A Letter to JNU
Dear JNU,
We are living in bizarre times,literally. Everybody's firing nationalism from all corners. You need to get certificates of nationalism to be proved that you're a "True Indian".Just criticizing the repressive apparatus makes you anti-national. Talking about the real issues that people face in India makes you anti-national. What is happening right now is too hard to even comprehend because this is against the very idea of India that our constitution talks about.
What is really ironical in this situation is that people who actually strive to alleviate the many problems that we as a country face are called anti-national,while those who let lose fascism and endanger the ideals of our constitution, teach us what nationalism is.What I don't understand is why do they consider it a taboo when the woes of the people of the nation are raised?Why is it that they do not want the geopolitical and social problems of Adivasis, Dalits, Minorities, Kashmiris, people of North-east and others pitted against the wall to be debated about?
What is really ironical in this situation is that people who actually strive to alleviate the many problems that we as a country face are called anti-national,while those who let lose fascism and endanger the ideals of our constitution, teach us what nationalism is.What I don't understand is why do they consider it a taboo when the woes of the people of the nation are raised?Why is it that they do not want the geopolitical and social problems of Adivasis, Dalits, Minorities, Kashmiris, people of North-east and others pitted against the wall to be debated about?
Yes,our country is indeed in a much better off position when compared to many other developing nations of the world.Unlike Syria,our country does not face fierce civil strife that makes the entire population refugees.And unlike Palestine we are a sovereign state which is absolutely free from any external intervention. We are also largely free from terrorism when compared to many other regions of the world.Many of us get education,good health and job opportunities and are able to lead happy and healthy lives But that does not mean that we are absolutely free from problems.Our problems lie within.We have marginalised,ghettoised population whose lives are in a pathetic situation.
We are a country whose farmers,who provide us food, commit suicide out of poverty and debt traps.In the past decade alone more than 2,50,000 farmers have killed themselves while the National Crime Records Bureau claims that 46 farmers kill themselves everyday.Yet millionaires like Vijay Mallya are allowed to bend the laws to suit them and to abscond to places of their choice claiming that they are on an international tour even when they owe more 9000 crores to banks across the country.
Dalits in our country live a precarious existence.A few months before two dalit children were burnt alive for being born into the caste. Even after 66 years since the official banning of 'untouchability', discrimination against the dalits is still pervasive. In many schools dalit children are not allowed to study with so called 'upper caste' children.They are still denied access to public places grazing lands and even ration shops.
Child marriage,child labour,child abuse,denial of education and health care to girl child is still rampant.Malnutrition is still an issue that plagues us.Only 40 % of our household have sanitation facilities.
Adivasis have been traditionally denied their share of the country's resources . Even in socially developed states like Kerala,which claims to have achieved 100% primary education for all its citizens, the situation of adivasis is no different when compared to other parts of the country. Adivasis in Attapadi or in Wayanad,to name a few still don't have much access to the public domain. Their children are malnourished and don't attend schools.They live in dingy makeshift houses which can hardly be called a house. In many tribal regions like in Bastar, governments have traditionally allowed large multinational companies to take over the forests by displacing the tribals without any adequate compensation.
In Kashmir,abuses range from mass killings and mass graves to forced disappearances, torture, fake encounters, rape and sexual abuse, political repression and suppression of freedom of speech.The Indian army has also been blamed for these human rights violations along with many militant groups.Reports by many international organisations including the Human Rights Watch and the U.S State Department states that the Indian Army has been carrying out human rights violations in Kashmir and has asked the government to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act which excludes any army personnel from being prosecuted.
How does raising these issues make one anti-national?We need to raise these issues so that we can find solutions that will allow every individual to lead better lives.We need to raise these issues so that we ensure that every citizen gets access to the government machinery that empowers and uplifts them. We need to raise these issues to ensure that they also feel secure as citizens of India.We need to raise these issues so that we can make India more inclusive and progressive.
What equally disturbs me is the false binary of army vs anti-national hype that many media houses have successfully created. There is no doubt that the army guards our borders and protects us from external attacks. But what about the attacks that we face from within? The army does make us feel secure as a nation but there are still many people in our country who do not feel secure within the nation. Dalits feel insecure because of the horrendous discrimination that they are subjected to. Women are insecure due to the many forms of violence that they face from within their families and from outside.Minorities are insecure because of communal violence and hatred. Adivasis feel insecure for they have no land and livelihood for themselves. Farmers feel insecure for they can't repay their loans.Why doesn't the pseudo nationalist media talk about these insecurities that many people face within India even with the army guarding our borders?
