The intolerance debate hasn't gone away. It continues to inspire reactions from people all over society, including this rather colourful poem about polarisation by actor and comedian Javed Jaffrey.
Jis tarah se dharm rangon ko bhi baante ja rahein hain/ki hara Musalman ka hai aur laal Hinduon ka rang hai/ toh woh din bhi door nahin/jab saari ki saari hari sabziyan Musalmanon ki ho jayegi/ Aur Hinduon ke hisse bas gajar aur tamatar hi aayengeAb samajh nahin aa raha is tarbooz kiske hisse jayega/Yeh toh bechara upar se Musalman aur andar se Hindu reh jayega.
(If green is the colour of Muslims, and red is for Hindus, then the day isn't far off when all green veggies would belong to Islam and Hindus will be left with carrots and tomatoes. But now there is a conundrum: What does the poor watermelon do? It's Muslim on the outside, Hindu on the inside).
Jaffrey was speaking at the Janab Aga Sultan Sahab's Hussain Day commemoration, meant to look back at the sacrifices of Imam Hussain. His poem, which begins by identifying the cow as Hindu and the goat as Muslims had made the rounds online, with headlines suggesting it sends a "powerful message" to Indians.
And indeed it could, although it isn't exactly novel to point out that in parts of the country and certainly across public discourse, the majority of Hindus and Muslims find themselves on the opposite sides of debates. Polarisation isn't new, although the manifestation of it continues to evolve.
But that wasn't the most interesting part of Jaffrey's speech. Indeed, while the intolerance shayari might have been useful in sending a message to Indians, Jaffrey also took the opportunity to speak directly to his audience: Moderate Muslims.
"I pray to my god, I follow my religion and I'm a patriot. No one can say that I'm less of a patriot or that I don't respect my Hindu or Christian brothers," Jaffrey said. "There are many Muslim nations where you cannot openly practice your religion... I salute this nation, and I am truly grateful that I was born here."
Jaffrey particularly pointed out the tension that is frequently raised, within the Muslim community and outside it, about being proud of both India and Islam. Speaking specifically to Shia Muslims, who have often been persecuted in Muslim countries, Jaffrey said that they must embrace the liberties India offers its citizens.
"We should not be afraid of saying Jai Hind. This is your country. You can openly convene and openly mourn. There are many countries in the world that don't allow you to do this... Work towards keeping this country together, this is what the Imam taught us."
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