When Humans of Hindutva first came to Facebook, people greeted it when open arms. The parody page, inspired by the popular Humans of New York, had gained itself a following over time because of its unique content (read jibes) about the right wing and the socio-political status of the country, allowing dissent to foster. With more than 90,000 people religiously following the page today, disappointment hit hard when the anonymous administrator announced that the page will no longer be functional.
“I think the time has come to call it quits,” began the goodbye post on Facebook that was uploaded on Saturday morning. “It was a good run but ultimately I realised that you guys are not worth a bullet in my f*****g head.” (sic). Evidently, the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh seems to be the impetus for the admin to take this step.
How Humans of Hindutva came to being is an interesting story and an act of passion. Following a heated debate with a friend, the admin decided to channel his voice of dissent through satire. “I’m a keen newspaper reader, so was feeling a little irritated about how most people only seem to care about celebrities and cricket,” he recalls. What started as a parody/satire page soon gained a mass following. But following wasn’t the only thing Humans of Hindutva received. From trolls abusing the admin in the comments section to sending him derogatory messages, and even receiving death threats the wrath of those opposing his ideals was on the rise.
At first, the admin tackled all this negativity as a challenge. But with online trolls wanting to take him down by abusing and threatening him, and jumping at any opportunity to report the page, he decided to deactivate the page. And finally, exhausted after putting in efforts over the last couple of months, the anonymous admin decided to call it quits. “I thank you guys for reading through my random thoughts. But now it’s come to the point where I have to argue with people who I thought were on the same side as me. I’m tired of explaining the intention behind my words again and again and again. Your interaction with me has opened up a side inside that I didn’t even know existed but in the bargain it has exhausted me to no end. So I bid you goodbye.” (sic)
However, with the comments sections flooded with sad reactions desperately urging the admin to not leave like this, could it be possible that he might just stay back? Time will tell. Till then, it seems like dissent has gone on a break.
