For the past few weeks, my Facebook
page is flooded with all kinds of articles and news clips and quotes. I have
shared a few as well, which I found appropriate. Being a Theory of Knowledge teacher,
I could not but think what prompted me to select a few articles and share while
leaving the rest to become ghosts in my own personal digital history?
The issues that are being
considered from all fronts remain the same which have piqued the interest of
philosophers- What is meant by nationalism, patriotism, democracy, secularism
etc and above all the liberty of us in the supposedly largest democracy of the
world
Needless to say, that the concept
of every modern state rest on these ideals.However, the recent academic outrage
and the common man’s divided opinion leads me to try to understand these ideals
in relation to recent scenario unfolding in India.
In 1947, gaining independence
seemed easy compared to the perils that the new nation faced- partition, communal riots and massacre, a war at the
front, death of a revered visionary leader and a government at the helm who had
spent most of their pre-independence days in jail or under house arrest.
Nevertheless, we had the plan laid out in front of us- with over 170 million
poor the plan laid out depended heavily on industry instead of agriculture and
irrigation. In the second five year plan, the focus shifted to industries with
massive import. No doubt, the price rose by 30%. And then onward, it has been
a careful tap dance by each successive government. The first government had
already sworn its allegiance to certain group of people- the upcoming industrialists
and a retinue of middlemen.
Over the successive policies and
systems and numerous plans in place, the state of the nation’s health remains
same –Massive number of malnourished, hungry, uneducated, unskilled young
population. The new government at the helm has already revamped and put forth
55 policies and schemes of entitlements or "yojona"- eager as a child to show how
different and lovable they are from the old one.From the very beginning instead
of listening to Gandhi whom the politicians conveniently called Bapu, the
strengthening of clerical education continued with emphasis on Universities
than primary schools. IITs were set up but not many primary schools opened.
Hence the disparities grew- between rich and poor, between employed and
unemployed, between marginalized and the mainstream upper castes. Scientific
education was and still is limited to only a few. When resentment grew,
politicians knew how to appease the masses because they had taken their lesson
from history – from the best people actually- so divide and rule followed.
Instead of secular policies, the various policies of appeasement was started
and is still continuing. Where else on earth would you find a secular government
paying money for the marriage of Muslim girls instead of paying for their
education. This is the story of secularism in India.
The idea and the state sanctified
version of nationalism is closely tied with this policy of deception followed
even from Pre-independence days. Tokenism was the rule of the hour- so starting
from Gandhi in South Africa- the Dalits , the Muslims were accepted as a mere tool to gain power vis a vis
independence. In the entire history of Indian
National Congress in its 130 years of existence, we find just a handful of
Muslim and Dalit names. A country or a party evolves through experiences just
like an individual. Hence Congress is always afraid of a rerun of events
leading to Poona Pact. Thus, instead of eradicating this menace to civilization
once and for all, it continues to treat the issue as a situational skirmish and
individual resentments. And when the appeasement fails, comes the rhetoric that have made them almost the owner of Indian freedom struggle- the idea of
patriotism and nationalism. So Bapu is called upon again and the ghost of the
great statesman saves the sycophancy from total annihilation.
For a country like India, with 22
scheduled languages, diverse customs, a straight-jacketed idea of nationalism as
that of Ireland or Italy or Germany would be difficult to fathom, let alone
work. Our idea of nationalism is as diverse as the land we live in.
Borrowing from Tagore, here is one
idea of nationalism- “Patriotism cannot be our
final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds,
and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live.
”And at the other spectrum of the idea is the belief of Netaji Subhash Chandra-
“Nationalism is inspired by the highest ideals of the human race, the truth,
the God, the beautiful.”
The political
nationalism of Netaji that is flaunted so much nowadays is a borrowed concept
from the West; born of war, guilt and millions of death and destruction. Modern
India is still a land as ancient as the civilizations of the world, born at a
time when the West did not exist. The customs, the philosophy born from this
ancient land is quite different. Here the society gives rise to kings and
government and not the other way round. The idea itself is a failed concept
that has already caused numerous fragmentation of the land on the basis of
language, people of Telengana being the last victims. The tribals, the marginalised people, the
upper castes, the states with their languages- each has their own brand of
nationalism where the loyalty and priority shifts with time and situation.
When it is
convenient, go for regional autonomy, otherwise, talk about national unity. So
whenever there is an exchange of fire at the border, suddenly we are reminded
of our sacred duty to defend our land. At all other times, we are happy to see
our caste, our language, our region prosper at the cost of social, secular
interests of the country as a nation.
It is so amazing that what Tagore said a
hundred years ago still holds true-“Yes,
this is the logic of the Nation. And it will never heed the voice of truth and
goodness.It will go on in its ring-dance of moral corruption, linking steel
unto steel, and machine unto machine; trampling under its tread all the
sweet flowers of simple faith and the living ideals of man.”
It is time that we
upheld that simple faith and the living ideals of man and not this profound and
all engulfing hatred called as Nationalism.
