An Appeal by Professor Vipin Tripathi: People-Centric Nationalism: Our Life Line
People-Centric
Nationalism: Our Life Line
Friends,
Since
inception in 1990, Sadbhav Mission has been working to build the culture of
compassion in the country through education, door to door campaigns and
marches. We have conducted mathematics and science workshops for students and
teachers in schools, madarsas and colleges in Delhi Aligarh Gujarat and worked among
the victims of violence in Panchmahals and Kokrajhar. This brought us in touch
with the soul of the nation.
The
soul of the nation lies in its people who, despite hardships, are simple, and truthful.
Some are affluent but a majority of them are poor, living on hard work and
mutual cooperation. Bringing them at the centre of nation building, viz.,
education, culture, polity, and economy is people centric nationalism. Such
nationalism has been the driving force for freedom fighters, satyagrahis and
revolutionaries to stake their lives. Today we need the same fervour to move
forward.
One, Prime Realization: The foundation
of nationalism is the realization that the nation belongs to all its people.
Just as this body is a gift of nature, parents are a gift of nature, motherland
too is a gift of nature to everyone. The place where a person is born and
brought up is his/ her motherland. He/ she has the right to live there with
full freedom and dignity. It is a right given by nature, by God and not by any
body’s mercy. However, for the masses this right has been suppressed in
significant measure. This suppression becomes acute in times of riots and
violence. To uphold this right and work for it with resolution is our task.
Two, People-Centric Education: The goal of
education is to build in every child the capacity to think and impart technical
skills so that he/ she could stand on his/ her own. .This demands that the tuition fees be low,
technical courses be accessible to all at affordable cost, lessons be related
to life and given in simple language, projects and tutorials be integral to
courses, teacher to student ratio be better than 1:30, teacher be paid grade
salaries and the atmosphere of schools and colleges be free from caste,
religion and class prejudices.
Three,
People-Centric Economy: Five basic instruments of production are: Land,
forest (mines), machines (tools), labour (skills) and capital. The sixth one is
market that decides the price according to demand and supply. Today market and
capital are driving the entire economy. The focus is on the production of goods
for the consumption of middle and upper classes as they have the purchasing
power. In this process, land is slipping away from the farmers and the control
of corporate sector and builders over mines and lands is growing. This requires
intervention. The industries that employ more people be given priority, farmers
have bases in markets, villages be the hubs for raw to finished product
production.
Four, People-Centric Polity: The prime
task of polity and democratic institutions is to contain the ill effects of
market driven economy, to save villages from degeneration, to save farmers from
exploitation by the traders, to check the misappropriation of lands by builders
and corporate sector, to provide technical education upto the level of self
reliance to every one, to implement minimum wages and provide job security and
pension plan for workers of unorganized sector, to restrain media from being an
aggressive tool of the elite and orient it towards objectivity and people. Only
people-centric polity, through the awakening of the masses, can put a check on
the dictates of the capital that are too severe on the political system.
Governments, in the name of development are busy providing infrastructure and
other facilities to market forces. In their temperament these classes are
sectarian and are injecting poison of hatred in our veins.
The
political parties that have evolved through the struggles on peoples issues
must return to their roots and orient the direction of polity towards the
masses. They strengthen democratization from Panchayats to Assemblies and
Parliament. The power that is centred in the hands of pradhans (chiefs) be
decentralized into all the members of these bodies.
Five, People-Centric Culture: Our
nation is built from families and villages. Mutual relations, cooperation,
simplicity, harmony with nature and spirituality are the basis of our living
(culture). Caste oppression, gender inequality, economic and feudal
exploitation have pulled us backward but the movements to fight these ills have
also emerged from this soil and have progressed. Religious tolerance has been
our special strength that, in the form of Sufi-Saint tradition, took us to
great spiritual height. Through nonviolence and satyagraha we got freedom from
colonialism. However, growing industrialization and urbanization have weakened
families, villages and collectivism and in place of religiosity (i.,e, self
inquiry and truthful behaviour) has promoted show off. Glamour, arrogance and
hatred and weakening our souls. Let us bring self introspection back into
focus, rise above the labels of caste, religion and class and see into the
souls of people and strengthen the culture of family hood. Such a people-centric
culture will uplift our souls.
Six, People-Centric Foreign Policy:
Just like here, in other countries to people and power structure are two
different entities. The task of foreign policy is to promote cooperation with
the people of other countries in areas of education, trade, employment, culture
and other areas. At times, to divert peoples’ attention from their inner
problems, governments launch wars. We must resist them but should not have ill
feelings against the people. In present times no two countries can win a war
against each other, hence it is a minor problem. Real problem is the attack of
the capital. The multinationals want to purchase our resources from their
capital and control our markets. There we must remain cautious and vigilant.
