The past three days have been a blur of joy, feverish excitement and at times even a sense of achievement. That sense of achievement set me thinking: Why? Why do I feel thus? I am not going to be the PM or a cabinet minister or even a MP. Why should I then feel as if I achieved something. Have I begun to identify myself so strongly with the BJP that I should feel natural joy at their victory and celebrate it as my own? My thoughts caused me to stumble upon a part of my mind that had withdrawn because of the sensational victory but immediately reacquainted with me. A constant companion in days less hectic and more thoughtful, I viewed this forgotten part and now feel duty bound to share thoughts born out of our reunion.
My encounter with my own ideas and thoughts have caused me to once again give up all celebration or arrogance that inevitably crops up if you win a long and difficult battle. I now thankfully remember that what Modi and the BJP meant to me: no more than a medium to realize my dream of a strong and developed India, an India standing tall on Her sacred feet, blessing us with sustenance, prosperity and above all spirituality as a loving mother would and India is a 'mother like no other'. Now that the medium through which we hope to accomplish our goals has been put in place, our priority becomes to ensure its successful working. It wouldn't do well if we were to lose focus; after all we are not a monarchy but a democracy and the successes and failures will both be attributed in part to us, the voters. The failures, perhaps more so.
What should be our goal or goals from now on? We had acquired momentum during the campaign and it would be wise to channel it further rather than allowing it to dissipate. To channel it requires a direction and I will attempt to present one which my mind seems to follow; truly for a group as diverse as ours, one direction, that too proposed by a little known figure like me will hardly suffice. That is not the purpose either. My aim in writing this piece is to merely cause the group into thinking, strategizing and acting, making sure that the issues remain in the limelight and work on them commences and takes form of definitive and visible achievements.
Our foremost aim is the establishment of Indian identity. Truly, India is a great nation and yet we are, even now, no better than slaves. It will put off many when they see that a piece about the direction a group of dedicated nationalists should take begins with an issue as controversial as identity. National identity is, today, a taboo topic, kept taboo by a group of academicians and media-persons who have a vested interest in preventing any resurgence of Nationalism. Many dismiss the notion of a group of educated and literate people suppressing nationalism deliberately to benefit a foreign nation. However think again as to what Nationalism leads to? What is it that we call as nationalism? There must be better definitions I am sure, but I give one of my own: Nationalism is an emotion, a sentiment that creates a feeling of belongingness to a nation and binds you to help, assist, defend, work or care in any other way for the well-being of the nation in the face of a threat. Obviously outsiders would prefer that our response to an attack (whether militaristic or ideological) be divided, uncoordinated and overall weak. It is strange that India which boasts of almost 22 official languages besides many others that have not been included in the eighth schedule, decides the educational and social status based on fluency in English, the language of the erstwhile colonialists. People often say that all lands and cultures evolve and Indian culture needs to evolve too to meet the requirement of modern times. It is an ignorant view. True all cultures evolve, but those that ape others soon lose themselves to antiquity and the dusty pages of History books. In any case most such people believe that Indian culture was inferior and therefore the British or the Mughals conquered it. The classic case of lack of national identity and the absence of cultural security. I must make an observation here: A culture dies out when its constituents shift to another that appeals more to them. Superiority and inferiority are terms that are used by historians to categorize. It has no bearing on the real value. If Indians desert their culture to adopt a foreign one then the Indian culture will be judged weak; if we retain it and continue to add to its vast and rich heritage it will be judged strong. So truly speaking Indian culture is not weak. I, in fact consider it very strong, because it has survived so long and my belief is firm that it will survive into the future as well.
Indian Nationalism can be born out of its culture only which is unique in many aspects. India is the simultaneous name for a region, a group of religions, a culture and a way of life. To establish it and secure it should be our prime aim. How to do it? The first steps are very simple indeed: throw off the vestiges of foreign rule and develop ourselves. I do not advocate drastic or hasty steps. It has taken India almost 1200 years to fall, so no matter what Modi says all the damage cannot be reversed in sixty months. A start can be made with an objective in mind and that is what we require now. The first steps are thus: Bring in uniform civil code, re-write the Indian Penal Code according to Indian sensibilities and not western ones, start research and studies for the revitalization of the Sanskrit Language to enable it to replace English as the language of the elite and Hindi as the language of the masses, make Hindi and its various dialects a regional language at par with the languages of the South like Tamil or Malyalam, start awareness programmes on a massive scale to cure social evils, prepare plans to phase out reservations and all manner of special privileges based on status by birth provided by Governments, present History in its true form to restore Indian self-esteem and overall promote intellectuals with a pro-India attitude. The above steps are crucial for restoration of Indian pride and a sense of national discipline the like of which is displayed by nations like Japan or perhaps Germany in the days of Bismarck.
