When Young Children Talk About Hindus/Muslims

A few months ago, I got a shock that still rattles me. My two kids little ones who should be arguing over toys, not ideologies came home tossing around “Hindus this” and “Muslims that.” It wasn’t just chatter; it was “us” versus “them,” spilling out like they’d been coached. I stood there, stunned. Then it clicked: an RSS guy near my house, one of those self-appointed “guardians” who hover like a bad smell, had been talking to them. My kids, too young to spot a snake in the grass, soaked it up. I was furious. I made damn sure that man learned a lesson don’t mess with a Kannadiga’s children. But it’s not just him I’m mad at it’s us, society, for letting this poison creep into their world. We’re humans, not factions. When did we forget that?

Kids Don’t Invent Hate

Kids don’t come wired to divide. My son and daughter didn’t care if their playmate was Hindu, Muslim, or Martian they just wanted someone to run with. Until this guy stepped in, feeding them lines like “Hindus are this” and “Muslims are that.” It wasn’t curiosity; it was a script, handed to minds too young to push back. I caught them echoing it one day casual, like picking teams for a game. But it’s not a game when it’s your kids parroting prejudice they didn’t even choose.

I’m no monk, no saint I’ve got my flaws. But I know kids learn what we let them see. This wasn’t culture or history; it was bias, dressed up as wisdom. I shut it down hard. That RSS guy got a tongue-lashing he won’t forget stay away, or else. My kids got a different lesson: people are people, not labels to fight over. Still, the question gnaws: why’d it even come to this?

Society’s Blind Spot

Here’s the nudge: we’re failing. Not just me, not just that one loudmouth all of us. When a kid starts seeing “Hindu” or “Muslim” before “friend,” it’s not their fault it’s ours. India’s a kaleidoscope, not a battlefield. Karnataka alone has Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Urdu, and more, living side by side. My state’s got Jain temples, Sufi shrines, churches history proves we’ve shared space without tearing it apart. The Constitution backs it too Article 25 says we’re free to believe what we want, not to shove it down throats. So why let some ideologue turn our kids into mouthpieces for a feud they don’t understand?

Look at the numbers: Census 2011 says India’s 79% Hindu, 14% Muslim, plus millions more of every stripe. We’re not one thing, never have been. Forcing kids to pick sides whether it’s RSS pushing Hindu pride or anyone else stoking the flip isn’t unity; it’s amputation. And it’s not just here. X is full of adults doing the same, shouting “my way’s right” like playground bullies. If we can’t grow up, what chance do our kids have?

Living Like Humans

I fixed it at home. My kids don’t talk that trash anymore they’re back to arguing over who gets the bigger dosa. That RSS guy? He steers clear now; he knows I don’t play. But this isn’t about my win it’s about the bigger mess. We’ve got to stop nodding at division like it’s normal. Secular isn’t a dirty word it’s survival. Neutrality isn’t weakness it’s strength to see past the noise. I’m not asking for utopia; I’m asking us to live like humans, not tribes clawing at each other.

When my wife said a cobra in our yard was “good luck” and everyone agreed, I called out the folly not her. Same here. I’m not mad at the RSS guy’s soul just his actions. But society? We’ve got to do better. Teach kids math, stories, how to think not who to blame.

Let them grow up seeing people, not banners. I’m a human who loves my language, my roots, but I don’t need to hate yours to prove it. Neither should my kids. Neither should you.