It would be practical to hold the opinion that in democracy none can practise pure untouchability or neutrality towards politics; however, anybody may claim to be apolitical and detached. Whether it is education, social service, literary pursuits, performing arts or armchair social media interventions, it influences political and social life of individual and community. At the same time, civilised and cultured society learns to put secular social causes and humanistic interests far beyond political affiliations and ideologies. Post-independence, the nation’s social and political leadership in collaboration with the people of India has well demonstrated this harmonious mix to foster development of all and successfully attempted to answer the concerns of the underprivileged sections and the religious, linguistic or cultural minorities. Sadly, Bharat badal raha hai.
As I start thinking about the old school days where it was a routine to recite the prayer at the daily school assembly “India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters; I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage;………In their wellbeing and prosperity alone lies my happiness”, little we could grasp the inner significance of the words. Looking at the renewed vigour of social frictions and communal discord of the recent times which actually was receding, it looks we are on a track where reason, compassion and brotherhood would be the casualties. The political leadership of today appears to enjoy blowing the bugle of nationalism and terrorism. This wild noise is somehow getting acceptability from the majority community as good nationalist music.
Though a tragedy, all other social, political and economic issues are juxtaposed in context of nationalism and terrorism. The policy of reservations and protection to the ‘educationally and socially’ backward is eyed as weakening national productivity and efficiency. Minority rights and privileges are positioned as negation of equality and hampering national interests. Any reasoned attack on the current establishment is clubbed as work of pseudo-intellectuals and anti-nationals. Those who espouse the cause of progressive principles, liberty and free expression are dumped as worshippers of Western culture and enemies of the rich Indian cultural traditions. The heroes of India’s freedom struggle and builders of post-independent India are painted as villains by the current ruling dispensation and their organised, efficient, well-oiled brigade.
If all this is politics of the election season, it is understandable and can be ignored as a storm in a tea-cup. However, this is not so. This is a systematic, pre-meditated and pre-planned design for something sinister and undesirable. The dirty games are entering the blood stream of youth and the general public breaking the fraternity between friends, neighbours and communities. The totally irrational behaviour is not confined to politicians but has inundated the minds of the otherwise sane people of India. People with whom I have grown with and those towards whom we have affections, shared childhood memories and growing up years behave and conduct themselves as if they have lost their power to process rationally and independently. I realise I am losing respect for my friends in profession and well-placed in life for their irreverent thoughts on good people. Not to mention former Indian Prime Ministers or internationally acclaimed artists, economists and film makers. They castigate Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi treating them as filth of India. I sincerely pity the next generation that they nurture and the values they propose to inject. My daughter writes to me saying that when “my uncle enforces his positive opinion on lynching and my elderly cousin sister talks of Kashmiri girls in derogatory language”, what esteem should I hold and what relationship should I maintain in future?
The right-wing organisations such as the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha, and Sanatan Sanstha are no doubt involved in grassroots social work. At the same time, they hold narrow and sectarian views. Their social and political ideology is in sharp contrast to the idea of progressive India. The same is the ideology of the BJP. But, the BJP is on a winning spree under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Whether it is general elections to the Parliament or the State Assemblies, it’s BJP all the way with sparse space for opposition parties. Further, wherever, there is a duly elected non-BJP government, their managers are swift to dislodge the same by winning over the elected representatives of opposition parties. At any cost and in any way, BJP wants to be in power. Even if it means keeping the State of Karnataka under a one-man cabinet comprising Chief Minister Yeddyurappa for over four weeks, it does not matter and nobody including media chatters. The majority community blinded by nationalism and perceived threats of terrorism has only choicest words of appreciation. As a political party, BJP has a right for its share in democratic institutions. The party also has the responsibility to fine tune its ideology to the idea of India as enshrined in the constitution and the national integration prayer which is inscribed on every school textbook.
The change that is catching the people of India due to overblown nationalism and puncturing of diversity and humanism is depressing. The lines of poet William Blake “To see a World in a Grain of Sand; And a Heaven in a Wild Flower” motivate in such less fortunate times. Patriotism is not the monopoly of the RSS and BJP. In pre-independent India, it was largely the monopoly of the Congress of those times. At the most, the RSS can take pride that the Hindu Rashtra meaning not only nation of Hindus but ruled as per Hindu Codes is their monopoly and unique selling proposition. In post-independent India, corruption almost became a Congress monopoly but no longer now. Today, it’s a competitive market in corruption where BJP has emerged as the market leader.
(The writer is an educationist and political commentator)