My encounter with my own ideas and thoughts have caused me to once again give up all celebration or arrogance that inevitably crops up if you win a long and difficult battle. I now thankfully remember that what Modi and the BJP meant to me: no more than a medium to realize my dream of a strong and developed India, an India standing tall on Her sacred feet, blessing us with sustenance, prosperity and above all spirituality as a loving mother would and India is a 'mother like no other'. Now that the medium through which we hope to accomplish our goals has been put in place, our priority becomes to ensure its successful working. It wouldn't do well if we were to lose focus; after all we are not a monarchy but a democracy and the successes and failures will both be attributed in part to us, the voters. The failures, perhaps more so.
What should be our goal or goals from now on? We had acquired momentum during the campaign and it would be wise to channel it further rather than allowing it to dissipate. To channel it requires a direction and I will attempt to present one which my mind seems to follow; truly for a group as diverse as ours, one direction, that too proposed by a little known figure like me will hardly suffice. That is not the purpose either. My aim in writing this piece is to merely cause the group into thinking, strategizing and acting, making sure that the issues remain in the limelight and work on them commences and takes form of definitive and visible achievements.
Our foremost aim is the establishment of Indian identity. Truly, India is a great nation and yet we are, even now, no better than slaves. It will put off many when they see that a piece about the direction a group of dedicated nationalists should take begins with an issue as controversial as identity. National identity is, today, a taboo topic, kept taboo by a group of academicians and media-persons who have a vested interest in preventing any resurgence of Nationalism. Many dismiss the notion of a group of educated and literate people suppressing nationalism deliberately to benefit a foreign nation. However think again as to what Nationalism leads to? What is it that we call as nationalism? There must be better definitions I am sure, but I give one of my own: Nationalism is an emotion, a sentiment that creates a feeling of belongingness to a nation and binds you to help, assist, defend, work or care in any other way for the well-being of the nation in the face of a threat. Obviously outsiders would prefer that our response to an attack (whether militaristic or ideological) be divided, uncoordinated and overall weak. It is strange that India which boasts of almost 22 official languages besides many others that have not been included in the eighth schedule, decides the educational and social status based on fluency in English, the language of the erstwhile colonialists. People often say that all lands and cultures evolve and Indian culture needs to evolve too to meet the requirement of modern times. It is an ignorant view. True all cultures evolve, but those that ape others soon lose themselves to antiquity and the dusty pages of History books. In any case most such people believe that Indian culture was inferior and therefore the British or the Mughals conquered it. The classic case of lack of national identity and the absence of cultural security. I must make an observation here: A culture dies out when its constituents shift to another that appeals more to them. Superiority and inferiority are terms that are used by historians to categorize. It has no bearing on the real value. If Indians desert their culture to adopt a foreign one then the Indian culture will be judged weak; if we retain it and continue to add to its vast and rich heritage it will be judged strong. So truly speaking Indian culture is not weak. I, in fact consider it very strong, because it has survived so long and my belief is firm that it will survive into the future as well.
Indian Nationalism can be born out of its culture only which is unique in many aspects. India is the simultaneous name for a region, a group of religions, a culture and a way of life. To establish it and secure it should be our prime aim. How to do it? The first steps are very simple indeed: throw off the vestiges of foreign rule and develop ourselves. I do not advocate drastic or hasty steps. It has taken India almost 1200 years to fall, so no matter what Modi says all the damage cannot be reversed in sixty months. A start can be made with an objective in mind and that is what we require now. The first steps are thus: Bring in uniform civil code, re-write the Indian Penal Code according to Indian sensibilities and not western ones, start research and studies for the revitalization of the Sanskrit Language to enable it to replace English as the language of the elite and Hindi as the language of the masses, make Hindi and its various dialects a regional language at par with the languages of the South like Tamil or Malyalam, start awareness programmes on a massive scale to cure social evils, prepare plans to phase out reservations and all manner of special privileges based on status by birth provided by Governments, present History in its true form to restore Indian self-esteem and overall promote intellectuals with a pro-India attitude. The above steps are crucial for restoration of Indian pride and a sense of national discipline the like of which is displayed by nations like Japan or perhaps Germany in the days of Bismarck.
