
The ten-day Ganesh festival is here. No longer confined to its birthplace Maharashtra, it is now spreading to other parts of the country as well. Which ought to be wonderful except that the festival, like the ten-day Durga festival that follows shortly afterwards, also spells utter chaos in cities that are collapsing under their own weight. Over the years, the festival has grown in opulence and size even as it has declined in its social relevance.
It is good that Lokmanya Tilak was not buried. Or else, he would be spinning in his grave at the perversion of the festival he started over a century ago to organize local community against the British rule. Barring some exceptions, today it is in the grip of local politician-cum-goon. It has little mass participation. Far from serving as a platform to bring the community together, it is a gaudy display of muscle power the organizer is able to summon. The money comes mostly from local businesses, too terrified to say no to the muscleman.
Even that would be tolerable. Increasingly, the festival means choked streets. It is years now that newspapers have been crying hoarse about the way Ganesh mandals block the roads during the festival. They also dig up the roads to erect shamianas, welcome arches, and illumination towers. The damage is rarely repaired later. The Mandals have multiplied and are in competition with each other for scale and grandeur. It means some streets end up having several Ganesh installations making even walking difficult on the road. How ironic that the festival of Lord called vighnaharta—the remover of obstacles—is celebrated by creating untold obstacles in everybody’s path.
(Hindu zealots, please point out at this time that streets around many a mosque are also choked during Eid prayers. To which I respond that it is equally reprehensible but my speaking out against it would only sound like a communal rant. It is for civic-minded Muslims to raise voice about it. In any case, reform, like charity, should begin at home.)
It does not stop there. Much of the electricity used to light up entire stretches of streets is stolen by putting a hook on public distribution lines. When the festival is over, the lakes where idols are immersed would be littered with thousands of idols big and small releasing plaster of paris and other noxious chemicals into the water. The devout have ignored all pleas by environmental groups to shun idols made with plaster of paris and chemical paints. Nor do they accept, in the name of tradition, immersion in artificial ponds or tanks to avoid polluting lakes. I fail to understand why the Lord who has accepted advancements like plaster of paris and chemicals would not accept modern disposal method too.
The basic problem lies with our acceptance of virtually anything in the name of religion. Even though most people realize that what is happening has nothing to do with religion, they are scared of challenging it. The mentality that allows temples and dargahs to exist in the middle of the road also allows civic atrocities in the name of festivals. Festivals define a society and serve to bring people together. Who can object to them? But is it asking for too much that they be celebrated within the confines of law and in a manner that does not cause large swathes of city to shut down for days on end?
No comments:
Post a Comment