THE JUDGE AND THE JUDGED

Like many others, I am angry at Kapil Sibal – the current minister for communications & IT, who recently suggested censorship of content posted on the Internet. Unlike many others, I don't think the issue is just about freedom of expression. A related freedom is at risk, one that is rarely acknowledged. I want to retain my freedom to criticize and judge!

Indians can be justifiably accused of being a judgmental people. We pass judgments on everything - from a person's race & culture all the way down to his clothes & accessories. No wonder "what will people say" is such an important consideration in our own lives. Every decision we make from life-changing ones of careers and marriages to seemingly meaningless ones like Facebook status updates is driven by this.

When other people's judgment is such an overwhelming presence in my life, my judgment of them is a hard-earned perk of putting up with it. It's a never-ending game of tit-for-tat where unwritten scores are being constantly tracked. When we say offensive things we mean to offend. There is no nice diplomatic way of provoking the reaction we intend.

We are a culture of clashes - our 'unity' doesn't come despite our diversity but out of the resulting clashes. Each of us judging and metaphorically putting each other in place are simultaneously being judged and shifted. This constant chaos is the energy that drives us and makes us who we are.

Coming back to Mr. Sibal: who is he to break out and say he will not be judged while casting his own judgment on the rest of us? No one is exempt from judgment, not even those who think they are. Especially not 'public servants', a term politicians like Kapil Sibal choose to use only when seeking election. Once elected, he may see himself as a Maharaja with the right to judge his public but come the time for re-election, he will humbly need to seek and submit to the public's judgment. I suggest he remembers that!

Everyone may pass a judgment and offend anyone he chooses provided he understands that the same rules apply to him. Better a war of words on the Internet than a war of bombs and guns. If Mr. Sibal succeeds in censoring our words, we will have to resort to other ways of criticism, like slaps and shoe-hurling. Our right to judgment cannot be taken away - it will find an outlet of expression. I'm sure the honourable minister must have realized by now that in seeking to escape, he has effectively painted a bulls-eye on himself!