My Kerala Story: Finding liberation in Malabar

Last summer, many parts of India were facing the double-whammy of a hate wave along with a heat wave. In the plains of northern India, summer is almost always a cruel and unforgiving experience. Temperatures above 40 degree Celsius, rising prices for everything from fuel to basic food products and power cuts ensure that frustration and tempers rise with the temperatures.

In a land of high aspiration and low fulfilment, the Muslim is the target of the hate wave, the ire of a disgruntled Hindu majority backed by the power of the state.

The crowded and cosmopolitan city of Mumbai, a place I call home, is less prone to the extremes of climate. It is also, thankfully, less inclined to communal hatred, at least on the surface. Outright state-backed violence does not look like a possibility in the city that hosts the film industry, but discrimination is rife, especially in areas such as housing.

It is easy for a privileged upper-caste Hindu man (that is where I am bracketed in this polarised society, despite my agnosticism) to say that the media and social media are hyping up problems and creating social disorder, but every single time I speak to an Indian Muslim friend,...

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