The Anatomy of Hate is a deep dive into the minds of people who committed heinous crimes during the 2002 Gujrat riots. On the morning of 27th February 2002, more than 50 Hindu pilgrims and Kar Sevaks were killed in a fire in one of the bogie of Sabarmati Express near Godhara station in Gujrat. The cause of the fire is still disputed. The mishandling and mismanagement of the Gujrat government post this tragic incident led to state-wide riots in Gujrat killing many people and rendering lakhs homeless, mostly Muslims. The book tells the story of three men who actively took part in the riots and tried to understand the hate that drove them to do what they did. These three people, from different social and economic backgrounds, were part of the mob and actively took part in riots. The author tried to understand what goes inside the minds of the people who commit violence.
“The twenty-eighth was not a calendar day. It was a black hole that bent time. In the lives of Suresh, Dungar, and Pranav, it re-arranged all previous days and experiences. There were always many choices to be made: what part of their identities to sharpen, what to suppress. Choice is a vexing word. What part of choice applies when a tidal wave of anger tears through a state?”
The book is a result of extensive research and interviews over a decade by the author. She presents the family, social and economic backgrounds of these three people, to give the readers a perspective of who were or can be the part of a violent mob. She tells what happened before the night of 28th February and how it led these man to react and take action. It tells the readers how the system/state lures the vulnerable and weak sections of the society into committing such crimes. Also, how it brainwashes general public through propaganda and fanning religious sentiments and uses them to further their agenda.
“There was a part of Dungar that was always ashamed of not having a pucca house with a marble floor like he had seen some Muslim traders build for themselves. On trips to nearby towns and farther out to big cities, as he wateched people is fancy cars and air-conditioned homes, the poison was slowly building. How small and insignificant his life was. And how uncomfortable. Now was the chance for that long-supressed rage to merge with tidal wave sweeping across Gujrat. Anger with a purpose.”
The book also talks about the aftermath of the riots and how each of the three people reacted. Did they realize that they committed a heinous crime? Were there any remorse? Did they accept the wrongs they do? Did they try to make amends? All these and many more such questions are answered by the author. She has dissected hate and opened the mind of a mob and presented what are the ingredients which can turn an individual into a violent and brainless mob. By telling the story of these three men the author lets the readers know – who we are, what we have become and what can we become if our minds are piosened by hatered.
About the Author
Revati Laul is an independent journalist and film-maker based in New Delhi. She started her career in television with NDTV, and has more recently shifted to print, writing for Tehelka, The Quint, the Hindustan Times among others. This is her first book.
Our Verdict
The Anatomy of Hate is a must-read for everyone who want to know about the 2002 Gujrat riots and understand what is it that turns an individual into a frenzied mob.