Anger on the streets

The burning of the Khandava forest for instance is an act of extreme violence, unforgivable within the epic's own moral code

Brute force is on full display on Indian streets. At the recent protests by the Maratha community in Mumbai and its outskirts, buses and cars were torched without any fear of the law or retribution. In Delhi, hordes of men in saffron and black robes have run riot for nearly a month, destroying, without check, all that comes their way in the name of Shiva. Violence and anger on the streets and in everyday conversations are now seen as normal, while their censure has become arbitrary.

Tribalism and sectarianism are defining right and wrong today, just as they did in the