Aju
Mukhopadhyay, IN
India won
Freedom
The path to
Freedom
During the Swadeshi movement
or movement to gain freedom from foreign yoke, a poet from
Bengal wrote, "even the uncivilized China and Japan have
risen up (may be that the notion of civilization is
ethnocentric), they too are free, they have dignity; but
India only sleeps". Pundit Nehru’s opening speech, India’s
tryst with destiny, in the parliament of free India at the
midnight hour on 14 August or the beginning of 15th August
1947, “At the stroke of midnight hour when the world sleeps,
India will awake to life and freedom”, seems to be a reply
to the lamenting poet. About that moment Nehru said, “It
comes but rarely in history . . . when the soul of a nation
. . . finds utterance.”
Sri Aurobindo, in his Freedom
Message to the All India Radio,
triumphantly, on that day
expressed happiness that India finally became free on his
birthday, taking it as a seal and sanction of the divine for
the work with which he started his revolutionary career,
however, he added, “ . . . but she has not achieved unity.”
Freedom of united India was his first dream along with four
others. Resurgence of Asia, World-Union, bestowal of
Spiritual Gift of India to the world and evolution of human
consciousness for individual and social perfection, were the
other dreams.
The Mother of Pondicherry
thought that India is the Spiritual Guru of the world and
that she must play her divine ordained role in the world
stage in due course of time. This is what Sri Aurobindo
thought to be the spiritual gift of India to the world. And
Nehru’s reference to the awakening of the soul of India, as
a matter spiritual, seems to fit in this project though he
was not very conscious about the subject spiritual nor ever
he tried to raise the soul of India, a collective spiritual
entity.
Realising his political
failure, Gandhiji, who some hail as the sole harbinger of
freedom through his non-violent method, was conspicuously
absent from the scene of jubilation for India achieved her
freedom through communal blood-bath, by a violent method.
‘Quite India’ became non-violent movement, so was the naval
revolt. Most of the Congress leaders of the time including
Gandhi and Nehru were in jail for the entire period of the
‘Quit India’ drive.
Subhas Chandra Bose and his
Azad Hind force, though defeated with the axis force as a
matter of course of the second World War, represented the
angst and growing discontent of the Indian people against
the colonial force. Revolt and non-cooperation in the Indian
Navy and Army as a whole added strength to the violent
force. All these forces added strength to Gandhi’s
Non-Violent movement to help India finally achieve freedom.
They could
no more retain their colony
The situation was such that
war ravished Britain had huge internal troubles. They
thought it dangerous to carry on further. It was never that
the non-violent movement brought a soul-change in them to
give up possession of the country. They had no way but to
give independence to India and they effectively used their
last weapon of dividing the country. And Indian leaders had
the weakness to accept it. So they gave freedom to at least
two Indias; India and Pakistan. Now it is three Indias with
Bangladesh as the last entrant in the group.
Post Colonial days
Forest
land and the Tribal Life
India’s industrial revolution
has been progressing at the cost of the farmers. Our age-old
agriculture has to accede to the powerful demands of the
industrialists. Forests are denuded, its inhabitants too are
decimated. It is a matter of great regret that tribal people
throughout the world are being annihilated to satisfy the
profiteering motive of the industrialists and business
community, whom the communists too welcome in the name of
economic development. It is never to be forgotten that the
Forest and its natural resources are the backbone of India’s
economic prosperity. Without Forest, River and the water
system, the Flora and Fauna we shall be ruined. The idea to
link rivers is another ill-conceived project, sure to harm
our river system or the country’s lifeline.
The Communist movement in the
name of Mao, Stalin or such names are stained with blood; if
one clearly knows, they did not help human progress but were
the worst dictators so there should not be any weakness or
sympathy in favour of Maoism which has created a panic. We
should not dream of overthrowing the capitalistic system
before finding a better one but tribal people who innocently
have joined the communists for they could not and cannot
judge, for they were and are really neglected, should not be
culled in the forest as poachers do to tigers. Such
operations, like ‘Green Hunt’ are dangerous for the
existence of tribal life.
