VIEW FROM THE TOP: Let India rise again

The floods in Mumbai have demonstrated that left to ourselves, we can reach out to one another without any distinctions of community, caste and religion.
As a nation, we are quite willing to accept a Muslim as our President, a Sikh as our PM and a Christian lady of Italian origin as the President of the Congress Party.
If our religious and political leaders do not exploit and incite people for their selfish means, Indians have the capacity to live peacefully as neighbours.Compare the Mumbai flood situation with the misgivings and anguish that America experienced after Katrina.
Rich versus poor, black and white, the media reports reflect a deeply divided society. But before we congratulate ourselves, let us remind ourselves about the carnage that happened in Gujarat a few years back. Why do I keep harping on communal harmony?
Since 2002, mercifully there has been no major issue on the Gujarat scale. Maybe, everyone has learnt a lesson. Or, maybe, we buried the problem and as wounds fester, things can ignite at the slightest provocation. It's this second possibility that makes me anxious.
I belong to the minority community of Parsis and I'm aware of the respect India has shown towards all religions. I do not think we would have prospered and thrived as we have done here in any other country.
But I cannot also ignore certain political parties and fanatic religious leaders whipping up hatred against not only Muslims but against Sikhs and Christians.
They have brainwashed the Hindus that they have become marginalised, second-class citizens. Unfortunately, over time even many of the educated Hindus have internalised these prejudices and are now out to teach a lesson to the so-called 'others'.
As long as we follow the principle of retaliation and vengeance, violence will continue to spiral. Wasn't the Gujarat carnage justified as a natural reaction to what happened in Godhra? Today's victims can use the same logic and, tomorrow unleash another round of violence.
Unfortunately, the world's most powerful nation, the US, is legitimising the retaliation principle. Yes, 9/11 was terrible. But it does not justify US aggression in Iraq.
We would do well to look at the South African experience. There, leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu chose the path of reconciliation and forgiveness. Today, even after perpetrating the terrible years of apartheid, the South African whites can live safely there.
In Gujarat, we have not yet brought justice to the victims and the criminals are still at large. There is a terrible divide and the two communities do not want to stay anywhere near each other. Job opportunities have been denied to the Muslims. Those who could afford to do so have moved their businesses out of Gujarat.
What is the solution? Can we rigorously apply the Indian Penal Code to politicians and religious leaders who spew communal hate? If there are genuine grievances with the majority community, let these be openly debated and if necessary, the laws be changed.
Can educational institutions openly spread the message of harmony and encourage students to mix and get to know each other? Can we ban textbooks that go against our pluralistic culture? Can people from the police force or NGOs be trained in reconciliation work as in South Africa so that we can practice it?
It's India that showed the non-violent way and South Africa followed it. Can India once again remember its innate trust and tolerance for peaceful co-existence, where its diverse groups can live together and prosper?
The diversity has given us a rich heritage of culture. Can we sustain and nurture this diversity? Each Indian can play an important role by shunning fundamentalism and relate to fellow human beings on merit.
The author is Director, Thermax Ltd