Blood moon and Indian madness

We may know a lunar eclipse as a perfectly normal celestial phenomenon, but there is a long history of superstition, hearsay and lore connected to it. I know it looks like a page out of Terry Pratchett’s books, but ancient Chinese thought that the moon is momentarily swallowed by a three-legged toad. The Mayans and Incans thought it is swallowed by a jaguar. But perhaps, the most amazing interpretation came from Mesopotamia, where it was believed that seven demons were attacking the moon, and while at it, their king as well. The beleaguered king would then hide and an imposter king would be introduced to fool the demons. When the eclipse was over, the poor temp would be poisoned to death and the real brave king would return.

Man sees what he chooses to. In this demon-haunted world, he is bound to see blood everywhere. I can always go into the long history of man’s fascination and fear of the dark liquid that runs through his veins, but something tells me it goes way beyond the scope of this piece. So it was natural that the full lunar eclipse on October 8, a perfectly natural phenomenon, be referred to as Blood Moon and not Strawberry or Orange Moon for that matter. And yet, the fear of eclipse is the fear of shadows too. The very shadows, which according to the Doctor of Dr Who, contain swarms of Vashta Nerada, microscopic carnivorous beings known to strip flesh from your bones. And shadows bring me to our neighbours.

As someone who grew up in a house which was more superstitious than religious, I know we Pakistanis have our fair share of superstitions. But they pale before what goes on in India. Given that moon madness is no longer just associated with the full moon, but also with the full lunar eclipse, I would have sworn it has engulfed our superstitious neighbour had I not known that it all began much before any recent celestial event. Our good old largest bullying democracy seems to have lost its marbles and insists on finding them in the lands of its neighbours.

Nobody knows why from time to time nations decide to go mad. Germany did under Hitler’s rule. The United States manifested similar signs when it was to invade Iraq in 2003 and French fries were renamed ‘freedom fries’. We also recovered from a total breakdown of reason only a week ago. Nations often have an embedded autocorrect to bring them back to sanity. But the Indian case is truly heartbreaking. Ambition does terrible things to people. Imperial hubris can transform nations into walking talking imitations of King George III.

What ails India today? The heartburn at seeing a rapidly growing and influential China in the neighbourhood. The longing for being a great nation status. Indians see only numbers. China has a population of more than one billion, so does India. But what about sustainable capacity? Surely, you are an enemy if you ask that. Remember the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 when former and incumbent US presidents went to the Indian embassy to learn about the damage and were instead lectured on the country’s size and greatness? India’s second demon is the growing dislike for its Muslim history, which I grant you, was deeply flawed. These two sentiments brought Mr Modi to power. And now, instead of seeing what it did to itself, it complains of being ostracised, misunderstood. Mr Modi, who sat through the US state dinner, sipping only hot water (pray, why accept to participate in a dinner when you are fasting or was it purely display of arrogance and superstitions) was received by some 20,000 Indian expats at the Madison Square Garden. This should tell you the damage Indians have done to themselves.

India has size and trappings of a great power, all right. Power and influence would have come naturally to the country in due course. But its premature desire to get it all now is killing the goose laying the golden eggs. It still is not ready. It is the country that starts pounding the Line of Control with mortar shells after losing a home cricket series to Pakistan, or after an unsuccessful foreign tour of its newly elected prime minister. Meanwhile, dissent in India is silently fading away. In short, blood moon or none, the eclipse of common sense in India started when it decided to elect Mr Modi as prime minister and its demons will only go away when the new king goes away.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2014.

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