Corruption and Environmental Degradation
The whole of India has become
corrupt at the hands of politicians and opportunists. All
big media are their friends. Tourism progresses at the cost
of Mother Nature. Scientific progress brings Global Warming,
provokes Climate Change. India too is a partner of it.
Speaking about the Wildlife, Ullas Karanth writes, “Roads,
reservoirs, canals, mines and industrial projects- temples
of Jawaharlal Nehru’s modern India- devastated what
remained.” Ashish Kothari writes, “We are here today, on one
of the steepest descending curves of the environmental
roller-coaster ride we have been on since independence.”
(Both in The Hindu, dated 15.8.2007)
The Bane of
Caste System and its use to get Privilege
On one hand the caste system
has been renounced as detrimental to human progress as it
cuts at the root of human equality, on the other hand
interested politicians, in order to get fattened with the
official favour and privilege for the scheduled castes and
tribes, as a partner of it, to get a share of it through the
vote bank, demands for enumeration of caste along with the
current census. Dalits are already fighting for more
privileges. Those in the famous Southern State who abolished
the use of titles after the names so the caste is not
identified are themselves most caste conscious, are getting
fattened through State machinery, privileged as they are.
Higher castes are oppressed here.
Ancients knew that there were
values behind the caste system, that men were not equal in
capacity or merit, that humans used to get pleasure in
different types of jobs, neither they wished to be equals
nor they felt themselves to be so. Different people had
different propensity and urge in life. Different types of
works by different communities was the rule in harmony with
inherent nature. And it helped the division of labour. The
rich exploiting the poor or priest exploiting the low caste
or casteless were later developments. It is strange that
none of the exploited groups cry for abolition of caste,
abolition of all privilieges even after 63 years of India’s
winning freedom but the privileged ones wish almost a caste
war and politicians wish this division to continue as they
wish the continuance of religious clash and differences. If
caste has been the cause of untold human misery because of
its misuse and violation of human identity in the name of
case, it should go forthwith. All humans should be treated
equally, to be honoured and given a place according to merit
and capacity for modern India wishes to go ahead, not limp
with the unqualified and non-meritorious at the helm or at
important points in administration and education, in art and
culture only because privileges have to be given as a
political means and prerogative to achieve things in favour
of the leaders. Even in modern India ‘Honour Killing’,
killing of near and dear ones of one’s family for marrying
in another caste or class against the wishes of the
orthodoxy, goes on regularly as in Pakistan, tacitly
supported by the society with direct and indirect help of
the establishment and the legal system.
Reservation for Women
There is an uproar to reserve
seats up to one third of the total for women in Parliament
and State Assemblies. I saw a picture of a woman in a
newspaper carrying bricks on her head with her husband as it
was their profession to earn their livelihood as
construction labour hands who at one time was an M.L.A. but
due to change of her constituency from a reserved one to a
general category she was no more nominated for the post. The
question is, her status was fallen from an MLA to a labourer,
but did it matter in any way in respect of the affairs of
the country? The reply is the same in respect of most of the
reservations. Those who are not capable, whatever the post
they are selected for, they will remain the same shy person.
It will not matter whether they are there are not. If proper
candidates are not available in a constituency but woman
MLAs or MPs are made through reserved category the country
will suffer. The fact is, when the time comes and there is a
real candidate, he or she will push to his / her proper
place. Of course, malpractices may create hindrance but that
has to be fought out.
Resurgence
of Indian Spiritualism- a Hope
In spite of all these goings
on we must not forget that India is a very old civilization.
The whole of its spiritual past remains in the Indian
psyche. An Indian is modern and ancient, both. It seems that
the spiritual guide is extending its helping-hand in spite
of all forces hindering its advent. Farmers in the field,
fishermen in the coastal areas, environmentalists and
friends of the tribal people are rising up everywhere. The
white fire of spirit will rise up some day from the
smouldering heaps of discarded religions to make India
really free, help the world to wake up to heaven. Sri
Aurobindo did not give any time frame for the fruition of
his vision, The Divine Life upon earth, but he envisaged
such a life to get gradually established on earth and in
such a great endeavour India’s spiritual gift must be of
help, welcomed by the world.
© Aju Mukhopadhyay
