Abuse alert

I came across this in an online review of the new film Jodha-Akbar: “Some historians and viewers may question the plot lines developed in the film. Some may wonder why the film does not show any indication how, in his later years, Akbar would not allow his son to marry a court dancer.”

I left a comment to the effect that there is no historical record of Akbar opposing his son's marriage to any court dancer or, for that matter, that crown prince Salim wanted to marry any court dancer.

And that while Mughal-e-Azam and Anarkali were fine films, with excellent songs, we shouldn't take them as history.

What I didn't write, but now wish I did, was that expecting the makers of Jodha-Akbar to be bothered about Anarkali was like expecting a researcher on Victorian crime to investigate Sherlock Holme's contribution to criminology.

Anyway, when I went back to the site a few hours later, I was amazed to find this under my comment: “This post has been permanently removed following an abuse alert.”

Abuse alert!

I do wish I could see the abuse.

What was so offensive in what I wrote?

On the other hand, abuse is commonplace on the Web. Senseless, racial abuse.

I'd like to believe that it is the handiwork of a few harmless kids, who don't mean what they write.

But what if it isn't. What if most people are very angry. And have we always been so angry?

Ever since Amitabh Bachchan grew old, one rarely hears the expression 'repressed anger'. Yet the other day my GMAT math tutor said, “In a decade from now, there will be revolution in this country. The child begging from you today will rob you at knife point.”

What I cannot understand is why that begger's elder brother isn't already revolting. Or why his grandfather didn't kill my grandfather. Haven't we humans always had a great deal to be violent about – even without being angry. Why aren't more of us at each other's throats?