Hatred is a tool but also evil by itself because it makes one lose clarity, sensitivity and the ability to stand by the truth, former IIT Delhi professor Vipin Kumar Tripathi said on Sunday.
Prof Tripathi was handing out flyers and leading a discussion on the harmful effects of hate speech amidst a group of concerned citizens gathered at Cubbon Park early on the weekend. These flyers were especially designed keeping the Karnataka elections in mind, imploring people not to submit to the divisive nature of hate speech and prejudice.
He noted that his primary concerns were imperialism and exploitation that marginalised groups face by people in power.
Reflecting on the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the 1989 Bhagalpur riots and the 2002 Godhra massacre pushed him to work on developing a "grassroots, non-violent resistance against communalism”, he said: “The first thing that occurred to me was that this civilisation based on heavy armaments and repression is inhumane."
The professor said that, besides sharing flyers and pamphlets, he undertakes workshops to teach people about humanism.
“I’ve distributed about a hundred thousand pamphlets every year. This time, I aim to remind people to remove prejudice from their heads, focus on current and acute issues they are facing, and vote as human beings, above all else,” he said, adding that people must strive to bring a government that is pro-people, transparent and democratic.