Cheers and good luck LGBT friends

                  

Our  LGBT friends are celebrating. And justifiably so. A historic wrong festering for 158 years has finally been righted- thanks to the Supreme Court. Our colonial masters had inflicted it on us: the nasty section 377 to put curbs on free individual sexual (consensual) expression according to his/her natural orientation. The orthodox Christian Church diktats and the Victorian sense of pseudo morality – which sound all the more ridiculous now in the present context – were the guiding force behind this imposition. It is “against the order of nature” was the clinching argument to back it up. What a clever, cryptic, self-contradictory and authoritarian play of words to stifle and enslave free spirit of the ruled and to dehumanize them! What exactly is the “order of nature”- would any one enlighten me please? On the contrary, all kinds of (diverse) sexual orientations are very much a part of manifestations of the complex “order of nature”.  Further, if a vast majority of us are straight and the LGBT community a small minority, does that mean that we should ridicule them, treat them with contempt, ostracize them? Every single individual’s liberty and freedom is sacrosanct. Every single human being has a right to live with dignity- so the judges have opined. And wait. There is more in the offing. One more gender-biased, skewed and flawed law (Section 497 on adultery) enforced by the British to suit their own interests and Christian morality is now under the Supreme Court’s gaze, awaiting review. I am sure the SC will annul it too. Thus another historic wrong would be set right.

Well, an appalling violation of human rights that it has been, the scrapping of Section 377 was long overdue. Pity, it took so long. But as the Hindi phrase goes: der ayast, durust ayast. By this single judgement the Supreme Court has done India proud. Now the scrapping of this law will help us go a notch or two up in our ranking   as a modern, progressive, vibrant society in sync with the changing times, sensitive about human rights violations; and can rub shoulders with other forward-looking countries in the world.

As expected, all rational, thinking, liberal Indians have lauded the judgement. Only the bigots, dogmatists, religious zealots, babas, mullahs and padris are peeved and jittery at it.  Well, they love to live in their safe, cosy realms of self-deception perpetuating their half-baked religious beliefs among the gullible masses to fool and exploit them. But they can’t stop the march of times and the sunshine of reason and scientific temper that is gradually lighting up the dark corridors of human mind and clearing the cobwebs of superstition. And about the politicians the less said the better. Though they should have done away with the law decades ago, but they will not look beyond what fetches them votes; to hell with society and the ills that pervade it.  Post judgement, Mr Justice D Y Chandrchud rightly wondered: “Why do politicians sometimes hand over power to the judges and leave sensitive matters to the 'wisdom of the court'?” Well, the reasons are obvious: Votes first; country be damned.

“History owes an apology to the members of the LGBT community,” said Ms. Justice Indu Malhotra who was in the bench too.

Well said... And very true. 

But it is just a battle won, several more need to be fought before the war is over. So good luck LBGT friends and activists!
To me the mantra of life and a happy world is beautifully encapsuled in these 4 simple words: "Live and let live". And if one is able to replace the 'i's with 'o's in the word 'live', so much the better.

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