What is to be our role? Further campaign and above all fearless campaign. I can say from experience, for I am supporter of Modi's governance and administration from as far back as 2009 and of his candidature for Prime Minister from the day the SIT failed to prove charges on him, that no matter how controversial or taboo an idea is it always has power if it is logically just. All ideas above are logically just and therefore like Modi their time will come. Again, like Modi, what they require is that we spread them far and wide and bring them in focus. Let me enumerate why we need all of these things:
- Uniform Civil Code: So that all people are ruled by the same law and fanatical and radical elements are not appeased at the cost of the precious plural fabric of the Nation. Practices like polygamy or marriage with minors are not part of Indian sensibilities, neither of antiquity nor modern, and need to be dealt with harshly.
- Re-writing the Indian Penal Code as per Indian sensibilities: So that the outdated laws and the new illogical ones are replaced by laws that Indian administration can actually implement and that Indians find easy to accept. I advocate death penalty for rapists and murderers and withdrawal of Human Rights for terrorists.
- Re-introduction of Sanskrit as the major language: English is a foreign language and our acceptance of it as a language of the elite is our acceptance of the superiority of the British. For Australians or Americans such status being accorded to English is natural as they are descendants of the British directly and recently. Even so there are differences in dialect and accent; Australian English and American English are not the same as British English. In fact some differences are absurd and appear a deliberate attempt to make a distinction. Why should we, when we have a treasure trove of languages to chose from, accept a language taught to us by a tyrant of older days? Much of our ancient literature is in Sanskrit and we remain cut-off from it because of our lack of learning. True genius of our fore-fathers wasted because we do not stand up and accept them as our own.
- Start awareness programmes to end social evils: By far the most important measure that needs to be taken to address India's problems. We need to resurrect our cultural conflicts from the vagaries of Western funded materialism which many mistake to be Western Culture. Western Culture in itself is quite vast and rich and perhaps on par with our own; this materialism is neither a part of it nor does it in any way add to it. Additionally some social evils like caste cannot be combated by reservations or doles which only highlight the fractures. People need to be reminded that the practice of caste by birth is actually against Vedas which are the basis of Hinduism. Others such as veiling of women and preventing their education need to be fought by reminding people that they were knee-jerk responses to guard women from the corrupt and lecherous Islamic invaders of medieval India.
- Phasing out of special privileges by the Government to people based on birth: Such schemes need to be phased out slowly. For instance it is time that the BJP and Modi kept their word that reservations will go for the third generation. Such plans ensure a slow and steady evolution of the society as a whole and prevents their misuse for vote-bank purposes.
- Presenting History correctly: Our History is full of glorification of the wrong and ridicule of the right. That to maintain the image of Gandhi, Ashoka had to be glorified. That too keep the minorities happy the boorish Mughals and the cruel Delhi Sultanates had to be glorified, that to sanctify the Congress the Partition and the riots surrounding it had to be downplayed. The fact of the matter is the academicians actually know and accept the excesses done in history. Why not tell it all to us? They say that it will promote communalism; in reality it keeps us blissfully unaware of a past that repeats itself every few months in the form of bombs and massacres.
I am certain that I am part of a larger group that thinks on the same lines as me and it is my intention to make whatever contribution I can to that group for I also believe myself and this group to be truly nationalist. Indians must unite for the common aim; the survival and glorious resurgence of the original India. Does the group have any membership criteria? Only undying nationalism. Hindus and Muslims, Brahmins and Harijans, Women and Men, Tall and Short, Fair and Dark and anyone else can be and is a part. The only thing that remains is that the group becomes focused on its aims and carries the momentum of Mr. Modi's victory forward to translate it into some tangible achievements. We should become coordinated and campaign for the Nation's cause. You might wonder why I have not included any industrial or defense related issues. Simply because the Government will gain itself when it focuses on them and therefore there is enough incentive for them to do so. The issues that are vital and yet not an incentive to the Government are the ones that we need to take up. So to all Nationalists, just like buying a new book is never an objective but reading it is, so is Mr. Modi's victory not our real objective but ensuring that it lives upto its promises and our expectations is. It is our next goal after the first has been achieved. Good luck to you all and some to myself and Jai Hind.
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