It is really funny from one perspective that there seems to be a 'board' that tests your level of nationalism , judges and gives you certificates proving whether you are a pro-national or an anti-national. What they need to understand is that nationalism is a feeling of love which you cannot measure. It is something that we express through our actions. And no normal person in this great nation is in need of lectures on how to love your country One cannot spread nationalism through force. One cannot spread nationalism through hatred,abuse and polarization. It is an inner feeling that comes from within. One that pseudo-nationalists cannot experience.
A real nationalist is not the one who just keeps on saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai',though there is absolutely no problem in chanting the verse when the need arises.India is definitely our Motherland.The real nationalist is not the one who says that India is perfect and spotless.But the real nationalist is one who yearns for the country to be perfect and spotless. The real nationalist is the one who speaks against the many forms of atrocities that Indians face.The real nationalist is the one who wants to free the country from the filthy hands of poverty, discrimination and oppression. The real nationalist is the one who works for the weakest of the weak.The real nationalist is the one who wants to build an India based on the ideals of the constitution of our country. And there are indeed many people from different walks of life who do justice to nationalism in its real sense. Unfortunately,today many of them find themselves , behind prison bars.
We need to counter pseudo-nationalists by creating more of the 'real nationalists'.Through education and inculcation of moral values and ideals that govern our constitution, we need to create fearless individuals who will stand up for the cause of the country by standing up for the oppressed and the marginalized. Pseudo-nationalists are few in number but are very vocal, while people who do justice to nationalism and humanism are more in number but choose to remain silent.That culture has to change. We have to break out of our cocoons and speak up for the cause of upholding justice. Unless that happens ,the light that drives out darkness will seem to be very faint.
We are a country whose farmers,who provide us food, commit suicide out of poverty and debt traps.In the past decade alone more than 2,50,000 farmers have killed themselves while the National Crime Records Bureau claims that 46 farmers kill themselves everyday.Yet millionaires like Vijay Mallya are allowed to bend the laws to suit them and to abscond to places of their choice claiming that they are on an international tour even when they owe more 9000 crores to banks across the country.
Dalits in our country live a precarious existence.A few months before two dalit children were burnt alive for being born into the caste. Even after 66 years since the official banning of 'untouchability', discrimination against the dalits is still pervasive. In many schools dalit children are not allowed to study with so called 'upper caste' children.They are still denied access to public places grazing lands and even ration shops.
Child marriage,child labour,child abuse,denial of education and health care to girl child is still rampant.Malnutrition is still an issue that plagues us.Only 40 % of our household have sanitation facilities.
Adivasis have been traditionally denied their share of the country's resources . Even in socially developed states like Kerala,which claims to have achieved 100% primary education for all its citizens, the situation of adivasis is no different when compared to other parts of the country. Adivasis in Attapadi or in Wayanad,to name a few still don't have much access to the public domain. Their children are malnourished and don't attend schools.They live in dingy makeshift houses which can hardly be called a house. In many tribal regions like in Bastar, governments have traditionally allowed large multinational companies to take over the forests by displacing the tribals without any adequate compensation.
In Kashmir,abuses range from mass killings and mass graves to forced disappearances, torture, fake encounters, rape and sexual abuse, political repression and suppression of freedom of speech.The Indian army has also been blamed for these human rights violations along with many militant groups.Reports by many international organisations including the Human Rights Watch and the U.S State Department states that the Indian Army has been carrying out human rights violations in Kashmir and has asked the government to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act which excludes any army personnel from being prosecuted.
How does raising these issues make one anti-national?We need to raise these issues so that we can find solutions that will allow every individual to lead better lives.We need to raise these issues so that we ensure that every citizen gets access to the government machinery that empowers and uplifts them. We need to raise these issues to ensure that they also feel secure as citizens of India.We need to raise these issues so that we can make India more inclusive and progressive.
