India has completed 62 years of independence from the British rule on this 15th August.
Well truly speaking we were under a foreign rule ever since Muhammad Ghori defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan way back in 11th century. But we had accepted them and the subsequent Tughlaqs, Lodhis and Mughals as our brethren. They amalgamated into the society so well that nobody actually felt they were under any oppression. It was largely due to the way the rulers ruled especially Akbar. But after Aurangzeb came to power situations began to change drastically. It was the first time when a spirit of nationalism arose among the Marathas, the very first in the history of India. It was short-lived and actually turned more towards imperialism with the decline of the Mughals.
So, when Robert Clive arrived in Murshidabad in 1750’s, India was not like that we know now. It was fragmented on the lines of religion, language, caste and what else. The British were always thought to be meddlers from outside and they never could be woven into the social fabric. An uprising did occur in 1857 but in it personal interests played a more important role than the nationalist ones as is proved from the non-participation of Punjab, Scindia, Nizam among others. It cannot be altogether rejected as a sepoy mutiny but neither could it be called a war of INDIAN independence.
But the British did push us into the modern era albeit for their personal gains. The railways, telegraph, land & socio-economic reforms along with large scale industries would have taken a long time to come were it not for the British. But eventually, especially after the 1905 Bengal partition, nationalism arose in India in spite of all the differences nature could provide. And then came the day when we gained our freedom after lot of struggle and sacrifices.
But the India that we got after such a struggle comprised of 500 odd states excluding the British India. To add to our troubles was the reluctance of states like Nizam & Junagadh to join us as was the indecision on the part of Kashmir. But with the persistence and expertise of leaders like Sardar Patel, we were able to complete the union using both words and bullets as and where required. Eventually on 26th January 1950, India was declared a republic.
But these six decades have not been without turbulence and it all started few months after independence when our brother, the newly carved out Pakistan attacked Kashmir and ever since this is one problem we haven’t been able to solve even after three full-fledged wars and numerous pseudo wars. To compound to the problems there have been numerous religious and ethnic conflicts which have gained momentum after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. We have suffered from breach in confidence from China in 1962 that broke Panchasheel to attack us. Pakistan and Bangladesh (which was incidentally helped by us in gaining freedom in 1971) are known to harbour terrorists who have repeatedly tried to disrupt our socio-economic system time and again. Ethnic and political reasons in Nepal, Bangladesh and Srilanka have also compounded our problems by pouring in a lot of refugees.
But we have never yielded in these six decades and hope will not do anytime in the future. We have kept successfully kept our social fabric intact and have progressed economically so much that we are teemed as one of the potential superpowers in making.
Nowhere in this world will anyone find states divided linguistically. The cultural diversity in India along its length and breadth is non-existent even in the vastly big Russia spanning over two continents. The way we can bounce back even when pushed to the wall is just remarkable. A special mention in this regard should be done of the Mumbaikars, the valiant and energetic of the lot.
Even though we live in a kind of a furnace with unstable inflammatory countries outside and boiling states inside, we have been able to sustain development and create indigenous revolutions like the Food revolutions of the 1960’s and the economic ones of 1990’s.
We have been able to excel both in cultural and scientific front as well. People ranging from Sachin Tendulkar to Pt. Ravishankar , Satyajit Ray to J R D Tata, Homi Bhabha to Amitabh Bachchan are popular all over the world and have brought laurels to the country.
In spite of the differences, discrepancies, corruption (Transparency International regularly puts us in the 70s of their annual list), needless communalism & regionalism, illiteracy and poverty we have been voted as the happiest country in the world. Slowly and steadily we are approaching the pinnacle of success which our great leaders had aimed of. Its noteworthy to say that no other country which gained freedom in the previous century, with the exception of China, Singapore and few others, have not attained such success levels. While diversity has caused many nations to crash, we have gone from strengths to strengths and will do so in eons to come.
JAI HIND !!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Gandhiji: As I Perceive
Disclaimer: The views about Gandhiji are all my own and has no influence from any man or woman, dead or alive. All views are based on my reading over the years and most recently that of his autobiography.
