The incomprehensible Mr. Thackeray...

Have you donated anything to charity recently? do you know exactly where your money is going? whom is it going to benefit?



well, next time you donate money to charity or even give anything to a beggar on the streets, you better check their credentials first. no, not their identities or their membership cards. no, you need to check their place of residence.... because, if they belong to any state other than maharashtra, mr. raj thackeray might just accuse you of being un-loyal to maharahtra.



there was a headline in newspapers, a few months back. i think, it went something like this:
"Amitabh Bachchan opens a school for village girls in Uttar Pradesh"

what i read:
"Amitabh Bachchan OPENS A SCHOOL FOR VILLAGE GIRLS in Uttar Pradesh"

what mr. thackeray read:
"AMITABH BACHCHAN opens a school for village girls in UTTAR PRADESH"

according to mr. thackeray, mr. bachchan has been un-loyal to maharashtra (and apparently, disrespected the marathi people) by opening the school in UP. his argument is that mr. bachchan should have opened the school in maharashtra since he now lives here.

is mr. thackeray trying to imply that he must detach himself from his roots?
lets apply this logic to NRIs. they hail from India but have settled abroad. Is he suggesting that all those indians who moved out of the country in search of greener pastures, should now forget about their country? they cant donate to indian charities anymore? they cant contribute towards their country's growth? should those NRIs forget about India, its traditions, its culture and embrace the culture of the country they live in?

i hope the answer to the above questions is 'No'. Because thats not how it works. Citizens of India have rights which even mr. thackeray with all his power and support cannot take away from us.
mr. bachchan can open a school in ANY part of India he wants to. he doesnt have to explain himself to anyone, least of all, to mr. thackeray. if he is indeed concerned about education in maharashtra, why doesnt he himself take the initiative and open schools for girls? if he has done that already, then i would love to know about it and i tender my sincerest apologies to him and all his supporters. but, in my defence, i never heard of him doing anything like that. all i have ever seen him do is give fiery (and sometimes entertaining) speeches. thats it, just speeches.

seriously, what does it matter where the school is located? as long as some village girls are benefitting from mr. bachchan's generous gesture, i think he should be commended for it, and not persecuted. i would advice all of mr. bachcan's detractors to kindly consult their own conscience first. i would suggest that they count how many under-priveleged people (belonging to any state) have they ever helped. if the answer is 'zero', then i'm afraid they have NO RIGHT to point fingers at others for doing the right thing.

Finally, a humble request to anybody reading this.... when people are trying to help other people (it does not matter who these people are, which region, religion, caste they belong to), help them if you can. And if you cant be of any help, atleast dont plant obstacles on their path.

Thought for the day: Live and Let Live!