What equally disturbs me is the false binary of army vs anti-national hype that many media houses have successfully created. There is no doubt that the army guards our borders and protects us from external attacks. But what about the attacks that we face from within? The army does make us feel secure as a nation but there are still many people in our country who do not feel secure within the nation. Dalits feel insecure because of the horrendous discrimination that they are subjected to. Women are insecure due to the many forms of violence that they face from within their families and from outside.Minorities are insecure because of communal violence and hatred. Adivasis feel insecure for they have no land and livelihood for themselves. Farmers feel insecure for they can't repay their loans.Why doesn't the pseudo nationalist media talk about these insecurities that many people face within India even with the army guarding our borders?
It is really funny from one perspective that there seems to be a 'board' that tests your level of nationalism , judges and gives you certificates proving whether you are a pro-national or an anti-national. What they need to understand is that nationalism is a feeling of love which you cannot measure. It is something that we express through our actions. And no normal person in this great nation is in need of lectures on how to love your country One cannot spread nationalism through force. One cannot spread nationalism through hatred,abuse and polarization. It is an inner feeling that comes from within. One that pseudo-nationalists cannot experience.
A real nationalist is not the one who just keeps on saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai',though there is absolutely no problem in chanting the verse when the need arises.India is definitely our Motherland.The real nationalist is not the one who says that India is perfect and spotless.But the real nationalist is one who yearns for the country to be perfect and spotless. The real nationalist is the one who speaks against the many forms of atrocities that Indians face.The real nationalist is the one who wants to free the country from the filthy hands of poverty, discrimination and oppression. The real nationalist is the one who works for the weakest of the weak.The real nationalist is the one who wants to build an India based on the ideals of the constitution of our country. And there are indeed many people from different walks of life who do justice to nationalism in its real sense. Unfortunately,today many of them find themselves , behind prison bars.
We need to counter pseudo-nationalists by creating more of the 'real nationalists'.Through education and inculcation of moral values and ideals that govern our constitution, we need to create fearless individuals who will stand up for the cause of the country by standing up for the oppressed and the marginalized. Pseudo-nationalists are few in number but are very vocal, while people who do justice to nationalism and humanism are more in number but choose to remain silent.That culture has to change. We have to break out of our cocoons and speak up for the cause of upholding justice. Unless that happens ,the light that drives out darkness will seem to be very faint.
A couple of days before,I saw this very powerful verse written on a placard during one of your marches.It reads-"We fight not just against your tyranny,but also for the beauty of our dreams". Yes.We have dreams about a country where there isn't any discrimination. We have dreams about a country which is egalitarian.We have dreams about a country where there isn't poverty or hunger.We have dreams about a country whose children are educated and are not child laborers. We have dreams about a country whose women are free from abuse. We have dreams about a country which is just to all it's people. And our dreams are mightier than their actions.
And we fight to translate these dreams into reality. We fight to ensure that these dreams don't die along with us.We will fight shoulder to shoulder till the day every man,woman and transgender gets to live in a country, in a world where there is justice ,equality and respect for every individual. Let us fight together to make our dreams come true.
"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Into that heaven of freedom
My father,let my country awake"
"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Into that heaven of freedom
My father,let my country awake"
From the narrow walls of intolerance that breaks up the world into fragments,let us be able to rise up to the broader horizon of humanism where we come out of our immediacies and consider ourselves humans first.Everything else will follow.
Inquilab Zindabad!
Inquilab Zindabad!
-A 15 year old supporter.
Marvellous thoughts Surumi. The real test of nationalism is how best we can protect ourselves from external plunder. One wonders whether the present political dispensation can do this, as long as it is committed to neoliberalism which is facilitating the global plunder. neoliberalsim is actually death to national impulses insofar as it seeks to keep open all that is "protected", including our social security state. The first casualty of this change-over is social security-welfare state. When it happens where is the space for nationalism? It will remain only as rhetoric rather than a real matrix of 'protection', protection of the weak and marginalized, women and children, aged and disabled....We are moving far away from this central logic of 'inclusive growth' which, for all intents and purposes, excludes the most vulnerable. Yet we are forced to use nationalism as a cover for the overt operations at the helm of affairs. Good that you have an idea as to how to bring in arguments. Keep it up and keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Seethi uncle
DeleteYour blog blew my mind. You have earned a new follower.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLet your blog motivate and inspire our younger generation to speak out for our nation..."Nationalism should come from our heart"... It is the respect, love and responsibility towards our motherland irrespective of cast and creed.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing jasi...