I have liked Gandhiji ever since I came across his contributions in my high school history books. Movies like Gandhi and Making of Mahatma also helped in making a picture of the great man in my mind. I always found Gandhiji relevant in modern times as well. And this was well proved for any non-believer by the success of the movie, “Lagey Raho Munnabhai” which escalated the popularity of Sanjay Dutt and coined the word GANDHIGIRI.
Well such was the situation when one of my friends gifted Gandhiji’s autobiography four-five months back. I didn’t get much chance to go beyond few chapters because of academic obligations. This may I had the fortune to visit the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad. The place again reconfirmed his greatness and I got back to the book as soon as I came back home. The speed ever increased after my NET examinations. Now I have finished four parts out of the five in the book.
The autobiography as we all know deals with his numerous experiments that led to salvation and truth. He had experimented with dietics, way of living and slowly and steadily had evolved into the man whom we adore and respect.
I do respect most of his experiments but I beg to differ with few of his experiments. I really don’t like the fact that he kept his sons and other youngsters in his South African and Indian ashrams devoid of any literary education. I realize that he wanted them to devote their life for the cause of the nation and the community. But I feel that it would have been better if they would have been educated because literary education does help in the matters in which he dealt with as was proved time and again by him and the other congress leaders. In this respect we could certainly mention Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who despite being oppressed in every step since childhood did successfully put the causes of his fellow brethren because of his education. So, an educated man in reality is a bigger asset than any educated man.
His experiments with nursing and dietics are well known. But in his South African days he used to prevail his ideas over others and they used to obey him out of respect and love. Sometimes this appears more as stubbornness on his part. This stubbornness has been visible even later in his life which seems not good for a man of his stature. His blind belief on British government was also not a good virtue.
But it is to the credit of the man that he so well amalgamated into the Indian society. He blended well and well-led the freedom struggle when the nation had become leaderless after the death of Gokhale. Let every nation be blessed with such sons of soil.
SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS:
I have always condemned and still condemn the way Gandhiji died. It’s our misfortune that a man who always put words over bullets was killed by bullets of people who clearly misunderstood him.
We have put him everywhere from currency notes to road corners but have brought disgrace by not giving him the due respect he commands. The statues are seldom respected and money is used for good and bad equally. At least the bad should think twice before doing something evil with the piece of paper having the greatest son of soil inscribed on it.
And lastly regarding the abuses that are being hurled on him time and again which was repeated again by a leader.
Is it not the duty of the common man to at least extract respect for Gandhiji and publicly condemn the leaders who do such heinous things?
I have liked Gandhiji ever since I came across his contributions in my high school history books. Movies like Gandhi and Making of Mahatma also helped in making a picture of the great man in my mind. I always found Gandhiji relevant in modern times as well. And this was well proved for any non-believer by the success of the movie, “Lagey Raho Munnabhai” which escalated the popularity of Sanjay Dutt and coined the word GANDHIGIRI.
Well such was the situation when one of my friends gifted Gandhiji’s autobiography four-five months back. I didn’t get much chance to go beyond few chapters because of academic obligations. This may I had the fortune to visit the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad. The place again reconfirmed his greatness and I got back to the book as soon as I came back home. The speed ever increased after my NET examinations. Now I have finished four parts out of the five in the book.
The autobiography as we all know deals with his numerous experiments that led to salvation and truth. He had experimented with dietics, way of living and slowly and steadily had evolved into the man whom we adore and respect.
I do respect most of his experiments but I beg to differ with few of his experiments. I really don’t like the fact that he kept his sons and other youngsters in his South African and Indian ashrams devoid of any literary education. I realize that he wanted them to devote their life for the cause of the nation and the community. But I feel that it would have been better if they would have been educated because literary education does help in the matters in which he dealt with as was proved time and again by him and the other congress leaders. In this respect we could certainly mention Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who despite being oppressed in every step since childhood did successfully put the causes of his fellow brethren because of his education. So, an educated man in reality is a bigger asset than any educated man.
