“To hell with nationalism…..” I said in reaction to a friend’s overt criticism of attack on the Indian students in Australia. My agitation has less to do with his nostalgic patriotism and more against the moral high ground in a society that is widely responsible of reverse racism on more than one account. Of course, it hurts to me also when I find an innocent Indian being under the racial attack for no fault. However, the question remains as to whether we Indians as a collective society are left with any moral right to condemn the kind of xenophobia that we too have subconsciously inculcated in us.
What kind of nationalism do we talk about in a country which is largely xenophobic within itself? People from Delhi and western UP think Bihar is all about labour class, Maharashtra gives a clarion call to ban the entry and work of people of UP and Bihar, a singer & a politician is asked to apologise for speaking as an Indian and not Marathi, a film star is victimized in his own Karmabhoomi for speaking the language of peace and harmony with a neighboring country, there is widening north-south divide, people from North East are victimized in north India, and a minister in Andhra Pradesh asks cricket team to boycott tournament since Hyderabad is not selected as venue for game….the list is endless suggesting aloud that we are all racists.
India as a society has the legend of championing the notion of nationalism much before the world knew the concept of nationalism as a fall out of French Revolution and Nation State. The claim may be challenged by the western historians but the fact remains that the legendary Chanakya of country’s first and mighty Magadha Empire had espoused the cause of nationalism much before the French Nationalism came into existence. The war rhetoric of “Kashmir se Kanyakumari tak sarvatra bhoomi hamari hai” is something that goes into the folk lore for its overt nationalist pride.
However, the friend of mine who has all the soft corner for the fellow country men being thrashed in Australia has no knowledge of the historical fact that the state of Bihar in its primitive stage of Magadha Empire has the credit to teach the nation what nationalism is all about. Being born in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh and brought up in Delhi, he has no idea as to what nationalism is and what it should be in a modern progressive society and economy.
The migration of labour class from the vary same state of Bihar which taught the world what nationalism is all about, makes him think that Bihar is all about labour supply chain, with no academic excellence. This inherent superiority complex makes him overlook the fact that Bihar has been centre of academic excellence since ages and Nalanda along with Taxila had been the only universities to begin with and torch bearers of academic excellence since ages. Even today sixty percent of the country’s premium service, including the IAS, comes from the very same state of Bihar.
The places like Banaras and Allahabad might have produced some of the best talents in the country, but for a section of Maharashtra the state of UP is all about Bhaiyyas and milkmen. This regional profiling is an inherent reality in today’s India suggesting that perception is larger than reality. As per the records of the National Crime Records Bureau, Muzaffarnagar may be the crime capital of India, but perception backed by myopic and xenophobic mindset would love to believe that it is Bihar that is producing all criminals. When I find people in Delhi and some other parts of the country taking a moral high ground on the issue of Marathi versus the rest, I feel as if we are not just racists but shameless too. Our sense of self-righteousness awakens only when we are confronted with someone who is more racist, more xenophobic and more unethical than us.
The fact of the matter is that racism is, more often than not borne out of our own incompetence and hence helplessness. Had it been the case of Maharashtrians excelling in the competition with incumbents from other states, the issue of Maratha pride would never have snowballed into political spectrum. The same goes true for Delhi as well. If the second-generation Delhi residents would have competed ahead of first generation migrants there would have been no sense of hatred. But high academic institutions like the JNU and Delhi University are being filled by the students of Bihar, UP and now South and North East. Not coping with this meritocracy, racism is the only undemocratic low that people often stoop to.
Let us face the facts. We as the collective consciousness of the society are all bloody racists. And till the time we live in the glass houses, we should refrain from throwing stones. To champion the cause of nationalism we must first get rid of bigotry, persecution complex, jingoism and conspiracy theory.
11:22 PM
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13 comments:
A real hard hitting piece on the current state of social politics, to say the least. Actually most of us are the victims of regional profiling. It is just the fact that we don't realise this as perpetrators of crime; as a victim it hurts and we feel the pain. I wish you write more of such stuff in future.
Hi Ravi
The concept of patriotism often evoked mixed feeling bordering skepticism in me because an unadulterated, serene patriotic feeling cannot coexists with disgusting regional and sub regional feelings. I have been victim of North south divide in a prestigious Central government Institution. It is utterly disgusting to see the profiling and jingoistic attitudes seen mostly among educated - North, South, East and West no exception. To my pleasant surprise, I found the rural people cutting across all regions of the nation are found to be very broadminded, accommodative and compassionate. And, now there is sub regionalism rising it ugly head in Andhra Pradesh. Come and experience it you will know the darker side of we Indians. Why so far, see the same jingoism of our home minister which played havoc with a prosperous state; as he is parochial enough to stoop such a low thinking of cutting Andhra Pradesh into two just too further interests of his home state Tamil Nadu. I think our education failed us and the leaders and intellectuals of 50s,60s have failed to pass on the baton of free thought and culture - be it western or our own rich heritage - to the next generation through institutionalizing same. I am afraid, what we are experiencing is only beginning and worst is in store because quality of polity is spiraling south with each day.
Best Wishes
-Pratap
Correction to my comment:
'The concept of patriotism often evoked mixed feeling bordering skepticism in me because an unadulterated, serene patriotic feeling cannot coexist with disgusting regional and sub regional feelings.'
I'm not a fan of patriotism or nationalism, there's only one version I can identify with at all, which is food related, as chinese writer Lin Yutang put it:
"What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?"
As usual...extremely hard hitting and well written piece. look forward to more such pieces...
Very Hard hitting. Shows you the mirror!!
Actually its hard hitting.. !!!
I really loved the article.
Very nice article, with a clear view of what the author wanted to communicate right from begining to end!
are we playing to a gallery? are we waiting to be applauded? can we not distinguish b/w whats good for India as a whole without digging graves of chanakyas & frech history or for that matter western values?
If the author finds my questions hard hitting then the article was soft indeed.
Nopes, your questions are not hard hitting even though you intended to make it so. See, the issue here is much braoder. No society can afford to overlook its history and continue to move in the forward direction. After all, what is India? And if we can be that liberal to accept reverse racism for the sake of India, then why India?? As a fellow human beings we should preach world as a community. But these are just wishful thinking my friend. The unfortunate reality of reverse racism within India has to be shown mirror, countered with courage and fought it out. Till then, people like me have the legitimate ways and means to contribute in our own posible ways, like the blog suggests.
hi sir , i share the same view regarding the nationalism, there has been a lot of divide in the country,being from a state like bihar and inspite of my knowledge ,i have too faced lot of discrimination and in south india even in top institution and educated people are discriminating people on north and south basis.. but i am not down because these are my own country men who cannot think beyond certain limit and it does not mean that i should also behave in a same way, the only thing i can do is to change the way people see, by setting some example which can help in changing the way people look at the things....
Valid points boss. And I appreciate your soft gesture. But the issue here is how will you prove a point or set example? Even after proving your points on meritocracy if there is a bias and victimisation, you have to stand up against it. Rights can not be asked with a begging bowl. It has to be earned, means are used as the situation demands.
See, I am not against a national consensus and harmony, but the question is at what cost?? Certainly not at the cost of Indians who come from less privileged states with more merits.
go on young man...on ur way...u hv every right to...all the best,,,this is ur way...all the ebst...god bless u n this nation!
There is no such thing like ideal & nationalism in todayz word. Jinnah was once nationalist and everyone knows what he turned out in 40s of last century.....
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