Seven, People-Centric Security Policy: The foremost
responsibility of the state is to protect life and property of every citizen
from individual and collective violence. A government that does not discharge
this responsibility and behaves in a partisan fashion is barbaric. Whenever
such governments have come to powerin the world, violence and brutality have
crossed limits. In mid forties, the British government supported the
communalists of all hues, as a result India got partitioned and violence took a
toll of half a million lives, half Hindus-Sikhs and half Muslims. In Germany India Pakistan China
The first requisite
of internal security is to raise the level of polity such that the sectarian
and violence mongering forces can not come to power. In case they come to
power, every single communal move of theirs must be resisted through
satyagraha. For this satyagraha committees must form all over.
Please join this
effort. Join Sadbhav Mission.
V.K. Tripathi
Sadbhav Mission,
5, C-Street, IIT, New Delhi
tripathivipin@yahoo.co.in
Professor Tripathis report from Muzzafarnagar
Friends,
Yesterday (September 12, 2013) I made my second visit to Muzaffarnagar area. My objectives were i) to ascertain facts about Jauly firing incident of September 7, ii) to initiate efforts to cool down passions, iii) to meet administrative/ police officers and have assessment of the situation.
In my earlier visit that I undertook with Aarish on September 8, I had visited Mansurpur and Bopara and was alarmed by the level of passions aroused. Hence, I prepared a note and made 2000 copies for distribution.
With half of these copies I boarded Haridwar Mail at 5:30 PM at Delhi station on September 12. During the journey I distributed 600 fliers, of these 100 were given to policemen. A majority of the people read them with interest. At 8:40 AM I got down at Muzaffarnagar. I talked to local people and learned that Jouly was 17 km away and there was no tempo or bus running. However, they gave me the directions and I started walking. After 4 km, a kind young man gave me motor bike ride for 2 km. As I began walking again I saw a group of 100 young girls and boys returning from a makeshift Madarsa. Behind them was a Muslim farmer who taught these children. He was balanced in his conversation. After 3 km, a Sikh farmer gave me ride for 2 km. He was also nice and spoke without exaggeration and bias.
With half of these copies I boarded Haridwar Mail at 5:30 PM at Delhi station on September 12. During the journey I distributed 600 fliers, of these 100 were given to policemen. A majority of the people read them with interest. At 8:40 AM I got down at Muzaffarnagar. I talked to local people and learned that Jouly was 17 km away and there was no tempo or bus running. However, they gave me the directions and I started walking. After 4 km, a kind young man gave me motor bike ride for 2 km. As I began walking again I saw a group of 100 young girls and boys returning from a makeshift Madarsa. Behind them was a Muslim farmer who taught these children. He was balanced in his conversation. After 3 km, a Sikh farmer gave me ride for 2 km. He was also nice and spoke without exaggeration and bias.
After walking 3 km further, an elderly Sikh, owning a mangoes garden, gave me ride for 2 km. He told that Mahapanchayat on September 7 and firing near Jauly same evening greatly added to the problems. His assessment was that 7 Hindus were killed in Jauly Ganga Canal firing and 3 tractors were drowned A Muslim was also killed. I gave him Sadbhav Mission Patrika and flier and moved on.
A km prior to Jauly, I met a group of ten people (Hindus) sitting in front of a house at the farm. They talked nicely but said that the number of dead in the canal far exceeds the two bodies recovered. Then I left, crossed the Ganga nahar, met the CRPF constables and went to site where violence had taken place on September 7. There were 15 people including the police sub-inspector. The crane had just lifted a drowned tractor from the canal. One tractor was taken out a day earlier.
At 12: 15 I entered Jouly. It is a village with a population of 5000; 4000 Muslims (including half Shias, (Saiyid)) and 1000 Hindus (including very significant % of Jats). Jouly Village Panchayat comprises two villages, Jouly and Mirza tola. The latter has primarily Banjara (Hindu OBC) population of 2000. Jouly pradhan (chief of Gramsabha) is a Banjara. Before independence, this village had a Shia (Sayid) Zamindar. Since then Saiyids and Jats have been having very good relations.
Just few meters inside the village I met Kamber, an young lawyer. He took me to his home. His brother Humayun, uncle Qamar Abbas and other members greeted me with warmth. They expressed deep sorrow for the canal incident of Sept. 7 and said police had recovered bodies of 3 Hindus. From there I went to the gher (house front) of Chaudhury Rajpal. He was equally truthful and warm. He said 4 Muslims and 3 Hindus died. 7 more Hindus are still missing. One tractor is also missing. It was most heartening to meet these two most decent and dedicated secularists, Qamar Abbas and Chaudhury Rajpal.
At 1:30 I left for Muzaffarnagar. I got a tempo with young driver Ifran. I was pleasantly surprised that this boy and his friend had the courage to come 17 km away from Muzaffarnagar in such a tense atmosphere. They dropped me at DM's residence. But he was not there. I left a message for him. SP was also on tour of the area. At 4 PM I took the train to Delhi.
At 1:30 I left for Muzaffarnagar. I got a tempo with young driver Ifran. I was pleasantly surprised that this boy and his friend had the courage to come 17 km away from Muzaffarnagar in such a tense atmosphere. They dropped me at DM's residence. But he was not there. I left a message for him. SP was also on tour of the area. At 4 PM I took the train to Delhi.
