The nation’s emotionally surcharged political climate seems predisposed to exaggerate fears, amplify mistrust, deepen suspicions, and widen differences. The void in cross-political exchanges has exacerbated political acrimony and recrimination. Civil political commentators fear treading the social media where abusers and trolls rush in spew vitriol on perceived adversaries. The Hindu’s ‘The Huddle’, has filled the vacuum by offering a venue where people can share opinions and articulate beliefs in an atmosphere of fearlessness, mutual respect, and understanding. The sessions in the thought conclave have amply demonstrated the power of civility and moderation to inject the badly needed doses of sanity and dignity into political conversations. Sites such as ‘The Huddle’ train debaters to negotiate disagreements agreeably and prod them to exit their cocoons of reflexive self-righteousness. Democracy can only thrive when people talk, not to convince but to convey; and listen, not to retaliate but to understand. One wishes The Hindu’s print edition replicates the conclave’s heterogeneity of thought and its ideologically inclusive and judgmentally agnostic ecosystem.
V.N. Mukundrajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