His experiments with nursing and dietics are well known. But in his South African days he used to prevail his ideas over others and they used to obey him out of respect and love. Sometimes this appears more as stubbornness on his part. This stubbornness has been visible even later in his life which seems not good for a man of his stature. His blind belief on British government was also not a good virtue.
But it is to the credit of the man that he so well amalgamated into the Indian society. He blended well and well-led the freedom struggle when the nation had become leaderless after the death of Gokhale. Let every nation be blessed with such sons of soil.
SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS:
I have always condemned and still condemn the way Gandhiji died. It’s our misfortune that a man who always put words over bullets was killed by bullets of people who clearly misunderstood him.
We have put him everywhere from currency notes to road corners but have brought disgrace by not giving him the due respect he commands. The statues are seldom respected and money is used for good and bad equally. At least the bad should think twice before doing something evil with the piece of paper having the greatest son of soil inscribed on it.
And lastly regarding the abuses that are being hurled on him time and again which was repeated again by a leader.
Is it not the duty of the common man to at least extract respect for Gandhiji and publicly condemn the leaders who do such heinous things?
Sundays: Too Many
Ever since I gave my NET examinations on SUNDAY, June 21st, I have not encountered the other days of the week !!! {With the brief interlude of the 8 days (Sunday, July 12th to Sunday, July 19th) when I was in Pune}
I have a whole week full of only Sundays. It even doesn’t matter it’s in which week of which month. Dates and days have become meaningless in the kind of life I’m leading.
It’s not that, I didn’t like it in the beginning. I did and enjoyed myself to the hilt as I was enjoying such a period after almost two years of academics. But as is true with every other blessing, this monotonous life has just become a bane for me.
Idling around the house, doing nothing and just eating, sleeping and watching TV was extreme fun. As a matter of fact, I haven’t worn a trouser in the past one month (I don’t go out anywhere and hence I’ll be found only in my shorts) and this enterprising life has increased my weight by God knows how many kilos !!!
But the holidays can’t be said to be wasted altogether. I have started reading again and have finished Godan and am currently breezing through books on history, science and also going through Gandhiji’s autobiography. Also my knowledge of Bengali and Hindi cinema is increasing day by day. {On a No-Loadshedding weekend five to six movies is regularity. Weekdays are devoted to movies and the Saas-Bahu Dramas (courtesy Mummy)}
But still, DIL KI TAMANNA HAI KI KAHIN PANKH LAGAKE UD JAOUN. Let’s see when I can go out and do something to exercise my body as well as my brains. {With the advent of swine flu, it has become more difficult}
Let all barriers subside and this bird (lil’ overweight) can fly into the open skies to get back his lost six days !!!
I have a whole week full of only Sundays. It even doesn’t matter it’s in which week of which month. Dates and days have become meaningless in the kind of life I’m leading.
It’s not that, I didn’t like it in the beginning. I did and enjoyed myself to the hilt as I was enjoying such a period after almost two years of academics. But as is true with every other blessing, this monotonous life has just become a bane for me.
Idling around the house, doing nothing and just eating, sleeping and watching TV was extreme fun. As a matter of fact, I haven’t worn a trouser in the past one month (I don’t go out anywhere and hence I’ll be found only in my shorts) and this enterprising life has increased my weight by God knows how many kilos !!!
But the holidays can’t be said to be wasted altogether. I have started reading again and have finished Godan and am currently breezing through books on history, science and also going through Gandhiji’s autobiography. Also my knowledge of Bengali and Hindi cinema is increasing day by day. {On a No-Loadshedding weekend five to six movies is regularity. Weekdays are devoted to movies and the Saas-Bahu Dramas (courtesy Mummy)}
But still, DIL KI TAMANNA HAI KI KAHIN PANKH LAGAKE UD JAOUN. Let’s see when I can go out and do something to exercise my body as well as my brains. {With the advent of swine flu, it has become more difficult}
Let all barriers subside and this bird (lil’ overweight) can fly into the open skies to get back his lost six days !!!
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