All the corners are filled up...

With the arrest of former ABVP members suspected of the Malegaon blasts and the killing of the young boy from Bihar on a Mumbai bus the players are all in the ring - the WWF Royal Rumble India Edition (Multi Language Version).

To one side you have MNS led by Raj Thackeray taking on the Bihari public. On the other there are the Muslim terrorists vs Hindu terrorists. Sometimes I feel like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a slumber after many years. What has happened to this country? When did we become so intolerant and ready to blame/kill someone if we feel threatened?

Problems such as unemployment, lack of opportunities and even HIV(!) are promptly blamed on the OTHER. I remember while producing a show on HIV AIDS awareness two years back, the group claimed that it is the outsiders who brought the virus - before that our city was clean(!). It was as if no one indulged in unprotected sex or had multiple partners. This urge to blame some one else for our faults or things beyond our control is a typical Indian habit we learn from childhood. And it has rich rewards.

If you get caught at home blame your brother. In school you can choose anyone who is a rival as long as the teacher believes your sweet innocent face. At work there is always a scapegoat that you can find. Even in the Metro I can see someone who has pushed me accidentally but refuses to apologize but points behind to blame someone else.

Its simple. If we stand Together and blame the Other, none of us feel bad or responsible for the situation. The politicians love this game since it shifts the responsibility from them. No development? Blame the slum dwellers who come from outside. No water? Blame the farmers in the neighbouring state. Unseasonal floods or drought? Blame Amrika for bringing on Climate Change. Climate Change? Not us - it is the methane produced by polar bears farting in the Artic.

This may not be a bad idea. If all my failures can be attributed to a Bihari who is buying a ticket to Delhi at this very moment, I do not have to do anything more. Just wait for him to land up. Raj Thackeray will take care of the rest.