2023 has begun to wilt and I am sure many New Year resolutions are being realigned with reality. However, one can and should expect a lot from this year, given the many opportunities to learn that 2022 gave us.
A for Accountability – Indians should not only demand accountability from others but be accountable to others. It seems that many believe that being accountability is a sign of weakness and a stumbling block to all forms of acquisition. In the absence of accountability, we as a society are doomed to relive our history.
B for Better – We can be better. There is always scope for improvement. But to improve, we and the country need to accept criticism. There is a new found dogma of the infallibility of the country and leader. This has percolated down to individuals believing they are irreproachable. Don’t expect growth and development if one is unable and unwilling to acknowledge personal failings.
C for Constitution – The Indian Constitution is what defines us as a country and a people. It is the sole common feature that we uphold, it is a guide that is supposed to be universally applicable. India’s growth and development is proportional to the number of Indians living under the protection of the Constitution.
D for Democracy – Today many claim that this land is the world’s oldest democracy and the ‘mother of democracy’. If it were, would there be Casteism? It is a fact that the system of governance in Malana- the village in Himachal Pradesh with an ancient bi-cameral parliament- has not been copied by other areas before Independence. Why this modern rush to lay claim to being the oldest democracy when historically no other part of this land accepted this system?
E for Empathy – The strong intangible bonds that make this country are being loosened in an attempt to replace them with ties of hate, fear and self-righteous revenge. Citizens are turning on each other on religious, caste and other grounds. If empathy, re-enforced in the Constitution, continues to be diluted, no one will be safe.
F for Facts – It is a fact that Facts are under threat. There is an industry with a formal and informal supply-chain that distributes daily doses of siloed emotional drivel containing titbits that reaffirm prejudices. This pleasurable numbing of the intellect blocks critical thinking. A country where Facts are unimportant is a fool’s paradise.
G for Greatness – Greatness is not an end to itself. Neither is it a virtue or an excuse to claim authority or demand unquestioning fealty. Citizens are being bombarded with messages of how great the country and its leader is. This land is plastered with encomiums to the leader and his work. However, what kind of greatness is it when so much time, effort and tax-payers money is spent on making this claim? The Shri Bhagavad Gita says ‘karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi ’ ie ‘You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction’
H for Hindsight – Many in India have converted hindsight into a superpower. They confidently blame dead people for the country’s situation. Hindsight is not used as a method to learn from the past to strengthen the future but as a socio-political weapon. It is used to undermine the accomplishments of the country as a way to prop up the government and its leaders.
I for India – The modern dream of returning to Hindu nation is delusional. A Hindu nation never existed because Hindu kings warred with each other. What this land was in the past was a vanity project of kings and their dynasties who saw neighbours, irrespective of religion, as enemies who needed to be vanquished. The fact that this land was ruled by many dynasties shows the fragility of any form of authoritarian rule. The idea of India is defined and protected by the Constitution.
J for Jingoism – Religious, national and personality-driven jingoism fuels the country today. Jingoism has nothing to do with reality. It is a poor response to the inability to deal with reality of China, unemployment and a country being torn apart.
K for Kindred – For a long time, the country revelled in its differences because the Constitution made us kindred. There is history to show that diversity has always been a feature of this land. This diversity is what the Constitution enshrines. However, purposeful religious parochialism is morphing this diversity into differences. The sense of being a nation and citizen now has religious overtones, in the process a large section of Indians are being made to feel they are not citizens.
L for Love Jihad – The bogey of Love Jihad is recent. It is an offshoot of the ancient caste system which prevented inter-caste marriage and interaction, the practice continues to this day. Love Jihad combines the bogeys of Muslim population increase with Muslim boys enticing Hindu girls into marriage. The creep of this fear has resulted in vigilantism. Young couples have been hounded and thrashed for being together in public. In this day and age when the country celebrates women joining the armed forces it still finds it necessary to socially restrict her. Modern India should learn to Let consenting adults be.
M for Media – The Supreme Court recently highlighted the role Indian media is playing to divide the country. This is not surprising; the government uses a carrot and stick approach to ensure their narrative is disseminated. Media are recipients of government advertising budgets and simultaneously the government uses its administrative and policing branch to keep a check on the media. Most media cater to an audience who are supporters of the current dispensation’s philosophy thus they need to become government propaganda outlets. In such a situation those living in silos increase and the value and role of critical thinking in society diminishes.
The alphabet list will continue next month.
(Samir Nazareth is an author and writes on socio-economic and environmental issues)
